Chapter 7

"The next day, the body of Gran had disappeared, and so had her blood. Leaving no stain in the bowl." --The Story of Gran Ch. 26 Line 1

Two days later, Dahra was sorting through resumes in her office, when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

Krinan poked her head through the opening. "Dahra, can we talk?"

She let out a long sigh. "What do you want, Krinan?"

Since yesterday, Dahra was no longer Krinan's subordinate. She was now a special projects coordinator, and had equal status with her. This made being around Krinan slightly more tolerable than before. But not much. At least she now had to knock before entering, thought Dahra.

"I was wondering how the choosing of your team was going?" said Krinan, as she sidled over to and sat in the only other chair in the office.

"Not well," said Dahra. "Eran stopped by my house yesterday, and declined to participate."

"Really? From what I've heard, this project seemed to be right up her alley."

"It is. She would have been the last person I would have expected to quit this kind of project, before it started. But she did. Last night she came over right after she finished supper, with this big load of resumes in her arms, and said 'I don't think I am the right person for this job.'"

"Did she say why?" asked Krinan.

"She said that she loved teaching too much, and wasn't looking for this great a change, right now. But I don't buy it."

"Well, she is over eleven years old. Maybe she's feeling her age."

"I think so too," said Dahra. "But too damn proud to admit it."

"So, how are the resumes she gave you?"

"Confusing. Half the terms listed in the resumes, I don't have the foggiest idea what they mean. It is almost like trying to understand ancient texts."

"I know what you mean," said Krinan. "Computer scientists seem to have more insider lingo than all the other sciences put together."

"The disturbing part of these resumes is that all but three of these don't work for the university, but instead work for computer companies."

Krinan sighed. "You should have expected that. Computer design is such a lucrative business, it's hard to keep quality teachers for long.

"I suppose. But if I recruit commercial employees, their ex-employers are going to investigate, and the secret will become public."

Krinan scratched her head. "I think you're right. What about the three non- commercial ones?"

Dahra picked up three resumes, that were set apart from the others. "Oh they are pretty good. Not as good as some of the others, mind you. But good."

Dahra picked up a red folder from the stack of three. "This one particularly impresses me. Her name is Gusva Vaggirklinkas. She is nearly a month into her ipse studies, and from what I can tell, her research into computer miniaturization parallels what we need for this project, at least initially."

"What about Lissa? Are you going to include her on your team?"

"Not initially. She doesn't have the expertise I need at this stage. If she stayed she would end up a gopher and lackey for the group. That's not what she wants."

"That's very wise of her." said Krinan. "She needs to get out and put what she's learned into action."

"Oh, she will," said Dahra. "She's been given an ipse scholarship by the geology college."

"You're kidding!"

"No. The college decided that after the find is made public, Lissa will be famous, and every college on the planet will be offering her scholarships. They beat everyone else to it.

"Besides," said Dahra. "She will be doing what she wanted to do with her degree, in the first place: half teaching and half field work, with just a little bit of lab work thrown into the mix."

"Sounds great," said Krinan.

Dahra smiled. "Yeah, she's off to a great start."

"Thanks to you."

Dahra blushed. "Oh, she would have risen to the top even without me. The cream always does."

"So," asked Krinan, trying to sound casual, "Have you decided who will be the other archaeologist on the project?"

"Why do you ask?" asked Dahra, with caution.

"Just wondering."

"Well, Wednu and Plek both refused, both of them being happy with their current job. I am currently considering Klavdra Menorfelgis."

"Klavdra!" exclaimed Krinan. "She was the first student I mentored. And one of my best, too."

"I know. She has done some excellent work on ancient culture, and is currently teaching at a small college on Fvovilar."

"Have you considered... me?"asked Krinan.

"No."

Krinan paused. "Why not? You know my work. I've devoted the last three years of my life to decoding the ancient texts. Nobody knows more about them than I do."

"Yes, I know."

"Then why not."

"Well, for one thing," said Dahra. "This project will be all consuming. You would have to resign from your position as dean of curriculum."

"To hell with the deanship!" roared Krinan. "That find of yours is what I've been looking for all my professional life. Name one person who is better qualified to decipher the computer texts."

Dahra, stunned by the outburst, paused to mull over the other candidates. She didn't realize that the find meant so much to her. "I can't."

"Then, why not!?"

Dahra let out a long sigh, and gathered her thoughts. "To be honest Krinan, I don't trust you."

"You don't? Why not?"

"I think you know."

Krinan paused, and looked down at her feet. "Yeah, I know. This is about Frissa Menorfelgis, isn't it?"

"You know it is."

"That was three years ago. I can't change what happened back then. What can I do to regain your trust?"

Dahra leaned forward, staring into Krinan's green eyes. "I want to know what really happened back then, between you two."

Krinan let out a low whistle. "If I tell you, will you promise not to tell anyone else?"

"I promise. This is just for me."

"And if I tell you, do you promise to make me your research partner at the find?"

"Now, that I can't promise. It all depends on what you say, and if I believe you." said Dahra.