Sixty days and counting - Kim Stanley Robinson [203]
So when they arrived, there was the usual stir. But as soon as they had accepted a toast from all they insisted that the party refocus on the Khembalis, and the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet, and to what that meant, which was the return to the Tibetan people of some kind of autonomy or, as Phil reminded them briefly, semi-autonomy. “No one person or institution or nation is more than semi-autonomous anyway,” Phil said in his remarks, “so it’s very good, a welcome development that truly dwarfs any personal cause for celebration we might have. Although the personal causes in this case are all quite glorious.”
To which everyone said, “Hear hear.”
Frank and Caroline wandered the compound together, running into people Frank knew and chatting with them over cups of champagne and unidentifiable hors-d’oeuvres. Padma led them through every room in the much-articulated treehouse, and Caroline laughed to see Frank’s face as he contemplated the new upper reaches of the system. He took her out on the old limb to show her where he and Rudra had lived, and then he was given a tour of the farm’s current crops, and the orchard of apple saplings, just recently planted, while Caroline was taken in hand by Qang to meet some of the other Khembali women.
When Frank rejoined her, she was still deep in conversation with Qang, who was answering her questions with a smile.
“Yes,” Qang was saying, “that is probably what they have always stood for. We call them demons, but of course one could also say that they are simply bad ideas.”
“So sometimes, when you do those ceremonies to drive out demons, you could say that in a sense you’re holding a ceremony to drive out bad ideas?”
“Yes, of course. That is just what an exorcism of demons is, to us.”
“I like that,” Caroline said, looking over at Frank. “It makes it kind of explicit, and yet—religious. And it—you say it works?”
“Yes, very often it does. Of course, sometimes you need to do it more than once. We had to exorcise Frank’s friend Charlie twice, for instance, to drive out some bad ideas that had taken root in him. But I believe it worked in the end.”
She turned to Frank to include him in the conversation.
“It sounds like something I could use,” Frank said.
“Oh, no. I think you have never been infected by any bad ideas!”
Qang’s merry look reminded him of Rudra, and he laughed. “I’m not so sure of that!”
Qang said, “You are only infected by good ideas, and you wrestle with them very capably. That’s what Padma says.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“It sounds right to me,” Caroline said, slipping an arm under Frank’s. “I, on the other hand, could use a thoroughgoing exorcism. In fact I’d like to order up a full-on reincarnation, or not exactly, but you know. A new life.”
“You can do that,” Qang said, smiling at her. “We all do that. And especially when you have a child.”
“I suppose so.”
Sucandra joined them. “So, Frank,” he said, “now you go back to your old home.”
“Yes, that’s right. Although it will be different now.”
“Of course. The two of you together—very nice. And you will work for the institute you helped to start out there?”
“I’ll work with them, but my job will be back at the university. I’ve been on a leave of absence, so I have to go back.”
“But your research will connect to that of the institute?”
“Exactly. Some of my colleagues there are exploring some new possibilities. There’s an old student of mine who is doing remarkable things. First there was genomics, and now he’s starting what you could call proteomics. It looks like they’ll be starting up a small company of their own. In fact, I’ve been talking to Drepung about the idea of you guys investing in this company. If Khembalung has any kind of investment portfolio, you might want to talk with them. Because if things pan out for them the way I think they might, there’ll be some very important medical treatments to come out of it.”
“Good, good,” Sucandra said, and Qang nodded