Visions of Liberty Part 8

Konski nodded. "The human race seems to be on a bell curve. Those who can handle freedom and responsibly are at one end. Those who would be the masters and dictators are on the other end. The vast ma.s.s is the bell of the bell curve. They want a little freedom and a little slavery. They play the role of master and slave interchangeably even though they don't want either condition to be permanent."

Palmer couldn't believe what he'd just heard. "That's a surprisingly mature remark to come from a man who just turned in that performance back at the dome."

Konski laughed and started rubbing off his mustache with a bright red handkerchief. "They wanted to see anarchists tonight, didn't they? My brother and I wors.h.i.+p a handful of twentieth century movie stars, the ones who had talent. The early, funny ones."

They were sitting in a comfortable semicircle in the back. The guest of honor started acting as if he deserved the t.i.tle. He patted Palmer on the shoulder. "Enough of the show. Let's get down to bra.s.s tacks. Lysander has precious raw materials that are needed to power stars.h.i.+ps. It would be cheaper to mine them than to produce them artificially. That's also considering the distances involved and the time factors. But we need the United States of Earth to believe that we have a military capacity to defend ourselves."

"You don't!" all three of his critics spoke at once.

"Exactly. But we learned from the loss of a continent that our defense agencies have certain limitations.

We know how to live together now, but that doesn't mean we have the organization to withstand an invasion by Earth forces! The b.a.s.t.a.r.ds on the home world are capable of anything. They think we're all children on Lysander so none of us have rights. We must convince them we are children who can bite!"

The Earth hung above their conversation like a blue and green goblin, threatening the gray expanse of a free Luna. Palmer leaned back in his seat and exhaled slowly. He'd been expecting the moment of decision for some time. Now that it had arrived it was as if a shadow moved across his vision, taking with it all of his worries.

In his whole life, he'd never heard the word freedom used as often as he'd heard it today. The word wouldn't leave him alone. It had gotten inside him. Freedom. Liberty. A light to penetrate his personal darkness.

Looking at Bretygne, he seemed to see her for the first time. He felt something new. He didn't want to have s.e.x with her or to compete with her or to prove anything. He simply felt affection.

Taking her by the hand he smiled. She smiled back. For a brief wonderful moment they were alone in the universe and not even gigantic egos like Konski and Astaroth could intrude.

"I can fix it," said Palmer. "Actually, the three of us can definitely arrange things for you, Mr.

Amba.s.sador. But you already know that. We can fool the United States of Earth into believing you have a significant military force. The destruction of the continent on Lysander is proof of your capacity, after all. No one in Berlin would ever believe the real reasons for that disaster."

Konski reached into a compartment and pulled out a small statuette. "This is a replica of the Statue of Liberty."

"Oh, my," said Bretygne. "The one that was destroyed."

"In the Welfare War," Astaroth finished for her.

Konski cradled his trophy. "This is a perfect copy except the inscription on the bottom has been changed. It speaks to what we need now on Lysander. And what we will require as we open new worlds. You three have spent enough time on Earth, don't you think?"

Palmer took the small statue and held it close. He read the inscription out loud: This time, just send us your children!

According to Their Need

by Michael A. Stackpole

Father Flynn closed his eyes for a moment and luxuriated in the heat from the reflected sunlight coming up off the lake's silver surface. A gentle breeze provided a hint of a swell to rock the boat, but better was the insistent slap of wavelets against the aluminum hull. While Apogea's...o...b..t around its single sun was a bit too distant to make the world quite warm enough, its largely unspoiled beauty more than compensated for the slight chill.

He opened his blue eyes again and smiled at the woman in the other end of the boat. "I'm thinking, Rina, this is about the closest to Paradise I'll be getting before a discussion with Saint Peter."

The woman laughed lightly and easily, and the youthful tone of her laughter further concealed her age.

Flynn knew they were both in their fifties-him solidly, and she just starting-but she hid it well. Still lean, with bright hazel eyes and black hair without a hint of white, she seemed yet as youthful as she had when he first met her on the station. The years had used him a bit harder than they had her, and the resilience that had let her recover from tragedy had been long in evidence throughout his visit.

"Well, Dennis, I hope for your sake that you are incorrect. Apogeais very beautiful however." She gave him a very warm smile. "And, despite our lack of luck so far today, it does have the fattest troutganisms I've seen this side of Earth."

"Oh, I believe you, and I'm not in the least disappointed." He winked at her. "After all, it's called fis.h.i.+ng, notcatching , for a reason."

The small lake on which they were drifting lay in a forested hilly basin. The crystal waters were so pure that they just dipped a cup if they were thirsty. Trees resembling pines and maples dotted the hillsides, with Apogea's evolutionary equivalent of cattails lining the sh.o.r.es. Off to the northeast he could see the white crescent of beach they'd set out from, and the cabin hidden a bit farther on, just the edge of the woods.

"It feels as if we're all alone here."

Arina Gadja nodded. "We are. Barring an emergency, accident, seriously poor navigating or someone incredibly rude, we won't see anyone else unless we chose to invite them or accept an invite."

Flynn tapped the chronometer on his left wrist. "But we're not really alone, are we, since we're being monitored all the time."

"Just for safety's sake. If your heart were to seize up, someone would be along to get you to sick bay."

Flynn shook his head. "You know, I'm still surprised you agreed to come here and live on Apogea. You spent your adult life working security on Qian s.p.a.ce stations, enforcing one law over countless individuals who came from a legion of legal traditions. Law and order were so much the fabric of your life, and yet you retire to a world with no government."

Arina started to slowly reel her line in. "Surprised me, too. Given that all that had happened, it seemed like a good choice. Grants to live here are rare, so I could not pa.s.s up the chance."

"I know. It's an honor to be given one and I'm thinking I'm grateful you invited me to visit."

"And I'm grateful you came. The only thing Apogea doesn't provide is old friends. Everything else is taken care of, however, and that's how it works. If you think about it, Dennis, governments serve to guarantee security, both in terms of protecting the material we possess, and to see to it that our needs are met."

"Needs save those in the spiritual realm."

She smiled. "True enough, and I know the lack of churches here would be troubling to you, but churches also become a place where power can be concentrated and wielded in favor of one person over another.

Here we operate by the golden rule, as overseen by Covenant."

Flynn knew she wasn't using the word Covenant in any religious or legal sense. Covenant was the name given to the vast computer network that administered the world of Apogea. When the creation of the exclusive colony was first proposed, it was agreed that those who wished to live there would put their a.s.sets into blind trusts and would come to live on the world forever-barring trips off world necessitated by family emergencies. Their a.s.sets and their needs would be taken care of through Covenant, which would monitor wants, whims, and necessitudes, blending desires and providing what people wanted primarily by knowing them as well or better than they knew themselves.

Creating a monastery world with resort trappings for the rich would have been simple, save that hedonistic pursuits precluded complete isolation. Some people bought their way into Apogea. Others, like Arina, earned a grant for service to society-and her grant had been paid for with heroism and blood. Yet others were contract residents. They were heavily screened and brought to Apogea to perform specific services for a year, with contracts renewed if desired. Because needs were met on the world, the generous salaries these people were paid were saved, with hefty performance bonuses being racked up along the way to guarantee good behavior.

On top of that, Covenant practiced random interval reinforcement. The Qian programmers had managed to look at desires and project, into the future, intersection points with external trends. Items and information related to these interests would arrive for the residents at various and unpredictable intervals.

It was as if everyone was entered into a lottery on an hourly basis where they might win something they didn't know they wanted, but would please them the moment they got it. These gifts, many quite ba.n.a.l and innocuous, provided excitement and promoted good behavior.

"Oh, Arina, I'm thinking Apogea is quite clever, no doubt about it. When I told Father Ruxton I would be coming to visit, she was rather adamant in warning me about the seductive evil of this place. She said it had been modeled on the trick the a.s.sa.s.sins used to play on recruits during the Crusades. They'd drug them and bring them to a magnificent palace where their every need was met. They'd be told they were in Heaven, then after three days, they'd be drugged again and returned to the real world. They'd had their taste of Heaven, so they'd go out and fight against Christendom, knowing the reward they'd have when they were killed."

She nodded and pulled her lure from the water, then set about changing it. "That is the beauty of Apogea, you see. We can exile disruptive influences. For guests and workers, unacceptable behavior is cause for immediate expulsion and forfeiture of bonds and bonuses. For me, being a grant, I'd get pensioned off to some nice resort world. Those who have bought their way in will be returned to the world they once knew, and barred from coming back here ever."

"Oh, the inducements to good behavior are certainly there, but that doesn't guarantee morality, and it doesn't do much for the immortal souls of those living here." Flynn paused as something tugged at the lure unseen in the depths. It wasn't a solid hit, so he continued. "We know, for example, that someone here has the idea that having a harem of s.e.xual partners at his beck and call is a pleasure he wants to enjoy-and we know there are plenty of folks who would see nothing wrong with hiring on for a year here in paradise to deal with that need. And one could even argue that what goes on between consenting adults is fine, barring anyone being injured, but that only refers to physical injuries. The mental and emotional hurts can be considerable. Moreover, the removal from a state of grace is grave, and some might mistake this temporal Heaven for the real thing, playing now and burning later."

"You know I don't disagree with your view concerning morality, and I know you well enough to know that you don't mistake the Church's hierarchy with its spirituality." She tied off a knot, then spread her hands. "I find I can commune with G.o.d in this creation as easily as I can in any church."

"And yet," Flynn smiled, "you did have me say Ma.s.s and give you the Eucharist when I arrived."

"Religion and spirituality are not forbidden here-nothing is, if it does no harm-just the trappings that would allow it to become harmful."

"If I accept that you are correct, that governments are vital to preserving society through the distribution of wealth, and that meeting all needs obviates the necessity of government, would you concede that Apogea would collapse into anarchy if insecurity or vital shortages were introduced here?"

"At its worst, perhaps, but we also have the advantage of being highly self-sufficient, and a very spa.r.s.ely populated world. Basic needs could be met easily and while the artificially high standard of living would suffer, the people here would suffer far less than any colony-world population." Arina shrugged. "On a world where, right now, temptation and desire are fulfilled, the necessity to commit crime does not exist."

Flynn nodded. The screening process to come to Apogea, even as a guest, included an examination of records as well as the filling out of numerous forms and polls about tastes and desires. He a.s.sumed that for residents of any stripe, the selection process was far more rigorous, and included batteries of psychological screening tests. Residents also had chips implanted in them that served the function of the monitoring device on his wrist. They also recorded physical reactions to stimuli, registering unconscious attractions to asocial behavior, and steps could be taken to curb it or eliminate the person.

Something appeared as a black speck far to the northeast and grew quickly enough. Flynn recognized it as a light Zsytzii transport. It hovered over the cabin for a moment, then came out toward them on the lake. It swooped low, rippling waves in its wake, and hung there, barely a meter off the surface as a side hatch opened. Through the forward windscreens Flynn had already seen one of the long, lean, black-furred Zsytzii Primaries piloting the s.h.i.+p. Another stood at the hatch, and a number of the junior males waited behind him, peering past waist and knees at the two anglers. The Primary wore a minimum of clothing, though the equipment harness did bear rank insignia in the Covenant Safety Service.

Arina gave the Zsytzii a polite nod. "Covenant's peace to you, Captain."

"And to you, Citizen Gadja. It is with regret that Covenant intrudes. We are Captain Lavaryn, and we regret spoiling your time with your friend. Your opinion is sought in a serious matter. Probabilities indicate your guest might be of aid as well."

"What's the problem?"

The Zsytzii smiled quickly, revealing a serrated ribbon of teeth. His juniors followed a second later, dispelling forever their benign appearance. "In the City, someone has died. Natural causes and accident have been statistically excluded, leaving only one alternative."

"Murder?"

The Zsytzii nodded solemnly. "So it is feared. Will you help?"

"I'm not sure what help I could be."

Captain Lavaryn sighed, and his juniors moaned. "Please, citizen, we have no experience in dealing with murder."

Arina glanced at Flynn, and the priest nodded encouragingly at her. The woman smiled slightly, golden sparks flas.h.i.+ng from within her hazel eyes. "As you wish, Captain. Let us go."

The City, as it was known, was a fully functioning metropolis. It had been designed down to the square centimeter, for none of it existed fifty years previously when the Apogea project started. The City's development had taken place to reflect the desires, sensibilities, and tastes of the original residents, hence part of it was a disorganized artist section that Flynn had heard described as being "delightfully Bohemian." As nearly as he could tell that indicated that the streets were meant to run haphazardly, and that past every curve was a hidden gallery or cafe or some other little jewel of an establishment containing undiscovered treasures. Other parts of the City had the straight lines of the finest modern developments, and still other suburban communities surrounded the urban center.

The Zsytzii took them directly into the Arts district and set down in a park. The trip from Arina's cabin had taken little more than an hour, as the building had not been located far from the City. She actually had an apartment in one of the modern towers, but spent most of her time out at the lake.

The advantage of Zsytzii transport in service to Covenant was that both Arina and Flynn had suitable clothing provided for them and were able to change en route. Flynn found the s.h.i.+rt, trousers, and jacket, all in black, save for his Roman collar, fit better than the things he normally wore. He was fairly certain that if he made a comment to that effect, suggesting it made him uncomfortable, Covenant would make sure other clothes were more normal fitted.

The uniform Arina had been supplied had been tailored to perfection and shaved five years off her. Dark blue, with red epaulets, cuffs and stripes down the pants, it had enough of a military cut to provide authority. It came complete with a black weapons' harness that had a holster and an Agonizer at her right hip.

Flynn smiled. "Well, Colonel, it's clear Covenant hasn't forgotten why you were given a grant."

"And here I all but had." She nodded, then turned to the Zsytzii officer. "I did retire a colonel in the Qian Security Service, but it was a pension appointment. I will advise, not take the investigation from you."

The Zsytzii frowned slightly and his juniors groaned. Zsytzii males were born in litters, with the Primary and his juniors having a mild telepathic link which was now often enhanced with cybernetics. The juniors had the intelligence of a six-year-old human-and not a Mozart among them. They functioned well for carrying out simple orders, and during the Zsytzii war had been very effective combatants because of their quickness and small size.

"Colonel Gadja, this is not a concern. We bow to your expertise and hope to learn from you."

"I would be pleased to teach you anything I can." Arina's brows knitted in the concentration Flynn had so often observed. "I will need all the data Covenant can give me on the deceased and his activities, condensed, not raw. Where he has gone, what he likes, known a.s.sociates, the personality composite Covenant has for him."

Lavaryn nodded. "It shall be done before you will be finished with the crime scene."

Flynn followed Arina from the transport and along the street to a small store of the sort that seemed about as common as fish in the universe. Flynn knew that the presence of water and other evolutionary pressures meant fish were found pretty much everywhere and, similarly, societies seem to produce shops that, to some, sold curiosities, but to others turned trash into treasure. This particular shop had enough dust coating everything that Flynn wondered if it hadn't predated the Apogea project. Exotic knickknacks from hundreds of worlds and thousands of cultures filled every recess of the small shop, save for the narrow aisles meandering between piles. The sales counter had been built into the back wall, cutting off a doorway into the back. The threadbare curtain had been drawn back to show a shabby storage area choked with things on sagging shelves.

The store had clearly been created with an eye toward atmosphere. The floorboards creaked as they walked toward the counter. The air had a dry scent equal parts old leather, old wood and a hint of pungent alien musk. Had Flynn not been very conscious of the fact that he was on Apogea, he could have found himself anywhere in the Qian Commonwealth.

The body lay sprawled on the floor before the counter with a sheet pulled over it. The sheet had tented up toward the chest and when Arina pulled it back, the cause for that was readily apparent. A tusk of some sort had been shoved through the man's chest. Flynn followed the curve of it with his eye and figured it had slid in and up to pierce his heart.

Arina squatted beside the body and turned the dead man's face toward her. "Oh!"

"What is it?"

"I know him."

Flynn came over and stood by the man's feet. "He looks familiar to me, too. Did we see him at the s.p.a.ceport?"

"No, we know him from Purgatory Station." She smiled slightly. "His name was Flambeau? No, no, it was Fonteneau, that's it, Stephen Fonteneau."

"That was six years ago. He'd come to the station to steal that Golathi princeling's coronet. You and Fith caught him. I remember speaking with him, hearing his Confession." The priest rubbed a hand over his jaw. "I'd not have been thinking I'd see him again, especially after he escaped custody."

"Oh, he was a slippery one. Fith knew that, so we split s.h.i.+fts, never left him alone until he was sent off to stand trial." Arina smiled. "That was the case where Fith and I learned we really complemented each other."

"I seem to recall you were fair inseparable after that." Flynn nodded solemnly. Fith Chykip had been the Qian security director. He and Arina fell hard for each other and, despite Human-Qian pairings being infertile, decided to marry. Flynn had worked hard to get Father Ruxton to sanction the nuptials, and he'd been there to perform the Last Rites for Fith when terrorists widowed Arina.

Captain Lavaryn entered the shop and slipped a datapad from the holster on his equipment harness.

"Colonel, the man's name is David Holcomb. He is a contract worker, in month nine. Covenant reports he spends much time in the company of another hire, Deana Thompson, who lives near here. Holcomb was last reported to be in her apartment at midnight. There is no indication why he would be here, nor of his entering this place, nor of his ever having been here before."

Arina blinked. "Covenant's monitoring lost him?"

The Zsytzii nodded. "It happens on occasion when there is interference. Usually it is momentary, sometimes longer."

"That's interesting." She frowned. "Who is a.s.signed to this shop? Where is he?"

"The owner is Regan Park. We have sent a junior to fetch him, and another to bring Deana Thompson to the s.h.i.+p. We know where she is, but he seems to be missing." He canted his head to the side slightly.

"She is coming."

"I'll need background data on her." Arina stood. "I will need a complete forensic workup on his body.

The medical center should be able to do the work."

Flynn pointed at the thing in the man's chest. "You know what that is, then?"

"Samuel Abrams-he used to run the Novajet Transport Corporation-has a hunting preserve on one of the southern islands. There are some fairly fantastic creatures there. Some are xen.o.biologicals, some are lab-born monsters-and that's half a mandible set from something he called a 'giant chigger.' They're supposed to be tougher than a Bougans.h.i.+ to kill. I understand he's got several mandible sets on display both in his home and at the hunting lodge."

"So, they're not the sort of thing that would be found in this shop, are they?"

She shook her head. "I'd say not. Captain, can you pull Covenant's data on chigger pinchers?"

The Zsytzii hesitated as he silently worked his mouth through the p.r.o.nunciation of "chigger pinchers." "It shall be done, Colonel. Deana Thompson is in the s.h.i.+p now, but she has not been told why she is there."