The Song of Phaid the Gambler

by Mick Farren

  'It'll probably turn me blind in the end, but it's such a delicious feeling.' He offered the vial to Phaid. 'Would you care for some?'

  Phaid hesitated. Edelline-Lan's warning came back to him. If Roni-Vows was as tricky as she'd intimated, it wouldn't be particularly sensible to go and get loaded at the start of their first meeting. On the other hand though, a single vial of scholomine did cost something like three hundred tabs. Phaid had never had any, mainly because he'd never been able to afford the drug. Those who had had told him that it was probably the most magical sensation that could be derived from a chemical. In the end, curiosity won out over prudence and Phaid accepted the proffered vial.

  'Thank you.'

  'Be very sparing with it. I expect you're probably not overused to the stuff.'

  Phaid allowed the smallest quantity of the drug to fall into his left eye.

  'Now the other eye.'

  Phaid repeated the process. Roni-Vows grinned at him.

  'Feel anything yet?'

  Phaid blinked experimentally.

  'No . . . wait a minute . . .'

  The very first effect was a slight blurring of the vision. Then it cleared and everything Phaid looked at was surrounded by a faint golden aura. He suddenly laughed out loud.

  'Hey, this is great!'

  He felt wonderful. It was as if there was nothing that he couldn't do. He was Phaid, omnipotent, invincible, no­thing could get in his way, no barrier could stop him, and yet, at the same time, he was kind and loving. Sincere affection flowed out of him in every direction. He loved Roni-Vows, he loved himself, he loved Roni-Vows' pri­vate study.

  This was slightly odd since a few moments earlier he had hated the place. He'd decided that its dark wood­work, dim lights, old leather, thick rugs, shelves of antique, apparently unread books and display cases of weapons were a pretentious exhibition of masculine in­adequacy. Now, to Phaid's surprise, it seemed too fantas­tic for-words. Roni-Vows continued to grin at him.

  'Enjoying yourself?'

  Phaid was close to breathless.

  'It's just . . . sweet Lords . . . I can't put it into words.'

  'Do you want to tell me about the elaihim?'

  Without thinking, Phaid launched into the whole story of his and Makartur's journey across the desert, the fight with the drovers, how the elaihim had managed to link minds with the herd of veebes. He told how he had become convinced that they were somehow getting inside his own mind. Stoned on the scholomine drops, he was so intent on pleasing Roni-Vows that he didn't neglect the smallest detail and went into lengthy digressions to illus­trate minute points.

  Roni-Vows didn't seem in the least bored. He reclined in his bat wing armchair, fingertips pressed together, watching Phaid intently.

  By the time Phaid had finished, he was no longer flying on the first flash of the drug and, although he still felt marvellous, he realised that he had recklessly spilled everything that he knew, without giving a thought to the consequences. He knew he'd made a bad mistake and attempted to salvage something. He looked enquiringly at Roni-Vows.

  'I'm doing a hell of a lot of talking here. Why don't you tell me how come you're so interested in the elaihim?'

  Roni-Vows chuckled as though he had guessed what was going through Phaid's mind.

  'Would you accept simple academic interest?'

  Phaid knew he was being played with and he didn't like it. He knew he'd been sledgehammered with the scholo-mine and he didn't feel like being turned loose without at least a few answers.

  'Not from you.'

  'You know me that well already?'

  'I think so.'

  Roni-Vows was suddenly serious.

  'Okay, I'll level with you. This city, or more precisely, the status quo in this city, is in very imminent danger of going right down the hole. I think the elaihim, if they're not actually responsible for what's going on, are at least stirring the pot.'

  Phaid gestured for Roni-Vows to stop.

  'Listen, this may sound gauche, but what actually is going on? I've heard all kinds of tales and rumours, but nobody's ever actually laid it out for me.'

  Roni-Vows regarded him speculatively.

  'You want it laid out for you? Okay, my friend, I'll lay it out for you, starting from the top. The President has simultaneously gone mad and become a recluse. The court, with no leadership, has turned into a snakepit of conspiracy. The police are running amok claiming they're the sole repository of the Presidential will, and they're arresting or just plain murdering almost anyone who so much as blinks out of turn. The priests have moved totally beyond the limits of their authority. When they're not plotting to take over the whole Republic, they're running around screaming heretic, planting spies and getting their own secret police to grab anyone who says a word against them. If all that weren't bad enough, the Silent Cousins and the lesser mobs are being torn apart by internal strife.'

  'It sounds bad.'

  'Damn right it's bad. The situation with the mobs is probably the worst thing of all. Normally in times of trouble we were able to rely on the mobs to hold the essential things together. Now we can't even count on them.'

  'What about the ordinary people? How much do they know about all this?'

  Roni-Vows' mouth twisted. He didn't seem to have a very high opinion of the common people.

  'Nothing stays a secret for very long in this city.'

  'And what are they doing about it?'

  'Every third one of them's plotting his or her own revolution. On the northside, where the malcontents have always been the strongest, there are whole areas where we daren't even go. They have complete control. As far as I'm concerned, they can have the northside, except that now they are starting to look at the whole city.'

  'It's that bad?'

  Roni-Vows nodded.

  'There's always been an underground. Dear Lords, almost respectable, they were. If they actually managed to pull off their revolution, which I doubt, they'd simply execute a few courtiers, choose a new president and things would go on much the same as before. It's the crazies that you have to watch out for.'

  'The crazies?'

  'There's a dozen or more groups and factions, mainly out on the northside. They've shot cops, blown up a few sections of walkway. They're most depressingly halfwit­ted, but they all think they're the great liberating army. The biggest group is the bunch who follow the Day One philosophy. They want to destroy everything. Blow it up, burn it down. Back to the Dark Ages and start again. Their Day One idea is a clean slate. No systems, no organisation, nothing. Innocence through mass slaughter. Lords help us if they ever get to power.'

  Phaid smiled.

  'I don't need to worry. I'm not one of the elite.'

  Roni-Vows shook his head.

  'Don't you believe it, my dear. The Day Oners would hate you as much as they hate me. They hate anyone who even gets enough to eat.'

  Phaid took a moment to digest all this.

  'I don't see how you can really believe the elaihim are behind all this. The ones that I met didn't seem to want anything to do with humans.'

  'Maybe it's just one elaihi.'

  'Solchaim?'

  'Solchaim.'

  Phaid was sceptical.

  'I don't see how one single individual, no matter what weird abilities he has, can bring down a whole city. That's got to be pure paranoia.'

  'Paranoia is at epidemic proportions right now.'

  'So there you are.'

  Roni-Vows still wasn't convinced.

  'I still have the feeling that he's somehow behind all this. Think about it, he's got the President in his pocket plus some courtiers, a few cops, the odd priest and Lords know who else. It wouldn't be all that hard. It only needs the odd word here, a push there, someone eradicated. A few key people in the right places at the right times and it wouldn't be all that hard to bring the city to its knees.'

  'He'd have to be a genius to pick the people, the places and the times.'

  Roni-Vows lean
ed forward'and patted Phaid on the knee.

  'And there you said it, my gambling friend, right there. He wouldn't have to be a genius. He is a genius. No human has a clue about the extent of elaihim intelligence. All we know is that they're smarter than we. In a lot of ways it's our own fault. For a long time we've had it too easy. Shifts in the wind belts have brought a lot of refugees from the countryside into the city, but, beyond that, we didn't have too many troubles. None of the other city states had the power to pose any real threat. So long as our diplomats, backed up by our agents, maintained a strict divide and rule policy and made sure that no cities were able to form an alliance against us, we were safe. We were even affluent at home. We lacked for very little. The android farm system gave us everything that we wanted. Unfortunately, saftey and plenty made us turn in on ourselves. The high born grew decadent . . .' Roni-Vows caught the expression on Phaid's face. 'Don't look at me like that. I'm just a product of my time.'

  'I didn't say anything.'

  'You want me to go on?'

  'Of course.'

  'The high born grew decadent. A pampered and com­plaining middle-class stopped contributing virtually any­thing to the good of the city. The mechanism of govern­ment just grew and grew. It was out of control even before Chrystiana-Nex came to power. All she did was put the finishing touches that turned it into the bureaucratic monster we have today. The system doesn't work. The rebels are right, there are people starving in this city. They're starving because the distribution and production systems are so scrambled that they don't work.'

  Phaid was thoughtful.

  'You tell me all this, but you still insist that it's the elaihi who's the real enemy.'

  'When a state is in the condition we're in, it leaves itself wide open to dictators and demagogues. In this case the one seizing power is not human and we can have no idea what his real goals are.'

  Phaid nodded.

  'I was wondering about that. There's something here that doesn't ring true. It's all very well weaving elaborate conspiracy theories that all go back to him, but if, as you say, he's the most powerful entity in the Republic, why should he bother to screw everything up? He's part of the status quo, after all. It would surely be in his interests to keep things just as they are.'

  'Perhaps he's simply looking to push the human race further back into barbarism, so we become just another species of bad tempered animals and the elaihim take over. It's no secret that both they and the androids could do very well without us.'

  Phaid laughed.

  'You're not saying the androids are in on it too?'

  Roni-Vows scowled.

  'I'm not that paranoid.'

  'If Solchaim is doing all this, why doesn't somebody just snuff him? The elaihim may be clever, but they still drop dead if someone burns them with a blaster.'

  Roni-Vows looked almost contemptuous. '

  'In an environment as murderous as the court, don't you think it hasn't been tried? Solchaim can spot a potential assassin a mile away. I swear to the Lords that he can sense them. It's quite uncanny.'

  'It's unhuman.'

  'I rather think you're right.'

  Phaid had an idea.

  'How about an android?'

  'An android?'

  'If an android had its block against killing removed and it was re-programmed, it might be able to pull off a hit on Solchaim. I don't know if the elaihim can sense an android's intentions.'

  'It's a nice theory, except that I'm not sure there's a tech in the whole city who knows how to do the necessary work.'

  'I . . .'

  'What?'

  'Nothing.'

  Phaid had been about to blurt out the whole story of Ben-e and the secret android alteration shop on the northside. He'd only stopped in the nick of time. He didn't feel he owed anything to Roni-Vows or the city itself, for that matter. Also, he'd promised Ben-e that he'd keep quiet about the place. Phaid wasn't too stoned to realise that his best bet was to sit on the information until he could think of a way to make a deal for it. He started to edge away from the subject of androids and on to the subject of money.

  'So where do I come into all this. I would have thought that, since I've actually met the elaihim, I would have had some value in this situation.'

  Roni-Vows smiled nastily.

  'I'm not sure about that. You did rather spill your guts while you were stoned, and you said nothing about payment.'

  Phaid was painfully aware that he had fouled up. He was trying to think of a comeback when he was distracted.

  'Do you hear anything?'

  'No.'

  Phaid listened again.

  'Are you sure?'

  'What am I supposed to be hearing?'

  'It's hard to tell, some sort of weird noise coming from outside.'

  'I still don't hear anything. Are you positive you're not hallucinating?'

  Phaid shook his head.

  'I'm pretty sure it's real.'

  Roni-Vows started to get impatient. He stood up and walked to the nearest window. He pulled back the cur­tains and slid it open.

  'You're right. There is something going on.'

  The noise was much clearer now. It was the dull, full throated roar of thousands of voices.

  Phaid started towards the window.

  'What in hell's going on?'

  'It sounds like the wind game crowd's going on some sort of rampage in the streets. It's hard to tell, it's almost dark now.'

  The low roar was punctuated by a burst of sharp, staccato crackling. The first one was quickly followed by more of the same.

  'That's weapon fire.'

  'There must be a riot going on.'

  'Maybe we should go down and take a look.'

  Roni-Vows' look of surprise told Phaid that that was the very last thing he wanted to do.

  'I think we'd be better off going to the roof. I've got my guests to think of, after all.'

  Phaid nodded understandingly.

  'Of course, a man can't forget about his guests.'

  Roni-Vows looked searchingly at Phaid to see if he was mocking him. Phaid kept a perfectly straight face and so, without another word, they hurried back to the party.

  There were considerably fewer guests than when Phaid and Roni-Vows had retired for their private talk. The androids had had the presence of mind to start serving booze again, and those who remained were treating the riot more like a spectator sport than any sort of serious occurrence.

  The very first person that Phaid and Roni-Vows en­countered was Trimble-Dun. He had a full glass in his hand and was showing all the signs of advanced drunken­ness.

  'The mob's turned ugly and they're fighting in the street. The police are holding them back though, and hopefully they've killed a few of the bastards.'

  Roni-Vows looked at him coldly.

  'That remark wasn't too diplomatic.'

  'It's what everyone's thinking.'

  Phaid ignored both of them and went directly to the edge of the roof. It was hard to make out details in the failing light, but a dark mass that couldn't be anything but a huge mob of people was surging through the central part of the city. Orange flames and oily black smoke marked the spots where vehicles and even a building had been set on fire. Here and there, Phaid could see the brilliant blue flash of fuse tubes and the more purple flare of blasters. These fire fights where obviously a result of the police trying to control the crowd, although they didn't seem to be meeting with quite the success with which Trimble-Dun credited them.

  Unable to tell much more from his vantage point on the roof, Phaid turned and scanned the people left. There was no sign of either Edelline-Lan or Hydranga-Cort. Abrella-Lu was still there, however, and coming towards him.

  'Looking for something?'

  'I was wondering what happened to the rest of the guests.'

  Abrella-Lu didn't seem very interested.

  'They left. There was another party.'

  'I can see they left. What worries me is if they
got caught in the riot.'

  Abrella-Lu still didn't appear overly concerned.

  'I'd think not. They mostly left in a bunch after the games. The trouble didn't start until some while later.'

  Roni-Vows was bustling through the throng, relaying an announcement.

  'Good news, people. It seems that all the other guests got to where they were going before the trouble broke out.'

  Abrella-Lu looked up at Phaid.

  'Feel better now?'

  'A little. I think maybe I'll go down on to the street and see what's going on.'

  'That's very brave of you.'

  'It's probably stupid, but I'd like to see for myself.'

  'Can I come with you?'

  Phaid looked doubtful.

  'Have you ever been out in a riot?'

  Abrella-Lu shook her head.

  'Never. What do you think I am?'

  'It'd be too dangerous.'

  She pouted like a spoiled child.

  'I want to come.'

  Phaid looked at her skimpy, translucent party clothes and high-heeled shoes.

  'You're not even dressed for it.'

  'Neither are you in that monkey suit. You don't want me to come, do you.'

  'No.'

  'I knew it. It's Edelline-Lan you're worried about, isn't it. You're afraid that if she hears you're with me, she'll drop you. You're already in bad with her.' Abrella-Lu's expression turned from sullen to sly. 'She's not the only good fuck in the city, or the only rich bitch, either.'

  Phaid swallowed hard. He couldn't believe this woman was talking about sex while there was bloodshed in the streets below.

  'It's nothing to do with Edelline-Lan. It's . . .'

  'I already asked her if I could have you. She said it was okay.'

  Now they were passing him from hand to hand.

  'You're not going and that's that.'

  'It'll be no more dangerous for me than you.'

  Phaid had to admit the truth of that.

  Abrella-Lu had a further argument.

  'If you don't take me, I'll simply go down there on my own.'

  Phaid gave in, but without too much grace.

  'I guess you'd better come with me, then.'

  Abrella-Lu grinned.

  'This is going to be fun.'

  Phaid was amazed.

  'Fun?'