“Hey, Chipper, glad you could make it,” he told her, reaching out to stroke her long black hair.
Franz was the only person to call her that. The two had met at an All Hallows party, and Michi had been dressed as some sort of oversized chipmunk. She had originally intended on being a squirrel, but when Yuzuki, her little sister told her she looked like a trinocular, she added stripes to set her off. Ever since, Franz had called her “Chipper.”
“Good turnout,” she said, sweeping an arm to take in the still growing crowd.
“Even the jacks came out to play,” Franz said, tilting his head over his shoulder.
Michi hadn’t seen the jacks when she walked up. There had to be close to 50 of them, blocking B Street, the main route from the square to corporate headquarters at One Propitious Interstellar. They had on riot gear and looked oppressive to her.
“Are they going to cause trouble?” she asked.
“I doubt it. What are they going to do? The people are just gathered to listen to our message. I think they just want to make sure we don’t make an impromptu march up to One Propitious Interstellar.”
“As if anything you do is impromptu,” Michi said with a laugh.
“Well, you know how it is,” Franz said. “Impromptu, planned, it all comes out in the wash. Glad you made it, Chipper. With my beautiful muse here, I will be inspired.”
Franz’ compliments were always over-the-top, Michi thought, but she still liked them. Franz could have his pick of fiancés. He was handsome, charismatic, and while an indentured, he was one with his own type of power. The fact that he had picked Michi was a mystery to her, but one she appreciated. She had even broached the subject with her father about buying out Franz’ contract. She didn’t know if Franz would even accept, even if her father broke down and agreed, but if they ever set a date for their wedding, it would be far easier if he was a free citizen.
Someone called for Franz’ attention, and with a quick kiss on the top of her head, he stood back up and went to take care of whatever emergency had arisen. Michi made her way slowly to the side of the platform where she could watch. For once, her height was an advantage. If Melinda had been there, she would need Taro to lift her if she was to see anything. The thought of Taro, lifting Melinda in a graceful cambrè press lift while Franz and the other speakers railed against Propitious Interstellar struck Michi as funny, and she laughed out loud. An older man standing in front of her looked around at her as she laughed, his expression disapproving. Michi stuck out her tongue at the man, who grimaced and turned away, ignoring Michi’s louder laughter at his reaction.
It was another five minutes before the scratchy recording of the Propitious Interstellar anthem started blasting out over the crowd. It was Propitious Interstellar policy that for any gathering of over 20 company personnel, the anthem had to be played. Many people thought that this should be ignored at the rallies, but Tamberlain had convinced the rest to adhere to the requirement. First, it served to leave the jacks with one fewer reason to take action, and second, the way they sang the anthem was a protest itself. With a terribly scratchy recording playing, people took to trying to outdo each other in singing as off-key as possible. It was getting to be a highlight of any rally. So far, with the letter of the regulations being followed, Propitious Interstellar had chosen to ignore the farcical singing.
Michi joined in the singing. As graceful as she was physically, her singing voice left a lot to be desired, and if she sang off-key, well, who was to say that it wasn’t purposeful? As a free citizen, she didn’t even have to sing, but it was fun, and she got into the counter-spirit of it.
. . . for the good of all mankind, Propitious Interstellar Fabrication!
What a joke, Michi thought as the final strains died away. Propitious Interstellar was a corporation beholden to its shareholders. “For the good of all mankind” was not in their corporate policies.
Getting to be a regular revolutionary, aren’t we, she thought as she caught her criticism of the company.
Her father would not approve. As a First Family, the MacCailíns made a very good living off of Propitious Interstellar. Her father had a small fitting company that repaired the nozzle valves on fabricators, and he charged the company the going rates for the work. It was enough to make the family quite comfortable. Except for her Uncle Delwyn—who imported luxury food goods for sale to other free citizens, including Propitious Interstellar management—all her many uncles and aunts worked providing services to the mighty corporate giant.
The corporation needed the free citizens other than its employees to provide goods and services, and all free citizens were not limited for their own purchases to the corporate stores. They could spend their money pretty much anywhere they pleased, and given the outrageous prices at the corporate stores, no sane person would buy anything from them.
The corporate store model was one of the major complaints of the WRP. Given the wages allotted to the indentureds, it was difficult for them to work off their indenture as long as they kept piling up debt at the stores. But people had to eat, they had to get clothed, they had to sleep somewhere. Only 31% of Propitious Interstellar’s indentureds ever worked off their servitude, a rate far below that of most Federation corporations.
With the anthem over, Franz took the stage to welcome the people. This was just a quick warm-up. He would give his real speech later. But he introduced two other indentureds, “regular” people who had sad stories to tell about how they’d been treated by Propitious Interstellar. This had become part and parcel of each rally. Tamberlain said it was to personalize the issue, to remind people that this affected each and every one of them.
The first person to talk was a middle-aged lady who had been close to paying off her indenture when she contracted a respiratory condition, one that was common among the granular fabricators. The medical treatment, even though the condition was undoubtedly caused by her work, was not covered by Federation regulations, so she had to pay for the treatment, setting her freedom calendar back at least five years.
The Federation did have regulations that protected workers, including indentureds, but there always seemed to be a loophole, and indentureds didn’t have the funds to hire lawyers to fight for them. Job-related injuries and illnesses were supposed to be treated at no charge to the workers, but unlike the workers, the corporations did have lawyers on staff, and in this woman’s case, they argued that her disease was a precondition. The Federation advocate found for Propitious Interstellar, to no one’s surprise.
While Michi could feel for her, she was not as impressed with the next guy, a young man who seemed to rail at the very concept of the indentureds. Michi was not going to bring it up, not to anyone in the crowd and not to Franz later that evening, but she wondered why the guy was complaining. No one forced him to sign on with Propitious Interstellar, after all. It was his choice, and his contract with Propitious Interstellar explicitly stated that he had to pay off his indenture. That seemed pretty cut and dry to her.
The guy finally quit complaining, and then it was time for the main speakers. Cheri Baliles was first as the party adjutant. She was a former indentured, but now a free citizen, as were most of the party hierarchy. Franz was an exception. People currently indentured usually didn’t have the time to contribute to the party, and they had more restrictions on what they could do, what they could say.
Cheri announced that the noted human rights champion, Henry Jugos, had finally gotten his entry denial for Kakurega overturned. It had taken over a year in the courts, but Propitious Interstellar could not stop him from coming, and he would be holding several rallies over the coming months. This raised a big cheer from the crowd. She went over the coming schedule and other administrative issues. Michi tuned her out. She was here for Franz, and that was about it. She felt bad for some of the conditions suffered by the indentureds, but it really wasn’t her fight. Instead of listening, she looked over the crowd trying to see if she could spot corporate shills. Everyone kne
w they were in the crowd, but knowing and identifying were two different things. Michi spotted one fervent young woman: her eyes seemed too focused, her fervor too forced.
She’s got to be one, Michi thought. That or she really was dedicated to the cause.
Cheri gave way to Hokkam Franchesi, the planet chapter chairman. Hokkam had been a Class 3 employee, not quite an indentured, but not quite a free citizen, either. He had been a skilled technician who owed five years of service to Propitious Interstellar for his training. Unlike indentureds, his five years was just that: five years. After that, he converted to a Class 1 employee, a free citizen in reality instead of just theory. He’d taken the mantle of chapter chairman a year ago, and since then, the rallies and protests had become more frequent and better organized.
Unlike an indentured, Class 1 employees could be fired, but for whatever reason, Hokkam still had his job. Michi would have thought that Propitious Interstellar would have let him go the minute he took over the WRP.
She glanced at her PA. The rally would end in another 20 minutes, and Franz hadn’t even started to talk yet. She knew he would be getting worked up. He seemed so in control that few knew that he still got nervous before speaking to a crowd. He was great with small groups of people, but large groups somewhat intimidated him. He focused on a few people he knew and pretended that he was speaking only to them. That was another reason Michi came to the rallies. She was happy to let Franz focus on her.
Finally, it was his turn. The crowd visibly perked up. Part of this was that Franz was such an engaging speaker. But a bigger part, Michi thought, was that he was an indentured, just like much of the crowd. He hadn’t paid his debt off—wasn’t even close.
Michi shifted her position to the front of the platform. Franz caught her eyes and smiled. She knew he was getting ready to use her as his focus. He would let his eyes roam over the crowd, but in his mind, he was just having a conversation with her.
“Friends! Thank you for coming out on this brisk evening. Luckily, we’ve got enough hot air up here to warm everyone up.”
The crowd dutifully laughed. They were used to Franz’ demeanor by now. Some people thought his folksy attitude and self-depreciating style was all an act, but Michi thought that was the real Franz. He really was a humble man. Humble, but on a mission, one he would never quit until he succeeded. He wanted to serve his fellow workers, and that compassion was only one of the reasons Michi loved him. A “good” man was a term bandied about too easily, but with Franz, nothing else fit. He was a good man through and through.
“We’ve heard some good news today. Henry Jugos coming is a really great thing for us. The fact that the courts sided with him against Propitious Interstellar is a sign, I want to think, that the Federation is finally shifting our way, at least in upholding the law. The corporations are not the law, and they cannot pick and choose which laws they will follow and which ones they’ll ignore.
“But this is just one tiny chink in the corporate armor. Propitious Interstellar Fabrication is not about to reverse its standing policies just because Henry is getting involved. We have to force Propitious Interstellar to change. We have to force the Federation to uphold the law. And if Propitious Interstellar won’t listen to us, we have to take our case right to the top,” Franz said, using one arm to point up past the ranks of jacks and towards One Prop Inter Fab.
As he said that, the jacks shifted in their ranks. Franz and those nearest B Street saw the movement.
“See that, the thought of us confronting the Propitious Interstellar leadership gets their hired guns nervous. Well, we are going to confront them. We will not stand by as they abuse the system, making slaves out of us. Slavery has been banned for over 300 years, so why are we slaves for Propitious Interstellar Fabrication, Incorporated today? We won’t stand for it.”
The crowd erupted into cheers and clapping. It kept going on, and finally, Franz had to hold up his arms to quiet them down.
“My friends, Propitious Interstellar needs us. Without us, the stream of goods flowing into the marketplace, and more importantly, the stream of credits flowing into the corporate coffers, would cease. I ask, what would happen if we just stopped working? How could Propitious Interstellar survive?”
Michi swallowed hard when she heard that. A strike was patently illegal, and Franz was skirting close to the edge. He could be arrested and jailed under Federal charges if he was convicted of instigating a strike. She wanted to catch his eye and motion for him to calm down, but he was on a roll. She looked over to Hokkam to see if he would put the brakes on Franz, but the chairman was simply smiling and nodding his head.
“What would they do?” Franz continued. “They could not survive, and they know it. And that, my friends, is our leverage. Our labor, our sweat, the very thing that puts those profits in the bank.”
Franz was interrupted again as clapping filled the square. Once again, he had to hold up his hands to quiet the crowd down.
“I am not saying we should crush Propitious Interstellar or destroy it. We just need to get them to treat us according to the law at the least, and as partners at best.”
There was stirring in back of the speakers’ platform. Franz turned around to look behind him before turning back to the crowd.
“The PI goons evidently don’t like the idea of us being valued partners with the company. But just keep calm folks. We’ve done nothing wrong.”
The jacks? What are they doing? Michi wondered, craning her neck to see over the platform.
“Calm down, everyone. Don’t interfere with them,” Franz told the crowd.
Michi felt panic start to rise in her, a welling from deep in her gut that threatened to take over her body. Franz hadn’t actually crossed any line, but he still was an indentured, and if the jacks wanted to take him into custody, they would. Michi was sure nothing Franz had said would hold up in even a Propitious Interstellar admin hearing, but people had the habit of falling down a lot of stairs while in jack custody.
Cheri and a few others moved forward to stand in solidarity with Franz. Hokkam, however, actually edged further back on the platform, away from Franz.
Chicken shit chairman, Mishi thought as she moved forward, intending to join Franz on the platform. Since Michi was a free citizen and not an employee, the jacks had very little authority over her, and she had vague ideas of trying to protect her fiancé.
There was shouting in back of the platform and some screams as the jacks moved forward in lockstep, pushing aside anyone in their way.
“Don’t resist!” Franz shouted out. “Let’s see what they have to say.”
Michi pulled herself up onto the platform. From the higher vantage point, she could see the massed jacks bulling their way forward, several people falling down in front of them to be trampled under. Other people had turned and were trying to flee, but the mass of others in the crowd worked as a barrier.
“Officers,” Franz shouted out, sarcasm oozing from his voice, “no one is offering any resistance. If you want to talk with me, just come on up. No one will stop you,” he said, holding his hands out as if he were going to be cuffed.
Michi was walking across the platform to join Franz when the first shot rang out. She didn’t know from where it was fired, or even that it was a shot at first. It registered with her, but only peripherally. The fusillade that immediately followed was different, though. The jacks had opened up and bodies were falling in front of their ranks.
“Franz!” Michi screamed as she bolted into a run to reach him.
“Stop firing! Stop firing! We are not resisting!” Franz shouted, his mic turned up high so his voice reverberated throughout the square.
He turned towards the jacks, running to the back of the platform.
Panic erupted through the crowd as people started screaming and pushing to flee. More shots rang out from the jacks, and Michi saw more bodies fall.
“Get down, Franz!” she shouted, just steps behind him.
“I surrender, I
—” Franz shouted, his voice cutting off as the front of his head exploded into a gout of blood and brain matter.
Michi let out a mindless scream of terror as she closed the last few steps to her fiancé. She fell on his motionless body, pulling him up and into her lap.
No, no, no!
Franz was limp in her arms. There was a small hole in the back of his head, and as she turned him over, she slid into tunnel vision. His entire forehead was gone.
“Get an ambulance!” she shouted to no one in particular. “He needs to get into regeneration. I’ll pay for it!”
She was unaware of the screaming, the firing. She was unaware when the firing stopped. All she saw was Franz, his powerful body limp and lifeless in her arms. Someone, maybe Cheri, came up and tried to talk to her, tried to take her arms from around Franz, but Michi pushed her away. She was not going to let go until Franz was in the hospital.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that no one could survive that amount of damage. There would be no regeneration. But she refused to acknowledge that.
When the jacks approached her, she screamed that she was a free citizen, that they could not take Franz. It took four jacks to pry her off of Franz. She fought them, but to no avail. They took Franz down off the platform and into a company ambulance that had driven up unnoticed bye Michi. As the doors of the ambulance closed, it was as if Michi was a marionette, with her strings cut. She collapsed into Cheri’s arms.
She was unaware when her father arrived, when she was helped into his hover, when she got home. She was given a sedative and put to bed where she mercifully lost consciousness.
Chapter 2
“Are you OK?” Cheri asked as she got out of the taxi in front of the church and hurried up to Michi.
“No, but as good as can be expected,” Michi responded.
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