Kaspar looked around at his companions, then glared at the cameras. "Let's make one thing clear. This is a joint revolution by humans and Newhumans. We are all united to accomplish our goals—a just, orderly, peaceful, prosperous society based on individual freedoms and guaranteed by a constitution that will assure that humans and Newhumans will share in the results of the new world we will create. We have already agreed on separate development for humans and Newhumans, with equally shared resources and joint planning. Humans and Newhumans will all be full citizens with equality of opportunity but without the forced equality of outcome that poisoned our previous society. We will make immortality available to all, without exception, as soon as it can be done. Private property will be restored. Education for all will be a priority and it will be fact-based, not ideology-based. Violent crime will be eradicated as soon as possible. Our new world will be crime-free. All gang members and other violent criminals will be executed, although there will be a grace period to allow those who wish to renounce their past to do so."
One of the Newhumans, Deputy Coordinator Javal, whispered something to Kaspar. "Yes," Kaspar said. "Yes, let's mention a few specifics. This is a revolution. What this means is that we are sweeping aside the past. Our new constitution will be written with close input from both the human and Newhuman communities. But be prepared for a change. As of today, the following governmental structures will be abolished." He consulted a list. "The Ministry of Political Orientation, the Ministry of Equality, the Ministry of Truth, and the Ministry of Distribution. The departments of Voluntary Service, Directed Service and PsyMed are also dissolved. Please note, with the dissolution of the Ministry of Distribution, there will be no further redistribution of wealth in our society. That's over." A ragged cheer broke out from the audience. Applause and delighted laughter. "It also means that our entire economic structure will be changing. Economic growth has been at zero or below zero for at least twenty years—maybe more. We're taking steps to change that. By the way, many of you may be unfamiliar with that statistic. That's because the old regime lied to you, about everything.
"We've waited a long time for this," Kaspar said. "I'm happy to announce there will be no further taxes on income and no further deductions from salaries, for any reason. The income slave tax will be replaced by a sales tax. Citizens will no longer have to fill out tax forms. We plan a ceremonial destruction of the Internal Revenue building, with a public bonfire to burn the entire tax code."
Deafening applause broke out. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" they chanted.
"This is not going to be an easy adjustment," Kaspar said. "A very large number of our citizens are dependent on income from the Ministry of Distribution. The money comes from people who work, and goes to people who do not work. This is going to end, right now. From today, if you don't work, you don't eat. The PRGS is already working on how to deal with this problem and we'll make our plans public as soon as possible. Perhaps it will be called the Ministry of Work. We're hoping the huge new numbers of people seeking work for the first time will spark economic growth.
"Let's see now—yes, the Ministry of Law will be re-named the Ministry of Justice, and most of the current law code will be trashed. All government ministries will be taking gigantic financial hits. Well-deserved, I believe. ObPhen, the Ministry of Observed Phenomena, will become the Ministry of Science and will no longer be concerned with hiding and denying scientific facts, but in revealing and confirming scientific facts. Yes, it's a revolution. If you don't like it, too bad. The people of Santos are sick to death of the former regime and we are going to grind it into the dirt, and any supporters of the former regime will be hunted down and made to pay for their obscene crimes."
He paused briefly, seemingly lost in thought. "Citizens, we have all suffered greatly under the SSDD, which encouraged hatred and division among our peoples. Brothers and Sisters of the revolution, we have lost family and friends in the struggle. But now we are triumphant, and our children's future is secure. Remember this moment!" He took a deep breath.
"Now, for our galactic audience, here is our message. We are a revolutionary movement of free people, beholden to no one except ourselves. We reject the System slave state and all its deformed bastard spawn. We welcome assistance from friendly free states, but we ask for nothing. We will build a free society here, for humans and Newhumans. We are afraid of no one. And we will prevail!"
The biogens surrounding me broke into applause, clapping and cheering, ecstatic at the news. I've got to admit it, I was thrilled as well.
"What do you advise, advisor?" Stelzu asked me, with a huge grin.
"Recognize their new government immediately," I said. "Now! See if you can do it before ConFree does."
"Yes! Excellent! I'll do the text! Somebody get Sister Luides on the line!"
And that's how the Provisional Revolutionary Government of Zequord 3 became the first galactic government to recognize the Provisional Revolutionary Government of Santos. They beat ConFree by eighteen marks.
###
On the day of the Zequord's Constitutional Convention we all arrived a bit early, exiting our aircars in the big parking lot behind the looming government center. The delegates, guests and public were milling around the other side of the building, slowly making their way inside the main entrance. It was a clear, cool, sunlit, sparkling day and I felt great.
"Brother Wester! You look most impressive." Sister Luides gave me a dazzling smile. I had offered to appear in civvies but she had insisted I wear my Legion blacks.
"Thank you, Sister Luides, and congratulations. It's a historical day for your people, for the Hyades Cluster, and for Zequord 3."
"The Constitution is masterful!" Stelzu cut in, "we couldn't have done it without you." The girls were all in khaki, chatting excitedly, clutching their doc cases. It was the culmination of all their work. And I was suddenly flooded with a burst of admiration, and maybe even love, for these wonderful creatures, and what they had done, and I felt so good about my own small efforts in helping them that I could hardly believe it. What a spectacular day.
"We'd better get inside," Sister Luides said with a faint smile. I could tell she was overjoyed. And suddenly the adrenalin shot through my veins as a little silver speck darted out of the sun, coming right at us. Time froze instantly. I identified the thing in the time it takes for a synapse to fire in my brain—M49 DefCorps self-guided Tacscyth, powerful enough to take out the parking lot and shred everything in it. I yanked my vac gun out and fired instinctively. And that's all I remember.
###
Consciousness returned through a hot red haze, flickered, faded, and blinked out. That happened several times, as I struggled to understand what was happening, but it was so much easier to release my grasp, to float away again in the burning dark. I was dying, I concluded. It hurt like hell. My flesh was burning. Still alive, I thought. Priestess—Moontouch. Millie. Storm and Lester and Andrea. What would they do without me? That's what I thought, in limbo half way between life and death. I thought about my family, the ones I loved. Had I done the right thing by them? Are we really judged when we approach Heaven's Gate? Would Deadman have any questions for me? And how would I respond? Was I ready for this? Could anyone ever be ready for this, the ultimate mystery?
Finally there was a great calm that lasted for a long time. The flames of Hell seemed to fade away, leaving me cool and relaxed. It was wonderful. Heaven, I thought. I was tired. I slept.
"Thinker? Do you hear me?" The voice, again. Who was that? Light, blinding me. I blinked my eyes. A face came into focus. It was Snow Leopard, gazing at me with some concern.
"Snow Leopard!" I croaked. "They got you, too?"
"Nobody got me, Thinker. You're the one who got hit." He sounded puzzled.
"You're not dead?" I asked.
"No, I'm not dead." He gave me a delighted smile. "Neither are you! Welcome back, Thinker. You're going to be fine!"
I just lay there for awhile, trying to understand it. You're go
ing to be fine. Deadman, I'm not dead!
I went back to sleep immediately.
###
"Thinker? How are you feeling now?" Snow Leopard asked me. This time I was fully conscious.
"I've felt better." Most of my face was encased in bandages, although my eyes and mouth were clear. I had a good view of a metal ceiling festooned with pipes and dangling medical gear.
"It's great you're talking! Your wounds were extensive, but not serious. Shrapnel, mostly—fourteen hits. Also minor burns to your face from the blast. You're one lucky guy!"
"I don't feel lucky. Where am I?"
"You are in the Body Shop of the Confederate Battlestar Atom's Will, in combat orbit around Zequord 3."
"I see. What happened?"
"Well, it seems your vac round deflected that Tacscyth from its designated target, which we believe was Coordinator Luides of the Revolutionary Council. Of course the vac didn't harm it, but kicked it off course at the last possible instant, so it activated when it ran into the top floor of the government center. It must have been programmed to activate if it failed to hit the target but hit an obstacle in the vicinity instead. Damned good shooting, Thinker."
"All I had was the vac gun."
"Had it burst on the designated target, everyone in the parking lot would have been killed by the blast. And since most of the people there were high ranking biogen revolutionary government officials, it would have been spectacularly successful for the Systies. As it is, there were only a few deaths. Most of the people in the lot survived the blast. There were plenty of shrapnel wounds, but your vac hit deflected the thing out of the kill radius."
"Sister Luides?"
"Shrapnel. She's downside in a local body shop. She's fine."
"Remind me to thank Tara for another memorable TDY. What is Atom's Will doing here?"
"The exhaust trail of the device led the biogens to a passing aircar that in turn led them to the hit team and their contacts. Interrogation of one Orman and several other former Hyades Systie officials revealed they were reporting information to the System. There was a simultaneous quantum attack on the starport's orbitguard cybernet. It failed. We viewed this as a possible prelude to the planned Systie attack on Zequord 3. We feared they might be moving it up, although we couldn't confirm it. ConFree sent the Atom's Will battlegroup here to defend Zequord 3, we announced that an attack on Zequord would be considered an attack on ConFree, and we're scrambling to get the 22nd Legion here to deploy them downside to react to any invasion attempt. That's why I'm here, actually."
"Deadman. I doubt they'll attack under those circumstances."
"That's what we're hoping."
"Tell me. You mentioned an Orman. Was it a fellow named Wellmore?"
"That's it! How did you know?"
"Just a hunch. He made my skin crawl."
Snow Leopard gazed at me with a faint smile. "The biogens appear to worship you like a God, Thinker. I got that strong impression. You saved everybody in that lot with your little vac gun. They say you're going to be part of biogen mythology. Future generations of biogens will all learn the story of Wester and the Tacscyth."
"I don't feel too mythical right now. Just glad to be alive."
"As soon as your wounds stabilize, you'll be heading for Veltros. That's the plan."
"It's fine with me."
"All right. Good. Get some rest."
"The Constitutional Convention. What happened?"
"It was postponed. They're hoping to do it next week."
"Good. That's good." I closed my eyes. Sleep—I needed more sleep.
Chapter 23
Facing our Ancestors
"More dox, Sir?" LiLo poured fresh dox into my cup without waiting for a response. She was looking absolutely adorable. We were out on the roof terrace, Priestess and Millie and Lester and Andrea and LiLo and I, sitting around a little table, totally relaxed, as Veltros's sun sank behind the forest in a soft, scarlet conclusion to the day. Andrea and Lester were in my arms as I lay on the deck chair. They were dozing off, warm and happy.
"Call me Thinker, LiLo," I said.
"Yes Sir. It's hard to do, Sir. I thank you again for the holo from Sister Luides. Signed in her own hand, and addressed to me! According to the news, you saved her from assassination, and the rest of the government too. Sir, I can't call you Thinker. You saved the biogen nation. You'll always be Sir to me!" She gazed at me in adoration.
Priestess laughed. "LiLo, you'd better get the kids to bed."
"Yes, Ma'am." She gently unpeeled the kids from my body and we kissed them goodnight before she led them off.
"She did a terrific job taking care of the kids," Millie said. "They love her, that's for sure."
"She's quite a…person," Priestess said. "Her Certificate of ConFree Nationality is up on her wall, right next to that holo from Luides. These biogens are quite formidable. If they decide to do something, it gets done. And if you gain their loyalty, they'll stand by you."
"To the death," I said.
"How are your wounds doing?" Millie asked.
"Fine. I'm going back to work next week," I said.
"Don't rush it," Priestess said. "You deserve a break."
"So does everybody else. But the Systies aren't taking a break." The latest BT was in mid-course, full of the flower of ConFree youth. The situation in the Hyades and Pleiades was tense, although open warfare had not yet broken out. We had a battle group there, and an entire Legion downside on Zequord 3. The future was unclear, and we all had to do our part.
"I spent a lot of time here thinking," Priestess said, "after Millie left for the Andrion Front. It was blood and life and death for me all day, in the Body Shop. Straight adrenalin, and lots of tears. But I got to see what ConFree is, and who our people are. I volunteered for whatever I could, just to keep busy. I spent a lot of time at the Legion Recruiting Center, helping sign people up. You know what happened, when the word came out about the Battle of Andrion Deep, and ConFree put out that plea for assistance? The midschools emptied. The lines went around the block. Boys and girls—all determined to sign up, and a lot of them underage, without parental permission. Kids just into midschool. Some of them were white hot for revenge. I asked one of them why he was so anxious to go to war. He just said, 'They killed my brother.' And he cried when we had to turn him away. I didn't ask any more after that." She paused, and sipped calmly at her dox. "It was inspiring," she added. "You can tell Tara to stop worrying about ConFree youth."
I glanced up from my copy of the Providence Volunteer, glowing from the flex-screen perched on my arm rest. "According to the news, ConFree needs more people," I said. "It says here the Reunification process is a big hit on both Zequord 3 and the Pleiades. Those are the first two places we've tried it. A resounding success, according to the Ministry of Interstellar Affairs. Lots of enthusiastic new settlers for the Outvac."
"I hope we're keeping the standards high," Priestess said.
"Yes, we are. According to this." The sunset had faded. We were enveloped in a velvet dusk, warm and quiet. I could hear the faint rustle of the forest all around us. I felt so damned good, just lying there reading the Providence Volunteer. It was my newspaper—our newspaper, ConFree's newspaper. I could remember all the way back to my exile on Nimbos, when I had been a Systie slave, a cipher, psyched and hopeless, not knowing even who I was. The Eye glared down from every wall, and a lot of them were live, and nothing you heard or read or saw could be believed. It was all a lie, the whole society, and if you ever spoke the truth they would snatch you right off the street for PsyMed and Directed Service. Nobody believed the news, or the government, or anything else. Even the dimmest among them knew they were all slaves, on Nimbos.
And now here I was, in my own nation, reading the truth in a newspaper that was dedicated to keeping the whole society informed about subjects of vital interest to the nation as well as the individual. And we were all united, strong and free and prosperous and determined to keep it that wa
y. I knew this was a very unusual historical situation. A government run by the people—imagine that!
"Anything new from Moontouch?" Millie asked. She appeared very, very relaxed, gently stirring her tea.
"Last news from her, she said she and Stormdawn were very busy rebuilding the Taka nation," I replied. "The battle flags of the Golden Sword again fly victoriously over the Sunmarch, she said, and our people are strong and united once again. I bless you, she said, in the name of the Dead. And the Taka nation blesses the ConFree nation. We are united in blood. That's what she said."
"She's really got a way with words," Millie said.
"She invites all three of us—and the kids—to visit her any time we want, and stay as long as we want."
"I kind of like it here for now," Priestess said.
"We've got another invitation, gang," I said. "I have a standing invitation to visit Zequord 3, any time, me and any guests I care to name. The biogens will pay full cost for the round trip star transport, and we'll be guests of the government for as long as we care to stay. And that includes LiLo. All expenses will be paid by the government of Zequord 3."
"Wow!" Millie said. "That's quite an offer!"
"There's not too many people get a chance like that," I said.
"That's amazing!" Priestess said. "Maybe we should put that one on our Things We'd Like To Do Today list."
"There will probably be a Legion or ConFree reg against it. Accepting gifts from foreign governments, something like that. But it's a nice offer, right?"
"Certainly is," Millie said.
"But for now," I said, "we stay here. My Legion enlistment expires in a little under two years. So does yours, Priestess. That's the time to make a decision about the future."
"You know I love it here, Thinker. And I know you want to return to Andrion 2 to join Moontouch and Storm. Remember what I said. We both retire from the Legion, and I'll happily accompany you back to Andrion 2 or anywhere else. The Legion will pay for a one-way star hop to whatever your declared home planet is—and we've both declared it to be Andrion 2. But we both quit the Legion! I want to live to see our grandchildren."
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