by John F. Carr
"What about the Universalist Council?"
"They haven't been informed of recent developments. Nordel and the rest of the governing body are planning to prepare a final report and deliver it to them along with the terms and conditions under which we are willing to continue supplying Delphic data. If you're feeling well enough there's a briefing meeting in the overseers' urbode after second meal."
"I'll be there,” I said, “even if I have to be taken on a gurney."
The medics released me for the meeting. Lyonella and I held hands as we traveled the slideways. The world seemed like a better place to me, as if everything had been renewed, myself included. The briefing meeting was held in a large conference room in the overseers' urbode.
Kahalyton, Quenlu, Nordel, Yondoka, Clandine, Arvon, and many others were there along with some unfamiliar faces. I didn't see either Prevance or Incate. I wondered where they were.
Nordel opened the meeting by saying, "I'm delighted to see that Rathe is well enough to join us today. Speaking for all of us, I'd like to say how much we appreciate the efforts that he and Lyonella made to end the Crusader-guard conflict. Rathe and Lyonella, would you stand up please?"
Lyonella and I stood up to a burst of applause.
When the clapping began to fade, Nordel said, "Things are happening very fast, too fast for all of us to know all the details. I know that most of you have been too busy to know what some of the others have done or are in the process of doing so I'd like to summarize some of the high points.
“All of the people who conspired to distribute Cainenol are either dead or arrested. The survivors of the Crusader-elite guard conflict have been arrested. The VIS has been reorganized with a revised agenda under the dual leadership of Clandine and Arvon. The Color Wheel and Wanklurm's headquarters were destroyed. Both will eventually be replaced with something more appropriate to our needs, probably education centers. The House of Rebirth remains closed to shipments of human beings from the Universalist Council; the Council will be notified that we will no longer accept brainwiped humans from the Universalist worlds under any circumstances. Later on we will develop immigration policies and procedures but the ban on brainwiped individuals will continue.
“The Universalists will have to find another way to deal with the possession problem such as machines that block the signal like our tide machines do or by the implantation of micro-devices like the one implanted in Prevance."
When Nordel said that he glanced toward the rear of the room. I looked around and saw Prevance sitting in the back row. Incate was not with him.
Nordel continued. "One of the areas we want the Council to explore is medical research. If they can find a way to alter the possession genes then they can eliminate the problem on all their worlds. They need to recognize that they can't use our world as a depository for the citizens they find undesirable."
Nordel paused, coughed, and then said, "We are making progress in a number of areas. The Simulike Palace is operating with the new machines. Some of the technical people from the Counter Colors are converting the output to input data for our Game players to use in helping map out our future. We think that a large sample of future Simulike experiences will alert us to possibilities and probabilities as well as some pitfalls that can be avoided.
“Rathe was the person who suggested this approach and we want him on that team as soon as he is recovered from his injury. The Game players have been told the nature of the Game. Most of them want to continue, if we reach agreement with the Universalist Council as to what we will receive in exchange for the Delphic data we create. What we will want in exchange will be whatever we need to transform the culture into one that serves our needs rather than the needs of the Universalists.
“The Clergy Guild has been abolished because the religious framework in which the clerics operated did little, if anything, to aid individuals. We are working on a plan to combine the clergy and listener functions in a system that is logical and practical without requiring belief in anything that can't be proved. Lyonella is working on this project and has assured me she is ready to accept input from anyone who has thoughts on the subject. I'd like to call on Kahalyton now to brief us on other developments."
We applauded Nordel.
Then Kahalyton, the sage from my Simulike experience, took the floor. "Quenlu and Yondoka have told all the storytellers what has happened. The storytellers will reveal this to their audiences and ask them to spread the news. Machines that remove and defuse wristlocks will be universally available before next Transit Day, when changing dwells becomes a matter of choice rather than a rigid requirement. All the dwell portal plates that opened to wristlocks will be changed to open to the resident's palm print.
“Any or all of the mechanisms that make this society self-supporting can be reprogrammed by our technical people to meet our needs. We intend to set up teaching programs for anyone who wants to learn how things work. There are a lot of other projects in progress or under consideration."
Kahalyton sat down to the sound of clapping hands. I was pleased that this dynamic person was part of the coming cultural change.
Nordel took the floor, saying: "Perhaps some of you are wondering what has happened to the few people we placed under arrest. All of them except one have been brainwiped and reconfigured. They will be re-educated and brought back into our society. The one exception is the off-world investigator Incate. Under the rules established by the Universalists that were in effect when Incate arrived, he is guilty of a number of offenses:
“One: introducing new weapons; he brought in a respirator arrestor that has been destroyed. Two: personal misrepresentation; he claimed to have the possession genes but he does not. Three: hampering an official investigation by withholding information; he didn't reveal his knowledge of the underlying problems that created the situation he was investigating. Universalist rules say that three or more offenses require the offender to be brainwiped. We felt that applied to everyone so Incate has been brainwiped.
“He has not been reconfigured because he doesn't have the genetic requirement to be a member of our current society. He will be returned to the Universalists by our ambassador to the Council."
The question that immediately popped into my mind was:Who would be the ambassador? Who was qualified to deal with the Universalists, the complexities, the issues, the many unknowns as we established ourselves as an independent human settlement?
Nordel answered my unspoken question. "I propose that Prevance be nominated as our ambassador to the Universalist Council. He is the only one among us who has experience with the Universalists. He has the implanted computer chip that blocks the operation of the possession gene. He can be one of us and yet walk among the Universalists without arousing the specter of possession. In the time that Prevance has been here, he, unlike Incate, has shown understanding, compassion, intelligence, truthfulness, and a willingness to do his best. I think he is a great choice for ambassador but I will open the floor for other nominations."
When no one spoke up, Nordel said, "Since there are no other nominations I would like Prevance to make an acceptance speech."
Prevance came forward. "I'll make this short. I wanted the job. I'm glad I got it. I'm going to do the best I can for all of us. I intend to persuade the Council that they must make efforts to find a better solution to the possession problem than the deceitful culture they created here. As we create a new society we must improve communication and education. The Universalists are all literate. They can read and write.
“This knowledge has been forbidden by making sure that no reading material was sent here and the previous regulations considered any writing to be a desecration offense. However, we all have the ability to read and write."
When Prevance said that, I realized that I had read the numbers on the Rainbow Room display without difficulty. I could read and write, too! The Universalists had created this culture without providing any reading material, writing implements, or other products tha
t would make us aware of this ability. Their actions had limited our ability to communicate, but that would change.
Prevance continued. "This untapped potential for communication has been verified in our educational workshop. The brainwiping did not flush that out of our minds. We are going to identify all buildings, slideways and slidestrips with names and numbers so that everyone will be able to move freely without having to construct a mental map. I came to this world as a stranger, having no idea what it was like to live in a society designed to exploit and control the entire population while keeping them in ignorance. The more I saw, the more I realized change was necessary. I'm proud to be part of that change. Thank you."
We all applauded and Nordel ended the meeting.
People conversed in small groups. Everyone was excited about the changes that were underway and the future possibilities of an open, honest society.
After we'd spoken with friends and acquaintances, Lyonella turned to me, saying, "You were just released from the Medical Complex. You mustn't tire yourself out. You're supposed to rest frequently. Why don't we retire to our dwell for a nap?"
A thrill shot through me when she said "our dwell." I looked at Lyonella and was overwhelmed by feelings of love, affection, tenderness, and desire.
I said, "You and I have been through a lot of changes and there are more changes to come. I want us to face the future together as a team of two."
Lyonella looked at me in a way that made my heart melt and said, "I want that, too."
She took me by the hand and led me to our dwell. Inside we had our own private ceremony in which we vowed to stay together, to treat each other well and love each other as best we could. I said, "I've got a lot to learn about commitment."
She said, "We’ll learn together."
"There are things you’ll have to teach me."
Lyonella asked, "Would you like for me to make a list?"
I said, "If you do, be sure to include teaching me to swim."
The End
JOHN F. CARR is the author of over a dozen novels and, along with co-editor, Jerry Pournelle, has edited over 30 anthologies and short story collections, including the 2001 Prometheus Hall of Fame Award winner, The Survival of Freedom. His many anthologies include, Black Holes, Nebula Award Stories Sixteen, The Science Fiction Yearbook, 9 volumes of There Will Be War, 4 volumes of The Endless Frontier, 3 volumes of Imperial Stars and 7 volumes of the shared-world anthology series, War World. John is the former editor of the Bulletin of the Science Writers of America and he also served as the Managing Editor of the Far Frontiers paperback magazine. He was the science-fiction editor of Popular Computing.
CAMDEN BENARES is the author of Zen Without Zen Masters, A Handful of Zen and several other books. Camden, along with Kerry Thornley and Robert Anton Wilson, was one of the founding members of the Discordian Society and a practicing Zen Master.
Rainbow Run is a speculative fiction novel written by John F. Carr and Camden Benares. For more information, visit: www.PequodPress.com
ALAN GUTIERREZ created the dust jacket cover. To view more of his work visit: www.AlanGutierrez.com
Pequod Press
ISBN: 978-0937912-24-0