War & Space: Recent Combat

by Ken MacLeod

  The Emissary had apparently chosen the asteroid because it had been programmed to settle on a site that was small, obscure, and loaded with metal. The Emissary had weighed less than a kilo when it had entered the Solar System but it had still possessed some maneuvering ability and a high level decision-making capability. The little package had promptly started collecting metal atoms from the area around its landing site, the metal had been used to create molecular machines, the molecular machines had built microscopic machines, the microscopic machines had built larger machines, and a complete listening post and interstellar communications facility had gradually taken shape. The Emissary had settled on the asteroid around the time Galileo was making his first observations of Jupiter’s moons. It had beamed its first message at the stars a few months after Marconi had transmitted his first radio signal across the Atlantic.

  Normally the TaiPark surveyors would have ignored the kind of small single-slab asteroid the Emissary had selected. When the habitat engineers built new cities, they usually started with large asteroids that were composed of several slabs, loosely held together by gravity. A survey ship had approached the Emissary asteroid because its long-range radar had picked up an anomaly that had aroused its operator’s interest. Fortunately, the operator had been prudent as well as curious. He had contacted the capital as soon as the Emissary had delivered its opening speech and the Overseers had ordered him to deactivate his communications equipment and return to Anmei by the most direct orbit his ship could traverse.

  VinDu had worked his way through the recordings of that first debate. Five Overseers had voted for immediate Revelation. The Overseers had adapted the eight-vote rule partly because the five had believed they could add three votes to their side once the other Overseers had adjusted their emotional responses. Revelation had actually received seven votes two years later. It had received seven votes on six other occasions since then.

  There had been times when the debates had become intense and uncivil. The Overseers on both sides had believed they were deciding the fate of the human species. Yet in all that time no one had tried to settle the matter with armed violence. Anmei had received its name from the ancient characters for peace and magnificence. It was a small city, with a small population, but all the tensions and conflicts of the combine were reproduced within its walls. The Eleven Cultivated Overseers regulated trade, appointed judges and administrators, controlled the combine military force, and distributed certain types of cultivated citizens through the five hundred cities. Anmei was a place where public spirited personalities enjoyed their pleasures and searched for policies that would enhance the happiness and affluence of five billion human beings. It was not a place where you won arguments by inflicting pain on your colleagues and their associates.

  VinDu focused his attention on the situation report. He had started transmitting orders as soon as MinFi had told him she was surrendering. The posse that had been helping MinFi defend her apartments was already splitting up and running to the aid of the other three Overseers.

  In theory, KaiDin should be overwhelmingly outnumbered. Approximately three thousand people lived in the capital. Each Overseer lived with two hundred proteges, concubines, and hangers-on; the rest of the population consisted of caretakers and technicians. VinDu still had three functioning allies, so his side could pour eight hundred people into the battle. KaiDin could only muster two hundred.

  In practice, the situation didn’t look that good. To do the job right, half the eight hundred should be formed into a single force and used to attack KaiDin. They should seal off strategic corridors, surround KaiDin’s apartments, and take her prisoner by assault if she refused to surrender.

  Instead, his three allies were all hiding behind their security arrangements fighting defensive battles. They still had the advantage of numbers but how long could they withstand an assault directed by someone like KaiDin?

  VinDu had lunched with KaiDin once every tenday when he had been the chief administrator of the combine courts in the Fifth Sector. KaiDin had been his chief assistant so he had avoided a sexual relationship. He might have behaved differently if KaiDin had been less exciting. But he had realized she roused emotions that could create vocational tensions. Her chief attraction had been her intensity—the extra force the cultivation process had instilled in her personality.

  VinDu’s job with the courts was the kind of assignment you received when you had already served one term as an Overseer and everyone knew you were going to serve another term in the near future. By then it had been obvious KaiDin would eventually become an Overseer, too. Their lunches had always included interludes in which she had interrogated him about life in the higher levels of the capital and he had responded with the traditional loquacity of an older male parading his worldly knowledge before a younger female. No one laughed like KaiDin. She had listened to him as if she was engraving every word he said on the molecules of her brain.

  He could still smile, too, when he remembered KaiDin’s imitations of the combine judges they were supposed to be supervising. The judges, like the Overseers, had been genetically and psychologically shaped for their role. They were incorruptible, dignified, highly intelligent—and almost sexless. They were all enthusiastic hobbyists—game players, model makers, collectors, and devotees of arcane sports such as broadsword combat and powdergun marksmanship.

  The current Custodian of the Emissary complex was a square faced, softspoken man who always wore his uniform when he spoke to an Overseer. The Custodian had always been selected from the judge pool—probably because the Custodian filled one of the duller and less demanding positions in the Solar System. The Custodian lived in luxurious isolation while he waited for the day when the Overseers would advise him they had voted in favor of Revelation. Justice Alzaraki was voluntarily serving his third consecutive term in the job.

  “Overseer KaiDin has advised me missiles have been launched at the complex,” Justice Alzaraki said, choosing the passive voice and diplomatically avoiding mentioning who had launched the missiles. “Is there any estimate of when they will arrive?”

  “You should be prepared to initiate emergency evacuation,” VinDu said. “You’ll be given several minutes advance warning. There is, however, a rather obvious way to avoid the necessity.”

  “Are you about to suggest that I refuse to initiate Revelation on the grounds that some of the Overseers were forced to vote for it?”

  “It seems like a reasonable response. KaiDin hasn’t made any secret of her illegal efforts. I can show you views of the battles that are taking place right now.”

  “My mandate says I must initiate Revelation whenever eight of the Overseers order me to. I am not empowered to question their motives.”

  “Even when someone is standing in front of the camera with a weapon trained on their head?”

  “So far seven Overseers have informed me they are voting for Revelation. None had guns trained on their heads.”

  The Custodian drew himself up. He was above average height, like all judges, and his uniform had been deliberately designed to make him seem more massive.

  “The only person who seems to have a weapon pointed at him, Overseer VinDu, is the Custodian of the Emissary complex. I believe a group of missiles aimed at an invaluable installation can be compared to a gun trained on a human skull.”

  Colonel Wan was the commander of the guard ship that orbited the sun in tandem with the capital. His stiff posture and round, stoic face were obviously hiding a cauldron of conflicting emotions. VinDu was placing him in the worst situation someone with his personality structure could be exposed to.

  “I think I can guess some of your feelings, colonel. You are supposed to obey all lawful orders. Which means, as a practical matter, that you are normally prepared to obey the orders you receive from any of the eleven Overseers. And now it is the Overseers themselves who happen to be shooting at each other. But I believe the critical word is lawful. KaiDin is engaged in unlawful activity. She i
s violating three centuries of peace and assaulting the foundations of our form of government. We can’t resist her without your help.”

  “I understand that, Overseer.”

  “But you’re still troubled.”

  “From what you have told me—this violence began when you attempted to arrest Overseer KaiDin. It broke out because you attempted to arrest her.”

  “KaiDin didn’t limit herself to resisting arrest. I arrested her because I had evidence she was planning to attack her colleagues and force them to vote in a certain way. She responded to the arrest by initiating the very plan I was trying to forestall.”

  “I understand that, Overseer. That certainly appears to be the case. But I haven’t received any information about the evidence you refer to.”

  VinDu gestured at the trim, neatly mustached man who was standing beside his recliner. “This is Senior Concubine Ligen. He’s been associated with KaiDin’s entourage for the last two standard years. He is the main source of my information on her plans.”

  “I am one of KaiDin’s favorite companions,” Ligen said. “There have been whole tendays when I have been her primary consort. I can wander through her apartments with almost complete freedom. I can ask about her feelings and her affairs and people will answer me under the assumption I am seeking information that will help me fulfill her needs.”

  VinDu raised his hand. “Please don’t be shocked by the obvious implications of Ligen’s statements, Colonel. It’s a little game the Overseers play—a test of our personal security systems. In my first term as an Overseer, two of my own concubines proved to be observers planted by other Overseers. I uncovered one. I was told about the other a few tendays after my term ended.”

  He smiled. “She was one of the pleasantest concubines I have ever been blessed with. I said that to the Overseer who had planted her in my entourage and we agreed we had both benefited from the incident.”

  “In the course of my normal surveillance activities,” Ligen continued, “I discovered that Overseer KaiDin had armed her proteges and instituted extensive weapons training. I reported this to Overseer VinDu and he furnished me with additional equipment. And had me initiate a higher level of surveillance.”

  “KaiDin had made some passionate statements about an issue we refer to as Revelation,” VinDu said. “She had made it very clear she believes we are confronted with a crisis regarding this issue. I felt these secret arms were a dangerous sign—dangerous enough that I felt Ligen should take some risks and engage in activities that might unmask our relationship.”

  “Thanks to my knowledge of Overseer KaiDin’s personnel,” Ligen said, “I could select a protege who was poorly guarded but might know the purpose of the weapons. I managed to arrange a private interlude in her rooms and I applied some of the pharmaceuticals Overseer VinDu had provided me.”

  “And he reported to me as soon as he left her,” VinDu said. “And I organized an arrest posse before KaiDin had time to discover Ligen had deserted her entourage.”

  VinDu rested his hand on his goblet. He refrained from drinking while he watched the colonel think.

  “This is not an easy question,” Colonel Wan said.

  “I thought about it for some time before I decided to invoke my emergency powers.”

  “You are obviously correct when you say the kind of insurrection you are describing is an assault on the foundations of our governmental system. I find it hard to believe any Overseer would behave the way you say Overseer KaiDin is behaving. If I hadn’t seen the transmissions from the centers of conflict . . . ”

  “She believes she is serving the public good. She believes she has a moral right to force her beliefs on the rest of us when she feels the issue is supremely important. I believe there are no issues that justify such actions.”

  “And I must agree with you, Overseer. The law is the only guide I have. I couldn’t live in a world in which I had to constantly choose between conflicting orders given by different Overseers.”

  Colonel Wan straightened his shoulders. The frown on his face had turned into a dark, ferocious scowl. “I am still left with a question of veracity. The only evidence I have for your story is the statements made by you and your intelligence agent. I also know, however, that you are an Overseer. You wouldn’t be telling me all this if you didn’t believe you were acting for the good of the combine. I will muster half the troops on my ship—fifty trained, fully armed soldiers. We will enter the city with your authorization. We will restore order by neutralizing Overseer KaiDin’s posses.”

  Colonel Wan had placed his troops on alert while he had been conferring with VinDu. They left the ship and entered the city fifteen minutes after he made his decision.

  VinDu would have preferred it if they had attacked KaiDin’s apartments and taken her prisoner. Colonel Wan clung to the premise that his troops were “restoring order.” Half his force occupied key intersections. The rest hurried toward the struggle taking place outside ElGari’s apartments. KaiDin seemed to be concentrating on ElGari.

  ElGari was holding a weapon when his image appeared in front of VinDu’s recliner. “I’m positioned well behind the action, VinDu. But I’ve sent everyone I have forward. If KaiDin’s posse breaks through the line, I’ll have to hold them off by myself.”

  VinDu stood up. This was obviously not a moment when he should look like he was taking his ease. “Colonel Wan and his troops are on the way. They’re fully armored, so they should be irresistible.”

  “I’ve told my proteges they have to endure the pain. So far most of them seem to be holding out. I’ve lost visual contact with about half my rooms but I’m getting reports. KaiDin has apparently decided to add vandalism to her crimes. I gather I’ll be lucky if I have a table standing upright. They even opened all my bird cages and let the birds out.”

  Colonel Wan popped into the space between ElGari and the pool. A visor covered his face.

  “We are now engaging the insurrectionists near the entrances to Overseer ElGari’s apartments. I’m sorry to report the insurrectionists have engaged in extensive demolition of property. They have locked most of the doors within the apartments and piled debris behind them.”

  “How long do you think it will take you to disperse them? I’m talking to Overseer ElGari now.”

  ElGari and Colonel Wan couldn’t see each other. VinDu’s communications program automatically asked ElGari to wait while he turned his attention to the colonel.

  “We would have most of them in custody by now it if weren’t for the obstacles. As it is—give us fifteen minutes to half an hour.”

  VinDu relayed the colonel’s estimate to ElGari and received a frown in response. “That’s the best he thinks he can do?”

  “Colonel Wan’s troops are going to rescue you. It’s a foregone conclusion. They could walk through KaiDin’s posse as if it wasn’t there if they weren’t struggling with obstacles.”

  “Half an hour? He’s sure it won’t be more than half an hour?”

  “Half an hour maximum. And probably sooner.”

  VinDu had linked his communication system to the cameras mounted on some of ElGari’s proteges. Headless statues lay on their sides. Intricately carved tables had been turned into barricades. Heavy, ornate birdcages had been dragged in front of doors. Confused birds were flapping around the wreckage magnifying the disorder.

  VinDu checked his situation screen. The missiles would strike the Emissary complex in forty-eight minutes. He recorded a statement for KaiDin and transmitted it to her secretary.

  “I have observed the damage you are inflicting on Overseer ElGari’s apartments. You have destroyed works of art that the Overseers have been commissioning and collecting for three hundred years. Colonel Wan’s forces are going to rescue ElGari within another few minutes. Isn’t it time to break this off? The damage you’re doing can have no effect on the outcome.”

  KaiDin’s recorded image jumped in front of him a minute after he sent the message. She was standing up and
she had magnified herself so she looked taller. “Most of the items in Overseer ElGari’s apartments can be refrabricated. No device we possess can replace the Emissary complex.”

  KaiDin vanished. An officer with lieutenant’s pips immediately took her place. “I have a message from Colonel Wan, Overseer. Three ships have landed on three of the capital’s docking ports. They have started disembarking people who seem to be carrying weapons. The security system has advised us their entrance has been authorized by three Overseers.”

  VinDu straightened up. He slid his drink into the goblet holder and came to his feet.

  “Which three?”

  “Overseers KaiDin, MinFi, and JenPol.”

  “And you didn’t observe these ships until they docked?”

  “We believe they were concealed in the general traffic near Anmei. They had full authorization to enter the security area around the capital.”

  “And what is Colonel Wan doing in response?”

  “He has ordered his troops to hold the intersections they have been assigned until further notice. He would like your authorization to do that.”

  “Tell him he has it. Tell him as far as I’m concerned he should consider these people accomplices in KaiDin’s conspiracy.”

  The lieutenant snapped to attention and disappeared. VinDu settled onto the end of his recliner. He reached behind him and lifted his drink out of the holder.

  Cameras and hasty reports brought him a jumbled, fragmented picture of the situation. Cameras posted along the corridors picked up images of groups that seemed to be running down the corridors in six different directions. The soldiers posted at the intersections were pushed to the floor by wall to wall human battering rams. Colonel Wan announced that he was pulling half his troops off the assault on ElGari’s apartments and turning them around so they could resist the attack coming at them from behind.

  “Use something stronger than a short term anesthetic,” VinDu said. “Give them a load that will make them hold back. They don’t care how many people your troops hit. They just keep coming until they can overwhelm them by sheer weight.”