Miranda's Demons

by Ian Miller

  "Ladies," Gaius intervened, "what's done is done. Perhaps in the future there will be an accounting, but it won't be to me."

  "I accept that now," Elizabeth said in a flat tone.

  "Let's also recognize that each side has done something for strategic reasons," Gaius offered. "The issue is not so much what has happened so far, but rather what happens next that counts. And while you're thinking about that, I for one am thinking that since we were invited to eat, possibly we might do that, if you're prepared to entertain us?"

  "It's nothing fancy," Elizabeth said, and stared at the clock. "It may not be all that good either. I'd forgotten about it. It's supposed to be traditional Roman food, and it's probably starting to dry out. If you'd rather I got something else?"

  "Of course not," Gaius said.

  "As I said, it's fairly simple. I –"

  "If you're prepared to make the effort," Gaius said. "The least we can do is our part. Let's eat, and drink to the future."

  Chapter 3

  ". . . and that, Mr President, is my proposal," Natasha Kotchetkova said, as she placed her notes on the table before her. "To very briefly summarize, it is not practical to allow the M'starn to remain in this solar system and we would prejudice our own future if we set them up in a nearby system. The simplest solution is to allow them to return to their own region of the galaxy, to return to their own kind. I therefore propose that this course of action be taken."

  "I second that motion," Kleppe said firmly and quickly. A slight smile crossed Natasha's face as she noted the slightly startled expression on Elizabeth Garrett's face. Contrary to what Elizabeth would be thinking, Natasha had done no deals with Kleppe. But Kleppe was astute. He could almost sense what would happen, and he wanted to be sure his contribution was properly in place.

  "Does anyone wish to add to the case for the motion?" the President asked. "Mr Kleppe?"

  "I would merely wish to add that an advanced alien technology interacting with our economy would have an extremely disruptive effect," Kleppe said. Now that he was speaking on financial matters, his tone was authoritative, and even schoolmasterly in nature. However, as Natasha noticed, he avoided looking directly at both Elizabeth Garrett and Imre Halas. "If the aliens were to integrate with us, the levels of unemployment could be quite horrendous, and the distribution of incomes quite inequitable. Indeed yes," he added, admonishing two interjectors, "far worse than they are now. If they were not to integrate, why have them nearby? We would have to maintain very significant Defence forces, effectively remaining on a near war footing. I believe this would be a serious mistake, and at the risk of offending the Defence Commissioner," and Natasha was surprised to see Kleppe look quite fearlessly towards her, "we don't need that. Finally, I wish to congratulate Commissioner Kotchetkova for her foresight in this proposal; many lesser people would have taken this opportunity to acquire considerable personal power."

  "Jack-up!" someone cried.

  "Puppet!"

  "Order!" called the President, as Kleppe tried to protest.

  "Mr President," Natasha said with a slight smile, "I assure the members of this Council that Mr Kleppe's speech was just as much a surprise to me as to you. I should add that I take no offence from his statements, and while I do not wish to use Defence to add to the case, the point made by Mr Kleppe is valid."

  "Anyone else wish to speak for the proposal?"

  Two of the independent representatives gave brief statements of support, then the call was made for arguments to the contrary.

  "Why don't we just exterminate them?" Chu asked. "Then we could acquire their technology."

  "So much for a certain wager," Natasha mumbled to herself.

  "Retaining their space vehicles would make travel between Earth and Mars far simpler," the Mars Commissioner added, then he added in a lower tone, "although extermination seems a bit extreme."

  "They were going to exterminate us," the Lagrange Commissioner added.

  "Order! Would you each speak in turn!"

  There was a silence.

  "Mr President?"

  "The Commissioner for Justice."

  "Thank you. I should like to point out that the proposal to exterminate the M'starn, besides being callous in the extreme, would be unlawful on several counts. I believe successful prosecutions could be brought against all perpetrators, and in all likelihood, all who vote for it. This meeting could be in danger of becoming a conspiracy to commit war crimes, murder, genocide, to say nothing of several items on the environmental protection code, such as the extinction of a species."

  "But they're aliens," Chu interjected.

  "Is that so?" came the cold response. There was a further silence.

  "Mr President," Natasha at last broke the silence. "I move the proposal be put, and that the relevant administrative sections of the Federation government be empowered to take such steps as are necessary to draft any necessary regulations, and to implement any procedure with an overall cost less than ten billion fecus. Should more money be required, the matter should be brought back to the Council."

  "The question is, should the proposal be put? Those in favour? Those against? I declare the motion be put. The question is, should the administrative arms of the Federation be empowered to spend up to ten billion fecus for the purpose of assisting the M'starn to return to their own home planet, and should Defence be authorized to give such assistance as is necessary, including the return to the M'starn of all ships, less weaponry. Those in favour? Those against? I declare the motion carried, and record that this council has given the required authorization. That being the end of formal business, I declare –"

  "That is not the end of formal business," Reiner interjected.

  "Mr Reiner! This is most –"

  "Mr President. At the last meeting, the Commissioner for Defence brought the proposal to the Council that the South American countries be permitted to join the Federation, without reparations for past defaults, and without requiring full access to their markets and resources for the corporations. This Council was virtually forced to accept this proposal, on the basis that otherwise these countries might become havens for the enemy, and in any case, we required their manufacturing capacity to defeat the enemy."

  "That is essentially correct," the President confirmed.

  "Is it not also correct that the full documentation has yet to be completed?"

  "That is correct."

  "Then there is no requirement for us to accept that deal as it stands," Reiner leaned forward, with one hand on the desk in front of him. He waved his index finger at the meeting as he continued, "If their contribution to the war effort was trivial and their soldiers never fought, I believe these terms should be renegotiated at once."

  "Mr President?"

  "The Commissioner for Justice."

  "The legal situation is clear. We have made a formal offer, and they have formally accepted in writing. The detailed formalities have to be completed, and in principle certain minor items have yet to be completed, and are open to further negotiation. The major items are not. The Federation can, of course, abrogate its commitment at any time, if it believes we are not answerable to any legal or moral code. However, a deal was made, and the fact that the other party was not called upon to make the level of effort initially expected is irrelevant. In the absence of clear evidence of default on the other party, we have no right, other than that more commonly claimed by common criminals, to withdraw. What is particularly repugnant is that this proposal has merely arisen from Corporate greed, and I can have no part of it."

  "Well said!" came encouragement from the independents.

  "Mr President!" Natasha took to her feet.

  "The Commissioner for Defence."

  "Mr President, I have already given the arguments for enlarging the Federation, and apart from those relating to the war effort, they are as valid now as before. There are a number of great civilizations in this galaxy, and one day Earth could take its place amongst them. To do so woul
d be extremely beneficial to Earth, but before this will be permitted there are a number of advances we have to make. One of them is to learn to live together. After all, if we cannot live together amongst our own species how would we be expected to behave amongst totally alien life forms?"

  "Who cares?" someone mumbled.

  "And what is that supposed to mean?"

  "We've got our own problems right now. I think it's far more important to feed our own people than to follow some philosophical ideal laid down by a group of aliens who won't even talk to us."

  "You mean there's nothing more important than organizing the daily meals?"

  "Frankly, no."

  "Point of order!"

  "Commissioner for Justice?"

  "The issue is whether the obligations freely entered into to enlarge the Federation be honoured. While the Commissioner for Defence has made an argument in favour of the issue, the Council should either accept or reject the argument. Whether we are to act with honour or dishonour should not be decided on the merits or otherwise of a long term philosophical goal."

  "Agreed," the President nodded. "The issue is, should we honour our side of the agreement, and I would ask that all discussion be focussed on that point."

  "Mr President," Reiner got to his feet. "Without wishing to appear disrespectful, that is not the issue, at least it is not the issue I raised."

  "Mr Reiner," the rather bemused President puffed, "if that is not the issue, what is?"

  "Mr President, I never suggested we should not honour agreements where the other side have fulfilled their part. What I said was that if they never contributed their part, then there are grounds for renegotiation, and that is a completely different issue."

  "Mr President," Natasha said, as she got to her feet, "I must in part apologize because I missed the subtlety, and I must confess I do not understand why this issue is being raised. However, the facts are these. Soldiers from South America were directly responsible for at least a quarter of the damage done to the enemy fleet. They also manufactured most of our most secret weapons, including the Miranda attack vehicles, and the rail guns."

  "For which they were paid handsomely?" Reiner said, with a full smile.

  "Not at all," Natasha replied. "The contributions were made freely for the defence of Earth."

  "And why," Reiner continued in a strangely self-confident tone, "were these top secret weapons manufactured in South America, rather than in our corporations?"

  Natasha looked at Reiner in amazement. He knew the answer very well. The question was, why was he trying to force this into the open.

  "Mr President," Halas leaped to his feet, "the Commissioner for Defence does not have to disclose reasons for those actions. The Council voted a full freedom of action, and there is no need for the Commissioner to have to defend those actions."

  "Mr President," Reiner shrugged, "I agree the Commissioner for Defence does not have to justify her actions. I never raised this issue as a criticism of the Commissioner. I merely asked for information pertinent to the issue. I wish to know why these important items were manufactured in South America." He leaned forward, and almost laughed as he threw down the challenge, "You see, members of the Council, suppose the Commissioner had an ulterior motive for enlarging the Federation."

  "Ulterior motive!" Natasha snapped, then she paused. Reiner was assuming that there was no evidence to connect him to Munro's schemes. Reiner could not know that Beth Hanson had overheard the two of them plotting, and apart from Beth, there was indeed no evidence against him. Even with Beth, all they had was one frightened witness who might or might not say that Reiner had discussed treachery, but they still had no idea whether he had actually done anything. So by precipitating the issue now, Reiner would be forcing action before his involvement could be proved.

  "Mr President," Natasha continued, as she regained her composure, "I apologize. In a sense Mr Reiner is quite correct. I had an ulterior motive." She paused, and watched the expressions of shock, and, on Halas' face, fear, before she continued, "That motive was to ensure the success of the military operations, by imposing adequate security. You see, Mr President and members of the Council, I have absolute proof that messages have been transmitted to the enemy from corporations."

  "Impossible!" came several cries.

  "Not at all," Natasha replied evenly. "Indeed, I was so certain of the existence of the transmissions that I arranged for false information to be fed to the enemy, and this contributed significantly to our victory."

  "Mr President," Reiner said, as once more he got to his feet. "It is very easy for the Commissioner for Defence to make such accusations, and it almost impossible for the loyal members of corporations not to be smeared by implication. I believe that, having gone so far, the Commissioner should name those she has evidence of guilt."

  "Yes," came several cries. "Name them!"

  "Mr President," Halas almost squeaked, "surely we cannot let that happen. That would prejudice their rights to a fair trial! This is not a judicial body."

  "According to the constitution," Elizabeth Garrett countered, "this Council happens to be the supreme judicial body in the Federation. On the other hand, it is not the appropriate body to initiate proceedings."

  "Commissioner," the President said, looking towards Natasha, "I think you should indicate who the guilty parties are, and whether you intend to take proceedings."

  "Mr Reiner . . ." Natasha started, and paused. She had to admit that his composure was excellent. He was looking puzzled, concerned, but not frightened. Councillors began staring at him, then back to Natasha, as if expecting that she would name him. "You have forced me to do what I would prefer not to do at this moment. I can prove the transmissions emanated from southern England, and in particular from a GenCorp facility."

  There were more gasps, and all eyes turned towards the vacant chair of Harvey Munro. All eyes except those of Reiner, who still sat as if throwing a mild challenge towards Natasha, those of Halas, who looked as if he would dissolve himself in fear, and those of Elizabeth Garrett, whose eyes alternated between Reiner and Natasha, as if she was wondering what move would come next.

  "Without wishing to contest the Commissioner's argument," Reiner almost smiled, still continuing the challenge, "how does she know that somebody else didn't use the facility. I mean, there are very few deep space transmission facilities, and a corporation one might be seen as easier to use than a Defence one when at war."

  "The information I mentioned was forwarded through a Munro," Natasha smiled, "and it may also be of interest that the M'starn documents we captured frequently mention Munro's name."

  "Any other corporations named in those documents?" Reiner asked, this time with perhaps a touch of tension showing through.

  Good question, Natasha thought. On one side was the evidence of one frightened woman, who could also be confused because her evidence was only heard through a speaker, while on the other side was the overwhelmingly negative evidence of the captured documents. Reiner was fortunate that Munro's intention to cut MinCorp out of the benefits of a M'starn victory were also cutting MinCorp out of the costs of defeat. "I think we can say that Munro's accomplices may have benefitted from Munro's greed and ego," Natasha replied.

  "If there were any such accomplices," Chu growled.

  "Indeed," Natasha agreed.

  "Will you bring proceedings?" an independent asked, "or are the corporations immune to prosecution?"

  "The evidence will be laid before Justice," Natasha replied. "If Justice issues warrants, and the police do not have the power to execute these warrants, then if requested, and only if requested, the forces of Defence will be available. No corporation, no matter how large, has sufficient force to overthrow the Federation, but I must repeat, the forces of Defence will not be used against citizens of the Federation without the specific request of the appropriate arm of the Federation."

  "And what is your attitude?" the questioner asked Elizabeth.

  "My posit
ion could not be more simple," she replied. "I shall review the evidence and if the evidence warrants it, due process will be carried out."

  "And when will arrests be made?" the independent demanded.

  "Well, so far we haven't yet received a complaint," the Commissioner for Justice replied slowly.

  "Mr President," Reiner got to his feet. "I move that the Commissioner for Defence immediately hands over to the Commissioner for Justice such evidence as she has of this alleged treachery, and if the evidence so warrants, the Commissioner for Justice should take such action as is necessary to arrest those accused and bring them to a speedy trial so this matter can be quickly disposed of, and so those who are not guilty can continue with their lives without the tarnish of suspicion by association. I further move that this Council request the Commissioner for Defence to provide such military strength as is requested by Justice to ensure that such arrests are carried out.

  "Mr President," Reiner continued, "there have been accusations that the corporations feel they are above the laws of the Federation. I wish to emphasize that these motions are being put forward on behalf of the corporations, to prove once and for all that the corporations see themselves not as entities apart from the Federation, nor as entities seeking to be greater than the Federation, but rather as important contributors to the good health of the Federation, and if some people, no matter how senior in certain corporations, have attempted to betray the Federation, then the appropriate action must be taken against those people, but not against corporations as a whole. What we have had were allegations against some men, but these men, or women, are just that, and this Council must be very careful not to discard the very principles of the Federation simply because some such men and women may not have maintained the high standards required of corporate leaders."

  The Council erupted in applause. Natasha was amused to see that even Elizabeth Garrett, after appearing almost dumbfounded for a moment, was quietly clapping, in part in admiration. Natasha looked towards Reiner, their eyes met, and Natasha nodded slightly in appreciation of a fine speech and a fine strategic move.