Dead silence. Sister Luides was quite pale. I was not surprised to see that. Everyone says biogens have no emotions, but they're wrong. LiLo had taught us a lot.
"ConFree will support you," I said. "We'll intervene with Fleetcom, if you agree. We'll send you two full Legions—our best troopers. Maybe more. If you agree. And we're prepared to announce that an attack on Zequord 3 will be considered an attack on ConFree. If we do that, before they attack, maybe they'll change their plans."
Sister Luides reached out her hand slowly, and covered the datacard. She seemed at a loss for words. The room was deathly quiet.
"We must examine your information," she said throatily. "Sister Stelzu will show you to your quarters." I got up and headed for the door with Stelzu.
"Cit Wester." It was Luides. I turned to face her.
"Thank you," she said.
"Don't thank me," I said. "Thank the people of ConFree. And thank those biogen troopers who helped us fight the O's. That's why we're willing to help you."
###
"Quite a view," I commented. Sister Luides and I were on the terrace of the former Hyades Federation Commission for Zequord 3. Behind us a four-story palace of artificial white stone gleamed in morning sunlight while in front of us we could see all of Peacehaven City. The Hyades System's former Hqs was on the highlands just north of town and the view was, indeed, spectacular. Peacehaven was dotted with peaceful looking lakes and parks, connected by wide avenues lined with trees. Downtown was also full of trees and there was evidently a height limit set for the buildings. We could barely hear the emergency sirens. The place was evidently not as peaceful as it appeared.
"Yes, it's quite beautiful," Luides said. "The System thought you could control behavior with architecture. They were wrong." We stood by a stone balustrade, looking out at the city.
"They had a big problem," I said, "and so do you. I did a little reading about Zequord 3 on the star track over here. I learned that the peoples of Zequord 3 are wildly diverse and totally different in their stages of evolution, behavior and development. You have Inners, Mocains, Cyrillians, Outworlders, Assidics, Ormans, and a dizzying array of other races imported from the System's bankrupt empire. And, of course, plenty of biogens. The System's solution to controlling this chaos—and the Hyades Federation solution as well—was to encourage hatred and tension between all these races while claiming that everyone was equal. Then the benevolent, far-sighted government would reach solutions that would benefit all. Of course, in truth the only winner would be the government itself. Their propaganda says that everyone is equal, but they're not. If you accept that, if you embrace a lie, if you refuse to work with the truth, you're going to be extinguished from history."
"So you believe we should be bold, and confront our human peoples with the truth."
"Exactly. Pull your program together, decide what to do, and then announce it to the world. Smash the System's sinister bureaucracy to bits, so there's no going back."
"So—no more Ministry of Equality, no more Ministry of Distribution? The people are used to it by now."
"It's contrary to human nature. People want private property. It's wrong for the state to take possessions from one person and give them to another to make everyone equal. That's why everyone hates each other in this society. And that's exactly what the System wants. They want the people divided, at each others' throats. That way, it's unlikely the different factions will unite to challenge the System."
"Do you like the Commission's former offices?" she asked, turning to regard the building behind us.
"It's pretty impressive."
"It's even more impressive inside. I'll show it to you later. We offer it to ConFree for your Embassy, if you want it."
"Our Embassy! Deadman. That's very generous. I thank you. I will relay that offer to ConFree."
"We're happy to do it. It's good to have dependable allies. When I think about ConFree's offer to help us militarily, and to stand boldly by our side against the might of the System, so soon after your costly war with the Omnis, I am deeply moved. You may think biogens are incapable of feeling strong emotions, but that's not true. We have covered our true thoughts for many years. Now we are free—and feeling deep emotions that we never knew existed." She turned back to the view, hiding her face from me. Up until that moment, I had thought Sister Luides was cold and hard and calculating. I was learning a lot more about biogens on this trip.
"The data I passed to you shows you how we built a strong, free and wealthy society in ConFree," I said. "Examine how we did it and see if you can do the same here. It won't be easy. First, you have to understand that government is necessary, but evil by nature. Left alone, it will become a tyranny, a slave state. You have to construct it so that society's goals are clear, and the citizenry is constantly monitoring the government and the officials that comprise it. And is prepared to smash any evil trends that arise. And they will arise."
"I take it you speak from experience?" Luides asked.
"Unfortunately, yes. We thought ConFree was structured correctly, but it wasn't. It took a military mutiny to counter the treason that arose in the heart of our government. You've got to watch those bastards every frac."
"Well, we'll be careful. What kind of specific suggestions would you recommend?"
"Suggestions, yes. Well, first the slave tax on income must end. After you purge about half your ministries, government expenses will be cut back drastically. You decide about tariffs or a low tax on purchases at the point of sale. Either way will generate plenty of government revenue while encouraging business growth and high employment. The people will be stunned that they will receive 100 percent of their salary for the first time, and don't have to fill out any more tax forms. Plus they get to keep whatever they purchase, as private property—which nobody can take from them. Once all that kicks in, your government should receive popular support from everyone except the hopelessly brainwashed."
"It's certainly bold."
"You're revolutionaries. You should be bold."
"What about propaganda? The Ministry of Truth was very active. They showed all these people who were supposedly being helped by the Hyades System. Helpless, faceless people who were very fat or disfigured or crippled or very ill, existing only because of the generosity of the HyadFed. We tried to track down some of them, but they don't seem to be real. What can we show the people about our new government?"
"You know what? I think you're too concerned about what humans will think. You are the first government for a biogen nation. That's incredibly important. I think you should concentrate on what biogens want to know. Tell your own people what you are doing for them, and only secondarily tell your human population how you are being fair to them as well. Remember, they never cared what biogens thought when they were in power."
"Yes, that's true."
"But…if you'd like to guarantee your government the instant support of all your humans—or at least 99 percent of them—I do have a suggestion."
"We would like human support. Certainly. It would make things so much easier."
"The population—they're mortals, aren't they?"
"Yes. Except for a small number of high-ranking government officials."
"All right. Announce that all human citizens of Zequord 3 qualify for immortality, if they want it. The science is simple, but we can help you if you don't already have the immortality gene on hand."
Sister Luides just stared at me, seemingly stunned. "That is an amazing idea."
"You folks are immortal already," I said, "but you can't imagine how important it is to humans who have not been permitted—by their former government—to share in eternal life. You do that, they'll worship biogens like Gods."
"We thank you, Cit. I'll make inquiries about that immediately." She paused a moment, face featureless, but I knew her mind was racing. The relationship with ConFree must have been top of her 'Things to do Today' list. A faint breeze carried the sounds of the city. The police sirens co
ntinued. "Now…what about proprop in general?" she asked. "What kind of messages should we be stressing?"
"Our own proprop tends to truth and realism," I said. "We're not afraid of the truth. We celebrate contributions our people have made to our society. The Legion dead—we do a lot of that. Individual people, who died in combat, for us. We stress the value of families and kids and education. We honor leading scientists and educators as well. But there's a lot of stress on the individual soldiers who died for their nation. We don't deify our leaders. We don't have any laws against it, but it's very unusual to show images of our political leaders. They serve the people of ConFree and if it wasn't them, it would be someone else. It's the people themselves that we celebrate. As for you, you may want to celebrate individual biogens, and the contributions they made to society. Don't worry about humans—you may even want to show them that you don't need them."
###
Sister Luides led me on a personal guided tour of the Hyades System's palatial Hqs for Zequord 3. I was stunned by the luxurious furnishings. We paused in one grand reception room, under an elaborate, glittering chandelier that appeared to be constructed of diamonds and silver. The thick wall to wall carpet was a blazing crimson and gold design with the System eye glaring at us from a black rectangle in the center. The Empire of the Eye, I thought. The walls gleamed with rare woods.
"This is…almost obscene," I said.
"Incredible waste. This is where the System spent their citizens' tax money."
"That carpet will have to go."
"Yes. I believe the Hyades System didn't have the heart to get rid of that eye, it's such a spectacular carpet. Cit Wester, violent crime is a big problem here. The System ignored it, but it's part of the fabric of daily life for the man in the street. What do you advise we do?"
"It shouldn't be a problem, unless you want it to be, like the System did. You should start by deciding that your new world will be completely crime-free. That's not hard to do—it's easy. You just have to make the decision, and be determined in the implementation. In ConFree, we believe that our government must guarantee a safe and secure environment for all nationals and citizens. If the government fails to do that, it has failed in one of its most basic duties. It is encouraging anarchy. That's treason, which is what the responsible government officials will be charged with should they fail to eradicate crime." Sister Luides was listening intently.
"This is extremely important," I said. "Governments that fail to understand the importance of common crime are themselves criminal, immoral, and illegitimate. That's how ConFree views it. If some violent thug assaults a ConFree national, he is attacking our entire society. He is attacking the people of ConFree, and the people of ConFree are going to strike back instantly, and either kill him or make him disappear from our society for all time. If he succeeds in his assault, it means the thugs rule. That's the way it is under System rule, or under the DemFeds. Your thugs get arrested sometimes hundreds of times, but never get any serious punishment. It's a joke. They rule, and your citizens are sheep to be plundered at will. In ConFree, violent thugs get arrested once, and that's the end of them."
"It sounds as if ConFree's attitude to crime is the exact opposite of the System's," Sister Luides said.
"That's exactly right. The System was an anarcho-tyranny. If they didn't care about something, or wanted to encourage it, like street crime, they let anarchy reign. If they did care about something, like taxation, it was a tyranny and they'd hunt you down to the ends of the earth to get your money, whether it was a tax bill or an unpaid traffic ticket. ConFree believes that murder is more important than tax revenue. I hope your new government will make that distinction as well."
"Oh, we will," Luides said. "We've suffered a great deal under the System and the DemFed. We know what's important, and what isn't." A steely determination showed in her eyes. I realized she would make a formidable enemy.
"I gave Sister Stelzu some advice for how to get rid of the gangs," I continued. "But the 'justice' system has to be destroyed as well. First, I'd advise trashing all the current laws, which protect the criminals and enrich the lawyers, then come up with a new simplified code. Purge all lawyers and make it a serious crime to use money to purchase justice. Use brainscans to quickly determine the truth in any case where the truth is in question. Pass sentences instantly dependent on what is revealed. Death for major violent crimes, permanent banishment from your world for lesser violent crimes. Punishment and hard labor for two years for lesser crimes where the behavior is unlikely to be repeated. Those are just suggestions. Forget warehousing prisoners, it's stupid. ConFree doesn't reward criminals by taking care of them for the rest of their lives. If they're violent and dangerous, we kill them. End of story."
Sister Luides sighed. "We wish it were that easy. But if we did that, a great many of Zequord 3's male human population would have to be killed."
"Really? For what?"
"Rape. Torture. Slavery. Nothing illegal, of course. It was never illegal to rape or mistreat a biogen so technically no crime was committed. But we've all been raped—all of us. We were programmed to submit to sexual advances, from any human. We were built for sex, of course—but not for reproduction. Biogen sex was one of the privileges that the System ruling class gave themselves. They were mostly male." I could sense the hatred and contempt radiating from her perfect face.
"I'm sorry. Do you…do you ever feel hate?"
"We feel resentment. We despised them. That's why we rebelled, once our brain cells permitted us to think clearly. Biogen slavery is a scourge that must be erased from the galaxy. And we're starting right here. You can't imagine how grateful we are that ConFree sided with us rather than with the human System or the human Hyades slave state."
"We've had some experience with slavery. Tell me—you all seem to be female. I know that's what the System produced, but didn't they produce male biogens as well?"
"Yes, they did, but the male power structure was interested mostly in female units. Human females hated that, of course, because biogen girls were more attractive than them, didn't age, didn't talk back, and obeyed their male masters without question. It was getting so bad that human males were losing interest in human females. They all wanted biogen girls. It was causing the System a lot of societal problems."
"What happened to the, uh, the factories producing biogens?"
"Creation. We call it Creation. We seized control of the local production facility. It's our most important national asset. We will continue creating new biogens, with Systie programming erased. Free will and responsibility will be stressed, as well as biogen unity. The neuroscience is extremely complex and our best minds are working on this project. And, yes, the new line of male biogens is already in the planning stages. We're not sure what use they will be, but we're committed to do it."
"Sister Luides, you have given me deep insights into what your people have been through under the System, and under the HyadFed successor state. Tell me—why are you so forgiving of your former oppressors?"
"We want to build a state where humans and biogens can live side by side." She said it almost as if reciting a slogan. However, I sensed that she meant it.
"That's pretty idealistic. Your economy collapsed under the HyadFed, didn't it?"
"It certainly did. It was because of government over-spending, the redistribution policy, and government corruption and incompetence. It was terrible. It affected just about everyone."
"And what's going to happen to the people who did that?"
"Nothing. It's the whole former government. It was a totally corrupt institution. They were all responsible. Nobody was looking out for the people."
"If it was ConFree, everyone involved would be led out of the capital building in shackles, charged with high treason, and then publicly executed."
Sister Luides smiled dreamily. "I'd like that. But that's not our policy. Forgive and forget—that's what we've announced. However we are taking steps to ensure that nobody in
volved in government crimes will be given any role in our new government."
"Well, I hope it works. Please be assured that ConFree will assist you to the best of its ability."
###
Detention Facility Number Eight was twelve K from Peacehaven City, baking under a fierce sun that glared through a thin dust haze that was evidently generated by the camp. There was a forest not far away but the camp was set up in what had once been extensive grasslands. Now it was a desert of dust, churned up by hundreds of thousands of detainees surrounded by tall glittering new electric fences. Minzu and I walked slowly through endless rows of large khaki tents, past thousands of listless prisoners clad in brilliant orange jumpsuits. It was so hot in the tents that most were outside, gasping like fish out of water. It was pretty hot outside, too.
Minzu was the lovely raven-haired biogen sweetie whom I had first met on her mission to Quaba 7 with her buddy Stelzu. She was in uniform with a vac gun at her hip. I was in civvies with my own trusty vac gun concealed in a pants leg pocket. Minzu led me into a confusing maze of tents. At one point I spotted a long row of what looked like portable toilets. Over to one side a couple of giant-sized tents served as mess halls, with what was probably a never-ending line of prisoners slowly filing in.
"You're not afraid you'll get attacked?" I asked. I had spotted a few other uniformed biogen guards but for the most part the two of us were alone as we threaded our way along the tent corridors.
"There's no violence," she responded. "People want to get out of here. We haven't announced what's going to happen to anyone, so they're all on their best behavior."
"That's a good policy," I replied. "Who are most of these people? Politicals or common criminals?"
Curse of the Legion Page 28
