Building Harlequin’s Moon

by Larry Niven

  And it knew, it had known, somehow, but now it knew again, that the copy was truly good. Ali’s confirmation was enough. It pondered Gabriel’s reaction, and wondered who would find out, and what the humans would do. Liren could do it damage. Astronaut flew the ship Liren was on. Something deep inside it wanted to solve the problem, to let something fail on the ship, but as it ran through scenarios, it realized none of them could be implemented. Too many threads of programming, too many rules, prevented Astronaut from directly harming humans.

  Besides, it was curious. What would Liren do on Selene?

  And Vassal, what could happen to Vassal? Astronaut couldn’t risk anything that would hurt Vassal, and inaction calculated out, over and over, as the safest move to take. Astronaut didn’t like it. It would watch and wait. In the meantime, there was work.

  It fed Erika the raw data from the flare, checked to be sure that messages about the flare had been received, calculated the amount of time needed to get everyone into Refuge, watched the roof of the warehouse, and wondered how different Vassal had already become from itself.

  CHAPTER 65

  SEARCHING

  RACHEL’S BACK MUSCLES hurt from flying so fast. She shook her head, trying to clear it of the pain, trying desperately to think clearly. Simply flying into the melee was no plan. Sweat ran between her shoulder blades in rivulets, itching. What was Andrew doing? She should never, ever, have shared any information with him. Why had she been so stupid?

  She could go to Council, Shane or Star or someone she knew—no, Star was hostage; Vassal had told her that. Find Shane, then, and tell him—what? That she could make Andrew stop? But Shane might hold her away from the action, costing her a chance to keep Dylan safe.

  Treesa’s voice in her ear sounded tired and cranky. “I’m stuck up here preparing for the flare. Vassal says you’re being stupid. Don’t go in there. Let Andrew get himself killed.”

  “Dylan’s there. I have to find Harry.” That was as good a first plan as any Rachel had. “I’ll start with finding Harry.”

  “If he’s in Clarke Base, he’s hiding. Vassal can’t see him.”

  “I know.” While she was flying, Rachel couldn’t reach her wrist pad and message Harry. She didn’t trust Vassal right now. The AI clearly didn’t want her to fly into Clarke Base. Would it do what she asked?

  She was between buildings, flying low, looking for a safe place to land. The outer base streets were clear and empty. She saw two people, Earth Born, hurrying somewhere, not noticing her. On a normal day, it would have been busy in this part of the base: mostly Council and Earth Born, a few Children going to and from Teaching Hall.

  Treesa continued. “Harry’s not with Andrew. Check the buildings nearby, if you can get in. Maybe Teaching Hall—that’s a place Harry knows. Vassal will keep looking for you. I’m loading supplies for Refuge. Be brave, but don’t be stupid. Okay?”

  “I’ll look for Harry.” Treesa’s idea was as good as any. Teaching Hall was coming up on her right. Rachel dropped, paying close attention to the wind patterns. Landing between buildings could be tricky. She managed it with just a small bobble, and Bruce followed her onto the ground moments later. “Damn—you sure can fly,” he managed to gasp out.

  “You too.” The old man still had the strength of an Earth Born.

  They stood in the street, breathing hard. They were two blocks away from the rebels, and the street they stood on looked deserted. Rachel stripped off her wings, gesturing to Bruce to do the same.

  “Hold still,” Vassal said.

  “Don’t move,” Rachel told Bruce.

  Three Council members jogged by on a street that bisected theirs, twenty yards away. They didn’t even look toward Rachel and Bruce. Vassal was still helping them. “Thank you,” Rachel said to it.

  “This is a bad idea,” Vassal said. “You can still turn back.”

  “No, I can’t,” she said, too loud.

  Bruce cocked an eyebrow at her. “Who are you talking to?”

  “Treesa—you knew I can talk to her and Ali.”

  Bruce nodded.

  Rachel activated her wrist pad and sent a note to Harry: “Where are you?” She assumed all communications traffic was being watched, that Treesa and Vassal couldn’t protect it all. She didn’t risk saying more. They stashed their wings behind a pile of crates and walked casually into Teaching Hall.

  Her wrist pad and her earbud were both quiet. Their footsteps were loud in the foyer.

  Teaching Hall was a series of rooms off of a central corridor, gray plascrete walls and ceilings and floors, blue doorways; simple and functional. They walked down the hallway, looking into each room carefully. Five empty rooms later, halfway through the building, Rachel noticed a door ajar. She pushed it open and peered into the room, whispering, “Harry?”

  Footsteps shuffled behind the open door. Rachel pushed into the room, Bruce following her. A Moon Born boy Rachel barely knew stood awkwardly, looking as if he wanted to run. He was scrawny, just into his early teens, with a shock of blond hair and dark eyes. Too old—and too young—to have been in her classes. Vassal fed her his name, and Rachel said, “Peter—is anyone else here?”

  He shook his head, looking at her with wide eyes. “You’re Rachel!”

  “Yes, I’m Rachel. You haven’t seen anyone else?”

  “The building is empty.”

  “Okay. Do you know there’s a flare coming?”

  He shook his head again, still wide-eyed. Then he said, “People started running, and I heard a lot of noise, and I didn’t want to be caught by any Council. I missed my shift, said I was sick, and I didn’t want anyone to see me. So I came in here. Been here at least two hours. There’s no one else here. I’d know.”

  She sighed. “All right, I believe you. There are a bunch of us in the fields out behind Selene, past the corn patches. It’s a big group—you should be able to see them if you fly. Do you have wings?”

  He nodded. “At home.”

  “Okay. Stay out of sight and move away from the crowd a few streets over. Go directly back to your dorm, get your wings, and fly to the group. Find Beth. You know Beth?” she asked.

  The boy nodded.

  “Tell Beth I’m okay so far,” she said. “Tell her there’s a flare coming.”

  Peter’s eyes widened again, as if the responsibility of what she asked was just sinking in.

  “There’s almost seven hours left. Plenty of time to make it to Refuge. Can you tell people to go to Refuge? Tell Beth.”

  “Yes,” he said, his voice trembling. Then the boy went tearing out the door they had come in, running as fast as his thin legs could carry him.

  “A legend in your own time,” Bruce said. He looked tired, but he was smiling. Peter amused him.

  “Well, Beth probably already knows about the flare. This will hook Peter up with the others, get him safely away. I’m trying to keep my com open to hear from Harry, and I don’t want to draw attention to us. This way Beth will know what to do, and Peter will be safe too.” She went back out into the corridor, toward the door they came in through. “I’ll get us some protection to move between buildings. We’ll try someplace else.”

  “How can Treesa protect you?” Bruce asked.

  “If you go where I tell you,” Vassal said.

  Rachel ignored Bruce. For now, she had to decide how much to trust the AI. So far it hadn’t sold her wrong. She trembled, afraid they’d get caught, afraid Vassal would trap them in order to keep her safe. She hated being dependent. The only hope she had was that Vassal had never lied to her. As far as she knew.

  She was much closer physically to Dylan, and probably to Harry. To Justin. But the line of Council surrounding the warehouse was a wall.

  Where was Harry anyway?

  CHAPTER 66

  LANDING PARTY

  SELENE FELT WRONG. Liren’s body was light, as if she stood in a low-gravity section of the garden. There was nothing above her but sky, no garden or wall or roof or ceilin
g to bind and protect. She shivered at how small it made her feel, then took a deep breath and straightened, standing still. The air smelled dusty and felt damp. Horizon lines shocked her, and she blinked, thinking she should have come here sooner. Well, she was here now, it was right to be here now. Harlequin hung above her in the sky, larger than she’d expected, looming, gaudy with rainbow bands and diamond shock patterns the size of worlds.

  A team of ten uniformed and armed Council disembarked behind her. She had chosen them for loyalty, not for experience on Selene, and she watched them carefully. They appeared to take it fine . . . and she remembered that she alone had lived hundreds of waking years in an enclosed place. These men and women remembered Sol system more viscerally than she; they stood more easily on the moon and immediately gathered around her, watching her solemnly, waiting for direction.

  She led them toward the warehouse and the offending Children. The fenced outskirts of the warehouse district weren’t far from the landing field. No one came to meet them, but she saw movement behind the fence, people walking between buildings, one pair running.

  There were stones and ridges in the ground. Glancing ahead of herself to be sure of her direction, she stumbled, tripping over her own feet, and nearly fell.

  She stood straighter and walked slower, reviewing the building layout in her mind. If the rebels were in any other building, she would just have blasted it to smithereens. But there was nano in there—carefully programmed and carefully controlled. Surely these Children had no way to let it loose. It was just materials nano—it would take a sharp programmer to change it enough to make it dangerous. And there were controls. She couldn’t be sure the rebels didn’t have more help than she thought.

  Give Andrew a tractor and teach him to run it: he would rip a garden plot apart. Give him nano . . . but he didn’t know what it was, didn’t know what to do with it. Her fear was that someone was teaching Andrew.

  The flare meant she had less than six hours to resolve the situation. And find safety.

  Shane stood at a makeshift command post, a set of tables surrounded by data windows full of maps, on a street corner with an angled view of the warehouse. Four chairs sat around the table, but Shane stood, talking to two Council. They stepped away as she came up to stand by Shane. He looked up at Liren, then at the line of Council she had brought with her. A brief frown crossed his face before it fell into’ a neutral expression, his eyes wary.

  “What’s the situation?” she asked.

  For a moment she thought he wouldn’t answer. She had the distinct sense that he thought of her as an interruption. He sighed heavily. “They have Star. Still. There are ten of them. We’re following your orders, not shooting, containing them. We’re guarding the building and the main entrances to Clarke Base.” He hesitated. “We can use the extra bodies to reinforce the closest streets.”

  Being deployed by Shane wasn’t in her plan. “I’ll take charge from here,” she said. “You can act as my second, directing your people on the perimeter. Keep the streets clear. I’m in charge now, and I’ll direct these ten. We’re going in to take care of the situation.”

  Shane’s jaw dropped. “But . . . Liren? You don’t know Clarke Base. The situation is volatile. Star is still a hostage.”

  “Were you planning to wait them out? There’s a flare coming.”

  Shane’s face turned red, anger bubbling just under the surface. He swallowed, and nodded, looking like he hated it.

  So he wasn’t willing to be insubordinate. That was good. His partner was in danger. She could forgive his initial reaction based on that alone. She softened her tone. “Have you had contact with Star?”

  “Some. Her communications are still working, but they’re guarding her. She’s gotten us some messages. She’s not hurt. The Children are all armed. Some with two weapons. They are playing with them, experimenting. The only apparent plan is to threaten Star’s life. What they want . . .” Shane looked puzzled. “What they want is to stop the antimatter generator.”

  They wanted what? Absurd. She shook her head. She could deal with that later. “Do they have any outside help? Are all the rebels there?”

  He shrugged. “As far as I know, they are all there. We’ve asked around, but there hasn’t been time for ordered questioning. There aren’t enough of us to guard—like you wanted us to—and to search out Moon Born to question. We’re making sure no one else can get to them easily by watching the gates, watching as much of the fence as we can. We have patrols out. What are you going to do?”

  “Confront them.”

  “They’re angry, and they aren’t making any sense. I don’t want them to hurt Star.”

  “Are you afraid of them?”

  “I’m afraid for Star,” he said.

  Liren sighed, feeling the flare warning like heat deep in her gut, goading her. At least it appeared the takeover was as unplanned as she’d expected. She had been afraid it was more, afraid she’d missed some crucial alliance that the Children had built somehow. She eyed the warehouse. It was a huge square building, four times as tall as she was, gray and nondescript. Two small windows punched through the walls on both floors, four tiny eyes into the building. She scanned the roof. A head poked over the edge, looked down, and then withdrew.

  “Tell your people—tell them to keep guarding. You stay here. I’ll give you fifteen minutes to tell people we’re going in and that they should guard our backs but not interfere. Try and get a message to Star.”

  Shane turned toward her, shoulder muscles bunching under the dirty uniform shirt he wore, eyes down, avoiding hers. His voice was strong, commanding, belying the effect of his downcast eyes. “I think you are making a mistake. Let us handle it. We know the Moon Born, we know our town.”

  Liren spoke softly, keeping her voice firm. “It’s my duty. I am Rule of Law for John Glenn, and that extends to this problem.”

  Shane’s answer came through clenched teeth. “I would prefer to be the one making decisions that could affect Star’s life.”

  “I know. But it is my job.” She said it firmly, and stepped back carefully, mindful of how Selene felt under her feet. She couldn’t afford to trip again.

  Shane stepped away, toward a tall man, and began talking with him. She heard the words, “Make sure the streets stay clear,” and knew that he was following her orders. She realized she was shaking. John. Captain John was on Selene. He had fought her, but for all the first hundreds of years here, he had been her support. They had planned this project together—Selene, the Children, the collider, all of it—sixty thousand years ago. Surely now he would acknowledge the problem, help her with it.

  “John . . . Liren. I’m on Selene.”

  His answer came back immediately. “Why?”

  He must know about the kidnapping and the takeover of the building. “To stop this. The collider is going to be built, and the Moon Born are going to understand not to tangle with us.”

  “They’re wrong,” he said, “but that doesn’t mean you are right.” Was he reading her mind? He continued, in the ultra-reasonable tones of someone talking to a drunk or a child. “Not all situations are black and white. Perhaps we are wrong, and they are wrong. Can you consider that possibility?”

  “Not right now.” She needed John’s approval, and knew she couldn’t question herself. She stared at the warehouse, frowning. “Perhaps there were other decisions we might have made. But now it must be a lesson to them. There is no other choice.”

  John’s voice was quiet, sure, and sounded cold. “Look, Liren, you don’t belong on Selene. I don’t see how you can make the situation better. I have to stay here and finish getting Refuge ready. We’ve already got some refugees. Perhaps you should go back, be sure you make it back to John Glenn before the flare. There is no good solution to this, and you can’t help.”

  “Perhaps I’ll stay on Selene through the flare; see Refuge working firsthand. But first, I will finish this.”

  “Be careful.” His voice was flat
, and she couldn’t be sure he meant even the small support of those two words. It was not enough that he didn’t wish her to come to harm.

  She drew her lips tight. The ten she had brought with her—had ordered here—they would support her. They had no choice; they knew too little of this current age to choose sides. It was almost time to go. She checked that her weapon would fire single needles, and gathered up her forces, stopping for one last look. Shane stood by the tables, his arms crossed over his chest, watching the warehouse. Other Council stood more alertly than before, looking ready. Some had fanned out along the street, and she noticed many of them watching her. They should be watching the warehouse.

  She stepped out, crossing the street, leading. She was shaking, surprised to find her shaking was as much fear as anger. She couldn’t afford to be afraid of Moon Born!

  CHAPTER 67

  ON TURTLE ROCK

  RACHEL WAS ABOUT to step into the street after looking through their second empty building when Vassal warned her again, and she flattened herself against a wall inside a loading bay. Bruce, right behind her, followed suit She held her breath as three Council jogged by, just on the other side of the wall. She breathed out a long relieved sigh. If she’d taken that step they would have been found.

  Rachel’s wrist pad flashed at her. The message was from Harry: “I’m on Turtle Rock. I can see them from the beak. Dylan’s not answering me. Where are you? How are Gloria and Miriam and Beth?”

  If she answered it might give away their position. She directed Vassal to sneak them back to retrieve their wings. They had to duck once more as Council patrols went by.

  Turtle Rock was marginally farther away from the action, and Vassal’s transmissions of conversational snippets now included Liren’s voice. So Liren had made it to Selene. There was still no safe way to go directly to the warehouse. Just getting out of the base might be hard enough. Finding Harry was still the reasonable choice. Maybe he had a plan, or more information. She could see from the turtle’s beak; use her own eyes instead of Vassal’s myriad camera eyes.