Absorption (35 page)

Since then she had stayed resolutely out of domestic politics, and almost as firmly out of interplanetary politics, since foreign policy could not avoid helping some internal groups more than others. Even foreseeing the present difficulties had not caused her to break this rule, knowing there was no guarantee she could solve the dilemma better than fate and chance, and no death worse than the schizophrenic death she could bring on her own head.

Yet now her people were united in the desire that she attempt to resolve this, now that it appeared to be too late. This was not the sort of problem she was best suited to confront. The brains that currently comprised her had not been selected for social, political, or diplomatic knowledge – and they had been actively discouraged from using these to think about politics as part of Oceania. Fortunately these measures had not been completely successful. There was some basic infrastructure in place to accommodate the experts who now came to take part in her.

She began with first principles. To flail away at the armada surrounding her would be worse than useless. Even if she could some sudden and unexpected combination which would allow her to defeat the military force which outnumbered and outgunned her, the Federalist Worlds could afford and would feel compelled to send a bigger one. That was not the answer.

Being new at this, she contemplated the most ancient studies. The Art of War said to attack where your opponent was weak, where you were unexpected. The warships were strong and well prepared.

If not the teeth, where to attack? Would a metaphorical attack suffice, making war unnecessary? The sense of purpose of the Federalist Worlds remained nearly as seamless as their military. Public opinion reacted to a deep instinctive fear they did not understand. Politicians were not leading a reluctant public to war, nor was a mob driving reluctant politicians. The fear was truly popular and broad based.

If she could not win a war, and they would not accept peace, what then, besides crushing defeat? Could the Federalist Worlds somehow come to see peace not merely as détente, but as a victory? If the forces arrayed against her had a weakness, that was the number of obvious and subtle ties to Senator Peterson. He had not created this fear during his short lifespan, but he had become the face of it. His cunning had made him an asset, yet he could also become a weakness. His son Gregory had picked up a great deal about the unglamorous side of Peterson’s political allies despite his resolute disinterest. As part of Oceania he probed and retrieved a host of forgotten memories. A few others had first-hand knowledge of politics in the Federalist Worlds, and Neurons were set to study primary sources old and new. Brett now believed Williams would help them, would share his knowledge in a cause he believed to be in the long term interest of his government, although it could scarcely be what his employers had in mind.

Oceania had taken quickly to politics. The largest change for her was the way she would use one of her Neurons.

Brett still had pieces of thoughts bigger than his brain swirling around in his head. It was a horrible time to say goodbye. After disengaging from the hive mind both had headed wordlessly to the homely diner with the red roses painted on the wall, both knowing what they needed to talk about, both reluctant to start.

Now Ariel told him, “Brett, you don’t have to do this.”

She was achingly beautiful, long golden hair trailing over the back of her chair. Even her distress only added to her appeal. Brett desperately wanted to kiss it away. Unhappiness hadn’t yet turned to desperation. She hadn’t let herself acknowledge that all their choices had been made and all their options had run out.

He replied gently, “You know I do, or you’d be a hell of a lot angrier. Anyway, you helped plan this.”

She shook her head. “Habit. I got carried away. Many of the brightest youngsters are idealists, people who’ve turned all their efforts into becoming a piece of a goddess. Not a member of a huge team that studies technical issues, many quiet boring and mundane. So I direct their attention and focus their minds, often to things where they might not think their talents would be helpful, or that they just plain find boring.”

Brett watched her eyes, hating to think of hopes being roused which were doomed to be dashed, but not quite bringing himself to interrupt. She continued.

“There isn’t too much resentment, because once in awhile they get to do the same to me. When it’s appropriate, I and the other managers take Oceania’s search for the meaning of life very seriously, asking the same sort of questions we would for a genuine research project. Only politics is off limits, or was until we got desperate enough to try anything.”

Did she really believe that? Brett had a hunch he knew where she was going, but let her finish.

“Oceania was designed for scientific and technological research. Some of the founders may have had different ideals, but nobody ever knew how to implement them. We’ve learned the pitfalls of using the overmind in that way, and know how to work around them. That doesn’t apply to overcomplicated political schemes.”

“Ariel … I … I’m sorry, but even if I thought you were right, even a small chance of saving millions of lives is worth taking. I can’t even imagine living without you, but you … you want to find someone to fight against, even if it’s me. You don’t even want to remember how much you contributed to this.”

Or perhaps she couldn’t, given the extent that personal knowledge of the Federalist Worlds from him, Gregory, and others was involved. To allow someone to retain a personal memory from a stranger would be a serious danger, but experience had shown that memories from spouses and lovers could be catastrophes.

There was one other thing he had to say. “Ariel, you’ve never seen war up close. If I defected, someday when you saw death and destruction touch everything and everyone you know, you would remember I might have been able to stop it, and it would poison the love between us.”

She snapped, “How dramatic!”

Brett just looked at her. She knew he wasn’t being overdramatic, whether she wanted to admit it or not.

Ariel’s voice softened. “Why do you have to leave right away? To show how eager you are to get away? How gung ho you are?”

That was part of it, but it sounded so cold. Brett didn’t even want to nod.

She continued grasping for straws. “In the real world, would the Ambassador go along with all that? Won’t he suspect you’re not telling him everything?”

Brett nodded. “He did. I actually called him on this.”

Brett’s left hand gestured in the general direction of the computer on his belt, although the table hid it from sight.

Then he said, “He’s setting it up. He knows something is odd, but he also knows I’m too stubborn to argue with, and he knows the way things are headed now.”

“And the Senator agreed to his terms?”

Brett responded, “They didn’t sound like terms to him. He’s very happy his son has decided to come home, and why should Peterson object to his son listening while Williams and I report? And the man who used to be a lobbyist for Starships Unlimited is also his chief aid. He’s brought the man a long way, so presumably he wants his advice anyway.”

“You’re a fast worker.”

Brett studied her expression, but saw no sign the double entendre was intended. He replied, “Williams gets most of the credit. I’m surprised he even got through to the Senator so fast, but I think Peterson has reached the point where he wants action one way or the other, and our meeting will be early tomorrow morning ship time. People are going to wonder why this whole task force took so long to resolve the situation as it is. That’s the reason I need to leave today.”

Ariel glared at him. “How convenient. That will also cut short any messy goodbyes with your girlfriend.”

She stood up and walked over to his side of the booth. She leaned inward and lifter her hand. Remembering his long ago advice to her to slap him, Brett’s neck stiffened, but he made no effort to stop her.

Seeing how he responded to her raised arm, Ariel flinched as if she herself had been struck. Then she leaned further over, put both hands behind his head, and kissed him passionately. He felt her tongue slide into his mouth, a warm and slippery intimacy.

Finally she sat down next to him. “Oh Brett. I guess this is how you’ll remember me, a nasty bitch blaming you for the way life is.”

He shook his head. “You need to yell at someone, and the universe doesn’t care.”

In point of fact this moment was how he would remember her: fine hair that somehow escaped all control, soft lips, and eyes that had acquired the habit of flirtatiousness even when her mind was on other things. He wondered for a moment if it would be crueler to tell her he loved her or not, then spoke because it was the simple truth.

“Ariel, I love you.”

She leaned against him. “You know I love you. And you really are a hero. If Oceania didn’t have you the odds would be a lot worse, even for the Federalist Worlds in the long run.”

He nodded. It was a dangerous galaxy, and there were other enemies out there. They would try to avoid a bloody and unnecessary war.

When she pressed her face against his shoulder and started crying, he felt sad, but not awkward.

Senator Peterson stared expressionlessly at Williams as the latter reported. The Ambassador stumbled once or twice before finishing. Peterson left several moments of flat silence before speaking.

“They refused our offer of a phase out period while they rebuilt their economy without nanotechnology?”

Williams seemed uncomfortable under his scrutiny. “They insist that their life expectancies -”

The Senator cut him off. “I didn’t ask you to explain their reasons. Yes or no?”

“Yes sir, they refused.”

“So bottom line, what if anything are they offering us?”

Brett had an instant to marvel at the perfection of this tiny little slice of Oceania’s plan. Of course the Ambassador was nervous. Peterson deliberately made him nervous. No need for acting ability here. And Oceania had helped prepare Brett for the responses he needed to make.

Williams continued. “They’ve encouraged many of the people who moved to Oceania to change their mind. These former immigrants understand they will be watched, and that they can never vote or participate in politics. They’ve agreed to participate in therapy sessions to detect and reverse any mental conditioning.”

Some of those people had been paid off by the Oceanian government, which would help them start small businesses on the outside. Others liked the idea of helping save the world with their personal sacrifices.

Peterson asked impatiently, “Is that all?”

“Some of these people have skills that our defense contractors are eager to get their hands on. They understand they’ll be debriefed by Federalist intelligence services.”

Peterson snapped, “That will give us slightly better tools to do in the future what we’re failing to do now, and circumstances will be much less favorable if we start from scratch.”

“They’ll legalize the embargo if we make certain exceptions, even agree to resupply our ships.”

The Senator replied coolly, “I see. If we loosen the embargo and make it dependent on their supply chain, they’ll accept it, even though they have no choice about accepting it now.”

Williams had no trouble looking dismayed. He knew Brett had a plan in his head that Oceania had worked on, but giving him too many details would have made his responses less natural. Remembering Ariel’s words, Brett still suspected their chances were less than even. But given the Senator’s dislike for him, the Ambassador made an excellent stalking horse.

Brett didn’t listen closely as Williams completed the last phase of his summary. The technologies Oceania was prepared to give to the Federalist Worlds so the economies of certain planets didn’t become dependent on Oceanian exports. Instead Brett contemplated the Senator’s facial expressions, manner, and tone of voice. Skepticism and irritation were only to be expected, but did he see signs of a larger trap closing around him?

Peterson turned to his son. “What do you think?”

Gregory spoke calmly and met his father’s eyes. “Dad, I don’t know. I’ve made many mistakes in my life, and assumed I knew a lot more about most things than I did. Even living there, I never understood the politics as well as I thought.”

Gregory knew his father well. Any defense of Oceania from him would certainly backfire. Gregory had passed beyond both anger at his father and the need for his approval.

Brett was amazed how many of Gregory’s memories he had been allowed to keep. Gregory himself had decided these insights into his relationship with his father might be critical, had decided not to consider them ‘private.’

For Gregory to tell his father what he wanted to hear, to live with him a year or so pretending to reform before going elsewhere, would be no great hardship. Gregory liked Oceania, but leaving wouldn’t be a great hardship for him… after fulfilling his dream of becoming part of the overmind.

Unlike Brett.

Now the Senator turned to Brett, who was more than ready for the final test when it came his way. “That woman you screwed to get her to help you access the hive mind – was she hot?”