Executive by Piers Anthony

to him. Yet, if I ask probing questions or stir some emotion in him, his true reaction is clear to me, and that counts for a lot. A person who seeks to deceive me, or who has some guilty secret, rings like a false coin to my perception. I have never been betrayed by one I have analyzed in my way, even if I have taken only a few minutes.
    The problems continued too. Now that the initial shock of the changeover had passed, the population was asking questions. What were the basic policies of my administration to be? Would the average man be better off than before? Would my supporters be directly rewarded? Would Hispanics be appointed to all the best jobs, at the expense of Saxons? These things were important to them. It was necessary to formulate reassuring messages, to keep the populace quiet until the actual policies were formulated and implemented. I had hardly any greater notion of what the final configuration of my administration was to be than they did.
    Hopie called Thorley, explained her mission, and was astonished when he invited her to his residence for consultation. “But he's your enemy!” she exclaimed. “He condemns everything you do! Why should he help me?”
    “Thorley is not my enemy,” I reminded her. “Remember how courteous he was when he accompanied us to Saturn several years ago? He is merely an honest man with a differing philosophy.”
    “But he still writes the most horrible things about you! About how you have preempted the established Jupiter system of government and become the first true Tyrant we have had—”
    “All true,” I said. “Thorley never lies.”
    “And I'm your daughter. I'm trying to do a job you assigned me. Why should he help?”
    “The complete rationale of a man as complex as Thorley can never be properly understood by others,” I said. “But I suspect that in this particular case he realizes that if he is to have any positive effect on the new order, this is the most likely avenue. If he can influence you to make truly effective reforms in education, that is worth his while.”
    “But education isn't even important!”
    I smiled. “Try telling him that.”
    “I will!” she said defiantly, and flounced off in the manner her kind has. How I loved that child!
    Within an hour she was gone, taking little Robertico with her. Spirit had arranged for a small Navy vessel to transport her to Ebor in Sunshine, where she would stay with Megan. Thorley maintained a residence in the vicinity, as he had emerged professionally from roots in that region, much as I had. Hopie would ferry across to interview him as convenient.
    I made a formal public address, explaining about the departments I was in the process of setting up and reassuring everyone that I intended to be fair to all parties. “But my first priority is to balance the budget,”
    I concluded. “I suspect that this will require some sacrifices, so I want to do it very carefully. Senator Stonebridge is working on that now.”
    Then I turned to questions. Representatives of the leading news services were in the network, and Shelia selected individuals randomly to pose their questions.
    The first one, as luck would have it, was from the Gotham Times. “Tyrant, when will the next elections be held?”
    There was a murmur of humor at the manner in which he addressed me, but I knew that my preference for exactly that title would soon be accepted. His question set me back. I hadn't thought about elections, but, of course, I had abolished Congress, and I myself had taken power through no elective process.
    Would I step aside in four years to allow a new president to be elected? I didn't have to. Yet elections had always been vital to our system. There would be broad and deep popular outrage if I did not commit myself to the restoration of elections.
    “There will surely be elections,” I said somewhat lamely, “but I'm not sure when.”
    Then they were on me, figuratively, like a pack of wolves. If I was serious about