really a nation, however arrogantly it behaved. It did not possess even the minimum peacekeeping armament to which a nation was entitled, let alone the arsenals of the Authority—Kyra, Lee, and Guthrie listened with less than half an ear.
“Remarkable, so much,” Kyra said.
“What do you mean?” Lee asked.
“That official multiception would carry any part of Small’s speech. I’ve met him, at a space development conference. We talked, and went partying, and since then we’ve swapped occasional letters. He’s on our side.”
“Bueno, he couldn’t come straight out and declare that, in his position, could he? I think the editor of this show is pretty smart. We’ve seen the exact snippet that conveys an impression of unbiased reporting.”
“They’re good at that,” grumbled Guthrie. “Everybody in communications is. With the result that the average man has no way of telling what’s real and what’s come out of a studio.”
“That’s not quite right, sir,” Lee argued. “The sheer volume of information, true as well as false—”
“Yeah, that and international traffic, they do make a totalitarian state impossible to maintain in the long run, unless somehow it took over the whole Solar System. They’re what keep an idea of freedom alive here, and give Chaotics the hope they need if they aren’t going to give up and become Avantists themselves.”
“Who are they?” Kyra asked. “I thought ‘Chaotic’ was just a government swear word for dissenters.”
“Which they proudly adopted,” Guthrie said. “Mostly they’re harmless malcontents.”
“But not all? Are some of them really terrorists waiting for a chance?”
“That could be another swear word,” Guthrie replied.
Kyra got a feeling he didn’t want to say more about this. “What do you expect Fireball will do, sir?”
“I told you. Nothing much, immediately. Play close to the vest till more cards come down. Maybe with some local exceptions. We aren’t a monolith, you know.” A knock sounded. “Quick, stash me. In the pack, might as well.”
His companions did, and admitted Tahir. The sheikh carried a bag stuffed full of fabric. His visage was drawn—Kyra guessed he had been up most of the night—but he stood straight, gave crisp greeting, and went directly to business.
“Sepo are here, uniformed and, undoubtedly, in plain clothes. They walk the halls, although not yet these, and watch at every portal. They carry electronic equipment. Nevertheless,
insh’llah
, I have made arrangements that should get you past them. Here are women’s clothes for you, Sr. Lee. Veiled and in my company, you ought not to be molested. The police will not wish to magnify their task by infuriating residents, especially those who are not entirely poor and powerless; and it is well known how we Believers feel about our women.” A crooked grin. “Of course, you must practice the gait and the manners. I will rehearse you until, when we go forth, passersby will wonder what this old scoundrel has been doing of late.”
Lee reddened a bit. “Mil gracias, sir,” he said. “Uh,
afy aleyk, el-afy
.” He gestured at the pack where it lay. “But what about this? We’ve got to get it out. It’s more important than we are, by orders of magnitude.”
“I have gathered that.” Tahir ran fingers through his beard and gazed beyond the walls around him. “I do not wish to know what it is. You have called it a special computer; let that suffice. I do know its size, and have made arrangements. At the proper time, an ambulance will arrive and the crew will bring a life support casket up to us. It has enough space to spare that you can place your … object inside while everyone else looks away. I trust it is fluid-proof.”
Kyra drew a sharp breath. Vision sprang into her head, a coffinlike box, its crusting of containers, tubes, valves, pumps, meters, cables, computer, manual controls, and the engineering underneath. Yes, all that metal, all
“Remarkable, so much,” Kyra said.
“What do you mean?” Lee asked.
“That official multiception would carry any part of Small’s speech. I’ve met him, at a space development conference. We talked, and went partying, and since then we’ve swapped occasional letters. He’s on our side.”
“Bueno, he couldn’t come straight out and declare that, in his position, could he? I think the editor of this show is pretty smart. We’ve seen the exact snippet that conveys an impression of unbiased reporting.”
“They’re good at that,” grumbled Guthrie. “Everybody in communications is. With the result that the average man has no way of telling what’s real and what’s come out of a studio.”
“That’s not quite right, sir,” Lee argued. “The sheer volume of information, true as well as false—”
“Yeah, that and international traffic, they do make a totalitarian state impossible to maintain in the long run, unless somehow it took over the whole Solar System. They’re what keep an idea of freedom alive here, and give Chaotics the hope they need if they aren’t going to give up and become Avantists themselves.”
“Who are they?” Kyra asked. “I thought ‘Chaotic’ was just a government swear word for dissenters.”
“Which they proudly adopted,” Guthrie said. “Mostly they’re harmless malcontents.”
“But not all? Are some of them really terrorists waiting for a chance?”
“That could be another swear word,” Guthrie replied.
Kyra got a feeling he didn’t want to say more about this. “What do you expect Fireball will do, sir?”
“I told you. Nothing much, immediately. Play close to the vest till more cards come down. Maybe with some local exceptions. We aren’t a monolith, you know.” A knock sounded. “Quick, stash me. In the pack, might as well.”
His companions did, and admitted Tahir. The sheikh carried a bag stuffed full of fabric. His visage was drawn—Kyra guessed he had been up most of the night—but he stood straight, gave crisp greeting, and went directly to business.
“Sepo are here, uniformed and, undoubtedly, in plain clothes. They walk the halls, although not yet these, and watch at every portal. They carry electronic equipment. Nevertheless,
insh’llah
, I have made arrangements that should get you past them. Here are women’s clothes for you, Sr. Lee. Veiled and in my company, you ought not to be molested. The police will not wish to magnify their task by infuriating residents, especially those who are not entirely poor and powerless; and it is well known how we Believers feel about our women.” A crooked grin. “Of course, you must practice the gait and the manners. I will rehearse you until, when we go forth, passersby will wonder what this old scoundrel has been doing of late.”
Lee reddened a bit. “Mil gracias, sir,” he said. “Uh,
afy aleyk, el-afy
.” He gestured at the pack where it lay. “But what about this? We’ve got to get it out. It’s more important than we are, by orders of magnitude.”
“I have gathered that.” Tahir ran fingers through his beard and gazed beyond the walls around him. “I do not wish to know what it is. You have called it a special computer; let that suffice. I do know its size, and have made arrangements. At the proper time, an ambulance will arrive and the crew will bring a life support casket up to us. It has enough space to spare that you can place your … object inside while everyone else looks away. I trust it is fluid-proof.”
Kyra drew a sharp breath. Vision sprang into her head, a coffinlike box, its crusting of containers, tubes, valves, pumps, meters, cables, computer, manual controls, and the engineering underneath. Yes, all that metal, all
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