you don’t anymore?”
Serena took a long pull on her juice, then gritted her teeth like she’d just drank primer. “I know why you’re here, Padma, and it’s not like you think.”
“What isn’t?”
She put down her glass. “I don’t want to go back to Thronehill. Not now, not ever. You know why I Breached? Because everyone in my department was offered promotions if they went and got brain surgery. It was an experiment to see if LiaoCon could squeeze a little more productivity out of us. Everyone would get implants to regulate adenosine and melatonin, all to keep people awake as long as possible. Do it for eighteen weeks, measure the results, bam, instant raise in pay and benefits.”
“Did you do it?”
She bit her lip. “No. But I wanted to. I wanted that promotion so bad I was willing to let someone cut into my skull and keep me awake for eighteen weeks. I put in for a transfer to a new colony, just so I’d have the opportunity to jump ship. Took me a while to get here, and I would never go back.”
She swallowed and looked at the executive cosplay. “But my life had an order back then. You get that, right?”
I nodded. “But it also didn’t have freedom.”
She snorted. “Freedom is an illusion. Come here, and you’re free to starve. Free to get left outside in a hurricane. Even the people doing the worst Corporate work had a guaranteed income and bennies. Not here.”
“It is guaranteed.”
“Then where is it?” She pointed at the people in the crowd. “Everyone here has been passed over for promotion, or they’ve been bumped from their housing, or they’ve just been screwed in some way because someone higher up in the Union could do so. And I’m not just talking about people in Contract Slots. Everyone here is a Shareholder, but their Share income is drying up. They can’t live on it anymore, and there isn’t enough work to make ends meet.”
“So they dress up and come here?”
“How is that different from going to a bar and getting loaded? People are hurting, and they need something to take away the pain. If it’s not rum or chiba, why not pretend you’re back in a time and place where everything made sense?”
“Because…” I looked at the people in their business suits, talking like they were making billion-yuan deals. “Because it’s just so fucked up.”
Serena laughed. “Our lives are fucked up. And they’re only going to get worse.”
“Why’s that?”
She shook her head. “You wouldn’t know, what with your distillery and all. You’re part of the problem.”
“Because I make rum?”
“Because you consume cane. You need it just like the Big Three, just like everyone.” She bit her lip. “I’ve spent my entire adult life processing that stuff. We grow it, and we burn it, and we grow more, because it’s the way we’ve always done things. We don’t try and harness the sun or the wind or the tides, not when we can just grow our own hydrocarbons.”
“And what’s wrong with that?”
“Because it still takes people to make it happen, and…” She sighed. “I saw how the Big Three were grinding people up. I Breached, and now I see that the Union is doing the same. There’s a lot of anger out there, in the city and in the kampong. You need to get ready for what’s coming.”
I nodded to her makeshift dojo. “That’s why you’re teaching that class?”
She nodded and smiled. “That, and it’s cheaper than therapy.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it dialed in.” I thought about ordering another drink, then remembered where I was. “What I don’t get is why you go to Saarien’s church.”
She scrunched her face up. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“On Lu Yua Street, about six blocks from here. You’ve visited three times a week for the past six weeks.”
She stiffened. “Are you tracking me?”
“I’m tracking a bunch of stuff, because none of it makes any sense. Why would someone like you fall back into his
Serena took a long pull on her juice, then gritted her teeth like she’d just drank primer. “I know why you’re here, Padma, and it’s not like you think.”
“What isn’t?”
She put down her glass. “I don’t want to go back to Thronehill. Not now, not ever. You know why I Breached? Because everyone in my department was offered promotions if they went and got brain surgery. It was an experiment to see if LiaoCon could squeeze a little more productivity out of us. Everyone would get implants to regulate adenosine and melatonin, all to keep people awake as long as possible. Do it for eighteen weeks, measure the results, bam, instant raise in pay and benefits.”
“Did you do it?”
She bit her lip. “No. But I wanted to. I wanted that promotion so bad I was willing to let someone cut into my skull and keep me awake for eighteen weeks. I put in for a transfer to a new colony, just so I’d have the opportunity to jump ship. Took me a while to get here, and I would never go back.”
She swallowed and looked at the executive cosplay. “But my life had an order back then. You get that, right?”
I nodded. “But it also didn’t have freedom.”
She snorted. “Freedom is an illusion. Come here, and you’re free to starve. Free to get left outside in a hurricane. Even the people doing the worst Corporate work had a guaranteed income and bennies. Not here.”
“It is guaranteed.”
“Then where is it?” She pointed at the people in the crowd. “Everyone here has been passed over for promotion, or they’ve been bumped from their housing, or they’ve just been screwed in some way because someone higher up in the Union could do so. And I’m not just talking about people in Contract Slots. Everyone here is a Shareholder, but their Share income is drying up. They can’t live on it anymore, and there isn’t enough work to make ends meet.”
“So they dress up and come here?”
“How is that different from going to a bar and getting loaded? People are hurting, and they need something to take away the pain. If it’s not rum or chiba, why not pretend you’re back in a time and place where everything made sense?”
“Because…” I looked at the people in their business suits, talking like they were making billion-yuan deals. “Because it’s just so fucked up.”
Serena laughed. “Our lives are fucked up. And they’re only going to get worse.”
“Why’s that?”
She shook her head. “You wouldn’t know, what with your distillery and all. You’re part of the problem.”
“Because I make rum?”
“Because you consume cane. You need it just like the Big Three, just like everyone.” She bit her lip. “I’ve spent my entire adult life processing that stuff. We grow it, and we burn it, and we grow more, because it’s the way we’ve always done things. We don’t try and harness the sun or the wind or the tides, not when we can just grow our own hydrocarbons.”
“And what’s wrong with that?”
“Because it still takes people to make it happen, and…” She sighed. “I saw how the Big Three were grinding people up. I Breached, and now I see that the Union is doing the same. There’s a lot of anger out there, in the city and in the kampong. You need to get ready for what’s coming.”
I nodded to her makeshift dojo. “That’s why you’re teaching that class?”
She nodded and smiled. “That, and it’s cheaper than therapy.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it dialed in.” I thought about ordering another drink, then remembered where I was. “What I don’t get is why you go to Saarien’s church.”
She scrunched her face up. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“On Lu Yua Street, about six blocks from here. You’ve visited three times a week for the past six weeks.”
She stiffened. “Are you tracking me?”
“I’m tracking a bunch of stuff, because none of it makes any sense. Why would someone like you fall back into his
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