Politician by Piers Anthony Page B

people, individually, but the dynamics—"
    “My brother is matchless at this,” Spirit said with conviction.
    Megan shook herself, as if fighting free of a morass she was unwittingly stepping into. “Still, it is presumptuous—a preposterous leap to assume that if Captain Hubris needs my advice I must marry him!”
    Spirit smiled. “You are no common staff member, Megan. A staff member may be hired and fired at the whim of the employer. An independent consultant may be ignored. But a spouse is permanent. Marry him and you have power over him—not only legally, but also because he will listen to you first, last, and always. That is important for the realization of your programs. Through him you can implement them all.”
    “You tempt me most foolishly,” Megan said. “You offer me a reward for a service to be rendered, as you would a biscuit to a performing dog. This is not the manner in which I bargain. I will sell myself neither for money nor for a program; that is prostitution.”
    “It is not selling so much as coming to terms with the situation,” Spirit said. “It is the political way. One must deal for what one wants, and compromise, and indulge in the quid pro quo. There is no stigma in this; it is true in more subtle fashion for all of life. An honest compromise can benefit all parties, like a good contract.”
    “True,” Megan agreed. I could tell she was intrigued by this discussion; she had been reclusive for two years and had had enough isolation. “But one does not bargain with marriage.”
    “Oh, but one does!” Spirit said. “Historically that was standard. Kingdoms formed alliances by intermarriage. It fostered cooperation and helped prevent wars between them. If one marriage prevented one war, surely it was worthwhile.”
    “Are you suggesting that we are at war?” Megan inquired with a wry flash of humor.
    Spirit smiled. “Not exactly. But the importance of a liaison remains. It is better to have direct input into a force than to allow it to proceed randomly. A spaceship would not be useful without a pilot. My brother is going into politics, and he will be a considerable force because he has, as you pointed out, the ideal attributes for this business. He will seek advice where he can find it. The question you must ask yourself is whether you will exert your considerable influence on him as he rises, insuring that your ethics govern his campaigning and his actions in office, or whether you will turn him loose to seek other influences and go another course.”
    “Well, I hardly think that my input would make any significant difference! The planet is large, and no single person affects more than a tiny bit of it.”
    “So thought the pirates of the Belt,” Spirit replied.
    “Touché!” Megan agreed. “I confess I cheered with the majority when their power was destroyed, though I oppose war on principle. I do have, as it were, some weakness of the flesh. But politics is not a matter of sending a fleet of ships to—”
    Spirit stared her in the eye. “When my brother becomes President of the United States of Jupiter, where will you be?”
    Again Megan's jaw dropped. “President! You can't possibly be serious!”
    “I am serious,” I said. “I have things to do that can only be done from the top. I hope to do them with your help and guidance, but I will do them any way I can. I think I can be a much more effective force for good on this planet if you are with me, but if I cannot have you with me I will still do what I can.”
    Megan just looked at me, amazed. “You—you could become another Tocsin, or worse!”
    “Not if you are with me.”
    “As the saying goes,” Spirit murmured, “if you can't beat them join them.”
    “A literal political marriage!” Megan exclaimed. “Just like that!”
    “But I will love you,” I reminded her. “And I hope you will love me.”
    She looked at me as if considering how to set me straight without hurting my feelings too seriously. But