Flight of the Maita Supercollection 3: Solving Galactic Problems Collector's Edition (117 page)

[ We are of the
Maitan Empire. The Krofpth Empire is no more. Happ here is a
Krofpth who wishes after all these centuries to learn of the fates
of some of the peoples of the empire. Are you aware of what
happened to the Julpitians? Why are they no more? ]

"There was a
great sickness," the spokesman (?) replied. "All soon died. Their
scientists gave us the genes that would make us develop more
quickly. We have monuments to them and vow never to forget them.
They were a good people. We aspire to reach the heights they
attained."

*I'm sure you
will reach those heights and more. Do you know why they didn't
retain space flight?*

"We will show
you the records," the speaker suggested. "They mostly agreed with
the Krofpth philosophy that the way the empire was being developed
was counter to any reasonable hope of lasting success. They came to
this, their home, to study forms that would be positive. They
reached the conclusions of three possible ways.

"They were not
a technological people, as we are not, so they were waiting for
their friends, the Krofpth, to return. When they knew they would
become extinct they were very sad. They speeded our advance because
we were not affected by the thing that killed them so they turned
to us to continue the watch. We have kept to that dream.

"They knew
there would be great difficulty for the Krofpth to accept any of
the options. We also have the arguments to try to convince them
there can never be a great empire under the kinds of forces used to
hold the First Krofpth Empire."

[ Is one of
those plans one of using machines to control the society? ]

"Yes, that is
the most stable form, but one for which we had no small hope of
acceptance," the speaker answered. "All plans use many machines in
many capacities. That is an undeniable part of an equation for
success. An empire must progress and organic minds rather obviously
are limited in the data they can absorb and are slow to work with
that data, thus the efficiency and speed of the machine becomes
critical to continuation.

"The one we
feel, or that our mentors felt, may be successful, given the basic
psychology of the Krofpth, would be a military control through a
variety of machines. Those machines must control the military to
the extent the military controls other factors. It could work so
long as the military's control was balanced well and
effectively.

"How is your
Maitan Empire controlled?"

"It's
controlled by many thousands of machines through a central
computer," Z replied. "It's more a trading guild than an empire, in
fact. There are very few empire rules. We have learned that adding
to the rules multiplies the problems."

"It works
because this guild specifies where the traders go and what cargo
they carry? It is their agreement?" the speaker asked. "You have
only a small empire military force, or more likely none at all?
There is an emperor, but for only ceremonial occasions – one who
has no real power? You have eliminated many of the usual
bureaucrats through use of machines? You have absolute freedom of
movement? There are no politicians off of individual worlds? I have
three hundred points. If they are all met, your empire will be
entirely stable."

[ All of what
you have asked is true of the Maitan Empire except that Emperor
Maita has absolute power, but has seldom used any of it. Any orders
given are through machines. Emperor Maita's orders may be refused
except for the ban on nuclear weapons, the ban on any member of the
empire from holding slaves, the ban on interfering with an
unprepared culture and the ban on offensive moves against anyone.
The military is the fleet, which are very few and are manned by
many races, but controlled by the Acnians and the Feach. They
mostly aid Hospital or other emergency situations as they arise.
I'm very sorry we weren't here when your mentors got sick. We have
a ship carrying the finest medical equipment and researchers in the
galaxy short of Hospital that goes to any world where there's a
major medical problem. We've never found a plague we couldn't cure.
]

"We would not
have been members of your empire unless the Krofpth said they
wished it," the speaker pointed out.

*That is
irrelevant. The Hospital ship goes to any world where such a
problem is known. There's no requirement that such a world be a
member of the empire. Medicine is open to all at all times. There's
a Krofpth here to tell you if he thinks it wise for you to join our
empire, though it's entirely your decision. There are associates
who aren't members, but who join the traders guild and use the
Maitan Empire machines. They tend to program the machines with
their own laws and allow them to control. I think you would be a
good race and would vote to welcome you into the empire. I'm sure
we'll also welcome the Krofpth, should they decide to join. It's
time, I think, for them to come out of their stasis. There's great
need for such good races as yours. There's always need for good
races.*

"We would be
allowed to restrict contact?" the speaker asked.

[ Each world
makes its own rules about contact. That's with agreements among the
traders and isn't empire business. Emperor Maita doesn't have time
to handle those details. There is the caveat that you cannot deny
others the right to come here unless you decide to not go anywhere
else. Trade and diplomatic rules, to accomplish anything positive,
must be reciprocal and must apply equally to both sides. ]

All of this was
more for the benefit of Happ than for the Tslrv, but Z was certain
these people would be, eventually, much like the Zulians. That was
a definite positive under any set of criteria.

They spent six
more days on the planet, left a machine to contact the traders and
departed with a new member in the empire. These people would
produce scholars and researchers who would, like the Inktans, have
an unusually large contingent of top students and professors at
University.

"Where to now?"
Z asked when they were in orbit.

*Utryger, if
you vote for it.*

[ I vote yes.
Whatever you think will be interesting. I like the Tsrlv. I wish we
could have known the Julpit people. They really must have been an
unusually good race. I've added an enormous amount of philosophical
input toward my sociomath research. These people will be great
scholars. ]

"I vote to go
to Utryger, too," Happ said. "And I agree about the Tsrlv. They are
a studious, enquiring, curious people."

Z
agreed. "OK. Tell us why we've chosen that world,
Maita."

*Because
there's psiltripium there.*

[ Well! If
anything makes the place a true rarity, THAT would! ]

Looking for
Clues

Thing and Happ
were in the cargo bay where Thing was showing Happ some of the uses
of the various special-purpose floaters as well as how the shields
and an irising rim could triple the size of the standards and how a
half-meter floater could be used with the rim fully withdrawn to
act as a hand-held shield such as Z, Tab and several others who had
traveled with them in the past used on worlds where there were
swords, knights and kings.

Z was laying
back in the pilot's chair trying to puzzle out the enigma of these
people. Happ was very likeable, curious, friendly, open, honest –
what more could one ask? – yet there was something wrong. There was
still a reticence that didn't make much sense to any of them. At
first, he thought there was a shame, but that wasn't it. There was
some kind of a reaching out by these people that didn't fit with
their being on a self-imposed closed world. There was a very
definite feeling of – something missing. The people longed to go
outward to meet others.

Thing said its
empathy detected a strange fear mixed with excitement when they
first came. Now there was a lot of expectancy and what it could
only call a deep and desperate hope. It suggested racial memory of
the empire may be causing it, but it didn't really think so. There
was something influencing the world that they hadn't yet
discovered.

"Maita?"

*Yes, Z?*

"Replay our
conversations with Glo and Happ again. There's something we're
missing here that's as plain as the dome on your underside," Z
requested. "We're being begged for help. I feel it. I KNOW it! I
don't need Thing's empathy on this one. There has to be a definite
clue in those conversations. It may be shown in body language
somehow. Why would they not dare to.... Just one more time,
Maita."

*A thousand
times if it'll help to solve this thing. I'm definitely not
empathic, but I feel very strongly that these people are pleading
with us on some subliminal plane. I like them and I want them in
the empire.*

They watched
more than an hour of it, then Z said to go back to a certain point.
Glo had asked something about a bureaucratic machine that actually
performed like a bureaucrat.

[ You mean the
standard manner? The petty power of deliberate obstructionism?
]

"No, I mean,
well, a machine designed to, well, uh, say, issue licenses to, uh,
build ... roads," she stammered. "What happens if that machine
actually controls every detail exactly according to the rules and
the, uh, the people, well, simply, you know ... can't be machines
themselves and can't, well, say, even physically.... I mean.... I'm
not sure what I mean.

"Do your
machines have the ability to call out Hospital or other empire
services without supervision?"

*Supervision?
If you mean can trader machines simply order Hospital facilities
such as the ship to go somewhere without clearing it with the
emperor, emphatically NO! If the machines detect an emergency it
must be cleared. If it is a suggestion and no one nor anything will
be placed in jeopardy they can.... Let's say the machines can
dispatch help, but cannot order it.*

"But if there
is what may be perceived as an emergency by the machines can the
machines act, THEN get an approval from the emperor?" Happ
asked.

[ Fastcom
guarantees us that such a thing will never be needed meaning the
answer is 'no.' The emperor may never be more than one minute from
fastcom terminals. He actually has a broadcast transceiver on his
person at all times so there's no delay in an emergency situation.
Maita, as you know, has fastcom aboard and can answer instantly,
but the people only know the emperor must never be more than one
minute from an answer. ]

"There is
Wanderlust Island," Noblit suddenly said, pointing across the lake.
"It is a museum now. It was once the center of the empire."

The Krofpth
were watching them both intently, and now relaxed to show them the
sights.

"I'm beginning
to catch on," Z decided. "I think I know pretty much what the
problem is."

*Gimme a clue?
I don't see it.*

"Consider that
Glo was very positive all the time and only stammered around at
that point. Notice the reactions of everyone."

*You can read
organic reactions much better than I can.*

"I think
there's a hell of a lot of communication on Krofpth. I think it's
probably the tightest-knit com system you ever saw."

*They're in
constant communication all over Krofpth. They told us they had ear
receivers and small transmitters so scientists could question us
through them. They also said that everyone could hear our answers.
There was no secrecy. It was explained before we ever said one word
about anything important to them. They were more than open and
honest with that point. No secrecy there.*

"Like bloody
hell there wasn't! It can wait until we get back to Krofpth. It's
waited a quarter of a million years. I think I've solved this one.
Sometimes we childish primitives see things you sophisticated
moderns don't!"

*No clues for
me?*

"It's ninety
percent supposition and intuition right now. I could very well be
wrong – but I'm not!"

*One little
clue?*

"Why did Noblit
chose that moment to change the subject? He wasn't even part of the
team of two who were questioning us. Now I'LL change the subject. I
liked those people we just left. I really wish we'd been around to
help before the plague wiped out their predecessors. They would
surely have been another Zule. I feel that, too."

*The people
there now will eventually be much like that. I'll call Thing and
Happ to the dome and we'll make further plans. I've got floaters
down there.*

They waited a
few minutes until Thing came into the dome riding on Happ's
shoulder.

"Seems we're at
Utryger and that Maita has floaters down there," Z announced. "Time
for a conference."

[ Conference?
About what? I don't see the point of having a conference here.
]

"What do you
mean, about what?" Z asked. "What do you mean, no point?"

[ Basically
that planets we’ve found with psiltripium deposits are virtually
certainly not lifebearing. Unless this one was planoformed there's
no need of any conference. We can go aground to look around a bit
without a vote or anything. ]

"That's true!
Why the conference, Maita?"

*It was partly
planoformed. There was a large mine there. It's altogether possible
some of the laborers who came here among the permanent workforce
are still there. The floaters will tell us about that.*

"There were
what we must now honestly call slave workers on these kinds of
worlds," Happ explained. "They were criminals from various
societies brought to places such as this simply because we never
were able to decide anything else to do with them. They were what
we called habitual criminals."

[ You called
them nothing. An empire that died a quarter of a million years ago
called them habitual criminals. I feel guilt from you and that's
just plain silly. You had nothing whatever to do with it. We have
habitual prisoners in the Maitan Empire, though few, thankfully.
They are proven nonrehabitable through use of the probe when they
are convicted of capital crimes. They are put on penal worlds.
Society has every right to protection from those we KNOW will
commit other serious or violent crimes if left to their own
devices. ]