Flight of the Maita Supercollection 3: Solving Galactic Problems Collector's Edition (56 page)

Perhaps time
will prove me wrong. I can but hope. I can but dream.

What a
mess!

Well, it's
probably better than letting things settle by themselves for the
simple reason they wouldn't, I suppose. Without controls we'd be
back where we were a year ago in short time. We can try to save the
race. Our history doesn't give me much faith, but that's one reason
I think the historian, Hal Korr, will be the best man to handle
things. He can't be lulled so easily by smooth speeches and winning
smiles. He should be more pragmatic than that.

Again, I can
but hope.

I wish we had a
machine to run things like the aliens do. That was quite a
revelation. It's the one area where they made me seem ridiculous in
my prejudices, though they were diplomatic enough to say many
peoples didn't trust machines so I was no rarity. Through all of
the changes they wrought here they tried to spare the sensitivities
of those who were really trying to help our people, however
misguided.

That Mentan
asked me the right questions. It had the ability to cut through the
nonsense and to make me see a thing as it was. I think that of all
of them I respected it most, though I liked the huge Vendan most. I
think I trusted the Terran most.

How
strange!

I asked the
Mentan what the people of their empire did when some super-powerful
machine decided it wanted something that wasn't a good thing for
the people and it asked me when I ever heard of a machine WANTING
anything. That made me think! It also made me see that unless we
change the way we think we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the
past.

They have
retained the right to ignore the advice or orders of the machines
if they don't agree, thus it's a simple thing to agree to use the
machines and to follow their advice, but to not give them the power
to enforce anything. All enforcement must come from the governed
through a system they choose. If one doesn't like what the machine
says, do what he likes.

"If you don't
do as I say I won't do a damned thing about it!" is hardly a
position to fear!

I wish we had
the technology to build those machines. It would make life a lot
easier for a lot of people and, also as Thing said, "Who ever heard
of a corrupt machine?" That's the same thing as the part about a
machine not wanting anything. Corruption is caused from wanting
what isn't rightfully yours, then doing something to get it – greed
again. Z was right, too, when he said the desire to go into
politics should be reason enough to deny that person office because
of the simple fact that a desire to enter politics is a desire for
power over your fellow beings. The ones who want it are the worst
possible choices to give it to.

I shouldn't be
taking that point of view because I certainly don't want the job!
He IS rather cynical, but I see his point.

I'll ask the
historian about it, but it seems to me no true statesman in our
history actually sought the job. They had it thrust upon them.

Thing claimed
the proof of the value of that was the emperor of that vast empire
had the job thrust on him and has been the best thing that ever
happened to the galaxy, though he spends much of his time trying to
thrust the job on someone else.

That adds to my
hope! I don't want this job! It was thrust on me! I fight kicking
and screaming against it so maybe I won't disgrace myself to too
great an extent. If I can juggle things for one more halfyear the
worst of it will be over for me in any personal sense. I feel an
obligation to try to explain some of the ideas of the Ithian Church
to people, but I'm sworn to keep politics and religion apart. I
manage to do so by several ruses, but I'm worried about what
influence this has on my voting.

Perhaps there
is no problem. Perhaps the idea of having so many councilors means
any individual slant on things will be so diluted that it isn't
effective. I do try, but what a mess!

I have to meet
with that historian. I'll call to set up an appointment. I owe him
an apology first off and I intend to tell him flatly and out front
I'm using him. He would soon see through me otherwise and would
become an enemy. I don't need more enemies! I certainly have enough
of those! I believe in absolute honesty in these matters.

What a
mess!

I may be able
to manipulate the people and him as well into making HIM our first
chairman of the ruling council. He should have a very good
perspective on how to make a society run better than we ever have –
but if we never have done even as well as we are now – I can
try.

Maybe our
history isn't a good place to seek any positive answers so far as
societal management goes, but he'll have some views on what does
NOT work. I can entertain that single hope, certainly. I don't even
know what NOT to do!

If there
are any gods out there I really need your help! This is beyond a
mere mortal Kroon! It's certainly far beyond me!

* * Mi Yinn

What is this?
What's happening? This is one hell of a bad time to find something
like this!

Mi Yinn, chief
science and health officer for the council of one hundred, put her
face in her hands for a few moments, then looked up to shake her
head. If those aliens were only still here when they are so needed!
They had the science to tell her what she must do. SOMETHING must
be done – and now! They surely had experience in the empire with a
disease like this. It's a virus of some sort that acts with the
slowness to allow it to be spread to others before those infected
even have any symptoms to show they ARE infected. She had no idea
of any way to attack this kind of insidious thing. It inserted into
the genetic material in the cells of the body's nervous system so
once it was there it was there for life. It was usually spread and
there for years before the symptoms were noticeable. Priority
number one would have to be immunization, itself a hopeless task,
and number two, suppression of the virus in those people already
infected. If it couldn't be cured perhaps it could be suppressed
until it was no longer infectious. If that one thing could be
accomplished maybe a longer suppression so it wouldn't kill all who
contracted it. The little bit known at present said it most
definitely WOULD kill all who became infected in any way.

The society of
Kroon is in turmoil with the fall of the churches, communications
are incomplete in important ways, authority simply doesn't exist.
Not really. The council is new and untried. The elections are
coming – there could be no worse time! This could spell doom for
the entire world much more certainly than any stupid political
crisis. Something must be done right NOW! This virus could decimate
– even destroy – the whole planet's population! The Kroon race
could well become extinct in only a few years.

What a hell of
a thing! Maybe there was a god and he was now going to get even
with the Kroon for falling for that Soolinn crap.

Now I'm being
stupid. A god wouldn't be so petty and, as the Ithians say,
wouldn't resort to theatricality to tell us what he wants – he
would simply give an order. If he didn't approve of the Soolinnism
thing he would simply come forward to tell us the true way – and he
wouldn't make a statement that was bound to tangle him up later!
Gods and diseases were handled quickly and permanently when the
Terran said a god would create all diseases or none of them. We
were in no position to pick and choose which ones suited which
concept of god.

What a time to
be thinking of gods! It shows how tired I am and how far I've lost
control. Maybe I want to lay some blame around, but that's silly.
It's a simple lifeform of a type that's known to mutate often. This
particular mutation happens to be one that could easily eliminate
any question of whether Kroon will ever join that empire. To plan
to join presupposes there IS a Kroon race. In a few years there
won't be anyone left alive on Kroon if this isn't stopped!

The first few
known cases were considered an oddity and were ignored. They
occurred only among the Cult of the Passioneers' following so no
one much cared if a few hundred of them died from a mysterious
cause. Some of the Soolinnites even claimed it was a plague sent by
Soolinn to kill off the sinners. That was two years ago when the
disease was already spreading among the general populace, but
wouldn't begin to affect things for three to four years. Now was a
very different situation.

It was spread
through direct contact only and only out of the presence of short
light, which dissociated its chains. It must always remain in a
moist medium to survive. It couldn't survive out of water for more
than forty seconds. It was a weak thing, but other things would
fall before it. A single match was a weak thing that could decimate
a huge forest. With the present turmoil there was little to no hope
of educating enough of the people in a short enough time to hope to
slow the spread of this thing. It was one of those exponential
progression types of things.

There were a
few known periods in the history of Kroon where plagues decimated
populations, but those times didn't have today’s rapid mass
transportation systems and such huge numbers of people so the
infections died out. A town may be wiped out, but there were plenty
in inaccessible areas who never had any contact with anyone from
another town, so were safe.

Hells! Now we
even send people to impossible places like that Jeurne Valley to
study ruins. It's five hundred kilometers from anything at all!

That's an idea,
though. I'll call the historian – what was his name? Karr? Kerr? He
could just MAYBE know of something someone did at some time to stop
a plague. History did have its uses now and then. One can but
hope.

* * * Sop Lett

"What kind of
language is that!?" Sop Lett, legal council for the council of one
hundred, asked himself disgustedly. Again.

"Citizens of
Kroon, gathered in true friendship when.... Blither! Blah! Blatt!
One cannot write a constitution in such terms!"

He studied the
pages for a few minutes, then picked up his autowriter to speak
into the hand microphone again.

"We, the people
of the race of Kroon, do hereby declare the following rights to be
the sacred trust of each of us and do hereby demand that any
government official ... No. Strike ‘official’.... Government or
agency of any government know by these words ... no. Know is the
wrong term. Find a better one. These words are binding on any and
all persons. The penalties to any who usurp the words OR THEIR
INTENT – that is vitally important here. Stress intent. Do not use
usurp unless you cannot find better. Let me see now, mmmm binding
words ... penalties ... all penalties are to be set and
administered by the judiciary branch with the single exception that
the judiciary branch is to be tried by the other branches acting in
concert ... this is a bunch of crap! There has to be a better way
to say it!"

He sat back to
think for a moment, then again turned on the recorder.

"We, the people
of the race of Kroon, do hereby set and state for all future times
that there are rights which may never be abridged and which apply
to all people. Better.

"We, the Kroon,
in order to establish a government of laws and equality of
enforcement of those laws, do declare these orders to all who are
elected to any government office.

"Much closer to
what I want to say, but much too wordy. This has to be concise and
clear.

"We, the people
of Kroon, in order to establish a government of law, do decree the
following unabridgable rights of all men! I've got it! That is the
start of our constitution!"

He turned on
the writer circuit and repeated the phrase, then turned it off to
think. The wording was most important – not only in a legal sense,
but because this document must inspire all future generations. I do
want nothing more than that it is never changed and that my words
will live for the life of this world.

Let me see,
now. All people have the right to equality under the law. That is
number one.

"No person may
be detained by any agency for his statements of opinion or fact,
whether spoken or written – or other. They keep inventing things
all the time. Allow for the natural changes – and no agency nor
person may censor what another wishes to state. The press shall
forever remain free from any constraints of government.

"Clean that one
up a bit. Throw in that civil actions may be brought by anyone for
slander and libelous acts. Better make provision for responsibility
of the press to present argument of both sides. REASONABLE
argument, which might bring in ... it has to be made clear that
responsibility is part of the equation.

"Let me see,
the alien, Z, stressed freedom of the press and freedom of speech.
That covers that. Equality under the law is covered. Search and
seizure. He said something about that, I remember. That and
probable cause.

"No person nor
the property of any person may be searched and nothing may be taken
except under an issued warrant. Such warrant must be issued by a
duly appointed – no. Established – court and no warrant may be
issued by any court that has not been shown probable cause for such
warrant to be issued. The warrant must list what is to be seized
and/or who is to be detained or arrested, must list why that arrest
or seizure is to be made and must list all who have supplied
information for such arrest or seizure.

"Make that by a
court that is established by authority of this document. Far too
many words. Find better. This must be concise.

"Let me see. He
said freedom of religion, but we must keep religion out of
government and vice versa. Kroon! Do I ever agree with that! It was
religion in the government that caused our great shame!