Flight of the Maita Supercollection 3: Solving Galactic Problems Collector's Edition (75 page)

Tu was staying
with the "Sand Islanders" and was carefully monitoring each
person's physical status, taking the blood samples and doing small
micro-inspections of nerve tissue. There was no recurrence of the
virus. It was completely dead. When twelve days passed and none was
found Mi was certain it wouldn't recur. They had found a method
with which they could now cure the plague. Her problem was that
they still didn't know beyond reasonable doubt nerve damage wasn't
permanent and possibly progressive. That kind of research would
take years, at best.

Hal argued
logically that at worst it was fifty thousand times better than
what the plague would do.

Su and Tu came
in with another set of papers and sat to begin filling out the
overall statistics sheet. The paperwork would be a neverending part
of all this so they might as well get used to that idea now. The
saving thing there was that computers could handle the biggest part
of the bureaucratic paper-shuffling. THAT they had learned from the
aliens.

Strange, she
hadn't thought of the aliens in so long!

Hal looked in
and smiled around midnight. She could see the lights in Sop's rooms
where he and Jak were working on a big speech or something.
Ratification returns were coming in on the small set on the bench
where Su and Tu could watch, but she totally ignored the whole
ratification process. She could tune it out of her mind and simply
refuse to hear any of it. She was aware it had been a gift of the
gods the people had the constitution to fill their thoughts, but
that would soon end.

The miracle
that they had a cure! If there were only some way to know what was
going to happen in ten or twenty years!

She heard
almost everyone on the islands was excited about the constitution
and she was sure Sop and Hal had something to do with it.

Not Hal, Jak.
He would have contributed to that. She wasn't in the least
surprised their handyman was deeply involved in it. He was involved
in everything and he was good at it all. They had asked Hal about a
few points and he gave the historical perspective. That was all the
extent of involvement he had in the constitution.

When Su turned
the set off and announced loudly that Klarstenland was, as of the
formal signing tomorrow, a constitutional nation she couldn't help
but wonder how people could think of politics when they were in
danger of dying, both personally and racially. Maybe it was a good
way to distract the populace from a thing they had no least control
over. They certainly couldn't do anything about the plague
themselves. She should think of those things before condemning
them.

She had
admitted before it was a gift of the gods they had the
constitutional questions at this time. She was getting muddled in
her thoughts. It was the thing she had feared all along. She was
becoming nervously exhausted. The stimulants were failing her. Two
hours before dawn she was finished and could in clear conscience
give her permission to Jak to send the schematics to the world.
Perhaps the lesions in the nerves would never heal, but they
weren't getting any worse. Nerves were slow healers and it would be
unconscionable to hold this from people until they were positive.
That would probably take years.

How were they
going to handle the plague victims? There simply was no way that so
many could be treated quickly. All the schematics in the world
couldn't change that simple fact!

Could they?

What about the
exposure of those treated to the ones not yet treated? Would they
continue to spread the infection, rendering the whole process one
of frustration? Would something that would take a tenthyear on
paper take the next century to complete?

It would still
be cured – eventually – but many more would be infected before it
was finally defeated. A plan, a system, even a routine – something
was desperately needed. This microwave thing may be a wonderful
addition to medicine, particularly in the cases of many known viral
infections. There was no reason to suppose it wouldn't be effective
against many types of viral mutations and even against the common
rhinoviruses and, most hopefully, those persistent types that one
contracted in early youth or childhood that were then in the body
for life, ready to attack at any time the body became weakened or
stressed.

Jak
promised he would teach her about the wave generation and frequency
controls. She would make her life's work with research with
variations of the chamber and chemical purges to keep infections
from "hiding" in special cells such as the hemoglobin. If Hal
hadn't found those hormone stimulus reactive synergic compounds to
purge the blood, then Jak's microwaves would have been useless. If
Jak hadn't discovered the microwave longchain dissociator principle
Hal's compounds would have been a dead end. If she hadn't thought
of the way to combine the two treatments neither would have been of
much use. It seemed everyone here had a place and was needed. Funny
how these things worked out.
I prayed to whatever gods may be to make Hal's
idea be right and that prayer was answered
, she thought.
I still don't believe in gods but, if I'm
wrong I thank you.

I'll at last
say I could be wrong. From me that's one hell of a concession. When
I've come to a firm decision from weighing the evidence it's no
easy thing to change my mind. It happens about as often as all
seven planets in the system align – once in four hundred sixty two
years.

She giggled to
herself and took the data sheets to Sop's room to give them to Jak.
They talked for a few moments, then she went to her rooms and
crawled into bed beside Hal, who reached for her in his sleep. She
was as exhausted as she had ever been in her life, but was in that
stage where she was simply much too tired to sleep. Her mind
wouldn't slow down now. Things came from her subconscious she
wasn't aware she knew – things she had heard and seen while working
on her projects – things she had purposely tuned out at the
time.

Wait! Surely
THAT one was wrong? She was certain that she suddenly remembered
Sop Lett saying Hal would be elected National Chairman!

Hal Korr, of
all people? That couldn't possibly be right! What did that mean?
Enn Far was acting chairman – but then, the constitution passed no
more than six hours ago and tomorrow – today now – Enn Far would
have to call for an election. She remembered something about that.
Within a year or something.

No! One hundred
days! Here we go again!

Surely she
misunderstood it. She had been concentrating on something else and
Sop had said "Hal, there is going to be an election for the
National Chairman," not "Hal is going to be elected National
Chairman!" That must be what she heard.

She snuggled
closer and drifted, finally, off to sleep.

* * * *

Hal looked into
the lab around midnight and saw that Mi would be hours. There
simply was no stopping her when she was doing anything like this
and she had further promised she would give information to Sop
before the following morning. The mere fact that she was on the
dangerous point of dropping from physical and nervous exhaustion
could be considered when she had nothing else to do.

She was working
far too much lately and there wasn't any real reason for it. The
cure was in their hands. There is such a thing as being too careful
in this. Hal certainly knew why others in her labs had so often
decried her meticulous perfectionism. Why couldn't she see it
wasn't fair to hold up this thing? So many people were dying now
and she was worried the treatment would kill them in a few years.
They could at least have those few years instead of only a few
days.

She patiently
explained it was possible that, should the MW treatment itself
prove dangerous they could perhaps modify it a bit so it wouldn't
be dangerous anymore.

She was right –
but they couldn't know for years and people were dying at this very
moment. Now. As he thought these thoughts a hundred people
died.

He dropped in
on Sop Lett and Jak Tall, who were working on the cure release
speech. Jak joked about Hal being placed into nomination for
National Chairman tomorrow. He then went to the kitchen, had a bev
and went to bed. He wasn't conscious of when Mi came to bed, but
woke to find her sleeping soundly. He was most careful to not wake
her as he turned off the alarm. If she could only get a good ten or
twelve hours of deep sleep she would be fit to go for another
halfyear. The work was done for now. There was no real purpose to
be served in making herself sick.

He slid out of
bed, showered and went to the kitchen where he was joined by
several others for dawnmeal, though it was already well past dawn.
All talk was about the constitution. Sop and Jak were busily
explaining various things about it to them. Many asked for copies
with the personal signatures of Sop and Jak and, to his surprise,
his own on the title page. Many of the farmers and fishermen were
there, too. A sort of impromptu festive day was declared to watch
the signing of the constitution on the large entertainment screen
in the largest assembly/lecture hall. The signing was to take place
at exactly noon and would become official as soon as it was
signed.

Jak and Sop
acted like co-conspirators. They were being secretive about
something. There was definitely, as the saying among the farmers
and fishermen goes, more than their hands in their gloves!

Hal walked
around the mesa top awhile, then sat on a rock to watch the sea and
the people of Sand Island. He decided first to invite the test
people to the party, then decided it would be best to not do so,
then decided to ask Sop and Jak. He found them again in Sop's
room.

"I think this
is an occasion where people should be together as much as
possible," Sop agreed. "I also think we must talk to all the people
here first. There is one thing that is of vital importance to the
future of the country. Call them to the assembly room on the P.A.
Be sure that everyone knows about it."

Hal called the
operator to have it announced all were to meet at the assembly hall
immediately. Exceptions were for emergency duties only and for the
communications officer.

Everyone on the
island was there except the operator and Mi, who was still asleep,
and the Sand Islanders. Hal decided he would tell her if anything
important was said.

Jak simply told
them that the people from Sand Island were going to join them for
the signing broadcast and they were to refuse to talk about the
plague. Simply say it was too horrible and the escape was barely in
time. The plague was in the past here and was to be left there. It
was imperative this group, and this group alone, ever knew the
stories of the plague on the islands was false. The people who were
to stay there could depend on the story and fears among the
mainlanders keeping most of them away so it was to their advantage
to keep their mouths shut. It was the duty of all the rest to be
absolutely certain this security not be breached.

"If ever again
any such steps are needed the people wouldn't believe the
authorities if this example is ever shown to have been false," Jak
admonished them. "Think of what we each owe our race, then think
about whether or not we would've found the cure if people didn't
believe the story. They would've overrun these islands and the race
would die as a result. I'm counting on you to know when to keep
your silence."

There was no
problem. All agreed, so Hal went to Sand Island to tell the people
to all gather in the hall before noon for the ceremonies. He then
went back to his room where he awakened Mi, who started to
remonstrate with him for turning off the alarm. He grabbed her into
his arms.

"Love, shut
up!" he demanded happily. "There's a festive day declared for the
signing ceremony. Everyone on the islands will be meeting in the
assembly hall to watch and to get drunk. There's no real need of
research that's so pressing it can't wait until tomorrow. You are
to conduct yourself like a common, everyday, normal housewife who
knows nothing about science at all today. That's an order!
Understand that, woman! That's an order!"

She smiled and
said, "Yes, husband and lover. I'll be the meek little housewife –
just for you and only for today!

"Oh, my! You
asked the Sand Island people to come? Was that wise? They'll learn
the plague here was a lie!"

"No! Only if
you tell them. That's been handled. You should know by now Jak Tall
would see to it if no one else did! You're not our director today.
You're an ordinary housewife. I expect you to make me proud of you
because we'll have to be seen in public a great deal now. Your
project has cured the plague and I'm expected to be elected
chairman in about a hundred days.

"Isn't life
complicated?"

"You really are
running for chairman?"

"No! Enn Far is
running me! I could choke him, but it's my duty.

"Love, I can't
refuse. I have that duty as a citizen."

"You don't, you
know. You'll make a fine first chairman because of your silly sense
of duty. You'll always do the 'right' thing no matter the personal
cost. It's a large part of your noble nature.

"I'm so proud
of you!"

*

Enn Far
listened to the recorder one more time. This must be done right.
There were no second takes or edits.

"Citizens, we
hold ... historic events surround us.... I am the proudest Kroon
... document places power in the hands of you! and slam desk....
Wave the document ... mmmmm ... must hold an election. One hundred
days.... I place in nomination...."

"Well, I'll
never know it better!" he declared with a sigh.