Union Alliance - Cyteen. Part 69

"Not right now. Not anytime soon. Khalid is just in. Let him make a move."

"Oh, that's a wonderful wonderful idea." idea."

"Don't get smart, sera. Let him draw the line, I say. While you, young sera, do some catch-up studying. You'd better learn what an average fourteen-year-old is like."

"I know. I know real well. I might know better, if my friends hadn't Disappeared to Fargone, mightn't I?"

"Don't do this for the cameras. You think you're playing a game. I'm telling you you can really lose everything. I've explained nationalization-"

"I do fine with big words."

"Let's see how you do with little ones. You're not sweet little Ari for the cameras anymore, you're more and more like the Ari certain people remember-enough to make it a lot more likely you'll get harder and harder questions, and you don't know where the mines are, young sera. We're going to stall this as long as we can, and if we can get you another year, it's very likely you'll have to apply for your majority status. That's the point at which some interest will get an injunction to stop the Science Bureau granting it; and you'll be in court again . . . with a good chance of winning it: the first Ari did at sixteen. But that won't won't solve the problem, it'll only put the opposition in a bad light, taking on a fifteen-year-old who solve the problem, it'll only put the opposition in a bad light, taking on a fifteen-year-old who has has to handle herself with more finesse than you presently have, young sera." to handle herself with more finesse than you presently have, young sera."

"I learn."

"You'd better. Age is catching up with us. Your predecessor's friend Catherine Lao, who's helped you more than you know-is a hundred thirty-eight. Giraud is pus.h.i.+ng a hundred thirty. Your presence-your resemblance resemblance to your predecessor-is like a shot of adrenaline where certain Councillors are concerned, but you have to have more than presence this time. If you make a mistake-you can see Reseune sucked up by the national government, and Defense declaring it a military zone, right fast. They'll have a pretext before the ink is dry. You'll spend your days working on whatever they tell you to do. Or you'll find yourself in some little enclave with no access to Novgorod, no access to Council or the Science Bureau." to your predecessor-is like a shot of adrenaline where certain Councillors are concerned, but you have to have more than presence this time. If you make a mistake-you can see Reseune sucked up by the national government, and Defense declaring it a military zone, right fast. They'll have a pretext before the ink is dry. You'll spend your days working on whatever they tell you to do. Or you'll find yourself in some little enclave with no access to Novgorod, no access to Council or the Science Bureau."

She looked at Denys straight on, thinking: You haven't done that well. Or how else are we in this mess? You haven't done that well. Or how else are we in this mess?

But she didn't say it. She said: "Base One only lets me go so fast, uncle Denys."

"Let me try you on another big word," Denys said. "Psychogenesis." That was was a new one. "Mind-originate," she said, remembering her Greek roots. a new one. "Mind-originate," she said, remembering her Greek roots.

"Mind-origination. Mind-cloning. Now do you understand me?"

She felt cold inside. "What has that got to do with anything?"

"The resemblance between you and Ari. Let me give you a few more words to try on your Base. Bok. Endocrinology. Gehenna. Worm."

"What are you talking about? What do you mean, the resemblance-" What do you mean, the resemblance-"

The sound-s.h.i.+elding hurt her teeth.

"Don't shout," Denys said. "You'll deafen us. I mean just what I've always told you. You are are Ari. Let me tell you something else. Ari didn't die of natural causes. She was murdered." Ari. Let me tell you something else. Ari didn't die of natural causes. She was murdered."

She took in a breath. "By who?"

"Whom, dear."

"Dammit, uncle Denys-"

"Watch your language. You'd better clean it up. Ari was killed by someone no longer at Reseune." your language. You'd better clean it up. Ari was killed by someone no longer at Reseune."

"She died here?" here?"

"That's all I'm going to tell you. The rest is your problem."

ARCHIVES: RUBIN PROJECT: CLa.s.sIFIED CLa.s.s AA.

DO NOT COPY.

CONTENT: Computer Transcript File #8001 Seq. #1 Personal Archive Emory I/Emory II

2420: 10/3: 2348.

AE2: Minder, this is Ari Emory. I'm alone. Give me references on psychogenesis.

B/1: Stand by. Retrieving.

Ari, this is Ari senior. Stand by.

The program finds you are 14 chronological years, with accesses for 16 years. This program finds you an average of 10 points below my scores overall.

Your psych scores are 5 points off my scores.

Your Rezner score has not been updated since age 10.

You are 5 points off qualification for access.

AE2: Base One: can my accesses reach data on Bok: keyword, clone?

B/1: Stand by. Retrieving.

Accesses inadequate.

AE2: Try endocrinology: keyword, psychogenesis. Gehenna: keyword, project. Worm: keyword, psych.

B/1: Accesses inadequate.

2420: 11/1: 1876:02.

AE2: Minder, this is Ari Emory. I'm alone. Reference: psychogenesis. B/1: B/1: Stand by. Retrieving. Ari, this is Ari senior. Stand by. Stand by. Retrieving. Ari, this is Ari senior. Stand by.

The program finds you are 14 chronological years, with accesses for 16 years. This program finds you an average of 7 points below my scores overall.

Your psych scores are I point above my scores.

Your Rezner score has not been updated since age 10.

You are qualified to access files. Stand by.

Ari, this is Ari senior. These files can be read only from Base One Main Terminal. All relevant and resultant files are being stored in your personal archive under voice-lock.

You have used a keyword. You now have access to my working notes. I apologize in advance for their sketchy quality. They're quite fine when I was younger, but disregard a lot of the things dated pre-2312: they're useful if you want to see the evolution of thought: psychogenesis was something I was working on as early as 2304, but I didn't have the key studies in endocrinology until I had studied a good deal more; you can benefit from my study notes in those years, but I wasn't on the right track until 2312, and I didn't get the funds I needed until 2331. I benefited a great deal by Poley's work in that same decade: we disagreed, but it was an academic, not a personal difference. We exchanged considerable correspondence, also in the archives. By the year 2354, at the close of the Company Wars, my notes are much less coherent and a great deal more meaningful.

That you have accessed these notes means something has worked.

You have matched my ability. I hope to h.e.l.l you have a sense of morality.

Your Base can now access all working notes. Good luck.

AE2: Base One: can my accesses reach data on Bok: keyword, cloning?

B/1: Stand by. Retrieving.

AE2: Try endocrinology: keyword, psychogenesis. Gehenna: keyword, project. Worm: keyword, psych.

B/1: Stand by. Retrieving.

B/1: The Bok clone failed because it was a.s.sumed genetics and training would create a genius. It was more than a scientific failure; it was a human tragedy. The project files are now available to your Base . . .

B/1: Endocrinology is a mult.i.tude of files. They are now available to your Base.

B/1: Gehenna is the name of a G5 star. Newport colony at Gehenna was a project I handled for Defense. This program is searching House Archives for outcome.

There is presently human life on the planet.

They have survived there for 65 years.

This indicates *some* chance it is a viable colony.

This was a Defense Bureau operation which I elected to undertake for reasons my notes will make clear to you. It was also, unknown to Defense, but within the parameters of their mission requirements, an experiment.

I designed a very simple program. The operational sentence was: You were sent from s.p.a.ce to build a new world: discover its rules, live as long as you can, and teach your children all the things that seem important.

No further tape was sent. This was by design.

Integrating any individual of this population into mainstream cultures poses extreme risks. Examine the environment as well as the program. That was the aspect I could not adequately examine. Consult all files and understand what I have done before attempting any intervention.

Quarantine should be extended until results can be projected through 30 generations.

All relevant files are now available to your Base.

B/1: A worm is a deep-set-linked program which has the capacity to manifest itself in subsequent generations of a population without changing its character.

CHAPTER 11.

i The lenses crowded close on each other, a solid phalanx of cameras bristling with directional mikes like ancient spears. Behind that, the army of reporters with their Scribers and their individual and zealously securitied com-links.

Behind her, Florian and Catlin, and a miscellaneous a.s.sortment of what might be uncle Giraud's aides and staff; but eight of them were Reseune Security, and armed, under the expensive tailoring.

She had chosen a blue suit, recollecting the public image of the little girl with the cast, the little girl who had lost her mother and caught the sympathy of people the length and breadth of Union. She had thought about sweeping her hair up into Ari senior's trademark chignon; but she only parted it in the middle, the way it wanted to fall anyway, and swept it up on the sides and let it fall behind, with combs sprigged with tiny white quartz flowers to hold it. A minimum of makeup . . . just enough for the cameras: her face had lengthened, acquired cheekbones; acquired a maturity that she had consciously to lighten with a little smile at favorite reporters, a little deliberate flicker of recognition as her eyes found them-an intimation of special fondness.

So they might hold back some of the worst questions. People liked to have special importance, and those she favored were the ones who favored her; and old Yevi Hart, who had a hard-nosed reputation and who, in the year after she lost her mother, had turned halfway nice. She had been Working on him for years, a little special look, a little disappointment when he would ask the rough questions. This time she looked at him with a secret between-them glance, knowing he had the first question. All right, Yevi, go, we both know you re just doing a job: you're still an old dear. All right, Yevi, go, we both know you re just doing a job: you're still an old dear.

He looked at her and seemed to lose the thread of his question a split second. His dour face looked worried. He took another breath, wadded up his question-slip and shoved his hand in his coat pocket. "Young sera -"

"I'm still Ari, Yevi." A tilt of her head, a little sad smile. "I'm sorry. Go Third breath. "Ari, you're applying for majority. The Centrists are suing the Science Bureau to prevent the grant. How do you answer their charge that you've been deep-taught and primed to perform by Reseune staff, that you were created specifically as a legal device to give Reseune and your relatives control of Emory's property?"

She outright laughed. She was was amused. "One: I've never had deep-tape at all; I learn like any CIT. Two: if-" amused. "One: I've never had deep-tape at all; I learn like any CIT. Two: if-"

"Follow-up."

"Let me get just through these things, Yevi, and then the follow-up. Can A grim nod.

"Two," she said, holding up fingers, and smiled. "I think they must have meant I was primed for the specific answers to reporters' questions, because if we had tape that could teach me my courses just like that, it would be wonderful-we could sell it all over Union and that would give my relatives a tor of money; but the Centrists have to know that's not so, so they must mean primed for the questions, and that means you're letting Reseune see the questions at least a day in advance. That's not the case, is it?"

"Absolutely not." Yevi looked a little cornered. "But if-"

"Three." Another finger. A chorus of blurted questions. "Just a second. 1 don't want to skip a question. Ser Corain says my relatives created me as a puppet to let them control my predecessor's estate; they say I shouldn't have my majority because it's just a trick to maintain a cover-up about Emory's involvement in Gehenna. That's really two questions. A, if I get my majority I own the rights, my relatives don't, and that means they actually lose lose their control of them, legally; they will go on advising me, but any businessperson gets advice in technical things like investments and research, and that doesn't mean the advisers own him. There's more than my relatives at Reseune-there are thousands and thousands of people I need to listen to-the way my predecessor did even when she was sitting in Council. B, -" their control of them, legally; they will go on advising me, but any businessperson gets advice in technical things like investments and research, and that doesn't mean the advisers own him. There's more than my relatives at Reseune-there are thousands and thousands of people I need to listen to-the way my predecessor did even when she was sitting in Council. B, -"

Ari, - "Just let me get the other part of the question. Then the follow-up. I want to do all of them. B, that getting me my majority is a trick to cover Emory's involvement in Gehenna. I I have access to the Gehenna notes, and I'm perfectly willing to testify to the Council as soon as I have access to the Gehenna notes, and I'm perfectly willing to testify to the Council as soon as I have have my majority. Until then I'm a minor and I can't. So it seems to me that the Centrists' suit is covering up things, because if they really want to know what I know, why are they trying to keep me from being able to go under oath? Those files are under my voice-lock, and not even computer techs could get them out without messing things up and maybe losing real important pieces of it, just gone, for good. Not even my relatives have read the Gehenna files. I'm the only one who has them, and ser Corain is filing suit to keep me from being able to testify." my majority. Until then I'm a minor and I can't. So it seems to me that the Centrists' suit is covering up things, because if they really want to know what I know, why are they trying to keep me from being able to go under oath? Those files are under my voice-lock, and not even computer techs could get them out without messing things up and maybe losing real important pieces of it, just gone, for good. Not even my relatives have read the Gehenna files. I'm the only one who has them, and ser Corain is filing suit to keep me from being able to testify."

The reporters all started yelling. She pointed at Yevi. "Yevi still has his follow-up."

Yevi said: "What would be the reason?" Which was not his original follow-up, and some of the other reporters objected.

"I wish I could ask ser Corain," she said. "Maybe there's something in there."

"Follow-up."

"Yevi, I have have to get to this m'sera, she's been waiting." to get to this m'sera, she's been waiting."

"What keeps your uncles from reading the files?"

Ouch. Good question. "Me. I have a special program my predecessor left for me. My voice is a lot like hers, and my geneset is hers, so when I was old enough to identify myself to the computer, it opened up these areas; but it's got a lot of security arrangements, and it won't let me access if there's anybody else going to hear; and it can tell."

"Follow-up!" the woman yelled over the shouting. "Can't the woman yelled over the shouting. "Can't you you record it with a tape or something?" record it with a tape or something?"

Another good question. Remember this woman and be careful. "I could if I was going to allow it, but I'm not going to. My predecessor went to a lot of trouble about security and she warned me right in the program that I had to take that very seriously, even about people I might trust. I did, even if I didn't understand, and n.o.body at Reseune tried to get me to tell what was there either. Now I think it was a good idea, because it seems to be something real important, and I think the Council ought to be the ones to decide who gets to hear it, not any fifteen-year-old kid and not just any one part of the government either, because there's too much fighting going on about it and I don't know how to decide who to tell. The Council is supposed to decide things like that. That's the way I understand it. -Ser Ibanez."

"Can you tell us if there's anything in the files that you think would damage the reputation of your predecessor?"