Curse of the Legion (32 page)

"I certainly agree," I said. "So what's likely to happen to this one?"

"Execution," Kristina said quietly. "We aren't pursuing biogen rape cases that happened prior to the revolution, although we will pursue murder. This case is different. It just happened. They killed her and cut her up and by the time we found the pieces there was nothing we could do. It will be public execution for him and his gang. That will be my recommendation."

"Your opinion?" Minzu asked me.

"I approve completely. Decent citizens shouldn't have to breathe the same air these subs do. You represent all biogens as well as all decent citizens of Zequord 3. It's your duty to assure that violent criminals are terrified of the new regime. It's your duty to kill them, without mercy, in the name of all decent citizens. That's what we do in ConFree. And it's a delight to inhale untainted air, I can assure you."

###

"This is it, right here—Channel 12," Stelzu said. "It's the raw feed, direct from the CFIS Galactic Service, your own news agency. This is thrilling." I wasn't sure what would be thrilling to a biogen but Stelzu certainly seemed excited as the wide d-screen filled with light. I had just returned from another thoughtfest with Sister Luides to the working conference room, where I had been looking over seemingly endless proposals to substitute a rational new constitution over the ruins of the Hyades System slave state. The biogens seemed very receptive to my suggestions. I was having fun, even though I was keeping in close touch with Tara about the tricky parts. A few other biogen girls gathered around the screen to watch.

The d-screen revealed a chaotic scene. A group of humans in downscale civvies and utilitarian coldcoats was shuffling around at the bottom of an imposing marble staircase. Mixed in with the crowd were several huge pig-human transgens, clad in brightly colored civvies. Most of the humans were armed with SG's, some wore camfaxed A-vests and several were trying to impose order, talking into comsets and pushing people aside. Smoke drifted past the crowd, but the fire was off-screen. A tight group of ten or twelve people came down the stairs, humans and transgens—several of the humans appeared to be security folks, alert and armed to the teeth, seemingly ready to fire at the slightest provocation. They paused at the bottom of the staircase.

"Are we ready here?"

"Can it give a statement to the press, sir?"

"329/06/03 CGS, 1531 hours stellar, CFIS Galactic Service live from the Government Center, Unity Park, Santos," the cameraman intoned. "Stand by."

The camera focused in on the center of the group that had just come down the stairs. "Yes, we have a statement," one of the humans said. He didn't appear to be armed, although he was wearing an A-vest. He briefly consulted some papers. And suddenly a thrill shot through my veins. I knew this man! Kaspar! Doctor Len Kaspar, head of the Outworlder Cultural Alliance of Santos. I had talked with him; I had interviewed him for Tara. Deadman, what the hell was happening?

"Greetings to all citizens of Santos," Kaspar began. "As of this date, 1459/09/01 SS, the Santos Socialrevolutionary Diversegalitarian Democooperative is hereby dissolved, by order of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of Santos. The PRGS has now consolidated power by force, and all resistance from the SSDD has ceased. All the SSDD leaders have been detained or have fled. As of today, the governing authority on Santos is the new Provisional Revolutionary Government of Santos." He paused, looking around the crowd, bold and unafraid.

"What is the Provisional Revolutionary Government of Santos? We represent the human and Newhuman populations of Santos. We have united to throw off the tyrannical rule of the Orman slave state that has been exploiting both humans and Newhumans for its own benefit. From today on, we will rule ourselves. From today on, the SSDD is extinct, and we declare the entire oppressive SSDD government structure and laws to be invalid and unsuitable for a free people."

"Your name, sir? Your name?" A voice from the crowd.

"My name is Len Kaspar, but my name is not important. I am the Provisional Coordinator of the PRGS. And this is what I have to say on behalf of the newly free peoples of Santos. The hateprop of the illegitimate former government depicted our revolutionary movement as a purely human effort, designed to oppress the Newhuman population. Nothing could be further from the truth. The PRGS welcomes our Newhuman brothers and sisters to work with us to build a new society and government that will satisfy the legitimate aspirations of both humans and Newhumans. We call on all humans and Newhumans to support our revolutionary government. We will represent you all. Let me make a few introductions. First, Deputy Provisional Coordinator Denn-o Javal." Javal was a huge transgen, grimly nodding at the camera. "Second, Provisional Minister for Defense Nintor Karlan." He was an alert young hungry-looking Outworlder, balancing an SG on one hip, scanning the crowd. "Provisional Minister for the Economy, Judith Preed." Preed was a young, hard female Outworlder with short brown hair. "Our Deputy Provisional Minister for Newhuman Affairs is Yeurval T'ran'ten." Another big, fierce-looking transgen, this one clutching an E confidently, glaring at everyone. Brilliant! The Santos Outworlders had allied themselves with the transgens to oust the Ormans! The image of that transgen with an E said a lot more than any words. "And Professor Xiu Neerdhauzen, our Provisional Minister for Human Affairs."

A shot rang out. Kaspar was slammed down to the ground as his guards shielded him with their bodies. Shouts and general bedlam. The camera wobbled.

"It's all right! AD, AD, an accidental discharge!" Everyone was looking off to one side.

"How about keeping your safeties on, folks?"

"All right," Kaspar said, brushing himself off. "No problem. Let's see, Human Affairs, Professor Neerdhauzen of the University of Southern Pandarat. Professor Neerdhauzen is also to chair our constitutional convention." The Professor nodded to the crowd. He was an elderly, white-haired Assidic mortal, appearing a little shaken by the gunshot. "We'll announce the full PRGS team shortly," Kaspar continued. "For now, I'd like to state that all of Santos is currently under martial law. All essential services will continue. Crime will not be tolerated. Looters will be shot on sight. Looting recently broke out downtown and we were forced to kill several looters. If there is more looting, we'll kill more. Any resistance to the new government will be dealt with instantly and forcefully. For all Santos citizens, our initial focus is to restore order, to maintain essential services, and to draft our new constitution and get a permanent government in place."

Kaspar looked around at his companions, then glared at the cameras. "Let's make one thing clear. This is a joint revolution by humans and Newhumans. We are all united to accomplish our goals—a just, orderly, peaceful, prosperous society based on individual freedoms and guaranteed by a constitution that will assure that humans and Newhumans will share in the results of the new world we will create. We have already agreed on separate development for humans and Newhumans, with equally shared resources and joint planning. Humans and Newhumans will all be full citizens with equality of opportunity but without the forced equality of outcome that poisoned our previous society. We will make immortality available to all, without exception, as soon as it can be done. Private property will be restored. Education for all will be a priority and it will be fact-based, not ideology-based. Violent crime will be eradicated as soon as possible. Our new world will be crime-free. All gang members and other violent criminals will be executed, although there will be a grace period to allow those who wish to renounce their past to do so."

One of the Newhumans, Deputy Coordinator Javal, whispered something to Kaspar. "Yes," Kaspar said. "Yes, let's mention a few specifics. This is a revolution. What this means is that we are sweeping aside the past. Our new constitution will be written with close input from both the human and Newhuman communities. But be prepared for a change. As of today, the following governmental structures will be abolished." He consulted a list. "The Ministry of Political Orientation, the Ministry of Equality, the Ministry of Truth, and the Ministry of Distribution. The departments of Voluntary Service, Directed Service and PsyMed are also dissolved. Please note, with the dissolution of the Ministry of Distribution, there will be no further redistribution of wealth in our society. That's over." A ragged cheer broke out from the audience. Applause and delighted laughter. "It also means that our entire economic structure will be changing. Economic growth has been at zero or below zero for at least twenty years—maybe more. We're taking steps to change that. By the way, many of you may be unfamiliar with that statistic. That's because the old regime lied to you, about everything.

"We've waited a long time for this," Kaspar said. "I'm happy to announce there will be no further taxes on income and no further deductions from salaries, for any reason. The income slave tax will be replaced by a sales tax. Citizens will no longer have to fill out tax forms. We plan a ceremonial destruction of the Internal Revenue building, with a public bonfire to burn the entire tax code."

Deafening applause broke out. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" they chanted.

"This is not going to be an easy adjustment," Kaspar said. "A very large number of our citizens are dependent on income from the Ministry of Distribution. The money comes from people who work, and goes to people who do not work. This is going to end, right now. From today, if you don't work, you don't eat. The PRGS is already working on how to deal with this problem and we'll make our plans public as soon as possible. Perhaps it will be called the Ministry of Work. We're hoping the huge new numbers of people seeking work for the first time will spark economic growth.

"Let's see now—yes, the Ministry of Law will be re-named the Ministry of Justice, and most of the current law code will be trashed. All government ministries will be taking gigantic financial hits. Well-deserved, I believe. ObPhen, the Ministry of Observed Phenomena, will become the Ministry of Science and will no longer be concerned with hiding and denying scientific facts, but in revealing and confirming scientific facts. Yes, it's a revolution. If you don't like it, too bad. The people of Santos are sick to death of the former regime and we are going to grind it into the dirt, and any supporters of the former regime will be hunted down and made to pay for their obscene crimes."

He paused briefly, seemingly lost in thought. "Citizens, we have all suffered greatly under the SSDD, which encouraged hatred and division among our peoples. Brothers and Sisters of the revolution, we have lost family and friends in the struggle. But now we are triumphant, and our children's future is secure. Remember this moment!" He took a deep breath.

"Now, for our galactic audience, here is our message. We are a revolutionary movement of free people, beholden to no one except ourselves. We reject the System slave state and all its deformed bastard spawn. We welcome assistance from friendly free states, but we ask for nothing. We will build a free society here, for humans and Newhumans. We are afraid of no one. And we
will
prevail!"

The biogens surrounding me broke into applause, clapping and cheering, ecstatic at the news. I've got to admit it, I was thrilled as well.

"What do you advise, advisor?" Stelzu asked me, with a huge grin.

"Recognize their new government immediately," I said. "Now! See if you can do it before ConFree does."

"Yes! Excellent! I'll do the text! Somebody get Sister Luides on the line!"

And that's how the Provisional Revolutionary Government of Zequord 3 became the first galactic government to recognize the Provisional Revolutionary Government of Santos. They beat ConFree by eighteen marks.

###

On the day of the Zequord's Constitutional Convention we all arrived a bit early, exiting our aircars in the big parking lot behind the looming government center. The delegates, guests and public were milling around the other side of the building, slowly making their way inside the main entrance. It was a clear, cool, sunlit, sparkling day and I felt great.

"Brother Wester! You look most impressive." Sister Luides gave me a dazzling smile. I had offered to appear in civvies but she had insisted I wear my Legion blacks.

"Thank you, Sister Luides, and congratulations. It's a historical day for your people, for the Hyades Cluster, and for Zequord 3."

"The Constitution is masterful!" Stelzu cut in, "we couldn't have done it without you." The girls were all in khaki, chatting excitedly, clutching their doc cases. It was the culmination of all their work. And I was suddenly flooded with a burst of admiration, and maybe even love, for these wonderful creatures, and what they had done, and I felt so good about my own small efforts in helping them that I could hardly believe it. What a spectacular day.

"We'd better get inside," Sister Luides said with a faint smile. I could tell she was overjoyed. And suddenly the adrenalin shot through my veins as a little silver speck darted out of the sun, coming right at us. Time froze instantly. I identified the thing in the time it takes for a synapse to fire in my brain—M49 DefCorps self-guided Tacscyth, powerful enough to take out the parking lot and shred everything in it. I yanked my vac gun out and fired instinctively. And that's all I remember.

###

Consciousness returned through a hot red haze, flickered, faded, and blinked out. That happened several times, as I struggled to understand what was happening, but it was so much easier to release my grasp, to float away again in the burning dark. I was dying, I concluded. It hurt like hell. My flesh was burning. Still alive, I thought. Priestess—Moontouch. Millie. Storm and Lester and Andrea. What would they do without me? That's what I thought, in limbo half way between life and death. I thought about my family, the ones I loved. Had I done the right thing by them? Are we really judged when we approach Heaven's Gate? Would Deadman have any questions for me? And how would I respond? Was I ready for this? Could anyone ever be ready for this, the ultimate mystery?