The Dragon Never Sleeps

— 108 —

Turtle watched Provik greet Blessed with the respect due a Chair, then Shike with a nod. His own military genius got a spoken greeting that placed him on the spectrum between the two.

Provik said, "I took your suggestion, Kez Maefele. I was unaware that so dramatic a shift in population character had taken place. Though I should have known. Simon opened the technical and supervisory ranks to nonhumans because we couldn't recruit competent humans. It's been a battle with the Directors. Some would rather have an illiterate from the Black Ring manage a division."

Turtle settled into the chair Provik had had built for him. "That's human nature. And not exclusive to your species."

"I suppose not. But we ought to restrain our prejudices in the face of necessity. Have you seen the forecast Blessed's financial wizards turned in?"

"No."

"It's on the machine. Give it a skim."

Turtle went and scrolled the report. It was not an easy read. Blessed and Provik chatted about Placidia, the heir Tina had produced. Blessed was taken with the child, who was toddling now. They moved on to Midnight, then to the whirlwind of socializing that had befallen Tregesser Horata, gossiping in immemorial fashion.

Turtle finished."Grim. If your future is tied to one of the Houses."

"I didn't see it black," Blessed said. "We won't lose wealth or property. We'll even keep growing. We just won't control as much of the whole. Cable, you take a look too. It shows us our place in a Canon expanded by a sudden one-point-five to one."

Turtle made way for Shike. Cable went after the report like he understood every word. Amazing. But Cable might have surprises for everyone. Especially Blessed.

Blessed asked, "What's up, Lupo?"

"We need to think about this future." He steepled his fingers. "Kez Maefele suggested I study census reports. I did. Our unskilled and semiskilled employees are mostly nonhuman or artifact. With no reason to stay loyal. Our skilled workers and supervisors run half and half."

"And?"

"Your report ignores the composition of the work force. It could desert us. Particularly given this." He passed out three-sheet handouts.

Blessed glanced at His. "When did this come in?"

Turtle missed the reply. He was engrossed. It was a fleet edict and, therefore, as immutable as natural law.

They wanted five million volunteers. Any Canon citizen who felt capable of surviving the screening.

That alone was enough to alter the shape of the future. But it was just the beginning.

The shocker was a paragraph that extended full citizenship to any resident of Canon space who, never having stood in arms against Canon, claimed it formally.

Nonhumans aboard the Guardships? Could it happen?

Provik asked him, "What do you think?"

"I think this is the most dangerous document you're ever likely to see. It stuns you with the call for volunteers. While you're numb, it codifies what are de facto practices already. It takes a few nibbles at House prerogatives but balances them with hammer blows to the power of Canon's bureaucrats. There isn't one thing there that will offend any significant portion of the population, yet it is a revolution, a legal recognition that Canon is a multi-species entity."

Perplexed, Blessed said, "I don't like this, but it doesn't look that dangerous."

"The next one will be just as gentle. And so will the one after that. Those people see things millennially."

Provik's woman stepped in. "Lupo, VII Gemina just broke off the Web." She looked numb.

Turtle reflected that the Prime certainly enjoyed the occasional ironic twist. VII Gemina!

Provik asked, "Blessed, Cable, is there anything in the system—any system—to give us away?"

"We're clean. Unless they use brainprobes."

"You're sure?"

"There are no oversights," Shike said. "We learned from M. Shrilica."

Two agreed. "I've tested it. They've rewritten reality completely."

"Not quite," Turtle interjected. "You better hope they're as focused on information systems as you. Suppose one of them tunes in a commercial news broadcast? I or my soldiers or our developing defense works get mentioned every day." He had complained before that they had allowed him to become a public figure. No one had taken him seriously.

"A point," Provik said. "I want a news blackout, Two. With sanctions that will make it stick."

Two raised a finger: wait. She had the fingers of her other hand pressed to her ear, listening. Then she said, "They're here about your reports on the Outsiders. They're sending their own experts down."

Provik shrugged. "Give them so much of what they want they can't see anything else."

Turtle told Blessed, "Don't let Midnight know VII Gemina is here. She has friends aboard. She might try to contact them. She does not understand security."