[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

of what it is to be human.
Chuan hardened his tone. "No. Nor do I intend re-proaches or accusations," although I could level
them. "A private talk between us is in the public interest. Please be seated."
The big body sank into a lounger but did not relax. "Gracias for it."
"I beg pardon?" Chuan asked, startled in spite of him-self.
Fenn met his eyes as he sat down opposite. "Your straightforwardness. Too many people I've been with
lately were oily."
Chuan could not suppress a flick of anger. "I would call them considerate, civilized." And I don't imagine
the Ronays But all the response they gave my awkward condolence was "Thank you."
"Be glad you are living in the present era," he said. "Most past history would have seen you imprisoned
at the very least."
Fenn shrugged, "I heard talk of that."
Tea stood on the table between them. They ignored it.
"Would you like me to summarize your situation?" Chuan offered. "It may not yet be clear to you."
Under any other circumstances he could have smiled as he added, "Frankly, it was not clear to us until
today."
Fenn continued to stare at him, hardly blinking, as a caged bird of prey might have stared, back when
men kept wild animals in cages. "What do you mean by 'us'?"
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
He may be more wide-awake than he appears, Chuan thought. Well, that would be for the better. The
objective tonight is to make him comprehend.
"A loose word for the responsible parties in this case. Officers of the constabulary, judiciary, and
commonalty, on both Mars and Earth."
"And the cybercosm," Fenn said.
Chuan nodded. "Yes. It too is integral with the civi-lization that is yours and mine."
Fenn waited. His hands rested quiescent on the arms of his seat, thick, hairy, hands that had held a
weapon that killed two men.
Chuan sat likewise immobile. He had prepared his speech in advance. It was as dry as he could make it.
"The immediate counsel was to detain you for psy-chological evaluation and judgment. You were
directly involved in appalling events. You committed an unsanc-tioned entry, and your broadcast
of'sequestered data was a flagrant violation, which will have evil consequences. In the past your
imprisonment would have been auto-matic, and in many milieus you would have been inter-rogated under
torture before being put to death.
"However, a number of considerations spoke against arraigning you. You cooperated with the
constables, sub-mitting to intensive interrogation under veracitin, al-though you had the right to refuse." It
was the intelligent thing to do, of course, if Fenn hoped ever to go free, but Chuan wondered whether his
traumas had left him help-less. Then how angry would he grow as he returned to himself? "Thus we have
a full account.
"Let me also rehearse the arguments you had ready. Your possession of a circumventor was authorized,
al-though by an obscure officer on Earth. You were oper-ating not on your own but as an agent of the
Lahui Kuikawa, who are an autonomous polity of the Synesis. The withholding of lens data had never
been presented as public policy, only as scientific caution; hence, at worst you were guilty of violating
privacy. These data being of basic significance, the Synesis was wrong to withhold them, and you were
reclaiming for all people their Covenant right to know. As for the violence that followed, you acted only
in defense of your companion and yourself, in a situation that no one could reasonably have anticipated."
Memory arose, snatched, and wrenched. Oh, Kinna, Kinna! "Unforeseen, unforeseeable, yes," broke
out of Chuan. "A senseless contingency, a meaningless acci-dent. How can anyone believe the ideal is
false, that mind must someday tame this universe?"
Perm's visage stirred just a little with surprise? Grief? It congealed again.
Chuan mastered his feelings. "My apologies," he said. "Let me stay with the facts. Your arguments were
spe-cious at best. I doubt they would survive any proper chal-lenge." He did not mean the legalisms of
humans, though those probably could not withstand serious examination either. He meant the impartial
logic of justice, of the cybercosm. But it did not try cases; at most, it counseled. "However, that would be
distracting and delaying at. a time of crisis. It could provoke major disturbances.
"Meanwhile, the leadership of the Lahui Kuikawa has entered a demand for your return under
administrative confidentiality thus far, but unequivocal. They claim the prerogative to question and consult
with you, and set any penalty they find called for. Whether or not this claim is valid under the Covenant,
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
an open dispute about it would be still more disruptive than a proceeding against you on Mars. You
counted on this, did you not?
"Constabulary analysts have pointed out that you yourself are bound to become wildly controversial as
the news spreads, especially on this planet. Your presence here will pose a danger to the daily order of
societies already badly divided, and, I may add, to your own per-son.
"The harm has been done. It is a unique harm, which cannot ever be repeated. Rather than serving a
deterrent purpose, your penalization and correction in a glare of publicity would increase the difficulties
coming upon us. Civilization has been weaning itself away from venge-fulness. The decision is that no
charges shall be filed in theRepublicofMars , provided that you promptly return to Earth."
And there the Lahui Kuikawa will deal with you qui-etly, in their shipboard isolation, Chuan thought. I
don't know how. Will you end at the bottom of the sea, or will they hail you a hero? Neither of those [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]