Flight of the Maita Supercollection 3: Solving Galactic Problems Collector's Edition Page 41

  Thing claimed the proof of the value of that was the emperor of that vast empire had the job thrust on him and has been the best thing that ever happened to the galaxy, though he spends much of his time trying to thrust the job on someone else.

  That adds to my hope! I don't want this job! It was thrust on me! I fight kicking and screaming against it so maybe I won't disgrace myself to too great an extent. If I can juggle things for one more halfyear the worst of it will be over for me in any personal sense. I feel an obligation to try to explain some of the ideas of the Ithian Church to people, but I'm sworn to keep politics and religion apart. I manage to do so by several ruses, but I'm worried about what influence this has on my voting.

  Perhaps there is no problem. Perhaps the idea of having so many councilors means any individual slant on things will be so diluted that it isn't effective. I do try, but what a mess!

  I have to meet with that historian. I'll call to set up an appointment. I owe him an apology first off and I intend to tell him flatly and out front I'm using him. He would soon see through me otherwise and would become an enemy. I don't need more enemies! I certainly have enough of those! I believe in absolute honesty in these matters.

  What a mess!

  I may be able to manipulate the people and him as well into making HIM our first chairman of the ruling council. He should have a very good perspective on how to make a society run better than we ever have – but if we never have done even as well as we are now – I can try.

  Maybe our history isn't a good place to seek any positive answers so far as societal management goes, but he'll have some views on what does NOT work. I can entertain that single hope, certainly. I don't even know what NOT to do!

  If there are any gods out there I really need your help! This is beyond a mere mortal Kroon! It's certainly far beyond me!

  * * Mi Yinn

  What is this? What's happening? This is one hell of a bad time to find something like this!

  Mi Yinn, chief science and health officer for the council of one hundred, put her face in her hands for a few moments, then looked up to shake her head. If those aliens were only still here when they are so needed! They had the science to tell her what she must do. SOMETHING must be done – and now! They surely had experience in the empire with a disease like this. It's a virus of some sort that acts with the slowness to allow it to be spread to others before those infected even have any symptoms to show they ARE infected. She had no idea of any way to attack this kind of insidious thing. It inserted into the genetic material in the cells of the body's nervous system so once it was there it was there for life. It was usually spread and there for years before the symptoms were noticeable. Priority number one would have to be immunization, itself a hopeless task, and number two, suppression of the virus in those people already infected. If it couldn't be cured perhaps it could be suppressed until it was no longer infectious. If that one thing could be accomplished maybe a longer suppression so it wouldn't kill all who contracted it. The little bit known at present said it most definitely WOULD kill all who became infected in any way.

  The society of Kroon is in turmoil with the fall of the churches, communications are incomplete in important ways, authority simply doesn't exist. Not really. The council is new and untried. The elections are coming – there could be no worse time! This could spell doom for the entire world much more certainly than any stupid political crisis. Something must be done right NOW! This virus could decimate – even destroy – the whole planet's population! The Kroon race could well become extinct in only a few years.

  What a hell of a thing! Maybe there was a god and he was now going to get even with the Kroon for falling for that Soolinn crap.

  Now I'm being stupid. A god wouldn't be so petty and, as the Ithians say, wouldn't resort to theatricality to tell us what he wants – he would simply give an order. If he didn't approve of the Soolinnism thing he would simply come forward to tell us the true way – and he wouldn't make a statement that was bound to tangle him up later! Gods and diseases were handled quickly and permanently when the Terran said a god would create all diseases or none of them. We were in no position to pick and choose which ones suited which concept of god.

  What a time to be thinking of gods! It shows how tired I am and how far I've lost control. Maybe I want to lay some blame around, but that's silly. It's a simple lifeform of a type that's known to mutate often. This particular mutation happens to be one that could easily eliminate any question of whether Kroon will ever join that empire. To plan to join presupposes there IS a Kroon race. In a few years there won't be anyone left alive on Kroon if this isn't stopped!

  The first few known cases were considered an oddity and were ignored. They occurred only among the Cult of the Passioneers' following so no one much cared if a few hundred of them died from a mysterious cause. Some of the Soolinnites even claimed it was a plague sent by Soolinn to kill off the sinners. That was two years ago when the disease was already spreading among the general populace, but wouldn't begin to affect things for three to four years. Now was a very different situation.

  It was spread through direct contact only and only out of the presence of short light, which dissociated its chains. It must always remain in a moist medium to survive. It couldn't survive out of water for more than forty seconds. It was a weak thing, but other things would fall before it. A single match was a weak thing that could decimate a huge forest. With the present turmoil there was little to no hope of educating enough of the people in a short enough time to hope to slow the spread of this thing. It was one of those exponential progression types of things.

  There were a few known periods in the history of Kroon where plagues decimated populations, but those times didn't have today’s rapid mass transportation systems and such huge numbers of people so the infections died out. A town may be wiped out, but there were plenty in inaccessible areas who never had any contact with anyone from another town, so were safe.

  Hells! Now we even send people to impossible places like that Jeurne Valley to study ruins. It's five hundred kilometers from anything at all!

  That's an idea, though. I'll call the historian – what was his name? Karr? Kerr? He could just MAYBE know of something someone did at some time to stop a plague. History did have its uses now and then. One can but hope.

  * * * Sop Lett

  "What kind of language is that!?" Sop Lett, legal council for the council of one hundred, asked himself disgustedly. Again.

  "Citizens of Kroon, gathered in true friendship when.... Blither! Blah! Blatt! One cannot write a constitution in such terms!"

  He studied the pages for a few minutes, then picked up his autowriter to speak into the hand microphone again.

  "We, the people of the race of Kroon, do hereby declare the following rights to be the sacred trust of each of us and do hereby demand that any government official ... No. Strike ‘official’.... Government or agency of any government know by these words ... no. Know is the wrong term. Find a better one. These words are binding on any and all persons. The penalties to any who usurp the words OR THEIR INTENT – that is vitally important here. Stress intent. Do not use usurp unless you cannot find better. Let me see now, mmmm binding words ... penalties ... all penalties are to be set and administered by the judiciary branch with the single exception that the judiciary branch is to be tried by the other branches acting in concert ... this is a bunch of crap! There has to be a better way to say it!"

  He sat back to think for a moment, then again turned on the recorder.

  "We, the people of the race of Kroon, do hereby set and state for all future times that there are rights which may never be abridged and which apply to all people. Better.

  "We, the Kroon, in order to establish a government of laws and equality of enforcement of those laws, do declare these orders to all who are elected to any government office.

  "Much closer to what I want to say, but much too wordy. This has to be concise and clear.

  "W
e, the people of Kroon, in order to establish a government of law, do decree the following unabridgable rights of all men! I've got it! That is the start of our constitution!"

  He turned on the writer circuit and repeated the phrase, then turned it off to think. The wording was most important – not only in a legal sense, but because this document must inspire all future generations. I do want nothing more than that it is never changed and that my words will live for the life of this world.

  Let me see, now. All people have the right to equality under the law. That is number one.

  "No person may be detained by any agency for his statements of opinion or fact, whether spoken or written – or other. They keep inventing things all the time. Allow for the natural changes – and no agency nor person may censor what another wishes to state. The press shall forever remain free from any constraints of government.

  "Clean that one up a bit. Throw in that civil actions may be brought by anyone for slander and libelous acts. Better make provision for responsibility of the press to present argument of both sides. REASONABLE argument, which might bring in ... it has to be made clear that responsibility is part of the equation.

  "Let me see, the alien, Z, stressed freedom of the press and freedom of speech. That covers that. Equality under the law is covered. Search and seizure. He said something about that, I remember. That and probable cause.

  "No person nor the property of any person may be searched and nothing may be taken except under an issued warrant. Such warrant must be issued by a duly appointed – no. Established – court and no warrant may be issued by any court that has not been shown probable cause for such warrant to be issued. The warrant must list what is to be seized and/or who is to be detained or arrested, must list why that arrest or seizure is to be made and must list all who have supplied information for such arrest or seizure.

  "Make that by a court that is established by authority of this document. Far too many words. Find better. This must be concise.

  "Let me see. He said freedom of religion, but we must keep religion out of government and vice versa. Kroon! Do I ever agree with that! It was religion in the government that caused our great shame!

  "Mmm. No person may be required in any way to accept or honor any religion in his personal life and there shall be no process nor exception for or against any religion – have to find a way to state it that eliminates false religions that are established solely to challenge – to VIOLENTLY challenge – need an inclusive while exclusive definition here – I am muddling it again – by any person or government agency.

  "That will take a great deal of cleaning of the language. No discrimination can be allowed for any reason under law. That is sure, but how to word it?

  "Hmm. Maybe it would be much better to insert an anti-discrimination clause into each separate right.

  "Property must be...."

  The hand com buzzed so he shut off the recorder to pick it up. It was Enn Far.

  "Sop? Listen," Enn greeted. "We have to get our points across about the new government. To the bulk of the people, I mean. This is important beyond comprehension. I've arranged to get the historian, Hal Korr, to deliver our views in a historical context. Sort of a basic idea to get the general populace behind us and force them into taking part in governing. That's the only way I can see to make this thing work. We have to get all the people involved, which is a new idea in itself. I thought you might like to have him throw in a few of the ideas in the constitution – maybe get a perspective from him of what's worked in the past and how they eventually got around it so you can put in a few safeguards. We have to do something to guarantee that some church – or anything else – can never again wield the kind of power they recently did. We saw the results of that without any historian!

  "How's it coming, by the way?"

  Sop put on his best oratorical voice and intoned, "We, the people of Kroon, in order to establish a government of laws, do hereby decree the following to henceforth be unabridgable rights of all people. No person nor government may infringe upon one word nor upon the intent of this document without dire penalty under the laws herein established.

  "That is the entering paragraph. What do you think?"

  "Sounds great!" Enn cried. "It has the very SOUND of greatness, but are you sure it's wise to make the document one that can't be modified?"

  "No. There is a clause that allows modification of the wordings of the various portions," Sop assured him. "I spoke long with the alien known as Z. He suggested there must be an established mechanism from the start whereby the document can be amended as times change. What we must protect is the part he calls the `List of Rights,' which I am placing at the first of the document. Anything past that one section can be changed through a process of law to be stated within the document itself. The people themselves must vote change by two thirds of those who vote and two thirds must vote. That is what he called a quorum.

  "I am basing much of this on the suggestions made by the alien. He has experience with such documents, I gather. He wrote one called simply "The Constitution" himself – or helped write it. I didn't ask him, but his sure knowledge of the document was very solid so he must have been in on the inception.

  "I agree it may be wise to call this historian. Could you give me his code?"

  They chatted for a moment more, then went back to their own pursuits.

  "Let me see. I think I like the way I said it to Far best of all the wordings I have come up with to this point," Sop said into the recorder, then repeated the phrasing.

  "The right of the people to move about anywhere and at anytime within the boundaries of the nation known as Klarstenland shall in no way be restricted except to those convicted of a crime or those then being held for trial or under stated probation for crimes.

  "That can be stated a bit better.

  "The right of the people to criticize government shall not be curtailed nor infringed. Something to that effect. That could someday be by far the most important part.... No. No need of that one. It is covered in the press thing, but I think I had better directly include such there. Keep it as short as possible – and do not use ANY ambiguous language. Any word a politician can twist will certainly be twisted. I do not need any historian to tell me that! Remember to include the amendment rules right at the first of the main document.

  "I can call Korr to see if he has any ideas. We can meet over dinner or something. I know how these historians love to talk and I am a very good listener if nothing else. The alien suggested he had never learned anything while his tongue was working and I agree. He said to always be sure the brain is engaged before putting the mouth into gear, whatever that means. I think I know.

  "Code Zen forty one five sixty five. Busy. I will try again in a few minutes. Where was I?

  "I have to stop vocalizing everything. I do that every time I use the damned writer-recorder! People will begin to think I talk to myself all the time!

  "Well, I guess I do.

  "This document may be amended only when...."

  * * * * Hal Korr

  Hal Korr picked up the hand com when it buzzed to find Enn Far on the sending end. He saw no choice but to agree to meet with him for dinner. He got the idea someone else would probably call and he should agree to have them along.

  Strange way of doing things, but he wasn't a politician so he would go along with it.

  Hal couldn't help but like Enn Far. The man wasn't really a politician so he might someday become a great statesman. He was certainly acting in the best interest of Kroon.

  Why the hell must I be brought into it? I don't know the first damned thing about governing, either!

  That really isn't true and I know it. I know what has and what hasn't worked in history.

  The handcom buzzed again and he picked it up. It was some scientist from the council who said there was danger of some sort of plague and she must talk with him. It was an infection that could decimate the population of the entire planet if it weren't controlled
– and soon! This must be what Enn Far was talking about so he invited her to dinner.

  This was even stranger than he'd first thought.

  The com buzzed again. It was some lawyer who even mentioned Enn Far so he was also invited. How VERY strange!

  First Meerting

  * * * *

  I was early at the restaurant in order to find a table that was enough out of the way to where we would be able to converse undisturbed. I was recognized by the waiter as the historian who recently returned from "some place way out there where I didn't even know about the aliens." He was accurate enough about that, but it would be nice to be recognized for something I DID know or from somewhere where I HAD been at a given time.

  Next came the medical scientist, Mi Yinn. She's extremely attractive, though she tries to hide it. She sat in the closest chair and said she wanted to ask me about historical plagues and how they were handled, what had proven successful and what hadn't and how to educate the public about a disease that could destroy the entire population of Kroon!

  "Are you saying there IS such a thing?" I asked. "I thought you merely wanted my attention about how to treat a hypothetical problem!"

  "I'm afraid it's very real," she replied. "It's a new type of virus. We have no way to slow it, much less to stop it. It could literally decimate or even totally eliminate the primate population of this planet. It's a kind of thing an epidemiologist lives in constant terror of ever finding.

  "Everything's wrong! This is the worst of all possible times! With this alien turmoil we can't hope to reach enough of the population in time. It's a terrible time to try to educate the people because of the alien thing occupying everyone's mind. The government and its agencies are as much as helpless – even the method we once had to contact all the large sections of the population through the churches is gone! If the aliens were still here we would possibly be in a much better position. I know they would be able to solve this quickly for us, but ... well.... They are NOT here!"