Flight of the Maita Supercollection 3: Solving Galactic Problems Collector's Edition Page 52

  There are balances that must not be disrupted today or the entire race may die next year. These were the things a historian would know and were the critical things that conceivably might solve this problem for them.

  "You take 'em where you find 'em," Hal quoted as he noted several numbers in the H140s to call up from the memory banks. "And when," he added.

  "Soon, I hope! My nerves can't stand a whole bunch more of this! Before much longer I'll be a case for the headfiddlers!"

  He sat at the console to began punching the special codes and thought how just a halfyear ago he could use a simple recorder secretary or adjust the TV and that was about all. He had always spurned computer technology, insisting one could hire a trained operator to input the data and recall it. He was paid to be a research historian, not a clerk! He had no time for those silly, useless things! Now it was second nature for him to use the machines. He could look at his listings and let his fingers do the computer work while he thought of other things.

  That part of his talent was what pointed out his genius to those around him. It seemed to them he could compartmentalize any number of unrelated simultaneous operations. Mi once heard him humming along with the radio. A very complex and difficult passage from the classic composer, Fir Witt. He was typing from a complicated research manuscript from a laboratory in Frite.

  She wondered how he could possibly follow the music so well while reading the involved MS and typing – and why was he typing anything from the MS? It could be called up and printed by the computer.

  She looked over his shoulder. He was typing in some work on his book about the dig in the Jeurne Valley Rift. He was also reading a complicated treatise on chemical viral retardants. He wasn't missing a note of the symphony.

  "We've tried to duplicate that, but find it only works at temperatures that are much higher than Kroon bodies will stand," she said.

  "I know. I'm trying to get a general idea of which properties in the chemicals do the job best so I can look for something that doesn't require such excess heat. Class restrictive modification or something such."

  He never missed a beat on the typing and fell right back into the humming. Later he didn't remember her asking him anything, had to read what he had written and could recall the MS word for word. He had no idea he was humming anything. He was able to compartmentalize his mind in a minimum of three areas at once, turn his sight to one, his hands to one and his voice to one. Mi wondered how far such a talent could be taken while the subject remained clinically sane.

  Four compartments were shown! His hearing, too! Amazing! She could do two things – never four!

  He was fully aware of how his mind worked and never questioned it. It was, after all, his basic nature. What he could never quite understand was why so many couldn't concentrate on more than ONE thing at a time!

  He once considered his ability to do many things at once to have made him a freak and had hidden the talent. As a child he had been careful not to let others know of his abilities. He USED it, but he kept it well-hidden.

  He could also hold a debate inside his own skull, each part bringing in its own points. He solved problems using that method. Not long ago one part brought up some old thing about weed killers. The results of those internal "board meetings" were certainly well enough known on Kroon now!

  * * *

  Sop Lett felt uneasy. This was all wrong. Enn Far had made a terrible mistake. The constitution was distracting the people. There was debate and discussion all over the media. Each word was dissected, each little nuance argued. He and Jak Tall were everything from pretty smart to the greatest natural geniuses who ever lived and from thoughtful citizens to the greatest statesmen who ever lived and from one end of the highest spectrum of opinion to the other. Not one word was going to be changed. The debates were simply something to do and a way to get on TV by those who were already beginning to wonder if perhaps THEY might run for council.

  The political mind never rests. It may never produce anything worth a diddly damn, but it never rests.

  The only article that was never mentioned was the one about the public health officer. It had been handled from the first by Hit Kinn, the top news commentator on Kroon, in an editorial: "This network believes the article isn't strong enough, but this isn't a proper time to debate that issue. One does not turn crowd control over to a mob. We now find ourselves in a critical and dangerous period where logical, reasonable, thoughtful and studied response to this issue isn't possible. We each tend to react with a sort of hyper-extended emotionalism based on our own fears. Perhaps the genius of Tall and Lett shines through far brighter than at any other juncture. That island is worse by far than the combination of all the hells of all the old religions at once, yet they were able to temper their words with care and true compassion.

  "The basic tenet of this document is fairness. Fairness to all people at all times and under all circumstances. The article is strong, giving the only place where any one person may actually hold the awesome power to suspend the document itself and it is fair, making absolutely certain the power can never be wrongfully used or abused.

  "My opinion and that of this network is that this article stands firm. As written! We should and will reserve our comment and criticism to any and all other provisions of the document."

  Freedom of the press and speech was debated heatedly, most saying it went too far and could interfere with the power of the state. On that item the news called Lett, who said those arguing against such a freedom should stop to consider that, should they be successful, they certainly would not be permitted the very argument they were using! After all, they WERE the state! That was the point of the whole idea of a constitution.

  "Consider that we have limited what one may say about another to statements that are true," Sop reasoned. "There are civil and criminal suits which may be brought should one make false claims, accusations, statements or retaliations of other types for other transgressions against an individual or organization.

  "I may state that, IN MY OPINION, you are a scoundrel and a rockslug and should be thrown in jail for life, but I may not say even as opinion that you have committed a criminal act until such time as a court has convicted you. You may say the same about me so long as you make plain it is opinion and not proven fact. The provision about statements being 'provable' means I may state I witnessed an act in which you committed a crime. If it is untrue you can take me into court and destroy me financially and destroy my credibility. If in court I prove my case you are then yourself destroyed. That is for YOUR consideration. It would be worse than unwise for you to bring a suit where I could prove my statements. It would be to your own ruin. The same holds true for the news media. They have the duty and the responsibility to be absolutely certain of anything they present. There is already a section in the news for opinion. It is called the editorial section. One may be as inaccurate or as obnoxious as one pleases there, considering only that silly extremes in those sections will cost circulation and, therefore, profits.

  "There is in that section a very strong resolution against prior censorship. That is a two-edged sword as it allows freedom to print whatever one considers fit to print, but it also allows action against false information.

  "There is strong provision against coercion to present other opposing viewpoints, even in that section, by any government or agency of any government. Politicians will want to demand that and will attempt to label it fairness, but it is diametrically opposed to fairness. In that section the media may include or exclude whatever it desires. The people will soon learn the bent of that company and will express dissent or assent through that company's circulation figures and, therefore, its bank accounts.

  "You must beware always when a politician uses terms such as 'fair' because the object is not fairness, but confusion. That is the political mind at work. It will never change.

  "The document is designed to have structural balances written in. There is no suspension of the natural physical laws
of action and reaction in the constitution."

  All of this was good. All of it was planned, but the timing was all wrong. At the end of the thirty days the constitution would be passed, would immediately be signed and would as immediately take effect. Then the plague would be back at the forefront and, should there have been no progress toward a cure a real sense of hopelessness would be reinforced because the people finally had a chance at true freedom and happiness and this plague could rob them of it. It would be devastating psychologically. There were twenty nine more days to find something positive – fifty days to total chaos. There must have been a suspension of reason somewhere along the line to allow this to happen in this manner!

  Sop picked up the handcom to call Enn Far.

  *

  Enn Far sighed in relief. It was going to work. People would throw themselves deeply into the constitution wholeheartedly and would let the plague take a second place in the mind. It was a savior to have that distraction on hand.

  Ponn's misuse of the serum could have started rioting in the streets and the government's credibility was in question. They hadn't foreseen and protected against such things. Chairman Enn Far himself personally endorsed the miserable damned crook! That was what galled!

  If those people on the island can only come up with something positive!

  The next step he took must be very carefully considered or all could be lost. He must not allow the nation or, indeed, the world to be thrown into barbarism. It could too easily happen. It was a matter of holding attention and steering it away from something that could do nothing other than increase the fear and hopelessness and the weight of impotence and frustration.

  A virus is the smallest of all living things, but can have the biggest effect on all of them. The whole Kroon race could well be decimated by an organism only the very finest and strongest of microscopes could see and that no mind was large enough to really understand.

  Such a small thing!

  He must keep his ideas to himself. If it was seen as simply a distraction it would fail. That must not happen.

  The council meeting was mostly upbeat while they discussed the ratification vote and how it would best be handled. At noonmeal he received the call from Sop Lett.

  "Enn, what have you done?" Sop asked. "Do you realize we have a maximum of fifty days to chaos unless we can come up with a positive advance against this plague here? We have lost control of that! Our position is untenable!"

  "Believe me, Sop, I've taken that hard fact into consideration. I have a plan, but it'll only add another one hundred days. I feel a hundred and fifty days is all we'd have, at best. This will distract the people more than anything I could think of.

  "Believe me, Sop! I'll listen more attentively than you would've thought possible if you can give me something else!"

  "Enn, please!" Sop cried in exasperation. "What do you mean? You are not making any sense! That is not at all like the Enn Far I know!"

  "I'd think it would be obvious. Once we have a constitution what does it say we MUST do? You wrote the thing!"

  There was a silence that stretched on. "Well?" Sop finally asked.

  "You wrote it! What's the very first thing it requires of the people?"

  "Enn, please! Stop it!"

  "Sop, the constitution regulates the government. It tells us how to select that government and it makes it the first order of business to select that new government soon 'as reasonably possible.' The maximum time an interim chairman may serve before an election is one hundred days and a chairman may not succeed himself in two consecutive elections. That means an election within one hundred days of adoption of the constitution – AND it means I can get out of this impossible position!"

  "But you can be elected first chairman. You may not be ELECTED to succeeding terms, but you've never been elected before. You can then be chairman every second election until you die!"

  "Then I'll refuse treatment if I get the plague! I've decided I'll place either yourself or Hal Korr in nomination."

  "ME!?! Great gods, man! I am not material for the chairmanship! I am merely a cowardly lawyer! What do I know of politics?"

  "A lawyer who wrote the constitution? You are not material? Surely you jest! There isn't any person on this planet who's better qualified. No one alive knows more about the processes and no one could better lead us along the path of constitutional government."

  "Enn, to be completely honest about it this has never occurred to me before. I have considered asking to be considered as Head State Attorney.

  "Enn, there is one person who is infinitely more qualified in all ways than I am, but I need not ask to know he would flatly refuse consideration.

  "Hal is a genius of the top tier. I will certainly back his nomination."

  "Who's more qualified than you?"

  "Jak Tall. You will never know how much of the constitution is his doing. You will never know exactly how much of everything we have done on this island is his doing. You will never know of his natural genius or of his native abilities. He is as much of a genius as Hal, but he has no training other than what he has given himself. The big difference between them is that Hal would accept the chairmanship as a duty if the people wanted him and would do a truly outstanding job in that position while Jak would never show up for the inauguration.

  "Hal feels a duty to whoever dumps on him while Jak can be conned by Mi Yinn, but has been badly burned by being made to feel that he could have been handed the responsibility for the whole race here. That was a serious mistake, but a necessary one.

  "In a way he was, you know. He rose to the occasion and has an exemplary record here, but he will not again be suckered in this and you are perfectly well aware chairman is not a job any completely sane man would want under any set of circumstances.

  "I should have made a clause in the constitution to beware of any who would actively seek the job. Remember what the Mentan warned us about concerning politicians and their motives?"

  "It said, 'The desire to hold public office is a desire for power over one's fellows – a thing which should be used in the disqualification of one from the holding of that office, but then that's what politicians are. I should know. I'm the one it said it to when I said I had no desire whatever to act as chairman."

  They talked for awhile like that, then hung up.

  I just hope this works and I hope the time is enough! Enn thought. I could run out of tricks very soon. One hundred fifty days – and nothing in mind to follow!

  Oh, gods!

  * * * * * *

  Jak Tall read every book in the library on radiation and on viruses. In four days he could have held his own with the ten top experts in each of those fields. Nothing said he was right, but nothing said he was wrong. He neglected everything while he was studying and took only four hours a night for sleep and half an hour three times a day for eating and other needs. Mi saw his concentration and gave strict orders he was not to be disturbed. She had no idea what he was doing, but she didn't for one second doubt it was important. Even if it was no more than a new latrine installation it would be important. She was the only one who knew of the full range of his genius – well, maybe Sop Lett.

  Jak Tall didn't waste time, not ever, not for any reason.

  Most things were handled by his staff while he was studying and he simply checked and okayed it, then began constructing a triply isolated cell. He built the entire building by himself, then stocked the small laboratory in it. That took six more days. It would have taken a full crew ten.

  He then toured the area of the settlements on the three islands now occupied and explained to the farmers, the fishermen and his crew what their needs were and how best to meet those needs. He sat in his supply shed for two days modifying equipment and building something. Hal came to watch a bit, but didn't ask what he was doing.

  He spent another half day installing the thing he made in his isolation shed, then spent the most of the remainder of the day carefully checking every detail. He cal
ibrated the electronics to the closest tolerances he could manage and he learned to control the parts he invented. He took the last two hours of daylight to ask Mi and Hal to walk the mesa perimeter with him. They talked awhile on various inconsequentialities before stopping to sit on a smooth rock on the point overlooking the east shore of Tekif. They could see fishermen building a pier across the glassine reef toward a large open hole.

  "They found the hole has a limestone formation in the center and that fishes, waterclaws and those flip-scooters are thick in there. Some of the flipscooters weigh as much as six kilos," Jak explained. "They're making this their permanent home, you know. They won't leave here if we do. They'll never leave here and I think they've earned title to the place."

  "You'll never leave these islands yourself and we all know it. You didn't ask us out here to discuss fish or giant flipscooters."

  Jak grinned and inserted a fresh glamp twig between his teeth.

  "I would've thought you'd have used all of that up by now," Mi said.

  "I grow my own," Jak said, chewing the minty wood.

  "But that's illegal!" Mi cried.

  "Call in the army! Bomb the islands!" Hal cried. "What did you want to discuss in this extreme privacy?"

  "I want a trained handler for the rodents and lots of badly infected specimens," Jak answered. "I don't want to be asked to answer anybody's questions and I don't want to be told how to do my experiments. If it's not possible I don't want to know. I'll find that out soon enough on my own. The bumblestinger can't fly. It defies all the socalled laws of aerodynamics. It'll continue to fly around making a nuisance of itself so long as no one convinces IT of the impossibility it represents to physics and reason.

  "Let me be a bumblestinger learning to fly. Don't tell me it can't be done."