the intimate of the Chairman. Royce, as Carlotta’s closest political ally and her lover, usually but not always spoke for the Madigan administration as well as the Media Ministry. It was the most powerful possible combination in Pacifican politics.
“Speaking as a Pacifican,” Royce said slowly, “I must agree with those who want our planets to have the full benefits of Transcendental Science. Only a fool would not want to triple his lifespan, enhance his consciousness, and attain the max mastery of his total environment. Pacifica should have this knowledge.”
He paused to let a low murmur whisper through the chamber, to let the Delegates glance at Carlotta, who was trying rather unsuccessfully to conceal her displeasure. Royce laughed to himself—it was the oldest rhetorical trick in the book.
“Speaking as a man,” he continued, “I must agree with those who want to avoid embroilment in the idiocy of the Pink and Blue War at all costs." There was a scattering of applause and much confusion at this apparent reversal; only Carlotta seemed to have caught on to what he was doing. “Speaking as a Delegate, I must agree with those who fear the subversion of Pacifican society by an Institute of Transcendental Science, Femocrats or no Femocrats.”
Audible rumblings of confusion now. Even Carlotta was looking at him peculiarly, as if trying to figure out where he might be going. Perfect, Royce thought. I’ve summed up all three positions and managed to support them all. “If that sounds confusing, well, it is,” he said. “It’s like wanting rain for our crops but not wanting to get wet. We’re all caught in the middle of the same paradox. Our disagreements aren’t with each other but within our own selves.”
He paused again, sensing that he had bled the conflict out of the debate now, tied them together in an emotional community by uniting the divergent viewpoints within himself, Now they were waiting hopefully for him to resolve the paradox; even Carlotta seemed to be hanging on his
next words, as if she were no longer merely counting on him to serve her tactical purpose but to resolve a real confusion of her own.
“However,” he said, hardening his voice, “as Minister of Media , I see the position this Parliament must take with crystal clarity. Pacifica’s Web exports are the key to our continued prosperity. ‘News of the Galaxy,’ our entertainments, and our unique transport designs give us an overwhelmingly favorable balance of interstellar payments and provide jobs, directly and indirectly, for perhaps a quarter of our adult population. Other planets can afford to buy our Web products and keep us in the style to which we are accustomed only by exporting science and technology. Without free interstellar trade in science and technology, the interstellar economy based on the Web will eventually collapse, and if that happens, we will be the biggest losers.”
Royce rose deliberately to his feet and began using his hands for dramatic emphasis. “Transcendental Science withholds its knowledge from the free Web market,” he said sharply. “Transcendental Science uses its advanced knowledge not as an item of trade but as a political weapon with which to build a monopoly at the leading edge of science and technology. The price of their knowledge is measured not in interstellar credits but in loss of political autonomy. If Transcendental Science succeeds in its ultimate goals, interstellar free trade will be destroyed and Pacifica will pay a heavy price in economic depression and mass unemployment.”
Royce sat down slowly to a guttural rumble of angry approval. There could hardly be a Delegate in the chamber who disagreed with that! Carlotta's face was unreadable as she studied him with a somewhat bemused expression. She now knew that he was giving her what she wanted tactically, but only by deflecting the Delegates from what she considered a matter of principle onto a bread-and-butter issue which
“Speaking as a Pacifican,” Royce said slowly, “I must agree with those who want our planets to have the full benefits of Transcendental Science. Only a fool would not want to triple his lifespan, enhance his consciousness, and attain the max mastery of his total environment. Pacifica should have this knowledge.”
He paused to let a low murmur whisper through the chamber, to let the Delegates glance at Carlotta, who was trying rather unsuccessfully to conceal her displeasure. Royce laughed to himself—it was the oldest rhetorical trick in the book.
“Speaking as a man,” he continued, “I must agree with those who want to avoid embroilment in the idiocy of the Pink and Blue War at all costs." There was a scattering of applause and much confusion at this apparent reversal; only Carlotta seemed to have caught on to what he was doing. “Speaking as a Delegate, I must agree with those who fear the subversion of Pacifican society by an Institute of Transcendental Science, Femocrats or no Femocrats.”
Audible rumblings of confusion now. Even Carlotta was looking at him peculiarly, as if trying to figure out where he might be going. Perfect, Royce thought. I’ve summed up all three positions and managed to support them all. “If that sounds confusing, well, it is,” he said. “It’s like wanting rain for our crops but not wanting to get wet. We’re all caught in the middle of the same paradox. Our disagreements aren’t with each other but within our own selves.”
He paused again, sensing that he had bled the conflict out of the debate now, tied them together in an emotional community by uniting the divergent viewpoints within himself, Now they were waiting hopefully for him to resolve the paradox; even Carlotta seemed to be hanging on his
next words, as if she were no longer merely counting on him to serve her tactical purpose but to resolve a real confusion of her own.
“However,” he said, hardening his voice, “as Minister of Media , I see the position this Parliament must take with crystal clarity. Pacifica’s Web exports are the key to our continued prosperity. ‘News of the Galaxy,’ our entertainments, and our unique transport designs give us an overwhelmingly favorable balance of interstellar payments and provide jobs, directly and indirectly, for perhaps a quarter of our adult population. Other planets can afford to buy our Web products and keep us in the style to which we are accustomed only by exporting science and technology. Without free interstellar trade in science and technology, the interstellar economy based on the Web will eventually collapse, and if that happens, we will be the biggest losers.”
Royce rose deliberately to his feet and began using his hands for dramatic emphasis. “Transcendental Science withholds its knowledge from the free Web market,” he said sharply. “Transcendental Science uses its advanced knowledge not as an item of trade but as a political weapon with which to build a monopoly at the leading edge of science and technology. The price of their knowledge is measured not in interstellar credits but in loss of political autonomy. If Transcendental Science succeeds in its ultimate goals, interstellar free trade will be destroyed and Pacifica will pay a heavy price in economic depression and mass unemployment.”
Royce sat down slowly to a guttural rumble of angry approval. There could hardly be a Delegate in the chamber who disagreed with that! Carlotta's face was unreadable as she studied him with a somewhat bemused expression. She now knew that he was giving her what she wanted tactically, but only by deflecting the Delegates from what she considered a matter of principle onto a bread-and-butter issue which
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