Traditionalists’ means of realizing their ideal of the future on a world of another star. The world their descendants would arrive at was a planet of the system that the old-world robot probe had traveled to long ago, where it was still in orbit, waiting. The planet’s name had not been changed from the one the ancient builders of the probe had given it: Hera.
The task of defending the state would become more demanding after the Aurora ’s departure, while Sofi adjusted to its changed situation. In anticipation, the past six months had seen a stepping up of military recruiting, accompanied by intensified training and regular practice maneuvers. Much of this activity was staged in the vicinity of the launch bases serving the Aurora program where the forces involved could be called in quickly if needed. Opposition to the venture existed in various forms and for various reasons both abroad and within Sofi itself, and the launch bases would be the obvious targets of any attempt to disrupt operations.
As an officer with the Internal Security Office of the Sofian military, Andri Lubanov had a duty to protect Aurora as part of the official policy enacted by the Traditionalist-dominated Sofian government. However, he didn’t agree with the philosophy that it reflected. If people wanted to found a colony somewhere else, that was fine; and getting away from tyranny had probably played a major part in shaping human history. But for a group who belonged to a potentially world-dominating culture to be talking about emigrating to another star to be able to live the way they wished made no sense. To Lubanov’s way of thinking, they were letting themselves be chased out by inferiors. The Sofians had the ability to create whatever kind of society they wanted right here on Earth, to extend it as far as they chose, and there was nothing out there to prevent them.
But Lubanov went beyond the stated Progressive position by privately expressing the opinion that the mission as currently planned constituted a defection on the debt owed to Sofi for making it possible at all. This brought his name to the attention of what had begun as a clandestine circle within the Sofian military, that felt likewise and were resolved not to let the debt just fly away without some kind of settlement. Lubanov was approached, evaluated, cautiously introduced to their plans, and eventually became one of them.
As the day scheduled for Aurora ’s liftout from orbit drew nearer, the number of Progressives harboring similar resentments swelled to become an effective but officially unrecognized opposition voice within the Sofian administration. Its position was basically that all of Sofi had contributed to Aurora ’s becoming a reality, and therefore all of Sofi should be acknowledged as having rights of ownership. Departure should be postponed while the terms under which the two factions would part were renegotiated. These would cover the redirecting of some of Aurora ’s concentration of resources to leaving Sofi better prepared to face its own future, inducements for certain key figures to change their minds about leaving, and suchlike.
It went without saying that the reactions of the Traditionalists were not expected to be exactly enthusiastic, and therefore a bargaining position would need to be secured. This would take the form of a swift move to occupy and take control of the launch bases before the last shuttle-loads of personnel and supplies were sent up to the ship. The operation was designated Torus. It would be set in motion by the issuing of the code words “Winter Rain.”
Lubanov met Dreese for lunch in the usual place, the outside terrace of a waterside café on the east side of the Frisc peninsula, looking out over the bay that opened to the ocean via a narrow neck of water. A sprawl of connected metropolitan centers had grown on the northern part of the peninsula, over the ruins of a former city, with space-engineering complexes and
The task of defending the state would become more demanding after the Aurora ’s departure, while Sofi adjusted to its changed situation. In anticipation, the past six months had seen a stepping up of military recruiting, accompanied by intensified training and regular practice maneuvers. Much of this activity was staged in the vicinity of the launch bases serving the Aurora program where the forces involved could be called in quickly if needed. Opposition to the venture existed in various forms and for various reasons both abroad and within Sofi itself, and the launch bases would be the obvious targets of any attempt to disrupt operations.
As an officer with the Internal Security Office of the Sofian military, Andri Lubanov had a duty to protect Aurora as part of the official policy enacted by the Traditionalist-dominated Sofian government. However, he didn’t agree with the philosophy that it reflected. If people wanted to found a colony somewhere else, that was fine; and getting away from tyranny had probably played a major part in shaping human history. But for a group who belonged to a potentially world-dominating culture to be talking about emigrating to another star to be able to live the way they wished made no sense. To Lubanov’s way of thinking, they were letting themselves be chased out by inferiors. The Sofians had the ability to create whatever kind of society they wanted right here on Earth, to extend it as far as they chose, and there was nothing out there to prevent them.
But Lubanov went beyond the stated Progressive position by privately expressing the opinion that the mission as currently planned constituted a defection on the debt owed to Sofi for making it possible at all. This brought his name to the attention of what had begun as a clandestine circle within the Sofian military, that felt likewise and were resolved not to let the debt just fly away without some kind of settlement. Lubanov was approached, evaluated, cautiously introduced to their plans, and eventually became one of them.
As the day scheduled for Aurora ’s liftout from orbit drew nearer, the number of Progressives harboring similar resentments swelled to become an effective but officially unrecognized opposition voice within the Sofian administration. Its position was basically that all of Sofi had contributed to Aurora ’s becoming a reality, and therefore all of Sofi should be acknowledged as having rights of ownership. Departure should be postponed while the terms under which the two factions would part were renegotiated. These would cover the redirecting of some of Aurora ’s concentration of resources to leaving Sofi better prepared to face its own future, inducements for certain key figures to change their minds about leaving, and suchlike.
It went without saying that the reactions of the Traditionalists were not expected to be exactly enthusiastic, and therefore a bargaining position would need to be secured. This would take the form of a swift move to occupy and take control of the launch bases before the last shuttle-loads of personnel and supplies were sent up to the ship. The operation was designated Torus. It would be set in motion by the issuing of the code words “Winter Rain.”
Lubanov met Dreese for lunch in the usual place, the outside terrace of a waterside café on the east side of the Frisc peninsula, looking out over the bay that opened to the ocean via a narrow neck of water. A sprawl of connected metropolitan centers had grown on the northern part of the peninsula, over the ruins of a former city, with space-engineering complexes and
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