Read Online Probability Space by Nancy Kress - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Nancy Kress
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avoid war. “That will never happen—setting them both off at thirteen. If one side did, the other would be protected at setting eleven, so why would the second people ever go to thirteen?”
“I agree,” said a man who’d been silent ’til now. “It’s a nonviable scenario.”
Spy , Kaufman thought, or journalist . Marbet would have known which from simply looking at the man. But after years attached to the Solar Alliance Defense Council, Kaufman recognized the technique: make a provocative statement, or agree with one, and see who reacts and how.
The young man with the fantastic beard scowled. “It could happen. How about this: We don’t bring our artifact to their home system, but to one of their major military systems, and we set it off at thirteen to destroy the whole system. They see us bring the thing in, and try to beat us to the punch by setting their artifact off at thirteen to destroy our fleet. So both are broadcasting, or whatever they do, at thirteen, and bam! There goes spacetime.”
“But,” the young girl, Alva, said, and her whole manner was different debating him than debating her mother, “why would the Fallers have their artifact at a military system instead of protecting their home system, like we do?”
He smiled at her through the pieces of beard. “I don’t know. Maybe they’re afraid there might be side effects to their people.”
The girl said, “Maybe we’re afraid of side effects, too. Maybe our artifact isn’t even in the Solar System.”
“General Stefanak says it is, protecting us.”
The spy-or-reporter gave a short bark of laughter. “There are no side effects, young woman.”
Alva, flushing an unattractive maroon, turned to him. “How do you know?”
“General Stefanak says so.”
“But have the physicists said so? Has Dr. Capelo?”
But this was getting too close to criticism of General Stefanak. The girl’s mother said harshly, “Really, Alva, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Mr. Peltier, you’ve been in the army. I can tell from the way you carry yourself. Where do you think our general has hidden the Protector Artifact for maximum benefit to us all?”
Kaufman dabbed his lips with his napkin. He had no more idea than anyone else where Stefanak’s artifact was. On the other hand, Kaufman had a good idea where the Faller artifact actually was, but that information was highly classified. None of it, however, was his concern any longer. He had retired from the army.
“I think,” he said in his calm, authoritative voice, “that the most likely place for General Stefanak to have put the artifact is in the Belt.” When challenged, always give the majority answer. It’s the least conspicuous.
“I told you so!” the beautiful woman crowed. Her daughter looked dose to tears. And why, Kaufman wondered, did such a conspicuously genemod beauty have such a plain daughter? Why hadn’t the girl, too, been engineered? Maybe the mother had been afraid of competition. People were endlessly perverse.
“Wherever it is,” the shabby man said, “it’s Stefanak’s trump card. As long as he has control of it, no one will dare remove him from power.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” said the older woman, “there are a lot of crazies out there. What if some terrorist group, people even crazier than the antiwar people, found and seized the Protector Artifact? They could destroy the Fallers on their own say-so. In fact, they could destroy the Solar System, or threaten to do it, for ransom.”
Alva, despite her sulky tearfulness, had been studying the woman. Now she said abruptly, “I recognize you. You write holo thrillers! You’re Ruth Pomeroy!”
The older woman smiled modestly, and the conversation swerved to holo thrillers, writing, and actors, none of whom Kaufman had ever heard until the bearded youngster said, “Do you know what I heard? Just last month, Magdalena was a passenger on this very ship.”
“She was!” said Ruth Pomeroy.
“I agree,” said a man who’d been silent ’til now. “It’s a nonviable scenario.”
Spy , Kaufman thought, or journalist . Marbet would have known which from simply looking at the man. But after years attached to the Solar Alliance Defense Council, Kaufman recognized the technique: make a provocative statement, or agree with one, and see who reacts and how.
The young man with the fantastic beard scowled. “It could happen. How about this: We don’t bring our artifact to their home system, but to one of their major military systems, and we set it off at thirteen to destroy the whole system. They see us bring the thing in, and try to beat us to the punch by setting their artifact off at thirteen to destroy our fleet. So both are broadcasting, or whatever they do, at thirteen, and bam! There goes spacetime.”
“But,” the young girl, Alva, said, and her whole manner was different debating him than debating her mother, “why would the Fallers have their artifact at a military system instead of protecting their home system, like we do?”
He smiled at her through the pieces of beard. “I don’t know. Maybe they’re afraid there might be side effects to their people.”
The girl said, “Maybe we’re afraid of side effects, too. Maybe our artifact isn’t even in the Solar System.”
“General Stefanak says it is, protecting us.”
The spy-or-reporter gave a short bark of laughter. “There are no side effects, young woman.”
Alva, flushing an unattractive maroon, turned to him. “How do you know?”
“General Stefanak says so.”
“But have the physicists said so? Has Dr. Capelo?”
But this was getting too close to criticism of General Stefanak. The girl’s mother said harshly, “Really, Alva, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Mr. Peltier, you’ve been in the army. I can tell from the way you carry yourself. Where do you think our general has hidden the Protector Artifact for maximum benefit to us all?”
Kaufman dabbed his lips with his napkin. He had no more idea than anyone else where Stefanak’s artifact was. On the other hand, Kaufman had a good idea where the Faller artifact actually was, but that information was highly classified. None of it, however, was his concern any longer. He had retired from the army.
“I think,” he said in his calm, authoritative voice, “that the most likely place for General Stefanak to have put the artifact is in the Belt.” When challenged, always give the majority answer. It’s the least conspicuous.
“I told you so!” the beautiful woman crowed. Her daughter looked dose to tears. And why, Kaufman wondered, did such a conspicuously genemod beauty have such a plain daughter? Why hadn’t the girl, too, been engineered? Maybe the mother had been afraid of competition. People were endlessly perverse.
“Wherever it is,” the shabby man said, “it’s Stefanak’s trump card. As long as he has control of it, no one will dare remove him from power.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” said the older woman, “there are a lot of crazies out there. What if some terrorist group, people even crazier than the antiwar people, found and seized the Protector Artifact? They could destroy the Fallers on their own say-so. In fact, they could destroy the Solar System, or threaten to do it, for ransom.”
Alva, despite her sulky tearfulness, had been studying the woman. Now she said abruptly, “I recognize you. You write holo thrillers! You’re Ruth Pomeroy!”
The older woman smiled modestly, and the conversation swerved to holo thrillers, writing, and actors, none of whom Kaufman had ever heard until the bearded youngster said, “Do you know what I heard? Just last month, Magdalena was a passenger on this very ship.”
“She was!” said Ruth Pomeroy.
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