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"That might be expected with all they've been through."
I smiled. "She did have that tendency even before all this."
A quick glance passed between the couple.
I paid them for eight hours, using a credit transfer, and it was more than I
often made in two full days.
Then, it had been a full day, for the two of them.
I looked in on both Alan and Charis, and both were sleeping. Alan still slept
in the almost abandoned sleep of puppies and small children. Charis was more
composed, already older in outlook than was probably healthy for her. How I'd
be able to handle her in the years ahead ... I didn't know. But I had to make
sure that we had those years somehow.
As I got ready for bed, I listened to All-News, although the story seemed to
be everywhere.
"Covert observation revealed that Industrial Security Systems Rocky Flats
facility had assembled neuralwhips with prohibited controllers. These were
labeled asbeing shipped to Mars ... also an unregistered cydroid facility... "
That was Lieutenant Meara of the Denv Safety Office. Meara refused comment on
who might be charged or the identity of the observation team.
"This sortof high-handedraid is an abuse of power ... evidencemay well have
been fabricated ...
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overstepping the bounds of safo jurisdiction ... Little more than a frame-up
of a reputable multi by ambitious bureaucrats," said Senator Joseph Crosslin.
Crosslin's comments sounded more like a rant than what I would have expected
from a seasoned politician, but since no politician I'd ever known talked to
the media without a purpose, it was clear to me that the PST group was
considering a push on restricting safo powers.
"These charges are serious ones, and the Senate will be looking into them once
we receive the report from the Denv safo office. Ensuring compliance with all
facets of the law is the safo charge, but it may be that some changes in the
inspection provisions of the Public Safety Amendments may be warranted..."
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That was the clean-cut Kennison, sounding very concerned and thoughtful. What
that told me was that
Crosslin would come across as the extremist, and Kennison would broker a
"compromise" between the
PD, who wouldn't want any lessening of safo oversight over the multis, and
Crosslin, and the compromise would, in effect, somehow gut the inspection
provisions with respect to the multis.
I had very mixed feelings about it all. I didn't like that much power in the
hands of the safos, either, but they seemed to be the only check on the
multis. I didn't like that, either.
Chapter64
Mydra and Deng sat in the early morning light, enclosed in the star-class
privacy screen of ISS
headquarters.
"What will happen now?" she asked.
"Lieutenant Meara will have to turn the evidence and the prosecution over to
the NorAm advocate general. Everyone in authority at ISS will be charged,
especially me. Bemis will have to prosecute. There are ISS directives that
ordered the neuralwhips to be shipped in the standard configuration. There are
also inspection reports." Deng shrugged. "The night-shift manager will be
found guilty of making the alterations. He was an idiot. If he had just let
the inspection team go, the most we would have faced was a heavy financial
penalty. When the security staff attacked after being told that they faced a
covert inspection, they supplied proof that ISS had done something illegal.
The night manager at ISS will be found guilty, as will the surviving guards.
It is possible that the facility security chief will also be found guilty. We
will have to state that we will not use lethal neural weapons on Mars. Beyond
that, matters will work to our advantage. The PAMD rebels will agitatemore,
knowing that we cannot immediately supply deadly weapons to the CorPak safos.
Before long, they will overstep. CorPak safoswill be injured.
Some may be killed. In a year, everyone will be tired of the violence. Then,
we will be able to put down the unrest for good, and everyone will applaud
us."
"How did Meara get this past Garos?"
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"That should not have happened. I will have to remind him of his oversight
responsibilities. Forcefully."
"That would be advisable. What do we do about deVrai now?" asked Mydra.
"Your question shows great perception. The analysis is not absolute, but it is
highly probable that deVrai accompanied the safo observer."
"What supports that conclusion?"
Deng's lips curled. "The neuralwhips were readied for shipment with standard
controllers. The high-intensity controllers were packaged separately and not
installed when they arrived. There are no work orders for that, and
surveillance records show no alterations. The surveillance system was taken
down by the safos for the inspection. One of the safos was injured, perhaps
killed. There was blood by the sealed door, and the bypass was left behind.
All the equipment was standard safo. The safo observer will not have observed
anything but the assembled whips. DeVrai was the one who installed the
controllers, but there won't be a record of that anywhere. Impartial observers
are anonymous. The safos enticed deVrai in order to get to ISS. That means
that both the Safety Office and deVrai knew what
MultiCor planned. It also means that deVrai understands far too much."
"I've worried about him from the beginning."
"He was the only one who could do the campaign reform report. The initial
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reaction to his study is favorable, even from most of the PD legislators. All
of the thinkjars support his findings. He made conclusions that are correct.
They are conclusions that would be suspect if anyone else had made them."
"What happens to the report if he's murdered?"
Deng laughed. "Even if his murder were tied to the LR or to a PST-affiliated
multi, that would only strengthen the case for campaign reform."
"Do you think we should tell Alistar to hold off?"
"I should think not. DeVrai needs to be an example. But there should be no
ties to PST. If that cannot be managed, there should be none beyond Alistar,
and he should be discovered to have personal motivations."
"You're suggesting ... that if deVrai is that good...?"
Deng nodded.
Chapter65
On the occupational front, Friday was quiet. My few clients were all off
somewhere, taking long New
Year's weekends or just not bothering me. Even the news about the ISS
inspection faded quickly, so that by late morning there were only passing
mentions, even on All-News. I couldn't get the Bowes for the following
Wednesday, nor anyone else on Aliora's approved child-care list, because of
some charity ball.
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So I ended up calling Deidre and begging her to take the children. I stressed
it was for business reasons, not personal ones, which it was, if not exactly
as she would have expected, and she finally agreed.
Then I checked on Paula again, and Central Four assured me that she was
recovering as anticipated, as if recovering from shots and shrapnel could ever
be anticipated.
On the personal and child-care front, matters were not so quiet, especially
after I checked my link messages and found one from Southhills Academy, a
reminder from Charis's math teacher.
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