April 6: And What Goes Around (3 page)

"I take it he
had none of his own?" April asked.

"No, and he
wasn't married," Jeff said. "Which I was told was another reason he
might have been on the moon. You need to be married to advance past a certain
point in the USNA military or bureaucracy, and he was a lifelong bachelor. The
Armstrong Directorship wasn't considered a position that was on the track for advancement,
rather it was a dead end."

"Well that
Director is dead, so they don't have to worry about him anymore. And his
successor is living on Home now. I'm not sure at all who is running Armstrong
these days," April said.

"His name is
John Rewold, but I've never talked to him," Jeff said. "In fact I
don't think Heather has ever spoken to him directly. Last time she mentioned
him she said his secretary blew her off a couple times when she called so she
gave up and just sends an e-mail to his office if she needs to tell him
something."

"I can
understand why he'd be uncomfortable," April admitted. "Given the
history."

"I can
understand why he'd be
afraid
," Jeff said. "Given the
history."

Jeff pretty much cleaned off his plate which April found reassuring.

Annette used to
like rice. It had been an occasion treat and change of pace in their diet when
she was growing up in Armstrong, the North American moon base. When her family
escaped Armstrong and established residence in Central it became even rarer. In
Camelot it was the main source of calories. They still had a huge stockpile of
it from the Chinese. Like the peasants at home the administrators of the
Chinese base, she still couldn't pronounce its old name properly, had always
ordered a little more than they used and stockpiled the rest.

Even in the upper
classes hoarding was a deeper cultural instinct of the Chinese than they would
ever admit. Of course now it would stretch a lot further because the majority
of the residents had elected to return to China. There had only been a dozen
who chose to stay and that had removed so many absolutely essential people
another dozen had been sent with Annette to keep the base open. Four from
Central and six recruited easily from Armstrong and sworn to Heather.

It had been four
months now since the new Chinese government had decided a lunar base was
impossible to keep if they could not take armed ships past L1 and ceded it to
Jeff Singh. The other Earth powers had not seen that as an obstruction to
keeping a lunar presence, but the Chinese government had enough other troubles
at home right now without needing the negative cash flow of a base that didn't
really return anything but propaganda value. The prestige of scientific
achievement and demonstrating it to the rest of the world was less important
while there were still doubts about who was going to rule their homeland.

Back in China
there were not only recurrent pockets of trouble from those who did not favor a
new regime, or at least not
this
one, but every minority region on the
edges of their empire saw it as an opportunity to secede. Neighboring states
saw it as a chance to seize a little territory while their giant neighbor had
bigger problems. That would at least be a buffer against China's habit of nibbling
at their border when it did get its house in order. The chaos of civil war
meant the most important business in China right now was suddenly back to what
it had been for millennia, producing the same rice she was so tired of already.
It was suddenly much less abundant at home and more important again than a new
com pad, electric scooter or exports to the other Earth nations.

Annette had also
grown quickly used to the spaciousness of living under the surface of the moon
at Central instead of in prefabricated domes and huts like at Armstrong. If
anything the structures and amenities the Chinese enjoyed were inferior to what
the North Americans enjoyed. Her mom had assured her it wouldn't be long before
they tunneled deep enough for the walls not to need layers of foam and radiant
insulation. The rock itself would naturally be at a shirt-sleeves comfortable
temperature just a few kilometers deeper. She'd had no idea at the time that
she wouldn't see that happening because she was away administering Queen Heather's
new territory.

When she protested
she didn't have the experience to be an executive her mom, Dakota, and Queen
Heather had kindly but firmly pointed out that she was only a year and a few
weeks younger than Heather. They also were very candid in explaining that her
inexperience made her the best of several choices to send because they needed
the experienced people at Central.

The handful they
were sending along with her had specific technical jobs that would fully engage
them and no time for administrative tasks on the side. It was sort of bizarre
that being less qualified made her more available when there was a shortage of
experienced people but she hadn't been able to think of a reasonable argument
against it, sitting there with the queen and her mom. It still seemed a
conflict in her mind but they owed
everything
to Queen Heather and she
couldn't turn her down when obviously she needed
somebody
to do the job.

The advice Heather
had given her worked better than she ever imagined. Heather had pointed out
that her own experience was limited. She had considerable talent and ability
with electronic design, and her association with Jeff Singh had taught her a
lot about nanoelectronic fabrication, but she had no formal training in
governance. Annette had always enjoyed history and read much more of it than
was strictly necessary for her education. She still had a backlog of it to read
on her pad if she ever got a few hours free.

She had never
considered before, as Heather had explained, that many of history's rulers
didn't have the luxury of training for the job. Many of them were focused on
removing the previous regime and not all of them had any grand vision of what
they would put in place of it if they won. Sometimes they were good at fighting
but so unprepared to rule once they won that they did a worse job than the
tyrants they threw out. The worst of them didn't know when to stop fighting
since that was their only real talent.

Heather said that
there was seldom anything that needed an immediate decision. If it didn't
involve plugging an air leak, taking cover or shooting back, it could probably
wait a few hours. If it
was
that immediate people usually did what was
obviously needed without requiring coaching anyway. If she wasn't sure what to
do she could solicit opinions from the locals. Chances were
somebody
would have an idea what to do. The trick then being that the best choice wasn't
always what the majority wanted to do. But an outsider had an edge there in not
automatically wanting to do what had always been done, or what came easily to
their culture. They had chosen to stay after China abdicated and had no
reasonable expectation the new law of Heather's kingdom would resemble Chinese
law so she wasn't constrained that way. She could also tell folks she wanted to
take time to ponder it and most would take that for wisdom rather than
indecisiveness if she projected the proper demeanor. At worst she could use the
delay to call Heather and ask what to do, but she was warned not let it be a
daily habit.

The key point
Heather made was that Annette was acting with Heather's authority. Nothing she
did should undermine that authority. "You are my voice and hand in that
place. Act it," Heather ordered. She took her own weapon belt off and hung
it on Annette's hip. "You only keep what you can hold," she
demonstrated with a clutched fist. "You have the authority and mandate to
act for me. Demand respect as if it is
me
standing there. I will not
second guess you or recall you easily. It's not an easy task I'm sending you
on. I'm sending you as much for your personality as intelligence or any
experience," she confided. "Everybody tells me you are even tempered
and can admit it when you do make a mistake. I've come to value kind and calm
over even being smart in people. Smart is wasted on some folks."

"I'll get
another from Jeff," Heather said, when Annette objected to the extravagant
gift.

Annette had taken
Heather's warning about calling her to heart, calling her mom instead Heather a
couple times for advice. She'd only called Heather once when a couple had
decided to separate. Effectively to divorce, although they didn't have case law
or decree to deal with it then. They did now. The vehemence of their anger and
the irrational accusations of both parties left her doubting she could produce
a good judgment. Heather had counseled her that she probably wasn't going to
make both of them happy. "If either of them is satisfied by your justice
you've probably just found the reasonable one," Heather speculated. It
seemed to amuse her.

She'd found out
quickly neither were open to
any
agreement and their hatred was creating
problems for the entire community. Her settlement was first of all a written
decree of divorce. It was the first official document of which she had made and
signed hard copies to distribute instead of electronic communications or word
of mouth. The couple could also not come to any agreement about their property.
She had to instruct them to make a list of everything they owned, minus
personal clothing, or any items that were family heirlooms, and bring it back
to her. She conducted these proceedings in an open court with video saved to
the system so anybody could see how her justice worked. When they first
returned a list she had refused it. They had listed such things as a tea
service piece by piece. They hadn't known yet how she intended to use the list
and why that would never work. She patiently explained that things which were
not useful divided had to be listed as a set. The everyday plates and
silverware or cookware for example could be divided and still be useful to each
of them, but something with heavily aesthetic value like a tea service had to
remain together.

When they had a
proper list she informed them each would chose an item in turn until the list
was divided. Since neither wanted to give up first choice she flipped a coin
for it. It was painful to observe and took longer than it should have but
eventually they had everything divvied up. She refused to hear any arguments
about who brought more assets to the marriage or earned more and ordered them
to divide the cash they held in accounts back in China equally. They had formed
a partnership and she considered that put everything in one pot, so to speak.
If the chaos below precluded them doing that now they were ordered to do so
when it became possible.

"What about
our home?" the disgruntled husband asked, scowling.

"It is my
judgment, that your conflict though technically resolved will not end now given
your attitudes. You have both insisted on a public display that I doubt you
understand has left many in the community disgusted with
both
of you.
Your insistence others take sides has put others in untenable positions at
their work or in serving others in this downsized community. This has to end.
Therefore one of you must leave.

"I will
provide transportation to Central, any of the other moon colonies, or Home.
Points beyond those are at your own cost and pleasure. Whoever leaves will
forfeit any ownership of your home. There is no market for it yet or indeed any
way to value it at present. Unless you can show a willing buyer with a cash
offer
and
explain where and how the one remaining is going to live
without shelter, it passes undivided. The fact you recently gained ownership of
it was strictly a gift of your sovereign and Peer Singh. China in relinquishing
sovereignty over the base gave complete ownership to Peer Singh. He could have
as easily retained ownership of every square meter and structure and demanded
rent
of those who elected to stay."

"We are not
peasants!" the wife sneered.

Annette stifled
the urge to chose the woman for exile based on that remark alone. She took a
deep breath and calmed herself.

"Of the two,
does one have skills which would be more difficult to do without or
replace?" she asked the audience. There were six people physically present
since it was past main shift, all responsible workers, and several more
observing on the local net.

The one
administrator, Feng, who had stayed over from the Chinese administration was
acting as a manager now. He looked from one spouse to the other.

"Wo is a
heavy machinery mechanic. He works on the rovers and some of the stationary
equipment. It isn't that hard to recruit from Earth because except for some
details of lubrication and temperature extremes the basics are the same.
Training them for vacuum safety is a bigger issue. Chao-xing is a nurse. Of
necessity she is a nurse practitioner because our doctor went back. We still
need a doctor. Better yet a surgeon. I communicated that to Mr. Singh when I
agreed to stay." He looked very unhappy, but didn't come to any conclusion
or say more. Annette sensed there was much more he wasn't saying though.

"So, It
sounds as if we could do without a mechanic easier than a nurse. The rovers may
be vital to becoming economically viable but if there is nobody with medical
training that's a lack which might put us in personal danger. Right?"
Annette asked.

"No,"
Feng said, surprising her. "Most of what she can do that requires physical
presence several others can do who have had emergency medical training.
Stitching or gluing a minor wound, dispensing drugs. Many things can be done
with telepresense by a physician in which she could assist. However most any of
us could do the same with a little coaching. I'd hate to have to intubate
someone and even with the best waldos and stereo cameras I'd hate to see a
serious operation performed remotely, but I'd have a doc do that remotely
before I'd allow Chao-xing to cut me. But the real reason I don't want her
around is because she is political." He said the word with distaste.
"Politics is what divided her and her husband. Didn't you know?"

"Politics
concerns
me. The reasons for their break-up didn't. You might say politics is the only
reason why I'm here. I'd better hear in some detail
how
Chao-xing is
political. Are you opposed to my sovereign's rule?" Annette asked
Chao-xing, directly.

"I am not
interested or concerned with
your
politics," she answered,
radiating haughtiness. "When everything gets sorted out back home then
it's going to matter a great deal who we supported. And Chinese politics will
concern themselves with
you
and the moon again when they are not
distracted. A lot of these traitors will be dealt with then," she said.
She gave a significant look around the room, trying to be menacing.

"You,
Chao-xing, are banished from the Kingdom of Central," Annette said in a
clear loud voice, something that Dakota had shown her was important. "If
you show your face back here after your expulsion it will cost your life. However
I've decided I can't justify keeping either of you. I will make an exception
for you
and
your ex and promise you both passage clear to ISSII. There
is an official Chinese presence there and they can have the joy of you. I won't
inflict you on others."