John Ringo - There Will Be Dragons

“What are you going to do?” Rachel asked, trying to absorb that her friend was going to be declared an independent adult when she, Rachel, still had at least two years to go. It just wasn’t fair!

“Have fun, what else?” Marguerite said. “Rach, I’ve got to circulate some more, we’ll talk later? Hi Herzer, bye Herzer.”

“Sure, any time,” Rachel said as she wandered off.

She looked around and realized that Marguerite wasn’t the only one who was wandering off. Gothoriel had disappeared as well. Entirely, as if he’d ported or discorporated.

But Herzer was still there. Of course.

“Wow, that was intense,” Herzer said, letting out a breath.

“I thought you and Marguerite got along better than a hi and bye,” Rachel said.

“She started to get… less friendly when my illness got really advanced,” Herzer said, a muscle working in his chin. “Most people got more distant when it got bad,” he continued, looking down at her.

Rachel nodded her head and looked at the ground. “I know, that includes me. It was just… too weird. I couldn’t handle it. And for that I’m sorry.”

“Try living it,” Herzer said with a sigh and no sign of forgiving her. “At least I have friends again. It’s been a long time.”

“You talking about McCanoc?” Rachel asked warily.

“Yes,” Herzer said. “He’s been a true friend to me, even when I was sick. Oh, he can be… sarcastic at times…”

Rachel thought that there was probably more than simple sarcasm behind that quiet statement. From what she knew about McCanoc, he would have great fun with a crippled, emotionally wounded young man around. Every twitch, trip or limp would elicit a sardonic look or a snigger from one of his lackeys.

“Herzer,” she said, not sure how to proceed. “You know, there are a lot of people who don’t… care for Dionys.”

“I know,” Herzer said in reply. “He told me about it. There are always people that just want to keep the status quo and don’t want true genius upsetting the routine. All those stupid kings of this and barons of that, none of them were ready for the true revolution that Dionys represents! Do you know what his ultimate plan is?”

“No,” Rachel said, “but…”

“He wants to become King of Anarchia! He intends to raise an army among those in this world and train them to take over Anarchia. That way he can rule it in peace and plenty, as Charles the Great did nearly a century ago. But he won’t abandon the people back into anarchy!”

“Herzer,” Rachel said, shaking his arm. “Listen to me. It’s not that he is a revolutionary. That’s not why people don’t like him. It’s because he’s an evil, bullying son of a bitch! And if you want to get on my dad’s side, you’d better forget you ever heard of Dionys McCanoc!”

“That’s bullshit, Rachel,” Herzer said, setting his jaw. “Sure, he can be a bit sharp from time to time, but he’s a genius. And a visionary! People like that always tend to be a bit snappish. And it’s always considered to be rude until after they’re dead and then they are recognized for their genius. That’s all that’s going on.”

“Herzer…”

“You’re just trying to separate me from friends that accepted me when you threw me out!” Herzer snarled, warming to the subject. “These people didn’t turn back my calls or send messages giving me excuses why they couldn’t come over! They like me. They liked me when I was sick !”

“So they could have a cripple around to torment!” Rachel nearly shouted. “McCanoc is evil, Herzer. He may act like your friend, but he just wants you for something.”

“That’s it, I’m not listening to any more,” Herzer said. “You can think what you want. You’ll see!”

“I’m afraid I will,” Rachel said softly as he strode away. “Genie, let’s go home.”

“Define ‘coup’ in this case,” Edmund said seriously.

Sheida took some time explaining Paul’s position and plans. At the end of the explanation she shrugged and picked up her lizard, twining it around her neck.

“He is… unpersuasible. He has decided that it is his life’s work to return the world to a condition of… growth. Both population growth and growth in thought and deed.”

“And you think that’s he’s going to do… what?” Talbot said, taking a sip of wine. He half wished that it were water instead; this was definitely going to need a clear head.

“I think that he intends to try to seize the Keys. At least enough to give him a voting block that is unbeatable. Then he’ll implement his Plan. And, yes, there’s a capital there.”

“What fun,” Talbot said with a grimace. “The Keys are still under that archaic ‘finder’s keeper’s rule?”

“Unfortunately. Whoever holds the Key, votes the Key. That’s locked in to the kernel coding of Mother.”

“But you’re all protected by personal protection fields,” Talbot said. “So… how does he take the Keys away?”

“The PPFs were implemented with a very small majority,” Sheida said worriedly. “If he has the Demon voting with him he can turn them off.”

“But can’t he do that at any time?” Edmund asked. “I mean, they could already be off.”

“Can’t, has to be an official Council vote. And all persons voting have to be present . Those protocols are not quite hard-wired, but strong enough that he can’t overcome them without a nearly full Council. Unless the Council is officially in dispute. And we’re not. Yet.”

“And are you telling me there are no assassination protocols in place?”

“Timing Edmund, timing,” she sighed. “The personal protection technologies came about when there were still physical threats, and secondary defenses. But in time things became so… safe, so placid that the other defenses were removed as unnecessary and even… uncomfortable. And there used to be checks and balances, governments and police forces that were independent of the Council and the Net who could overcome such a threat; if the Council ever tried to assert real and direct authority when, say, the IU was still around, it would get slapped down fast enough.”

“I sort of stopped paying attention to history when the last B-4 was decommissioned,” Edmund said with a laugh. “It was the official end, wasn’t it.”

“Well, we might be ready to restart it. But, I mean, we’re all there is left of government. Most people don’t realize how impossible that is, historically, but you do! God knows we’ve had enough rows about it.”

“I know,” Edmund said, his jaw flexing. “A bunch of self-appointed dictators. I’ve never been happy with it. But I didn’t realize that the margin of security was so thin . That’s insane!”

“No one has tried to… there have been no conflicts, Edmund,” she sighed. “We’re all so smug and happy and warm and cozy that there’s no threat . Oh, yes, at a personal level there are still threats. People have fights. But that gets resolved with the fields. Or two people agree to drop them. But that sort of thing is for… children, either physically or mentally. We don’t have physical fights at the level of the Council and have not since… well there used to be guards and… weapons and… things…”

“Christ,” Edmund sighed. “So you think that Paul is going to try to, what, kill you? Then take your Key and give it to someone else to vote? He’ll have to have people ready to take the Keys and vote them, right? He can’t vote them himself.”

“One person, one vote, no influence,” Sheida said. “Yes, Mother would know if they were being controlled and simply count it as a non-vote.”