David Brin: Sundiver

“This little imbroglio LaRoque and James were engaged in is a prime example of the problems we’ll face, unless a niche is found for them, so that they can feel they’re participating.”

“A niche. Islands. Space… good lord, man! You can’t be serious! Buy another colony and give it over to Probationers? When we’re still in hock up to our ears for the three we’ve got? You must be an optimist if you think that could pass!”

Jacob felt Helene’s hand slide into his own. He barely glanced at her, but the expression on her face was enough. Proud, alert, and just on the edge, as ever, of laughter. He twined his fingers with hers to cover the most area, and squeezed back.

“Yes,” he said to Nielsen, “I have become somewhat of an optimist, lately. And I think it could be done.”

“But where would we get the credit? And how do you salve the wounded egos of half a billion Citizens who want to colonize, when you’re giving space to non-Citizens?

“Hell, colonization wouldn’t work anyway. Even the Vesarius II will carry only ten thousand. There are almost a hundred million Probationers!”

“Oh not all of them will want to go, especially if they get a place on the islands as well. Besides, I’m sure all they’re looking for is fair treatment. A share. Our real problem is that there’s not enough colony room, or transport.”

Jacob smiled slowly. “Bat what if we could get the Library Institute to ‘donate’ the funds for a Class Four, colony, plus a few Orion type transports specially simplified for human crews.”

“How do you expect to persuade them to do that? They’re obligated to compensate us for Bubbacub’s hoax, but they’ll want to do it in a way that serves their purposes, like making us totally dependent on Galactic technology. In that they’d be supported by almost every race. What could make them change the form of their reparations?”

Jacob spread his hands. “You forget, we now have something they’ll want… something very precious that the Library Institute can’t do without. Knowledge!” — Jacob reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper.

“This is a ciphered message I received a little while ago from Millie Martine on Mercury. She’s still restricted to a chair, but they wanted her back there so badly that they let her travel over a month ago.

“She says that full dives have been resumed in active regions. She’s already been down once, in charge of the effort to re-establish contact with the Solarians. So far she’s been able to avoid telling the Feds much about what she’s found, waiting instead to confer with Fagin and myself.

“Contact has been made. The Solarians talked to her. They are lucid and have a very long memory.”

“Incredible,” Nielsen sighed. “But I’m getting the impression you think this will have political implications relating to the problems we’ve discussed here?”

“Think about it. The Library will believe they can force us to take reparations on their terms. But if it’s handled right we can blackmail them into giving us what we want instead.

“The fact that the Solarians are talkative and can remember the distant past — Millie hints that they remember dives into the Sun by ancient sophonts, so long ago that they might have been the Progenitors themselves — means that we have found a prize of unprecedented proportions.

“It means that the Library must try to find out everything they can about them. It also means that this discovery will get a great deal of publicity.”

Jacob grinned.

“It’ll be complicated. First we’ve got to play to the impression they already have that Sundiver is one big fiasco. Get them to assign us a Library Investigation Patent to the Sun. They’ll imagine it will only make us look more idiotic. When they realize what we have, they’ll have to buy it from us at our price!

“We’ll need Fagin’s help to finesse it properly, plus all of the savvy of the Alvarez clan and the cooperation of you Terragens people, but it can be done. Uncle Jeremy, in particular, will be glad to know that I’m going to dust off my long dormant skills and get involved in ‘dirty polities’ for a while, to help.”

James laughed. “Just wait til your cousins heat! I can see them shuddering already!”

“Well tell them not to worry. No, I’ll tell- them myself when Jeremy calls a family council on this. I’m going to make certain that this whole mess is settled within three years. After that I’m retiring from politics, permanently.

“You see, I’ll be going on a long trip about then.”

Helene let out a small gasp and pressed her fingernails into his thigh. Her expression was indescribable.

“One thing I’m going to insist on,” he said to her, wondering if he could, or wanted to, suppress the urge to laugh or the roaring in his ears. “We’ll have to find a way to take along at least one dolphin. Her limericks are awfully dirty; but they may buy us supplies in a few ports while we’re out there.”