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The competition has ended. The audience was rather disappointed about the
anticlimax, but Bida needs leadership now. According to intelligence picked
up by Vantu Hidayat’s ship, the black holes that kept appearing throughout
Tau Ceti space, and once in the atmosphere, were not accidental. They were
sent by some mysterious enemy. Van assures the people of this planet that
they weren’t even the target, but just got caught in the proverbial
crossfire. He also says that the attacks will stop now that the real target
has been moved to a new location. He seems to be right about that...for now.
Tamerlane Pryce is not entirely convinced. He does not claim to know who
this enemy is, but one which would be willing to wipe out tens of millions
of people without even a hint of diplomacy is a permanent threat. It’s hard
to argue with his logic. This world technically has a central government,
but it operates like the wild west in many respects. Many families, and even
individuals, live on homesteads, or wander around as nomads. They don’t need
true governance most of the time, which is why the First Axiom’s primary
responsibility is mediating minor land disputes.
There is no Axiom of Foreign Affairs. There’s an Axiom of Eggs, who handles
eyren exports, but the star system is protected by a small fleet of
Teaguardians. And they’re mostly not even Bidans. Out of all protected
worlds, the ships here are manned by the fewest number of local conscripts,
and in fact, Thālith al Naʽāmāt Bida has no other permanent population in
orbit. If you’re here, it’s because you want to live on the surface. If you
want to live in space, well, you can do that anywhere, such as Sol or Vega.
Jande and Tamerlane have a meeting today with all of the Axioms, but Jande
wants to meet with one in particular ahead of time. The Safety Department is
the closest thing this planet has to a police force. Theoretically, if a
crime were to be committed, they would step up to investigate and process,
but it’s just so hard to break a law. There aren’t many to break. Even if
someone had a predilection for murder, the victim’s mind would simply
transfer to a backup, allowing them to accuse the attacker right away. Most
residents want to be left alone so they stay out of trouble too. That’s kind
of the name of the game here. Bida isn’t for everyone. It’s mostly for
individualists.
“What can I do for you, Superintendent?” Axiom of Safety Anso Merritt asks.
“Hm.” Jande narrows his eyes just a little. “I’ve spoken with a few other
civil servants already. There is always at least a hint of sarcasm in the
way they address me.”
“Well...” Anso begins. “This is Thālith al Naʽāmāt Bida. We’re a well-oiled
machine. Many of my compatriots might think they earned their spot by
dedicating their lives to it, but no one lasts more than a couple decades,
and there’s very little work to be done anyway. Maybe they feel threatened
by you, like you’re about to fire them all.”
“I assure you, I have no intention of removing anyone from duty,” Jande says
sincerely. “There were two positions to backfill, they were backfilled.
That’s all for now.”
Anso nods. “All I’m saying, even if you did drain the swamp, so to speak, it
would be no big deal. Everything is temporary. Even you and I, we are only
droplets in the River of Creation. We splash into the air for a brief
moment, but then we return to the mixture. We still exist, just not as
distinct individuals.” He smiles. “Atomah welcomes.”
He speaks of the creator god of this planet, as conceived in the most common
religion here. Atomah leapt into an impossibly deep and impossibly fast
river, which triggered the creation of the star system, or something like
that. Jande doesn’t believe, so he’s not too familiar. Though, religion and
science live together in harmony on Bida, which he appreciates on principle.
Most think the reason Bidans were able to return to religion was because
enough science had been explored, with all meaningful daily friction being
surmountable if so desired. It’s not about using metaphor to explain
something that already has an explanation. It’s about creating comforting
stories while not worrying about the true, mundane structure supporting it
underneath. Some require more of that comfort to face the infinite expanse
of time that lies before them in their now immortal lives. It’s why
Ersence’s people are godless. They need science more than anyone, because in
their fragile mortal bodies, it is only science which can keep them alive
literally.
Anso smiles warmly. “I see that I have engendered a moment of
introspection.”
Jande shakes it off, and for some reason, doesn’t want Anso to know it’s
true, so he skips to the takeaway. “I did not realize you were such a
religious man. I recognize your ability to do your job as it stands.
Protecting others is the highest calling, and I don’t need a god to believe
that. What I need is someone who is willing to take things a step further.
There has been no war in this galaxy for hundreds of years. I fear that time
is coming to an end. We in the stellar neighborhood all love and accept each
other, even amidst persistent struggle, but as vonearthans expand, and time
marches ever forwards, our values diverge. We may be on the precipice of a
new era.”
“The interstellar enemy,” Anso agrees. “None has existed before.”
“That’s right,” Jande confirms. “There have always only been eleven Axioms
on Bida. It’s almost sacred. I’m not sure whether it’s best to add a new
department entirely to strategize against this new threat, or ask one of the
others to pick up more responsibilities. You would be the obvious choice,
but an aversion to violence—”
“Would not be tolerated in an Axiom of War,” Anso interrupts.
“I was thinking maybe Axiom of Defense. It’s not the same.”
Anso sits down, leans back, and relaxes. “You’re right. I would not be a
good fit for the job. My current position has traditionally been more of an
afterthought than a necessity, unlike the Axioms of Energy or Conservation.
I have been doing this for a little over a decade now. That’s long enough.
Unless you think this unseen enemy could stoke internal distrust among our
people, I say shutter Safety, and add Defense. And use that opportunity to
appoint a new Axiom. I don’t know the scope of your power. Can you declare
it unilaterally, or would you only manage the election?”
“My understanding is that I get to choose,” Jande answers. “I’m still
reading through the handbook. It’s a little...dated.”
“Well, if it’s easier, I can resign. Then it becomes my fault you have to
find someone new, and since it will be vacant anyway, you can tell the
people that the title and job description are changing along with it. Timing
is everything. If you already have a plan, it will look like you conspired
to get rid of me, but if you take forever to create it, you could look
incompetent. We’ll keep talking before my blind suicide.”
“Blind suicide?” Jande questions.
“Yeah, you don’t select a substrate to transition to. You basically send
your mind into the quantum network, and it transfers you somewhere
pseudorandomly.”
“Hmm.” Jande reflects on the past. “Is there any way to tell if someone did
that?”
