It was a beautiful day for a wedding. Capella shone high in the sky and the weather was quite warm, almost 285 K. The bride was stunning in her full length and flowing white gown. Her veil and train were richly embroidered lace. The high neck of the gown itself was done in lace to match the veil, as were her gloves. As was the custom, none of the skin of the virginal bride was to be seen on this day by anyone other than the groom.
It was 2800 hours, just three hours past midday, in the year 84 post planet fall. The first sleep period had not been restful for the bride and groom, nor for most of the wedding party. Much was left to be done, and, despite 250 Earth years on the planet, it was still hard for some people to sleep while a sun was shining, especially if there was excitement afoot. Of course, the bride and groom were expected to be engaged in activities other than sleep during the second sleep period, but too much thought about such things was not considered proper.
Back on Earth, it was just about 330 years since they took off on their 80 year journey of colonization. The planet, Capella-p2, or just P2 to the human inhabitants, was a dark and cold place. Most of its 15,000 inhabitants live on New Australia and New Saudia, two continents whose land mass is centered very nearly on the equator. The only city is New Gaia, on New Saudia, which has some 8,500 citizens. The remaining 6,500 either live on farms or in the smaller villages on the two populated continents. A handful of researchers and explorers spend much of their time in the "temperate" zones, but maintain residences in New Gaia.
The planet itself is somewhat like Earth. It is a bit smaller, with gravity at .87g, and the atmosphere is thinner, but with a higher oxygen content. The planet is geologically active, although vulcanism and destructive seismic activity are rare. About 40% of the surface of the planet is water in the form of saline oceans, although there are very large ice caps at either pole. The land surface is spread out on 9 continents, each taking the form of a very large island. The sun is a yellow giant, and it radiates more energy that the sun, but the planet is about 2 astronomical units from the sun. Compared to the Sun back on Earth, it seems a bit dark and the ambient light is only about two-thirds as bright as the noon Sun back on Earth. Thus, the weather is fairly cool. Indeed, the average daily temperature in the "temperate" zones of planet P2 is about 250 degree K, or about 10 degrees below 0 F. Only near the equator can humans live fairly comfortably, and there the average temperature is about 280 K, or about 45 degrees F.
The P2 day is long, approximately 50 earth hours. The year is also very long, 523.2 local days, which is about 1090 Earth days or about 3 standard earth years. Long ago, the colonists had adopted a 50 hour day, with two sleep periods. The year had been divided into ten demonths, each of 52 or 53 days. Every five years, a leap day was added to the second demonth, although this decision was purely arbitrary.
To date, no indigenous life more complicated than algae, fungus and bacteria had been found. Since these life forms were potentially harmful to humans, and because there was so many of them, much research had been devoted to their biology. To date, other than a tendency to cause an allergic reaction among about five percent of the humans, no real danger had been found. Indeed, the chief discomforts came in the form of imported viruses and bacteria that had flown with the colonists on the trip out, despite heroic attempts to avoid just that outcome.
The bride and groom had been thoroughly tested and found to be fertile and genetically compatible under the provisions of P2 genetic law. Additionally, they had agreed to bear at least one child using an embryo from the archives, as was their obligation to diversity. As was the custom, they would be allowed 10 menstrual cycles to conceive in the old fashioned way first. The details of their efforts to do so would be known only to themselves and their physician. Too much speculation by outsiders about such matters was not considered proper.
Tiffany and George were understandably excited. They had waited for this day for several demonths. While the young couple was fully 8 P2 years old, they were from New Gaia, where the laxness about the genetic laws that was common in the outlying areas did not exist. Each was a virgin and terribly anxious about the second sleep period.
The presiding physician, Dr. Masters, looked at the bride and groom fiercely over bushy dark eyebrows as he began with the familiar litany, "We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two unique individuals in marriage. Marriage is a long respected institution in human society, and forms the foundation on which the family unit that is the basic building block of society is constructed. I have examined the two candidates and hereby certify that they are possessed of sufficient genetic diversity so that this proposed union would be legal within the genetic laws of the planet Capella-p2. Their procreation will not perpetuate any harmful recessive traits in our gene pool. They have also certified to me under oath that they will honor their duty to increase the diversity of that gene pool by harboring an embryo from the genetic depository archives.
"At this point, it is time for you, Tiffany Amber Feinman, and for you, George Allen Teller, to certify before this assembly, and before the makers of the genetic laws by which our survival as a colony is guaranteed, that you will abide by the obligations entailed in marriage. Do you, Tiffany Amber Feinman, affirm that you are not related to George Allen Teller within 3 degrees of consanguinity?"
Tiffany shook her long blond tresses and whispered, "I do"
"Do you, George Allen Teller, affirm that you are not related to Tiffany Amber Feinman within 3 degrees of consanguinity?"
George spoke up firmly, "I do"
"Do you, Tiffany Amber Feinman, verify before this assembly and under oath, binding under the genetic laws of Capella-p2, that you will allow the implantation of an embryo from the genetic depository archives into your womb, and that you will carry the fetus to term, deliver it and raise it as your very own?"
Tiffany gather her composure, "I do"
"Do you, George Allen Teller, verify before this assembly and under oath, binding under the genetic laws of Capella-p2, that you will support Tiffany as she endures her pregnancy after the implantation of an embryo from the genetic depository archives, and that you will raise the child as your own?"
George affirms strong and in a loud voice, "I will, sir."
"Do you Tiffany Amber Feinman, affirm that you will endeavor with full effort to increase the population of Capella-p2 by bearing at least three children, and that you will cooperate fully with any medical intervention to conceive a child should natural efforts to do so prove unproductive? And do you further affirm, that should you be unable to conceive children with George, that you will allow the implementation of a additional embryos from the genetic depository archives and raise the child as your own?"
Tiffany swallowed and said, "I do"
"Do you, George Allen Teller, affirm that you will attempt to impregnate Tiffany, and that, should these efforts not prove productive, that you will cooperate fully in any medical intervention to conceive a child with Tiffany? Do you further vow, should efforts to conceive prove unsuccessful, to allow Tiffany to carry additional embryos from the genetic depository archives to term, and to raise these children as your own?"
George solemnly vowed, "I do."
"Tiffany, repeat after me. I, Tiffany Amber Feinman, do hereby declare my intention to enter into a marriage contract with George Allen Teller."
"I, Tiffany Amber Feinman, do hereby declare my intention to enter into a marriage contract with George Allen Teller."
"I agree to love and honor him, keeping myself only to him, and to collaborate fully with him in creating a family."
"I agree to love and honor him, keeping myself only to him, and to collaborate fully him with in creating a family."
"And I make this solemn commitment for life."
"And I make this solemn commitment for life."
"George, repeat after me. I, George Allen Teller, do hereby declare my intention to enter into a marriage contract with Tiffany Amber Feinman."
"I, George Allen Teller, do hereby declare my intention to enter into a marriage contract with Tiffany Amber Feinman."
"I agree to love and honor her, keeping myself only to her, and to collaborate fully with her in creating a family."
"I agree to love and honor her, keeping myself only to her, and to collaborate fully with her in creating a family."
"And I make this solemn commitment for life."
"And I make this solemn commitment for life."
Dr. Masters looked both George and Tiffany in the eyes and smiled a big broad smile. He said, "By the powers invested in me by the planetary government of Capella-p2, I hereby declare that you are husband and wife. You may engage in a mutual show of affection."
George lifted Tiffany's veil and kissed her chastely. They then turned and faced the crowd, who responded with a rousing cheer. George and Tiffany said together, as was the custom, "Thank you all for coming. Please join us in our first meal together, in the reception hall of the hospital."
Then, as had been customary for centuries, they walked down the aisle between the assembled guests to the strains of music by a man named Mendelssohn.
As they greeted their guests in the reception hall, they overheard snippets of conversations from the guests.
"A beautiful ceremony -- Masters was in fine form today."
"Such a lovely couple -- both so tall and both with such lovely blond hair."
"She was a beautiful bride -- they should have such gorgeous children."
"I thought the lace around the neckline was a little daring. You could almost see her neck!"
Over in one corner of the room, George's uncle Richard, a researcher who had come in from the South Temperate Expedition on New Iceland snorted to himself, "All this legal hogwash has ruined the institution of marriage. I would never submit to it myself."
Dr. Masters overheard the comment and decided the address it. "You would be George's uncle . . . Ricard is it?"
"Richard, and don't call me Dick."
"Very well, Mr. Teller . . ."
"Dr. Teller to you, thank you." Richard was very conscious of his Ph.D. in Geology and hated the fact that medical doctors generally refused to call people with the Ph.D. degree, "doctor."
Very well, Dr. Teller, you speak rather loosely in criticism of the genetic law. I would caution you that overt sedition was a luxury tolerated in only a very few old Earth societies. Our colony is far too fragile to allow for anarchists to threaten the viability of the population."
Richard fixed his eyes firmly in those of this very powerful man. He knew that this senior physician had both civil and criminal enforcement powers. He knew also that one did not get such power unless one were very conservative in matters of sexuality and the law. He said in his most sincere voice, "I meant no disrespect or sedition, sir, and I fully well understand the implications of the type of anarchic mating that took place back on Earth. I am a loyal citizen."
"See that you stay that way, and see that too much exposure to radicals in the periphery does not corrupt your mind."
As the Doctor turned sharply on his heel to leave, Richard thought to himself, "I am a fool to have uttered a seditious thought out loud. Too many lives are at risk. I must learn to curb my tongue."
The lives at risk were the thousand or so members of the Freedom Alliance, a group devoted to wresting control of P2 society away from the physicians. Taking their clues from the Libertarians and social liberals of 20th century America on Earth, the Freedom Alliance wanted a society in which people had freedom to define the term family in a wide variety of ways, a society in which sexuality was not so repressed, and a society in which humans were not, in the words of their founder, Jocelyn Ireland, "bred like cattle."
Later that day, during second sleep, as George and Tiffany were trying to make sense of the training that they had been given in school and by Dr. Masters during the mandatory pre-nuptial counseling, Richard Teller sat in his automated transport vehicle as it slowly worked its way south back to his work site in Athens settlement, New Iceland. He dozed fitfully, but the error that he had made earlier in the day haunted him. When humans left Earth for Capella some 250 Earth years ago, in the year 2431 AD, the group that had been selected had come from a variety of ethnic groups. Those 50 fertile couples, and the 5,000 frozen embryos, had been carefully selected for genetic diversity and robustness. Taller and stronger individuals were favored, and there was a distinct European bias in the selection process. Given that the mission was financed primarily by the European Union and the United States, this was not surprising, although a bit hypocritical. The mission planners did not fully anticipate the effects of the 80 year journey on the social order, and they did not fully take into account the effects of the journey on the genetic material held in the embryos and in the people themselves. Sure, they knew about the background radiation in space outside of the protection of Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field, but they did not fully anticipate the gamma radiation being emitted by the fusion drive itself. The superthin, superdense shields, effective in tests on Earth, had not held up over time. As a result, the first years after planet fall on Capella-p2 had been terror filled. Despite the fact that supply ships had arrived regularly for the next 20 years, the genetic success of the colony was in jeopardy. A man named Arthur Goddard had even gone so far as to carve the word "Roanoke" in 5 meter high letters on a rocky plateau in the desert in the inland part of New Saudia. Once it was revealed to the mission leader what the reference was, Mr. Goddard was executed. Thus began an authoritarian state.
Since it was the physicians who ultimately convinced the colonists that a strategy of careful breeding was necessary to preserve the genetic viability of the populace, it was they who gained political control. Given that it was about 90 years between sending "hello, how are you" to Earth and getting back in reply "we are fine, thank you," the democratic political traditions that had been in place among the nations that sent the colonists forth faded quickly.
A small group of dissidents never liked the idea of selective breeding of humans. In the 7th Demonth of the year 25 pp, or post planet fall, Jocelyn Ireland had gone public with her concerns. Her group had attempted to influence the Colonial Council to limit the power of the physicians, and to draw up a formal Constitution that would serve the needs of a growing population for the next few centuries. A constitutional convention was called, but it was controlled by the physicians and the resulting document created an oligarchy of physicians. There is still a Colonial Council, but its powers are limited. For the most part, the 9 members serve as ombudsmen for their constituents. The real power is centered in the senior administration of the P2 hospital.
Jocelyn Ireland had been given a spot on the Colonial Council for her efforts, and never made any significant splash in public affairs after that, but behind the scenes, she founded a group which she called the Freedom Alliance. Its original efforts were focused on the preservation of the basic political theories on which her protest had been based. She wrote out her own Freedom Alliance Credo, and several members of the group sought to write down what they knew about various political ideologies, most of them remembered from the Western Civilization courses virtually everyone had to take in college. The Colonial Library's database had soft copies of many of the great works of philosophy, law and social theory, but members of the Freedom Alliance found that the ravages of the journey and time had been especially hard on the social science areas of the database.
The group stayed underground for fear of retaliation and continued, over the next 55 years, to focus on the preservation of ideas, but a new and more radical group had come to control the Alliance in the year 80 pp. Several settlements had come to be governed by more liberal factions with ties to the Alliance, and the differences in these settlements and New Gaia were profound. Women were wearing fashions inspired by the late twentieth century, at least while inside. Fornication was fashionable among single adults. Persons of the opposite sex sharing living quarters became more popular. And the senior administrator of the Capella-p2 hospital, Johan Pauling, was publicly calling for a return to morality in the provinces. In private, efforts were being made to increase central control of the physicians who served these settlements. When a physician was told to "clean up" a town, he or she either did so, or was reassigned to a job in the pathology labs in New Gaia.
As the 16 hour journey came to a close, Richard thought about Lilian Marino, his significant other. He feared for her safety because of her radical ideas, her work as a popular musician, and mostly because of her leadership role in the Alliance. He yearned to see her naked flash as she greeted him at the door of their domicile, and he knew he would soon see her in just that way, since she was an avowed nudist who never wore clothes in private unless she was cold. He also thought about Julia Anthony, the current leader of the alliance, and he wondered if he might have triggered closer inspection of his life, and, by association, of these two women, by his intemperate remark made at the wedding reception. Perhaps because of these thoughts, his joy at greeting Lilian was all the greater. She seemed to sense his emotional agitation and their lovemaking was especially tender this time.
Dr. Beckman Masters made his way from the wedding reception to his office in the central administration building at Capella-p2 hospital at about 35 hours and contemplated what he had heard from Richard Teller, and what he knew about the Athens settlement on New Iceland from which Teller was basing his exploration of that continent. He had heard stories that some of the provinces were engulfed by a fashion for nostalgia, and that some settlements honored 20th century America. At parties, alcohol was consumed, a local algae that had hallucinogenic properties was often consumed, something called "rock" music was played, women and men wore revealing clothes. All this deviance, especially the sexual deviance of showing skin which should not be shown, often led into forbidden sexual encounters. These barbaric settlements needed to be controlled. This type of hedonism could easily upset the delicate genetic balance of the colony. After all, survival depended on maximizing the diversity of the gene pool, and on making doubly sure that no harmful traits were perpetuated in the population. He decided that he needed a conference with Director Pauling. He called, and despite the late hour, only 5 hours left until second sleep, found the Director in his office. He walked down the hall, and took the private elevator, to which only 20 or so people on the planet had access, up to Pauling's office.
As he entered Pauling's office, he stopped in deference and waited to be recognized.
"Thank you for your attention, colleague," came the standard greeting.
Masters replied, as was expected, "I came to consult with you on a case of importance, a man named Richard Teller, whom I suspect to be a member of the Freedom Alliance"
"Come and sit down and let us have some coffee and you can tell me about Richard Teller, then." Pauling motioned Masters to a sofa with a caduceus embroidered in the middle of the back rest. "Tell me what you have found out about this suspected Alliance member."
"Thank you, sir."
"Cream or sugar?"
"Black will be just fine, thank you." Masters was well aware of Pauling's scorn of anyone who took cream or sugar in their coffee. He continued, "As you well know, the stories about the sexual deviance in the provinces are disturbing, and, if true, threaten the very existence of our fragile colony. Teller is an explorer working out of the settlement of Athens, New Iceland. At the wedding reception of his nephew (I presided over the wedding), I heard Teller say that he would never allow himself to submit to the required vows of marriage. We have long suspected that he was a loner who was a prime recruit for the alliance, but we have no real proof. He spoke sedition and this justifies us in investigating him further. I think we need to send someone out to New Iceland to keep track of him."
"Who is our physician in their settlement . . . what it is called again?"
"Athens, sir, and the physician is James Crick, young, on his first assignment, but considered to be reliable."
"Have we talked with Dr. Crick about this matter?"
"No, sir. I am not sure that he is experienced enough to entrust this matter to him. He may be, and we have no negative reports on him, but he has been there for two years and sometimes physicians "go native" when they get sent to the periphery on their first assignment. They grow out of it when they get a little more experience with the kinds of medical problems caused by a lack of self-discipline."
"What do you suggest then?"
"We need a trusted and experienced operative on the scene, sir. We need a good spy."
"Anyone in particular you have in mind?"
"Gloria Loren, sir. She is a most unusual case. She works for the . . ."
"I know her well. Why her?"
"Because she will be willing to stomach doing what must be done to gain the trust of the deviants."
Gloria Loren worked for Consortium of Entertainers, a group not well regarded by the physicians who ran the colony. She was well known as an artist who had, in her youth, painted nudes and espoused some rather dissident ideas about sexuality. She had been married and had born three children with her husband, all with birth defects. The child she bore from the archives was normal. She later found out that her husband had falsified his records and that he was a carrier of a genetic anomaly that was responsible for the birth defects. His punishment had been to kill the defective children himself, with his bare hands. He was then prosecuted and executed for murder, but not before the physician who had falsified the records had been identified as an Alliance member. The physician was also executed.
Gloria's hatred of the Alliance brought her to the attention of the physicians, who decided that she would make a good operative. She was given a cover as an agent in the Consortium of Entertainers, and even grew to like marketing art and music. She was chosen for this assignment because she had a willingness to engage in sex as part of the job. She even found it titillating. This made her fit in well with alliance members because they believed her to be a kindred spirit. It also made her an outcaste within her own government.
Gloria's mission briefing with Director Pauling was a bit tense, since neither liked the other. Pauling summed up, "You are to go to the periphery, the town of Athens, New Iceland, with the cover of recruiting musical acts for New Gaia. While there, you will make the acquaintance of and befriend Richard Teller and his associates. You will use any means necessary to accomplish this mission." His eyes glowered at her as he said that phrase, "any means necessary." She returned the scrutiny with a cat-like smile, just to let him know that she might even enjoy that part of it and to make sure that he was properly irritated by her pleasure. Pauling finished, "Once you have identified the members of the Alliance in that area, you will come back here and report to me. You can even hire a few music groups and bring them here if you wish, so as to maintain your cover. We will then make our move against the scum."
Gloria, a handsome woman of 14 years, batted her long eyelashes at Pauling and stared at him with her large dark eyes. "I fully understand the assignment," she said. "I will free up my schedule and depart in three days for Athens." As she got up to leave, she purposely lifted her skirt just a little to show him a bit of knee, and then dropped her purse so that she could bend over to pick it up right in front of him. She just loved to see him squirm in discomfort and could not resist teasing him this way. She knew that she was very attractive and that she could never move up any higher in this society because she was a woman. She also knew that she was possessed of skills that are valued in a police state -- the willingness to be deviant in order to fight deviance. Thus, she knew she could get away with a great deal and she could not abide this pompous ass who had just sent her out to identify people for assassination. Pauling turned a bit red in the face and then roughly told her to leave the office and not to report back until the assignment was over. After she left, he muttered to himself, "I will be glad when there is no place for a brazen huzzie like that in a morally upright world."
After a sixteen hour journey, she arrived at the Athens Clinic at about 4100 and took possession of a guest house. It had only one small window and very thick walls. All the better for her purposes. She stretched and looked in the bathroom to check out the fixtures. The bathtub looked inviting and she was stiff from the long journey. Making sure that she turned off her personal cam recorder, she undressed and soaked in a hot bath. After a while, she began to stroke herself on her chest and belly. Gradually she moved her hands down and pleasured herself, in anticipation of the seductions to come. As she reached climax she thought, "just being in the periphery makes me feel free and sexy." Later, as she lay in bed, she planned her day tomorrow and distractedly read a novel in which the hero was a physician who discovered a ring of genetic material thieves and managed to outwit them by superior detective work. As she fell asleep she remembered a quote from old Earth and decided that this novel, like the book referred to in the quote, was also not to be "tossed aside lightly."
The next morning, Gloria undertook to contact the first of the bands, a group known as BlueGreen Rush. The group featured, she had been told, a selection of covers of centuries old popular songs, heavy on guitar, bass and drums. The lead singer of the group was a woman named Lilian Marino, and the demonstration recording was sufficient to send Director Pauling running for earplugs. The music was very loud and primitive sounding, with lots of pounding bass and drums, simple melody lines, and screamingly loud high pitched vocals. The costumes of the band were acceptable in that all the essential parts were covered, but the tie-dyed designs and the tight fitting shirt that Lilian wore were a bit too much for New Gaia. Lilian answered the call pleasantly enough, but without video connection. Yes, she would be glad to meet Gloria later that day in the hospital lounge, during her meal break. In fact, the band was playing at a local establishment before second sleep that day and Gloria should come to see and hear it.
At 1300, Gloria and Lilian met in the hospital lounge. When they shook hands, Gloria gave an especially firm grip, the better to seat in the tiny little audio recorder in Lilian's palm. Lilian only noticed a bit of an itch in her palm, and thought nothing of it.
Gloria began, "My name is Gloria Loren and I work for the New Gaia Consortium of Entertainers. I book acts to perform in New Gaia, as well as serve as an agent for artists to display and sell their works. I am currently looking for something new and a bit different for New Gaia and I came across your band in the records. To be fair, there are several other bands from the periphery that I am interested in, and I would only be willing to take one at the start, just to see how the new music is perceived."
Lilian simply nodded her head with its dyed red curls and focused her green eyes on Gloria. "Go on," she said, "Tell me what you are looking for this band to be like."
Gloria glanced down and noted that the tie-dyed design she thought was part of the tights Lilian wore under her skirt was actually a set of tattoos on her calves. She noted this for the future, and said, "the band I choose to take to New Gaia will be able to satisfy the curiosity of the more progressive elements of society in Ne w Gaia about the 20th century nostalgia that seems to be driving your music. I know from my own studies of history that there were some very talented musicians in Canada, England and the United States during that time. The band I choose will show the real talent of that time. Of course, some of the social attitudes of that time are not acceptable, but I assume that your original music will reflect P2 themes, not the sex, drugs and rock and roll themes of 1970s America."
Lilian nodded her head in compliment, "You are well informed about the music of the periphery aren't you. Well, I'm sure we can meet your needs. Assuming that we are chosen, what types of terms can we expect?"
"I am prepared to offer 1,000 capels per show, and intend to book 5 to 10 shows over the course of 15 to 30 days. Transportation, room and board will be provided. All you have to do is play."
Lilian blinked hard at the figure quoted. 1,000 capels was as much as the average Capellan earned in a demonth. The four band members would earn a minimum of 1,250 and a maximum of 2,500 capels each, all in less than a demonth. What's more, a successful gig could mean more work back home at higher prices as well. It certainly beat the 700 capels she was paid each demonth as a lab tech in the hospital. Oh yes, she was very interested. He fondest hope was to be able to quit her day job at the hated hospital. She asked, "What about recording rights?"
Gloria responded quickly, "It would be premature to discuss such issues as this time. I can tell you that any recordings of your shows would be done only with your permission and would remain the property of the band."
They shook hands and left, with Lilian positively aglow over the possibility of such a break for her career as a musician and with Gloria ignorant of just how close she was to her ultimate objective.
The BlueGreen Rush played that night at Athens only real public house, the Varsity. Lilian had briefed her fellow musicians and they were working extra hard tonight. Brian Lee slavered over his drums, Frank Tosh massaged his bass and Judy Slick's fingers flew over her keyboards. Lilian daringly wore a bare midriff t-shirt and tight fitting knee length pants. Her guitar hid her navel, for the most part. Gloria saw that the tattoos on Lilian's calves were of wild geometric designs, all in clashing colors, and that they covered most of her calves. During a break, when Lilian and the band came to sit down at her table, she also noticed a pierced navel and a part of a tattoo of some kind on Lilian's back. She decided to say nothing about this, and to focus on the men in the group. She chose Brian as her target, since his sweaty tank top clung to a very nice muscular chest.
Tell me, Gloria asked Brian, as she placed her hand on his arm and squeezed to implant the audio recorder, "Where did you learn those rhythms?"
Brian said, "They're African generally, but I have listened to quite a bit of old music from old Earth. My hero is Keith Moon, from a 20th Century band called The Who."
Gloria asked, "Who"
Brian and the rest of the band laughed, "That's right." When Gloria did not laugh with them, Lilian apologized, "Sorry, inside joke. You know how drummers are."
Gloria pressed on, "Brian, you must let me listen to some of your old recordings sometime."
"Sure, any time."
Gloria smiled knowingly, "I'll still be here when the show is over."
As the band played later that night, Gloria took care to pan her personal cam recorder around the room. She saw plenty of alcohol being consumed, plenty of sweaty bodies moving to the music, and lots of skin being showed as outer layers of clothing came off as the room got hotter with all those bodies in motion. She saw people at tables carefully crushing a blue power and putting it into their drinks -- and she knew that this was the algae that she had been told about. Director Pauling will love seeing all this, she thought. She stuck to wine herself, and nursed it carefully. She did not want to get intoxicated, and besides that, the wines produced on P2 weren't good enough to induce someone to drink too much at one time.
Later that night, as she and Brian were engaged in a bit of sexually deviant fornication, her thoughts returned to her cam recorder. Linked in to her neural network through a small chip implanted inside her skull, it was not detectable by standard electronic searching devices. It could be turned off by moving a small magnet just behind her left ear, but she left it on, if for no other reason than she knew it would embarrass the Director and his associates who would have to watch it. The thought made her need for Brian even more urgent and she reached down to his hips and pulled them tighter to her.
After, as they talked, Brian asked her about New Gaia, "Hey, I thought people didn't do this kind of thing in New Gaia."
Gloria nuzzled closer into his neck and murmured, "Most don't. Some do --it's only human nature you know." As Brian drifted off to sleep, she lay awake and thought about what would happen to Brian after all of this was over. She knew he wasn't involved in the Alliance. He was too sweet, and too dumb, to be any real threat to the government, and she was sad that, at best, he would be watched closely and would never get another promotion. At worst, if members of the band were involved in the Alliance, he would be killed.
Over the next 10 days, Gloria Loren made contact with the two other bands on New Iceland, Foolish Pleasure and Why Ask Why. She implanted audio recorders into 5 band members from the two bands. She had sex with three other men (including Frank Tosh), and one woman, To maintain her cover she told them that she would have to discuss the matter with her superiors, and that one of the three bands would be selected within the next demonth to come to New Gaia on the terms that she had indicated. Since she had engaged in deviance herself, fornication was a serious offense on P2, she gained the trust of the bands and their associates. Additionally, sexual partners tell you things that they would not have said otherwise. She had enough data in her recorder to convict several dozen people of morals offenses, and a few leads on suspected Alliance activity. She would go home, download her personal cam recorder records, and turn over the frequencies to the recorders she had implanted (a relay in the hospital in Athens would amplify the signals so that her bosses could listen from New Gaia). She would file her report, and she would return to the business of being an art and music agent for the boring citizens of New Gaia.
Gloria had but one part, she thought, to play in this drama. She would wait until the demonth was up, or until the physicians overheard more information about the Alliance, and then bring one of the groups to Gaia. If any of the bands' members were involved in Alliance activity, their band would be brought to New Gaia on the pretense of a contract to play music and then quietly arrested.
Back in Athens, Richard Teller returned from a half demonth of exploring the southernmost regions of New Iceland to find a very happy Lilian at home. She greeted him enthusiastically as he entered, with a big hug and kiss. Oddly, she was wearing a pair of shorts, but nothing else. "Notice anything different about me,"she asked him coquettishly.
He stepped back and said, "I will have to gather some data before I can answer that question. Let's see, legs, wonderful." Her calves with their swirling patterns of bright color were the same. Her thighs were large and muscular, with no markings, just as he remembered them so fondly. He went on, "Hmm, arms outstanding." He noted the strong arms, the callused fingers on her left hand, with its short nails and the contrast with the long strong nails on her right hand. Her stepped towards her and gently followed the interlocking rings tattooed on her upper arms. These rings were her badge of Alliance membership. His hands moved up to her neck. "Neck and head, normal." Indeed, Lilian had, in deference to the need to avoid public displays, refrained from tattoos or piercing of her ears, nose, eyebrows, lips, or tongue. Her bright green eyes and faintly freckled skin was striking enough without adornment, at least according to Richard. His hands moved down and tugged ever so gently at the silver rings that adorned each pink nipple, "Breasts, lovely, but still the same wonderful that I left." He made her turn around and saw the scarlet macaw tattooed on her back. It too was unchanged. He turned her back around and gently fingered the very fine Y chain that linked the nipple rings to a ring in her navel. "Everything seems normal here."
Finally he said, as he tugged gently on her shorts, "I would give up, but I find that some data sources are denied me." Lilian laughed and told him to do his own research. Richard undid the snap and unzipped her shorts. To his surprise, he found a small red rose tattooed on her lower abdomen, just above her public hair. It was very artfully done, and was quite detailed despite being only about one inch high. He smiled and said, "A new tattoo -- did Julia do this one for you as well?"
"Yes, silly. You know that only Julia knows how to tattoo. She learned it from JoAnn Wadsworth, and so on, all the way back to Jocelyn Ireland."
"Why did you get this one?" Richard asked her.
"To celebrate. While you were gone, a music agent from New Gaia was here. According to Brian and Peter, BlueGreen Rush is going to go to New Gaia for a series of concerts, at 1,000 capels each." Lilian practically danced around the room in her excitement.
"What, what!" Richard smiled, caught up in her excitement.
"You must be cold after twenty-six days in the outback. Come and get into the shower with me and get warm, and I'll tell you all about it." Lilian tugged at the buttons on his shirt and then turned and walked away to the bathroom to turn on the shower. Richard shed his clothes and followed.
Despite the distractions of two people who had not seen each other for the Earth equivalent of a month, who very much enjoyed sex with each other, and who were naked in a warm shower, Richard managed to get the basic facts of the appearance of Gloria Loren, her glowing response to the band's music and the potential of a very well paying gig in the capital. As they exited the shower and dried each other off hurriedly, breathing heavily and urgently moving towards their bed, a small nagging worrisome thought tweaked at Richard, but was lost in the heat of the moment.
Back at the Capella-p2 hospital, in a dark room in the basement, audio data technician Bob Jones blushed a deep red as he listened to Richard Teller's homecoming, until he heard that bit about the tattoo. The mention of Jocelyn Ireland's name as the first of a series of women who knew how to tattoo raised a red flag. He noted the time, and placed a call upstairs, to a secure phone that rang on the desk of the Director himself.
A voice stated, "Director Pauling is not in the office. He has been notified of this after-hours call and will respond soon. You are to remain where you are until he contacts you. The phone number from which you are calling has been noted. You are to make no further calls on that line until Director Pauling contacts you."
Three hours later, Bob Jones received the call for which he had been anxiously waiting. He was told to assemble the data and report ASAP. He had already done so while he was waiting for the call back and went up to the elevator to Pauling's office immediately. Dr. Masters met Jones at the door and escorted him up to see the Director. The two of them entered the office and waited.
"Thank you for your attention, colleagues," came the standard greeting.
Masters replied, as was expected, "We have come to consult with you on a case of importance. We believe we have discovered the identity of the leader of the Freedom Alliance."
Pauling's eyes narrowed as he barked impatiently, "Tell me all you know."
Jones detailed the conversation that he had heard and the obvious conclusions -- a woman named Julia was the head of the Alliance, and senior members of the alliance had tattoos. Jones was dismissed with a stern admonition to say nothing to anyone and Masters and Pauling discussed the matter further. Pauling directed Masters to find this Julia woman, to contact Gloria Loren and have her pull in this Lilian Marino by inviting her band to come to New Gaia to play music, and to do so in such a way that this Julia would not be spooked. Masters promised to do so and was himself dismissed. As he left, Pauling said to him, "You know this bodes well for your future as a physician."
Gloria Loren was a bit surprised to receive a communication from Masters directing her to summon BlueGreen Rush to New Gaia for a concert tour. "Promise them a lucrative deal and advance them a portion of the money for their travel expenses," he told her. She complied that very day, and was not surprised to hear from Lilian Marino that the Band would be available at her convenience. They made arrangements for the band to travel to New Gaia in fifteen days, time enough for the band members to arrange leaves from their day jobs. Gloria left a message with Master's administrative assistant notifying him of the timing, as she had been instructed.
Masters then began his search for Julia. He had the audio records from Lilian Marino's implant, but no visual evidence upon which to go. That recording, unfortunately, did not contain any reference to Julia's last name. In fact, the tattoo was given to Lilian in the dwelling she and Richard Teller shared. Julia brought her equipment with her. That meant that Julia most likely lived close to Lilian and Richard, but how to distinguish the exact one?
Masters pondered for a bit before asking the computer to search for all women named Julia who lived within two hours travel time of Athens. There were three. One was an architect named Julia Anthony, one was a janitor named Julia McDaniel, and the last was a physician serving the settlement of Waycross, Julia Starnes. How to find out which one was the villain?
He decided to use his contacts in the medical profession to quietly find out about the physician first. He needed to do this quietly, without arousing suspicion, so delegation of tasks could not be done. At the same time, personal attention from someone with high rank could excite suspicion in and of itself. He discretely asked his close acquaintences in the medical profession about Julia Starnes, but could not verify her loyalty beyond all doubt. About the architect, he knew virtually nothing beyond the buildings she had designed and built, most of which were single family houses or small apartments. She had designed no public buildings and had been involved in no official controversy. She was not a member of any of the churches that had sprung up lately and was not remarkable for her involvment in public affairs in any way. She voted regularly. Julia McDaniel was fairly unremarkable, an underachiever in school, a devotee of the "rock" scene," and a person with an arrest record for public drunkenness and lewd bahavior. The medical records of none of the three reflected any distinguishing marks other than moles or birthmarks.
In the end, lacking clear evidence, he decided on a bold strategy. For this, he would need Pauling's approval. He called for a meeting and was scheduled for two days hence.
Masters replied, "I have come to consult with you on a case of importance. I have made my plan to rid our society of the Freedom Alliance once and for all, but I need your approval for so bold a plan."
Pauling eyed him for a minute before saying, "Come, then, have coffe and sit down and tell me about it. Perhaps we can do some good together. You take it black do you not?" Pauling handed him a mug of steaming coffee.
Masters sat down and began, "Thank you, sir. Yes that's right."
"Good, I'm glad that you aren't one of those whimps who ruins good coffee with sugar and cream."
"Ruins the flavor, I quite agree."
Pauling looked at Masters severely and urged him to get down to business, "Let's have the plans then."
Masters stated quickly, "The plan is a bold one, sir. I suggest three items. First, we invite this "rock" band from Athens and arrest them all. Their leader, Lilian Marino, is an Alliance member. But before we do that, we need to have them play a concert to help us with the second part. Second, we invited all three Julia's to . . ."
"Three of them!"
"Yes, sir, there are three within easy travel of Athens, and one, I am sad to say, is a physician. I have tried to investigate them, but there is no evidence that would exculpate any of the them"
"I hate to lose physicians, but we are not above the law, you know."
"Yes, sir, now to continue. We would invite all three of these women with the unfortunate name to this concert. If they attend, they would be arrested there. If not, we can arrest them at home, or wherever they might be, but all at the same time as the band is arrested. One must not be allowed to warn the others."
"I am concerned, Masters. Why do we need to get these women to New Gaia. Why not just arrest them on New Iceland? We can put them under surveillance so that we know where they are."
Masters defended his plan, "I had hoped to make this a highly public matter, Director Pauling, so as to deter those who would question the wisdom of our government. After all, our society is far too fragile to premit of deviance, especially violations of the genetic law."
"Do you not worry about making martyrs of whichever Julia is the leader of the Alliance?"
"That may occur in any event, sir, but the deterrent effect on sexual deviance at all levels of society would be worth any small boost to a group that will likely cease to exist within just a demonth or two."
"I have misgivings, but I will go along for now. Now what is the third stroke?"
"We arrest everyone with a tattoo."
"Everyone? How many people do you think there might be?"
Masters replied, "Sir, we have long suspected that there may be hundreds of Alliance members. I have made a careful search of all the medical records on the planet. There are 379 people with tattoos listed as distinguishing features in their medical records. Twenty- seven of those are people who have developed some allergic reaction to data implants and so this is how they have dealt with the issue of getting medical information to a physician should they arrive unconscious at a hospital. This leaves 358 people to arrest, try and execute. But, I propose that we do more than this. I propose a full body search of everyone on the planet. Medical records can be altered, as Gloria Loren well knows."
Pauling leaned back in his chair to consider the idea of a search of everyone on the planet. He spoke, "A strip search is embarassing and cold for a patient. Certainly the physicians would do it, but, it is certain to generate resentment. The Colonial Council will have a fit! Is there some less intrusive way to do this?"
"None, Director."
"Very well, Dr. Masters, you may carry out your plan. Mark my words well, it if goes well, you will benefit greatly. If it does not, you will suffer the consequences."
Masters squared his shoulders and sat upright in his chair, "That is as it should be, sir."
It came to pass that the band BlueGreen Rush came from Athens to play a series of concerts in New Gaia. Thirty minutes into the first concert, the authorities arrived to arrest the band, and much of the audience. At the same time, three women named Julia were arrested in New Iceland, and 358 people with tattoos, most of them women, were arrested. Everyone on the planet was ordered to come to their nearest hospital for a visual examination of their skin. Some 14,500 people did so. Of these, 238 had some form of tattoo and were arrested and executed, along with all the other suspected Alliance members who were arrested.
The day after the initial purge, Gloria Loren packed everything she thought she would need to survive in the "temperate" zones of New Iceland and took a personal transport vehicle to Athens. She billed it to Dr. Masters's account, as a last shot at him. She went to Richard and Lilian's house and waited there for Richard to return from the hinterlands. When he did return, she greeted him in the nude, but the scene was not about sex. It was her way of letting him know that she had nothing to hide anymore. She sat him down and told him everything that had happened; all about her spying, the arrests, and the search edict.
Richard was devastated. He cried bitter tears and asked Gloria, "How can I get in touch with Lilian and Julia Anthony."
"You can't ," she replied, " unless you want to be arrested and executed yourself. Get packed. We're going to the hinterlands, to the unexplored areas. We're going to start a new colony, a colony within a colony, where people are free. We'll design it after the principles that have always guided the Alliance."
"How do I know that I can trust you?"
"You don't," Gloria told him bluntly, "and you shouldn't."
"Leave this house. I need to communicate with some people. I will meet you later, in the Varsity, in two hours. Once their, we will go out to the unexplored lands together. When we get there, I will decide whether to kill you or not."
Gloria quietly dressed and left the house. "I will meet you there and will go with you and will accept whatever decision you make."
After Gloria left the house, Richard Teller contact as many known Alliance associates as he could, using a code that had been developed for just such an emergency. He was able to verify Gloria's story.
He packed his outdoor gear into an all terrain vehicle and drove it to the Varsity. He went inside, and sat down with Gloria, who was waiting for him. He looked at her and said, "You told the truth. I will take you with me and I will not kill you. The colony within the colony will not suffer from the same moral flaws as the one that killed my Lilian." They got up from the table and left the building. They got into the vehicle and drove into the wilderness together.
Later that night, in his tent, Richard, told Gloria, "Take off your shirt."
She did so without comment. Richard took out a series of small needles and bottles of ink. He pricked a crude tattoo in the middle of Gloria's chest. Although it hurt her, she did not make a sound. "Now you can never go back," He told her. She put on her shirt without saying a word.
Over the course of the next demonth, they traveled together, saying little to each other, but gradually coming to accept the other's company. At the end of that time they came to a sheltered valley, near the Southern coast of New Iceland. At one end of the valley, there was a hot spring. There, they met hundreds of others who had fled the P2 physicians. Most were Alliance members and some were acquaintences who had come along when the exodus began. Gloria's story was told and she was accepted, although not without some dissenting voices. She was given the ring tattoos on her arms and lived a lonely existence as an exile among exiles.
Eventually, four such colonies within a colony sprung up. Each prospered in isolation, with only very sporadic contact between them. Without satellites to use for communication, contact was limited to an occasional traveler. Such were regarded with suspicion and did not survive the encounter if he or she did not have the tattoo of the rings on the arms.
These colonies grew more populous over the next centuries, as they developed their own ways of cultivating food in hothouses and generating energy from geothermal sources. These were free and communal societies, full of gaity and song. They had brought along copies of records from the libraries that had scientific and medical references, as well as the philosophy of the Alliance that had been preserved and which was the guiding document for their societies.
They lived out their lives in peace, and they listened to the radio traffic from the P2 colony, to see what the colony was doing.
Meanwhile, the P2 colony went through purge after purge, as it attempted to rid itself of the scourge of genetic deviance. Over the next 100 or so years, the practice of infanticide was used as a way of culling out the genetically unfit. An increasingly restrictive version of what a human being should be developed. The physicians refined their totalitarian state. Embryos from the archive were gradually eliminated and replaced with genetic material from current colonists.
In the year 412 pp the first cases of a genetic disease appeared. Babies were born with a sensitivity to exposure to a common P2 algae. These children developed an allergic type reaction, their lungs filled with fluid and they died. No amount of antihistamine would help.
By the year 500 pp, the infant mortality rate was above 10%.
By the year 1000 pp, the members of the
colonies within the colony were able to take possession of the now abandoned
structures of New Gaia.