Free April 2: Down to Earth by Mackey Chandler

what some of the ideas are that will be discussed."
    "So you've had a hand already in forming the law here. That's amazing."
    "You can too, if you have some good ideas. Just be warned. The people here don't like being told what's good for them. They won't put up with somebody trying to regulate them like you see Earthside. We had one fellow already who came up to show us the light. He got up and condemned everyone and cursed them as sinners, for refusing to vote in a theocracy with him as chief interpreter of God's will. Next motion proposed, put him on a shuttle for dirt. He was banished before he even got to stay a night and can't come back. Only been three banished so far and a few more left on their own of course."
    "More coffee?" he asked, as he got up for his own refill. He seemed to enjoy doing that and she agreed. He went off with her mug tilted up, reading the ad.
    "Where'd you get this?" he asked when he came back, despite the address on the face. "I like it. You want me to carry a weapon around. I figure I can just carry one of these. One good smack with this thing should chill any assailant right out," he quipped.
    "When you go out the door, turn against spin and it's on the North side of the corridor about 15 degrees around."
    He started making circling motions with his hands and turned sideways in his chair, looking over at the corridor door. Obviously clueless.
    "Uh, Go out the door. Turn right and go past three dividers in the corridor and on your left will be three small new shops, that have been remodeled out of one big one and opened this morning. The mug guy is the far one, with all the ropes and nautical stuff. Be sure to tell him I sent you, so I get my commission and he'll give you a mug. If he gives you coffee don't rave on it too much. It'll go to his head."
    Jerry face said he didn't know whether to take her seriously or not. April bet he'd name her to Zach, just like she said. After the shakeup he just had about true nature of the war, he was probably ready to believe just about anything.
    Any temptation he had to grill her about it, was preempted though by Margaret coming up to their table.
    "Is this a private party, or can I sit and harass you this morning?" she asked, sweetly.
    "Sure, have a seat, but the good side for people watching is all taken," April pointed out.
    "I get paid to watch people. As long as you don't let anybody sneak up on me, I'll turn my back to them and be glad for the break. After awhile you find yourself profiling them on your own time, out of habit. I just don't know how to shut it off," she confessed.
    "Margaret is a detective. She works with Jon in Security," April explained to Jerry. "She often does the gate security for the incoming shuttle."
    "This is my new friend Jerry, Margaret. A fairly new immigrant to Home," she explained.
    "I wondered something the other day, you could probably explain," Jerry asked. "Since everyone can carry weapons now on Home, what is there to keep the USNA from sending up a shuttle full of soldiers in civilians clothing and just walking right in, armed to the teeth and taking over like they wanted to before? If you saw a bunch coming in that looked the right age and type, to be doing that, what would you do? You couldn't stop the whole shuttle full of them yourself after all, could you?"
    Margaret smiled at him. "You're right. Last batch they sent up, I only killed the first twelve through the hatch and the rest got away." She watched carefully, to see if that disturbed Jerry enough he'd be finding a reason to leave. A lot of people were uncomfortable with a woman warrior. "Time to give someone else a turn I'd say. I'd just call Jon and say I think we have a bunch of soldier boys here and the militia would get a broadcast that there might be a fight. It's true, we might lose a dozen or so militia, because of letting them in, but look at that crowd over there eating a late breakfast," Margaret suggested. "How would you characterize