Free A World Between by Norman Spinrad Page B

swallow?”
    Eisen flushed. Falkenstein laughed, but no one else laughed with him. “This is irrelevant,” he said. “The operative fact is that the Pacifican Parliament has overwhelmingly instructed the delegation to reject an Institute of Transcendental Science on anything like reasonable terms. Whether this was engineered by Madigan or not, she is bound by the instructions of her Parliament. Maria, will you please continue from there...”
    “Therefore, the Arkmind has projected the almost certain failure of the negotiations,” Maria said in flat professional tones. “Even if Lindblad or Madigan should unexpectedly side with Golding and the delegation should accept our proposal, Parliament would have to ratify it, and if an immediate vote were taken, it would certainly be negative, and that would be the end of it.”
    “Correction,” said Polichev. “If Madigan supported the Institute and Parliament then turned it down, there would then be a planetwide electronic vote of confidence. If she won, a new Parliament would be elected which would likely overturn the previous vote.”
    “A train of events which the Arkmind projects as virtually impossible,” Falkenstein said testily. “Can we please stick to the main lines of the scenario? Maria...” “Therefore, we must avoid an immediate confrontation when our proposal is turned down,” Maria continued. “We ask for time to study their counterproposals. We formally request permission to remain in orbit around Pacifica in the meantime. With the utmost politeness and reasonableness. The Arkmind predicts that the Madigan delegation cannot deny such a request without risking a vote of confidence on the wrong side of the issue of simple galactic protocol.” Maria smiled, knowing she had stated it all well. “That concludes phase one of the scenario.”
    “Very good,” Falkenstein said. “But perhaps we had better look ahead and clarify phase two. Artur, will you verify the timing for me again?”
    “Once the fact that we’ve been given permission to remain in orbit has been released to the Pacifican media, it will be irreversible except by vote of Parliament,” the Legal Advisor said. “Say overnight, for safety’s sake.”
    “At which point I invoke Article 12, Section 3 of the Pacifican Constitution...alkenstein said.
    “Section 2, Roger,” Polichev corrected. “No one —and the phrasing clearly does not exclude non-Pacificans— may be denied a public net channel or may be prevented from purchasing time on free market channels except by reason of judicially declared criminal intent or in order to advocate the overthrow of the Pacifican government or Constitution by extralegal means.”
    “They won’t like it, but they’ll have to swallow it,” Dalton said. “Aside from the legalism, the Pacificans are absolute fanatics on the subject of free media access— it almost has the psychic force of a religious commandment. We’ll have them caught by their own deepest convictions.”
    Falkenstein drummed his fingers on the table nervously. “There’s one hole that I can see in phase two,” he said. “They can’t deny us media access once we invoke their own Constitution, but they’re not going to like it. Might they then not simply revoke their permission for us to remain in their solar system? Arkmind, a projection on that, please...”
    “Sixty to forty negative under the present scenario,” said the cool, soothing voice of the computer.
    Falkenstein frowned. “Not nearly good enough,” he said. “How can we raise the odds to at least 75-25 in our favor?”
    “Politicize the issue immediately,” Dalton suggested. “In local psychosexual terms.”
    “Elucidate.”
    “Transcendental Science’s image is male-dominant—”
    “I wonder where they got that idea?” Maria muttered. Falkenstein shot her an angry glance.
    “—as a result of Femocrat propaganda,” Dalton continued, speaking through her, “Lauren Golding is a so-called