Free Realms of Light by Lawrence Watt-Evans

right. Certain...
genetic issues have arisen.”
    “Mis’ Hsing is in perfect health,” the office
said. “His life chamber is functioning properly in every way.”
    “I’m sure it is,” I said, smiling. “But as I
say, we have reasons to be concerned about his continued health
that have nothing to do with Seventh Heaven’s no doubt excellent
service.”
    “Are you saying there’s some sort of
hereditary defect involved?” Wu asked.
    “There might be, yes.”
    “I believe we test our customers for such
things,” Wu said.
    “Indeed we do,” the office agreed.
    This was not going as smoothly as I had
hoped. I thought for a moment, looking at Wu’s manly face, then
decided that it might be worth giving the truth a try.
    “I’m also concerned,” I said, “about what’s
going to happen to him once the sun’s above the crater wall, and
Nightside City gets bathed in hard ultraviolet.”
    “Oh,” Wu said. “Well, as you can see, we’re
safely below the surface here. We’ll continue our operations
uninterrupted.”
    “You’re sure of that?”
    “Of course! We have contracts.”
    “You won’t transfer your clients to
Prometheus, or one of the mining colonies?”
    “We have no plans to do so. The Eta
Cassiopeia division of Seventh Heaven is based right here in
Nightside City, in Trap Under, and we expect to stay.”
    “Do you , personally, intend to stay?”
I asked.
    Wu looked uneasy. “I... haven’t decided,” he
said.
    “I don’t mean any offense, Mis’ Wu, but my
brother and sister and I would feel more comfortable if our father
was housed on Prometheus, rather than here in Nightside City. We
would, of course, be happy to pay the cost of transferring
him.”
    Wu’s uneasiness turned to misery. “I’m
sorry,” he said. “We can’t do that.”
    “Why not?”
    “Under the terms of his contract, Seventh
Heaven Neurosurgery is Mis’ Hsing’s legal guardian,” he said. “We
are obligated to ensure his safety. We cannot entrust it to anyone
else.”
    “Yes?”
    “We’re only on Epimetheus. We can’t take him
elsewhere.”
    “You don’t have a branch on Prometheus? Or
Cass II, or out-system?”
    “I regret to say we do not. All our
life chambers are right here in Trap Under.”
    Life chambers—who thought up that euphemism for dreamtanks? “Can’t you transfer guardianship to
us?”
    “No, Mis’ Hsing, we can’t. Our contracts are
very firm about that; many of our clients are quite insistent on
it. The idea of being passed from hand to hand—they find that very
disturbing. Our guardianship is non-transferrable.”
    “But we’re his family !”
    “Legally, you aren’t.”
    “Can’t you wake him up and ask him if
we can move him to Prometheus? I’m sure we can arrange matters with
a company in Alderstadt, and do it in such a way that Seventh
Heaven doesn’t lose any credits.”
    “The potential liability in a situation like
that—no, we can’t. We can’t wake him without a court order, in any
case, and even if we did, he wouldn’t be legally competent. We have
a contract and legal precedents that say as much.”
    “I don’t believe this,” I said. “There must
be some way he can be moved.”
    “No, I don’t think there is.”
    I stared at him for a moment, and that
handsome face of his seemed much less appealing than it had when he
first entered.
    “Fine,” I said at last. “I’m sure he’ll be
safe here with you.”
    “I’m sure he will, Mis’ Hsing. Honestly.”
    “Could we at least get a tissue sample to
check for genetic disorders?” I didn’t really have any use for one,
so far as I knew, but I thought I might as well maintain my cover
story.
    “I think we can do that. Give us forty-eight
hours, and we can bring it to you. Where are you staying?”
    I grimaced. “Never mind,” I said. “Thank you
for your time.” I turned to go.
    “I’m sorry we couldn’t be more help,” he
called after me as I stepped out of the glade and back into