Free Sidney's Comet by Brian Herbert

cave room, Sayer Superior Lin-Ti popped a minicam cartridge into the video machine. The machine was bright red plastic, with a wide oval screen. As the film began, black gothic letters announced its title:

    Pleasant Reef
    August 14, 2605

    Two days before anyone knew of the comet, he thought. He watched his own image appear on the screen, standing at a tutelage console with a hooded youngsayerman. . . .
    Sayer Superior Lin-Ti: “Following the questioning period today, I will make an announcement concerning your future.”
    Youngsayer Steven: “My primer tells me that Uncle Rosy granted non-revocable trade status to the Afrikari nation. It does not say why this was done.”
    Sayer Superior Lin-Ti: “Uncle Rosy developed a special friendship with the first Alafin of the present line, Alafin Inaya, more than three centuries ago. The Master does not reveal such details to the history writers, of course, but he and the Alafin struck up their friendship during a game of Swahili Croquet in the Alafin’s capital city. After that, they often vacationed together during Uncle Rosy’s last years in public life.”
    Youngsayer Steven: “I have no other questions today. What is the announcement?”
    Sayer Superior Lin-Ti: “An opening is available in the Black Box of Democracy. It is the Sixty-Six Sayer position. If you accept, you will be known as ‘Lastsayer.’ Do you accept the calling?”
    Youngsayer Steven (without hesitation): “I do.”
    Sayer Superior Lin-Ti: “You are to replace Twelvesayer Robert, with everyone below that level moving up a notch. Twelvesayer suffered from Box Fever and had to be removed.”
    Youngsayer Steven: “I am not familiar with that malady.”
    Sayer Superior Lin-Ti: “Alas, he went mad from the regimentation and confinement to the Black Box. The poor man wanted to be like any consumer, even spoke with apostrophes.”
    Youngsayer Steven: “How unfortunate! What became of him?”
    Sayer Superior Lin-Ti: “Uncle Rosy personally administered selective memory erasure and gave him AmFed identity papers. I understand he is going to work in the travel division of Bu-Free.”
    Youngsayer Steven: ‘That should make him happy.”
    Sayer Superior Lin-Ti: “Uncle Rosy is most compassionate!”
    Youngsayer Steven: “Peace be upon you, Sayer Superior. . . . ”
    Lin-Ti flipped off the video machine and rolled to a brown nauga chair next to his bed. There he re-read the following day’s history lesson—

Chapter Three
    U P CLOSE WITH THE MASTER, FOR FURTHER READING AND DISCUSSION
    “I feel complete. This is my legacy to the nation.”
    Remarks made by Uncle Rosy to his personal secretary, Emmanuel Dade, concerning the recently completed Black Box of Democracy. Uncle Rosy disappeared three days later (on May 16,2318) after personally supervising selective memory erasures on everyone involved with the project. (From E. Dade’s unpublished notes.)

    Friday, August 25, 2605
    “What the hell happened?” General Munoz demanded. His orange mustache bristled as he glared at Dr. Hudson. “Another miscalculation?” Munoz stood in the center of his living room module with his hands thrust deeply into the pockets of a dark brown robe. His new gold cross hung about his neck, outside the robe. It was well past midnight, the first hours of Garbage Day minus seven, and his hair was sleep-tousled. A brass table lamp near the window cast yellow light against the General’s side, leaving half his face in shadow.
    A fair-haired, taller man of perhaps thirty-five stood in a gold robe at the General’s side. Hudson recognized Colonel Allen Peebles, the General’s adjutant and lover. The younger man had pale blue eyes which to Hudson seemed to look at some indeterminate point in an unfocused distance, as if Hudson was not there. Hudson had long since learned to control his thoughts of revulsion in the presence of these two, since they, like Hudson, were fitted with mento transceivers.
    “We have problems,” Dr.