Free The Medusa Chronicles by Stephen Baxter

systems had been designed too, to be swapped in as desired. But, he saw, his new arms were already in place—more powerful, more dextrous than those they replaced.
    â€œMay I?” he asked, flexing a hand experimentally.
    â€œGo ahead.”
    He swept his hand before his face, marvelling at the complexity and precision of joints and actuators. “I used to impress Geoff Webster with card tricks. I almost wish there were a fly in here. I could impress you by snatching it out of the air.”
    â€œNo flies on Makemake, Howard.”
    He looked at her for a moment, wondering if he had heard correctly. “Makemake!” A dwarf planet: a ball of ice in the Kuiper Belt, far from the sun. “Well, that explains the gravity. Let me guess: about one thirtieth Earth normal?”
    â€œOne twenty-eighth, so they tell me, not that I’d ever know the difference. That ability of yours is starting to worry me—no one should be that good at proprioception.”
    â€œI have no recollection of coming here.”
    â€œYou were already under. There was no point waking you. But Make­make wasn’t where we meant to operate. Ceres was the original suggestion, remember?”
    His memories were becoming clearer by the second. “I even remember the approach and docking. So what happened?”
    â€œThere’ve been more political changes since you went under, starting on Earth, but spreading out into the wider solar system. There’s a new . . .” She searched for the right words. “Social conservatism. A deepening backlash against certain trends in advanced cybernetics.”
    â€œBy which you mean me. Well, they’ve been suspicious of me for decades.”
    â€œIt’s a lot more extreme than before. You know we’d already had to move your care to Ceres. There were moves to block further surgery on you altogether: petitions to the World Government, vetoes in the Security Council. Not long after we put you under, Ceres started to come under pressure to suspend our surgical foundation. They’ve trade links to Mars, and Mars is one of the greatest strongholds of the new conservatism, aside from Earth itself. The psychology is interesting, actually, and complex.”
    â€œOh, good.”
    â€œI think perhaps Earth folk are clinging to an indigenous nature that they nearly lost, while the Martians are hanging on to their own humanity in an utterly inhuman environment . . . Fortunately for us, Makemake stepped in. They were willing to provide an alternative facility here at Trujillo Base.”
    â€œNice of them.”
    â€œThis lab is brand new—even the best facilities on Ceres can’t compare to what they’ve got here. There’s a lot in it for the colonists here as well. You’re exactly the prestige commission they needed to prove their competence. And as it happens, Makemake has turned out to be a good choice for an entirely different reason.”
    â€œWhich is?”
    â€œWe’re on the edge of the Kuiper Belt, Howard. Apparently there’s a problem out there which the various government agencies would like you to look into.”
    â€œGovernment agencies that, given the public mood, would no doubt prefer to see the back of me?”
    â€œJust because you’re a headache to them in some ways, doesn’t mean you aren’t useful in others.”
    â€œAnd they wonder why people are cynical about politicians. All right. Give it to me straight. Who’s got themselves into trouble they can’t get out of? One of those bloody Springers again?”
    â€œNot them. And not who. What. It’s something to do with the Machines. The robots. The brave new children of Conseil. You ought to remember. You played your part in bringing them into being.”
    â€œNice to feel appreciated,” Falcon said.
    Hope nodded. “Isn’t it? Now then—does it hurt when I do this ?”

9
    An ice