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  “I love this place,” stated Aria impulsively. Savi felt exactly the same. He had never felt so at home as he did here.

  “I suspect that Tressin and Mian will be inviting you to meet with them here in the near future, Aria.”

  “I hope so, Sorpe.” Aria felt a sudden need to ensure that the invitation would come. She felt drawn to this place.

  “Now that you’ve seen a small selection of the Community, I suggest that we return to Montagu, so that we can decide where to go next. Apart from that, I would like to introduce you to some friends from other places, so that you can obtain more information than just from us, and I would like to give you a cup of coffee to try. Are you happy with that?”

  “Perfectly, Geoffrey.” Aria spoke for all of them.

  *~*

  Geoffrey disconnected from the viewing particles. The people around him opened their eyes, suddenly realizing that they were still sitting in the comfortable chairs in Sorpe and Geoffrey’s house in Montagu. Aria shook herself.

  “It never occurred to me how valuable a tool the viewing system can be, Geoffrey. I suppose it is the direct feed into our minds that makes it seem so real. Thank you very much for the tour.”

  “Would you like to see more?”

  “Not right now, but perhaps a little later I will ask you to take us to look at what is happening in Vidia.”

  “I’m sorry. I should have thought of that. Tell me when you want to go. Do you have any questions about what we have seen, or anything else?”

  “I have thousands of questions and comments, Geoffrey, but most of them can wait. I’m sure that I already have most of the answers. What worries me most is how we can fit into this society. Everything is so advanced.”

  “Not really, Cora. I have watched you doing things that most people on this planet would hesitate even to think about. You have determination, intelligence and courage. No-one needs more than that. I would put big money on your ability to succeed anywhere you choose to go, in anything you would choose to do. You and Savi solved the clues to a puzzle that no-one on your planet had even seen to pose a question, never mind tried to solve, over a period of more than ten thousand years. Between you, you have engineered an uprising against a brutal and merciless government, with a proven tendency to act viciously and unfairly. And, it seems, you will achieve that objective without bloodshed. Even more importantly, you have shown that you are willing to do things that most leaders would have handed over to someone else. You have earned the admiration and respect of each member of the Council of the University Community. And that applies to every one of you. There is no doubt that you will not only fit in. Each of you will have an influence on the Universal Community.” The sincerity of Geoffrey’s words was transmitted through the communication bracelets, leaving those listening in no doubt that he was telling them the truth.

  “I'd like to arrange a way to show our people what we have seen, Geoffrey, or at least a part of it. I would like them to see Montagu and Cape Town, Sydney, with some background on how the people came to settle there, then Munich and Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Geneva. I suspect that most of the people would like to settle in Munich, where there are facilities for them to restart their businesses in an environment that is not too strange to them. It does not have the beauty that Geneva and Garmisch-Partenkirchen have, but it seems to have an atmosphere of solidity and permanence, which I think are important to the people of Kinair. The city gave me a very good impression.”

  “I agree with Cora. What she has said makes a lot of sense to me.”

  “I agree with Cora and Savi. I liked the feeling of Munich,” added Phelan. “How do you feel, Grea?”

  ”What you have said makes perfect sense to me. I would like to live in that area.”

  “Good. We will edit the recording of our tour, and bring it to Vidia, so that we can do a general showing. After that, I suggest that we offer a selection of people, thought leaders, if possible, a visit by transporter to Munich. I will request some of our associates to prepare typical parts of the city for them to visit. Once the decision has been made, we can start a mass transport program. We have found that it is important to put great stress on the fact that the decision is not final. If people want to return to their home planet or move on to another city or another planet, we will assist them to do that. Most people are reluctant to commit to a final decision without having the option to back out if they wish to do so. Almost no-one does back out once they have made the move, but people like to know that they have the option to do so.” Geoffrey broke off as a tall young woman brought in a tray of mugs with a couple of pots and plates of cookies. He stood to take the tray from her as she handed out the mugs.

  “This is my twin sister, Jeanette. She and her husband, Jerrik, who is Sorpe’s brother, work closely with us. We all work in various universities and research institutes in the field of quantum physics. Jeanette is a mathematical specialist.”

  “I’m pleased to meet you all. We’ve heard a lot about you from Geoffrey and Sorpe. It seems that you’re well on the way to resolving the problems on your planet. Well, most of them. The weather is a hard one to fix. Would you like a cup of coffee?”

  “Coffee is an aromatic drink that was first produced on Earth, although it is now drunk throughout the universe. It is said to have the effect of increasing alertness. I'd advise you to try some.” Geoffrey’s liking for the drink came through the communication bracelet.

  Aria found herself wondering what results the effect of that quality, of transferring one’s full thoughts along with the words, would bring in a society using these communication devices. It certainly made understanding between people much easier and more complete.

  “I'd like to try a cup.” Aria’s response was echoed by the others, and Jeanette poured a mug for each of them. Aria took a careful sip of the hot liquid, tasted it, and decided that she liked it. She took a larger sip, smiling. “This is very good. I can understand that most people would like it.”

  “Coffee is a simple but good example of the opportunities offered by the Universal Community. Its production now provides an income opportunity for thousands of people.” Sorpe raised her hand and her face went blank for a moment. “I’m sorry. I have just been informed by Simon, the man I requested to keep an eye on the meeting of the ex-prisoners on Kinair, that a group of armed men is approaching the university. He says that there are about twenty of them.”

  “Those will be StateSec agents. They are the force that the President has created to enforce his commands. They can be very violent, and they don’t have any bounds.”

  “Let’s use the particle viewer to look at what is happening. We can probably take steps to prevent them carrying out their plan.” Geoffrey connected all of them with the particle viewing system and followed the coordinates that Simon had made available. They could see the vehicles that the StateSec men routinely used, large, dark cars with no identification. Geoffrey zoomed into the lead vehicle. As Simon had reported, each man inside was armed with a heavy pistol and a truncheon, and wore body armor. Geoffrey lifted the point of view to enable them to see where the vehicles were.

  “They’re only a couple of minutes from the university.” Cora’s concern came through clearly in her communication. “They’ll park outside the access doors and have the people inside bottled up. They could quite easily decide to kill them all. They’ve done that before to escaped prisoners. I wonder how they knew where they were.”

  “The surveillance system in the university is probably still operating. I guess that the President is very angry at the developments, and when they informed him that the ex-prisoners were meeting at the university, he probably instructed them to treat the gathering as an attempted coup.”

  Geoffrey had been communicating with members of the team that he and Sorpe routinely used in a crisis situation on another planet. Now he communicated with the group.

  “Watch what happens now.”

  As Geoffrey spoke, the lead car sw
erved violently to the side and came to a stop, all four tires shredded. The car behind it could not stop. The driver was pumping desperately at the brakes with no effect, and the car smashed into the one that had stopped. The car behind that one managed to stop before it joined the collision, but the men inside it found that they could not exit the car.

  “That will be Jeanette. She enjoys welding the door locks shut.” There was laughter in Geoffrey’s voice.

  The following two cars swerved wildly to avoid the stopped cars, then drove on past them for a short distance before the engines ground to a halt. The lead driver climbed out of the car with an angry look, and opened the hood. He leaped back when he felt the wave of heat emanating from the engine compartment.

  “It’s on fire!” he shouted. “Get out of the car!”

  The other men tumbled out of the car, and walked over to join the driver as he watched helplessly as the flames leaped up from the front of the car. One of them pulled a radio from his pocket and thumbed the transmit button. There was no result. He looked closely at the radio, then fiddled with the channel control before trying again. Still no result. He threw the unit down and grabbed a radio from the driver, trying again. It also did not work. Fuming, he walked to the car behind his, only to leap back in fear as a flame shot out from under the car. The men inside saw the flames, and leaped out, running from the car. Within seconds, the whole vehicle was blazing. By now, the men were stumbling from the crashed cars. They could not understand what was happening. They had gone from a conviction that their attack on the unarmed and unorganized rabble of prisoners would be an easy massacre, to a humiliating defeat, and they could not find any reason for it. After several minutes of heated discussion, the man who had tried to make the radio call walked over to a nearby home and demanded to use the telephone. The occupant of the house, an elderly woman, trembled as she showed him into a tidy living room.

  “Would you like to answer the call, Cora?”

  “With pleasure.”

  The man dialed a number, and the connection was made to Cora.

  “Yes?”

  “I need cars at this address. All five of our cars have been disabled.”

  “Your service number? I need to enter this in your record.”

  Startled, the men spoke his service number.

  “Your name?”

  “I’m StateSec Senior Agent Konsal.”

  “Konsal. Yes, I have your record. You were involved in the bungled surveillance of that man Savi. Have you bungled this job too, Senior Agent?”

  Konsal started to speak, but Cora cut him off.

  “Who authorized this job, Konsal?”

  “I was instructed directly by the President himself.” It was clear that the StateSec man felt solid ground under his feet again. The President was the supreme authority.

  “That idiot instructed you?” There was utter scorn in Cora’s voice. “And you believed him? Did you not know that he has resigned? He no longer has any authority. Of course you must have known. Everybody knows. Did you get a written instruction from him, according to the law?”

  “I … I’ve never needed a written instruction before. I just do what I’m commanded to do.”

  “So you’ve done this before, Konsal? What other laws do you habitually breach? What do you do apart from wrecking cars? Oh, I know. You go around terrorizing innocent people and bringing the name of StateSec into disrepute. Here’s an order for you. Go to that bunch of fools with you and tell them to put you under arrest, and then deliver you and themselves to the nearest cells. You’ll probably get at least twenty years for this. I can’t believe it! A StateSec Senior Agent moonlighting! Using government property under the unwritten orders of a suspected criminal!” Cora paused to enjoy the look of amazed concern on the man’s face. “Hold a minute, Konsal. I’ve been instructed to pass another order to you. A valid order this time, not one from a criminal ex-President.” Cora paused for a count of three, then spoke again. “You are to proceed on foot to the office of the disgraced ex-President, and place him under arrest. Take him to the cells in his palace and lock him up, with two men on guard at all times to ensure that he does not attempt to issue any further invalid orders to fools like you. If you comply completely with this order, you and your men will be excused from personal liability for this current fiasco. If you don’t comply completely, you won’t ever see the light of day again. You know what that means, StateSec Senior Agent Konsal, don’t you?”

  “I … I do.”

  “You do what, Konsal? Don’t try to give me a runaround. I can make your life an absolute Hell!”

  “I understand. I apologize. I didn’t intend to offend you.”

  “Then why are you still talking to me, Konsal? Get moving man!”

  They watched as Konsal disconnected. He looked at the old woman standing there, then thought about it before he took a coin from his pocket and paid her for the call. He left the house, leaving the woman behind as she looked disbelievingly at the coin in her hand. Konsal walked over to the group of men and spoke, his voice trembling a little.

  “The President is no longer in office. We have been instructed to place him under arrest immediately and hold him under guard in the palace cells.”

  The other men looked at Konsal in shocked surprise, unable to formulate a coherent comment. They recovered their composure, and they started walking in the direction of the palace.

  Back in Montagu, the members of the group were all laughing.

  “You’re a natural, Cora. You had him in absolute terror.”

  “I enjoyed giving him the treatment he’s been handing out to others. I even think that he will arrest the President.” Cora laughed again. “How the mighty will fall. Thank you for allowing me that, Geoffrey.”

  “It was an absolute delight, Cora. I recorded the whole process. I think that we should add that to the presentation we’ll be making to the ex-prisoners. They’ll enjoy it too.”

  “I'd like to finish drinking our coffee, then get back to the meeting, so that we can tell everyone what we’ve learned.”

  *~*

  They walked into the meeting room in a group, and silence fell. The people knew that a momentous event was about to take place. At Cora’s urging, Aria walked to the podium.

  “My friends, we have some excellent news to tell you. When we were called from this meeting a while ago, it was to meet with some people who had arrived from another planet, using the same particle transport system that my group used to transport from the distant past. Here are those people.”

  Aria paused to allow the small group to join her at the podium, then she introduced them. The audience sat in stunned silence. This development took the momentous events of the day to a new height.

  “Geoffrey is from the planet Earth. His wife, Sorpe, is from the planet Rendl. Jarl and Hera are from the planet Vikton, and Mian and Tressin are from the planet Ga-In. All of those planets, and many others, were settled by our ancestors on the planet Kiron, when they learned of the impending destruction of their home planet. All of those planets have joined together in the Universal Community, a voluntary organization of civilizations for the betterment of all. They have learned of us recently, and have monitored events on Kinair so that they could learn our language, and also to ensure that our fledgling democracy will survive the brutal reign of the President and his army of thugs. They desire only that we, as a democratic country, join our efforts to theirs to make all of our citizens’ lives better. I will request them to tell us about the Universal Community, in a way that will enable you to see for yourselves what the Universal Community is and what it will mean for us. Before we do that, I would like to summarize some important events of the last day. First, the Chief Justice signed an Order releasing you and granting all of you a pardon for the ‘crimes’ of which you have been convicted and any other ‘crimes’ of which you may be accused. I know that not every one of you is a political prisoner, that some of you have committed real crimes, and deserved t
o be imprisoned for these crimes. You know who you are. The pardon that has been granted you is not a ticket to resume your life of crime, but rather an opportunity to turn your lives around, and to become model citizens. We hope that you will take advantage of that opportunity. After the Chief Justice made that Order, he was charged with treason by the President and imprisoned. We all know that the Chief Justice was one of the main architects of the system of oppression and injustice in our country. His fate must be decided by an independent and fair trial in the near future, as must the fate of all the other people who have supported and profited from the system of injustice and oppression. The President and his Cabinet then resigned, clearing the way for new elections, although there are still many parts of this system of oppression that have not accepted the fact that their time is past, including the President and StateSec. I will now show you some events that took place a short while ago, while you were discussing the way forward.”

  The lights dimmed and the recording of the planned raid on this meeting was thrown on the screen in the lecture hall. At first, there was a tense silence, then the laughter started at this real-life comedy. The laughter culminated as the telephone conversation between Cora, posing as a StateSec telephone operator and StateSec Senior Agent Konsal drew to a close. The lights came on again, and Aria waited for the laughter to subside.

  “I have now been informed by our friends on Earth that Senior Agent Konsal has carried out his orders to the letter. The ex-President is now under heavy guard in a cell in the palace building. We must now start the process to elect a new government, but I warn you not to act too hastily. It would be easy simply to throw all government employees in the same basket as the President. However, we need experienced government employees to perform the legitimate work of government, and not every government employee was as evil as the President. Most of them were simply people doing the work they were instructed to do. If their instructions are improved, they will do that new work. The example we have seen of Senior Agent Konsal, ludicrous as it was, illustrates that people will generally follow the example of their leaders, and will do what they are instructed to do. We must ensure that we choose the correct leaders, and monitor their actions closely. An honest and effective government will exist only if we demand it, and ensure that it does what we want it to do.