blending desires and providing what people wanted primarily by knowing them as well or better than they knew themselves.
Creating a monastery world with resort trappings for the rich would have been simple, save that hedonistic pursuits precluded complete isolation. Some people bought their way into Apogea. Others, like Arina, earned a grant for service to society—and her grant had been paid for with heroism and blood. Yet others were contract residents. They were heavily screened and brought to Apogea to perform specific services for a year, with contracts renewed if desired. Because needs were met on the world, the generous salaries these people were paid were saved, with hefty performance bonuses being racked up along the way to guarantee good behavior.
On top of that, Covenant practiced random interval reinforcement. The Qian programmers had managed to look at desires and project, into the future, intersection points with external trends. Items and information related to these interests would arrive for the residents at various and unpredictable intervals. It was as if everyone was entered into a lottery on an hourly basis where they might win something they didn’t know they wanted, but would please them the moment they got it. These gifts, many quite banal and innocuous, provided excitement and promoted good behavior.
“Oh, Arina, I’m thinking Apogea is quite clever, no doubt about it. When I told Father Ruxton I would be coming to visit, she was rather adamant in warning me about the seductive evil of this place. She said it had been modeled on the trick the Assassins used to play on recruits during the Crusades. They’d drug them and bring them to a magnificent palace where their every need was met. They’d be told they were in Heaven, then after three days, they’d be drugged again and returned to the real world. They’d had their taste of Heaven, so they’d go out and fight against Christendom, knowing the reward they’d have when they were killed.”
She nodded and pulled her lure from the water, then set about changing it. “That is the beauty of Apogea, you see. We can exile disruptive influences. For guests and workers, unacceptable behavior is cause for immediate expulsion and forfeiture of bonds and bonuses. For me, being a grant, I’d get pensioned off to some nice resort world. Those who have bought their way in will be returned to the world they once knew, and barred from coming back here ever.”
“Oh, the inducements to good behavior are certainly there, but that doesn’t guarantee morality, and it doesn’t do much for the immortal souls of those living here.” Flynn paused as something tugged at the lure unseen in the depths. It wasn’t a solid hit, so he continued. “We know, for example, that someone here has the idea that having a harem of sexual partners at his beck and call is a pleasure he wants to enjoy—and we know there are plenty of folks who would see nothing wrong with hiring on for a year here in paradise to deal with that need. And one could even argue that what goes on between consenting adults is fine, barring anyone being injured, but that only refers to physical injuries. The mental and emotional hurts can be considerable. Moreover, the removal from a state of grace is grave, and some might mistake this temporal Heaven for the real thing, playing now and burning later.”
“You know I don’t disagree with your view concerning morality, and I know you well enough to know that you don’t mistake the Church’s hierarchy with its spirituality.” She tied off a knot, then spread her hands. “I find I can commune with God in this creation as easily as I can in any church.”
“And yet,” Flynn smiled, “you did have me say Mass and give you the Eucharist when I arrived.”
“Religion and spirituality are not forbidden here—nothing is, if it does no harm—just the trappings that would allow it to become harmful.”
“If I accept that you are correct, that governments are vital to preserving society through the distribution of wealth, and that meeting all needs obviates the necessity of government, would you concede that Apogea would collapse into anarchy if insecurity or vital shortages were introduced here?”
“At its worst, perhaps, but we also have the advantage of being highly self-sufficient, and a very sparsely populated world. Basic needs could be met easily and while the artificially high standard of living would suffer, the people here would suffer far less than any colony-world population.” Arina shrugged. “On a world where, right now, temptation and desire are fulfilled, the necessity to commit crime does not exist.”
Flynn nodded. The screening process to come to Apogea, even as a guest, included an examination of records as well as the filling out of numerous forms and polls about tastes and desires. He assumed that for residents of any stripe, the selection process was far more rigorous, and included batteries of psychological screening tests. Residents also had chips implanted in them that served the function of the monitoring device on his wrist. They also recorded physical reactions to stimuli, registering unconscious attractions to asocial behavior, and steps could be taken to curb it or eliminate the person.
Something appeared as a black speck far to the northeast and grew quickly enough. Flynn recognized it as a light Zsytzii transport. It hovered over the cabin for a moment, then came out toward them on the lake. It swooped low, rippling waves in its wake, and hung there, barely a meter off the surface as a side hatch opened. Through the forward windscreens Flynn had already seen one of the long, lean, black-furred Zsytzii Primaries piloting the ship. Another stood at the hatch, and a number of the junior males waited behind him, peering past waist and knees at the two anglers. The Primary wore a minimum of clothing, though the equipment harness did bear rank insignia in the Covenant Safety Service.
Arina gave the Zsytzii a polite nod. “Covenant’s peace to you, Captain.”
“And to you, Citizen Gadja. It is with regret that Covenant intrudes. We are Captain Lavaryn, and we regret spoiling your time with your friend. Your opinion is sought in a serious matter. Probabilities indicate your guest might be of aid as well.”
“What’s the problem?”
The Zsytzii smiled quickly, revealing a serrated ribbon of teeth. His juniors followed a second later, dispelling forever their benign appearance. “In the City, someone has died. Natural causes and accident have been statistically excluded, leaving only one alternative.”
“Murder?”
The Zsytzii nodded solemnly. “So it is feared. Will you help?”
“I’m not sure what help I could be.”
Captain Lavaryn sighed, and his juniors moaned. “Please, citizen, we have no experience in dealing with murder.”
Arina glanced at Flynn, and the priest nodded encouragingly at her. The woman smiled slightly, golden sparks flashing from within her hazel eyes. “As you wish, Captain. Let us go.”
The City, as it was known, was a fully functioning metropolis. It had been designed down to the square centimeter, for none of it existed fifty years previously when the Apogea project started. The City’s development had taken place to reflect the desires, sensibilities, and tastes of the original residents, hence part of it was a disorganized artist section that Flynn had heard described as being “delightfully Bohemian.” As nearly as he could tell that indicated that the streets were meant to run haphazardly, and that past every curve was a hidden gallery or cafe or some other little jewel of an establishment containing undiscovered treasures. Other parts of the City had the straight lines of the finest modern developments, and still other suburban communities surrounded the urban center.
The Zsytzii took them directly into the Arts district and set down in a park. The trip from Arina’s cabin had taken little more than an hour, as the building had not been located far from the City. She actually had an apartment in one of the modern towers, but spent most of her time out at the lake.
The advantage of Zsytzii transport in service to Covenant was that both Arina and Flynn had suitable clothing provided for them and were able to change en route. Flynn found the shirt, trousers, and jacket, all in black, save for his Roman collar, fit better than the things he normally wore. He was fairly certain that if he made a comment to that effect, suggesting it made him uncomfortable, Covenant would make sure other clothes were more normal fitted.
The uniform Arina had been supplied had been tailored to perfection and shaved five years off her. Dark blue, with red epaulets, cuffs and stripes down the pants, it had enough of a military cut to provide authority. It came complete with a black weapons’ harness that had a holster and an Agonizer at her right hip.
Flynn smiled. “Well, Colonel, it’s clear Covenant hasn’t forgotten why you were given a grant.”
“And here I all but had.” She nodded, then turned to the Zsytzii officer. “I did retire a colonel in the Qian Security Service, but it was a pension appointment. I will advise, not take the investigation from you.”
The Zsytzii frowned slightly and his juniors groaned. Zsytzii males were born in litters, with the Primary and
