“It’s not just that. I can’t confirm it, but it’s almost a certainty that the Republic wiped out my fathers and my brother and his family. Then, you saw the analysis Laren did. The RSF effectively massacred the Keltyr fleet…”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I guess…I’m not sure I see any real difference between the Revenants and the Republic.” Van shook his head. “Oh, there are lots of differences. The Republic doesn’t have Temples and a state faith, and it doesn’t indoctrinate all its citizens into one belief system. But they both seem devoted to amassing temporal power and marginalizing anyone who is opposed or gets in the way. Neither wants people who are different with any degree of freedom or power. With each year, it gets worse. Just like the Revs, the RSF is using clones as disposable tools. Just like the Revs, they’re wiping out groups that don’t agree. The total is over five million already—”
“Five million?”
“That’s just on Sulyn. It doesn’t count the Keltyr fleet and whatever’s happening on the former Keltyr planets.” Van cleared his throat. “Just like the Revs, they’re using economic and social tools to expand and consolidate power. And just like the Revs, they’ve decided to change the rules of society whenever necessary to accomplish that, by taking away the rights of those who would oppose them. Did you know that they’ve started holding secret military trials, and that they’ve executed mediacasters and advocates who criticize the government?”
“I didn’t know that, but there have been scores of governments in history, if not more, that have done the same thing.”
“I know. But this is where I grew up. These are the people I defended. For me, that makes it different.” Van took a sip of the already-cool café. “Trystin had the knowledge that at least the evil ones were the enemy.”
“Not completely,” Nynca replied. “I was told that once he was followed and almost arrested in Cambria because he looked like a Rev. That was one reason he was never more than a commander in the Service.”
“That just makes matters more complex.” Van shook his head. “How can you stop evil when no one wants to pay the price?”
“People have never wanted to pay that price. They only rally to stop it when it doesn’t cost too much, or when their own survival is threatened. Why do you think Gramps used his device on the Jerush system? No one else wanted to act, and they wouldn’t have, not until the Arm had been turned into four major powers, with all the independent systems gone.”
“Do you think what he did will work?” asked Van.
“What do you think?” countered Nynca.
“Mostly…it did. It will take years for everything to settle out, but the Revs can’t use unified economic power to push into smaller systems. That means, unless someone turns into the Revenant model, the smaller systems will become stronger, and there will be more of them. The Argentis are fairly live-and-let-live, and so is the Coalition…” Van paused. “Was that why he did it?”
For the first time, Nynca looked puzzled.
“He was afraid that the Coalition would have to go to war, and then all the freedoms, all the tolerance, all the economic openness would vanish…” Van waited.
Nynca’s laugh was sad—and wry. “I didn’t think of it that way, but that was the way he thought. That’s why I said you’re more like him than any of us are.” After a moment, she said, “Van…let things settle out. The Arm needs IIS, and IIS needs you. If you try something like Gramps did…”
“I promise you I won’t translate the Joyau into a sun, or do anything like that,” Van said. “I’d like to think that I’d accomplished something positive, and I’d like to have time to do it. And there are…things I really want to do.”
“Is that a promise?”
“It is.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“That’s why I’m out here. I’ve been talking to Mason and trying to figure out what else we can do with the ships. I also needed some time to think. But whatever I do, I want to be around for a good long time, and I want my life to reflect something positive.” All that was absolutely true. Van just had to figure out how he could do what he had to do and still do what he wanted to.
“I’d like to believe you,” Nynca said.
“But Trystin said the same thing.” Van paused. “Or did he?”
She frowned, then was silent for a time. “No. He really didn’t. Not this last time.”
“You see?”
“With you, I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Van shrugged. “I’ll have to spend years proving it, then.”
“See that you do.”
Van laughed helplessly.
Chapter 96
After Nynca’s talk with Van, she had not stayed at Aerolis, and Van had finished his preparations on sevenday, including restocking on torps. Early on eightday, he eased into the command couch and went through the checklist.
He looked at the blank board before him. Do you want to go through with this? The next question was harder. If you don’t, will you spend years like Trystin, crisscrossing the Arm and trying to clean up cancerous outbreaks of tyranny and repression everywhere? Will you end up old and feeble, and unable to do anything, regretting losing the chance that you had?
He cleared his throat and linked. A-prime, Joyau ready to depower and delock.
Van dropped the ship grav to nil and waited.
Joyau, cleared to depower and delock.
Depowered. Delocking this time. With the gentlest touch of the steering jets, Van eased the Joyau clear of the locking tower. Outbound on minimum power.
Till the next time, returned Jynko.
Till then.
Once clear of the asteroid complex, Van turned the Joyau on an out-system course.
From what he had learned earlier, and updated while he’d been both in Cambria and at Aerolis, the “new” Republic government was being sworn in the next morning in New Oisin, and would be addressing the legislative and legal “reforms” proposed by Prime Minister Eamon. As
