Flight of the Maita Supercollection 3: Solving Galactic Problems Collector's Edition (79 page)

"Thet wud mean
I cud be fined a hunnert stars 'n spend ten days'r so in tha
lockup. Sos cud yer. But thet hunnert stars's more than I have,
say, ceptin' fer tha food money 'n my famly'd have nuthin' comin'
in whilst I was in tha lockup. What'd ut mean ter yer? A hunnert
stars 'n ten days? Yer spends uh hunnert stars fer a dinner. Nobody
goes without naught if'n yer in tha lock-up fer ten days 'r ten
tendays. They's hunnerts uh things like thet! A hunnert stars uz
most nothin' ter yer 'n ut's everthin' ter me! Ain't no way thet's
fair! Ain't no way 'n yer knows ut!"

"But, but, uh,
like you say, it's not the kind of crime either of us would even
commit," Sop stammered.

"Naw, but
yer'cn be sure tha penalties fer tha crimes we'uns ud commit're
worse'n tha ones fer tha crimes thet rich'd commit! Ya cud take a
hunnert stars fer some little thing thet we'uns ud do 'n thet wud
be all we'uns'd have. Yer cud take my land away from me'n yer'd git
a fine of half its value 'n git away uth tha rest'n yer knows ut.
Tha penalty's uz easier fer tha rich.

"I knows ut's
allus been thet way'n ut prob'ly allus will be, but tain't fair! No
sir, tain't fair!"

Sop argued for
hours, but knew the farmer was right. It wasn't fair. It had never
been fair.

Could he change
that? The constitution was adopted three days ago and it has to be
changed already! Damn! I knew that was going to happen! I knew it!
– but does it have to be changed?

No! It says
plainly that government must be fair and that can't be interpreted
to mean there would be a class structure in the law. Class
structures are inherently unfair – ergo, they are already outlawed
by the constitution. All that would have to be changed was the
single explanation of what was meant when the term "fair" was used
in the constitution.

How had he
defined "fair" in the dictionary?

Yes! He had
used the term "equal in effect!" All that was needed was that an
explanation of the term "equal in effect" must be added. That was a
matter of adding ... nothing but the printing! There were two blank
pages after each section of the addendum that were there for notes
where he could have the printer add it onto the first of the pages
after the dictionary section. All he must do was determine the
exact wording.

"The term
'equal in effect' shall mean methods must be worked out whereby a
reward or penalty may be unequal in monetary or time value, but
will be equal in impact on the person or entity thus penalized or
rewarded. 'Effect' will mean impact both in social and monetary
senses. As an instance; the penalty for a simple transgression such
as trespass shall not be a fixed monetary fine. It shall be a
percentage of income.

"Reasoning: A
poor person could be ruined and his innocent family could be
devastated by a fine of, i.e., one hundred stars, where a person of
even moderate income would not be even mildly inconvenienced by
such a small amount.

"Ten percent of
one period's income would be more fair, as the poor person may have
a period income of one hundred stars and, though there would be
hardship from a ten star fine it would not be devastating. This
percentage would affect a person who earned a thousand stars per
period about equally. One hundred stars would cause hardship to
much the same degree as would the ten stars to the poor person.

"It is also for
the courts to ensure that hardship may not be imposed upon the
family of a person who commits a minor crime instead of upon the
one who commits that crime.

"The word
'fair' in the constitution is always to be defined as 'equal in
effect' and the courts are thus now and always instructed."

Sop replayed
the explanation, then smiled and had it added to all the books
already printed and to all that would be printed. He took a copy
and went back to Tekif where he read the passage to the same farmer
who pointed the thing out to him.

"Thet'd be
right fair!" the farmer declared. "By Grumm! Thet'd be fair! Tain't
nobody gits no favoritism!

"Sop, we'uns uz
right beholdin' ter yer! Yer'll make thet thar constitution work
yit! Thet uz a part of ut, ther constitution, I mean?"

"Ahyep!" Sop
declared. "It is as much a part as if it were written on the first
page!"

"By Grumm! Ut's
tha first time us little folk done ever shook no hands 'ithout
later findin' thar wuz somethin' ‘sides in ther glove!" the farmer
declared.

Sop went back
across the bridge feeling for the first time he had actually done
something where there really WASN'T something in the glove, as the
farmer said. He felt damned good about it and about himself. Maybe
there was salvation in this for him. For the first time in his life
he also realized he didn't much care for himself. He had spent a
lifetime posturing and posing and playing a part. Now he was being
himself – and he liked what he was seeing! He wasn't really all
that bad after all!

No sir! "Thar's
nothin' naught ther hand in ther glove!"

* * * *

Hal Korr spent
much of the time writing his book about the Jeurne Valley dig. If
he wasn't going to be laughed out of this chairman thing he
certainly wouldn't have time to write it in the next six years. It
was still hard for him to believe anyone would seriously believe he
could hope to win an election that would encompass all of
Klarstenland. He knew HE took it more as a joke than anything else.
Enn Far wanted a way to honor him for finding the "A" serum and
chose this method so he must treat the great honor of his
nomination for what it was – an honor.

Enn actually
thought he should be expressing his views about various matters
and, he must admit, Mi was extraordinarily proud of him.

He was proud of
her, too! She had taken this job of National Health Officer in her
stride and was doing a truly exemplary job. People would follow her
without question after she handled that first testing thing with
amazing adroitness, telling the people they could accept the
virtual house quarantine as a vacation they had earned for passing
the constitution and taking their fate and that of Klarstenland
into their own hands for the first time in the sordid history of
Kroon.

She went to the
mainland to meet with Enn Far where she had personally tested him
for plague. The nation was stunned to learn that he had it,
probably contracted when he insisted on meeting directly with the
people as part of his duty as chairman. There was quite a row when
he refused to take treatment until all those in the capital had
taken theirs. Mi said flatly SHE was National Health Officer and
SHE was declared acting head of state and HE would take treatment
according to his place on the lists or HE would be placed into the
quarantine area she had decreed from the first.

The capitol
building was the first area tested, he was the first person found
with the plague. He would, therefore, undergo the treatment when
SHE told him he would – unless he wished to refuse the order of the
National Health Officer HE appointed and go into that quarantine.
That would hardly set a good example.

He looked
sheepish, grinned and held out his right arm for the first
injection. His aide and two others at the capitol were also found
to have the plague and were treated at the same time. The doctors
immediately started the house-to-house campaign across the
nation.

Hal knew
finally that he was completely in love with that woman when she
made her famous "Two Great Experiments" speech.

He closed off
such thoughts and went back to the book.

Mi returned at
dawnlight the following morning and handed him registration papers
that would make them legally husband and wife before she ran off to
meet with Jak Tall. She brought an Akee unit for Jak as she had
promised, then had to discuss the dangers of too-hasty building of
the units, but he assured her his instructions to the doctors and
the people helping with the machines would make it quite safe.

"It's really a
simple thing," Jak told Hal when Hal asked the same questions. "If
the subject feels heat the machine is to be stopped and reset.
About all that would happen in the standard time a person stays in
the machine would be a slight burning of the lighter pigment areas
not unlike a moderate sunburn."

Sop was
absorbed working on his addendum and dictionary and Hal had seen
the books piling up when he passed earlier. Sop had not been in his
rooms.

Hal finished
the chapter, then went to talk with Sop, who was feeding the
already printed books back through the machine.

"I had to add a
note," Sop explained. "What can I do for you?"

"I mostly want
to know what's going on with this constitution thing. Am I
seriously going to be running for the first chairmanship or was
that merely Enn Far's way of honoring me for finding 'A'
serum?"

"Yes. You will
almost certainly be the first elected chairman. I want you to
seriously consider me for the post of first First Attorney of
Klarstenland. I claim the complete knowledge of the constitution
and of law in general and may claim further you will not find
anyone more qualified." He grinned and added, "I am serious about
wanting the job."

"If I'm elected
to the post of chairman by some fluke you've got it! I'd need a lot
of advice about who to appoint to what post! I don't know very many
people."

"Well, this Mi
Yinn character is a bit hard to control, but it would be very
difficult to oust her from head of National Health. Politically, it
would be a terrible mistake so I guess you are stuck with her.
Maybe you should marry her and inform her your wife is not going to
work!" Sop suggested, laughing. "She'll probably never have to do
anything again and, though the post pays nothing she has earned
that post a thousand times over.

"You know how I
generally feel about women holding those jobs, but she is an
exception. Besides which she calls me all kinds of terrible names
when I say anything about it being her duty to take care of the
home."

"Yeah. I can
picture me – or anyone else – telling Mi Yinn whether or not she
can work! For such a dirty sexist wallowbeast you made the
constitution state women were as equal as anyone," Hal pointed
out.

"I know. The
truth is I am scared to death of them!"

They
talked a while before Hal left, thinking,
More truths are spoken in jest than
in seriousness. It must really be trying to Sop to admit that his
true feelings are far from what he pretends they are. He probably
really is scared of women.

Smart man!

*

Enn Far stepped
from the machine and asked what had happened. Why hadn't it
worked?

"Happened?" Mi
asked, looking confused. "Other than your second-stage treatment,
nothing happened!"

"I thought that
machine was supposed to make you feel like you're on fire and give
you a terrible headache!" Enn protested.

This was by
arrangement with Mi. There were all sorts of wild rumors about the
treatment so his was being carried on national television for the
express purpose of stopping the fears. Mi laughed and said certain
types of microwaves were going through their bodies constantly.
They were being generated by the sun and by radio and television
transmissions and even the toaster and can opener. "The only one
who gets burned up and a headache is the plague virus," Mi said.
"You'll get bit of a headache, but it's from the M fourteen.
Millions of people can tell you it isn't bad. It will make you tend
to be a bit irritated at small things, but this one is a lot milder
than the early ones and they weren't too bad."

One hour later
he was again injected and the following morning tested using the
electron microscope.

"This test is
the part that takes longest," Mi explained. "We have yet to find
anyone who wasn't cured, though."

She made the
examination, then gave him a small plastic disk with his thumb
print on one side and his name on the other.

"This certifies
that you are treated and are free of the NSV virus, Enn Far," she
announced for the ever-present cameras. "Do not come into physical
contact in any way with any person who is not displaying a like tag
for the next twenty days. Next!"

That was
it!

Enn received
the statistics datasheets for the preceding day so knew more than
half of all tested had the virus. Mi explained the importance of it
was more that they could expect quite a number of those who had
tested negative today to test positive on the followup twenty days
hence. That's why he must get through to the people that contact
with anyone who tested negative must not take place. In one
afternoon a crew of two hundred six doctors tested more than
fifteen hundred people and treated eight hundred forty three of
them into the night. The remainder of the city would be tested
within two days. This part was organized and this was fast! New M-W
units and serum supplies were coming onto the scene hourly. Even
the most outlying areas would be tested and treated within eight
days maximum.

Enn decided to
address the people each evening on government television to explain
how the election processes would work. The seating of the new
government would still take place exactly one year from the
signing, making Constitution Day a doubly meaningful holiday.

They were able
to keep close to the schedule with the plague as the first vote was
taken. Now the time for campaigning would begin. There were several
precincts where the Representative to Commons was unopposed or
where one person won a majority so the second election wouldn't be
needed.

One other
office was confirmed already. Hal Korr was unopposed and Enn Far
was chosen as vice chairman on second ballot. Things were shaping
very well.