La Edad De Oro (70 page)

“I know that you have broken the Lakshmi agreement and that I have not.”

Gannis turned his back to Phaethon. Atkins had been watching all this with that cheek-tension that served him for a smile, and a twinkle of amusement in the cool of his eyes. He now nodded at Phaethon, and said, “Well, gentlemen! Shall we go in?” and he opened the tall antechamber doors with a gesture of his baton.

The Chamber of the Curia was austere. As Phaethon had guessed, it was done in the spartan style of the Objective Aesthetic.

Unadorned square silver pillars held up a black dome. In the center of the dome, at the highest point of the ceiling, a wide lens of crystal supported the pool overhead. Light from the world above fell through the water to form trembling nets and webs across the floor. The floor itself was inscribed with a mosaic in the data-pattern mode, representing the entire body of the Curia case law. At the center, small icons representing constitutional principles sent out lines to each case in which they were quoted; bright lines for controlling precedent, dim lines for dissenting opinions or dicta. Each case quoted in a later case sent out additional lines, till the concentric circles of floor-icons were meshed in a complex network.

The jest of the architect was clear to Phaethon. The floor mosaic was meant to represent the fixed immutability of the law; but the play of light from the pool above made it seem to ripple and sway and change with each little breeze.

Above the floor, not touching it, without sound or motion, hovered three massive cubes of black material.

These cubes were the manifestations of the Judges. The cube shape symbolized the solidity and implacable majesty of the law. Their high position showed they were above emotionalism or earthly appeals. The crown of each cube bore a thick-armed double helix of heavy gold.

The gold spirals atop the black cubes were symbols of life, motion, and energy. Perhaps they represented the active intellects of the Curia. Or perhaps they represented that life and civilization rested on the solid foundations of the law. If so, this was another jest of the architect. The law, it seemed, rested on nothing. Phaethon remembered that Ao Nisibus had been a Warlock, after all.

“Oyez, oyez!” cried Atkins, rapping the heel of his baton against the floor with a crack of noise. “All persons having business with the Honorable Appellate Court of the Foederal Oecumenical Commonwealth in the matter of the estate of Helion Prime Rhadamanthus draw nigh! Order is established, Your Lordships, the seals are placed, the recordings proceed.” A sense of impalpable pressure, a tension in the air, an undefined sensation of being scrutinized: these were the only clues to Phaethon that the cubes were now occupied by the intelligence of the Curia.

Once, long ago, these had been men. Now, recorded into an electrophotonic matrix, they were without passion or favoritism, and their most secret thoughts were open to review and scrutiny should any charge of unfairness or prejudice ever be brought against them.

The Never-First Schools always urged that the Judges should change from election to election and poll to poll, as did the members of the Parliament. The more traditional schools, however, always argued that, in order for law to be fair, reasonable men must be able to predict how it will be enforced, so as to be able to know what is and is not legal. Having sat on the bench for 7,400 years, the minds of the Curia were, like the approach of glaciers, like the ponderous motions of the outer planets, very predictable indeed.

A voice radiated from the central cube: “The Court is now in session. We note that the counselor for the purported beneficiary has chosen to manifest itself as an armored penguin. We remind the counselor of the penalties attaching to contempt of Court. Does the counselor require a recess or any extra channels to array itself more presentably?”

“No, Your Lordship.” The image of Rhadamanthus faded, and, fitting in to the prevailing aesthetic, the penguin turned into a large green cone.

Phaethon eyed the cone dubiously. “Oh, much better…” he muttered.

“Order in the Court!” radiated the cube on the left.

Phaethon straightened uncomfortably. He had never been in a Court of Law before; he did not know of anybody who had, except in historic dramas. Almost all such disputes were settled by Hortators finding compromises, or by Sophotechs deducing solutions to such problems before they arose. Was Phaethon supposed to take this quaint old-fashioned ceremony seriously? As ceremonies went, it was not the most impressive. It was not even accompanied by any music or psychostimulants.

Phaethon saw how Atkins, the bailiff, stood in a relaxed and watchful posture, hand still on the baton-weapon. Atkins was, perhaps, the only man in all of the Golden Oecumene who was armed. The idea of a Court of Law, the idea that men must be compelled by the threat of force to abide by civilized rules, might be a hideous anachronism in this enlightened day and age. But Atkins still took it seriously.

And perhaps it was serious. Very serious. The future of Phaethon’s life was about to be decided for him, decided by forces beyond his control.

“Rhadamanthus,” Phaethon whispered. “Do something.”

The green cone slid forward and spoke: “Your Lordships, I do have a preliminary motion.”

The middle cube: “We will entertain to hear your motion, Counselor.”

“The beneficiary—”

“Alleged beneficiary!” snapped Gannis.

“—finds he is taken by surprise and is unprepared. However, he would face civil penalties in another suit if he should break his word and avail himself of the memories redacted under the Lakshmi agreement. But were this Honorable Court to order discovery of that evidence, my client would be able to avail himself of those memories, would be prepared to face this tribunal, and yet would not face civil penalties for ”breach of contract.”

Gannis said, “How would he not face penalty? If he regains his memories, he is in violation!”

The green cone replied: “My learned colleague is mistaken. Phaethon is in violation if and only if he deliberately opens the forbidden memory files himself. If a Court order compels him to open those files, there is no deliberate act on his part—”

The cube on the left interrupted: “This is not a debating society. The counselors will address their remarks to the bench.”

Gannis turned toward the black cubes: “Your Lordships, may I present argument for denying the Respondent’s motion?”

The central cube radiated: “The Court will entertain your remarks.”

“The motion is without grounds at this stage of the proceedings. The only question presently before the Court is the identity of the Respondent, who claims to be Phaethon Prime Rhadamanthus. And, even were this the proper time to raise that issue, the proper relief for a complaint of surprise would be to grant the Respondent more time to prepare. Naturally my client would raise no opposition to any additional postponements the Court may deem necessary for a fully equitable result.”

The cube on the right spoke in a voice heavy with irony: “Considering the history of this case, the Court is not surprised that the learned counselor raises no opposition to additional postponements. Nonetheless, the argument is well taken. The matter of Phaethon’s memory, except insofar as it touches and concerns the question of his identity, is not a question presently before the Court. The Respondent’s motion is denied.”

Phaethon whispered: “What the hell is going on here, Rhadamanthus? Who is this ‘Respondent’? Me? What are they here to decide…?”

The cube on the left exclaimed: “We must have order in the Court! What is all this whispering and commotion? The traditional forms and practices of law must be observed!”

The green cone brightened slightly: “But, Your Lordships, tradition is just what is not being observed here. Tradition requires that equity, as well as law, determine the outcome of Your Lordships’ actions. Surely my client cannot be without remedy, as his memory loss hinders his and my ability to protect his interests with full and zealous effort! I am ready to download a précis of the 66,505 cases on the point of defendants suffering from memory redaction, and their rights and obligations under the law.”

A certain section of the floor mosaic flowed with light, as strands of interlocking case law were reviewed. Rhadamanthus continued: “In all such cases the Court took steps to ensure that an equitable result was reached.”

“The point is well taken. This Court will inform the Respondent of any pertinent details which bear on this case. In so doing, the Court does not indemnify the Respondent from further and future civil actions for breach of contract; the determinations of whatever Court shall sit on that issue are beyond our authority.”

Gannis was scowling. The green cone seemed to wiggle smugly. Phaethon was convinced that, deep down, those motions were still somehow penguinlike.

Phaethon said, “Your Lordships, how is this going to work? Am I suppose to ask you questions which Your Lordships will answer, or will the memories be made available to me in an edited form, or how?”

The central cube said: “Submit your motion in the proper form, and we shall answer.”

Phaethon nudged the side of the green cone with his foot, and hissed: “Quick, what is the proper form…?”

Gannis stepped forward and spoke up: “Your Lordships! I have another motion which I ask to make at this time. I submit that the Respondent’s attorney has no standing to appear before this Court. The Rhadamanthus Law-mind is a property of my client, Helion, who must use that same database for his legal matters. This creates a clear conflict of interest. Rhadamanthus cannot serve on both sides of the same case.” The green cone said: “Your Lordships, I have built a ‘Chinese Wall’ to block off those sections of my mind and memory to prevent any such impropriety…”

Gannis was not finished: “…and I further object that Rhadamanthus is himself the res of the case, as the contract controlling his ownership is a real and valuable property of the estate. Even assuming, arguendo, that Phaethon shall be the heir, since we all know what he plans to do with the money (should he prevail), and since we all know he is not going to be around for long, I submit that my client nonetheless has a contingent remainder interest in the estate, and the Respondent must be estopped from employing Rhadamanthus under the doctrine of waste!”

Phaethon said impatiently: “Your Lordships! Can’t we have this ceremony take place in some language I understand?!”

“Order. The penalties for contempt of Court may include any punishment the Court deems fit, provided they are not cruel and unusual.”

“But I do not understand what is going on!” “It is not the business of this Court to educate you. Rhadamanthus, have you any argument to make as to why we should not grant the claimant’s motion…? If not, we sustain the objection. The bailiff will take Rhadamanthus off-line.“ And, just like that, Rhadamanthus was gone. Phaethon stood by himself on the dark floor. Gannis smiled with wide self-satisfaction.

Phaethon was as alone as he had been in the grim little room where he had found his armor. No sense-filter was operating; there were no aids nor augments running in his memory. And while, theoretically, Silver-Gray protocol forbade the use of emotion-control programs, Phaethon tended to use some small glandular and parasympathetic regulators. But now, with that support gone, it was almost like being drunk. Despair and frustration raged within his brain, and he had no automatic way to turn those emotions off.

Phaethon took a deep breath, fighting for calmness. Everyone in the ancient world used to control themselves naturally, organically, without any cybernetic assistance. If they could do it, he could do it!

The middle cube radiated: “The Court will now proceed to the examination. Does the Respondent wish to modify or amend any prior pleadings to this Court?”

“Are you speaking to me?” asked Phaethon, trying to keep the exasperation out of his voice. “If you want to ask me something, you’re going to have to explain what’s going on!”

The cube on the left said: “You will maintain order and decorum, or suffer penalty.”

Gannis smiled like a shark, and said: “Perhaps the Respondent wishes to request more time to earn another fortune and hire another lawyer. We would not oppose a motion for a postponement.”

A moment of blinding anger stabbed through Phaethon, surprising him.

(And on the other hand, Phaethon reminded himself, the ancient world had been turbulent with war and crime and insanity, not once or twice but at all times. Maybe this self-control stuff was more difficult than it seemed.)

Phaethon said to Gannis: “There will be no postponements.”

He turned toward the Curia. “I meant no disrespect to Your Lordships. But you have deprived me of the attorney I was using to instruct me in your proper forms and rituals. You have agreed to tell me those things missing from my memory which I need to know to proceed in this case; yet you have not done so. Is this the fairness and justice for which the Curia is famous? I remind Your Lordships that what we do here today will be remembered not just for a century or a millennium but for all the rest of our lives. We, none of us, had better do anything for which the future will upbraid us.”

Gannis’s smile faded as his face-program hid his expression once again.

The cube on the right said: “Well said. We will inform you of the facts of the case. The matter is simple. You stand to—” (he used a word Phaethon did not know, some archaic legal expression) “—a very great deal of property and money, perhaps the largest estate ever passed along in human history. The result may change the social and economic relationships within the Golden Oecumene in a revolutionary fashion. Consequently, despite that these are rather routine matters, we seek to avoid even the appearance of irregularity. Therefore, the Curia exercises its right to invoke special jurisdiction, and we sit as a Probate Court, in order to oversee the deposition and examination to determine your identity. This present hearing is to give you the opportunity to submit to a routine Noetic examination, and swear, under telepathic oath, that you are Phaethon Prime Rhadamanth. Do you have any questions?”