Venus of Shadows (78 page)

"But the Project would not end. The atmosphere could still be seeded with algae, and Venus would continue to cool in the Parasol's shadow. The geological processes begun by our terraforming efforts would go on. All that would end is one phase of the Project, a perhaps misguided attempt to settle this planet at an earlier stage. We would retain the knowledge we've gained about terraforming, and we could then direct our resources to using that knowledge for Earth's benefit, which was one of the reasons for beginning the Project in the first place. Venus would be settled again eventually but only by people who will bow to us."

"Earth may not stand by and let you watch a world die."

"Do you care to test that?" Kaseko's voice had risen a little. "Earth is subject to my will now. What the people there think depends on what they learn, and I am in charge of that. They can be told it was your people who destroyed the Platform in a suicidal gesture of defiance, that it was those you call Cytherians who condemned their fellows to a long wait for a prolonged death. I think we can make them believe that — your own grandmother died trying to prevent a similar action. Earth will feel pity for those sorry multitudes, and disgust for the leaders who failed them. We will of course make an effort to rescue those we can, but it may be too late for many. That will be your legacy — death, and exile from this world for the few who might be lucky enough to be saved."

He could not mean it; he was only trying to frighten her. His gaze was steady; she saw no mercy in his eyes. A man who made too many empty threats would not be in his position; she wondered how many he had pushed aside during his climb to power.

"It won't come to that," Chimene said softly. "I wouldn't wish such a fate on my brothers and sisters."

"I'm pleased to hear it. I'll give you a couple of months to prepare your people for the inevitable and to point out the benefits of closer ties with Earth. I advise you to silence as many potential dissenters as you can by any means you choose in the meantime. After that, you will announce my intention to visit your Islands, at which time my aide and her Guardians will secure the Platform. We'll make the nature of our agreement public then, and you will keep it a secret for now. The new Project Council, with Alim's Administrators, will make all decisions regarding Venus, and our Guardians will supervise your patrols. Alim will be free to consult with you, and you may keep your little cult. Are we agreed?" Kaseko's smile widened. "But of course we are. You have the look of a woman who's used to comforts and the idolatry of those who adore her. You're not the sort who would martyr herself in a hopeless cause."

"We're agreed." She bowed her head. Her right hand was near the dagger under her sash; she might be able to get to him before she was stopped. He could pay for his arrogance with his life, and all Cytherians would see her as a heroine. No, she thought; that wasn't the way. Such an act would win no victory for the Spirit.

The Mukhtar was speaking to Alim now. Kaseko had underestimated her. He was counting on an easy victory; she would see that he had no victory at all. She did not have to keep his plans secret; the Platform could be secured before his Guardians landed. He would lose some of his power over the Council of Mukhtars if others on Earth saw that he was leading them into a costly battle; he might be forced to withdraw. If he did not, then surely it was better for Cytherians to die fighting; the Spirit would expect that sacrifice. The defiance of a world could bring down the Mukhtar. The martyrdom of the Cytherians would unite all of her people with Ishtar.

Thirty-One

One line, written in crude black Anglaic letters, had been added to the inscription on the monument to Iris Angharads and Amir Azad. Under "They rest forever on the world they helped to build," someone had written: "Where the Guide and her followers now trouble their long sleep."

Chimene glared at the monument, trembling with fury, then turned toward one of the three patrolwomen trailing her. "I want this removed immediately," she muttered, "and I want you to find out who dared to deface this pillar." Eva reached for her arm as Josefa moved closer to her. The patrolwomen stared back at her uncertainly. "Now!"

"We'll have to summon a maintenance worker," one woman replied. "Those letters won't come off easily, and we wouldn't want to mar —"

"Then summon somebody." Chimene glanced toward the other memorial pillars, where five people were laying a wreath at the base of one column. "In the meantime, you can search that group and find out if any of them has materials that might have been used to do this."

One woman spoke quickly into her wrist communicator; then the three moved toward the five mourners. Chimene led her two housemates toward the nearby wall.

"We'd better stay within sight of our guards," Eva said. "They are supposed to be protecting us."

"Protecting us!" Chimene shook her head. Ever since she and her party had returned to Oberg a week ago, members of the patrol were almost always at her side whenever she left her house. They waited by her door and outside the houses of those she visited; they even stood at her side during meetings to watch the crowd of worshippers. It was Boaz's doing; he claimed that he wanted her safe from the few malcontents who might threaten her. Instead, she felt as though she was being watched.

"For all we know," Josefa said, "a member of the patrol might have defaced the monument. You'll probably never find out who did it."

Chimene gazed through the dome at the darkness outside. Walls surrounded her now, separating her even from those closest to her. Most of her household seemed afflicted with ennui as they passively went about their duties. Boaz and Matthew, on the other hand, were notably more energetic. They spent their days with her drawing up lists of Councilors and permanent patrol members who could be trusted to subdue any who might resist Mukhtar Kaseko's new order. Other lists included people Boaz particularly distrusted and whom he suspected of being organized into a group of conspirators against Ishtar. A few of those people had been interrogated, and Boaz had learned a little about the group's organization. Each person had contact with only a few other conspirators; none of those who had been questioned seemed to know who was at the heart of the group.

Under other circumstances, they might have ignored these malcontents, who had so far limited themselves to spreading scurrilous rumors, telling stories of injustices at the hands of the patrol, attacking and temporarily disabling a few patrol members under the cover of darkness, protecting wrongdoers, and defacing tunnels and buildings with mocking graffiti. But these people might win other supporters when the agreement with Kaseko Wugabe was announced; they had to be rooted out before that. Boaz was prepared to be harsh; every person who broke down under questioning would lead him to a few others. He would trace the chain to its center. He already had a few suppositions; Chimene knew Risa's name was on his list. Boaz would even move against the Guide's mother when he had more evidence.

Chimene had been following Boaz's direction so far. She looked at his lists, listened to his and Matthew's advice, uttered the occasional gentle protest the two would expect her to make out of pity and love. Before leaving Anwara, she and Alim had recorded speeches about the aid Earth was prepared to offer and the goodwill the Mukhtar had shown them. Boaz was now helping her with her next speech, one that would carefully point out the benefits of friendship with Earth and the suspicion of Habbers both worlds had in common.

Boaz thought he had won. She did not let him see that she was preparing to move against him, that his lists of those he distrusted were also showing Chimene her potential allies. She no longer heard the Spirit in his voice, only the sound of a man who would surrender to Earth in return for power here. Lately, at night, she dreamed that the Spirit mocked her:
What have you done? Why have you put chains on My world?

"We must speak to you," Eva said then, "before it's too late. I can't keep silent any longer, especially after what Josefa's told me today. Maybe you'll finally listen to me. Ever since our meeting with Kaseko, I've wanted to speak. I couldn't believe that you'd give in so easily, that Boaz —"

"What about Boaz?" Chimene, suddenly wary, turned around and leaned against the wall.

The blond woman gestured at Josefa. "Tell her."

"A young man on the patrol came to me," Josefa murmured, "one of those who has often been useful to Boaz. He doesn't shrink from abusing someone under detention or who's being questioned or from extorting a few extra contributions for himself, but he was troubled by some things Boaz has been saying about you lately."

"Such as?"

"That the Spirit has abandoned you." The golden-skinned woman pulled nervously at a strand of her long black hair. "That you no longer love your people and are incapable of guiding us. He's saying that it's time for a new Guide, that you have wandered from the right way."

Chimene folded her arms. "My brothers and sisters will not believe that."

"It doesn't matter whether they do or not," Josefa responded. "Boaz says this only to this man and a few others like him, people who have close ties to Boaz. He tells them how he sorrows over you, how he fears all the fellowship will lose their faith if they ever see what he knows. This man says Boaz means to put you out of the way and raise another in your place. You know what that means. Another can become our Guide only after your death."

"He's clever," Eva said. "I'm sure he can find a way to arrange it with the help of a few like that man, maybe with an accident or even an attack on you that can be blamed on our enemies. Those doing Boaz's bidding will believe they acted in the interests of Ishtar. The rest of the fellowship will mourn for you and perhaps be roused to strike at any of our opponents who might be held responsible for your death."

"He'd probably make Lakshmi the Guide," Josefa said. "The girl adores him — he'd have no trouble manipulating her. Why, he could even bring your child into the world — that would be a nice touch after your death, and everyone knows you planned to have one. Maybe he anticipated that all along, maybe that's why he persuaded you to make arrangements to store your ova. If Lakshmi ever outlives her usefulness or becomes obstinate, he could install his own daughter as the Guide." She took a breath. "If you don't believe me, I can take you to this man, and you can hear this from his own lips. Whether he's moved by love for his Guide or hope of an eventual reward from you, I can't say, but he took a risk in coming to me, since I might have betrayed him to Boaz. I had to convince him that my first loyalty was to you before he told me what he knew."

"And are you loyal to me?" Chimene glanced from Josefa to Eva. "How can I be sure of that? How do I know this isn't some plot to turn me against a man who's been so close to me?"

"The only way you can find out," Eva said, "is to go to Boaz with this story. If that were all it is, he'd silence that young man and that would be the end of the matter. If it isn't, he'd have to move against you immediately, and us as well. You have to trust us and protect yourself. We've put our lives in your hands by telling you this. I know you don't want to believe this — Boaz was to be the father of your child."

"But I do believe you. I've sensed what might be going on in Boaz's mind for a while now. I will take steps." Chimene gazed past the two women at the monument, where a man was now scrubbing at the pillar under the patrol's supervision. "Boaz will repent. He and Matthew will be brought back to the right path." She felt a wave of pity for the two men. The Spirit was with her; she could not hate them even now. She would help them past this obstacle to truth, this lust for power, this eagerness to betray her and her world. They had loved her once, and they would love her again. Ishtar would forgive them if they turned away from error.

"What can you do?" Eva asked.

"The Mukhtar is counting on us to keep his plans secret," Chimene said, "to reveal them only to those who will help us carry them out. By the time his Guardians are on the Platform, it'll be too late for anyone here to make an effective response. He needs time — time for us to weaken the will of our people so that he can impose his rule with a minimum of resistance. We're not going to give him that time. You two will have to help me."

"How?" Josefa said.

"Boaz has a list of people he doesn't trust. They're going to learn about Mukhtar Kaseko's intentions. They're going to hear that Boaz and Administrator Alim betrayed us. The pilots are going to hear it, too — they'll spread the word among more of the fellowship. By the time Boaz realizes that the word is out, he'll have both his enemies and many of our sisters and brothers against him. You'll help me spread this information. Eva, you were always coming to me with stories the discontented had told you — now you can tell them that their Guide has not forgotten them."

"But even if we're believed," Eva said, "what can we do? You might bring about Boaz's downfall and unite us all, only to have us suffer the Mukhtar's wrath. You heard what he said — he wouldn't shrink from a violent confrontation."

"Then why didn't he simply take the Platform before we knew his intentions?" Chimene shook her head. "He wanted us to make it easier for him. He talks of his power, but much of Earth and even most of his fellow Mukhtars might turn against him if they think he's leading them into a protracted and costly siege. He can't win unless his victory costs him little. Our pilots could seize the Platform and make certain his Guardians never land. We can resist the way the Islanders did during Pavel Gvishiani's time, wait them out until they see that we'll never give in."

"And if you're wrong?" Eva said. "An orbiting Guardian ship could disable the Platform and the Islands with beam weapons, and we have no defenses. Our settlements would be entirely cut off then, with no way for us to survive indefinitely. The Mukhtar wouldn't even have to strike at us down here. Can we take that chance?"

"What else would you advise?" Chimene asked.