“You’re English, aren’t you?” Sanges said.
“Of course.”
“Isn’t it a bit unfair to take advantage of someone else when you are arguing about a music group who were English themselves?” Sanges said.
“Probably.” Nigel began eating.
“Anything new?” a voice came at his elbow. All three looked up. Jose Valiera stood smiling.
“Ah, Dr. Valiera,” Nigel said. “Please sit.”
Valiera accepted the invitation and smiled at the other two. “I’m afraid I haven’t had the time to read your debriefing report.”
“There wasn’t very much in it,” Nikka said. “But there is something I want to ask you. Is there any real chance of our getting a supplementary appropriation so we can get more people here?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Valiera said warmly. “But my guess is no. After all, we got a nice large shot of money just two months ago.”
“But that was simply based on what we knew when the shield went down,” Nigel interjected. “Since then the engineers have uncovered a wealth of things that need investigation.” He wrinkled his brow. “Seems silly not to give us more.”
“We’ve also uncovered the computer link,” Nikka pointed out. “Surely that’s going to cause a splash.”
Valiera looked uncomfortable. “It will when there are results. You should realize not all of what we discover is immediately released to the press, and some portions even the Congress does not know about.”
“Why’s that?” Nigel said.
“It has been decided that there are good sociometric reasons not to spread results from here too rapidly, however interesting they may seem. Some advisors of the Congress feel the impact might be severe if something truly radical is uncovered.”
“But that’s precisely why we’re here. To uncover something radical. That is, radical in the sense of fundamentals,” Nigel said, looking intently at Valiera.
“No, I believe I see the point,” Sanges said. “The entire issue of extraterrestrial life and intelligences superior to ours is emotionally loaded. It must be treated with delicacy.”
“What good is ‘delicacy’ going to do us if we can’t get the money to pursue our research?” Nikka said quickly.
“This craft has been lying here for at least half a million years, according to the estimates from solar wind abrasions of the outer skin,” Valiera said patiently. “I believe it will not vanish overnight, and we do not need an army of people here to swarm all over it.”
“After all, we are going to have three shifts a day to get full use of the computer module,” Sanges said reasonably, spreading his hands. “We are already exploiting the ship as much as we can.”
“Nobody has done more than glance at many of the passages,” Nikka said.
Sanges scowled and said ponderously, “Our First Bishop spoke only today about the wreck. He, too, advises a path of moderation. It was not pointful to make discoveries without understanding their full implication.”
Nigel made a crooked grin. “Sorry, that doesn’t quite count as an argument with me.”
“I am sorry you have not found it within yourself to open your eyes, Mr. Walmsley,” Sanges said.
“Ah, yes. I am a proponent of Cartesian dualism and therefore not to be trusted.” Nigel grinned. “I’ve never really seen how you can be a scientist or a technician and believe all that ugly business about demons and the dead rising.” He wondered if they would catch the reference to Alexandria.
Valiera said mildly, “You must understand, Mr. Sanges is not a member of the more fundamentalist wing of the New Sons. I’m sure his beliefs are much more sophisticated.”
Nigel grunted. He suppressed the impulse to bait them further.
“It has always amazed me that the New Sons were able to incorporate so many different views within one religion,” Nikka said. “It would almost seem that they were more interested in the ordering effect of religion than any particular doctrine.” She smiled diplomatically.
“Yes, that’s really the point, you see,” Nigel said. “They don’t just get together to exchange theological gossip. They like to change society around to fit their beliefs.”
Sanges said intently, “We are spreading the great love of God, the Force that drives the world.”
“Look, it’s not love that makes the world go round, it’s inertia,” Nigel said in clipped tones. “And all this mellow merde about you fellows getting two hours off to pray every day, and special holidays—”
“Religious measures dictated by our own faith.”
“Yes, strangely popular, too, aren’t they?” Nigel said. “What do you mean?” Sanges said.
“Just this. Most people have had a damned hard time of it these last decades. A lot have died, we aren’t rich anymore, none of us, and we’ve had to work like billy-hell to keep our necks above water. Hard times breed bad religions—it’s a law of history. Even people who don’t go in for that sort of thing can recognize a good dodge when they see it. If they become New Sons they get extra hours off work, little privileges, some political influence.”
Sanges clenched his fists. “You are making the most base and vile—”
Valiera broke in. “I think you gentlemen should calm down and—”
“Yes, right, I think so,” Nigel said. He got to his feet. “Coming along, Nikka?”
In the corridor outside Nigel allowed his face to twist into a grimace and he smacked a fist into his palm. “Sorry about that,” he said. “I tend to let things run away with me that way.”
Nikka smiled and patted his arm. “It is often an easy thing to do. The New Sons are not exactly the most tolerant people, either. But I must say your view of them is rather cynical, isn’t it?”
“Cynical? ‘Cynic’ is a word invented by optimists to criticize realists.”
“It didn’t seem to me you were being wholly realistic.” He opened the corridor door for her in an exaggeratedly polite fashion. “I wish it were so. It’s no accident that Sanges is a full-dress New Son and was assigned to this site. Valiera didn’t say so, but the rumors have it that the only reason we got money through Congress this time was by a high-level deal with the New Sons faction. They held out for a large representation of their own people— scientists and technicians, yes, but New Sons, too—before they would turn over their votes.”
