āIām always interested in the reactions of new colonists. You see, I was born here. Iām third-generation Edenite, and I never expected anything better. I wasnāt lied to, and I feel sympathy for everyone else who was. Some Earthies canāt handle it. They arrive expecting perfect weather, food dangling from the trees waiting to be picked, gentle streams that never flood.
āThere actually are one or two places like that here on Eden, down on the equator. Weāve only just located them. Planetary exploration is dependent on local means of transportation, not to mention limited available manpower. Meanwhile weāre stuck here in the so-called temperate zone, tied to the GATE because moving it might break the link with Earth. Chances are good that it wouldnāt, but weāre not secure enough yet to take the risk, though some of us donāt care if we ever hear from Earth again, supplies or no supplies.
āRight now weāre working on a repulsion rail system that will take us to the Auraxis coast. But itās far from perfect there, just better weather on balance.ā
āWhatās wrong with it?ā Lisa asked.
āSeasonal hurricanes, occurring with a greater frequency than they do on the Gulf Coast of North America.ā
āWeāre from North America.ā
āGood. Depending on what part, youāll handle the transposition better than some. Every so often we get colonists from Imperial Russia, Scandinavia, and Canada. They donāt mind the climate here.ā
Eric found a vacant chair, sat down. He was starting to relax a little. āSo itās all a lie, then, to induce valuable people to emigrate, to participate in the ālotteriesā.?ā
āOh, we have our libraries and our little symphony and our discussion groups, but there isnāt much time to spare. Keeping warm and fed occupies everyoneās time. Psychological testing of colonists before theyāre sent through pretty well eliminates the potential snobs. We do get a few once in a while, though, who claim theyāre above physical labor.ā
āWhat do you with them?ā
āNot a damn thing. No work, no food. Weāre very democratic here. No oneās starved yet, to my knowledge, but some people die before they should. Thereās a lot of bitterness here. It festers, and eventually it kills." He shook his head. āThis is not paradise. Not according to the descriptions Iāve read."
āI wonder if Garden is as bad?ā Lisa murmured.
āWeāve no way of knowing, of course, since thereās no communication between the colonies any more than there is back to Earth. Thereās not much we can do about it. We canāt build a plasma drive, and even if we could, the protesters would be dead before it reached Earth, let alone returned with a reply. It took the drone probe which discovered Eden a hundred and thirty years to make the round trip.ā He shrugged.
āLike I said, Iām third generation. It doesnāt bother me as much as it does the newcomers.ā
āBut it still rankles?ā Eric said.
āSure. Nobody likes to be lied to, even before theyāre born.ā He shifted his position on the edge of the table. āNow what about you two? You said something about possible trouble?ā
Eric took Lisaās hand in his. Having arrived on a world founded and maintained by lies, it seemed only fair to tell the truth.
āWeāre not your ordinary new colonists. Weāre artisons. At least, Lisa is. Iām something else. Call me an artison-plus.ā
āOh, artificial persons.ā Eric expected anything except Jeeterās casual nonchalance. āWe have a number of them here.ā
Lisa gaped at him. āBut I thought the colony worlds were only for specially picked humans.ā
Jeeter laughed, smiled at her. āDo you think youāre the first folks with trouble to have slipped through here?ā
āEvery attempt weāve ever heard of was met with failure,ā Eric told him.
āOf course! But what about the attempts you donāt hear about? Dāyou think, as popular as the government has made emigration, that theyāre going to publicize incidents where the unchosen have made it through the GATE? Theyād have trouble with unauthorized attempts every hour.
āOh, we do get an occasional bonafide criminal who makes it through. Youād be surprised how many ways there are to disguise someoneās identity.ā
āDonāt count on it,ā Eric murmured.
āTheir attitude changes fast once they step through. Either they cast off their past or they donāt make it. Eden has no room for those who think they can live off the labor of others, and this populationās too smart to be fooled. Crime isnāt in fashion here. In that respect, maybe we do have one small aspect of paradise. The really brutal types, the killers and arsonists, arenāt smart enough to make it through.
āIn addition there have been four or five artisons whoāve made it through, and one robot. You can meet the robot if you like. Heās ninety-four and something of a local icon.ā
āHow on Earth could a robot sneak through?ā Eric wanted to know.
āDisguised himself as a mobile excavator and was sent through with a supply shipment. We admire that kind of ingenuity on Eden. Itās what keeps you alive in the winter.ā
Lisa eyed the snow outside. āItās not winter?ā
āMid-spring,ā Jeeter told her somberly. āI said it wasnāt paradise. Even the equator gets some snow. As for your personal concerns, forget āem. Thereās no origin prejudice here on Eden. Lifeās difficult enough without fabricating additional problems.ā
Eric wrestled with himself before adding, āThereās something more. I said I wasnāt your usual, garden-variety artison. I ā¦ I donāt really know enough about myself to say all that I am. Iām human. I know that. But I wasnāt ā¦ manufactured ā¦ on Earth.ā
Jeeter made a face as Eric struggled to interpret the expression. āWeāll, thatās a new one. You seem human enough to me, and it speaks well for you that youāre not trying to hide anything." He looked to Lisa. āYou vouch for him?"
She leaned her head on Ericās shoulder. āFor the rest of my life.ā
āGood enough for me. You do your work and help out and contribute to the colony, and I donāt care if youāre one of Satanās imps fled from hell." He slipped off the table and moved to his console, studied the information displayed.
āDoesnāt look like weāre going to get anyone else through today.ā He touched several switches, and the steady hum that had enveloped the GATE Terminus faded. āNo point in wasting power. Itāll notify us if a transposition is in progress. Usually thereās a week between shipments.
āTell you what. Since youāre such an interesting couple, Iāll run you through the reception line myself.ā He led them to the back of the barn. The line of newly arrived colonists had shrunk considerably. None of them glanced back at Lisa and Eric, save for one curious older gentleman.
āI donāt remember seeing you two during the orientation session.ā
āLate additions,ā Eric told him. He turned away, accepting the explanation.
āMove over, Mari.ā A dark-skinned lady smiled openly at Eric, moved to another chair, and relinquished her console to Jeeter. It was a compact, portable unit, easily shipped through the GATE. Eric was curious about the local manufacturing facilities. High technology didnāt appear to be a priority item on the Edenitesā agenda. On the other hand, a colony in existence for a century and a half ought to have some capabilities, founded on basic equipment shipped out from Earth. As a design engineer, heād probably find out soon enough.
Jeeter confirmed his feelings after Eric had outlined his electronics background. āGlad to have you with us, though I donāt think youāll have much time for theory and design. This equipment is made to last, and weāll be producing our own memory and logic components some day soon, but thereās always need for good repairmen. Iām sure youāll fit right in.ā He made some notations, glanced expectantly at Lisa.
āWhat about you? Whatās your specialty?ā
Eric stepped in to spare her potential embarrassment. āIf itās acceptable, sheās just going to be a home-maintainer for a while.ā
āWeāll find something for her. Thereās plenty of work to go around. Not for an ex-model,ā he said, guessing correctly. āThereās no high fashion on Eden. Weāre more concerned with keeping warm.ā
āIāll do anything assigned to me,ā Lisa said quickly. āIām ā¦ stronger than the average woman.ā
āNo problem. It doesnāt matter what you used to do, only what you do now. Remember, this is not terrestrial society. This is a highly motivated, rigorously sorted collection of intelligent human beings. Thereās nothing like it anywhere on Earth. Maybe on Garden.ā
āBut despite your intelligence and social balance, youāre still angry at having been lied to,ā Eric said.
āSure, but thereās no point in making speeches since we canāt do anything about it. Stress leads to high blood pressure, protein breakdown, and an early death.ā
āI see what you mean about balance. Are you a typical example? Nothing seems to bother you for more than a second or two.ā
āI expect Iām average. We do have our designated iconoclasts. Weāre not all engineers and agri specialists. You might recognize a couple of famous actors in our opto producing group. There are something like seventy-five thousand of us now. Our birthrate is steady and healthy, our children superior, and thereās a steady infusion of fresh blood from Earth. Weāve grown enough to allow some diversity.ā