A Deepness in the Sky

Vinh might have continued, but the Podmaster said, "Rita, we're trying for the safest outcome for everyone. I promise, if that means throwing ourselves on the Spiders' mercy—well, so be it." His glance flickered to his right, and Gonle realized that the message was directed at Brughel as much as anyone. Nau paused a moment, but no one had anything more to say. His voice became more businesslike. "So, the Schedule is suddenly very much advanced. Tas forced on us, but I am pleased by the challenge." His smile flashed in the fake sunset. "One way or another, our Exile will be over in a year. We can afford to—we must—expend resources. From now till we've saved the Spider world, almost everyone will be on-Watch."

Wow.

"We'll start running the volatile plant at redline duty cycle." Heads went up all around the table. "Remember, if we still need it in a year, we will have lost. We have an awful lot of planning in front of us, people—we need to unleash every last bit of our potential. As of now, I'm dropping the last community use limits. The ‘underground' economy will have access to everything except the most critical security automation."

Yes!Gonle grinned across the table at Qiwi Lisolet, saw her grinning right back. So that was what Qiwi had meant by "soon"! Nau went on for some seconds, not so much making detailed plans as undoing this and that stupid rule that had kept operations so hobbled over the years. She could feel the enthusiasm building with every sentence.Maybe I can start afutures market on groundside trade.

The meeting ended on an incredible high. On the way out, Gonle gave Qiwi a hug. "Kiddo, you did it!" she said softly.

Qiwi just grinned back, but it was a wider smile than Gonle had seen her wear in a long time.

Afterward, the four visiting peons walked back up the hillside, the last of the sunlight throwing long shadows before them. She took a last look behind her before they entered the forest.Presumptuous, this park. But stillit was beautiful, and I had something to do with it. The last light of the sun showed from under far clouds. It might be Nauly manipulation or the random outcome of the park's automation. Either way, it seemed auspicious. Old Nau thought he manipulated everything. Gonle knew that this sudden, final liberalization was something the Podmaster might try to stuff back in the bottle later on, when imagination and sharp trading was more a risk than the alternatives. But Gonle was Qeng Ho. Over the years, she and Qiwi and Benny and dozens of others had chipped away at the Emergents' tight little tyranny, until almost every Emergent was "corrupted" by the underground trade. Nau had learned that you win by doing business. After the Spider markets were opened up, he would see there was no advantage to stuffing freedom back in the bottle.

Tomas Nau's second meeting was later in the day, aboard theInvisibleHand. Here they could talk, far from innocent ears. "I got Kal Omo's report, Podmaster. From the snoops. You fooled almost everyone."

"Almost?"

"Well, you know Vinh—but he didn't see through everything you said. And Jau Xin looks...dubious."

Nau glanced a question at Anne Reynolt.

Reynolt's reply was quick. "Xin is one we really need, Podmaster. He's our only remaining Pilot Manager. We would have lost that pinnace if not for him. The ziphead pilots glitched when they saw the cavorite orbit. Suddenly all the rules had changed and they just couldn't deal with the situation."

"Okay, he's a secret doubter." There was no help for that really. Xin had been near the operational center of too many things. He probably suspected the truth behind the Diem Massacre. "So we can't ice him, and we can't fool him, and we'll need him at the bloodiest stage of the job. Still...I think Rita Liao is a sufficient lever. Ritser. Make sure Jau knows that her welfare depends on his quality of service."

Ritser gave a little smile, and made a note.

Nau scanned Omo's report for himself. "Yes, we did quite well. But then, telling people what they want to believe is an easy job. No one seemed to catch all the consequences of pushing the Schedule forward five years. There's no way we can pull a smooth network takeover now, and we need an intact industrial ecology on the planet—but there's no need for the whole planet to participate. Right now"—Nau glanced at the latest reports from Reynolt's zips—"seven Spider nations have nuclear weapons. Four have substantial arsenals, and three have delivery systems."

Reynolt shrugged. "So we engineer a war."

"A precisely limited one, one that leaves the world financial system intact and controlled by us." An exercise in disaster management.

"And the Kindred?"

"We want them to survive, of course—but weak enough that we can bluff full control. We'll throw a bit more ‘good luck' their way."