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Back Eternity
Chapters (90)
  1. Eternity
  2. Copyright
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. Contents
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. 55
  61. 56
  62. 57
  63. 58
  64. 59
  65. 60
  66. 61
  67. 62
  68. 63
  69. 64
  70. 65
  71. 66
  72. 67
  73. 68
  74. 69
  75. 70
  76. 71
  77. 72
  78. 73
  79. 74
  80. 75
  81. 76
  82. 77
  83. 78
  84. 79
  85. 80
  86. 81
  87. 82
  88. 83
  89. EPILOGUE
  90. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

“We’re pleased to see you again, Ser Lanier,” the device said in a higher-pitched version of Kanazawa’s voice. “You are all expected. Please enter and excuse the mess. The senator is doing research for a trade bill to be considered next session.”

They walked up the stone steps and entered the porch breezeway. Wicker furniture rested on polished dark wood floors. Papers and folders lay in haphazard piles around the living room; advanced electronic storage media were still something of a luxury on Earth. Ostentation was not Kanazawa’s style; he relied on paper.

“I like this,” Ram Kikura said, fondling Polynesian print fabrics on sofa and chair. “The real thing.”

Kanazawa stepped from his rear office wearing a blue and white Japanese cotton print robe and tabi slippers. “Garry, Karen! I’m delighted to see you again.” He smiled at Ram Kikura. “If I’m not mistaken, this is Earth’s advocate and a former colleague, Ser Suli Ram Kikura?” He offered his hand; Ram Kikura shook it and bowed slightly. “To see all of you here at once worries me, pleased as I am by the visit. Something important is happening in the Nexus, I take it?”

He led them to a back porch and ordered drinks from a mechanical servant. Since his second wife had died ten years before, Kanazawa had not remarried; instead, he had plunged more deeply into his work, establishing a reputation as exceptionally polite, exceptionally capable, but also exceptionally stubborn, even obsessive.

“There’s an advisory about to be issued by the Nexus on Thistledown,” Lanier said.

“I’ve heard nothing about it,” Kanazawa said, tilting his head to one side with curiosity. His broad, rugged face carried a vivid white scar across one cheek where he had received a flash burn while standing on the sail of the U.S.S. Burleigh, his submarine. A similar scar marked the back of his right hand, ending at the shadow of the long jacket sleeve he had worn. The submarine had been sailing north along the coast of California, three days after the inception of the Death; the flash had come from a Spasm re-nuking of San Francisco.

“Chances are, the Old Natives will not be allowed to vote on this issue,” Lanier said.

Kanazawa’s expression did not change, but his voice took on an edge. “Why not?”

“They’ll be excluded by Recovery regulation,” Lanier said. “Unfit for the making of decisions involving the parent Hexamon.” By a peculiar twist of legal language, in the early years of Recovery legislation, the Thistledown and Precinct ruling bodies had become the parental legislatures.

Kanazawa nodded. “Not invoked for eleven years, but still in force. Should it concern me?”

“It concerns all of us, I think,” Lanier said. “It’s a rather long story.”

“I know it is worth my time, coming from you. Tell me.” Lanier told.

41

Thistledown