“We hold these truths to be self-evident,” said Miranda, with a gravitas that brought down a hush on the near frenzied crowd. “That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed . . .

“From the consent of the governed!” This last part he repeated for effect, and the crowd roared. “Government exists to secure the rights of the people and must be based on the consent of the governed. And we have a right to know the truth, because truth is a human right!”

The roar turned into human thunder. Drums banged, fists were pumped, and whistles blew. Kaveh stood on his toes to get a better look at the scene and saw that several people had climbed trees, and some were even on streetlights. Behind him, even more people were flooding in, the latecomers from the march who were only just arriving.

“If these ETIs really are people, if the issue really needs to be debated, then why can’t we see them? Why are we not allowed to know anything about them? We have a right to know the truth, and we demand the truth!”

Oh no.

The chances were nonzero to pretty good that if Nikola heard Miranda’s words, he’d see them as an invitation. Kaveh began trying to “excuse me” his way to the front of the crowd, but was met with angry looks if not outright resistance. Why should this rando get a premium seat if they couldn’t get one?

“We cannot have this conversation absent of knowledge, absent of truth; otherwise, it’s pure philosophy, pure speculation,” Miranda continued. “The governed demand to know the truth, we do not consent to silence, we do not consent to lies!”

Another chorus of human thunder, and Kaveh squeezed between a group of fist-pumpers, mumbling an excuse about having a daughter who was up there somewhere. Perhaps 20 percent of the people he squeezed past accepted that obvious lie.

Shut up, you idiot, shut up, shut up!

“The governed do not consent to be lied to about the greatest discovery in human history,” bellowed Miranda. “We do not consent! If this government does not respect the wishes of the governed, then this is not a democracy, and we need to tear it down! Debride the rot, flush out corruption until we get the truth!”