The Winter War (2 page)

‘She has some gorgeous whiskey
in there,’ Aneka commented. ‘Someone must be making it up in the
Scottish islands. Bash would love it.’

‘Perhaps we can get him a bottle
for when he decides he can be around women again,’ Gillian replied
sourly.

‘I understand that he’s worried
about how he might behave until the neurostim addiction wears off,’
Aneka replied, ‘but he seems to be being a bit hard-core about it.
Isolating himself on the Hyde, keeping away from you. Ella seems to
be happier around me even if she’s trying not to give in to her
terrible animal urges too much…’

‘I don’t have terrible animal
urges,’ Ella grumbled into Aneka’s neck. ‘I have wonderful animal
urges.’

‘That’s the problem,’ Gillian
told them as she walked back to her chair with a crystal-cut glass
containing a brown liquid. ‘He seems to have convinced himself he
gave in and raped me after they brought him back from his
interrogation.’

‘He what?!’

Gillian waved a dismissive hand.
‘He didn’t. I mean, I suppose if you’re being technical about it a
case could be argued. I wasn’t really feeling like that kind of
thing. We were basically in prison. I’m sure we were being observed
and unlike Ella I’m not fond of an audience. And he did get very
enthusiastic without letting me get… up to speed, so to speak. But
still, it wasn’t rape. I love the man, he was hurting, and I got
into it fairly quickly.’ She gave a timid grin. ‘It was like when
we first got together, after I left Ape. We’d get really wild some
nights…’ She shook her head and then sank half her glass of
whiskey. ‘Anyway, he didn’t rape me,’ she wheezed when the coughing
had subsided. ‘What are you getting me to drink, rocket fuel?’

‘Right now he’s probably horny
all the time,’ Ella said. ‘I know I am. You know that thing about
having an itch you can’t scratch? Well this is
really
like
that. You want it all the time. Every waking moment you want to
feel that good again. It’s… horrible.’ She looked around and
smiled. ‘It’s purely a psychological addiction, however. Give it a
couple of weeks and hopefully we’ll be over it.’

‘Hopefully?’ Aneka asked.

‘Psychology isn’t an exact
science, even now. Everyone’s different. And I can’t say we won’t
need some further work afterward. Some effects might linger.’

‘Yeah… So maybe the Citizens
here are the same, and maybe they need a little push to get them
off the blocks.’

‘What are you thinking?’ Gillian
asked.

‘Oh, a little tough love.’

12
^th
August.

Aneka marched into the Council Chamber
ahead of Gillian and Ella. The ten men and women who made up the
Council, all dressed in the usual city clothing of white,
tunic-like dress, black leggings, and white boots, were already
sitting around the large, circular table. Because they were
Councillors their sleeves were decorated with twin blue stripes;
the Citizens were still very regimented, even if they were trying
to be more democratic. All of them stood up as soon as they saw
Aneka.

Aneka tried to keep the
irritation off her face. ‘Sit down,’ she snapped. ‘I am
not
your Manu Dei. You do not defer to me.’

They all sat down, chorusing,
‘Yes, ma’am,’ as they did so. It was like talking to Plascrete.

Aneka took a deep, steadying
breath. ‘All right, Gillian tells me that you’re still talking in
circles about contacting the Federation.’

One of the men, older and
definitely more senior, his hair greying, which had to indicate he
had been around for a couple of hundred years, got to his feet
again. This was Jerome Harper, the leader of the Council. Aneka
suspected seniority had got him the position, but he was a little
more decisive than most of his fellows. He also had quite a
distinguished demeanour and, despite his apparent age, an imposing
physique.

‘Miss Jansen, I’m afraid that is
indeed the case. We understand that our existence is going to
become public knowledge again, but we are at a loss to decide what
form of relations we wish to initiate. Considering the distance
involved, full integration is probably impossible and, frankly,
undesirable, but beyond that we have opinions favouring everything
from as much distance as we can get to as much sharing as we can
get. We have been isolated for so long that we are unsure of how to
proceed.’

Aneka nodded. ‘Then I’m going to
make a proposal. You’re going to build a tachyon beam communication
system. Our ship’s computer has suitable plans, and she has the
necessary protocols to send messages to the relay at Harriamon. She
estimates that you can have that up and running in about two weeks,
so you’ll have that long to come to a decision about how to
start
talking to the outside world. I suggest you create a
subcommittee with a cross-section of opinion and draft a communique
to be sent to the Federal Administration at New Earth. Nothing that
commits you to anything. An introduction. We have reports we should
send as well, and some personal letters to family since we’ll be
here for a while.’

Harper looked around the table.
There were nods, some more enthusiastic than others, but they all
seemed to see this as a fair compromise. He looked back at the
three Federal Representatives. ‘That is a wise and prudent plan,
Miss Jansen. We will get the fabrication work started
immediately.’

Deciding that telling him he was
a real kiss-arse was probably not politically correct, Aneka said,
‘It’s not going to be easy and I think you’re wise to maintain some
degree of distance from Jenlay culture. They take some getting used
to, and you’ve got two entirely different cultures here on Earth as
it is. I would
definitely
like to see some more integration
between the cities and the surface. We’re all quite convinced that
you can make life more pleasant for all of you if you intermix a
little more.’

One of the women got to her
feet. She was significantly younger and, from her position at the
table, probably one of the junior members. Fair-haired, attractive,
and very slim, she had a studious look about her which suggested a
science background rather than administration. ‘Pardon me, ma’am.
Councillor Holly Marsden. I’m a sociologist and I’ve been out of
the city many times to observe the surface culture. I’m afraid they
don’t really like us.’

‘Well no,’ Ella said flatly. ‘I
pretended to be one of you people when we visited Matlock. It was
mortifying. They think you’re selfish, arrogant, and generally out
there to make sure they’re doing what you need. You’ve kept them
deprived of technology which could massively improve their lives.
But, when I helped them they started reacting a lot better to
me.’

‘Basically,’ Aneka continued,
‘it’s going to take time and effort to overcome the distrust, but
it’s not impossible. I’m not suggesting you suddenly bring them up
to your technological level. Aside from anything else they’ve got
quite an idyllic culture going, at least in the country. There’s no
reason to spoil it. But you could improve their medical facilities,
train some of their people to use better medical equipment, maybe
improve their transport systems and veterinary skills. They’ll be
better off, and you’ll get more productive suppliers and better
produce.’

Marsden, younger and perhaps a
little more adaptable because of it, looked toward Harper. ‘Miss
Jansen is right about the conditions out there, Councillor. Except
that while the farming communities are quite pleasant, the more
industrial zones could be significantly improved. I’m not really
qualified to judge, but I’d say that ore production and refining
could be greatly increased with the use of our technology. The
increase in safety would bring dividends in relations with the
surface communities.’

Harper actually cracked a smile;
Aneka could not recall seeing him give a genuine one since she had
met him. He looked toward Gillian. ‘This is the kind of innovative
thinking you were talking about, Doctor Gilroy?’

‘Precisely the kind,
Councillor,’ Gillian replied, smiling back.

‘Very well. Councillor Marsden…’
Marsden stopped herself halfway back to her seat. ‘I believe that
we older members are less suited to this new form of relations than
our more recent inductees. You have elected yourself head of the
Subcommittee for Improved Surface Relations.’ Marsden blinked a
couple of times; she had not expected that. ‘We’ll handle things at
this end. Form a group and come to me with resource requirements by
Monday midday.’

‘Yes, Councillor.’ Aneka tried
hard not to laugh. It was Thursday; Harper was not giving her much
time to work with.

Harper was almost beaming now.
‘Excellent. I believe that we have begun an entirely new phase in
the life of our city and our world. Working with our new friends I
can see a bright future ahead of us.’

There was clapping. Aneka did
not join in because she was busy trying not to cringe at the little
speech.
A bright future, huh? The man should have been a
politician.

Matlock, 13
^th
August.

Daniel Linden, Reeve of Matlock, looked
up from his papers as Joshua Daventry entered his study. Daventry
was the town’s one and only medical professional which, in truth,
was not saying a lot. He knew more about the ailments of sheep than
he did about Humans, but he was the best they had and he was
looking exceptionally grey at the moment.

‘Joshua, what…?’

‘Stella Cooper,’ Daventry said,
almost as though that should explain everything. ‘She died about
twenty minutes ago.’

Linden swallowed. ‘And you’re
sure of your diagnosis?’

‘Even I can recognise plague
when I see it, Dan. Though I’ll admit this is nothing like what the
books say. It’s
more
serious. Got into her lungs and choked
her to death, and that’s not supposed to happen so quickly. I’ve
quarantined the house, and the other cases…’

‘How many now?’

‘Thirty. Most are still bubonic,
but the pneumonic cases are increasing. It’s spreading fast and the
usual controls aren’t working. Penicillin doesn’t work. Cooper was
old sure enough, but her son’s likely to be the next body and he’s
built like a brick shithouse! We’ve no choice. We’ve got to send
word to the Prime City for help.’

Linden frowned. ‘Oh, and I’m
sure they’ll come running…’

‘They’ve no choice, Dan. If this
gets out of town… Damn it! Even if all they do is quarantine us all
and wait for us to die it’s better than the alternative.’

The Reeve’s frown only deepened.
‘It’s still keeping to the west and north, isn’t it?’

‘We’ve had no cases in this part
of town. Yet. It’s just a matter of time.’

Linden got to his feet, picked
up his cane, and limped out past the doctor. ‘Abby?’ he yelled, and
his daughter emerged from the lounge. ‘Pack some essentials, get
the shotgun, and go to the workshop. Drag Bridger away from
whatever he’s doing and tell him he’s to drive you down to the
Prime City. You’re not to stop for anything.’

Abigail’s brow creased.
‘Dad?’

‘You tell them we’ve got plague.
A really bad one. Stella Cooper’s dead and there’ll be more to
follow soon enough. I don’t care if you have to kiss Manu Dei’s
boots, you get us help up here.’

Prime City, 14
^th
August.

There were two gyms in the entire,
ten-kilometre span of Prime City, which said a lot about the
general attitude of its Citizens about fitness. Yrimtan had
engineered them for improved stamina and health, and the majority
of them felt that it was almost a sin to suggest that they needed
to be fitter. It was Saturday morning and there were few people
lifting weights or using any of the machines. Those who were could
be identified as Enforcers, Yrimtan’s police force. Their role in
the new society was yet to be fully decided and they all looked a
little less sure of themselves than usual. The arrogant menace was
gone as the Council decided whether they really needed a bunch of
black-armoured, heavily armed thugs.

Of course,
Aneka
reflected as she spotted for Ella,
they look less menacing in
exercise gear anyway.
Actually, they looked little different
from Ella currently. Shorts and T-shirts, a couple of leotards,
lots of tanned, fit bodies with sheens of sweat, and everyone had a
set of plugs in the back of their skull connected to implant
computers.

Ella was exercising partially
because she thought she had let her exercises slide during the
mission. Aneka had been teaching her some self-defence and she had
been using their neighbour Dillon’s weights to beef herself up a
little. Aneka had been a little surprised at how well-toned Ella
had looked when they met again above Eshebbon. Of course, at the
time she had been more surprised by the sudden gain of two or three
cup sizes, but Ella had been a lot fitter too. Aneka suspected that
she had been so enthusiastic about the exercise then to distract
herself from Aneka being away, and right now the exercise was a
distraction from sex.

Aneka had to admit that the
little redhead was doing well. Lying on her back she was bench
pressing a hundred kilos in a steady rhythm, following up from a
set of rapid, low weight reps earlier. Clearly the physical effort
of shifting the weight was taking its toll, her skin was beaded
with sweat, her expression was fixed and determined, and the
muscles in her arms, chest, and shoulders were bunching noticeably
as she pushed the bar upward. Truth be told, Aneka was thoroughly
enjoying the view even if the idea was to keep Ella’s mind away
from that kind of thing.

They had, in fact, attracted a
small audience. Four or five of the gym users had migrated to
closer equipment, and two men and a woman were simply standing
watching. Aneka was unsure whether they were watching Ella pumping
iron or watching her spotting for Ella, but she was moderately sure
that none of them was watching the pretty girl with the big breasts
straining and sweating. As far as she could tell, none of the
Citizens had a libido worth a damn.