Part 2 (1/2)
”Except the Special status that would protect her subject from what happened to Bok. I agree with her on the matter of not not using someone inside Reseune. The clone will be at Reseune, but not Rubin. Rubin is young. using someone inside Reseune. The clone will be at Reseune, but not Rubin. Rubin is young.
That's a prerequisite. He's brilliant, he was born on a station, and every move he's ever made down to buying a drink out of a machine is there in station records. He was also born with an immune deficiency, and there are extensive medical records that go back to his infancy. That's the most important part. Ari can do it without the Council's approval; but she can't keep Fargone's local government from doing something that might compromise her results.”
”Is Rubin supposed to be aware of this?”
”He'll be aware he's a blind control on an experiment at Reseune. More significantly, his clone won't know Rubin exists until he's the same age Rubin is now.”
”Do you think it's a valid project?” Corain asked.
Warrick was silent a moment. ”I think whether or not one equals the other, the scientific benefits are there.”
”You have reservations,” Lu said.
”I see minimal harm to Rubin. He's a scientist. He's capable of understanding what blind control means. I would oppose any meeting of the two, at any future date. I'll go on record on that. But I wouldn't oppose the program.”
”It's not yours.”
”I have no personal work involved in it.”
”Your son,” Corain said, ”does work closely with Dr. Emory.”
”My son is a student,” Warrick said, expressionless, ”in tape design. Whether or not he'll be involved is up to Dr. Emory. It would be a rare opportunity. Possibly he might apply for the Fargone office, if it goes through. I'd like to see that.”
Why? Corain wondered, and wished he dared ask it. But there were limits with a hitherto friendly informant, and there were persistent rumors about Emory that no one proved. Corain wondered, and wished he dared ask it. But there were limits with a hitherto friendly informant, and there were persistent rumors about Emory that no one proved.
”Student,” Lu said, ”at Reseune, means rather more than student at the university.”
”Considerably, yes,” Warrick said. All liveliness had left his face. It was guarded now, extremely careful of expressions and reactions.
”How do you you feel about the Hope project?” Corain asked. feel about the Hope project?” Corain asked.
”Is that a political question?”
”It's a political question.”
”Say that I avoid politics, except as a study.” Warrick looked down and up again, directly at Corain. ”Reseune no longer depends on the azi trade. We could live quite well off our research, whether colonies go out or not, -there'll be a need for what we we do, never mind the fate of the other labs-who couldn't undercut us. We have too great a head start on other fields. We wouldn't be as rich, of course. But we'd do quite well. It's not economics that troubles me. Someday we should talk.” do, never mind the fate of the other labs-who couldn't undercut us. We have too great a head start on other fields. We wouldn't be as rich, of course. But we'd do quite well. It's not economics that troubles me. Someday we should talk.”
Corain blinked. That was not what he expected, a feeler from a Reseune scientist. He put his hands in his coat pockets and looked at the others. ”Can Dr. Warrick miss that meeting-without it leaking?”
”No difficulty,” Lu said; and added: ”If Dr. Warrick wants to miss it.”
Warrick drew a long breath, then set the briefcase on the floor and pulled a chair back at the conference table. ”I'm willing,” he said, and sank into the chair.
Corain sat down. Gorodin and Lu took the chairs at the end.
Warrick's face held no expression still. ”I know these gentlemen,” he said with a slide of the eyes toward the military. ”I know your reputation, Councillor Corain. I know you're an honest man. What I'm going to tell you could cost me-considerably. I hope you'll use this-only for what it contains, and I hope you won't lay it to personal dislike. Dr. Emory and I have had our differences. You understand-working at Reseune, you have to make a lot of critical decisions. Our material is human. Sometimes the ethics of a situation are-without precedent. All we operate on is our best estimation, and sometimes those estimates don't agree.
”Dr. Emory and I have had-more than the average number of confrontations. I've written papers opposing her. We have a conflicting view of-certain aspects of her operations. So if she finds out I've been talking to you, she'll believe I've tried to do her damage. But I hope to G.o.d you give her this program at Fargone. It doesn't cost the government anything but that Special-”
”It creates a dangerous precedent, to create a Special just to satisfy a research project. Just to keep a subject in your reach.”
”I want myself and my son transferred out of Reseune.”
Corain stopped breathing a moment. ”You're a Special, the same as she is.”
”I'm not political. I don't have her pull. She'll claim I'm essential, under the very terms that make me a Special-I'm bound to stay where the government needs me. And so far it arranges to need me at Reseune. Right now my son is working in her program for two reasons: first because it's his field and she's the best; second, because he's my son and Ari wants a hold on me, and in the politics inside Reseune, there's nothing I can do about that. I can try again to get myself out of there, and if I'm I'm out from under her direction, I can request my son over to the other project on a personal hards.h.i.+p transfer. That's one reason I'm anxious to see this Fargone facility built. It would be the best thing for the state. It would be the best thing for Reseune. G.o.d knows it would be the best thing for Reseune.” out from under her direction, I can request my son over to the other project on a personal hards.h.i.+p transfer. That's one reason I'm anxious to see this Fargone facility built. It would be the best thing for the state. It would be the best thing for Reseune. G.o.d knows it would be the best thing for Reseune.”
”Perhaps some things would come out. Is that what you're saying?”
”I'm not making any charges. I don't want to go public with any of this. I'm saying that Ari has too d.a.m.n much power, inside Reseune and out. There's no question of her scientific contributions. As a scientist I have no quarrel with her. I only know the politics inside the house and politics outside it is the only way I see to get free of a situation that's become increasingly-explosive.”
One had to be careful, very careful. Corain had not spent twenty years in government to take everything at face value. Or to frighten a cooperating witness. So he asked softly: ”What do you want, Dr. Warrick?”
”I'd like to see that project go through. Then I'm going to transfer. She's going to try to prevent that. I'd like support-in my appeal.” Warrick cleared his throat. His fingers were locked, white-edged. ”The pressure at Reseune is considerable. A move would be-everything I want. I'll tell you,. . . I'm not not in agreement with this colonization effort. I agree with Berger and Shlegey, there is harm dispersing humankind to that degree, that fast. We've just finished one social calamity; we're in agreement with this colonization effort. I agree with Berger and Shlegey, there is harm dispersing humankind to that degree, that fast. We've just finished one social calamity; we're not not what left Earth, we're not what left Glory Station, we're not going to be what our founders antic.i.p.ated; and if we make this further push there's going to be a critical difference between us and our descendants-there's no miracle, no Estelle Bok, no great invention going to close up this gap. That's my view. I can't express that from Reseune.” what left Earth, we're not what left Glory Station, we're not going to be what our founders antic.i.p.ated; and if we make this further push there's going to be a critical difference between us and our descendants-there's no miracle, no Estelle Bok, no great invention going to close up this gap. That's my view. I can't express that from Reseune.”
”Dr. Warrick, are you telling me your communications are limited there?”
”I'm telling you there are reasons I can't express that view there. If you leak this conversation to the press I'll have to take Reseune's official position.”
”Are you telling me, Dr. Warrick, that that transfer is what you're holding out for?”
”The transfer, Councillor. Myself. And my son. Then I would have no fear of expressing my opinions. Do you understand me? Most of us in the field that could speak with authority against the Hope project-are in Reseune. Without voices inside Science, without papers published-you understand that ideas don't gain currency. Xenology is strongly divided. The most compelling arguments are in our field. You do not not have a majority in the nine electorates, Councillor. It's Science itself you have to crack, Ari Emory's own electorate. have a majority in the nine electorates, Councillor. It's Science itself you have to crack, Ari Emory's own electorate. This, This, this psychogenesis project is very dear to her heart-so much her own, in fact, that she doesn't let her aides handle it. It's the time factor again. On the one hand, there's so very little in a lifetime. On the other-a process that involves a human life has so many hiatuses, so many periods when nothing but time will produce the results.” this psychogenesis project is very dear to her heart-so much her own, in fact, that she doesn't let her aides handle it. It's the time factor again. On the one hand, there's so very little in a lifetime. On the other-a process that involves a human life has so many hiatuses, so many periods when nothing but time will produce the results.”
”Meaning we'll still have her to deal with.”
”As long as she lives, definitely, you'll have her in Council to deal with. That's why the Fargone project is an advantage to both of us. I'd like to take a public position, on your side. An opposition from inside Reseune, as it were, particularly from another Special-would have considerable credibility in Science. But I can't do it now, as things are.”
”The important question,” Gorodin said, ”aside from that: is is the Rubin project likely to work? Is it real?” the Rubin project likely to work? Is it real?”
”It's very likely that it will, Admiral. Certainly it's a much more valid effort than the Bok project was. You may know, we don't routinely create from the Specials' genesets. Even our genetic material is protected by statute. On a practical level, it's the old 'fine line' business-genius and insanity, you know. It's not total nonsense. When we create azi, the Alpha cla.s.ses take far more testing and correction. Statistically speaking, of course. What went wrong with the Bok clone was what could have gone wrong with Bok, give or take her particular experiences, and influences we don't have record of. Our chances of recovering a currently living Special are much better. Better records, you understand. Bok came here as a colonist, her records went with her s.h.i.+p, and it was one of the de-built ones: too much was lost and too much just wasn't recorded. I'm not sure we ever will get Bok's talent back, but it certainly won't be in the present project. On the other hand-recovering, say, Kleigmann . . . who's, what?-pus.h.i.+ng a century and a half. . . would be a real benefit.”
”Or Emory herself,” Corain said under his breath. ”G.o.d. Is that that her push? Immortality?” her push? Immortality?”
”Only so far as any human might want progeny like himself. It's not immortality, certainly no sense of ident.i.ty. We're talking about mental similarity, two individuals more like each other than identical twins tend to be, and without a dominant twin. Essentially the recovery of an ability latent in the interface between geneset and what we call tape in an azi.”
”Done by tape?”
Warrick shook his head. ”Can't ”Can't be done with tape. Not by present understanding.” be done with tape. Not by present understanding.”
Corain thought it through again. And again.
”Meaning,” Gorodin said, ”that with our lead in genetics and reconstructive psych, we might replicate living Specials as well as dead ones.”
”That is a possibility,” Warrick said quietly, ”if certain laws were changed. Practically-I'd speak against that. I understand why they're starting with one. But the potential for psychological trouble is very strong, even if the safeguards keep the two from meeting. Even dead ones- If I were such a subject-I'd worry about my son, and that individual-who would not, in any meaningful sense, be his brother; or his father. Do you see, it's very complicated when you're dealing with human lives? The Nine took a strong interest in the Bok case. Too strong. In this much I agree with Dr. Emory: only the Bureau of Science, in specific, only Reseune ought to have any contact with the two subjects. That's what she wants on Fargone. We're not talking about an office or a lab. We're talking about an enclave, a community Rubin will not leave except as I leave Reseune: rarely and with escorts for his protection.”
”My G.o.d,” Gorodin said, ”Fargone will veto it.”
”A separate orbiting facility. That's what she's had to promise Harogo. A compartmentalized area. Reseune will pay the construction.”