We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

Book 5: Chapter 10: Election Victory

Book 5: Chapter 10: Election Victory

Herschel

March 2330

En route to Omicron2 Eridani

“Unbelievable,” I said, staring at the headline. “They won.”

“Hersch, my faith in humanity is either utterly destroyed or firmly validated, depending on how you look at it,” Neil replied.

I sat back and sighed. I was in VR, since it was much easier to read the newspaper when you could just pop up a video window. Plus, coffee was still only available in VR, and I had been taught from a young age that reading a newspaper without coffee was immoral. According to my father, anyway.

Neil sat in a patio recliner, munching some sandwiches that Jeeves had supplied. Spike circled, determined to get a sample. But every time she jumped up, Neil placed her back on the ground. Spike’s aggrieved meow signaled her displeasure.

“So what is FAITH threatening … er, promising?” he asked.

“I don’t know how I ended up playing the bad guy in this debate,” I replied, glaring at Neil, “but let’s face it—they were democratically elected. There’s obviously some appetite for what they’re selling. Maybe we should be more concerned about why that is happening.”

“Uh-huh.” Neil paused. “So what about the Ever Onward Society? Is FAITH going to create problems for them? FAITH haven’t traditionally been champions of open borders. Or free speech.”

“An excellent question. My feeling is they wouldn’t be able to do anything dramatic since they didn’t get majority control. They’ll use the boiling-frog strategy, advancing their grip and clampdowns by small increments, so there will never be a wedge issue big enough to incite protests or threaten their coalition.”

“Until they reach the point where protests are no longer legal.”

“Of course,” I said. “Which means we need to get our descendants off Romulus before then.”

“Time to talk to Will?”

I waved a hand dismissively. “Not yet. But it certainly wouldn’t hurt to send out a survey to the membership, to get the general attitude. And to alert them to the potential danger.”

“Fun times,” Neil muttered. “Maybe Will has the right idea. Head for the hills.”

“Not without our descendants, Neil.”