April 5: A Depth of Understanding (39 page)

"No, I sent a couple summaries and offered him a feed, but he said not to bother him unless there was a threat to us. He just said the same as you, to record everything."

"There's an all station message from Muños coming in," April alerted them. "She was looking at her pad, but Chen put it on a smaller window in the com console display.

Call for an Assembly of the people:

An issue has arisen about who may call a duel. Citizen John Wycliffe has been called out by a non-citizen and asks the Assembly to clarify what is permitted. The assembly is scheduled for  0600 hours, so that it may be decided before the set time to meet on the field of honor. I apologize for the short notice and early hour.

Eduardo Muños, Registrar of Voters

"Well, looks like we'll have our question answered." Jeff said.

"He would have been smarter to wait and see if she felt different in the morning," April said.

"Perhaps, but that would leave no time to call an Assembly. He must have felt his chances are better with the assembly than with Dakota," Jeff decided.

"You are familiar with this?" Chen asked.

"We saw the challenge. She holds a grudge over how he acted as an administrator when she was living at Armstrong. She very strongly resisted Heather's counsel that the matter was not of a nature warranting a blood feud," Jeff told him.

"It is no light matter to resist your sovereign," Chen said, gravely. "I wonder if she is counting the cost of lost trust and her public image?"

"I doubt it. And she should be counting the odds of surviving too. The man has half again her weight and didn't appear impaired in any way. I'm sure she has never fought a duel. She probably hasn't been in a physical altercation since elementary school."

"If she challenged he has the choice of weapons, correct?" Chen wondered.

"Now that's a good point," Jeff allowed. "April, do you know if Dakota has any experience with firearms? Does she know pistol?"

"I don't see where she would have done so, unless on Earth before she lived at Armstrong. In which case she'd at least be very rusty. But she spoke as if she assumed it would be pistols."

"What is your opinion? I mean, how do you feel one should vote? Is it proper to throw the duel open to outsiders? Or is it reserved to citizens?" Chen asked.

Neither April nor Jeff answered right away, but Gunny was quick with an opinion.

"The duel is to address wrongs one can't legislate. It involves things that the state is unsuited to control. Not matters of contract or borders, but questions of right or wrong and morals. Things that law can't possibly cover fully. A fellow can make your life miserable with gossip and slander and never touch you or your property. That's why libel and slander laws have never worked. They turn into popularity contests. The same with stalking and restraining orders. They are meaningless. The sort they are aimed at don't respect them. So I view the duel as an
individual
right, like the right of self defense or the right to hold property. So call it a
human
right, above such issues as citizenship. I've talked with April and others about it before. I think that wrongs
will
be committed by duelists, but that having no way to demand others treat you with more respect than following the bare bones of the law will do the greater evil."

"Obviously you've given it a great deal of thought," Chen said. Respectfully it seemed.

"Gunny makes some good points. I'm still conflicted. I'll be happy to hear some other arguments in the morning. I hope some others have well thought out opinions and I hope you speak up if they don't," she told Gunny.

"I don't want to be first to speak, but I may if others don't," he agreed.

"All the more reason to knock off and get some sleep. Can you stay a little longer until Louis gets here, Chen?" Jeff asked.

"Sure. Goodnight and I'll come by here after the Assembly in the morning."

Chapter 25

The com console in Heather's room displayed a bright blue light. The alarm increased in intensity until it woke her up. Dakota was sleeping in Barak's old room. The com was turned off in there as an unoccupied room. All his communications were forwarded to his ship. Heather read the notice and considered whether to go awaken Dakota. She decided that given the circumstances she needed her sleep. If she woke her now she'd be all agitated and probably get no more sleep, or sleep poorly.

She re-set her alarm for 0500 hours and she'd start a light breakfast and awaken Dakota by 0515 or so. They had decided on 0600 to get up before and obviously that wasn't going to work anymore. Now if she could just relax and return to sleep herself.

* * *

"John Wycliffe? That's not his name. That speaks to his guilt right there, that he's using an alias," Dakota sneered.

"Eat your breakfast," Heather insisted. "If you do fight him shortly you need your blood sugar up and a steady hand. Anyway, I seriously doubt he's trying to hide from
you
. More likely he wants a low profile for the North Americans. If he was worried about folks here he wouldn't have picked a famous name."

"Famous? Who's Wycliffe? Never heard of him."

"A very prominent English theologian."

"A preacher? Not my field of interest. I suppose he's dead? It would be awkward to pick the name of somebody still living, wouldn't it?"

"Quite dead. He lived back in the 1300s I believe. A lot of people change their name when they come to Home. As far as registering for com or citizenship, you are who you say you are."

"Thanks for the oatmeal," Dakota said, following Heather's advice to eat it.

"Do you want to go to the cafeteria? We best hurry if you do. I'm sure Muños will conduct the  Assembly from there, but it will probably be a light crowd. Most folks will speak and vote by com on such short notice and early on a main shift work day."

"Do you think we should?"

Heather suddenly pictured herself sitting beside Dakota. People would assume things she didn't want them to, such as that she supported Dakota's duel.

"I think you should go. I'd rather watch it from here. I've been to a few of these. I'd rather have a slow shower and a second cup of coffee than tearing through the corridors. But you may make a more effective presentation by demonstrating you take it seriously by being there."

Dakota checked the time. "You mind if I quickly shower first then?"

"No, you should have time if you hurry."

"I can't go with my hair like this and grungy." She skipped the spoon and drank the rest of her oatmeal straight from the rim of the bowl. "Thanks," she called over her shoulder, hurrying.

"You are welcome," she said sincerely. If she'd gone and insisted on sitting separately it would have been bad, maybe even provoked a scene. She dropped a text on April and Jeff, explaining why she was staying home and warning them that Dakota might glom onto them at the Assembly, oblivious to what their visible association might imply.

* * *

"What if they allow her to challenge you?" Fred asked, over their breakfast.

"I don't have any place left to run. I'll have to fight her," John said. "At least I don't have to miss any work to resolve this."

"Crap. Have you ever shot a pistol, at all?"

"Once my uncle took me out on his farm and I shot a little .22, but why do you assume we will go at it with pistols? She challenged me. I get the choice of weapons."

"You do?" Fred asked skeptically.

"I'm pretty sure. Sure enough I bought some yesterday."

"Well, that makes me feel a
little
better."

"Please, don't advertise for another roomie just yet." John said, checking his shirt for crumbs and getting ready to watch the Assembly.

"Are you going to speak?"

"I'm not sure. What can I say that doesn't make me look like a coward? Maybe if I just let her speak she'll end up looking bad. She does have a bit of a temper."

* * *

There was a young girl sitting with an actual paper drawing tablet on the side near the exit and a knot of older men by the coffee pots, one with a full sized computer open. They all clustered on the far side facing the wall where Muños had a couple pads open and had linked to the big screen on the wall behind him. Usually they elevated a table to allow everyone to see better, but it wasn't a concern today.

There were about two dozen people singly and in small groups here and there, but lots of empty seats between them. Not at all the usual crowd for an Assembly. Dakota came in and looked around. There wasn't any formal seating arrangement. Muños looked up and nodded at her pleasantly. She found a seat two tables away facing him and sat.

Muños stood and addressed the camera lens.

"The Assembly of Home is met in its twelfth session. The Assembly previously agreed to allow for the duel to be conducted between citizens. Refusal to reach an agreement and to ignore a challenge was deemed grounds for expulsion."

"John Wycliffe has asked the Assembly to decide if the duel is something extended to those not citizens of Home. He is a citizen and is challenged by a citizen of Central on the moon. In this case no accommodation is possible. The challenge is not about any action that can be retracted and an admission of previous error is not accepted. I asked carefully however if an actual apology was offered with the admission of error and it was
not
. Before I go any further, I believe you are Dakota Benton?" Muños asked.

"I am, your honor."

"Please, I thank you for trying to be polite, but I am in no way a judge. Neither am I a second to Mr. Wycliffe, but I want to ask if a sincere apology added to his admission of error would be sufficient to resolve this matter?"

"It would not. Did he ask you to offer that?"

"No, I noted the lack myself. And it seemed significant to me. I'd have gone back to negotiate the point with him. To try to broker a deal if you will, but the point is moot. That being the case I'll ask the people if they want to consider this question."

"Will you decide if a non citizen can call out a Home citizen? If you do not wish to settle the matter we can skip any discussion and all go home, or more likely off to work given the hour. How do you people say?"

The vote was sparse, but it came in 817 yea and 71 nay.

"Very well. Does anyone have comments germane to the issues?"

"Mr. Holloway," He recognized. "On com."

"I have never availed myself of the duel. But knowing it is there has made a huge difference in how I regard Home and my life here. On Earth the politicians and ultra-wealthy don't call themselves King or Duke or such, but they have elevated themselves over the common man as much as if they had the titles. On Home we are equal and the ultimate expression of that is the duel, because nobody is exempted. If I feel someone is attempting to repress us and gain domination over us I have the ability to call him out on it and say defend your actions with your blood! I don't want to lose that. I worry any restriction is starting down the road to losing it. Next we'll have people saying it is only for
gentlemen
and I don't mean males, I mean the privileged class. If a challenger comes from someplace that would not allow the duel, well, what does that have to do with us? We don't support other government's restrictions on their citizen's rights. We don't collect their taxes for them or acknowledge their laws. Why do that here?" He was done and disconnected.

"Ms. Barrington on com," Muños selected.

"I feel safer knowing the duel exists," Elaine Barrington told them. "The law addresses many crimes, but some are very hard to bring to justice. Some are more or less he said – she said conflicts. I don't have the skills to duel, but if someone committed a crime against me I have a husband and grown son who are both expert pistoleros. That is well known and I feel safer knowing most folks are aware accosting me would be close to suicide,"  she said.

"Mr. Michelson," Muños invited. He was with the coffee group and rose to speak.

"I agree with Mr. Holloway that we should regard it as a right. It is the final court of appeal to which a person can go when everything else has failed. Are we going to have some bad duels? Yes. But we have bad court decisions too. In fact in the legal system we left behind we had a
lot
of them. The duel doesn't exist in a vacuum, you have to compare it to the system without it in place and judge if it is better or worse." He sat down.

"Mr. Johnson, on com." Muños picked.

"I can see some merit to having the duel, but at what cost? The Earthie press uses it to paint us as savage and going back to archaic practices all civilized nations have abandoned. I have a bit of a sharp tongue my wife can tell you and I find myself stifled when it comes to expressing myself. I worry I'll end up looking down some hothead's barrel if I speak too strongly and offend. Is it worth it to put that much power in one person's hands?" He ended the call.

"Mr. Davis, on com." Muños invited.

"It seems Mr. Johnson expressed himself quite well without the board lighting up with calls to challenge him and blow his head off. If the duel stifles expression that lacks civility I see that as a plus, not a problem. Having worked security for some years I pulled many a bloodied pair apart who had a few drinks to loosen inhibitions and then came to blows over a nasty word or two. I don't have exact numbers, but off hand I'd say I'm down over half of such incidents since we adopted the duel. I'm lazy, so that seems like a good thing to me." He smiled and disconnected.

"Ms. Lewis on com," Muños said, picking April.

"I can't accept something because it is an Earth standard of behavior. We separated ourselves from the slum ball because what they are doing is a mess. It isn't working and it's going to get worse before it gets better," she predicted.

"Ms. Barkley," Muños asked to speak. She was alone and stood.

"I see both sides of the argument," Martha allowed. "We haven't had a fatal duel yet to arouse passions. It's not like the corridors are so full of shooting parties we can't get to work in the morning and yet I worry we will eventually have one of those people who hates everything and everyone come on station. You know the sort I mean, we all saw such monsters back on Earth. We don't have the selection standards we used to use for psych profiles and criminal background checks to keep such people out. I'm sure if somebody issues one challenge after another he'll eventually get shot dead himself, but the price may be high to do that. I wish we could count on evil people being bad shots, but history tells me it isn't that convenient. If anyone sees a solution I'd like to hear it, because I don't have one myself," she said and sat.