Pvt Schenk
Pvt Deelstre
Pvt Levy
Pvt Conroy
Pvt Yakata
Pvt Burns
Pvt Cohen
Pvt Graham
Pvt Schoeliple
Pvt Wolfe, E.
Pvt Karkoshka
Pvt Majer
Pvt Dioujova
Pvt Armaing
Pvt Baulez
Pvt Johnson
Pvt Oitrecht
Pvt Kayibanth
Pvt Tschudi
Supporting: ILT Williams (NAy), 2LTs Jarvil (MED), Laasonen (MED),
Wilber (PSY), Szydlowska (MAINT), Gaptchcnko (ORD), Gedo (COMM),
Gim (COMP); 1SGTs Evans (MED), Rodriguez (MED), Kostidinov
(MED), Rwabwogo (PSY), Blazynski (MAINT), Turpin (ORD); SSGTS
Carreras (MED), Kousnetzov (MED), Waruinge (MED). Rojas (MED), Botos (MAINT), Orban (CK), Mbugua (COMP); SGTs Perez (MED), Seales
(MAINT), Anghelov (01W), Vugin (COMP); CPLs Daborg (MED), Correa
(MED), Kajdi (SEX), Valdez (SEX), Muranga (01W); PVTs Kottysch
(MAINT), Rudkoski (CK), Minter (ORE)).
APPROVED STFCOM STARGATE 12 Mar 2458. FOR ThE
COMMANDER:
Olga Torischeva BGEN STFCOM
I went down to Six early, thinking to eat dinner there, but they had nothing but snacks. So I munched on a fungus thing that vaguely resembled escargots and took the rest of my calories in the form of alcohol.
“Major Mandeila?” I’d been busily engaged in my seventh beer and hadn’t seen the Colonel approach. I started to rise but he motioned for me to stay seated and dropped heavily into the chair opposite me.
“I’m in your debt,” he said. “You saved me from at least half of a boring evening.” He offered his hand. “Jack Kynock, at your service.”
“Colonel-”
“Don’t Colonel me and I won’t Major you. We old fossits have to – – keep our perspective. William.”
“All right with me.”
He ordered a kind of drink I’d never heard of. “Where to start? Last time you were on Earth was 2007, according to the records.”
“That’s right.”
“Didn’t like it much, did you?”
“No.” Zombies, happy robots.
“Well, it got better. Then it got worse, thank you.” A private brought his drink, a bubbling concoction that was green at the bottom of the glass and lightened to chartreuse at the top. He sipped. “Then they got better again, then worse, then. . . I don’t know. Cycles.”
“What’s it like now?”
“Well – . – I’m not really sure. Stacks of reports and such, but it’s hard to filter out the propaganda. I haven’t been back in almost two hundred years; it was pretty bad then. Depending on what you like.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, let me see. There was lots of excitement. Ever hear of the Pacifist movement?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Hmn, the name’s deceptive. Actually, it was a war, a guerrilla war.”
“I thought I could give you name, rank and serial number of every war from Troy on up.” He smiled. “They must have missed one.”
“For good reason. It was run by veterans-survivors of Yod-38 and Aleph-40, I hear; they got discharged together and decided they could take on all of UNEF, Earthside. They got lots of support from the population.”
“But didn’t win.”
“We’re still here.” He swirled his drink and the colors shifted. “Actually, all I know is hearsay. Last time I got to Earth, the war was over, except for some sporadic sabotage. And it wasn’t exactly a safe topic of conversation.”
“It surprises me a little,” I said, “well, more than a little. That Earth’s population would do anything at all.. – against the government’s wishes.”
He made a noncommittal sound.
“Least of all, revolution. When we were there, you couldn’t get anybody to say a damned thing against the UNEF-or any of the local governments, for that matter. They were conditioned from ear to ear to accept things as they were.”
“Ah. That’s a cyclic thing, too.” He settled back in his chair. “It’s not a matter of technique. if they wanted to, Earth’s government could have total control over. . . every nontrivial thought and action of each citizen, from cradle to grave.
“They don’t do it because it would be fatal. Because there’s a war on. Take your own case: did you get any motivational conditioning while you were in the can?”
I thought for a moment. “If I did, I wouldn’t necessarily know about it.”
“That’s true. Partially true. But take my word for it, they left that part of your brain alone. Any change in your attitude toward UNEF or the war, or war in general, comes only from new knowledge. Nobody’s fiddled with your basic motivations. And you should know why.”