CHAPTER 48
Much to his surprise, George Ambrose was elected “mayor” of Ceres.
His official title was Chief Administrator. The election came about once the inhabitants of Ceres reluctantly admitted that they needed some form of government, if only to represent them against the growing mayhem that was turning the Belt into a war zone. Fuchs’s destruction of the Vesta base was the last straw; more than two dozen residents of Ceres had been killed in the attack.
Amanda tried to distance herself from her estranged husband’s offense by throwing herself into the drive to bring some form of law and order to Ceres. She worked tirelessly to craft a government, searching databases for months to find governmental organizations that might fit the needs of the rock rats. Once she had put together a proposed constitution, the rock rats grumbled and fussed and ripped it to shreds. But she picked up the pieces and presented a new document that addressed most of their complaints. With great reluctance, they voted to accept the new government—as long as it imposed no direct taxes on them.
Staffing the government was simple enough: there were enough clerks and technical supervisors on Ceres to handle the jobs. Many of them were delighted with the prospect of getting an assured salary, although Amanda made certain that each bureaucrat had to satisfy a strict performance review annually to hold onto the job.
Then came the selection of a governing board. Seven people were chosen at random by computer from the permanent residents of Ceres. No one was allowed to refuse the “honor.” Or the responsibility. Amanda was not selected by the computerized lottery, which disappointed her. George was, which disappointed him even more.
At their first meeting, the board elected George their chief, over his grudging protests.
“I won’t fookin’ shave,” he warned them.
“That’s all right, George,” said one of the young women on the board. “But could you just tone down your language a little?”
Thus it was that Big George Ambrose, now the reluctant “mayor” of the rock rats, became their representative in the conference that took place at Selene, where he had once lived as a fugitive and petty thief.
“I’m not goin’ by meself,” George insisted. “I’ll need some backup.”
The governing board decided they could afford to send two assistants with George. His first real decision as the newly-elected Chief Administrator of Ceres was to pick the two people who would go with him. His first choice was easy: Dr. Kris Cardenas.
As he tussled in his mind over who the other appointee should be, Amanda surprised him by volunteering for the post.
She popped into his “office”—actually nothing more than his everyday living quarters—and told him that she wanted to be part of the delegation to Selene.
“You?” George blurted. “How come?”
Amanda looked away from his eyes. “I’ve done as much work to create this government as anyone. More, in fact. I deserve to go.”
George said warily, “This won’t be a fookin’ vacation, y’know.”
“I understand that.”
He offered her his best chair, but she shook her head and remained standing in the middle of his one-room residence. She seemed calm, and very determined. The place is pretty messy,
George thought: bed’s not made, plates in the sink. But Amanda simply stood there staring off into infinity, seeing—what? George wondered.
“Humphries is there, in Selene,” he said.
Amanda nodded, her face expressionless, frozen, as if she were afraid to show any emotion at all.
“Lars won’t like you goin’.”
“I know,” she said, her voice almost a whisper. “I’ve thought it all out, George. I must go with you. But I don’t want Lars to know. Please don’t tell him.”
Scratching his beard, trying to sort out what she was saying, George asked, “How can I tell ‘im? The only way I get any word to him is through you.”
“I’ve got to go with you, George,” Amanda said, almost pleading now. “Don’t you see? I’ve got to do whatever I can to put an end to this fighting. To save Lars before they find him and kill him!”
George nodded, finally understanding. At least, he thought he did.