The Alembic Plot: A Terran Empire novelWilson, Ann
Science
The Alembic Plot: A Terran Empire novel
Wilson, Ann
Science fiction
"How about historian?" Odeon asked. "We need one, with a reporter's
training, while it's still early enough to get an accurate account of
what's happening. The First and Second Testaments were written by
groups, edited by others, and translated by still others; after that
many opportunities for intentional or accidental change, we might not
know what the originals really said." He made a wry face. "Yes, I
believe everyone involved was inspired. As investigators, though, we
all know humans are fallible--with or without inspiration. But they
didn't have modern publishing; given a press run of ten or fifteen
thousand, by one writer and in the original language, there'll always
be a totally genuine version somewhere."
To Odeon's surprise, Blackfeather snickered. "You've got your
historian, Mike--but if you believe a press run as low as ten or
fifteen thousand, it's sure clear you're no publisher! On this
particular subject, especially with Colonel Cortin involved, go up a
couple of orders of magnitude. A million or million and a half copies
wouldn't be an unreasonable estimate of sales, even at a price double
or triple that of a standard book. A copy she autographed would be
worth . . . well, even my imagination isn't quite that wild!"
"Even better," Odeon said.
"You do know, though, that it'll mean interviews to get everything you
remember that has anything to do with Joan--and that the result won't
leave you much, if any, privacy. You don't get a major social
revolution by hiding the sort of personal behavior you're trying to
encourage--even though other people may choose to do so."
"Sis and I figured as much," Odeon said. "We talked it over, between
us and with the rest of the team, and it's necessary. There's going to
be a lot written about what we're doing, one way or the other, and
we're agreed one of them has to be accurate. So you'll get full
cooperation."
"Including an Inquisitor's help," Bain said. "Colonel Bradford's the
best you'll find at the memory-enhancing techniques we use with
cooperative subjects, but I'm no slouch; you may get more information
than you can use."
"More than I can include, maybe," Blackfeather said, "but not more than
I can use, if only as background." She turned to Cortin. "What about
you, Colonel?"
Cortin grimaced and looked pleadingly at Odeon. "Do I have to, Mike?"
"You're my Family head, Archduchess, and Commanding Officer, not to
mention the Protector's Herald; I can't say you have to. But I'd
recommend it pretty strongly."
Cortin sighed. "Mike, for someone who claims to be a subordinate, you
give the most convincing orders . . . all right, all right, I'll
cooperate." She turned to Blackfeather. "I will, too. But I don't
promise to like it--and you probably won't like what you hear if you
think you need to go into what I do in my interrogations."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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