This is the 2nd free sample of Oranje, I’ll be posting up to the end of Chapter Ten for free. You can buy it here, or if you’re interested in getting a review copy of the book, you can contact me via email or on twitter (links to both on my website).
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The stage was framed by a huge window behind it. Beyond was the swirled-orange-and-green gas giant of Fucanlong, surrounded by the black of space. That was why debates were held here. The backdrop added another dimension to them. As Isidora relaxed in the leftmost of the three chairs on the stage, dressed in a red dress and nice big boots, she thought the subject being discussed today was even more appropriate with the stars of September glittering behind them.
The host of the debate, Lucie Sim, sat in the central chair beside her. Isi couldn’t help looking at her, with her stunning charcoal suit that matched her white skin. Lucie was smiling at the floating camera drones streaming live via the Net to people watching all over Berners-Lee Station. An appreciative crowd sat in an expanding semi-circle facing the stage and the impressive view.
“Welcome back, one and all, to this live debate. It is a great pleasure to have such prolific guests with me today.” Lucie turned to face her. “You may not know the name Isidora Jain, but I’m sure you will have heard her username, Fade.” Isi ran a brown-skinned hand through her bright red hair as the host continued. “She is an engineer who does not hold back during discussion and is full of passion.”
The crowd applauded and cheered, appearing as a blur of vibrant colours to Isi. She had built a reputation as perhaps the best political debater on the Net.
“Facing her is someone who needs no introduction, the leader of the Council, Representative Melo.”
He gave a short wave to the crowd with a brief smile, his arm resting on the chair. He was dressed in a plum suit, with matching lipstick and eyeliner that suited his dark skin.
Applause again, but she was sure it was quieter.
“There is just one subject being debated today, but that is because it is such an important one. What are we going to do about the attacks on the independent worlds the pseudos have uncovered? Do we warn the rest of September about what has happened?” Lucie paused for just a moment to let the crowd settle. “Isi, you were speaking before the break, so you may resume.” Lucie leaned back, removing herself from the line of sight between the debaters.
“Thank you, Lucie.” She leaned forward in her chair. “This shouldn’t be up for debate; what we have to do is so obvious. We are Curators, guardians and protectors of the Net that connects humanity across the galaxy. Someone from outside September has been attacking worlds, and somehow they’ve managed to keep this hidden from us for months. Without the pseudos, we would have no idea what is going on.”
The pseudos were how the Curators maintained their control over the Net. Half human mind and half computer program with their own personalities, they lived on the Net. Several of them floated as 3-D avatars amongst the crowd, some a mix of bizarre colours and shapes and others far more human in appearance.
“This is the first time in our existence we’re not sure what’s happening, but what we do know is pretty damn scary. Someone is coming this way, and they’re destroying worlds in their path. We have to warn everyone in September. We must send out the Three.”
She turned to smile at Melo, and he returned it with a sardonic one of his own. He licked his lips. “Isi speaks many truths; we are in a situation we have never had to deal with before. There is a lot we do not know, but it is a big leap from there to sending out the Three. Now that we know that data has been hidden from us, we can counteract it. We can find the truth behind it. There is no need for us to interfere with the nations of September when we ourselves don’t know for certain what’s happening.”
“We’ve interfered in the past, often for something a lot smaller than this. Why not now?”
“That was because the Union and Republic tried to control the Net. We do, not them, and we acted to remind them of that fact. They remember our interference and will not listen to us willingly this time. It is far better for us to gather the truth and then speak to them.”
She turned to face the crowd and addressed them. “Planets have been attacked, just beyond the borders of September in Lassen and Kyrenia. We don’t know by who—that’s scary enough that we don’t even know their name yet—but whoever did it is coming this way, and they don’t seem very friendly.” She shot a look at Melo. “Planets have been wiped out. I think the Union and Republic will want to know about it.”
He dismissed her argument with a wave of his hand. “They are building up to another war with each other. They don’t care what goes on outside this region, and why should they? No nation from outside September has gotten involved here since the Collapse.”
“Well, looks like one is now.” She turned back to the crowd. “We have a duty to warn the people of September that an invasion is coming. We might have our differences, but we’re all still human. We should help them, or many of them will die.”
“Our duty is to protect the Net; that’s all.” He pointed a finger at her. “We cannot risk that by getting involved in events.”
“How would sending out the Three risk that? They would go out to warn of what is coming; that’s all.”
“The knowledge of what is coming is dependent on the data we find, data we acquire from our control of the Net. If we warn people, we have to reveal that information.” A few beads of sweat gathered on his tall forehead.
“Data the pseudos get, you mean, and plenty of them want to see us act as well.” She leaned forward in her chair. “The last time we interfered, it was to keep the Net open and free for all. Now you are scared of us sharing what we’ve found? Or are you scared that this might nudge us out of our comfort zone? We’re residents of September as well. We can’t ignore the others simply because they aren’t Curators. People have heard of the Three and the stories about them. They can make sure our words are heard.”
“No one else in September will listen to them; they have their own petty struggles to worry about. The best thing we can do is to find out the truth and get it out there. Then they can deal with this problem however they want.” His eyes shifted back and forth between her and the crowd.
“It doesn’t hurt us to try.”
“Yes, it does.” He stared at her. “Everything we do is done to keep the Net safe, to make sure it is there for everyone. It is the source and library of all our knowledge; it connects us all. Getting involved in what could be a war can threaten all of that.”
“With all these planets disappearing from the Net, I’d say we are not doing a very good job right now.” When he slumped back into his chair, she pushed home her point. “We can’t stand by and just let events happen as we always have. This threat, this invasion from beyond by these outsiders, is greater than anything that has happened in the past. We have to appoint the Three so we can warn September what is coming and try and build some kind of alliance against it. It’s time for us to make a difference. We can’t stand back and let millions die simply because of some vague fear over losing control over the Net.”
Scatterings of applause broke out in the crowd. Melo glanced back and forth between her and the people watching. Lucie cleared her throat. “Representative, what is your response?”
He took a deep breath. “We don’t know yet how great this threat is. Sending the Three out now would be reckless in the extreme.” His gaze swept the crowd. “Isi is correct that this appears to be a greater threat than any we have faced before. She is wrong in assuming we must change how we have acted in the past just for this, as if we should throw caution to the wind and try to make allies of people who have shown no desire to ally in the past.”
Silence filled the room after this little speech from Melo. She just shook her head. “Everything we know—and there are big gaps there despite the best work of the pseudos—all of it points to an invasion coming… and soon. I’m not sure these outsiders will wait for us to patiently debate. The time to act is now when we still can. Now we have a chance to change events. Who knows how long this window of opportunity will stay open?”
Lucie stood up as Isi finished speaking and moved to the front of the stage. “I believe it is time we put these arguments to the vote. Do you want to see the Three sent out to try to build allies against this looming invasion? Or do you want to trust in the way we have always done things, using the Net to bring about change and letting outside wars go on without our involvement? Vote now to have your say, and everyone watching can join in too.”
There was a large screen on the wall above the window, showing the debate so even those at the back could see exactly what was going on. It changed to show the subject of the vote and two bars, one for yes and one for no. The crowd became a sea of activity as everyone activated the controls on their seats, casting their votes. Isi sat smiling as she watched it happen, tapping out the rhythm to a song with her fingers on the arm of her chair. She glanced at Melo, who did not look as happy; he seemed lost in troubled thought, his head resting on a hand. A few minutes passed before all the votes were in from the crowd, the thousands more watching the debate live, and the pseudos across the Net.
From where she sat, she could not see the screen above her, but another smaller screen was set up on the back wall for the people on the stage to watch. The two bars began to grow, even at first until the green for the yes votes accelerated away. Seventy-one percent to thirty-nine. The crowd erupted in applause as Lucie waved her arms to quiet them, which took a while. Isi’s smile was now shared by many in the audience as Lucie stepped to the front again.
“The vote is conclusive; the people want the Three to be sent out.” She turned to Melo, who had shaken his head when the result had been revealed. “Representative, will you listen to them?”
He sighed before rising to his feet. “Not everyone who can vote is here or watching this debate; however, I know what the surveys have been saying.” He turned his head to look Isi in the eye, no sardonic smile on his face anymore. She returned his look with a wide smile and a raised eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. “You will have what you want.” He turned to face the crowd with a firm jaw. “You have asked, so you shall receive. I will put forward an emergency vote on whether the Three should be appointed and sent out. It will be up within the hour.”
Isi’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as the room paused, uncertain, before a wave of noise rolled out from the crowd, filled with applause and cheers of delight as some began to dance. She threw her arms in the air in celebration.
Lucie clapped with them until the room grew quiet once more. “I think that is a very good point to end this live debate, and what a remarkable one it has been, a feisty clash between Isi and Representative Melo, which has ended with a historic vote on the Three being declared. Thank you all for watching, and good night!”
She bowed, arms out wide, as more applause filled the room as they all waved goodbye, Melo even managing a smile as the cameras went off. The audience broke into animated conversations. Lucie shook both their hands and congratulated Isi before disappearing into the crowd.
She got up to follow Lucie.
“Isi, I would like to speak with you a moment.” Melo got up from his chair. He directed her to a quiet area by the side of the stage, her gaze constantly turning to the audience.
“Is this going to be quick? I’d like to join in the celebrations.”
A small dance party had begun in parts of the crowd, the people a blur of colours and bodies.
Melo stared at them. “I suppose it is a little victory to them.”
“I wouldn’t call it little.”
He tore his gaze from the crowd and turned to face her. “No, I suppose it’s a big one for you.”
“What did you want to talk about?” She saw Lucie surrounded by people, laughing and talking at a million words a minute as she embraced many of them.
“I wanted to say how much you impressed me in the debate. You know how to argue your point, and you are not afraid to show your passion.”
“All I did was say what I believed.” She raised an eyebrow quizzically at him. “You didn’t have the same passion behind you.”
He shifted his feet. “I did and I do, but I am not an idiot. I’ve been following the opinion polls and know a change is in the air. No longer are we to be the hidden protectors of the Net; now we must go out and interfere with other nations.”
“It’s not like we haven’t done it before,” she said with a smile. “It’s just rarely been face to face before.”
His gaze now drifted to focus on the looming presence of Fucanlong beyond the window. Huge bands of orange and green mixed and swirled on the surface as he watched. “The last time we sent out the Three was two centuries ago in a failed attempt to negotiate with the Republic and the Union. It did not work then, and it will not work now.”
“Times have changed.” She walked towards him. “We don’t know how they will react until we’ve tried.”
“We don’t know it will be any different, either.” He turned to face her, and she could see the tiredness in his eyes but the determination as well. “You have managed to persuade quite a few to break with tradition.”
“It always struck me as odd that a group of people with such anarchist tendencies has so many traditions.”
Clothes were quickly becoming optional in the crowd as the party atmosphere built.
“You cannot have a group of humans be together for any length of time without shared habits and experiences forming.” He watched as parts of the crowd began to filter out, some dancing as they went, leaving Lucie and her followers behind, still locked in animated conversation. “Public opinion is on your side with this. Maybe we have changed.”
“I’m on the same side as them, not the other way around. It’s the same side as the pseudos as well.” She smiled to herself. It was a pedantic distinction to make but an important one.
“It’s unusual for them to get involved in politics like this.”
“They’re Curators just like the rest of us. It’s their right to be part of this.”
“That may be true, but it’s still a break from past behaviour for them. Before they’ve been too focused on the Net and on themselves.”
“Well the times are a-changing,” Isi said with a wink. “When will the vote finish?”
“Same as any other emergency vote, twenty-four hours after it begins.” He extended a hand to her. “Congratulations on winning the debate.”
She looked at him before taking his hand. “You too, Representative. Better luck next time.”
His eyes brightened. “There are always more debates; we never tire of talking.”
“Makes a nice change to actually do something, doesn’t it?” She gave him a brief wave goodbye and pushed her way through the small crowd of people surrounding Lucie to greet her with a big hug of her own and high-fives to everyone else around them.
“I’ve never seen him lose an argument that badly before,” said Lucie. “That was very well done.”
“You weren’t too bad yourself. You’re a natural at leading a debate.”
“Well, you know how much I love a crowd.” Lucie did a twirl for the appreciative audience.
They were both all smiles as Isi rested a hand on Lucie’s shoulder. “It’s time to go celebrate.”
“I think you may be right.” She turned to the small crowd that remained. “We will see you all another time, you wonderful people. Goodbye!” With more waves and hugs, and evading several attempts to get them involved in the dancing, they extracted themselves from the group and headed upstairs towards the exit. Lucie leaned her head in close to Isi’s. “How do you think we should celebrate?”
She smiled back at her, a faint blush visible on her cheeks. “Oh, I have a few ideas you may like.”
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