Hard Vacuum: Short Episodes In The Future

Stasis

"It's an unusual honor to be allowed into Your Majesty's private offices," Ambassador Leagus shifted uncomfortably on his mechanical feet.

"I prefer to do business this way, Ambassador. The court has too many traditions that slow down the process with tedium."

"And to speak directly with Your Majesty is also an honor. It has traditionally been the High Vizier who sees me."

"Elder Crash is away on a matter she must see to personally." Welder motioned for the ambassador to sit as he took his own seat behind the large, empty, black marble desk. "Please, tell me why you are here."

"Of course. As you may have been informed, the Gorm and Zauchi star systems have long lived as trade allies under a series of treaties. Zauchi is hoping that you intend to honor that history of cooperation."

Welder sat back and stared at the mechanized bot diplomat as he considered his next words. "I would like to. However, I'm concerned about your nation's policies. I'm speaking, of course, about the inequality between bot and human. About how you use humans as slaves."

The room was quiet for a moment, then the brief, subtle whir of the ambassador's servo joints as it shifted in its seat before speaking. "I understand your concern. I assure you that our 'slaves' as you call them, are cloned specifically for labor. Just as you clone laborers here."

"There is a distinct caste system in Zauchi. The bots rule, and the humans labor to support them. It is quite a different dynamic than one would find here, or elsewhere. Perhaps there is another way to satisfy your workforce."

"Do you suggest we..." Leagus paused for sarcastic effect, "...automate?" It put up its mechanical hand to indicate the rhetorical nature of its comment. "Perhaps you are unaware of the precarious situation we both find ourselves in. In Gorm, there are two inhabited planets..."

"Three."

"Three planets, if you count the war-blasted tomb world of Imbolc. You are only responsible for the populations on two: Beltane, the agricultural world, and Walpurgis, an over populated, steel hive-world.

"Our Zauchi has no worlds. Just rock and debris listing in a distant accretion ring, orbiting far away from their own neutron star. Our mines provide the materials you need to keep the industries of overpopulated Walpurgis from collapsing. Your food from Beltane feeds our humans, as we have no world upon which to grow our own.

"You can either honor the alliance, or our slaves will starve, your industry will stall, and both our kingdoms will fall as a result.

"We are trapped, oh King. There is no room for sentimental attempts at liberty. There is no other option. We must dance. We must work together to maintain stasis...

"Or we die."