The Accidental War by Walter Jon Williams

Author:Walter Jon Williams
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2018-09-03T16:00:00+00:00

After the Autumn Festival holiday, the Convocation resumed a debate regarding a proposed amendment to the budget reducing funding for local arts and cultural services. This was viewed as a temporary measure in view of a budget shortfall and wasn’t considered particularly controversial, but many convocates felt they should put it on record that they generally supported arts and culture despite the upcoming vote. Sula didn’t bother with any assurances and spent the debate working mathematical puzzles and sending messages back and forth to her office, and she paid little attention to the argument until she recognized the voice of Lady Tu-hon.

Sula looked up from her puzzle and saw Tu-hon rising from her seat halfway across the amphitheater of the Convocation. A jeweled collar glittered about her neck. Her amplified voice was pitched to ring from the roofbeams. “These painful reductions would hardly be necessary if the economy had not been plundered by Terrans!” she said. “Criminals who have yet to be punished by the authorities.”

Sula jumped to her feet at once, but it was Lord Saïd who first took action. He rose from his chair and adjusted the rings on his wand of office, reducing Lady Tu-hon’s amplification and allowing his own rhetorician’s voice to rise in the chamber.

“I trust the distinguished lady convocate is not impugning the entire Terran species,” he said. “Such a sentiment is expressly forbidden by the Praxis, as I’m sure the lady convocate is aware.”

“I wish to reassure the Lord Senior that I do not condemn all Terrans,” Lady Tu-hon replied, once she had her amplification back. “I refer only to the Terran criminal conspiracy who make their fortunes off the current economic distress. Cosgrove, for example, and his coconspirator Lady Kannitha Seang. And of course the Martinez clan, who not only profited off the bank failures, but who have driven the Rol-mar Company into receivership and ruined the hopes of the millions who had hoped to immigrate to this promising new world.”

Pure astonishment snatched the breath from Sula’s lungs. Lady Tu-hon’s audacity had electrified the sleepy assembly and provided a startling contrast to Sula’s two years of dull conclaves and uninspired debate.

Roland Martinez was already on his feet, but now furiously waved an arm to be recognized. Lord Saïd spoke first.

“It is customary that such serious accusations be backed with evidence,” he said. “I trust the distinguished lady convocate can substantiate her allegations?”

“The administration already possesses the evidence,” said Lady Tu-hon. “Cosgrove is in custody, and the man is clearly guilty, but there has been neither trial nor execution. The Imperial Bank during Kannitha Seang’s administration conspired with Cosgrove and committed numerous frauds, but there have been no indictments and Lady Kannitha walks freely among us. Clan Martinez’s development companies remain profitable, even as they’ve bankrupted the Rol-mar Company that employed them—and the trades of the individual members of the Martinez family, which helped to drive two banks into financial ruin, are available in the records of the Exchange, for all the empire to view.

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