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sexual congress with her, and it was much as I remembered it. Then I had been incapacitated by loss of
memory and isolation and uncertainty and torture; now I was incapacitated by the failure of my kidneys.
The parallel seemed close enough.
Next day we met with the Prime Minister of Earth, who was a woman as tough and politically realistic
as the one I had encountered on Phobos. There are not many women in power in the System, but those
who are are as competent as any man. Natural selection plays its part, I believe. Certainly she was no-
nonsense with me.
She wore a colorful toga, looking native, but she addressed me in English, so that Forta did not have to
translate. The meeting was physical that is, without holo and private, with only the two of us. I
accepted this peculiarity because I knew that the Prime Minister was no fool, and wanted privacy. There
was thus no record of our conversation.
"Tyrant, Jupiter has not been the same since you departed," she informed me brusquely. I read her with
surprise; she was not making a compliment, she was making a statement of opinion buttressed by fact.
"I have been out of touch with the Colossus recently," I said. "My concern is with another matter."
"We shall get to that in a moment," she said. "I thought you should be advised that, though Jupiter's
government remains nominally democratic, the moment your wife stepped down the predators moved
in. Bad things are happening there."
I could have protested that I was unconcerned with Jupiter politics, being in exile, but in this privacy
there was no need for any such ploy. I had many roots on Jupiter, and I was aware that things were not
ideal; now I could get solid information. "Who is running the show?"
"Tocsin."
I made a soundless whistle. Tocsin had been President before me, and had been completely
unscrupulous. He was the one who had had me abducted and mem-washed in an attempt to make me
throw away my bid for the presidency, and he had used every political device to keep me out, and had
tried to have me assassinated too. All that had stopped after I became the Tyrant, and he had caused me
no more trouble. But it seemed that once I had departed the scene, Tocsin had seen his chance to return
to the arena, and that was bad news indeed. My wife Megan, in her integrity and generosity, had of
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course restored the representative system of government and stepped promptly down, but now the sharks
were feeding again. "I had hoped for better," I said with deep regret.
"Of that I am aware, Tyrant," she said. "You will do what you deem it proper to do, of course. I merely
want you to understand that Earth would not find it amiss if the Tyrancy were to be returned to Jupiter.
When Jupiter sneezes, the entire System shudders. You were always practical and fair."
As Tyrant of Jupiter, I had tried to foster good relations with the other planets of the System, and Earth,
after an initial period of doubt, had in due course recognized the Tyrancy as the legitimate government
of Jupiter. Trade had improved, and Jupiter tourists had increasingly flocked to see the historic sites of
Earth. But Earth, traditionally, did not interfere in the affairs of other planets, except to serve as arbiter
when requested. This was an unusual statement the Prime Minister was making. "I represent Saturn
now," I said cautiously. "I have stayed well clear of Jupiter, lest there be any misunderstanding."
"You represent humanity now," she said firmly. "Your project cannot succeed without the participation
of Jupiter, and the present powers there will never accede to your interest. You must reconsider your
position, Tyrant."
Shaken, I nodded. If this woman told me that Jupiter was going wrong, it was certain that it was. I
realized that I had been naïve to turn my back on my planet; I had thought I was honoring the exile that
my wife had crafted, but I had reckoned without the sharks.
The Prime Minister turned abruptly to the subject we were supposed to be on. "Tyrant, you know that
Earth will support the Triton Project. We would be glad to participate. Our need for new geography and
new resources is critical. But we have little to offer."
I was surprised again. "But India expanded to govern all of Earth, after the diaspora to the System," I
said. "It was the only nation to eschew the exodus. With all of Earth's territory and resources "
She smiled grimly. "Tyrant, we had a population of a billion before the colonization of the System, and
that was seven centuries ago. In addition, not all the citizens of other nations emigrated; a number
elected to remain, accepting the new government of the planet. The major regions became client states,
and we have tried to treat them fairly, though of course they are now Indian states, populated primarily
by our people. Today Earth has a greater population and fewer resources than it had then. Our need to
expand is desperate. If we could this time go to space, to colonize some totally new system or
constellation of systems " She shook her head, smiling wistfully, and I saw that the Dream had taken
her. "We are at your mercy; we will pay any price we can manage, to join in that project. But we have
nothing you need."
No wonder she had made this interview private! She would be deposed in short order if her constituency
learned of this statement. She trusted me to be discreet, and I would not disappoint her.
But I had of course come prepared. "There is a price you can meet," I said. "But you may not wish to."
"I suspected you would have a price," she agreed. "The greatest statesmen always have teeth in their
negotiations."
That was an interesting way to put it. "Saber-toothed teeth," I agreed, smiling. I intended to take Smilo
for a tour of an Earthly jungle; it would be the rarest of treats for him.
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