Roboteer Read Online Free Page A

speaker. ‘But that’s not the question,’ he said. ‘We’re only talking about the Following here, not the Leading classes. I have no issue with the girls of Leading families receiving an education. That harms no one.’
    Gustav remembered. The Prophet had recently passed a dictate expressly forbidding the female children of Following families from receiving education. A few of the Kingdom’s many subsect leaders had launched a doomed attempt to appeal the decision.
    ‘I’m a scientist, I’m afraid, gentlemen,’ Gustav said mildly. ‘I try not to get involved in political matters.’ Or not the immediate ones, at least , he thought. Gustav had dedicated his life to building a better future. He had long since given up on the present.
    ‘But General …’ said a voice from the back of the group. This new voice belonged to a man dressed in the white gown of a High Church disciple. He was handsome in a slightly soft, florid kind of way. Only his eyes and the point of his nose were hard. He wore his dark hair oiled back. ‘Even the most reserved among us have a moral instinct, wouldn’t you say? And as a scientist , education must be a topic dear to your heart.’ His smile was filled with small, even teeth. ‘You have women on your team, don’t you? I’d be interested to hear your gut reaction on the subject.’
    Gustav regarded the disciple warily. The man had hovered at the back of almost every group Gustav had met that morning, yet this was the first time he’d actually opened his mouth. In doing so, he’d managed to justify practically every suspicion Gustav had entertained about him.
    The fact that Gustav employed female scientists was supposed to be a secret, simply because everything about Gustav’s work was secret. This conversation would have to be brought to an end, and quickly.
    ‘I’m sorry, but my training encourages me to avoid gut reactions,’ Gustav said with a hard smile. ‘In my experience, they’re a poor substitute for data.’
    The disciple refused to be dissuaded. ‘Really,’ he said airily. ‘We in the High Church see things differently. We consider the moral instinct to be a vital guide in decision-making. A kind of spiritual compass, if you like.’ He looked around at the others, as if confident of their agreement.
    ‘Then let me ask you a question,’ said Gustav. ‘Which do you think poses a greater security risk to the Kingdom – cycle-game or FROF-b command encryption? I assure you that is a topic of urgent interest in Military Intelligence circles at the moment.’ Gustav waved his hand generously. ‘I don’t need an informed response, just a gut reaction.’ He crooked an eyebrow and waited.
    The disciple frowned. His cheeks turned a ruddy colour. Some of the dignitaries chuckled. Before the disciple could muster a suitable reply, a voice boomed down from the antechamber’s lofty heights.
    ‘General Gustav Ulanu. You may approach the Prophet.’
    All across the great chamber, conversation died to silence.
    Gustav inhaled. It was time. He bowed to the dignitaries. ‘If you’ll excuse me.’
    He turned and walked with measured steps across the immense floor to the white portal that was swinging open to admit him.
    How ironic it was. Most people would have given their lives to win a commendation from the Prophet, yet Gustav felt nothing but foreboding. Admiral Konrad Tang was the man who should have been there instead of him. Tang was the man who’d commanded the Memburi attack force. He was the one who’d successfully secured the system in the name of Earth two weeks previously. He was the public face of their project in all matters. So why would the Prophet choose to bestow such a visible honour on Gustav? Particularly given that Gustav had been purposefully dragging his heels for the last six months. A caution would be more in order than a commendation.
    He stepped into the throne room and stopped. A raised dais like a stepped pyramid stood before him, lit by