The central part of the floor was occupied by a huge cylindrical aquarium with colorful fish, with a lobby bar adjacent to it at the nearest side to the rock, and the rest of the room resembled a materialized fantasy of Salvador Dali — a burst of intricately curved designs that served as seats and tables. Malik turned left to the Charibda side and looked at the visitors. The audience, dressed in a variety of bright sports or swimming suits, or simply wrapped in pieces of cloth, sat at different heights, like a flock of exotic birds on the branches of a baobab tree.
— Hey, bro, looking for someone? — asked the bartender phlegmatically, without taking the Javanese cigar out of his mouth.
— Yes. Jella Argenti.
— Then you have come at the right time. She just finished a game, but hasn’t picked up anyone yet . Turn a bit to the left. See a quarter of the butt in the lilac scarf?
— Ah! — appreciated the reporter.
— Yeah! — agreed the bartender.
After Malik approached the curve of the bridge and climbed half a turn of spiral stairs, he found himself facing the subject of his search. A strong short girl, about 27 years old was dressed only in a rectangle of thin fabric, which passed under her left armpit and was fastened on the right shoulder by a fibula in the shape of a dark red octopus. Her open left shoulder and right hip were painted with two bright luminous green Rongorongo symbols, an arrow and a fish. The picture was completed by dark straight and coarse hair, high cheekbones, a small upturned nose and huge, almost black eyes. In short, Jella made quite an impression.
— So — she said — if you don’t mind, let’s just call each other by name. No ceremonies. Yo?
— Yo — he agreed.
— Then fall down here at the table and turn on your device. Do you drink sake?
— Socially.
She took a ceramic jug and splashed a badly smelling liquid into cups.
— Ok, let’s start.
— Uh ... — Malik took a sip of sake — what is your profession?
— Conflict resolution. I work in naval aviation. Sometimes I have to handle cases so convoluted that this judging job is like a vacation to me.
— And how did you win the competition for the panel of the professional Supreme Court?
— The usual way . By rating of my public appearances. I have the knack of speaking simply about complex matters. In the Navy you won’t get anywhere without it. Get it?
— Bit by bit — said Sekar — could you just explain how you made this decision?
— Decision to deport? Easily. Do you understand how our politics work?
— Probably not enough to ...
— I see — interrupted Jella — then let’s start from the beginning. Here, let me draw a chart.
She took a napkin, scribbled several squares, circles and arrows and began to explain:
— This circle is a citizen. He is employed or has his own business, no difference. Makes some money and buys something for himself. Besides food, a home and a car, he buys social order. Order is a commodity same as any other, see?
— Order is established by the government.
— Exactly! And the thing is that this is a natural monopoly. After all, the rules should be the same for everyone, right? What does that mean?
— That there should be only one government — blurted Sekar.
Jella waved.
— That’s obvious. But the main thing is: it must deliver what citizens need, and not all the excess garbage, and the price must be fair. Got it?
— Yeah.
— Now we get to applications, requests and tenders — she continued — the form of ballot application is defined in the Charter. You ever filled out ballot applications?
— Of course.
— Ok. So the applications of citizens are summed up and compiled into the public request. The government is not allowed to do anything beyond that request.
— Well, let’s say, that much I know — Sekar sounded a bit offended.
— Yo! Next comes a competition of the bidding teams. Coordinators — one, funds — two, army — three, police — four, Praetorians — five. In each of the five areas, the team that offered the lowest price to satisfy the request gets the contract. The team of coordinators is the government. It has the right to collect fees from the citizens equal to the combined price of all the five contracts.
— That I know too.
— Next come three levels of courts: municipal, county and confederation. The courts consist of six people, three of them are laymen chosen by lot, three are professionals chosen by rating. The only authority above the Supreme Court of the Confederation is the Magna Carta, and if someone fails to understand that, we have Praetorians to shove some sense into their brains. If someone outside wants to impose a different order, the army must extinguish it, not subject to any rules. Understand why?
— Because it’s hard to wage a war by the rules, — suggested Sekar.
— Because it’s cheaper without rules — corrected Jella — although what you said is true. What rules can there be during war? Roughly, this sums up the politics. Yo?
— Well, yes. Approximately like I imagined. Not too complicated, right?
— That's right, Malik. According to the Charter, the political system should be simple enough to be understood by anybody with secondary education. Otherwise, the people will not be able to take meaningful part in governance of the country.
Sekar sipped the sake and asked:
— Jella, but what does all that have to do with the deportation decree?
— Right, bro. Those folks requested the government to do something it has no right to do.
— So here we come to the difference between the government and the state?
— Exactly.
— And could you remind me the difference briefly?
— The government serves the people and the state controls them.
— That’s probably too short.
— That's right — Jella smiled — Ok, let’s explain in simple terms. When you order house cleaning, you want your house to be made clean for a given price, and do you not care who specifically does it. Now what if when you ordered, you said who will do it, but did not specify exactly what to do and how much. You come home and you see the so-so cleanliness, but the books on the shelves and pictures on the walls are not where you’ve put it, the drawer was opened, the letters were thrown away, and instead there is somebody’s robe in the bathroom and pajamas hanging in the closet. The cost of all that is included in the bill and the postscript at the bottom says: we decided that it is better this way.
— Why that?
— That's because the state entered your home. The state is a caste society that prescribes all sorts of laws and charges people with all sorts of taxes. Oriental despotism does it in the open, Western democracy hides it behind elections, but the essence is the same. The state can make you report all income and pay any portion of it into the budget. The state may impose on you the business rules that will keep you poor. The state can fine you and your girlfriend because you drink wine and sleep together without a special permit.
— That is, the state can do anything it wants to the people?
— Yo! 500 members of this caste assemble together, write down a law, and that’s it.