But now it appeared that everywhere in the world governments were suffering a crisis of representation. Possibly this was because it was all one system, which one could call global capitalism with national characteristics, each variation around the Earth marked by the remaining vestiges of an earlier nation-state system, but still making together one larger global thing: capitalism. When it came to those national characteristics, China had the Party, the US its federal government, the EU its union; but all were ruled by the globalized market.
So what would Chan Qi say to this?
But Ta Shu was not going to have his curiosity about Qi’s ideas answered at this particular moment, because the lock door leading out to the rover tubeway opened suddenly, shocking John Semple and all the other Americans in the common room; then even more shockingly, a crowd of Chinese men holding Taser pistols filed into the room and stood against the walls, watching the Americans and their guests closely, guns in hand pointed at the ceiling.
“What’s going on here?” John Semple cried angrily.
Bo and Dhu entered last. Tall and short. They were not holding weapons, but they were holding power. All eyes fixed on them.
Bo spoke in English, which surprised Ta Shu. “We have come to take in our charge this Chinese national”—gesturing at Qi—“who is accused of grave crimes against the state, including murder of a policeman.”
“This is an American base,” John Semple said. “You have no jurisdiction here, and in fact you’re trespassing. You must leave at once.”
Bo shook his head. “This is not American territory. There are no valid territorial claims on the moon. Each nation can make scientific experiments wherever they like here, then they have the right to continue those experiments. You placed this station here long after China started an experiment on this very ground.”
“What do you mean? We located this station on empty land!”
“No. We laid a network of wires over this entire area, as part of an experiment to determine strength of solar wind. You put your base right on top of a preexisting Chinese experiment. Very inappropriate. We stand on lunar territory first used by China, so we have jurisdiction here. And we must take this suspect into custody.”
“No.” Semple stared at Bo. “If you try to do that against our wishes, by force, you’ll have a dangerous fight on your hands, and then an international incident.”
Bo pursed his lips, shook his head. “Our authorization and command comes from the very top of Chinese government. They will deal with incident. As for fight here, please notice that we outnumber you greatly, with men who are peace officers, willing to use nonfatal tools to disable you.”
It occurred to Ta Shu that Tasers were probably more effective on the moon than guns, as being more likely to be used, because less likely to puncture the chamber holding both victim and assailant. A Taser would affect only its target person, and being nonlethal (hopefully) would keep any diplomatic repercussions from being too severe. And Tasers perhaps didn’t contravene the Outer Space Treaty—not the most pressing consideration in this moment, admittedly, although Bo and Semple were in fact trading legalisms.
Ta Shu watched John Semple think it over. Out of the blue he recalled something he had heard about law enforcement in McMurdo, back when he and Semple had first met: its thousand residents were policed by officials who had only a single handgun on station, a pistol which was disassembled into three parts that were kept in three different locked offices, to prevent anyone from going crazy and using it on their comrades or themselves. People stationed in remote places were self-regulating, for the most part. Weapons were dangerous to all. But sometimes there was a need, and when that happened, a Taser was no doubt the equivalent of McMurdo’s disassembled gun. Almost a symbolic show of force; but not quite.
Ta Shu decided to act. “You have no authority on the moon!” he exclaimed to Bo, standing as he spoke.
He saw that John Semple was surprised he had spoken. But a flicker of a glance from John suggested that John now wanted him to keep talking, to buy time perhaps. He was also flicking glances at his assistants, eyes roving in a way that might suggest confusion or pondering, but Ta Shu thought could be meaningful looks.
So Ta Shu continued. “The administrator of Petrov Crater Station declined to allow you permission to take this same action, and he is an official of the Lunar Authority and the Lunar Personnel Coordination Task Force, which outranks any other policing body here. All other regular lunar agencies would likewise refuse to acknowledge your authority, not to mention your illegal incursion into an American station, no matter where it happens to be located. So you are not in fact a Chinese administrative group. You’re some kind of rogue operation, soon to become a criminal operation, guilty of trespassing, and kidnapping, and who knows what will come next—maybe coercive interplanetary transport! Surely you must be members of a splinter group like the Red Spear, repudiated many times by the standing committee of the Politburo, and even the People’s Liberation Army’s Central Military Command. No one in Beijing will support you if you do this thing! Surely you must know that you yourselves will be sacrificed by any commanders you may have for this mad action, even if they ordered you to do it. They don’t care what happens to you afterward. You’re as much a tool to them as that Taser is to you.”
Bo and Dhu and all their men were looking completely unimpressed by Ta Shu’s argument. But a little time had passed.
“One moment,” John Semple said, glancing at his wrist. “Hold on, please.”
Then they were all shoved violently to the floor as the American base blasted off into space.
Normally at the moment of takeoff everyone would be lying down strapped into cushioned launch chairs, because old-fashioned chemical launches from the surface of the moon were very abrupt affairs. One-sixth of a g meant launch rockets exploding downward from the bottom of a spacecraft made it leap quite suddenly into space, as was now made evident by the fact they were all knocked to the floor by the hard lurch and subsequent powerful acceleration. Ta Shu thumped to his knees, then sat down and didn’t even try to rise. All the other people in the room fell over one way or another, and one of the men standing against the wall fired his Taser pistol, on purpose or by accident, hitting one of his fellows, who grunted and spasmed across the floor kicking people and furniture. For a moment all was chaos and noise; loudest of all was Bo, who had crashed to his knees shouting “What are you doing? What are you doing?”
John Semple had been prepared for the launch, Ta Shu presumed, and therefore had had time to grab a table. Holding himself upright, he stared down at Bo and said, “Put down your weapons. We’re headed for the American base at the north pole, guided there by an automatic pilot that you don’t know how to alter. Anything you do now to try to redirect or impede this craft could get us all killed. So put down your weapons and talk like civilized people.”
“Civilized people!” Bo cried. “You are protecting a criminal who is attacking the Chinese state! There will be trouble from this, big trouble!”
“That remains to be seen,” John Semple said. “For now, please tell your men here to stand down. That one appears to be hurt, and this guy’s been tasered by his own teammates. Let’s all sit down. It’s safer that way. Do any of your people have medical experience? No? We have a couple first responders on board. They can help your men if you want.”
Bo and Dhu and their men retreated to a corner and muttered among themselves in Chinese. Ta Shu couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he noticed Qi cocking an ear in their direction as she sat on a chair holding her belly up against the strain. He wondered if she could hear them, but in a way it didn’t matter; when they landed at the north pole they would be surrounded by Americans, also by an international community that included only one small Chinese consular office. Things were going to be resolved outside this flying room, and the people here were going to have to live with it one way or another. Bo and Dhu were smart enough to recognize that, presumably.