The Status Civilization

"And when the ship reaches Earth?" "You will be disguised as a member of the ship's personnel," Eylan said. "Remember, the inevitable inefficiency of a huge bureaucracy will be working for you." "I hope so," Barrent said. "Let's suppose I reach Earth safely and get the information you want. How do I send it back?" "You send it back on the next prison ship," Eylan said. "We plan to capture that one." Barrent rubbed his forehead wearily. "What makes you think that any of this--my expedition or your uprising--can succeed against an organization as powerful as Earth?" "We have to take the chance," Eylan said. "Take it or go down in a bloody shambles with the rest of Omega. I agree that the odds are weighted against us. But our choice is either to make the attempt or to die without making any attempt at all." Moera nodded at this. "Also, the situation has other possibilities. The government of Earth is obviously repressive. That argues the existence of underground resistance groups on Earth itself. You may be able to contact those groups. A revolt both here and on Earth would give the government something to think about." "Maybe," Barrent said. "We have to hope for the best," Eylan said. "Are you with us?" "Certainly," Barrent said. "I'd rather die on Earth than on Omega." "The prison ship lands in six days," Eylan said. "During that time, we will give you the information we have about Earth. Part of it is memory reconstruction, part has been skrenned by the mutants, and the rest is logical constructs. It's all we have, and I think it gives a reasonably accurate picture of current conditions on Earth."