– More like Caesarianism.
– Come, see, win?
– I wish I could.
– So go ahead, everything is ready. Dare to be responsible to the people? The people don't want what they have, they want something new? So take your pilot to the parallel worlds. Your inventor of eternal life, the one who gave you thousands of faces.
Ruthra felt a twitch, both at what was on the screen and whoever was watching. He decided to play along, as if he knew everything and was aware of everything. He thought to himself: why did he send his consciousness without checking the technology… he couldn't even answer where he sent it… And yet he hoped that it wasn't the real world, that it was a virtual reality. And if it was real…
– IuLia is indeed conducting diplomacy between me and YatSan, except now I'm wondering with what interest. She was probably using me, Petty, and YatSan to get something for herself.
– Oh, great. Finally. And it's the right thing to do. Yeah, yeah. Why, is someone doing it wrong? She's soft. I've listened to a couple of her conversations. Yes, it's true that she's breaking your relationship for her own benefit, but you were good, you didn't back down, and now she, realizing that she's going to lose all contact, has decided to fix your relationship, your relationship… between you and Petty, and most importantly – between you and YatSan.
– And he's not afraid.
– Why should she be afraid? She's careful. She says this, she says that. She smiles at everyone. And best of all, you're one of her best friends. She feels your shoulder. Just a little bit, but she feels it. And that's important to a woman.
– You say that, Comrade Admiral, as if you've lived through it yourself.
Ruthra laughed a little. The Admiral, on the other hand, looked at him dumbly.
– What are you, Rutra? Have you eaten too much bleach? What's wrong with you? Comrade Admiral? A tease? Or are we at an official reception? Who is Uncle Misha to you? Admiral? If so, I'm beginning to doubt my faith in you.
Ruthra realized his ignorance of his position in the world. When he came to his senses, he presented it in a joking manner. He sat down beside him and said in a friendly manner:
– I've been fuming, I thought maybe someone was bugging me… I was waiting for a signal from you… I'm dumb again. I was waiting for a signal from you.
– It's all right. We had, have and will have power. We'll always come up with some system. The main thing is to give the asker the opportunity to ask. It is not necessary to do everything yourself, you can inspire others that it is good, so that they do it. For example, religion. After all, people themselves want to open churches and the like, they themselves want to give donations. The second option is communist, to take or build everything with the hands of the people, who own nothing. To manage everything with the help of offices, they say, if something is wrong, the capitalist will come and make you work, although people themselves want to work, because they are already workers, and so there is at least an option to become owners. The third option is not to instill anything religious, but just to say: you have to pay taxes to make medicine, army and education stable. Now I'm interested in this device of yours – a time machine simulator. What is it?
Rutra's brain paused for a second, trying to figure out what to say, as he suddenly "recognized" the subject. Not only that, but he realized the truth: "I didn't think of anything new there. I knew everything here too. And maybe it's natural".
A little more at ease in his chair, he began to explain in a friendly tone.
– A time machine is such a virtual reality device where you can meet a digital copy of the dead and, based on a simulation of their actions, live some period of your life with them.
– Holy mother of God. You'd have to imagine such a thing and do it. You're a fantasist. It's not for nothing, it's not for nothing they kept you under the hood. We knew what you were doing, what you were working on. Yeah, yeah. We've been watching you.
Ruthra scratched his head, thinking to himself: "Well, tell me what I've been doing here." To his delight, Uncle Misha "confessed".
– When I was developing a mind-to-photon converter and I didn't want to tell the authorities. Those authorities. You wanted to go to another country where you'd get paid. You didn't go online, yeah, only your computer was connected to the net. It didn't matter that you didn't send e-mails, we could see everything. You've got a nice twist on it, though, nice. And that life-extending, rejuvenating technique of yours is a masterpiece. I said, I said, let's pay, we have such a man. And they decided that only they should reign forever. So, dear, that's the way it is, I protected you, I helped you, now it's your turn to take care of Uncle Misha. Let's have a drink and, as they say, let's get started.
The Admiral pulled two shot glasses and a bottle of cognac from the nightstand.
– Let's start with the bartender thing. We have to get into character. The people like to live richly, and a greedy president makes the people miserable," he raised his glass, signaling Rutra to do the same.
They drank the tonic drink in a gulp.
Uncle Misha waved his index finger in the air and continued, it was clear, about JULIA.
– If you've got a team like this, don't let us down. You're protecting them everywhere. And they're running around here.
– You said it yourself, it's normal.
– It is normal if she wanted you personally, and then already, having made a bet on you, to take advantage of all that her man has achieved.
– Isn't that right?
– Someone who runs and looms constantly between the wharves will run away from you too.
– Maybe she wants to find her final resting place. A safe harbor.
– Maybe, but definitely not a quiet one.
They laughed, both of them.
– There's YatSan. She's different, give her a good berth and she'll become a port director.
They laughed again.
– What would the other one do differently?
– Yeah, I guess so. And that's the right thing to do!
He said the last thing again, raising his index finger up and shaking it. Then he filled a shot glass with the brown liquor, the aroma of which was already wafting like gin around him.
– Iulia is the most… one of the most active participants of the program. And for all her faults, she's the anchor. You can count on her. And she wants fame and money, yes. I agree with that, in a way, as you said.
The admiral looked at him questioningly.
– Well, that it's the right thing to do.
– It's the right thing for everyone. But won't she defect? And let her know that you're only friends with her. If you've got a thing for Yat-san, let it be. Just make your positions clear. Don't let anyone get their hopes up, and if you've given hope, go all the way. Like the people, if you give hope for change, then go for it. You think people are magic, you think they're easy? Or do you think they believe that you will give them paradise? No, of course not. Everybody wants a chance. A chance to try something, to prove themselves. Among other things – your Iulia has themes that she has with other members of the group. I'm talking about the groups that include Petty and YatSan.
– What's she doing?
– She uses them purely to accomplish her goal.
– Who else?
– She has a few faces that YatSan is partially aware of and Petty is aware of others. Like, some of them are known to both of them, and some of them are known only to one of them.
– Oh, boy.
– She has another friend. She's a pretty good-looking person. It's hard to know what they have in common. We've got her on file under the code name "alien." Let's have another drink – and