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toast, Your Highness,” he snapped. Was he just as eager to get the next question answered?
    “Lieutenant,” Kris said, not looking at the police officer, “I assume you wanted to be someplace we could talk without anyone listening in on what you said. I, too, occasionally want my privacy. My security chief assures me we have it, but before we go into your concerns, could you please tell me what you meant by your last statement. You’re not a voter? The Charter of the Society of Humanity gave all citizens the franchise. Planets could make limits for age, mental condition, and penal status, but…” Kris let her words trail off.
    The cop looked at Kris like she’d just asked if murder was a felony around here.
    Kris called on her perfect source for information. “Nelly, isn’t universal suffrage in the Society of Humanity’s charter?”
    “No, Kris, the basic charter allows each planet to establish its own criteria for the vote.”
    “I know that,” Kris snapped, not happy at being corrected. “But Grampa Ray pushed through the Twenty-fourth Amendment when he was President after the Unity War. He insisted all planets give everyone the vote.”
    “He did, Kris,” Jack said from behind her. “New planets had to. However, existing members were only encouraged to.”
    “President Ray Longknife made a major effort to get all planets to adopt universal suffrage.” Nelly sounded like she was quoting from one of several dozen books on the topic. “But the Iteeche War interrupted him.”
    “And Eden was quite set in its ways,” the policeman added. “And your great-grandfather needed the support of Eden… and its industry… in the war.”
    They were in the middle of the mall, on one of the gravel walks. “Which way do you want to go?” Officer Martinez asked.
    Kris pointed toward the huge building. It was official and likely to have more security around it. She and the cop ambled toward it. Kris made an effort to swallow being caught short on something she should have known, and asked one more question.
    “How did your family come here, and when?”
    “We arrived as indentured workers, our future employers paying our way for seven years of cheap labor. My family was from Mexico, but workers came from all over South America. There are also Indians, Pakistanis, and Filipinos. The Eurolands has Turks, Palestinians, and Russians. The Chinese have, well, Chinese or Taiwanese, or Koreans. Cheap or forced labor.”
    “And none of the late arrivals got the vote?” Kris needed to hear this. She knew it all added up to that, but knowing it and hearing it were not the same.
    “Not unless you married someone who did, and then only your children got franchise if they came out above 50 percent. Some folks invest a lot in keeping their genealogy straight.”
    Could this be why Grampa Ray sent me here? It didn’t make sense. She might have missed the footnote on this part of Eden’s history, but King Ray had lived it. And what could she do about this violation of civil rights, anyway?
    It was time to get down to business. “You said you had something you wanted to tell us and didn’t want to say it where the walls might have ears.”
    The local cop smiled. “That was a fast turn. Yes, I’ve reviewed the file you sent. I must say I’m amazed that you’re still here to make the request.”
    “You’re not the only one,” Jack put in.
    “I’ve had a lot of help,” Kris said, smiling at the guards around her. “For which I am truly grateful.”
    Most of the guards ignored her, concentrating on their section of her perimeter. Some did acknowledge with a smile.
    “Anyway, I have recommended authorization of protective services, including automatic weapons and armored transportation. No crew-served weapons such as mortars and heavy machine guns.”
    Kris tried to keep the surprise off her face. When folks here went for security, they went heavy. What were they afraid of?
    “That should do for us,” Jack said.