Excerpt from The Answer continued:

(Scene Suits Armandos Restaurant Luna)

“Paul the Marines have secured your tube. It’s a little damaged.” Chevrolet always finds out stuff first with her thirty member team. I lament. Plenty of time to sue Utah later. I toast my brand new freshly damaged furnishings. I’ll not cry over scorched squishy walls; there is work to do.

I quickly get one of my new junior researchers on com no holo vid. “Are you the Senior Junior?” “Yes sir.” “I want you to set up a different section on all of humanities known religions of the pre reform type. Are there any animal religions? … Any religion regardless of species, animal, plant, bacteria, whatever! Catholics one section, animist snake worshipers one section, bright light devoted plankton one section. Even if there are hundreds of sections. Staff according to data flow.” “Yes sir.” “I want reports from department heads daily of pertinent info. First query: What is the nature of God?” That should take care of the rationalistic approach. “Atheists too sir?” “Especially all atheists! I need to know what God isn’t and atheists usually won’t shut up telling you exactly that.” This gets me a stern look from Helen's holo face. “Zubums also sir?” “No. The Zooboms are mine. First reports in say three hours?” He didn’t get time to respond before I primary com channeled the three hundred invites to my first conference on zoobums to be held on Luna. Anybody invited to my fete here that wants to study the fanatics up close will have to be let through the blockades both ways. Armando’s should serve nicely as the venue. Suit projects the plans to the restaurant to help me plan the seating and I notice there are four tubes above the restaurant level that house Armando’s offices and deluxe Condo Suite. I am assured that my extravagant clothing owns all this.

“We give Armando some time to pack and we can go up hatch and check it out.”

Chevrolet checks her vicinity contact display. “Armando just boarded a limo for Balance Station. Gave the keys to Jerome.”

“Carla tells me he’s abandoned all his stuff. Including a cat!” Space’s ear twitches.

“Pardon me, Paul, did you just call your suit: ‘Carla‘?” Chevrolet’s eyebrows arch. I can’t do that.

“Um…ah…”

“Paul! If it is not some liaison… than it is the suit!” The lawyer thinks she’s quite astute about the suit.

“Admit it Paul! A womyn would. For a womyn it would be easy to just say: ‘I love my outfit!’

“And he’s outfit loves him!” They laugh they laugh. What can I do? I’m always falling in love with computer programs. For once I got a rich one. Now, how can I loose them all so I can compare my unknow to the unknown of the liaison Folney? Carla, real Carla was never the jealous type.

The marines, the police, Chevrolet’s sec squad all go on alert and turn their weapons toward the doors. This clears that part of the bar. Helen’s holo voice whispers “Demarist and his librarian!” with more then forty staff and liaisons. “We’re gonna need another table. Jerome another launch tank!” Amanda looks worried.

This place has hit capacity. Only Demarist and Stoat are allowed through. The reporters and public already inside get up close with the most dangerous man on the moon: a militant Librarian looking for a war. I think he wants to attack me. I’m aware as he approaches that he’s armed with an Urbanizer automatic pulse pistol and is armored up like a sec sub grunt. Now I’m sure he’s going to attack me! He scowls at me with righteous indignation. Demarist is distracted by Helen’s holographic phone call image, he’s edging his way into her contact cone. How sweet. Chevrolet coordinates her sniper squad into the systems girders above us. 

“Should I declare war on you Dvorak! It follows you everywhere!”

“I go but to war… me war just finds…I war no cause…”

“My god! You’re drunk!”

“So where are you right now?” Demarist whispers to the laser beams. “You look great tonight.”

“Demarist! Could you pay attention?” Rex is riled.

“You can’t declare war on him! He’s not under investigation…the report it is filed!” Amanda attacks. It’s good to take a lawyer with you everywhere.

“No it isn’t. I haven’t finished my report.” Demarist would know.

“It’s that Paul’s been reinstated to a full budget, syscon one, and he gets his own librarian now.” Chevrolet says over his shoulder. “Or two...” I add. She continues: “And no librarian would ever declare war on another librarian. The military would never go for that. They’d say “To hell with them! That would make bad history. Let them fight it out with books.”

“I can declare war on whomever I want!”

“No you can’t…” Demarist puts a stop to this. “You can only declare a war if I’m concerned that some data relevant to my report is about to be lost to predisposed violence. Well, the subject of my report is Paul Dvorak and if anything happens to him than the data is lost so I would expect you to be prepared to declare a war any time he might be attacked. And his dog too!” Space likes Demarist.

“I think you need a drink Rex… what’ll you have… it’s on the house…”

“I… um… Gravatorade.” Nobody wants a dehydrated librarian.

“I want you both to attend my conference on Zoobums. Fully catered of course. Entertainment. Space Spa. Travel pay. Free accommodations. Gift Basket.” They would be there of course whether I invited them or not, I must respect any of Demarists warrants and subpoenas, professional courtesy among researchers is very important.

“Will you be there?” Helen is asked by Demarists holo cone. She blows him a kiss.

“Where is this to be? Here?” Stout’s tongue glows bright Space Gravatorade orange with ionizing electrolytes.

“Yes this is my new home base, operational HQ. With enough military defensible from all sides.” I guess. With enough military anyplace should be. “The party starts as soon as I awaken from the outcome of this one! You should move into the hotel next door and we could have overlapping liaisons.” That sounds kinky.

I suggest to Jerome to bring a keg tank of Gravatorade punch spiked just enough to not taste like it was spiked. Soon we all had bright orange tongues.