L V MacLean

The City Inside L V MacLean

On the Outside, the Earth-born build their civilizations with only a little influence lingering from the Star-born invaders from the Empire, who left the planet long ago. On the Inside, the descendants of the Star-born remain in their hidden underground city, safe from the disintegrating Empire and the interstellar barbarians who replaced it. They have developed a comfortable way of life, using Empire technology, trading with peaceful spacers and watching Outside develop. Most citizens don't want to go Outside, where it rains and snows whenever it pleases, without a schedule, and the sky above goes on forever, unlimited by ceilings and the sun tiles that give them daylights and nightlights. Inside is ruled by a brother and sister, reincarnating beings who learned to their own surprise that they remember their past lives, all the way back to the days of the Empire colony when Arek was Overlord, and Kae his assistant, and their closest friend, Dr. Ramee, ran the Institute of Science. They have ruled many times since then, both Inside and Outside, and they enjoy their Outside lives. Sometimes they don't think of Inside for centuries at a time. After one such absence, they return Inside to find that they have been enthroned as gods. They have never thought of themselves as gods; they don't really believe in gods, at least not with scepters and crowns and a hierarchy of priests. On the other hand, gods have a lot of power in the minds of their people; there are advantages. But not all people are believers, and not all people are willing to limit their own ambitions. Is it possible to murder a pair of gods?