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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1dcbd50 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50971 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50971) diff --git a/old/50971-h.zip b/old/50971-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 80bca02..0000000 --- a/old/50971-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/50971-h/50971-h.htm b/old/50971-h/50971-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 973cb92..0000000 --- a/old/50971-h/50971-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2164 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Problem Makers, by Robert Hoskins. - </title> - - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - -.ph1, .ph2, .ph3, .ph4 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; } -.ph1 { font-size: xx-large; margin: .67em auto; } -.ph2 { font-size: x-large; margin: .75em auto; } -.ph3 { font-size: large; margin: .83em auto; } -.ph4 { font-size: medium; margin: 1.12em auto; } - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Problem Makers, by Robert P. Hoskins - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Problem Makers - -Author: Robert P. Hoskins - -Release Date: January 19, 2016 [EBook #50971] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PROBLEM MAKERS *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="392" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> -<h1>THE PROBLEM MAKERS</h1> - -<p>By ROBERT HOSKINS</p> - -<p>Illustrated by MACK</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Galaxy Magazine August 1963.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3"><i>They had only one mission in the Galaxy, with<br /> -its infinite problems—make more of 'em!</i></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p class="ph4">I</p> - -<p>Clouds obscured the three moons as the men slipped into the village. -They eased the double-bitted axes out of their belts and felt their way -through the almost unrelieved blackness until their hands met the soft -yieldings of the door hangings. Waiting until the whisper of leather -gliding over the ground stopped, telling him everyone was in position, -Luke Royceton drew in a deep breath, then suddenly screamed:</p> - -<p>"Aiieeeee!"</p> - -<p>At his banshee signal, the other men took up the cry. Somebody kicked -the banked coals of the cooking fire into life and stuck in a handful -of twisted grass torches, then moved from man to man, handing them out. -The men screamed again, touched their torches to the over-hanging of -the huts, then tore down the hangings and leaped through the doors, -torches flaming a path.</p> - -<p>The interiors of the huts leaped to life. Forms hurtled by the men and -into the night as the pitch-caulked thatching blazed into an inferno. -The rightful inhabitants of the huts crashed into the tall grass of the -surrounding plains, the sounds of their passage quickly dying away as -fear lent wing to their rapidly fleeing heels.</p> - -<p>The fires quickly burned through the thatching, sending little fingers -of flame dancing along the lashed saplings that supported the roofs. -Luke took one last look around the interior of his hut and started to -leave, when he spotted something wriggling under a pile of skins.</p> - -<p>Crossing the room in three strides, he tore away the coverings and -grabbed the native child by the scruff of its neck. He wheeled on one -heel and retraced his passage. He got out of the door just as the -saplings gave up the ghost and the fiery mass crashed to the ground.</p> - -<p>Luke whistled and wiped sweat from his brow. The bronze head of the axe -caught and reflected the fires from its myriad beaten facets. Using the -head, he beat out several sparks that had landed on his clothes, then -turned his attention to the child who still dangled from his other hand.</p> - -<p>The child's eyes were rolled nearly into his head with his fright. Luke -grinned, baring his teeth. He brought the child up until their noses -were less than an inch apart. The fetid smell of the child's breath -made him choke. Yelping, the child twisted free and ran after its -already-departed parents.</p> - -<p>Luke laughed and turned his attention to his team.</p> - -<p>The men were all out now, watching the huts crack under the intense -heat within. One shuddered, then collapsed inward, sending up choking -clouds of dust as it smothered the flames. After a moment, Luke -whistled. Half of the men melted into the grass and followed the -natives, while the others gathered around him, squatting and resting -their axes on the ground. Luke waited until the others returned to -report no further sign of the villagers, then he squatted himself, and -accepted a canteen from someone. He drank his fill, gasped, wiped the -back of his hand across his mouth and handed the canteen back.</p> - -<p>"It's hot," he said, conversationally.</p> - -<p>"It'll be hotter before we're done," said one of the team. They were -all dressed in rough-cured skins and leather moccasins. The axes were -the only tool they carried. Faces thick with war paint and grime, it -was impossible to tell them from natives.</p> - -<p>"Anybody hurt?" asked Luke. Disclaimers came from the various members -of the group. "Good." He stood up and stretched. "Well, gentlemen, -shall we be on our way?"</p> - -<p>"Might as well."</p> - -<p>Luke took his axe, twisted the unfinished handle a quarter-turn in his -socket, then held the head to his lips. "Team B," he said. "Mission -accomplished." He twisted the handle back and slipped the axe into his -belt. A few moments later, the soft chatter of rotors cut through the -air, and a copter dropped into the clearing by the cooking fire.</p> - -<p>The team mounted by the dying glow of the fires. As soon as the last -man was in, the door swung shut and the copter took off into the night.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Sam Carter eased the scratchy material of the ruffed collar away from -his neck, then shot his cuffs to return them to the socially acceptable -half-inch showing beyond his jacket sleeve. He sighed, placed his -hands on his knees and glanced for the umpteenth time at the armored -soldiers guarding the door between the anteroom and Prince Kahl's -private chambers. The afternoon sun dipped below the level of the high -window-slits, sending shadows scampering up the walls.</p> - -<p>Sam had been waiting since noon. His stomach was repeating its rumbled -protests against that interrupted meal. Prince Kahl had sent word that -Sam might wait upon his pleasure; quieting misgivings, Carter had -rushed to do just that.</p> - -<p>He sighed again, and stifled a yawn. From the corner of his eye, he -watched the shadow line marching up the wall. When it touched the -cobwebby corner of the ceiling, a slave came in and lighted a pair of -oil lamps. The soot-heavy smoke they gave off quickly had Sam wishing -the room had been left in darkness.</p> - -<p>Another interminable hour passed, during which he several times -repeated the operation with collar and cuffs, all the while envying the -guards their ability to remain in one position like frozen statues, -seemingly carved from the living rock of the palace. At last, just when -he had resigned himself to the probability of spending the night in the -anteroom, the inner door swung open and a chamberlain beckoned.</p> - -<p>"Prince Kahl will grant you a moment now."</p> - -<p>Sam bowed his thanks, and followed the man into Kahl's chambers.</p> - -<p>"Ah, my friend from the southern kingdoms!"</p> - -<p>Prince Kahl was a lean, saturnine individual, uncomfortably aware that -the prime of life was slipping through his grasp while his father -obstinately held onto the throne. It was Kahl's considered opinion that -the old man had lived long enough. It rankled him to realize that he -had held the same opinions as a youth barely out of his teens. The -thirty intervening years had been spent devising and trying methods to -assure his succession; unfortunately his father had twenty years before -that to safeguard his own rule.</p> - -<p>"How go the southern kingdoms, my friend?" Kahl waved a particularly -enticing fruit as Carter stopped short, a dozen paces away.</p> - -<p>"Tolerably well, your graciousness." He neglected to add that it had -been nearly a year since he had visited the supposed lands of his -birth. Kahl was fully aware how long Carter had been kept cooling his -heels. Palace protocol dictated how long foreign visitors might be kept -waiting. But even visiting royalty could not hope for an audience in -less than a month's time. In his role as ambassador, Carter was happy -that a year was all he had been kept waiting.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Your lord and master's gifts were received," said Kahl. "You may -inform him of my royal gratitude."</p> - -<p>"My humble thanks, your graciousness." Sam's mouth watered as Kahl -polished off the one fruit and selected another from a platter born by -a manservant. Despite his now-long stay on the planet, Sam still could -not understand why women were given no role at all in society, even as -slaves.</p> - -<p>"Not at all, not at all," said Kahl. "Now tell me. What is it that -brought you so far from your home lands to grace my humble presence?"</p> - -<p>"The usual business of politic, your graciousness," said Sam, growing -weary of the necessity to repeat the title with every reply to Kahl's -words. He also wished for a chair, despite the fact that he had been -sitting all afternoon. He felt like a naughty schoolchild, standing -always in the man's presence. "Trade treaties, mutual armament pacts, -the like."</p> - -<p>"Ummm, so. You've discussed them with my ministers?"</p> - -<p>"They have permitted me this honor and, if I may be so bold, found -a great deal to our mutual liking. Our countries are indeed far -separated, and the journey between arduous. I find much in your -provinces in the way of technology and armaments that we totally lack. -By the same token, I have thought of a few inconsequential things which -might serve to ease your royal burdens, if but brought from my lands."</p> - -<p>"Possible, possible," said Kahl. "Of course, I have a large college of -tinkerers and mechanics who probably would have produced the little -toys you speak of in their own good time. But why duplicate effort, -eh? They are lazy dolts who grumble at my royal largesse as it is." -He chortled lustily, although Sam could see nothing even remotely -humorous in his statement. But he was well-schooled in the idiocies of -diplomacy; he laughed dutifully.</p> - -<p>"But come!" said Kahl. "Enough of childish prattle! You carry another -load in your thoughts, my southern friend. Have out with it!"</p> - -<p>"Your graciousness?"</p> - -<p>"You needn't pretend," he said, chortling again. "My ministers are like -the winds. They cannot keep a single thing to themselves, but instead -need spread it over the far reaches of the entire world. You've been -talking—foolishly perhaps—but I have perceived a certain sense within -your nonsense, and I must confess that your words have aroused my -interest. You have a plan to see me king. Now out with it, lest I make -you a gift of you to my torturer. He can remove anything—including -stubborn vocal cords!"</p> - -<p>"You do me undeserved honor, graciousness," said Sam.</p> - -<p>"Undoubtedly. And you begin to weary me."</p> - -<p>"Very well." Sam sighed. "I must admit that my tongue is too loose for -my own general welfare. It is true that I once thought of something -mildly amusing while passing long evening hours with one of your -ministers. But it was mere idle dreaming, no more."</p> - -<p>"You prattle long, southerner." Kahl's eyelids lowered suspiciously. -He picked up a silver knife and began paring his nails, scattering the -shavings suggestively in Sam's direction. "Perhaps you do not want to -see me king?"</p> - -<p>"There is none so deserving of the honor as you," said Sam. "But while -you laugh at the utter childishness of my ideas, please remember that -you insisted...."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The Ehrlan delegate to the Central Worlds Conference was well past the -entrance to the Park when the pudgy little man caught up with him, -sides heaving from the unaccustomed strain of running.</p> - -<p>"Citizen Lund!" he cried, panting. "Please wait!"</p> - -<p>Lund turned and eyed the little man suspiciously. The fellow was a -stranger, and therefore automatically under suspicion. "Yes?"</p> - -<p>"A moment of your valuable time, Citizen. Please? I assure you, you -have nothing to fear from <i>me</i>. I am not a Yanoian." The name spattered -out acidly.</p> - -<p>"Indeed?" said Lund. "And just who, then, are you?" There was a -vague sensation of familiarity troubling the back of his mind. The -omnipresent watchdog in his subconscious pounced instantly on the -feeling, magnifying it, turning it inside out and shaking it around, -but drawing no satisfaction from the act.</p> - -<p>"A friend, Citizen. You must believe that. I can't explain further -right now—time is too precious." He grabbed Lund's arm and started -tugging him back towards the Park entrance. "Please? I beg you, come."</p> - -<p>"Oh—very well." He gave in ungraciously, following the man until they -were just inside the Park. Then Lund stopped, digging his heels into -the gravel of the walk. The man looked back at him.</p> - -<p>"Please, Citizen!" he urged. "We don't have much time!"</p> - -<p>"So far as I'm concerned, you don't have any time at all, unless you -tell me right now who you are and what this is all about."</p> - -<p>"Not here!" he cried, aghast, as he glanced nervously around at the -many people entering and leaving the Park. A pair of Conference -monitors stopped just outside the gate, fingering their stun-beamers -as they eyed the actions of the two men. They started to move into the -violable hundred-foot circle this side of the gate. The little man -moved quickly, grabbing Lund again and forcibly pulling him beyond the -protection of the monitors. Their skins tingled as they went through -the shimmering haze of the force screen. The monitors stopped just -in time to avoid touching the screen, while Lund and the little man -hurried down a path that wound into a copse of widdy trees from Lund's -own homeworld, Ehrla.</p> - -<p>The widdy tendrils stopped their aimless flowing through the trees and -curved down and around the two men, tips melting into the ground and -tendrils broadening into wide blades that sheltered and shielded the -pair from possible watchers.</p> - -<p>"Now!" said Lund, shaking the other man's hand from his angrily. -"Perhaps you will do me the honor of telling me who you are and just -what in the name of the Seven Holy Suns this idiocy is all about?"</p> - -<p>"A matter of the gravest urgency, Citizen! You must not present your -plans for redistribution of Sector protectorates to this Conference!"</p> - -<p>"What?" Lund stared at him in disbelief. "And just how did you learn of -the plans I intend to present to the Conference—I <i>will</i> present, at -this afternoon session? Something smacks of treachery!"</p> - -<p>"Never mind how I learned, Citizen. The important thing is the Yano -delegation also knows! They plan to scuttle you before you have a -chance to speak. After that, they'll cut you into little pieces and -devour you!"</p> - -<p>"You're insane, man!" Lund started to reach for the widdy tendrils.</p> - -<p>"Don't! You must not present your plans to the Conference, Citizen."</p> - -<p>A new tone had crept into the man's voice: a strength that belied the -pudginess and general clownishness of the figure. Lund turned slowly, -and found himself staring at a stunner, the winking red of the telltale -showing that it was set to lethal bands.</p> - -<p>"Wha...." He gulped his adam's apple back down into his throat. "How -did you get that into the Park? The force screens aren't supposed to -pass weapons."</p> - -<p>"There are ways, Citizen," the man said, grinning. No longer did he -seem clownish. "Many so-called impossible things are quite simple, if -only you have access to the proper people and controls."</p> - -<p>"What do you really want?" Lund tried to hide his fright, but he was -uncomfortably certain that it was radiating out from him, broadcasting -to the entire world that Citizen Lund was scared silly.</p> - -<p>"I told you, Citizen. You must not present your plans to the -Conference."</p> - -<p>"But why?" he wailed, in frustration. "Give me a logical reason!"</p> - -<p>"The greater good, Citizen." With those cryptic words, the man pressed -the stud of the beamer. Lund gasped, as a giant hand closed around his -heart, then collapsed to the ground in a strange dying parody of slow -motion. Just before the clouds of eternity shut away his vision, he at -last recognized the man.</p> - -<p>Himself!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph4">II</p> - -<p>John Reilly was tired, intensely tired, beyond any feeling of -exhaustion he had ever known.</p> - -<p>The clock in his desk chimed once. He sighed and picked up his lecture -notes, stuffing them into a scarred and battered case that he had -been carrying since his student days at the Academy. He cast one -weary glance around the cluttered office, then steeled himself into a -passable imitation of military carriage as he left for the lecture hall.</p> - -<p>The Cadet Sergeant-Major outside his door leaped to attention only -a little less quickly than his regular service counterpart. Reilly -returned their salutes and fell in behind them.</p> - -<p>The lecture hall—gymnasium, really; the Academy was perennially -overcrowded—was crowded, as usual. The eager young cadets filled the -fifty rows of backless benches, while the overflow squatted and stood -at the rear until it was impossible for a midget to find room to thread -his way through the crowd. Reilly's class was well-tended for its -honest popularity, not just because it was compulsory. There were many -"compulsory" lectures in the curriculum that counted themselves proud -to find half their audience in attendance.</p> - -<p>Reilly stopped in the wings of the stage, listening for a moment to the -comfortable discordances of the student band tuning their instruments. -The regular service non-com peered through the hangings, catching the -bandmaster's eye. The tuning stopped, and the band swung into a medley -of old Academy drinking songs. Reilly smiled, as he remembered happier -days when he had participated lustily in the drinking that went along -with such music.</p> - -<p>From the drinking songs, the band struck up the National Anthem. The -noise the cadets made in rising nearly drowned out the music. After the -last strains had been permitted to fade away, the bandmaster raised -his baton once more and the opening bars of <i>Hail to the Chief!</i> -filled the hall. The Sergeants-Major stepped out onto the stage, Reilly -following, case clasped loosely between elbow and side.</p> - -<p>They passed in front of the half-dozen visitors and moved to either -side of the podium, turning until they were facing each other, the -regular service man on the right. They snapped into a salute, followed -by the entire audience. Reilly lay his case on the podium, turned and -bowed to the visitors, then faced the audience again and returned the -salute.</p> - -<p>Immediately two thousand arms dropped to their owners' sides and the -cadets resumed their seats.</p> - -<p>Reilly unzipped his case and drew out his notes.</p> - -<p>He arranged them carefully on the podium, although he knew that at no -time during the next hour would he so much as glance at them again. The -case stowed away under the podium, he took a deep breath and placed -his hands flat on the podium's surface. Technicians in the control -booth over the far end of the hall trained parabolic mikes on his lips, -waiting for him to begin the lecture as he had begun hundreds of other -preceding lectures, before audiences much like this. The faces might -change; the uniforms were the same, and so were the underlying feelings -of the wearers of the uniforms, year in and year out.</p> - -<p>"The greater good for the greater number!"</p> - -<p>The cadets let out a mutual sigh, none aware that breath had been held.</p> - -<p>"A motto, gentlemen: merely a motto. Like <i>Ad Astra per Aspera</i>, <i>E -Pluribus Unum</i> or <i>Through These Portals Pass the Most Wonderful -Customers in the Galaxy</i>." An appreciative titter ran through the -audience.</p> - -<p>"But what is a motto?" continued Reilly, warming to his subject, -overly familiar though it was. "It's more than just a snappy way of -stringing words together. It has a meaning. Often the meaning, such -as in the commercial example I just gave, is on the frivolous side. -But more often there is something intently serious behind a motto. <i>Ad -Astra</i>—'To the Stars.' For centuries this has been almost a religion -for men, as our ancestors broke the bonds of a single planet and spread -out into the galaxy. Libraries have been written of the heartbreaks -and joys, the sorrows and jubilations that have been found in the far -reaches of space.</p> - -<p>"<i>E Pluribus Unum</i>—'United We Stand.' Even older and, if possible, -dearer to the hearts of men. Our very government is based on the -essential concept contained in these three words from the past.</p> - -<p>"'The greater good for the greater number'. If government runs on one -motto, then civilization is based on this!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Team B was dead on its feet when the copter finally returned to Base -with the first rosy glow of dawn lightening the horizon. They stumbled -to the ground, as sorry a looking group as Luke Royceton had ever seen. -Their masquerade of grime and war paints was nearly obscured by an -honest layer of general dirt. They filed into wardrobe and stripped off -their clothes, leaving them in ragged piles on the floor. Then they hit -the showers, luxuriating under the needle sprays and the caress of soap -sliding over their skin.</p> - -<p>The discarded costumes were gone when they emerged, feeling closer to -human, twenty minutes later. In place of the animal hides were shorts, -doublets and the calf-length boots of Base-centered personnel.</p> - -<p>All were more than happy to be back in uniform.</p> - -<p>Luke stopped outside wardrobe for a moment, then started towards -Headquarters, a building distinguished from the dozen other prefabs -of Base only by the pennant flying from the peak. The buildings were -arranged in an irregular circle around the copter field, nestled in -the most hidden valley of the planet's single range of hills high -enough to be graced with the name of mountains. The highest peak in the -range, visible over the one directly behind Headquarters, toward barely -a thousand feet.</p> - -<p>On a world less primitive, the range would never have served its -present duty.</p> - -<p>The world <i>was</i> primitive, however. Man had advanced but a few -faltering steps beyond the level of the cave. Ecology had estimated -the native human population not to exceed three million people over -the entire globe, and cheerfully admitted that their estimate was made -with every benefit of doubt given to the natives. Quite possibly not -even half that number roamed the vast plains of the temperate zones, or -breeded in the opulence of the equatorial jungles. As yet, population -pressures had not driven men into the colder climes of the north and -south. None had been spotted more than five hundred miles from the -equator.</p> - -<p>Luke checked in with the Orderly Room before reporting on to the -debriefing room. He slumped onto a couch and propped his feet on a -low coffee table. The other four team commanders were there ahead of -him. One brought him a cup of coffee. He accepted it with thanks, and -inhaled the bitter smell of the brew before draining half of it. The -fiery liquid burned into his stomach and scorched away some of the -tensions built up during the night.</p> - -<p>"Rough night, Luke?" asked Andy Singer, sitting next to him.</p> - -<p>"The roughest. We hit seventeen villages between sunset and sunrise."</p> - -<p>"That is a load. My team only hit seven. But you were working the big -river stretch, weren't you?" Luke nodded, as he sipped again at his -coffee. "I thought so. We were lucky. We had the west plains. There -isn't too much water over there, couple little creeks and a few holes. -These locals don't stray too far from water."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"We hit half a dozen good-sized places," said Luke. "One of them must -have had thirty-five families. For a minute, I thought we were going to -have to kill a few of them, but it ended up okay. Nobody hurt, except -for one of my boys who stayed a second too long in a hut." He chuckled. -"Got the seat of his pants burned off—a new kid, just out from the -Academy. The rest of the night, he was the fastest man I had."</p> - -<p>"Proves what I said about water. Biggest place I hit had seven houses, -and most of them only had two or three."</p> - -<p>Luke started to say something more, but just then the door opened and -the Base Commandant came in. The Team commanders stood up respectfully, -but none had the energy to properly snap to attention. He smiled as he -mounted the low platform to the front of the room.</p> - -<p>"At ease, gentlemen." Gratefully, the commanders sat back down and -resumed their earlier positions of comfort. The Commandant poured -himself a glass of water from a ready pitcher and drank it, then gave -his full attention to the room.</p> - -<p>"First, gentlemen, let me congratulate you on a successful night's -operation. I congratulate all of you, but particularly Commander -Royceton and Team B. They rolled up the enviable total of seventeen -villages destroyed."</p> - -<p>Luke flushed, feeling like a fresh-out-of-Academy Cadet as the others -raised their coffee cups in his direction.</p> - -<p>"None of you spent the evening slacking, of course," continued the -Commandant. He was a middle-aged man; the empty sleeve pinned to his -shoulder told why he had been booted out of field duty while men twenty -years his senior were still leading teams. "Total score for the night: -fifty-seven villages. Commander Royceton merely had more fertile area -to work in. As we move out from the Base I know you will all have equal -opportunities to prove your prowess with the torch." An appreciative -murmur ran through the little group.</p> - -<p>"Now I know you're all tired, gentlemen, and anxious to hit the sack. -I won't keep you much longer. I just want to emphasize the importance -of our mission on this world. Many of your men don't like making these -raids on the natives. They would rather be roaming the far starlanes, -putting down pirates and other glorious deeds of derring-do. But you -men are not cadets; there isn't a one of you without twenty years field -service time. You know the real glory comes from satisfaction in a job -well done. It is up to you to transfer that feeling of satisfaction to -the malcontents within your ranks. Tonight you go out again; and you -will continue to do so until every single village on this planet has -been razed to the ground! If so much as one single village is permitted -to escape, then we have failed. I do not like failure; you do not like -failure. Working together, we can see to it that failure as a word -disappears from the language. I thank you, gentlemen. Dismissed." He -stepped down and strode rapidly from the room. Behind him the audience -rose and burst into talk.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph4">III</p> - -<p>Sam Carter moaned silently. He tried for the hundredth time since the -journey began to shift his legs into a position where the insides -would not be rubbed raw by the rough hair of his horse-like mount. He -resolved for the dozenth time that one of the "inventions" he would -import from the southern provinces would be a good, comfortable saddle.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1.jpg" width="347" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Another would be silk; the rough fabrics worn by Kahl's subjects were a -fair substitute for the mount's hide.</p> - -<p>"Ho, southerner!" Prince Kahl wheeled his mount back from the head of -the column and waited until Sam had caught up, then he fell in beside -him. "How goes it? Does my second favorite mount suit you well?"</p> - -<p>"Very well indeed, graciousness," said Sam. "I cannot in honesty recall -when I've had a more—<i>ouch!</i>—instructive ride!"</p> - -<p>"Good!" Kahl leaned over and slapped him on the shoulder. "You'll be -glad to know we've but three more hours to go before reaching the -summer palaces."</p> - -<p>"Only, uh, three more hours?" The sinking sensation in Sam's stomach -had nothing at all to do with the undulating motion of his beast. "Ah, -that is good news, your graciousness. We'll be there almost before we -know it."</p> - -<p>Sam wished Kahl would go away and leave him to his misery, but the -prince seemed disposed to talk. "I think there will be many surprised -faces in my father's court tonight. Eh, southerner?" He chuckled, and -then burst into raucous laughter as he considered the idea further. -"And to think, it will all be perfectly legal! You have the papers -safe, my friend?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, your graciousness," said Sam, sighing and patting his saddlebags.</p> - -<p>"Good! Don't lose them—I'd hate to see you missing your head!" He -laughed again, while Sam's stomach turned several more flipflops. "The -sight of blood always did make me sick."</p> - -<p>There were sixteen men in the mounted party, including a dozen of -Kahl's private guard, the captain of the troop and the High Priest -of the Sun God, the nation's officially sponsored religion. The High -Priest was a little old man, bent over more from age than from the -discomforts of the journey. Originally Sam had planned for one more -member, but that had become unnecessary when he learned that the High -Priest was also President of the Royal College of Chirurgeons. The -latter role was even more important to his plans than the former. Now -all that worried Sam was the possibility that the priest might not live -to the end of the journey. He was inflicted with a hacking cough that -sent chills racing up and down Sam's spine every time he went into a -fit.</p> - -<p>Kahl grew weary of bantering small talk with a man really fit to come -up with witty replies. He wheeled his horse again and dropped back -to the end of the column for a moment, saying something to the High -Priest, then he spurred his mount back to the head of the line, falling -into his original position beside the Captain of the Guard. The two men -were soon lost in reminiscences that had bored Sam to tears, every time -he had been an unwilling audience.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Another hour passed miserably, while the sun mounted to the zenith and -began the long summer afternoon drop back down to the horizon. The -members of the Guard and Kahl pulled short stubby loaves of bread and -cheese from their saddle bags and munched as they rode on, washing the -food down with vigorous pulls at the wine-skins that took the place -of water canteens on the planet. Sam had first thought the constant -imbibing of alcohol to be a national vice. Then he ran tests on half a -dozen waterholes. Thereafter he drank wine himself.</p> - -<p>Now, however, he was completely without an appetite. Looking back over -his shoulder, he saw that the priest was in the same boat. Suddenly, -without knowing why, he pulled his mount up and waited until the priest -caught up with him, then fell in at the end of the column.</p> - -<p>"How goes it, Reverence?"</p> - -<p>The priest looked up, watery eyes registering surprise at his company. -"Oh, southerner." He broke into one of his coughing spasms. "Ahhh, not -well, southerner. Not well at all. The Sun God does not ride with me -this day—not that he's deserted me, you understand: he never rides -with me. The Sun God has more sense than a foolish old man who should -be staying home in the comfort of his apartments, not galivanting -around the country-side like a frisky kitten."</p> - -<p>"I wish he had imparted some of his wisdom to me," said Sam. "I confess -I feel as you look, Reverence. No disrespect intended, believe me. It's -just that the ardors of this journey have taken much toll from both of -us. And I swear, by the Sun God himself, you are bearing up much better -than I."</p> - -<p>"A man who has traveled as long and as far as you talking this, -southerner?"</p> - -<p>"It's the way you travel, Reverence. The greatest part of my journey -was by ship." It had been; Sam merely neglected to specify that it was -a spaceship. "Ocean travel has its own peculiar discomforts, but for -myself, I'll take it every time."</p> - -<p>"Tell me, southerner," said the priest, "why do you make this trip?"</p> - -<p>"Prince Kahl wished it," he replied.</p> - -<p>"Ah, but there is more to this than lies on the surface. Why should -Kahl bring you, a stranger and a subject of another house, along on a -venture that may well cast the future course of events for this entire -nation?"</p> - -<p>"Prince Kahl seems to feel that, ah, I might, because of my experiences -in other lands, serve him in some minor capacity of usefulness." Sam -chose his words with care. The old man was entirely too observant for -his liking.</p> - -<p>"Kahl is an astute man," said the priest. "However, he is also a hungry -man, and such a man on the verge of starvation will eat things that in -more normal circumstances he would pass up without so much as a first -look. Ideas are much like food, southerner."</p> - -<p>"The philosophers of my country have a saying, Reverence. 'Man does -not live by bread alone.'"</p> - -<p>"Much wisdom is afloat in the world, disguised in strange ways." With -that, the priest went into another coughing spell, after which he -refused to pick up the threads of the conversation. Carter gave up, and -spurred his mount back to his original place in the column.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The rest of the trip passed in, for Sam, self-commiseration. The lower -the sun sank, the hotter the temperature seemed to climb. Several times -he found himself with wineskin raised to lips. The native beverage was -little stronger than the plain water he would have preferred, but even -so he found himself more than a little tipsy by the time they crested a -low range of hills and saw the summer palaces nestled by the side of a -lake in the valley below.</p> - -<p>The column dismounted in an inner courtyard, and Kahl, Carter and the -High Priest strode past the protesting chamberlain into the King's -private apartments. The King was lying on a couch, eating fruits served -by a manservant and listening to poetry being read to him. He looked up -when the trio came in.</p> - -<p>"My son! This is indeed an unexpected honor. What brings you from the -city on a day so hot as this one?" He smiled, but his eyes were sharp.</p> - -<p>"Greetings, Father," said Kahl, bowing low. "I bring you important news -from the Council of Priests. Reverence!"</p> - -<p>"Your Most Graciousness." The old man was already nearly doubled over. -When he bowed, Sam half expected to hear his forehead crack the tiles -of the floor.</p> - -<p>"Well, Reverence?" The king accepted another fruit and sucked on it, -keeping a watchful eye on his son. <i>He suspects something!</i> Sam thought.</p> - -<p>The High Priest produced a scroll from his robes and ceremoniously -broke the seal. Unrolled, it was short for the dynamite it contained.</p> - -<p>"Your Most Gracious Person," he read. "The Council of Priests, meet -and determined in the Holy Temple of the Sun God this fifth day of -the seventh moon of the fifty-first year of the reign of Obar, King, -announce to all and sundry within the domains of Obar, King, that he -has incurred the wrath and displeasure of the Holy God, the Sun God, -and henceforth from this day shall no more be known as Obar, King, but -as father of Kahl, King."</p> - -<p>He let the scroll snap back into its cylinder, bowed again, then handed -the scroll to Obar. "Your graciousness." Then he turned to Kahl. "Your -Most Graciousness." One final return to Obar. "One more message from -the Council, your graciousness. They hope you will accept their eternal -pleasure and gratitude for the excellence of your reign."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>All during the reading, Obar had been staring at the High Priest, a -ghost smile half-crinkling the corners of his mouth. The half-eaten -fruit now fell to the pavement with a sodden <i>plop</i>! He licked his lips.</p> - -<p>"This.... This is some sort of a joke?"</p> - -<p>"No joke, Father," said Kahl, a little too heartily for Sam's liking.</p> - -<p>"But how?" Obar shook his head. "How dare you?"</p> - -<p>"I'm merely exercising my duty to our subjects, Father. You've grown -old. You're no longer capable of carrying out the duties of king."</p> - -<p>"No." He refused to believe. "You ... you have no right. <i>I</i> am king! -How can you.... How can you just walk in here and tell me that I'm not? -What gives you this right?"</p> - -<p>"The same source that made you king in the first place," said Kahl. -"The Sun God."</p> - -<p>"Nonsense! There is no Sun God!"</p> - -<p>The High Priest gasped and covered his eyes. "<i>Blasphemy!</i>"</p> - -<p>"<i>Guards!</i>" Obar pried himself up. "<i>Guards!</i> Arrest these maniacs!"</p> - -<p>Feet clumped outside, then turned into the chamber. Sam relaxed, -unaware that he had been holding his breath, knowing that his plans -were going through after all. The men who came in were the same who had -escorted them from the city, Kahl's own private guards.</p> - -<p>The captain turned to Kahl and bowed low. "You called, Your Most -Graciousness?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. Take this blithering idiot away."</p> - -<p>The captain bowed again, and gestured. Two of his men grabbed the -former king by the arms and carried him away, screaming.</p> - -<p>"Ho, southerner!" Kahl sat down on his father's couch and gestured. The -manservants had been cowering in the background; they came forward now -and touched their foreheads to the ground. Kahl took a fruit and bit -into it, letting the juice trickle down his chin.</p> - -<p>"It worked," said Kahl, swallowing. "By the Sun God, it worked!" He -slapped his knee. "I confess, southerner, when first I heard your -plans, I thought you daft indeed. But it worked! I'm king!"</p> - -<p>"I felt certain it would," said Sam, carefully omitting the title -of respect. It passed unnoticed. More sure of himself, he continued, -"After all, the idea was inherent in the very structure and strictures -of your government. Your divine position comes from the Sun God. He -should be able to remove it as easily as he grants it."</p> - -<p>"True," said Kahl. "Howsomever, there shall be some changes made in -that respect, once I have consolidated my position. Oh, I delude myself -not in thinking that the battle is over, my friend. But the hardest -part has been won."</p> - -<p>"I've been thinking," said Sam, slowly.</p> - -<p>"Well, keep it not to yourself!" said Kahl. "If any more of your ideas -prove as useful to me as the last, then you have a glorious future -indeed."</p> - -<p>"My thoughts are, I'm afraid, roaming rather far afield. But take them -for what they might be worth. You are king of this nation now, Kahl; -and a very able king you shall be. Why limit the benefits of your rule -to this one nation? Why not let the rest of the world know the joys of -your rule?"</p> - -<p>"Ummm?" He squinted, one eye closed. "You think it might work out?"</p> - -<p>"Why not?" <i>And the Sun God help us all!</i> he added to himself.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph4">IV</p> - -<p>The chambers were crowded as the delegates, alternates and just plain -onlookers poured in for the afternoon session of the Central Worlds -Conference. Two hours before the meeting was due to begin, an astute -member of the press, long used to such functions, observed that there -would undoubtedly be a record broken before the day was over. And it -was easy to see why: all eyes were trained on the spot low in the tiers -with the Ehrlan pennant floating overhead.</p> - -<p>As yet, the central figure of all the interest had not arrived, -although the rest of the Ehrlans were already in their seats and -looking anxiously up the aisles towards the bank of elevators. An -elevator would open from time to time, to disgorge a few late arrivals. -But the man they expected was not yet among them. Below, on the -chamber floor, the presiding secretary was mounting to the rostrum and -arranging his papers.</p> - -<p>"Where the devil can he be!" said Citizen Evrett to Citizen Sterm, the -second ranking member of the delegation.</p> - -<p>"God only knows! You don't suppose something has ... happened?"</p> - -<p>"How could it, here in the heart of the city? He only had to come -one block from the hotel. You've been watching too many thrillers, -Citizen—I hope!"</p> - -<p>"Well, we have to do <i>something</i>. The session will be starting in a -few minutes. If he isn't here, someone else will have to make the -presentation."</p> - -<p>"Who?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know. How about you, Citizen?"</p> - -<p>"Now, wait a minute!" said Evrett. "What's the matter with you, -Citizen? You're the logical choice. You rank second in the group."</p> - -<p>"I wouldn't dare," admitted Sterm. "What if I should bobble things? I'd -never be able to live it down. I wouldn't even dare go home. My wife is -Lund's half-sister, you know."</p> - -<p>"I'd forgotten. But somebody has to do it, if he doesn't get here. This -is the only opportunity we'll have this decade. If we have to wait -another ten years, we may as well forget the matter altogether."</p> - -<p>"We can't do that!" protested Sterm. "We've worked too long and too -hard on this plan. It's the only fair solution anyway. The other worlds -will never accept anything else."</p> - -<p>"Some of them may not want to accept this one, when they hear all -of the details. You must admit, we haven't been too easy on some of -your fellow members. They.... Here comes Arko. Maybe he found out -something."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>A junior member of the delegation came panting down the aisle, shaking -his head when he saw the others' eyes on him. "Sorry, Citizens," he -said, as soon as he was within the Ehrlan area. "He left the hotel over -an hour ago. No one has seen a sign of him since."</p> - -<p>"Well, that tears it," said Evrett, just as the presiding secretary -struck his gavel on the little wooden block, announcing the opening of -the session. "Who has the copy of the plans?"</p> - -<p>"Here," said Sterm, digging the papers from his case.</p> - -<p>"I'll make the presentation myself...."</p> - -<p>"Just a minute, Citizen!" said Arko. "Look! Here he comes now!"</p> - -<p>They all turned and looked at the pudgy figure ambling slowly down the -aisle, nodding to greetings that came from all sides. The missing man -smiled and shook hands with a couple of the onlookers, before entering -the area and taking his seat at the head of the delegation.</p> - -<p>"Citizen Lund!" cried Sterm, as though speaking to a wayward child. -"Where in the name of the Seven Suns have you been?"</p> - -<p>"Why, it's a beautiful day, Citizens," explained Lund. "I thought I'd -take a stroll in the Park. There's quite a large Ehrlan section, you -know. Makes one quite homesick to hear the singing flowers serenading -the passerby. I can't wait to get back home again."</p> - -<p>"If you hadn't shown up, none of us would have had the nerve to go -home!"</p> - -<p>"Why, Citizen Sterm!" Lund seemed amused by some private joke. -"Whatever made you think I wouldn't be here? This is an important day -for Ehrla, remember?"</p> - -<p>"How could we forget?" said Evrett.</p> - -<p>The presiding secretary fiddled with his bank of microphones for a -moment, in the manner of presiding secretaries throughout history since -the invention of the public address system, then turned hopelessly to -the technicians. A man came forward, made a simple adjustment, then -retreated. The Secretary cleared his throat, sipped at a glass of water -and spoke.</p> - -<p>"The fourth session of the Nineteenth Conference of the Central -Worlds is open for business. The afternoon session will be devoted to -the presentation and discussion of proposals by the membership. The -Recording Secretary will call the roll of delegations."</p> - -<p>A short stubby man with five o'clock shadow came forward and leaned -into the bank of microphones, and yelled: "Accryllia!"</p> - -<p>Across the chamber a man stood up, holding his delegation's microphone. -"The grand and sovereign system of Accryllia, long known throughout -the galaxy for the excellence of its citrus fruit, the beauty of its -maidens, the virtue of its honorable young men ... the grand and -sovereign state of Accryllia passes."</p> - -<p>"Antares!"</p> - -<p>"Antares passes."</p> - -<p>"Bodancer!"</p> - -<p>"The system of Bodancer passes."</p> - -<p>"Buddington!"</p> - -<p>"Mr. Secretary, the proud system of Buddington yields to Ehrla!"</p> - -<p>"Ehrla!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Citizen Lund stood up, unclipped the mike from the railing, smiled -around at a few more wellwishers and launched into his speech. "Mr. -Secretary! Ehrla wishes to thank the proud and ancient system of -Buddington for relinquishing its rightful order in these proceedings, -so that Ehrla may present a plan that the citizens of Ehrla feel -certain will meet with the full approval of this meeting.</p> - -<p>"For hundreds of years, the various peoples represented here today -have been rightly concerned with the problems of new star systems being -developed, new races being assimilated into the federation of free and -lawful worlds. These new worlds need guidance, a guidance that only -long experience can provide."</p> - -<p>Evrett looked at Sterm, uneasily. "What is this?" he whispered. "He -isn't presenting the plan like this, I hope? He'll alienate half the -delegations."</p> - -<p>"I don't know what he's doing," said Sterm. "I only hope <i>he</i> knows."</p> - -<p>"In the past," continued Lund, "the various and varied members of -this honored organization have provided the same guidance in wise -and infinitely proper manner. It is the hope of Ehrla that they will -continue to do so in the future. Therefore the ancient and honorable -system of Ehrla proposes, to this effect, that the members of this -organization continue as they have in the past."</p> - -<p>Pandemonium was breaking out in scattered sections of the chamber as -various delegations realized that they were being snookered by the -Ehrlans. Voices rose up here and there, trying to drown out Lund's -words. Monitors moved up and down the aisles, trying to quell the -disturbances.</p> - -<p>"Therefore," said Lund, "Ehrla, to the implementation of its plan, -announces to this organization that this day they have annexed the -systems of Phelimina, Trepidar and Scolatia."</p> - -<p>He sat down and turned to the rest of his delegation. "Gentlemen," -he said, smiling, as he handed a sealed envelope to Sterm, "my -resignation."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Reilly slumped in his chair with a sigh. The lecture had gone well, but -it had ended not a moment too soon to suit him.</p> - -<p>"I'm growing old," he said, unaware he was speaking out loud.</p> - -<p>"Pardon, sir?" The regular service Sergeant-Major closed the door and -brought over his cup of coffee. "Did you say something, sir?"</p> - -<p>"What?" Reilly blinked. "Oh, nothing. Nothing at all, Sergeant. Just an -old man muttering to himself."</p> - -<p>"Begging the general's pardon, sir, I don't think you're an old man at -all. At least, no older than myself." He cocked his head. "Although, -to be perfectly honest with both of us, sir, there are times when I -just can't seem to keep up with these children they keep sending us -nowadays."</p> - -<p>"We're both ready for retirement, Sergeant. Old work horses, ready to -be turned out to pasture. I guess this will be the last class I see -through these old doors. I've submitted my resignation, you know." -Reilly moodily regarded his coffee.</p> - -<p>"Yessir, I knew. The rest of the faculty knows too. And if I might be -so bold as to say so, sir, we'll all be sorry to see you go. It won't -be the same Academy without General Reilly glarin' a bit at us all."</p> - -<p>"Glaring a bit, is it, Sergeant?" He glared now, then broke down into -a smile. "I suppose I do at that. Do the cadets still call me Old -Stoneface?"</p> - -<p>"Not within my hearing, sir." He grinned. "But you know cadets. You -were one yourself. I suppose it'd be as difficult to stop cadets -from tagging their teachers with nicknames as it'd be to ride a star -bareback."</p> - -<p>Reilly sighed, and swiveled his chair until he could see through the -one cluttered window. The parade ground stretched away beneath, the -system pennant fluttered briskly in the stiff breeze. Into his view -marched a battalion of Cadets. Much the same scene had repeated itself -daily during the thirty years he had occupied the office. "The faces -change."</p> - -<p>"Sir?"</p> - -<p>"The faces change, Sergeant. How many thousands of boys have come -through these doors? The uniform never changes, though. And I suppose -that's really the most important thing, in its essence—the uniform -and the tradition."</p> - -<p>"That it is, sir."</p> - -<p>Reilly chuckled. "You know, Sergeant, I never considered myself a -particularly sentimental man. Still, the faster the years fly by, the -dearer old memories become. The clearer, too. I can recall things that -happened when I was a boy much easier than I can remember what I had -for breakfast this morning. And I know that's a sign of old age."</p> - -<p>He picked up his coffee and made a face when he found it cold. -"Sergeant, as two old men sharing the past, how about having a cup of -something a bit stronger than this watery brew with me?"</p> - -<p>"Sir! I really don't think...."</p> - -<p>"Oh, bother regulations, Sergeant! I'm speaking as a man now, not as a -general. I'd deem it an honor."</p> - -<p>"Then I'd be proud to, sir."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He sat down in the visitor's chair while Reilly opened the bottom -drawer of his desk and drew out a bottle and two very dusty glasses. He -blew into them, set them on the edge of the desk and poured generous -measures of the amber liquid. The sergeant accepted his with a bow of -his head. They raised their glasses.</p> - -<p>"To yesterday, Sergeant."</p> - -<p>"To yesterday, sir. And may these days be as memorable to those who -will be remembering fifty years from now."</p> - -<p>"And those days fifty years further." They touched glasses, then tossed -off the contents, wincing as the whiskey cut its way down. A soft ball -of fire exploded in Reilly's midsection. He sighed, capped the bottle -and stowed it and the glasses away.</p> - -<p>A short rat-a-tat-tat sounded on the door; the Cadet Sergeant-Major -opened it and stuck his head through. "Sir?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, Sergeant?"</p> - -<p>"Six gentlemen to see you, sir."</p> - -<p>"What?" He glanced at his memo pad. A notation warned him six -prospective cadets were due to come in. It was not standard procedure -for him to interview candidates, but all six were the sons of Academy -graduates killed in the line of duty. "Give me five minutes, Sergeant, -then show them in."</p> - -<p>"Very good, sir." He withdrew and closed the door.</p> - -<p>"Well, Sergeant," said Reilly, turning to the regular service man. -"Perhaps these are the lads who will be doing that reminiscing fifty -years from now."</p> - -<p>"Quite possible, sir." He stood up and came to attention. "Do I have -the general's permission, sir?"</p> - -<p>"Dismissed, Sergeant."</p> - -<p>Sighing, Reilly swiveled his chair again and watched the drillers on -the parade ground until the short rat-a-tat-tat sounded again. He -turned around in time to face the gangling teenagers trooping through -the door.</p> - -<p>"Messrs. Whyte, Phillips, Garrett, Gordon, Kaslov and Poirot, sir," -announced the Cadet Sergeant-Major before withdrawing again.</p> - -<p>"Come in, gentlemen, come in." Reilly stood up. "Find yourselves a -seat. Just pile those magazines on the chair, sir. I think three of you -will fit admirably on that couch. You others can draw up those chairs -by the water cooler. Yes, that's it." He shook hands all around, and -then sat down again.</p> - -<p>"Now then, your names once more, please?" He fixed them firmly in -his mind as each boy introduced himself in turn. "Ah, yes. And I, of -course, am General Reilly, Commandant of the Academy."</p> - -<p>"Sir?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, Mr. Kaslov?"</p> - -<p>"Would that be <i>the</i> General Reilly? Of the Deneb Crisis?"</p> - -<p>"I see my fame has preceded me, gentlemen. Yes, I am that Reilly. -Please, don't let the fact scare you. I assure you, I don't bite off -the head of a boy until he is in uniform. Then, gentlemen, you are -fair game from then on.</p> - -<p>"Now, then," he said. "Are there any other questions before I give you -my sales pitch? Yes, Mr. Kaslov?"</p> - -<p>"Sir," the boy said, hesitantly, "I believe you knew my grandfather. -Sub-Colonel Kaslov? He served with you during the Deneb Crisis."</p> - -<p>"Of course!" said Reilly. "Martin Kaslov; I should have recognized the -name immediately. He was my Team leader. And his son was fresh out of -the Academy; I remember very well. So you might become third generation -Academy material, eh? Good, good. We're always glad to have someone -whose roots are deep in Academy tradition. That's why I'm particularly -happy to have all six of you gentlemen here this afternoon. I -understand you attended my lecture?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>All six nodded; one raised his hand.</p> - -<p>"Yes, Mr. Whyte?"</p> - -<p>"Sir, I heard your lecture, but, frankly, I didn't get very much out -of it. I mean, you talked a great deal about the service and so forth, -but it just didn't make much sense to me. It was just like Pop—my dad -used to talk when I was a kid. I don't suppose it made much sense then, -but kids don't understand anyway. But now I'm old enough to enter the -Academy myself. I think I should know more about it, what it means, -what it stands for. Uh, do I make myself clear?"</p> - -<p>"As lucid as a mountain spring on a bright morning, Mr. Whyte. I only -regret my own words were not as concise." He smiled. The other boys -laughed while Whyte flushed.</p> - -<p>"But you have expressed a very important point," continued Reilly. -"I don't want a man coming in here who doesn't know what the Academy -stands for. We have a long tradition, but we mean more than just words -carved over a marble arch. 'The Greater Good for the Greater Number.' -There are hundreds of years and hundreds of thousands of lives lived -and died behind those seven words. From Earth's first colony in the -Centauri system to the latest native intelligence charted in the Crab -Nebula, those seven words have wrapped up an entire philosophy and -dictated the means of living by it.</p> - -<p>"But what do the words actually mean? I think, Mr. Whyte, that is the -crux of your question. Indeed, that is the crux of the structure on -which the Academy is founded. Oh, it's easy to say that the words mean -what they say, because they do. That and no more. But how to explain -them so that someone who doesn't <i>know</i> will know? In a sense, I've -been trying to do that ever since my first girl friend threw me over -as an incurable romantic when she learned that I intended to enter the -Academy. For many people, I'm afraid there is no explanation. They are -incapable of understanding, no matter how hard we try. But I don't -think you gentlemen are in that class. Otherwise you would not be here -at all.</p> - -<p>"The obvious place to begin is the beginning. 'The greater good.' -Not the greatest, mind you—the greater. There are those who quibble -over words; they are responsible for this particular delineation. It -would be idealistic to try for the greatest in all things. Despite his -thousands of years of development, man is still a long ways from being -an ideal creature. There are certain things that remain beyond his -capabilities. In certain isolated incidents, the course we follow does -produce the greatest good possible. But they are isolated.</p> - -<p>"The same reasoning follows the choice of 'The Greater Number.' Only -our limitations prevent us from seeing to it that every world in the -galaxy is the best of all possible worlds, insofar as the peculiarities -of a particular world permit. We do our best, and take pride in the -fact that that best is better than anyone else's.</p> - -<p>"But so much for numerical values. You most want to hear what we <i>do</i>. -And that can best be summed up in one word: everything. Everything, -and yet that, too, has its limitations. Impossibilities are beyond -even us. Improbabilities are given a fair chance. We are constantly -seeking out courses of action that will benefit not the individual -but the race. And in some instances, not even a race, when there are -many races involved in a particular manner. The methods we follow, the -actions we take in a particular instance, may sometimes seem cruel and -unreasoning...."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph4">V</p> - -<p>The families were on the move, away from their comfortable homes under -the everlasting warmth of the sun. Luke Royceton shifted his weight in -the copter and trained the glasses on a column of dust rising three -miles to the west and ten thousand feet below.</p> - -<p>"It's okay, Harry," he said to the pilot. "They've swung back north -again."</p> - -<p>"Right, Luke," the pilot replied. "Scout report just in says there's a -real big outfit about eighty miles settling down around a lake. Shall -we hit them?"</p> - -<p>"We the closest?"</p> - -<p>"Singer's forty miles the other side of them, but he's tied up chasing -some mavericks."</p> - -<p>"Let's go then."</p> - -<p>Luke holstered his glasses and slid down into the cargo hold. The rest -of the team were taking advantage of the lull in activity to catch -up on their relaxation. They had been constantly on the go since the -migrations had begun in earnest two months earlier. Luke kibitzed a -card game for a few minutes, then announced: "Action coming up in about -twenty minutes. Grab something to eat and run a check on your costumes."</p> - -<p>The copter dropped to treetop level five miles from the lake and came -to ground four miles further on. The team piled out, stretched the -tensions of the long ride out of their bodies, then started out through -head-high dwarf trees that separated their landing spot from the lake. -They wound through the trees and over a low, rolling series of hills. -The cover stopped suddenly, two hundred yards from the beach.</p> - -<p>"Big family is right!" said Luke softly, gripping his axe.</p> - -<p>There were nearly fifty huts in various stages of construction along -the beach. Twice that number of adult males were working on them, -while the women were bringing in armloads of grass for thatching. The -children were waist-deep in the lake with fishing spears. A still -wriggling pile on the beach testified to their prowess.</p> - -<p>Luke glanced over the dozen members of his team, shaking his head. "I -don't know," he said. "Those are pretty hefty odds."</p> - -<p>"What's to worry about, Luke?" asked one of the men. "You don't expect -those characters to put up a fight, do you?"</p> - -<p>"God only knows. They just might take it in their heads to do that. -From looks of things, either this outfit has been traveling far or -else several villages have combined forces. If it's the last, then I'm -plenty worried."</p> - -<p>"So what do we do? Go back and yell for reinforcements?"</p> - -<p>"Not yet. Not until we try these babies ourselves. Everybody got his -courage screwed up?" There were soft murmurs of assent from each man. -"Make torches." Two men faded away and returned a moment later with -arms full of the same grass the villagers were using. Half the team -set to work, twisting them into torches and tying them with short -lengths of a twine-like vine they had brought along from the equatorial -jungles. The torches were passed out, and Luke took a deep breath: -"Let's go!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The team leaped to their feet and broke from the cover, screaming their -banshee cry. The natives dropped what they were doing and wheeled -around, then froze in their tracks at the sight of the wildly painted -devils tearing down the beach. The two hundred yards separating them -halved, then halved again before the natives broke out of their stupor. -One of the workers placed his fingers between his teeth and whistled. -The children ran in from the lake, tossing their spears to the nearest -adult, man or woman.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2.jpg" width="345" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>By the time the team was among them, axes whistling through the air and -smashing the walls of the huts, the villagers were armed and fighting -back.</p> - -<p>"We've got troubles!" yelled Luke, bringing his axe down to break -several spears being jabbed at him. The spears were too short to make -good throwing weapons, so the natives were using them just as they -would in going after fish. One got through Luke's guard; he choked -back a cry of pain as the broad stone head went into his flesh and was -twisted. He pulled away, yanking the shaft out of the native's hand.</p> - -<p>Two of the team had managed to get close enough to the cooking fires -to light their torches. They used them now as shields, until the grass -burned down to the handles. One then tossed his into the large pile -of thatching material, while the other stuck his into the unplastered -wall of the nearest hut. The thatching blazed up quickly, forcing the -natives away from the heat. Most of the team now had their backs to -the nearest wall; none had escaped the jabbing spears. One man was -completely encircled by the natives. Suddenly his axe was wrenched from -his grasp. They picked him up, legs flailing wildly in the air, carried -him over and threw him onto the fire.</p> - -<p>"Let's get out of here!" screamed Luke, surprising those around him -by suddenly leaping forward and grabbing two of them, forcing them -off balance. He called on every ounce of strength he possessed to run -through the gauntlet of spears. From the corner of his eye, he could -see one other man break loose, only to be recaptured a dozen feet -farther on.</p> - -<p>By some miracle, Luke outdistanced those pursuing him, crashing into -the cover. The natives followed a few yards, then gave up the chase, -heading back to the easier sport on the beach.</p> - -<p>Luke tripped over an exposed root and crashed to the ground. He tried -to get up again, but his injured arm refused to support him. Closing -his eyes, he waited for the fatal blow to fall.</p> - -<p>Several minutes passed, during which Luke recited every prayer he had -ever heard, to every conceivable deity in the pantheon. At the end of -that time, he realized that he wasn't going to die after all—at least, -not here and now. Rolling over onto his good arm, he sat up and got his -back against a tree. From the beach came screams of terror, growing -fainter as he listened and finally dying away altogether. Bracing his -good arm against a tree, he worked himself up, got himself oriented and -started back towards the copter.</p> - -<p>The pilot threw away his cigarette and dropped out of the door to the -cargo hold when Luke came limping into view.</p> - -<p>"My God, man! What happened?"</p> - -<p>"I ... made a mistake." He let himself be helped into the copter and -took the mike, reporting the disaster on the beach to the Commandant -back at Base. Then he let the pilot bandage his wounds.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Eleven men dead," he said bitterly.</p> - -<p>"Don't take it so hard, Luke," said Andy Singer. The team Commanders -were back in the debriefing room again. All had commiserated with Luke -on the tragedy; none had been able to convince him that it had not been -his fault.</p> - -<p>"Eleven men dead," he repeated, no matter what they said.</p> - -<p>The commandant came in and they rose. "At ease, gentlemen," he said, as -he mounted the platform. He stared at them for a thirty-second eternity.</p> - -<p>"Ours is not an easy task." His words broke the tension; all sighed.</p> - -<p>"There has been a tragic accident, gentlemen. Good men have died. Men -just as good have died on a thousand planets in a thousand different -ways. Sometimes they died because of an error; sometimes the death was -unavoidable. But for whatever reason, they did not die in vain!</p> - -<p>"This is a young planet," he continued. "In many ways, it's as near to -paradise as any of us will ever see. Man is a young race here—young -in development. Yet almost before he has a chance to prove himself, -he has found himself in a backwater, stymied as it were by the very -paradise qualities which attract us. Life is easy here, too easy. He -doesn't have to exert himself. He lives much like his ancestors did, -ten thousand years ago.</p> - -<p>"There is no future in standing still. Whether he likes it or not, -man must develop, must give the future generations a chance for their -place in the sun. Despite sentimentality, anything that gives them that -chance is good. Therefore, I repeat: eleven men died here yesterday. -<i>They did not die in vain!</i>"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Time for a break, I think," said Reilly, pressing a button. The door -opened and the cadet Sergeant-Major stuck his head in.</p> - -<p>"Sir?"</p> - -<p>"Coffee, Sergeant. That will be suitable, gentlemen?" The boys nodded -and the cadet withdrew.</p> - -<p>"While we're waiting, are there any more questions?"</p> - -<p>One of the boys hesitantly raised his hand.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Phillips?"</p> - -<p>"Sir, why is so much of the activity by the agents carried out in -secrecy? It all seems rather underhanded to me."</p> - -<p>"By the very nature of themselves, what we do must be carried out -secretly. Even when we act openly, it is in secret...."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>In the distance a bell tolled the supper hour. In the palace, -pageboys wandered the corridors, knocking on apartment doors rousing -the occupants. Carter combed out his beard, frowning at the liberal -sprinkling of gray hairs in it, donned his cloak and set out for -the dining hall. He shivered as a chill wind swept down the drafty -corridors, and reminded himself to speak to Kahl again about returning -to the capital city. Anything would be better than this.</p> - -<p>The dining hall was crowded, as usual, with supplicants who had bribed -their way to the royal tables. Most of them had wasted their money. -The chamberlain had stuck them away in far corners where they would be -able to do nothing but stare at the man they wanted to see. Not that -it would have done them any good to speak to the king. Kahl found the -petty details of his office tiring. More and more he had been shoving -them onto the willing shoulders of Carter.</p> - -<p>The chamberlain met him at the door with a copy of the seating -arrangements. Carter read down the list, pausing here and there at -familiar names—most of them pests who had long ago worn out his -patience. He pursed his lips and touched a name with his finger.</p> - -<p>"This Ivra. Fisherman, it says. He the one with the daughter Kahl -wants?"</p> - -<p>"Yes." Like most of the royal retinue, the chamberlain was -uncomfortable in Carter's presence. The man had no title, no office. -But he was undeniably the most powerful person in the realm after the -king himself—some placed his eminence even ahead of the king's. "Shall -I place him at the royal table?"</p> - -<p>"No. It wouldn't do any good. But tell him to come see me -tomorrow—no. Make that three days from now. He can't have his daughter -unviolated, but I think we can make him happy to have her at all."</p> - -<p>He handed the list back and made his way to the royal table, nodding to -acquaintances and enemies. The problem of the fisherman bothered him. -Carter was unaware of the fact, but he carried a strong puritanical -conscience, the legacy of unknown forebears of years back. He -disapproved of Kahl's unrestrained love life and did whatever he could -to ease the disruptions it caused in the normal flow of subject-ruler -relations.</p> - -<p>He stopped at the royal table and clapped a uniformed officer on the -shoulder. "Marshal Zants! A pleasure to see you back at court. I read -your report. I know His Most Graciousness will be pleased at your -eastern successes."</p> - -<p>"Thank you, sir." The marshal inclined his head. "And I see you have -had your own successes. Much has changed during the two years of my -campaign."</p> - -<p>"We all live, Marshal," said Carter. "We all grow a little older. It's -the natural course of life. A man who stands still in one position all -the time wouldn't make a good runner, now would he?"</p> - -<p>"Indeed not. I suppose you wouldn't be interested in a commission -under me? What things we could do together!"</p> - -<p>"I'm honored that you think of me so kindly, but I'm afraid my peculiar -talents don't run in the military manner, Marshal."</p> - -<p>"Ah, but what a strategist you would make, sir."</p> - -<p>"Oh?" He grinned. "Then our enemies should be happy to have me in the -capital, not on the field."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He reached his seat just in time to touch trousers to it and rise again -when Kahl came in, whispering something in the ear of a courtesan. The -girl laughed hysterically, then went to the woman's table as servants -started bringing in the first course. Kahl grunted as he sat down and -rubbed his belly. He leaned over towards Carter.</p> - -<p>"I'm getting fat, southerner. Fat and old."</p> - -<p>"A little exercise would do us all good."</p> - -<p>Kahl laughed. "That's what I like about you, Carter. Not for you the -mealy-mouthed compliments. When you think something, you come right out -and say it. I wish more of my ministers had your courage."</p> - -<p>"A few tried it," said Carter. "As I remember it, you had their ears -cut off and made them eat them."</p> - -<p>"Yes, but I gave them a choice as to how they were prepared, didn't I?" -He roared, and the rest of the room roared with him, although no one -more than six feet from the head of the royal table could possibly have -known the jest.</p> - -<p>Kahl fell to slurping his soup, while Carter did his best to hide his -distaste at the man's table manners. For that matter, there was not a -person in the hall he would have invited to the most informal dinner -in his own apartments. Table manners were something else he had been -trying to introduce, but as yet they were his most notorious failure.</p> - -<p>"Ahhh!" The king wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. While one -servant removed the soup and another brought up the platter of meats -and fish, he leaned over again. "Now, then, Carter. I've been meaning -to speak to you all day. Been busy, though. Inhuman the number of -demands on my time. Not that I mind of course. The penalties of the -crown, and all that. But I really have been meaning to talk to you. -How's that pet tinkerer of yours coming along."</p> - -<p>"Which one would that be? I've got most of the college working, you -know."</p> - -<p>"The one working on that steam gadget you've been telling me about. You -know, the one to make work easier. Not that I can see why a man should -have his work made easy. Does the people good to sweat a bit."</p> - -<p>"Economically, though, to have one man able to do the work of half a -dozen is very good. Just think of how it'll enrich the treasuries. -Besides, the work isn't any easier on them: they just produce more."</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes. You've explained that all before. But how is it going?"</p> - -<p>"Quite well. I think another few weeks will bring very promising -results. Some of the others are coming along well, too. The armory is -turning out a hundred of the improved crossbows a day, now. I took -Marshal Zants through the armory and his eyes positively glowed with -excitement. He promises new and greater victories in his next campaign."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Oh?" Kahl was chewing on the leg of a bird. "He's been doing pretty -good as it is, hasn't he?"</p> - -<p>"Much better than I would have thought," Carter admitted. "The problems -of waging a war completely off from contact with home are great. -Lines of supply, communication—these are all vital to the successful -campaign. I've got a few ideas on these subjects, too. After all, there -is a limit to how much may be withdrawn from an occupied area—if you -still want to have that area useful to you in the future. A very wise -man in my country once said that an army travels on its stomach. The -plans Zants has been discussing with me for his next campaign call for -a very large army."</p> - -<p>"You know," said Kahl, "at the rate we're going, it won't be long -before your country is part of my country."</p> - -<p>"I'm afraid that'll take a while yet." He laughed. "Although there has -never been a nation in history with so much territory under its direct -rule. Your name will live as the monarch of this country alone, no -matter what you might do on your own."</p> - -<p>Events were moving fast on the planet—almost faster than Carter -wanted. Already the lands under Kahl's rule amounted to nearly fifty -per cent of the known areas of the world. At the rate things were -snowballing, it wouldn't be long before his primary objective of -planetary unification were achieved—thousands of years ahead of time, -if events had been permitted to follow their natural course.</p> - -<p>Of course, there would be delays and setbacks all along the way. -Subsidiary objectives would always be getting in the way, must always -be considered along with other plans. But even so, things were off to -a good start. Although he might not live to see the complete fruition -of all of his plans, Carter knew that this world was well on its way -towards galactic citizenship.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"There's a great deal of satisfaction in being a power behind the -throne." Reilly grinned. "However, if any of you have a particular yen -toward such power, it's only fair to tell you now that our screening is -the most thorough ever devised. And it is constantly being improved. No -man is ever placed in a position where his weaknesses might prove the -better of him.</p> - -<p>"This is not to say that a man might not find himself in a position -where he will be called on to do more than his utmost. It's surprising -just how much a man can do, when he finds out he has no other -choice...."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph4">VI</p> - -<p>The counterfeit Lund reached the bank of elevators a half-dozen running -paces ahead of the just-coming-to-life audience. He gestured, and the -operator closed the door in their faces.</p> - -<p>During the long descent to the street, Lund stripped off his clothes -and did things to his face while the operator shoved the discarded -costume into an access panel. Then he gave the now-slim little man a -boost up through the roof of the cage and let himself be helped up.</p> - -<p>"Thank God for tradition," the man who had been known as Lund said -when he helped the other man up. Stripping off his uniform jacket -and reversing it changed the other's appearance. The elevator slowed -automatically for the ground floor. Word had been flashed down from the -Conference hall, but when the waiting monitors surged into the opening -elevator before it had quite eased to a stop, they found nothing at all.</p> - -<p>Overhead, the two men threaded their way through a maze of cables and -onto the roof of the next cab. It dropped under them, then stopped -halfway between floors while they climbed down. The new operator eyed -them, but said nothing while they brushed each other off. At a signal -from the small man, the cab continued its interrupted drop, letting -them out on the sub-surface shopping level.</p> - -<p>The corridors of the level were full of running figures, most of them -heading towards the elevator banks. No one paid the newly arrived pair -any attention at all, although the powder-blue uniforms of the monitors -predominated.</p> - -<p>The two men strode briskly down the corridor until they came to a side -passage lined with small shops that featured the specialized products -of the various members of the Conference. They stopped in front of one -displaying gadgets from Ehrla, then entered while the counterfeit Lund -purchased a perpetual razor, having it giftwrapped. Then they wandered -further, acting now like the average sightseer, until they reached a -florist's shop set in an alcove at the end of the passage.</p> - -<p>They entered, saw that there were no other customers, nodded to the -salesman and continued on to the back.</p> - -<p>"Dale!" The waiting pair leaped to their feet and spoke as one. "We -thought you weren't going to make it!"</p> - -<p>"I didn't think so myself," said Dale Vernon, the slim little man. "If -Dic hadn't been there right on schedule, there'd be nothing left of me -but a few bloody shreds. Those people were <i>mad</i>!" His voice showed -respect for the strength of their emotions. "What's the news?"</p> - -<p>"The Park monitors found the real Lund about twenty minutes ago."</p> - -<p>"Good timing. Any sooner, and the fun upstairs would have been -different."</p> - -<p>"And you know who is screaming for the dissolving of the Conference."</p> - -<p>"So soon?"</p> - -<p>"They, uh, you might say had an inside lead as to what was going to -happen."</p> - -<p>"It's a little early to tell," added the other man, "but apparently the -operation was a success. The proper wheels have been set in motion, -at least. We'll have to keep applying grease from time to time in the -next forty-eight hours, but I think we can forget about the Ehrlan -problem—during this conference, at least. Ten years from now, they'll -have an entirely different set of plans for the reformation of the -galaxy. And we'll have to come up with an entirely different way of -crossing them."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Do-gooders!" snorted the first man.</p> - -<p>"You must admit, they have the best of intentions," said Vernon.</p> - -<p>"But intentions aren't enough," added the other. "Man is an imperfect -creature at best, and his best is a rare occurrence indeed. We have to -deal with practicalities. Perfection is beyond us, and we'd be idiots -to try and enforce it. That's the basic difference between us and the -Ehrlans—we know what we can and can't do. They know only what they -would like to do. And that makes them the most dangerous force loose -in the galaxy today."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"To sum it up," said Reilly, getting up and going to the window, "ours -is not a life of glory and fame." Another battalion marched out onto -the field below and began the familiar maneuvers. "We work hard and -receive little thanks—if, indeed, we receive any thanks at all. The -life is strenuous. The work is demanding. And over all of us rides the -constant specter of failure, for we are not perfect. Nor do we want to -be.</p> - -<p>"It is a lonely life for some: it is a short life for others. But for -all of us, it's something more." He turned and faced the boys again. -"It is the chance to be something more than just a man, for a man is a -selfish creature. And it is the most rewarding life I know.</p> - -<p>"Any questions, gentlemen?"</p> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Problem Makers, by Robert P. 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Hoskins - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Problem Makers - -Author: Robert P. Hoskins - -Release Date: January 19, 2016 [EBook #50971] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PROBLEM MAKERS *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - THE PROBLEM MAKERS - - By ROBERT HOSKINS - - Illustrated by MACK - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Galaxy Magazine August 1963. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - - - - They had only one mission in the Galaxy, with - its infinite problems--make more of 'em! - - -I - -Clouds obscured the three moons as the men slipped into the village. -They eased the double-bitted axes out of their belts and felt their way -through the almost unrelieved blackness until their hands met the soft -yieldings of the door hangings. Waiting until the whisper of leather -gliding over the ground stopped, telling him everyone was in position, -Luke Royceton drew in a deep breath, then suddenly screamed: - -"Aiieeeee!" - -At his banshee signal, the other men took up the cry. Somebody kicked -the banked coals of the cooking fire into life and stuck in a handful -of twisted grass torches, then moved from man to man, handing them out. -The men screamed again, touched their torches to the over-hanging of -the huts, then tore down the hangings and leaped through the doors, -torches flaming a path. - -The interiors of the huts leaped to life. Forms hurtled by the men and -into the night as the pitch-caulked thatching blazed into an inferno. -The rightful inhabitants of the huts crashed into the tall grass of the -surrounding plains, the sounds of their passage quickly dying away as -fear lent wing to their rapidly fleeing heels. - -The fires quickly burned through the thatching, sending little fingers -of flame dancing along the lashed saplings that supported the roofs. -Luke took one last look around the interior of his hut and started to -leave, when he spotted something wriggling under a pile of skins. - -Crossing the room in three strides, he tore away the coverings and -grabbed the native child by the scruff of its neck. He wheeled on one -heel and retraced his passage. He got out of the door just as the -saplings gave up the ghost and the fiery mass crashed to the ground. - -Luke whistled and wiped sweat from his brow. The bronze head of the axe -caught and reflected the fires from its myriad beaten facets. Using the -head, he beat out several sparks that had landed on his clothes, then -turned his attention to the child who still dangled from his other hand. - -The child's eyes were rolled nearly into his head with his fright. Luke -grinned, baring his teeth. He brought the child up until their noses -were less than an inch apart. The fetid smell of the child's breath -made him choke. Yelping, the child twisted free and ran after its -already-departed parents. - -Luke laughed and turned his attention to his team. - -The men were all out now, watching the huts crack under the intense -heat within. One shuddered, then collapsed inward, sending up choking -clouds of dust as it smothered the flames. After a moment, Luke -whistled. Half of the men melted into the grass and followed the -natives, while the others gathered around him, squatting and resting -their axes on the ground. Luke waited until the others returned to -report no further sign of the villagers, then he squatted himself, and -accepted a canteen from someone. He drank his fill, gasped, wiped the -back of his hand across his mouth and handed the canteen back. - -"It's hot," he said, conversationally. - -"It'll be hotter before we're done," said one of the team. They were -all dressed in rough-cured skins and leather moccasins. The axes were -the only tool they carried. Faces thick with war paint and grime, it -was impossible to tell them from natives. - -"Anybody hurt?" asked Luke. Disclaimers came from the various members -of the group. "Good." He stood up and stretched. "Well, gentlemen, -shall we be on our way?" - -"Might as well." - -Luke took his axe, twisted the unfinished handle a quarter-turn in his -socket, then held the head to his lips. "Team B," he said. "Mission -accomplished." He twisted the handle back and slipped the axe into his -belt. A few moments later, the soft chatter of rotors cut through the -air, and a copter dropped into the clearing by the cooking fire. - -The team mounted by the dying glow of the fires. As soon as the last -man was in, the door swung shut and the copter took off into the night. - - * * * * * - -Sam Carter eased the scratchy material of the ruffed collar away from -his neck, then shot his cuffs to return them to the socially acceptable -half-inch showing beyond his jacket sleeve. He sighed, placed his -hands on his knees and glanced for the umpteenth time at the armored -soldiers guarding the door between the anteroom and Prince Kahl's -private chambers. The afternoon sun dipped below the level of the high -window-slits, sending shadows scampering up the walls. - -Sam had been waiting since noon. His stomach was repeating its rumbled -protests against that interrupted meal. Prince Kahl had sent word that -Sam might wait upon his pleasure; quieting misgivings, Carter had -rushed to do just that. - -He sighed again, and stifled a yawn. From the corner of his eye, he -watched the shadow line marching up the wall. When it touched the -cobwebby corner of the ceiling, a slave came in and lighted a pair of -oil lamps. The soot-heavy smoke they gave off quickly had Sam wishing -the room had been left in darkness. - -Another interminable hour passed, during which he several times -repeated the operation with collar and cuffs, all the while envying the -guards their ability to remain in one position like frozen statues, -seemingly carved from the living rock of the palace. At last, just when -he had resigned himself to the probability of spending the night in the -anteroom, the inner door swung open and a chamberlain beckoned. - -"Prince Kahl will grant you a moment now." - -Sam bowed his thanks, and followed the man into Kahl's chambers. - -"Ah, my friend from the southern kingdoms!" - -Prince Kahl was a lean, saturnine individual, uncomfortably aware that -the prime of life was slipping through his grasp while his father -obstinately held onto the throne. It was Kahl's considered opinion that -the old man had lived long enough. It rankled him to realize that he -had held the same opinions as a youth barely out of his teens. The -thirty intervening years had been spent devising and trying methods to -assure his succession; unfortunately his father had twenty years before -that to safeguard his own rule. - -"How go the southern kingdoms, my friend?" Kahl waved a particularly -enticing fruit as Carter stopped short, a dozen paces away. - -"Tolerably well, your graciousness." He neglected to add that it had -been nearly a year since he had visited the supposed lands of his -birth. Kahl was fully aware how long Carter had been kept cooling his -heels. Palace protocol dictated how long foreign visitors might be kept -waiting. But even visiting royalty could not hope for an audience in -less than a month's time. In his role as ambassador, Carter was happy -that a year was all he had been kept waiting. - - * * * * * - -"Your lord and master's gifts were received," said Kahl. "You may -inform him of my royal gratitude." - -"My humble thanks, your graciousness." Sam's mouth watered as Kahl -polished off the one fruit and selected another from a platter born by -a manservant. Despite his now-long stay on the planet, Sam still could -not understand why women were given no role at all in society, even as -slaves. - -"Not at all, not at all," said Kahl. "Now tell me. What is it that -brought you so far from your home lands to grace my humble presence?" - -"The usual business of politic, your graciousness," said Sam, growing -weary of the necessity to repeat the title with every reply to Kahl's -words. He also wished for a chair, despite the fact that he had been -sitting all afternoon. He felt like a naughty schoolchild, standing -always in the man's presence. "Trade treaties, mutual armament pacts, -the like." - -"Ummm, so. You've discussed them with my ministers?" - -"They have permitted me this honor and, if I may be so bold, found -a great deal to our mutual liking. Our countries are indeed far -separated, and the journey between arduous. I find much in your -provinces in the way of technology and armaments that we totally lack. -By the same token, I have thought of a few inconsequential things which -might serve to ease your royal burdens, if but brought from my lands." - -"Possible, possible," said Kahl. "Of course, I have a large college of -tinkerers and mechanics who probably would have produced the little -toys you speak of in their own good time. But why duplicate effort, -eh? They are lazy dolts who grumble at my royal largesse as it is." -He chortled lustily, although Sam could see nothing even remotely -humorous in his statement. But he was well-schooled in the idiocies of -diplomacy; he laughed dutifully. - -"But come!" said Kahl. "Enough of childish prattle! You carry another -load in your thoughts, my southern friend. Have out with it!" - -"Your graciousness?" - -"You needn't pretend," he said, chortling again. "My ministers are like -the winds. They cannot keep a single thing to themselves, but instead -need spread it over the far reaches of the entire world. You've been -talking--foolishly perhaps--but I have perceived a certain sense within -your nonsense, and I must confess that your words have aroused my -interest. You have a plan to see me king. Now out with it, lest I make -you a gift of you to my torturer. He can remove anything--including -stubborn vocal cords!" - -"You do me undeserved honor, graciousness," said Sam. - -"Undoubtedly. And you begin to weary me." - -"Very well." Sam sighed. "I must admit that my tongue is too loose for -my own general welfare. It is true that I once thought of something -mildly amusing while passing long evening hours with one of your -ministers. But it was mere idle dreaming, no more." - -"You prattle long, southerner." Kahl's eyelids lowered suspiciously. -He picked up a silver knife and began paring his nails, scattering the -shavings suggestively in Sam's direction. "Perhaps you do not want to -see me king?" - -"There is none so deserving of the honor as you," said Sam. "But while -you laugh at the utter childishness of my ideas, please remember that -you insisted...." - - * * * * * - -The Ehrlan delegate to the Central Worlds Conference was well past the -entrance to the Park when the pudgy little man caught up with him, -sides heaving from the unaccustomed strain of running. - -"Citizen Lund!" he cried, panting. "Please wait!" - -Lund turned and eyed the little man suspiciously. The fellow was a -stranger, and therefore automatically under suspicion. "Yes?" - -"A moment of your valuable time, Citizen. Please? I assure you, you -have nothing to fear from _me_. I am not a Yanoian." The name spattered -out acidly. - -"Indeed?" said Lund. "And just who, then, are you?" There was a -vague sensation of familiarity troubling the back of his mind. The -omnipresent watchdog in his subconscious pounced instantly on the -feeling, magnifying it, turning it inside out and shaking it around, -but drawing no satisfaction from the act. - -"A friend, Citizen. You must believe that. I can't explain further -right now--time is too precious." He grabbed Lund's arm and started -tugging him back towards the Park entrance. "Please? I beg you, come." - -"Oh--very well." He gave in ungraciously, following the man until they -were just inside the Park. Then Lund stopped, digging his heels into -the gravel of the walk. The man looked back at him. - -"Please, Citizen!" he urged. "We don't have much time!" - -"So far as I'm concerned, you don't have any time at all, unless you -tell me right now who you are and what this is all about." - -"Not here!" he cried, aghast, as he glanced nervously around at the -many people entering and leaving the Park. A pair of Conference -monitors stopped just outside the gate, fingering their stun-beamers -as they eyed the actions of the two men. They started to move into the -violable hundred-foot circle this side of the gate. The little man -moved quickly, grabbing Lund again and forcibly pulling him beyond the -protection of the monitors. Their skins tingled as they went through -the shimmering haze of the force screen. The monitors stopped just -in time to avoid touching the screen, while Lund and the little man -hurried down a path that wound into a copse of widdy trees from Lund's -own homeworld, Ehrla. - -The widdy tendrils stopped their aimless flowing through the trees and -curved down and around the two men, tips melting into the ground and -tendrils broadening into wide blades that sheltered and shielded the -pair from possible watchers. - -"Now!" said Lund, shaking the other man's hand from his angrily. -"Perhaps you will do me the honor of telling me who you are and just -what in the name of the Seven Holy Suns this idiocy is all about?" - -"A matter of the gravest urgency, Citizen! You must not present your -plans for redistribution of Sector protectorates to this Conference!" - -"What?" Lund stared at him in disbelief. "And just how did you learn of -the plans I intend to present to the Conference--I _will_ present, at -this afternoon session? Something smacks of treachery!" - -"Never mind how I learned, Citizen. The important thing is the Yano -delegation also knows! They plan to scuttle you before you have a -chance to speak. After that, they'll cut you into little pieces and -devour you!" - -"You're insane, man!" Lund started to reach for the widdy tendrils. - -"Don't! You must not present your plans to the Conference, Citizen." - -A new tone had crept into the man's voice: a strength that belied the -pudginess and general clownishness of the figure. Lund turned slowly, -and found himself staring at a stunner, the winking red of the telltale -showing that it was set to lethal bands. - -"Wha...." He gulped his adam's apple back down into his throat. "How -did you get that into the Park? The force screens aren't supposed to -pass weapons." - -"There are ways, Citizen," the man said, grinning. No longer did he -seem clownish. "Many so-called impossible things are quite simple, if -only you have access to the proper people and controls." - -"What do you really want?" Lund tried to hide his fright, but he was -uncomfortably certain that it was radiating out from him, broadcasting -to the entire world that Citizen Lund was scared silly. - -"I told you, Citizen. You must not present your plans to the -Conference." - -"But why?" he wailed, in frustration. "Give me a logical reason!" - -"The greater good, Citizen." With those cryptic words, the man pressed -the stud of the beamer. Lund gasped, as a giant hand closed around his -heart, then collapsed to the ground in a strange dying parody of slow -motion. Just before the clouds of eternity shut away his vision, he at -last recognized the man. - -Himself! - - -II - -John Reilly was tired, intensely tired, beyond any feeling of -exhaustion he had ever known. - -The clock in his desk chimed once. He sighed and picked up his lecture -notes, stuffing them into a scarred and battered case that he had -been carrying since his student days at the Academy. He cast one -weary glance around the cluttered office, then steeled himself into a -passable imitation of military carriage as he left for the lecture hall. - -The Cadet Sergeant-Major outside his door leaped to attention only -a little less quickly than his regular service counterpart. Reilly -returned their salutes and fell in behind them. - -The lecture hall--gymnasium, really; the Academy was perennially -overcrowded--was crowded, as usual. The eager young cadets filled the -fifty rows of backless benches, while the overflow squatted and stood -at the rear until it was impossible for a midget to find room to thread -his way through the crowd. Reilly's class was well-tended for its -honest popularity, not just because it was compulsory. There were many -"compulsory" lectures in the curriculum that counted themselves proud -to find half their audience in attendance. - -Reilly stopped in the wings of the stage, listening for a moment to the -comfortable discordances of the student band tuning their instruments. -The regular service non-com peered through the hangings, catching the -bandmaster's eye. The tuning stopped, and the band swung into a medley -of old Academy drinking songs. Reilly smiled, as he remembered happier -days when he had participated lustily in the drinking that went along -with such music. - -From the drinking songs, the band struck up the National Anthem. The -noise the cadets made in rising nearly drowned out the music. After the -last strains had been permitted to fade away, the bandmaster raised -his baton once more and the opening bars of _Hail to the Chief!_ -filled the hall. The Sergeants-Major stepped out onto the stage, Reilly -following, case clasped loosely between elbow and side. - -They passed in front of the half-dozen visitors and moved to either -side of the podium, turning until they were facing each other, the -regular service man on the right. They snapped into a salute, followed -by the entire audience. Reilly lay his case on the podium, turned and -bowed to the visitors, then faced the audience again and returned the -salute. - -Immediately two thousand arms dropped to their owners' sides and the -cadets resumed their seats. - -Reilly unzipped his case and drew out his notes. - -He arranged them carefully on the podium, although he knew that at no -time during the next hour would he so much as glance at them again. The -case stowed away under the podium, he took a deep breath and placed -his hands flat on the podium's surface. Technicians in the control -booth over the far end of the hall trained parabolic mikes on his lips, -waiting for him to begin the lecture as he had begun hundreds of other -preceding lectures, before audiences much like this. The faces might -change; the uniforms were the same, and so were the underlying feelings -of the wearers of the uniforms, year in and year out. - -"The greater good for the greater number!" - -The cadets let out a mutual sigh, none aware that breath had been held. - -"A motto, gentlemen: merely a motto. Like _Ad Astra per Aspera_, _E -Pluribus Unum_ or _Through These Portals Pass the Most Wonderful -Customers in the Galaxy_." An appreciative titter ran through the -audience. - -"But what is a motto?" continued Reilly, warming to his subject, -overly familiar though it was. "It's more than just a snappy way of -stringing words together. It has a meaning. Often the meaning, such -as in the commercial example I just gave, is on the frivolous side. -But more often there is something intently serious behind a motto. _Ad -Astra_--'To the Stars.' For centuries this has been almost a religion -for men, as our ancestors broke the bonds of a single planet and spread -out into the galaxy. Libraries have been written of the heartbreaks -and joys, the sorrows and jubilations that have been found in the far -reaches of space. - -"_E Pluribus Unum_--'United We Stand.' Even older and, if possible, -dearer to the hearts of men. Our very government is based on the -essential concept contained in these three words from the past. - -"'The greater good for the greater number'. If government runs on one -motto, then civilization is based on this!" - - * * * * * - -Team B was dead on its feet when the copter finally returned to Base -with the first rosy glow of dawn lightening the horizon. They stumbled -to the ground, as sorry a looking group as Luke Royceton had ever seen. -Their masquerade of grime and war paints was nearly obscured by an -honest layer of general dirt. They filed into wardrobe and stripped off -their clothes, leaving them in ragged piles on the floor. Then they hit -the showers, luxuriating under the needle sprays and the caress of soap -sliding over their skin. - -The discarded costumes were gone when they emerged, feeling closer to -human, twenty minutes later. In place of the animal hides were shorts, -doublets and the calf-length boots of Base-centered personnel. - -All were more than happy to be back in uniform. - -Luke stopped outside wardrobe for a moment, then started towards -Headquarters, a building distinguished from the dozen other prefabs -of Base only by the pennant flying from the peak. The buildings were -arranged in an irregular circle around the copter field, nestled in -the most hidden valley of the planet's single range of hills high -enough to be graced with the name of mountains. The highest peak in the -range, visible over the one directly behind Headquarters, toward barely -a thousand feet. - -On a world less primitive, the range would never have served its -present duty. - -The world _was_ primitive, however. Man had advanced but a few -faltering steps beyond the level of the cave. Ecology had estimated -the native human population not to exceed three million people over -the entire globe, and cheerfully admitted that their estimate was made -with every benefit of doubt given to the natives. Quite possibly not -even half that number roamed the vast plains of the temperate zones, or -breeded in the opulence of the equatorial jungles. As yet, population -pressures had not driven men into the colder climes of the north and -south. None had been spotted more than five hundred miles from the -equator. - -Luke checked in with the Orderly Room before reporting on to the -debriefing room. He slumped onto a couch and propped his feet on a -low coffee table. The other four team commanders were there ahead of -him. One brought him a cup of coffee. He accepted it with thanks, and -inhaled the bitter smell of the brew before draining half of it. The -fiery liquid burned into his stomach and scorched away some of the -tensions built up during the night. - -"Rough night, Luke?" asked Andy Singer, sitting next to him. - -"The roughest. We hit seventeen villages between sunset and sunrise." - -"That is a load. My team only hit seven. But you were working the big -river stretch, weren't you?" Luke nodded, as he sipped again at his -coffee. "I thought so. We were lucky. We had the west plains. There -isn't too much water over there, couple little creeks and a few holes. -These locals don't stray too far from water." - - * * * * * - -"We hit half a dozen good-sized places," said Luke. "One of them must -have had thirty-five families. For a minute, I thought we were going to -have to kill a few of them, but it ended up okay. Nobody hurt, except -for one of my boys who stayed a second too long in a hut." He chuckled. -"Got the seat of his pants burned off--a new kid, just out from the -Academy. The rest of the night, he was the fastest man I had." - -"Proves what I said about water. Biggest place I hit had seven houses, -and most of them only had two or three." - -Luke started to say something more, but just then the door opened and -the Base Commandant came in. The Team commanders stood up respectfully, -but none had the energy to properly snap to attention. He smiled as he -mounted the low platform to the front of the room. - -"At ease, gentlemen." Gratefully, the commanders sat back down and -resumed their earlier positions of comfort. The Commandant poured -himself a glass of water from a ready pitcher and drank it, then gave -his full attention to the room. - -"First, gentlemen, let me congratulate you on a successful night's -operation. I congratulate all of you, but particularly Commander -Royceton and Team B. They rolled up the enviable total of seventeen -villages destroyed." - -Luke flushed, feeling like a fresh-out-of-Academy Cadet as the others -raised their coffee cups in his direction. - -"None of you spent the evening slacking, of course," continued the -Commandant. He was a middle-aged man; the empty sleeve pinned to his -shoulder told why he had been booted out of field duty while men twenty -years his senior were still leading teams. "Total score for the night: -fifty-seven villages. Commander Royceton merely had more fertile area -to work in. As we move out from the Base I know you will all have equal -opportunities to prove your prowess with the torch." An appreciative -murmur ran through the little group. - -"Now I know you're all tired, gentlemen, and anxious to hit the sack. -I won't keep you much longer. I just want to emphasize the importance -of our mission on this world. Many of your men don't like making these -raids on the natives. They would rather be roaming the far starlanes, -putting down pirates and other glorious deeds of derring-do. But you -men are not cadets; there isn't a one of you without twenty years field -service time. You know the real glory comes from satisfaction in a job -well done. It is up to you to transfer that feeling of satisfaction to -the malcontents within your ranks. Tonight you go out again; and you -will continue to do so until every single village on this planet has -been razed to the ground! If so much as one single village is permitted -to escape, then we have failed. I do not like failure; you do not like -failure. Working together, we can see to it that failure as a word -disappears from the language. I thank you, gentlemen. Dismissed." He -stepped down and strode rapidly from the room. Behind him the audience -rose and burst into talk. - - -III - -Sam Carter moaned silently. He tried for the hundredth time since the -journey began to shift his legs into a position where the insides -would not be rubbed raw by the rough hair of his horse-like mount. He -resolved for the dozenth time that one of the "inventions" he would -import from the southern provinces would be a good, comfortable saddle. - -Another would be silk; the rough fabrics worn by Kahl's subjects were a -fair substitute for the mount's hide. - -"Ho, southerner!" Prince Kahl wheeled his mount back from the head of -the column and waited until Sam had caught up, then he fell in beside -him. "How goes it? Does my second favorite mount suit you well?" - -"Very well indeed, graciousness," said Sam. "I cannot in honesty recall -when I've had a more--_ouch!_--instructive ride!" - -"Good!" Kahl leaned over and slapped him on the shoulder. "You'll be -glad to know we've but three more hours to go before reaching the -summer palaces." - -"Only, uh, three more hours?" The sinking sensation in Sam's stomach -had nothing at all to do with the undulating motion of his beast. "Ah, -that is good news, your graciousness. We'll be there almost before we -know it." - -Sam wished Kahl would go away and leave him to his misery, but the -prince seemed disposed to talk. "I think there will be many surprised -faces in my father's court tonight. Eh, southerner?" He chuckled, and -then burst into raucous laughter as he considered the idea further. -"And to think, it will all be perfectly legal! You have the papers -safe, my friend?" - -"Yes, your graciousness," said Sam, sighing and patting his saddlebags. - -"Good! Don't lose them--I'd hate to see you missing your head!" He -laughed again, while Sam's stomach turned several more flipflops. "The -sight of blood always did make me sick." - -There were sixteen men in the mounted party, including a dozen of -Kahl's private guard, the captain of the troop and the High Priest -of the Sun God, the nation's officially sponsored religion. The High -Priest was a little old man, bent over more from age than from the -discomforts of the journey. Originally Sam had planned for one more -member, but that had become unnecessary when he learned that the High -Priest was also President of the Royal College of Chirurgeons. The -latter role was even more important to his plans than the former. Now -all that worried Sam was the possibility that the priest might not live -to the end of the journey. He was inflicted with a hacking cough that -sent chills racing up and down Sam's spine every time he went into a -fit. - -Kahl grew weary of bantering small talk with a man really fit to come -up with witty replies. He wheeled his horse again and dropped back -to the end of the column for a moment, saying something to the High -Priest, then he spurred his mount back to the head of the line, falling -into his original position beside the Captain of the Guard. The two men -were soon lost in reminiscences that had bored Sam to tears, every time -he had been an unwilling audience. - - * * * * * - -Another hour passed miserably, while the sun mounted to the zenith and -began the long summer afternoon drop back down to the horizon. The -members of the Guard and Kahl pulled short stubby loaves of bread and -cheese from their saddle bags and munched as they rode on, washing the -food down with vigorous pulls at the wine-skins that took the place -of water canteens on the planet. Sam had first thought the constant -imbibing of alcohol to be a national vice. Then he ran tests on half a -dozen waterholes. Thereafter he drank wine himself. - -Now, however, he was completely without an appetite. Looking back over -his shoulder, he saw that the priest was in the same boat. Suddenly, -without knowing why, he pulled his mount up and waited until the priest -caught up with him, then fell in at the end of the column. - -"How goes it, Reverence?" - -The priest looked up, watery eyes registering surprise at his company. -"Oh, southerner." He broke into one of his coughing spasms. "Ahhh, not -well, southerner. Not well at all. The Sun God does not ride with me -this day--not that he's deserted me, you understand: he never rides -with me. The Sun God has more sense than a foolish old man who should -be staying home in the comfort of his apartments, not galivanting -around the country-side like a frisky kitten." - -"I wish he had imparted some of his wisdom to me," said Sam. "I confess -I feel as you look, Reverence. No disrespect intended, believe me. It's -just that the ardors of this journey have taken much toll from both of -us. And I swear, by the Sun God himself, you are bearing up much better -than I." - -"A man who has traveled as long and as far as you talking this, -southerner?" - -"It's the way you travel, Reverence. The greatest part of my journey -was by ship." It had been; Sam merely neglected to specify that it was -a spaceship. "Ocean travel has its own peculiar discomforts, but for -myself, I'll take it every time." - -"Tell me, southerner," said the priest, "why do you make this trip?" - -"Prince Kahl wished it," he replied. - -"Ah, but there is more to this than lies on the surface. Why should -Kahl bring you, a stranger and a subject of another house, along on a -venture that may well cast the future course of events for this entire -nation?" - -"Prince Kahl seems to feel that, ah, I might, because of my experiences -in other lands, serve him in some minor capacity of usefulness." Sam -chose his words with care. The old man was entirely too observant for -his liking. - -"Kahl is an astute man," said the priest. "However, he is also a hungry -man, and such a man on the verge of starvation will eat things that in -more normal circumstances he would pass up without so much as a first -look. Ideas are much like food, southerner." - -"The philosophers of my country have a saying, Reverence. 'Man does -not live by bread alone.'" - -"Much wisdom is afloat in the world, disguised in strange ways." With -that, the priest went into another coughing spell, after which he -refused to pick up the threads of the conversation. Carter gave up, and -spurred his mount back to his original place in the column. - - * * * * * - -The rest of the trip passed in, for Sam, self-commiseration. The lower -the sun sank, the hotter the temperature seemed to climb. Several times -he found himself with wineskin raised to lips. The native beverage was -little stronger than the plain water he would have preferred, but even -so he found himself more than a little tipsy by the time they crested a -low range of hills and saw the summer palaces nestled by the side of a -lake in the valley below. - -The column dismounted in an inner courtyard, and Kahl, Carter and the -High Priest strode past the protesting chamberlain into the King's -private apartments. The King was lying on a couch, eating fruits served -by a manservant and listening to poetry being read to him. He looked up -when the trio came in. - -"My son! This is indeed an unexpected honor. What brings you from the -city on a day so hot as this one?" He smiled, but his eyes were sharp. - -"Greetings, Father," said Kahl, bowing low. "I bring you important news -from the Council of Priests. Reverence!" - -"Your Most Graciousness." The old man was already nearly doubled over. -When he bowed, Sam half expected to hear his forehead crack the tiles -of the floor. - -"Well, Reverence?" The king accepted another fruit and sucked on it, -keeping a watchful eye on his son. _He suspects something!_ Sam thought. - -The High Priest produced a scroll from his robes and ceremoniously -broke the seal. Unrolled, it was short for the dynamite it contained. - -"Your Most Gracious Person," he read. "The Council of Priests, meet -and determined in the Holy Temple of the Sun God this fifth day of -the seventh moon of the fifty-first year of the reign of Obar, King, -announce to all and sundry within the domains of Obar, King, that he -has incurred the wrath and displeasure of the Holy God, the Sun God, -and henceforth from this day shall no more be known as Obar, King, but -as father of Kahl, King." - -He let the scroll snap back into its cylinder, bowed again, then handed -the scroll to Obar. "Your graciousness." Then he turned to Kahl. "Your -Most Graciousness." One final return to Obar. "One more message from -the Council, your graciousness. They hope you will accept their eternal -pleasure and gratitude for the excellence of your reign." - - * * * * * - -All during the reading, Obar had been staring at the High Priest, a -ghost smile half-crinkling the corners of his mouth. The half-eaten -fruit now fell to the pavement with a sodden _plop_! He licked his lips. - -"This.... This is some sort of a joke?" - -"No joke, Father," said Kahl, a little too heartily for Sam's liking. - -"But how?" Obar shook his head. "How dare you?" - -"I'm merely exercising my duty to our subjects, Father. You've grown -old. You're no longer capable of carrying out the duties of king." - -"No." He refused to believe. "You ... you have no right. _I_ am king! -How can you.... How can you just walk in here and tell me that I'm not? -What gives you this right?" - -"The same source that made you king in the first place," said Kahl. -"The Sun God." - -"Nonsense! There is no Sun God!" - -The High Priest gasped and covered his eyes. "_Blasphemy!_" - -"_Guards!_" Obar pried himself up. "_Guards!_ Arrest these maniacs!" - -Feet clumped outside, then turned into the chamber. Sam relaxed, -unaware that he had been holding his breath, knowing that his plans -were going through after all. The men who came in were the same who had -escorted them from the city, Kahl's own private guards. - -The captain turned to Kahl and bowed low. "You called, Your Most -Graciousness?" - -"Yes. Take this blithering idiot away." - -The captain bowed again, and gestured. Two of his men grabbed the -former king by the arms and carried him away, screaming. - -"Ho, southerner!" Kahl sat down on his father's couch and gestured. The -manservants had been cowering in the background; they came forward now -and touched their foreheads to the ground. Kahl took a fruit and bit -into it, letting the juice trickle down his chin. - -"It worked," said Kahl, swallowing. "By the Sun God, it worked!" He -slapped his knee. "I confess, southerner, when first I heard your -plans, I thought you daft indeed. But it worked! I'm king!" - -"I felt certain it would," said Sam, carefully omitting the title -of respect. It passed unnoticed. More sure of himself, he continued, -"After all, the idea was inherent in the very structure and strictures -of your government. Your divine position comes from the Sun God. He -should be able to remove it as easily as he grants it." - -"True," said Kahl. "Howsomever, there shall be some changes made in -that respect, once I have consolidated my position. Oh, I delude myself -not in thinking that the battle is over, my friend. But the hardest -part has been won." - -"I've been thinking," said Sam, slowly. - -"Well, keep it not to yourself!" said Kahl. "If any more of your ideas -prove as useful to me as the last, then you have a glorious future -indeed." - -"My thoughts are, I'm afraid, roaming rather far afield. But take them -for what they might be worth. You are king of this nation now, Kahl; -and a very able king you shall be. Why limit the benefits of your rule -to this one nation? Why not let the rest of the world know the joys of -your rule?" - -"Ummm?" He squinted, one eye closed. "You think it might work out?" - -"Why not?" _And the Sun God help us all!_ he added to himself. - - -IV - -The chambers were crowded as the delegates, alternates and just plain -onlookers poured in for the afternoon session of the Central Worlds -Conference. Two hours before the meeting was due to begin, an astute -member of the press, long used to such functions, observed that there -would undoubtedly be a record broken before the day was over. And it -was easy to see why: all eyes were trained on the spot low in the tiers -with the Ehrlan pennant floating overhead. - -As yet, the central figure of all the interest had not arrived, -although the rest of the Ehrlans were already in their seats and -looking anxiously up the aisles towards the bank of elevators. An -elevator would open from time to time, to disgorge a few late arrivals. -But the man they expected was not yet among them. Below, on the -chamber floor, the presiding secretary was mounting to the rostrum and -arranging his papers. - -"Where the devil can he be!" said Citizen Evrett to Citizen Sterm, the -second ranking member of the delegation. - -"God only knows! You don't suppose something has ... happened?" - -"How could it, here in the heart of the city? He only had to come -one block from the hotel. You've been watching too many thrillers, -Citizen--I hope!" - -"Well, we have to do _something_. The session will be starting in a -few minutes. If he isn't here, someone else will have to make the -presentation." - -"Who?" - -"I don't know. How about you, Citizen?" - -"Now, wait a minute!" said Evrett. "What's the matter with you, -Citizen? You're the logical choice. You rank second in the group." - -"I wouldn't dare," admitted Sterm. "What if I should bobble things? I'd -never be able to live it down. I wouldn't even dare go home. My wife is -Lund's half-sister, you know." - -"I'd forgotten. But somebody has to do it, if he doesn't get here. This -is the only opportunity we'll have this decade. If we have to wait -another ten years, we may as well forget the matter altogether." - -"We can't do that!" protested Sterm. "We've worked too long and too -hard on this plan. It's the only fair solution anyway. The other worlds -will never accept anything else." - -"Some of them may not want to accept this one, when they hear all -of the details. You must admit, we haven't been too easy on some of -your fellow members. They.... Here comes Arko. Maybe he found out -something." - - * * * * * - -A junior member of the delegation came panting down the aisle, shaking -his head when he saw the others' eyes on him. "Sorry, Citizens," he -said, as soon as he was within the Ehrlan area. "He left the hotel over -an hour ago. No one has seen a sign of him since." - -"Well, that tears it," said Evrett, just as the presiding secretary -struck his gavel on the little wooden block, announcing the opening of -the session. "Who has the copy of the plans?" - -"Here," said Sterm, digging the papers from his case. - -"I'll make the presentation myself...." - -"Just a minute, Citizen!" said Arko. "Look! Here he comes now!" - -They all turned and looked at the pudgy figure ambling slowly down the -aisle, nodding to greetings that came from all sides. The missing man -smiled and shook hands with a couple of the onlookers, before entering -the area and taking his seat at the head of the delegation. - -"Citizen Lund!" cried Sterm, as though speaking to a wayward child. -"Where in the name of the Seven Suns have you been?" - -"Why, it's a beautiful day, Citizens," explained Lund. "I thought I'd -take a stroll in the Park. There's quite a large Ehrlan section, you -know. Makes one quite homesick to hear the singing flowers serenading -the passerby. I can't wait to get back home again." - -"If you hadn't shown up, none of us would have had the nerve to go -home!" - -"Why, Citizen Sterm!" Lund seemed amused by some private joke. -"Whatever made you think I wouldn't be here? This is an important day -for Ehrla, remember?" - -"How could we forget?" said Evrett. - -The presiding secretary fiddled with his bank of microphones for a -moment, in the manner of presiding secretaries throughout history since -the invention of the public address system, then turned hopelessly to -the technicians. A man came forward, made a simple adjustment, then -retreated. The Secretary cleared his throat, sipped at a glass of water -and spoke. - -"The fourth session of the Nineteenth Conference of the Central -Worlds is open for business. The afternoon session will be devoted to -the presentation and discussion of proposals by the membership. The -Recording Secretary will call the roll of delegations." - -A short stubby man with five o'clock shadow came forward and leaned -into the bank of microphones, and yelled: "Accryllia!" - -Across the chamber a man stood up, holding his delegation's microphone. -"The grand and sovereign system of Accryllia, long known throughout -the galaxy for the excellence of its citrus fruit, the beauty of its -maidens, the virtue of its honorable young men ... the grand and -sovereign state of Accryllia passes." - -"Antares!" - -"Antares passes." - -"Bodancer!" - -"The system of Bodancer passes." - -"Buddington!" - -"Mr. Secretary, the proud system of Buddington yields to Ehrla!" - -"Ehrla!" - - * * * * * - -Citizen Lund stood up, unclipped the mike from the railing, smiled -around at a few more wellwishers and launched into his speech. "Mr. -Secretary! Ehrla wishes to thank the proud and ancient system of -Buddington for relinquishing its rightful order in these proceedings, -so that Ehrla may present a plan that the citizens of Ehrla feel -certain will meet with the full approval of this meeting. - -"For hundreds of years, the various peoples represented here today -have been rightly concerned with the problems of new star systems being -developed, new races being assimilated into the federation of free and -lawful worlds. These new worlds need guidance, a guidance that only -long experience can provide." - -Evrett looked at Sterm, uneasily. "What is this?" he whispered. "He -isn't presenting the plan like this, I hope? He'll alienate half the -delegations." - -"I don't know what he's doing," said Sterm. "I only hope _he_ knows." - -"In the past," continued Lund, "the various and varied members of -this honored organization have provided the same guidance in wise -and infinitely proper manner. It is the hope of Ehrla that they will -continue to do so in the future. Therefore the ancient and honorable -system of Ehrla proposes, to this effect, that the members of this -organization continue as they have in the past." - -Pandemonium was breaking out in scattered sections of the chamber as -various delegations realized that they were being snookered by the -Ehrlans. Voices rose up here and there, trying to drown out Lund's -words. Monitors moved up and down the aisles, trying to quell the -disturbances. - -"Therefore," said Lund, "Ehrla, to the implementation of its plan, -announces to this organization that this day they have annexed the -systems of Phelimina, Trepidar and Scolatia." - -He sat down and turned to the rest of his delegation. "Gentlemen," -he said, smiling, as he handed a sealed envelope to Sterm, "my -resignation." - - * * * * * - -Reilly slumped in his chair with a sigh. The lecture had gone well, but -it had ended not a moment too soon to suit him. - -"I'm growing old," he said, unaware he was speaking out loud. - -"Pardon, sir?" The regular service Sergeant-Major closed the door and -brought over his cup of coffee. "Did you say something, sir?" - -"What?" Reilly blinked. "Oh, nothing. Nothing at all, Sergeant. Just an -old man muttering to himself." - -"Begging the general's pardon, sir, I don't think you're an old man at -all. At least, no older than myself." He cocked his head. "Although, -to be perfectly honest with both of us, sir, there are times when I -just can't seem to keep up with these children they keep sending us -nowadays." - -"We're both ready for retirement, Sergeant. Old work horses, ready to -be turned out to pasture. I guess this will be the last class I see -through these old doors. I've submitted my resignation, you know." -Reilly moodily regarded his coffee. - -"Yessir, I knew. The rest of the faculty knows too. And if I might be -so bold as to say so, sir, we'll all be sorry to see you go. It won't -be the same Academy without General Reilly glarin' a bit at us all." - -"Glaring a bit, is it, Sergeant?" He glared now, then broke down into -a smile. "I suppose I do at that. Do the cadets still call me Old -Stoneface?" - -"Not within my hearing, sir." He grinned. "But you know cadets. You -were one yourself. I suppose it'd be as difficult to stop cadets -from tagging their teachers with nicknames as it'd be to ride a star -bareback." - -Reilly sighed, and swiveled his chair until he could see through the -one cluttered window. The parade ground stretched away beneath, the -system pennant fluttered briskly in the stiff breeze. Into his view -marched a battalion of Cadets. Much the same scene had repeated itself -daily during the thirty years he had occupied the office. "The faces -change." - -"Sir?" - -"The faces change, Sergeant. How many thousands of boys have come -through these doors? The uniform never changes, though. And I suppose -that's really the most important thing, in its essence--the uniform -and the tradition." - -"That it is, sir." - -Reilly chuckled. "You know, Sergeant, I never considered myself a -particularly sentimental man. Still, the faster the years fly by, the -dearer old memories become. The clearer, too. I can recall things that -happened when I was a boy much easier than I can remember what I had -for breakfast this morning. And I know that's a sign of old age." - -He picked up his coffee and made a face when he found it cold. -"Sergeant, as two old men sharing the past, how about having a cup of -something a bit stronger than this watery brew with me?" - -"Sir! I really don't think...." - -"Oh, bother regulations, Sergeant! I'm speaking as a man now, not as a -general. I'd deem it an honor." - -"Then I'd be proud to, sir." - - * * * * * - -He sat down in the visitor's chair while Reilly opened the bottom -drawer of his desk and drew out a bottle and two very dusty glasses. He -blew into them, set them on the edge of the desk and poured generous -measures of the amber liquid. The sergeant accepted his with a bow of -his head. They raised their glasses. - -"To yesterday, Sergeant." - -"To yesterday, sir. And may these days be as memorable to those who -will be remembering fifty years from now." - -"And those days fifty years further." They touched glasses, then tossed -off the contents, wincing as the whiskey cut its way down. A soft ball -of fire exploded in Reilly's midsection. He sighed, capped the bottle -and stowed it and the glasses away. - -A short rat-a-tat-tat sounded on the door; the Cadet Sergeant-Major -opened it and stuck his head through. "Sir?" - -"Yes, Sergeant?" - -"Six gentlemen to see you, sir." - -"What?" He glanced at his memo pad. A notation warned him six -prospective cadets were due to come in. It was not standard procedure -for him to interview candidates, but all six were the sons of Academy -graduates killed in the line of duty. "Give me five minutes, Sergeant, -then show them in." - -"Very good, sir." He withdrew and closed the door. - -"Well, Sergeant," said Reilly, turning to the regular service man. -"Perhaps these are the lads who will be doing that reminiscing fifty -years from now." - -"Quite possible, sir." He stood up and came to attention. "Do I have -the general's permission, sir?" - -"Dismissed, Sergeant." - -Sighing, Reilly swiveled his chair again and watched the drillers on -the parade ground until the short rat-a-tat-tat sounded again. He -turned around in time to face the gangling teenagers trooping through -the door. - -"Messrs. Whyte, Phillips, Garrett, Gordon, Kaslov and Poirot, sir," -announced the Cadet Sergeant-Major before withdrawing again. - -"Come in, gentlemen, come in." Reilly stood up. "Find yourselves a -seat. Just pile those magazines on the chair, sir. I think three of you -will fit admirably on that couch. You others can draw up those chairs -by the water cooler. Yes, that's it." He shook hands all around, and -then sat down again. - -"Now then, your names once more, please?" He fixed them firmly in -his mind as each boy introduced himself in turn. "Ah, yes. And I, of -course, am General Reilly, Commandant of the Academy." - -"Sir?" - -"Yes, Mr. Kaslov?" - -"Would that be _the_ General Reilly? Of the Deneb Crisis?" - -"I see my fame has preceded me, gentlemen. Yes, I am that Reilly. -Please, don't let the fact scare you. I assure you, I don't bite off -the head of a boy until he is in uniform. Then, gentlemen, you are -fair game from then on. - -"Now, then," he said. "Are there any other questions before I give you -my sales pitch? Yes, Mr. Kaslov?" - -"Sir," the boy said, hesitantly, "I believe you knew my grandfather. -Sub-Colonel Kaslov? He served with you during the Deneb Crisis." - -"Of course!" said Reilly. "Martin Kaslov; I should have recognized the -name immediately. He was my Team leader. And his son was fresh out of -the Academy; I remember very well. So you might become third generation -Academy material, eh? Good, good. We're always glad to have someone -whose roots are deep in Academy tradition. That's why I'm particularly -happy to have all six of you gentlemen here this afternoon. I -understand you attended my lecture?" - - * * * * * - -All six nodded; one raised his hand. - -"Yes, Mr. Whyte?" - -"Sir, I heard your lecture, but, frankly, I didn't get very much out -of it. I mean, you talked a great deal about the service and so forth, -but it just didn't make much sense to me. It was just like Pop--my dad -used to talk when I was a kid. I don't suppose it made much sense then, -but kids don't understand anyway. But now I'm old enough to enter the -Academy myself. I think I should know more about it, what it means, -what it stands for. Uh, do I make myself clear?" - -"As lucid as a mountain spring on a bright morning, Mr. Whyte. I only -regret my own words were not as concise." He smiled. The other boys -laughed while Whyte flushed. - -"But you have expressed a very important point," continued Reilly. -"I don't want a man coming in here who doesn't know what the Academy -stands for. We have a long tradition, but we mean more than just words -carved over a marble arch. 'The Greater Good for the Greater Number.' -There are hundreds of years and hundreds of thousands of lives lived -and died behind those seven words. From Earth's first colony in the -Centauri system to the latest native intelligence charted in the Crab -Nebula, those seven words have wrapped up an entire philosophy and -dictated the means of living by it. - -"But what do the words actually mean? I think, Mr. Whyte, that is the -crux of your question. Indeed, that is the crux of the structure on -which the Academy is founded. Oh, it's easy to say that the words mean -what they say, because they do. That and no more. But how to explain -them so that someone who doesn't _know_ will know? In a sense, I've -been trying to do that ever since my first girl friend threw me over -as an incurable romantic when she learned that I intended to enter the -Academy. For many people, I'm afraid there is no explanation. They are -incapable of understanding, no matter how hard we try. But I don't -think you gentlemen are in that class. Otherwise you would not be here -at all. - -"The obvious place to begin is the beginning. 'The greater good.' -Not the greatest, mind you--the greater. There are those who quibble -over words; they are responsible for this particular delineation. It -would be idealistic to try for the greatest in all things. Despite his -thousands of years of development, man is still a long ways from being -an ideal creature. There are certain things that remain beyond his -capabilities. In certain isolated incidents, the course we follow does -produce the greatest good possible. But they are isolated. - -"The same reasoning follows the choice of 'The Greater Number.' Only -our limitations prevent us from seeing to it that every world in the -galaxy is the best of all possible worlds, insofar as the peculiarities -of a particular world permit. We do our best, and take pride in the -fact that that best is better than anyone else's. - -"But so much for numerical values. You most want to hear what we _do_. -And that can best be summed up in one word: everything. Everything, -and yet that, too, has its limitations. Impossibilities are beyond -even us. Improbabilities are given a fair chance. We are constantly -seeking out courses of action that will benefit not the individual -but the race. And in some instances, not even a race, when there are -many races involved in a particular manner. The methods we follow, the -actions we take in a particular instance, may sometimes seem cruel and -unreasoning...." - - -V - -The families were on the move, away from their comfortable homes under -the everlasting warmth of the sun. Luke Royceton shifted his weight in -the copter and trained the glasses on a column of dust rising three -miles to the west and ten thousand feet below. - -"It's okay, Harry," he said to the pilot. "They've swung back north -again." - -"Right, Luke," the pilot replied. "Scout report just in says there's a -real big outfit about eighty miles settling down around a lake. Shall -we hit them?" - -"We the closest?" - -"Singer's forty miles the other side of them, but he's tied up chasing -some mavericks." - -"Let's go then." - -Luke holstered his glasses and slid down into the cargo hold. The rest -of the team were taking advantage of the lull in activity to catch -up on their relaxation. They had been constantly on the go since the -migrations had begun in earnest two months earlier. Luke kibitzed a -card game for a few minutes, then announced: "Action coming up in about -twenty minutes. Grab something to eat and run a check on your costumes." - -The copter dropped to treetop level five miles from the lake and came -to ground four miles further on. The team piled out, stretched the -tensions of the long ride out of their bodies, then started out through -head-high dwarf trees that separated their landing spot from the lake. -They wound through the trees and over a low, rolling series of hills. -The cover stopped suddenly, two hundred yards from the beach. - -"Big family is right!" said Luke softly, gripping his axe. - -There were nearly fifty huts in various stages of construction along -the beach. Twice that number of adult males were working on them, -while the women were bringing in armloads of grass for thatching. The -children were waist-deep in the lake with fishing spears. A still -wriggling pile on the beach testified to their prowess. - -Luke glanced over the dozen members of his team, shaking his head. "I -don't know," he said. "Those are pretty hefty odds." - -"What's to worry about, Luke?" asked one of the men. "You don't expect -those characters to put up a fight, do you?" - -"God only knows. They just might take it in their heads to do that. -From looks of things, either this outfit has been traveling far or -else several villages have combined forces. If it's the last, then I'm -plenty worried." - -"So what do we do? Go back and yell for reinforcements?" - -"Not yet. Not until we try these babies ourselves. Everybody got his -courage screwed up?" There were soft murmurs of assent from each man. -"Make torches." Two men faded away and returned a moment later with -arms full of the same grass the villagers were using. Half the team -set to work, twisting them into torches and tying them with short -lengths of a twine-like vine they had brought along from the equatorial -jungles. The torches were passed out, and Luke took a deep breath: -"Let's go!" - - * * * * * - -The team leaped to their feet and broke from the cover, screaming their -banshee cry. The natives dropped what they were doing and wheeled -around, then froze in their tracks at the sight of the wildly painted -devils tearing down the beach. The two hundred yards separating them -halved, then halved again before the natives broke out of their stupor. -One of the workers placed his fingers between his teeth and whistled. -The children ran in from the lake, tossing their spears to the nearest -adult, man or woman. - -By the time the team was among them, axes whistling through the air and -smashing the walls of the huts, the villagers were armed and fighting -back. - -"We've got troubles!" yelled Luke, bringing his axe down to break -several spears being jabbed at him. The spears were too short to make -good throwing weapons, so the natives were using them just as they -would in going after fish. One got through Luke's guard; he choked -back a cry of pain as the broad stone head went into his flesh and was -twisted. He pulled away, yanking the shaft out of the native's hand. - -Two of the team had managed to get close enough to the cooking fires -to light their torches. They used them now as shields, until the grass -burned down to the handles. One then tossed his into the large pile -of thatching material, while the other stuck his into the unplastered -wall of the nearest hut. The thatching blazed up quickly, forcing the -natives away from the heat. Most of the team now had their backs to -the nearest wall; none had escaped the jabbing spears. One man was -completely encircled by the natives. Suddenly his axe was wrenched from -his grasp. They picked him up, legs flailing wildly in the air, carried -him over and threw him onto the fire. - -"Let's get out of here!" screamed Luke, surprising those around him -by suddenly leaping forward and grabbing two of them, forcing them -off balance. He called on every ounce of strength he possessed to run -through the gauntlet of spears. From the corner of his eye, he could -see one other man break loose, only to be recaptured a dozen feet -farther on. - -By some miracle, Luke outdistanced those pursuing him, crashing into -the cover. The natives followed a few yards, then gave up the chase, -heading back to the easier sport on the beach. - -Luke tripped over an exposed root and crashed to the ground. He tried -to get up again, but his injured arm refused to support him. Closing -his eyes, he waited for the fatal blow to fall. - -Several minutes passed, during which Luke recited every prayer he had -ever heard, to every conceivable deity in the pantheon. At the end of -that time, he realized that he wasn't going to die after all--at least, -not here and now. Rolling over onto his good arm, he sat up and got his -back against a tree. From the beach came screams of terror, growing -fainter as he listened and finally dying away altogether. Bracing his -good arm against a tree, he worked himself up, got himself oriented and -started back towards the copter. - -The pilot threw away his cigarette and dropped out of the door to the -cargo hold when Luke came limping into view. - -"My God, man! What happened?" - -"I ... made a mistake." He let himself be helped into the copter and -took the mike, reporting the disaster on the beach to the Commandant -back at Base. Then he let the pilot bandage his wounds. - - * * * * * - -"Eleven men dead," he said bitterly. - -"Don't take it so hard, Luke," said Andy Singer. The team Commanders -were back in the debriefing room again. All had commiserated with Luke -on the tragedy; none had been able to convince him that it had not been -his fault. - -"Eleven men dead," he repeated, no matter what they said. - -The commandant came in and they rose. "At ease, gentlemen," he said, as -he mounted the platform. He stared at them for a thirty-second eternity. - -"Ours is not an easy task." His words broke the tension; all sighed. - -"There has been a tragic accident, gentlemen. Good men have died. Men -just as good have died on a thousand planets in a thousand different -ways. Sometimes they died because of an error; sometimes the death was -unavoidable. But for whatever reason, they did not die in vain! - -"This is a young planet," he continued. "In many ways, it's as near to -paradise as any of us will ever see. Man is a young race here--young -in development. Yet almost before he has a chance to prove himself, -he has found himself in a backwater, stymied as it were by the very -paradise qualities which attract us. Life is easy here, too easy. He -doesn't have to exert himself. He lives much like his ancestors did, -ten thousand years ago. - -"There is no future in standing still. Whether he likes it or not, -man must develop, must give the future generations a chance for their -place in the sun. Despite sentimentality, anything that gives them that -chance is good. Therefore, I repeat: eleven men died here yesterday. -_They did not die in vain!_" - - * * * * * - -"Time for a break, I think," said Reilly, pressing a button. The door -opened and the cadet Sergeant-Major stuck his head in. - -"Sir?" - -"Coffee, Sergeant. That will be suitable, gentlemen?" The boys nodded -and the cadet withdrew. - -"While we're waiting, are there any more questions?" - -One of the boys hesitantly raised his hand. - -"Mr. Phillips?" - -"Sir, why is so much of the activity by the agents carried out in -secrecy? It all seems rather underhanded to me." - -"By the very nature of themselves, what we do must be carried out -secretly. Even when we act openly, it is in secret...." - - * * * * * - -In the distance a bell tolled the supper hour. In the palace, -pageboys wandered the corridors, knocking on apartment doors rousing -the occupants. Carter combed out his beard, frowning at the liberal -sprinkling of gray hairs in it, donned his cloak and set out for -the dining hall. He shivered as a chill wind swept down the drafty -corridors, and reminded himself to speak to Kahl again about returning -to the capital city. Anything would be better than this. - -The dining hall was crowded, as usual, with supplicants who had bribed -their way to the royal tables. Most of them had wasted their money. -The chamberlain had stuck them away in far corners where they would be -able to do nothing but stare at the man they wanted to see. Not that -it would have done them any good to speak to the king. Kahl found the -petty details of his office tiring. More and more he had been shoving -them onto the willing shoulders of Carter. - -The chamberlain met him at the door with a copy of the seating -arrangements. Carter read down the list, pausing here and there at -familiar names--most of them pests who had long ago worn out his -patience. He pursed his lips and touched a name with his finger. - -"This Ivra. Fisherman, it says. He the one with the daughter Kahl -wants?" - -"Yes." Like most of the royal retinue, the chamberlain was -uncomfortable in Carter's presence. The man had no title, no office. -But he was undeniably the most powerful person in the realm after the -king himself--some placed his eminence even ahead of the king's. "Shall -I place him at the royal table?" - -"No. It wouldn't do any good. But tell him to come see me -tomorrow--no. Make that three days from now. He can't have his daughter -unviolated, but I think we can make him happy to have her at all." - -He handed the list back and made his way to the royal table, nodding to -acquaintances and enemies. The problem of the fisherman bothered him. -Carter was unaware of the fact, but he carried a strong puritanical -conscience, the legacy of unknown forebears of years back. He -disapproved of Kahl's unrestrained love life and did whatever he could -to ease the disruptions it caused in the normal flow of subject-ruler -relations. - -He stopped at the royal table and clapped a uniformed officer on the -shoulder. "Marshal Zants! A pleasure to see you back at court. I read -your report. I know His Most Graciousness will be pleased at your -eastern successes." - -"Thank you, sir." The marshal inclined his head. "And I see you have -had your own successes. Much has changed during the two years of my -campaign." - -"We all live, Marshal," said Carter. "We all grow a little older. It's -the natural course of life. A man who stands still in one position all -the time wouldn't make a good runner, now would he?" - -"Indeed not. I suppose you wouldn't be interested in a commission -under me? What things we could do together!" - -"I'm honored that you think of me so kindly, but I'm afraid my peculiar -talents don't run in the military manner, Marshal." - -"Ah, but what a strategist you would make, sir." - -"Oh?" He grinned. "Then our enemies should be happy to have me in the -capital, not on the field." - - * * * * * - -He reached his seat just in time to touch trousers to it and rise again -when Kahl came in, whispering something in the ear of a courtesan. The -girl laughed hysterically, then went to the woman's table as servants -started bringing in the first course. Kahl grunted as he sat down and -rubbed his belly. He leaned over towards Carter. - -"I'm getting fat, southerner. Fat and old." - -"A little exercise would do us all good." - -Kahl laughed. "That's what I like about you, Carter. Not for you the -mealy-mouthed compliments. When you think something, you come right out -and say it. I wish more of my ministers had your courage." - -"A few tried it," said Carter. "As I remember it, you had their ears -cut off and made them eat them." - -"Yes, but I gave them a choice as to how they were prepared, didn't I?" -He roared, and the rest of the room roared with him, although no one -more than six feet from the head of the royal table could possibly have -known the jest. - -Kahl fell to slurping his soup, while Carter did his best to hide his -distaste at the man's table manners. For that matter, there was not a -person in the hall he would have invited to the most informal dinner -in his own apartments. Table manners were something else he had been -trying to introduce, but as yet they were his most notorious failure. - -"Ahhh!" The king wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. While one -servant removed the soup and another brought up the platter of meats -and fish, he leaned over again. "Now, then, Carter. I've been meaning -to speak to you all day. Been busy, though. Inhuman the number of -demands on my time. Not that I mind of course. The penalties of the -crown, and all that. But I really have been meaning to talk to you. -How's that pet tinkerer of yours coming along." - -"Which one would that be? I've got most of the college working, you -know." - -"The one working on that steam gadget you've been telling me about. You -know, the one to make work easier. Not that I can see why a man should -have his work made easy. Does the people good to sweat a bit." - -"Economically, though, to have one man able to do the work of half a -dozen is very good. Just think of how it'll enrich the treasuries. -Besides, the work isn't any easier on them: they just produce more." - -"Yes, yes. You've explained that all before. But how is it going?" - -"Quite well. I think another few weeks will bring very promising -results. Some of the others are coming along well, too. The armory is -turning out a hundred of the improved crossbows a day, now. I took -Marshal Zants through the armory and his eyes positively glowed with -excitement. He promises new and greater victories in his next campaign." - - * * * * * - -"Oh?" Kahl was chewing on the leg of a bird. "He's been doing pretty -good as it is, hasn't he?" - -"Much better than I would have thought," Carter admitted. "The problems -of waging a war completely off from contact with home are great. -Lines of supply, communication--these are all vital to the successful -campaign. I've got a few ideas on these subjects, too. After all, there -is a limit to how much may be withdrawn from an occupied area--if you -still want to have that area useful to you in the future. A very wise -man in my country once said that an army travels on its stomach. The -plans Zants has been discussing with me for his next campaign call for -a very large army." - -"You know," said Kahl, "at the rate we're going, it won't be long -before your country is part of my country." - -"I'm afraid that'll take a while yet." He laughed. "Although there has -never been a nation in history with so much territory under its direct -rule. Your name will live as the monarch of this country alone, no -matter what you might do on your own." - -Events were moving fast on the planet--almost faster than Carter -wanted. Already the lands under Kahl's rule amounted to nearly fifty -per cent of the known areas of the world. At the rate things were -snowballing, it wouldn't be long before his primary objective of -planetary unification were achieved--thousands of years ahead of time, -if events had been permitted to follow their natural course. - -Of course, there would be delays and setbacks all along the way. -Subsidiary objectives would always be getting in the way, must always -be considered along with other plans. But even so, things were off to -a good start. Although he might not live to see the complete fruition -of all of his plans, Carter knew that this world was well on its way -towards galactic citizenship. - - * * * * * - -"There's a great deal of satisfaction in being a power behind the -throne." Reilly grinned. "However, if any of you have a particular yen -toward such power, it's only fair to tell you now that our screening is -the most thorough ever devised. And it is constantly being improved. No -man is ever placed in a position where his weaknesses might prove the -better of him. - -"This is not to say that a man might not find himself in a position -where he will be called on to do more than his utmost. It's surprising -just how much a man can do, when he finds out he has no other -choice...." - - -VI - -The counterfeit Lund reached the bank of elevators a half-dozen running -paces ahead of the just-coming-to-life audience. He gestured, and the -operator closed the door in their faces. - -During the long descent to the street, Lund stripped off his clothes -and did things to his face while the operator shoved the discarded -costume into an access panel. Then he gave the now-slim little man a -boost up through the roof of the cage and let himself be helped up. - -"Thank God for tradition," the man who had been known as Lund said -when he helped the other man up. Stripping off his uniform jacket -and reversing it changed the other's appearance. The elevator slowed -automatically for the ground floor. Word had been flashed down from the -Conference hall, but when the waiting monitors surged into the opening -elevator before it had quite eased to a stop, they found nothing at all. - -Overhead, the two men threaded their way through a maze of cables and -onto the roof of the next cab. It dropped under them, then stopped -halfway between floors while they climbed down. The new operator eyed -them, but said nothing while they brushed each other off. At a signal -from the small man, the cab continued its interrupted drop, letting -them out on the sub-surface shopping level. - -The corridors of the level were full of running figures, most of them -heading towards the elevator banks. No one paid the newly arrived pair -any attention at all, although the powder-blue uniforms of the monitors -predominated. - -The two men strode briskly down the corridor until they came to a side -passage lined with small shops that featured the specialized products -of the various members of the Conference. They stopped in front of one -displaying gadgets from Ehrla, then entered while the counterfeit Lund -purchased a perpetual razor, having it giftwrapped. Then they wandered -further, acting now like the average sightseer, until they reached a -florist's shop set in an alcove at the end of the passage. - -They entered, saw that there were no other customers, nodded to the -salesman and continued on to the back. - -"Dale!" The waiting pair leaped to their feet and spoke as one. "We -thought you weren't going to make it!" - -"I didn't think so myself," said Dale Vernon, the slim little man. "If -Dic hadn't been there right on schedule, there'd be nothing left of me -but a few bloody shreds. Those people were _mad_!" His voice showed -respect for the strength of their emotions. "What's the news?" - -"The Park monitors found the real Lund about twenty minutes ago." - -"Good timing. Any sooner, and the fun upstairs would have been -different." - -"And you know who is screaming for the dissolving of the Conference." - -"So soon?" - -"They, uh, you might say had an inside lead as to what was going to -happen." - -"It's a little early to tell," added the other man, "but apparently the -operation was a success. The proper wheels have been set in motion, -at least. We'll have to keep applying grease from time to time in the -next forty-eight hours, but I think we can forget about the Ehrlan -problem--during this conference, at least. Ten years from now, they'll -have an entirely different set of plans for the reformation of the -galaxy. And we'll have to come up with an entirely different way of -crossing them." - - * * * * * - -"Do-gooders!" snorted the first man. - -"You must admit, they have the best of intentions," said Vernon. - -"But intentions aren't enough," added the other. "Man is an imperfect -creature at best, and his best is a rare occurrence indeed. We have to -deal with practicalities. Perfection is beyond us, and we'd be idiots -to try and enforce it. That's the basic difference between us and the -Ehrlans--we know what we can and can't do. They know only what they -would like to do. And that makes them the most dangerous force loose -in the galaxy today." - - * * * * * - -"To sum it up," said Reilly, getting up and going to the window, "ours -is not a life of glory and fame." Another battalion marched out onto -the field below and began the familiar maneuvers. "We work hard and -receive little thanks--if, indeed, we receive any thanks at all. The -life is strenuous. The work is demanding. And over all of us rides the -constant specter of failure, for we are not perfect. Nor do we want to -be. - -"It is a lonely life for some: it is a short life for others. But for -all of us, it's something more." He turned and faced the boys again. -"It is the chance to be something more than just a man, for a man is a -selfish creature. And it is the most rewarding life I know. - -"Any questions, gentlemen?" - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Problem Makers, by Robert P. 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