L Ron Hubbard - ME10 Doomed Planet

by Doomed Planet [lit]

  Three down and three to go. The next one would be tougher and the last one the worst of all!

  CHAPTER 6

  Heller called for a cymbal clash for silence. "I know," he said, "that His Majesty wishes to begin his reign in an atmosphere of peace. It is his dearest wish that his subjects be happy and content and no longer disrupted by oppression and turmoil.

  "Therefore, I propose, for this fourth proclamation, an amnesty. First, I think we should include all the peoples of Calabar and anyone connected with the recent revolt. This rescinds all rebel proclamations en masse and also amnesties all persons on Calabar or connected to the revolt for any crime of whatever kind as of Universal Star Time, two hours ago."

  This seemed agreeable. Nobody was mad at Calabar now. It also got General Whip off the hook without mentioning it.

  Heller thought for a bit. This was going to get tricky now. He was going to have to try to amnesty the Apparatus troops: otherwise, in bands here and there and, within the population, incidents would continue to take toll. He knew even proposing it could start another wave of ferocity, maybe even killing.

  He looked at a Domestic Police general at the conference table. "How long do you think it would take to round up and try any and all persons who might have damaged property or persons in these recent riots? I am speaking now of the rioting citizens."

  He could see the instant reaction on the monitors of the crowds. It had not occurred to anyone that their actions might be charged as crimes.

  The Domestic Police general scrubbed at his face with a beefy hand. "Well, Crown, Your Lordship, sir, I am ashamed to say that it will take years. You see, we have to reorganize the Domestic Police. Many units joined the rioters. That will require a vast number of arrests and trials in itself. We were hoping to discuss getting some help from the Army."

  "But at the same time," said Heller with a frown, "didn't you plan on a general roundup, using what units you had intact? You know, herding citizens into stockades and holding them for weeks, maybe trying them en masse? But I was worried about how you were going to manage a house-to-house search through all the cities to round up everyone who had been actively rioting."

  The crowds on the monitors were ominously silent.

  "Well," said the Domestic Police general, scrubbing his face some more, "if we had help from the Army we could begin that right away."

  The crowds were starting to growl. This conference was talking about THEM!

  "General," said Heller, "I am assured by His Majesty that his love for his subjects is boundless. I think, to celebrate his ascension, a Confederacy-wide amnesty should be extended to all persons, regardless of crime, as of two hours ago, Universal Star Time."

  The yell bepn very slowly and then in the streets it swelled, "Long Live Mortiiy!"

  Heller felt he had it made. He was just turning to dictate the fourth proclamation when this (bleeped) bluebottle general spoiled it. He said, aghast, "You mean all the persons in jails and prisons, too?"

  "Except persons already handled, such as Gris, Madison and his crew, Crobe and Hisst. It must also include a clause so that His Majesty is not constricted in removing any Lords, officials or officers he might have to, to form a new government. We should also forbid further punishment of these people, as the last thing we want is a civil war on our hands."

  The bluebottle was stuck with his prisons. "But good Heavens, that would empty everything we've got!"

  "They're too full anyway," said Heller.

  "But some of those people committed terrible crimes!"

  "I'll tell you what," said Heller. "For any already condemned criminal, we could make the condition that he must accept the amnesty with a promise to commit no more crimes, and he must be told and it must be part of the amnesty that if he or she does commit one more felony, the immediate sentence is death. I assure you that many will reform. The amnesty does not include insane asylums, as they wouldn't even understand."

  The bluebottle was still goggle-eyed about it and Heller would have pushed on further except that another police general at the table spoke up.

  "That amnesties all the Apparatus personnel!"

  That did it. The table began to snarl. The crowds, all pleased a moment ago, starting shrieking "Death to the Apparatus."

  Heller felt like telling him, you fool, there are still two or three million Apparatus people on the loose: you're going to tie up your whole police force running them down for years! We're going to have more riots, more burning buildings-----

  He gave a signal and the trumpets and cymbals went. It took a while before he could speak apin.

  "Then I propose," he said, "that any ex-Apparatus personnel found engaged in any criminal act after the amnesty may be shot down in situ."

  "I never heard of that. It sounds bad!"

  "Oh, it is bad!" said Heller. "It's an ancient custom of Flisten. We'll put it right in the proclamation. Worse, we'll also add in flagrante delicto! That's terrible."

  "But I don't know what those words mean!" cried the general.

  "You can look it up later," said Heller. "There are ladies in the crowds to which Homeview is bringing this conference. Take my word for it, it's terrible. I know this is very harsh, gentlemen."

  The Domestic Police people were frowning. One of them said, "But-----"

  "And I was going to add, 'And to protect people's homes, the Army is to assist the police until they are reorganized and public calm prevails,'" Heller said quickly.

  The Army looked surprised, then purposeful. The Domestic Police, all too aware of their shattered condition, looked suddenly pleased.

  Heller knew he had the table now: that left the people in the streets and homes that were watching.

  He lifted his head. The cameras were upon him. "His Majesty was very unwilling to.begin his reign with any of his subjects in trouble. There will be plenty of work for everyone rebuilding buildings and parks that have been damaged. Why, I should think Calabar alone could absorb any person unemployed or newly released into the world: every city there needs to be rebuilt, quite in addition to all the construction that will be needed on every other planet in the Confederacy. His Majesty, I know, wishes to lift his whole domain of 110 planets to a grandeur never before known.

  "Every person who accepts this amnesty must be told that he owes this chance to Mortiiy and that all he requires from them in return is their loyalty and their help to make this a better nation."

  The crowds in the streets began to cheer.

  The cameras were not now on him. He wiped his face with his redstar engineer's rag.

  It had been close. He'd tell the police and Army later that in situ simply meant "on the spot" and in flagrante delicto only meant "caught in the act," if he remembered rightly.

  At least he had now prevented further riots. Beneficial in its own right and necessary, it happened to be vital, if his luck held, that the name of Earth did not crop up again because of continued battling with the Apparatus: they would be utterly desperate if they thought they would be going back to prison.

  Four down. Two to go. The next one would have to be quite clever. The last one, if things went wrong, would be awful.

  CHAPTER 7

  Heller heard someone back of his chair. It was the Countess Krak. She whispered, "Hightee says to tell you to stall all you can. They are in short time."

  He nodded. The fourth proclamation wasn't back to him yet. He wondered how he could stall further.

  Krak said, "I heard that measure. Why did you let all the criminals loose?"

  "Gris wasn't the only person with a blackmail hoard. It prevents Apparatus officers from starting up in the crime business."

  She didn't make too much sense out of his reply; she also detected an evasion. "You must have had another reason than that."

  "Be quiet."

  "But you released several million criminals on the society. Why?"

  "The state has been corrupt and justice slipshod." He turned and looked at her steadily.
"All right. Remember, you asked for it. You might not be the only Lissus Moam."

  She caught her breath. He was alluding to herself having been a falsely condemned nonperson until just today. Tears started into her eyes. "You did it for me. To celebrate my repining citizenship."

  "Go away. You don't like softhearted people."

  "I am ashamed. I love you, Jettero!"

  "Well, don't hang around here being mushy. Go help Hightee and maybe we can save our friends. A forlorn hope, but maybe."

  She suddenly kissed him. "May the Gods bless you, Jettero."

  The crowds cheered. The kiss had been camera'd on Homeview. The Countess Krak was gone.

  Heller muttered, to the monitors across the room, "You wouldn't be cheering if you knew I was trying :o save your favorite enemy, Earth. Well, it's all up to mathematics now."

  The fourth proclamation had been handed to the derk for recording. He had stalled all he could. He stood up and signalled for a cymbal clash.

  "Gentlemen, we earlier passed an informal resolution to outlaw psychology and psychiatry. I wish to incorporate that in the fifth formal proclamation which we are now about to take up. His Majesty has stated that he does not wish to hear of Earth again. If we put these subnets in a public proclamation, we will have to mention Earth and it could come to his attention. Furthermore, the names have already appeared in newssheets.

  "It would seem to me that this is best covered by acceding to a demand made by the publishers who wish to be protected against things such as lying stories and that other Earth development, PR."

  There was a snarl from the conference table. They were avid to suppress anything connected with that planet.

  "I therefore propose," said Heller, "that we create the post of Censor. Such a post, appended to the staff here at Palace City, could prevent psychiatry and psychology texts from being published. It could also prevent abuses under the heading of PR.

  "Actually, I should think that the post really combines with that of Royal Historian." He got table nods in assent. "Could someone please advise me, since the Palace City staff has been so displaced, who occupies that post now?"

  He already knew the answer. He was laying a trap. The clique of publishers over there was nodding, all agreeable.

  A clerk stood. "Crown, Your Lordship, sir. The post of Royal Historian was held by one who, unfortunately, resisted the demands of Lombar Hisst. He is dead. The post is vacant."

  "Oh, woe!" said Heller. "A martyr! Well, that leaves us with no other choice!"

  They stared at him.

  "One man is a public spirited citizen. He knows all the angles of this. He has already proven his zeal by bringing the matter to our attention. For the post of Royal Historian and Censor and Chairman of any Board of Censors, I propose Noble Arthrite Stuffy!"

  Noble Stuffy, far across the room in the group of publishers, recoiled. "But... but... my publishing empire!"

  "Oh, well," said Heller, "we all have to make our little sacrifices for the good of the people. I am sure you can find somebody to run your paper for you." He drew himself up. "The state needs your services, Noble Arthrite Stuffy! And think how you can set an example with your paper! Think how you can uplift and uphold the purity of ethics in journalism!" He lowered his voice, "And think how thoroughly you can suppress all efforts to corrupt the population with psychiatry and psychology."

  Several other publishers grinned. The Daily Speaker had run the most columns lauding those subjects. They were pushing Stuffy toward the table.

  Noble Stuffy finally stood in a vacant place. "Crown, Your Lordship, sir, even at great financial sacrifice, I cannot let the people down. I accept the appointment."

  "There is one proviso," said Heller, severely, "I do not much hold with censorship to hide state errors or oppress dissident voices just because the state has been stupid. Where censorship is really needed is to protect the individual person against a river of manufactured lies and to protect the public from being stampeded by unprincipled villains such as Madison and Hisst. Your duty must never include the suppression of the truth. So DO NOT ABUSE THIS POST!"

  There were cheers.

  "I take it, then, the appointment is ratified?" said Heller.

  The officers at the table gave their assent.

  "Now, if you gentlemen will make room at the table for our new Royal Historian and Censor, I can have this proclamation drawn up and we can complete the signa-:-:es."

  Number five. He had gotten number five! It was the key in his equation.

  He offered up a prayer. Now to set the stage for number six, the fatal one, the one which would determine whether five billion people, including his friends, would live or die. Number six would deal with the fate of Earth!

  PART EIGHTY-NINE

  CHAPTER 1

  A whisper behind his chair began the last fateful action of that fatal night. "Hightee and the Master say that they are ready now." It was the Countess Krak, and she promptly slipped away.

  Aware that five billion lives, some of them his friends, and the future of a planet, Earth, would be determined in these coming minutes, Jettero Heller, combat engineer, not yet used to his new identity as the first Lord of the land, rose out of his chair on the dais and surveyed the turbulent room.

  The crowd in the Grand Council hall had swollen to nearly three thousand people. The crowds in the streets, visible on the backfeed monitors against the far wall, had not decreased but had increased.

  The new Emperor, Mortiiy, as was the custom, was kaving the conduct of the affairs of state to his Viceregal Chairman of the Grand Council, normally called Crown.

  Heller drew a long breath. It was up to him now. This would be the final stroke. He must not let down Niortiiy. He must not let down Voltar. Thin as it was, he aill hoped there was some chance for Earth: if he failed QOW, the planet would be utterly destroyed forever.

  He gave his gold tunic a tug and called for a cymbal dash. Into the expectant silence he said, "Gentlemen, it s my pleasure to announce that in the nearby park, my charming sister, Hightee Heller, and the Master of Palace City have arranged an entertainment for you. I suggest, and indeed request, that you avail yourselves of this invitation and repair now to that place, leaving here only the heads of the military and our new Censor."

  Nobody moved. It was a bad sign.

  A voice from the back of the room called, "Crown, Your Lordship, sir! Could I call to your attention that you have not taken up the last proclamation, the destruction of the hideous Blito-P3, Earth."

  He had been afraid of that. Everything depended on having no witnesses, and even then he might not pull it off.

  "It is true," said Heller, "that that is what we are going to take up now. But this Officers' Conference is now scaled down to a war council. Clear the room!"

  "No, no!" the people were shouting throughout the hall. "We want to hear!"

  Heller scowled at them and at the flickering cameras. "We have no guarantee that Earth has no spies on Voltar. If the enemy were permitted access to every war council, we would lose every war. CLEAR THE ROOM!"

  Cries sprang up. "What are you going to do?"

  "We are going to plan and order executed the disposition of Blito-P3, Earth. These are matters of strategy, tactics, military orders and logistics. Such discussions are not and never will be open to the public. BUT we have provided entertainment for you while we discuss and issue our orders. There are only fifteen hundred seats set up in the park; there are close to three thousand people here: I suggest you rush unless you want to stand."

  There was an instant exodus from the hall.

  Heller carefully made sure that he only had the heads of the Army and Fleet general staffs left at the table. He indicated Bis should stay. He beckoned to a door and Captain Tars Roke, arrived only an hour before from Calabar, slid in and took a place. Heller sternly told Arthrite Stuffy to sit back down when he showed a disposition to leave.

  The Homeview director rushed up to the dais. "Please, Cro
wn, Your Lordship, sir, can't I just leave one camera here? What you're taking up is historical!"

  "No!" said Heller.

  "Yes!" said the director.

  "I have just begun to feel my privacy itch," said Heller. "In exactly ten seconds I will begin to think it has been invaded. GET OUT OF HERE!"

  The director fled in fright.

  Heller sent the guards, attendants and clerks away. He walked across the hall and barred the door himself— from within.

  The only sound in the vast place now came from the bank of Homeview monitors which remained, feeding back shots taken by camera crews through the Confederacy. Two new monitors lit up, showing the scene in the nearby park. A stage had been erected. There was a ring of tanks and cannon. The people were filing into the tiers of seats.