Ultima Thule
Page 7
stayed home ofhis own accord. It was the ambition of every youth to join the snowballingavalanche of man into the neighboring stars.
It took absolute severity by Earth authorities to prevent the depopulationof the planet. But someone had to stay to administer the ever morecomplicated racial destiny. Earth became a clearing house for a thousandcultures, attempting, with only moderate success, to co-ordinate herwidely spreading children. She couldn't afford to let her best seeddepart. Few there were, any more, allowed to emigrate from Earth. Newcolonies drew their immigrants from older ones.
Lucky was the Earthling able to find service in interplanetary affairs, inany of the thousands of tasks that involved journey between member planetsof UP. Possibly one hundredth of the population at one time or another,and for varying lengths of time, managed it.
Ronny Bronston was lucky and knew it. The thing now was to pull off thisassignment and cinch the appointment for good.
He packed in a swirl of confusion. He phoned a relative who lived in thepart of town once known as Richmond, explained the situation and askedthat the other store his things and dispose of the apartment he'd beenoccupying.
Luckily, the roof of his apartment building was a copter-cab pickup pointand he was able to hustle over to the shuttleport in a matter of a fewminutes.
He banged into the reservations office, hurried up to one of the windowsand said into the screen, "I've got to get to Neuve Albuquerqueimmediately."
The expressionless voice said, "The next rocket leaves at sixteen hours."
"Sixteen hours! I've got to be at the spaceport by that time!"
The voice said dispassionately, "We are sorry."
The bottom fell out of everything. Ronny said, desperately, "Look, if Imiss my ship in Neuve Albuquerque, what is the next spaceliner leavingfrom there for New Delos?"
"A moment, citizen." There was an agonized wait, and then the voice said,"There is a liner leaving for New Delos on the 14th of next month. Itarrives in New Delos on the 31st, Basic Earth calendar."
The 31st! Tommy Paine could be halfway across the galaxy by that time.
A gentle voice next to him said, "Could I help, Ronny?"
He looked around at her. "Evidently, nobody can," he said disgustedly."There's no way of getting to Neuve Albuquerque in time to get thatcruiser to New Delos."
Tog Lee Chang Chu fished in her bag and came up with a wallet similar tothe one in which Ronny carried his Section G badge. She held it up to thescreen. "Bureau of Investigation, Section G," she said calmly. "It will benecessary that Agent Bronston and myself be in Neuve Albuquerque withinthe hour."
The metallic voice said, "Of course. Proceed to your right and throughCorridor K to Exit Four. Your rocket will be there. Identify yourself toLieutenant Economou who will be at the desk at Exit Four."
Tog turned to Ronny Bronston. "Shall we go?" she said demurely.
He cleared his throat, feeling foolish. "Thanks, Tog," he said.
"Not at all, Ronny. Why, this is my job."
Was there the faintest of sarcasm in her voice? It hadn't been more than acouple of hours ago that he had been hinting rather heavily to Sid Jakesthat he needed no assistance.
She even knew the layout of the West Greater Washington shuttleport. Hersmall body swiveled through the hurrying passengers, her small feeta-twinkle, as she led him to and down Corridor K and then to the desk atExit Four.
Ronny anticipated her here. He flashed his own badge at the chair-borneSpace Forces lieutenant there.
"Lieutenant Economou?" he said. "Ronald Bronston, of the Bureau ofInvestigation, Section G. We've got to get to Neuve Albuquerque soonest."
The lieutenant, only mildly impressed, said, "We can have you in the airin ten minutes, citizen. Just a moment and I'll guide you myself."
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In the rocket, Ronny had time to appraise her at greater length. She was adelicately pretty thing, although her expression was inclined to theover-serious. There was only a touch of the Mongolian fold at the cornerof her eyes. On her it looked unusually good. Her complexion was thatwhich only the blend of Chinese and Caucasian can give. Her figure, thanksto her European blood, was fuller than Eastern Asia usually boasts; tiny,but full.
Let's admit it, he decided. My assistant is the cutest trick this side ofa Tri-Di movie queen, and we're going to be thrown in the closest ofjuxtaposition for an indefinite time. This comes under the head of work?
He said, "Look here, Tog, you were with Sid Jakes longer than I was.What's the full story?"
She folded her slim hands in her lap, looking like a schoolgirl about torecite. "Do you know anything about the socio-economic system on NewDelos?"
"Well, no," he admitted.
She said severely, "I'd think that they would have given you morebackground before an assignment of this type."
Ronny said impatiently, "In the past three months I've been filled in onthe economic systems, the religious beliefs, the political forms, of athousand planets. I just happened to miss New Delos."
Her mouth expressed disapproval by rucking down on the sides, which wasall very attractive but also irritating. She said, "There are twothousand, four hundred and thirty-six member planets in the UP, I'd thinkan agent of Section G would be up on the basic situation on each."
He had her there. He said snidely, "Hate to contradict you, Tog, but thenumber is two thousand, four hundred and thirty-four."
"Then," she nodded agreeably, "membership has changed since this morningwhen Menalaus and Aldebaran Three were admitted. Have two planets droppedout?"
"Look," he said, "let's stop bickering. What's the word on New Delos?"
"Did you ever read Frazer's 'Golden Bough'?" she said.
"No."
"You should. At any rate, New Delos is a theocracy. A priesthood eliterules it. A God-King, who is immortal, holds absolute authority. Thestrongest of superstition plus an efficient inquisition, keeps the peopleunder control."
"Sounds terrible," Ronny growled.
"Why? Possibly the government is extremely efficient and under it theplanet progressing at a rate in advance of UP averages."
He stared at her in surprise.
She said, "Would you rather be ruled by the personal, arbitrary whims ofsupremely wise men, or by laws formulated by a mob?"
It stopped him momentarily. In all his adult years, he couldn't rememberever meeting an intelligent, educated person who had been opposed to thedemocratic theory.
"Wait a minute, now," he said. "Who decides that they're supremely wisemen who are doing this arbitrary ruling? Let any group come to power, bywhatever means, and they'll soon tell you they're an elite. But let's getback to New Delos, from what you've said so far, the people are held in acondition of slavery."
"What's wrong with slavery?" Tog said mildly.
He all but glared at her. "Are you kidding?"
"I seldom jest," Tog said primly. "Under the proper conditions, slaverycan be the most suitable system for a people."
"Under _what_ conditions!"
"Have you forgotten your Earth history to the point where Egypt, Greeceand Rome mean nothing to you? Man made some of his outstanding progressunder slavery. And do you contend that man's lot is necessarily miserablegiven slavery? As far back as Aesop we know of slaves who have reached theheights in their society. Slaves sometimes could and did become thevirtual rulers in ancient countries." She shrugged prettily. "Theprejudices which you hold today, on Earth, do not necessarily apply to alltime, nor to all places."
He said, impatiently, "Look, Tog, we can go into this further, later.Let's get back to New Delos. What happened?"
Tog said, "The very foundation of their theocracy is the belief on thepart of the populace that the God-King is immortal. No man conspiresagainst his Deity. Supervisor Jakes informed me that it is understood byUP Intelligence, that about once every twenty years the priesthoodsecretly puts in a new God-King. Plastic surgery would guarantee facialresemblance, a
nd, of course, the rank and file citizen would probablynever be allowed close enough to discover that their God-King seemeddifferent every couple of decades. At any rate, it's been working for sometime."
"And there's been no revolt against this religious aristocracy?"
She shook her head. "Evidently not. It takes a brave man to revolt againstboth his king and his God at the same time."
"But what happened now?" Ronny pursued.
"Evidently, right in the midst of a particularly important religiousceremony, with practically the whole planet watching on TV, the God-Kingwas killed with a bomb. No doubt