"Planetary Agent X" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reynolds Mack)VThe following hours were chaotic. There was no indication of how long a period he’d be gone. For all he knew, it might be years. For that matter, he might never return to Earth. This Ronny Bronston had realized before he’d ever applied for an interplanetary appointment. Mankind was exploding through this spiral arm of the galaxy. There was a racial enthusiasm about it all. Man’s destiny lay out in the stars; only a laggard stayed home of his own accord. It was the ambition of every youth to join the snowballing avalanche of man into the neighboring stars. It took absolute severity by Earth authorities to prevent the depopulation of the planet. But someone had to stay to administer the ever more complicated racial destiny. Earth became a clearing house for a thousand cultures, attempting, with only moderate success, to coördinate her widely spreading children. She couldn’t afford to let her best seed depart. Few were allowed to emigrate from Earth anymore. New colonies drew their immigrants from older ones. Lucky was the Earthling able to find service in interplanetary affairs, in any of the thousands of tasks that involved journey between member planets of 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 this assignment and cinch the appointment for good. He packed in a swirl of confusion. He phoned a relative who lived in the part of town once known as Richmond, explained the situation and asked that the other store his things and dispose of the apartment he’d been occupying. Luckily, the roof of his apartment building was a copter-cab pickup point and he was able to hustle over to the shuttleport in a matter of a few minutes. He banged into the reservations office, hurried up to one of the windows and said into the screen, “I’ve got to get to Neuve Alburquerque immediately.” 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 I miss my ship in Neuve Alburquerque, what is the next spaceliner leaving from 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. It arrives 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 that cruiser to New Delos.” Tog Lee Chang Chu fished in her bag and came up with a wallet similar to the one in which Ronny carried his Section G badge. She held it up to the screen. “Bureau of Investigation, Section G,” she said calmly. “It will be necessary that Agent Bronston and I be in Neuve Albuquerque within the hour.” The metallic voice said, “Of course. Proceed to your right and through Corridor K to Exit Four. Your rocket will be there. Identify yourself to Lieutenant 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 touch of sarcasm in her voice? It hadn’t been more than a couple of hours ago that he had been hinting rather heavily to Sid Jakes that he needed no assistance. She even knew the layout of the West Greater Washington shuttleport. Her small body swiveled through the hurrying passengers, her small feet a-twinkle, as she led him to and down Corridor K and then to the desk at Exit Four. Ronny anticipated her here. He flashed his own badge at the chairborne Space Forces lieutenant there. “Lieutenant Economou?” he said. “Ronald Bronston, of the Bureau of Investigation, Section G. We’ve got to get to Neuve Alburquerque soonest.” The lieutenant, only mildly impressed, said, “We can have you in the air in ten minutes, citizen. Just a moment and I’ll guide you myself.” In the rocket, Ronny had time to appraise her at greater length. She was a delicately pretty thing, although her expression was inclined to the over-serious. There was only a touch of the Mongolian fold at the corner of her eyes. On her it looked unusually good. Her complexion was that which only the blend of Chinese and Caucasian can give. Her figure, thanks to her European blood, was fuller than Eastern Asia usually boasts; tiny, but full. 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 to recite. “Do you know anything about the socio-economic system on New Delos?” “Well, no,” he admitted. She said severely, “I’d think that they would have given you more background before an assignment of this type.” Ronny said impatiently, “In the past three months I’ve been filled in on the economic systems, the religious beliefs, the political forms, of a thousand planets. I just happened to miss New Delos.” Her mouth expressed disapproval by tucking down on the sides, which was all very attractive but also irritating. She said, “There are two thousand, four hundred and thirty-six member planets in the UP—I’d think an 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 the number is two thousand, four hundred and thirty-four.” “Then,” she nodded agreeably, “membership has changed since this morning when Menalaus and Aldeberan Three were admitted. Have two planets dropped out?” “Look,” he said, “let’s stop bickering. What’s the word on New Delos?” “Did you ever read Frazer’s “No.” “You should. At any rate, New Delos is a theocracy. A priesthood elite rules it. A God-King, who is immortal, holds absolute authority. The strongest of superstition, plus an efficient inquisition, keeps the people under control.” “Sounds terrible,” Ronny growled. “Why? Possibly the government is extremely efficient and under it the planet 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 of supremely wise men, or by laws formulated by a mob?” It stopped him momentarily. In all his adult years, he couldn’t remember ever meeting an intelligent, educated person who had been opposed to the democratic theory. “Wait a minute, now,” he said. “Who decides that they’re supremely wise men who are doing this arbitrary ruling? Let any group come to power, by whatever means, and they’ll soon tell you they’re an elite. But let’s get back to New Delos—from what you’ve said so far, the people are held in a condition 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, slavery can be the most suitable system for a people.” “Under “Have you forgotten your Earth history to the point where Egypt, Greece and Rome mean nothing to you? Man made some of his outstanding progress under slavery. And do you contend that man’s lot is necessarily miserable given slavery? As far back as Aesop we know of slaves who have reached the heights in their society. Slaves sometimes could and did become the virtual rulers in ancient countries.” She shrugged prettily. “The prejudices which you hold today, on Earth, do not necessarily apply to all time, 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 the part of the populace that the God-King is immortal. No man conspires against his Diety. Supervisor Jakes informed me that it is understood by UP Intelligence that about once every twenty years the priesthood secretly puts in a new God-King. Plastic surgery would guarantee facial resemblance, and, of course, the rank and file citizen would probably never be allowed close enough to discover that their God-King seemed different every couple of decades. At any rate, it’s been working for some time.” “And there’s been no revolt against this religious aristocracy?” She shook her head. “Evidently not. It takes a brave man to revolt against both his king and his God at the same time.” “But what happened now?” Ronny pursued. “Evidently, right in the midst of a particularly important religious ceremony, with practically the whole planet watching on TV, the God-King was killed with a bomb. No doubt about it, definitely killed. There are going to be a lot of people on New Delos wondering how it can be that an immortal God-King can die.” “And Sid thinks it’s Tommy Paine’s work?” She shifted dainty shoulders in a shrug. “It’s the sort of thing he does. I suppose we’ll learn when we get there.” |
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