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13 - Five Stories by Alan Nourse by Alan E. Nourse · Five Stories by Alan Nourse

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Marley's Chain of Five Stories by Alan Norse. This is
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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  Speaker 1: Recording by Kirk Zigler. TAM's problem was simple. He lived
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: in a world that belonged to some one else. They
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  Speaker 1: saw tam shabby clothing and the small, weather beaten baggy carried,
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: and they ordered him aside from the flow of passengers
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: and checked his packet of passports and visas with extreme care.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: They ordered him to wait. Tam waited, a chilly apprehension
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: rising in his throat, for fifteen minutes. He watched them helplessly. Finally,
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: the spaceport was empty, and the huge liner from the
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: outer asteroid rings was being lifted and rolled by the
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  Speaker 1: giant hooks and cranes back into its berth for dry
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  Speaker 1: dock and repair. Her curved meteor dended hull, gleaming dully
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: in the harsh arc line. Tam watched the creaking cranes
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: and shivered in the cold night air, feeling hunger and
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: dread gnawing at his stomach. There was none of the
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  Speaker 1: elation left, none of the great expansive, soothing joy at
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: returning to Earth after eight long years of hard work
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  Speaker 1: and bitterness, only the cold, corroding uncertainty, the growing apprehension
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  Speaker 1: times had changed since that night back in eighty seven,
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  Speaker 1: just how much he hardly dared to guess. All he
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  Speaker 1: knew was the rumors that he had heard, the whispered tales,
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  Speaker 1: the frightened eyes, and the scarred backs and faces. Tam
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: hadn't believed them then, so remote from Earth, he had
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  Speaker 1: just laughed and told himself that the stories weren't true.
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: And now they all welded back into his mind, tightening
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  Speaker 1: his throat and making him tremble. Hey, sharky, come here.
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: Tam turned and walked slowly over to the customs official,
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: who held his papers. Everything's in order, he said, half defiantly,
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: looking up at the officer's impassive face. There isn't any mistake.
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: What were you doing in the ring, sharky. The officer's
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: voice was sharp in densher working off my fare back home.
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: The officer peered into TAM's face incredulously. And you come
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: back here? He shook his head and turned to the
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: other officer. I knew these sharkies were dumb, but I
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: didn't think they were that dumb. He turned back to Tam,
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: his eyes suspicious. What do you think you're going to
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: do now? Tam shrugged uneasily. Get a job, he said,
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  Speaker 1: A man's got to eat. The officers exchanged glances. How
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: long you been on the Rings? Eight years? Tam looked
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: at him anxiously. Can I have my papers now? A
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: cruel grin played over the officer's lips. Sure, he said,
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: handing back the packet of papers. Happy job hunting, he added, sardonically.
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: But remember the ship's going back to the Rings in
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: a week. You can always sign yourself over for fare.
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: I know, Tam said, turning away sharply. I know all
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: about how that works. He tucked the papers carefully into
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  Speaker 1: a tattered breast pocket. Hefted the bag wearily, and began
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: trudging slowly across the cold concrete of the port toward
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: the street and the underground. A wave of loneliness, almost
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: overpowering in intensity, swept over him, A feeling of emptiness,
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  Speaker 1: bleak and hopeless. A chilly night wind swept through his
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: unkept blonde hair as the automatics led him out into
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: the street, and he saw the large, dirty New Denver
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  Speaker 1: Underground sign with the arrow at the far side off
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  Speaker 1: the road. Off to the right. Several miles across the
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  Speaker 1: mountain plateau, the great capital city loomed up, shining like
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  Speaker 1: a thousand twinkling stars in the clear, cold air. Tam
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  Speaker 1: jingled his last few coins listlessly and started down the
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: downward ramp. Somewhere down there he could find a darkened corner,
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  Speaker 1: maybe even a bench, where the police wouldn't bother him
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  Speaker 1: for a couple of hours. Maybe, after a little sleep,
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  Speaker 1: he'd find some courage hidden away somewhere, just enough to
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: walk into an office and ask for a job that,
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: he reflected wearily as he shoveled into the tunnel, would
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: take a lot of courage. The girl at the desk
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  Speaker 1: glanced up at him, indifferent and turned her eyes back
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: to the letter she was typing. Tam Peters continued to
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  Speaker 1: stand awkwardly, his blonde hair rumpled, a little crow's feet
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  Speaker 1: of weariness creeping around the corner of his eyes. Slowly,
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  Speaker 1: he looked around the neat office, feeling a pang of
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  Speaker 1: shame at his shabby clothes. He should have at least
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: found some way to shave. He thought some way to
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: take some of the rumple from his trouser legs. He
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: looked back at the receptionist and coughed lightly. She finished
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: her letter at a leisurely's pace and finally looked up
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  Speaker 1: at him, her eyes cold. Well, I read your ad.
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: I'm looking for a job. I'd like to speak to
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: mister Randal. The girl's eyes narrowed, and she took him
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  Speaker 1: in in a rapid sweeping glance. His high pale forehead,
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  Speaker 1: the shock of mud blonde hair, the thin, deensitive face
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  Speaker 1: with the exaggerated lines of approaching middle age, the slightly
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  Speaker 1: misty blue eyes. It seemed to Tam that she stared
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: for a full minute, and he shifted uneasily, trying to
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  Speaker 1: meet the cold inspection and failing, finally settling his eyes
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: on her prim neatly manicured fingers. Her lip curled very slightly.
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: Mister Randal can't see you today, he's busy. Try again tomorrow.
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: She turned back to typing. A flat wave of defeat
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  Speaker 1: sprang up in his chest. The ad said to apply
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  Speaker 1: to day, the earlier the better. She sniffed indifferently and
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: pulled a long white sheet from the desk. Have you
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: filled out an application? No, you can't see mister Randal
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: without filling out an application. She pointed to a small
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: table across the room, and he felt her eyes on
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: his back as he shuffled over and sat down. He
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  Speaker 1: began filling out the application with great care, making the
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  Speaker 1: printing as neat as he could with the old style
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  Speaker 1: vacuum pen. Provided name, age, sex, race, nationality, planet where born,
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: pre revolt experience, post revolt experience, preference. Try as he would,
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: Tam couldn't keep the ancient pen from leaking, making an
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: unsightly blot near the center of the form. Finally, he
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: finished and handed the paper back to the girl at
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  Speaker 1: the desk. Then he sat back and waited. Another man
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: came in, filled out a form and waited too, shooting
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: Tam a black look across the room. In a few moments,
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  Speaker 1: the girl turned to the man, Robert Stover. Yah, the
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  Speaker 1: man said, lumbering to his feet, that's me, mister Randal,
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: will see you now. The man walked heavily across the
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: room disappeared into the back office. Tam eyed the clock uneasily,
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: still waiting. A Gary's picture on the wall caught his eyes.
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: A large, very poor oil pointrat of a very stout
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  Speaker 1: grain man dressed in a ridiculous green suit with a
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  Speaker 1: little white turban affair on the top of his head.
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  Speaker 1: Underneath was a little brass plaque with words Tam could
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  Speaker 1: barely make out, Abram L. Ferrell nineteen forty seven to
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  Speaker 1: nineteen eighty six, Founder and first President Marsport Mines Incorporated.
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: Unto such men as these, we look to leadership. Tam
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: stared at the pitcher, his lip curling slightly. He glanced
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: anxiously at the clock as another man was admitted into
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  Speaker 1: the small back office, then another man. Anger began creeping
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: into TAM's face, and he fought to keep the scowl
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: away to keep from showing his concern. The hands of
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  Speaker 1: the clock crept round and then around again. It was
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: almost noon. Not a very new dodge, Tam thought, coldly,
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: not very new at all. Finally, the small, cold flame
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  Speaker 1: of anger got the better of him, and he rose
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  Speaker 1: and walked over to the desk. I'm still here, he said, patiently.
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  Speaker 1: I'd like to see mister Randall. The girl stared at
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  Speaker 1: him indignantly and flipped an intercom switch that Peter's application
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  Speaker 1: is still out here, she said brittily. Do you want
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  Speaker 1: to see him or not? There was a moment of silence,
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: then the voice on the inter congraded, yes, I guess,
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  Speaker 1: so send him in. The office was smaller, immaculately neat
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: two visophone units hung on a switchboard at the man's elbow.
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  Speaker 1: TAM's eyes caught the familiar equipment, recognized the interplanetary power
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: coils on one. Then he turned his eyes to the
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  Speaker 1: man behind the desk. Now, then, what are you after,
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  Speaker 1: asked the man, settling his bulk down behind the desk,
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  Speaker 1: his eyes guarded, revealing a trace of boredom. Tam was
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  Speaker 1: suddenly bitterly ashamed of his shadowy appearance. The two days
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: stubble on his chin. He felt a daptness on his
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  Speaker 1: forehead and tried to muster some of the old power
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  Speaker 1: and determination into his voice. I need a job, he said.
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  Speaker 1: I've had plenty of experience with radio electronics and remote
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  Speaker 1: control power operations. I'd make a good mine operator. I
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  Speaker 1: can read, the man cut in sharply, gesturing toward the
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  Speaker 1: application with the ink blood in the middle. I read
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  Speaker 1: all about your experience, but I can't use you there
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  Speaker 1: aren't any more openings. TAM's ears went red. But you're
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: always advertising, he countered. You don't have to worry about
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  Speaker 1: me working on Mars either. I've worked on Mars before,
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  Speaker 1: and I can work six seven hours even without a
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  Speaker 1: mask or equipment. The man's eyebrows raged slightly. How very interesting,
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  Speaker 1: he said, flatly. The fact remains, there aren't any jobs
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  Speaker 1: open for you. The cold, angry flame flared up in
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  Speaker 1: TAM's throats, suddenly forcing out the sense of futility. And
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: defeat those other men, he said, sharply. I was here
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: before them. That girl wouldn't let me in. Randal's eyes
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: narrowed amusedly. What a pity, he said, sadly, And just
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  Speaker 1: think I hired every one of them. His face suddenly hardened,
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  Speaker 1: and he sat forward, his eyes glinting coldly. Get smart, beaters.
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  Speaker 1: I think the mars Port mines can somehow manage without you,
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  Speaker 1: You or any other sharky. The men just don't like
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  Speaker 1: to work with sharkis. Rage swelled up in TAM's chest, bitter,
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  Speaker 1: futile rage, beating at his temples and driving away all
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  Speaker 1: thought of caution. Look, he grated, bending over the desk, threateningly.
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  Speaker 1: I know the law of this system. There's a fair
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: Employment Act on the books. It says that men are
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  Speaker 1: to be hired by any company in order of application
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  Speaker 1: when they qualify equally in experience. I can prove my experience.
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: Randal stood up, his face twisted contemptuously. Get out of here,
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: he snarled, you've got nerve. You have come crawling in
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: here with your law. Where do you think you are?
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: His voice grated in the still air of the office.
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  Speaker 1: We don't hire sharkis law or no law? Get that now,
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  Speaker 1: get out of here. Tam turned, his ears burning and
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: strode through the office, blindly, kicking the open door and
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: almost running into the quiet air of the street outside.
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: The girl at the desk yawned and snickered and went
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: back to her typing with an unpleasant grin. Tam walked
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: the street block after block, see that feudal rage, swelling
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: up and bubbling over, curses rising to his lips, clipped
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  Speaker 1: off with some of the last vestige of self control.
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: At last, he turned into a small downtown bar and
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: sank wearily on to a stool near the door. The
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: anger was wearing down now to sort of an empty
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: hopeless weariness, dulling his senses, exaggerating the hunger in his stomach.
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: He had expected it, he told himself. He had known
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: what the answer would be, But he knew that he
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: had hoped against hope, against what he had known to
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: be the facts, hoped desperately that maybe someone would listen. Oh,
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: he knew the laws all right, but he had plenty
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: of time to see the courts in action. Unfair employment
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: was almost impossible to make stick under any circumstances, but
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: with the quartz rigged the way they were these days,
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: he sighed and drew out one of his last credit coins. Beer,
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: he muttered as the bar keep looked up. The bartender scowled,
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: his heavy set face a picture of fashionable distaste. Carefully,
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: he filled every other order at the bar. Then he
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: grudgingly set up a small beer, mostly foam, and flung
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: some small coin change down the bar before Tam. Tam
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: stared at the glass, the little proud flame of anger
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: flaring slowly. A fat man sitting near by stared at
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: him for a long moment, then took a long swell
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: of beer from his glass. Smarter, sharky, what ye drink
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  Speaker 1: your beer? In an get the hell out o here.
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: Tam stared fixedly at his glass, giving no indication of
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: having heard a word. The fat man stiffened a trifle,
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: swung around to face him. God, damn Sharki's too good
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: to talk to a guy, he snarled loudly. What's the matter, sharky,
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: ye deaf? TAM's hand trembled as he reached for the beer.
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: Took a short swallow, shrugging, he set the glass on
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  Speaker 1: the bar and got up from his stool. He walked out,
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: feeling many eyes on his back. He walked, Time became
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: a blur to a mind beaten down by constant rebuff.
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: He became conscious of the great weariness of mind and body.
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: In stink screamed for rest. Tam sat up, shaking his
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: head to clear it. He shivered from the chill of
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: the park, the cruel pressure of the bench. He pulled
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: up his collar and moved out into the street. Again.
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: There was one last chance. Cautiously, his mind skirted the idea,
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: picked it up, regarded it warily, then threw it down again.
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: He had promised himself never to consider it years before,
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: in the hot, angry days of the revolt. Even then,
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: he had some inkling of the shape of things, and
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: he had promised himself bitterly never to consider that last possibility. Still,
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: another night in the cold out of doors would kill him.
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: Suddenly he didn't care anymore, didn't care about promises, or
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: pride or anything else. He turned into a public telephone booth,
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: checked an address in the thick new Denver book he
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: knew he looked frightful as he stepped onto the elevator,
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: felt the cold eyes turn away from him in distaste.
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: Once he might have been mortified, felt the deep shame
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: creeping up his face, but he didn't care any longer.
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: He just stared ahead at the moving panel, avoiding the
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: cold eyes, until the fifth floor was called. The office
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: was halfway down the dark hallway. He saw the sign
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: on the door, dimly United Continents Bureau of Employment, and
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: down in small letters below Planetary Division David G. Hawk.
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: Tam felt the sinking feeling in his stomach and opened
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: the door apprehensively. It had been years since he had
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: seen Dave, long, years filled with violence and change. Those
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: years could change men, too, Tam thought fearfully. They could
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: even make the greatest men change. He remembered briefly his
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: promise to himself, made just after the revolt, never to
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: trade on past friendships, never to ask favors of those
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: men he had known before and befriended. With a wave
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: of warmth, the memory of those old days broke through,
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: Those days when he had roomed with David Hawk, the
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: long probing talks, the confidences, the deep rich knowledge that
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: they had shared each other's dreams and ideals, that they
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: had stood side by side for a common cause, though
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: they were such different men from such very different worlds.
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: Ideals had been cheap in those days. Talk easy. But
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: still Tam knew that Dave had been sincere a firm,
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: stout friend. He had known then the sincerity of the
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: big lad's quiet voice, felt the rebellious fire in his eyes.
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: They had understood each other then, deeply sympathetically, in spite
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: of the powerful barrier they sought to tear down. The
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: girl from the desk caught his eye, looked up from
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: her work without smiling. Yes, my name is Tam Peters.
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: I'd like to see mister Hawk. His voice was thin, reluctant,
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: reflecting overtones of the icy chill in his chest. So
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: much had happened since those long dead days. So many
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: things to make men change. The girl was grinning, her
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: face like a harsh mask. You're wasting your time, she said,
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: her voice brittle. Anger flooded TAM's face. Listen, he hissed.
• 16:12
  Speaker 1: I didn't ask for your advice. I asked to see
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: Dave Hawk. If you choose to announce me now, that's fine.
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: If you don't see fit, then I'll go in without
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: it and you won't stop me. The girl stiffened her eyes, angry.
• 16:25
  Speaker 1: You better not get smart, she snapped, watching him warily.
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: There are police in the building. You'd better not try anything,
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: or I'll call them. That's enough, miss Jackson. The girl
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: turned to the man in the office door, her eyes disdainful.
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: The man in the doorway a giant with curly black
• 16:42
  Speaker 1: hair above a high, intelligent forehead, dark brooding eyes gleaming
• 16:46
  Speaker 1: like live coals in a sensitive face. Tam looked at him,
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: and suddenly his knees would hardly support him. His voice
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: was a tight whisper, Dave. And then the huge man
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: was gripping his hand, a strong arm around his thin shoulders,
• 17:00
  Speaker 1: the dark, brooding eyes soft and smiling. Tam Tam, it's
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: been so damn long man. Oh, it's good to see you, Tam.
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: Why the last I heard you'd taken passage to the
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: rings years ago? Weekly Tam stumbled into the inner office
• 17:14
  Speaker 1: sank into a chair, his eyes overflowing, his mind a
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: turmoil of joy and relief. The huge man slammed the
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: door to the outer office and settled down behind the desk,
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: sticking his feet over the edge, beaming. Where have you been, Tam?
• 17:28
  Speaker 1: You promised you'd look me up any time you came
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: to New Denver, and I haven't seen you in a
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: dozen years. He fished in a lower drawer drink. No,
• 17:37
  Speaker 1: no thanks, I don't think I could handle a drink.
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: Tam sat back, gazing at the huge man, his throat tight.
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: You look bigger and better than ever, Dave, Dave Hawk laughed,
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: a deep bass laugh that seemed to start at the
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: soles of his feet. Couldn't very well look thin and whan,
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: he said. He pushed a cigar box across the desk. Here,
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: light up up, I'm on these exclusively these days. Remember
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: how you tried to get me to smoke them back
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: at the university. How you couldn't stand cigarettes said they
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: were for women. A man should smoke a good cigar.
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: You finally converted me. Tam grinned, suddenly, feeling the warmth
• 18:16
  Speaker 1: of the old friendship, swelling back. Yes, I remember you
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: were smoking that rotten corn cob then, because old Prof
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: Teney smoked one that you could smell in the back
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: of the room, and in those days the prof could
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: do no wrong. Dave Hawk grinned broadly, settled back in
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: his chair as he lit the cigar. Yes, I remember,
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: still got that corn cob around somewhere. He shook his head,
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: his eyes dreamy, good old Prof Tenley, one in a million.
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: There was an honest man, Tam. They don't have em
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: like that in the colleges these days. Wonder what happened
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: to the old goat He was killed, said Tam softly.
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: Just after the war, got caught in a revolt riot
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: and he was shot down. Dave looked at him, his
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: eyes suddenly sad. A lot of honest men went down
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: in those riots, didn't they. That was the worst part
• 19:07
  Speaker 1: of the revolt. There wasn't any provision made for the
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: honest men, the really good men. He stopped and regarded
• 19:14
  Speaker 1: Tam closely, what's the trouble, Tam. If you'd been going
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: to make a friendly call, you'd have done it years ago.
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: You know this office has always been open to you.
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: Tam stared at his shoe, carefully choosing his words, lining
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: them up in his mind, a frown creasing his forehead.
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: I'll lay it on the line, he said, in a
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: low voice. I'm in a spot. That passage to the
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: rings wasn't voluntary. I was shanghied on to a freighter
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: and had to work for eight years without pay to
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: get passage back. I'm broke and I'm hungry, and I
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: need to see a doctor. Well, hell, the big man exploded,
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: Why didn't you houler sooner? Look, Tam, we've been friends
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: for a long time. You know better than to hesitate.
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: He fished for his wallet. Here, I can let you
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: have his as much as you need. A couple hundred. No, no,
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: that's not what I'm getting at. Tam fell, his face
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: flushed with embarrassment. I need a job, Dave, I need
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: one bad. Dave sat back and his feet came off
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: the desk. Abruptly. He didn't look at Tam. I see,
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: he said, softly. A job. He stared at the ceiling
• 20:20
  Speaker 1: for a moment. Tell you what he said. The government's
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: opening a new uranium mine in a month or so.
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: Going to be a big project. They'll need lots of men.
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: On Mercury, TAM's eyes fell, a lump growing in his
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: throat Mercury. He repeated, Dully, why sure, Tam, good pay
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: chance for promotion. I'd be dead in six months. On Mercury,
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: TAM's eyes met Dave's, trying to conceal the pain. You
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: know that as well as I do, Dave. Dave looked away. Oh,
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: the docs don't know what they're talking about. You know
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: perfectly well that they do. I couldn't even stand Venus
• 20:56
  Speaker 1: very long. I need a job on Mars, Dave, or
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: on Earth, Yes, said Dave hawk sadly. I guess you're right.
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: He looks straight at Tam, his eyes sorrowful. The truth is,
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: I can't help you. I'd like to, but I can't.
• 21:11
  Speaker 1: There's nothing I can do. Tam stared, the pain of
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: disillusionment sweeping through him. Nothing you can do, he exploded,
• 21:20
  Speaker 1: But you're the director of this bureau. You know every
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: job open on every one of the planets. I know,
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: and I have to help them get filled. But I
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: can't make anyone hire Tam. I can send applicants and
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: recommendations till I'm blue in the face, but I can't
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: make a company higher. He paused, staring at Tam. Oh hell,
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: he snarled, suddenly, his face darkening. Let's face it, Tam.
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: They won't hire you. Nobody will hire you. You're a
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: sharky and that's all there is to it. They aren't
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: hiring sharkis, and there's nothing I can do to make them.
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: Tam sat back as if you'd been struck, the color
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: draining from his face. But the law, Dave, you know,
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: there's there's a law. They have to hire us if
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: we apply first and have the necessary qualifications. The big
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: man shrugged uneasily. Sure there's a law, but who's going
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: to enforce it. Tam looked at him, a desperate tightness
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: in his throat. You could enforce it, you could if
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: you wanted to. The big man stared at him for
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: a moment, then dropped his eyes looked down at the desk. Somehow,
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: this big body seemed smaller, less impressive. I can't do it, Tam,
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: I just can't. They'd have to listen to you. TAM's
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: face was eager. You've got enough power to put it
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: across the court. Would have to stick to the law.
• 22:37
  Speaker 1: I can't do it. Dave drew nervously on his cigar,
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: and the light in his eye seemed duller. Now, if
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: it were just me, I wouldn't hesitate a minute. But
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: I've got a wife, a family. I can't jeopardize them, Dave.
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: You know it would be the right thing, Oh, the
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: right thing. Be damned. I can't go out on the limb.
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: I tell you there's nothing I can do. I can
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: let you have money to tame as much as you need.
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: I could help you set up in business, maybe, or anything.
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: But I can't stick my neck out like that. Tam
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: sat stiffly, coldness seeping down into his legs. Deep in
• 23:11
  Speaker 1: his heart. He had known that this was what he
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: had dreaded, not the fear of rebuff, not the fear
• 23:16
  Speaker 1: of being snubbed unrecognized. Turned out that would have been
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: nothing compared to this change in the honest, forthright, fearless
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: Dave hawk that he had once known what's happened. Dave,
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: back in the old days, you would have leapt at
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: such a chance. I would have the shoe on the
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: other foot. Then we talked, Dave, don't you remember how
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: we talked? We were friends. You can't forget that. I
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: know you, I know what you believe, what you think.
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: How can you let yourself down? Dave? Hawk's eyes avoided
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: TAM's times have changed. Those were the good old days,
• 23:50
  Speaker 1: back when everybody was happy, almost everybody but me and
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: a few others. At least it looked that way to you.
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: But those days are gone. Her come back. This is
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: a reaction period, and the reaction is bitter. There isn't
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: any place for fighters now. The world is just the
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: way people want it, and nobody can change it. What
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: do you expect me to do? He stopped, His heavy
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: face contorted, a line of perspiration on his forehead. I
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: hate it, he said, finally, but my hands are tied.
• 24:22
  Speaker 1: I can't do anything. That's the way things are. But why,
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: Tam Peters was standing, eyes blazing, staring at the big
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: man behind the desk, the bitterness of long, weary ears
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: tearing into his voice, almost blinding him. Why is it
• 24:36
  Speaker 1: that the way things are? What have I done? Why
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: do we have this mess where a man isn't worth
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: any more than the color of his skin. Dave Hawk
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: slammed his fist on the desk and his voice roared
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: out of the close air of the office because it
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: was coming. He bellowed, it's been coming, and now it's here.
• 24:54
  Speaker 1: There's nothing on God's earth that can be done about it.
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: TAM's jaw sagged and he stared at the man behind
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: the desk. Dave, I think what you're saying, Dave. You
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: know right well what I'm saying. Dave Hawk roared, his
• 25:07
  Speaker 1: eyes burning bitterly. Oh, you have no idea how long
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: I've thought, the fight I've had with myself, the sacrifices
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: I've had to make. You weren't born like I was.
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: You weren't raised on the wrong side of the fence. Well,
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: there was an old, old Christmas story that I used
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: to read years ago before they burned the sharky books.
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: It was about an evil man who went through life cheating,
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: hating and hurting people, and when he died, he found
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: that every evil deed he had ever done had become
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: a link with a heavy iron chain, tied and shackled
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: to his waist, and he wore that chain he had
• 25:40
  Speaker 1: built up and he had to drag it and drag
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: it from one eternity to the next. His name was Marley. Remember, Dave,
• 25:48
  Speaker 1: you're not making any sense. Oh, yes, all kinds of sense,
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: Because you sharkies have a chain too. You started forging
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: it around your ankles back in the classical Middle Ages
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: of a Year by year, you build it up, link
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: by link, build it stronger, heavier. You could have stopped
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: at any time you chose, but you didn't ever think
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: of that. You spread over the world, building up your chain,
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: assuming that things would always be just the way they were,
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: just the way you wanted them to be. The big
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: Man stopped, breathing heavily, a sudden sadness creeping into his eyes,
• 26:23
  Speaker 1: his voice taking a softer tone. You were such fools,
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: he said softly. You waxed and grew strong and clever
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: and confident, and the more power you had, the more
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: you wanted. You fought wars, and then bigger and better wars,
• 26:37
  Speaker 1: until you couldn't be satisfied with gunpowder and tea and
• 26:40
  Speaker 1: tea any longer. And finally you divided your world into
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: two armed camps and brought fury out of her box,
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: fought with the power of the atoms themselves, you clever sharkies.
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: And when the dust settled and cooled off, there weren't
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: very many of you left, lots of us. It was
• 26:56
  Speaker 1: your war, remember, not very many of you. Of course.
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: There was a revolt then, and all the boxed up
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: driven in hatred and bloodshed boiled up over and over,
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: and you sharkies at long last got your chain tight
• 27:09
  Speaker 1: around your waists. You were a long long time building it,
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: and now you can wear it. TAM's face was chalky, Dave.
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: There were some of us, you know, there were many
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: of us that hated it as much as you did
• 27:22
  Speaker 1: before the revolt. Some of us fought, some of us
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: at least tried. The big Man nodded his head bitterly.
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: You thought you tried. Sure, it was the noble thing
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: to do, the romantic thing, the good thing to do,
• 27:36
  Speaker 1: But you didn't really believe it. I know, I thought
• 27:39
  Speaker 1: there was some hope back then, some chance to straighten
• 27:42
  Speaker 1: things out without a revolt. For a long time, I
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: thought that you and those like you really meant all
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: you were saying. I thought somehow we could find an
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: equal footing, an end to the hatred and bitterness. But
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: there wasn't any end, and you never really thought there
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: ever would be. That made it so safe it would
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: never succeed. So when things were quiet, it was a
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: nice idea to toy around with this equality for all,
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: a noble project that couldn't possibly succeed. But when things
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: got hot, it was a different matter. He stared at Tam,
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: his dark eyes brooding. Oh it wasn't just you, Tam.
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: You were my best friend, even though it was hopeless
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: feudal friendship. You tried, you did the best you could,
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: I know, but it just wasn't true, Tam. When it
• 28:28
  Speaker 1: came to the pinch, to a real jam, you'd have
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: been just like the rest. Basically, it was built up
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: in you, drummed into you until no amount of fighting
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: could ever scour it out. Dave Hawk stood up, walked
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: over to the window, staring out across the great city.
• 28:43
  Speaker 1: Tam watched him, the blood roaring in his ears, hardly
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: able to believe what he had heard from the big man,
• 28:49
  Speaker 1: fighting to keep his mind from sinking into total confusion. Somewhere,
• 28:54
  Speaker 1: a deep voice within him seemed to be struggling through
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: the confirmation, telling him that Dave Hawk was right, that
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: he really never had believed. Suddenly, Dave turned to him,
• 29:03
  Speaker 1: his dark eyes intense look Tam, He said, quickly, urgently,
• 29:08
  Speaker 1: there are jobs you can get. Go to Mercury for
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: a while, work the mines, not long, just for a
• 29:13
  Speaker 1: little while out there in the sun. Then you can
• 29:16
  Speaker 1: come back. TAM's ears burned, fierce, anger suddenly bursting in
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: his mind, a feeling of loathing. Never, he snapped, I
• 29:24
  Speaker 1: know what you mean. I don't do things that way.
• 29:26
  Speaker 1: That's a coward's way, and by god, I'm no coward.
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: But that would be so easy, Tam. Dave's eyes were pleading, Now, please,
• 29:35
  Speaker 1: TAM's eyes glinted, No, dice, I've got a better idea.
• 29:39
  Speaker 1: There's one thing I can do. It's not very nice,
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: but at least it's honest and square. I'm hungry. There's
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: one place where I can get food. Even sharkies get
• 29:47
  Speaker 1: food there, and a bed to sleep in, and books
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: to read, maybe even some sharky books, and maybe some
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: paper to write on. He stared at the big man oddly,
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: his pale eyes feverish. Yes, yes, there's one place I
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: can go and get plenty to eat and get away
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: from this eternal rottenness. Dave looked up at him, his
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: eye suspicious. Where do you mean prison, said Tam Peters. Oh,
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: now see here, let's not be ridiculous. Not so ridiculous,
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: snapped Tam, his eyes brighter. I figured it all out
• 30:19
  Speaker 1: before I came up here. I knew what you were
• 30:22
  Speaker 1: going to say. Sure, go to mercury, Tam, work in
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: the mines a while. Well, I can't do it that way,
• 30:28
  Speaker 1: and there's only one other answer, but Tam, Oh, it
• 30:32
  Speaker 1: wouldn't take much. You know how the courts handle sharkies.
• 30:35
  Speaker 1: Just a small offense to get me a few years,
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: then a couple of attempts to break out, and I'll
• 30:39
  Speaker 1: be in for life. I'm a shark. You remember, people
• 30:42
  Speaker 1: don't waste time with us. Tam. You're talking nonsense. Good
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: lord man, you have no freedom, no life. What freedom
• 30:50
  Speaker 1: do I have now, Tam snarled, his voice, growing wild.
• 30:53
  Speaker 1: Freedom to starve, freedom to crawl on my hands and
• 30:56
  Speaker 1: my knees for a little bit of food. I don't
• 30:59
  Speaker 1: want that kind of freedom. His eyes grew shrewd shifted
• 31:03
  Speaker 1: slightly to Dave Hawk's broad face. Just a simple charge,
• 31:06
  Speaker 1: he said, slowly, like as salt. For instance, criminal assault,
• 31:11
  Speaker 1: it has an ugly sound, doesn't it, Dave? That should
• 31:13
  Speaker 1: give me ten years his fists clinched at his side. Yes,
• 31:18
  Speaker 1: criminal assault is just what ought to do the trick.
• 31:21
  Speaker 1: The big man tried to dodge, but Tam was too quick.
• 31:24
  Speaker 1: His fist caught Dave in the chest, and Tam was
• 31:27
  Speaker 1: on him like fury, kicking, scratching, snarling, pounding. Dave choked
• 31:32
  Speaker 1: and cried out, Tam, for God's sake. Stop. A blow
• 31:36
  Speaker 1: caught him in the mouth, choking off his words. As
• 31:38
  Speaker 1: Tam fought, all the hate and bitterness of long, weary
• 31:41
  Speaker 1: ears translated into scratching, swearing, desperation. Dave pushed him off
• 31:45
  Speaker 1: like a bear, trying to disentangle the maddened dog from
• 31:48
  Speaker 1: his fur, but Tam was back at him, fighting harder.
• 31:51
  Speaker 1: The door opened and Miss Jackson's frightened face appeared briefly,
• 31:54
  Speaker 1: then vanished. Finally, Dave lifted a heavy fist, drove it
• 31:58
  Speaker 1: hard into TAM's stomach, and sadly lifted the choking, gasping
• 32:01
  Speaker 1: man to the floor. The police came in seconds later,
• 32:05
  Speaker 1: clubs drawn, eyes wide, they dragged Tam out, one on
• 32:09
  Speaker 1: each arm. Dave sank back, his eyes filling, a sickness
• 32:12
  Speaker 1: growing in the pit of his stomach. In court a shark,
• 32:15
  Speaker 1: he would draw the maximum sentence without leniency, ten years
• 32:19
  Speaker 1: in prison. Dave leaned forward, his face in his hands,
• 32:23
  Speaker 1: tears running down his black cheeks, sobs shaking his broad,
• 32:26
  Speaker 1: heavy shoulders. Why wouldn't he listen? Why couldn't he have
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: gone to mercury only a few months, not long enough
• 32:33
  Speaker 1: to hurt him. Why couldn't he have gone and worked
• 32:35
  Speaker 1: out in the sun, got that hot sun down on
• 32:38
  Speaker 1: his hands and face. Not for long, just for a
• 32:40
  Speaker 1: little while, two or three months, and he'd have been
• 32:43
  Speaker 1: dark enough to pass. End of Marley's Chain recording by
• 32:50
  Speaker 1: Kirk Sigler, ogged in Utah voice overs by Kirk dot
• 32:53
  Speaker 1: Com