Latest / 3 Science Fiction Stories by Frank Herbert / Ministry of Disturbance - H. Beam Piper

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Ministry of Disturbance - H. Beam Piper · 3 Science Fiction Stories by Frank Herbert

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  Speaker 1: Part one of Ministry of Disturbance. This is a LibriVox recording.
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  Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
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  Speaker 1: information nor to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
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  Speaker 1: by Phil Schinevert Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Ministry of Disturbance by H.
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  Speaker 1: Beam Piper. This story was first published in Astounding Science
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  Speaker 1: Fiction December nineteen fifty eight. Part one. The symphony was ending,
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  Speaker 1: the final triumphant Pean, soaring up and up and beyond
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  Speaker 1: the limit of audibility. For a moment after the last
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  Speaker 1: notes had gone away, Paul sat motionless, as though some
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: part of him had followed. Then he roused himself and
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  Speaker 1: finished his coffee and cigarette, looking out the wide window
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  Speaker 1: across the city below, treetops and towers, roofs and domes,
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  Speaker 1: and arching skyways, busy swarms of aircars glinting in the
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  Speaker 1: early sunlight. Not many people cared for Joucoello's music now,
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  Speaker 1: at least of all for the Eighth Symphony. It was
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  Speaker 1: the music of another time, a thousand years ago, when
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  Speaker 1: the Empire was blazing, it, being out of the long
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  Speaker 1: night and hammering back the neo barbarians from world after
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  Speaker 1: world today people found it perturbing. He smiled faintly at
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  Speaker 1: the vacant chair opposite him and lit another cigarette before
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  Speaker 1: putting the breakfast dishes on the serving robots tray, and
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  Speaker 1: after a while realized that the robot was still beside
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  Speaker 1: his chair waiting for dismissal. He gave it an instruction
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  Speaker 1: to summon the cleaning robots and sent it away. He
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  Speaker 1: could as easily have summoned them himself while at the
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  Speaker 1: guards who would be in checking the room do it
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  Speaker 1: for him. But maybe it made robot feel trusted and
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  Speaker 1: important to relay orders to other robots. Then he smiled,
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  Speaker 1: this time in self derision. A robot couldn't feel important
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  Speaker 1: or anything else. A robot was nothing but steel and
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  Speaker 1: plastic and magnetized tape and photo micropositronic circuits. Where's a
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  Speaker 1: man his imperial majesty? Paul the twenty second, for instance,
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  Speaker 1: was nothing but tissues and cells and colloids and electro
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  Speaker 1: neutronic circuits. There was a difference. Anybody knew that. The
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  Speaker 1: trouble was that he had never met anybody, which included physicists, biologists, psychologists, psionicists, philosophers,
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  Speaker 1: and theologians who could define the difference in satisfactorily exact terms.
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  Speaker 1: He watched the robot pivot on its treads and glide away,
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  Speaker 1: trailing steam from its coffee pot. It might be silly
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  Speaker 1: to treat robots like people, but that wasn't as bad
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  Speaker 1: as treating people like robots, an attitude which was becoming
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  Speaker 1: entirely too prevalent if only so many people didn't act
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  Speaker 1: like robots. He crossed to the elevator and stood in
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  Speaker 1: front of it until a tiny electro and cephalograph inside
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  Speaker 1: recognized his distinct brave wave pattern. Across the room, another
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  Speaker 1: door was popping open the response to the robot's distinctive
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  Speaker 1: wave pattern. He stepped inside and flipped a switch. There
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  Speaker 1: were still a few things around that had to be
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  Speaker 1: manually operated, and the door closed behind him, and the
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  Speaker 1: elevator gave him an instant weightlessness as it started to
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  Speaker 1: drop forty floors When it opened, Captain General Dorflay of
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  Speaker 1: the Household Guard was waiting for him with a captain
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  Speaker 1: and ten privates. General Dorflay was human. The captain and
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  Speaker 1: his ten soldiers weren't. They wore helmets and blazoned with
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  Speaker 1: the golden sun and superimposed black cog wheel of the empire,
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  Speaker 1: and red kilts and black ankle boots and weapons belts,
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  Speaker 1: and the captain had a narrow gold lace cape over
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  Speaker 1: his shoulders. But for the rest their bodies were covered
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  Speaker 1: with a stiff mat of black hair, and their faces
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  Speaker 1: were slightly like terriers. For all his humanity, Captain General
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  Speaker 1: Dorflay's face was.
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  Speaker 2: More like a bulldog's.
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  Speaker 1: They were heel men from the southern hemisphere of Thor
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  Speaker 1: and as a people they made excellent mercenaries. They were
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  Speaker 1: crack shots, brave and crafty fighters, totally uninterested in politics
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  Speaker 1: off their own planet, and because they had grown up
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  Speaker 1: in a patriarchal clan society, they were fanatically loyal to
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  Speaker 1: anybody whom they accepted as their chieftain. Paul stepped out
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  Speaker 1: and gave them an inclusive nod. Good morning, gentlemen, Good
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  Speaker 1: morning Urine, Imperial Majesty, General Dorflay said, bowing the couple
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  Speaker 1: of inches consistent with military dignity. The Thorign captain saluted
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  Speaker 1: by touching his forehead, his heart, which was on the
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  Speaker 1: right side, and the butt of his pistol. Paul complimented
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  Speaker 1: him on the smart appearance of his detail, and the
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  Speaker 1: Captain asked how it could be otherwise with the example
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  Speaker 1: and inspiration of his Imperial majesty. Compliment and response could
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  Speaker 1: have been a playback from every morning of the ten
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  Speaker 1: years of his reign. So could Dorflay's question, Your Majesty
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  Speaker 1: will proceed to his study. He wanted to say no
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  Speaker 1: to Nefflheim with it, Let's get an aircar and fly
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  Speaker 1: a million miles somewhere and watch the look of shocked
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  Speaker 1: incomprehension on the captain General's face. He couldn't do that,
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  Speaker 1: though poor old HARV Dorflay might have had a heart attack.
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  Speaker 1: He nodded slowly, you please. General Dorflay nodded to the
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  Speaker 1: thorign captain, who nodded to his men. Four of them
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  Speaker 1: took two paces forward, the rest unslinging weapons, went scurrying
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  Speaker 1: up the corridor, some posting themselves along the way, and
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  Speaker 1: the rest continuing to the main hallway. The captain and
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  Speaker 1: two of his bents started forward slowly. After they had
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  Speaker 1: gone twenty feet. Paul and General Dorflay fell in behind them,
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  Speaker 1: and the other two.
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  Speaker 2: Brought up the rear.
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  Speaker 1: Your Majesty, Dorflay said in a low voice. Let me
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  Speaker 1: beg you to be most cautious. I have just discovered
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  Speaker 1: that there exists they treeson us plot against your life.
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  Speaker 1: Paul nodded, doriflay was more than two to discover another
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  Speaker 1: treason us plot. It had been ten days since the
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  Speaker 1: last one. I believe you mentioned it general, something about
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: planting loose strothium ninety in the upholstery of the audience throne.
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  Speaker 1: Wasn't it before that somebody had been trying to smuggle
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  Speaker 1: a fusion bomb into the palace and a wine cask.
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  Speaker 1: And before that it was a booby trap in the elevator,
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  Speaker 1: And before that somebody was planning to build a submachine
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  Speaker 1: gun into the viewscreen in the study. And oh no,
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  Speaker 1: your majesty, that was well. The persons involved in that
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  Speaker 1: plot became alarmed and fled the planet before I could
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  Speaker 1: arrest them. This is something different, your majesty. I have
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  Speaker 1: learned that unauthorized alterations have been made on one of
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  Speaker 1: the cooking robots in your private kitchen, and I am
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  Speaker 1: positive that the object is to poison your majesty. They
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  Speaker 1: were turning into the main hallway between the rows of
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  Speaker 1: portraits of past emperors, Paul and Roderick, Paul and Roderick,
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  Speaker 1: alternating over and over on both walls. He felt a
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  Speaker 1: smile growing in his face and banished it. The robot
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  Speaker 1: for the meat sauces, wasn't it, he asked? Why, Yes,
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  Speaker 1: your majesty, I'm sorry, General, I should have warned you.
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  Speaker 1: Those alterations were made by roboticists from the Ministry of Security.
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  Speaker 1: They were installing an adaptation of a device used in
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  Speaker 1: the criminalistics lab to ensure more uniform measurements. They'd done
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  Speaker 1: that already for Prince Trevaan, the Minister, and he'd recommended
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  Speaker 1: it to me.
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  Speaker 2: That was a.
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  Speaker 1: Shame, spoiling poor Harv Dorflay's murder plot. It had been
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  Speaker 1: such a nice little plot too. He must have had
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  Speaker 1: a lot of fun inventing it. But a line had
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  Speaker 1: to be drawn somewhere. Let him turn the palace upside down,
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  Speaker 1: hunting for bombs, harassed ladies in waiting, whose lovers he
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  Speaker 1: suspected of being hired, assassins, hound musicians into whose instruments
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  Speaker 1: he imagined firearms had been built. The Emperor's private kitchen
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  Speaker 1: would have to be off limits. Doriflame, who had been
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  Speaker 1: looking cresfallen but relieved stopped short shocking breach of court etiquette,
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  Speaker 1: and was staring in horror, Your majesty. Prince Travan did
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  Speaker 1: that openly and with your consent. But your Majesty, I
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  Speaker 1: am convinced that it is Prince Travan himself who is
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  Speaker 1: the instigator of every one of these diabolical schemes. In
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  Speaker 1: the case of the elevator, I became suspicious of a
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  Speaker 1: man named Samil Ganner, one of Prince Travann's secret police agents.
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  Speaker 1: In the case of the gun and the viewscreen, it
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  Speaker 1: was a technician whose sister is a member of the
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  Speaker 1: household of Countess Yeersy, Prince Travann's mistress. In the case
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  Speaker 1: of the fish and bomb, the two Thorans and their
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  Speaker 1: captain had kept on for some distance before they had
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  Speaker 1: discovered that they were no longer being followed and were returning.
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  Speaker 1: He put his hand on General Dorflay's shoulder and urged
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  Speaker 1: him forward. Have you mentioned this to anybody? Not a word,
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  Speaker 1: your majesty. The court is so full of treachery that
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  Speaker 1: I can trust no one, and we must never warn
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  Speaker 1: the villain that he is suspected. Good say nothing to anybody.
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  Speaker 1: They had reached the door of the study. Now I
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  Speaker 1: think I'll be here until noon. If I leave earlier,
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  Speaker 1: I'll flash you a signal. He entered the big oval room,
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  Speaker 1: lighted from overhead by the great star map in the ceiling,
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  Speaker 1: and crossed to his desk with the few screens and
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  Speaker 1: reading screens and communication screens around it. And as he
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  Speaker 1: sat down, he cursed angrily, first at Harve Doorflay, and then,
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  Speaker 1: after a moment's reflection, at himself. He was the one
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  Speaker 1: to blame. He'd known Doriflay's paranoid condition for years. Have
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  Speaker 1: to do something about it. Any psychometic could certify him
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  Speaker 1: be no problem at all to have him put away,
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  Speaker 1: But be Black did if he'd do that. That was
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  Speaker 1: no way to repay loyalty, even insane loyalty. Well, he'd
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  Speaker 1: find a way. He lit a cigarette and leaned back,
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  Speaker 1: looking up at the glowing swirl of billions of billions
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  Speaker 1: of tiny lights in the ceiling. At least there were
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  Speaker 1: supposed to be billion of billions of them. He never
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  Speaker 1: counted them, and neither had any of the seventeen rod
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  Speaker 1: ricks and sixteen palls before him who had sat under them.
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  Speaker 1: His hand moved to a controlled button on his share arm,
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  Speaker 1: and a red patch roughly the shape of a pork
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  Speaker 1: shop appeared on the western side. That was the Empire.
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  Speaker 1: Every one of the thousand, three hundred and sixty five
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  Speaker 1: inhabited worlds, a trillion and a half intelligent beings, fourteen
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  Speaker 1: races fifteen if you counted the Zara Sustrian fuzzies who
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  Speaker 1: were almost able to qualify under the talk and build
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  Speaker 1: a fire rule. And that had been the Empire when
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  Speaker 1: Rod sixth had seen the map completed, and when Paul
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  Speaker 1: the second had built the palace, and when Stefan for
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  Speaker 1: the grandfather of Paul the First, had proclaimed Odin the
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  Speaker 1: imperial planet and escored the capital city. There had been
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  Speaker 1: some excuse for staying inside that patch of stars. Then
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  Speaker 1: a newly one empire must be consolidated within before it
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  Speaker 1: can safely be expanded, But that had been over eight
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  Speaker 1: centuries ago. He looked at the daily schedule, beautifully embossed
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: and neatly slipped under his desk glass luncheon on the
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  Speaker 1: south upper terrace with the Prime Minister and the bench
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  Speaker 1: of Imperial councilors. Yes, it was time for that again.
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  Speaker 1: That happened as inevitably and regularly as hard or Flay's
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  Speaker 1: murder plots. And in the afternoon a plenary session Cabinet
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  Speaker 1: and councilors. Was he going to have to endure the
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  Speaker 1: inch of councilors twice in the same day? Ah, then
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: the vexation was washed out of his face by a
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: spreading grin bench of counselors. That was the answer. Elevate
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  Speaker 1: hoor of door Fleay to the bench. That was what
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  Speaker 1: the bench was for, a gold plated dust spin for
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  Speaker 1: the disposal of super annuated dignitaries. He knew no harm there,
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  Speaker 1: and a touch of outright lunacy might enliven and even
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  Speaker 1: improve the bench. And in the evening a banquet and
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: a reception and ball in honor of his Majesty Ranulf,
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  Speaker 1: the fourteenth planetary King of dorn Dahal and first Citizen
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  Speaker 1: zurth Iago, people's manager in chief of and for the
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: planetary Commonwealth of aditya borgun day, two planetary chiefs of
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  Speaker 1: state in one big combination deal. He wondered what sort
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  Speaker 1: of prizes he had drawn this time, and closed his
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  Speaker 1: eyes trying to remember, of course, was one of the
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  Speaker 1: sword worlds settled by refugees from the losing side of
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: the System State's war in the time of the Old
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: Terran Federation, who had reappeared in galactic history a few
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: centuries later as the space Vikings. They all had monarchical
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  Speaker 1: and rather picturesque governments during All he seemed to recall
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  Speaker 1: was a sort of quasi feudalism about Aditya. He was
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  Speaker 1: less sure something unpleasant. He thought the titles of the
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  Speaker 1: government and his head were suggestive. He lit another cigarette
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  Speaker 1: and snapped on the reading screen to see what they
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  Speaker 1: had piled on to him this morning, and then swore
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: when a graft chart with jiggling red and blue and
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: green lines appeared, chort day two, everything happens at once.
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  Speaker 1: It was the interstellar trade situation chart from Economics. Red
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  Speaker 1: line for production, green line for exports, blue for imports,
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  Speaker 1: sectioned vertically for the tin viceroyalties and sub section for
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  Speaker 1: the prefectitures, and with the magnification and focused controls, he
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  Speaker 1: could even get data for individual planets. He didn't bother
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: at that, and wondered why he bothered with the charts
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  Speaker 1: at all.
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  Speaker 2: The stuff was at.
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  Speaker 1: Least twenty days behind date, and not uniformly so. Which
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  Speaker 1: accounted for much of the jiggling. It had been transmitted
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  Speaker 1: from planetary proconsulate to prefecture, and from prefecture to viceroyalty
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  Speaker 1: and from there to Odin, all by ship. A ship
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  Speaker 1: on hyperdrive could log l like years an hour, but
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: radio waves still had to travel one hundred and eighty
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: six thousand miles per second. The supplementary chart for the
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: past five centuries told the real story three perfectly level
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: and perfectly parallel lines. It was the same on all
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  Speaker 1: the other charts. Population fluctuating slightly at the moment, completely
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  Speaker 1: static for the past five centuries, a slight decrease in
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  Speaker 1: agriculture matched by an increase in synthetic food production, a
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: slight population movement toward the more urban planets and the
• 16:17
  Speaker 1: more densely populated centers. A trend downward in employment, non
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: working population increasing by about point zero zero one percent annually.
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: Not that they were building better robots, they were just
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: building them faster than they wore out. They all told
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: the same story. A stable economy, a static population, a
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  Speaker 1: peaceful and undisturbed empire eight centuries five at.
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  Speaker 2: Least of history.
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: Less tranquility. Well, that was what everybody wanted. Wasn't it.
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  Speaker 1: He flipped through the rest of the charts and began
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: getting summarized ministry reports. Economics had denied a request from
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: the mining Cortel to authorize operations on a couple of
• 17:01
  Speaker 1: uninhabited planets danger of local market gluts and over stimulation
• 17:06
  Speaker 1: of manufacturing. Permission granted to Robotics Cortel to requests from
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  Speaker 1: planetary government of Durandal for increase of serial export quotas
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: under consideration, they wouldn't want to turn that down while
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: King Runolf was here. Impulsively, he punched out a combination
• 17:26
  Speaker 1: on the communication screen and got Count Douglas, Minister of Economics.
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: Count Douglas had thinning red hair and a plump, agreeable
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: extrovert's face. He smiled and waited to be addressed. Sorry
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  Speaker 1: to bother your lordship, Paul greeted him. What's the story
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: on this export quota request from Durandahal. We have their
• 17:48
  Speaker 1: king here now. Think he's come to lobby for it.
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: Count Duglas chuckled, He's not doing anything about it himself.
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  Speaker 1: Have you met him yet, sir?
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  Speaker 2: Not yet?
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  Speaker 1: He used to be presented this evening. Well, when you
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: see him, I think the masculine pronoun is permissible. You'll
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: see what I mean, sir. It's this Lord Koreff, the Marshal.
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: He came here on business and had to bring the
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: king along for fear somebody else would grab him while
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: he was gone. The whole object of Jurandalli in politics,
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: as I understand it, is to get possession of the
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: person of the king.
• 18:26
  Speaker 2: Coref was on.
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  Speaker 1: My screen for half an hour.
• 18:29
  Speaker 2: I just got rid of him.
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: Planets pretty heavily agricultural. They had a couple of very
• 18:34
  Speaker 1: good crop years in a row, and now they have
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: grain running out their ears and they want to export
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: it and cash in. Well, can't let them do it,
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: your majesty. They're not suffering any hardships. They're just not
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: making as much money as they think they ought to.
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: If they start dumping their surplus into interstellar trade, they'll
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: cause all kinds of dislocations on other agricultural planets. That's
• 19:00
  Speaker 1: what our computers all say, And that, of course was gospel.
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: He nodded. Why don't they turn their surplus into whiskey?
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: Aged five or six years and had beyond the luxury
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: goods schedule, and they could sell it anywhere count Douglas's
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: eyes widened. I never thought of that, your majesty, just
• 19:23
  Speaker 1: to micro sec.
• 19:24
  Speaker 2: I want to make a note of that.
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: Pass it down as somebody who could deal with it.
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: That's a wonderful idea, your majesty. He finally got the
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: conversation to an end and went back to the reports. Security,
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: as usual, had a few items above the dead level
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: of bureaucratic procedure. The planetary king of Excalibur had been
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: assassinated by his brother and two nephews, all three of
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: whom are now fighting among themselves. As nobody had anything
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: to fight with except small arms and a few like Canon,
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: there would be no intervention. There had been intervention on Behemoth, however,
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: when a whole continent had tried to secede from the
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: planetary Republic and the Imperial Navy had been requested to
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: send a task force. That was all right in both cases,
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: no interference with anything that passed for a planetary government,
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: but only one sovereignty on any planet with nuclear weapons,
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: and only one supreme sovereignty in a galaxy with hyperdrive ships.
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: And there had been rioting on Amaterazu because of the
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: public indignation over a fraudulent election. He looked at that
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: in incredulous delight. Why here on Odin there hadn't been
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: an election in the past six centuries that hadn't been
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: utterly fraudulent. Nobody voted except the non workers, whose votes
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: were bought and sold wholesale by gangster bosses to pressure groups.
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: And no decent person would be caught within a hundred
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: yards of a polling place on an election he called
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: the Minister of Security. Prince Trevan was a man of
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: his own age. They had been classmates at the university,
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: but he looked older. His thin face was lined, and
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: his hair was almost completely white. He was at his
• 21:17
  Speaker 1: desk with the sun and cog wheel of the Empire
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: on the wall behind him, but on the breast of
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: his black tunic he wore the badge of his family,
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: a silver planet with three silver moons. Unlike Count Douglas,
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: he didn't wait.
• 21:32
  Speaker 2: To be spoken to.
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: Good morning, your majesty, Good morning, your highness. Sorry to
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: bother you. I just caught an interesting item in your report.
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: This business on Amadorazu. What sort of a planet is it?
• 21:47
  Speaker 2: Politically?
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: I don't seem to recall. End of Part one, Part
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: two of minist of Disturbance by H. Beam Piper. This
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Part two. Why
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: they have a republican government, Sir. A very complicated setup. Really,
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: it's a junk keep. When anything goes badly, they always
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: build something new into the government, but they never abolish anything.
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: They have a president, a premier, and an executive cabinet,
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: and a tricameral legislature and two complete and distinct judiciaries.
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: The Premier is always the presidential candidate getting the next
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: highest number of votes. In the present instance, the president,
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: who controls the planetary militia is accusing the Premier, who
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: controls the police, of fraud in the election of the
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: middle House of the legislature. Each is supported by the
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: judiciary he controls. Practically every citizen belongs either to the
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: militia or the police auxiliaries. I am looking forward to
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: further reports from Amadoratsu, he added dryly. I dare say
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: there'll be interesting. Send them to me in full and
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: red store them if you please, Prince Draan. He went
• 23:16
  Speaker 1: back to the reports the Ministry of Science and Technology
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: had sent up, a lengthy one. The only trouble with
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: it was that everything reported was duplication of work that
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: had been done centuries before. Well no, a doctor Dandrik
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: of the Physics Department of the Imperial University here in Ascard,
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: announced that a definite limit of accuracy in measuring the
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: velocity of accelerated subnucleonic particles had been established sixteen point
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: zero six seventy five four three three three time slight
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: speed that seemed to be typical. The frontiers of science
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: now were all decimal points. The Ministry of Education had
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: a little to offer. His scholarship was still active. At least.
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: He was reading about a new trove of source material
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: that had come to light on Uller from the sixth
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: century atomic era. When the door screen buzzed and flashed,
• 24:12
  Speaker 1: He lit it, and his son Roderick appeared in it
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: with snooks, the little red hound swarming excitedly in the
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: crown Prince's arms. The dog began barking at once, and
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: the boy called through the phone, good morning, father, Are
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: you busy? Oh, not at all. He pressed the release button.
• 24:31
  Speaker 2: Come on in.
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: Immediately, the little hound leaped out of the princely arms
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: and came dashing into the study and around the desk
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: jumping onto his lap. The boy followed more slowly, sitting
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: down in the desk's side chair and drawing his foot
• 24:48
  Speaker 1: up under him. Paul greeted Snooks. First, people can wait,
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: but for little dogs everything has to be right now,
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: and rummaged in a drawer until he found some wafers,
• 25:01
  Speaker 1: holding one for Snooks to nibble. Then he became aware
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: that his son was wearing leather shorts and tall buskins
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: going out somewhere. He asked a trifle enviously up in
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: the mountains for a picnic. Olva's going along and his
• 25:18
  Speaker 1: tutor and his esquire, and Olva's companion lady, and a
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: dozen thorign riflemen, of course, and they'd be in continuous
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: screen contact with the palace. That ought to be a
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: lot of fun. Did you get all your lessons done?
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: Physics and math and galacteography, rod Rick told him, and
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: Professor Gullissan's going to give me an Ova our history.
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: After lunch they talked about lessons and about the picnic.
• 25:45
  Speaker 1: Of course, Snooks was going on the picnic too. It
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: was evident, though, that rod Rick had something else on
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: his mind. After a while he came out with it. Father,
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: you know I've been a little afraid lately, he said, Well,
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: tell me about it. Son. It isn't anything about you
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: and Ova, is it. Rod was fourteen, the little princess
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: Ova thirteen. They would be marriageable in six years. As
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: far as anybody could tell. They were both quite happy
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: about the marriage, which had been arranged for them years ago.
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: Oh no, nothing like that. But OVA's sister and a
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: couple of others of Mother's ladies in waiting were to
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: a Pye medium, and the medium told them that there
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: were going to be changes, great and frightening changes, was
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: what she said. She didn't specify him, no, just that
• 26:40
  Speaker 1: great and frightening changes. But the only change of that
• 26:45
  Speaker 1: kind I can think of would be, well, something.
• 26:48
  Speaker 2: Happening to you. Snooks.
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: Having eaten three wafers, was trying to lick his ear.
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: He pushed the little dog back into his lap and
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: pummeled him gently with his left hand. You mustn't let
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: mediums gabble worry you, Sun. These PSI mediums have real powers,
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: but they can't turn them off and on like a
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: water tap. When they don't get anything, they don't like
• 27:12
  Speaker 1: to admit it, and they invent things always generalities like that,
• 27:17
  Speaker 1: never anything specific. I know all that the boy seemed offended,
• 27:22
  Speaker 1: as though somebody were explaining that his mother hadn't really
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: found him out in the rose garden. But they talked
• 27:29
  Speaker 1: about it to some of their friends, and it seemed
• 27:32
  Speaker 1: that other mediums are saying the same thing.
• 27:35
  Speaker 2: Father.
• 27:36
  Speaker 1: Do you remember when the haval Valley reactor blew up
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: all over Odin. The mediums had been talking about a
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: terrible accident for a month before that happened. I remember
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: that Harve Doorflay believed that somebody had been falsely informed
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: that the Emperor would visit the plant that day. These
• 27:57
  Speaker 1: great and frightening changes will probably turn out to be
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: a new fad in abstract sculpture. Any change frightens most people.
• 28:06
  Speaker 1: They talked more about mediums, and then about aircars and
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: aircar racing, and about the Emperor's Cup race that was
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: to be flown in a month. The communication screen began
• 28:17
  Speaker 1: flashing and buzzing, and after he had silenced it with
• 28:20
  Speaker 1: the busy button for the third time, Roderick said that
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: it was time for him to go, came around to
• 28:25
  Speaker 1: gather up snooks, and went out, saying that he'd be
• 28:28
  Speaker 1: home in time for the banquet. The screen began to
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: flash again as he went out. It was Prince Ganzay,
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: the Prime Minister. He looked as though he had a
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: persistent low level toothache, but that was his ordinary expression.
• 28:44
  Speaker 1: Sorry to bother, your majesty, it's about these chiefs of state.
• 28:49
  Speaker 1: Count god Van, the chamberlain, appealed to me, and I
• 28:52
  Speaker 1: feel I should ask your advice. It's the matter of precedence. Well,
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: we have a fixed rule on that which were arrived first?
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: Why the Atian, But it seems King Rondulf insists that
• 29:05
  Speaker 1: he's entitled to presidents, or rather his Lord Marshal does this.
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: Lord Kruf insists that his king is not going to
• 29:14
  Speaker 1: yield precedent to a commoner. Then he can go home
• 29:18
  Speaker 1: to Dorindahal. He felt himself growing angry. All the little
• 29:22
  Speaker 1: angers of the morning were focusing on one spot. He
• 29:26
  Speaker 1: forced the harshness out of his voice. That a court function,
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: somebody has to go first, and our rule is order
• 29:35
  Speaker 1: of arrival at the palace. That rule was established to
• 29:39
  Speaker 1: avoid violating the principle of equality to all civilized peoples
• 29:43
  Speaker 1: and all planetary governments. We're not going to set it
• 29:47
  Speaker 1: aside for the King of Durandah or anybody else. Prince
• 29:51
  Speaker 1: Ganzei nodded. Some of the toothache expression had gone out
• 29:55
  Speaker 1: of his face now that he had been relieved of
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: the decision. Of course, your majesty, he brightened a little.
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: Do you think we might compromise alternate the precedents? I
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: mean only if this first citizen Yago consents. If he does,
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: it would be a good idea. I'll talk to him, sir.
• 30:17
  Speaker 1: The toothache expression came back. Another thing, Your majesty. They've
• 30:22
  Speaker 1: both been invited to attend the plenary session this afternoon. Well,
• 30:27
  Speaker 1: no trouble there. They can enter by different doors and
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: sit in visitors boxes at opposite ends of the hall. Well, Sir,
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: I wasn't thinking of precedents. But this is to be
• 30:38
  Speaker 1: an elective session. New members to replace Prince Hovily of
• 30:42
  Speaker 1: Defense deceased and Count Frosc of Science and Technology elevated.
• 30:47
  Speaker 2: To the bench.
• 30:48
  Speaker 1: There seems to be some difference of opinion among some
• 30:52
  Speaker 1: of the ministers and counselors. It's very possible that the
• 30:55
  Speaker 1: session may degenerate into an outright controversy. Paul said, seriously,
• 31:02
  Speaker 1: I think though that our distinguished guests will see that
• 31:06
  Speaker 1: the empire can survive difference of opinion and even outright controversy.
• 31:11
  Speaker 1: But if you think it might have a bad effect,
• 31:13
  Speaker 1: why not postpone the election. Well, it's been postponed three
• 31:18
  Speaker 1: times already, sir, postpone it permanently advertised for bids on
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: two robot ministers, Defense and Science and Technology. If there
• 31:29
  Speaker 1: are is success, we can set up a project to
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: design a robot emperor. The Prime Minister's face actually twitched
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: and blanched at the blasphemy. Your Majesty is joking, he said,
• 31:42
  Speaker 1: as though he wanted to be reassured on the point. Unfortunately,
• 31:47
  Speaker 1: I am. If my job could be robotized, maybe I
• 31:51
  Speaker 1: could take my wife and son and our little dog
• 31:54
  Speaker 1: and go fishing for a while. But of course he couldn't.
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: There were only two alternatives, the empire or galactic anarchy.
• 32:06
  Speaker 1: The galaxy was too big to hold general elections, and
• 32:10
  Speaker 1: there had to be a supreme ruler and a positive
• 32:12
  Speaker 1: and automatic which meant hereditary means of succession.
• 32:17
  Speaker 2: Whose opinion seems.
• 32:18
  Speaker 1: To differ from whose? And about what?
• 32:20
  Speaker 2: He asked?
• 32:22
  Speaker 1: Well, Count Douglas and Count Tomson want to have the
• 32:26
  Speaker 1: Ministry of Science and Technology abolished and its functions and
• 32:31
  Speaker 1: personnel distributed. Count Douglas means to take over the technological
• 32:36
  Speaker 1: sections under Economics, and Count Tomson will take over the
• 32:40
  Speaker 1: science part under Education. The proposal is going to be
• 32:44
  Speaker 1: introduced at this session by Count Gilfred, the Minister of
• 32:47
  Speaker 1: Health Insanity. He hopes to get some of the bio
• 32:51
  Speaker 1: and psychoscience sections for his own ministry. That's right, Duclas
• 32:56
  Speaker 1: gets the hide, tom Soon gets the head and horn,
• 33:00
  Speaker 1: and everybody who hunts with them gets a cut of
• 33:02
  Speaker 1: the meat. That's good sound law of the chase. I'm
• 33:07
  Speaker 1: not in favor of it myself, Prince Gonzai at this session,
• 33:12
  Speaker 1: I wish you'd get Captain General Dorflay nominated for the bench.
• 33:16
  Speaker 1: I feel that it is about time to honor him
• 33:19
  Speaker 1: with elevation. General Dorflay, But why, your majesty, Great Galaxy
• 33:26
  Speaker 1: do you have to ask why? It's because the man's
• 33:29
  Speaker 1: a raving lunatic. He oughtn't even to be trusted with
• 33:33
  Speaker 1: a side arm, let alone five companies of arms soldiers.
• 33:37
  Speaker 1: Do you know what he told me this morning? That
• 33:40
  Speaker 1: somebody is training a nil Hogg swamp crawler to crawl
• 33:44
  Speaker 1: up the Octagon tower and bite you at breakfast, I suppose.
• 33:48
  Speaker 1: But hasn't that been going on for quite a while, sir?
• 33:51
  Speaker 1: It was a gimmick in one of the cooking robots.
• 33:54
  Speaker 1: But that's a side from the question. He's finally named
• 33:58
  Speaker 1: the mastermind behind all these nightmares.
• 34:01
  Speaker 2: Of his and who do you think it is? Yarn Trevan.
• 34:07
  Speaker 1: The Prime Minister's face grew graver than usual. Well, it
• 34:11
  Speaker 1: was something to look grave about some of these days,
• 34:16
  Speaker 1: your majesty. I couldn't possibly agree more about the general's
• 34:21
  Speaker 1: mental condition, but I really should say that crazy or not,
• 34:26
  Speaker 1: he is not alone in his suspicions of Prince Travan.
• 34:29
  Speaker 1: If sharing them makes me a lunatic to so be it,
• 34:33
  Speaker 1: but share them I do. Paul felt his eyebrows lift
• 34:37
  Speaker 1: in surprise. That's quite too much and too little, Prince Gonzi,
• 34:43
  Speaker 1: he said, Oh, with your permission, I'll elaborate. Don't think
• 34:47
  Speaker 1: that I suspect Prince Travan of any childish prank with elevators,
• 34:51
  Speaker 1: of use screens or cooking robots, the Prime Minister hastened
• 34:55
  Speaker 1: to disclaim, But I definitely do suspect him of treasonous
• 34:59
  Speaker 1: and ambitions. I suppose your Majesty knows that he is
• 35:05
  Speaker 1: the first Minister of Security in centuries who has assumed
• 35:10
  Speaker 1: personal control of both the planetary and municipal police instead
• 35:15
  Speaker 1: of delegating his ex officio powers. Your Majesty may not know, however,
• 35:22
  Speaker 1: of some of the peculiar uses he has been making
• 35:26
  Speaker 1: of those authorities. Does your Majesty know that he has
• 35:31
  Speaker 1: recruited the Security Guard up to at least ten times
• 35:35
  Speaker 1: the strength needed to meet any conceivable peace maintenance problem
• 35:39
  Speaker 1: on this planet? And that he has been piling up
• 35:43
  Speaker 1: huge quantities of heavy combat equipment guns up to two
• 35:47
  Speaker 1: hundred millimeter heavy contragravity, even gun cutters, and bomb and
• 35:52
  Speaker 1: rocket boats. And does your Majesty know that most of
• 35:57
  Speaker 1: this armament is masked within fifteen minutes flight time of
• 36:01
  Speaker 1: this palace, Or that Prince Trevan has at his disposal
• 36:06
  Speaker 1: from two and a half to three times in men
• 36:08
  Speaker 1: and firepower the combined strength of the planetary militia and
• 36:13
  Speaker 1: the Imperial Army on this planet. I know it has
• 36:18
  Speaker 1: my approval. He's trying to salvage some of the young
• 36:23
  Speaker 1: nun workers through exposing them to military discipline. Hey good,
• 36:28
  Speaker 1: many of them I believe have gone off planet on
• 36:30
  Speaker 1: their discharge from the s G and hired as mercenaries,
• 36:34
  Speaker 1: which is a far better profession than vote selling. Quite
• 36:39
  Speaker 1: a plausible explanation, Prince Travan is nothing if not plausible.
• 36:45
  Speaker 1: The Prime Minister agreed, and does your Majesty know that
• 36:51
  Speaker 1: because of repeated demands for support from the Ministry of Security,
• 36:56
  Speaker 1: the Imperial Navy has been scattered all over the Empire
• 37:00
  Speaker 1: and that there is not a naval craft bigger than
• 37:04
  Speaker 1: a scout vote within fifteen hundred light years of Odin.
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: That was absolutely true, Paul could only nod agreement. Prince
• 37:15
  Speaker 1: Gonzi continued, he has been doing some peculiar things as
• 37:21
  Speaker 1: police chief of Ascord two. For instance, there are two
• 37:26
  Speaker 1: powerful non workers voting block bosses, Big Mugie Blisko and
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: Ziko the Nose. I assure your Majesty that I am
• 37:35
  Speaker 1: not inventing these names. That's what the persons are actually called.
• 37:40
  Speaker 1: Who have been enjoying the favor and support of Prince Trevan.
• 37:45
  Speaker 1: On a number of occasions, their smaller rivals, leaders of
• 37:49
  Speaker 1: less important gangs, have been arrested, often on trumped up charges,
• 37:54
  Speaker 1: and held in communicado until either Mogi or Zeko could
• 37:58
  Speaker 1: move into their terror and annex their non worker followers.
• 38:04
  Speaker 1: These two block bosses are subsidized, respectfully by the steel
• 38:09
  Speaker 1: and ship building cartels and by the reaction products and
• 38:13
  Speaker 1: chemical cartels, but actually they are controlled by Prince Trevan.
• 38:20
  Speaker 1: They in turn control between them about seventy percent of
• 38:24
  Speaker 1: the non workers in Asgard. And you think this adds
• 38:28
  Speaker 1: up to a plot against the throne, a plot to
• 38:32
  Speaker 1: seize the throne, Your majesty, Oh calm, Prince Ansei.
• 38:37
  Speaker 2: You're talking like a doorflay. Hear me out, Your.
• 38:41
  Speaker 1: Majesty, His Imperial Highness is fourteen years old. It will
• 38:47
  Speaker 1: be eleven years before he will be legally able to
• 38:50
  Speaker 1: assume the powers of emperor. In the dreadful event of
• 38:54
  Speaker 1: your immediate death, it would mean a regency for that long.
• 38:59
  Speaker 1: Of course, your ministers and counselors would be the ones
• 39:03
  Speaker 1: to name the regent, but I know how they would vote,
• 39:06
  Speaker 1: with security bayonets at their throats, and regency might not
• 39:10
  Speaker 1: be the limit of Prince Travann's ambitions. In your own words,
• 39:15
  Speaker 1: quite plausible, Prince Gansey. It rests, however, on a very
• 39:21
  Speaker 1: questionable foundation. The assumption that Princess Travan is stupid enough
• 39:26
  Speaker 1: to want the throne. He had to terminate the conversation
• 39:31
  Speaker 1: himself and blank the screen. Victor Ganzi was still staring
• 39:37
  Speaker 1: at him in shocked incredulity when his image vanished. Victor
• 39:42
  Speaker 1: Ganzi could not imagine anybody not wanting the throne, not
• 39:48
  Speaker 1: even the man who had to sit on it. He
• 39:51
  Speaker 1: sat for a while looking at the Dorken's screen a
• 39:54
  Speaker 1: little worried. Victor Gansei had a much better intelligence service
• 39:59
  Speaker 1: than he had believed. He wondered how much gun say
• 40:03
  Speaker 1: that found out that he hadn't mentioned. Then he went
• 40:07
  Speaker 1: back to the reports he had gotten down to the
• 40:10
  Speaker 1: Ministry of Fine Arts when the communication screen began calling
• 40:14
  Speaker 1: attention to itself again. When he flipped the switch, a
• 40:18
  Speaker 1: woman smiled out of it at him. Her blonde hair
• 40:22
  Speaker 1: was rumbled and she wore a dressing gown. Her smile
• 40:26
  Speaker 1: brightened as his face appeared in her screen. Hi, she greeted, him,
• 40:32
  Speaker 1: High yourself, You just get up. She raised a hand
• 40:36
  Speaker 1: to cover a yawn. I'll bet you've been up raining
• 40:40
  Speaker 1: for hours. Were Rod and Snooks in to see you?
• 40:43
  Speaker 2: Yet?
• 40:44
  Speaker 1: He nodded. They just left Rod's going on a picnic
• 40:48
  Speaker 1: with Ova in the mountains. How long had it been
• 40:53
  Speaker 1: since he and Marris had been on a picnic, a
• 40:56
  Speaker 1: real picnic with less than fifty guards and as many
• 40:59
  Speaker 1: courtiers along. Do you have much raining to do this afternoon?
• 41:05
  Speaker 1: She grimaced, flower festivals. I have to make personal trid
• 41:09
  Speaker 1: appearances live with messages for the loving subjects three minutes
• 41:15
  Speaker 1: on and a two minute break between. I have forty
• 41:19
  Speaker 1: this afternoon. Uugh, well, have a good time, sweetheart. All
• 41:25
  Speaker 1: I have is lunch with the bench and then this
• 41:27
  Speaker 1: plenary session. He told her about Gonzi's fear about right controversy.
• 41:34
  Speaker 1: Oh fun, maybe somebody you'll pull somebody's whiskers or something.
• 41:40
  Speaker 1: I'm in on that too. He called indicator in front
• 41:44
  Speaker 1: of him began glowing with the code symbol of the
• 41:46
  Speaker 1: Minister of Security. We can always hope, can't we? Well,
• 41:52
  Speaker 1: y'rn Travan's trying to get me down. Don't keep him waiting.
• 41:57
  Speaker 1: Maybe I can see you before the session. She made
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: a kissing motion with her lips at him and blanked
• 42:03
  Speaker 1: the screen. He flipped the switch again, and Prince Trevan
• 42:09
  Speaker 1: was on the screen. The Security Minister didn't waste time
• 42:14
  Speaker 1: being sorry to bother him. End of Part two, Part
• 42:25
  Speaker 1: three of Ministry of Disturbance by H. Beam Piper. This
• 42:30
  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Part three, Your majesty.
• 42:36
  Speaker 1: Their reports just come in that there's a serious riot
• 42:39
  Speaker 1: at the university between five and ten thousand students are
• 42:43
  Speaker 1: attacking the administration center, lobbying stench bombs into it and
• 42:47
  Speaker 1: threatening to hang Chancellor Kine. They have already overwhelmed and
• 42:53
  Speaker 1: disarmed the campus police, and I've sent two companies of
• 42:56
  Speaker 1: the Gendarmes Riot Brigade under an officer I can trust
• 43:00
  Speaker 1: to handle things firmly but intelligently. We don't want any
• 43:04
  Speaker 1: indiscriminate stunning or tear gassing or shooting. All sorts of
• 43:09
  Speaker 1: people can have sons and daughters mixed up in a
• 43:11
  Speaker 1: student riot. Yes, I seem to recall student riots in
• 43:17
  Speaker 1: which the sons of his Late Highness Prince Travan and
• 43:20
  Speaker 1: his Late Majesty Roderick the twenty second were involved. He
• 43:25
  Speaker 1: deliberated the point for a moment and added, this scarcely
• 43:30
  Speaker 1: sounds like a frat fight or a panty raid. Though
• 43:33
  Speaker 1: what seems to have triggered it The story I got
• 43:37
  Speaker 1: a rather hysterical call for help from Kane himself, is
• 43:42
  Speaker 1: that they're protesting an action of his and dismissing a
• 43:45
  Speaker 1: faculty member. I have a couple of undercovers at the university,
• 43:50
  Speaker 1: and I'm trying to contact them. I sent more undercoverers
• 43:53
  Speaker 1: who could pass for students ahead of the gend arms
• 43:56
  Speaker 1: to get the students side of it and the names
• 43:58
  Speaker 1: of the ringleaders. He glanced down at the indicator in
• 44:03
  Speaker 1: front of him, which had begun to glow. If you'll
• 44:05
  Speaker 1: pardon me, sir, count Tomson's trying to get me. He
• 44:09
  Speaker 1: may have particulars. I'll call your majesty back. When I
• 44:12
  Speaker 1: learned anything more, there hadn't been anything like that at
• 44:16
  Speaker 1: the university within the memory of the oldest grad Chancellor Kane,
• 44:22
  Speaker 1: he knew was a stupid and arrogant old wind bag
• 44:25
  Speaker 1: with a swollen sense of his own importance. He made
• 44:29
  Speaker 1: a small bet with himself that the whole thing was
• 44:32
  Speaker 1: Kane's fault, But he wondered what lay behind it and
• 44:36
  Speaker 1: what would come out of it. Great plagues from little
• 44:39
  Speaker 1: microbes start great and frightening changes. The screen got itself
• 44:47
  Speaker 1: into an uproar and he flipped the switch. It was
• 44:51
  Speaker 1: Victor Ganzay again. He looked as though his permanent toothache
• 44:56
  Speaker 1: had deserted him for the moment. Sorry to bother, your majesty,
• 44:59
  Speaker 1: but it's all fixed up, he reported.
• 45:02
  Speaker 2: First.
• 45:02
  Speaker 1: Citizen Iago agreed to alternate in precedence with King Runulf,
• 45:07
  Speaker 1: and Lord Correff has withdrawn all his subjections. As far
• 45:11
  Speaker 1: as I can see at present, there should be no trouble. Fine,
• 45:17
  Speaker 1: I suppose you heard about the excitement at the university.
• 45:20
  Speaker 1: Oh yes, your majesty, disgraceful affair, simply shocking. What seems
• 45:27
  Speaker 1: to have started it?
• 45:28
  Speaker 2: Have you heard? He asked?
• 45:30
  Speaker 1: All I know is that the students who are protesting
• 45:34
  Speaker 1: the dismissal of a faculty member he must have been
• 45:38
  Speaker 1: exceptionally popular, or else he got a more than ordinary
• 45:42
  Speaker 1: raw deal from Kin. Well. As to that, sir, I
• 45:46
  Speaker 1: can't say. All I learned was that it was the
• 45:50
  Speaker 1: result of some faculty squabble in one of the science departments.
• 45:55
  Speaker 1: The grounds for the dismissal were in subordination and contempt
• 46:00
  Speaker 1: for authority. I always thought that when authority began inspiring contempt,
• 46:05
  Speaker 1: it had stopped being authority. Did you say science. This
• 46:11
  Speaker 1: isn't going to help Douglas and Thomson any I'm afraid not,
• 46:16
  Speaker 1: Your majesty, Gansehi didn't look particularly regretful. The news cartel's
• 46:22
  Speaker 1: gotten hold of it and.
• 46:22
  Speaker 2: Are using it. It'll be all over the empire.
• 46:26
  Speaker 1: He said that as though it meant something. Well, maybe
• 46:30
  Speaker 1: it did. A lot of ministers and almost all the
• 46:33
  Speaker 1: counselors spend most of their time worrying about what people
• 46:37
  Speaker 1: on planets like cheir Mash and Zarathustra and Ddri and
• 46:41
  Speaker 1: Quexicotl might think, in ignorance of the fact that interest
• 46:45
  Speaker 1: in Empire politics varied inversely as the squared of the
• 46:49
  Speaker 1: distance to Odin and the level of corruption and inefficiency
• 46:52
  Speaker 1: of the local government. I notice you'll be at the
• 46:56
  Speaker 1: bench luncheon. Do you think you could invite our guests
• 46:59
  Speaker 1: to We could have an informal presentation before it starts.
• 47:04
  Speaker 1: Can do good.
• 47:05
  Speaker 2: I'll be seeing you there.
• 47:07
  Speaker 1: When the screen was blanked, he returned to the reports,
• 47:11
  Speaker 1: ran them off hastily to make sure that nothing had
• 47:14
  Speaker 1: been read stored, and called a robot to clear the projector.
• 47:19
  Speaker 1: After a while, Prince Trevan called again, sorry to bother
• 47:23
  Speaker 1: your Majesty, but I have most of the facts on
• 47:26
  Speaker 1: the riot. Now. What happened was that Chancellor Kane sacked
• 47:31
  Speaker 1: a professor a physics department under circumstances which aroused resentment
• 47:37
  Speaker 1: among the science students. Some of them walked out of
• 47:40
  Speaker 1: the class and went to the stadium to hold a
• 47:43
  Speaker 1: protest meeting, and the thing snowballed until half the students
• 47:47
  Speaker 1: were in it. Cain lost his head and ordered the
• 47:50
  Speaker 1: campus police to clear the stadium.
• 47:53
  Speaker 2: These students rushed them and swamped them.
• 47:55
  Speaker 1: I hope for their sakes that none of my men
• 47:57
  Speaker 1: never let anything like that happen. The man I sent
• 48:01
  Speaker 1: a Colonel Hendersan managed to talk the students into going
• 48:05
  Speaker 1: back to the stadium and continuing the meeting under John
• 48:09
  Speaker 1: darme protection. Sounds like a good man, Very good, your Majesty,
• 48:14
  Speaker 1: especially in handling disturbances. I have complete confidence in him.
• 48:20
  Speaker 1: He's also investigating the background of the affair. I'll give
• 48:24
  Speaker 1: your Majesty what he's learned to date. It seems that
• 48:27
  Speaker 1: the head of the physics department, a Professor nels Dandrik,
• 48:34
  Speaker 1: had been conducting an experiment assisted by Professor clnn Fores,
• 48:39
  Speaker 1: to establish more accurately the velocity of subnucleonic particles made
• 48:44
  Speaker 1: of micropos. Does I believe Dandrik's story, as related to
• 48:49
  Speaker 1: Hendrussan by Cain, is that he reached a limit and
• 48:52
  Speaker 1: the apparatus began giving erratic results. Prince Trevan stopped to
• 48:57
  Speaker 1: light a cigarette. At this point, Professor Dandrik ordered the
• 49:01
  Speaker 1: experiment stopped, and Professor Farris insisted on continuing. When Dandrik
• 49:08
  Speaker 1: ordered the apparatus dismantled, Ferris became rather emotional about it,
• 49:13
  Speaker 1: obscenely abusive and threatening, according to Dandrik. Dandrik complained to kin.
• 49:19
  Speaker 1: Kin ordered Ferris to apologize. Ferris refused, and Kine dismissed Ferris.
• 49:25
  Speaker 1: Immediately the students went on strike. Ferris confirmed the whole story,
• 49:30
  Speaker 1: and he added one small detail that Dandrik hadn't seen
• 49:34
  Speaker 1: fit to mention. According to him, when these micropositos were
• 49:39
  Speaker 1: accelerated beyond sixteen and a fraction times light speed, they
• 49:44
  Speaker 1: began registering at the target before the source registered the emission. Yes,
• 49:49
  Speaker 1: I what did you say, Prince Trevine repeated it, slowly,
• 49:55
  Speaker 1: distinctly and tonelessly. That was what I thought you said. Well,
• 50:04
  Speaker 1: I'm going to insist on a complete investigation, including a
• 50:08
  Speaker 1: repetition of the experiment under direction of Professor Ferris. Yes,
• 50:14
  Speaker 1: your majesty, and when that happens, I mean to be
• 50:17
  Speaker 1: on hand personally if somebody is just before discovering time travel,
• 50:23
  Speaker 1: I think security has a very substantial interest in it.
• 50:28
  Speaker 1: The Prime Minister called back to confirm that first Citizen
• 50:32
  Speaker 1: Iago and King Ranulf would be at the luncheon. The Chamberlain,
• 50:37
  Speaker 1: Count Godvaan called with a long and dreary problem about
• 50:41
  Speaker 1: the protocol for the banquet. Finally, at noon he flashed
• 50:44
  Speaker 1: a signal for General Dorflay, waited five minutes and then
• 50:49
  Speaker 1: left his desk and went out to find the mad
• 50:52
  Speaker 1: General and his wire haired soldiers drawn up in the hall.
• 50:57
  Speaker 1: There were more thorns on the south upper terrorrus and
• 51:00
  Speaker 1: after a flurry of porting and presenting and ordering arms
• 51:04
  Speaker 1: and hand saluting, the Prime Minister advanced and escorted him
• 51:08
  Speaker 1: to where the bench of counselors, all thirty of them
• 51:11
  Speaker 1: total age close to twenty eight hundred years, were drawn
• 51:15
  Speaker 1: up in a rough crescent behind the three distinguished guests.
• 51:20
  Speaker 1: The King of Durindal wore a cloth of silver leotard
• 51:23
  Speaker 1: and pink tights, and a belt of gold links, on
• 51:26
  Speaker 1: which he carried a jeweled dagger only slightly thicker than
• 51:30
  Speaker 1: a knitting needle. He was slender and willowy, and he
• 51:34
  Speaker 1: had large and soulful eyes. And the royal beautician must
• 51:39
  Speaker 1: have worked on him for a couple of hours. Wait
• 51:43
  Speaker 1: till Mara sees this, Oh, brother.
• 51:48
  Speaker 2: Coraf.
• 51:49
  Speaker 1: The Lord Marshal wore what was probably the standard costume
• 51:53
  Speaker 1: of Durendal, a fairly long jerkin with short sleeves and
• 51:57
  Speaker 1: knee boots, and his stress dagger looked as though it
• 52:00
  Speaker 1: had been designed for use. Lord Koriff looked as though
• 52:05
  Speaker 1: he would be quite willing and able to use it.
• 52:08
  Speaker 1: He was fleshy and full faced, with hard muscles under
• 52:11
  Speaker 1: the flesh. First Citizen Iago, People's manager in chief of
• 52:17
  Speaker 1: and for the planetary Commonwealth of Aditya wore a one
• 52:22
  Speaker 1: piece white garment like a mechanic's coveralls, with the emblem
• 52:26
  Speaker 1: of his government and the numeral one on his breast.
• 52:30
  Speaker 1: He carried no dagger. If he had worn a dress weapon,
• 52:33
  Speaker 1: it would probably have been a slide rule. His head
• 52:37
  Speaker 1: was completely shaven, and he had small, pale eyes. And
• 52:41
  Speaker 1: a rat trap mouth. He was regarding the Durandilians with
• 52:46
  Speaker 1: a distaste that was all too evidently reciprocated. King Ranulf
• 52:51
  Speaker 1: appeared to have won the toss for first presentation. He
• 52:55
  Speaker 1: squeezed the imperial hand in both of his and looked
• 52:58
  Speaker 1: up adoringly as he preferrest his deep honor and pleasure.
• 53:03
  Speaker 1: Yago merely clasped both his hands in front of the
• 53:06
  Speaker 1: emblem on his chest and raised them quickly to the
• 53:09
  Speaker 1: level of his chin, saying, at the service of the
• 53:12
  Speaker 1: Imperial State, and adding, as though it hurt him, your
• 53:17
  Speaker 1: Imperial majesty. Not being a chief of state. Lord Korreff
• 53:23
  Speaker 1: came third, He merely shook hands and said, a great honor,
• 53:28
  Speaker 1: your Imperial Majesty, and the thanks both of myself and
• 53:32
  Speaker 1: my Royal Master for a most gracious reception. The attempt
• 53:38
  Speaker 1: to grant first place having failed, he was more than
• 53:42
  Speaker 1: willing to forget the whole subject. There was a chance
• 53:46
  Speaker 1: that finding a way to dispose of the grain surplus
• 53:49
  Speaker 1: might make the difference between his staying in power at
• 53:52
  Speaker 1: home or not. Fortunately, the three guests had already met
• 53:57
  Speaker 1: the Bench of Counselors immediately after the presentation of Lord Correff.
• 54:02
  Speaker 1: They all started the two hundred yards march to the
• 54:05
  Speaker 1: luncheon pavilion, the King of Dorndhal clinging to his left arm,
• 54:10
  Speaker 1: and first Citizen Iago stumping dourly on his right, with
• 54:14
  Speaker 1: Prince Ganzay beyond him, and Lord Carreff on Ranulf's left.
• 54:20
  Speaker 1: Do you plan to stay long on Odin, he asked
• 54:23
  Speaker 1: the king. Oh, I'd love to stay for simply months.
• 54:29
  Speaker 1: Everything is so wonderful here in escart It makes our
• 54:33
  Speaker 1: little capital of Roncesvau seem so utterly provincial. I'm going
• 54:38
  Speaker 1: to tell your majesty a secret. I'm going to see
• 54:42
  Speaker 1: if I can lure some of your wonderful ballet dancers
• 54:47
  Speaker 1: back to Dorrandhal with me. Aren't I a naughty raiding
• 54:51
  Speaker 1: your Imperial Majesty's theaters in keeping with the traditions of
• 54:56
  Speaker 1: your people.
• 54:57
  Speaker 2: He replied gravely.
• 54:58
  Speaker 1: You sword worlders, you used to raid everywhere you went.
• 55:02
  Speaker 1: I'm afraid those bad old days are long past your
• 55:05
  Speaker 1: Imperial Majesty, Lord Koroff said, But we sword Worlders got
• 55:11
  Speaker 1: around the galaxy for a while. In fact, I seemed
• 55:14
  Speaker 1: to remember reading that some of our brethren from Morglay
• 55:18
  Speaker 1: or Flamberg even occupied Aditya for a couple of centuries,
• 55:22
  Speaker 1: and not that you'd guessed to look at Aditya. Now
• 55:26
  Speaker 1: it was first Citizen Yago's turn to take precedence the
• 55:30
  Speaker 1: seat on the right of the throne chair. Lord Koreff
• 55:34
  Speaker 1: sat on Randolph's left, and to balance him, Prince Ganzei
• 55:39
  Speaker 1: sat beyond Iago and dutifully began inquiring of the people's
• 55:43
  Speaker 1: manager in chief about the structure of his government, launching
• 55:47
  Speaker 1: him on a monolog that promised to last at least
• 55:50
  Speaker 1: half the luncheon that left the King of Durandal to Paul.
• 55:55
  Speaker 1: For a start, he dropped a compliment on the cloth
• 55:57
  Speaker 1: of silver leotard. King Ranulph laughed, dulcetly brushed the garment
• 56:03
  Speaker 1: with his fingertips and said that it was just a
• 56:06
  Speaker 1: simple thing pattern after the Durandullian peasants costume. You have
• 56:12
  Speaker 1: peasants on Durandhal Oh, dear, yes, such quaint, charming people.
• 56:19
  Speaker 1: Of course, they're all poor, and they wear such funny
• 56:22
  Speaker 1: ragged clothes and travel about in raggety old aircars. I
• 56:27
  Speaker 1: ha'ds a wonder they don't fall a part of the air,
• 56:30
  Speaker 1: but they're so wonderfully happy and carefree. I often wish
• 56:35
  Speaker 1: I were one of them instead of king non working class,
• 56:40
  Speaker 1: Your Imperial Majesty, Lord Karif explained on Aditya. First Citizen
• 56:46
  Speaker 1: Iago declared, there are no classes, and on Aditya, everybody
• 56:52
  Speaker 1: works from each according to his ability to eat, accarding
• 56:56
  Speaker 1: to his need. On Aditya, an elderly council or four
• 57:02
  Speaker 1: places to the right of him said loudly to his neighbor.
• 57:05
  Speaker 1: They don't call them classes. They call them sociological categories,
• 57:10
  Speaker 1: and they have nineteen of them. And on Aditya, they
• 57:13
  Speaker 1: don't call them non workers. They call them occupational reservists,
• 57:18
  Speaker 1: and they have more of them than we do. But
• 57:22
  Speaker 1: of course I was born a king, Ranulph said, sadly
• 57:25
  Speaker 1: and nobly, I have.
• 57:27
  Speaker 2: A duty to my people.
• 57:30
  Speaker 1: No, they don't vote at all. Lord Koraff was telling
• 57:34
  Speaker 1: the councilor on his left on Durandal, you have to
• 57:37
  Speaker 1: pay taxes before you can vote.
• 57:40
  Speaker 2: On Aditya.
• 57:41
  Speaker 1: The crime of taxation does not exist, the first citizen
• 57:46
  Speaker 1: told the Prime Minister.
• 57:48
  Speaker 2: On Aditya.
• 57:49
  Speaker 1: The councilor four places down said to his neighbor, there's
• 57:52
  Speaker 1: nothing to tax. The state owns all the property, and
• 57:56
  Speaker 1: if the Imperial Constitution and the Space Navy left, the
• 58:00
  Speaker 1: state would own all the people too. Don't tell me
• 58:04
  Speaker 1: about Aditya. First big ship command I had with the
• 58:08
  Speaker 1: old Invictus three seventy four, and she was based on
• 58:11
  Speaker 1: Aditya for four years. And I soon have spent that
• 58:15
  Speaker 1: time in orbit around in Nifflheim. Now Paul remembered who
• 58:21
  Speaker 1: he was, old Admiral, now Prince Councilor Goklore. He and
• 58:27
  Speaker 1: Prince Councilor Dorflay would get along famously. The Lord Marshal
• 58:33
  Speaker 1: of Durendal was replying to some objection somebody had made
• 58:37
  Speaker 1: no nothing of the sort we hold of you, that
• 58:42
  Speaker 1: every civil or political right implies a civil or political obligation.
• 58:48
  Speaker 1: The citizen has a right to protection from the realm,
• 58:51
  Speaker 1: for instance, He therefore has the obligation to defend the realm,
• 58:56
  Speaker 1: and his right to participate in the government of the
• 58:58
  Speaker 1: realm includes is obligation to support the realm financially well.
• 59:04
  Speaker 1: We tax only property. If a non worker acquires taxable property,
• 59:09
  Speaker 1: he has to go to work to earn the taxes.
• 59:12
  Speaker 1: I might add that our noun workers are very careful
• 59:15
  Speaker 1: to avoid acquiring taxable property. But if they don't have
• 59:20
  Speaker 1: votes to sell, what do they live on? A councilor
• 59:24
  Speaker 1: asked in bewilderment. The nobility supports them, the landowners, the
• 59:29
  Speaker 1: trading barons, the industrial lords. The more non working adherents
• 59:35
  Speaker 1: they have, the greater their prestige, and the more rifles
• 59:39
  Speaker 1: they could muster when they quarrel with their fellow nobles.
• 59:41
  Speaker 1: Of course, besides, if we didn't do that, they turn
• 59:45
  Speaker 1: brigand and it costs less to support them than to
• 59:49
  Speaker 1: have to hunt them out of the brush and hang them.
• 59:52
  Speaker 1: On ADITYA, brigandage does not exist on Aditya. How the
• 59:58
  Speaker 1: brigands belong to the secret police. Only on Aditya. They
• 1:00:02
  Speaker 1: don't call them secret police. They call them servants of
• 1:00:06
  Speaker 1: the people. Nine category. A shadow passed quickly over the pavilion,
• 1:00:13
  Speaker 1: and then another. He glanced up quickly to see two
• 1:00:17
  Speaker 1: long black troop carriers emblazoned with the sun and cogwheel.
• 1:00:22
  Speaker 1: An armored fist of security passed back of the octagon
• 1:00:26
  Speaker 1: tower and let down on the north landing stage. A
• 1:00:30
  Speaker 1: third followed. He rose quickly, Please remain seated, gentlemen, and
• 1:00:35
  Speaker 1: continue with the luncheon. If you will excuse me for
• 1:00:37
  Speaker 1: a moment, I'll be back directly, I hope, he added mentally.
• 1:00:43
  Speaker 1: Captain General Dorfley, surrounded by a dozen officers Thorn and Human,
• 1:00:49
  Speaker 1: had arrived on the lower terrace at the base of
• 1:00:51
  Speaker 1: the Octagon Tower. They had a full Thorign rifle company
• 1:00:55
  Speaker 1: with them. As he went down to them, Dorflay hurried forward.
• 1:01:01
  Speaker 1: It has calm, your majesty, he said, as soon as
• 1:01:04
  Speaker 1: he could make himself heard without raising his voice. We
• 1:01:06
  Speaker 1: are all ready to die with your majesty. Oh I
• 1:01:11
  Speaker 1: doubt it'll come to that, horror, he said, But just
• 1:01:15
  Speaker 1: to be on the safe side, take that company and
• 1:01:18
  Speaker 1: the gentleman who are with you, and get up to
• 1:01:20
  Speaker 1: the mountains and join the Crown Prince and his party.
• 1:01:24
  Speaker 2: Here.
• 1:01:26
  Speaker 1: He took a note pad from his belt pouch and wrote, rapidly,
• 1:01:29
  Speaker 1: sealing the note and giving it to Doorflay. Give this
• 1:01:32
  Speaker 1: to his Highness and place yourself under his orders. I
• 1:01:37
  Speaker 1: know he's just a boy, but he has a good head.
• 1:01:40
  Speaker 1: Obey him exactly and everything, but under no circumstances return
• 1:01:44
  Speaker 1: to the palace or allow him to return until I
• 1:01:47
  Speaker 1: call you your majesty is ordering me away. The old
• 1:01:53
  Speaker 1: soldier was aghast an emperor who has a son can
• 1:01:58
  Speaker 1: be spared, and Emperor's son who was too young to marry.
• 1:02:02
  Speaker 2: Can't you know that.
• 1:02:06
  Speaker 1: R. Dorflay was only mad on one subject, and even
• 1:02:09
  Speaker 1: within the frame of his madness, he was intensely logical.
• 1:02:14
  Speaker 1: He nodded, yes, your majesty. We both serve the empire
• 1:02:18
  Speaker 1: as best we can, and I will guard the little
• 1:02:21
  Speaker 1: Princess Olva Tu. He grasped Paul's hand and said farewell,
• 1:02:27
  Speaker 1: your majesty, and dashed away, gathering his staff and the
• 1:02:31
  Speaker 1: company of Thorans as he went. In an instant they
• 1:02:35
  Speaker 1: had vanished down the nearest rampway. The Emperor watched their
• 1:02:40
  Speaker 1: departure and at the same time saw a big black
• 1:02:44
  Speaker 1: aircar burying the three mooned planet argent On Sable of
• 1:02:49
  Speaker 1: Trevaon let down onto the south landing stage, and another
• 1:02:53
  Speaker 1: troop carrier let down after it. Four men left the
• 1:02:57
  Speaker 1: aircar yorn Prince Trava and three officers in the black
• 1:03:02
  Speaker 1: of the security guard. Prince Gonzi had also left the table.
• 1:03:06
  Speaker 1: He came from one direction as Prince Travan advanced from
• 1:03:10
  Speaker 1: the other. They converged on the Emperor. What's happening here,
• 1:03:15
  Speaker 1: Prince Travan, Prince Gonzi demanded, why are you bringing all
• 1:03:19
  Speaker 1: these troops to the palace, Your majesty, Prince Travan said smoothly,
• 1:03:25
  Speaker 1: I trust that you will pardon this disturbance. I'm sure
• 1:03:29
  Speaker 1: nothing serious will happen, but I didn't dare take chances.
• 1:03:33
  Speaker 1: These students from the university are marching on the palace
• 1:03:37
  Speaker 1: perfectly peaceful and loyal procession. They're bringing a petition for
• 1:03:41
  Speaker 1: your majesty. But on the way, while passing through a
• 1:03:45
  Speaker 1: non workers district, they were attacked by a gang of
• 1:03:48
  Speaker 1: hooligans connected with a voting block boss called Nutchie the Knife.
• 1:03:53
  Speaker 1: None of these students were hurt, and Colonel Henderson got
• 1:03:57
  Speaker 1: the procession out of the district promptly and then dropped
• 1:04:01
  Speaker 1: some of his men, who have since been reinforced to
• 1:04:04
  Speaker 1: deal with the hooligans. That's still going on, and these
• 1:04:09
  Speaker 1: riots are like forest fires. You never know when they'll
• 1:04:12
  Speaker 1: shift and get out of control. I hope the men
• 1:04:14
  Speaker 1: I brought won't be needed here. Really, they're a reserve
• 1:04:18
  Speaker 1: for the riot work. I won't commit them though, until
• 1:04:21
  Speaker 1: I'm sure the palace is safe. End of Part three,
• 1:04:30
  Speaker 1: Part four of Ministry of Disturbance by H. Beam Piper.
• 1:04:36
  Speaker 1: This Lee Revox recording is in the public domain. Part four.
• 1:04:43
  Speaker 1: He nodded, Prince Travan, how soon do you estimate that
• 1:04:48
  Speaker 1: the stoodent procession will arrive here? He asked, They're coming
• 1:04:52
  Speaker 1: on foot, your majesty, I give them an hour at least. Well,
• 1:04:57
  Speaker 1: Prince Dravan, will you have one of your officers see
• 1:05:00
  Speaker 1: that the public address screen in front is ready. I
• 1:05:04
  Speaker 1: want to talk to them when they arrive. And meanwhile,
• 1:05:07
  Speaker 1: I'll want to talk to Chancellor Kine, Professor Dandrik, Professor Vares,
• 1:05:13
  Speaker 1: and Colonel Hendersen together and Count Tom soon too. Prince Ganzi,
• 1:05:19
  Speaker 1: will you please screen him and invite him here immediately now,
• 1:05:24
  Speaker 1: your majesty. At first, the Prime Minister was trying to
• 1:05:28
  Speaker 1: suppress a look of incredulity. Then he was trying to
• 1:05:32
  Speaker 1: keep from showing comprehension. Yes, your majesty. At once he
• 1:05:37
  Speaker 1: frowned slightly when he saw two of the security guard
• 1:05:40
  Speaker 1: officers salute Prince Dravan instead of the Emperor before going away.
• 1:05:46
  Speaker 1: Then he turned and hurried toward the Octagon Tower. The
• 1:05:50
  Speaker 1: officer who had gone to the Air Corps to use
• 1:05:53
  Speaker 1: the radio, returned and reported that Colonel Handrassan was bringing
• 1:05:58
  Speaker 1: the chancellor and both professors from the university in his
• 1:06:01
  Speaker 1: command car having anticipated that they would be wanted. Paul
• 1:06:06
  Speaker 1: nodded in pleasure. You have a good man there, Prince,
• 1:06:09
  Speaker 1: he said, keep an eye on him. I know it,
• 1:06:13
  Speaker 1: your majesty. To tell the truth, it was he who
• 1:06:16
  Speaker 1: organized this march, thought they'd be better employed coming here
• 1:06:20
  Speaker 1: to petition you than milling around the university getting into
• 1:06:23
  Speaker 1: further mischief. The other officer also returned, bringing a portable
• 1:06:28
  Speaker 1: view screen with him on a contragravity lifter. By this time,
• 1:06:33
  Speaker 1: the bench of councilors and the three off planet guests
• 1:06:36
  Speaker 1: had become anxious and left the luncheon pavilion in a body.
• 1:06:41
  Speaker 1: The councilors were looking about uneasily, noticing the black uniform
• 1:06:45
  Speaker 1: security guards who had left the troop carrier and were
• 1:06:48
  Speaker 1: taking positions by squads all around. The Emperor, First Citizen Iago,
• 1:06:54
  Speaker 1: and King Ranulf and Lord Koreff also seemed uneasy. They
• 1:07:00
  Speaker 1: were avoiding the proximity of Paul, as though he had
• 1:07:03
  Speaker 1: the green death. The view screen came on and in it.
• 1:07:08
  Speaker 1: The city, as seen from an aircar at two thousand feet,
• 1:07:12
  Speaker 1: spread out, with the Palace visible in the distance, the
• 1:07:15
  Speaker 1: golden pile of the Octagon tower jutting up from it.
• 1:07:19
  Speaker 1: The car carrying the pickup was behind the procession, which
• 1:07:23
  Speaker 1: was moving toward the palace along one of the broad skyways,
• 1:07:26
  Speaker 1: with genarmes and security guards leading, following and flanking. There
• 1:07:32
  Speaker 1: were a few imperial and planetary and school flags, but
• 1:07:36
  Speaker 1: none of the quantity made banners and placards which always
• 1:07:39
  Speaker 1: betray a planned demonstration. Prince Gonzi had been gone for
• 1:07:44
  Speaker 1: some time now.
• 1:07:46
  Speaker 2: When he returned, he drew.
• 1:07:47
  Speaker 1: Paul aside, Your majesty, he whispered softly. I tried to
• 1:07:53
  Speaker 1: summon army troops, but it'll be hours before any can
• 1:07:56
  Speaker 1: get here, and the militia can't be mobilized in anything
• 1:07:59
  Speaker 1: less than the day. There are only five thousand army
• 1:08:03
  Speaker 1: regulars on Odin now, anyhow, and half of them officers
• 1:08:07
  Speaker 1: and noncoms of skeleton regiments.
• 1:08:11
  Speaker 2: Like the Navy.
• 1:08:11
  Speaker 1: The army had been scattered all over the empire, on
• 1:08:15
  Speaker 1: Behemoth and Amida and Sipeptetec and a Starry and Jontaheim
• 1:08:21
  Speaker 1: in response to calls for support from security. Let's have
• 1:08:26
  Speaker 1: a look at this rioting Prince Trevan, one of the
• 1:08:29
  Speaker 1: less decrepit councilors, a retired general, said, I want to
• 1:08:34
  Speaker 1: see how your people are handling it. The officers who
• 1:08:38
  Speaker 1: had come with Prince Travan consulted briefly, and then got
• 1:08:42
  Speaker 1: another pickup on the screen. This must have been a
• 1:08:45
  Speaker 1: regular public pickup on the front of a tall building.
• 1:08:49
  Speaker 1: It was a couple of miles farther away. The palace
• 1:08:52
  Speaker 1: was visible only as a tiny glint from the Octagon tower.
• 1:08:56
  Speaker 1: On the skyline, half a dozen security aircars were darting,
• 1:09:00
  Speaker 1: about two of them, chasing a battered civilian vehicle and
• 1:09:04
  Speaker 1: firing at it. On rooftops and terraces and skyways, little
• 1:09:09
  Speaker 1: clumps of security guards were skirmishing, dodging from cover to cover,
• 1:09:14
  Speaker 1: and sometimes individuals or groups in civilian clothes fired back
• 1:09:18
  Speaker 1: at them. There was a surprising absence of casualties. Your majesty,
• 1:09:25
  Speaker 1: the old general hissed, and a scandalized whisper. That's nothing
• 1:09:29
  Speaker 1: but a big fake.
• 1:09:31
  Speaker 2: Look.
• 1:09:32
  Speaker 1: They're all firing blanks. The rifles hardly kick at all,
• 1:09:36
  Speaker 1: and there's too much smoke for propellant powder. I noticed
• 1:09:39
  Speaker 1: that this riot must have been carefully prepared long in advance.
• 1:09:46
  Speaker 1: Yet the student riot seemed to have been entirely spontaneous.
• 1:09:51
  Speaker 1: That puzzled him. He wished he knew just what Urn
• 1:09:55
  Speaker 1: Trevaan was up to. Just keep quiet about it, he advised.
• 1:10:01
  Speaker 1: More aircars were arriving, big and luxurious, emblazoned with the
• 1:10:06
  Speaker 1: arms of some of the most distinguished families in Ascard.
• 1:10:10
  Speaker 1: One of the first to let down bore the device
• 1:10:13
  Speaker 1: of Duclas, and from it the Minister of Economics, the
• 1:10:17
  Speaker 1: Minister of Education, and a couple of other ministers alighted.
• 1:10:21
  Speaker 1: Count Douglas went at once to Prince Trevan, drawing him
• 1:10:25
  Speaker 1: away from King Ranulf and Lord Corriff, and talking to
• 1:10:28
  Speaker 1: him rapidly and earnestly. Count Thompson approached a swift half run.
• 1:10:35
  Speaker 1: Save your majesty, he greeted, breathlessly, what's going.
• 1:10:38
  Speaker 2: On, sir?
• 1:10:39
  Speaker 1: We heard something about some petty brawl at the university
• 1:10:43
  Speaker 1: that Prince Ganzai had become alarmed about. But now there
• 1:10:47
  Speaker 1: seemed to be fighting all over the city. I never
• 1:10:49
  Speaker 1: saw anything like it on the way here. We had
• 1:10:52
  Speaker 1: to go up to ten thousand feet to get over
• 1:10:54
  Speaker 1: a battle, and there's a vast crowd on the avenue
• 1:10:58
  Speaker 1: of the orts. And he looked at the security guards,
• 1:11:01
  Speaker 1: Your majesty, just what is going on? Great and frightening changes.
• 1:11:07
  Speaker 1: Count tom soon started he must have been to a
• 1:11:11
  Speaker 1: psigh medium too, But I think the Empire is going
• 1:11:15
  Speaker 1: to survive them. There may even be a few improvements
• 1:11:19
  Speaker 1: before things are done. A blue uniformed gendarme officer approached
• 1:11:25
  Speaker 1: Prince Travan, drawing him away from Count Douglas and speaking
• 1:11:28
  Speaker 1: briefly to him. The Minister of Security nodded, then turned
• 1:11:33
  Speaker 1: back to the Minister of Economics. They talked for a
• 1:11:36
  Speaker 1: few moments longer, then clasped hands and Trevon left Douglas
• 1:11:41
  Speaker 1: with his face wreathed in smiles. The gendarme officer accompanied
• 1:11:46
  Speaker 1: him as he approached, Your majesty. This is Colonel Henderson,
• 1:11:51
  Speaker 1: the officer who handled the affair at the university, and
• 1:11:55
  Speaker 1: a very good piece of work, Colonel. He shook hands
• 1:11:58
  Speaker 1: with him. Don't be surprised if it's remembered. Next Honor's Day.
• 1:12:02
  Speaker 1: Did you bring Cain and the two professors? They're down
• 1:12:05
  Speaker 1: on the lower landing stage.
• 1:12:06
  Speaker 2: Your majesty.
• 1:12:07
  Speaker 1: We're delaying the students to give your majesty time to
• 1:12:10
  Speaker 1: talk to them. We'll see them now, my study will do.
• 1:12:16
  Speaker 1: The officer saluted and went away. He turned to Count Tomson.
• 1:12:22
  Speaker 1: That's why I asked Prince Gunzai to invite you here.
• 1:12:26
  Speaker 1: This thing's become too public to be ignored. Some sort
• 1:12:29
  Speaker 1: of action will have to be taken. I'm going to
• 1:12:32
  Speaker 1: talk to the students. I want to find out just
• 1:12:35
  Speaker 1: what happened before I commit myself to anything. Well, gentlemen,
• 1:12:40
  Speaker 1: let's go to my study. Count Tomshon looked around bewildered.
• 1:12:45
  Speaker 1: But I don't understand. He fell into step with Paul
• 1:12:50
  Speaker 1: and the Minister of Security. A squad of security guards fell.
• 1:12:54
  Speaker 2: In behind him.
• 1:12:56
  Speaker 1: I don't understand what's happening, he complained, And the Emperor
• 1:13:00
  Speaker 1: about to have his throne yanked out from under him,
• 1:13:04
  Speaker 1: and a minister about to stay a coupdetat taking time
• 1:13:07
  Speaker 1: out to settle a trifling academic squabble. One thing he
• 1:13:12
  Speaker 1: did understand, though, was that the Ministry of Education was
• 1:13:15
  Speaker 1: getting some very bad publicity at a time when it
• 1:13:19
  Speaker 1: could be least afforded. Prince Trevan was telling him about
• 1:13:24
  Speaker 1: the hooligan's attack on the marching students, and that worried
• 1:13:27
  Speaker 1: him even more. None working hooligans acted as voting bloc
• 1:13:32
  Speaker 1: bosses ordered. Voting block bosses acted on orders from the
• 1:13:37
  Speaker 1: political manipulators of cortels and pressure groups, and action downward
• 1:13:42
  Speaker 1: through the non workers was usually accompanied by action upward
• 1:13:46
  Speaker 1: through influences to which ministers were sensitive. There were a
• 1:13:50
  Speaker 1: dozen security guards in black tunics and as many household
• 1:13:54
  Speaker 1: thorigns in red kilts in the hall outside the study,
• 1:13:58
  Speaker 1: fraternizing amicably. They hurried apart and formed two ranks, and
• 1:14:03
  Speaker 1: the theign officer with him saluted. Going into the study,
• 1:14:08
  Speaker 1: he went to his desk. Count tom Son lit a
• 1:14:12
  Speaker 1: cigarette and puffed nervously and sat down as though he
• 1:14:15
  Speaker 1: were afraid the chair would collapse under him. Prince Travan
• 1:14:20
  Speaker 1: sank into another chair and relaxed, closing his eyes. There
• 1:14:25
  Speaker 1: was a bit of wafer on the floor by Paul's chair,
• 1:14:28
  Speaker 1: dropped by the little dog that morning. He stooped and
• 1:14:32
  Speaker 1: picked it up, laying it on his desk and sat
• 1:14:35
  Speaker 1: looking at it until the door screen flashed and buzzed.
• 1:14:38
  Speaker 1: Then he pressed the release button. Colonel Henderson ushered the
• 1:14:43
  Speaker 1: three university men in ahead of him, Caine with a florid,
• 1:14:47
  Speaker 1: arrogant face that showed worry under the arrogance. Dandrick, gray
• 1:14:52
  Speaker 1: haired and stoop shouldered, looking irritated, for Ess Young with
• 1:14:57
  Speaker 1: a scrubby red mustache, looking bellock. He greeted them collectively
• 1:15:03
  Speaker 1: and invited them to sit, and there was a brief,
• 1:15:05
  Speaker 1: uncomfortable silence which everyone expected him to break. Well, gentlemen,
• 1:15:11
  Speaker 1: he said, we want to get the facts about this
• 1:15:14
  Speaker 1: affair in some kind of order. I wish you'd tell
• 1:15:17
  Speaker 1: me as briefly and as completely as possible what.
• 1:15:21
  Speaker 2: You know about it.
• 1:15:23
  Speaker 1: There's the man who started it, Kane declared, pointing at
• 1:15:26
  Speaker 1: for Us. Professor for Us had nothing to do with it,
• 1:15:30
  Speaker 1: Colonel Henderson stated flatly, He and his wife were in
• 1:15:34
  Speaker 1: the apartment packing to move out when it started. Somebody
• 1:15:38
  Speaker 1: called him and told him about the fighting at the stadium,
• 1:15:41
  Speaker 1: and he went there at once to talk his students
• 1:15:43
  Speaker 1: into dispersing. By that time the situation was completely out
• 1:15:47
  Speaker 1: of hand.
• 1:15:48
  Speaker 2: He could do nothing with the students.
• 1:15:51
  Speaker 1: Well, I think we ought to find out, first of
• 1:15:53
  Speaker 1: all why Professor for Us was dismissed. Prince Travan said,
• 1:15:59
  Speaker 1: it will take a good deal to convince me that
• 1:16:01
  Speaker 1: any teacher able to inspire such loyalty in his students
• 1:16:05
  Speaker 1: is a bad teacher or deserves dismissal as I understand,
• 1:16:10
  Speaker 1: Paul said. The dismissal was the result of a disagreement
• 1:16:15
  Speaker 1: between Professor Fores and Professor Dandrik about an experiment on
• 1:16:19
  Speaker 1: which they were working. I believe an experiment to fix
• 1:16:23
  Speaker 1: more exactly the velocity of accelerated subnucleonic particles beta micropositos,
• 1:16:30
  Speaker 1: wasn't it Chancellor cain Caine looked at him in surprise,
• 1:16:35
  Speaker 1: Your majesty, I know nothing about that. Professor Dandrik is
• 1:16:38
  Speaker 1: head of the physics department. He came to me about
• 1:16:41
  Speaker 1: six months ago and told me that, in his opinion,
• 1:16:44
  Speaker 1: this experiment was desirable. I simply deferred to his judgment
• 1:16:49
  Speaker 1: and authorized it. Your Majesty has just stated the purpose
• 1:16:53
  Speaker 1: of the experiment. Dandrick said, for centuries there have been
• 1:16:57
  Speaker 1: in accuracies in mathematical des descriptions of sub nucleonic events,
• 1:17:03
  Speaker 1: and this experiment was undertaken in the hope of eliminating
• 1:17:07
  Speaker 1: these inaccuracies. He went into a lengthy mathematical explanation. Yes,
• 1:17:13
  Speaker 1: I understand that, professor, but just what was the actual
• 1:17:17
  Speaker 1: experiment in terms of physical operations. Dandrik looked helpless for
• 1:17:22
  Speaker 1: a moment. For us, who had been choking back a laugh, interrupted,
• 1:17:27
  Speaker 1: your majesty. We were using the big turbolinear accelerator to
• 1:17:33
  Speaker 1: project fast micropositos down an evacuated tube one kilometer in
• 1:17:38
  Speaker 1: length and clocking them with light, the velocity of which
• 1:17:41
  Speaker 1: has been established almost absolutely. I will say that with
• 1:17:46
  Speaker 1: respect to the light there were no observable inaccuracies at
• 1:17:50
  Speaker 1: any time, and until the micropositos were accelerated to sixteen
• 1:17:54
  Speaker 1: point zero six seven five four three three three three
• 1:17:58
  Speaker 1: and one third time times light speed, they registered much
• 1:18:02
  Speaker 1: as expected. Beyond that velocity, however, the target for the
• 1:18:07
  Speaker 1: micropositos began registering impacts before the source registered emission, although
• 1:18:14
  Speaker 1: the light target was still registering normally. I notified Professor
• 1:18:19
  Speaker 1: Dandrick about this, and you notified him. Wasn't he present
• 1:18:23
  Speaker 1: at the time, No, your majesty, Your majesty, I am
• 1:18:28
  Speaker 1: head of the physics department of the university. I have
• 1:18:32
  Speaker 1: too much administrative work to waste time on the technical
• 1:18:35
  Speaker 1: aspects of experiments like this, Dandrik interjected, I understand professor
• 1:18:41
  Speaker 1: Faress was actually performing the experiment. You told Professor Dandrik
• 1:18:46
  Speaker 1: what had happened with them? Why, your majesty. He simply
• 1:18:51
  Speaker 1: declared that the limit of accuracy had been reached and
• 1:18:54
  Speaker 1: ordered the experiment dropped. He then reported the highest reading
• 1:18:59
  Speaker 1: before this until diipation effect was observed as the newly
• 1:19:02
  Speaker 1: established limit of accuracy in measuring the velocity of accelerated micropositos,
• 1:19:08
  Speaker 1: and said nothing whatever in his report about the anticipation effect.
• 1:19:13
  Speaker 1: I read a summary of the report. Why, Professor Dandrik,
• 1:19:17
  Speaker 1: did you omit mentioning this slightly unusual effect?
• 1:19:21
  Speaker 2: Why?
• 1:19:22
  Speaker 1: Because the whole thing was utterly preposterous. That's why Dandrik barked,
• 1:19:27
  Speaker 1: and then hastily added, your imperial majesty, He turned and
• 1:19:31
  Speaker 1: glared at Esse. Professors do not glare at galactic emperors,
• 1:19:36
  Speaker 1: your majesty. The limit of accuracy had been reached. After that,
• 1:19:42
  Speaker 1: it was only to be expected that the apparatus would
• 1:19:44
  Speaker 1: give erratic reports. It might have been expected that the
• 1:19:49
  Speaker 1: apparatus would stop registering increased velocity relative to the light
• 1:19:54
  Speaker 1: speech standard, or that it would begin registering disproportionately, fores said,
• 1:20:00
  Speaker 1: But your majesty, I'll submit that it was not to
• 1:20:03
  Speaker 1: be expected that it would register impacts before emissions. And
• 1:20:08
  Speaker 1: I'll add this, after registering this slight apparent jump into
• 1:20:12
  Speaker 1: the future, there was no proportion increase in anticipation with
• 1:20:16
  Speaker 1: further increase in acceleration. I wanted to find out why.
• 1:20:22
  Speaker 1: But when Professor Dandrix saw what was happening, he became
• 1:20:25
  Speaker 1: almost hysterical and ordered the accelerator shut down, as though
• 1:20:29
  Speaker 1: he were afraid it would blow up in his face.
• 1:20:33
  Speaker 1: I think it has blown up in his face, Prince
• 1:20:36
  Speaker 1: Travan said quietly, Professor, have you any theory or supposition,
• 1:20:41
  Speaker 1: or even any wild guess as to how this anticipation
• 1:20:45
  Speaker 1: effect occurs? Yes, your Highness, I suspect that the apparent
• 1:20:51
  Speaker 1: anticipation is simply an observational illusion, similar to the illusion
• 1:20:56
  Speaker 1: of time reversal experienced when it was first observed, though
• 1:20:59
  Speaker 1: not realized, that positrons sometimes succeeded light speed. Why, that's
• 1:21:05
  Speaker 1: what I've been saying all along, Dandrik broke in. The
• 1:21:09
  Speaker 1: whole thing is an illusion to having reached the limit
• 1:21:14
  Speaker 1: of observational accuracy. I understand Professor Dandrik go on, Professor Fors,
• 1:21:21
  Speaker 1: I think that beyond sixteen point zero six seven five
• 1:21:25
  Speaker 1: four three three three three and one third times light speed,
• 1:21:29
  Speaker 1: the micropositos ceased to have any velocity at all, velocity
• 1:21:34
  Speaker 1: being defined as rate of motion in four dimensional space time.
• 1:21:39
  Speaker 1: I believe they moved through the three spatial dimensions without
• 1:21:43
  Speaker 1: moving at all. In the fourth temporal dimension. They made
• 1:21:48
  Speaker 1: that kilometer from source to target, literally in nothing flat instantaneity.
• 1:21:55
  Speaker 1: That must have been the first time he had actually
• 1:21:58
  Speaker 1: come out and said it. Dandrik jumped to his feet
• 1:22:01
  Speaker 1: with a cry that was just short of being a shriek.
• 1:22:05
  Speaker 1: He's crazy, your majesty. You mustn't. That is well, I mean, please,
• 1:22:11
  Speaker 1: your majesty, don't listen to him. He doesn't know what
• 1:22:14
  Speaker 1: he's saying. He's raving. He knows perfectly well what he's saying,
• 1:22:19
  Speaker 1: and it probably scares him more than it does you.
• 1:22:23
  Speaker 1: The difference is that he's willing to face it and
• 1:22:25
  Speaker 1: you aren't. The difference was that for us was a
• 1:22:30
  Speaker 1: scientist and Dandrik was a science teacher. To for us,
• 1:22:35
  Speaker 1: a new door had opened, the first new door in
• 1:22:38
  Speaker 1: eight hundred years to Dandrik. It threatened in validation of
• 1:22:44
  Speaker 1: everything he had taught since the morning he had opened
• 1:22:47
  Speaker 1: his first class. He could no longer say to his pupils,
• 1:22:52
  Speaker 1: you are here to learn from me. He would have
• 1:22:55
  Speaker 1: to say, more humbly, we are here to learn from
• 1:22:59
  Speaker 1: the universe. It had happened so many times before too.
• 1:23:04
  Speaker 1: The comfortable and established universe had fitted all the known facts,
• 1:23:09
  Speaker 1: and then new facts had been learned that wouldn't fit it.
• 1:23:13
  Speaker 1: The third planet of the Sol System had once been
• 1:23:16
  Speaker 1: the center of the universe, and then Terror and Saul
• 1:23:20
  Speaker 1: and even the galaxy had been forced to abdicate centricity.
• 1:23:25
  Speaker 1: The atom had been indivisible until somebody divided it. There
• 1:23:31
  Speaker 1: had been intangible substance that had permeated the universe because
• 1:23:36
  Speaker 1: it had been necessary for the transmission of light, until
• 1:23:40
  Speaker 1: it was demonstrated to be unnecessary and none existent. And
• 1:23:45
  Speaker 1: the speed of light had been the ultimate velocity once
• 1:23:49
  Speaker 1: and could be exceeded no more than an atom could
• 1:23:52
  Speaker 1: be divided, and light speed had been constant regardless of
• 1:23:56
  Speaker 1: distance from source, and the universe to explain certain absurd
• 1:24:00
  Speaker 1: phenomena had been believed to be expanding simultaneously in all
• 1:24:05
  Speaker 1: directions and the thing that had happened in psychology when
• 1:24:10
  Speaker 1: PSI phenomena had become too obvious to be shrugged away.
• 1:24:14
  Speaker 1: And then when doctor Dendrick ordered you to drop this experiment,
• 1:24:18
  Speaker 1: just when it was becoming interesting, you refused, Your majesty,
• 1:24:22
  Speaker 1: I couldn't stop not then, but doctor Dandrick ordered the
• 1:24:26
  Speaker 1: apparatus dismantled and scrapped, and I'm afraid I lost my
• 1:24:30
  Speaker 1: head told him to punch his silly old face in
• 1:24:34
  Speaker 1: for one thing, you admit that, Chancellor Kaine cried. I
• 1:24:40
  Speaker 1: think you showed admirable self restraint in not doing it.
• 1:24:43
  Speaker 1: Did you explain to Chancellor Kine the importance of this experiment?
• 1:24:48
  Speaker 1: I tried to your majesty, but he simply wouldn't listen.
• 1:24:51
  Speaker 1: But your Majesty, Caine expostulated. Professor Dendrick is head of
• 1:24:58
  Speaker 1: the department and one of the foremost physicists of the Empire.
• 1:25:02
  Speaker 1: And this young man is only one of the junior
• 1:25:05
  Speaker 1: assistant professors, isn't even a full professor. And he got
• 1:25:09
  Speaker 1: his degree from some school away off planet, University of
• 1:25:13
  Speaker 1: Brannerton on Gimli. Were you a pupil of Professor Vaughan Evrott.
• 1:25:18
  Speaker 1: Prince Travon asked sharply, why yes, sir, I ah, no
• 1:25:23
  Speaker 1: wonder Dandrik crowed, your majesty, that man's an out and
• 1:25:29
  Speaker 1: out charlatan. He was kicked out of the university here
• 1:25:33
  Speaker 1: ten years ago, and I'm surprised he could even get
• 1:25:36
  Speaker 1: on the faculty of a school like Brannerton on a
• 1:25:39
  Speaker 1: planet like a Gimli. Why you stupid old fool for.
• 1:25:44
  Speaker 2: Es yelled at him.
• 1:25:46
  Speaker 1: You aren't enough of a physicist to all robots in
• 1:25:49
  Speaker 1: von Everett's lab there, your majesty, Kine said, you see
• 1:25:55
  Speaker 1: how much respect for authority this hooligan has on adit
• 1:25:59
  Speaker 1: you such would be unthinkable on ADITYA. Everybody respects authority,
• 1:26:04
  Speaker 1: whether it's respectable or not. Count Tomson laughed, and he
• 1:26:10
  Speaker 1: realized that he must have spoken aloud. Nobody else seemed
• 1:26:14
  Speaker 1: to have gotten the joke. Well, how about the riot now,
• 1:26:17
  Speaker 1: he asked? Who started that? Colonel Hunderson made an investigation
• 1:26:22
  Speaker 1: on the spot. Prince Trevan said, may I suggest that
• 1:26:26
  Speaker 1: we hear his report? Yes, indeed, Colonel end of Part four,
• 1:26:39
  Speaker 1: Part five of Ministry of Disturbance by h Beam Piper.
• 1:26:44
  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Part five
• 1:26:50
  Speaker 1: Hundressan rose and stood with his hands behind his back,
• 1:26:54
  Speaker 1: looking fixedly at the wall behind the desk, Your majesty.
• 1:26:59
  Speaker 1: The students of Professor Faress's Advanced Subnuclear Physics class postgraduate students,
• 1:27:05
  Speaker 1: all of them, were told of Professor Faress's dismissal by
• 1:27:09
  Speaker 1: a faculty member who had taken over the class this morning.
• 1:27:14
  Speaker 1: They all got up and walked out in a body
• 1:27:16
  Speaker 1: and gathered outdoors on the campus to discuss the matter.
• 1:27:20
  Speaker 1: At the next class break, they were joined by other
• 1:27:23
  Speaker 1: science students and they went into the stadium, where they
• 1:27:27
  Speaker 1: were joined half an hour later by more students who
• 1:27:30
  Speaker 1: had learned of the dismissal in the meantime. At no
• 1:27:33
  Speaker 1: time was the gathering disorderly. The stadium is covered by
• 1:27:37
  Speaker 1: a viewscreen pickup which is fitted with a recording device.
• 1:27:41
  Speaker 1: There is a complete audio visual of the whole thing,
• 1:27:44
  Speaker 1: including the attack on them by the campus police. The
• 1:27:48
  Speaker 1: attack was ordered by Chancellor Kine at about eleven hundred.
• 1:27:53
  Speaker 1: The chief of the campus police was told to clear
• 1:27:55
  Speaker 1: the stadium, and when he asked if he was to
• 1:27:58
  Speaker 1: use force, Chancellor told him to use anything he wanted.
• 1:28:02
  Speaker 1: To I did not. I told him to get the
• 1:28:06
  Speaker 1: students out of the stadium. But the chief of campus
• 1:28:09
  Speaker 1: police carries a personal wire recorder, Andresson said in his
• 1:28:14
  Speaker 1: flat monotone, he has a recording of the order in
• 1:28:17
  Speaker 1: Chancellor Kine's own voice. I heard it myself. The police,
• 1:28:22
  Speaker 1: he continued, first tried to use gas, but the wind
• 1:28:25
  Speaker 1: was against them. Then they tried to use sono stunners,
• 1:28:29
  Speaker 1: but the students rushed them and overwhelm them. If your
• 1:28:33
  Speaker 1: Majesty will permit a personal opinion, while I do not
• 1:28:36
  Speaker 1: sympathize with their subsequent attack on the administration center, they
• 1:28:41
  Speaker 1: were entirely within their rights in defending themselves in the stadium,
• 1:28:45
  Speaker 1: and it's hard enough to stop trained and disciplined troops
• 1:28:48
  Speaker 1: when they are winning. After defeating the police, they simply
• 1:28:51
  Speaker 1: went on by what might be called the momentum of victory.
• 1:28:56
  Speaker 1: Then you'd say that it's positively established that the students
• 1:29:00
  Speaker 1: were behaving in a peaceable and orderly manner in the
• 1:29:03
  Speaker 1: stadium when they were attacked, and that Chancellor Kane ordered
• 1:29:07
  Speaker 1: the attack. Personally, I would emphatically, your majesty, I think
• 1:29:13
  Speaker 1: we've done enough here, gentlemen. He turned to Count Tomson,
• 1:29:17
  Speaker 1: this is jointly the affair of education and security. I
• 1:29:21
  Speaker 1: would suggest that you and Prince Travan join in a
• 1:29:25
  Speaker 1: formal and public inquiry, and until all the facts have
• 1:29:28
  Speaker 1: been established and recorded, and action decided upon, the dismissal
• 1:29:32
  Speaker 1: of Professor Fares will be reversed and he be restored
• 1:29:35
  Speaker 1: to his position on the faculty. Yes, your Majesty Tomson agreed,
• 1:29:41
  Speaker 1: and I think it would be a good idea for
• 1:29:44
  Speaker 1: Chancellor Kin to take a vacation till then too. I
• 1:29:49
  Speaker 1: would further suggest that, as this micro posyto experiment is
• 1:29:53
  Speaker 1: crucial to the whole question, it should be repeated under
• 1:29:57
  Speaker 1: the personal direction of Professor Fares. I agree with that,
• 1:30:01
  Speaker 1: your Majesty, Prince Trevan said. If it's as important as
• 1:30:05
  Speaker 1: I think it is, Professor Dandrik is greatly to be
• 1:30:09
  Speaker 1: censured in ordering it stopped and for failing to report
• 1:30:12
  Speaker 1: this anticipation effect. We'll consult about the inquiry, including the
• 1:30:17
  Speaker 1: experiment tomorrow, Your Highness Tomson told Trebaan, Paul Rose and
• 1:30:24
  Speaker 1: everybody rose with him that being the case, you gentlemen
• 1:30:29
  Speaker 1: are all excused. The student's procession ought to be arriving now,
• 1:30:33
  Speaker 1: and I want to tell them what's going to be done.
• 1:30:36
  Speaker 1: Prince Trevan, Count Tomson, do you care to accompany me
• 1:30:41
  Speaker 1: going up to the central terrace in front of the
• 1:30:43
  Speaker 1: Octagon Tower. He turned to Count Tomson, I noticed you
• 1:30:48
  Speaker 1: laughing at that remark of mine about Aditya. He said,
• 1:30:51
  Speaker 1: have you met the first citizen only on screen? Sir?
• 1:30:57
  Speaker 1: He was at me for about an hour this morning.
• 1:31:00
  Speaker 1: It seems that they are reforming the educational system on Aditya.
• 1:31:04
  Speaker 1: On Aditya, everything gets reformed every ten years, whether it
• 1:31:08
  Speaker 1: needs it or not. He came here to find somebody
• 1:31:11
  Speaker 1: to take charge of the reformation. He stops short, bringing
• 1:31:17
  Speaker 1: the others to a halt beside him, and laughed heartily. Well,
• 1:31:22
  Speaker 1: we'll send first citizen Iago oh way happy. We'll make
• 1:31:26
  Speaker 1: him a present of the most distinguished educator on Odin Cain.
• 1:31:33
  Speaker 1: Tom Soon asked, Cain, isn't it wonderful if you have
• 1:31:38
  Speaker 1: a few problems, you have trouble.
• 1:31:40
  Speaker 2: But if you have a whole.
• 1:31:42
  Speaker 1: Lot of problems, they start solving each other. We get
• 1:31:45
  Speaker 1: a chance to get rid of Cain and create a
• 1:31:48
  Speaker 1: vacancy that can be filled by somebody big enough to
• 1:31:51
  Speaker 1: fill it. The Ministry of Education gets out from under
• 1:31:55
  Speaker 1: a nasty situation. First, citizen Yago gets what he thinks
• 1:31:59
  Speaker 1: he wants. And if I know Kine, and if I
• 1:32:03
  Speaker 1: know the people's commonwealth of Aditya, it won't be a
• 1:32:07
  Speaker 1: year before Yago has Caine shot or stuffs him into jail,
• 1:32:11
  Speaker 1: and then the Space Navy will have an excuse to
• 1:32:14
  Speaker 1: visit Aditya, and Aditya'll never be the same. Afterward, Prince
• 1:32:18
  Speaker 1: Trevan added, these students massed on the front lawns were
• 1:32:24
  Speaker 1: still cheering as they went down after addressing them.
• 1:32:28
  Speaker 2: These security guards.
• 1:32:29
  Speaker 1: Were conspicuously absent, and it was a detail of red
• 1:32:33
  Speaker 1: kilted Thoron riflemen who met them. As they entered the
• 1:32:36
  Speaker 1: hall to the session chamber, Prince Gonzei approached, attended by
• 1:32:41
  Speaker 1: two household guard officers, a human and a thorn. Count
• 1:32:45
  Speaker 1: Tomson looked from one to the other of his companions bewildered.
• 1:32:51
  Speaker 1: The bewildering thing was that everything was as it should be. Well, gentlemen,
• 1:32:57
  Speaker 1: Paul said, I'm sure that both of you will want
• 1:33:00
  Speaker 1: to confer for a moment with your colleagues and the
• 1:33:03
  Speaker 1: rotunda before the session. Please don't feel obligated to attend
• 1:33:07
  Speaker 1: me further. Prince Gonzi approached as they went down the hall.
• 1:33:14
  Speaker 1: Your majesty, what is going on here? He demanded, querulously,
• 1:33:20
  Speaker 1: Just who is in control of the palace? You are
• 1:33:23
  Speaker 1: Prince Travan, and where is his Imperial Highness? And where
• 1:33:27
  Speaker 1: is General Dorflay? I sent Dorflay to join Prince Roderick's
• 1:33:33
  Speaker 1: picnic party. If you're up, said about this, imagine what
• 1:33:36
  Speaker 1: he might have done here. Prince Gonzi looked at him curiously.
• 1:33:40
  Speaker 1: For a moment, I thought I understood what was happening.
• 1:33:45
  Speaker 1: He said, Now I this business about the students, Sir?
• 1:33:50
  Speaker 1: How did it come out? Paul told him. They talked
• 1:33:55
  Speaker 1: for a while, and then the Prime Minister looked at
• 1:33:57
  Speaker 1: his watch and suggested that the ought to be getting started.
• 1:34:02
  Speaker 1: Paul nodded, and they went down the hall into the rotunda.
• 1:34:07
  Speaker 1: The big semicircular lobby was empty now except for a
• 1:34:11
  Speaker 1: platoon of household guards, and the Empress Maris sent her
• 1:34:14
  Speaker 1: ladies in waiting. She advanced as quickly as her sheath
• 1:34:18
  Speaker 1: gown would permit, and took his arm. The ladies in
• 1:34:21
  Speaker 1: waiting fell in behind her, and Prince Gonzi went ahead, crying,
• 1:34:26
  Speaker 1: my lord's your venerable highnesses, gentlemen. His Imperial Majesty Marius
• 1:34:34
  Speaker 1: tightened her grip on his arm as they started forward.
• 1:34:39
  Speaker 1: Paul she hissed into his ear, what is this silly
• 1:34:43
  Speaker 1: story about Yorn Travan trying to seize the throne? Isn't it?
• 1:34:48
  Speaker 1: Yorn's been too close to the throne for too long
• 1:34:51
  Speaker 1: not to know what sort.
• 1:34:53
  Speaker 2: Of a seat it is.
• 1:34:55
  Speaker 1: He'd commit any crime up to and including genocide to
• 1:34:58
  Speaker 1: keep off it. She gave a quick gipt to get
• 1:35:01
  Speaker 1: into step with him. Then why is he filled the
• 1:35:05
  Speaker 1: palace with these black coats? Is Rod all right, perfectly
• 1:35:10
  Speaker 1: all right, he's somewhere out in the mountains keeping harved
• 1:35:13
  Speaker 1: doorflay out of mischief. They crossed the Session hall and
• 1:35:17
  Speaker 1: took their seats on the double throne. Everybody sat down,
• 1:35:21
  Speaker 1: and the Prime Minister, after some formalities, declared the plenary
• 1:35:25
  Speaker 1: session in being. Almost at once one of the Prince
• 1:35:31
  Speaker 1: Councilors was on his feet, begging His Majesty's leave to
• 1:35:35
  Speaker 1: interrogate the government. I wish to ask His Highness the
• 1:35:40
  Speaker 1: Minister of Security, the meaning of all this unprecedented disturbance,
• 1:35:45
  Speaker 1: both here in the palace and in the city.
• 1:35:48
  Speaker 2: He said.
• 1:35:50
  Speaker 1: Prince Travan rose at once, your majesty in reply to
• 1:35:55
  Speaker 1: the question of his Venerable Highness, he began and then
• 1:35:59
  Speaker 1: launched him into an account of the student riot, the
• 1:36:03
  Speaker 1: march to petition the Emperor, and the clash with the
• 1:36:06
  Speaker 1: non working class hooligans. As to the affair at the university,
• 1:36:12
  Speaker 1: I hesitate to speak on what is really the concern
• 1:36:15
  Speaker 1: of His Lordship, the Minister of Education. But as to
• 1:36:18
  Speaker 1: the fighting of the city, if it is still going on,
• 1:36:21
  Speaker 1: I can assure his Venerable Highness that the gendarmes and
• 1:36:26
  Speaker 1: security guards have it well in hand. The persons responsible
• 1:36:30
  Speaker 1: are being rounded up, and if the Minister of Justice concurs,
• 1:36:35
  Speaker 1: an inquiry will be started tomorrow. The Minister of Justice
• 1:36:40
  Speaker 1: assured the Minister of Security that his ministry would be
• 1:36:43
  Speaker 1: quite ready to cooperate in the inquiry. Count Tomson then
• 1:36:49
  Speaker 1: got up and began talking about the riot at the university.
• 1:36:54
  Speaker 2: What did happen?
• 1:36:55
  Speaker 1: Paul Maris Whisperedancelor Kane sacked a science professor for being
• 1:37:03
  Speaker 1: too interested in science. The students didn't like it. I
• 1:37:07
  Speaker 1: think Kane's successor will rectify that have a good time
• 1:37:11
  Speaker 1: at the flower festivals. She raised her fan to hide
• 1:37:15
  Speaker 1: a grimace. I made my schedule, she said, Ah, tomorrow,
• 1:37:21
  Speaker 1: I have fifty more booked, Your Imperial Majesty. The counselor
• 1:37:28
  Speaker 1: who had risen paused to make sure that he had
• 1:37:30
  Speaker 1: the imperial attention before continuing. Insomuch as this question also
• 1:37:36
  Speaker 1: seems to involve a scientific experiment, I would suggest that
• 1:37:42
  Speaker 1: the Ministry of Science and Technology is also interested, and
• 1:37:47
  Speaker 1: since there is at present no minister holding that portfolio,
• 1:37:51
  Speaker 1: I would suggest that the discussion be continued after a
• 1:37:54
  Speaker 1: minister has been elected. The Minister of Health insanity jumped
• 1:38:00
  Speaker 1: to his feet. Your Imperial Majesty, permit me to concur
• 1:38:06
  Speaker 1: with the proposal of his Venerable Highness, and to extend
• 1:38:10
  Speaker 1: it with the subproposal that the Ministry of Science and
• 1:38:14
  Speaker 1: Technology be abolished and its functions and personnel divided among
• 1:38:19
  Speaker 1: the other ministries, specifically those of Education and of Economics.
• 1:38:25
  Speaker 1: The Minister of Fine Arts was up before.
• 1:38:27
  Speaker 2: He was fully seated.
• 1:38:29
  Speaker 1: Your Imperial Majesty, permit me to concur with the proposal
• 1:38:34
  Speaker 1: of Count Guilfred, and to extend it further with the
• 1:38:38
  Speaker 1: proposal that the Ministry of Defense, now also vacant, be
• 1:38:43
  Speaker 1: likewise abolished, and its functions and personnel added to the
• 1:38:47
  Speaker 1: Ministry of Security under His Highness, Prince Chaban.
• 1:38:53
  Speaker 2: So that was it.
• 1:38:56
  Speaker 1: Maris beside him, said, well, he had long ago discovered
• 1:39:02
  Speaker 1: that she could pack more meaning into that monosyllable than
• 1:39:06
  Speaker 1: the average councilor could into a half hour speech. Prince
• 1:39:10
  Speaker 1: Gonzei was thunderstruck, and from the venture Councilor's six or
• 1:39:15
  Speaker 1: eight voices were babbling loudly. At once four ministers were
• 1:39:20
  Speaker 1: on their feet, clamoring for recognition. Count Douglas of Economics
• 1:39:24
  Speaker 1: was yelling the loudest. So he got it, Your Imperial majesty.
• 1:39:30
  Speaker 1: It would have been most unseemly in me to have
• 1:39:33
  Speaker 1: spoken in favor of the proposal of Count Guildfred, being
• 1:39:36
  Speaker 1: an interested party, But I feel no such hesitation in
• 1:39:41
  Speaker 1: concurring with the proposal of Baron Garatt, the Minister of
• 1:39:45
  Speaker 1: Fine Arts. Indeed, I consider it a most excellent proposal,
• 1:39:50
  Speaker 1: and I consider it the most diabolically dangerous proposal to
• 1:39:55
  Speaker 1: be made in this hall in the last six centuries.
• 1:39:59
  Speaker 1: Old Admiral Gaklar shouted this is a proposal to concentrate
• 1:40:05
  Speaker 1: all the armed force of the Empire in the hands
• 1:40:09
  Speaker 1: of one man, who can say what unscrupulous use might
• 1:40:14
  Speaker 1: be made of such power? Are you intimating, Prince Counselor,
• 1:40:20
  Speaker 1: that Prince Travan is contemplating some tyrannical or subversive use
• 1:40:25
  Speaker 1: of such power? Count Tomson of all people demanded. There
• 1:40:30
  Speaker 1: was a concerted gasp at that about half the plenarycession
• 1:40:35
  Speaker 1: were absolutely sure that he was. Admiral Gaklar backed quickly
• 1:40:41
  Speaker 1: away from the question. Prince Trevan will not be the
• 1:40:45
  Speaker 1: last minister of security, he said. What I was about
• 1:40:49
  Speaker 1: to say, Your Majesty, is that, as matters stand, security
• 1:40:54
  Speaker 1: has a virtual monopoly on armed power on this planet.
• 1:40:58
  Speaker 1: When these disorders of the city which Prince Travan's men
• 1:41:02
  Speaker 1: are now bringing under control, broke out, there was, I
• 1:41:06
  Speaker 1: am informed, an order sent out to bring regular army
• 1:41:09
  Speaker 1: and planetary militia into Ascord. It will be hours before
• 1:41:15
  Speaker 1: any of the former can arrive, and at least the
• 1:41:18
  Speaker 1: day before the latter can even be mobilized. By the
• 1:41:22
  Speaker 1: time any of them get here, there will be nothing
• 1:41:25
  Speaker 1: for them to do. Is that not correct? Prince Ganzi,
• 1:41:31
  Speaker 1: the Prime Minister looked at him angrily, stung by the
• 1:41:34
  Speaker 1: realization that somebody else had a personal intelligence service as
• 1:41:39
  Speaker 1: good as his own, then swallowed his anger and assented. Furthermore,
• 1:41:45
  Speaker 1: Count Douglas continued, The Ministry of Defense itself is an
• 1:41:50
  Speaker 1: anachronism which no doubt accounts for the condition in which
• 1:41:53
  Speaker 1: we now find it. The Empire has no external enemies whatever,
• 1:41:59
  Speaker 1: all our our defense problems or problems of internal security.
• 1:42:04
  Speaker 1: Let us therefore turn the facilities over to the ministry
• 1:42:07
  Speaker 1: responsible for the tasks.
• 1:42:09
  Speaker 2: The debate went on and on.
• 1:42:13
  Speaker 1: He paid less and less attention to it, and it
• 1:42:16
  Speaker 1: became increasingly obvious that opposition to the proposition was dwindling.
• 1:42:21
  Speaker 1: Cries of vote, vote began to be heard from his supporters.
• 1:42:26
  Speaker 1: Prince gonz rose from his desk and came to the throne,
• 1:42:30
  Speaker 1: Your Imperial Majesty. He said, softly, I am opposed to
• 1:42:35
  Speaker 1: this proposition, but I am convinced that enough favorite to
• 1:42:39
  Speaker 1: pass it, even over Your Majesty's veto before the vote
• 1:42:43
  Speaker 1: is called, Does your Majesty wish my resignation? He rose
• 1:42:47
  Speaker 1: and stepped down beside the Prime Minister, putting an arm
• 1:42:50
  Speaker 1: over Prince Gonzie's shoulder. Far from it, old friend, he said,
• 1:42:55
  Speaker 1: in a distinctly audible voice, I will have too much.
• 1:42:59
  Speaker 2: Need for you.
• 1:43:00
  Speaker 1: But as for this proposal, I don't oppose it. I
• 1:43:04
  Speaker 1: think it an excellent one. It has my approval.
• 1:43:09
  Speaker 2: He lowered his voice.
• 1:43:10
  Speaker 1: As soon as it's passed, placed General Dorflay's name in nomination.
• 1:43:16
  Speaker 1: The Prime Minister looked at him sadly for a moment,
• 1:43:18
  Speaker 1: then nodded, returning to his desk, where he rapped for
• 1:43:22
  Speaker 1: order and call for the vote. Well, if you can't,
• 1:43:26
  Speaker 1: let em join em, Maris said, as he sat down
• 1:43:28
  Speaker 1: beside her. And if they start chasing you, just yell there.
• 1:43:32
  Speaker 2: He goes, follow me.
• 1:43:35
  Speaker 1: The proposal carried all most unanimously. Prince Gonzi then presented
• 1:43:41
  Speaker 1: the name of Captain General Dorflay for elevation to the
• 1:43:44
  Speaker 1: Bench of Counselors, and the Emperor decreed. As soon as
• 1:43:49
  Speaker 1: the session was adjourned and he could do so, he
• 1:43:52
  Speaker 1: slipped out the little door behind the throne into an
• 1:43:54
  Speaker 1: elevator in the room at the top of the octagon tower.
• 1:44:00
  Speaker 1: He laid aside his belt and dressed dagger and unfastened
• 1:44:03
  Speaker 1: his tunic, then sat down in his deep chair and
• 1:44:07
  Speaker 1: called a serving robot. It was the one which had
• 1:44:11
  Speaker 1: brought him his breakfast, and he greeted it as a friend.
• 1:44:14
  Speaker 1: It lit a cigarette for him and poured a drink
• 1:44:16
  Speaker 1: of brandy. For a long time he sat, smoking and
• 1:44:20
  Speaker 1: sipping and looking out the wide window to the west,
• 1:44:23
  Speaker 1: where the orange sun was firing the clouds behind the mountains,
• 1:44:28
  Speaker 1: and he realized that he was abominably tired. Well, no
• 1:44:33
  Speaker 1: wonder more empire history had been made to day than
• 1:44:37
  Speaker 1: in the years since he had come to the throne.
• 1:44:41
  Speaker 1: Then something behind him clicked. He turned his head to
• 1:44:46
  Speaker 1: see Yorn Trevaan emerging from the concealed elevator. He grinned
• 1:44:51
  Speaker 1: and lifted his drink and greeting. I thought you'd be
• 1:44:54
  Speaker 1: a little late, he said, everybody trying to climb on
• 1:44:57
  Speaker 1: to the band wagon. Yorn Trevaugh came forward, unbuckling his
• 1:45:02
  Speaker 1: belt and laying it with pauls. He sank into the
• 1:45:06
  Speaker 1: chair opposite, and the robot poured him a drink. Well,
• 1:45:10
  Speaker 1: do you blame them? What would it have looked like
• 1:45:13
  Speaker 1: to you in their place? A coups detta For that matter,
• 1:45:18
  Speaker 1: wasn't that what it was? Why didn't you tell me
• 1:45:21
  Speaker 1: you were springing it. I didn't spring it. It was
• 1:45:25
  Speaker 1: sprung on me. I didn't know a thing about it
• 1:45:28
  Speaker 1: until Max duclass button holed me down by the landing stage.
• 1:45:32
  Speaker 1: I'd intended fighting this proposal to partition science and technology,
• 1:45:37
  Speaker 1: but this riot blew up and scared Duclas and Thomson
• 1:45:40
  Speaker 1: and Guilford and the rest of them. They weren't too
• 1:45:43
  Speaker 1: sure of their majority. That's why they had the election
• 1:45:46
  Speaker 1: postponed a couple of times. But they were sure that
• 1:45:50
  Speaker 1: the riot would turn some of the undecided counselors against them,
• 1:45:55
  Speaker 1: so they offered to back me to take over defense
• 1:45:57
  Speaker 1: in exchange for my supporting their proposal. It looked too
• 1:46:01
  Speaker 1: good to pass up, even at the price of wrecking
• 1:46:05
  Speaker 1: science and technology. It was wrecked or left rust into
• 1:46:10
  Speaker 1: uselessness long ago. The main function of technology has been
• 1:46:14
  Speaker 1: to suppress anything that might threaten the state of economic
• 1:46:18
  Speaker 1: rigor mortists that Douglas calls stability, and the function of
• 1:46:23
  Speaker 1: science has been to let mutton heads like Cain and
• 1:46:26
  Speaker 1: Dandrik dominate the teaching of science. Well. Defense has its
• 1:46:31
  Speaker 1: own scientific and technical sectors, and when we come to
• 1:46:35
  Speaker 1: carve me the bird, Dukalas and Tom soon are going
• 1:46:38
  Speaker 1: to see a lot of slices going into my plate.
• 1:46:41
  Speaker 1: And when it's all cut up, it will be discovered
• 1:46:44
  Speaker 1: that there is no provision for original research. So it
• 1:46:49
  Speaker 1: will please my majesty to institute an Imperial Office of
• 1:46:53
  Speaker 1: Scientific Research, independent of any ministry. And guess who'll be
• 1:46:58
  Speaker 1: named to head it. And by the way, we're all
• 1:47:02
  Speaker 1: set on Cane too. First citizen Iago was as delighted
• 1:47:06
  Speaker 1: to have him as we are to get rid of him.
• 1:47:08
  Speaker 1: Why don't you get Vaughan everat back and give him
• 1:47:11
  Speaker 1: the job. Good if he takes charge there at the
• 1:47:15
  Speaker 1: opening of the next academic year in ten years, we'll
• 1:47:18
  Speaker 1: have a thousand young men, maybe ten times that many,
• 1:47:21
  Speaker 1: who won't be afraid of new things and new ideas.
• 1:47:25
  Speaker 1: But the main thing is that now you have defense,
• 1:47:28
  Speaker 1: and now the plan can really start firing all jets. Yes,
• 1:47:34
  Speaker 1: Yorn Travaughan got out his cigarettes and lit one. Paul
• 1:47:38
  Speaker 1: glanced at the robot, hoping that his feelings hadn't been hurt.
• 1:47:43
  Speaker 1: All these native uprisings I've been blowing up out of
• 1:47:46
  Speaker 1: intertribal knife fights and all these civil wars my people
• 1:47:50
  Speaker 1: have been manufacturing. There'll be more of them, and I'll
• 1:47:54
  Speaker 1: start yelling my head off for an adequate space navy.
• 1:47:57
  Speaker 1: And after we get it, the these local troubles will
• 1:48:01
  Speaker 1: all stop. And then what'll we be expected to do?
• 1:48:05
  Speaker 2: Scrap the ships?
• 1:48:07
  Speaker 1: They both knew what would be done with some of them.
• 1:48:10
  Speaker 1: It would have to be done stealthily while nobody was looking.
• 1:48:13
  Speaker 1: But some of those ships would go far beyond the
• 1:48:17
  Speaker 1: boundaries of the Empire, and new things would happen, new worlds,
• 1:48:22
  Speaker 1: new problems, great and frightening changes. Paul, we agreed upon
• 1:48:29
  Speaker 1: this long ago, when we were still boys at the university.
• 1:48:33
  Speaker 1: The Empire stopped growing. And when things stopped growing, they
• 1:48:37
  Speaker 1: start dying. The death of petrifaction. And when petrifaction is complete,
• 1:48:43
  Speaker 1: the cracking and the crumbling starts, and there's no way
• 1:48:46
  Speaker 1: of stopping it. But if we can get people out
• 1:48:50
  Speaker 1: onto new planets, the empire won't die. It'll start growing again.
• 1:48:56
  Speaker 1: You didn't start that thing at the university this morning, yourself,
• 1:48:59
  Speaker 1: did you. Not the student riot, no, but the hooligan attack. Yes,
• 1:49:05
  Speaker 1: that was some of my own men. The real hooligans
• 1:49:08
  Speaker 1: began looting after Hundressan had gotten the students out of
• 1:49:12
  Speaker 1: the district. We collared all of them, including their boss,
• 1:49:15
  Speaker 1: Nutchy the Knife right away, and as soon as we
• 1:49:18
  Speaker 1: did that, Big Moogie and Ziko the Nose tried to
• 1:49:22
  Speaker 1: move in. We're cleaning them up now. By tomorrow morning,
• 1:49:26
  Speaker 1: there won't be one of these none working voting blocks
• 1:49:30
  Speaker 1: left in Ascard, and by the end of the week
• 1:49:33
  Speaker 1: they'll be cleaned up all over Odin. I have discovered
• 1:49:37
  Speaker 1: a plot and they're all involved in it. Wait a moment,
• 1:49:43
  Speaker 1: Paul got to his feet. That reminds me Harvard or
• 1:49:46
  Speaker 1: Flays hiding Rod and Olva out in the mountains. I
• 1:49:50
  Speaker 1: wanted him out of here while things were happening. I'll
• 1:49:53
  Speaker 1: have to call him and tell him it's safe to
• 1:49:55
  Speaker 1: come in now. Well, zip up your tunic and put
• 1:49:59
  Speaker 1: your dagger on. Looked as though you'd been arrested, disarmed
• 1:50:02
  Speaker 1: and searched.
• 1:50:03
  Speaker 2: That's right.
• 1:50:04
  Speaker 1: He hastily repaired his appearance and went to the screen
• 1:50:07
  Speaker 1: across the room, punching out the combination of the screen
• 1:50:10
  Speaker 1: with Roderick's picnic party. A young lieutenant of the Household
• 1:50:14
  Speaker 1: Troops appeared in it and had to be reassured he
• 1:50:18
  Speaker 1: got General Dorfley, Your majesty, are you all right? Perfectly
• 1:50:24
  Speaker 1: all right, General, and it's quite safe to bring his
• 1:50:26
  Speaker 1: Imperial Highness in the conspiracy against the throne has been crushed. Oh,
• 1:50:33
  Speaker 1: thank the Gods. Is Prince Travann a prisoner? Quite the contrary, General,
• 1:50:39
  Speaker 1: it was our loyal and devoted subject, Prince Travann who
• 1:50:42
  Speaker 1: crushed the conspiracy. But your majesty, you aren't to be
• 1:50:48
  Speaker 1: blamed for suspecting him. General, His agents were working in
• 1:50:52
  Speaker 1: the very innermost counsels of the conspirators. Every one of
• 1:50:56
  Speaker 1: the people whom you suspected with excellent reason, was actually
• 1:51:01
  Speaker 1: working to defeat the plot. Think back, General, the scheme
• 1:51:05
  Speaker 1: to put the gun in the viewscreen, the scheme to
• 1:51:08
  Speaker 1: sabotage the elevator, the scheme to introduce assassins into the
• 1:51:13
  Speaker 1: orchestra with guns built into their trumpets. Everyone came to
• 1:51:17
  Speaker 1: your notice because of what seemed to be some indiscretion
• 1:51:21
  Speaker 1: of the plotters, didn't it Why? Why, yes, your majesty,
• 1:51:26
  Speaker 1: by this time tomorrow he would have a complete set
• 1:51:29
  Speaker 1: of memory for each one of them. You mean the
• 1:51:32
  Speaker 1: indiscretions were deliberate. Your vigilance and loyalty made it necessary
• 1:51:38
  Speaker 1: for them to resort to these fantastic expedients, and your
• 1:51:43
  Speaker 1: vigilance defeated them as fast as they came to your notice. Well, today,
• 1:51:48
  Speaker 1: Prince Trevan and I struck back. I may tell you
• 1:51:52
  Speaker 1: in confidence that every one of the conspirators is dead,
• 1:51:56
  Speaker 1: killed in this afternoon's rioting, which was incited for that
• 1:52:00
  Speaker 1: purpose by Prince Trevan. Then then there will be no
• 1:52:05
  Speaker 1: more plots against your life. There was a note of
• 1:52:08
  Speaker 1: regret in the old man's voice. No more, your venerable highness.
• 1:52:15
  Speaker 1: But what did your majesty call me, he asked incredulously.
• 1:52:20
  Speaker 1: I took the honor of being the first to address
• 1:52:23
  Speaker 1: you by your new title, Prince counselor Dorfley. He left
• 1:52:28
  Speaker 1: the old man overcome and blubbering happily on the shoulder
• 1:52:32
  Speaker 1: of the Crown Prince, who winked at his father out
• 1:52:35
  Speaker 1: of the screen. Prince Trevan had gotten a couple of
• 1:52:39
  Speaker 1: fresh strengths from the robot and handed one to him
• 1:52:42
  Speaker 1: when he returned to his chair. He'll be finding the
• 1:52:45
  Speaker 1: bench of counsel is riddled with treason inside a week,
• 1:52:48
  Speaker 1: Trevan said, you handle that just right, though, another case
• 1:52:53
  Speaker 1: of making problems solve each other. You were telling me
• 1:52:57
  Speaker 1: about a plot you discovered. Oh, yes, this is one
• 1:53:01
  Speaker 1: to top Doorflay's best efforts. All the voting block bosses
• 1:53:06
  Speaker 1: on Odin are in conspiracy to start a civil war
• 1:53:09
  Speaker 1: to give them a chance to loot the planet. There
• 1:53:13
  Speaker 1: isn't a word of truth in it, of course, but
• 1:53:16
  Speaker 1: it'll do to arrest and hold them for a few days,
• 1:53:18
  Speaker 1: and by that time some of my undercovers will be
• 1:53:21
  Speaker 1: in control of every non worker vote on the planet.
• 1:53:26
  Speaker 1: After all, the cartels put an end to competition and
• 1:53:29
  Speaker 1: every other business, why not a voting cartel too. Then
• 1:53:34
  Speaker 1: whenever there's an election, we just advertise for bids. Why
• 1:53:39
  Speaker 1: that would mean absolute control of the non working vote. Yes,
• 1:53:46
  Speaker 1: And I'll guarantee personally that in five years the politics
• 1:53:49
  Speaker 1: of Odin will have become so unbearably corrupt and abusive
• 1:53:55
  Speaker 1: that the intellectuals, the technicians, the business people, even the nobility,
• 1:54:00
  Speaker 1: we'll be flocking to the polls to vote. And if
• 1:54:03
  Speaker 1: only half of them turn out, they'll snow the nun
• 1:54:06
  Speaker 1: workers under and that'll mean eventually an end to vote
• 1:54:10
  Speaker 1: selling and the nun workers will have to find work.
• 1:54:14
  Speaker 1: We'll find it for them. A great and frightening changes.
• 1:54:20
  Speaker 1: Yorn Travon laughed. He recognized the phrase, probably thought it himself.
• 1:54:26
  Speaker 1: Paul lifted his glass to the Minister of Disturbance, your majesty.
• 1:54:33
  Speaker 1: They drank to each other, and then Yorn Travan said,
• 1:54:37
  Speaker 1: we had a lot of wild dreams when we were boys.
• 1:54:40
  Speaker 1: It looks as though we're starting to make some of
• 1:54:43
  Speaker 1: them come true. You know, when we were in the university,
• 1:54:47
  Speaker 1: the students would never have done what they did today.
• 1:54:51
  Speaker 1: They didn't even do it ten years ago, when von
• 1:54:53
  Speaker 1: Everrot was dismissed and von Everrot's pupil came back to
• 1:54:58
  Speaker 1: Odin and touched this whole thing off, He thought for
• 1:55:01
  Speaker 1: a moment, I wonder what Forest has in that anticipation effect.
• 1:55:08
  Speaker 1: I think I can see what can come.
• 1:55:09
  Speaker 2: Out of it.
• 1:55:10
  Speaker 1: If he can propagate a wave that behaves like those
• 1:55:13
  Speaker 1: of micropositos, we may not have to depend on ships
• 1:55:17
  Speaker 1: for communication. We may be able someday to screen Baldor
• 1:55:23
  Speaker 1: and Vishnu or all tarn or Thor as easily as
• 1:55:27
  Speaker 1: you screen doorflay up in the mountains. He thought silently
• 1:55:31
  Speaker 1: for a moment, I don't know whether that would be
• 1:55:34
  Speaker 1: good or bad, but it would be new, and that's
• 1:55:39
  Speaker 1: what matters. That's the only thing that matters flower festivals,
• 1:55:45
  Speaker 1: Paul said. And when your Travon wanted to know what
• 1:55:48
  Speaker 1: he meant, he told him. When Princess Olva's empress, she's
• 1:55:53
  Speaker 1: going to curse the name of clynn Fores flower festivals
• 1:55:58
  Speaker 1: all around the galaxy without end. End of Part five,
• 1:56:06
  Speaker 1: end of Ministry of Disturbance by H. Beam Piper. This
• 1:56:12
  Speaker 1: book read by Phil Shinever October twenty twenty