The Helpful Hand of God
Page 3
opportunities for stalling orsabotage."
* * * * *
Brenn was writing at his book-laden table when Kane went into hiscottage the next morning.
"These are called edicts," Brenn said, after greeting him, "but Ipossess no law-making powers and they are really only suggestions."
Brenn shoved the paper to one side. The script was somewhat differentfrom that of Vogar.
_The Vogarian inspection and guard system is no more than an expectedprecaution against sabotage. The Vogarians must be regarded aspotential friends who now treat us with suspicion and arrogance onlybecause they do not yet realize the sincerity of our desire to helpthem to any extent short of surrender--_
Kane looked up from the uncompleted, surprisingly humble, edict andBrenn asked:
"Your commander, sir--he is now pleased with our actions?"
"Not exactly. He will disintegrate a town seven days from sunrise thismorning if all the fuel isn't produced by then."
"_Seven_--only _seven_ days?" There was startled disbelief on Brenn'sface. "But how can he expect us to produce so much fuel in so short atime?"
"I don't know. I'm sorry--it's something I would have argued againstif I hadn't had too much sense to try."
"Seven days--" Brenn said again. "We can only pray that God will letit be time enough."
* * * * *
Kane walked on to the plant. The hilltop where he had met the girl wasdeserted and he felt a vague disappointment.
The plant was hot without the air-conditioner, especially in thevicinity of the electronic roasters. The girls looked flushed anduncomfortable, but for the redhead who still wore her scanty sunsuit.The armed Vogarians looked incongruously out of place among the girlsand were sweating profusely. Kane made a mental note to have themordered into tropical uniforms.
He found Dalon prowling like a wolf among his guards.
"It's inconceivable that these women could ever be a menace," Dalonsaid, "but I'm taking no chances."
He saw Graver, the cruiser's Chief Technician; a thin, dry man whoseemed to be as emotionless as the machines and electronic circuitsthat were his life.
"They're doing everything with astonishing competence," Graver said."My technicians are watching like hawks, though."
Larue was not in his office. His secretary, a brown-eyed woman ofstrikingly intelligent appearance, said, "I'm sorry, sir--Dr. Laruehad to go back to town for a few minutes. May I give him yourmessage?"
"No, thanks," he said. "Father Brenn is probably performing thatunpleasant chore right now."
* * * * *
Since Dalon and Graver seemed to have the situation at the plant wellin hand, Kane decided to make a tour of the outer provinces where theores were being mined. An efficient plant would be worthless if it didnot receive sufficient ore.
He spent four days on the inspection tour; much longer than he hadexpected to be gone but made necessary by the fact that the smallElusium mines were widely scattered in rugged, roadless areas and hehad to walk most of the distance. The single helicopter on Sanctuarywas being used to fly the ore out but it was operating on a schedulethat caused him to miss it each time.
Each mine was being worked by full day-and-night crews; in fact, bymore men than necessary. The reason for that, and for the way the mensilently withheld their hostility, was made apparent in a bit ofconversation between two miners that he overheard one day:
_"... So why all of us here when not this many are needed?"_
_"They say Father Brenn wanted to get all the men out of town, awayfrom the cruiser, so there would be no trouble--and you know therewould have been if we had stayed. He wants to get the cruiser on itsway back to Vogar, they say, so we can get busy producing weapons tofight the Occupation force...."_
He returned on the fifth evening of the allotted seven days andstopped by Brenn's cottage before going on to the ship. The old manwas working in his garden, his trembling hands trying to tie up ared-flowered vine.
Kane tied it for him and he said, "Thank you, sir. Did you find themining to be as I had said?"
"I found more than that. You know, don't you, that Y'Nor will returnwith the Occupation force a hundred days after leaving here?"
"Yes--I know that that is his intention."
"I understand that you're going to try to build weapons while he'sgone. Don't, if you think anything of your people, let them do it.Nothing you could build in a hundred days would last a minute againsta cruiser's disintegrators."
"I know," Brenn said. "We are supposed to choose between bloody,hopeless resistance and eternal slavery, aren't we? But why shouldeither fate befall a peaceful race?"
Kane asked the logical question: "Why shouldn't it?"
"The laws of God have always been laws of justice and mercy. Not eventhe Vogarian State can change them."
He thought of the way the State had changed the Lost Islands in onebloody, violent afternoon. Brenn, watching his face, said:
"You are skeptical and bitter, my son--but you will learn that aharmless old man can speak with wisdom."
"No," he said. "There is neither justice nor mercy in the universe. Iknow from experience. A man can only choose between the lesser of twoevils--and almost anything is less evil than Y'Nor when he's mad."
* * * * *
He went to the plant the next morning. Inside, wherever he looked, hesaw girls in shorts and halters. The place seemed to be alive withpartially clad women. He went to the nearest bulletin board and readBrenn's edict of four days before:
_Since the excessively warm temperature of the plant causes muchdiscomfort and thereby impairs the efficiency of all workers, andsince maximum efficiency will be required to produce the fuel in theextremely short time permitted us, it is suggested that the coolsunsuits of the Beachville girls become the standard work uniformuntil further notice. These may be obtained for the asking inDepartment 5-A._
The next day's edict read:
_Some have hesitated to follow yesterday's edict through a sense ofmodesty. This is most commendable. However, the situation is verycritical, our lives depend upon the highest degree of efficiency wecan attain, and a hot, miserable worker is not efficient. Your bodiesare God's handwork--do not be ashamed of them._
The edict for the next day read simply, warningly:
_THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY._
* * * * *
The Vogarian guards and inspectors, now in tropical uniforms, stilllooked out of place with their holstered weapons but their formercold arrogance was gone and the attitude of the girls had changed frompolite reserve to laughing, chattering friendliness.
He found Dalon in a far corner; cornered, literally, by the red-hairedpersonnel supervisor who was spitting like a cat as she said:
"... Then tell your commander how one of your men tried to make one ofmy girls and got hit with a wrench for it! Ask him whether he wants usto produce fuel or make love! Go ahead--ask him! Or let me--_I'll_ askhim!"
"You'll have to see to it that your girls don't lead my men on." Dalonran his finger around his collar, worry on his face. "Florence, areyou trying to get me ruined?"
"Then inform your men that there is a certain commandment we allbelieve in and anything beyond our willingness to be friends calls formarriage first."
"_Marriage?_" Dalon spluttered the word, recovered his poise with aneffort, and said stiffly, "My men are soldiers, not suitors. I wantthem respected as such."
He strode away without seeing Kane. The girl stared after him, fuming,and Kane went in search of Graver.
Graver and the brown-eyed secretary were in Larue's office, theirheads together over a flow sheet of some kind. The secretary excusedherself and when she was gone, Kane asked:
"Where's Larue?"
"Checking the catalytic processors, I think, sir." Graver answered,almost vaguely. "Mar ... his secretary was just showing me how theyi
mprovised so much of their equipment so quickly." There was a strangelight in Graver's usually expressionless eyes. "It's incredible!"
"Well--the commander gave them no time to waste, you know."
"Sir? Oh ... I was referring to her intelligence, sir. It's amazingthat a woman should have such a thorough knowledge of such a complexprocess."
Kane felt the birth pains of the first dark premonition.
"If you don't want a thorough knowledge of the interior of Stateprison," he said in grim warning, "you'd better get that silly lookoff your face and concentrate on your duties. Tell Dalon the sameorder applies to him. And tell Larue that the commander reminds himthey now