Adaptation by Frederik Pohl

  IX.

  Down the long palace corridor strode Barry Watson, Dick Hawkins, NattRoberts, the aging Reif and his son Taller, now in the prime of manhood.Their faces were equally wan from long hours without sleep. Half a dozenTulan infantrymen brought up their rear.

  As they passed Security Police guards, to left and right, eyes took intheir weapons, openly carried. But such eyes shifted and the guardsremained at their posts. Only one sergeant opened his mouth in protest."Sir," he said to Watson, hesitantly, "you are entering Number One'spresence armed."

  "Shut up," Natt Roberts rapped at him.

  Reif said, "That will be all, sergeant."

  The Security Police sergeant looked emptily after them as theyprogressed down the corridor.

  Together, Watson and Reif motioned aside the two Tulan soldiers whostood before the door of their destination, and pushed inward withoutknocking.

  Joe Chessman looked up wearily from his map and dispatch laden desk. Fora moment his hand went to the heavy military revolver at his right butwhen he realized the identity of his callers, it fell away.

  "What's up now?" he said, his voice on the verge of cracking.

  Watson acted as spokesman. "It's everywhere the same. The communes areon the fine edge of revolt. They've been pushed too far; they've got tothe point where they just don't give a damn. A spark and all Texcocogoes up in flames."

  Reif said coldly, "We need immediate reforms. They've got to bepacified. An immediate announcement of more consumer goods, fewer Statetaxes, above all a relaxation of Security Police pressures. Givenimmediate promise of these, we might maintain ourselves."

  Joe Chessman's sullen face was twitching at the right corner of hismouth. Young Taller made no attempt to disguise his contempt at theother's weakness in time of stress.

  Chessman's eyes went around the half circle of them. "This is the onlyalternative? It'll slow up our heavy industry program. We might notcatch up with Genoa as quickly as planned."

  Watson gestured with a hand in quick irritation. "Look here, Chessman,don't we get through to you? Whether or not we build up a steel capacityas large as Amschel Mayer's isn't important now. Everything's at stake."

  "Don't talk to me that way, Barry," Chessman growled truculently. "I'llmake the decisions. I'll do the thinking." He said to Reif, "How much ofthe Tulan army is loyal?"

  The aging Tulan looked at Watson before turning back to Joe Chessman."All of the Tulan army is loyal--to me."

  "Good!" Chessman pushed some of the dispatches on his desk aside, lettingthem flutter to the floor. He bared a field map. "If we crush half adozen of the local communes ... crush them hard! Then the others ..."

  Watson said very slowly and so low as hardly to be heard, "You didn'tbother to listen, Chessman. We told you, all that's needed is a spark."

  Joe Chessman sat back in his chair, looked at them all again, one byone. Re-evaluating. For a moment the facial tic stopped and his eyesheld the old alertness.

  "I see," he said. "And you all recommend capitulation to their demands?"

  "It's our only chance," Hawkins said. "We don't even know it'll work.There's always the chance if we throw them a few crumbs they'll want thewhole loaf. You've got to remember that some of them have been livingfor twenty-five years or more under this pressure. The valve is about toblow."

  "I see," Chessman grunted. "And what else? I can see in your facesthere's something else."

  The three Earthmen didn't answer. Their eyes shifted.

  He looked to young Taller and then to Reif. "What else?"

  "We need a scapegoat," Reif said without expression.

  Joe Chessman thought about that. He looked to Barry Watson again.

  Watson said, "The whole Texcocan State is about to topple. Not only dowe have to give them immediate reform, but we're going to have to blamethe past hardships and mistakes on somebody. Somebody has to take therap, be thrown to the wolves. If not, maybe we'll all wind up taking theblame."

  "Ah," Chessman said. His red-rimmed eyes went around them again,thoughtfully. "We should be able to dig up a few local chieftains andsome of the Security Police heads."

  They shook their heads. "It has to be somebody big," Natt Roberts saidthickly, "a few of my Security Police won't do it."

  Joe Chessman's eyes went to Reif. "The Khan is the highest rankingTexcocan of all," he said, finally. "The Khan and some Security Policeheads would satisfy them."

  Reif's face was as frigid as the Earthman's. He said, "I am afraid not,Joseph Chessman. You are Number One. It is your statue that is in everycommune square. It is your portrait that hangs in every distributioncenter, every messhall, every schoolroom. You are the Number One--as youhave so often pointed out to us. My title has become meaningless."

  Joe Chessman spat out a curse, fumbled the gun into his hand and firedbefore the Tulan soldiers could get to him. In a moment they had wrestedthe weapon from his hand and had his arms pinioned. It was too late.

  Reif had been thrown backward two paces by the blast of theheavy-calibered gun. Now he held a palm over his belly and staggered toa chair. He collapsed into it, looked at his son, let a wash ofamusement pass over his face, said, "Khan," meaninglessly, and died.

  Natt Roberts shrilled at Chessman, "You fool, we were going to give youa big, theatrical trial. Sentence you to prison and then, later, claimyou'd died in your cell and smuggle you out to the _Pedagogue_."

  Watson snapped to the guards, "Take him outside and shoot him."

  The Tulans began dragging the snarling, cursing Chessman to the door.

  Taller said, "A moment, please."

  Watson, Roberts and Hawkins looked to him.

  Taller said, "This perhaps can be done more effectively."

  His voice was completely emotionless. "This man has killed both myfather and grandfather, both of them Khans of Tula, heads of the mostpowerful city on all Texcoco, before the coming of you Earthlings."

  The guards hesitated. Watson detained them with a motion of his hand.

  Taller said, "I suggest you turn him over to me, to be dealt with in thetraditional way of the People."

  "No," Chessman said hoarsely. "Barry, Dick, Natt, send me back to the_Pedagogue_. I'll be out of things there. Or maybe Mayer can use me onGenoa."

  They didn't bother to look in his direction. Roberts muttered savagely,"We told you all that was needed was a spark. Now you've killed theKhan, the most popular man on Texcoco. There's no way of saving you."

  Taller said, "None of you have studied our traditions, our customs. Butnow, perhaps, you will understand the added effect of my taking charge.It will be a more ... profitable manner of using the downfall of this... this power mad murderer."

  Chessman said desperately, "Look, Barry, Natt, if you have to, shoot me.At least give me a man's death. Remember those human sacrifices theTulans had when we first arrived? Can you imagine what went on in thosetemples? Barry, Dick--for old time's sake, boys ..."

  Barry Watson said to Taller, "He's yours. If this doesn't take thepressure off us, nothing will."