The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress Part 26

"I'm noting it as a tactic which probably will be included in the strategy. But it will not be sufficient alone. We must be bombed."

"Adam," said Wyoh, "why do you say so? Even if Luna City can stand up under their biggest bombs-something I hope never to find out-we know that Luna can't win an all-out war. You've said so, many times. Isn't there some way to work it so that they will just plain leave us alone?"

Adam pulled at right cheek-and I thought: Mike, if you don't knock off play-acting, you'll have me believing in you myself! Was annoyed at him and looked forward to a talk-one in which I would not have to defer to "Chairman Selene."

"Comrade Wyoming," he said soberly, "it's a matter of game theory in a complex non-zero-sum game. We have certain resources or 'pieces in the game' and many possible moves. Our opponents have much larger resources and a far larger spectrum of responses. Our problem is to manipulate the game so that our strength is utilized toward an optimax solution while inducing them to waste their superior strength and to refrain from using it at maximum. Timing is of the essence and a gambit is necessary to start a chain of events favorable to our strategy. I realize this is not clear. I could put the factors through a computer and show you. Or you can accept the conclusion. Or you can use your own judgment."

He was reminding Wyoh (under Stu's nose) that he was not Adam Selene but Mike, our d.i.n.k.u.m think.u.m who could handle so complex a problem because he was a computer and smartest one anywhere.

Wyoh backtracked. "No, no," she said, "I wouldn't underitand the maths. Okay, it has to be done. How do we do it?"

Was four hundred before we had a plan that suited Prof and Stu as well as Adam-or took that long for Mike to sell his plan while appearing to pull ideas out of rest of us. Or was it Prof's plan with Adam Selene as salesman?

In any case we had a plan and calendar, one that grew out of master strategy of Tuesday 14 May 2075 and varied from it only to match events as they actually had occurred. In essence it called for us to behave as nastily as possible while strengthening impression that we would be awfully easy to spank.

Was at Community Hall at noon, after too little sleep, and found I could have slept two hours longer; Congressmen from Hong Kong could not make it that early despite tube all way. Wyoh did not bang gavel until fourteen-thirty.

Yes, my bride wife was chairman pro tem in a body not yet organized. Parliamentary rulings seemed to come naturally to her, and she was not a bad choice; a mob of Loonies behaves better when a lady bangs gavel.

Not going to detail what new Congress did and said that session and later; minutes are available. I showed up only when necessary and never bothered to learn talk-talk rules-seemed to be equal parts common politeness and ways in which chairman could invoke magic to do it his (her) way.

No sooner had Wyoh banged them to order but a cobber jumped up and said, "Gospazha Chairmah, move we suspend rules and hear from Comrade Professor de la Paz!"-which brought a whoop of approval.

Wyoh banged again. "Motion is out of order and Member from Lower Churchill will be seated. This house recessed without adjourning and Chairman of Committee on Permanent Organization, Resolutions, and Government Structure still has the floor."

Turned out to be Wolfgang Korsakov, Member from Tycho Under (and a member of Prof's cell and our number-one finagler of LuNoHoCo) and he not only had floor, he had it all day, yielding time as he saw fit (i.e., picking out whom he wanted to speak rather than letting just anyone talk). But n.o.body was too irked; this mob seemed satisfied with leaders.h.i.+p. Were noisy but not unruly.

By dinnertime Luna had a government to replace co-opted provisional government-i.e., dummy government we had opted ourselves, which sent Prof and me to Earth. Congress confirmed all acts of provisional government, thus putting face on what we had done, thanked outgoing government for services and instructed Wolfgang's committee to continue work on permanent government structure.

Prof was elected President of Congress and ex-officio Prime Minister of interim government until we acquired a const.i.tution. He protested age and health . . . then said would serve if could have certain things to help him; too old and too exhausted from trip Earthside to have responsibility of presiding-except on occasions of state-so he wanted Congress to elect a Speaker and Speaker Pro Tem. . . and besides that, he felt that Congress should augment its numbers by not more than ten percent by itself electing members-at-large so that Prime Minister, whoever he might be, could opt cabinet members or ministers of state who might not now be members of Congress-especially ministers-without-portfolio to take load off his shoulders.

They balked. Most were proud of being "Congressmen" and already jealous of status. But Prof just sat looking tired, and waited-and somebody pointed out that it still left control in hands of Congress. So they gave him what he asked for.

Then somebody squeezed in a speech by making it a question to Chair. Everybody knew (he said) that Adam Selene had refrained from standing for Congress on grounds that Chairman of Emergency Committee should not take advantage of positon to elbow way into new government . . . but could Honorable Chairlady tell member whether was any reason not elect Adam Selene a member-at-large? As gesture of appreciation for great services? To let all Luna-yes, and all those earthworms, especially ex-Lunar ex-Authonty-know that we not repudiating Adam Selene, on contrary he was our beloved elder statesman and was not President simply because he chose not to be!

More whoops that went on and on. You can find in minutes who made that speech but one gets you ten Prof wrote it and Wyoh planted it.

Here is how it wound up over course of days: Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs: Professor Bernardo de la Paz.

Speaker, Finn Nielsen; Speaker Pro Tem, Wyoming Davis.

Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defense, General O'Kelly Davis; Minister of Information, Terence Sheehan (Sheenie turned Pravda over to managing editor to work with Adam and Stu); Special Minister-without-Portfolio in Ministry of Information, Stuart Rene LaJoie, Congressman-at-Large; Secretary of State for Economics and Finance (and Custodian of Enemy Property), Wolfgang Korsakov; Minister of Interior Affairs and Safety, Comrade "Clayton" Watenabe; Minter-without-Portfolio and Special Advisor to Prime Minister, Adam Selene-plus a dozen ministers and ministers-without-portfolio from warrens other than Luna City.

See where that left things? Brush away fancy t.i.tles and B cell was still running things as advised by Mike, backed by a Congress in which we could not lose a test vote-but did lose others we did not want to win, or did not care about.

But at time could not see sense in all that talk-talk.

During evening session Prof reported on trip and then yielded to me-Committee Chairman Korsakov consenting-so that I could report what "five-year plan" meant and how Authority had tried to bribe me. I'll never make a speaker but had time during dinner break to swot speech Mike had written. He had slanted it so nastily that I got angry all over again and was angry when I spoke and managed to make it catching. Congress was ready to riot by time I sat down.

Prof stepped forward, thin and pale, and said quietly, "Comrade Members, what shall we do? I suggest, Chairman Korsakov consenting, that we discuss informally how to treat this latest insolence to our nation."

One member from Novylen wanted to declare war and they would have done so right then if Prof had not pointed out that they were still hearing committee reports.

More talk, all bitter. At last Comrade Member Chang Jones spoke: "Fellow Congressmen-sorry, Gospodin Chairman Korsakov-I'm a rice and wheat farmer. Mean I used to be, because back in May I got a bank loan and sons and I are converting to variety farming. We're broke-had to borrow tube fare to get here-but family is eating and someday we might pull square with bank. At least I'm no longer raising grain.

"But others are. Catapult has never reduced headway by one barge whole time we've been free. We're still s.h.i.+pping, hoping their cheques will be worth something someday.

"But now we know! They've told us what they mean to do with us-to us! I say only way to make those scoundrels know we mean business is stop s.h.i.+pments right now! Not another tonne, not a kilo . . . until they come here and d.i.c.ker honestly for honest price!"

Around midnight they pa.s.sed Embargo, then adjourned subject to call . . . standing committees to continue.

Wyoh and I went home and I got reacquainted with my family. Was nothing to do; Mike-Adam and Stu had been working on how to hit them with it Earthside and Mike had shut catapult down ("technical difficulties with ballistic computer") twenty-four hours earlier. Last barge in trajectory would be taken by Poona Ground Control in slightly over one day and Earth would be told, nastily, that was last they would ever get.

22

Shock to farmers was eased by continuing to buy grain at catapult-but cheques now carried printed warning that Luna Free State did not stand behind them, did not warrant that Lunar Authority would ever redeem them even in Scrip, etc., etc. Some farmers left grain anyhow, some did not, all screamed. But was nothing they could do; catapult was shut down, loading belts not moving.

Depression was not immediately felt in rest of economy. Defense regiments had depleted ranks of ice miners so much that selling ice on free market was profitable; LuNoH0Co steel subsidiary was hiring every able-bodied man it could find, and Wolfgang Korsakov was ready with paper money, "National Dollars," printed to resemble Hong Kong dollar and in theory pegged to it. Luna had plenty of food, plenty of work, plenty of money; people were not hurting, "beer, betting, women, and work" went on as usual.

"Nationals," as they were called, were inflation money, war money, fiat money, and were discounted a fraction of a percent on day of first issue, concealed as "exchange service charge." They were spendable money and never did drop to zero but were inflationary and exchange reflected it increasingly; new government was spending money it did not have.

But that was later-Challenge to Earth, to Authority and Federated Nations, was made intentionally nasty. F.N. vessels were ordered to stay clear of Luna by ten diameters and not orbit at any distance under pain of being destroyed without warning. (No mention of how, since we could not.) Vessels of private registry would be permitted to land if a) permission was requested ahead of time with ballistic plan, b) a vessel thus cleared placed itself under Luna Ground Control (Mike') at a distance of one hundred thousand kilometers while following approved trajectory, and c) was unarmed save for three hand guns permitted three officers. Last was to be confirmed by inspection on landing before anybody was allowed to leave s.h.i.+p and before s.h.i.+p was serviced with fuel and/or reaction ma.s.s; violation would mean confiscation of s.h.i.+p. No person allowed to land at Luna other than s.h.i.+p's crew in connection with loading, unloading, or servicing save citizens of Terran countries who had recognized Free Luna. (Only Chad-and Chad had no s.h.i.+ps. Prof expected some private vessels to be re-registered under Chad merchant flag.) Manifesto noted that Terran scientists still in Luna could return home in any vessel which conformed to our requirements. It invited all freedom-loving Terran nations to denounce wrongs done us and which the Authority planned against us, recognize us, and enjoy free trade and full intercourse-and pointed out that there were no tariffs or any artificial restrictions against trade in Luna, and was policy of Luna government to keep it that way. We invited immigration, unlimited, and pointed out that we had a labor shortage and any immigrant could be self-supporting at once.

We also boasted of food-adult consumption over four thousand calories per day, high in protein, low in cost, no rationing. (Stu had Adam-Mike stick in price of 100-proof vodka-fifty cents HKL per liter, less in quant.i.ty, no taxes. Since this was less than one-tenth retail price of 80-proot vodka in North America, Stu knew it would hit home. Adam, "by nature" a teetotaler, hadn't thought of it-one of Mike's few oversights.) Lunar Authority was invited to gather at one spot well away from other people, say in unirrigated part of Sahara, and receive one last barge of grain free-straight down at terminal velocity. This was followed by a snotty lecture which implied that we were prepared to do same to anyone who threatened our peace, there being a number of loaded barges at catapult head, ready for such unceremonious delivery.

Then we waited.

But we waited busily. Were indeed a few loaded barges; these we unloaded and reloaded with rock, with changes made in guidance transponders so that Poona Control could not affect them. Their retros were removed, leaving only lateral thrustors, and spare retros were taken to new catapult, to be modified for lateral guidance. Greatest effort went into moving steel to new catapult and shaping it into jackets for solid rock cylinders-steel was bottleneck.

Two days after our manifesto a "clandestine" radio started beaming to Terra. Was weak and tended to fade and was supposed to be concealed, presumably in a crater, and could be worked only certain hours until brave Terran scientists managed to rig automatic repeat. Was near frequency of Voice of Free Luna, which tended to drown it out with bra.s.sy boasts.

(Terrans remaining in Luna had no chance to make signals. Those who had chosen to stick with research were chaperoned by stilyagi every instant and locked into barracks to sleep.) But "clandestine" station managed to get "truth" to Terra. Prof had been tried for deviationism and was under house arrest. I had been executed for treason. Hong Kong Luna had pulled out, declared self separately independent. . . might be open to reason. Rioting in Novylen. All food growing had been collectivized and black-market eggs were selling for three dollars apiece in Lana City. Battalions of female troops were being enlisted, each sworn to kill at least one Terran, and were drilling with fake guns in corridors of Luna City.

Last was an almost-true. Many ladies wanted to do something militant and had formed a Home Defense Guard, "Ladies from Hades." But their drills were of a practical nature-and Hazel was sulking because Mum had not allowed her to join. Then she got over sulks and started "Stilyagi Debs," a very junior home guard which drilled after school hours, did not use weapons, concentrated on backing up stilyagi air & pressure corps, and practiced first aid-and own no-weapons fighting, which-possibly-Mum never learned.

I don't know how much to tell. Can't tell all, but stuff in history books is so wrong!

I was no better a "defense minister" than "congressman." Not apologizing, had no training for either. Revolution is an amateur thing for almost everybody; Prof was only one who seemed to know what he was doing, and, at that, was new to him, too-he had never taken part in a successful revolution or ever been part of a government, much less head.

As Minister of Defense I could not see many ways to defend except for steps already taken; that is, stilyagi air squads in warrens and laser gunners around ballistic radars. If F.N. decided to bomb, didn't see any way to stop them; wasn't an interception missile in all Luna and that's not a gadget you whomp up from bits and pieces. My word, we couldn't even make fusion weapons with which such a rocket is tipped.

But I went through motions. Asked same Chinee engineers who had built laser guns to take a crack at problem of intercepting bombs or missiles-one same problem save that a missile comes at you faster.

Then turned attention to other things. Simply hoped that F.N. would never bomb warrens. Some warrens, L-City in particular, were so deep down that they could probably stand direct hits. One cubic, lowest level of Complex where central part of Mike lived, had been designed to withstand bombing. On other hand Tycho Under was a big natural bubble cave like Old Dome and roof was only meters thick; sealer on under side is kept warm with hot water pipes to make sure new cracks sealed-would not take much of a bomb to crack Tycho Under.

But is no limit to how big a fusion bomb can be; F.N. could build one big enough to smash L-City----or theoretically even a Doomsday job that would split Luna like a melon and finish job some asteroid started at Tycho. If they did, couldn't see any way to stop them, so didn't worry.

Instead put time on problems I could manage, helping at new catapult, trying to work up better aiming arrangements for laser drills around radars (and trying to get drillmen to stick; half of them quit once price of ice went up), trying to arrange decentralized standby engineering controls for all warrens. Mike did designing on this, we grabbed every general-purpose computer we could find (paying in "nationals" with ink barely dry), and I turned job over to McIntyre, former chief engineer for Authority; was a job within his talents and I couldn't do all rewiring and so forth, even if had tried.

Held out biggest computer, one that did accounting for Bank of Hong Kong in Luna and also was clearinghouse there. Looked over its instruction manuals and decided was a smart computer for one that could not talk, so asked Mike if he could teach it ballistics? We made temporary link-ups to let two machines get acquainted and Mike reported it could learn simple job we wanted it for-standby for new catapult-although Mike would not care to ride in s.h.i.+p controlled by it; was too matter-of-fact and uncritical. Stupid, really.

Well, didn't want it to whistle tunes or crack jokes; just wanted it to shove loads out a catapult at right millisecond and at correct velocity, then watch load approach Terra and give a nudge.

HK Bank was not anxious to sell. But we had patriots on their board, we promised to return it when emergency was over, and moved it to new site-by rolligon, too big for tubes, and took all one dark semi-lunar. Had to jerry-rig a big airlock to get it out of Kong warren. I hooked it to Mike again and he undertook to teach art of ballistics against possibility that his linkage to new site might be cut in an attack.

(You know what bank used to replace computer? Two hundred clerks working abacuses. Abacusi? You know, slipsticks with beads, oldest digital computer, so far back in prehistory that n.o.body knows who invented. Russki and Chinee and Nips have always used them, and small shops today.) Trying to improve laser drills into s.p.a.ce-defense weapons was easier but less straightforward. We had to leave them mounted on original cradles; was neither time, steel, nor metalsmiths to start fresh. So we concentrated on better aiming arrangements. Call went out for telescopes. Scarce-what con fetches along a spygla.s.s when transported? What market later to create supply? Surveying instruments and helmet binoculars were all we turned up, plus optical instruments confiscated in Terran labs. But we managed to equip drills with low-power big-field sights to coach-on with and high-powcr scopes for fine sighting, plus train and elevation circles and phones so that Mike could tell them where to point. Four drills we equipped with self-synchronous repeater drives so that Mike could control them himself-liberated these selsyns at Richardson; astronomers used them for Bausch cameras and Schmidts in sky mapping.

But big problem was men. Wasn't money, we kept upping wages. No, a drillman likes to work or wouldn't be in that trade. Standing by in a ready room day after day, waiting for alert that always turns out to be just another practice-drove 'em crackers. They quit. One day in September I pulled an alert and got only seven drills manned.

Talked it over with Wyoh and Sidris that night. Next day Wyoh wanted to know if Prof and I would okay bolshoi expense money? They formed something Wyoh named "Lysistrata Corps." Never inquired into duties or cost, because next time I inspected a ready room found three girls and no shortge of drillmen. Girls were in uniform of Second Defense Gunners just as men were (drillmen hadn't bothered much with authorized uniform up to then) and one girl was wearing sargeant's stripes with gun captain's badge.

I made that inspection very short. Most girls don't have muscle to be a drillman and I doubted if this girl could wrestle a drill well enough to justify that badge. But regular gun captain was on job, was no harm in girls learning to handle lasers, morale was obviously high; I gave matter no more worry.

Prof underrated his new Congress. Am sure he never wanted anything but a body which would rubberchop what we were doing and thereby do make it "voice of people." But fact that new Congressmen were not yammerheads resulted in them doing more than Prof intended. Especially Committee on Permanent Organization, Resolutions, and Government Structure.

Got out of hand because we were all trying to do too much. Permanent heads of Congress were Prof, Finn Nielsen. and Wyoh. Prof showed up only when he wanted to speak to them-seldom. He spent time with Mike on plans and a.n.a.lysis (odds shortened to one in five during September '76), time with Stu and Sheenie Sheehan on propaganda, controlling official news to Earthside, very different "news" that went via "clandestine" radio, and reslanting news that came up from Earthside. Besides that he had finger in everything; I reported whim once a day, and all ministries both real and dummy did same.

I kept Finn Nielsen busy; he was my "Commander of Armed Forces." He had his laser gun infantry to supervise-six men with captured weapons on day we nabbed warden, now eight hundred scattered all through Luna and armed with Kongville monkey copies. Besides that, Wyoh's organizations, Stilyagi Air Corps, Stilyagi Debs, Ladies from Hades, Irregulars (kept for morale and renamed Peter Pan's Pirates), and Lysistrata Corps-all these halfway-military groups reported through Wyoh to Finn. I shoved it onto him; I had other problems, such as trying to be a computer mechanic as well as a "statesman" when jobs such as installing that computer at new catapult site had to be done.

Besides which, I am not an executive and Finn had talent for it. I shoved First and Second Defense Gunners under him, too. But first I decided that these two skeleton regiments were a "brigade" and made Judge Brody a "brigadier." Brody knew as much about military matters as I did-zero-but was widely known, highly respected, had unlimited hard sense-and had been drillman before he lost leg. Finn was not drillman, so couldn't be placed directly over them; They wouldn't have listened. I thought about using my co-husband Greg. But Greg was needed at Mare Undarum catapult, was only mechanic who had followed every phase of construction.

Wyoh helped Prof, helped Stu, had her own organizations, I made trips out to Mare Undarum-and had little time to preside over Congress; task fell on senior committee chairman, Wolf Korsakov . . . who was busier than any of us; LuNoHoCo was running everything Authority used to run and many new things as well.

Wolf had a good committee; Prof should have kept closer eye on it. Wolf had caused his boss, Moshai Baum, to be elected vice-chairman and had in all seriousness outlined for his committee problem of determining what permanent government should be. Then Wolf had turned back on it.

Those busy laddies split up and did it-studied forms of government in Carnegie Library, held subcommittee meetings, three or four people at a time (few enough to worry Prof had he known)--and when Congress met early in September to ratify some appointments and elect more congressmen-at-large, instead of adjourning, Comrade Baum had gavel and they recessed-and met again and turned selves into committee-of-the-whole and pa.s.sed a resolution and next thing we knew entire Congress was a Const.i.tutional Convention divided into working groups headed by those subcommittees.

I think Prof was shocked. But he couldn't undo it, had all been proper under rules he himself had written. But he rolled with punch, went to Novylen (where Congress now met-more central) and spoke to them with usual good nature and simply cast doubts on what they were doing rather than telling them flatly they were wrong.

After gracefully thanking them he started picking early drafts to pieces: "Comrade Members, like fire and fusion, government is a dangerous servant and a terrible master. You now have freedom-if you can keep it. But do remember that you can lose this freedom more quickly to yourselves than to any other tyrant. Move slowly, be hesitant, puzzle out the consequences of every word. I would not be unhappy if this convention sat for ten years before reporting-but I would be frightened if you took less than a year.

"Distrust the obvious, suspect the traditional . . . for in the past mankind has not done well when saddling itself with governments. For example, I note in one draft report a proposal for setting up a commission to divide Luna into congressional districts and to reapportion them from time to time according to population.

"This is the traditional way; therefore it should be suspect, considered guilty until proved innocent. Perhaps you feel that this is the only way. May I suggest others? Surely where a man lives is the least important thing about him. Const.i.tuencies might be formed by dividing people by occupation. . . or by age. . . or even alphabetically. Or they might not be divided, every member elected at large---and do not object that this would make it impossible for any man not widely known throughout Luna to be elected; that might be the best possible thing for Luna.

"You might even consider installing the candidates who receive the least number of votes; unpopular men may be just the sort to save you from a new tyranny. Don't reject the idea merely because it seems preposterous-think about it! In past history popularly elected governments have been no better and sometimes far worse than overt tyrannies.

"But if representative government turns out to be your intention there still may be ways to achieve it better than the territorial district. For example you each represent about ten thousand human beings, perhaps seven thousand of voting age-and some of you were elected by slim majorities. Suppose instead of election a man were qualified for office by pet.i.tion signed by four thousand citizens. He would then represent those four thousand affirmatively, with no disgruntled minority, for what would have been a minority in a territorial const.i.tuency would all be free to start other pet.i.tions or join in them. All would then be represented by men of their choice. Or a man with eight thousand supporters might have two votes in this body. Difficulties, objections, practical points to be worked out-many of them! But you could work them out. . . and thereby avoid the chronic sickness of representative government, the disgruntled minority which feels-correctly!--that it has been disenfranchised.

"But, whatever you do, do not let the past be a straitjacket!

"I note one proposal to make this Congress a two-house body. Excellent-the more impediments to legislation the better. But, instead of following tradition, I suggest one house legislators, another whose single duty is to repeal laws. Let legislators pa.s.s laws only with a two-thirds majority . . . while the repealers are able to cancel any law through a mere one-third minority. Preposterous? Think about it. If a bill is so poor that it cannot command two-thirds of your consents, is it not likely that it would make a poor law? And if a law is disliked by as many as one-third is it not likely that you would be better off without it?

"But in writing your const.i.tution let me invite attention the wonderful virtues of the negative! Accentuate the negative! Let your doc.u.ment be studded with things the government is forever forbidden to do. No conscript armies . . . no interference however slight with freedom of press, or speech, or travel, or a.s.sembly, or of religion, or of instruction, or communication, or occupation. . . no involuntary taxation. Comrades, if you were to spend five years in a study of history while thinking of more and more things that your governinen should promise never to do and then let your const.i.tution be nothing but those negatives, I would not fear the outcome.

"What I fear most are affirmative actions of sober and well-intentioned men, granting to government powers to do something that appears to need doing. Please remember always that the Lunar Authority was created for the n.o.blest of purposes by just such sober and well-intentioned men, all popularly elected. And with that thought I leave you to your labors. Thank you."

"Gospodin President! Question of information! You said 'no involuntary taxation'-Then how do you expect us to pay for things? Tanstaafl!"

"Goodness me, sir, that's your problem. I can think several ways. Voluntary contributions just as churches support themselves . . . government-sponsored lotteries to which no one need subscribe. . . or perhaps you Congressmen should dig down into your own pouches and pay for whatever is needed; that would be one way to keep government down in size to its indispensable functions whatever they may be. If indeed there are any. I would be satisfied to have the Golden Rule be the only law; I see no need for any other, nor for any method of enforcing it. But if you really believe that your neighbors must have laws for their own good, why shouldn't you pay for it? Comrades, I beg you-do not resort to compulsory taxation. There is so worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him."

Prof bowed and left, Stu and I followed him. Once in an otherwise empty capsule I tackled him. "Prof, I liked much that you said . . . but about taxation aren't you talking one thing and doing another? Who do you think is going to pay for all this spending we're doing?"

He was silent long moments, then said, "Manuel, my only ambition is to reach the day when I can stop pretending to be a chief executive."

"Is no answer!"

"You have put your finger on the dilemma of all government-and the reason I am an anarchist. The power to tax, once conceded, has no limits; it contains until it destroys. I was not joking when I told them to dig into their own pouches. It may not be possible to do away with government-sometimes I think that government is an inescapable disease of human beings. But it may be possible to keep it small and starved and inoffensive-and can you think of a better way than by requiring the governors themselves to pay the costs of their antisocial hobby?"

"Still doesn't say how to pay for what we are doing now."

"'How,' Manuel? You know how we are doing it. We're stealing it. I'm neither proud of it nor ashamed; it's the means we have. If they ever catch on, they may eliminate us-and that I am prepared to face. At least, in stealing, we have not created the villainous precedent of taxation."

"Prof. I hate to say this-"

"Then why say it?"

"Because, d.a.m.n it, I'm in it as deeply as you are . . . and want to see that money paid back! Hate to say it but what you just said sounds like hypocrisy."

He chuckled. "Dear Manuel! Has it taken you all these years to decide that I am a hypocrite?"

"Then you admit it?'

"No. But if it makes you feel better to think that I am one, you are welcome to use me as your scapegoat. But I am not a hypocrite to myself because I was aware the day we declared the Revolution that we would need much money and would have to steal it. It did not trouble me because I considered it better than food riots six years hence, cannibalism in eight. I made my choice and have no regrets."

I shut up, silenced but not satisfied. Stu said, "Professor, I'm glad to hear that you are anxious to stop being President."

"So? You share our comrade's misgivings?"

"Only in part. Having been born to wealth, stealing doesn't fret me as much as it does him. No, but now that Congress has taken up the matter of a const.i.tution I intend to find time to attend sessions. I plan to nominate you for King."

Prof looked shocked. "Sir, if nominated, I shall repudiate it. If elected, I shall abdicate."

"Don't be in a hurry. It might be the only way to get the sort of const.i.tution you want. And that I want, too, with about your own mild lack of enthusiasm. You could be proclaimed King and the people would take you; we Loonies aren't wedded to a republic. They'd love the idea-ritual and robes and a court and all that."

"No!"

"Ja da! When the time comes, you won't be able to refuse. Because we need a king and there isn't another candidate who would be accepted. Bernardo the First, King of Luna and Emperor of the Surrounding s.p.a.ces."

"Stuart, I must ask you to stop. I'm becoming quite ill."