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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Ultima Thule by Dallas McCord Reynolds
+
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no
+restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under
+the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or
+online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license
+
+
+
+Title: Ultima Thule
+
+Author: Dallas McCord Reynolds
+
+Release Date: October 25, 2009 [Ebook #30334]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: US-ASCII
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ULTIMA THULE***
+
+
+
+
+
+                               Ultima Thule
+
+                                    by
+
+                          Dallas McCord Reynolds
+
+                     Illustrated by John Schoenherr.
+
+                      Analog Science Fact & Fiction
+
+                                March 1961
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Transcriber's Note: This text was produced from Analog Science Fact &
+Fiction March 1961. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
+the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
+
+
+
+
+
+                             [Illustration.]
+
+At least he'd got far enough to wind up with a personal interview. It's
+one thing doing up an application and seeing it go onto an endless tape
+and be fed into the maw of a machine and then to receive, in a matter of
+moments, a neatly printed rejection. It's another thing to receive an
+appointment to be interviewed by a placement officer in the Commissariat
+of Interplanetary Affairs, Department of Personnel. Ronny Bronston was
+under no illusions. Nine out of ten men of his age annually made the same
+application. Almost all were annually rejected. Statistically speaking
+practically nobody ever got an interplanetary position. But he'd made step
+one along the path of a lifetime ambition.
+
+He stood at easy attention immediately inside the door. At the desk at the
+far side of the room the placement officer was going through a sheaf of
+papers. He looked up and said, "Ronald Bronston? Sit down. You'd like an
+interplanetary assignment, eh? So would I."
+
+Ronny took the chair. For a moment he tried to appear alert, earnest,
+ambitious but not _too_ ambitious, fearless, devoted to the cause, and
+indispensable. For a moment. Then he gave it up and looked like Ronny
+Bronston.
+
+The other looked up and took him in. The personnel official saw a man of
+averages. In the late twenties. Average height, weight and breadth.
+Pleasant of face in an average sort of way, but not handsome. Less than
+sharp in dress, hair inclined to be on the undisciplined side. Brown of
+hair, dark of eye. In a crowd, inconspicuous. In short, Ronny Bronston.
+
+The personnel officer grunted. He pushed a button, said something into his
+order box. A card slid into the slot and he took it out and stared
+gloomily at it.
+
+"What're your politics?" he said.
+
+"Politics?" Ronny Bronston said. "I haven't any politics. My father and
+grandfather before me have been citizens of United Planets. There hasn't
+been any politics in our family for three generations."
+
+"Family?"
+
+"None."
+
+The other grunted and marked the card. "Racial prejudices?"
+
+"I beg your pardon?"
+
+"Do you have any racial prejudices? Any at all."
+
+"No."
+
+The personnel officer said, "Most people answer that way at first, these
+days, but some don't at second. For instance, suppose you had to have a
+blood transfusion. Would you have any objection to it being blood donated
+by, say, a Negro, a Chinese, or, say, a Jew?"
+
+Ronny ticked it off on his fingers. "One of my greatgrandfathers was a
+French _colon_ who married a Moroccan girl. The Moors are a blend of
+Berber, Arab, Jew and Negro. Another of my greatgrandfathers was a
+Hawaiian. They're largely a blend of Polynesians, Japanese, Chinese and
+Caucasians especially Portuguese. Another of my greatgrandfathers was
+Irish, English and Scotch. He married a girl who was half Latvian, half
+Russian." Ronny wound it up. "Believe me, if I had a blood transfusion
+from just anybody at all, the blood would feel right at home."
+
+The interviewer snorted, even as he marked the card. "That accounts for
+three greatgrandfathers," he said lightly. "You seem to have made a study
+of your family tree. What was the other one?"
+
+Rocky said expressionlessly, "A Texan."
+
+The secretary shrugged and looked at the card again. "Religion?"
+
+"Reformed Agnostic," Ronny said. This one was possibly where he ran into a
+brick wall. Many of the planets had strong religious beliefs of one sort
+or another. Some of them had state religions and you either belonged or
+else.
+
+"Is there any such church?" the personnel officer frowned.
+
+"No. I'm a one-man member. I'm of the opinion that if there are any
+greater-powers-that-be They're keeping the fact from us. And if that's the
+way They want it, it's Their business. If and when They want to contact
+me--one of Their puppets dangling from a string--then I suppose They'll do
+it. Meanwhile, I'll wait."
+
+The other said interestedly, "You think that if there is a Higher Power
+and if It ever wants to get in touch with you, It will?"
+
+"Um-m-m. In Its own good time. Sort of a _don't call Me_, thing, _I'll
+call you_."
+
+The personnel officer said, "There have been a few revealed religions, you
+know."
+
+"So they said, so they said. None of them have made much sense to me. If a
+Super-Power wanted to contact man, it seems unlikely to me that it'd be
+all wrapped up in a lot of complicated gobbledegook. It would all be very
+clear indeed."
+
+The personnel officer sighed. He marked the card, stuck it back into the
+slot in his order box and it disappeared.
+
+He looked up at Ronny Bronston. "All right, that's all."
+
+Ronny came to his feet. "Well, what happened?"
+
+The other grinned at him sourly. "Darned if I know," he said. "By the time
+you get to the outer office, you'll probably find out." He scratched the
+end of his nose and said, "I sometimes wonder what I'm doing here."
+
+Ronny thanked him, told him good-by, and left.
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+In the outer office a girl looked up from a card she'd just pulled from
+her own order box. "Ronald Bronston?"
+
+"That's right."
+
+She handed the card to him. "You're to go to the office of Ross Metaxa in
+the Octagon, Commissariat of Interplanetary Affairs, Department of
+Justice, Bureau of Investigation, Section G."
+
+In a lifetime spent in first preparing for United Planets employment and
+then in working for the organization, Ronny Bronston had never been in the
+Octagon Building. He'd seen photographs, Tri-Di broadcasts and he'd heard
+several thousand jokes on various levels from pun to obscenity about
+getting around in the building, but he'd never been there. For that
+matter, he'd never been in Greater Washington before, other than a long
+ago tourist trip. Population Statistics, his department, had its main
+offices in New Copenhagen.
+
+His card was evidently all that he needed for entry.
+
+At the sixth gate he dismissed his car and let it shoot back into the
+traffic mess. He went up to one of the guard-guides and presented the
+card.
+
+The guide inspected it. "Section G of the Bureau of Investigation," he
+muttered. "Every day, something new. I never heard of it."
+
+"It's probably some outfit in charge of cleaning the heads on space
+liners." Ronny said unhappily. He'd never heard of it either.
+
+"Well, it's no problem," the guard-guide said. He summoned a three-wheel,
+fed the co-ordinates into it from Ronny's card, handed the card back and
+flipped an easy salute. "You'll soon know."
+
+The scooter slid into the Octagon's hall traffic and proceeded up one
+corridor, down another, twice taking to ascending ramps. Ronny had read
+somewhere the total miles of corridors in the Octagon. He hadn't believed
+the figures at the time. Now he believed them. He must have traversed
+several miles before they got to the Department of Justice alone. It was
+another quarter mile to the Bureau of Investigation.
+
+The scooter eventually came to a halt, waited long enough for Ronny to
+dismount and then hurried back into the traffic.
+
+He entered the office. A neatly uniformed reception girl with a harassed
+and cynical eye looked up from her desk. "Ronald Bronston?" she said.
+
+"That's right."
+
+"Where've you been?" She had a snappy cuteness. "The commissioner has been
+awaiting you. Go through that door and to your left."
+
+Ronny went through that door and to the left. There was another door,
+inconspicuously lettered _Ross Metaxa, Commissioner, Section G_. Ronny
+knocked and the door opened.
+
+Ross Metaxa was going through a wad of papers. He looked up; a man in the
+middle years, sour of expression, moist of eye as though he either drank
+too much or slept too little.
+
+"Sit down," he said. "You're Ronald Bronston, eh? What do they call you,
+Ronny? It says here you've got a sense of humor. That's one of the first
+requirements in this lunatic department."
+
+Ronny sat down and tried to form some opinions of the other by his
+appearance. He was reminded of nothing so much as the stereotype city
+editor you saw in the historical romance Tri-Ds. All that was needed was
+for Metaxa to start banging on buttons and yelling something about tearing
+down the front page, whatever that meant.
+
+Metaxa said, "It also says you have some queer hobbies. Judo, small
+weapons target shooting, mountain climbing--" He looked up from the
+reports. "Why does anybody climb mountains?"
+
+Ronny said, "Nobody's ever figured out." That didn't seem to be enough,
+especially since Ross Metaxa was staring at him, so he added, "Possibly we
+devotees keep doing it in hopes that someday somebody'll find out."
+
+Ross Metaxa said sourly, "Not _too_ much humor, please. You don't act as
+though getting this position means much to you."
+
+Ronny said slowly, "I figured out some time ago that every young man on
+Earth yearns for a job that will send him shuttling from one planet to
+another. To achieve it they study, they sweat, they make all out efforts
+to meet and suck up to anybody they think might help. Finally, when and if
+they get an interview for one of the few openings, they spruce up in their
+best clothes, put on their best party manners, present themselves as the
+sincere, high I.Q., ambitious young men that they are--and then flunk their
+chance. I decided I might as well be what I am."
+
+Ross Metaxa looked at him. "O.K.," he said finally. "We'll give you a
+try."
+
+Ronny said blankly, "You mean I've got the job?"
+
+"That's right."
+
+"I'll be damned."
+
+"Probably," Metaxa said. He yawned. "Do you know what Section G handles?"
+
+"Well no, but as for me, just so I get off Earth and see some of the
+galaxy."
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+Metaxa had been sitting with his heels on his desk. Now he put them down
+and reached a hand into a drawer to emerge with a brown bottle and two
+glasses. "Do you drink?" he said.
+
+"Of course."
+
+"Even during working hours?" Metaxa scowled.
+
+"When occasion calls."
+
+"Good," Metaxa said. He poured two drinks. "You'll get your fill of seeing
+the galaxy," he said. "Not that there's much to see. Man can settle only
+Earth-type planets and after you've seen a couple of hundred you've seen
+them all."
+
+Ronny sipped at his drink, then blinked reproachfully down into the glass.
+
+Metaxa said, "Good, eh? A kind of tequila they make on Deneb Eight. Bunch
+of Mexicans settled there."
+
+"What," said Ronny hoarsely, "do they make it out of?"
+
+"Lord only knows," Metaxa said. "To get back to Section G. We're
+Interplanetary Security. In short, Department Cloak and Dagger. Would you
+be willing to die for the United Planets, Bronston?"
+
+That curve had come too fast. Ronny blinked again. "Only in emergency," he
+said. "Who'd want to kill me?"
+
+Metaxa poured another drink. "Many of the people you'll be working with,"
+he said.
+
+"Well, _why_? What will I be doing?"
+
+"You'll be representing United Planets," Metaxa explained. "Representing
+United Planets in cases where the local situation is such that the folks
+you're working among will be teed off at the organization."
+
+"Well, why are they members if they don't like the UP?"
+
+"That's a good question," Metaxa said. He yawned. "I guess I'll have to go
+into my speech." He finished his drink. "Now, shut up till I give you some
+background. You're probably full of a lot of nonsense you picked up in
+school."
+
+Ronny shut up. He'd expected more of an air of dedication in the Octagon
+and in such ethereal departments as that of Interplanetary Justice,
+however, he was in now and not adverse to picking up some sophistication
+beyond the ken of the Earth-bound employees of UP.
+
+The other's voice took on a far away, albeit bored tone. "It seems that
+most of the times man gets a really big idea, he goes off half cocked.
+Just one example. Remember when the ancient Hellenes exploded into the
+Mediterranean? A score of different City-States began sending out
+colonies, which in turn sprouted colonies of their own. Take Syracuse, on
+Sicily. Hardly was she established than, bingo, she sent off colonists to
+Southern Italy, and they in turn to Southern France, Corsica, the
+Balearics. Greeks were exploding all over the place, largely without
+adequate plans, without rhyme or reason. Take Alexander. Roamed off all
+the way to India, founding cities and colonies of Greeks all along the
+way."
+
+The older man shifted in his chair. "You wonder what I'm getting at, eh?
+Well, much the same thing is happening in man's explosion into space, now
+that he has the ability to leave the solar system behind. Dashing off half
+cocked, in all directions, he's flowing out over this section of the
+galaxy without plan, without rhyme or reason. I take that last back, he
+has reasons all right--some of the screwiest. Religious reasons, racial
+reasons, idealistic reasons, political reasons, altruistic reasons and
+mercenary reasons.
+
+"Inadequate ships, manned by small numbers of inadequate people, setting
+out to find their own planets, to establish themselves on one of the
+numberless uninhabited worlds that offer themselves to colonization and
+exploitation."
+
+Ronny cleared his throat. "Well, isn't that a good thing, sir?"
+
+Ross Metaxa looked at him and grunted. "What difference does it make if
+it's good or not? It's happening. We're spreading our race out over tens
+of hundreds of new worlds in the most haphazard fashion. As a result, we
+of United Planets now have a chaotic mishmash on our hands. How we manage
+to keep as many planets in the organization as we do, sometimes baffles
+me. I suppose most of them are afraid to drop out, conscious of the
+protection UP gives against each other."
+
+He picked up a report. "Here's Monet, originally colonized by a bunch of
+painters, writers, musicians and such. They had dreams of starting a new
+race"--Metaxa snorted--"with everybody artists. They were all so impractical
+that they even managed to crash their ship on landing. For three hundred
+years they were uncontacted. What did they have in the way of government
+by that time? A military theocracy, something like the Aztecs of
+Pre-Conquest Mexico. A matriarchy, at that. And what's their religion
+based on? That of ancient Phoenicia including plenty of human sacrifice to
+good old Moloch. What can United Planets do about it, now that they've
+become a member? Work away very delicately, trying to get them to at least
+eliminate the child sacrifice phase of their culture. Will they do it?
+Hell no, not if they can help it. The Head Priestess and her clique are
+afraid that if they don't have the threat of sacrifice to hold over the
+people, they'll be overthrown."
+
+Ronny was surprised. "I'd never heard of a member planet like that.
+Monet?"
+
+Metaxa sighed. "No, of course not. You've got a lot to learn, Ronny, my
+lad. First of all, what're Articles One and Two of the United Planets
+Charter?"
+
+That was easy. Ronny recited. "Article One: _The United Planets
+organization shall take no steps to interfere with the internal political,
+socio-economic, or religious institutions of its member planets._ Article
+Two: _No member planets of United Planets shall interfere with the
+internal political, socioeconomic or religious institutions of any other
+member planet._" He looked at the department head. "But what's that got to
+do with the fact that I was unfamiliar with even the existence of Monet?"
+
+"Suppose one of the advanced planets, or even Earth itself," Metaxa
+growled, "openly discussed in magazines, on newscasts, or wherever, the
+religious system of Monet. A howl would go up among the liberals, the
+progressives, the do-gooders. And the howl would be heard on the other
+advanced planets. Eventually, the citizen in the street on Monet would
+hear about it and be affected. And before you knew it, a howl would go up
+from Monet's government. Why? Because the other planets would be
+interfering with her internal affairs, simply by discussing them."
+
+"So what you mean is," Ronny said, "part of our job is to keep information
+about Monet's government and religion from being discussed at all on other
+member planets."
+
+"That's right," Metaxa nodded. "And that's just one of our dirty little
+jobs. One of many. Section G, believe me, gets them all. Which brings us
+to your first assignment."
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+Ronny inched forward in his chair. "It takes me into space?"
+
+"It takes you into space all right," Metaxa snorted. "At least it will
+after a few months of indoctrination. I'm sending you out after a legend,
+Ronny. You're fresh, possibly you'll get some ideas older men in the game
+haven't thought of."
+
+"A legend?"
+
+"I'm sending you to look for Tommy Paine. Some members of the department
+don't think he exists. I do."
+
+"Tommy Paine?"
+
+"A pseudonym that somebody hung on him way back before even my memory in
+this Section. Did you ever hear of Thomas Paine in American history?"
+
+"He wrote a pamphlet during the Revolutionary War, didn't he?"
+
+" 'Common Sense,' " Metaxa nodded. "But he was more than that. He was born
+in England but went to America as a young man and his writings probably
+did as much as anything to put over the revolt against the British. But
+that wasn't enough. When that revolution was successful he went back to
+England and tried to start one there. The government almost caught him,
+but he escaped and got to France where he participated in the French
+Revolution."
+
+"He seemed to get around," Ronny Bronston said.
+
+"And so does this namesake of his. We've been trying to catch up with him
+for some twenty years. How long before that he was active, we have no way
+of knowing. It was some time before we became aware of the fact that half
+the revolts, rebellions, revolutions and such that occur in the United
+Planets have his dirty finger stirring around in them."
+
+"But you said some department members don't believe in his existence."
+
+Metaxa grunted. "They're working on the theory that no one man could do
+all that Tommy Paine has laid to him. Possibly it's true that he sometimes
+gets the blame for accomplishments not his. Or, for that matter, possibly
+he's more than one person. I don't know."
+
+"Well," Ronny said hesitantly, "what's an example of his activity?"
+
+Metaxa picked up another report from the confusion of his desk. "Here's
+one only a month old. Dictator on the planet Megas. Kidnapped and forced
+to resign. There's still confusion but it looks as though a new type of
+government will be formed now."
+
+"But how do they know it wasn't just some dissatisfied citizens of Megas?"
+
+"It seems as though the kidnap vehicle was an old fashioned Earth-type
+helicopter. There were no such on Megas. So Section G suspects it's a
+possible Tommy Paine case. We could be wrong, of course. That's why I say
+the man's in the way of being a legend. Perhaps the others are right and
+he doesn't even exist. I think he does, and if so, it's our job to get him
+and put him out of circulation."
+
+Ronny said slowly, "But why would that come under our jurisdiction? It
+seems to me that it would be up to the police of whatever planet he was
+on."
+
+Ross Metaxa looked thoughtfully at his brown bottle, shook his head and
+returned it to its drawer. He looked at a desk watch. "Don't read into the
+United Planets organization more than there is. It's a fragile institution
+with practically no independent powers to wield. Every member planet is
+jealous of its prerogatives, which is understandable. It's no mistake that
+Articles One and Two are the basic foundation of the Charter. No member
+planet wants to be interfered with by any other or by United Planets as an
+organization. They want to be left alone.
+
+"Within our ranks we have planets with every religion known to man
+throughout the ages. Everything ranging from primitive animism to the most
+advanced philosophic ethic. We have every political system ever dreamed
+of, and every socio-economic system. It can all be blamed on the crack-pot
+manner in which we're colonizing. Any minority, no matter how
+small--religious, political, racial, or whatever--if it can collect the
+funds to buy or rent a spacecraft, can dash off on its own, find a new
+Earth-type planet and set up in business.
+
+"Fine. One of the prime jobs of Section G is to carry out, to enforce,
+Articles One and Two of the Charter. A planet with Buddhism as its state
+religion, doesn't want some die-hard Baptist missionary stirring up
+controversy. A planet with a feudalistic socio-economic systems doesn't
+want some hot-shot interplanetary businessman coming in with some big deal
+that would eventually cause the feudalistic nobility to be tossed onto the
+ash heap. A planet with a dictatorship doesn't want subversives from some
+democracy trying to undermine their institutions--and vice versa."
+
+"And its our job to enforce all this, eh?" Ronny said.
+
+"That's right," Metaxa told him sourly. "It's not always the nicest job in
+the system. However, if you believe in United Planets, an organization
+attempting to co-ordinate in such manner as it can, the efforts of its
+member planets, for the betterment of all, then you must accept Section G
+and Interplanetary Security."
+
+Ronny Bronston thought about it.
+
+Metaxa added, "That's why one of the requirements of this job is that you
+yourself be a citizen of United Planets, rather than of any individual
+planet, have no religious affiliations, no political beliefs, and no
+racial prejudices. You've got to be able to stand aloof."
+
+"Yeah," Ronny said thoughtfully.
+
+Ross Metaxa looked at his watch again and sighed wearily. "I'll turn you
+over to one of my assistants," he said. "I'll see you again, though,
+before you leave."
+
+"Before I leave?" Ronny said, coming to his feet. "But where do I start
+looking for this Tommy Paine?"
+
+"How the hell would I know?" Ross Metaxa growled.
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+In the outer office, Ronny said to the receptionist, "Commissioner Metaxa
+said for me to get in touch with Sid Jakes."
+
+She said, "I'm Irene Kasansky. Are you with us?"
+
+Ronny said, "I beg your pardon?"
+
+She said impatiently, "Are you going to be with the Section? If you are,
+I've got to clear you with your old job. You were in statistics over in
+New Copenhagen, weren't you?"
+
+Somehow it seemed far away now, the job he'd held for more than five
+years. "Oh, yes," he said. "Yes, Commissioner Metaxa has given me an
+appointment."
+
+She looked up at him. "Probably to look for Tommy Paine."
+
+He was taken aback. "That's right. How did you know?"
+
+"There was talk. This Section is pretty well integrated." She grimaced,
+but on her it looked good. "One big happy family. High interdepartmental
+morale. That sort of jetsam." She flicked some switches. "You'll find
+Supervisor Jakes through that door, one to your left, two to your right."
+
+He could have asked one _what_ to his left and two _what_ to his right,
+but evidently Irene Kasansky thought he had enough information to get him
+to his destination. She'd gone back to her work.
+
+                             [Illustration.]
+
+It was one turn to his left and two turns to his right. The door was
+lettered simply _Sidney Jakes_. He knocked and a voice shouted happily,
+"It's open. It's always open."
+
+Supervisor Jakes was as informal as his superior. His attire was on the
+happy-go-lucky side, more suited for sports wear than a fairly high
+ranking job in the ultra-staid Octagon.
+
+He couldn't have been much older than Ronny Bronston but he had a nervous
+vitality about him that would have worn out the other in a few hours. He
+jumped up and shook hands. "You must be Bronston. Call me Sid." He waved a
+hand at a typed report he'd been reading. "Now I've seen them all. They've
+just applied for entry to United Planets. Republic. What a name, eh?"
+
+"What?" Ronny said.
+
+"Sit down, sit down." He rushed Ronny to a chair, saw him seated, returned
+to the desk and flicked an order box switch. "Irene," he said, "do up a
+badge for Ronny, will you? You've got his code, haven't you? Good. Send it
+over. Bronze, of course."
+
+Sid Jakes turned back to Ronny and grinned at him. He motioned to the
+report again. "What a name for a planet. Republic. Bunch of screw-balls,
+again. Out in the vicinity of Sirius. Based their system on Plato's
+_Republic_. Have to go the whole way. Don't even speak Basic. Certainly
+not. They speak Ancient Greek. That's going to be a neat trick, finding
+interpreters. How'd you like the Old Man?"
+
+Ronny said, dazed at the conversational barrage, "Old Man? Oh, you mean
+Commissioner Metaxa."
+
+"Sure, sure," Sid grinned, perching himself on the edge of the desk. "Did
+he give you that drink of tequila during working hours routine? He'd like
+to poison every new agent we get. What a character."
+
+The grin was infectious. Ronny said carefully, "Well, I did think his
+method of hiring a new man was a little--cavalier."
+
+"Cavalier, yet," Sid Jakes chortled. "Look, don't get the Old Man wrong.
+He knows what he's doing. He always knows what he's doing."
+
+"But he took me on after only two or three minutes conversation."
+
+Jakes cocked his head to one side. "Oh? You think so? When did you first
+apply for interplanetary assignment, Ronny?"
+
+"I don't know, about three years ago."
+
+Jakes nodded. "Well, depend on it, you've been under observation for that
+length of time. At any one period, Section G is investigating possibly a
+thousand potential agents. We need men but qualifications are high."
+
+He hopped down from his position, sped around to the other side of the
+desk and lowered himself into his chair. "Don't get the wrong idea,
+though. You're not in. You're on probation. Whatever the assignment the
+Old Man gave you, you've got to carry it out successfully before you're
+full fledged." He flicked the order-box switch and said, "Irene, where the
+devil's Ronny's badge?"
+
+Ronny Bronston heard the office girl's voice answer snappishly.
+
+"All right, all right," Jakes said. "I love you, too. Send it in when it
+comes." He turned to Ronny. "What _is_ your assignment?"
+
+"He wants me to go looking for some firebrand nicknamed Tommy Paine. I'm
+supposed to arrest him. The commissioner said you'd give me details."
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+Sid Jakes' face went serious. He puckered up his lips. "Wow, that'll be a
+neat trick to pull off," he said. He flicked the order-box switch again.
+Irene's voice snapped something before he could say anything and Sid Jakes
+grinned and said, "O.K., O.K., darling, but if this is the way you're
+going to be I won't marry you. Then what will the children say? Besides,
+that's not what I called about. Have ballistics do up a model H gun for
+Ronny, will you? Be sure it's adjusted to his code."
+
+He flicked off the order box and turned back to Ronny. "I understand
+you're familiar with hand guns. It's in this report on you."
+
+Ronny nodded. He was just beginning to adjust to this free-wheeling
+character. "What will I need a gun for?"
+
+Jakes laughed. "Heavens to Betsy, you babe in the woods. Do you realize
+this Tommy Paine character has supposedly stirred up a couple of score
+wars, revolutions and revolts? Not to speak of having laid in his lap two
+or three dozen assassinations. He's a quick lad with a gun. A regular
+Nihilist."
+
+"Nihilist?"
+
+Jakes chuckled. "When you've been in this Section for a while, you'll be
+familiar with every screwball outfit man has ever dreamed up. The
+Nihilists were a European group, mostly Russian, back in the Nineteenth
+Century. They believed that by bumping off a few Grand Dukes and a Czar or
+so they could force the ruling class to grant reforms. Sometimes they were
+pretty ingenious. Blew up trains, that sort of thing."
+
+"Look here," Ronny said, "what motivates this Paine fellow? What's he get
+out of all this trouble he stirs up?"
+
+"Search me. Nobody seems to know. Some think he's a mental case. For one
+thing, he's not consistent."
+
+"How do you mean?"
+
+"Well, he'll go to one planet and break his back trying to overthrow, say,
+feudalism. Then, possibly after being successful, he goes to another
+planet and devotes his energies to establishing the same socio-economic
+system."
+
+Ronny assimilated that. "You're one of those who believes he exists?"
+
+"Oh, he exists all right, all right," Sid Jakes said happily. "Matter of
+fact, I almost ran into him a few years ago."
+
+Ronny leaned forward. "I guess I ought to know about it. The more
+information I have, the better."
+
+"Sure, sure," Jakes said. "This deal of mine was on one of the Aldebaran
+planets. A bunch of nature boys had settled there."
+
+"Nature boys?"
+
+"Um-m-m. Back to nature. The trouble with the human race is that it's got
+too far away from nature. So a whole flock of them landed on this planet.
+They call it Mother, of all things. They landed and set up a primitive
+society. Absolute stone age. No metals. Lived by the chase and by picking
+berries, wild fruit, that sort of thing. Not even any agriculture. Wore
+skins. Bows and arrows were the nearest thing they allowed themselves in
+the way of mechanical devices."
+
+"Good grief," Ronny said.
+
+"It was a laugh," Jakes told him. "I was assigned there as Section G
+representative with the UP organization. Picture it. We had to wear skins
+for clothes. We had to confine ourselves to two or three long houses.
+Something like the American Iroquois lived in before Columbus. Their
+society on Mother was based on primitive communism. The clan, the phratry,
+the tribe. Their religion was mostly a matter of knocking into everybody's
+head that any progress was taboo. Oh, it was great."
+
+"Well, were they happy?"
+
+"What's happiness? I suppose they were as happy as anybody ever averages.
+Frankly, I didn't mind the assignment. Lots of fishing, lots of hunting."
+
+Ronny said, "Well, where does Tommy Paine come in?"
+
+"He snuck up on us. Started way back in the boondocks away from any of the
+larger primitive settlements. Went around putting himself over as a holy
+man. Cured people of various things from gangrene to eye diseases. Given
+antibiotics and such, you can imagine how successful he was."
+
+"Well, what harm did he do?"
+
+"I didn't say he did any harm. But in that manner he made himself awfully
+popular. Then he'd pull some trick like showing them how to smelt iron,
+and distribute some corn and wheat seed around and plant the idea of
+agriculture. The local witch doctors would try to give him a hard time,
+but the people figured he was a holy man."
+
+"Well, what happened finally?" Ronny wasn't following too well.
+
+"Communications being what they were, before he'd been discovered by the
+central organization--they had a kind of Council of Tribes which met once a
+year--he'd planted so many ideas that they couldn't be stopped. The young
+people'd never go back to flint knives, once introduced to iron. We went
+looking for friend Tommy Paine, but he got wind of it and took off. We
+even found where he'd hidden his little space cruiser. Oh, it was Paine,
+all right, all right."
+
+"But what harm did he do? I don't understand," Ronny scowled.
+
+"He threw the whole shebang on its ear. Last I heard, the planet had
+broken up into three main camps. They were whaling away at each other like
+the Assyrians and Egyptians. Iron weapons, chariots, domesticated horses.
+Agriculture was sweeping the planet. Population was exploding. Men were
+making slaves out of each other, to put them to work. Oh, it was a mess
+from the viewpoint of the original nature boys."
+
+A red light flickered on his desk and Sid Jakes opened a delivery drawer
+and dipped his hand into it. It emerged with a flat wallet. He tossed it
+to Ronny Bronston.
+
+"Here you are. Your badge."
+
+Ronny opened the wallet and examined it. He'd never seen one before, but
+for that matter he'd never heard of Section G before that morning. It was
+a simple enough bronze badge. It said on it, merely, _Ronald Bronston,
+Section G, Bureau of Investigation, United Planets_.
+
+Sid Jakes explained. "You'll get co-operation with that through the
+Justice Department anywhere you go. We'll brief you further on procedure
+during indoctrination. You in turn, of course, are to co-operate with any
+other agent of Section G. You're under orders of anyone with"--his hand
+snaked into a pocket and emerged with a wallet similar to Ronny's--"a
+silver badge, carried by a First Grade Agent, or a gold one of Supervisor
+rank."
+
+Ronny noted that his badge wasn't really bronze. It had a certain sheen, a
+brightness.
+
+Jakes said, "Here, look at this." He tossed his own badge to the new man.
+Ronny looked down at it in surprise. The gold had gone dull.
+
+Jakes laughed. "Now give me yours."
+
+Ronny got up and walked over to him and handed it over. As soon as the
+other man's hand touched it, the bronze lost its sheen.
+
+Jakes handed it back. "See, it's tuned to you alone," he said. "And mine
+is tuned to my code. Nobody can swipe a Section G badge and impersonate an
+agent. If anybody ever shows you a badge that doesn't have its sheen, you
+know he's a fake. Neat trick, eh?"
+
+"Very neat," Ronny admitted. He returned the other's gold badge. "Look, to
+get back to this Tommy Paine."
+
+But the red light flickered again and Jakes brought forth from the
+delivery drawer a hand gun complete with shoulder harness. "Nasty weapon,"
+he said. "But we'd better go on down to the armory and show you its
+workings."
+
+He stood up. "Oh, yes, don't let me forget to give you a communicator. A
+real gizmo. About as big as a woman's vanity case. Puts you in immediate
+contact with the nearest Section G office, no matter how near or far away
+it is. Or, if you wish, in contact with our offices here in the Octagon.
+Very neat trick."
+
+He led Ronny from his office and down the corridors beyond to an elevator.
+He said happily, "This is a crazy outfit, this Section G. You'll probably
+love it. Everybody does."
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+Ronny learned to love Section G--in moderation.
+
+He was initially taken aback by the existence of the organization at all.
+He'd known, of course, of the Department of Justice and even of the Bureau
+of Investigation, but Section G was hush-hush and not even United Planets
+publications ever mentioned it.
+
+The problems involved in remaining hush-hush weren't as great as all that.
+The very magnitude of the UP which involved more than two thousand member
+planets, allowed of departments and bureaus hidden away in the endless
+stretches of red tape.
+
+In fact, although Ronny Bronston had spent the better part of his life,
+thus far, in studying for a place in the organization, and then working in
+the Population Statistics Department for some years, he was only now
+beginning to get the over-all picture of the workings of the mushrooming,
+chaotic United Planets organization.
+
+It was Earth's largest industry by far. In fact, for all practical
+purposes it was her only major industry. Tourism, yes, but even that, in a
+way, was related to the United Planets organization. Millions of visitors
+whose ancestors had once emigrated from the mother planet, streamed back
+in racial nostalgia. Streamed back to see the continents and oceans, the
+Arctic and the Antarctic, the Amazon River and Mount Everest, the Sahara
+and New York City, the ruins of Rome and Athens, the Vatican, the Louvre
+and the Hermitage.
+
+But the populace of Earth, in its hundreds of millions were largely
+citizens of United Planets and worked in the organization and with its
+auxiliaries such as the Space Forces.
+
+Section G? To his surprise, Ronny found that Ross Metaxa's small section
+of the Bureau of Investigation seemed almost as great a secret within the
+Bureau as it was to the man in the street. At one period, Ronny wondered
+if it were possible that this was a department which had been lost in the
+wilderness of boondoggling that goes on in any great bureaucracy. Had
+Section G been set up a century or so ago and then forgotten by those who
+had originally thought there was a need for it? In the same way that it is
+usually more difficult to get a statute off the lawbooks than it was
+originally to pass it, in the same manner eliminating an office, with its
+employees can prove more difficult than originally establishing it.
+
+But that wasn't it. In spite of the informality, the unconventional
+brashness of its personnel on all levels, and the seeming chaos in which
+its tasks were done, Section G was no make-work project set up to provide
+juicy jobs for the relatives of high ranking officials. To the contrary,
+it didn't take long in the Section before anybody with open eyes could see
+that Ross Metaxa was privy to the decisions made by the upper echelons of
+UP.
+
+Ronny Bronston came to the conclusion that the appointment he'd received
+was putting him in a higher bracket of the UP hierarchy than he'd at first
+imagined.
+
+His indoctrination course was a strain such as he'd never known in school
+years. Ross Metaxa was evidently of the opinion that a man could
+assimilate concentrated information at a rate several times faster than
+any professional educator ever dreamed possible. No threats were made, but
+Ronny realized that he could be dropped even more quickly than he'd seemed
+to have been taken on. There were no classes, to either push or retard the
+rate of study. He worked with a series of tutors, and pushed himself. The
+tutors were almost invariably Section G agents, temporarily in Greater
+Washington between assignments, or for briefing on this phase or that of
+their work.
+
+Even as he studied, Ronny Bronston kept the eventual assignment, at which
+he was to prove himself, in mind. He made a point of inquiring of each
+agent he met, about Tommy Paine.
+
+The name was known to all, but no two reacted in the same manner. Several
+of them even brushed the whole matter aside as pure legend. _Nobody_ could
+accomplish all the trouble that Tommy Paine had supposedly stirred up.
+
+To one of these, Ronny said plaintively, "See here, the Old Man believes
+in him, Sid Jakes believes in him. My final appointment depends on
+arresting him. How can I ever secure this job, if I'm chasing a myth?"
+
+The other shrugged. "Don't ask me. I've got my own problems. O.K., now,
+let's run over this question of Napoleonic law. There are at least two
+hundred planets that base their legal system on it."
+
+But the majority of his fellow employees in Section G had strong enough
+opinions on the interplanetary firebrand. Three or four even claimed to
+have seen him fleetingly, although no two descriptions jibed. That, of
+course, could be explained. The man could resort to plastic surgery and
+other disguise.
+
+Theories there were in plenty, some of them going back long years, and
+some of them pure fable.
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+"Look," Ronny said in disgust one day after a particularly unbelievable
+siege with two agents recently returned from a trouble spot in a planetary
+system that involved three aggressive worlds which revolved about the same
+sun. "Look, it's impossible for one man to accomplish all this. He's
+blamed for half the _coups d'etats_, revolts and upheavals that have taken
+place for the past quarter century. It's obvious nonsense. Why, a
+revolutionist usually spends the greater part of his life toppling a
+government. Then, once it's toppled, he spends the rest of his life trying
+to set up a new government--and he's usually unsuccessful."
+
+One of the others was shaking his head negatively. "You don't understand
+this Tommy Paine's system, Bronston."
+
+"You sure don't," the other agent, a Nigerian, grinned widely. "I've been
+on planets where he'd operated."
+
+Ronny leaned forward. The three of them were having a beer in a part of
+the city once called Baltimore. "You have?" he said. "Tell me about it,
+eh? The more background I get on this guy, the better."
+
+"Sure. And this'll give you an idea of how he operates, how he can get so
+much trouble done. Well, I was on this planet Goshen, understand? It had
+kind of a strange history. A bunch of colonists went out there, oh, four
+or five centuries ago. Pretty healthy expedition, as such outfits go.
+Bright young people, lots of equipment, lots of know-how and books. Well,
+through sheer bad luck everything went wrong from the beginning.
+Everything. Before they got set up at all they had an explosion that
+killed off all their communications technicians. They lost contact with
+the outside. O.K. Within a couple of centuries they'd gotten into a state
+of chattel slavery. Pretty well organized, but static. Kind of an Athenian
+Democracy on top, a hierarchy, but nineteen people out of twenty were
+slaves, and I mean real slaves, like animals. They were at this stage when
+a scout ship from the UP Space Forces discovered them and, of course, they
+joined up."
+
+"Where does Tommy Paine come in?" Ronny said. He signaled to a waiter for
+more beer.
+
+"He comes in a few years later. I was the Section G agent on Goshen,
+understand? No planet was keener about Articles One and Two of the UP
+Charter. The hierarchy understood well enough that if their people ever
+came to know about more advanced socio-economic systems it'd be the end of
+Goshen's Golden Age. So they allowed practically no intercourse. No
+contact whatsoever between UP personnel and anyone outside the upper
+class, understand? All right. That's where Tommy Paine came in. It
+couldn't have taken him more than a couple of months at most."
+
+Ronny Bronston was fascinated. "What'd he do?"
+
+"He introduced the steam engine, and then left."
+
+Ronny was looking at him blankly. "Steam engine?"
+
+"That and the fly shuttle and the spinning jenny," the Nigerian said.
+"That Goshen hierarchy never knew what hit them."
+
+Ronny was still blank. The waiter came up with the steins of beer, and
+Ronny took one and drained half of it without taking his eyes from the
+storyteller.
+
+The other agent took it up. "Don't you see? Their system was based on
+chattel slavery, hand labor. Given machinery and it collapses. Chattel
+slavery isn't practical in a mechanized society. Too expensive a labor
+force, for one thing. Besides, you need an educated man and one with some
+initiative--qualities that few slaves possess--to run an industrial
+society."
+
+Ronny finished his beer. "Smart cooky, isn't he?"
+
+"He's smart all right. But I've got a still better example of his fouling
+up a whole planetary socio-economic system in a matter of weeks. A friend
+of mine was working on a planet with a highly-developed feudalism. Barons,
+lords, dukes, counts and no-accounts, all stashed safely away in castles
+and fortresses up on the top of hills. The serfs down below did all the
+work in the fields, provided servants, artisans and foot soldiers for the
+continual fighting that the aristocracy carried on. Very similar to Europe
+back in the Dark Ages."
+
+"So?" Ronny said. "I'd think that'd be a deal that would take centuries to
+change."
+
+The Section G agent laughed. "Tommy Paine stayed just long enough to
+introduce gunpowder. That was the end of those impregnable castles up on
+the hills."
+
+"What gets me," Ronny said slowly, "is his motivation."
+
+The other two both grunted agreement to that.
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+Toward the end of his indoctrination studies, Ronny appeared one morning
+at the Octagon Section G offices and before Irene Kasansky. Watching her
+fingers fly, listening to her voice rapping and snapping, O.K.-ing and
+rejecting, he came to the conclusion that automation could go just so far
+in office work and then you were thrown back on the hands of the efficient
+secretary. Irene was a one-woman office staff.
+
+She looked up at him. "Hello, Ronny. Thought you'd be off on your
+assignment by now. Got any clues on Tommy Paine?"
+
+"No," he said. "That's why I'm here. I wanted to see the commissioner."
+
+"About what?" She flicked a switch. When a light flickered on one of her
+order boxes, she said into it, "No," emphatically, and turned back to him.
+
+"He said he wanted to see me again before I took off."
+
+She fiddled some more, finally said, "All right, Ronny. Tell him he's got
+time for five minutes with you."
+
+"Five minutes!"
+
+"Then he's got an appointment with the Commissioner of Interplanetary
+Culture," she said. "You'd better hurry along."
+
+Ronny Bronston retraced the route of his first visit here. How long ago?
+It already seemed ages since his probationary appointment. Your life
+changed fast when you were in Section G.
+
+Ross Metaxa's brown bottle, or its twin, was sitting on his desk and he
+was staring at it glumly. He looked up and scowled.
+
+"Ronald Bronston," Ronny said. "Irene Kasansky told me to say I could have
+five minutes with you, then you have an appointment with the Commissioner
+of Interplanetary Culture."
+
+"I remember you," Metaxa said. "Have a drink. Interplanetary Culture, ha!
+The Xanadu Folk Dance Troupe. They dance nude. They've been touring the
+whole UP. Roaring success everywhere, obviously. Now they're assigned to
+Virtue, a planet settled by a bunch of Fundamentalists. They want the
+troupe to wear Mother Hubbards. The Xanadu outfit is in a tizzy. They've
+been insulted. They claim they're the most modest members of UP, that
+nudity has nothing to do with modesty. The government of Virtue said
+that's fine but they wear Mother Hubbards or they don't dance. Xanadu says
+it'll withdraw from United Planets."
+
+Ronny Bronston said painfully, "Why not let them?"
+
+Ross Metaxa poured himself a Denebian tequila, offered his subordinate a
+drink again with a motion of the bottle. Ronny shook his head.
+
+Metaxa said, "If we didn't take steps to soothe these things over, there
+wouldn't be any United Planets. In any given century every member in the
+organization threatens to resign at least once. Even Earth. And then
+what'd happen? You'd have interplanetary war before you knew it. What'd
+you want, Ronny?"
+
+"I'm about set to take up my search for this Tommy Paine."
+
+"Ah, yes, Tommy Paine. If you catch him, there are a dozen planets where
+he'd be eligible for the death sentence."
+
+Ronny cleared his throat. "There must be. What I wanted was the file on
+him, sir."
+
+"File?"
+
+"Yes, sir. I've got to the point where I want to cram up on everything we
+have on him. So far, all I've got is verbal information from individual
+agents and from Supervisor Jakes."
+
+"Don't be silly, Ronny. There isn't any file on Tommy Paine."
+
+Ronny just looked at the other.
+
+Ross Metaxa said impatiently, "The very knowledge of the existence of the
+man is top secret. Isn't that obvious? Suppose some reporter got the story
+and printed it. If our member planets knew there was such a man and that
+we haven't been able to scotch him, why they'd drop out of UP so fast the
+computers couldn't keep up with it. There's not one planet in ten that
+feels secure enough to lay itself open to subversion. Why some of our
+planets are so far down the ladder of social evolution they live under
+primitive tribal society; their leaders, their wise men and witch-doctors,
+whatever you call them, are scared someone will come along and establish
+chattel slavery. Those planets that have a system based on slavery are
+scared to death of developing feudalism, and those that have feudalism are
+afraid of _creeping capitalism_. Those with an anarchistic basis--and we
+have several--are afraid of being subverted to statism, and those who have
+a highly developed government are afraid of anarchism. The socio-economic
+systems based on private ownership of property hate the very idea of
+socialism or communism, and vice versa, and those planets with state
+capitalism hate them both."
+
+                             [Illustration.]
+
+He glared at Ronny. "What do you think the purpose of this Section is,
+Bronston? Our job is to keep our member planets from being afraid of each
+other. If they found that Tommy Paine and his group, if he's got a group,
+were buzzing through the system subverting everything they can foul up,
+they'd drop out of UP and set up quarantines that a space mite couldn't
+get through. No sir, there is no file on Tommy Paine and there never will
+be. And if any news of him spreads to the outside, this Section will
+emphatically deny he exists. I hope that's clear."
+
+"Well, yes sir," Ronny said. The commissioner had been all but roaring
+toward the end.
+
+The order box clicked on Ross Metaxa's desk and he said loudly, "What?"
+
+"Don't yell at me," Irene snapped back. "Ronny's five minutes are up.
+You've got an appointment. I'm getting tired of this job. It's a
+mad-house. I'm going to quit and get a job with Interplanetary Finance."
+
+"Oh, yeah." Ross snarled back. "That's what you think. I've taken
+measures. Top security. I've warned off every Commissioner in UP. You
+can't get away from me until you reach retirement age. Although I don't
+know why I care. I hate nasty tempered women."
+
+"Huh!" she snorted and clicked off.
+
+"There's a woman for you," Ross Metaxa growled at Ronny. "It's too bad
+she's indispensable. I'd love to fire her. Look, you go in and see Sid
+Jakes. Seems to me he said something about Tommy Paine this morning. Maybe
+it's a lead." He came to his feet. "So long and good luck, Ronny. I feel
+optimistic about you. I think you'll get this Paine troublemaker."
+
+Which was more than Ronny Bronston thought.
+
+Sid Jakes already had a visitor in his office, which didn't prevent him
+from yelling, "It's open," when Ronny Bronston knocked.
+
+He bounced from his chair, came around the desk and shook hands
+enthusiastically. "Ronny!" he said, his tone implying they were favorite
+brothers for long years parted. "You're just in time."
+
+Ronny took in the office's other occupant appreciatively. She was a small
+girl, almost tiny. He estimated her to be at least half Chinese, or maybe
+Indo-Chinese, the rest probably European or North American.
+
+She evidently favored her Asiatic blood, her dress was traditional
+Chinese, slit almost to the thigh Shanghai style.
+
+Sid Jakes said, "Tog Lee Chang Chu--Ronny Bronston. You'll be working
+together. Bloodhounding old Tommy Paine. A neat trick if you can pull it
+off. Well, are you all set to go?"
+
+Ronny mumbled something to the girl in the way of amenity, then looked
+back at the supervisor. "Working together?" he said.
+
+"That's right. Lucky you, eh?"
+
+Tog Lee Chang Chu said demurely, "Possibly Mr. Bronston objects to having
+a female assistant."
+
+Sid Jakes snorted, and hurried around his desk to resume his seat. "Does
+he look crazy? Who'd object to having a cutey like you around day in and
+day out? Call him Ronny. Might as well get used to it. Two of you'll be
+closer than man and wife."
+
+"Assistant?" Ronny said, bewildered. "What do I need an assistant for?" He
+turned his eyes to the girl. "No reflection on you, Miss ... ah, Tog."
+
+Sid Jakes laughed easily. "Section G operatives always work in pairs,
+Ronny. Especially new agents. The advantages will come home to you as you
+go along. Look on Tog Lee Chang Chu as a secretary, a man Friday. This
+isn't her first assignment, of course. You'll find her invaluable."
+
+The supervisor plucked a card from an order box. "Now here's the dope. Can
+you leave within four hours? There's a UP Space Forces cruiser going to
+Merlini, they can drop you off at New Delos. Fastest way you could
+possibly get there. The cruiser takes off from Neuve Albuquerque in, let's
+see, three hours and forty-five minutes."
+
+"New Delos?" Ronny said, taking his eyes from the girl and trying to catch
+up with the grasshopper-like conversation of his superior.
+
+"New Delos it is," Jakes said happily. "With luck, you might catch him
+before he can get off the planet." He chuckled at the other's expression.
+"Look alive, Ronny! The quarry is flushed and on the run. Tommy Paine's
+just assassinated the Immortal God-King of New Delos. A neat trick, eh?"
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+The following hours were chaotic. There was no indication of how long a
+period he'd be gone. For all he knew, it might be years. For that matter,
+he might never return to Earth. This Ronny Bronston had realized before he
+ever applied for an interplanetary appointment. Mankind was exploding
+through this spiral arm of the galaxy. There was a racial enthusiasm about
+it all. Man's destiny lay out in the stars, only a laggard stayed home of
+his own accord. It was the ambition of every youth to join the snowballing
+avalanche of man into the neighboring stars.
+
+It took absolute severity by Earth authorities to prevent the depopulation
+of the planet. But someone had to stay to administer the ever more
+complicated racial destiny. Earth became a clearing house for a thousand
+cultures, attempting, with only moderate success, to co-ordinate her
+widely spreading children. She couldn't afford to let her best seed
+depart. Few there were, any more, allowed to emigrate from Earth. New
+colonies drew their immigrants from older ones.
+
+Lucky was the Earthling able to find service in interplanetary affairs, in
+any of the thousands of tasks that involved journey between member planets
+of UP. Possibly one hundredth of the population at one time or another,
+and for varying lengths of time, managed it.
+
+Ronny Bronston was lucky and knew it. The thing now was to pull off this
+assignment and cinch the appointment for good.
+
+He packed in a swirl of confusion. He phoned a relative who lived in the
+part of town once known as Richmond, explained the situation and asked
+that the other store his things and dispose of the apartment he'd been
+occupying.
+
+Luckily, the roof of his apartment building was a copter-cab pickup point
+and he was able to hustle over to the shuttleport in a matter of a few
+minutes.
+
+He banged into the reservations office, hurried up to one of the windows
+and said into the screen, "I've got to get to Neuve Albuquerque
+immediately."
+
+The expressionless voice said, "The next rocket leaves at sixteen hours."
+
+"Sixteen hours! I've got to be at the spaceport by that time!"
+
+The voice said dispassionately, "We are sorry."
+
+The bottom fell out of everything. Ronny said, desperately, "Look, if I
+miss my ship in Neuve Albuquerque, what is the next spaceliner leaving
+from there for New Delos?"
+
+"A moment, citizen." There was an agonized wait, and then the voice said,
+"There is a liner leaving for New Delos on the 14th of next month. It
+arrives in New Delos on the 31st, Basic Earth calendar."
+
+The 31st! Tommy Paine could be halfway across the galaxy by that time.
+
+A gentle voice next to him said, "Could I help, Ronny?"
+
+He looked around at her. "Evidently, nobody can," he said disgustedly.
+"There's no way of getting to Neuve Albuquerque in time to get that
+cruiser to New Delos."
+
+Tog Lee Chang Chu fished in her bag and came up with a wallet similar to
+the one in which Ronny carried his Section G badge. She held it up to the
+screen. "Bureau of Investigation, Section G," she said calmly. "It will be
+necessary that Agent Bronston and myself be in Neuve Albuquerque within
+the hour."
+
+The metallic voice said, "Of course. Proceed to your right and through
+Corridor K to Exit Four. Your rocket will be there. Identify yourself to
+Lieutenant Economou who will be at the desk at Exit Four."
+
+Tog turned to Ronny Bronston. "Shall we go?" she said demurely.
+
+He cleared his throat, feeling foolish. "Thanks, Tog," he said.
+
+"Not at all, Ronny. Why, this is my job."
+
+Was there the faintest of sarcasm in her voice? It hadn't been more than a
+couple of hours ago that he had been hinting rather heavily to Sid Jakes
+that he needed no assistance.
+
+She even knew the layout of the West Greater Washington shuttleport. Her
+small body swiveled through the hurrying passengers, her small feet
+a-twinkle, as she led him to and down Corridor K and then to the desk at
+Exit Four.
+
+Ronny anticipated her here. He flashed his own badge at the chair-borne
+Space Forces lieutenant there.
+
+"Lieutenant Economou?" he said. "Ronald Bronston, of the Bureau of
+Investigation, Section G. We've got to get to Neuve Albuquerque soonest."
+
+The lieutenant, only mildly impressed, said, "We can have you in the air
+in ten minutes, citizen. Just a moment and I'll guide you myself."
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+In the rocket, Ronny had time to appraise her at greater length. She was a
+delicately pretty thing, although her expression was inclined to the
+over-serious. There was only a touch of the Mongolian fold at the corner
+of her eyes. On her it looked unusually good. Her complexion was that
+which only the blend of Chinese and Caucasian can give. Her figure, thanks
+to her European blood, was fuller than Eastern Asia usually boasts; tiny,
+but full.
+
+Let's admit it, he decided. My assistant is the cutest trick this side of
+a Tri-Di movie queen, and we're going to be thrown in the closest of
+juxtaposition for an indefinite time. This comes under the head of work?
+
+He said, "Look here, Tog, you were with Sid Jakes longer than I was.
+What's the full story?"
+
+She folded her slim hands in her lap, looking like a schoolgirl about to
+recite. "Do you know anything about the socio-economic system on New
+Delos?"
+
+"Well, no," he admitted.
+
+She said severely, "I'd think that they would have given you more
+background before an assignment of this type."
+
+Ronny said impatiently, "In the past three months I've been filled in on
+the economic systems, the religious beliefs, the political forms, of a
+thousand planets. I just happened to miss New Delos."
+
+Her mouth expressed disapproval by rucking down on the sides, which was
+all very attractive but also irritating. She said, "There are two
+thousand, four hundred and thirty-six member planets in the UP, I'd think
+an agent of Section G would be up on the basic situation on each."
+
+He had her there. He said snidely, "Hate to contradict you, Tog, but the
+number is two thousand, four hundred and thirty-four."
+
+"Then," she nodded agreeably, "membership has changed since this morning
+when Menalaus and Aldebaran Three were admitted. Have two planets dropped
+out?"
+
+"Look," he said, "let's stop bickering. What's the word on New Delos?"
+
+"Did you ever read Frazer's 'Golden Bough'?" she said.
+
+"No."
+
+"You should. At any rate, New Delos is a theocracy. A priesthood elite
+rules it. A God-King, who is immortal, holds absolute authority. The
+strongest of superstition plus an efficient inquisition, keeps the people
+under control."
+
+"Sounds terrible," Ronny growled.
+
+"Why? Possibly the government is extremely efficient and under it the
+planet progressing at a rate in advance of UP averages."
+
+He stared at her in surprise.
+
+She said, "Would you rather be ruled by the personal, arbitrary whims of
+supremely wise men, or by laws formulated by a mob?"
+
+It stopped him momentarily. In all his adult years, he couldn't remember
+ever meeting an intelligent, educated person who had been opposed to the
+democratic theory.
+
+"Wait a minute, now," he said. "Who decides that they're supremely wise
+men who are doing this arbitrary ruling? Let any group come to power, by
+whatever means, and they'll soon tell you they're an elite. But let's get
+back to New Delos, from what you've said so far, the people are held in a
+condition of slavery."
+
+"What's wrong with slavery?" Tog said mildly.
+
+He all but glared at her. "Are you kidding?"
+
+"I seldom jest," Tog said primly. "Under the proper conditions, slavery
+can be the most suitable system for a people."
+
+"Under _what_ conditions!"
+
+"Have you forgotten your Earth history to the point where Egypt, Greece
+and Rome mean nothing to you? Man made some of his outstanding progress
+under slavery. And do you contend that man's lot is necessarily miserable
+given slavery? As far back as Aesop we know of slaves who have reached the
+heights in their society. Slaves sometimes could and did become the
+virtual rulers in ancient countries." She shrugged prettily. "The
+prejudices which you hold today, on Earth, do not necessarily apply to all
+time, nor to all places."
+
+He said, impatiently, "Look, Tog, we can go into this further, later.
+Let's get back to New Delos. What happened?"
+
+Tog said, "The very foundation of their theocracy is the belief on the
+part of the populace that the God-King is immortal. No man conspires
+against his Deity. Supervisor Jakes informed me that it is understood by
+UP Intelligence, that about once every twenty years the priesthood
+secretly puts in a new God-King. Plastic surgery would guarantee facial
+resemblance, and, of course, the rank and file citizen would probably
+never be allowed close enough to discover that their God-King seemed
+different every couple of decades. At any rate, it's been working for some
+time."
+
+"And there's been no revolt against this religious aristocracy?"
+
+She shook her head. "Evidently not. It takes a brave man to revolt against
+both his king and his God at the same time."
+
+"But what happened now?" Ronny pursued.
+
+"Evidently, right in the midst of a particularly important religious
+ceremony, with practically the whole planet watching on TV, the God-King
+was killed with a bomb. No doubt about it, definitely killed. There are
+going to be a lot of people on New Delos wondering how it can be that an
+immortal God-King can die."
+
+"And Sid thinks it's Tommy Paine's work?"
+
+She shifted dainty shoulders in a shrug. "It's the sort of thing he does.
+I suppose we'll learn when we get there."
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+Even on the fast Space Forces cruiser, the trip was going to take a week,
+and there was precious little Ronny Bronston could do until arrival. He
+spent most of his time reading up on New Delos and the several other
+planets in the UP organization which had fairly similar regimes. More than
+a few theocracies had come and gone during the history of man's
+development into the stars.
+
+He also spent considerable time playing Battle Chess or talking with Tog
+and with the ship's officers.
+
+These latter were a dedicated group, high in morale, enthusiastic about
+their work which evidently involved the combined duties of a Navy, a Coast
+Guard, and a Coast and Geodetic Survey system, if we use the ocean going
+services of an earlier age for analogy.
+
+They all had the dream. The enthusiasm of men participating in a race's
+expansion to glory. There was the feeling, even stronger here in space
+than back on Earth, of man's destiny being fulfilled, that humanity had
+finally emerged from its infancy, that the fledgling had finally found its
+wings and got off the ground.
+
+After one of his studying binges, Ronny Bronston had spent an hour or so
+once with the captain of the craft, while that officer stood an easy watch
+on the ship's bridge. There was little enough to do in space, practically
+nothing, but there was always an officer on watch.
+
+They leaned back in the acceleration chairs before the ship's controls and
+Ronny listened to the other's space lore. Stories of far planets, as yet
+untouched. Stories of planets that had seemingly been suitable for
+colonization, but had proved disastrous for man, for this reason or that.
+
+Ronny said, "And never in all this time have we run into a life form that
+has proved intelligent?"
+
+Captain Woiski said, "No. Not that I know of. There was an animal on
+Shangri-La of about the mental level of the chimpanzee. So far as I know,
+that's the nearest to it."
+
+"Shangri-La?" Ronny said. "That's a new one."
+
+There was an affectionate gleam in the captain's eye. "Yes," he said. "If
+and when I retire, I think that'd be the planet of my choice, if I could
+get permission to leave Earth, of course."
+
+Ronny scowled in attempted memory. "Now that you mention it, I think I did
+see it listed the other day among planets with a theocratic government."
+
+The captain grunted protest. "If you're comparing it to this New Delos
+you're going to, you're wrong. There can be theocracy and theocracy, I
+suppose. Actually, I imagine Shangri-La has the most, well _gentle_
+government in the system."
+
+Ronny was interested. His recent studies hadn't led him to much respect
+for a priesthood in political power. "What's the particular feature that's
+seemed to have gained your regard?"
+
+"Moderation," Woiski chuckled. "They carry it almost to the point of
+immoderation. But not quite. Briefly, it works something like this. They
+have a limited number of monks--I suppose you'd call them--who spend their
+time at whatever moves them. At the arts, at scientific research, at
+religious contemplation--any religion will do--as students of anything and
+everything, and at the governing of Shangri-La. They make a point of
+enjoying the luxuries in moderation and aren't a severe drain on the rank
+and file citizens of the planet."
+
+Ronny said, "I have a growing distrust of hierarchies. Who decides who is
+to become a monk and who remain a member of the rank and file?"
+
+The captain said, "A series of the best tests they can devise to determine
+a person's intelligence and aptitudes. From earliest youth, the whole
+populace is checked and rechecked. At the age of thirty, when it is
+considered that a person has become adult and has finished his basic
+education, a limited number are offered monkhood. Not all want it."
+
+Ronny thought about it. "Why not? What are the shortcomings?"
+
+The captain shrugged. "Responsibility, I suppose."
+
+"The monks aren't allowed sex, booze, that sort of thing, I imagine."
+
+"Good heavens, why not? In moderation, of course."
+
+"And they live on a higher scale?"
+
+"No, no, not at all. Don't misunderstand. The planet is a prosperous one.
+Exceedingly prosperous. There is everything needed for comfortable
+existence for everyone. Shangri-La is one planet where the pursuit of
+happiness is pursuable by all." Captain Woiski chuckled again.
+
+Ronny said, "It sounds good enough, although I'm leery of benevolent
+dictatorships. The trouble with them is that it's up to the dictators to
+decide what's benevolent. And almost always, nepotism rears its head,
+favoritism of one sort or another. How long will it be before one of your
+moderate monks decides he'll moderately tinker with the tests, or
+whatever, just to be sure his favorite nephew makes the grade? A high I.Q.
+is no guarantee of integrity."
+
+The captain didn't disagree. "That's always possible, I suppose. One guard
+against it, in this case, is the matter of motive. The _privilege_ of
+being a monk isn't as great as all that. Materially, you aren't
+particularly better off than any one else. You have more leisure, that's
+true, but actually most of them are so caught up in their studies or
+research that they put in more hours of endeavor than does the farmer or
+industrial worker on Shangri-La."
+
+"Well," Ronny said, "let's just hope that Tommy Paine never hears of this
+place."
+
+"Who?" the captain said.
+
+Ronny Bronston reversed his engines. "Oh, nobody important. A guy I know
+of."
+
+Captain Woiski scowled. "Seems to me I've heard the name."
+
+At first Ronny leaned forward with quick interest. Perhaps the cruiser's
+skipper had a lead. But, no, he sank back into his chair. That name was
+strictly a Section G pseudonym. No one used it outside the department, and
+he'd already said too much by using the term at all.
+
+Ronny said idly, "Probably two different people. I think I'll go on back
+and see how Tog is doing."
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+Tog was at her communicator when he entered the tiny ship's lounge. Ronny
+could see in the brilliant little screen of the compact device, the
+grinning face of Sid Jakes. Tog looked up at Ronny and smiled, then
+clicked the device off.
+
+"What's new?" Ronny said.
+
+She moved graceful shoulders. "I just called Supervisor Jakes. Evidently
+there's complete confusion on New Delos. Mobs are storming the temples. In
+the capital the priests tried to present a new God-King and he was laughed
+out of town."
+
+Ronny snorted cynically. "Sounds good to me. The more I read about New
+Delos and its God-King and his priesthood, the more I think the best thing
+that ever happened to the planet was this showing them up."
+
+Tog looked at him, the sides of her mouth tucking down as usual when she
+was going to contradict something he said. "It sounds bad to me," she
+said. "Tommy Paine's work is done. He'll be off to some other place and we
+won't get there in time to snare him."
+
+Ronny considered that. It was probably true. "I wonder," he said slowly,
+"if it's possible for us to get a list of all ships that have blasted off
+since the assassination, all ships and their destination from New Delos."
+
+The idea grew in him. "Look! It's possible that a dictatorial government
+such as theirs would immediately quarantine every spaceport on the
+planet."
+
+Tog said, "There's only one spaceport on New Delos. The priesthood didn't
+encourage trade or even communication with the outside. Didn't want its
+people contaminated."
+
+"Holy smokes!" Ronny blurted. "It's possible that Tommy Paine's on that
+planet and can't get off. Look, Tog, see if you can raise the Section G
+representative on New Delos and--"
+
+Tog said demurely, "I already have taken that step, Ronny, knowing that
+you'd want me to. Agent Mouley Hassan has promised to get the name and
+destination of every passenger that leaves New Delos."
+
+Ronny sat down at a table and dialed himself a mug of stout. "Drink?" he
+said to Tog. "Possibly we've got something to celebrate."
+
+She shook her head disapprovingly. "I don't use depressants."
+
+There was nothing more to be discussed about New Delos, they simply would
+have to wait until their arrival. Ronny switched subjects. "Ever hear of
+the planet Shangri-La?" he asked her. He took a sip of his brew.
+
+"Of course," she said. "A rather small planet, Earth type within four
+degrees. Noted for its near perfect climate and its scenic beauty."
+
+"Captain was talking about it," Ronny said. "Sounds like a regular
+paradise."
+
+Tog made a negative sound.
+
+"Well, what's wrong with Shangri-La?" Ronny said impatiently.
+
+"Static," she said briefly.
+
+He looked at her. "It sounds to me as though it's developed a near perfect
+socio-economic system. What do you mean, static?"
+
+"No push, no drive," Tog said definitely. "Everyone--what is the old
+term?--everyone has it made. The place is stagnating. I wouldn't be
+surprised to see Tommy Paine show up there sooner or later."
+
+Ronny said, "Look, since we've known each other, have I ever said anything
+you agree with?"
+
+Tog raised her delicate eyebrows. "Why, Ronny. You know perfectly well we
+both agreed that the eggs for breakfast were quite inedible."
+
+Ronny came to his feet again. Considering her size, she certainly was an
+irritating baggage. "I think I'll go to my room and see if I can get any
+inspirations on tracking down our quarry."
+
+"Good night, Ronny," she said demurely.
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+They ran into a minor difficulty upon arrival at New Delos. The captain
+called both Ronny Bronston and Tog Lee Chang Chu to the bridge.
+
+He nodded in the direction of the communications screen. A bald headed,
+robed character--obviously a priest--scowled at them.
+
+Captain Woiski said, "The Sub-Bishop informs me that the provisional
+government has ruled that any spacecraft landing on New Delos cannot take
+off again without permission and that every individual who lands, even
+United Planets personnel, will need an exit visa before being allowed to
+depart."
+
+Ronny said, "Then you can't land?"
+
+The captain said reasonably, "My destination is Merlini. I've gone out of
+my way slightly to drop you off here. But I can't afford to take the
+chance of having my ship tied up for what might be an indefinite period.
+Evidently, there's considerably civil disorder down there."
+
+From the screen the priest snapped, "That is an inaccurate manner of
+describing the situation."
+
+"Sorry," the captain said dryly.
+
+Ronny Bronston said desperately, "But, captain, Miss Tog and I simply have
+to land." He reached for his badge. "High priority, Bureau of
+Investigation."
+
+The captain shrugged his hefty shoulders. "Sorry, I have no instructions
+that allow me to risk tying up my ship. Here's a possibility. Can you
+pilot a landing craft? I could spare you one, then you and your assistant
+would be the only ones involved. You could turn it over to whatever Space
+Forces base we have here."
+
+Ronny said miserably, "No. I'm not a space pilot."
+
+"I am," Tog said softly. "The idea sounds excellent."
+
+"We shall expect you," the Sub-Bishop said. The screen went blank.
+
+Tog Lee Chang Chu piloted a landing craft with the same verve that she
+seemed to be able to handle any other responsibility. As he sat in the
+seat next to her, Ronny Bronston took in her practiced flicking of the
+controls from the side of his eyes. He wondered vaguely at the efficiency
+of such Section G officials as Metaxa and Jakes that they would assign an
+unknown quality such as himself to a task as important as running down
+Tommy Paine, and then as an assistant provide him with an experienced
+operative such as Tog. The bureaucratic mind can be a dilly, he decided.
+Was the fact that she was a rather delicately constructed girl a factor?
+He felt the weight of the Model-H gun nestled under his left armpit.
+Perhaps in the clutch Section G preferred men as agents.
+
+They swooped into a landing that brought them as close to the control
+tower as was practical. In a matter of moments there was a guard of twenty
+or more sloppily uniformed men about their small craft.
+
+Tog made a move. "Welcoming committee," she said.
+
+                             [Illustration.]
+
+They climbed out the circular port, and flashed their United Planets
+Bureau of Investigation badges to the youngish looking soldier who seemed
+in command. He was indecisive.
+
+"United Planets?" he said. "All I know is I'm supposed to arrest anybody
+landing."
+
+Ronny snapped, "We're to be taken immediately to United Planets
+headquarters."
+
+"Well, I don't know about that. I don't take orders from foreigners."
+
+One of his men was nervously fingering the trigger of his submachine gun.
+
+Ronny's mouth went dry. He had the feeling of being high, high on a rock
+face, inadequately belayed from above.
+
+Tog said smoothly, "But, major, I'm sure whoever issued your orders had no
+expectation of a special delegation from the United Planets coming to
+congratulate your new authorities on their success. Of course, it's
+unknown to arrest a delegation from United Planets."
+
+"It is?" he frowned at her. "I mean, you are?"
+
+"Yes," Tog said sweetly.
+
+Ronny took the hint. "Where can we find a vehicle, major, to get us to the
+capital and to United Planets headquarters? Evidently we arrived before we
+were expected. There should have been a big welcoming committee here."
+
+"Oh," the obviously recently promoted lad said hesitantly. "Well, I
+suppose we can make arrangements. This way please." He grinned at Tog as
+they walked toward the administration building. "Do all girls dress like
+you on Earth?"
+
+"Well, no," she said demurely.
+
+"That's too bad," he said gallantly.
+
+"Why, major!" Tog said, keeping her eyes on the tarmac.
+
+At the administration building there was little of order, but eventually
+they managed to arrange for their transportation. Luckily, they were
+supplied with a chauffeur driven helio-car.
+
+Luckily, because without the chauffeur to help them run the gauntlet they
+would have been held up by parades, demonstrations and monstrous street
+meetings a dozen times before they ever reached their destination. Twice,
+Ronny stopped short of drawing his gun only by a fraction when half
+drunken demonstrators stopped them.
+
+The driver, a wispy, sad looking type, shook his head. "There's no going
+back now," he told them over his shoulder. "No going back. Last week I was
+all with the rest, I never did believe David the One was really Immortal.
+But you was just used to the idea, see? It'd always been that way, with
+the priests running everything and we was used to it. Now I wish we was
+still that way. At least you knew how you stood, see? Now, what's going to
+happen?"
+
+"That's an interesting question," Tog said politely.
+
+Ronny said, "Possibly you'll have the chance to build a better world,
+now."
+
+The driver shot a contemptuous look over his shoulder. "Better world? What
+do I want with a better world? I just don't want to be bothered. I've been
+getting my three squares a day, got a nice little flat for my family. How
+do I know it's not going to be a worse world?"
+
+"That's always a possibility," Tog told him. "Do most people seem to feel
+the same?"
+
+"Practically everybody I know does," he said glumly. "But the fat's in the
+fire now. The priests are trying to hold on but their government is
+falling apart all over the place."
+
+"Well," Ronny said, "at least you can figure just about anything in the
+way of a new government will be better than one based on superstition and
+inquisition. It couldn't get worse."
+
+"Things can always get worse," the other contradicted him sadly.
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+They left the cab before an impressively tall, many windowed building in
+city center. As they mounted the steps, Ronny frowned at her. "You seemed
+to be encouraging that man in his pessimism. So far as I can see, the best
+thing that ever happened to this planet was toppling that phony
+priesthood."
+
+"Perhaps," she said agreeably. "However, the man's mind was an ossified
+one. A surprisingly large percentage of people have them, especially when
+it comes to institutions such as religion and government. We weren't going
+to be able to teach him anything, but it was possible to learn from him."
+
+Ronny grunted his disgust. "What could we possibly learn from him?"
+
+Tog said mildly, "We could learn what people of the street were thinking.
+It might give us some ideas about what direction the new government will
+take."
+
+They approached the portals of the building and were halted by an armed
+Space Forces guard of half a dozen men. Their sergeant saluted, taking in
+their obvious other-planet clothing.
+
+"Identifications, please," he said briskly.
+
+They showed their badges and were passed on through. Ronny said to him,
+"Much trouble, sergeant?"
+
+The other shrugged. "No. Just precautions, sir. We've been here only three
+or four weeks. Civil disturbance. We're used to it. Were over on Montezuma
+two basic months ago. Now there was _real_ trouble. Had to shoot our way
+out."
+
+Tog called, "Coming Ronny? I have this elevator waiting."
+
+He followed her, scowling. An idea was trying to work its way through.
+Somehow he missed getting it.
+
+Headquarters of the Department of Justice were on the eighth floor. A
+receptionist clerk led them through three or four doors to the single
+office which housed Section G.
+
+A red eyed, exhausted agent looked up from the sole desk and snarled a
+question at them. Ronny didn't get it, but Tog said mildly, "Probationary
+Agent Ronald Bronston and Tog Lee Chang Chu. On special assignment." She
+flicked open her badge so that the other could see it.
+
+His manner changed. "Sorry," he said, getting up to shake hands. "I'm
+Mouley Hassan, in charge of Section G on New Delos. We've just had a
+crisis here, as you can imagine. The worst of it's now over." He added
+sourly, "I hope. All my assistants have already taken off for Avalon." He
+was a short statured, dark complected man, his features betraying his
+Semitic background.
+
+Ronny shook hands with him and said, "Sorry to bother you at a time like
+this."
+
+They found chairs and Mouley Hassan flicked a key on his order box and
+said to them, "How about a drink? They make a wonderful sparkling wine on
+this planet. Trust any theocracy to have top potables."
+
+Ronny accepted the offer, Tog refused it politely. She sat demurely, her
+hands in her lap.
+
+Mouley Hassan ran a weary hand through already mussed hair. "What's this
+special assignment you're on?"
+
+Ronny said, "Commissioner Metaxa has sent me looking for Tommy Paine."
+
+"Tommy Paine!" the other blurted. "At a time like this, when I haven't had
+three nights' sleep in the last three basic weeks, you come around looking
+for Tommy Paine?"
+
+Ronny was taken aback. "Sid Jakes seemed to think this might be one of
+Paine's jobs."
+
+Tog said mildly, "What better place to look for Tommy Paine, than in a
+situation like this, Agent Hassan?" Her eyebrows went up. "Or don't you
+think the quest for Paine is an important one?"
+
+The other subsided somewhat. "I suppose you're right," he said. "I'm
+deathly tired. Do whatever you want. But don't expect much from me."
+
+Tog said, just a trifle tartly, Ronny thought, "We'll have to call on you,
+as usual, Agent Hassan. There's probably no single job in Section G more
+important than the pursuit of Tommy Paine."
+
+"All right, all right," Mouley Hassan admitted. "I'll co-operate. How long
+have you been away from Earth?" he said to Ronny.
+
+"About one basic week."
+
+"Oh," he grunted. "This is your first stop, eh? Well, I don't envy you
+your job." He brought a cool bottle from a delivery drawer in the desk
+along with two glasses. "Here's the wine."
+
+Ronny leaned forward to accept the glass. "This situation here," he said,
+"do you think it can be laid to Paine?"
+
+Mouley Hassan shrugged wearily. "I don't know."
+
+Ronny sipped the drink, looking at the tired agent over the glass rim.
+"From what we understand, check has been kept on all persons leaving the
+planet since the bombing."
+
+"Check is right. There's only one ship that took off and it carried nobody
+except my assistants. If you ask me, I still needed them, but some brass
+hat back on Earth decided they were more necessary over on Avalon." He was
+disgusted.
+
+Ronny put the glass down. "You mean only one ship's left this planet since
+the God-King was killed?"
+
+"That's right. It was like pulling teeth to get the visas."
+
+"How many men aboard?"
+
+Mouley Hassan looked at him speculatively. "Four-man crew and six Section
+G operatives."
+
+Tog said brightly, "Why, that means, then, that either Tommy Paine is
+still on this planet, or he's one of the passengers or crew members of
+that ship." She added, "That is, of course, unless he had a private craft,
+hidden away somewhere."
+
+Ronny slumped back into his chair as some of the ramifications came home
+to him. "If it was Tommy Paine at all," he said.
+
+Mouley Hassan nodded. "That's always a point." He finished his glass and
+looked pleadingly at Tog. "Look, I have work. If I can finish some of it,
+I might have time for some sleep. Couldn't we postpone the search for
+Tommy Paine."
+
+Tog said nothing to him.
+
+Ronny came to his feet. "We'll get along. A couple of ideas occur to me.
+I'll check with you later."
+
+"Fine," the agent said. He shook hands with them again. He said, somehow
+more to Tog than to Ronny, "I know how important your job is. It's just
+that I've been pushed to the point where I can't operate efficiently."
+
+She smiled her understanding, gave him her small, delicate hand.
+
+In the elevator, Ronny said to her, "Why should this sort of thing
+particularly affect Section G?"
+
+Tog said, "It's times like this that planets drop out of the UP. Or,
+possibly, get into the hands of some jingoistic military group and start
+off halfcocked to provoke a war with some other planet, or to missionarize
+or propagandize it." She thought about it a moment. "A new revolution, in
+government or religion, seems almost invariably to want to spread the
+light. An absolute compulsion to bring to others the new truths that
+they've found." She added, her voice holding a trace of mockery, "Usually
+the new truths are rather hoary ones, and there are few interested in
+hearing them."
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+They spent their first day in getting accommodations in a centrally
+located hotel, in making arrangements, through the Department of Justice,
+for the local means of exchange--it turned out to be coinage, based on
+gold--and getting the feel of their surroundings.
+
+Evidently Delos, the capital city of the planet New Delos, was but slowly
+emerging from the chaos that had taken over on the assassination. A
+provisional government, composed of representatives of half a dozen
+different organizations which had sprung up like mushrooms following the
+collapse of the regime, had assumed power. Elections had been promised and
+were to be brought off when arrangements could be made.
+
+Meanwhile, the actual government was still largely in the hands of the
+lower echelons of the priesthood. A nervous priesthood it was, seemingly
+desirous of getting out from under while the going was good, afraid of
+being held responsible for former excesses.
+
+Ronny Bronston, high hopes still in his head, looked up the Sub-Bishop who
+had given them landing orders while they were still aboard the Space
+Forces cruiser. Tog was off making arrangements for various details
+involved in their being in Delos in its time of crisis.
+
+A dozen times, on his way over to keep his appointment with the official,
+Ronny had to step into doorways, or in other wise make himself
+inconspicuous. Gangs of demonstrators roamed the street, some of them
+drunken, looking for trouble, and scornful of police or the military.
+Twice, when it looked as though he might be roughed up, Ronny drew his gun
+and held it in open sight, ready for use, but not threateningly. The
+demonstrators made off.
+
+His throat was dry by the time he reached his destination. The life of a
+Section G agent, on interplanetary assignment, had its drawbacks.
+
+The Sub-Bishop had formerly been in charge of Interplanetary
+Communications which involved commerce as well as intercourse with United
+Planets. It must have been an ultra-responsible position only a month ago.
+Now his offices were all but deserted.
+
+He looked at Ronny's badge, only vaguely interested. "Section G of the
+Bureau of Investigation," he said. "I don't believe I am aware of your
+responsibilities. However," he nodded with sour courtesy, "please be
+seated. You must forgive my lack of ability to offer refreshment. Isn't
+there an old tradition about rats deserting a sinking ship? I am afraid my
+former assistants had rodentlike instincts."
+
+Ronny said, "Section G deals with Interplanetary Security, sir--"
+
+"I am addressed as Holiness," the other said.
+
+Ronny looked at him. "Sorry," he said. "I am a citizen of the United
+Planets, not any one planet, even Earth. UP citizens have complete
+religious freedom. In my case I am unaffiliated with any church."
+
+The Sub-Bishop let it pass. He said sourly, "I am afraid that even here on
+New Delos, I am seldom honoured by my title any more. Go on, you say you
+deal with Interplanetary Security."
+
+"That's correct. In cases like this we're interested in checking to see if
+there is any possibility that citizens of planets other than New Delos are
+involved in your internal affairs."
+
+The other's eyes were suddenly slits. He said, heavily, "You suspect that
+David the One was assassinated by an alien?"
+
+Ronny had to tread carefully here. "I make no such suggestion. I am merely
+here to check on the possibility. If such was the case, my duty would be
+to arrest the man, or men."
+
+"If we got hold of him, you'd have small chance of asserting your
+authority," the priest growled. "What did you want to know?"
+
+"I understand that no interplanetary craft have left New Delos since the
+assassination."
+
+"None except a United Planets ship which was carefully inspected."
+
+Ronny said tightly, "But what facilities do you have to check on secret
+spaceports, possibly located in some remote desert or mountain area?"
+
+The New Delian laughed sourly. "There is no other planet in all the United
+Planets with our degree of security. We even imported the most recent
+developments in artificial satellites equipped with the most delicate of
+detection devices. I assure you, it is utterly impossible for a spacecraft
+to land or take off from New Delos without our knowledge."
+
+Ronny Bronston's eyes lit with excitement. "These security measures of
+yours. To what extent do you keep under observation all aliens on the
+planet?"
+
+The priest's chuckle had a nasty quality. "You are quite ignorant of our
+institutions, evidently. Every person on New Delos, in every way of life,
+was under constant survey from the cradle to the grave. Aliens were highly
+discouraged. When they appeared on New Delos at all, they were restricted
+in their movements to this, our capital city."
+
+Ronny let air whistle from his lungs. "Then," he said triumphantly, "if
+any alien had anything to do with this, he is still on the planet. Can you
+get me a list of all aliens?"
+
+The other laughed again, still sourly. "But there are none. None except
+you employees of United Planets. I'm afraid you're on a wild-goose chase."
+
+Ronny stared at him blankly. "But commercial representatives, cultural
+exchange--"
+
+The priest said flatly, "No. None at all. All commerce was handled through
+UP. We encouraged no cultural exchanges. We wished to keep our people
+uncorrupted. United Planets alone had the right to land on our one
+spaceport."
+
+The Section G agent came to his feet. This was much simpler than he could
+ever have hoped for. He thanked the other, but avoided the necessity of
+shaking hands, and left.
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+He found a helio-cab and dialed it to the UP building, finding strange the
+necessity of slipping coins into the vehicle's slots until the correct
+amount for his destination had been deposited. Coinage was no longer in
+use on Earth.
+
+At the UP building he retraced his steps of the day before to the single
+office of Section G.
+
+To his surprise, not only Mouley Hassan was there, but Tog as well. Hassan
+had evidently had at least a few hours of sleep. He was in better shape.
+
+They exchanged the usual amenities and took their chairs again.
+
+Hassan said, "We were just gossiping. It's been years since I've been in
+Greater Washington. Lee Chang tells me that Sid Jakes is now a Supervisor.
+I worked with him for a while, when I first joined Section G. How about a
+glass of wine?"
+
+Ronny said, "Look. If Tommy Paine was connected with this, and it's almost
+positive he was, we've got him."
+
+The others looked at him.
+
+"You've evidently been busy," Tog said mildly.
+
+He turned to her. "He's trapped, Tog! He can't get off the planet."
+
+Mouley Hassan rubbed a hand through his hair. "It'd be hard, all right.
+They've got the people under rein here such as you've never seen before.
+Or they did until this blew up."
+
+Ronny sketched the situation to Tog, winding up with, "The only thing that
+makes sense is that it's a Tommy Paine job. The local citizens would never
+have been able to get their hands on such a bomb, or been able to have
+made the arrangements for its delivery. They're under too much
+surveillance."
+
+Tog said thoughtfully, "but how did he escape all this surveillance?"
+
+"Don't you understand? He's working here, in this building, as an employee
+of UP. There is no other alternative."
+
+They stared at him.
+
+"I think perhaps you're right," Tog said finally.
+
+Ronny turned to Mouley Hassan. "Can you get a list of all UP employees?"
+
+"Of course." He flicked his order box, barked a command into it.
+
+Ronny said, "It's going to be a matter of eliminating the impossible. For
+instance, what is the earliest known case of Tommy Paine's activity?"
+
+Tog thought back. "So far as we know definitely, about twenty-two years
+ago."
+
+"Fine," Ronny said, increasingly excited. "That will eliminate all persons
+less than, say, forty years of age. We can assume he was at least twenty
+when he began."
+
+Hassan said, "Can we eliminate all women employees?"
+
+Ronny said, "I'd think so. The few times he's been seen, all reports are
+of a man. And that case on the planet Mother where he put himself over as
+a Holy Man. He could hardly have been a woman in disguise in a Stone Age
+culture such as that."
+
+Hassan said, "And this Tommy Paine has been flitting around this part of
+the galaxy for years, so anyone who has been here steadily for a period of
+even a couple of years or so, can't be suspect."
+
+Mouley Hassan thrust his hand into a delivery drawer and brought forth a
+handful of punched cards, possibly fifty in all.
+
+"Surely there's more people than that working in this building," Ronny
+protested.
+
+Mouley Hassan said, "No. I've eliminated already everyone who is a citizen
+of New Delos. Obviously, Tommy Paine is an alien. We have only forty-eight
+Earthlings and other United Planets citizens working here."
+
+He carried the cards to a small collator and worked for a moment on its
+controls, as Tog and Ronny watched him with mounting tension. "Let's see,"
+he muttered. "We eliminate all women, all those less than forty, all who
+haven't done a great deal of travel, those who have been here for several
+years."
+
+The end of it was that they eliminated everyone employed in the UP
+building.
+
+The cards were stacked back on Mouley Hassan's desk again, and the three
+of them sat around and looked glumly at them.
+
+Ronny said, "He's tinkered with the files. He counterfeited fake papers
+for himself, or something. Possibly he's pulled his own card and it isn't
+in this stack you have."
+
+Mouley Hassan said, "We'll double-check all those possibilities, but
+you're wrong. Possibly a few hundred years ago, but not today. Forgery and
+counterfeiting are things of the past. And, believe me, the Bureau of
+Investigation and especially Section G, may look on the slipshod side, but
+they aren't. We're not going to find anything wrong with those cards.
+Tommy Paine simply is not working for UP on New Delos."
+
+"Then," Ronny said, "there's only one alternative. He's on this UP ship
+going to, what was the name of its destination?"
+
+"Avalon," Mouley Hassan said, his face thoughtful.
+
+Tog said, "Do you have any ideas on the men aboard?"
+
+Mouley Hassan said, "There were four crew men, and six of our agents."
+
+Tog said, "Unless one of them has faked papers, the six agents are
+eliminated. That leaves the crew members. Do you know anything about
+them?"
+
+Hassan shook his head.
+
+Ronny said, "Let's communicate with Avalon. Tell our representatives there
+to be sure that none of the occupants of that ship leaves Avalon until we
+get there."
+
+Mouley Hassan said, "Good idea." He turned to his screen and said into it,
+"Section G, Bureau of Investigation, on the Planet Avalon."
+
+In moment the screen lit up. An elderly agent, as Section G agents seemed
+to go, looked up at them.
+
+Mouley Hassan held his silver badge so the other could see it and on the
+Avalon agent's nod said, "I'm Hassan from New Delos. We've just had a
+crisis here and there seems to be a chance that it's a Tommy Paine job.
+Agent Bronston here is on an assignment tracking him down. I'll turn it
+over to Bronston."
+
+The Avalon agent nodded again, and looked at Ronny.
+
+Ronny said urgently, "We haven't the time to give you details, but every
+indication is that Paine is on a UP spacecraft with Avalon as its
+destination. There are only ten men aboard, and six of them are Section G
+operatives."
+
+The other pursed his lips. "I see. You think you have the old fox
+cornered, eh?"
+
+"Possibly," Ronny said. "There are various ifs. Miss Tog and I can double
+check here. Then as soon as we can clear exit visas, we'll make immediate
+way for Avalon."
+
+The Avalon Section G agent said, "I haven't the authority to control the
+movements of other agents, they have as high rank as I have," he added,
+expressionlessly, "and probably higher than yours."
+
+Ronny said, "But the four-man crew?"
+
+The other said, "These men are coming to Avalon to work on a job that will
+take at least six months. We'll make a routine check, and I'll try and
+make sure the whole ten will still be on Avalon when and if you arrive."
+
+They had to be satisfied with that. They checked all ways from the middle,
+nor did it take long. There was no doubt. If this was a Tommy Paine job,
+and it almost surely was, then there was only one way in which he could
+have escaped from the planet and that was by the single spacecraft that
+had left, destination Avalon. He was not on the planet, that was definite
+Ronny felt. A stranger on New Delos was as conspicuous as a walrus in a
+goldfish bowl. There simply were no such.
+
+They spent most of their time checking and rechecking United Planets
+personnel, but there was no question there either.
+
+Mouley Hassan and others of UP personnel helped cut the red tape involved
+in getting exit visas from New Delos. It wasn't as complicated as it might
+have been a week or two before. No one seemed to be so confident of his
+authority in the new provisional government that he dared veto a United
+Planets request.
+
+Mouley Hassan was able to arrange for a small space yacht, slower than a
+military craft, but capable of getting them to Avalon in a few days time.
+A one-man crew was sufficient, Ronny, and especially Tog, could spell him
+on the watches.
+
+Time aboard was spent largely in studying up on Avalon, going over and
+over again anything known about the elusive Tommy Paine, and playing
+Battle Chess and bickering with Tog Lee Chang Chu.
+
+If it hadn't been for this ability to argue against just about anything
+Ronny managed to say, he could have been attracted to her to the detriment
+of the job. She was a good traveler, few people are; she was an
+ultra-efficient assistant; she was a joy to look at; and she never
+intruded. But, Great Guns, the woman could bicker.
+
+The two of them were studying in the ship's luxurious lounge when Ronny
+looked up and said, "Do you have any idea why those six agents were sent
+to Avalon?"
+
+"No," she said.
+
+He indicated the booklet he was reading. "From what I can see here, it
+sounds like one of the most advanced planets in the UP. They've made some
+of the most useful advances in industrial techniques of the past century."
+
+"Oh, I don't know," Tog mused. "I haven't much regard for Industrial
+Feudalism myself. It starts off with a bang, but tends to go sterile."
+
+"Industrial feudalism," he said indignantly. "What do you mean? The
+government is a constitutional monarchy with the king merely a powerless
+symbol. The standard of living is high. Elections are honest and
+democratic. They've got a three-party system...."
+
+"Which is largely phony," Tog interrupted. "You've got to do some reading
+between the lines, especially when the books you're reading are turned out
+by the industrial feudalistic publishing companies in Avalon."
+
+"What's this industrial feudalism, you keep talking about? Avalon has a
+system of free enterprise."
+
+"A gobbledygook term," Tog said, irritatingly. "Industrial feudalism is a
+socio-economic system that develops when industrial wealth is concentrated
+into the hands of a comparatively few families. It finally gets to the
+point of a closed circle all but impossible to break into. These
+industrial feudalistic families become so powerful that only in rare
+instances can anyone lift himself into their society. They dominate every
+field, including the so-called labor unions, which amount to one of the
+biggest businesses of all. With their unlimited resources they even own
+every means of dispensing information."
+
+"You mean," Ronny argued, "that on Avalon you can't start up a newspaper
+of your own and say whatever you wish?"
+
+"Certainly you can, theoretically. If you have the resources.
+Unfortunately, such enterprises become increasingly expensive to start. Or
+you could start a radio, TV or Tri-Di station--if you had the resources.
+However, even if you overcame all your handicaps and your newspaper or
+broadcasting station became a success, the industrial feudalistic families
+in control of Avalon's publishing and broadcasting fields have the endless
+resources to buy you out, or squeeze you out, by one nasty means or
+another."
+
+Ronny snorted. "Well, the people must be satisfied or they'd vote some
+fundamental changes."
+
+Tog nodded. "They're satisfied, and no wonder. Since childhood every means
+of forming their opinions have been in the hands of industrial feudalistic
+families--including the schools."
+
+"You mean the schools are private?"
+
+"No, they don't have to be. The government is completely dominated by the
+fifty or so families which for all practical purposes own Avalon. That
+includes the schools. Some of the higher institutions of learning are
+private, but they, too, are largely dependent upon grants from the
+families."
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+Ronny was irritated by her know-all air. He tapped the book he'd been
+reading with a finger. "They don't control the government. Avalon's got a
+three-party system. Any time the people don't like the government, they
+can vote in an alternative."
+
+"That's an optical illusion. There are three parties, but each is
+dominated by the fifty families, and election laws are such that for all
+practical purposes it's impossible to start another party. Theoretically
+it's possible, actually it isn't. The voters can vary back and forth
+between the three political parties but it doesn't make any difference
+which one they elect. They all stand for the same thing--a continuation of
+the status quo."
+
+"Then you claim it isn't democracy at all?"
+
+Tog sighed. "That's a much abused word. Actually, pure democracy is seldom
+seen. They pretty well had it in primitive society where government was
+based on the family. You voted for one of your relatives in your clan to
+represent you in the tribal councils. Every one in the tribe was equal so
+far as apportionments of the necessities of life were concerned. No one,
+even the tribal chiefs, ate better than anyone else, no one had a better
+home."
+
+Ronny said, snappishly, "And if man had remained at that level, we'd never
+have gotten anywhere."
+
+"That's right," she said. "For progress, man needed a leisure class.
+Somebody with the time to study, to experiment, to work things out."
+
+He said, "We're getting away from the point. You said in spite of
+appearances they don't have democracy on Avalon."
+
+"They have a pretense of it. But only free men can practice democracy. So
+long as your food, clothing and shelter are controlled by someone else,
+you aren't free. Wait until I think of an example." She put her right
+forefinger to her chin, thoughtfully.
+
+Holy smokes, she was a cute trick. If only she wasn't so confounded
+irritating.
+
+Tog said, "Do you remember the State of California in Earth history?"
+
+"I think so. On the west coast of North America."
+
+"That's right. Well, back in the Twentieth Century, Christian calendar,
+they had an economic depression. During it a crackpot organization called
+Thirty Dollars Every Thursday managed to get itself on the ballot. Times
+were bad enough but had this particular bunch got into power it would have
+become chaotic. At first no thinking person took them seriously, however a
+majority of people in California at that time had little to lose and in
+the final week or so of the election campaign the polls showed that Thirty
+Dollars Every Thursday was going to win. So, a few days before voting many
+of the larger industries and businesses in the State ran full page ads in
+the newspapers. They said substantially the same thing. _If Thirty Dollars
+Every Thursday wins this election, our concern will close its doors. Do
+not bother to come back to work Monday._"
+
+Ronny was scowling at her. "What's your point?"
+
+She shrugged delicate shoulders. "The crackpots were defeated, of course,
+which was actually good for California. But my point is that the voters of
+California were not actually free since their livelihoods were controlled
+by others. This is an extreme case, of course, but the fact always
+applies."
+
+A thought suddenly hit Ronny Bronston. "Look," he said. "Tommy Paine. Do
+you think he's merely escaping from New Delos, or is it possible that
+Avalon is his next destination? Is he going to try and overthrow the
+government there?"
+
+She was shaking her head, but frowning. "I don't think so. Things are
+quite stable on Avalon."
+
+"Stable?" he scowled at her. "From what you've been saying, they're pretty
+bad."
+
+She continued to shake her head. "Don't misunderstand, Ronny. On an
+assignment like this, it's easy to get the impression that all the United
+Planets are in a state of socio-political confusion, but it isn't so. A
+small minority of planets are ripe for the sort of trouble Tommy Paine
+stirs up. Most are working away, developing, making progress, slowly
+evolving. Avalon is one of these. The way things are there, Tommy Paine
+couldn't make a dent on changing things, even if he wanted to, and there's
+no particular reason to believe he does."
+
+Ronny growled. "From what I can learn of the guy he's anxious to stir up
+trouble wherever he goes."
+
+"I don't know. If there's any pattern at all in his activities, it seems
+to be that he picks spots where things are ripe to boil over on their own.
+He acts as a catalyst. In a place like Avalon he wouldn't get to first
+base. Possibly fifty years from now, things will have developed on Avalon
+to the point where there is dissatisfaction. By that time," she said
+dryly, "we'll assume Tommy Paine will no longer be a problem to the
+Commissariat of Interplanetary Affairs for one reason or the other."
+
+Ronny took up his book again. He growled, "I can't figure out his
+motivation. If I could just put my finger on that."
+
+For once she agreed with him. "I've got an idea, Ronny, that once you have
+that, you'll have Tommy Paine."
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+They drew blank on Avalon.
+
+Or, at least, it was drawn for them before they ever arrived.
+
+The Section G agent permanently assigned to that planet had already
+checked and double checked the possibilities. None of the four-man crew of
+the UP spacecraft had been on New Delos at the time of the assassination
+of the God-King. They, and their craft, had been light-years away on
+another job.
+
+Ronny Bronston couldn't believe it. He simply couldn't believe it.
+
+The older agent, his name was Jheru Bulchand, was definite. He went over
+it with Ronny and Tog in a bar adjoining UP headquarters. He had dossiers
+on each of the ten men, detailed dossiers. On the face of it, none of them
+could be Paine.
+
+"But one of them has to be," Ronny pleaded. He explained their method of
+eliminating the forty-eight employees of UP on New Delos.
+
+Bulchand shrugged. "You've got holes in that method of elimination. You're
+assuming Tommy Paine is an individual, and you have no reason to. My own
+theory is that it's an organization."
+
+Ronny said unhappily, "Then you're of the opinion that there is a Tommy
+Paine?"
+
+The older agent was puffing comfortably on an old style briar pipe. He
+nodded definitely. "I believe Tommy Paine exists as an organization.
+Possibly once, originally, it was a single person, but now it's a group.
+How large, I wouldn't know. Probably not too large or by this time
+somebody would have betrayed it, or somebody would have cracked and we
+would have caught them. Catch one and you've got the whole organization
+what with our modern means of interrogation."
+
+Tog said, "I've heard the opinion before."
+
+Jheru Bulchand pointed at Ronny with his pipe stem. "If its an
+organization, then none of that eliminating you did is valid. Your
+assassin could have been one of the women. He could have been one of the
+men you eliminated as too young--someone recently admitted to the Tommy
+Paine organization."
+
+Ronny checked the last of his theories. "Why did Section G send six of its
+agents here?"
+
+"Nothing to do with Tommy Paine," Bulchand said. "It's a different sort of
+crisis."
+
+"Just for my own satisfaction, what kind of crisis?"
+
+Bulchand sketched it quickly. "There are two Earth type planets in this
+solar system. Avalon was the first to be colonized and developed rapidly.
+After a couple of centuries, Avalonians went over and settled on Catalina.
+They eventually set up a government of their own. Now Avalon has a surplus
+of industrial products. Her economic system is such that she produces more
+than she can sell back to her own people. There's a glut."
+
+Tog said demurely, "So, of course, they want to dump it in Catalina."
+
+Bulchand nodded. "In fact, they're willing to give it away. They've
+offered to build railroads, turn over ships and aircraft, donate whole
+factories to Catalina's slowly developing economy."
+
+Ronny said, "Well, how does that call for Section G agents?"
+
+"Catalina has evoked Article Two of the UP Charter. No member planet of UP
+is to interfere with the internal political, socio-economic or religious
+affairs of another member planet. Avalon claims the Charter doesn't apply
+since Catalina belongs to the same solar system and since she's a former
+colony. We're trying to smooth the whole thing over, before Avalon dreams
+up some excuse for military action."
+
+Ronny stared at him. "I get the feeling every other sentence is being left
+out of your explanation. It just doesn't make sense. In the first place,
+why is Avalon as anxious as all that to give away what sounds like a
+fantastic amount of goods?"
+
+"I told you, they have a glut. They've overproduced and, as a result,
+they've got a king-size depression on their hands, or will have unless
+they find markets."
+
+"Well, why not trade with some of the planets that want her products?"
+
+Tog said as though reasoning with a youngster, "Planets outside her own
+solar system are too far away for it to be practical even if she had
+commodities they didn't. She needs a nearby planet more backward than
+herself, a planet like Catalina."
+
+"Well, that brings us to the more fantastic question. Why in the world
+doesn't Catalina accept? It sounds to me like pure philanthropy on the
+part of Avalon."
+
+Bulchand was wagging his pipe stem in a negative gesture. "Bronston,
+governments are never motivated by idealistic reasons. Individuals might
+be, and even small groups, but governments never. Governments, including
+that of Avalon, exist for the benefit of the class or classes that control
+them. The only things that motivate them are the interests of that class."
+
+"Well, this sounds like an exception," Ronny said argumentatively. "How
+can Catalina lose if the Avalonians grant them railroads, factories and
+all the rest of it?"
+
+Tog said, "Don't you see, Ronny? It gives Avalon a foothold in the
+Catalina economy. When the locomotives wear out on the railroad, new
+engines, new parts, must be purchased. They won't be available on Catalina
+because there will be no railroad industry because none will have ever
+grown up. Catalina manufacturers couldn't compete with that initial free
+gift. They'll be dependent on Avalon for future equipment. In the
+factories, when machines wear out, they will be replaceable only with the
+products of Avalon's industry."
+
+Bulchand said, "There's an analogy in the early history of the United
+States. When its fledgling steel industry began, they set up a high tariff
+to protect it against British competition. The British were amazed and
+indignant, pointing out that they could sell American steel products at
+one third the local prices, if only allowed to do so. The United States
+said no thanks, it didn't want to be tied, industrially, to Great
+Britain's apron strings. And in a couple of decades American steel
+production passed England's. In a couple of more decades American steel
+production was many times that of England's and she was taking British
+markets away from her all over the globe."
+
+"At any rate," Ronny said, "it's not a Tommy Paine matter."
+
+Just for luck, though, Ronny and Tog double checked all over again on
+Bulchand's efforts. They interviewed all six of the Section G agents. Each
+of them carried a silver badge that gleamed only for the individual who
+possessed it. All of which eliminated the possibility that Paine had
+assumed the identity of a Section G operative. So that was out.
+
+They checked the four crew members, but there was no doubt there, either.
+The craft had been far away at the time of the assassination on New Delos.
+
+On the third day, Ronny Bronston, disgusted, knocked on the door of Tog's
+hotel room. The door screen lit up and Tog, looking out at him said, "Oh,
+come on in, Ronny, I was just talking to Earth."
+
+He entered.
+
+Tog had set up her Section G communicator on a desk top and Sid Jakes'
+grinning face was in the tiny, brilliant screen. Ronny approached close
+enough for the other to take him in.
+
+Jakes said happily, "Hi, Ronny, no luck, eh?"
+
+Ronny shook his head, trying not to let his face portray his feelings of
+defeat. This after all was a probationary assignment, and the supervisor
+had the power to send Ronny Bronston back to the drudgery of his office
+job at Population Statistics.
+
+"Still working on it. I suppose it's a matter of returning to New Delos
+and grinding away at the forty-eight employees of the UP there."
+
+Sid Jakes pursed his lips. "I don't know. Possibly this whole thing was a
+false alarm. At any rate, there seems to be a hotter case on the fire. If
+our local agents have it straight, Paine is about to pull one of his coups
+on Kropotkin. This is a top-top-secret, of course, one of the few times
+we've ever detected him before the act."
+
+Ronny was suddenly alert, his fatigue of disgust of but a moment ago,
+completely forgotten. "Where?" he said.
+
+"Kropotkin," Jakes said. "One of the most backward planets in UP and
+seemingly a setup for Paine's sort of trouble making. The authorities, if
+you can use the term applied to Kropotkin, are already complaining,
+threatening to invoke Article One of the Charter, or to resign from UP."
+Jake looked at Tog again. "Do you know Kropotkin, Lee Chang?"
+
+She shook her head. "I've heard of it, rather vaguely. Named after some
+old anarchist, I believe."
+
+"That's the place. One of the few anarchist societies in UP. You don't
+hear much from them." He turned to Ronny again. "I think that's your bet.
+Hop to it, boy. We're going to catch this Tommy Paine guy, or
+organization, or whatever, soon or United Planets is going to know it. We
+can't keep the lid on indefinitely. If word gets around of his activities,
+then we'll lose member planets like Christmas trees shedding needles after
+New Year's." He grinned widely. "That's sounds like a neat trick, eh?"
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+Ronny Bronston had got to the point where he avoided controversial
+subjects with Tog even when provoked and she had a sneaky little way of
+provoking arguments. They had only one really knock down and drag-out
+verbal battle on the way to Kropotkin.
+
+It had started innocently enough after dinner on the space liner on which
+they had taken passage for the first part of the trip. To kill time they
+were playing Battle Chess with its larger board and added contingents of
+pawns and castles.
+
+Ronny said idly, "You know, in spite of the fact that I'm a third
+generation United Planets citizen and employee, I'm just beginning to
+realize how far out some of our member planets are. I had no idea before."
+
+She frowned in concentration, before moving. She was advancing her men in
+echelon attack, taking losses in exchange for territory and trying to pen
+him up in such small space that he couldn't maneuver.
+
+She said, "How do you mean?"
+
+Ronny lifted and dropped a shoulder. "Well, New Delos and its theocracy,
+for instance, and Shangri-La and Mother and some of the other planets with
+extremes in government of socio-economic system. I hadn't the vaguest idea
+about such places."
+
+She made a deprecating sound. "You should see Amazonia, or, for that
+matter, the Orwellian State."
+
+"_Amazonia_," he said, "does that mean what it sounds like it does?"
+
+She made her move and settled back in satisfaction. Her pawns were in such
+position that his bishops were both unusable. He'd tried to play a phalanx
+game in the early stages of her attack, but she'd broken through, rolling
+up his left flank after sacrificing a castle and a knight.
+
+"Certainly does," she said. "A fairly recently colonized planet. A few
+thousand feminists no men at all--moved onto it a few centuries ago. And
+it's still an out and out matriarchy."
+
+Ronny cleared his throat delicately. "Without men ... ah, how did they
+continue several centuries?"
+
+Tog suppressed her amusement. "Artificial insemination, at first, so I
+understand. They brought their, ah, supply with them. But then there were
+boys among the first generation on the new planet and even the Amazonians
+weren't up to cold bloodedly butchering their children. So they merely
+enslaved them. Nice girls."
+
+Ronny stared at her. "You mean all men are automatically slaves on this
+planet?"
+
+"That's right."
+
+Ronny made an improperly thought out move, trying to bring up a castle to
+reinforce his collapsing flank. He said, "UP allows _anybody_ to join
+evidently," and there was disgust in his voice.
+
+"Why not?" she said mildly.
+
+"Well, there should be _some_ standards."
+
+Tog moved quickly, dominating with a knight several squares he couldn't
+afford to lose. She looked up at him, her dark eyes sparking. "The point
+of UP is to include all the planets. That way at least conflict can be
+avoided and some exchange of science, industrial techniques and cultural
+gains take place. And you must remember that while in power practically no
+socio-economic system will admit to the fact that it could possibly change
+for the better. But actually there is nothing less stable. Socio-economic
+systems are almost always in a condition of flux. Planets such as Amazonia
+might for a time seem so brutal in their methods as to exclude their right
+to civilized intercourse with the rest. However, one of these days
+there'll be a change--or one of these centuries. They all change, sooner or
+later." She added softly, "Even Han."
+
+"Han?" Ronny said.
+
+Her voice was quiet. "Where I was born, Ronny. Colonized from China in the
+very early days. In fact, I spent my childhood in a commune." She said
+musingly, "The party bureaucrats thought their system an impregnable,
+unchangeable one. Your move."
+
+Ronny was fascinated. "And what happened?" He was in full retreat now, and
+with nowhere to go, his pieces pinned up for the slaughter. He moved a
+pawn to try and open up his queen.
+
+"Why don't you concede?" she said. "Tommy Paine happened."
+
+"Paine!"
+
+"Uh-huh. It's a long story. I'll tell you about it some time." She pressed
+closer with her own queen.
+
+He stared disgustedly at the board. "Well, that's what I mean," he
+muttered. "I had no idea there were so many varieties of crackpot
+politico-economic systems among the UP membership."
+
+"They're not necessarily crackpot," she protested mildly. "Just at
+different stages of development."
+
+"Not crackpot!" he said. "Here we are heading for a planet named Kropotkin
+which evidently practices anarchy."
+
+"Your move," she said. "What's wrong with anarchism?"
+
+He glowered at her, in outraged disgust. Was it absolutely impossible for
+him to say anything without her disagreement?
+
+Tog said mildly, "The anarchistic ethic is one of the highest man has ever
+developed." She added, after a moment of pretty consideration.
+"Unfortunately, admittedly, it hasn't been practical to put to practice.
+It will be interesting to see how they have done on Kropotkin."
+
+"Anarchist ethic, yes," Ronny snapped. "I'm no student of the movement but
+the way I understand it, there isn't any."
+
+Tog smiled sweetly. "The belief upon which they base their teachings is
+that no man is capable of judging another."
+
+Ronny cast his eyes ceilingward. "O.K., I give up!"
+
+She began rapidly resetting the pieces. "Another game?" she said brightly.
+
+"Hey! I didn't mean the game! I was just about to counterattack."
+
+"Ha!" she said.
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+The Section G agent on Kropotkin was named Hideka Yamamoto, but he was on
+a field tour and wouldn't be back for several days. However, there wasn't
+especially any great hurry so far as Ronny Bronston and Tog Lee Chang Chu
+knew. They got themselves organized in the rather rustic equivalent of a
+hotel, which was located fairly near UP headquarters, and took up the
+usual problems of arranging for local exchange, meals, means of
+transportation and such necessities.
+
+It was a greater problem than usual. In fact, hadn't it been for the
+presence of the UP organization, which had already gone through all this
+the hard way, some of the difficulties would have been all but
+insurmountable.
+
+For instance, there was no local exchange. There was no medium of exchange
+at all. Evidently simple barter was the rule.
+
+In the hotel--if it could be called a hotel--lobby, Ronny Bronston looked at
+Tog. "Anarchism!" he said. "Oh, great. The highest ethic of all. And
+what's the means of transportation on this wonderful planet? The horse.
+And how are we going to get a couple of horses with no means of exchange?"
+
+She tinkled laughter.
+
+"All right," he said. "You're the Man Friday. You find out the details and
+handle them. I'm going out to take a look around the town--if you can call
+this a town."
+
+"It's the capital of Kropotkin," Tog said placatingly, though with a
+mocking background in her tone. "Name of Bakunin. And very pleasant, too,
+from what little I've seen. Not a bit of smog, industrial fumes, street
+dirt, street noises--"
+
+"How could there be?" he injected disgustedly. "There isn't any industry,
+there aren't any cars, and for all practical purposes, no streets. The
+houses are a quarter of a mile or so apart."
+
+She laughed at him again. "City boy," she said. "Go on out there and enjoy
+nature a little. It'll do you good. Anybody who has cooped himself up in
+that one big city, Earth, all his life ought to enjoy seeing what the
+great outdoors looks like."
+
+He looked at her and grinned. She was cute as a pixie, and there were no
+two ways about that. He wondered for a moment what kind of a wife she'd
+make. And then shuddered inwardly. Life would be one big contradiction of
+anything he'd managed to get out of his trap.
+
+He strolled idly along what was little more than a country path and it
+came to him that there were probably few worlds in the whole UP where he'd
+have been prone to do this within the first few hours he'd been on the
+planet. He would have been afraid, elsewhere, of anything from footpads to
+police, from unknown vehicles to unknown traffic laws. There was something
+bewildering about being an Earthling and being set down suddenly in New
+Delos or on Avalon.
+
+Here, somehow, he already had a feeling of peace.
+
+Evidently, although Bakunin was supposedly a city, its populace tilled
+their fields and provided themselves with their own food. He could see no
+signs of stores or warehouses. And the UP building, which was no great
+edifice itself, was the only thing in town which looked even remotely like
+a governmental building.
+
+Bakunin was neat. Clean as a pin, as the expression went. Ronny was
+vaguely reminded of a historical Tri-Di romance he'd once seen. It had
+been laid in ancient times in a community of the Amish in old
+Pennsylvania.
+
+He approached one of the wooden houses. The things would have been
+priceless on Earth as an antique to be erected as a museum in some crowded
+park. For that matter it would have been priceless for the wood it
+contained. Evidently, the planet Kropotkin still had considerable virgin
+forest.
+
+An old-timer smoking a pipe, sat on the cottage's front step. He nodded
+politely.
+
+Ronny stopped. He might as well try to get a little of the feel of the
+place. He said courteously, "A pleasant evening."
+
+The old-timer nodded. "As evenings should be after a fruitful day's toil.
+Sit down, comrade. You must be from the United Planets. Have you ever seen
+Earth?"
+
+Ronny accepted the invitation and felt a soothing calm descend upon him
+almost immediately. An almost disturbingly pleasant calm. He said, "I was
+born on Earth."
+
+"Ai?" the old man said. "Tell me. The books say that Kropotkin is an Earth
+type planet within what they call a few degrees. But is it? Is Kropotkin
+truly like the mother planet?"
+
+Ronny looked about him. He'd seen some of this world as the shuttle rocket
+had brought them down from the passing liner. The forests, the lakes, the
+rivers, and the great sections untouched by man's hands. Now he saw the
+areas between homes, the neat fields, the signs of human toil--the toil of
+hands, not machines.
+
+"No," he said, shaking his head. "I'm afraid not. This is how Earth must
+once have been. But no longer."
+
+The other nodded. "Our total population is but a few million," he said.
+Then, "I would like to see the mother planet, but I suppose I never
+shall."
+
+Ronny said diplomatically, "I have seen little of Kropotkin thus far but I
+am not so sure but that I might not be happy to stay here, rather than
+ever return to Earth."
+
+The old man knocked the ashes from his pipe by striking it against the
+heel of a work-gnarled hand. He looked about him thoughtfully and said,
+"Yes, perhaps you're right. I am an old man and life has been good. I
+suppose I should be glad that I'll unlikely live to see Kropotkin change."
+
+"Change? You plan changes?"
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+The old man looked at him and there seemed to be a very faint bitterness,
+politely suppressed. "I wouldn't say _we_ planned them, comrade. Certainly
+not we of the older generation. But the trend toward change is already to
+be seen by anyone who wishes to look, and our institutions won't long be
+able to stand. But, of course, if you're from United Planets you would
+know more of this than I."
+
+"I'm sorry. I don't know what you're talking about."
+
+"You are new indeed on Kropotkin," the old man said. "Just a moment." He
+went into his house and emerged with a small power pack. He indicated it
+to Ronny Bronston. "This is our destruction," he said.
+
+The Section G agent shook his head, bewildered.
+
+The old-timer sat down again. "My son," he said, "runs the farm now. Six
+months ago, he traded one of our colts for a small pump, powered by one of
+these. It was little use on my part to argue against the step. The pump
+eliminates considerable work at the well and in irrigation."
+
+Ronny still didn't understand.
+
+"The power pack is dead now," the old man said, "and my son needs a new
+one."
+
+"They're extremely cheap," Ronny said. "An industrialized planet turns
+them out in multi-million amounts at practically no cost."
+
+"We have little with which to trade. A few handicrafts, at most."
+
+Ronny said, "But, good heavens, man, build yourselves a plant to
+manufacture power packs. With a population this small, a factory employing
+no more than half a dozen men could turn out all you need."
+
+The old man was shaking his head. He held up the battery. "This comes from
+the planet Archimedes," he said, "one of the most highly industrialized in
+the UP, so I understand. On Archimedes do you know how many persons it
+takes to manufacture this power pack?"
+
+                             [Illustration.]
+
+"A handful to operate the whole factory, Archimedes is fully automated."
+
+The old man was still moving his head negatively. "No. It takes the total
+working population of the planet. How many different metals do you think
+are contained in it, in all? I can immediately see what must be lead and
+copper."
+
+Ronny said uncomfortably, "Probably at least a dozen, some in microscopic
+amounts."
+
+"That's right. So we need a highly developed metallurgical industry before
+we can even begin. Then a developed transportation industry to take metals
+to the factory. We need power to run the factory, hydro-electric, solar,
+or possibly atomic power. We need a tool-making industry to equip the
+factory, the transport industry and the power industry. And while the men
+are employed in these, we need farmers to produce food for them, educators
+to teach them the sciences and techniques involved, and an entertainment
+industry to amuse them in their hours of rest. As their lives become more
+complicated with all this, we need a developed medical industry to keep
+them in health."
+
+The old man hesitated for a moment, then said, "And, above all, we need a
+highly complicated government to keep all this accumulation of wealth in
+check and balance. No. You see, my friend, it takes _social labor_ to
+produce products such as this, and thus far we have avoided that on
+Kropotkin. In fact, it was for such avoidance that my ancestors originally
+came to this planet."
+
+Ronny said, scowling, "This gets ridiculous. You show me this basically
+simple power pack and say it will ruin your socio-economic system. On the
+face of it, it's ridiculous."
+
+The old man sighed and looked out over the village unseeingly. "It's not
+just that single item, of course. The other day one of my neighbors turned
+up with a light bulb with built-in power for a year's time. It is the envy
+of the unthinking persons of the neighborhood most of whom would give a
+great deal for such a source of light. A nephew of mine has somehow even
+acquired a powered bicycle, I think you call them, from somewhere or
+other. One by one, item by item, these products of advanced technology
+turn up--from whence, we don't seem to be able to find out."
+
+Under his breath, Ronny muttered, "_Paine!_"
+
+"I beg your pardon," the old man said.
+
+"Nothing," the Section G agent said. He leaned forward and, a worried
+frown working its way over his face, began to question the other more
+closely.
+
+Afterwards, Ronny Bronston strode slowly toward the UP headquarters. There
+was only a small contingent of United Planets personnel on this little
+populated member planet but, as always, there seemed to be an office for
+Section G.
+
+Ronny stood outside it for a moment. There were voices from within, but he
+didn't knock.
+
+In fact, he cast his eyes up and down the short corridor. At the far end
+was a desk with a girl in the Interplanetary Cultural Exchange Department
+working away in concentration. She wasn't looking in his direction.
+
+Ronny Bronston put his ear to the door. The building was primitive enough,
+rustic enough in its construction, to permit his hearing.
+
+Tog Lee Chang Chu was saying seriously, "Oh, it was chaotic all right, but
+no, I don't really believe it could have been a Tommy Paine case. Actually
+I'd suggest to you that you run over to Catalina. When I was on Avalon I
+heard rumors that Tommy Paine's finger seemed to be stirring around in the
+mess there. Yes, I'd recommend that you take off for Catalina immediately.
+If Paine is anywhere in this vicinity at all, it would be Catalina."
+
+For a moment, Ronny Bronston froze. Then in automatic reflex his hand went
+inside his jacket to rest over the butt of the Model H automatic there.
+
+No, that wasn't the answer. His hand dropped away from the gun.
+
+He listened, further.
+
+Another voice was saying, "We thought we were on the trail for a while on
+Hector, but it turned out it wasn't Paine. Just a group of local agitators
+fed up with the communist regime there. There's going to be a blood bath
+on Hector, before they're through, but it doesn't seem to be Paine's work
+this time."
+
+Tog's voice was musing. "Well, you never know, it sounds like the sort of
+muck he likes to play in."
+
+The strange voice said argumentatively, "Well, Hector _needs_ a few
+fundamental changes."
+
+"It could be," Tog said, "but that's their internal affairs, of course.
+Our job in Section G is to prevent troubles between the differing
+socio-economic and religious features of member planets. Whatever we think
+of some of the things Paine does, our task is to get him."
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+Ronny Bronston pushed the door open and went through. Tog Lee Chang Chu
+was sitting at a desk, nonchalant and petitely beautiful as usual,
+comfortably seated in easy-chairs were two young men by their attire
+probably citizens of United Planets and possibly even Earthlings.
+
+"Hello, Ronny," Tog said softly. "Meet Frederic Lippman and Pedro Nazare,
+both Section G operatives. This is my colleague, Ronald Bronston,
+gentlemen. Fredric and Pedro were just leaving, Ronny."
+
+The two agents got up to shake hands.
+
+Ronny said, "You can't be in that much of a hurry. What's your assignment,
+boys?"
+
+Lippman, an earnest type, and by his appearance not more than twenty-five
+or so years of age, began to answer, but Nazare said hurriedly, "Actually,
+it's a confidential assignment. We're working directly out of the
+Octagon."
+
+Lippman said, frowning, "It's not that confidential, Tog. Bronston's an
+agent, too. What's your assignment, Ronny?"
+
+Ronny said very slowly, "I'm beginning to suspect that it's the same as
+yours and various pieces are beginning to fall into place."
+
+Lippman was taken aback. "You mean you're looking for Tommy Paine?" His
+eyes went to his associate. "How could that be, Tog? I didn't know more
+than one of us were on this job. Why, that means if Bronston here finds
+him first, I won't get my permanent appointment."
+
+Ronny looked at Tog Lee Chang Chu who was sitting demurely, hands in lap,
+and a resigned expression on her face. He said, "Nor if you find him
+first, will I. Look here, Tog, how many men does Sid Jakes have out on
+this assignment?"
+
+"I wouldn't know," she said mildly.
+
+He snapped, "A few dozen or so? Or possibly a few hundred?"
+
+"It seems unlikely there could be that many," she said mildly. She looked
+at the other two agents. "I think you two had better run along. Take my
+suggestion I made earlier."
+
+"Wait a minute," Ronny snapped. "You mean that they go to Catalina? That's
+ridiculous."
+
+Tog Lee Chang Chu looked at Pedro Nazare and he turned and started for the
+door followed by Fredric Lippman who was still scowling his puzzlement.
+
+"Wait a minute!" Ronny snapped. "I tell you it's ridiculous. And why
+follow her suggestions? She's just my assistant."
+
+Pedro Nazare said, "Come on, Fred, let's get going, we'll have to pack."
+But Lippman wasn't having any.
+
+"His assistant?" he said to Tog Lee Chang Chu.
+
+Tog Lee Chang Chu's face changed expression in sudden decision. She opened
+her bag and brought forth a Section G identification wallet and flicked it
+open. The badge was gold. "I suggest you hurry," she said to the two
+agents.
+
+They left, and Tog turned back to Ronny, her eyebrows raised
+questioningly.
+
+Ronny sank down into one of the chairs recently occupied by the other two
+agents and tried to unravel thoughts. He said finally, "I suppose my
+question should be, why do Ross Metaxa and Sid Jakes send an agent of
+supervisor rank to act as assistant to a probationary agent? But that's
+not what I'm asking yet. First, Lippman just called his buddy Tog. How
+come?"
+
+Tog took her seat again, rueful resignation on her face. "You should be
+figuring it out on your own by this time, Ronny."
+
+He looked at her belligerently. "I'm too stupid, eh?" The anger was
+growing within him.
+
+"Tog," she said. "It's a nickname, or possibly you might call it a title.
+Tog. T-O-G. The Other Guy. My name is Lee Chang Chu, and I'm of supervisor
+grade presently working at developing new Section G operatives.
+Considering the continuing rapid growth of UP, and the continuing crises
+that come up in UP activities, developing new operatives is one of the
+department's most pressing jobs. Each new agent, on his first assignment,
+is always paired with an experienced old-timer."
+
+"I see," he said flatly. "Your principal job being to needle the fledging,
+eh?"
+
+She lowered her eyes. "I wouldn't exactly word it that way," she said. She
+was obviously unrepentant.
+
+He said, "You must get a lot of laughs out of it. If I say, it seems to me
+democracy is a good thing, you give me an argument about the superiority
+of rule by an elite. If I say anarchism is ridiculous, you dredge up an
+opinion that it's man's highest ethic. You must laugh yourself to sleep at
+nights. You and Metaxa and Jakes and every other agent in Section G.
+Everybody is in on the Tog gag but the sucker."
+
+"Sometimes there are amusing elements to the work," Lee Chang conceded,
+demurely.
+
+"Just one more thing I'd like to ask," Ronny rapped. "This first
+assignment, agents are given. Is it always to look for Tommy Paine?"
+
+She looked up at him, said nothing, but her eyes were questioning.
+
+"Don't worry," he snapped. "I've already found out who Paine is."
+
+"Ah?" She was suddenly interested. "Then I'm glad I ordered that other
+probationary agent to leave. Evidently, he hasn't. Obviously, I didn't
+want the two of you comparing notes."
+
+"No, that would never do," he said bitterly. "Well, this is the end of the
+assignment so far as you and I are concerned. I'm heading back for Earth."
+
+"Of course," she said.
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+He had time on the way to think it all over, and over and over again, and
+a great deal of it simply didn't make sense. He had enough information to
+be disillusioned, sick at heart. To have crumbled an idealistic edifice
+that had taken a lifetime to build. A lifetime? At least three. His father
+and his grandfather before him had had the dream. He'd been weaned on the
+idealistic purposes of the United Planets and man's fated growth into the
+stars.
+
+He was a third-generation dreamer of participating in the glory. His
+grandfather had been a citizen of Earth and gave up a commercial position
+to take a job that amounted to little more than a janitor in an obscure
+department of Interplanetary Financial Clearing. He wanted to get into the
+big job, into space, but never made it. Ronny's father managed to work up
+to the point where he was a supervisor in Interplanetary Medical Exchange,
+in the tabulating department. He, too, had wanted into space, and never
+made it. Ronny had loved them both. In a way fulfilling his own dreams had
+been a debt he owed them, because at the same time he was fulfilling
+theirs.
+
+And now this. All that had been gold, was suddenly gilted lead. The dream
+had become contemptuous nightmare.
+
+Finally back in Greater Washington, he went immediately from the
+shuttleport to the Octagon. His Bureau of Investigation badge was enough
+to see him through the guide-guards and all the way through to the office
+of Irene Kasansky.
+
+She looked up at him quickly. "Hi," she said. "Ronny Bronston, isn't it?"
+
+"That's right. I want to see Commissioner Metaxa."
+
+She scowled. "I can't work you in now. How about Sid Jakes?"
+
+He said, "Jakes is in charge of the Tommy Paine routine, isn't he?"
+
+She shot a sharper look up at him. "That's right," she said warily.
+
+"All right," Ronny said. "I'll see Jakes."
+
+Her deft right hand slipped open a drawer in her desk. "You'd better leave
+your gun here," she said. "I've known probationary agents to get excited,
+in my time."
+
+He looked at her.
+
+And she looked back, her gaze level.
+
+Ronny Bronston shrugged, slipped the Model H from under his armpit and
+tossed it into the drawer.
+
+Irene Kasansky went back to her work. "You know the way," she said.
+
+This time Ronny Bronston pushed open the door to Sid Jakes' office without
+knocking. The Section G supervisor was poring over reports on his desk. He
+looked up and grinned his Sid Jakes' grin.
+
+"Ronny!" he said. "Welcome back. You know, you're one of the quickest men
+ever to return from a Tommy Paine assignment. I was talking to Lee Chang
+only a day or so ago. She said you were on your way."
+
+Ronny grunted, his anger growing within him. He lowered himself into one
+of the room's heavy chairs, and glared at the other.
+
+Sid Jakes chuckled and leaned back in his chair. "Before we go any
+further, just to check, who is Tommy Paine?"
+
+Ronny snapped, "You are."
+
+The supervisor's eyebrows went up.
+
+Ronny said, "You and Ross Metaxa and Lee Chang Chu--and all the rest of
+Section G. Section G is Tommy Paine."
+
+"Good man!" Sid Jakes chortled. He flicked a switch on his order box.
+"Irene," he said, "how about clearing me through to the commissioner? I
+want to take Ronny in for his finals."
+
+Irene snapped back something and Sid Jakes switched off and turned to
+Ronny happily. "Let's go," he said. "Ross is free for a time."
+
+Ronny Bronston said nothing. He followed the other. The rage within him
+was still mounting.
+
+In the months that had elapsed since Ronny Bronston had seen Ross Metaxa
+the latter had changed not at all. His clothing was still sloppy, his eyes
+bleary with lack of sleep or abundance of alcohol--or both. His expression
+was still sour and skeptical.
+
+He looked up at their entry and scowled, and made no effort to rise and
+shake hands. He said to Ronny sourly, "O.K., sound off and get it over
+with. I haven't too much time this afternoon."
+
+Ronny Bronston was just beginning to feel tentacles of cold doubt, but he
+suppressed them. The boiling anger was uppermost. He said flatly, "All my
+life I've been a dedicated United Planets man. All my life I've considered
+its efforts the most praiseworthy and greatest endeavor man has ever
+attempted."
+
+"Of course, old chap," Jakes told him cheerfully. "We know all that, or
+you wouldn't ever have been chosen as an agent for Section G."
+
+Ronny looked at him in disgust. "I've resigned that position, Jakes."
+
+Jakes grinned back at him. "To the contrary, you're now in the process of
+receiving permanent appointment."
+
+Ronny snorted his disgust and turned back to Metaxa. "Section G is a
+secret department of the Bureau of Investigation devoted to subverting
+Article One of the United Planets Charter."
+
+Metaxa nodded.
+
+"You don't deny it?"
+
+Metaxa shook his head.
+
+"Article One," Ronny snapped, "is the basic foundation of the Charter
+which every member of UP and particularly every citizen of United Planets,
+such as ourselves, has sworn to uphold. But the very reason for the
+existence of this Section G is to interfere with the internal affairs of
+member planets, to subvert their governments, their economic systems,
+their religions, their ideals, their very way of life."
+
+Metaxa yawned and reached into a desk drawer for his bottle. "That's
+right," he said. "Anybody like a drink?"
+
+Ronny ignored him. "I'm surprised I didn't catch on even sooner," he said.
+"On New Delos Mouley Hassan, the local agent, knew the God-King was going
+to be assassinated. He brought in extra agents and even a detail of Space
+Forces guards for the emergency. He probably engineered the assassination
+himself."
+
+"Nope," Jakes said. "We seldom go _that_ far. Local rebels did the actual
+work, but, admittedly, we knew what they were planning. In fact, I've got
+a sneaking suspicion that Mouley Hassan provided them with the bomb. That
+lad's a bit too dedicated."
+
+"But _why_," Ronny blurted. "That's deliberately interfering with internal
+affairs. If the word got out, every planet in UP would resign."
+
+"Probably no planet in the system that needed a change so badly," Metaxa
+growled. "If they were ever going to swing into real progress, that
+hierarchy of priests had to go." He snorted. "An immortal God-King, yet."
+
+Ronny pressed on. "That was bad enough, but how about this planet Mother,
+where the colonists had attempted to return to nature and live in the
+manner man did in earliest times."
+
+"Most backward planet in the UP," Metaxa said sourly. "They just had to be
+roused."
+
+"And Kropotkin!" Ronny blurted. "Don't you understand, those people were
+_happy_ there. Their lives were simple, uncomplicated, and they had
+achieved a happiness that--"
+
+Metaxa came to his feet. He scowled at Ronny Bronston and growled,
+"Unfortunately, the human race can't take the time out for happiness. Come
+along, I want to show you something."
+
+He swung around the corner of his desk and made his way toward a
+ceiling-high bookcase.
+
+Ronny stared after him, taken off guard, but Sid Jakes was grinning his
+amusement.
+
+Ross Metaxa pushed a concealed button and the bookcase slid away to one
+side to reveal an elevator beyond.
+
+"Come along," Metaxa repeated over his shoulder. He entered the elevator,
+followed by Jakes.
+
+There was nothing else to do. Ronny Bronston followed them, his face still
+flushed with the angered argument.
+
+The elevator dropped, how far, Ronny had no idea. It stopped and they
+emerged into a plain, sparsely furnished vault. Against one wall was a
+boxlike affair that reminded Ronny of nothing so much as a deep-freeze.
+
+For all practical purposes, that's what it was. Ross Metaxa led him over
+and they stared down into its glass-covered interior.
+
+Ronny's eyes bugged. The box contained the partly charred body of an
+animal approximately the size of a rabbit. No, not an animal. It had
+obviously once been clothed, and its limbs were obviously those of a tool
+using life form.
+
+Metaxa and Jakes were staring down at it solemnly, for once no inane grin
+on the supervisor's face. And that of Ross Metaxa was more weary than
+ever.
+
+Ronny said finally, "What is it?" But he knew.
+
+"You tell us," Metaxa growled sourly.
+
+"It's an intelligent life form," Ronny blurted. "Why has it been kept
+secret?"
+
+"Let's go on back upstairs," Metaxa sighed.
+
+Back in his office he said, "Now I go into my speech. Shut up for a
+while." He poured himself a drink, not offering one to the other two.
+"Ronny," he said, "man isn't alone in the galaxy. There's other
+intelligent life. Dangerously intelligent."
+
+In spite of himself Ronny reacted in amusement. "That little creature down
+there? The size of a small monkey?" As soon as he said it, he realized the
+ridiculousness of his statement.
+
+Metaxa grunted. "Obviously, size means nothing. That little fellow down
+there was picked up by one of our Space Forces scouts over a century ago.
+How long he'd been drifting through space, we don't know. Possibly only
+months, but possibly hundreds of centuries. But however long he's proof
+that man is not alone in the galaxy. And we have no way of knowing when
+the expanding human race will come up against this other intelligence--and
+whoever it was fighting."
+
+                             [Illustration.]
+
+"But," Ronny protested, "you're assuming they're aggressive. Perhaps
+coming in contact with these aliens will be the best thing that ever
+happened to man. Possibly that little fellow down there is the most
+benevolent creature ever evolved."
+
+Metaxa looked at him strangely. "Let's hope so," he said. "However, when
+found he was in what must have been a one-man scout. He was dead and his
+craft was blasted and torn--obviously from some sort of weapons' fire. His
+scout was obviously a military craft, highly equipped with what could only
+be weapons, most of them so damaged our engineers haven't been able to
+figure them out. To the extent they have been able to reconstruct them,
+they're scared silly. No, there's no two ways about it, our little rabbit
+sized intelligence down in the vault was killed in an interplanetary
+conflict. And sooner or later, Ronny, man in his explosion into the stars
+is going to run into either or both of the opponents in that conflict."
+
+Ronny Bronston slumped back into his chair, his brain running out a dozen
+leads at once.
+
+Metaxa and Jakes remained quiet, looking at him speculatively.
+
+Ronny said slowly, "Then the purpose of Section G is to push the member
+planets of UP along the fastest path of progress, to get them ready for
+the eventual, inevitable meeting."
+
+"Not just Section G," Metaxa growled, "but all of the United Planets
+organization, although most of the rank and file don't even know our basic
+purpose. Section G? We do the dirty work, and are proud to do it, by every
+method we can devise."
+
+Ronny leaned forward. "But look," he said. "Why not simply inform all
+member planets of this common danger? They'd all unite in the effort to
+meet the common potential foe. Anything standing in the way would be
+brushed aside."
+
+Metaxa shook his head wearily. "Would they? Is a common danger enough for
+man to change his institutions, particularly those pertaining to property,
+power and religion? History doesn't show it. Delve back into early times
+and you'll recall, for an example, that in man's early discovery of
+nuclear weapons he almost destroyed himself. Three or four different
+socio-economic systems co-existed at that time and all would have
+preferred destruction rather than changes in their social forms."
+
+Jakes said, in an unwonted quiet tone, "No, until someone comes up with a
+better answer it looks as though Section G is going to have to continue
+the job of advancing man's institutions, in spite of himself."
+
+The commissioner made it clearer. "It's not as though we deal with all our
+member planets. It isn't necessary. But you see, Ronny, the best colonists
+are usually made up of the, well, crackpot element. Those who are
+satisfied, stay at home. America, for instance, was settled by the
+adventurers, the malcontents, the non-conformists, the religious cultists,
+and even fugitives and criminals of Europe. So it is in the stars. A group
+of colonists go out with their dreams, their schemes, their far-out ideas.
+In a few centuries they've populated their new planet, and often do very
+well indeed. But often not and a nudge, a push, from Section G can start
+them up another rung or so of the ladder of social evolution. Most of them
+don't want the push. Few cultures, if any, realize they are mortal; like
+Hitler's Reich, they expect to last at least a thousand years. They resist
+any change--even change for the better."
+
+                  -------------------------------------
+
+Ronny's defenses were crumbling, but he threw one last punch. "How do you
+know the changes you make are for the better?"
+
+Metaxa shrugged heavy shoulders. "It's sometimes difficult to decide, but
+we aim for changes that will mean an increased scientific progress, a more
+advanced industrial technology, more and better education, the opening of
+opportunity for every member of the culture to exert himself to the full
+of his abilities. The last is particularly important. Too many cultures,
+even those that think of themselves as particularly advanced, suppress the
+individual by one means or another."
+
+Ronny was still mentally reeling with the magnitude of it all. "But how
+can you account for the fact that these alien intelligences haven't
+already come in contact with us?"
+
+Metaxa shrugged again. "The Solar System, our sun, is way out in a
+sparsely populated spiral arm of our galaxy. Undoubtedly, these others are
+further in toward the center. We have no way of knowing how far away they
+are, or how many sun systems they dominate, or even how many other empires
+of intelligent life forms there are. All we know is that there are other
+intelligences in the galaxy, that they are near enough like us to live on
+the same type planets. The more opportunity man has to develop before the
+initial contact takes place, the stronger bargaining position, or military
+position, as the case may be, he'll be in."
+
+Sid Jakes summed up the Tommy Paine business for Ronny's sake. "We need
+capable agents badly, but we need dedicated and efficient ones. We can't
+afford anything less. So when we come upon potential Section G operatives
+we send them out with a trusted Tog to get a picture of these United
+Planets of ours. It's the quickest method of indoctrination we've hit
+upon; the agent literally teaches himself by observation and
+participation. Usually, it takes four or five stops, on this planet and
+that, before the probationary agent begins sympathizing with the efforts
+of this elusive Tommy Paine. Especially since every Section G agent he
+runs into, including the Tog, of course, fills him full of stories of
+Tommy Paine's activities.
+
+"You were one of the quickest to stumble on the true nature of our Section
+G. After calling at only three planets you saw that we ourselves are Tommy
+Paine."
+
+"But ... but what's the end?" Ronny said plaintively. "You say our job is
+advancing man, even in spite of himself when it comes to that. We start at
+the bottom of the evolutionary ladder in a condition of savagery, clan
+communism in government, simple animism in religion, and slowly we
+progress through barbarism to civilization, through paganism to the higher
+ethical codes, through chattel slavery and then feudalism and beyond. What
+is the final end, the Ultima Thule?"
+
+Metaxa was shaking his head again. He poured himself another drink,
+offered the bottle this time to the others. "We don't know," he said
+wearily, "perhaps there is none. Perhaps there is always another rung on
+this evolutionary ladder." He punched at his order box and said, "Irene,
+have them do up a silver badge for Ronny."
+
+Ronny Bronston took a deep breath and reached for the brown bottle.
+"Well," he said. "I suppose I'm ready to ask for my first assignment." He
+thought for a moment. "By the way, if there's any way to swing it, I
+wouldn't mind working with Supervisor Lee Chang Chu."
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ULTIMA THULE***
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