Part 13 (2/2)
Kicking a ball around was the Big Uglies' favorite sport hereabouts. It was, from what Gorppet had heard, the Big Uglies' favorite sport in almost all the lands the Race ruled. Gorppet couldn't see much point to it himself, but then-the Emperor be praised!-he was no Big Ugly.
The Tosevites looked up warily as he and his comrades approached. ”Go on,” he said in the guttural local language. ”Play. We do not trouble you if you do not trouble us.”
If the Big Uglies did feel like causing trouble... But one of them spoke in the language of the Race: ”It is good.” He said the same thing in Arabic, so his fellow Tosevites would understand. They started kicking the ball again, their robes flapping as they ran after it.
Still wary, Gorppet led his males past the Big Uglies. But they were intent on their sport, and paid the squad little attention. Gorppet wondered how many of them had been fighting hereabouts till the Race brought in enough soldiers to reduce the latest uprising from boil to sizzle. Quite a few, unless he missed his guess.
As if getting by the pack of Tosevites were a good omen, the rest of the patrol also went smoothly. Gorppet brought his squad through the perimeter of razor wire and back to the barracks without any untoward incidents. ”If only it were this easy all the time,” he said.
”It probably means the Big Uglies are plotting something,” Betvoss said. Gorppet wished he could quarrel with that, but he couldn't.
As things turned out, the Race was plotting something. An officer harangued the patrol leaders: ”One of our experts on the Big Uglies has come up with a way to bring them round toward reverencing the spirits of Emperors past-making them pay if they do anything else. We are ordered to collect coins outside the houses of their superst.i.tion. If they do not pay, they are not to be admitted.”
Gorppet stuck out his tongue, calling for attention. When the officer granted him leave to speak, he said, ”Superior sir, do you mean to say that we are becoming tax collectors rather than soldiers?”
”We are becoming tax collectors and and soldiers,” the officer replied, and Gorppet realized the fellow's fancy body paint didn't keep him from being very unhappy about the orders he'd received. ”I do not say this will be easy, for I do not believe that for a moment. But it is what we are required to do, and so it shall be done.” soldiers,” the officer replied, and Gorppet realized the fellow's fancy body paint didn't keep him from being very unhappy about the orders he'd received. ”I do not say this will be easy, for I do not believe that for a moment. But it is what we are required to do, and so it shall be done.”
”Superior sir, have you any idea what the Big Uglies are likely to do if we try to make them pay before we let them enter the houses of their superst.i.tion?” Gorppet demanded. He had such an idea, and did not care for it at all.
”We are also going to move a landcruiser or mechanized combat vehicle up before each of the said houses by tomorrow morning,” the officer answered, which proved he did indeed have some idea. The way he ignored the nearly insubordinate tone of Gorppet's questioning proved the same thing. He went on, ”This policy, you must understand, is not regional in scope. It shall be done over all the areas of Tosev 3 under the Race's rule. The sooner the Big Uglies begin venerating the spirits of Emperors past as we do, the sooner they will become contented citizens of the Empire.”
Gorppet supposed that made sense, at least in the long run. The Race habitually thought in terms of the long run, and had succeeded by pursuing long-term strategies... until Tosev 3. Such strategies might yet succeed here, too, but they were apt to end up unpleasant for the poor males who had to put them into motion right at the moment.
Another squad leader had to be thinking along those same lines, for he said, ”I expect we can count on Khomeini and the other fanatics to exploit our policy to the greatest possible degree.”
”I think that is likely to be truth,” the officer agreed unhappily. ”We shall have to see whether the results of the policy justify the difficulties it will bring with it. We are all veterans here, every single male from the conquest fleet. We know our dealings with the Tosevites are full of experiments and improvisations. Maybe this one will work. Maybe it will not. We shall have to wait and see.” He made a peremptory gesture. ”You males are dismissed.”
So much for being veterans together, Gorppet thought. He went back to the barracks and told the males of his squad what the new plan was. None of them had much to say about it. Betvoss was too startled-perhaps too appalled-even to complain. An orderly came by with the locale of the house of superst.i.tion to which the squad was a.s.signed. That confirmed Gorppet's words and left everyone glummer than ever. Gorppet thought. He went back to the barracks and told the males of his squad what the new plan was. None of them had much to say about it. Betvoss was too startled-perhaps too appalled-even to complain. An orderly came by with the locale of the house of superst.i.tion to which the squad was a.s.signed. That confirmed Gorppet's words and left everyone glummer than ever.
When morning came, all the males made sure they were carrying plenty of ammunition. They also made sure their body armor did the best possible job of covering their vitals. It might not hold out a high-powered bullet, but it was the best hope they had.
To Gorppet's relief, the house of superst.i.tion where his squad had to collect fees wasn't far from the barracks. The troopers got there just before sunrise. A landcruiser had already arrived, which made the squad leader feel better. He devoutly hoped its immense bulk and formidable gun would make the Big Uglies think twice about any trouble.
A Tosevite in wrappings and head cloth was expostulating at the landcruiser commander, who stood up in his cupola watching and waiting. That male either spoke no Arabic or preferred to pretend he didn't. The Big Ugly rounded on Gorppet. ”What are you doing here?” he demanded.
”Collecting money,” Gorppet answered. ”If your males and females do not pay half a dinar each, they do not go in.”
”Half a dinar?” the Big Ugly howled. ”Half a dinar at each of five daily prayers? You will make beggars of us!”
”I have my orders,” Gorppet said stolidly. He gestured with his rifle barrel toward the landcruiser. ”I have the power to make orders good.”
”You are wicked. The great Satan will burn you in the fires of h.e.l.l forever!” the Big Ugly said. ”Why do you torment us? Why do you persecute us?”
As far as Gorppet was concerned, Tosevites tormented the Race far more than the other way round. Before he could say as much, amplified screeches from the towers at the corners of the house of superst.i.tions summoned the local Big Uglies to the day's first pet.i.tions to the imaginary all-powerful Big Ugly beyond the sky.
Gorppet positioned his males in the entranceway. Since he knew more Arabic than the others, he made the announcement: ”Half a dinar to go inside. If you do not pay, go home and venerate the spirits of Emperors past.”
His fellow males backed him up with rifles aimed at the Big Uglies coming to wors.h.i.+p. The landcruiser backed him up with its cannon and machine gun and intimidating ma.s.siveness. Despite all that, he thought he would have to start firing into the building crowd. The Tosevites screamed and cursed and waved their arms in the air and jumped up and down. But they had been taken by surprise, and had not thought to bring firearms to the house of superst.i.tion.
Some of them threw down coins or fluttering pieces of paper also in circulation as money. Gorppet wasn't sure all of those payments were half-dinars. He didn't check very closely. Any payment was enough to satisfy him. He used the barrel of his rifle to beckon into the house of superst.i.tion those who gave money of any sort.
Some of the others kept angrily milling about. Others headed back toward their homes. He hoped they were relieved to have an excuse to go away, and were not going to return later with weapons.
Rather to his surprise, the Big Uglies didn't start shooting. Betvoss said, ”Well, we got away with it. I would not have believed that we could.”
”We got away with it this time,” this time,” Gorppet said. ”These Tosevites come here to pray five times a day, remember. We are going to have to charge them this fee every time they come. Who knows how long they will tolerate it?” He sighed. ”If only they would venerate the spirits of Emperors past, life would be easier for us.” Gorppet said. ”These Tosevites come here to pray five times a day, remember. We are going to have to charge them this fee every time they come. Who knows how long they will tolerate it?” He sighed. ”If only they would venerate the spirits of Emperors past, life would be easier for us.”
”Truth,” Betvoss said. ”But they have all these houses for their own superst.i.tion, and none for the truth. How can we expect them to venerate the Emperors if they have nowhere to do it?”
Gorppet stared at the other male in surprise. Like any malcontent, Betvoss was full of ideas. As with any malcontent, most of them were bad. But this one struck Gorppet as quite good. He said, ”You ought to pa.s.s that along to the authorities, Betvoss. It might get you a bonus or a promotion.”
If it got Betvoss a bonus, that might improve his sour att.i.tude. Stranger things had happened-on Tosev 3, plenty of stranger things had happened. And if it got Betvoss a promotion, Gorppet wouldn't have to worry about him any more. Gorppet swiveled his eye turrets this way and that. He wouldn't have to worry about much of anything-not till the next call for wors.h.i.+p at this house of superst.i.tion, anyhow.
Along with his family, Reuven Russie walked toward the synagogue a few blocks away for Friday evening services. He was less devout than his parents, and sometimes felt guilty about it. They'd suffered because of their Judaism even before the n.a.z.is invaded Poland. For him, being a Jew had been pretty easy through most of his life: the Lizards generally preferred Jews to Muslims. He wondered if his faith needed strengthening in the fire of persecution.
On the other hand, Judith and Esther took their belief more seriously than he did his, and they'd never been persecuted at all. They chattered with their mother as the family rounded the last corner on the way to the synagogue. Maybe they just hadn't yet been exposed to the flood of secular knowledge he'd acquired.
But his father was full of secular knowledge, too, and still believed. Reuven scratched his head. Plainly, he didn't understand everything that was going on.
Moishe Russie pointed toward a crowd of Jews gathered in front of the synagogue. That was unusual. ”h.e.l.lo,” he said. ”I wonder what's going on.”
Whatever it was, a lot of people were excited. Angry shouts in Yiddish and Hebrew reached Reuven's ears. Rivka Russie pointed, too. ”Look,” she said. ”There's a Lizard standing in front of the entrance. What's he doing there?”
”Maybe he wants to convert,” Esther said. Judith giggled.
Reuven leaned toward his father and murmured, ”How would we circ.u.mcise him?” Moishe Russie let out a strangled snort. He waggled a reproachful finger at Reuven, but his heart wasn't in the gesture. It was the sort of joke any doctor or medical student might have made.
As Reuven got closer to the synagogue, the shouting began turning into intelligible words. ”An outrage!” someone cried. ”An imposition!” someone else exclaimed. ”We won't put up with this!” a woman warned shrilly. Reproach filled a man's voice: ”After all we've done for you!”
The Lizard-who was armed and wearing body armor-kept speaking hissing Hebrew: ”I have my orders. I cannot go against my orders.”
”What are your orders?” Reuven asked in the language of the Race, pus.h.i.+ng through the crowd toward the doorway.
As he'd hoped, the male responded to hearing his own tongue. ”Perhaps you will explain it to these Tosevites better than I can,” he replied. ”My orders are that no one may enter this house of superst.i.tion without first paying five hundred mills.”
”Half a pound?” Reuven exclaimed. ”Why? What is the purpose of this order? How can I explain it if I do not understand it?”
”It is to reduce superst.i.tion,” the Lizard told him. ”If you Tosevites have to pay a tax to gather together to celebrate what is not true, the hope is that you will turn toward the veneration of the spirits of Emperors past, which is true.”
A woman grabbed at Reuven's arm. ”What's he saying?” she demanded.
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