Part 14 (1/2)
”I am not calling you a fool,” said Namarti sharply. ”I say simply that some old Joranumites are fools. You have a chance now to show me that you are not one of them.”
”My a.s.sociation with Jo-Jo-”
”Forget that. He's dead!”
”I should think his spirit lives on.”
”If that thought will help us in our fight, then his spirit lives on. But to others-not to us. We know he made mistakes.”
”I deny that.”
”Don't insist on making a hero out of a mere man who made mistakes. He thought he could move the Empire by the strength of oratory alone, by words-”
”History shows that words have moved mountains in the past.”
”Not Joranum's words, obviously, because he made mistakes. He hid his Mycogenian origins far too clumsily. Worse, he let himself be tricked into accusing First Minister Eto Demerzel of being a robot. I warned him against that accusation, but he wouldn't listen-and it destroyed him. Now let's start fresh, shall we? Whatever use we make of Joranum's memory for outsiders, let us not ourselves be transfixed by it.”
Kaspalov sat silent. The other three transferred their gaze from Namarti to Kaspalov and back, content to let Namarti carry the weight of the discussion.
”With Joranum's exile to Nishaya, the Joranumite movement fell apart and seemed to vanish,” said Namarti harshly. ”It would, indeed, have vanished-but for me. Bit by bit and rubble by rubble, I rebuilt it into a network that extends over all of Trantor. You know this, I take it.”
”I know it, Chief,” mumbled Kaspalov. The use of the t.i.tle made it plain that Kaspalov was seeking reconciliation.
Namarti smiled tightly. He did not insist on the t.i.tle, but he always enjoyed hearing it used. He said, ”You're part of this network and you have your duties.”
Kaspalov stirred. He was clearly debating with himself internally and finally he said slowly, ”You tell me, Chief, that you warned Joranum against accusing the old First Minister of being a robot. You say he didn't listen, but at least you had your say. May I have the same privilege of pointing out what I think is a mistake and have you listen to me as Joranum listened to you, even if, like him, you don't take the advice given you?”
”Of course you can speak your piece, Kaspalov. You are here in order that you might do so. What is your point?”
”These new tactics of ours, Chief, are a mistake. They create disruption and do damage.”
”Of course! They are designed to do that.” Namarti stirred in his seat, controlling his anger with an effort. ”Joranum tried persuasion. It didn't work. We will bring Trantor down by action.”
”For how long? And at what cost?”
”For as long as it takes-and at very little cost, actually. A power stoppage here, a water break there, a sewage backup, an air-conditioning halt. Inconvenience and discomfort-that's all it means.”
Kaspalov shook his head. ”These things are c.u.mulative.”
”Of course, Kaspalov, and we want public dismay and resentment to be c.u.mulative, too. Listen, Kaspalov. The Empire is decaying. Everyone knows that. Everyone capable of intelligent thought knows that. The technology will fail here and there, even if we do nothing. We're just helping it along a little.”
”It's dangerous, Chief. Trantor's infrastructure is incredibly complicated. A careless push may bring it down in ruins. Pull the wrong string and Trantor may topple like a house of cards.”
”It hasn't so far.”
”It may in the future. And what if the people find out that we are behind it? They would tear us apart. There would be no need to call in the security establishment or the armed forces. Mobs would destroy us.”
”How would they ever learn enough to blame us? The natural target for the people's resentment will be the government-the Emperor's advisers. They will never look beyond that.”
”And how do we live with ourselves, knowing what we have done?”
This last was asked in a whisper, the old man clearly moved by strong emotion. Kaspalov looked pleadingly across the table at his leader, the man to whom he had sworn allegiance. He had done so in the belief that Namarti would truly continue to bear the standard of freedom pa.s.sed on by Jo-Jo Joranum; now Kaspalov wondered if this is how Jo-Jo would have wanted his dream to come to pa.s.s.
Namarti clucked his tongue, much as a reproving parent does when confronting an errant child.
”Kaspalov, you can't seriously be turning sentimental on us, are you? Once we are in power, we will pick up the pieces and rebuild. We will gather in the people with all of Joranum's old talk of popular partic.i.p.ation in government, with greater representation, and when we are firmly in power we will establish a more efficient and forceful government. We will then have a better Trantor and a stronger Empire. We will set up some sort of discussion system whereby representatives of other worlds can talk themselves into a daze-but we will do the governing.”
Kaspalov sat there, irresolute.
Namarti smiled joylessly. ”You are not certain? We can't lose. It's been working perfectly and it will continue working perfectly. The Emperor doesn't know what's going on. He hasn't the faintest notion. And his First Minister is a mathematician. He ruined Joranum, true, but since then he has done nothing.”
”He has something called-called-”
”Forget it. Joranum attached a great deal of importance to it, but it was a part of his being Mycogenian, like his robot mania. This mathematician has nothing-”
”Historical psychoa.n.a.lysis or something like that. I heard Joranum once say-”
”Forget it. Just do your part. You handle the ventilation in the Anemoria Sector, don't you? Very well, then. Have it misfunction in a manner of your choosing. It either shuts down so that the humidity rises or it produces a peculiar odor or something else. None of this will kill anyone, so don't get yourself into a fever of virtuous guilt. You will simply make people uncomfortable and raise the general level of discomfort and annoyance. Can we depend on you?”
”But what would only be discomfort and annoyance to the young and healthy may be more than that to infants, the aged, and the sick . . . .”
”Are you going to insist that no one at all must be hurt?”
Kaspalov mumbled something.
Namarti said, ”It's impossible to do anything with a guarantee that no one at all will be hurt. You just do your job. Do it in such a way that you hurt as few as possible-if your conscience insists upon it-but do it!”
Kaspalov said, ”Look! I have one thing more to say, Chief.”
”Then say it,” said Namarti wearily.
”We can spend years poking at the infrastructure. The time must come when you take advantage of gathering dissatisfaction to seize the government. How do you intend to do that?”
”You want to know exactly how we'll do it?”
”Yes. The faster we strike, the more limited the damage, the more efficiently the surgery is performed.”
Namarti said slowly, ”I have not yet decided on the nature of this 'surgical strike.' But it will come. Until then, will you do your part?”
Kaspalov nodded his head in resignation. ”Yes, Chief.”
”Well then, go,” said Namarti with a sharp gesture of dismissal.
Kaspalov rose, turned, and left. Namarti watched him go. He said to the man at his right, ”Kaspalov is not to be trusted. He has sold out and it's only so that he can betray us that he wants to know my plans for the future. Take care of him.”
The other nodded and all three left, leaving Namarti alone in the room. He switched off the glowing wall panels, leaving only a lonely square in the ceiling to provide the light that would keep him from being entirely in the darkness.