get an announcement," came a man's low grumble from the audience. Kananga glared and pointed; two husky young black-clad men converged on the man.
Eberly smiled at the heckler, though. "The announcement is in your mail. Simply check your computer; it's there, I promise you."
The man looked startled by the two security officers now standing on each side of him in their black coveralls.
Eberly resumed, "This is your habitat. It is your right to choose the names you want for its natural and man-made features. Besides, these contests will be fun! You will enjoy them, I promise you."
People glanced at each other and murmured. A few turned around and started walking toward the door.
"I'm not finished," Eberly said.
The crowd paid scant attention. It began to break up. A woman raised her voice loudly enough for everyone to hear, "I don't know about you, but I've got work to do tomorrow morning." More people began drifting toward the door.
"Listen to me!" Eberly demanded, his voice suddenly deeper, stronger, more demanding. "You are the most important people in this habitat. Don't turn your backs on your own future!"
Their muttering stopped. They turned back toward Eberly, every eye focused on him.
"The others," Eberly said, in a voice more powerful than Holly had ever heard before, "those who are too lazy, or too timid, or too poorly informed to be here, will envy you in time. For you are the ones who are wise enough, strong enough, brave enough to begin to seize the future in your own hands. You understand that this is your habitat, your community, and it must be controlled by no one except yourselves."
"Right!" someone shouted.
Holly was staring at Eberly, dimly aware that everyone in the crowd was doing the same now, listening, hearing that richly vibrant voice and the mesmerizing message it carried.
She jumped nearly out of her skin when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
"Hey, I didn't mean to spook you."
Holly saw a smiling, solidly built youngish man with a rugged bulldog face. Dark eyes and darker hair.
"What's going on?" he asked in a stage whisper.
Holly gestured toward the stage and whispered back, "Dr. Eberly is giving a speech."
"Eberly? Who's he?"
She shook her head and touched a finger to her lips, then pantomimed for him to come into the cafeteria and listen. Still smiling, the man stepped past her, then stood at the rear of the crowd and crossed his beefy arms over his chest.
Eberly was saying, "Why should you be governed by rules made hundreds of millions of kilometers away, written by old men who know nothing of the conditions you face? What do they know of the problems you encounter every day? What do they care? It's time for you to create your own government and choose your own leaders."
Someone began clapping. The rest of the crowd took it up, applauding and even cheering out loud. Holly clapped along with the others, although she noticed that the newcomer kept his arms folded.
Soon Eberly had them roaring their approval with almost every sentence he spoke. The crowd became a single, unified creature: an animal with many heads and hands and bodies, but only one mind, and that mind was focused entirely on Eberly's message.
"It's up to you to build this new world," he told them. "You will be the leaders of tomorrow."
They applauded and stamped and whistled. Holly thought they would storm the platform and carry Eberly off on their shoulders.
The newcomer turned to her and shouted through the noisy accolade, "He knows how to turn 'em on, doesn't he?"
"He's wonderful!" Holly yelled back, hammering her hands together as loudly as she could.
Eberly smiled brilliantly and thanked the audience several times and finally stepped down from the platform, to be immediately sur r ounded by admiring people. The rest of the crowd began to break up and drift outside.
The newcomer asked Holly, "Am I too late to get something to eat?"
"The cafeteria's closed until tomorrow morning," Holly said.
Eberly smiled at the heckler, though. "The announcement is in your mail. Simply check your computer; it's there, I promise you."
The man looked startled by the two security officers now standing on each side of him in their black coveralls.
Eberly resumed, "This is your habitat. It is your right to choose the names you want for its natural and man-made features. Besides, these contests will be fun! You will enjoy them, I promise you."
People glanced at each other and murmured. A few turned around and started walking toward the door.
"I'm not finished," Eberly said.
The crowd paid scant attention. It began to break up. A woman raised her voice loudly enough for everyone to hear, "I don't know about you, but I've got work to do tomorrow morning." More people began drifting toward the door.
"Listen to me!" Eberly demanded, his voice suddenly deeper, stronger, more demanding. "You are the most important people in this habitat. Don't turn your backs on your own future!"
Their muttering stopped. They turned back toward Eberly, every eye focused on him.
"The others," Eberly said, in a voice more powerful than Holly had ever heard before, "those who are too lazy, or too timid, or too poorly informed to be here, will envy you in time. For you are the ones who are wise enough, strong enough, brave enough to begin to seize the future in your own hands. You understand that this is your habitat, your community, and it must be controlled by no one except yourselves."
"Right!" someone shouted.
Holly was staring at Eberly, dimly aware that everyone in the crowd was doing the same now, listening, hearing that richly vibrant voice and the mesmerizing message it carried.
She jumped nearly out of her skin when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
"Hey, I didn't mean to spook you."
Holly saw a smiling, solidly built youngish man with a rugged bulldog face. Dark eyes and darker hair.
"What's going on?" he asked in a stage whisper.
Holly gestured toward the stage and whispered back, "Dr. Eberly is giving a speech."
"Eberly? Who's he?"
She shook her head and touched a finger to her lips, then pantomimed for him to come into the cafeteria and listen. Still smiling, the man stepped past her, then stood at the rear of the crowd and crossed his beefy arms over his chest.
Eberly was saying, "Why should you be governed by rules made hundreds of millions of kilometers away, written by old men who know nothing of the conditions you face? What do they know of the problems you encounter every day? What do they care? It's time for you to create your own government and choose your own leaders."
Someone began clapping. The rest of the crowd took it up, applauding and even cheering out loud. Holly clapped along with the others, although she noticed that the newcomer kept his arms folded.
Soon Eberly had them roaring their approval with almost every sentence he spoke. The crowd became a single, unified creature: an animal with many heads and hands and bodies, but only one mind, and that mind was focused entirely on Eberly's message.
"It's up to you to build this new world," he told them. "You will be the leaders of tomorrow."
They applauded and stamped and whistled. Holly thought they would storm the platform and carry Eberly off on their shoulders.
The newcomer turned to her and shouted through the noisy accolade, "He knows how to turn 'em on, doesn't he?"
"He's wonderful!" Holly yelled back, hammering her hands together as loudly as she could.
Eberly smiled brilliantly and thanked the audience several times and finally stepped down from the platform, to be immediately sur r ounded by admiring people. The rest of the crowd began to break up and drift outside.
The newcomer asked Holly, "Am I too late to get something to eat?"
"The cafeteria's closed until tomorrow morning," Holly said.
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