would
sell retail stuff he got from them wholesale—below cost at fat profit. We
got along.)
I
had seen those luxuries Earthside. Wasn’t worth what they put up with.
Don’t mean heavy gravity, that doesn’t bother them; I mean
nonsense. All time
kukai moa
. If chicken guano in one earthworm city
were shipped to Luna, fertilizer problem would be solved for century. Do this.
Don’t do that. Stay back of line. Where’s tax receipt? Fill out
form. Let’s see license. Submit six copies. Exit only. No left turn. No
right turn. Queue up to pay fine. Take back and get stamped. Drop
dead—but first get permit.
Wyoh
plowed doggedly into Prof, certain she had all answers. But Prof was interested
in questions rather than answers, which baffled her. Finally she said,
“Professor, I can’t understand you. I don’t insist that you
call it ‘government’—I just want you to state what rules you
think are necessary to insure equal freedom for all.”
“Dear
lady, I’ll happily accept your rules.”
“But
you don’t seem to want any rules!”
“True.
But I will accept any rules that you feel necessary to your freedom. I am free,
no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if
I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone
am morally responsible for everything I do.”
“You
would not abide by a law that the majority felt was necessary?”
“Tell
me what law, dear lady, and I will tell you whether I will obey it.”
“You
wiggled out. Every time I state a general principle, you wiggle out.”
Prof
clasped hands on chest. “Forgive me. Believe me, lovely Wyoming, I am
most anxious to please you. You spoke of willingness to unite the front with
anyone going your way. Is it enough that I want to see the Authority thrown off
Luna and would die to serve that end?”
Wyoh
beamed. “It certainly is!” She fisted his
ribs—gently—then put arm around him and kissed cheek.
“Comrade! Let’s get on with it!”
“Cheers!”
I said. “Let’s fin’ Warden ‘n’ ‘liminate him!”
Seemed a good idea; I had had a short night and don’t usually drink much.
Prof
topped our glasses, held his high and announced with great dignity:
“Comrades … we declare the Revolution!”
That
got us both kissed. But sobered me, as Prof sat down and said, “The
Emergency Committee of Free Luna is in session. We must plan action.”
I
said, “Wait, Prof! I didn’t agree to anything. What’s this
‘Action’ stuff?”
“We
will now overthrow the Authority,” he said blandly.
“How?
Going to throw rocks at ‘em?”
“That
remains to be worked out. This is the planning stage.”
I
said, “Prof, you know me. If kicking out Authority was thing we could
buy. I wouldn’t worry about price.”
“‘—
our
lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor
.’”
“Huh?”
“A
price that once was paid.”
“Well—I’d
go that high. But when I bet I want a chance to win. Told Wyoh last night I
didn’t object to long odds—”
“‘One
in ten’ is what you said, Mannie.”
“Da,
Wyoh. Show me those odds, I’ll tap pot. But can you?”
“No,
Manuel, I can’t.”
“Then
why we talk-talk? I can’t see any chance.”
“Nor
I, Manuel. But we approach it differently. Revolution is an art that I pursue
rather than a goal I expect to achieve. Nor is this a source of dismay; a lost
cause can be as spiritually satisfying as a victory.”
“Not
me. Sorry.”
“Mannie,”
Wyoh said suddenly, “ask Mike.”
I
stared. “You serious?”
“Quite
serious. If anyone can figure out odds, Mike should be able to. Don’t you
think?”
“Um.
Possible.”
“Who,
if I may ask,” Prof put in, “is Mike?”
I
shrugged. “Oh, just a nobody.”
“Mike
is Mannie’s best friend. He’s very good at figuring odds.”
“A
bookie? My dear, if we bring in a fourth party we start by violating the cell
principle.”
“I
don’t see why,” Wyoh
sell retail stuff he got from them wholesale—below cost at fat profit. We
got along.)
I
had seen those luxuries Earthside. Wasn’t worth what they put up with.
Don’t mean heavy gravity, that doesn’t bother them; I mean
nonsense. All time
kukai moa
. If chicken guano in one earthworm city
were shipped to Luna, fertilizer problem would be solved for century. Do this.
Don’t do that. Stay back of line. Where’s tax receipt? Fill out
form. Let’s see license. Submit six copies. Exit only. No left turn. No
right turn. Queue up to pay fine. Take back and get stamped. Drop
dead—but first get permit.
Wyoh
plowed doggedly into Prof, certain she had all answers. But Prof was interested
in questions rather than answers, which baffled her. Finally she said,
“Professor, I can’t understand you. I don’t insist that you
call it ‘government’—I just want you to state what rules you
think are necessary to insure equal freedom for all.”
“Dear
lady, I’ll happily accept your rules.”
“But
you don’t seem to want any rules!”
“True.
But I will accept any rules that you feel necessary to your freedom. I am free,
no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if
I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone
am morally responsible for everything I do.”
“You
would not abide by a law that the majority felt was necessary?”
“Tell
me what law, dear lady, and I will tell you whether I will obey it.”
“You
wiggled out. Every time I state a general principle, you wiggle out.”
Prof
clasped hands on chest. “Forgive me. Believe me, lovely Wyoming, I am
most anxious to please you. You spoke of willingness to unite the front with
anyone going your way. Is it enough that I want to see the Authority thrown off
Luna and would die to serve that end?”
Wyoh
beamed. “It certainly is!” She fisted his
ribs—gently—then put arm around him and kissed cheek.
“Comrade! Let’s get on with it!”
“Cheers!”
I said. “Let’s fin’ Warden ‘n’ ‘liminate him!”
Seemed a good idea; I had had a short night and don’t usually drink much.
Prof
topped our glasses, held his high and announced with great dignity:
“Comrades … we declare the Revolution!”
That
got us both kissed. But sobered me, as Prof sat down and said, “The
Emergency Committee of Free Luna is in session. We must plan action.”
I
said, “Wait, Prof! I didn’t agree to anything. What’s this
‘Action’ stuff?”
“We
will now overthrow the Authority,” he said blandly.
“How?
Going to throw rocks at ‘em?”
“That
remains to be worked out. This is the planning stage.”
I
said, “Prof, you know me. If kicking out Authority was thing we could
buy. I wouldn’t worry about price.”
“‘—
our
lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor
.’”
“Huh?”
“A
price that once was paid.”
“Well—I’d
go that high. But when I bet I want a chance to win. Told Wyoh last night I
didn’t object to long odds—”
“‘One
in ten’ is what you said, Mannie.”
“Da,
Wyoh. Show me those odds, I’ll tap pot. But can you?”
“No,
Manuel, I can’t.”
“Then
why we talk-talk? I can’t see any chance.”
“Nor
I, Manuel. But we approach it differently. Revolution is an art that I pursue
rather than a goal I expect to achieve. Nor is this a source of dismay; a lost
cause can be as spiritually satisfying as a victory.”
“Not
me. Sorry.”
“Mannie,”
Wyoh said suddenly, “ask Mike.”
I
stared. “You serious?”
“Quite
serious. If anyone can figure out odds, Mike should be able to. Don’t you
think?”
“Um.
Possible.”
“Who,
if I may ask,” Prof put in, “is Mike?”
I
shrugged. “Oh, just a nobody.”
“Mike
is Mannie’s best friend. He’s very good at figuring odds.”
“A
bookie? My dear, if we bring in a fourth party we start by violating the cell
principle.”
“I
don’t see why,” Wyoh
Similar Books
