Wheelworld Page 17

  “You’re from the ships,” he said.

  The stranger put the microphone down and turned toward him, a grayhaired man with dark skin and burning blue eyes.

  “Yes, we’re from the ships. My name is Debhu. Release Kulozik at once,” he snapped at the Proctors who hurried to obey. “We landed out on the Road about twenty hours ago. I’m sorry we had to wait until now to show up but we wanted everyone in one place at the same time. You would have been killed if they knew we were coming. There could have been fighting, more deaths. I’m sorry you had to go through this, with the death sentence hanging over you.”

  “You’re with the ships—but you’re not Earth Commonwealth men!”

  The words were torn from Jan in an explosion of hope. Something tremendous, incredible had happened. Debhu nodded slow agreement.

  “You are correct. There have been … changes … .”

  “What are you doing here? Clear this platform!” Chun Taekeng’s anger cut through the paralysis that had gripped them all. “Give me that microphone and leave! This is not to be tolerated—”

  “Guards. Move the judges back. Watch them closely.”

  Burly men with ready guns moved swiftly at Debhu’s order, pushing the shocked Elders into a group, facing them with weapons ready. Debhu nodded approval and spoke through the microphone again.

  “People of Halvmörk, I would like your attention. The ships are late because of a change in a number of planetary governments. We will tell you more about this later. For now it is enough to know that the absolute power of the Earth authorities known as the Earth Commonwealth has been broken. You are free people. What that means will be explained to you. For now it is enough to know that a war is still being fought and there has been much starvation. Every grain of corn you have grown is needed and we are grateful for it. Now go to your homes and wait to be informed. Thank you.”

  Their voices rose in a loud babble as they turned, walking away, calling out to each other. Some men tried to stay, technicians, friends of Jan’s, but were moved on their way by the men with guns, more and more of them appearing down the Central Way. Jan waited in silence; he had to know more before he spoke.

  “You knew about my trial and the verdict?” Jan said. Debhu nodded. “How?”

  “There is an agent on this planet.”

  “I know. Ritterspach. But he’s dead now.”

  “Ritterspach was only a tool. He just took orders. No, the real agent is well-trained and has been working here for years. Reporting on the Security network scramble frequency. We seized some of their equipment and heard the messages when we came out of jump-space. That’s why we didn’t announce our arrival.”

  Jan was still stunned by the rush of events and found it difficult to assimilate all the new information so quickly. “An active agent here? But who …?” Even as he phrased the question the answer was obvious. He turned about and stabbed his finger at the judges. “There’s your undercover agent, right there!”

  “Yes, that’s the one,” Debhu agreed.

  The Hradil screamed shrilly and lurched forward at him, her hands raised, her nails like animals’ claws ready to scratch and rend. Jan waited for her, stepping forward to receive her, seizing her wrists and prisoning them, staring into her hate-torn face just inches from his own.

  “Of course. My enemy. The shrewdest and most vicious person on this planet. Too intelligent to be from the low stock of the others. A creature of Earth. Willing to live a life in exile on this miserable planet in exchange for the power, the absolute power to rule as she wished, destroy whom she wished. Who reported secretly to the ships when they arrived so her masters on Earth would know how well she was doing here. Who would see that anyone died who stood in her way … .”

  “No problems until you arrived,” she shrieked, spittle flying. “They warned me you were a suspected Disrupter, I was to watch you closely. Get evidence.”

  She swayed as he shook her, slowly and carefully in order not to hurt her ancient bones. His voice was low and triumphant.

  “They lied to you, don’t you realize that? They know all about me, convicted me and sent me here. It was a death sentence for me—or this prison world. You were just my keeper, sending reports to them. But no more. Do you hear that, agent? We’ve won and you have lost. Doesn’t that make you feel good?”

  Jan felt terrible. The touch of her revolted him. He released her, pushed her away to the guards who caught her before she could fall. Turned his back on her, sickened by the corpse-touch of her skin.

  “Not quite won everywhere,” Debhu said. “But at least we can win here. When we leave I’m taking this woman with me. And that Proctor, the one who murdered your friend. This kind of rule by violence has to end. We are going to have trials, public trials that will be broadcast on every occupied planet. Justice will be done—unlike the sideshow this creature arranged. We hope that the trials, with punishment where due for those found guilty, will bring peace. Get rid of the old hatreds. There are going to be a lot of pieces to pick up when this thing is over. But the end is in sight. We’re winning on all fronts except one. The planets are ours, that was the easiest part. No one ever enjoyed being ruled from Earth. The space fleet was spread thin and could be attacked on a planet-by-planet basis. Our surprise was sudden. Deprived of their bases and support the Earth fleet could only withdraw—but they were relatively unharmed in the battles. Hurt but not destroyed. Now thay have returned to Earth, to guard the home world. Too tough a nut for us to crack.”

  “Yet they in turn can’t attack the planets—no spacer can hope to succeed in capturing a well-defended planetary base.”

  “Agreed—but we have the same problem as Earth. So right now we have a stalemate. Earth had reserves of food and minerals, but in the long run their economy, as it stands now, cannot exist without the planets.”

  “Nor can we exist without them as well.”

  “Quite true. Their material reserves are high—but not their food supplies. I doubt if they can produce enough food for their population, even with synthetics. The future is still in doubt. We’ve won the first battles but not the war. And our need for food is even more desperate than Earth’s. We have no reserves. That was Earth policy. Starvation is very close—which is why we need the corn. At once. The cargo ships are in landing orbit now; they started down as soon as I sent the signal that the position was secure. We thank you for getting the corn here despite all of the problems. We’ll start loading at once.”

  “No,” Jan said grimly. “That’s not the way it is going to be at all. The corn will not be loaded until I say so.”

  Debhu stepped back, startled, his gun swinging up by reflex.

  “Kill me if you like. Kill us all. But the corn is ours.”

  Twenty

  Debhu’s eyes were angry slits in his dark face. “What are you getting at, Kulozik? We’re fighting a war and we need that food—we must have that food. No one is going to stand in our way. I can take your life as easily as I saved it.”

  “Don’t threaten me—or brag about your war. We have been fighting a war too, against this alien world. And we brought this corn for you. It didn’t get here by accident. If we had left it behind it would be ashes by now. These people are poor enough, but they lost what little they had for your sake. Their clothing, furniture, personal possessions, all left behind to make room for the corn you want to grab as though you had a right to it. It is ours—do you understand that? Good men died when we went back on the second trip, and I don’t want to find out that they died in vain. You’ll get the corn all right, but we have certain conditions attached to it. You are going to listen to our terms or you are going to have to shoot us. You’ll get the corn all right, but it will be the last. The decision is up to you.”

  Debhu stared at Jan closely, at the tight muscles and half-closed fists. For a long moment they stood that way, facing each other in silence. Until the anger faded from Debhu’s face to be replaced by a half smile. He grunted and the gun slip
ped from sight.

  “You’re a hard man, Kulozik, I can see that,” he said. “I’ll just have to talk to you. You have a point. It’s been a busy morning. I guess you have as much of a right to the fruits of the rebellion as anyone. Not that we have very much. Let’s go find your wife, who will probably want to see you, and have something to drink and talk it over.”

  “Agreed!”

  Alzbeta was beyond words, still not believing what had happened. She buried her face in his shoulder, holding him to her, crying and not realizing why.

  “It’s all right,” Jan said. “All over. Things are not going to be the way they used to be—they are going to be far better. Now make some tea for our guest and I’ll tell you why.”

  He dug out a bottle of his alcohol distillate and poured some into the cups, hoping the tea would ameliorate the taste. Debhu’s eyes widened when he sipped some.

  “It takes getting used to,” Jan said. “Shall, we drink then? To sanity and a peaceful future.”

  “Yes, I’ll drink to that. But I would also like to know what your rebellion means.”

  “No rebellion,” Jan said, draining his cup and setting it down. “Just give and take. Equality. The people here are now no longer economic slaves and that will have to end. They will have to work for their freedom—and they have started already. They’ll keep supplying all the food you need. But they want something in return.”

  “We haven’t much to give. There has been a lot of destruction, more than I wanted to admit in public. Chaos. We’ll be centuries rebuilding.”

  “All we need is simple equality and what goes with it. The Elders’ rule will have to be ended. Not at once; it is the only system they know and nothing would work without it. But it will break down of its own accord. We want full contact with the rest of the Commonwealth—the rest of the planets. I want these people to see democracy at work and compare it to economic slavery. I want the children educated offworld. Not all of them, just the best. They’ll bring back intelligence and ideas, then everything will have to change for the better. The Elders will not be able to resist forever.”

  “You’re asking a lot … .”

  “I’m asking very little. But it must begin at once. Just a few children to begin with, this trip. We’ll probably have to tear them away from their parents. But they’ll learn, like it or not, and will eventually understand why this had to be done. It will be hard for them, for all of us, because I am sure that education and information is as restricted on the outer planets as it is on Earth. But the facts are there. They will just have to be uncovered and understood. All of us must have free access to the heritage of Earth from which we have been deprived. On this world it will eventually mean the end of the stultifying culture that has forced upon these people. The food we have been supplying has economic power, so we should have some return for our labors. The future must be different. The people here have played their lives out like puppets. Real enough to them perhaps, but just things on strings to the puppet-masters on Earth. The Hradil was the tool they used to make sure that there was no deviation from the empty roles everyone had been selected to play. We were nothing to them, less than machines, unimportant and replaceable parts of a great organic machine built to supply cheap and tasteless for for poor men’s dinners. But no more. We’ll supply the food, but we want human status in return.”

  Debhu sipped at his fortified tea, then nodded.

  “Well why not. You’re not asking for much in the material way now, and that is what counts. Since we have very little to offer. But we’ll take the children, find schools for them …”

  “No. I’ll take care of that. I’m going with you.”

  “You can’t!” Alzbeta shouted, a cry of pain. He took her hands.

  “It will only be for a little while. I’ll return, I promise you. But out there now, in the turmoil, no one really cares about us. I’ll have to fight for everything we receive. I know what this planet needs and I’ll get it. Though I’m sure not one person out of a hundred here will appreciate it. I’ll take their children away for education, introduce change, supply treasonous thoughts, and they are not going to love me for it.”

  “You’ll go away and never come back,” she said, so quietly he could barely hear her.

  “Don’t believe that for a second,” Jan said. “My life is here with you. On this strange twilight-and-fire world. Earth is part of my past. I love you, and I have my friends here, and—with some changes life could be most enjoyable. I’m only going now because there is no one else for the job. I’ll try to be back before our son is born. But I can’t promise that. But I will be back before the trains leave again, because I’ll be bringing the supplies and replacements that will make that possible.” He looked over at Debhu. “I don’t imagine you brought pile rods or anything else we have to have?”

  “Not really. There was chaos, you know. And the need for food was desperate. Most of the things on the manifests for this planet are of Earth manufacture.”

  “See what I mean, Alzbeta? We are going to have to take care of ourselves now and I am going to have to start it all by myself. But it will work. People will always have to eat.”

  There was a rising rumble of braking jets from above. The ships had arrived. Alzbeta stood and put the teapot on the tray.

  ‘I’ll make some more tea. I’m sorry if I doubted you, acted foolishly. I know that you will come back. You always wanted things to change here, everything. And maybe they will. No, I’m sure they will. But after the changes—will we be happy?”

  “Very,” he said, and her smile answered his.

  The teacups rattled in their saucers as the roaring rose and rose until conversation was impossible.

  The ships had come at last.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  HARRY HARRISON, one of the most prolific and successful science fiction writers, worked as a commercial artist, art director and editor, before settling on a career as a freelance writer. A past president of the World Science Fiction Writers’ Association, Mr. Harrison was born in Connecticut and has lived in various European countries over the years. A recipient of numerous awards and honors, his Stainless Steel Rat books are as well known as they are humorous. His other books include Death-world, Deathworld 2 and Make Room, Make Room, his anti-utopian novel on which the movie Soylent Green was based. Harry Harrison now lives in Ireland.

  Also by Harry Harrison

  Published by Tor

  50 in 50

  Bill, the Galactic Hero

  Galactic Dreams

  The Hammer & the Cross

  Homeworld

  In Our Hands the Stars

  The Jupiter Plague

  King and Emperor

  Make Room! Make Room!

  Montezuma’s Revenge

  One King’s Man

  One Step from Earth

  Planet of No Return

  Planet of the Damned

  QE2 Is Missing

  Queen Victoria’s Revenge

  A Rebel in Time

  Return to Eden

  Skyfall

  Stainless Steel Rat

  Stainless Steel Rat Goes to Hell

  Stainless Steel Rat Joins the Circus

  Stainless Steel Rat Returns

  Stainless Steel Rat’s Revenge

  Stainless Steel Trio

  Starworld

  Stonehedge

  Technicolor Time Machine

  A Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah!

  Turing Option

  West of Eden

  Wheelworld

  Winter in Eden

  Read this thrilling preview of

  Harry Harrison’s epic novel

  WEST

  of

  EDEN

  “TRULY A BRAVURA PERFORMANCE. I PREDICT THAT ITS POPULARITY WILL RIVAL DUNE, TO WHICH I CONSIDER IT SUPERIOR AS A TOTALLY REALIZED EXTRAPOLATION.”

  —Thomas N. Scortia

  “HARRISON’S BEST BOOK IN YEARS, INVENTIVE, ENGROSSING, AND SOLIDLY BASED ON WH
AT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.”

  —Ben Bova

  “ONE OF THE MOST ENJOYABLE BOOKS I’VE READ IN YEARS, IN OR OUT OF SCIENCE FICTION. NO ONE HAS EVER CREATED AN ALIEN CULTURE SO COMPLETE AND FASCINATING. IT’S REALLY AN ASTONISHING PIECE OF WORK.”

  —Joe Haldeman

  EDEN

  THERE ARE SOME ideas that lie there just waiting to be picked up. Devastatingly simple ideas that look quite obvious afterwards. Like the paper clip. What could be less complex? Anyone can make one of them with a bit of twisted wire. Yet there was a time when there were no paperclips and someone had to discover them.

  In the past few years there have been a number of articles, and even books, written about the giant-meteor theory that deals with the death of the dinosaurs. It is very thought-provoking because there is a good deal of supporting evidence behind the idea. I read the material with interest because, like most people, I am fascinated by the giant saurians who ruled the Earth for so many millions of years. I thought about the dinosaurs, then I thought about the meteor.

  Then I sat bolt upright in the chair. If I had glanced up I am sure I would have seen a light bulb suspended over my head, glowing brightly just the way they used to hang and glow in the comic strips. In a single moment. the basic idea for the novel West of Eden was born. The concept behind the novel is best explained by this observation that opens the book:

  The great reptiles were the most successful lifeforms ever to populate this world. For 140 million years they ruled the Earth, filled the sky, swarmed in the seas. At this time the mammals, the ancestors of mankind, were only tiny, shrew-like animals that were preyed upon by the larger, faster, more intelligent saurians.

  Then, 65 million years ago, this all changed. A meteor six miles in diameter struck the Earth and caused disastrous atmospheric upheavals. Within a brief span of time over seventy-five percent of all the species then existent were wiped out. The age of the dinosaurs was over; the evolution of the mammals that they had suppressed for 100 million years began.