The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress Part 17

"Are you crazy? Warden already knows."

"It's still the question."

"Oh, shut up and send in the next one."

Early in filthy story Wyoh joined me in workshop. Was pale under makeup, said nothing but wanted to sit close and clench my hand.

At last was over and Dragoon officer left Alvarez. Were still quarreling. Alvarez wanted those six executed at once and fact made public (sensible but not nearly enough, for his needs); C.O. was still talking about "hushing it up." Prof said, "Mike, keep an ear there and listen where else you can. Well, Mike? Wyoh? Plans?"

I didn't have any. Wasn't a cold, shrewd revolutionist; just wanted to get my heel into faces that matched those six voices. "I don't know. What do we do, Prof?"

"'Do'? We're on our tiger; we grab its ears. Mike. Where's Finn Nielsen? Find him."

Mike answered, "He's calling now." He cut Finn in with us; I heard: "-at Tube South. Both guards dead and about six of our people. Just people, I mean, not necessarily comrades. Some wild rumor about Goons going crazy and raping and killing all women at Complex. Adam, I had better talk to Prof."

"I'm here, Finn," Prof answered in a strong, confident voice. "Now we move, we've got to. Switch off and get those laser guns and men who trained with them, any you can round up."

"Da! Okay, Adam?"

"Do as Prof says. Then call back."

"Hold it, Finn!" I cut in. "Mannie here. I want one of those guns."

"You haven't practiced, Mannie."

"If it's a laser, I can use it!"

"Mannie," Prof said forcefully, "shut up. You're wasting time; let Finn go. Adam. Message for Mike. Tell him Plan Alert Four."

Prof's example damped my oscillating. Had forgotten that Finn was not supposed to know Mike was anybody but "Adam Selene"; forgotten everything but raging anger. Mike said, "Finn has switched off, Prof, and I put Alert Four on standby when this broke. No traffic now except routine stuff filed earlier. You don't want it interrupted, do you?"

"No, just follow Alert Four. No Earthside transmission either way that tips any news. If one comes in, hold it and consult." Alert Four was emergency communication doctrine, intended to slap censorship on news to Terra without arousing suspicion. For this Mike was ready to talk in many voices with excuses as to why a direct voice transmission would be delayed-and any taped transmission was no problem.

"Program running," agreed Mike.

"Good. Mannie, calm down, son, and stick to your knitting. Let other people do the fighting; you're needed here, we're going to have to improvise. Wyoh, cut out and get word to Comrade Cecilia to get all Irregulars out of the corridors. Get those children home and keep them home-and have their mothers urging other mothers to do the same thing. We don't know where the fighting will spread. But we don't want children hurt if we can help it."

"Right away, Prof!"

"Wait. As soon as you've told Sidris, get moving on your stilyagi. I want a riot at the Authority's city office-break in, wreck the place, and noise and shouting and destruction-no one hurt if it can be helped. Mike. Alert-Four-Em. Cut off the Complex except for your own lines."

"Prof!" I demanded. "What sense in starting riots here?"

"Mannie, Mannie! This is The Day! Mike, has the rape and murder news reached other warrens?"

"Not that I've heard. I'm listening here and there with random jumps. Tube stations are quiet except Luna City. Fighting has just started at Tube Station West. Want to hear it?"

"Not now. Mannie, slide over there and watch it. But stay out of it and slick close to a phone. Mike, start trouble in all warrens. Pa.s.s the news down the cells and use Finn's version, not the truth. The Goons are raping and killing all the women in the Complex-I'll give you details or you can invent them. Uh, can you order the guards at tube stations in other warrens back to their barracks? I want riots but there is no point in sending unarmed people against armed men if we can dodge it."

"I'll try."

I hurried to Tube Station West, slowed as I neared it. Corridors were full of angry people. City roared in way I had never heard before and, as I crossed Causeway, could hear shouts and crowd noise from direction of Authority's city office although it seemed to me there had not been time for Wyoh to reach her stilyagi-nor had there been; what Prof had tried to start was under way spontaneously.

Station was mobbed and I had to push through to see what I a.s.sumed to be certain, that pa.s.sport guards were either dead or fled. 'Dead' it turned out, along with three Loonies. One was a boy not more than thirteen. He had died with his hands on a Dragoon's throat and his head still sporting a little red cap. I pushed way to a public phone and reported.

"Go back," said Prof. "and read the I.D. of one of those guards. I want name and rank. Have you seen Finn?"

"No."

"He's headed there with three guns. Tell me where the booth you're in is, get that name and come back to it."

One body was gone, dragged away; Bog knows what they wanted with it. Other had been badly battered but I managed to crowd in and s.n.a.t.c.h dog chain from neck before it, too, was taken somewhere. I elbowed back to phone, found a woman at it. "Lady," I said, "I've got to use that phone. Emergency!"

"You're welcome to it! Pesky thing's out of order."

Worked for me; Mike bad saved it. Gave Prof guard's name. "Good," he said. "Have you seen Finn? He'll be looking for you at that booth."

"Haven't s-Hold it, just spotted him."

"Okay, hang onto him. Mike, do you have a voice to fit that Dragoon's name?"

"Sorry, Prof. No."

"All right, just make it hoa.r.s.e and frightened; chances are the C.O. won't know it that well. Or would the trooper call Alvarez?"

"He would call his C.O. Alvarez gives orders through him."

"So call the C.O. Report the attack and call for help and die in the middle of it. Riot sounds behind you and maybe a shout of 'There's the dirty b.a.s.t.a.r.d now!' just before you die. Can you swing it?"

'Programmed. No huhu," Mike said cheerfully.

"Run it. Mannie, put Finn on."

Prof's plan was to sucker off-duty guards out of barracks and keep suckering them-with Finn's men posted to pick them off as they got out of capsules. And it worked, right up to point where Mort the Wart lost his nerve and kept remaining few to protect himself while he sent frantic messages Earthside-none of which got through.

I wiggled out of Prof's discipline and took a laser gun when second capsule of Peace Dragoons was due. I burned two Goons, found blood l.u.s.t gone and let other snipers have rest of squad. Too easy. They would stick heads up out of hatch and that would be that. Half of squad would not come out-until smoked out and then died with rest. By that time I was back at my advance post at phone.

Warden's decision to hole up caused trouble at Complex; Alvarez was killed and so was Goon C.O. and two of original yellow jackets. But a mixed lot of Dragoons and yellows, thirteen, holed up with Mort, or perhaps were already with him; Mike's ability to follow events by listening was spotty. But once it seemed clear that all armed effectives were inside Warden's residence, Prof ordered Mike to start next phase.

Mike turned out all lights in Complex save those in Warden's residence, and reduced oxygen to gasping point-not killing point but low enough to insure that anyone looking for trouble would not be in shape. But in residence, oxygen supply was cut to zero, leaving pure nitrogen, and left that way ten minutes. At end of that time Finn's men, waiting in p-suits at Warden's private tube station, broke latch on airlock and went in, "shoulder to shoulder." Luna was ours.

Book Two - A RABBLE IN ARMS

14

So a wave of patriotism swept over our new nation and unified it.

Isn't that what histories say? Oh, brother!

My d.i.n.k.u.m word, preparing a revolution isn't as much huhu as having won it. Here we were, in control too soon, nothing ready and a thousand things to do. Authority in Luna was gone-but Lunar Authority Earthside and Federated Nations behind it were very much alive. Had they landed one troopship, orbited one cruiser, anytime next week or two, could have taken Luna back cheap. We were a mob.

New catapult had been tested but canned rock missiles ready to go you could count on fingers of one hand-my left hand. Nor was catapult a weapon that could be used against ships, nor against troops. We had notions for fighting off ships; at moment were just notions. We had a few hundred cheap laser guns stockpiled in Hong Kong Luna-Chinee engineers are smart-but few men trained to use them.

Moreover, Authority had useful functions. Bought ice and grain, sold air and water and power, held ownership or control at a dozen key points. No matter what was done in future, wheels had to turn. Perhaps wrecking city offices of Authority had been hasty (I thought so) as records were destroyed. However, Prof maintained that Loonies, all Loonies, needed a symbol to hate and destroy and those offices were least valuable and most public.

But Mike controlled communications and that meant control of most everything. Prof had started with control of news to and from Earthside, leaving to Mike censorship and faking of news until we could get around to what to tell Terra, and had added sub-phase "M" which cut off Complex from rest of Luna, and with it Richardson Observatory and a.s.sociated laboratories-Pierce Radioscope, Selenophysical Station, and so forth. These were a problem as Terran scientists were always coming and going and staying as long as six months, stretching time by centrifuge. Most Terrans in Luna, save for a handful of tourists-thirty-four-were scientists. Something had to be done about these Terrans, but meanwhile keeping them from talking to Terra was enough.

For time being, Complex was cut off by phone and Mike did not permit capsules to stop at any station in Complex even after travel was resumed, which it was as soon as Finn Nielsen and squad were through with dirty work.

Turned out Warden was not dead, nor had we planned to kill him; Prof figured that a live warden could always be made dead, whereas a dead one could not be made live if we needed him. So plan was to half kill him, make sure he and his guards could put up no fight, then break in fast while Mike restored oxygen.

With fans turning at top speed, Mike computed it would take four minutes and a bit to reduce oxygen to effective zero-so, five minutes of increasing hypoxia, five minutes of anoxia, then force lower lock while Mike shot in pure oxygen to restore balance. This should not kill anyone-but would knock out a person as thoroughly as anesthesia. Hazard to attackers would come from some or all of those inside having p-suits. But even that might not matter; hypoxia is sneaky, you can pa.s.s out without realizing you are short on oxygen. Is new chum's favorite fatal mistake.

So Warden lived through it and three of his women. But Warden, though he lived, was no use; brain had been oxygen-starved too long, a vegetable. No guard recovered, even though younger than he; would appear anoxia broke necks.

In rest of Complex n.o.body was hurt. Once lights were on and oxygen restored they were okay, including six rapist-murderers under lock in barracks. Finn decided that shooting was too good for them, so he went judge and used his squad as jury.

They were stripped, hamstrung at ankles and wrists, turned over to women in Complex. Makes me sick to think about what happened next but don't suppose they lived through as long an ordeal as Marie Lyons endured. Women are amazing creatures-sweet, soft, gentle, and far more savage than we are.

Let me mention those fink spies out of order. Wyoh had been fiercely ready to eliminate them but when we got around to them she had lost stomach. I expected Prof to agree. But he shook head. "No, dear Wyoh, much as I deplore violence, there are only two things to do with an enemy: Kill him. Or make a friend of him. Anything in between piles up trouble for the future. A man who finks on his friends once will do it again and we have a long period ahead in which a fink can be dangerous; they must go. And publicly, to cause others to be thoughtful."

Wyoh said, "Professor, you once said that if you condemned a man, you would eliminate him personally. Is that what you are going to do?"

"Yes, dear lady, and no. Their blood shall be on my hands; I accept responsibility. But I have in mind a way more likely to discourage other finks."

So Adam Selene announced that these persons had been employed by Juan Alvarez, late Security Chief for former Authority, as undercover spies-and gave names and addresses. Adam did not suggest that anything be done.

One man remained on dodge for seven months by changing warrens and name. Then early in '77 his body was found outside Novylen's lock. But most of them lasted no more than hours.

During first hours after coup d'etat we were faced with a problem we had never managed to plan-Adam Selene himself. Who is Adam Selene? Where is he? This is his revolution; he handled every detail, every comrade knows his voice. We're out in open now. . . so where is Adam?

We batted it around much of that night, in room L of Raffles-argued it between decisions on a hundred things that came up and people wanted to know what to do, while "Adam" through other voices handled other decisions that did not require talk, composed phony news to send Earthside, kept Complex isolated, many things. (Is no possible doubt: without Mike we could not have taken Luna nor held it.) My notion was that Prof should become "Adam." Prof was always our planner and theoretician; everybody knew him; some key comrades knew that he was "Comrade Bill" and all others knew and respected Professor Bernardo de la Paz-My word, he had taught half of leading citizens in Luna City, many from other warrens, was known to every vip in Luna.

"No," said Prof.

"Why not?" asked Wyoh. "Prof. you're opted. Tell him, Mike."

"Comment reserved," said Mike. "I want to hear what Prof has to say."

"I say you've a.n.a.lyzed it, Mike," Prof answered. "Wyoh dearest comrade, I would not refuse were it possible. But there is no way to make my voice match that of Adam-and every comrade knows Adam by his voice; Mike made it memorable for that very purpose."

We then considered whether Prof could be slipped in anyhow, showing him only on video and letting Mike reshape whatever Prof said into voice expected from Adam.

Was turned down. Too many people knew Prof, had heard him speak; his voice and way of speaking could not be reconciled with Adam. Then they considered same possibility for me-my voice and Mike's were baritone and not too many people knew what I sounded like over phone and none over video.

I tromped on it. People were going to be surprised enough to find me one of our Chairman's lieutenants; they would never believe I was number one.

I said, "Let's combine deals. Adam has been a mystery all along; keep him that way. He'll be seen only over video-in a mask. Prof. you supply body; Mike, you supply voice."

Prof shook head. "I can think of no surer way to destroy confidence at our most critical period than by having a leader who wears a mask. No, Mannie."

We talked about finding an actor to play it. Were no professional actors in Luna then but were good amateurs in Luna Civic Players and in Novy Bolshoi Teatr a.s.sociates.

"No," said Prof, "aside from finding an actor of requisite character-one who would not decide to be Napoleon-we can't wait. Adam must start handling things not later than tomorrow morning."

"In that case," I said, "you've answered it. Have to use Mike and never put him on video. Radio only. Have to figure excuse but Adam must never be seen."

"I'm forced to agree," said Prof.

"Man my oldest friend," said Mike, "why do you say that I can't be seen?"

"Haven't you listened?" I said. "Mike, we have to show a face and body on video. You have a body-but it's several tons of metal. A face you don't have-lucky you, don't have to shave."

"But what's to keep me from showing a face, Man? I'm showing a voice this instant. But there's no sound behind it. I can show a face the same way."

Was so taken aback I didn't answer. I stared at video screen, installed when we leased that room. A pulse is a pulse is a pulse. Electrons chasing each other. To Mike, whole world was variable series of electrical pulses, sent or received or chasing around his innards.

I said, "No, Mike."

"Why not, Man?"

"Because you can't! Voice you handle beautifully. Involves only a few thousand decisions a second, a slow crawl to you. But to build up video picture would require, uh, say ten million decisions every second. Mike, you're so fast I can't even think about it. But you aren't that fast."

Mike said softly, "Want to bet, Man?"

Wyoh said indignantly, "Of course Mike can if he says he can! Mannie, you shouldn't talk that way." (Wyoh thinks an electron is something about size and shape of a small pea.) "Mike," I said slowly, "I won't put money on it. Okay, want to try? Shall I switch on video?"

"I can switch it on," he answered.

"Sure you'll get right one? Wouldn't do to have this show somewhere else."

He answered testily, "I'm not stupid. Now let me be, Man-for I admit this is going to take just about all I've got."

We waited in silence. Then screen showed neutral gray with a hint of scan lines. Went black again, then a faint light filled middle and congealed into cloudy areas light and dark, ellipsoid. Not a face, but suggestion of face that one sees in cloud patterns covering Terra.

It cleared a little and reminded me of pictures alleged to be ectoplasm. A ghost of a face.