The Snows of Ganymede by Poul Anderson

Author:Poul Anderson [Anderson, Poul]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Sci-Fi., Science Fiction
Publisher: Ace Books
Published: 1958-01-21T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

“Politics,” Lyell said when Davenant told him what he had discovered. “We stay out of this.”

“Even if there’s a—danger?” asked Yuan. “If the Psychotechs get this system organized just the way they want, it could well become a menace to the status quo.”

“As a scientist of sorts, you ought to be pretty sympathetic to the Psychotechs,” retorted Lyell.

“Maybe, maybe. We need their skills. Could be Earth’s made her biggest mistake to date in booting them out. On the other hand—I don’t know.” Yuan frowned unhappily.

“I think I follow you,” said Yamagata. “Groups, organizations, tend to lose sight of their original purposes, don’t they? The means to an end become an end in themselves. Look, oh, say at the Christian Church. It started with a noble ideal, maybe the noblest man has ever seen, a universal brotherhood of love. After a few centuries, it was burning people alive for disputing its authority.”

“That took longer . than you think,” said Lyell. “But I won’t quibble. It may well be that Psychotech people have become embittered and fanatical. Their connivance in political murder today suggests it. Nevertheless, we don’t let on that we have any inkling they’re here. We proceed as usual, report die facts secretly to the Abbey, and let the Coordinator and Council decide what to do. If the Engineers don’t stay out of affairs such as this, they’ll end up as exactly the same kind of power-grabbing, intriguing bunch of crooks. Our job is to keep the scientific spirit alive. To reform planets, not people.”

“Of course,” said Falkenhorst, “the Abbey will want more facts than just the bare statement that—”

“Yes, yes. Keep your eyes open. But don’t go playing spy. You haven’t the training or aptitude, and the Cincs are experts.”

“So are the Psychotechs,” observed Kruse. “You realize that everything we’ve said in Basic, fondly imagining no one understood it, is known to them.”

“Uh-huh. From now on, we keep the wiper going permanently in here. Let them wonder why. Also, it’s about time we started demonstrating a few things we can do… .”

The announcement that Weller was dead and that Halleck was die new Cinc-one came toward the end of the holy time. An added twenty-four hours of circus was proclaimed to celebrate the accession. The Sergeants took it stolidly; they must be used to such sudden changes of masters.

Davenant continued his fact-finding in the library, since he wanted to see which of the Angels normally there excused themselves to attend the special conference. It was a shock when Garson was among them. That fumbling, blushing, stammering nonentity?

On second thought, it fitted. The Psychotechs weren’t interested in an outward show of power. They concentrated on getting into key subordinate positions—the men who gathered data and wrote reports, the men whose advice was valued by the policy makers. The Jovian rulers, a curiously innocent breed in spite of their mercilessness, could not be expected to know just how powerful the executive secretary of a committee was, for instance, especially if that man had the sense to be unobtrusive about it.

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