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divide and conquer just love to precipitate. Zeigler had also intimated without threatening openly that if
forced, he would resort to taking hostages. Keene had no doubt that he meant it. Zeigler was past the
point of no return and had nothing to lose by going to any extreme now. Maybe that had been his
purpose.
"Do you really think you're going to get away with this?" Keene asked. No prizes for originality, but he
was fishing. In his answer, Zeigler might give away something useful.
"Why don't you let us worry about that, Dr. Keene?" Zeigler suggested.
"Gallian said it all. Do you think you're ever going to sleep easily at night now?"
"I've tried to address that issue tactfully. We'd prefer not to be driven to taking extreme measures. But if
you compel us . . ." So the victims, not the perpetrators, would be responsible. The old terrorists' and
kidnapers' ploy. But some of the Kronians had already halfway bought it.
"Time isn't on your side," Keene said.
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"Don't you believe it."
"Really? Why not?" What did Zeigler think was going to happen to change things?
But Zeigler showed no inclination to elaborate. "In fact, time could be something you might profitably put
to use yourself while you have it," he said. "Eventually, a new state will take root here. A state based on
realistic understanding of the forces that must inevitably emerge and then clash in the running of a complex
society. We have a world rich with resources. Kronia has a few balls of ice. Don't be caught on the
wrong side when the real test comes." Zeigler paused pointedly. "Ours could be very generous in its
rewards for those who worked with us from an early stage."
Keene's fists snapped shut, and he almost sprang from the chair, but checked himself as he remembered
the guards behind. "I already told you, you're out of your mind," he said tightly.
"I wasn't asking for an answer now, or expecting one," Zeigler said. "But something for you to think
over, nevertheless. As I suggested to you before, things would be considerably eased for all if a single
spokesman were appointed for the others. Perhaps we can resume this conversation when the time is
more opportune." He nodded to the guards. Keene started to say something but Zeigler cut him off.
"That will be all for now."
One of the guards came forward. Keene stood. The other opened the door, and they ushered him out.
* * *
Shayle was still numbed when Keene joined her in the power distribution house, next to whereAgni was
sited, behind the workshop domes. She and two technicians were running power factor and frequency
tests, watched by a couple of Zeigler's guards. Keene told her that it would better serve the interests of
everyone if they carried on as normal for the time being. The decision didn't seem to come as any great
surprise to her. As a Kronian, she would have been hard put to conceive in any concrete form exactly
what else they were supposed to do. Just at the moment, Keene was far from having much of an idea
himself. They moved through a switchroom annex behind the control room and went outside via a door at
the far end, where they could talk away from unwelcome ears.
"What else did he say?" Shayle asked. She stood in the pose of women gripped by anxiety, pulling her
jacket tighter around her as if she were cold. In fact the wind had shifted to the south and did have a
chilly nip to it.
"The proposition about being a spokesman and making it easier for everyone, again," Keene answered.
"Only this time laced with a dash of promise of being well looked after when they run their Brave New
World."
"You didn't agree, did you?"
Keene shook his head. "No . . ." He let it hang for a moment. "But things could reach the point where
something like that might be the best course. The strategy of people like that is always to divide the
opposition among themselves. That's how tyrants stay in power. Speaking through one person could
keep us united and make it more difficult."
"You mean you'd cooperate with them?"
Keene sighed. "See how they get you? They've got you doubting me already."
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"I'm sorry, Lan." Shayle put a hand to her brow and shook her head. "I've just got no instinct for dealing [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]