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believe in it, thoroughly, but they don't practise it very much. In fact a
large part of the time they practise it in reverse.', 9
"In reverse? That doesn't make any sense."
"I warned you it was hard to explain. I mean that public health there is a
privilege. The ruling classes make it unavailable to the people they govem, as
a means of keeping them in line."
"But that's insane!" Naysmith exclaimed.
"I suppose it is, by our ideas. It's obviously very hard to keep under
control, anyhow; the rulers often suffer as much as the ruled. But all
governments are based on the monopoly of the right to use violence-only the
weapons vary from planet to planet. This one is Chandala's. And the Heart
stars have decided not to interfere."
He fell silent. I probably had not needed to remind him that what the
federation we call the Heart stars decided to do, or not to do, was often very
difficult to riddle. Its records reach back about a million years, which,
however, cover only its period of stability. Probably it is as much as twice
that old. No Arm II planet belonged to the group yet. Earth could be expected
to be allowed to join in about forty-five thousand years-and that was what
remained of half our originally allotted trial period; the cut was awarded us
after our treaty with the star-dwelling race of Angels.
In the meantime, we could expect no help ... nor could Chandala. Earth was
fortunate to be allowed any intercourse whatsoever with the Heart stars;
there again, we could thank the Angels-who live forever-for vouching for us.
"Dr. Rosenbaum," Naysmith said slowly, "do you think that's right and proper?"
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A Dusk of Idols
So he had recognized me after all. He would never have bothered to look up my
name on the roster.
"Well, no, I suppose not. But the rule is that every planet is to be allowed
to go to hell in its own handbasket. It isn't my rule, or the
Earth's rule; but there it is. The Heart stars just won't be bothered with any
world that can't achieve stability by itself. They have seen too many of them
come and go."
"I think there's more to it than that. Some of the planets that failed to get
into the federation failed because they got into planetwide wars-or into wars
with each other."
"Sure," I said, puzzled. "That's just the kind of thing the Heart stars have
no use for."
"So they didn't interfere to stop the wars."
"No." Now I was beginning to see what he was driving at, but he bore.down on
me relentlessly all the same.
"So there is in fact no Heart-star rule that we can't help Chandala if we want
to. In fact, doing so may not even prejudice our case with the federation.
WejustdoWt know."
"I suppose that's true, but-"
"And, in fact, it might help us? We don't know that either?"
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"No, we don't," I admitted, but my patience was beginning to run out. It had
been a long night. "All we do know is that the Heart stars follow certain
rules of their own. Common sense suggests that our chances would be best if we
followed them, too."
"Common sense for our remotely imaginable great-greatgreatest of
grandchildren, maybe. But by then conditions will have changed beyond our
remotest imaginings. Half a millennium!"
"They don't change in the Heart stars. That's the whole point-stability.
And above all, I'd avoid picking up a stick of TDX like Chandala. It's
obviously just the kind of nonsurvival planet the Heart stars mean to exclude
by their rules. There'd be nothing you could do with it but blow 99
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A Dusk of Idols yourself up. And there's obviously nothing we could dofor it,
anyhow!"
"Gently now, Doctor. Are you sure of that? Sanitation isn't the only
public-health technique there is."
"I don't follow you," I said. The fact is that by now I wasn't trying very
hard.
"Well," Naysmith said, "consider that there was once a thing called the
Roman Empire. It owned all the known world and lasted many centuries. But
fifty men with modern weapons could have conquered it, even when it was at its
most powerful."
"But the Heart stars-"
"I am not talking about the Heart stars. I'm talking about Chandala. Two
physicians with modem field kits could have wiped out almost all the diseases
that raddled the Roman Empire. For instance, you and L"
I swallowed and looked at my watch. We were still a good two hours away from
takeoff time.
"No, Doctor, you'll have to answer me. Shall we try it?"
I could still stall, though I was not hopeful that it would help me much.
"I don't understand your motives, Dr. Naysmith. What do you want to try itfor?
The Chandalese are satisfied with their system. They won't thank you for
trying to upset it. And where's the profit? I can't see any." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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