Robert Heinlein - Red Planet

Dumont looked nervously at Sutton. The colony had no real police force; these two were clerks in the Company's office and proctors only by Kruger's deputization. "You people have got no call to be running around armed to the teeth, inside (he colony," he complained.

"Oh, so that's it?" Mr. Sutton said sweetly. "Well, this job calls for no gun. Here, Francis-hold my heater." With empty holster he advanced on them. "Now would you like to be tossed out gently or would you prefer to bounce?"

For years before coming to Mars Mr. Sutton had used something other than his engineering degree to dominate tough construction gangs. He was not much bigger than Dumont but immeasurably tougher. Dumont backed into his cohort and stepped on his toes. "Now see here, Mr. Sutton, you've noHey! Mr. Kruger!"

They all looked around. The Resident was approaching. He took in the scene and said briskly, "What's this? Sutton, are you interfering with my men?"

"Not a bit of it," denied Mr. Sutton. "They were interfering with me. Tell them to stand aside."

Kruger shook his head. "The meeting is canceled."

Mr. Marlowe stepped forward. "By whom?"

"Icanceled it."

"By what authority? I have the approval of all councilors and will, if necessary, get you the names of twenty colonists." Twenty colonists could call a meeting without permission from the council, under the colony's rules.

"That's beside the point. The rule reads that meetings are to consider matters 'of public interest'; it cannot be construed as 'of public interest' to agitate about criminal indictments in advance of trial-and I won't let you take advantage of the rules to do so. After all, I have the final word. I do not intend to surrender to mob rule and agitation."

A crowd was forming, colonists come to me meeting. Marlowe said, "Are you through?"

"Yes, except to say that these others and you yourself should return to your quarters."

"They will do as they please-and so will I. Mr. Kruger, I am amazed to hear you say that a civil-rights case is not of public interest. Our neighbors here have boys who are still under the care, if you call it that, of Headmaster Howe; they are interested in how their sons are treated. However, that is not the purpose of the meeting. I give you my word that neither Mr. Sutton nor I intend to ask the colony to take any action about the charges against our sons. Will you accept that and withdraw your proctors?"

"What is the purpose, then?"

"It's a matter of urgent interest to every member of the colony. I'll discuss it inside."

"Hummph!"

By this time several councilors were in the crowd. One of them, Mr. Juan Montez, stepped forward. "Just a minute. Mr. Marlowe, when you called me about this meeting, I had no notion that the Resident objected."

"The Resident has no option in the matter."

"Well, that's never come up before. He does have a veto over actions of meetings. Why don't you tell us what tire meeting is for?"

"Don't give in, Jamie!" It was Doctor MacRae; he shouldered forward. "What kind of nincompoop are you, Montez? I'm sony I voted for you. We meet when it suits us, not when Kruger says we may. How about it, folks?"

There was a murmur of approval. Mr. Marlowe said, "I wasn't going to tell him. Doc. I want everybody here and the doors closed when I talk."

Montez went into a huddle with other councilors. Out of it came Hendrix, the chairman. "Mr. Marlowe, just to keep things regular, will you tell the council why you want this meeting?"

Jim's father shook his head. "You okayed the meeting. Otherwise I would have collected twenty signatures and forced a meeting. Can't you stand up to Kruger?"

"We don't need them, Jamie," MacRae assured him. He turned to the crowd, now growing fast. "Who wants a meeting? Who wants to hear what Marlowe has to tell us?"

"I do!" came a shout.

"Who's mat? Oh-Kelly. All right, Kelly and I make two. Are there eighteen more here who don't have to ask Kruger for permission to sneeze? Speak up."

There was another shout and another. "That's three-and four." Seconds later MacRae called off the twentieth; he turned to the Resident. "Get your stooges out of that doorway, Kruger."

Kruger sputtered. Hendrix whispered with him, then motioned the two proctors away. They were only too happy to treat this as a relayed order from Kruger; the crowd poured into the hall.

Kruger took a seat in the rear; ordinarily he sat on the platform.

Jim's father found that none of the councilors cared to preside; he stepped to the platform himself. "Let's elect a chairman," he announced.

"You run it, Jamie," It was Doc MacRae.

"Let's have order, please. Do I hear a nomination?"

"Mr. Chairman-"

"Yes, Mr. Konski?"

"I nominate you."

"Very well. Now let's have some others." But there were none; he kept the gavel by unanimous consent.

Mr. Marlowe told them that news had come to him which vitally affected the colony. He then gave the bald facts about how Willis had come into Howe's hands. Kruger stood up. "Marlowe!"

"Address the chair, please."

"Mr. Chairman," Kruger acceded sourly, "you said this meeting was not to stir up sympathy for your son. You are simply trying to keep him from having to take his medicine. You-"

Mr. Marlowe pounded his gavel. "You're out of order. Sit down."

"I won't sit down. You had the bare-faced gall to-"

"Mr. Kelly, I appoint you sergeant-at-anns. Keep order. Pick your own deputies."

Kruger sat down. Mr. Marlowe went on, "This meeting has nothing to do with the charges against my son and Pat Sutton's boy, but the news I have came through them. You've all seen Martian roundheads-bouncers, the kids call them, and you know their amazing ability to repeat sounds. Probably most of you have heard my son's pet perform. It happened that this particular roundhead was within hearing when some things were discussed that we all need to know about. Jim-bring your pet here."

Jim, feeling self-conscious, mounted the platform and sat Willis on the speaker's table. Willis looked around and promptly battened down all hatches. "Jim," his father whispered urgently, "snap him out of it."

"I'll try," agreed Jim. "Come on, boy. Nobody's going to hurt Willis. Come out; Jim wants to talk to you."

His father said to the audience, "These creatures are timid. Please be very quiet," then, "How about it, Jim?"

"I'm trying."

"Confound it, we should have made a recording."

Willis chose this minute to come out of hiding. "Look, Willis boy," Jim went on, "Jim wants you to talk. Everybody is waiting for Willis to talk. Come on, now. 'Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Mark.'"

Willis picked it up. " 'Sit down, my boy. Always happy to see you.'" He went on, reeling off the words of Howe and Beecher.

Somebody recognized Beecher's voice; there was a muffled exclamation as he passed his knowledge on. Mr. Marlowe made frantic shushing signs.

Presently, as Beecher was expounding by proxy his theory of "legitimate graft," Kruger got up. Kelly placed hands on his shoulders and pushed him down. Kruger started to protest;

Kelly placed a hand over Kruger's mouth. He then smiled; it was something he had been wanting to do ever since Kruger had first been assigned to the colony.

The audience got restless between the two significant conversations; Mr. Marlowe promised by pantomime that the best was yet to come. He need not have worried; Willis, once wound up, was as hard to stop as an after-dinner speaker. There was amazed silence when he had finished, then a murmur mat became a growl. It changed to uproar as everyone tried to talk at once. Marlowe pounded for order and Willis closed up. Presently Andrews, a young technician, got the floor.

"Mr. Chairman... we know how important this is, if it's true-but how reliable is that beastie?"