Adaptation Page 3

  III.

  Joe Chessman was at the controls of the space lighter. At his side satLeonid Plekhanov and behind them the other six members of their team.They had circled Texcoco twice at great altitude, four times at a lesserone. Now they were low enough to spot man-made works.

  "Nomadic," Plekhanov muttered. "Nomadic and village cultures."

  "A few dozen urbanized cultures," Chessman said. "Whoever compared themost advanced nation to the Aztecs was accurate, except for the factthat they base themselves along a river rather than on a mountainplateau."

  Plekhanov said, "Similarities to the Egyptians and Sumerians." He lookedover his beefy shoulder at the technician who was photographing theareas over which they passed. "How does our geographer progress,Roberts?"

  Natt Roberts brought his eyes up from his camera viewer. "I've got mostof what we'll need for a while, sir."

  Plekhanov turned back to Chessman. "We might as well head for theirprincipal city, the one with the pyramids. We'll make initial contactthere. I like the suggestion of surplus labor available."

  "Surplus labor?" Chessman said, setting the controls. "How do you know?"

  "Pyramids," Plekhanov rumbled. "I've always been of the opinion thatsuch projects as pyramids, whether they be in Yucatan or Egypt, aremake-work affairs. A priesthood, or other ruling clique, keeping itspeople busy and hence out of mischief."

  Chessman adjusted a speed lever and settled back. "I can see theirpoint."

  "But I don't agree with it," Plekhanov said ponderously. "A society thatbuilds pyramids is a static one. For that matter any society thatresorts to make-work projects to busy its citizenry has somethingbasically wrong."

  Joe Chessman said sourly, "I wasn't supporting the idea, justunderstanding the view of the priesthoods. They'd made a nice thing forthemselves and didn't want to see anything happen to it. It's not theonly time a group in the saddle has held up progress for the sake ofremaining there. Priests, slave-owners, feudalistic barons, orbureaucrats of a twentieth-century police state, a ruling clique willnever give up power without pressure."

  Barry Watson leaned forward and pointed down and to the right. "There'sthe river," he said. "And there's their capital city."

  The small spacecraft settled at decreasing speed.

  Chessman said, "The central square? It seems to be their market, by thenumber of people."

  "I suppose so," Plekhanov grunted. "Right there before the largestpyramid. We'll remain inside the craft for the rest of today andtonight."

  Natt Roberts, who had put away his camera, said, "But why? It's crowdedin here."

  "Because I said so," Plekhanov rumbled. "This first impression isimportant. Our flying machine is undoubtedly the first they've seen.We've got to give them time to assimilate the idea and then get togethera welcoming committee. We'll want the top men, right from thebeginning."

  "The equivalent of the Emperor Montezuma meeting Cortez, eh?" BarryWatson said. "A real red carpet welcome."

  The _Pedagogue's_ space lighter settled to the plaza gently, some fiftyyards from the ornately decorated pyramid which stretched up severalhundred feet and was topped by a small templelike building.

  Chessman stretched and stood up from the controls. "Your anthropologyought to be better than that, Barry," he said. "There was no EmperorMontezuma and no Aztec Empire, except in the minds of the Spanish." Hepeered out one of the heavy ports. "And by the looks of this town we'llfind an almost duplicate of Aztec society. I don't believe they've evengot the wheel."

  The eight of them clustered about the craft's portholes, taking in theprimitive city that surrounded them. The square had emptied at theirapproach, and now the several thousand citizens that had filled it werepeering fearfully from street entrances and alleyways.

  Cogswell, a fiery little technician, said, "Look at them! It'll takehours before they drum up enough courage to come any closer. You wereright, doctor. If we left the boat now, we'd make fools of ourselvestrying to coax them near enough to talk."

  Watson said to Joe Chessman "What do you mean, no Emperor Montezuma?"

  Chessman said absently, as he watched, "When the Spanish got to Mexicothey didn't understand what they saw, being musclemen rather thanscholars. And before competent witnesses came on the scene, Aztecsociety was destroyed. The conquistadors, who did attempt to describeTenochtitlan, misinterpreted it. They were from a feudalistic world andtried to portray the Aztecs in such terms. For instance, the largeIndian community houses they thought were palaces. Actually, Montezumawas a democratically elected war chief of a confederation of threetribes which militarily dominated most of the Mexican valley. There wasno empire because Indian society, being based on the clan, had no methodof assimilating newcomers. The Aztec armies could loot and they couldcapture prisoners for their sacrifices, but they had no system ofbringing their conquered enemies into the nation. They hadn't reachedthat far in the evolution of society. The Incas could have taught them afew lessons."

  Plekhanov nodded. "Besides, the Spanish were fabulous liars. In Cortez'sattempt to impress Spain's king, he built himself up far beyond reality.To read his reports you'd think the pueblo of Mexico had a populationpushing a million. Actually, if it had thirty thousand it was doingwell. Without a field agriculture and with their primitive transport,they must have been hard put to feed even that large a town."

  A tall, militarily erect native strode from one of the streets thatdebouched into the plaza and approached to within twenty feet of thespace boat. He stared at it for at least ten full minutes then spun onhis heel and strode off again in the direction of one of the stolidlybuilt stone buildings that lined the square on each side except thatwhich the pyramid dominated.

  Cogswell chirped, "Now that he's broken the ice, in a couple of hourskids will be scratching their names on our hull."

  * * * * *

  In the morning, two or three hours after dawn, they made theirpreparations to disembark. Of them all, only Leonid Plekhanov wasunarmed. Joe Chessman had a heavy handgun holstered at his waist. Therest of the men carried submachine guns. More destructive weapons werehardly called for, nor available for that matter; once world governmenthad been established on Earth the age-old race for improved arms hadfallen away.

  Chessman assumed command of the men, growled brief instructions. "Ifthere's any difficulty, remember we're civilizing a planet of nearly abillion population. The life or death of a few individuals ismeaningless. Look at our position scientifically, dispassionately. If itbecomes necessary to use force--we have the right and the might to backit up. MacBride, you stay with the ship. Keep the hatch closed andstation yourself at the fifty-caliber gun."

  The natives seemed to know intuitively that the occupants of the craftfrom the sky would present themselves at this time. Several thousands ofthem crowded the plaza. Warriors, armed with spears and bronze headedwar clubs, kept the more adventurous from crowding too near.

  The hatch opened, the steel landing stair snaked out, and the heftyPlekhanov stepped down, closely followed by Chessman. The others broughtup the rear, Watson, Roberts, Stevens, Hawkins and Cogswell. They hadhardly formed a compact group at the foot of the spacecraft than theranks of the natives parted and what was obviously a delegation ofofficials approached them. In the fore was a giant of a man in his latemiddle years, and at his side a cold-visaged duplicate of him, obviouslya son.

  Behind these were variously dressed others, military, priesthood, localofficials, by their appearance.

  Ten feet from the newcomers they stopped. The leader said in quiteunderstandable Amer-English, "I am Taller, Khan of all the People. Ourlegends tell of you. You must be from First Earth." He added with asimple dignity, a quiet gesture, "Welcome to the World. How may we serveyou?"

  Plekhanov said flatly, "The name of this planet is Texcoco and theinhabitants shall henceforth be called Texcocans. You are correct, wehave come from Earth. Our instructions are to civilize you, to bring youthe benefits of the latest technology, to pr
epare you to enter thecommunity of planets." Phlegmatically he let his eyes go to thepyramids, to the temples, the large community dwelling quarters. "We'llcall this city Tula and its citizens Tulans."

  Taller looked thoughtfully at him, not having missed the tone ofarrogant command. One of the group behind the Khan, clad in gray flowingrobes, said to Plekhanov, mild reproof in his voice, "My son, we are themost advanced people on ... Texcoco. We have thought of ourselves ascivilized. However, we--"

  Plekhanov rumbled, "I am not your son, old man, and you are far short ofcivilization. We can't stand here forever. Take us to a building wherewe can talk without these crowds staring at us. There is much to bedone."

  Taller said, "This is Mynor, Chief Priest of the People."

  The priest bowed his head, then said, "The People are used to ceremonyon outstanding occasions. We have arranged for suitable sacrifices tothe gods. At their completion, we will proclaim a festival. And then--"

  The warriors had cleared a way through the multitude to the pyramid andnow the Earthlings could see a score of chained men and women, nude savefor loin cloths and obviously captives.

  Plekhanov made his way toward them, Joe Chessman at his right and a paceto the rear. The prisoners stood straight and, considering theirposition, with calm.

  Plekhanov glared at Taller. "You were going to kill these?"

  The Khan said reasonably, "They are not of the People. They areprisoners taken in battle."

  Mynor said, "Their lives please the gods."

  "There are no gods, as you probably know," Plekhanov said flatly. "Youwill no longer sacrifice prisoners."

  A hush fell on the Texcocans. Joe Chessman let his hand drop to hisweapon. The movement was not lost on Taller's son, whose eyes narrowed.

  The Khan looked at the burly Plekhanov for a long moment. He saidslowly, "Our institutions fit our needs. What would you have us do withthese people? They are our enemies. If we turn them loose, they willfight us again. If we keep them imprisoned, they will eat our food. We... Tulans are not poor, we have food aplenty, for we Tulans, but wecannot feed all the thousands of prisoners we take in our wars."

  Joe Chessman said dryly, "As of today there is a new policy. We put themto work."

  Plekhanov rumbled at him, "I'll explain our position, Chessman, if youplease." Then to the Tulans. "To develop this planet we're going to needthe labor of every man, woman and child capable of work."

  Taller said, "Perhaps your suggestion that we retire to a less publicplace is desirable. Will you follow?" He spoke a few words to an officerof the warriors, who shouted orders.

  * * * * *

  The Khan led the way, Plekhanov and Chessman followed side by side andthe other Earthlings, their weapons unostentatiously ready, wereimmediately behind. Mynor the priest, Taller's son and the other Tulanofficials brought up the rear.

  In what was evidently the reception hall of Taller's official residence,the newcomers were made as comfortable as fur padded low stoolsprovided. Half a dozen teenaged Tulans brought a cool drink similar tococoa; it seemed to give a slight lift.

  Taller had not become Khan of the most progressive nation on Texcoco byother than his own abilities. He felt his way carefully now. He had nomanner of assessing the powers wielded by these strangers from space. Hehad no intention of precipitating a situation in which he would discoversuch powers to his sorrow.

  He said carefully, "You have indicated that you intend major changes inthe lives of the People."

  "Of all Texcocans," Plekhanov said, "you Tulans are merely thebeginning."

  Mynor, the aged priest, leaned forward. "But why? We do not want thesechanges--whatever they may be. Already the Khan has allowed you tointerfere with our worship of our gods. This will mean--"

  Plekhanov growled, "Be silent, old man, and don't bother to mention,ever again, your so-called gods. And now, all of you listen. Perhapssome of this will not be new, how much history has come down to you Idon't know.

  "A thousand years ago a colony of one hundred persons was left here onTexcoco. It will one day be of scholarly interest to trace them downthrough the centuries but at present the task does not interest us. Thisexpedition has been sent to recontact you, now that you have populatedTexcoco and made such adaptations as were necessary to survive here. Ourbasic task is to modernize your society, to bring it to anindustrialized culture."

  Plekhanov's eyes went to Taller's son. "I assume you are a soldier?"

  Taller said, "This is Reif, my eldest, and by our custom, second incommand of the People's armies. As Khan, I am first."

  Reif nodded coldly to Plekhanov. "I am a soldier." He hesitated for amoment, then added, "And willing to die to protect the People."

  "Indeed," Plekhanov rumbled, "as a soldier you will be interested toknow that our first step will involve the amalgamation of all thenations and tribes of this planet. Not a small task. There should beopportunity for you."

  Taller said, "Surely you speak in jest. The People have been at war foras long as scribes have records and never have we been stronger thantoday, never larger. To conquer the world! Surely you jest."

  Plekhanov grunted ungraciously. He looked to Barry Watson, a lankyyouth, now leaning negligently against the wall, his submachine gun,however, at the easy ready. "Watson, you're our military expert. Haveyou any opinions as yet?"

  "Yes, sir," Watson said easily. "Until we can get iron weapons andfirearms into full production, I suggest the Macedonian phalanx fortheir infantry. They have the horse, but evidently the wheel has goneout of use. We'll introduce the chariot and also heavy carts to speed uplogistics. We'll bring in the stirruped saddle, too. I have availablefor study, works on every cavalry leader from Tamerlane to Jeb Stuart.Yes, sir, I have some ideas."

  Plekhanov pursed his heavy lips. "From the beginning we're going to needmanpower on a scale never dreamed of locally. We'll adopt a policy ofexpansion. Those who join us freely will become members of the Statewith full privileges. Those who resist will be made prisoners of war andused for shock labor on the roads and in the mines. However, a man worksbetter if he has a goal, a dream. Each prisoner will be freed and becomea member of the State after ten years of such work."

  He turned to his subordinates. "Roberts and Hawkins, you will begintomorrow to seek the nearest practical sources of iron ore and coal.Wherever you discover them we'll direct our first military expeditions.Chessman and Cogswell, you'll assemble their best artisans and begintheir training in such basic advancements as the wheel."

  Taller said softly, "You speak of advancement but thus far you havementioned largely war and on such a scale that I wonder how many of thePeople will survive. What advancement? We have all we wish."

  Plekhanov cut him off with a curt motion of his hand. He indicated thehieroglyphics on the chamber's walls. "How long does it take to learnsuch writing?"

  Mynor, the priest, said, "This is a mystery known only to thepriesthood. One spends ten years in preparation to be a scribe."

  "We'll teach you a new method which will have every citizen of the Statereading and writing within a year."

  The Tulans gaped at him.

  He moved ponderously over to Roberts, drew from its scabbard the swordbayonet the other had at his hip. He took it and slashed savagely at astone pillar, gouging a heavy chunk from it. He tossed the weapon toReif, whose eyes lit up.

  "What metals have you been using? Copper, bronze? Probably. Well, that'ssteel. You're going to move into the iron age overnight."

  He turned to Taller. "Are your priests also in charge of the health ofyour people?" he growled. "Are their cures obtained from mumbo-jumbo anda few herbs found in the desert? Within a decade, I'll guarantee youthat not one of your major diseases will remain."

  He turned to the priest and said, "Or perhaps this will be the clincherfor some of you. How many years do you have, _old man_?"

  Mynor said with dignity, "I am sixty-four."

  Plekhanov said churlishly, "And I am two hun
dred and thirty-three." Hecalled to Stevens, "I think you're our youngest. How old are you?"

  Stevens grinned, "Hundred and thirteen, next month."

  Mynor opened his mouth, closed it again. No man but would prolong hisyouth. Of a sudden he felt old, old.

  Plekhanov turned back to Taller. "Most of the progress we have to offeris beyond your capacity to understand. We'll give you freedom from want.Health. We'll give you advances in every art. We'll eventually freeevery citizen from drudgery, educate him, give him the opportunity toenjoy intellectual curiosity. We'll open the stars to him. All thesethings the coming of the State will eventually mean to you."

  Tula's Khan was not impressed. "This you tell us, man from First Earth.But to achieve these you plan to change every phase of our lives and weare happy with ... Tula ... the way it is. I say this to you. There arebut eight of you and many, many of us. We do not want your ... State.Return from whence you came."

  Plekhanov shook his massive head at the other. "Whether or not _you_want these changes they will be made. If you fail to co-operate, we willfind someone who will. I suggest you make the most of it."

  Taller arose from the squat stool upon which he'd been seated. "I havelistened and I do not like what you have said. I am Khan of all thePeople. Now leave in peace, or I shall order my warriors ..."

  "Joe," Plekhanov said flatly. "Watson!"

  Joe Chessman took his heavy gun from its holster and triggered it twice.The roar of the explosions reverberated thunderously in the confinedspace, deafening all, and terrifying the Tulans. Bright red colored therobes the Khan wore, colored them without beauty. Bright red splatteredthe floor.

  Leonid Plekhanov stared at his second in command, wet his thick lips."Joe," he sputtered. "I hadn't ... I didn't expect you to be so ...hasty."

  Joe Chessman growled, "We've got to let them know where we stand, rightnow, or they'll never hold still for us. Cover the doors, Watson,Roberts." He motioned to the others with his head. "Cogswell, Hawkins,Stevens, get to those windows and watch."

  Taller was a crumbled heap on the floor. The other Texcocans stared athis body in shocked horror.

  All expect Reif.

  Reif bent down over his father's body for a moment, and then looked up,his lips white, at Plekhanov. "He is dead."

  Leonid Plekhanov collected himself. "Yes."

  Reif's cold face was expressionless. He looked at Joe Chessman who stoodstolidly to one side, gun still in hand.

  Reif said, "You can supply such weapons to my armies?"

  Plekhanov said, "That is our intention, in time."

  Reif came erect. "Subject to the approval of the clan leaders, I am nowKhan. Tell me more of this State of which you have spoken."