“Ummm, that’s right.”
“But I don’t understand. I am a Caledonian. New Sidon is a city of you from Beyond.”
Sam DeRudder leaned forward. “Only up to a certain point, John. We Sidonians, and others from Beyond, as you call it, have come to a crossroads. The initial exploitation of this planet’s resources has moved very rapidly; in fact, we’ve reached what was once called the takeoff point in industrialization. But that’s the economic aspect. Now it’s time for the political to be considered.”
“But I’m a Caledonian,” John repeated.
“Yes,” Nadine Pond said mildly. “And this is Caledonia.”
Harmon leaned forward to put in a word. “Were you of the opinion that United Interplanetary Mining expected to dominate this world indefinitely by force of arms?”
John looked at him blankly.
Sam DeRudder took over again. “John, the thing is this. Our mining concern is interested basically in Caledonia’s platinum, nothing more. Not even most of your other metals. The value of platinum is such through the League planets that it can profitably be shipped through space. In return for exploitation rights, the company can and does give a great deal to Caledonia and would like to contribute still more. In fact, the more it does contribute, the more profitable its own efforts. For instance, it would like to sponsor petroleum production, if for no other reason than that it is extremely expensive to cart its products all the way from Sidon or elsewhere. It would like to see schools turning out local doctors, so that it wouldn’t have to import such employees from the advanced planets. It would like to see skimmers being manufactured in Caledonian factories, because they’re so expensive to bring in from overspace. I could go on and on.”
John blurted, “But what has this got to do with my taking high office in a Sidonian City?”
“That’s the point,” Nadine Pond said. “This must not remain a Sidonian City. It must become a Caledonian city.
The time has come that you friendlies begin to take over the responsibilities of running your own affairs.”
John settled back in his chair, his face blank.
Milton Harmon said urgently, “You make a mistake if you think that we of the League planets are simply evil destroyers of what has been the way of Caledonia. Opportunistic, we admittedly might have been, but we bring much that you need, including the wherewithal, eventually, for this planet to join the League and take its place with the other advanced worlds.”
“But we Caledonians have no desire to join what you call the advanced worlds.”
DeRudder snorted. “More of you than you might think, John Hawk. You have been up in the hills with the malcontents and have no idea of how rapidly many Caledonians have been coming around. There is security here in our new cities—security and plenty and the opportunities to become educated and to advance.”
“But why me!”
Nadine Pond said, “John Hawk, from what you have told us, you were the youngest sachem in the whole Loch Confederation, not to mention that you also fought your way up to becoming supreme raid cacique. Obviously, you have leadership ability. You are also the highest ranking Caledonian who has ever come over to us.”
Harmon said, “Do not misunderstand the offer. We do not expect simply to put you in the office of mayor and maintain you there. It would be an interim position until political matters could be mapped out to fit local conditions; then elections would be held.”
“Elections?” John said. “How can you have elections? All in New Sidon are clannless.”
The anthropologist took over there. “In your Caledonian society, John, you were represented in your government body through the clann. Your phylum, or tribe, governed itself by a muster of sachems and caciques, each of whom were elected by the adults of the claims they represented. But in the new system, your family would make no difference at all. You would vote for your representatives from the city ward in which you live. New Sidon amounts to a city-state. Later, when we consolidate the planet a bit more, those who live outside the cities will vote in geographic areas we’ll call counties.”
She looked at DeRudder, and a sarcastic aspect came over her expression. “All this isn’t just altruism, of course. The fact is that United Interplanetary Mining and the planet Sidon have stuck their necks out a bit. Caledonia is rather far from the jurisdiction of the League, but it won’t be long before authorities will be turning up to see if League Canons are being observed. The fat will be in the fire, unless self-government is being observed.”
DeRudder said, “To quote a favorite phrase of Milt, here, that’s not exactly the way I’d put it. But it’s near enough. Well, John?” He looked up at the wall chronometer.
John Hawk was shaking his head. “I’d… I’d have to think about it. I know nothing of governing a city such as this. I am—or was—a simple sachem of a clann in the small town of Aberdeen.”
“You are as experienced as anyone else,” Milton Harmon told him. “And obviously a person of sincerity and integrity. The job is there to be done. Who would do it better?”
DeRudder came to his feet and said to Nadine Pond and Harmon, “We’ll have to get along to the company meeting. I suggest we leave John to his considerations and expect a reply from him in the morning.”
The other two stood as well, and shortly the three of them were gone.
John sat for a long time before finally leaving his own scat and making his way to the kitchenette. He stood over the autoserve and inserted his duplicate of DeRudder’s credit card into the slot and dialed Pharmacy.
He said into the screen. “Please let me have one dosage of antisoma.”
John of the Hawks left the apartment and descended the gravity lift to the street level. He turned right and, ignoring the public transportation, headed by foot toward the river front.
New Sidon’s defensive walls came down to the river edge, and John strolled along the inner side of them, attracting no particular attention. It was as DeRudder and the others had said—this was, or was rapidly becoming, a city of Caledonians.
He passed an alleyway, and a voice hissed, “John! John of the Hawks!”
Without immediately turning, he looked up and down the street. All seemed clear. He reversed his way and entered the darker passage.
“Don of the Clarks!”
They embraced in the manner of clannsmen who had taken the blood oath.
“How long have you waited?” John said.
“I but arrived.”
Don was attired in the same type coverall worn by John himself but was considerably soiled. He said sourly, “It is not the cleanest way in the world—through the sewers.” John said, “Your report?”
The other’s eyes gleamed excitement. “All is ready. The clannsmen have gathered there in the hills to the west, riding their fastest steeds. We filtered in, in small groups, and are hidden in the caves and rocks. There is no sign that we have been detected.”
“They have devices that can locate a man simply by his body heat.”
“So we know. However, we had herdsmen drive in large bodies of cattle before us, and now they graze in the same vicinity. Their devices do not detect a man, but animal heat. That of a cow, sheep or horse is no different than a man. It is our belief that thus far we have cozened them.”
John took a deep breath. “What else?”
“We have selected thirty to come through the sewers. All are armed with the weapons of Beyond which we have captured. All are our top clannsmen from the three confederations—sagamores, caciques and top raiders all. At whatever time you name, we will come through.” He brought forth charts of the immediate surroundings and of the town and stabbed with a large forefinger. “We will divide into three bodies. One will dominate the landing field where the vehicles of the sky are kept. All of these will be flamed down, so there will be no escape and no participation on their part in the fight.”