Read Ebook: The boomerang circuit by Leinster Murray Stevens Lawrence Sterne Illustrator

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Ebook has 72 lines and 5888 words, and 2 pages

"I procured a little gadget," said Kim. "I dropped the gadget in various places where it wasn't likely to be found. If one man is under disciplinary-circuit punishment, or two or three or four--that's not unreasonable on a great planet--nothing happens. But if twenty-five or fifty or a hundred are punished at once, the disciplinary circuit is blown out as I just blew out that force-field generator."

The Mayor of Steadheim considered this information.

"Criminals can be kept down, but a revolt can't be suppressed," Kim went on. "The soldiers who are occupying the twenty-one planets will be called back to put down revolts, as soon as the people discover the disciplinary circuits on their planets are blowing out, and that they blow out again as fast as they're re-made and used."

"No, not for long," said Kim. "No government will be able to rule with a dissatisfied population. Not if it has a little gadget hidden somewhere that will blow out the disciplinary circuit, if it's used to excess."

"Good enough, good enough," grumbled the mayor. "When rulers are kept busy satisfying their people, they won't have time to bother political offenders like us on Ades, or start wars." He looked up. "Space!" he groaned. "Three hundred million planets! How long before we can have them all fitted out for freedom?"

Kim chuckled.

"I explained the principle of the gadget to a munitions-manufacturer on Spicus Five," he said drily. "I offered it to him in exchange for a dozen samples made up to my order. Does it occur to you that every tyrant and every despot and every king in the Galaxy will be very, very happy to buy those little gadgets at a fine fat price, to sow in the dominions of his neighbors? Then he needn't fear them! Don't you see? And my munitions-maker friend will be impartially ready to sell them to his neighbors. They'll actually increase the market for military goods for palace guards and the like."

The Mayor of Steadheim puffed in his breath until it looked as if he would explode. Then he bellowed with laughter.

"Make the tyrants dethrone each other," he roared delightedly. "They'll weaken each other until they find they've their own people to deal with. There'll be a fine scramble! I give it five years, no more, before there's not a king in the galaxy who dares order an execution without a jury-trial first!"

"A consummation devoutly to be wished," said Kim, smiling. "I rather like the idea myself."

The mayor heaved himself up.

"Hah!" he said, still chuckling. "I'll go back to my wife and tell her to come outdoors and look at the stars. What will you two do next?"

"Sleep, I suspect," said Kim. It was all over. The realization made him aware of how tired he was. "We'll probably put in twenty-four hours of just plain slumber. Then we'll see if anything more needs to be done, and then I guess Dona and I will head back to Terranova. The Organizer there is worried about a shortage of textiles."

"To the devil with him," grunted the Mayor of Steadheim. "We've had a shortage of sunlight! You're a good man, Kim Rendell. I'll tell my grandchildren about you, when I have them."

He waved grandly and went out. A little later his flier took off, occulting stars as it rose.

Kim closed the airlock door. He yawned again.

"Kim," said Dona. "We had to break that shield, but it was dangerous."

"Yes," said Kim. He yawned again. "So it was. I'll be glad to get back to our house on Terranova."

"So will I," said Dona. Her face had become determined. "We shouldn't even think of leaving it again, Kim! We should--anchor ourselves to it, so nobody would think of asking us to leave."

"A good idea," said Kim. "If it could be done."

Dona looked critically at her fingers, but she flushed suddenly.

"It could," she said softly. "The best way would be--children."

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