ONE FALSE STEP
One of my favorite chapters in the book. Moderan man switches gears and tell a story of one Captain in Modern from the Captain's perspective. A story within a story, you might say.
Anyway, the Captain relates how some lowly members of Moderan society are scheduled for execution since they failed to be inventors (A master stroke from author DRB, - real dig at the American obsession with invention of gadgets). We read:
"They were the delinquents who, in the opinions of local officialdom, had not paid for their living space by inventing enough time-saver devices. As goes without saying, time-saver devices were the main obsession as people flaunted their space clothes and space blue prints and dreamed of the Conquest. Baffled and turned back still, they longed for the big Space Victory and went on filling a small crowded planet with petty gad-goes."
The Captain was lax for a minute in not agreeing with orders to execute those lowlife but he recounts how he came to his senses once he beat his men. Mr. Bunch's way of saying the American mentality of domination benefits from having a strong sadistic streak. What a comment on American character. Here is how the chapter ends:
"Then in that icy-calm-stillness which always followed his awesome display of wrath, he gave the cold-steel order for each prostrate and blood-soaked man to resume his feet and his stem-and-bulb duties at once. And as he moved to a table to fill out the required and proper forms for them each, after duty hours, to appear at Central Whip for punishment due ("for blood stains on uniform"), he answered their question, recited like litany the scope and terrible depth of his fall: "I once questioned LOCAL DECISION for fairness; I once issued the order for JUSTICE; I once dillydallied before grinding men." And as, idly, musingly, he wrote and underlined twice, heavily, on each man's proper form, the reason for punishment due at Central Whip - "Careless and excessive bleeding on uniform without proper cause" - Blonk suddenly knew he was cured. He had the hang of it again! By the great god MAC, if he could only get them to believe him up there! He was ready for topside and the world of MEN again!"
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