"You're different from most of the folks of your--station," Reblong finally made bold to remark. "Any harm in my saying so?" "On the contrary," laughed the athlete. "I rather pride myself on my democracy. "The fact is, I want you to tell me a few things about your fellow-workers. I understand you're one of the officers of your guild?" "Secretary," replied Reblong, a little dubiously. Was Fort a secret investigator? "Then you can tell me. Is there any dissatisfaction? Are the men entirely content with their treatment?" Reblong hesitated about replying, and Fort assured him, "This is a purely personal matter with me, old man. I am really anxious to know whether the working world is as well satisfied, as happy as I am." And thus Fort discovered, just as another man had already discovered, that the average Capellan workman was entirely satisfied with what he knew to be unjust treatment. Even when Fort told Reblong what he had learned about Powart's trickery--leaving out all details about Mona, of course--the engineer would not listen to any hint of revolution. "I don't like to question your word, Mr. Fort"--Reblong was very uncomfortable--"but I have such confidence in the commission that--well, you understand." And Fort said, just as the other fellow had said after talking with Reblong--Reblong, the representative Capellan workman; Reblong, who voiced the opinions of his billions of fellow-workmen when he refused to consider a rebellion--Fort said: "Well, I'll be utterly damned!" XIV UNDER MARTIAL LAW Van Emmon was pretty cross because Billie, through Mona, had told Fort about Powart's game. More than once he protested hotly, "You shouldn't have done that! It's all their affair, not ours!" And Billie usually returned, just as warmly, "I don't care! I think Powart is a scoundrel!" And it was in the midst of one of these tiffs that the doctor interrupted, exactly as though the telepathy was telephony: "Quiet, you two. Fort has called at the prison, and is being introduced to young Ernol. He--" "I've been talking with your father," Fort was saying to the son. The guard had left them alone in the cell. "But he isn't interested in my ideas. He seems to think he's done all that needs to be done in getting himself imprisoned." The boy nodded. "He considers himself a martyr, Mr. Fort; and I guess he's satisfied like everybody else." He spoke bitterly. All Fort's own youthful enthusiasm returned with a rush. "You're just the chap I'm looking for! If you're genuinely ambitious to do the people a great service, now's your chance!" And he went on to tell the boy about Powart's frame-up. He gave every detail of Mona's strange disclosure, and the boy believed him absolutely. "I might have known there was some trick about it!" cried the lad. "Alma isn't that kind of a planet! By Heaven, Powart deserves to be assassinated!"