Norton smiled wryly. "And what good is a duplicator with no place to
plug it in? The power stations are down all over Mars."
"In building this fence," said Keg, "you are working out the value of
the duplicators. Now look, Norton, in order to make this thing tick,
I want to know whether you and your motley crew are honest. There are
enough of you to man every vacant power station on Mars. If you, as
leader of this gang, will see to it that the stations are manned and
running every minute of the day, I'll see that you are given the
benefits of Fabriville's more massive duplicators. That means fliers,
and equipment of that size, Norton. Are you game?"
"What are you getting out of this?" asked Norton suspiciously.
"No more than you. I can eat only so much. I can wear only so much. I
can use only so much. But it is my pleasure to run things, and I like
to do it. Therefore I shall run things until people decide that they
want another man to run things. Until that date, Norton, you'll answer
to me."
"And if I do not kowtow?"
"You don't have to. No one is going to kill you for spitting in my eye.
But if you have sense, you'll see that working my way will ultimately
bring you more reward than going on as an unruly mob. Replace me if you
can, Norton, but remember that it cannot be done by force. I have too
many real friends out across the face of Mars who won't let me be shot
to pieces. I've done them the same service I'm doing you. Take it or
leave it."
"Why can't we remain?"
"We have thirteen thousand people in Fabriville. To take on another ten
thousand would complicate our work-system to the breaking point. We're
running pretty close to chaos as it is, and we couldn't take more. If
you'll set up the power stations and start small communities at these
points, you'll all be better off."
"And what do I get for all this?"
"Nothing. You'll be fed and clothed and housed. That's all that any
of us are. Men out there are all the same, Norton. No one has a
dime. They're all bankrupt. There isn't one of them that can buy a
thing--even if the stores were open. But not one of them is starving,
and not one of them is going unclothed, and not one of them is going
without the luxuries of life, except for those communities of which you
speak. Take life to them, Norton, and you'll be the ultimate gainer."
"Why do they remain?" wondered Norton.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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