Statesman Read Free Page B

rulers. Our society is stultified, because the nomenklatura wants no change; it wants only perpetuation of its own power. This is your enemy—and mine.”
    “But you said you belonged to it,” I reminded him.
    “To belong physically is not necessarily to agree with its precepts,” he said. “I could not have achieved my present position without the support of the nomenklatura. But once I gained the position, my horizon expanded, and then that of the nomenklatura became too narrow for me. I sought to reform our system, to eradicate corruption, to make of Saturn a truly superior power.” He shook his head. “The task was more difficult than I had suspected.”
    “Infinitely,” I agreed ruefully.
    “But I believe I could have done it—indeed, could do it yet—if it were not for the entrenched opposition of the nomenklatura. But I cannot do with it what I could with rebellious peasants. I would be removed from power if I tried.”
    “I understand,” I said with a smile. As he knew, I had just been removed from power myself.
    “I could not even demilitarize space, as I promised you I would,” he said. “I intended to, but when I tried...”
    That sobered me. As Tyrant, I had steadily reduced the Jupiter military initiative, using the monetary savings to bolster other aspects of the society. I had done this with the assurance that Khukov was doing likewise. Of course no early reductions had been apparent in either budget, because existing commitments had had to be met, but no new initiatives had been sought.
    “Have no retroactive concern,” Khukov told me. “We did not seek to attack Jupiter. I had no desire for war. and the nomenklatura desires victory, not combat. In that we are in accord. But the waste of resources for weapons which do not work, that profit only those who construct them...” He shook his head.
    “Yet how could this lead to an attempt to assassinate a deposed foreign leader?” Spirit asked.
    “Two possibilities,” Khukov said. “One I hope is the true one; the other I hope is not. The first is that it is not to the nomenklatura's interest to have too much peace in the System. With a pacifist in power at Jupiter, and the Middle Kingdom minding its own business, what need is there for new weapons contracts? So if some animosity could be stirred up by the assassination of a not-too-important personage of the one by the other, the USR would certainly have to keep alert and strong, and military graft would not be questioned.”
    “The secrecy of the mission was such that news of the assassination might never be released,” I said.
    “Indeed. The second possibility is that the nomenklatura sees the Tyrant of Jupiter as a direct threat to its interests, so acted to eliminate that threat immediately.”
    This perplexed me. “How could I be a threat? My power is gone.”
    “Your power may be restored.”
    I shook my head. “It is my wife who has deposed me. I will not oppose her.”
    “Restored here ,” he said. “It is in my mind to make you my hatchet man, as your idiom puts it.”
    “I have had enough of the exercise of power,” I demurred.
    “I think not. No man ever has enough of that. But I am not suggesting the abuse of it. I am suggesting that you can do one necessary thing for me that I cannot do for myself. Because you are the Tyrant, known to my people and to the rest of the Solar System as the great benefactor of your planet, they would support you in a way they would not me.”
    “I am not going to try to usurp your power!” I protested.
    “That is why I can use you for this. I know that you are the one person who could challenge me, who won't . I cannot trust any member of the nomenklatura similarly. Thus you become the ideal person to implement the Dream.”
    “You want me to eradicate the nomenklatura for you?” I asked, dismayed.
    “That is merely the first step. We cannot accomplish anything until that power is broken. But what use to break it, if it is only