Cities in Flight James Blish

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could never be actually revoked, however closely they were kept a secret
between Hazleton and himself; if pressed, be could have shown that he could
never forget them, aid''that Hazleton couldn't either. He might have explained
that, every time Amalfl decided against a plan of Hazleton's, the city manager
would put it down to secret rancor against that smothered resignation. Or,
being Amalfl, he might merely have noted that the conflict between the two men
had already been deep-running, and that after Hazleton had said, "I want off,"
it would become outright pathological.
Actually, however, no one of these things entered his mind. Hazleton had said,
"I want off." Amalfi was an Okie, and for an Okie, "I want off" is final.
"No," the mayor said, at once. "You've asked for off, and that's the end of
it. You're no longer entitled to any knowledge of city policy or plans, except
for what reaches you in the form of directives. Now's the time when you can
use your training in thinking like me, Mark- obviously you'll have no
difficulty in thinking like the City Fathers-because it'll be your only source
of information on policy from now on."
"I understand," Hazleton said formally. He stood silent a moment longer.
Amalfi waited.
"At the next port of call, then," Hazleton said.
"All right. Until then, you're outgoing city manager. Put Carrel back into
training as your successor, and begin feeding the City Fathers predisposing
data toward him now. I don't want any more fuss from them when the election is
held than we had when you were elected."
Hazleton's expression became slightly more set. "Right."
"Secondly, get the city moving toward the perimeter to intersect the town you
couldn't raise. I'll want an orbit that gives us logarithmic acceleration,
with all the real drive concentrated at the far end. On the way, ready two
work teams: one for a fast spindizzy assessment, the other to run up
whatever's necessary on the mass chromatogra-phy equipment, whatever that may
be. Include medium-heavy dismounting tools, below the graving dock size, but
heavy enough to handle any job less drastic."
"Right."
"Also, ready Sergeant Andersen's squad, in case that city isn't quite as dead
as it sounds." "Right," Hazleton said again. "That's it," Amalfi said.
Hazleton nodded stiffly, and made as if to turn. Then, astonishingly, his
stiff face exploded into a torrential passion of speech.
"Boss, tell me this before I go," he said, clenching his fists. "Was all this
to push me into asking for off? Couldn't you think of any way of keeping your
plans to yourself but kicking me out-or making me kick myself out? I don't
believe this love story of yours, damned if I do. You know I'll take Dee with
me when I disembark. And the Great Renunciation is just slop, just pure
fiction, especially coming from you. You aren't any more in love with Dee than
I am with you--"
And then Hazleton turned so white that Amalfi thought for a moment that the
man was about to faint.
"Score one for you, Mark," Amalfi said. "Evidently I'm not the only one who*s
staging a Great Renunciation." "Gods of all stars, Amalfi!"
"There are none," Amalfi said. "I can't do anything more, Mark. I've said
good-by to you a hell of a lot of times, but this has to be the last time-not
by my election, but by yours. Go and get the jobs done."
Hazleton said, "Right." He spun and strode out. The door reached full dilation
barely in time.
Amalfi sighed as deeply as a sleeping child. Then he nipped the treacher
switch from set to clear. The treacher said, "Will that be all, sir?"
"What do you want to do, poison me twice at the same meal?" Amalfi growled.
"Get me an ultraphone line."
The treacher's voice changed at once. "Communications," it said briskly.
"This is the mayor. Raise Lieutenant Lerner, Forty-fifth Acolyte Border
Security Group. Don't give up too easily; that was his last address, but he's
been upgraded since. When you get him, tell him you're speaking for me. Tell
him also that the cities in the jungle are organizing for some sort of [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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