“As Your Majesty knows, the removal of forests is one of the necessary steps in homo-norming a planet. Kamir has delayed far longer than most planets. Why, on Kamir, we still have animals!”
The king became very pale. “We have a few, yes. There are fifty species of birds in the forests of Tarnen, including the royal ouzel, whose feathers grace our crown, whose image is graven upon our planetary seal. There are numerous species of insects and animals. There are ferns, orchids—”
“None of which is required by man,” the Minister of Agriculture interrupted. “We have been over this, Your Majesty. In accordance with Alliance regulations, before we may establish outgrowth colonies, our home planet must be homo-normed at least to Type G. That means—”
“I know what it means! It means no trees, no birds, no animals. Why don’t we skip over a step? Why don’t we save the forests by eliminating the cattle, which we will do sooner or later when we set up the algae farms required by Class G.”
“We have preserved the patterns of the forest species, Your Effulgence. They are in our files as required by the homo-norming laws.”
“They won’t be alive! No flutter of wings, no plop of little green bodies into water, no silver glitter beneath the ripples. There will be only men and the crops to feed men!”
“The stored species can be enlivened whenever there is sufficient space and food for them. Just now, however, there is widespread hunger in the area of Chalc. As Your Majesty is aware, food and medicines are already stringently rationed everywhere on Kamir.”
“Except among the aristocracy.”
“Your ministers cannot be expected to govern if they are hungry or worried over the welfare of their families.”
“Suggest that the peasants of Chalc restrict their fecundity.”
“Humanity comes first. Fecundity is the blessing of the universe, which was made for man.”
“What universe is that?”
The Minister of Agriculture flushed, slightly embarrassed. “One gets into the habit—”
“I am not one of your Firster constituents, Minister. I am a faithful son of Lord Fathom, ancient and enigmatic, god of the Lostres.” He took his eyes from the tapestries and looked directly into the minister’s eyes. “Listen to me for a moment. You have traveled. You are a sophisticated man. You have been to Central, as I have. What do you think of it?”
“Your Effulgence…”
“Be honest! What do you think of it?”
“It seems a very efficient place.”
“Did you feel at all crowded?”
“Well, one does feel a bit—”
“Did you go to the Grand Canyon of Old-earth?”
“Yes. I confess, I didn’t see what the fuss was about.”
“You rode down in a transparent elevator. Through the glass you saw the strata, each one labeled as to age. At the bottom you experienced a sensurround of the way it used to be, a few centuries ago. You were told that the canyon now houses over a billion people. Do you want that for the forests of Tarnen?”
“But it’s inevitable, Your Effulgence! There will be frontiers for our great-grandchildren, perhaps, but for us, now, there is still space to fill! So long as there is space to fill, we must go on having babies. So Firstism teaches us.”
The king sighed deeply. “Save the teachings for the fecund masses, Minister. Why don’t you give the peasants some land in the Orbive Hills.”
“There is no arable land left in the Orbive. There has been widespread erosion….”
The king nodded slowly. “Oh, yes. Because your father chose to allow firewood cutting in the Orbive instead of providing solar stoves. Because his father permitted unlimited herd growth among the Chalcites to woo their votes. Just as his father, your great-grandfather, first Kamirian convert to the Firster cause, defeated the attempt by the Green Party to limit human population upon Kamir. And so sealed our fate forever.”
The minister flushed angrily. “As Your Majesty says.”
“My grandfather told your grandfather that the herds would die and the people would die.”
The minister’s mouth twisted into a half smile. “Your Majesty’s grandfather is remembered for his sagacity. Now that the herds are dying and the people are dying, however, there is a public outcry which will not be stanched by mere laying of blame on persons long dead. Hungry people do not care what our grandfathers did. So long as one inch of Kamirian soil remains, the people will believe that using it will solve their problems. Only when all the land is gone and destroyed will they permit the next step in homo-norming, and Your Majesty knows it as well as I.”
The king uncrossed his legs and put them flat upon the throne, his hands flat beside them, wondering if by will alone he could sink into that stone, obliterate himself, become nothing. He said, sighing deeply, “Do as you will. I do not approve. Take that as written, and let me abdicate.”
“The Scroll of Establishment of Kam-Shom-Lak specifies a hereditary king, Your Majesty, and it has no provision for abdication.”
“I have a younger brother. Several, in fact.”
“So long as Your Effulgence is alive …” The threat in this was implicit. Kings might die, but they could not run away. Kings had died, as a matter of fact, under more or less mysterious circumstances. He did not mind dying. He did mind what they would no doubt do to him first, to make him say something they could use for a reason. Conspiracy against the welfare of Kamir. Kamir, that he loved as some men love women!
“How many more of you are there today?” asked the king. “How many more ministers out there in the anteroom, crouched slavering over the few remaining fragments of our planet.”
The minister stiffened. “Seven, Your Highness.”
“Tell them they may go. I don’t approve of anything they’re doing.”
Angered, the minister growled: “The Firster godmongers pray for you daily in your blindness, Majesty. Man is meant to procreate! We were given the universe to fill. What are a few animals, a few trees in the face of our destiny?”
“Tell the rest of them to go
