I apologize for this. It is not the fault of our great and worthy Scanner and friend, Martel. He came here under orders. I told him not to de-cranch. I hoped to spare him an unnecessary haberman. We all know how happily Martel is married, and we wish his brave experiment well. I like Martel. I respect his Judgment. I wanted him here. I knew you wanted him here. But he is cranched. He is in no mood to share in the lofty business of the Scanners. I therefore propose a solution which will meet all the requirements of fairness. I propose that we rule Scanner Martel out of order for his violation of rules. This violation would be inexcusable if Martel were not cranched.
'But at the same time, in all fairness to Martel, I further propose that we deal with the points raised so improperly by our worthy but disqualified brother.'
Vomact gave the sign, The Honorable Scanners are pleased to vote. Martel tried to reach his own beltlight; the dead strong hands held him tightly and he struggled in vain. One lone light shone high: Chang's, no doubt.
Vomact thrust his face into the light again: 'Having the approval of our worthy Scanners and present company for the general proposal, I now move that this Committee declare itself to have the full authority of a Meeting, and that this Committee further make me responsible for all misdeeds which this Committee may enact, to be held answerable before the next full Meeting, but not before any other authority beyond the closed and secret ranks of Scanners.'
Flamboyantly this time, his triumph evident, Vomact assumed the vote stance.
Only a few lights shone: far less, patently, than a minority of one- fourth.
Vomact spoke again. The light shone on his high calm forehead, on his dead relaxed cheekbones. His lean cheeks and chin were half- shadowed, save where the lower light picked up and spotlighted his mouth, cruel even in repose. (Vomact was said to be a descendant of some Ancient Lady who had traversed, in an illegitimate and inexplicable fashion, some hundreds of years of time in a single night. Her name, the Lady Vomact, had passed into legend; but her blood and her archaic lust for mastery lived on in the mute masterful body of her descendant. Martel could believe the old tales as he stared at the rostrum, wondering what untraceable mutation had left the Vomact kith as predators among mankind.) Calling loudly with the movement of his lips, but still without sound, Vomact appealed:
'The Honorable Committee is now pleased to reaffirm the sentence of death issued against the heretic and enemy, Adam Stone.' Again the vote stance.
Again Chang's light shone lonely in its isolated protest.
Vomact then made his final move:
'I call for the designation of the Senior Scanner present as the manager The deed is a noble deed, for the protection of Mankind and for the honor of the Scanners; but of the means it must be said that they are to be the best at hand, and no more. Who knows the true way to kill an Other, here on a crowded and watchful earth? This is no mere matter of discharging a cylindered sleeper, no mere question of upgrading the needle of a haberman. When people die down here, it is not like the Up-and-Out.
They die reluctantly. Killing within the Earth is not our usual business, O brothers and Scanners, as you know well. You must choose me to choose my agent as I see fit.
Otherwise the common knowledge will become the common betrayal whereas if I alone know the responsibility, I alone could betray us, and you will not have far to look in case the Instrumentality comes searching.' (What about the killer you choose?
thought Martel. He too will know unless—unless you silence him forever.) Vomact went into the stance, The Honorable Scanners are pleased to vote.
One light of protest shone; Chang's, again.
Martel imagined that he could see a cruel joyful smile on Vomact's dead face—
the smile of a man who knew himself righteous and who found his righteousness upheld and affirmed by militant authority.
Martel tried one last time to come free.
The dead hands held. They were locked like vises until their owners' eyes unlocked them: how else could they hold the piloting month by month?
Martel then shouted: 'Honorable Scanners, this is judicial murder.'
No ear heard him. He was cranched, and alone.
None the less, he shouted again: 'You endanger the Confraternity.'
Nothing happened.
The echo of his voice sounded from one end of the room to the other. No head turned. No eyes met his.
Martel realized that as they paired for talk, the eyes of the Scanners averted him.
He saw that no one desired to watch his speech. He knew that behind the cold faces of his friends there lay compassion or amusement. He knew that they knew him to be cranched—absurd, normal, man-like, temporarily no Scanner. But he knew that in this matter the wisdom of Scanners was nothing. He knew that only a cranched Scanner could feel with his very blood the outrage and anger which deliberate murder would provoke among the Others. He knew that the Confratermty endangered itself, and knew that the most ancient prerogative of law was the monopoly of death. Even the Ancient Nations, in the times of fairness. I propose that we rule Scanner Mattel out of order for his violation of rules. This violation would be inexcusable if Mattel were not cranched.
'But at the same time, in all fairness to Mattel, I further propose that we deal with the points raised so improperly by our worthy but disqualified brother.'
Vomact gave the sign, The Honorable Scanners are pleased to vote. Mattel tried to reach his own beltlight; the dead strong hands held him tightly and he struggled in vain. One lone light shone high: Chang's, no doubt.
Vomact thrust his face into the light again: 'Having the approval of our worthy Scanners and present company for the general proposal, I now move that this Committee declare itself to have the full authority of a Meeting, and that this Committee further make me responsible for all misdeeds which this Committee may enact, to be held answerable before the next full Meeting, but not before any other authority beyond the closed and secret ranks of Scanners.'
Flamboyantly this time, his triumph evident, Vomact assumed the vote stance.
Only a few lights shone: far less, patently, than a minority of one- fourth.
Vomact spoke again. The light shone on his high calm forehead, on his dead relaxed cheekbones. His lean cheeks and chin were half- shadowed, save where the lower light picked up and spotlighted his mouth, cruel even in repose. (Vomact was said to be a descendant of some Ancient Lady who had traversed, in an illegitimate and inexplicable fashion, some hundreds of years of time in a single night. Her name, the Lady Vomact, had passed into legend; but her blood and her archaic lust for mastery lived on in the mute masterful body of her descendant. Mattel could believe the old tales as he stared at the rostrum, wondering what untraceable mutation had left the Vomact kith as predators among mankind.) Calling loudly with the movement of his lips, but still without sound, Vomact appealed:
'The Honorable Committee is now pleased to reaffirm the sentence of death issued against the heretic and enemy, Adam Stone.' Again the vote stance.
Again Chang's light shone lonely in its isolated protest.
Vomact then made his final move:
'I call for the designation of the Senior Scanner present as the manager be the best at hand, and no more. Who knows the true way to kill an Other, here on a crowded and watchful earth? This is no mere matter of discharging a cylindered sleeper, no mere question of upgrading the needle of a haberman. When people die down here, it is not like the Up-and-Out. They die reluctantly. Killing within the Earth is not our usual business, O brothers and Scanners, as you know well. You must choose me to choose my agent as I see fit. Otherwise the common knowledge will become the common betrayal whereas if I alone know the responsibility, I alone could betray us, and you will not have far to look in case the Instrumentality comes searching.' (What about the killer you choose? thought Martel. He too will know unless—unless you silence him forever.)
Vomact went into the stance, The Honorable Scanners are pleased to vote.
One light of protest shone; Chang's, again.
Martel imagined that he could see a cruel joyful smile on Vomact's dead face—
the smile of a man who knew himself righteous and who found his righteousness upheld and affirmed by militant authority.
Martel tried one last time to come free.
The dead hands held. They were locked like vises until their owners' eyes unlocked them: how else could
