"E. E. Doc Smith - D'Alembert 10 - Revolt of the Galaxy" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith E. E. Doc)

A few years ago the government had declared a policy of "modernization." Though the statement was
issued in the duke's name, everyone knew that Tas Bavol - the heir to all of Newforest now that
his older brother Pias had been banished - was really running the show. Taxes immediately tripled,
but the benefits did not increase correspondingly. All the citizens had received for their money
was an oppressive government that was more computerized, more centralized. Every citizen was
issued a special identification card different from the standard imperial ID card; he was supposed
to carry this new card with him wherever he went, and had to produce it to authorities on demand
or face a stiff jail sentence. In the course of just a few months, Newforest had gone from being
one of the most unstructured societies in the Empire to being one of the most authoritarian.
These changes did not sit well with the normally easygoing populace. The name of Tas Bavol was
seldom spoken these days without spitting. Even though Pias was technically a nonperson who'd been
erased from people's memories, there were still references to him as "the lost one," and not a few
wistful thoughts that he might return some day, somehow, to rid Newforest of its troubles. Still,
people didn't say such things too openly, for one of the things Tas had bought with all the new
taxes was an efficient new security force, complete with crisp brown uniforms and shiny brass
buttons that gave the agents their nickname of "brassies." Opposition to the new regime was
quickly silenced, and some of its severest critics had simply disappeared, never to be seen again.
Pias was not at liberty to ask too many direct questions without compromising his cover identity,
but he couldn't help wondering how such a setup could come about within the empire ruled by such a
just figure as Empress Stanley Eleven. A laissez-faire policy was all very well in the abstract,
but it had been taken to great extremes here on his home world - and Pias wanted to know why.
The Smitts insisted that Pias sleep in the house rather than the barn as he was willing to do, and


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again refused his offer of payment for their generosity. The next morning when he needed
transportation into Garridan, Pias insisted on buying the cartly and wagon rig he'd need, rather
than taking it from the Smitts on an indefinite loan. He made sure the price he gave them was more
than fair to compensate for their generosity and helpfulness.
Pias set out along the road at a leisurely pace, in keeping with his disguise as a country fellow
visiting the big city for the first time. Klarika Smitt had given him a hearty breakfast and
packed a substantial lunch for him to eat along the way; were it not for his worry about what was
happening to his native world, Pias would have been as carefree as he appeared to be. He saw
copters circling the area a couple of times, but his rig looked like such a perfectly natural part
of the Newforest landscape that they did not question his right to be where he was.
It was late in the day when he finally reached the capital city. For all Tas's "modernization,"
Garridan looked scarcely changed. There were a few new buildings in the skyline, but still none
over four stories tall - a very practical consideration on a high-gee world. The city - which was
really more like a town - was still only a few dozen square kilometers in area and retained its
essentially rustic character. Most of the traffic in the streets was mechanized, but cartly-drawn
vehicles were still prevalent enough to be unexceptional. It all made for interesting traffic
problems, and motorists in Garridan had frequent occasion to curse the slow-moving beasts that
blocked the intersections.
The dirt road Pias had been following became a paved one at the outskirts of the city, and it was
here he encountered a roadblock. At first he was worried that it had been set up especially to
capture the intruder, but then he saw that it was of a more permanent nature. This checkpoint kept
tabs on all traffic going in and out of the city, and would not specifically try to trip him up.
Even a routine check could be trouble if it were set up properly, though, so he had to remain