Adaptation

  VII.

  Amschel Mayer was incensed.

  "What's got into Buchwald and MacDonald?" he spat.

  Jerry Kennedy, attired as was his superior in fur trimmed Genoese robes,signaled one of the servants for a refilling of his glass and shrugged.

  "I suppose it's partly our own fault," he said lightly. He sipped thewine, made a mental note to buy up the rest of this vintage for hiscellars before young Mannerheim or someone else did so.

  "Our fault!" Mayer glared.

  The old boy was getting decreasingly tolerant as the years went by,Kennedy decided. He said soothingly, "You sent Peter and Fred over thereto speed up local development. Well, that's what they're doing."

  "Are you insane!" Mayer squirmed in his chair. "Did you read thisradiogram? They've squeezed out all my holdings in rubber, the fastestgrowing industry on the western continent. Why, millions are involved.Who do they think they are?"

  Kennedy put down his glass and chuckled. "See here, Amschel, we'redeveloping this planet by encouraging free competition. Our contentionis that under such a socio-economic system the best men are brought tothe lead and benefit all society by the advances they make."

  "So! What has this got to do with MacDonald and Buchwald betraying myinterests?"

  "Don't you see? Using your own theory, you have been set back by someonemore efficiently competitive. Fred and Peter saw an opening and, inkeeping with your instructions, moved in. It's just coincidence that therubber they took over was your property rather than some Genoeseoperator's. If you were open to a loss there, then if they hadn't takenover someone else could have. Possibly Baron Leonar or even Russ."

  "That reminds me," Mayer snapped, "our Honorable Russ is getting too bigfor his britches in petroleum. Did you know he's established alaboratory in Amerus? Has a hundred or more chemists working on newproducts."

  "Fine," Kennedy said.

  "Fine! What do you mean? Dean is our man in petroleum."

  "Look here, if Russ can develop the industry even faster than Mike Dean,let him go ahead. That's all to our advantage."

  Mayer leaned forward and tapped his assistant emphatically on the knee."Look here, yourself, Jerry Kennedy. At this stage we don't want thingsgetting out of our hands. A culture is in the hands of those who controlthe wealth; the means of production, distribution, communication. Theirsis the real power. I've made a point of spacing our men about the wholeplanet. Each specializes, though not exclusively. Gunther is our miningman, Dean heads petroleum, MacDonald shipping, Buchwald textiles, Rykovsteel, and so forth. As fast as this planet can assimilate we push newinventions, new techniques, often whole new sciences, into use.Meanwhile, you and I sit back and dominate it all through that strongestof power mediums, finance."

  Jerry Kennedy nodded. "I wouldn't worry about old man Russ taking overDean's domination of oil, though. Mike's got the support of all the_Pedagogue's_ resources behind him. Besides, we've got to let theseGenoese get into the act. The more the economy expands, the more capablemen we need. As it is, I think we're already spread a little too thin."

  Amschel Mayer had dropped the subject. He was reading the radiogramagain and scowling his anger. "Well, this cooks MacDonald and Buchwald.I'll break them."

  His assistant raised his eyebrows. "How do you mean?"

  "I'm not going to put up with my subordinates going against myinterests."

  "In this case, what can you do about it? Business is business."

  "You hold quite a bit of their paper, don't you?"

  "You know that. Most of our team's finances funnel through my hands."

  "We'll close them out. They've become too obsessed with their wealth.They've forgotten why the _Pedagogue_ was sent here. I'll break them,Jerry. They'll come crawling. Perhaps I'll send them back to the_Pedagogue_. Make them stay aboard as crew."

  Kennedy shrugged. "Well, Peter MacDonald's going to hate that. He'sdeveloped into quite a high liver--gourmet food, women, one of theswankiest estates on the eastern continent."

  "Ha!" Mayer snorted. "Let him go back to ship's rations and crew'squarters."

  A servant entered the lushly furnished room and announced, "HonorableGunther calling on the Honorables Mayer and Kennedy."

  Martin Gunther hurried into the room, for once his calm ruffled. "On thewestern continent," he blurted. "Dean and Rosetti. The Temple got them,they've been burned as witches."

  Amschel Mayer shot to his feet. "That's the end," he swore shrilly."Only in the west have the barons held out. I thought we'd slowly wearthem down, take over their powers bit by bit. But this does it. Thismeans we fight."

  He spun to Kennedy. "Jerry, make a trip out to the _Pedagogue_. You knowthe extent of Genoa's industrial progress. Seek out the most advancedweapons this technology could produce."

  Kennedy came to his own feet, shocked by Gunther's news. "But, Amschel,do you think it's wise to precipitate an intercontinental war? Remember,we've been helping to industrialize the west, too. It's almost asadvanced as our continent. Their war potential isn't negligible."

  "Nevertheless," Mayer snapped, "we've got to break the backs of thebarons and the Temple monks. Get messages off to Baron Leonar and youngMannerheim, to Russ and Olderman. We'll want them to put pressure ontheir local politicians. What we need is a continental alliance for thiswar."

  Gunther said, "Should I get in touch with Rykov? He's still over there."

  Mayer hesitated. "No," he said. "We'll keep Nick informed but he oughtto remain where he is. We'll still want our men in the basic positionsof power after we've won."

  "He might get hurt," Gunther scowled. "They might get him too, and we'veonly got six team members left now."

  "Nonsense, Nick Rykov can take care of himself."

  Jerry Kennedy was upset. "Are you sure about this war, chief? Isn't aconflict of this size apt to hold up our overall plans?"

  "Of course not," Mayer scoffed. "Man makes his greatest progress underpressure. A major war will unite the nations of both the westerncontinent and this one as nothing else could. Both will push theirdevelopment to the utmost."

  He added thoughtfully, "Which reminds me. It might be a good idea forus to begin accumulating interests in such industries as will beeffected by a war economy."

  Jerry Kennedy chuckled at him, "Merchant of death."

  "What?"

  "Nothing," Kennedy said. "Something I read about in a history book."