Watch officer, try another wave band — I’m just wasting time on that one…That’s better.” Downer’s face became intent, then suddenly lit up. “Chief, get this: Somebody is saying that the Governor of the gulf province has lost his mind and asks permission to supersede him!
Here’s another — wants to know what’s wrong with the palace circuits and how to reach the palace, wants to report an uprising — ”
Ardmore cut back in. “Where?”
“Couldn’t catch it. Every frequency is jammed with traffic, and about half of it is incoherent. They don’t give each other time to clear — send right through another message.”
There was a gentle knock at the outer door of Ardmore’s office. It opened a few inches and Dr. Brooks’ head appeared. “May I come in?”
“Oh — certainly, Doctor. Come in. We are listening to what Captain Downer can pick up from the radio.”
“Too bad we haven’t a dozen of him — translators, I mean. ”
“Yes, but there doesn’t seem to be much to pick up but a general impression.” They listened to what Downer could pick up for the better part of an hour, mostly disjointed or partial messages, but it was made increasingly evident that the sabotage of the palace organization, plus the terrific emotional impact of the disgrace of key administrators, had played hob with the normal, smooth functioning of the PanAsian government. Finally Downer said, “Here’s a general order going out Wait a minute — It orders a radio silence on all clear-speech messages; everything has to be coded.”
Ardmore glanced at Thomas. “I guess that is about the right point, Jeff.
Somebody with horse sense and poise is trying to whip them back into shape — probably our old pal, the Prince. Time to stymie him.” He rang the communications office. “O.K., Steeves,” he said to the face of the watch officer, “give them power!”
“Jam ’em?
“That’s right. Warn all temples through Circuit A, and let them all do it at once.”
“They are standing by now, sir. Execute?”
“Very well — execute!”
Wilkie had developed a simple little device whereby the tremendous power of the temple projectors could be rectified, if desired, to undifferentiated electromagnetic radiation in the radio frequencies — static. Now they cut loose like sunspots, electrical storms, and aurora, all hooked up together.
Downer was seen to snatch the headphones from his ears. “For the love o’
— Why didn’t somebody warn me?” He reapproached one receiver cautiously to an ear, and shook his head. “Dead. I’ll bet we’ve burned out every receiver in the country.”
“Maybe so,” observed Ardmore to those in his office, “but we’ll keep jamming them just the same. ” At that moment, in all the United States, there remained no general communication system but the pararadio of the cult of Mota. The Asiatic rulers could not even fall back on wired telephony; the obsolete ground lines had long since been salvaged for their copper.
“How much longer, Chief?” asked Thomas.
“Not very long. We let ’em talk long enough for them to know something, hellacious is happening all over the country. Now we’ve cut ’em off.
That should produce a feeling of panic. I want to let that panic have time to ripen and spread to every PanAsian in the country. When I figure they are ripe, we’ll sock it to ’em!”
“How will you tell?”
“I can’t. It will be on hunch, between ourselves.
We’ll let the little darlings run around in circles for a while, not over an hour, then give ’em the works.”
Dr. Brooks nervously attempted to make conversation. “It certainly will be a relief to have this entire matter settled once and for always. It’s been very trying at times — ” His voice trailed off.
Ardmore turned on him. “Don’t ever think we can settle things ‘once and for always.’ ”
“But surely — if we defeat the PanAsians decisively — ”
“That’s where you are wrong about it.” The nervous strain he was under showed in his brusque manner. “We got into this jam by thinking we could settle things once and for always.. We met the Asiatic threat by the Nonintercourse Act and by big West coast defenses — so they came at us over the north pole!