wt.theyearofthequietsun-第41节

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rom　you；　or　thrown　you　into　the　sea；　or　kidnapped　you　and　ran　away　to　Israel…anything。〃
　　She　smiled　again；　perhaps　at　the　memory　of　the　beach。　〃But　that　would　have　acplished　nothing；　Brian。　The　Arab　Federation　overran　Israel　and　drove　the　people　into　the　sea。　We　wouldn't　have　escaped　anything。〃
　　He　uttered　a　single　word　and　then　had　to　apologize　again；　although　the　woman　didn't　understand　the　epithet。　〃The　Major　certainly　jumped　into　the　beginning　of　hell。〃
　　She　corrected　him。　〃The　Major　jumped　into　the　end　of　it；　the　wars　had　been　underway　for　nearly　twenty　years　and　the　nation　was　on　the　brink　of　disaster。　Major　Moresby　came　forward　only　in　time　to　witness　the　end　for　us；　for　the　United　States。　After　him；　the　government　ceased　to　be。　After　twenty　years　we　were　wholly　exhausted；　used　up；　and　could　not　defend　ourselves　against　anyone。〃
　　The　old　woman　spoke　with　a　dry　weariness；　a　long　fatigue；　and　he　could　listen　to　her　voice　and　her　spirit　running　down　as　she　talked。
　　The　wars　began　just　after　the　Presidential　election　of　1980；　just　after　the　field　trials　into　Joliet。　Arthur　Saltus　had　told　her　of　the　two　Chinese　railroad　towns　blown　off　the　map；　and　suddenly　one　day　in　December　the　Chinese　bombed　Darwin；　Australia；　in　long…delayed　retaliation。　The　whole　of　northern　Australia　was　made　uninhabitable　by　radiation。　The　public　was　never　told　of　the　first　strike　against　the　railroad　towns　but　only　of　the　second：　it　was　painted　an　act　of　brutal　savagery　against　an　innocent　populace。　Radioactivity　spread　across　the　Arafura　Sea　to　the　islands　to　the　north；　and　drifted　toward　the　Phillipines。　Great　Britain　appealed　to　the　United　States　for　aid。
　　The　re…elected　President　and　his　Congress　declared　war　on　the　Chinese　Peoples'　Republic　in　the　week　following　his　inauguration；　after　having　waged　an　undeclared　war　since　1954。　The　Pentagon　had　privately　assured　him　the　matter　could　be　terminated　and　the　enemy　subdued　in　three　weeks。　Some　months　later　the　President　mitted　massive　numbers　of　troops　to　the　Asian　Theater：　now　involving　eleven　nations　from　the　Phillipine　Republic　westward　to　Pakistan；　and　to　the　defense　of　Australia。　He　was　then　pelled　to　send　troops　to　Korea；　to　counteract　renewed　hostilities　there；　but　lost　them　all　when　the　Chinese　and　the　Mongolians　overran　the　peninsula　and　ended　foreign　occupation。
　　She　said　tiredly：　〃The　President　was　re…elected　in　1980；　and　again　for　a　third　term　in　1984。　After　Arthur　brought　back　the　terrible　news　from　Joliet；　the　man　seemed　unable　to　control　himself　and　unable　to　do　anything　right。　The　third…term　prohibition　was　repealed　at　his　urging；　and　some　time　during　that　third　term　the　Constitution　was　suspended　altogether　'for　the　duration　of　the　emergency。'　The　emergency　never　ended。　Brian；　that　man　was　the　last　elected　President　the　country　ever　had。　After　him　there　was　nothing。〃
　　Chaney　said　bitterly：　〃The　meek；　the　terrible　meek。　I　hope　he　is　still　alive　to　see　this！〃
　　〃He　isn't；　he　wasn't。　He　was　assassinated　and　his　body　thrown　into　the　burning　White　House。　They　burned　Washington　to　destroy　a　symbol　of　oppression。〃
　　〃Burned　it！　Wait　until　I　tell　him　that。〃
　　She　made　a　little　gesture　to　hush　him　or　contradict　him。　〃All　that　and　more；　much　more。　Those　twenty　years　were　a　frightful　ordeal；　the　last　few　years　were　numbing。　Life　appeared　to　stop；　to　give　way　to　savagery。　We　missed　the　little　things　at　first：　passenger　trains　and　airliners　were　forbidden　to　civilian　traffic；　mail　deliveries　were　cut　back　to　twice　a　week　and　then　halted　altogether；　the　news　telecasts　were　restricted　to　only　one　a　day　and　then　as　the　war　worsened；　further　restricted；　to　only　local　news　not　of　a　military　nature。　We　were　isolated　from　the　world　and　nearly　isolated　from　Washington。
　　〃Our　trucks　were　taken　away　for　use　elsewhere；　food　was　not　brought　in；　nor　medicines；　nor　clothing；　nor　fuel；　and　we　fell　back　on　the　supplies　stored　on　station。　The　military　personnel　were　transferred　to　other　posts　or　to　points　overseas；　leaving　only　a　token　crew　to　guard　this　installation。
　　〃Brian；　that　guard　was　pelled　to　fire　on　nearby　townspeople　attempting　to　raid　our　stores：　the　rumor　had　been　spread　that　enormous　stockpiles　of　food　were　here；　and　they　were　desperately　hungry。〃
　　Katrina　looked　down　at　her　hands　and　swallowed　painfully。　〃The　twenty　years　finally　ended　for　us　in　a　shocking　civil　war。〃
　　Chaney　said：　〃Ramjets。〃
　　〃They　were　called　that；　once　they　came　into　the　open；　once　their　statement　of　intent　was　publicized：　Revolution　And　Morality。　Sometimes　we　would　see　banners　bearing　the　word　RAM；　but　the　name　soon　became　something　dirty…something　akin　to　that　other　name　they　were　called　for　centuries：　it　was　a　very　bitter　time　and　you　would　have　suffered　if　you　had　remained　on　station。
　　〃Brian；　people　everywhere　were　starving；　dying　of　disease；　rotting　in　neglect　and　misery；　but　those　people　possessed　a　leadership　we　now　lacked。　Ramjets　had　efficient　leadership。　Their　leaders　used　them　against　us　and　it　was　our　turn　to　suffer。　There　was　revolution　but　little　or　no　morality；　whatever　morality　they　may　have　possessed　was　quickly　lost　in　the　rebellion　and　we　all　suffered。　The　country　was　caught　up　in　a　senseless　savagery。〃
　　〃That's　when　Moresby　came　up？〃
　　A　weary　nod。
　　Major　Moresby　witnessed　the　beginning　of　the　civil　war　when　he　emerged　on　his　target　date。　They　had　chosen　the　same　date　for　the　outbreak　of　the　rebellion…they　had　selected　the　Fourth　of　July　as　their　target　in　a　bid　for　independence　from　white　America　and　the　bombing　of　Chicago　was　intended　to　be　the　signal。　Ramjet　liaison　agents　in　Peiping　had　arranged　that：　Chicago…not　Atlanta　or　Memphis　or　Birmingham…was　the　object　of　their　greatest　hatred　after　the　wall。　But　the　plan　went　awry。
　　The　rebellion　broke　out　almost　a　week　earlier…quite　by　accident…when　triggered　by　a　riot　in　the　little　river　town　of　Cairo；　Illinois。　A　traffic　arrest　there；　followed　by　a　street　shooting　and　then　a　wholesale　jail　delivery　of　black　prisoners；　upset　the　schedule：　the　revolt　was　quickly　out　of　control。　The　state　militia　and　the　police　were　helpless；　depleted　in　number；　their　reserve　manpower　long　since　spent　overseas；　there　was　no　regular　army　left　standing　in　the　United　States　except　for　token　troops　at　various　posts　and　stations；　and　even　the　ceremonial　guards　at　national　monuments　had　been　removed　and　assigned　to　foreign　duty。　There　was　no　remaining　force　to　prevent　the　rebellion。　Major　Moresby　climbed　out　of　the　vehicle　and　into　the　middle　of　the　holocaust。
　　The　agony　went　on　for　almost　seventeen　months。
　　The　President　was　assassinated；　Congress　fled…or　died　while　trying　to　flee…and　Washington　burned。　They　burned　many　of　the　cities　where　they　were　numerically　strong。　In　their　passion　they　burned　themselves　out　of　their　homes　and　destroyed　the　fields　and　crops　which　had　fed　them。
　　The　few　remaining　lines　of　transportation　which　were　open　up　to　that　moment　ceased　entirely。　Trucks　were　intercepted；　looted　and　burned；　their　drivers　shot。　Buses　were　stopped　on　interstate　highways　and　white　passengers　killed。　Railroad　trains　were　abandoned　wherever　they　stopped；　or　wherever　the　tracks　were　torn　up；　engineers　and　crews　were　murdered　wherever　they　were　caught。　Desperate　hunger　soon　followed　the　stoppage　of　traffic。
　　Katrina　said：　〃Everyone　here　expected　the　Chinese　to　intervene；　to　invade；　and　we　knew　we　could　not　stop　them。　Brian；　our　country　had　lost　or　abandoned　twenty　million　men　overseas；　we　were　helpless　before　any　invader。　But　they　did　not　e。　I　thank　God　they　did　not　e。　They　were　prevented　from　ing　when　the　Soviet　turned　on　them　in　a　holy　war　in　the　name　of　munism：　that　long；　long　border　dispute　burst　into　open　warfare　and　the　Russians　drove　on　Lop　Nor。〃　She　made　a　little　gesture　of　futility。　〃We　never　learned　what　happened；　we　never　learned　the　oute　of　anything　in　Europe。　Perhaps　they　are　still　fighting；　if　anyone　is　left　alive　to　fight。　Our　contact　with　the　Continent　was　lost；　and　has　never　been　restored　to　our　knowledge。　We　lost　contact　with　that　military　group　in　Virginia　when　the　electricity　failed。　We　were　alone。〃
　　He　said　in　wonder：　〃Israel；　Egypt；　Australia；　Britain；　Russia；　China…all　of　them：　the　world。〃
　　〃All　of　them；〃　she　repeated　with　a　dull　fatigue。　〃And　our　troops　were　wasted　in　nearly　every　one　of　them；　thrown　away　by　a　man　with　a　monumental　ego。　Not　more　than　a　handful　of　those　troops　ever　returned。　We　were　done。〃
　　Chaney　said：　〃I　guess　the　mander　came　up　at　the　end…seventeen　months　later。〃
　　〃Arthur　emerged　from　the　TDV　on　his　target　date；　just　past　the　end　of　it：　the　beginning　of　the　second　winter　after　the　rebellion。　We　think　the　rebellion　had　ended；　spent　and　exhausted　on　its　own　fury。　We　think　the　men　who　assaulted　him　at　the　gatehouse　were　stragglers；　survivors　who　had　managed　through　the　first　winter。　He　said　those　men　were　as　surprised　by　his　appearance；　as　he　was　by　theirs；　they　might　have　fled　if　he　had　not　cornered　them。〃　Katrina　laced　her　fingers　on　the　tabletop　in　familiar　gesture　and　looked　at　him。　〃We　saw　a　few　armed　bands　roaming　the　countryside　that　second　winter。　We　repaired　the　fence；　stood　guard；　but　were　not　again　molested：　Arthur　put　out　warnings