international trade. He wasbeginning to understand at least one of the reasons why the Commiescould sell their products at such ridiculously low prices. Automationbeyond that of the West. In the Soviet complex the labor unions werein no position to block the introduction of ultra-efficient methods,and featherbedding was unheard of. If a Russian worker's job was_automated_ out from under him, he shifted to a new plant, a new job,and possibly even learned a new trade. The American worker's union, tothe contrary, did its best to save the job.
Hank Kuran remembered reading, a few months earlier, of a Britishtextile company which had attempted to introduce a whole line of newautomation equipment. The unions had struck, and the company had togive up the project. What happened to the machinery? It was sold toChina!
Following the orders of his underground contact, he begged out of theafternoon tour, as did half a dozen of the others. Sightseeing was ashard on the feet in Moscow as anywhere else.
After lunch he looked up Sovietska Park on his tourist map of thecity. It was handy enough. A few blocks up Gorky Street.
It turned out to be typical. Well done so far as fountains, monumentsand gardens were concerned. Well equipped with park benches. In theearly afternoon it was by no means empty, but, on the other hand notnearly so filled as he'd noticed the parks to be the evening before.
Hank stopped at one of the numerous cold drink stands where for a fewkopecks you could get raspberry syrup fizzed up with soda water. Whilehe sipped it, a teen-ager came up beside him and said in passableEnglish, "Excuse me, are you a tourist? Do you speak English?"
This had happened before. Another kid practicing his school language.
"That's right," Hank said.
The boy said, "You aren't a ham, are you?" He brought some cards froman inner pocket. "I'm UA3-KAR."
For a moment Hank looked at him blankly, and then he recognized theamateur radio call cards the other was displaying. "Oh, a _ham_. Well,no, but I have a cousin who is."
Two more youngsters came up. "What's his call?"
Hank didn't remember that. They all adjourned to a park bench andlittle though he knew about the subject, international amateur radiowas discussed in detail. In fifteen minutes he was hemmed in by adozen or so and had about decided he'd better make his excuses andcirculate around making himself available to the _stilyagi_ outfit. Hewas searching for an excuse to shake them when the one sitting next tohim reverted to Russian.
"We're clear now, Henry Kuran."
Hank said, "I'll be damned. I hadn't any idea--"
The other brushed aside trivialities. Looking at him more closely,Hank could see he was older than first estimate. Possibly twenty-twoor so. Darker than most of the others, heavy-set, sharp and impatient.
"You can call me Georgi," he said. "These others will preventoutsiders from bothering us. Now then, we've been told you Americanswant some assistance. What? And why should we give it to you?"
Hank said, worriedly, "Haven't you some place we could go? Where Icould meet one of your higher-ups? This is important."
"Otherwise, I wouldn't be here," Georgi said impatiently. "For thatmatter there is no higher-up. We don't have ranks; we're a workingdemocracy. And I'm afraid the day of the secret room in some cellar ispast. With housing what it is, if there was an empty cellar in Moscowa family would move in. And remember, all buildings are State ownedand operated. I'm afraid you'll have to tell your story here. Now,what is it you want?"
"I want an opportunity to meet the Galactic Confederation emissaries."
"Why?"
"To give them our side, the Western side, of the ... well, thecontroversy between us and the Soviet complex. We want an opportunityto have our say before they make any permanent treaties."
Georgi considered that. "We thought it was probably somethingsimilar," he muttered. "What do you think it will accomplish?"
"At least a delaying action. If the extraterrestrials throw theirweight, their scientific progress, into the balance on the side of theSoviet complex, the West will have lost the cold war. Every neutral inthe world will jump on the bandwagon. International trade, sources ofraw materials, will be a thing of the past. Without a shot beingfired, we'd become second-rate powers overnight."
Georgi said nothing for a long moment. A new youngster had drifted upto the group but one of those on the outskirts growled something athim and he went off again. Evidently, Hank decided, all of thisdozen-odd cluster of youngsters were connected with the jet-setunderground.
"All right, you want us to help you in the conflict between the Sovietgovernment and the West," Georgi said. "Why should we?"
Hank frowned at him. "You're the anti-government movement. You'rerevolutionists and want to overthrow the Soviet government."
The other said impatiently, "Don't read something into ourorganization that isn't here. We don't exist for your benefit, but ourown."
"But you wish to overthrow the Soviets and establish a democratic--"
Georgi was waggling an impatient hand. "That word democratic has beenso misused this past half century that it's become all butmeaningless. Look here, we wish to overthrow the present Sovietgovernment, but that doesn't mean we expect to establish one modeledto yours. We're Russians. Our problems are Russian ones. Most of themyou aren't familiar with--any more than we're familiar with yourAmerican ones."
"However, you want to destroy the Soviets," Hank pursued.
"Yes," Georgi growled, "but that doesn't necessarily mean that we wish_you_ to win this cold war, as the term goes. That is, just becausewe're opposed to the Soviet government doesn't mean we like yours. Butyou make a point. If the Galactic Confederation gives all-out supportto the Soviet bureaucracy it might strengthen it to the point wherethey could remain in office indefinitely."
* * * * *
Hank pressed the advantage. "Right. You'd never overthrow them then."
"On the other hand," Georgi muttered uncomfortably, "we're notinterested in giving you Americans an opportunity that would enableyou to collapse the whole fabric of this country and its allies."
"Look here," Hank said. "In the States we seem to know surprisinglylittle about your movement. Just what _do_ you expect to accomplish?"
"To make it brief, we wish to enjoy the product of the sacrifices ofthe past fifty years. If you recall your Marx"--he twisted his facehere in wry amusement--"the idea was that the State was to wither awayonce Socialism was established. Instead of withering away, it hasbecome increasingly strong. This was explained by the early Bolsheviksin a fairly reasonable manner. Socialism presupposes a highlyindustrialized economy. It's not possible in a primitive nor even afeudalistic society. So our Communist bureaucracy remained in thesaddle through a period of transition. The task was to industrializethe Soviet countries in a matter of decades where it had taken theCapitalist nations a century or two."
Georgi shrugged. "I've never heard of a governing class giving up itsonce acquired power of its own accord, no matter how incompetent theymight be."
Hank said, "I wouldn't call the Soviet government incompetent."
"Then you'd be wrong," the other said. "Progress had been made butoften in spite of the bureaucracy, not because of it. In the earlydays it wasn't so obvious, but as we develop the rule of the politicalbureaucrat becomes increasingly a hindrance. Politicians can't operateindustries and they can't supervise laboratories. To the extent ourscientist and technicians are interfered with by politicians, to thatextent we are held up in our progress. Surely you've heard of theLysenko matter?"
"He was the one who evolved the anti-Mendelian theory of genetics,fifteen or twenty years ago."
"Correct," Georgi snorted. "Acquired characteristics could be handeddown by heredity. It took the Academy of Agricultural Science at leasta decade to dispose of him. Why? Because his theories fitted intoStalin's political beliefs." The underground spokesman snorted again.
Hank had the feeling they were drifting from the subject. "Then youwant to overthrow the Communist bureau
cracy?"
"Yes, but that is only part of the story. Overthrowing it withoutsomething to replace the bureaucracy is a negative approach. We haveno interest in a return to Czarist Russia, even if that were possible,and it isn't. We want to profit by what has happened in these years ofultra-sacrifice, not to destroy everything. The day of rule bypoliticians is antiquated, we look forward to the future." He seemedto switch subjects. "Do you remember Djilas' book which he wrote inone of Tito's prisons, "The New Class"?"
"Vaguely. I read the reviews. It was a best seller in the States sometime ago."
Georgi made with his characteristic snort. "It was a best sellerhere--in underground circles. At any rate, that explains much. Ourbureaucracy, no matter what its ideals might have been to begin with,has developed into a new class of its own. Russia sacrifices tosurpass the West--but our bureaucrats don't. In Lenin's day thecommissar was paid the same as the average worker, but today we havebureaucrats as wealthy as Western millionaires."
Hank said, "Of course, these are your problems. I don't pretend tohave too clear a picture of them. However, it seems to me we have amutual enemy. Right at this moment it appears that they are to receivesome support that will strengthen them. I suggest you co-operate withme in hopes they'll be thwarted."
For the first time a near smile appeared on the young Russian's face."A ludicrous situation. We have here a Russian revolutionaryorganization devoted to the _withering away_ the Russian CommunistState. To gain its ends, it co-operates with a Capitalist country'sagent." His grin broadened. "I suspect that neither Nicolai Lenin norKarl Marx ever pictured such contingencies."
Hank said, "I wouldn't know I'm not up on my Marxism. I'm afraid thatwhen I went to school academic circles weren't inclined in thatdirection." He returned the Russian's wry smile.
Which only set the other off again. "Academic circles!" he snorted."Sterile in both our countries. All professors of economics in theSoviet countries are Marxists. On the other hand, no Americanprofessor would admit to this. Coincidence? Suppose an Americanteacher was a convinced Marxist. Would he openly and honestly teachhis beliefs? Suppose a Russian wasn't? Would he?" Georgi slapped hisknee with a heavy hand and stood up. "I'll speak to various others.We'll let you know."
Hank said, "Wait. How long is this going to take? And _can_ you helpme if you want to? Where are these extraterrestrials?"
Georgi looked down at him. "They're in the Kremlin. How closelyguarded we don't know, but we can find out."
"The Kremlin," Hank said. "I was hoping they stayed in their ownship."
"Rumor has it that they're quartered in the _Bolshoi KremlevskiDvorets_, the Great Kremlin Palace. We'll contact you later--perhaps."He stuck his hands in his pockets and strode away, in all appearancejust one more pedestrian without anywhere in particular to go.
One of the younger boys, the ham who had first approached Hank, smiledand said, "Perhaps we can talk a bit more of radio?"
"Yeah," Hank muttered, "Swell."
* * * * *
The next development came sooner than Henry Kuran had expected. Infact, before the others returned from their afternoon tour of thecity. Hank was sprawled in one of the king-sized easy-chairs, turningwhat little he had to work on over in his mind. The principaldecisions to make were, first, how long to wait on the assistance ofthe _stilyagi_, and, if that wasn't forthcoming, what steps to take onhis own. The second prospect stumped him. He hadn't the vaguest ideawhat he could accomplish singly.
He wasn't even sure where the space aliens were. _The BolshoiKremlevski Dvorets_, Georgi had said. But was that correct, and, ifso, where was the _Bolshoi Kremlevski Dvorets_ and how did you getinto it? For that matter, how did you get inside the Kremlin walls?
Under his breath he cursed Sheridan Hennessey. Why had he allowedhimself to be dragooned into this? By all criteria it was thedesperate clutching of a drowning man for a straw. He had no way toknow, for instance, if he did reach the space emissaries, that hecould even communicate with them.
He caught himself wishing he was back in Peru arguing with hesitantSouth Americans over the relative values of American and Sovietcomplex commodities--and then he laughed at himself.
There was a knock at the door.
Hank came wearily to his feet, crossed and opened it.
She still wore too much make-up, the American sweater and the flaredheel shoes. And her eyes were still cool and alert. She slid past him,let her eyes go around the room quickly. "You are alone?" she said inRussian, but it was more a statement than question.
Hank closed the door behind them. He scowled at her, put a finger tohis lips and then went through an involved pantomime to indicatelooking for a microphone. He raised his eyebrows at her.
She laughed and shook her head. "No microphones."
"How do you know?"
"We know. We have contacts here in the hotel. If the KGB had to putmicrophones in the rooms of every tourist in Moscow, they'd have toincrease their number by ten times. In spite of your western ideas tothe contrary, it just isn't done. There are exceptions, of course, butthere has to be some reason for it."
"Perhaps I'm an exception." Hank didn't like this at all. The C.I.A.men had been of the opinion that the KGB was once again thoroughlychecking on every foreigner.
"If the KGB is already onto you, Henry Kuran, then you might as wellgive up. Your mission is already a failure."
"I suppose so. Will you have a chair? Can I offer you a drink? Myroommate has a bottle of Stolichnaya vodka which he brought from theboat."
There was an amused light in her eyes even as she shook her head."Your friend Paco is quite a man--so I understand. But no, I am herefor business." She took one of the armchairs and Hank sank intoanother opposite her.
"The committee has decided to assist you to the point they can."
"Fine." Hank leaned forward.
"Tomorrow your Progressive Tours group is to have a conducted tour ofthe Kremlin museum, Ivan the Great's Tower, and the AssumptionCathedral."
"In the _Kremlin_?"
She was impatient. "The Kremlin is considerably larger than mostWesterners seem to realize. Originally it was the whole city. TheKremlin walls are more then two kilometers long. In them are a greatdeal more than just government offices. Among other things, theKremlin has one of the greatest museums and probably the largest inthe world."
"What I meant was, with the space emissaries there, will tours stillbe held?"
"They _are_ being held. It would be too conspicuous to stop them evenif there was any reason to." She frowned and shook her head. "Justbecause you will be inside the Kremlin walls doesn't mean that youwill be sitting in the lap of the extraterrestrials. They are probablywell guarded in the palace. We don't know to what extent."
Hank said, "Then how can you help me?"
"Only in a limited way." She pulled a folder paper from her purse."Here is a map of the Kremlin, and here one of the Palace. Both ofthese date from Czarist days but such things as the general layout ofthe Kremlin and the _Bolshoi Kremlevski Dvorets_ do not change ofcourse."
"Do you know where the extraterrestrials are?"
"We're not sure. The palace was built in the Seventeenth Century andwas popular with various czars. It has been a museum for some time. Wesuspect that the Galactic Confederation delegates are housed in the_Sobstvennaya Plovina_ which used to be the private apartments ofNicolas the First. It is quite define that the conferences are beingheld in the _Gheorghievskaya sala_; it's the largest and mostimpressive room in the Kremlin."
Hank stared at the two maps feeling a degree of dismay.
She said impatiently, "We can help you more than this. One of theregular guide-guards at the facade which leads to the main entrance ofthe palace is a member of our group. Here are your instructions."
They spent another fifteen minutes going over the details, then sheshot a quick glance at her watch and came to her feet. "Is everythingclear ... comrade?"
Hank frowned slightly at
the use of the word, then understood. "Ithink so, and thanks ... comrade." He, as well as she, meant the termin its original sense.
He followed her to the door but before his hand touched the knob, itopened inwardly. Paco stood there, and behind him in the corridor wasChar Moore.
The girl turned to Hank quickly, reached up and kissed him on themouth and said, in English, "Good-bye, dollink." She winked at Paco,swept past Char and was gone.
Paco looked after her appreciatively, back at Hank and said, "Ah, ha.You are quite a dog after all, eh?"
Char Moore's face was blank. She mumbled something to the effect of,"See you later," directed seemingly to both of them, and went on toher room.
Hank said, "Damn!"
Paco closed the door behind him. "What's the matter, my friend?" hegrinned. "Are you attempting to play two games at once?"
* * * * *
The morning tour was devoted to Red Square and the Kremlin.Immediately after breakfast they formed a column with two or threeother tourist parties and were marched briskly to