Transcriber's Note:
This etext was produced from Fantastic Universe May 1954. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
rastignac the devil
by ... Philip José Farmer
Enslaved by a triangular powered despotism—one lone mansets his sights to the Six Bright Stars and eventual freedomof his world.
After the Apocalyptic War, the decimated remnants of the Frenchhuddled in the Loire Valley were gradually squeezed between two newand growing nations. The Colossus to the north was unfriendly andobviously intended to absorb the little New France. The Colossus tothe south was friendly and offered to take the weak state into itsconfederation of republics as a full partner.
A number of proud and independent French citizens feared that eventhe latter alternative meant the eventual transmutation of theirtongue, religion and nationality into those of their southernneighbor. Seeking a way of salvation, they built six huge space-shipsthat would hold thirty thousand people, most of whom would be in deepfreeze until they reached their destination. The six vessels then setoff into interstellar space to find a planet that would be as muchlike Earth as possible.
That was in the 22nd Century. Over three hundred and fifty yearspassed before Earth heard of them again. However, we are not hereconcerned with the home world but with the story of a man of thatpioneer group who wanted to leave the New Gaul and sail again to thestars....
Rastignac had no Skin. He was, nevertheless, happier than he had beensince the age of five.
He was as happy as a man can be who lives deep under the ground.Underground organizations are often under the ground. They are formedinto cells. Cell Number One usually contains the leader of theunderground.
Jean-Jacques Rastignac, chief of the Legal Underground of the Kingdomof L'Bawpfey, was literally in a cell beneath the surface of theearth. He was in jail.
For a dungeon, it wasn't bad. He had two cells. One was deep insidethe building proper, built into the wall so that he could sit in itwhen he wanted to retreat from the sun or the rain. The adjoining cellwas at the bottom of a well whose top was covered with a grille ofthin steel bars. Here he spent most of his waking hours. Forced tolook upwards if he wanted to see the sky or the stars, Rastignacsuffered from a chronic stiff neck.
Several times during the day he had visitors. They were allowed tobend over the grille and talk down to him. A guard, one of the King'smucketeers,[1] stood by as a censor.
[1] Mucketeer is the best translation of the 26th centuryFrench noun foutriquet, pronounced vfeutwikey.
When night came, Rastignac ate the meal let down by ropes on aplatform. Then another of the King's mucketeers stood by with drawnépée until he had fin