Zen! What nonsense."

Balt Haer was smirking sourly at her. "The theory today is, Nadine, old
thing, that professionals such as the captain are gathering experience
in case a serious fracas with the Sovs ever develops. Meanwhile his
training is kept at a fine edge fighting in our inter-corporation,
inter-union, or union-corporation fracases that develop in our private
enterprise society."

She laughed her scorn. "And what a theory! Limited to the weapons which
prevailed before 1900. If there was ever real conflict between the
Sov-world and our own, does anyone really believe either would stick to
such arms? Why, aircraft, armored vehicles, yes, and nuclear weapons and
rockets, would be in overnight use."

Joe was fascinated by her furious attack. He said, "Then, what would you
say was the purpose of the fracases, Miss--"

"Circuses," she snorted. "The old Roman games, all over again, and a
hundred times worse. Blood and guts sadism. The quest of a frustrated
person for satisfaction in another's pain. Our Lowers of today are as
useless and frustrated as the Roman proletariat and potentially they're
just as dangerous as the mob that once dominated Rome. Automation, the
second industrial revolution, has eliminated for all practical purposes
the need for their labor. So we give them bread and circuses. And every
year that goes by the circuses must be increasingly sadistic, death on
an increasing scale, or they aren't satisfied. Once it was enough to
have fictional mayhem, cowboys and Indians, gangsters, or G.I.s versus
the Nazis, Japs or Commies, but that's passed. Now we need _real_ blood
and guts."

Baron Haer snapped finally, "All right, Nadine. We've heard this lecture
before. I doubt if the captain is interested, particularly since you
don't seem to be able to get beyond the protesting stage and have yet to
come up with an answer."

"I have an answer!"

"Ah?" Balt Haer raised his eyebrows, mockingly.

"Yes! Overthrow this silly status society. Resume the road to progress.
Put our people to useful endeavor, instead of sitting in front of their
Telly sets, taking trank pills to put them in a happy daze and watching
sadistic fracases to keep them in thrills, and their minds from their
condition."

Joe had figured on keeping out of the controversy with this firebrand,
but now, really interested, he said, "Progress to where?"

She must have caught in his tone that he wasn't needling. She frowned at
him. "I don'