began pacing again in
nervous irritation.

"Sam, those on top want to stay there. Like always. They freeze things
so they, and their kids, will remain on top. In our case, they've made
it all but impossible for anybody to progress from the caste they were
born in. Not impossible, but almost. They've got to allow for the man
with extraordinary ability, like, to bust out to the top, if he's got
it on the ball. Otherwise, there'd be an explosion."

"That's not the way they say in school."

"It sure isn't. The story is that anybody can make Upper-Upper if he
has the ability. But the thing is, Sam, you can't make a jerk realize
he's a jerk. If he sees somebody else rise in caste, he can't see why
he shouldn't. That's why real rising has been restricted to Category
Military and Category Religion. In the military, a man gives up his
security, obviously, and if he's a jerk he dies.

"In Category Religion they've got another way to sort out the jerks
and make sure they never get further than monk and beyond the caste of
High-Lower. Gods always work in mysterious ways and anybody in
Category Religion who doesn't have faith in the wisdom of the God's
mysterious choices of who to ordain and who to reject, obviously shows
that he's not really got the _true faith_ which is, of course,
essential to a priest, not to speak of bishop or ultra-bishop. So
obviously, the Gods were wise in rejecting him. In simpler words, the
would-be priest who simply hasn't got what it takes, can be given the
heave-ho without it being necessary for him, or his family or friends,
to understand why. It's all very simple; he lacked the humility
essential in a priest of the Gods, as proven by his rebellious
reaction."

Sam said, unhappily, "I don't get all this."

Freddy Soligen came to a pause before the boy, sat down again abruptly
and patted his son's knee. "You're young, Sam. Too young to understand
some of it. Trust your father. Stick to your studies now. You have to
get the basic gobbledygook. But you're on your way up the ladder, son.
I've got a deal cooking that's going to give us an in. Can't tell you
about it now, but it's going to mean an important break for us."

It was then that the door announced, "Major Joseph Mauser, calling on
Fredric Soligen."

IV

Joe Mauser shook hands with the Telly reporter in an abrupt, impatient
manner.

Freddy said, "Major, I'd like to introduce my son, Samuel. Sam, this
is Major Joe Mauser. You don't