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the representative of the Justice Administration approached him. “Inspector,” he said, “many of the spectators here have no right to be here. Security forces are on their way to deal with the situation. The trial should go as scheduled.”
    Ross nodded. So he had been right. Something was afoot.
    The trial began with a short delay. The security forces had pushed back the unauthorised onlookers, and the Justice spokesman addressed the others. “This district’s Inspector has performed superior work. A citizen living in the building behind me proved to be in possession of illegal organic material. This man jeopardised the safety of everyone living in the City. There can be only one sentence for such behaviour.”
    Uniformed men appeared, dragging along the man responsible for this crime. Before the speaker could continue, the man struggled free of one of the guards, raised his arm and shouted, “Freedom! Freedom!” Within seconds the guards held him in a stranglehold and forced him to silence. However, the crowd picked up his cry and started chanting, “Freedom! Freedom!”
    “These people have no right to be here,” the Justice representative shouted. “They’re disturbing a trial. I want that crowd dispersed.”
    The moment the Security Forces charged, the crowd came rushing forward. As the latter largely outnumbered the former, Ross and the other higher level workers were quickly surrounded by angry workers, yelling unintelligible insults and threats. Ross managed to run off, but saw how the Justice representative was beaten up badly by a few workers, and how others tried to liberate the criminal. As Ross fled to safety, he noted that Security reinforcements were hurrying to the scene of the trial.
    The riots lasted for a few hours, and a lot of damage was done. Several official vehicles were overturned and set aflame, and two City Council buildings were completely thrashed. A large number of people were injured, but ultimately Security managed to regain control of the district. Although many of the protesters escaped, a fair number were arrested and sent to prison. No more public trials were organised, as the Council considered a “swift and efficient administrative procedure should temporarily be sufficient in these times of crisis”. The City Council issued a warning that no one was authorised to be out on the streets except for official business, such as going to or returning from work. Any infringement would be punished instantly.
    The fear that the riots would spread and the rebels might grab their chance to seize control proved wrong. There were a few more isolated incidents in various districts, even in the women’s quarters, but Security forces managed to re-establish law and order all over the City in a matter of days by brute repression. The Council issued a statement to all citizens, reassuring them that a rebel movement had tried in vain to overthrow the authorities and unleash the reign of chaos, but that there was no danger anymore.
    For a few more days an almost tangible tension hung in the air. In the morning, as Ross went out for his first inspection round, he expected to see people out on the streets, ready to wreak havoc, but everything was as it used to be. The City’s Security Forces had demonstrated they had the power to deal with any crisis. The revolution had been nipped in the bud. The City Council was still the supreme ruler of the city, and would evidently remain in power for a long time.
    Several days went by and life in the City returned to normal. Grey clouds dominated the sky, and the rain was at a minimal level. Inspection rounds as a rule did not turn up any “invaders”. The food supplies had been cleared of “undesired contaminants” and the rations had been lifted. The only place which still suffered from a food shortage was the overflowing prison, densely overpopulated since the recent events.
    No official statements were given about the living conditions in the