The little decisions pile one atop another until the Big Decision must come. Men must live or die. Empires must rise or fall. The Big Decision. When it comes, it is only a little thing after all. Among the great sweeps of history, among the massive forces moving races and empires toward success or extinction, one man can make all the difference. A man is an insignificant thing. But so is a mote of dust. And if the scales are delicate, if they are perfectly balanced, a mote will bear down one pan as certainly as a lump of lead. A mote or a man.… 17 LIVING SYMBOL As they leaped forward, Horn realized that he and Redblade could get past the falling door without trouble; but few of the men behind would be able to follow. They would be trapped back there with the gas, and two men would be helpless against the fortress guards. And Redblade was under the door, reaching up to catch it as it descended, cushioning it slowly to a stop. His muscles cracked. His legs trembled under the strain; cloth ripped as his chest expanded and his back tightened.
