Robots and Empire

87

To Gladia, it seemed that each time she moved into another scene, it grew worse—more people, more noise, more confusing light, more invasion of every sense perception.

There was shouting. She could hear her own name being shouted out. With difficulty, she overcame her own tendency to retreat and become immobile. She lifted her arm and waved it and smiled and the shouting became louder, someone began to speak, his voice booming out over the loudspeaker system, his image on a large screen high above them so that it could be visible to all the crowd. Undoubtedly, it was also visible on i

Gladia sighed with relief at having someone else in the spotlight. She tried to shrink within herself and let the sound of the speaker distract the attention of the crowd.

Secretary-General Andrev, seeking cover under the voice, even as Gladia did, was rather thankful that, in giving precedence to Gladia, it had not seemed necessary for him to speak on this occasion. He suddenly remembered the message he had pocketed.

He frowned in sudden disturbance over what it might be that warranted the interruption of so important a ceremony and then experienced a reverse feeling of intense irritation over the fact that it would probably prove to be utterly unimportant.

He pressed the ball of his right thumb hard, against the slight concavity, designed to accept the pressure and the capsule opened. He removed the thin piece of plastipaper, read the message it contained, and then watched it crumble and fragment. He brushed away the impalpable powder that remained and gestured imperiously to D.G.

It was scarcely necessary to whisper under the conditions of the vast and continuing noise in the square.

Andrev said, “You said you encountered an Auroran war vessel within the space of the Solar System.”

“Yes—and I imagine Earth’s sensors detected it.”

“Of course they did. You said there were no hostile actions on either side.”

“No weapon was used. They demanded Madam Gladia and her robots. I refused and they left. I explained all this.”

“How long did it all take?”

“Not very long. Several hours.”

“You mean that Aurora sent a warship just to argue back and forth with you for a couple of hours and then leave.”

D.G. shrugged. “Secretary General, I don’t know their motivations. I can only report what happened.”

The Secretary-General stared at him haughtily. “But you do not report all that happened. The information of the sensors has now been thoroughly analyzed by computer and it would seem that you attacked.”

“I did not fire a kilowatt of energy, sir.”

“Have you considered kinetic energy? You used the ship itself as a projectile.”

“So it may have seemed to them. They did not choose to withstand me and call, what might have been a bluff.”

“But was it a bluff?”

“It might have been.”

“It seems to me, Captain, that you were ready to destroy two ships inside the Solar System and perhaps create a war crisis. That was a terrible chance to take.”

“I did not think it would come to actual destruction and it didn’t.”

“But, the whole process delayed you and occupied your attention.”

“Yes, I suppose so, but why are you pointing this out?”

“Because our sensors did observe one thing you did not observe—or, at any rate, did not report.”

“What might that be, Secretary-General?”

“It caught the launching of an orbital module, which seems to have had two human beings on board and which descended toward Earth.”

The two were immersed in a world of their own. No other human being on the balcony was paying any attention to them. Only the two robots flanking D.G. were staring at them and listening.

It was at this point that the speaker ceased, his last words being, “Lady Gladia, born a Spacer on the world of Solaria, living as a Spacer on the world of Aurora, but becoming a Citizen of the Galaxy on the Settler world of Baleyworld.” He turned to her and gestured expansively, “Lady Gladia—”

The sound of the crowd became a long, happy rumble and the many-headed crowd became a forest of waving arms. Gladia felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and heard a voice in her ear that said, “Please. A few words, my lady.”

Gladia said weakly, “People of Earth.” The words boomed out and, unca

Applause swelled and someone on the balcony said to someone else, “She’s making them happy they’re shortlived. That Spacer woman has the impudence of a devil.”

Andrev was not paying attention. He said to D.G., “The whole episode with you may have been a device to get those men on Earth.”

D.G. said, “I had no way of knowing that. I could think of very little else but saving Lady Gladia and my ship. Where have they landed?”

“We don’t know. They have not landed in any of the City spaceports.”

D.G. said, “I guess they wouldn’t.”

“Not that it matters,” said the Secretary-General, “except, to give me passing a

D.G. rubbed his beard with a rasping noise. “And yet their intentions might not be to do us any good whatever.”

(Gladia was saying, “I wish you all well on this world of human origin, on this well-packed special world, and in this marvel of a City—” and acknowledged the gathering applause with a smile and a wave as she stood there and allowed the enthusiasm to catch—and gather.)

Andrev raised his voice, to be heard over the clamor of the crowd. “Whatever their intentions, it can come to nothing. The peace that has descended on Earth since the Spacers withdrew and Settlement began is unbreakable within and without. For many decades now, the wilder spirits among ourselves have been leaving for the Settler worlds so that a spirit such as yours, Captain, which can dare risk the destruction of two vessels within the space of the Solar system is not to be found on Earth. There is no substantial level of crime on Earth any longer, no violence. The security guards assigned to control this crowd have no weapons because they have no need for any.”

And as he spoke, from the anonymity of the vast crowd a blaster pointed upward toward the balcony and was carefully aimed.