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“This is my first time,” apologized the other. “I was fascinated.”
That was true enough, if you thought of it in a certain way. Fascinated, horrified, shocked, disgusted. He saw that the great man was staring at him sardonically.
“You League men are all the same,” Enro said. “A bunch of cowardl—” He stopped. He seemed to think better of his harsh indictment. “Peaceable!” he said.
“You must remember,” the ambassador said coolly, “that the League was organized by the nineteen galactic empires at a time when they were destroying each other in futile and indecisive wars. Peace is the trade of the League, and, like all institutions, it has gradually created men who actually think peace.”
“Sometimes,” said Enro proudly, “I believe I prefer war, however destructive.”
The League officer said nothing, and presently Enro ceased chewing on his lower lip and said curtly, “Well, what is it you wish?”
The ambassador began diplomatically, “We have recently discovered that your transportation ministry has been overzealous.”
“In what way?”
“The case to which I refer is that of a sun system called Sol by its dominant inhabitants.”
“The name does not strike a memory chord,” Enro said coldly.
The ambassador bowed. “It will undoubtedly be on record in your department, and the problem is very simple. A transit base was established there by your transport department about five hundred years ago without permission from the League. Sol is one of the systems discovered after the agreements were signed respecting the exploration and exploitation of new-found stars.”
“Hm-m!” The red one’s gaze was even more sardonic, and the ambassador thought, Enro did know about Sol! Enro said, “And are you going to give us permission to keep the base there?”
“It must be dismantled and removed,” the League man said firmly, “as prescribed by the articles of the League charter.”
“It seems a very minor affair,” said Enro thoughtfully. “Leave a memorandum with my transport secretary and I will have it looked into.”
“But the base will be dismantled?” said the ambassador determinedly.
Enro was cool. “Not necessarily. After all, if it’s been there a long time, it might cause considerable dislocation to the transport department to have it removed. If that is so, we will take the matter up with the League and seek confirmation of our position there. Such incidents are bound to happen in vast stellar organizations. They must be handled in a progressive and elastic fashion.”
It was the smaller man’s turn to be sardonic. “I’m sure Your Excellency would be the first to protest if some other empire accidentally added a star system to its possessions. The League attitude is very clear. Those who made the mistake must rectify it.”
Enro was scowling. “We will take the matter up at the next League session.”
“But that is a year away.”
Enro seemed not to hear. “I seem to remember something about this system now. Very bloodthirsty inhabitants, if my memory serves me correctly. Disorder or war of some kind going on there right now.”
He smiled grimly. “We shall ask permission to reestablish order. I am sure that the League delegates will not object to that.”
XXVIII
Somberly, Gosseyn watched as his enemy strode into the bedroom. It would be Thorson rather than Crang. Even Prescott would have been preferable. But Thorson it was—looming giant of a man with gray-green eyes, strong, heavy face, and dominating hawk nose. His lips twisted the faintest bit. His nostrils dilated and contracted noticeably as he breathed. His head bent slightly to the right as he motioned Gosseyn to a chair. He did not sit down himself. He said with a show of concern, “Did the fall hurt?”
Gosseyn dismissed the question with a shrug. “No.”
“Good.”
There was silence. Gosseyn had time to collect himself. His bitterness over his recapture began to fade. It couldn’t be helped. A man in an enemy stronghold was at a disadvantage and continuously in danger. Even if he had known for certain that there were ambushes, he could only have gone forward as he had done.
He braced to the situation. He thought back over his relationship with Thorson, and it was not as violent as it might have been. The man had yielded several times in his favor. He had refrained from murdering him out of hand. He had even been persuaded to free him. That would probably not happen again, but the danger from Thorson would never be fixed and unchanging so long as he had tongue to speak. He waited.
Thorson stroked his chin. “Gosseyn,” he said, “the attack on Venus has reached a curious stage. If conditions were normal, it might even be said to have failed. . . . Ah, I thought that would interest you. But whether the failure stands or not depends entirely on how receptive you are to an idea I have in mind.”
“Failed!” echoed Gosseyn. At that point he had stopped listening. He thought, “I couldn’t have heard him correctly.” Slowly, then, the meaning pressed upon him, and still he could not bring himself to believe. A hundred times he had tried to picture the invasion of Venus: The planet of colossal trees and perpetually marvelous climate attacked everywhere at once! Men dropping from the skies in such numbers that all the hazy heavens over cities he himself had never seen would be darkened by their falling shapes! Unarmed millions surprised by trained soldiers equipped with every conceivable type of weapon in unlimited quantities! It seemed incredible that such an assault had already failed.
Thorson said slowly, “No one but myself realizes the failure as yet, except possibly”—he hesitated—“Crang.” He stood frowning for a moment as at a secret thought. “Gosseyn, if you had been pla
Gosseyn hesitated. He had had a few thoughts about the defense of Venus, but he had no intention of telling Thorson. “I haven’t the faintest idea,” he said.
“What would you have done if you had been caught in the assault?”
“Why, I’d have headed for the nearest forest.”
“Suppose you were married? What would you have done with your wife and children?”
“They’d have come with me, of course.” He was begi
Thorson cursed. He smashed his right fist into his left palm. “But what would be the idea of that?” He said angrily. “Nobody takes women and children into the open. Our men had orders to treat the populace with consideration and respect, except where there was resistance.”
Gosseyn nodded, but couldn’t speak for a moment. There were tears in his eyes, tears of excitement and also of the first realization of the heavy losses that must already have been sustained. He said uneasily, “Their problem would have been to get hold of guns. How did they do that?”
Thorson groaned, and paced the floor. “It’s fantastic,” he said. He shrugged, walked over to a wall instrument, touched a dial, and then stepped back. “You might as well get that picture straightened out before we go any further.”
As he finished, the room darkened. A square patch of light brightened the wall. The light changed, deepened; the picture that formed took on a developing reality. To Gosseyn came the impression they were looking out of a window onto a noisy, troubled day scene. The window, and they with it, moved forward, turned, and showed towering trees to one side and on the level ground below men sleeping. Men by the thousands. They wore green uniforms of very light material. They looked strange, so many of them sleeping in the light of day. They kept stirring, tossing in their sleep, and there was never a moment when scores of them were not sitting up, rubbing their eyes, and then sinking back again to sleep some more.