Battlefield Earth Part 122

Jonnie had been avoiding it a bit. They had not yet succeeded at Castle Rock and he knew that trying to pry Sir Robert loose was going to take some doing. He had even wondered whether he couldn't get Lord Fowljopan to put off the signing a day. Sir Robert was going to be a handful.

Even so, he put the call out and got busy arranging for all prisoners to be put down at Balmoral Castle about fifty miles to the west of Aberdeen, easily found from the air because of three noticeable peaks nearby, because of a river, and because it itself was a prominent ruin. It was only about fifty miles from Aberdeen on a road that was in fair condition, but Thor said he could pick any up in a marine attack plane and get them to the hospital at Aberdeen if they needed it. Jonnie gave him some precautions and then went out and got the Hawvin emissary, who seemed to be the contact now with the orbiting fleet, and gave him a trace map so he could transmit it to the Hawvin commander. They said they could do it this afternoon without waiting for the final signatures. n.o.body knew how many prisoners there were but they'd be flown down in different launchcraft. Jonnie left it up to them and to Thor in Scotland.

Doing all that had given him a pretty distinct impression that things were very hectic around Edinburgh and he was even less inclined to call Sir Robert.

Once more, Dries Gloton got Chong-won to push him. Good lord, those small gray men were anxious to get Sir Robert here!

He finally persuaded communicators up there in Scotland to track down Sir Robert, and when he finally got him on the radio, every misgiving he had had was fully justified.

"Coom doon there!" Sir Robert had rapped back via communicators. And so far as it could be translated and relayed, he told Jonnie off properly!

Didn't Jonnie know that there were twenty-one hundred people in the various ancient shelters beneath the Rock- if they were still alive? That heavy bombs had smashed in every possible entrance? They had gotten atmosphere hoses drilled in here and there, but who could talk through those? The Rock cliff sides had been pulverized and shattered so that every time they got a drift going in, they had landslides.

Yes, Dwight was there! Yes, Dwight had gotten tunnel casings from Cornwall and tried to drive them in. Did Jonnie think they were all standing around doing nothing?

It was all right for Jonnie to be sitting around with those la-de-da lords drinking tea. Go right on and drink tea but let people get on with this, this- It took Jonnie half an hour to impress on Sir Robert that without his signature, the matter of the "visitors" wouldn't be ended.

Finally, with considerable blasphemy that the communicators couldn't handle well in Pali, Sir Robert said he would pry a pilot loose and fly down.

Jonnie sat back, feeling exhausted. He didn't like to fight with Sir Robert. And he could understand his position completely. His Aunt Ellen was in those closed-off shelters. And Chrissie! It was all he could do himself to sit here handling things when he felt he should be up there, digging with his bare hands if necessary.

The small gray man looked very pleased when Chong-won told him Sir Robert was coming.

Chapter 4.

Out of the night sky from the north, rus.h.i.+ng far ahead of its sound, seen at first as just another star, a plane approached Kariba.

The antiaircraft gunner intercom sounded: the plane was friendly and requested permission to land.

Jonnie went to watch it set down. The door opened and somebody jumped out. The face was a white blur in the night. Jonnie peered more closely: bandages- somebody with his face totally bandaged.

A finger pointing at Jonnie's beard. "The very thing!"

It was Dunneldeen!

They swatted each other happily. Then Dunneldeen pushed Jonnie back into better light and looked at him.

"The very thing! Somebody cut your beard half-off! And mine's burned half-off! Make an appointment for me with your barber!"

"Did you get shot down?" said Jonnie, looking a little anxiously at the swathe of bandages on his face.

"Now, laddie, don't be insulting!" said Dunneldeen. "What Bolbod or Drawkin or Hockner could shoot down the ace of all aces? No, Jonnie boy, it was helping fight fire. It 's not too bad a burn, but you know Dr. Allen. Never happy unless he's swaddled you up like an innocent babe."

"How is it up there?" said Jonnie.

"Bad. We got the fire out but that's all you can say for it. Dwight and Thor are trying to open tunnels but the rock slides. There's lots of hope but that's all I can give you. Say, did that small gray man come back here? Is that his s.h.i.+p over there?" "Was he at Edinburgh?"

"Oh, that he was. Went all around bothering everybody asking questions. Got in everybody's way. And then he seemed to get what he was looking for and went swoos.h.i.+ng up to Aberdeen. Almost got himself shot down! He was looking for the king-you know, Chief of Clanfearghus."

"How is he? The Chief?" said Jonnie.

"Well, he's a bleeder. You know, doesn't stop bleeding once he's cut. I'm always telling him to stay out of wars- they're unhealthy! Anyway, we found him outside and rushed him to the Aberdeen hospital and they gave him transfusions. This small gray man tried to get in to see him and of course the gillies threw him out. But then Dr. Allen got cornered by him. Seems like this guy," he indicated the s.h.i.+p where the lights were flas.h.i.+ng, "has been collecting books and libraries all over the place. He picto-graphs them. And he got Dr. Allen to tell him what was wrong with the Chief and they looked it up in a lot of old man-books, and Dr. Allen found there was a compound called Vitamin K that made blood coagulate and they synthesized some and what do you know...the bleeding stopped! The Chief's recovering. What is this small gray man, a doctor?"

"No," said Jonnie. "He's the Sector Branch Manager of the Galactic Bank. I'll tell you more later, but he was up there making sure this planet had a government!"

"Well, it was a nice thing to do, anyway," said Dunneldeen.

Jonnie was glad for the Chief but he sure was beginning to feel surrounded by the bankers. He didn't tell Dunneldeen they were about to foreclose on them. "You see Stormalong?"

Dunneldeen shook his head. "Let's get Sir Robert. He's dead to the world in the plane."

And Sir Robert really was dead to the world. Singed and gray-faced where his skin wasn't blacked with soot, his hands torn, his clothes in burned rags, Sir Robert looked exactly what he was- an old man who had been going through h.e.l.l for days without rest.

They tried to lift and carry him between them but the old War Chief was a very heavy man, especially when dead weight. They got a mine cart and wheeled him into the hospital.

Jonnie got the nurse up and she examined Sir Robert. He was not injured except for his hands. She gave him a shot of B Complex and he never stirred at the punch of the needle.

Mr. Tsung and his family were suddenly up and hovering around and they ran off to get things organized. Shortly, they were giving Sir Robert a bath and tr.i.m.m.i.n.g the burned areas in his beard and hair so they looked more even. They soon had him in a bed. He had never opened his eyes!

Jonnie went back to the hospital where he had left Dunneldeen and found him sitting in a chair sound asleep while the nurse changed his face bandages. The burns were not disfiguring. His beard sure was tattered. Jonnie stopped the nurse from putting on fresh bandages and called Mr. Tsung's daughter, who came in with her scissors and neatened the Scot by cutting his beard like Jonnie's.

Jonnie had hoped Dunneldeen could spell him in ops while he went to look for Stormalong. But Dunneldeen was really in no condition to do anything but sleep. Jonnie turned him over to the Tsung family and they gave him him bath and put him to bed. bath and put him to bed.

It must be h.e.l.l in Edinburgh!

Jonnie got on the radio to Russia. They had had several thousand people stuffed into that old base. Smoke or no smoke, some of them must be functional. There were two hundred fifty Chinese there from North China. There were the Siberians and the Sherpas. Tinny got some of her own messages in: the rest of the monks and the Buddhist library, the Chinese library and such things were safe. She had to run out and tell Chong-won and Mr. Tsung. Late at night it might be, in both Tashkent and Edinburgh, but Jonnie started shuffling people.

The most vital question now was: where was Stormalong? Where was MacAdam? The only thing they ever got out of Luxembourg was a girl saying something that sounded like "Je n' comprempt pas!" and that sure didn't spell Stormalong or the Scot banker. Was he going to have to handle this foreclosure thing with no help?

Chapter 5.

The treaty signing, Jonnie was told, would be that afternoon.

They came, Lord Dom and Dries Gloton, to the ops room. Dries seemed extraordinarily pleased. "I hear," he said, "that the Earth representative arrived last night. Be sure he is at the signing."

Jonnie glanced at his watch. It was midmorning. He went to the room where they had put both the old War Chief and Dunneldeen.

Dunneldeen was up and dressed and seemed bright enough for all his bandaged face. Sir Robert was just groggily opening his eyes so Jonnie took Dunneldeen back to ops.

"I want you to take over this post," said Jonnie. "I'll stay for the signing but right after that I'm getting out of here to search for Stormalong." He spent some time genning Dunneldeen in and then went back to Sir Robert.

The old Scot was as grumpy as a bear. He was sitting on the edge of bed with nothing much to cover his bony limbs and eating something Chief Chong-won had brought him.

"Treaty signing!" he grumped between bites. "Waste of time. They'll never keep any treaties. This is a beautiful planet here and they want it! I belong right up in Edinburgh helping dig those poor people out. Oh, you were right, MacTyler, they all should have been at Cornwall!"

Jonnie let him finish his food and then, while he was having some tea, went out and got an atmosphere projector. And although Sir Robert spent much of his time muttering and railing about being absent from Scotland, Jonnie briefed him carefully on events and what they could possibly do. When he had finished, he stood back.

"I'm no diplomat!" said Sir Robert. "I proved that! And I'm no lawyer and I'm no banker! 'Tis a thin chance, but I'll do what you say."

That was all Jonnie wanted.

In midafternoon they went to the conference room. Sir Robert was in his regimentals, Jonnie in his helmet and black tunic. n.o.body paid them much attention.

The emissaries had drawn up the treaty Jonnie had heard voted and they had it on a big scroll, laid out in such a way that each emissary could walk up to the table where it lay, sign it, affix his seals, get the signature and pattern or print attested by the bank, and then go back to his seat.

It was a sort of parade. Dries Gloton and Fowljopan were the only ones who stood at the table.

Sir Robert sat and fumed about wasting time, but he did so only in a very low voice and only to Jonnie. They signed and signed. It took them almost an hour.

Earth was the last signature, and Sir Robert went up and put down his name, got a match and melted some wax, and then smashed his big seal ring onto it. Dries drew a bank trace around it and held it up.

"I hereby certify," said Dries, "that the Galactic Bank has attested the authenticity of this Treaty of Kariba, Earth. It is complete. May I suggest that immediate copies of it be transmitted to all s.h.i.+ps concerned." He spread the treaty out, pulled a small picto-tracer from his breast pocket, and scanned it down the scroll.

Jonnie pa.s.sed it to Dunneldeen in ops for transmission and copies for themselves and all delegates and the bank.

The lord of the Hawvins stood up. "I have received word that all prisoners were put down at the designated place and signed for by the Earth representative there."

Dries looked at Jonnie. Word had come from Thor in mid-morning. There had been seven pilots, three Russian soldiers, two Sherpas, and one Scot. Thirteen in all. They had been in fair condition. But since none of these invading s.h.i.+ps had the kind of food terrestrials ate, they were suffering badly from starvation and certainly would have died in months-long s.p.a.ce travel. They had been rushed to Aberdeen for intravenous feeding and treatment of minor injuries. Thor had had a row with the Hawvin officer in charge of the landing for one of the pilots remembered another pilot he was sure the Tolneps had picked up. After sending the first group off Thor had stood by, and sure enough, the Tolneps had another pilot, a German. It had taken two hours to get him set down. They swore that was all. Thor had then believed them.

"Our officer attests we have the prisoners back," said Jonnie.

The emissaries who had s.h.i.+ps in orbit then pa.s.sed their orders to their respective commanders.

There was a wait. Then Dunneldeen came in to report that according to sightings from Russia, the whole flotilla in orbit had flamed up, gotten into formation around the Tolnep vessels, and left. The phenomena of their getting very big and vanis.h.i.+ng had been observed. Radio contact was lost.

The whole group went outside and Angus fired a spitting, naked, and chained Schleim to the slave market in Creeth.[2] The emissaries came back to the conference room.

Sir Robert thought that was all. He was sitting in the front row, grumbling.

Dries Gloton smiled. He walked over to Sir Robert and he drew a thick paper from his pocket.

"My lords," said Dries to the a.s.semblage, "are witnesses to the fact that there is no further dispute over the owners.h.i.+p of Earth. The government of the planet is intact. The king is recovering. The Earth representative here is legally empowered to act for the government.

"The t.i.tle to the planet is clear!" he said triumphantly. "Emissary of Earth! I hereby serve you with a notice of delinquency of payments! If, after a discussion, but in no case later than one week, this mortgage remains unhandled or unpaid, it will result in foreclosure on the planet and all its a.s.sets and peoples."

He dropped the paper in Sir Robert's lap. "Consider yourself legally served with due process!"

Sir Robert sat there, staring at the paper.

Dries Gloton smiled a shark-like smile at Jonnie. "Thank you very much for getting him here and into the open so that he could legally be given this paper. In addition to being branch manager, I also usually act as my own collections department."

He went over to a chair and picked up a foot-high stack of large booklets. He returned to the platform and addressed the a.s.sembled emissaries.

"Honored lords," said Dries, "the primary business of this conference-to clear the t.i.tle of Earth- is complete. However, I know each one of you has full authority to acquire territories for your state. There are other means than war."

The lords shrugged. War was the surer method, said one. The mental health of the people depended upon war, said another. How was a state to demonstrate its power without war? said Browl. The Galactic Bank would have a hard time surviving without making war loans, quipped Dom. Rulers only became famous when they prosecuted war, laughed another. They were all in a jovial mood.

Jonnie listened to all this with a kind of horror. The impersonal cruelty of large government was brought home to him.

"Get on with it, Your Excellency," chuckled Fowljopan. "We all know what you're going to say."

Dries smiled and began to hand out the booklets. "Here are some brochures I made up while waiting for a clear t.i.tle. You will find data like ma.s.s, surface area, weather, numbers of seas, heights of mountains, and you will also find some scenic views. It is a very pretty planet, really. It would support several billion people, providing they could breathe air. But most of you have air-breathing colonies that even now are overcrowded."

He finished handing the brochures about and the lords began to scan through the colored pictures. "You have collateral and credit and, many of you, cash. It would take a minimum mercenary force to occupy it for, as you know, its defenses are quite antiquated and it has minimum personnel to resist an invasion. Conveyance of t.i.tle would include all people and a.s.sets.

"Therefore, should you care to linger, there will be an auction of this planet as a bank foreclosure and repossession in the next seven days unless suitable arrangements for payments of its debts are made-which hardly seems likely for they are without other adequate cash or collateral or credit. Thank you, my lords."

They were all chattering to one another and examining the brochure and seemed quite in a holiday mood. It was obvious they would stay around, even those from distant universes.

Jonnie said to Dries Gloton, "So it was all just a question of money!"

Dries smiled. "We have not the slightest feeling of hostility toward you. Banking is banking and business is business. One must pay one's obligations. Any child knows that."

The banker turned to Sir Robert, "Arrange a meeting for negotiations as soon as possible, will you? Then we can get this thing over with and done."

Sir Robert and Jonnie walked out.

Chapter 6.

There was a lot of activity in the bowl. Chief Chong-won's tribe of Chinese had, for the most part, been replaced in Edinburgh by the North Chinese Jonnie had sent there from Russia.

The returning people were smudged and singed. Some were in a state of obvious exhaustion that not even rest on the flight from Edinburgh had eased. They rushed gladly to their children, scooping them up, embracing them, throwing questions to the older children. The dogs were straining at their leashes and barking joyously. It was a scene of glad reunion.

Jonnie was glad he had gotten them replaced on the rescue team. They had worked without ceasing and soon would have been unable to carry on. Yet they had worked until they nearly dropped. Watching fathers in happy chattering exchange with their youngsters, watching mothers anxiously verifying whether this or that had been done properly as to feeding and naps, Jonnie thought of those disdainful and arrogant lords and the soulless haughtiness of government. What did they care what happened to people like these? Yes, such governments might go through gestures of justice and perhaps even social work, but they remained cold, hard forces that could disrupt and shatter lives and people without conscience, without a second thought.