To the Stars Trilogy Part 32

"I'll bring them as soon as I can. They said I could bring you food; I'll cook something special. And another thing," she looked sideways out of the corners of her eyes, then lowered her voice. "You have friends. They want to help you. If you were out of here..."

"No! Tell them no as emphatically as you can. I don't want to escape. I'm enjoying the rest. Not only is there no place to hide on this planet, but I want to do this the right way. Defeat that woman by law. It is the only way."

Re did not tell Alzbeta that undoubtedly every word they spoke through the communicator was being recorded. He did not want anyone getting into trouble on his ac-count. And basically what he said was true. This had to be done the legal way now. If he had to communicate, there were ways. The cell was clear, there were no visual bugs. She could read a note if he held it up to the observation window. Re would save that for any emergencies.

They talked more but there was little to say. The ache of being close to her without touching her was becoming unbearable and he was relieved when the guard told her it was time to go.

His second visitor was Hyzo Santos. The communica-tions officer was undoubtedly well aware that their talk would be listened to and kept their conversation on neu-tral grounds.

'Alzbeta tells me you are erjoying your rest, Jan."

"I have little choice, do I?"

"Make the most of the quiet, you'll be back in action soon enough. I brought that copy of the Book of the Law that you asked about. I guess the guard will give it to you.

"My thanks. I'll want to study it closely."

"Very closely, if I were you." Ryzo's scowl deepened. "There have been some meetings of Family Heads. Only rumors of course, but there was an announcement this morning, and the rumors are true.

Ivan s.e.m.e.nov is no longer Read of his family."

"They can't do that!"

"They can, and they did. You'll find the process described in your copy of the Book of the Law. Re broke the law when he officiated at Alzbeta's marriage without The Hradil's permission. Poor s.e.m.e.nov is stripped of all rank and t.i.tle. Re's working as a c()()k's helper."

"The marriage is still valid, isn't it?" Jan asked worriedly.

'Absolutely. Nothing can touch that. A marriage bond is a marriage bond and completely unbreakable as you know. But, the judges have been chosen for the trial Sudden realization shook Jan. "Of course. Re's no longer a Family Head so s.e.m.e.nov won't be there. It will be The Hradil and four more of her kind."

"I'm afraid so. But justice will be seen to be done. No matter how prejudiced they are they can't go against the law in open court. You have a lot of people on your side."

"And a lot more who are looking forward to me getting it in the neck, too."

"You've said it yourself. You can't change people over-night. Even though there are changes going on, the people don't like it. This is a conservative world and people, for the most part, are troubled by change. That's on your side now. This trial will be a legal one and you will have to get off."

"I wish I shared your enthusiasm."

"You will as soon as you have eaten some of the chicken and dumpling stew Alzbeta sent with the tape.

That is if the jailers leave you any of it after it is searched for weapons.

All according to law. No doubts about it. Then why was he so worried? There were less than seven days left to the trial and Jan busied himself with a study of the Book of the Law which, admittedly, he had never looked at very closely before. It proved to be a simplified version of Earth Commonwealth law. A great deal had been pruned away-there was certainly no need to go into the details of illegal counterfeiting on a world without money. Or s.p.a.ce barratry. But ironclad additions had been written into it that gave the Family Reads the power of absolute rule. What little bjts of personal freedom had been in the original were totally missing here.

On the day of the trial Jan shaved carefully, then pulled on the~clean clothes that had been brought for him. Re carefully pinned on his badge of rank. He was Mainte-nance Captain and he wanted everyone to remember it. When the guards came he was ready to go, almost eager. But he drew back when they produced the wristcuffs.

"No need for those," he said. "I'm not going to attempt to escape.

"Orders," the Proctor said, Scheer, the same one Jan had felled with the club. Re stood out of range with his gun raised. There was no point in resisting. Jan shrugged and held out his arms.

It was more like a feast day than a trial. The law said that anyone could attend a public trial-and it looked like the entire population had decided to do just that. There was little work to be done since the seed corn had not been planted. So they came, all of them, filling the Central Way from side to side.

Family groups, with food and drink, prepared for a long siege. But there were no children there: under the age of sixteen they were forbid-den to attend trials because of the banned things that might be said.

So the older children were watching the younger ones and hating it.

No building could have held this crowd so the trial would take place outdoors, under the changeless twilight sky. A platform had been erected with seats forjudges and defendant. A speaker system had been hooked up so that everyone could hear. There was a carnival feeling in the air, some free entertainment so they could all forget their troubles. And the s.h.i.+ps that never came.

Jan climbed the flight of steps and sat down in the box, then examined the judges. The Rradil, of course.

Her presence there had been as a.s.sured as the law of gravity. And Chun Taekeng, Senior Elder, his place guar-anteed as well. An unexpected face, old Krelshev. Of course-he would have taken over as Elder when s.e.m.e.nov was unseated. A man of no intelligence and lesser nerve. A tool like the other two sitting next to him. The Rradil was the only one that counted today. She was leaning toward them, instructing them no doubt, then straight-ened up and turned to face Jan. The wrinkled face cold as ever, the eyes unemotional icy pits. But she smiled when she looked at him, ever so slightly, but undoubtedly there, though vanished in an instant. A victory smile; she was so sure of herself. Jan forced himself not to react, to sit in stony and expressionless silence. Any emotion he dis-played during this trial could only do him harm. But he still wondered what she was smiling at. It was not long before he found out.

"Silence, silence in the court," The Rradil called out, and her amplified voice spread d6wn the Central Way, bouncing from the buildings on each side. She said it just once and the response was instant. This was a most serious moment.

"We are here today tojudge one of our number," she said. "Jan Kulozik, the Maintenance Captain.

Grave charges have been leveled and this court has been a.s.sembled. I ask the technician, is the recorder operating?"

"It is."

"Then proper records will be kept. Let the record show that Kulozik was accused by Proctor Scheer of murdering Proctor Captain Ritters.p.a.ch. This is a grave charge and the Elders in conference investigated the mat-ter. It was discovered that witnesses to the so-called mur-der differed with Proctor Scheer. It appears that Ritters.p.a.ch died when Kulozik was defending himself from an unprovoked attack.

Self-defense is not a crime. Therefore it was deduced that the death was accidental, and charges of murder have been dropped. Proctor Scheer has been admonished for his enthusiasm."

What did it mean? The crowd was just as much at a loss as Jan was and a murmur swept through the watchers, silenced when The Hradil lifted her hand. Jan did not like it. All he knew was that with the charges dismissed he was still cuffed. And that oaf Scheer had the nerve to be grinning at him.

Admonished and now smiling? More was going on here than was apparent and Jan was determined to strike first. Re stood and leaned close to the microphone.

"I am pleased that the truth has come out. Therefore please free my wrists-"

"Prisoner will be seated," The Hradil said. The two Proctors slammed Jan back into the chair. It was not over yet.

"Far graver charges have been leveled against the prisoner. He is charged with inciting to riot, with disloyalty, with disloyal actions, with disloyal propaganda, and with the most serious of all. Treason.

'All of these crimes are most grave, the final one the most grave of all. It carries with it the death penalty.

Jan Kulozik is guilty of all of these crimes and will be proven so today. His execution will take place within a day of the trial, for that is the law."

Eighteen There was shouting from the immense crowd, questions. Angry men pushed forward, Jan's friends, but stopped when all twelve of the Proctors drew up in a line in front of the platform, weapons ready.

"Keep your distance," Proctor Scheer called out. "Ev-eryone stay back. These guns are set on maximum discharge."

The men called out, but did not draw too close to the ready weapons. The Rradil's amplified voice washed over them.

"There will be no disturbances. Proctor Captain Scheer has orders to shoot if he must. There may be dissident elements in the crowd who will attempt to help the prison-er. They must not be allowed to."

Jan sat still in the box, realizing now what was hap-pening. Admonished one minute, Proctor Captain the next; Scheer was doing all right. The Rradil had him firmly in her hand. Had Jan as well. He had relaxed his defenses, thought about the crime of murder, never real-izing that this charge was just a front for the real charges. There was no way out now; the trial would have to continue. As soon as The Hradil stopped talking he spoke loudly into the microphone.

"I demand that this farce be ended and that I be freed. If there is any treason here, it is on the part of that old woman who wants to see us all dead Re stopped talking when his microphone was cut off. There was no escaping the situation; he only hoped that he could make The Rradil lose her temper. She was possessed with anger-he could tell that by the hiss in her voice when she spoke-but she still kept it under control.

"Yes, we will do as the prisoner suggests. I have consulted with my fellow judges and they agree with me. We will drop all the charges, all except the important one. Treason. We have had enough of this man and his flouting of legitimate authority. We have been lenient because these are dangerous times and some leniency must be allowed to get things done. Perhaps we were in error by allowing the prisoner too much freedom ~ act against the established ways. This error must be erased. I ask the technical recorder to read from the Book of the Law. The third entry, labeled 'treason,' under the laws of rule."

The technician ran his fingers over the keys of his computer, finding the proper section and displaying it on the screen before him. As soon as he had the entry correct he pressed the audio output. In commanding tones the law boomed forth.

"Treason. Whomsoever shall reveal the secrets of the state to others shall be guilty of treason.

Whomsoever shall reveal the details of the operations of the authorities shall be guilty of treason.

Whomsoever shall flaunt the majesty of the authorities and induce others to go against the authority of the state shall be guilty of treason. The penalty for treason is death and the penalty shall be exacted twenty-four hours, after sentencing."

There was shocked silence as the voice faded away. Then The Hradil spoke.

"You have heard the nature of the crime and its punishment. You will now hear the evidence. I will supply the evidence myself. Before the Families and before the Reads of Families the prisoner mocked the authority of the Heads of Families, the duly const.i.tuted authorities here. When he was ordered to cease in his disloyalty and obey orders, he defied them. He ordered that the ma-chines be stopped by some mechanical means known to him, unless a second trip was made to get corn. This trip was made and many died because of him. By acting in this manner and causing others to defy authority in this man-ner he became guilty of treason. This is the evidence, the judges will now decide."

"I demand to be heard," Jan shouted. "How can you try me without my being permitted to speak?"

Although the microphone before him was disconnect-ed, those closest to the platform could hear what he said. There were shouts from his friends, from others, that he be allow~d to speak. Not surprisingly there were other cries that he be silenced. The Hradil listened to this in silence, then conferred with the otherjudges. It was Chun Taekeng, as Senior Elder, who made the announcement.

"We are merciful, and things must be done by the rule of law. The prisoner will be permitted to speak before judgement is pa.s.sed on him. But I warn him that if he speaks treason again he will be silenced at once."

Jan looked over at thejudges, then rose and turned to the ma.s.sed crowd. What could he say that would not be called treasonous? If he said one word about the other planets or the Earth he would be cut off.

He had to play this by their rules now. There seemed little hope-but he had to try.

"People of Ralvm6rk. I am being tried today because l did everything in my power to save your lives and save the corn which is sure to be badly needed by the s.h.i.+ps when they come. That is all I have done.

Some have opposed me and they were in error and it will be proved that they were in error. My only crime, and it is not a crime, was to point out the new and dangerous situation and outline ways to handle it. Things we did have never been done before-but that doesn't mean that they were wrong. Just new.

The old rules did not apply to the new situations. I had to act as strongly as possible or the new things would not have been done. What I did was not treason, but just common sense. I cannot be condemned for that "That is enough," The Rradil said, breaking in. Ris microphone went dead. "The prisoner's arguments will be considered. The judges will now confer."

She was arrogant in her power. There was no confer-ring. She simply wrote on a piece of paper and pa.s.sed it to the next judge~ Re wrote and pa.s.sed it along. They all wrote quickly; it was obvious what the word was. The paper was pa.s.sed in the end to Chun Taekeng who barely glanced at it before he spoke.

"Guilty. The prisoner is found guilty. Re will die by garroting in twenty-four hours. Garroting is the punish-ment for treason."

There had never been an execution on this planet before, not in the lifetime of any of those present. They had never even heard of the means of punishment. They shouted to each other, calling out questions to the judges. Ryzo Santos pushed through the crowd, to the edge, and his voice could be heard over the others.

"That's not treason, what Jan did. Re's the only sane man here. If what he did was treason then the rest of us are guilty of treason as well-"

Proctor Captain Scheer raised his gun, at point blank range, and fired. The flame wrapped Hyzo's body, char-ring him in an instant, turning the shocked horror on his face to a black mask. Re was dead before he fell.

There were screams as those nearby pushed back, moans of pain from those burnt by the edges of the blast. The Rradil spoke.

'A man has been executed. He shouted aloud that he was guilty of treason. Are there any more who wish to cry out they are guilty of treason? Come forward, speak plainly, you will be heard:'

She purred the words, hoping for a response. Those closest pushed back, on the verge of panic. None came forward. Jan looked at the body of his friend and felt a strange numbness. Dead. Killed because of him. Perhaps the charges were right and he did bring chaos and death. Re stirred when Scheer stepped behind him and grabbed him by the arms so he could not move. Jan understood why when he saw The Hradil coming slowly toward him.

"Do you see where your folly has led you, Kulozik?" she said. "I warned you not to defy me, but you would not listen. Y~u had to preach treason. Men have died because of you, the last but moments ago.

But that is at an end now because you are at an end. We will soon be finished with you. Alzbeta will be finished with you "Don't soil her name by speaking it with your putrid lips!"

Jan had not meant to speak, but she goaded him to it.

'Alzbeta will no longer be married to you when you are dead, will she? That is the only way to terminate a marriage, and this one will be terminated. And your child will be raised by another man, will call another man father."

"What are you talking about, hag?"

"Oh, didn't she tell you? Perhaps she forgot. Perhaps she thought you might find the idea of her married to another repugnant. She will have a child, your child-"

She stopped, gaping, when Jan burst into loud laugh-ter, ~haking in Scheer's hard grip.

"Do not laugh, it is true," she cried.

"Take me from her, take me to my cell," Jan called out, turning away, still laughing. Her news had had the opposite effect from that she had wished for. This was such good news. He said that to Alzbeta when she came to see him in his cell after he had been locked away.

"You should have told me," he said. "You must have known better than that scruffy old b.i.t.c.h how I would react."

"I wasn't sure. It was such wonderful news, just a short while ago. The doctor must have told her, I didn't know she knew. I just didn't want to bother you."

"Bother? A little good news goes a long way in these bitter times. The baby itself is what counts. I could be killed at any time-but you will still have our child. To me, that is the important thing. You should have seen that monster's face when I started to laugh. It wasn't until later that I realized it was the best thing I could have done. She is so evil she can't appreciate that others can have any wholesome or decent thoughts."

Alzbeta nodded. "I used to be hurt when you talked like that about her, it bothered me so. After all, she is The Rradil. But you are right. She is all those things and more....

"Don't talk like that, not here.

"Because of the recordings being made? I know about that now, one of your friends told me. But I want her to hear, I want to tell her these things myself. She worked so hard to keep us apart."

And in the end she is going to succeed, Jan thought, blackly. She was won. The sight of Alzbeta so near yet so untouchable was too much at the moment.

"Go now, please," he told her. "But come back later, do you promise?"

"Of course."

Re fell onto the bed, his back to the window, not wis.h.i.+ng to see her leave. Then it was all over. Ryzo was the only one who might have done something to help him. But Ryzo was dead, angered by her as she must have planned. Killed by her as she had carefully planned as well. No one else could organize any help in the short time left. Re had friends, many of them, but they were help-less. And enemies as well, everyone who hated change and blamed him for everything. Probably the majority of peo-pIe on this world. Well he had done what he could for them. Not very much. Though if the s.h.i.+ps came now they would have the corn waiting. Not that the people here would avail themselves of the advantage. They would bow like the peasants they were and go back to the fields and servitude, and slave their lives away for no reward, no future. Nothing. He~had had the brief time with Alzbeta; that was worth a lot to him.

Better to have had something than nothing. And she would have their son, hopefully a son. Or better, a daughter. A son of his might have too many of his father's characteristics. A daughter would be better.

The meek did not inherit the earth here, but perhaps they lived a bit longer with a little more happi-ness.

All of which would be academic if the s.h.i.+ps never came. They might be able to get most of the people through to the north just one more time with the decaying equipment. Probably not even that, if he were not there to put things back together.

And he was not going to be there, because in a few short hours more he would be dead. He hung heavily from the bars of the tiny window and looked out at the perpetual gray of the sky. The garrote. No one here had ever heard of it. Revived by the rulers of Earth for the worst offenders. Re had been forced to witness an execu-tion of this kind once. The prisoner seated on the specially built chair with the high back. The hole behind his neck. The loop of thick cord pa.s.sed around his neck with the ends through the hole. The handle attached to the cord that turned and tightened and shortened it until the prisoner was throttled, painfully, and dead. There had to be a s.a.d.i.s.t to tighten the cord. No shortage of them. Surely Scheer would volunteer for the job.

"Someone to see you," the guard called in.

No visitors. I want to see no one else other than Alzbeta. Respect a man's last wishes. And get me some food and beer. Plenty of beer."

He drank, but he had no appet.i.te for the food. Alzbeta came once again and they talked quietly, closely, as close as they could get. She was there when the Proctors came for him and they ordered her away.