Eesyan’s jaw dropped in disbelief. Garuth looked up speechlessly from where he had sunk down into a chair at one of the empty crew stations. Around them a score of other dazed Ganymeans had heard it too, but didn’t believe it, either. "VISAR?" Eesyan whispered, as if half fearing an aural hallucination. "ZORAC, was that VISAR?"
"It’s busy," ZORAC’s voice answered. "Don’t ask me what’s happened, but yes it was. Something deactivated the self-checking functions, and I’ve switched off the jamming routine. We’re through to Thurien."
While ZORAC was speaking, VISAR decoded the access passwords into JEVEX’s diagnostic subsystem, erased a set of data that it found there, substituted new data of its own, and reset the alarm indicators. Inside the Jevlenese Defense Sector Five control center, a display screen changed to announce a false alarm caused by a malfunctioning remote communications relay. Far off in space, the two destroyers turned away to return to their stations and resume routine patrolling. Already VISAR was pouring volumes of information into JEVEX that it had not time to explain, not even to ZORAC. At the same time it broke its way into JEVEX’s communications subsystem and gained control of the open channel to Earth.
A voice that Verikoff recognized as VISAR’s spoke suddenly in the communications room in Sverenssen’s house. "Okay, we’ve done it. If Vic Hunt and the others are there somewhere, you can bring them in to watch what happens next. I can edit them out of the datastream to Jevlen on a one-way basis. Get off the line now as quick as you can."
Somehow Verikoff kept his astonishment from showing. Behind him Hunt and the others had heard and were slowly moving in through the door, too astounded to say anything. Broghuilio, obviously unaware of them, was still staring dumbstruck from one of the screens. Verikoff pulled himself together and reacted swiftly. "You have one hour to give your reply, Broghuilio," he said. "And hear this-if one of those ships at Thurien makes so much as anything that even looks like a hostile move, we will attack under an order that will be irrevocable once issued. You have one hour."
Nothing changed on the screen, but VISAR announced, "Okay, you’re off the air." At once a bewildered Verikoff was assailed by congratulations and back-slapping from all sides. Pacey and Benson were watching incredulously from the doorway, while just inside the room Sobroskin slipped his automatic surreptitiously back inside his jacket.
Another screen came to life to show the Command Deck of the Shapieron as VISAR continued to integrate the communications functions of JEVEX that it was taking over into its own network. A few seconds later another screen brought the view from the Government Center in Thurios. It had to be the most bizarre computer hookup ever, Hunt thought as his eyes jumped from side to side to take it all in. Caldwell, Heller, and Danchekker were physically in Alaska, yet he was seeing them through a link that extended from Connecticut to a Jevlenese star light-years away, back to the Shapieron and from there to a second star, and from Gistar back to the perceptron at McClusky.
"You . . . apparently believe in cutting things close," Eesyan said from the Shapieron , still looking distinctly shaken.
"You worry too much," Caldwell told him, addressing a point offscreen. "We know how to manage a business." He shifted his gaze to look straight out of the screen in Connecticut. "How’d it go? Is everybody okay? Where’s Sverenssen?"
"We had a change of plans," Hunt replied. "I’ll tell you about it later. Everybody’s fine here."
On the screen that showed the Jevlenese War Room, Broghuilio had demanded a report from JEVEX on its current surveillance intercepts from Earth. JEVEX responded by producing accounts of Earth’s leaders meeting secretly to agree on details of a combined attack on Jevlen. That was already historical, JEVEX declared in answer to questions from a completely stunned Broghuilio. Currently the plans for the assault were complete, and preparations were well advanced. JEVEX’s latest intercept was a briefing from the senior officers of the joint Terran command staff, which it proceeded to replay. Broghuilio grew more perplexed and more flustered as he listened.
"Explain this, JEVEX," he demanded in a strangled voice. "What forces were those primitives talking about? What were those weapons?"
"My respects, Excellency, but it would appear to be self-explanatory," JEVEX answered. "The strategic forces that Earth has been building for some time. The weapons referred to are typical of those deployed by the various nations of Earth at the present time."
Broghuilio’s brow knotted, and his beard quivered. He scowled at the nervous faces around him as if seized by the sudden suspicion that only he among all of them might be sane. "Typical of what weapons deployed by Earth at the present time? You have never informed us of such weapons."
Invisible fingers raced through JEVEX’s memory, interchanging hundreds of thousands of record descriptors in a fraction of a second. "I regret that I must dispute the statement, Excellency. I have reported the details consistently."
The color of Broghuilio’s face darkened even further. "What are you talking about? Reported details of what?"
"The sophisticated interplanetary offensive and defensive capabilities that Earth has been developing for several decades," JEVEX informed him.
"JEVEX, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Broghuilio exploded. "Earth disarmed years ago. You have reported that consistently. Explain this."
"There is nothing to explain. I have always reported what I have just said."
Broghuilio brought his hands up to massage his eyes, then wheeled around suddenly to throw out his hands in an imploring gesture to those around him. "Am I going mad, or is that idiot machine having some kind of a fit?" he demanded. "Will somebody tell me that I have been seeing and hearing what I think I have been seeing and hearing for all these years. Have I been imagining things? Were we told that Earth had disarmed, or were we not? Do those weapons that we just heard about exist, or do they not? Am I the only sane person in this room, or am I not? Somebody tell me what’s happening."
"JEVEX reports the facts," Estordu said lamely, as if that explained everything.
"HOW CAN IT BE REPORTING FACTS?" Broghuilio shouted. "It’s contradicting itself. Facts are facts. They can’t contradict."
"I have contradicted nothing," JEVEX objected. "My records all indicated that-"
"Shut up! Speak when you are spoken to."
"My apologies, Excellency."
"What Verikoff said about VISAR must be true," Estordu muttered in a worried voice. "VISAR could have been manipulating JEVEX when they were coupled together, before JEVEX disconnected-for years, maybe. Now that JEVEX is isolated, possibly we’re receiving the truth for the first time." A ripple of alarmed voices ran around the War Room.
Broghuilio licked his lips and looked suddenly less sure of himself. "JEVEX," he commanded.
"Excellency?"
"Those reports-they were received direct from the surveillance system?"
"Of course, Excellency."
"Those weapons exist? They are being mobilized now?"
"Yes, Excellency."
Wylott was looking uncertain. "How can we be sure?" he objected. "JEVEX says first one thing and then another. How do we know what is true?"
"So, do we do nothing?" Broghuilio asked him. "Would you just sit there and hope that the Terran assault force doesn’t exist? What would it take to convince you-a hundred thousand of them coming for your throat? And what would you do then? Imbecile!" Wylott fell silent. The others around the War Room looked at one another with apprehension.