Ashinik spoke afterwards.
He said that certain corrupted Weian officials attempted to force the Emperor to follow their policies. When the Emperor had refused to oblige them, they forced him to declare the elections. They hoped to gain the power that the Emperor refused them by lying to the people. When the bureaucrats' party lost the elections, they refused to acknowledge their results.
Ashinik stressed that he was one of leaders of the party that had won the elections and his demands were the demands of the people. He declared that his party demanded the complete changeover of the government and that the most corrupted officials should be taken to trial. He declared that people wanted to see Kissur as the first minister and he listed the remaining future cabinet. (Ashinik would become the finance minister.) Ashinik said that the Weian government would have to stop payments on its loans.
"The largest part of the country's debt consists of private bank loans that the finance ministry had been bribed to take at a very high interest," Ashinik declared. "It's very difficult for me to say this but it's the only way out for a country where the total taxation amount is smaller that the debt payments. In any case, it's absolutely impossible that the most profitable companies would use paying this debt off as an excuse to avoid paying taxes and would turn into practically independent states inside our country. At first Shavash received millions leading the country into a debt trap and now he wants to receive billions getting the country out of this trap."
Ashinik also claimed that in exceptional cases, related to the state security or following ultimate abuses of the state's interests, foreign companies should be nationalized. Assalah spaceport was such a case.
"The Assalah spaceport's director claims," a journalist said, "that you would like to nationalize all Weian industry, throw the foreigners out and ban private property. Is it true?"
"That's a monstrous lie," Ashinik stated. "I don't know where Bemish got this idea."
The press conference with Kissur in Assalah spaceport and the press conference with emergency committee at Bemish's villa, ten kilometers away, took place practically simultaneously. Shavash, Bemish and Earth envoy answered the journalists' questions.
They asked Bemish what he could say about the new government's demands and Bemish stated, "The banishment of foreign businessmen would only be the first step. Having obtained power, these people will start nationalizing industry."
"How do you know this?" a journalist asked.
"Their leader, Ashinik, officially stated that at our last meeting."
"We have also received this information," the journalist said. "Ten minutes ago, Ashinik, Yadan and Kissur claimed that they had never said such a stupid thing. How would you explain, Mr. Bemish, the fact that during the election campaign the party of people's freedom had been repeatedly and falsely claimed to hold monstrous views and programs?"
Bemish gaped at such affront of the terrorists. "Oh-oh, I got it," a thought glanced in his head.
"This party has never taken hostages either!" Severin exploded, "hasn't it? They are practically saints!"
"Is it true that a secret military agreement signed during Assalah construction included building a military base at the spaceport and delivery and storage of Cassiopeia missiles?"
"That's a monstrous lie," the envoy said.
"How will you then explain the presence of the missiles at the spaceport?"
"We are currently investigating how terrorists were able to steal these missiles from one of our space military bases and transport them to Assalah."
"Are you trying to say that they stole twelve missiles from our bases in such a way that nobody noticed anything and that the best use of them the thief was able to figure out was to hide them at a storage area that could be unlocked only by two people in the Galaxy?"
"We are investigating it."
"Could you, please, tell us, if the fact that Earth troops have been summoned here confirms that there was a secret military agreement? Does it also confirm, indirectly, that the presence of missiles was a part of the agreement?"
"No."
Kissur held his word. Immediately after the end of the press conference, the journalists started taping buses and monorail trains leaving the spaceport. The hostages cried, but were incredibly obedient. The fighters screamed that they would shoot anybody who would cut the line trying to get into a bus and nobody tried cutting the line.
Five LSV bank employees and Ronald Trevis — bearing some cuts and biting his lips — left with one of the buses. Journalists ambushed him leaving the bus but he blocked his face with his hands, bolted to a helicopter and flew to Arvadan. Two hours later he left Arvadan for Earth and became completely inaccessible. Journalists yearned to question the king of the hidden market about his company's part in financing the most scandalous construction of the century. The journalists didn't have their yearning satisfied and they had to limit themselves with their own commentaries. These commentaries were not particularly benevolent.
By 18:00 the last train with passenger hostages left the platform. About eighty employees stayed in the spaceport — they were necessary for the crucial spaceport's systems to function. Five hundred armed fighters and several thousand Weian zealot peasants also stayed.
Also by 18:00, next to the spaceport the 11th division had almost finished d disembarking. Heavy helicopters were landing right on the fields behind the company director's villa, amphibian tanks were crawling out of their bellies and sturdy guys in bulletproof uniforms were jumping out.
Bemish walked down where the same two counter-intelligence guys were meeting the division commander — colonel Rogov, short and sturdy like a ball bearing.
"I think," The colonel said, "that Mr. Bemish should also take part in the planning of the operation. As I understand, you have constructed this spaceport and you should know how to infiltrate the buildings with minimal losses."
"Yes," Bemish nodded, "I've already thought about it. For instance, there is a place where the monorail station's ventilation chutes are right next to a cave system. It wouldn't be difficult to enter the caves about three kilometers away from here. We had to reinforce them during construction."
"That's excellent," the colonel rejoiced.
"Unfortunately," Bemish continued, "a man named Ashinik was my closest assistant. He is now heading the terrorists and he remembers this story with the caves quite well."
One of counter-intelligence officers swore loudly.
"What do you think about toxic gases?" the colonel asked.
"I have to disappoint you. A possibility of chemical attack or, more precisely, an explosion or damage of rocket elements emitting toxins has been taken into account during the construction. A monitoring system would automatically turn an alarm on, block buildings off and start detoxification."
The colonel bit his lips for a while.
"I am not a military man," Bemish said, "but I think that if you want to kick the terrorists out of the spaceport, the only way to do it is to drive tanks in and shoot at everything that shoots or surrenders.
"It looks like you are correct," the colonel said.
"What losses will you sustain?" the envoy asked the colonel.
"Well, I don't think that this party of people's freedom will fight all that well. It's just civilians…"
Bemish got suddenly irritated at the military man.
"The zealots can't fight. But if I were you, I wouldn't be in a hurry to classify Aloms as civilians…"
"Aloms?!"