"Yes."
"By whom?"
"By the government."
"For how long?"
"Indefinitely. They really didn't give us any details. But I assume they're going to use them to move people out."
"Thanks," I said.
"Sorry. Wish I could help."
Alex was wearing a tired smile. "We should have anticipated that." He spoke into his link: "Connect me with Number 17 Parkway, please." He gave a code we'd gotten from the staff. "They can't just take Belle ," I said. Alex got through and a male voice answered, basso profundo. "Executive Office." A few people seated around us heard. They turned in our direction and stared. Alex dialed the volume down. "This is Alex Benedict," he said softly. "I was there the other day, speaking with the Administrator." That got a reaction from our fellow patrons. Smiles, people nodding sure you did, eyes rolling skyward. "I'm calling from Samuels. We're trying to get home."
"Okay. Is there a problem?"
"Our ship has been impounded. By you folks." "Ah." He took a breath. "Hold a minute, please." Alex looked at me, shook his head, closed his eyes. The basso profundo came back. "Yes, sir. The directive came from the top, but compensation will be made. Instructions on how to apply are available at-"
"I don't want compensation. I want my ship."
"I'm sorry, Mr.-Who did you say you were again, please?"
"Alex Benedict." "I'm sorry, Mr. Benedict. The directive explicitly states 'no exceptions. '" "May I speak with your supervisor?" "I am sorry, sir. She's not available at the moment." "May I speak with Dr. Belhower, please?"
"Who?" "Dr. Circe Belhower." There was another pause. "I'm sorry, sir. There's no one with that name on the staff." I reminded Alex she was a consultant. "I don't suppose," Alex said, "the Administrator is available?" "I can put you on the list." He sounded as if he did this all the time. "Can you get a message to him?"
"Of course." "I need my ship back. It's the Belle-Marie . I'm trying to go home." "I'll see that your message is placed in his box."
THIRTY-TWO
No garden is complete, my dear, without a snake.
- Love You to Death
I called Ivan, and we met in the Pilots' Club. "I guess we stirred something up," he said. "Looks like." He sat down, smiled, looked smug. "What?" I said. "Business is booming. They've located a world where conditions are reasonable. A place where they can start moving people. They've already got some engineers en route. It's thirteen thousand light-years from here. In toward the rim. Not exactly next door, but not like going all the way into Rimway." "You're going there?" "Leaving tonight. With a full load. So what can I do for you? You don't want to go back to the monument, do you?" I couldn't tell whether he was serious. He ordered some appetizers and soft drinks for us. "They've confiscated our ship." "They've taken everybody's." "You know any way we can get it back?" He shook his head. "Chase," he said, "I hate to say this, but I think you're here for the duration."
While I was sitting with Ivan, Peifer ran the interview we'd recorded and, during the wrap-up, revealed what he had on Vicki Greene. Vicki had known months ago. Someone had tried to silence her. Who else could that be except the administration? Hours later we heard there was a crack in the Coalition. Strictly behind the scenes, of course. The public image of world leaders working together to save a desperate situation was coming apart. Rumors had it that they believed Kilgore had known all along. Even if he hadn't, he should have. Reportedly, they wanted him to step aside.
The Administrator's second address came from the World Library in Marinox. He stood behind a rostrum and, in one of the great understatements of the age, started by commenting that he knew everybody was concerned about the gamma-ray burst. "I want to remind you that it is three years away. That gives us time to implement several courses of action. But first I want to assure you that we are in this together. Neither I nor any of my staff will set foot off this world as long as anyone who wants to leave is still here."
"That's pretty gutsy," I said. Alex got that skeptical look in his eyes.
"We took several steps as soon as we became aware of what was happening. First, we have informed all the worlds of the Confederacy of our situation. We have asked their help. That message went out immediately. It will be almost three weeks before we can hope to hear from them. But I'm confident they will offer assistance. "Second, in collaboration with all the states of the Coalition, we are moving to devote every resource we have to the manufacture of interstellars. It will take a while to get everything up and running because we need several orbital facilities. Work has already started on those. "We have vastly increased funding for shelters. We are digging into the earth wherever conditions permit, and will be manufacturing modular units that can shield small communities. Soon, we will have shielding that can be applied to individual houses. "Unfortunately, we cannot shield the planet, and therein lies our greatest hazard. When the gamma-ray burst has passed, every exposed life-form will be gone. But we will survive, and when it's over, we'll plant new forests and restore its wildlife."
"That's not likely to happen," I said. "The place will have to be abandoned." Alex shrugged. "It's good politics, though. Right now, it's what people need to hear."
"We've located a new world, Sanctum, which will serve as a place to relocate evacuees. At first, we'd been concerned we would have to haul people all the way to the Confederacy, which would have been a terribly slow process. Sanctum is less than half the distance to the nearest Confederate world. Engineers, biotechs, and farmers are already on their way. Others will be leaving within the next twenty hours. We are calling this effort Operation New World. "At this critical time, Salud Afar needs all of us, working together. To begin, we need volunteers. Especially those with technical specialties. Consult the Coalition Bulletin Board and, please, volunteer where you can." He came around in front of the rostrum, found a chair, and sat down. "I will not understate the situation. We are at a crossroads, and we can only succeed with your help. We all need to start immediately conserving supplies. Store them in places where they'll be shielded from the gamma rays. Information on that can also be found at the Coalition Bulletin Board. You should be aware that we have impounded every private and commercial space vehicle that is not part of the overall relief effort. Some are being used to construct new orbiting stations. Others will carry evacuees. Compensation is available. "One final thing: We mean to evacuate as many people to Sanctum as we possibly can. We want to lower the population on Salud Afar. That is not because of any lack of confidence that we will come through this emergency. But the amount of supplies necessary after the event will be reduced." He leaned forward, every bit a protective uncle. "We've had a replacement birth rate on this world for a long time now. I have to tell you that, at this historic moment, that is too many. I will not ask anyone to choose abortion. But we need everybody to take measures to prevent conception from this day forward, until we can declare the emergency over. I understand this is a highly personal matter. But it's entirely possible that every new birth will cost an innocent person his life. And if that suggests how serious our situation is, we must take it to heart." He stopped and stared straight out at us. "I know that you will do your part. Thank you, and good night."