And Earth had fair broad acres.
He shook himself, driving out the last cold which lay in his blood. Much to do yet. “I suppose,” he said, “that you know Langley is coming here today.”
“We have read that much in your brain. We are not sure why Chanthavar permits it.”
“To get a lead on me, of course, an idea of my procedures. Also, he would have to set himself against higher authorities, some of whom are in my pay, who have decreed that Langley shall have maximum freedom for the time being. There’s a good deal of sentimentality about this man from the past and- Well, Chanthavar would defy them if he thought there was something to gain; but right now he wants to use Langley as bait for me. Give me enough voltage to electrocute myself.”
Brannoch grinned, suddenly feeling almost cheerful. “And I’ll play along. I’ve no objections at all to his knowing my game at present, because there isn’t much he can do about it. I’ve invited Langley to drop over for a talk. If he knows where Saris is, you can read it in his mind: I’ll direct the conversation that way. If he doesn’t, then I have a scheme for finding out exactly when he’s figured out the problem and what the answer is.”
“The balance is very delicate,” said Thrymka. “The moment Chanthavar suspects we have a lead, he will take measures.”
“I know. But I’m going to activate the whole organization—spying, sabotage, sedition, all over the Solar System. That will keep him busy, make him postpone his arrest and interrogation of Langley till he’s sure the fellow knows. Meanwhile, we can—” A bell chimed. “That must be him now, downshaft. Here we go!”
Langley entered with a slow step, hesitating in the doorway. He looked very tired. His conventional clothes were no disguise for him—even if he had not been of fairly unmixed race, you would have known him for an outsider by his gait, his gestures, a thousand subtle hints. Brannoch thought in a mood of sympathy how lonesome the man must be. Then, with a secret laughter: We’ll fix that!
Stepping forward, his flame-red cloak swirling from his shoulders, the Centaurian smiled. “Good day, captain. It’s very kind of you to come. I’ve been looking forward to a talk with you.”
“I can’t stay long,” said Langley.
Brannoch flashed a glance at the window. A fighting ship hovered just outside, rain sluicing off its flanks. There would be men posted everywhere, spy-beams, weapons in readiness. No use to try kidnapping this time. “Well, please sit down. Have a drink.” Flopping his own huge form into a chair: “You’re probably bored with silly questions about your period and how you like it here, I won’t bother you that way. But I did want to ask you something about the planets you stopped at.”
Langley’s gaunt face tightened. “Look here,” he said slowly, “the only reason I came was to try and get my friends away from you.”
Brannoch shrugged. “I’m very sorry about that.” His tone was gentle. “But you see, I haven’t got them. I’ll admit I wanted to, but somebody else got there first.”
“If that isn’t a lie, it’ll do till one comes along,” said the spaceman coldly.
Brannoch sipped his drink. “Look here, I can’t prove it to you. I don’t blame you for being suspicious. But why fasten the guilt on me particularly? There are others who were just as anxious. The Commercial Society, for instance.”
“They—” Langley hesitated.
“I know. They picked you up a couple nights ago. News gets around. They must have sweet-talked you. How do you know they were telling the truth? Goltam Valti likes the devious approach. He likes to think of himself as a web-weaver, and he’s not bad at it either.”
Langley fixed him with tormented eyes. “Did you or did you not take those men?” he asked harshly.
“On my honor, I did not.” Brannoch had no scruples when it came to diplomacy. “I had nothing to do with what happened that night.”
“There were two groups involved. One was the Society. What was the other?”
“Possibly Valti’s agents, too. It’d be helpful if you thought of him as a rescuer. Or... here’s a possibility. Chanthavar himself staged that kidnaping. He wanted to try interrogation but keep you in reserve. When you escaped him, Valti’s gang may have seized the chance. Or Valti himself may be in Chanthavar’s pay—or even, fantastic as it sounds, Chanthavar in Valti’s. The permutations of bribery—” Brannoch smiled. “I imagine you got a good scolding when you returned to friend Channy.”
“Yeah. I told him what to do with it, too. I’ve been pushed around long enough.” Langley took a deep gulp of his drink.
“I’m looking into the affair,” said Brannoch. “I have to know myself. So far, I’ve not been able to discover anything. It is not that there are no clues—but too many.”
Langley’s fingers twisted together. “Think I’ll ever see those boys again?” he asked.
“It’s hard to say. But don’t set your hopes up, and don’t accept any offers to trade their lives for your information.”
“I won’t... or wouldn’t have... I think. There’s too much at stake.”
“No,” murmured Brannoch. “I don’t think you would.”
He relaxed still further and drawled out the key question: “Do you know where Saris Hronna is?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Haven’t you any ideas? Isn’t there some probable place?”
“I don’t know.”
“You may be stalling, of course,” said Brannoch. “I won’t badger you about it. Just remember, I’m prepared to offer a very generous payment, protection, and transportation to the world of your choice, in return for that information. The world may well be Earth herself... in a few years.”
“So you do plan to attack her?”
Damn the fellow! Mind like a bulldog. Brannoch smiled easily. “You’ve heard about us from our enemies,” he said. “I’ll admit we aren’t a sweet-tempered people. We’re farmers, fishermen, miners, mechanics, the noble isn’t very much different from the smallholder except in owning more land. Why don’t you get a book about us from the library, strain out the propaganda, and see for yourself?
“Ever since we got our independence, Sol has been trying to retake us. The Technon’s idea is that only a unified civilization—under itself—should exist; everything else is too risky. Our notion is that all the cultures which have grown up have a right to their own ways of life, and to blazes with the risks. You can’t unify man without destroying the variety and color which makes him worth having around—at least, you can’t unify him under anything as deadening as a machine which does all his thinking for him.
“Sol is a menace to our self-respect. She’s welcome to sit back and let her own arteries harden, but we don’t want any part of it. When she tries to force it on us, we have to resist. Eventually, it probably will be necessary to destroy the Technon and occupy this system. Frankly, I don’t think much will be lost. We could make those sheep down in low-level back into human beings. We don’t want to fight-Father knows there’s enough to do in our own system—but it looks as if we’ll have to.”
“I’ve heard all the arguments before,” said Langley. “They were current back around my own time. Too bad they haven’t been settled yet, despite all the centuries.”
“They never will be. Man is just naturally a rebel, a diversifier, there’ll always be nonconformists and those who’d force conformity. You must admit, captain, that some of these eternal arguments are better than others.”
“I... suppose so.” Langley glanced up. “I can’t help you anyway. Saris” hangout isn’t known to me either.”
“Well, I promised I wouldn’t pester you. Relax, captain. You look like outworn applesauce. Have another drink.”