Crisis On Doona (15 page)

“We are innocent,” Hrriss added, his tone more growl than speech.

Rogitel did not quite flinch, but his body inclined ever so slightly away from the Hrruban. “Machines cannot lie,” Rogitel said flatly. “Only people can, and it would appear in this case, very poorly. And you”—he pointed his finger at Todd—“you admit entering the Hrrilnorr system. You have just said that you recognize the danger of a Glow Stone and that you know it is found only on Hrrilnorr IV. There are many other unscrupulous persons in this galaxy who could use the Glow Stone’s peculiar properties to excellent advantage. And those”—now his finger swung to point at Hrriss—“are particularly well known to Hrrubans.”

“We adjourn for due consideration,” said the senior Treaty Councillor, rising to his feet to end this session. His colleagues were equally solemn. “This is a matter of unprecedented gravity.”

Every face was solemn and, in some cases, sad. This was the first time in twenty-five years that there had been any infraction of the provisions of the Treaty. The ramifications were profound, and could result in punishments ranging from exile for the two defendants, up through war and/or disbandment of the colony. The negotiations among them for renewal of the Treaty had been under way for several years. All knew that the twenty-fifth anniversary would be a crucial time—a time when the Treaty could be easily swept aside. A violation of this magnitude might obliterate two and a half decades of hope and dedication.

Two of the Council, Madam Dupuis and Mrrorra, were representatives of Doona/Rrala, and were both second-wave settlers from the First Villages. They were upset and puzzled, because they knew Todd and Hrriss well. Neither could find credence in the facts that suggested these two, whose friendship had created the Decision at Doona, could willfully destroy the colony. Their interspecies friendship had been held up as a symbol for Human/Hrruban cooperation all over the galaxy.

“Therefore,” the Treaty Controller said heavily, “until the inquiry has been conducted and a decision reached, the two defendants are under house arrest. They are to be kept separated at their places of residence, and interim communication denied. This matter is adjourned pending investigation.” The gavel banged once more. It might have been the report of a gun. Todd and Hrriss both reacted as if it had been, startled, shocked, deeply hurt by even the mere thought of such a separation.

But they were honorable young men, and although they held each other’s eyes for a long, long moment, they did not speak. Then, distressed and saddened, they turned away from each other. No solitary confinement could have been harder to bear. Especially when they needed each other’s support to prove their innocence.

Ken Reeve was out of his seat a split second after the Council had filed out of the chamber. He rushed around the table to his son. Hrrestan was as quick to go to Hrriss.

“Rogitel seems to have pretty damning evidence against you, Todd,” Ken said, wearily shaking his head. “But I know you’ve told the truth, so we’ll beat this.”

“What motive would we have for stealing such dumb stuff?” Todd asked his father, his hands spread in a helpless gesture of disbelief. He felt numbed by despair.

“Did either of you enter any or all of these interdicted systems?” Hrrestan asked.

“Why would we? We always come straight back to Doona, where we belong,” Hrriss answered his father in the familial form of Hrruban.

“You know how we hate those damned missions, Dad,” Todd added. “And one thing more, that damned beacon with its phony message had a destructive band. We were tractoring it up to the
Albie
when we saw that. Contact stuff from the look of it. Blow us and it up.”

“Why didn’t you mention that earlier?” Ken demanded.

“Hell, Dad, I only just remembered it,” Todd said, scrubbing at his tired face with hands that nearly trembled.

Ken looked at Hrrestan. “A detail that might be useful. A convenient shot would explode the beacon.”

“So it could,” Hrrestan said, his tone thoughtful. “We will begin our own covert investigations. Little could we have imagined that a minor infraction of the Treaty would be subsumed by a larger and horrendous charge of piracy and smuggling. I will initiate inquiries for your defense on Hrruba.”

“I’ve still some contacts on Earth through Sumitral,” Ken said, noticeably brightening as actions became obvious. “His daughter is here on Treaty Island doing some research. I’ll talk to her after I see you on your way home. I don’t have all that many friends or allies on Earth, but I know we can count on that family.”

“Let’s just hope none of our former Corridor or Aisle neighbors get wind of this,” Todd said, trying for some levity. It wrung a sad grin from Ken.

“You were never born for Earth, Todd, but you’ve always been a natural here on Doona,” Ken said, “but I promise you, I’ll holler down the doors if it’d help.”

“Someone must know where that beacon came from and who put it there.”

When they left the chamber, Todd and Hrriss were hustled through the bare corridors to the transport grid, which was located in another part of the building. Both were sent separately back via grid to the main continent with an escort of armed guards. The last glimpse Todd had of his best friend was Hrriss, standing too quietly between a guard lieutenant and Hrrestan. His fur seemed to have lost all its luster and his tail dragged in the dust behind him. Their eyes met, and Hrriss nodded once to him. Todd often felt that he could almost read the Hrruban’s mind but there was no such feeling between them now.

The image seemed to disintegrate into mist, and then Todd was in the midst of the Hrruban village, facing the Friendship Bridge. Once he crossed it, he wouldn’t be allowed back over until his innocence was proved. The thought made his feet feel heavy.

The guard accompanied him to his family ranch house, where Pat Reeve was waiting. In the living room, Kelly stood up when they came in. Todd was a little surprised to see her, until he realized that it had been many hours since he’d been taken away. She had probably come over this morning to continue the talk the three of them had been having the night before, and found he was gone.

The marine sergeant gave both women a sharp salute and then withdrew, taking his squad with him. Pat hovered for a minute, looking from Kelly to Todd, then went out toward the kitchen.

“You must be hungry. I know we are. I’ll fix us all a snack.”

“An armed escort? What happened?” Kelly asked, worried by the beaten expression on Todd’s face.

“It’s worse than I could have dreamed,” Todd said. “This isn’t a simple case of an interdiction infraction. Oh, no, nothing simple or easily explained like answering a Mayday call. Hrriss and I seem to have been to many planets in many interdicted systems, doing a fine job of smuggling rarities and classified items, all of which we have been secretly stashing around the
Albie.”
He grinned sourly at the gasps that elicited. “We’re bigtime looters and purveyors of illegal artifacts, and up on charges of smuggling and contraband, using our prestigious position on Doona/Rrala to perpetrate crimes against Hrruba and Terra, and half the planets in between. That log entry we felt would clear us has had some very interesting additions.” He rubbed his eyes with one hand. “I don’t know how they got there. One thing is certain: neither Hrriss nor I put them there. Then Rogitel kept insisting that we falsified the Mayday signal to get into the Hrrilnorr system, to steal a Byzanian Glow Stone.”

“A Glow Stone? A real one?” Kelly asked, her voice breaking with incredulity. “They’ve got one of those in the remote-handling research lab on Hrruba. They’re considered ultra-dangerous. And,” she added with a facial grimace, “they are only found on Hrrilnorr IV.”

“Well, one was found in the communications cabinet,” Todd said. “And whatever else it does, it deleted the short-term memory of the marine standing nearby. So Hrriss and I are not only smugglers and looters, we’re stupidly dangerous pirates.” His mother opened her mouth to protest and closed it, her eyes sparking with suppressed anger and resentment. “At that we got off lightly. The Councillors placed Hrriss and me under house arrest while they’re investigating. We’re not supposed to communicate at all.” At that point, Todd’s broad shoulders sagged, and he looked as dejected as a small boy, all the droll defensiveness and outrage gone. “We haven’t been separated since I started wearing rope tails.”

Pat Reeve could restrain herself no longer. “This whole thing is ridiculous. Why, neither you nor Hrriss have stolen so much as a ... brrna.” She spat that out after a good long hesitation as she tried to remember any other incident of petty crime. “How can they possibly accuse you and Hrriss of piracy or smuggling?
Any
one
else could have done it.
Any
one
on the launch pad could have access to your ship.”

Todd had sunk to a chair, elbows on his knees, head in his hands, diminished more by the separation than the absurd charges. Sighing, he propped his chin on his hands and told his mother and Kelly about the additional landings and launches noted in the log, and the even stranger omissions concerning the orbiting alarm beacon. Kelly stood by him, not quite touching him, alert to any cues. When she moved toward him he caught her hand, squeezed it once, and then dropped it as if he shouldn’t hold it—or her.

She was perplexed by that gesture, sensing it to be a “keep off” signal. She backed off. This was so unlike the resilient Todd she’d always known, but if he felt himself ostracized, perhaps he didn’t wish her contaminated by his disgrace. That, too, was unlike the Todd she’d always known. But then, Todd had never been under such vile suspicions before and shouldn’t be now, Kelly thought in seething outrage.

“This whole affair is ridiculous,” she said, dropping her hands helplessly. “It’s absurd to think of you two as smugglers! The Council must all be strangers, to let Rogitel get away with an accusation like that.”

“The Treaty Controller this term is one of Third Speaker’s nominees,” Todd said in a dull voice. “I recognized him as soon as I came into the chamber. You both know him; he’d let us get into a war if it would remove the Human threat to Hrruba.”

Irritably Kelly shook her head. “Surely we have some friends on the Council. I hoped Madam Dupuis would be on your side. She used to live around here.”

“She’s got to go by the evidence, the same as the other Councillors,” Todd pointed out. “Any way you present it, it’s damning. She had no option. That log tape was tampered with! Very cleverly, by someone who knew exactly how to match holo images perfectly.” He sounded more like himself and then suddenly slumped again, scrubbing at his rumpled hair. “I don’t know how we can prove that.
Why
didn’t I open the recording unit when the log tape jammed! I’d’ve found that wretched Glow Stone then and we’d’ve known we were being set up. That was a costly kick.” A flash of Todd’s usual spirit accompanied that remark. “And whaddya bet,” he went on in a bitter tone, “the Hrrilnorr warning beacon will show we spent far more time in that system than we say we did.”

“What about the beacons at the other planets you’re supposed to have visited?” Pat asked, grasping at the possibility. “Surely, if you’re supposed to have been at so many other worlds, all of those beacons can’t have been got at?”

Todd regarded his mother almost pityingly and shook his head. “This was all too well planned, Mother, for them to neglect that sort of verification. Remember, it’s Spacedep involved and they have the resources to do just this sort of documentation.”

“Look, Todd,” Kelly began in a firm tone, being as positive as she knew how, “you two have an enviable reputation on Earth. Much better than Rogitel’s. There’s going to be a lot of talk when he comes up with this sort of a crazy charge. And I don’t care how much evidence there is against you.
He
doesn’t have as good a reputation as you and Hrriss, and Doona, have. I’ll see what I can find out. I’ll talk to everyone I know about this ridiculous accusation. Furthermore,” and her smile was malicious, “Hrringa can start the action. He’ll do it for me. And”—her voice rose in triumph now—“I’ll enlist Jilamey Landreau!”

Todd gave her a frankly contemptuous look.

“Don’t be so skeptical, pal,” she said. “He’s been following me around all afternoon in hopes of finding you. He only gave up an hour ago. He’s got a superlative hangover, but he’s still raving about you saving his life. I’ll send the rumor about your entrapment home with him. Yes, entrapment!” For Todd had looked up with some glimmer of hope in his dull eyes. “What else would you call it? You and Hrriss were framed. To ruin the Treaty negotiations. We’ll beat this, er, rap,” Kelly exclaimed, her eyes flashing.

“This what?” asked Pat.

Kelly grinned. “Well, I’m studying ancient colloquialisms.” She leaned over, grabbing Todd by the shoulders, and kissed his cheek. “It’s okay for one of your other good friends to visit you again, isn’t it?” Immediately, she regretted her choice of phrases because a shadow crossed Todd’s face: the friend he most wanted to see was forbidden him.

“It’s okay for you to visit, Kelly, anytime you want,” Todd answered, putting as much welcome into his voice as he could. He touched his cheek where she had kissed it. “Soon, please?”

“I’d better go now. I’ll be back again tomorrow, and we’ll have a council meeting of our own.” She started to go, but turned back a few steps from the door. “Think you should know, Todd, how many people have said how much they enjoyed Snake Hunt and the feast last night. I’m not the first to tell you that you did a good job.” She gave him a wry smile and wrinkled her nose. “I won’t be the last and you’ll feel better when you know how many people are solidly on your side. Anyway, the Hunt was the greatest.”

Todd managed to smile back. “Thanks, Kelly. That Hunt seems to have happened years ago, not just hours,” he said, then rallied, sitting up and straightening his shoulders. “But it was a good one. Thanks again for all your help.”

“I intend to repay that in kind,” she said, grinning wickedly. “You wait and see!” She waggled her finger at him, and that brought a slight grin of remembrance for all the times he had used that gesture and spoken that phrase to her. “I gotta go now, Todd, Pat. We’re expecting dozens of Home Week visitors and Mother’ll shoot me if I don’t put in an appearance soon.”