“I’m sorry,” I managed, “but that is impossible. I can’t go with … ”
“I am afraid that you must. It is absolutely necessary,” he said.
“No,” I said, panicking, fighting against fading before I could settle this. “No-you can’t.”
“I believe a similar concept exists in your own jurisprudence. You call it ‘protective custody.’ “
“What about Article 7224, Section C?” I blurted out, feeling my speech slip over into a slur as my eyes fell closed.
“What did you say?”
“You heard me,” I remember muttering. “Seven … two … two … four. Sec … tion … C … That’s why … ”
And then, again, nothing.
The cycles of awareness bore me back-to consciousness or within spitting distance of it-several times more before I stuck at something approaching full wakefulness and filled it with California-watching. It was by degrees that I became aware of the argument that filled the air, obtaining its content in a detached, academic sort of way. They were upset over something that I had said.
Oh yes …
Article 7224, Section C. It had to do, I gathered, with the removal of intelligent creatures from their home planets without their consent. Part of a galactic treaty to which my rescuers’ worlds were signatory, it was the closest thing to an interstellar constitution that they had. There was, however, sufficient ambiguity in the present situation to make for a debatable issue, in that there was also provision for removal without consent for a variety of overriding causes, such as quarantine for species protection, non-military reprisal for violations of certain other provisions, a kind of sensitive catchall for “interstellar security” and several more along these lines, all of which they discussed and rediscussed at great length. I had obviously touched on a delicate area, especially in light of the recency of their initial contact with Earth. Ragma kept insisting that if they chose one of the exceptions as controlling and removed me on that basis, their legal department would back them up. If it ever actually came to a point where an adjudication became necessary and they were reversed, he felt that he and Charv would not be held especially liable for their interpretation of the law, in that they were field operatives rather than trained legal personnel. Charv, meanwhile, maintained that it was obvious that none of the exceptions applied and that it would be even more obvious what they had done. Better, he decided, to let the telepathic analyst they employed implant the desire to cooperate within my mind. There were several, he was certain, who could be persuaded to solve their problem in that fashion. But this irritated Ragma. It would be a clear violation of my rights under another provision, as well as concealment of the evidence of their violation under this one. He would have no part of it. If they were going to move me, he wanted a defense other than concealment. So they reviewed the exceptions again, pondering each word, letting the words talk to each other, recalling past cases, sounding the while like Jesuits, Talmudists, dictionary editors or disciples of the New Criticism. We continued to orbit the Earth.
It was not until much later that Charv interrupted things with a question that had been bothering me all along: “Where did he learn about Article 7224, anyway?”
They repaired to the sling, interrupting my view of storm patterns off Cape Hatteras. Seeing that my eyes were open, they nodded and gestured in what I believe they intended as a pantomime of good will and concern.
“Have you been resting well?” Charv inquired.
“Quite.”
“Water?”
“Please.”
I drank some, then: “Sandwich?” he asked.
“Yes. Thanks.”
He produced one and I began eating.
“We have been quite concerned over your well-being-and about doing the right thing in your case.”
“That is good of you.”
“We have been wondering about something that you said a while back, dealing with our offer to provide you with sanctuary during a fairly routine investigation we will be conducting on your planet. It seemed as if you cited a section of the Galactic Code just before you dropped off to sleep last time. But you mumbled somewhat and we could not be certain. Was this the case?”