“Yes, it does have a certain appeal of that nature about it,” Danchekker agreed.
In response to some questions from Morizal, Danchekker went on to describe the idea in greater detail. When he had finished, the Ganymeans looked at one another dubiously, but none of them
could pick out a fatal flaw in the argument. “What do you say, VIsAR?” Calazar asked after they had talked for some time.
“It might work, but it still rests on a five-percent probability at best,” VISAR replied. “It’s still the same problem: the only way I could get into JEVEX is if ZORAC can switch off its jamming system, and so far ZORAC doesn’t seem to be having much luck. I still haven’t heard a thing from it.”
“What else can you suggest?” Calazar asked.
A few seconds went by. “Nothing,” VISAR admitted. “I could get to work and manufacture the information with some help from the Terrans and have it ready to beam through on the off-chance ZORAC does get me in, but it’s still five percent. In other words don’t bank on it.”
A faraway look had been coming into Hunt’s eyes while the discussion was going on. One by one the heads in the room turned toward him curiously as they noticed. “It’s this problem about distracting JEVEX’S attention again,” he said, “isn’t it? If we could just freeze its self-checking functions for the couple of seconds ZORAC would need to switch off the jamming routines and open an h-link, vis~i~ would be able to hold that link open permanently and do the rest.”
“True, but what’s the point?” VISAR said. “We’ve already been through all this. We can’t do anything like that because the only way in is through ZORAC in the first place.”
“I think maybe we can,” Hunt said in a distant voice. The room became very still. His eyes cleared suddenly as he gazed around at the others. They waited. “We can’t create a diversion through ZORAC because ZORAC is outside the system trying to get in,” he said. “But we’ve got another channel that goes straight through to the inside-direct into the core of JEVEX.”
Caldwell shook his head and looked puzzled. “What are you talking about? What channel? Where?”
“In Connecticut,” Hunt told them. He glanced at Lyn for a second and then looked back at the others. “I’m betting that what’s inside Sverenssen’s house is a complete communications facility into JEVEX-probably one with its own neural coupler. What else could it be? We could get at it through that.”
A few seconds elapsed before what he had said registered fully. Morizal seemed mystified. “Get at it and do what?” he asked. “How would you use it?”
Hunt shrugged. “I haven’t really thought about it yet, but there has to be something. Maybe we could use it to tell JEVEX all the things that VISAR’S inventions wifi corroborate-Earth is fully armed and has been for years; an attack is on its way to wipe Jevien out now . . . supporting evidence, that kind of thing. That ought to shake it up for a second or two.”
“That’s the craziest thing I ever heard.” Caidwell shook his head helplessly. “Why would it believe you? It wouldn’t even know who you were. And anyhow, would you sit down in that thing and let JEVEX inside your head?”
“No, I wouldn’t,” Hunt said. “But JEVEX knows Sverenssen. And it would believe what he told it. That would really shake it up.,,
“Why would Sverenssen ever do something like that?” Heller asked. “What makes you think he’d want to cooperate?”
Hunt shrugged. “We put a gun to the bastard’s head and make him,” he replied simply.
Silence fell once again. The suggestion was so outrageous that nobody had a ready comment to offer. The Ganymeans were looking at each other in amazement, all except Frenua Showm, who seemed ready to go along with the scheme without further ado. “How would you get in?” Caidwell asked dubiously at last. “Lyn said it’d take an army.”
“So use the Army,” Hunt said. “Jerol Packard and Norman Pacey must *now some people who could pull it off.”
The idea was taking root as they thought about it. “But how do you know you could force him to do something like that without JEVEX knowing you were there doing it?” Heller asked. “I mean, VISAR can see somebody in the perceptron at McClusky even before they sit down in a redliner. How do you know Sverenssen’s place isn’t the same?”