“How do you want me to play it?” VISAR asked in the Government Center at Thurios.
“We can’t let the plan bog down,” Caldwell said. “Unconditional surrender has to be his only way out. Fix it so that he thinks he’s cut off from everybody except Verikoff.”
Anxious and impatient, Broghuilio had started pacing again. Then JEVEX announced, “vis~a~ is denying the request. It has been directed to conform to Thurien policy, which is to dissociate itself from Terran-Jevienese affairs.”
Broghuilio’s legs almost buckled beneath him. “The Thuriens are transferring those warships here to wipe us out!” he shouted. “What kind of dissociation policy is that? Tell VISAR I insist.”
“VISAR has instructed me to advise you, with respect, Excellency, to go to hell.”
Broghuilio was too numbed with shock to react violently. “Then tell VISAR to connect me to Calazar again,” he choked.
“VISAR refuses.”
“Then connect VISAI through to me.”
“YISAR has severed all connections. I am unable to obtain further responses.”
Broghuilio had begun trembling with a mixture of rage and fear. He spun his head wildly from side to side, his eyes white and staring. “Verikoff is your only choice,” Wylott said. “You have to accept the ultimatum.”
“Never!” Broghuilio shouted. “I’ll never surrender my force intact. We still have two days. We can evacuate the entire officer corps, our scientists, our best engineers, and consolidate at Uttan. We will make our stand there. Uttan has permanent defenses that the Terrans will find themselves hard put to match. They will still have some surprises in store for them if they try to follow us there.” He looked at Wylott. “Work out a schedule with JEVEX to evacuate the maximum of value from Jevlen in two days. Begin at once. Ignore all other tasks.”
“I think we ought to try the switch,” Hunt said, watching. “They’re just about ready.”
“Are you really going to try that?” Shilohin asked from the Shapieron. She sounded skeptical. “It’s too illogical, surely.”
“What do you think, Chris?” Caldwell asked, glancing over his shoulder.
“They have been conditioned to accept contradictions now,” Danchekker said. “At this moment there is a good chance that they will be incapable of thinking sufficiently clearly to question it.”
“And they are close to panic,” Sobroskin observed from beside Hunt. “Panic and logic are impossible companions.”
“I’m still not sure I understand this phenomenon you call panic,” Eesyan said from the Shapieron.
“Let’s see if we can show you,” Caldwell said, and gave an instruction to VISAR.
“Pardon, Excellency,” JEVEX queried. “But your figure of two days appears irrelevant.”
“What?” Broghuillo stopped dead in his tracks. “What do you mean, irrelevant?”
“I don’t understand why you have specified two days,” JEVEX answered.
Broghuilio shook his head, nonplussed. “It’s obvious, isn’t it? The Terran attack will begin two days from now, will it not?”
“I don’t follow, Excellency.”
Broghuilio sent a puzzled frown around the room. His aides stared back at him equally bemused. “The attack is due in two days, is it not?” he said again.
“There has been no postponement, Excellency. The attack is still expected today, twelve hours from now.”
Nothing happened for a few seconds.
Then Broghuilio brought his hand up to his face and beat it slowly and deliberately several times against his brow. “JEVEX,” he said. His voice was quiet as his effort to control himself over-compensated. “You have just told us that the first wave is only now in the process of leaving Earth.”
“Pardon, Excellency, but I have no record of saying any such thing.”
It was too much. Broghullio’s voice began to rise and shake uncontrollably. “How can the Terrans be less than a day away?” he demanded. “Are they or are they not departing from Earth now?”
“They began departing from Earth two days ago,” JEVEX replied. “They have entered Jevlenese planetary space and will commence their attack in twelve hours’ lime.”
Broghuilio’s color was deepening rapidly. “Those surveillance reports that you just presented. Were they or were they not live from Earth as of this moment, as you stated?”
“They were records obtained two days ago, as I stated.”
“YOU DID NOT SAY THAT!” Broghuilio screamed.
“I did. My records confirm it. Shall I replay them?”