“I’m with company, but they’re safe. What-”
“Stay off the streets and keep out of sight,” Fulmire said. “Sterm and Stormbel have pulled a coup. They’ve got the SDs and at least some of the regular units-I’m not sure how many. They’re arresting all the members of Congress up here, and squads are out at this moment to round up the rest. I’m probably on the list too, so this will have to be quick. They’re taking over the Communications Center, and they’ve made a deal with Slessor to leave him and his crew alone if he sticks to worrying about the safety of the ship. Get out of Phoenix if you can. I don’t know if-” The picture and the voice cut out suddenly.
“Who was that?’ Jean gasped, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“Judge Fulmire.” Lechat frowned and tapped in a code to reconnect. The unit returned a “number unobtainable” mnemonic. He rattled in another code to alert a communications operator. The same thing happened. “The regular
net seems to have gone down,” he said. “Even the standby channels.”
“Oh, God . .” Jean whispered. “They’re going to bring out those bombs.”
Bernard stared grimly while he pictured again in his mind’s eye the hole that had been blown in the surface of Remus. “We’ve got. to stop it,” he breathed. “We’ve got to get a message up there somehow. . . to Sterm. . . telling him what he’s up against. Thousands of people are still up there.”
“He wouldn’t believe us:’ Lechat said bleakly. “It sounds like the first bluff anyone would try.”
Jean shook her head. “There must be something-the Chironians! He’d have to believe them. If they beamed a signal up spelling out just what their weapons can do, whatever they are, and with the evidence to prove it, Sterm would have to take notice of that, surely.”
“But we don’t even know which Chironians to talk to,” Lechat pointed out,
Bernard fell silent for a few seconds. “Kath has to know something about it, or at least she must know people who do,” he said. “After all, there aren’t billions of people on Chiron. And Jerry said that she has. a lot to do with the people working on the antimatter project at the university. Let’s start with her.”
Jean glanced at the screen and then looked at Bernard. “Should we try calling her through Jeeves … via the Chironian net? It shouldn’t be affected, should it?”
“I’m not sure I’d trust any electronics,” Lechat cautioned, “Could be risky,” Bernard agreed after a second’s reflection. “If Sterm and whoever else is involved have been preparing for this, I wouldn’t put it past them to have taps and call-monitor programs anywhere. Someone will have to go there.”
“Who,” Jean asked.
“Well, Paul can’t show his face outside. You heard what Fulmire said.” Bernard replied. “So I guess I’ll have to.”
“But what about the border guards?’ Jean looked alarmed. “We don’t know who we can trust. Fulmire didn’t know which side how much of the Army is on. There could be fighting out there at any minute. You don’t know what you’ll be walking into.”
Bernard shrugged helplessly. “I know. It’s a chance-but what else is there?”
A tense silence fell. Then Jay said, “I know at least one person in the Army who we can trust.” The others looked at him in surprise.
Bernard snapped his fingers. “Of course, Colman! Why the hell didn’t I think of that?”
“Who’s Colman?” Lechat inquired.
“A family friend, in the Army,” Jean said.
“Ye-es,” Bernard said slowly, nodding to himself. “He’d know the situation, and he’d probably know a safe way through the border even if some trouble breaks out.” He began nodding more strongly. “And we certainly know we can trust him.”
“I could go and see if I can find him,” Jay offered. “I don’t think I’d attract much attention. Even if the SDs are out, they’re not going to be looking for me.”
Bernard looked at Lechat. Lechat frowned and seemed about to object. Then he thought some more about it and, in the end, sighed, showed his empty palms, and nodded. Bernard turned back to Jay. “Okay, see what you can do. If you do find him, ask him to get over here as soon as he can make it.”