Edgar Stone strode down the aisle of the House of Representatives, the
papers of the speech rolled into a tight scroll in his hand. The
applause customary at such an entrance struck him now as feeble, and
utterly beside the point.
He was not the only one to feel this. There was an odd note of
hollowness and uncertainty in the sound, and those who clapped could
not have said themselves why they did so. Had Stone come to ask for a
Declaration of War? Against whom? What was the meaning of this
gathering, with legislators of both House and Senate alike standing
tense and erect, and cameras poking this way and that? The very wood
of that chamber seemed suddenly old and darkling, and in the air a
thick tension brooded like the coming of a storm. All talk and
speculation lay dead and in the past. The gathering was seated with a
rustling sound that echoed dully and impatiently.
Stone reached the podium and paused, looking frightened. Surely the
pretense of enlightenment and self-importance in which he
characteristically wrapped his 'fellow Americans' would ring false in
those halls, sullen and filled with ghosts.
He laid down his papers, despairing to speak. Never before had he felt
himself so plainly laid out on the surgeon's table, under the
unblinking eye of the camera, waiting for the knife. He wrestled back
the lump in his throat. He spoke.
"'You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.' These
words were spoken long ago by the man whom many of us profess to be the
Son of God. His ideals were ever kept in the minds of those who shaped
this nation, who lived and died---" He nearly sobbed, though he could
not have said why. "Who fought for this country in its darkest
hours..... It is in His name that we are now asked to go to war." His
voice grew stronger, though again he could not have said why.
"And yet this same truth He spoke of, and that many so-called patriots
now trumpet so loudly, has been denied us, buried beneath a flood of
half-truths and propaganda. You..... WE have been deceived, and made
to commit murder in the name of the things we hold most dear."
A murmur of astonishment ran through the crowd, and those who watched
from every corner of the Commonwealth, whether live or distance
delayed, felt strange and conflicting emotions stir inside them.
"This very night, July 15, the time of our self-deception, our imagined
safety, is over. A dreadful choice lies before us." Again the murmur
started, but Stone cut it short, fearing at any moment to lose his
courage.
"The Secretary of State of the United Commonwealth, Charles William
Hayes, has attempted to blackmail his President, and force us all into
a war that can only result in the loss of millions of lives, if not the
utter collapse of galactic civilization as we know it." He forced
himself to go on. "And there are some within the military
establishment. . .within this very room, who may stand behind him in
the attempt.....
"I did not order the attack on Athena. I did not authorize, and flatly
condemn, the ruthless slaughter at the Battle of Schiller."
At this point Stone grew angry, and felt a deep swelling of the heart
that astonished him: the throb of genuine righteousness. Or so it
seemed to him then. He glared at the assembly, placed his hands firmly
on the lip of
the podium, and continued in a voice he could hardly believe was his
own.
"This - is - the UNITED COMMONWEALTH OF AMERICA, created by some of the
ablest minds in history, founded in courage, and dedicated to the dream
of freedom for ALL. This - is - MY HOME! This is NOT Nazi Germany.
And so help me God, I will not let it become a slaughter-house for the
obsessions of a madman! This is not a nation run by generals, or ruled
at the point of a gun." He realized he had strayed from the speech,
and he felt himself waver. But stubbornly he pushed on.
"The Constitution established three branches of government, to insure a
system of check and balances: to insure that no man, or group of men,
became so powerful as to override all others, and manipulate or destroy
the common decency of the people.
"And yet FORMER General Hayes would change all that, to say that if the
President was not to his liking, or the Congress would not give him
what he wanted, he could break away, and make war on his own. He has
done it. And to be sure that we will follow him, he has struck the
Soviets across the face, and challenged them to a duel to the death.
"Even now I cannot tell you how events will turn....." He paused,
looked down at the speech before him. Ten pages at least remained.
But his passion and energies were spent. He wondered then briefly if
he had done the right thing. He told himself the question was
irrelevant: he had done all he could.
"My Vice President will now tell you the details, and how we plan to
deal with this crisis." He stepped down, and strode out of the silent
room.
Plant, stunned but not yet daunted, stepped down from his seat beside
the Speaker of the House, and took up the papers left for him.
Omitting the passages and emotional phrases now rendered superfluous by
Stone's barrage, he read evenly, and after a time, calmly and clearly.
He relayed the pertinent facts behind the rift, including, in full, the
letters of Hayes to the President. He also spoke, as dispassionately
as he could, of the threat of war with the Soviets, hoping this added
danger would not tip the scales against them. He concluded with the
following:
"It seems to me that the last line of our National Anthem is especially
relevant now. For its undying question, asks not only IF we stand, but
how we stand, and why. To that we MUST answer yes: our flag still
waves, over the land of the FREE, and the home of the BRAVE. And not
just brave enough to die in a war that accomplishes nothing, but to
face up to our mistakes, and put an end to the bloodshed that neither
side wants. We must have the courage to cast aside folly and reckless
pride, and say NO to a would-be dictator, who would leave us no such
choice.
"As of this moment, and by direct order of the President and
Commander-in-Chief, Charles William Hayes is no longer Secretary of
State. He is no longer a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, nor a
ranking member of the military establishment. He is hereby ordered to
return at once with the forces he has commandeered; and any who choose
to further defy the Constitution of the United Commonwealth, Mr. Hayes
included, will be brought to trial for treason."
Here he felt the same trepidation that Stone had experienced. Had they
gone too far? Or would this forced reasoning break through?
"We regret the necessity for this order, and that we have not been able
to be more forthcoming until now. But quite obviously, matters of the
gravest national security are involved. We must deal with former
Secretary Hayes at once, then turn our attention to Moscow. We will
continue to seek a peaceful means of ending both disputes. But let no
one doubt our resolve.
"May God be with us in this just endeavor. Thank you."
Plant left the chamber, to the same, deafening silence.