"I'm afraid it is," said Morrison. "But I wouldn't worry about it too
much. He's a very rich man. He's also a shrewd one, and it looks now as
though he's going to be all right. Give her a drink, Durham, she needs
it. Would you like to lie down, Miss Hawtree? All right, then, I'll
tell you why."
He leaned over her with no look of kindness at all. "Get this all
clearly in mind, Miss Hawtree, so you'll understand that if at any
time you try to hang me, you'll hang your father too. We're partners,
equally guilty. You understand that."
"Yes." She looked so white that Durham was frightened. But she sat
quietly and listened.
"For years now," Morrison said, "I have managed the company here, and
Hawtree has used his position with the Embassy to see that I have a
free hand. He sees that no complaints get to ears higher up. He sees
that any annoying red tape is taken care of. Most important of all,
he sees that any official communication from either of the Diks that
might be unfavorable to us is permanently lost in the files--including
all requests for aid in achieving Federation status. Our connection,
naturally, is one of the best kept secrets in the galaxy.
"We had very easy sailing until Jubb rose to power on Senya Dik. Jubb
is an able leader. He knows what's happening to the resources of the
sector, and he knows the only way to put a stop to it. Unfortunately
for us, all the leaders on Nanta Dik aren't fools either, and there is
a growing movement toward unification. Jubb has pushed it and pushed
it, so that we've been forced to take more and more vigorous steps.
The human supremacy groups, made up of such people as the Wanbecqs,
have been very useful. And of course Senya Dik has its lunatic fringe
too, in reverse but equally useful. But Jubb started a campaign of
petitioning the Embassy. He poured it on so hard that Hawtree knew
he wasn't going to be able to pigeonhole all the petitions forever.
Furthermore, it was obvious that Jubb knew there must be collusion
somewhere and was hammering away to find it. So Hawtree sent for me."
"And," said Durham, "you said, 'Let's start a war between the two
planets. Then unification can't possibly take place, and Jubb will have
too much on his hands to bother us.' Maybe he'll even be eliminated.
And you went looking for a goat."
"Exactly. You were given a message about dark birds that would have
significance only to a Nantan. The Wanbecqs were put on your trail. All
you had to do was talk."
"What if I had talked too much?"
"How could you? You didn't know anything. And Hawtree's story would be
that he had simply given you passage home, which you had bought."
"And anyway," said Durham thoughtfully, "I would have been either dead
in an alley somewhere, or aboard a ship going to Nanta Dik--which I
would not have reached."
"It was a flexible situation."
Susan said, "Then you admit that you--" She could not finish.
* * * * *
Morrison turned on her irritably. "You very nearly wrecked us, Miss
Hawtree. Durham's disappearance wouldn't have raised a ripple, but the
daughter of a highly placed diplomat vanishing was quite another thing.
Your father had to think fast and talk faster, or public curiosity
would have forced an investigation right then. Fortunately the Wanbecqs
helped. They painted a pretty dark picture of Jubb, and Hawtree was
able to smooth things over since everybody knew you'd been sweet on
Durham and had obviously gone to say good-bye. Hawtree did such a good
job, in fact, that he had the whole Hub seething with indignation
against Jubb even before I left. So it turned out well, in spite of
you."
"But why did you have to wreck the ship?"
"Well, we had to get you back. We couldn't let Jubb have Mr. Durham to
use as a witness against us, and we certainly couldn't let him have
Hawtree's daughter to use as a club over Hawtree. Now, you see, the
situation is this."
He nodded to the cabin port beyond which the bright flare had come and
gone, leaving nothing but emptiness.
"There's nothing left of the ship but atoms, and no one can say what
happened to it. Jubb does not have you two, but he can't prove it as
long as you're kept out of sight. So we keep you out of sight, and
at the same time press demands to Jubb for your return. It looks as
though he's hiding you, or has killed you, in fear of the storm he has
raised. The more he doesn't give you up the more human opinion turns
against him, and the more his own people figure he's made them nothing
but trouble. Meanwhile, the Wanbecqs are on their way home with a big
story. We can still have our war if we want it. And Jubb's days are
numbered."