Joe Mauser had assumed there would be some sort of reverberations as a
result of his run-in with the Sov officers, but hadn't suspected the
magnitude of them.
The next morning he had hardly arrived at the small embassy office
which had been assigned him, before his desk set lit up with General
Armstrong's habitually worried face. He said, without taking time for
customary amenities, "Major Mauser, could you come to my office
immediately?" It wasn't a question.
In General George Armstrong's office, beside the general himself, were
his aide, Lieutenant Anderson who Joe had at long last sorted out from
Lieutenant Dickson, Lieutenant colonel Bela Kossuth and another Sov
officer whom Joe hadn't met before.
Everybody looked very stiff and formal.
The general said to Joe, "Major Mauser, Colonel Kossuth and Captain
Petofi have approached me, as your immediate superior, to request that
your diplomatic immunity be waived so that you might be called upon on
a matter of honor."
Joe didn't get it. He looked from one of the two Hungarians to the
other, then back at Armstrong, scowling.
Lieutenant Anderson said, unhappily. "These officers have been named
to represent Captain Sandor Rakoczi, major."
Bela Kossuth clicked his heels, bowed, said formally, "Our principal
realizes, Major Mauser, that diplomatic immunity prevents his issuing
request for satisfaction. However"--the Hungarian cleared his
throat--"since honor _is_ involved--"
At long last it got through to Joe. His own voice went coldly even.
"General Armstrong, I--"
The general said quickly. "Mauser, as an official representative of
the West-world, you don't have to respond to anything as dashed silly
as a challenge to a duel."
The faces of the two Hungarians froze.
Joe finished his sentence. "... I would appreciate it if you and
Lieutenant Anderson would act for me."
Kossuth clicked his heels again. "Gentlemen, the _code duello_
provides that the challenged choose the weapons."
General Armstrong's face, usually worried, was now dark with anger.
"Choice of weapons, eh? Against Sandor Rakoczi? If you will excuse us
now, gentlemen, Lieutenant Anderson and I will consult with you in one
hour in the Embassy Club and discuss the affair further. I say
frankly, I have never heard of a diplomat being subjected to such a
situation, especially on the part of officers of the country to which
he is accredited."
The Hungarians were unfazed. Kossuth looked at his wrist chronometer.
"One hour in the Embassy Club, gentlemen." The two of them clicked
again, bowed from the waist, and were gone.
* * * * *
General Armstrong glared at Joe. "Dash it, if you hadn't been so
confoundedly quick on the trigger, I could have warned you, Mauser."
Joe Mauser wasn't over being flabbergasted. "You mean to tell me," he
said, "that those people still conduct duels? I thought duels had gone
out back in the Nineteenth Century."
"Well, you're mistaken," Armstrong bit out. "It seems to be a practice
that can crop up in any decadent society. Remember Hitler reviving it
among the German universities? Well, it's all the rage now among the
officers of the Sov world. Limited, however, to Party members, the
lowly proletariat are assumed not to have honor."