Robots and Empire (Page 30)

"Nonsense. Both landed safely; they were not wrecked. Their last reports were that Spacers were approaching whether Solarians or natives of other Spacer worlds, we don’t know. We can only assume that the Spacers attacked without warning."

"That’s impossible!"

"Is it?"

"Of course it’s impossible. What would be the motive?"

"To keep us off the world, I would say."

"If they wished to do that," said Gladia, "they would merely have had to announce that the world was occupied."

"They might find it more pleasant to kill a few Settlers. At least, that’s what many of our people think and there is pressure to settle the matter by sending a few warships to Solaria and establishing a military base on the planet."

"That would be dangerous."

"Certainly. It could lead to war. Some of our fire-eaters look forward to that. Perhaps some Spacers look forward to that, too, and have destroyed the two ships merely to provoke hostilities."

Gladia sat there amazed. There had been no hint of strained relations between Spacers and Settlers on any of the news programs.

She said, "Surely it’s possible to discuss the matter. Have your people approached the Spacer Federation?"

"A thoroughly unimportant body, but we have. We’ve also approached the Auroran Council."

"And?"

"The Spacers deny everything. They suggest that the potential profits in the Solarian robot trade are so high that Traders, who are interested only in money – as though they themselves are not – would fight each other over the matter. Apparently, they would have us believe the two ships destroyed each other, each hoping to monopolize the trade for their own world."

"The two ships were from I two different worlds, then?"

"Yes."

"Don’t you think, then, that there might indeed have been a fight between them?"

"I don’t think it’s likely, but I will admit it’s possible. There have been no outright conflicts between the Settler worlds, but there have been some pretty strenuous disputes. All have been settled through arbitration by Earth. Still, it is indeed a fact that the Settler worlds might, in a pinch, not hang together when multibillion-dollar trade is at stake. That’s why war is not such a good idea for us and why something will have to be done to discourage the hotheads. That’s where we come in."

"We?"

"You and I. I have been asked to go to Solaria and find out – if I can – what really happened. I will take one ship – armed, but not heavily armed."

"You might be destroyed, too."

"Possibly. But my ship, at least, won’t be caught unprepared. Besides, I am not one of those hypervision heroes and I have considered what I might do to lessen the chances of destruction. It occurred to me that one of the disadvantages of Settler penetration of Solaria is that we don’t know the world at all. It might be useful, then, to take someone who knows the world – a Solarian, in short.

"You mean you want to take me?"

"Right, my lady."

"Why me?"

"I should think you could see that without explanation, my lady. Those Solarians who have left the planet are gone we know not where. If any Solarians are left on the planet, they are very likely the enemy. There are no known Solarian born Spacers living on some Spacer planet other than Solaria – except yourself. You are only Solarian available to me – the only one in all the Galaxy. That’s why I must have you and that’s why you must come."

"You’re wrong, Settler. If I am the only one available to you, then you have no one who is available. I do not intend to come with you and there is no way – absolutely no way that you can force me to come with you. I am surrounded by my robots. Take one step in my direction and you will be immobilized at once – and if you struggle you will be hurt."

"I intend no force. You must come of your own accord and you should be willing to. It’s a matter of preventing war.

"That is the job of governments on your side and mine. I refuse to have anything to do with it. I am a private citizen."

"You owe it to your world. We might suffer in case of war, but so will Aurora."

"I am not one of those hypervision heroes, any more than you are."

"You owe it to me, then."

"You’re mad. I owe you nothing."

D.G. smiled narrowly. "You owe me nothing as an individual. You owe me a great deal as a descendant of Elijah Baley."

Gladia froze and remained staring at the bearded monster for a long moment. How did she come to forget who he was?

With difficulty, she finally muttered, "No."

"Yes," said D.G. forcefully. "On two different occasions, the Ancestor did more for you than you can ever repay. He is no longer here to call in the debt – a small part of the debt. I inherit the right to do so."

Gladia said in despair, "But what can I do for you if I come with you?"

"We’ll find out. Will you come?"

Desperately, Gladia wanted to refuse, but was it for this that Elijah had suddenly become part of her life, once more, in the last twenty-four hours? Was is so that when this impossible demand was made upon her, it would be in his name and she would find it impossible to refuse?

She said, "What’s the use? The Council will not let me go with you. They will not have an Auroran taken away on a Settler’s vessel."

"My lady, you have been here on Aurora for twenty decades, so you think, the Auroran-born consider you an Auroran. It’s not so. To them, you are a Solarian still. They’ll let you go."

"They won’t," said Gladia, her heart pounding and the skin of her upper arms turning to gooseflesh. He was right. She thought of Amadiro, who would surely think of her as nothing but a Solarian. Nevertheless, she repeated, "They won’t," trying to reassure herself.