During the next week Bob hardly saw his father. He knew the Commander was trying to make sure the story got through and to cut all the red tape that might be holding it up. He also knew that it had to be done without infringing on the authority of Commander Jergens.
The three boys talked the matter over incessantly. As Bob had guessed, Juan agreed that peace should be tried. He was disgusted to find that Jakes couldn’t see it. Simon was all for attacking at once.
“If they’re so strong, that makes us savages,” he claimed. “And a civilized culture always takes over savages. Me, I’d rather go down fighting than have them push us aside because they had better weapons. Anyhow, where’d they get the weapons? Fighting, that’s where! All this peace nonsense makes me sick. Peace— you mean surrender! If I can find a way, I’m going to slip out to Planet X and do a little spying. And if I get back, I’ll bet I have proof of what they mean to do.”
Bob could only shake his head and hope that bis father succeeded. But he had his doubts.
And it turned out quickly enough that the doubts were justified.
Nine days after the Lance reached Outpost, the whole Outfleet strength of the Navy came down in wave after wave of ships, overflowing onto the frigid surface beyond the dome. Bob counted the groups of huge battleships and felt sick inside.
There could be only one answer. Whether because Jergens had sent only a prejudiced account, or because his father’s friends had failed, it seemed that the Solar Federation had decided on a full invasion of Planet X. They were going to try the old, hopeless trick of seeking peace by wiping out the other side!
CHAPTER 6
Unnatural Orbit
SIMON JAKES SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLEASED. As it turned out, the Outfleet had made the long trip at the unheard-of steady acceleration of better than five gravities of pressure and had done it in less than seven days. Bob’s father broke that news when he came home, looking worn and unhappy.
“Your father must have been making up seats for months, Simon. As soon as you broke the record and this news got back, he was able to ship enough to Mars under emergency high-drive to outfit every ship there. You’ll be listed as a boy genius, a patriot, and probably as the richest young man in the world. I gather he’s making a nice profit for you.”
“He can’t!” Jakes was on his feet, his hands clenched until the knuckles were white. “I told him. I told him I’d done half of the work on this when I was in the Academy. I built the first model there. Even if it failed, that makes the idea Federation and Navy property. Look, sir, I never wanted the money. I’ve got money enough. I wanted it assigned to the Navy. Honest!”
Griffith nodded slowly, managing a touch of a smile. “I believe you, Simon. And I’m glad you felt that way— though I suppose your father really did us a service, as it turns out. Well, we’ll let the courts decide on the patents. I hear the Fleet Commander has promised you an interview and a favor, as a result of the way those acceleration seats worked. Is that right?”
Jakes nodded, while Bob looked up in surprise. He was amazed that Simon hadn’t bragged about it, until he began to suspect the reason. “A captaincy! Your father’s arranged for you to get a courtesy rating as captain so you can go with the Fleet!”
Jakes nodded again, and his face flushed. He knew what Bob and all Navy men thought of anyone who managed to get a rating through pull, even for services rendered to the Navy.
Bob’s father shrugged and turned toward the little room he used as an office. Simon fidgeted, and then blurted out a rush of words. “Okay, okay. I guess I know what you think. I’ll start packing.”
It was something that hadn’t entered Bob’s mind, and he saw the same surprise on his father’s face. “Jakes,” the older man said quietly, “I want an apology for that. I invited you to share these quarters because you were a friend of Bob’s. All I asked was that you behave while here. I don’t throw a man out because I happen to disagree with him about his own private affairs.”
Simon hesitated, and then dropped his eyes. “I—I guess I got out of bounds. I’m sorry, sir, but—well, I’m sorry. And they can keep their blamed captaincy! Sir?”
He hesitated longer this time, after Griffith had nodded permission for him to go ahead.
“Well, Simon?” the Commander finally asked.
“Well, I just wanted to know why you questioned me in the first place?”
Griffith dropped into a chair and began stuffing his pipe. “I guess you have the apology coming this time, Simon,” he began. “I was out of bounds myself. I was trying to use you!”
“Sir?” This time sheer surprise filled Jakes’s voice. Griffith nodded, and puffed out a slow cloud of smoke.
“That’s right,” he said. “You see, I failed to get a chance to see the Fleet Commander.
Wallingford’s aides said he was too busy; he was in conference with Jergens. I had no idea that you were convinced of the necessity for war, and was hoping you’d get me an audi-ence, together with Bob and Juan. I don’t usually go in for such maneuvers, but in this case it’s important enough to try anything.”
“You know then that I think we should attack,” Simon said.
“I know. I was planning a long speech about how we’d taken you in and made you one of the family, and about fair play—all that sort of thing. As I said, I was stepping out of bounds myself. I hadn’t thought it through. I was simply planning to take advantage of being your host—which is a lot worse than throwing you out would have been. Let’s both forget it, shall we? It’s time we turned in.”
Simon gulped out something. He was still standing there when Bob and Juan went into their room. Then they heard the door of his little room close softly. For a minute Bob had hoped that Jakes was going to be generous enough, on something besides money, to give his father what he wanted. Bob finally fell asleep, wishing he knew some way to help. Maybe in the morning he could talk with Jakes.
But Simon was already gone; the Fleet Commander’s car had apparently called for him early. Bob’s father looked as if he hadn’t slept, but he seemed more cheerful as he sat reading the notes he had typed out.
“Unofficially, the attack’s due to take off from here day after tomorrow,” he told Bob. “That’s unofficial, as I said. The official statements claim that they are conferring on the question of whether Planet X is an enemy or not, but that was decided before they even got here.
Jergens never sent my reports, of course, and he’s closed every chance I have to appeal, he thinks.”
He put the papers in his brief case, and began to button his jacket. “Better get a move on, boys. I’ll want you to testify.”
The phone rang almost as he finished, before Bob could ask the obvious question. Griffith picked it up, and the smile on his face deepened. “Yes?… Yes, sir!… In fifteen minutes!”
He was whistling softly as he hung up. “Simon’s face gave him away this morning,” he said casually. “I guessed that he’d changed his mind.”
“But why?” Bob asked.
His father shook his head. “I can only guess. He’s a lot more complicated than you’d think, Bob. But it was partly because he felt it would win our approval, and he wants approval pretty badly; partly, I suppose, because it looked like the grand and noble gesture. It doesn’t matter. We can’t spend our time analyzing our friends. We have to take them as they are. You ready?”
The car was waiting as they came out, and the way was cleared straight through to the Fleet Commander’s office in a hastily converted hangar. This time, the aides rushed Griffith and the two boys in at once.
Admiral Wallingford stood up and came around his desk with an outstretched hand. “Griffith!
Hey, you’re filling out! Used to be just a gangling kid when you served under me on the old Lance of Arcady! I suppose this is your boy, Bob? Right. And Juan Roman. Quite an adventure you had. I’ve been wanting to meet you.”
He sounded completely sincere, and Bob noted that his father was now relaxed and smiling.
“It didn’t seem that way yesterday, Admirals I even tried to send in a private message to joggle your
