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proceeded with their escort, Todd caught a glimpse of Rogitel, disconnecting
the flight log recorder. He carried it out of the ship cradled in his arms
like a bubble made of glass.
Once the group was outside, technicians sealed the ship once more with
fiberglass wafers, and Councillor Dupuis affixed her own seal.
Hrriss and Todd were hustled to a shuttle which had landed while they were
inside the Albatross.
"That Glow Stone,' Hrriss murmured as they were led to seats, "affects more
than men."
"Quiet there! No conversation between criminals,' Rogitel said, no more the
suave diplomat but the acknowledged jailor.
"Criminality has yet to be proved,' Hrriss said as he was pushed into a seat
while Todd was taken farther down the aisle before settled.
They were advised to fasten their safety harnesses and were then studiously
ignored by the marine guard.
During the entire journey to Treaty Island, no one even offered them anything
to eat or drink, although Rogitel and the marines ate a light meal.
Perhaps, Todd thought, sunk in a negative mood, it was as well he and
Hrriss could not speak. Rogitel would construe it as collusion to be sure
their "explanations' tallied before interrogation. But Todd did not need to
speak to Hrriss to know that his friend would be as puzzled as he that dozens
of illegal items had been secreted on the Albatross, a ship used almost
exclusively by themselves on official tours of duty.
And the positioning of the Byzanian Glow Stone indicated a good try at jamming
the recorder. His kick must have tipped the Stone sufficiently to restore the
function, but had the Stone's radiation erased the tape?
Would the all-important Mayday still be recorded?
Surely machinery was a little less receptive to the Glow Stone's effects than
a Human? And the Mayday was the only proof of their innocence right now.
Once the shuttle landed on Treaty Island, the two prisoners were hurried
inside the huge Federation Center. Hrriss had only a glimpse of the high,
white stone laade before they were rushed up the stairs and through a maze of
identical hallways.
There was no sound but the clatter of boot heels on the smooth surface of the
floors. The sergeant stopped before a door, its nameplate blank and status
sign registering "empty."
"You'll wait here until the Council is ready for you,' the sergeant said.
"Food and drink will be brought in a bit."
"That is most considerate,' Hrriss said in Terran Standard. The numbness of
shock had receded sufficiently to make him aware of an intense thirst and,
less insistent, some hunger.
"You're a Treaty prisoner and the courtesies are observed,' the sergeant said,
but Hrriss could see that the man approved of his use of Terran.
Hrriss knew that the military arm of both parent governments was made up of
fierce patriots who preferred their own culture in all ways.
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It was one of the reasons there was no standing force of any kind of
Doona, the symbol of compromise. As the Treaty Organization was trying to
maintain a separate but equal method of expansion in trading and colonization,
each culture needed to remain independent from the other.
That would make a Doonan "army' an unacceptable third force.
"Hear tell you all had some party last night,' the guard said, sounding almost
friendly. "What's keeping you?" he added, looking down the hall just as Todd,
between his guards, reached the room. "In you go." The escort stood aside to
let Todd enter.
"Food and drink coming."
"Thanks, Sergeant,' Todd said, and his stomach rumbled. Whether the sergeant
heard that or not was irrelevant, for he closed the door firmly. Both Hrriss
and Todd heard the lock mechanism whirr, and the bulb over the door lit up
redly.
They also heard the stamp of boots as someone stood to attention outside the
room.
The two prisoners turned to view the room. No more than three meters on a
side, with a long window running along the wall opposite the door.
A broad table was set underneath the window, a tape reader on its surface but
no tapes in it or blanks ready to be used. There were three padded chairs
against the wall: a cheerless functional cubicle.
"Are they likely to listen in?" Hrriss asked.
"I doubt it,' Todd said, glancing at the door.
"Looks like a research room, not an interrogation facility, in spite of that
tape reader." He had been listening to the sound of his voice.
"It's soundproofed. Scholars insist on that as an aid to deep thought and
concentration. Fardles, despite what they hauled out of cabinets and crannies
on the Albatross, we're still only alleged Treaty breakers, not actual
criminals."
"We might as well be, Zodd, with all the treasures Rogitel pulled out of
hiding,' Hrriss said gloomily.
"Hu Shih didn't believe we took them. Neither did your father!' Todd began to
pace with some agitation. "All the way here I kept trying to remember every
time we've left the Albie unguarded and open. Suffering snakes, Hrriss, that
stuff could have been planted anytime the last few years.
"Not if proper service checks were carried out, zOdd, and you supervised the
last one yourself,' Hrriss reminded him.
"Yeah, so I did. Then the junk has to have been planted during that phony
servicing on Hrretha.
There'd've been time to platinum the hull. Furthermore,' and now Todd whirled
on Hrriss, pointing his index finger at his friend, "Rogitel was on Hrretha,
and lurking close to us all the time. To prevent us from going back to our
ship to see just what sort of servicing was being done?" When Hrriss nodded
agreement with that thought, Todd continued, "Furthermore, we filed our flight
plan, same as always, and, despite that short detour to Hrrilnorr system, we
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