The Star Fox

“Needs a lot of work yet, after all the neglect, but I like it. Want to see the grounds before we go in?”

“If you wish.”

Heim stood for a moment before he sighed and said, “Okay, Moshe. Obviously you accepted my dinner invitation for more reasons than to jaw with your old Academy classmate. Want to discuss ’em now? There’ll be some others coming pretty soon.”

Peretz regarded him closely, out of brown eyes that were pained, and said, “Yes, let us get it over with.”

They started walking across the lawn. “Look at the matter from my side,” Peretz said. “Thanks to you, Earth went action. We beat the Aleriona decisively in the Marches, “and now they have sued for peace. Wonderful. I was proud know you. I pulled every wire in sight so that I could command the ship that went officially to see how New Europe doing, how Earth could help reconstruct, what sort of memorial we should raise for the dead of both planets—because victory was not cheap, Gunnar.”

“Haven’t your men been well treated?” Heim asked.

Yes, certainly.” Peretz sliced the air with his hand, as if chopping at a neck. “Every liberty party has been wined and dined till it could hardly stagger back to the tender. But … I issued those passes most reluctantly, only because I did not want to make a bad situation worse. After all—when we find this planet ringed with defense machines—machines which are not going to be decommissioned—when a ship of World Federation is told how near she may come—what do you expect a Navy man to think?”

Heim bit his lip. “Ja. That was a mistake, ordering you around. I argued against it in council, but they outvoted me. I give you my oath no insult was intended, not by anyone. The majority feeling was simply that we’d better express our sovereignty at the outset. Once the precedent has been accepted, we’ll relax.”

“But why?” His rage flickered to death, leaving Peretz no more than hurt and bewildered. “This fantastic declaration of independence … what kind of armed forces have you? Your fleet can’t amount to more than your own old privateer and perhaps a few Aleriona prizes. Otherwise there is just the constabulary. What strength can half a million people muster?”

“Are you threatening us, Moshe?” Heim asked gently.

“What?” Peretz jarred to a stop and gaped. “What do you mean?”

“Is Earth going to reconquer us? You could, of course. It’d be bloody and expensive, but you could.”

“No—no—did the occupation drive everyone here paranoid?”

Heim shook his head. “On the contrary, we rely on Earth’s, good will and sense. We expect you to protest, but we know you won’t use force. Not when your planet and ours have so lately shed blood together.”

“But … see here. If you want national status, well, that concerns mainly yourselves and the French government. But you say you are leaving the whole Federation!”

“We are,” Heim answered. “Juridically, at least. We hope to make mutually beneficial treaties with Earth as a whole, and we’ll always stand in a special relationship to France. In fact, President de Vigny thinks France won’t object at all, will let us go with her blessings.”

“M-m-m … I am afraid he is right,” said Peretz grimly. He began walking again, stiff-gaited. “France is still rather cool toward the Federation. She won’t leave it herself, but she will be glad to have you do so for her, as long as French interests are not damaged.”

“She’ll get over her grudge,” Heim predicted.

“Yes, in time. Did you break loose for the same cause?”

Heim shrugged. “To a certain extent, no doubt. The Conference of Chateau St. Jacques was one monstrous emotional scene, believe me. The plebiscite was overwhelmingly in favor of independence. But there were better reasons than a feeling of having been let down in an hour of need. Those are the ones that’ll last.”

“De Vigny tried to convince me,” Peretz snorted.

“Well, let me try in less elegant language. What is the Federation? Something holy, or an instrument for a purpose? We think it’s a plain old instrument, and that it can’t serve its purpose out here.”

“Gunnar, Gunnar, have you forgotten all history? Do you know what a breakup would mean?”

“War,” Heim nodded. “But the Federation isn’t going to die. With all its faults, it’s proved itself too good for Earth to scrap. Earth’s a single planet, though. You can orbit it in ninety minutes. The nations live cheek by jowl. They’ve got to unify, or they’ll kill each other.” His gaze swept the horizon. “Here we have more room.”

“But—”