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anyone." She clapped her hands vigorously. "We got a lot to do.
Let's do it. And with a few smiles to make the work go quicker." Few could
argue with her facts or the good sense for which Kate Moody had always been
noted.
Flagging hopes revived again and soon a few smiles appeared on faces.
Several peopjie deliberately came up to Pat, giving her affectionate squeezes
on her forearm or apologizing for their unkindness.
Instead of seeking for something or someone new to blame, long glances passed
between friends who were fearful that they would never see one another again.
Work resumed at a more energetic pace with the renewed sense of solidarity.
Old Abe Dautrish, carefully decanting wines of his own recipes from herbs and
local berries, spoke in reminiscence. "Remember that first winter? Ten
months of misery. Living in one miserable plastic hut until we could get the
others up. Remember what that was like?
Who'd believe we could come so far?"
"And together,' said Lee Lawrence, smacking Hrrula on the back.
"All was bezzer when we became frIends,' a Hrruban woman said, with dropped
jaw.
"We'll fight this,' Phyllis Shih stated, whipping a bowlful of eggs with a
vengeance. "They can't throw us out of here. This is our home. We'll take
the appeal to the Amalgamated Worlds court ourselves if we need to."
"That's the old Doona spirit,' Kate Moody said with satisfaction. She winked
at Pat.
All the preparations were complete by midafternoon. The First Village's
hunters, following Hrriss, returned with dozens of young snakes and a few wild
fowl for the stewpot. Carcasses of dozens of urfas, pigs, and cows rotated
over coals in the many roasting pits downwind of the kitchen.
The transportation grid was brought over the bridge from the Hrruban side and
laid in front of the Assembly Hall's big double doors.
Its posts had been draped with floral streamers. Not long thereafter,
diplomats of both races began to appear and were escorted into the Hall with
much attendant dignity.
The weather was cheerful and bright. Doona's long winter would arrive within
two months, but there was no early chill which the organizers feared might mar
the celebration. Some colonists from warmer climates shivered a little in the
autumnal air. Every settlement, including
Treaty Island, had lobbied to hold the celebration, but the honor was
eventually returned to First Village, where the original accord had been
signed twenty-five years before.
Depressing any misgivings, the population of the planet turned out in its
best. All the Hrrubans wore the formal red robes: the males in heavy, opaque
garments that fell to the tips of shiny black boots: the females in filmier
garments of jewel-spangled gauze. The Humans wore monochromatic tunics with
touches of white, and beautifully cut but simple ankle-length gowns. There
was none of the cheerful
cross-cultural dressing that was usually prevalent at most other big events.
Today's garments unexpectedly became a restatement of racial identity.
Hrriss stood tall beside his father just below the dais inside the Hall,
hiding his emotions. In a few moments, he must present evidence to prove his
and Todd's innocence of the crimes of which they were accused.
On the basis of that proof or lack of it, the Treaty Controller might refuse
to ratify the Treaty, and the colony would be dissolved.
What Hrriss had not been able to tell anyone was that the carefully gathered
documentation had vanished from the Rrev home at about the same time Kelly
had. He had worked night and day to duplicate the evidence from the files
still remaining in his home. Dr. Tylanio had supplied him with a copy of his
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report on the tape's alteration. He had the latter half of the Spacedep slush
fund dispersals which Dalkey had procured but not the more important entries.
Tylanio had gone off with
Kiachif and so the expert was not available to present direct testimony to the
Councillors. To be sure, the Mayday beacon had been discovered but the
Speakers' resolution required a total clearance of all charges-and Zodd's
presence! Would Hrruvula be able to make what they did have sufficient to
clear all those charges even in the face of
Zodd's nonappearance?
One by one, the high-ranking officials of Earth emerged from the grid, some
looking puzzled and taken aback by the process of transportation which they
were experiencing for the first time. Most of them, nervous about suddenly
being bereft of walls and ceilings around them, walked as quickly into the
Hall as dignity permitted, without so much as a quick glance around at the
beauties of the village green.
The settlers clustered in and around the building, their bows and smiles
becoming more and more mechanical as time went on. Sampson DeVeer of
Poldep, wearing the dress uniform of black with silver touches, emerged from
the chest-high fog, accompanied by a slim, pale man wearing a plain uniform.
"My heart isn't in this,' Lee Lawrence muttered, feeling the strain of smiling
when he hadn't any reason to do so.
"I am still determined to put the best face on the day,' Hu Shih said.
Then he arranged his most benevolent smile on his face as he stepped forward
to introduce the newly arrived Treaty Island Archivist to the other village
elders.
"Perhaps the Treaty Council will still take what is best for Doona into
account,' Abe Dautrish said quietly to Lee. "They shouldn't pay too much
attention to overworld councils, since we are supposed to be independent of
both governments.
We have proved ourselves capable and worthy of self-governance."
"After all the accusations of the last few days, can you genuinely say that?"
Lawrence asked. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]