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Ungava, and
I suppose they thought the High Leader would prefer to present his own case."
"We can make travel arrangements with Ungava, if you .still wish to go on and
see him."
"Of course I do."
Hondurman nodded again and made a note to himself on the surface of his desk,
which seemed constantly awash with electronic projections of one kind or
another.
"Believe me, Mr. Shen-yang." He coughed. "My government would like to end the
war, when it can be done honorably and decently. We have not yet found a way."
Shen-yang gestured disagreement. "Why not simply end the bombardment and the
raids?"
"We have in fact several times suspended such activities. But Ungavan
operations against us are out of our control, and while they persist, the war
goes on. Did you hear the blast in the street not half an hour ago?"
"Very well; in fact I am still hearing it." He explained just how close he had
been.
The other rose and came around the desk, concerned. "But you should have said
something. Do you need medical attention?"
"I don't think so."
"My own physician is not far away. I wish you would allow me to call her."
"If you like, but later, Now, do these terrorists attacks really amount to a
war waged against you? Do they compare to what your forces have done and are
still doing to"
Ungava?"
Hondurman shrugged. "I'll show you some things. See if you think they add up
to a war or not."
The charts and figures began to appear, like some conjurer's props, projected
on walls, spewed in printape from the desk. They detailed Ungavan attacks on
fishing vessels, on shipping, on mining and drilling operations in all the
oceans of the world.
Terrorist bombs in Condamine cities. Condamine aircraft (unarmed recon ships
and transports, Hondurman claimed them to be) shot down. Hit-and-run raids by
small forces against the Condamine coast. Ungavan atrocities in the planet's
ministates, small societies trying to cling to independence and neutrality.
More atrocities against any of the people dwelling in Ungava who cooperated in
the least degree with
Condamine. All in all, if it were true, it certainly added up to a lot of
killing and a lot of damage. Not a hundred million dead, of course. Not the
destruction of a great industrial society.
At last Shen-yang broke into the flow of data with a question. "How do you
suppose they can keep going, making such a war effort as you describe? After
attacks like
those you have made and are still making?"
"Mr. Shen-yang, have you studied the history of strategic bombardment? It has
never broken the will of any people to fight."
"Of course it has never before been applied quite so thoroughly has it?
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Minister
Hondurman, I'd like to pass on for your comment some figures recently given
the
Peace Foundation by the first Ungavan envoy to the galaxy. They concern that
first missile strike of yours."
The man across the desk nodded, poker-faced, and Shen-yang began to produce
the data he had been carrying in his memory. How many missiles Condamine had
delivered, without warning, in that first awesome blow. How many cities were
roasted, how much land and water poisoned, how many tens of millions of the
Ungavan people had died in the first ten minutes and how many more in the next
hour, the next day, the next year....
"Let us suppose," Hondurman interrupted coldly, "for the sake of argument,
that all this is substantially correct. What is the point you wish to make
from it?"
"Simply this. The war is effectively over. You won it a long time ago. How can
that poor battered remnant of a people pose any real threat to you? Sure, as
long as
Shearwater supports them with material, they can burrow under the mountains,
cling to life, to some kind of military organization. They can even carry on
harassing operations against you. But what do you want of them before you will
make peace?"
"It is not what we want of them, sir, but what they want of us. Peace talks
have been convened many times I really forget how many. Talks are presently
suspended, as long as our present government remains in office. That is the
latest Ungavan condition for resuming peace talks, sir, that we replace our
government!"
"All right." Shen-yang could picture the fanatic Ungavan leaders utter, bitter
fanatics they must be by now, and one could hardly blame them making such
demands, in sheer all-out defiance. "But why do you really need a peace
conference at all? Why not simply stop?"
"We could stop. But they would not. They continue, a bombing here, and raid
there.
Sooner or later we would strike at them again." Hondurman made a curiously
helpless gesture.
"Excuse me, sir, but I find that hard to believe. If you really let them know
it was all over. Ceased building ICBMs or long-range cruise missiles. Offered
them some reparations, which it would seem you can afford."
Hondurman was silent, listening attentively, and Shen-yang pressed on:
"According to the Ungavan's figures, which I notice you don't deny, they can
have very little left in the way of heavy industry and not a lot in the way of
natural resources. I repeat, don't you think the war is really over?"
"They keep a war machine going," the minister answered stolidly. "They have [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
