CHAPTER 30
DISPERSAL DISKS
Mission Day 29
Clip after clip from Eldeberon News services flashed across the screen; people screaming in the streets, buildings set ablaze, report after report of bombings and acts of violence. The picture pulled back, revealing Leaders ONE and TWO watching the reports on a television.
"Well, what do you say to that?" Leader TWO said proudly.
"Anarchy," Jason replied coldly from his place across the room. "You want to take control, but encourage chaos. When this is done, there'll be nothing to take control of."
TWO turned to him in annoyance. "Naturally you have a better idea?" he said mockingly.
Jason pointed a remote control at the television and switched it off. "You have technology a hundred times better than what's available on this planet. And what do you do with it? You make weapons that blow things up!"
TWO opened his mouth to object but was stopped by ONE, who raised his hand. "Let him speak," he said calmly, more than a little intrigued. "What do you advise, THREE? You haven't led us astray yet."
Jason gave a small smile and held up a disk. "Why not add these to your inventory?" he asked mildly.
"A transmat disk?" ONE observed in bewilderment. "What good is that? The transmat was destroyed in the crash."
"Exactly. Anyway, it's less messy than rocket launched grenades," the Alterran replied, receiving a disgusted snort from TWO in reply. "And just think how quickly you'll corner the market when word gets out about a weapon capable of dispersing your enemy's molecules to the four corners of the universe?"
ONE's eyes lit up, the implications of this exploding in his mind. Power. Absolute power would be in his grasp.
As always, TWO was slower on the uptake and could not see the broader implications. "You think we'll strike terror into the hearts of these primitives with that?" he asked sarcastically.
"Think, TWO. With no receiver, it's a one-way ticket to oblivion. A death sentence. A means of control. Yes! We'll completely crush the competition," ONE replied, his eyes blazing with blind avarice. He took the device from Jason and turned it over in his hands. "But can they be manufactured in mass quantities? As you say, this planet's technology is limited."
"Fortunately, they've attained microchip technology," Jason replied mildly. He pointed the remote control in his hand and the television returned to life. "It's still crude, but you could probably build one using the parts from this."
"By the Goddess!" ONE exclaimed, slapping the Alterran on the back. "For someone who claims to be a pacifist, you have a devious mind, THREE."
Jason gave a small knowing smile but did not reply. He didn't know the half of it.
oOo
"Your highness, how long had you been on Eldeberon by this time?" the prosecutor asked calmly.
Jason thought a moment. "Twenty-nine days."
"Twenty-nine days," the prosecutor repeated darkly. "And in this short period of time, total anarchy had erupted around you. How much of this was your doing?"
"Objection," the Doctor snapped. "Prince Jason was not responsible for starting a civil war."
"But his highness did tell the Benefactor that he was assisting the Triad, Doctor. I would like to know how." Fitzhugh gave a small smile as murmurs of agreement rose from the gallery.
"As would I. Objection overruled," Eustis replied firmly. He turned to the silent Alterran, commanding, "You will answer the question, your highness."
The Prince looked from one to the other. "I'm not sure I understand the question, my lord."
Fitzhugh smiled thinly. "You told the Benefactor that you were throwing the most complicated stratagems you could think of at the Triad. I wondered which of these stratagems we were witnessing in the news broadcasts?"
"None," Jason replied sharply, cutting the Doctor off before he could object a second time. "I was trying to avoid bloodshed," he added astringently.
"Would you give us an example of one of your strategies?" the prosecutor invited. He held out a hand grandly to take in the observers along with the Inquisitor.
Before replying, Jason turned and had a brief conversation with the Doctor. He straightened and turned back to face the court. "Shortly after my arrival, Leaders ONE and TWO decided that they needed better supplies than were being given out after the hurricane. They thought the best way of getting what they wanted was to break into the home of some unsuspecting person, kill everyone there, and loot the place."
"And what part of this was your plan?" Fitzhugh asked smugly.
Jason gave him a dark look, and to his credit, kept his temper in check. "My suggestion was that they take the technology at their disposal, use it to knock out the alarms and surveillance cameras in a local back and then use laser weapons to break into the vault. Performing this operation at night would give them plenty of time to carry out this plan without being interrupted. Afterward, they would have a ready supply of local currency, and no one would have to be killed in the process. I pointed out that humans put a higher value on life than material objects, and a crime of this type would be less likely to inflame the local population and give them time to establish their power base."
The prosecutor stood with his mouth open. Despite the fact that he was clearly impressed by this audacious scheme, he said, "You encouraged these men to commit armed robbery?"
"As a prosecutor, I would think you'd know the difference between robbery and burglary," Jason replied sarcastically. "I was encouraging them to do the latter. It was either that or stand by and let them commit cold blooded murder."
"Indeed. From what we've just seen it's obvious you wouldn't've wanted that," Fitzhugh replied, getting in a jab of his own.
"Objection," the Doctor snapped.
"Sustained," Eustis replied, adding sharply, "If we could dispense with the sarcasm, my lord prosecutor."
Unrepentant, Fitzhugh merely inclined his head. "I have no further questions."