Part 6 (2/2)
”Yes A computer can only process the data that's been taped into it,”
Conn said That was a point he wanted to ram home, as forcibly and as often as possible ”I suppose Merlin classified an Alliance attack on Poictesme as a low-order probability, but war is the province of chance; Clausewitz said that a thousand years ago Foxx Travis wasn't the sort of coht, even by a very low-order probability”
”Well how do you explain the absence, after forty years, of any et around that?”
”I don't have to How do you get around it?”
”_Huh?_” Lucas was startled
”Yes Stories about Merlin were all over Poictesh the Third Force, even to the enemy Say the stories were unfounded; say Merlin never existed Yet the belief in Merlin was an iives it so much as a footnote” He paused for effect, then continued: ”That canSystematic suppression, backed by the whole force of the Terran Federation A gigantic conspiracy of silence!”
Brother! If they s that, I have it !
They did, all but Lucas He banged his fist on the table
”Now I've heard everything!” he shouted in disgust
”Not quite everything, Doctor,” Morgan Gatworth said ”You will hear, one of these days, that we have found Merlin”
”Yes, that'll be the day!” Lucas sprang to his feet, his chair toppling behind hiue with you Conn Maxwell gave you a thousand-year-old quotation; I'll give you another, froue with those who have renounced the use and authority of reason is as futile as to administer medicine to the dead' I'll add this Conn Maxwell knows better than this balderdash he's been spouting to you I don't knohat his racket is, and I'ret”
He turned and strode from the room There was a moment's silence, after the door slaood friend Noas going to et to business,” his father said ”We don't have to argue about the existence of Merlin; we know that Let's discuss the question of finding it”
”I still think it's somewhere off-planet,” Lorenzo Menardes said ”The , or seen an old filruel
”No, that's too far; they'd keep it where they could use it”
”The old GHQ,” Lester Dawes suggested ”Suppose it's down under that, like the place Rodney found under Tenth Army”
”I hope not,” Gathworth said ”The Planetary Govern it is going to be expensive,” Rodney Maxwell said ”Now, to finance the search, I propose we use this inforht about one thing; that's worth millions of sols Well, I propose, also, that we set up a co company, to operate under the Abandoned Property Act of 867 My son and I will contribute this information as our share in the capitalization of the co these Federation installations can go on concurrently with the search for Merlin, and the profits can finance it”
Silence for a anized,” Gatworth said ”What e call this coestions Rodney Maxwell nition and partial silence
”It is of the first importance,” he said, ”that we keep our real objective--Merlin--as close a secret as possible The Planetary Governet hold of it--and I leave you to ask yourselves how far Jake Vyckhoven and his cronies are to be trusted with anything like that--and I have no doubt the Federation ht try to take it away froe Ledue objected ”Everything the Federation abandoned in the Trisystem is public do--”
”What's legality to the Federation?” Klegression against”Rally Round the Banner, the Banner Black and Green”