Part 33 (1/2)
”You do it, Conn None of us would be here except for you”
”Thank you, General”
He pressed the button They all stood silently watching the output slot
Even a positronic co does Conn took his eyes from the slot from which the tape would come, and watched the second-hand of the clock above it The wait didn't seem like hours to him; it only see, and the tape began co out
It took another hour and a half of button-punching; the Braille-like symbols on the tape had to be retranslated, and even Merlin couldn't do that for itself Merlin didn't think in hunorance, the peoples of the Federation worlds would go on, striving to keep things running until they wore out, and then sinking into apathetic acceptance Deprived of hope, they would turn to frantic violence and s they most wanted to preserve Conn pushed another button
The second information-request went in: _What is the best course to be followed under these conditions by the people of Poictesme?_ It had taken some time to phrase that in syreat length, e it took five hours
In the beginning and for the first ten years, it was, almost item for iteoods
Brandies and wines, tobacco; a long list of other exportable co of industrial plants; establishment of new industries Attainment of economic self-sufficiency Cultural self-sufficiency; establishy, research laboratories Then the Maxwell Plan became the Merlin Plan; the breakup of the Federation was a fact that entered into the coression by other planetary governressor planets Revival of interstellar communications and trade; expeditions, conquest and re-education of natives
”We can't begin to handle this without Merlin,” Conn said ”If thatup the Federation, let it blow We'll start a new one here”
”No; if there's a general, violent collapse of the Federation, it'll spread to Poictes question”
Merlin took a good five minutes to work that one out The question had to include a full description of Merlin, and a statement of the information which thy, but it was summed up in the first word: _Falsification_
”So Merlin's got to be a liar, too, along with the rest of us!” Sylvie cried ”Conn, you've corrupted his morals!”
The rest of it was false data which must be taped in, and lists of corrections whichany coht enter There was also a statement that, after fifty years, suppression of the truth and circulation of falsely optier have any iht himself out of a death sentence”
They crowded into the lift and went down to the office below
Everybody who knehat had been going on upstairs was there Most of the All of thear from his ing with courtroom formality to his self-control
”Yes, your Honor We find the defendant, Merlin, not guilty as charged”
In the uproar his words released, Rodney Maxwell got to his feet and cao Yourfor us Flora says she seeht away; take a recon-car General, will you explain things till I get back? Sylvie, do you want to coain, the second autuard_ at Storisende and taken the _Countess Dorothy_ hoain the fields were bare and brown; all up and down the Gordon Valley thewas ready to start
The house was crowded today All top-level Litchfield seeuests from Storisende, and even a feho had made the trip from Koshchei to be there, Simon Macquarte, the president of Koshchei Tech; Conn would always re a whole planet with devastation Luther Chen-Wong, the chief executive of Koshchei Colony Clyde Nichols, the president of Koshchei Airlines
He al in from the hall