Part 20 (1/2)
Grabentao chuckled. ”Madam President, if I tell you, I'll have to double your bill for this session. You know my rate for developing vital intelligence!” Chang-St.u.r.devant laughed out loud. During the course of Grabentao's day, which was always long, she met all kinds of people, people from all walks of life, and they talked to her, talked about their personal lives, their hopes and fears, their aches and pains, the weather, the economy, and politics. Over the months Chang-St.u.r.devant had been her client, Karla Grabentao had proved a better source of public opinion than anyone in her cabinet.
”The people I've talked to recently generally oppose your war with the Coalition.” Chang-St.u.r.devant winced at the words ”your war,” but she let it pa.s.s. ”The people who've mentioned the war to me don't understand what harm could come to the Confederation if the secessionists are allowed to go their own way. They just don't see the Coalition as a threat to them or anyone else.”
”Mmm,” Chang-St.u.r.devant murmured. Grabentao moistened her hands with an aromatic eicosene copolymer petrolatum-based mineral oil creme of her own invention, adjusted the bolster under her client's legs, and started working on her feet. She worked there for several minutes in silence, taking heated pebbles and applying them gently to the bottoms of Chang-St.u.r.devant's feet. ”They're a little dry today, ma'am,” she reported, ”use the creme at night just before bed, and have a podiatrist look at that callus on the ball of your left foot. I think it's getting bigger.” Foot ma.s.sage was an important phase of the treatment Grabentao offered her clients.
And it was effective; Chang-St.u.r.devant could literally feel the tension draining from her body. She sighed. ”How are things at home?” she asked.
”Fargo is my home now, ma'am. But you mean back on Wanderjahr? I left there before you overthrew the oligarchs,” she p.r.o.nounced the world ”oligarchs” sharply. ”That was the best thing that ever happened to my people.” She started working on Chang-St.u.r.devant's right lower leg.
”That was because we intervened in your civil war.”
”Yes, I know, and we will be eternally grateful to you and your Marines for doing that, ma'am.”
”So sometimes interventions in local affairs are justified?” Chang-St.u.r.devant smiled.
”Yes.” The next several minutes pa.s.sed in silence. Grabentao switched to using her elbow, a technique for deep tissue ma.s.sage. She finished working on the President's right leg and moved to her left. The silence continued. The music-ancient flute music performed by an ensemble called Los Calchakis- played on. Chang-St.u.r.devant began to drift off. Normally she'd have given in but not today. ”Karla, what do you you think? What do think? What do you you think about this war?” think about this war?”
Karla Grabentao did not answer immediately. ”Ma'am, we really shouldn't talk war and politics during these sessions. That only upsets you and defeats the whole purpose of my visits here.”
”Oblige me, please.”
Karla sighed. ”Ma'am, I am a member of your party. I voted for you and I will vote for you again. I know what it's like to live in a world run by greedy, dishonest politicians, and I thank G.o.d for the Confederation of Human Worlds and its president.” She spoke with feeling. ”But Madam President, my advice to you is don't declare war on the seceding worlds! Call off your armies! Let those people go.” She paused. ”Now,” Dr. Karla Grabentao was back in her role as therapist again, ”roll over on to your stomach so I can work your back. And drink more water! You are getting dehydrated.”
The Congressional Club at Fargo was a favorite hangout for legislators. For some it offered amenities not available to them on their home worlds, such as a complete athletic facility and interstellar-cla.s.s gourmet dining, and for all its members it was a home away from home where they could relax and enjoy themselves after a hard day of politicking. In fact, more agreements and coalitions were formed in the private salons at the Congressional Club than in the offices and cloakrooms of the Congress Hall. That was due at least in part to the fact that stimulants flowed more freely at the Club than in the Hall.
Haggl Kutmoi sat in the sauna, a thick towel across his knees, reviewing reports on a portable vid reader. Occasionally he wiped at a rivulet of perspiration from his cheek. Dimly visible through the thick clouds of steam, several other representatives perched in the facility, reading, relaxing, conversing in low voices. Kutmoi had only a nodding acquaintance with the others, but true to the cardinal rule of the Congressional Club sauna, none would engage in conversation with him unless invited to. The image on the vid was a bill he was sponsoring that would give certain benefits to reservists called up for the pending war with the secessionist coalition.
Someone sat down next to him. ”Great speech you gave today, Kutie,” he said.
Haggl felt a sudden flash of irritation; it was Ubsa Nor. It wasn't enough they were members of opposite parties, but Nor's stubborn opposition to military action against the secessionists had deepened their differences to a chasm. Nor's breach of sauna etiquette was annoying, but another rule of the Congressional Club was that political and personal animosities were left at the door. Haggl quickly switched off his vid. ”Ubbie,” he nodded casually at Nor.
Ubsa Nor stretched his legs and rearranged his towel. ”Going for a swim afterward?” he asked politely.
”Yeah.”
”Mmm.” Nor wiggled his toes. He was a heavyset man, thick in the chest, as one would expect of a former miner. Compared to Ubbie's life back on his home world, Novo Kongor, life at the Congressional Club was pure luxury, and during his years in the legislature and at the Club's tables, the good living had added kilos to his frame. But Kutmoi couldn't help speculating how he'd fare if they ever came to blows over their politics, which seemed more and more likely as tempers frayed over the war.
”We have to get together,” Nor said.
”Over what?”
”This war, Kutie.”
”That is just not possible, Ubbie,” Haggl said with finality, putting his vid back into its case. He wiped his head with his towel, preparatory to leaving. He couldn't relax with Nor chatting him up.
”Just a moment,” Nor laid a hand on Kutmoi's forearm. ”We need to have a dialogue, Congressman. Throwing speeches at each other is no way to settle this conflict. We need to join forces and prevail on the president to find a peaceful solution to the secessionist movement. We are about to get a lot of people killed-”
”And lose a lot of money if the embargoes remain in effect. Isn't that what you're really saying?”
Nor shook his head in annoyance. ”That is a canard, Kutie, to think all we're interested in is money. We're talking human lives here!”
”We are talking the basic unity of our Confederation, Ubbie! If the Coalition worlds are allowed to break their compact with the Confederation, which I think is illegal under our Const.i.tution-”
”Now hang on there! Don't quote propaganda at me. You know perfectly well that if the Coalition worlds secede that will have absolutely no effect whatever on either the economic or political freedoms of the other members of this Confederation! Those dozen worlds are free agents, Kutie, and when they voluntarily joined our Confederation, the implication was that the union would serve their interests. But now that they believe it no longer does, they have not only a right to dissolve the union, they are obligated as free worlds to withdraw from it.”
”Are you Novo Kongorians thinking of joining the rebellion, man? Doesn't it mean anything to you that their forces attacked and are besieging our troops at Fort Seymour? It's they who don't want a peaceful settlement, Ubbie, not us! And you know G.o.dd.a.m.ned well that worlds are voted into the Confederation by a two-thirds majority and they can't opt out unless it's put to a vote; and I guarantee you, it never will be!”
”Well, what do you expect, Kutie? We reinforce the garrison there for no discernible reason except to compel Ravenette by force to remain in the Confederation, and then our troops slaughter dozens of unarmed civilians? G.o.dd.a.m.nit, man, how would you react to something like that?”
The two had raised their voices to a level where the other patrons had taken notice. ”Gentlemen,” one of them cautioned.
”Look, this conversation is not getting anywhere, Ubbie,” Kutmoi said in a lower tone of voice. ”Let's just drop it, all right?”
”Would you just listen for a moment? I have a compromise I wish to propose. If we can sell the president and your party on this we can share n.o.bels! Just listen, will ya?”
”So that's it, huh? All this talk about the Const.i.tution and human life is bulls.h.i.+t, Nor! Share a n.o.bel Prize with you, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d? You're a G.o.dd.a.m.ned traitor and you can just go and f.u.c.k yourself!” Kutmoi grabbed his vid case and stood up. Although he tried not to show it, standing up so quickly made him dizzy, but Nor was so angry he didn't notice the other man fighting to keep his balance.
”Traitor? You call me a traitor, you G.o.dd.a.m.ned useless flabby-a.s.sed piece of s.h.i.+t?” Nor yelled, getting to his own feet. ”If you ever had to work for a living instead of sucking off the Confederation teat on your big fat a.s.s all your life, you'd know that it's real people, not fakes like you, who pay the price for your 'Const.i.tutional sanct.i.ty' bulls.h.i.+t arguments, you G.o.dd.a.m.ned murdering n.a.z.i swine!”
That was too much. Kutmoi swung his vid case hard against Nor's head. It struck with a sharp thwack, thwack, flew out of Kutmoi's hand, and skittered into a corner. Nor staggered backward, a hand to the side of his head, eyes wide in astonishment. Horrified at what he'd just done, Kutmoi could only stand there gaping helplessly at the tendril of blood seeping from between Nor's fingers. Nor recovered quickly and delivered a powerful roundhouse blow to the side of Kutmoi's head. Kutmoi went down and Nor pounced on him, screaming inarticulately. Pounding, grasping, panting, and screaming curses, the two, divested of their fragile dignities as congresspersons, rolled naked off the bench and onto the floor. Because of their own perspiration and the condensation in the sauna the other patrons had great difficulty prying the two men apart. flew out of Kutmoi's hand, and skittered into a corner. Nor staggered backward, a hand to the side of his head, eyes wide in astonishment. Horrified at what he'd just done, Kutmoi could only stand there gaping helplessly at the tendril of blood seeping from between Nor's fingers. Nor recovered quickly and delivered a powerful roundhouse blow to the side of Kutmoi's head. Kutmoi went down and Nor pounced on him, screaming inarticulately. Pounding, grasping, panting, and screaming curses, the two, divested of their fragile dignities as congresspersons, rolled naked off the bench and onto the floor. Because of their own perspiration and the condensation in the sauna the other patrons had great difficulty prying the two men apart.
”Well, Suelee, the 'Billie Club' has landed at last,” Marcus Berentus sighed, using his pet name for Madam Cynthia Chang-St.u.r.devant, closing the door to Chang-St.u.r.devant's private apartment behind him.
”Marcus!” she chided Berentus. She kicked off her shoes, unfastened her tunic and flopped exhaustedly on the couch. ”General Billie was our best choice to lead the army to Ravenette, so stop making those remarks,” she laughed. ”Mix us a stiff one, would you?”
Chuckling, Berentus fiddled with the digital bar. ”I don't quite share your confidence in our General Jason Billie, Suelee,” he replied. He never used her middle name in public, that privilege was reserved only for her family and most intimate friends, and then only in private. ”Old Porter wanted to send the Marine commandant, Aguinaldo, which probably would have been the best choice, but I couldn't have permitted that. This is an army operation. Well, Billie and his boys will muddle through.” He handed Chang-St.u.r.devant a bourbon and soda with ice. He'd made himself a scotch on the rocks. ”Scotch is an officer's drink, Suelee,” he had once explained, ”and I hate it, but I was an officer so I've got to keep up the tradition.” They toasted each other and sipped their drinks. Chang-St.u.r.devant stretched her legs out on the sofa and Berentus took a nearby chair.
”Stay here tonight, Marcus.”
Berentus raised his eyebrows. ”Well, I dunno, ma'am, I have some books back at my apartment begging to be read, some vids I'd like to watch, a cold dinner waiting, and a cold shower before bed.” He shrugged. ”You know, the things an old bachelor loves to do in the frigid solitude of his monastic cell-”
”Marcus!”
”Well, all right, the couch will do for me.”
”Marcus!” They chuckled and sipped their drinks silently. Chang-St.u.r.devant suddenly laughed outright. ”Wasn't that a scene at the Congressional Club this afternoon?”
”What?” Berentus leaned forward, and laughing harder, Chang-St.u.r.devant described the incident between Haggl Kutmoi and Ubsa Nor. As she talked Berentus began laughing too, and before she was done they were both in tears.