"Anderson, Poul - Star Fox" - читать интересную книгу автора (Anderson Poul)

"2. The naval branch of the Authority has been used beyond the Solar System, albeit only in relatively minor actions to suppress insurrection and riot or to protect the lives and property of humans on distant planets. By authorizing such action, and by negotiating agreements with various aliens, the Federation has de facto and de jure assumed the posture with respect to non-human societies that was traditional between governments on Earth prior to the Constitution. Hence Earth as a whole is a sovereign state with the lawful prerogative of self-defense."
"3. By attacking New Europe and subsequently occupying it, Alerion has committed an act of territorial aggression.
"4. If Alerion is not regarded as a sovereign state, negotiation of this dispute is legally impossible, and the Authority is required to take military measures against what can only be considered banditry."
A roar went through the hall. Fazil banged his desk. Coquelin waited, sardonicism playing over his mouth. When order had been restored, the spokesman of France said:
"Evidently this assembly does consider Alerion to be sovereign like Earth. So, to proceed
"5. If Alerion is indeed a legitimate state, then by the preamble to the Constitution it belongs to the family of nations. Therefore it must be regarded as either (a) obliged to refrain from territorial aggression on pain of military sanctions, or (b) not so obliged, since it is not a member of the Federation.
"6. In case (a), Alerion is automatically subject to military sanctions by the Peace Control Authority. But in case (b), the Authority is also required, by the Constitution and by past precedent, to safeguard the interests of individual humans and of member states of the Federation. Note well, the Authority has that obligation. Not this honorable assembly, not the World Court, but the Peace Control Authority, whose action must under the circumstances be of a military nature.
"7. Accordingly, in either case an automatic state of war now exists between Alerion and the World Federation."
Chaos broke loose.
Vadбsz had come in. He watched the scene for a time, as hundreds stood booing or cheering or screaming to be recognized, before he murmured: "Is that not a weak point there?"
"No," said Heim. "Remember the Moslem League case. Also, I reread the Constitution, and it's quite clear. Of course, it helps that the thing was written before we'd met any non-humans comparable to us." He turned to the mate. "Radar reports?"
"Eh? Ohoh, yes. A large craft about 10,000 kilometers starboard high, vector roughly like ours."
"Damn! That'd be one of the Navy units, pulled in to guard Earth. Well, we'll have to see what happens." Heim ignored the mob scene on the 3V, rested his eyes on the cold serenity of the Milky Way and thought that this, at least, would endure.
Somehow quiet was enforced. Coquelin waited until the silence had become deathly. He raised another typewritten sheet and resumed in the same parched tone:
"8. In the event of territorial aggression, member states of the Federation are required to give every appropriate assistance to the Peace Control Authority, in the name of the Federation."
"9. In the judgment of France, this imposes an inescapable duty to provide armed assistance to the colonists of New Europe. However, a member of the Federation is prohibited the manufacture or possession of nuclear weapons."
"10. There is no prohibition on individuals obtaining such weapons outside the Solar System for themselves, provided that they do not bring them back to the Solar System."
"11. Nor is there any prohibition on the unilateral authorization by a member state of the Federation of a private military expedition which so outfits itself. We grant that privateers were formerly required to be citizens of the country whose flag they flew, and that this might conflict with the national disarmament law. We grant also that eventually the issuance of letters of marque and reprisal was banned, by the Declaration of Paris in 1856. But while such treaties remain binding on their signatories, including France, they are not binding on the Federation as a whole, which is not a signatory and indeed has members such as the United States of America which never were signatories. And we have seen that the Federation is a sovereign state, possessing all rights and responsibilities not explicitly waived.
"12. Therefore the Federation has the unrestricted right to issue letters of marque and reprisal.
"13. Therefore, and in view of paragraphs 7, 8, and 9, France has the right and the duty to issue letters of marque and reprisal in the name of the Federation.
"France has done so."
The 3V shriekedmore faintly each minute, as Fox II accelerated outward and outward. When she lost the Mars beam and reception ended, the racket in the Capitol had not yet subsided.
Penoyer said, "Whew! What's next?"
"An interminable debate," Heim said. "Coquelin will fight for every comma. Meanwhile nothing can be done about jellyfishing to Alerion. Hopefully, the people with guts will see they aren't beaten at the outset, will rally round andI don't know."
"But us?"
"Maybe we can escape before someone realizes who that French privateer must be. Not that they can legally stop us without an Admiralty warrant; and you know how long that takes to get. But a nuclear shell is kind of final, and whoever fires it will have powerful friends in court."
Vadбsz strummed his guitar and began to sing softly: "Morgenrot, Morgenrot" Heim wondered what that was, until he remembered the old, old Austrian cavalry song:
Morning red, morning red, Wilt thou shine upon me dead? Soon the trumpets will be blowing, Then must I to death be going, I and many trusty friends!
But it wasn't really sad, it had been chorused by troops of young merry men as they galloped with sunlight wild on banners and lances.
He laughed aloud. "Hey! An idea. There were exactly thirteen points in Coquelin's speech. I wonder if he did that on purpose?"
None answered, except the plangent strings. He gave himself to thoughts ... Lisa, Connie, Madelon, Jocelyn ... Earth and Moon lay far behind.
"PCA-SN Neptune to cruiser Fox II. Come in, Fox II."
The voice rocketed them from their seats. "Judas," Penoyer whispered, "that's a blastship."
Heim checked the radar tapes. "The one paralleling us. She's gone to an interception course. And if they use English on us, when we've got a French registry, they know" He bit his lip and settled before the com relay console. "Fox II to Neptune," he said. "We read you. The master speaking. What's on your mind? Over."
"This is Rear Admiral Ching-Kuo, commanding Neptune. Cease acceleration and stand by to be boarded. Over."
Sickness fountained in Heim. "What do you mean?" he blustered. "We have clearance. Over."
"You are suspected of illegal intentions. You are ordered to return to Earth orbit. Over."
"Have you a warrant? Over."
"I will show you my authorization when I board, Captain. Over."
"That'll be too late, if you don't have any. Establish video contact and show me now. Otherwise I am not bound to obey. Over."
"Captain," said Ching-Kuo, "I have my orders. If you do not follow instructions, I shall be forced to fire on you. Over."
Heim's gaze flew among the stars. No, no, no, not this! Another hour and we'd have been away! One hour!
A flaring went through him. "You win, Admiral," he said; it sounded like a stranger talking. "Under protest, I yield. Give us time to compute a velocity-matching vector and we'll meet you. Over and out."
He slammed down the 'switch and opened the intercom to the engine room. "Captain to chief engineer," he said. "Are you there?"
"Indeed," Uthg-a-K'thaq belched. "All is satiswactory."
"No. Somebody's uncorked the bottle on hell. There's a blastship which says if we don't stop and surrender, he'll shoot. Prepare for Mach drive."
"Captain!" Penoyer yelled. "This deep in the sun's field?"
"If the sync is perfect, we can do it," Heim said. "If not ... we're dead, no more. Uthg-a-K'thaq, do you believe we can?"
"Gwurru! What a thing to ask!"
"You overhauled those engines yourself," Heim said. "I trust you."