The Rim Rebels

by Zellmann, William

  Cony stirred uneasily. "I'm afraid that I agree with the Captain. I seriously doubt that the Coalition will be amenable to such a deal."

  "As may be," Fanlin replied in a nettled tone, "I shall still bring it to the attention of our trading partners. Should they disagree with my assessment of the offer, I'm sure that they won't hesitate to so inform me. I shall include your approximate lift-off date, Captain, and request that any reply be expedited to reach us prior to that time. You would consider such an offer were it to be made, wouldn't you, Captain?"

  Jirik rose to his feet. "Of course, sir. In fact, I will run the figures so that I will have the necessary information should additional detail be required. I would hate to find myself unprepared and embarrassed again. I would have been prepared this time, had I known that our conversation would turn to actualities instead of merely general market information. Again, I thank you for your time and consideration. This meeting has proven most interesting."

  As soon as they were out of the library building, Jirik slapped his thigh. "Damn! Kid, what you just saw was a real exercise in stupidity. Never go to a meeting, even a preliminary one, unprepared. I wasn't ready because I wasn't expecting to need specific information. In fact, I figured that the hardest part would be convincing Fanlin that I was serious. It just goes to show you that even an old-timer like me can do stupid things that he'd raise hell with a newbie for doing!"

  Tor was looking puzzled. "But, I thought that Mr. Fanlin was real interested, sir. He wanted to jump at the deal."

  "That's the point, kid." Jirik replied. "I was offering this guy a librarian's dream. I should've known he'd want to jump at it, and made sure that I knew exactly what I was offering. I was stupid. I hope that these people he's consulting have more business sense, and refuse it!"

  "But why, sir?"'Tor persisted, "What's wrong with the idea, if they can come up with a good down payment? I'm afraid that I don't see what's changed. If it was a good idea before, why isn't it a good idea now?"

  Jirik sighed. "Look, kid," He replied patiently, "Our original idea was for us to finance the deal. We'd basically be doing it on spec. I figured that between what's left of our operating capital, the profits from our inbound cargo, and the line of credit we have with the bank on D'Jellah, we could muster up enough credits to buy the books, then bring them out here and sell them outright. If it went wrong, we might end up in debt, at worst, and end up running low-value cargoes until we could get back on our feet. But the way it's shaped up, we couldn't buy enough bookchips to make anything from it. If this coalition puts up the money, we're basically acting as our own shipping agents. We'd be buying a cargo with the customer's money, and shipping it. I don't like having maybe millions in other people's credits. Too many things can go wrong. Now, the kind of thief that Cony thought I was would simply grab the money and run to the far side of the Empire until the heat died down. But Bran and I have spent too many years working hard to establish our reputations to waste them for one big take. If we did something like that, we'd lose all of our regular customers and shipping agents in our home sector. And believe me, Swindling the governments of nine worlds would force the Alliance courts to notice, rim worlds or not!"

  "If we get involved in a deal this size," Jirik continued, "And anything goes wrong, we could lose everything, including our freedom. It's one helluva gamble, and the stakes are just too high!"

  Tor's face had cleared, then furrowed in concern. "I can see that we're talking about a lot of risk, sir, but if it worries you, why can't we simply turn down the deal if they offer it? I mean, we didn't sign any agreements or anything. In fact, you kinda said that you weren't interested any more, didn't you?"

  Under his breath Jirik muttered, "I hope we can, kid, I hope to hell we can!" then replied in a louder tone, "Yeah, Tor. If there's any way to get out of it, I will. But sometimes circumstances force your hand. I guess we just have to see what happens."

  They returned to the ship. Jirik went in search of Bran, to brief him on the ill-fated meeting. En route to the engineering deck, he passed an obviously miserable Valt, wrestling with a heavily laden grav lifter, and complaining bitterly to himself and anyone else within hearing.

  Bran was on his beloved Engineering deck as usual, hovering menacingly over the local work crew. Jirik dragged him to the tiny Engineering Office, where he briefed him on the ill-fated meeting at the Library. "I know I should have been better prepared," he admitted, "But I kept thinking of the damned deal as a smoke screen, a cover. I never for an instant suspected that someone might take it seriously! Now I'm really worried. If this Coalition or whatever it is makes us a serious offer, we could have trouble backing out of it gracefully!"

  Bran nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. We could get trapped into a very risky deal. Can we get away with simply refusing the deal?"

  "I don't know. We can try. Damn that spook, anyway!" Jirik slammed his hand on the miniscule table, propelling a cascade of papers. "He started this mess by making it necessary for me to lie to my own crew. I didn't like it then, and I like it even less now!"

  "Easy, Captain," Bran said soothingly, "After all, he didn't tell you to lie. We both agreed that we couldn't depend on Tor's and Valt's discretion." He shrugged dismissively. "I guess it just wasn't the best cover story we could have come up with; or maybe it was too good! Anyway, Captain, I don't see that we have any choice but to carry on with the repairs and loading, and hope that they decide not to deal."

  "I guess you're right," Jirik replied, his face clearing, "I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Now," he continued, "How are things going? I passed Valt coming down here. He wasn't a happy man."

  Bran smiled a thoroughly wicked smile. "Valt is not enjoying himself. He showed up hung over this morning, as you might suspect. I think he regrets it. He's been moaning and whining all day. I, on the other hand, have been enjoying myself!"

  Jirik grinned. "I'll bet you have. Am I going to be getting any formal grievances? Or is he letting off enough steam by bitching?"

  Bran's smile widened. "Oh, I think he'll settle for bitching and whining. I've been careful not to give him grounds for a formal grievance."

  Considerably cheered, Jirik returned to his compartment for a short nap before he ventured out again in search of more information for the agent. Bone-weary from the constant drag of the gravity, he contented himself with finding the local spacer bar and socializing with the Captains of the three Rim Tramps in port. His efforts provided substantiation, but nothing new, about the Actionists. He did, however, obtain promises to provide him with up-to-date Rim Sector charts in case he should need them. He left the bar considerably cheered. He had enjoyed the shop talk of the rim traders, and he hadn't even had to go into his drunk act. A spacer among spacers, he was expected to display a certain curiosity about a planet he was visiting for the first time. He was whistling cheerfully as he returned to the Lass for the midnight meeting.

  Valt was drunk again. Jirik decided that they had better get off this planet as quickly as possible, or Valt was going to turn into a worthless alcoholic. Bran looked as weary as he was himself, and even Tor was beginning to look wilted. Jirik decided to keep the meeting as short as possible. Bran and Tor had learned nothing new. Valt's only contribution was a drunken assertion that one of his drinking companions had tried to recruit him for the Actionists. Valt's reaction had been to laugh and tell the man he was crazy. Evidently, the drinking bout had degenerated to name-calling, but physical violence had been avoided. Valt was sullen and surly in his drunkenness. Jirik reported briefly on the meeting at the library and his contacts with the tramp captains, then suggested that they all turn in. No one objected, and the meeting was adjourned within ten minutes.

  Jirik sent Tor on a near-day-long mission to one of the mines supplying part of their inbound shipment in order to be alone when the agent came to the office to receive his reports the following morning. He was poring over load distribution worksheets when the quiet knock announced Tomys' ar
rival.

  Chapter 5

  Jirik yelled, "Come in!", then bellowed, "You! I've been waiting for you, you son of a shlith! You suckered me into one of your damned spook capers after all!"

  Jirik's face reddened with fury as Tomys' smile broadened into a grin. "Calm down, Captain, before you have a stroke. May I sit down?" without waiting for a response, he hooked a chair with his foot, pulled it over, and sat down, ignoring Jirik's speechless fury.

  "Well, Captain," He resumed in a tone syrupy with bland innocence, "What seems to be the problem?"

  Beet-faced and shaking in frustrated fury, Jirik tried to regain control of himself before replying. Several deep breaths enabled him to reply intelligibly, instead of bellowing incoherently. "You bastard! You son of a shlith! You knew what we'd find out! You knew damned well that we'd find out about this terrorist treason crap, and that it'd scare the hell out of us! You bastard! I had to lie to my crew, dream up a phony story that may end up ruining all of us, and stick my and my crews necks out a kilometer to get information that you already had!"

  Tomys sat imperturbable, his smile never wavering. "If you are quite through roaring and bellowing, Captain, can we get on with this? I really do have more important things than your delicate sensibilities to worry about. Yes, I knew what you'd find out. I had to do it this way because, if I had told you that the Alliance faced either prolonged subversion or a rebellion of nine prosperous star systems when I was here before, You'd have laughed me out of your office, Class I Agent or not. Isn't that true?"

  Jirik's anger faded somewhat as the truth of Tomys' words penetrated the red fog of his fury. "Yeah," he admitted, "You're probably right." He sighed deeply, and his anger subsided further. "Okay, so you're one smart son of a shlith. I never doubted that. So, are you going to tell me what it is you really want from us, now? Or are we going to play some more 'show and tell'?"

  Tomys' unflappable grin was back. "Well, Captain., what I really want from you at the moment is your own expertise. You spent ten years in the Alliance Navy. You studied strategy and tactics, and are quite capable of threat evaluation. I want your opinion of both the actuality and the practicality of the rim worlds threat. Based upon what you and your crew have discovered do you believe that there is a real possibility of armed insurrection?"

  Jirik's guffaw was loud and coarse. "Hell! If you're looking for a strategist or a tactician, you're knocking on the wrong door. It's been five years since my Navy days, and nine since Strategy and Tactics School. If you want an analysis send for an up-to-date specialist!"

  Tomys was unperturbed. "I could do that, Captain, as you know. But as you pointed out at our previous meeting, naval officers, other than intelligence officers, are rarely skilled in covert operations. I cannot risk putting my opponents on guard by an obvious military presence. So, Captain, you must serve as my resident strategist and tactician. I want your honest assessment Captain. I need it."

  Jirik had calmed, and realized that Tomys was not going to permit him to withdraw gracefully. He sighed deeply. "All right. You asked if I believed if there was a real chance of armed insurrection. The answer is yes. Not from the rim world governments, and not even from the mainstream of the Actionists. But when people believe in something as fervently as these people believe in 'Atmosism' and 'Actionism' I would say that chances approach certainty that there must be a group of extremists who feel that even the Actionists are moving too slowly."

  "I think that they are the immediate threat. If they use terrorism to provoke a military response from the Alliance, they will likely be able to drag the entire coalition of worlds into a confrontation, and eventually armed insurrection." Jirik paused and looked at the agent piercingly. "Does that agree with your estimation of the situation?"

  Tomys sardonic smile had disappeared. He looked as grim as Jirik felt. "Yes, it does. Now, what happens if they are unable to provoke a military response? What if the Alliance simply ignores their provocations?"

  Jirik snorted. "It doesn't take a strategist to figure that out. If you ignore them, it will boost their standing in the Actionist movement, and maybe even permit them to take it over. Either way, my Engineer and I estimate that the Actionists will control most of the nine governments involved within three to five years. I would then expect the resources of those worlds to be devoted to large-scale missionary work and subversion of neighboring systems until they gain either enough backing to be able to force the Alliance to release them, or else eventually have enough votes to control the Alliance Senate, and thus the Alliance itself. You can't win by ignoring them, Tomys; though I'm sure that you know that." Jirik shrugged. "I'm damned if I know how you can win. At the most, I can see how you might be able to slow them down; but I sure don't see how you can stop them. It's like trying to stop a religion. The more you persecute them, the more martyrs you provide them."

  Tomys looked uncomfortable. "Suppose, Captain, that their first attempted terrorist act was thwarted; thwarted in such a manner as to discredit the entire Actionist movement in the eyes of both the Alliance and the Coalition of Rim worlds."

  Jirik laughed hollowly. "That would have to be some act! You'd have to catch them in the act of doing something that threatens not only the Alliance, but also the rim worlds themselves. If you could do it, you could slow the whole process for as much as, oh, fifty years or so, assuming the Longtermers regained control of all of the governments. I suspect that one of you Class I's would have to be stationed permanently on the rim to continue a permanent program of covert action. And if one of you got caught, especially with evidence that you'd been tinkering with rim governments, it could provoke overnight rebellion, not only along the rim, but among the rest of the Alliance, as well.

  If Tomys was dismayed, he hid it well. "All right, Captain. Now, how would you assess the military threat? How much damage could they do if they did rebel?"

  Jirik snickered. "How the hell would I know? I don't know what forces and equipment they have available. I have been giving this some thought, though. I don't know how many of those rim tramps they have available, but if they have many, they could be a serious threat. Admiral Kedron proved that a hundred years ago. Strip them and arm them, and I wouldn't want to command a battle cruiser in a fight with very many of them." He produced a chart of the sector, and explained to Tomys how he had analyzed the possibility the first night. The grim set of Tomys' face was apparent despite the anachronistic eyeglasses that he affected. "You don't sound very hopeful, Captain," he commented.

  "You're damned right I'm not!" Jirik replied heatedly. "In fact, I'm scared right down to my bloody boots. If I can manage it, I want to get the hell off this planet and out of this sector, for good! If I never see the bloody rim again, it'll be too damned soon. I like to read about interesting places and times, but I damned sure don't want to live through them! I'll be quite happy reading about the rim rebellion in Empire newsfaxes!"

  Tomys made no reply. He appeared to be thinking. Finally after an uncomfortable silence lasting nearly a minute, he straightened in his chair.

  "Captain, when I came in here, you mentioned that you had to dream up a story that may end up ruining you. Perhaps you'd better explain."

  Jirik's face, which had cleared to normal during his intellectual discussion of strategy and tactics, reddened with anger again. "I did something stupid. I realized that two of my crew couldn't carry off a deception, and that I'd have to lie to them to get the information you wanted. When you here the other day, you mentioned that if I wanted to make a killing, I should bring back a load of books from the Empire. I used that as a cover story, telling the crewmen that I wanted to look into the possibility. Then I scheduled meetings every night to find out what they'd heard. My Engineer and I wore bugs when we were out, and I recorded the meetings, so that you could get any info the other crewmen got. Just to make the story look good for my crew, I even scheduled a meeting with a guy named Fanlin at the Library to discuss it. You know him?"

  Tomys nodded.
"Yeah. From Geneve, originally. Sharp, but naive outside his area of expertise. Big man in both Boondock's government and this coalition of theirs. Be very careful with him. He looks and sounds like an ivory-tower type, but he's shrewd. So, what happened?"

  Jirik slammed his fist onto the desk. "I trapped myself, that's what! I trotted out my story, and told him that I was doing preliminary research. He jumped on the idea like a starving man on a sandwich. If it hadn't been for this guy Cony, I think he'd have wanted to sign a contract on the spot!"

  Tomys jerked to attention in his chair. "Cony? Albet Cony? The Minister of Trade?"

  "Yeah, that's him," Jirik agreed, "You know him, too?"

  Tonys' face settled into a poker mask. "Yeah. I think he's the head of the Actionists on Boondock. He was there? What did he say?"

  "Well, first he accused me of being a crook," Jirik replied, "And then he saved my butt by reminding both Fanlin and me just how big the old bitch is. He pointed out that we were talking about millions of chips, and millions of credits; too big a deal for Fanlin or me. I managed to get out of there, but I'm still not off the hook. Fanlin's trying to get the Coalition to put together a joint deal, and I'm not sure I'll be able to back out of it gracefully."

  "Back out of it?" Tomys replied in a wondering tone, "Why would you want to back out? I mean, we could be talking about a big profit for you and your crew."

  "Yeah," Jirik replied grimly, "Too big a profit, and too big a risk. I'm not interested in being responsible for millions of other people's credits. We'd be taking a chance that could destroy all of us. I'm an independent trader, not an interstellar trading combine!"

  Tomys was looking thoughtful. "Captain, I think you ought to take the deal, if it's offered. The terrorist group couldn't ignore a chance like that to get what they need from the Empire. If that deal is made, I can practically guarantee that you'll be approached to smuggle restricted equipment or information back to the rim. If we were lucky, we could get the information that we need to eliminate the terrorist threat, and maybe even discredit them entirely!"