Citizen of the Galaxy (34 page)

Thorby was active only in giving testimony and that after many objections, counter objections, and warnings from the bench. While he was being sworn, he recognized in the front row a retired chief justice of the Hegemonic Ultimate Court who had once dined at Rudbek. Then Thorby did not notice anything, for he gave his testimony in deep trance surrounded by hypnotherapists.

Although every point was chewed endlessly, only once did the hearing approach drama. The court sustained an objection by Bruder in such fashion that a titter of unbelief ran around the room and someone stamped his feet. The judge turned red. “Order! The bailiff will clear the room!”

The move to comply started, over protests of reporters. But the front two rows sat tight and stared at the judge. The High Ambassador from the Vegan League leaned toward his secretary and whispered; the secretary started slapping a Silent-Steno.

The judge cleared his throat “-- unless this unseemly behavior ceases at once! This court will not tolerate disrespect.”

Thorby was almost surprised when it ended: “-- must therefore be conclusively presumed that Creighton Bradley Rudbek and Martha Bradley Rudbek did each die, are now dead, and furthermore did meet their ends in common disaster. May their souls rest in peace. Let it be so recorded.” The court banged his gavel. “If custodians of wills of the decedents, if wills there be, are present in this court, let them now come forward.”

There was no hearing about Thorby's own shares; Thorby signed a receipt for certificates thereto in the judge's chambers. Neither Weemsby nor Bruder was present.

Thorby took a deep breath as Garsch and he came out of chambers. “I can hardly believe that we've won.”

Garsch grinned. “Don't kid yourself. We won the first round on points. Now it begins to get expensive.”

Thorby's mouth sagged. Rudbek guards moved in and started taking them through the crowd.

Garsch had not overstated it. Bruder and Weemsby sat tight, still running Rudbek & Assocs. and continued to fight. Thorby never did see his parents' proxies -- his only interest in them now was to see whether, as he suspected, the differences between the papers Bruder had prepared and those of his parents lay in the difference between “revocable” and “revocable only by mutual agreement.”

But when the court got around to ordering them produced, Bruder claimed that they had been destroyed in routine clearing from files of expired instruments. He received a ten-day sentence for contempt, suspended, and that ended it.

But, while Weemsby was no longer voting the shares of Martha and Creighton Rudbek, neither was Thorby; the shares were tied up while the wills were being proved. In the meantime, Bruder and Weemsby remained officers of Rudbek & Assocs. with a majority of directors backing them. Thorby was not even allowed in Rudbek Building, much less in his old office.

Weemsby never went back to Rudbek estate; his belongings were sent to him. Thorby moved Garsch into Weemsby's apartment. The old man slept there often; they were very busy.

At one point Garsch told him that there were ninety-seven actions, for or against, moving or pending, relating to the settlement of his estate. The wills were simple in essence; Thorby was the only major heir. But there were dozens of minor bequests; there were relatives who might get something if the wills were set aside; the question of “legally dead” was again raised, the presumption of “common disaster” versus deaths at different times was hashed again; and Thorby's very identity was questioned. Neither Bruder nor Weemsby appeared in these actions; some relative or stockholder was always named as petitioner -- Thorby was forced to conclude that Uncle Jack had kept everyone happy.

But the only action that grieved him was brought by his grandparents Bradley, asking that he be made their ward because of incompetence. The evidence, other than the admitted fact that he was new to the complexities of Terran life, was his Guardsman medical record -- a Dr. Krishnamurti had endorsed that he was “potentially emotionally unstable and should not be held fully answerable for actions under stress.”

Garsch had him examined in blatant publicity by the physician to the Secretary General of the Hegemonic Assembly. Thorby was found legally sane. It was followed by a stockholders suit asking that Thorby be found professionally unequipped to manage the affairs of Rudbek & Assocs. in private and public interest.

Thorby was badly squeezed by these maneuvers; he was finding it ruinously expensive to be rich. He was heavily in debt from legal costs and running Rudbek estate and had not been able to draw his own accumulated royalties as Bruder and Weemsby continued to contend, despite repeated adverse decisions, that his identity was uncertain.

But a weary time later a court three levels above the Rudbek district court awarded to Thorby (subject to admonitions as to behavior and unless revoked by court) the power to vote his parents' stock until such time as their estates were settled.

Thorby called a general meeting of stockholders, on stockholders' initiative as permitted by the bylaws, to elect officers.

The meeting was in the auditorium of Rudbek Building; most stockholders on Terra showed up even if represented by proxy. Even Leda popped in at the last minute, called out merrily, “Hello, everybody!” then turned to her stepfather. “Daddy, I got the notice and decided to see the fun -- so I jumped into the bus and hopped over. I haven't missed anything, have I?”

She barely glanced at Thorby, although he was on the platform with the officers. Thorby was relieved and hurt; he had not seen her since they had parted at San Francisco. He knew that she had residence at Rudbek Arms in Rudbek City and was sometimes in town, but Garsch had discouraged him from getting in touch with her -- “Man's a fool to chase a woman when she's made it plain she doesn't want to see him.”

So he simply reminded himself that he must pay back her loan -- with interest -- as soon as possible.

Weemsby called the meeting to order, announced that to accordance with the call the meeting would nominate and elect officers. “Minutes and old business postponed by unanimous consent.” Bang! “Let the secretary call the roll for nominations for chairman of the board.” His face wore a smile of triumph.

The smile worried Thorby. He controlled, his own and his parents', just under 45% of the voting stock. From the names used in bringing suits and other indirect sources he thought that Weemsby controlled about 31%, Thorby needed to pick up 6%. He was counting on the emotional appeal of “Rudbek of Rudbek” -- but he couldn't be sure, even though Weemsby needed more than three times as many “uncertain” votes . . . uncertain to Thorby; they might be in Weemsby's pocket.

But Thorby stood up and nominated himself, through his own stock. “Thor Rudbek of Rudbek!”

After that it was pass, pass, pass, over and over again -- until Weemsby was nominated. There were no other nominations.

“The Secretary will call the roll,” Weemsby intoned.

“Announce your votes by shares as owners, followed by votes as proxy. The Clerk will check serial numbers against the Great Record. Thor Rudbek . . . of Rudbek.”

Thorby voted all 45%-minus that he controlled, then sat down feeling very weary. But he got out a pocket calculator. There were 94,000 voting shares; he did not trust himself to keep tally in his head. The Secretary read on, the clerk droned his checks on the record. Thorby needed to pick up 5657 votes, to win by one vote.

He began slowly to pick up odd votes -- 232, 906, 1917 -- some of them directly, some through proxy. But Weemsby picked up votes also. Some shareholders answered, “Pass to proxy,” or failed to respond -- as the names marched past and these missing votes did not appear, Thorby was forced to infer that Weemsby held those proxies himself. But still the additional votes for “Rudbek of Rudbek” mounted -- 2205, 3036, 4309 . . . and there it stuck. The last few names passed.

Garsch leaned toward him. “Just the sunshine twins left.”

“I know.” Thorby put away his calculator, feeling sick -- so Weemsby had won, after all.

The Secretary had evidently been instructed what names to read last. “The Honorable Curt Bruder!”

Bruder voted his one qualifying share for Weemsby. “Our Chairman, Mr. John Weemsby.”

Weemsby stood up and looked happy. “In my own person, I vote one share. By proxies delivered to me and now with the Secretary I vote --” Thorby did not listen; he was looking for his hat.

“The tally being complete, I declare --” the Secretary began.

“No!”

Leda was on her feet. “I'm here myself. This is my first meeting and I'm going to vote!”

Her stepfather said hastily, “That's all right, Leda -- mustn't interrupt.” He turned to the Secretary. “It doesn't affect the result.”

“But it does! I cast one thousand eight hundred and eighty votes for Thor, Rudbek of Rudbek!”

Weemsby stared. “Leda Weemsby!”

She retorted crisply, “My legal name is Leda Rudbek.”

Bruder was shouting, “Illegal! The vote has been recorded. It's too --”

“Oh, nonsense!” shouted Leda. “I'm here and I'm voting. Anyhow, I cancelled that proxy -- I registered it in the post office in this very building and saw it delivered and signed for at the 'principal offices of this corporation' -- that's the right phrase, isn't it, Judge? -- ten minutes before the meeting was called to order. If you don't believe me, send down for it. But what of it? -- I'm here. Touch me.” Then she turned and smiled at Thorby.

Thorby tried to smile back, and whispered savagely to Garsch, “Why did you keep this a secret?”

“And let 'Honest John' find out that he had to beg, borrow, or buy some more votes? He might have won. She kept him happy, just as I told her to. That's quite a girl, Thorby. Better option her.”

Five minutes later Thorby, shaking and white, got up and took the gavel that Weemsby had dropped. He faced the crowd. “We will now elect the rest of the board,” he announced, his voice barely under control. The slate that Garsch and Thorby had worked out was passed by acclamation -- with one addition: Leda.

Again she stood up. “Oh, no! You can't do this to me.”

“Out of order. You've assumed responsibility, now accept it.”

She opened her mouth, closed it, sat down.

When the Secretary declared the result, Thorby turned to Weemsby. “You are General Manager also, are you not?”

“Yes.”

“You're fired. Your one share reverts. Don't try to go back to your former office; just get your hat and go.”

Bruder jumped up. Thorby turned to him. “You, too. Sergeant-at-Arms, escort them out of the building.”

Thorby looked glumly at a high stack of papers, each item flagged “URGENT.” He picked up one, started to read -- put it down and said, “Dolores, switch control of my screen to me. Then go home.”

“I can stay, sir.”

“I said, 'Go home.' How are you going to catch a husband with circles under your eyes?”

“Yes, sir.” She changed connections. “Good night, sir.”

“Good night.”

Good girl, there. Loyal, he thought. Well, he hoped. He hadn't dared use a new broom all the way; the administration had to have continuity. He signaled a number.

A voice without a face said, “Scramble Seven.”

“ 'Prometheus Bound,' “ Thorby answered, “and nine makes sixteen.”

“Scramble set up.”

“Sealed,” Thorby agreed.

The face of Wing Marshal “Smith” appeared. “Hi, Thor.”

“Jake, I've got to postpone this month's conference again. I hate to -- but you should see my desk.”

“Nobody expects you to devote all your time to corps matters.”

“Doggone it, that's exactly what I planned to do -- clean this place up fast, put good people in charge, grab my hat and enlist for the corps! But it's not that simple.”

“Thor, no conscientious officer lets himself be relieved until his board is all green. We both knew that you had lots of lights blinking red.”

“Well . . . all right, I can't make the conference. Got a few minutes?”

“Shoot,” agreed “Smith.”

“I think I've got a boy to hunt porcupines. Remember?”

“ 'Nobody eats a porcupine.' “

“Right! Though I had to see a picture of one to understand what you meant. To put it in trader terms, the way to kill a business is to make it unprofitable. Slave raiding is a business, the way to kill it is to put it in the red. Porcupine spines on the victims will do it”

“If we had the spines,” the “X” Corps director agreed dryly. “You have an idea for a weapon?”

“Me? What do you think I am? A genius? But I think I've found one. Name is Joel de la Croix. He's supposed to be about the hottest thing MIT ever turned out. I've gossiped with him about what I used to do as a firecontrolman in Sisu. He came up with some brilliant ideas without being prodded. Then he said, 'Thor, it's ridiculous for a ship to be put out of action by a silly little paralysis beam when it has enough power in its guts to make a small star.' “

“A very small star. But I agree.”

“Okay. I've got him stashed in our Havermeyer Labs in Toronto. As soon as your boys okay him, I want to hand him a truckload of money and give him a free hand. I'll feed him all I know about raider tactics and so forth -- trance tapes, maybe, as I won't have time to work with him much. I'm being run ragged here.”