DRIES GLOTON

Branch Manager

_______________________

(Signed and sealed)

THE GALACTIC BANK

Balor, Batafor System

Head Offices of Sector 4

Universe Sixteen

Jonnie said, “And what would be satisfactory 'terms' for its discharge?”

“Oh” said Dries Gloton easily, “a payment of five trillion at once and some arrangement like five hundred billion a month would do. You see, legally, a whole loan becomes due and payable instantly if payments are missed. So you will really find the bank very easy to do business with, for we could require the whole amount instantly! We really are your friends, you know. We always pride ourselves, not just on our total honesty and integrity, but on our customer relations.”

Five trillion! thought Jonnie. Five hundred billion a month! They only had two billion, two hundred million. They had no industry or income. No resources they could dig out of the ground would match the amount needed in that time period.

Dries saw through his fairly well-hidden consternation. “You'd have a whole week! It is very liberal.”

“And as soon as this conference decides the fate of Schleim," said Jonnie.

“And the relationship to the other combatants-”

“Why, the planet will have a clear title!” said Dries triumphantly. “And you can arrange the meeting for us. And we can serve this paper and the whole thing will be handled!”

“The winning government,” said Lord Voraz, “would have days to discuss it and find where they were going to get the money.”

“You couldn't lend it to us?” said Jonnie.

“Oh, dear no. It 's already been lent.”

“And who might buy this planet?” said Jonnie.

“Why, any one of the combatants would be glad to have it. They, unlike you here, have industry and credit and collateral.”

“So after we win this war, if we win it, then we might lose it totally, even to the Tolneps!" said Jonnie.

“Well,” said Dries Gloton with an expressive hand gesture, “banking is banking. Business is business.”

Chapter 6

Stormalong, folded across a desk in the ops room, was jolted out of the sleep of exhaustion. Groggy from days of directing battle, it was with alarm that he saw Jonnie.

“Wake up!” Jonnie was saying urgently. He was trying to shake the Buddhist communicator, Tinny, into some sign of life.

“What's the matter?” Stormalong surged up. “Have they started attacking again?”

“Worse!” said Jonnie. “These small gray men!...Tinny, please wake up!” The woman was almost senseless after days of combat communication, all without sleep.

Jonnie had bowed the guests out. He had walked a full circle around the night-shrouded bowl. MacAdam! He knew he had to get hold of MacAdam of the Earth Planetary Bank in Luxembourg and get hold of him fast. He would arrange no meeting with the government. But he sure would arrange one with somebody who should know banking!

Tinny was coming wake. "MacAdam!" said Jonnie. “Get MacAdam on the radio!”

“What's up?” said Stormalong. Jonnie was usually pretty cool and calm. “What can I do?”

Jonnie shoved a pair of discs at him, the recordings of the whole party. “Get me duplicates of these. It 's a dinner party.”

It made no sense at all to Stormalong but he went over to the disc duplicator and ran them off.

Tinny was trying to wake up Luxembourg, sleepily singing out the code call signs in Pali.

"If you're calling Luxembourg,” said Stormalong, “they're all gone.” Then he realized Jonnie had not had much briefing.

It's Russia,” said Stormalong. “The Singapore people got there and they can't get near the place. It 's all on fire.”

Jonnie didn't understand. An underground base on fire?

“You've been there,” said Stormalong. “I don't know why but they had some material, some black stuff, inflammable, outside the main entrances. Do you know what it was?”

Coal! The Russian base had been piling coal up for the winter. “It’s coal,” said Jonnie. “A black rock that burns.”

“Well, whoever built that base built it next to or on or under a mine of this stuff and in the fighting it must have ignited. The Singapore team couldn't get near the base. They were very few and they didn't take any mine pumps, and even if they had there was no water near there. They yelled for help. They had to get the fire out to get near the base. Luxembourg was the only defense area that was never hit and they had flying tankers there. About two hours ago they filled those tankers and flew to Russia. We have no further reports on the fate of the Russian base. And there's no defense team left in Luxembourg.”

“Surely the Earth Planetary Bank had a radio!” said Jonnie.

“Yes,” said Stormalong doubtfully, “but at this hour of the night, I don't think it would be manned. They're not part of the defense network.”

"I’ve got to go then,” said Jonnie.

“What planes are left-'

“Whoa!” said Stormalong. “I had direct orders from Sir Robert that you stay here!”

“But MacAdam can't fly down here if there are no pilots. Not even one pilot left in Luxembourg?”

“Not one.”

Jonnie felt desperate. “Then how about detaching a pilot from Edinburgh and getting-”

“Not a chance,” said Stormalong. “They're arrived there and it's a screaming mess. The whole tunnel network under the rock has collapsed. You can't get into the place to see whether there's anyone still alive in the shelters. They've got atmosphere hoses and equipment to get air in to any survivors and they are bringing mine diggers up from Cornwall. But they need the pilots they have as machine operators. I don't think I could persuade even one of them-'

“Do you have a plane here?”

“Of course I’ve got a plane here. I’ve got five planes here! But you are not leaving!”

The woman turned from the mike. “It is dead. There is no one answering from the Luxembourg mine site or the bank. And after all, it is two in the morning there.”

"I’m going,” said Jonnie.

“You're not!” shouted Stormalong.

“Then you are!” shouted Jonnie.

Stormalong blinked. After all, he had had about two hours worth of catnaps.

“You'll have to handle anything here by yourself,” he said. “Be in the air and at that mike at the same time if you have to fly defense.”

"I’d take Tinny and handle the network from the plane,” said Jonnie, “if I had to go up and fight. But that isn't where the fight is! It's right down here with these small gray men! Can you stay awake to Luxembourg?”

Stormalong shrugged and then nodded.

“All right,” said Jonnie. “You take those copies you made of the dinner party and you fly to Luxembourg and find MacAdam. Blast him out. Tell him I said it was vital he review those recordings right now. And he's got to find some way to handle a debt. You tell him that.”

“A debt?” said Stormalong.

“Yes, a debt. And if we don't pay or handle it, we've lost this whole war!

Even if we win it!”