Chapter 20 Chapter Twenty

Jubal considered whether to sit Mike while Douglas came in, but ultimately dismissed the idea; he just wanted to let everyone know that the meeting was on an equal footing, and he didn't want to put Mike ahead of Douglas. superior.So, he also signaled Mike when he got up.Accompanied by the first movement of "Peace Above all", two imposing doors at the back of the hall opened, and Douglas walked into the conference room.He came to his chair and was about to sit down. Jubal immediately motioned for Mike to sit down, and it turned out that Mike and the Secretary-General sat down at the same time, while the others waited a short while as a sign of respect.

Jubal held his breath.Did Laxus do so?He didn't really promise at the time— The sirens of the "Mars" movement resounded through the room. "God of War" theme.Even if everyone knew it in advance, they would still be shocked.Jubal made eye contact with Douglas, and jumped out of his chair like a recruit at attention. Douglas also stood up, not so quickly, but without hesitation. Mike remained seated because Jubal did not give the signal.Everyone followed the Secretary-General and stood up, only Mike was as steady as a mountain, and he didn't feel embarrassed at all.Mike didn't understand what was in front of him, but was content to follow Brother Water's orders.

Jubal has been pondering this question ever since he asked Rush for Anthem to Mars.If someone satisfied him, what should Mike do then?The answer, of course, depends on what role Mike plays in this comedy -- . The music stops.Jubal gestured for Mike to stand up, bowed briefly, and sat down again, returning to his chair almost at the same time as the Secretary General and the others.This time, everyone sat down faster than before.Mike's failure to get up for the "national anthem" was so obvious no one missed it. Jubal breathed a sigh of relief.It was a fluke that he succeeded.Many years ago, he had seen a tribal ceremony that was about to die out: the Reigning Queen's Parade of Troops.He noticed that the queen only bowed at the end of her country's national anthem to thank others for the tribute she represented to the monarchy she represented.

And the elected head of state must stand like everyone else when the anthem is played - he is not a monarch. As Jubal said, you can't have both.Either Mike was an ordinary citizen, and the Games should never have taken place at all; or, by the logic of the Larkin ruling, the kid alone was a sovereign nation. Jubal wished he could have rewarded Rush with a pinch of snuff.Well, one more person noticed this detail.The ambassador of the Holy See had a solemn face, but his eyes kept flickering. Douglas began: "Mr. Smith, we are honored and delighted by your visit. You were born in our neighbor--our good neighbor--Mars, but we want you to make Earth your home as well-- "The melodious and gorgeous rhetoric is endless.Mike was greeted warmly, but whether as a monarch, a traveler, or a returning citizen is not known.

Jubal looked at Douglas, trying to find some clues about his attitude towards Jubal's letter just now.But Douglas didn't look at him.After a while, the Secretary-General ended his speech, which means he said nothing, but he said it very well. Jubal said: "Mike, start." Smith addressed the Secretary-General—in Martian. Then, he stopped and said solemnly: "Mr. Secretary-General of the Federation of Free Countries on Earth—" Then there was another string of Martian language. Then in English: "—We are deeply grateful for your welcome today. We bring the greetings of the sages of Mars to the people of Earth—" and then changed to Martian.

Jubal thinks the word "sage" is very good, and it is more flavorful than "old soul".Mike didn't object either.It was Jill's idea to use Martian and English alternately.Jubal is quite pleased with that.What was supposed to be a formal speech as empty as a campaign promise was bloated to the impressiveness of a Wagner opera by Jill's little trick. (And equally incomprehensible!) None of this mattered to Mike.He can easily memorize English by heart, and inserting Martian language is no problem at all.If saying these words pleased his water brothers, so did he himself.

Someone touched Jubal on the shoulder, shoved an envelope into his hand, and whispered, "It's for you from the Secretary-General." Jubal looked up and found Bradley walking away quietly.Jubal opened the envelope and glanced inside. There was only one word on the note: "OK." At the bottom was Douglas's initials in that famous green ink. Jubal looked up and saw Douglas watching him; he nodded and Douglas looked away.This meeting is over; now it is time to tell the world about the results. Mike's resounding prattle was drawing to a close; Jubal listened to declamations from his own pen: "—increasing kinship, bringing equal benefits to both worlds—" and "Each race in its own right Nature—” Wait, wait, wait.Afterwards, Douglas thanked the Martian visitor briefly but warmly.

Jubal stood up, "Mr. Secretary—" "What is it, Dr. Harshaw?" "Mr. Smith came here in a double capacity. There have been many princes of our great race, with caravans across the desert, through the unknown vast sea, and finally reached the country far away. Smith, like them, for us Bringing the good intentions of the sages of Mars. But he is also a member of humanity, a citizen of the United States of America. This gives him rights, property, and obligations." Jubal shook his head, "Troublesome responsibility .As a human being, as a citizen, Smith hired me to represent him. I have racked my brains on his affairs and have not yet been able to make an inventory, let alone deal with the IRS."

He paused for a few breaths, "I'm old and my days are numbered for this task. As you all know, my client is inexperienced in human affairs, after all Martians don't do it the way we do; but he An exceptionally bright young man, the world knows his parents were geniuses, and blood doesn't lie. No doubt he won't need the help of an aging lawyer in a few years if he wants to. but his business needs to be attended to now. Things wait for no one." "However, he was far more interested in history, art, and the lives of the people in his second home than in bonds, stocks, and royalties. I thought that was a wise move. Mr. Smith had a straightforward I, and all who knew him, still amaze me with his wisdom. When I explained our current troubles to him, he looked me in the eye with clear eyes and said, 'It's nothing, Jubal. Let's ask Mr. Douglas.'" Jubal paused, then said urgently, "The following is his personal business, Mr. Secretary General. Should I speak to you in private so that the ladies and gentlemen here have the opportunity to leave first? "

"Go on, Dr. Harshaw," Douglas said. "The ceremony is complete. If anyone wants to leave, please do so." Nobody moved. "Well," continued Jubal, "I can sum it up in one sentence. Mr. Smith would like you to act as his personal attorney with full authority over his business affairs." Douglas feigned surprise. "Such a request is really not simple, doctor." "I know, sir. I pointed out to him that you are the busiest man on the planet and don't have time for his business." Jubal smiled and shook his head. "I'm afraid it didn't work for him. It seems Mars The thing is, the busier a man is, the more people expect from him. Mr. Smith just said: 'We can ask him.' So here we are. Of course, we don't expect an immediate answer from you— — This is Martian again, Martians are never in a hurry; they don't like to complicate things. No contracts, no audits, no grandstanding nonsense. If you want, we can issue a letter of appointment; but It doesn't matter to him. Any time, including this moment, he will gladly make a verbal commitment. It's still a Martian thing, and if a Martian trusts you, it's unreserved. Oh, and I should add : Mr. Smith is not making this request to the Secretary-General; he is asking Joseph Edgerton Douglas, for your personal assistance. Your retirement from public affairs will make no difference in this matter. Yours The successor has nothing to do with it. He trusts you...not whoever happens to occupy that octagonal office in the mansion."

Douglas nodded, "No matter how I answer, I will be honored." "Furthermore, if you refuse to accept it, or are unable to undertake it, or later encounter other trivial matters and want to give up this responsibility, Mr. Smith has a second choice, Ben. Ben Caxton. Stand up, Ben, Let everyone see you. If you and Mr. Ben Caxton are unable or unwilling to accept, his next choice will be-well, I don't need to talk about this for the time being, anyway, he has a sequence Well, let me see—" Jubal seemed to be flustered, "I'm not used to standing up and talking. Miriam, where's the paper we made the list on?" Jubal took a sheet of paper from her. "Better give me the others." She handed him the thick stack of papers. "Here's our memo for you, sir--or for Ben Caxton, if things go that way. Mm... I'll see--oh yes, managers can charge what they think Appropriate commission, but not less than—er, a substantial amount. No one else's business anyway. The manager deposits money into an account for the life of the person mentioned in the first part. Oh yes, I Thought you might like, for example, to use the Bank of Shanghai as a depository bank and have Lloyds or something like that act as a commercial agent - or vice versa, in order to protect your reputation. But Mr. Smith has no intention of giving specific instructions , only unlimited authorization, which can be revoked by both parties. I won’t read it, otherwise what’s the point of writing it?” Jubal looked around blankly, “Uh, Miriam, hurry up and hand this over to Secretary. What a nice girl. Well, I'll leave these copies here, you may want to send them around...or you may need them yourself. Oh, I'd better give them to Ben Caxton first Sir—take it all, Ben." Jubal looked around restlessly. "Well, I guess that's all, Mr. Secretary. What do you say?" "One moment, please. Mr. Smith?" "What is it, Mr. Douglas?" "Is this what you want? Do you want me to do what's on this paper?" Jubal held his breath, not looking at his client.The question was expected, and Mike had been trained...but no one knew what form the question would take, or what trouble Mike's literal interpretation would get them into. " "Yes, Mr. Douglas." Mike's voice echoed in the hall and in the billions of houses on this planet. "You want me to handle business matters for you?" "Please, Mr. Douglas. That's good. I thank you." Douglas blinked. "Well, the matter is obvious. Doctor, I will not answer for the time being, but you will hear from me soon." "Thank you, sir, both for myself and for my client." Just as Douglas was about to get up, Councilor Kong's voice suddenly broke in, "Wait! What about the Larkin ruling?" Jubal jumped at the opportunity, "Ah, yes, the Larkin ruling. I've heard a lot of bullshit about this Larkin ruling, basically from irresponsible people. Mr. Kong, what about the Larkin ruling Say?" "I'm asking you. Or your... client. Or the Secretary." Jubal said mildly: "Is it up to me, Mr. Secretary-General?" "Please speak." "Very good." Jubal took out a handkerchief and slowly blew his nose, creating a minor triad three octaves below alto C.Then, squinting at Kong, he said solemnly: "Mr. Senator, these words are specially for you - because I know that the government represented by the Secretary-General does not need my explanation. A long time ago, I was a little boy and I started a club with another kid. Now that we had a club, we had to have some rules...and the first resolution we agreed on was that from now on, we could manage our own His mother was called a shrew. Of course, this is really stupid... But we were all young. Mr. Kong, can you deduce the consequences of this resolution?" "Go on, Dr. Harshaw." "That vixen's verdict I've only executed once in my life. For me, once was enough. My partner was saved from the same mistake, and all I got was a red bar from a mahogany stick on my ass. Vixen's verdict It's time to die." Jubal cleared his throat, "I expected that someone would raise this non-existent question, so I explained the Larkin ruling to my client in advance. He really couldn't understand how anyone could think this The legal assumptions apply to Mars. After all Mars is no wilderness, it is home to an ancient and wise race - much older than yours, sir, and probably wiser. However, when Mr. Smith finds out He couldn't help being amused when he found out why. That's all, sir--amused, with a tolerant mind. Once, just once, I underestimated the power of my mother's punishment for indiscretion. The price of that lesson was High. But right now, we're talking about interstellar-scale problems, and Earth can't afford that lesson. Before we pack up and sell land that isn't ours, it's good to know that Martian kitchens have What kind of mahogany sticks?" Kong didn't seem convinced, "Dr. Harshaw, if Larkin's ruling is nothing more than a boy's absurdity...then why give Mr. Smith the head of state courtesy?" Harshaw shrugged. "That's a question for the government to answer, not me. But I can tell you how I interpret it personally. In my opinion, this ceremony is a tribute to the sages of Mars." "please explain it." "Mr. Kong, these courtesies are not empty echoes of Larkin's ruling. Humans have not had similar experience before, but Mr. Smith is Mars!" Kong didn't even blink his eyelids, "Continue talking." "Or, more precisely, he was the race of Martians. Through Smith, the sages of Mars came to our planet. To honor him is to honor them, and to do him harm is to do them harm. It is not an exaggeration. , but incomprehensible in human experience. Today, we are here to honor our neighbors, which is very wise - but this wisdom has nothing to do with the Larkin ruling. I have never heard of any responsible People have said that the Larkin ruling applies to a planet with indigenous peoples - and I can venture to say that we will not hear such remarks in the future." Jubal looked up at the ceiling, as if asking for help, " Rest assured, Mr. Kong, though, that the wise rulers of Mars will take note of how we treat their ambassador. The homage conveyed through him is a friendly signal. In this way, I believe, the government of this planet demonstrates its Wisdom. Before long, you will also find that it is a very wise choice." Kong replied indifferently: "Doctor, if you're trying to scare me, I'm afraid you didn't succeed." "I don't have such expectations. However, our planet is lucky, and the affairs here are not up to you." Jubal turned to Douglas, "Mr. Secretary General, I have not made such a long public appearance in many years... now Already exhausted. Can we take a break while we wait for your decision?"