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.
Vadász 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? Oh – oh, 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 shrieked – more 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 and – I 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.’
Vadász strummed
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.
Vadász 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? Oh – oh, 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 shrieked – more 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 and – I 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.’
Vadász strummed
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