F Paul Wilson - LaNague 02 by Wheels Within Wheels (v5.0)

and
even get involved in the internal affairs of some of the planets.”
                Jo remained
unconcerned. “They’ll never get anywhere. From what I understand, the Fed
charter is defensively worded in such a way as to make it impossible for anyone
to get around it.”
                “You
forget: there’s an emergency clause that allows for a temporary increase in the
scope of Federation activity should it or its planets be threatened. Peter
LaNague, who designed the charter, disowned it after that clause was attached
over his protests.”
                “I’m aware
of all that,” Jo said with forced patience. The conversation seemed to have
veered off its original course… or had it? In spite of the pile of work spread
out before her, she felt compelled to follow Old Pete’s train of thought
through to its finish. “And it seems every time I catch a vidcast, there’s a
news item about another attempt to invoke the security clause in the Fed
charter. And every time it’s voted down. Even if they do succeed in invoking
it, so what? It’s only temporary.”
                “That’s
where you’re wrong, Jo. If you look at the history of old Earth, you’ll find
that very seldom, if ever, is any increase in governmental power temporary. The
emergency clause is probably the key to Restructurist control: once they invoke
it they’ll have their foot in the door and the Federation will never be the
same again. I don’t want to see that happen, Jo. Your grandfather and I were
able to make IBA a going concern because of the Fed’s hands-off policy toward
any voluntary transactions. It’s my personal belief that we Terrans have come
as far as we have in the last couple of centuries because of that policy. I
don’t want to see it changed. I don’t want to see the Federation regress toward
empire – it arose from the ashes of another empire – but I see it looming in
the future if the Restructurists have their way.”
                “But they
won’t,” Jo stated.
                “I wouldn’t
be too sure of that. Many of those Restructurists may seem like starry-eyed
idealists, but a good number are crafty plotters with power as their goal. And
Elson deBloise is the worst of the hunch. He’s an ambitious man – a mere planetary
delegate ten years ago, he’s now a sector representative – and this plot,
whatever it is, centers around him and his circle. I’ve made a connection
between deBloise and an as yet unnamed man on Dil. The man is some sort of
physicist, probably, and if deBloise thinks he can be of use, then both he and
the Federation had better be on guard!”
                Jo was
struck by the old man’s vehemence. “Why not go directly to the Federation if
you think something dirty is up?”
                “Because I
don’t have a shred of tangible evidence. I would look like a nut and deBloise
would have plenty of time to cover his tracks. Frankly, I’d rather not even
involve the Fed. It’s not set up to deal with deBloise’s type. I’d much prefer
to handle everything behind the scenes and avoid any open involvement with the
politicos. To do that I need IBA’s contacts.”
                “It’s
always been a company policy to stay out of politics,” Jo said after a moment
of silence. “It’s one of our by-laws, as a matter of fact.”
                Old Pete’s
face creased into a smile. “I know. I wrote it.”
                “Then why
the sudden change of heart?”
                “No change
of heart, really. I still don’t think business should have any connection with
government. It’s dangerous and it’s usually sneaky. When a businessman and a
politician get together, certain things are bound to occur.” He ticked the
points off on the fingers of his left hand. “The businessman is usually one
who’s found that he hasn’t quite got what it