Frigid Fracas Read online

brittlely, "They found against the use of aircraft,other than free balloons, in any military action. They threw the book,Mauser. The court ruled that you, Robert Flaubert and James Hideka bestripped of rank and forbidden the Category Military. You have alsobeen fined all stock shares in your possession other than thoseunalienably yours as a West-world citizen."

  Joe's face went empty. It was only then that he realized that theother was attired in the uniform of a brigadier general. The directionof his eyes was obvious.

  Cogswell shrugged bitterly. "My Upper caste status helped me. I couldpull just enough strings that the Category Military Department, inconjunction with the rulings of the International DisarmamentCommission merely reduced me in rank and belted me with a stiff fine.Your friend--your former friend, I should say, Freddy Soligen,testified in my behalf. Testified that I had no knowledge of yourmounting a gun."

  The former marshal cleared his throat. "His testimony was correct. Ihad no such knowledge and would have issued orders against it, had Iknown. The fact that you enabled me to rescue the situation into whichI'd been sucked, helps somewhat my feelings toward you, Mauser. Butonly somewhat."

  Joe could imagine the other's bitterness. He had fought his way up thehard way to that marshal's baton. At his age, he wasn't going toregain it.

  Brigadier general Stonewall Cogswell hesitated for a moment, thensaid, "One other thing. United Miners has repudiated your actions evento the point of refusing the cost of your hospitalization. I told theCategory Medicine authorities to put your bill on my account."

  Joe said quite stiffly, "That won't be necessary, sir."

  "I'm afraid you'll find it is, Mauser." The former marshal allowedhimself a grimace. "Besides, I owe you something for that spectacularscene when you came skimming over the treetops, the two enemy glidersright behind you, then stalling your craft and crashing into that treenot thirty feet from my open air headquarters. Admittedly, in fortyyears of fracases, I've never seen anything so confoundedly dramatic."

  "Thank you, sir."

  The old soldier grunted, turned and marched from the room.

  XII

  Freddy Soligen had been miraculously saved from the physical beatingtaken by Joe Mauser in the crash. The pilot, sitting so close beforehim, cushioned with his own body that of the Telly reporter.

  For that matter, he had been saved the financial disaster as well,save for that amount he had contributed to the campaign to increaseMauser's stature in the eyes of the buffs. His Category Communicationssuperiors had not even charged him for the cost of the equipment hehad jettisoned from the glider during the flight, nor that which hadbeen destroyed in the crash. If anything, his reputation with hishigher-ups was probably better than ever. He'd been in there pitching,as a Telly reporter, right up until the end when the situation hadcompletely pickled.

  All that he had lost was his dream. It had been so close to thegrasping. He could almost have tasted the sweetness of victory. JoeMauser, at the ultimate top of the hero-heap. Joe Mauser acceptingbounces in both rank and caste. And then, Joe Mauser being properlythankful and helpful to Freddy and Sam Soligen, in their turn. So nearthe realization of the dream.

  He entered his house wearily, finally free of all the ridiculousquestioning of the commission and the courts martial of Mauser andCogswell, and Flaubert, Hideka and their commander, General McCord.All had been found guilty, though in different degrees. Using weaponsof warfare which post-dated 1900. Than which there was no greatercrime between nations.

  He tossed the brief case he had carried to a table, and made his wayto the living room, heading for the auto-bar and some straightspirits.

  A voice said, "Hi, Papa."

  He looked up, not immediately recognizing the Category Military, RankPrivate, before him.

  Then he said weakly, "Sam!" His legs gave way, and he sat downabruptly on the couch which faced the wall which was the Telly screen.

  The boy said, awkwardly, "Surprise, Papa!"

  His father said, very slowly, "What ... in ... Zen ... are ... you ...doing ... in ... that ... outfit?"

  Sam grinned ruefully, albeit proudly. "Aw, it would've taken acentury for me to make full priest, Papa. The only way to do is likeMajor Mauser. You didn't know this, but, I've been following thefracases all along. Especially when you were the reporter. I'vewatched every fracas you've covered for years. I guess you know I'mpretty proud of you."

  "Sam! What are you doing in that uniform! Answer me!"

  The boy flushed. "I'm old enough, Papa. I switched categories. I'vesigned up with Chrysler-Ford in their fracas with Hovercar Sports.They're taking me on as infantryman."

  "Infantryman?" Freddy winced, and closed his eyes. "Listen, boy,where'd you get the idea that--" He started over again. "But all yourlife I've given you the inside on the Category Military, Sam. All yourlife. No trank in our home. No watching the Telly day in and out.You've gone to _school_. More than I ever did. You were going to be aTemple priest--"

  Sam sat down too, vaguely surprised at this father's reaction. "Aw,Papa, everybody's a fracas buff now. Everybody. You can't get awayfrom it. I ... well, I want to be like Major Mauser. Get so all thefans know me, want my autograph, all that. And all the excitement ofbeing in a fracas, getting in the dill, and all. I just want to belike the other fellas, Papa."

  Freddy could only stare at him.

  Sam tried to explain. "Shucks, it was really you that made me want tobecome a mercenary. You're the best Telly reporter of them all. When_you_ cover a fracas, Papa, you really do it. You can see_everything_." He shook his head in admiration. "Gosh, you really feelthe emotion. It's the most exciting thing in the world."

  "Yeah, son," Freddy Soligen said emptily. "I suppose it is."

  XIII

  Joe was able to get around on auto-crutches by the time she finallyarrived--a stereotype visitor. Done up brightly, a box of candy in onehand, flowers in the other. He could see her coming across the lawn,from the visitor's offices. He wished that he had worn his other suit.His clothing was on the skimpy side when uniforms were subtracted.

  She came up to him. "Well, Joe."

  He looked at the flowers and attempted a grin. "Lilies would have beenmore appropriate, considering the shape I'm in."

  Nadine said, "I've just been talking to the staff doctors. You're notin as bad shape as all that. Some bone mending, is all."

  The grin turned wry. "I wasn't just thinking of the physical shape."He settled to the stone bench which stood to one side of the walk hehad been exercising upon before her arrival. For a moment, sheremained standing.

  He looked up at her. "Well," he said. "I didn't break your condition,"he said. "Am I still receivable?"

  She frowned.

  Joe said, bitterly, "You told me that you were going to take thefracas in and if my actions resulted in any casualties, you neverwanted to see me again."

  She took the place beside him. "I did watch. For a time, the rest ofthe battle going on below was ignored and you were full on lens for atleast twenty minutes. I was never so frightened in my life."

  Joe said, "The first step toward becoming a buff. First you're scared.Vicariously. But it's fun to become scared, when nothing can reallyhappen to you. It becomes increasingly exciting to see othersthreatened with death--and then actually to die before you. After awhile, you're hooked."

  She looked carefully at the flowers. "That's not exactly what I meant.I was frightened for you, Joe. Not thrilled."

  He looked at her for a long moment. Finally he breathed deeply andsaid, "Well, you'll never have to go through that again. I'm no longerin the Category Military, I suppose you know."

  "It was on the news, Joe." She laughed without amusement. "In fact, Iknew even before. Balt was tried, too."

  "Balt? Your brother?"

  She nodded. "You first used your glider in that fracas for father andVacuum Tube Transport. Now that the commission has ruled againstgliders, Balt, now head of the family, has been both fined andexpelled from Category Military for life. It
hasn't exactly improvedhis liking for you."

  Joe hadn't heard of it, however, he had little sympathy for Balt Haer,nor interest in him. He said, "Why did you take so long to come?"

  "I was thinking, Joe."

  "And then you finally came."

  "Yes."

  He looked away and into unseen distances. Finally he cleared histhroat and said, "Nadine, the first time I ever talked to you to anyextent, I mentioned that I wanted to achieve the top in this statusworld of ours. I mentioned that I hadn't built this world, andpossibly didn't even approve of it, but