Patriots

15. Fallback Positions

"There aren't so many interplanetary attorneys that news of my son appearing as defendant on Zenith wasn't going to reach me, Mark," Lucius Maxwell said. "Now, will you introduce us? Because I have business to discuss with your counsel."

"Elector Daniels, allow me to present my father, Mr. Lucius Maxwell," Mark said. He bowed to each party as he spoke his name. "Dad is…"

"An attorney of note," Daniels said, voicing the words that Mark had smothered because he hadn't wanted to sound like he was bragging. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir. Though there wasn't a great deal of law to be seen here today."

He glared balefully at the judge's bench, now empty.

"Zenith law," Lucius said with a cool smile. "Which one might compare to Zenith art-flashy, with very little at the core."

His tone changed as he went on. "What do you intend to do now? Appeal?"

Amy appeared through the crowd. She would have stayed apart from the three men if Mark hadn't motioned her closer.

Daniels nodded. "Yes, of course," he said, "though I don't know that we have much chance."

"If you mean to appeal to the Council of State under Zenith procedure," Lucius said, "you have no chance whatever. Vice-Protector Finch sits as president of the council, and half his fellow-councillors have shares in the Greenwood grants at issue."

Lucius spoke crisply, stating facts with no perceived possibility of argument. Mark had heard that cold tone often enough. He swayed closer to Amy.

"If you're empowered by your principals to associate additional counsel-" Lucius continued. He raised an eyebrow in question.

"Yes, of course," Daniels said. "Goodness, I hope you don't think these hicks have anything to do with planning the defense!"

Lucius exchanged glances with Mark. Daniels had the decency to look embarrassed and the sense not to try to unsay the words he'd already blurted.

"I don't know that the hicks, as you put it, could have been less effective in their own defense," Lucius said without heat. "Be that as it may, if you'll authorize me to act in the matter I'll carry it to Protector Giscard instead of to the Zenith council."

"Mr. Maxwell," Daniels said in puzzlement, "the grants by which we're being dispossessed were issued by the Protectors of Zenith. Some of them were issued by Giscard himself."

"Exactly what do you believe we have to lose, Elector Daniels?" Mark said. His tone was sharper than he'd intended, but at this stage in the proceedings he didn't much care.

Daniels stiffened. Lucius nodded to his son.

"Oh, all right," Daniels said. "What is your proposed fee, sir?"

Lucius smiled again. For some reason, the expression made Mark think of Yerby Bannock. "One Quelhagen franc," he said, "to bind the deal. Beyond that, reasonable expenses. The first of which…" He looked at Mark with a slight curling of his lip. "… will be to buy a set of proper clothes for my son, who will act as my aide when I approach the Protector. It'll be tomorrow before I can get a meeting anyway."

Everyone stared at Mark. He folded his hands over his belly to cover the slight tear in the coveralls there.

"We'll dress you as a gentleman of Quelhagen, boy, not as a painted whore from Zenith," Lucius said. "But you will be dressed appropriately."