The Summer Thieves by Paul Di Filippo

Author:Paul Di Filippo
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: The Summer Thieves: A Novel of the Quinary
ISBN: 9781597806558
Publisher: Night Shade Books
Published: 2021-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 9

As bureaucrats went, the gauche Fidelio Fang-Blenny was not the common type who cared to pad out his work routines with useless fluff and nonsense so as to exert himself minimally, impede progress, and torture his clients with delays and needless hinderances. Rather he was the type of punctilious vam-brace-fusspot who trotted deliberately through every mandated clause and codicil of the regulations he was enforcing in the most stringent manner, brooking no requests for exceptional treatment or mercy. He invested no emotions in his tasks, neither glee nor remorse, pride of accomplishment or solidarity with his employers. It was as if he were a kind of soulless Turing machine whose invariable output could be precisely predicted based on the coded input.

For this reason, when Johrun stutteringly demanded what this intruder could possibly mean by his impossible statement— “impound the planet”—Fang-Blenny insisted that he would not be troubled to repeat himself, and since his message was intended equally for Mir Minka Soldevere, he must insist that she be fetched to hear it at the same time that Johrun did.

Johrun raced back to Minka’s room and explained what had just happened. Her friends listened attentively as well, but without any particular sentiments discernible. Minka, however, was motivated to hastily throw back her covers and slide out of bed, wearing just black leggings and a white camisole. Barefoot, she hastened out of the room, attended by her cheering squad.

Johrun followed, detouring only to fetch Lutramella.

“Joh, what’s the matter?”

“I don’t really know, but I suspect the worst.”

“Let’s face it together then.”

Outside, Johrun discovered Fang-Blenny still planted like a stolid goalpost exactly where Johrun had left him. Minka was haranguing the man for an explanation of his mission, but he stayed mum, awaiting Johrun. A few of the curious laid-off Danger Acres workers had assembled as well.

When Johrun and Lutramella arrived, the Steward of the Magenta Distinction snapped to life as if a switch had been flicked.

“Vir Soldevere, Mir Corvivios. You are aware of the suit against your families regarding the legal title to the planet known as Verano in the Wayward’s Spinel system. You are also aware that the deadline for responding to this suit came and went two days ago.”

Johrun interrupted. “We were not informed by our elders of the exact deadline. We knew only that it was imminent and pressing, and that they were promptly dealing with it.”

“You have now been so informed. Thus any claim of ignorance is negated and becomes null and void as a legitimate objection to my mission.”

Johrun protested. “But our clan elders fully intended to engage with the authorities in good faith before—before they died.”

“All that matters is their null response. Causes for the dereliction are irrelevant. And thus, having failed to respond in a timely manner to the suit, your families have forfeited all defense and all preexisting claims to the planet. This is not to stipulate that the Redhook Combine automatically assumes ownership of Verano, but only that their patents may now be examined for validity.

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