diff options
Diffstat (limited to '30493-h')
| -rw-r--r-- | 30493-h/30493-h.htm | 3105 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30493-h/images/image_001.jpg | bin | 0 -> 63750 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30493-h/images/image_002.jpg | bin | 0 -> 56095 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30493-h/images/image_003_01.jpg | bin | 0 -> 167250 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30493-h/images/image_003_02.jpg | bin | 0 -> 13012 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30493-h/images/image_004.jpg | bin | 0 -> 34061 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30493-h/images/image_005.jpg | bin | 0 -> 68703 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30493-h/images/image_006.jpg | bin | 0 -> 74383 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30493-h/images/image_007_01.jpg | bin | 0 -> 48069 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30493-h/images/image_007_02.jpg | bin | 0 -> 5934 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 30493-h/images/image_f.jpg | bin | 0 -> 2689 bytes |
11 files changed, 3105 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/30493-h/30493-h.htm b/30493-h/30493-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..fde7eb8 --- /dev/null +++ b/30493-h/30493-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,3105 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> + <head> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8" /> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> + <title> + The Project Gutenberg eBook of Lion Loose, by James H. Schmitz + </title> + <style type="text/css"> +/*<![CDATA[ XML blockout */ +<!-- +body { + margin-left: 10%; + margin-right: 10%; background-color: #FFFFFF; +} + + h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { + text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ + clear: both; +} + +p { + margin-top: .75em; + text-align: justify; + margin-bottom: .75em; +} + +hr { + width: 33%; + margin-top: 2em; + margin-bottom: 2em; + margin-left: auto; + margin-right: auto; + clear: both; +} + +.tr {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; margin-top: 5%; margin-bottom: 5%; padding: 2em; background-color: #f6f2f2; color: black; border: dotted black 1px;} + +.blockquot { + margin-left: 15%; + margin-right: 20%; +} + + + +.center {text-align: center;} + +/* Images */ +.figcenter { + margin: auto; + text-align: center; +} + +.figleft { + float: left; + clear: left; + margin-left: 0; + margin-bottom: 0em; + margin-top: 0em; + margin-right: 0.5em; + padding: 0; + text-align: center; +} + +.figright { + float: right; + clear: right; + margin-left: 0em; + margin-bottom: + 0em; + margin-top: 0em; + margin-right: 0; + padding: 0; + text-align: center; +} + +/* XML end ]]>*/ + </style> + </head> +<body> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30493 ***</div> + +<div class="tr"><p class="center">Transcriber's Note:</p> +<p class="center">This etext was produced from Analog Science Fact & Fiction October 1961. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.</p></div> +<p> </p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 356px;"> +<img src="images/image_001.jpg" width="356" height="490" alt="" /> +</div> +<p> </p> +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> +<img src="images/image_002.jpg" width="600" height="412" alt="" /> +</div> +<p> </p> + +<h1>LION<br /> + +LOOSE</h1> +<p> </p> +<h2>By JAMES H. SCHMITZ</h2> +<p> </p> + + +<div class="blockquot"><p><i>The most dangerous of animals is not the biggest and +fiercest—but the one that's hardest to stop. Add +intelligence to that ... and you may come to a wrong +conclusion as to what the worst menace is....</i></p></div> +<p> </p> +<h3><i>Illustrated by Schoenherr</i></h3> + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<div class="figleft"><img src="images/image_f.jpg" alt="F" width="49" height="50" /></div> +<p>or twelve years at a point where three major shipping routes of the +Federation of the Hub crossed within a few hours' flight of one +another, the Seventh Star Hotel had floated in space, a great golden +sphere, gleaming softly in the void through its translucent shells of +battle plastic. The Star had been designed to be much more than a +convenient transfer station for travelers and freight; for some years +after it was opened to the public, it retained a high rating among +the more exotic pleasure resorts of the Hub. The Seventh Star Hotel +was the place to have been that season, and the celebrities and fat +cats converged on it with their pals and hangers-on. The Star blazed +with life, excitement, interstellar scandals, tinkled with streams of +credits dancing in from a thousand worlds. In short, it had started +out as a paying proposition.</p> + +<p>But gradually things changed. The Star's entertainment remained as +delightfully outrageous as ever, the cuisine as excellent; the +accommodations and service were still above reproach. The fleecing, in +general, became no less expertly painless. But one had <i>been</i> there. +By its eighth year, the Star was dated. Now, in its twelfth, it lived +soberly off the liner and freighter trade, four fifths of the guest +suites shut down, the remainder irregularly occupied between ship +departures.</p> + +<p>And in another seven hours, if the plans of certain men went through, +the Seventh Star Hotel would abruptly wink out of existence.</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>Some fifty or sixty early diners were scattered about the tables on +the garden terraces of Phalagon House, the Seventh Star Hotel's most +exclusive eatery. One of them had just finished his meal, sat smoking +and regarding a spiraling flow of exquisitely indicated female figures +across the garden's skyscape with an air of friendly approval. He was +a large and muscular young man, deeply tanned, with shoulders of +impressive thickness, an aquiline nose, and dark, reflective eyes.</p> + +<p>After a minute or two, he yawned comfortably, put out the cigarette, +and pushed his chair back from the table. As he came to his feet, +there was a soft bell-note from the table ComWeb. He hesitated, said, +"Go ahead."</p> + +<p>"Is intrusion permitted?" the ComWeb inquired.</p> + +<p>"Depends," the guest said. "Who's calling?"</p> + +<p>"The name is Reetal Destone."</p> + +<p>He grinned, appeared pleasantly surprised. "Put the lady through."</p> + +<p>There was a brief silence. Then a woman's voice inquired softly, +"Quillan?"</p> + +<p>"Right here, doll! Where—"</p> + +<p>"Seal the ComWeb, Quillan."</p> + +<p>He reached down to the instrument, tapped the seal button, said, "All +right. We're private."</p> + +<p>"Probably," the woman's voice said. "But better scramble this, too. I +want to be very sure no one's listening."</p> + +<p>Quillan grunted, slid his left hand into an inner coat pocket, briefly +fingered a device of the approximate size and shape of a cigarette, +drew his hand out again. "Scrambling!" he announced. "Now, what—"</p> + +<p>"Mayday, Quillan," the soft voice said. "Can you come immediately?"</p> + +<p>Quillan's face went expressionless. "Of course. Is it urgent?"</p> + +<p>"I'm in no present danger. But we'd better waste no time."</p> + +<p>"Is it going to take real hardware? I'm carrying a finger gun at the +moment."</p> + +<p>"Then go to your rooms and pick up something useful," Reetal said. +"This should take real hardware, all right."</p> + +<p>"All right. Then where do I go?"</p> + +<p>"I'll meet you at your door. I know where it is."</p> + +<p>When Quillan arrived, she was standing before the door to his suite, a +tall blonde in a sleeveless black and gold sheath; a beautiful body, a +warm, lovely, humorous face. The warmth and humor were real, but +masked a mind as impersonally efficient as a computer, and a taste for +high and dangerous living. When Quillan had last met Reetal Destone, a +year and a half before, the taste was being satisfied in industrial +espionage. He hadn't heard of her activities since then.</p> + +<p>She smiled thoughtfully at him as he came up. "I'll wait outside," she +said. "We're not talking here."</p> + +<p>Quillan nodded, went on into his living room, selected a gun belt and +holstered gun from a suitcase, fastened the belt around his waist +under the coat, and came out. "Now what?"</p> + +<p>"First a little portal-hopping—"</p> + +<p>He followed her across the corridor and into a tube portal, watched as +she tapped out a setting. The exit light flashed a moment later; they +stepped out into a vacant lounge elsewhere in the same building, +crossed it, entered another portal. After three more shifts, they +emerged into a long hall, dimly lit, heavily carpeted. There was no +one in sight.</p> + +<p>"Last stop," Reetal said. She glanced up at his face. "We're on the +other side of the Star now, in one of the sections they've closed up. +I've established a kind of emergency headquarters here. The Star's +nearly broke, did you know?"</p> + +<p>"I'd heard of it."</p> + +<p>"That appears to be part of the reason for what's going on."</p> + +<p>Quillan said, "What's going on?"</p> + +<p>Reetal slid her arm through his, said, "Come on. That's my, hm-m-m, +unregistered suite over there. Big boy, it's very, very selfish of me, +but I was extremely glad to detect your name on the list of newly +arrived guests just now! As to what's going on ... the <i>Camelot</i> +berths here at midnight, you know."</p> + +<p>Quillan nodded. "I've some business with one of her passengers."</p> + +<p>Reetal bent to unlock the entrance door to the indicated suite. "The +way it looks now," she remarked, "the odds are pretty high that you're +not going to keep that appointment."</p> + +<p>"Why not?"</p> + +<p>"Because shortly after the <i>Camelot</i> docks and something's been +unloaded from her, the <i>Camelot</i> and the Seventh Star Hotel are +scheduled to go <i>poof!</i> together. Along with you, me, and some twelve +thousand other people. And, so far, I haven't been able to think of a +good way to keep it from happening."</p> + +<p>Quillan was silent a moment. "Who's scheduling the poof?" he asked.</p> + +<p>"Some old acquaintances of ours are among them. Come on in. What +they're doing comes under the heading of destroying the evidence."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>She locked the door behind them, said, "Just a moment," went over to +the paneled wall, turned down a tiny silver switch. "Room portal," she +said, nodding at the wall. "It might come in handy. I keep it turned +off most of the time."</p> + +<p>"Why are you turning it on now?" Quillan asked.</p> + +<p>"One of the Star's stewards is working on this with me. He'll be along +as soon as he can get away. Now I'll give you the whole thing as +briefly as I can. The old acquaintances I mentioned are some boys of +the Brotherhood of Beldon. Movaine's here; he's got Marras Cooms and +Fluel with him, and around thirty of the Brotherhood's top guns. Nome +Lancion's coming in on the <i>Camelot</i> in person tonight to take charge. +Obviously, with all that brass on the job, they're after something +very big. Just what it is, I don't yet know. I've got one clue, but a +rather puzzling one. Tell you about that later. Do you know Velladon?"</p> + +<p>"The commodore here?" Quillan nodded. "I've never met him but I know +who he is."</p> + +<p>Reetal said, "He's been manager of the Seventh Star Hotel for the past +nine years. He's involved in the Beldon outfit's operation. So is the +chief of the Star's private security force—his name's Ryter—and half +a dozen other Star executives. They've got plenty of firepower, too; +close to half the entire security force, I understand, including all +the officers. That would come to nearly seventy men. There's reason to +believe the rest of the force was disarmed and murdered by them in the +subspace section of the Star about twelve hours ago. They haven't been +seen since then.</p> + +<p>"Now, Velladon, aside from his share in whatever they're after, has +another reason for wanting to wipe out the Star in an unexplained +blowup. There I have definite information. Did you know the Mooley +brothers owned the Star?"</p> + +<p>"Yes."</p> + +<p>"I've been working for the Mooleys the past eight months," Reetal +said, "checking up on employees at Velladon's level for indications of +graft. And it appears the commodore had been robbing them blind here +for at least several years."</p> + +<p>"Sort of risky thing to try with the Mooleys, from what I hear," +Quillan remarked.</p> + +<p>"Yes. Very. Velladon had reason to be getting a little desperate about +that. Two men were planted here a month ago. One of them is Sher +Heraga, the steward I told you about. The other man came in as a +bookkeeper. Two weeks ago, Heraga got word out that the bookkeeper had +disappeared. Velladon and Ryter apparently got wise to what he was +trying to do. So the Mooleys sent me here to find out exactly what was +going on before they took action. I arrived four days ago."</p> + +<p>She gave a regretful little headshake. "I waited almost a day before +contacting Heraga. It seemed advisable to move very cautiously in the +matter. But that made it a little too late to do anything. Quillan, +for the past three days, the Seventh Star Hotel has been locked up +like a bank vault. And except for ourselves, only the people who are +in on the plot are aware of it."</p> + +<p>"The message transmitters are inoperative?" he asked.</p> + +<p>Reetal nodded. "The story is that a gravitic storm center in the area +has disrupted transmissions completely for the time being."</p> + +<p>"What about incoming ships?"</p> + +<p>"Yours was the only one scheduled before the <i>Camelot</i> arrives. It +left again eight hours ago. Nobody here had been let on board. The +guests who wanted to apply for outgoing berths were told there were +none open, that they'd have to wait for the <i>Camelot</i>."</p> + +<p>She went over to a desk, unlocked a drawer, took out a sheaf of +papers, and handed one of them to Quillan. "That's the layout of the +Star," she said. "This five-level building over by the shell is the +Executive Block. The Brotherhood and the commodore's men moved in +there this morning. The Block is the Star's defense center. It's +raid-proofed, contains the control officers and the transmitter and +armament rooms. About the standard arrangement. While they hold the +Executive Block, they have absolute control of the Star."</p> + +<p>"If it's the defense center, it should be practically impossible to do +anything about them there," Quillan agreed. "They could close it up, +and dump the air out of the rest of the Star in a minute, if they had +to. But there must be ... well, what about the lifeboats in the +subspace section—and our pals must have a getaway ship stashed away +somewhere?"</p> + +<p>"They have two ships," Reetal said. "A souped-up armed freighter the +Brotherhood came in on, and a large armed yacht which seems to be the +commodore's personal property. Unfortunately, they're both in subspace +locks."</p> + +<p>"Why unfortunately?"</p> + +<p>"Because they've sealed off subspace. Try portaling down there, and +you'll find yourself looking at a battle-plastic bulkhead. There's no +way of getting either to those ships or to the lifeboats."</p> + +<p>Quillan lifted his eyebrows. "And <i>that</i> hasn't caused any comment? +What about the maintenance crews, the warehouse men, the—"</p> + +<p>"All the work crews were hauled out of subspace this morning," Reetal +said. "On the quiet, the Star's employees have been told that a gang +of raiders was spotted in the warehouse area, and is at present +cornered there. Naturally, the matter isn't to be mentioned to the +guests, to avoid arousing unnecessary concern. And that explains +everything very neatly. The absence of the security men, and why +subspace is sealed off. Why the Executive Block is under guard, and +can't be entered—and why the technical and office personnel in there +don't come out, and don't communicate out. They've been put on +emergency status, officially."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>"Yunk," Quillan said disgustedly after a moment. "This begins to look +like a hopeless situation, doll!"</p> + +<p>"True."</p> + +<p>"Let's see now—"</p> + +<p>Reetal interrupted, "There is one portal still open to subspace. +That's in the Executive Block, of course, and Heraga reports it's +heavily guarded."</p> + +<p>"How does he know?"</p> + +<p>"The Block's getting its meals from Phalagon House. He floated a diner +in there a few hours ago."</p> + +<p>"Well," Quillan said, brightening, "perhaps a deft flavoring of +poison—"</p> + +<p>Reetal shook her head. "I checked over the hospital stocks. Not a +thing there that wouldn't be spotted at once. Unless we can clobber +them thoroughly, we can't afford to make them suspicious with a trick +like that."</p> + +<p>"Poison would be a bit rough on the office help, too," Quillan +conceded. "They wouldn't be in on the deal."</p> + +<p>"No, they're not. They're working under guard."</p> + +<p>"Gas ... no, I suppose not. It would take too long to whip up +something that could turn the trick." Quillan glanced at his watch. +"If the <i>Camelot</i> docks at midnight, we've around six and a half hours +left, doll! And I don't find myself coming up with any brilliant +ideas. What have you thought of?"</p> + +<p>Reetal hesitated a moment. "Nothing very brilliant either," she said +then. "But there are two things we might try as a last resort."</p> + +<p>"Let's hear them."</p> + +<p>"I know a number of people registered in the Star at present who'd be +carrying personal weapons. If they were told the facts, I could +probably line up around twenty who'd be willing to make a try to get +into the Executive Block, and take over either the control offices or +the transmitter room. If we got a warning out to the <i>Camelot</i>, that +would break up the plot. Of course, it wouldn't necessarily save the +Star."</p> + +<p>"No," Quillan said, "but it's worth trying if we can't think of +something better. How would you get them inside?"</p> + +<p>"We could crowd twenty men into one of those diner trucks, and Heraga +could take us in."</p> + +<p>"What kind of people are your pals?"</p> + +<p>"A few smugglers and confidence men I've had connections with. Fairly +good boys for this sort of thing. Then there's an old millionaire +sportsman, with a party of six, waiting to transfer to the <i>Camelot</i> +for a safari on Jontarou. Old Philmarron isn't all there, in my +opinion, but he's dead game and loves any kind of a ruckus. We can +count on him and his friends, if they're not too drunk at the moment. +Still ... that's not too many to set against something less than a +hundred professional guns, even though some of them must be down on +the two ships."</p> + +<p>"No, not enough." Quillan looked thoughtful. "What's the other idea?"</p> + +<p>"Let the cat out of the bag generally. Tell the guests and the +employees out here what's going on, and see if somebody can think of +something that might be done."</p> + +<p>He shook his head. "What you'd set off with that would be anywhere +between a riot and a panic. The boys in the Executive Block would +simply give us the breathless treatment. Apparently, they prefer to +have everything looking quiet and normal when the <i>Camelot</i> gets +here—"</p> + +<p>"But they don't have to play it that way," Reetal agreed. "We might be +dead for hours before the liner docks. If they keep the landing lock +closed until what they want has been unloaded, nobody on the <i>Camelot</i> +would realize what had happened before it was too late."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>There was a moment's silence. Then Quillan said, "You mentioned you'd +picked up a clue to what they're after. What was that?"</p> + +<p>"Well, that's a curious thing," Reetal said. "On the trip out here, a +young girl name of Solvey Kinmarten attached herself to me. She didn't +want to talk much, but I gathered she was newly married, and that her +husband was on board and was neglecting her. She's an appealing little +thing, and she seemed so forlorn and upset that I adopted her for the +rest of the run. After we arrived, of course, I pretty well forgot +about the Kinmartens and their troubles.</p> + +<p>"A few hours ago, Solvey suddenly came bursting into the suite where +I'm registered. She was shaking all over. After I calmed her down a +bit, she spilled out her story. She and her husband, Brock Kinmarten, +are rest wardens. With another man named Eltak, whom Solvey describes +as 'some sort of crazy old coot,' they're assigned to escort two +deluxe private rest cubicles to a very exclusive sanatorium on +Mezmiali. But Brock told Solvey at the beginning of the trip that this +was a very unusual assignment, that he didn't want her even to come +near the cubicles. That wouldn't have bothered her so much, she says, +but on the way here Brock became increasingly irritable and +absent-minded. She knew he was worrying about the cubicles, and she +began to wonder whether they weren't involved in something illegal. +The pay was very high; they're both getting almost twice the regular +warden fee for the job. One day, she found an opportunity to do a +little investigating.</p> + +<p>"The cubicles are registered respectively to a Lady Pendrake and a +Major Pendrake. Lady Pendrake appears to be genuine; the cubicle is +unusually large and constructed somewhat differently from the ones +with which Solvey was familiar, but it was clear that it had an +occupant. However, the life indicator on 'Major Pendrake's cubicle +registered zero when she switched it on. If there was something inside +it, it wasn't a living human being.</p> + +<p>"That was all she learned at the time, because she was afraid Brock +might catch her in the cubicle room. Here in the Star, the cubicles +were taken to a suite reserved for Lady Pendrake. The other man, +Eltak, stayed in the suite with the cubicles, while the Kinmartens +were given other quarters. However, Brock was still acting oddly and +spending most of his time in the Pendrake suite. So this morning, +Solvey swiped his key to the suite and slipped in when she knew the +two men had left it."</p> + +<div> +<img class="figleft" src="images/image_003_01.jpg" width="600" height="630" alt="" /> +<img class="figleft" src="images/image_003_02.jpg" width="252" height="207" alt="" /> +</div> + +<p>"She'd barely got there when she heard Brock and Eltak at the door +again. She ran into the next room, and hid in a closet. Suddenly there +was a commotion in the front room, and Solvey realized that men from +the Star's security force had arrived and were arresting Brock and +Eltak. They hauled both of them away, then floated the cubicles out +and on a carrier and took them off too, locking the suite behind them.</p> + +<p>"Solvey was in a complete panic, sure that she and Brock had become +involved in some serious breach of the Warden Code. She waited a few +minutes, then slipped out of the Pendrake suite, and looked me up to +see if I couldn't help them. I had Heraga check, and he reported that +the Kinmarten suite was under observation. Evidently, they wanted to +pick up the girl, too. So I tucked her away in one of the suites in +this section, and gave her something to put her to sleep. She's there +now."</p> + + + +<p>Quillan said, "And where are the prisoners and the cubicles?"</p> + +<p>"In the Executive Block."</p> + +<p>"How do you know?"</p> + +<p>Reetal smiled briefly. "The Duke of Fluel told me."</p> + +<p>"Huh? The Brotherhood knows you're here?"</p> + +<p>"Relax," Reetal said. "Nobody but Heraga knows I'm working for the +Mooleys. I told the Duke I had a big con deal set up when the +<i>Camelot</i> came in—I even suggested he might like to get in on it. He +laughed, and said he had other plans. But he won't mention to anyone +that I'm here."</p> + +<p>"Why not?"</p> + +<p>"Because," Reetal said dryly, "what the Duke is planning to get in on +is an hour of tender dalliance. Before the <i>Camelot</i> arrives, +necessarily. The cold-blooded little skunk!" She hesitated a moment; +when she spoke again, her voice had turned harsh and nasal, wicked +amusement sounding through it. "Sort of busy at the moment, +sweetheart, but we might find time for a drink or two later on in the +evening, eh?"</p> + +<p>Quillan grunted. "You're as good at the voice imitations as ever. How +did you find out about the cubicles?"</p> + +<p>"I took a chance and fed him a Moment of Truth."</p> + +<p>"With Fluel," Quillan said thoughtfully, "that was taking a chance!"</p> + +<p>"Believe me, I was aware of it! I've run into card-carrying sadists +before, but the Duke's the only one who scares me silly. But it did +work. He dropped in for a about a minute and a half, and came out +without noticing a thing. Meanwhile, I'd got the answers to a few +questions. The bomb with which they're planning to mop up behind them +already has been planted up here in the normspace section. Fluel +didn't know where; armaments experts took care of it. It's armed now. +There's a firing switch on each of their ships, and both switches have +to be tripped before the thing goes off. Part of what they're after is +in those Pendrake rest cubicles—"</p> + +<p>"Part of it?" Quillan asked.</p> + +<p>"Uh-huh. An even hundred similar cubicles will be unloaded from the +<i>Camelot</i>—the bulk of the haul; which is why Nome Lancion is +supervising things on the liner. I started to ask what was in the +cubicles, but I saw Fluel was beginning to lose that blank look they +have under Truth, and switched back to light chitchat just before he +woke up. Yaco's paying for the job—or rather, it <i>will</i> pay for the +stuff, on delivery, and no questions asked."</p> + +<p>"That's not very much help, is it?" Quillan said after a moment. +"Something a big crooked industrial combine like Yaco thinks it can +use—"</p> + +<p>"It must expect to be able to use it to extremely good advantage," +Reetal said. "The Brotherhood will collect thirty million credits for +their part of the operation. The commodore's group presumably won't do +any worse." She glanced past Quillan toward the room portal. "It's +O.K., Heraga! Come in."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>Sher Heraga was a lean, dark-skinned little man with a badly bent +nose, black curly hair, and a nervous look. He regretted, he said, +that he hadn't been able to uncover anything which might be a lead to +the location of the bomb. Apparently, it wasn't even being guarded. +And, of course, a bomb of the size required here would be quite easy +to conceal.</p> + +<p>"If they haven't placed guards over it," Reetal agreed, "it'll take +blind luck to spot it! Unless we can get hold of one of the men who +knows where it's planted—"</p> + +<p>There was silence for some seconds. Then Quillan said, "Well, if we +can't work out a good plan, we'd better see what we can do with one of +the bad ones. Are the commodore's security men wearing uniforms?"</p> + +<p>Heraga shook his head, "Not the ones I saw."</p> + +<p>"Then here's an idea," Quillan said. "As things stand, barging into +the Executive Block with a small armed group can't accomplish much. It +might be more interesting than sitting around and waiting to be blown +up, but it still would be suicide. However, if we could get things +softened up and disorganized in there first—"</p> + +<p>"Softened up and disorganized how?" Reetal asked.</p> + +<p>"We can use that notion you had of having Heraga float in another +diner. This time, I'm on board—in a steward's uniform, in case the +guards check."</p> + +<p>"They didn't the first time," Heraga said.</p> + +<p>"Sloppy of them. Well, they're just gun hands. Anyway, once we're +inside I shuck off the uniform and get out. Heraga delivers his +goodies, and leaves again—"</p> + +<p>Reetal gave him a look. "You'll get shot down the instant you're seen, +dope!"</p> + +<p>"I think not. There're two groups in there—around a hundred men in +all—and they haven't had time to get well acquainted yet. I'll have +my gun in sight, and anyone who sees me should figure I belong to the +other group, until I run into one of the Brotherhood boys who knows me +personally."</p> + +<p>"Then that's when you get shot down. I understand the last time you +and the Duke of Fluel met, he woke up with lumps."</p> + +<p>"The Duke doesn't love me," Quillan admitted. "But there's nothing +personal between me and Movaine or Marras Cooms—and I'll have a +message for Movaine."</p> + +<p>"What kind of a message?"</p> + +<p>"I'll have to play that by ear a little. It depends on how things +look in there. But I have a few ideas, based on what you've learned of +the operation. Now, just what I can do when I get that far, I don't +know yet. I'll simply try to louse the deal up as much as I can. That +may take time, and, of course, it might turn out to be impossible to +get word out to you."</p> + +<p>"So what do we do meanwhile?" Reetal asked. "If we start lining up our +attack group immediately, and then there's no action for another five +or six hours, there's always the chance of a leak, with around twenty +people in the know."</p> + +<p>"And if there's a leak," Quillan agreed, "we've probably had it. No, +you'd better wait with that! If I'm not out, and you haven't heard +from me before the <i>Camelot</i>'s actually due to dock, Heraga can still +take the group—everyone but yourself—in as scheduled."</p> + +<p>"Why everyone but me?" Reetal asked.</p> + +<p>"If nothing else works, you might find some way of getting a warning +to the liner's security force after they've docked. It isn't much of a +possibility, but we can't afford to throw it away."</p> + +<p>"Yes, I see." Reetal looked reflective. "What do you think, Heraga?"</p> + +<p>The little man shrugged. "You told me that Mr. Quillan is not +inexperienced in dealing with, ah, his enemies. If he feels he might +accomplish something in the Executive Block, I'm in favor of the plan. +The situation certainly could hardly become worse."</p> + +<p>"That's the spirit!" Quillan approved. "The positive outlook—that's +what a think like this mainly takes. Can you arrange for the diner and +the uniform?"</p> + +<p>"Oh, yes," Heraga said, "I've had myself put in charge of that detail, +naturally."</p> + +<p>"Then what can you tell me about the Executive Block's layout?"</p> + +<p>Reetal stood up. "Come over to the desk," she said. "We've got +diagrams."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>"The five levels, as you see," Heraga was explaining a few moments +later, "are built directly into the curve of the Star's shells. Level +Five, on the top, is therefore quite small. The other levels are +fairly extensive. Two, Three, and Four could each accommodate a +hundred men comfortably. These levels contain mainly living quarters, +private offices, and the like. The Brotherhood men appear to be +occupying the fourth level, Velladon's group the second. The third may +be reserved for meetings between representatives of the two groups. +All three of these levels are connected by single-exit portals to the +large entrance area on the ground level.</p> + +<p>"The portals stood open when I went in earlier today, and there were +about twenty armed men lounging about the entrance hall. I recognized +approximately half of them as being members of the Star's security +force. The others were unfamiliar." Heraga cleared his throat. "There +is a possibility that the two groups do not entirely trust each +other."</p> + +<p>Quillan nodded. "If they're playing around with something like sixty +million CR, anybody would have to be crazy to trust the Brotherhood of +Beldon. The transmitter room and the control officers are guarded, +too?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, but not heavily," Heraga said. "There seem to be only a few men +stationed at each of those points. Ostensibly, they're there as a +safe-guard—in case the imaginary raiders attempt to break out of the +subspace section."</p> + +<p>"What's the arrangement of the ordinary walk-in tube portals in the +Executive Block?"</p> + +<p>"There is one which interconnects the five levels. On each of the +lower levels, there are, in addition, several portals which lead out +to various points in the Seventh Star Hotel. On the fifth level, there +is only one portal of this kind. Except for the portal which operates +between the different levels in the Executive Block, all of them have +been rendered unusable at present."</p> + +<p>"Unusable in what way?"</p> + +<p>"They have been sealed off on the Executive Block side."</p> + +<p>"Can you get me a diagram of the entry and exit systems those outgoing +portals connect with?" Quillan asked. "I might turn one of them usable +again."</p> + +<p>"Yes, I can do that."</p> + +<p>"How about the communication possibilities?"</p> + +<p>"The ComWeb system is functioning normally on the second, third, and +fourth levels. It has been shut off on the first level—to avoid the +spread of 'alarming rumors' by office personnel. There is no ComWeb on +the fifth level."</p> + +<p>Reetal said, "We'll shift our operating headquarters back to my +registered suite then. The ComWebs are turned off in these vacant +sections. I'll stay in the other suite in case you find a chance to +signal in."</p> + +<p>Heraga left a few minutes later to make his arrangements. Reetal +smiled at Quillan, a little dubiously.</p> + +<p>"Good luck, guy," she said. "Anything else to settle before you start +off?"</p> + +<p>Quillan nodded. "Couple of details. If you're going to be in your +regular suite, and Fluel finds himself with some idle time on hand, he +might show up for the dalliance you mentioned."</p> + +<p>Reetal's smile changed slightly. Her left hand fluffed the hair at the +back of her head, flicked down again. There was a tiny click, and +Quillan looked at a small jeweled hair-clasp in her palm, its needle +beak pointing at him.</p> + +<p>"It hasn't got much range," Reetal said, "but within ten feet it will +scramble the Duke's brains just as thoroughly as they need to be +scrambled."</p> + +<p>"Good enough," Quillan said. "Just don't give that boy the ghost of a +chance, doll. He has a rep for playing very unnice games with the +ladies."</p> + +<p>"I know his reputation." Reetal replaced the tiny gun in her hair. +"Anything else?"</p> + +<p>"Yes. Let's look in on the Kinmarten chick for a moment. If she's +awake, she may have remembered something or other by now that she +didn't think to tell you."</p> + +<p>They found Solvey Kinmarten awake, and tearfully glad to see Reetal. +Quillan was introduced as a member of the legal profession who would +do what he could for Solvey and her husband. Solvey frowned prettily, +trying very hard to remember anything that might be of use. But it +appeared that she had told Reetal all she knew.</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>The blue and white Phalagon House diner, driven by Heraga, was +admitted without comment into the Executive Block. It floated on +unchallenged through the big entry hall and into a corridor. +Immediately behind the first turn of the corridor, the diner paused a +few seconds. Its side door opened and closed. The diner moved on.</p> + +<p>Quillan, coatless and with the well-worn butt of a big Miam Devil +Special protruding from the holster on his right hip, came briskly +back along the corridor. Between fifteen and twenty men, their guns +also conspicuously in evidence, were scattered about the entrance +hall, expressions and attitudes indicating a curious mixture of +boredom and uneasy tension. The eyes of about half of them swiveled +around to Quillan when he came into the hall; then, with one +exception, they looked indifferently away again.</p> + +<p>The exception, leaning against the wall near the three open portals to +the upper levels, continued to stare as Quillan came toward him, +forehead creased in a deep scowl as if he were painfully ransacking +his mind for something. Quillan stopped in front of him.</p> + +<p>"Chum," he asked, "any idea where Movaine is at the moment? They just +give me this message for him—"</p> + +<p>Still scowling, the other scratched his chin and blinked. "Uh ... +dunno for sure," he said after a moment. "He oughta be in the third +level conference room with the rest of 'em. Uh ... dunno you oughta +barge in there right now, pal! The commodore's <i>reee-lly</i> hot about +somethin'!"</p> + +<p>Quillan looked worried. "Gotta chance it, I guess! Message is pretty +important, they say—" He turned, went through the center portal of +the three, abruptly found himself walking along a wide, well-lit hall.</p> + +<p>Nobody in sight here, or in the first intersecting passage he came to. +When he reached the next passage, he heard voices on the right, turned +toward them, went by a string of closed doors on both sides until, +forty feet on, the passage angled again and opened into a long, +high-ceilinged room. The voices came through an open door on the right +side of the room. Standing against the wall beside the door were two +men whose heads turned sharply toward Quillan as he appeared in the +passage. The short, chunky one scowled. The big man next to him, the +top of whose head had been permanently seared clear of hair years +before by a near miss from a blaster, dropped his jaw slowly. His eyes +popped.</p> + +<p>"My God!" he said.</p> + +<p>"Movaine in there, Baldy?" Quillan inquired, coming up.</p> + +<p>"Movaine! He ... you ... how—"</p> + +<p>The chunky man took out his gun, waved it negligently at Quillan. +"Tell the ape to blow, Perk. He isn't wanted here."</p> + +<p>"Ape?" Quillan asked softly. His right hand moved, had the gun by the +barrel, twisted, reversed the gun, jammed it back with some violence +into the chunky man's stomach. "Ape?" he repeated. The chunky man went +white.</p> + +<p>"Bad News—" Baldy Perk breathed. "Take it easy! That's Orca. He's the +commodore's torpedo. How—"</p> + +<p>"Where's Movaine?"</p> + +<p>"Movaine ... he ... uh—"</p> + +<p>"All right, he's not here. And Lancion can't have arrived yet. Is +Cooms in there?"</p> + +<p>"Yeah," Baldy Perk said weakly. "Cooms is in there, Quillan."</p> + +<p>"Let's go in." Quillan withdrew the gun, slid it into a pocket, smiled +down at Orca. "Get it back from your boss, slob. Be seeing you!"</p> + +<p>Orca's voice was a husky whisper.</p> + +<p>"You will, friend! You will!"</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>The conference room was big and sparsely furnished. Four men sat at +the long table in its center. Quillan knew two of them—Marras Cooms, +second in command of the Beldon Brotherhood's detachment here, and the +Duke of Fluel, Movaine's personal gun. Going by Heraga's +descriptions, the big, florid-faced man with white hair and flowing +white mustaches who was doing the talking was Velladon, the commodore; +while the fourth man, younger, wiry, with thinning black hair +plastered back across his skull, would be Ryter, chief of the Star's +security force.</p> + +<p>"What I object to primarily is that the attempt was made without +obtaining my consent, and secretly," Velladon was saying, with a +toothy grin but in a voice that shook with open fury. "And now it's +been made and bungled, you have a nerve asking for our help. The +problem is yours—and you better take care of it fast! I can't spare +Ryter. If—"</p> + +<p>"Cooms," Baldy Perk broke in desperately from the door, "Bad News +Quillan's here an'—"</p> + +<p>The heads of the four men at the table came around simultaneously. The +eyes of two of them widened for an instant. Then Marras Cooms began +laughing softly.</p> + +<p>"Now everything's happened!" he said.</p> + +<p>"Cooms," the commodore said testily, "I prefer not to be interrupted. +Now—"</p> + +<p>"Can't be helped, commodore," Quillan said, moving forward, Perk +shuffling along unhappily beside him. "I've got news for Movaine, and +the news can't wait."</p> + +<p>"Movaine?" the commodore repeated, blue eyes bulging at Quillan. +"Movaine! Cooms, who <i>is</i> this man?"</p> + +<p>"You're looking at Bad News Quillan," Cooms said. "A highjacking +specialist, with somewhat numerous sidelines. But the point right now +is that he isn't a member of the Brotherhood."</p> + +<p>"<i>What!"</i> Velladon's big fist smashed down on the table. "<i>Now</i> what +kind of a game ... how did he get <i>in</i> here?"</p> + +<p>"Well," Quillan said mildly, "I oozed in through the north wall about +a minute ago. I—"</p> + +<p>He checked, conscious of having created some kind of sensation. The +four men at the table were staring up at him without moving. Baldy +Perk appeared to be holding his breath. Then the commodore coughed, +cleared his throat, drummed his fingers on the table.</p> + +<p>He said reflectively: "He could have news—good or bad—at that! For +all of us." He chewed on one of his mustache tips, grinned suddenly up +at Quillan. "Well, sit down, friend! Let's talk. You can't talk to +Movaine, you see. Movaine's um, had an accident. Passed away suddenly +half an hour ago."</p> + +<p>"Sorry to hear it," Quillan said. "That's the sort of thing that +happens so often in the Brotherhood." He swung a chair around, sat +down facing the table. "You're looking well tonight, Fluel," he +observed.</p> + +<p>The Duke of Fluel, lean and dapper in silver jacket and tight-fitting +silver trousers, gave him a wintry smile, said nothing.</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>"Now, then, friend," Velladon inquired confidentially, "just what was +your business with Movaine?"</p> + +<p>"Well, it will come to around twenty per cent of the take," Quillan +informed him. "We won't argue about a half-million CR more or less. +But around twenty per."</p> + +<p>The faces thoughtful. After some seconds, the commodore asked, "And +who's we?"</p> + +<p>"A number of citizens," Quillan said, "who have been rather unhappy +since discovering that you, too, are interested in Lady Pendrake and +her pals. We'd gone to considerable expense and trouble to ... well, +her ladyship was scheduled to show up in Mezmiali, you know. And now +she isn't going to show up there. All right, that's business. Twenty +per—no hard feelings. Otherwise, it won't do you a bit of good to +blow up the Star and the liner. There'd still be loose talk—maybe +other complications, too. You know how it goes. You wouldn't be happy, +and neither would Yaco. Right?"</p> + +<p>The commodore's massive head turned back to Cooms. "How well do you +know this man, Marras?"</p> + +<p>Cooms grinned dryly. "Well enough."</p> + +<p>"Is he leveling?"</p> + +<p>"He'd be nuts to be here if he wasn't. And he isn't nuts—at least, +not that way."</p> + +<p>"There might be a question about that," Fluel observed. He looked at +the commodore. "Why not ask him for a couple of the names that are in +it with him?"</p> + +<p>"Hagready and Boltan," Quillan said.</p> + +<p>Velladon chewed the other mustache tip. "I know Hagready. If he—"</p> + +<p>"I know both of them," Cooms said. "Boltan works highjacking crews out +of Orado. Quillan operates there occasionally."</p> + +<p>"Pappy Boltan's an old business associate," Quillan agreed. "Reliable +sort of a guy. Doesn't mind taking a few chances either."</p> + +<p>Velladon's protruding blue eyes measured him a moment. "We can check +on those two, you know—"</p> + +<p>"Check away," Quillan said.</p> + +<p>Velladon nodded. "We will." He was silent for a second or two, then +glanced over at Cooms. "There've been no leaks on our side," he +remarked. "And they must have known about this for weeks! Of all the +inept, bungling—"</p> + +<p>"Ah, don't be too hard on the Brotherhood, commodore," Quillan said. +"Leaks happen. You ought to know."</p> + +<p>"What do you mean?" Velladon snapped.</p> + +<p>"From what we heard, the Brotherhood's pulling you out of a hole here. +You should feel rather kindly toward them."</p> + +<p>The commodore stared at him reflectively. Then he grinned. "Could be I +should," he said, "Did you come here alone?"</p> + +<p>"Yes."</p> + +<p>The commodore nodded. "If you're bluffing, God help you. If you're +not, your group's in. Twenty per. No time for haggling—we can raise +Yaco's price to cover it." He stood up, and Ryter stood up with him. +"Marras," the commodore went on, "tell him what's happened. If he's +half as hot as he sounds, he's the boy to put on that job. Let him get +in on a little of the work for the twenty per cent. Ryter, come on. +We—"</p> + +<p>"One moment, sir," Quillan interrupted. He took Orca's gun by the +muzzle from his pocket, held it out to Velladon. "One of your men lost +this thing. The one outside the door. If you don't mind—he might pout +if he doesn't get it back."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>The fifth level of the Executive Block appeared to be, as Heraga had +said, quite small. The tiny entry hall, on which two walk-in portals +opened, led directly into the large room where the two Pendrake rest +cubicles had been placed. One of the cubicles now stood open. To right +and left, a narrow passage stretched away from the room, ending +apparently in smaller rooms.</p> + +<p>Baldy Perk was perspiring profusely.</p> + +<p>"Now right here," he said in a low voice, "was where I was standing. +Movaine was over there, on the right of the cubicle, and Cooms was +beside him. Rubero was a little behind me, hanging on to the +punk—that Kinmarten. An' the Duke"—he nodded back at the wide +doorspace to the hall—"was standing back there.</p> + +<p>"All right. The punk's opened the cubicle a crack, looking like he's +about to pass out while he's doin' it. This bearded guy, Eltak, stands +in front of the cubicle, holding the gadget he controls the thing +with—"</p> + +<p>"Where's the gadget now?" Quillan asked.</p> + +<p>"Marras Cooms' got it."</p> + +<p>"How does it work?"</p> + +<p>Baldy shook his head. "We can't figure it out. It's got all kinds of +little knobs and dials on it. Push this one an' it squeaks, turn that +one an' it buzzes. Like that."</p> + +<p>Quillan nodded. "All right. What happened?"</p> + +<p>"Well, Movaine tells the old guy to go ahead an' do the demonstrating. +The old guy sort of grins and fiddles with the gadget. The cubicle +door pops open an' this thing comes pouring out. I never seen nothin' +like it! It's like a barn door with dirty fur on it! It swirls up an' +around an'—it wraps its upper end clean around poor Movaine. He never +even screeches.</p> + +<p>"Then everything pops at once. The old guy is laughing like crazy, an' +that half-smart Rubero drills him right through the head. I take one +shot at the thing, low so's not to hit Movaine, an' then we're all +running, I'm halfway to the hall when Cooms tears past me like a +rocket. The Duke an' the others are already piling out through the +portal. I get to the hall, and there's this terrific smack of sound in +the room. I look back ... an' ... an'—" Baldy paused and gulped.</p> + +<p>"And what?" Quillan asked.</p> + +<p>"There, behind the cubicles, I see poor Movaine stickin' halfway out +o' the wall!" Baldy reported in a hushed whisper.</p> + +<p>"<i>Half</i>way out of the wall?"</p> + +<p>"From the waist up he's in it! From the waist down he's dangling into +the room! I tell you, I never seen nothin' like it."</p> + +<p>"And this Hlat creature—"</p> + +<p>"That's gone. I figure the smack I heard was when it hit the wall +flat, carrying Movaine. It went on into it. Movaine didn't—at least, +the last half of him didn't."</p> + +<p>"Well," Quillan said after a pause, "in a way, Movaine got his +demonstration. The Hlats can move through solid matter and carry other +objects along with them, as advertised. If Yaco can work out how it's +done and build a gadget that does the same thing, they're getting the +Hlats cheap. What happened then?"</p> + +<p>"I told Marras Cooms about Movaine, and he sent me and a half dozen +other boys back up here with riot guns to see what we could do for +him. Which was nothin', of course." Baldy gulped again. "We finally +cut this end of him off with a beam and took it back down."</p> + +<p>"The thing didn't show up while you were here?"</p> + +<p>Baldy shuddered and said, "Naw."</p> + +<p>"And the technician ... Eltak ... was dead?"</p> + +<p>"Sure. Hole in his head you could shove your fist through."</p> + +<p>"Somebody," Quillan observed, "ought to drill Rubero for that stupid +trick!"</p> + +<p>"The Duke did—first thing after we got back to the fourth level."</p> + +<p>"So the Hlat's on the loose, and all we really have at the moment are +the cubicles ... and Rest Warden Kinmarten. Where's he, by the way?"</p> + +<p>"He tried to take off when we got down to Level Four, and somebody +cold-cocked him. The doc says he ought to be coming around again +pretty soon."</p> + +<p>Quillan grunted, shoved the Miam Devil Special into its holster, said, +"O.K., you stay here where you can watch the room and those passages +and the hall. If you feel the floor start moving under, scream. I'll +take a look at the cubicle."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>Lady Pendrake's cubicle was about half as big again as a standard one; +but, aside from one detail, its outer settings, instruments, and +operating devices appeared normal. The modification was a recess +almost six feet long and a foot wide and deep, in one side, which +could be opened either to the room or to the interior of the rest +cubicle, but not simultaneously to both. Quillan already knew its +purpose; the supposed other cubicle was a camouflaged food locker, +containing fifty-pound slabs of sea beef, each of which represented a +meal for the Hlat. The recess made it possible to feed it without +allowing it to be seen, or, possibly, attempting to emerge. +Kinmarten's nervousness, as reported by his wife, seemed +understandable. Any rest warden might get disturbed over such a +charge.</p> + +<p>Quillan asked over his shoulder, "Anyone find out yet why the things +can't get out of the closed rest cubicle?"</p> + +<p>"Yeah," Baldy Perk said. "Kinmarten says it's the cubicle's defense +fields. They could get through the material. They can't get through +the field."</p> + +<p>"Someone think to energize the Executive Block's battle fields?" +Quillan inquired.</p> + +<p>"Yeah. Velladon took care of that before he came screaming up to the +third level to argue with Cooms and Fluel."</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"> +<img src="images/image_004.jpg" width="600" height="229" alt="" /> +</div> + +<p>"So it can't slip out of the Block unless it shows itself down on the +ground level when the entry lock's open."</p> + +<p>"Yeah," Baldy muttered. "But I dunno. Is that good?"</p> + +<p>Quillan looked at him. "Well, we <i>would</i> like it back."</p> + +<p>"Why? There's fifty more coming in on the liner tonight."</p> + +<p>"We don't have the fifty yet. If someone louses up the detail—"</p> + +<p>"Yawk!" Baldy said faintly. There was a crash of sound as his riot gun +went off. Quillan spun about, hair bristling, gun out. "What +happened?"</p> + +<p>"I'll swear," Baldy said, white-faced, "I saw something moving along +that passage!"</p> + +<p>Quillan looked, saw nothing, slowly replaced the gun. "Baldy," he +said, "if you think you see it again, just say so. That's an order! If +it comes at us, we get out of this level fast. But we don't shoot +before we have to. If we kill it, it's no good to us. Got that?"</p> + +<p>"Yeah," Baldy said. "But I got an idea now, Bad News." He nodded at +the other cubicle. "Let's leave that meat box open."</p> + +<p>"Why?"</p> + +<p>"If it's hungry," Baldy explained simply, "I'd sooner it wrapped +itself around a few chunks of sea beef, an' not around me."</p> + +<p>Quillan punched him encouragingly in the shoulder. "Baldy," he said, +"in your own way, you <i>have</i> had an idea! But we won't leave the meat +box open. When Kinmarten wakes up, I want him to show me how to bait +this cubicle with a piece of sea beef, so it'll snap shut if the Hlat +goes inside. Meanwhile it won't hurt if it gets a little hungry."</p> + +<p>"That," said Baldy, "isn't the way <i>I</i> feel about it."</p> + +<p>"There must be around a hundred and fifty people in the Executive +Block at present," Quillan said. "Look at it that way! Even if the +thing keeps stuffing away, your odds are pretty good, Baldy."</p> + +<p>Baldy shuddered.</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>Aside from a dark bruise high on his forehead, Brock Kinmarten showed +no direct effects of having been knocked out. However, his face was +strained and his voice not entirely steady. It was obvious that the +young rest warden had never been in a similarly unnerving situation +before. But he was making a valiant effort not to appear frightened +and, at the same time, to indicate that he would co-operate to the +best of his ability with his captors.</p> + +<p>He'd regained consciousness by the time Quillan and Perk returned to +the fourth level, and Quillan suggested bringing him to Marras Cooms' +private quarters for questioning. The Brotherhood chief agreed; he was +primarily interested in finding out how the Hlat-control device +functioned.</p> + +<p>Kinmarten shook his head. He knew nothing about the instrument, he +said, except that it was called a Hlat-talker. It was very unfortunate +that Eltak had been shot, because Eltak undoubtedly could have told +them all they wanted to know about it. If what he had told Kinmarten +was true, Eltak had been directly involved in the development of the +device.</p> + +<p>"Was he some Federation scientist?" Cooms asked, fiddling absently +with the mysterious cylindrical object.</p> + +<p>"No, sir," the young man said. "But—again if what he told me was the +truth—he was the man who actually discovered these Hlats. At least, +he was the first man to discover them who wasn't immediately killed by +them."</p> + +<p>Cooms glanced thoughtfully at Quillan, then asked, "And where was +that?"</p> + +<p>Kinmarten shook his head again. "He didn't tell me. And I didn't +really want to know. I was anxious to get our convoy to its +destination, and then to be relieved of the assignment. I ... well, +I've been trained to act as Rest Warden to human beings, after all, +not to monstrosities!" He produced an uncertain smile, glancing from +one to the other of his interrogators. The smile promptly faded out +again.</p> + +<p>"You've no idea at all then about the place they came from?" Cooms +asked expressionlessly.</p> + +<p>"Oh, yes," Kinmarten said hastily. "Eltak talked a great deal about +the Hlats, and actually—except for its location—gave me a fairly +good picture of what the planet must be like. For one thing, it's an +uncolonized world, of course. It must be terratype or very nearly so, +because Eltak lived there for fifteen years with apparently only a +minimum of equipment. The Hlats are confined to a single large +island. He discovered them by accident and—"</p> + +<p>"What was he doing there?"</p> + +<p>"Well, sir, he came from Hyles-Frisian. He was a crim ... he'd been +engaged in some form of piracy, and when the authorities began looking +for him, he decided it would be best to get clean out of the Hub. He +cracked up his ship on this world and couldn't leave again. When he +discovered the Hlats and realized their peculiar ability, he kept out +of their way and observed them. He found out they had a means of +communicating with each other, and that he could duplicate it. That +stopped them from harming him, and eventually, he said, he was using +them like hunting dogs. They were accustomed to co-operating with one +another, because when there was some animal around that was too large +for one of them to handle, they would attack, it in a group...."</p> + +<p>He went on for another minute or two on the subject. The Hlats—the +word meant "rock lion" in one of the Hyles-Frisian dialects, +describing a carnivorous animal which had some superficial resemblance +to the creatures Eltak had happened on—frequented the seacoast and +submerged themselves in sand, rocks and debris, whipping up out of it +to seize some food animal, and taking it down with them again to +devour it at leisure.</p> + +<p>Quillan interrupted, "You heard what happened to the man it attacked +on the fifth level?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, sir."</p> + +<p>"Why would the thing have left him half outside the wall as it did?"</p> + +<p>Kinmarten said that it must simply have been moving too fast. It could +slip into and out of solid substances without a pause itself, but it +needed a little time to restructure an object it was carrying in the same +manner. No more time, however, than two or three seconds—depending more +on the nature of the object than on its size, according to Eltak.</p> + +<p>"It can restructure <i>anything</i> in that manner?" Quillan asked.</p> + +<p>Kinmarten hesitated. "Well, sir, I don't know. I suppose there might +be limitations on its ability. Eltak told me the one we were escorting +had been the subject of extensive experimentation during the past +year, and that the results are very satisfactory."</p> + +<p>"Suppose it carries a living man through a wall. Will the man still be +alive when he comes out on the other side, assuming the Hlat doesn't +kill him deliberately?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, sir. The process itself wouldn't hurt him."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>Quillan glanced at Cooms. "You know," he said, "we might be letting +Yaco off too cheaply!"</p> + +<p>Cooms raised an eyebrow warningly, and Quillan grinned. "Our friend +will be learning about Yaco soon enough. Why did Eltak tell the +creature to attack, Kinmarten?"</p> + +<p>"Sir, I don't know," Kinmarten said. "He was a man of rather violent +habits. My impression, however, was that he was simply attempting to +obtain a hostage."</p> + +<p>"How did he get off that island with the Hlat?"</p> + +<p>"A University League explorer was investigating the planet. Eltak +contacted them and obtained the guarantee of a full pardon and a large +cash settlement in return for what he could tell them about the Hlats. +They took him and this one specimen along for experimentation."</p> + +<p>"What about the Hlats on the <i>Camelot</i>?"</p> + +<p>"Eltak said those had been quite recently trapped on the island."</p> + +<p>Cooms ran his fingers over the cylinder, producing a rapid series of +squeaks and whistles. "That's one thing Yaco may not like," he +observed. "They won't have a monopoly on the thing."</p> + +<p>Quillan shook his head. "Their scientists don't have to work through +red tape like the U-League. By the time the news breaks—if the +Federation ever intends to break it—Yaco will have at least a +five-year start on everyone else. That's all an outfit like that +needs." He looked at Kinmarten. "Any little thing you haven't thought +to tell us, friend?" he inquired pleasantly.</p> + +<p>A thin film of sweat showed suddenly on Kinmarten's forehead.</p> + +<p>"No, sir," he said. "I've really told you everything I know. I—"</p> + +<p>"Might try him under dope," Cooms said absently.</p> + +<p>"Uh-uh!" Quillan said, "I want him wide awake to help me bait the +cubicle for the thing. Has Velladon shown any indication of becoming +willing to co-operate in hunting it?"</p> + +<p>Cooms gestured with his head. "Ask Fluel! I sent him down to try to +patch things up with the commodore. He just showed up again."</p> + +<p>Quillan glanced around. The Duke was lounging in the doorway. He +grinned slightly, said, "Velladon's still sore at us. But he'll talk +to Quillan. Kinmarten here ... did he tell you his wife's on the +Star?"</p> + +<p>Brock Kinmarten went utterly white. Cooms looked at him, said softly, +"No, that must have slipped his mind."</p> + +<p>Fluel said, "Yeah, Well, she is. And Ryter says they'll have her +picked up inside half an hour. When they bring her in, we really +should check on how candid Kinmarten's been about everything."</p> + +<p>The rest warden said in a voice that shook uncontrollably, "Gentlemen, +my wife knows absolutely nothing about these matters! I swear it! +She—"</p> + +<p>Quillan stood up. "Well, I'll go see if I can't get Velladon in a +better mood. Are you keeping that Hlat-talker, Cooms?"</p> + +<p>Cooms smiled. "I am."</p> + +<p>"Marras figures," the Duke's flat voice explained, "that if the thing +comes into the room and he squeaks at it a few times, he won't get +hurt."</p> + +<p>"That's possible," Cooms said, unruffled. "At any rate, I intend to +hang on to it."</p> + +<p>"Well, I wouldn't play around with those buttons too much," Quillan +observed.</p> + +<p>"Why not?"</p> + +<p>"You might get lucky and tap out some pattern that spells 'Come to +chow' in the Hlat's vocabulary."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>There were considerably more men in evidence on Level Two than on the +fourth, and fewer signs of nervousness. The Star men had been told of +the Hlat's escape from its cubicle, but weren't taking it too +seriously. Quillan was conducted to the commodore and favored with an +alarmingly toothy grin. Ryter, the security chief, joined them a few +seconds later. Apparently, Velladon had summoned him.</p> + +<p>Velladon said, "Ryter here's made a few transmitter calls. We hear +Pappy Boltan pulled his outfit out of the Orado area about a month +ago. Present whereabouts unknown. Hagready went off on some hush-hush +job at around the same time."</p> + +<p>Quillan smiled. "Uh-huh! So he did."</p> + +<p>"We also," said Ryter, "learned a number of things about you +personally." He produced a thin smile. "You lead a busy +and—apparently—profitable life."</p> + +<p>"Business is fair," Quillan agreed. "But it can always be improved."</p> + +<p>The commodore turned on the toothy grin. "So all right," he growled, +"you're clear. We rather liked what we learned. Eh, Ryter?"</p> + +<p>Ryter nodded.</p> + +<p>"This Brotherhood of Beldon, now—" The commodore shook his head +heavily.</p> + +<p>Quillan was silent a moment. "They might be getting sloppy," he said. +"I don't know. It's one possibility. They used to be a rather sharp +outfit, you know."</p> + +<p>"That's what I'd heard!" Velladon chewed savagely on his mustache, +asked finally, "What's another possibility?"</p> + +<p>Quillan leaned back in his chair. "Just a feeling, so far. But the +business with the cubicle upstairs might have angles that weren't +mentioned."</p> + +<p>They looked at him thoughtfully. Ryter said, "Mind amplifying that?"</p> + +<p>"Cooms told me," Quillan said, "that Nome Lancion had given Movaine +instructions to make a test with Lady Pendrake on the quiet and find +out if those creatures actually can do what they're supposed to do. I +think he was telling the truth. Nome tends to be overcautious when +it's a really big deal. Unless he's sure of the Hlats, he wouldn't +want to be involved in a thing like blowing up the Star and the +liner."</p> + +<p>The commodore scowled absently. "Uh-huh," he said. "He knows we can't +back out of it—"</p> + +<p>"All right. The Brotherhood's full of ambitious men. Behind Lancion, +Movaine was top man. Cooms behind him; Fluel behind Cooms. Suppose +that Hlat-control device Cooms is hanging on to so tightly isn't as +entirely incomprehensible as they make it out to be. Suppose Cooms +makes a deal with Eltak. Eltak tickles the gadget, and the Hlat kills +Movaine. Rubero immediately guns down Eltak—and is killed by Fluel a +couple of minutes later, supposedly for blowing his top and killing +the man who knew how to control the Hlat."</p> + +<p>Ryter cleared his throat. "Fluel was Movaine's gun," he observed.</p> + +<p>"So he was," Quillan said. "Would you like the Duke to be yours?"</p> + +<p>Ryter grinned, shook his head. "No, thanks!"</p> + +<p>Quillan looked back at Velladon. "How well are you actually covered +against the Brotherhood?"</p> + +<p>"Well, <i>that</i>'s air-tight," the commodore said. "We've got 'em +outgunned here. When the liner lands, we'll be about even. But Lancion +won't start anything. We're too even. Once we're clear of the Star, we +don't meet again. We deal with Yaco individually. The Brotherhood has +the Hlats, and we have the trained Federation technicians accompanying +them, who ... who—"</p> + +<p>"Who alone are supposed to be able to inform Yaco how to control the +Hlats," Ryter finished for him. The security chief's face was +expressionless.</p> + +<p>"By God!" the commodore said softly.</p> + +<p>"Well, it's only a possibility that somebody's playing dirty," Quillan +remarked. "We'd want to be sure of it. But if anyone can handle a Hlat +with the control instrument, the Brotherhood has an advantage now that +it isn't talking about—it can offer Yaco everything Yaco needs in one +package. Of course, Yaco might still be willing to pay for the Hlat +technicians. If it didn't, you and Ryter could make the same kind of +trouble for it that my friends can."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>The color was draining slowly from Velladon's face. "There's a +difference," he said. "If we threaten to make trouble for Yaco, they'd +see to it that our present employers learn that Ryter and I are still +alive."</p> + +<p>"That's the Mooleys, eh?"</p> + +<p>"Yes."</p> + +<p>"Tough." Quillan knuckled his chin thoughtfully. "Well, let's put it +this way then," he said. "My group doesn't have <i>that</i> kind of +problem, but if things worked out so that we'd have something more +substantial than nuisance value to offer Yaco, we'd prefer it, of +course."</p> + +<p>Velladon nodded. "Very understandable! Under the circumstances, +co-operation appears to be indicated, eh?"</p> + +<p>"That's what I had in mind."</p> + +<p>"You've made a deal," Velladon said. "Any immediate suggestions?"</p> + +<p>Quillan looked at his watch. "A couple. We don't want to make any +mistake about this. It's still almost five hours before the <i>Camelot</i> +pulls in, and until she does you're way ahead on firepower. I wouldn't +make any accusations just now. But you might mention to Cooms you'd +like to borrow the Hlat gadget to have it examined by some of your +technical experts. The way he reacts might tell us something. If he +balks, the matter shouldn't be pushed too hard at the moment—it's a +tossup whether you or the Brotherhood has a better claim to the thing.</p> + +<p>"But then there's Kinmarten, the rest warden in charge of the cubicle. +I talked with him while Cooms and Fluel were around, but he may have +been briefed on what to say. Cooms mentioned doping him, which could +be a convenient way to keeping him shut up, assuming he knows more +than he's told. He's one of the personnel you're to offer Yaco. I +think you can insist on having Kinmarten handed over to you +immediately. It should be interesting again to see how Cooms reacts."</p> + +<p>Velladon's big head nodded vigorously. "Good idea!"</p> + +<p>"By the way," Quillan said, "Fluel mentioned you've been looking for +Kinmarten's wife, the second rest warden on the Pendrake convoy. Found +her yet?"</p> + +<p>"Not a trace, so far," Ryter said.</p> + +<p>"That's a little surprising, too, isn't it?"</p> + +<p>"Under the circumstances," the commodore said, "it might not be +surprising at all!" He had regained his color, was beginning to look +angry. "If they—"</p> + +<p>"Well," Quillan said soothingly, "we don't <i>know</i>. It's just that +things do seem to be adding up a little. Now, there's one other point. +We should do something immediately about catching that Hlat."</p> + +<p>Velladon grunted and picked at his teeth with his thumbnail. "It would +be best to get it back in its cubicle, of course. But I'm not worrying +about it—just an animal, after all. Even the light hardware those +Beldon fancy Dans carry should handle it. You use a man-sized gun, I +see. So do I. If it shows up around here, it gets smeared, that's all. +There're fifty more of the beasts on the <i>Camelot</i>."</p> + +<p>Quillan nodded. "You're right on that. But there's the possibility +that it is being controlled by the Brotherhood at present. If it is, +it isn't just an animal any more. It could be turned into a thoroughly +dangerous nuisance."</p> + +<p>The commodore thought a moment, nodded. "You're right, I suppose. What +do you want to do about it?"</p> + +<p>"Baiting the cubicle on the fifth level might work. Then there should +be life-detectors in the Star's security supplies—"</p> + +<p>Ryter nodded. "We have a couple of dozen of them, but not in the +Executive Block. They were left in the security building."</p> + +<p>The commodore stood up. "You stay here with Ryter," he told Quillan. +"There're a couple of other things I want to go over with you two. +I'll order the life-detectors from the office here—second passage +down, isn't it, Ryter?... And, Ryter, I have another idea. I'm pulling +the man in space-armor off the subspace portal and detailing him to +Level Five." He grinned at Quillan. "That boy's got a brace of +grenades and built-in spray guns! If Cooms is thinking of pulling any +funny stunts up there, he'll think again."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>The commodore headed briskly down the narrow passageway, his big +holstered gun slapping his thigh with every step. The two security +guards stationed at the door to the second level office came to +attention as he approached, saluted smartly. He grunted, went in +without returning the salutes, and started over toward the ComWeb on a +desk at the far end of the big room, skirting the long, dusty-looking +black rug beside one wall.</p> + +<p>Velladon unbuckled his gun belt, placed the gun on the desk, sat down +and switched on the ComWeb.</p> + +<p>Behind him, the black rug stirred silently and rose up.</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>"You called that one," Ryter was saying seven or eight minutes later, +"almost too well!"</p> + +<p>Quillan shook his head, poked at the commodore's gun on the desk with +his finger, looked about the silent office and back at the door where +a small group of security men stood staring in at them.</p> + +<p>"Three men gone without a sound!" he said. He indicated the glowing +disk of the ComWeb. "He had time enough to turn it on, not time enough +to make his call. Any chance of camouflaged portals in this section?"</p> + +<p>"No," Ryter said. "I know the location of every portal in the +Executive Block. No number of men could have taken Velladon and the +two guards without a fight anyway. We'd have heard it. It didn't +happen that way."</p> + +<p>"Which leaves," Quillan said, "one way it could have happened." He +jerked his head toward the door. "Will those men keep quiet?"</p> + +<p>"If I tell them to."</p> + +<p>"Then play it like this. Two guards have vanished. The Hlat obviously +did it. The thing's deadly. That'll keep every man in the group on the +alert every instant from now on. But we don't say Velladon has +vanished. He's outside in the Star at the moment, taking care of +something."</p> + +<p>Ryter licked his lips. "What does that buy us?"</p> + +<p>"If the Brotherhood's responsible for this—"</p> + +<p>"I don't take much stock in coincidences," Ryter said.</p> + +<p>"Neither do I. But the Hlat's an animal; it can't tell them it's +carried out the job. If they don't realize we suspect them, it gives +us some advantage. For the moment, we just carry on as planned, and +get rid of the Hlat in one way or another as the first step. The +thing's three times as dangerous as anyone suspected—except, +apparently, the Brotherhood. Get the life-detectors over here as soon +as you can, and slap a space-armor guard on the fifth level."</p> + +<p>Ryter hesitated, nodded. "All right."</p> + +<p>"Another thing," Quillan said, "Cooms may have the old trick in mind +of working from the top down. If he can take you out along with a few +other key men, he might have this outfit demoralized to the point of +making up for the difference in the number of guns—especially if the +Hlat's still on his team. You'd better keep a handful of the best boys +you have around here glued to your back from now on."</p> + +<p>Ryter smiled bleakly. "Don't worry. I intend to. What about you?"</p> + +<p>"I don't think they're planning on giving me any personal attention +at the moment. My organization is outside, not here. And it would look +odd to the Brotherhood if I started dragging a few Star guards around +with me at this point."</p> + +<p>Ryter shrugged. "Suit yourself. It's your funeral if you've guessed +wrong."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>"There was nothing," Quillan told Marras Cooms, "that you could +actually put a finger on. It was just that the commodore and Ryter may +have something up their sleeves. Velladon's looking too self-satisfied +to suit me."</p> + +<p>The Brotherhood chief gnawed his lower lip reflectively. He seemed +thoughtful, not too disturbed. Cooms might be thoroughly afraid of the +escaped Hlat, but he wouldn't have reached his present position in +Nome Lancion's organization if he had been easily frightened by what +other men were planning.</p> + +<p>He said, "I warned Movaine that if Velladon learned we'd checked out +the Hlat, he wasn't going to like it."</p> + +<p>"He doesn't," Quillan said. "He regards it as something pretty close +to an attempted double cross."</p> + +<p>Cooms grinned briefly. "It was."</p> + +<p>"Of course. The question is, what can he do about it? He's got you +outgunned two to one, but if he's thinking of jumping you before +Lancion gets here, he stands to lose more men than he can afford to +without endangering the entire operation for himself."</p> + +<div class="figright" style="width: 300px;"> +<img src="images/image_005.jpg" width="300" height="876" alt="" /> +</div> + +<p>Cooms was silent a few seconds. "There's an unpleasant possibility +which didn't occur to me until a short while ago," he said then. "The +fact is that Velladon actually may have us outgunned here by something +like four to one. If that's the case, he can afford to lose quite a +few men. In fact, he'd prefer to."</p> + +<p>Quillan frowned. "<i>Four</i> to one? How's that?"</p> + +<p>Cooms said, "The commodore told us he intended to let only around half +of the Seventh Star's security force in on the Hlat deal. The other +half was supposed to have been dumped out of one of the subspace +section's locks early today, without benefit of suits. We had no +reason to disbelieve him. Velladon naturally would want to cut down +the number of men who got in on the split with him to as many as he +actually needed. But if he's been thinking about eliminating us from +the game, those other men may still be alive and armed."</p> + +<p>Quillan grunted. "I see. You know, that could explain something that +looked a little odd to me."</p> + +<p>"What was that?" Cooms asked.</p> + +<p>Quillan said, "After they discovered down there that two of their +guards were missing and decided the Hlat must have been on their +level, I tried to get hold of the commodore again. Ryter told me +Velladon won't be available for a while, that he's outside in the +Star, taking care of something there. I wondered what could be +important enough to get Velladon to leave the Executive Block at +present, but—"</p> + +<p>"Brother, I'm way ahead of you!" Cooms said. His expression hardened. +"That doesn't look good. But at least he can't bring in reinforcements +without tipping us off. We've got our own guards down with theirs at +the entrance."</p> + +<p>Quillan gave him a glance, then nodded at the wall beyond them. +"That's a portal over there, Marras. How many of them on this level?"</p> + +<p>"Three or four. Why? The outportals have been plugged, man! Sealed +off. Fluel checked them over when we moved in."</p> + +<p>"Sure they're sealed." Quillan stood up, went to the portal, stood +looking at the panel beside it a moment, then pressed on it here and +there, and removed it. "Come over here, friend. I suppose portal +work's been out of your line. I'll show you how fast a thing like that +can get unplugged!" He slid a pocketbook-sized tool kit out of his +belt, snapped it open. About a minute later, the lifeless VACANT sign +above the portal flickered twice, then acquired a steady white glow.</p> + +<p>"Portal in operation," Quillan announced. "I'll seal it off again now. +But that should give you the idea."</p> + +<p>Cooms' tongue flicked over his lips. "Could somebody portal through to +this level from the Star while the exits are sealed here?"</p> + +<p>"If the mechanisms have been set for that purpose, the portals can be +opened again at any time from the Star side. The Duke's an engineer of +sorts, isn't he? Let him check on it. He should have been thinking of +the point himself, as far as that goes. Anyway, Velladon can bring in +as many men as he likes to his own level without using the main +entrance." He considered. "I didn't see anything to indicate that he's +started doing it—"</p> + +<p>Marras Cooms shrugged irritably. "That means nothing! It would be easy +enough to keep half a hundred men hidden away on any of the lower +levels."</p> + +<p>"I suppose that's right. Well, if the commodore intends to play rough, +you should have some warning anyway."</p> + +<p>"What kind of warning?"</p> + +<p>"There's Kinmarten and that Hlat-talking gadget, for example," Quillan +pointed out. "Velladon would want both of those in his possession and +out of the way where they can't get hurt before he starts any +shooting."</p> + +<p>Cooms looked at him a few seconds. "Ryter," he said then, "sent half a +dozen men up here for Kinmarten just after you got back! Velladon's +supposed to deliver the Hlats' attendants to Yaco, so I let them have +Kinmarten." He paused. "They asked for the Hlat-talker, too."</p> + +<p>Quillan grunted. "Did you give them that?"</p> + +<p>"No."</p> + +<p>"Well," Quillan said after a moment, "that doesn't necessarily mean +that we're in for trouble with the Star group. But it does mean, I +think, that we'd better stay ready for it!" He stood up. "I'll get +back down there and go on with the motions of getting the hunt for +the Hlat organized. Velladon would sooner see the thing get caught, +too, of course, so he shouldn't try to interfere with that. If I spot +anything that looks suspicious, I'll get the word to you."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>"I never," said Orca, unconsciously echoing Baldy Perk, "saw anything +like it!" The commodore's chunky little gunman was ashen-faced. The +circle of Star men standing around him hardly looked happier. Most of +them were staring down at the empty lower section of a suit of space +armor which appeared to have been separated with a neat diagonal slice +from its upper part.</p> + +<p>"Let's get it straight," Ryter said, a little unsteadily. "You say +this half of the suit was lying against the wall like <i>that</i>?"</p> + +<p>"Not exactly," Quillan told him. "When we got up to the fifth level, +the suit was stuck against the wall—like that—about eight feet above +the floor. That was in the big room where the cubicles are. When +Kinmarten and Orca and I finally got the suit worked away from the +wall, I expected frankly that we'd find half the body of the guard +still inside. But he'd vanished."</p> + +<p>Ryter cleared his throat. "Apparently," he said, "the creature drew +the upper section of the suit into the wall by whatever means it uses, +then stopped applying the transforming process to the metal, and +simply moved on with the upper part of the suit and the man."</p> + +<p>Quillan nodded. "That's what it looks like."</p> + +<p>"But he had <i>two grenades</i>!" Orca burst out. "He had sprayguns! How +could it get him that way?"</p> + +<p>"Brother," Quillan said, "grenades won't help you much if you don't +spot what's moving up behind you!"</p> + +<p>Orca glared speechlessly at him. Ryter said, "All right! We've lost +another man. We're not going to lose any more. We'll station no more +guards on the fifth level. Now, get everyone who isn't on essential +guard duty to the main room, and split 'em up into life-detector +units. Five men to each detail, one to handle the detector, four to +stay with him, guns out. If the thing comes back to this level, we +want to have it spotted the instant it arrives. Orca, you stay +here—and keep <i>your</i> gun out!"</p> + +<p>The men filed out hurriedly. Ryter turned to Quillan. "Were you able +to get the cubicle baited?"</p> + +<p>Quillan nodded. "Kinmarten figured out how the thing should be set for +the purpose. If the Hlat goes in after the sea beef, it's trapped. Of +course, if the hunting it's been doing was for food, it mightn't be +interested in the beef."</p> + +<p>"We don't know," Ryter said, "that the hunting it's been doing was for +food."</p> + +<p>"No. Did you manage to get the control device from Cooms?"</p> + +<p>Ryter shook his head. "He's refused to hand it over."</p> + +<p>"If you tried to take it from him," Quillan said, "you might have a +showdown on your hands."</p> + +<p>"And if this keeps on," Ryter said, "I may prefer a showdown! Another +few rounds of trouble with the Hlat, and the entire operation could +blow up in our faces! The men aren't used to that kind of thing. It's +shaken them up. If we've got to take care of the Brotherhood, I'd +rather do it while I still have an organized group. Where did you +leave Kinmarten, by the way?"</p> + +<p>"He's back in the little room with his two guards," Quillan said.</p> + +<p>"Well, he should be all right there. We can't spare—" Ryter's body +jerked violently. "<i>What's that?</i>"</p> + +<p>There had been a single thudding crash somewhere in the level. Then +shouts and cursing.</p> + +<p>"Main hall!" Quillan said. "Come on!"</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>The main hall was a jumble of excitedly jabbering Star men when they +arrived there. Guns waved about, and the various groups were showing a +marked tendency to stand with their backs toward one another and their +faces toward the walls.</p> + +<p>Ryter's voice rose in a shout that momentarily shut off the hubbub. +"<i>What's going on here?</i>"</p> + +<p>Men turned, hands pointed, voices babbled again. Someone nearby said +sharply and distinctly, "... Saw it drop right out of the ceiling!" +Farther down the hall, another group shifted aside enough to disclose +it had been clustered about something which looked a little like the +empty shell of a gigantic black beetle.</p> + +<p>The missing section of the suit of space armor had been returned. But +not its occupant.</p> + +<p>Quillan moved back a step, turned, went back down the passage from +which they had emerged, pulling the Miam Devil from its holster. +Behind him the commotion continued; Ryter was shouting something about +getting the life-detector units over there. Quillan went left down the +first intersecting corridor, right again on the following one, keeping +the gun slightly raised before him. Around the next corner, he saw the +man on guard over the portal connecting the building levels facing +him, gun pointed.</p> + +<p>"What happened?" the guard asked shakily.</p> + +<p>Quillan shook his head, coming up. "That thing got another one!"</p> + +<p>The guard breathed, "By God!" and lowered his gun a little. Quillan +raised his a little, the Miam Devil grunted, and the guard sighed and +went down. Quillan went past him along the hall, stopped two doors +beyond the portal and rapped on the locked door.</p> + +<p>"Quillan here! Open up!"</p> + +<p>The door opened a crack, and one of Kinmarten's guards looked out +questioningly. Quillan shot him through the head, slammed on into the +room across the collapsing body, saw the second guard wheeling toward +him, shot again, and slid the gun back into the holster. Kinmarten, +standing beside a table six feet away, right hand gripping a heavy +marble ashtray, was staring at him in white-faced shock.</p> + +<p>"Take it easy, chum!" Quillan said, turning toward him. "I—"</p> + +<p>He ducked hurriedly as the ashtray came whirling through the air +toward his head. An instant later, a large fist smacked the side of +Kinmarten's jaw. The rest warden settled limply to the floor.</p> + +<p>"Sorry to do that, pal," Quillan muttered, stooping over him. "Things +are rough all over right now." He hauled Kinmarten upright, bent, and +had the unconscious young man across his shoulder. The hall was still +empty except for the body of the portal guard. Quillan laid Kinmarten +on the carpet before the portal, hauled the guard off into the room, +and pulled the door to the room shut behind him as he came out. +Picking up Kinmarten, he stepped into the portal with him and jabbed +the fifth level button. A moment later, he moved out into the small +dim entry hall on the fifth level, the gun in his right hand again.</p> + +<p>He stood there silently for some seconds, looking about him listening. +The baited cubicle yawned widely at him from the center of the big +room. Nothing seemed to be stirring. Kinmarten went back to the floor. +Quillan moved over to the panel which concealed the other portal's +mechanisms.</p> + +<p>He had the outportal unsealed in considerably less than a minute this +time, and slapped the panel gently back in place. He turned back to +Kinmarten and started to bend down for him, then straightened quietly +again, turning his head.</p> + +<p>Had there been a flicker of shadowy motion just then at the edge of +his vision, behind the big black cube of the Hlat's food locker? +Quillan remained perfectly still, the Miam Devil ready and every sense +straining for an indication that the thing was there—or approaching +stealthily now, gliding behind the surfaces of floor or ceiling or +walls like an underwater swimmer.</p> + +<p>But half a minute passed and nothing else happened. He went down on +one knee beside Kinmarten, the gun still in his right hand. With his +left, he carefully wrestled the rest warden back up across his +shoulder, came upright, moved three steps to the side, and disappeared +in the outportal.</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>Reetal Destone unlocked the entry door to her suite and stepped +hurriedly inside, letting the door slide shut behind her. She crossed +the room to the ComWeb stand and switched on the playback. There was +the succession of tinkling tones which indicated nothing had been +recorded.</p> + +<p>She shut the instrument off again, passing her tongue lightly over her +lips. No further messages from Heraga....</p> + +<p>And none from Quillan.</p> + +<p>She shook her head, feeling a surge of sharp anxiety, glanced at her +watch and told herself that, after all, less than two hours had passed +since Quillan had gone into the Executive Block. Heraga reported there +had been no indications of disturbance or excitement when he passed +through the big entrance hall on his way out. So Quillan, at any +rate, had succeeded in bluffing his way into the upper levels.</p> + +<p>It remained a desperate play, at best.</p> + +<p>Reetal went down the short passage to her bedroom. As she came into +the room, her arms were caught from the side at the elbows, pulled +suddenly and painfully together behind her. She stood still, frozen +with shock.</p> + +<p>"In a hurry, sweetheart?" Fluel's flat voice said.</p> + +<p>Reetal managed a breathless giggle. "Duke! You startled me! How did +you get in?"</p> + +<p>She felt one hand move up her arm to her shoulder. Then she was swung +about deftly and irresistibly, held pinned back against the wall, +still unable to move her arms.</p> + +<p>He looked at her a moment, asked, "Where are you hiding it this time?"</p> + +<p>"Hiding what, Duke?"</p> + +<p>"I've been told sweet little Reetal always carries a sweet little gun +around with her in some shape or form or other."</p> + +<p>Reetal shook her head, her eyes widening. "Duke, what's the matter? +I...."</p> + +<p>He let go of her suddenly, and his slap exploded against the side of +her face. Reetal cried out, dropping her head between her hands. +Immediately he had her wrists again, and her fingers were jerked away +from the jeweled ornament in her hair.</p> + +<p>"So that's where it is!" Fluel said. "Thought it might be. Don't get +funny again now, sweetheart. Just stay quiet."</p> + +<p>She stayed quiet, wincing a little as he plucked the glittering little +device out of her hair. He turned it around in his fingers, examining +it, smiled and slid it into an inside pocket, and took her arm again. +"Let's go to the front room, Reetal," he said almost pleasantly. +"We've got a few things to do."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>A minute later, she was seated sideways on a lounger, her wrists +fastened right and left to its armrests. The Duke placed a pocket +recorder on the floor beside her. "This is a crowded evening, +sweetheart," he remarked, "which is lucky for you in a way. We'll have +to rush things along a little. I'll snap the recorder on in a minute +so you can answer questions—No, keep quiet. Just listen very closely +now, so you'll know what the right answers are. If you get rattled and +gum things up, the Duke's going to get annoyed with you."</p> + +<p>He sat down a few feet away from her, hitched his shoulders to +straighten out the silver jacket, and lit a cigarette. "A little while +after Bad News Quillan turned up just now," he went on, "a few things +occurred to me. One of them was that a couple of years ago you and he +were operating around Beldon at about the same time. I thought, well, +maybe you knew each other; maybe not. And then—"</p> + +<p>"Duke," Reetal said uncertainly, "just what are you talking about? I +don't know—"</p> + +<p>"Shut up." He reached over, tapped her knee lightly with his +fingertips. "Of course, if you want to get slapped around, all right. +Otherwise, don't interrupt again. Like I said, you're in luck; I don't +have much time to spend here. You're getting off very easy. Now just +listen.</p> + +<p>"Bad News knew a lot about our operation and had a story to explain +that. If the story was straight, we couldn't touch him. But I was +wondering about the two of you happening to be here on the Star again +at the same time. A team maybe, eh? But he didn't mention you as being +in on the deal. So what was the idea?</p> + +<p>"And then, sweetheart, I remembered something else—and that tied it +in. Know that little jolt people sometimes get when they're dropping +off to sleep? Of course. Know another time they sometimes get it? When +they're snapping back out of a Moment of Truth, eh? I remembered +suddenly I'd felt a little jump like that while we were talking +to-day. Might have been a reflex of some kind. Of course, it didn't +occur to me at the time you could be pulling a lousy stunt like that +on old Duke. Why take a chance on getting your neck broken?</p> + +<p>"But, sweetheart, that's the tie-in! Quillan hasn't told it straight. +He's got no backing. He's on his own. There's no gang outside +somewhere that knows all about our little deal. He got his information +right here, from you. And you got it from dumb old Duke, eh?"</p> + +<p>"Duke," Reetal said quite calmly, "can I ask just one question?"</p> + +<p>He stared bleakly at her a moment, then grinned. "It's my night to be +big-hearted, I guess. Go ahead."</p> + +<p>"I'm not trying to argue. But it simply doesn't make sense. If I +learned about this operation you're speaking of from you, what reason +could I have to feed you Truth in the first place? There'd be almost a +fifty-fifty chance that you'd spot it immediately. Why should I take +such a risk? Don't you see?"</p> + +<p>Fluel shrugged, dropped his cigarette and ground it carefully into the +carpet with the tip of his shoe.</p> + +<p>"You'll start answering those questions yourself almost immediately, +sweetheart! Let's not worry about that now. Let me finish. Something +happened to Movaine couple of hours ago. Nobody's fault. And something +else happened to Marras Cooms just now. That puts me in charge of the +operation here. Nice, isn't it? When we found Cooms lying in the hall +with a hole through his stupid head, I told Baldy Perk it looked like +Bad News had thrown in with the Star boys and done it. Know Baldy? +He's Cooms' personal gun. Not what you'd call bright, and he's mighty +hot now about Cooms. I left him in charge on our level, with orders to +get Quillan the next time he shows up there. Well and good. The boys +know Bad News' rep too well to try asking him questions. They won't +take chances with him. They'll just gun him down together the instant +they see him."</p> + +<p>He paused to scuff his shoe over the mark the cigarette had left on +the carpet, went on, "But there's Nome Lancion now. He kind of liked +Cooms, and he might get suspicious. When there's a sudden vacancy in +the organization like that. Nome takes a good look first at the man +next in line. He likes to be sure the facts are as stated.</p> + +<p>"So now you know the kind of answers from you I want to hear go down +on the recorder, sweetheart. And be sure they sound right. I don't +want to waste time on replays. You and Quillan were here on the Star. +You got some idea of what was happening, realized you were due to be +vaporized along with the rest of them after we left. There was no way +out of the jam for you unless you could keep the operation from being +carried out. You don't, by the way, mention getting any of that +information from me. I don't want Lancion to think I'm beginning to +get dopey. You and Quillan just cooked up this story, and he managed +to get into the Executive Block. The idea being to knock off as many +of the leaders as he could, and mess things up."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>Fluel picked up the recorder, stood up, and placed it on the chair. +"That's all you have to remember. You're a smart girl; you can fill in +the details any way you like. Now let's get started—"</p> + +<p>She stared at him silently for an instant, a muscle beginning to +twitch in her cheek. "If I do that," she said, "if I give you a story +Nome will like, what happens next?"</p> + +<p>Fluel shrugged. "Just what you're thinking happens next. You're a dead +little girl right now, Reetal. Might as well get used to the idea. +You'd be dead anyhow four, five hours from now, so that shouldn't make +too much difference. What makes a lot of difference is just how +unpleasant the thing can get."</p> + +<p>She drew a long breath. "Duke, I—"</p> + +<p>"You're stalling, sweetheart."</p> + +<p>"Duke, give me a break. I really didn't know a thing about this. I—"</p> + +<p>He looked down at her for a moment. "I gave you a break," he said. +"You've wasted it. Now we'll try it the other way. If we work a few +squeals into the recording, that'll make it more convincing to +Lancion. He'll figure little Reetal's the type who wouldn't spill a +thing like that without a little pressure." He checked himself, +grinned. "And that reminds me. When you're talking for the record, use +your own voice."</p> + +<p>"My own voice?" she half whispered.</p> + +<p>"Nome will remember what you sound like—and I've heard that voice +imitations are part of your stock in trade. You might think it was +cute if Nome got to wondering after you were dead whether that really +had been you talking. Don't try it, sweetheart."</p> + +<p>He brought a glove out of his jacket pocket, slipped it over his left +hand, flexing his fingers to work it into position. Reetal's eyes +fastened on the rounded metal tips capping thumb, forefinger and +middle finger of the glove. Her face went gray.</p> + +<p>"Duke," she said, "No—"</p> + +<p>"Shut up." He brought out a strip of transparent plastic, moved over +to her. The gloved hand went into her hair, gripped it, turned her +face up. He laid the plastic gag lengthwise over her mouth, pressed it +down and released it. Reetal closed her eyes.</p> + +<p>"That'll keep it shut," he said. "Now—" His right hand clamped about +the back of her neck, forcing her head down and forward almost to her +knees. The gloved left hand brushed her hair forwards, then its middle +finger touched the skin at a point just above her shoulder blades.</p> + +<p>"Right there," Fluel said. The finger stiffened, drove down.</p> + +<p>Reetal jerked violently, twisted, squirmed sideways, wrists straining +against the grip of the armrests. Her breath burst out of her +nostrils, followed by squeezed, whining noises. The metal-capped +finger continued to grind savagely against the nerve center it had +found.</p> + +<p>"Thirty," Fluel said finally. He drew his hand back, pulled her +upright again, peeled the gag away from her lips. "Only thirty +seconds, sweetheart. Think you'd sooner play along now?"</p> + +<p>Reetal's head nodded.</p> + +<p>"Fine. Give you a minute to steady up. This doesn't really waste much +time, you see—" He took up the recorder, sat down on the chair again, +watching her. She was breathing raggedly and shallowly, eyes wide and +incredulous. She didn't look at him.</p> + +<p>The Duke lit another cigarette.</p> + +<p>"Incidentally," he observed, "if you were stalling because you hoped +old Bad News might show up, forget it. If the boys haven't gunned him +down by now, he's tied up on a job the commodore gave him to do. He'll +be busy another hour or two on that. He—"</p> + +<p>He checked himself. A central section of the wall paneling across the +room from him had just dilated open. Old Bad News stood in the +concealed suite portal, Rest Warden Kinmarten slung across his +shoulder.</p> + +<p>Both men moved instantly. Fluel's long legs bounced him sideways out +of the chair, right hand darting under his coat, coming out with a +gun. Quillan turned to the left to get Kinmarten out of the way. The +big Miam Devil seemed to jump into his hand. Both guns spoke together.</p> + +<p>Fluel's gun thudded to the carpet. The Duke said, "Ah-aa-ah!" in a +surprised voice, rolled up his eyes, and followed the gun down.</p> + +<p>Quillan said, stunned, "He was fast! I felt that one parting my hair."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>He became very solicitous then—after first ascertaining that Fluel +had left the Executive Block unaccompanied, on personal business. He +located a pain killer spray in Reetal's bedroom and applied it to the +bruised point below the back of her neck. She was just beginning to +relax gratefully, as the warm glow of the spray washed out the pain +and the feeling of paralysis, when Kinmarten, lying on the carpet +nearby, began to stir and mutter.</p> + +<div class="figleft" style="width: 300px;"> +<img src="images/image_006.jpg" width="300" height="865" alt="" /> +</div> + +<p>Quillan hastily put down the spray.</p> + +<p>"Watch him!" he cautioned. "I'll be right back. If he sits up, yell. +He's a bit wild at the moment. If he wakes up and sees the Duke lying +there, he'll start climbing the walls."</p> + +<p>"What—" Reetal began. But he was gone down the hall.</p> + +<p>He returned immediately with a glass of water, went down on one knee +beside Kinmarten, slid an arm under the rest warden's shoulder, and +lifted him to a sitting position.</p> + +<p>"Wake up, old pal!" he said loudly. "Come on, wake up! Got something +good for you here—"</p> + +<p>"What are you giving him?" Reetal asked, cautiously massaging the back +of her neck.</p> + +<p>"Knockout drops. I already had to lay him out once. We want to lock +him up with his wife now, and if he comes to and tells her what's +happened, they'll both be out of their minds by the time we come to +let them out—"</p> + +<p>He interrupted himself. Kinmarten's eyelids were fluttering. Quillan +raised the glass to his lips. "Here you are, pal," he said in a deep, +soothing voice. "Drink it! It'll make you feel a lot better."</p> + +<p>Kinmarten swallowed obediently, swallowed again. His eyelids stopped +fluttering. Quillan lowered him back to the floor.</p> + +<p>"That ought to do it," he said.</p> + +<p>"What," Reetal asked, "did happen? The Duke—"</p> + +<p>"Tell you as much as I can after we get Kinmarten out of the way. I +have to get back to the Executive Block. Things are sort of teetering +on the edge there." He jerked his head at Fluel's body. "I want to +know about him, too, of course. Think you can walk now?"</p> + +<p>Reetal groaned. "I can try," she said.</p> + +<p>They found Solvey Kinmarten dissolved in tears once more. She flung +herself on her husband's body when Quillan place him on the bed. "What +have those <i>beasts</i> done to Brock?" she demanded fiercely.</p> + +<p>"Nothing very bad," Quillan said soothingly. "He's, um, under sedation +at the moment, that's all. We've got him away from them now, and he's +safe ... look at it that way. You stay here and take care of him. +We'll have the whole deal cleared up before morning, doll. Then you +can both come out of hiding again." He gave her an encouraging wink.</p> + +<p>"I'm so very grateful to both of you—"</p> + +<p>"No trouble, really. But we'd better get back to work on the thing."</p> + +<p>"Heck," Quillan said a few seconds later, as he and Reetal came out on +the other side of the portal, "I feel like hell about those two. Nice +little characters! Well, if the works blow up, they'll never know it."</p> + +<p>"<i>We</i>'ll know it," Reetal said meaningly. "Start talking."</p> + +<p>He rattled through a brief account of events in the Executive Block, +listened to her report on the Duke's visit, scratched his jaw +reflectively.</p> + +<p>"That might help!" he observed. "They're about ready to jump down +each other's throats over there right now. A couple more pushes—" He +stood staring down at the Duke's body for a moment. Blood soiled the +back of the silver jacket, seeping out from a tear above the heart +area. Quillan bent down, got his hands under Fluel's armpits, hauled +the body upright.</p> + +<p>Reetal asked, startled, "What are you going to do with it?"</p> + +<p>"Something useful, I think. And wouldn't that shock the Duke ... the +first time he's been of any use to anybody. Zip through the Star's +ComWeb directory, doll, and get me the call symbol for Level Four of +the Executive Block!"</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>Solvey Kinmarten dimmed the lights a trifle in the bedroom, went back +to Brock, rearranged the pillows under his head, and bent down to +place her lips tenderly to the large bruises on his forehead and the +side of his jaw. Then she brought a chair up beside the bed, and sat +down to watch him.</p> + +<p>Perhaps a minute later, there was a slight noise behind her. Startled, +she glanced around, saw something huge, black and shapeless moving +swiftly across the carpet of the room toward her.</p> + +<p>Solvey quietly fainted.</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>"Sure you know what to say?" Quillan asked.</p> + +<p>Reetal moistened her lips. "Just let me go over it in my mind once +more." She was sitting on the floor, on the right side of the ComWeb +stand, her face pale and intent, "You know," she said, "this makes me +feel a little queasy somehow, Quillan! And suppose they don't fall for +it?"</p> + +<p>"They'll fall for it!" Quillan was on his knees in front of the stand, +supporting Fluel's body, which was sprawled half across it, directly +before the lit vision screen. An outflung arm hid the Duke's face from +the screen. "You almost had <i>me</i> thinking I was listening to Fluel +when you did the take-off of him this evening. A dying man can be +expected to sound a little odd, anyway." He smiled at her +encouragingly. "Ready now?"</p> + +<p>Reetal nodded nervously, cleared her throat.</p> + +<p>Quillan reached across Fluel tapped out Level Four's call symbol on +the instrument, ducked back down below the stand. After a moment, +there was a click.</p> + +<p>Reetal produced a quavering, agonized groan. Somebody else gasped.</p> + +<p>"<i>Duke</i>!" Baldy Perk's voice shouted. "What's happened?"</p> + +<p>"Baldy Perk!" Quillan whispered quickly.</p> + +<p>Reetal stammered hoarsely, "The c-c-commodore, Baldy! Shot me ... shot +Marras! They're after ... Quillan ... now!"</p> + +<p>"I thought Bad News...." Baldy sounded stunned.</p> + +<p>"Was w-wrong, Baldy," Reetal croaked. "Bad News ... with us! Bad News ... +pal! The c-c-comm—"</p> + +<p>Beneath the ComWeb stand the palm of Quillan's right hand thrust +abruptly up and forward. The stand tilted, went crashing back to the +floor. Fluel's body lurched over with it. The vision screen shattered. +Baldy's roaring question was cut off abruptly.</p> + +<p>"Great stuff, doll!" Quillan beamed, helping Reetal to her feet. "You +sent shudders down my back!"</p> + +<p>"Down mine, too!"</p> + +<p>"I'll get him out of here now. Ditch him in one of the shut-off +sections. Then I'll get back to the Executive Block. If Ryter's +thought to look into Kinmarten's room, they'll really be raving on +both sides there now!"</p> + +<p>"Is that necessary?" Reetal asked. "For you to go back, I mean. +Somebody besides Fluel might have become suspicious of you by now."</p> + +<p>"Ryter might," Quillan agreed. "He's looked like the sharpest of the +lot right from the start. But we'll have to risk that. We've got all +the making of a shooting war there now, but we've got to make sure it +gets set off before somebody thinks of comparing notes. If I'm around, +I'll keep jolting at their nerves."</p> + +<p>"I suppose you're right. Now, our group—"</p> + +<p>Quillan nodded. "No need to hold off on that any longer, the way +things are moving. Get on another ComWeb and start putting out those +Mayday messages right now! As soon as you've rounded the boys up—"</p> + +<p>"That might," Reetal said, "take a little less than an hour."</p> + +<p>"Fine. Then move them right into the Executive Block. With just a bit +of luck, one hour from now should land them in the final stages of a +beautiful battle on the upper levels. Give them my description and +Ryter's, so we don't have accidents."</p> + +<p>"Why Ryter's?"</p> + +<p>"Found out he was the boy who took care of the bomb-planting detail. +We want him alive. The others mightn't know where it's been tucked +away. Heraga says the clerical staff and technicians in there are all +wearing the white Star uniforms. Anyone else who isn't in one of those +uniforms is fair game—" He paused. "Oh, and tip them off about the +Hlat!—God only knows what that thing will be doing when the ruckus +starts."</p> + +<p>"What about sending a few men in through the fifth level portal, the +one you've unplugged?"</p> + +<p>Quillan considered, shook his head. "No. Down on the ground level is +where we want them. They'd have to portal there again from the fifth, +and a portal is too easy to seal off and defend. Now let's get a +blanket or something to tuck Fluel into. I don't want to feel +conspicuous if I run into somebody on the way."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>Quillan emerged cautiously from the fifth portal in the Executive +Block a short while later, came to a sudden stop just outside it. In +the big room beyond the entry hall, the door of the baited cubicle was +closed, and the life-indicator on the door showed a bright steady +green glow.</p> + +<p>Quillan stared at it a moment, looking somewhat surprised, then went +quietly into the room and bent to study the cubicle's instruments. A +grin spread slowly over his face. The trap had been sprung. He glanced +at the deep-rest setting and turned it several notches farther down.</p> + +<p>"Happy dreams, Lady Pendrake!" he murmured. "That takes care of you. +What an appetite! And now—"</p> + +<p>As the Level Four portal dilated open before him, a gun blazed from +across the hall. Quillan flung himself out and down, rolled to the +side, briefly aware of a litter of bodies and tumbled furniture +farther up the hall. Then he was flat on the carpet, gun out before +him, pointing back at the overturned, ripped couch against the far +wall from which the fire had come.</p> + +<p>A hoarse voice bawled, "Bad News—hold it!"</p> + +<p>Quillan hesitated, darting a glance right and left. Men lying about +everywhere, the furnishings a shambles. "That you, Baldy?" he asked.</p> + +<p>"Yeah," Baldy Perk half sobbed. "I'm hurt—"</p> + +<p>"What happened?"</p> + +<p>"<i>Star</i> gang jumped us. Portaled in here—spitballs and riot guns! Bad +News, we're clean wiped out! Everyone that was on this level—"</p> + +<p>Quillan stood up, holstering the gun, went over to the couch and moved +it carefully away from the wall. Baldy was crouched behind it, +kneeling on the blood-soaked carpet, gun in his right hand. He lifted +a white face, staring eyes, to Quillan.</p> + +<p>"Waitin' for 'em to come back," he muttered. "Man, I'm not for long! +Got hit twice. Near passed out a couple of times already."</p> + +<p>"What about your boys on guard downstairs?"</p> + +<p>"Same thing there, I guess ... or they'd have showed up. They got +Cooms and the Duke, too! Man, it all happened fast!"</p> + +<p>"And the crew on the freighter?"</p> + +<p>"Dunno about them."</p> + +<p>"You know the freighter's call number?"</p> + +<p>"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure. Never thought of that," Baldy said wearily. He +seemed dazed now.</p> + +<p>"Let's see if you can stand."</p> + +<p>Quillan helped the big man to his feet. Baldy hadn't bled too much +outwardly, but he seemed to have estimated his own condition +correctly. He wasn't for long. Quillan slid an arm under his +shoulders.</p> + +<p>"Where's a ComWeb?" he asked.</p> + +<p>Baldy blinked about. "Passage there—" His voice was beginning to +thicken.</p> + +<p>The ComWeb was in the second room up the passage. Quillan eased Perk +into the seat before it. Baldy's head lolled heavily forward, like a +drunken man's. "What's the number?" Quillan asked.</p> + +<p>Baldy reflected a few seconds, blinking owlishly at the instrument, +then told him. Quillan tapped out the number, flicked on the vision +screen, then stood aside and back, beyond the screen's range.</p> + +<p>"Yeah, Perk?" a voice said some seconds later. "Hey, <i>Perk</i> ... Perk, +what's with ya?"</p> + +<p>Baldy spat blood, grinned. "Shot—" he said.</p> + +<p>"<i>What?</i>"</p> + +<p>"Yeah." Baldy scowled, blinking. "Now, lessee—Oh, yeah. Star gang's +gonna jump ya! Watch it!"</p> + +<p>"What?"</p> + +<p>"Yeah, watch—" Baldy coughed, laid his big head slowly down face +forward on the ComWeb stand, and stopping moving.</p> + +<p>"Perk! Man, wake up! Perk!"</p> + +<p>Quillan quietly took out the gun, reached behind the stand and blew +the ComWeb apart. He wasn't certain what the freighter's crew would +make of the sudden break in the connection, but they could hardly +regard it as reassuring. He made a brief prowl then through the main +sections of the level. Evidence everywhere of a short and furious +struggle, a struggle between men panicked and enraged almost beyond +any regard for self-preservation. It must have been over in minutes. +He found that the big hall portal to the ground level had been sealed, +whether before or after the shooting he couldn't know. There would +have been around twenty members of the Brotherhood on the level. None +of them had lived as long as Baldy Perk, but they seemed to have +accounted for approximately an equal number of the Star's security +force first.</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>Five Star men came piling out of the fifth level portal behind him a +minute or two later, Ryter in the lead. Orca behind Ryter. All five +held leveled guns.</p> + +<p>"You won't need the hardware," Quillan assured them. "It's harmless +enough now. Come on in."</p> + +<p>They followed him silently up to the cubicle, stared comprehendingly +at dials and indicators. "The thing's back inside there, all right!" +Ryter said. He looked at Quillan. "Is this where you've been all the +time?"</p> + +<p>"Sure, Where else?" The others were forming a half-circle about him, a +few paces back.</p> + +<p>"Taking quite a chance with that Hlat, weren't you?" Ryter remarked.</p> + +<p>"Not too much. I thought of something." Quillan indicated the +outportal in the hall. "I had my back against that. A portal's +space-break, not solid matter. It couldn't come at me from behind. And +if it attacked from any other angle"—he tapped the holstered Miam +Devil lightly, and the gun in Orca's hand jerked upward a fraction of +an inch—"There aren't many animals that can swallow more than a bolt +or two from that baby and keep coming."</p> + +<p>There was a moment's silence. Then Orca said thoughtfully, "That would +work!"</p> + +<p>"Did it see you?" Ryter asked.</p> + +<p>"It couldn't have. First <i>I</i> saw of it, it was sailing out from that +corner over there. It slammed in after that chunk of sea beef so fast, +it shook the cubicle. And that was that." He grinned. "Well, most of +our troubles should be over now!"</p> + +<p>One of the men gave a brief, nervous laugh. Quillan looked at him +curiously. "Something, chum?"</p> + +<p>Ryter shook his head. "Something is right! Come on downstairs again, +Bad News. This time we have news for you—"</p> + +<p>The Brotherhood guards on the ground level had been taken by surprise +and shot down almost without losses for the Star men. But the battle +on the fourth level had cost more than the dead left up there. An +additional number had returned with injures that were serious enough +to make them useless for further work.</p> + +<p>"It's been expensive," Ryter admitted. "But one more attack by the +Hlat would have left me with a panicked mob on my hands. If we'd +realized it was going to trap itself—"</p> + +<p>"I wasn't so sure that would work either," Quillan said. "Did you get +Kinmarten back?"</p> + +<p>"Not yet. The chances are he's locked up somewhere on the fourth +level. Now the Hlat's out of the way, some of the men have gone back +up there to look for him. If Cooms thought he was important enough to +start a fight over, I want him back."</p> + +<p>"How about the crew on the Beldon ship?" Quillan asked, "Have they +been cleaned up?"</p> + +<p>"No," Ryter said. "We'll have to do that now, of course."</p> + +<p>"How many of them?"</p> + +<p>"Supposedly twelve. And that's probably what it is."</p> + +<p>"If they know or suspect what's happened," Quillan said, "twelve men +can give a boarding party in a lock a remarkable amount of trouble."</p> + +<p>Ryter shrugged irritably. "I know, but there isn't much choice. +Lancion's bringing in the other group on the <i>Camelot</i>. We don't want +to have to handle both of them at the same time."</p> + +<p>"How are you planning to take the freighter?"</p> + +<p>"When the search party comes back down, we'll put every man we can +spare from guard duty here on the job. They'll be instructed to be +careful about it ... if they can wind up the matter within the next +several hours, that will be early enough. We can't afford too many +additional losses now. But we should come out with enough men to take +care of Lancion and handle the shipment of Hlats. And that's what +counts."</p> + +<p>"Like me to take charge of the boarding party?" Quillan inquired. +"That sort of thing's been a kind of specialty of mine."</p> + +<p>Ryter looked at him without much expression on his face. "I understand +that," he said. "But perhaps it would be better if you stayed up here +with us."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>The search party came back down ten minutes later. They'd looked +through every corner of the fourth level. Kinmarten wasn't there, +either dead or alive. But one observant member of the group had +discovered, first, that the Duke of Fluel was also not among those +present, and, next that one of the four outportals on the level had +been unsealed. The exit on which the portal was found to be set was in +a currently unused hall in the General Office building on the other +side of the Star. From that hall, almost every other section of the +Star was within convenient portal range.</p> + +<p>None of the forty-odd people working in the main control office on the +ground level had actually witnessed any shooting; but it was apparent +that a number of them were uncomfortably aware that something quite +extraordinary must be going on. They were a well-disciplined group, +however. An occasional uneasy glance toward one of the armed men +lounging along the walls, some anxious faces, were the only noticeable +indications of tension. Now and then, there was a brief, low-pitched +conversation at one of the desks.</p> + +<p>Quillan stood near the center of the office, Ryter and Orca a dozen +feet from him on either side. Four Star guards were stationed along +the walls. From the office one could see through a large doorspace cut +through both sides of a hall directly into the adjoining transmitter +room. Four more guards were in there. Aside from the men in the +entrance hall and at the subspace portal, what was available at the +moment of Ryter's security force was concentrated at this point.</p> + +<p>The arrangement made considerable sense; and Quillan gave no sign of +being aware that the eyes of the guards shifted to him a little more +frequently than to any other point in the office, or that none of them +had moved his hand very far away from his gun since they had come in +here. But that also made sense. In the general tension area of the +Executive Block's ground level, a specific point of tension—highly +charged though undetected by the non-involved personnel—was the one +provided by the presence of Bad News Quillan here. Ryter was more than +suspicious by now; the opened portal on the fourth level, the +disappearance of Kinmarten and the Duke, left room for a wide variety +of speculations. Few of those speculations could be very favorable to +Bad News. Ryter obviously preferred to let things stand as they were +until the Beldon freighter was taken and the major part of his group +had returned from the subspace sections of the Star. At that time, Bad +News could expect to come in for some very direct questioning by the +security chief.</p> + +<p>The minutes dragged on. Under the circumstances, a glance at his watch +could be enough to bring Ryter's uncertainties up to the explosion +point, and Quillan also preferred to let things stand as they were for +the moment. But he felt reasonably certain that over an hour had +passed since he'd left Reetal; and so far there had been no hint of +anything unusual occurring in the front part of the building. The +murmur of voices in the main control office continued to eddy about +him. There were indications that in the transmitter room across the +hall messages had begun to be exchanged between the Star and the +approaching liner.</p> + +<p>A man sitting at a desk near Quillan stood up presently, went out into +the hall and disappeared. A short while later, the white-suited figure +returned and picked up the interrupted work. Quillan's glance went +over the clerk, shifted on. He felt something tighten up swiftly +inside him. There was a considerable overall resemblance, but <i>that</i> +wasn't the man who had left the office.</p> + +<p>Another minute or two went by. Then two other uniformed figures +appeared at the opening to the hall, a sparse elderly man, a blond +girl. They stood there talking earnestly together for some seconds, +then came slowly down the aisle toward Quillan. It appeared to be an +argument about some detail of her work. The girl frowned, stubbornly +shaking her head. Near Quillan they separated, started off into +different sections of the office. The girl, glancing back, still +frowning, brushed against Ryter. She looked up at him, startled.</p> + +<p>"I'm sorry," she said.</p> + +<p>Ryter scowled irritably, started to say something, suddenly appeared +surprised. Then his eyes went blank and his knees buckled under him.</p> + +<p>The clerk sitting at the nearby desk whistled shrilly.</p> + +<p>Quillan wheeled, gun out and up, toward the wall behind him. The two +guards there were still lifting their guns. The Miam Devil grunted +disapprovingly twice, and the guards went down. Noise crashed from the +hall ... heavy sporting rifles. He turned again, saw the two other +guards stumbling backward along the far wall. Feminine screaming +erupted around the office as the staff dove out of sight behind desks, +instrument stands and filing cabinets. The elderly man stood above +Orca, a sap in his hand and a please smile on his face.</p> + +<p>In the hallway, four white-uniformed men had swung about and were +pointing blazing rifles into the transmitter room. The racketing of +the gunfire ended abruptly and the rifles were lowered again. The +human din in the office began to diminish, turned suddenly into a +shocked, strained silence. Quillan realized the blond girl was +standing at his elbow.</p> + +<p>"Did you get the rest of them?" he asked quickly, in a low voice.</p> + +<p>"Everyone who was on this level," Reetal told him. "There weren't many +of them."</p> + +<p>"I know. But there's a sizable batch still in the subspace section. If +we can get the bomb disarmed, we'll just leave them sealed up there. +How long before you can bring Ryter around?"</p> + +<p>"He'll be able to talk in five minutes."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>Quillan had been sitting for some little while in a very comfortable +chair in what had been the commodore's personal suite on the Seventh +Star, broodingly regarding the image of the <i>Camelot</i> in a huge wall +screen. The liner was still over two hours' flight away but would +arrive on schedule. On the Star, at least in the normspace section, +everything was quiet, and in the main control offices and in the +transmitter room normal working conditions had been restored.</p> + +<p>A room portal twenty feet away opened suddenly, and Reetal Destone +stepped out.</p> + +<p>"So there you are!" she observed.</p> + +<div> +<img class="figleft" src="images/image_007_01.jpg" width="400" height="429" alt="" /> +<img class="figleft" src="images/image_007_02.jpg" width="195" height="146" alt="" /> +</div> + +<p>Quillan Looked mildly surprised, then grinned. "I'd hate to have to +try to hide from you!" he said.</p> + +<p>"Hm-m-m!" said Reetal. She smiled. "What are you drinking?"</p> + +<p>He nodded at an open liquor cabinet near the screen. "Velladon was +leaving some excellent stuff behind. Join me?"</p> + +<p>"Hm-m-m." She went to the cabinet, looked over the bottles, made her +selection and filled a glass. "One has the impression," she remarked, +"that you <i>were</i> hiding from me."</p> + +<p>"One does? I'd have to be losing my cotton-picking mind—"</p> + +<p>"Not necessarily." Reetal brought the drink over to his chair, sat +down on the armrest with it. "You might just have a rather +embarrassing problem to get worked out before you give little Reetal a +chance to start asking questions about it."</p> + +<p>Quillan looked surprised. "What gave you that notion?"</p> + +<p>"Oh," Reetal said, "adding things up gave me that notion.... Care to +hear what the things were?"</p> + +<p>"Go ahead, doll."</p> + +<p>"First," said Reetal, "I understand that a while ago, after you'd first +sent me off to do some little job for you, you were in the transmitter +room having a highly private—shielded and scrambled—conversation with +somebody on board the <i>Camelot</i>."</p> + +<p>"Why, yes," Quillan said. "I was talking to the ship's security +office. They're arranging to have a Federation police boat pick up +what's left of the commodore's boys and the Brotherhood in the +subspace section.</p> + +<p>"And that," said Reetal, "is where that embarrassing little problem +begins. Next, I noticed, as I say, that you were showing this tendency +to avoid a chance for a private talk between us. And after thinking +about that for a little, and also about a few other things which came +to mind at around that time, I went to see Ryter."</p> + +<p>"Now why—?"</p> + +<p>Reetal ran her fingers soothingly through his hair. "Let me finish, +big boy. I found Ryter and Orca in a highly nervous condition. And do +you know why they're nervous? They're convinced that some time before +the <i>Camelot</i> gets here, you're going to do them both in."</p> + +<p>"Hm-m-m," said Quillan.</p> + +<p>"Ryter," she went on, "besides being nervous, is also very bitter. In +retrospect, he says, it's all very plain what you've done here. You +and your associates—a couple of tough boys named Hagready and Boltan, +and others not identified—are also after these Hlats. The Duke made +some mention of that, too, you remember. The commodore and Ryter +bought the story you told them because a transmitter check produced +the information that Hagready and Boltan had, in fact, left their +usual work areas and gone off on some highly secret business about a +month ago.</p> + +<p>"Ryter feels that your proposition—to let your gang in on the deal +for twenty per cent, or else—was made in something less than good +faith. He's concluded that when you learned of the operation being +planned by Velladon and the Brotherhood, you and your pals decided to +obstruct them and take the Hlats for delivery to Yaco yourselves, +without cutting anybody in. He figures that someone like Hagready or +Boltan is coming in on the <i>Camelot</i> with a flock of sturdy henchmen +to do just that. You, personally, rushed to the Seventh Star to +interfere as much as you could here. Ryter admits reluctantly that +you did an extremely good job of interfering. He says it's now obvious +that every move you made since you showed up had the one purpose of +setting the Star group and the Brotherhood at each other's throats. +And now that they've practically wiped each other out, you and your +associates can go on happily with your original plans.</p> + +<p>"But, of course, you can't do that if Ryter and Orca are picked up +alive by the Federation cops. The boys down in the subspace section +don't matter; they're ordinary gunhands and all they know is that you +were somebody who showed up on the scene. But Ryter could, and +certainly would, talk—"</p> + +<p>"Ah, he's too imaginative," Quillan said, taking a swallow of his +drink. "I never heard of the Hlats before I got here. As I told you, +I'm on an entirely different kind of job at the moment. I had to make +up some kind of story to get an in with the boys, that's all."</p> + +<p>"So you're not going to knock those two weasels off?"</p> + +<p>"No such intentions. I don't mind them sweating about it till the Feds +arrive, but that's it."</p> + +<p>"What about Boltan and Hagready?"</p> + +<p>"What about them? I did happen to know that if anyone started asking +questions about those two, he'd learn that neither had been near his +regular beat for close to a month."</p> + +<p>"I'll bet!" Reetal said cryptically.</p> + +<p>"What do you mean by that?"</p> + +<p>"Hm-m-m," she said. "Bad News Quillan! A really tough boy, for sure. +You know, I didn't believe for an instant that you were after the +Hlats—"</p> + +<p>"Why not?"</p> + +<p>Reetal said, "I've been on a couple of operations with you, and you'd +be surprised how much I've picked up about you from time to time on +the side. Swiping a shipment of odd animals and selling them to Yaco, +that could be Bad News, in character. Selling a couple of hundred +human beings—like Brock and Solvey Kinmarten—to go along with the +animals to an outfit like Yaco would not be in character."</p> + +<p>"So I have a heart of gold," Quillan said.</p> + +<p>"So you fell all over your own big feet about half a minute ago!" +Reetal told him. "Bad News Quillan—with no interest whatsoever in the +Hlats—still couldn't afford to let Ryter live to talk about him to +the Feds, big boy!"</p> + +<p>Quillan looked reflective for a moment. "Dirty trick!" he observed. +"For that, you might freshen up my glass."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>Reetal took both glasses over to the liquor cabinet, freshened them +up, and settled down on the armrest of the chair again. "So there +we're back to the embarrassing little problem," she said.</p> + +<p>"Ryter?"</p> + +<p>"No, idiot. We both know that Ryter is headed for Rehabilitation. +Fifteen years or so of it, as a guess. The problem is little Reetal +who has now learned a good deal more than she was ever intended to +learn. Does she head for Rehabilitation, too?"</p> + +<p>Quillan took a swallow of his drink and set the glass down again. "Are +you suggesting," he inquired, "that I might be, excuse the expression, +a cop?"</p> + +<p>Reetal patted his head. "Bad News Quillan! Let's look back at his +record. What do we find? A shambles, mainly. Smashed-up organizations, +outfits, gangs. Top-level crooks with suddenly vacant expressions and +unexplained holes in their heads. Why go on? The name is awfully well +earned! And nobody realizing anything because the ones who do realize +it suddenly ... well, where <i>are</i> Boltan Hagready at the moment."</p> + +<p>Quillan sighed. "Since you keep bringing it up—Hagready played it +smart, so he's in Rehabilitation. Be cute if Ryter ran into him there +some day. Pappy Boltan didn't want to play it smart. I'm not enough of +a philosopher to make a guess at where he might be at present. But I +knew he wouldn't be talking."</p> + +<p>"All right," Reetal said, "we've got that straight. Bad News is +Intelligence of some kind. Federation maybe, or maybe one of the +services. It doesn't matter, really, I suppose. Now, what about me?"</p> + +<p>He reached out and tapped his glass with a fingertip. "That about you, +doll. You filled it. I'm drinking it. I may not think quite as fast as +you do, but I still think. Would I take a drink from a somewhat +lawless and very clever lady who really believed I had her lined up +for Rehabilitation? Or who'd be at all likely to blab out something +that would ruin an old pal's reputation?"</p> + +<p>Reetal ran her fingers through his hair again. "I noticed the deal +with the drink," she said. "I guess I just wanted to hear you say it. +You don't tell on me, I don't tell on you. Is that it?"</p> + +<p>"That's it," Quillan said. "What Ryter and Orca want to tell the Feds +doesn't matter. It stops there, the Feds will have the word on me +before they arrive. By the way, did you go wake up the Kinmartens +yet?"</p> + +<p>"Not yet," Reetal said. "Too busy getting the office help soothed down +and back to work."</p> + +<p>"Well, lets finish these drinks and go do that, then. The little +doll's almost bound to be asleep by now, but she might still be +sitting there biting nervously at her pretty knuckles."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>Major Hesler Quillan of Space Scout Intelligence, was looking unhappy. +"We're still searching for them everywhere," he explained to Klayung, +"but it's a virtual certainty that the Hlat got them shortly before it +was trapped."</p> + +<p>Klayung, a stringy, white-haired old gentleman, was an operator of the +Psychology Service, in charge of the shipment of Hlats the <i>Camelot</i> +had brought in. He and Quillan were waiting in the vestibule of the +Seventh Star's rest cubicle vaults for Lady Pendrake's cubicle to be +brought over from the Executive Block.</p> + +<p>Klayung said reflectively, "Couldn't the criminals with who you were +dealing here have hidden the couple away somewhere?"</p> + +<p>Quillan shook his head. "There's no way they could have located them +so quickly. I made half a dozen portal switches when I was taking +Kinmarten to the suite. It would take something with a Hlat's +abilities to follow me over that route and stay undetected. And it +must be an unusually cunning animal to decide to stay out of sight +until I'd led it where it wanted to go."</p> + +<p>"Oh, they're intelligent enough," Klayung agreed absently. "Their +average basic I.Q. is probably higher than that of human beings. A +somewhat different type of mentality, of course. Well, when the +cubicle arrives, I'll question the Hlat and we'll find out."</p> + +<p>Quillan looked at him. "Those control devices make it possible to hold +two-way conversations with the things?"</p> + +<p>"Not exactly," Klayung said. "You see, major, the government +authorities who were concerned with the discovery of the Hlats +realized it would be almost impossible to keep some information about +them from getting out. The specimen which was here on the Star has +been stationed at various scientific institutions for the past year; a +rather large number of people were involved in investigating it and +experimenting with it. In consequence, several little legends about +them have been deliberately built up. The legends aren't entirely +truthful, so they help to keep the actual facts about the Hlats +satisfactorily vague.</p> + +<p>"The Hlat-talker is such a legend. Actually, the device does nothing. +The Hlats respond to telepathic stimuli, both among themselves and +from other beings, eventually begin to correlate such stimuli with the +meanings of human speech."</p> + +<p>"Then you—" Quillan began.</p> + +<p>"Yes. Eltak, their discoverer, was a fairly good natural telepath. If +he hadn't been abysmally lazy, he might have been very good at it. I +carry a variety of the Service's psionic knick-knacks about with me, +which gets me somewhat comparable results."</p> + +<p>He broke off as the vestibule portal dilated widely. Lady Pendrake's +cubicle floated through, directed by two gravity crane operators +behind it. Klayung stood up.</p> + +<p>"Set it there for the present, please," he directed the operators. "We +may call for you later if it needs to be moved again."</p> + +<p>He waited until the portal had closed behind the men before walking +over to the cubicle. He examined the settings and readings at some +length.</p> + +<p>"Hm-m-m, yes," he said, straightening finally. His expression became +absent for a few seconds; then he went on. "I'm beginning to grasp the +situation, I believe. Let me tell you a few things about the Hlats, +major. For one, they form quite pronounced likes and dislikes. Eltak, +for example, would have been described by most of his fellow men as a +rather offensive person. But the Hlats actually became rather fond of +him during the fifteen or so years he lived on their island.</p> + +<p>"That's one point. The other has to do with their level of +intelligence. We discovered on the way out here that our charges had +gained quite as comprehensive an understanding of the functioning of +the cubicles that had been constructed for them as any human who was +not a technical specialist might do. And—"</p> + +<p>He interrupted himself, stood rubbing his chin for a moment.</p> + +<p>"Well, actually," he said, "that should be enough to prepare you for a +look inside the Hlat's cubicle."</p> + +<p>Quillan gave him a somewhat surprised glance. "I've been told it's +ugly as sin," he remarked. "But I've seen some fairly revolting +looking monsters before this."</p> + +<p>Klayung coughed. "That's not exactly what I meant," he said. "I ... +well, let's just open the thing up. Would you mind, major?"</p> + +<p>"Not at all." Quillan stepped over to the side of the cubicle, +unlocked the door switch and pulled it over. They both moved back a +few feet before the front of the cubicle. A soft humming came for some +seconds from the door's mechanisms; then it suddenly swung open. +Quillan stooped to glance inside, straightened instantly again, hair +bristling.</p> + +<p>"<i>Where is it?</i>" he demanded, the Miam Devil out in his hand.</p> + +<p>Klayung looked at him thoughtfully. "Not very far away, I believe. But +I can assure you, major, that it hasn't the slightest intention of +attacking us—or anybody else—at present."</p> + +<p>Quillan grunted, looked back into the cubicle. At the far end, the +Kinmartens lay side by side, their faces composed. They appeared to be +breathing regularly.</p> + +<p>"Yes," Klayung said, "they're alive and unharmed." He rubbed his chin +again. "And I think it would be best if we simply closed the cubicle +now. Later we can call a doctor over from the hospital to put them +under sedation before they're taken out. They've both had thoroughly +unnerving experiences, and it would be advisable to awaken them +gradually to avoid emotional shock."</p> + +<p>He moved over to the side of the cubicle, turned the door switch back +again. "And now for the rest of it," he said. "We may as well sit down +again, major. This may take a little time."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>"Let's look at the thing for a moment from the viewpoint of the Hlat," +he resumed when he was once more comfortably seated. "Eltak's death +took it by surprise. It hadn't at that point grasped what the +situation in the Executive Block was like. It took itself out of sight +for the moment, killing one of the gang leaders in the process, then +began prowling about the various levels of the building, picking up +information from the minds and conversation of the men it encountered. +In a fairly short time, it learned enough to understand what was +planned by the criminals; and it arrived at precisely your own +conclusion ... that it might be possible to reduce and demoralize the +gangs to the extent that they would no longer be able to carry out +their plan. It began a systematic series of attacks on them with that +end in mind.</p> + +<p>"But meanwhile you had come into the picture. The Hlat was rather +puzzled by your motive at first because there appeared to be an +extraordinary degree of discrepancy between what you were saying and +what you were thinking. But after observing your activities for a +while, it began to comprehend what you were trying to do. It realized +that your approach was more likely to succeed than its own, and that +further action on its side might interfere with your plans. But there +remained one thing for it to do.</p> + +<p>"I may tell you in confidence, major, that another legend which has +been spread about these Hlats is their supposed inability to escape +from the cubicles. Even their attendants are supplied with this +particular bit of misinformation. Actually, the various force fields +in the cubicles don't hamper them in the least. The cubicles are +designed simply to protect the Hlats and keep them from being seen; +and rest cubicles, of course, can be taken anywhere without arousing +undue curiosity.</p> + +<p>"You mentioned that the Kinmartens very likable young people. The Hlat +had the same feeling about them; they were the only human beings aside +from Eltak with whose minds it had become quite familiar. There was no +assurance at this point that the plans to prevent a bomb from being +exploded in the Star would be successful, and the one place where +human beings could hope to survive such an explosion was precisely the +interior of the Hlat's cubicle, which had been constructed to +safeguard its occupant against any kind of foreseeable accident.</p> + +<p>"So the Hlat sprang your cubicle trap, removed the bait, carried the +Kinmartens inside, and whipped out of the cubicle again before the +rest current could take effect on it. It concluded correctly that +everyone would decide it had been recaptured. After that, it moved +about the Executive Block, observing events there and prepared to take +action again if that appeared to be advisable. When you had concluded +your operation successfully, it remained near the cubicle, waiting for +me to arrive."</p> + +<p>Quillan shook his head. "That's quite an animal!" he observed after +some seconds. "You say, it's in our general vicinity now?"</p> + +<p>"Yes," Klayung said. "It followed the cubicle down here, and has been +drifting about the walls of the vestibule while we ... well, while I +talked."</p> + +<p>"Why doesn't it show itself?"</p> + +<p>Klayung cleared his throat. "For two reasons," he said. "One is that +rather large gun you're holding on your knees. It saw you use it +several times, and after all the shooting in the Executive Block, you +see—"</p> + +<p>Quillan slid the Miam Devil into its holster. "Sorry," he said. "Force +of habit, I guess. Actually, of course, I've understood for some +minutes now that I wasn't ... well, what's the other reason?"</p> + +<p>"I'm afraid," Klayung said, "that you offended it with your remark +about its appearance. Hlats may have their share of vanity. At any +rate, it seems to be sulking."</p> + +<p>"Oh," said Quillan. "Well, I'm sure," he went on rather loudly, "that +it understands I received the description from a prejudiced source. +I'm quite willing to believe it was highly inaccurate."</p> + +<p>"Hm-m-m," said Klayung. "That seems to have done it, major. The wall +directly across from us—"</p> + +<p>Something like a ripple passed along the side wall of the vestibule. +Then the wall darkened suddenly, turned black. Quillan blinked, and +the Hlat came into view. It hung, spread out like a spider, along half +the length of the vestibule wall. Something like a huge, hairy amoeba +in overall appearance, though the physical structures under the +coarse, black pelt must be of very unamoeba-like complexity. No eyes +were in sight, but Quillan had the impression of being regarded +steadily. Here and there, along the edges and over the surface of the +body, were a variety of flexible extensions.</p> + +<p>Quillan stood up, hitched his gun belt into position, and started over +toward the wall.</p> + +<p>"Lady Pendrake," he said, "honored to meet you. Could we shake hands?"</p> + +<h3>The End</h3> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> + +<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30493 ***</div> +</body> +</html> diff --git a/30493-h/images/image_001.jpg b/30493-h/images/image_001.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..b1f6b69 --- /dev/null +++ b/30493-h/images/image_001.jpg diff --git a/30493-h/images/image_002.jpg b/30493-h/images/image_002.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..bbb7d16 --- /dev/null +++ b/30493-h/images/image_002.jpg diff --git a/30493-h/images/image_003_01.jpg b/30493-h/images/image_003_01.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..65a2f0c --- /dev/null +++ b/30493-h/images/image_003_01.jpg diff --git a/30493-h/images/image_003_02.jpg b/30493-h/images/image_003_02.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..e99bb87 --- /dev/null +++ b/30493-h/images/image_003_02.jpg diff --git a/30493-h/images/image_004.jpg b/30493-h/images/image_004.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..bedc05c --- /dev/null +++ b/30493-h/images/image_004.jpg diff --git a/30493-h/images/image_005.jpg b/30493-h/images/image_005.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..a062d21 --- /dev/null +++ b/30493-h/images/image_005.jpg diff --git a/30493-h/images/image_006.jpg b/30493-h/images/image_006.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..f9a45b6 --- /dev/null +++ b/30493-h/images/image_006.jpg diff --git a/30493-h/images/image_007_01.jpg b/30493-h/images/image_007_01.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..ea9a2bb --- /dev/null +++ b/30493-h/images/image_007_01.jpg diff --git a/30493-h/images/image_007_02.jpg b/30493-h/images/image_007_02.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..e98b157 --- /dev/null +++ b/30493-h/images/image_007_02.jpg diff --git a/30493-h/images/image_f.jpg b/30493-h/images/image_f.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..ab14f70 --- /dev/null +++ b/30493-h/images/image_f.jpg |
