diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/62476-h.zip | bin | 483117 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/62476-h/62476-h.htm | 1595 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/62476-h/images/cover.jpg | bin | 332558 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/62476-h/images/illus.jpg | bin | 123811 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/62476.txt | 1474 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/62476.zip | bin | 26958 -> 0 bytes |
9 files changed, 17 insertions, 3069 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7263ab9 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #62476 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62476) diff --git a/old/62476-h.zip b/old/62476-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f78c0b2..0000000 --- a/old/62476-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/62476-h/62476-h.htm b/old/62476-h/62476-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index ce187e2..0000000 --- a/old/62476-h/62476-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1595 +0,0 @@ -<!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=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Conspiracy on Callisto, by James MacCreigh. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -.caption p -{ - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0; - margin: 0.25em 0; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - -.ph1 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; } -.ph1 { font-size: medium; margin: .83em auto; } - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Conspiracy on Callisto, by James MacCreigh - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Conspiracy on Callisto - -Author: James MacCreigh - -Release Date: June 25, 2020 [EBook #62476] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CONSPIRACY ON CALLISTO *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="347" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>Conspiracy on Callisto</h1> - -<h2>By JAMES MacCREIGH</h2> - -<p>Revolt was flaring on Callisto, and Peter Duane<br /> -held the secret that would make the uprising a<br /> -success or failure. Yet he could make no move,<br /> -could favor no side—his memory was gone—he<br /> -didn't know for whom he fought.</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Planet Stories Winter 1943.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Duane's hand flicked to his waist and hung there, poised. His dis-gun -remained undrawn.</p> - -<p>The tall, white-haired man—Stevens—smiled.</p> - -<p>"You're right, Duane," he said. "I could blast you, too. Nobody would -win that way, so let's leave the guns where they are."</p> - -<p>The muscles twitched in Peter Duane's cheeks, but his voice, when it -came, was controlled. "Don't think we're going to let this go," he -said. "We'll take it up with Andrias tonight. We'll see whether you can -cut me out!"</p> - -<p>The white-haired man's smile faded. He stepped forward, one hand -bracing him against the thrust of the rocket engines underneath, -holding to the guide rail at the side of the ship's corridor.</p> - -<p>He said, "Duane, Andrias is your boss, not mine. I'm a free lance; I -work for myself. When we land on Callisto tonight I'll be with you when -you turn our—shall I say, our <i>cargo</i>?—over to him. And I'll collect -my fair share of the proceeds. That's as far as it goes. I take no -orders from him."</p> - -<p>A heavy-set man in blue appeared at the end of the connecting corridor. -He was moving fast, but stopped short when he saw the two men.</p> - -<p>"Hey!" he said. "Change of course—get to your cabins." He seemed about -to walk up to them, then reconsidered and hurried off. Neither man paid -any attention.</p> - -<p>Duane said, "Do I have to kill you?" It was only a question as he asked -it, without threatening.</p> - -<p>A muted alarm bell sounded through the P.A. speakers, signaling a -one-minute warning. The white-haired man cocked his eyebrow.</p> - -<p>"Not at all," he said. He took the measure of his slim, red-headed -opponent. Taller, heavier, older, he was still no more uncompromisingly -belligerent than Duane, standing there. "Not at all," he repeated. -"Just take your ten thousand and let it go at that. Don't make trouble. -Leave Andrias out of our private argument."</p> - -<p>"Damn you!" Duane flared. "I was promised fifty thousand. I need that -money. Do you think—"</p> - -<p>"Forget what I think," Stevens said, his voice clipped and angry. "I -don't care about fairness, Duane, except to myself. I've done all the -work on this—I've supplied the goods. My price is set, a hundred -thousand Earth dollars. What Andrias promised you is no concern of -mine. The fact is that, after I've taken my share, there's only ten -thousand left. That's all you get!"</p> - -<p>Duane stared at him a long second, then nodded abruptly. "I was right -the first time," he said. "I'll <i>have</i> to kill you!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Already his hand was streaking toward the grip of his dis-gun, touching -it, drawing it forth. But the white-haired man was faster. His arms -swept up and pinioned Duane, holding him impotent.</p> - -<p>"Don't be a fool," he grated. "Duane—"</p> - -<p>The P.A. speaker rattled, blared something unintelligible. Neither man -heard it. Duane lunged forward into the taller man's grip, sliding down -to the floor. The white-haired man grappled furiously to keep his hold -on Peter's gun arm, but Peter was slipping away. Belatedly, Stevens -went for his own gun.</p> - -<p>He was too late. Duane's was out and leveled at him.</p> - -<p>"<i>Now</i> will you listen to reason?" Duane panted. But he halted, and the -muzzle of his weapon wavered. The floor swooped and surged beneath him -as the thrust of the mighty jets was cut off. Suddenly there was no -gravity. The two men, locked together, floated weightlessly out to the -center of the corridor.</p> - -<p>"Course change!" gasped white-haired Stevens. "Good God!"</p> - -<p>The ship had reached the midpoint of its flight. The bells had sounded, -warning every soul on it to take shelter, to strap themselves in their -pressure bunks against the deadly stress of acceleration as the ship -reversed itself and began to slow its headlong plunge into Callisto. -But the two men had not heeded.</p> - -<p>The small steering rockets flashed briefly. The men were thrust -bruisingly against the side of the corridor as the rocket spun lazily -on its axis. The side jets flared once more to halt the spin, when the -one-eighty turn was completed, and the men were battered against the -opposite wall, still weightless, still clinging to each other, still -struggling.</p> - -<p>Then the main-drive bellowed into life again, and the ship began to -battle against its own built-up acceleration. The corridor floor rose -up with blinking speed to smite them—</p> - -<p>And the lights went out in a burst of crashing pain for Peter Duane.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Someone was talking to him. Duane tried to force an eye open to see who -it was, and failed. Something damp and clinging was all about his face, -obscuring his vision. But the voice filtered in.</p> - -<p>"Open your mouth," it said. "Please, Peter, open your mouth. You're all -right. Just swallow this."</p> - -<p>It was a girl's voice. Duane was suddenly conscious that a girl's light -hand was on his shoulder. He shook his head feebly.</p> - -<p>The voice became more insistent. "Swallow this," it said. "It's only a -stimulant, to help you throw off the shock of your—accident. You're -all right, otherwise."</p> - -<p>Obediently he opened his mouth, and choked on a warm, tingly liquid. -He managed to swallow it, and lay quiet as deft feminine hands did -something to his face. Suddenly light filtered through his closed -eyelids, and cool air stirred against his damp face.</p> - -<p>He opened his eyes. A slight red-headed girl in white nurse's uniform -was standing there. She stepped back a pace, a web of wet gauze bandage -in her hands, looking at him.</p> - -<p>"Hello," he whispered. "You—where am I?"</p> - -<p>"In the sick bay," she said. "You got caught out when the ship changed -course. Lucky you weren't hurt, Peter. The man you were with—the old, -white-haired one, Stevens—wasn't so lucky. He was underneath when the -jets went on. Three ribs broken—his lung was punctured. He died in the -other room an hour ago."</p> - -<p>Duane screwed his eyes tight together and grimaced. When he opened -them again there was alertness and clarity in them—but there was also -bafflement.</p> - -<p>"Girl," he said, "who are you? Where am I?"</p> - -<p>"Peter!" There was shock and hurt in the tone of her voice. "I'm—don't -you know me, Peter?"</p> - -<p>Duane shook his head confusedly. "I don't know anything," he said. -"I—I don't even know my own name."</p> - -<p>"Duane, Duane," a man's heavy voice said. "That won't wash. Don't play -dumb on me."</p> - -<p>"Duane?" he said. "Duane...." He swiveled his head and saw a dark, -squat man frowning at him. "Who are you?" Peter asked.</p> - -<p>The dark man laughed. "Take your time, Duane," he said easily. "You'll -remember me. My name's Andrias. I've been waiting here for you to wake -up. We have some business matters to discuss."</p> - -<p>The nurse, still eyeing Duane with an odd bewilderment, said: "I'll -leave you alone for a moment. Don't talk too much to him, Mr. Andrias. -He's still suffering from shock."</p> - -<p>"I won't," Andrias promised, grinning. Then, as the girl left the room, -the smile dropped from his face.</p> - -<p>"You play rough, Duane," he observed. "I thought you'd have trouble -with Stevens. I didn't think you'd find it necessary to put him out of -the way so permanently. Well, no matter. If you had to kill him, it's -no skin off my nose. Give me a release on the merchandise. I've got -your money here."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Duane waved a hand and pushed himself dizzily erect, swinging his legs -over the side of the high cot. A sheet had been thrown over him, but he -was fully dressed. He examined his clothing with interest—gray tunic, -gray leather spaceman's boots. It was unfamiliar.</p> - -<p>He shook his head in further confusion, and the motion burst within his -skull, throbbing hotly. He closed his eyes until it subsided, trying to -force his brain to operate, to explain to him where and what he was.</p> - -<p>He looked at the man named Andrias.</p> - -<p>"Nobody seems to believe me," he said, "but I really don't know what's -going on. Things are moving too fast for me. Really, I—why, I don't -even know my own name! My head—it hurts. I can't think clearly."</p> - -<p>Andrias straightened, turned a darkly-suspicious look on Duane. "Don't -play tricks on me," he said savagely. "I haven't time for them. I won't -mince words with you. Give me a release on the cargo now, before I have -to get rough. This is a lot more important to me than your life is."</p> - -<p>"Go to hell," Duane said shortly. "I'm playing no tricks."</p> - -<p>There was an instant's doubt in Andrias' eyes, then it flashed away. He -bent closer, peered at Duane. "I almost think—" he began.</p> - -<p>Then he shook his head. "No," he said. "You're lying all right. You -killed Stevens to get his share—and now you're trying to hold me up. -That's your last chance that just went by, Duane. From now on, I'm -running this show!"</p> - -<p>He spun around and strode to the door, thrust it open. "Dakin!" he -bellowed. "Reed!"</p> - -<p>Two large, ugly men in field-gray uniforms, emblazoned with the -shooting-star insignia of Callisto's League police, came in, looking to -Andrias for instructions.</p> - -<p>"Duane here is resisting arrest," Andrias said. "Take him along. We'll -fix up the charges later."</p> - -<p>"You can't do that," Duane said wearily. "I'm sick. If you've got -something against me, save it. Wait till my head clears. I'm sure I can -explain—"</p> - -<p>"Explain, hell." The dark man laughed. "If I wait, this ship will be -blasting off for Ganymede within two hours. I'll wait—but so will the -ship. It's not going anywhere till I give it clearance. I run Callisto; -I'll give the orders here!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">II</p> - -<p>Whoever this man Andrias was, thought Duane, he was certainly a man of -importance on Callisto. As he had said, <i>he</i> gave the orders.</p> - -<p>The crew of the rocket made no objection when Andrias and his men took -Duane off without a word. Duane had thought the nurse, who seemed a -good enough sort, might have said something on his behalf. But she was -out of sight as they left. A curt sentence to a gray-clad official on -the blast field where the rocket lay, and the man nodded and hurried -off, to tell the rocket's captain that the ship was being refused -clearance indefinitely.</p> - -<p>A long, powerful ground car slid up before them. Andrias got in front, -while the two uniformed men shoved Duane into the back of the car, -climbed in beside him. Andrias gave a curt order, and the car shot -forward.</p> - -<p>The driver, sitting beside Andrias, leaned forward and readied a hand -under the dashboard. The high wail of a siren came instantly from the -car's roof, and what traffic was on the broad, straight highway into -which they had turned pulled aside to let them race through.</p> - -<p>Ahead lay the tall spires of a city. Graceful, hundreds of feet high, -they seemed dreamlike yet somehow oddly familiar to Duane. Somewhere -he had seen them before. He dragged deep into his mind, plumbing the -cloudy, impenetrable haze that had settled on it, trying to bring forth -the memories that he should have had. Amnesia, they called it; complete -forgetting of the happenings of a lifetime. He'd heard of it—but never -dreamed it could happen to him!</p> - -<p><i>My name, it seems, is Peter Duane</i>, he thought. <i>And they tell me that -I killed a man!</i></p> - -<p>The thought was starkly incredible to him. A white-haired man, it had -been; someone named Stevens. He tried to remember.</p> - -<p>Yes, there had been a white-haired man. And there had been an argument. -Something to do with money, with a shipment of goods that Stevens had -supplied to Duane. There has even been talk of killing....</p> - -<p>But—murder! Duane looked at his hands helplessly.</p> - -<p>Andrias, up ahead, was turning around. He looked sharply at Duane, for -a long second. An uncertainty clouded his eyes, and abruptly he looked -forward again without speaking.</p> - -<p>"Who's this man Andrias?" Duane whispered to the nearest guard.</p> - -<p>The man stared at him. "Governor Andrias," he said, "is the League's -deputy on Callisto. You know—the Earth-Mars League. They put Governor -Andrias here to—well, to govern for them."</p> - -<p>"League?" Duane asked, wrinkling his brow. He had heard something about -a League once, yes. But it was all so nebulous....</p> - -<p>The other guard stirred, leaned over. "Shut up," he said heavily. -"You'll have plenty of chance for talking later."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>But the chance was a long time in coming. Duane found himself, an hour -later, still in the barred room into which he'd been thrust. The guards -had brought him there, at Andrias' order, and left him. That had been -all.</p> - -<p>This was not a regular jail, Duane realized. It was more like a -palace, something out of Earth's Roman-empire days, all white stone -and frescoed walls. Duane wished for human companionship—particularly -that of the nurse. Of all the people he'd met since awakening in that -hospital bed, only she seemed warm and human. The others were—brutal, -deadly. It was too bad, Duane reflected, that he'd failed to remember -her. She'd seemed hurt, and she had certainly known him by first name. -But perhaps she would understand.</p> - -<p>Duane sat down on a lumpy, sagging bed and buried his head in his -hands. Dim ghosts of memory were wandering in his mind. He tried to -conjure them into stronger relief, or to exorcise them entirely.</p> - -<p>Somewhere, some time, a man had said to him, "<i>Andrias is secretly -arming the Callistan cutthroats for revolt against the League. He wants -personal power—he's prepared to pay any price for it. He needs guns, -Earth guns smuggled in through the League patrol. If he can wipe out -the League police garrison—those who are loyal to the League, still, -instead of to Andrias—he can sit back and laugh at any fleet Earth and -Mars can send. Rockets are clumsy in an atmosphere. They're helpless. -And if he can arm enough of Callisto's rabble, he can't be stopped. -That's why he'll pay for electron rifles with their weight in gold.</i>"</p> - -<p>Duane could remember the scene clearly. Could almost see the sharp, -aquiline face of the man who had spoken to him. But there memory -stopped.</p> - -<p>A fugitive recollection raced through his mind. He halted it, dragged -it back, pinned it down....</p> - -<p>They had stopped in Darkside, the spaceport on the side of Luna that -keeps perpetually averted from Earth, as if the moon knows shame and -wants to hide the rough and roaring dome city that nestles in one -of the great craters. Duane remembered sitting in a low-ceilinged, -smoke-heavy room, across the table from a tall man with white hair. -Stevens!</p> - -<p>"<i>Four thousand electron rifles</i>," the man had said. "<i>Latest -government issue. Never mind how I got them; they're perfect. You know -my price. Take it or leave it. And it's payable the minute we touch -ground on Callisto.</i>"</p> - -<p>There had been a few minutes of haggling over terms, then a handshake -and a drink from a thin-necked flagon of pale-yellow liquid fire.</p> - -<p>He and the white-haired man had gone out then, made their way by -unfrequented side streets to a great windowless building. Duane -remembered the white-hot stars overhead, shining piercingly through -the great transparent dome that kept the air in the sealed city of -Darkside, as they stood at the entrance of the warehouse and spoke in -low tones to the man who answered their summons.</p> - -<p>Then, inside. And they were looking at a huge chamber full of stacked -fiber boxes—containing nothing but dehydrated dairy products and -mining tools, by the stencils they bore. Duane had turned to the -white-haired man with a puzzled question—and the man had laughed aloud.</p> - -<p>He dragged one of the boxes down, ripped it open with the sharp point -of a handling hook. Short-barreled, flare-mouthed guns rolled out, -tumbling over the floor. Eight of them were in that one box, and -hundreds of boxes all about. Duane picked one up, broke it, peered into -the chamber where the tiny capsule of U-235 would explode with infinite -violence when the trigger was pulled, spraying radiant death three -thousand yards in the direction the gun was aimed....</p> - -<p>And that memory ended.</p> - -<p>Duane got up, stared at his haggard face in the cracked mirror over -the bed. "<i>They say I'm a killer</i>," he thought. "<i>Apparently I'm a -gun-runner as well. Good lord—what am I not?</i>"</p> - -<p>His reflection—white, drawn face made all the more pallid by the red -hair that blazed over it—stared back at him. There was no answer -there. If only he could remember—</p> - -<p>"All right, Duane." The deep voice of a guard came to him as the door -swung open. "Stop making eyes at yourself."</p> - -<p>Duane looked around. The guard beckoned. "Governor Andrias wants to -speak to you—now. Let's not keep the governor waiting."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>A long, narrow room, with a long carpet leading from the entrance up to -a great heavy desk—that was Andrias' office. Duane felt a click in his -memory as he entered. One of the ancient Earth dictators had employed -just such a psychological trick to overawe those who came to beg favors -of him. Muslini, or some such name.</p> - -<p>The trick failed to work. Duane had other things on his mind; he walked -the thirty-foot length of the room, designed to imbue him with a sense -of his own unimportance, as steadily as he'd ever walked in the open -air of his home planet.</p> - -<p>Whichever planet that was.</p> - -<p>The guard had remained just inside the door, at attention. Andrias -waved him out.</p> - -<p>"Here I am," said Duane. "What do you want?"</p> - -<p>Andrias said, "I've had the ship inspected and what I want is on it. -That saves your life, for now. But the cargo is in your name. I could -take it by force, if I had to. I prefer not to." He picked up a paper, -handed it to Duane. "In spite of your behavior, you can keep alive. -You can even collect the money for the guns—Stevens' share as well -as your own. This is a release form, authorizing my men to take four -hundred and twenty cases of dehydrated foods and drilling supplies from -the hold of the <i>Cameroon</i>—the ship you came on. Sign it, and we'll -forget our argument. Only, sign it now and get it over with. I'm losing -patience, Duane."</p> - -<p>Duane said, without expression, "No."</p> - -<p>Dark red flooded into Andrias' sallow face. His jaws bunched angrily -and there was a ragged thread of incomplete control to his voice as he -spoke.</p> - -<p>"I'll have your neck for this, Duane," he said softly.</p> - -<p>Duane looked at the man's eyes. Death was behind them, peeping out. -Mentally he shrugged. What difference did it make?</p> - -<p>"Give me the pen," he said shortly.</p> - -<p>Andrias exhaled a deep breath. You could see the tension leave him, the -mottled anger fade from his face and leave it without expression. He -handed the paper to Duane without a word. He gave him a pen, watched -him scrawl his name.</p> - -<p>"That," he said, "is better." He paused a moment ruminatively. "It -would have been better still if you'd not stalled me so long. I find -that hard to forgive in my associates."</p> - -<p>"The money," Peter said. If he were playing a part—pretending he knew -what he was doing—he might as well play it to the hilt. "When do I get -it?"</p> - -<p>Andrias picked up the paper and looked carefully at the signature. He -creased it thoughtfully, stowed it in a pocket before answering.</p> - -<p>"Naturally," he said, "there will have to be a revision of terms. I -offered a hundred and ten thousand Earth-dollars. I would have paid -it—but you made me angry. You'll have to pay for that."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Duane said, "I've paid already. I've been dragged from pillar to post -by you. That's enough. Pay me what you owe me, if you want any more of -the same goods!"</p> - -<p>That was a shot in the dark—and it missed the mark.</p> - -<p>Andrias' eyes widened. "You amaze me, Duane," he said. He rose and -stepped around the desk, confronting Duane. "I almost think you really -have lost your memory, Duane," he said. "Otherwise, surely you would -know that this is all the rifles I need. With them I'll <i>take</i> whatever -else I want!"</p> - -<p>Duane said, "You're ready, then...."</p> - -<p>He took time to think it over, but he knew that no thought was -required. Already the hands that he had locked behind him were -clenched, taut. Already the muscles of his legs were tensing.</p> - -<p>"You're ready," he repeated. "You've armed the Callistan exiles—the -worst gutter scum on nine planets. You're set to betray the League that -gave you power here.... Well, that changes things. I can't let you do -it!"</p> - -<p>He hurled himself at Andrias, hands sweeping around to grapple for the -dark man's throat. Andrias, off-balance, staggered backward. But his -own hands were diving for the twin heat guns that hung at his waist.</p> - -<p>Duane saw his danger, and reacted. His foot twisted around Andrias' -ankle; his hands at the other's throat gripped tighter. He lunged -forward, slamming the hard top of his head into the other's face, -feeling flesh and cartilage give as Andrias' nose mashed flat. His own -head pin-wheeled dizzily, agonizingly, as the jar revived the pain of -his earlier accident.</p> - -<p>But Andrias, unconscious already, tumbled back with Duane on top of -him. His head made an audible, spine-chilling thud as it hit the -carpeted floor.</p> - -<p>Duane got up, retrieving the two heat guns, and stared at him.</p> - -<p>"<i>They tell me I killed Stevens the same way</i>," he thought. "<i>I'm -getting in a rut!</i>"</p> - -<p>But Andrias was not dead, though he was out as cold as the void beyond -Pluto. The thick carpeting had saved him from a broken head.</p> - -<p>Duane stepped over the unconscious man and looked around the room. It -was furnished severely, to the point of barrenness. Two chairs before -Andrias' ornate, bare-topped desk and one luxurious chair behind it; -a tasseled bell cord within easy reach of Andrias' chair; the long -carpet. That was all it contained.</p> - -<p>The problem of getting out was serious, he saw. How could one—</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">III</p> - -<p>Methodically he ransacked the drawers of Andrias' desk. Papers, a -whole arsenal of hand guns, Callistan money by the bale, ominously -black-covered notebooks with cryptic figures littering their -pages—those were the contents. A coldly impersonal desk, without the -familiar trivia most men accumulate. There was nothing, certainly, that -would get him out of a building that so closely resembled a fortress.</p> - -<p>He tumbled the things back into the drawers helter-skelter, turned -Andrias over and searched his pockets. More money—the man must have -had a fortune within reach at all times—and a few meaningless papers. -Duane took the release he had signed and tore it to shreds. But that -was only a gesture. When Andrias came to, unless Duane had managed to -get away and accomplish something, the mere lack of written permission -would not keep him from the rocket's lethal cargo!</p> - -<p>When Andrias came to....</p> - -<p>An idea bloomed in Duane's brain. He looked, then, at unconscious -Andrias—and the idea withered again.</p> - -<p>He had thought of forcing Andrias himself to front for him, at gun's -point, in the conventional manner of escaping prisoners. But fist -fights, fiction to the contrary notwithstanding, leave marks on the men -who lose them. Andrias' throat was speckled with the livid marks of -Duane's fingers; Duane's head, butting Andrias in the face, had drawn a -thick stream of crimson from his nostrils, turned his sharp nose askew.</p> - -<p>No guard of Andrias' would have been deceived for an instant, looking -at that face—even assuming that Andrias could have been forced to -cooperate by the threat of a gun. Which, considering the stake Andrias -had in this play, was doubtful....</p> - -<p>He stood up and looked around. He had to act quickly. Already Andrias' -breath was audible; he saw the man grimace and an arm flopped -spasmodically on the floor. Consciousness was on its way back.</p> - -<p>Duane touched the heat gun he'd thrust into his belt; drew it and held -it poised, while he sought to discover what was in his own mind. He'd -killed a man already, they said. Was he then a killer—could he shoot -Andrias now, in cold blood, with so much to gain and nothing to lose?</p> - -<p>He stood there a moment. Then, abruptly, he reversed the weapon and -chopped it down on Andrias' skull.</p> - -<p>There was a sharp grunt from the still unconscious man, but no other -sign. Only—the first tremors of movement that had shown on him halted, -and did not reappear.</p> - -<p>"<i>No</i>," Duane thought. "<i>Whatever they say, I'm not a killer!</i>"</p> - -<p>But still he had to get out. How?</p> - -<p>Once more he stared around the room, catalogued its contents. The guard -would be getting impatient. Perhaps any minute he would tap the door, -first timorously, then with heavier strokes.</p> - -<p>The guard! There was a way!</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Duane eyed the length of the room. Thirty feet—it would take him a -couple of seconds to run it at full speed. Was that fast enough?</p> - -<p>There was only one way to find out.</p> - -<p>He walked around the desk to the bell cord. He took a deep breath, -tugged it savagely, and at once was in speedy motion, racing toward the -door, his footsteps muffled in the deep, springy carpet. Almost as he -reached it, he saw it begin to open. He quickly sidestepped and was out -of the guard's sight, behind the door, as the man looked in.</p> - -<p>Quick suspicion flared in his eyes, then certainty as he saw Andrias -huddled on the floor. He opened his mouth to cry out—</p> - -<p>But Duane's arm was around his throat, and he had no breath to spare. -Duane's foot lashed out and the door slammed shut; Duane's balled left -fist came up and connected with the guard's chin. Abruptly the man -slumped.</p> - -<p>Duane took a deep breath and let the man drop to the floor. But he -paused only a second; now he had two unconscious men on his hands and -he dared let neither revive until he was prepared.</p> - -<p>He grasped the guard's arm and dragged him roughly the length of the -room. He leaped on top of the desk, brutally scarring its gleaming top -with the hard spikes of his boots. His agile fingers unfastened the -long bell cord without causing it to ring and, bearing it, he dropped -again to the floor.</p> - -<p>Tugging and straining, he got the limp form of Andrias into his own -chair, bound him with the bell cord, gagged him with the priceless -Venus-wool scarf Andrias wore knotted about his throat. He tested his -bindings with full strength, and smiled. Those would hold, let Andrias -struggle as he would.</p> - -<p>The guard he stripped of clothing, bound and gagged with his own -belt and spaceman's kerchief. He dragged him around behind the desk, -thrust him under it out of sight. Andrias' chair he turned so that the -unconscious face was averted from the door. Should anyone look in, -then, the fact of Andrias' unconsciousness might not be noticed.</p> - -<p>Then he took off his own clothes, quickly assumed the field-gray -uniform of the guard. It fit like the skin of a fruit. He felt himself -bulging out of it in a dozen places. The long cape the guard wore would -conceal that, perhaps. In any case, there was nothing better.</p> - -<p>Trying to make his stride as martial as possible, he walked down the -long carpet to the door, opened it and stepped outside.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>His luck couldn't hold out forever. It was next to miraculous that he -got as far as he did—out of the anteroom before Andrias' office, past -the two guards there, who eyed him absently but said nothing, down the -great entrance hall, straight out the front door.</p> - -<p>Going through the city had been easier, of course. There were many men -in uniforms like his. Duane thought, then, that Andrias' power could -not have been too strong, even over the League police whom he nominally -commanded. The police could not all have been corrupt. There were too -many of them; had they been turncoats, aiding Andrias in his revolt -against the League, there would have been no need to smuggle rifles in -for an unruly mass of civilians.</p> - -<p>Duane cursed the lack of foresight of the early Earth governments. -They'd made a prison planet of Callisto; had filled it with the worst -scum of Earth. Then, when the damage had been done—when Callisto had -become a pest-hole among the planets; its iniquities a stench that rose -to the stars—they had belatedly found that they had created a problem -worse than the one they'd tried to solve. One like a hydra-beast.</p> - -<p>Criminality was not a thing of heredity. The children of the -transported convicts, most of them, were honest and wanted to be -respectable. And they could not be.</p> - -<p>Earth's crime rate, too, had not been lowered materially by exiling its -gangsters and murderers to Callisto. When it was long past time, the -League had stepped in, and set a governor of its own over Callisto.</p> - -<p>If the governor had been an honest man a satisfactory solution might -have been worked out. The first governor had been honest. Under him -great strides had been made. The bribe-proof, gun-handy League police -had stamped out the wide-open plague spots of the planet; public works -had been begun on a large scale. The beginnings of representative -government had been established.</p> - -<p>But the first governor had died. And the second governor had -been—Andrias.</p> - -<p>"<i>You can see the results!</i>" Duane thought grimly as he swung into the -airfield in his rented ground car. Foreboding was stamped on the faces -of half the Callistans he'd seen—and dark treachery on the others. -Some of those men had been among the actual exiled criminals—the last -convict ship had landed only a dozen years before. All of those whom -Andrias planned to arm were either of the original transportation-men, -or their weaker descendants.</p> - -<p>What was holding Andrias back? Why the need for smuggling guns in?</p> - -<p>The answer to that, Duane thought, was encouraging but not conclusive. -Clearly, then, Andrias did not have complete control over the League -police. But how much control he did have, what officers he had won over -to treachery, Duane could not begin to guess.</p> - -<p>Duane slid the car into a parking slot, switched off the ignition and -left it. It was night, but the short Callistan dark period was nearly -over. A pearly glow at the horizon showed where the sun would come -bulging over in a few minutes; while at the opposite rim of the planet -he could still see the blood-red disc of mighty Jupiter lingering for -a moment, casting a crimson hue over the landscape, before it made the -final plunge. The field was not flood-lighted. Traffic was scarce on -Callisto.</p> - -<p>Duane, almost invisible in the uncertain light, stepped boldly out -across the jet-blasted tarmac toward the huge bulk of the <i>Cameroon</i>, -the rocket transport which had brought him. Two other ships lay on the -same seared pavement, but they were smaller. They were fighting ships, -small, speedy ones, in Callisto for refueling before returning to the -League's ceaseless patrol of the System's starlanes.</p> - -<p>Duane hesitated briefly, wondering whether he ought to go to one of -those ships and tell his story to its League commander. He decided -against it. There was too little certainty for him there; too much risk -that the commander, even, might be a tool of Andrias'.</p> - -<p>Duane shook his head angrily. If only his memory were clear—if only he -could be sure what he was doing!</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He reached the portal of the ship. A gray-clad League officer was there -standing guard, to prevent the ship taking off.</p> - -<p>"Official business," Duane said curtly, and swept by the startled -man before he could object. He hurried along the corridor toward the -captain's office and control room. A purser he passed looked at him -curiously, and Duane averted his face. If the man recognized him there -might be questions.</p> - -<p>For the thousandth time he cursed the gray cloud that overhung his -memory. He didn't know, even, who among the crew might know him and -spread the alarm.</p> - -<p>Then he was at the door marked, <i>Crew only—do not enter!</i> He tapped on -it, then grasped the knob and swung it open.</p> - -<p>A squat, open-featured man in blue, the bronze eagles of the Mercantile -Service resting lightly on his powerful shoulders, looked at him. -Recognition flared in his eyes.</p> - -<p>"Duane!" he whispered. "Peter Duane, what're you doing in the clothes -of Andrias' household guard?"</p> - -<p>Duane felt the tenseness ebb out of his throat. Here was a friend.</p> - -<p>"Captain," he said, "you seem to be a friend of mine. If you are—I -need you. You see, I've lost my memory."</p> - -<p>"Lost your memory?" the captain echoed. "You mean that blow on your -head? The ship's surgeon said something ... yes, that was it. I hardly -believed him, though."</p> - -<p>"But were we friends?"</p> - -<p>"Why, yes, Peter."</p> - -<p>"Then help me now," said Duane. "I have a cargo stowed in your hold, -Captain. Do you know what it is?"</p> - -<p>"Why—yes. The rifles, you mean?"</p> - -<p>Duane blinked. He nodded, then looked dizzily for a chair. The captain -was a friend of his, all right—a fellow gun-runner!</p> - -<p>"Good God," he said aloud. "What a mess!"</p> - -<p>"What's happened?" the captain asked. "I saw you in the corridor, -arguing with Stevens. You looked like trouble, and I should have -come up to you then. But the course was to be changed, and I had to -be there.... And the next I hear, Stevens is dead, and you've maybe -killed him. Then I heard you've lost your memory, and are in a jam with -Andrias."</p> - -<p>He paused and speculation came into his eyes, almost hostility.</p> - -<p>"Peter Duane," he said softly, "it strikes me that you may have lost -more than your memory. Which side are you on. What happened between -you and Andrias? Tell me now if you've changed sides on me, man. For -friendship's sake I won't be too hard on you. But there's too much at -stake here—"</p> - -<p>"Oh, hell," said Peter, and the heat gun was suddenly in his hand, -leveled at the squat man in blue. "I wish you were on my side, but -there's no way I can tell. I can trust myself, I think—but that's all. -Put up your hands!"</p> - -<p>And that was when his luck ran out.</p> - -<p>"Peter—" the captain began.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">IV</p> - -<p>But a sound from outside halted him. Together the two men stared at the -viewplates. A siren had begun to shriek in the distance, the siren of a -racing ground car. Through the gates it plunged, scattering the light -wooden barrier. It spun crazily around on two wheels and came roaring -for the ship.</p> - -<p>Andrias was in it.</p> - -<p>Peter turned on the captain, and the gun was rigidly outthrust in his -hand.</p> - -<p>"Close your ports!" he snarled. "Up rockets—in a hurry!"</p> - -<p>"Listen, Peter," the captain began.</p> - -<p>"I said, hurry!" The car's brakes shrieked outside, and it disappeared -from the view of the men. There was an abrupt babble of voices.</p> - -<p>"Close your ports!" Peter shouted savagely. "Now!"</p> - -<p>The captain opened his mouth to speak, then snapped it shut. He touched -the stud of a communications set, said into it, "Close ports. Snap to -it. Engine room—up rockets in ten seconds. All crew—stand by for -lift!"</p> - -<p>The ship's own take-off siren howled shrilly, drowning out the angry -voices from below. Peter felt the whine of the electrics that dogged -shut the heavy pressure doors. He stepped to the pilot's chair, slid -into it, buckled the compression straps around him.</p> - -<p>The instruments—he recognized them all, knew how to use them! Had he -been a rocket pilot before his mind had blanked—before embarking on -the more lucrative profession of gun smuggler? He wondered....</p> - -<p>But it was the captain who took the ship off. "Ten seconds," Peter -said. "Get moving!"</p> - -<p>The captain hesitated the barest fraction, but his eyes were on the -heat gun and he knew that Duane was capable of using it. "The men—" he -said. "If they're underneath when the jets go, they'll burn!"</p> - -<p>"That's the chance they take," said Duane. "They heard the siren!"</p> - -<p>The captain turned his head quickly, and his fingers flashed out. -He was in his own acceleration seat too, laced down by heavy canvas -webbing. His hands reached out to the controls before him, and his -fingers took on a life of their own as they wove dexterously across the -keys, setting up fire-patterns, charting a course of take-off. Then the -heel of his hand settled on the firing stop....</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The acceleration was worse than Peter's clouded mind had expected, -but no more than he could stand. In his frame of mind, he could stand -almost anything, he thought—short of instant annihilation!</p> - -<p>The thin air of Callisto howled past them, forming a high obligato to -the thunder of the jets. Then the air-howl faded sharply to silence, -and the booming of the rockets became less a thing of sound than a -rumble in the framework of the <i>Cameroon</i>. They were in space.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" width="304" height="500" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>The Cameroon blasted from its cradle, racing Andrias' -ships for open space.</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The captain's foot kicked the pedal that shut off the over-drive jets, -reducing the thrust to a mere one-gravity acceleration. He turned to -Duane.</p> - -<p>"What now?" he asked.</p> - -<p>Duane, busy unstrapping himself from the restraining belts, shook his -head without answering. What now? "<i>A damn good question!</i>" he thought.</p> - -<p>The captain, with the ease of long practice, was already out of his own -pressure straps. He stood there by his chair, watching Duane closely. -But the gun was still in Duane's hand, despite his preoccupation.</p> - -<p>Duane cocked an ear as he threw off the last strap. Did he hear voices -in the corridor, a distance away but coming.</p> - -<p>The captain, looking out the port with considerable interest, -interrupted his train of thought. "What," he asked, "for instance, are -you going to do about—those?"</p> - -<p>His arm was outstretched, pointing outward and down. Duane looked in -that direction—</p> - -<p>The two patrol rockets were streaking up after his commandeered ship. -Fairy-like in their pastel shades, with the delicate tracery of girders -over their fighting noses, they nevertheless represented grim menace to -Duane!</p> - -<p>He swore under his breath. The <i>Cameroon</i>, huge and lumbering, was -helpless as a sitting bird before those lithe hawks of prey. If only he -knew which side the ships were on. If only he knew—anything!</p> - -<p>He couldn't afford to take a chance. "Stand back!" he ordered the -captain. The man in blue gave ground before him, staring wonderingly as -Duane advanced. Duane took a quick look at the control set-up, tried to -remember how to work it.</p> - -<p>It was so tantalizingly close to his memory! He cursed again; then -stabbed down on a dozen keys at random, heeled the main control down, -jumped back, even as the ship careened madly about in its flight, and -blasted the delicate controls to shattered ashes with a bolt from his -heat gun. Now the ship was crippled, for the time being at least. Short -of a nigh-impossible boarding in space, the two patrol cruisers could -do nothing with it till the controls were repaired. The <i>Cameroon</i>, and -its cargo of political dynamite, would circle through space for hours -or days.</p> - -<p>It wasn't much—but it was the best he could do. At least it would give -him time to think things over.</p> - -<p>No. He heard the voices of the men in the corridor again, tumbled about -by the abrupt course change—luckily, it had been only a mild thing -compared to the one that had killed Stevens and caused his own present -dilemma—but regaining their feet and coming on. And one of the voices, -loud and harsh, was Andrias! Somehow, before the ports closed, he'd -managed to board the <i>Cameroon</i>!</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Duane stood erect, whirled to face the door. The captain stood by it. -Duane thrust his heat gun at him.</p> - -<p>"The door!" he commanded. "Lock it!"</p> - -<p>Urged by the menace of the heat gun, the captain hurriedly put out a -hand to the lock of the door—</p> - -<p>And jerked it back, nursing smashed knuckles, as Andrias and four men -burst in, hurling the door open before them. They came to a sliding, -tumbling halt, though, as they faced grim Duane and his ready heat -pistol.</p> - -<p>"Hold it!" he ordered. "That's right.... Stay that way while I figure -things out. The first man that moves, dies for it."</p> - -<p>Dark blood flooded into Andrias' face, but he said no word, only -stood there glaring hatred. The smear of crimson had been brushed -from his face, but his nose was still awry and a huge purplish bruise -was spreading over it and across one cheek. The three men with him -were guards. All were armed—the police with hand weapons as lethal -as Duane's own, Andrias with an old-style projective-type weapon—an -ancient pistol, snatched from some bewildered spaceman as they burst -into the <i>Cameroon</i>.</p> - -<p>Duane braced himself with one arm against the pilot's chair and stared -at them. The crazy circular course the blasted controls had given the -ship had a strong lateral component; around and around the ship went, -in a screaming circle, chasing its own tail. There was a sudden change -in the light from the port outside; Duane involuntarily looked up for a -moment. Dulled and purplish was the gleam from the brilliant stars all -about; the <i>Cameroon</i>, in its locked orbit, had completed a circle and -was plunging through its own wake of expelled jet-gases. He saw the two -patrol rockets streak past; then saw the flood of rocket-flares from -their side jets as they spun and braked, trying to match course and -speed with the crazy orbit of the <i>Cameroon</i>.</p> - -<p>He'd looked away for only a second; abruptly he looked back.</p> - -<p>"Easy!" he snapped. Andrias' arm, which had begun to lift, straightened -out, and the scowl on the governor's face darkened even more.</p> - -<p><i>Clackety-clack.</i> There was the sound of a girl's high heels running -along the corridor, followed by heavier thumps from the space boots of -men. Duane jerked his gun at Andrias and his police.</p> - -<p>"Out of the way!" he said. "Let's see who's coming now."</p> - -<p>It was the girl. Red hair fluttering in the wake of her running, face -alight with anxiety, she burst into the room.</p> - -<p>"Peter!" she cried. "Andrias and his men—"</p> - -<p>She stopped short and took in the tableau. Duane's eyes were on her, -and he was about to speak. Then he became conscious of something in her -own eyes, a sudden spark that flared even before her lips opened and a -thin cry came from them; even before she leaped to one side, at Andrias.</p> - -<p>Peter cursed and tried to turn, to dodge; tried to bring his heat gun -around. But a thunder louder than the bellowing jets outside filled the -room, and a streak of livid fire crossed the fringe of Peter's brain. -Sudden blackness closed in around him. He fell—and his closing eyes -saw new figures running into the room, saw the counterplay of lashing -heat beams.</p> - -<p><i>This is it</i>—he thought grimly, and then thought no more.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">IV</p> - -<p>Duane was in the sickbay again, on the same bed. His head was spinning -agonizedly. He forced his eyes open—and the girl was there; the same -girl. She was watching him. A cloud on her face lifted as she saw his -lids flicker open; then it descended again. Her lips quivered.</p> - -<p>"Darn you, Peter," she whispered. "Who are you now?"</p> - -<p>"Why—why, I'm Peter Duane, of course," he said.</p> - -<p>"Well, thank God you know that!" It was the captain. He'd changed since -the last time Peter had seen him. One arm was slung in bandages that -bore the yellow seeping tint of burn salve.</p> - -<p>Peter shook his head to try to clear it. "Where—where am I?" he asked. -"Andrias—"</p> - -<p>"Andrias is where he won't bother you," the captain said. "Locked up -below. So are two of his men. The other one's dead. How's your memory, -Peter?"</p> - -<p>Duane touched it experimentally with a questing mental finger. It -seemed all right, though he felt still dazed.</p> - -<p>"Coming along," he said. "But where am I? The controls—I blasted them."</p> - -<p>The captain laughed. "I know," he said briefly. "Well—I guess you had -to, in a way. You didn't trust anyone; couldn't trust anyone. You had -to make sure the rifles wouldn't get back to Callisto too soon. But -they're working on installing duplicates now, Peter. In an hour we'll -be back on Callisto. We shut the jets off already; we're in an orbit."</p> - -<p>Duane sank back. "Listen," he said. "I think—I think my memory's -clearing, somehow. But how—I mean, were you on my side? All along?"</p> - -<p>The captain nodded soberly. "On your side, yes, Peter," he said. "The -League's side, that is. You and I, you know, both work for the League. -When they got word of Andrias' plans, they had to work fast. To move -in by force would have meant bloodshed, would have forced his hand. -That would have been utterly bad. It was too dangerous. Callisto is -politically a powder-keg already. The whole thing might have exploded."</p> - -<p>Peter's eyes flared with sudden hope and enlightment. "And you and I—" -he began.</p> - -<p>"You and I, and a couple of other undercover workers were put on the -job," the captain nodded. "We had to find out who Andrias' supporters -were—and to keep him from getting more electron rifles while the -commanders of the Callisto garrison were quietly checked, to see who -was on which side. They've found Andrias' Earth backers—a group of -wealthy malcontents who thought Callisto should be exploited for their -gain, had made secret deals with him for concessions. You, of course, -slowed down the delivery of the rifles as long as you could. They lay -in the Lunar warehouses a precious extra week while you haggled over -terms. That's what you were doing with Stevens, I think, when the -course change caught you both."</p> - -<p>"You've had him long enough," the nurse broke in. "I have a few words -to say."</p> - -<p>"No, wait—" Duane protested. But the captain was grinning broadly. He -moved toward the door.</p> - -<p>"Later," he said over his shoulder. "There'll be plenty of time." The -door closed behind him. Duane turned to the girl.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He shook his head again. The cloud was lifting. He could almost -remember everything again; things were beginning to come into focus. -This girl, for instance—</p> - -<p>She noticed his motion. "How's your head, Peter?" she asked -solicitously. "Andrias hit you with that awful old bullet-gun. I tried -to stop him, but all I could do was jar his arm. Oh, Peter, I was so -afraid when I saw you fall!"</p> - -<p>"You probably saved my life," Peter said soberly. "Andrias struck me as -a pretty good shot." He tried to grin.</p> - -<p>The girl frowned. "Peter," she said, "I'm sorry if I seemed rude, -before—the last time you were here. It was just that I.... Well, you -didn't remember me. I couldn't understand."</p> - -<p>Peter stared at her. Yes—he <i>should</i> remember her. He did, only—</p> - -<p>"Perhaps this will help you," the girl said. She rummaged in a pocket -of her uniform, brought something out that was tiny and glittering. "I -don't wear it on duty, Peter. But I guess this is an exception...."</p> - -<p>Peter pushed himself up on one elbow, trying to make out what she was -doing. She was slipping the small thing on a finger....</p> - -<p>A ring. An engagement ring!</p> - -<p>"Oh—" said Peter. And suddenly everything clicked; he remembered; he -could recall ... everything. That second blow on his head had undone -the harm of the first one.</p> - -<p>He swung his legs over the side of the bed, stood up, reached out -hungry arms for the girl.</p> - -<p>"Of course I remember," he said as she came into the circle of his -arms. "The ring on your finger. I ought to remember—<i>I put it there!</i>"</p> - -<p>And for a long time after there was no need for words.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">[Transcriber's Note: There were two Section IV headings in original text.]</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Conspiracy on Callisto, by James MacCreigh - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CONSPIRACY ON CALLISTO *** - -***** This file should be named 62476-h.htm or 62476-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/4/7/62476/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - - - -</pre> - -</body> -</html> diff --git a/old/62476-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/62476-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 3c714be..0000000 --- a/old/62476-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/62476-h/images/illus.jpg b/old/62476-h/images/illus.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index b7e24eb..0000000 --- a/old/62476-h/images/illus.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/62476.txt b/old/62476.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 4448ebb..0000000 --- a/old/62476.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1474 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Conspiracy on Callisto, by James MacCreigh - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Conspiracy on Callisto - -Author: James MacCreigh - -Release Date: June 25, 2020 [EBook #62476] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CONSPIRACY ON CALLISTO *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - Conspiracy on Callisto - - By JAMES MacCREIGH - - Revolt was flaring on Callisto, and Peter Duane - held the secret that would make the uprising a - success or failure. Yet he could make no move, - could favor no side--his memory was gone--he - didn't know for whom he fought. - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Planet Stories Winter 1943. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -Duane's hand flicked to his waist and hung there, poised. His dis-gun -remained undrawn. - -The tall, white-haired man--Stevens--smiled. - -"You're right, Duane," he said. "I could blast you, too. Nobody would -win that way, so let's leave the guns where they are." - -The muscles twitched in Peter Duane's cheeks, but his voice, when it -came, was controlled. "Don't think we're going to let this go," he -said. "We'll take it up with Andrias tonight. We'll see whether you can -cut me out!" - -The white-haired man's smile faded. He stepped forward, one hand -bracing him against the thrust of the rocket engines underneath, -holding to the guide rail at the side of the ship's corridor. - -He said, "Duane, Andrias is your boss, not mine. I'm a free lance; I -work for myself. When we land on Callisto tonight I'll be with you when -you turn our--shall I say, our _cargo_?--over to him. And I'll collect -my fair share of the proceeds. That's as far as it goes. I take no -orders from him." - -A heavy-set man in blue appeared at the end of the connecting corridor. -He was moving fast, but stopped short when he saw the two men. - -"Hey!" he said. "Change of course--get to your cabins." He seemed about -to walk up to them, then reconsidered and hurried off. Neither man paid -any attention. - -Duane said, "Do I have to kill you?" It was only a question as he asked -it, without threatening. - -A muted alarm bell sounded through the P.A. speakers, signaling a -one-minute warning. The white-haired man cocked his eyebrow. - -"Not at all," he said. He took the measure of his slim, red-headed -opponent. Taller, heavier, older, he was still no more uncompromisingly -belligerent than Duane, standing there. "Not at all," he repeated. -"Just take your ten thousand and let it go at that. Don't make trouble. -Leave Andrias out of our private argument." - -"Damn you!" Duane flared. "I was promised fifty thousand. I need that -money. Do you think--" - -"Forget what I think," Stevens said, his voice clipped and angry. "I -don't care about fairness, Duane, except to myself. I've done all the -work on this--I've supplied the goods. My price is set, a hundred -thousand Earth dollars. What Andrias promised you is no concern of -mine. The fact is that, after I've taken my share, there's only ten -thousand left. That's all you get!" - -Duane stared at him a long second, then nodded abruptly. "I was right -the first time," he said. "I'll _have_ to kill you!" - - * * * * * - -Already his hand was streaking toward the grip of his dis-gun, touching -it, drawing it forth. But the white-haired man was faster. His arms -swept up and pinioned Duane, holding him impotent. - -"Don't be a fool," he grated. "Duane--" - -The P.A. speaker rattled, blared something unintelligible. Neither man -heard it. Duane lunged forward into the taller man's grip, sliding down -to the floor. The white-haired man grappled furiously to keep his hold -on Peter's gun arm, but Peter was slipping away. Belatedly, Stevens -went for his own gun. - -He was too late. Duane's was out and leveled at him. - -"_Now_ will you listen to reason?" Duane panted. But he halted, and the -muzzle of his weapon wavered. The floor swooped and surged beneath him -as the thrust of the mighty jets was cut off. Suddenly there was no -gravity. The two men, locked together, floated weightlessly out to the -center of the corridor. - -"Course change!" gasped white-haired Stevens. "Good God!" - -The ship had reached the midpoint of its flight. The bells had sounded, -warning every soul on it to take shelter, to strap themselves in their -pressure bunks against the deadly stress of acceleration as the ship -reversed itself and began to slow its headlong plunge into Callisto. -But the two men had not heeded. - -The small steering rockets flashed briefly. The men were thrust -bruisingly against the side of the corridor as the rocket spun lazily -on its axis. The side jets flared once more to halt the spin, when the -one-eighty turn was completed, and the men were battered against the -opposite wall, still weightless, still clinging to each other, still -struggling. - -Then the main-drive bellowed into life again, and the ship began to -battle against its own built-up acceleration. The corridor floor rose -up with blinking speed to smite them-- - -And the lights went out in a burst of crashing pain for Peter Duane. - - * * * * * - -Someone was talking to him. Duane tried to force an eye open to see who -it was, and failed. Something damp and clinging was all about his face, -obscuring his vision. But the voice filtered in. - -"Open your mouth," it said. "Please, Peter, open your mouth. You're all -right. Just swallow this." - -It was a girl's voice. Duane was suddenly conscious that a girl's light -hand was on his shoulder. He shook his head feebly. - -The voice became more insistent. "Swallow this," it said. "It's only a -stimulant, to help you throw off the shock of your--accident. You're -all right, otherwise." - -Obediently he opened his mouth, and choked on a warm, tingly liquid. -He managed to swallow it, and lay quiet as deft feminine hands did -something to his face. Suddenly light filtered through his closed -eyelids, and cool air stirred against his damp face. - -He opened his eyes. A slight red-headed girl in white nurse's uniform -was standing there. She stepped back a pace, a web of wet gauze bandage -in her hands, looking at him. - -"Hello," he whispered. "You--where am I?" - -"In the sick bay," she said. "You got caught out when the ship changed -course. Lucky you weren't hurt, Peter. The man you were with--the old, -white-haired one, Stevens--wasn't so lucky. He was underneath when the -jets went on. Three ribs broken--his lung was punctured. He died in the -other room an hour ago." - -Duane screwed his eyes tight together and grimaced. When he opened -them again there was alertness and clarity in them--but there was also -bafflement. - -"Girl," he said, "who are you? Where am I?" - -"Peter!" There was shock and hurt in the tone of her voice. "I'm--don't -you know me, Peter?" - -Duane shook his head confusedly. "I don't know anything," he said. -"I--I don't even know my own name." - -"Duane, Duane," a man's heavy voice said. "That won't wash. Don't play -dumb on me." - -"Duane?" he said. "Duane...." He swiveled his head and saw a dark, -squat man frowning at him. "Who are you?" Peter asked. - -The dark man laughed. "Take your time, Duane," he said easily. "You'll -remember me. My name's Andrias. I've been waiting here for you to wake -up. We have some business matters to discuss." - -The nurse, still eyeing Duane with an odd bewilderment, said: "I'll -leave you alone for a moment. Don't talk too much to him, Mr. Andrias. -He's still suffering from shock." - -"I won't," Andrias promised, grinning. Then, as the girl left the room, -the smile dropped from his face. - -"You play rough, Duane," he observed. "I thought you'd have trouble -with Stevens. I didn't think you'd find it necessary to put him out of -the way so permanently. Well, no matter. If you had to kill him, it's -no skin off my nose. Give me a release on the merchandise. I've got -your money here." - - * * * * * - -Duane waved a hand and pushed himself dizzily erect, swinging his legs -over the side of the high cot. A sheet had been thrown over him, but he -was fully dressed. He examined his clothing with interest--gray tunic, -gray leather spaceman's boots. It was unfamiliar. - -He shook his head in further confusion, and the motion burst within his -skull, throbbing hotly. He closed his eyes until it subsided, trying to -force his brain to operate, to explain to him where and what he was. - -He looked at the man named Andrias. - -"Nobody seems to believe me," he said, "but I really don't know what's -going on. Things are moving too fast for me. Really, I--why, I don't -even know my own name! My head--it hurts. I can't think clearly." - -Andrias straightened, turned a darkly-suspicious look on Duane. "Don't -play tricks on me," he said savagely. "I haven't time for them. I won't -mince words with you. Give me a release on the cargo now, before I have -to get rough. This is a lot more important to me than your life is." - -"Go to hell," Duane said shortly. "I'm playing no tricks." - -There was an instant's doubt in Andrias' eyes, then it flashed away. He -bent closer, peered at Duane. "I almost think--" he began. - -Then he shook his head. "No," he said. "You're lying all right. You -killed Stevens to get his share--and now you're trying to hold me up. -That's your last chance that just went by, Duane. From now on, I'm -running this show!" - -He spun around and strode to the door, thrust it open. "Dakin!" he -bellowed. "Reed!" - -Two large, ugly men in field-gray uniforms, emblazoned with the -shooting-star insignia of Callisto's League police, came in, looking to -Andrias for instructions. - -"Duane here is resisting arrest," Andrias said. "Take him along. We'll -fix up the charges later." - -"You can't do that," Duane said wearily. "I'm sick. If you've got -something against me, save it. Wait till my head clears. I'm sure I can -explain--" - -"Explain, hell." The dark man laughed. "If I wait, this ship will be -blasting off for Ganymede within two hours. I'll wait--but so will the -ship. It's not going anywhere till I give it clearance. I run Callisto; -I'll give the orders here!" - - - II - -Whoever this man Andrias was, thought Duane, he was certainly a man of -importance on Callisto. As he had said, _he_ gave the orders. - -The crew of the rocket made no objection when Andrias and his men took -Duane off without a word. Duane had thought the nurse, who seemed a -good enough sort, might have said something on his behalf. But she was -out of sight as they left. A curt sentence to a gray-clad official on -the blast field where the rocket lay, and the man nodded and hurried -off, to tell the rocket's captain that the ship was being refused -clearance indefinitely. - -A long, powerful ground car slid up before them. Andrias got in front, -while the two uniformed men shoved Duane into the back of the car, -climbed in beside him. Andrias gave a curt order, and the car shot -forward. - -The driver, sitting beside Andrias, leaned forward and readied a hand -under the dashboard. The high wail of a siren came instantly from the -car's roof, and what traffic was on the broad, straight highway into -which they had turned pulled aside to let them race through. - -Ahead lay the tall spires of a city. Graceful, hundreds of feet high, -they seemed dreamlike yet somehow oddly familiar to Duane. Somewhere -he had seen them before. He dragged deep into his mind, plumbing the -cloudy, impenetrable haze that had settled on it, trying to bring forth -the memories that he should have had. Amnesia, they called it; complete -forgetting of the happenings of a lifetime. He'd heard of it--but never -dreamed it could happen to him! - -_My name, it seems, is Peter Duane_, he thought. _And they tell me that -I killed a man!_ - -The thought was starkly incredible to him. A white-haired man, it had -been; someone named Stevens. He tried to remember. - -Yes, there had been a white-haired man. And there had been an argument. -Something to do with money, with a shipment of goods that Stevens had -supplied to Duane. There has even been talk of killing.... - -But--murder! Duane looked at his hands helplessly. - -Andrias, up ahead, was turning around. He looked sharply at Duane, for -a long second. An uncertainty clouded his eyes, and abruptly he looked -forward again without speaking. - -"Who's this man Andrias?" Duane whispered to the nearest guard. - -The man stared at him. "Governor Andrias," he said, "is the League's -deputy on Callisto. You know--the Earth-Mars League. They put Governor -Andrias here to--well, to govern for them." - -"League?" Duane asked, wrinkling his brow. He had heard something about -a League once, yes. But it was all so nebulous.... - -The other guard stirred, leaned over. "Shut up," he said heavily. -"You'll have plenty of chance for talking later." - - * * * * * - -But the chance was a long time in coming. Duane found himself, an hour -later, still in the barred room into which he'd been thrust. The guards -had brought him there, at Andrias' order, and left him. That had been -all. - -This was not a regular jail, Duane realized. It was more like a -palace, something out of Earth's Roman-empire days, all white stone -and frescoed walls. Duane wished for human companionship--particularly -that of the nurse. Of all the people he'd met since awakening in that -hospital bed, only she seemed warm and human. The others were--brutal, -deadly. It was too bad, Duane reflected, that he'd failed to remember -her. She'd seemed hurt, and she had certainly known him by first name. -But perhaps she would understand. - -Duane sat down on a lumpy, sagging bed and buried his head in his -hands. Dim ghosts of memory were wandering in his mind. He tried to -conjure them into stronger relief, or to exorcise them entirely. - -Somewhere, some time, a man had said to him, "_Andrias is secretly -arming the Callistan cutthroats for revolt against the League. He wants -personal power--he's prepared to pay any price for it. He needs guns, -Earth guns smuggled in through the League patrol. If he can wipe out -the League police garrison--those who are loyal to the League, still, -instead of to Andrias--he can sit back and laugh at any fleet Earth and -Mars can send. Rockets are clumsy in an atmosphere. They're helpless. -And if he can arm enough of Callisto's rabble, he can't be stopped. -That's why he'll pay for electron rifles with their weight in gold._" - -Duane could remember the scene clearly. Could almost see the sharp, -aquiline face of the man who had spoken to him. But there memory -stopped. - -A fugitive recollection raced through his mind. He halted it, dragged -it back, pinned it down.... - -They had stopped in Darkside, the spaceport on the side of Luna that -keeps perpetually averted from Earth, as if the moon knows shame and -wants to hide the rough and roaring dome city that nestles in one -of the great craters. Duane remembered sitting in a low-ceilinged, -smoke-heavy room, across the table from a tall man with white hair. -Stevens! - -"_Four thousand electron rifles_," the man had said. "_Latest -government issue. Never mind how I got them; they're perfect. You know -my price. Take it or leave it. And it's payable the minute we touch -ground on Callisto._" - -There had been a few minutes of haggling over terms, then a handshake -and a drink from a thin-necked flagon of pale-yellow liquid fire. - -He and the white-haired man had gone out then, made their way by -unfrequented side streets to a great windowless building. Duane -remembered the white-hot stars overhead, shining piercingly through -the great transparent dome that kept the air in the sealed city of -Darkside, as they stood at the entrance of the warehouse and spoke in -low tones to the man who answered their summons. - -Then, inside. And they were looking at a huge chamber full of stacked -fiber boxes--containing nothing but dehydrated dairy products and -mining tools, by the stencils they bore. Duane had turned to the -white-haired man with a puzzled question--and the man had laughed aloud. - -He dragged one of the boxes down, ripped it open with the sharp point -of a handling hook. Short-barreled, flare-mouthed guns rolled out, -tumbling over the floor. Eight of them were in that one box, and -hundreds of boxes all about. Duane picked one up, broke it, peered into -the chamber where the tiny capsule of U-235 would explode with infinite -violence when the trigger was pulled, spraying radiant death three -thousand yards in the direction the gun was aimed.... - -And that memory ended. - -Duane got up, stared at his haggard face in the cracked mirror over -the bed. "_They say I'm a killer_," he thought. "_Apparently I'm a -gun-runner as well. Good lord--what am I not?_" - -His reflection--white, drawn face made all the more pallid by the red -hair that blazed over it--stared back at him. There was no answer -there. If only he could remember-- - -"All right, Duane." The deep voice of a guard came to him as the door -swung open. "Stop making eyes at yourself." - -Duane looked around. The guard beckoned. "Governor Andrias wants to -speak to you--now. Let's not keep the governor waiting." - - * * * * * - -A long, narrow room, with a long carpet leading from the entrance up to -a great heavy desk--that was Andrias' office. Duane felt a click in his -memory as he entered. One of the ancient Earth dictators had employed -just such a psychological trick to overawe those who came to beg favors -of him. Muslini, or some such name. - -The trick failed to work. Duane had other things on his mind; he walked -the thirty-foot length of the room, designed to imbue him with a sense -of his own unimportance, as steadily as he'd ever walked in the open -air of his home planet. - -Whichever planet that was. - -The guard had remained just inside the door, at attention. Andrias -waved him out. - -"Here I am," said Duane. "What do you want?" - -Andrias said, "I've had the ship inspected and what I want is on it. -That saves your life, for now. But the cargo is in your name. I could -take it by force, if I had to. I prefer not to." He picked up a paper, -handed it to Duane. "In spite of your behavior, you can keep alive. -You can even collect the money for the guns--Stevens' share as well -as your own. This is a release form, authorizing my men to take four -hundred and twenty cases of dehydrated foods and drilling supplies from -the hold of the _Cameroon_--the ship you came on. Sign it, and we'll -forget our argument. Only, sign it now and get it over with. I'm losing -patience, Duane." - -Duane said, without expression, "No." - -Dark red flooded into Andrias' sallow face. His jaws bunched angrily -and there was a ragged thread of incomplete control to his voice as he -spoke. - -"I'll have your neck for this, Duane," he said softly. - -Duane looked at the man's eyes. Death was behind them, peeping out. -Mentally he shrugged. What difference did it make? - -"Give me the pen," he said shortly. - -Andrias exhaled a deep breath. You could see the tension leave him, the -mottled anger fade from his face and leave it without expression. He -handed the paper to Duane without a word. He gave him a pen, watched -him scrawl his name. - -"That," he said, "is better." He paused a moment ruminatively. "It -would have been better still if you'd not stalled me so long. I find -that hard to forgive in my associates." - -"The money," Peter said. If he were playing a part--pretending he knew -what he was doing--he might as well play it to the hilt. "When do I get -it?" - -Andrias picked up the paper and looked carefully at the signature. He -creased it thoughtfully, stowed it in a pocket before answering. - -"Naturally," he said, "there will have to be a revision of terms. I -offered a hundred and ten thousand Earth-dollars. I would have paid -it--but you made me angry. You'll have to pay for that." - - * * * * * - -Duane said, "I've paid already. I've been dragged from pillar to post -by you. That's enough. Pay me what you owe me, if you want any more of -the same goods!" - -That was a shot in the dark--and it missed the mark. - -Andrias' eyes widened. "You amaze me, Duane," he said. He rose and -stepped around the desk, confronting Duane. "I almost think you really -have lost your memory, Duane," he said. "Otherwise, surely you would -know that this is all the rifles I need. With them I'll _take_ whatever -else I want!" - -Duane said, "You're ready, then...." - -He took time to think it over, but he knew that no thought was -required. Already the hands that he had locked behind him were -clenched, taut. Already the muscles of his legs were tensing. - -"You're ready," he repeated. "You've armed the Callistan exiles--the -worst gutter scum on nine planets. You're set to betray the League that -gave you power here.... Well, that changes things. I can't let you do -it!" - -He hurled himself at Andrias, hands sweeping around to grapple for the -dark man's throat. Andrias, off-balance, staggered backward. But his -own hands were diving for the twin heat guns that hung at his waist. - -Duane saw his danger, and reacted. His foot twisted around Andrias' -ankle; his hands at the other's throat gripped tighter. He lunged -forward, slamming the hard top of his head into the other's face, -feeling flesh and cartilage give as Andrias' nose mashed flat. His own -head pin-wheeled dizzily, agonizingly, as the jar revived the pain of -his earlier accident. - -But Andrias, unconscious already, tumbled back with Duane on top of -him. His head made an audible, spine-chilling thud as it hit the -carpeted floor. - -Duane got up, retrieving the two heat guns, and stared at him. - -"_They tell me I killed Stevens the same way_," he thought. "_I'm -getting in a rut!_" - -But Andrias was not dead, though he was out as cold as the void beyond -Pluto. The thick carpeting had saved him from a broken head. - -Duane stepped over the unconscious man and looked around the room. It -was furnished severely, to the point of barrenness. Two chairs before -Andrias' ornate, bare-topped desk and one luxurious chair behind it; -a tasseled bell cord within easy reach of Andrias' chair; the long -carpet. That was all it contained. - -The problem of getting out was serious, he saw. How could one-- - - - III - -Methodically he ransacked the drawers of Andrias' desk. Papers, a -whole arsenal of hand guns, Callistan money by the bale, ominously -black-covered notebooks with cryptic figures littering their -pages--those were the contents. A coldly impersonal desk, without the -familiar trivia most men accumulate. There was nothing, certainly, that -would get him out of a building that so closely resembled a fortress. - -He tumbled the things back into the drawers helter-skelter, turned -Andrias over and searched his pockets. More money--the man must have -had a fortune within reach at all times--and a few meaningless papers. -Duane took the release he had signed and tore it to shreds. But that -was only a gesture. When Andrias came to, unless Duane had managed to -get away and accomplish something, the mere lack of written permission -would not keep him from the rocket's lethal cargo! - -When Andrias came to.... - -An idea bloomed in Duane's brain. He looked, then, at unconscious -Andrias--and the idea withered again. - -He had thought of forcing Andrias himself to front for him, at gun's -point, in the conventional manner of escaping prisoners. But fist -fights, fiction to the contrary notwithstanding, leave marks on the men -who lose them. Andrias' throat was speckled with the livid marks of -Duane's fingers; Duane's head, butting Andrias in the face, had drawn a -thick stream of crimson from his nostrils, turned his sharp nose askew. - -No guard of Andrias' would have been deceived for an instant, looking -at that face--even assuming that Andrias could have been forced to -cooperate by the threat of a gun. Which, considering the stake Andrias -had in this play, was doubtful.... - -He stood up and looked around. He had to act quickly. Already Andrias' -breath was audible; he saw the man grimace and an arm flopped -spasmodically on the floor. Consciousness was on its way back. - -Duane touched the heat gun he'd thrust into his belt; drew it and held -it poised, while he sought to discover what was in his own mind. He'd -killed a man already, they said. Was he then a killer--could he shoot -Andrias now, in cold blood, with so much to gain and nothing to lose? - -He stood there a moment. Then, abruptly, he reversed the weapon and -chopped it down on Andrias' skull. - -There was a sharp grunt from the still unconscious man, but no other -sign. Only--the first tremors of movement that had shown on him halted, -and did not reappear. - -"_No_," Duane thought. "_Whatever they say, I'm not a killer!_" - -But still he had to get out. How? - -Once more he stared around the room, catalogued its contents. The guard -would be getting impatient. Perhaps any minute he would tap the door, -first timorously, then with heavier strokes. - -The guard! There was a way! - - * * * * * - -Duane eyed the length of the room. Thirty feet--it would take him a -couple of seconds to run it at full speed. Was that fast enough? - -There was only one way to find out. - -He walked around the desk to the bell cord. He took a deep breath, -tugged it savagely, and at once was in speedy motion, racing toward the -door, his footsteps muffled in the deep, springy carpet. Almost as he -reached it, he saw it begin to open. He quickly sidestepped and was out -of the guard's sight, behind the door, as the man looked in. - -Quick suspicion flared in his eyes, then certainty as he saw Andrias -huddled on the floor. He opened his mouth to cry out-- - -But Duane's arm was around his throat, and he had no breath to spare. -Duane's foot lashed out and the door slammed shut; Duane's balled left -fist came up and connected with the guard's chin. Abruptly the man -slumped. - -Duane took a deep breath and let the man drop to the floor. But he -paused only a second; now he had two unconscious men on his hands and -he dared let neither revive until he was prepared. - -He grasped the guard's arm and dragged him roughly the length of the -room. He leaped on top of the desk, brutally scarring its gleaming top -with the hard spikes of his boots. His agile fingers unfastened the -long bell cord without causing it to ring and, bearing it, he dropped -again to the floor. - -Tugging and straining, he got the limp form of Andrias into his own -chair, bound him with the bell cord, gagged him with the priceless -Venus-wool scarf Andrias wore knotted about his throat. He tested his -bindings with full strength, and smiled. Those would hold, let Andrias -struggle as he would. - -The guard he stripped of clothing, bound and gagged with his own -belt and spaceman's kerchief. He dragged him around behind the desk, -thrust him under it out of sight. Andrias' chair he turned so that the -unconscious face was averted from the door. Should anyone look in, -then, the fact of Andrias' unconsciousness might not be noticed. - -Then he took off his own clothes, quickly assumed the field-gray -uniform of the guard. It fit like the skin of a fruit. He felt himself -bulging out of it in a dozen places. The long cape the guard wore would -conceal that, perhaps. In any case, there was nothing better. - -Trying to make his stride as martial as possible, he walked down the -long carpet to the door, opened it and stepped outside. - - * * * * * - -His luck couldn't hold out forever. It was next to miraculous that he -got as far as he did--out of the anteroom before Andrias' office, past -the two guards there, who eyed him absently but said nothing, down the -great entrance hall, straight out the front door. - -Going through the city had been easier, of course. There were many men -in uniforms like his. Duane thought, then, that Andrias' power could -not have been too strong, even over the League police whom he nominally -commanded. The police could not all have been corrupt. There were too -many of them; had they been turncoats, aiding Andrias in his revolt -against the League, there would have been no need to smuggle rifles in -for an unruly mass of civilians. - -Duane cursed the lack of foresight of the early Earth governments. -They'd made a prison planet of Callisto; had filled it with the worst -scum of Earth. Then, when the damage had been done--when Callisto had -become a pest-hole among the planets; its iniquities a stench that rose -to the stars--they had belatedly found that they had created a problem -worse than the one they'd tried to solve. One like a hydra-beast. - -Criminality was not a thing of heredity. The children of the -transported convicts, most of them, were honest and wanted to be -respectable. And they could not be. - -Earth's crime rate, too, had not been lowered materially by exiling its -gangsters and murderers to Callisto. When it was long past time, the -League had stepped in, and set a governor of its own over Callisto. - -If the governor had been an honest man a satisfactory solution might -have been worked out. The first governor had been honest. Under him -great strides had been made. The bribe-proof, gun-handy League police -had stamped out the wide-open plague spots of the planet; public works -had been begun on a large scale. The beginnings of representative -government had been established. - -But the first governor had died. And the second governor had -been--Andrias. - -"_You can see the results!_" Duane thought grimly as he swung into the -airfield in his rented ground car. Foreboding was stamped on the faces -of half the Callistans he'd seen--and dark treachery on the others. -Some of those men had been among the actual exiled criminals--the last -convict ship had landed only a dozen years before. All of those whom -Andrias planned to arm were either of the original transportation-men, -or their weaker descendants. - -What was holding Andrias back? Why the need for smuggling guns in? - -The answer to that, Duane thought, was encouraging but not conclusive. -Clearly, then, Andrias did not have complete control over the League -police. But how much control he did have, what officers he had won over -to treachery, Duane could not begin to guess. - -Duane slid the car into a parking slot, switched off the ignition and -left it. It was night, but the short Callistan dark period was nearly -over. A pearly glow at the horizon showed where the sun would come -bulging over in a few minutes; while at the opposite rim of the planet -he could still see the blood-red disc of mighty Jupiter lingering for -a moment, casting a crimson hue over the landscape, before it made the -final plunge. The field was not flood-lighted. Traffic was scarce on -Callisto. - -Duane, almost invisible in the uncertain light, stepped boldly out -across the jet-blasted tarmac toward the huge bulk of the _Cameroon_, -the rocket transport which had brought him. Two other ships lay on the -same seared pavement, but they were smaller. They were fighting ships, -small, speedy ones, in Callisto for refueling before returning to the -League's ceaseless patrol of the System's starlanes. - -Duane hesitated briefly, wondering whether he ought to go to one of -those ships and tell his story to its League commander. He decided -against it. There was too little certainty for him there; too much risk -that the commander, even, might be a tool of Andrias'. - -Duane shook his head angrily. If only his memory were clear--if only he -could be sure what he was doing! - - * * * * * - -He reached the portal of the ship. A gray-clad League officer was there -standing guard, to prevent the ship taking off. - -"Official business," Duane said curtly, and swept by the startled -man before he could object. He hurried along the corridor toward the -captain's office and control room. A purser he passed looked at him -curiously, and Duane averted his face. If the man recognized him there -might be questions. - -For the thousandth time he cursed the gray cloud that overhung his -memory. He didn't know, even, who among the crew might know him and -spread the alarm. - -Then he was at the door marked, _Crew only--do not enter!_ He tapped on -it, then grasped the knob and swung it open. - -A squat, open-featured man in blue, the bronze eagles of the Mercantile -Service resting lightly on his powerful shoulders, looked at him. -Recognition flared in his eyes. - -"Duane!" he whispered. "Peter Duane, what're you doing in the clothes -of Andrias' household guard?" - -Duane felt the tenseness ebb out of his throat. Here was a friend. - -"Captain," he said, "you seem to be a friend of mine. If you are--I -need you. You see, I've lost my memory." - -"Lost your memory?" the captain echoed. "You mean that blow on your -head? The ship's surgeon said something ... yes, that was it. I hardly -believed him, though." - -"But were we friends?" - -"Why, yes, Peter." - -"Then help me now," said Duane. "I have a cargo stowed in your hold, -Captain. Do you know what it is?" - -"Why--yes. The rifles, you mean?" - -Duane blinked. He nodded, then looked dizzily for a chair. The captain -was a friend of his, all right--a fellow gun-runner! - -"Good God," he said aloud. "What a mess!" - -"What's happened?" the captain asked. "I saw you in the corridor, -arguing with Stevens. You looked like trouble, and I should have -come up to you then. But the course was to be changed, and I had to -be there.... And the next I hear, Stevens is dead, and you've maybe -killed him. Then I heard you've lost your memory, and are in a jam with -Andrias." - -He paused and speculation came into his eyes, almost hostility. - -"Peter Duane," he said softly, "it strikes me that you may have lost -more than your memory. Which side are you on. What happened between -you and Andrias? Tell me now if you've changed sides on me, man. For -friendship's sake I won't be too hard on you. But there's too much at -stake here--" - -"Oh, hell," said Peter, and the heat gun was suddenly in his hand, -leveled at the squat man in blue. "I wish you were on my side, but -there's no way I can tell. I can trust myself, I think--but that's all. -Put up your hands!" - -And that was when his luck ran out. - -"Peter--" the captain began. - - - IV - -But a sound from outside halted him. Together the two men stared at the -viewplates. A siren had begun to shriek in the distance, the siren of a -racing ground car. Through the gates it plunged, scattering the light -wooden barrier. It spun crazily around on two wheels and came roaring -for the ship. - -Andrias was in it. - -Peter turned on the captain, and the gun was rigidly outthrust in his -hand. - -"Close your ports!" he snarled. "Up rockets--in a hurry!" - -"Listen, Peter," the captain began. - -"I said, hurry!" The car's brakes shrieked outside, and it disappeared -from the view of the men. There was an abrupt babble of voices. - -"Close your ports!" Peter shouted savagely. "Now!" - -The captain opened his mouth to speak, then snapped it shut. He touched -the stud of a communications set, said into it, "Close ports. Snap to -it. Engine room--up rockets in ten seconds. All crew--stand by for -lift!" - -The ship's own take-off siren howled shrilly, drowning out the angry -voices from below. Peter felt the whine of the electrics that dogged -shut the heavy pressure doors. He stepped to the pilot's chair, slid -into it, buckled the compression straps around him. - -The instruments--he recognized them all, knew how to use them! Had he -been a rocket pilot before his mind had blanked--before embarking on -the more lucrative profession of gun smuggler? He wondered.... - -But it was the captain who took the ship off. "Ten seconds," Peter -said. "Get moving!" - -The captain hesitated the barest fraction, but his eyes were on the -heat gun and he knew that Duane was capable of using it. "The men--" he -said. "If they're underneath when the jets go, they'll burn!" - -"That's the chance they take," said Duane. "They heard the siren!" - -The captain turned his head quickly, and his fingers flashed out. -He was in his own acceleration seat too, laced down by heavy canvas -webbing. His hands reached out to the controls before him, and his -fingers took on a life of their own as they wove dexterously across the -keys, setting up fire-patterns, charting a course of take-off. Then the -heel of his hand settled on the firing stop.... - - * * * * * - -The acceleration was worse than Peter's clouded mind had expected, -but no more than he could stand. In his frame of mind, he could stand -almost anything, he thought--short of instant annihilation! - -The thin air of Callisto howled past them, forming a high obligato to -the thunder of the jets. Then the air-howl faded sharply to silence, -and the booming of the rockets became less a thing of sound than a -rumble in the framework of the _Cameroon_. They were in space. - -[Illustration: _The Cameroon blasted from its cradle, racing Andrias' -ships for open space._] - -The captain's foot kicked the pedal that shut off the over-drive jets, -reducing the thrust to a mere one-gravity acceleration. He turned to -Duane. - -"What now?" he asked. - -Duane, busy unstrapping himself from the restraining belts, shook his -head without answering. What now? "_A damn good question!_" he thought. - -The captain, with the ease of long practice, was already out of his own -pressure straps. He stood there by his chair, watching Duane closely. -But the gun was still in Duane's hand, despite his preoccupation. - -Duane cocked an ear as he threw off the last strap. Did he hear voices -in the corridor, a distance away but coming. - -The captain, looking out the port with considerable interest, -interrupted his train of thought. "What," he asked, "for instance, are -you going to do about--those?" - -His arm was outstretched, pointing outward and down. Duane looked in -that direction-- - -The two patrol rockets were streaking up after his commandeered ship. -Fairy-like in their pastel shades, with the delicate tracery of girders -over their fighting noses, they nevertheless represented grim menace to -Duane! - -He swore under his breath. The _Cameroon_, huge and lumbering, was -helpless as a sitting bird before those lithe hawks of prey. If only he -knew which side the ships were on. If only he knew--anything! - -He couldn't afford to take a chance. "Stand back!" he ordered the -captain. The man in blue gave ground before him, staring wonderingly as -Duane advanced. Duane took a quick look at the control set-up, tried to -remember how to work it. - -It was so tantalizingly close to his memory! He cursed again; then -stabbed down on a dozen keys at random, heeled the main control down, -jumped back, even as the ship careened madly about in its flight, and -blasted the delicate controls to shattered ashes with a bolt from his -heat gun. Now the ship was crippled, for the time being at least. Short -of a nigh-impossible boarding in space, the two patrol cruisers could -do nothing with it till the controls were repaired. The _Cameroon_, and -its cargo of political dynamite, would circle through space for hours -or days. - -It wasn't much--but it was the best he could do. At least it would give -him time to think things over. - -No. He heard the voices of the men in the corridor again, tumbled about -by the abrupt course change--luckily, it had been only a mild thing -compared to the one that had killed Stevens and caused his own present -dilemma--but regaining their feet and coming on. And one of the voices, -loud and harsh, was Andrias! Somehow, before the ports closed, he'd -managed to board the _Cameroon_! - - * * * * * - -Duane stood erect, whirled to face the door. The captain stood by it. -Duane thrust his heat gun at him. - -"The door!" he commanded. "Lock it!" - -Urged by the menace of the heat gun, the captain hurriedly put out a -hand to the lock of the door-- - -And jerked it back, nursing smashed knuckles, as Andrias and four men -burst in, hurling the door open before them. They came to a sliding, -tumbling halt, though, as they faced grim Duane and his ready heat -pistol. - -"Hold it!" he ordered. "That's right.... Stay that way while I figure -things out. The first man that moves, dies for it." - -Dark blood flooded into Andrias' face, but he said no word, only -stood there glaring hatred. The smear of crimson had been brushed -from his face, but his nose was still awry and a huge purplish bruise -was spreading over it and across one cheek. The three men with him -were guards. All were armed--the police with hand weapons as lethal -as Duane's own, Andrias with an old-style projective-type weapon--an -ancient pistol, snatched from some bewildered spaceman as they burst -into the _Cameroon_. - -Duane braced himself with one arm against the pilot's chair and stared -at them. The crazy circular course the blasted controls had given the -ship had a strong lateral component; around and around the ship went, -in a screaming circle, chasing its own tail. There was a sudden change -in the light from the port outside; Duane involuntarily looked up for a -moment. Dulled and purplish was the gleam from the brilliant stars all -about; the _Cameroon_, in its locked orbit, had completed a circle and -was plunging through its own wake of expelled jet-gases. He saw the two -patrol rockets streak past; then saw the flood of rocket-flares from -their side jets as they spun and braked, trying to match course and -speed with the crazy orbit of the _Cameroon_. - -He'd looked away for only a second; abruptly he looked back. - -"Easy!" he snapped. Andrias' arm, which had begun to lift, straightened -out, and the scowl on the governor's face darkened even more. - -_Clackety-clack._ There was the sound of a girl's high heels running -along the corridor, followed by heavier thumps from the space boots of -men. Duane jerked his gun at Andrias and his police. - -"Out of the way!" he said. "Let's see who's coming now." - -It was the girl. Red hair fluttering in the wake of her running, face -alight with anxiety, she burst into the room. - -"Peter!" she cried. "Andrias and his men--" - -She stopped short and took in the tableau. Duane's eyes were on her, -and he was about to speak. Then he became conscious of something in her -own eyes, a sudden spark that flared even before her lips opened and a -thin cry came from them; even before she leaped to one side, at Andrias. - -Peter cursed and tried to turn, to dodge; tried to bring his heat gun -around. But a thunder louder than the bellowing jets outside filled the -room, and a streak of livid fire crossed the fringe of Peter's brain. -Sudden blackness closed in around him. He fell--and his closing eyes -saw new figures running into the room, saw the counterplay of lashing -heat beams. - -_This is it_--he thought grimly, and then thought no more. - - - IV - -Duane was in the sickbay again, on the same bed. His head was spinning -agonizedly. He forced his eyes open--and the girl was there; the same -girl. She was watching him. A cloud on her face lifted as she saw his -lids flicker open; then it descended again. Her lips quivered. - -"Darn you, Peter," she whispered. "Who are you now?" - -"Why--why, I'm Peter Duane, of course," he said. - -"Well, thank God you know that!" It was the captain. He'd changed since -the last time Peter had seen him. One arm was slung in bandages that -bore the yellow seeping tint of burn salve. - -Peter shook his head to try to clear it. "Where--where am I?" he asked. -"Andrias--" - -"Andrias is where he won't bother you," the captain said. "Locked up -below. So are two of his men. The other one's dead. How's your memory, -Peter?" - -Duane touched it experimentally with a questing mental finger. It -seemed all right, though he felt still dazed. - -"Coming along," he said. "But where am I? The controls--I blasted them." - -The captain laughed. "I know," he said briefly. "Well--I guess you had -to, in a way. You didn't trust anyone; couldn't trust anyone. You had -to make sure the rifles wouldn't get back to Callisto too soon. But -they're working on installing duplicates now, Peter. In an hour we'll -be back on Callisto. We shut the jets off already; we're in an orbit." - -Duane sank back. "Listen," he said. "I think--I think my memory's -clearing, somehow. But how--I mean, were you on my side? All along?" - -The captain nodded soberly. "On your side, yes, Peter," he said. "The -League's side, that is. You and I, you know, both work for the League. -When they got word of Andrias' plans, they had to work fast. To move -in by force would have meant bloodshed, would have forced his hand. -That would have been utterly bad. It was too dangerous. Callisto is -politically a powder-keg already. The whole thing might have exploded." - -Peter's eyes flared with sudden hope and enlightment. "And you and I--" -he began. - -"You and I, and a couple of other undercover workers were put on the -job," the captain nodded. "We had to find out who Andrias' supporters -were--and to keep him from getting more electron rifles while the -commanders of the Callisto garrison were quietly checked, to see who -was on which side. They've found Andrias' Earth backers--a group of -wealthy malcontents who thought Callisto should be exploited for their -gain, had made secret deals with him for concessions. You, of course, -slowed down the delivery of the rifles as long as you could. They lay -in the Lunar warehouses a precious extra week while you haggled over -terms. That's what you were doing with Stevens, I think, when the -course change caught you both." - -"You've had him long enough," the nurse broke in. "I have a few words -to say." - -"No, wait--" Duane protested. But the captain was grinning broadly. He -moved toward the door. - -"Later," he said over his shoulder. "There'll be plenty of time." The -door closed behind him. Duane turned to the girl. - - * * * * * - -He shook his head again. The cloud was lifting. He could almost -remember everything again; things were beginning to come into focus. -This girl, for instance-- - -She noticed his motion. "How's your head, Peter?" she asked -solicitously. "Andrias hit you with that awful old bullet-gun. I tried -to stop him, but all I could do was jar his arm. Oh, Peter, I was so -afraid when I saw you fall!" - -"You probably saved my life," Peter said soberly. "Andrias struck me as -a pretty good shot." He tried to grin. - -The girl frowned. "Peter," she said, "I'm sorry if I seemed rude, -before--the last time you were here. It was just that I.... Well, you -didn't remember me. I couldn't understand." - -Peter stared at her. Yes--he _should_ remember her. He did, only-- - -"Perhaps this will help you," the girl said. She rummaged in a pocket -of her uniform, brought something out that was tiny and glittering. "I -don't wear it on duty, Peter. But I guess this is an exception...." - -Peter pushed himself up on one elbow, trying to make out what she was -doing. She was slipping the small thing on a finger.... - -A ring. An engagement ring! - -"Oh--" said Peter. And suddenly everything clicked; he remembered; he -could recall ... everything. That second blow on his head had undone -the harm of the first one. - -He swung his legs over the side of the bed, stood up, reached out -hungry arms for the girl. - -"Of course I remember," he said as she came into the circle of his -arms. "The ring on your finger. I ought to remember--_I put it there!_" - -And for a long time after there was no need for words. - - * * * * * - -[Transcriber's Note: There were two Section IV headings in original -text.] - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Conspiracy on Callisto, by James MacCreigh - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CONSPIRACY ON CALLISTO *** - -***** This file should be named 62476.txt or 62476.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/4/7/62476/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - diff --git a/old/62476.zip b/old/62476.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index eb1d81c..0000000 --- a/old/62476.zip +++ /dev/null |
