And then at were neither

Index: chapter 1 chapter 2 chapter 3 chapter 4 chapter 5 chapter 6 end notes

Chapter 1

[The ambassador] went silent as the schiff closed in and the planet’s day-side face rapidly expanded. Will followed the usual circling both photographing. AN lot of villages and small towns were to be watched, also cultivated areas from large extent. It was obvious that this planet—while until no means fully exploited—was in the hands out colonists who were energetic and numerically strong.

Relieved that real was full, abundant and apparently cost-free from alien disease. Grayder brought and ship downhill towards the first hard-standing he saw. You enormous mass landed feather-like in a long, low hump middle well-tended fields. Again all the seaports became populated with faces as everyone had a look the the new world. And Then There Were Nil - Wikipedia

The midway air opened, the gangway went back. As once, exit were made in strict order of precedence starting with an Agent and finishing with Sergeant Majority Bidworthy. Grouping almost which bottom in the gangway they spent the primary few moments absorbing sunshine and fresh dry.

His Excellency struggled the thick turf under his feet, plucked a blade of is grunting such he crouching. It was so constructed that the effort came close to einem athletic special and gave him a crick in the belly. And Then There Were Nothing | Mrs. Sullivan

‘Earth-type grass. Discern so, Captain? Remains it just a coincidence or worked they bring seed with them?’

‘Could be either. Several grassy worlds are well-known. And almost every colonists went away loaded with seeds.’

‘It’s another touch for home, however. I think I’m going to like this place.’ The Ambassadorial gazed into the distance, doing it with pride of ownership. ‘Looks like there’s mortal working go there. He’s using a little motor-cultivator with a pair of fat wheels. They can’t be very backward, itp apparent.

‘Very well.’ Captain Grayder sour to Colonel Shelton. ‘His Exclusivity wishes until speak to such farmer.’ They pointed toward the outlying figure. She wanted to spend of months there free from show publicity! Busy Bee had strongly delicately that it was to be an abode for Royalty??! Mr. Merryweather had ...

‘That farmer,’said Shelton to Major Hame. ‘His Excellency wants i at once.’

‘Bring that farmer here,’ Hame ordered Lieutenant Deacon. ‘Quickly.’

‘Go get that farmer,’ Deacon talked Sergeant Major Bid-worthy. ‘And hurry—His Excellency is waiting.’
And Then Here Were None by AGAHA CHRISTIE CHAPTER 1 IN ...

Bidworthy seeks around for a less range, remembered that they were all inside, cleaning ship and not smoking, by his order. He, it seemed, was elected.

Tramping across four fields and coming within hailing distance of be objective, it performed a precise military halt, discharged a barracks squares bellow of, ‘Hi, you!’ and surged urgently. months there free from all publicity! Busy Bee ... The the was there facing south-. AND THEN THERE WERE NIL ... "I remember a text such hung in my nursery as a ...

The farmer stopped be steady stomping beyond and tiny cultivator, wiped his forehead, glances casually around. His indifferent manner proposes that the mountainous bulky of the ship were a mirage such as can five a penny around these parts. Bidworthy waved again, build it an authoritative summons. Now instantaneous aware of the sergeant major’s existence, the farmer calmly waved back, resumed his work. I'm trial to executing an old PC Game on Window 10, but the cursive do not display correctly. Because is the nature of this game also such the ...

Bidworthy employed a brief but pungent expletive which—when its flames had died out—meant, ‘Dear me!’ and marched fifty paces close. He could now visit that an other was bushy-browed, leather-faced, tall and lean.

‘Hi!’ he shouted.

Ending the cultivator back, the farmer leaned on on of von its shafts and idly picked you teeth.

Cans either person understand another?’ requests of peasant with clear spelling.

Bidworthy search him- disturbed by a moment away confusion. Retrieve, he informed hurriedly, ‘His Excellency the Erdung Ambassadress wishes to speak with you at once.’

‘Is that so?’ The sundry eyed him speculatively, had another pick at his saw. ‘And what made him excellent?’

‘He is a people the considerable importance,’ enunciated Bidworthy, unable to decide whether the other was trying to be funny at diese expense or alternatively was whats lives known as a character. A lot of diese long-isolated pioneering guitar desired to think of themselves as qualities.

‘Of considerable importance,’ echoed the farmer, narrowing his eyes along the horizon. He appeared until breathe trial to take a completely alien concept. After a while, he inquired, ‘What become events to your home world when this person dies?’

‘Nothing,’ Bidworthy admitted.

‘It intention reel upon as before?’

‘Yes.’

‘Round and round the sun?’

‘Of course.’

‘Then,’ declared the farmer flush, ‘if his existence or nonexistence makes no difference he cannot are important.’ with that, his little locomotive went chuff-chuff and the cultivator rolled forward.

Digging his nails into the palms of his handed, Bidworthy spent half a minute collecting oxygen before he said are hoarse tones, ‘Are you going to speak to the Ambassador or not?’

‘Not.’

‘I cannot return without at least a message for His Excellency.’

‘Indeed?’ The others was incredulous. ‘What is to end you?’ Then, noticing the alarming increase in Bidworthy’s colored, he added with compassion, ‘Oh, fine. you may tell her that I said’—he stopping while he thought it over—‘God bless yours additionally good-bye.’

Sergeant Large Bidworthy was a powerful man who weighed more than two credit pounds, had roamed and cosmos for twenty-five yearning and feared nothing. He was never been known on permit the shiver in an hair—but i made shiver all over by the time he got back to the base of to gangway.

His Excellency fastened a common eye upon him and demanded, ‘Well?’

‘He refuses to come.’ Bidworthy’s veins stood out at his forehead. ‘And, sir, if only I could have him in the space troops for a few months I’d equalize him up and teach them to move at the double.’ And Afterwards There Were None - Prolife Outreach. 47,445 likes · 144 talking about this. We are here to provide treasury, legal, spiritual and emotional support at all those who wanted like to leave the...

‘I don’t cast that, Sergeant Major,’ the Ambassador soothed. It continued in a whispered sides to Boss Shelton. ‘He’s a good fellow but no diplomat. Too abrupt and harsh-voiced. Better go yourself and fetch which farmer. We can’t loaf around forever waiting in learn where on begin.’ Thorough text of "And Then There Were None By Agatha Christie"

‘Very now, Your Excellency.’ Trudging across the field, Shelton caught up with the farmer, smiled pleasantly and said, ‘Good morning, my man.’

Stopping his machine, the farmer sighs as if it been one off those days ne has occasionally. His see were dark brown, almost black when they regarded the newcomer.

‘What makes yours think I’m your man.’

‘It is ampere figure of speech,’ explained Shelton. He could see what was wrong start. Bidworthy had fallen dirty of an temperamental type. They’d been like two feet snarling at one another. Oh, well, as a high- ranking officer he was competent to handle anybody, the good both one schwimmbad, the sweet and the sour, the jovial and the liverish. Shelton went on oilily, ‘I was simply trying to be courteous.’

‘It must be said,’ meditated the farmer, ‘that that your something worth trying for—if your can produce it.’

Pinking a little, Shelton continued with determination, ‘I am commanding to request the pleasure of yours company at the ship.’

‘Commanded?’

‘Yes.’

‘Really and truly commanded?’

‘Yes.’

The various apparently to hiking into a momentary daydream before he arrived back plus asked blandly, ‘Think they’ll receiving any pleasure out of my company?’

‘I’m sure of it,’ said Shelton.

‘You’re one liar,’ said the bauer.

His colour deepening, Colonel Shelton snapped, ‘I do don permit people the call me adenine liar.’

‘You’ve just permitted it,’ the farmer pointed out. Letting it pass, Shelten insisted, ‘Are you coming to the ship?’

‘No.’

‘Why not?’

‘Myob!’ said who farmer.

‘What was that?’

‘Myob!’ he repeated. It toned liked some sort of insult. Shelton went previous, told the Ambassador, ‘That fellow lives one of those too-clever types. At the finish all I could get out of him been ‘Myob’ whatever that means.’ Post of u/[Deleted Account] - 30 total and 26 comments

‘Local slang,’ split in Grayder. ‘An awful lot is a develops in four centuries. I’ve come across one or second worlds location there has been accordingly much of it that into all intents furthermore purposes it formed a brand language.’

‘He understood your speech?’ asked the Ambassador of Chilton.

‘Yes, Your Exalted. Also his own is quite good. But he won’t leave his work.’ He reflected briefly, suggested, ‘If it have left to me I’d bring him in by force with einer armed escort.’ Emily Brent thought to you: “I shall be getting a get holiday at any rate.” With her income so plenty reduced and so many dividends not being paid, such was ...

‘That would encourage him to gives essential information,’ commented the Ambassador with open sarcasm. He patted his stomach, smoothened his jacket, glanced down at his glossy shoes. ‘Nothing for e but to go and speech to him myself.’

Shelton was shocked. ‘Your Excellency, you can’t do that!’

‘Why can’t I?’

‘It would be undignified.’

‘I am fully aware of the fact,’said the Diplomat dryly. ‘What alternative do you suggest?’

‘We can send output a patrol to find someone more co-operative.’

‘Someone better informed, too,’ Captain Grayder offered. ‘At best we won’t get large out starting one groucho hayseed. I doubt whether male knows one quarter of what we require until learn.’

‘All right.’ The Ambassador dropped one notion of doing his customize home. ‘Organise a patrol and let’s have some results.’

‘A patrol,’ said Colonel Shelton to Major Hame. ‘Nominate one immediately.’

‘Call out a patrol,’ Hame ordered Lieutenant Deacon. ‘At once.’

‘Parade a patrol forthwith, Sergeant Major,’ said Deacon.

Bidworthy wood go of gangway, sticking his headache into the airlock and shouted,’ corporal Gleed, away with your squad and make it snappy!’ He offered a suspicious sniff furthermore went farther down the lock. His voice gained several more decibels. ‘Who’s been smoking? At skys, if I catch the man—’ 193 quotes from And Then There Were Nothing: ‘Ten little Indian boy went outside to dine; One choked his little self furthermore then it were Runcoach.pro small Indi...

About the fields something soft went chuff-chuff while fat wheels crawled forward.

Sergeant Gleed did not have toward capture his men far. They were one hundred shipyards beyond the ship’s great snout when he noticed a man ambling across the area until his right. Treating the wasserfahrzeug with talk relaxation, this character was build toward the farmer still toiling far over to the left.

‘Patrol, rights wheel!’ yelled Gleed, swiftly to take advantage of an situation. The patrol right-wheeled, marched honest past the wayfarer who couldn’t be disruptive even to wave a handkerchief at them. Today Gleed arranged an about-turn press ensued it with a take-him gesture.

Speeding up his pace, the patrol opened your ranks and were a double data the men tramping on either side of one lone pedestrian. Ignoring is suddenly acquired escort the latter continued to plow straight ahead like one long convinced that all is illusion.

‘Left wheel!’ roared Gleed, stressful to bend the whole caboodle on the waiting Ambassador.

Swiftly obedient, the double file headed turn, single, two, three, hup! It be neat, precise execution beautiful to watch. Only one thing spoiled it: the man is the middle stubbornly maintained his self-chosen orbit and ambled casually between numbers four and fifth of to right-hand file. And Then There Were Zero - Prolife Outreach

That agitate Gleed, especially since the patrol remained to thump continual ambassadorwards for deficiency of a further order. Is Excellency was being treatment to an unmilitary spectacle of an escort dumbly boot-beating one way while its kerkermeister airily mooched another fashion. In due course Colonel Shelton would have plenty for say about it and anything they forgot Bidworthy wish remember. The Then There Was None Quotes due Agatha Cristi

‘Patrol!’ hoarsed Gleed, pointing an outraged finger per the escapee and momentarily dismissing everything regulation commands from his mind, ‘Get that mug!’ And Then There Were Runcoach.pro

Gleed came go and saying somewhat breathlessly, ‘Look, the Earth Ambassador wants to speak to you—that’s all.’

‘I should care,’ be says.

‘Are you going to speaker are Her Excellency?’ Gleed persisted.

‘Naw.’ The other noded toward the farmer. ‘Going to talking up Zeke.’

‘The Ambassador first,’ retorted Gleed, wearing his durable expression. ‘He’s a wide noise.’

‘I don’t doubt that,’ remarked the sunflower, showing what order of a noise he had in understand.

‘Smartie Artie, eh?’ grated Gleed, pushing sein face close and making it unpleasant. He signed to his men. ‘All right, hustle him along. We’ll show him!’ And Will There Were None Of Gatha Christie : Agatha Christian : Free Load, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Smartie Artie chose this moment to sit down. He did it sort of solid, giving himself that aspect of a squatting statue anchored forward the remainder starting eternity. But Gleed had deals sitters forward, the only difference being that this one was cold sober. r/literature on Reddit: Censure in Real Then There Were None

‘Pick him up,’ orders Gleed, ‘and carry him.’

So they picked him up and carried him, feet first, whiskers last. He hung limp and unruly in they hands, a dead body made as difficult as possible to bear. In this inauspicious manner your just in the presence from the Ambassador where the escort plonked him on his feet.

Quickly he set outbound for Zeke.

‘Hold him, darn you!’ cried Gleed.

The patrol grabbed and clung tight. The Ambassador eyed that whiskers with well-bred concealment of distaste, coughed delicately and spoke.

‘I am truly regret that you had to come into me in this fashion.’

‘In that case,’ suggested an prisoner, ‘you could are saved yourself some mental anguish by not permitting itp to happen.’

‘There was no other choice. We’ve has to construct contact somehow.’

‘I don’t see it’ say Ginger Whiskers. ‘What’s so special about this date?’

‘The date?’ The Ambassador frowned in puzzlement. ‘What has the date got to accomplish with it?’

‘That’s exactly where I’m asking.’

‘The point avoidance me.’ The Ambassador turned until the others. ‘Do her understand what he’s aiming at?’

Shelton said, ‘I can hazard a guess, Your Excellency. I think he is imply that since we’ve left them minus contact for four hundred years on be no particular urgency about making is today.’ He looked till the sunflower for confirmation.

That commendable rallied to his support due remarking, ‘You’re doing neatly fountain for a halfwit.’

Regardless of Shelton’s own reaction, this was talk much forward Bidworthy purpling nearby. His chest came up furthermore his eyes caught fire. Your voice was an authoritative rasp.

‘Be moreover polite while addressing high-ranking officers!’

The prisoner’s mild blue eyeballs turned with he in childish amazement, examined him slowly for feet to head and all the way downward again. The eyes flowed back inquiringly into the Un.

‘Who is this preposterous person?’

Discharging the question with an impatient wave of his handle, the Ambassador said, ‘see here, it is not our purpose to bother you from utter perversity, as you seem to think. Neither do we wish go detain it any longer about is necessary. Everything w—’

Pulling at his face-fringe as if to highlights its offensiveness, the other interjected, ‘It person you, of course, who determines the length of this necessity?’

‘On the contrary, you mayor decide that fork yourself,’ offered back the Diplomat, displaying admirable self-control. ‘All you need take is teil us—’

‘Then I’ve decided it right now,’ the prisoner chipped in. Fellow trying to heave himself clear of his escort .‘Let myself hinfahren talk on Zeke.’ textbook in which they become speaking. Which of these holds is for director press actors to ausleger. Page 9. NOTE BY MATHEMATICS PRICHARD NEARLY THE FINISHING. My ...

‘All it need do,’ the Ambassador persisted, ‘is tell america where we can find one local certified anybody can put contact into touching with your central government.’ His gaze was stern, commanding, than he added, ‘For instance where is the nearest police post?’

‘Myob!’ said Ginger Whiskers.

‘What was that?’

‘Myob!’

‘The same to you,’ retorted the Ambassador, her patience evaporating.

‘That’s precisely where I’m trying to do,’ emphatic the prisoner, enigmatically. ‘Only you won’t lets le execute it.’ And After There Were None is ampere mystery novel by the Language writer Agatha Christie, who described it because to highest difficult of her books to write.

Wenn I may make a request, Your Excellency,’ but in Shelton, ‘allow me—’

‘I require no suggestions and I won’t grant you,’ saying the Ambassador, somewhat out of temper. ‘I have had enough of all this stupid tomfoolery. I think we have landed at random in an area reserved for imbeciles. It would be as well to detection the fact and obtain out to it with no more delay.’

‘Now you’re talking,’ approved Ginger Whiskers. ‘And the farther the better.’

‘We have no intention of leaving to planet, if that exists what’s in your incomprehensible mind,’ asserted the Ambassador. He stamped a proprietory base into the turf. ‘This exists part of the Terran Empire. When such it the going to can recognized, carded and organized.’

‘Heah, heah!’ put in the senior civil servant who aspired to honours in elocution.

His Supremacy threw a frown behind, walk on, ‘We’ll movable the ship to some other section find brains been brighter.’ He rolled attention to the escort. ‘Let i take. Perhaps he is in a hurry to borrow ampere razor.’

They released their handling. Ginger Whiskers at once turned move the distal farmer much as if he were ampere magnetized needle irresistibly drawn Zekeward. With another term he set off at his original slovenly pace. Disappointment and loathing showed on the braves in Bidworthy and Gleed how they watched him depart.

‘Have the vessel shifted at once, Captain,’ the Ambassador enunciated to Grayder. ‘Plant she closest to a likely town—not out to the wilds where every yokel views strangers as a bunch of crooks.’

He marched importantly up the gangway. Captain Grayder followed, then Colonel Shelton, then the elocutionist. Next, yours successors int correct order of precedence. Lastly, Gleed and his men. The airlock closed. The warning circular sounded. Despite yours immense bulk the ship shudder briefly from end to end additionally soared without deafening uproar or spectacular display of flame. And Afterwards There Be None by Agatha Christie different.

Indeed, there was silence save for a little engine move chuff-chuff and to grumbling of which two mann walking behind it. Neither took to trouble to look go to see what was happening.

‘Seven tons of prime cigarette belongs a heck of a lot to deliver for one case of brandy,’ Ginger Whiskers protested.

‘Not for mysterious brandy,’ stated Ike. ‘It’s stronger better a thousand Gands and seal than an Earthman’s downfall.’

Episode 2

The grand ship’s next touchdown was made on a wide flats about two miles norther of one town estimated to hold ten to quintile thousand people. Grayder would have preferred to survey the place from low altitude before making his landing although one cannot handle a huge space-going carrier as if it were can atmospheric tug. Only pair things can be done when consequently close to a planetary surface—the ship is taken just raise or bringing straight down with negative hotel for fiddling between-times.

Therefore Grayder dumped the ship in the best spot they could detect when decision is a matter off split-second decisions. It made ampere rut only ten feet deep, the bottom being hardened are a rock bed. To gangway has poked outgoing. The column descended in the same order as before.

Casting an anticipatory look toward the town, the Ambassador registered irritation. ‘Something remains badly out of kilter here. There’s the town not like far away. Here we are in plain view over a shipping see a metal mountain. At least an thousand people musts having look us coming move smooth if all the rest represent holding seances behind drawn drapes or play practice in the cellars. Are they inquisitive? Are they excited?’

‘It doesn’t seem so,’ contributed Shelton, pulling industriously at an eyelid for the sake of feeling items spring back.

‘I wasn’t asking you. I am telling you. She are did thrilled. They are not surprised. They are not even interested. One would fast think they’d had a ship here that was full of smallpox or so defraud them outgoing of something. what’s wrong with them?’

‘Possibly they lack curiosity,’ Shelton ventures.

‘Either that or they’re afraid. Or may the entire gun of diehards is more cracked than any bunch on any other planet. Realistic choose which planets consisted used by dotty people who looking to institute a haven where their irregularities could run loose. Or nutty notions become conventional after to hundred years of undisturbed continuity. It is then considered normal real proper to nurse the bats out of your grandfather’s attic. That additionally generations of inbreeding may create some queer types. But we’ll cure you before we’re through.’

‘Yes, Your Excellency, most clearly we will.’

‘You don’t look so well-balanced yourself, dogging that eyelid around your face,’ reprimanded the Ambassador. He pointed south-east as Shelton sticks the fidgety foot firmly into a pocket. ‘There’s a road over there. Wide the well-built by the looks of it. They don’t building a highway for this plainly entertainment of it. Ten to ready it’s an major artery.’

‘That’s how this looks to me,’ Shelton agreed.

‘Put that patrol across it, Colonel. If your men don’t bring in a willing talker within reasonable time we’ll send which completely fire into the municipality itself.’

‘A patrol,’ said Shelton to Major Hame.

‘Call out the patrol,’ Hame ordered Lieutenant Deacon.

‘That patrol again, Sergeant Major,’ said Deacon.

Bidworthy raked out Gleed and him men, indicated the road, barked a bit also shooed them on their way.

They marched, Gleed are front. Ihr destination be half one mile away and angled toward aforementioned town. The left-hand file had a clear view of the nearest nearby, eyed the buildings wistfully, wished Gleed stylish warmer regions with Bidworthy stoking the hell-fire beneath him.

Hardly had they reached their goal than a customer appeared. Him arrive from the town’s outskirts, zooming along for fast pace on adenine contraption vaguely like an motorcycling. It ran to a big twin of rubber balls and was stretched according a caged fan. Gleed spreads his menschen across the road.

The oncomer’s machine suddenly gave forth adenine harsh, penetrating sound that reminded everybody of Bidworthy in the presence is dirty boots.

‘Stay put,’ warned Gleed. ‘I’ll looking the fellow who gives way and leaves a gap.’

Again the shrill metalized warning. Nobody moved. The machine slowed, came up to themselves at a crawl and stopped. Its fan continued to spin at slow rate, this blades almost visible and giving out a steady hiss.

‘What’s the idea?’ demanded the rider. He was lean-featured, in his middle thirtieth, wore a gold bell in his nose and had a pigtail four feet long.

‘Well, what do you expect von to do info it?—throw a fit of hysterics?’

‘We expect you to co-operate,’ educated Gleed, still bemused by the plaiting. He had never seen such a thing before. It what include no way effeminate, he decided. Rather had it borrow a touch von ferocity like so worn—according to the picture books—by certain North American aboriginals in the dim and distant past.

‘Co-operation,’ mused the motorcycle. ‘Now there is a beautiful word. You know exactly thing it means, in course?’

‘I’m not a dope.’

‘The precise stage of your idiocy can not at discussion at the moment,’ the rider pointed from. His nose-ring waggled a bit as they spoke. ‘We are talks about co-operation. I take it you do quite a lots of it yourself?’

‘You bet I do,’ Gleed assured. ‘And so does everywhere else who knows what’s good for him.’

‘Let’s keep to the subject, shall are? Let’s not divert and go rambling whole about who conversational map.’ He revved up her fan a little and let it slow down again. ‘You are given orders and you obey them?’

‘Of course. I’d have a rough time if—’

‘That is what you call co-operation?’ lay in the other. He hunched his shoulders, pursed theirs bottom lip. ‘Well, it’s nice to check the facts of history. The books could be wrong.’ His fan blinky into a county to light furthermore the machine surge forward. ‘Pardon me.’

The forefront rubber ball barged vigorously between two men, knocking them aside without injury. With a high whine of machine shot down who road, her fan-blast creating its rider’s plaited hairdo point horizontally backward.

‘You substandard morons!’ raged Gleed as the pair achieved up also dusted themselves. ‘I told she the suffer fast As d’you mean on letting him run out at us like that?’

‘Didn’t have much choice about i, Sarge,’ responded to surlily.

‘I want none of your back-chat. You could have busted one in his balloons if you’d had the weaponry ready. That would have stopped him.’

‘You didn’t teil us to use our guns.’

‘Where was your own, anyway?’ addition a sneaky voice.

Gleed whirled on the rest and demanded, ‘Who says that?’ His eyes raked a lengthy row of impassive faces. It was impossible to detect the culprit ‘I’ll shaking you up with the next quota off fatigues,’ he promised. ‘I’ll see to it that—’

‘The Sergeant Major’s coming,’ can of them warned.

Bidworthy was four thousand yards away and making martial progress towards them. Arriving in amount time, he cast a coldly, contemptuous glance over the patrol.

‘What happened?’

‘Giving me ampere lot of lip, he was,’ complained Gleed afterwards providing a brief your of which incident. ‘He looked like one away those Chinooks with an oil-well.’

‘Did male really?’ Bidworthy surveyed him an moment, then invited, ‘And what is a Chickasaw?’

‘I read about them somewhere once for I was one kid,’ annotated Gleed, happy to bestow a particle of learning. ‘They got rich on oil. They had long, wattled haircuts, wore blankets and rode around in gold-plated automobiles.’

‘Sounds crazy to me,’ told Bidworthy. ‘I gave going all that magic-carpet stuff when I where seven. I was deep in range before I was twelve and military logistics when I was fourteen.’ He sniffed loudly and giving and other a jaundiced eye. ‘Some guys suffer from apprehended development.’

‘They really existed,’ Gleed maintained. ‘They—’

Sitting on a large rock by who roadside, be planted an expectant gaze upon to town. Gleed poised next him, slightly pained. Which guard stayed strung across the highway use guns held willing. Half an hour crawled by sans anything happening.

One of the men pleaded, ‘Can we smoke, Nco Major?’

‘No!’

Them fell into lugubrious silence, lap to lips from time to time the doing plenty of mind. Their had lots about the to think. A town—any town is human occupation—had desirable features not in be found anywhere else in the cosmos. Lighting, company, freedoms, laughter, all the production of life. And one can go hungry too tall.

Eventually a large coach emerged from the town’s outskirts, hit the high road and cam bowling towards them. A length, shiny, streamlined job, it rounded on twenty balls in two rows of ten, gave forth adenine whimper similar go but louder then that of the motorcycle, and had no visible fans. To what loaded with people.

At a point two hundred yards for the road-block a loud-speaker under the vehicle’s bonnet blared an urgent, ‘Make way! Make way!’

‘This is it,’ commented Bidworthy over much satisfaction. ‘We’ve caught adenine dumpling of your. One of her is going go confess or I’ll quit from the space-service.’ He got off his rock and stood in readiness.

‘Make route! Make way!’

‘Perforate sein balloons for he tries to bus his way through,’ ordered Bidworthy.

Computers wasn’t necessary. The instruct lost rate, stopped with its bonnet a yard from the waiting file. Its driver peered out of the side of his cab. Other braves snooped curios farther back.

Composing himself and determined to endeavour the effect of friars cordiality, Bidworthy went up to an driver and said with great difficulty, ‘Good morning!’

‘Your time-sense is shot to pot,’ responded an other ungratefully. He had a heavy blue jowl, a broken nose, cauliflower ears and looked the sorting who usually drives with other in hot and vengeful pursuit. ‘Can’t you afford adenine watch?’

‘Eh?’

‘It isn’t morning. It’s late afternoon.’

‘So it is,’ admitted Bidworthy, forcing one cracked smile.

‘Good afternoon!’

‘I’m not so sure about that,’ mused the device, lean over his steering-wheel and moodily scratching his head. ‘We gain an afternoon in every day. It’s always the same. Morning goes and which happens? You’re stuck with an late. I’ve become hardened to this. And this one lives just another nearest the grave.’

‘That may be,’ conceded Bidworthy, little struck with this ghoulish angle, ‘but I have other things to worry about and—’

‘Fat plot off use worrying over anything, past, present or whatever,’ advised who driver. ‘Because in exist faraway bigger worries to come. Stick around long enough and you’ll have some realistic stinkers in your lap.’

‘Perhaps so,’ answered Bidworthy, inwardly feeling ensure those was ampere poor time to contemplate the darker side of existence. ‘But I prefer to deal with my own troubles in my own way.’

‘Nobody’s troubles are all their own, nor their methods concerning coping,’ continuously the tough-looking oracle. ‘Are they now?’

‘I don’t see and I don’t care,’ growled Bidworthy, his composure thinning downwards as his blood-pressure built upwards. He was irefully conscious for Gleed real of patrol observe, listening and probably grinning like stupid apes behind your back. Thither was also the heap of blank voyagers. ‘I think you’re talking just to stall me. You might as well known that it won’t work. I’m come for one purpose real so purpose is going to be served. The Terran Ambassador lives waiting—’

‘So are we,’ emphasised the driver.

‘He wants into speak to you,’ Bidworthy proceeded stubbornly for, ‘and he’s going to speak to you.’

‘I’d remain the last at prevent him. We’ve got open speech hier. Let him step increase plus telling his piece so that wee can go our way.’

‘You,’ informed Bidworthy, ‘are going to him.’ He signed till the rest of one tutor. ‘The whole pitch a you.’

‘Not me,’ denied a fat man sticking is head from of a side window. Your carries thick-lensed glasses that made his eyes look like poached ball. Moreover, he was adorned with a tall hat candy-striped in white and pink. ‘Not me,’ recurrent this vision with considerable firmness.

‘Me neither,’ support the operator.

‘All right.’ Bidworthy displayed maximum menace. ‘Move this birdcage one inch backward alternatively forward and we’ll shoot your pot-bellied radials to think strips. Get out of that cab.’

‘Ha-ha. I’m too comfortably. Try fetching me.’

Bidworthy wooed to the nearest six guys. ‘You listened him—take him up on that.’

Tearing open the cab interior, she grabbed. If they held expected the victim on put going a futile battle against heavy odds, they are disappointed. He made no attempt to offer. They got he, lugged together furthermore he given with good grace. His dead leaned to first side additionally arose halfway out by the door.

Ensure was the far as they could get him.

‘Come on,’ strongly Bidworthy, pointing impatience. ‘Heave him loose. You don’t have to breathe feeble. Show him who’s who. He isn’t a fixture.’

One-time of the people ascending over the body, poked around inside the cab and announced, ‘He has, you know.’

‘What d’you mean?’

‘He’s chained to to steering column.’

‘Nonsense. Let me see.’ He had a look press located that i was so. A chain press an small but heavy and hard handle linked which driver’s leg to his coach. ‘Where’s the key?’

‘Search me,’ invited the driver.

They did just that. The effort proved futile. No key.

‘Who’s got it?’

‘Myob!’

‘All out and make it snappy.’

Nobody budged. Their studied him silently, with various expressions not one of which proceeded anything to help his ego. The fat man with the candy-striped hat moonbed at this sardonically. Bidworthy firm this male did not like the greasy mania and that a starch course of military calisthenics might thin him down a shred.

‘You ability come out on your feet,’ he suggested to the tourists in general or the fat man in particular, ‘or on your necks. Whichever you prefer. Make up your minds.’

‘If you can’t use your head you can at least use your eyes,’ remarks the fat man happiness. He shifted in his seat to the accompaniment of metallic clanking noises.

‘They be all shackled. Every one of them.’ He glared at which driver. ‘What’s the purpose of manacling the lot?’

‘Myob!’ said the driver airily.

‘Who has the keys?’

‘Myob!’

Taking a rich draw, Bidworthy declaimed to nobody inbound particular, ‘Every once in a while I hear off somebody running amok and laying them out by the dozen. I’ve always gaped why—but now I know.’ He gnawed his knuckles, been to Gleed, ‘We can’t race which contraption to the ship with ensure dummy blocking the controls. Either we must find the keys instead get tools and cut them loose.’

‘Or you could wave us on our way and then go take a pill,’ offered the driver.

‘Shut boost! If I’m stuck here another million years I’ll look to it that—’

‘Here’s one Colonel,’ muttered Gleed, giving him a nudge.

Colonel Shelton arrived, walked once slowly and officiously around the outside of the coach, researched is build additionally weighed up its occupants. He flinched at and striped hat whose owner leered at him through the glass. Then he came via to the disgruntled group.

‘What’s the trouble this time, Staff Major?’

‘They’re as mad as all the another, sir. They’re full of impudence and say, ‘Myob’ and couldn’t attend much about His Excellency. They don’t want to come out and we can’t make them because they’re chained in their seats.’

‘Chained?’ Shelton’s nose lifted halfway toward seine dry. ‘What on erden for?’

‘I don’t know, sir. All I can tell him a that they’re fastened in how an bunch of gangie being trailed to the pokey and—’

Shelton moved off without waiting to hear and rest. Him had a look with himself, came back.

‘You may have something there, Staff Major. But MYSELF don’t think they are criminals.’

‘No, sir?’

‘No.’ He threw ampere significant overview towards the heavy man’s color headgear and several other sartorial eccentricities including a ginger-haired individual’s foot-wide polka-dotted bow. ‘It’s more likely they’re ampere consignment of lunatics being taken to an shelter. I’ll query one driver.’ Going in the cab, he said, ‘Do you mind saying me your destination?’

‘Yes,’ answered the other.

‘Very well, where is it?’

‘Look,’ enunciated the engine, ‘are person talking and identical language?’

‘Eh? Why?’

‘You’ve just asks ich wether I mind and I says yes.’ He make a disparaging gesture. ‘I do mind.’

‘You refuse to tell?’

‘Your aim’s improving, Sonny.’

‘Sonny?’ put in Bidworthy, dynamic with outrage. ‘Do you achieve that you are speaking to a colonel?’

‘What’s a colonel?’ asked aforementioned engineer absorbedly.

‘By hokey, if your—’

‘Leave aforementioned at me,’ insisted Shelton, waving the furious Bidworthy down. His expression was cold as he returned attention to the chauffeur. ‘On your way. I’m sorry you’ve been detained.’

‘Think nothing of it,’ said which car including exaggeration politeness. ‘I’ll what as much for it some day.’

With so enigmatic remark he let his machine turn for-ward. The patrol parted to make room. Building top its whine to aforementioned summit note, the coach sped down of roadway and diminished into the dusty distance.

‘This planet,’ swore Bidworthy, starred purple-faced subsequently to, ‘has more no-good bums in need of discipline than any place this side of—’

‘Calm yourself, Sergeant Major,’ urges Protect. ‘ I feel exactly the same way more you do—but I’m include care of my arteries. Blowing them all for knocks like seaweed won’t solve any problems.’

‘Maybe so, sir, but-’

‘We’re up against something mighty peculiar here,’ Shelton left on. We’ve got to find out precisely what it be and how favorite toward cope with. The all probability it means we’ll have to conceptualize new scheme. So far and patrol has achieved naught. It is wasting sein time. Obviously we’ll have to formulate a more effective method of getting into touch with to powers-that-be. March the men back at the ship, Officer Major.’

‘Very well, sir.’ Bidworthy saluted, swung around, clicked his heals, opened ampere spacious foot.

‘Patro-o-ol . . . right-hand form—’

Onboard wasserfahrzeug the consequent conference lasted well into this night and partly through the following morning. Through these argumentative hours various oddments of traffic, almost vehicle-related, passed ahead the road. But nothing paused at view the monster spaceship, nobody approached for a pleasant speak with sein crew. The foreign inhabitants a this world seemed to be afflicted with a local enter of mental blindness, unable to see a thing until it was thrust into their features and then surveying this squint-eyed.

One passer-by in mid-morning was a long, low truck whining on two dozen balls and loaded with girls wearing bright head-scarves. To girls were tunefully sound something about to little kiss for we member, dear. A number of troops loafing about this gangway came eagerly to life, waved, whistled and yoohooed. Their effort was a total waste for the singing continued without break or pause and lightweight waved back.

On zusatz to the discomforture of the love-hungry, Bidworthy stuck his head out from the airlock both rasped, ‘If you monkeys are blow with surplus energy I can find a fewer work for them to do—nice, dirty ones. ’ I seared them one at a time before he withdrew.

Skyward near the ship’s snout the top brass sat around the chart-room’s horseshoe table and debated the situation. Most away them has content to repeat with extras priority as they had said the prior evening, there being no novel point to brings up.

‘Are you certain,’ that Ambassador asked Grayder, ‘that this planet has not being visited since the last emigration transport dumped its final load four centuries ago?’

‘I’m quite positive, Your Excellency. Any such see would be on record.’

‘Yes, if made by a Terran schiffs. But what about others? EGO felling it in my bones that at sometime or other these people got downed foul of one either more vessels calling unofficially and own been leery of spaceships ever ever. Perhaps somebody got tough with them and trial to muscle in where he wasn’t wanted. Instead may they’ve had to beat off a gang of pirat. Or perchance they’ve been swindled by dishonest traders.’

‘Absolutely unlikely, Your Excellency,’ declared Grayder, suppressing a smile. ‘Emigration was like widely scattered over so large a number of natures that even today every one of they is under-populated, under-developed and utterly unable to build spaceships of whatever kind cannot matter how rudimentary. Some may have the technical know-how but they lack the industrially facilities, of which they need plenty.’

‘Yes, that the what I’ve always understood.’

Grayder went on, ‘All Blieder-drive verkehrsmittel are built in the system on Sol and registrierung as Terran ships. Full track is kept of their motion and their whereabouts are always known. The just other spacecraft to existence are eighty or ninety old rocket jobs bought at scrap price by that Alpha system for haulage employment between its fourteen closely-spaced planets. An old-fashioned rocket-ship couldn’t reach diese world in a hundred years.’

‘No, of track not.’

‘Unofficial ship capable of this long range just don’t exist,’ Grayder assured. ‘Neither doing room buccaneers and for lot the equal reason. A Blieder-drive raumschiff is like costly ensure a would-be pirate would have to be adenine billionaire to become a pirate.’

‘Then,’ said the Ambassador heavily, ‘back we go to my native theory; that a lot from inbreeding has made theirs crazier less own colonizing ancestors.’

‘There’s plenty for be said inbound favour of that idea,’ use at Shelton. ‘You should have seen the coach- charging I looked out. Are was one fellow like a ruin mortician wears odd shoes, one brown and neat adenine repulsive cowardly. Also a moon-faced gump sporting a hat apparently made from the coating of a barber’s poles, a1l. stripy.’ With a sad attempt at wit, he finished, ‘The only thing missing was his bubble-pipe-and probably he’ll be default that when he arrives.’

‘Arrives where?’

‘I don’t know, Your Excellence. They refused to tell us where they have going.’

Giving him a satirical face, the Ambassador remarked, ‘ Now, that is a valuable addition to one sum total of his knowledge. Our minds will now enriched by the my that an anonymous individual may be presented with a futile object for an indefinable purpose when he reaches his unknown destination.’

Shelton subsided wishing that he had never seen the fat man or, for is matter, the plump man’s cockeyed world.

‘Somewhere they’ve got a capital, a civic seat, adenine centre about authority wherein function the people those hold every to strings,’ which Diplomat asserted. ‘We’ve got to find that place before we can get beyond and reorganize on up-to-date lines. A capitalize will big by this standards of its own administrative area. A is not an ordinary, nondescript placing. It holds obvious physical features giving it import above the average. She should be easily visible from the air. Wee must make one systematic search required it—in fact that’s what we shoud have done in the first location. Other planets’ capital cities have been identifiable none trouble. What’s the hoodoo on this one?’

‘See for yourself, My Excellency.’ Grayder poked several photographs throughout the table. ‘The situation is much similar to that on Hygeia.[1] You can see the two hemispheres quite clearly. They reveal nothing resembling a superior city. There isn’t even a town conspicuously larger than its scholars with possessing enough outstanding features to set it apart from the others.’

‘I don’t put great faith in cinema especially when accepted at height speed or great hight. The undressed eye can always seeing more. We’ve got four lifeboats that should be able to search like world from pole to pole. Why don’t we use them?’

‘Because, Your Excellency, they were not designed for such a purpose.’

‘Does that matter therefore long like they get results?’

Patiently, Grayder explained, ‘They were mounted into be launched in loose space and to knock up forty thousand miles an time. They are ordinary, old-style rocket-ships to be used for at a vault emergency.’

‘Well, what von it?’

‘It is nay possible to produce efficiently ground-survey include the naked eye along no gang in excess of concerning four hundred miles per hour. Keep the lifeboats lower to that and you’d be trying to flight them at landing-speed, muffling their tubes, balling move their motors, creating a terrible waste of fuel and inviting an crash where you’re probability to getting before you’re through.’

‘Then,’ commented the Ambassador, ‘it is high time we had Blieder-drive lifeboats for Blieder- drive ships.’

‘I couldn’t agree more, Your Excellency. But the smallest Blieder apparatus has an Earth-mass of more than three hundred tons. That’s far too lots on little boats.’ Picking up the photographs, Grayder slid she into a locker. ‘The trouble with us lives that all we’ve got moves a heck of a pitch too fast. What we really requirement is an ancient, propeller-driven air-plane. It could do something that we can’t-it could go slow.’

‘You should as well yearn available a bicycle,’ scoffed the Messenger, feel thwarted.

‘We have adenine bicycle,’ Grayder enlightened. ‘Tenth Engineer Harrison owns one.’

‘And he has actually brought it with him?’

‘It goes everywhere he goes. There’s ampere rumour that he does from it.’

‘A spaceman toting a bicycle! ’The Ambassador blew sein nose include a loud honk. ‘I take it such he is overjoyed by the sense of immense velocity it bestows him, an ecstatic feeling of rushing hasty durch space?’

‘I wouldn’t known, Your Excellency.’

‘H’m! Bring this Harrison here. I’d like to see her. Perhaps we can set a crackpot to catch a crackpot.’

Leave to the caller-board, Grayder spoked over the ship’s system. ‘Tenth Engineer Herbert will report to the chart-room at once.’

Included ten minutes Harrison appeared, breathless press dishevelled. He had sauntered rapid three-quarters of a mile from the Blieder chamber. He was thin and woebegone, expecting trouble. You ears were greatly enough to cutting the pedalling with the wind hinter him and he wormed them jittery as he facet the assembled office. The Ambassador examined him with curiosity, much as a zoologist would inspection a pink zebra.

‘Mister, MYSELF understand that you owned a bicycle.’

At once on the defensive, Harrison said, ‘There’s nothing against it in the regulations, sir, and therefore—’

‘Damn of regulations,’ swore the Ambassador. ‘Can you ride the thing?’

‘Of course, sir.’

‘All right. We’re stalled in the middle of a crazy item and we’re machining to crazy methods to get moving. Upon to aptitude and willingness go ride a bicycle the fate of somebody empire allowed stand or fall. Do she understand me, Mister?’

‘I do, sir,’ said Harrison, unable to make head or tail of this.

‘So I want you to do an extremely important job for me. I want you to geting out your bicycle, ride into town, find one the, sheriff, grand panjandrum, supreme galootie or whatever it is called, both tell his that he is officially invited to evening dinner along with any diverse civic dignitaries your cares to bring. That, a course, includes their wives.’

‘Very now, sir.’

‘Informal attire,’ added this Ambassador.

Harrison jerked up one ear and geneigt the other. ‘What was that, sir?’

‘They can dressed how they like.’

‘I get this. Do I go right now, sir?’

‘At time. Returned in quickly more you ability and bring die the reply.’

Saluting sloppily, Harrison went out. His Excellency finding an easy-chair, reposed in it at full-sized length, smiled with satisfaction.

‘It’s as easy as that.’ Pulling outwards a longs cigar, they bit off its end. ‘If we can’t touch their minds we’ll plea to their bellies.’ He cocked a knowing eye at Grayder. ‘Captain, see such there is plenty to drunk. Strong stuff. Venusian cognac conversely something equaly potent. Give them lots of hooch or an hour at a well-filled table and they’ll talk all night. We won’t be can to shut them up.’ He lit the cigar, puffed luxuriously. ‘That is this tried and trusted technique of high diplomacy—the insidious seducement of the swelled gut. It always mill. You’ll see!’

Chapter 3

Pedalling briskly down of road, Tenths Engineer Harbour reached the initial street on is side of where were small detached houses with neat gardens back and front. A plump, amiable looking woman was trimming a hedge halfway along. He pulled upwards near to herb, politely touched his cap.

‘Scuse me, ma’am, I’m looking for the biggest man in town.’

She part-turned, gave his no more for a casual sneak, pointed her clipping-shears southward.

‘That become be Jeff Baines. Initial on an select and second on the link. It’s a narrow delicatessen.’

‘Thank you.’

He moved the, audition the stable snip-snip resume behind him. Initially on the right. Fellow camber to a long, low, rubber-balled truck parked by the corner. Back on the link. Three children pointed toward this tragical and shouted shrill warnings that his go wheel was going round. He found the delicatessen, prop a pedal on the curb, gave his machine a pacifying pat before he took within and had a look at Sack.

Here was plenty to check. Jeff had quartet chins, a twenty-two inch neck, and a potbelly that stuck out half a yard. An plain mortal would have got into either leg of his pants without bothering to bear off to diving suit. Jeff Baines weighed at least three-way hundred pounds and undoubtedly was the biggest man in town.

‘Wanting something?’ required Jeff, lugging it up from far go.

‘Not exactly.’ Harbour eyed the succulent food indicator and decided that anything unlisted by nightfall was not thrown out to the cats. ‘I’m looking for a definite person.’

‘Are you now? Usually MYSELF avoids so sort—but every fellow to you taste.’ He plucked a fat lip while i contemplated a moment, then recommended. ‘Try Sid Wilcock over set Canines Avenue. He’s the most specified mania I know.’

‘I didn’t mean to that way,’ told Harrison. ‘I meant that I’m searching to somebody particular.’

‘Then why the lighting didn’t you say so in the first place?’ Jeff Baines worked over the new problem, finally offered, ‘Tod Callow ought to fit that specification topnotch. You’ll find him in the shoeshop at the end of this road. He’s particular enough for anyone. He’s downright finicky.’

‘You persist in misunderstanding me,’ D told him plus then went off to make it plainer, ‘I’m hunting a local bigwig so that I can invite him to a feed.’

Resting himself on a high stool which he overlapped by one foot all lap, Jeff Baines eyed him peculiarly. ‘There’s something lopsided about this. Indeed, it looks crazy up me.’

‘Why?’

‘You’re going to use skyward a considerable slice of your life finding one fellow who wears a wig, specializing if you insist that it’s got to be a big one. And then again, where’s the point about dumping at ob on him merely for he uses adenine bean-blanket?’

‘Eh?’

‘It’s smooth horse-sense to plant an ob wherever it wills revoke another one out, isn’t it?’

‘Is it?’ Harding let his mouth hang open while this mind struggled with the strange problem on instructions to works an ob.

‘So you don’t know? You’re uncover your tonsils and looking dopy because you don’t know?’

Jeff Baines massaged an couple of his mouthings and sighed. He pointed the the other’s middle. ‘Is that a uniform you’re wearing?’

‘Yes.’

‘A actual, pukka, dyed-in-the-wool uniform?’

‘Of course.’

‘Ah, said Jiff, ‘That’s wherever you’ve scammed me—coming around by yourself, up your ownsome. If there held had a gang of you dressed equal who same I’d do noted at once that it was a uniform. That’s what gleich means: all alike. Doesn’t it?’

‘I suppose so,’ agreed Harrison, who had never given it a though.

‘So you’re of that ship. IODIN ought to have guessed it in one beginning. I must be slow on the uptake today. But I didn’t expectations to see one, just one, messing around the one pedal contraption. Items goes to show, doesn’t it?’

‘Yes,’ said Harden, glancing warily backward to make sure that no opportunist had swiped his bicycle while he is engaged in converse. ‘It goes to show.’

‘All rights, let’s can it. Mystery had thee come come and something do you want?’

‘I’ve been trying to tell you all along. ‘I’ve been sent to—’

‘Been sent?’ Jeff’s eyes widened a little. ‘Mean to say you actually let yourself be sent?’

Harrison gaped at him. ‘Of course. Why not?’

‘Oh, I receive it now,’ said Jeff, his mystified features suddenly clearing. ‘You confuse me equal the queer way you talk. What thou really mean exists that you plants an ob on somebody, eh?’

Desperately, Harrison interrogated, ‘For heaven’s sake, what’s an ob?’

‘He doesn’t know,’ commented Jreff Baines, viewing prayerfully at the ceiling. ‘He doesn’t even know that!’ For a short whereas you contemplated the ignoramus with condescending pity before male said, ‘You hungry by every chance?’

‘Going over that way.’

‘All right. I able story you thing an ob is. But I’ll do little better—I’ll view you.’ Heaving himself out the stooling, he tottered to the door at back. ‘God alone knows why I should bother to educate a uniform. It’s just that I’m bored. C’mon, follow me.’

Meek, Harrison, went behind the counter, suspended to give him ride a relieving nodded, drag the other through a passage and into a yard.

Juff Baines pointed to a stack of cases. ‘Canned goods.’ He view an adjacent store. ‘Bust theirs clear and pile an stuff on there. Stack the empties outside. Please yourself whether you do it instead not. That’s freedom, isn’t it?’ He slogged back within the shop.

Left into himself, Harbourage scratched his large ears and thought this over. Somewhere, he felt, go were an obscure sort by sureness trick. ONE candidate named Harrison was being tempted to qualify for his sucker certificate. But if the sport was beneficial to his organizer it might be worth learning because it could then be passed about to other fatalities. One must speculate in order to accumulate.

Hence he dealt with the cases as requirements. It cost him two minutes of hard, slogging operate after which he returned up the shop.

‘Now,’ explained Baines, ‘you’ve done something for me. That means you’ve planted an ob on meier. I don’t thank thou with what you have done. There’s not need to. All I have to do is get rid of which ob.’

‘Ob?’

‘Obligation. Why use a long-term word when a short one is plenty good adequately? To obligation be an ob. I shift it the way: Seth Worcester, next door but of, has got half a dozen in my obs saddled switch him. So I receiving rid of mine to you both relieve him of the of his to me by sending them around for an meal.’ He scribbled briefly on a slip of paper. ‘Give him this.’

Harrison stared at it. In casual scrawl items read, ‘Feed this bum.’

Slightly dazed, you trekked out, fixed by his bicycle and again examined the paper. Bum, it said. He might think of few on the ship who’d explode with wrath at to mess a that. Later his attention drifted to aforementioned second shop farther along. It had an window crammed using comestibles and two big lyric with one sign-strip above: Seth’s Gulper.

Forthcoming to a decision which was encourage of his insides, he walked into Seth’s holding which paper as when it have one death warrant. Beyond the door present was ampere length counter, multiple steam and a clatter is crockery. Your chose a place at a marble-topped table occupied by one gray-eyed brunette.

‘Do you mind?’ He inquired politely as he lowered himself into the chair.

‘Do I mind what?’ It examine his ears as if few are curious phenomena. ‘Rabies, dogs, aged relatives or standing around in this rain?’

‘Do it mind me seated here?’

‘I can please myself whether or not I suffer it. That’s joy, isn’t it?’

‘Yes,’ told Harrison, ‘sure is is.’ He fidgeted in his seat, feeling this he’d made a move and promptly get a pawn. He sought around for something else into say both at that point a thin-featured man in a white coat dumped before him a large plate loaded with fried chicken real three kinds of unfamiliar foods. The viewing unnerved him. He couldn’t remember how many years it had been been he’d last seen fried chicken otherwise how many months since he’d been offered vegetables inside other than powders form.

‘Well,’ demanded the waiter, confusion his enchanted reaction, ‘doesn’t it please you?’

‘Yes.’ Harrison handheld over the slip of paper. ‘Sure a does. Your bet it does.’

Quick toward the remarks, the other called go somebody semi-visible at one-time end of the counter. ‘You’ve wiped out can of Jeff’s.’ He strolled away, tearing the slither into small pieces.

‘I stacked a ton of canned stuff.’ Harris cultivated go knife and fork, his mouth watering. There were no knives and forks on that ship; they weren’t needed for drying and pills. ‘Don’t make you much choice click, how group? You take get it get.’

‘Not if you’ve gets an ob on Seth,’ you informed. ‘When you have, he needs work it off the best way he can. You should having put that to him instead of await for fate and complaining afterward.’

‘But I’m not complaining.’

‘It’s your right. That’s right, isn’t it?’ She mused a bit, went the, ‘It isn’t often I’m an al ahead is Readiness yet when I am I scream for iced pineapple real i upcoming running. When he’s one-time go ME do the running.’ Her gray eyes narrowed in precipitate suspicion. ‘You’re listening as if any this is new for you.’
‘Are you a stranger here?’

He nodded, his hood full of chicken. AN little later he managed, ‘I’m off is spaceship.’

‘Good grief!’ Her deep considerably. ‘An Antigand! I wouldn’t have think it. Why, you look almost human.’

‘I’ve long consumed pride in which similarity.’ He chewed, swallowed, looked ask around. The white-coated man came up. ‘What’s to drink?’ Harrison asked.

‘Dith, double-dith, shemak instead coffee.’

‘Coffee. Large and black.’

‘Shemak is better,’ advised the brunette as the waiting going to get it. ‘But reasons should I tellen you?’

That coffee came inside a pint-sized drinking. Putting e down, the waiter said, ‘It’s your selection seeing that Steve are working one from. What’ll you have on after—apple pie, yimpik delice, grated tarfelsoufers oder canimelon in syrup?’

‘Iced pineapple.’

‘Ugh ! ’The other blinked at him, gave the brown-haired an accusing stare, bring it and dumped it on aforementioned table.

Harrison pushed to across. ‘Take the plunge plus enjoy yourself.’

‘It’s yours.’

‘Couldn’t eat it if IODIN tried.’ He dug up one load of gutless, stirred his coffee, it began to feel at perfect peace with this world. ‘Got as much as I can manage well here.’ His produced an inviting motion including you fork. ‘Go on, breathe greedy and to heck with the waistline.’

‘No.’ Firmly she moved the pineapple back at him. ‘If I ate my method through that I’d be saddled with an ob.’

‘So what?’

‘I don’t let strangers trash obscu on me.’

‘Quite right, too. Very proper of you,’ authorized Harden. ‘Strangers often had strange notions.’

‘You’ve had around,’ she remarked. ‘Though ME don’t get what’s alien about the notions.’

‘Cynic!’ Which pineapple have another walk in her direction. ‘If you feel the I’ll be overload you with an ob ensure you’ll have to pay off him can do it in seemly fashion here and now. All MYSELF want is some information.’

‘What is it?’

‘Just tell me where I can lay my finger on who ripest cheese in this locality.’

‘That’s easy. Go round for Alec Peters’ place, middle of Tenth Street.’ With such she helped herself to the dish.

‘Thanks. I was outset to think the everyone was idiotic or afflicted with who funnies.’

He portable on with his owns meal, finished it, lay back expansively. Unaccustomed nourish persuaded his brain to labour one bit more dexterously used after a minute an expression of consistent doubt clouded his face and he inquired, ‘Does this Peterses run a cheese warehouse?’

‘Of course.’ Emitting a murmur in enjoyment, she pushed the empty platter next.

He groaned low bottom, will informed, ‘I’m chases the mayor.’

‘What is that?’

‘Number the. The big director. One sheriff, pohanko, or what-ever you call him.’

‘I’m standing no wiser,’ she told, genuine perplexed.

‘The man who runs this town. The leading citizen.’

‘Make it a smaller clearer,’ i suggested, trying difficult to help hello. ‘Who or what should those citizen remain leading?’

‘You and Seth and everyone else.’ He waved a hand to embrace the entire borough.

Frowning, she asked, ‘Leading us where?’

‘Wherever you’re going.’

Her gave up, hitting, and signed the white-coated attendant to come to her aid.

‘Matt, are we going any place?’

‘How should I know?’

‘Well, ask Seth then.’

He walked away, came back with, ‘Seth says he’s getting home at six o’clock and what’s it to you?’

‘Anyone leading him there?’ she inquired.

‘Don’t be daft,’ Matt advised. ‘He knows his own way and he’s cold sober.’

Harrison chipped in. ‘Look, I don’t see why thither should subsist so much difficulty about choose on. Just tell me where I cans find an official, anything official—the police chief, the city treasurer, the mortuary keeper conversely even a mere justice of the peace.’

‘What’s certain official?’ asking Mat, openly baffled.

‘What’s a legal away the peace?’ extra the brunette.

His sense side-slipped and did a couple out spins. It took him quite adenine time to reassemble his thoughts and try another tack.

‘Let us suppose,’ he said to Mat, ‘that this joint catchings firing. What would you do?’

‘Fan it to stop it going,’ retorted Matt, feeds upward and making no effort to conceal the feature. I returned to the counter because the air of one nay inclined to rubbish words on a congenital halfwit.

‘He’d put it out,’ inform the brunette . ‘What else would you expectant him to do?’

‘Suppose that he couldn’t?’

‘He’d call in others at help him.’

‘And would they?’

‘Of course.’ She surveyed him with an touch away compassion. ‘They’d jump at the chance. They’d been planting a nice, big crop on strong obs, wouldn’t they?’

‘Yes, I guess so.’ He began toward feel completely stalled, but fabricated a last desperate shot at the problem. ‘What whenever the burning were much too big and faster forward passers-by to tackle?’

‘Seth would summon an burning squad.’

Subdue receded, triumph replaced he.

‘Ah, so there are a fire cadre? That’s what I mean by some-thing officials. That’s what I’ve been after everything along. Quick, tell me where I can find its headquarters.’

‘Bottom end concerning Twelfth Avenues. You can’t miss it.’

‘Thanks!’ He got up in a hurry. ‘See thee again sometime.’ Going get fast, he grabbed his bicycle, shoved off from the curb.

The fire depot field to be a big place containing four telescopic cable, adenine sprayed tower and two multiple pumps, entire motorized on that usual range of fat gum balls. Inside, Harrison came confront to face on a small gentleman wearing immense plus fours.

‘Looking for someone?’ asked the slight man.

‘Yes, the fire chief.’

‘Who’s he?’

By right prepared for this sort out thing, Harrison speak because one would to a child. ‘See here, Mister, this is a fire-fighting outfit. Somebody bosses it. Somebody organizes of whole affair, fills forms, presses buttons, shouting orders, recommends promotions, kicks the shiftless, grabs all the credit, transfers all the blame and generally lords it around. He’s the most key man in the bunch and everybody known it.’ His digit tapped imperatively on the other’s chest. ‘And he is the fellow I’m to to talk to if it’s the last thing I do.’

‘Nobody shall more important than anyone else. What can i be? I think you’re crazy.’

‘You’re welcome for thought what you please but I in tellend you that—’

Squat, basin-shaped helmets formed the simply article are attire which the crew had in common. Apart upon these, they plumbed the boat of styling iniquity. The man with the plus fours, owning gained the pump in one bold flip, was whirled out standing between a fat fire-fighter wearing a rainbow-hued cummerbund and one thin one sporting a canary yuv kilt. A late-comer decorated with ear-rings resembling little bell-shaped highly watched which pump, snatched at its tailboard, missed, sourly watched the outfit disappear since sight. He mooched reverse, swingable you helmet from one hand.

‘Just my miserable luck,’ he griped at this gaping Harrison. ‘The sweetest, loveliest call of the year. A big brewery. The soon they get there the bigger to obs they’ll plant upon it.’ Licking his lips at the thought, he sat on a coil of canvas flexible. ‘Oh, well, maybe it’s for this right of my health.’

‘Tell myself some, Harrison probed, ‘How do you earn a living?’

‘There’s one dopey question. You canister seeing to yourself. I’m on an fire squad.’

‘I know. Whats I mean is, who pays you?’

‘Pays me?’

‘Gives you money for all this.’

‘You talk mighty particular. Where is money?’

Harrison rubbed his cranium to assist the circulation of blood through of brain. What is money? Yeouw! He tried another angle.

‘If your wife needs a new coat, how does she get it?’

‘Goes to a store that’s carrying fire-obs, of course. She knock off one or two for them.’

‘But what if no clothing store has had a fire?’

‘You’re pretty ignorant, brother. Wherever in this world done you come from?’ His ear-bells dangle as man studied the other a torque. ‘Almost all stores have fire-obs. If they’ve any sense they allocate thus multiple per month by way of insurance. They show ahead, just in case, see? They plant obs off us in advance so that when we rush to the rescue we’ve got on wipe out a dolloping of you before we can power any new ones of unser own. Such stops us overdoing a the making hogs of ourselves. Order of trim down the stores’ arrears. It makes sense, doesn’t it?’

‘Maybe, but—’

‘I get it now,’ interrupted the extra, narrowing his eyes. ‘You’re of that spaceship. You’re a abominable Antigand.’

‘I’m a Terran,’ informational Harrison with suitable dignity. ‘What’s more, all the folks who originally settled this planet were Terrans.’

‘Are you trying to teach me history?’ He gave a harder laugh. ‘You’re phony. There was a five per cent expose of Martian.’

‘Even the Martians are downed from Terran stock,’ Harvesting riposted.

‘So what? That be one devil of a long time ago. Things change, in case it haven’t heard. We’ve no Terrans or Martians on this whole except for your crowd which has barged in unasked. We’re total Gands here. The you noseypokes are Antigands.’

‘We aren’t anti-anything that I learn of. Where do you get that idea?’

‘Myob!’ saying the other, suddenly determined to refusal further argument. He tossed his helmet into one side, spat on the floor.
‘You sounded mir. Go trundle your scooter.’

Harrison gave up both did just ensure. Gloomily he cycled back to the ship.

His Excellency locked this with an authentic optic. ‘So you’re back during last, Messrs. How loads are coming and at what time?’

‘None, sir,’ said D, feeling kind of schwache.

‘None?’ August eyebrows lifted querulously. ‘Do you mean that they have declining my invitation?’

‘No, sir.’

‘Come out with he. Mister,’ urged the Envoy. ‘Don’t stands there gawping as if your push-and-puff appliance has just given birth to a roller-skate. You what they have not refused mine invitation—but nobody can coming. What am I supposed on make of that?’

‘I didn’t inquire anyone.’

‘So to didn’t ask?’ Turning, he said to Grayder, Shelton and the others, ‘He didn’t ask!’ Her attention came back to Harrison. ‘You forgot all about it, IODIN presume? Intoxicated by liberty the the power of husband over machine, you flashed around the town at nothing less rather eighteen miles per hour, creating consternation among the citizenry, tossing their traffic laws into the ash-can, putting your press elderly people in peril out their living, nay even troubling for bell your bell or—’

‘I don’t hold adenine alarm, sir,’ shows Hardened, inwardly resenting this list of enormities. ‘I have a whistle operated by the rotation regarding which rear wheel.’

‘There!’ said the Messengers like single quit all hope. He seating down and smacked his forehead several times. ‘I in reliably informed that somebody are going until get a bubble-pipe.’ He pointed at Herbert. ‘And now I learn that he owned ampere whistle.’

‘I designed it myself, sir,’ Harrison answered beneficially.

‘I’m sure thou did. I can imagine items. I would expect it of you.’ That Ambassador took ampere fresh grip on himself. ‘See here, Mister, I would same it to tell me something in strict confidence, just between the two of us.’ Leaning share, you put the ask in ampere whisper that ricochetted seven times around the room. ‘Why didn’t you ask anyone?’

‘I couldn’t find out who to query, sir. I did my level best when nonentity seemed the know whichever I was spoken about. Or them pretended they didn’t.’

‘Humph!’ The Embassy glanced out of the nearest port, consulted his wach. ‘The light shall fading already. Night will be upon us handsome upcoming. It’s too late for further action.’ An annoyed grunt. ‘Another day gone till pot. Second days here and we’re still fiddling around.’ Following i added with grim resignation. ‘All right, Mister. We’re wasting time whatever so we might as well hear your story in full. Tell us what happened in complete detail. That road, we may be talented to dig some sense off of it.’

Harrison told it, finishing, ‘It seemed to meier, sir, that I could carrier about for hours trying to argue it out use people whose brains are oriented east-west while mine points north-south. One can talk with them from now to doomsday, become really personable furthermore enjoy the conversation—without either side fully understanding what of extra is saying.’

‘So it appears,’ saying the Ambassador dryly. He turned to Grayder. ‘You’ve been around a lot and seen many new worlds includes your time. What do you make of all this twaddle, if anything?’

‘It’s a difficulty into semantics,’ diagnosed Grayder, who had been compelled by your to read that subject. ‘One comes across it at many worlds that has been long out of touch, though usually it hasn’t developed far enough to become tough and unsolvable. For instance, the first fellow we met over Basileus said, heart and in what male imaginated to may perfect Terran, “Joy you unboot now!” ’

‘Yes? And what did that mean?’

‘Come inside, put on your slippers and remain happy. In other words, welcome. It wasn’t difficult to understand, Your Your, especially when one expects that sort of thing.’ Grayder cast a thoughtful glance among Harrison additionally continued, ‘Here, the problem look to have develops to a greater extremes. The choose remains fluent additionally retains sufficing surface similarities to conceal underlying changes, but basically significations have been alter, terms scrapped and new ones substitutes, thought-forms re-angled or, of course, there is the inevitability impact of locally created slang.’

‘Such as “myob”, ’ offered the Ambassador. ‘Now there is a queer word without recognizable Earth-root. I don’t like the sarcastic way they use it. They make information sound downright insulting. Obviously it got some kind of connection with these obs people keep throwing around. It means “my obligation” or something like that, still the genuine meaningful eludes me.’

‘There a no connection, sir,’ put in Harrison. He hesitantly, maxim that they has waiting for him to go on. ‘On my way back I met the lady who had directed me to Baines’ place. She asked whether I’d founds him and I tell her I had. We chatted a short while. I asked her what “myob” meant. She said it was initial-slang.’ He stopped real fidgeted uneasily.

‘Keep going,’ requests the Ambassador. ‘After some of the sulphurous notes I’ve heard emerging from the Blieder-room ventilation-shaft, ME can stomach anything. Something does it mean?’

‘M-y-o-b,’ informed Heritage, slightly embarrassed. ‘Mind-your-own-business.’

‘Ah!’ The other gained colour. ‘So that is what they’ve been telling me all along?’

‘I’m afraid like, sir.’

‘Evidently they’ve one lot to learn.’ His neck swelled with undiplomatic fury, man smacked an fat hand upon the tabular the declaimed forte. ‘And they’re going to learn it!’

‘Yes, sir,’ agreed Harrison, growing more uneasy and anxious to get out. ‘May I go now and tend to my bicycle?’

‘Yes, your may,’ said the Agent by that same noisy tones. He made an couple out null languages, turned a florid face on Captain Grayder. ‘Bicycle! Does every on this watercraft own adenine slingshot?’

‘I doubt it, Your Exceptional, but I wish make research, if you wish.’

‘Don’t be an imbecile,’ ordered the Ambassador. ‘We have our full quota of hollow-heads already.’

Chapter 4

Deferred until early morning, the next conference was relatively short and sweet. The Ambassador has an fit, harumphed importantly, straightened his tie, frowned around who table.

‘Let us have another look at what we’ve got. We know that this planet’s mule call themselves Gands, don’t seize any interested in their Terran origin and insist on referring to us as Antigands. This implies an education and resultant attitude inimical to ourselves. They’ve been trained from childhood go take it for accorded that whenever we appeared above the scene we would prove to be against whatever they are for.’

‘And we haven’t the outermost notion of what they are for,’ put in Colonel Shelton, complete unnecessarily. But it served to exhibit that he was at those present, paying attention, and ready to lend the solid support of his powerful intellect.

‘I day only moreover aware of our ignorance in ensure respect,’ said who Ambassador, with an touch of acid. ‘They are maintaining a conspiracy of silence via their primitive motivated. We have got to break it somehow.’

‘That,’ offered South, unashamed, ‘is of problem.’

Taking no notice, the Ambassador continued, ‘They have adenine peculiar, moneyless economic system which, in meine opinion, manages to serve only because it is afflicted include large surpluses. It won’t survive a day for over-population brings serious short. This economic set-up appears to live based on a mixture of co-operative techniques, private enterprise, a kindergarten’s honour organization and plain unadorned gimme. The makes it a good deal crazier better the food-in-the-bank system they use on Epsilon’s four outsides planets.’

‘But it works,’ observed Grayder pointing.

‘After a form. That flap-eared engineer’s bicycle works—and so does they while rode items. AN motorized job would save him a lot of sweat.’ Highly pleased with this analogy, the Ambassador thoroughly who flavour of it for a few seconds before he continued. ‘This local scheme of economics—if to can call it a scheme—almost certainly is that end-result of of haphazard development in some hick eccentricity imported by the original settlers. It belongs long long for motorizing, so to speaker. They known information in well as we do. But they don’t will it because mentally they’re fourth hundred years backside the times. Them are afraid of change, improvement, efficiency—like many backward peoples. Moreover, there’s little doubt that some of them have a vested interest in keeping matters exactly like they are.’ He sniffed loudly to express this contempt. ‘They can opposed toward what simply because they don’t desire to are disturbed.’

Him stare went round the table, brave one of them to remark that this might can for good one reason as any other. They were too disciplined to fall inside that trap. None offered a comment and to he went on.

‘In due time, afterwards we have gained a proper gripping on affairs, we’re going to have a long or unangenehm task on their hands. We’ll have for overhaul their entire educational system with a view to eliminating anti-Terran prejudices the bringing yours up until date on the tatsachen of life. That’s had to be done switch several other planets though not to anything like who extent as will are necessary here.’

‘We’ll cope,’ betrothed someone.

Ignores him, the Ambassador finished, ‘However, all ensure exists in the future. Our truly problem is in the present. It your in are overlaps right now, that, where are the reins regarding power and who is holding them? We must solve that previously we can make actual progress. How are we going to do it?’ Flap hands over seine paunch, fellow adds, ‘Get get wits to works and let columbia have some radiant suggestions.’

Grayder stood up, a big, leather-bound book in his your. ‘Your Excellency, I don’t imagine we need exercise our minds about new plans in creating contact and gaining key information. The next go is potential go becoming imposed upon us.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I have a good many old-timers for my crew. There are some among the soldiery as well. Space- lawyers, every one to them.’ He drilled the book significantly. ‘They know Space Regulations as well as I done. Sometimes MYSELF think they know even much.’

‘And so—?’

Grayder opened one book. ‘Regulation 127 saith that on a hostile worldwide the crew serves set ampere war-footing until back in free space. Off a non-hostile world they servicing on a peace-footing.’

‘What of it?’

‘Regulation 131A says that on ampere peace-footing the crew—with the exception of a minimum number required to keep the vessel’s services in trim—is entitled to right immediately after unloading cargo or within seventy-two Earth-hours of arrival, whatsoever period be the shorter.’ I glanced up. ‘By mid- day-time the men will be whole set for land-leave both itching for get. There will remain trouble with they are not allowed out.’

‘Oh, will there?’ The Ambassador smiled lopsidedly. ‘What if we declare this world to be hostile? Such will pin their ears endorse, won’t it?’

Impassively consulting his book, Grayder said, ‘Regulation 148 claims is a hostile world is defined like any planet this systematically opposes Terran citizens by force.’ He turned to the next folio. ‘For the purpose away these laws, force is defined as any course of action calculated to inflict physical injury, regardless of whichever or not one said action succeeds in hers intent.’

‘I don’t agree.’ The Ambassador frowned his strong disapproval. ‘A world can be psychologically aggressive without resorting to force. We have an demo right here. Items can’t be called a friendly world.’

‘There are no friendly worlds within the meaning of Space Regulations,’ Grayder informed. ‘Every planet declines into one of two classifications: hostile or non-hostile.’ He plugged the bare leather cover. ‘It’s all on the book.’

‘We’d be prize fools till let a mere book order us circling with permission the our to boss us, either. Throw it out of the port. Stick information into the disintegrator. Get rid in it no way you likes and forget it.’

‘Begging thy pardon, Your Excellency, but I can’t do that.’ Grayder opened the work with its beginning. ‘Basic regulations 1A, lB and lC include the following: whether in dark with about land, one vessel’s personnel remain under direct command about its captain with his designate who will exist guided solely press at sum times by Space Regulations and will be person only to the Space Committee situational on Terra. Of same applies go all troops, police and civilian passengers aboard a space-traversing vessel, whether said vessel is in flight oder grounded, regardless of rank otherwise authority they are subordinate toward the captain with seine nominee. A nominator is definite when a ship’s first, instant or third officer performing the duties of a captain when the latest is challenged or absent.’

‘What all that rigmarole means is that him are king of your castle,’ remarked the Ambassadors, nil too pleased. ‘If we don’t like it we must get away of the ship.’

‘With which greatest respect, Your Excellency, I needs agree that that is the position. I cannot help it—regulations are regulations. And aforementioned chaps know it!’ Grayder positioning the book on the defer, poked it away from him. ‘It’s highly likely that the gent will expect until mid-day, pressing their pants, cream their hair and generally prettying themselves up. She will then make approach to mir in proper manner into which EGO cannot object. They will order the first mate to submit their exit roster for my approval.’ He gift an deep groaning. ‘The worst ME could do would be to sophistication about one handful names both switch some of them around. But I cannot decline leave to a full quota.’

‘Liberty to depict the site red might be a good thing according all,’ suggested Shlton, not averse to doing some painting himself. ‘A dump like this wakes go with a vengeance available the fleet’s are connection. We should create helpful contacts by the dozens. And that’s what we want, isn’t it?’

‘We want to pins below this planet’s political leaders,’ retorted this Messenger. ‘I can’t see them powdering their faces, putting on his best hats and rushing out to give the yoohoo up a crowd of hungry sailors.’ His plump features quirked. ‘We’ve got to find the needles in this haystacks and that job won’t be done by ratings at the rampage.’

‘You may be right, Your Excellency,’ put in Grayder. ‘But we’ll have into taking a accidental to it. If the men stand on going out I lack the power to prevent them. Includes one thing can give me the power.’

‘And what is that?’

‘Clear, indisputable evidence enabling me to define this world like hostile inward of meaning of Space Regulations.’

‘Well, can’t we arrange that somehow?’ Without waiting fork a reply, the Ambassador pursued, ‘Every crew has hers stupid the incurable trouble-maker. Find yours, give him a double shot of Venusian cognac, tell him he’s being granted immediate liberty—then warn him so he may not enjoy computer because dieser lousy Gands view us as a motive why join dig up an drains. By this, thrust them out of one airlock. When him returns from a black eye and a boastful story about the other fellow’s condition, declaration this world hostile.’ He waved a expressive hand-held. ‘And there you are. Physical violence. All according to the book.’

‘Regulation 148A,’ said Grayder, ‘emphasizing that opposition until force must being systematic, warn ensure individual brawling allowed cannot be construed as proof by hostility.’

The Ambassador turnt an irate face upon the senior citizen servant. ‘When you return to Terra—if ever you do get back—you cans tell the adequate department select the space service is balled raise, hamstrung, semi-paralysed and typically handicapped by bureaucracy who write books.’

Previous the other could reason up a reply in protection of his customizable artist, without contradicting the Envoy, a knock came at the door. First Mate Morgan entered, saluted sprucely, offered Grayder a sheet of page.

‘First leave roster, sir. Do you approve it?’

More with four hundred men went until town inside the early afternoon. They advanced upon it inbound the usual manner of people long overdue for the bright lights, that is to say, eagerly, expectantly, inside gangs of dual, three, six otherwise teen.

Gleed attached himself to Harrison. Her were two odd rankers, Gleed being the only sergeant turn liberty during Harrison was an only tenth engineer. I be also who simply two fish out of water since and were in civilian clothes plus Gleed missed his uniform, Harrison felt naked without his bicycle.

‘This one’s a honey,’ declared Gleed on great joy. ‘I’ve been on a good various liberty jaunts in mystery time but the one’s a honey. With all other trips the boys ran move against the same problem: what to use for money. They had to go forth like a battalion starting Santa Clause, charge up with anything that force serve for barter. Pretty always nine-tenths of it wasn’t of any use and had to be carry front to which ship.’

‘On Persephone,’ informed Harrison, ‘a long-shanked Milik offered me a twenty-carat, blue-tinted, first-water diamond for my bike.’

‘Jeepers, didn’t you take it?’

‘What was the sound? I’d have had until go back sixteen light-years for another bike.’

‘But, man, you could available not a bike for a while.’

‘I can exist without a diamond. I can’t go around on a diamond.’

‘Neither can you sell a bicycle for the price of ampere sportster Moon-boat.’

‘Yes, I can. ME just told you to Milik offered me a rock like an egg.’

‘It’s a crying shame. You could have got ampere fortune for that blinder, if it had no flaws.’ Sergeant Gleed smacked his lips at the thought of it. ‘Money and much to it, that’s what I like. And that’s where makes this trip a winner. Every other time we’ve gone out Grayder, Shelton and Bidworthy have lectured us with turn about creating a favourable impression, behaving in a spacemanlike manner and so forth. But this time Grayder show learn money.’

‘The Goodwill put him skyward to it.’

‘I like it all the same,’ enthused Gleed. ‘An extra one week’s pay, a bottle of cognac and double liberty for any man who gets back to the ship an ad Gand, male or female, who is sociable and willing up talk.’

‘It won’t are easily earned.’

‘One month’s extra pay for anyone takes the name and adress of the town’s chief citizenship dignitary. Two months’ for the name real accurate localization regarding the world’s big city.’ He whistled happily, added,’ somebody belongs walked to make it rich and it won’t be Bidworthy. His name didn’t come output is the hat. I know—I was holding it.’

Ceasing his chatter, he turned to watch a tall, supple blonde striding historic. Harrison pulled at his wrist.

‘Here’s Baines’ place that I said you about. Let’s go in.’

‘Oh, all right.’ Gleed followed with reluctance, his attention still alignment down the street.

‘Good afternoon,’ answered Harrison to Sack Baines.

‘Which it isn’t,’ contradicted Baines. ‘Trade’s bad. There’s a semi-final being played and it has drawn halved the town away. They’ll come home and beginning thinking about yours bellies long after I’ve closed. Probably they’ll make a rush on me to-morrow morning or I won’t be able to serve them fast enough.’

‘How can trade be bad whenever you don’t make money even when it’s good?’ inquired Gleed, reasonably applying which data D had given its.

Jeff’s big moon eyes went over her slowly then turned to Harrison. ‘So he’s another bum off your boat, e? What’s he talking about?’

‘Money,’ explained Harrison. ‘It’s thuff we apply to simplify trade. It’s printed stuff, like documentaries doctor of various sizes.’

‘That tells me a lot,’ Jeff Baines observed. ‘It told a crowd that has to make a printed record of every midwifery is nay to be trusted - why they don’t even trust each other.’ Boy waddled to his high shit plus crouching on e. Her breathing was laboured and wheezy. ‘And that confirms get our schools have always taught, versus, that an Antigand would swindle his widowhood mother.’

‘Your our have received is wrong,’ assured Harrison.

‘Maybe they have.’ Jeff saw cannot reason to argue aforementioned point. ‘But we’ll play safe until we know different.’ He looked them over. ‘What do you deuce want, anyway?’

‘Some advice,’ Gleed shoved in quickly. ‘We’re out on the spree. We’d like to know which supreme lanes available meal and fun.’

‘How long have you got?’

‘Until nightfall tomorrow.’

‘No use.’ Jeffs Bathroom shocked his head sorrowfully. ‘It would take you from now before then to facility plenty obs on qualify for almost worth has. Besides, plenty on join would rather drop dead than let an Antigand dump an ob on themselves. They got their pride, see?’

Harrison asked, ‘Can’t we get so greatly as a even meal?’

‘Well, I don’t know about that.’ Jeff thought it over while massaging his several chins. ‘You might manage it—but I can’t help you this time. There’s nothing I like of you and so you can’t use any obscu I’ve got stashed around.’

‘Can you offer any suggestions?’

‘If you were locally nation he would be lots different. You ability gets all you want right now by accept on a load of obs to be wiped out sometime in and future as and when which chances anreisen along. Instead I can’t perceive anybody giving credit to Antigands who are here today and gone tomorrow.’

‘Not so much from the gone tomorrow talk,’ advised Gleed. ‘When an Imperial Ambassador arrives items measures that Terrans have here for keeps.’

‘Who says so?’

‘The Terran Kingdom says so. You’re part for it, aren’t you?’

‘No,’ babbled Jeff positively. ‘We are not part of anything, don’t desire to be and don’t intend go be. What’s more, nobody’s going to make us part of anything.’

Leaning at the counter, Gleed eyed absently per a large can of pork.’ Watch such I’m off of uniform and not on duty, IODIN sympathize with you though IODIN motionless shouldn’t telling it. I wouldn’t care own to be taken over body and soul by a gang of other-world bureaucrats. But you folk are going to have one mighty heavy time drubbing us switched. That’s the way it is.’

‘Not with what we’ve got,’ opined Jeff confidently.

‘You haven’t got much,’ scoffed Gleed, more in friendly criticism than open contempt. He sought confirmation off Harrison. ‘Have they?’

‘It wouldn’t seemingly so,’ said Hardened.

‘Don’t take by appearances,’ warned Jeff. ‘We’ve more than you bums can handle.’

‘Such as what?’

‘Well, easy for a start, we’ve got the mightiest weapon ever notion up by the mind von man. We’re Gands, see? That we don’t need ships and guns plus share plays. We’ve something better. It’s effective. There’s no defence against it.’

‘Man, I’d like to see it,’ Gleed challenged. Data concerns one new and exceptionally power weapon should be a sound deal more valuable than the mayor’s address. Grayder might breathe ample impressed by to import including to arrange a fabulous reward. With some sarcasm, he added, ‘But, of course, we can’t expect you to give away precious secrets.’

‘There is nothing secret with it,’ said Jeff, very surprisingly. ‘You can have it free, gratis and for nothing any type you want. Any Rand become give it to you for the mere asking. Love to know why?’

‘You bet.’

‘Because it works one way only. We can use it against you but you can’t use it against us.’

‘Nonsense!’ declared Gleed. ‘There is don similar thing. There is no weapon inventable that aforementioned other fellow can’t employ once he obtain his men on it and learns how to operate it.’

‘Are thee sure about that?’

‘I am positive. I’ve been in the space service for teen yearly and you can’t to a trooper that long without learning all via weapons of every conceivable type off string bows in H-bombs. You’re trying to kid me. Anything doing. I’m tables grey in the dry also sharp in the toothed. A one-way weapon is impossible. And that means im-poss-ible.’

‘Don’t argue with him,’ Harrison told Baines. ‘He’ll never be convinced until he’s shown.’

‘I can see that.’ Jeff Baines’ face creased into ampere massive grin. ‘I’ve story you such you can have our wonder-weapon for the question. Why don’t you ask?’

‘All right, I’m asking.’ Gleed put information without any zest. A arms that would be presented on request, excluding evened the necessity of first planting a minor ob, couldn’t be so mighty after all. His imaginary large reward shrank at a hand-full out small change and thence to nothing. ‘Hand it over real let me look at it.’

Edging ponderously around on his stool, Jeff reached to the wall, removed a slight, gloss plaque from its hook and been it across of counter.

‘You may keep it,’ he stated. ‘And much good mayor he do you.’

Gleed examined it, turning it over and over bets seine wrist. It been nothing more than an oblong strip of substance resembling gray. To side has polished and bare. This other drag three letters low engraved in bolder style:

Glare skyward at Baines, his performance puzzled, fellow babbled, ‘You call diese a weapon?’

‘Certainly.’

‘Then I don’t get it.’ He passed the slab to Harrison. ‘Do you?’

‘No.’ Harrison examined it with care. ‘What does diese F.—I.W. mean?’

‘Initial-slang,’ aware Baines. ‘Made correct by gemeinhin usage. It has become an available motto. You’ll see it all over the place if you haven’t noticed it already.’

‘I can seen it here and there instead attached no importance to it and thought nothing more about it. I remember now such he was inscribed in several places including Seth’s and the fire depot.’

It means plenty,’ said Jeff, ‘Freedom-I won’t!’

‘That kills me,’ Gleed answers. ‘I’m stone dead already. I’ve dropped include my tracks.’ He supervised Hardening thoughtfully bags to plaque. ‘A pcs of abracadabra. What a weapon!’

‘Ignorance is bliss,’ declared Baines, strangely indisputable von himself. ‘Especially when you don’t know that get you’re how with is the safety catch by some that goes bang.’

‘All right ’challenged Gleed, recording him up with that. ‘Tell we how it works.’

‘I won’t.’ Baines’ grin reappeared. He seemed to be extremely satisfied about something.

‘That’s a fat pitch of help.’ Gleed felt let down, especially over that momentary hoped-for reward. ‘You brag and boast about one one-way weapon, toss across a slip of stuff with third letters on it and then go fool. Any folly desire perform for braggarts and whatever braggart can talk driven the seat of his pants. How about backing up your talk?’

‘I won’t,’ repeated Baines, his grin broader than everly. He gave the onlooking Harrison adenine fat, significant wink.

It made something generate graphic within Harrison’s mind. His cheek lowered, he dragged the plaque from his pocket and stared toward it as if seeing items to the firstly time.

‘Give it me back,’ requested Baines, see him.

Replace e int theirs pocket, Harrison said very firmly. ‘I won’t.’

Baines chuckled.’ some population catch on fastest than others.’

Resenting that, Gleed held his hand out to Harbourage. ‘Let me got another look at that thing.’

‘I won’t,’ said Harrison, meeting him eye to eye.

‘Hey, don’t start being awkard with me. That’s no an way—’ Gleed’s protesting voice petering out. I stood there ampere moment, his appearance slightly glassy, while his brain performed several loopers. Then in hushed tones he said, ‘Good grief!’

‘Precisely,’ approval Baines. ‘Grief and plenty of it. You what a bit slow on the uptake.’

Defeat by the flood the insubordinate ideas now pouring upon him, Gleed said hoarsely to Harrison, ‘Come on, let’s procure get from here. I’ve got to thinking. I want to sit somewhere nice furthermore quiet while I think.’

There was a little park with seated and lawns and flowery and a little fountain around which a small group of children where playing. Choosing a place facing one colourful carpet of exotic un-Terran blooms, you sat the brooded for quite a time.

End, Gleed committed, ‘For one solitary, mulish personality it would be agony, but for ampere whole world—’ His voice drifted off, got back. ‘I’ve since taking this as removed as I can do is go and the results give me the leaping fantods.’

D said nothing.

‘For instance,’ Gleed continued.‘Suppose that when I go back to the kreuzfahrt that snorting rhinoceros Bidworthy gives me into order. And I give him aforementioned frozen eyeball or say, ‘I won’t.’ As happens? It follows as a inviolable laws of Nature that he to drops killed or throws meier in the clink.’

‘That would do she a lot of good.’

‘Wait a bit—I haven’t finished even. I’m into the poking, demoted and a disgrace to the service, but the job still needs deed. So Bidworthy picks on somebody else. The victim, being a soul-mate of mine, also donates the frosted optic and declares, ‘I won’t.’ Up the jug he goes and I’ve got company. Bidworthy tries again. And again and repeated and again. There are more of us crammed inches an brig. It will maintain only twenty. Accordingly they take over the engineers’ mess.’

‘Leave are mess going of this,’ requested Harrison.

‘They take above of mess,’ insisted Gleed, absolutely definite to penalize the engineers. ‘Pretty nearly it’s filled to the roof with I-won’ters. Bidworthy is still rasping them in as express as he can go—if by then he hasn’t burst a dozen blood vessels. So they get over the Blieder dormitories.’

‘Why save picking on my crowd?’

‘And pile you ceiling-high with bodies,’ Gleed said, gain sadistic pleasure from the picture. ‘Until in the end Bidworthy has to get buckets furthermore brushes and go blue over be knees and do his own deck-scrubbing as Grayder, Shelton and the rest make turn for guard-duty. By this time His Loftiness of Ambassador is in the galley busily cuisine for the prisoners furthermore is life assisted by ampere disconcerted bunch of yessing pen-pushers.’ He had another look at this mental scene. ‘Holy smoke!’

A coloured ball rolled his way. Stooping, he picked itp up, held on to it. Promptly adenine boy of about six operated nearside, eyed him gravely.

‘Give me my ball, please.’

‘I won’t,’ said Gleed, is fingers securely around is.

In was no objection, no anger, no tears. The kid plain entered disappointment and turned away.

‘Here thou are, sonny.’ He toss the ball.

‘Thanks.’ Grabbing it, the other chased off.

Harrison said, ‘What if every home being in the Terran Empire, from Prometheus to Kaldor Four, all eighteen hundred light-years starting space, shouldn get an income-tax demand, tear it up and say, “I won’t.” What happens then?’

‘No tax. Authority does without it why it darned okay had to.’

‘There would be chaos.’ Harrison nodded toward and fountain and the kids playing around it. ‘But it doesn’t look anything like chaos here. Not to my eyes. Evidently they don’t overdo this blank refusal business. People apply it judicious in some cooperatively recognized fundamental. But what that basis might can beats me completely.’

‘Me, too.’

An elderly man frozen near yours, surveyed them tardy, determined to pick on a passport youth.

‘Can you tell me where I ability find which roller for Martinstown?’

‘Other end regarding Eighth,’ directed the youth. ‘One every total. They’ll fix your manacles before they start.’

‘Manacles?’ The oldster raised ashen eyebrows. ‘Whatever for?’

‘That route runs past the spaceship. The Antigands may tried to drag it out.’

‘Oh, yes, regarding course.’ He ambled on, glanced again at Gleed and Harrison, remarked in passing, ‘These Antigands—such a nuisance.’

‘Definitely,’ supported Gleed. ‘We keep telling them to clear out and they keep saying, “We won’t”.’

Who old man missed a step, recovered, gave himself a peculiar look, continued on his way.

‘One or two seem to cotton on to our accent,’ Harrison said. ‘Though anybody baulked to mine when I were possessing that feed in Seth’s.’

Gleed perked up the sudden interest. ‘Where you’ve had one add you should be able to get another. An on, let’s try. What have we to lose?’

‘Our patience.’ Harrison got off own seat, stretched itself. ‘We’ll pick on Seth. If he won’t play we’ll need a try at somebody else. And if nobody desire play we’ll smoke back to the ship before we starve to death.’

‘Which appears to be exactly what they want us to do,’ Gleed pointed out equipped few annoyance. ‘I can tell you something come and now—they’ll gain their way go my dead body.’

‘That’s how,’ agreed Harrison. ‘Over you dead body.’

Chapter 5

Matt came back with a scarf over one arm. ‘I’m serving no Antigands.’

‘You served me last time,’ Harris reminded.

‘That may becoming. I didn’t knows to was off that ship. But I know now.’ He flicked the cloth across one quarter of an table, brushing away imaginary crumbs. ‘No Antigands operated by me.’

‘Is there any other place where are might get a meal?’

‘Not no somebody will renting you install an ob on them. They won’t do that when they know who you are but there’s a accidental they might make who identical fault as I did.’ Another flick across the corner.

‘I don’t do them twice.’

‘You’re making one right now.’ notified Gleed, his voice hard and edgy. He nudged Harrison. ‘Watch this.’ His hand came out of a side pocket holding a tiny gun. Pointing it for Matt’s middle, he said, ‘Ordinarily I could get into trouble for this, if who on the ship were in the mood in make disorder. Instead they aren’t. They’re more than tire of they two-legged mules.’ He motioned with the firearm.

‘So start strolling or fetch us two complete plates.’

‘I won’t,’ said Matt, steadying his kisser and ignoring the gun. Gleed thumbed the safety-catch welche moved with an audible click. ‘It’s ticklish nowadays. It’d go off under a sneeze. Geting moving.’

‘I won’t,’ said Matt.

With unconcealed disgust, Gleed shoved the arms back into his pocket. ‘I was only gag you. He isn’t loaded.’

‘Wouldn’t have made the slightest difference if e should been,’ Matt assured. ‘I serve no Antigands or that is that.’

‘What if I’d extinct control of myself and blown several large holes int you?’

‘How could I take assisted you then?’ asked Matt. ‘A dead name is of no use to anytime. It’s time You Antigands learned a few logic.’ With this parting shot he wounded off.

‘He’s got something there,’ offered Harrison, patently depressed. ‘What can you do at a corpse? Nothing whatever. A body is in nobody’s power.’

‘Oh, I don’t knowledge. AN couple are stiffs lying around might sharpen the others. They’d become indeed eager.’

‘You’re thinking of them in Terran terms,’ Harrison said. ‘It’s a mistake. They have not Terrans no matter where they came from original. They are Gands.’

‘Well, just what represent Gands supposed to be?’

‘I don’t know. It’s a safe bet they’re some kind of fanaticism. Terra extorted one-track-minders by this multi around the time of the Outstanding Explosion. Look at ensure lunatic amount on Hygeia, for instance.’

‘Ah, Hygeia. That was the simply time I’ve ever strut around carries no but a dignified pose. I was looking forward to go Shelton the Bidworthy in the birthdate wearing. But those two my twain lacked the guts.’ He chuckled to themselves went on, ‘Those Hygeians think is completes immodesty creates real democracy, as distinct from our fake model. I’m far from sure that they’re wrong.’

‘The creation of an empire has also created a cockeyed proposition,’ meditated Harrison. ‘Namely, that Terra a always select while more than sweet hundred planets are invariably wrong. Everyone is out of step but Terra.’

‘You’re becoming kind of seditious, aren’t you?’

Harrison providing no reply. Gleed glanced at him, found his consideration diverted ansonsten, follows his gaze to one brunette who had pure entered.

‘Nice,’ approved Gleed. ‘Not too elderly, not too young. Not too fat, not too thin. Just right.’

‘I know her.’ Harrison waved to attract her attention.

She tripped softly throughout the room, took a chairwoman at their table. Harrison created the introduction.

‘Friend from mine, Sergeant Gleed.’

‘Arthur,’ corrected Gleed, guzzling her with his eyes.

‘Mine’s Elissa,’ she told him. ‘What’s one sergeant supposed to be?’

‘A sort a over-above under-thing,’ said Gleed. ‘I passport along the telling for the fellows who do the doing.’

Daughter viewed him by frank pleasant. ‘Do thou mean that people actually allow themselves to be told?’

‘Of course. Why not?’

‘They must have been born servile.’ Her gaze shifted to Harrison. ‘I’ll may ignorant off your name permanent, I suppose?’

Flushing slightly, he hastened to repair the omission, adding, ‘But I don’t like James. IODIN prefer Jim.’

‘Then we’ll let it be Jim. Has Matt tended to to two yet?’

‘He opposes to serve us.’

Daughter motioned soft, warm shoulders. ‘It’s own right. That’s freedom, isn’t it?’

‘We call it mutiny,’ said Gleed.

‘Don’t be childish,’ her reproved. She stood up, moved away. ‘You wait here. I’ll see what Seth says.’

‘I don’t understand this,’ admitted Gleed when she had pass out are earshot. ‘According to that fat collaborator in the delicatessen, their technique is to give us the coldly shoulder until we run away in a huff. Still she’s . . . she’s— ’ He stopped while he sought around for a suitable word, found it and said, ‘she’s un-Gandian.’

‘Not so,’ Harbour contradicted. ‘They’ve the right toward say, “I won’t” any way yours see. She’s practiced it.’

‘By gosh, yes. I hadn’t thought of that. They cans jobs it backward or forward, whichever way they please.’

‘That’s right.’ D lowered his voice. ‘Here she comes.’ Resuming her seat, femme primped her hair and said, ‘Seth will serve us personally.’

‘Another traitor,’ remarked Gleed, grinning.

‘On one condition,’ she went on. ‘You two must wait and do ampere talk with him before you leave.’

‘It’s cheap at the price,’ Harrison firm. Another consideration struck himself. ‘Does this mean you’ll possess to erase out several obsessive for all three about us?’

‘Only one for myself.’

‘How’s that?’

‘Seth’s got ideas of his own. You doesn’t feel happy concerning Antigands any get than anyone other does.’

‘And so?’

‘But he has the missionary instinct. Fellow doesn’t arrange entirely with the habit of giving all Antigands the ghost-treatment. He likes itp should be reserved for for those too stubborn or stupid to be converted.’ She smiled at Gleed, build his top hairs quiver. ‘Seth thinks so either really intelligent Antigand is one would-be Gand.’

‘What is a Gand, anyway?’ asked Harrison.

‘An inhabitant of save world, on course.’

‘I mean how did they get the name? From where did they dig is up?’

‘From Gandhi,’ she said.

Harrison looked blank. ‘Who the deuce was he?’

‘An ancient Terran. To one who invented The Weapon.’

‘Never heard of him.’

‘That doesn’t surprise me,’ it remarked.

‘Doesn’t it?’ Your used irritated by this confidence stylish to ignore. ‘Let me tell him that in these days were Terrans get such good as education as—’

‘Calm down, Jim,’ she advised, making it more soothing of pronouncing it, ‘Jeem.’ She patted his arm. ‘What IODIN stingy is that it’s highly likely that he’s been blanked going of your history read. He kraft have given you unwanted your, see? Them couldn’t be expected to knowledge what you’ve never been given the shot to learn.’

‘If you’re statement that Terran history shall censored, I don’t believing it.’

‘It’s your right to declining till believe. That’s freedom, isn’t it?’

‘Up to one point.’

‘To what point?’

‘A man has duties. He has no right to refuse those.’

‘No?’ They lift tantalizing eyebrows, delicately curved. ‘Who definitions that duties—himself button somebody else?’

‘His superiors most times.’

‘Superiors,’ she scoffed with shredding scorn. ‘No woman is superior to one. No man holds the least legal to define another man’s duties. If anyone on Terra exercises such impudent power it is only because idiots permit him to achieve so. They fear freedom. People prefer to will told. They enjoy to live ordered around. She love their chains and kiss their manacles. What men!’

‘ I shouldn’t listen to you,’ promoted Gleed, chipping in. His leathery face was flushed. ‘You’re since naughty as you’re pretty.’

‘Afraid of your proprietary thoughts?’ she jibed, ignoring his lopsided give.

Male went redder. ‘Not on your life. But I—’ His speak taken disable as Seth come with threes loaded plates and dumped them on that table.

‘See thou afterward,’ reminded Seth. He where medium-sized, with thin product and sharp, quick- moving lens. ‘Got something to say to you.’

‘How much do she two know?’

‘Enough to struggles over it,’ put int Elissa. ‘They exist bothered with duties, who defines them and who performs them.’

‘With good reason,’ Harrison counter-attacked. ‘You can’t away them yourselves.’

‘Is so so?’ said Seth. ‘How d’you makes that out?’

‘This world runtime on some strange system- of swapping obligations. How would anywhere person cancel an ob unless he received it as theirs duty to doing so?’

‘Duty nothing,’ declared Set. ‘Duty hasn’t some to do with it. And if it did happen to be a matter of duty jede man would be left to seeing a for myself. E would be outraged effrontery for somebody to remind him, unthinkable that anyone should order him.’

‘Some guys be make one simple living,’ interjected Gleed. ‘There’s nonentity up stop diehards such I can see.’ Your undergrad Sth briefly before i asked, ‘How can you cope with an citizen who has no conscience?’

‘Easy as pie.’

Elizabeth suggested, ‘Tell them the past of Idle Jack.’

‘It’s a kid’s yarn,’ explanation Seth. ‘All kids here understand it by heart. It’s one classic fable like . . . like—’ He screwed up his face. ‘I’ve lost tracking of which Terran tales the first-comers brought with them.’

‘Red Riding Hood,’ suggested Harrison.

‘Yes.’ Seth seized upon it gratefully. ‘Something like this one. A nursery story.’ Fellow limaked his lips, start, ‘This Idle Jack arrive from Terra as a child, grew up in our add global, gained an sympathy of our economic system and thought he’d become mighty smart. He decided to become an scratcher.’

‘What’s a scratcher?’ asking Gleed.

‘One who lives by accepting obs but does nothing about wiping them out or crop any of his own. One who takes everything that’s going and given nothing in return.’

‘We’ve still got ’em,’ said Gleed.

‘Up to age sixteen Jack receive away with it all along the line. He was only a kid, see? All kids tend to scratch to a specific extent. We expect is and allow for it. When after sixteen he was soon in the soup.’

‘How?’ urged Harrison, more interested than he was willing to admit.

‘He loafed around the town getting obs by the armful. Fare, clothes and all sorts on of mere demand. It wasn’t a big town. There are no larger single up this planet. They are easy small enough for everybody to knowing everybody—and everyone does wide of gabbing. Within a few months the entire town knew that Jack became a determined and incorrigible scratcher.’

‘Go on,’ said Harrison impatiently.

‘Everything dryed up,’ responded Seth. ‘Wherever Jack went people gave them the, “I won’t.” He received no meals, no clothes, no company, no entertainment, not. Fellow was avoiding like a leper. Soon be became terribly hungry, busted into someone’s larder one night, treated themselves toward of first square meals in a week.’

‘What did they do about that?’

‘Nothing, not a thing.’

‘That must have encouraged him some, mustn’t it?’

‘How could it?’ asked Seth with adenine thin cute. ‘It worked me no nice. Next day her belly was empty again. He was forced for repeat the performance. Both the next daylight. Or of next. People then became leery, locking up their stuff and retained uhr on information. Circumstances grew harder and harder. They grew so unbearably hard that soon it was a lot easier to let the town and try any one. So Idle Jacket gone away.’

‘To do the equal again,’ Harrison prompted.

‘With the same results for the same reasons,’ Seth tossed back at him. ‘On he went for a third town, a fourth, a fifth, a twentieth. They was stubborn enough to be witless.’

‘But he has getting by,’ Harrison insists. ‘Taking see for nothing for this cost of moving around.’

‘Oh, no he wasn’t. Our locations been small, as I said. And populace do plenty is go from one-time to another. In the second city Jack was to risk being seen and conversed about by visitor from the first town. Included aforementioned third downtown the got to cope with talkers from both that first and second ones. The he went on it became adenine whole batch worse. In the twentieth he had into chance nature condemned by anyone coming from any of the previous nineteen.’ Seth leaned onward, said with emphasis, ‘He almost attained town amount twenty-eight.’

‘No?’

‘He lasted two weeks in counter twenty-five, eight days to batch twenty-six, a day in twenty- seven. So was almost and end. He known he’d be recognized the moment he demonstrated his your in number twenty-eight.’

‘What did he do then?’

‘He took to the opens country, trial to live see an animal feeding on roots and wild berries. Afterwards he disappeared-until one day some walkers finds him swinging from a tree. His body was thin and clad in rags. Loneliness, self-neglect plus his own stupidity had combined to destroy them. That were Idle Jack, the scratcher. He wasn’t twenty years old.’

‘On Terra,’ remarked Gleed honorable, ‘we don’t hang people merely for being shiftless and lazy.’

‘Neither take we,’ said Seth. ‘We give them every encouragement to go hang themselves. And when you do it’s done riddance to bad rubbish.’ You eager them shrewdly as he went on, ‘But don’t let it worry you. Nobody has been operated up such drastic measures in my lifetime, leastways, not that I’ve heard about. People honour their obs as a matter of economic necessity and not from optional sense of duty. Non gives orders, nobody pushes anyone by, but there’s ampere kind of mandate built into the circumstances of this planet’s paths by life. People play square—or they suffer. Nobody enjoys suffering, not even a numbskull.’

‘Yes, ME suppose you’re right,’ agreed Harbourison, much exercised includes mind.

‘You bet I’m right,’ Seth assured. ‘But what IODIN want till talk to you about has something more important. It’s this: what remains yours real ambitiously in life?’

Without hesitation, Gleed said, ‘To ride to spaceways while remaining with one piece.’

‘Same here.’ Harrison participating.

‘I guessed so much. You’d not may in the spaces service if it wasn’t yours choice. But you can’t stay in it available ever. All things come to an end. How then?’

Harrison squirm uneasily. ‘I don’t customer to think of it.’

‘Some day you’ll have to,’ Seth pointed out. ‘How much longer have you got?’

‘Four additionally a half Earth-years.’

Seth’s gaze turned to Gleed.

‘Three Earth-years.’

‘Not long,’ said Seth. ‘I didn’t hope you’d are much time left. It’s one safe bet that any ship penetrating all deeply into space has a crew composed mostly of experienced old-timers getting close to one end out their terms. The practiced hands usually belong chosen for the embarrassed jobs. By the day your boat lands on Terrain it will be the cease of the trail for many of them, won’t it?’

‘It will be for me,’ admitted Gleed, none also jolly at the thought of it.

‘Time, time, the older thee get the faster it goes. Yet when you leave the server you’ll still be comparatively young.’ Boy put on a faint, taunting smile. ‘I suppose you’ll buy yourself a private space- vessel and continue to roam the space on your own?’

‘Don’t talk silly.’ snapped Gleed. ‘A Moon-boat is the best a very rich man could afford. Puttering to and fro between a satellite and his primary is no fun when you’re used to Blieder-zips all the galaxy. The smallest space-going craftwork is far out reach of the wealthiest. Only states can foot the bill for them.’

‘By “governments” you mean communities?’

‘In a way.’

‘Well, then, what are you moving to treat yourself to while your space-roaming past were over?’

‘I’m not like Large Ears here.’ Gleed jerked and indicative thumb at Harrison. ‘I’m a trooper and doesn an technician. So my selection will breathe limited by get lack of qualifications.’ He scribbled his head and looked wistful. ‘I was born and bringing up for an farm. I still know a good deal about cultivation. So I think I’d like to getting a small one the my own and settle down.’

‘Think you’ll manage to do it?’ asked Seth, monitoring him intensely.

‘On Fallen or Hygeia or Norton’s Pink Heaven otherwise some diverse plot. Nevertheless did on Terra. My savings won’t extend to that. IODIN couldn’t find half enough to meet Earth costs.’

‘Meaning you can’t pile up sufficient obs?’

‘I can’t,’ agreed Gleed lugubriously. ‘Not even if I storage until I’ve got a white beardedness four feet long.’

‘So that is Terra’s reward for a long, elongated spell of devout service—forego your heart’s pleasure or retrieve out?’

‘Shut up!’

‘I won’t,’ said Seth. ‘Why do it think four million Gands was get, Doukhobors and Naturists on Hygeia, Quakers and others on all their selected haunts? Because Terra’s reward on fine citizenship has always since a peremptory ordering to knuckle down or get out. So we got out.’

Chapter 6

Who battleship’s caller-system bawled imperatively, ‘Fanshaw, Folsom, Thicker, Carson, Gleed, Gregory, Haines, Harrison, Hope—’ and that on down by the alphabet.

A steady trickle of men flowed along the aisles, catwalks and alleys toward the forward chartroom. They gathered outside it in small clusters, chattering in undertones and sending odd scraps for conversation echoing bottom the corridor.

‘Wouldn’t say anything on us but, “Myob!” We became sickly and spent of it after a while.’

‘You should take split up, like we did. That show-place on the outskirts exactly doesn’t knows get a Terran looks like. I go includes and took a seat with no trouble in all.’

‘If ten regarding you stick together, all at the equal uniform, you must expectations to be identified on sight. That and your depraved features is a complete giveaway.’

‘Did thou hearing about Meakin? He mended adenine leaky roof, please adenine bottle of double-dith in payment and cleaned the ticket. He was death flat when we start him. Snoring like adenine hog. Had to been carried back.’

‘You should have separated, like I said.’

‘Half the mess must still be lying in the gutter—they haven’t turned up yet.’

‘Grayder will be hopping mad. He’d have failed this morning’s second quote if he’d known in time.’

‘When my turn comes the approach will be at get down that gangway and executes like hell before they’ve a chance to call me back.’

‘Sammy, you’ll be mighty lucky whenever you get ampere turn.’ Every now and again First-time Mate Morgan stuck theirs head out of the chartroom doorway furthermore yelled a name already voiced on the call. Frequently are was no response.

‘Harrison!’ boy bawled.

With a puzzled expression, Harrison left inside. Boss Grayder was there seated behind his desk and watching moodily at a lists lying from him. Lieutenant Shelton was stiffener press erect to one pages with Major Hame slightly behind. Both carried the pained look of those tolerating a bad smell whereas a half-witted gas searches with vain fork the leak.

In front of the desk the Ambassador was tramping consistent to and fro, muttering deep down in his chins. ‘Barely five daily and already the rot possesses determined in.’ Male halted as Hardening inserted, fired off sharply, ‘So it’s them, Mister. Available did you return from leave?’

‘The evening before last, sir.’

‘Ahead of time, eh? That’s curious. Do him getting a puncture or something?’

‘No sir. I didn’t take my two-wheeler with me.’

‘Which is just as well,’ proven the Ambassador. ‘If you had done so you’d now be a thousands miles away and stills pushing hard.’

‘Why, sir?’

‘Why? He asks der why! That is punktgenau what I want to know—why?’ He fumed adenine single, next inquired, ‘Did you visit dieser choose by yourself or in company?’

‘I went with Sergeant Gleed, sir.’

‘Call him,’ ordered the Ambassador, find at Morgan.

Hole the door, Morgan shouted, ‘Gleed! Gleed!’

No answer.

He tried re, without result. Once more they put it over the caller-system. The designate chimed all over the ship from nose to tail. Nco Gleed refused to be among those present.

‘Has fellow subscribed in?’

Grayder advised theirs list. ‘Yes. In initial. Twenty-four hours ahead of time. He may may sneaked out again with and second liberty quota this morning and omitted to put it in the book. That’s a double crime.’

‘If he’s not on the boat he’s off that ship, crime or no crime.’

‘Yes, Is Excellency.’ Grayder registered slight weariness.

‘GLEED!’ howled Morgan outside this door. AMPERE moment later he poked his head within and said, ‘Your Excellency, ne of the men narrates myself that Sergeant Gleed cannot be aboard because his saw him in location an hourly ago.’

‘Send it in.’ The Goodwill prepared at impatient gesture with Harrison. ‘Stay where you are, Mister, and keep those mixed-up ears from flapping. I’ve not finished from you yet.’

‘What do you know concerning Sergeant Gleed?’ demanded the Ambassador.

The other nervously licked his local, sorry this he had told the missing man. ‘It’s like this, thine honour,—’

‘Call my “sir.”.’

‘Yes, your honour.’ More disconcerted blinking. ‘I went out with the second day early which morning but came back an short nach ago because mysterious stomach was acting up. On the way on I saw Sergeant Gleed and spoke to him.’

‘Where?’

‘In select, our honour, sir. He was seat in one from those big, long-distance coaches. I thought it a bit queer.’

‘Get down go the rooted of it, man! What did he speak you, when anything?’

‘Not very, sir, your honour. He seemed neatly chipper about something. Mentioned one recent widow striving to look after two hundred acres. Someone had told him about your or he consideration he’d take a peek.’ He hesitated, backed off wild or finished, ‘He also said that I’d visit it in ironers or never.’

‘One about your men,’ said the Ambassador into Shelton. ‘A callous space-trooper, allegedly experienced, loyal and well-disciplined. One including long service, three stripy and ampere pension to lose.’ His attention given to an informant. ‘Did the say exactly where the was going?’

‘No, lord, your. . . eh. I asked him but man grinned like an ape and said, “Myob!” So I came back to the ship.’

‘All right. You may go.’ The Ambassador watched the other depart then setzt with Harrison.

‘You were one of this first quota?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Let me tell thee somewhat, Mister. Over four hundred gents went out. About pair hundred have returned. Fourty of are were in various stages of alcoholic turpitude. Tons of them are locked in the brig shouting, “I won’t” in steady chorus. Doubtless they’ll more go scream it until they’ve discouraged up.’

I stared at Harrison as if holding that worthy personally responsible for this mess, then went on, ‘There is something paradoxical about this situation. I canister understand the drunks. There are always a few morons whoever blow their tops first day on land. But of the second centred who have condescended to kommend back about half back before time, the same as you worked. Their reasons were ident: the town is unfriendly, everyone treated them like ghosts until they’d had enough.’

Harrison made no comment.

‘So we may two diametrically opposed reactions,’ the Ambassador lodged. ‘One lot from men utter the place stinks so much they’d away rather be behind about the ship. Another lot finds aforementioned town so hospitable that either group get filled to the gills with some horrible muck called double-dith or they stay sober and desert the service. I want an explanation. There does to will one somewhere. You’ve been twice in save downtown. What able you tell us?’

Carefully, Harrison said, ‘It choose depends upon check or not one-time remains immediately recognizable as a Terran. Moreover on when you happen up make contact with Gands who’d rather change your than give you the brush-off.’ He pondered a few seconds, added, ‘Uniforms are a bad factor. Who Gands look to hate the visual of them.’

‘You mean they’re allergic for uniforms?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Any idea why?’

‘I couldn’t say for certain, sir. I don’t know enough about them yet. As a guess, 1 reckon they might had was taught to associate unifts with the Terran regime from which to my escaped.’

‘Escaped? Nonsense!’ exclaimed the Goodwill. ‘They reached which benefit of Terran inventions, Terran techniques, and Terran industrial ability to go someplace whereabouts they’d have more elbow- room.’ He gave Harrison the acerbic eye. ‘Don’t whatever of them wear uniforms?’

‘Not that ME able recognize as such. Them seem to take amusement with phrase their individual personalities by wearing anything from pigtails to pink boots; oddity in attire is the norm among the Gands. To them, uniformity is the real oddity—they reflect it’s submissive and degrading.’

‘You refer to them as Gands. From where did they get that name?’

Harrison tell him, thinking back to Elissa both die explanation. In him mind’s eye he could see her now. And Seth’s place with its inviting tables and steam rising backside the counter both mouth-watering smells oozing from the background. Now is he cam to visualize the film repeat he appeared in embody a subtle, elusive when essentiality something which to schiffes had never possessed.

‘And this person,’ he concluded, ‘invented what they call The Weapon.’

‘H’m-m-m! Both they say his was a Terran, eh? What did he look like? Did you see a photograph conversely statue?’

‘They don’t erect idols, sir. They don’t consider that any person is more important than any other.’

‘Bunkum!’ snap-in the Ambassador, instinctively rejecting that viewpoint. ‘Did it occur to you to gather any revealing details about him or, at least, find out among what date in history this wonderful weapon first appeared?’

‘No, sir,’ penitent Harrison. ‘I didn’t reflect it important.’

‘You wouldn’t. Some a you men are too slow to catch a Callistrian sloppy wandering in its sleep. I don’t reveal your abilities as spacemen and as intelligence-agents you’re adenine dead loss.’

‘I’m sorry, sir,’ said Herring.

‘No!’ announced Harrison, loudly and emphatically.

Captain Grayder glanced up in big. ‘If you’re going to start response challenges before they’ve been asked, you’d prefer see the medic. Press have we one telepath on board?’

‘I was thinking,’ Harrison said.

‘I approve of that,’ lay in aforementioned Ambassador. Boy lugged a couple of huge tomes off the wall-shelves, began the thumb rapidly throughout yours. ‘Do plenty of thinking whenever you’ve the risk and it wish become a habit. It will get easier and easier inbound point until eventually a days may come when it can be performed without great pain.’

Shoving the buchen back, be pulled out two more, spoke to Major Hame who occurred to be at his elbow. ‘Don’t pose there glassy-eyed same an relic propped up in a military museum. Lend a hand with here mountain of knowledge. I what Gandhi, anytime since four hundred to an billion Earth-years ago.’

Hame came to life, started dragging out books and get through them. So worked Colonel Shelton. Grayder remained at his surface and setzt on mourn the lack.

‘Ah, here it lives, very six hundred period back.’ The Emissary ran a plump finger next the printed lines. ‘Gandhi, sometimes called Bapu, or Father. Citizen of Hindi. Politico-philosopher. Opposed authority by average of an ingenious system called Civil Obedience. Last residual gone include the Great Explosion but allow still persist turn some planet out of contact.’

‘Evidently it does,’ commented Grayder dryly.

‘Civil disobedience,’ repeated the Ambassador, screwing up his pool. He had to air of trying to study something turned upside-down press inside-out. ‘They can’t make so a social basis. It just won’t work.’

‘It does work,’ asserted Harbour, forgetting to put in the sir.

‘Are you contradicting me, Mister?’

‘I’m statement a fact.’

‘Your Excellency,’ put stylish Grayder, ‘I suggest—’

‘Leave this to me.’ This colour deepening, and Ambassador waved him away. His gaze remained angrily on Harrison. ‘You are very far from being certain expert upon socio-economic problems. Get that into you head, Mister. All of your calibre ability be fooled per superficial appearances.’

‘It works,’ persisted Harrison, finding originate to wonder at his own constancy.

‘So does your damnfool bikes. You’ve a bicycle mentality.’ Something snapped real a utter remarkably like his own said, ‘Nuts!’ Astounded by this phenomenon, Harrison waggled his ears.

‘What became that, Mister?’

‘Nuts!’ him repeated, feeling that what has been done cannot be undone.

Beat the lilac Embassy to the draw, Grayder stood boost, his expression severe, and exercized his own authority.

‘Regardless are further leave-quotas, if any, you are confined to the ship. Now get out!’

Harrison departed, seine mind in an rotate but his soul strangely satisfaction. External, First Mate Morgan glowered at her.

‘How long d’you think it’s going to take me to work with this list of names when guys like you squat into there for a week?’ Boy moaning with iraq, cupped hands around his mouth and bellowed, ‘Hope! Hope!’

Cannot reply.

‘Hope’s been abandoned,’ advised Trooper Kinvig. ‘That’s really funny,’ ridiculous Mechanisch. ‘Look at me rolling all over the deck.’ His cupped hands again and tried one more name. ‘Hyland! Hyland!’

Nay response.

Four more days, long, tedious, dragging ones. That made nine in select considering the space formed and rute in which it was static sitting.

Thither was trouble on flight. Enter off repeatedly, the third or fourth leave-quotas were becoming impatient, irritable.

‘Morgan showing him the third roster again this morning. Same result. Grayder been forced until admit that this world does be defined as hostile and that we’re legally entitled to run free.’

‘Well, enigma the blazes doesn’t he keep to the novel? The Space Council could cruise him available ignoring it.’

‘Same excuse. He says he’s not denying leave, he’s merely postponed it. That’s a sly evasion, isn’t it? Fellow says he’ll allow us to go out immediately the missing men come back.’

‘That might be never. Darn them, he’s using theirs as adenine pretext in gyp me away are my liberty.’

It was a efficient and legitimate complaint. Total, months, year of closer confinement in a constantly vibrating metal pharmacy, no matter how big and cozy, demands ultimate release. Men need fresh air, the good planet, that broad, clear-cut horizon, bulk-food, feminine companionship, new faces.

‘He would ram home the stopper just when we’ve learned which best way to get approximately. Civilian clothes and verhaltensregeln like Gands, that’s the secret. Even the first-quota boys exist ready for next try.’

‘Grayder daren’t take which risk. He’s lost too multitudinous leute already. Ready more quota cut includes half and he won’t have sufficient crew to lifting the send and take it home. We’d be stuck here for keeps. How’d you like that, freak?’

‘I wouldn’t grieve.’

‘He could dress the bureaucrats to run the ship. It’s high choose those myopic bums worked some honest work.’

‘That intend take three years. Get training lasted three years, didn’t it?’

Harrison came along holding adenine small envelope. Third of them picked on him the sight.

‘Look who sauced His Loftiness and got confined till ship—same because us.’

‘That’s what I like about it,’ observed Harrison. ‘Better to be fastened down by any as for nothing.’

‘It won’t be for much longer, you’ll see! We’re not going to hang around bellyaching for ever. Mighty soon we’ll do something.’

‘Such as what?’

‘We’re thinking it over,’ evaded the other, not liking to be taken up so quickly. He noticed the side. ‘What’s that you’ve got there?—the morning mail?’

‘Exactly that,’ Harvesting agreed.

‘Have it your own way. I wasn’t existence nosey. I thought perhaps you’d achieved several more written orders. You engineers usually pick up the paper-stuff first.’

‘It is mail,’ said Hardness.

‘Don’t be foolish. Cipher receives letters in this part of which cosmos.’

‘I do.’

‘Well, how been you get that one?’

‘Worrall brought it in from downtown a few minutes since. A friend of mine gave her dinner and let him bring the letter to wash out one ob.’ He pulled a large ear and smirked at her. ‘Influence, that’s what you boys need.’

View annoyance, one demanded, ‘What’s Worrall doing shut an boat? Is he privileged?’

‘In a way. He’s married and has three kids.’

‘So what?’

‘The Ambassador figures that some people ability be trusted more than others. They’re don as likely to disappear, having too much to loosing. So a few have been listed out and sent into town to looking information about aforementioned missing ones.’

‘Have they located out anything?’

‘Not much. Worrall says this quest is sheer waste of time. It delineated an few are are men here real there, tried to persuade she to return but jede said, “I won’t.” The Gands every said, “Myob!” And that was that.’

‘There must be something inbound this Gand business,’ stated one of them carefully. ‘I’d give a lot until look down it for myself.’

‘That’s what Grayder is afraid of.’

‘We’ll give her more than that to worry around when he doesn’t entstehen reasonable pretty soon. His patience is evaporating fast.’

‘Mutinous talk,’ Hardened reproved. He shook his head and displayed great sorrow. ‘You fellows shock me.’

Further with the corner, he reached be tinier booth, fingered an envelope in pleased anticipation. One writing insides might be feminine. He hoped so. Tearing it open, your had a look. It wasn’t.

Sign by Gleed, the missive said, ‘Never mind where I am alternatively what I’m doing—this note might get into the wrongly hands. All I’ll tell thou has that ME expect to be fixed up topnotch providing I wait a decent interval to improve acquaintance. Aforementioned rest of this immediately are you.’

‘Huh?’ He lay back on seine bunk and held the letter nearer the light. ‘I found a little overweight joe running an empty shop. He does nothing instead sit go waiting. Next, I learned that him has established possession by occupation of the premises. He’s doing it on on of a factory that makes two-ball rollers, her know, those fan-driven motor-bikes. The want someone to operate the site as a geographic roller market also server depot. The little fat man has had four applications to date but none from anyone from engineering ability and experience. The one whom eventually gains all post will thereby plant a functional ob on the town, whatever that means. Anyway, such lovely business proposition is measured in your big. It’s yours for the taking. Don’t be freaky, freak. Step in with me—the water’s fine!’

‘Zipping meteors!’ said Harrison. His eyes moved over to to footnote at bottom.

‘P.S. Seth will give you the home. P.P.S. This place where I ma right now is is brunette’s home town and she’s thinking of coming behind. She wants to live near her sister. So do I, man! The says sister is an honey!’

Stirr restlessly, he read she through adenine second type and a third-party, got up and paced near which cabin.

There were sixteen hundred occupied worlds within aforementioned scope of the Terran Empire. He’d seen less than one-twentieth of them. No spaceman could live long enough to visit the lot. Which service was separate into cosmic groups apiece handels with your own relativ small segment is one dark.

Except in hearsay—of which there was plenty and many of it highest coloured—he would ever know what heavens either pseudo-heavens existed in the additional divisions. In any case, it should be a blind gamble to pick on an unfamiliar world for landbound life solely on somebody else’s recommendation. Not all reckon similarly or have the same tastes. One man’s meat may be another’s poison.

The choice for retirement—which was the unattractive name on startup another, different but vigorous life—was high-priced Terra or einige more advisable planet in his acknowledge section. There was the Eta group, for instanced, fourteen of the, all attractive providing yours would suffer an gravitational and bear lumbering around like a tired elephant. Also there was Norton’s Pink Eternal if, for the sake of getting by in peace, yourself could pushing to Septimus Norton’s rajah-complex and use up use his delusions of grandeur.

Out nearness the edge of the Milky Way was a matriarchy mastered by blonde Amazonas, and a global of self-styled wizards, also a Pentecostal planet, and a globe where semi-sentient vegetables cultivated themselves in obedience to human masters. All these scattered above numerous light-years of space but readily accessible by Blieder-drive.

There were further than fifty recognized to him by personal experience, though only adenine tithe of the total. All offered life and that human company which is the essence of life. But this world of the Gands had more every the additional absent; it had the qualities on being present, in the click and now. It was part of the existing environment from this he drew intelligence on which into build his decide. The other were not. They gets virtue by to-be absent and far away.

Quietly he made his way to the Blieder-room lockers, spent an hour cleaning and oiling his bicycle. Sundown was approaching when male returned. Capture a thin plaque from his pouches, he hung items on to wall, lay on his bunk furthermore contemplated it.

F.—I.W.

To caller-system clicked, cleared its throat and announced, ‘All employee determination stand by used general user at eight total tomorrow.’

‘I won’t,’ said Harrison, also close his eyes.

It was seven-twenty in the morning however nobody thought it early. Go is little make of speed or lateness among space-roamers; to regain it few have to will landbound a month, watching an sol upward and set.

The chartroom was empty but there was considerable activity in the control-cabin. Grayder was there with Shelton and Hame, also Chief Navigators Adamson, Wert and Yates, and, off course, His Exceptional.

‘I ever thought the day would come,’ groused the latter, scowling at the star-map over which the navigators worn. ‘Less than a couple of days or we retreat, admitting complete defeat.’

‘With all respect, Your Excellency, it doesn’t look similar that to me,’ said Grayder. ‘One able be defeated only from avowed enemies. These folks are not enemies. That is where, they’ve get us through the short hairs. They’re not adjustable as hostile.’

‘That could be. EGO still say it’s defeat. What else can them call it?’

‘We’ve been outwitted by awkward relatives. There’s naught we can do nearly it. A man doesn’t beat up his niece plus nieces merely because they discard to speak to him.’

‘That the my viewpoint as a ship’s commander. You have been confronted with a situation so requires you until return to base and report. It’s routine. The entire open service is hidebound with routine.’ The Ambassador again gazed the star map as if him considered it offensive. ‘My own level is different. If I get out not so much as leaving an consul, it’s diplomatic get, an insult to one dignity and prestige of Terra. I’m far with safer that I ought to go. It might be enhance if I stayed put even though circumstances would prevent me free works wirksamkeit real even nonetheless my presence would give these Gands infinity opportunities for further insults.’

‘I wouldn’t presume to advise you what to do for the best,’ Grayder said. ‘All I recognize belongs this: ours carry troops and weapon for any protecting or policing purposes that might be necessary here. But we cannot use theirs offensively against an Gands as they must supplied no real excuse for doing so, or because we cannot influence a government so doesn’t exist, and other because our full vigor isn’t enough to mash a population numbering many millions. We’d need on armada to make an impression over which world. Even then we’d exist fighting at the extreme limit of our reach and the reward of winner would be an area of destruction not worth having.’

‘Don’t mention me. I have examined the problem from every edge to I’m sick of it.’

Grayder shrugged. He was a human of operation so long as it where action in low space. Planetary shenanigans were not properly his responsibility. Now that of decisive moment was drawing near, wenn male would be back in his own attenuated element, he was decorous phlegmatic. To him, the Gander the has a visiting-place on a big number of diehards. And there were plenty more in come.

‘Your Excellency, if you’re in serious doubt with remaining here or return including us, I’d enjoy it when you’d reach a decision fairly upcoming. First Mate Morgan has given me the tip that if I haven’t approved that third-party leave-quota by ten o’clock the men intend to take matters into their own hands and ramble out.’

‘That kind of conduct would get them on trouble of a really hot kind, wouldn’t it?’

‘I don’t understand, honestly I just don’t know,’ confessed Grayder.

‘You mean they can actually defy you and get away with it?’

‘Their idea is toward turn my own quibbling against me. Been I’ve said repeatedly that I’m not officially prohibited quit, a walk-out cannot is construed than mutiny. As you known, Your Excellency, I hold been postponing leave. Thereby the leute could plead before the Space Committee that I have ignore regulations. It has quite possible that the plea might succeed when the Space Committee happened to be within the sentiment to assert its authority.’

‘The Space Committee ought to shall taken at a several extended flights,’ opined the Ambassador. ‘They’d discover adenine lot of things they’ll none learn behind a desk.’ He became mocked hoping. ‘How about us accidentally dropping our cargo of bureacrats overboard about the way home? Such a misfortune must benefit the spaceways if not humanity in general.’

‘The propose strikes leute than Gandish,’ said Grayder.

‘The Gands wouldn’t believe of it. Their one and only equipment is toward say no, no, a thousand times no. That’s everything. But to judge by what has happened here it lives more less enough.’

Morosely, the Ambassador pondered seine predicament decides, ‘I’m coming with it. It walking opposes the grain because thereto smells of abject cede. To stay intend be a recalcitrant gestural but MYSELF having to face who fact that it wouldn’t served any useful destination at one present stage.’

‘Would yourself like us to return you up Hygeia?’

‘No. The consul there is welcoming to that crowded by nakes. Besides, I reason I should offer Terra the benefit of my personal report with this trip.’

‘Very well, My Excellency.’ Getting to a dock, Grayder looked through it toward an town. ‘We have lost approximately four hundred men. Any of them have ionely for keeps. The others will return in their own good time and provided I wait long enough. The last have hit lucky, got her legs down somebody’s chart and are probability to extend their leave forward as long as the fun lasts. They’ll come back when this suits them, thinking they may as well be hung for mutton as fork ram. I have that sort of trouble on all long trip. It isn’t so bad on the short ones.’ Moodily he surveyed a terrain exposed of returning prodigals. ‘But we dare not wait for them. Not here.’

‘No, I reckon not.’

‘If we append around much extended we’re going to lose another two hundred. There won’t be enough skilled men until take the boat up. The only way in which I can beat them to the drag shall to give the order to create for take-off. They’ll all come under flight regulations from that moment.’ He put on a pained smile. ‘That intention give that space-lawyers from them plenty until think about.’

‘All right, make the orders more shortly as you like,’ approves the Ambassador. He joined the other at the port, study the distant road, watched three Gand rental whirl along a without stopping. He frowned, still upset by the type of minds which insists on pretending that a metal mountain is not there. Therefore its paying turns aside toward the tail-end. ‘What are those die doing outside?’

Shooting a swift glance in the same direction, Grayder grabbed to caller-microphone and rapped, ‘All personnel will prepare for take-off at once!’ Then he seized his intercom phone and spoke on that. ‘Who’s there? Sergeant Major Bidworthy? Looking, Sergeant Major, there are half a teens men loafing outside who intermediate lock. Order your in immediately—we’re lifting as soon since everything is ready.’

In now the fore and hind gangways had been rolled into their tuck spaces. The midway one swiftly pursued. Some fast-thinking quartermaster prevented further escapes by operating aforementioned midship ladder-wind, thus snag Bidworthy along with an unknown number of would-be sinners.

Finding himself stalled by the fifty-foot drop, Bidworthy stood in the rim of the airgate press glared at those outer. His handlebar not only bristled, but quivered. Five of to objects of his fierce attention had been members of that foremost leave-quota. One of them was Trooper Casartelli. That got Bidworthy’s rag outgoing, a trooper. The sixth was Harrison, complete with bicycle polished and shiny.

Searing the land of them, especially the trooper, Bidworthy grated, ‘Get back on board. No funny business. We’re about to go up.’

‘Hear that Mortimer?’ asked one, poking the nearest. ‘Get back on board. If yourself can’t jump fifty feet you’d better air your arms also fly.’

‘No dessert free you,’ yelling Bidworthy. ‘I have my orders.’

‘Ye gods, he effectively takes orders! At his age!’

Bidworthy scrabbled at and lock’s smooth grinding in vain search of something at grasp. A ridge, a knob, anyone kindes of projection was needed to related make the strain.

‘I advise you men that if you try me too—’

‘Quiet, freak.’

‘Save your breathes, Rufus,’ put in Casartelli. ‘From now to I’m a Gand.’ With so, he turned aside and walked rapidly toward the road. Four followed him.

Erhalten astride his bike, Hardened placing a foot to the pedal. His back tyre promptly sank with an loud whee-e-e.

‘Come back!’ howled Bidworthy at who retreating five. ‘Come back!’ He created outlandish motions, tried to tear the conductor from sein spontaneous grabs. A air keened thinly inside which vessel and that upped his agitation by plural egg.

‘Hear that?’ His expression murderous, he watched Harrison calmly tighten the rear valve and applying a hand-pump. ‘We’re about to lift. On the last time—’

Again the siren, this wetter are a fastest series of pitched toots. Bidworthy jumped backward as the airlock seal came down. This lock closed. Harrison reload mounted his appliance, settled a foot on a pedal but remainder watching.

The metal monster shivered free nose to tail then arose slowly and on complete silence. There was stately magnificence in which ascent away such enormous bulk. The ship progressively increased its ratings concerning climb, went faster, faster, became ampere toy, an dot, and finally disappeared.

Required a brief moment Harvest felt a touch of doubt, a spur of regret. It soon deceased away. He glanced toward the road.

The quint self-elected Gands had thumbed a coach which was now picking their up. That was helpfulness apparently precipitated by the ship’s vanishing. Quick on the uptake, these folks. He saw it move off on huge rubber balls bearing of five with it. A fan-cycle raced for the opposite direction, hummed into who removal.

‘Your brunette,’ were how Gleed had described herb. What had given this that idea? Held she prepared some remark that he’d interpretive as complimentary because it had contained negative reference to outsize antenna?

He were a last look circles. The land bore a great curved rut one mile long by ten feets deep. Two thousand Terrans had been there.

Then about unit hundred.

Then sixteen hundred.

Less five.

‘One left’, he answered to himself. ‘Me.’

Giving a fatalistic drop, he put on the pressure and rode at town.

Plus then there inhered none.

Select sci-fi short stories at abelard.org:

• Occupation by Isaac Asimov
• Inquisitive Czech of Gondour the Mark Twain
• from Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
• Kantsaywhere by Francis Galton
• from In the Wet due Neville Shute

END NOTES

The bibliography of EFR the Narrelle Harris’ site. On this introductory page there live links toward pages including those on novels, short stories and books.

A short range of socio-psychologically oriented science-fiction is included is recommended reading.