lrh.villainyvictorious- 第7节

There　seemed　to　be　no　possibility　of　getting　any　information　from　Soltan　Gris。　He　was　in　the　Royal　prison。　He　was　beyond　Lombar's　reach　without　a　Royal　order　to　let　him　be　questioned　by　an　outsider；　much　less　released。　Lombar　could　not　obtain　any　such　Royal　order　because　he　had　no　Royal　seal。　If　he　had　the　place　raided　and　Gris　seized；　the　Justiciary　would　be　outraged　and　it　would　say；　〃Why　are　you　doing　this？　As　spokesman　for　the　Emperor；　why　didn't　you　just　get　a　Royal　order？〃
Lombar　had　tried　to　talk　some　sense　into　Lord　Turn；　the　Justiciary。　Hisst　had　said　that　Gris　was　an　Apparatus　officer　and　belonged　in　an　Apparatus　prison　and　Lord　Turn　had　shaken　his　aged　head　and　said；　〃No。　He　is　the　prisoner　of　a　Royal　officer　and　it　will　take　an　order　from　His　Majesty　or　an　order　from　the　Royal　officer　to　release　him。　My　suggestion　is　that　you　route　your　request　to　Jettero　Heller。〃
Lombar　had　said；　〃But　there's　a　general　warrant　out　for　Jettero　Heller！〃
And　Lord　Turn　had　replied；　〃Well；　that　may　be　and　that　may　not　be；　for　we　have　seen　no　Royal　warrant　signed　and　sealed　by　His　Majesty　and　we　do　not　run　the　Justiciary　on　what　we　hear　on　Homeview。　And　it　wouldn't　matter　anyway：　general　warrants　are　questionable　in　matters　relating　to　Royal　officers；　and　a　Royal　warrant　for　Jettero　Heller　or　even　his　arrest　would　not　cancel　the　fact　that　Gris　is　his　prisoner。　Only　Royal　warrants　would　resolve　this　matter。〃　Lord　Turn　had　ended　off　the　exchange　by　looking　suspiciously　at　Lombar；　unable　to　prehend　why　he　couldn't　follow　normal　procedures。　That　alone　had　been　enough　to　drive　Lombar　Hisst　out　of　the　audience　chambers　of　the　Royal　Courts　and　Prison…nobody　must　suspect　there　was　no　monarch　in　Palace　City。
Lombar　Hisst　would　have　given　a　great　deal；　right　that　minute；　to　have　had　Soltan　Gris　under　the　electric　torture　knives。
SOMETHING　had　happened　on　Earth；　that　was　certain。　That　something　probably　included　Rockecenter。　Although　he　had　sent　an　Apparatus　Death　Battalion　to　the　Earth　base；　he　would　have　no　word　from　them　for　three　months；　the　time　of　a　round　trip。
Other　freighters　from　Earth　might　arrive　with　amphetamines；　but　Lombar　was　not　optimistic。
WHAT　had　happened？
The　Blixo　had　gone　back。　Its　captain　or　crew　couldn't　be　questioned。　Yet　he　HAD　to　have　information：　without　it　he　could　not　act。
It　suddenly　occurred　to　him　that　somebody　from　the　Earth　base　crew　might　have　been　sent　home　under　arrest；　somebody　that　could　be　questioned。
Lombar　had　a　branch　Apparatus　office　now　in　one　of　the　round　palaces　of　the　Imperial　city。　He　threw　Jettero　Heller's　baton　from　him　and　activated　a　screen。
The　face　of　his　chief　clerk　appeared。
〃When　the　Blixo　came　in；〃　said　Lombar；　〃did　it　leave　anyone　here？　Some　crew　member？　Some　base　personnel？〃
The　chief　clerk　activated　his　own　screens。　〃The　passenger　list　shows　a　courier　returned。　That　catamite；　Two…lah。　He's　right　here　in　Palace　City；　once　more　with　his　lover；　Lord　Endow。〃
〃Oh；　him！〃　said　Lombar　in　disgust。　〃He　wouldn't　know　any　more　than　what　we　fed　him　to　tell　Gris。　You're　no　help。〃
〃Doctor　Crobe　came　back　on　an　earlier　freighter。　I　remember　he　got　mixed　up　with　technical　and　scientific　circles　in　New　York；　some　subjects　they　have　on　Blito…P3　called　psychiatry　and　psychology。　They　couldn't　figure　out　whether　he　was　straight　up　or　in　suspension…was　on　some　dope　called　'LSD。'　He　was　simply　sent　back　to　Spiteos　and　he's　there　now。　If　you're　looking　for　information；　Crobe　might　have　some。〃
〃Oh；　Crobe！　To　Hells　with　that　idiot。　I　need　a　recent　return。　I　wanted　somebody　who　was　on　the　Blixo；　you　fool。　That　was　the　last　arrival。　So　thank　you　for　wasting　my　time。〃
〃Wait；〃　said　the　chief　clerk　before　Hisst　could　turn　him　off。　〃There　were　two　other　Blixo　passengers。　But　they　were　Earth　people。　One　was　an　immature　Earth　woman　named　Teenie　Whopper。　She's　right　here　in　Palace　City。〃
〃A　young　girl？〃　said　Lombar　in　contempt。　〃She　would　know　nothing。　Who　was　the　other　one？〃
〃An　Earthman　about　thirty　or　thirty…two。　His　name　is　J。　Walter　Madison。　He　arrived　straight　up　and　conscious。〃
〃That's　strange；〃　said　Lombar。
〃I　thought　so；　too；〃　said　the　chief　clerk。　〃Ah；　here's　the　full　file。　Apparently　he　was　acpanied　by　a　note　that　said　he　was　an　invaluable　man。　So　when　he　landed　about　eight　days　ago；　the　personnel　people　put　him　into　routine　channels　and　had　him　hypnotrained　to　speak　Voltarian。　But　meanwhile　they　had　the　credentials　he　had　on　him　translated。　They　still　don't　know　why　he　is　so　invaluable。　The　only　designation　they　could　find　in　his　papers　termed　him　a　PR　man。〃
〃A　what？〃　said　Lombar。　〃Is　that　some　kind　of　an　Earth　race？　Like　Negroes？〃
〃No。　He's　white　with　brown　hair。　Oh；　here's　the　rest　of　it。　From　cards　in　his　wallet；　it　said　he　was　employed　by　'F。　F。　B。　O。'　and　was　retained　to　do　Rockecenter　work。〃
〃Part　of　the　Rockecenter　organization！〃　cried　Lombar。　〃Quick！　Get　that　Earthman　over　here　FAST！〃
NOW　things　could　begin　moving！

Chapter　6

J。　Walter　Madison　felt　pretty　giddy　and　strange。　Here　he　was　on　some　strange　planet　in　a　stainless　steel　room。　It　had　been　bad　enough　to　sit　in　a　detention　cell　at　the　base　and　realize　he　was　a　helpless　prisoner。　But　immediately　afterwards　it　had　gotten　far　worse。
Every　preconception　he　might　have　had　about　space　travel　and　extraterrestrials　had　been　shattered。　He　had　boarded　a　flying　saucer　that　didn't　look　like　a　saucer　but　simply　like　an　old　Earth　freighter　whose　hull　went　all　the　way　around　it。　The　crew　looked　like　Earth　people　with　a　subtle　difference　that　this　lot　was　shabbier　than　any　crew　he　had　ever　seen　or　heard　of。　They　talked　a　language　which　seemed　posed　of　vowels　and　consonants　pletely　alien　to　any　Earth　alphabet；　but　their　gestures；　pointings　and　nods　were　understandable。
When　he　had　landed　on　a　stormy　shore　with　Gris　from　the　yacht；　he　had　begun　to　encounter　little　mysteries；　but　he　had　merely　toyed　with　them　as　something　amusing　to　occupy　his　mind。　The　shattering　truth　that　he　was　in　the　hands　of…what　was　the　name　they　kept　repeating？　Voltarians？　…　hit　him　like　a　crash　when　they　put　him　in　a　cabin；　showed　him　how　to　strap　himself　into　a　gimbal　bed；　and　then　only　minutes　later　he　had　looked　out　the　port　and　seen　Earth　dwindling　at　such　a　rate　below　it　was　promptly　as　small　as　a　billiard　ball。
It　was　all　so　shocking　that　he　didn't　even　have　time　to　be　afraid。
Then　Teenie　Whopper　had　walked　in　and　said；　〃What　a　（bleeping）　mess　this　is！　Oh；　wait　until　I　get　my　hands　on　that　（bleeped）　Inkswitch！〃
〃TEENIE！〃　he　had　cried。　〃We're　in　outer　space！〃
〃Where　the　hell　did　you　think　we　were？　On　a　Coney　Island　merry…go…round？〃
〃I　don't　understand　it！〃　he　had　said。
〃Oh；　can　it；　Maddie。　Don't　be　so　God　（bleeped）　dumb。　That　（bleep）　Inkswitch　was　an　extraterrestrial　named　Soltan　Gris。　I　always　knew　there　was　something　nutty　about　him。　His　（bleep）　and　（bleeps）　were　a　lot　too　big　for　any　human；　and　I'm　an　expert。　We　been　shanghaied！〃　She　had　been　pretty　mad　and　had　stamped　out。
It　had　all　left　him　pretty　blue。　He　sat　down　in　a　gimbal　chair　and　gloomed　and　gloomed。　He　thought　about　his　mother　and　despaired　of　ever　being　able　to　sleep　with　her　again。　She　was　so　nice。
A　fellow　whose　name　he　had　made　out　to　be　〃Captain　Bolz〃　had　e　to　see　him　after　a　day　of　this。　Finding　he　spoke　no　Turkish；　Bolz　had　used　a　tourist　phrase　book；　cross…translating　from　Turkish　to　English；　to　tell　him　that　he　had　better　learn　to　eat　the　food　as　that　was　all　there　was；　asked　him　if　he　played　blackjack　and　did　he　want　to　buy　a　bottle　of　real；　genuine　counterfeit　Scotch。　Madison　had　been　too　depressed　to　respond　very　much　and　Bolz　had　stood　there；　scratching　his　hairy　chest　and　looking　at　him；　and　had　finally　left。
He　hadn't　seen　Bolz　again　for　three　more　days　of　gloom。　And　then　the　captain　came　to　him　with　a　question。　It　was　pretty　hard　to　converse　through　that　phrase　book。　But　he　made　out　that　Bolz　wanted　to　know　if　he　had　any　influence　over　Teenie　Whopper。
Madison　had　been　so　puzzled　that　Bolz　had　finally　led　him　down　a　passageway　and　opened　a　room　door；　gesturing　in　with　an　expressive　hand。
There；　face　down　on　the　bed；　was　a　pretty…looking　boy。　He　had　makeup　on　his　face。　A　beatific　smile　was　on　his　lips。　A　crew　member　was　standing　there；　getting　back　into　his　clothes。　Th