Project Pope

— They have their little triumphs, said Decker, and their small defeats. The place is in continual uproar.

— The triumph in this instance, said Whisperer, ca

Six

They stood on the landing field, staring in some dismay at the small grouping of nondescript buildings that made up the colony of End of Nothing. On a low ridge behind the town rose a sprawling structure, or a group of structures — from this distance it was impossible to tell — all gleaming white, stately despite the lack of height, with a comfortable, down-to-earth appearance despite the stateliness. And, behind the structure, a backdrop to everything, reared up mountains purple in the distance, with the hint of white-capped peaks seeming to float in the air above them.

Te

'Vatican, I take it.

'I would think it might be, said Jill.

'I've seen photographs of the Old Earth Vatican. That looks nothing like it.

'You're taking the name too literally, Jill told him. 'It's nothing but a name. I doubt it has any real co

'But a pope?

'Well, maybe some co

'And you propose to storm those heights?

'Jason, you're being dramatic now. A bit consciously dramatic. I'm not storming anything. There is a story here and I intend to get it. By going through cha

'Honestly, I don't know. I've not even thought about it. I've been ru

'You sound as if you intend to keep on ru

'Well, not right away. This is as good a place as any to stop and rest awhile and have a look around.

The long line of pilgrims who had disembarked from Wayfarer were snaking down the field, apparently going through a visitor checkpoint.

Te

Jill shook her head. 'I think not. No papers are required, not for humans anyhow. End of Nothing officially is listed as a human planet and there are certain courtesies extended to humankind. It's a small place, too, and apt to be informal. A few days from now you may find yourself having lunch with the police chief, or the sheriff or the marshal, whatever the man is called, who will ask you some polite questions and will look you over well. I'm not sure about here, but that's the way it usually works in small human colonies.

'Well, that sounds not too hard.

'You'll have to explain no luggage. The people at Human House may be curious. I think it would be best to explain that you had to run for the ship at Gutshot and somehow lost the luggage.

'You think of everything, said Te

'I sort of have taken care of you, haven't I? said Jill.

'This evening I'll start paying back, Te

'Don't get your hopes too high. Don't fantasize too much. Human House may not have that kind of dining room.

'Well, whatever it may be, it'll be an improvement on that cubbyhole aboard the ship you shared with me.

'That cubbyhole aboard the ship was kind of nice, said Jill.

'I think, said Te

Seven

The dining room at Human House was fairly civilized. There was a clean white cloth on the table, shining glass and china, the menu had five entrees, and the wine was passable.

'It is all so enjoyable, Jill said to Te

'Tomorrow you start work, he said. 'Will I be seeing you fairly often?

'As often as possible. I should be back here every night. Unless, of course, Vatican throws me out or won't let me in.

'You mean you haven't previously contacted them?

'I tried to, but I couldn't. I sent several letters, but received no reply.

'Maybe they don't want publicity.

'We'll see about that. I'll talk with them. I can be fairly persuasive if I have to be. And what about you?

'I'll look around. I'll get a feel of the place. If there's no other physician here, I may set up a practice.

'That would be fine, she said. 'Jason, would you really like it?

'I don't know, he said. 'I said it on the spur of the moment, I guess, without a lot of thought. There is a doctor at Vatican and he may take care of the humans here in town. A new practice might be hard going for a time. The town looks like a pioneer town, but it can't be. If what the captain told us is right, the robots have been here for almost a thousand years.

'The town probably is not nearly that old, she said. 'The robots might have been here for quite some time before the town actually got started.

'I suppose so, but it still must be old. Although it's quite apparent little progress has been made. Maybe that's because it is dominated by Vatican. Everything and everyone here must revolve about Vatican.

'That might not be all bad, said Jill. 'It would depend on what kind of people — robots and humans — make up Vatican. They might welcome someone with fresh viewpoints and new ideas.

'I'll wait and see, he said. 'There isn't any hurry. I'll know better what is here for me, if anything, within a week or so.

'You sound as if you plan to stay. For at least a while.

He shook his head. 'I don't even know about that. I need a place to hunker down for a spell. I don't imagine the people back in Daventry will ever guess I made it to the End of Nothing ship.

'Chances are, she said, 'they think you were lost at sea. The Gutshot radar must have tracked your flier. There is no way, is there, they could tell you got out of it?

'Not unless someone found the chute. I think that's unlikely. I pushed the chute as far under the building as I could.

'That should make you fairly safe. Would they be so enraged at you — so anxious to apprehend you they would track you here?

'No, probably not. The whole episode was more or less political. It would have helped some people if they could have hung the margrave's death on me.

'They were looking for a scapegoat.

'Exactly, said Te

'Some, but in my business, that's a chance you take. The cost won't be all wasted in any case. if I can get the story, I think I may have something that will be really big. If I can't crack Vatican, I still have something. Not so big, of course, but something.

'Jill, how do you figure that?

'Well, look, I travel here and they won't let me in. They won't talk to me. They give me a total brush-off. They might even, if they feel violently enough about it, throw me off the planet. So why won't they let me in? Why won't they talk to me? Why did they throw me out? What's going on? What's going on at this big, secret-religion institution that can't stand the light of day? What have they got to hide?

'Yes, I see, he said. 'Yes, that would make a story.