Night of Light

Clutched in one hand was a large white-covered book. On its cover, in the old-style nonphonemic alphabet, were words in black: TRUE VERSION—HOLY SCRIPTURES. By this and his white garments, Carmody knew the man belonged to an increasingly powerful religious group. The members of the Rockbottom Church of God—sometimes referred to by their enemies as the Hardasses—were fundamentalists who believed they had returned to the original faith of the original Christians. Carmody had met a few on Wildenwooly.

However, it was not the man’s religion that made Carmody’s eyes open wide. It was the shock of recognition.

So, all the old pros were not gone! This man was Al Lieftin, and he had once worked with Carmody during a phase of the Staronif robbery.

Lieftin’s own eyes expanded on seeing Carmody’s face. They opened even more when they lowered to take in the maroon robes of a priest of the Order of St. Jairus.

Lieftin raised his hand as if to ward off something, took a step backward, then turned away. But the priest called to him.

“Al Lieftin! Come sit by me! No need to avoid me. I’ve nothing to hide. And it looks as if we’ve both changed.”

Lieftin hesitated. The color came back to his face; he gri

“You startled me,” he said. “It’s been so many years. You... you’re Father Carmody now?”

“Father it is,” said Carmody. “And you?”

“I’m a diaconus of the True Church,” Lieftin said. “Praise the Lord! The evil days are gone forever; I saw the light in time. I repented, I paid for my sins. And now I preach the Basic Word.”

“I’m very happy that you’re at peace,” Carmody said. “At least, I presume you are. We’ve taken somewhat different paths, but they are both, I trust, good paths, the right paths.

“Tell me,” Father Carmody continued, “that is if you don’t object, why’re you going to Dante’s Joy? The Night of Light is due. Surely you’re not pla

“Never! No, I’m going because my church has sent me to make a report on the pre- Night rituals, then take the last ship out. I preferred not to have to watch those Satanic doings, but the Eldest himself asked me if I would.”

“Why does your church want a report? Certainly, there are enough data about Kareen in the Earth libraries.”

Lieftin said, “The bitter truth is that we’ve lost more people to the false god Yess than we care to admit. Many men and women I would never have believe could be persuaded from the Basic Word have succumbed to the Satanic wiles of the Kareenan missionaries.

“So, I’m to make a detailed report, find things that the books don’t report, get a first- hand account. I’m to take films, too, and use all this for lecture tours on Earth. I’ll show the people of Earth what si

Carmody did not tell Lieftin that this approach had been tried more than once. Sometimes, it worked. But often it had just the opposite effect. It aroused curiosity, even desire.

Carmody lit a cigarette. Lieftin sniffed. Carmody said, “You used to chain-smoke. Was it hard for you to give up the habit?”

“No, praise the Lord. I never felt a moment’s temptation from the instant I saw the light. Never! I gave up the evils of tobacco, alcohol, and fornication. And I thank the Lord that He has shielded me from all temptation since.”

“Tobacco and alcohol can be evil if their use is abused,” Carmody said. “But moderation is a virtue, too. Usually, anyway.”

“Don’t you believe it, Carmody. When fighting evil, it’s all or none.”

He hesitated, then said, “By the way, maybe I should not bring up the old days. But whatever happened to the Staronif? I remember we all had to take off that night. I just barely escaped the guards and their wego. I heard later that Raspold almost caught you, but you tricked him. I never did hear what happened to the Staronif. You get away with it?”

“I escaped from Raspold because he was treed by a lugar,” Carmody said, referring to a huge felinoid carnivore of the planet of Tulgey. “I almost made it back to our ship, but then I got treed, too. The lugar was coming up after me; don’t believe those stories about their being too big to climb trees. I had only one weapon because I’d emptied all my ammo clips during the ru

“I shoved it down the lugar’s throat, and it swallowed the Staronif. The last I saw of the lugar, it was ru

“God!” Leiftin said. Then, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to use the Lord’s name in vain. But the Staronif! Ten million giffords lost in a cat’s stomach. What a fortune you could have made! And all those months of pla

Carmody chuckled and said, “It didn’t seem fu

Lieftin wiped his forehead with a handkerchief he took from his sleeve. Carmody looked at it, for he wondered if the handkerchief still had a little steel ball sewed in one corner. Lieftin had been famous once for snapping it in a man’s eye during a fight and often removing the eye. Now, there was no sign of it.

The stewardess a

Again Carmody went through inspection. He lost sight of Lieftin until he was on the way to the exit from the spaceport. As he passed the door to the washroom (designed for male bipeds of non-Kareenan origin), the door swung open. And he saw Lieftin stubbing out a cigarette in an ashtray.

Lieftin looked up at the same time. He started, then charged out and seized Carmody’s arm.

“Forgive me, Carmody, I lied to you. I do feel temptation now and then. But I usually fight it off with the Lord’s help. Only, this time, I fell. Maybe because this trip is making me very nervous. You know, coming to a place so besotted with evil.”

“This place is no more evil than any other place,” Carmody said. “Don’t worry. I don’t judge you. I won’t laugh at you or tell anybody about this. Forget about it. Excuse me. I think the official delegates are about to greet me.”

He had seen his old friend Tand enter the main room. Tand did not look much older than when he had last seen him. There were a few gray streaks in the feathery hair of his head, and he looked a little heavier than Carmody remembered him. But he was the same happy-looking fellow, his blue-tinged teeth showing in a grin. Nor had his present important position changed his ma

Tand strode toward him, his arms out and called, “John Carmody! Welcome!”

They embraced. Tand said, in English,”How are you, Father?” He gri

“I’m fine,” Carmody replied in Kareenan. “And you, Father Tand?”

He used the word pwelch, which was reserved for a Father of Yess.

Tand stepped back and said, “I’m as happy as can be under the present conditions. Oh. . .” He turned to the other Kareenans, behind him. “Allow me to introduce...”

Carmody greeted each with the formal combination of handshake and dipping of both knees. The four were members of the government: a secret-police official, a priest, an enthnologist, and a secretary of the head of the world state.