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“They came back and radioed Ivan here about it and he took off-anybody can hook a ride on a plane; they schedule 'round the various tribes about once a week– and he rode like the wind he says on their very swift horses and he went to check it personally and he's just come back and wants to tell you.”
“He should tell the Council!” said
Chrissie. "Jo
The Russian let out another string.
The Coordinator timidly translated (he did not like crossing Chrissie; she was such a beautiful woman and such a celebrity herself). “There is such a base. It is as big as this one and just as full of atom bombs and hardware and dead men.”
Jo
A brief interchange between the Coordinator and the Russian, and then fireworks! Russian splattered off the very walls.
Robert the Fox came in; short of breath from hurrying, thoroughly disapproving of anyone disturbing Jo
The Coordinator was getting overwhelmed. He was quite used to dealing with important tribal heads and notables, but here he was in the company of three of the most important names this planet had ever had, especially Jo
“He says that's what ruined the whole human race. He says the valiant-red-army, trying to fight the capitalist-imperialist-warmongers (these are just names to him, Jo
Jo
The Coordinator pulled out some papers. “They've retained literacy, sir, and he and some of the chiefs drew up some papers– they don't have much paper so excuse its condition, I think they found it in that base– and they want your agreement to it.”
Jo
The Russian seemed to divine what he was saying and rattled off more Russian.
“He says no,” said the Coordinator. “This Council is over here on this continent and that base is over there on that continent. He says there are silos of nuclear weapons aimed at this continent and have been for a thousand years or so. And he doesn't want anything to happen to you, Jo
Robert the Fox was watching Jo
The Russian seemed to almost deflate with relief. Then he rattled away at the Coordinator, who presently said, “He now has a present for you.”
Ivan put down the tray and reached into his tunic pocket. He brought out a gold disc with a big red star in the center of it and two lapel tabs of ancient braid. He gave them to Jo
The Coordinator said, “That is the cap ornament they found on the Marshal of the Red Army who was in charge of that base and those are his lapel tabs. He wants you to know that they are yours. And you are in charge of both bases.”
Jo
"If this had happened a thousand or so years ago,” said Robert the Fox, “maybe things would have been different.” Chrissie was shooing him to leave. Jo
“You might get it cleaned up and filtered,” said Jo
When Dr. MacKendrick came to exercise his arm and get him to walk, he told Jo
Jo
Part XVI
Chapter 1
Terl sat in his dark hole and was gloomy. He was not with the other Psychlos; they would have torn him to fur fluffs. He was here in a cubicle that had once been used for cleaning supplies on the dormitories. It had been rigged with a breathe-gas circulator; it contained a narrow, twelve-foot-long bed; there was a little port that had been rigged to push food through– one could see the outside corridor beyond its revolving panes; and there was a two-way intercom inset below the door.
The place was strong enough; he had already tried every means of opening it and escaping. He was not chained, but every hour of the day and night there was a sentry with an assault rifle just outside.
It was really the fault of the females, both the animal females and Chirk. His hindsight was a bit faulty, but not his conviction that it was correct. Always a master of self-delusion, Terl was at his best these days.
When he compared his present lot with the beautiful dream of being wealthy and powerful on Psychlo, being bowed to by the royalty and trembled at by everyone else, he quivered with suppressed rage. These animals were denying him his due! Ten beautiful gold coffin lids lay moldering in the company cemetery on Psychlo, of that he was utterly certain. The delicious thought of slipping out there some dark night and exhuming them was second only to the thought of the wealth and power that would ensue.
He had befriended these animals. And how had they treated him? A mop closet!
But Terl was nothing if not clever. He roused himself now and began to think hard and brightly. Now was the time to be the calm, cool, masterful Terl.
He would get to Psychlo. He would get these animals and this planet destroyed, finally and forever. He would dig up those coffins. He would be bowed to and trembled at. Nothing must stand in his way!
He began to tally up the bits and scraps of leverage he had. First, of course, it went without saying that his own cleverness was his chief asset; he agreed with himself on that. Second, he was almost certain the first animal he had caught had forgotten that there was a hefty charge of explosive left buried in that cage. Third, there had been three remotes: one was still in his office, one had been seized, but the third was just inside that cage door in case he somehow got tricked or trapped in there. That third one would have enabled him to blow up the females or shut off the power to the bars, and he was certain it had not been found. The fourth piece of leverage was a pretty big one and the fifth was gigantic.