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03 - Dueling Machine by Ben Bova · Dueling Machine

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Part three of The Dueling Machine by Ben Bova and
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Myron R. Lewis. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Reading by Greg Marguerite, Part three of The Dueling Machine
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: by Ben Bova and Myron R. Lewis, Chapter eleven. Doctor
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Leo stared at the dinner table, without really seeing it.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: Coming to the restaurant had been Hector's idea. Three hours earlier,
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: Massan had been removed from the Dueling Machine. Dead. Leo
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: sat stolidly, hands in lap, his mind racing in many
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: different directions at once. Hector was off at the phone
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: getting the latest information from the medtext. O'dall had expressed
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: his regrets perfunctorily and then left for the Karak embassy
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: under a heavy escort of his own plain clothes guards.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: The government of the Aquitane cluster was quite literally falling apart,
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: with no man willing to assume responsibility and thereby expose himself.
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: One hour after the duel, Canus's troops had landed on
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: all the major planets of the Zarno Confederacy. The annexation
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: was a fea complie. And what have I done since
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: I arrived on Aquitania? Leo demanded of himself. Nothing, absolutely nothing.
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: I have sat back like a doddering old professor and
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: played academic games with the machine, while younger, more vigorous
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: men have used the machine to suit their purposes. Used
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: the machine. There was a fragment of an idea in
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: that phrase, something nebulous that must be approached carefully or
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: it will fade away. Used the machine, used it. Leo
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: toyed with the phrase for a few moments, then gave
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: it up with a sigh of resignation. Lord, I'm too
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: tired even to think. Leo focused his attention on his
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: surroundings and scanned the busy dining room. It was a
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: beautiful place, really decorated with crystal and genuine woods and
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: fabric draperies not as synthetic in sight. The waiters and
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: cooks and bus boys were humans, not the auto cookers
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: and servers that most restaurants employed. Leo suddenly felt touched
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: at Hector's attempt to restore his spirits, even if it
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: was being done at star Watch expense. He saw the
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: young watchman approaching the table. Coming back from the phone.
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: Hector bumped two waiters and stumbled over a chair before
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: reaching the relative safety of his own seat. What's the verdict,
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: Leo asked. Hector's lean face was bleak. Couldn't revive him
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: cerebral hamorrhage. The medtech said, induced by shock. Shock, That's
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: what they said. Something must have overloaded his nervous system.
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: I guess, Leo shook his head. I just don't understand
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: any of this. I might as well admit it. I'm
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: no closer to an answer now than I was when
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: I arrived here. Perhaps I should have retired years ago
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: before the dueling machine was invented. Nonsense, No, I mean it,
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: Leo said, this is the first real intellectual puzzle I've
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: had to contend with in years. Tinkering with machinery, that's easy.
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: You know what you want. All you need to do
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: is make the machinery perform properly. But this, I'm afraid
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: I'm too old to handle a real problem like this.
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: Hector scratched his nose thoughtfully, then answered, if you can't
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: handle the problem, sir, then we're going to have a
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: war on our hands in a matter of weeks. I mean,
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: Kanus won't be satisfied with swallowing the Zarno group the
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: Aquitane cluster is next, and he'll have to fight to
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: get it. Then the star Watch can step in, Leo said, resignedly. Maybe,
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: but it'll take time to mobilize the star Watch. Keenus
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: can move a lot faster than we can. Oh. Sure,
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: we could throw in a task force, a token group,
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: that is, but Keenus's gang will chew them up pretty quick.
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: I I'm no politician, sir, but I think I can
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: see what will happen. Karak will gobble up the Aquitane cluster.
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: A star Watch task force will be wiped out in
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: the battle, and we'll end up with Karak at war
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: with the Terran Commonwealth, and it'll be a real war,
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: a big one. Leo began to answer, then stopped. His
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: eyes were fixed on the far entrance of the dining room.
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: Suddenly every murmur in the busy room stopped. Dead. Waiters
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: stood still between tables, eating, drinking, conversation hung suspended. Hector
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: turned in his chair and saw at the far entrance
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: the slim, stiff, blue uniformed figure of O Doll. The
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: moment of silence passed. Every one turned to his own
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: business and avoided looking at the Karak Major. O'dall with
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: a faint smile on his thin face, made his way
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: slowly to the table where Hector and Leo were sitting.
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: They rose to greet him and exchanged perfunctory salutations. O'dall
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: pulled up a chair and sat with them. I assume
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: that you've been looking for me, Leo said, what do
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: you wish to say? Before o'dall could answer, the waiter
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: assigned to the table walked up, took a position where
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: his back would be to the Karak Major, and asked, firmly,
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: your dinner is ready, gentlemen. Shall I serve it now?
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: Leo hesitated a moment, then asked, o'dall will you join us?
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: I'm afraid not serve it now? Hector said, the major
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: will be leaving shortly. Again, the tight grin broke across
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: o'dall's face. The waiter bowed and left. I have been
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: thinking about our con apresation of last night, o'dall said
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: to Leo. Yes, you accused me of cheating in my jewels.
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: Leo's eyebrows arched. I said some one was cheating. Yes,
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: an accusation is an accusation. Leo said nothing. Do you
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: withdraw your words or do you still accuse me of
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: deliberate murder. I am willing to allow you to apologize
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: and leave Aquitania in peace. Hector cleared his throat noisily.
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: This is no place to have an argument. Besides, here
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: comes our dinner. O'dall ignored the watchman. You heard me, professor,
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: Will you leave or do you accuse me of murdering
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: Massan this afternoon? I Hector banged his fist on the
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: table and jerked up out of his chair. Just as
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: the waiter arrived with a large tray of food. There
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: was a loud crash. A tureen of soup, two bowls
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: of s salad, glasses, assorted rolls, vegetable cheeses, and other
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: delicacies cascaded over Odal. The Karak Major leaped to his feet,
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: swearing violently in his native tongue. He sputtered back into
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: basic terran, you clumsy, stupid, oaf you maggot, bringed, misbegotten
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: peasant faced. Hector calmly picked us saladly from the sleeve
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: of his tunic. O'dall abruptly stopped his tirade. I am clumsy,
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: Hector said, grinning, as for being stupid, and the rest
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: of it I resent that ump highly insulted. A flash
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: of recognition lighted o'dall's eyes. I see, of course, my
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: quarrel here is not with you. I apologize. He turned
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: back to Leo, who was also standing. Now, not good enough,
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: Hector said, I don't uh like the tone of your apology.
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: Leo raised his hand as if to silence the younger man.
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: I apologized, that is sufficient, Odall warned. Hector took a
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: step toward o'dall. I guess I could insult your glorious
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: leader or something like that, but this seems more direct.
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: He took the water pitcher from the table and poured
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: it calmly and carefully over Odall's head. A wave of
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: laughter swept the room. O'dall went white. You are determined
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: to die. He wiped the dripping water from his eyes.
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: I will meet you before the week is out and
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: you have saved no one. He turned on his heel
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: and stalked out. You realize what you've done, Leo asked
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: a guest. Hector shrugged. He was going to challenge you.
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: He will still challenge me after you're dead. Uh, yes,
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: well maybe so, I guess you're right. Well, anyway, we've
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: gained a little more time. Four days. Leo shook his head,
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: four days to the end of the week. All right,
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: come on, we have work to do. Hector was grinning broadly.
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: As they left the restaurant, he began to whistle. What
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: are you so happy about? Leo grumbled about you, sir.
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: When we came in here, you were well almost beaten.
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: Now you're right back in the game again. Leo glanced
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: at the star watch men in your own odd way, Hector,
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: you're quite a boy, I think. Chapter twelve. Their ground
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: car glided from the parking building to the restaurant's entrance
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: ramp at the radio call of the door man. Within minutes,
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: Hector and Leo were cruising through the city in the
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: deepening shadows of night. There's only one man, Leo said,
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: who has faced o'dal and lived through it, dou Lac.
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: Hector agreed, But for all the information the medical people
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: have been able to get from him, he might as
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: well be dead. He's still completely withdrawn. Hector nodded. The
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: medicos think that, well, maybe in a few months, with
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: drugs and psychotherapy and all that, they might be able
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: to bring him back. It won't be soon enough, We've
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: only got four days, I know. Leo was silent for
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: several minutes. Then who is Dulac's closest living relative. Does
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: he have a wife? I think his wife is dead.
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: He has a daughter, though, pretty girl bumped into her
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: in the hospital once or twice, Leo smiled in the darkness.
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: Hector's term bumped into was probably completely literal. Why are
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: you asking about Dulax next of kin, because, Leo replied.
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: I think there might be a way to make Dulac
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: tell us what happened during his duel. But it is
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: a very dangerous way, perhaps a fatal way. Oh. They
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: lapsed into silence again. Finally he blurted, come on, my boy,
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: let's find the daughter and talk to her to night. Now.
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: She certainly is a pretty girl, Leo thought, as he
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: explained very carefully to Jerry Duloc what he proposed to do.
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: She sat quietly and politely in the spacious living room
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: of the Duloch residence. The glittering chandelier cast torches of
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: fire on her chestnut hair. Her slim body was slightly
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: rigid with tension. Her hands were clasped in her lap.
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: Her face, which looked as though it could be very expressive,
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: was completely serious now, and that is the sum of it.
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: Leo concluded. I believe that it will be possible to
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: use the dueling machine itself to examine your father's thoughts
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: and determine exactly what took place during his duel against
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: Major o'dall. She asked softly. But you are afraid that
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: the shock might be repeated, and this could be fatal
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: to my father. Leo nodded wordlessly, and I am very sorry, sir,
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: but I must say no firmly. I understand your feelings,
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: Leo replied, but I hope you realize that unless we
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: can stop o'dall and canus immediately, we may very well
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: be faced with war. She nodded. I know, but you
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: must remember that we are speaking of my father, of
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: his very life. Genus will have his war in any event,
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: no matter what I do, perhaps, Leo admitted. Perhaps. Hector
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: and Leo drove back to the university campus and their
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: quarters in the dueling machine chamber. Neither of them slept
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: well that night. The next morning, after an unenthusiastic breakfast,
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: they found themselves standing in the antiseptic white chamber before
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: the looming impersonal intricacy of the machine. Would you like
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: to practice with it? Leo asked. Hector shook his head.
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: Maybe later. The phone chimed in Leo's office. They both
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: went in. Jerry Dulac's face showed on the tried eye screen.
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: I have just heard the news. I did not know
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: that Lieutenant Hector has challenged O Doll. Her face was
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: a mixture of concern and reluctance. He challenged odall. Leo
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: answered to prevent the assassin from challenging me. Oh, you
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: are a very brave man. Lieutenant Hector's face went through
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: various contortions and slowly turned a definite red, but no
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: words issued from his mouth. Have you reconsidered your decision?
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: Leo asked. The girl closed her eyes briefly, then said flatly,
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: I am afraid I cannot change my decision. My father's
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: safety is my first responsibility. I am sorry. They exchanged
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: a few meaningless trivialities, with Hector still thoroughly tongue tied,
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: and ended the conversation on a polite but strained note. Leo,
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: his thumb across the phone switch for a moment, then
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: turned to Hector, my boy, I think it would be
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: a good idea for you to go straight to the
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: hospital and check on Dulac's condition. But why don't argue, son,
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: This could be vitally important. Hector shrugged and left the office.
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: Leo sat down at his desk and drummed his fingers
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: on the top of it. Then he burst out of
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: the office and began pacing the big chamber. Finally, even
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: that was too confining. He left the building and started
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: stalking through the campus. He walked past a dozen buildings,
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: turned and strode as far as the decorative fence that
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: marked the end of the main campus, ignoring students and
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: faculty alike. Campuses are all alike, he muttered to himself.
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: On every human planet, for all the centuries there have
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: been universities, there must be some fundamental reason for it.
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: Leo was halfway back to the dueling machine facility when
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: he spotted Hector walking dazedly toward the same building. For once,
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: the watchman was not whistling. Leo cut across some lawn
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: and pulled up beside the youth well. He asked. Hector
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: shook his head as if to clear away an inner fog.
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: How did you know she'd be at the hospital, The
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: Wisdom of Age. What happened? She kissed me right there
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: in the hallway of the Spare me the geography, Leo
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: cut in. What did she say? I bumped into her
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: in the hallway. We started talking, sort of. She seemed
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: well worried about me. She got upset, emotional. You know,
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: I guess I looked pretty forlorn and frightened. I am.
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: I guess when you get right down to it, I
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: mean you aroused her maternal instinct. I don't think it
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: was that exactly well, anyway, she said that if I
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: was willing to risk my life to say views, she
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: couldn't protect her father anymore. She said she was doing
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: it out of selfishness, really, since he's her only living relative.
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: I don't believe she meant that, but she said it anyway.
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: They had reached the building by now. Leo grabbed Hector's
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: arm and steered him clear of a collision with the
• 16:17
  Speaker 1: half open door. She's agreed to let us put Dulac
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: in the dueling machine sort of a The medical staff
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: doesn't want him to be moved from the hospital, especially
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: not back to here. She agrees with them. Leo snorted,
• 16:35
  Speaker 1: all right, in fact, so much the better. I'd rather
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: not have the careact people see us bring Dulac to
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: the dueling machine, so instead we shall smuggle the dueling
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: machine to Dulac Chapter thirteen. They plunged to work immediately.
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: Leo preferred not to inform the regular staff of the
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: Dueling Machine about their plan, so he and Hector had
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: to work through the night and most of the next morning.
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: Hector barely understood what he was doing, but with Leo's supervision,
• 17:06
  Speaker 1: he managed to dismantle part of the dueling machine's central network,
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: insert a few additional black boxes that the professor had
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: conjured up from the spare parts bins in the basement,
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: and then reconstruct the machine so that it looked exactly
• 17:19
  Speaker 1: the same as before they had started. In between his
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: frequent trips to oversee Hector's work, Leo had jury rigged
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: a rather bulky headset and a hand sized override control circuit.
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: The late morning sun was streaming through the tall windows
• 17:34
  Speaker 1: when Leo finally explained it all to Hector, a simple
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: matter of technological improvisation. He told the bewildered watchman, you
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: have installed a short range transceiver into the machine, and
• 17:46
  Speaker 1: this headset is a portable transceiver for Dulac. Now he
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: can sit in his hospital bed and still be in
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: the dueling machine. Only the three most trusted members of
• 17:58
  Speaker 1: the hospital staff were taken into Leo's confidence, and they
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: were hardly enthusiastic about Leo's plan. It's a waste of time,
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: said the chief psychophysician, shaking his white maned head vigorously.
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: You cannot expect a patient who has shown no positive
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: response to drugs and therapy to respond to your machine,
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: Leo argued. Jerry Dulac coaxed. Finally, the doctors agreed. With
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: only two days remaining before Hector's duel with Odal, they
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: began to probe Dulac's mind. Jerry remained by her father's
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: bedside while the three doctors fitted the cumbersome transceiver to
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: Dulac's head and attached the electrodes for the automatic hospital
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: equipment that monitored his physical condition. Hector and Leo remained
• 18:43
  Speaker 1: at the dueling machine, communicating with the hospital by phone.
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: Leo made a final check of the controls in circuitry,
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: then put in the last call to the tense little
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: group in Dulac's room. All was ready He walked out
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: to the machine, with Hector beside him. Their footsteps echoed
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: hollowly in the sepulcheral chamber. Leo stopped at the nearest booth. Now, remember,
• 19:07
  Speaker 1: he said, carefully, I will be holding the emergency control
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: unit in my hand. It will stop the duel the
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: instant I set it off. However, if something should go wrong,
• 19:17
  Speaker 1: you must be prepared to act quickly. Keep a close
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: watch on my physical condition. I've shown you which instruments
• 19:23
  Speaker 1: to check on the control board. Yes, sir, Leo nodded
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: and took a deep breath, very well. Then he stepped
• 19:32
  Speaker 1: into the booth and sat down. The emergency control unit
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: rested on a shelf at his side. He took it
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: in his hands. He leaned back and waited for the
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: semi hypnotic effect to take hold. Dulac's choice of this
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: very city and the stat wand were known, but beyond
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: that everything was locked and sealed in Dulac's subconscious mind.
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: Could the machine reach into that subconscious probe past the
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: lock and seal of catatonia, and stimulate Dulac's mind into
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: repeating the duel slowly, lullingly. The dueling machines, imaginary yet
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: very real, mists enveloped Leoh. When the mists cleared, he
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: was standing on the upper pedestrian level of the main
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: commercial street of the city. For a long moment, everything
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: was still. Have I made contact? Whose eyes am I
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: seeing with my own? Or Dulax? And then he sensed
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: it and amusing, somewhat astonished, marveling at the reality of
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: the illusion Dulax. Thoughts make your mind a blank, Leo
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: told himself, watch, listen, be passive. He became a spectator,
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: seeing and hearing the world through Dulac's eyes and ears.
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: As the Aquitanian prime Minister advanced through his nightmarish ordeal,
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: he felt the confusion, frustration, apprehension, and growing terror as
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: time and again o'dall appeared in the crowd, only to
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: melt into some one else and escape. The first part
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: of the duel ended, and Leo was suddenly buffeted by
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: a jumble of thoughts and impressions. Then the thoughts slowly
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: cleared and steadied. Leo saw an immense and totally barren plane.
• 21:13
  Speaker 1: Not a tree, not a blade of grass, nothing but bare,
• 21:17
  Speaker 1: rocky ground, stretching in all directions to the horizon, and
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: a disturbingly harsh yellow sky at his feet was the weapon.
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: Odal had chosen, a primitive club. He shared Dulac's sense
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: of dread. As he picked up the club and hefted
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: it off on the horizon, he could see a tall,
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: lithe figure holding a similar club walking toward him. Despite himself,
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: Leo could feel his own excitement. He had broken through
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: the shock created armor that Dulac's mind had erected. Dulac
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: was reliving the part of the duel that had caused
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: the shock. Reluctantly, he advanced to meet o'dall, but as
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: they drew closer together, the one figure of his opponentsy
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: to split apart. Now there were two, four, six of them,
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: six O dolls, six mirror images, all armed with massive
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: evil clubs, advancing steadily on him. Six tall, lean, blonde
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: assassins with six cold smiles on their intent faces. Horrified,
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: completely panicked, he scrambled away, trying to evade the six opponents.
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: With the half dozen clubs raised and poised to strike,
• 22:25
  Speaker 1: their young legs and lungs easily outdistanced him. A smash
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: on his back sent him sprawling. One of them kicked
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: his weapon away. They stood over him for a malevolent,
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: gloating second. Then six strong arms flashed down again and again, mercilessly,
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: pain and blood screaming agony, punctuated by the awful thudding
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: of solid clubs hitting fragile flesh and bone, over and
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: over again, endlessly. Everything went blank. Leo opened his eyes
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: and saw Hector bending over him. Are you all right, sir?
• 23:00
  Speaker 1: I I think so. The controls all hit the danger
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: mark at once. You were well, sir, you were screaming.
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: I don't doubt it, Leo said. They walked, with Leo
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: leaning on Hector's arm, from the dueling machine booth to
• 23:16
  Speaker 1: the office. That was an experience, Leo said, easing himself
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: into the couch. What happened? What did Odal do? What
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: made Dulac go into shock? How does the old man
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: silenced Hector with a wave of his hand, One question
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: at a time, please? Leo leaned back on the deep
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: couch and told Hector every detail of both parts of
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: the duel six o dolls. Hector muttered, soberly, leaning back
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: against the door frame, six against one. That's what he did.
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: It's easy to see how a man expecting a polite
• 23:51
  Speaker 1: formal duel can be completely shattered by the viciousness of
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: such an attack, and the machine amplifies every impulse, every sensation.
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: But how does he do it? Hector asked, his voice
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: suddenly loud and demanding. I've been asking myself the same question.
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: We've checked over the dueling machine time and again. There
• 24:12
  Speaker 1: is no possible way for Odal to plug in five helpers,
• 24:17
  Speaker 1: unless unless Leo hesitated, seemingly debating with himself. Finally, he
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: nodded his head sharply and answered, unless o'dall is a telepath. Telepath,
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: but I know it sounds far fetched, but there have
• 24:36
  Speaker 1: been well documented cases of telepathy for centuries throughout the Commonwealth.
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: Hector frowned. Sure everybody's heard about it, natural telepaths, but
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: they're so unpredictable. I don't see how. Leo leaned forward
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: on the couch and clasped his hands in front of
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: his chin. The Terran races have never developed telepathy or
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: any of the extrasensory talents. They never had to, not
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: with dry dye communications and super light starships. But perhaps
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: the Carrec people are different. Hector shook his head. If
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: they had telepathic abilities, they would be using them everywhere,
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: don't you think? Probably so? But only Odall has shown
• 25:19
  Speaker 1: such an ability, and only, of course what o'dall has
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: shown telepathic ability only in the dueling machine as far
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: as we know, certainly. But look, suppose he's a natural telepath,
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: the same as a Terran. He has an erratic, difficult
• 25:40
  Speaker 1: to control talent. Then he gets into a dueling machine.
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: The machine amplifies his thoughts and it also amplifies his talent. Ah,
• 25:52
  Speaker 1: you see, outside the machine he's no better than any
• 25:55
  Speaker 1: wandering fortune teller. But the dueling machine gives his natural
• 25:58
  Speaker 1: abilities the amplification and then reproducibility that they could never
• 26:02
  Speaker 1: have unaided. Hector nodded. So it's a fairly straightforward matter
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: for him to have five associates in the Karak embassy
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: sit in on the duel, so to speak. Possibly they
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: are natural telepaths also, but they needn't be. They just
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: to pool their minds with his hmm, six men showing
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: the duel pretty nasty. Hector dropped into his chair. So
• 26:30
  Speaker 1: what do we do now now, Leo blinked at his
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: young friend. Why I suppose the first thing we should
• 26:37
  Speaker 1: do is call the hospital and see how Dulac came through.
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: Leo put the call through Jerry. Dulac's face appeared on
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: the screen. How's your father, Hector blurted. The duel was
• 26:49
  Speaker 1: too much for him. She said blankly, he's dead. No,
• 26:55
  Speaker 1: Leo groaned. I I'm sorry, Hector said, I'll be right
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: down there. Stay where you are. The young star watch
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: man dashed out of the office as Jerry broke the
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: phone connection. Leo stared at the blank screen for a
• 27:09
  Speaker 1: few moments, then leaned far back into the couch and
• 27:12
  Speaker 1: closed his eyes. He was suddenly exhausted physically and emotionally.
• 27:17
  Speaker 1: He fell asleep and dreamed of men dead and dying.
• 27:22
  Speaker 1: Hector's nerve shattering whistling woke him up. It was full
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: night outside. What are you so happy about, Leo groused,
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: as Hector popped into the office. Happy me, you were whistling?
• 27:37
  Speaker 1: Hector shrugged. I always whistle, sir, doesn't mean I'm happy,
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: all right, Leo said, rubbing his eyes. How did the
• 27:46
  Speaker 1: girl take her father's death? Pretty hard? Cried a loud
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: Leo looked at the younger man. Does she blame me you? Why? No, sir?
• 27:57
  Speaker 1: Why should she? Oh? Doll? Is the Karak world's, but
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: not you, the old Professor sighed, relieved. Very well. Now then,
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: we have much work to do and little more than
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: a day in which to finish it. What do you
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: want me to do? Hector asked phone, the star Watch commander,
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: my commanding officer, all the way back at Alpha Perseus six.
• 28:22
  Speaker 1: That's a hundred late years from here. No, no, no,
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: Leo shook his head. The Commander in Chief, Sir Harold
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: Spencer at star Watch Central Headquarters. That's several hundred parsecs
• 28:34
  Speaker 1: from here. But get through to him as quickly as possible.
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: With a low whistle of astonishment, Hector began punching buttons
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: on the phone switch. Chapter fourteen. The morning of the
• 28:49
  Speaker 1: duel arrived, and precisely at the agreed upon our, O
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: Doll and a small retinue of Karak representatives stepped through
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: the double doors of the dueling machine chamber. Hector and
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: Leo were already there. Waiting with them stood another man,
• 29:05
  Speaker 1: dressed in the black and silver of the star Watch.
• 29:08
  Speaker 1: He was a blocky, broad faced veteran with iron gray
• 29:12
  Speaker 1: hair and hard, unsmiling eyes. The two little groups of
• 29:16
  Speaker 1: men nodded together in the center of the room before
• 29:19
  Speaker 1: the machine's control board. The white uniformed staff med techs
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: emerged from a far doorway and stood off to one side.
• 29:27
  Speaker 1: Odall went through the formality of shaking hands with Hector.
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: The car act major nodded toward the other watchman. Your replacement,
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: he asked mischievously. The chief med tech stepped between them.
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: Since you are the challenged party, Major, o'dall, you have
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: the first choice of weapon and environment. Are there any
• 29:48
  Speaker 1: instructions or comments necessary before the duel begins? I think not,
• 29:54
  Speaker 1: Odall replied. The situation will be self explanatory. I assume,
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: of course, that Star watch Men are trained to be
• 30:02
  Speaker 1: warriors and not merely technicians. The situation I have chosen
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: is one in which many warriors have won glory. Hector
• 30:11
  Speaker 1: said nothing I intend, LEO said firmly, to assist the
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: staff in monitoring this duel. Your aides may, of course
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: sit at the control board with me. O'dall nodded. If
• 30:24
  Speaker 1: you are ready to begin, gentlemen, the chief medtech said.
• 30:28
  Speaker 1: Hector and o'dall went to their booths. Leo sat at
• 30:32
  Speaker 1: the control console and one of the Karak men sat
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: down next to him. Hector felt every nerve and muscle
• 30:38
  Speaker 1: tensed as he sat in the booth, despite his efforts
• 30:40
  Speaker 1: to relax. Slowly, the tension eased, and he began to
• 30:44
  Speaker 1: feel slightly drowsy. The booth seemed to melt away. He
• 30:50
  Speaker 1: was standing on a grassy meadow. Oft In the distance
• 30:53
  Speaker 1: were wooded hills. A cool breeze was hustling puffy clouds
• 30:57
  Speaker 1: across the calm blue sky. Heard a snuffling noise behind
• 31:01
  Speaker 1: him and wheeled around. He blinked, then stared. It had
• 31:07
  Speaker 1: four legs and was evidently a beast of burden. At
• 31:11
  Speaker 1: least it carried a saddle on its back. Pile atop
• 31:15
  Speaker 1: the saddle was a conglomeration of which looked to Hector
• 31:18
  Speaker 1: at first glance, like a pile of junk. He went
• 31:21
  Speaker 1: over to the animal and examined it carefully. The junk
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: turned out to be a long spear, various pieces of armor,
• 31:28
  Speaker 1: a helmet, sword, shield, battle axe, and dagger. The situation
• 31:35
  Speaker 1: I have chosen is one in which many warriors have
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: one glory. Hector puzzled over the assortment of weapons. They
• 31:42
  Speaker 1: came straight out of Karak's Dark Ages. No doubt o'dall
• 31:46
  Speaker 1: had been practicing with them for months, even years, he
• 31:50
  Speaker 1: may not need five helpers. Warily, Hector put on the armor.
• 31:54
  Speaker 1: The breastplate seemed too big, and he was somehow unable
• 31:58
  Speaker 1: to tighten the greaves on his shins properly. The helmet
• 32:01
  Speaker 1: fit over his head like an ancient oil can, flattening
• 32:05
  Speaker 1: his ears and nose and forcing him to squint to
• 32:07
  Speaker 1: see through the narrow eye slid. Finally, he buckled on
• 32:12
  Speaker 1: the sword and found attachments on the saddle for the
• 32:14
  Speaker 1: other weapons. The shield was almost too heavy to lift,
• 32:18
  Speaker 1: and he barely struggled into the saddle with all the
• 32:21
  Speaker 1: weight he was carrying. And then he just said. He
• 32:25
  Speaker 1: began to feel a little ridiculous. Suppose it rains, he wondered,
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: But of course it wouldn't. After an interminable weight o'dall
• 32:34
  Speaker 1: appeared on a powerful trotting charger. His armor was black
• 32:38
  Speaker 1: as space, and so was his animal. Naturally, Hector thought,
• 32:44
  Speaker 1: Odall saluted gravely with his great spear from across the meadow.
• 32:48
  Speaker 1: Hector returned the salute, nearly dropping his spear in the process.
• 32:53
  Speaker 1: Then o'dall lowered the spear and aimed it. So it
• 32:56
  Speaker 1: seemed to Hector directly at the watchman's ribs. He prickled
• 33:00
  Speaker 1: his mount into a canter. Hector did the same, and
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: his steed jogged into a bumping, jolting gallop. The two
• 33:08
  Speaker 1: warriors hurtled toward each other from opposite ends of the meadow,
• 33:11
  Speaker 1: and suddenly there were six black figures roaring down on Hector.
• 33:16
  Speaker 1: The watchman's stomach wrenched within him automatically. He tried to
• 33:20
  Speaker 1: turn his mount aside, but the beast had no intention
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: of going anywhere except straight ahead. The Karak warriors bore
• 33:27
  Speaker 1: in six abreast with six spears aimed menacingly. Abruptly, Hector
• 33:32
  Speaker 1: heard the pounding of other hoof beats right beside him.
• 33:35
  Speaker 1: Through a corner of his helmet slit, he glimpsed at
• 33:38
  Speaker 1: least two other warriors charging with him into Odal's crew.
• 33:42
  Speaker 1: Leo's gamble had worked. The transceiver that had allowed Dulac
• 33:46
  Speaker 1: to make contact with the dueling machine from his hospital
• 33:48
  Speaker 1: bed was now allowing five star watch officers to join Hector,
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: even though they were physically sitting in a starship orbiting
• 33:55
  Speaker 1: high above the planet. The odds were even now. The
• 34:00
  Speaker 1: five additional watchmen were the roughest hardest, most aggressive man
• 34:03
  Speaker 1: to man fighters that the star Watch could provide. On
• 34:06
  Speaker 1: a one day notice, twelve powerful chargers met head on,
• 34:11
  Speaker 1: and twelve strong men smashed together with an ear splitting clang.
• 34:16
  Speaker 1: Shattered spears showered splinters everywhere. Men and animals went down.
• 34:21
  Speaker 1: Hector was rocked back in his saddle, but somehow managed
• 34:24
  Speaker 1: to avoid falling off. On the other hand, he could
• 34:27
  Speaker 1: not really regain his balance either. Dust and weapons filled
• 34:32
  Speaker 1: the air. A sword hissed near his head and rattled
• 34:35
  Speaker 1: off his shield With a supreme effort. Hector pulled out
• 34:39
  Speaker 1: his own sword and thrashed at the nearest rider. It
• 34:42
  Speaker 1: turned out to be a fellow watchman, but the stroke
• 34:45
  Speaker 1: bounced harmlessly off his helmet. It was so confusing, the wheeling,
• 34:50
  Speaker 1: snorting animals, clouds of dust, screaming, raging men. A black
• 34:55
  Speaker 1: armored rider charged into Hector, waving a battle axe over
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: his head. He chopped savagely, and the watchman's shield split
• 35:02
  Speaker 1: apart another frightening swing. Hector tried to duck and slid
• 35:07
  Speaker 1: completely out of the saddle, thumping painfully on the ground
• 35:10
  Speaker 1: while the axe cleaved the air where his head had
• 35:13
  Speaker 1: been a split second later, somehow his helmet had been
• 35:17
  Speaker 1: turned around. Hector tried to decide whether to thrash around
• 35:21
  Speaker 1: blindly or lay down his sword and straighten out the helmet.
• 35:25
  Speaker 1: The problem was solved for him by the crang of
• 35:28
  Speaker 1: a sword against the back of his helmet. The blow
• 35:31
  Speaker 1: flipped him into a somersault, but also knocked the helmet
• 35:34
  Speaker 1: completely off his head. Hector climbed painfully to his feet,
• 35:38
  Speaker 1: his head spinning. It took him several moments to realize
• 35:41
  Speaker 1: that the battle had stopped. The dust drifted away, and
• 35:45
  Speaker 1: he saw that all the Karak fighters were down except one.
• 35:50
  Speaker 1: The black armored warrior took off his helmet and tossed
• 35:52
  Speaker 1: it aside. It was odull or was it? They all
• 35:57
  Speaker 1: looked alike. What difference does it mean? Hector wondered. O'dall's
• 36:02
  Speaker 1: mind is the dominant one. O'dall stood legs braced apart,
• 36:07
  Speaker 1: sword in hand, and looked uncertainly at the other star watchmen.
• 36:11
  Speaker 1: Three of them were afoot and two still mounted. The
• 36:14
  Speaker 1: Karac assassin seemed as confused as Hector felt. The shock
• 36:19
  Speaker 1: of facing equal numbers had sapped much of his confidence. Cautiously,
• 36:23
  Speaker 1: he advanced toward Hector, holding his sword out before him.
• 36:27
  Speaker 1: The other watchman stood aside while Hector slowly back petaled,
• 36:31
  Speaker 1: stumbling slightly on the uneven ground. O'dall fainted and cut
• 36:35
  Speaker 1: at Hector's arm. The watchman barely parried in time, another
• 36:39
  Speaker 1: faint at the head and a slash into the chest.
• 36:43
  Speaker 1: Hector missed the parry, but his armor saved him. Grimly.
• 36:46
  Speaker 1: O'dall kept advancing. Faint faint crack, and Hector's sword went
• 36:51
  Speaker 1: flying from his hand for the barest instant. Everyone froze.
• 36:56
  Speaker 1: Then Hector leaped desperately straight at o'dall caught him completely
• 36:59
  Speaker 1: by surprise eyes and wrestled him to the ground. The
• 37:02
  Speaker 1: watchman pulled the sword from his opponent's hand and tossed
• 37:05
  Speaker 1: it away, but with his free hand, Odal clouted Hector
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: on the side of the head and knocked him on
• 37:10
  Speaker 1: his back. Both men scrambled up and ran for the
• 37:14
  Speaker 1: nearest weapons. Odal picked up a wicked looking double bladed axe.
• 37:19
  Speaker 1: One of the mounted star watch men handed Hector a
• 37:22
  Speaker 1: huge broadsword. He gripped it with both hands, but still
• 37:26
  Speaker 1: staggered off balance as he swung it up over his shoulder.
• 37:30
  Speaker 1: Holding the broadsword aloft, Hector charged towards o'dall, who stood dogged,
• 37:35
  Speaker 1: short breathed, sweat streaked, waiting for him. The broadsword was
• 37:39
  Speaker 1: quite heavy, even for a two handed grip, and Hector
• 37:43
  Speaker 1: did not notice his own battered helmet lying on the
• 37:45
  Speaker 1: ground between them. Odall, for his part, had Hector's charge
• 37:50
  Speaker 1: and swing timed perfectly in his own mind. He would
• 37:54
  Speaker 1: duck under the swing and bury his axe in the
• 37:56
  Speaker 1: watchman's chest. Then he would face the others, probably with
• 38:01
  Speaker 1: their leader gone. The duel would automatically end, but of
• 38:04
  Speaker 1: course Hector would not really be dead. The best o'dall
• 38:08
  Speaker 1: could hope for now was to win the duel. Hector
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: charged directly into o'dall's plan, but the watchman's timing was
• 38:16
  Speaker 1: much poorer than anticipated. Just as he began the downswing
• 38:20
  Speaker 1: of a mighty broadsword stroke, he stumbled on the helmet.
• 38:24
  Speaker 1: O'dall started to duck, then saw that the watchman was
• 38:27
  Speaker 1: diving face first into the ground, legs flailing, and that
• 38:31
  Speaker 1: heavy broadsword was cleaving through the air with a will
• 38:34
  Speaker 1: of its own. O'dall pulled back in confusion, only to
• 38:38
  Speaker 1: have the wild swinging broadsword strike him just above the wrist.
• 38:42
  Speaker 1: The axe dropped out of his hand, and o'dall involuntarily
• 38:46
  Speaker 1: grasped the wounded forearm with his left hand. Blood seeped
• 38:50
  Speaker 1: through his fingers. He shook his head in bitter resignation,
• 38:54
  Speaker 1: turned his back on the prostrate Hector, and began walking away. Slowly.
• 39:00
  Speaker 1: The scene faded, and Hector found himself sitting in the
• 39:03
  Speaker 1: booth of the dueling Machine. Chapter fifteen. The door opened
• 39:12
  Speaker 1: and Leo squeezed into the booth. You're all right, Hector
• 39:16
  Speaker 1: blinked and refocused his eyes on reality. Think so everything
• 39:21
  Speaker 1: went well. The watchmen got through to you. Good thing
• 39:24
  Speaker 1: they did. I was nearly killed anyway, but you survived
• 39:30
  Speaker 1: so far. Across the room, o'dall stood massaging his forehead
• 39:34
  Speaker 1: while Corr demanded, how could they have possibly have discovered
• 39:37
  Speaker 1: the secret? Where was the leak? That is not important now,
• 39:42
  Speaker 1: o'dall said quietly. The primary fact is that they have
• 39:45
  Speaker 1: not only discovered our secret, but they have found a
• 39:48
  Speaker 1: way of duplicating it. Sanctimonious hypocrites, course snarled, accusing us
• 39:55
  Speaker 1: of cheating, And then they do the same thing, regardless
• 39:59
  Speaker 1: of the moral values of our mutual behavior, odall said, dryly.
• 40:03
  Speaker 1: It is evident that there is no longer any use
• 40:06
  Speaker 1: in calling on telepathically guided assistance. I shall face the
• 40:10
  Speaker 1: Watchman alone during the second half of the duel. Can
• 40:14
  Speaker 1: you trust them to do the same. Yes. They easily
• 40:18
  Speaker 1: defeated my aids a few minutes ago, then stood aside
• 40:21
  Speaker 1: and allowed the two of us to fight by ourselves.
• 40:25
  Speaker 1: And you failed to defeat him. Odoll frowned. I was
• 40:29
  Speaker 1: wounded by a fluke. He is a very unusual opponent.
• 40:34
  Speaker 1: I cannot decide whether he is actually as clumsy as
• 40:36
  Speaker 1: he appears to be, or whether he is shamming and
• 40:39
  Speaker 1: trying to make us over confident. Either way, it is
• 40:42
  Speaker 1: impossible to protect his behavior. Perhaps he is also telepathic.
• 40:48
  Speaker 1: Kor's gray eyes became flat and emotionless. You know, of course,
• 40:53
  Speaker 1: how the Chancellor will react if you fail to kill
• 40:55
  Speaker 1: this Watchman, not merely defeat him. He must be killed.
• 41:00
  Speaker 1: The aura of invincibility must be maintained. I will do
• 41:04
  Speaker 1: my best, o'dall said, he must be killed. The chime
• 41:11
  Speaker 1: that marked the end of the rest period sounded. Odall
• 41:14
  Speaker 1: and Hector returned to their booths. Now it was Hector's
• 41:17
  Speaker 1: choice of environment and weapons. O'dall found himself enveloped in darkness.
• 41:23
  Speaker 1: Only gradually did his eyes adjust he saw that he
• 41:26
  Speaker 1: was in a spacesuit. For several minutes, he stood motionless,
• 41:30
  Speaker 1: peering into the darkness, every sense alert, every muscle coiled
• 41:34
  Speaker 1: for immediate action. Dimly, he could see the outlines of
• 41:39
  Speaker 1: jagged rock against a background of innumerable stars. Experimentally, he
• 41:43
  Speaker 1: lifted one foot. It stuck tackly to the surface magnetized boots.
• 41:49
  Speaker 1: Odall thought this must be a planetoid. As his eyes
• 41:54
  Speaker 1: grew accustomed to the dimness, he saw that he was right.
• 41:56
  Speaker 1: It was a small planetoid, perhaps a mile or so
• 42:00
  Speaker 1: in diameter, almost zero gravity, airless, o'dall swiveled his head
• 42:05
  Speaker 1: inside the fishbowl helmet of the spacesuit and saw over
• 42:08
  Speaker 1: his right shoulder the figure of Hector, blank and ungainly
• 42:12
  Speaker 1: even with the bulky suit. For a moment, o'dall puzzled
• 42:16
  Speaker 1: over the weapon to be used. Then Hector bent down,
• 42:20
  Speaker 1: picked up a loose stone, straightened, and tossed it softly
• 42:24
  Speaker 1: past o'dall's head. The carrack Major watched it sail by
• 42:28
  Speaker 1: and off into the darkness of space, never to return
• 42:31
  Speaker 1: to the tiny planetoid. A warning shot, o'dall thought to himself,
• 42:36
  Speaker 1: He wondered how much damage one could do with a
• 42:39
  Speaker 1: nearly weightless stone, then remembered that inertial mass was unaffected
• 42:43
  Speaker 1: by gravitational fields, or the lack of them. A fifty
• 42:47
  Speaker 1: pound rock might be easier to lift, but it would
• 42:50
  Speaker 1: be just as hard to throw, and it would do
• 42:53
  Speaker 1: just as much damage when it hit, regardless of its
• 42:55
  Speaker 1: gravitational weight. O'dall crouched down and selected a stone the
• 43:00
  Speaker 1: size of his fist. He rose carefully, sighted hector, standing
• 43:04
  Speaker 1: a hundred yards or so away, and threw as hard
• 43:06
  Speaker 1: as he could. The effort of his throat sent him
• 43:09
  Speaker 1: tumbling off balance, and the stone was far off target.
• 43:13
  Speaker 1: He fell to his hands and knees, bounced lightly, and
• 43:16
  Speaker 1: skidded to a stop. Immediately, he drew his feet up
• 43:20
  Speaker 1: under his body and planted the magnetized soles of his
• 43:22
  Speaker 1: boots firmly on the iron rich surface. But before he
• 43:26
  Speaker 1: could stand again, a small stone pinged lightly off his
• 43:30
  Speaker 1: oxygen tank. The star watchman had his range already. Odall
• 43:35
  Speaker 1: scrambled to the nearest upjutting rocks and crouched behind them.
• 43:39
  Speaker 1: Luckily I didn't rip open the spacesuit, he told himself.
• 43:43
  Speaker 1: Three stones evidently hurled in salvo ticked off the top
• 43:47
  Speaker 1: of the rocks he was hunched behind. One of the
• 43:49
  Speaker 1: stones bounced into his fish bowl helmet. Odal scooped up
• 43:53
  Speaker 1: a handful of pebbles and tossed them in Hector's general direction.
• 43:57
  Speaker 1: That should make him duck. Perhaps he'll stumble and crack
• 44:00
  Speaker 1: open his helmet. Then he grinned to himself. That's it.
• 44:05
  Speaker 1: Corp wants him dead, and that is the way to
• 44:08
  Speaker 1: do it. Pin him under a big rock, Then bury
• 44:11
  Speaker 1: him alive under more rocks a few at a time,
• 44:14
  Speaker 1: stretched out nicely while his oxygen supply gives out. That
• 44:18
  Speaker 1: should put enough stress on his nervous system to hospitalize
• 44:20
  Speaker 1: him at least. Then he can be assassinated by more
• 44:23
  Speaker 1: conventional means. Perhaps he will even be as obliging as
• 44:27
  Speaker 1: Massan and have a fatal stroke. A large rock, one
• 44:31
  Speaker 1: that is light enough to lift and throw, yet also
• 44:34
  Speaker 1: big enough to pin him for a few moments. Once
• 44:37
  Speaker 1: he's down, it will be easy enough to bury him
• 44:39
  Speaker 1: under more rocks. The carrak Major spotted a boulder of
• 44:43
  Speaker 1: the proper size a few yards away. He backed toward it,
• 44:47
  Speaker 1: throwing small stones in Hector's direction. To keep the watchman busy.
• 44:51
  Speaker 1: In return, a barrage of stones began striking all around him.
• 44:55
  Speaker 1: Several hit him, one hard enough to knock him slightly
• 44:58
  Speaker 1: off balance. Slowly, patiently, Odal reached his chosen weapon, an
• 45:04
  Speaker 1: oblong boulder about the size of a small chair. He
• 45:08
  Speaker 1: crouched behind it and tugged at it experimentally. It moved slightly,
• 45:13
  Speaker 1: another stone zinged off his arm, hard enough to hurt
• 45:16
  Speaker 1: Odal could see Hector clearly, now standing atop a small rise,
• 45:20
  Speaker 1: calmly firing pellets at him. He smiled as he coiled
• 45:24
  Speaker 1: catlike and tensed himself. He gripped the boulder with his
• 45:27
  Speaker 1: arms and hands, then, in one vicious, uncoiling motion, he
• 45:31
  Speaker 1: snatched it up, whirled around, and hurled it at Hector.
• 45:35
  Speaker 1: The violence of his action sent him tottering awkwardly as
• 45:38
  Speaker 1: he released the boulder. He fell to the ground, but
• 45:41
  Speaker 1: kept his eyes fixed on the boulder as it tumbled
• 45:44
  Speaker 1: end over and directly at the watchman. For an eternally
• 45:48
  Speaker 1: long instant, Hector stood motionless, seemingly entranced. Then he leaped sideways,
• 45:54
  Speaker 1: floating dreamlike in the low gravity, as the stone hurtled
• 45:57
  Speaker 1: inexorably past him. Oh Dan pounded his fist on the
• 46:01
  Speaker 1: ground in fury. He started up, only to have a
• 46:04
  Speaker 1: good sized stone slam against his shoulder and knock him
• 46:07
  Speaker 1: flat again. He looked up in time to see Hector
• 46:11
  Speaker 1: fire another. The stone puffed into the ground inches from
• 46:14
  Speaker 1: Odall's helmet. The Cack major flattened himself. Several more stones
• 46:19
  Speaker 1: clattered on his helmet and oxygen tank, then silence. Odall
• 46:24
  Speaker 1: looked up and saw Hector squatting down, reaching for more ammunition.
• 46:28
  Speaker 1: The Karak warrior stood up quickly, his own fists filled
• 46:31
  Speaker 1: with throwing stones. He cocked his arm to throw, but
• 46:35
  Speaker 1: something made him turn to look behind him. The boulder
• 46:38
  Speaker 1: loomed before his eyes, still tumbling slowly as it had
• 46:41
  Speaker 1: when he had thrown it. It was too close and
• 46:44
  Speaker 1: too big to avoid. It smashed into Odall, picked him
• 46:48
  Speaker 1: off his feet and slammed him against the upjutting rocks
• 46:50
  Speaker 1: a few yards away. Even before he started to feel
• 46:54
  Speaker 1: the pain in his midsection. Odal began trying to push
• 46:57
  Speaker 1: the boulder off, but he could not get enough leverage.
• 47:00
  Speaker 1: Then he saw the star Watchman's form standing over him.
• 47:04
  Speaker 1: I didn't really think you'd fall for it, odall heard
• 47:07
  Speaker 1: Hector's voice in his earphones. I mean, didn't you realize
• 47:12
  Speaker 1: that the boulder was too massive to escape completely after
• 47:15
  Speaker 1: it had missed me? You could have calculated its orbit.
• 47:18
  Speaker 1: You just threw it into a six minute orbit around
• 47:22
  Speaker 1: the planetoid. It had to come back to perigee, right
• 47:25
  Speaker 1: where you were standing when you threw it, you know.
• 47:28
  Speaker 1: O'dall said nothing, but strained every cell and his pain
• 47:31
  Speaker 1: racked body to get free of the boulder. Hector reached
• 47:34
  Speaker 1: over his shoulder and began fumbling with the valves that
• 47:37
  Speaker 1: were pressed against the rocks. Sorry to do this, but
• 47:41
  Speaker 1: I'm not killing you, at least just defeating you. Let's see.
• 47:47
  Speaker 1: One of these is the oxygen valve, and the other
• 47:50
  Speaker 1: I think is the emergency rocket pack. Now, which is
• 47:54
  Speaker 1: which o'dall felt the watchman's hand searching for the proper valves.
• 48:00
  Speaker 1: I should have dreamed up suits without the rocket pack.
• 48:03
  Speaker 1: Confuse his things. There, that's it. Hector's hand tightened onto
• 48:07
  Speaker 1: a valve and turned it sharply. The rocket roared to life,
• 48:11
  Speaker 1: and o'dall was hurtled free of the boulder, shot uncontrolled,
• 48:14
  Speaker 1: completely off the planetoid. Hector was bowled over by the
• 48:18
  Speaker 1: blast and rolled half way around the tiny chink of
• 48:20
  Speaker 1: rock and metal. Odall tried to reach around to throttle
• 48:24
  Speaker 1: down the rocket, but the pain in his body was
• 48:26
  Speaker 1: too great. He was slipping into unconsciousness. He fought against it.
• 48:31
  Speaker 1: Pete knew he must return to the planetoid and somehow
• 48:34
  Speaker 1: kill the opponent, But gradually the pain overpowered him. His
• 48:38
  Speaker 1: eyes were closing, closing, and quite abruptly he found himself
• 48:43
  Speaker 1: sitting in the booth of the dueling machine. It took
• 48:46
  Speaker 1: a moment for him to realize that he was back
• 48:48
  Speaker 1: in the real world. Then his thoughts cleared. He had
• 48:51
  Speaker 1: failed to kill Hector, and at the door of the
• 48:54
  Speaker 1: booth stood Cors, his face a grim mask of anger.
• 49:01
  Speaker 1: Chapter sixteen. The office was that of the new Prime
• 49:05
  Speaker 1: Minister of the Aquitaine Cluster. It had been loaned to
• 49:08
  Speaker 1: Leo for his conversation with Sir Harold Spencer. For the moment,
• 49:13
  Speaker 1: it seemed like a great double room. Half of it
• 49:16
  Speaker 1: was dark, warm woods, rich draperies, floor to ceiling bookcases.
• 49:21
  Speaker 1: The other half, from the tried eye screen onward was
• 49:23
  Speaker 1: the austere, metallic utility of a starship compartment. Spencer was saying. So,
• 49:30
  Speaker 1: this hired assassin, after killing four men and nearly wrecking
• 49:33
  Speaker 1: a government, has returned to his native worlds Leo nodded.
• 49:38
  Speaker 1: He returned under guard. I suppose he is in disgrace
• 49:41
  Speaker 1: or perhaps even under arrest. Servants of a dictator never
• 49:46
  Speaker 1: know when they will be the ones who are served
• 49:48
  Speaker 1: on a platter. Spencer chuckled. And the watchman who assisted you,
• 49:53
  Speaker 1: this Junior Lieutenant Hector, what of him? He's not here
• 49:57
  Speaker 1: just now. The Dulac girl has him in toes somewhere.
• 50:01
  Speaker 1: Evidently it's the first time he's been a hero. Spencer
• 50:05
  Speaker 1: shifted his weight in the chair. I have long prided
• 50:09
  Speaker 1: myself on the conviction that any Star Watch officer can
• 50:11
  Speaker 1: handle almost any kind of emergency anywhere in the galaxy.
• 50:15
  Speaker 1: From your description of the past few weeks, I was
• 50:17
  Speaker 1: beginning to have my doubts. However, Junior Lieutenant Hector seems
• 50:21
  Speaker 1: to have won the day, almost in spite of himself.
• 50:26
  Speaker 1: Don't underestimate him, Leo said, smiling. He turned out to
• 50:29
  Speaker 1: be an extremely valuable man. I think he will make
• 50:32
  Speaker 1: a fine officer. Spencer grunted an affirmative. Well, Leo said,
• 50:39
  Speaker 1: that's the complete story to date. I believe that o'dall
• 50:42
  Speaker 1: is finished, but the Karak worlds have made good their
• 50:44
  Speaker 1: annexation of the Zarno Confederacy, and the Aquitane Cluster is
• 50:48
  Speaker 1: still very wobbly politically. We haven't heard the last of Canus,
• 50:52
  Speaker 1: not by a long shot spencer lifted a shaggy eyebrow, neither,
• 50:57
  Speaker 1: he rumbled as he heard the last from Us and
• 51:06
  Speaker 1: of Part three of the Dueling Machine and of the
• 51:11
  Speaker 1: Dueling Machine by Ben Bova and Myron R. Lewis