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🟡 Tiger by the Tail (Full Audiobook) | Poul William Anderson · Classic Science Fiction Audiobooks: Free Public Domain Sci-Fi Stories

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  Speaker 1: Section one of Tiger by the Tail. This is a
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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  Speaker 1: Recording by Paul Harvey. Tiger by the Tail by Paul
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: William Anderson, Section one. The haughty horned aliens from the
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: planet Scada had very well organized intentions of conquering the
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  Speaker 1: Terran Empire, and Captain Dominic Flandry, Terror's ace saboteur, suddenly
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: found himself in a strategic position to louse up the works.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: How well Achilles had a heel and what else could
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: you call a scothany. Captain Flandry opened his eyes and
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: saw a metal ceiling. Simultaneously he grew aware of the
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: thrumb and quiver, which meant he was aboard a bay
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: ship running on ultra drive. He sat up with the
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: violence that sent the dregs of alcohol swirling through his head.
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: He gone to sleep and room somewhere in the stews
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: of Cataraianus, with no prospect or intention of leaving the
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: city for an indefinite time, let alone the planet. Now,
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: the chilling realization came that he was not aboard a
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: human ship. Humanoid, yes, from the size and design of things,
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: but no vessel ever built within the borders of the Empire,
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: and no foreign make that he knew of. Even from
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: looking at this one small cabin, he could tell there
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: were bunks and of one of which he had fitted
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: pretty well. But the sheets and blankets weren't of plastic weave,
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: they seemed, he looked more closely, The sheets seemed to
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: be of some vegetable fiber, the blankets of long, bluish
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: gray hair. There were a couple of chairs and a
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: table in the middle of the room. Wooden't and they
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: must have seen better days, for they were elaborately hand
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: carved and in an intricate interwoven design new to flandry
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: and planetary art forms were a hobby of his. The
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: way and manner in which the metal plating had been
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: laid was another indication. And he sat down again, buried
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: his whirling head in his hands, and tried to think.
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: There was a thumping in his head and a vile
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: taste in his mouth, which liquor didn't ordinarily leave, at
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: least not the stuff he'd been drinking, And now that
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: he remembered he'd gotten sleepy much earlier than one would
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: have expected when a girl was so good looking drugged.
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  Speaker 1: Oh no, tell me, I'm not as stupid as a
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  Speaker 1: stereo film hero, anything but that. But who'd have thought it?
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  Speaker 1: Who'd have looked for it? Certainly the people and beans
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: on whom he'd been trying to get a lead would
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: never try anything like that. Besides, none of them had
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: been around, he was sure of it. He'd simply been
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: out building part of the elaborate structure of Demamond acquaintances
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: and information which would eventually, by exceedingly indirect routes, lead
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: him to those he was seeking. He'd simply been out
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: having a good time, quite a good time, in fact,
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: And and now someone from outside the empire had him,
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: and now what? He got up a little unsteadily and
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: looked around for his clothes. No sign of them, and
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: he'd paid three hundred credits for that outfit too. He
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: stamped savagely over to the door. It didn't have a
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: photo cell attachment. He jerked it open and found himself
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: looking down the muzzle of a blaster. It was of
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: different design from any he knew, but it was quite
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  Speaker 1: unmistakable Captain Flandry sighed, relaxed his toup muscles, and looked
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: more closely at the guard who held it. He was
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: humanoid to a high degree, perhaps somewhat stockier than terrestrial average,
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: and had come to think of it, the artificial gravity
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: was a little higher than one g, and with very
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: white skin, long tawny hair and beard, and oblique violet eyes.
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: His ears were pointed, and two small horns grew above
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: his heavy eyebrow ridges. But otherwise he was manlike enough.
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: With civilized clothes and a hooded cloak, he could easily
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: pass himself off for human, not in the get up
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: he wore, of course, which consisted of a kilt and
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: tunic shining beryllium copper, cuirass and helmet, buskins over bare legs,
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  Speaker 1: and a murderous looking dirk, as well as a couple
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  Speaker 1: of scalps hanging at his belt. He gestured the prisoner
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  Speaker 1: back and blew a long hollow blast on a horn,
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  Speaker 1: slung it aside. The wild echoes chased each other down
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  Speaker 1: the long corridor, hooting and howling with a primitive clamor
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  Speaker 1: that tingled faintly along Captain Flandery's spine. He thought slowly
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: while he waited. No intercom apparently not even speaking tubes
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: laid the whole length of the ship, and household articles
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: of wood and animal and vegetable fibers, and that archaic
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  Speaker 1: costumed there. They were barbarians, all right, but no tribe
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  Speaker 1: that he knew about. That wasn't too surprising, since the
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  Speaker 1: terrestrial Empire and a half dozen other civilized states in
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  Speaker 1: the known galaxy ruled over several thousand of intelligent races
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: and had some contact with nobody knew how many thousands more.
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: Many of the others were, of course still planet bound,
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: but quite a few tribes along the imperial borders had
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: mastered a lot of human technology without changing their fundamental
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: outlook on things, which is what comes of hiring barbarian mercenaries.
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: The peripheral tribes were still raiders menaces to the border planets,
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  Speaker 1: and merely nuisances to the Empire as a whole. Periodically
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: they were bought off or played off against each other,
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: or the Empire might even send a punitive expedition out.
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: But if one day a strong barbarian race under a
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: strong leader should form a reliable coalition, then v victus
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: a party of Flandry's captors, apparently officers, guardsmen, and a
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: few slaves, came down the corridor. Their leader was tall
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: and powerfully built, with a cold arrogance in his pale
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: blue eyes that did not hide a calculating intelligence. There
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: was a golden coronet about his head, and the robes
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: that swirled around his big body were rainbow gorgeous. Flandery
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: recognized some items as having been manufactured within the empire
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  Speaker 1: eluded probably. They came to a halt before him, and
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: the leader looked him up and down with a deliberately
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: insulting gaze. To be thus surveyed in the nude could
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: have been badly disconcerting, but Flandry was immune to embarrassment,
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: and his answering stare was bland. The leader spoke last,
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: and strongly accented but fluent anglic You may as well
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: accept the fact that you are a prisoner, Captain Flandry.
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: They'd have gone through his pockets, of course, he asked, lovely,
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: Just as satisfy my own curiosity was that gruel in
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: your pay? Of course? I assure you that the Scathani
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: are not the brainless barbarians. A popular terrestrial superstition. Though
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: oblique smile, it is useful to be thought so the Scathani.
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: I don't believe I've had the pleasure. You've probably not
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: heard of us. Though we have had some contact with
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: the Empire. We have found it convenient to remain in
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: obscurity as far as terror is concerned, until the time
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: is ripe. But what do you think caused the Alari
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: to invade you fifteen years ago? Flandry thought back, a
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: boy then, But he had, of course avidly followed the
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: news accounts of the terrible fleets that swept in over
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: the marshes and attacked the Vega itself. Only the hardest
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: fighting at the Battle of Merzan had broken the Alari.
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: Yet it turned out that they'd been fleeing still another tribe,
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: a wild and mighty race, who had invaded their own
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: system with fire and ruin. It was a common enough
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: occurrence in the turbulent Barbarian stars. This one incident had
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: come to the Empire's notice only because of refugees had
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: tried to conquer it. In turn, a political upheaval within
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  Speaker 1: the terrestrial domain had prevented closer investigation. Before the matter
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: had been all but forgotten, so you were driving the
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: Alari before you asked Flandry with as close an approximation
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  Speaker 1: to the right note of polite interest as he could
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: manage in his present condition. Ay and others, the Scathani
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: have quite a little empire now out there in the
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: wilderness of the galaxy. But since we were never originally
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  Speaker 1: contacted by terrestrials, we have, as I say, remained a
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  Speaker 1: little known to them. So the Scathani had learned their
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  Speaker 1: technology from some other race, probably other barbarians. It was
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  Speaker 1: a familiar pattern. Flandry could trace it out in his mind.
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  Speaker 1: Space ships landed on the primitive world, the initial awe
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  Speaker 1: of the natives gave way to the realization that the
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: skymen weren't so very different. After all, they could be
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: killed like anyone else. Traders, students, laborers, mercenary warriors visited
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  Speaker 1: the more advanced worlds, brought back knowledge of their science
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  Speaker 1: and technology. Factories were built, machines produced, and some try.
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  Speaker 1: King used the new power to impose his rule on
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  Speaker 1: all his planet, and then to unite his restless subjects.
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  Speaker 1: He had to turn their faces outward promise plunder in glory.
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  Speaker 1: If they followed him out to the stars. Only the
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: Scotani had carried it farther than most and line as
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: far from the Imperial border as they did, they could
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  Speaker 1: build up a terrible power without the complaisant politics ridden
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: Empire being more than dimly aware of the fact until
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: the day when VI victis end of section one recording
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  Speaker 1: by Paul Harvey. Section two of Tiger by the Tale
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  Speaker 1: by Paul William Anderson. This LibriVox recording is in the
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: public domain. Recording by Paul Harvey. Let us have a
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  Speaker 1: clear understanding, said the barbarian chief. You are a prisoner,
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  Speaker 1: not a worship Already light years from a lanthwar, well
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  Speaker 1: into the Imperial marches and bound for Scotha itself. You
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: have no chance of rescue, and mercy depends entirely on
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  Speaker 1: your own conduct. Adjust it accordingly. May I ask you
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: why you picked me up? Flandry's tone was mild. You
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  Speaker 1: are of noble blood and a high ranking officer in
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  Speaker 1: the Imperial Intelligence Service. You may be worth something as
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  Speaker 1: a hostage, but primarily we want information. But I know
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: the reply was disgusted. You're very typical of your miserable kind.
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  Speaker 1: I've studied the empire and its decadence long enough to
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  Speaker 1: know that you're just another worthless younger son given a
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: high pain cynic here so you can wear a fancy
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  Speaker 1: uniform and placed soldier. You don't amount to anything, Flandry,
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  Speaker 1: let an angry flush go up his cheek. Look here,
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  Speaker 1: it's perfectly obvious, said the barbarian. You come to Leanhwhar
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  Speaker 1: to track down certain dangerous conspirators. So you register yourself
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  Speaker 1: in the biggest hotel in Catawannas as Captain Dominic Flandry
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  Speaker 1: of the Imperial Intelligence Service. You strut around in your
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: expensive uniform, dropping dark hints about your leads and your activities,
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  Speaker 1: and these consist of drinking and gambling and wenching the
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: whole night and sleeping the whole day. A cold humor
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: gleamed in the blue eyes. Unless it is your intention
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: that the Empire's enemies shall laugh themselves to death at
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  Speaker 1: the spectacle. If that's so, began Flandry thinly, then why
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  Speaker 1: you will know something? You can't help picking up a
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: lot of miscellaneous information in your circles, no matter how
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: hard you try not to. Certainly you know specific things
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  Speaker 1: about the organization and activities of your own core, which
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: we would find useful information. We'll squeeze all you know
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: out of you. Then there will be other services you
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: can perform. People within the empire, you can contact, documents,
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: you can translate for us, perhaps various liaisons you can make.
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  Speaker 1: Eventually you may even earn your freedom. The barbarian lifted
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  Speaker 1: one big fist, and in case you wish to hold
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  Speaker 1: anything back, remember that the tortures Ascoda know their trade.
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  Speaker 1: You needn't make melodramatic threats, said Flandree sullenly. The fists
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: shot out and Flandry fell to the floor, with darkness
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  Speaker 1: whirling and roaring through his head. He crawled to hands
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: and knees, blood dripping from his face, and vaguely he
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: heard the voice from here on, little man, you are
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: to address me as Befits, a slave speaking to a
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: crown Prince of Skoda. The terrestrial staggered to his feet
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: for a moment, his fists clenched. The prince smiled grimly
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: and knocked him down again. Looking up, Flandry saw brawny
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: hands resting on blaster butts. Not a chance, not a chance. Besides,
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: the prince was hardly a satist. Such brutality was the
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: normal order among the barbarians, and come to think of it,
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: slaves within the empire could be treated similarly, and there
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: was the problem of staying alive. Yes, sir, he mumbled.
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: The prince turned on his heel and walked away. They
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: gave him back his clothes, though somewhat had stripped the
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: gold braid and the metals away. Flandery looked at the soiled,
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: ripped garments and sighed, tail or maid. He surveyed himself
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: in the mirror as he washed and shaved. The face
• 16:25
  Speaker 1: that looked back was wide across the cheek, bones, straight nosed,
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: and square jawed, with carefully waved reddish brown hair, and
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: a mustache trimmed with equal attention. Probably too handsome, he reflected,
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: wiping the blood from under his nose. But he'd been
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: young when he had the placiocosmetician work on him. Maybe
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: when he got out of this mess he should have
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: the face made over to a slightly more rugged pattern
• 16:55
  Speaker 1: to fit his years. He was in his thirties now,
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: after all, getting to be a big boy dominic. The
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: fundamental bone structure of head and face was his own, however,
• 17:08
  Speaker 1: and so were the eyes, large and bright with a
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: hint of obliquity, the iris of that curious gray which
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: can seem any color blue or green, or black or gold,
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: and the trim a medium tall body was genuine. Two.
• 17:26
  Speaker 1: He hated exercises, but went through a dutiful daily ritual,
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: since he needed sinews and coordination for his work, and
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: to a man in condition was something to look at
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: among the usually flabby nobles of Terra. He found his
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: figure no end of help in making his home leaves pleasant. Well,
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: can't stand here admiring yourself all day, old fellow. He
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: slipped blouse, pants and jacket over his silkiteunder garments, pulled
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: on the sheening boots, tilted his officer's cap at an
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: angle of well gaged rakishness, and walked out to meet
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: his new owners. The Scathane weren't such bad fellows, he
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: soon learned. They were big, brawling, lusty barbarians out for
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: adventure and loot and fame. As warriors. They had courage
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: and loyalty and a wild streak of sentiment that he liked,
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: but they could also fly into deadly rages. They were
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: casually cruel to anyone that stood in their way, and
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: Flandry acquired a not too high respect for their brains.
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: It would have helped if they'd washed Oftener too. This
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: warship was one of a dozen which Curdic, the Crown Prince,
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: had taken out on a plundering cruise. They'd sacked a
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: good many towns, even some on nominally imperial planets, and
• 19:00
  Speaker 1: on the way back had sent down a man in
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: a lifeboat to contact Curdik's agents on Lianthwar, which was
• 19:08
  Speaker 1: notoriously the listening post of this sector of the Empire.
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: In learning that there was something going on which a
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: special agent from Terra had been investigating, Curdik had ordered
• 19:21
  Speaker 1: him picked up. And that was that. Now they were
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: homeward bound, their holds stuffed with loot and their heads
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: stuffed with plans for further inroads. It might not have
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: meant much, but well, Serdik and his father Panda didn't
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: seem to be just ordinary barbarian chiefs, nor Scavania an
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: ordinary barbarian nation. Could it be that, somewhere out there
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: among the many stars, someone had finally organized a might
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: that could break the Empire? Could the Long Night really
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: be at hand? Flandry shoved the thought aside. He had
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: too much to do right now. Even his own job
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: at Leanthhoire, important as it was, could and would be
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: handled by someone else, though not, he thought a little sadly,
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: with the flandry touch and his own immediate worry was here.
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: And now he had to find out the extent of
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: power and ambition of the Scathani. He had to learn
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: their plans and get the information to Tara, and somehow
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: spike them. Even a little after that there might be
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: time to save his own hide. Curdik had him brought
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: to the captain's cabin. The place was typical barbarian chief's den,
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: with the heads of wild beasts on the walls and
• 20:49
  Speaker 1: their hides on the floor. Old shields and swords hung
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: up in places of honor. A magnificent golden vase stolen
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: from some planet of artists shy in a corner. But
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: there were incongruous modern touches, a microprint reader and many
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: book rolls from the empire, astrographic tables and computer, a photograph.
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: The prince sat in a massive carbon chair, a silk
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: eyed robe flung carelessly over his broad shoulders. He nodded
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: with a certain affability your first task will be to
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: learn Scothanion, he said, without preliminary As yet almost none
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: of our people, even nobles, speak anglic and there are
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: many who will want to talk to you. Yes, Sir,
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: said flandery. It was what he would most have desired.
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: You had better also start organizing all you know so
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: you can present it coherently, said the Prince and I,
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: who have lived in the Empire, will be able to
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: check enough of your statements to tell whether you are
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: likely speaking the true he smiled mirthlessly. If there is
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: reason to suspect you are lying, you will be put
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: to the torture, and one of our sensitives will then
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: get at the truth. So they had sensitives too, Telepaths
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: who could tell whether it being was lying when pain
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: had sufficiently disorganized his mind were as bad as the
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: Empire's hypnoprobes. I'll tell the truth, sir, he said, I suppose,
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: so if you cooperate, you'll find us not an ungrateful people.
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: There will be more wealth than was ever dreamed of
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: when we go into the empire. There will also be
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: considerable power for such humans as are our liaison with
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: their race. Sir began Flandry in a tone of weak
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: self righteousness. I couldn't think of Oh yes you could,
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: said surdic glumly. I know you, humans. I traveled incognito
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: throughout your whole empire. I was on Tera itself. I
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: posed as one of you, or, when convenient, as just
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: another of the subject races. I know the empire, its
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: utter decadence, its self seeking politicians and pleasure loving mobs,
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: corruption and intrigue everywhere you go, collapse of morals and
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: duty sense, decline of art and craft and science into stagnancy.
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: You were a great race once you humans. You were
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: the first to aspire to the stars, and we owe
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: you something for that, I suppose. But you're not the
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: race you once were. The viewpoint was biased, but enough
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: truth lay in it to make Flandery wins. Curtica went
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: on his voice, rising, there is a new power growing
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: out beyond your borders, young peoples, with the strength and
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: courage and hopefulness of youth, and they'll sweep the rotten
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: fragments of the empire before them and build something new
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: and better. Only thought Flandry. Only first comes the long night,
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: darkness and death, and the end of civilization. The howling peoples,
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: and the ruins of our temples, and a myriad petty
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: tyrants holding their dreary courts in the shards of the empire,
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: to say nothing of the decline of good music and
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: good cuisine, taste in clothes and taste in women, and
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: conversation as a fine art. We've one thing you've lost,
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: said Cerdic, and I think ultimately that will be the
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: deciding factor. Honestly, Flandry, the Scathani are a race of
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: honest warriors, no doubt, Sir, said Flandry. Oh we have
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: our evil characters, but there a few, and the custom
• 25:01
  Speaker 1: of private challenges soon eliminates them, said Cedric. And even
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: their evil is an open and clean thing, greed or
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: lawlessness or something like that. It isn't the bribery and
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: conspiracy and betrayal of your rotten politicians. And most of
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: us live by our code. It wouldn't occur to a
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: true Scothane to do a dishonorable thing, to break an oath,
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: or desert a comrade, or lie on his word of honor.
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: Our women aren't running loose making eyes at every man
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: they come across. They are kept properly at home till
• 25:42
  Speaker 1: time for marriage, and then they know their place as
• 25:45
  Speaker 1: mothers and house guiders. Our boys are raised to respect
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: the gods and the King, to fight and to speak truth.
• 25:55
  Speaker 1: Death is a little thing, Flandry. It comes to every
• 25:58
  Speaker 1: one in his time, and he cannot stay it. But
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: honor lives forever. We don't corrupt ourselves. We keep honor
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: at home and root out disgrace with death and torture.
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: We live our code, and that is really why we
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: will win battleships, help thought, Flandry. And then, looking into
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: the cold bright eyes. He's a fanatic, but a hell
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: of a smart one, and that kind makes the most
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: dangerous enemy. Aloud, he asked humbly, isn't any stratagem a lie, sir?
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: Your own disguise travels within the empire, Naturally, certain maneuvers
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: are necessary, said the Prince stiffly. Nor does it matter
• 26:46
  Speaker 1: what one does with regard to alien races, especially when
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: they have as little honor as terrestrials. The good old
• 26:56
  Speaker 1: race superiority complex to Oh well, I tell you this,
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: said Cedric earnestly, in the hope that you may think
• 27:05
  Speaker 1: it over and see our cause is just, and be
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: with us. We will need many foreigners, especially humans, for
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: liaison in intelligence and other services. You may still accomplish
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: something in a hitherto wasted life. I'll think about it, sir,
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: said Flandry. Then go, flander got the ship was a
• 27:29
  Speaker 1: good three weeks, En wrote to Scotha. It took Flandry
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: about two of them to acquire an excellent working knowledge
• 27:37
  Speaker 1: of the language, but he preferred to simulate difficulty and
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: complained that he got lost when talk was too rapid.
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: It was surprising how much odd information you picked up
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: when you were thought not to understand what was being said.
• 27:54
  Speaker 1: Not anything of great military significance, of course, but general background,
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: bits of personal history, attitudes and beliefs. It all went
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: into the neat filing system, which was Flandry's memory, to
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: be correlated with whatever else he knew or learned into
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: an astonishingly complete picture. The Scathani themselves were quite friendly,
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: eager to hear about the fabulous imperial civilization and to
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: brag of their own wonderful past and future exploits. Since
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: there was obviously nothing he could do. Flandry, who was
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: under the loosest guard and had virtually the freedom of
• 28:37
  Speaker 1: the ship, he slept and messed with the warriors, swapped
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: body songs and dirty jokes, joined their rough and tumble
• 28:45
  Speaker 1: wrestling matches to win, surprised respect for his skill, and
• 28:50
  Speaker 1: even became the close friend and confident of some of
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: the younger males. The race was addicted to gambling. Flandry,
• 28:58
  Speaker 1: learned their games, taught them some of the empires, and
• 29:02
  Speaker 1: before the trip's end had won back his stolen finery,
• 29:06
  Speaker 1: plus several other outfits and a pleasantly jingling purse. It
• 29:11
  Speaker 1: was well he almost hated to take his winnings from
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: these overgrown babies. It just never occurred to them that
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: dice and cards could be made to do tricks. The
• 29:24
  Speaker 1: picture grew. The barbarian tribes of Scotha were firmly united
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: under the leadership of the Pythian kings, had been for
• 29:34
  Speaker 1: several generations. Theoretically it was an absolute monarchy, though actually
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: all classes except the slaves were free. They had conquered
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: at least a hundred systems, outright contenting themselves with exacting
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: tribute and levies for most of them, and dominated all
• 29:54
  Speaker 1: others within reach. Under Penda's leadership, a dozen similar small
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: all barbarian states had already formed a coalition with the
• 30:04
  Speaker 1: avowed purpose of invading the Empire, capturing Terra, destroying the
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: imperial military forces, and making themselves masters. Few of them
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: thought beyond the plunder to be had, though apparently some
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: of them, like Curdiic, dreamed of maintaining and extending the
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: imperial domain under their own rule. They had a formidable
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: fleet flandery couldn't find out its exact size, and its
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: organization and technology seemed far superior to that of most
• 30:39
  Speaker 1: Barbarian forces. They had a great industry, mostly slave manned,
• 30:45
  Speaker 1: with the Scothen overlords supervising. They had shrewd leaders who
• 30:50
  Speaker 1: would wait till one of the empires recurring political crisis
• 30:55
  Speaker 1: had reduced its fighting strength, and who were extremely well
• 30:59
  Speaker 1: in formed about their enemy. It looked bad, especially since
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: they couldn't wait too long. Despite the unequaled prosperity created
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: by industry tribute empiracy, all Skoda was straining at the
• 31:15
  Speaker 1: leash nobles and warriors in the whole coalition, foaming to
• 31:20
  Speaker 1: be at the Empire's throat. A whole galactic sector had
• 31:26
  Speaker 1: been seized by the same savage dream when they came
• 31:30
  Speaker 1: roaring in well, you never could tell. The Empire's fighting
• 31:34
  Speaker 1: strength was undoubtedly greater, But could it be mobilized in time?
• 31:40
  Speaker 1: Wouldn't Penda get gleeful help from two or three rival Imperia.
• 31:46
  Speaker 1: Couldn't a gang of utterly fearless fanatics plow through the
• 31:50
  Speaker 1: mass of self seeking officers and in different mercenaries that
• 31:55
  Speaker 1: made up most of the imperial power today? Might not
• 31:59
  Speaker 1: the Long Night really be at hand? End of section
• 32:04
  Speaker 1: two recording by Paul Harvey. Section three of Tiger by
• 32:14
  Speaker 1: the Tail by Paul William Anderson. This LibriVox recording is
• 32:20
  Speaker 1: in the public domain. Recording by Paul Harvey. Scata was
• 32:25
  Speaker 1: not unlike Terra, a little larger, a little farther from
• 32:29
  Speaker 1: its sun, the seas made turbulent by three small close moons.
• 32:34
  Speaker 1: Flandery had a chance to observe it telescopically. The ship
• 32:39
  Speaker 1: didn't have magnus screens, and as they swept in, he
• 32:43
  Speaker 1: saw the mighty disc roll grandly against the galactic star blaze,
• 32:48
  Speaker 1: and studied the continents with more care than he showed.
• 32:52
  Speaker 1: The planet was still relatively thinly populated, with great forests
• 32:57
  Speaker 1: and plains standing, empty cities and villages huddling about the
• 33:02
  Speaker 1: steep walled castles of the nobles. Most of its industry
• 33:07
  Speaker 1: was on other worlds, though the huge military bases were
• 33:12
  Speaker 1: all on Skada and its moons. There couldn't be more
• 33:16
  Speaker 1: than a billion Scathani all told, estimated Flandry probably less,
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: and many of them would live elsewhere as overlords of
• 33:26
  Speaker 1: the interstellar domain, which didn't make them less formidable. The
• 33:31
  Speaker 1: witless hordes of mankind were more hindrance than help to
• 33:36
  Speaker 1: the empire. Cerdik's fleet broke up the captains bound for
• 33:41
  Speaker 1: their estates. He took his own vessel to the capital
• 33:45
  Speaker 1: Ithigar and brought it down in the great yards. After
• 33:50
  Speaker 1: the usual pomp and ceremony of homecoming. He sent for Flandry.
• 33:55
  Speaker 1: What does your attitude toward us now? He asked. You
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: are a very light people, sir, said the terrestrial, And
• 34:03
  Speaker 1: it is as you say. You are a strong and
• 34:07
  Speaker 1: honest race. Then you have decided to help us actively.
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: The voice was cold. I really have little choice, sir
• 34:16
  Speaker 1: shrugged Flandry. I'll be a prisoner in any case unless
• 34:20
  Speaker 1: I get to the point of being trusted. The only
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: way to achieve that is to give you my willing assistance,
• 34:29
  Speaker 1: and what of your own nation? A man must stay alive, sir,
• 34:33
  Speaker 1: These are turbulent times. Contempt curled Serdix's lip. Somehow I
• 34:39
  Speaker 1: thought better of you, he said, But you're a human.
• 34:43
  Speaker 1: You could only be expected to betray your oaths for
• 34:47
  Speaker 1: your own gain. Surprise shook Flandry's voice. Wasn't that what
• 34:52
  Speaker 1: you wanted, sir? Oh? Yes, I suppose so. Now come along,
• 34:57
  Speaker 1: but not too close. You make me feel a little sick.
• 35:02
  Speaker 1: They went up to the great Gray Castle, which lifted
• 35:05
  Speaker 1: its windy spires over the city, and presently Flandry found
• 35:11
  Speaker 1: himself granted an audience with the King of Scathania. It
• 35:15
  Speaker 1: was a huge and dim lit hall, hung with the
• 35:18
  Speaker 1: banners and shields of old wars and chill despite the
• 35:23
  Speaker 1: fires that blazed along its length. Penda sat at one end,
• 35:28
  Speaker 1: wrapped in furs against the cold, his big body dwarfed
• 35:32
  Speaker 1: by the dragon carved throne. He had his eldest son's
• 35:37
  Speaker 1: stern manner and bleak eyes without the prince's bitter intensity.
• 35:42
  Speaker 1: A strong man, thought Flandry, hard and ruthless and able,
• 35:48
  Speaker 1: but perhaps not too bright. Sydicated mounted to a seat
• 35:52
  Speaker 1: on his father's right. The queen stood on his left,
• 35:57
  Speaker 1: shivering a little in the damp draft. Down either wall
• 36:01
  Speaker 1: reached a row of guardsmen. The fire shimmered on their
• 36:05
  Speaker 1: breastplates and helmets and hallbirds. They seemed figures of legend.
• 36:11
  Speaker 1: But Flandry noticed that each warrior carried a blaster too.
• 36:16
  Speaker 1: There were others in evidence. Several of the younger sons
• 36:20
  Speaker 1: of Penda grizzled generals and counselors nobles come for a visit.
• 36:26
  Speaker 1: A few of the latter were of non Scothen race
• 36:29
  Speaker 1: and did not seem to be meeting exceptional politeness. Then
• 36:34
  Speaker 1: there were the hangars on bards and dancers in the rest,
• 36:38
  Speaker 1: and slaves scurrying about. Except for its size and its menace,
• 36:43
  Speaker 1: it was a typical Barbarian court. Flandry bowed the knee
• 36:48
  Speaker 1: as required, but thereafter stood erect and met the king's eye.
• 36:53
  Speaker 1: His possession was anomalous. Officially, curdis captured slave. Actually, well,
• 37:00
  Speaker 1: what was he? Or what could he become? In time?
• 37:05
  Speaker 1: Penda asked a few of the more obvious questions, then said, slowly,
• 37:10
  Speaker 1: you will confer with General narvyoff here had of our
• 37:15
  Speaker 1: intelligent section, and tell him what you know. You may
• 37:19
  Speaker 1: also make suggestions if you like, but remember that false
• 37:23
  Speaker 1: intentions will soon be discovered and punished. I will be honest,
• 37:29
  Speaker 1: Your majesty, is any terrestrial honest, snapped serdec I am,
• 37:36
  Speaker 1: said Flandry, cheerfully. As long as I'm paid, I serve faithfully.
• 37:41
  Speaker 1: Since I'm no longer in the Empire's pay, I must
• 37:44
  Speaker 1: perforce look about for a new master. I doubt you
• 37:49
  Speaker 1: can be much use, said Panda. I think I can,
• 37:54
  Speaker 1: your majesty, answered Flandry boldly, even in little things. For instance,
• 38:00
  Speaker 1: this admirably decorated hull is so cold one must wear
• 38:05
  Speaker 1: furs within it, and still the hands are numb. I
• 38:09
  Speaker 1: could easily show a few technicians how to install a
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: radiant heating unit that would make it like summer in here.
• 38:17
  Speaker 1: Penda lifted his bushy brows. Curdic fairly snarled a terrestrial
• 38:22
  Speaker 1: trick that shall we become as soft and luxurious as
• 38:26
  Speaker 1: the imperials we who hunt vorgari on ski Flanndery's eyes
• 38:33
  Speaker 1: flid in around the room, caught dissatisfied expressions on many faces. Inside,
• 38:39
  Speaker 1: he grinned the Prince's austere ideals weren't very popular with
• 38:44
  Speaker 1: these noble savages, if they only had the nerve too.
• 38:48
  Speaker 1: It was the queen who spoke. Her soft voice was timid, sire,
• 38:53
  Speaker 1: is there any harm in being warm? I I'm always
• 38:57
  Speaker 1: cold these days. Flann gave her an appreciative look. He'd
• 39:02
  Speaker 1: already picked up the background of Queen Gunley. She was
• 39:06
  Speaker 1: young Penda's third wife, and she came from a more
• 39:10
  Speaker 1: southerly Scothan lands than Ithigar. Her folk were somewhat more
• 39:15
  Speaker 1: civilized than the dominant Priythians. She was certainly a knockout,
• 39:20
  Speaker 1: with that dark, rippling hair and those huge violet eyes
• 39:24
  Speaker 1: in her pert face, and that figure too. There was
• 39:28
  Speaker 1: a suppressed liveliness in her. He wondered if she had
• 39:32
  Speaker 1: ever cursed the fate that gave her noble blood and
• 39:35
  Speaker 1: thus a political marriage. For just an instant, their eyes crossed,
• 39:41
  Speaker 1: be still, said Surdik. Gunnley's hand fell lightly on Penda's.
• 39:47
  Speaker 1: The king flushed, speak not to your queen, thus, Surdik,
• 39:50
  Speaker 1: he said, in truth, this imperial trick is but a
• 39:54
  Speaker 1: better form of fire, which no one calls unmanly. We
• 39:59
  Speaker 1: will let the terrest shrill make one flandry bowed his
• 40:03
  Speaker 1: most ironical bow, cocking an eye up at the Queen.
• 40:07
  Speaker 1: He caught a twinkle. She Knewnardyev made a great show
• 40:12
  Speaker 1: a blustering honesty, but there was a shrewd brain behind
• 40:16
  Speaker 1: the hard little eyes that glittered in his hairy face.
• 40:20
  Speaker 1: He leaned back and folded his hands behind his head
• 40:24
  Speaker 1: and gave Flandry a quizzical stare. If it is as
• 40:29
  Speaker 1: you say, he began, it is, said the terrestrial, quite probably.
• 40:35
  Speaker 1: Your statements so far. Check with what we already know,
• 40:40
  Speaker 1: and we can soon verify much of the rest, if
• 40:43
  Speaker 1: then you speak truth. The imperial organization is fantastically good,
• 40:49
  Speaker 1: he smiled, As it should be. It conquered the stars
• 40:53
  Speaker 1: in the old days, but it's no better than the
• 40:57
  Speaker 1: beings who man it. And everyone knows how venial and
• 41:00
  Speaker 1: cowardly the imperials are today. Flandry said nothing, but he
• 41:06
  Speaker 1: remembered the gallantry of the Syrian units at Gropoli, and
• 41:10
  Speaker 1: the dogged courage of the Valatian legion, and well, why
• 41:15
  Speaker 1: go on? The haughtiest sca Annie just didn't seem able
• 41:20
  Speaker 1: to realize that a state is absolutely decadent. As they imagined,
• 41:25
  Speaker 1: the Empire to be wouldn't have endured long enough to
• 41:28
  Speaker 1: be their own enemy. We'll have to reorganize everything, said Nardyov.
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: I don't care whether what you say is true or not.
• 41:38
  Speaker 1: It makes good sense. Our whole setup is outmoded. It's ridiculous,
• 41:44
  Speaker 1: for instance, to give commands according to nobility and blind
• 41:49
  Speaker 1: courage instead of proven intelligence. And you assume that the
• 41:54
  Speaker 1: best enlisted man will make the best officer, said Flandry.
• 41:58
  Speaker 1: It doesn't necessary follow. A strong and hearty warrior may
• 42:03
  Speaker 1: expect more of his men than they can give. You
• 42:06
  Speaker 1: can't all be a superman. Another good point, and we
• 42:11
  Speaker 1: should eliminate sword play as a requirement. Swords are useless today,
• 42:16
  Speaker 1: and we have to train mathematicians to compute trajectories and
• 42:21
  Speaker 1: everything else. Nrd the Off grimaced. I hate to think
• 42:25
  Speaker 1: what would have happened if we'd invaded three years ago,
• 42:28
  Speaker 1: as many hot heads wanted to do. We would have
• 42:31
  Speaker 1: inflicted great damage. But that's all. You should wait at
• 42:36
  Speaker 1: least another ten or twenty years and really get prepared.
• 42:41
  Speaker 1: Can't The great nobles wouldn't stand for it. Who wants
• 42:44
  Speaker 1: to be duke of a planet when he could be
• 42:47
  Speaker 1: viceroy of a sector. But we have a year or
• 42:50
  Speaker 1: two yet, Nrd the off scowled. I can get my
• 42:54
  Speaker 1: own service whipped into shape with your help and advice.
• 42:58
  Speaker 1: I have most of the bright lads, but as for
• 43:00
  Speaker 1: some of the other forces, gods, the dunderheads they have
• 43:04
  Speaker 1: in command. I've argued myself horse with Noornaghast to no use.
• 43:11
  Speaker 1: The fool just isn't able to see that a space
• 43:14
  Speaker 1: fleet the size of ours must have a special coordinating
• 43:18
  Speaker 1: division equipped with semantic calculators. And the worst of it
• 43:23
  Speaker 1: is he's a cousin to the king. He ranks me.
• 43:26
  Speaker 1: Not much I can do. An accident could happen to Noornaghast,
• 43:32
  Speaker 1: murmured Flandry. Eh nardyev gasped, what do you mean? Nothing,
• 43:38
  Speaker 1: said Flandry lightly. But just for argument's sake, suppose, well,
• 43:43
  Speaker 1: suppose some good swordsman should pick a quarrel with Noornaghast.
• 43:48
  Speaker 1: I don't doubt he has many enemies. If he should
• 43:51
  Speaker 1: unfortunately be killed in the duel, you might be able
• 43:54
  Speaker 1: to get to his Majesty immediately after, before anyone else,
• 43:59
  Speaker 1: and persuade him to appoint a more reasonable successor. Of course,
• 44:05
  Speaker 1: you'd have to know in advance that there'd be a
• 44:08
  Speaker 1: duel of all the treacherous underhanded I haven't done anything
• 44:14
  Speaker 1: but speculate, said Flandery mildly. However, I might remind you
• 44:20
  Speaker 1: of your own remarks. It's hardly fair that a fool
• 44:24
  Speaker 1: should have command and honor and riches instead of better
• 44:28
  Speaker 1: men who simply happen to be of lower degree. Nor,
• 44:32
  Speaker 1: as you yourself said, is it good for Scithania as
• 44:36
  Speaker 1: a whole. I won't hear of any such terrestrial vileness,
• 44:42
  Speaker 1: of course not. I was just well speculating. I can't
• 44:45
  Speaker 1: help it. All terrestrials have dirty minds. But we did
• 44:49
  Speaker 1: conquer the stars once. A man might go far if
• 44:54
  Speaker 1: only no Nardyov shook himself. A warrior doesn't bury his
• 44:59
  Speaker 1: hands in muck. No, but Jim might use a pitchfork.
• 45:04
  Speaker 1: Tools don't mind dirt. The man who wields them doesn't
• 45:08
  Speaker 1: even have to know the details. But let's get back
• 45:11
  Speaker 1: to business. Flandery relaxed even more lazily. Here's a nice
• 45:16
  Speaker 1: little bit of information which only high placed imperials know.
• 45:21
  Speaker 1: The Empire has a lot of arsenals and munitions dumps,
• 45:25
  Speaker 1: which are guarded by nothing but secrecy. The emperor doesn't
• 45:29
  Speaker 1: dare trust certain units to guard such sources of power,
• 45:34
  Speaker 1: and he can't spare enough reliable legions to watch them all,
• 45:39
  Speaker 1: So obscure uninhabited planets are used. Nardiav's eyes were utterly intent.
• 45:45
  Speaker 1: Now I know of only one, but it's a good prospect.
• 45:49
  Speaker 1: An uninhabited barren system not many parsecs inside the border.
• 45:55
  Speaker 1: The second planet honeycombed with underground works that are crammed
• 46:00
  Speaker 1: with spaceships, atomic bombs, fuel power enough to wreck a world.
• 46:06
  Speaker 1: A small swift fleet could get there, take most of
• 46:09
  Speaker 1: the stores, and destroy the rest before the nearest garrison
• 46:14
  Speaker 1: could ever arrive in defense. Is that true? You can
• 46:19
  Speaker 1: easily find out if I'm lying. It'll cost you that
• 46:22
  Speaker 1: small unit, that's all, And I assure you I've no
• 46:25
  Speaker 1: desire to be tortured to death. Holy Gods, nardyev quivered.
• 46:31
  Speaker 1: I've got to tell Curdik now right away. You could,
• 46:36
  Speaker 1: or you might simply go there yourself without telling anyone.
• 46:40
  Speaker 1: If Sydik knows he'll be the one to lead the raid.
• 46:44
  Speaker 1: If you went, you'd get the honor and the power.
• 46:48
  Speaker 1: Surdik would not like it too late, then he could
• 46:53
  Speaker 1: hardly challenge you for so bold and successful a stroke,
• 46:58
  Speaker 1: and he is getting too proud of him. He could
• 47:01
  Speaker 1: stand a little taking down. Nardy Off chuckled a deep
• 47:05
  Speaker 1: vibration in his shaggy breast. Ay, but Valtam's beard, I'll
• 47:10
  Speaker 1: do it. Give me the figures now presently. The general
• 47:15
  Speaker 1: looked up from the papers and gave Flandry a puzzled stare.
• 47:20
  Speaker 1: If this is the case, and I believe it is,
• 47:23
  Speaker 1: he said slowly, it'll be a first rate catastrophe for
• 47:27
  Speaker 1: the empire. Why are you with us? Human? Maybe I've
• 47:31
  Speaker 1: decided i'd like your cause a little better, shrugged Flandry.
• 47:36
  Speaker 1: Maybe I simply want to make the best of my
• 47:39
  Speaker 1: own situation. We terrestrials are adaptable beasts. But I have
• 47:45
  Speaker 1: enemies here nar the Off, and I expect to make
• 47:48
  Speaker 1: a few more. I'll need a powerful friend. You have one,
• 47:53
  Speaker 1: promised the Barbarian. You're much too useful to me to
• 47:57
  Speaker 1: be killed, and and damn it, human, somehow I can't
• 48:02
  Speaker 1: help liking you. End of section three recording by Paul Harvey,
• 48:14
  Speaker 1: Section four of Tiger by the Tail by Paul William Anderson.
• 48:19
  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public Domain recording by
• 48:24
  Speaker 1: Paul Harvey. The dice rattled down on to the table
• 48:28
  Speaker 1: and came to a halt. Prince Tork swore good naturedly
• 48:32
  Speaker 1: and shoved the pile of coins toward Flandry. I just
• 48:37
  Speaker 1: can't win, he laughed. You have the gods with you
• 48:41
  Speaker 1: human for a slave. I'm not doing so badly, thought Flandry.
• 48:46
  Speaker 1: In fact, I'm getting rich fortunes favor the weak highness,
• 48:52
  Speaker 1: he smiled. The strong don't need luck to Thudigar with titles,
• 48:58
  Speaker 1: said the young warrior. He was drunk. Wine flushed his
• 49:02
  Speaker 1: open face and spread in puddles on the table before him.
• 49:06
  Speaker 1: We're two good friends by now, Dominic, ever since you
• 49:09
  Speaker 1: got my affairs in order. I have a head for figures,
• 49:13
  Speaker 1: and of course terrestrial education helps Torek. But you need money.
• 49:19
  Speaker 1: There'll be enough for all when we hold the empire.
• 49:22
  Speaker 1: I'll have a whole system to rule, you know, Flandry pretended, surprise.
• 49:28
  Speaker 1: Only a system, after all, a son of King Penda
• 49:33
  Speaker 1: Cedric's doing, Tork skulled blackly. The dirty Avigar persuaded father
• 49:39
  Speaker 1: that only one himself, of course, should succeed to the throne.
• 49:44
  Speaker 1: He said, no, kingdom ever lasted. When the sons divided
• 49:48
  Speaker 1: power equally, it seems very unfair. And how does he
• 49:52
  Speaker 1: know he's the best. He's the oldest, that's what counts,
• 49:57
  Speaker 1: and he's conceded enough to be sure of it. Torek
• 50:01
  Speaker 1: gulped another beaker full the empire has a better arrangement.
• 50:06
  Speaker 1: Succession is byability alone among many and a whole group
• 50:11
  Speaker 1: of families. Well, the old ways, what can I do?
• 50:16
  Speaker 1: That's hardly warriors to doc Torc admitting defeats so soon
• 50:20
  Speaker 1: I thought better of you. But what to do? There
• 50:24
  Speaker 1: are ways? Curdi's power, like that of all chiefs, rests
• 50:30
  Speaker 1: on his many supporters and his own household troops. He
• 50:34
  Speaker 1: isn't well liked. It wouldn't be hard to get many
• 50:38
  Speaker 1: of his friends to give allegiance elsewhere. But treachery, would
• 50:44
  Speaker 1: you make a brother slayer of me? Who said anything
• 50:48
  Speaker 1: about killing just dislodging? Let us say he could always
• 50:52
  Speaker 1: have a system or two to rule, just as he
• 50:55
  Speaker 1: meant to give you. But look, I don't know anything
• 50:59
  Speaker 1: about your sneaking terrestrial ways. I suppose you mean to
• 51:04
  Speaker 1: dish disaffect his allies, promise them more than he gives
• 51:10
  Speaker 1: what's the word bribery. I don't know a thing about
• 51:13
  Speaker 1: a dominic. I couldn't do it. You wouldn't have to
• 51:17
  Speaker 1: do it, murmured Flandry. I could help. What's a man
• 51:20
  Speaker 1: for if not to help his friends? Earl Morrigar, who
• 51:25
  Speaker 1: held the conquered Zanthudian planets and fief, was ennobler power
• 51:30
  Speaker 1: and influence beyond the station. He was also notoriously greedy,
• 51:37
  Speaker 1: He said to Captain Flandry, terrestrial, your suggestions about farming
• 51:43
  Speaker 1: out tax gathering have more than doubled my income. But
• 51:47
  Speaker 1: now the natives a rising in revolt against me, murdering
• 51:51
  Speaker 1: my troops wherever they get a chance, and burning their
• 51:55
  Speaker 1: farms rather than pay the levies. What do they do
• 51:58
  Speaker 1: about it? In the empire? Surely, Sir, you could crush
• 52:03
  Speaker 1: the rebels with little effort, said Flandry. Oh ay, but
• 52:08
  Speaker 1: dead men don't pay tribute either. Isn't there a better way?
• 52:12
  Speaker 1: My whole domain is falling into chaos several ways, Sir
• 52:18
  Speaker 1: Flandry sketched a few of them, puppet native committees, propaganda,
• 52:23
  Speaker 1: shifting the blame onto some scapegoat, and the rest of it.
• 52:27
  Speaker 1: He did not add that these methods work only when
• 52:31
  Speaker 1: skillfully administered. It is well rumbled the earl. At last,
• 52:36
  Speaker 1: his hard gaze searched Flandry's impassively smiling face. You've made
• 52:42
  Speaker 1: yourself useful to many a Scathanian leader since coming here,
• 52:47
  Speaker 1: haven't you. There's that matter of Narthyov. He's a great
• 52:51
  Speaker 1: man now because he captured that imperial arsenal. And there
• 52:56
  Speaker 1: are others. But it seems much of this gain is
• 52:59
  Speaker 1: that the spence of other Scathane rather than of the empire.
• 53:04
  Speaker 1: I still wonder about ornegast death. History shows that the
• 53:10
  Speaker 1: prospect of great gain always stirs up internal strife, Sir,
• 53:14
  Speaker 1: said Flandry. It behooves the strong warrior to seize a
• 53:19
  Speaker 1: dominant share of power for himself, and so reunite his
• 53:23
  Speaker 1: people against their common enemy. Thus did the early terrestrial
• 53:28
  Speaker 1: emperors and the civil wars and become the rulers of
• 53:32
  Speaker 1: the then accessible universe. Um, Yes, gain power, wealthyh some
• 53:40
  Speaker 1: good warrior. Since we are alone, Sir, said Flandry, Perhaps
• 53:46
  Speaker 1: I may remark that Skode itself has seen many changes
• 53:50
  Speaker 1: of dynasty. Yes, of course I took an oath to
• 53:54
  Speaker 1: the king. But suppose just suppose the best interests of
• 53:59
  Speaker 1: Scan were served by a newer and stronger family. They
• 54:04
  Speaker 1: were into details of the matter within an hour. Flandry
• 54:08
  Speaker 1: suggested that Prince Kortan would be a valuable ally, but
• 54:13
  Speaker 1: beware of Torrek, who had ambitions of his own. There
• 54:18
  Speaker 1: was a great feast given at the winter solstice. The
• 54:21
  Speaker 1: town and the palace blazed with light and shouted with
• 54:25
  Speaker 1: music and drunken laughter. Warriors and nobles swirled their finest
• 54:30
  Speaker 1: robes about them and boasted of the ruin they would
• 54:34
  Speaker 1: reek in the empire. It was to be noted that
• 54:38
  Speaker 1: the number of alcoholic quarrels leading to bloodshed was unusually
• 54:43
  Speaker 1: high this year, especially among the upper classes. There were
• 54:48
  Speaker 1: enough dark corners, though. Flandry stood in one, a niche
• 54:53
  Speaker 1: leading to a great open window, and looked over the
• 54:56
  Speaker 1: glittering town lights to the huge white hills the lay
• 55:00
  Speaker 1: silent beyond under the hurtling moons. Above were the stars,
• 55:05
  Speaker 1: bright with the frosty twinkle of winter. They seemed so
• 55:10
  Speaker 1: near that one could reach a hand up and pluck
• 55:13
  Speaker 1: them from the sky. A cold breeze wandered in from outside.
• 55:18
  Speaker 1: Flandery wrapped his cloak more tightly about him, A light
• 55:23
  Speaker 1: footfall sounded on the floor. He looked about and saw
• 55:27
  Speaker 1: Gunley the Queen. Her tall, young form was vague in
• 55:32
  Speaker 1: the shadow, but a shaft of moonlight lit her face
• 55:36
  Speaker 1: with an unearthly radiance. She might have been a lovely
• 55:40
  Speaker 1: girl of Tera save for the little horns. And well,
• 55:45
  Speaker 1: these people aren't really human. They look human, but no
• 55:49
  Speaker 1: people of Terra were ever so simple minded, then with
• 55:53
  Speaker 1: an inward grin. But you don't expect a talent for
• 55:56
  Speaker 1: intrigue in women terrestrial hoursco than so, the females of
• 56:01
  Speaker 1: this particular species are quite human enough for any one's taste.
• 56:06
  Speaker 1: The cynical mirth faded into an indefinable sadness. He damn it.
• 56:13
  Speaker 1: He liked Gunley. They had laughed together often in the
• 56:16
  Speaker 1: last few months, and she was honest and warm hearted
• 56:20
  Speaker 1: and well, no matter, no matter, Why are you here
• 56:24
  Speaker 1: all alone, Dominic? She asked. Her voice was very quiet,
• 56:29
  Speaker 1: and her eyes seemed huge in the cold, pale moonlight.
• 56:34
  Speaker 1: It would hardly be prudent for me to join the party,
• 56:37
  Speaker 1: he answered, wryly. I'd caused too many fights. Half of
• 56:41
  Speaker 1: them out there hate my insides, and the other half
• 56:45
  Speaker 1: can't do without you, She smiled. Well, I am as
• 56:49
  Speaker 1: glad not to be there myself. These Prythians are savages
• 56:54
  Speaker 1: at home. She looked out the window and there were
• 56:57
  Speaker 1: suddenly tears glittering in her eyes. Don't weep, Gunley said
• 57:02
  Speaker 1: flandery softly. Not tonight, This is the night the sun turns.
• 57:07
  Speaker 1: Remember there is always new hope and a new year.
• 57:11
  Speaker 1: I can't forget the old years, she said, with the
• 57:14
  Speaker 1: bitterness that shocked him. Understanding came, he asked quietly. There
• 57:20
  Speaker 1: was some one else, wasn't there Aye, a young knight,
• 57:25
  Speaker 1: but he was of low degree. So they married me
• 57:28
  Speaker 1: off to Penda, who is old and chill. And Jemana
• 57:33
  Speaker 1: was killed in one of Surdik's raids. She turned her
• 57:37
  Speaker 1: head to look at him, and a pathetic attempt at
• 57:39
  Speaker 1: a smile quivered on her lips. It isn't Jeemana Dominic.
• 57:45
  Speaker 1: He was very dear to me, But even the deepest
• 57:48
  Speaker 1: wounds heal with time. But I think of all the
• 57:52
  Speaker 1: other young men and their sweethearts. It's what the men
• 57:56
  Speaker 1: want themselves, but not what the women want. Not to
• 58:00
  Speaker 1: wait and wait and wait till the ships come back.
• 58:04
  Speaker 1: Never knowing whether there will only be his shield aboard,
• 58:09
  Speaker 1: not to rock her baby in her arms, and know
• 58:12
  Speaker 1: that in a few years he will be a stiffened
• 58:14
  Speaker 1: corpse on the shores of some unknown planet. Not well,
• 58:20
  Speaker 1: she straightened her slim shoulders. Little I can do about it.
• 58:25
  Speaker 1: You are a very brave and lovely woman, Gunley said, Flandry,
• 58:30
  Speaker 1: your kind has changed history. Ere this, and he sang
• 58:34
  Speaker 1: softly a verse he had made in the scothing Bardic form.
• 58:39
  Speaker 1: So I see you standing sorrowful in darkness, But the
• 58:44
  Speaker 1: moonlight's broken by your eyes to your shining moonlight and
• 58:48
  Speaker 1: the maiden's magic net of tresses. God's gave many gifts,
• 58:53
  Speaker 1: but Gunley yours was greatest. Suddenly she was in his arms.
• 59:00
  Speaker 1: Savavish of Scythophar was angry. He paced up and down
• 59:04
  Speaker 1: the secret chamber, his tail lashing about, his bowed legs,
• 59:09
  Speaker 1: his feigned jaws snapping on the accent Scothian words that
• 59:14
  Speaker 1: poured out like a kraex. They treat me, he hissed. Ay,
• 59:19
  Speaker 1: king of a planet and an intelligent species must bow
• 59:23
  Speaker 1: before the dirty barbarian penda. Our ships have the worst
• 59:27
  Speaker 1: positions in the fighting line, and the last chance at
• 59:31
  Speaker 1: loot the swaggering Scathani or Scythephar. Treat my people as
• 59:36
  Speaker 1: if they were conquered peasants, not warrior allies. It is
• 59:40
  Speaker 1: not to be endured. Flandry remained respectfully silent. He had
• 59:46
  Speaker 1: carefully nursed the reptile King's smoldering resentment along ever since
• 59:52
  Speaker 1: the Bean had come to Ithigar for conference. But he
• 59:57
  Speaker 1: wanted to Fash to think it was all his his
• 1:00:00
  Speaker 1: own idea, by the dark God. If I had a chance,
• 1:00:04
  Speaker 1: I think i'd go over to the Terran side, exploded Vash.
• 1:00:09
  Speaker 1: You say they treat their subjects decently. Ay, we've learned
• 1:00:14
  Speaker 1: it doesn't pay to be prejudiced about race, your majesty.
• 1:00:18
  Speaker 1: In fact, many non humans old terrestrial citizenship. And of
• 1:00:23
  Speaker 1: course a vassal of the Empire remains free within his
• 1:00:27
  Speaker 1: own domain, except in certain matters of trade and military force,
• 1:00:32
  Speaker 1: where we must have uniformity. And he has the immeasurable
• 1:00:36
  Speaker 1: power and wealth of the Empire behind and with him,
• 1:00:40
  Speaker 1: my nobles would follow gladly enough, said Spaffish. They'd sooner
• 1:00:45
  Speaker 1: loot Scothian and than terrestrial planets if they didn't fear
• 1:00:50
  Speaker 1: Penda's revenge. Many other of Skoda's allies feel likewise, your majesty,
• 1:00:57
  Speaker 1: And still more, I would join an uprising just for
• 1:01:00
  Speaker 1: the sake of the readily available plunder, if only they
• 1:01:04
  Speaker 1: were sure the revolt would succeed. It is a matter
• 1:01:07
  Speaker 1: of getting them all together and a green and you
• 1:01:11
  Speaker 1: have contacts everywhere terrestrial. You're like a spinner weaving its web.
• 1:01:16
  Speaker 1: Of course, if you're caught, I shall certainly insist I
• 1:01:20
  Speaker 1: never had anything to do with you. Of course, your majesty,
• 1:01:24
  Speaker 1: But if it works hah. The lidless black eyes glittered
• 1:01:29
  Speaker 1: and a forked tongue flickered out between the horny lips.
• 1:01:33
  Speaker 1: Ha the sack of sco Thata. No, your majesty, it
• 1:01:38
  Speaker 1: is necessary that Scotha be spared. There will be enough
• 1:01:41
  Speaker 1: wealth to be had on her province planets. Why the
• 1:01:46
  Speaker 1: question was cold emotionless, because you see, your majesty, we
• 1:01:51
  Speaker 1: will have Scouthen allies who will cooperate only on that condition,
• 1:01:57
  Speaker 1: some of the power seeking nobles. And then there is
• 1:02:00
  Speaker 1: a southern nationalist movement which wishes separation from the Pythian North.
• 1:02:07
  Speaker 1: And I may say that it has the secret leadership
• 1:02:10
  Speaker 1: of the queen herself. Flandry's eyes were as chill as
• 1:02:15
  Speaker 1: his voice. It will do you no good to kill me,
• 1:02:19
  Speaker 1: Duke Asdagar. I have left all the evidence with a
• 1:02:22
  Speaker 1: reliable person, who, if I do not return alive, or
• 1:02:27
  Speaker 1: if I am killed later, will take it directly to
• 1:02:30
  Speaker 1: the King and the people. The Scovin's hands clenched white
• 1:02:35
  Speaker 1: about the arms of his chair. Impotent. Rage shivered in
• 1:02:39
  Speaker 1: his voice. You devil, you crawling worm. Name calling is
• 1:02:44
  Speaker 1: rather silly coming from one of your history, said Flandry.
• 1:02:49
  Speaker 1: A parricide, a betrayer of comrades, a breaker of oaths,
• 1:02:53
  Speaker 1: a mocker of the gods. I have all the evidence,
• 1:02:56
  Speaker 1: Duke Asdagar. Some of it is on payvapor. Some is
• 1:03:01
  Speaker 1: nothing but the names of scattered witnesses and accomplices, each
• 1:03:05
  Speaker 1: of whom knows a little of your career. And a
• 1:03:09
  Speaker 1: man without honor on Skoda is better dead. In fact,
• 1:03:13
  Speaker 1: he soon will be. But how did you learn? Hopelessness
• 1:03:18
  Speaker 1: was coming into the Duke's tone. He was beginning to
• 1:03:21
  Speaker 1: tremble a little. I have my ways. For instance, I
• 1:03:26
  Speaker 1: learned quite a bit by cultivating the acquaintance of your
• 1:03:29
  Speaker 1: slaves and servants. You high born. Forget that the lower
• 1:03:34
  Speaker 1: classes have eyes and ears, and that they talk among themselves. Well,
• 1:03:39
  Speaker 1: the words were almost strangled. What do you want help
• 1:03:44
  Speaker 1: for certain others? You have powerful forces at your disposal.
• 1:03:49
  Speaker 1: Spring winds blew softly through the garden and stirred the
• 1:03:53
  Speaker 1: trees to rustling. There was a deep smell of green
• 1:03:56
  Speaker 1: life about them. A bird was singing somewhere in the twilight,
• 1:04:01
  Speaker 1: and the ancient promise of summer stirred in the blood.
• 1:04:05
  Speaker 1: Flandry tried to relax in the fragrant evening, but he
• 1:04:09
  Speaker 1: was too tense. His nerves were drawn into quivering wires,
• 1:04:14
  Speaker 1: and he had grown thin and hollow eyed. So too
• 1:04:18
  Speaker 1: had Gunnley. But it seemed only to heighten her loveliness.
• 1:04:22
  Speaker 1: It had more than a hint of the utterly alien
• 1:04:25
  Speaker 1: and remote. Now, well the spaceship is off, said the man.
• 1:04:31
  Speaker 1: His voice was weary. Athager shouldn't have any trouble getting
• 1:04:35
  Speaker 1: to Effrey. And he's a clever lad. He'll find a
• 1:04:39
  Speaker 1: way to deliver my letter to Admiral Walton. He scowled,
• 1:04:43
  Speaker 1: and a nervous tick began over his left eye. But
• 1:04:47
  Speaker 1: the timing is so desperately close. If our forces strike
• 1:04:51
  Speaker 1: too soon nor too late, it can be ruinous. I
• 1:04:55
  Speaker 1: don't worry about that, Dominic, said Gunley. You know how
• 1:05:00
  Speaker 1: to arrange these things. I've never handled an empire before,
• 1:05:04
  Speaker 1: my beautiful. The next several days we'll be touch and go.
• 1:05:09
  Speaker 1: And that's why I want you to leave Scotha. Now,
• 1:05:12
  Speaker 1: take a ship and some trusty guards and go to
• 1:05:15
  Speaker 1: Aligan or Gimly or some other out of the way planet.
• 1:05:20
  Speaker 1: He smiled with one corner of his mouth. It would
• 1:05:24
  Speaker 1: be a bitter victory if you died in it, Gunley.
• 1:05:27
  Speaker 1: Her voice was haunted. I should die. I betrayed, my Lord.
• 1:05:32
  Speaker 1: I am dishonored. You've saved your people, your own Southerners,
• 1:05:37
  Speaker 1: and ultimately all scow the but the broken oaths, she
• 1:05:42
  Speaker 1: began to weep, quietly and hopelessly. An oath is only
• 1:05:47
  Speaker 1: a means to an end. Don't let the means override
• 1:05:50
  Speaker 1: the end. An oath is an oath, But Dominic, it
• 1:05:55
  Speaker 1: was a choice. A standing by Penda or by you
• 1:06:00
  Speaker 1: comforted her as well as he could, and he reflected
• 1:06:03
  Speaker 1: grimly that he had never before felt himself so thoroughly
• 1:06:08
  Speaker 1: a skunk. End of section four recording by Paul Harvey.
• 1:06:19
  Speaker 1: Section five of Tiger by the Tail by Paul William Anderson.
• 1:06:24
  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Recording by
• 1:06:29
  Speaker 1: Paul Harvey. The battle in space was to the naked
• 1:06:33
  Speaker 1: eye hardly visible, brief flashes of radiation among the swarming stars,
• 1:06:39
  Speaker 1: occasionally the dark form of a ship slipping by in
• 1:06:43
  Speaker 1: occulting a wisp of the milky Way. But Admiral Walton
• 1:06:48
  Speaker 1: smiled with cold satisfaction at the totality of reports given
• 1:06:53
  Speaker 1: him by the semantic integrator. We're mopping them up, he said.
• 1:06:59
  Speaker 1: Our task force has twice their strength, and they're disorganized
• 1:07:03
  Speaker 1: and demoralized. Anyway, whom are we fighting, wondered Chang, the
• 1:07:08
  Speaker 1: executive officer, don't know for sure. They split into so
• 1:07:12
  Speaker 1: many factions you can never tell who it is. But
• 1:07:16
  Speaker 1: from Flandry's report, I'd say it was what was that
• 1:07:20
  Speaker 1: outlandish name? Now, Duke Marcograv's fleet. He holds this sector
• 1:07:27
  Speaker 1: and is a royalist. But it might be Kellry, who's
• 1:07:31
  Speaker 1: also anti terrestrial. But it were with marc Agrav and
• 1:07:36
  Speaker 1: in revolt against the king, sons and comets and little
• 1:07:40
  Speaker 1: green asteroids, breathed Chang. This Scothanian hegemony seems just to
• 1:07:47
  Speaker 1: have disintegrated chaos, everybody at war with everybody else, and
• 1:07:52
  Speaker 1: hell take the hindmost. How do he do it? I
• 1:07:57
  Speaker 1: don't know, Walton grinned, but Andre's the Empire's ace secret
• 1:08:02
  Speaker 1: service officer. He works miracles before breakfast. Why before these
• 1:08:07
  Speaker 1: barbarians snatched him, he was handling the Lanthward trouble all
• 1:08:11
  Speaker 1: by himself. And you know how he was doing it.
• 1:08:15
  Speaker 1: He went there with everything but a big brass band,
• 1:08:18
  Speaker 1: did the perfect imitation of a political appointee, using the
• 1:08:22
  Speaker 1: case as an excuse to do some high powered roistering,
• 1:08:28
  Speaker 1: and worked his way toward the conspirators through the underworld
• 1:08:32
  Speaker 1: characters he met in the course of it. They never
• 1:08:36
  Speaker 1: dreamed he was any kind of danger, as we found
• 1:08:39
  Speaker 1: out after a whole squad of men had worked for
• 1:08:43
  Speaker 1: six months to crack the case of his disappearance. Then
• 1:08:47
  Speaker 1: the Scothanions had been holding the equivalent of a whole
• 1:08:51
  Speaker 1: army and didn't know it. That's right, nodded Walton. The
• 1:08:56
  Speaker 1: biggest mistake they ever made was to kidnap and flandry.
• 1:09:01
  Speaker 1: They should have played safe and kept some nice, harmless
• 1:09:04
  Speaker 1: cobras for pets. Ifigar was burning, mobs rioted in the
• 1:09:10
  Speaker 1: streets and howled with fear and rage and the madness
• 1:09:14
  Speaker 1: of catastrophe. The remnants of Penda's army had abandoned the
• 1:09:19
  Speaker 1: town and were fleeing northward before the advancing Southern rebels.
• 1:09:24
  Speaker 1: They would be harried by Toruk's guerrillas, who in turn
• 1:09:28
  Speaker 1: were the fragments of a force smashed by Earl Morgar.
• 1:09:33
  Speaker 1: After Penda was slain by Courton's assassins, Morgar himself was
• 1:09:39
  Speaker 1: dead and his rebels broken by Nardiov. The Earl's own
• 1:09:44
  Speaker 1: band had been riddled by corruption and greed, and had
• 1:09:48
  Speaker 1: fallen apart before the Royalists counter blow. But Nardiov was
• 1:09:53
  Speaker 1: dead too, at the hands of Nornegast's vengeful relatives. His
• 1:09:59
  Speaker 1: own size of supreme power and attempt at reorganization had
• 1:10:04
  Speaker 1: created little but confusion, which grew worse when he was gone.
• 1:10:10
  Speaker 1: Now the Royalists were a beaten force somewhere out in space,
• 1:10:14
  Speaker 1: savagely attacked by their erstwhile allies driven off the revolting
• 1:10:20
  Speaker 1: conquered planets and swept away before the remorselessly advancing terrestrial fleet.
• 1:10:28
  Speaker 1: The Scovanian Empire had fallen into a hundred yards, snapping
• 1:10:33
  Speaker 1: at each other and trying desperately to retrieve their own
• 1:10:37
  Speaker 1: with no thought for the whole lost in an incomprehensibly
• 1:10:41
  Speaker 1: complex network of intrigue and betrayal. The great leaders fell
• 1:10:47
  Speaker 1: or pulled out of the mess and made hasty peace
• 1:10:51
  Speaker 1: with Terra. War and anarchy flamed between the stars, but
• 1:10:56
  Speaker 1: limited war, a petty struggle. Really, the resources an organization
• 1:11:02
  Speaker 1: for real war and its attendant destruction just weren't there
• 1:11:06
  Speaker 1: any more. A few guards still held the almost deserted palace,
• 1:11:12
  Speaker 1: waiting for the terrestrials to come and end the strife.
• 1:11:16
  Speaker 1: There was nothing they could do but wait. Captain Flandry
• 1:11:20
  Speaker 1: stood at a window and looked over the city. He
• 1:11:24
  Speaker 1: felt no great delation, nor was he safe yet Surdik.
• 1:11:28
  Speaker 1: It was loose somewhere on the planet, and Surdik had
• 1:11:32
  Speaker 1: undoubtedly guessed who was responsible. Gunnley came to the human
• 1:11:37
  Speaker 1: She was very pale. She hadn't expected Penda's death, and
• 1:11:42
  Speaker 1: it had hurt her, But there was nothing to do
• 1:11:45
  Speaker 1: now but go through with the business. Who would have
• 1:11:49
  Speaker 1: thought it, she whispered, Who would have dreamed? We would
• 1:11:54
  Speaker 1: ever come to this, that mighty Skoda would lie at
• 1:11:58
  Speaker 1: the conqueror's feet, I would said, flandery tonelessly. Such jerry
• 1:12:04
  Speaker 1: built empires as yours never last. Barbarians just don't have
• 1:12:09
  Speaker 1: the talent and the knowledge to run them, being only
• 1:12:12
  Speaker 1: out for plunder, they don't really build. Of course, Scoda
• 1:12:18
  Speaker 1: was especially susceptible to this kind of sabotage. Your much
• 1:12:23
  Speaker 1: vaunted honesty was your own undoing. By carefully avoiding any
• 1:12:28
  Speaker 1: hint of dishonorable actions, you became completely ignorant of the
• 1:12:33
  Speaker 1: techniques and the preventive measures. Your honor was never more
• 1:12:38
  Speaker 1: than latent ability for dishonor. All I had to do, essentially,
• 1:12:43
  Speaker 1: was to point out your key men the rewards of betrayal.
• 1:12:48
  Speaker 1: If they'd been really honest, I'd have died at the
• 1:12:51
  Speaker 1: first suggestion. Instead, they grabbed at the chance, so it
• 1:12:56
  Speaker 1: was easy to set them against each other until no
• 1:13:00
  Speaker 1: no one knew whom he could trust. He smiled humorlessly.
• 1:13:04
  Speaker 1: Not many Scathanni objected to bribery, nor murder or treachery
• 1:13:09
  Speaker 1: when I was shown to be to their advantage. I
• 1:13:12
  Speaker 1: assure you most terrestrials would have thought further been able
• 1:13:17
  Speaker 1: to see beyond their own noses and realized the ultimate
• 1:13:21
  Speaker 1: disaster it would bring. Still, honor is honor, and I
• 1:13:26
  Speaker 1: have lost mine, and so have all my people. Gunnley
• 1:13:30
  Speaker 1: looked at him with the strange light in her eyes. Dominic,
• 1:13:34
  Speaker 1: disgrace can only be wiped out in blood. He felt
• 1:13:38
  Speaker 1: a sudden tightening of his nerves and muscles in awareness
• 1:13:43
  Speaker 1: of something deadly rising before him. What do you mean?
• 1:13:47
  Speaker 1: She had lifted the blaster from his holster and skipped
• 1:13:51
  Speaker 1: out of reach before he could move. No, stay there,
• 1:13:55
  Speaker 1: her voice was shrill, Dominic. You are a cunning man,
• 1:13:59
  Speaker 1: but are you a brave one? He stood still before
• 1:14:03
  Speaker 1: the menace of the weapon. I think he groped for words. No,
• 1:14:08
  Speaker 1: she wasn't crazy, but she wasn't really human, and she
• 1:14:12
  Speaker 1: had the barbarian's fanatical code in her as well. Easy, easy,
• 1:14:17
  Speaker 1: or death would spit at him. I think I took
• 1:14:21
  Speaker 1: a few chances, Gunley, Aye, but you never fought. You
• 1:14:26
  Speaker 1: haven't stood up, manned a man and battled as a warrior.
• 1:14:29
  Speaker 1: Should Pain racked her thin, lovely face. She was breathing hard.
• 1:14:34
  Speaker 1: Now it's for you as well as him, Dominic. He
• 1:14:39
  Speaker 1: has to have his chance and to avenge his father
• 1:14:42
  Speaker 1: himself fallen Scoda, and you have to have a chance
• 1:14:46
  Speaker 1: to If you can win, then you are the stronger
• 1:14:50
  Speaker 1: and have the right. Might makes right. It was, after all,
• 1:14:55
  Speaker 1: the one unbreakable law of Scoda, the old trial by combat.
• 1:15:00
  Speaker 1: Here on a foreign planet, many light years from green Terra,
• 1:15:05
  Speaker 1: Sirda came in hit a sword in either hand, and
• 1:15:09
  Speaker 1: there was a savage glee in his bloodshot eyes. I
• 1:15:13
  Speaker 1: led a man, dominic, said Gunley. She was crying. Now
• 1:15:17
  Speaker 1: I had to Penda was my lord, but kill him.
• 1:15:21
  Speaker 1: Kill him. With a convulsive movement, she threw the blaster
• 1:15:25
  Speaker 1: out of the window. Surdik gave her an inquiring look.
• 1:15:29
  Speaker 1: Her voice was almost inaudible. I might not be able
• 1:15:33
  Speaker 1: to stand it. I might shoot you, Surdik thanks. He
• 1:15:38
  Speaker 1: ripped the word out savagely. I'll deal with you later, traitorous. Meanwhile,
• 1:15:44
  Speaker 1: a terrible laughter bubbled in his throat. I'll carve your
• 1:15:48
  Speaker 1: friend into many small pieces, because who among the so
• 1:15:53
  Speaker 1: civilized terrestrials can handle the sword. Gunley seemed to collapse.
• 1:15:59
  Speaker 1: Oh god, oh mighty gods, I didn't think of that.
• 1:16:03
  Speaker 1: Suddenly she flung herself on syurdec tooth and nail and horns,
• 1:16:08
  Speaker 1: snatching at his dagger. Get him, Dominic, she screamed, get him.
• 1:16:13
  Speaker 1: The Prince swept one brawny arm out. There was a
• 1:16:17
  Speaker 1: dull smack, and Gunley fell heavily to the floor. Now
• 1:16:21
  Speaker 1: grinned Surdik, choose your weapon. Flandery came forward and took
• 1:16:27
  Speaker 1: one of the slender broadswords. Oddly, he was thinking mostly
• 1:16:31
  Speaker 1: about the queen huddled there on the floor. Poor kid,
• 1:16:35
  Speaker 1: Poor kid, she'd been under a greater strained and flesh
• 1:16:39
  Speaker 1: and nerves were meant to bear bud. Give her a
• 1:16:42
  Speaker 1: chance and she'd be all right. Serdik's eyes were almost
• 1:16:46
  Speaker 1: dreamy now. He smiled as he crossed blades. This will
• 1:16:51
  Speaker 1: make up for a lot, he said. Before you die, Terrestrial,
• 1:16:55
  Speaker 1: you will no longer be a man. Steel rain in
• 1:17:00
  Speaker 1: the Great hall. Flandry parried the murderous slash and raked
• 1:17:05
  Speaker 1: the Prince's cheek. Surdik roared and plunged at him, his
• 1:17:09
  Speaker 1: blade weaving a net of death before him. Flandry skipped back,
• 1:17:14
  Speaker 1: sword ringing on sword shoulders against the wall. They stood
• 1:17:19
  Speaker 1: for an instant, straining blade against blade, sweat rivering off them,
• 1:17:25
  Speaker 1: and bit by bit, the Scothin's greater strength bent Flandry's
• 1:17:30
  Speaker 1: arm aside. Suddenly, the terrestrial let go, striking out almost
• 1:17:36
  Speaker 1: in the same moment, and the Prince's steel hissed by
• 1:17:39
  Speaker 1: his face. He ran back, and Surdik rushed him again.
• 1:17:44
  Speaker 1: The Scothin was wide open for the simplest stop thrust,
• 1:17:49
  Speaker 1: but Flandry didn't want to kill him. They closed once more,
• 1:17:53
  Speaker 1: the blades clashing, and the human waited for his chance.
• 1:17:57
  Speaker 1: It came an awkward move, and then one supremely skillful twist,
• 1:18:03
  Speaker 1: Serdic's sword went spinning out of his hand and across
• 1:18:06
  Speaker 1: the room, and the Prince stood disarmed with Flandry's point
• 1:18:11
  Speaker 1: at his throat. For a moment he gaped in utter stupefication.
• 1:18:17
  Speaker 1: Flandry laughed harshly and said, my dear friend, you forget
• 1:18:22
  Speaker 1: that deliberate archaism is one characteristic of a decadence society.
• 1:18:28
  Speaker 1: There's hardly a noble in the Empire who hasn't studied
• 1:18:31
  Speaker 1: scientific fencing. Defeat was heavy in the Prince's defiant voice.
• 1:18:37
  Speaker 1: Kill me, then be done with it. There's been too
• 1:18:41
  Speaker 1: much killing, and you can be too useful. Flandry threw
• 1:18:45
  Speaker 1: his own weapon aside and cocked his fists. But there's
• 1:18:48
  Speaker 1: one thing I've wanted to do for a long long time.
• 1:18:53
  Speaker 1: Despite the Scoutin's powerful but clumsy defense, Flandry proceeded to
• 1:18:59
  Speaker 1: beat the living hell out of him. We've saved Scoda,
• 1:19:03
  Speaker 1: all Scova, said Flandery. Think, girl, what would have happened
• 1:19:09
  Speaker 1: if you'd gone on into the empire, even if you'd won,
• 1:19:13
  Speaker 1: and that was always doubtful, for Tera is mightier than
• 1:19:17
  Speaker 1: you thought. You'd only have fallen into civil war. You
• 1:19:21
  Speaker 1: just didn't have the capacity to run an empire, as
• 1:19:25
  Speaker 1: witness the fact that your own allies and conquests turned
• 1:19:30
  Speaker 1: on you the first chance they got. You'd have fought
• 1:19:33
  Speaker 1: each other over the spoils. Greater powers would have moved in.
• 1:19:38
  Speaker 1: Scoda would have been ripe for sacking. Eventually you'd have
• 1:19:42
  Speaker 1: gone down into galactic oblivion. The present conflict was really
• 1:19:48
  Speaker 1: quite small. It took far fewer lives than even a
• 1:19:52
  Speaker 1: successful invasion of the empire would have done. And now
• 1:19:56
  Speaker 1: Tara will bring the peace you longed for. Gunley, Ay,
• 1:20:01
  Speaker 1: she whispered, Ay, we deserve to be conquered. But you aren't,
• 1:20:06
  Speaker 1: he said. The Southerners hold Scothow, and Taro will recognize
• 1:20:11
  Speaker 1: them as the legal government. With you, the Queen Gunley,
• 1:20:15
  Speaker 1: you will be another vassal state of the Empire. Yes,
• 1:20:18
  Speaker 1: but with all your freedoms, except the liberty to rob
• 1:20:22
  Speaker 1: and kill other races and trade with the rest of
• 1:20:25
  Speaker 1: the Empire will bring you a greater and more enduring
• 1:20:29
  Speaker 1: prosperity than war. Ever would I suppose that the Empire
• 1:20:33
  Speaker 1: is decadent, but there's no reason why it can't some
• 1:20:37
  Speaker 1: day have a renaissance. When the vigorous new peoples such
• 1:20:41
  Speaker 1: as yours, are guided by the ancient wisdom of Tera,
• 1:20:45
  Speaker 1: the galaxy may see its greatest glory. She smiled at him.
• 1:20:50
  Speaker 1: It was still Awain's smile, but something of her old
• 1:20:54
  Speaker 1: spirit was returning to her. I don't think the Empire
• 1:20:58
  Speaker 1: is so far gone, Domin, she said, not when it
• 1:21:02
  Speaker 1: has men like you. She took us hands, and what
• 1:21:06
  Speaker 1: will you be doing now? He met her eyes, and
• 1:21:09
  Speaker 1: there was a sudden loneliness within him. She was very beautiful,
• 1:21:15
  Speaker 1: but it could never work out. Best to leave now
• 1:21:18
  Speaker 1: before a bright memory grew tarnished with the day to
• 1:21:21
  Speaker 1: day clashing of personalities. Utterly foreign to each other. She
• 1:21:26
  Speaker 1: would forget him in time, find some one else, and he, well,
• 1:21:30
  Speaker 1: I have my work, he said. They looked up to
• 1:21:34
  Speaker 1: the bright sky. Far above them, the first of the
• 1:21:37
  Speaker 1: descending Imperial ships glittered in the sunlight like a falling star.
• 1:21:43
  Speaker 1: End of Section five recording by Paul Harvey. End of
• 1:21:47
  Speaker 1: Tiger by the Tail by Paul William Anderson