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Operation Haystack · 3 Science Fiction Stories by Frank Herbert

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Speaker 1: Operation Haystack by Frank Herbert. This libre vox recording is
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Speaker 1: in the public domain. Recording by Phil Shinever. Operation Haystack
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Speaker 1: was first published in Astounding Science Fiction May nineteen fifty nine.
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Speaker 1: When the Investigation and Adjustment Scout cruiser landed on Morok,
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Speaker 1: it carried a man the doctors had no hope of saving.
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Speaker 1: He was alive only because he was in a womblike
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Speaker 1: crush pod that had taken over most of his vital functions.
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Speaker 1: The man's name was Lewis Orne. He had been a blocky,
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Speaker 1: heavy muscled redhead with slightly off centered features and the
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Speaker 1: hard flesh of a heavy planet native. Even in the
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Speaker 1: placid repose of near death, there was something clownish about
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Speaker 1: his appearance. His burned, unguent covered face looked made up
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Speaker 1: for some bizarre show. Morok is the League capital, and
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Speaker 1: the I a medical center there is probably the best
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Speaker 1: in the galaxy, but it accepted the crash pod and
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Speaker 1: orn more as a curiosity than anything else. The man
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Speaker 1: had lost one eye, three fingers of his left hand,
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Speaker 1: and part of his hair, suffered a broken jaw, and
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Speaker 1: various internal injuries. He had been in terminal shock for
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Speaker 1: more than ninety hours umbo Stetson, Orn's Section chief went
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Speaker 1: back into his cruiser's office after a hospital flitter took
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Speaker 1: pod and patient. There was an added droop to Stetson's
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Speaker 1: shoulders that accentuated his usual slouching stance. His over large
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Speaker 1: features were drawn into ridges of sorrow. A general straggling,
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Speaker 1: strampish look about him was not helped by pass etched
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Speaker 1: blue fatigues. The doctor's words still rang in Stetson's ears.
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Speaker 1: This patient's vital tone is too low to permit operative
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Speaker 1: replacement of damaged organs. He'll live for a while because
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Speaker 1: of the pod. But and the doctor had shrugged. Stetson
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Speaker 1: slumped into his desk chair, looked out the open port
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Speaker 1: beside him, some four hundred meters below. The scurrying, beetle
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Speaker 1: like activity of the I a's main field sent up
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Speaker 1: discordant roaring and clattering. Two rows of other Scout cruisers
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Speaker 1: were parked in line with Stetson's port, gleaming red and
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Speaker 1: black needles. He stared at them, without really seeing them.
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Speaker 1: Had always happens on some routine assignment. He thought nothing
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Speaker 1: but a slight suspicion about heleb the fact that only
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Speaker 1: women held high office. One simple unexplained fact, and I
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Speaker 1: lose my best agent, he sighed, turned to his desk
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Speaker 1: began composing the report. The militant core on the planet
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Speaker 1: heleb has been eliminated. Occupation force on the ground. No
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Speaker 1: further danger to galactic peace expected from this source. Reason
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Speaker 1: for Operation Rediscovery and re Education. After two years on
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Speaker 1: the planet failed to detect signs of militancy. The major
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Speaker 1: indications were one a ruling cast restricted to women, and
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Speaker 1: two disparity between numbers of males and females far beyond
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Speaker 1: the Lutig norm. Senior Field Agent Lewis Orne found that
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Speaker 1: the ruling cast was controlling the sex of offspring at
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Speaker 1: conception see attached details, and had raised a male slave
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Speaker 1: army to maintain its rule. The R and R agent
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Speaker 1: had been drained of information, then killed. Arms constructed on
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Speaker 1: the basis of that information caused critical injuries to Senior
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Speaker 1: Field Agent Orn. He is not expected to live. I
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Speaker 1: am hereby urging that he received the Galaxy Medal and
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Speaker 1: that his name be added to the role of honor.
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Speaker 1: Stetson pushed the page aside. That was enough for com Goo,
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Speaker 1: who never read anything but the first page anyway, details
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Speaker 1: were for his aide to chew and digest. They could wait.
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Speaker 1: Stetson punched his desk callbox for Orange's service record, set
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Speaker 1: himself to the task he most detested. Notifying next to Kin.
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Speaker 1: He read, pursing his lips home Planet chargone notifying case
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Speaker 1: of accident or deaths Victoria Arn mother. He leaved through
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Speaker 1: the pages, reluctant to send the hated message. Arn had
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Speaker 1: enlisted in the Morock Marines at age seventeen, a runaway
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Speaker 1: from home, and his mother had given post enlistment consent.
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Speaker 1: Two years later, scholarship transferred to Uni Galacta, the R
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Speaker 1: and R School here on Morok. Five years of school
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Speaker 1: and one R and R field assignment under his belt,
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Speaker 1: he had been drafted into the IA for brilliant detection
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Speaker 1: of militancy on Hammel And two years later capute. Abruptly,
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Speaker 1: Stetson hurled the service record at the gray metal wall
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Speaker 1: across from him. Then he got up brought the record
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Speaker 1: back to his desk, smoothing the pages. There were tears
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Speaker 1: in his eyes. He flipped a switch on his desk,
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Speaker 1: dictated the notification to Central Secretary, ordered it sent out
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Speaker 1: priority then he went ground side and got drunk on
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Speaker 1: hochar Brandy, Orne's favorite drink. The next morning there was
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Speaker 1: a reply from Chargon Louis Orne's mother too ill to travel,
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Speaker 1: sisters being notified, Please ask missrus Ipscott Bologne of moroc
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Speaker 1: wife of High Commissioner, to take over for family. It
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Speaker 1: was signed Madrina Orne, standish sister with some misgivings. Stetson
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Speaker 1: called the residence of Ipscott Bologne, leader of the majority
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Speaker 1: party in the Morock Assembly. Missus Bologne took the call
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Speaker 1: with blank screen. There was a sound of running water
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Speaker 1: in the background. Stetson stared at the grayness swimming in
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Speaker 1: his desk visor. He always disliked a blank screen. A
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Speaker 1: baritone husk of a voice said, this is Polly Blonne.
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Speaker 1: Stetson introduced himself. Relay the Chargon message. Victorious boy dying here,
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Speaker 1: Oh the poor thing, and Madrina's back on Chargon the election.
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Speaker 1: Oh yes, of course, I'll get right over to the hospital.
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Speaker 1: Stetson signed off. Broke the contact the High Commissioner's wife.
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Speaker 1: Yet he thought then because he had to do it,
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Speaker 1: He walled off his sorrow got to work at the
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Speaker 1: medical center. The Oval crush containing orn hung from ceiling
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Speaker 1: hooks in a private room. There were humming sounds in
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Speaker 1: the dim, watery greenness of the room, rhythmic chuckings, sighings.
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Speaker 1: Occasionally a door opened almost soundlessly, and a white clad
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Speaker 1: figure would check the graft tapes on the CRUSH's meters.
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Speaker 1: Orn was lingering. He became the major conversation piece at
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Speaker 1: the intern's coffee breaks. That agent who was hurt on
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Speaker 1: helebt he's still with us. Man. They must build those
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Speaker 1: guys different from the rest of us. Yeah, understand, he's
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Speaker 1: got only about an eighth of his insides, liver, kidney's
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Speaker 1: stomach all gone. Lay you odds he doesn't last out
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Speaker 1: the month. Look what old sure thing mc tavish wants
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Speaker 1: to bet on. On the morning of the eighty eighth
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Speaker 1: day in the crush, the day Nurse came into Arn's room,
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Speaker 1: lifted the inspection hood looked down at him. The day
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Speaker 1: Nurse was a tall, lean faced professional who had learned
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Speaker 1: to meet miracles and failures with equal lack of expression. However,
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Speaker 1: this routine with a dying i a operative had lulled
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Speaker 1: her into a state of psychological unpreparedness. Any day now,
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Speaker 1: poor guy, she thought, and she gasped whiped as he
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Speaker 1: opened his soul remaining eye said did they clobber those
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Speaker 1: dames on his lib? Yes, sir, she blurted out, They
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Speaker 1: really did, sir. Good. Arn closed his eye, his breathing deepened.
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Speaker 1: The nurse rang frantically for the doctor's. It had been
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Speaker 1: an indeterminate period in a blank fog for Orn, then
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Speaker 1: a time of pain, and the gradual realization that he
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Speaker 1: was in a crash had to be He could remember
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Speaker 1: his sudden exposure on his leb, the explosion, then nothing
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Speaker 1: good old crush. It made him feel safe. Now shielded
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Speaker 1: from all danger, Arn began to show minute but steady
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Speaker 1: signs of improvement. In another month, the doctors ventured an
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Speaker 1: intestinal graft that gave him a new spurt of energy.
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Speaker 1: Two months later, they replaced missing eye and fingers, restored
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Speaker 1: his scalp line, worked artistic surgery on his burn scores.
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Speaker 1: Fourteen months, eleven days, five hours, and two minutes after
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Speaker 1: he had been picked up as good as dead, Orn
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Speaker 1: walked out of the hospital under his own power, accompanied
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Speaker 1: by a strangely silent umbo stetson. Under the dark blue
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Speaker 1: eye a field cape Orne's coverall uniform fitted his once
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Speaker 1: muscular frame like a deflated bag. But the pixie light
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Speaker 1: had returned to his eyes, even to the eye he
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Speaker 1: had received from a nameless and long dead donor. Except
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Speaker 1: for the loss of weight, he looked to be the
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Speaker 1: same Lewis Orn. If he was different beyond the spare parts,
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Speaker 1: it was something he only suspected, something that made the
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Speaker 1: idea twice born, not a joke. Outside side the hospital,
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Speaker 1: clouds obscured Moroc's green sun. It was mid morning. A
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Speaker 1: cold spring wind bent the pile lawn tugged fitfully at
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Speaker 1: the border plantings of exotic flowers around the hospital's landing pad.
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Speaker 1: Orn stepped on the steps above the pad breathed deeply
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Speaker 1: of the chill air. Beautiful day, he said. Stetson reached
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Speaker 1: out a hand to help Orn down the steps. Hesitated,
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Speaker 1: put the hand back in his pocket. Beneath the section's
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Speaker 1: chief look of weary superciliousness, there was a note of anxiety.
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Speaker 1: His big features were set in a frown. The drooping
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Speaker 1: eyelids failed to conceal a sharp, measuring stare. Orn glanced
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Speaker 1: at the sky in the southwest. The flitter ought to
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Speaker 1: be here, any minute. A gust of wind tugged at
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Speaker 1: his cape. He staggered, caught his balance. I feel good.
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Speaker 1: You look like something left over from a funeral, growled Stetson.
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Speaker 1: Sure my funeral, said arn. He grinned anyway, I was
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Speaker 1: getting tired of that walk around type. Margue. All my
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Speaker 1: nurses were married. All r'd almost stake my life that
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Speaker 1: I could trust you, muttered Stetson. Orran looked at him. No, no,
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Speaker 1: stett stake my life. I'm used to it. Stetson shook
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Speaker 1: his head. No, damn it. I trust you, but you
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Speaker 1: deserve a peaceful convalescence. We've no right to saddle you
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Speaker 1: with stat Orran's voice was low, amused. Huh. Stetson looked up.
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Speaker 1: Let's save the noble act for someone who doesn't know you,
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Speaker 1: said Oran, you've a job for me. Okay, you've made
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Speaker 1: the gesture for your conscience. Stetson produced a wolfish grin.
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Speaker 1: All right, so we're desperate and we haven't much time
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Speaker 1: in a nutshell since you're going to be a house
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Speaker 1: guest at the balloons. We suspect if Scott Bloone of
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Speaker 1: being the head of a conspiracy to take over the government.
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Speaker 1: What do you mean take over the government, demanded Arn.
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Speaker 1: The Galactic Commissioner is the government subject to the Constitution
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Speaker 1: and the assemblymen who elected him. We have a situation
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Speaker 1: that could explode into another rim war, and we think
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Speaker 1: he's at the heart of it, said Stetson. We've eighty
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Speaker 1: one touchy planets, all of them old time studies that
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Speaker 1: have been in the League for years, and on every
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Speaker 1: one of them we have reason to believe there's a
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Speaker 1: clan of traitors sworn to overthrow the League, even on
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Speaker 1: your home planet, Chargon, you want me to go home
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Speaker 1: for my convalescence, asked Arn. I haven't been there since
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Speaker 1: I was seventeen. I'm not sure that. No, damn it,
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Speaker 1: we want you, asked the Boulogne's house guest. And speaking
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Speaker 1: of that, would you mind explaining how they were chosen
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Speaker 1: to write her on you? That's an odd thing, said Arne,
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Speaker 1: all those gags in the I a about old upshook
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Speaker 1: Ipscot Bologne. And then I find that his wife went
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Speaker 1: to school with my mother. Have you met himself? He
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Speaker 1: brought his wife to the hospital a couple of times. Again,
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Speaker 1: Stethson looked to the southwest, then back to Arne. A
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Speaker 1: pensive look came over his face. Every school kid knows
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Speaker 1: how the Nathians and the Moroccian League fought it out
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Speaker 1: in the Rim War, how the old civilization fell apart,
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Speaker 1: And it all seems kind of distant, he said. Five
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Speaker 1: hundred standard years, said Arne. And maybe no further away
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Speaker 1: than yesterday, murmured Stetson. He cleared his throat, and Arn
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Speaker 1: wondered why Stetson was moving so cautiously. Something deep troubling him.
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Speaker 1: A sudden thought struck Orn. He said, you spoke of trust.
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Speaker 1: Has this conspiracy involved the I A. We think so,
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Speaker 1: said Stetson. About a year ago and our and our
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Speaker 1: archeological team was nosing around some ruins on Dobby. The
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Speaker 1: place was all but vitrified in the Rimoir bought a
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Speaker 1: whole bank of records from a Nathian outpost. Escaped. He
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Speaker 1: glanced sidelong at Orn. The Raw and Raw boys couldn't
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Speaker 1: make sense out of the records. No surprise, they called
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Speaker 1: in an I a crypt analyst. He broke a complicated
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Speaker 1: substitution cipher. When the stuff started making since, he pushed
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Speaker 1: the panic button for something the Nathians wrote five hundred
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Speaker 1: years ago Stetson's drooping eyelids lifted. There was a cold
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Speaker 1: quality to his stare. This was a routing station for
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Speaker 1: key Nathian families, he said, trained refugees. An old dodge
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Speaker 1: been used as long as there have been but five
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Speaker 1: hundred years, stett I don't care if it was five
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Speaker 1: thousand years, barked Stetson. We've intercepted some scraps since then
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Speaker 1: that were written in the same code. The bland confidence
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Speaker 1: of that, wouldn't that gall you? He shook his head.
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Speaker 1: And every scrap we've intercepted deals with the coming elections.
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Speaker 1: But the elections only a couple of days off, protested On.
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Speaker 1: Stetson glanced at his wrist chrono forty two hours to
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Speaker 1: be exact, He said, some deadline. Any names in these
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Speaker 1: old records, asked Orn. Stetson nodded, names of planets. Yes,
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Speaker 1: people know some code names, but no cover names. Code
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Speaker 1: name on Chargon, was winner that ring any bells with you?
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Speaker 1: Orn shook his head. No, what's the code name here?
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Speaker 1: The head, said Stetson. But what good does that do us?
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Speaker 1: They're sure to have changed those by now. They didn't
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Speaker 1: change their communications code, said Orn. No, they didn't we
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Speaker 1: must have something on them, some leads, said Arn. He
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Speaker 1: felt that Stetson was holding back something vital. Sure, said Stetson.
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Speaker 1: We have history books. They say that Nathians were top
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Speaker 1: drawer in political mechanics. We know for a fact they
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Speaker 1: chose landing sites for their refugees with diabolical care. Each
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Speaker 1: family was told to dig in, grow up with the
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Speaker 1: adopted culture, develop the weak spots, build an underground, train
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Speaker 1: their descendants to take over. They set out to bore
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Speaker 1: from within, to make victory out of defeat. The Nathians
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Speaker 1: were long on patients. They came originally from nomad stock
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Speaker 1: on Nathia II. Their mythology calls them ARBs or herbs.
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Speaker 1: Go review your seventh grade history. You'll know almost as
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Speaker 1: much as we do. Why looking for the traditional needle
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Speaker 1: in the haystack, muttered Orn, How come you suspect how
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Speaker 1: Commissioner upshook Stetson wet his lips with his tongue. One
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Speaker 1: of the Balloons's seven daughters is currently at home, he said,
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Speaker 1: names Diana, a field leader in the Ia women. One
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Speaker 1: of the Nathian code mess messages we intercepted had her
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Speaker 1: name as address E who sent the message asked Arn,
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Speaker 1: what was it all about. Stetson coughed, you know, louis
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Speaker 1: cross check everything. The message was signed MS. The only
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Speaker 1: MOS that came out of the comparison was on a
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Speaker 1: routine next of kin reply. We followed it down to
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Speaker 1: the original copy and the handwriting checked name of Madrina
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Speaker 1: orn Standish Maddie orn Froze turned slowly to face Stetson.
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Speaker 1: So that's what's troubling you. We know you haven't been
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Speaker 1: home since you were seventeen, said Stetson. You reckon with
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Speaker 1: us is clean? The question is permit me, said Arn.
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Speaker 1: The question is will I turn in my own sister
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Speaker 1: if it falls that way? And remained silent, staring at him. Okay,
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Speaker 1: said Arn. My job is seeing that we don't have
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Speaker 1: another rim war. Just answer me one question. How's Mattie
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Speaker 1: mixed up in this? My family isn't one of these
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Speaker 1: traitor clans. This whole thing is all tangled up with politics,
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Speaker 1: said Stetson. We think it's because of her husband, Ah,
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Speaker 1: the member for chargone, said Arn. I've never met him.
20:33
Speaker 1: He looked to the southwest, where a flitter was growing
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Speaker 1: larger as it approached. Who's my cover contact? That many
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Speaker 1: transceiver we planted in your neck for the Guyana job,
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Speaker 1: said Stetson. It's still there and functioning. Anything happens around you,
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Speaker 1: we hear it. Arn touched the sub vocal stud at
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Speaker 1: his neck, moved his speaking muscles without opening his mouth.
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Speaker 1: A surf hissing voice filled the matching transceiver in Stetson's neck.
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Speaker 1: You pay attention while I'm making a play for this
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Speaker 1: Diana bologne. You hear, then you'll know how an expert works.
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Speaker 1: Don't get so interested in your work that you forget
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Speaker 1: why you're out there, growled Stetson. Missus Boulogne was a fat,
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Speaker 1: little mouse of a woman. She stood almost in the
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Speaker 1: center of the guest room of her home, hands clasped
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Speaker 1: across the paunch of a long, dull silver gown. She
21:33
Speaker 1: had demure gray eyes, grandmotherly gray hair combed straight back
21:38
Speaker 1: in a jeweled net, and that shocking baritone husk of
21:42
Speaker 1: a voice issuing from a small mouth. Her figures sloped
21:47
Speaker 1: out from several chins to a matronly bosom, then dropped
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Speaker 1: straight like a barrel. The top of her head came
21:55
Speaker 1: just above orange dress epaulets. We want you to feel
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Speaker 1: at home, here, Louis, she husked, you're to consider yourself
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Speaker 1: one of the family. Horne looked around at the Bologne
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Speaker 1: guest room, low key furnishings with an old fashioned select
22:14
Speaker 1: a call for chains of decor. A polar window looked
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Speaker 1: out onto an oval swimming pool. The glass muted to
22:22
Speaker 1: dark blue, it gave the outside a moonlight appearance. There
22:27
Speaker 1: was a contour bed against one wall, several built ends,
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Speaker 1: and a door partly opened to reveal bathroom tiles. Everything
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Speaker 1: traditional and comfortable. I already do feel at home, he said.
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Speaker 1: You know your house is very like our place on chargone.
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Speaker 1: I was surprised when I saw it from the air.
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Speaker 1: Except for the setting, it looks all most identical. I
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Speaker 1: guess your mother and I shared ideas when we were
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Speaker 1: at school, said Polly. We were very close friends. You
23:00
Speaker 1: must have been to do all this for me, said Arn,
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Speaker 1: I don't know how I'm ever going to ah here
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Speaker 1: we are. A deep, masculine voice boomed from the open
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Speaker 1: door behind Orn. He turned saw Ipscott Boulogne, high commissioner
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Speaker 1: of the Moroccian League Bologne. Was tall, had a face
23:21
Speaker 1: of harsh angles and deep lines, dark eyes under heavy brows,
23:26
Speaker 1: black hair trained in receding waves. There was a look
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Speaker 1: of ungainly clumsiness about him. He doesn't strike me as
23:35
Speaker 1: the dictator type, thought Arne. But that's obviously what Stet suspects.
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Speaker 1: Glad you made it out all right, Son boomed bologne.
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Speaker 1: He advanced into the room, glancing around. Hope everything's to
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Speaker 1: your taste here. Louis was just telling me that our
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Speaker 1: place is very like his mother's home on Chargon, said Polly.
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Speaker 1: It's old fashioned, but we like it, said Boulogne. Just
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Speaker 1: a great big tetragon on a central pivot. We can
24:05
Speaker 1: turn any room we want to the sun, the shade,
24:08
Speaker 1: or the breeze, but we usually leave the main selon,
24:12
Speaker 1: pointing northeast view of the capital. You know, we have
24:16
Speaker 1: a sea breeze on Charigone that we treat the same way,
24:19
Speaker 1: said arn I'm sure Lewis would like to be left
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Speaker 1: alone for a while now, said Polly. This is his
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Speaker 1: first day out of the hospital. We mustn't tire him.
24:29
Speaker 1: She crossed to the polar window, adjusted it to neutral gray,
24:34
Speaker 1: turned the selectacoal, and the room's colored dominance shifted to green.
24:39
Speaker 1: There that's more RESTful, she said, Now, if there's anything
24:42
Speaker 1: you need, you just ring the bell there by your bed.
24:46
Speaker 1: The auto bottle will know where to find us. The
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Speaker 1: balloons left, and Orn crossed to the window looked out
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Speaker 1: at the pool. The young woman hadn't come back. When
24:58
Speaker 1: the chauffeur driven limousine Flitter had dropped down to the
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Speaker 1: house's landing pad. Orn had seen a parasol and sun
25:06
Speaker 1: hat nodding to each other on the blue tiles beside
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Speaker 1: the pool. The parasol had shielded Polly Bologne. The sun
25:14
Speaker 1: hat had been worn by a shapely young woman in
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Speaker 1: swimming tights who had rushed off into the house. She
25:21
Speaker 1: was no taller than Polly, but slender and with gold
25:25
Speaker 1: and red hair caught under the sun hat and a
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Speaker 1: swimmer's chignon. She was not beautiful, face too narrow, with
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Speaker 1: suggestions of Bologne's crackiness, and the eyes over large, but
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Speaker 1: her mouth was full lipped, chin strong, and there had
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Speaker 1: been an air of exquisite assurance about her. The total
25:46
Speaker 1: effect had been one of striking elegance, extremely feminine. Orn
25:52
Speaker 1: looked beyond the pool wooded hills, and dimly on the
25:56
Speaker 1: horizon a broken line of mountains. The balloons lived in
26:01
Speaker 1: expensive isolation. Around them stretched miles of wilderness, rugged with
26:07
Speaker 1: planned neglect. Time to report in, he thought. Orn pressed
26:13
Speaker 1: the next stud on his transceiver got Stetson told him
26:17
Speaker 1: what had happened to this point? All right, said Stetson,
26:22
Speaker 1: Go find the daughter. She fits the description of the
26:26
Speaker 1: gal you saw by the pool. That's what I was hoping,
26:30
Speaker 1: said Orn. He changed into light blue fatigues, went to
26:35
Speaker 1: the door of his room let himself out into a hall.
26:40
Speaker 1: A glance at his wristchrono showed that it was shortly
26:43
Speaker 1: before noon. Time for a bit of scouting before they
26:46
Speaker 1: called lunch. He knew from his brief tour of the
26:49
Speaker 1: house and its similarity to the home of his childhood.
26:53
Speaker 1: But the hall led into the main living salon. The
26:57
Speaker 1: public rooms and men's quarters were in the outside ring.
27:01
Speaker 1: Secluded family apartments and women's quarters occupied the intersection. Arn
27:06
Speaker 1: made his way to the salon. It was long, built
27:10
Speaker 1: around two sections of the tetragon, and with low divans
27:15
Speaker 1: beneath the view windows. The floor was thick piled rugs
27:19
Speaker 1: pushed one against another in a crazy patchwork of reds
27:22
Speaker 1: and browns. At the far end of the room, someone
27:26
Speaker 1: in blue fatigues like his own, was bent over a
27:29
Speaker 1: stand of some sort. The figure straightened at the same
27:33
Speaker 1: time a tinkle of music filled the room. He recognized
27:38
Speaker 1: the red gold hair of the young woman he has
27:40
Speaker 1: seen beside the pool. She was wielding two mallets to
27:44
Speaker 1: play a strained instrument that lay on his side, supported
27:47
Speaker 1: by a carved wood stand. He moved up behind her,
27:52
Speaker 1: his footsteps muffled by the carpeting. The music had a
27:56
Speaker 1: curious rhythm that suggested figures dancing wildly around firelight. She
28:02
Speaker 1: struck a final chord, muted the strings. That makes me homesick,
28:08
Speaker 1: said arn. Oh. She whirled, gasped, then smiled. You startled me.
28:14
Speaker 1: I thought I was alone. Sorry, I was enjoying the music.
28:19
Speaker 1: I'm Diana Balone. She said, you're mister Orran Lou to
28:24
Speaker 1: all of the Bologne family. I hope, he said, of course, Lou.
28:29
Speaker 1: She gestured at the musical instrument. This is very old.
28:34
Speaker 1: Most find its music well, rather weird. It's been handed
28:39
Speaker 1: down for generations in mother's family. The Kaithra said, arn,
28:44
Speaker 1: my sisters play. It been a long time since I've
28:47
Speaker 1: heard one. Oh, of course, she said, your mother's She stopped,
28:53
Speaker 1: looked confused. I've got to get used to the fact
28:56
Speaker 1: that you're I mean that we have a strange man
28:59
Speaker 1: around the house who isn't exactly strange. Orn grinned, in
29:05
Speaker 1: spite of the blue ia fatigues and a rather severe
29:08
Speaker 1: pulled back hairdo. This was a handsome woman. He found
29:13
Speaker 1: himself liking her, and this caused him a feeling near
29:18
Speaker 1: self loathing. She was a suspect he couldn't afford to
29:22
Speaker 1: like her. But the Balloons were being so decent taking
29:27
Speaker 1: him in like this, And how was their hospitality being
29:31
Speaker 1: repaid by spying and prying. Yet his first loyalty belonged
29:37
Speaker 1: to the i A to the peace it represented. He said,
29:41
Speaker 1: rather lamely, I help you get over the feeling that
29:45
Speaker 1: I'm strange. I'm over it already, she said. She linked
29:50
Speaker 1: arms with him and said, if you feel up to it,
29:53
Speaker 1: I'll take you on the d Luxe guided tour. By nightfall,
29:58
Speaker 1: Orn was in a state of confusion. He had found
30:02
Speaker 1: Diana fascinating and yet the most comfortable woman to be
30:06
Speaker 1: around that he had ever met. She liked swimming, polochi,
30:11
Speaker 1: hunting ditar apples. She had a pooh pooh attitude toward
30:16
Speaker 1: the older generation that she said she'd never before reveal
30:19
Speaker 1: to anyone. They had laughed like fools over utter nonsense.
30:26
Speaker 1: Orn went back to his room to change for dinner,
30:28
Speaker 1: stopped before the polar window. The quick darkness of these
30:33
Speaker 1: low latitudes had pulled an Ebon blanket over the landscape.
30:38
Speaker 1: There was city glow off to the left, and an
30:40
Speaker 1: orange halo to the peaks where Marrock's three moons would rise.
30:46
Speaker 1: Am I falling in love with this woman? He asked himself.
30:51
Speaker 1: He felt like calling Stetson, not to report, but just
30:55
Speaker 1: to talk the situation out, and this made him acutely
30:59
Speaker 1: aware that Stetson or an aid had heard everything said
31:03
Speaker 1: between them. That afternoon, the autobutle called dinner. Arn changed
31:10
Speaker 1: hurriedly into a fresh lounge uniform, found his way to
31:14
Speaker 1: the small salon across the house. The balloons already were
31:18
Speaker 1: seated around an old fashioned bubble slot table, set with
31:22
Speaker 1: real candles golden Shardy service. Two of Morok's moons could
31:28
Speaker 1: be seen out the window, climbing swiftly over the peaks.
31:33
Speaker 1: You turned the house, said Arn. We like the moonrise,
31:37
Speaker 1: said Polly. It seems more romantic, don't you think? She
31:40
Speaker 1: glanced at Diana. Diana looked down at her plate. She
31:45
Speaker 1: was wearing a low cut gown of firemesh that set
31:49
Speaker 1: off her red hair. A single strand of Rheinock pearls
31:53
Speaker 1: gleamed at her throat. Oran sat down in the vacant
31:57
Speaker 1: seat opposite her. What a handsome woman, he thought. Polly,
32:03
Speaker 1: on Orne's right, looked younger and softer in a green
32:07
Speaker 1: stola gown that hazed her barrel contours. Bologne, across from her,
32:13
Speaker 1: wore black lounging shorts and neelie kooby jacket of golden
32:17
Speaker 1: pearl cloth. Everything about the people and setting reeked of
32:22
Speaker 1: wealth power. For a moment, Arn saw that Stetson's suspicions
32:28
Speaker 1: could have basis. In fact, Bolonne might go to any
32:32
Speaker 1: lengths to maintain this luxury. Arn's entrance had interrupted an
32:37
Speaker 1: argument between Polly and her husband. They welcomed him, went
32:42
Speaker 1: right on without inhibition, rather than embarrassing him. This made
32:46
Speaker 1: him feel more at home, more accepted. But I'm not
32:50
Speaker 1: running for office this time, said Bologne patiently. Why do
32:54
Speaker 1: we have to clutter up the evening with that many
32:57
Speaker 1: people just to our election night parties are traditional, said Polly. Well,
33:04
Speaker 1: I'd just like to relax quietly at home tomorrow, he said.
33:07
Speaker 1: Take it easy with just a family here and not
33:10
Speaker 1: have to It's not like he was a big party,
33:13
Speaker 1: said Polly. I've kept the list to fifty. Diana straightened,
33:17
Speaker 1: said this is an important election, Daddy, How could you
33:21
Speaker 1: possibly relax? There are seventy three seats in question the
33:26
Speaker 1: whole balance. If things go wrong in just the Alkez section,
33:30
Speaker 1: why you could be sent back to the floor. You
33:33
Speaker 1: lose your job, is why someone else could take over
33:37
Speaker 1: his Welcome to the job, said Boulogne. It's a headache.
33:42
Speaker 1: He glanced at Arn. Sorry to burden you with this,
33:45
Speaker 1: my boy, but the women of this family run me ragged.
33:49
Speaker 1: I guess from what I hear that you had a
33:51
Speaker 1: pretty busy day too, He smiled paternally at Diana and
33:55
Speaker 1: your first day out of the hospital. She sets quite
33:59
Speaker 1: a pace. But I've enjoyed it, said Arn. We're taking
34:04
Speaker 1: the small flitter for a tour of the wilderness area tomorrow,
34:07
Speaker 1: said Diana. Luc And relax all the way. I'll do
34:10
Speaker 1: the driving. Be sure you're back in plenty of time
34:15
Speaker 1: for the party, said Polly, can't have. She broke off
34:18
Speaker 1: at a low bell from the alcove behind her. That'll
34:22
Speaker 1: be for me. Excuse me, please, no, don't get up.
34:26
Speaker 1: Orn bent to as generous. He came out of the
34:29
Speaker 1: bubble slot beside his plate, meat in an exotic sauce,
34:34
Speaker 1: cyric champagne, polioc ou simille, more luxury. Presently, Polly returned,
34:42
Speaker 1: resumed her seat. Anything important, asked Boulogne. Only a cancelation
34:49
Speaker 1: for tomorrow night. Professor Wingard is ill. I'd just as
34:53
Speaker 1: soon it was canceled down to the four of us,
34:55
Speaker 1: said Boulogne. Unless this is a poe, This doesn't sound
35:01
Speaker 1: like a man who wants to grab more power, thought Orn. Scotty.
35:07
Speaker 1: You should take more pride in your office, snapped Polly.
35:10
Speaker 1: You're an important man. If it weren't for you, I'd
35:14
Speaker 1: be a nobody and prefer it, said Boulogne. He grinned
35:18
Speaker 1: at Orne, I'm a political idiot compared to my wife.
35:22
Speaker 1: Never saw any one who could call the turn like
35:25
Speaker 1: she does. Runs in her family. Her mother was the
35:28
Speaker 1: same way. Arne stared at him, fork raised from plate
35:34
Speaker 1: and motionless. A sudden idea had exploded in his mind.
35:41
Speaker 1: You must know something of this life, Lewis said, Boulogne.
35:45
Speaker 1: Your father was member for Chargon once, wasn't he? Yes,
35:49
Speaker 1: murmured Oran. But that was before I was born. He
35:53
Speaker 1: died in office. He shook his head, thought it couldn't be.
35:59
Speaker 1: But do you feel all right? Lou asked Diana. You're
36:03
Speaker 1: suddenly very pale, just tired, said Arne. Guess I'm not
36:08
Speaker 1: used to so much activity, and I've been a beast
36:12
Speaker 1: keeping you so busy to day. She said, don't you
36:15
Speaker 1: stand on ceremony here? Son, said Polly. She looked concerned.
36:19
Speaker 1: You've been very sick, and we understand if you're tired,
36:23
Speaker 1: you go right on into bed. Orn glanced around the table,
36:27
Speaker 1: met anxious attention in each face. He pushed his chair
36:31
Speaker 1: back and said, well, if you really don't mind, mind,
36:36
Speaker 1: barked Polly. You scoot along now, see you in the morning, Lou,
36:41
Speaker 1: said Diana. He nodded, turned away, thinking what a handsome woman.
36:48
Speaker 1: As he started down the hall, he heard Balone say
36:52
Speaker 1: to Diana die, perhaps you'd better not take that boy
36:55
Speaker 1: out tomorrow, after all, he is supposed to be here
36:59
Speaker 1: for a rest. Her answer was lost as Arn entered
37:03
Speaker 1: the hall, closed the door. In the privacy of his room,
37:08
Speaker 1: Arn pressed the transceiver stud at his neck and said, Stett.
37:13
Speaker 1: A voice hissed in his ears. This is mister Stetson's relief, Arn,
37:18
Speaker 1: isn't it. Yes, I want to check right away on
37:23
Speaker 1: those Nathian records the archaeologists found find out if Heleb
37:27
Speaker 1: was one of the planets. They seated, all right, hang on.
37:32
Speaker 1: There was a long silence. Then, Lou, this is Stett.
37:37
Speaker 1: How come the question about HElib? Was it on that
37:41
Speaker 1: Nathian list? Negative? Why do you ask? Are you sure? Stett?
37:47
Speaker 1: It'd explain a lot of things. It's not on the list.
37:51
Speaker 1: But wait a minute. Silence. Then Heelib was on light
37:57
Speaker 1: of flight to Ariga, and Ariga was on the list.
38:01
Speaker 1: We've reason to doubt they put anyone down on a
38:04
Speaker 1: riga if their ship ran into trouble. That's it, snapped Orn.
38:11
Speaker 1: Keep your voice down, or talks up vocally, ordered Stetson.
38:15
Speaker 1: Now answer my question. What's up? Something so fantastic it
38:20
Speaker 1: frightens me, said Orn. Remember that the women who ruled
38:25
Speaker 1: HElib bred female or male children by controlling the sex
38:30
Speaker 1: of their offspring. At conception the method was unique. In fact,
38:34
Speaker 1: our medics thought it was impossible. Until you don't have
38:38
Speaker 1: to remind me of something we want buried and forgotten,
38:41
Speaker 1: interrupted Stetson. Too much chance for misuse of that formula, yes,
38:46
Speaker 1: said Arn, But what if you're Nathi in underground is
38:51
Speaker 1: composed entirely of women bred the same way. What if
38:56
Speaker 1: the he labbed women were just the bunch you got
38:59
Speaker 1: out of hand because as they lost contact with the
39:01
Speaker 1: main element, Holy Moley birded Stesson. Do you have evidence
39:08
Speaker 1: nothing but a hunch, said Arn. Do you have a
39:11
Speaker 1: list of the guests so we'll be here for the
39:13
Speaker 1: election party tomorrow. We can get it. Why check for
39:19
Speaker 1: women who mastermind their husbands in politics? Let me know
39:23
Speaker 1: how many, and who? Lou that's not enough to That's
39:29
Speaker 1: all I can give you for now, but I think
39:31
Speaker 1: I'll have more. Remember that, He hesitated, spacing his words
39:36
Speaker 1: as a new thought struck him. The Nathians were nomads.
39:46
Speaker 1: Day began early for the balloons, in spite of its
39:49
Speaker 1: being election day. Bologne took off for his office an
39:52
Speaker 1: hour after dawn. See what I mean about this job
39:56
Speaker 1: owning you? He asked Arn. We're going to take it
40:00
Speaker 1: easy today, lou said Diana. She took his hand as
40:04
Speaker 1: they came up the steps after seeing her father to
40:06
Speaker 1: his limousine flitter. The sky was cloudless. Orn felt himself
40:13
Speaker 1: liking her hand in his Liking the feel of it
40:16
Speaker 1: too much. He withdrew his hand, stood aside, and said,
40:21
Speaker 1: lead on, I've got to watch myself. He thought she's
40:26
Speaker 1: too charming. I think a picnic, said Diana. There's a
40:32
Speaker 1: little lake with grassy banks off to the west. We'll
40:35
Speaker 1: take viewers and a couple of good novels. This'll be
40:38
Speaker 1: a do nothing day. Horn hesitated. There might be things
40:44
Speaker 1: going on at the house that he should watch, but no.
40:49
Speaker 1: If he was right about this situation, then Diana could
40:51
Speaker 1: be the weak link. Time was closing in on them too.
40:56
Speaker 1: By tomorrow, the Nathians could have the government completely under control.
41:02
Speaker 1: It was warm beside the lake. There were purple and
41:06
Speaker 1: orange flowers above the grassy bank. Small creatures flitted and
41:10
Speaker 1: cheaped in the brush and trees. There was a groomis
41:13
Speaker 1: in the reeds at the lower end of the lake,
41:16
Speaker 1: and every now and then it honked like an old
41:18
Speaker 1: man clearing his throat. When we girls were all at home,
41:22
Speaker 1: We used to picnic here every eight day, said Diana.
41:26
Speaker 1: She lay on her back on the ground mat they
41:28
Speaker 1: spread orran sat beside her, facing the lake. We made
41:33
Speaker 1: a raft over there on the other side, she said.
41:36
Speaker 1: She sat up, looked across the lake. You know, I
41:39
Speaker 1: think pieces of it are still there. See she pointed
41:43
Speaker 1: at a jumble of logs as she gestured, her hand
41:47
Speaker 1: brushed orange. Something like an electric shock passed between them.
41:53
Speaker 1: Without knowing exactly how it happened, Oran found his arms
41:57
Speaker 1: around Diana. Their lips pressed together in a lingering kiss.
42:03
Speaker 1: Panic was very close to the surface in orn. He
42:06
Speaker 1: broke away. I didn't plan for that to happen, whispered Diana,
42:11
Speaker 1: nor I muttered arn. He shook his head. Sometimes things
42:17
Speaker 1: can get into an awful mess. Diana blinked, lou don't
42:22
Speaker 1: you like me? He ignored. The monitoring transceiver spoke his mind.
42:29
Speaker 1: They'll think it's just part of the act, he thought,
42:31
Speaker 1: And the thought was bitter like you, he asked, I
42:36
Speaker 1: think I'm in love with you. She sighed, leaned against
42:40
Speaker 1: his shoulder. Then what's wrong? You're not already married? Mother
42:45
Speaker 1: had your service record checked? Diana smiled impishly. Mother his
42:50
Speaker 1: second sight, The bitterness was like a sour taste in
42:54
Speaker 1: Orn's mouth. He could see the pattern so clearly. I
43:00
Speaker 1: ran away from home when I was seventeen, he said,
43:04
Speaker 1: I know, Darling. Mother's told me all about you. You
43:08
Speaker 1: don't understand, he said. My father died before I was born.
43:12
Speaker 1: He it must have been very hard on your mother,
43:15
Speaker 1: she said, left alone with her family and a new
43:19
Speaker 1: baby on the way. They'd known for a long time,
43:23
Speaker 1: said Arn. My father had Broox disease, and they found
43:27
Speaker 1: out too late. It was already in the central nervous system.
43:32
Speaker 1: How horrible, whispered Diana. Arran's mind felt suddenly like a
43:39
Speaker 1: fish out of water. He found himself grasping at a
43:43
Speaker 1: thought that flopped around just out of reach. Dad was
43:48
Speaker 1: in politics, he whispered. He felt as though he were
43:52
Speaker 1: living in a dream. His voice stayed low, shocked from
43:57
Speaker 1: when I first began to talk, Mother's started grooming me
44:01
Speaker 1: to take his place in public life. And you didn't
44:05
Speaker 1: like politics, said Diana. I hated it, he growled. First
44:10
Speaker 1: chance I ran away. One of my sisters married a
44:14
Speaker 1: young fellow who's now the member for Chargon. I hope
44:17
Speaker 1: he enjoys it. That'd be Mattie, said Diana. You know her,
44:22
Speaker 1: asked Arn. Then he remembered what Stetson had told him,
44:26
Speaker 1: and the thought was chilling. Of course, I know her,
44:31
Speaker 1: said Diana, Lou, what's wrong with you? You'd expect me
44:36
Speaker 1: to play the same game you calling the shots, he said,
44:39
Speaker 1: shoot for the top, cut and scramble claw and dig
44:44
Speaker 1: by tomorrow, all that may not be necessary, she said.
44:48
Speaker 1: Arn heard the sudden hiss of the carrier wave in
44:50
Speaker 1: his neck transceiver, but there was no voice from the monitor.
44:54
Speaker 1: What's happening tomorrow? He asked? The elections silly, she said, Lou,
45:01
Speaker 1: you're acting very strangely. Are you sure you're feeling all right?
45:06
Speaker 1: She put a hand to his forehead. Perhaps we just
45:10
Speaker 1: a minute, said Orrin about us? He swallowed. She withdrew
45:16
Speaker 1: her hand. I think my parents already suspect we balloons
45:21
Speaker 1: are notorious loved for as sighters. Her over large eyes
45:25
Speaker 1: studied him fondly. You don't feel feverish, but maybe we'd
45:30
Speaker 1: better What a dope I am? Snarled Orn. I just
45:35
Speaker 1: realized that I have to be a Nathian too, You
45:40
Speaker 1: just realized, she stared at him. There was a hissing
45:45
Speaker 1: gasp in Orne's transceiver. The identical patterns in our families,
45:52
Speaker 1: he said, even to the houses, and there's the real key.
45:57
Speaker 1: What a dope. He snapped his fingers the head. Polly,
46:04
Speaker 1: your mother's the grand boss woman, isn't she? But darling?
46:09
Speaker 1: Of course she. You'd better take me to her and fast,
46:13
Speaker 1: snapped Orn. He touched the stud at his neck. But
46:17
Speaker 1: Stetson's voice intruded. Great work, Lou, we're moving at a
46:21
Speaker 1: special shock force. Can't take any chances with Orn spoke
46:25
Speaker 1: aloud in panic, Stett, you get out to the balloons.
46:29
Speaker 1: You get there alone, no troops. Diana had jumped to
46:34
Speaker 1: her feet, backed away from him. What do you mean,
46:37
Speaker 1: demanded Stetson. I'm saving our stupid necks, barked Orn. Alone
46:44
Speaker 1: you hear or we'll have a worse mess on our
46:47
Speaker 1: hands than any rimoir. There was an extended silence. You
46:53
Speaker 1: hear me, Stett demanded Orn. Okay, Lou, we're putting the
46:58
Speaker 1: old force on standby. I'll be at the balloons in
47:01
Speaker 1: ten minutes. Com Geo will be with me. Pause, and
47:06
Speaker 1: you'd better know what you're doing. It was an angry
47:10
Speaker 1: group in the corner of the balloone's main salon. Luvert
47:14
Speaker 1: shades cut the green glare of a noon sun. In
47:17
Speaker 1: the background, there was the hum of air conditioning and
47:20
Speaker 1: the clatter of roboservants preparing for the night's election party.
47:25
Speaker 1: Stetson leaned against the wall beside Devaughan, hands jammed deeply
47:30
Speaker 1: into the pockets of his wrinkled, patched fatigues. The wagon
47:34
Speaker 1: tracks furrowed his high forehead Near Stetson. Admiral Sobot Spencer,
47:40
Speaker 1: the i a's commander of galactic operations, paced the floor.
47:45
Speaker 1: Com Geo was a bull necked ball man with wide
47:49
Speaker 1: blue eyes a deceptively mild voice. There was a caged
47:54
Speaker 1: animal look to his pacing. Three steps out, three steps back.
48:00
Speaker 1: Alone sat on the divan. Her mouth was pulled into
48:03
Speaker 1: a straight line. Her hands were clasped so tightly in
48:08
Speaker 1: her lap that the knuckles showed white. Diana stood beside
48:12
Speaker 1: her mother. Her fists were clenched at her sides. She
48:17
Speaker 1: shivered with fury. Her gaze remained fixed glaring at Orn. Okay,
48:23
Speaker 1: so my stupidity set up this little meeting, snarled Orn.
48:27
Speaker 1: He stood about five paces in front of Polly hands
48:30
Speaker 1: on hips the Admiral, pacing away at his right was
48:33
Speaker 1: beginning to wear on his nerves. But you'd better listen
48:37
Speaker 1: to what I have to say. He glanced at the
48:40
Speaker 1: calm geo all of you. Admiral Spencer stopped pacing glowered
48:47
Speaker 1: at Orn. I have yet to hear a good reason
48:50
Speaker 1: for not tearing this place apart getting to the bottom
48:53
Speaker 1: of this situation, you traitor, Lewis, hussed Polly. I'm in
49:00
Speaker 1: inclined to agree with you, Madame, said Spencer, only from
49:04
Speaker 1: a different point of view. He glanced at Stetson. Any
49:08
Speaker 1: word yet on Scotti Bologne. They were going to call
49:12
Speaker 1: me the minute they found him, said Stetson. His voice
49:15
Speaker 1: sounded cautious, brooding. You were coming to the party here tonight,
49:20
Speaker 1: warrant you, Admiral said Arn. What's that have to do
49:23
Speaker 1: with anything? Demanded Spencer. Are you prepared to jail your
49:28
Speaker 1: wife and daughter's for conspiracy? Asked Orn. A tight smile
49:33
Speaker 1: played around Polly's lips. Spencer opened his mouth, closed it soundlessly.
49:40
Speaker 1: The Nathians are mostly women, said Orn. There's evidence that
49:45
Speaker 1: your womenfolk are among them. The Admiral looked like a
49:49
Speaker 1: man who had been kicked in the stomach. What evidence,
49:53
Speaker 1: he whispered. I'll come to that in a moment, said Orn.
49:57
Speaker 1: Now note this, The Nathians are mostly women. There were
50:03
Speaker 1: only a few accidents and a few planned males like me.
50:08
Speaker 1: That's why there were no family names to trace, just
50:12
Speaker 1: a tight little female society, all working to positions of
50:17
Speaker 1: power through their men. Spencer cleared his throat swallowed. He
50:22
Speaker 1: seemed powerless to take his attention from Orne's mouth. My guests,
50:26
Speaker 1: said Arne. Is that about thirty or forty years ago
50:29
Speaker 1: the conspirators first began breeding a few males, grooming them
50:34
Speaker 1: for really choice top positions. Other Nathian males the accidents
50:39
Speaker 1: where sex control failed, they never learned about the conspiracy.
50:43
Speaker 1: These new ones were full fledged members. That's what I'd
50:47
Speaker 1: have been if I'd panned out as expected. Polly glared
50:52
Speaker 1: at him, looked back at her hands. That part of
50:56
Speaker 1: the plan was scheduled to come to a head with
50:58
Speaker 1: the selection, s Orn. If they pulled this one off,
51:02
Speaker 1: they could move in more boldly. You're in way over
51:06
Speaker 1: your head, boy, growled Polly. You're too late to do
51:10
Speaker 1: anything about us. We'll see about that, bark Spencer. He
51:16
Speaker 1: seemed to have regained his self control, a little publicity
51:20
Speaker 1: in the right places, some key arrests, and no said Orn.
51:25
Speaker 1: She's right, it's too late for that. It was probably
51:30
Speaker 1: too late a hundred years ago. These dames were too
51:33
Speaker 1: firmly entrenched even then. Stetson straightened away from the wall,
51:39
Speaker 1: smiled grimly at Orn. He seemed to be understanding a
51:42
Speaker 1: point that the others were missing. Diana still glared at Orn.
51:47
Speaker 1: Polly kept her attention on her hands, the tight smile
51:51
Speaker 1: playing about her lips. These women probably control one out
51:57
Speaker 1: of three of the top positions in the league, said On.
52:00
Speaker 1: Maybe more, think, Admiral, Think what would happen if you
52:05
Speaker 1: exposed this thing? There'd be secessions, riots, sub governments would topple,
52:13
Speaker 1: the central government would be torn by suspicions and battles.
52:18
Speaker 1: What breeds in that atmosphere? He shook his head. The
52:22
Speaker 1: rim Noir would seem like a picnic. We can't just
52:27
Speaker 1: ignore this bark spencer, He's stiff and declared at Arn.
52:32
Speaker 1: We can, and we will, said Arn, no choice. Polly
52:38
Speaker 1: looked up studied Arne's face. Diana looked confused. Once a Nathian,
52:44
Speaker 1: always a Nathian, A snarled Spencer. There's no such thing,
52:49
Speaker 1: said Arn. Five hundred years cross breeding with other races
52:53
Speaker 1: sought to that they are merely a secret society of
52:57
Speaker 1: astute political scientists. He smiled Riley at Polly glanced back
53:03
Speaker 1: at Spencer. Think of your own wife, sir, in all honesty,
53:08
Speaker 1: would you be calm ge O today if she hadn't
53:12
Speaker 1: guided your career? Spencer's face darkened. He drew in his chin,
53:17
Speaker 1: tried to stare Orn down. Failed. Presently, he chuckled Riley.
53:26
Speaker 1: Soby is beginning to come to his senses, said Polly.
53:29
Speaker 1: You're about through, son. Don't underestimate your future son in law,
53:34
Speaker 1: said Arn. Ha barked Diana. I hate you, Lewis. Arn.
53:40
Speaker 1: You'll get over that, said Arne, mildly. Oh, Diana quivered
53:45
Speaker 1: with fury. My major point is this, said Arn. Government
53:50
Speaker 1: is a dubious glory. You pay for your power and
53:54
Speaker 1: wealth by balancing on the sharp edge of the blade
53:59
Speaker 1: that great and rpice thing out there. The people has
54:03
Speaker 1: turned and swallowed many governments. The only way you can
54:07
Speaker 1: stay in power is by giving good government. Otherwise, sooner
54:11
Speaker 1: or later your turn comes. I can remember my mother
54:16
Speaker 1: making that point. It's one of the things that stuck
54:19
Speaker 1: with me. He frowned. My objection to politics is the
54:24
Speaker 1: compromises you have to make to get elected. Stethson moved
54:29
Speaker 1: out from the wall. It's pretty clear, he said, has
54:33
Speaker 1: turned toward him to stay in power. The Nathians have
54:37
Speaker 1: had to give us a fairly good government. On the
54:40
Speaker 1: other hand, if we expose them, we give a bunch
54:44
Speaker 1: of political amateurs, every fanatic and power hungry demagogue in
54:49
Speaker 1: the galaxy just the weapon they need to sweep them
54:53
Speaker 1: into office. After that, chaos, said Orn. So we let
54:59
Speaker 1: the Nathians contin and you with two minor alterations, we
55:05
Speaker 1: alter nothing, said Polly. It occurs to me, Lewis that
55:10
Speaker 1: you don't have a leg to stand on. You have me,
55:13
Speaker 1: but you'll get nothing out of me. The rest of
55:16
Speaker 1: the organization can go on without me. You don't dare
55:20
Speaker 1: expose us. We hold a whip hand. V Ia could
55:26
Speaker 1: have ninety percent of your organization in custody inside of
55:30
Speaker 1: ten days, said Arn. You couldn't find them, snapped Polly,
55:36
Speaker 1: how asked Stutson, No mads, said Arn. This house is
55:42
Speaker 1: a glorified tent. Men on the outside, women on the
55:47
Speaker 1: inside look for inner courtyard construction. It's instinctive with Nathian blood.
55:54
Speaker 1: Add to that inclination for odd musical instruments, the kaithra,
55:59
Speaker 1: the tambo, the oboe, all nomad instruments. Add to that
56:04
Speaker 1: female dominance of the family and not twist on the
56:07
Speaker 1: nomad heritage, but not completely unique. Check for predominance of
56:12
Speaker 1: female offspring. Dig into political background, We'll miss damn few.
56:19
Speaker 1: Polly just stared at him, mouth open. Spencer said, things
56:25
Speaker 1: are moving too fast for me. I know just one thing.
56:29
Speaker 1: I'm dedicated to preventing another rim war. If I have
56:34
Speaker 1: to jail every last one of an hour after this
56:38
Speaker 1: conspiracy became known, you wouldn't be in a position to
56:42
Speaker 1: jail anyone, said Orn the husband of a Nathian, You'd
56:48
Speaker 1: be in jail yourself, or more likely dead at the
56:50
Speaker 1: hands of a mob. Spencer paled. What's your suggestion for compromise,
56:57
Speaker 1: asked Polly. Number one, the IA gets veto power on
57:02
Speaker 1: any candidate you put up, said arn Number two. You
57:07
Speaker 1: can never hold more than two thirds of the top offices.
57:11
Speaker 1: Who in the IA vetoes are candidates, asked Polly. Admiral
57:16
Speaker 1: Spencer stett myself anyone else we deem trustworthy, said Orn.
57:21
Speaker 1: You think you're a god or something, demanded Polly. No
57:26
Speaker 1: more than you do, said Arn. This is what's known
57:30
Speaker 1: as a check and balance system. You cut the pie,
57:34
Speaker 1: we get first choice on wich pieces to take there
57:38
Speaker 1: was They protracted silence. Then Spencer said it doesn't seem
57:43
Speaker 1: right just to No political compromise is ever totally right,
57:48
Speaker 1: said Polly. You keep patching things up that always have
57:51
Speaker 1: laws in them. That's how government is. She chuckled, looked
57:56
Speaker 1: up at Orn. All right, Lewis, we accept She glanced
58:01
Speaker 1: at Spencer, who shrugged nodded glumly. Polly looked back at Orn.
58:07
Speaker 1: Just answer me one question. How'd you know I was boss?
58:11
Speaker 1: Lady easy? Said Arn. The records we found, said the Nathian.
58:17
Speaker 1: He'd almost said, traitor family on Morok was coded as
58:21
Speaker 1: the head. Your name, Polly, contains the ancient word paul,
58:27
Speaker 1: which means head. Polly looked at Stetson. Is he always
58:33
Speaker 1: that sharp every time? Said Stetson. If you want to
58:38
Speaker 1: go into politics, Lewis, said Polly, I'd be delighted to
58:42
Speaker 1: I'm already in politics as far as I want to be,
58:46
Speaker 1: growled Orn. What I really want is to settle down
58:49
Speaker 1: with Die, catch up on some of the living I've missed.
58:54
Speaker 1: Diana stiffened. I never want to see hear from or
58:59
Speaker 1: hear of missus to Lewis orn ever again. She said
59:02
Speaker 1: that is final, emphatically final. Orange's shoulders drooped. He turned away, stumbled,
59:09
Speaker 1: and abruptly collapsed full length on the thick carpets. There
59:13
Speaker 1: was a collective gasp behind him. Stutson barked, call a doctor,
59:19
Speaker 1: they warned me. At the hospital. He was still hanging
59:21
Speaker 1: on a thin thread. There was the sound of Polly's
59:24
Speaker 1: heavy footsteps running toward the hall. Lou, it was Diana's voice.
59:30
Speaker 1: She dropped to her knees beside him, soft hands fumbling
59:34
Speaker 1: at his neck his head. Turn him over and loosen
59:37
Speaker 1: his collar. Snapped Spencer, give him air gently. They turned
59:41
Speaker 1: Arn on to his back. He looked pale. Diana loosened
59:46
Speaker 1: his collar, buried her face against his neck. Oh, Lou,
59:50
Speaker 1: I'm sorry, she sobbed. I didn't mean it. Please, Lou,
59:54
Speaker 1: don't die. Please. Arn opened his eyes, looked up at
59:59
Speaker 1: Spin Sir and Stetson. There was the sound of Polly's voice,
1:00:03
Speaker 1: talking rapidly on the phone in the hall. He could
1:00:06
Speaker 1: feel Diana's cheek warm against his neck, the dampness of
1:00:10
Speaker 1: her tears. Slowly, deliberately, Orn winked at the two men.
1:00:18
Speaker 1: End of Operation Haystack. This recording is in the public domain.