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"A super spacedrive which moves a world?" Hulik smiled. "Really, Sedmon!" -
"As to that, I will say nothing more," replied the Daal. "There are other
possibilities. For all I know, Karres still is at present in the Iverdahl
System but made invisible, undetectable, by the skills of the witches."
"That, too, seems rather improbable," Hulik remarked.
"It may seem that way," said Sedmon. "But I know it to be a fact that, before
this, ships have gone to the
Iverdahl System in search of the world of Karres and were unable to find it
there." He shrugged. "In any event, it seems much safer to me to assume that
the world of Karres and the witches of Karres have not disappeared
permanently...."
He stared at the frozen figures in the screen, pursed his mouth in puzzled
worriment. "And besides . . ."
"Well?" said Hulik as he hesitated.
The Daal waggled his fingers at the screen. "I have the strangest feeling I
have encountered that man before!
Perhaps also the child ... And yet I find no place for either of them in my
memories."
Hulik glanced curiously at him. "That must be your imagination," she told him.
"But your nervousness about the witches explains why you have been conducting
your search for Captain Pausert s mystery drive in what I
felt was an excessively roundabout manner. "
The Daal grinned briefly. "I have," he said, "great faith in the basic
unscrupulousness of Sunnat, Bazim &
Filish. And in the boldness of Sunnat. The story that came to her naturally
did not mention the possibility that her clients were witches. But she and her
partners are completely convinced the superdrive exists."
"And have been searching most industriously for it in the course of rebuilding
the ship," Hulik added. "Sunnat also has attempted to bedazzle Captain Aron
with her obvious physical assets.... you, in the meanwhile, hovering above all
this, hoping they would discover the drive for you."
"That in part," nodded the Daal.
"Yes. Sunnat has the greed and fury of a wild pig. I think she is not quite
sane. She has not bedazzled Captain
Aron, and nothing resembling concealed drive mechanisms has been found so far
in the ship. Before the
Evening
Bird is ready to leave, you expect her then to resort to actions which will
force this Captain Aron or Pausert to reveal whether or not he is a witch?"
"It will not surprise me if that occurs," Sedmon admitted. " If it becomes
apparent that he is a witch, I simply will be through with the matter."
"And still be unimplicated," Hulik agreed. "Of course," she went on, "if he is
not a witch and does not have a mystery drive to produce, even if strenuously
urged, it's probable that he and the child will be murdered before
Sunnat decides she may have made a mistake-"
Sedmon shifted his eyes from the wall screen to her, said slowly, "This drive,
if I can get it, and have afterwards a little time to work in, undisturbed,
will restore Uldune to its ancient place in the hierarchy of galactic power!"
"A point," said Hulik, "of which the Imperium is well aware.
He watched her, his face expressionless.
"We shall work in different ways," Hulik smiled. "If I get it, it may bring me
great honor and rewards from the Imperium. Or it may, which really seems at
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least as likely, bring me quick death, by decision of the
Imperium." The smile became almost impish. "On Uldune, on the other hand....
well, I would be most interested in seeing that the House of Eldel is also
restored to something approximating the place of power it once held here."
"An honorable ambition!" Sedmon nodded approvingly. "As for me, I am perhaps
overly prudent and certainly not as young as I was, I could very well use a
partner with youth, audacity, and intelligence, to help me direct the affairs
of Uldune. In particular, of the greater Uldune that may be."
Hulik laughed. "Great dreams! But very well.... We shall work carefully. I
have not yet made a report that the ship once named the
Venture appears to be at present on Uldune."
The Daal's eyes lightened.
"But," Hulik went on; "I shall proceed exactly as if I had made that report.
If, in spite of Sunnat's efforts and yours, the
Evening Bird lifts from Uldune on schedule I'll be on board as passenger& Now,
I believe that little
Vezzarn they've signed on for the ship is your man?"
"He is," Sedmon said. "Of course be doesn't know for whom he's working."
"Of course. I know Kambine's background. He's nothing. "
"Nothing," the Daal agreed.
"Laes Yango?"
"A man to be reckoned with in his field."
"What specifically is his field? I've been able to get very little information
on him.
"He deals. High-value, high-profit items only. He maintains his own cruiser;
makes frequent space trips, uses other carriers for special purposes, as in
this case. He banks a considerable amount of money at all times, makes and
receives large payments at irregular intervals to and from undisclosed
accounts by subradio. Some of his business seems to be legitimate."
"He should not become a problem then?" Hulik said.
"There is no reason to assume he would be, in this matter." The Daal looked at
her curiously. "Am I to understand you intend to continue your efforts to
obtain the drive, even if Captain Aron turns out to be what I
suspect he is?"
"I do intend that," Hulik nodded. "I have my own theory about your Karres
witches."
"What is that?"
"They are, among other things, skilled and purposeful bluffers. The
disappearing world story, for example.
Karres has been described to me as a primitive, forested planet showing no
detectable signs of inhabitation.
There are many such uninhabited worlds. Few are even indicated in standard
star maps. It seems most probable to me that the witches, instead of moving
Karres through space, themselves move by more conventional methods of travel
from one world of that sort to a similar one elsewhere and presently let it be
known that
Karres was magically transported by them to a new galactic sector! I believe
their purpose is to frighten
everyone, including even the Imperium, into leaving them severely alone. That
they are capable of a number of astonishing tricks seems true. It is even
possible they have developed a superdrive to transport ordinary spaceships.
But worlds?" She shook her head skeptically. "Pausert may be a Karres witch.
If so, his mysterious powers have not revealed to him even the simple fact [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]