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.Now, if your brains are made out of thesame kind of thick, blue mud as Harkleroy's, start something!"This was an impasse.Kinnison knew what he wanted the other to do, but hecould not give him a suggestion, or even a hint, without tipping his hand.The officer,quite evidently, was in a quandary.He did not want to open fire upon this tremendous,this fabulous ship.Even if he could destroy it, such a course would beunthinkable—unless, indeed, the very act of destruction would brand as false rumor thetales of invincibility and invulnerability which had heralded its coming, and thus wouldoperate in his favor at the court-martial so sure to be called.He was very much afraid,however, that those rumors were not false—a view which was supported very stronglyboth by Thyron's undisguised contempt for the Boskonian warships threatening him andby his equally frank declaration of his intention to avoid engagement with any craft ofreally superior force.Finally, however, the Boskonian perceived one thing that did notquite fit."If you are as good as you claim to be, why aren't you blasting right now?" heasked, skeptically."Because I don't want to, that's why.Use your head, pal." This was better.Mendonai had shifted the conversation into a line upon which the Lensman could do abit of steering."I had to leave the First Galaxy because it got too hot for me, and I gotno connections at all, yet, here in the Second.You folks need certain kinds of stuff thatI've got and I need other kinds, that you've got.So we could do a nice business, if youwanted to.Like I told you, that's why I come to see Harkleroy.I'd like to do businesswith some of you people, but I just got bit pretty bad, and I've got to have some kind ofsolid guarantee that you mean business, and no monkey business, before I take achance again.See?""I see.The idea is good, but the execution may prove difficult.I could give youmy word, which I assure you has never been broken.""Don't make me laugh," Kinnison snorted."Would you take mine?""The case is different.I would not.Your point, however, is well taken.How aboutthe protection of a high court of law? I will bring you an unalterable writ from any courtyou say.""Uh-uh," the Gray Lensman dissented."There never was no court yet that didn'ttake orders from the big shots who keep the fat cats fat,_and lawyers are thecrookedest 'damn crooks in the universe.You'll have to do better than that, pal.""Well, then, how about a Lensman? You know about Lensmen, don't you?""A Lensman!" Kinnison gasped.He shook his head violently."Are you completelynuts, or do you think I am? I do know Lensmen, cully—a Lensman chased me fromAlaskan to Vandemar once, and if I hadn't had a dose of hell's own luck he'd of got me.Lensmen chased me out of the First Galaxy—why the hell else do you think I'm here?Use your brain, mister; use your brain!""You're thinking of Civilization's Lensmen; particularly of Gray Lensmen."Mendonai was enjoying Thyron's passion."Ours are different—entirely different.Theyhave as much power, or more, but don't use it the same way.They work with us rightalong.In fact, they've been bumping Gray Lensmen off right and left lately.""You mean he could open up, for instance, your mind and mine, so we could seethe other guy wasn't figuring on running in no stacked decks? And he'd sort of refereethis business we got on the fire? Do you know one yourself, personally?""He could, and would, do all that.Yes, I know one personally.His name isMelasnikov, and his office is on Three, just a short flit from here.He may not be there atthe moment, but he'll come in if I call.How about it—shall I call him now?""Don't work up a sweat.Sounds like it might work, if we can figure the approach.I don't suppose you and him would come out to me in space?""Hardly.You wouldn't expect us to, would you?" "It wouldn't be very bright of youto.And since I want to do business, I guess I got to meet you part way.How'd this be?You pull your ships out of range.My ship takes station right over your Lensman's office.I go down in my speedster, like I did here, and go inside to meet him and you.I wear myarmor—and when I say it's real armor I ain't just snapping my choppers, neither.""I can see only one slight flaw." The Boskonian was really trying to work out amutually satisfactory solution."The Lensman will open our minds to you in proof,however, that we will have no intention of bringing up our maulers or other heavy stuffwhile we're in conference.""Right men you'll find out you hadn't better, too." Kinnison grinned wolfishly."What do you mean?" Mendonai demanded."I've got enough super-atomicbombs aboard to blow this planet to hellangone and the boys'll drop 'em all the secondyou make a queer move.I've got to take a little chance to start doing business, but it's adamn small one, 'cause if I go you go too, pal.You and your Lensman and your fleetand everything alive on your whole damn planet.And your bosses still won't get anydope on what makes this ship of mine tick the way she does.So I'm betting you won'tmake that kind of a swap.""I certainly would not." Hard as he was, Mendonai was shaken."Your suggestedmethod of procedure is satisfactory.""QX.Are you ready to flit?""We are ready.""Call your Lensman, then, and lead the way.Boys, take her upstairs!"CHAPTER 16: RED LENSMAN IN GRAYKaren Kinnison was worried.she, who had always been so sure of herself, hadfor weeks been conscious of a gradually increasing—what was it, anyway? Not exactlya loss of control.a change.a something that manifested itself in increasinglynumerous fits of senseless— sheerly idiotic—stubbornness.And always and only it wasdirected at—of all the people in the universe!—her brother.She got along with hersisters perfectly, their tiny tiffs barely rippled the surface of any of their minds.But anytime her path of action crossed Kit's, it seemed, the profoundest depths of her beingflared into opposition like exploding duodec.Worse than senseless and idiotic, it wasinexplicable, for the feeling which the Five had for each other was much deeper thanthat felt by ordinary brothers and sisters.She didn't want to fight with Kit [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]