And what could be sweeter than a thoroughly corrupt planet to take over with his money and his newspaper? Dominate a machine and the members’ “regularity” wfll lead them to kill for you—or to kill killers if need be. Encourage planetary ignorance and isolationism; keep the planet unattractive and depressed by letting your free-booters run wild—that’ll discourage intelligent immigration. Let token parties in, fleece them fast and close, let them spread the word that Frostbite’s no place for anybody with brains.
“A reformer and idealist I am,” said Portwanger calmly. “Not a man of action. What should be done next?’
I thought it over and told him; “If it kills me, and it might, I am going to send a rash of flashes and bulletins from this Godforsaken planet. My love life depends on it Leon, do you know anybody on Mars?”
“A Sirian fellow named Wenjtkpli—a philosophical anarchist. An unreal position to take. This is the world we are jo, there are certain social leverages to apply. Who is he to •ay—?”
I held up my hand. “I know him too.” I could taste that eleventh stinger again; by comparison the prune brandy was mellow. I took a gulp. “Do you think you could go to Mars without getting bumped off?”
“A man could try.”
The next two weeks were agonizing. Those Assyrian commissars or Russian belshazzars or whatever they were who walked down prison corridors waiting to be shot in the back
of the head never went through what I did. I walked down the corridor for fourteen days.
First Leon got off all right on a bucket of bolts. I had no guarantee that he wouldn’t be plugged by a crew member who was in on the party. Then there was a period of waiting for the first note that I’d swap you for a mad tarantula.
It came:
NOTE FRBBUO HOW WELL XPCT KP CLNT IF UN-ABL DROP COPY? MCG MARSBUO.
I’d paved the way for that one by drinking myself into a hangover on home brew and lying in bed and groaning when I should have been delivering the printer copy to the Phoenix. I’d been insulting as possible to Weems to insure that he’d phone a squawk to McGillicuddy—I hoped. The tipoff was “hell.” Profanity was never, ever used on our circuits—I hoped. “Hell” meant “Portwanger contacted me, I got the story, I am notifying United Planets Patrol in utmost secrecy.” Two days later came:
NOTE FRBBUO BD CHMN WNTS KNO WOT KIND DAMN KNUCKLHED FILING ONLY FOURFIVE ITMS DAILY FM XPNSVE ONEMAN BUO. XPCT UP-STEP PRDCTN IMMY, RPT IMMY MCG MARSBUO.
“Damn” meant “Patrol contacted, preparing to raid Frostbite.” “Fourfive” meant “fourfive”—days from message.
The next note would have got ISN in trouble with the Interplanetary Communications Commission if it hadn’t been in a good cause. I’m unable to quote it. But it came as I was in the bureau about to leave for the Honorable Homer With-erspoon’s testimonial banquet. I locked the door, took off my parka and rolled up my sleeves. I was going to sweat for the next few hours.
When I heard the multiple roar of the Patrol ships on rockets I very calmly beat out fifteen bells and sent:
INTERSTELLAR FLASH
UNITED PLANETS PATROL DESCENDING ON FROSTBITE, KRUEGER 60-B’S ONLY PLANET, IN UNPRECEDENTED MASS RAID ON TIP OF INTERSTELLAR NEWS SERVICE THAT WORLD IS SOLE SOURCE OF DEADLY DRUG J-K-B.
INTERSTELLAR BULLETIN
THE MASSED PATROL OF THE UNITED PLANETS ORGANIZATION DESCENDED ON THE ONLY PLANET OF KRUEGER 60-B, FROSTBITE, IN AN UNPRECEDENTED MASS RAID THIS EVENING. ON INFORMATION FURNISHED BY INTERSTELLAR NEWS REPORTER JOE SPENCER THE PATROL HOPES TO WIPE OUT THE SOURCE OF THE DEADLY DRUG J-K-B, WHICH HAS PLAGUED THE GALAXY FOR 20 YEARS. THE CHEMICAL GENIUS SUSPECTED OF INVENTING AND PRODUCING THE DRUG IS GEORGE PARSONS, RESPECTED PUBLISHER OF FROSTBITE’S ONLY NEWSPAPER.
INTERSTELLAR FLASH
FIRST UNITED PLANETS PATROL SHIP LANDS IN
FROSTBITE CAPITAL CITY OF PLANET.
INTERSTELLAR FLASH
PATROL COMMANDER PHONES EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW TO INTERSTELLAR NEWS SERVICE FROSTBITE BUREAU REPORTING ROUND-UP OF PLANETARY GOVERNMENT LEADERS AT TESTIMONIAL DINNER
(WITH FROSTBITE)
FROSTBITE—ISN—ONE INTERSTELLAR NEWS REPORTER HAS ALREADY GIVEN HIS LIFE IN THE CAMPAIGN TO EXPOSE THE MAKER OF J-K-B. ED KENNEDY, ISN BUREAU CHIEF, WAS ASSASSINATED BY AGENTS OF DRUGMAKER GEORGE PARSONS THREE MONTHS AGO. AGENTS OF PARSONS STRIPPED KENNEDY AND EXPOSED HIM OVERSIGHT TO THE BITTER COLD OF THIS PLANET, CAUSING HIS DEATH BY PNEUMONIA. A SECOND INTERSTELLAR NEWS SERVICE REPORTER, JOE STCNCER, NARROWLY ESCAPED DEATH AT THE HANDS OF A DRUG-RING MEMBER WHO SOUGHT TO PREVENT HIM FROM SENDING NEWS OVER THE CIRCUITS OF THE INTERSTELLAR NEWS SERVICE.