turned about and countermanded all his orders, and re-
fused to see me and explain his high-handed obstinacy.”
“Hmmm!” General Baden looked him over. “Who
are you?”
“My apologies.” Barly recollected himself and clicked
his heels. “Bengt Barly, Major, Cyclops Space Force, as-
signed to supervise the evacuation of this base.”
“I see. Where is this commandant now? Why didn’t
he come down to meet us on our arrival?” A chill per-
vaded the general’s words.
“Commandant Langenschmidt is awaiting you in his
villa. General,” Nole said calmly. “I am asked to take
you there at once.”
“Carry on, then,” the general said grimly. “I shall
want an explanationand it will have to be a good one.”
Langenschmidt greeted the newcomers with a mask of
inscrutability. He was not alone in the room where he
received them. In addition to six armed Corpsmen, there
were an aging man who looked to be ill from some cause
subtler than diseasepossibly fear; a youth who held
himself as erect as a Corpsman but clearly wasn’t, for his
hair was completely shaven, not trimmed to the Patrol’s
standard inch; a very young girl with dark hair and
wide, doe-like eyes full of alarm; and a woman in
undress Corps uniform around whose mouth played the
suspicion of a smile.
Without preamble. General Baden said, “I’m told by
the head of the Cyclopean inspection team that you’ve
countermanded the orders to evacuate. Why?”
Not twitching an eyelid, Langenschmidt retorted, “Be-
cause the base is not going to be closed. Furthermore, I
intend to ask that the ships assigned to transport our per-
sonnel away, which are released from that duty now, be
reassigned to me for a special task.” He paused. “In fact,
I think about half the total number of ships will suffice
the rest can return to regular duty.”
“Have you taken leave of your senses, man?” rapped
the general, emphasising the last word as though she had
long ago ceased to expect intelligence in members of the
opposite sex.
“General, if you’d sit down? Chairs!” Langenschmidt
barked, and the Corpsmen moved hastily to bring some.
“I think you need only listen to me for a few minute
to see I know what I’m talking about. I’d like to
start by introducing all those present, if I may. Ah . . .
Maddalena Santos here is attached to my staff for special
duties, and I’ll be asking you to take back with you a
commendation in her name for diligence above the call
of duty. But that’s by the way. This young man here is a
Cyclopean fisherboy from a place called Grarignol,
Bracy Dyge; he has applied for probadoner status in the
Corps and has so conducted himself as to earn my max-
imum approval for the application.”
Bracy grinned broadly and went back to the pastime
mainly engaging his attention at the moment: looking at
the slender, attractive girl next to him.
“This,” Langenschmidt continued, “is Dr Aleazar Ri-
merley, who is not here under quite such favourable aus-
pices. He is in fact under arrest for systematic and
flagrant violation of several clauses of the Unified Galac-
tic Code, details of which I shall be giving you.
“And thischild, I think one must say,” he concluded,
turning, “is named Soraya. She doesn’t understand much
of what we are saying, which is hardly surprising. She
wasn’t brought up to speak pure Galactic, but an Irani.
dialect with some Galactic admixtures. She is, in
fact”and he looked straight at General Baden, wanting
to see the full impact of his bombshell”a native of ZRP
Number Twenty-two, whose location we haven’t yet es-
tablished, but which narrows down to a thirty-parsec
sphere now, and”
“Twenty-two?” echoed the general in a strangled
voice.
“But” said both colonels simultaneously.
Langenschmidt let his face relax at last, into a beaming
smile. “Have I your permission to explain my actions
now?”
It had been decided at the last moment to make the
closing session of the Conference on Non-Interference
with Zarathustra Refugee Planets a public affair, with as
much pomp and spectacle as Cyclopean resources could
furnish at short notice, and full coverage by the planet’s
news services. There was much adulation of Omar