Odal tried to reach the rocket throttle, but the pain was too great. He was slipping into unconsciousness. He fought against it. He knew he must return to the planetoid and somehow kill his opponent. But gradually the pain overpowered him. His eyes were closing, closing. …
And quite abruptly he found himself sitting in the booth of the dueling machine. It took a moment for him to realize that he was back in the real world. Then his thoughts cleared. He had failed to kill Hector. He hadn’t even defeated him.
And at the door of the booth stood Kor, his face a grim mask of anger.
For the moment, Leoh’s office behind the dueling machine looked like a great double room. One wall had been replaced by a full-sized viewscreen, which now eemed to be dissolved, so that he was looking directly into the austere metallic utility of a star-ship compartment.
Spencer was saying, “So this hired assassin, after killing four men and nearly wrecking a government, has returned to his native worlds.”
Leoh nodded. “He returned under guard. I suppose he’s in disgrace, or perhaps even under arrest.”
“Servants of a dictator never know when they’ll be the ones who are served—on a platter.” Spencer chuckled. “And the Watchman who assisted you, this Junior Lieutenant Hector, where is he?”
“The Dulaq girl has him in tow, somewhere. Evidendy it’s the first time he’s been a hero.”
Spencer shifted his weight in his chair. “I’ve long prided myself on the conviction that any Star Watch officer can handle almost any kind of emergency. From your description of the past few weeks’ happenings, I was beginning to have my doubts. However, Junior Lieutenant Hector seems to have scraped through.”