'We'll do the questioning ourselves, in New York,” Mallinson said grimly. “After we've dealt with you and your squadron.'
'Dealt with—” Birrel stopped, feeling a chill as though a cold hand had grasped him. He asked evenly, “What do you mean? About dealing with the Fifth?'
'Your squadron is going to be disarmed,” Mallinson said incisively. “It's not going to carry out the mission Ferdias gave you. We've brought in missile-launchers all around the spaceport and have cleared away all traffic. Tonight your officers will be given ten minutes to evacuate all ships. Oh, yes, we're well aware that you're on Ready — and if they don't comply, the Fifth Lyra will be destroyed.'
'Talk,” said Birrel between his teeth. “You wouldn't dare. You know it would mean instant war between the UW and Lyra.'
'Is this what you call peace?” Mallinson demanded harshly. “A powerful task-force coming to Earth under pretext of a friendly call, and preparing to take over our planet?'
'Damn it, we've no such plans, it's Solleremos who plans that,” Birrel exclaimed. “And if you disarm the Fifth and Orion's squadrons come—'
He could not finish. The words he spoke brought him such a nightmare vision of the Orionid ships sweeping in, of the disarmed cruisers and transports of the Fifth disappearing in a storm of smoke and fire, that he could not go on.
'We're taking no chances,” Mallinson was saying implacably. “The Fifth Lyra will be disarmed. You and everyone else in this house are in custody, as of now.'
'You're taking no chances,” mocked Birrel, raging. “You're throwing away your planet, that's all. Good God, man, think! If I'm right, if Orion is planning a grab, you're paralyzing the only force that might be able to stop them.'
'There's the UW fleet—” Mallinson began, but Birrel interrupted savagely.
'Solleremos will eat it up, and you know it. No matter how loyal you are to Earth, you've got to admit that her fleet can't face two heavy Orionid squadrons for ten minutes.'
A look of anxiety shaded Mallinson's face for a moment. But he said doggedly, “We'll have to do what we can. We'll fight enemies if they come, but we'll make sure first we're not attacked from behind.'
He went toward the door. “I'm calling my men in now. There will be no violence, unless you provoke it.'
Birrel sprang desperately after him and caught him by the arm. “Mallinson, listen! Forget for now what you think of me. Just think of this: If Orion has mounted a strike against you, can you wait till we get back to New York to find out? A few hours could be too late!'
Mallinson looked around at him sharply. “What are you getting at?'
'This — we've got Tauncer in there. We've got a vera-probe and a man to operate it. Don't you want to know right now what's coming from Orion? Or would you prefer to take the chance of being clobbered?'
Mallinson hesitated, with indecision in his attitude for the first time. “What the devil can you lose?” Birrel demanded.
Mallinson decided. “All right, we'll question this man you say is an agent of Orion. But one of my own men will operate the probe,'
He went to the door and called outside. The storm had receded to a dull, distant rumble, but clouds still darkened the sky and a drizzling rain still fell. A bard-looking Earthman in a slicker came up onto the porch, and Mallinson spoke with him, and he nodded and went out onto the grounds again.
Mallinson turned. “Let's see this man.'
When they went into the rear bedroom, Tauncer's eyes flew to Mallinson. Birrel almost admired the lightning speed with which Tauncer reacted.
'Secretary Mallinson!” he exclaimed. A look of shaky relief crossed his face. “Thank God you've come! This Lyran commander must be crazy. He attacked us, tied us up here—'
Mallinson interrupted, saying flatly, “He claims that you're Orionid spies.'
'Spies?” Sheer astonishment showed in Tauncer's face. “I don't know what this is all about.'
Harper said loudly and aggrievedly, “I'm a UW citizen! Are you going to let him do this to one of your own citizens?'
Birrel was prepared to see Mallinson waver, but there was tougher stuff in this young diplomat than he had anticipated.
'If you're innocent, you'll be out of here soon,” he told them. “But, first, you're going to be probed.” And as a middle-aged Earthman came in with the vera-probe he said to him, nodding at Tauncer, “This one first.'
'I protest this!” cried Tauncer. “Use of a probe on an unwilling subject is forbidden by every law in the galaxy!'
'Lots of things are against the law,” Mallinson said coolly. “Go ahead, Kane.'
Kane, the Earthman, touched the switches. The projector started buzzing.
Tauncer could not move his body, but he rolled his head back and forth rapidly. But Kane was an expert operator. He kept the invisible beam of the probe swivelling to follow Tauncer's movements.
Tauncer's face was briefly strained and then it went slack and his eyes lost their keen brilliance, becoming vague and unfocused.
'Under control,” said Kane.
'Tauncer,” said Mallinson sharply. “Can you hear me?'
'Yes.'
'Is Solleremos planning to take Earth into his Sector?'
Some dim vestige of a censor barrier seemed to survive in Tauncer's mind, because there was a long delay and Mallinson asked the question again, more loudly. But when the answer came, it was clear enough.
'Yes.'
'How long has he been planning this?'
'Years.'
'But he's going to move now?'
'Yes.'
'Why right now?'
'Because,” answered Tauncer's stiff voice, “if he doesn't, Ferdias will grab Earth first.'
There was a long silence. Mallinson turned and looked at Birrel with a fiery light in his eyes. Birrel exclaimed, “He's lying, the probe's not completely efficient.'
Kane, the operator, looked up from the projector and said coldly, “It's one hundred per cent.'
Mallinson, after that long, furious look at Birrel turned back to the man on the bed. He asked, “How will he do it?'
'Direct attack. The UW naval forces are negligible. Lyra's Fifth Squadron will be caught surprised and disorganized by absence of command.'
'Absence of command,” repeated Mallinson. “That's why you're here, then?'
'Yes.'
'You were going to probe Birrel and then kill him?'
'Yes.'
Mallinson hunched forward a little as he asked the next question, and his voice was sharp and penetrating.
'What is Orion's attack plan? From what direction will those two squadrons come in to Earth?'
They waited tensely for the answer to that. But Tauncer replied readily in the monotonous voice, “I don't know.'
Birrel exclaimed, “He's lying! I told you control wasn't complete. He has to know—'
Kane said stiffly, I know how to use a probe. He's under complete control.'
'But—” Birrel began.
Mallinson waved him back. “Let me do this, Birrel. If you please.'
He spoke sharply to Tauncer again. “Why don't you know the attack plan, when you've been here as advance agent for it?'
'Because,” said Tauncer, “it would be too risky. If I were caught and probed, it would give the whole thing away.
