been shot or thrown into the cooler.”
“I keep telling you,” Ronny said, trying to maintain reasonableness in his tone, “Phrygia is in a condition of armed aggression against her fellow members of UP and in revolt against the UP as a whole.”
“You mean to tell me,” Captain Volos demanded unbelievingly, “that this planet wants to take on all three thousand worlds of the UP and conquer them?”
Rita laughed mockingly.
Ronny Bronston closed his eyes in pain. He opened them again.
He said, “Phil, cover them!” A Model H gun flowed into Phil Birdman’s hand.
XII
“Captain,” Ronny said mildly, “your orders are to put yourselves and your cruiser under the command of Agent Birdman and myself. We are going to insist you observe them.”
The skipper’s eyes went down to the gun. He recognized the competent manner in which it was being handled. He also recognized the weapon and its potentialities. He checked his three juniors with his eyes. Even Richardson avoided the question in his commanding officer’s face.
Captain Volos said coldly, “I am acting under coercion, Citizen Bronston, and wish the fact to be entered into the
“Very well. Within a short time, I’m going to prove to you what we’ve tried to put over. You don’t seem to be a flat. When the proof is obvious, then Citizen Birdman and I will expect more hearty cooperation on the part of you and your men. Meanwhile, here is a chart. We are to head for the first of these sun systems marked in red.”
The four hesitated for a long moment.
Birdman jiggled his gun, meaningfully.
The captain took the torn chart, scowled at it, took it over to his navigating table.
“Where’d you get this?” he asked grudgingly.
“It’s a long story,” Ronny told him. “Once we get underway, I’ll tell you at least part of it. Suffice to say, for the moment, that I liberated it from our friends on Phrygia, who are trying to take over control of every human being alive.”
The captain looked with continued disbelief at him, then turned down to the chart.
Phil Birdman said cheerfully, “I think we’d better chill the squaw here, like I suggested. She’s already caused enough trouble in just these past few minutes. What could she accomplish working on our cloddy friends, here, over a period of a couple of Earth weeks, or so.”
Rita looked at Ronny. “You plan to put me in cold?”
“Can you think of something better to do with you?”
“I refuse!”
He didn’t bother to answer her.
“That’s illegal!” one of the other junior officers said belligerently. “Illegal, without the permission of the subject.”
The Indian laughed. “Friend,” he said, “you’re probably going to see one hell of a lot of illegality in the next few weeks, so you might as well start getting acclimated to it.” He looked at Ronny. “You realize we’re going to have to take this in shifts, don’t you? We aren’t going to be allowed to both sleep at once.”
Ronny sighed and nodded. “Now let’s see about this girl’s shot.”
The trip to the Dawnworlds went with little incident.
Ronny Bronston and Phil Birdman made no effort to interfere with ship routine and Captain Gary Volos’ prerogatives. They conducted themselves as passengers with but one great difference.
They stood alternating eight hour watches. Never was there a time when both slept. Never was there a time when their weapons weren’t immediately to hand.
They had taken measures, the first day, to put the
Largely, they spent their time playing battle chess with young Richardson, or with Mendlesohn or Takashi, the other two junior officers. The skipper himself refused to associate with the Section G agents beyond what was necessary to operate the spacecraft.
Ronny had thought he was making some progress with Richardson and Takashi, at least. Since they were going to be as exposed to the dangers of the Dawnworlds as anyone, he could see no reason for not giving the others all the information he held himself. This included a complete rundown on the true nature of United Planets and of Section G. It included the information about the little aliens, and the further information that this species had evidently been wiped out in their entirety by the Dawnmen.
He told them about the desperate efforts being made by Ross Metaxa and other ranking officials of the Octagon to bring complete unity to the United Planets, in order to prepare men for the eventuality of the touching of the two cultures. And he told them of Baron Wyler’s ambitions and his present expedition to the Dawnworlds.
He had thought he had been making progress and was disillusioned the seventh Earth day after they had left the vicinity of Phrygia.
Phil Birdman had been playing battle chess with Mendlesohn, by far the best player aboard, which irritated the Indian since he rather fancied his own game. At this point, Birdman’s double line of pawns were in full retreat before the other’s strong armor attack. And Phil was muttering unhappily to himself, even as he tried to fight a delaying action until he could bring up his own heavier pieces.
Richardson, seemingly about nothing more important than crossing the small mess hall lounge for coffee, suddenly launched himself on the Section G agent’s back.
Birdman, with no time to unholster his weapon, fell to the floor, the other clinging desperately to him, and tried to roll out. Mendlesohn, his eyes wide, scurried about the two threshing men as though not quite sure whether to throw his inconsiderable weight into the fray.
From the doorway, H gun in hand, Ronny snapped, “All right. Break it up. Richardson! On your feet, or I’ll muffle you.”
The aggressive ensign stood up, panting, his face unrepentant.
Phil Birdman sat there for a moment, shaking his head ruefully. “Why’d you stop it?” he growled at Ronny. “Now I’ll never know if I could have clobbered the young yoke.”
Ronny said, “You’re too old to be rolling around on the deck.”
“Huh,” Birdman snorted, pushing himself erect. “Look who’s talking. It won’t be long before…” He cut himself short.
Ronny Bronston looked at him bleakly.
“Sorry,” Phil said. “That’s the trouble with wisecrackers. A supposedly smart quip gets out before you realize it’s jetsam.”
Ronny said to Richardson, “What was the idea?”
The other glowered resentment, in spite of the leveled gun. “What do you think it was? You’ve taken over the ship at gun point. I was trying to recapture it.”
The captain entered from the compartment entrance opposite the one Ronny occupied. “What’s going on?” he demanded.
“This cloddy here is making like a hero,” Ronny said mildly. “I’m afraid we’re going to have to ask you to put him in cold, Captain Volos.”
“He’s a necessary member of my crew!”
Phil Birdman muttered, “He’s about as necessary as a coronary.”
Ronny Bronston, still holding the gun, said, “So long as we’re in underspace, you could handle the ship singlehanded, Captain, as you well know.”
“I refuse to put a man into cold without his permission.”
Ensign Richardson glared defiantly at the Section G agent.
Ronny said mildly, “Then I’ll have to shoot him. I can’t afford to take the chance of having him loose. Next
