“My name is Brandd. We landed from space two nights ago and have been walking in the desert ever since. Now don’t get excited and shoot the gun when I tell you this—but both Vion and Ihjel are dead.”
The man with the gun gasped, his eyes widened. The driver threw a single frightened look over his shoulder, then turned quickly back to the wheel. Brion’s probe had hit its mark. If these men weren’t from the Cultural Relationships Foundation they at least knew a lot about it. It seemed safe to assume they were C.R.F. men.
“When they were shot the girl and I escaped. We were trying to reach the city and contact you. You are from the Foundation, aren’t you?”
“Yes. Of course,” the man said, lowering the gun. He stared glassy-eyed into space for a moment, nervously working his teeth against his lip. Startled at his own inattention, he raised the gun again.
“If you’re Brandd, there’s something I want to know.” Rummaging in his breast pocket with his free hand, he brought out a yellow message form. He moved his lips as he reread the message. “Now answer me—if you can—what are the last three events in the …” He took a quick look at the paper again. “… in the Twenties?”
“Chess finals, rifle prone position, and fencing playoffs. Why?”
The man grunted and slid the pistol back into its holder, satisfied. “I’m Faussel,” he said, and waved the message at Brion. “This is Ihjel’s last will and testament, relayed to us by the Nyjord blockade control. He thought he was going to die and he sure was right. Passed on his job to you. You’re in charge. I was Mervv’s second-in-command, until he was poisoned. I was supposed to work for Ihjel, and now I guess I’m yours. At least until tomorrow, when we’ll have everything packed and get off this hell planet.”
“What do you mean, tomorrow?” Brion asked. “It’s three days to deadline and we still have a job to do.”
Faussel had dropped heavily into one of the seats and he sprang to his feet again, clutching the seat back to keep his balance in the swaying car.
“Three days, three weeks, three minutes—what difference does it make?” His voice rose shrilly with each word, and he had to make a definite effort to master himself before he could go on. “Look. You don’t know anything about this. You just arrived and that’s your bad luck. My bad luck is being assigned to this death trap and watching the depraved and filthy things the natives do. And trying to be polite to them even when they are killing my friends, and those Nyjord bombers up there with their hands on the triggers. One of those bombardiers is going to start thinking about home and about the cobalt bombs down here and he’s going to press that button, deadline or no deadline.”
“Sit down, Faussel. Sit down and take a rest.” There was sympathy in Brion’s voice—but also the firmness of an order. Faussel swayed for a second longer, then collapsed. He sat with his cheek against the window, eyes closed. A pulse throbbed visibly in his temple and his lips worked. He had been under too much tension for too long a time.
This was the atmosphere that hung heavily in the air at the C.R.F. building when they arrived. Despair and defeat. The doctor was the only one who didn’t share this mood as he bustled Lea off to the clinic with prompt efficiency. He obviously had enough patients to keep his mind occupied. With the others the feeling of depression was unmistakable. From the instant they had driven through the automatic garage door, Brion had swum in this miasma of defeat. It was omnipresent and hard to ignore.
As soon as he had eaten he went with Faussel into what was to have been Ihjel’s office. Through the transparent walls he could see the staff packing the records, crating them for shipment. Faussel seemed less nervous now that he was no longer in command. Brion rejected any idea he had of letting the man know that he himself was only a novice in the foundation. He was going to need all the authority he could muster, since they would undoubtedly hate him for what he was going to do.
“Better take notes of this, Faussel, and have it typed. I’ll sign it.” The printed word always carried more weight. “All preparations for leaving are to be stopped at once. Records are to be returned to the files. We are going to stay here just as long as we have clearance from the Nyjorders. If this operation is unsuccessful we will all leave together when the time expires. We will take whatever personal baggage we can carry by hand; everything else stays here. Perhaps you don’t realize we are here to save a planet—not file cabinets full of papers.”
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Faussel flush with anger. “As soon as that is typed bring it back. And all the reports as to what has been accomplished on this project. That will be all for now.”
Faussel stamped out, and a minute later Brion saw the shocked, angry looks from the workers in the outer office. Turning his back to them, he opened the drawers in the desk, one after another. The top drawer was empty, except for a sealed envelope. It was addressed to Winner Ihjel.
Brion looked at it thoughtfully, then ripped it open. The letter inside was handwritten.
Ihjel:
I’ve had the official word that you are on the way to relieve me and I am forced to admit I feel only an intense satisfaction. You’ve had the experience on these outlaw planets and can get
