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eliminating the more obvious corruption, and this has roused the interest of the
ambitious Innelda. Even if nothing else worked in his favor, he would appear to
be a young man destined to go far in the Imperial service."
Then Hedrock smiled. "Actually, the Cayle Clark to watch is not the one in the
open but the one who remained elusively in the city. It is that Clark who has been
making history since last August seventh. In the time since then he has achieved
the following successes-and gentlemen, I warn you, you've never heard anything
like this before."
In a few sentences, he described what had happened. When he had finished, the
table buzzed with excited discussion. At last a man said, "But why marry Lucy
Hall?"
"Partly love, partly-" Hedrock hesitated. He had asked Lucy a pointed question
and her answer made his reply possible now. "I would say he grew immensely
cautious, and began to think of the future. Basic urges came to the fore. Suppose
something happened to a man who in a few weeks had accomplished the miracle
that he had. Gentlemen, he wanted an heir and Lucy was the only honest girl he
knew. It may be a permanent arrangement. I cannot say. Clark, in spite of his
rebellion against his parents is essentially a well-brought up young man. In any
event, Lucy will not suffer. She will have the interesting experience of having a
child. And, as a wife, she has community property rights."
Peter Cadron climbed to his feet. "Gentlemen," he said, "I move a vote of thanks
to Robert Hedrock for the service he has rendered the weapon shops." The
applause was prolonged.
"I move further," said Peter Cadron, "that lie be given the rank of unrestricted
member."
Once more there were no dissenters. Hedrock bowed his appreciation. The
reward was more than an honor. As an unrestricted member he would be subject
only to the Pp machine examinations. His movements and actions would never
be scrutinized and he could use every facility of the shops as if they were his own
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property. He had been doing that anyway but in future there would be no
suspicion. It was a mighty gift.
"Thank you, gentlemen," he said, when the clapping ended.
"And now," said Peter Cadron, "I respectfully request Mr. Hedrock to leave the
council room while we discuss our remaining problem, the seesaw."
Hedrock went out gloomily. He had momentarily forgotten that the greatest
danger remained.
CHAPTER XXVIII
IT WAS November twenty-sixth, one day before the shops intended to inform the
empress that her war was lost. She had no premonition. She had come down to
the building to see and perhaps-perhaps to do as Captain Clark had suggested.
She still felt repelled, though without fear. The feeling that she had was that the
Empress of Isher must not involve her own person in hare-brained adventures.
Yet the thought had grown, and here she was. At the very least she would watch
and wait while Captain Clark and the scientists made the trip. She climbed briskly
out of her carplane and looked around her.
In the near distance a concealing haze rose up lazily into the sky, an artificial fog
that, for months now, had cut off this city district from the view of the curious.
She walked slowly forward, her distinctive Isher face turning this way and that as
she examined the scene. She beckoned Captain Clark. "When is the building
due?"
The smiling young man saluted briskly. "In seven minutes, Your Majesty."
"Have you all the necessary equipment?"
She listened carefiillv to his recapitulation. Seven groups of scientists would enter
the building, each with his own instrument. It was a pleasure to realize that
Captain Clark had personally checked over the lists of machines in each group.
"Captain," she glowed, "you're a treasure."
Cayle did not reply. Her praise meant nothing. This girl, who almost literally
owned the world, surely did not expect intelligent people to be absolutely faithful
to her in exchange for a few compliments and Army pay. He had no sense of
anticipatory guilt and in fact did not regard what he intended to do as being in
any way damaging to her. In Isher you did what was necessary and for hira there
was no turning back. The pattern of his action was already set.
The woman was looking over the scene again. The hole in the ground where the
building had been was to her right. To her left was the Greenway weapon shop
with its park. It was the first time she had seen one in which the glitter signs were
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