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icy again. "But I doubt if you and Darv will qualify to receive them."
* * * *
Grand Emperor Thorden, ruler of a handful of inhabited moons of the outer
planets which were all that was left of the million-year-old Solaric Empire,
loved medals and riotous parties. He was wearing many of the former and
indulging in the latter when Helan entered the underground gallery and stood
surveying the decadent scene with undisguised distaste.
Thorden had organised the revellers into two teams for one of his
inevitable shooting contests and, judging by the row he was making, he and his
team had been particularly successful at blasting the androids at the Eastern
end of the gallery. Their task to was to invade the Western end of the gallery
which was occupied by the partygoers armed with hand lasers.
"How's that then?" Thorden bellowed as he demolished a fast moving
android that had managed to reach the long banqueting table and leap onto it.
Pieces of the vanquished machine exploded in all directions, forcing laughing
and shrieking girls to dive for cover.
"Inspired shooting, sir," said Thale, a young man who wore the double
circle insignia of a captain in the Space Corps.
The compliment enraged Thorden. "Inspired! How the hell can it be
inspired shooting if I'm the best shot in the empire?"
Helan approached the short, thick-set figure who was glowering at Thale.
"A word with you please, Thorden."
"What?"
"I have an urgent matter that requires your attention."
"But the party's only just begun, dammit."
"I have two aliens outside. I would like you to see them."
Thorden frowned. "Aliens? Dammit, Helan -- it was proved a hundred
thousand years ago that there's no such thing. Humans are the only intelligent
life- form in the galaxy and that's us."
"They're aliens, Thorden."
Thorden stared at Helan for a moment before turning to his guests and
telling them to manage without him for a while. He took Helan to one side.
"We're talking about the pirate prospectors that Spegal picked up on
Kyros?" he inquired.
Helan nodded.
"But Spegal said that they were human."
"Humanoid," Helan corrected. "They're certainly not human but crude
imitations. My guess is that they were copied from a couple of kidnapped human
children -- from a pirateer ship perhaps --and that the aliens didn't realise
that they were duplicating children. Our prisoners' story is that they're from
a planet called Earth."
Thorden frowned. "There was a legend when I was a kid about a planet
called Earth."
"If it exists, it means that there's a rich world somewhere for us to
conquer," said Helan. "Their mother ship is in orbit around Kyros. According
to Spegal it's at least ten miles long."
Thorden goggled at Helan. His success as an emperor was based on his
sound military philosophy of never picking fights with enemies who were more
powerful that he was. Ships ten miles long were best treated with respect
rather than declarations of war, and he told Helan so.
"It's unarmed," Helan countered.
"What?"
"I used the cerebral analysers on the aliens during their interrogation.
There is no doubt that they were telling the truth when they said that it was
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unarmed. What is more interesting is that it is unable to move from its orbit
around Kyros unless there is a crew of four in its main control room. There
are two aliens aboard at the moment," Helan gave a mirthless smile. "And we
are holding the other two."
"A world to conquer," breathed Thorden softly. "Just what we need, Helan.
The empire is stagnating in what little there is left of its wealth. Let's
take a look at our two aliens."
Helan moved away to summons her captives while Thorden bellowed at the
revellers for their attention.
"Why is it," he demanded, "that in twenty years not one commander in my
Space Corps has discovered as much as a lump of rock which is worth the empire
possessing? Well?"
Thale saw that Thorden was glaring at him. "Because there's nothing in
range of our ships, sir," he said ineffectually.
"Nothing in range!" Thorden thundered, glaring round at the others and
making them wish that they hadn't accepted his invitation. "Well, let me tell
you something," he said, beating his chest. "I have discovered a world that
has the resources to build ships ten miles long! What have you got to say to
that, eh?"
No one had anything specific to say, but Thorden's words did cause a buzz
of comment among the younger officers.
"Okay. Bring 'em in, Helan."
Two powerfully-built guards pushed Darv and Astra into the centre of the
gallery while Helan moved to Thorden's side. Thorden held up a hand to quell
the sudden swell of conversation that greeted the appearance of the two
captives.
"These, my friends, are aliens from the planet Earth," Thorden announced.
He took a good look at Astra and Darv and frowned. "Helan -- why haven't they
got two heads of whatever it is aliens have?"
"I explained that they were imitation humanoids," was Helan's patient
reply.
Thorden grunted. "Look like a couple of twelve-year-olds to me." He
stumped across to Darv. "What's your name, boy?"
Without flinching from the hostile glare, Darv said: "My name is Darv and
I am not an alien, and nor is Astra."
"My name is Darv, SIR!" roared Thorden.
"Sir." Darv amended.
"You know who I am, boy?"
"I think I can guess what you are . . . Sir."
"I am Grand Emperor Thorden of the Solaric Empire. What have you got to
say to that?"
Darv was determined not to show the fear that was twisting like a live
creature in his stomach. "If being a citizen of the Solaric Empire means
having to live underground on a collection of cold worlds, then we don't think
much of it or its emperor."
Astra could hardly believe that Darv could be so stupid as to provoke
Thorden. She waited for him to lash out at Darv but the expected retribution
never came. Instead, Thorden turned his attention to her.
"I suppose your Earth is a warm planet with a breathable atmosphere, eh,
alien?"
Astra nodded. "But we've never seen it, sir. We were born on our ship."
"We're not aliens," said Darv emphatically. "We're human beings like
you."
Helan moved into the circle of watching partygoers that had formed around
Thorden and the two prisoners."Like us, Darv?" she asked mildly.
"Yes."
"Dammit, Helan," Thorden muttered. "They're just a couple of kids."
Ignoring Thorden, Helan said to Astra: "How old are you both?"
"I'm twenty-five. And so is Darv."
Astra's answer produced a wave of comment.
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"You said that they were telling the truth, Helan," growled Thorden.
"And so they are," said Helan. "I want a man and woman in their mid-
twenties." She beckoned to the taller of the two guards. His name was Quin --
a giant of a man. He was nearly seven feet tall with rippling muscles which,
in addition to his other physical characteristics, made him a firm favourite [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]