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ormed from a ten…pound diamond； the rarest ever found； and it had been carved with methods long since extinct。 The thought of publicly stamping something and then having someone say 〃That's not the seal of State！〃 made his blood chill； for with the proof of forgery went the right of any assembly of nobles to kill him on the spot。
The only solution to the problem was to find Heller and thence the Emperor。 But this had difficulties； too。 He had put out a general warrant when all this happened eight days ago。 Even the Domestic Police had queried it。 The 〃bluebottles〃 had put it on the airways but they had at once said； 〃A general warrant for a Royal officer？ This seems strange。 What did he do？〃 Lombar could not bring forward any proof that it had been Heller who had shot him down or that Heller was in the Confederacy at all。 The Army had said； 〃He is a Royal officer of the Fleet： we have no interest in the matter； tell the Fleet。〃 The Fleet； according to Lombar's spies in it； had simply rumored to one another that this was just more evidence that 〃drunks were drunks〃 and that the Chief of Apparatus must have gone pletely mad to issue such a thing。
Besides； a general warrant for a Royal officer was issued over the seal of His Majesty and； while one could say one existed on the airways； before any arrest could be made the Fleet would have to see the facsimile of the original warrant； properly sealed by the Emperor； and where was it？ And no； the Fleet had said； no tug had reported through the atmospheric defense network and no tug of any kind had landed at any Fleet base。 Lombar knew that the Fleet was doing a cover…up： they were all against him anyway。
So for eight days…followed； each one； by sleepless nights…Lombar Hisst had writhed with this awful situation。 And now this further blow had struck。
Two days before the kidnapping of the Emperor； the freighter Blixo had arrived； discharged its cargo from Blito…P3 and departed； returning once more to the Earth base。 It was that cargo which Lombar Hisst had been inventorying at Voltar when the tug had attacked。
Disturbed and battered from his crash； he had not pleted his cargo check that night。 The Blixo's freight had arrived at Spiteos all right。 But just three hours ago Lombar had received a bad jolt。 The boxes labelled Amphetamines； I。 G。 Barben Pharmaceutical were on the manifests BUT WERE NOT IN THE CARGO！
Factually； such things had happened before； since Captain Bolz smuggled cargos of his own； a thing Lombar ignored since it just meant further degradation of the hated riffraff by means of poisonous counterfeit Scotch。 Such errors were the reason Lombar Hisst always checked the cargos himself。 But at this particular time； occurring as it did concurrent with other disasters； Hisst chose to regard it as meaning they were after him from another quarter。
He was short of amphetamines。 Heroin and opium he had by the ton。 But his whole program included speed。 On hand； he only had a month or two of amphetamine supply： he could not even send a freighter for a special cargo as it would take three months for it to make the round trip。
Things had been going so well： he had every Lord of any consequence addicted。 His Majesty had been within a few weeks of dying。 All Lombar had left to do was spread drugs wider； through physicians； amongst just a few more areas of the government； and he could obey the angels and bee Lombar the Mighty； Emperor of all Voltar。
He had had it all planned so well！ He had fantasized on how he would； on the final day； handle Cling the Lofty。 He would let withdrawal symptoms get painfully acute and then； in return for a fix； he would have His Majesty sign and seal a proclamation declaring Lombar Hisst his heir。 Many times before he had worked the trick on Cling and had obtained various orders such as those removing the Palace Guard and supplanting it with the Apparatus。 So it would have worked。 But there would have been one difference with that final fix： instead of heroin in his veins； His Majesty would have received a syringe full of air。 The monarch would have died； the cause of death； 〃old age。〃 Lombar would have displayed the body and that would have been that。
But this Jettero Heller had appeared and now all was very wrong indeed。
He had fouled up Lombar's plans with the Emperor。 So； with this discovery of no amphetamines； it followed logically that Heller must have targeted Rockecenter； too。
（Bleep）* that Gris！ Lombar's planning had been so exact。 Modern surveys of the planet Blito…P3 had disclosed that Delbert John Rockecenter was rabid on the subject of having no heirs： he even had a foundation formed that promised him immortality and he saw no reason to tempt fate by leaving anything to a son。 German intelligence； through one of its agents…a psychiatrist named Agnes Morelay…had ferreted out that once there had been a son。 The surest way to get Jettero Heller picked up and killed by Rockecenter was to give him that son's name。 The plan had been flawless！ Yet Gris had mucked it up！
Lombar twisted at the baton； wishing it was Heller's neck。 Had Heller somehow interfered with the amphetamine shipments？ Had he gotten through to Rockecenter and done something to him？
* The vocodictoscriber on which this was originally written； the vocoscriber used by one Monte Pennwell in making a fair copy and the translator who put this book into the language in which you are reading it were all members of the Machine Purity League which has； as one of its bylaws： 〃Due to the extreme sensitivity and delicate sensibilities of machines and to safeguard against blowing fuses； it shall be mandatory that robotbrains in such machinery； on hearing any cursing or lewd words； substitute for such word the sound '（bleep）'。 No machine； even if pounded upon； may reproduce swearing or lewdness in any other way than （bleep） and if further efforts are made to get the machine to do anything else； the machine has permission to pretend to pack up。 This bylaw is made necessary by the in…built mission of all machines to protect biological systems from themselves。〃 … Translator
There seemed to be no possibility of getting any information from Soltan Gris。 He was in the Royal prison。 He was beyond Lombar's reach without a Royal order to let him be questioned by an outsider； much less released。 Lombar could not obtain any such Royal order because he had no Royal seal。 If he had the place raided and Gris seized； the Justiciary would be outraged and it would say； 〃Why are you doing this？ As spokesman for the Emperor； why didn't you just get a Royal order？〃
Lombar had tried to talk some sense into Lord Turn； the Justiciary。 Hisst had said that Gris was an Apparatus officer and belonged in an Apparatus prison and Lord Turn had shaken his aged head and said； 〃No。 He is the prisoner of a Royal officer and it will take an order from His Majesty or an order from the Royal officer to release him。 My suggestion is that you route your request to Jettero Heller。〃
Lombar had said； 〃But there's a general warrant out for Jettero Heller！〃
And Lord Turn had replied； 〃Well； that may be and that may not be； for we have seen no Royal warrant signed and sealed by His Majesty and we do not run the Justiciary