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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 on what we hear on Homeview。 And it wouldn't matter anyway： general warrants are questionable in matters relating to Royal officers； and a Royal warrant for Jettero Heller or even his arrest would not cancel the fact that Gris is his prisoner。 Only Royal warrants would resolve this matter。〃 Lord Turn had ended off the exchange by looking suspiciously at Lombar； unable to prehend why he couldn't follow normal procedures。 That alone had been enough to drive Lombar Hisst out of the audience chambers of the Royal Courts and Prison…nobody must suspect there was no monarch in Palace City。
Lombar Hisst would have given a great deal； right that minute； to have had Soltan Gris under the electric torture knives。
SOMETHING had happened on Earth； that was certain。 That something probably included Rockecenter。 Although he had sent an Apparatus Death Battalion to the Earth base； he would have no word from them for three months； the time of a round trip。
Other freighters from Earth might arrive with amphetamines； but Lombar was not optimistic。
WHAT had happened？
The Blixo had gone back。 Its captain or crew couldn't be questioned。 Yet he HAD to have information： without it he could not act。
It suddenly occurred to him that somebody from the Earth base crew might have been sent home under arrest； somebody that could be questioned。
Lombar had a branch Apparatus office now in one of the round palaces of the Imperial city。 He threw Jettero Heller's baton from him and activated a screen。
The face of his chief clerk appeared。
〃When the Blixo came in；〃 said Lombar； 〃did it leave anyone here？ Some crew member？ Some base personnel？〃
The chief clerk activated his own screens。 〃The passenger list shows a courier returned。 That catamite； Two…lah。 He's right here in Palace City； once more with his lover； Lord Endow。〃
〃Oh； him！〃 said Lombar in disgust。 〃He wouldn't know any more than what we fed him to tell Gris。 You're no help。〃
〃Doctor Crobe came back on an earlier freighter。 I remember he got mixed up with technical and scientific circles in New York； some subjects they have on Blito…P3 called psychiatry and psychology。 They couldn't figure out whether he was straight up or in suspension…was on some dope called 'LSD。' He was simply sent back to Spiteos and he's there now。 If you're looking for information； Crobe might have some。〃
〃Oh； Crobe！ To Hells with that idiot。 I need a recent return。 I wanted somebody who was on the Blixo； you fool。 That was the last arrival。 So thank you for wasting my time。〃
〃Wait；〃 said the chief clerk before Hisst could turn him off。 〃There were two other Blixo passengers。 But they were Earth people。 One was an immature Earth woman named Teenie Whopper。 She's right here in Palace City。〃
〃A young girl？〃 said Lombar in contempt。 〃She would know nothing。 Who was the other one？〃
〃An Earthman about thirty or thirty…two。 His name is J。 Walter Madison。 He arrived straight up and conscious。〃
〃That's strange；〃 said Lombar。
〃I thought so； too；〃 said the chief clerk。 〃Ah； here's the full file。 Apparently he was acpanied by a note that said he was an invaluable man。 So when he landed about eight days ago； the personnel people put him into routine channels and had him hypnotrained to speak Voltarian。 But meanwhile they had the credentials he had on him translated。 They still don't know why he is so invaluable。 The only designation they could find in his papers termed him a PR man。〃
〃A what？〃 said Lombar。 〃Is that some kind of an Earth race？ Like Negroes？〃
〃No。 He's white with brown hair。 Oh； here's the rest of it。 From cards in his wallet； it said he was employed by 'F。 F。 B。 O。' and was retained to do Rockecenter work。〃
〃Part of the Rockecenter organization！〃 cried Lombar。 〃Quick！ Get that Earthman over here FAST！〃
NOW things could begin moving！
Chapter 6
J。 Walter Madison felt pretty giddy and strange。 Here he was on some strange planet in a stainless steel room。 It had been bad enough to sit in a detention cell at the base and realize he was a helpless prisoner。 But immediately afterwards it had gotten far worse。
Every preconception he might have had about space travel and extraterrestrials had been shattered。 He had boarded a flying saucer that didn't look like a saucer but simply like an old Earth freighter whose hull went all the way around it。 The crew looked like Earth people with a subtle difference that this lot was shabbier than any crew he had ever seen or heard of。 They talked a language which seemed posed of vowels and consonants pletely alien to any Earth alphabet； but their gestures； pointings and nods were understandable。
When he had landed on a stormy shore with Gris from the yacht； he had begun to encounter little mysteries； but he had merely toyed with them as something amusing to occupy his mind。 The shattering truth that he was in the hands of…what was the name they kept repeating？ Voltarians？ … hit him like a crash when they put him in a cabin； showed him how to strap himself into a gimbal bed； and then only minutes later he had looked out the port and seen Earth dwindling at such a rate below it was promptly as small as a billiard ball。
It was all so shocking that he didn't even have time to be afraid。
Then Teenie Whopper had walked in and said； 〃What a （bleeping） mess this is！ Oh； wait until I get my hands on that （bleeped） Inkswitch！〃
〃TEENIE！〃 he had cried。 〃We're in outer space！〃
〃Where the hell did you think we were？ On a Coney Island merry…go…round？〃
〃I don't understand it！〃 he had said。
〃Oh； can it； Maddie。 Don't be so God （bleeped） dumb。 That （bleep） Inkswitch was an extraterrestrial named Soltan Gris。 I always knew there was something nutty about him。 His （bleep） and （bleeps） were a lot too big for any human； and I'm an expert。 We been shanghaied！〃 She had been pretty mad and had stamped out。
It had all left him pretty blue。 He sat down in a gimbal chair and gloomed and gloomed。 He thought about his mother and despaired of ever being able to sleep with her again。 She was so nice。
A fellow whose name he had made out to be 〃Captain Bolz〃 had e to see him after a day of this。 Finding he spoke no Turkish； Bolz had used a tourist phrase book； cross…translating from Turkish to English； to tell him that he had better learn to eat the food as that was all there was； asked him if he played blackjack and did he want to buy a bottle of real； genuine counterfeit Scotch。 Madison had been too depressed to respond very much and Bolz had stood there； scratching his hairy chest and looking at him； and had finally left。
He hadn't seen Bolz again for three more days of gloom。 And then the captain came to him with a question。 It was pretty hard to converse through that phrase book。 But he made out that Bolz wanted to know if he had any influence over Teenie Whopper。
Madison had been so puzzled that Bolz had finally led him down a passageway and opened a room door； gesturing in with an expressive hand。
There； face down on the bed； was a pretty…looking boy。 He had makeup on his face。 A beatific smile was on his lips。 A crew mem