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He snapped a paper out of it。 〃The invoice。 Sign it！〃 The paper he hurled at me was a shipping receipt。 I studied the form： The below named officer hereby signs for and acknowledges the safe receipt of SECRET CARGO No。 1； Shipment No。 1 from Blito…P3。 All warrantied in good condition and full content。
Signed Officer Soltan Gris； Section Chief； Section 451 （Blito…P3）。
So that was what all the traffic was last night。 The first freighter load in from Earth！
A wave of near nausea hit me。 Supposing Jettero Heller had done his survey today instead of yesterday。 I shuddered。 He would have found this cargo piled up in its ready storeroom！
Somebody； one of the clerks； popped in and told Lombar； 〃It will be ready in a few minutes。〃 He popped out。 What 〃it〃 was； I had no idea。 But I wasn't registering very well。 Pure luck had saved this cargo from being exposed by Heller！ （Bleep） him； he was too hard to control here on Voltar。
〃Well sign it； sign it！〃 Lombar yelled at me。
I looked at him in helpless confusion。 I didn't dare argue with him。 Not Lombar Hisst！
Then he seemed to realize what was wrong。 He sat down。 〃I forgot to tell you。 You are still Section Chief of 451。〃 He waved aside the remarks he must have supposed I was making。 Talking with Lombar is pretty onesided。 He can imagine you are talking。 Eerie。 〃I know； I know；〃 he went on。 But we looked all through the personnel files and we could not find anyone suitable to relieve you as Section Chief of 451。 Yes； yes； but the numbers of Academy trained officers in the Apparatus are very few。 And due to their silly Codes； they can't be trusted with honestly dishonest crooked business。 So that leaves you。〃 It was a very left…handed sort of pliment at best。
I did manage； emboldened by hope； to get out a remark。 〃That means I'm relieved as handler of Mission Earth。〃
〃Now you may wonder；〃 said Lombar； 〃if this relieves you as handler of Mission Earth。 It doesn't。 You continue to have that； too。〃 He was getting down to it now。 He sat back； fiddling irritably with a pen。 〃You may wonder how you are going to be on Blito…P3 and handle Section 451 on Voltar。 But that is very simple。 You have the 451 clerical staff here on Voltar and they'll continue under your chief clerk and they'll simply send anything to be signed to you on Blito…P3。 You'll just send it back here； signed。
〃Oh； yes； that reminds me。 I don't trust the base mander in Turkey so you'll supervise him； too。〃 I felt like I was being pulled in several directions at once。 He wasn't mentioning the key point： Jettero Heller would be operating in what they call 〃The United States〃 and I would have to be in Turkey！ He was hard enough to control face…to…face。 How could anyone control him a third of the way around a planet！ This I would have to solve and quick！
〃No； no； no；〃 said Lombar as though I had spoken； which I hadn't。 〃The order for the 'goods' will e from here in blank。 You'll sign it。 The shipping form； attesting it has been shipped from Blito…P3； will be signed by you down there。 And you will include with it a postdated receipt acknowledging the receipt of the shipment here。 Very easy and straightforward。〃 It meant I wrote an order for a shipment as though I was on Voltar； got the order filled on Blito…P3； signed an attestation it had been shipped and then signed and attested it had been received back on Voltar。
〃You're the only one whose signature we trust；〃 said Lombar。 〃So we want only your signature and identoplate on all this traffic。 So sign that receipt you're holding there and you can get back to work。〃 I hadn't even seen the shipment。 I only had a hint； from the blur of trucks in the tunnel； that it had arrived。
Lombar seemed to misinterpret my confusion。 〃Oh； the pay。 Well； I'll see that you continue to be paid as Section Chief of 451。 Then I'll see that you are paid again as mission handler for Mission Earth。〃 Apparently he thought I was hung up on pay。 〃And then I can arrange for you to be paid as an inspector of cargos。 Three additional paychecks。〃 He looked searchingly at me。 My confusion had not lightened one bit。 〃And then； of course； you'll get your little whack out of various allocations； outfittings； padded accounts and all that。 You'll be wealthy。 Well； I'm glad we settled all that。〃 He certainly was jumpy。 He barked into a munications box； 〃Is it ready yet？〃 and got back； 〃Shortly。〃 I was standing there； trying to wrap my wits around these developments。 I must have looked like I had been hit with a stungun。
〃No； don't go；〃 said Lombar； looking at the ready folder before him。 〃First sign that invoice。〃 What could I do？ Numbly I signed and put my identoplate to the receipt for the first shipment from Blito…P3。 I handed it over to him and he glanced at it； nodded and put it in the folder。 It seemed to give him momentary satisfaction。
〃Now；〃 said Lombar； fingering a second paper； 〃there's this matter of a leak。〃 I went chill。 What had he gotten word of now？ The survey？ What other thing？
〃I have a clipping here from the newssheets； （bleep） them。 One of these days we will wipe them out。 Somebody leaked Mission Earth to the press。〃 He flipped a page and there was the story： 〃Famed bat Engineer〃 the same one I had seen Heller reading。 But I did not think it was much of a leak； really； for the orders were on the data circuit and； even if confidential； were available to many。
〃I didn't leak it；〃 I blurted。
〃So I have ordered a full investigation of potential and existing leaks。 Oh； I'll get down to this。 You can't have Apparatus business being yelled from the building tops。 Somebody； somewhere leaked this to the press！〃 He threw it aside。 〃So you don't know anything about it。 Well； I didn't think you would。〃 An investigation？ Oh； I better get off this planet！
Investigators turn up facts and they also turn up delusions。 Dangerous！
I felt like I had been hit repeatedly with stunguns。 I was really standing there paralyzed。
〃No； don't go；〃 said Lombar。 〃There's this letter from the Grand Council。〃 I read it upside down。 Fortunately I have a few skills。 One needs them in such a dangerous environment。 It was from the Grand Council。 It mended the Exterior Division for so wisely choosing an experienced bat engineer like Jettero Heller。 It wondered why the Grand Council had had to be informed of this by the press。 It said that the Grand Council would appreciate the courtesy of being kept posted on the progress of the mission。 Particularly； the Grand Council wanted to be advised the instant said Jettero Heller departed from Voltar so the council could expedite if there were any unseemly delays。
〃This means；〃 said Lombar； 〃that so long as this mission is still on Voltar； the Grand Council will be in a position to stick their noses into our business。 If there is delay in getting off； we'll have Crown inspectors all over the place looking into everything。
〃Once you have this fellow out of here； we're all right。 The Grand Council can be strung along for years。 They can get agents into everything on Voltar but they sure can't get any onto Blito…P3。
〃Your agent； of course； has to be language trained and prepared and it would make them suspicious if we just launched。 B