Villainy Victorious by L. Ron Hubbard

Author:L. Ron Hubbard [Hubbard, L. Ron]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, Fantasy
ISBN: 9780884046936
Goodreads: 1725627
Publisher: Bridge Publications
Published: 1986-05-01T00:00:00+00:00

PART SEVENTY-SIX

Chapter 1

Hightee Heller looked at Madison with a bit of wonder. "You mean, after that beautiful gift you brought me from Jettero, you have something else? My, you are a man of surprises. But come, let us stroll a bit: I've been sitting all morning."

J. Walter Madison hastily grabbed his briefcase and followed her out of the summerhouse. They were instantly accompanied by songbirds.

The acres of the rooftop estate were artfully landscaped with curving paths and pools and waterfalls and trees so that every few yards, on any path one took, one was looking at a new presentation.

Sauntering along, hands thrust into her artist's smock pockets, Hightee looked sideways at him. "Now what is this something else?"

"Your new musical!" said Madison. "I've brought it!"

"That's unusual," said Hightee. "Normally I originate them and my own staff develops them."

Madison hadn't known that: on Earth artists didn't write them; they just sang and acted in them. But he plunged ahead. "Well, the order to do it comes from Lord Snor himself. He's a great admirer of yours, as they all are. When he heard one of the songs from it, he said, 'THAT'S HIGHTEE!'"

"He did? That's funny. He's as deaf as a rock."

"To everything but a bone-phone," said Madison hastily. "They put bones into the probe, I mean prones into the bobe...."

Hightee laughed. Then she said, "I'm sorry I got you all flustered. Maybe Lord Snor did wake up and listen to what goes on on Homeview. Stranger things have happened."

Madison was floundering in his briefcase. The impact of Hightee Heller was a bit much for him. But he was a veteran and he got himself under control. "Look, I better play you one of the songs from it. Where can I find a piano?"

"A what?"

"A keyboard. I'm not any pro but I tinkle away."

Hightee was walking away from him. He quickly followed. Then he noticed that some of the vine-covered walls they had been passing were actually the sides of structures. She opened something that looked like a garden gate and Madison, coming up behind her, found himself looking into what must be a musical-equipment repair shop.

A middle-aged man was standing over a bench which was littered with electronic components and shells of what might be instruments. He looked up, saw Hightee, smiled and laid down a tool.

"Jarp," said Hightee, "have you ever heard of an instrument called a piano?"

"No," said Jarp. "What's it look like?"

"Teeth," said Madison. "It has lots of keys like ivory teeth."

Jarp turned to Hightee. "He's talking about some primitive mouth instrument."

"No, no," said Madison. "It's quite sophisticated.

You play it by hitting the keys with both hands in chords. You mean you don't have a keyboard? Oh, dear!"

"What scale is it?" said Jarp.

"Eight-note major, thirteen-note chromatic."

"Do you know the notes?"

When Madison nodded, Jarp dug around and found the remains of a chorder-beat that operated on finger proximity. Madison, after a couple of sour tries, managed to get it to hum the right numbers of vibrations. Jarp turned

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