Andre Norton (ed) by Space Service

Author:Space Service
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2011-09-04T21:36:27+00:00

"Look herel" Ramsay said sternly. "I want you to cut it out!" "I beg your pardon!"

"That mixing up Delthigan 'educational films' with corn on the cob! It makes their government look like chumps. Don't you realize that's bad for business?"

"Mr. Ramsay, am I to blame if they are a pack of chumps? I have my orders from Mr. Fuller, and—"

Something in Ramsay finally snapped. Half rising behind the desk, he thrust his flushed face close to the scanner.

"Cut it out, I tell you.'" he bellowed. "Or do you want me to come over there with a wrench and fix that chatterbox toy of yours so's it won't cast a picture past its own shadow?"

Neuberg's dark eyes widened. Without a word, he faded from the screen.

"Hane!" snapped the spaceman. "Get hold of the foreman of that Delthigan labor gang! Have them start searching through the scrap for live shells and pull out a couple of old guns to matchl"

"What are you going to do?" gasped Marie.

"If I were a general from that Planetary State down there," said Ramsay, "I'd be on my way up here now to censor those telecasts. But being the cat's-paw I am, I'm at least going to have the satisfaction of popping somebody before this place gets wiped off the face of Chika!"

Before Hane could reach the door, a siren somewhere in the dome wailed out in sudden urgency. The three in the office froze.

"That's an air leak!" exclaimed Ramsay. "Where's the spacesuit locker?"

He started for the door, but relaxed as the siren cut off. The visor on his desk emitted a series of bings. "Yeah?" he barked, flipping the switch.

"Everything under control, Mr. Ramsay," reported the communications operator who had found him the bottle "in the files" the previous night. "That telecasting ship took off without seeing that the connecting tube was sealed. Murphy's got it air-tight again."

Ramsay muttered something or other in reply and sprang to the window. He could not see the former position of Neuberg's ship, but the expressions of several men outside looking at where it had been confirmed the report.

"Turn that gadget back onl" he told Marie.

The telecast was still going. It flickered and faded as they watched, but steadied again. Neuberg was carrying out his orders—where Ramsay could not interfere.

"Uh ... I shall see about that ammunition," said Hane after a moment during which the air in the office seemed to vibrate silently.

He went out, looking grateful for the opportunity to escape Ramsay's presence.

The latter realized that he had been scowling across the room for some time when Marie spoke.

"Can I do something?" she asked timidly.

"Huh? Well, yeah. Go ride herd on those operators until they get a radio call through to the planet. If we can get hold of someone in authority, it might still be smoothed over."

Alone, he paced up and down the office for a while. When that failed to help, he sat at his desk with his head cradled carefully between both hands. He realized with surprise that his headache had disappeared.

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