The Ecolog by R. Faraday Nelson

Author:R. Faraday Nelson [Nelson, R. Faraday]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 037372053X
Publisher: Laser Books (Harlequin Enterprises)
Published: 1977-01-03T00:00:00+00:00

Lord Mayor Mano sat for a moment at the radio table, pale and unhappy; then he reached out and switched off the set. Slowly, with shaking hands, he removed his headphones and laid them on the table. He pushed back his heavy, wooden chair with a rasping scrape and rose unsteadily to his feet. More gaunt and skeletal than ever, his black robes hung from his bony limbs like a shroud.

“I’m not ready,” he murmured.

He squared his shoulders and stepped from behind the curtain into his office.

He seated himself in his heavy wooden chair behind the massive desk and glanced toward the window that looked out onto his balcony. Estimating the time of day from the angle of the sun, he decided it was almost suppertime. He could, if he wished, quit work now with a clear conscience, if only it weren’t for…

He thought of the radio message he had just received and his hard-won composure almost collapsed. He asked himself, in an effort at self-consolation, Can anything worse happen?

As if in answer to his question, a startled cry came from the other side of his office door. Frowning, he half rose. There was a thud, as of a falling body; then the door burst open, or rather, was kicked open.

“What… ?” Lord Mayor Mano began.

Before he could say another word Commodore Abraham Briggs entered, strode swiftly to his desk, leaned over it and thrust the point of his sword within centimeters of the Lord Mayor’s throat.

Briggs boomed, “No more delays, sir! You will radio the dirigible and you will do it now.”

Mano shrank back in his chair. “No, I…”

The commodore continued relentlessly, “You will tell the pilot to fly here at once and transport me to the Ecolog.”

Mano protested, “There’s no need…”

Lieutenant Mike Phillips brandished the scimitar he had taken from Sewall. “That’s what you think!”

The outlander’s troops were now filing in, together with their shame-faced prisoners. Sewall looked particularly depressed.

Mano was slightly cross-eyed from looking at the sword point next to his throat. “You don’t understand. The dirigible radioed me not more than a few minutes ago. It’s on its way here to do exactly what you want.”

“To take us to the Ecolog?” Briggs demanded.

The Lord Mayor nodded carefully, trying not to touch the sword. “That’s right. I am to go with you. If you’ll put away your weapon—”

“Not yet,” said Briggs. “First you have to command your guards to go away and leave us alone.”

Mano turned his head slightly. Sure enough some of Arbre’s crack troops were outside the door with scimitars drawn. “Go away! Go away!” croaked the Lord Mayor. “Do you want these insane outlanders to slit my throat?”

Reluctantly the soldiers withdrew.

“Now will you lower that sword?” With disgust, Mano heard the pleading tone in his own voice.

“One more thing,” said Briggs. “One of our party is missing, the girl called Garbage.”

“She’s not here!” said the Lord Mayor.

“I can see that, sir. But have your men killed her?”

“No, no! I swear it!”

“Have they captured her?”

“Never!

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