Lion Loose Page 3

regularwarden fee for the job. One day, she found an opportunity to do alittle investigating.

  "The cubicles are registered respectively to a Lady Pendrake and aMajor Pendrake. Lady Pendrake appears to be genuine; the cubicle isunusually large and constructed somewhat differently from the oneswith which Solvey was familiar, but it was clear that it had anoccupant. However, the life indicator on 'Major Pendrake's cubicleregistered zero when she switched it on. If there was something insideit, it wasn't a living human being.

  "That was all she learned at the time, because she was afraid Brockmight catch her in the cubicle room. Here in the Star, the cubicleswere taken to a suite reserved for Lady Pendrake. The other man,Eltak, stayed in the suite with the cubicles, while the Kinmartenswere given other quarters. However, Brock was still acting oddly andspending most of his time in the Pendrake suite. So this morning,Solvey swiped his key to the suite and slipped in when she knew thetwo men had left it."

  "She'd barely got there when she heard Brock and Eltak at the dooragain. She ran into the next room, and hid in a closet. Suddenly therewas a commotion in the front room, and Solvey realized that men fromthe Star's security force had arrived and were arresting Brock andEltak. They hauled both of them away, then floated the cubicles outand on a carrier and took them off too, locking the suite behind them.

  "Solvey was in a complete panic, sure that she and Brock had becomeinvolved in some serious breach of the Warden Code. She waited a fewminutes, then slipped out of the Pendrake suite, and looked me up tosee if I couldn't help them. I had Heraga check, and he reported thatthe Kinmarten suite was under observation. Evidently, they wanted topick up the girl, too. So I tucked her away in one of the suites inthis section, and gave her something to put her to sleep. She's therenow."

  * * * * *

  Quillan said, "And where are the prisoners and the cubicles?"

  "In the Executive Block."

  "How do you know?"

  Reetal smiled briefly. "The Duke of Fluel told me."

  "Huh? The Brotherhood knows you're here?"

  "Relax," Reetal said. "Nobody but Heraga knows I'm working for theMooleys. I told the Duke I had a big con deal set up when the_Camelot_ came in--I even suggested he might like to get in on it. Helaughed, and said he had other plans. But he won't mention to anyonethat I'm here."

  "Why not?"

  "Because," Reetal said dryly, "what the Duke is planning to get in onis an hour of tender dalliance. Before the _Camelot_ arrives,necessarily. The cold-blooded little skunk!" She hesitated a moment;when she spoke again, her voice had turned harsh and nasal, wickedamusement sounding through it. "Sort of busy at the moment,sweetheart, but we might find time for a drink or two later on in theevening, eh?"

  Quillan grunted. "You're as good at the voice imitations as ever. Howdid you find out about the cubicles?"

  "I took a chance and fed him a Moment of Truth."

  "With Fluel," Quillan said thoughtfully, "that was taking a chance!"

  "Believe me, I was aware of it! I've run into card-carrying sadistsbefore, but the Duke's the only one who scares me silly. But it didwork. He dropped in for a about a minute and a half, and came outwithout noticing a thing. Meanwhile, I'd got the answers to a fewquestions. The bomb with which they're planning to mop up behind themalready has been planted up here in the normspace section. Flueldidn't know where; armaments experts took care of it. It's armed now.There's a firing switch on each of their ships, and both switches haveto be tripped before the thing goes off. Part of what they're after isin those Pendrake rest cubicles--"

  "Part of it?" Quillan asked.

  "Uh-huh. An even hundred similar cubicles will be unloaded from the_Camelot_--the bulk of the haul; which is why Nome Lancion issupervising things on the liner. I started to ask what was in thecubicles, but I saw Fluel was beginning to lose that blank look theyhave under Truth, and switched back to light chitchat just before hewoke up. Yaco's paying for the job--or rather, it _will_ pay for thestuff, on delivery, and no questions asked."

  "That's not very much help, is it?" Quillan said after a moment."Something a big crooked industrial combine like Yaco thinks it canuse--"

  "It must expect to be able to use it to extremely good advantage,"Reetal said. "The Brotherhood will collect thirty million credits fortheir part of the operation. The commodore's group presumably won't doany worse." She glanced past Quillan toward the room portal. "It'sO.K., Heraga! Come in."

  * * * * *

  Sher Heraga was a lean, dark-skinned little man with a badly bentnose, black curly hair, and a nervous look. He regretted, he said,that he hadn't been able to uncover anything which might be a lead tothe location of the bomb. Apparently, it wasn't even being guarded.And, of course, a bomb of the size required here would be quite easyto conceal.

  "If they haven't placed guards over it," Reetal agreed, "it'll takeblind luck to spot it! Unless we can get hold of one of the men whoknows where it's planted--"

  There was silence for some seconds. Then Quillan said, "Well, if wecan't work out a good plan, we'd better see what we can do with one ofthe bad ones. Are the commodore's security men wearing uniforms?"

  Heraga shook his head, "Not the ones I saw."

  "Then here's an idea," Quillan said. "As things stand, barging intothe Executive Block with a small armed group can't accomplish much. Itmight be more interesting than sitting around and waiting to be blownup, but it still would be suicide. However, if we could get thingssoftened up and disorganized in there first--"

  "Softened up and disorganized how?" Reetal asked.

  "We can use that notion you had of having Heraga float in anotherdiner. This time, I'm on board--in a steward's uniform, in case theguards check."

  "They didn't the first time," Heraga said.

  "Sloppy of them. Well, they're just gun hands. Anyway, once we'reinside I shuck off the uniform and get out. Heraga delivers hisgoodies, and leaves again--"

  Reetal gave him a look. "You'll get shot down the instant you're seen,dope!"

  "I think not. There're two groups in there--around a hundred men inall--and they haven't had time to get well acquainted yet. I'll havemy gun in sight, and anyone who sees me should figure I belong to theother group, until I run into one of the Brotherhood boys who knows mepersonally."

  "Then that's when you get shot down. I understand the last time youand the Duke of Fluel met, he woke up with lumps."

  "The Duke doesn't love me," Quillan admitted. "But there's nothingpersonal between me and Movaine or Marras Cooms--and I'll have amessage for Movaine."

  "What kind of a message?"

  "I'll have to play that by ear a little. It depends on how thingslook in there. But I have a few ideas, based on what you've learned ofthe operation. Now, just what I can do when I get that far, I don'tknow yet. I'll simply try to louse the deal up as much as I can. Thatmay take time, and, of course, it might turn out to be impossible toget word out to you."

  "So what do we do meanwhile?" Reetal asked. "If we start lining up ourattack group immediately, and then there's no action for another fiveor six hours, there's always the chance of a leak, with around twentypeople in the know."

  "And if there's a leak," Quillan agreed, "we've probably had it. No,you'd better wait with that! If I'm not out, and you haven't heardfrom me before the _Camelot_'s actually due to dock, Heraga can stilltake the group--everyone but yourself--in as scheduled."

  "Why everyone but me?" Reetal asked.

  "If nothing else works, you might find some way of getting a warningto the liner's security force after they've docked. It isn't much of apossibility, but we can't afford to throw it away."

  "Yes, I see." Reetal looked reflective. "What do you think, Heraga?"

  The little man shrugged. "You told me that Mr. Quillan is notinexperienced in dealing with, ah, his enemies. If he feels he mightaccomplish something in the Executive Block, I'm in favor of the plan.The situation certainly could hardly become worse."


  "That's the spirit!" Quillan approved. "The positive outlook--that'swhat a think like this mainly takes. Can you arrange for the diner andthe uniform?"

  "Oh, yes," Heraga said, "I've had myself put in charge of that detail,naturally."

  "Then what can you tell me about the Executive Block's