growl--at precisely propitious moments--"murdered myfolks and stuck me in a stinking lab and cut up my insides--can't evenbe comfortable in a room with regular people because my temperature'stoo high. I'll wreck the whole League for that!" And he would angrilyswipe at a perspiring brow.
It was easily established that his normal body temperature stayed abouttwo degrees above average; he early established his need for long,cooling outdoor walks through the semi-tropical city and surroundingcountryside. He had become the most trusted of all renegade aliens aftervoluntarily becoming a Sur-Malic citizen of Pronuleon II.
This afternoon he had insisted that Commander Rilth, his immediatesuperior in war fleet construction, walk with him in one of his restlessmoods. They had left the mighty hangars where Sy was supervisingexperimental work with the Earth-developed cosmic ray engines, and werelounging on a stone bench at the edge of the field, shaded from blazingyellow Pronuleon by a huge tree.
"It's the theoretical math, Rilth," complained Sy. "We just haven't gotthe calculators that Earth has. Slows things no end."
The thin, grim commandant turned to him. "Cursed theory is always aproblem to a Sur-Malic. We hoped that your weak genius would be ofavail!"
"Well, it's availing, isn't it?" Sy demanded gruffly. "If I hadassistants that were anything but idiots, the job would be done!" In thecruel, ruthless culture of the Sur-Malic, this was no argument, but anaccepted form of discussion, without rancor.
When Rilth did not answer, Sy gloomily watched the prisoner beingescorted across the field. Suddenly he stood up and squinted at thegroup in the distance. "Say--who's that they're bringing in?"
Rilth strained to see. "Some rotten Earthling or Aldeberanian, no doubt.They look alike to me--and both are Leaguers."
Sy tugged at the other's arm excitedly. "Come on--let's get over toDetention Headquarters. If that's who I think it is, we'll have our newengines--installed--in three months!"
The Sur-Malic jerked free of Sy's hand, but matched his trot across thefield. Although he moved carefully, it seemed that whenever he glancedaway from the ground, small stones somehow managed to be under the edgesof his soles, causing him to lurch, stumble and curse.
"You'll have to quit soaking up that cheap stuff, Rilth," taunted Sy."You're clumsy as a bovine!" He dropped slightly to the rear, his loose,raw-boned frame jogging along without effort, his eyes darting ahead atthe terrain.
Rilth looked at him with a snarl, uttered a stream of invectives. But asone foot landed on the end of a small branch the opposite end whipped upand blocked his other ankle. He sprawled in the dirt.
"Slimy beast!" he raged. He drew away from Sy's mocking offer ofassistance. "It seems that in your vile presence all things go wrong!"
Inside the grey stone Detention building, Sy became suddenly exuberant.He made for the prisoner eagerly. Guards, in deference to his uniforminsignia, stood aside at his approach.
"Arna!" He folded the girl in his arms, burying his face in the longwaves beneath her trim headgear. "Love me," he whispered quickly. "HateEarth--weak will--faint."
The girl looked at him. Her expression, which could be interpreted assurprise either on the basis of recognition or of a stranger'sunexpected actions, changed to one of adoration. "Darling!" she gasped.She tried to embrace him, but apparently the strain of her past fewhours had been too great; she slumped in his arms.
"Get a doctor!" Sy shouted to evoke maximum confusion. He lowered Arnato the floor as though her weight were too much to hold; a livingpretense of physical weakness had served well to counteract envy. Hemade no attempt to cover her long, smooth thigh when it became exposedat the action--effectively diverting the guards' thoughts anderadicating any suspicion they might have felt at his behavior. Heappealed to Rilth with his eyes. "She must be sick! Damn it, man, get adoctor!"
The commandant regarded him narrowly. "Anyone with the mind of a wormcould see she has only fainted. She will revive shortly."
Arna did recover as predicted, coincident with the arrival of Lord Krutof the High Command. Sy pleaded his case artfully. "It was the work ofgenius, Your Lordship, to find Arna Matt--the one person in space whocan hasten our plans! As you know, she is a human calculator, as wellas--well--we were just about to escape the Earth laboratories and getmarried when you found me and brought me here."
Lord Krut glowered. He pondered before answering. "We neither plannedher capture nor knew her qualities, High Technician Supcel," he saidheavily. "Our scout-ships noticed her craft near Aldebaran, marked withthe League military insignia. Following our policy of harassment, thescouts destroyed her escort ships. She," he gestured, "surrendered." Hiseyes raked slyly over the seemingly bewildered girl's body. "If we canuse her talents, the Great Mokaine himself will be pleased. In view ofyour relationship, is it your opinion that she will not requireindoctrination other than your efforts?"
"Hell, yes, Your Lordship. Why, they _tortured_ her in the labs. Ifanything she hates the League worse than I do!" He placed an arm aboutthe girl. "How about it, honey?"
Arna looked at Lord Krut with wide eyes. "Damn right," she saiduncertainly. And then she asked meekly, "Could I have a drink of water,please?"
Sy seemed in no hurry to leave Detention Headquarters, even after Arnahad been given over officially into his care with a token military rank.She had not batted an eyelash when Sy had explained to Rilth, with aleer, that his quarters would suffice for them both; she had evenmanaged to simper a bit.
But, alone with Sy in his ample, almost luxurious apartment, with herpersonal gear from the _Needle_ stacked in the main room, she placedboth hands on her hips and stared at him questioningly.
"Big stakes," said Sy with meaning. He rattled on with a patter ofpropaganda tailored for possible ears in the walls. He grinned at herobvious relief when he silently indicated a comfortable room for herprivate bedchamber. When at last they were outdoors, Sy ignored theground vehicle at his disposal and led Arna along a winding, tree-linedroadway which led to the cavernous hangars. Once out of earshot of thebuildings, he spoke abruptly: "They kill your escort?"
Arna looked surprised, then laughed throatily. "Poor Sy--always worryingabout our personnel!" Her voice was soothing and melodious. "The otherships were dummies; Mek Enj rigged up a neat little auto-tronic device,tuned to the _Needle's_ controls. After your message for aid came toyoung Tel, I played meteor through half the galaxy, trying to get pickedup!" She smiled at him. "Anyway, here I am. Have you run into trouble?"
He slipped an arm about her waist. "Sure have. I missed you like thedevil."
Arna's smile faded. She slipped out of his embrace. "Sy! Do you mean tosay you risked exposure of the only Sur-Malic-type telepath that youngTel can receive, when you didn't need help?"
Sy evaded the question. "Tomorrow we can shoot over to Haldane," hesuggested. "There's an old Earth clergyman there who got stranded whenthe Alliance broke off chummy relations with Leaguers."
Arna eyed him icily. "And why should we visit this clergyman?"
"Well," said Sy innocently, "the old guy's almost two hundred now, whichis crowding the limit for his generation. And you know the Sur-Malicdon't have any marriage cere--"
"Oh, you knobhead! Here you have the most critical job of anyone in theLeague, and--and--who said I was going to marry you, anyway?"
"I did," returned Sy promptly. "Remember? I've been telling you thatsince we were kids--and you never once denied it."
Arna made a sound that was partly a sob and partly a laugh. She shookher head unbelievingly. "With the fate of a galaxy depending on yourabilities and judgment, you drag me across a thousand million miles ofspace to prate about marriage."
"Yes," admitted Sy, "but think of how far it might have been. If spatialdistances were actually as great as the old astronomers used to think,before they learned that light slows down after it travels--"
There was no slightest chance that Arna's small hand would actuallystrike Sy. She knew the attempt was futile, but she tried her best--anduttered a rueful sound w
hen the blow seemed to pass right through hischeek, while he apparently stood still, grinning. "Some day," shepromised, "I'm going to shoot you in the back--just to see whathappens."
"That sounds more like my cheerful little calc-bird," he said. "Butlet's wait till after we're married, huh?" They continued along theunpaved road.
"I think," Arna said levelly, "there will be no marriage. There willcertainly be none for me until the completion of the unimportant,completely insignificant Operation