Sanctuary in The Sky by John Brunner Read Free Book Online

Marshal Temmis, the chief of staff, a bald man whose build was beginning to decay, but who still kept his shiny-domed head at an alert angle on his pile of double chins.
    “Sit down, Ferenc—glad to see you here again,” Temmis said, frowning. “You came in on the same ship as the Iquida woman, didn’t you?”
    “That’s correct. I half expected to find you were over at the prison quarters, sir.”
    “And let the Glaithes feel they had touched us where it hurt?” Temmis gave a short, harsh laugh. “I let a junior subaltern deal with that one—demoted a colonel for the job and gave him a youthpack mask to make him look about twenty.”
    Ferenc gave an appreciative and respectful grin. That was the sort of ingenuity he approved.
    “Of course, I’m not denying it was a painful business, the whole thing,” Temmis pursued. “But it was meant as a flea- bite—the Glaithes planned it that way—and it’s undignified to be seen scratching oneself in public. There are far bigger things on hand.”
    “So I assumed, sir, when I received my assignment. And if you’ll forgive the remark, I’ve already noticed more dangerous matters than the Iquida affair.”
    “How so?” Temmis leaned back in his big chair.
    Ferenc mentioned Dardaino first, and Temmis shook his head. “Disregard him; he was hand-picked. He’s as ineffective as they come. There are a couple of thousand Lubarrians here who’ve more or less escaped from our jurisdiction, thanks to Glaithe protection, who daren’t go home because they know very well what’s waiting for them if they do. Dardaino’s job is to let us know what’s going on among them, and he’ll take care of it excellently. He doesn’t give a hoot about anything except his personal comforts, and he depends on our say-so for all of those.”
    “The logic behind the choice, sir, is obscure,” Ferenc answered stiffly. “But I yield, of course, to your judgment. More dangerous than Dardaino, certainly, is the archeologist, Ligmer, whose head appears to be full of subversive notions and who told me he will be working in direct contact with a Pag during his stay here.”
    “Yes, on this point I’m inclined to agree.” Temmis put his fingertips together and glared at them. “It’s part of a concerted plan, though, and it’s not for me to object to the High Council’s choice of operatives.
    “As you are certainly aware, the detailed study of Waystation is a prime objective of all our work here. Much of the station is unknown except to the Glaithes. We’ve succeeded in undertaking a program of measurement and study in order to determine the accuracy of the maps issued by the Glaithes. And there’s where you come in.
    “I don’t have to tell you that this is confidential, by the way.
    "What it amounts to is this: The maps are ingeniously and subtly distorted. There are whole volumes unaccounted for. They may be service areas, pure and simple: gravity ducts, ventilation pipes, heating, lighting, power and so on. They may not. We have to tread warily here.
    “It’s fairly certain that the Pags also suspect this. Fortunately for us, they have published claims to know more about Waystation than the Glaithes do—this is all part of their propaganda, of course. We hope that this handicap will give us a sufficient lead to allow us to prepare adequate plans of the station—and these will be indispensable in the takeover.”
    It was years since Ferenc had heard that phrase: “the take-over”! It had been common currency when he was a cadet—the great day when a Cathrodyne staff instead of the ineffectual Glaithes would rule Waystation. But adolescent enthusiasm had given way to adult cynicism; he had scarcely even thought of the possibility that take-over day might occur within his own lifetime. To hear the phrase now on the lips of the chief of staff was a shock.
    Greatly daring, he ventured, “Take-over is now definitely envisaged, then?”
    “It’s never been lost sight