“Not for personal use,” Shacklar said dryly. “And I’m sure the Honorable Bhelabher understands the importance of confidentiality.”
“That’s what I was hoping…”
“I don’t think you appreciate how great a benefit the computer can be, for all humankind.”
Bhelabher nodded. “Quite true, really. If the sum total of human knowledge holds the answer to a question, the computer will find it for you.”
“Quite enviable, really.” Shacklar toyed with the cube again. “Myself, I have no ability to organize data. I have to keep everything in my head—and it goes without saying that, far too often, I fail to find the solution, because the one vital bit of information is not in my head.”
“Well, that won’t happen again.” Bhelabher’s eyes gleamed. “I’ll revamp your data banks so that you’ll be amazed at the myriads of facts that you didn’t know were there.”
Dar stiffened. That had an unpleasantly definite ring to it.
Bhelabher turned to him, beaming, to confirm it. “The General has accepted my application, you see. I’m going to stay here on Wolmar; and set up an information storage-and-retrieval system.”
“And streamline our bureaucracy a bit,” Shacklar added. “You’d be amazed at all the points of inefficiency he’s noticed already. The Honorable Bhelabher has been gracious enough to place his considerable talents at our disposal.”
“And gracious of you it is to say so.” Bhelabher gave Shacklar a polite nod that bordered on a bow.
Privately, Dar shuddered, and wished he weren’t going to be staying. He had an idea that living under Bhelabher’s streamlining wasn’t going to be much fun.
But then, he’d figured without Shacklar’s restraining influence. Certainly the General had worked wonders in the Honorable already.
“But I do realize that I’m not the man for any more of a job than that here.” Bhelabher explained to Dar. “So I’m sending my resignation back to Terra.”
Dar’s eyes widened. It was too good to be true. Even if it was sort of what Cholly had figured would happen…
“And my staff will be staying here with me,” Bhelabher went on. “The General assures me they’re needed.”
That, Dar could believe. Most of Bhelabher’s staff were female.
“This, however, leaves me without someone to carry my resignation back to Terra,” Bhelabher noted.
Dar suddenly felt very wary.
“Would you like to see Terra, Ardnam?” Shacklar murmured.
Dar held onto his chair while the blood roared in his ears and the world seemed to grow insubstantial. Escape! And to Terra!
“I’m afraid you must decide rather quickly,” Shacklar went on. “The courier ship that brought the Honorable is scheduled to blast out of orbit in three hours, bound for the colonial branch government on Haldane IV. From there, you’ll have to arrange transportation to Terra, and I don’t doubt it’ll take quite a few transfers. There’s very little direct traffic to or from the Central Worlds.”
Dar’s mouth went dry. “Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to do it—but I don’t have much experience at that kind of traveling.”
“No, nor do you know how to work your way through the web of the I.D.E. bureaucracy on Terra—but I understand there’s a young lady, just in from the home planet, who’s been in your company lately …”
“Sam Bine,” Dar croaked.
“Yes, a Ms. Bine. I know it’s beastly to ask her to leave so soon after she’s arrived; but, in view of the importance of the matter …”
“She was just leaving, anyway.” Better and better! Escape to Terra, and with a female traveling companion! “Or should I say, I think I can talk her into it.”
“Please do.” Shacklar picked up a pen and made a note. “With luck, the two of you might reach BOA about the same time as my request for clarification of the Honorable Bhelabher’s credentials.”
“You could cancel that, you know,” Bhelabher pointed out.
Shacklar looked up, his face a total blank. Then the light slowly dawned. “Do you know, I believe you’re right.”
“You see?” Bhelabher beamed at Dar. “There’s so much I can do here!”
“True,” Dar agreed—but he wondered how long Shacklar could keep up such high-quality acting.
Long enough for Bhelabher’s resignation to reach Terra, at least.
“You’ll have an official pardon, of course,” Shacklar added.
“I’ll do it! But, uh—just one question…”
“Yes?” Shacklar blinked mildly.
“Why’ll it be so hard to find the right person in the BOA bureaucracy to give your resignation to?”
“Because,” said Bhelabher, “my appointment to Wolmar was a very highly classified secret.”
Dar managed not to look startled.
6
But if it was such a deep dark secret, how did you find out about it?” Dar demanded.
Sam’s lips thinned. “Oh, all right! If you really have to know—I was a clerk in the classified division, with a top-level security clearance.”
“Oh.” Dar’s lower lip thrust out as he nodded slowly. “Yeah, that makes sense. Weren’t your bosses a little, ah, taken aback, when you resigned?”
“Very,” Sam said grimly, “especially when they found out I’d turned into a Hume. I had a very difficult time getting a passport.”
“How did you manage it?”
Sam shrugged. “Very involved. Let’s just say I know how to handle a bureaucracy.”
“Uh, yeah, I don’t think I really want to know the details.” Dar pressed a hand over his eyes. “But you did get away. That’s what counts.”
“Not all that much,” Sam answered with a grim smile. “There was a commercial traveler outbound from Terra on the same liner I was on, and he made every transfer I did, up until the last leg from Haldane IV to here.”
“Agent, following you?” Cholly grunted.
Sam nodded, and held out her glass for a refill. “You sound as though you recognize the symptoms.”
“In a manner of speaking.” Cholly poured. “Now, I’m certain it’s just my nasty, suspicious mind, but—I do believe that nice young blond man from Bhelabher’s staff’s been keeping an eye on you.”
“Just my glamor and magnetic personality, I’m sure,” Sam said dryly. “I’ve noticed him, too. In fact, I’d’ve had to’ve been blind not to.”
“Well, every secret agent has to learn his trade sometime.”
“I know a way to ditch him,” Dar ventured.
“So do I,” she said sourly. “Leave Wolmar.”
Dar stared. “How’d you know?”
Sam’s head lifted. “You mean you were seriously going to recommend that? What’s the matter, am I getting to be an embarrassment?”
“No, no, just the other way around!” Dar said quickly. “You see, I’ve got this great offer to leave, but I have to take somebody with me who knows the ropes in the Terran bureaucracy.”
The silence stretched out while Sam’s lower lip slowly protruded. “So. They made you an offer you couldn’t refuse.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say couldn’t—but I wasn’t about to. How about it?”
Sam frowned. “The idea’s got its appeal—I’ve learned what I wanted to here. But this place has a lot of advantages over Terra, if you know what I mean.”
“No,” Dar said promptly. “I can’t imagine how any place could have an advantage over Terra—especially a backwater like this.”
Cholly turned away to put glasses back on shelves, whistling tunelessly between his teeth.
“Don’t worry,” Sam said bitterly, “you will. And, although I wouldn’t mind a return visit to Terra, I have a notion I’d very quickly find myself looking back to this place with nostalgia. How do I get back here if I want to? It took me ten years of saving, just to get the fare out here in the first place.”
“Well, I think Shacklar might be induced to guarantee your return fare,” Dar said judiciously. “He seemed awfully anxious to get me to leave.”
“Sheriff trouble?”
“No, no! I’m taking Bhelabher’s resignation back to Terra!”