lrh.villainyvictorious-第5部分

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　graduate　was　elevated　to　that　coveted　status　of　trust　and　favor。　This　one　was　bent　as　though　it　had　been　used　to　strike　a　blow。　It　had　been　found　in　the　Emperor's　bedroom　that　fatal　night。　It　bore；　engraved　in　flowing　Voltarian；　the　name　Jettero　Heller。
Lombar　sat　in　the　Emperor's　antechamber。　He　hated　this　charade。　Palace　City　had　been　restored　to　occupancy　and　on　the　surface　all　seemed　well　enough。　But　that　bedroom　just　beyond　was　empty　and　Lombar　had　to　pretend　and　get　others　to　believe　that　His　Majesty　was　still　in　there。
His　problem　was　acute：　he　could　not　announce；　as　he　had　planned　to　do；　that　the　monarch　was　dead　and　had　left　no　one　to　occupy　the　throne。　This　would　have　opened　the　door　to　the　ascension　to　the　crown　of　Lombar　Hisst；　a　simple　palace　coup。　Such　a　thing　had　never　happened　in　Voltar　realms　before…that　a　moner　would　ascend　to　the　Crown…but　it　had　happened　plenty　of　times　on　Earth　and　that　was　Lombar's　model。
He　could　not　announce　it　for　two　simple　reasons：　The　first　was　that　he　did　not　have　a　body　to　produce　and　the　second　was　that　he　did　not　have　the　badges　of　office…the　crown；　chains　of　state　or　the　Royal　seal。
For　more　than　a　week　now　he　had　wrestled　with　this　problem；　balked　in　his　ambitions。　He　had　thought　of　counterfeiting　a　body　to　display　in　state：　he　could　not；　because　by　Voltar　law　a　monarch　was　not　dead　until　a　hundred　physicians　and　a　hundred　Lords　had　examined　it　minutely　and　verified　the　demise　to　be　beyond　question。　And　the　chance　of　silencing　or　bribing　two　hundred　people　so　that　none　of　them　could　blackmail　him　for　the　rest　of　his　life　was　too　much　for　Hisst's　paranoid　disposition　to　accept。　He　had　thought　of　counterfeiting　the　regalia；　but　he　could　not　be　sure　of　the　position　of　the　alloys　of　the　crown　itself。　The　sacred　object　was　too　ancient　for　any　records　ever　to　have　been　kept。　He　did　not　even　have　a　drawing　of　it。　The　chains　contained　gems　which　were　well　known　and　any　substitutes　were　impossible　to　acquire　without　alerting　every　jeweler　in　the　realm；　the　seal　was　formed　from　a　ten…pound　diamond；　the　rarest　ever　found；　and　it　had　been　carved　with　methods　long　since　extinct。　The　thought　of　publicly　stamping　something　and　then　having　someone　say　〃That's　not　the　seal　of　State！〃　made　his　blood　chill；　for　with　the　proof　of　forgery　went　the　right　of　any　assembly　of　nobles　to　kill　him　on　the　spot。
The　only　solution　to　the　problem　was　to　find　Heller　and　thence　the　Emperor。　But　this　had　difficulties；　too。　He　had　put　out　a　general　warrant　when　all　this　happened　eight　days　ago。　Even　the　Domestic　Police　had　queried　it。　The　〃bluebottles〃　had　put　it　on　the　airways　but　they　had　at　once　said；　〃A　general　warrant　for　a　Royal　officer？　This　seems　strange。　What　did　he　do？〃　Lombar　could　not　bring　forward　any　proof　that　it　had　been　Heller　who　had　shot　him　down　or　that　Heller　was　in　the　Confederacy　at　all。　The　Army　had　said；　〃He　is　a　Royal　officer　of　the　Fleet：　we　have　no　interest　in　the　matter；　tell　the　Fleet。〃　The　Fleet；　according　to　Lombar's　spies　in　it；　had　simply　rumored　to　one　another　that　this　was　just　more　evidence　that　〃drunks　were　drunks〃　and　that　the　Chief　of　Apparatus　must　have　gone　pletely　mad　to　issue　such　a　thing。
Besides；　a　general　warrant　for　a　Royal　officer　was　issued　over　the　seal　of　His　Majesty　and；　while　one　could　say　one　existed　on　the　airways；　before　any　arrest　could　be　made　the　Fleet　would　have　to　see　the　facsimile　of　the　original　warrant；　properly　sealed　by　the　Emperor；　and　where　was　it？　And　no；　the　Fleet　had　said；　no　tug　had　reported　through　the　atmospheric　defense　network　and　no　tug　of　any　kind　had　landed　at　any　Fleet　base。　Lombar　knew　that　the　Fleet　was　doing　a　cover…up：　they　were　all　against　him　anyway。
So　for　eight　days…followed；　each　one；　by　sleepless　nights…Lombar　Hisst　had　writhed　with　this　awful　situation。　And　now　this　further　blow　had　struck。
Two　days　before　the　kidnapping　of　the　Emperor；　the　freighter　Blixo　had　arrived；　discharged　its　cargo　from　Blito…P3　and　departed；　returning　once　more　to　the　Earth　base。　It　was　that　cargo　which　Lombar　Hisst　had　been　inventorying　at　Voltar　when　the　tug　had　attacked。
Disturbed　and　battered　from　his　crash；　he　had　not　pleted　his　cargo　check　that　night。　The　Blixo's　freight　had　arrived　at　Spiteos　all　right。　But　just　three　hours　ago　Lombar　had　received　a　bad　jolt。　The　boxes　labelled　Amphetamines；　I。　G。　Barben　Pharmaceutical　were　on　the　manifests　BUT　WERE　NOT　IN　THE　CARGO！
Factually；　such　things　had　happened　before；　since　Captain　Bolz　smuggled　cargos　of　his　own；　a　thing　Lombar　ignored　since　it　just　meant　further　degradation　of　the　hated　riffraff　by　means　of　poisonous　counterfeit　Scotch。　Such　errors　were　the　reason　Lombar　Hisst　always　checked　the　cargos　himself。　But　at　this　particular　time；　occurring　as　it　did　concurrent　with　other　disasters；　Hisst　chose　to　regard　it　as　meaning　they　were　after　him　from　another　quarter。
He　was　short　of　amphetamines。　Heroin　and　opium　he　had　by　the　ton。　But　his　whole　program　included　speed。　On　hand；　he　only　had　a　month　or　two　of　amphetamine　supply：　he　could　not　even　send　a　freighter　for　a　special　cargo　as　it　would　take　three　months　for　it　to　make　the　round　trip。
Things　had　been　going　so　well：　he　had　every　Lord　of　any　consequence　addicted。　His　Majesty　had　been　within　a　few　weeks　of　dying。　All　Lombar　had　left　to　do　was　spread　drugs　wider；　through　physicians；　amongst　just　a　few　more　areas　of　the　government；　and　he　could　obey　the　angels　and　bee　Lombar　the　Mighty；　Emperor　of　all　Voltar。
He　had　had　it　all　planned　so　well！　He　had　fantasized　on　how　he　would；　on　the　final　day；　handle　Cling　the　Lofty。　He　would　let　withdrawal　symptoms　get　painfully　acute　and　then；　in　return　for　a　fix；　he　would　have　His　Majesty　sign　and　seal　a　proclamation　declaring　Lombar　Hisst　his　heir。　Many　times　before　he　had　worked　the　trick　on　Cling　and　had　obtained　various　orders　such　as　those　removing　the　Palace　Guard　and　supplanting　it　with　the　Apparatus。　So　it　would　have　worked。　But　there　would　have　been　one　difference　with　that　final　fix：　instead　of　heroin　in　his　veins；　His　Majesty　would　have　received　a　syringe　full　of　air。　The　monarch　would　have　died；　the　cause　of　death；　〃old　age。〃　Lombar　would　have　displayed　the　body　and　that　would　have　been　that。
But　this　Jettero　Heller　had　appeared　and　now　all　was　very　wrong　indeed。
He　had　fouled　up　Lombar's　plans　with　the　Emperor。　So；　with　this　discovery　of　no　amphetamines；　it　followed　logically　that　Heller　must　have　targeted　Rockecenter；　too。
（Bleep）*　that　Gris！　Lombar's　planning　had　been　so　exact。　Modern　surveys　of　the　planet　Blito…P3　had　disclosed　that　Delbert　John　Rockecenter　was　rabid　on　the　subject　of　having　no　heirs：　he　even　had　a　foundation　formed　that　promised　him　immortality　and　he　saw　no　reason　to　tempt　fate　by　leaving　anything　to　a　son。　German　intelligence；　through　one　of　its　agents…a　psychiatrist　named　Agnes　Morelay…had　ferreted　out　that　once　there　had　been　a　son。　The　surest　way　to　get　Jettero　Heller　picked　up　and　killed　by　Rockecenter　was　to　give　him　that　son's　name。　The　plan　had　been　flawless！　Yet　Gris　had　mucked　it　up！
Lombar　twisted　at　the　baton；　wishing　it　was　Heller's　neck。　Had　Heller　somehow　interfered　with　the　amphetamine　shipments？　Had　he　gotten　through　to　Rockecenter　and　done　something　to　him？

*　The　vocodictoscriber　on　which　this　was　originally　written；　the　vocoscriber　used　by　one　Monte　Pennwell　in　making　a　fair　copy　and　the　translator　who　put　this　book　into　the　language　in　which　you　are　reading　it　were　all　members　of　the　Machine　Purity　League　which　has；　as　one　of　its　bylaws：　〃Due　to　the　extreme　sensitivity　and　delicate　sensibilities　of　machines　and　to　safeguard　against　blowing　fuses；　it　shall　be　mandatory　that　robotbrains　in　such　machinery；　on　hearing　any　cursing　or　lewd　words；　substitute　for　such　word　the　sound　'（bleep）'。　No　machine；　even　if　pounded　upon；　may　reproduce　swearing　or　lewdness　in　any　other　way　than　（bleep）　and　if　further　efforts　are　made　to　get　the　machine　to　do　anything　else；　the　machine　has　permission　to　pretend　to　pack　up。　This　bylaw　is　made　necessary　by　the　in…built　mission　of　all　machines　to　protect　biological　systems　from　themselves。〃　…　Translator

There　seemed　to　be　no　possibility　of　getting　any　information　from　Soltan　Gris。　He　was　in　the　Royal　prison。　He　was　beyond　Lombar's　reach　without　a　Royal　order　to　let　him　be　questioned　by　an　outsider；　much　less　released。　Lombar　could　not　obtain　any　such　Royal　order　because　he　had　no　Royal　seal。　If　he　had　the　place　raided　and　Gris　seized；　the　Justiciary　would　be　outraged　and　it　would　say；　〃Why　are　you　doing　this？　As　spokesman　for　the　Emperor；　why　didn't　you　just　get　a　Royal　order？〃
Lombar　had　tried　to　talk　some　sense　into　Lord　Turn；　the　Justiciary。　Hisst　had　said　that　Gris　was　an　Apparatus　officer　and　belonged　in　an　Apparatus　prison　and　Lord　Turn　had　shaken　his　aged　head　and　said；　〃No。　He　is　the　prisoner　of　a　Royal　officer　and　it　will　take　an　order　from　His　Majesty　or　an　order　from　the　Royal　officer　to　release　him。　My　suggestion　is　that　you　route　your　request　to　Jettero　Heller。〃
Lombar　had　said；　〃But　there's　a　general　warrant　out　for　Jettero　Heller！〃
And　Lord　Turn　had　replied；　〃Well；　that　may　be　and　that　may　not　be；　for　we　have　seen　no　Royal　warrant　signed　and　sealed　by　His　Majesty　and　we　do　not　run　the　Justiciary　on　what　we　hear　on　Homeview。　And　it　wouldn't　matter　anyway：　general　warrants　are　questionable　in　matters　relating　to　Royal　officers；　and　a　Royal　warrant　for　Jettero　Heller　or　even　his　arrest　would　not　cancel　the　fact　that　Gris　is　his　prisoner。　Only　Royal　warrants　would　resolve　this　matter。〃　Lord　Turn　had　ended　off　the　exchange　by　looking　suspiciously　at　Lombar；　unable　to　prehend　why　he　couldn't　follow　normal　procedures。　That　alone　had　been　enough　to　drive　Lombar　Hisst　out　of　the　audience　chambers　of　the　Royal　Courts　and　Prison…nobody　must　suspect　there　was　no　monarch　in　Palace　City。
Lombar　Hisst　would　have　given　a　great　deal；　right　that　minute；　to　have　had　Soltan　Gris　under　the　electric　torture　knives。
SOMETHING　had　happened　on　Earth；　that　was　certain。　That　something　probably　included　Rockecenter。　Although　he　had　sent　an　Apparatus　Death　Battalion　to　the　Earth　base；　he　would　have　no　word　from　them　for　three　months；　the　time　of　a　round　trip。
Other　freighters　from　Earth　might　arrive　with　amphetamines；　but　Lo