Read —And Devious the Line of Duty Page 6

beer cans on thefloor beside him, when Hunter got up. He went outside and found Alonzowaiting for him.

  "They got it awr pranned to kirr you for sure today, Rootenant."

  "How?" he asked.

  "Rast night, Rord Narf and Sonig go to the city and Rord Narf, he hirefour bad-rooking men with brasters, and Sonig hire four more that arehis countrymen, and they bring these men back and now they are hiding inthe woods. And they awrso bring back movie cameras with terescoperenses. And Rord Narf raff and say he wirr marry Princess Ryra todaybefore your dead body is even coor."

  "Oh?" Hunter said. He thought of the snoring Rockford and his words oftwo days before: _If you manage to live that long._ How, he wondered,could the lazy old drunkard have made such an accurate guess?

  "And then," Alonzo said, "Rord Narf wake up Princess Ryra--onry I knowshe wasn't asreep--and he terr her he ruv her and have awready made awrthe arrangement for them to get married today, right after runch. And heterr her she is right about the Space Guard and she wirr have untilrunch to tawrk to you about it."

  There was the sound of Narf's door opening and closing and Alonzo said,"I go now--Rord Narf might guess that I are terring you things."

  A few minutes later Narf and Sonig came down the path toward Hunter.Both carried packsacks--the cameras, of course--and both carriedlong-range rifle blasters.

  "Good morning, lieutenant!" Narf was smiling and pseudogenial again."About last night--sometimes a man has to be stern with his wife toimpress her. Very foolish thing she did--might have been killed. I'mafraid I was so badly shaken with worry over her that I didn't eventhank you for bringing her back."

  "A beautiful morning, lieutenant!" Sonig was smiling, coming as close tobeaming as the nature of his face would permit. "Lord Narf is going totake me stag hunting this morning--I'll get some lessons from a master.Did you ever see his lordship's collection of heads? Amazing!"

  "But it seems a sportsman's collection is never quite complete," Narfsaid. He was still smiling but the hatred was burning like a fire in hiseyes as he looked at Hunter. "There's one more head I must have--Iintend to get it this morning."

  Narf and Sonig were gone when Lyla came out of her cabin, her face paleand drawn. Val came out of his cabin and the two spoke to each other ingreeting. There was a silence, in which neither seemed to know what tosay.

  Finally, awkwardly, Val said, "I heard about yesterday, Lyla. Why didyou go into the tiger forest?"

  "Oh ... I was just walking, I guess, and didn't notice where."

  "You went there to die, didn't you?"

  "I ... when you have nothing left--" Then she lifted her head in a proudgesture and said, "Should it matter to you?"

  For a moment Val had the look of a man struck. Then it was gone and hesaid in an emotionless voice:

  "No. I was asking about something that is only your husband's business.I won't do it again."

  He turned away, back to his cabin.

  "Val--" She took a quick step after him, the proud air gone and her armsoutstretched. "I didn't mean--"

  He turned back, his tone politely questioning.

  "Yes?"

  "I only wanted--" Then her arms dropped and the life went out of hervoice. "What does it matter ... what does anything matter?"

  She hurried into her cabin and the door closed behind her.

  * * * * *

  Rockford spoke from the doorway behind Hunter:

  "Well, my boy, are you ready for your day's duties?"

  He followed Rockford inside, where Rockford settled down in theeasy-chair and yawned.

  "I had a rather busy night," he said. "Certain events occurred yesterdayafternoon which forced me to change my own plans to some extent. Or toset them ahead a day, I should say."

  He made an effort to put the vision of Lyla from his mind and asked,"Did you make any progress with Val Boran?"

  "No, I'm afraid not. Of course, I didn't expect to." Rockford yawnedagain. "There was another message from Supreme Command. The situationis getting worse. Which reminds me of your Duty For The Day and the factthat if you can live through it, you will have it made."

  _He's my superior_, Hunter thought. _He's supposed to outrank a SpacePatrol General--and he's amused by the situation he's here to remedy._

  "Right now," Rockford said, "Lyla faces a grim future and feels like shedoesn't have a friend in the world. She needs a shoulder to cry on. Youwill take her for a walk and supply that shoulder."

  Somehow, even though the order had nothing to do with the Terran-Verdamcrisis, he did not have the heart to object. She had been crying beforeshe even reached her door. Later, after he had comforted her, he woulddemand that Rockford get down to determined effort on the Verdamproblem. No more than an hour would be lost by that....

  "Yes, sir," he said. "But in the interests of Princess Lyla's safety, Ihad better talk to her in her cabin. Alonzo saw Narf and Sonig bringback eight--"

  "Professional killers, to dispose of you," Rockford finished. "I knowall about it, and I know that Narf took time last night to spend an hourwith his favorite girl friend and brag even to her that he was going tomarry Lyla today before your dead body had time to get cool.

  "But you just take Lyla for another walk and you will cause thebeginning of the end for the Verdam Peoples Worlds. You will go down inhistory, my boy, as the man who saved the Terran Republic."

  Hunter went out the door, again feeling a feverish sense of unreality.He was to go forth and get blasted into hamburger and by some mysteriousprocess known only to Rockford, the Verdam empire would contritely startcollapsing....

  He did not knock on her door. He did not think of it as a violation ofher privacy. She would be feeling too alone and unwanted to care.

  She was not crying as he had thought she would be. She was standing bythe window, staring down at the gray, distant desert, her eyes asbleakly empty as it.

  "Hello, Lyla," he said.

  "Hello, Dale. I was just thinking; this is the day that I, as a woman,should always have dreamed about"--she tried to smile, and failed, andthe brass came into her voice--"my wedding day!"

  "Alonzo told me about it."

  It seemed to him he should add something, such as to wish herhappiness--but such words would be meaningless and farcical and theywould both know it.

  But there was no reason why he should endanger her by obeying Rockford'sinsane order. He would not do it--

  "Ah ... good morning, Lyla!" Rockford loomed in the doorway, jovial as aSanta Claus. "Did you know Dale wants to go for a walk in the woodswith you this bright spring morning--and he's no doubt too bashful totell you so? Do you good to get away from camp"--there was thesuggestion of a pause--"while you're still free."

  He turned a beaming smile on Hunter. "Don't stand there like a dummy,boy--take her by the arm and let her have a last walk with someone whocares what happens to her."

  There was one thing about Rockford not compatible with his air of fondfatherliness: his eyes were hard, gray slate as they looked intoHunter's and there was no mistaking their expression. Rockford had notmade a fatherly suggestion for his own amusement. He had given an orderthat he intended to be obeyed.

  * * * * * * * * *

  Hunter and Lyla walked on through the thickets of ghost trees and arrowbrush, each with little to say, Hunter feeling more and more like aridiculous fool. They had no destination, no purpose in their walk,other than to abide by Rockford's desire that a total of ten assassinsget a chance to slaughter a certain expendable second lieutenant.

  He did not put his arm around Lyla as they walked. If they killed him,it would have to be without their having the satisfaction of thepictures they wanted with which to blackmail her.

  They came to a tiny clearing, where a cloud tree log made an invitingseat in the shade, and Lyla said:

  "No matter how far we walk, I'll have to go back to face it. Let's stophere, and rest a while."

  He saw tha
t the clearing was fairly well screened, but certainly notcompletely so. It would have to do.

  He sat down on the log several feet away from her, not wanting to takethe chance of her getting hit by accident.

  _Not that I'm enthusiastic about getting hit by intent, myself_, hethought. _What a way for a Space Guard officer to die._

  He wondered if Rockford would ever inform Headquarters that LieutenantDale Hunter had died in the line of duty--by whatever twisted logic thisinsane episode could be called duty--and he wondered how theCommemoration Roll would read for him.... _Displaying courage above andbeyond the call of duty, Lieutenant Hunter sat