20
There was no frustration, no uncertainty in Gunderson's mind.
His course was now clear. His observer ship had also read the messagesspelled out by the placement of naked bodies on the grass, and in thesemaphore wavings of the Junior E's arms. The photographs taken were allthe evidence he needed to prove the morals charges he intended to bring.
It might not be wise to allow the total photographs to show in thenewspapers, on television, for there were ex-navy men here and there whomight interpret the code. But enlarged pictures of the individuals,separated from the total, disporting themselves in lewd, naked positionswould do the job.
Clearly the police must put a stop to this. He would have everyorganization in the universe dedicated to dictating the morals of otherson his side. No politician would have the guts to stand up inopposition.
There remained only one thing to do. Go out and get that Junior E, placehim under arrest, bring him back for trial. Perhaps it might be wise tolet the colonists off easy--he could easily show that it was theinfluence of the Junior which had made a disgusting orgy develop thereon Eden. Never mind that they were naked before the Junior arrived. Thepublic could always be razzle-dazzled about the nature of the evidence,its order and meaning. It was an old police, prosecution, and politicaltrick to separate a few items from the total context, but still a goodone; for the public never bothered to know the whole context ofanything. An old trick to fasten on phrases and slogans to fix anattitude in the public mind, for a phrase or slogan was about all thepublic was able to master. Anyone who had ever served on a jury,observed its deliberations, knew that out of all the welter of evidence,only certain isolated statements or facts, often minor andinsignificant, penetrated the juror's mind, and around these bits heformed his conclusions. Any smart lawyer knew that, and tried to set uphis case accordingly.
His own course was clear.
His orders to the selected captain of his police ship were equallyclear:
_1. Proceed at once to Eden, the scene of the crime._
_2. Ignore any protests from the E ship already out there, or any other ship E.H.Q. might have sent._
_3. Ignore any signals from the Junior E on the planet._
_4. Land on the planet at the site of Appletree, the main site of the lewd and obscene crime._
_5. Place Junior E Calvin Gray under arrest._
_6. Place the crew of the Junior E's ship, Thomas Lynwood, Franklin Norton, Louis LeBeau, under arrest._
_7. Place any colonist who opposed the police under arrest._
_8. Place the remainder of the colonists in detention under protective custody._
_9. Place E McGinnis under arrest if he interfered in any way with the police in carrying out the foregoing orders._
The police captain raised his eyebrows when he read the final order.
Place a Senior E under arrest?
Certainly, a Senior E. It was one thing to allow these birds to wanderaround, free as air to do as they please. It was one thing to let themget away with making such statements as "The police attitude toward thepeople is the major cause of crime." It was something else, and time theE's found it out, for them to make any overt move to interfere with thepolice in their performance of duty.
Personally, he hoped the old E would be fool enough to resist. It wouldstrengthen his case.
The police captain obeyed the first of the orders without a hitch. Heproceeded to the scene of the crime.
He obeyed the second order. He ignored the command of E McGinnis,received over the ship's communicator when they arrived at the scene ofthe crime, to stand clear of the planet. What policeman moving in tomake an arrest for an illegal act--and certainly running around starknaked, posing in lewd and indecent postures in full view of the public,was an illegal act--would pay any attention to the request of anonlooker which amounted to "Aw, let 'em alone, copper"?
There was no communication at all from the Junior E on the planet'ssurface, so the third order did not apply.
It was in trying to execute the fourth order that he ran into trouble.
He passed inside the orbits of the three other ships now circling theplanet, the police observer ship, the E McGinnis ship, the E.H.Q.floating laboratory. He gave orders to lower his ship into Eden'satmosphere.
The proper buttons were pushed, the proper levers pulled.
And nothing happened.
It was as if some invisible shield held him back. He could not lower theship into the atmosphere gently, taking the normal precautions againstcrashing. Very well then, not so gently. Full power. And nothinghappened. They lowered not another inch.
A thrust. A thrust at tangent to the surface. Once past whatever thisbarrier was, they could skim the surface and come back to land on theproper site. They backed the ship farther out into space. They madetheir thrust with full speed and momentum.
There was no sensation when they hit the barrier, but they did notpenetrate it. It was as if a flat stone had been skipped across slickice, and they shot back out into space again. The tangent penetrationwould not do.
Very well, then. A direct thrust, full power, straight down. Be preparedto put braking forces into immediate power, lest they crash the ship atfull power against the surface.
And again, no sensation. Against all natural laws of inertia, they cameto a full stop at the given level outside the atmosphere without anyfeeling of jar or opposing pressure at all.
What now, Mr. Gunderson, sir?
Reluctantly, Gunderson ordered the police captain to contact E McGinnis.E science apparently had some kind of shield which they'd kept secretfrom the people--and wouldn't there be a stink over that one, once hereleased that information! Contact E McGinnis and find out!
"Why sure," E McGinnis cackled with derisive laughter, "sure there's ashield. I didn't make it. I wouldn't know how. No, I don't know what'scausing it. But I'll tell you what I think. I think They've caught thespecimen They want. There's an E down there.
"So, naturally, the trap door is closed."