distasteful.
"You could blat it around all over fifty star systems that the Emperorwas a louse, and all you'd get is a poke in the eye for your troubles.
"It's not easy for him, and don't ever kid yourself that it is. He'sgoing out there now to tell the Empire that your father and hisGovernment have resigned. He has to try to make his best friend and mostloyal subject look a little less black than he has been painted, and allthe time it was the Emperor who wielded the paint gun. Do you thinkthat's fun?"
"No," said Jon softly. "No, I guess not." He paused. "Wouldn't it havebeen easier to take the evidence away from me, though?"
"No. That would have left you furious. No amount of talking would haveconvinced you. As it was, you convinced yourself that there is no way toattack the Emperor directly. He's safe right where he is."
Jon shook his head slowly. "It all seems so ... so tangled. It stillseems as though the whole deception is ... well, _wrong_, somehow."
"If you look at it in a certain way," said Lord Senesin, "I suppose itdoes seem wrong. But it's necessary. Absolutely necessary."
"Maybe," said Jon, still unconvinced. "It certainly does look as thoughHis Majesty has himself in an almost impregnable position. It's a wonderhe needs agents like you."
Colonel Lord Barrick Sorban smiled a little. The boy would see the thingstraight eventually. He had what it took, even if it didn't show much atthis stage. Actually, he was more than halfway convinced now, butwouldn't admit it to himself yet. At least he'd been able to put afinger on one thing.
Aloud, the colonel said: "You're not altogether wrong there, son. Whenyou come right down to it, _I'm_ the unnecessary man."
THE END
Transcriber's Note:
This etext was produced from _Astounding Science Fiction_ November 1959. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without note.
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