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.Kill them !' Mossby flared.'You might have been able to do that last week but now they're ready and waiting.''We've got to do something,' another man said.'As soon as our report gets to Issacson, we'reall dead men anyway.''You're right, we have to do something,' the leader of the group said.'I'm not going to appealto your patriotism but your own personal self interest Copernicus must be destroyed before thefile:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/E.iam%20B.%20%20Ellern%20-%20New%20Lensman.txt (57 of 80) [10/15/2004 2:31:41 PM]file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/E.%20E.%20Doc%20Smith%20-%20William%20B.%20%20Ellern%20-%20New%20Lensman.txtfleet attacks.The meteor proved that external force is out.Our previous setups have beennegated.They were meant to look like accidents.We can no longer afford that luxury.Theassassination is only six or seven hours off and the attack about 10 hours away.Too short a timefor it to make any difference whether Copernicus is destroyed by accident or by deliberateattempt.The question remains: how do we do it?'There was a long silence.'Hasla had a good idea under these conditions,' one of the men said.'It won't matter now, sincea poison can't be any thing except deliberate, and it would be easy to get past the Custom'sgate.''It would work if we had time,' another man said.'But we don't have that time.''I left 10 cylinders of V2 gas back there.''The only thing that stuff is good for is to close airtight doors,' another commentedsarcastically.'It's obvious that no one single attack is going to put Copernicus out of business at this latedate,' the leader said.'We left behind enough equipment to make a whole series of differentattacks.We can use it.But first we must get there.Hasla, schedule us on the next three flightsas tourists.Make it two groups of four individuals, and then Mossby.Mossby, you will go alone onthe last flight with your atomic bomb, and at worse cause a distraction.How many men will yourequire to get past Customs?''Four.''The last group will be five men.Contact Aspen for suitable gunmen,' the leader said.'Now let'swork out how many ways we can attack the critical facilities of Copernicus directly, what we willneed to do it, what we will have available, set up a list of priorities and make out a timeschedule for our operations.'* * *[LARRY MCQUEEN?] Larry heard his name as plainly as if someone had been standing beside him andhad called it except he hadn't 'heard' it and there was no one around him.[Larry.Where on thatgodforsaken, airless ball of rock are you?]For an instant Larry thought he had cracked up.He thought that he had recognized the voice, but.a mental one? He finally responded, [Copernicus.][Good.I'll be right down.Meet you at the Solarian Patrol field office.Oh,] the voice continued,recognizing Larry's puzzlement.[This is Tom, Tom Ellik.I'm using my Lens.Tell you about it whenI get there.]Larry knew Tom from those days in the Triplanetary Patrol when he had been tapped by the Serviceto go through special training.Tom had been in the group just before Larry.He hadn't heard fromhim since they had been sent out on their first assignments.'Lens' he had said.Samms' Lensmen.Fairchild had mentioned them when he had called in his report.Either he was going crazy, or WOW!Mental telepathy!Half an hour later Larry was sitting on a park bench in front of the Solarian Patrol field office,when another figure in space black and silver, the uniform of the Solarian Patrol, showed up.'Hey, Tom,' Larry stood up, and greeted him.Tom looked exactly the same as he had when Larryfirst saw him.The years hadn't touched him.'Hi, Larry,' Tom greeted him, and the voice spoke in his mind again.[Let's go somewhere and havea cup of coffee.]A little nervous, Larry started to speak.Tom cut him off with the thought, [It's all right.I canread your surface thoughts.Where do you want to go?]Larry indicated a little sidewalk restaurant farther along the wall of the Dome.As they walkedalong Larry felt like one very large question mark.[What, where, why, since when and HOW?]Tom Ellik laughed.[Larry, you sound just like me when I was first introduced to the Lens.Theycome from Arisia.Samms has adopted them as the identification of the new organization he'sforming soon, because no one else can duplicate them.They're mental.everythings: Telepathicdevice, translator, communicator, ID, all rolled into one.You name it and it'll probably do it.]He pulled back the sleeve of his blouse and there on his arm was a shining, metal bracelet with apulsating lenticular something on it.The Lens of Arisia!'Fantastic!' Larry said in awe.It made the flashiest piece of fire opal he had ever seen looklike an ordinary brown pebble.Thousands of little specks of light flashed and moved aroundinside.[They must cost a fortune!][No, the Arisians give them to people who qualify.There are no strings, except one,] Tom'sthought hesitated, and he smiled knowingly.[It's called the Lensman's load.It means that in thefullest sense you are responsible for all of your actions.You are the chosen representative ofCivilization and all that means to the rest of the universe.Your ethics, your sense of justice,file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/E.iam%20B.%20%20Ellern%20-%20New%20Lensman.txt (58 of 80) [10/15/2004 2:31:41 PM]file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/E.%20E.%20Doc%20Smith%20-%20William%20B.%20%20Ellern%20-%20New%20Lensman.txtare all above reproach.You are the embodiment of the highest possible integrity and reliability.That is the Lensman's load.]Larry looked at Tom for a long while without comment, letting the words and what they meant soakin.Trying to understand them in his own terms and referents.Finally he asked, [All right, wheredo I go to get one?]Tom smiled like a squirrel who had just been given a bag of walnuts.They sat down at the tableand verbally ordered.A moment later, back on the Lens, Tom thought, barteringly, [You're in luck,Larry.I've just come back from Arisia and guess what they gave me to give you?][A hard time?][Nope.Two more guesses.][A bottle of Rhoot Bheer?] Larry thought, referring to a long standing joke between Tom and hisfriends.[Nope.But you're warm.And for beer that's bad but for guessing that's good.One more guess.][A Lens of my very own to treasure always.][Right! Very right!]They turned off the humor as fast as it started.For all of Tom's irrepressible personality, Larrycould think of few other men he would prefer to have at his back in a time of crisis.Tom broughtan insulated case out of his pocket and opened it.Inside was another bracelet.and a Lens.This one was a dull, grayish-white, lifeless jewel that somehow gave one the impression that itwas absorbing light and the things around it.Careful not to touch even the band, Tom pointed atIt.[In this state they are dangerous.If you touch a dark Lens that isn't yours, it will jolt youlike a high tension wire never could.If you try to wear it, you'll be dead in seconds.Touch thisone lightly and let's check if it's yours.]The Lens jumped into life for a brief moment as Larry's finger tips brushed the surface of theband.[Good,] Tom thought.[This is a solemn moment, Larry.From now on you pick up your load and goforth with it [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]