 Part 5 of The Ethical Engineer by Harry Harrison Chapter 10 They were six days out of Putalko, and their supplies were almost exhausted. The country, once they were away from the mountains, became more fertile and undulating pompous of green with enough streams and herds of beasts to assure that they did not starve. It was fuel that mattered, and that afternoon Jason had opened their last jar. They stopped a few hours before dark since their fresh meat was gone, and Snarby took the crossbow and went out to shoot something for the pot. Since he was the only one who could handle the clumsy weapon with any kind of skill in spite of his ocular deficiencies and who knew about the local game, this task had been assigned to him. With longer contact his fear of the caroy had lessened and his self-esteem rose at his recognized ability as a hunter. He strolled arrogantly out into the knee-high grass, crossbow over his shoulder, whistling tunelessly through his teeth. Jason stared after him and once again felt a growing unease. I don't trust that wall-eyed mercenary. I don't trust him for one second, he muttered. Were you talking to me? Micah asked. I wasn't, but I might as well now. Have you noticed anything interesting about the country we have been passing through? Anything different? Nothing. It is a wilderness untouched by the hand of man. Then you must be blind because I have been seeing things the last two days and I know just as little about Woodcraft as you do. Ijal, he called, and she looked up from the boiler over which she was heating a thin stew of their last crannoy. Leave that stuff. It tastes just as bad whatever's done to it, and if Snarby has any luck we'll be having roast in any case. Tell me, have you seen anything strange or different about the land we passed through today? Nothing strange, just signs of people. Twice we passed places where the grass was flat and branches broken as if a caroy passed two or three days ago, maybe more. And once there was a place where someone had built a cooking fire, but that was very old. Nothing to see, eh, Micah? Jason asked with raised eyebrows. See what a lifetime of crannoy hunting can do for the sense of observation and terrain? I am no savage. You cannot expect me to look out for that sort of thing. I don't. I have learned to expect very little from you beside trouble. Only now I am going to need your help. This is Snarby's last night of freedom, whether he knows it or not, and I don't want him standing guard tonight, so you and I will split the shift. Micah was astonished. I do not understand what you mean this is his last night of freedom. It should be obvious by now, even to you, after seeing how the social ethic works on this planet. What did you think we were going to do when we came to Uppsala? Follow Snarby like sheep to the slaughter? I have no idea what he is planning. I just know he must be planning something. When I ask him about the city, he only answers in generalities. Of course, he is a hired mercenary who wouldn't know too much of the details, but he must know a lot more than he's telling us. He says we are still four days away from the city. My guess is that we are no more than one or two. In the morning I intend to grab him and tie him up, then swing over to those hills there and find a place to hole up. I'll fix some chains for Snarby so he can't get away. Then I'll do a scout of the city. You are going to chain this poor man? Make a slave of him for no reason? I'm not going to make a slave of him, just chain him to make sure he doesn't lead us into some trap that will benefit him. This souped-up caroy is valuable enough to tempt any of the locals, and if he can sell me as an engine-mechanic slave, his fortune is made. I will not hear this, Micah stormed. You condemn the man on no evidence at all just because of your nasty-minded suspicions. Judge not, lest ye be judged yourself, and you play the hypocrite as well, because I well remember you telling me that a man is innocent until proven guilty. Well, this man is guilty. If you want to put it that way, guilty of being a member of this broken-down society, which means that he will always act in certain ways at certain times. Haven't you learned anything about these people yet? Ijal! She looked up from contented munching on a caroy, obviously not listening to the argument. Tell me, what is your opinion? We are coming soon to a place where Snarby has friends or people who will help him. What do you think he will do? Say hello to the people he knows. Maybe they will give him a crenoy. She smiled in satisfaction at her answer and took another bite. That's not quite what I had in mind, Jason said patiently. What if we three are with him when we come to the people, and the people see us, and the caroy? She sat up alarmed. We can't go with him. If he has people there, they will fight us, make us slaves, take the caroy. Kill Snarby at once! Bloodthirsty heathen! Micah began in his best denunciatory voice, but quit when he saw Jason pick up a heavy hammer. Do you understand yet? Jason asked. By tying up Snarby, I'm only conforming to a local code of ethic, like saluting in the army or not eating with your fingers in polite society. In fact, I'm being a little slipshot since by local custom I should kill him before he can make us trouble. It cannot be. I cannot believe it. You cannot judge and condemn a man upon such flimsy evidence. I'm not condemning him, Jason said with growing irritation. Just making sure that he can't cause me any trouble. You don't have to agree with me to help me. Just don't get in my way and split the guard with me tonight. Whatever I do in the morning will be on my shoulders and no concern of yours. He is returning, Ijal hissed, and a moment later Snarby came up through the high grass. Got a siervo. He announced proudly and dropped the animal down before them. Cut him up, makes good chops and roast. We eat tonight. He was completely innocent and without guile, and the only thing guilty about him was his shifty gaze, which could be blamed completely on his crossed eyes. Jason wondered for a second if his assessment of the danger was correct, then remembered where he was and lost his doubts. Snarby would be committing no crime if he tried to kill or enslave them, just doing what any ordinary decent slave-holding barbarian would do in his place. Jason searched through his toolbox for some rivets that could be used to fasten the leg irons on the man. They had a filling dinner, and the others turned in at dusk and were quickly asleep. Jason, tired from the labors of the trip and heavy with food, forced himself to remain awake, trying to keep alert for trouble both from within and from without. When he became too sleepy, he paced around the camp until the cold drove him back to the shelter of the still warm boiler. Above him, the stars wheeled slowly, and when a prominent one reached the zenith, he estimated it was midnight or a bit after. He shook Micah awake. You're on now. Keep your eyes and ears open for anything stirring, and don't forget a careful watch there. He jerked his thumb at Snarby's silent form. Wake me up at once if there's anything suspicious. Sleep dropped like a heavy curtain, and Jason barely stirred until the first light of dawn touched the sky. Only the brighter stars were visible on the eastern horizon, and he could see a ground fog rising from the grass around them. Near him were the huddled forms of the two sleepers, and the farthest one shifted in his sleep, and he realized it was Micah. Sleep fell away instantly, and he bounded out of his skin covers and grabbed the other man by the shoulders. What are you doing asleep, he raged? You were supposed to be on guard. Micah opened his eyes and blinked. I was on guard, but toward the morning Snarby awoke and offered to take his turn. I could not refuse him. You couldn't what? After what I said? That was why I could not judge an innocent man guilty and be a party to your unfair action. Therefore I left him on guard. You did, did you? Jason graded with rage and pulled an unfelt handful of hair from his new-grown beard. Then where is he? Do you see anyone on guard? Micah looked in a careful circle and saw only the two of them and the awakening Ijal. He seems to have gone. He has proven his untrustworthiness, and in the future we will not allow him to stand guard. Jason raged, drew his foot back for a kick in the local reflex, then realized that he had no time for such indulgences and dived for the steam-mobile. The fire-lighter worked at the first shot for a rare change and he lit the boiler. It roared merrily, but when he tapped the indicator he saw the fuel was almost gone. There would be enough left in the last jug to take them safely before whatever trouble Snarby was planning arrived. But the jug was gone. That tears it, Jason said, residedly after a hectic search of the caroy and the surrounding plain. The water of power had vanished with Snarby, who, afraid as he was of the steam engine, apparently knew enough from observing Jason fueling the thing that it could not move without the vital liquid. An empty feeling of resignation had replaced Jason's first rage. He should have known better than to trust Micah with anything, particularly when it involved an ethical point. He stared at the man, now calmly eating a bit of cold roast and marveled at the unruffled calm. This doesn't bother you, the fact that you have condemned us all to slavery again. I did what was right. I had no other choice. We must live as moral creatures or sink to the level of the animals, but when you live with people who behave like animals, how do you survive? You live as they do, as you do, Jason, he said with majestic judgment, twisting and turning with fear and unable to avoid your fate, no matter how you squirm. Or you live as I have done, as a man of conviction, knowing what is right and not letting your head be turned by the petty deeds of the day. And if one lives this way, one can die happy. Then die happy, Jason snarled and reached for his sword, but settled back again glumly before he picked it up. To think that I ever thought I could teach you anything about the reality of existence here when you have never experienced reality before and or ever will until the day you die, you carry your own attitudes, which are your reality around with you all the time, and they are more solid to you than this ground we are sitting upon. For once we are in agreement, Jason. I have tried to open your eyes to the true light, but you turn away and will not see. You ignore the eternal law for the exigencies of the moment and are therefore damned. The pressure indicator on the boiler hissed and popped out, but the fuel level was at the absolute bottom. Grab some food for breakfast, Eshal, Jason said, and get away from this machine. The fuel is gone and it's finished. I shall make a bundle to carry. We will escape on foot. No, that's out of the question. Snarby knows this country and he knew we would find out that he was missing at dawn. Whatever kind of trouble he is bringing is already on the way and we wouldn't be able to escape on foot. So we might as well save our energy, but they aren't getting my handmade, supercharged steam-mobile, he added with sudden vehemence grabbing up the crossbow. Back, both of you, far back. They'll make a slave of me for my talents, but no free samples go with it. If they want one of these hot rod steam wagons, they are going to have to pay for it. Jason lay down flat at the maximum range of the crossbow and his third quarrel hit the boiler. It went up with a most satisfactory bang and small pieces of metal and wood rained down all around. In the distance he heard shouting and the barking of dogs. When he stood he could see a distant line of men advancing through the tall grass and when they were closer, large dogs were also visible, tugging at their leashes. Though they must have come far, in a few hours they approached at a steady trot, experienced runners in thin leather garments, each carrying a short laminated bow and a full quiver of arrows. They swooped up in a semi-circle, their great hound slavering to be loosed and stopped when the three strangers were within bow range. They notched their arrows and waited with alert patience, staying well clear of the smoking ruins of the Karoi until Snarby finally staggered up, half supported by two other runners. You now belong to the Hirtug Persan and are his slaves. What happened to the Karoi? He screamed. This last when he spotted the smoking wreck and would have collapsed except for the sustaining arms. Evidently the new slaves decreased in value with the loss of the machine. He stumbled over to it and when none of the soldiers would help him gathered up what he could find of Jason's artifacts and tools. When he had bundled them up and the foot cavalry had seen that he suffered no injury from the contact, they reluctantly agreed to carry them. One of the soldiers, identical in dress with the others seemed to be in charge and when he signaled a return, they closed in on the three prisoners and nudged them to their feet with drawn bows. I'm coming, I'm coming, Jason said, gnawing on a bone. But I'm going to finish my breakfast first. I see an endless vista of Karoi stretching out before me and intend to enjoy this last meal before entering servitude. The lead soldiers looked confused and turned to their officer for orders. Who is this? He asked Snarby, pointing at the still seated Jason. Is there any reason why I should not kill him? You can't, Snarby choked and turned a dirty shade of white. He is the one who built the devil wagon and knows all of its secrets. Her tug person will torture him to build another. Jason wiped his fingers on the grass and reluctantly stood. All right, gentlemen, let's go. And on the way, perhaps someone can tell me just who her tug person is and what is going to happen next. I'll tell you, Snarby bragged as they started to march. He is her tug of the personoi. I had fought for the personoi and they knew me and I saw the her tug himself and he believed me. The personoi are very powerful in Uppsala and have many powerful secrets, but not as powerful as the Trozellagoi who have the secret of the Karoi and the Jettilo. I knew I could ask any price of the personoi if I brought them the secret of the Karoi and I will. He thrust his face close to Jason's with a fierce grimace. You will tell them the secret. I will help them torture you until you tell. Jason put out his toe as they walked and Snarby tripped over it and when the traitor fell, he walked the length of his body. None of the soldiers paid any attention to this exchange and when they had passed, Snarby staggered to his feet and tottered after them shouting curses. Jason did not hear them. He had troubles enough as it was. Chapter 11 Seen from the surrounding hills, Uppsala looked like a burning city that was being slowly washed into the sea. Only when they had come closer was it clear that the smoke was from the multi-fold chimneys, both large and small that stuttered the buildings and that the city began at the shore and covered a number of islands in what must be a shallow lagoon. Large sea-going ships were tied up at the seaward side of the city and closer to the mainland, smaller crafts were being pulled through the canals. Jason searched anxiously for a spaceport or any signs of interstellar culture but saw nothing. Then the hills intervened as the trail cut off to one side and approached the sea some distance from the city. A fair-sized sailing vessel was tied up at the end of a stone wharf, obviously awaiting them and the captives were tied hand and foot and tossed into the hold. Jason managed to wriggle around until he could get his eye to a crack between two badly fitting planks and recited a running travel log of the crews, apparently for the edification of his companions but really for his own benefit since the sound of his own voice always cheered and encouraged him. Our voyages nearing its close and before us opens up the romantic and ancient city of Opsala, famed for its loathsome customs, murderous natives and archaic sanitation facilities of which this woodery channel this ship is now entering seems to be the major cloaca. There are islands on both sides, the smaller ones covered with hovels so decrepit that in comparison the holes in the ground of the humblest animals appear to be palaces. While the larger islands appear to be forts, each one walled and barbecained and presenting a war-like face to the world. There couldn't be that many forts in a town this size so I am led to believe that each one is undoubtedly guarded stronghold of one of the tribes, groups or clans that our friend Judas told us about. Look on these monuments to ultimate selfishness and beware. This is the end product of the system that begins with slaveholders like the former Chaka with their tribes of Crenoy crackers and builds up through familiar hierarchies like the Zortanoi and reaches its zenith of depravity behind those strong walls. It is still absolute power that rules absolutely. Each man out for all that he can get and the only way to climb being over the bodies of others and all physical discoveries and inventions being treated as private and personal secrets to be hidden and used only for personal gain. Never have I seen human greed and selfishness carried to such extremes and I admire Homo sapiens capacity to follow through on an idea no matter how it hurts. The ship lost way as it backed its sails and Jason fell from his precarious perch into the stinking bilge. The descent of man he muttered and inched his way out. Piles grated along the sides and with much shouting and cursed orders the ship came to a halt. The hatch above was slid back and the three captives were rushed to the deck. The ship was tied up to a dock in a pool of water surrounded by buildings and high walls. Behind them a large sea gate was just swinging shut through which the ship had entered from the canal. They could see no more because they were pushed into a doorway and through halls and past guards until they ended up in a large central room. It was unfurnished except for the dais at the far end on which stood a large and rusty iron throne. The man on the throne undoubtedly the Hurtug person sported a magnificent white beard and shoulder length hair. His nose was round and red, his eyes blue and woodery. He nibbled at a cranoi impaled delicately on a two-timed iron fork. Tell me, the Hurtug shouted suddenly, why you should not be killed at once. We are your slaves, Hurtug. We are your slaves. Everyone in the room shouted in unison, waving their hands in the air at the same time. Jason missed the first chorus but came in on the second. Only Micah did not join in the chant and wave, speaking instead in a solitary voice after the Pledge of Allegiance was completed. I am no man's slave. The commander of the soldiers swung his thick bow in a short arc that terminated on the top of Micah's head. He dropped stunned to the floor. You have a new slave, O Hurtug, the commander said. Which is the one who knows the secrets of the car-roy? The Hurtug asked and Snarby pointed at Jason. Him, there, oh, mightiness. He can make car-roy. He can make the monster that burns and moves them. I know because I watched him do it. He also made balls of fire that burned the Zertanoi and many other things. I brought him to be your slave so that he could make car-roy for the personoi. Here are the pieces of the car-roy we traveled in after it was consumed by its own fire. Snarby shook the tools and burnt fragments out onto the floor and the Hurtug curled his lip at them. What proof is this, he asked, and turned to Jason? These things mean nothing. How can you prove to me slave that you can do the things he says? Jason entertained briefly the idea to deny all knowledge of the matter, which would be a neat revenge against Snarby, who would certainly meet a sticky end for causing all this trouble for nothing. But he discarded the thought as fast as it came. Partly for humanitarian reasons. Snarby could not help being what he was, but mostly because he had no particular desire to be put to the question. He knew nothing about the local torture methods and he wanted to keep it that way. Proof is easy, Hurtug, of all the personoi, because I know everything about everything. I can build machines that walk, that talk, that run, fly, swim, bark like a dog, and roll on their backs. You will build a car-roy for me? It could be arranged if you have the right kind of tools I could use. But I must first know, what is the specialty of your clan if you know what I mean? Like the drozellagoi make car-roy and the zurtanoi pump-oil. What do your people do? You cannot know as much as you say if you do not know the glories of the personoi. I come from a distant land and as you know news travels slowly around these parts. Not around personoi, the Hurtug said scornfully and thumped his chest. We can talk across the width of the country and always know where our enemies are. We can send magic on wires to kill or magic to make light in a glass ball or magic that will pluck the sword from an enemy's hand and drive terror into his heart. It sounds like your gang has the monopoly on electricity, which is good to hear. If you have some heavy forging equipment, stop, the Hurtug ordered. Leave, out, everyone except the skew-loy. Not the new slave, he stays here, he shouted when the soldiers grabbed Jason. The room emptied and the handful of men who remained were all a little long in the tooth and each wore a brazen sunburst type decoration on his chest. They were undoubtedly adept in these secret electrical arts and they fingered their weapons and grumbled with unconcealed anger at Jason's forbidden knowledge. The Hurtug signaled him to continue. You used a sacred word. Who told it to you? Speak quickly or you will be killed. Didn't I tell you I knew everything? I can build a car-roy and given a little time I can improve on your electrical works if your technology is on the same level as the rest of this planet. Do you know what lies behind the forbidden portal? The Hurtug asked, pointing to a barred locked and guarded door at the other end of the room. There is no way you can have seen what is there, but if you can tell me what lies beyond it, I will know you are the wizard that you claim you are. I have a very strange feeling that I have been over this ground once before Jason's side. All right, here goes. You people here make electricity, maybe chemically, though I doubt if you would get enough power that way. So you must have a generator of some sort. That will be a big magnet, a piece of special iron that can pick up other iron. And you spin it around fast next to some coils of wire and out comes electricity. You pipe this through copper wire to whatever devices you have, and they can't be very many. You say you talk across the country. I'll bet you don't talk at all, but send little clicks and dots and dashes. I'm right, aren't I? The foot shuffling and rising buzz from the adepts was a sure sign that he was hitting close. I have an idea for you. I think I'll invent the telephone. Instead of the old clickety-clack, how would you like to really talk across the country? Speak into a gadget here and have your voice come out at the far end of the wire. The Hurtug's piggy little eyes blinked greedily. It is said that in the old days this could be done, but we have tried and have failed. Can you do this thing? I can, if we can come to some agreement first, but before I make any promises, I have to see your equipment. This brought the usual groans of complaint about secrecy, but in the end, Averus won over Taboo, and the door to the holy of holies was opened for Jason while two of the skew-loy with barred and ready daggers stood at his sides. At almost the same instant, Jason looked in through the door he heard the sound. Now, the reaction of the human body, while remarkably fast, needs certain finite measures of time and have been measured over and over again with a great deal of accuracy. The commands of the brain speedy as they may be must be carried by sluggish nerves and put into operation by inert lumps of muscle. Therefore, to say that Jason's reactions were instantaneous is to tell a lie or at least exaggerate. Only to his watchers did his actions appear to take place that fast. They were older and less alert and had not had the advantage of pirate survival training. So to their point of view, the sacred portal was opened and Jason vanished in a flurry of activity. Two lightning blows sent his guardian spinning and before they had fallen to the floor, their supposed captive was through the door and it was slammed in their faces. Before the first dumbfounded person could jump forward the bolt grated home and the door was sealed. Things were a little more complex than that to Jason. When the door opened, he had had a good view of the inside of the room, of a slave cranking they handle on a crude collection of junk that could only have been a generator. Thick wires looped across the room from the thing to a man who stood before some blades of copper pushing at them with a wooden stick. While above his head, fat sparks leaped the gap between two brassy spheres. As if to complete this illustration for a Bronze Age edition of First Steps in Electricity, another cable twisted up from the spark gap and vanished out a small window. The entire thing might have been labeled how to generate a radio signal in the crudest manner. As Jason reached this conclusion in the smallest fraction of a second and almost at the very same instant, he heard the sound. What he heard could have been distant thunder or an earthquake, a volcano, or some giant explosion. It rumbled and rolled, muffled by distance, yet still clear. It resembled none of these things to Jason but made him think only of a high altitude rocket or jet cleaving through the atmosphere. It must have been the juxtaposition of these two things occurring as they did at the same time. The view of the radio transmitter, no matter how crude, and the thought that there might be a civilized craft of some kind up there containing men who would come to his aid if he could only contact them. The idea was an insane one, but even as he realized that fact, he was through the door and bolting it behind him. Perhaps he did it because he had been pushed around entirely too much and felt like pushing someone else for a change. In any case, it was done, insane or not, and he might as well carry through. The generator slave looked up, startled, but when Jason glanced at him, he lowered his eyes and kept cranking. The man who had been working the transmitter spun about, startled by the slam of the door and the muffled pounding and shouts that followed instantly from the other side. He groped for his dagger when he saw the stranger, but before it was clear of the scabber, Jason was on him and after a few quick pyrin infighting blows, the man lost all interest in what was happening and slid to the floor. Jason straddled his body, picked the stick up, knotted to the slave who began cranking faster and began to tap out a message. S-O-S-S-O-S. He sent first. Then as fragments of code came back to him, he spelled out J-A-S-O-N-D-A-L-T-H-R-E. N-E-E-D-A-I-D-R-I-C-H-R-E-W-A-R-D-F-O-R-H-E-L-P. He varied this a bit, repeated his name often and tried other themes appealing for off-world aid. It was a slim chance that he had heard a rocket and even slimmer chance that they would pick his message out of the static if they happened to be listening. He had no evidence that any off-worlders were in contact with this planet, merely hope. He tapped on and the slave ground away industriously. His arm was growing tired by the time the old guard in the other room found something heavy enough to swing and broke the door down. Jason stopped tapping and turned to face the apoplectic her-tug rubbing his tired wrist. Your equipment works fine, though it could use a lot of improvements. Kill him, kill! the her-tug sputtered. Kill me and there goes your car-roy, as well as your telephone system and your only chance to wrap up all the industrial secrets in one big bundle. Jason said, looking around for something heavy to swing. A gigantic explosion slammed into the room. A crack appeared in one wall and dust floated down from the ceiling. There was a sound of snapping small arms fire in the distance. It worked! Jason shouted with unrestrained glee and hurled a heavy roll of wire at the startled men in the doorway and followed instantly after it in a headlong dive. There was a flurry of action, most of the damage being done by his boots. Then he was through and running out of the throne room with the men bellowing in pursuit. A small war seemed to be raging ahead. The sharp explosions of gunfire being mixed with the heavier thud of bombs and grenades. Walls were down. Doors blasted open while confused soldiers rushed in panic through the clouds of dust. One of them tried to stop Jason, who kept on going, carrying the man's club with him. Sunlight shone ahead and he dived through a ribbon wall and landed rolling in the open ground next to the dock. The spaceships' lifeboats stood there, still glowing hot from the speed of descent and next to it stood Metta, keeping up a continuous fire with her gun, happily juggling micro-grenades with her free hand. What were you waiting for, she snapped. I have been in orbit over this planet for a month now, waiting for some word from you. There are dozens of radio transmitters on this continent and I have been monitoring them all. She fired a long burst at an upper story where some bowman had been foolish enough to appear. Then ran to Jason, eyes wet with tears. Oh darling, I was so worried. She held him, with her grenade-throwing arm, and kissed him fiercely. She kept her eyes open while she was doing this, but only had to fire once. Jason, a voice called, and Yizal appeared, half supporting the still dazed Micah. Who is this? Metta snapped, the chill back in her voice. Why, just someone I know, Jason answered, smiling insincerely. You should recognize the man, he's the one who arrested me. Here is a gun, you will want to kill him yourself. Jason took the gun, but used it to clear a nearby rooftop. The powerful kick of the pirate automatic was like a caress on the heel of his hand. I don't think I want to kill him. He saved my life once, though he has tried to lose it for me a dozen times since. Let's get upstairs to the ship and I'll tell you about it. There are more healthy spots than this to have a conversation. Chapter 12. Washed, shaved, scrubbed, cleaned, filled with good food and slightly awash with alcoholic drink, Jason collapsed into the acceleration couch and firmly swore that life was worth living after all. You can't appreciate the simple things of life until you've gone without them for a while, or the better things either. He reached out and took Metta's hand. She pulled it away and fed more digits into the computer. How did you find me? He asked, trying to discover a subject that she might warm to. That should be obvious. We saw the markings on the ship that took you away and charted a directional trace before it went into jump space. We identified the markings and I went to Cassilia, but the ship had never arrived there. I backtracked the straight line course and found three possible planets near enough to have registered in the ship during jump space flight. Two are highly organized with modern spaceports and would have known if the ship had landed. It hadn't. Therefore, you must have forced the ship down on the planet we just left. And once you were there, you would find one of the radios to send a message, which is what you did. It is obvious. Who is she? The final words were in a distinctly chillier tone of voice and there could only be one she, Ijal, who crouched across the room, obviously unhappy and wide-eyed with fear at this voyage in a spaceship, not understanding the language the others spoke. I've told you before just a friend. She was with us and helped us too. I couldn't let her go back to the life in the desert. It's more brutal than you can possibly imagine. There's an entire planet full of slaves back there. And of course I can't save them all, but I can do this much. Take out the one person there who would rather see me live than die. What do you intend to do with her? The sub-zero temperature of Meta's voice left no doubt as to what she wanted to do with her. Jason had already given this a good deal of thought, and if Ijal was going to live much longer, she had to be separated as soon as possible from the deadly threat of female pyrangelicy. We stop at the next civilized planet and let her off. I have enough money to leave a deposit in a bank that will last her for years, make arrangements for it to be paid out only a bit at a time, so no matter how she is cheated, she will still have enough. I'm not going to worry about her. If she was able to survive in the Corenoid Legion, she can get along well anywhere on a settled world. He could hear the complaints when he broke the news to Ijal, but it was for her own survival. I shall care for and lead her in the paths of righteousness. A remembered voice spoke from the doorway. Micah stood there clutching to the jam, a turban of bandages on his head. That's a wonderful idea, Jason agreed enthusiastically. He turned to Ijal and spoke in her own language. Did you hear that? Micah's going to take you home with him and look after you. I'll arrange for some money to be paid to you for all your needs. He'll explain to you what money is. I want you to listen to him carefully, note exactly what he says, then do the exact opposite. You must promise me you will do that and never break your word. In that way you may make some mistakes and you will be wrong sometimes, but all the rest of the time things will go very smoothly. I cannot leave you, take me with you, I'll be your slave always, she wailed. What did she say? Metta snapped, catching some of the meaning. You are evil, Jason. Micah declined, getting the needle back into the familiar groove. She will obey you, I know that. So no matter how I labor, she will always do as you say. I sincerely hope so, Jason said fervently. One has to be born into your particular brand of illogic to get any pleasure from it. The rest of us are happier bending a bit under the impact of existence and exacting a might more pleasure from the physical life around us. Evil, I say, and you shall not go unpunished. His hand appeared from behind the door-jam and it held a pistol that he had found below. I am taking command of this ship. You will secure the two women so that they can cause no trouble. Then we will proceed to Cassilia for your trial. Metta had her back turned to Micah and was sitting in the control chair, a good five meters from him with her hands filled with navigational notes. She slowly raised her head and looked at Jason and a smile broke across her face. You said once you didn't want him killed. I still don't want him killed but I also have no intention of going to Cassilia. He echoed her smile and turned away. He sighed happily and there was a sudden rush of feet behind his back. No shots were fired but a horse scream, a thud and a sharp cracking noise told him that Micah had lost his last argument. End of part five. End of The Ethical Engineer by Harry Harrison.