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no jest of this red-handed crime, Terran interloper!" Lith whispered
urgently. His multiple eyes fell on the miniature binoculars in Retief's hand.
     
     "As
I thought." He motioned to his Skweeman aides. "Your presence
explains itself." He stepped back to allow the gun-handlers to close in.
"Cover him," he ordered. "At the first false move, fire."
     
     "You're
in a devil-may-care mood this morning," Retief noted. "Given up all
hope of advancement, I suppose, and want to go out in a blaze of notoriety by
making an even bigger mistake than usual."
     
     "What
did you observe up there?" The second Groaci indicated the top of the
rise.
     
     "Just
what's there," Retief replied easily.
     
     The
two Groaci exchanged glances, a feat they accomplished with one pair of eyes
while keeping two on Retief and another on the Skweemans. Retief whistled in
admiration.
     
     "No
signalling," one of them warned.
     
     "To
poke your long Terry nose in once too often," Lith said. He made a curt
gesture with a pair of arms. "Take him," he commanded the Skweemans.
     
     "Before
you do that—" Retief held up an admonitory hand—"maybe it would be a
good idea to ask Lith what the future plan for North Skweem might be—if North
Skweem has a future."
     
     "Silence!"
Lith keened. "To take care, Terry, not to tempt me too far!"
     
     .
"Hey, talk Skweemish," one of the guards objected. "What are you
two foreigners cooking up, anyway?"
     
     "We're
merely nattering of trivialities," Lith explained. "Now do your duty,
fellows."
     
     "Yeah
... but I been thinking: this sapsucker is a Terry
diplomat."
     
     "Enough,"
Lith cut him off. "I assure you no complaints will be lodged by his
associates."
     
     The
Skweemans closed in on Retief. "All right, big boy, let's go," the
lieutenant said, poking his gun at the prisoner.
     
     Retief
glanced at the weapon. It was a heavy-duty power pistol, a Groacian copy of an
early Terran type.
     
     "Have
you ever fired that thing?" he inquired interestedly.
     
     "Who,
me?" the Skweeman rotated a number of sense organs in a gesture expressing
astonishment. "Heck, no. We got orders to only shoot at live
targets." He looked meaningfully at Retief.
     
     "A
wise precaution. I understand that model blows up rather easily. That's why the
Groaci sold them to you at bargain prices."
     
     "To
make no attempt to subvert my minions!" Lith hissed.
     
     "I
wouldn't dream of it," Retief assured the ruffled diplomat. "I prefer
minions who change sides on their own."
     
     "You
will have long to wait for that eventuality," Lith snapped. "In a
cell which, alas, lacks most of the amenities."
     
     "That's
all right," Retief said. "Perhaps I won't be in it long enough to
need them."
     
     Lith
vibrated his throat-sac, expressing amusement.
     
     "You
may be right, my dear Terran," he commented blandly. "Now, into your
vehicle, and drive as directed, remembering that guns are upon you!"
     
     Escorted
by the two police cars, Retief drove the CUT Monojag at a sedate pace along the
indicated route to the village, pulled it.in before a low mud brick building
with one small window set with metal bars. Lith and the Skweeman police
surrounded him as he stepped out into the street. One of the cops stared into
the interior oHhe Monojag.
     
     "Hey,
this is a fancy job," he commented. "What's that?" He pointed at
a short red-handled lever labeled EMERGENCY LIFT. At his side, Lith goggled,
then whirled on Retief.
     
     "To
explain at once!" he hissed. "Our intelligence reports have indicated
that vehicles so equipped are capable of VTO and supersonic speeds! Why, then,
did you permit yourself to be so docilely convoyed?"
     
     "Well,
Lith, maybe those reports you read were exaggerated," Retief smiled
deprecatingly. "After all, your gumshoe brigades have to report something."
     
      Lith
snorted. "So much for the vaunted Terry technology." He turned to his
troops.
     
     "Lock
him up."
     
     The
Skweemans closed