[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Worlds of If Science Fiction, May 1960.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
Dan Redman walked swiftly and quietly down the broad hallway toward a
door lettered:
A SECTION
J. KIELGAARD
DIRECTOR
As Dan opened the door, his trained glance caught the brief reflection
of a strange, strong-featured face, and a lithe, powerful, and
unfamiliar physique. Dan accepted this unfamiliar reflection of himself
as an actor accepts makeup. What puzzled him was the peculiar silent
smoothness with which his hand turned the knob, while his shoulder
braced firmly and easily against the opening door. He stepped into the
room in one sudden quiet motion.
The receptionist inside gave a visible start.
What kind of a job, Dan asked himself, did Kielgaard have for him this
time?
The receptionist recovered her poise, to usher Dan into the inner
office.
Kielgaard--big, stocky, and expensively dressed--glanced up from a
sheaf of glossy photographs. He said bluntly, "Sit down. We've got a
mess to straighten out."
"What's wrong?"
"A few years back, Galactic Enterprises discovered a totally
undeveloped planet with no inhabitants. They claimed development rights
and got to work to find an economical route to the planet, which is
called Triax."
Kielgaard snapped a switch on the edge of his desk and the room lights
dimmed out. Three stellar maps seemed to hang in space in front of Dan,
one map directly above the other.
Kielgaard's voice said, "Galactic found a route to Triax that promised
to be very economical. Watch."
* * * * *
On the lowest map, the word "Earth" lit up, and a silver line grew out
from it along the stellar map, then jumped up in a vertical straight
line to the second map, traveled along this map almost to a place where
the word "Truth" lit up. The line then jumped straight up to the third
map and traveled along it to the word "Triax."
The room lighted and the maps vanished.
Kielgaard said, "In two subspace jumps and not too much normal-space
traveling, Galactic can ship a cargo from Triax to Earth. That's a
good, short route, but it comes too close to that planet called Truth."