"Yes. But----"
"Good! Here, take this." Don shoved the book out. "And let's go into
your office."
Benton Jackson looked incredulously at the figure before him. He
reached out and accepted the book, then turned.
"Another of those!" he said softly.
Hense followed them inside. There were, he was discovering, peculiar
things about this dream business. He had completed his mission. He
hadn't been dismissed. But he could wait here, or he could tag along
and see what happened.
"Well, now," he told himself. "Things are looking up."
Jackson walked over to his desk, snapping on the room lights as he
passed them. He sat down and placed the book on the desk.
"Well," he demanded, "what's next?"
Don Michaels reached over the desk and flipped the book open.
"Page seven oh one," he said simply. "Read it. Then, I'll start telling
you a lot of things." He hesitated.
"You _can_ read Oredanian script, I hope?"
Jackson nodded in annoyance. "Of course. Part of my business." He
flipped over the pages, looking at numbers. Then he glanced up.
"How about the lieutenant?"
Don faced about. "Oh," he said. "Sorry. You can go back to your
guardroom, lieutenant. I'm sorry I had to get rough with you, but I was
in a hurry. Still am, for that matter. Only one more thing. For the
love of all that's holy, have your people keep a sharp lookout for the
rest of the night. I've a hunch Stern's people will try almost anything
right now, short of risking full-scale battle."
Hense shook his head dazedly. Jackson looked up from the book.
"It's all right, lieutenant," he said. "Go ahead. And you might take
this man's word on the heavy guard. If we've got what I think we've
got, and if Stern knows it, he might even risk a battle."
Hense suddenly realized he was no longer under any kind of restraint.
And, he realized, this had been no dream.
He had actually been ordered around like some recruit. And that by some
no-good, naked native kid.
His guard had been pushed around. Unauthorized orders had been given to
them.
And they'd obeyed those orders--without question.
In fact, the whole compound had been virtually taken over.
And all by this same kid.
And the commissioner said it was all right?