Garrett smiled his mocking grin. "You grasp the principle, of course.
But let me show you ... you see those pipes that run from the turbines
after the wheels?"
"Yes. They carry the gases off. Where do they lead?"
"Into giant subterranean caverns beneath the surface!" Garrett said.
"Now look over there, on the platforms across from us. Can you
recognize a Barden energy-beamer, Blade? Run by power from my little
plant here, which is run by water from a thousand lakes!
"Just imagine, if you can, hundreds of those plants all over Alpha
III. And each one with dozens of high-powered Barden beams to protect
it! And Hinton ray screens to protect us from radio-controlled rocket
shells from space, or Barden Rays, or any other weapon of offence, or
to warn if anyone lands on this planet!" Garrett leaned forward, his
eyes aglow.
"Blade, I'll take over the few governing posts on this little planet,
and I'll rule an entire world, a whole planet to myself! It'll be the
first time in history! And it won't be the last. With the Hinton secret
patents, the plans of all John Hinton's inventions and processes...."
Star twisted, and got his "ace card" out of its hiding place.
It was a jet weapon, little more than a jet-blast capsule for a
jet-gun. The sides were thicker and stronger, and there was a device
fixed on it so it could be fired. Altogether, it was somewhat smaller
than an old-style fountain pen.
He twisted up from the floor, and moved faster than he had moved ever
before. Star was famous for his speed and the quickness and alertness
of his reflexes. He earned his fame a score of times over in that one
instant.
And Devil Garrett died.
There was perhaps an eighth of a second between the staff of blue white
fire from the tiny jet in Star's hand and the huge broadsword of fire
from Garrett's gun. But in the split-second Star's fire knifed into
Garrett's vitals, and Garrett gave a convulsive jerk, and fired even as
his muscles started the jerking movement.
And the flame went over Star's head, singeing his scalp.
Of the four men with Garrett, one let go of the struggling Anne, and
swore as he snatched at an electron knife in his belt. Anne's hand
had already whipped the knife out, and without bothering to press the
electron stud, she buried the knife in his back.
Two of the remaining men whirled, and went for the door as though a
devil was after them. The other tried to get a jet-gun out. It was his
final mistake. A blue lance from Anne's knife whipped close enough to
him to make him dodge, and then Star got his hand on Garrett's jet.
The other two men had, in their flight, taken a door which led, not
into the large corridor, but into a small room at one side, a room
filled with instruments and recording devices for the machinery in the
room below. Star leaped to the side of the door, and called, "Are you
going to come out, or am I coming in to get you?"
There was a short silence, in which Anne heard one say hoarsely, "He
can't get us ... we could get him if he came in the door."
"Oh, yes?" was the answer. "Do you know who that guy is? He's the one
they call 'Death Star.' I'm not facing Starrett Blade in a gun fight.
You can do what you like, but I'm leaving." Then he lifted his voice.
"Hey, Blade! I'm coming out. Don't shoot."
* * * * *
"Okay," threw back Star and the man appeared in the doorway, empty
hands held high. After a second, the other joined him.
Anne turned to Star. "Now I know why they call you 'Death Star' Blade,"
she said, and gestured toward the men who had surrendered, and the two
whom Starrett had shot down.
He mused there for a minute. Then Anne broke the silence with, "Star,
what are we going to do now? Garrett's men will be up here in a little
while. We can't get to a sub-space beam. What are we going to do when
they come up to investigate?"
Starrett Blade laughed. "Do? Well, we could turn them over to Commander
Weddel!"
"_What?_"
Grinning broadly, Star pointed, with a flourish, at the door. Anne
spun about, and found Commander Weddel grinning in the door from the
corridor.
"Very simple," said Star across the lounge to Anne. "When I smashed
the vision set with that dinner fork, I broke a small unit which is
included in all sets. You know, a direction finder doesn't work, except
in the liner-beam principle, in space, because of the diffusing effect
of unrestricted cosmic rays."
"Yes, I knew that," said Anne. "But how--"
Starrett grinned again. "A type of beam has been found which it is
impossible for cosmics to disturb. But you can't send messages on
it, so it is made in a little unit on every set. If that unit is
broken, the set automatically releases a signal beam. This is a
distress signal, and the location of the set that sent out the signal
is recorded at the Section Headquarters. When Commander Weddel saw
me throw something at the set, and it went dead, he looked at the
automatic record, and found out that a signal had been sent in from
a location on Alpha Cen's third planet. Then he had a high-velocity
cruiser brought out and dropped in, in time to pick up some pieces." He
stopped, and idly toyed with a sheaf of papers, then held them up. "See
these papers?"
"Uh-huh. What are they, Star?"
"They are the main plans of Devil Garrett's power plant, and they're
the one good thing he's ever done. These plans are going to bring the
barren, rocky Centauri planets to life!"
He got up, and paced to the window, and stood there, looking out, and
up through the plastic port. "The planets of Centauri!" he murmured
softly. "Seven circling Alpha alone. And all seven are barren, rocky,
level except for the thousands of lakes ... lakes that are going to be
the life of Centauri!"
* * * * *
He turned back to the window. "And all because a pirate named Devil
Garrett built a vast power plant to use to garner more power!"
"You know, Anne, as a mockery, and a warning, I think I'll propose that
this planet be officially named ... 'Garrett'!"
She looked up at him, and there was laughter bright in her eyes, and
tugging at her mouth. "Yes, there ought to be a reason," she murmured.
Star wavered. She was so darn close.
After a minute, she turned her head, and looked up at him. "Star, how
soon will there be those gardens and woods you described? I mean,
how long before Garrett can be turned into that kind of world you
described?"
"Why ... under pressure, we can do it in six months. Why?"
"Not half quick enough," she murmured happily, "but it'll have to do,
Star." Laughing, she turned her face up to his. "Have you ever thought
that planet Garrett will be wonderful for a honeymoon?"