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the Golden Knight, shall slay yon dragon and lay its carcass at your feet!"
Azongo leaned forward and spoke to Durki. "Is your master well enough to tell us
a story?"
Durki sighed. "This is no story to Pulsit's troubled mind, but reality. He sees
the dragon " He nodded toward Raster. "And the maiden."
Azongo shook his head. "With the morning's light, then, we shall set off to find
this strange doctor."
THE QUEST * * »
Two days ride from Mbwebwe, deep in the Donn:ker Basin, stood a compound
surrounded by tall, vine-hung, saptrees. Surrounding the compound were tall
metal fences, the enclosed area being divided again and again into smaller areas
containing representatives of Momus's peculiar life forms. In its center stood a
blue metal building from which curious apparatus bristled, giving the structure
the appearance of a bowl-cut porcupine. Inside, Doctor Shart clasped his seven-
fingered hands together and groveled before an image on his laboratory's
telescreen.
"All I need is a little more time, Ambassador Inak. If I can have just a little
more time "
"Enough!" The image scowled, then pointed a couple of fingers at Shart. "I don't
know what halfwit approved the funding for your project, Shart, but when the
Council of Warlords receives my report, someone is in for a roasting!"
Shart wrung his hands together. "Inak, the experiments are very complicated, and
I am the only one at the station. If you could see your way clear to approving
my request for an assistant "
The image raised its thin yellow brows. "You astound me! You expect the Tenth
Quadrant to expend more monies in support of your demented theories? Fantasy.
Utter and complete fantasy!"
"Inak, just think of the benefits to the government if I am successful. Think of
being able to control the entire animal population of a planet. Think of it
being able to spread diseases at will using specially adapted carriers "
"Think of it?" Inak's brows, dropped into a frown. "That's all we can do, Shart,
is think about it. We certainly haven't seen any results."
Shart smiled and held his hands out at his sides. "If the Ambassador will
remember, the Warlords looked favorably upon my project. It would place a great
weapon in their hands, and "
"Only if you begin getting results, Shart. No more of this when will you have
something positive that I can report?"
Shart shrugged. "Perhaps... thirty days. My experiment on the virus is almost
completed. After that, its just a matter
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of tuning and adjusting the control banks."
Ambassador Inak rubbed his pointed chin, then nodded toward Shart. "Perhaps,
then, we will be able to send a very glowing report to the Warlords. Yes, that
will be just about right."
"If I might inquire, Inak. right for what?" "The commission from the United
Quadrants will be here soon, and then there will be a long period of
investigation and negotiation. Allenby, the puppet of the Ninth Quadrant,
refuses to consider our proposal..." Inak leaned forward. "But, if I can show
the Great Statesman of Momus that not accepting our proposal would bring
disaster to his people... Do you get my meaning?" "I will do my best, Inak "
"No, Shart! You will succeed!" The image faded and the screen went blank.
Shart placed the thumb of his right hand against the tip of his nose and wiggled
the remaining six fingers in the direction of the screen. "Yaaaaaaaah!" He
dropped his hand and half turned away when the automatic sensor alarm began to
buzz. "What now?" He sighed, then switched the function selector on the screen
control. Four figures, riding in one of the clumsy Moman lizard carts, were
approaching the station. "Not another patient." Shart shook his head, then
remembered toying with the idea of training a Moman to handle the multitude of
simple tasks around the laboratory that ate up his time. Now that Inak had
turned down his latest request for an assistant, and had stepped up the
timetable, what choice had he?
Shart deenergized his screen, then turned and entered a corridor leading to the
side of the compound facing the road. At the end of the corridor, he opened the
door and stepped outside. Immediately, his sense of hearing was assaulted by
screams and growls. He narrowed his eyes and examined the travelers. In the rear
of the cart, one of the local wild men, a large man in yellow-and-green stripes
and a short, fat man in purple, screamed and growled at each other. Off to one
side, a quiet old man, also in purple, seemed to be nodding off. Shart rubbed
his hands together. "Excellent!"
The cart pulled to a stop in front of the doctor, and the huge lizard that
provided the vehicle's motive power sat
down and held out fts right front foot, palm up. "Anow here. Pay up."
The wild man jumped from the cart, then caught a sack thrown to him by the large
man in green and yellow. The sack was handed to the lizard, and Shart watched as
the lizard reached into the sack and began stuffing fat cobit roots into its
mouth. The wild man kicked the lizard. "Look, you wait. Understand?"
The lizard nodded without looking up from the sack. '"Stand."
The wild man walked around the lizard and came to a stop in front of the
Vorilian., "Doctor? I understand that you will treat patients for a fee."
Shart looked from the wild man to the pair screaming and growling in the cart,
then back to the wild man. "What seems to be their trouble?"
The wild man looked confused, then he laughed. "There is nothing wrong with
them, doctor. They practice their acts. Your patient is the old one. His name is
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