The Dueling Machine Read online

with the duelingmachine?"

  * * * * *

  Massan explained patiently, "The Acquataine Cluster has never become afull-fledged member of the Terran Commonwealth. Our neighboringterritories are likewise unaffiliated. Therefore the Star Watch canintervene only if all parties concerned agree to intervention. Unless,of course, there is an actual military emergency. The Kerak Worlds, ofcourse, are completely isolationist--unbound by any laws except thoseof force."

  Leoh shook his head.

  "As for the dueling machine," Massan went on, "Kanus of Kerak hasturned it into a political weapon--"

  "But that's impossible. Your government passed strict laws concerningthe use of the machine; I recommended them and I was in your Councilchambers when the laws were passed. The machine may be used only forpersonal grievances. It is strictly outside the realm of politics."

  Massan shook his head sadly. "Sir, laws are one thing--people areanother. And politics consists of people, not words on paper."

  "I don't understand," Leoh said.

  Massan explained, "A little more than one Terran year ago, Kanuspicked a quarrel with a neighboring star-group--the Safad Federation.He wanted an especially favorable trade agreement with them. Theirminister of trade objected most strenuously. One of the Keraknegotiators--a certain Major Odal--got into a personal argument withthe minister. Before anyone knew what had happened, they hadchallenged each other to a duel. Odal won the duel, and the ministerresigned his post. He said that he could no longer effectively fightagainst the will of Odal and his group ... he was psychologicallyincapable of it. Two weeks later he was dead--apparently a suicide,although I have doubts."

  "That's ... extremely interesting," Leoh said.

  "Three days ago," Massan continued, "the same Major Odal engaged PrimeMinister Dulaq in a bitter personal argument. Odal is now a militaryattache of the Kerak Embassy here. He accused the Prime Minister ofcowardice, before a large group of an Embassy party. The PrimeMinister had no alternative but to challenge him. And now--"

  "And now Dulaq is in a state of shock, and your government istottering."

  Massan's back stiffened. "Our Government shall not fall, nor shall theAcquataine Cluster acquiesce to the rearmament of the Kerak Worlds.But"--his voice lowered--"without Dulaq, I fear that our neighboringgovernments will give in to Kanus' demands and allow him to rearm.Alone, we are powerless to stop him."

  "Rearmament itself might not be so bad," Leoh mused, "if you can keepthe Kerak Worlds from using their weapons. Perhaps the Star Watchmight--"

  "Kanus could strike a blow and conquer a star system before the StarWatch could be summoned and arrive to stop him. Once Kerak is armed,this entire area of the galaxy is in peril. In fact, the entire galaxyis endangered."

  "And he's using the dueling machine to further his ambitions," Leohsaid. "Well, gentlemen, it seems I have no alternative but to travelto the Acquataine Cluster. The dueling machine is my responsibility,and if there is something wrong with it, or the use of it, I will domy best to correct the situation."

  "That is all we ask," Massan said. "Thank you."

  The Acquatainian scene faded away, and the three men in the universitypresident's office found themselves looking at a solid wall onceagain.

  "Well," Dr. Leoh said, turning to the president, "it seems that I mustrequest an indefinite leave of absence."

  The president frowned. "And it seems that I must grant yourrequest--even though the year is only half-finished."

  "I regret the necessity," Leoh said; then, with a broad grin, headded, "My assistant professor, here, can handle my courses for theremainder of the year very easily. Perhaps he will even be able todeliver his lectures without being interrupted."

  The assistant professor turned red.

  "Now then," Leoh muttered, mostly to himself, "who is this Kanus, andwhy is he trying to turn the Kerak Worlds into an arsenal?"

  III

  Chancellor Kanus, the supreme leader of the Kerak Worlds, stood at theedge of the balcony and looked across the wild, tumbling gorge to therugged mountains beyond.

  "These are the forces that mold men's actions," he said to his smallaudience of officials and advisors, "the howling winds, the mightymountains, the open sky and the dark powers of the clouds."

  The men nodded and made murmurs of agreement.

  "Just as the mountains thrust up from the pettiness of the landsbelow, so shall we rise above the common walk of men," Kanus said."Just as a thunderstorm terrifies them, we will make them bend to ourwill!"

  "We will destroy the past," said one of the ministers.

  "And avenge the memory of defeat," Kanus added. He turned and lookedat the little group of men. Kanus was the smallest man on the balcony:short, spare, sallow-faced; but he possessed piercing dark eyes and astrong voice that commanded attention.

  He walked through the knot of men and stopped before a tall, lean,blond youth in light-blue military uniform. "And you, Major Odal, willbe a primary instrument in the first steps of conquest."

  Odal bowed stiffly. "I only hope to serve my leader and my worlds."

  "You shall. And you already have," Kanus said, beaming. "Already theAcquatainians are thrashing about like a snake whose head has been cutoff. Without Dulaq, they have no head, no brain to direct them. Foryour part in this triumph"--Kanus snapped his fingers, and one of hisadvisors quickly stepped to his side and handed him a small ebonybox--"I present you with this token of the esteem of the Kerak Worlds,and of my personal high regard."

  He handed the box to Odal, who opened it and took out a small jeweledpin.

  "The Star of Kerak," Kanus announced. "This is the first time it hasbeen awarded to anyone except a warrior on the battlefield. But then,we have turned their so-called civilized machine into our ownbattlefield, eh?"

  Odal grinned. "Yes, sir, we have. Thank you very much sir. This is thesupreme moment of my life."

  "To date, major. Only to date. There will be other moments, evenhigher ones. Come, let's go inside. We have many plans to discuss ...more duels ... more triumphs."

  They all filed in to Kanus' huge, elaborate office. The leader walkedacross the plushly ornate room and sat at the elevated desk, while hisfollowers arranged themselves in the chairs and couches placed aboutthe floor. Odal remained standing, near the doorway.

  Kanus let his fingers flick across a small control board set into hisdesktop, and a tri-dimensional star map glowed into existence on thefar wall. As its center were the eleven stars that harbored the KerakWorlds. Around them stood neighboring stars, color-coded to show theirpolitical groupings. Off to one side of the map was the AcquataineCluster, a rich mass of stars--wealthy, powerful, the most importantpolitical and economic power in the section of the galaxy. Untilyesterday's duel.

  Kanus began one of his inevitable harangues. Objectives, political andmilitary. Already the Kerak Worlds were unified under his dominantwill. The people would follow wherever he led. Already the politicalalliances built up by the Acquatainian diplomacy since the last warwere tottering, now that Dulaq was out of the picture. Now was thetime to strike. A political blow _here_, at the Szarno Confederacy, tobring them and their armaments industries into line with Kerak. Thenmore political strikes to isolate the Acquataine Cluster from itsallies, and to build up the subservient states for Kerak. Then,finally, the military blow--against the Acquatainians.

  "A sudden strike, a quick, decisive series of blows, and theAcquatainians will collapse like a house of paper. Before the StarWatch can interfere, we will be masters of the Cluster. Then, with theresources of Acquatainia to draw on, we can challenge any force in thegalaxy--even the Terran Commonwealth itself!"

  The men in the room nodded their assent.

  _They've heard this story many, many times_, Odal thought to himself.This was the first time he had been privileged to listen to it. If youclosed your eyes, or looked only at the star map, the plan soundedbizarre, extreme, even impossible. But, if you watched Kanus, and letthose piercing, al
most hypnotic eyes fasten on yours, then theleader's wildest dreams sounded not only exciting, but inevitable.

  Odal leaned a shoulder against the paneled wall and scanned the othermen in the room.

  There was fat Greber, the vice chancellor, fighting desperately tostay awake after drinking too much wine during the luncheon andafterward. And Modal, sitting on the couch next to him, wasbright-eyed and alert, thinking only of how much money and power wouldcome to him as Chief of Industries once the rearmament program beganin earnest.

  Sitting alone on another couch was Kor, the quiet one, the head ofIntelligence, and--technically--Odal's superior. Silent Kor, whose fewwords were usually charged with