haunt us. But I think, in the course of what look like ordinary psych tests, I think we can probe attitudes and find out who can be trusted with the truth. Those are the ones we’ll hire.’
‘First catch your rabbit,’ Vadász said. ‘I mean find a psychologist who can be trusted!’
‘Uh-huh. I’ll get Wingate, my father-in-law, to co-opt one. He’s a shrewd old rascal with tentacles everywhere, and if you think you and I are staticked about Alerion, you should listen to him for a while.’ Heim squinted at the model of
Star Fox
, shining across the room. ‘I don’t believe ordinary crewmen will be too hard to find. When the Navy appropriation was cut, three years ago, a good many fellows found themselves thumb-twiddling on planet duty and resigned in disgust. We can locate those who came to Earth. But we may have trouble about a captain and a chief engineer. People with such qualifications don’t drift free.’
‘Captain? What do you mean, Gunnar? You’ll be captain.’
‘No.’ Heim’s head wove heavily back and forth. A good deal of his bounce left him. ‘I’m afraid not. I want to – God, how I want to! – but, well, I’ve got to be sensible. Spaceships aren’t cheap. Neither are supplies, and especially not weapons. My estimates tell me I’ll have to liquidate all my available assets and probably hock everything else, to get that warship. Without me to tend the store, under those conditions, Heimdal might well fail. Lord knows there are enough competitors who’ll do everything they can to make it fail. And Heimdal, well, that’s something Connie and I built – her father staked us, but she worked the office end herself while I bossed the shop, those first few tough years. Heimdal’s the only thing I’ve got to leave my daughter.’
‘I see.’ Vadász spoke with compassion. ‘Also, she has no mother. You should not risk she lose her father too.’
Heim nodded.
‘You will forgive me, though, if I go?’ Vadász said.
‘Oh,
ja, ja
, Endre, I’d be a swine to hold you back. You’ll even have officer rank: chief steward, which means mainly that you oversee the cooking. And you’ll bring me back some songs, won’t you?’
Vadász could not speak. He looked at his friend, chained topossessions and power, and there ran through his head.
Now the moral of the story is riches are no joke-iung.
Glory, hallelujah, hi-ro-de-rung!
We’ll all go to Heaven, for we all are stony
broke-iung.
Glory, hallelujah, hi-ro-de-rung!
But the rhythm got into his blood, and he realized what Heim had done and what it meant, leaped to his feet, and capered around the study shouting his victorious music aloud till the walls echoed.
‘
Hi-ro-de-rung! Hi-ro-de-rung!
Skinna-ma-rinky doodle doo, skinna-ma-rinky
doodle doo,
Glory, hallelujah, hi-ro-de-rung!
’
CHAPTER SIX
F ROM WORLDWEEK:
31 October
Gunnar Heim, principal owner of the American firm Heimdal Motors, has purchased the starship
Pass of Balmaha
from British Minerals, Ltd. The transaction astonished shipping circles by its speed. Heim made a cash offer that was too good to turn down, but insisted on immediate occupancy.
He has announced that he plans to send an expedition in search of new worlds to colonize. ‘We seem to have lost out in the Phoenix,’ he told 3V interviewer John Phillips. ‘Frankly, I am shocked and disgusted that no action has been taken in response to Alerion’s attack on New Europe. But I can’t do much about it except try to find us some new place – which I hope we’ll have the nerve to defend.’
As large and powerful as a naval cruiser, Glasgow-built
Pass of Balmaha
was originally intended to prospect for ores. But no deposits were found sufficiently rich to pay the cost of interstellar shipment when the Solar System still has workable mines. The ship has therefore been in Earth orbit for the pastfour years. Sir Henry Sherwin, chairman of the board of British Minerals, told Phillips, We’re overjoyed to
‘First catch your rabbit,’ Vadász said. ‘I mean find a psychologist who can be trusted!’
‘Uh-huh. I’ll get Wingate, my father-in-law, to co-opt one. He’s a shrewd old rascal with tentacles everywhere, and if you think you and I are staticked about Alerion, you should listen to him for a while.’ Heim squinted at the model of
Star Fox
, shining across the room. ‘I don’t believe ordinary crewmen will be too hard to find. When the Navy appropriation was cut, three years ago, a good many fellows found themselves thumb-twiddling on planet duty and resigned in disgust. We can locate those who came to Earth. But we may have trouble about a captain and a chief engineer. People with such qualifications don’t drift free.’
‘Captain? What do you mean, Gunnar? You’ll be captain.’
‘No.’ Heim’s head wove heavily back and forth. A good deal of his bounce left him. ‘I’m afraid not. I want to – God, how I want to! – but, well, I’ve got to be sensible. Spaceships aren’t cheap. Neither are supplies, and especially not weapons. My estimates tell me I’ll have to liquidate all my available assets and probably hock everything else, to get that warship. Without me to tend the store, under those conditions, Heimdal might well fail. Lord knows there are enough competitors who’ll do everything they can to make it fail. And Heimdal, well, that’s something Connie and I built – her father staked us, but she worked the office end herself while I bossed the shop, those first few tough years. Heimdal’s the only thing I’ve got to leave my daughter.’
‘I see.’ Vadász spoke with compassion. ‘Also, she has no mother. You should not risk she lose her father too.’
Heim nodded.
‘You will forgive me, though, if I go?’ Vadász said.
‘Oh,
ja, ja
, Endre, I’d be a swine to hold you back. You’ll even have officer rank: chief steward, which means mainly that you oversee the cooking. And you’ll bring me back some songs, won’t you?’
Vadász could not speak. He looked at his friend, chained topossessions and power, and there ran through his head.
Now the moral of the story is riches are no joke-iung.
Glory, hallelujah, hi-ro-de-rung!
We’ll all go to Heaven, for we all are stony
broke-iung.
Glory, hallelujah, hi-ro-de-rung!
But the rhythm got into his blood, and he realized what Heim had done and what it meant, leaped to his feet, and capered around the study shouting his victorious music aloud till the walls echoed.
‘
Hi-ro-de-rung! Hi-ro-de-rung!
Skinna-ma-rinky doodle doo, skinna-ma-rinky
doodle doo,
Glory, hallelujah, hi-ro-de-rung!
’
CHAPTER SIX
F ROM WORLDWEEK:
31 October
Gunnar Heim, principal owner of the American firm Heimdal Motors, has purchased the starship
Pass of Balmaha
from British Minerals, Ltd. The transaction astonished shipping circles by its speed. Heim made a cash offer that was too good to turn down, but insisted on immediate occupancy.
He has announced that he plans to send an expedition in search of new worlds to colonize. ‘We seem to have lost out in the Phoenix,’ he told 3V interviewer John Phillips. ‘Frankly, I am shocked and disgusted that no action has been taken in response to Alerion’s attack on New Europe. But I can’t do much about it except try to find us some new place – which I hope we’ll have the nerve to defend.’
As large and powerful as a naval cruiser, Glasgow-built
Pass of Balmaha
was originally intended to prospect for ores. But no deposits were found sufficiently rich to pay the cost of interstellar shipment when the Solar System still has workable mines. The ship has therefore been in Earth orbit for the pastfour years. Sir Henry Sherwin, chairman of the board of British Minerals, told Phillips, We’re overjoyed to
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