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"Illiterate comment, but evocative," said Centauri. "Foul stench, isn't it?
Dirty creatures. Primitive predators who have wrapped themselves in the
flimsiest trappings of civilization. Their real nature is much more difficult
to camouflage."
"Do they make good Starfighters?"
"Not hardly. Their moral sensibilities are far too undeveloped, and their
ability to distinguish between what is good for the individual and what is
good for the group is atrophied."
Alex hurried to change the line of questioning. Cen-tauri's description of the
morals of the monster lying dead before them sounded too much like the evening
news.
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"What's it doing here?"
"I thought that would be obvious by now. Get a good look at 'em, Alex. You can
bet your sense of peace and well-being you'll be seeing others."
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"You asked what it was doing here. I thought you'd have figured it out by now.
Apparently I was wrong.
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I tend to forget that while you are fast on the uptake with mechanical
devices, your other mental processes have not developed quite as rapidly.
"This is a Double-Z Designate, judging by his method of operation."
"Does that tell me anything?"
"It tells you that this is a recruited murderer. Usually a very efficient one.
Compliments of Xur."
"Xur! Why is he trying to kill me? How does he even know about me? If he knew
anything about me he'd know I don't want anything to do with him or his war."
"Nevertheless, this creature was sent to find and kill you. By Xur's order. No
doubt the traitor keeps tabs on such useful throwbacks. This one must have
been operating conveniently close to your system; hence his ability to locate
you so quickly." Centauri coughed into one hand.
"Evidently our flight from Rylos was picked up and plotted by Xur's Ko-Dan
allies. There aren't that many inhabited worlds in this sector. Any supralight
ship leaves a telltale track. It would appear that this thing detected ours."
Behind them, smoke still rose from the alien torso. It twitched imperceptibly.
One eye opened part way.
Armless and immobilized from the waist up, the alien searched the ground on
which it had fallen. Nearby lay the deadly pistol that had almost slain Alex.
Slowly the alien slipped one of the peculiar terran shoes off a foot, exposing
prehensile toes. The foot moved slowly, quietly, toward the weapon. Toes
gripped it firmly as the alien fought to raise the muzzle.
Ignorant of the activity behind them, Alex and Centauri continued their
conversation.
"But why is Xur after me?"
Centauri emitted a heartfelt sigh. "Because whether you believe it or not, Xur
knows that you're a threat to him."
"I can't be! I turned in my uniform. I don't want to be a Starfighter!"
"Ah, but Xur doesn't know that. He only knows and is evidently convinced that
at least one potential
Starfighter exists on this backward world. You. Merely by living you
constitute a potential threat to him.
Xur is not the kind to leave potential threats undealt with."
"But I don't want to fight him. I'll sign a treaty with him."
"Why should Xur bother with a treaty? Treaties take time and effort to put
together, and one like Xur can never feel safe with them. Much simpler just to
have you killed. I'm afraid you have no choice anymore, my boy. Xur will
consider you a Starfighter whether you choose to pilot a gunstar or an old
Ford."
A new voice joined in. "You gotta go back, Alex, if only to protect yourself,"
said the Beta Unit. "If you stay here, you're dog food."
"Trust Centauri, my boy. I assure you I had nothing to do with this. It's not
my style. Just bad luck that the Ko-Dan detected us leaving Rylos."
"How could they know there was a maybe-Starfighter on board your ship,
though?" Alex wanted to know.
Centauri shrugged. "There are many ways. It is well-known that the Rylan
defense command has been infiltrated by Xur's people. The command itself was
organized in haste. Furthermore, it's clear that we were detected not just
leaving Rylos, but leaving from the vicinity of the secret Starfighter base.
Xur may be quite mad, but he is also madly clever. He is known to leave
nothing to chance.
"If he knew your true feelings, it is true he would realize he has nothing to
fear from you. Alas, he doesn't know that. So he assumes the worst. A small
caution on his part. What is the liquidation of a single primitive in the
context of his plans to make himself Emperor of the worlds of the League? Even
if he could now be convinced of your determination to stay out of the coming
conflict, it's unlikely he'd go to the trouble of rescinding the order to have
you killed. Xur would rather have you eliminated than admit he might have made
a mistake." Centauri sighed.
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"No, no, my boy, it's too late for talk. I do feel sorry for you."
"But what can I do?"
"Trust me. You have no choice anymore except to trust me, because within hours
this place will be crawling with ZZ-Designates with one thought foremost in
their microscopic, predatory little minds Kill
Alex Rogan."
"Kill Alex Rogan," Alex mumbled. Something moved out of the corner of his eye
and he jumped, only relaxed slightly seeing that it was a gopher.
"He's right," the Beta Unit told his original. "At least you'll have a
fighting chance up there in a gunstar."
"Exactly." Visions of full payment danced again in Centauri's head. "And
meanwhile down here they'll all be running around like mad trying to get
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