Scaevola's Triumph (Gaius Claudius Scaevola trilogy Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

ship won't attack me, and will warn me if the alien gets too close. If we've been told the truth and he has no special weapons, with a gladius I'm quite able to deal with anything he's likely to come up with. If we can't trust the Tin Man then we are absolutely doomed unless we can learn enough to get out of this mess. I have no choice."
    Vipsania nodded agreement. She was hardly convinced that an expedition was a good idea, but she had to admit that someone had to leave the cage sooner or later.

Chapter 3
    Gaius stepped out of the cage, then turned left and strode purposefully onwards. He had to give the impression of confidence. The cages were now empty, the animals presumably having been sent to the zoo. Once he was sure he was well out of sight of the others, he became more tentative, but he found the door and inserted the card in the slot. The door opened. He tried level two.
    There were long corridors and any number of rooms. Some opened for him, but most did not, and those that did open contained little of interest. However, he carefully committed to memory the location of as many things as he could think of names for. Then, finding this boring, when he found another elevator he asked for the bridge. The movement seemed effortless, the door opened, and there was the Tin Man.
    "So, what do you think of level two?" the Tin Man asked.
    "You know where I went?" Gaius asked.
    "Of course. I let you see what was where, but there were some places where you could have damaged either yourself or the ship, and . . ."
    "You don't trust me?"
    "It's not a question of trust at this stage," the Tin Man said. "You will not understand what you are doing, and that is dangerous."
    "I understand," Gaius nodded.
    "Whether you do remains to be seen," the Tin Man said. "In the meantime, tell me about your theories, and the objects you have in your bag."
    So Gaius explained about the theory of Aristarchus, and how he had been convinced, of how he had lost the argument on the ground that orbiting objects should disintegrate, and how he had refuted that by dropping stones off the bridge. Then he told him about his idea for a machine that was powered by steam, of the problems he had faced. The contents of the bag were, at this moment, the records of his thoughts on sheets of papyrus, and bits and pieces for the engine.
    "And that's all?" the Tin Man asked.
    Gaius had already decided there was little point in lying. If the Tin Man knew where the captain of the ship was, he would know about the weapon. He may even gain some credit by openly telling the truth. "If you're asking about the unaccounted for weapon, Timothy should have that in his hand," he said. "I'm concerned about our previous captor, and I'm unconvinced you can stop him."
    "And why are you unconvinced?"
    "Because you are leaving him wander around," Gaius said flatly. "I'm only guessing, but I think you were made, and your maker has left you incapable of hurting other . . . whatever. That would be sensible, but it stops you from capturing him. If you cannot capture him, you cannot stop him from hurting my people, and . . ."
    "That is a fair analysis of the problem," the Tin Man said. "Let me tell you this. Your analysis on your solar system was correct. Planets go around their star, moons go around their planets . . ."
    "Moons?" Gaius could not help asking.
    "Oh yes," the Tin Man offered. "Some planets have many moons. In fact we are coming up to one now. Here, I shall produce a seat for you."
    Gaius turned to look behind him. There was a seat. What was puzzling was it had not been there before.
    "Sit down," the Tin Man said. "It won't hurt you."
    Gaius stared suspiciously at it, but then decided that if the Tin Man did want to hurt him, there were easier ways to do so. He sat, and was surprised to find how absolutely comfortable the seat was.
    "Now, relax," the Tin Man said, "and do not feel frightened."
    "And what have I got to be frightened about?" Gaius asked. He tried to appear