The Venging Read Online Free PDF

to cool and achieve some sort of stability. Turco may not have been raving, but she was coldly suggesting a cataclysm to swat what amounted to a historical fly. That made her a lunatic in anyone's book, Geshel or Naderite. And his life was well worth the effort to thwart her. That didn't stop him from being angry, though. Kollert impatiently let the physician check him over and administer a few injections. He talked to his wife briefly, which left him more nervous than before, then listened to the team leader's theories on how Turco's behavior would change in the next few hours. He nodded at only one statement: "She's going to see she'll be dead, too, and that's a major shock for even the most dedicated terrorist." Then Turco was back on the air, and he was on stage again. "I've seen your ship," she said. "I went outside and looked around in the direction where I thought it would be. There it wastreachery all around. Goddamned hypocrites! Talk friendly to the little girl, but shiv her in the back! Public face cool, private face snarl! Well, just remember, before he can kill me, I can destroy all controls to the positioning engines. It would take a week to rewire them. You don't have the time!" The beep followed. "Giani, we have only one option left, and that's to do as you say. We'll admit we played a part in the sabotage of Psyche. It's confession under pressure, but we'll do it." Kollert pressed his button and waited, holding his full chin with one hand. "No way it's so simple, Kollert. No public admission and then public denial after the danger is overyou'd all come across as heroes. No. There has to be some records-keeping, payrolls if nothing else. I want full disclosure of all records, and I want them transmitted around the worldfacsimile, authenticated. I want uninvolved government officials to see them and sign that they've seen them. And I want the actual documents put on display where anyone can look at themmemos, plans, letters, (18 of 197) The Venging whatever. All of it that's still available." "That would take weeks," Kollert said, "if they existed." "Not in this age of electronic wizardry. I want you to take a lie-detector test, authenticated by half a dozen
    experts with their careers on the lineand while you're at it, have the other officials take tests, too." "That's not only impractical, it won't hold up in a court of law." "I'm not interested in formal courts. I'm not a vengeful person, no matter what I may seem now. I just
    want the truth. And if I still see that goddamn ship up there in an hour, I'm going to stop negotiations right now and blow myself to pieces." Kollert looked at the team leader, but the man's face was blank. "Let me talk to her, then," Porter suggested. "Direct person-to-person. Let me explain the plans. She really can't change them any, can she? She has no way of making them worse. If she fires her engines or does any positive action, she simply stops the threat. So I'm the one who holds the key to the situation."
    "We're not sure that's advisable, Bill," Lunar Guidance said. "I can transmit to her without permission, you know," he said testily. "Against direct orders, that's not like you." "Like me, hell," he said, chuckling. "Listen, just get me permission. Nobody else seems to be doing
    anything effective." There was a few minutes' silence, then Lunar Guidance returned.
    "Okay, Bill. You have permission. But be very careful what you say. Terrorist team officers on Earth think she's close to the pit." With that obstacle cleared away, he wondered how wise the idea was in the first place. Still, they were
    both Geshelsthey had something in common compared to the elite Naderites running things on Earth.
    Far away, Earth concurred and transmissions were cleared. They couldn't censor his direct signal, so Baja Station was unwillingly cut from the circuit. "Who's talking to me now?" Turco asked when the link was made. "This is Lieutenant William Porter, from the Moon. I'm a pilotnot a