The Misplaced Battleship | Page 5

The luggage was all booby-trapped and could defend itself. Guns,
gas, poison needles, the usual sort of thing. In the last resort it would
blow itself up. The M-3 went down by a freight elevator. I used a back

stairs and we met in the street.
Since it was still daylight I didn't take a heli, but rented a groundcar
instead. We had a leisurely drive out into the country and reached
President Ferraro's house after dark.
As befitted the top official of a rich planet, the place was a mansion.
But the security precautions were ludicrous to say the least. I took
myself and a three hundred fifty kilo robot through the guards and
alarms without causing the slightest stir. President Ferraro, a bachelor,
was eating his dinner. This gave me enough undisturbed time to search
his study.
There was absolutely nothing. Nothing to do with wars or battleships
that is. If I had been interested in blackmail I had enough evidence in
my hand to support me for life. I was looking for something bigger than
political corruption, however.
When Ferraro rolled into his study after dinner the room was dark. I
heard him murmur something about the servants and fumble for the
switch. Before he found it, the robot closed the door and turned on the
lights. I sat behind his desk, all his personal papers before
me--weighted down with a pistol--and as fierce a scowl as I could raise
smeared across my face. Before he got over the shock I snapped an
order at him.
"Come over here and sit down, quick!"
The robot hustled him across the room at the same time, so he had no
choice except to obey. When he saw the papers on the desk his eyes
bulged and he just gurgled a little. Before he could recover I threw a
thick folder in front of him.
"I am Admiral Thar, League Grand Fleet. These are my credentials.
You had better check them." Since they were as good as any real
admiral's I didn't worry in the slightest. Ferraro went through them as
carefully as he could in his rattled state, even checking the seals under
UV. It gave him time to regain a bit of control and he used it to bluster.

"What do you mean by entering my private quarters and burglaring--"
"You're in very bad trouble," I said in as gloomy a voice as I could
muster.
Ferraro's tanned face went a dirty gray at my words. I pressed the
advantage.
"I am arresting you for conspiracy, extortion, theft, and whatever other
charges develop after a careful review of these documents. Seize him."
This last order was directed at the robot who was well briefed in its role.
It rumbled forward and locked its hand around Ferraro's wrist, handcuff
style. He barely noticed.
"I can explain," he said desperately. "Everything can be explained.
There is no need to make such charges. I don't know what papers you
have there, so I wouldn't attempt to say they are all forgeries. I have
many enemies you know. If the League knew the difficulties faced on a
backward planet like this...."
"That will be entirely enough," I snapped, cutting him off with a wave
of my hand. "All those questions will be answered by a court at the
proper time. There is only one question I want an answer to now. Why
are you building that battleship?"
* * * * *
The man was a great actor. His eyes opened wide, his jaw dropped, he
sank back into the chair as if he had been tapped lightly with a hammer.
When he managed to speak the words were completely unnecessary; he
had already registered every evidence of injured innocence.
"What battleship!" he gasped.
"The Warlord class battleship that is being built at the Cenerentola
Spaceyards. Disguised behind these blueprints." I threw them across
the desk to him, and pointed to one corner. "Those are your initials
there, authorizing construction."

Ferraro still had the baffled act going as he fumbled with the papers,
examined the initials and such. I gave him plenty of time. He finally
put them down, shaking his head.
"I know nothing about any battleship. These are the plans for a new
cargo liner. Those are my initials, I recall putting them there."
I phrased my question carefully, as I had him right where I wanted him
now. "You deny any knowledge of the Warlord battleship that is being
built from these modified plans."
"These are the plans for an ordinary passenger-freighter, that is all I
know."
His words had the simple innocence of a young child's. Was he ever
caught. I sat back with a relaxed sigh and lit a cigar.
"Wouldn't you be interested in knowing something about that robot