"Perhaps we could do a long-range study..."
"They could be dead by then. I formally move, in my capacity asTreasurer, that we awaken the full membership and put the matter to a vote."
"I don't hear any second to your motion."
"Selda?" he said.
She looked away.
"Tarebell? Clond? Bondici?"
There was silence in the cavern that was high and wide about him.
"All right. I can see when I'm beaten. We will be our own serpents whenwe come into our Eden. I'm going now, back to Deadland, to finish my tour ofduty."
"You don't have to. In fact, it might be better if you sleep the wholething out..."
"No. If it's going to be this way, the guilt will be mine also. I wantto watch, to share it fully."
"So be it," said Turl.
Two weeks later, when Installation Nineteen tried to raise the DeadlandStation on the radio, there was no response.
After a time, a flier was dispatched.
The Deadland Station was a shapeless lump of melted metal.
Jarry Dark was nowhere to be found.
Later than afternoon, Installation Eight went dead.
A flier was immediately dispatched.
Installation Eight no longer existed. Its attendants were found severalmiles away, walking. They told how Jarry Dark had forced them from thestation at gunpoint. Then he had burnt it to the ground, with thefire-cannons mounted upon his flier.
At about the time they were telling this story, Installation Six becamesilent.
The order went out: MAINTAIN CONTINUOUS RADIO CONTACT WITH TWO OTHERSTATIOINS AT ALL TIMES.
The other order went out: GO ARMED AT ALL TIMES. TAKE ANY VISITORPRISONER.