Chapter 11

The tech-man  was short,  and his skin glistened  with well-kept plumpness.
His hair was a  fringe and his skull shone through pinkly. The rings on hisfingers  were thick  and heavy, his  clothes were  scented, and he  was thefirst  man  Mallow  had  met  on  the  planet  who  hadn't  looked  hungry.
The tech-man's lips pursed  peevishly, "Now, my man, quickly. I have thingsof  great importance  waiting for me.  You seem  a stranger? He  seemed toevaluate  Mallow's definitely  un-Siwennese  costume and  his eyelids  wereheavy with suspicion.
"I am  not of  the neighborhood," said  Mallow, calmly, "but  the matter isirrelevant.  I have  had the honor  to send  you a little  gift yesterday?
The tech-man's  nose lifted, "I  received it. An interesting  gewgaw. I mayhave use for it on occasion.""I have  other and more interesting gifts. Quite  out of the gewgaw stage.""Oh-h?" The  tech-man's voice lingered thoughtfully  over the monosyllable.
"I think I already see the course of the interview; it has happened before.
You are  going to  give me some trifle  or other. A few  credits, perhaps acloak, second-rate jewelry; anything  your little soul may think sufficientto corrupt a tech-man." His lower lip puffed out belligerently, "And I knowwhat you  wish in  exchange. There have  been others and to  spare with thesame bright  idea. You  wish to be  adopted into our  clan. You  wish to betaught the  mysteries of nucleics and  the care of the  machines. You thinkbecause you dogs of Siwenna ?and probably your strangerhood is assumed forsafety's sake  ?are being daily  punished for your rebellion  that you canescape  what you  deserve by  throwing over  yourselves the  privileges andprotections of the tech-man's guild."Mallow would  have spoken,  but the tech-man  raised himself into  a suddenroar.  "And now leave  before I report  your name  to the Protector  of theCity. Do  you think that I  would betray the trust?  The Siwennese traitorsthat preceded me would  have ?perhaps! But you deal with a different breednow. Why,  Galaxy, I  marvel that I do  not kill you myself  at this momentwith my bare hands."Mallow smiled to himself. The entire speech was patently artificial in toneand  content,  so  that  all  the dignified  indignation  degenerated  intouninspired farce.
The trader  glanced humorously at the two flabby  hands that had been namedas his  possible executioners then  and there, and said,  "Your Wisdom, youare wrong  on three counts. First, I am not a  creature of the viceroy cometo test  your loyalty. Second, my gift is  something the Emperor himself inall his  splendor does  not and will  never possess. Third, what  I wish inreturn is very little; a nothing; a mere breath.""So you say!" He descended into heavy sarcasm. "Come, what is this imperialdonation that  your godlike power  wishes to bestow upon  me? Something theEmperor  doesn't have,  eh?"  He broke  into  a sharp  squawk of  derision.
Mallow rose  and pushed the chair  aside, "I have waited  three days to seeyou, Your Wisdom, but the display will take only three seconds. If you willjust  draw   that  blaster  whose   butt  I  see  very   near  your  hand?
"Eh?""And shoot me, I will be obliged.""What?""If  I  am killed,  you can  tell  the police  I  tried to  bribe you  intobetraying guild  secrets. You'll receive  high praise. If I  am not killed,you may have my shield."For  the  first  time,   the  tech-man  became  aware  of  the  dimly-whiteillumination that hovered closely  about his visitor, as though he had beendipped  in  pearl-dust. His  blaster  raised  to the  level  and with  eyesa-squint in wonder and suspicion, he closed contact.
The molecules of air  caught in the sudden surge of atomic disruption, toreinto  glowing, burning  ions, and  marked out  the blinding thin  line thatstruck at Mallow's heart ?and splashed!
While Mallow's look of patience never changed, the nuclear forces that toreat him  consumed themselves against that  fragile, pearly illumination, andcrashed back to die in mid-air.
The  tech-man's  blaster dropped  to  the  floor with  an unnoticed  crash.
Mallow said,  "Does the Emperor have a personal  force-shield? You can haveone."The tech-man stuttered, "Are you a tech-man?""No.""Then ?then where did you get that?""What do  you care?"  Mallow was coolly  contemptuous. "Do you  want it?" Athin, knobbed chain fell upon the desk, "There it is."The tech-man snatched it  up and fingered it nervously, "Is this complete?""Complete.""Where's the power?"Mallow's  finger fell  upon  the largest  knob,  dull in  its leaden  case.
The tech-man looked up, and his face was congested with blood, "Sir, I am atech-man, senior  grade. I have twenty years behind  me as supervisor and Istudied under the great  Bier at the University of Trantor. If you have theinfernal charlatanry to tell me that a small container the size of a ?of awalnut,  blast it,  holds  a nuclear  generator, I'll  have you  before theProtector in three seconds.""Explain   it  yourself   then,  if   you  can.   I  say   it's  complete."The tech-man's  flush faded slowly as  he bound the chain  about his waist,and,  following  Mallow's  gesture,  pushed  the knob.  The  radiance  thatsurrounded him  shone into dim relief.  His blaster lifted, then hesitated.
Slowly, he adjusted it to an almost burnless minimum.
And  then, convulsively,  he  closed circuit  and the  nuclear  fire dashedagainst his hand, harmlessly.
.He  whirled,  "And  what  if  I  shoot  you  now, and  keep  the  shield.""Try!" said Mallow. "Do you think I gave you my only sample?" And he, too,was solidly incased in light.
The tech-man giggled nervously. The blaster clattered onto the desk. Hesaid, "And what is this mere nothing, this breath, that you wish inreturn'?""I want to see your generators.""You realize that that is forbidden. It would mean ejection into space forboth of us?
"I don't want to touch them or have anything to do with them. I want to seethem ?from a distance.""If not?""If not, you have your shield, but I have other things. For one thing, ablaster especially designed to pierce that shield.""Hm-mmm." The tech-man's eyes shifted. "Come with me."