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"Pardon me if I now bid you good-bye," he said to the Rak. "The parting is caused by our desire to continue our journey. If you die, do not blame me, for I was obliged to shoot you as a matter of self-protection." "I shall not die," answered the monster, "for I bear a charmed life. But I beg you not to leave me!" "Why not?" asked Files.
There were several bullets in the gun, all gathered from an excellent bullet-tree in Oogaboo, and they were big and hard. They flew toward the monster and struck it, and with a wild, weird cry the Rak came fluttering down and its huge body fell plump upon the forms of the sixteen officers, who thereupon screamed louder than before. "Badness me!" moaned the Rak.
"See what you've done with that dangerous gun of yours!" "I can't see," replied Files, "for the cloud formed by your breath darkens my sight!" "Don't tell me it was an accident," continued the Rak, reproachfully, as it still flapped its wings in a helpless manner. "Don't claim you didn't know the gun was loaded, I beg of you!" "I don't intend to," replied Files.
"Unfortunately it's nothing I can discuss over a communicator. Would it be possible for you to come over and meet with us during the day?" "That," Trigger stated, "was a ridiculous question, Rak! Want me over right now?" He grinned. "Thanks, Miss Farn! In twenty minutes then? I'll get my advisory committee together and we can meet in the little conference room off the Exhibition Hall."
Trigger nodded. "I'll be wandering around the Hall. Just send a guard out to get me when you're ready." She switched off the ComWeb and stood up. Rak and his group were stuck with the Plasmoid Project a lot more solidly than she was. They'd been established here, confined to their own wing of the Project area, when she came in from Manon with the Commissioner.
"Now, 113," she hurried on, "is a very small plasmoid" she held her hands fifteen inches or so apart "like that; and it's attached to the big one. Correct?" Rak nodded, a little stiffly. "Essentially correct, Miss Farn." "Well," Trigger said, "I can't blame you for worrying a bit. How about your Guard Captain? Isn't it all right to ask him about reinforcements?" Rak pursed his lips. "Yes.
Are you aware that six of the plasmoids which were distributed to responsible laboratories throughout the Hub have been lost to unknown raiders?" She was startled. "No, I didn't know that. I heard there'd been some unsuccessful attempts to steal distributed plasmoids." "These six attempts," Rak said primly, "were completely successful.
It is bigger than a hundred men and feeds on any living thing." The officers now began to groan and to tremble, but Files tried to cheer them, saying: "It may not be a Rak, after all, that we see approaching us, and you must not forget that we people of Oogaboo, which is part of the fairyland of Oz, cannot be killed."
"We are wiser than he, however," muttered General Clock, "for by running away we are now able to assist Your Majesty in conquering the world; whereas, had Files been eaten by the Rak, he would have deserted your Army." After a brief rest they descended into the valley, and as soon as they were out of sight of the Rak the spirits of the entire party rose quickly.
It seems possible that Doctor Fayle's failure to appear indicates that League Headquarters does not consider the project a sufficiently safe place for 112-113." "Why don't you ask Headquarters?" Trigger suggested. They stirred nervously. "That would be a violation of the Principle of the Chain of Command, Miss Farn!" Rak explained. "Oh," she said. The Juniors were overdisciplined, all right.
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