seen and the Gelor one, too. I had to. It was that or be tortured-or killed."

"I'm not a prisoner? You could have fooled me, Shemsiann Drist. Open up, then."

Her smile was tentative. "I'm sorry. Not just yet, Jestikhan. Not until DeyMeox is through with him. Gelor. She's the one he treated worst, Jesti. Hit her again and again, till she was all bruised."

"Uh. What'd she do for him, create the plague?-the spores?"

She looked surprised, then nodded. "Pos. She is Dey-Meox-crober, Jesti, and she's the best. She is also one weird person-all honor and duty and guts. Yahna says that describes you, too. Well . . . Dey doesn't even hate Gelor the way I do, although he treated her the worst. Worse. She's all scientist. Still, we agreed on what we'd do to the monster if we ever got the chance, and we did, thanks to you. She's doing it now. After that-"

"So she's 'doing It.' What's that got to do with me in this . . . cell? I keep rescuing the most ungrateful dam' people-and what is she doing to him? d.a.m.n! All I wanted to do was break his neck. Slowly, maybe."

Shemsi nodded, and her face showed understanding, sympathy/empathy. "I can understand that. You're here because we were afraid you would stop us. We all owe Gelor, you see. As to your other question, well, you called him a monster. He is. He is also just too perfectly, incredibly handsome. So ... Dey is making his exterior match his interior, his personality. She's in the lab with Gelor, Jesti-making a monster.''

Jesti stared at her, blinking, while he tried to digest that. Just as he started to speak, the sensuous Shemsi did.

"Oh-as soon as Yahna Golden awakes, DeyMeox says, she'll be fine. Dey gave her an injection and a counter-hypnotic. As soon as she's finished with Gelor, out you come, dearest friend and ally. We have things to do, Jesti! None of us is qualified as ship's master, so we'll have to hire one, or charter a ship. Then we have to-no, no. You and Dey and Yahna have to go to Eilong. I'll stay here with him. Gelor."

223.

"Eilong?" he echoed, and that's when Jesti learned that he (with DeyMeox-crober) was to be the greatest hero in Eilong's history. She had all the surrept.i.tiously-made tapes she had dictated while she worked. She had created not only Teratogenesis Six, but its ant.i.toxin as well. She had not only created that ant.i.toxin, she had devised a means to reverse the effect of T6. Eilong would be saved, and CongCorp thwarted.

Worse than thwarted. CongCorp was about to be notorious and in one h.e.l.l of a lot of trouble.

And so DeyMeox had finished, and Shemsi had remained in the old palace, with the modified Gelor. Jesti and DeyMeox and Yahna found a man to take them to Eilong-fast. That was Captain Fej. With him he brought two crew. The great DeyMeox-crober would save Eilong. She and Oolong Eef and a lot of others would be very, very busy for awhile. Jesti, meanwhile, would be being cleared, commended, and lauded by the Council of Elders and all Eilong.

After that they'd all s.p.a.ce back to Jasbir, and the palace that had been Prince Palkivala's and then Gel Gelor's.

Gelor. A piteous, helpless creature, now. With the most careful of scientifically dispa.s.sionate vengeance, DeyMeox had removed his larynx and both his hands and feet. The latter she replaced . . . with flippers. A bit of rearranging of his head and face turned Gelor into an ugly, swell-headed monster . . . just the monster he'd have made of every Eilan baby. A thalidomide freak-and the toy of two vengeful women.

They would make him last for a long, long time. A lifetime.

Meanwhile . . . well, Yahna's plan was a little heady for Jesti, but he had decided to go along. He'd try anything once, and he'd try this.

Fully recovered, Yahna Golden intended to try filling a new role with her employer. Scriptwriting. She swore that her and Jesti's adventures and his derring-do transcended most of the fictional ones the writers had managed to come up with for Akima Mars. And Yahna intended to write it. To try to get her friend Setsuyo Puma-hyperstar, as Akima Mars-to tell the MarsCorp bra.s.s that she wanted to make 224.

this meller, this script. Yahna Golden's and Jestikhan Churl's script.

After that-well, surely Jesti could at least try out for the role of Akima's co-hero. He would already be famous, a celebrity.

"Better to combine your part and mine into one, for her," he had said, "and maybe there'll be a bit part for me. As Chief Elder, maybe!" He laughed. "Or as Hieri!"

"Big bucks as technical advisor!" Yahna had said, all bright-eyed with the excitement of her plan. And would CongCorp be sorry! (Which was the main reason Jesti had decided to go along. He thought about that now, in the con-cabin behind Captain Fej, en route to Eilong.) Red-mopped Captain Fej interrupted his reverie.

"About one hour, Mirza Churt. One hour to docking. Are you serious about wanting to try to learn how to bring a ship in to dock at station?"

"I'm serious, Ship's Master. Call me when it's time, and call me Jesti."

He left Fej then, and made his way back to a certain cabin. He pushed in.

Here sat Yahna Golden, mostly naked and with her legs looking over a meter long. Seated before a mirror, doing primpy things to her golden halo. She looked up as he entered, and he was sure he saw the beginning of a smile. Then her eyes flashed and her face tightened. She yanked her skimpy negligee together over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s-mostly.

"You dam' tiptoeing Eilan-can't you even knock?"

"Ah," he said, resignedly fulfilling his role of dutifully launching his own attack, "fiddling with your hair again, hmmm?"

She sprang up, face working, eyes flashing and bosom heaving. (She was good at that.) "d.a.m.n you, you freak!"

Ah well, it's our relationship, he thought. But I'll be glad when you and DeyMeox get you over this s.h.i.t and we can just screw like other people, without all this mean-a.s.s "foreplay!"

But he dutifully snarled "Rotten b.i.t.c.h," and moved in, and of course one thing led to another, and after that the victim held her rapist for a long while, murmuring and crooning happily.

The Worlds of s.p.a.cEWAYSPLANET NATIVE POSSESSIVE CAPITAL STAR (sun)

AGLAYA Aglayan Aglayan none* Thales ANDOR.

(T.S.A.) Andran Andorite Koba Arkimedes AREPIEN Arep Arepienese none* Alkoman BLEAK Bleaker Bleaker Zero Ulubeg CORSI Cors/Corser Corser Newhope New Altair CROZ (Croz II) Crozer/-ite Crozite Oddford Thabit (Matana) EAGLE (TSA) Eagleman/Eagler Eaglish Starlight Arkimedes EILONG Eilan Eilan Swayn Kamo FRANJI Franjese Franjese Velynda Chandrasekhar FRONT Fronter Fronter;-ish Graha** Shapley GEM (TSA) Gemman/Jewel Gemman Diamond*** Eratosthenes GHANJ Ghanji Ghanji Starlit Cospar GINNEH Ginneher Ginneher Deepholet Alsufe HAVOC 'Vocker 'Vocker Sherazad Brahmagupta h.e.l.lHOLE h.e.l.ler -ish; h.e.l.ler Golden Menzel HRALIX HRal HRal; HRalish MRayl Offa (Mlall) ICEWORLD Iceworlder/ Bluelip/ Snowman Iceworlder Sunshine Lake Kuyper JAHPUR Jahpurese Jahpurese Delirium Aresebo & Algolyeh JARPI Jarp Jarp none* Tomonaga (unp.r.o.nounce- able) JASBIR Jasbiri/"a Jaz" Jasbiri Marmot Huygens JORINNE Joser Joser Komodi Payne & Humason KAUFMAN'S.

PLANET/TSA Cougher Kauffmanish Binary Junction Fermat KNOR Knorman Knorese Survivalt Plato LANATIA Lanatian Lanatish Proc Aminilari LUHRA Luhrese Luhrese Point Pleasure Alkharkhi LYON Leo/Lyonese Lyonese Inapur Khwarizimi MECCAH Meccan Meccan Muslallah Abualisina MIRJAM Mirjer Mirjer Windbreakt Zarkala MOTT-CHINDI Mottchin/Macho MottchinSee You (Cu) Kiddinu T.S.A./TSA: Tri-System Accord * no planetary capital ** Graha: "Disobedience"

*** all cities named for gemstones t by default; only town or settlement Star-names in parentheses are local names in language other than GalacticPLANET NATIVE POSSESSIVE CAPITAL STAR (sun) MURPH Murpher Murpher; -ite Silver City Jansky NEVERMIND 'Minder/ Nevenninder Nevermindish Newhope Mizar II NEVERMORE Nev/Nevaman -ish; Nevaman Plughole Skaparelli OUTREACH Outie/ Outreacher -er; Outie Forty Klom Hill Razee PANISH Panishi Panishi Harmony Kopernikos QALARA Qalaran Qalaran Norcross Galileo RAHMAN Rahmanite Rahmani; -ese Ramadan Lemaitre RESH Reshi Reshi Menre (Temple City) Slipher SAIPING Saipese Saipese Payping Ptolemy SAMANNA Samannite/ "a Sam" Sammanish Riverview fiel SEKHAR Sek Sekhari Refuge Al-jebr SHANKAR Chank Chank; Shanki Medina Hipparkos SHIRASH (Jelly-blob) Shirashi ? none* ? Struve SOPUR Sopurese Sopurese Graymount Herschel SUZI Suzite Suzite Suzi City Albattany TERASAKI Terasak/Sak Terasak; -ish Yamato Hubble & Durga THEBANIS Thebanian Thebanian; -ish Raunch"" Jansd A & B TOKTAGA.

(TSA) Tok Tok; Toktagan Point Pleasant Arkimedes TOLA Tulanese/Corper lulanese rarrisberg Tula's Star T.S.A.jTSA: Tri-System Accord * no planetary capital ** Graha: "Disobedience"

*** all cities named for gemstones t by default; only town or settlement Star-names in parentheses are local names in language other than Galactic