Part 18 (2/2)

”Absolutely. One is feared and grudgingly respected; the other is respected and very usefully, productively feared.”

”How far does the annual tax paid in by the planetary governments go to keep TGO going, Ram?”

He chuckled against her. ”It covers maybe forty per cent of the total cost, at least on printout,” he said. ”Of 226.

course I have certain economy measures-such as using my own slaves.h.i.+ps occasionally for TGO purposes. Such as when we rid the Galaxy of Artisune Muzuni and his fleet, who was about two steps away from discovering that he could be a conqueror. And such as my policy of not arresting or plain killing everyone we catch, but using them; putting them on TGO call. It is an economy measure, this enlisting of the forces of evil to the cause of Good!”

She chuckled; he kissed her lightly and turned her, his arm still around her. She kept one around his waist, too. It was only a little higher than hers, for the biggest man in the Galaxy was far from tall by Galactic standards. No Aglayan was.

”Thank you, Janja. You seem to have saved my life. And I don't mean 'just' today.”

”It's only fair,” Janja said. ”You've saved mine, or given me one. Should I be sorry for Rat, who once also gave me purpose-life?”

”You should. He was superbly competent and valuable. I knew he was overly ambitious. You've cost me a very good man and two good s.h.i.+ps. Hereafter I'm going to keep you safely back on Janat at Citadel Cuesta- and I'm going to keep you busy!”

”Good. Two s.h.i.+ps?”

”Of course, darling. We can't leave that one up there.” He raised eyebrows and eyes skyward. ”Rat's. And pick up that stopper, and theirs. We can't be teaching the gentle Aglayans civilized methods of destroying each other! Oh-you know who else is both superbly competent and highly ambitious?”

”Rhetorical question,” she said, picking up weapons and noticing how the gra.s.s was slowly straightening in Ratran Yao's last footprints. ”I never answer ”em.”

227.

He laughed. ”Val.u.s.triana See. I'm going to give her Rat's job.”

”Uh.”

”Don't forget that mails.h.i.+rt of yours, Jan! Now here's what we do. I'll start up with the lander, so they'll know it's coming back, and that way they won't worry when you lift off Kshatriya Jansa. But I'll hump along -grav-boats don't have much speed anyhow-and you just zoom past me and take out Ratran's s.h.i.+p. Then we-oh, that won't be any trouble, will it?”

She shook her head. ”Necessary to protect your ident.i.ty and your secret. The end justifies the means.”

”Only in the gray universe, protected by The Good Organization,” he said, and his satirical smile fleeted over his lips. ”Good! You are worthy of Aglaya and worthy of the s.p.a.ceways-”

”-and worthy of you, Director-sir.”

”Um. Now once that's done, we've got to-”

It is not true to say that everyone must be white or black. ... it is not true to say that everything that may be good or bad must be either good or bad. These pairs of contraries have intermediates: the intermediates between white and black are gray, sallow, and all the other colors that come between. .. .

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