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Similarly, the next day, the workers on Njangu's estate saw the piles, which appeared to have come
from nowhere, but showed no interest, assuming that someone else, anyone else delivered them. One
learns, very quickly, in an authoritarian state, to see only what you're ordered to, and sometimes not then.
"This is important, troops, so I want your full attention," Commander Stiofan said. "We're going to build
weapons pits along the road we're to guard when the prisoners are taken each day to the Palace of
Justice, to keep anything unfortunate from being done by social misfits. Luckily these ag/waste blocks
fromLetterYohns's estate will keep us from having to fill sandbags, so we'll get our pits dug and bagged
within a day or two.
"Now, men, set to! The Protector has other work ahead for us!"
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There was a cheer. The Telex was quickly loaded into the lifters and, within hours, was being stacked in
front of three weapons pits near a crossroads not far from the sanitarium.
"Sir, I think the bandits are sufficiently prepared for the trial," Njangu told Redruth.
'"Good. Excellent! We'll& um& schedule it for Five-Day, two weeks from now. I've already named
LetterVishinsk as prosecutor, so you can coordinate with him.
"Congratulations, Yohns, to you and to your staff, and of course to Dr. Miuss."
"The doctor is a little upset that he wasn't allowed to complete his experiment, sir," Njangu said.
"Perhaps, after the verdict, it might be interesting to permit it to continue."
"Mmmh. Mmmh. No, Yohns. I do not want any of the doctor's skills shown in public. I want my
enemies to cower at the mere mention of his name, never knowing exactly his talents until they've been
arrested and turned over to him."
"Very good, sir. I'll inform him of your decision. Speaking of enemies," Njangu asked, "have there been
any arrests of the supposed conspirators within the army, the Gray Avengers?"
"No," Redruth said, mood turning sour. "As if I don't have enough things to take care of, none of my
investigators has been successful.
"I don't like that at all."
"Nossir," Njangu said. "Nor do I. I've also had my ears open every time I've been around any of the
Protector's Own. Fortunately, none of the twenty-four men detached from the unit to me is anything other
than fanatically loyal to you, sir."
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure. But I have agents within the group who'll report the slightest hint of dissidence."
"Good. I'll be depending on your bodyguards for any emergency security during the trial, and afterward
there'll be a purge of the Protector's Own. They must always be without the slightest stain on their
escutcheon."
"I agree, sir," Njangu said fervently, wondering what the hell an escutcheon was.
The long transmission squeaked offplanet, was received, retransmitted. It would be the next to last
Njangu planned to 'cast, unless there were problems.
He waited for a return by the receiver Maev had set up in one of the com rooms of the palace, getting
nothing more than a single code group that translated as:
READY.
Sixteen days until the operation would be mounted.
"MilJaansma," the guard lieutenant said, "this man will be yours, and the other bandits', defender."
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The lean man with a sloppy shave and bad breath bobbed his head up and down.
"JudicateBlayer is my name and rank, and I want you to know I was assigned this task. It was hardly of
my own wishes, naturally."
"Naturally," Garvin said. "I assume you normally work in a rope factory?"
"No. No. I'm aJudicate, as I just said," Blayer said in an annoyed manner. "What makes you think I have
anything to do with rope?"
"Nothing at all, Judicate," Garvin said dryly. "I was thinking of some other hangman. Let me introduce
you to my fellow brigands."
Twelve days.
The Protector's Own were well deployed in positions from the sanitarium to the Palace of Justice.
They'd spent days practicing moving from their Aerial Combat Vehicles into the fighting stations they'd
built along the road, securing the approaches to the Palace of Justice.
Their officers therefore went into shock when the unit was suddenly withdrawn and confined to
barracks. No explanation was given, nor did Protector Redruth or Commander Celidon agree to meet
with any of the unit's officers.
The only exceptions were a scatter of the soldiers on diplomatic guard in distant cities, and the
twenty-five assigned toLeiterAb Yohns.
Six days.
"You may stand at ease," Maev shouted.
"Stand at! EASE!" the warrant bellowed, and the boots of the twenty-three soldiers slammed against the
concrete outside their hasty-barracks on Yoshitaro's estate.
"You've been assigned a special duty," Maev shouted. "This comes directly from the Protector himself,
throughLetterYohns."
In spite of their discipline, an awed intake of breath ran through the ranks.
"SILENCE IN RANKS!" the noncom shouted, and there was silence.
"Your task is very important, and is a test of the security of the Palace of Justice itself, during the trial of
the Cumbrian outlaws. There will be no chance of a full-scale rehearsal before this exercise is mounted,
other than computer gaming and mapboard exercises, so you must be sure you miss no opportunities to
comment and criticize as you learn.
"You will tell no one about your new assignment task, on pain of the most severe punishment, and are
forbidden to discuss it among yourselves except when senior officers are present," Maev ordered.
Five days.
"I love Telex, yes I do, and my whole goddamned family loves it, too," Njangu crooned as he fitted the
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detonator into the pliable block of explosive, flattened the block, and slid it into a padded envelope that
was labeled drug samples, handle with care.
"Now, we just add this little bitty antihandling device, in case the good doctor decides to go through his
mail ahead of time, and walla! We are ready to come down dancing!"
"That'll be enough to vaporize a whole room," Maev said.
"Well, he might not have it on his lap when I start fondling the switch, and I don't want to make any
mistakes and leave the puke alive," Njangu said.
"You're sure he's going to hold still for that envelope getting stuck in his briefcase?"
"Sure. It'll happen when he goes through standard security check that morning. I'll be dancing and
brilliant and telling him all about new triumphs the Protector is interested in that'll leave him up to his
shoulder blades in blood, and the sadistic prick'll never be watching my hands."
Four days.
Njangu landed the lifter and went into the rural mail delivery post, coming back a few moments later.
"And what was that?" Maev asked.
"A letter, signed by my four patriotic companions, Brythe, Pyder, Enida, and Karig, to Protector
Red-ruth, saying how they suspect I'm in league with social misfit elements, and that they hope they're
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