Retief Unbound Read Online Free Page A

Retief.
    "Still," Retief said,
"it gives an opportunity for travel."
    "Travel!" the Consul
barked. "I hate travel. Here in this backwater system particularly. . . He
paused, blinked at Retief, and cleared his throat. "Not that a bit of
travel isn't an excellent thing for a junior officer. Marvelous experience."
    He turned to the wall-screen and
pressed a button. A system triagram appeared: eight luminous green dots
arranged around a larger disc representing the primary. Passwyn picked up a
pointer, indicating the innermost planet.
    "The situation on Adobe is
nearing crisis. The confounded settlers—a mere handful of them—have managed, as
usual, to stir up trouble with an intelligent indigenous life form, the Jaq. I
can't think why they bother, merely for a few oases among the endless deserts.
However, I have, at last, received authorization from Sector Headquarters to
take certain action."
    He swung back to face Retief.
"I'm sending you in to handle the situation, Retief—under sealed
orders." He picked up a fat, buff envelope. "A pity they didn't see
fit to order the Terrestrial settlers out weeks ago, as I suggested. Now it's
too late. I'm expected to produce a miracle—a rapprochement between
Terrestrial and Jaq and a division of territory. It's idiotic. However, failure
would look very bad in my record, so I shall expect results." He passed
the buff envelope across to Retief.
    "I understood that Adobe was
uninhabited," Retief said, "until the Terrestrial settlers
arrived."
    "Apparently that was an
erroneous impression. The Jaq are there." Passwyn fixed Retief with a
watery eye. "You'll follow your instructions to the letter. In a delicate
situation such as this, there must be no impulsive, impromptu element
introduced. This approach has been worked out in detail at Sector; you need
merely implement it. Is that entirely clear?"
    "Has anyone at Headquarters
ever visited Adobe?"
    "Of course not. They all hate
travel too. If there are no other questions, you'd best be on your way. The
mail run departs the dome in less than an hour."
    "What's this native life form
like?" Retief asked, getting to his feet.
    "When you get back," said
Passwyn, "you tell me."
    The mail pilot, a leathery veteran
with quarter-inch whiskers, spat toward a stained corner of the compartment,
and leaned close to the screen.
    "They's shootin' goin' on down
there," he said. "Them white puffs over the edge of the desert."
    I'm supposed to be preventing the
war," said Retief. "It looks like I'm a little late."
    The pilot's head snapped around.
"War?" he yelped. "Nobody told me they was a war goin' on on
'Dobe. If that's what that is, I'm gettin' out of here."
    "Hold on," said Retief.
"I've got to get down. They won't shoot at you."
    "They shore won't, sonny. I
ain't givin' 'em the chance." He reached for the console and started
punching keys. Retief reached out, catching his wrist.
    "Maybe you didn't hear me. I
said I've got to get down."
    The pilot plunged against the
restraint and swung a punch that Retief blocked casually. "Are you
nuts?" the pilot screeched. "They's plenty shootin' goin' on fer me
to see it fifty miles out."
    "The mails must go through,
you know."
    "I ain't no consarned postman.
If you're so dead set on gettin' killed—take the skiff. I’ll tell 'em to pick
up the remains next trip—if the shootin's over."
    "You're a pal. I'll take your
offer."
    The pilot jumped to the lifeboat
hatch and cycled it open. "Get in. We're closin' fast. Them birds might
take it into their heads to lob one this way."
    Retief crawled into the narrow
cockpit of the skiff. The pilot ducked out of sight, came back, and handed
Retief a heavy old-fashioned power pistol. "Long as you're goin' in, might
as well take this."
    "Thanks." Retief shoved
the pistol in his belt. "I hope you're wrong."
    "I’ll see they pick you up
when the shootin's over—one way or another."
    The hatch clanked shut; a moment
later there was a jar as the skiff dropped away, followed