Adventures in the Far Future & Tales of Outer Space — page 112: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

the construction crew to make sure there were no new tricks being included that were kept secret. My papers are in order for that work. But | heard about Procus II being found murdered —the fourth planet killed and looted by somebody from somewhere. | headed back to Earth through this section, trying to pick up rumors here and there. On Khem IV, lll admit, | didn’t find a thing. It’s a beastly tyranny, of course, but if people stand for that sort of thing, they invite it. That wasn’t my business. But | didn’t find a whisper of evidence that a space fleet could be built and armed on that planet, able to do what has been done.” Den Harlow said briefly: “It wasn't built there. It wasn’t armed there. It couldn't be! | made my Commerce Commissionership an excuse for traveling about—just as you manufactured an excuse.” “Now,” Brent said, “you two will try to stay alive?” Kit nodded, her eyes bright. “I’m going to see if | can do something practical,” he added. “Yes. Be... careful, will you?” He opened the cabin door and went out. He was halfway across the passengers’ lounge before he realized that it was not quite necessary for one person in the Profession to ask another to be careful. It wasn’t Professional. It was—well- personal. And she'd looked at him with bright eyes. ... The bedlam in the bar was dying down, now, with Rudi no longer on hand to stimulate it. Badly beaten men wanted fresh drinks. Victors in battle wanted to celebrate. He went into the dining salon, into the kitchen. Both were empty. Presently they were empty even of him. He had returned to the empty spaces between the balls of metal plate inside the Delilah‘s skin. When he went out the airlock, he had a blaster ready in his hand. Not quite an hour later, a simultaneous’~= and Unanimous gasp sounded in the passengers’ lounge. It was almost a cry, choked and incredulous, from every throat among the passengers. Each of them had exactly the same CORniclooo SS CO