The palace of Queen Teenie stood in the dark and cold. The moaning that came from it matched the wind. The harsh Army field lights that glared at it in blue only seemed to intensify the gloom. The column of fifty-one prisoners-Gris was being carried-clanked to a halt in the open space at the bottom of the great curving stairs. Snelz's men were standing about on guard. Snelz came forward. "Take over these prisoners," said Heller, "and hold them here in this small park beside the stairs." Then he turned to thank the Fleet marines. Their officer made sure that Snelz's men had them, gave Heller a cross-arm salute and marched his men away. "What in Heavens' name is all that keening?" said the Countess Krak. Snelz looked a little uncomfortable in the Army lights' blue glare. "They kind of got the idea Queen Teenie was going to be executed. They got a Homeview set in there and some admiral at the conference was spouting off about how she should be. And then, somehow they got the idea she could be executed for harboring Lombar Hisst." "Did you tell them that?" said Heller. "Well," said Snelz, avoiding his eyes, "it was one way to shake the prisoner loose, even if it didn't work." Heller shook his head. "Now I've got a disaster area to handle. Well, come on. At least we'll give it a try." He walked up the wide curving steps, followed by the Countess Krak and Snelz. Two silver-uniformed guards at the door barred their way with crossed battle-axes. Heller told them who they were. A seneschal said, "You three can come in, but no weapons." Heller and Snelz unbuckled their beltguns and handed the harnesses with the weapons to a guard. The seneschal shouted, "Lord Heller!" into the hall. Then they, with the Countess Krak, entered the great reception chamber. It was a dismal sight. The only light came from boys' pocket torches lying on the floor here and there, scattered amongst some tops and other toys. Several staff were holding each other up, sobbing. All along the wall, boys in crumpled clusters were crying. The cold desert wind, in an undertone, mourned through the hall. Teenie was sitting on the bottom step of her throne. A blue fur cloak was draped over her shoulders. She was holding her scepter listlessly. She was staring at the floor. The three came to a stop before her. The Countess Krak bent over and looked into her face. "Why, you're just an adolescent Earth girl," she said. The effect was instantaneous. Teenie leaped to her feet and backed up two steps to get taller in height. "I'm Queen Teenie of Flisten!" she flared. "And I will go to my doom like Royalty!" A wail went through the hall from the others like a dirge. The three looked at her in astonishment and then, before they could speak, Teenie suddenly sat down on the higher step. She gradually slumped and, with her elbows on her knees, cupped her chin in her hands despondently. "I had it made. Everything was running great. And then Madison came along and wrecked it all!" Then her head slumped further forward. She moaned, "Nobody loves me, everybody hates me. I'm going out and eat worms." And she began to weep. Some boys crawled toward her and cried, "We love you, Teenie!" 'Don't The staff in the shadows stepped ahead, break our hearts, Queen Teenie!" The major-domo knelt and plucked at Heller's hand, "Lord Heller, if you are going to execute her, the staff only wishes to die on the scaffold by her side." "Good Gods," said Heller, shaking loose. "What have I gotten into!" "You've gotten into the same situation that we had in Afyon, Turkey," said the Countess Krak. "The little boys and Utanc! I've heard about this girl. She's just another example of what Earth does to people. Unless you handle her, you'll have this perversion all over Voltar like a plague. When I think of my failures to reform Miss Simmons and the rest, I have to advise you that there's only one thing to do. You can't deport her because, as I understand it, there will shortly be no place to deport her to. You will have to execute her." The wails and sobs were deafening! "Shut up!" shouted Heller. The keening redoubled! In the din, Heller said to the Countess Krak and Snelz, "Please let me handle this." He looked around and picked a child's toy off the floor. "Oh, Jettero," said the Countess Krak. "You're too softhearted. I know exactly what you're going to do now. You're going to pardon her and tell her to be good and then she'll go right out and undermine the entirety…" Several maids spotted where the opposition might be coming from. On bended knees, they clutched at the Countess, distracting her. "Please don't kill Queen Teenie!" they were crying. One ripped her own dress apart and bared her breasts. "Kill us," she said, "but let her live!" "SHUT UP ALL OF YOU!" shouted Heller. He went up three steps to Teenie. As he approached her, the screams redoubled. He put his arm around her. They were sure he was going to strangle her. But Heller kissed Queen Teenie on the cheek! "Well, I never!" said the Countess Krak. Heller got out his redstar engineer's rag and wiped at Teenie's tears. He made her blow her nose on it. Then he picked her up and carried her to the entrance door. He put her on her feet and stood close to her. The others stared. It grew deathly quiet. Then a scrap of Heller's low-voiced communication drifted to them. "So the only question is whether you will do this for me or not." The Countess Krak, still in the hall, was horrified. She was absolutely certain that Heller was propositioning the girl. She moaned, "Oh, Lords, now she's even gotten to him!" Teenie abruptly let out a giggle of delight. Everyone inside the hall was electrified. There was a small room just inside the entrance door. Suddenly Teenie and Heller went into it and closed the door behind them. People looked at one another, stunned. Five minutes passed by. They stared at the closed door. Ten minutes passed by. The door was still closed. "Oh, my Lords," moaned the Countess Krak. Suddenly the door opened. Heller and Teenie came out. Teenie was pulling the robe around her shoulders. Then she suddenly threw her arms around Heller and she said, "Whiz Kid, you are a Whiz Kid after all! And you are quite a man!" And she lifted up on tiptoe and she kissed him! The people in the hall somehow sensed the crisis was over. They began to scream with paeans of delight. The din was deafening. The Countess Krak fainted.
CHAPTER 5