Operation InterstellarSmith, George O. (George Oliver)
Science
Operation Interstellar
Smith, George O. (George Oliver)
Interstellar communication -- Fiction; Life on other planets -- Fiction; Science fiction
Paul relaxed. It was obvious that they would tell him nothing. Some
of the daze left, but it left Paul with mixed emotions. Convinced of
his own innocence of any crime; equally convinced of his correctness
regarding Haedaecker's Theory but completely bewildered as to the
latest mixup with Z-wave Central; angry about Stacey--Paul Grayson was
convinced that the right way to handle false charges was and is to face
them firmly and display the fact that you have nothing to fear. He
had always felt that the very display of self-confidence and obvious
indignation over the accusations would carry some weight in his favor.
He had read of cases in the newspapers where the murderer was found
with the smoking gun in his pocket and the blood on his hands but still
protested complete innocence in a baby-faced, wide-eyed manner, but
Paul felt that such protestation could carry no weight because the
lawbreaker could not be convincing with the truth in his mind working
against him. Like everybody, Paul felt that he was different; this was
a different case. They would believe him.
So Paul disliked the idea of running. Running away was itself an
indication of guilt. He had never been able to define the proper line
between the desire for privacy and the necessity of keeping something
under cover. Like many other idealists, Paul felt that any man whose
life was blameless should not object to scrutiny.
But in this particular case, even while Paul was objecting to the idea
of running; preferring to face the music with his convincing innocence,
Paul was also aware that one man facing the anger of a mob can do very
little to make them listen. He shrugged as a more pleasant thought came
to him. He could easily show proof that his escape was not the flight
caused by guilt but the honest fear of bodily harm from a mob incited
to lynch-heat by the machinations of a personal enemy.
Paul sat up a bit relieved. He looked out of the window and recognized
the street; they were about half way between the middle of the city and
the spaceport.
Maybe now he might be able to collect some more information. Still the
idealist, Paul could not understand why any man would work violently
against a common blessing that could cause no harm. Paul believed that
the possibility of opening communications with Neoterra was such a
blessing.
But merely starting with a hope and an idea to help Mankind--and
make himself famous--Paul had triggered off some inexplicable train
of events which included murder, theft, falsification of evidence,
impersonation--
Impersonation!
Not only once, but twice--_thrice_! Twice had Paul been impersonated
for some reason or another. Now there had been the impersonation of
policemen. Twice this impersonation could have been directed only at
Paul's discomfort. Now--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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