gitimate, according to their rules?"

"I guess so. According to Kir's tapes, he thinks it's a clever maneuver.
'Sound move' is the way he expressed it." Lanko stood and walked over to
the reproducer set. "That all came from the tapes, of course."

"How much more has Kir told you?"

"As little as possible."

* * * * *

Banasel looked toward the prisoner. "Why not cooeperate? You're due for
Aldebaran anyway. And a little help now would make it easier for you and
your partners later."

Genro Kir's lip curled. "As I told your friend, I don't have to lower
myself to work with a bunch of low-grade primitives."

"See what I mean?" Lanko slanted an eyebrow at Banasel. "But I think our
friend here will help us some, anyway. That 'sound move' he recorded is
almost sure to catch us one of the players."

"Oh?"

"Sure. What's the whole foundation of this cult of Kondaro?"

"Why, they navigate ships. They keep strict security on their methods.
They enforce that security by terrorism. They claim that no one else can
successfully cross the Great Sea, and it seems to be a proven fact that
they're right. So, they collect from seamen, traders, and shipowners."

"That's right. And they claim that only they can overcome the spells and
actions of the sea demons, which try to destroy any ship that sails the
sea. First, though, they navigate ships. They guarantee to get 'em
across the sea and back. Right?"

Banasel nodded.

"Suppose they start losing ships? Suppose that from now on, no ship
returns to port?" Lanko walked over to the control console.

"Hey, wait a minute. I know these priests are a bunch of pirates--or
some of them are, at any rate. But we can't--"

"Who said anything about destroying life?" Lanko spread his hands. "We
have here a fairly nice group of islands," he pointed out. "Not too
spacious, of course, and not possessed of any luxurious cities. But
there's water, and fresh fruits are available in plenty. The ships are
provisioned fairly well, but they generally put in here for those very
fruits. So, all we need do is give a little unwanted help."

"Shipwreck?"

"Something like that."

Banasel shook his head doubtfully. "It'll take a long time to undermine
their reputation that way," he objected. "And we'd have a lot of people
on these islands before we were through."

"I don't think so. Kondaro's a god, remember? And gods are infallible.
Sira Nal can explain a few disap