ew hours ago, Sire."

"What?" The emperor sat upright, his face showing the utmost
incredulity, but Hanlon's mind-probing had prepared him for the
reaction, so he was not surprised to note neither dismay nor regret.

For the monarch suddenly sank back into his chair, and a long, loud
suspiration of relief came from him. He closed his eyes and his face
finally relaxed a bit. Suddenly he sat bolt upright. "Are you sure?" he
barked.

"Positive," the admiral assured him. "The body is at Base, and has been
for several hours."

"How did he die?"

"He was stung to death by bees, Sire," Hanlon answered.

"Bees?" incredulously.

"That's right, Sire. He and three of his men were attacked by a swarm of
bees in one of the basement rooms of his palace, and died within
minutes."

The emperor was silent for moments, mind roiling. Then he shook his head
as though almost not daring to believe this news.

"It may sound strange, Hawarden," he said at last, "but I do not think I
was ever as glad of anything in my life as I am of this. He was an evil
thing, though I did not even begin to suspect it until years after I
appointed him my Minister. By the time I felt sure, it was too late. He
had ... gotten some sort of a hold over me ... I no longer seemed to
have a mind or will of my own any more."

The admiral risked a glance at Hanlon, who nodded agreement.

"Do you know what he was planning, Your Majesty?"

"Planning? Planning? You mean something else beyond ruling Simonides
through me, or possibly supplanting me entirely?"

"I'm afraid he was, Sire. Did you know he was secretly building a great
war fleet on another planet?"

There was an almost-imperceptible pause before the answer was barked
out. "Nonsense, sir. That I can't believe!"

Hanlon shook his head. The emperor was lying now. Why? Was he
part--perhaps head--of the plot?

His mind-probing had not yet reached an answer to those important
questions. They would have to question him skillfully to make him think
of the things Hanlon so desperately needed to know.

Chapter 22

"They certainly are building a great fleet Sire, on a planet they call
'Algon'," Hanlon stated crisply, and almost gave a yell of glee as, the
emperor's mind fleetingly called up a picture--distorted as though it
had only been described to him--of one of the Greenies. He hurriedly
continued punching. "I know His Highness was the guiding mind behind
that, for I was supposed to be wo