carrying a gun lately," said the
colonel. "They won't find anything on me."

He finished his brandy while Senesin finished his second one. While the
younger man refilled both goblets, the colonel asked permission to use
the bathroom. He was gone less than three minutes, which he had spent
with thumb and middle finger to larynx and mastoid bone.

At eleven forty-five promptly, the phone chimed. No face appeared on the
screen when young Senesin answered it, but a voice gave an address on
Kalia Road.

Three minutes later, the two men were on the roof, signaling for a
skycab.

* * * * *

At ten o'clock the next morning, a panel slid aside in a wall that had
previously seemed solid. Colonel Lord Barrick Sorban stepped into the
room, thinking as he did so that he really was a romantic. He actually
rather enjoyed the idea of using secret passages and hidden panels to
gain access to the Emperor's private apartments in the Imperial Palace.

He gave a gentle nod to the man in the blue lounging robe who sat in a
big easy-chair just across the room. "Good morning, Sire."

"'Morning, colonel," said His Imperial Majesty, Hannikar IV. "How are
things shaping up?"

The colonel chuckled. "Not a single one of the newsies printed a word of
it, Sire."

These men were close friends, and had been for years, yet they clung to
the formal titles, both from habit and for self-protection. The
accidental use of a first name could mean a dead giveaway at the wrong
time.

The Emperor was a smaller man than Colonel Sorban, but he was far more
impressive. While the colonel seemed rather mild, the Emperor
looked--well, Imperial. He looked just as an Emperor ought to
look--handsome, dark-haired, stern at times and kindly at others. The
square jaw gave an impression of firmness of character, while the
sapphire-blue eyes were penetrating without being harsh or hard.

"What about the Senesin boy?" he asked.

"He's in jail," said the colonel.

His Imperial Majesty raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" It was a question and a
command.

"Not by my orders," said the colonel quickly. "He got a little upset.
He'd taken those tapes and documents around to four editors and had been
thrown out four times. The fifth time--at the _Globe_, as a matter of
fact--he accused the editor of being in your pay. A hassle started, and
the editor called the Honolulu police. Don't worry, Sire; one of my boys
got the tapes and stuff."

"Is it