Hanley

“ Hanley, thank Heaven, was at his desk.
I plugged in my little image finder; held it over my head; turned it slowly. I whispered:
"Look around, Chief. See where I am? Near Nareda; couple of miles out. Followed Perona; he met these men.
"The big one is De Boer, the depth bandit. I can't hear what they're saying—but I can send you their voice murmurs."
"Amplify them all you can. Relay them up," Hanley ordered.
I caught Perona's murmurs again; I swung them through my tiny transformers and off my transmitter points into the ether. ”

“ It is only just to state that at the present time in Hanley and elsewhere there are tens of thousands of pit hands who are as sober and industrious and well-behaved as any class of workmen in the three kingdoms. ”

“ Mrs. Hanley also had lost her worn and troubled air; and when Jimmie joined them at the breakfast table, he too seemed on better terms with the world. “Well, I got some sleep last night for the first time in a week,” said Hanley, as he sugared his strawberries. ”That beast tuned up once, but I hadn't got started cussing good and hard before she shut up. ”

“ It extends 10 miles in length and a mile and a half in breadth, and comprises the borough and market-town of Stoke-upon-Trent, and the several town- ships and villages of Hanley, Shelton, Etruria, Burslem with Long-port and Brown-hills, Lane- end with Longton, Tunstal, Lane Delph, Fenton, Cobridge, and their neighbourhoods. The country abounds with coal and clay, which, with its canal intercourse, extending to all parts of the country, make it the most eligible and most prosperous seat of the manufactures for which it has so long been distinguished. ”

“ I suppose you are a guest of the Hanleys, and if you are, you may say to them for me—”
“Now, Miss Donald,” began McGillicuddy in his most benevolent tone, “there is not the slightest occasion for hard feeling. The affair is most unfortunate, of course; but as an old friend of the Hanleys I assure you they have no wish to be ugly. But I confess that they have been—er—slightly annoyed. I came out in the hope of finding some way of relieving the—er—cow. ”

“ Philander laughed, yet there was a curious undertone of almost-contempt in his voice. “Why're you so hipped on that subject?”
Hanlon grinned and misquoted, “Life is real, life is earnest, and the gravy is my goal.” Then he sobered and said, “'Cause with money you can do anything. When I've made a big pile, then I can go where I want to go, be what I want to be, and make people know I'm somebody.” ”

“ Hanlon said. “If you and the top brass picked me for the SS because you thought I could, you'd better release me from it. I can't work in a crowd at all, for there's such a jumble of thought-emanations I can't separate them. Even working with an individual I can only sense something of his feelings. ”

“ Hanlon sat sipping his innocuous drink, looking about him quietly. A large-sized crowd was beginning to fill the place—well-dressed, evidently fairly prosperous people, but he could see that they were not the real upper-class, but the slightly-off-shade climbers. ”

“ Hanlon jumped to his feet. "Get everyone to work; tell them to act real busy!" he snapped. "You, too!"
He thrust the frequency-transformer into a hole prepared for just such an emergency, grabbed up his shock-rod and stepped closer to the natives. He was standing there, to all appearances strictly on the job of making his charges work, when Philander came crawling up the rise into the pocket where this crew was mining the glossy, lustrous pitch-blank uraninite ore.
"How're things going?" the superintendent greeted Hanlon with at least the appearance of friendliness. ”

“ He looked sharply at Hanlon, who returned his gaze serenely. “I believe this young man is unusually apt as a trickster, and I believe he hoodwinked the whole community. The fact that I cannot comprehend, or even guess how he did it, in no way disturbs my conviction that he did do it by trickery. I will change this opinion, however, if Mr. Hanlon will look me in the eye and assure me, on his honor, that he found the penknife by no other means or with no other influence to guide him than Mr. Mortimer’s will-power.” ”

“ Clearly, distinctly, as though it were his own mind, Hanlon knew he was one with a deck steward, who had noticed him sitting there all day and the day before, with closed eyes and strained face. (His efforts at concentration must have been too apparent—he'd have to learn to guard that; to keep his face more impassive.) ”

“ They said I cheated at exams, and wouldn't give me a chance to defend myself,” Hanlon continued quickly, but with heat. “That soured me on 'em, but good! So I says to myself, blast John Law! From now on I'm on the other side. Anything he's after must be worth plenty to any guy who can outsmart him. Knowing his side of it and how he works, I figure I'm just that good!”
He said all this with such a deadly serious voice, that although it was bravado Panek could see it was also confidence. Hanlon had figured this straight-forwardness was his best bet. ”

“ Philander stood about for an hour, and when he saw that Hanlon understood exactly what was expected of him and his crew—when he saw Hanlon several times correct the sorters who had left too much rock in with the ores—he turned to leave.
"You'll hear the siren when the shift's over," he said. "Bring your gang back and lock 'em in the stockade then. Be sure you lock both gates carefully." ”

“ From the moment he first entered the Embassy, Hanlon had been probing with every iota of his ability, hoping he could find some lead to whatever it was that was bothering the Corps about Simonides, but had found nothing sinister or menacing, nor could he get any such sensations from the crowd.
But now he concentrated more on watching the increasingly denser throng of people, for the car was nearing their destination. The buildings along here were all bedecked with Simonidean and Greek-Terran flags, and there was now a continuous cheering from the populace. ”

“ He turned his attention to the well-dressed, impressive-looking man behind the plasticene desk, nor had his other probings taken more than a few seconds. He noted with interest the round, smooth face, the slightly over-large greenish eyes, the silver hair that seemed finer and silkier than any Hanlon had ever seen on a human being. It was almost like fine fur, he thought suddenly.
Then he got a shock! This man was different ... Hanlon could not touch that mind at all! There was a sort of an ... an alien feeling there he could not quite fathom. ”

“ Hanlon was silent a moment, then telepathed again. “There is no need for you all to stay here any longer. Tell all your people to go back to their forests, for they are all free.”
Geck turned to the other natives who were crowding close, and Hanlon could see him talking swiftly with that peculiar-looking little triangular-shaped mouth. Soon his mind was suffused with a tremendous wave of joy and ecstasy, and they began dashing out. Hanlon could see them talking to the natives in all the huts, and in moments all the natives except Geck were streaming happily toward the nearby forests. ”

“ But Hanlon guessed, and when he had taken his crew down to work he called Geck to him, and by means of the transformer asked about it.
“Was one Guddu in hut by main gate who first see gate were open. Him mind-tell all we to run far into forest. This crew us stop all they. Tell other Guddu how kind are you. How you get we ‘oigm’-food. Tell how you's work to make all we free; make free all Guddu everywhere. Us say maybe so we's all get free now small time. But say come humans with shock-rod, hunt we, hurt we, make we work more hard, be more cruel to we. ”

“ Suddenly, and but a barely passing whisper of thought, Hanlon caught the concept that the intended victim's death was necessary to the coup “they” were planning on Simonides.
Hanlon was instantly alerted by that planet-name. Perhaps this was a definite lead for him. He strained to get more. The killer thought occasionally of a man he called “The Boss”, but not the name of that dignitary, nor his actual position—politically, socially, economically, or otherwise. ”

“ All the longings of the years he had wanted to become a part of the Inter-Stellar Corps; all the hopes and plans he had made during his five long years in cadet school; all the thrilling pride he had known that he was to be a part of the greatest organization in the Universe, swelled inside him and choked him.
When, at long last, the class rose to take the Oath of Allegiance, Hanlon found himself on his feet, rigidly at attention, repeating the impressive ritual aloud with them. ”

“ Willy Hanlon, as he was called in the papers, came shyly forward and Eunice, with her ready tact, proceeded to put him at once at his ease.
“You came just at the right minute to help me out,” she said, smiling at him. “They are saying women are no good at describing a scene! They say that we can’t be relied on for accuracy. So, now you’re here and you can tell what really happened.”
“Yes, ma’am,” and Hanlon swallowed, a little embarrassedly; “that’s what I came for, ma’am. But first, are you all straight goods? Will you all promise not to tell what I tell you before tomorrow morning?” ”

“ But none of the natives had the least idea what kind, or for what purpose they were being made.
“Think they are going to be put in great metal huts humans are making,” one thought ran, and Hanlon quickly grabbed onto that.
“What sort of metal huts?”
“Things that look like huge eggs.”
“Space ships, you mean?”
Another thought broke in. “Yes, they like ships human come in, but much greater.”
Hanlon fumed. Oh, if only he could see ... but wait, maybe he could get the information he needed. “Ask if anyone is looking at one of those ‘eggs’ right now,” he commanded Geck through the transformer. ”

“ Such a one, he was now convinced, was this young Hanlon. It would be the simplest thing to kill this almost-dead body now, but that would not solve this baffling problem. If Hanlon, perhaps others of the Corps had similar powers. No, one with such abilities must not be killed. He must be kept and studied, and the secret learned if possible.
But his thoughts were interrupted by Panek. “That fool bird's still there, still there. Is it another of your pets, Boss?”
His Highness wheeled. He had forgotten the bird. Was it possible that Hanlon had, in some inexplicable manner, transferred ... ”

“ Hanlon was pleased, but not especially surprised, to note that the rest of the crew—now almost entirely without his supervision—worked harder than ever, and that their daily output of ore grew progressively greater each shift, and all clean ore.
Hanlon's first exultant thought had been to run to Philander and tell him of what he had learned concerning the native's speech ability, and how he had made it possible for humans to talk to them. ”

“ Hanlon said earnestly. “When I take a man's pay, sir, I give him everything I've got. You gave me a chance at the kind of money I want to make, and I'm doing everything I can to earn both the money and your trust. I was kicked out of the Corps, and I'll do anything I can to get even!”
“As I said before, we have ... uh ... ways of making you tell us the truth,” the Leader continued as though Hanlon had not interrupted, “but you would not be any good either to us or the Corps or yourself if we have to use ... uh ... persuasion. ”

“ And as Luna shrank to a small sphere behind them, Hanlon felt the acceleration grow constant, so unstrapped himself and got up. He stretched hugely, to relieve the cramped feeling in his muscles, then turned to survey his fellow passengers.
He noticed several men in Corps' uniform, and hoped none of them knew him—or if so, would be good enough not to spread word of his disgrace. That would make the trip uncomfortable, lonely and unproductive, for then it would be better for him to spend most of his time in his stateroom. He thought of those “interesting people” he had been told about ... ”

“ And the bonus you'll get, if you can keep up this output, will fix you so you can afford a wife when your time's up and you go back to Sime.”
“Gee, that's good,” Hanlon made his voice and face show how relieved he felt. “It had me worried, even though I haven't got a girl yet.”
The superintendent seemed in good humor now. Hanlon caught the thought that this punk was a good guard, and bright, and he did get the stuff out. The plan of rotating the workers was good—he'd order the other guards to use it. This Hanlon probably was no menace to their plans here, after all. ”

“ Hanlon was just turning away, disgustedly, when a man came from the zoo with the caged toogan. At sight of the familiar room the bird perked up.
"Hey, Boss!" it called out in a clear but whistling sort of voice, "I'm home again." Hanlon had no trouble understanding its words, spoken in Simonidean, of course, but was busy examining its mind. He walked over to the messenger and held out his hand. "I'll take the bird."
The zoo attendant looked at him doubtfully. "It's a vicious thing, sir," he said. "Be careful—it's already injured one man. They say no one but the Prime Minister can handle it." ”

“ The next day Hanlon again sat most of the time in the lounge, his eyes closed, letting his mind soak up all the impressions and vibrations he could. When one seemed particularly strong, he tried to follow it and locate the person—with his mind, not his eyes—and read the whole thought. ”

“ They went over to the stockade, the superintendent giving Hanlon a key as they unlocked the gates. Hanlon saw that the corral was divided into twelve sections.
“One guard has charge of all the natives in one section, and they all work each shift,” Philander explained.
“What if one of them is sick?”
“They don't get sick,” the man's voice was gruff, and Hanlon's first thought was that what he really meant was that the natives were worked no matter how they felt. ”