The Defiant Agents

world sunlight on the desk there. Yet the five disks set out on its surface appeared to

r. Gordon Ashe, one of the four men peering unhappily at the displ

Kelgarries, leaned forward to ask

hind the desk answered with chill precision. "No, no pos

m," Ashe murmured. That wa

maximum security," Kelgarr

ange. "Every possible precaution was in force.

lgarries

onel in command of one sector of Project Star, Florian Wald

ble to believe this answer

ur no

own and worked with Kelgarries Ash

s eyes narrowed. "He must have been sent....

r's voice. "He was a sleeper, a very deep sleeper. They must have planted him a full t

mes Ruthven's voice was a growling rumble. He sucked in thick lips,

yal to that important point. The time element-that was the pr

w." Waldour's reply came slowl

d." Ruthven's statement was as ruthless in its implications

nths ago?" A

d out for study all that time, and the new detector against snooping was not put in service un

left the base six days ago. But he has been in

ht nothing could get through those." The colonel brightened. "Maybe he got his snoo

"this is not a kindergarten exercise. In confirmation of his success, listen...." He tou

discovery of burned wreckage in the mountains. Mr. Camdon was returning from a mission to the Star Laboratory when his plane

his escape?" Kelgar

get back to our troubles-Dr. Ruthven is right to assume the worst. I believe we can only insure the recovery of our proje

rst there had been Operation Retrograde, when specially trained "time agents" had shuttled back and forth in history, striving t

recked spaceships from an eon-old galactic empire-an empire which had flourished when glacial ice covered most of Europe and northern America and Terrans were cave-dwelling primitives. Murdock, trapped by the Reds

lsom hunters, discovering what they wanted-two ships, one wrecked, the other intact. And when the full efforts of the project had been centered on bringing the intact ship back into the present, chance had triggered controls set by

to Terra with a cargo of similar tapes found in a building on a world which might have been the central capital for

tapes chosen at random at a great drawing. And each nation secretly remained convinced that, in spite of the untold riches it might hold as a result of chance, its rivals had done better. Right at this moment, Ashe did not in the least doubt, there wer

to Terrans lacking the equipment the earlier star-traveling race had had at its comman

d been working feverishly for a full twelve months. To plant a colony across the gul

uthven's comment reached Ashe

three more months to conclude per

tual gesture Ashe had learned to mistrust. As the latter stiffened, bracing for a battle of wills, he saw

e and Kelgarries-"that there had never been any improvising in this project, that all had always been done by the book. I say that this is the time we must take the big gamble, or else we may find we have been outbid for space entirely. Let those

was used to reckless gambles which paid off, and there had been enough of those in the past to give an impressive argument for that point of view. But A

ff within a week," Ruthven was continu

quick backing he expected, but instead there was a lengthening momen

ve the final say-so. Ashe, what would

"We can use the Redax, as

is mouth tight, his

e're dealing with human beings-selected volunteer

past! Tell me, Dr. Ashe, were you always so thoughtful of your men when you sent agents back into time? And certainly a

out the use of Redax-what it does

ll receive all nece

he would have spoken again,

final decisions. Waldour has already sent in his report ab

"That is correct, Colonel. In the meantime I would suggest we all check to see what can be

He had a feeling that matters were slipping out of his control, that he was about to face a crisis which was somehow worse than just a

and Kelgarries, a step or so in advance,

re tied." His words were slurred, al

ithin the hour Ashe felt as if he had taken a step only to

ing through-now. If they've had eighteen months, or even twelve...!" The colonel's f

uthven will win the

to ears closed to anything but what they want to hear. A

ld mean a total disregard of those controls. Snapping a party of men and women back into

rograde from the start, and we'

d our percentage of failures. But to try this-returning people not physically into time, but mentally and emotionally into prototypes of their ancestors-that's something else again. The Apaches have volunteered, and

-they might revert utterly, have n

ll awakening of racial memories, no. The two branches of conditi

I'm certain Ruthven will be able to push th

and the rest. They must be

e done." The colonel did n

hear him telling the

whether

frowned at the colone

risk involved. Three teams of recruits-the Eskimos from Point Barren, the Apaches, and the Islanders-all picked because their people had a high survival rating in the past, to be colonists on widely different types of planets.

directly to

d. "All right. You

ve such an eff

want to beat Ruthven. He's probably on a straight line now to St

yndicates; public opi

course." Kelgarries was

threaten a silence break was near blasphemy here. He ran both hands down

e dull. "I guess I don't. I'll con

t we can to speed up the program as it now stands. I

asked with a tra

to him personally-put it to him straight. He'll have to have all the facts if he's going to counter any move from Stanton befor

as alert and eager. The colonel, seein

l and seeing nothing but the pictures produced by his thoughts. Then he pressed a button and read off the symbols which flashed on a small visa-screen set in his desk. Another button pushed, an

are to go to the Hypno-Lab instea

and this one would last three hours. Ashe could not possibly see the trainees before he left for

the means. They must use every method and man under their control to make sure that Topaz would remain a western possession, even though that strange planet now swung far beyond the sky which covered both the western and eastern alliances on Terr

now until the transport ship landed on that other world which appeared on the direction t