Free The Celestial Blueprint and Others Stories by Philip José Farmer

floated. Then they uncrated the lead-leaf-lined bags filled with stolen geese and emptied them into the nutrient fluid. According to Mapfarity’s calculations, the radio-activity from the silicon-carbon geese should kill the big Skin within a few days. When a new one was grown, that, too, would die. Unless the Amphib guessed what was wrong and located the geese on the bottom of the ten-foot deep tank, they would not be able to stop the process. That did not seem likely.
    In either case, it was necessary that the Master Skin be put out of temporary commission, at least, so the Amphibs over the Kingdom could have a fighting chance. Mapfarity plunged a hollow harpoon into the isle of floating protoplasm and through a tube connected to that poured into the Skin three gallons of the dream-snake venom. That was enough to knock it out for an hour or two. Meanwhile, if the Amphibs had any sense at all, they’d have rid themselves of their extraderms.
    They left the lab and entered the west wing. As they trotted up the long winding corridors Lusine said, “Jean-Jacques, what do you plan on doing now? Will you try to make yourself King of the Terrans and fight us Amphib-changelings?” When he said nothing, she went on. “Why don’t you kill the Amphib-changeling King and take over here? I could help you do that. You could then have all of L’Bawpfey in your power.”
    He shot her a look of contempt and cried, “Lusine, can't you get it through that thick little head of yours that everything I’ve done has been done so that I can win one goal: reach the Flying Stars? If I can get the Earthman to his ship I’ll leave with him and not set foot again for years on this planet. Maybe never again.”
    She looked stricken. “But what about the war here?” she asked.
    “There are a few men among the Landfolk who are capable of leading in wartime. It will take strong men, and there are very few like me, I admit, but—oh, oh, oppositionl” He broke off at sight of the six guards who stood before the Earthman’s suite.
    Lusine helped, and within a minute they had slain three and chased away the others. Then they burst through the door—and Rastignac received another shock.
    The occupant of the apartment was a tiny and exquisitely formed redhead with large blue eyes and very unmasculine curves!
    “I thought you said Earthman?” protested Rastignac to the Giant who came lumbering along behind them.
    “Oh, I used that in the generic sense,” Mapfarity replied. "You didn’t expect me to pay any attention to sex, did you? I’m not interested in the gender of you Humans, you know.”
    There was no time for reproach. Rastignac tried to explain lo the Earthwoman who he was, but she did not understand liim. However, she did seem to catch on to what he wanted and seemed reassured by his gestures. She picked up a large book from a table and, hugging it to her small, high, and rounded bosom, went with him out the door.
    They raced from the palace and descended onto the square. Here, they found the surviving Amphibs clustered into a solid phalanx and fighting, bloody step by step, towards the street that led to the harbor.
    Rastignac’s little group skirted the battle and started down the steep avenue toward the harbor. Halfway down, he
    glanced back and saw that nobody as yet was paying an; attention to them. Nor was there anybody on the street t both them, though the pavement was strewn with Skins am bodies. Apparently, those who’d lived through the firs savage mel£e had gone to the square.
    They ran onto the wharf. The Earthwoman motioned t< Rastignac that she knew how to open the spaceship, but th Amphibs didn’t. Moreover, if they did get in, they wouldn know how to operate it. She had the directions for so doinj in the book hugged so desperately to her chest. Rastigna surmised she hadn’t told the Amphibs about that. Appar ently they hadn’t, as yet, tried to torture the informatioi from her.
    Therefore, her telling him about