The Dark Lady

and 79 percent nitrogen, and our gravity is .932 Deluros VIII Standard. Will either of these conditions present a health hazard?”
    “Not to me,” replied Heath. “Are there any trace elements that would prove harmful to a Bjornn?”
    There was a brief pause.
    “Have you any members of an alien race aboard your ship?”
    “Yes.”
    “Please inform them that they are not allowed to disembark.”
    “That doesn't make any sense,” protested Heath. “My business associate is a member of the Bjornn race from Benitarus II. If you'll check your records, you'll find that Benitarus has a Most Favored Planet trading status with the worlds of the Oligarchy, and has always enjoyed cordial relations with the race of Man.”
    “Under no circumstance is any alien permitted to set foot on Saltmarsh. There are no exceptions.”
    “May I speak to your superior, please?” requested Heath.
    He spoke to the woman's department head, and to the Immigration Bureau, and to the minuscule Department of Alien Affairs, but after half an hour it was obvious that the government of Saltmarsh was unwilling to make any exceptions in its racial policy.
    Finally Heath turned to me.
    “That's it, Leonardo. I can't go any higher unless they let me speak to the governor, and we know what his answer will be.”
    “I agree, Friend Valentine,” I replied.
    “Well,” he continued, “do I go looking for Kobrynski alone, or do we leave? It's up to you.”
    “I must find the Dark Lady,” I said. “You will have to go alone.”
    “All right,” he said. “What if I find Kobrynski and she's not there?”
    “Then you must wait for her.”
    “For how long— a day, a week, a year? At what point do we conclude that you were mistaken about her next consort?”
    “Sooner or later she will join him, and I will see her again,” I said confidently.
    “Unless what you think was a vision was actually a meaningless dream.”
    “If that is what you believe, why did you take me here?” I asked.
    “Because it's halfway across the galaxy from Far London,” he replied. “And if you've guessed right, there's a small fortune to be made if I can keep her from disappearing.” He paused. “But don't forget that my ship's registration number is now in the Saltmarsh computer, and that we're still wanted by the police. Every hour we remain here gives them that much more time to find us.”
    “I know— but I must find out if she is who I hope she is.”
    “All right,” said Heath. “I just want to be sure that you understand the precariousness of our present situation.” He paused and sighed. “The first step is to find Kobrynski. If she's with him, I'll come back here and we'll plan our next step; if she's not, maybe I can convince him to come back to the ship with me and let you explain the situation to him. It'll be a lot easier than trying to smuggle you onto the planet.”
    “You will not be able to convince him to do anything against his will,” I said.
    “I can be pretty persuasive,” said Heath.
    “If he were a man who could be persuaded, she would have no interest in him.”
    “We'll see,” replied Heath skeptically. He activated his radio again and contacted the spaceport. “This is Valentine Heath. Your conditions for landing are understood, and we shall abide by them.”
    “Very well, Pablo Picasso : You are cleared for landing. I have just fed the coordinates into your ship's computer.”
    “Thank you,” said Heath.
    Twenty minutes later we touched down, and he left the ship while a pair of armed guards took up positions just outside the hatch, presumably to stop me from polluting Saltmarsh's soil by stepping on it.
    I watched Heath until he disappeared from view, then activated the computer and began writing.
    To the Dark Lady:
    I do not know how to address you, nor even how to deliver this letter into your hands, but my Pattern Mother has disowned me and Tai Chong has manipulated me into becoming a criminal, and of all the females I know, only you are left to provide me with ethical guidance.
    And yet, if you are truly the Mother of All Things, you not only know of my shame and dishonor, but have yourself authored them in the Book of Fate for reasons that I cannot fathom.
    I do not know why you visited me, or what you want from me. I have been taught to honor the House and the Family, and yet the House has cast me out and the Family is forbidden to speak my name. I have been taught to obey the law, and yet I am now a