Buck Roger XXVC #00.5 Arrival

by M S Murdock

  “Yes, you seem a little green. Your uncle didn’t brief you.” Egon smiled and winked. “Had his reasons, no doubt.” “Can you tell me what he left out? Why have the Vitessans kidnapped me? And what do the Dancers have to do with it. ” Egon stood up and swirled his cloak around his shoulders. With practiced oratorical skill, he declaimed, “To understand politics here, you must know about the Maccabbee Caverns. There’s no other area on Mercury like them. They slope deep into Mercury, and were the best place on the planet in which to found a city.

  “Originally, one group won the contract. Illiad Organizers provided the first settlers, set up the political structure, and contracted to put in the actual city. They were granted the territorial rights to the Maccabbee Caverns. Work began. But soon enough, there was trouble.

  “Within weeks of contracts being let and work begun, two factions vied for political control. The founding charter provided for almost everything except a clear-cut way to settle internecine disputes.

  “With opinion divided almost in half, Illiad split into two entities. They agreed to share all assets and to expand respectively into the north and south branches of the cavern system. Thus were born Kallag and Vitesse.

  “Little was known of the caverns, and at first there was no way to say which was better. But soon it became apparent that Kallag had the richer territory. Many important ore and chemical deposits were found even at the beginning. Spurred by the richness of the finds, off-planet people came to Kallag to settle and mine the caves, to raise families and increase the population. Vitesse lagged behind and risked falling under political control of its neighbor. But a balance of sorts was maintained . . . until recently, when the Dancers’ status became an issue.” “But what has that to do with me?” Kemal asked.

  "Why were you sent to Kallag.”

  “'To sign a treaty between Kallag and Mercury Prime.”

  “There’s your answer. The Sun King has finally come to terms with Kallag over the Dancers, granting their political control to Kallag, which has been claiming them for a long time. Vitesse, seeking to prevent this, has supported the Dancers and now has kidnapped you with Dancer assistance.”

  “My being in a cell in Vitesse won’t stop Gordon himself or one of his sons from signing the treaty.”

  “Won’t it?” Egon asked. “I see your uncle didn’t brief you on your own position in this.”

  “How could I have a position? I’m newly arrived from Mars.”

  Egon cocked his head to one side, listening intently. Kemal heard it, too: the sound of footsteps in the corridor outside the cell.

  Egon said to Kemal, “I think you may have your questions answered by someone more knowledgeable than I.”

  The door opened, and a guard walked in. He was pushed out of the way by Duernie, moving impatiently from behind him.

  “This is not correct!” she stormed at Zac, who followed behind her. “You cannot put our representative in a cell, like a common criminal. This is an insult to the Dancers!”

  Kemal at first thought she was talking about Egon, but as Duernie approached the prince and helped him to stand, he realized that she meant him!

  “It was all a mistake,” Zac said. “I told them to take him to the hospital, not to the cell.” To Kemal he said, “I apologize most abjectly, Your Highness. Permit me to escort you to the apartments that have been prepared for your stay.”

  “I do not intend to stay!” Kemal shouted, growing more and more confused and less and less inclined to accept Vitessan hospitality.

  “As to that, let us go elsewhere and discuss it.”

  Kemal paused. “Why have you imprisoned this man?” he asked, indicating Egon. “The Musicians have always been allowed free passage among Mercury’s arcologies.”

  “Things have changed since King Ossip’s time," Zac said. “But it is of little concern. As a courtesy to you, I will have him released. Guard, see to it! Now let me escort you myself.”

  Kemal nodded in thanks to Egon, then allowed himself to be led out of the cell. Duernie was already several strides ahead of him and Zac. Still angry. Was she ever anything but angry? Kemal wondered. Did she ever smile? And what did she mean, when she

  called him the representative of the Dancers?

  Chapter 10

  Zac regained his lead, led Kemal and Duernie from the prison, and escorted them into a bubble-topped electric car. He punched in a destination, and the car piloted itself along the monorails that connected all parts of Vitesse.

  The Warren city looked unlike any Kemal had seen on Mars. It was a three-dimensional structure linked together at all levels by the monorails and elevator systems. Vast pillars rose hundreds of meters into the air, providing a superstructure. The entire city reflected overhead lighting. Zac explained that the lighting was set up to present a circadian rhythm based on Earth’s. Artificial clouds diffused the lighting effects and reduced glare. Wind also was simulated. At the city’s center was Central Pond, an artificial lake that provided boating, swimming, even fishing. Sunset and sunrise effects were also created.

  The city itself was handsomely laid out, with a good mixture of buildings intercut with hydroponic gap den areas, in which Vitesse grew a significant portion its own food. There was even some well-landscaped forest land.

  One thing that could not be disguised was a low, continuous vibration that accompanied the three passengers wherever they went. It was the sound of the city on the move, inching its way deeper under» ground, extending itself into the cave system. The industrial-sized air makers and air conditioners, too, created a continuous background hum and vibration. The soil temperature outside the city was constant, at about 300 degrees Fahrenheit, hot but manageable for the city’s life-maintaining machinery. In the center of Vitesse, Kemal saw crowds in bars and saloons, coffeehouses and public squares. Many people had an absentminded air. They seemed to be listening to the sound of the city’s engines, for on their changing tones rode the hopes and fears of the city. There was an air of anxiety that was almost palpable, and Kemal had the impression that the city was on the verge of an explosion.

  The electric car stopped, and Zac and Duernie brought Kemal through a doorway to a walled garden. Kemal found it hard to believe that he was underground in a cramped and, to believe Egon, desperate city.

  Certainly there was spaciousness and amenity here. There was a little brook, the water limpid over smooth pebbles, the whole suffused with autumnal green. And over there, the little wooden bridge (its wood imported from Earth at great expense) looked bucolic and inadvertent. Just the place for lovers, Kemal thought, or solitary walkers-or prisoners, perhaps.

  Zac brought Kemal through the garden to a suite of well-appointed rooms, rather ornate, with overstuffed sofas and high-backed chairs.

  “These are yours during your stay with us,” Zac said. “Consider this a hotel of the highest caliber. There is a menu on the dresser over there. Full laundry service. There’s a computer terminal from which you can call for all services. Perhaps you would like a rest. You and I and Duernie can dine together later and discuss everything.”

  “You were going to explain matters to me,” Kemal Said. “I still don’t understand why I have been detained.”

  “My boy, it’s simple.” Zac smiled as much as Duernie did not. “Your uncle’s proposed treaty with Kallag is not acceptable to Vitesse. You see, it cedes political control of the Dancers to Kallag. And that we cannot allow, eh, Duernie?”

  Duernie didn’t answer, but her face looked, if possible, even angrier than usual.

  Kemal asked, “Do you really believe that kidnapping me will stop my uncle from signing any treaty he wants to sign?”

  “Oh, yes,” Zac said, “I think it will. For a while, at least. No treaty can legally be made respecting the Dancers without the signature and approval of their representative. That will be difficult to get, as long as we hold him here.”

  “I’m their representative?”

  “That’s right.”

/>   “You must have me mixed up with someone else.”

  “Not at all. Gordon was really trying to sneak one past everybody, wasn’t he? He neglected to tell even you that you are the legitimate representative of the Dancers. It is an honor you inherited directly from your father, Ossip, who was their great champion."

  Kemal stared at him, trying to retain his composure. He had just received the one part of his father’s heritage that he hadn’t expected, or wanted: an obligation.

  Chapter 11

  “Why do you always look so angry?” asked Kemal, as Duernie peered out the window at the passing crowds. They were in a small, private club off Vitesse’s main concourse. Zac had asked Kemal to meet him there, and, not wanting to try an escape before he knew more, Kemal obliged. Arriving, he had found Duernie, sitting at a table by the window. He had gone over and joined her.

  She turned back to him. “The freedom of my people is at issue hens. That is not something to smile about.”

  “No, but it’s no reason to constantly frown, either.”

  She frowned. “That is easy for you to say. You have no commitments.”

  “How do you know that?” Kemal demanded.

  “Because I know about you. You were brought up in military schools on Mars. You’ve come here now to sign away our freedoms.”

  “Duernie, I’ve told you, I was deceived by Gordon. He didn’t tell me the issues. I’ll make up my own mind before I sign anything.”

  “You’re a Gavilan. You’ll do what they tell you.”

  "I’m Ossip’s son,” Kemal said. “I’ll do what I think is right.”

  She seemed to weigh his words. “How can you know what is right for the Dancers, when you’ve never seen how we live?”

  “You can tell me about it.”

  “Yes.” Her expression was scornful. “I suppose that will have to suffice.”

  Zac came in then, looking very pleased with himself. He sat down at their table.

  “Well, Kemali’ he said, “I hope you have not had too bad a time with us in Vitesse.” “You have been hospitable enough,” he conceded reluctantly.

  “I hope you will tell that to the Sun King,” Zac replied, ignoring the prince’s tone.

  “Oh, am I going to see Gordon again sometime soon.” His tone had turned sarcastic.

  “Yes, quite soon, in fact. We of Vitesse have come to an accommodation with Mercury Prime? ’ Duernie looked surprised. “What accommodation?”

  “My dear,” Zac said, “Vitesse and the Dancers have been allies for many years in our struggle against the forces of Kallag and Mercury Prime. We of Vitesse are grateful and will never forget our obligations toward your people. Nevertheless, politics being what they are, we have found it expedient to make a treaty with the Sun King, in order to preserve the rights and privileges of all. This treaty includes valuable tax concessions for your people.”

  “Zac!” Duernie was alarmed. “Have you abandoned the cause of Dancer independence?”

  “Not at all!” Zac cried. “Oh, we must make temporary concessions, that can’t be helped, but we will continue to use our best efforts toward eventual Dancer independence.”

  “But they are independent now!” Kemal said.

  “No, I’m afraid not,” Zac said. “But the new treaty is a step in the right direction. Trust me, Duernie. It will be all right in the long run.” He turned to Kemal. “We will repatriate you to Mercury Prime within the next few hours. You can sign the treaty, and all will be well.” He smiled. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Gordon knew about Duernie all along, and permitted her to kidnap you in order to put pressure on Kallag. Such subtlety would be in keeping with his nature."

  “It would be very much like my uncle,” Kemal agreed.

  “I must take leave of you. Duernie, do not think too badly of Vitesse. Be assured of our goodwill.” Zac left in a flutter of smiles.

  As they watched Zac go, Kemal said to Duernie, “Do you still have that scout ship?”

  “No. It has been returned to the Vitesse fleet. Why?”

  “Is there any other way we can get out of here?” he asked, looking over his shoulder.

  “Yes.” Duernie said. “I have my own flivver here.”

  Kernel knew from his pilot training at the academy that a flivver was a Mercurian land vehicle. “Can we get away from here in it?”

  “Yes. I think so. But it won’t be easy.”

  “Let’s give it a try,” Kemal said, getting up to go.

  “You’re sure you want to do this?” she asked, laying a hand on his arm to stop him.

  “You said yourself I ought to see the Dancers’ life before selling out their liberties.” Duernie nodded, and they made their way from the lounge.

  Chapter 12

  The flivver was parked in one of the storage sheds on Vitesse‘s lowest level. It was about thirty meters long by twenty wide, and it sat on high, fat, balloon tires. The two-person driver's cab was topped by a bulbous plastic dome that gave 360-degree visibility. No streamlining was required on Mercury's airless surface. The vehicle slightly resembled pictures Kemal had seen in military classes of the ironclad Monitor, the “cheesebox on a raft” that had spelled the end to the age of sail during Earth's American Civil War.

  Duernie put her wrist to the door panel, which read her body signature and opened. She and Kemal got into the cab. The instrument panel wrapped around the sides of the cab and was completely covered with dials, gauges, switches, and readout devices. The instruments glowed with a pale, nonradioactive luminescence. The back of the vehicle was equipped with living quarters. Duernie found two pressure suits and gave one to Kernel. They suited up, leaving their helmets open, and breathed the slightly chemical-smelling air from the flivver’s air supplies.

  “What do you want me to do " Kernel asked, unconsciously whispering.

  “Can you operate a stennis gun?”

  “No problem.”

  She tapped the gun’s controls with one finger. “I don’t think we want anyone to stop us.”

  “No.”

  Kernel checked out the gun and its range tinder system, while Duernie fired up the flivver’s huge engine. It coughed softly into life, hesitated for a few moments, then settled into a regular rhythm.

  “Ready?" she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m going to take you to Eben Mulhouse, leader of the Dancers. He can explain our position better than anyone."

  “Let's go,” Kernel said.

  Duernie engaged the drive gears and turned on the headlights and running lights. The flivver crept slowly down the storage facility’s middle aisle.

  Chapter 13

  They got out of the storage facility and down a kilometer-long corridor to the main concourse. Then Duernie was able to turn off and take a branch that led to the city’s outskirts. They were at the periphery, where the spur access road connected through a gasketed exit port in the bare rock of Maccabbee Cavern, before they were challenged at a police checkpoint. The flivver was many times larger than the largest vehicle normally used within Vitesse. A police sergeant called for them to stop.

  “Orders from Holton Zac, ” Duernie told him. “I am to take the Gavilan prince to a rendezvous with his people.”

  “I have received no such instructions.”

  “Check with your superiors. The order was out less than an hour ago.”

  “Park until I can give you clearance?

  “Like hell,” Duernie said. “I’m under orders to proceed. If you want me, you won’t have any trouble finding me.”

  She kept on going. The police sergeant didn’t like it, but he didn’t have orders to fire at them. They left him frantically stabbing his telephone console, trying to find instructions.

  Once outside the city, the flivver quickly traversed the tunnels and came to the rocky plain that sloped upward to the entrance of the Maccabbee Caverns, and Duernie was able to increase speed. Far ahead of them Kemal could make out a line of brilliant sunlight. Duernie
told him it marked the entrance to the Maccabbee Caverns. The radio crackled, and a loud, officious-sounding voice ordered them to stop. At the same time, Kemal could see, in the rearview mirrors, the running lights of three police vehicles in pursuit.

  Duernie radioed to them, “I’m under official orders to take the Gavilan prince to his people.”

  “Like hell you are,” came Holton Zac’s voice on the radio. “I give the orders here. You are to stop at once and return to Vitesse.”

  Duernie said, “The Dancers are not yours to command.”

  “But they are; ’Zac replied. “We have come to an agreement with Kallag and Mercury Prime.”

  “But not with the Dancers!”

  “Duernie!” Zac said. “Don’t be foolish. You are taking the prince away from his own people. There will be severe punishment! It will go hard with the Dancers if you don’t return him at once.”

  Kemal took the microphone. “This is Kemal Gavilan. I have decided to make a tour of Dancer civilization. Stop hindering me. Tell my uncle that I need to see the morale whose rights I am to dispose of.”

  Duernie looked at him, alarmed. “You would still give away our rights.”

  Kemal put his hand over the microphone. “I had to tell them something. Now, get going.”

  She nodded, but the expression in her pale eyes was less than trusting. Checking the rearview, she could see the pursuing vehicles gaining on them.

  Chapter 14