'I know.'
'Do you know the ghosts took young Dan Engers?'
Delray sank his head into his hands.'No... not the boy.'
"That's right.The one who thinks you're a real hero -'
'Shut up!'
'You can't shut me up. You're stuck with me for ever.' There was a suspicion of a bitter chuckle. 'Maybe longer.'
'What about Lyset?' he asked desperately.
'Maybe it's too late for her as well.That depends on you.'
'What do you mean?'
'Look on the bed.'The voice was suddenly leaden.
'What?'
'Just do it.'
He walked stiffly through to the bedroom. He knew there was something terrible there, but he also knew he had no choice When he saw what it was, all the guilt and anguish within him was released in a cry of utter despair.
Chapter 26
Command Decision
'Commander Vega,' the Moderator they called the Doctor said, his earnest face filling the screen,'you have demonstrated your common humanity by coming to the aid of the Cirrandaria . Now follow that impulse through to its logical conclusion. Very soon we shall be taking a shuttle into the hyperspatial corridor that has been opened through the centre of the alien vessel. If you have managed to modify a shuttle of your own, will you come with us? If we can pass through successfully it should allow access to the far side of the interface where your lost men may very well have been taken. If any have survived you may be able to rescue them.
'We shall transmit a schematic diagram of a relatively simple device called a normalises which can be used to alter the phase state of the creatures we have called "ghosts". It does them no permanent harm but it does make them more vulnerable to conventional weapons and even physical attack. If you can replicate these devices you will be as well protected as we ourselves.'
Fayle said, 'You simply want the protection of our superior fire power to help you recover your own people.'
'Your superior fire power is useless without the device I have mentioned,'
the Doctor pointed out. "The logic of organising a joint mission is inescapable.'
'When our fleet arrives -' Fayle retorted.
'You will lose even more brave lives in a futile effort to fight something you do not understand,' the Doctor interrupted. 'Please believe what I am telling you. Try to think beyond the prejudices which have shaped your lives for so long.This is not a prize for either you or the Emindians.'
Vega had to admit there was something compelling in his words. But the thought of a joint venture with the Emindians was disturbing to say the least. 'I will consider your proposal, Doctor. You shall have my answer in one hour.'
The Doctor smiled warmly. 'Thank you, Commander.' His image was replaced by the circuit diagram of the normaliser, which Vega had relayed to the engineering department. Then he
turned to Fayle.
'Well, do we join with the Emindians on this? We haven't much time to decide. Our own instruments show that the discontinuity within the alien ship is slowly decaying.'
'The Moderator is very persuasive and silver-tongued, Commander,' Fayle said. 'He may even be sincere. But I cannot trust any arrangement in which Rexton is concerned. Has the Moderator succeeded in purging him of his "prejudices"? I think not.'
'No. But will we let our pride prevent us from recovering our lost men?'
'As soon as the second shuttle is ready we can go ourselves.'
'But that would mean going without the Doctor's support. I feel he is a man with uses. Perhaps I should have been more open with him earlier.'
'If you mean about the attempted alien infiltration we suffered, it would have been a sign of weakness to have admitted it, Commander.'
'So, unwarned, they were infiltrated in turn and we had to put our ship at some small risk to rescue them. Innocent lives were lost unnecessarily. Is it surprising that I feel a certain responsibility?'
'You have shown the Emindians every leniency in the circumstances.'
'Do you think I have been too accommodating, Mr Fayle?'
Fayle's face set.'It would not be my place to say, Commander, unless I believed your actions directly endangered the success of the mission or the safety of the ship.'
'Do you doubt my competence... or loyalty?'
'No, Commander. I only say that, if the choice had been mine, I would have pursued a different course of action. I know where my duty lies.'
'Yes, we both want what is best for Nimos. In the end it comes down to making the right choice.' He looked at a monitor which showed the live image of the alien ship.'But what is the right choice where that thing is concerned? I have a bad feeling about it. If we win it for Nimos, will history praise or curse us?'
There was a diffident knock on the cabin door.
'Enter,'said Vega.
Rask Chen came in. He looked acutely embarrassed but determined. He stood before them stiffly 'I request special permission to send a hyperwave message to my brother, sir,' he said.
'Your brother,' said Vega.'He's on the Starfire , isn't he?'
'Yes, sir.'
"The ship is on active duty in a potential danger zone, Lieutenant,' Fayle reminded him. 'Channels are kept clear for official traffic only.'
'I have checked the relevant regulations, sir. Personal correspondence may be sent in cases of special need at the Commander's discretion.'
'Oh,' said Vega.'And what is your special need, Lieutenant?'
'I am... concerned about my brother's health, sir.'
'Is he ill, then?'
'Not that I know of, sir.'
"Then what are you talking about?'
Chen's expression became more intense.'I am just... worried about him, sir.'
'Do you mean some sort of intuition?' Fayle asked. 'Have you suddenly developed second sight?'
Fayle glowered at the young officer, his look saying more eloquently than words what he thought about his troubling them with such nonsense at a time like this. But Chen stood firm.
'I don't believe so, sir. I just have a strong feeling he may have suffered some sort of injury.'
Vega considered the young man for a long moment.
'Is your concern interfering with your work, Lieutenant?'
Chen hesitated.'It is a distraction at times, sir,' he admitted.
"Then in the interests of crew efficiency I will permit the call. Just keep your message short, understand?'
'Yes, sir.Thank you, sir.'
Vega passed on the authorisation to the communications room and watched Chen depart with a smile. Fayle however was frowning.
'You think I'm being overindulgent again?'Vega asked.
'I think the crew are letting their imaginations get the better of them. This uncertainty is not good for morale. We need to take the initiative.'
'I intend to do just that, Mr Fayle. I think I will take up the Doctor's offer. You will have command of the ship while I'm gone.' 'You mean to lead the mission personally, Commander?' 'Does that trouble you, Mr Fayle? Do you feel unequal to your part?' The question caught Fayle by surprise. 'No, Commander, of course not,'he said quickly.'But -'
'No buts. I am accompanying the expedition. I want to learn the truth.
According to the Doctor that vessel creates a tunnel through hyperspace.That would make it a very valuable device, but is it the miracle it sounds? Is that what Rexton is after, or is there something else?
Whatever the thing is that has cost so many good lives, I want to be sure it has been worth the sacrifice.'
Before the hour was up two hyperspace messages were received by the Indomitable . One was a personal response to Rask Chen, simply assuring him that his brother was perfectly well. The second, in code to Vega, gave details of the ships that were on their way to support his position. Due to refitting delays on the Starburst it had been replaced at the last minute by its sister vessel, Starfire .
Chapter 27
Garden of the Lost
Lyset could have
simply walked away from Sho after the army of winged ghosts had passed into the tunnel. But pity for the wretched man held her back.
After firing up at the grey horde until the power pack of his gun was exhausted, Sho had scrabbled his way into a fold in the rocks and curled up in a ball like a frightened child. If the ghosts noticed his volley of wild shots they did not respond to them. Presumably they had more important business elsewhere. In a minute the last of them vanished and it seemed that they were alone in the vast cavern once again.
Lyset cautiously edged over to Sho and tried to rouse him but he simply curled up tighter. He was obviously in shock, perhaps unable to face his own fear. It was painful to see even a Nimosian soldier reduced to such a state.
She sat beside him, keeping watch for any new danger while trying to work out what to do next. In the light gravity she could possibly have carried him some distance, but which way? Their suit oxygen wouldn't last for ever.
They would have to return to the alien ship if they couldn't find a breathable atmosphere elsewhere on this lump of rock. Unless there was an artificial supply somewhere she was doubtful of their chances. From its gravity she suspected the place was a minor asteroid, so there was no possibility of its having a natural biosphere. Did any of those tunnels dotting the cliffs about her lead to pressurised chambers? If they did, was the air breathable? And who controlled this place anyway - the ghosts or some other force?
She was not sure how long she sat there, but she was suddenly roused from her deliberations by Sho. He got to his feet, pulling her up beside him, and touched helmets.
'Now we shall reconnoitre the enemy base,' he told her.
She gaped at him in amazement. Not a word about his collapse. No questions or excuses. She saw him look at the power warning light blinking on his gun with evident surprise, and mechanically replace the battery with a fresh one from his backpack. He doesn't know it happened, she thought.
He's denying it even to himself.
They set off along the levelled track that ran across the cavern floor to the nearest of the dark openings, a slight flick of the toes being enough to carry them forward in the fractional gravity. The mouth of the tunnel was four metres across, its rough edges trimmed smoothly back in places. Perhaps it had originally been a natural volcanic vent modified to suit other needs.
The rim and mounting of a heavy circular blast door had been fitted to it.
But the door itself now stood flung wide, twisted and ripped almost in half as though by an explosion. The tunnel beyond was dimly illuminated by widely spaced red emergency bulbs set in its ceiling, but otherwise it was totally bare.
As they started down it, Lyset took one last look back at the cavern and the alien ship. What she saw made her grab Sho's arm and shout, 'Run!'
The ghostly horde was pouring back out of the interdimensional corridor. At least Sho did not try any futile heroics this time. He ran with her.
So it was that neither of them saw the craft carrying Sam drop clear of the returning swarm and smash into the cavern wall.
***
Sam came to feeling desperately sick and dizzy, automatically feeling her suit and helmet for any sign of damage before she was fully awake. But all seemed intact. She was on the Dreamstone Moon. She was -
She blinked and forced her eyes back into focus.Where the hell was this?
She couldn't have been unconscious for more than a few seconds, she realised, because above her the last of the ghosts were disappearing into the cave mouths, caught in the soft red light of the hyperspace tunnel. And one of them, she realised, was carrying a
flgure much smaller than the others.
Could it be Dan Engers?
The pair vanished into a tunnel only a couple of hundred metres from where she lay even as she wriggled out of the cold windings of the warriors'
net. She still had the normaliser in her hand. Pushing herself upright, thankful for the low gravity, she tottered unsteadily after them.
***
They had run several hundred metres and taken three side turnings before Sho signalled a halt. Lyset looked anxiously back the way they had come, but there was no sign of pursuit.
Cautiously she felt the side of her helmet. She had grazed it against the side of the tunnel when she had bounded too high in the low gravity. As she did so she became aware of a low hissing over her earphones. The impact must have thrown the external switch of her suit radio. But where was the crackle from the alien ship? She tapped the side of her helmet until Sho understood and switched his own set on.
'We must be insulated from the interference effect by separation and the intervening rock; he said tersely, when they had established communications. 'But you will maintain radio silence. Others may hear us.
Reduce your signal strength to minimum.'
They tramped on, Sho scouting each corner and intersection before they turned it. At the fifth of these he stiffened as though in surprise. Lyset peered curiously over his shoulder.
There was a feebly glowing sign mounted over an alcove halfway along the next stretch of tunnel. It was a very familiar symbol to anyone who had worked in spacesuits for any length of time: a yellow cube with a large O2
displayed on each face.
Within the alcove was a rack containing oxygen canisters, suit batteries, water reservoir refills and squeeze-tube helmet rations.There were a few gaps in the racks and a thin film of dust over everything.
'This is one of your bases,' Sho growled, examining the items.
"This is standard over half the sector,' Lyset retorted.'They'll fit your suit as well as mine.'
'These are not Nimosian brand names,' he said, waving a squeeze-tube in her face.
'So it's an old supply dump.This could have been here for years... look.'She picked up one of the oxygen canisters. "The seal's intact but the gauge reads three-quarters.The rest must have leaked out... and this one's only two-thirds full...' Frowning, she checked the row of batteries. 'None show full charge. This stuff really has been here for years.' She looked about her uncomfortably.'Nobody would neglect a service point like this, unless...
Where are all the people? Are the ghosts the only ones left?'
'All I know is this is not a Nimosian installation,' Sho said. 'I shall attempt to ascertain its location,' he added, as though quoting a phrase from an instruction book. "The High Command will be interested to learn of -' 'What was that?' Lyset said.
It was a whisper like the wind through the branches of a tree, rising and falling but never quite dying away. Except that here there was no wind, and the only sounds were coming over her helmet radio. It grew stronger and resolved into separate voices that were too indistinct to understand. But the tones were clear enough. There was wild excited jabbering, plaintive wails, a desperate pleading. None of it sounded sane. 'It's the ghosts,' she said.
A sudden itching down her spine made her spin round, even as three nebulous forms appeared round the corner and moved towards them. Lyset turned to run, only to find two more ghosts blocking the tunnel in the other direction. They were trapped.
***
Sam stumbled desperately on, just keeping the grey wraith and its burden in sight.
A desperate initial dash had brought her within sight of it before it had vanished in the maze of tunnels. Now she wondered whether, if she could get close enough, she should risk a shot with the normaliser. Would the ghost harm Dan in response, or could it be chased away? The trouble was she had no other weapons to take advantage of any weakness the normaliser might induce. Could she use the device on the negative setting and push the ghost so far out of phase that it could no longer physically hold Dan? But it might drain more 'reality' from him as it did so. How much life was there in a small boy?
The tunnels seemed endless and Sam began to worry about finding her way back. The one certainty she clung to was that the Doctor would not abandon her. If he still thought there was a chance that she was alive he would come looking. The question was, co
uld she stay alive until he found her?
A dimly lit cavern, perhaps a hundred metres wide, opened before her. The wraith sped quickly across it while Sam held back for a moment, fearing she might be seen in the open.The floor was dotted with curious plants.
They had slender stalks and bulbous heads, like lost funfair balloons trailing the ends of their strings on the ground. They were pinky grey and so pallid that they almost seemed translucent...
She looked again more closely, then recoiled violently with a choking cry of fear and disgust.
They were not plants, but caricatures of child-sized people curled up into balls and enclosed in transparent membranes, eyes tightly shut in perfect, tiny, expressionless faces. They were tethered, or rooted, to the ground by what she now saw were trailing umbilical cords. All were perfectly still and silent; whether dead or merely resting she could not tell.
Sam turned her eyes away from the dreadful things and fought down the reflex to vomit. She had no idea how they got here or what they meant, only that the ghosts seemed suddenly almost wholesome by comparison.Yet she had to pass between them to continue.
Crossing through the terrible forest was a nightmare that would long haunt her. She was terrified that she might touch one of its macabre inhabitants.
She felt the despair of living death all around her. All she could do was fix her eyes on the dark opening on the far side through which the ghost had passed, and edge her way forward. If any of the grotesque things around her had stirred as she passed, she knew she would turn and run.
Sick with relief, she reached the far side and sprinted into the next tunnel, hoping the ghost carrying Dan had not got too far ahead.
Around a corner she came upon a translucent, blue, shimmering curtain emanating from a continuous emitter strip cut into the rock and stretching across the width of the corridor. A pressure curtain. Well, at least that was understandable technology. She pushed through it, feeling the resistance of the air on the other side. A few metres on was another curtain and another, each holding back a little more air than the previous one.
Vanderdeken's Children Page 19
