Drifter

by William C. Dietz

  The man extended his hand and Lando took it. Wendy performed the introductions.

  "Pik Lando, I'd like you to meet my father, Blopar Wendeen. Father, this is Pik Lando."

  Lando found tremendous strength in the other man's hand. A hand heavily scarred by endless hours spent repairing machinery, and callused by hard physical labor.

  "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

  Wendeen nodded pleasantly, but his eyes were like lasers, cutting through the surface to see within.

  "The pleasure is mutual, Citizen Lando," Blopar Wendeen replied gravely. "I look forward to giving you a proper welcome and hearing of your adventures. Unfortunately, Wendy informs me that there are other, more pressing matters to deal with first."

  "Look!" a little boy yelled. "The corpos are coming!"

  Lando turned in the direction of the boy's pointing finger and saw that he was correct. A VTOL aircraft had made its way through the mountain pass to the north and was coming in for a landing. It made a wide turn, and Lando saw the Mega-Metal markings and the words "Corporate Police" stenciled along the fuselage.

  He turned back to Wendeen. "Yes, sir. I had a little disagreement with a man named Lorenzo Pal. He was wounded."

  Blopar Wendeen frowned. "No offense, Citizen Lando, but we abhor violence, and I don't see why we should be held responsible for your actions."

  Lando felt the blood rush to his face. He fought to control his voice. The sound of the VTOL's engines grew louder.

  Wendy held up a hand, as if anticipating what Lando would say. "Pik… please…"

  But Lando's attention was focused on her father. He raised his voice in order to be heard over the sound of the aircraft engines. "Well, Citizen Wendeen, maybe you think Lorenzo Pal has the right to rape your daughter each time she returns to this planet, but I don't!"

  Wendeen looked at Wendy, saw the confirmation in her eyes, and dropped his head. A full minute passed before he spoke. "Some say that we're fanatics… and at times like this… I wonder if they're right. If only I had known."

  Wendeen looked lovingly at his daughter. Tears ran down his cheeks and into his beard. "I helped create the situation in which this could happen. Later, when this is settled, I will beg my daughter's forgiveness."

  The VTOL settled into a cloud of dust. Its engines wound down.

  Lando nodded. "We're out of time. Will you allow me to speak for you?"

  Wendeen looked at the smuggler. "Nonviolently?"

  Lando gestured towards the VTOL and the heavily armed corpos. "I'm tempted to shoot all twelve of them, but I'll try to control myself."

  Wendeen frowned, realized that it was a joke, and smiled.

  "Yes, Citizen Lando. You may speak for us."

  Lando nodded. "Good. But just because I promised to be nonviolent doesn't mean they did. Tell your people to clear out."

  Fire flashed deep in Wendeen's eyes. "No, Citizen Lando, such is not our way. We will stand at your side. If the security police open fire they must kill us as well."

  Lando couldn't see the logic of this, and thought it was similar to the way that Wendy had sacrificed herself to Pal, but didn't say so. Why bother? It wouldn't do any good.

  Lando turned and walked towards the corpos. Wendy, her father, and all the rest followed. It was important to be aggressive, to gain the upper hand.

  It made a strange scene, the heavily armed corpos, marching shoulder to shoulder towards the unruly crowd of men, women, and children, the clustering of vehicles, and the windswept plain beyond.

  Then the corpos began to spread out, making themselves harder to hit, and doing their best to look tough. But it seemed kind of silly, given the circumstances.

  Outside of Lando's slug gun, and the mini-launcher up his sleeve, the settlers were armed with nothing more lethal than a shovel or two.

  Then as both groups slowed, and came to a halt, a woman stepped forward. She wore brand new body armor and looked scared.

  Lando's first reaction was surprise. He'd expected something in the Pal mode. A lean, mean, enforcement machine.

  Still, it made a kind of sense. A man like Pal would never tolerate someone like himself as a Number Two. Too damned threatening. No, he'd choose a toady, a yes person, and here she was.

  The woman cleared her throat. She wore her hair in a no-nonsense crew cut. She crossed her arms to hide the fact that her hands were shaking.

  "My name's Corvo. Which one of you owns that ship?"

  Lando stepped forward. "I do. Are you in charge of corporate security?"

  The woman flinched as if surprised by Lando's aggressive tone. "Yes, for the moment anyway. Now, see here. I…"

  "No, you see here," Lando said angrily. "I wish to file formal charges against one of your employees. Lorenzo Pal tried to force his attentions on my client through an inappropriate use of his quasi-governmental powers. I insist that he be arrested and shipped to Earth for trial."

  One of the woman's goons, a skinny man with a weasellike face, whispered in her ear. Corvo nodded and looked triumphant. Lando groaned to himself. One of Pal's more experienced assistants was trying to regain the upper hand.

  Corvo managed something resembling a sneer. "Nice try, spacer. But I know the truth."

  The corpo turned to the crowd. She pointed at Lando. "This scum attacked our receptionist, beat him unconscious, and shot Mr. Pal. Fearing for Dr. Wendeen's life, Mr. Pal sent us here to place this man under arrest and put him away where he belongs. Like you, we detest violence."

  There was anger in Blopar Wendeen's eyes. He started to say something but stopped when Lando held up a hand.

  The corpos reached for their guns as the smuggler dipped his other hand into a pocket and withdrew the cube.

  Lando shook his head in amusement. "You're pretty well-armed for a bunch of pacifists. Here, take a look at this." He tossed the cube to Corvo.

  She fumbled the catch and dropped the cube, then bent to pick it up. "What's this supposed to be?"

  Lando smiled. "Proof. Proof taken from your own surveillance system. Sound and pix of Lorenzo Pal forcing himself on Dr. Wendeen, going for his blaster, and paying the price."

  A crafty look came over Corvo's face. She allowed the cube to fall, then stepped on it. The plastic shell made a crunching sound. "Oops! Silly me! Oh well, that's the way it goes sometimes. Now… put your hands on top of your head and turn around."

  Lando made no move to obey. "You can step on as many copies as you like… the original is still on its way to Earth. I launched two message torps just outside the atmosphere."

  Corvo frowned and looked at weasel-face. He shrugged, said something inaudible into a boom mike, and waited for a reply.

  With their attention spans exhausted, children and dogs both began to play. Shouting and barking with excitement, they darted here and there, running between the goons, making them nervous.

  It's hard to maintain an atmosphere of confrontation with children playing around you, and Lando could feel the tension ease. At least two of the tough-looking corpos broke into grins and petted dogs or winked at the children.

  Then the reply came. Weasel-face said something angry, shot a mean look in Lando's direction, and whispered in Corvo's ear.

  The administrator eyed the crowd and wished that she was somewhere else. She cleared her throat and looked uncertain.

  "Orbital control confirms a launch. What message did you send?"

  Lando considered the various possibilities. One part of him, the more emotional part, urged him to go for broke. He could tell the big lie, claim friends in high places, and suggest that legal action was inevitable. By doing so, he'd scare the hell out of Corvo and maybe Pal.

  There was a down side however. Scared people do stupid things. Innocent people might get hurt. That suggested another approach. It wasn't as satisfying, but it would prevent the situation from escalating out of control. Lando felt the pressure of many eyes and forced a smile.

  "Both torps carried the same message. The r
ecipient was requested to hold the evidence for thirty days. Should they receive no further instructions within that period of time, they were instructed to file formal charges against Mega-Metals Incorporated. I don't know what you think, but I believe that once introduced into evidence, Mr. Pal's footage would create quite a stir. Enough to bring one of Prince Alexander's investigators out for a little look-see."

  Lando gestured towards the crowd. "They wouldn't mind. Would you?"

  Lando could almost see the wheels turn as Corvo struggled to take it in. He waited breathlessly to see if she'd bite, and took a deep breath when she did. Though a good deal less physical than Pal, Corvo was no fool, and she knew an escape clause when she saw one.

  "So it's your opinion that our, ah, differences could be settled locally?" Corvo ventured.

  Lando shrugged and looked around. "Well, given the fact that Mr. Pal has already suffered some degree of punishment, I think an agreement could be reached. Providing that you leave these people alone."

  Corvo looked relieved. "Good. And who shall we contact for further discussions?"

  Lando looked at Wendy. She looked at her father. Blopar Wendeen smiled thinly and inclined his head.

  Lando turned back towards Corvo. "Citizen Wendeen will speak on behalf of his daughter and the settlers."

  Corvo nodded and started to turn away. Weasel-face touched her arm and whispered something in her ear. The administrator frowned and turned back.

  "And you?"

  Lando lifted an eyebrow. "I'll stay for a few days in order to make sure that things go smoothly."

  Corvo mustered her courage. "Three days and no more."

  Lando had every intention of leaving in less. News of the fracas on Weller's World could arrive at any time, and once it did, all hell would break loose. He nodded his agreement.

  The goons disengaged themselves from the children, backed away, and headed for the VTOL. Starters whined, engines caught, and the aircraft lifted off.

  Lando felt very exposed, and very much aware of the VTOL's guns as it swept over the crowd, blasting them with grit. He could almost hear the roar of the aircraft's cannons and feel the impact of the slugs. But nothing happened and the plane was soon gone.

  Wendy touched his arm. "I didn't know about the thirty-day thing. That was extremely clever."

  Lando smiled. "Yeah. Too bad I didn't think of it at the time. Sol only knows what your attorney will do when those torps arrive."

  Wendy looked surprised and started to laugh.

  Lando laughed too, and discovered that it felt very, very good.

  9

  Lando felt around for a handhold, found one, and gathered his strength. He was almost there. The spire of granite called Elder's Rock stood towards the west side of the flat and pointed towards the sky like an accusing finger. For reasons of stubbornness and male pride Lando had agreed to climb it.

  Wendy had scampered up the spire like one of the bioengineered rock goats on Lando's native Ithro. She was on the summit by now, enjoying the view, and no doubt laughing at her less gainly companion.

  Lando pulled with his arms and pushed with his legs. The top part of his body scraped up and over the edge of the cliff. Good. He heard Wendy's voice but refused to listen. He was almost there and would make it on his own. It was evening and the light had started to fade.

  Lando scrabbled for a new handhold, found one, and swore as it came loose. The rock made a clattering sound, followed by silence, followed by a distant thump as it hit the talus a hundred feet below. Lando didn't look. He was afraid to.

  His hand found a small crevice. He pulled. One leg came up over the edge and was quickly followed by the other. He rolled to the right and found that a pair of petite climbing boots blocked the way.

  "You can get up now."

  Lando did a push-up and got to his feet. A cold wind tried to find a hole in his jacket and failed. The smuggler brushed himself off.

  "Thanks. Remind me to ask some questions the next time you suggest a 'nice little walk.'"

  Wendy was contrite. She took his hand and looked up into his face. "I'm sorry, Pik. It's just that it's so beautiful up here. I wanted you to see it."

  Pik looked around. There wasn't much room, just a few square yards of relatively flat space, and a low windbreak made from loose rock.

  Wendy saw the direction of his gaze and smiled. "I made that when I was a little girl. I used to sleep up here. I was scared, but the view was worth it."

  Lando thought about a little girl brave enough to climb a cliff and stay all night on the summit by herself. Enduring the cold and loneliness to fulfill some inner need.

  Wendy took the smuggler's arm and turned him towards the south. "Look, Pik."

  There was the town in the foreground, and the mountains beyond, but they were nothing compared to Angel's halo. It was as reflective as a field of freshly fallen snow. The much-elongated reflection of the sun, dazzlingly bright, bounced off the halo and speared Lando's eyes. He squinted and looked away.

  The same ring that looked like silver from space was white when viewed from the planet's surface during the late afternoon. It arched over the mountains like a rainbow pointing towards a distant pot of gold.

  "Beautiful, isn't it?" Wendy asked. "But you should see it at night. That's why I used to come up here."

  Lando had seen the halo the night before. A part of the ring had been obscured by the planet's shadow. The edge of the lighted area had been reddened by the passage of sunlight through Angel's atmosphere at first; then, as the night wore on, the shadowed portion of the halo had risen higher in the sky. And, about three hours after sunset, the far edge of the shadow became visible as the reddened dawnside rose in the east.

  By midnight there was a fully illuminated white ring visible to both east and west, fading into red, and then black to the south. Seen from the top of the spire and unobscured by the surrounding mountains it would be unbelievably beautiful.

  "The view's gorgeous," Lando agreed.

  Wendy looked up into his eyes. "Was it worth the climb?"

  "Well worth the climb," Lando said solemnly, looking at her instead of the halo.

  The kiss lasted a long time. It was warm flesh and cold wind all mixed together.

  Both were silent for a while after the kiss ended. Wendy spoke first.

  "You're lifting tomorrow?"

  She knew the answer, but Lando replied anyway. "Yes. Enjoyable though my stay's been, it's time to make some money."

  "Some more money," Wendy said tartly. "You already have sixty-nine pounds of gold in The Tink's hold."

  Lando nodded. Wendy was right. He'd loaded the nugget the night before. Mega-Metals used a whole array of surveillance satellites to spy on the settlers. Satellites so sophisticated that they could read a book over your shoulder. But there was a small gap in the coverage between two and three in the morning and Lando had taken advantage of it to load the nugget. The Tink was ready to lift.

  But was he? He had something with Wendy, but what? And was it worth giving up his profession for?

  The smuggler knew Wendy well enough by now to realize that she wouldn't settle for anything less than everything.

  The questions brought no easy answers, and besides, there was Corvo to consider. Corvo and Pal both. He should leave before they heard about Weller's World. The message torps might protect the colonists for a while, but Lando fell into a somewhat different category.

  Wendy interrupted his thoughts. "Will you join us for dinner? Father would like to talk with you."

  Lando looked into her eyes. He saw the same mixture of things that he felt. He smiled.

  "Sure, providing that I survive the climb down."

  Lando did survive the climb down, but was grateful when his boots touched solid ground.

  Wendy had borrowed her father's beat-up utility vehicle for the trip to Elder's Rock. The UV was little more than a platform on four wheels. There were two seats, one in front of the other, and handlebars instead o
f a steering wheel.

  Lando climbed into the seat directly behind Wendy, and held on for dear life as she took off across the plain.

  Wendy seemed to delight in tight turns, spine-jarring jumps, and gravel-spewing speed. Lando didn't know it, but she was exacting a measure of revenge for the landing aboard the cargo carrier, as well as their most recent reentry.

  It was dark by the time they pulled into the gravel-covered parking area behind Blopar Wendeen's house. It was a low, rambling structure, half underground to conserve energy, and almost invisible against the night. Only the bright rectangles of yellow light served to show where it was.

  Gravel crunched under their boots as they approached the back door. Wendy pulled on the old-fashioned string latch and the door swung open on well-oiled hinges.

  Lando followed her into an anteroom. It was small, and except for the work clothes that hung along both walls, completely bare. The only light came from a single chem strip on the ceiling. Lando waited for Wendy to open the next door, but she didn't. She looked embarrassed.

  "I'm sorry, Pik, but to the best of my knowledge, no one has ever worn a weapon inside our house."

  Lando nodded, unbuckled his gun belt, and hung it on a peg. He still had the mini-launcher up his sleeve, but figured what Wendy didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

  She smiled her thanks and opened the inner door.

  Lando felt a wall of warm air touch his face, and smelled a wonderful combination of food and aromatic tobacco. There was a short flight of stairs that led down into a combination kitchen-living room. It was a large, cheerful affair full of improvised furniture, family mementos, and warm colors.

  There was light from above, and Lando looked up to see where it came from. A large skylight had been cut into the south side of the slightly pitched roof. It made a perfect frame for Angel's halo, and was also a source of illumination since the ring would reflect sunlight throughout the night.

  Blopar Wendeen apologized as he hurried forward to shake Lando's hand. He wore a smile and a long white apron. "Sorry about the tobacco smoke, son. It's a nasty habit… but I enjoy it thoroughly. Thanks for coming."