Star Cluster Seven

by Random, Alex

  “But no one believed me at my trial that I knew nothing at all about the smuggling,” Alston said, shaking his head. “If they had believed I didn’t know the identity of the smugglers then they would have acquitted me. That was what was established. So how is it you can come to me now and ask me for details?”

  “I think you told the truth at your Court Martial, and I would like to prove it, not for your satisfaction but to get the men who were behind the smuggling. Help me and I’ll help you, Alston.”

  “I wish I could help you, Captain.” Alston shook his head slowly. “I don’t know a thing.”

  “If you’re hoping that when you to return to Earth you’ll be well paid for keeping silent, then you’ll be losing out and spending your life here in vain. You won’t be able to lay your hands on any money that you don’t earn. A strict check will be kept on you at all times, and if you do handle money you cannot account for then you’ll finish up on one of the Penal Stars for the rest of your days.”

  “Thanks for the information, but it’s nothing I don’t know already. I’m not likely to pick up anything for these wasted years. Someone used me without my knowledge, and I don’t have anything worthwhile to cash in on.”

  Graham sighed and shook his head, and he slammed the door of the hovercar, making the vehicle shake. He stood watching as Alston switched on and the vehicle began to lift. Tightening his lips, Alston slammed the machine into full power, surging upwards at a dangerous rate. He smiled thinly as he glanced down and saw Graham hurriedly moving out of the cloud of dust he had left behind, but his smile faded as he peered around and cut his speed. It would be stupid to bring a traffic cop down on his neck for a minor offence. Every black mark counted against him these days, and he had no wish to add to the list that had been growing since his Court Martial.

  The hovercar skimmed the trees as he headed back to his place of work. He operated a stretch of the nearby coast as a play resort, although the business was not his own. He had been placed in it by the Authorities upon his arrival, and now, instead of commanding a starship through all the illimitable light years of space he managed the little play park along with two other exiles.

  When he sighted the coast, the brilliant blue sea stretching away smoothly to the horizon, Alston gritted his teeth and fought down his frustration. He opened the throttle and felt the hovercar surge forward, and his teeth clicked together as he pushed it to its limit of power. He was too low for the speed, and a frown sat between his eyes as he held speed and direction. He screamed over the play park and headed out to sea, a thin smile touching his lips as he watched the horizon. He was so low that his passage across the waves cut a white swathe of foam from the billows. A sigh gusted through him and his hands shook for a moment. Then he eased off the throttle and flung the car into a sharp turn that threatened to shake it to pieces. He slowed rapidly as he headed back to the park, and was down to normal speed as he slid in to land in front of the office. As he touched down a police car came hawking down to land beside him.

  Alston sighed heavily as he alighted from the car and turned to face the dark uniformed officer who stepped out of the police car.

  “What the hell are you trying to do?” the policeman demanded, taking a recorder out of his pocket. “You were breaking about twenty travel laws just now.”

  “The throttle stuck,” Alston said. “Check it if you like. I’m only an exile, and I have to make do with the clapped out vehicles that normal people wouldn’t touch with a laser beam.”

  “You’re the limit, Alston!” The policeman put the recorder back into his pocket again and waved a big hand casually. “It’ll cost you fifty complimentaries for my kids. Do I get them or do I throw the book at you?”

  “Come into the office,” Alston retorted, and led the way.

  It was in him to make a stand against the situation in which he found himself. He was up to his neck in waiting and trying to behave despite the way life had stacked up against him. He was innocent of any crime, and yet he had been pitched out of his responsible position in life and dragged down to the level of any petty thief. Unknown men had struck at him for unknown reasons, and he didn’t think he would ever be able to get to the bottom of it. But he could only take it lying down, and that was what really frustrated him. If only he could have found out something about the reasons why he had been wrongly accused and charged.

  Kiev Wallace, his fellow manager, was sitting behind the desk in the office, and he started to his feet at sight of Alston. He was tall and slim, blue-eyed and with yellow hair, and he was the closest Alston had ever come to having a friend. Wallace opened his mouth to speak, but closed it immediately he saw the policeman, and Alston frowned when he saw Wallace was upset about something. He firmed his lips, not caring about anything at that moment, and it was in him to make the break now, while he was in the mood. They wouldn’t ever catch him if he made a run for it, although he would have to keep running for the rest of his life. But he was up to his neck with the way his life was unfolding. He had the sudden feeling that anything would be better than the present, and it lay in his hands to make the change.

  “You in trouble, Rex?” Wallace demanded, watching the policeman carefully.

  “No. He’s just dropped in for some complimentaries for his kids,” Alston said. “Give him a stack, will you, Kiev?”

  Wallace obeyed, and the policeman departed, waving an admonishing finger at Alston.

  For a moment Alston toyed with the idea of going out and hitting the traffic cop. The action would force him to do something definite, and anything would be preferable to sitting down once more and waiting for the next review of sentence. He almost started towards the door, but Wallace came across and confronted him, his face showing concern.

  “Your review went against you, I guess,” he said, “judging by your face. I’m sorry, Rex! But what are you getting yourself into? You’ve only got another dozen years before you can blast off back to Earth. You’re not like me, exiled for the rest of my natural life. Why don’t you accept it and wait it out?”

  “What are you talking about?” Alston demanded sharply. “I keep my nose clean. I’m not in any trouble.”

  “Then what about the man who was here an hour ago, asking to see you? He said he was from friends of yours in the past, and the way he said it, he gave me the impression he was a contact from your smuggling friends.”

  Alston tensed, his face hardening into deep lines, and his eyes narrowed. Suddenly there were a hundred questions in his mind, fighting to be asked, and his big hands clenched as he imagined getting to grips with those unknown men who had ruined his life. But a cold stab of wonder went through him. Why had they remained out of sight and knowledge for all these years? Why had they decided now to come into the foreground?

  He had the sudden feeling that unknown forces were at work around him, and he experienced the sensation that he was in water too deep for him. But a thread of excitement was already at work in his mind, and he knew he was prepared to go to any lengths to get at the truth behind his Court Martial …

  CHAPTER TWO

  “This man!” Alston rasped. “Who was he? What did he look like? Where did he come from?”

  “Take it easy!” Wallace advised. “He’s coming back to see you. I told him what you were doing this morning. He said he’d be back this afternoon.”

  “Kiev, you’re the only friend I have!” Alston said slowly. “I want to tell you a few things. I was innocent of that smuggling charge they hit me with. I still don’t know who framed me with it or why. It happened years ago now, and I never heard a word from anyone connected with that business. But now someone turns up out of the blue. What do you make of it?”

  Wallace stared at him, shaking his head slowly. “I advise you to have nothing to do with it, whatever it is, Rex! You know your next stop from here if you’re caught doing wrong, don’t you?”

  “I know!” Alston shook his head impatiently. “I’m not concerned about that. I’d go thr
ough Hell itself to get to the bottom of this. But wait a minute! I saw Captain Graham after I came out of the Governor’s place. He mentioned the smugglers.”

  “What did he say about them?” There was sharp concern in Wallace’s voice. “You’d better play this very carefully, Rex. It could be Graham and his people are trying to get something out of you. This man who came here today could be a police agent. Watch out for them. They play it rough.”

  “Tell me exactly what the man said! I’m not concerned about anything else. After four years in exile I’m ready to play rough myself.” There was an edge to Alston’s voice that started a series of worried expressions across Wallace’s intent face. “Someone is going to pay for the trouble I’ve had, and pay high.”

  “He didn’t say much. Just asked for you, and when I told him you’d be back this afternoon he said he’d return. He hinted that he was from your past, and knew the people you were keen to contact.”

  “What did he look like?” There was scarcely concealed eagerness in Alston’s voice.

  “Tall and thin, about forty. A tough character underneath his smooth manner, I’d say. I’ve mixed with all kinds, and I recognised his type at once. He’s tough, and finds it difficult to conceal it. The fact that he wants to conceal it makes him all the more dangerous.”

  “Have you seen him around before?”

  “No.” Wallace shook his head. “He’s a stranger to me, and I reckon to know most men who matter around here.”

  “So I’ll have to wait for him to come back.” Alston shook his head as he fought down his impatience. “Now why should he turn up after four years, and on this particular day of all days?” he mused softly.

  “He could be from the police. They probably think your disappointment at being turned down for parole again will put you in an uneasy frame of mind, and they could be trying to get at something you’ve kept hidden since your Court Martial.”

  “There’s nothing I’ve kept hidden,” Alston said with a grimace. “The times I’ve tried to get that across since I was arrested. It doesn’t seem to do any good to tell the truth. I was put through tests which suggested I wasn’t lying, but nobody accepted those findings.”

  “What was it you were supposed to have smuggled?”

  Alston smiled thinly and shook his head. “Wouldn’t you know it was the worst chemical anyone could handle?” he demanded.

  “Dorogital?” Wallace whistled through his teeth. “No wonder they stuck twenty years on you!”

  “It wasn’t smuggled in any quantity to do anyone some good,” Alston said through his teeth. “Just sufficient in the packet to get me court-martialled. I owe someone for what’s happened, and I’m going to see that I get payment.”

  “If I were you I’d see Graham right away, report this stranger and have him arrested. It would be the only way to prove your sincerity! Don’t take any chances, Rex. If you make a mistake this time you’ll wind up on some such place as Jurinne, and in six months you’ll be dead. I’ve heard terrible stories about the effects of those chemicals upon the human body. Don’t take any chances!”

  “I’m willing to turn it over to the Authorities,” Alston said slowly. “But I’m afraid Graham will spoil it and lose the only lead I’ve got. Someone wanted me off my starship and out of the service. I’d like to find out more about it.”

  “Think back and pick out the men you knew who didn’t like you for any reason, or who had reason to hate you,” Wallace said. “What about the promotion rat-race? Were you stepping on any toes in that direction?”

  Alston smiled slowly, shaking his head. “You may not believe it, Kiev, but I was the whizz-kid of the Starfleet. At my age I’d stepped on a lot of toes to head the queue for upper circles. I was a starship captain at twenty-two, and pulled off a number of good actions that put me ahead of men ten years my senior. I couldn’t name all the men who figured I’d got away ahead of them.”

  “So any of them could have had that contraband planted on you!” Wallace shook his head. “No wonder you said you couldn’t figure it out. But don’t take any chances now, Rex. I like you. We get along well here. The life isn’t hard and we’re having a good time. I’d hate for anything to spoil that now! I’ll do anything I can to help you. But you’ve got to handle this right. Why don’t you call Graham and tell him what I told you? If that stranger is from the smugglers who framed you then there’s a good chance Graham’s office will be able to make him talk. It could clear you.”

  “I’ll try and handle it my way first,” Alston said through clenched teeth. “I’d better get to work now. Let me know when this man shows up again, Kiev.”

  “All right. But I think you’re doing the wrong thing, Rex. You know how things have a way of getting known to the Authorities around here. You can’t trust anyone. All the exiles are trying to curry favour all the time in the hope of lessening their term of exile. If someone gets word of this and makes a report on it you could be in serious trouble.”

  “I’ll take my chances! I’m going to my quarters to change. I’ll do the rounds soon as I’m ready,”

  “Helga is out doing it for you, Rex!” Wallace paused, his blue eyes showing concern as he stared at Alston. “Look,” he began awkwardly. “I know it is none of my business, but you’re playing with fire running around with Carmel Paine. Word of it will surely reach her father’s ears before long, and it will mean complications for you. Why don’t you cut loose from the crowd Carmel moves around with? There’s Helga here, an exile like yourself, and ready for you any time you want to marry her. She’s more your style, Rex!”

  “Thanks for the fatherly advice, but I don’t need it. I’m not interested in Carmel Paine for herself. She helps pass the time, that’s all, and she’s got no illusions about me. I’ve told her how it is with me. Helga is another matter. She’s too damn good for me, even though she is an exile.”

  Wallace shrugged and went back to the desk. He sat down and got on with his work, and Alston stared at him for a moment, fighting down the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. He knew Wallace meant well, but no one seemed to understand how he felt about the situation in which he found himself. He had to work this out for himself, and he didn’t care about the consequences. He wanted the satisfaction of finding out his unknown enemies, and when he got to them he would make them pay for what they had done to him.

  He left the office and went across the park to his quarters, a small house standing alone beneath a grove of trees. He looked around as he reached the door of the house, and let his dark gaze cross the complex he helped manage. The usual crowds were already enjoying themselves, and music came stridently on the breeze from the massive funfair. He sighed and went into the house, slamming the door and hearing the echo right through the building.

  There was an eagerness beneath the disappointment that gripped him. He had really expected to get good news from the Parole Board. Those unknown men who controlled his life hadn’t taken the evidence of his Court Martial into account. He felt certain of it. Anyone with only half an eye could have seen the flaws in the case that had been brought against him. He stifled a sigh of frustration as he went up to his room to change into his dark grey uniform. His job was merely a supervisory one. He had to show himself around the play complex, listening to complaints and ensuring that none of the youngsters caused trouble or injured themselves.

  It was not the job for an ex-starship Captain! The knowledge rankled inside him, and he knew this particular occupation had been selected for him to grind his nose in the monotony of his exile. He fought down the surge of impotent anger that cut at him and clenched his teeth. By the time he was ready to go out to his duties his feelings were under control once more.

  There was a knock at the outside door as he went through to the kitchen to get himself a drink. He sighed heavily and went in answer, opening the door to Helga Oren, the third exile helping run the complex. She was tall and slim and dark, a beautiful girl with a slender figure, and Alston wondered why h
e was so churlish with such women around him. Why could he not settle down to his exile with the same resignation everyone else used?

  “I saw you coming back,” the girl said softly. “The way you flew over the sea, I guessed you didn’t have any luck with your review, Rex!”

  “You guessed right,” he said. “Why did you go out to do my round? You saw me coming back! I don’t need you carrying me around, Helga. I can handle my own duties. I don’t want any favours.”

  “I understand how you feel,” she told him in level tones. “I felt the same way after my last review went against me.” Her brown eyes were bright as she looked searchingly into his face. “Can you take a bit of advice, Rex?”

  “Will it be different to the advice Kiev just gave me?” he demanded, a tight grin touching his hard lips.

  She shook her head and sighed. “All right, so I’ll keep quiet! But you know who your friends are, don’t you, Rex?”

  “Sure. You and Kiev are the only friends I’ve got around here.”

  “That’s good. I’m glad you don’t live under any illusions.”

  “You mean Carmel?” He shook his head. “I’ve got her summed up correctly, and did it in the first few moments of meeting her. She helps pass the time and that’s all. The point is, Helga, she knows that. I’ve told her so! She hasn’t got any illusions about me.”

  “You could have a good life here if you permitted yourself to settle down!” There was a quiet note in her tones. “But you never gave yourself a chance, Rex. You’re not the only one here in exile who got a raw deal. But the others learned to live with it, and they’re fairly happy.”

  “Perhaps they didn’t have so much to lose as me!” He shook his head. “I got a lecture this morning, but not in so many words, Helga. Let it go at that, huh? I’m nothing special! If I get in deeper then all right! I won’t be the first exile sent to a Penal Star from here, and I don’t suppose I would be the last.”