by Random, Alex
But they could lock the airlock from the inside, and nothing short of a nuclear explosion would force an entry! He left the control room at a run, hurrying to Doane’s side.
“Let’s lock the door to prevent access,” he said. “If we find friends out there we can let them in, but we’d better play it safe.”
Doane clipped the door around its edge with the heavy metal dogs, and hammered them home with the butt of his Blinder. He grinned tensely as he caught Alston’s eye.
“Let’s hope that Space Patrol ship you mentioned shows up pretty soon,” he said.
Alston nodded, and went back into the control room. He studied the view screens, and satisfied himself there were no other ships around them. He watched the only vessel in sight, and saw a lifeboat blister slowly opening.
The next instant a shuttlecraft appeared, veering away from the parent ship, and it came steadily towards Alston’s craft. He watched it intently, his lips pinched, his hands clenched.
When the smaller craft was very close he zoomed in on it and tried to get a look at its occupants. He wanted to see Frank Anders and help, but he could not make out the features of the half dozen men aboard. He watched the small craft nose into the empty lifeboat blister forward, and stiffened in horror as he realised that they hadn’t sealed off the inner door.
Yelling for Doane, he ran out to the corridor and sped along it to the airlock door sealing off the lifeboat compartment. Doane followed him, and together they hurled themselves at the door, forcing home the clips and tightening them. They were breathless by the time they had secured the door, and sweat was running down Doane’s face in rivulets.
“Any more mistakes like that can cost us our lives,” Doane remarked, and Alston nodded.
“I’ll get back to the control room and try to see what they will do next. I can’t make out if they are friends or not, and until we do know for certain we dare not let them aboard.”
“I’ll come with you and see what I can make of them,” Doane said, and they walked side by side back along the corridor. Before they reached the door of the control room there was a hammering on the airlock door connecting the lifeboat blister.
“I doubt if they can break through,” Alston said. “Let’s check the screens.”
They entered the control room and Alston saw a second, larger craft leaving the other ship. He studied it for a moment, but failed to recognise it as anything in particular. Doane uttered a smothered curse.
“That small craft coming this way,” he said. “It’s a salvage vessel. It’s got power aboard that will enable a cutter to slice through this ship’s double hull in no time at all. Can you bring it into close-up? If we can get a look at the crewmen it might help.”
Alston adjusted the controls of the screen and the craft zoomed in quickly, but they were unable to see anything of the finer details they required. Carmel appeared at that moment, her face showing grey pallor.
“There’s someone hammering at a door along there,” she reported. “What’s happening?”
“We’re being approached now,” Alston said, “but we have no idea who is out there.”
They watched the second craft coming towards their hull, and it held a position some yards away from the airlock outer door. Alston tightened his lips, for he could imagine what was coming. The next instant there was a blinding flash that made them recoil, and by the time they recovered and looked once more at the screen the salvage craft was moving in to contact a neat round hole some six feet in diameter which had been punched in the outer door of the airlock.
“We’re in trouble,” Doane said sharply. “They’ll connect with the airlock, equalise the pressure, and come through. The clips on the inner door won’t save us. They fire another charge and cut through it as if it were made of paper.”
“We don’t know yet who is out there,” Alston said. “Until we do there’s nothing we can try.”
“I’ll tell you who is behind it,” Doane retorted. “It’s Captain Graham. That ship is made to his special design. You know it’s well nigh impossible to get aboard a ship in space if the occupants don’t wish it. Well Graham had this ship designed to overcome that problem. They’ll be inside here within a matter of minutes. We can’t find any place to hide, and I’m certain we can’t fight them off with just one Blinder between us!”
Alston was still watching the salvage craft. It had come into contact with the larger ship, and he knew powerful magnets would hold them together while a hatch in the salvage craft was opened and a seal made between the hatch and the hole that had been cut in the hull. He tried to get greater magnification of the ship, but failed to bring out clearer details. He realised both Carmel and Doane were watching him, hoping he would come up with some helpful solution, but he could think of nothing to do. In the background the sound of hammering was still coming from the door that led into the lifeboat space, and tension seized Alston by the throat. After all their plans it looked as if they were doomed to failure.
“Where the devil is that Space Patrol cruiser?” he said in low, harsh tones. “Why hasn’t Anders shown up before this? No wonder we don’t have a chance. There’s nothing going for us on our side.”
He pulled himself up short, knowing it was useless to panic. He looked at Carmel and took a grip of himself.
“There’s no sense you and Doane getting caught,” he said slowly. “If the two of you hide I’ll sit here in the control room and wait for them to break in. I’ll tell them you two got away in the lifeboat!”
“If they’re from Graham then they’ll know there was no lifeboat,” Doane retorted.
“I’ll tell them its absence was discovered before we took off and it was replaced,” Alston said.
He saw hope show in Doane’s eyes, but when he looked at Carmel the girl was slowly shaking her head.
“I’m not going to leave your side, Rex,” she said.
“Hide until I discover who is out there trying to get in,” he pleaded. “It’s difficult enough without you giving me trouble, Carmel.”
“All right.” She agreed reluctantly. “But where do we hide?”
Alston considered for a moment, narrowing his dark eyes. Then he nodded.
“Come on,” he said. “There may not be much time. There should be an inspection shaft behind the main drive, with just enough room for the two of you to squeeze inside. Take the Blinder with you, Doane, and remain hidden until I come for you. I’ll find out what the situation is before we risk either of you.”
“If something should happen to you, Rex,” Carmel said softly.
“We’ll talk about it later,” he retorted, forcing a smile. He led them out of the control room and they almost ran along the corridor. The hammering at the inner lifeboat-space door sounded ominous as it echoed through the entire ship.
The shaft was where Alston had predicted, and he removed the cover and watched Doane enter. The guard was clutching the Blinder, and he grinned tightly at Alston as Carmel entered beside him.
“I won’t let anything happen to Miss Paine,” he said.
“They’ll kill you if they discover you helping me,” Alston warned. “Let us hope these people are not from Graham.”
He replaced the cover over the shaft and started back to the control room. He had barely reached the doorway when an explosion blasted through the corridor, snatching at him and hurling him clear across the control room. Alston had a confused impression of sailing through the air. Then he made a heavy impact against an immovable console. His head struck a sharp metal corner, and before a group of men could emerge through the hole they had blasted in the inner door of the airlock, Alston was lying unconscious in a huddled pose on the floor.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
A heavy hand slapped Alston back to consciousness. He felt the pain in his face for some time before he became aware of what was causing it, but when the knowledge trickled through he opened his eyes to find the control room filled with tough looking police guards. One of them was slappin
g Alston, and at his shoulder stood Quillon Graham himself, his blue eyes narrowed, his face showing anger and impatience.
“He’s coming out of it,” Alston heard the guard say, and he blinked and shook himself mentally from the black fog that seemed to cling to his senses.
“Where’s Carmel, Alston?” Graham demanded.
Alston said nothing, and received another heavy slap that rattled his teeth.
“Where is she?” Graham repeated. “And the guard?”
“They left in the lifeboat,” Alston said, feigning a worse condition than he felt. He looked into Graham’s intent face. “I heard all about you before your guard departed. So you were the cause of my downfall. You had that contraband planted on my ship.”
“You’re delirious,” Graham said, for the benefit of the guards around him. “There was no lifeboat on this ship when it took off.”
“There was,” Alston replied steadily, looking Graham in the eyes. “It was missed before blast off, and Anders replaced it.”
“Was that possible?” Graham demanded of the guard who had been striking Alston.
“I don’t think so, Captain. Our agents had the ship under observation from the time we learned the Governor was going to use it to transport Alston off the planet. The lifeboat was removed, and the reports that came in had nothing to say about a replacement being fitted.”
“Why should I lie?” Alston demanded. “Anyway, you’ve obviously searched the ship. If Carmel and the guard are not here then how did they get off the vessel?”
Graham turned and glanced around the control room, as if he expected to see the girl and the guard hiding somewhere. His face was ugly with anger when he returned his gaze to Alston’s serene face.
“You’ve caused me endless trouble, ever since I joined Star Fleet years ago,” he said through his teeth. “No one had a chance while you were around. When I finally got rid of you and gained promotion I came here to find you in exile, living quite happily like a privileged person instead of rotting away on some hell star! You’ve always been in my way, Alston. Even when I fell in love with Carmel she turned to you, spurning me!” His tones rose as he tried to hold his feelings in check. “But I’ve got you now, even though you turned my deep laid plan back on me. Those so-called experts I sent aboard to cripple this ship didn’t give a thought to the beacon distress signal.”
“They did a good job otherwise, but I didn’t blast off into space as it was intended, and there’s a Space Patrol cruiser in orbit somewhere, waiting for you to show your hand, Graham. The Governor and Anders went to a great deal of trouble to set this up, and I agreed to risk my life in order to nail you. I’ve been after the man who framed me with smuggling for as long as I’ve been in disgrace. I should have known it was you! But you haven’t got away with it. What’s happening now was planned down to the last detail. You may think you hold the upper hand right now, Graham, but you’ve walked into a trap aboard this ship.”
Graham’s face tightened a little, and his lips thinned. Alston saw some of the guards glance at each other, and he steeled himself, knowing that it wasn’t just his life in the balance.
“You guards have had a good time of it with Graham as Security Controller of Star Cluster Seven,” he went on. “But Graham is finished now. The Governor appointed Frank Anders to the position before I blasted off in this ship. None of you know it, but while your attention has been distracted by me up here, great changes have been taking place back on the planet.”
“What about that, Captain?” one of the men demanded.
“Silence!” Graham snapped. “Can’t you see he’s bluffing? This man is highly dangerous. He’s not to be trusted an inch. I want three men watching him at all times. The rest of you search the ship. I’ve got the feeling Carmel Paine and our guard are still aboard. I want them found. Then we’ll leave this hulk and send it out of orbit to its destruction as planned. Hurry it up now. I want this business settled as soon as possible.”
The guards filed out of the control room, and three remained, watching Alston, training their weapons upon him. Graham paced up and down, his face showing tension, his eyes betraying his uneasiness. Alston chuckled harshly, forcing a show of confidence he was far from feeling. “I’ve waited for this day, Graham,” he said. “I knew I would get to the bottom of the mystery that surrounded my court martial. Now the proof is out! That guard you told off to give me the facts will be in custody back on the planet now, and Carmel is safe from you. I took my chances to nail you, and I don’t care if I die now, so long as you get what’s coming to you.”
“You’ll die all right, Alston,” Graham retorted furiously. “Now shut up before you die immediately.” Graham came forward several angry strides, lifting a fist to strike at Alston, and for an instant Alston was covered from the watchful guards. Quick as a flash Alston leaped at Graham, striking with his right fist, catching the Captain on the jaw, then turning the man and using him as a shield against the startled guards. Holding Graham with his left arm, Alston snatched at the weapon on Graham’s belt, and his teeth clicked together as he got it into his hand. Graham was dazed, sagging at the knees, his weight almost pulling Alston off balance. But Alston braced himself, lifting the muzzle of the projector in his hand, and the guards were afraid to shoot at him for fear of hitting Graham.
Alston fired a burst of energy, swinging the muzzle of the projector to cover the three guards, and the Blinder did its deadly work. The three men staggered and went down heavily. Alston straightened and tightened his grip upon Graham, forcing the Captain towards the door. He clipped Graham with the flared muzzle of the projector as he felt the man stiffen to resist, and Graham sagged again, almost unconscious.
Peering into the corridor, Alston saw three guards along its length, searching for traces of Carmel and Doane, and he fired at them without warning, his lips compressed and pulled against his teeth. As the guards went down there was a shout at Alston’s back, and he twisted quickly, catching a glimpse of more guards coming through the hole in the airlock door. He fired at them, using the Blinder indiscriminately, and there was no fear inside him as he let his instincts take control.
Then Graham was turning on him, quickly and viciously, and Alston backed off, moving into the doorway to restrict the Captain’s area of attack. Graham was ashen-faced, his eyes staring wildly. His lips were moving in fury, and strange little noises issued from his throat. He struck before Alston was over his surprise, and the edge of his left hand struck Alston’s wrist, sending the Blinder flying out of his hand and skittering across the floor of the control room.
Alston backed into the control room, wanting to get the Blinder and bring Graham in from help. There was panic in the corridor amongst the guards who had escaped the deadly effects of the Blinder, and Alston knew he would have only a few seconds before the guards reorganised themselves and came to regain control.
Graham was on him like a flash, fighting like a maniac, and Alston was forced to give ground. But he struck solidly and shrewdly, letting his anger and resentment aid him. The accumulated frustrations of four years boiled up inside him and he was a match for the Captain both physically and mentally.
Alston soon found that Graham knew a thing or two about fighting, and already he was feeling the effects of the Captain’s fists, knees and elbows. They came together in the centre of the floor and traded blows, aiming for the head, using every bit of strength. Alston let go with a solid right hand that sent Graham staggering backwards, and Graham fell against the control console, grasping at it to save his balance. His eyes were wild as he glared at Alston, who turned and dived across the floor to get at the Blinder.
Grabbing up the weapon, Alston muttered a silent prayer of relief. But as he turned to cover Graham with the weapon the ship seemed to stand on end. He lost his balance and fell heavily, striking his already aching head and sliding on his back down and tilting floor. The Blinder fell from his grasp and he clutched at anything within reach to try and stop himself. It cam
e to him what had happened as he began to drag himself upright against the burden of acceleration. Graham had deliberately or accidentally put the ship on main drive and they were powering their way out of orbit.
Alston froze inside with horror as he realised what would happen! Graham must have forgotten in his agitation. The ship had been rigged to explode when it left orbit.
“You fool!” Alston yelled, trying to hurl himself forward, but it was as if a giant hand was pressing against his chest and holding him motionless. “Cut the power before we leave orbit. The ship will explode!”
“You’ve thwarted me at every turn, Alston, but you’re not going to live to gloat over my downfall. If I’ve lost out then I’d rather die out here in space in an explosion than suffer a lingering death on some hell star! If I’m going to die then you’ll go with me!”
Alston forced himself forward, but he was unable to make progress. Gravity clutched at him and force held him in its grip. He dropped the Blinder and it went flying behind him. The next instant he pitched over and followed it, rolling helplessly down the tilting floor until he crashed against a wall, where he was pinned as if a gigantic weight had dropped upon his chest.
He saw Graham turn to do something else to the controls, but the Captain lost his grip and came plunging towards Alston, who tried to reach out and grapple with the man as they crashed together. Graham’s mouth was agape, his voice heavy with fury.
