by Darrell Bain
“The Altairians developed space travel,” Jamie said. “So have we, for that matter."
“The Altairians just barely made it, and even they didn't develop a self-sustaining space technology. What resources they had, they put into their generation ship. I feel like we were extremely fortunate that on their long voyage they were able to concentrate on pure research into the theoretical physics that enabled us to build the ship we're on. Now take these considerations a step farther: Altair and earth are rather far out on the spiral arm, and comparatively close together. We both developed technological civilizations at about the same time. Towards the center, this happened millions of years ago. Perhaps we've been going in the wrong direction. Perhaps back the other way, where the stars are a little younger, we might find planets still in the development stage."
“Where we might be able to colonize,” Masters said.
“Yes, possibly. But even where life for us might be possible, I think you've found that strange planets are incredibly dangerous. Do you think that even with the remaining resources of earth and the space habitats, we could establish a foothold for a colony?” Masters didn't even have to consider his answer; he had been thinking along the same lines. “It would be possible, but only if we threw so many resources into it that it would mean abandoning earth and Moon City. I don't think the authorities would go along with that under any circumstances; certainly not when we consider that only a small percentage of our population would be able to emigrate. The rest would have to be left behind."
“My thoughts exactly,” Hawkins said. “Which brings us back to my original question. Do we return now, or try a few more stops?"
“I can't see where going on would be advantageous at all. I suppose there's a chance that we might find a civilization somewhere which beat the odds, but it's a huge universe. We could spend lifetimes looking and still never find them, even if they exist."
A wistful look appeared in Westly's eyes, as if he were abandoning a dream held since childhood.
“And our time is limited,” Hawkins concluded. “Conditions back home have to be resolved, one way or another."
Neither Masters nor Jamie was optimistic concerning such resolution, at least along conventional lines, but each had been considering ideas that would have startled some of the authorities back home.
* * * *
The return to earth would take only a few days, using the stress fields that slowed the passing of time in the rest of the universe while the ship sped back in the direction from which it had come.
Sean spent that time in a mode that was still indecisive. The dearth of results from the trip inclined him in some ways to opt for siding with Moon City, but the gentle treatment of Della after her mutiny swayed him in the other direction. He talked with her on occasion, while his pets were playing with those of Jamie's family, but she refused to discuss anything having to do with her mutiny with him. He did find himself drawn more and more into a genuine liking for that family, but in direct contravention of Passing's orders, he made no attempt to try subverting any of the women. He would wait, and see what happened.
The day before they were due to break out into space near earth, Captain Hawkins again had Della confined to her quarters. He really didn't think she posed a threat now, but he was taking no chances. When the Moon City authorities found that the voyage had been futile, Rob Passing might try something else, and he wanted to leave as many of his options open as possible.
* * *
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Back in Moon City! Rob Passing's plans were completed, should the ship ever return. He had watched from space as flames rose from the Dallas Enclave where the population there was fighting over their dwindling food supplies. Selene had watched with him, her sharp incisive mind writing off one more population center and subtracting another small increment from trade with earth. She was convinced now that the only hope for Moon City was in co-operation with earth, using the vacant ship, and the one other still building for either immigration to another planet or for asteroid mining or movement of a portion of their city to Mars, or some other place in the solar system where critical supplies would be easier to come by.
Passing had already dismissed her as a factor in his plans, as well as the other members of the Moon City council. He envisioned a complete coup', not only taking over the earth-controlled ship upon its return, but using that as a means of assuming the reins of government as well. After that, earth could go to hell in it's own fashion, as it surely would, given their, to him, continued association with their damnable animals.
What he would do with the ship was still only vaguely envisioned. He only knew that it would have to serve his purposes better than it ever could for earth, and he was determined to have it. His men were ready, selected from his own security forces that he had screened carefully for men and women of similar bent. If Della or Sean had not already taken the ship, he was ready to do so on his own, with perhaps a little help from them once entrance was gained.
He knew, of course, that the ship contained only a few rangers, the only force aboard trained for fighting. He could match them and more, but only up to a point. He had no illusions that Captain Hawkins would allow more than one shuttle to match orbits with the ship if, and when it returned, and therein lay the crux: he could certainly gain entrance with his men, but the ship was so huge, with so many still empty compartments, that there was a good possibility that when striking from the airlock in the direction of the control room he could be taken from behind.
Selene had objected when he drew technicians from other tasks to refine an old invention once used on earth in a limited fashion. Back in the previous century, Stephen Harris at Stanford University had hit upon a laser phenomenon which, using the concept of three energy levels in atoms, and preventing the absorption at one wave level, induced transparency in a gas or vapor. From there, other researchers had eventually been able to apply the method to solids.
A crude version of the concept, using multiple beams applicable to solids of varying constituencies, had been used in the earlier days in Moon City for mining and exploration. Passing, a consummate policeman, had seen to the upgrading of the technology. Using his knowledge of the materials used in construction of the ship, and in particular, the materials from which compartment doors had been constructed, now possessed several hand-held devices which could peer through the door of any compartment in an instant, telling him whether they were empty or inhabited. There would be no wasted time securing compartments as they advanced on the control room now and he thought that would be all the margin he required. All that was left now was for the ship to return, or failing that, to strike for the other one still being built.
Passing thought of himself as a savior, and in that, he was no better nor worse than any other of his counterparts throughout history. The thought that he might be consigning millions of people on earth to death took a very small second place to his own sense of destiny. When the ship did return, and eased into an orbit around the moon, he alerted his troops.
* * * *
Captain Hawkins was cautious, considering what Della had attempted. He had Masters assign two rangers to the airlock as the Moon City shuttle approached, and held Masters himself and the remainder of his small troop in reserve. He over-ruled the ranger Captain when Masters wanted to take that detail himself. He was reluctant to risk him at the outset, having come to rely heavily on his quiet competence and common sense. Besides, communications from the shuttle indicated that some personages from earth were present, allaying some of his caution. He had no way of knowing that Passing had already confronted the earthmen with drawn gun and confined them under guard. He concealed his own presence on the shuttle, using one of his trusted underlings for communication.
The fight at the airlock was brief, furious, and deadly. The two rangers were overwhelmed, but one of them did get a message off before he died, alerting Hawkins and Masters in the control room. As the Moon City force spread along th
e corridors, Masters moved out to meet them, leaving Hawkins to contact personnel in the various compartments that were inhabited.
Passing moved with his transparency device-equipped troops, spraying each compartment they passed with the multiple beamed ray only long enough to see whether it was occupied or not. Where they were, he paused only long enough to grenade the door and blast the inhabitants inside. He met little resistance; very few of the crewmen or scientists were armed.
Masters was at a disadvantage, having to travel a long distance through the corridors before he could force a confrontation. Big Boy did guide his path, though, and he saw with growing apprehension that as the Moon City forces moved through the ship, they were going to encounter Jamie's compartment before he could reach them. It was like a replay of the fight with the Moon City mercenaries in the wilds of earth, where he had had to make a snap decision to concentrate on an immediate threat and leave Jamie to survive on his own. To add to his apprehension, they would also reach Della's compartment even before Jamie's, and he couldn't guess what that would entail.
Passing was excited and pleased with the way it was going. They were meeting little resistance and killing where they did. Already, they were in the living quarters, having taken over the back half of the ship completely. He swept the next compartment in line with his transparency ray, and was startled to see the six-inch wide beam pass over and identify the face of Della Worley behind the door.
He held the hand of the man who was getting ready to grenade open the compartment, and instead thumbed the speaker tab on the door.
“Della!"
Inside, Della had no idea of what was happening. All she had heard in the last half-hour was Captain Hawkins announcing that the ship was under attack. The voice shouting at her sounded familiar, but she couldn't sort out whom it might belong to.
“I can't get out. I'm locked up!” She said. She couldn't think of anything else to say.
“Take cover!” The voice commanded, and she retreated out of range. Shortly, an explosion blew the door in, and she was horrified to see Passing grinning at her through the smoke.
“Here,” He said, passing her a spare hand weapon, one of several his forces had brought to arm the Moon City crewmen. He was grinning evilly, completely within his element.
She took the weapon as if in a trance, and Passing shoved her out into the corridor among his other troops. She followed them blindly through the smoke, disorientated. Passing scanned two unoccupied compartments, then shouted in triumph at the next, as the beam passed over Jamie's tautly expectant face.
“Don't kill them!” He shouted as the shaped grenade placed by one of his men exploded against the door. Inside, Jamie had no idea of what was waiting outside. The door blew inward, flinging him against a wall.
Conan, growling furiously, charged the opening and went down with a wound. Jamie recovered and fell on Woggly, preventing him from meeting the same fate.
“Hold it! Don't move!” Passing ordered, moving into the room, triumph suffusing his face. Three of his men followed, guns ready, carrying Della with them. Jamie met her eyes and his heart sank. How could he have been so wrong?
Della stared back at him; then, with an utter lack of compassion and complete disregard of the other Moon City fighters, shot Passing squarely in the back. He turned, a look of utter disbelief on his face and she shot him again. The rocket-assisted slug hit him squarely in the chest, spraying blood everywhere.
Jamie dived at another of the men, completely forgetting that he had one weapon at his waist and another strapped to his boot. The shot missed him and tore into Della's shoulder, spattering more blood and bits of flesh into the room. Jeannie screamed from somewhere in the background. Woggly, released from Jamie's embrace, knocked another man to the floor and bit with savage glee at his gun arm. The other two men retreated, firing blindly, barely missing Fuzzy Britches who had jumped up onto a high shelf. He wasn't averse to fighting, but preferred to do it from an advantageous site. It was all over before he had a chance to join the fray.
Jamie was torn between rendering aid to Della or the faithful Conan, wounded again in his service. He grabbed linen from the bed and pressed it to Della's wound, noting with relief that Jeannie had gotten over her hysteria and was trying to staunch the flow of blood from Conan's body.
Out in the corridor, he heard more firing as Masters and his rangers arrived and entered the fight. The Moon City agents retreated, directionless now with Passing's death, and Masters followed relentlessly, willing himself not to think of whether Jamie and his family still survived. He finally drove the remainder of the Moon City force to ground where the corridor branched into a dead end ell. Masters held up knowing there was no where the opposing force could escape to. Leaving his men to keep watch, he entered the nearest compartment and contacted Big boy and in turn with Captain Hawkins.
“Are you okay?” Hawkins asked immediately.
“I'm fine. Captain,” Masters said. “We have them cornered, now. I can take them, but if they fight, I'll almost certainly take more casualties. Can you patch me to Jamie?"
“Sorry. Communication to his compartment is out. However, I can tell you that he's alive and Jeannie as well. Della and Conan are wounded. I have a mobile Autodoc on the way."
Beside him, Masters heard Kristi draw a deep breath. Had Jamie or Jeannie been hurt, he knew that he would not have been able to restrain her but now he had a little leeway.
“Fine. Give me a little time and maybe I can figure out how to corral the last of these varmints without getting hurt."
A voice came back to him, not Hawkins. “Captain Masters, can I try?"
Masters recognized Sean's voice. He didn't know the man that well, but he was willing to take a chance.
In the control room, Sean met Captain Hawkins’ gaze unwaveringly. He had made his decision. For better or for worse, his lot would now fall with the earthmen. Hawkins considered, then nodded assent. If this man could stop further slaughter, he was all for it.
The surrender was anti-climactic. Sean was pressed by Masters to talk with the remaining Moon City holdouts, and within a very few moments they threw out their weapons and came around the corridor, hands high.
Masters scanned them bleakly. Again, he was victorious, but at what cost! Besides himself and Kristi, he had only one rangers still standing. Wolfgang was alive but three other of the rangers’ dogs were dead. His remaining force was little more than a captain's guard. He made a vow then. At the first opportunity, he would retire from the rangers. During the last year he had seen too many of his compatriots die, and it seemed to him that, with the failure of the much-vaunted exploration in the alien inspired ship, they had died in vain. Neither earth nor the space people were any better off than they had been.
* * *
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The small contingent of personnel from earth, consisting mainly of delegates from the Houston Enclave had been freed. Again, Sean had been instrumental as an emissary into the shuttle, accepting the surrender there of the pilot and guard which Passing had left behind. Hawkins sent the delegates in the shuttle on to Moon City to settle once and for all the future direction of relationships between earth and the space environments. The ship's Lander, he sent back to earth with a full complement of passengers, including Jamie and his family, most of the scientific personnel, and the few remaining rangers. He kept Della aboard, although released again from confinement. Sean was assigned as an emissary to Moon City, but left his pets in Della's care, not trusting their safety in Moon City. Jamie was, as usual, phlegmatic about what results, if any, which had been gained, while the pets were wildly enthusiastic about being returned to earth. They had not cared at all for the close confinement aboard ship.
Except for Jamie, the humans were all depressed to various degrees. Jeannie and Kristi missed Della, while Kristi and Masters were still grieving at the loss of two thirds of the rangers they had started with, not to mention all but one of their dogs.
/> The returning earthmen had been apportioned seats on various cargo floaters. Jamie rode in a floater with Masters, Wolfgang, and Fuzzy Britches, crowded in among boxes and crates. Both men were typically silent most of the time, preferring to peer out through the back edge of the canopy as they traveled. The scenery was new to both of them.
“Look,” Masters said.
Jamie craned his neck to see what he was pointing at. All he could see was a peculiar colored cloud, which they were slowly passing. “Insects?"
“Yeah. Just like in the panhandle and central Texas. There just aren't enough birds left to control the population. I don't like it, not a bit."
“Me either,” Jamie admitted.
“Well, not much we can do about it, except hope that earth doesn't go the way of that one planet we landed on.” Masters shuddered, remembering the way one of his rangers had died.
“Cats catch birds,” Fuzzy Britches remarked, interested in the conversation after the long periods of silence.
“They need to stop, Fuzz. Birds eat insects"
“Not catch birds?"
“Concentrate on rats and mice. They're almost as bad as insects."
“They help keep the insects down,” Jamie reminded him.
“Yeah, so they do. Damn, it's all so interrelated, but I think the insects are a more direct threat right now."
“Like mice. Maybe I go talk to feral cats. Tell them not to catch birds. Catch mice and rats now."
“Those big cats in the wilds would have you for breakfast if you went out by yourself, Fuzz."
“Not so. Next time you and Kristi go see cats, take me. I talk to them."
Masters looked at the cat strangely, as did Jamie, but where the ranger thought in terms of the uniqueness of the request. Jamie added it to the catalog of ideas slowly forming into an inter-locked complex in his mind. He didn't like the direction they were going, not at all but he found it impossible to stop the process.
