by Alan David
‘Let’s get out of here completely,’ Mallory said, his tones rising. ‘This craft will take us out of this area. We can make for the nearest friendly planet. We’ve got supplies aboard, sufficient to save our lives.’
‘We might be able to get clear, if these aliens don’t have us tracked,’ Clark said through his teeth. ‘Perhaps we’re not being fired at because we are landing. It might be another matter if we try to get away.’
‘I say our best chance is to land,’ Balfin cut in. ‘Apart from any other consideration, we’ve got to try and find out what happened to Probe 1.’
‘I figure we know well enough what’s happened to that.’ Mallory retorted. ‘It was destroyed, like our own ship.’
Clark threw a cautious glance over his shoulder at Magenta, wondering how the woman was taking the turn of events. He saw her face was white and drawn, showing shock quite plainly, but she nodded slowly as she met his gaze.
‘I have perfect confidence in you, Commander,’ she said, as if reading his mind.
Clark took a deep breath and returned his attention to the console. He glanced at the screen and studied the grey spots that looked like townships, and he swung the craft away from them, heading for the interior of the planet over which they were speeding.
‘Looks like we’re going into the wilderness,’ Balfin commented. ‘It might not be such a good idea, Commander. If we hit trouble on the ground we’ll be lost in the wilds, and that could cost us our lives.’
‘And if we come down close to habited areas we could find those hostile aliens and get ourselves killed that way.’ Clark shook his head. ‘We got ourselves the hell of a choice, huh?’
‘Try that area over there!’ Balfin was pointing to the screen. ‘That looks like a forest. The vegetation will conceal us.’
Clark nodded and changed course. They were very low now, skimming in towards the surface, and he held the craft purposely low to throw off any tracking stations that might have followed their descent. He changed course again, to get away from any plot which the aliens might make after losing contact with them. His mind was alert to all possibilities as they swept on. The craft slanted down, and they swooped over a cluster of buildings. Clark merely caught a glimpse of them, intent as he was at the controls, but Balfin whistled through his teeth.
‘Hell, did you get a look at those buildings?’ the Major demanded.
‘What was wrong with them?’ Clark clenched his teeth as he stared through the forward viewport, the screens forgotten now. He could see the vegetation of a dank black forest below, and he intended setting down in the first available clearing.
‘I only got a glimpse,’ Balfin said, turning to stare out the rear viewport, ‘and I guess our height and speed distorted my vision somewhat, but I’d swear those buildings were houses of some kind, and they stood around sixty feet high!’
‘They’ve got housing problems, same as on Earth,’ Clark retorted, slitting his eyes. He figured a clearing was coming up, and there was the glint of water at one side. He could not see dwellings of any kind, and reached out to the controls. ‘We’re going down there,’ he said thinly. ‘Brace yourselves in case it gets rough.’
It was a clearing, small and irregular, but there was water in it, glinting dully in the sunlight. Clark felt the push of gravity as he brought the craft around in a tight turn, and then they were dropping in to land, the retro-rockets firing automatically to slow their descent. Clark concentrated upon getting in under the fringe of the trees for cover, and the dust rose in black clouds as they steadied, then dropped heavily over the last four feet. He cut the power instantly and slumped in his seat for a moment, and in the ensuing dead silence he fancied he could hear his heart thudding.
‘We made it,’ Balfin said, and there was a strange note of relief in his hard tones.
‘Let’s get out of here and away from the ship in case it was tracked down,’ Mallory said curtly. He reached out to break the seal on the hatch, but a scream of horror from Magenta made him freeze.
Clark swung around in his seat, to find the woman staring out the rear viewport. He got out of his seat and went to her side, aware that she was unable to speak, shocked immeasurably by something she had seen. He stared through the thick glass, frowning when he could see nothing at first. The woman was pointing a tremoring finger, but he couldn’t see anything to get alarmed about.
Then he spotted movement, and a cold sweat broke out on his rugged forehead. A man eased forward momentarily from the cover of a tree — a man such as Clark had never seen before. He had black leathery wings, a bat-like face, and ostrich-like legs. Two humanoid arms showed below the wings, and one of the clawed hands was holding a weapon that looked suspiciously like some kind of a Laser gun.
‘Don’t open that hatch!’ Clark tried to keep his tones level, but there was a ragged quality in his voice. ‘We’ve got company already.’
The others came crowding at his shoulder for a look, and they stared in silence, while two other birdmen appeared to study the shuttlecraft. Clark discovered that he was holding his breath, and he sighed heavily, then inhaled quickly. He was wondering what kind of a nightmare they had dropped into …
Chapter Two
‘What the hell are they?’ Balfin demanded.
‘Let’s get back into the air before they attack,’ Mallory cut in.
‘Don’t let’s panic,’ Clark retorted. ‘Just take it easy. They’re not making any hostile moves.’
‘But they’re armed with some kind of a weapon.’ Balfin’s tones were shaky, and Clark frowned as he glanced at the big man. He had never known Balfin show any kind of emotion in a tight corner. But after what had happened to their parent ship he was not surprised that their nerves were ruffled.
‘You’re the scientist amongst us, Magenta,’ Clark said. ‘Have you ever come across anything like these creatures?’
‘No!’ The woman was striving to remain outwardly calm. ‘They’re semi-humanoid. Those features are not far removed from Man, and they are not at all birdlike.’
‘More like a bat,’ Balfin said.
Clark silently agreed. ‘I’m going to try and make contact with them,’ he said.
‘Don’t leave the craft,’ Mallory warned.
Clark went back to his seat and opened a communication line, switching it to audio, and he paused as he considered what to say. He plugged in a semantics transmuter to the computer, then twisted in his seat as he began to talk.
‘We mean you no harm,’ he said. ‘We are friendly.’
They could not hear Clark’s voice sounding outside the craft, but it echoed through the clearing and scared the bird-men. Clark saw two of the creatures run out from the trees and flap their massive leathery wings. They took off and went circling the clearing, looking grotesque and unreal.
‘There are a couple who haven’t taken off,’ Balfin said. ‘Better put up our deflector screens, Commander. They’re beginning to look hostile.’
Clark jabbed a finger at the button controlling their power screens, and when the green light came on he turned once more to peer through the rear viewport. He saw two of the winged men standing together, and this time he examined them in more detail.
They were around six feet in height, with head and shoulders like a man. But there all resemblance ended. They had curious features; a beaklike mouth and a stubby nose, and their ears were like leathery tufts towards the top of their heads. Their chests were powerfully developed to cope with their wings, and their hands were humanoid, although Clark could not count digits. He saw the weapons they were holding, and narrowed his brown eyes. He continued to study the creatures, and shook his head when he saw that the lower part of their body was birdlike. He likened their legs to that of an ostrich, and wondered what strange vagary of Nature had evolved this species. They had to be intelligent, he knew, and wondered if he could make contact with them. For some instinctive reason he suspected that they were not responsible for what had happened to Probe 2.
‘We’re wasting time,’ Balfin said slowly. ‘They could be bringing in help. If they attack us there’s likely to be little chance for us in this clearing. Maybe we ought to get into the air and move on, Commander.’
Clark was tempted to do just that, but he knew they had to make contact with these aliens, and the sooner the better. He needed to let them know they were friends.
‘I’m gonna take a chance and go out there to try and talk with them,’ he said sharply, and tension hit him as he spoke, although he did not show it.
‘That could be the mistake of the year,’ Balfin retorted, shaking his head. ‘If someone has got to go out there then it better be me.’
Clark started to protest, but Balfin was their security man, and a good all-round fighter. He nodded slowly, holding Balfin’s pale gaze for a moment.
‘Okay, you’d better handle it, Kester,’ he said. ‘Take a transmuter with you and try and make contact with them. But don’t take any chances. Someone destroyed Probe 2. I somehow don’t think it was these creatures, but we can’t be too careful.’
‘One thing is certain,’ Balfin said as he prepared to leave the craft. ‘These creatures don’t live in those tall buildings I spotted before we came over the forest. If you ask me, there are several kinds of creatures on Muta.’
‘You could be right.’ Clark moved to his seat and switched on the scanners. He looked around the clearing, spotting more than a score of the birdlike creatures, all waiting in cover and staring at the craft with beady eyes. They were all holding weapons. ‘I don’t like it, Kester,’ he said reluctantly. ‘I’m not gonna let you make it out there.’
‘Let’s lift off and head somewhere else,’ Mallory said. ‘This place gives me the creeps.’
‘You’re the boss,’ Balfin said. ‘I’ll give it a whirl if you reckon it’s the right thing for me to do. I’m not afraid of those creatures.’
‘It’s not a matter of being afraid,’ Clark retorted. ‘I can’t afford to lose your support, Kester.’
He prepared to switch on the main drive, but Mallory called a warning, and when he looked at the screens in response to Mallory’s cry, Clark saw an aircraft approaching, skimming the trees. It was more like a skyraft than any kind of craft that Clark had ever seen, and they stared at it intently as it wavered through the air.
Clark was thankful he had put the shuttlecraft down almost under the trees, but he fancied they would be spotted. He saw Balfin out of the corner of his eye, dropping back into his seat and preparing to use the Phasers. It was in Clark to stop the Major, but he knew this newcomer was a different proposition.
The next instant the flying raft was in action, hosing long streams of purple light at the clearing. Clark realized at once that the birdmen were being attacked, and he reached out and placed a heavy hand upon Balfin’s arm.
‘Hold your fire, Kester,’ he said curtly. ‘Our screens will protect us. Let’s see if they spot us. They’re not shooting at us.’
‘They’re killing the birdmen,’ Magenta reported in quivering tones.
‘The birdmen are fighting back,’ Mallory cut in. ‘Those weapons they’re carrying. They’re powerful. They’re knocking lumps off that flying machine.’
Clark was watching the fight on the screen, and saw the cupola on the skyraft taking streams of tremoring light that distorted its smooth shape. The next instant the craft had gone from sight beyond the trees, and the birdmen disappeared once more into the forest, leaving a number of their dead on the soft ground.
‘What do you make of that?’ Balfin demanded. ‘Those bird-men are no push-over. We’d better not tangle with them if there is any other way of handling them.’
‘I’m wondering if that skyraft was here for us,’ Clark said.
‘If they were responsible for the loss of Probe 2 then I’m on the side of the birdmen,’ Balfin said, and Clark nodded.
‘We’ll have to try and make contact with those birdmen,’ he acknowledged. ‘We’ve got to try and find out what the deal is.’
‘They didn’t attack us instantly, like they did when the skyraft showed up,’ Mallory said, and for the first time since they had left Probe 2 there was hope in his tones.
‘I didn’t get a look at the people on that skyraft,’ Magenta put in. ‘Did anyone see them?’
Clark shook his head. The others agreed with him.
‘It happened too quickly,’ Balfin said. ‘But you can bet they’ll be back. Are we getting out of here, Commander?’
‘We don’t know that they spotted us,’ Clark pointed out. ‘If we pull out we might land in worse trouble. I’m for trying to contact those birdmen. If we can learn what the situation is on this planet it’ll help a great deal.’
‘Looks like we’re being approached,’ Mallory said sharply. ‘A couple of those batmen are coming this way.’
They peered from the starboard viewport, and Balfin spoke quickly.
‘Commander, if they walk into our force field they’ll think we’re being hostile.’
‘I’ll cut the power. We’ll have to take that chance,’ Clark retorted. He depressed a button and a red light came on in place of the green. The next moment two birdmen were moving in towards them, cautious and ready to flee, their weapons in their hands.
‘I’ll go out and talk to them,’ Balfin said. ‘You can listen in, Commander.’
‘Okay, but don’t take any chances. Use the transmuter and try and get their language. The computer will soon break it down. Mallory, you stand by the hatch. Keep it open to let the Major get back in quickly if necessary.’ Clark paused. ‘I’ll cover you from in here with one of the main phasers, Kester.’
‘I hope you won’t have to use it,’ Balfin retorted. ‘It would make a mess of me too.’
He went to the hatch and Mallory opened it. Clark sat down in the observer’s seat, arming the weapon bank and swinging one of the phasers on the manual control. He covered the two birdmen, frowning as he stared at them through the forward port. They looked like something out of a nightmare.
Balfin departed quickly and Mallory closed the hatch. The next moment Clark saw the Major appearing in front of the viewport, and he heard Balfin’s voice as he spoke to the aliens. The computer clicked as Clark set it into action to take samples of the aliens’s speech.
‘We are friends,’ Balfin said, wanting a response from the birdmen.
Clark watched the aliens closely, ready for trickery. But one of them twittered in reply, waving the arms that came out of the shoulders below the roots of the leathery wings. The computer clicked as the alien spoke at great length, and Balfin remained silent, waiting for translation to come through. The transmuter he was carrying was reporting the alien language to the computer, where it would be broken down and analysed. In a matter of moments they would be able to understand what the birdman was saying.
The twittering continued, a musical gibberish that could not be understood in any degree by humans. Clark waited tensely, ready to back up Balfin should trouble start, but then the transmuter began operating, and the computer programmed the strange language, analysing and relaying in English. Clark turned up the volume on the audio, and heard the twittering suddenly change into English.
‘We know you are aliens,’ the birdman was saying. ‘We have some of your species living with us deep in the rain forests where the Brutans cannot find them. We have waged eternal war against the Brutans. We welcome you and invite you to come with us.’
Balfin heard the English translation and turned to gaze up at Clark, who had moved forward to peer down through the viewport. Clark lifted a hand and signalled that he would alight, and he turned to the hatch.
‘Be on your guard, Mallory,’ he warned as he passed through the small airlock. ‘Just in case.’
Mallory nodded tensely and Clark dropped through the hatch t
o the ground. He took a quick breath, instinctively testing the air, and found it similar to the quality they were used to on Earth. He went forward to stand beside Balfin and regarded the birdmen intently.
‘We welcome you,’ the foremost birdman said, its beaklike mouth opening and snapping shut very rapidly. A twittering was coming from the creature, but the transmuter was relaying its words in English. ‘I am Pacian, leader of the Avics. We have some of your species living with us in the forest.’
‘Your words are cheering,’ Clark replied, and paused to listen to the transmuter changing his English into the twittering language. ‘We are friendly, but there are hostiles on this planet. Our ship was destroyed in orbit.’
‘The Brutans,’ Pacian replied. ‘If you will trust us we shall conduct you to our secret places deep in the forest where the Brutans cannot penetrate. Take what you need from this craft and we shall destroy it before leaving. It would otherwise fall into the hands of the Brutans.’
‘This ship is our only link with Space!’ There was protest in Clark’s voice. ‘Can we hide it?’
‘Impossible.’ There was no emotion present in the reedy voice that came out of the transmuter speaker, but Clark fancied he detected a note of impatience. ‘Please hurry. The Brutans will return. We are no match for them, but we fight them at every opportunity. If we are to survive then we must leave immediately.’
‘One more question,’ Clark said. ‘You have some of our species with you. Who are they?’
‘Men like yourselves, who came to ground from a spaceship. Their parent ship was destroyed by the Brutans when it entered Muta orbit.’
‘Do you have any names?’ Clark was thinking of his brother, aware that the Avic was talking about Probe 1 survivors.
‘Later is the time for talking. Now we must leave. If you fail to accompany us the Brutans will get you, or worse still you may be captured by the Ogrins.’
‘What about it, Commander?’ Balfin demanded. ‘We’ll be taking a big chance by trusting them, but we can’t argue about the trouble we’ll find if that skyraft comes back with reinforcements. We’ve got to get out of here.’
