by Alan David
‘Commander!’ Balfin’s hard whisper came out of the darkness to Clark’s right, startling him out of his thoughts, and he swung around quickly to check his surroundings, feeling a little guilty because he had permitted his alertness to fail. He heaved a long sigh when he found no trouble, and then looked towards the spot where Balfin was down on the ground. He dropped quickly and began to move in cautiously, coming up on the Major’s left.
‘What is it?’ he demanded in a harsh whisper.
‘Straight ahead,’ Balfin said tightly. ‘I saw a light flicker. It didn’t last long. Might have been a campfire unmasked for a moment. The Brutan patrol we met on the way out of the jungle had a covered fire just back from the tunnel. I figure we must be getting close to the jungle.’
Clark nodded, filled with relief. He peered in the direction Balfin pointed out, but could see nothing. Then his gaze slid to the right, and he frowned as he tried to make out details.
‘That blacker area over there, Kester,’ he said softly. ‘It could be the jungle, huh?’
Balfin would not commit himself immediately. He studied the area.
‘Could be,’ he admitted at length. ‘We’ve got to find that hill though. Shall I go on ahead of you, Commander? No sense both of us walking slap into trouble.’
‘I fancy we’d better stick together, to cover each other,’ Clark said. ‘Let’s take it easy, but keep going, and make a detour around the spot where you figured you saw the light. One thing to remember. I think these Brutans can hear a whisper from thirty yards so let’s keep it quiet from now on.’
Balfin went ahead slightly, and Clark gripped his energy gun as he followed. They were tense once more, aware that now was approaching the most dangerous part of their attempt to return to the jungle and its sanctuary. They had to get through the Brutan cordon!
Suddenly Clark felt the ground rising under his feet and he peered around, hoping against hope that this was the hill where the tunnel was situated. But he could not accept that they were so fortunate after what they had experienced. He was prepared for more disappointment and danger, and he tightened his grip on his weapon as they went on more slowly.
When a harsh challenge was shouted out of the darkness near them Clark went instantly to ground, watching Balfin’s broad back as the Major flung himself down. Echoes fled quickly, and tension rose up inside Clark like a flowing tide. The challenge was repeated, coming unintelligible from the darkness, until the transmuter Clark was wearing picked it up and translated it.
Clark thumbed the button that turned the instrument off, but not before the harsh voice relayed its warning in English.
‘Halt! You are under observation. Stay still and report what you are doing in a prohibited area!’
Clark clenched his teeth, for it was a Brutan shouting, and he and Balfin were the only strangers here. It looked as if their present run of bad luck was persisting, and they were going to find trouble on the last stretch to safety!
Chapter Eleven
Balfin was unmoving and silent, despite the repeated challenge, and Clark knew the Major would swing into action the moment danger struck, But they didn’t want to fight! If they could withdraw and break contact they would be able to slip away into the darkness and lose themselves without trouble. Clark stared into the direction from which the voice had come, and his lips tightened when he saw a movement in the shadows. The next moment a tall figure appeared, advancing cautiously, a rod-like weapon held ready for action.
Clark hoped Balfin would not fire, but he dared not call a warning. The Brutan came on, and Clark, knowing Balfin’s exact position, feared the Major would be discovered. But yards short of Balfin’s spot, the Brutan halted and stood peering around. The next moment another Brutan voice called from the darkness ahead, its owner invisible to Clark.
‘You’re seeing things that are not there!’
‘I saw something, I tell you,’ the first guard retorted. ‘I not only saw something, but I heard a sound. These sonic detectors don’t make any mistakes.’
Clark thinned his lips as he listened. He had been mystified by the apparent ease with which the Brutan guards at the tunnel had picked up Searby’s whisper. Now he knew how it was done. He shook his head slowly as he considered. A sonic detector was just another set of odds stacked up against them.
But the guard was apparently satisfied that he had been mistaken for he turned away and disappeared once more in the direction from which he came. Clark began to breathe easier, and after a few moments he moved forward slowly and carefully to Balfin’s side. The Major turned to speak, but Clark pressed a hand against his mouth, cautioning silence. They communicated with signals, and Balfin moved to the right and they crawled away.
It seemed to Clark that they were on the right hill, and his relief began to swell in his mind as they began to cast about for the tunnel entrance. Balfin, who had been out of the tunnel and returned to it from a distance, suddenly touched Clark’s arm. He put his mouth to Clark’s ear and spoke softly.
‘Follow me. I got my bearings.’
Clark nodded and peered around as they went forward, and he fancied he saw movement in the background. There were guards all over the place, and they were alert and ready for trouble. Then Balfin paused, and Clark saw the Major easing through a screen of bushes into the tunnel beyond.
They stood up thankfully in the tunnel, and Clark held on to Balfin’s belt as they went forward. The total darkness was welcome. At least they could not be spotted in here. But the trip seemed never ending, and Clark found his nerves overwound by the time they emerged on the slope that led down into the jungle.
Balfin did not hesitate, but plunged down the slope until they were well within the tree line. Then he halted, breathless, and leaned against a tree trunk, his face a pale oval in the shadows. His shoulders were heaving as he looked at Clark.
‘We’ve had our share of troubles this trip, Commander. I guess there were times when I figured we would not see this jungle again.’
‘And we lost Searby!’ Clark felt a pang stab through him as he thought of the episode of their nightmarish contact with the Marscs. ‘But we’re not out of the woods yet, Kester. We’ve got to come back this way, then try to steal a Brutan spaceship. The Brutans will be expecting us to attempt something like that, according to that security chief I overheard talking to Ralip. I reckon it will be an impossible task, but our only alternative is to remain on this hellish planet for the rest of our lives.’
‘And that period may not be so very long, according to what has happened to us so far,’ Balfin commented harshly. ‘I’ve never known a place where so many creatures are waiting to eat you.’
‘Dog eats dog,’ Clark said. He looked around, peering into the shadows. ‘We’re not entirely safe in here, remember. But there should be an Avic around watching for our return. I don’t figure they’ll be expecting us for a few days more, so we might have to wait around.’
‘I can track our way back to that camp we stayed at,’ Balfin said, ‘But not until daylight. Shall we rest up now?’
‘You sleep while I stand guard.’ Clark tried to see the sky but could not. ‘I don’t think there’s more than a couple of hours to sunrise.’
They settled down, and Clark sat with his back to a tree, the Laser ready in his hands. Balfin stretched out and was asleep within moments, and Clark listened to his companion’s steady breathing. He didn’t think that he could have made it this far if Balfin hadn’t been along.
He dared not let himself sleep, although he was exhausted. He kept staring around, and his ears were keened for the slightest unnatural sound. His thoughts moved sluggishly, and he tried every trick he knew to remain at peak alertness.
It seemed to him that reality had ceased to exist from the moment Probe 2 had been destroyed. He could barely recall any part of his life before that terrible moment. It needed a great effort on his part to picture the faces of his parents back on Earth, and for some time he could not bring to mind an
image of his brother Vern, who had evidently died in the destruction of Probe 1. If he ever got back to Earth he would have to break that grim news to his parents, he knew, but at the moment that eventuality seemed too remote to be considered.
He tried to get his thoughts back to duty. It was his responsibility to get the survivors off this planet and back to Earth. He was mindful of the fact that Probe 3 would be sent to check on events around Muta, and it would certainly share the same fate as its predecessors unless something was done to prevent it reaching Muta orbit. But when he thought over what they had to do to get off the planet his mind sank into despair. Even if the Brutans were not expecting an alien attempt to seize a spaceship the task would have been well nigh impossible, but with their full expectation of such an attempt, Clark was certain they could not succeed.
But the alternative, as he had told Balfin, was to remain for the rest of their days on this planet, and he knew he would rather die attempting to escape than face the possibility of remaining in the jungle for the rest of his life, fighting off Ogrins, Brutans and Marscs. He knew they wouldn’t always be so fortunate as they’d turned out to be on this trip, and one by one they would find themselves cut off and taken, to be killed or eaten.
Two hours passed and Clark found his range of vision slowly increasing. Thin rays of sunlight began to lance down through the foliage, and he reluctantly shook the Major and brought him back to reality. Balfin stared around for a moment, then looked at Clark with disappointment in his pale gaze.
‘I was dreaming,’ he said slowly. ‘We were up there in Probe 2, pulling out of Muta orbit. Then I had to open my eyes to this nightmare. I always thought nightmares happened while you were asleep, but it seems to work the other way around in this place.’
Clark nodded. He got up and stretched, and after they had eaten part of their survival kit rations they prepared to move out. Balfin went off with the Laser to look around and search for signs of their track on the outward trip, and returned to Clark within fifteen minutes, claiming to have found it.
‘I haven’t seen anything of the Avics, but I suppose they wouldn’t show up too close to the edge of the jungle.’ Balfin wiped sweat from his forehead and grinned tightly. ‘If you feel like a stroll through the trees then we can move out, Commander.’
Clark nodded and they collected together their gear and set out.
It soon became apparent to Clark that he was in for a rough time. He was practically asleep on his feet, and stumbled and sprawled often over the treacherous roots and undergrowth. But Balfin set a hard pace, and Clark would not call out for a reduction in their progress. The sooner they linked up once more with Pacian and the Avics the sooner they could do something about their predicament.
Time passed, seemingly dead slow to Clark, but they made progress and eventually reached the spot where the Brutan craft had landed in the clearing in its search for them. The craft was still there, a heap of useless metals, reduced to practically nothing by the power of the Laser, and Clark paused for a moment just inside the tree line and stared at the destruction. It had all been so unnecessary.
Violence was not a prerogative of Earthmen, he thought as they stumbled on. Most forms of life lived with violence as a main characteristic. It was the way of Nature, and Nature seemed omniscient and all powerful, governed by the same basic rules right through the Universe. But these alien forms of violence were too much for Clark, and he longed to be off the planet and back amongst his own kind.
Balfin paused after some hours and turned a sweating face towards Clark. The Major’s shirt was open to the waist and sweat gleamed upon his tough body. He waited for Clark to join him, then sat down.
‘I’ve been ready for a halt ever since we started,’ Clark admitted. ‘I figure we’ll take a few days rest when we get back to camp. We’ll have to lie low for some time to let the Brutans think we’re never coming out of the jungle. Once they relax their vigilance we’ll find it easier to make our attempt.’
‘One throw, win or lose,’ Balfin said, chewing a protein tablet. He swigged it down with water and slammed the stopper back into the canteen with the heel of his hand. ‘I came on this expedition because I was looking for action and excitement. I certainly got more than I bargained for. Why did you volunteer for this trip, Commander?’
‘My brother Vern was aboard Probe 1.’ Clark thinned his lips for a moment. ‘I figured to find out first hand what happened to him.’
‘I’m sorry he didn’t make it!’ Balfin looked away for a moment. ‘I don’t figure any of us are going to make it either, huh?’
‘If we don’t it won’t be for the want of trying,’ Clark said heavily, and a grin touched Balfin’s dusty lips.
‘That’s what I like about you, Commander,’ he retorted. ‘We come with the same frame of mind. I never admit defeat either.’
‘I figure we would have been finished long before now if you hadn’t been along, Kester.’
‘That’s the way I feel about you,’ Balfin retorted. ‘You’ve done fine so far, considering what we’re up against. I’m happy to leave the rest of it to your judgement.’
Clark shook his head as he considered. He felt that he couldn’t walk another step, but he pushed himself slowly to his feet.
‘We should be hitting Pacian’s old camp before long, huh?’ he demanded.
‘A couple of hours, I reckon.’ Balfin grunted as he heaved himself upright. ‘Things have been quiet since we came back into the jungle, huh?’
‘Perhaps too quiet!’ Clark looked around.
Balfin checked the Laser, and his blue eyes glittered as he started forward, looking for the trail they had left previously. Clark followed him once more, and they went on and on through the undergrowth.
When they reached the clearing where Pacian had his camp, they found it deserted and desolate. The dead Ogrins, killed in the attack, still lay motionless where they had fallen, but the Avics killed in the raid had been removed. They edged into the clearing, fearing an ambush, but Balfin quickly searched the area and came back to Clark with the news that everyone had gone.
‘I’ve found tracks, Commander. They must have been left by the Avics when they moved to the new camp. Are we gonna stay here the night and go on in the morning?’
‘It’s been a hard day and I’m whacked,’ Clark admitted. ‘In any case, we’d get only a few miles before darkness came, and then we’d have to sleep rough in the jungle. I don’t think I fancy that. There’s no telling what other strange animal forms live on this planet. I figure we won’t be losing much time by staying here tonight.’
‘I agree with you.’ Balfin nodded. ‘There are some supplies in one of the huts. Shall I fix some food?’
‘Give me the Laser and I’ll remain on guard until it’s ready.’ Clark looked around, shaking his head as a pang of doubt struck him again. They were so far from home and their chances of returning seemed to be diminishing hourly.
Balfin handed over the weapon and went off to one of the huts. Clark settled down in the brush and forced himself to full alertness. He stared around into the impenetrable jungle until Balfin called him thirty minutes later.
After they had eaten they felt easier, and shadows were beginning to creep down into the forest.
‘We’ll have to take turn about on guard,’ Clark said, his eyes narrowed as he studied the deserted camp. ‘The Ogrins know of this place and they might come back.’
‘I’ll take first watch if you want to sleep, Commander,’ Balfin said instantly. ‘You look all in. I guess I am more accustomed to this way of life than you. I’ll take six hours, then call you, and you take over until it’s light enough for us to go on.’
Clark agreed, and went into a smaller hut to sleep. He lay down on a pallet and closed his eyes, and the next moment, it seemed, Balfin was shaking him awake and whispering in his ear. Stark reality caught Clark and he left the hut with the Laser in his hands, settling himself down in a vantage point and fighting his tiredness. Anot
her six hours sleep would have made him more suitable to another day of slogging through the jungle.
Time passed slowly, and he became cramped as he waited unmoving and cold. Dawn came eventually, and he waited for thirty minutes after he could see across the clearing to ensure there was no possibility of another Ogrin attack. But the forest was silent and still, and again Clark was struck by the eeriness that was created by the absence of smaller forest life. There were no smaller creatures or birds, no natural sounds anywhere, and it worried Clark, made him think that unseen things were slinking through the undergrowth, scaring away the usual lower order of life.
He went to awaken Balfin, and they breakfasted quickly. Clark was stiff and sombre, but impatient to get on. He felt they were in the grip of a situation over which he had not the smallest control. Whatever their fate was to be, they were hurrying towards it without the ability to stop and consider their intentions or actions.
Balfin picked up the faint trail the Avics had left on their move to Pacian’s new camp, and soon they were pushing forward through the undergrowth once more. The ground seemed softer in this deeper recess of the forest, and Clark found his feet sinking in sometimes up to the ankle. He soon became tired once more, and made hard work of following the seemingly untiring Balfin.
Suddenly Balfin went to ground, and Clark dropped flat in his tracks, his instincts at work despite the fact that his mind was filled with diverting thought. At first Clark feared the worst, but the forest echoed with trilling and twittering, and he began to rise, aware that they had found some Avics. Balfin was getting to his feet, and amongst the trees appeared the strange figures of several birdmen.
