Nightmare Planet

by Donald S. Rowland

  “Yes, Captain!” Tewkes smiled thinly and turned away. “I’ll just check out the computed orders again.”

  Barlor nodded and leaned back in his seat. He stared at the planetary system ahead, which was beginning to appear expanded as the distance decreased. Already the system’s sun was easing towards the far right side of the screen, and the planets themselves were taking on more substance, appearing larger. Barlor stifled his emotions, and excitement spurted into the background of his mind despite his worries. He knew of no other sight that could arouse him, and the fact that there was a mystery here added to his anticipation. But he contained his feelings and remained alert at his post.

  At 1500 hours he turned in his seat to peer at the entrance to the control room when he heard a commotion, and discovered Professor Tosk making an entry, followed by two of her assistants. Barlor got to his feet, smiling a little as he greeted the scientist. At twenty-six, Mahla Tosk was a tall slender blonde with bright, enquiring blue eyes, and she looked very attractive in her close-fitting, light blue uniform. Her dark brows were finely arched, her lips richly curved, and there was a permanent smile on her features which was enhanced by the brightness of her pale gaze. “Captain, we have our scientific briefing to dispose of,” she said, coming forward. “You’ve met with some trouble, haven’t you?”

  “Nothing that can be accounted for yet, Professor,” Barlor retorted. “I’m hoping that now we are within four hours of turning into orbit around this planetary system” — he jerked a thumb towards the scanner screen — “your instruments can provide some of the answers I require. There was a strange force affecting the ship before we erected our force field.”

  “We already have most of our instruments operating,” she replied. “Telescopic cameras are working, and we are storing pictures for play-back and later examination. I have a battery of spectrometers switched on, and they are operating across the entire gamut of short ultraviolet to far infra-red. The information they are picking up will give clues to the chemical composition of this system we are about to enter. In two hours I shall switch on the thermal energy locator, and the information it will relay should prove more valuable than any of the other instruments. It will detect the presence of warm blooded life on any of the planets. But it is of short range only, and you will have to wait until we are in amongst those planets before learning that answer.”

  “I think I can make an educated guess that there is some form of life somewhere in this system,” Barlor said slowly. “We have been affected by power that cannot have a natural source. But what you have told me indicates that you have anticipated my wishes, Professor. You are covering every eventuality, it seems. Is there anything else you can suggest we need to do to gain the maximum information from this system?”

  “I assume you will wish to make a landing on any planet that proves suitable,” Mahla Tosk declared. “Before you do that I shall be in a position to give you information regarding the chemical and mineral contents of each and all of the planets. It will be for you to decide what your actions will be as a result of our findings.”

  “That’s true,” Barlor said. “I’m not so much concerned for our safety. This ship is well protected. But freighters following the courses we are preparing will also pass close to this system, and they could be in trouble if there is a power source, natural or otherwise, that affects the operation of spaceship drives.”

  “Quite.” Impatience showed in the professor’s face, and she began to turn away.

  Barlor watched her closely. He had always felt the tug of attraction when near to her, but she was impersonal in everything except her work. Even now she could not wait to get back to her beloved instruments.

  “If you’ve got nothing to add then I’ll get back to work.” She moved on, taking brisk steps to the door. “I’ll keep you informed as the information comes in, and if there’s anything dramatic I’ll cut in to you.”

  “Thank you!” Barlor considered her for several minutes after the steel door closed behind her and the two male assistants. Then he sighed long and heavily and returned his attention to the screen on the forward bulkhead.

  There was a sense of foreboding in his mind as he studied the three planets that were visible. They were so close now to this mysterious system that its star and nearest planet were already off the screen, and Barlor went to the astrogator’s desk and stood by Tewkes’ shoulder.

  “Nothing new Captain!” Tewkes reported automatically.

  “Carry on,” Barlor said. “I’m just killing time now. We’ve got less than four hours. Is deceleration still taking place according to plot?”

  “As far as I can tell.”

  “But are you certain that the registers are correct?”

  “Yes. I’m quite certain. There can’t be any doubts.” Tewkes sighed and leaned back in his seat. He let his gaze wander across the array of equipment, nodding slowly as he did so. “I think our approach is normal now, Captain.”

  “I’m not going to lower the shields to check out your theory,” Barlor retorted. “I’m quite prepared to wait until we swing into a regular orbit around the most interesting of these four planets.”

  Tewkes studied the forward scanner screen again, still nodding. “I don’t see any satellites around any of those planets,” he remarked.

  “Can you draw any conclusions from that?” Barlor demanded.

  “No. I’m afraid there’s no easy way of checking out this system. Professor Tosk will be able to give you a complete rundown on chemical and mineral presence, and even life forms, but someone will have to take a shuttle down there to make a thorough check.”

  “I can’t wait to do so,” Barlor said, and was smiling when Tewkes looked up at him. “I’ll certainly lead any expedition that descends to make a survey.”

  “I’m not that interested in the unknown, Captain,” Tewkes replied, and there was a tremor in his tones. “I can’t forget the time we were stranded on Drak in the Battil Constellation! That experience cured my curiosity in unknown planets.”

  Barlor went back to his console, a thin smile still on his lips. He would not admit it, but his own attitude towards space exploration had changed a great deal during the past year. But it was to be expected. He had been in the Service from the age of eighteen, and eleven years in Space was a long, long time. He had lost count of the number of times his life had been in danger, and the after-effects on each occasion had had a cumulative effect. He was now aware of the burden in the back of his mind. But it was not affecting his duty or his attitude towards duty, and he knew he had not yet reached the end of his career. The end was in sight, but he could handle this present mission without trouble.

  At fifteen hundred hours Denson returned to the control room, prepared to stay until after they had made the first orbit. Now only two of the planets were visible on the forward scanner screen, and the ship was making for the outer one. They would swing around it in a giant half circle and speed through the system, whirling away from the danger area of the star itself, and they would take each planet in succession, mapping and analysing; photographing and checking. Most of the work would be accomplished automatically, controlled by computers, and all the crew would have to do was supervise the work. It would be a tense, impatient time, and already Barlor could feel tension building up inside his mind as he wondered what lay ahead, awaiting their arrival.

  An hour passed and Barlor left Denson in control and went down to the forward observation Lab, which occupied the extreme nose section of the ship. There were close to twenty technicians inside, all busy at desks on which clicking computers worked ceaselessly, and data was streaming into the instruments, even at the distance now separating ship from planet. Barlor paused on the threshold and looked around. He spotted Mahla Tosk in conference with three of her colleagues, and waited until she spotted him and left the group. Approaching him, she smiled brightly, and it was obvious to Barlor that she was in her element. This was what made her tick.

  “Hello,
Captain,” she greeted cheerfully. “Is the suspense getting at you?”

  “I’m beginning to feel the strain,” he admitted. “Are you getting any worthwhile information?”

  “Radiation count is negligible, which is favourable, but that’s about all I can tell you at the moment. This is the outer planet of the four, and it is about one hundred and fifty million miles from its sun. It has an atmosphere which we would find unbreathable; there is virtually no water on the surface. All indications so far are that the air temperature is well below freezing point during both day and night. But this is what I expect on a planet at this distance from its sun. I’ll be more interested in the third planet. That’s about the same distance from its sun as Earth is from ours.”

  “All I’m interested in is the mineral traces. I’d like a reading of those as soon as possible.”

  “I’ll log all information and make it available to you as quickly as I can. In an hour we’ll know all about this planet.” She smiled sweetly. “We’re moving on a figure of eight orbit, aren’t we, Captain?”

  “That’s right. It’s the simplest way of by-passing the sun and visiting the other planets in the system without wasting time and space. Tewkes has it worked out that the second planet will be our next target.”

  “I think that will prove interesting as well! It’s probably gaseous, but I won’t make any guesses. We’ll find out in time.”

  “I want to know as soon as possible if there are life forms on any of these planets. We are intruders into this system, and I have a sneaking feeling that one of these planets is inhabited by hostile aliens. This ship has been under attack, and it might not have been by some natural source.”

  “I will maintain a priority check for life,” Professor Tosk replied. “You’ll know the instant I have any information.”

  “Then I’ll leave you to it. I’ll be in the control room if you want me.”

  She nodded and went back to her group, and Barlor departed, feeling out of things as he walked along the corridor. He took the elevator up to the control deck, and when he entered the control room his gaze went instinctively to the big screen.

  There was only one planet showing now, and Barlor drew a deep breath as he studied it, a bright disc that glittered in the light of its sun. He wondered if it held any mysteries, and took a firm grip upon his imagination.

  “Captain!” Tewkes spoke sharply, dragging Barlor’s attention back to the situation. “Would you come here?”

  There was sharp warning in the astrogator’s tones, and Barlor stiffened immediately, crossing the room to the desk where Tewkes was seated. “Look at this register, Captain!” There was a high-pitched note in the astrogator’s voice now. “The needle should be around the four-zero mark, but it’s leaping beyond eight-zero. It is the radiation check register, and shows the degree of radiation attacking the exterior of the ship. In the present case it is warning of the amount of radiation against the shields. The red line at six-zero indicates danger level, and we have to take action against the radiation source before the needle reaches five-point-five. But that needle didn’t move around the dial. It suddenly jumped from four to eight!”

  “So we’ve probably run into a stable area of radiation!” Barlor said tightly.

  “That’s right, and if the shields hadn’t been erected then the crew would have been badly affected. As it is, we’ve got to do something about this. If it gets any worse our shields might become damaged, and without them we are worse than helpless.”

  “I’ll get the engine room to feed some of main drive power into the shields,” Barlor said.

  “It will help for now, but that’s only a temporary measure.” A harsh note crept into the astrogator’s tones. “We’ve got to do something about the source of that radiation.”

  “I expect the scientists will have noted the presence of it by now, and we should be getting a report from them at any time.” Barlor kept his tones steady, and crossed to where Denson was seated at the control console. He gave his subordinate orders, and stood by while they were relayed to the engine room. Then he went back to Tewkes, who was stiff and worried in his seat. “Is that making any difference?” he demanded.

  “It’s brought the needle down below danger level again, but for how long?” There was another tremor in the man’s voice, and Barlor frowned as he looked down into Tewkes’ face. “You’re in a dangerous situation, Captain. I advise you to take evasive action.”

  “That’s impossible at this stage,” Barlor retorted strongly. “We’re committed now! We’ve got to go through with this initial orbit whether we like it or not.”

  His voice sounded harsh even in his own ears, and he clenched his teeth as a wave of hopelessness surged through him. This was the worst part of any situation — the waiting for something to happen. But suddenly the waiting was over, quickly and unexpectedly. Denson called out sharply, and a buzzer alarm sounded, backing up the duty officer’s tones.

  “Captain, we are under attack!” Denson reported stolidly. “The sensors are reporting missiles approaching. Range indeterminate, but contact estimated in three minutes plus.”

  Barlor ran across to the control console and peered over his subordinate’s shoulder. He looked at the monitors banked beyond the console, and saw several fast moving dots of light on one small screen that was connected to the probes that ceaselessly covered all approaches to the ship.

  “Call the Chief and tell him to give us maximum power to the shields,” Barlor said without hesitation. “There’s nothing else we can do, except warn the crew to prepare for impact. Then hold on, Collin. At least we know the answer to one of the questions. This planetary system does support life, and it is hostile to visitors.”

  CHAPTER IV

  The time seemed to lapse into abeyance as they awaited the impact of the missiles. There were four dots speeding across the screen, and the cameras connected to the sensors panned to maintain pictures of the contacts. Engine room reported maximum power input to their deflector shields, and Barlor, who had been under similar attacks in the past when his command had come up against hostile aliens, discovered that he was trembling inside, and there was a sheen of sweat on his forehead. But he was aware that the shields should be effective against any type of hostile weapon, although there was always the danger of coming up against an entirely new type of weapon that could not be halted by their defences.

  Tewkes called off the minutes as they passed, and began a countdown of the remaining seconds. His tones were brittle, but there was no nervousness in him. Barlor stood with his eyes glued to the monitor. The dots of light fascinated him, and he held his breath at the end. But even so, the explosions came without warning, blotting out the screen with indescribable brightness. The ship rocked, for the four blasts were simultaneous, and instantly there was pandemonium on the alarm circuits panels. Red lights flashed and buzzers sounded insistently, their discordancy grating upon the nerves.

  “I’ve already switched in automatic damage control, Captain,” Denson reported. “We’ll be getting a reaction in a matter of seconds.”

  Barlor nodded, remaining silent, his teeth clenched. The ship seemed to have weathered the storm, and he was trying to use his senses to judge if any serious damage had occurred. But the shields seemed to have held, and the ship was on an even keel once more, pursuing its computed course. Then Chief Royden reported, and Denson was grinning faintly in relief as he looked up at Barlor.

  “The shields held, and there was more than sufficient power in them to prevent damage to our exterior, Captain. If that’s the best they can throw at us then we have nothing to worry about.”

  “Tell the Chief to maintain his present level of power to the shields,” Barlor replied, unclenching his teeth. He glanced down at Tewkes. “Are we still on course, Lieutenant?”

  “Precisely, Captain.” Again there was a tremor in the astrogator’s tones, although he had been calm and completely under control during the attack. Sweat was beading his forehead, b
ut he grinned when he met Barlor’s gaze.

  “Keep a sharp watch for other missiles,” Barlor ordered, and crossed to Denson’s side. “Anything from Damage Control?” he demanded.

  “It’s coming through now, Captain!” Denson looked up, relief etched into his fleshy face, and his pale gaze was filled with the same up-lifting emotion. “It’s a negative report,” he concluded.

  “We’ll have to try and make contact with those aliens,” Barlor said. “Get me Professor Norvall. Have him report here as soon as possible.” He turned and went across the control room to the communications console, where Lieutenant Gian Elon was seated. She was a small-boned girl of twenty-two, with a pretty face that was round and regular. Her blue eyes glinted as she looked up at Barlor, her eyebrows arched, and long blonde hair framed her features.

  “Has anyone tried to make contact with us, Lieutenant?” Barlor demanded.

  “I’ve got all lines on receive, Captain,” came the reply in dulcet tones, “and I’ve been maintaining a listening watch for several hours. But there’s been nothing, nothing at all.”

  “Remain on listening watch until Professor Norvall arrives, then co-operate with him. I want him to try and make contact with whoever fired those missiles at us. The inhabitants of this planetary system obviously do not care for visitors, so we shall inform them that we have no desire to land, that we are passing them by.”

  The girl nodded, her sensuous lips pursed, and Barlor went back to the main control console. Denson was in contact with the engine room, and Barlor feared there was more trouble, but Royden was merely reporting that all was well.

  Crossing to the astrogator’s console, Barlor anxiously studied the controls, and was relieved that the monitor connected to the sensors was blank. He dreaded to see more ominous white dots speeding towards them.