Rebels of the Red Planet

by Charles L. Fontenay

  7

  Maya had never seen Nuwell in such a state of sustained rage.

  He strode back and forth in the private dining room of the Syrtis MajorClub, near the western edge of Mars City, slapping his fist into hishand. His face usually was engaging and boyish, the wave of his darkhair setting it off handsomely, but now it was flushed like that of apetulant child and the lock of hair hung down over his forehead. Maya,the only other person in the room, sat quietly and watched him pace.

  "They had plenty of time and all the information they needed," stormedNuwell, "and yet they didn't get a single one of the key men! Most ofthe rebels slipped out easily, right under their noses!"

  Maya watched him detachedly. This was the man she had promised to marry,and, as she had once or twice before, she was undergoing pangs of doubt.After all, she had known Nuwell Eli only during the few months she hadbeen on Mars.

  She had fallen in love with him for his charm, his intelligence, hisgood-humored gentleness, but she did not like this display of temper. Itwas not a controlled anger, but had something of the irrational in it.

  "Childress was captured," she reminded him.

  "Childress! A figurehead! He says he didn't know about the rebelactivities going on in the college, and he's so stupid I may not be ableto make a case against him."

  Maya recognized that this element, the success of his prosecution, was avery important factor to Nuwell.

  "Are the twelve I identified the only ones captured?" asked Maya.

  "Yes. Twelve captured, seven killed, and every one of them small fry.The leaders undoubtedly got away in that copter. We blockaded theairlocks fast, so most of the others are probably still in the city, butwe don't have any idea where to look for them."

  "I may be able to help in that, when I get back from my swing around theother cities," said Maya.

  "I don't want you to go on that jaunt, Maya!" exclaimed Nuwell, swingingaround to face her with fierce emphasis. "You said when you had foundthe headquarters, you'd resign the service and marry me. Now you want togo all over Mars looking for rebels!"

  "Nuwell, I can identify almost all of those who were at the barbercollege," Maya remonstrated. "They've picked up some men at the airlocksand others on the roads at several cities, and even Martian law won'tpermit you to uproot those people and send them to Mars City just onsuspicion. They can't be sent here for me to identify: I'll have to gothere."

  "We can work out some charges to get them extradited to Mars City,"snapped Nuwell angrily. "I don't want you to go, Maya. I want you tostay here and marry me, immediately."

  "Aren't you being a little dictatorial, Nuwell?" she suggested coolly.

  The warning implied in her remoteness seemed to trigger a polarizedreaction in Nuwell. The furious dark eyes melted suddenly, the stubbornanger of the face altered on the instant to a sentimental, wistful smileof appeal.

  "Don't be angry, Maya," he pleaded, half-ruefully, half-humorously."It's just that I love you so much. It's just that I'm impatient for youto be my wife."

  Changeability is attributed to the feminine, but Maya was not able toshift her mood as facilely as her fiance.

  "If I'm worth marrying, I'm worth waiting for a little longer," shesaid, with an edge to her voice. She was angry at Nuwell for acting solike a spoiled child. "I'm going to see this job finished. I'm leavingfor Solis Lacus on the jetliner tonight."

  "Solis Lacus!" he exclaimed in astonishment. "Why, Maya, that's halfwayaround Mars!"

  "That's exactly why the rebels might be more likely to go there. Inspite of the patrols, you know they haven't picked up all of the rebelswho escaped Mars City by groundcar. Any of them who headed for SolisLacus will be arriving there within the next two or three days. ThenI'll make a swing around and spend as much time as necessary at each ofthe dome cities before coming back here."

  The angry, stubborn expression swept across Nuwell's face again.

  "Maya, I won't--" he began.

  But at that moment, their guests began arriving. As the judge of MarsCity's superior court and his wife entered the room, Nuwell cut himselfoff sharp and turned to greet them. His face cleared instantly, his lipscurved into a delighted smile and he welcomed them with such natural,innocent charm that one would have thought he was incapable of frowning.

  The presence of the guests seemed to intoxicate him with good-humor, andwhen he had to leave in the midst of the party to drive Maya to theairport he did not resume his argument. He merely kissed her good-byetenderly before she boarded the plane and begged her with melting eyesto hurry back because he would be lonely every moment she was away.

  So it was that Maya stretched in a reclining chair on the sundeck of theChateau Nectaris the next afternoon and permitted herself to bedisgusted with the entire planet Mars.

  Maya's small, perfect body was kept minimally modest by one of thosescanty Martian sunsuits. A huge straw hat, woven of dried canal sage,hid her beautiful face.

  A disappointing resort area for an Earthwoman, this Solis Lacus Lowland.No swimming, no boating, no skiing. No water and no snow. Just a vastexpanse of salty ground, blanketed with gray-green canal sage and dottedwith the plastic domes of the resort chateaus. Nothing to do but hikein a marsuit or sun oneself under a dome.

  She had chosen the Chateau Nectaris because it was the largest of theresort spots, and therefore the most likely one to be chosen by men whosought to hide out for a while. She had contacted the managers of allthe resort chateaus and all had agreed to let her know of the arrival ofany new guests.

  There had been three of them during the morning, two arriving bygroundcar and one by copter, at three different chateaus. She had drivento each one and circumspectly inspected the new guest, but none had beenanyone she recognized from the Childress Barber College.

  In a way, she wished she had yielded to Nuwell's importunities. Therewas much more of interest to do in Mars City. And Nuwell _was_ charmingand intelligent and rather dashing, and she did love him, and she didwant to marry him. But....

  But she was right in wanting to help identify those rebels who had beencaptured before she considered her task finished. And perhaps Nuwell hadbeen right in his implied disagreement with her idea of coming first toSolis Lacus, so far from Mars City. Logically, would it not be harder tolose oneself in a fashionable resort area than in a good-sized city? Butsomething within her had urged her to come here first. It was a hunch,and she intended to play it.

  With a sigh, Maya pushed the hat off her face and stared with exoticallyslanted black eyes at the shining blur of the dome hundreds of feetabove her. She sat up, hugging her knees with her arms.

  A score of other guests were sunning themselves here also. At hermovement, the unmarried men turned their eyes on her frankly; themarried ones did so furtively, to be promptly yanked back to attentionby their wives.

  Maya's onyx eyes surveyed this dullness aloofly, then lifted over thenearby parapet and across the sparse terrestrial lawn which would growonly under the dome. The far cliffs of the Thaumasia Foelix Desertloomed darkly, distorted through the dome's sides.

  The dome's airlock opened to admit a groundcar. She watched it,interestedly, as it scurried like a huge, glassy bug along the curvingroad and disappeared under the parapet in front of the chateau. Mailfrom Mars City, perhaps, or supplies. Maybe even a new guest.

  Something struck her, now that the groundcar was no longer in sight. Ithad been a little too far away to discern its details clearly, but therewas something strange about the appearance of that groundcar. A glassybug, but not entirely sleek and shiny. Rather like a bug that had comeout second best in an argument with another bug.

  Maya arose, purposefully. She stretched lithely, to the delight of theassembled viewers, and padded gracefully toward the chateau'ssecond-floor entrance, trailing the huge hat in one hand.

  She walked lightly along the balcony over the lobby, toward her room. Asshe turned its corner, passing the grand stairway, she could see thechateau entrance and the registration d
esk.

  The groundcar had brought a new guest. He was signing the registrationbook, a tall, broad-shouldered man in a marsuit, holding his marshelmetunder his arm. Why would he be wearing a marsuit in a groundcar?

  As she looked, he laid down the pen and turned. His face was darklytanned, strong, handsome. His hair was black as midnight, his eyesstartlingly pale in the dark face.

  His gaze lifted to the balcony, and Maya ducked behind the big hat justin time.

  Dark Kensington!

  Triumph swept through her. She had been right in coming here! This wasDark Kensington, the man she had met once, just before the raid on thecollege. This was one of the leaders!

  The hat held casually to conceal her face, Maya walked on to her room.

  The telephone was ringing as she entered. She dropped the hat on thebed, and answered it.

  "Miss Cara Nome, this is Quelman Gren, the manager," said the male voiceon the line. "You asked me to notify you about any new guests. One hasjust registered."

  "I saw him," she said. "What can you tell me about him?"

  "He is registered as D. Kensington, from Hesperidum," answered Gren. "Heis just staying overnight. His groundcar dome was broken in an accident,and he wants to have it replaced and the groundcar refueled."

  "Thank you," said Maya. "Now, please put in a call for me to S. NuwellEli in Mars City."

  She had bathed and dressed for dinner by the time the call came through.

  "Nuwell," she said, when he had identified himself on the other end ofthe line, "I knew I was right in coming here. One of the rebel leadersjust registered."

  "Are you sure?" he asked excitedly.

  "Certainly I am. He was one of those who stayed hidden in the back ofthe barber college, and I saw him for the first time the day of theraid. He identified himself then as a supervisor. But he's just stayingovernight."

  "That's long enough! I'll get a jet and be up in a few hours. Get thepolice to take him in custody and hold him for me."

  "Darling, there aren't any police at Solis Lacus," Maya reminded him."This is a private resort area. The nearest police are at Ophir."

  There was a silence while Nuwell digested this.

  "You say he's staying overnight?" Nuwell said then. "I can be therebefore midnight with some men to take him in custody."

  "I'm a trained agent," said Maya. "I can take him in custody for you."

  "You'll do no such thing!" squawked Nuwell in alarm. "It's, toodangerous! Now you listen to me, Maya. You stay out of sight of this manand wait till I get there!"

  "All right, darling, I'll use my own judgment," replied Maya demurely,and hung up.

  She sat and cogitated for a time. She was dressed for dinner, and shehad been looking forward to appearing in the dining room in the somewhatsensational moulded, flame-red gown she had bought recently in MarsCity. She didn't relish the idea of having dinner sent to her room, andsitting up here alone to eat it.

  With sudden decision, she arose. She donned dark glasses and tossed apowder-red veil over her dark hair. Kensington had only seen her onceand would not be expecting to see her here. If he saw her now, hewouldn't recognize her.

  Fifteen minutes later, she was sipping an extremely expensive martini inthe dining room when she raised her eyes to see Dark Kensington enter,wearing a dark-red, form-fitting evening suit.

  He paused just inside the door and stood there, slowly surveying theroom. His eyes fell on Maya and paused. Then he walked straight to hertable.

  "May I join you, Miss Cara Nome?" he asked in a deep, controlled voice,a rather sardonic smile on his lips.

  She felt trapped, and irrationally angry at him for recognizing her.

  "I'm afraid you've made a mistake," she said coldly. "That isn't myname."

  At this juncture, a helpful waiter appeared at Maya's elbow and asked inan appallingly distinct tone:

  "Would you care for another drink, Miss Cara Nome, or do you wish to eatnow?"

  "An understandable mistake, since it's such a common name," said Dark,sitting down opposite her. He turned pale-blue eyes, remote and filledwith light, on the waiter, and added: "She'll have another drink, andbring me one of the same."

  The waiter left, and Maya removed her dark glasses to level furiousblack eyes at Dark.

  "I could call the manager and complain that you're annoying me, youknow," she said.

  "You could," he agreed somberly. "You seem to be a very efficienttattletale. Or are you going to try to pretend that you weren't the oneresponsible for the raid on the college?"

  She recognized that she was well in for it. He was not going to play agame of pretense. Well, she had tried--partly, anyway--to do as Nuwellwanted.

  Very deliberately, she opened her purse, realizing that Dark waswatching her closely, all his muscles tense. She took out a cigarettecase and a lighter, laying them side by side on the table, and herelaxed visibly.

  Maya extracted a cigarette and placed it between her lips casually. Shepicked up the lighter and balanced it in her hand.

  "I assume that you're not armed, Mr. Kensington," she said.

  He shrugged and smiled, revealing strong white teeth.

  "Hardly, in this suit," he replied. "I'm glad to see you've decided torecognize me."

  "I am," she said grimly. "Armed, I mean. This is not a cigarettelighter, but a very efficient and deadly heatgun. You're under arrest,Mr. Kensington, so I suppose you're having dinner with me whether youlike it or not. Now, do you mind being a gentleman and lighting mycigarette, since this is not very good for the purpose?"

  He looked at her face, then dropped his eyes to the lighter, stillsmiling.

  "You'd better take my word for it," she advised. "I don't want to killyou, Mr. Kensington, but I won't hesitate. I'm an agent of theterrestrial government."

  Dark shrugged again. He produced a lighter and leaned forward to lighther cigarette, without a tremor.

  The waiter returned with their drinks and an announcement.

  "There's a telephone call for you from Mars City, Miss Cara Nome," hesaid.

  Maya kept her eyes on Dark.

  "Can you bring a telephone to the table?" she asked the waiter.

  "Certainly, Miss," he replied. He left, and returned a moment later witha telephone. He set it before her and plugged it in under the table.

  Juggling the lighter-gun gently in one hand, Maya picked up the phone.As soon as she answered it, her ears were assailed by Nuwell's agonizedvoice.

  "Maya, I can't get up there tonight!" he said. "There aren't any jetshere, and these idiots refuse to bring one in from Hesperidum or Cyniafor me to use. I'll have to come up by groundcar."

  Maya sat silent, stunned. It had not seemed too great a feat to her tohold Dark captive with her disguised heatgun when she was anticipatingNuwell's arrival within hours. But suddenly she felt like a hunter whohas snared a lion in a rabbit trap.

  "Maya, are you there?" demanded Nuwell querulously. "We'll spell eachother at the wheel and drive up without stopping, but it will still taketwo and a half days to get there."

  Maya took a deep breath.

  "Come ahead," she said in a steady voice. "I'll have your man waitingfor you when you get here."

  "You'll what? But I thought you said he was only staying overnight!Maya, don't you do anything rash!"

  "I'm afraid I already have," she said, a little ruefully. "I have himunder arrest right now."

  The noise at the other end of the line sounded like a dismayed shriek.

  "You little fool!" he shrilled. "I told you not to do anything likethat! How can you hold a man like that for two days, single-handed? Callin the police!"

  "It seems to me that I already mentioned there aren't any around here,"she reminded him patiently.

  There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Then Nuwell said,with forced calm:

  "I'm leaving immediately. In the name of space, Maya, be careful!"

  Maya put the telephone quietly back in its cradle and looked across
thetable at the Tartar she had caught. Dark smiled at her, easily.

  "So the reinforcements you were expecting won't get here tonight, afterall," he remarked softly.

  "He didn't say that at all!" she retorted, too quickly.

  "There's hardly any point in trying to deceive me about it is there?" hepointed out. "I can tell a great deal from your conversation and theexpression on your face, and I'd estimate that your help is going tohave to come from Mars City by groundcar--a trip I've just made, so Iknow exactly how long it takes. Do you plan for us to spend these twonights in your room, or mine?"

  She looked at him silently, stricken.

  "I see our waiter returning," said Dark equably. "I trust you'll enjoyyour meal as much as I'm going to enjoy mine, Miss Cara Nome."