"I'd give a thousand years in hell in painTo see my Nelly once again!"
"I'd give a thousand years in hell in painTo see my Nelly once again!"
"I'd give a thousand years in hell in pain
To see my Nelly once again!"
And drunk!
Ray jerked on his tunic and hurried out.
In the corridor he paused at Lodar's cabin and tried the door. It was locked. So, Lodar had gone to bed, contemptuously certain that he'd licked the crew into shape. Which meant that Campora should be in charge.
But there was an air of unease, of impending disaster, in the driveless ship. Perhaps it was a result of McVane's doleful song, but Ray found himself suddenly tense.
The ship was too quiet. No sound came from below as he went to the well. Even McVane had quit his lament. Momentarily Ray was tempted to see if Ellenor was all right. He decided against it, hurried along the corridor to the crew's quarters, aft.
As soon as he stepped inside the mess room, suspicion froze him. At his step the huddle of men had suddenly broken. The faces which turned his way all wore the same tense look.
It was time for the payoff!
There would be no more talk. Their faces told him that.
Jenkins peered at Ray through his glasses. Without preamble, he demanded, "Are you in with us or Lodar?"
It was a ridiculous question. All of Ray's training had conditioned him to meet such emergency in only one way. Right or wrong, there was only one answer.
He leaped back through the door and slammed it, then swung the emergency latch and spun the sealing wheel. It would hold them for a while—till they burned it down.
He dashed for the central well, slid down the pole in a mad spiral, and jumped for the engine room. McVane was alone at his desk, a shrunken figure in the glaring lights, his head slumped down on his chest.
Ray kicked the chair from under him and hauled him erect. "Get to the control room!" he panted.
McVane's lean hand closed on his bottle, then his feet were dragging as Ray hauled him to the well. His head wobbled as he took up the song again.
"She's gone and never will I seeMy sweetheart, dear to me."
"She's gone and never will I seeMy sweetheart, dear to me."
"She's gone and never will I see
My sweetheart, dear to me."
"You fool!" Ray shook him violently. "There's mutiny! Up, quick!" He propelled the smaller man up the stairs. In the main corridor he stopped at the girl's cabin.
"Here." He shook McVane again, then handed him the keys. "Get that girl to the control room."
While McVane fumbled at the lock Ray hammered on Lodar's cabin. It was an age before the captain appeared. His dark eyes took in McVane and the girl, then swept back to Ray.
"Trouble, eh?" Without waiting to hear more he reached for his gun and joined them.
It was vital to hold the front of the ship. In any other section they would be merely prisoners. Lodar ran swiftly past McVane and the girl, while Ray brought up the rear, alert for attack.
So Lodar was first to enter the control room.
Ray didn't see what happened, but a moment later came the zing of ray guns, a scream. Campora stumbled from the room. He ran past Ray, still screaming, headed aft, waving an arm which was blasted to a stump.
Ray went on, gritting his teeth.
"Didn't expect us so soon," Lodar said grimly as they gathered in the control room. "He figured on holding this place, but he got too excited!" He pointed to the splatter of burned metal where Campora's shot had missed him.
He turned to McVane who was looking sick. "Here, take this gun and stand by." Then, as he shoved the weapon in the other's shaking hand, "We'll jump 'em before they organize." He faced Ray. "Coming?"
Ray nodded grimly. He was playing a travesty of an officer's duty, but it was the only way.
The two went down the passage, peering into cabins as they headed for the well. Here Lodar slammed down the fire hatch, thus blocking off the lower deck. He had just snapped the last wedge when Ray heard the clang of metal aft, and the patter of feet. The crew had burned out of their prison.
"Let's hold them here," Ray said. "I took their guns yesterday."
"Good!" Lodar stood beside him, legs outspread.
But as the first man, Williams, appeared and sighted Lodar, there was the vicious zing of a ray gun. The wall beside Lodar erupted sizzling metal as he ducked.
"So you took their guns!" he snarled, firing at the same time as Ray.
With yells, their attackers retreated, blasting wildly. The corridor filled with acid smoke and red-hot metal. Half the lights were gone, the rest were hazed by the stinking fumes. The mutineers were firing blindly from behind a corner, depending upon mere volume rather than any sort of aiming.
"Back up!" Lodar gasped. "Campora gave them all those weapons."
They retreated to the control room and bolted the door, while McVane and the girl stared.
"We're in a spot," Lodar admitted.
"And we can thank you for it," Ray snapped. "This crew will have no more compunction over killing us than they had over bumping off those Mutes!"
"Well, now." McVane shifted his feet restlessly. "Let's not squabble. Anyway, 'twas Campora persuaded the captain to get rid of the Mutes."
They all tensed at a sudden sound outside—metal dragging the floor and voices. Then suddenly the smell of burning paint.
The door panel turned red, the paint peeled off, and dropped to the deck. Within seconds a hole blazed through.
Lodar aimed his gun at the opening and fired. He grinned as a yelp sounded, then moved beside the door to trigger several bursts along the corridor beyond. There were horrible yells, the scurry of retreat, then silence. Lodar stooped to peer.
"Got four of 'em," he announced. "That'll cool 'em off!"
He crossed swiftly to the chart case, heaved it aside, and slid open a small hidden panel. He reached inside to close a switch. "This'll help too," he added grimly. "Gas!"
"What a monster!" the girl said.
Lodar ignored her. He was looking at McVane. The engineer had taken a bottle from his pocket, was stretching his scraggy neck to gurgle it.
"Can't you stay sober?" With a stride Lodar swept the bottle away and smashed it on the deck.
"What for?" McVane slumped against the wall.
Lodar raised his hands angrily, but Ellenor moved swiftly and swung him away from the groggy engineer.
"Let him alone!" she raged. "He doesn't care any more. You can't beat that out of him!"
Lodar's eyes glittered. "You know too much about everything," he said tightly.
Her chin tilted defiantly. "I know that you'll never see Earth again!"
"Damn you!" He lashed out suddenly. His slap sent her sprawling against the wall.
With a snarl Ray hurled himself at Lodar. His fist slammed a shoulder as Lodar spun to meet the infuriated charge. A second blow, that crunched Ray's knuckles on the other's head, never even jarred the larger man.
Growling, he reached out. His huge hands closed on Ray's neck, the thumbs dug into his windpipe.
"You dumb fool!" Lodar's clenched teeth lay bare between tight drawn lips. Convulsively his strangling grip tightened.
Ray's fist slammed the grinning lips, with savage joy he felt the smash of teeth. He hammered at Lodar's face, beating it in frenzied rage while his lungs strained for air. His back jolted the wall and Lodar was slamming his head on the plates.
His lungs were jerking, the room blurred with pulsing darkness. He saw only Lodar's blazing eyes, felt the power of his viselike grip. The man was made of steel, driven by raw violence.
And, in that flashing moment, Ray guessed Lodar's secret, the why of his driving energy, cagelike pacings, and burning eyes!
Space Rays! Ray heaved convulsively, trying to break the strangling grip.
Lodar had been too long in space. The days were killing him, burning him up inside. He would go on with roaring metabolism, like an overdriven jet, till his heart burst!
And that would be soon now. Lodar's compelling urge to return to Earth was the instinct of a dying animal for its lair, to die with its kind. Nothing would stop him. Nothing except death!
The pounding in Ray's head flashed streams of light through the blackness. Only faintly could he feel his own hands beating for air.
Then suddenly his tortured lungs heaved, sucking in life. The grinding clutch dropped from his throat. For a moment he could only gulp, rub his agonized neck. Then slowly sight returned.
McVane stood holding a gun. There was a foolish, startled look on his lined face as he stared at Lodar. The captain, gritting his teeth and leaning on the control board, held a hand to his shoulder. It was a mass of blood and rags.
"You—you fool!" Lodar swayed, starting at the engineer. "You bleary-eyed little Sir Galahad!"
The girl was pressing a cup of water to Ray's lips. He drank, still gagging, staring at her bruised face. He was conscious of her arm around him, of the pleasure her nearness lent. He shook his throbbing head.
McVane was speaking petulantly. "Let's—let's have no more arguments." The little man's eyes were pleading. "I had to do it, Lodar. And you're the only real friend I had!"
"Some friend!" Lodar ground his teeth in pain, then grimaced as blood dripped from the smashed gums. "Here, help me patch up this shoulder."
Obediently McVane hunted up bandages. Lodar's eyes were somber as the engineer and Ellenor tied up his burned shoulder and put the useless arm in a sling.
"I lost my temper," he muttered at last. "Forget it."
He probably meant it for a declaration of peace. Ray's own fury had cooled now he knew what lay behind the other's violence.
After all, the girl's words must have stung Lodar to a hopeless frenzy. She had blasted at his innermost longing to see Earth for the last time. Deep in his own heart he'd known all along that he would die like a dog in space. Her words had only drawn the searing truth from his own subconscious hell.
They all jumped as the interphone shrilled.
Ray switched on the speaker. There was a medley of sound, smashing glass, shouts, and laughter.
"They've got into McVane's liquor." Lodar crossed the room painfully till he stood beside Ray.
"Ay—and the gas didn't stop them," the engineer added. "They plugged the lines."
Suddenly Jenkins' voice cut shrilly above the background din on the speaker. "Can you hear me, Lodar?"
"I hear you." Lodar's eyes were slitted with pain.
"Okay." There was a fumbling sound. "We're going on to Mars. Take it or leave it. You set the course and we'll get your damned engines going."
"You can rot!"
"Better think it over, Captain. If you monkey around too long, the boys will get impatient. We'll wreck the engines!"
"You wreck those engines and none of you will see Mars or any other place," Lodar said heavily. "There's only one escape boat and the only way to it is through this control room. I'll leave you stranded!"
Jenkins' laughter rattled the speaker. "We'll shoot you down with the broadsides if you try!" There was a rustling, then, "Hang on, Lodar, a friend of yours wants to talk!"
VI
There was a hiss of breath, then Campora's voice cut in. The low tones were shaken by fury. "I'll be waiting, Lodar. No matter where we land, I'll kill you!" His voice rose higher. "So help me, Lodar, if I have to burn while I do it, I'll kill you!"
His voice had cracked hysterically while a shout of approval from the others welled over the receiver.
Lodar snapped off the speaker. "I should have burned off both his arms!" he rumbled. He went to the medical kit and took another pain killer.
If there had been any chance of talking Lodar into a compromise Ray would have tried, but he knew it was useless. Lodar was hag-ridden by that compulsion to head for Earth. Like a dying elephant he was blind to all else. If necessary, the death of theVulcanwould be his swan song.
As for the crew, liquor had flamed their hatred of the captain beyond all reason. Campora would certainly never back down now. Nor would it do any good to tell them of their peril from the sun. They'd think he was lying!
Had there been time, there was air and food enough for a siege, but the sun was too close now. A lengthy deadlock would be fatal.
The only other solution was to flee on the escape ship. Leave the crew to their doom. Ray tried not to think what that would be like—the slow roasting to death for the crew. But, even as the thought kept recurring, he knew escape that way was hopeless. As soon as the escape boat took off the crew would blast it with the broadside guns. Anything within miles of their blast would be shriveled!
Nor did Ray like the way in which McVane and Lodar were now whispering on the other side of the room.
Lodar had unearthed a bottle of Terran Whiskey in the emergency kit and had given it to McVane. They'd had a drink together. A peace offering. Now the engineer was adjusting Lodar's bandages, whispering in urgent tones.
The captain's eyes, pin-pointed with pain, rested somberly on Ray, then shifted as the young navigator returned the stare. Lodar muttered something, his expression setting purposefully. As he stood up, twisting his lips, Ray moved closer to the girl.
He knew Lodar well enough to expect anything. And McVane, after all, was Lodar's man. They'd traveled together too long to split in a pinch.
As the two now crossed the room toward him Ray's hand closed on his gun. At the suspicious move, Lodar's eyes gleamed sardonically.
"Mac and I were talking it over," he said. "Even if we lick the crew there's no time left to repair theVulcan. She's going to take the sun-dive."
Ray nodded silently. Ellenor's hand was resting on his gun arm and it bothered him. He tried to shake her off, but she seemed intent on holding onto him. At any other time he would have been thrilled, but not now.
Lodar went on carefully. The escape boat would hold all four of them but it couldn't make a getaway. Their only alternative was a diversion.
"Two of us stay on theVulcanand engage the crew," Lodar concluded. "The other two get away."
The proposal was an obvious solution, but, coming from Lodar, it could hide black treachery. The captain's overwhelming desire to see Earth again had already precipitated disaster. The man was blind to all but the one great yearning.
"Ellenor wouldn't be any good in a scrap," Ray countered slowly, trying to find a hitch in the plan. "She takes off with one of us."
Lodar argued bitterly. The girl had given enough trouble, she rated no better break than the rest. The lucky ones should be chosen by chance, and chance alone.
Ray flatly refused to budge.
When Ellenor tried to enter the argument it deteriorated into a wrangle between the captain and herself. By this time McVane had almost reached the singing stage again, plainly endeavoring to drown his fright now that the chips were down. Finally the girl took his bottle from him.
"All right!" Lodar growled at last. "I'm in no shape to argue forever. One of us goes with the girl. We'll choose by lot."
He turned to rummage in the emergency kit again. "Ah!" He found a tin of wooden matches and clumsily broke it open. "We'll use three of these. I'll break two, leave one whole. The man who picks the whole one goes with the girl. Right?"
Ray frowned. He trusted neither Lodar nor McVane, but there was no other way to decide the issue unless they resorted to a free-for-all.
"All right," he agreed slowly. "Let Ellenor hold the matches."
Lodar sneered.
"Now wouldn't that be nice for you!" he snarled. "I'll hold them. I'm still giving orders. Or do you want to argue about that, too?" His hand rested on his gun belt.
Ray hesitated. It wasn't so much that he was afraid to die. Only he didn't want to be suckered into it. On the other hand, Lodar had an equal right to be suspicious. "All right," he agreed slowly.
"Don't do it!" Ellenor protested sharply. "There must be another way." But no one paid any attention.
Lodar turned his back and they heard him break two of the matches. When he faced them again there were three little sticks in his large fist. Only the tops showed.
He extended his arm to McVane. "You first. It was your idea!"
McVane blinked, biting his lip, then slowly chose one of the little bits of wood. His hand closed over it, felt it blindly, then he sat down licking his lips. As an afterthought he reached for the bottle.
Lodar grunted, a satisfied grin distorted his split lips.
"You next." His black eyes burned on Ray.
The younger man took one of the two remaining matches. He exhaled sharply as he drew out a whole one.
Lodar rasped an oath, drew the remaining match across the room. "You win!" he ground out.
Ray relaxed slowly. A faint surprise tinged his relief. He had misjudged Lodar, expecting him at the last moment to renege. Instead, the big man had merely turned to McVane.
"So you and I are the hostages, eh, Mac?" A grim smile lit his face, while his hand rested briefly on the other's narrow shoulder. "Come on, let's get going."
The three men prepared the escape boat. As they loaded the little ship with extra provisions, Ray was alert for treachery, but the captain seemed to have taken his fate philosophically. He even tried to cheer up McVane, though his heavy witticisms only made the little man look sadder.
"Get that girl in," he growled at last.
Ellenor paused briefly as she entered the escape port. Her eyes sought Lodar's. "I'm sorry about the things I said," she offered gently. "I—"
"Go on, get in!" Lodar shoved her, then turned to Ray. "You too. Get set for takeoff. When McVane and I tackle the crew I'll toss a signal bomb into the corridor. You'll hear it explode. Take off, fast!"
Ray nodded. He shook hands with McVane, hesitated briefly, then offered his hand to Lodar.
"Go on!" Lodar snarled. "Get out before I get some sense and change my mind!"
Before Ray closed the inner lock, McVane passed him an envelope. "Give it to the girlie," he muttered.
Inside the escape ship, Ray closed the little hatch, then touched the emergency button which swung open the outer port on theVulcan'shull. With the butt of his gun he hammered a signal. They were ready.
Neither he nor Ellenor spoke as they waited. The seconds dragged in silence except for the sound of their breathing.
Suddenly a hollow boom resounded, followed by the sharp rattle of metal.
"That's it!" Ray gunned the little escape ship clear.
They were out in space. The black shape of theVulcanswung behind them, dwindling. It looked inert and ghostly. It looked a dead ship, with no sign of the conflict that was raging inside.
Ray turned the escape boat sharply left, away from the sun, and set the drive for Earth. Behind them theVulcanwas fading into blackness off to one side of Sol. Now and then a pale gleam touched the dark sides as it swung sluggishly.
It was all the escape ship could do to gain steady acceleration against the mighty pull behind them. For a while Ray nursed the tiny converter along, till he was sure the drive was winning. Then he joined Ellenor in the cramped little mid-section.
Her brown hair was combed back, starkly outlining the pale face. Her brown eyes were large, underneath one of them was the ugly bruise from Lodar's hand.
"We're loaded down with loot," Ray growled disgustedly. "Let's hope there's grub enough to see us to Earth."
He stared sharply as she remained huddled silently. She was holding the envelope which McVane had given. As he sat down beside her she passed him a sheet of paper. He recognized McVane's untidy scrawl.
"Lodar always wanted to end in a blaze of glory," he read, "so this idea was O.K. with him, too." Ray stared, puzzled.
The girl raised her hand, showing him the two matches that had been wrapped in the note. They were both unbroken!
"Why," Ray gasped, "that means—"
"Lodar cheated," she said softly.
Ray stared back at theVulcan. His hand was on the controls, poised to turn back the little ship. It was unthinkable to leave Lodar now!
"It won't do any good," Ellenor said. "Lodar's life was spent anyway. But McVane—" Suddenly she was crying.
Ray's arm was around her. "He was a hesitant little hero, wasn't he?" He smiled gently down on the girl. They knew that McVane had never loved life, was only drinking himself to the grave, but a deep sense of pity smote him.
Perhaps the fight inside theVulcanwould be over swiftly as Lodar had his moment of glorious battle. Perhaps McVane would die quite happily beside his friend.
It wouldn't be entirely in vain.
Ray felt a new purpose in his own life. Lodar's wealth would fight for the right of the Mutes to life, and Ray would join Ellenor, see that she was protected, helped in the battle to come with the powers that sought to enslave her Venus.
It seemed his fate was always to be inextricably tangled with that of the Mutes.
Recommendations by the Board of Space Navigators, entered this 3rd day of November, 2268.1.That Navigator Ray Burk be severely reprimanded for:a. Failure to prevent a mutiny.b. Failure to prevent theVulcan'sattack on the Company ShipElixir,which was damaged.2. That the wealth of Captain Lodar be turned over to Ray Burk according to the laws of salvage, but minusa. 25% Federal Tax.b. A fine of 10 credits assessed for each Mute killed.3. That Ray Burk be reinstated to rank of Navigator, Unlimited.4. That he be assigned the task of investigating conditions on the planet, Venus.5. That the young woman known as Ellenor be transported freely to her home on Venus.Entered into record by Carter A. Pringle.Reprimands (a) and (b) delivered. Witness, Carter A. Pringle.Probate court to deliver funds of Lodar (deceased).per Carter A. Pringle.Addendum: Section five, (5) above, cancelled as not necessary; Ellenor having contracted for matrimony with Ray Burk, Navigator Unlimited, and being no longer a public charge.Annotated by Carter A. Pringle
Recommendations by the Board of Space Navigators, entered this 3rd day of November, 2268.
1.That Navigator Ray Burk be severely reprimanded for:
a. Failure to prevent a mutiny.
b. Failure to prevent theVulcan'sattack on the Company ShipElixir,which was damaged.
2. That the wealth of Captain Lodar be turned over to Ray Burk according to the laws of salvage, but minus
a. 25% Federal Tax.
b. A fine of 10 credits assessed for each Mute killed.
3. That Ray Burk be reinstated to rank of Navigator, Unlimited.
4. That he be assigned the task of investigating conditions on the planet, Venus.
5. That the young woman known as Ellenor be transported freely to her home on Venus.
Entered into record by Carter A. Pringle.
Reprimands (a) and (b) delivered. Witness, Carter A. Pringle.
Probate court to deliver funds of Lodar (deceased).
per Carter A. Pringle.
Addendum: Section five, (5) above, cancelled as not necessary; Ellenor having contracted for matrimony with Ray Burk, Navigator Unlimited, and being no longer a public charge.
Annotated by Carter A. Pringle