Brigands of the Moon

by Ray Cummings

  XV

  A moment when, beyond the thought of the nearby brigand--or thepossibility of an eavesdropping ray trained now upon my cubby--amoment while Anita and I held each other, and whispered those thingswhich could mean nothing to the world, but which were all the world tous!

  Then it was she whose wits brought us back from the shining fairylandof our love, into the sinister reality of the _Planetara_.

  "Gregg, if they are listening--"

  I pushed her away. This brave little masquerader! Not for my life, orfor all the lives on the ship, would I consciously have endangeredher.

  "But Grantline's findings!" I said aloud. "In his message--see here,Prince--"

  Coniston was too far away on the deck to hear us. Anita went to mydoor again and waved at him reassuringly. I put my ear to the dooropening and listened at the space across the grid of the ventilatorover my bunk. The hum of a vibration would have been audible at thosetwo points. But there was nothing.

  "It's all right," I whispered, and she clung to me--so small besideme. With the black robe thrown aside, it seemed that I could not missthe curves of her woman's figure. A dangerous game she was playing.Her hair had been cut short to the base of her neck, in the fashion ofher dead brother. Her eyelashes had been clipped: the line of herbrows altered. And now, in the light of my tube as it shone upon herearnest face, I could remark other changes. Glutz, the little beautyspecialist, was in this secret. With plastic skill he had altered theset of her jaw--put masculinity here.

  She was whispering: "It was--was poor George whom Miko shot."

  I had now the true version of what had occurred. Miko had been forcinghis wooing upon Anita. George Prince was a weakling whose only goodquality was his love for his sister. Some years ago he had fallen intoevil ways. Been arrested, and then been discharged from his positionwith the Federated Corporation. He had taken up with evil companionsin Greater New York. Mostly Martians. And Miko had met him. Histechnical knowledge, his training with the Federated Corporation, madehim valuable to Miko's enterprise. And so Prince had joined thebrigands.

  Of all this, Anita had been unaware. She had never liked Miko. Fearedhim. But it seemed that the Martian had some hold upon her brother,which puzzled and frightened Anita.

  Then Miko had fallen in love with her. George had not liked it. Andthat night on the _Planetara_, Miko had come and knocked upon Anita'sdoor, and incautiously she had opened it. He forced himself in. Andwhen she repulsed him, struggled with him, George had been awakened.

  She was whispering to me now. "My room was dark. We were all threestruggling. George was holding me--the shot came--and I screamed."

  And Miko had fled, not knowing whom his shot had hit in the darkness.

  "And when George died, Captain Carter wanted me to impersonate him. Weplanned it with Dr. Frank to try and learn what Miko and the otherswere doing; because I didn't know that poor George had fallen intosuch evil ways."

  She whispered, "But I love you, Gregg. I want to be the first to sayit: I love you--I love you."

  We had the sanity to try and plan.

  "Anita, tell Miko we discussed the multiple powers of the catalyst.Discussed how carefully it would have to be transported; how to gaugeits worth. You'll have to be careful, clever. Don't say too much. Tellhim we estimate the value at about a hundred and thirty millions."

  I repeated what Miko had told me of his plans. She knew all that. AndSnap knew it. She had a few moments alone with Snap and gave me now amessage from him, "We'll pull out of this, Gregg."

  With Snap she had worked out a plan. There were Snap and I; and Shacand Dud Ardley upon whom we could doubtless depend. And Dr. Frank.Against us were Miko and his sister, and Coniston and Hahn. Of course,there were the members of the crew. But we were numerically thestronger when it came to true leadership. Unarmed and guarded now. Butif we could break loose--recapture the ship....

  I sat listening to Anita's eager whispers. It seemed feasible. Mikodid not altogether trust George Prince; Anita was now unarmed.

  "But I can make opportunity! I can get one of their ray cylinders, andan invisible cloak equipment."

  That cloak, that had been hidden in Miko's room when Carter searchedfor it in A20 was now in the chart room by Johnson's body. It had beenrepaired now. Anita thought she could get possession of it.

  We worked out the details of the plan. Anita would arm herself, andcome and release me. Together, with a paralyzing ray, we could creepabout the ship, overcome these brigands, one by one. There were so fewof the leaders. With them felled, and with us in control of the turretand the radio room, we could force the crew to stay at their posts.There were, Anita said, no navigators among Miko's crew. They wouldnot dare oppose us.

  "But it should be done at once, Anita. In a few hours we will be atthe asteroid."

  "Yes. I will go now and try to get the weapons."

  "Where is Snap?"

  "Still in the radio room. One of the crew guards him."

  Coniston was roaming the ship. He was still loitering on the deck,watching my door. Hahn was in the turret. The morning watch of thecrew were at their posts in the hull corridors. The stewards werepreparing a morning meal. There were nine members of subordinatesaltogether, Anita had calculated. Six of them were in Miko's pay. Theother three--our own men who had not been killed in the fighting--hadjoined the brigands.

  "And Dr. Frank, Anita?"

  He was in the lounge. All the passengers were herded there, with Mikoand Moa alternating on guard.

  "I will arrange it with Venza," Anita whispered swiftly. "She willtell the others. Dr. Frank knows about it now. He thinks it can bedone."

  The possibility of it swept me anew. The brigands were of necessityscattered singly about the ship. One by one, creeping under cover ofan invisible cloak, I could fell them, and replace them withoutalarming others. My thoughts leaped to it. We would strike down theguard in the radio room. Release Snap. At the turret we could assailHahn, and replace him with Snap.

  Coniston's voice outside broke in upon us. "Prince."

  He was coming forward. Anita stood in the doorway. "I have thefigures, Coniston. By God, this Haljan is with us! And clever! Wethink it will total a hundred and thirty millions. What a stake!"

  She whispered, "Gregg dear, I'll be back soon. We can do it--beready!"

  "Anita--be careful of yourself! If they should suspect you...."

  "I'll be careful. In an hour, Gregg, or less, I'll come back.... Allright, Coniston. Where is Miko? I want to see him. Stay where you are,Haljan. In good time Miko will trust you with your liberty. You'll berich like all of us. Never fear."

  She swaggered out upon the deck, waved at the brigand, and banged mycubby door in my face.

  I sat upon my bunk. Waiting. Would she come back? Would she besuccessful?