by Roland Starr
Den Thol was already moving on towards the crest of the hill, and Vonner went after him, making an effort to draw level. When they reached the skyline Vonner was surprised to see the sea stretching away to the horizon, and Den Thol pointed out a cluster of buildings about halfway down the slope that led to the shore.
“It’s a listening and tracking station,” the Pravan said. “All Zukon outposts are close by the sea, which is their natural habitat. They all prefer to live in the water. Now I think we should split up. Let me go on ahead, and you cover me from the rear. Perhaps you’d better take this remote control of the device we set in the volcano. If anything happens to me then you will have to rely upon your own initiative, Captain.”
“I’d rather not have that control,” Vonner said. “I don’t agree that the device should be used until all other means have been exhausted, and if we fail down here then the crew of the Orion will have to make the decision about the device. I’ll cover you, Den Thol, and we’ll spare no efforts to make contact with the Zukons.” The Pravan nodded grimly and set off, and Vonner crouched in cover and waited, his stun-gun in his hand on a medium setting. He watched Den Thol moving openly down the slope, and when a hundred yards separated them, Vonner moved out of cover and followed the Pravan.
The day was scarcely light because of the clouds overhead, and black ash was falling steadily like nightmarish rain. There was a reddish tint to the murk, and ominous rumblings kept shattering the silence, sounding more and more angry as the time went by, as if Nature herself were set upon building up to a fiery climax.
Den Thol was nearing the buildings. Vonner was tense and keyed up for trouble. But there was no sign of Zukon life anywhere, and the sea was calm and untroubled, merely reflecting the colour of the sky overhead. Vonner wondered about the Zukon masses, probably beneath the sea and waiting for the total destruction of their planet. He could understand why they were fighting for another planet, although he did not hold with their method of seeking a new world.
Den Thol reached the nearest building and disappeared through a doorway. Vonner crouched and waited, expecting trouble at any moment, but the Pravan reappeared and went on to the next building, waving a hand to Vonner for reassurance. Again he reappeared, and as he entered the third building Vonner began to get the feeling that the outpost was deserted.
At that moment Vonner caught a glimpse of movement in the sky to his right, and he stiffened and turned his head slowly. He caught his breath when a strange craft appeared over the skyline and came gliding towards the buildings. There was no sound from the craft, which was long and cigar-shaped, and Vonner did not move as he watched it. A row of portholes dotted the length of the smooth hull, and he thought he could see faces at some of them. He felt terribly exposed on the slope, but did not move, and he tightened his grip upon the stun-gun and prayed that Den Thol would spot the Zukon ship before emerging from the building he had entered.
But the Pravan appeared suddenly, and halted quickly at sight of the big craft hovering over a cleared space beside the cluster of buildings. He moved back through the doorway immediately, but almost simultaneously a beam of light stabbed down from the nose of the craft and the whole front section of the building crumpled in smoke and dust.
Vonner stood frozen in horror for a moment, although he lifted the stun-gun and twisted the setting to maximum. If they had to kill a few Zukons in order to get to talk to the rest then he was prepared to do that. But he knew how badly he needed Den Thol, and he feared for the Pravan’s life.
The craft was slowly settling towards the ground, and was still fifty metres high when a purplish beam of light stabbed upwards from the ruined building. Vonner moistened his Ups, certain now that Den Thol was still alive, and he lifted the stun-gun and prepared to join in the fight.
He saw the purple ray strike the nose of the Zukon ship, and the craft began to glow eerily, the glow quickly spreading through its smooth length. It continued to sink steadily towards the ground, And Vonner got to his feet and went forward as Den Thol appeared from the ruins and moved in the same direction.
The Zukon ship touched the ground and rested there, the purple glow fading from its fabric. Vonner was ready to start shooting, but there was no sign of activity anywhere, and the faces were no longer at the portholes.
Den Thol reached the craft before Vonner, who hurried to catch up, and the Pravan lifted his weapon and fired at the airlock, which crumpled and disintegrated. The Pravan waited then for Vonner to arrive, and he was grim faced as Vonner came panting to his side.
“They are not dead!” Den Thol said into his suit microphone. “I have paralysed them, and we must make them captive before they recover from the effects of my Ultrobeam.”
Vonner nodded and they clambered aboard the craft. There was a crew of seven, and Vonner helped the Pravan bind the hands of the unconscious Zukons.
It was the first time Vonner had seen a Zukon close up, and he was interested in their appearance. He had seen Captain Tryxx on the communication scanner aboard Orion, and knew the Zukons were reptilian, with black skins. Now he looked down into the contorted triangular faces of the Zukon crew and wondered at the standard of intelligence amongst the race. He saw that the black skinned hands were large and leathery, and the fingers were webbed.
The Zukon crew wore dark blue uniforms, and their feet were encased in shiny black knee-length boots. Vonner saw that the nostrils of the men were adapted for underwater travel, and their ears were fin-like. They had to be intelligent, he knew, because they had come out of their element and adapted themselves to life ashore. They flew in space craft and had built cities under the sea. But somewhere they had lost their sentiments and emotions, and when he looked into the triangular faces and saw that they were unable to record emotions with their bony, fish-like features, he began to imagine that their evolution had been piscine rather than human. They were probably cold-blooded!
“Now we can wait for them to repair their senses,” Den Thol said. “If they won’t take us to someone in authority at least we can learn the true situation here on Zukon.”
“Did the Ultrobeam damage the craft at all?” Vonner demanded.
“No. I merely used it to paralyze the crew. I used a more intense setting to gain entrance here, but apart from the wrecked airlock the ship is in working order.”
“Then use their communicator to try and raise other Zukons,” Vonner said.
Den Thol stared at him for a moment, and then shook his head slowly. “Surely you realize now that these Zukons cannot be trusted. They made no attempt to discover my identity. The moment they saw me in the doorway of that building they tried to kill me. They know nothing but killing. They cannot understand mercy or any of the qualities, and regard such emotions as signs of weakness.”
“So you want to take off and regain Orion, then destroy Zukon,” Vonner said.
“I see no other alternative! I have gone along with you further than my sense of reason permits because I am under orders from President Treb. But surely you must see that now it is hopeless to try and save the Zukons.”
“We haven’t tried to establish contact with them yet,” Vonner said. “I am under direct orders from my Control, and by the laws of our galaxy, to do what I can for these unfortunate aliens.”
“We Pravans are not without a sense of humanity,” Den Thol said slowly. “But we have been fighting a war for survival for many years now, and we became inured to the situation and its solution. But I still hesitate to detonate that device and destroy several billion Zukons at a stroke! However it has come to the point where it is a question of us or them! If you were faced with a similar situation on Earth and you were the man to decide what should be done, how would you react? Would you destroy the warlike aliens with whom it is impossible to parley, or would you stand by and watch them getting steadily stronger while your planet became weaker and weaker until it reached a point where failure and certain death were inevitable?”
Vonner shook his head slowly. “I know
I have no right to interfere here,” he said. “But I am governed by strict, inflexible laws. If you continue to seek my assistance then you must permit me to act only within the compass of my orders. I cannot assist you in anything that contravenes intergalactic law.”
“Very well!” The Pravan nodded. “I will attempt to call up the Zukons, using the communicator on this ship. I have the feeling that conditions on the planet prevented us making contact. I hope I am right, because if I’m wrong then the Zukons ignored our calls then and will continue to do so. If this is the case then all we shall succeed in doing is bringing more trouble upon our necks.”
Vonner moved to a porthole and sat down to peer out. He stared around, watching for trouble, but there was no movement anywhere on the slope. He listened to Den Thol using the communicator, talking in an alien language from which Vonner could derive no sense. But there was no reply, and as the moments passed and nothing happened Vonner began to feel a sense of fatalism touch his mind.
Den Thol finally moved away from the communication console, shaking his head inside his helmet. He shrugged, and his action said more than any words could have done. Vonner nodded slowly.
“How long will these Zukons be unconscious?” he demanded.
Den Thol held up a hand and waved it, then felt into a side pocket on his suit. He produced a small hand weapon and went to the side of one of the Zukons. Vonner caught his breath as the Pravan pressed the flared nozzle of the weapon against the side of the Zukon’s head, and he started forward involuntarily. But Den Thol glanced at him and smiled, then operated the weapon.
There was a faint buzzing sound, and Den Thol seemed to be counting off the seconds. Then he put away the weapon, and Vonner was surprised to see the Zukon beginning to move and stir convulsively. A few moments later the alien was conscious, staring at them with dull eyes and little intelligence.
Den Thol began to talk with the Zukon, using the fast-toned language of the alien, and Vonner moved to a window to check their surroundings. Nothing was moving out there, and he returned his attention to Den Thol. The Zukon listened in silence, giving no indication of having understood. Vonner was growing impatient, but he controlled his emotions and waited stolidly. When Den Thol sighed and turned away from the Zukon, Vonner moved to the Pravan’s side.
“These people are not unintelligent, Den Thol,” he commented. “They used some sort of mental pressure against my whole crew and overpowered them.”
“When Orion left Omina orbit,” Den Thol said. He nodded. “I know these aliens are as intelligent as you or I, Captain, but they won’t listen to us. I fancy they would rather die than take a chance on us. The war has been going on for so long!” He shrugged and sighed heavily. “No one trusts anyone these days.”
“I wish I could speak their language,” Vonner said. “What have you said to him, Den Thol? Have you appealed to his sense of survival?”
“I’ve tried everything.” The Pravan shook his head. “They don’t seem to care about survival. They would rather die here on this doomed planet than take a chance of our assistance. If they could win the war it would be different, but until they do overpower us they won’t give an inch.”
“What does he think about the state of his planet?” Vonner demanded. “To us it seems as if the last day has come. But it might have been like this for years, and if there is no immediate danger to Zukon then it would account for the attitude we’ve come up against.”
Den Thol spoke again to the Zukon, and the alien listened impassively, not blinking or moving. The Pravan’s voice was sharp and filled with irritation and impatience, but it didn’t help. There was no reply from the Zukon. He sat staring stolidly ahead, his mind obviously closed against Den Thol’s insistent voice.
Vonner was becoming exasperated because of their failure to make progress. He was trying to think of a way in which to take a more active part when the communication console began to bleep. Den Thol got to his feet immediately and hurried to it, and Vonner followed the Pravan closely.
There was a small screen over a speaker, and Vonner saw power beginning to flicker through the screen. When Den Thol flicked a switch on the console the screen became illuminated, and a triangular Zukon face appeared. Vonner gave a start of surprise. Although most Zukon faces looked alike, he fancied he knew this particular face, and as soon as a voice began speaking he knew he was right. It was Captain Tryxx!
CHAPTER IX
“So the aliens have dared to land on Zukon!” Captain Tryxx exclaimed. “But you are stranded because your ship has left Zukon orbit. I am in orbit, and I am preparing to attack. The craft you have captured is of no use against my weapons.”
Vonner realised that the Zukon space captain was talking in English, and he pushed forward to Den Thol’s side as the Pravan flipped a switch and prepared to talk.
“Let me talk to him,” Vonner said.
Den Thol stared at him for a moment, then nodded slowly.
“Captain Tryxx,” Vonner said. “We have not landed here to attack your people but to contact them. I am not a Pravan, as you know. I am an alien from an entirely different galaxy. I have no wish to side with the Pravans against you or with you against the Pravans. I would like to see a truce declared between your two planets and the war brought to an end. I have authority to discuss peace terms with you, and to make an offer of the use of one of the Pravan planets for your people.”
“Why should we parley for one planet when we will eventually conquer all five?” Tryxx demanded.
“Because it will take far too long for you to overpower the Pravans!” Vonner could not keep a note of desperation out of his tones. “If you ever succeed then by the time you do, this planet will be nothing more than a fiery death trap for the billions of Zukons living here. What have you got to lose by listening to us? What have we to gain by placing ourselves in your power if we are insincere? We know that we are probably facing death, but we take the chance to try and solve your problems. We care what happens to Zukon.”
“You have killed Zukons,” Captain Tryxx declared. “You have destroyed Zukon space craft.”
“Only in self-defence! We could have destroyed more had we wanted, but we acted only in self-defence.”
“I suspect this is a trap, and I have informed my superiors of your presence in this galaxy.” Tryxx could not betray any emotions in his triangular face, and Vonner stared at the image on the screen, wondering what was passing through the Zukon’s mind. “We have analysed the Earthman we captured, and we have discovered that your race possesses the warlike tendencies of ourselves. We cannot find reason to suppose that you would act so mercifully towards us, unless it was part of a scheme to distract us while the Pravans closed in for a telling blow against us.”
“There is a Pravan here with me, and he has full authority to start negotiations with you.”
“I find your attitude amusing,” came the grim reply from the speaker, and something like a grin showed for a moment on the reptilian features of the Zukon space captain. “But I am coming over the horizon now, and in a few seconds you will be destroyed.”
“I told you that it was a waste of time trying to bargain with these Zukons,” Den Thol said tightly. “He’s not joking, Captain. They’ll kill us the moment they sight this craft.”
“You know us well, Pravan,” Tryxx said, chuckling in sinister fashion.
“I know you well enough to have taken precautions against being killed,” Den Thol retorted. “You’d better listen to me, Tryxx. We’ve come up against one another many times in the war, and I fancy you know exactly who I am. That is why we have taken a precaution against you. We have planted an explosive device in one of the volcanoes on this planet. I have a remote control detonator with me and there is another aboard the Earth ship Orion. If you attack us I will detonate that device and blow Zukon into pieces. If you kill us and prevent my action then the device will be exploded from the Earth ship.”
“So! There is treachery in you!” Anger flared
in the Zukon’s clipped tones. “While you talk of a truce you have prepared the death of our planet.”
“Only as a prevention against death,” Den Thol retorted.
“As a deterrent,” Vonner said. “Now you must listen to reason, Captain Tryxx. Report to your superiors what we have told you. We will wait here for a reply. But be sure that the Pravan has told the truth. The device is powerful enough to disintegrate your planet, and any attempt to kill us will trigger off the weapon!”
For the first time the Zukon looked worried, and the screen flickered and went blank instantly. Vonner moistened his lips. He sensed that they had made some ground, and for a moment he felt relief surging through him. But Den Thol was not relieved, and he moved to a porthole and peered around.
“Do you think they’ll take any heed of what we’ve said?” Vonner demanded.
“If they do it’ll be the first time in our history that they have.”
“But this is the first time you’ve managed to back them into a comer like this!” Vonner compressed his lips. “They must see reason! They’ve got nothing to lose.”
“Their mentality is such that they cannot reason as we do.”
“But Captain Tryxx seems to be as clever as the best of us,” Vonner protested.
“He’s acting under orders! There’s nothing personal about his decisions while he’s on duty.”
Vonner shook his head slowly. “So what do we do now?” he asked.
“Wait!” Den Thol was grim. He kept staring around, filled with concern now. But as the minutes went by he began to relax. “I think they would have killed us by now if they hadn’t changed their minds. I’m beginning to think that you have succeeded in getting them to consider talking to us, Captain!”
“It’ll be a start if they do!” Vonner felt his optimism returning. “But if they are going to change their minds then it will be the device in that volcano which turned the tide.”
Presently the communications console became animated once more, the screen flickering. Vonner returned his attention to it, and saw Captain Tryxx reappearing.