by Roland Starr
“Earthman, I have reported to my superiors and they are now prepared to confront you. I have contacted your ship Orion and they have confirmed what you have done on Zukon. I shall be landing on the surface near the outpost where you are, and I shall pick you up and take you to our city of Nper. Let me now talk to the commander of the ship you have occupied.”
Den Thol went to the prisoners and spoke rapidly, then returned with one of the Zukons. Vonner listened to the gibberish sounds of the Zukon language as Tryxx spoke with the craft commander, and Den Thol listened intently. Then the scanner screen went blank and Den Thol immediately freed the Zukon.
“We have to free them,” the Pravan said. “We are burning our bridge behind us, Captain. Once we descend beneath the sea we shall be completely at Zukon mercy, and we have a saying on Prava about Zukon mercy.”
“What about Colonel Curran and the guards with the shuttleship?” Vonner demanded.
“You can call them on this communicator and tell them to return to Orion. Can the Colonel pilot the shuttleship?”
“Yes!” Vonner moved to the communications console as the Zukon commander went to free his men. Den Thol operated the instrument, and shortly Vonner heard Curran’s voice replying.
“Philo, this is Captain Vonner. We have made contact with the Zukons. Listen carefully!” He gave a string of instructions to the big security man, and when he had finished the Colonel chuckled harshly.
“Right, Captain, we’ll blast off right away. But don’t let those aliens put anything over on you. We’ll be standing by in orbit, and if anything goes wrong then contact us and we’ll blow the works.”
“I hope that won’t be necessary,” Vonner retorted. “Call up Orion before you take off and tell Hanton to bring the ship back into orbit. Then get clear of the planet.”
Curran cut out and Vonner turned to find the Zukon crew staring at him. Den Thol was looking much the same as always, but the Pravan’s lips were compressed, and Vonner could understand the man’s first signs of uneasiness. The Zukons were all over seven feet in height, and their triangular faces, covered with hair, were like something out of a nightmare. But Vonner did not let his imagination get out of control. He had an idea that there was little danger to them because of the device in the volcano, but he was aware that he had no first-hand knowledge of Zukon mentality, and all indications so far were that the Zukons cared little for logic and nothing at all about life or its value.
“Talk to them, Den Thol,” Vonner suggested in the heavy silence. “Try to find out what the situation is on this planet. What are they doing about the volcanoes? Have they made any plans to evacuate the people?”
The Pravan shrugged, but began to converse with the Zukon commander. Vonner listened, but could make nothing of the words, and he sat down and tried to relax as they waited. The Zukon crew watched him closely, he was aware, but they were not showing weapons, and he took that as a good sign. Shortly Den Thol turned to him, and his face was grave.
“Life here is more serious that we imagined,” he said. “Over the past year more than ten million Zukons have died — victims of the Volcanoes. But there is no panic amongst the others. They are certain they will defeat Prava shortly, and then they know they will be able to evacuate from Zukon.”
“But you said there were billions of Zukons!” Vonner was nonplussed for the moment. “How can they possibly evacuate that number in a short time? It won’t be a matter of transportation either. New cities will have to be built on the planet they settle on!”
“It is a massive operation!” Den Thol shook his head. “I fear by the time they are ready to move that a great many more of them will be dead. It will be no easy matter to convince them to accept our terms.”
“Which will be?” Vonner prompted.
“They will have to give up space travel! We cannot risk them attacking us once they have resettled in our System.”
“That’s a reasonable request,” Vonner commented.
“We would also erect a force field around their entire planet to prevent subversive action against us!” Den Thol’s voice was harsh. “We should never be able to trust them, you see.”
“If you do not place them on one of your planets and then isolate them perhaps you will be able to overcome their natural animosity.” Vonner suggested. “If you remain in contact with them at all times, and let them visit Prava, you may find that they will forget their suspicions and want to become friends.”
“That is a view we cannot hold in the immediate future,” the Pravan said slowly. “It is ideal, of course, but I doubt if it would ever come about between the two races.”
“Everything is possible, given time,” Vonner said.
Den Thol was impressed by Vonner’s ideas, but reluctant to let himself become convinced that they might work, and Vonner could see that he would have to make great efforts to overcome the built-up prejudices on either side.
The Zukon commander set his men to work repairing the damage Den Thol had caused by forcing an entry into the craft, and Vonner watched the Zukons, aware that he had arrived in this galaxy at a propitious time for both races. If he could set these two peoples on the right road to peace then he would be doing his own world a great favour. He wanted Omina for Earth colonisation.
The communication console became animated and the Zukon commander hurried to it. He switched on, and Vonner saw Lieutenant Hanton’s face appear. He got to his feet as the Zukon turned to him and motioned for him to use the equipment, and he switched on his own intercom and replied to Hanton’s call.
“Captain, I want to check with you before returning to Zukon orbit,” Hanton said. “I’ve received orders from you via Colonel Curran.”
“Yes, Mr. Hanton. Follow the Colonel’s orders. Den Thol and I are awaiting Captain Tryxx. We are to be taken to the Zukon undersea city of Nper, where we expect to confer with Zukon leaders. Den Thol had to use the device we planted as a deterrent against Zukon treachery, and although it seems to be working we cannot afford to take chances. When the Colonel and his party aboard the shuttleship are back on Orion you will erect your deflector shields and keep them up no matter what happens. Put a tractor beam on me, or a probe, and follow my movements. I shall remain in contact with you as much as possible — probably calling you once every hour. If you have reason to suspect that I am being intimidated in any way, or that I have been killed, then you must decide your own course. But if you destruct this planet with the Pravan device then you’d better be a long way away from Zukon orbit when the explosion occurs.”
“I understand, Captain,” Lieutenant Hanton replied. “Good luck!”
“Thank you, Lieutenant. I have the feeling that Den Thol and I are going to need a lot of that special commodity. Vonner out!”
The scanner was switched off and Hanton’s face faded. Vonner suppressed a sigh as he turned back to face Den Thol, and he saw a grim smile on the Pravan’s face.
“I agree with what you said,” Den Thol commented. “I still think we are in serious danger, Captain, and at no stage of this mission must we leave anything to trust as far as the Zukons are concerned.”
“There’s nothing they can do about the device we planted,” Vonner said musingly. “While we have that trick up our sleeves we should be able to make these people co-operate.”
“That remains to be seen,” the Pravan retorted in ominous tones.
They could feel the tremors of the erupting volcanoes as they sat waiting, and time seemed to stand still. But at length there was a stir of excitement amongst the Zukon crew, and when Vonner looked out of a porthole he saw a Zukon ship similar to the one they occupied slowly settling on the ground some fifty yards away.
The Zukon commander spoke quickly to Den Thol, who looked at Vonner and smiled, his face set in harsh lines behind the transparent screen of his helmet.
“We’re to go across to that ship over there,” the Pravan said. “Captain Tryxx himself is there to welcome us.”
Vonner wo
ndered what kind of a welcome they would receive, but said nothing, and the Zukon commander accompanied them to the other craft. He left them as soon as the airlock of the new arrival began to open, and Vonner looked up as a tall and massive figure appeared before them in the airlock.
“Step inside!” Captain Tryxx ordered, and Vonner moved forward ahead of Den Thol. They entered the Zukon vessel, and Vonner could not take his eyes off the Zukon while the air pressure was corrected with the interior. Tryxx was almost eight feet tall, and seemed half as wide. He looked a dangerous adversary, and Vonner could understand why he had found trouble fighting the Zukon during their brief and terrible encounters.
“You can remove your helmets inside the ship,” Tryxx said, and there was a rough edge to his tones. “And you may relax! I am under strict orders to be hospitable to you. One thing the Zukons do really well is obey orders.”
He turned away as Vonner unscrewed his helmet, and gave a string of rapid orders to his crew. The next moment the craft began to rise from the ground, and when Vonner had divested himself of his helmet he saw through a porthole that they were over the sea.
“Captain, what has become of my crew member you captured?” Vonner turned his attention to the big Zukon.
Tryxx’s black eyes showed animation for the first time, and his fish-like mouth opened in the nearest expression he could manage to a smile.
“Lieutenant Commander Bardo is already in Nper,” he replied sibilantly. “He is still alive! That is all I can tell you.”
“I would like the opportunity to talk with you, Captain,” Vonner continued. “I’ve tried several times to open negotiations with you.”
“The Zukons never negotiate,” Tryxx replied arrogantly.
“Except this time,” Den Thol interposed, and Vonner saw anger flash into the Zukon’s eyes as he looked at the Pravan.
“This time we have no choice, but I can assure you, Pravan, that there will never be peace between your people and mine. We are dedicated to destroying your race.”
“Surely you are intelligent enough to understand that unless the Pravans help you now your race is doomed." Vonner spoke firmly.
“Doomed because of the trickery you have employed in your attempts to frighten us into capitulation.”
“We are not here to arrange for your capitulation,” Den Thol said steadily. “We are prepared to let you have one of the planets in our System. You must be aware that Zukon is dying! Even without the device we have planted here, the volcanoes will destroy the planet. More than ten million Zukons died in the past year as a result of volcanic action.”
“So you have been spying already.” Tryxx looked grave. “I tried to tell my superiors that this was nothing but a Pravan trick to get information. You should have been killed without hesitation.”
“It must be obvious to you that the Pravans have no need to employ trickery against you,” Vonner said. “The device was planted in a volcano, and all we had to do was leave Zukon orbit and then trigger the mechanism. Zukon would have disintegrated and no one on it would have known what happened.”
Captain Tryxx laughed harshly, and Vonner suppressed a sigh. If the Captain’s attitude was an example of the average Zukon then Den Thol was near to the truth in suggesting that they would be unable to make headway with their negotiations. But Vonner had more optimism than the Pravan. He imagined that once the tough task of breaking down the hard shell of Zukon natural resistance was accomplished, progress would become rapid. The prejudices and hatreds of a long war existed between the two races, and they could not be swept away in an instant.
The Captain went about his duties, and Vonner sat beside Den Thol by a porthole. They observed that the craft was moving speedily just above the surface of the sea, and again Vonner experienced a sense of unreality. He had become involved in local fight, and was bound by the law to do what he could to bring about an end to hostilities. The fact that President Treb had offered Omina to Earth for colonisation in return for aid had not influenced his decision to intervene. He would have done so in any case because he was under orders to do so.
Tryxx called Vonner to the communications console, and Hanton’s face was on the screen. Vonner was secretly pleased because his crew were keeping watch over the mission, and Tryxx stood by listening while Vonner spoke to his Chief Officer and assured Hanton that everything was under control.
“You will be unable to maintain contact with your ship when we submerge, Captain,” Tryxx said cheerfully. “You’d better tell your subordinates that you will call them when you are able.”
“Perhaps you can tell me how long we can expect to remain in your city,” Vonner countered. “I must inform my crew what to do in my absence, and how long they should wait before giving me up as lost.” He saw a smile touch the Zukon’s face, and went on: “If anything should happen to Den Thol and myself then nothing can save Zukon, Captain.”
“We are aware of that!” Tryxx said dryly, “otherwise you would already be dead.”
Vonner called Hanton and when his second-in-command appeared on the screen he issued orders in a crisp voice, aware that Tryxx was listening. Hanton agreed to permit a reasonable lapse of time before leaving orbit and detonating the device, and when communication was broken off Tryxx nodded his approval.
“So far, Captain, you have done everything I would have thought of if I were in your situation. But you are wasting your time in this approach. My people will not negotiate.”
“Then why are we being taken to Nper?” Den Thol demanded. “If you are scheming to seize us once all communication between us and the Orion is broken in the hope that you will prevent the catastrophe we have planned then you had better realise that there is nothing you can do to prevent it if we are killed. Zukon will be destroyed completely unless we are returned without harm.”
“My superiors are preparing to meet you upon your arrival,” Tryxx said in sibilant tones. “They know the Pravans never bluff. They will be trying to find ways and means of outwitting you, but they will not underestimate you. Rest assured that your warning has been received with grave concern.”
Vonner was warned by the Zukon’s arrogance that the meeting with his superiors would not be pleasant, but they were committed and he did not concern himself with future events. He had told Den Thol that they should not attempt to cross their bridges before coming to them, and now was a good example of the adage.
“Prepare to submerge,” Tryxx ordered his crew, and Vonner sat watching the Zukons moving around the cabin. The portholes were covered with deadlights and they switched to a different method of propulsion. The scanner screens were switched on, and Vonner could see the forward scanner screen from where he sat. He saw the surface of the sea coming up to meet them, and there was an obvious tilting forward of the vessel as they declined into the water. Then the screen gave an underwater view of the sea, and Vonner realised that for better or worse, they were on their way down to the Zukon city of Nper, travelling through an entirely inhospitable element.
But the trip did not last long. Tryxx had flown over the city before submerging, and in a matter of minutes they were near the seabed and approaching a smooth mound that seemed to Vonner to be too regular in shape to be natural. As they approached the mound a buzzer sounded, and the next instant a square entrance opened up in the side of the mound. They surged through the aperture and a glance at the rear scanner screen showed Vonner the entrance closing.
They had entered the unknown, and now they were completely cut off from Orion and outside help. Only the threat of the device in the volcano lay between them and certain death, and Vonner knew they could not be certain that the Zukons actually believed the threat was real. If they conformed to their arrogant manner and decided it was all a bluff then the future was not pleasant to contemplate.
Vonner watched the forward scanner as the craft moved speedily along a tunnel, and then a second door closed behind them. When he heard the hiss of compressed air he knew they were in an airlock and
soon they would be entering the Zukon city to face what awaited them.
CHAPTER X
“You will not need your space helmets down here,” Captain Tryxx informed them. “The air will sustain you. Remove your space suits completely. They will, be here when you need them to return above.”
That sounded comforting to Vonner, and he removed his suit quickly. Den Thol looked pale, and Vonner could understand the Pravan’s feelings at having penetrated the very heart of the Zukon planet. He was probably the first of his race to do so with any hope of returning whence he came.
They passed through the craft’s airlock and Vonner found himself on a ramp. Tryxx and two Zukons escorted them up the ramp and into another airlock. When they passed out of that they were in a brightly lit corridor, and there was an open-topped vehicle with seats for half a dozen persons behind the driver. A Zukon in a pale blue uniform was seated in the driving seat, and Vonner and Den Thol were ordered to seat themselves in the two front seats directly behind the driver. Tryxx and the guards seated themselves behind, and the vehicle shot forward at a surprising speed.
They didn’t leave the vehicle even when they entered an elevator. They descended quickly for what seemed minutes, and they entered another corridor. This time they travelled at a slower rate, and finally halted. Tryxx alighted and ordered them out, and one of the guards opened a door on the right and they were ushered into a big room.
“You will wait here,” Tryxx said, and motioned for his men to remain. He crossed the room and disappeared through a doorway, slamming the heavy metal door at his back.
Vonner glanced at Den Thol, but they did not speak. The air was cool in the room, but there was a heaviness about the atmosphere which indicated that they were many miles beneath the surface of the sea and under great pressure.
Tryxx returned before many moments had passed, and his triangular face seemed stern as he faced them.