by Roland Starr
“I’m relieved that you think this present situation isn’t serious trouble,” Vonner said with a wry smile.
“We need a ship to get out of here,” Den Thol retorted.
“Have the Zukons stopped attacking us?”
“If you look at the scanner you’ll see that the Zukons have passed over the horizon in their orbit. I expect they’re reporting what’s happened here, and the next attack will come from a lower level.”
“Can we fight that off?”
“Only if the sensors are operating at maximum efficiency. I’ll switch them in and they can take control. We cannot stay here, Captain. The instant we run out of missiles we shall be dead!”
“Where can we go?” Vonner looked through the transparent dome. “We won’t cover much ground out there, and the conditions reigning make life hazardous just being out in the oven. Our air supplies on the space suits won’t last for ever. Have you any suggestions, Den Thol?”
“There’s one chance!” The Pravan was tight-lipped. “It’s very remote. I won’t keep the chances from you, Captain. You have a right to know. I can arrange for a booster circuit to come into operation on the communicator, then send a message to Prava, asking for assistance.”
“It’s a long way to Prava,” Vonner commented. “How long would it take a message to arrive there?”
“A matter of hours, I’m afraid, but it’s all we have left. The Zukons are jamming the ether around this planet, but this equipment is of Pravan origin, and we had to overcome the problem of Zukon jamming a long time ago. I can get a message off to Prava, but whether my people will be able to come here and help us remains to be seen.”
“I understand.” Vonner nodded. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Nothing. Perhaps you will watch those two screens and warn me if another attack comes in. I have a lot of work to do, and little time left in which to do it.”
Vonner went back to the screens, and he was already giving up hope of help arriving in any form. Orion had disappeared below the horizon on the sweep of her orbit, and he could not contact the ship. If assistance came from that quarter it would be from Hanton’s own initiative. They could not count upon it. Hanton would have his hands full up there, with the security of the ship to consider. Two crew members could not be counted against the safety of the entire ship, even if one of the crew members happened to be the captain himself. If they were to get out of this predicament, Vonner knew they would have to help themselves.
Den Thol was busy but unhurried, and Vonner could not help but admire the Pravan’s coolness. He had no idea what Den Thai was doing, but the man had taken off the covers of a number of the consoles and was doing something to their intricate systems and circuits.
When two more Zukon ships appeared on the left-hand screen Vonner warned Den Thol in steady tones, and the Pravan came to his side for a moment, his brow furrowed.
“I’ll show you what to do if they fire missiles,” he said curtly. “Wait until the dots of light reach that horizontal line on the screen before firing.”
Vonner nodded and prepared himself for action. He noted the levers and buttons needed to trigger off a salvo of missiles, and watched the screens intently. But no attack materialised, and he suddenly realised that one of the craft was coming in to land. When he reported the fact to Den Thol the Pravan came for another look, and actually smiled.
“I’m almost finished here, Captain,” he reported. “Then I’ll send the message to Omina. After that we’ll see what these newcomers are up to, and if there’s a chance of tackling them for possession of their ship then we’ll take it. I have a special weapon that will paralyse Zukons even when they have the protection of their craft.”
“The one you used on the ship that landed as we arrived here?” Vonner demanded.
“That’s it.” The Pravan went back to his work. “Let me know if anything else develops. I think time is going to be a vital factor now.”
Vonner silently agreed, and he watched the screens with a steadfastness that came from firm discipline and intensive training. There was impatience in the back of his mind, but he forced it to remain there, and he could feel a growing sensation of urgency, but he showed no outward signs of excitement or tension, and he knew that Den Thol must be feeling similarly inside, although he showed no emotion.
But their peace of mind was not to last long. The communication system, which had defied all their attempts to operate it, suddenly flashed into action, and Vonner moved to it quickly, flicking a switch to animate the video screen. He caught his breath in sudden shock when the triangular face filled the screen. Captain Tryxx was back, and his voice came through loud and clear.
“Earthman, I am aware of your deceit. You came to Zukon merely to rescue your crew member. We have decided that your ultimatum regarding the device in the volcano is nothing but bluff, and we are calling it. The Zukons want no aid from Prava. The Zukons will fight on until the war is won. You and the Pravan Den Thol cannot maintain that outpost against us, and already one of my ships is coming in to attack. We are jamming all your attempts to contact your ship, and they can do nothing to help you. The moment they lower the deflector shields we shall destroy them. You have showed great nerve and courage in your attempts to bluff us, but it is all to no avail. In a matter of minutes now you will be dead, and the war continues!”
Before Vonner could reply the screen died and the jamming was resumed. He listened to the irritating sounds of static, and for one of the rare occasions in his duty he was at loss for action. The Zukon craft was rapidly descending into the area, and there seemed little they could do to regain the initiative. But whatever the outcome, he realised dully, the Zukon people would be the real losers.
He went to Den Thol’s side, and the Pravan smiled thinly.
“Tryxx underestimates me,” Den Thol said simply. “Stand by to fire missiles at that Zukon craft, captain. Let it reach that horizontal line before firing. Have you reloaded the weapon pits?”
“I used the levers that control the reloading,” Vonner said, “but the red lights are still showing. Is there a malfunction somewhere?”
Den Thol threw a quick glance at the panels, and his face tinged quickly to a grey pallor.
“That’s no malfunction,” he said hurriedly, and for the first time he showed agitation. “Those red lights indicate that the weapon pits are not loaded. If you’ve operated the reloading switches and those lights still show it’s because there are no missiles left!”
Vonner operated the reloading switches again, and they both watched the panels intently. The red lights went out, but almost immediately came on again, and Den Thol turned away swiftly.
“Start getting into your space suit, Captain,” he ordered. “We must get out of here before that Zukon ship strikes at us. I’ve finished this now, and I’ll just take the time to flash a message to Omina before I join you.” Vonner nodded and looked at the two screens again. There was no sign of Orion anywhere, and the Zukon ship coming in to attack was almost on a level with the horizontal line on the screen. It was going to be close, Vonner thought, and hurriedly left the room.
He looked around quickly for Ed Bardo when he reached the room where they had left Bardo and their space suits, and he frowned when there was no sign of the man. He noticed that their suits were now lying haphazardly on the floor, and Bardo’s helmet was missing. Moving across to the suits, with a terrible suspicion creeping into his mind, Vonner saw instantly that the life support systems on the suits had been torn asunder, and the oxygen cylinders had been opened.
Moving quickly to a window, Vonner peered outside, and saw immediately the helmeted figure of Ed Bardo moving away from the building. Bardo had quit, and he had ensured there would be no pursuit. The two space suits he had left behind were useless, and Vonner knew the first faint stirrings of defeat.
CHAPTER XII
Den Thol appeared in the doorway, and frowned when he saw Vonner making no effort to get into his space
suit. But Vonner stopped the Pravan’s question by pointing down at the suits.
“Bardo has left, Den Thol,” he said, “and he’s destroyed our suits. We can’t leave here!”
Den Thol’s already haggard face seemed to turn white, and for a moment he froze. His eyes narrowed and then he came hurrying across the room to Vonner’s side.
“The remote control for the device!” he said jerkily. “It is in the pocket of my space suit.”
Vonner turned cold as he watched the Pravan search the pocket of the shattered suit, and then Den Thol looked at him. One hand still in the pocket.
“The control is gone,” Den Thol said dazedly. “Bardo must have taken it!”
Vonner went to a window and peered out at the retreating figure of Ed Bardo. The Earthman was walking slowly, and rocks were crashing down about him.
“How long can I five out there without a suit on?” Vonner demanded.
“Don’t try it, Captain.” There was no optimism in Den Thol’s voice. “You’d fall dead before you covered twenty yards. I’d better stop Bardo. I can do that from the airlock, but we can’t leave here to go to him without our suits.”
“What can you do to stop him?” Vonner demanded.
“My Ultrobeam! It will paralyse him. It’s what I used on the Zukons when they attacked me.”
“Hurry then. He’ll be on the top of that ridge in a moment, and then you won’t get a chance. But don’t kill him, Den Thol. He’s not to blame for his actions.”
“I understand.”
The Pravan went into the airlock, and Vonner listened to the hiss of compression. He stared from the window, watching Bardo climbing up the slope, and suddenly a purple beam stabbed out from the airlock, and Bardo fell instantly to the ground, stretching out and lying inert.
Den Thol came back into the room, his face grim. He shook his head slowly as he stared at Vonner.
“We’d better take cover,” he said. “That Zukon ship will be well on its way down to attack.”
“Will this place withstand a direct hit?” Vonner demanded.
“It’s more suitable than any other building here, but I doubt if we could survive a direct hit. We have nothing to do now but to try another section of the missiles. We may as well die fighting, Captain!”
“Let’s go back up top then. I want to try and get Tryxx once more. With Bardo paralysed out there the remote control is safe. As you say, we’ve got nothing to lose now.”
They went back up to the control room, and Vonner paused as they walked in through the doorway. The video screen was alive, and the triangular face of Captain Tryxx was staring at them. Den Thol hurried across the room to look at the two small scanners they had used to watch Orion and the attacking missiles. Tryxx’s ship was showing on the left hand screen, but the attacking Zukon craft had disappeared.
“The attack has been called off!” Den Thol said instantly.
They both looked at the video screen, and saw Tryxx smiling.
“I have got a report that Commander Bardo has left the control room, Earthman,” the Zukon said. “You did not know, but when he was released to you he had been mentally processed to obey certain commands. His appearance outside tells me that he has obeyed my orders. He has taken the remote control from the Pravan, and your space suits are destroyed. You two are trapped in the control room.”
“Bardo is mentally unstable, and doesn’t know what he’s doing,” Vonner retorted. “He hasn’t got the remote control.”
“My attacking ship is coming down to land,” Tryxx said. “Your position is untenable, Captain. You will be destroyed when the ship lands. Bardo will be picked up, and when you are dead I shall use Bardo to get through to Orion and bluff them into lowering its deflector shields.”
“Are you pursuing this policy without authorisation from your superiors?” Vonner demanded.
“I have no superiors now,” the Zukon retorted, his eyes gleaming. “I have word that the explosion split the sea bed right through the centre of Nper. The capital city of Zukon is no more. It has been totally destroyed!”
Vonner gasped in anguish at the news, and even Den Thol blanched, but the Pravan kept talking.
“You still have millions of other Zukons to consider, Captain,” he said. “You cannot throw away their lives. The conditions I stated to your superiors still stand, and the volcanic explosion must bear out my statement that time is of the utmost importance.”
“It is too late now to save Zukon,” Tryxx retorted. “We could never get the people off the planet even if we managed to make an immediate truce with you. We are a nation that will not bend. If one must die then we all die! That is our philosophy! But we shall not die alone. I am assuming full command of all Zukon forces surviving, and we shall make a concerted attack on Prava. If we die, then you die, Pravan!”
The video screen went dead immediately, and Vonner went to it and tried to regain contact.
“You’re wasting your time, Captain,” Den Thol said tiredly. “I’m afraid we have to admit defeat. We cannot sway these Zukons from their dedicated ways. But we must do all in our power to prevent the attack on Prava! This catastrophe must be prevented from spreading. I must leave here to take that remote control device, and as soon as I get it I must activate it. We shall die in the explosion, but at least we shall save a great many more lives than we destroy.”
“Don’t give up hope yet, Den Thol,” Vonner said instantly. “There’s a Zukon ship landing here shortly to take Bardo. Your Ultrobeam will paralyse its crew. If we can get to Bardo and then into the craft we can return to orbit and signal Orion to pick us up.”
“I cannot take a chance of failing to get to Bardo first,” Den Thol said. “We have tried everything we know, Captain, and now we must face up to reality. If Tryxx gets hold of that remote control then my last chance to destroy this planet goes with it. He might then destroy Orion, and if he did there would be nothing to stop him continuing with his threat to devastate Prava. At this moment I stand between Tryxx and that accomplishment. I have gone against my principles and training to conform to your ideas, Captain, and I would continue to do so if the fate of my people was not at stake. But now is the time for me to do what I came for. I must destroy Zukon and everyone on it.”
Vonner wanted to argue, but could not find the words to do so. He knew he had no right to step in again to stop Den Thol from doing his duty. The Pravan was right. There seemed little else to be done except commit the ultimate folly in destroying the whole planet, themselves included. But it wasn’t for his own life that Vonner wanted to continue the fight. He had in him the eternal hope that right would finally triumph, that they would discover the means by which the war could be halted and planetary peace established. But time was running out on them and there was nothing left.
“If I can’t make it to Bardo then why should you be able to?” Vonner demanded.
“I won’t survive the effects of the air here, but I would live long enough to get to the remote control and use it.” Den Thol looked into Vonner’s eyes, and for a moment there was a heavy silence between them. “I have no choice! What else can I do I can’t let the remote control fall into Tryxx’s hands.”
Vonner nodded slowly. “I’m not thinking of myself when I say hold your hand until this Zukon ship lands,” Vonner replied. “I certainly don’t want the Zukons to trick you in any way. But we have to take a gamble, Den Thol. Your Ultrobeam will paralyse everyone in that Zukon ship before they get the chance to alight. We were fortunate enough to enter their ship the last time. We should be able to do it again. Once we get airborne Tryxx will not be able to do anything about us.”
Den Thol shook his head despairingly. “They will be landing at any time now. Whatever we do must be done immediately. If I go ahead and destroy this planet then there is hope for my world. This one is doomed anyway! I’ll probably be doing all the Zukon people a great favour by destroying them quickly, in one fell swoop. Some of them will die lingering deaths if the planet is
permitted to die naturally.”
“You’re thinking up excuses to justify your actions now,” Vonner retorted. “It proves that you are not sure of yourself, Den Thol.”
They stood staring into each other’s eyes, until another eruption tore through the nearer volcano. Vonner heard the explosion through the thick, insulated walls, and the next moment the blast was shattering surrounding buildings and deluging the area with lava rock. They crossed to a window and peered out, and Vonner was horrified by the sight of the massive eruption. A tremendous gout of fire was rising up out of the crater with irresistible force, spreading wide in a gigantic blaze. Cubic miles of ash were belched up to blot out the fire, and the area darkened perceptibly. Vast clouds of sooty smoke roiled outwards, ever moving, disturbed and turbulent.
The building shook as if an earthquake had developed in sympathy, and Vonner clutched at the wall. The window cracked, such was the strain induced by the interminable movements of this angry Nature, and Vonner began to accept the last moments of the planet were at hand.
“That’s not the work of the volcano,” Den Thol said suddenly. “We’re under attack, Captain!”
He turned and ran up to the control room, and Vonner followed him. Some of the observation windows were cracked, but they could observe clearly, and there was a Zukon craft two hundred feet above them. Even as they spotted it a blinding light stabbed down from it, and Den Thol pushed Vonner towards the stairs. They tumbled down to the lower room, and as they landed the building was subjected to another blasting.
“They’re trying to ensure that we are dead before they land for Bardo,” Den Thol said, getting to his feet.
“What can we do, Den Thol?” Vonner was tight-lipped as he arose. He took his stun-gun from his belt, but knew it was useless at the moment.
“That won’t be needed yet,” the Pravan replied. He took his Ultrobeam from a pocket and checked it. “If we survive their attack we’ll be ready for them. They will be coming down to land at any moment now.”