The Criminal Streak

by Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

  “We can’t do the outside repairs in space,” one of the technicians on the Treachen said over the intercom. “We’ll have to land somewhere.”

  “What about returning to Pidleon?” Royd asked.

  “I don’t know if the ship could make it that far.”

  Royd thought of another planet in this territory he and Gwin had once been assigned to look at. What they’d seen from the clipper had been so bad that they hadn’t even landed. There was a scarcity of soil and, while the air sample showed it was breathable, they found minute particles in it that, when tested in the labs at home, indicated that they would begin to break down the lung’s capacity to exhale after three days. The scientists had guessed that their species would only survive there a week before their lungs clogged up.

  “How long do you think it will take to make the repairs?” Royd asked.

  “With all of us working, about two days.”

  Royd went to the charts he’d brought and looked for the planet. Checking their location he realized that they weren’t very far from it.

  “There is a planet near here that you can go to,” Royd said. “You will be able to work outside without protection but you will only have three days to get it done. After that the air will start to harm you.”

  “Where is this planet?” Captain Nicc asked.

  Royd gave him the coordinates.

  “We’ll try to follow you,” Captain Nicc said.

  “We can’t wait for you,” Royd said. “I’ll leave the transport Bodilyn as your guard and I’ll take the rest to the colony planet. You can continue when you are able.”

  “Why us?” the captain of the Bodilyn inquired grumpily. “Why not the Condoren?”

  “Because we’ll need the craftspeople and police as soon as we get there. We won’t be needing the animals.”

  * * *

  For the prisoners in the former pleasure rooms and apartments of the spaceship Treachen there had been no change to the daily routine: the air remained constant, the food came at the same hour, the lights stayed on. Guards yelling in through the bars or shutting off the lights and closing the metal door was the only variety. A change of speed or direction of the ship wasn’t noticed. Even when they hovered in the air space of the planets Lodigan and Pidleon, the prisoners weren’t aware that the ships were stationary.

  However, when the lights went out and the constant sound of the air purifier was silenced, the prisoners on the Treachen worried that something was wrong. And as soon as the Treachen abruptly darted sideways and the prisoners were thrown from their bunks and hammocks, they knew there was a big problem.

  The first time Jawn was tossed from his hammock and landed half on the bunk across the aisle and half on the floor. The ship flew normally for a few seconds. Jawn managed to stand in the dark. The ship swerved. Jawn banged against another prisoner and they both hit the floor. Each time the ship veered after that he slammed into a bunk or a wall or a prisoner. He couldn’t see to protect himself or to grab something to hold on to. Occasionally, the ship shuddered as if hit by something.

  The hollering and shrieks and cries began immediately, but there was nothing that could be done for them as the guards were in the same predicament. The only ones who stayed in place on the whole ship were the members of the command crew who had strapped themselves to their chairs.

  Finally the dodging and shaking stopped but the lights didn’t come on, nor did the air purifier begin working. Moans and groans came from all parts of the room. Prisoners could be heard yelling at someone to get off them while others called for help.

  Jawn lay were he had last been thrown and waited for pain to tell him how badly he’d been hurt. When it seemed that he’d gotten away with only bruises and cuts, he felt around himself to figure out where he was. He found a bed and an arm, the owner of which screamed when he touched it. He knew there would be a hammock above the bunk. He stood and felt for it. It was empty. Careful not to step on the arm, he stood on the edge of the bed and climbed into the hammock. He wasn’t sure if it was his but this was where he was going to stay until the lights came on.

  The air grew muggy and stale from the hollering and the anxious breathing. Some prisoners were already coughing. John tried to slow his breathing down to conserve as much air as possible.

  He thought over what had happened and decided it must have been one of the meteor storms he’d learned about in school. He’d been taught how spaceships, out on a mission, had been caught in a barrage of rocks. Some had managed to outrun them, while others had survived the onslaught with repairable damage. The unfortunate ones had been split apart by the force of the meteors and the crew and passengers lost. He wondered if any of the other ships had gotten through it. Obviously their ship had held together, but had it suffered too much damage to be able to continue flying? Would the lights and air remain off and would they slowly suffocate? Would it float forever in space with its dead cargo?

  The answer was a slight, but welcoming, hiss near his head. The air purifier was working again and that was a good sign. Listening to the sound Jawn knew he was not in his own hammock but the one beside it. He waited until the cleaner air reached him and then took a deep breath.

  * * *

  “My leg is broken,” someone screamed. “Give me something for the pain.”

  “Help me! Help me! I’m caught and I’m bleeding.”

  The lights had gone out. In the dark, Gwin could hear the yelling and moaning from the cells around them as well as in their own. She wasn’t sure where she was in the cell but could feel someone lying across her legs. She was shaken and sore and, judging by the pain in the little finger on her right hand, it was probably broken. She grit her teeth as tears ran down her cheeks.

  “How is everyone?” she asked into the darkness as she tried to move her legs.

  No one answered. She was beginning to wonder if anyone else was alive in the cell, when the lights began to glow. She looked around in the dim light.

  Shela and Mari were sprawled on the floor, Mari on Gwin’s legs. Rebe’s left leg was stuck at an odd angle and she was the one yelling for something for the pain. Blood ran out from under Iren’s hand that was cupped over her right eye. She was half under one of the bottom bunks. Conni was slowly crawling up onto her bunk.

  Looking at the others, Gwin considered herself lucky. She finally extracted her legs out from under Mari. She checked both Shela and Mari and both were breathing. There was nothing she could do for herself or anyone else so she helped Iren onto her bunk and went to sit beside Rebe. She held her hand and tried to console her.

  It was over an hour before a doctor and nurse came to check on them, during which time both Shela and Mari woke. Gwin helped them onto their bunks. Without the benefit of painkillers, the doctor set Rebe’s leg. Her yelling stopped when she fainted. They removed Iren’s hand and discovered that she had a large cut just below her eye. They cleaned it and put a patch over it.

  When the doctor set Gwin’s finger she almost passed out. She could only imagine the pain of the others. The doctor did a quick check of Shela and Mari, putting a bandage over the gash on Shela’s head. Mari appeared to have no injuries. Conni refused to let them near her. They left and went to the next cell.

  The lights flickered off and on, sometimes staying off for hours. There was barely enough air to keep them alive. No one came around to explain the situation. They’d been told about the dump storm and that there had been damage to the ship by the doctor and nurse, but since they’d left there had been no more news. When the lights were out they had to feel their way to the bathroom and the movement caused them to be short of breath. They lay limply on their beds. No food was brought to them.

  The cries of pain in the cells were replaced with demands to know what was happening.

  “Where is everyone?”

  “We’re starving. Where is our food?”

  “Let us out of here!”

  “You can’t let us die in these cells!”

&n
bsp; “What do you think is happening?” Dore whispered. Like Gwin, she’d escaped serious injury.

  “I don’t know,” Shela answered. “But I am damn hungry.”

  “Do you think we’re going to die?” Iren asked.

  Conni snorted. “We’re going to die a slow death and as each of you die, I’m going to eat you to stay alive.”

  Dore and Iren gasped, while Shela laughed.

  “We’re not going to die,” Gwin said. “They are probably assessing the damage and repairing it. That could take a while.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The cries had died down but there were still soft moans. It seemed like hours before the lights flickered, then came on but not with the harsh brightness they were used to. They were dim as if there was only half power. It didn’t take long for Jawn’s eyes to adjust to the softer light and he looked around the room. Most of the prisoners were lying on the beds or on the floor between them. Only a few had climbed up into the hammocks.

  With the lights, the yelling for help renewed. Some struggled to stand or flexed their arms and legs. Many remained where they were. Jawn wondered which ones were unconscious and which ones were dead. He saw Marc help Tery onto a bed. Tery’s face was covered in blood and it had soaked onto his shirt. Marc sat beside him to steady him, since there was nothing else he could do.

  Jawn heard movement out in the hall. The door opened and three women and one man walked in. They had the look and smell of prisoners but also an air of authority. The guards pushed a metal box in behind them then closed the door. They each went to an injured prisoner and began talking to him. After a few minutes it became obvious that they were doctors or nurses sent to look after the injured. They checked heads, limbs and torsos for breaks, bruises and cuts. They patched the cuts and crudely set the breaks. They called for the guards to carry away the dead, one of whom, Jawn saw, was Tedd.

  When the guards, some with bandages, came in to gather the dead, questions about what had happened were called out to them. “Flying dump,” one of them answered.

  “What about the other ships?”

  “They’re okay. We’re the only ship with damage and injuries.”

  “What’s going to happen to us now?”

  “We’re going to land on a nearby, unsettled planet for repairs and from what I’ve heard, some of the prisoners will be allowed off the ship.”

  “Some? Which ones?”

  “Everyone except the murderers.”

  “Why are they letting us out?”

  “They’re going to shut down the engines and won’t be able to keep the lights on or the air breathable in all of the ship.”

  Many of the prisoners grinned slyly at each other. Jawn guessed that they were already planning their escape. He wasn’t going to bother even thinking about it. If it were an empty planet, where would they go?

  Jawn moved into his own hammock and watched the medical people work their way through the room. When one asked him how he felt, he flexed his arms and legs to show he was all right. The woman nodded and carried on.

  Jawn wasn’t sure how much time had passed but the medical people had left and everyone was lying quietly in the beds or hammocks when they felt a slight bump. Alarm spread quickly as everyone in the room thought they were in another storm. Some sat up and looked around wildly, others jumped off their hammocks to prevent being thrown out, but when that was the only jolt, they relaxed again.

  Soon a guard came to the door. “We’ve landed on a planet,” he said through the bars. “There isn’t the power to prepare your meal so the cooks have dumped whatever they think you can eat cold in the cans and put them outside. Line up to go out.”

  When Jawn swung his legs over the side of the hammock he could feel his bruises. He noticed that most of the prisoners also walked slowly and painfully. At the intermix chamber they were led to the elevator into which as many as possible were squeezed. When the elevator reached the ground and the door opened a few held back while others rushed out into the crowd of male and female prisoners already there, an eager look on their faces. The eagerness quickly disappeared, though, as they took in their surroundings.

  There was a dull sun overhead with just enough heat to keep them from shivering. The ground was mainly rock randomly covered with a shallow layer of soil. Nothing in the way of plants grew. There were no insects, birds or other creatures. Except for the sound of their voices, it was quiet.

  Guards with guns forced the reluctant ones out of the elevator and closed the door. It rose for the next group. When the prisoners were all unloaded, the guards returned inside. They weren’t worried about anyone escaping.

  Some of the prisoners were huddled together near the food cans. Since no one had brought plates, they dipped their hands in to eat. Jawn could tell from their faces that it really wasn’t worth an effort to get in line. He looked around then began wandering through the prisoners searching for Georg. He saw Ruthi, Tery, and Marc talking and went up to them. Tery’s face had been bandaged and Ruthi had her right arm in a sling.

  “Jawn,” Ruthi said. “You look as if you survived our shake up.”

  “Just a few bruises. What happened to your arm?”

  “The doctor said it is fractured so I have to let it heal.”

  “What a dreary place,” Tery mumbled through the bandage that partially covered his mouth. “I wonder how long the repairs are going to take.”

  “I’ve heard that as soon as the generators for the lights and air purifier are fixed we’re going back in,” Ruthi said.

  “Maybe they just said there was damage so we would leave quietly and they’re going to take off without us.” Marc looked at the ship.

  “I doubt it,” Jawn said. “If they wanted to get rid of us they’d have left all the prisoners here. The other ships have continued to the planet.”

  “But do we know they still have their prisoners? Maybe they left them on some other planet.”

  Jawn ignored the conversation and scanned the crowd, which had begun to spread out as some explored the area.

  “Who are you looking for?” Ruthi asked.

  “Georg.”

  “I haven’t seen him. He must be on another ship.”

  The repairs weren’t complete when darkness settled in. With it came a severe cold. There were no fires since there was nothing to light. The cans were filled again but few ate. They complained loudly until they realized it was doing no good. No one was around to listen. They huddled in groups for warmth. Some dozed from sheer exhaustion, but those who could, stayed awake all night. They didn’t want to miss the reloading of the ship.

  The sun came up again the next morning and more food was put out. The clamouring began again when repairmen came out to work on the outside. Guards accompanied them and held the prisoners at bay with their guns.

  “When can we get back in?”

  “It’s so cold out here. We want our blankets!”

  “We need some decent food!”

  It was almost dark on the second day when the prisoners were ushered back in and taken to their rooms. Many rushed to their beds and hammocks and wrapped their blankets around themselves.

  * * *

  Gwin had felt the slight bump of landing and now felt the thrust of takeoff. The crew must have repaired whatever damage and they were on their way again. She had no way of tracking time so she wasn’t sure how long they’d been on the planet. Royd must have told them about the planet they had seen but not visited on their exploratory trip.

  “Maybe now we’ll get some decent food,” Conni grumbled. “The slop they’ve been giving us is disgusting.”

  “I wonder where Mat is,” Shela said to no one in particular. “I could use some booze.”

  “No one is in any shape to service anyone,” Gwin said.

  “I don’t care. He could collect payment later.”

  When Mat didn’t show up for a few days, Shela finally asked another guard where he was.

  “He was injured by a piec
e of wall that fell on him,” the guard answered. “He probably won’t be back on duty for a while.”

  The rest of the journey was quiet as no guard took over Mat’s business.

  * * *

  Georg listened for more conversation outside the doorway. Through this method he learned about Curt being on the flight and he’d heard about the problems with the Treachen and then about its being hit by the flying dump. A doctor from their room had been sent over to the ship he’d come back with stories of terrible injuries and death among the prisoners. When Georg had described Jawn to him, he’d only been able to shrug and say there had been so many to look after that he didn’t remember any single one.

  Georg had tried other methods to get information about his brother’s whereabouts, but so far he’d learned nothing. All he could do was worry and wait until they landed.

  Throughout the long days Georg planned his meeting with Curt. He thought about sending him a message now but had decided against it. It would be better to approach him once they’d reached the planet. That way they could have a long discussion. He wondered if Curt suspected who had turned in him. He could hardly wait to tell him that his buddy, the one who had promised to pay him more, was behind his being on the voyage. He grinned at the thought of the look on Curt’s face.

  Sometimes his thoughts turned to his mother. He was so ashamed at how he’d disappointed her and his father. When Jawn had asked him why he hadn’t called them while he was selling tobacco, he hadn’t been able to answer. He’d thought about it many times had even picked up the receiver on a pay compu-phone and dialled their number, but his nerve had given out and he’d hung up before anyone answered. And as the time went by, he’d thought it better not to call. They were getting on with their lives and he with his.