There in the lock was a figure in a space-suit, but they could not tell whether it was Nad or Sargon. As they watched, the figure dragged in behind it another figure clad in a space-suit, and both observers felt their pulse surge with a new hope. This was either Sargon dragging Nad, or Nad dragging Sargon, and in either case they knew that Nad was still with them.
Hastily, Yiddir activated the valves and the outer door closed while air shot back into the lock. The figure outside opened the inner door before Yiddir could perform the service for him. At the same time, the standing figure helped the prone figure to its feet. Then the first figure opened its faceplate, and Sargon spoke too them, peremptorily.
“Help me with this suit, quick!” Whereupon he started to dismantle the other figure's suit. Yiddir unscrewed the helmet and lifted it hastily, expecting to find Nad.
But there before him was the pale face of Lylwani! And he and Ron observed again in her eyes the childishness of a victim of the M-Ray.
“Baby!” she gasped, as she struggled in the depths of her suit, and Yiddir was alarmed to hear the muffled scream of an infant.
When he stripped off the top section, the small child came to light—its face almost blue from partial asphyxiation.
Ron helped Lylwani to a seat, while Yiddir stood there trying to contain himself. His mind staggered under the impact of the realization of what Sargon had done. Jealous of Lylwani's newly acquired memory of Nad and love for him, Sargon had subjected her to the M-Ray, and then he had forced her to be his mate.
He turned on Sargon, his face red with rage. “You dirty, foul beast of Satan!” he exclaimed.
In their distraction with Lylwani and the child they had not seen Sargon extract an M-Ray from his spacesuit. He was half out of it now, and he stood there looking at them with a menacing scowl.
“You might as well take it this way,” he said. “We're all in this together, and if we want to survive we'll have to work together. I've been struggling with a disabled ship for months. Now it's gone to God knows where in the nebula. It jerked loose just as I brought Lylwani over."
“But what happened to Nad?” asked Yiddir. “Did you kill him and leave him outside?"
“Neither one,” replied Sargon, the shadow of a grim smile on his lips. “He lost pretty much air when I cracked his faceplate, but I think he'll live, because I brought him inside."
“Inside!” Yiddir's eyes widened in horror, incredulous. “Inside what?"
“Inside the other ship."
“You mean—” Yiddir staggered, fighting to keep from passing out.
“Yes,” snarled Sargon. “In the other ship out there lost in the nebula. If he manages to recover, he'll find himself in a disabled ship, fully capable of supplying him with all the food and water and air he needs-but a drifting derelict."
“But, good God! He'll go mad!"
“It's less than he deserves,” Sargon replied, divesting himself of the rest of his suit. “It's just the way I wanted it. Killing was too good for him. I think he saw Lylwani and the child. I want him to spend a lot of time in absolute loneliness thinking about that. I hope he never goes mad. I hope he spends his whole life thinking about it!"
Just as Yiddir dropped to the floor, overcome by shock in his weakened condition, Ron lunged at Sargon's legs and bore him to the floor. In a blind frenzy of hate, he sought the Martian's throat. But Sargon landed a mighty rabbit punch on the back of his neck and he slumped into unconsciousness.
* * *
CHAPTER XII
It was Sargon who piloted the ship out of the nebula and plotted a straight course to the planet. When Yiddir felt better, Sargon had a talk with him.
“When my ship became disabled,” he said, “I had to abandon my original plans for returning to the fleet. I figured that if I could make it to the planet I was lucky. Well, I couldn't make repairs in time to keep from tangling with the nebula, and I had about given up hope when I drifted into you. That was just unheard of luck! Wouldn't have happened again in a million years !"
“Sargon,” said Yiddir, bitterly, “do you think that you will ever be able to really enjoy life again, knowing what you've done with Nad? You condemned him to that terrible fate at a time when your emotions were governing your reasoning, but later on, in your more sober moments of reflection, you may be haunted by the vision of him, a lonely madman drifting helplessly in the nebula."
Sargon scowled. “He can always open the airlock,” he said. “I'd do it. It's the easy way out. Besides, he may be dead anyway. He was out cold when I left him. But that's all behind us now. What I'm concerned with is the future. To return to either section of the fleet, even with your converted drive, would take years. If it were just straight distance to cover we could make it much sooner, but both fleets are moving, too, much faster than light. Well, I've thought it all over a lot of times. I've weighed my possible rewards and advantages to be derived from returning to the arks against the terrible years of waiting through such a long journey. It's not worth it, so it looks like the planet is the answer."
Yiddir then carefully outlined his own ideas concerning further exploration. He emphasized the importance of notifying the Government Fleet, at any sacrifice, in the event such a discovery could be made.
“I am quite sure I have not long to live,” he continued. “So you will have to do it, Sargon. As a member of the human race, it is your duty to do it. Your own rebel section of the fleet might conceivably come back and try to invade any planets colonized by Government forces, and whether they might succeed in taking over or not would make little difference. What matters is the people . They must be given a chance. Once installed in a suitable natural environment, I have complete confidence that our species can outlive any form of dictatorial rule that can be imposed upon it. That has always been borne out to be true in the past and I don't see why it shouldn't be true in the future."
“That's neither here nor there,” replied Sargon impatiently. “As far as your idea about a better solar system is concerned, I think that's a little imaginative. I was a first hand witness to previous explorations in this region, you know, and I can tell you there's nothing out here but this one little planet. I'm not going to spend my time—"
Yiddir's eyes flashed indignantly. He interrupted. “Have you any idea of who I really am?"
“Yes, I know. Yiddir E-5172-it was an alias."
“And my real name is?"
“Korlon E-3-N. All right, so you used to be captain of the ark. But that was many years ago, and—"
“I was also something else!"
“So you were a famous scientist, too. But that's not—"
Yiddir sat up in his bunk and grasped Sargon's powerful arm. “Don't you realize,” he argued, “that I was, even at the time of your exploration of this region, the most qualified astrophysicist on board? I had my own equipment which I had improved over your own. I know what I'm saying when I tell you there are other suns in this region which are favorable to our existence!"
“Suns, maybe, yes, but not planets. We've looked, and there aren't any more."
“Then let Ron go exploring, after you've settled. Promise me you'll do at least that!"
Sargon laughed. “That coward! What could he do but shake to pieces with fright at the mere thought of being left alone in a space ship!"
Yiddir was too weak to argue further. But as the ship drew nearer to the small planet and he lay helplessly in his bunk, he was not at a loss for subjects upon which to meditate through the long hours.
* * * *
When the planet acquired a visible disk, Ron and even Lylwani became interested, although the latter was merely attracted to it because of its beautiful color and changing aspect. To Ron, however, it was fascinating because he knew how rare this planet was. He knew that it was on such a world that his ancestors had been born. As he observed its atmosphere, glowing like a silvery halo in the telescope, and as he saw its green jungles and smouldering young mountains and steaming oceans-he would
often think of Yldra, who might have been there at his side, looking at all this for the first time. And then he would rescue his mind from vertigo by thinking of something outside the sphere of his personal emotions. The Government Fleet ... he strove to keep his mind on that. The fleet, with its hundreds of thousands of people, moving outward, ever outward into vastness, searching vainly for a new home, for a natural way of life, for a means of survival...
Sargon effected a safe landing on a wild stretch of beach beside a primitive sea. Towering carboniferous forests loomed above them, and the bright sun shone hotly through a humid atmosphere. Gravitation was light, however, and it was a tremendous relief to everyone to be freed from the oppressive burden of deceleration. Even Yiddir felt well enough to give Sargon some assistance with the scientific problems connected with their emergence into this primitive world.
Air, water, solar radiations, samples of soil, fauna and flora-all had to be analyzed carefully. If Yiddir had not been able to help Sargon, certain mistakes might have been made which would have resulted in an early death for all of them. Very fortunately for them, the space ship's cosmic energy converters were in good working condition, and they lived by synthesis as usual.
Inasmuch as the ship, designed to house a hundred Passengers, was roomy, self-sufficient, and impervious to the influences of their surroundings, Sargon could see no reason for building permanently on the ground. This was disappointing to Yiddir, because as long as Sargon and Lylwani and the child, Dirno, required the ship for a home, the possibilities of using it for further explorations were reduced proportionately. He had no hope of being able to make the exploratory trips himself, because he was virtually an invalid now. He tried occasionally to prevail upon Sargon to make an attempt to find the better solar system he knew existed in that region, but as Sargon procrastinated and time passed, the old man was finally forced to give up all hope of finding reasons for contacting either portion of the fleet. Here he would certainly die, and the little generation of brothers and sisters to be produced by Sargon and Lylwani would have to establish a new humanity here. In the meantime, Ron waited in silence-for what, no one knew, but he gave everybody the impression of patient waiting ... ?
* * *
CHAPTER XIII
A year passed, not without some progress. They explored and mapped most of the planet by air. They also found a new base, on a plateau overlooking a broad inland sea of fresh water. Here the jungle was less aggressive and the forms of animal life were less carnivorous and destructive. They could go about without space suits at last, and the change and outdoor exercise worked a great improvement on all of them except Yiddir, who was the victim of recurrent hemorrhages as a result of his old injuries.
Sargon had even begun to take interest in establishing a permanent base on the ground. He learned how to use lumber. When he needed other materials, such as metal, he had only to synthesize it in the converters. Base metallic stock could be melted, cast, forged, machined. In time, the foundations of a large building began to take shape, with Ron's willing assistance. Lylwani busied herself quite happily with her small son, Dirno, while Yiddir sat often in the mild sunlight of late afternoons and watched her in unhappy reflection. He thought of another man whose companionship might have enriched her life a hundredfold. And then he would sigh and wish for death to overtake him...
* * * *
One day when all of them were eating together in the ship, Lylwani made a statement so startling that no one took another bite after she spoke. As she had done during her previous period of recovery from the M-Ray, she had also progressed this time to the point where she could think independently, at least as a child, and hold a simple conversation. As they sat discussing the small events of the day, some mention was made of Yiddir's long white beard and Sargon's bushy black one.
“But I like gold colored beards best,” she said, without preamble. She continued eating as though she had made the most casual remark in the world.
Sargon reacted first, perhaps ten seconds sooner than Yiddir or Ron. He lowered his fork and spoke to her.
“Where did you ever see such a beard?” he asked.
She looked up and smiled sweetly at him. “The man in the forest has one,” she said, innocently.
Sargon looked at Yiddir and saw his own thoughts reflected in the other's faded eyes. He got to his feet.
"What man in the forest?"
Lylwani looked up, raising her eyebrows in surprise. “Oh, he's a very wonderful man,” she said. “He is so kind to me and Dirno. He has such strange eyes, and his hair and beard are all made of gold."
Sargon walked around the table and grasped her by the arm. “Where did you see this man?” he demanded.
Lylwani began to cry. She disliked and could never understand Sargon's toughness.
“Just a minute!” Yiddir interrupted. “If you want any information, leave her to me. You'll get nothing out of her by frightening her."
Sargon knew that Lylwani was very fond of Yiddir. In any other circumstance he would have bullied her, jealously asserting his assumed prerogatives as father of her child, but now he gave in and stepped aside. He sat down at the table again and watched her intently as Yiddir questioned her and Ron watched the proceedings and listened with a pale, tense look of desperation :
“Lylwani,” said Yiddir, gently,"please help us. We want to know your man with the golden beard, too. It must be a very wonderful sight. Won't you tell us more about him?
Finally, Lylwani complied. She related how he had first contacted her several weeks before. Ron had built a little summer-house for her and the child, where she could rest and enjoy the fresh air and be shielded from the hot sunlight. It was some distance removed from the ship, but in plain view, except that it blocked from view a patch of jungle immediately behind it.
One day, she told them, the golden bearded man had come to her from the jungle. He had called her by her name and spoken very nicely to her and played with Dirno. Then, when Sargon had approached the place, he had seemed angry and had gone back into the jungle. Three times he had come to see her. Yes, she confirmed, he had worn clothing, but it was very ragged, and he carried no weapons with him.
“He shouldn't be afraid of us, should he?” she asked. “Why can't we invite him to stay with us?"
“Man! Man!” gurgled Dirno, happily.
“You see!” Lylwani smiled. “Dirno knows who we mean. He wants him, too. Why don't you bring him here?"
“Yes,” said Sargon, with a mirthless grin, “I think we should bring the man here..."
* * * *
That afternoon and all the next day Sargon roamed the jungle with two Disruptors, but he did not go too far astray. Frequently he would seek out a place where he could look back at the plateau where the ship was. Then he would stalk his intended quarry again.
Finally, hunger drove him back to the ship that night. He was surprised to find that Ron was absent, because Ron had evidenced a marked fear of the forest with its mysterious denizens. When Ron finally returned, he gave every evidence, by his extreme exhaustion and torn clothing, of having been on the same quest all day.
In his hand he carried a Stun Ray. Sargon's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. There was no necessity for anyone to say anything. It was tacitly understood that a simple sort of primordial law had set in, and the outcome of each individual's efforts now was in the hands of fate. The stakes were grimly vital.
The next morning, however, Ron could not find the Stun Ray. In the whole ship neither he nor Yiddir could find a single hand weapon.
“Sargon must have concealed them last night,” said Yiddir at last.
For answer, Ron started off empty handed toward the jungle.
“Ron!” Yiddir called, helpless to follow. “Come back!"
But Ron did not stop, and soon his limping figure was lost to view in the deep shadow of the towering trees.
“Are they looking for the golden man?” asked Lylwani, innocently.
Yiddir
put his arm around her, affectionately. “Yes, Lylwani,” he answered.
“Oh I hope they find him. I hope he comes back again!” she said.
“Yes. I hope he comes back...
* * *
CHAPTER XIV
By noon that day, Sargon discovered the other ship. There was every sign that its pilot had taken great pains to conceal it. It lay in a deep gulley, half covered with fallen vines and trees that had been burned down with the ship's Disruptor cannons.
Without the slightest hesitation, Sargon set his Disruptors to maximum and fired at the ship. Time after time he fired, while explosions rocked the ground and the ship became a white inferno of dissolution.
Then he ran, fearing that he might have failed to destroy one or more of the reactors. Disrupted by the heat and explosions, unbalanced reaction might set in and they would :blow, which was what he really wanted. A full atomic blast would clean out the last vestige of this thing he hated and perhaps its pilot as well, if he were lurking somewhere within half a mile.
Eyes wide with the excitement of mingled triumph and awareness of mortal danger, he ran through the jungle like a madman. Once he dropped a Disruptor and it fell between mighty tree roots into some recess that he could not reach. There was no time to look for it. He ran onward, never daring to stop.
When he had traversed a good mile and a half of the jungle, the reactors blew. In one brief instant everything stood out in blinding contrast, illuminated by a flash of intense light that came near to blinding him. Then came a sound that he felt more than heard because he was momentarily deafened by it. He groveled under a great fallen tree as the shock wave followed.
Giant trees crashed all about him and debris flew with the velocity of a hurricane. The jungle life set up one huge din, a roar and shrieking and bleating of abject terror.
He got to his feet and ran again, stumbling and picking himself up and running again, to get out of the area which he knew would soon be blighted by radioactive dust.
Martian Honeymoon and Beyond the Darkness Page 15