by Peter Ponzo
CHAPTER 9
The Parting
Kevn and Gry waited in the anteroom as the shuttle slid into the bay, the bay doors sliding closed behind it, the environment reestablished. The shuttle door opened and Sal emerged, then TOM. The door slid closed and they entered the anteroom. Kevn slapped TOM on the back.
"Welcome home, TOM!" cried Kevn.
"We are not Home yet, master Kevn," said TOM, smiling as only an android can smile.
"Let's go somewhere and you can tell us how you got to command an Earth vessel," said Kevn. "Gry, where would you suggest we go?"
"To your cabin," grunted Gry.
"But, the galley, you always choose the galley."
"To munch on algae concentrate? I'd rather ... uh, relax in -"
"Master Gry," said TOM holding up a bottle. "Can I interest you in a hot brandy?"
Gry stared at the bottle and immediately recognized the Extron label.
"Let's go to the ... uh, galley!"
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They all listened intently, gulping the hot brandy. TOM explained how he was paralyzed, how he had miraculously recovered, how he found Humple drunk, how he locked the Mayor in a room and tried to communicate - without success - with the shipcomp.
"You recovered from your paralysis?" said Kevn. "Captain Cruder told us how he didn't trust Humple - how he damaged the lasergun at least to the extent that it couldn't sustain full power. The result was that Cruder was only knocked out for awhile, not killed. I guess that Cruder also saved your life too, TOM. You must understand that the good Captain had little choice but to paralyze you, temporarily. Anyway, it's good to have you back."
"I do have one question TOM," said Sal. "Why couldn't you communicate with the shipcomp? I understand that you even had manuals you could consult."
"The command language had been modified by Captain Cruder," said TOM quietly, looking at the floor, embarassed. "I should have guessed. I was not thinking at full capacity - perhaps the effects of the lasergun - I really should have deduced the modified language construct. "
"TOM," said Kevn, "What were the modifications? What did Cruder ask you to type?"
The android looked up at Kevn. "The good Captain dictated and I typed. The commands, in chronological order, were:
stop thy engines
open thy shuttle bay
TOM tried to continue, but the others were not listening. They were laughing. Gry fell off his chair, holding his sides. TOM was not amused.
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Runr was delighted. They had just finished eating a meal which Captain Cruder had prepared from food carried from the Andromeda, and Runr had insisted upon clearing the platters. The Captain watched the handsome black youth and smiled. Then, to everyone's surprise, he promised to take the young man to Africa. Runr could hardly contain himself and the Captain was pleased. He had never married and his religion forbad having children outside of marriage. He would treat Runr as his own. They would travel to Africa. They would find the original home of the Afrians. Although he felt his age, Captain Cruder would not miss this last adventure, accompanied by the black youth with the rusty hair shaking on his shoulders. The enthusiasm and energy of the boy made him feel young again.
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Although Gry and Lori were saddened by Runr's decision to run away to Earth, they understood. After all, they had decided to let the boy stay on C-phon3 if that were his wish. Kevn and Sal had explained that Captain Cruder was very pleased to have Runr onboard. The good Captain would see that Runr would be fed proper meals with appropriate vitamins and nutrients and that his schooling would continue and that the boy would wash every day and brush his teeth.
Sal went back to the Phonarite Research Labs; he was convinced that exciting secrets lay embedded in the genetic equations of the Afrians and that one of his junior scientists would win the Turing prize for this research.
Kevn went back to work as First Citizen. Nobody had noticed his absence. He continued to dream of faraway locales and spent more and more time staring out the port across the Barrens. There was an occasional burst of light from the Dolom Mountains and Kevn promised himself that he would visit the old man again ... very soon, when the paperwork was cleared from his desk.
Somehow, the paperwork never seemed to clear.
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The star-eater passed from the Phrinene sector to the Kronier star system. In its wake, a black and star-less locus. Before it, a thousand dancing precursors, each terminating on a star, guiding the way.
PART FIVE