Space 1999 #10 - Phoenix Of Megaron

by John Rankine

  Koenig checked the input. There was a land line and there was provision for a radio link. Even as he sorted it out, a relay dropped and lights flashed along the panels as somebody called in for advice. What was asked and what was answered was all kept inside Spadec’s head. But it had come in on a frequency in the band used by the air cars.

  Two channels were operational. The land line—which would be the civil link for day-to-day government—and the military command link. There was a third, switched to “Non Op,” and Koenig called Karl to read the legend.

  Karl said, ‘It is not easy, Commander. This is the ancient tongue. But as far as I can understand it, this would override all other input circuits. It is for emergency use, when a single control might be needed. Special instructions from this source would be prefaced by the key word “omega.” ’

  Koenig shifted a cover plate and considered the circuitry. He was conscious that time was not on his side, but he cleared his mind of every other factor and went to work methodically. He had to leave it so that any quick inspection would not show that an adjustment had been made. When he replaced the panel, the switch for the third channel was still switched to ‘Non Op,’ but the link was open and set to respond on fourteen-twenty, which would please Sandra Benes, for one.

  Alan Carter was hovering on the threshold. ‘We should move out, Commander.’

  ‘I know it.’

  Koenig turned to the massive switchgear for the power cable, heaved down the contact makers and spun rheostats to bring the distant silo on stream. Then he used his laser to weld the levers in place. It would take time to stop the flow.

  He closed the hatch to Spadec’s command post and used parts of the lock he had cut away to weld the door to its frame and melted the hinges for good measure. They would need a blowtorch to get inside.

  Five minutes later, they had reached the trolley and were rocking away down the slope on the homeward leg.

  The time lag was the weakest part of the exercise. Koenig was conscious of it. He reckoned that, at the best hope, there would be action in the power house at about the same time that they arrived at the silo. After that, it was anybody’s guess as to how long it would take for the security outfit to reverse what he had done.

  What was crystal clear, for a start, was that they should open the silo, without waiting for a full refuelling cycle. But then they were vulnerable and any air-car pilot with a kamikaze bent could home in on Phoenix and wreck the lift-off.

  It was a delicate balance of bad choices. Koenig suspended judgement and pumped grimly at the seesaw lever. The argument was taken up below conscious level, where the holographic web of the human mind lived its own peculiar life. When a thread of light separated out at the end of the long conduit, a decision surfaced as though it had been inevitable all along. There was only one way to play it. They would open the silo and blast off with the best fuel load they could pack in before Caster got a full-scale strike organised. For that matter, they owed it to those who would stay behind. The four Outfarers and Cydon should have a chance to close the door behind them and seal off the rock as an unbreachable sanctuary.

  Cydon’s minimum working lights had been impressive enough. When they reached the silo the great pit was glowing with a new brilliance. Phoenix was soaking up power like a greedy sponge.

  Koenig, tired as a dog, but driving himself, went straight to the control bunker. Bergman left the command desk and met him. ‘You did it, John.’

  ‘So far so good.’

  ‘I have Alpha standing by.’

  ‘Fuel?’

  ‘There’s a crash programme. As soon as the full power came on, I switched to it. Halves the time.’

  ‘So where are we now?’

  ‘Thirty percent on board.’

  ‘What do we need?’

  ‘For lift-off—a minimum of twenty percent. Full thrust to clear Megaron’s gravisphere—another ten percent. Kano’s been running some calculations. He reckons we need to maintain full thrust to match the Moon’s speed and claw back some distance.’

  ‘Forty percent would give us a chance?’

  ‘Fifty would be better. Sixty would be safe to break into Eagle range. We’d need the full hundred to land Phoenix on the Moon’s surface.’

  ‘That’s not on. But she would be no more than a museum piece anyway. We couldn’t refuel her from Alpha. I’ll talk to Main Mission. Meanwhile, open the lid and clear Phoenix for launch, while we have the power.’

  Koenig sat at the communications desk. The familiar Space Corporation call sign glowed on a blue background on the screen. He said, ‘Commander Koenig calling Main Mission,’ and the sign winked out. Sandra Benes, tuned meticulously to make a composition, with her chocolate-milk eyes on the upper Golden Section, said, ‘Commander?’

  It was like rubbing a lamp and getting a beautiful genie, Koenig felt a surge of optimism. If he had been nearer, he would have been moved to pat her sleek head. He said, ‘Sandra, there’s a computer down here that’s gotten too big for its pedestal feet. I’ve set an override to respond on fourteen-twenty. I want a signal probe, with all the power you can give it, to trigger it off. They put me through on a link, so that I can talk to it through Alpha.’

  He might have been asking for a spoon to stir his coffee. Her ‘Check, Commander’ suggested that she had hoped he would ask for something really difficult. For a count of five, he could only see the top of her head. Then she looked up. ‘Go ahead, anytime you like, Commander.’

  ‘Thank you, Sandra. Keep it open.’

  Helena Russell threw up a scan of the space centre on a wall screen. Light levels were falling. Cars were drawn up beside the rock with two in the air making patrol circuits, in case there was another exit from the burrow and the Alphans broke cover.

  Bergman said, ‘All set to open, John.’

  ‘Go ahead.’

  Helena looked at him and he knew what she was thinking. There was another figure to watch the screens. Cydon materialised by the hatch and walked in.

  ‘You are impatient, Commander.’

  ‘Tell me. Are there any defensive weapons to protect Phoenix, when the silo is open?’

  ‘None. I have told you. The base was designed for peaceful uses. The scientists here would have prevented war, if they could have.’

  Karl and the rest of the party had come into the bunker. All eyes were on Helena’s screen, as Bergman activated the opening mechanism. Lights dimmed, as power switched to the load. In the distant town of Caster, citizens stopped in the streets as light levels dropped to a glimmer.

  There was a rumbling in the silo and a vibration that shook the floor in the bunker. A slit appeared in the huge dome, and widened as the two great segments retracted into their housing. Then it was done and the lights brightened, sending a yellow column into the gathering dusk.

  The two patrolling cars changed course and ran in to check this new phenomenon. Others began to rise from the apron. Koenig began to talk to Alpha and through Alpha to Spadec. He said, ‘This is Spadec directive omega one. You will disregard all Spadec instructions other than this. All previous commands are null and void. When you hear this, you are free. You are on your own. Your life is your own. Your mind is your own. You are free to act in any way which is human and reasonable. Any future Spadec instruction will be false. The Social Political, and Defence Computer has done its work and preserved you from many problems over the long years. But now that work is done. It is time for you to wake from your long sleep and see what is done in your name. Be active, meet, talk, discuss your problems. Life is not easy. It is not meant to be easy. Living is struggling. You must learn to like it. There are great rewards. Make the future of Megaron equal in greatness to her past. As a symbol of renewal, a great ship, built by your ancestors, will be launched in a bid for the stars. Watch her and know that she bears the message of your ancient thinkers: “wisdom shall rise again.” ’

  Impulsively, Rhoda ran to him and put her arms round his neck. She said, ‘Than
k you, Commander. Now I know I shall be happy on Alpha. You are a good people. Your visit to Megaron will be a turning point. Perhaps it was ordained, as I believe it was ordained that I should meet Alan.’

  They watched the screen. All the cars were airborne and circling the rock, nosing in to look at the brilliantly lit silo and then turning off to circle again. But the overall impression they gave was more of curious moths round a flame, than aggressive hawks looking for a place to strike.

  Cydon said, ‘That was well done, Commander. I must revise my opinion of Earth Planet and of military men. You have struck at the mind and not the body. Who knows? Those who stay with me may witness great changes, sooner than I had dared to hope.’

  Not one to find compliments easy to take, Koenig said, harshly, ‘Nevertheless, when we have gone, you must close the silo again and stay watchful, until you are sure of a change of heart in Caster. There are some who went beyond the call of duty in Spadec’s interests. True democracy may not suit all tastes. Things could go worse, before they get better. Even the Outfarers had their dissidents.’

  Koenig allowed an hour by the clock and found time to take a shower and eat a quick Passover meal with Cydon and the four Megaronians, who were to remain on the rock. As the time for embarkation neared, Rhoda went quiet. As they filed out to the gantry, Helena fell in beside her.

  ‘What is it Rhoda?’

  ‘I ask myself if I am doing the right thing.’

  ‘In what sense? For Alan or for you?’

  ‘For Alan. Will I fit into your world? Are there differences between us which will make him unhappy?’

  ‘Nobody can legislate for the long term, Rhoda. Forever is a long time. We all change. Hopefully, two people, who love each other, change in the same direction. But love is love and there isn’t a great deal of it to be had in the universe. The Alphans will accept you and like you. You have three friends already, plus Alan, who is a loyal and honest man. There are not many like him, anywhere.’

  ‘For me, there is nobody like him.’

  ‘Well then. I don’t think you need my opinion; but for what it’s worth, I give it to you. If you stay, you will live with regret. If you come with us, you will share our dangers, but you will share our hopes. Even at that simple level, there is no real choice. You have to come.’

  The glow of conviction even endured when Carter strapped her into an acceleration couch in the rest cabin, before taking his own place on the command island. Golden eyes looked at him gravely through the visor of a space suit. He tapped the plexiglass with his gauntlet and breathed heavily into her outside mike. He said, ‘Don’t go away and I’ll be back as soon as we’re in the clear.’

  He was gone and she was left with her memories of leave-taking and a miniature scanner to show her the gantry, where Karl, Gelanor, Urion and Hepa stood with the shadow figure of Cydon. They waved and withdrew to the bunker and its hatch slammed with a definitive thump, to mark the end of an era.

  Koenig called for reports.

  ‘Navigation?’

  Carter answered, ‘Navigation. All systems go, Commander.’

  ‘Power?’

  Bergman answered, ‘Power. All systems go, Commander.’

  ‘Communications?’

  Helena Russell, the least sure, in an unfamiliar slot, managed an even tone. ‘All systems go, Commander.’

  Koenig rapidly cleared his desk in a sequence that brought the firing pin alive. A muted pinger on orchestral A sounded through the ship. As he heaved down the lever for a full due, a sweep hand began to count down.

  As he waited, he reckoned he could have brought his people to strap themselves in on a bomb. Any one of a hundred systems could fail and anchor Phoenix in a pit that would turn into an inferno. The pinger cut out. There was a second of utter silence and stillness, as though they had dropped to the still point of the turning world, and then a trembling vibration beat the deep-foam insulation of the acceleration couches.

  The watchers in the bunker heard the roar as the motors began to deliver. They saw streams of vermilion and cadmium-yellow flame jet from the tubes and break in a rolling surge along the blast trenches. The rock itself was vibrating under the savage storm of power that Phoenix was hurling into the foundations.

  Then she was rising, slowly at first, jacking herself a metre at a time through the maze of gantries, until her gleaming cone was thrusting out into the darkening sky. Her immense length crept from the silo, as though there would be no end.

  Suddenly an air car broke from the circling squadron. It had finally gotten home to Mestor that the Alphans had taken him all the way. His occupation was gone. Rage burned out all thought of Spadec instruction omega one. He pushed his pilot aside. Teeth set and eyes bleak, he aimed the air car for the shining tower that was materialising out of the rock.

  Koenig saw the move and knew for a truth he could do nothing to stop it. Thumping the console with a bulky fist, he willed Phoenix to rise.

  She was accelerating, even as Mestor started the run in. The great bird at her waist levelled with the rim of the silo, glowing crimson in the Promethean fire below. She hurled herself from her long resting place, as though eager to reach her true home in the interstellar wilderness.

  Mestor had the emblem dead ahead and the car was roaring in on full power. Then it had gone and he was plunging forward into the incredible brilliance of the fireball. It was so quick, that the watchers in the bunker could hardly remember whether they had seen anything or not. One second, the black car was arrowing over the rock. The next it was gone, reduced to molecular trash, as though it had plunged into the surface of the Sun.

  Koenig called Moonbase Alpha.

  ‘Phoenix to Main Misson. Do you read me?’

  Sandra Benes appeared on the miniature screen on the communications desk. ‘Main Mission to Phoenix. Loud and clear. Go ahead, Phoenix.’

  ‘It’s all yours. I’m giving you a link to on-board computers. Have Kano run the course data. Plot the RV as close to Alpha as he can make it.’

  Kano answered for himself, dark face a smiling mask. ‘Check, Commander. We have you hooked on a line. It’s only a question of time.’

  Phoenix was a bobbin running on the thread spun by her computers and reeled in by Main Mission. After an hour, Koenig was sure enough of the ship and their ability to handle her to call a stand down.

  He switched all functions through to the command desk and set the rest of the crew free to gather in the ward room and see what the galley had to offer.

  Carter made his way to the rest area. Rhoda was lying with her eyes closed and he squatted beside the acceleration couch, with his visor hinged away, watching her. She looked very young and very vulnerable, eyelashes in even arcs, dark hair piled in the crown of her helmet. He tapped the glass and her eyes flicked open. Emotional response to the pressures of mounting G had intensified the gold flecks. He reckoned soberly that human evolution was as surprising as any marvel in the universe. They considered each other gravely. Finally he snapped open the seals and pushed back her visor. Her hair spilled down in a silky black tide. He cleared a swathe and kissed her forehead, all he could reach with the bulky clutter of gear separating them.

  Tongue moistening her lips, she said, ‘I knew it was a mistake to let myself get strapped onto this couch. Any passing sailor can take advantage.’

  ‘Have there been many?’

  ‘To be truthful, you’re the first. What’s going on? I didn’t like the first bit. Does that happen often?’

  ‘You ask too many questions for a junior crewman. Show a little respect for the navigator.’

  ‘All right, Captain. What’s going on, then?’

  He unclipped the straps and pulled her to her feet ‘This you will like. It’s meal time. You can help Helena in the galley.’

  ‘Is that right? Even in space, the woman gets to work in the kitchen? I might and I might not. But I’d certainly like to talk with Doctor Russell.’

  Following her down the narrow
companion, Alan Carter grinned to himself. She was resilient. She was nobody’s hey you. She would be all right on Alpha.

  Silver scarabs on a black-velvet pad, three Eagles were in line astern, boring in to the RV. Even Alan Carter’s critical eye could find no fault, as they turned in a copy-book manoeuvre and began to pace Phoenix. Beyond them, Earth’s moon was a pallid disk. It was incredible that they should be glad to see her.

  Fuel gauges on Phoenix were nudging into the red quadrant as the leading Eagle sidled in for the transfer. It was another first for Rhoda, and Carter hooked her with himself on the line that snaked out to pick them from the main hatch.

  Last to leave, Koenig set the onboard computers for a course change that would take the ship off at a tangent. There was no power to land her and he did not fancy leaving even the outside chance that she might make a tunnelling bid through the roof of Main Mission.

  They watched her from the direct-vision ports of the Eagle’s passenger module. By any standards, she was the most elegant piece of craftsmanship that any culture could boast. As she turned to pick up her new course, she presented the emblem at her waist. She would carry it on, into an infinity of time and space, the proud symbol of the human mind and the great statement of human aspiration.

  Helena Russell touched Koenig’s arm. He knew what she was thinking. He said, ‘I know. In a way, it’s sad and in a way it’s great.’

  ‘Where will she end?’

  ‘Who knows? Drawn into some sun that her builders never dreamed of. Launched in flame and ending in flame. But in a way, it doesn’t matter. It’s what she stands for.’

  ‘Wisdom shall rise again?’

  ‘Something like that.’

  They were closing with Earth’s moon. They could pick out the metallic glint of the sprawling base. The Eagles were making their proving run on the approach lanes. In its way, it was a kind of homecoming.