Operation Omina

by Roland Starr

  “Perhaps you’ll get back to the machine and supervise the repairs. I want to know the instant it is operational again.” Vonner paused, his eyes showing his subordinate that he was not really taking it all in.

  “Are you all right, Skipper?” the chief engineer demanded.

  “I’m fine. You get on with that work, Dalus. The sooner you get it fixed, the better.”

  Wayland nodded and departed, and Vonner sat for a moment with his head in his hands as he tried to still his whirling brain. He thought of Ed Bardo, on duty in the main control room, and tightened his lips. Ed would have to stay there until the last possible moment.

  He reached out and switched on the communicator, opening himself to the control room. The next moment Ed’s voice was sounding in his ear, reporting the same as usual that everything was okay. But Vonner noticed there was a difference in the first officer’s tones, and he frowned as he asked:

  “How are you feeling, Ed?”

  “I’m okay, Captain. What did the doc have to say?”

  “I’ll talk to you about it when you come off duty,” Vonner said. “I have a problem on my hands at the moment, Ed.”

  “Anything I can do to help?” Bardo demanded, and his tone was suddenly urgent.

  “Not right now. Everything is under control.”

  Vonner depressed the switch and cut himself off. He got to his feet and left the room, walking along the corridor toward the sick bay. He wouldn’t feel easy until the process could be applied to the crew again, and he would be the first to take the electronic impulses. His face was harshly set as he pondered over the brainwasher. Who had sabotaged it? How could any of the crew know what the machine had been doing? More to the point, how had someone managed to get into the chamber where the machine was situated?

  There were guards in evidence now, and when he reached the sick bay there were two men standing by the door, guns in hand, motionless but alert. They saluted him as he arrived. He returned their salutes and entered the sick bay, to find Wayland sitting at the desk opposite Adah Morley.

  “Have you finished, Dalus?” Vonner demanded.

  “It’s just about completed, Captain,” the man replied. “I’ve had a new circuit wired in. It’s saved a lot of time.”

  “Time is important right now,” Vonner said, and he did his utmost to keep his interested gaze from the watchful Adah. But he had to look at her to give instructions, and he was aware of a painful throbbing inside as he faced her. She was beautiful! He could feel desire welling up inside him like an overflowing fountain. It was an effort, he found, to keep his mind on what he had to do. “Have you got the processing cassettes ready, Doc?” he demanded.

  “Everything will be ready when the machine is ready, Captain,” she replied, and there was the ghost of a smile about her attractive mouth.

  “Let’s take a look at the machine,” Vonner suggested.

  Wayland got to his feet and led the way to the processing chamber. There was a guard outside the door, and another inside supervising the work of the two technicians.

  “Nearly finished?” Wayland demanded harshly, and one of the two men nodded.

  “Just got a couple of screws to tighten, and she’s all yours.”

  Vonner looked around. The files containing the cassettes were already opened on the nearby table, and he moved closer, to see that his own was in first place. For a moment he hesitated. He was tempted to miss his turn. He was the captain! He could keep to his duty even if he failed to suffer the evil influence of the brainwasher. He sighed as he beat down the temptation and turned to look at the watchful Adah.

  “Have you got the list we worked out?” he demanded. “We’d better get started.”

  She held out the list, and he took it. There was silence around them, and for a moment everything seemed to close in on Vonner. His hand touched hers, and it was like receiving an electric shock. He drew a sharp breath and turned away.

  “I’ll have these men called to the sick bay,” he said. “Dalus, you and your men can receive treatment before you leave here. Any idea where Philo went to after he posted his men outside?”

  “He’s posting guards at all strategic points through the ship,” the guard reported. “I can get him on my short wave if you want him, Captain.”

  “No. He’ll report to me as soon as he’s through.” Vonner motioned to Adah to accompany him, and they went back to her office. He sat down at the communicator and gave out the list of names of the men he wanted to report to the sick bay. All the time he was busy he could not keep his mind from Adah, and when he turned to her there was a wistfulness inside him that cut like a laser beam.

  “You’re almost back to normal,” she said softly. “I can tell by the expression in your eyes, Max. But it’s goodbye again soon, and it will last for two years.”

  “But you know about me,” he retorted. “It must be torture for you.”

  “I don’t know so much after my processing,” she said. “It won’t be so bad when we’ve all been through the brainwasher.”

  “The first of the men will be here shortly,” he said, getting to his feet. “Give me a moment, Adah. Perhaps I’ll be able to retain some of the pleasure in the long months to come.”

  She slid into his arms. He kissed her, and his action served only to tear some more of the veils from his mind. He held her until he heard footsteps outside, and then he released her reluctantly.

  “It won’t be forever, Max,” she whispered, and her eyes were shining.

  He nodded and led the way back into the processing room. Already there was a line of men forming in the corridor, and he paused and took a good look at some of the waiting faces. Some of them were remembering! It showed plainly in the strange expressions confronting him. But one or two of the men were jocular, proving that the process was holding them as usual. He felt no relief when he stepped into the chamber and found Wayland checking the repair work which had been done.

  “All ready, Captain,” Wayland said. “You want me to be the first.”

  “Yes.” Vonner nodded, and watched while Wayland sat down in the chair before the machine. The two mechanics and the guard were watching. Vonner gritted his teeth as Adah locked Wayland in the seat, then attached electrodes to his temples and forehead. It was a procedure which had become a part of their life aboard the Orion, but it was the first time Vonner had witnessed it in progress while he had a full awareness of what was happening.

  Adah crossed to the table and took up Wayland’s personal cassette. There was one for each member of the crew, including herself, and now Vonner was wondering what would happen if someone was processed under the wrong cassette. But it hadn’t happened yet, and he watched intently as the woman he loved crossed to the machine and pressed the cassette into a slot in the top. Then she threw a switch, and the hum of power sounded. She watched a dial closely, and Vonner saw a needle flickering, moving across the face of the dial. When she flicked a second switch, there was an added whine to the hum, and lights flashed on the machine. In a few moments it was done, and the machine subsided as Adah switched it off. She released Wayland, and he got to his feet, apparently none the worse for the processing.

  “How do you feel, Dalus?” Vonner demanded.

  “Okay, Skipper!” There was faint surprise in the man’s voice. “Shouldn’t I be!”

  “It’s all right. Carry on. Your two men can go next.” He glanced at Adah. “Then do the guards here before starting on those men outside.” He paused and frowned as he caught the sound of a commotion outside, and moved quickly to the door. Before he could reach the aperture, there was the sharp crack of a stun-gun firing, and shock ran through Vonner. He hurled himself into the corridor and found the guard standing warily over a fallen crewman. The rest of the men in the line were frozen in sudden fear.

  “What’s this?” Vonner demanded, and the guard stirred himself and came to attention.

  “Johnson, Captain,” he reported. “Said he wasn’t going to be processed and st
arted off along the corridor. I had to stop him.”

  “Good man.” Vonner let his gaze take in the rest of the men, and he could see doubt and anger in some of the watching faces. “What’s the setting on your gun?”

  “Ten minutes, Captain. Colonel Curran set all the weapons for ten minutes.”

  Vonner nodded. The stun-guns could be preset for degrees of power, and the maximum power would kill.

  “Keep these men in line,” he ordered, and turned back to the processing room. The second of the two mechanics was in the chair now, and Vonner watched, an unusual fascination gripping him. He wanted to delay his own processing for as long as possible, but his duty beckoned him, and he knew he had to be in the correct frame of mind to see himself safely through the crisis. “Take me next, Doc,” he said crisply, and went forward when the mechanic got out of the seat.

  Adah strapped him into the seat and went for his cassette. He watched her closely, feeling emotional, wanting to kiss her once more. When she returned, there was a slow, sad smile on her lovely face, and their gazes met and held. She watched him as she dropped the cassette into the machine, and he nodded slowly, reluctantly. Then she threw the first switch, and he tensed, wondering if he could retain any of the wonderful impressions that had returned to him. The second switch snapped home, and it was as if a curtain fell into place in his mind. He likened it to a blink, a mental blink; and when the tremor was past he was a flesh-and-blood robot again.

  Dr. Morley let him out of the seat, and he stood up, looking around. His gaze was impersonal now, and he motioned to the guard to take his place in the chair.

  “Thank you, Doctor, he said, and there was an added sharpness in his tone that he could not detect. Wayland was watching him, on the point of leaving with his two mechanics. “Everything seems to be in order now, Dalus,” Vonner commented. “We’ll leave the doc to get on with her work.” He glanced at her. “I want the check list after processing is completed,” he warned her. “Make sure everyone has the treatment.”

  “Yes, Captain,” she replied stiffly, and he departed, with Wayland accompanying him.

  In the corridor, Vonner paused and looked at the waiting men. The guard was watchful and ready for trouble. The situation was well in hand, and for the moment Vonner was content. But when they passed out of earshot of the men, he paused again and looked at Wayland.

  “How could that machine have been sabotaged, Dalus?” he demanded angrily. “How many men, including yourself, would have the necessary skill to make the adjustment needed?”

  “I’ll let you have a list, Skipper.” Wayland was worried, and it sounded in his voice. “There aren’t more than half a dozen of us, and I would pretty well stake my life on any of the others.”

  “I’m concerned about the situation. Someone knew what the machine was doing; I want to know the reasons why he sabotaged it,” Vonner went on. “What did he hope to gain?”

  “It’s beyond me, Captain.” Wayland shook his head. “But your problems will be over as soon as the culprit gets a full-power dose from the brainwasher.”

  “I’ll be checking the processing list very carefully,” Vonner said. “I think I can trust the doc to do her duty properly.”

  “She won’t let anyone get away with anything,” Wayland assured him. “I’ll go through my files now and make a list of the men capable of sabotaging that machine. It shouldn’t be difficult for you to find the culprit.”

  Vonner nodded.

  Colonel Curran arrived, and Vonner studied the big man’s face as Curran made his report. He was aware that Curran’s alert brown eyes did not remain steady and never once looked in his direction, and Curran was reputed to be the most fearless and dedicated man on the starship.

  “The ship is secure, Captain,” Curran said. “My men are on emergency standing. I’ve checked security and have nothing to report. There is no unusual situation aboard.”

  “Good work, Philo.” Vonner nodded. “Have you been processed yet?”

  “I’m on my way there now. What about the duty men in the flight control room?”

  “I’m going up to relieve Ed myself, and the normal relief will stand by. I’m waiting for the rest of the crew to be processed before sending in the duty men.”

  “I had a word with Wayland.” Curran looked at Vonner squarely for the first time since coming into the room. “He said something about sabotage.”

  “I want you to take charge of the investigation, Philo.” Vonner was feeling uneasy again. “Wayland is going to let me have a list of the men aboard who would have the knowledge necessary to do what was done. I want you to find the culprit and confine him. This is a very serious business. The security of the entire ship was jeopardized by that single act. But more than that, I want to know why it was done!”

  “Leave it to me, Captain.” Curran turned to leave, but paused in the doorway. “I’ve put two guards in the flight control room, sir,” he reported. ‘You already know that Bardo is acting strangely, don’t you?”

  “I do. But it’s Ed I have to thank for putting me wise to what was happening. That will be all for now, Philo.”

  “Very good, Captain.” The big security man departed, and Vonner frowned as he tried to pinpoint the changes he imagined he had seen in the man.

  But Curran hadn’t been reprocessed yet! He would be strange until it was done. Vonner leaned forward in his seat and flipped the switch that activated the P.A. system. He moistened his lips before speaking.

  “Attention! Attention! This is the captain. All departments will report for mental processing on the standard rota, commencing in ten minutes. That is all!”

  Almost immediately the internal communicator was flashing, and Vonner opened the line. He wasn’t surprised to hear Ed Bardo’s voice in his ear.

  “Captain, what’s this?” Bardo demanded harshly.

  “You heard the order, Ed. I’ll be up to relieve you in thirty minutes. You know the procedure.”

  “But why the extra processing? It’s in standard orders that brainwashing takes place once a month. Surely an extra dose will be dangerous.”

  “I’ve just taken my extra tingle, and I’m feeling fine,” Vonner responded. “Why are you getting het up, Ed?”

  “Nothing, I guess. Perhaps you’d better come up here and talk to me.”

  “I’m on my way up, but first I must drop in at the sick bay to check that everything is going smoothly.”

  The line went dead, and Vonner leaned back in his seat. He suppressed a sigh as he considered all that he’d done. Nothing had been overlooked. In an hour, the crisis would be completely averted. He' gnawed his bottom lip for a moment, then selected a switch on the internal communicator board and flipped it. Howie Farrell, the communications officer, spoke immediately.

  “Give me a minute, Captain. I have a message coming in.”

  “Call me back then.” Vonner relaxed, then connected himself to the sick bay. After a short delay, Dr. Morley came through. “How is it with you, Doc?” he demanded.

  “I’ve finished the special processing on those men showing the more obvious symptoms of space distress, Captain,” came the clinical reply. “I’m now tackling the standard rota. I’ll let you know when I get through.”

  “Thank you, Doc. I shall need you at a special conference later. I’m going to hold an inquiry into the whole business, and I shall need to know how an unauthorized person got into the brainwasher.”

  “I’ll hold myself ready to report to you with the superintendent of nurses, Captain. Will that be all?”

  “For now, Doc. I’ll be in touch.” Vonner closed the line and got to his feet. There was nothing else he could do until the processing of the entire crew was completed.

  Moving to the door, Vonner paused when it opened, and frowned when he saw Sergeant Nevin of security coming forward, followed by two heavily armed guards.

  “What’s the trouble, Sergeant?” Vonner demanded.

  “No trouble, Captain,” came the firm reply
from the tall, red-headed security man. “I’ve got orders to put you under arrest. I hope you won’t make any trouble, sir.”

  “Arrest!” Vonner was shaken to the core. “What kind of a joke is this? Upon whose orders are you acting, Sergeant?”

  “Commander Bardo has assumed command, sir.”

  “Bardo!” Vonner repeated the name as if he were in a dream. “You take your orders from Colonel Curran.”

  “Colonel Curran is under arrest at this moment, sir,” came the quiet reply. “All senior officers are being placed under arrest.”

  “But this is mutiny!” Vonner made an effort to recover from his shock. “What has induced you to act upon Commander Bardo’s orders? Have you been extra-processed, Sergeant?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Then you’re suffering from space sickness, the same as Commander Bardo, and I order you to place yourself under my command.” Vonner stepped forward and lifted a hand to take a stun-gun from the nearer of the two guards.

  “Stay where you are, sir,” Nevin ordered, his pale eyes narrowed.

  “Don’t be a fool, man!” Vonner closed on the nearest guard, intent upon wresting the initiative from these men before the situation fell apart. But the guard lifted the small weapon and fired. Vonner didn’t even hear the crack of the discharge. There was a minor explosion of energy inside his head, and he fell limply to the floor, shuddered convulsively, then relaxed into unconsciousness.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  In fifteen minutes Vonner came back to his senses, but he couldn’t see for some minutes after his mind reawakened. He found himself lying on his back, and the pain in his head pinned him to the durasteel floor. By degrees the iron ice of the stunning energy bolt receded, freeing his mind and releasing his senses from its unbreakable grip, and he groaned as full awareness came to him. He opened his eyes to find himself lying in one of the security cells, and as the situation dawned on him he realized the hopelessness of his predicament.