Three Classic SF Novels: Plague Ship; Operation Terror; The Lani People

by Andre Norton, Murray Leinster, J. F. Bone

  “But if Alexander doesn't co-operate?"

  “That's where you come in. You'll be a watchdog. If you don't receive annual progress reports from me—and see or talk to me personally every second year, you are released from our bond and can do what you wish with the evidence I've accumulated."

  “We'd better get this into Private Record,” Brainard said. “We can transcribe an agreement and place it in the Public Repository."

  “A good idea and we'd better waste no time. Alexander might still be looking for me—and if he is, it's merely a question of time before he catches up."

  “Ten years have passed. It's doubtful. But we could keep you here at the Center."

  Kennon shook his head. “Too dangerous. And besides it would compromise you. No—we'll get everything possible done to make the Lani's case airtight, and then I'll return to Kardon. It will put our case in a better light if it ever comes to trial, if I go back voluntarily. Anyway—I'm morally bound to return. Now let's make this record."

  “It's your decision,” Brainard said. “And it's your neck-but I must admit that I agree with you."

  “I'll feel safer when we get the legal details clarified,” Kennon said.

  “And what of the girl?"

  “Can you take care of her if I have to leave quickly?"

  “Of course. I'll give her personal attention, and after she has her child I'll see that she is sent to you."

  “That's decent of you, Doctor."

  “It's my moral responsibility,” Brainard said as he slipped a new tape into the recorder.

  * * * *

  Copper responded quickly to rest and therapy. The space shock cleared up quickly. The gerontological treatments put her to bed again, but within a month she was completely normal, and her lifespan was now that of a normal human. She could look forward to some four hundred years with Kennon—and the prospect was not unpleasant. The Center fascinated her. Never before had she seen a hospital devoted to the care and treatment of humans. It was a far cry, in its polished steel and stone magnificence, from the tiny primitive structure over which Kennon had presided. Yet both places served the same purpose. Perhaps Kennon was right—that there was no difference between man and Lani. The idea was not nearly as unbelievable as it was at first.

  “I never realized what it meant to be human,” Copper said as she held Kennon's hand. “It is nice to feel important and to know that our child is a member of the race that rules the galaxy."

  “So you're convinced?” Kennon chuckled.

  “The serological identity—” she began.

  “Hmm. You've been getting some education, I see."

  “Well,” Copper smiled, “I didn't think you wanted a stupid woman. I can read—and since you are around so seldom nowadays, there is little else to do. I've been reading history, medicine, and novels,” she finished proudly.

  “A fine catholic selection,” Kennon said, “Now if you add mathematics, sociology, and philosophy you'll have a well-rounded basic education."

  “Dr. Brainard has been trying something he calls ‘hypno.’ He says it will help me learn faster. But I can't see that it's done much good."

  “You won't until you need the information,” Kennon said.

  “That technique is only good for implanting basic knowledge, and much of that will merely supplement or complete that which you already have. You won't be conscious of it."

  “Oh—I think I see what you mean."

  “Of course, you'll have to continue your formal education. There's a great deal for you to learn. It should keep you busy while I'm away."

  “Away? Where are you going?"

  “Back to Kardon."

  “But you can't! Alexander will destroy you."

  “I think not. After all, ten years have elapsed since we left there and he's had plenty of time to think. Douglas must have told him about us. I wouldn't be surprised if he has already done something about your people."

  She shivered. “He might—but the question is what would he do? He could have killed them all!"

  Kennon shook his head. “I don't think so. He never struck me as a mass murderer."

  She shook her head. “You don't know the Alexanders like I do. I was raised by them. They're capable of anything. But what is this business of ten years? That's silly. I haven't had my child yet—and it doesn't take ten years of pregnancy to produce a baby."

  “It's the difference between subjective and objective time,” Kennon said. “We traveled here through hyperspace—low Cth—in an uncompensated ship, and there is little temporal flow in the levels below the blue."

  “Oh—of course."

  Kennon chuckled. “That would have been Greek to you a couple of weeks ago. See where that basic data fits?"

  “But I've always known that."

  “You just think you have. Search your memory and see if I'm not right."

  Copper shook her head. “It's very strange,” she said. “But that's not important. This idea of going back to Kardon, though—that's a different thing—that is important."

  “I have to do it. Not only because it's a personal moral obligation but also because of the Lani. They must have their freedom."

  “Providing there are any still alive."

  “Stop being a calamity howler. Whatever Alexander may be, he's not a butcher. He even loved a Lani once. You told me so yourself. And he couldn't kill where he loved."

  She nodded. “I suppose you're right, but I've never lost my fear of the Man Alexander. He held the power of life and death over me. But if you must go then I should go too. My obligation is greater than yours."

  “Later,” Kennon said. “You're not ready to return. It will be time enough after you have learned some civilized habits."

  Copper's face lengthened. “You mean like wrapping myself in cloth like these people do?"

  “That's part of it."

  “Why can't they be sensible—or are they so ashamed of what the gods gave them that they must hide themselves?"

  “No, it's not that. At least not exactly. It's custom. And you must learn to conform to customs—outwardly at least—no matter what you may really think."

  “Isn't that a form of lying?” Copper asked.

  “I suppose so."

  “Isn't that strange. Your society exalts truth, honor, morality, and intelligence—yet you lie about your attitude."

  “It's called diplomacy,” Kennon said. “It's part of respect for others’ attitudes and beliefs, a necessary part of human relationships."

  “Then you'd be a nudist on Santos?"

  “Of course—even though I think it isn't proper, I couldn't inflict my ideas and attitudes on the customs of an independent world."

  “Oh—you think I'm doing that?"

  “Yes—and it is a mark of barbarism."

  “Sometimes you're not very nice,” Copper said.

  Kennon smiled wryly. “I suppose I'm not,” he agreed.

  “I'll try to be civilized,” Copper said. “But if you go to Kardon—I'm going with you."

  “Perhaps,” Kennon said. “We'll see how things turn out."

  “You don't want me to go with you?"

  “To be honest—no,” Kennon said. “You're safe here, and until your status is cleared by a Brotherhood court, I wouldn't care to place you in Alexander's hands. And clearing your status is going to take time."

  “You mean that I am still his property?"

  “Yes. But there is a legal doubt that will prevent him from exercising his claim as long as you stay on Beta. In the area where he has power, that doubt might not hold. So until your status is definitely proven to be human, you should not leave."

  “And what happens if this court denies my claim?"

  “Then we appeal to the Council. However, with the evidence we have, your claim cannot reasonably be denied. The only question is one of time. It may take years. Still, I don't think there is anything to worry about. I don't think Alexander will give us any trouble, but there's no sens
e in taking chances."

  “You still think I'm a Lani,” she said accusingly.

  “I do not."

  “Then you think that I'd obey Alexander, after what I did to Douglas."

  “I can only repeat that Douglas isn't the Boss-man."

  “I wish I knew what you really thought."

  “That isn't hard. I think you should stay here until I get this business straightened out."

  “That's all?” she asked suspiciously. “After all, I know I'm not very pretty now. And there's lots of Lani on Flora—"

  Oh, for Ochsner's sake! Do you think that I'm—” He paused, speechless. “Just what do you think I am?"

  “You're a man. And that's the trouble."

  Kennon chuckled. “So that's it! You don't trust me."

  “I love you,” Copper said.

  “Sometimes I wonder why men ever finalize their status with women,” Kennon murmured. “It does no good. It doesn't convince the woman. She's still fearful, jealous, and suspicious—always belittling her ability to hold what she has, always alert for competition, clinging, holding, absorbing—when she should be working as part of a team."

  “That's not true!"

  “Then prove it."

  “How—by staying here while you go to the end of the galaxy and play noble?"

  “I'm only doing what I have to do."

  “And so am I—and if you go I'm going with you"

  Kennon shrugged. There was no sense arguing. The only thing to do was make his plans and leave quietly. If she was faced with an established fact, she might be more reasonable. He doubted it, but alone, she could do nothing—and Brainard would see that she was comfortable. The salvage money from the Egg would keep her from being a public charge. And he had more banked in Albertsville which he could send her once he got there. He'd start making plans to leave as soon as possible.

  Copper looked up at him as he stood above her bed. Slowly she reached out and placed one slim hand in his. “I know what you are thinking,” she said, “and—” her face twisted in a grimace of pain, and the hand in his clutched with convulsive strength at his fingers.

  “What's the matter?” he said.

  “Nothing—it's perfectly normal,” she said. “I'm just going to give you a son. Now if you'd call for the doctor, perhaps we can get this over. That pain was only twenty minutes from the last. I think it's about time."

  Kennon—who had attended several hundred Lani births and had developed a certain callousness about them—was suddenly frightened and helpless as he pushed the call button. He could feel the cold sweat form on his forehead. He had started this. It was his fault if anything went wrong. He wished that it was someone else rather than Copper who was going through this trial. He was nervous, unsure, and guilty. In a word, he felt like a man whose mate was giving birth to their first child.

  * * * *

  “It's a boy,” Dr. Bra!nard said. He smiled down at Kennon's haggard face.

  “How is Copper?” Kennon asked.

  “Fine—she's healthy as a horse."

  Kennon winced at the cliche It was so ancient that it had lost all meaning. Most Betans didn't know what a horse was, let alone whether it was healthy or not. From what Kennon could remember of veterinary history, the horse wasn't too healthy an animal. It was rather delicate, in fact.

  “How is the child?” Kennon asked. It took a little courage to ask this question. The baby could be anything from normal to a monstrosity.

  “Perfectly normal,” Brainard said. “A true Betan type even down to the vestigial tail. We amputated that, of course."

  “Thank Ochsner!” Kennon breathed. “I was afraid."

  “Of course you were,” Brainard said. “Do you want to see them now? When I left, Copper was asking for you."

  Kennon sighed. Leaving, he realized, wasn't going to be as easy as he had thought.

  “We'll have to keep them here for a couple of months,” Brainard said. “We must take exhaustive tests if we expect the court to reverse its prior decision."

  “I expected that,” Kennon said. He shrugged, “It's probably best,” he said. “Now show me where Copper is."

  “She's back in the same room. You don't need a guide."

  Kennon didn't. In fact, he behaved quite admirably.

  * * *

  CHAPTER XX.

  Longliners, Kennon reflected, didn't make Beta a port of call, and the Shortliner connections with other worlds were ‘infrequent. Beta had done a good job separating from the rest of the Brotherhood. Too good. The spaceline schedules showed only one departure in the next month, a Shortliner for Earth, and from Earth the road to Kardon was long and tortuous, involving a series of short jumps from world to world and a final medium-range hop from Halsey to Kardon. If everything went right and he made every connection he would be in Kardon four months after he left Beta. Kennon sighed as he left Travelers Aid. Morality was a heavy load to carry.

  He walked slowly down the road from the spaceport toward the Co-operative where he had been staying. He had left Huntersville and Copper a week ago, after he had seen his child. His child! The thought of being a father was oddly dismaying. It distorted his sense of values. But one thing was certain. He was returning to Kardon, and Copper was not coming with him. She had a duty to their son-and he had a duty to his contract with Alexander, to the Lani on Flora, and to Copper—and none of these could be satisfied by further running. He had to return and settle the account.

  A tall man in a conservative yellow-and-black suit was waiting patiently in front of his room. “My name is Richter,” he said “—Art Richter. Are you Dr. Jac Kennon?"

  “I could deny it, but I won't,” Kennon said.

  “Thank you, Doctor. It was just a formality anyway. You see, I know you by sight.” He sighed. “One has to observe the formalities in this business.” He drew a long white envelope from his tunic and handed it to Kennon. “Most of my subjects try to deny their identity,” he said.

  “It's a refreshing change to find an honest man.” He bowed formally. “I really thought this would be harder, considering the charges against you.” He bowed again and walked away.

  “Now—what was that?” Kennon muttered as he opened the envelope. The man Richter was undoubtedly a process server—but who had hired him? He unfolded the sheet and scanned the charges—coercion, larceny, livestock theft, and breach of contract. He shrugged. This was Alexander's work. What was the man thinking of? It was insanity to bring the Lani matter into open court. Hadn't Douglas told him what had happened? Couldn't Alexander guess that he had fled with Copper for a good reason—one that would stand up in court? Didn't he know about the spacer? Or had Douglas turned on his cousin? The pup had so many hates that it was possible. He was a natural troublemaker. Maybe Alexander didn't know. Maybe he was working in the dark. Kennon scanned the sheet quickly. Ah! here it was. Complaint-Mr. Alexander X. M. Alexander, Skyline Tower 1024, Beta City!

  Alexander! Here on Beta! Kennon opened the door of his room, went straight to the phone beside the bed. He lifted the handset from its cradle and dialed the operator. “Get me Huntersville THU 2-1408. I want to speak to Dr. Brainard, Dr. Will Brainard. This is a priority call—my name is Kennon. Dr. Jac Kennon D.V.M. I'm in the registry—47M 26429—yes—of course, and thank you.” He waited a moment. “Hello—Dr. Brainard?—Kennon here. I've just had some news. Alexander's on Beta! Yes—he served me with a summons. Can you get a restraining order to prevent him from leaving? You can? Good! Here's his address.” Kennon rattled off the location. “Yes—I'm taking the next airboat to Beta City. This should simplify things considerably.—Of course it should. He was a fool to have come here. Yes—I suppose you should tell Copper. Oh! She is? I'm sorry to hear that, but there's no reason for her to be angry. She should realize that I did this for her—not to make her miserable. Hmm.—She—she has? You think she should come with me?—Yes, I realize she can be a problem when she wants to be. All right then—tell her to pack a toothbrush and a few
spare diapers. And see if you can get me a couple of tickets on the next flight to Beta City. I'll be over in a couple of hours and pick her up.” He cradled the phone and dialed the operator again.

  “I want the phone number of Skyline Tower 1024, Beta City, Mr. Alexander. Yes. I'll wait. This number is HUV 2-1278 and my name is Kennon, Dr. Jac Kennon 47M 26429. I called you before. No, I'm a transient. I can refer you to Dr. James Brainard, Huntersville Medical Center. Yes, I'll accept charges. Now will you give me that number? BCA 7-8941-thank you."

  Kennon hung up, dialed the number, and waited.

  “Hello,” he said. “Mr. Alexander? This is Dr. Kennon.-Yes—I suppose you do, but I've been trying to get back to Kardon for the past month. You are? Well, that's your privilege, but I'd advise you to go easy until I see you. Naturally—I'm coming as soon as I can get there. We'll be seeing you tomorrow morning at the latest. We?—I'm bringing Copper, of course. I just wanted you to know."

  Kennon wiped his forehead. Alexander sounded angry and dangerous. Ten years hadn't served to cool him off. What had happened on Kardon after he had left? Kennon shook his head. There was something here he didn't understand. The entrepreneur should have been covering his tracks, not threatening jail and disaccreditation. It was obvious that a personal visit was more necessary than he had thought.

  Alexander was waiting. His eyebrows rose at the sight of Copper in formal Betan dress—and lifted a trifle more at the sight of the baby.

  “What is this, Kennon?” he asked.

  “Trouble,” Kennon said. He took off his hat. “I came here to settle things before you took this case to court. You obviously do not understand what has happened. I suppose Douglas has double-crossed you. It would be characteristic of him. But before we go any further I think we should clear the air and let each other know where we stand. I don't want to make trouble if it's not necessary. You'll notice I'm not wearing a thought screen, so you'll be able to check everything I say, and know I'm telling the truth."