As he spoke, Barlor climbed in through the hatchway of Denson’s shuttle, and he paused in the cabin and looked around critically, his sharp gaze missing nothing. There were no signs of hurried departure, no equipment out of place or damaged. He stood for some moments just looking around, and then moved to the control seat and dropped into it. When he checked the circuits panel he found them in perfect working order, and he called his own shuttle, receiving an immediate reply.
So there was nothing wrong with the shuttle! Barlor shook his head slowly as he considered. He glanced outside and saw Sergeant Banham peering into the distance, alert and ready for trouble, and turned his gaze to his own shuttle, peering through a viewport. He could see some of his landing party staring out at him. Looking at the chrono on the bulkhead, he checked the time and realized there was an hour to pass before the ship was due above the horizon, and he unlocked the telescope attached to the shuttle and used it to study the distant surroundings. He saw movement out there and clicked up to maximum magnification, to find himself studying a kangaroo-type animal that was of massive proportions. It was impossible to judge its height and weight at the distance, but by comparing it with the nearby trees, Barlor fancied the creature was around fifteen feet tall.
He called Professor Tosk and reported the sighting, and saw the telescopic equipment on his own shuttle began to move as the scientist used it,. He heard an ejaculation when the professor saw the big animal.
“You’re right, Captain!” she exclaimed. “It looks as big as a house. Do you think that’s what happened to Denson’s landing party? Did they run into that kind of trouble?”
“Denson was armed and not the type to be taken by surprise by some overgrown animal,” Barlor retorted. “He was also accompanied by Major Hammond, and in any kind of encounter with aliens, I would stake my life upon Major Hammond. No, I’m certain that if anything has happened to the first landing party then those animals out there are not responsible.”
“Time will tell, of course,” Professor Tosk retorted. “I would like the opportunity to leave the area of the force-field and take a closer look at some of the animal life on this planet.”
“Request refused,” Barlor said tersely. “I want to make contact with the intelligent life of this planet before we attempt anything else.”
“Perhaps those kangaroos are the intelligent life of this planet, Captain,” Professor Tosk rebuked in mild tones.
“You’ll never get me to accept that kangaroos built those missile sites on the outer planet,” Barlor said sharply.
“I was forgetting those,” came the steady reply. “Perhaps you are right, Captain.”
“I am,” he said, smiling thinly. “Just settle down over there and don’t be impatient. Impatience could have brought about the; downfall of Denson’s party.”
He left the shuttle and stood beside the sergeant, informing Banham of the kangaroo, and he saw surprise show in the security guard’s dark eyes.
“They can’t be our enemies, Captain,” Banham declared. “They wouldn’t get the better of a man like Major Hammond.”
“My sentiments entirely,” Barlor commented.
“What happens now, sir?” Banham was obviously impatient to start searching for his lost comrades.
“I think a small patrol might go out to make a search.” Barlor spoke slowly while he studied the ground. He could see footmarks in the grass, and places where heavy space-type boots had trampled down the vegetation. He pointed out the signs to the sergeant. “You can see which way the landing party headed when they left the shuttle. Those tracks should be followed.”
“I’ll lead a three-man patrol, Captain,” Banham said instantly. “We’ve been trained for just such an operation as this. We could handle it, and I would remain in constant communication with these ships.”
“I think I’ll agree to your suggestion,” Barlor said. He stared off into the distance. “But I don’t think I’ll let a patrol go out on foot. Fetch two men from the other shuttle.” He paused. “No. Wait. I’ll go. I want to give some orders to the Lieutenant.”
He turned and went around the craft, approaching his own, and Franklin opened the hatch at his approach, peering out eagerly. Explaining the situation, Barlor saw the Lieutenant’s expression register regret.
“You’ll be staying in this craft with the rest of the landing party and maintaining contact with me and with Voyager when she passes over,” Barlor said. “I’m going to take the other shuttle and hop across to those trees. That’s the direction the first landing party took. We’ve got to find out what happened to them before we can consider anything else.”
“Yes, Captain, I agree with you,” Franklin replied. “I’ll maintain the force-field around this ship, and you’d better keep up your deflector shields at all times.”
“Don’t worry.” Barlor smiled. “Let me have a couple of men. I’ll inform you when I want the force-field cut off, but erect it again immediately we have departed. Keep your communicator on receive.”
He returned to Denson’s craft with two guards following him, and when they boarded the small ship and the hatch was sealed he ordered the force-field to be cut off. As soon as he received the signal he powered the shuttle and took off, moving steadily over the ground at a height of ten metres, and while they travelled slowly he ensured that his guards were watching the ground and their surroundings.
“Down there to the right, Captain,” Sergeant Banham suddenly called. “It’s a group of those kangaroos.”
Barlor glanced through the viewport by his right shoulder and saw almost a dozen of the brown-coated animals. He hovered the craft, their shadow falling upon the creatures, and stared down, to find himself being-studied by the kangaroos. They were similar to kangaroos, he discovered, except that they had no tails to balance their seemingly ungainly bodies. They were sitting on their haunches, their smaller forearms held up like boxers spoiling for a fight, and they had humanoid hands on the ends of their arms, he noted. They seemed to have no fear of the craft.
“Can you see from here if the landing party left any tracks?” Barlor demanded, concentrating upon the controls to maintain a perfect hover. The ship was enveloped by its defensive shields, and he had no wish to descend too close to the kangaroos and effect, fear or harm to them. These were aliens, protected by the incontrovertible laws governing space travel.
“We’re too high, Captain,” Sergeant Banham reported.
“If we move away from these animals we could land. I suggest we drop down on the far side of the trees. It’s certain that the landing party went as far as the trees. We should find their tracks around there.”
Barlor nodded and moved the ship, their shadow passing quickly over the trees, and they descended to ground level and finally came to rest on a slight incline beyond the copse. As they went down behind the trees Barlor risked a glance back to the group of kangaroos, and saw that they had not moved. They seemed to have no interest in the visiting aliens.
“Shall I take a man with me and make a quick patrol, sir?” Banham demanded.
“We’ve got to make an effort to check out the situation,” Barlor decided. “All right, Sergeant, but don’t take any chances, and if you meet with hostility then withdraw. Don’t use your weapons unless it is in defence of your lives.”
The sergeant nodded, and Barlor cut the defensive shields and opened the hatch. When the sergeant and one guard had left the craft he sealed the hatch once more, but did not feed power to the shields. He watched the two figures moving into the shadows surrounding the trees.
“There’s an Ilor ray projector in the rear turret,” Barlor said to the remaining guard. “Have you had training on such a weapon?”
“Yes, Captain. “
“Good. Stand by the weapon, and be prepared to use it if Sergeant Banham looks like getting into trouble.”
The guard moved to the rear of the shuttle and slid open a metal panel, revealing a turret into which he could insert his head and shoulders.
The mechanism for the ray projector was before him and he armed the circuits and powered the turret, moving around slowly through a complete circle in order to check their surroundings. Satisfied that they were not being approached from any other direction, he concentrated upon the spot where the sergeant and the guard had disappeared amongst the trees.
Barlor was tense and on edge while they waited, and the silence seemed to take him by the throat. His eyes ached from staring into the black shadows under the trees, and as the moments passed and there was no sign of the sergeant he began to feel a strand of worry unravelling in the back of his mind. He flipped the communicator switch on his personal set and used the callsign. When he switched to receive there was no reply. Again he called, and still received no answer. He waited, leaving the set on receive, and the baffling silence that emanated from the set seemed to fill the shuttle with tension.
“Do you think something has happened to them, sir?” the guard demanded in worried tones.
“To sergeant Banham?” Barlor demanded, laughing grimly at the thought.
“He is a good man, but so is Major Hammond,” came the grim reply, and Barlor turned his head quickly and gazed at the guard, who regarded him intently.
“You’re right, of course,” Barlor said slowly. “There is none better than the Major.”
“And he’s disappeared without trace, like the rest of the first landing party. Now Sergeant Banham and Mike Davis are missing.”
“They’re not missing,” Barlor rapped. “It will take them some time to search through the woods. I expect the sergeant has overlooked the fact that his personal communicator is on transmit.”
“Not the sergeant, Captain. He’s the last man to forget a detail like that.”
Barlor mentally agreed, and his fears increased as he watched the line of trees, expecting at any moment to see Sergeant Banham appearing, but time passed them by, the minutes stretching interminably, and there was no movement anywhere. Not even the alien animals had come through the woods to satisfy their curiosity. Barlor breathed slowly and deeply, trying to contain his impatience, and again he was beset by one of his hunches, and this time it was sounding an alarm.
“I think we’ll lift off and fly low over the woods,” he said at length. “Something must have gone wrong, that’s certain.”
“Perhaps it was in those woods where the first landing party came to grief, sir,” the guard retorted.
Barlor nodded. He checked the hatch and switched on the defensive shields. Then he fed power to the drive and the craft lifted steadily from the ground. At that precise moment the guard shouted a warning.
“Sergeant Banham is coming out of the trees, Captain, and he’s waving.”
Barlor threw a quick glance through the viewport by his right shoulder, spotted the figure emerging from the trees, and set the craft down again. Relief was flooding him as he cut their power. He did not take his eyes from the Sergeant, and saw the other guard appearing behind the foremost figure. Then the unbelievable happened. The sergeant turned and blasted his companion, burning him to a crisp with his personal weapon.
In the act of cutting power to the shields, Barlor froze in shock, and for the first time in his life he was paralysed by the unexpected. He could only sit and stare at the stumbling figure of Sergeant Banham as it staggered towards the shuttle…
CHPTER VIII
“What the hell did he do that for?” the guard demanded, and the sound of his voice cut the paralysis from Barlor’s mind. “He killed one of our men!”
“There must have been a reason for it!” Barlor cut the power to the shields, for Sergeant Banham was running towards the ship, and then went to the hatch and broke its seal. “Stand by, and be ready for trouble,” he warned. “We’re not taking any chances. I want you to keep the sergeant covered at all times when he comes aboard.”
The guard nodded, his face showing shock and puzzlement. But he drew his sidearm and held it alertly. Barlor looked through the viewport and saw Banham approaching, staggering as if he had been drinking liquor, and his face was ashen, his eyes wild with shock, his expression indicating extreme fear. Barlor had seen Banham in action many times, and the sergeant had been decorated for bravery on more than one occasion, but never had the sergeant seemed so uncharacteristic. He came shambling to the hatch, his shoulders heaving, his breath rasping in his throat, and he seemed to be almost strengthless. He could not get in through the hatch without Barlor’s help, and then he dropped to his hands and knees, his weapon falling from his hand. The sound of his breathing filled the big cabin.
Barlor sealed the hatch and threw the switch that sent power to their shields. He checked that the guard was covering Banham, then looked through the viewports to observe their surroundings. There was no sign of activity out there, and when he looked at the spot where Banham’s companion had fallen there was nothing to be seen. Barlor turned to face the sergeant.
“What happened, Sergeant?” he demanded sharply. Banham’s big figure was drooping. He was still on his hands and knees, his head sunk between his massive shoulders. His breathing was harsh but becoming easier with each inhalation. He tried to lift his head but could not, and then slumped to the floor of the cabin as his senses fled.
“Watch him!” Barlor ordered, and went to the control console. He opened the line and called the other shuttle, hearing Lieutenant Franklin’s voice immediately. Explaining what had happened, Barlor ordered Franklin to remain where he was. “Something happened in that wood and I’ve got to find out what it was,” Barlor went on. Banham is the last man to panic, but he was in the final stages of fear, and he cut down his companion as if in a frenzy. Stand by, Lieutenant. I’ll come back to you in a moment. I want to examine Banham.”
He cut the line and left the seat. The guard was still covering the motionless figure of the sergeant, and Barlor crossed to the man and dropped to one knee at his side, exerting his strength to turn Banham over. Trying to revive Banham, Barlor discovered that the sergeant's heart was beating steadily, but there seemed nothing he could do to bring the man back to consciousness. Sitting back on his heel, Barlor looked up at the watchful guard.
“I’m still wondering what happened out there, sir,” the man said softly. “Sergeant Banham must have had a good reason for cutting down one of his own men. “
“Perhaps not!” Barlor spoke through his clenched teeth. “It is possible that something caused Banham to lose control of his mind. It is also possible that something affected the other man and forced him to attack Banham. Banham might have been acting in self-defence.”
“Whatever happened took place inside the woods.” There was a note of tension in the guard’s tones. “Perhaps that is where the first landing party found trouble.”
Barlor found himself thinking of Denson and Major Hammond. He had never known two finer officers, and the fact that they were missing pointed to a grim mystery that would not be easy to solve.
“We’ve got to talk to Banham before I can make any decision,” he said slowly, glancing at the chrono on the bulkhead. “We’ll be in contact with Voyager shortly. I think we'd better send Banham up to the ship to have him medically examined.”
“I’ll go and take a look into the woods if you like, Captain,” the guard said.
“No. That’s the last thing you’ll do!”
“Something started trouble between two men. It stands to reason that one man might be able to find more success.”
“We’ll wait until we can bring more information to bear on the matter before trying anything.” Barlor bent over Banham again, trying to rouse the man. When he failed he got up and went to the control seat. “Keep watching him,” he directed the guard. “I’m going to take the shuttle back over the woods to where the other is waiting.”
He started the drive and lifted from the ground, gaining a height of one hundred feet. His face was set in grim lines as he permitted the craft to pass over the woods, and when he peered down he could see nothing through the de
nse green foliage. He let the shuttle hover, then lost a little height as he attempted to pierce the screen of foliage and learn what might be lurking below. But he could make out nothing, and was about to set the shuttle moving again when a strangled cry from the guard attracted his attention. He jerked his head around quickly, instinctively setting computer control into action when he saw Banham up off the floor and attacking the guard.
Leaving his seat, Barlor grappled with Banham from behind, but the sergeant seemed possessed of superhuman strength, and easily flung him off. The guard was being strangled. Already his face was purpling and his tongue protruded. His eyes were wide, rolling, the whites gleaming horribly. Barlor thrust himself up again and lifted his sidearm, quickly checking that it was set for minimum emission. He moved to the left in order to avoid catching the guard with his shot, and pressed the flared muzzle of the weapon against Banham’s temple, squeezing the firing lever for a split-second shot, and purple flame seemed to envelop Banham’s head. He dropped instantly, writhing on the floor of the cabin, and the guard sprawled away, holding his neck, gasping for air.
Barlor glanced at the guard, saw that he would recover, and transferred his attention to Banham. The Sergeant was slumped on the floor of the ship, but a strange transformation was taking place. His body was becoming hazy, indistinct, and even as he realized there was a change, Barlor saw the sergeant’s heavy figure assuming a different form, turning from the familiar figure he knew into a serpent-like creature that was grey and sluggish.
Gasping in shock, Barlor reset his sidearm for a more powerful emission and sent another shot into the creature. There was a searing flash and part of the floor of the cabin disintegrated, permitting the strange creature to fall away Another flash erupted, for the force-field was engaged, the deflector shields enveloping the ship. The power of Barlor’s shot struck the inside of the shield and rebounded, and Barlor barely managed to hurl himself aside to avoid the ricochet. The cabin filled with pungent smoke, and in the background there was an indescribable stench of burned tissue.
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