“Lieutenant, can you pick me up on your sensors yet?” Barlor demanded.
“We have an image of you now, Captain. Are you in any kind of trouble?”
“I’m under a heavy and constant attack. My equipment is holding out, but I fear that my mind is also being attacked insidiously. I’m remembering that some kind of a mind-bender ray was used against us before we came into this planetary system.”
“Do you want me to come out to you in the other unit?” Franklin demanded.
“No. No matter what happens, don’t leave the safety of the shuttle, Lieutenant, and don’t drop your shields for any reason. I am still making progress, but the power register on my control box is showing an increasing loss, as Royden’s did when we first set out. I think that invisible life-force Professor Tosk reported may be responsible. Is it possible for you to get a bearing on it and use the shuttle’s armament against it?”
“But you’re right in the line of fire, Captain!”
“Check with Royden. Ask him if my equipment will protect me against your fire. If he can give you some kind of a safety margin then fire to your maximum within the limits he sets.”
“Will do, Captain. Keep coming. You’re nearly out of the woods now.” There was confidence in Franklin’s voice, and Barlor heaved a long sigh as he forced himself to keep moving. The ceaseless explosions about him seemed to be intensifying, and he told himself that the Imegt was capable of logical reasoning, that he was up against a cunning enemy that was even now planning to destroy him.
The register on the small control box was still dropping back around its dial and approaching the red segment on the instrument. Barlor was breathing slowly and heavily, finding it difficult because of the released energy inside his shield. Each explosion added to the power of the tingling affecting his whole body, and he began to understand the intelligence behind the apparently reckless and nonsensical attacks being made against him. There was a build-up of liberated energy inside the sphere of his protection, and it could kill him if it reached a lethal level. That was what was being arranged, and he turned cold inside as he wondered at this cold-blooded reasoning.
“Lieutenant,” he transmitted. “Hurry up with your firepower! I am being pressurised by a build-up of energy inside my shields caused by the explosions of the contact made by the aliens. I think this is a deliberate policy to weaken my shield and overcome my resistance.”
“Captain, we can open fire on Emission Force Three, but you will have to remain stationary during our attack. We have our sensors beamed in on the life force that is hovering above you, and will direct our fire upon it. Are you ready?”
“Fire immediately!” Barlor replied, and clenched his hands as he awaited the attack.
The next instant there was a blinding white flash. Tree tops disintegrated. Barlor felt the push of blast, but his force-field held, although he had to reach out and grasp at a
nearby tree to steady himself. He kept his eyes closed, aware of the dangers to his sight. But Emission Force Three would not blind him although it could cause permanent damage.
“Captain!” There was anxiety in Franklin's tones. “Can you hear me? Are you all right?”
“I hear you, Lieutenant. Report the result of your fire.”
“Professor Tosk reports that the life-force has been undamaged by our fire, but the density of the aliens about you has decreased. With your permission we will fire again, this time directing our aim at ground level.”
“Carry on.” Barlor spoke through his clenched teeth. “I’m ready for it.”
He turned his back upon the direction from which the fire would come and braced himself. The next instant he was surrounded by brilliance that stabbed into his sight despite the fact that his eyes were tightly closed. He swayed, and fought for his balance, knowing that if he fell his shield would probably destroy him. For interminable moments he was completely enveloped by unleashed power that was destroying and disintegrating trees, and he knew that if his power supply failed now he would be burned to a crisp.
The holocaust subsided, and he opened his eyes to find himself standing in the centre of a blackened area that was no longer wooded. The trees had been cut down and destroyed in a wide swathe about him. Smoke was drifting on the breeze. The sun glared down unchecked, and Barlor heaved a long sigh of relief as he realized that the attacks against him had ceased.
“Are you all right, Captain?” Franklin’s voice came through the communicator.
Barlor turned around and stared in the direction he knew the shuttle to be, but smoke was blotting out his vision. He took a deep breath, feeling the effects of the pressure about him, and had to moisten his lips before he could reply.
“I’m still alive and apparently unharmed,” he reported.
“What does the situation look like now?”
“We’ve destroyed a large number of aliens, but that life-force is still hovering above you. We believe it is the controlling factor in this situation, Captain. If you can move clear of it we will blast it with something more powerful. But we cannot see you. There is a great deal of smoke surrounding the area where you are located.”
“I’m moving out now,” Barlor said. “I’ll keep you informed of my movements. Keep monitoring alien life movements, and inform me of any build-up around me. I’m making all haste to join you.”
“We’re on total watch, Captain,” Franklin reported tersely.
Barlor staggered on, finding the ground bare of undergrowth and trees, but infinitely more dangerous to traverse. His senses were reeling, and he felt as if he was under pressure from a mind bender despite his protection. That invisible life-force hovering above him. It had to be the Imegt, and he knew now that the Imegt was the superior life-force on the planet. It was probably controlling all these other life forms.
“Captain! Franklin’s voice came through to him, sounding urgent. “Doc Simpson would like to talk to you. He’s just completed a preliminary examination on the dead guard’s remains.”
“Let me talk to him,” Barlor retorted, pausing to rest. He was beginning to feel drained of strength. His sight was hazy, and not because of the smoke that was still drifting through the atmosphere.
“Captain!” Moriah Simpson sounded agitated. “I’ve discovered the reason why these alien life forms are attacking us!”
“Well don’t spell it out to me. Just give me the facts,” Barlor said heavily.
“Are you all right, Captain?” Simpson’s tones took on a deeper note of anxiety.
“I’m feeling the effects of being cooped up inside this shield with all the trapped energy that’s been expended. If I could release it I would be all right.”
“Whatever you do, don’t lower your shields even a fraction,” Professor Tosk cut in sharply. “That invisible life-force is enveloping you completely, Captain. It’s just waiting for a chance at you. I estimate that you are some three hundred metres from this position, and I urge you to make all possible haste in rejoining us.”
“I want to talk to Doc Simpson,” Barlor said doggedly. “Come in, Doc! What information do you have for me?”
“It’s phosphorus, Captain! That’s the missing element! I cannot find even the faintest trace of it in the dead guard’s remains. Every particle of it has been drained out of the bones, and the bones themselves have been crushed, the entire body violently disorganized chemically.”
“The human body contains one percent phosphorus in its chemical make-up, Captain,” Professor Tosk interrupted.
“And we are worth killing for that?” Barlor demanded. He peered around. The smoke was clearing slightly now. “What about the other alien life forms around here? Have we destroyed them?”
“The survivors are massing for another concerted attack against you, Captain,” Franklin reported. “Our sensors are showing serious odds against you. The Chief is afraid that your unit may be pushed beyond its point of saturation and that you will be overwhelmed. Please hurry towards the ship.”
&nb
sp; “Fire the shuttle’s weapons again!” Barlor ordered. “Kill as many of the aliens as possible. If necessary, increase the emission force.”
“Anything more than Grade Three will kill you, Captain, despite your unit,” Linus Royden called sharply.
“Start shooting,” Barlor snapped, and turned his back to the direction in which he knew the ship lay.
Again he was surrounded by brilliant white fire which passed around him, diverted by his shield, and he closed his eyes and braced himself against the shock. Smoke flew, and he could feel the pressure inside his shield building up. He knew then that he was in a trap, despite the safety of his equipment. Perhaps that unknown, invisible life-force hovering around him was aware of the situation, and was just awaiting the moment when his tolerance of the changing conditions became critical.
“Any results, Lieutenant?” Barlor demanded breathlessly.
“The sensors show that we have destroyed a considerable number of the aliens surrounding you, Captain, but that intangible life-force is still there. Physically we are unable to see you. We have you as a blob on one of our screens and that is all. When the smoke clears we will see you. I suggest you start moving forward again, and we can talk you in to the ship by watching your progress on the screen.”
“I feel as if I’m unable to take another step,” Barlor retorted harshly. He peered around once more. He was standing in the centre of what now seemed to be a desert where only short minutes before a dank, brooding woods had existed. The ground was uneven, blackened and smoking, and those parts of trees which had not been completely destroyed were rock-like, petrified by the awful power that had been unleashed against them.
“Captain, check your registers,” Linus Royden called urgently. “I think you could be in serious danger now. Your equipment has had to take too many surges of power for its safety limits. I dare not use the second unit. It appears to have developed a very serious malfunction.”
Barlor tested the registers, and saw that the needle on the power dial was just clear of the red danger segment. He reported the fact, and Franklin spoke quickly.
“Stay where you are, Captain, and I’ll bring the shuttle to you,” he said. “We’ll hover above you, and drop straight down beside you as you cut your unit’s power. We’ll be protecting you with our force-field.”
“That unknown life-force is still hovering over you, Captain,” Professor Tosk cut in. “If we drop down to envelop you in our shields we shall take in that life-force also.”
“Then stay away from me,” Barlor retorted. “Shoot into the centre of this enveloping force. Use whatever power you have to, but destroy it.”
“We cannot increase power to a higher grade, Captain.” There was a note of desperation in Franklin’s taut tones. “We should kill you if we did that.”
“It’s my life against the entire crew,” Barlor said impatiently. “I have given you a lawful order, Lieutenant. Carry it out.”
“Wait, Captain.” Excitement chased out Franklin’s tension. “I have something on the sensors which does not make sense. There is an image of some kind of a building in what was the centre of the woods. I don’t know why we were not picking it up before, but the fact that we have destroyed most of the trees must be the reason why we are getting an image now.”
“What kind of a building?” Barlor demanded. There was a constriction in his chest and throat, and weakness was seeping into his mind. His limbs were already becoming heavy and immovable, and he was aware that once he fell to the ground his shield would warp, and if it did not actually kill him it would short-circuit itself out of existence. Then he would be at the mercy of that unknown life-force surrounding him.
“It’s like one of those control buildings on the missile sites on the outer planet,” Franklin said. “You’re nearer to that than to the ship, Captain. Do you think you could get to it? I might be able to land the craft on top of it. From its outlines I’d say it has a flat roof, and it is solid, probably made of some kind of obdurate material.”
“It can’t have been built by any life form native to this planet,” Barlor said slowly, fighting for breath. The harsh sound of his breathing echoed in the confined space about him inside the shield. He had to struggle against the urge to shut off his power for a split second, for he guessed that such an action was exactly what the alien life-force was awaiting. He turned his back on the direction in which lay the shuttle and lurched forward in the opposite direction. “Am I moving the right way?” he demanded.
“Exactly and precisely,” Franklin replied. “Keep moving and I’ll bring the shuttle in over you. Perhaps we can force out the alien being that is surrounding you.”
“Don’t come within the range of my unit,” Barlor warned, “or you will have dead members of the crew aboard the shuttle. Just stay where you are and I’ll report to you. The smoke is clearing a little and my range of vision is increasing.”
He shambled on, peering ahead, and presently could make out the solid shape of a squat building some fifty metres ahead. The atmosphere surrounding him suddenly took on a greater degree of intensity, as if some kind of alien power was being increased against him. The realization made him believe that his present actions were the opposite to what the hovering life-force desired, therefore he had to continue — unless he was being fooled into believing the opposite. But he was running out of time and strength and could not afford to act upon any assumption. His life was in his own hands and he would follow his hunches, as he had done all his life.
When he neared the building he discovered that it was much larger than at first it had appeared. Its base was set in a natural bowl in the ground, and a paved way led down to a massive door in the facing wall. It appeared to be made of some kind of stone which had a glazed appearance, and it glinted in the sunlight. The smoke from the attacks made by the shuttle was clearing rapidly now, and Barlor forced himself to go on along the path. Each step that he took added to his personal discomfort, and he knew the alien life-force was acting against him, wanting to prevent him from entering this mysterious building.
When Barlor reached the building he saw that it had been formed from raw clay that had been compacted and fused into solid, marble-like material that was the common product of fusion-projectors such as was employed back on Earth and on the planets throughout the Universe that had already been colonised. But this finished material was far superior to anything that could be manufactured by humans, and Barlor heaved a long sigh as he examined the wall. Its molecular structure was dense, artificially intensified so that the atmosphere of this planet would have little or no effect upon it through the centuries. It had been built to last, but by whom, and for what purpose?
He called the shuttle and Franklin answered immediately.
“Lieutenant, what kind of readings are you getting about this place?” Barlor demanded. “Is it safe for me to attempt an entry?”
“Captain, I was about to call you. Professor Tosk says her sensors record that the invisible life-force that has been hovering over you has withdrawn from your proximity since you’ve moved in close to that building. Shall I come in to pick you up?”
“No!” There was a new decisiveness in Barlor’s tones. “I want to explore this place. I’m feeling easier now, as if that alien force has ceased operating against me, and it must be because I am here beside this building. I have the feeling that the humanoid aliens who obviously set up the missile sites on the outer planet of this system are responsible for this building, and they were the masters of this planet while they occupied it. Why they left is one of the reasons I wish to discover. Perhaps they subdued the native aliens but could not completely overpower them. Stand by, Lieutenant, and await my report.”
“Very well, Captain, but I would request permission to bring the shuttle in closer to that building.”
“Let me check it out first. It is possible that your presence may trigger off some kind of trouble for us. Remain on receive with your communicator and I will remain on tra
nsmit. Record everything that you hear from me. Before I stop talking, tell me if you are in contact with Voyager!”
“Voyager is due over the horizon in fifteen minutes, Captain. Are there any special orders you require to be relayed to the ship?”
“Not for the moment. I’m going into this building now, if possible.”
He turned to the metal door, found that it opened easily to his touch, and reported the fact to Franklin.
“I think you ought to have a couple of guards with you, Captain,” Franklin replied. “That place should be checked out by an expert just in case of trouble.”
“I consider myself an expert after my experiences on the various planets we’ve visited,” Barlor retorted. “But tell me if Professor Tosk is getting any kind of readings about conditions in this building. May I cut this shield I’m cowering under?”
“There is no form of life inside that building, Captain!” The woman scientist’s tones were sharp, edged with envy because she was unable to participate in his exploration. “But the whole place could be defended by remote control devices intended to prevent local life forms entering. Anything that will prove injurious to these native aliens will also kill you.”
“I’ll take my chances. I’m entering now.” Barlor stared into the dusty narrow passageway that confronted him. “The fact that the door was not locked seems to indicate to me that there is no danger.” He paused, listening intently, then went on, “and I can hear the hum of a motor of some description. What readings are you getting on your sensors?”
“We’ll make a check, and suggest that you remain where
you are until we can give you all available data, Captain! “ Franklin spoke urgently.
Nightmare Planet Page 15