Despot in Space

by Donald S. Rowland

  Ethne smiled sadly as she began to explain, and she quickly gave the newcomer the salient facts of the events that had taken place. She even explained about the way she had disposed of General Ozen, and saw a thin smile touch Erie’s lips as he showed his approval of her actions. When she had explained all that needed telling she fell silent, and watched Erie’s face with hope in her eyes.

  ‘You are to be commended upon your actions, Miss Stound,’ he said softly. ‘You have retrieved something of the situation that was lost here with the round-up of the local cell of resistance. I think we have no time to lose, and you must show me exactly how the Celertron works. Close the Lab door and let’s get busy.’

  Ethne nodded as she pressed the switch that operated the massive door, and her pulses were racing as she walked across to the work-bench.

  ‘Professor, I want you to operate the Celertron, and send me to the spot where Professor Condor went. There appears to be no danger in passing through the machine. I’ve used a rabbit several times in tests, and it has come through without harm. I fear that the professor needs assistance, and I want to go to him.’

  ‘You are a very brave woman,’ Erie said, shaking his head. ‘But I fear that you may not be up to what will be required of the person passing through the Celertron projector.’ He straightened his shoulders. ‘I will go.’

  ‘But you don’t know Professor Condor, do you?’ Ethne demanded.

  ‘We have never met personally, but I feel that I ought to go in your place.’

  ‘No!’ Ethne spoke sharply. ‘I must go! I’ll use the rabbit once more and show you how to operate the machinery, particularly the reverse process. Then I’ll go through the Celertron and find out what’s happened to Professor Condor.’

  They wasted no more time, and Ethne sent the rabbit once more through the process. When Erie went to check after rabbit and cage had disappeared, Ethne waited impatiently, and fetched the hand-stunner which she had taken from Ozen. Then she reversed the process and returned the caged animal to the base. Erie was most impressed, and Ethne showed him the controls and impressed upon him the sequence that had to be followed.

  ‘I have it,’ Erie said. ‘But I still protest at your sacrifice. I feel that a man should do this.’

  She smiled and hurried to the base, standing upon it and facing the Celertron. Erie began to operate the machine, and Ethne took a deep breath.

  ‘When I’ve disappeared, give me three minutes, then operate the reverse process to bring me back. I’ll be able to tell you exactly what I see before going back once more to look for the professor.’

  Erie lifted a hand in acknowledgement, and then the power of the Celertron struck Ethne’s slim body. She stiffened and froze, tingling in every fibre. Then she went through the terrifying transitional period, aware of the forces and stresses at work around her. She turned cold and stopped breathing, seeming to split apart in every atom of her being. She thought she would die, and was beginning to panic at her helplessness when the whirling seemed to fade and she slowly came back to full alertness to find herself on the barren and brilliantly lit slope on Crana.

  Looking around quickly, with the hand-stunner in her grasp, Ethne gasped in shock when she became aware of her surroundings. She looked for Condor’s tall figure, and the general, but there was no sign of life anywhere. When she became aware of the twin suns overhead she was astounded, and her brain whirled with conjecture and doubt. She dared not move her feet for fear of moving off the point of materialization, and she looked around wildly in the short space of time she had allowed herself.

  Down the slope she spotted the wreckage of the Cranum airship, but nothing moved there, and she slowly turned her head, taking in the desolate beauty of the countryside. She saw the mountains and the nearer hills, recording everything around her. But she picked up no clue to her whereabouts, and began to wonder what could have happened to Condor and Ozen.

  Then she felt the reverse process of the Celertron begin to work, and she went back crazily through the frightening sequence, until she found herself once more standing upon the base in the Lab.

  Erie came hurrying towards her, and Ethne was breathless as she stepped off the base. She gasped out what she had seen, and saw astonishment show on the professor’s face. When she mentioned the twin suns, Erie broke into her excited narrative.

  ‘Then it was to another planet the Celertron transported you!’

  ‘There’s no other explanation, is there?’ she demanded. ‘What has Professor Condor discovered with this machine? What happened during this process? How far into Space was I projected? How was it possible in the space of a few seconds?’

  Erie shook his head slowly. ‘I’m afraid the professor himself is the only man who has any explanation at all. But we can go into this later. Now we must find him.’

  ‘I’ll go back and look for him,’ Ethne said instantly. ‘I came back just to let you know what I’d found. I’ll need some equipment to take with me. I’m sure the Professor wouldn’t have wandered away from the landing point unless something very important cropped up. I saw what looked like the wreckage of some sort of aircraft down the slope.’

  ‘You can’t go back alone,’ Erie said. ‘We must get some men to accompany you. The sooner we find Professor Condor the happier we’ll all be.’

  ‘Can you get men here quickly?’ Ethne demanded.

  ‘I have an assistant who is one of us, but he won’t be arriving until tomorrow. It’s getting late now. You’ll have to wait, Miss Stound.’

  ‘I’m going back immediately,’ Ethne retorted. ‘Help me to get together some of the things I may need. I’d better take some weapons, and something for communication. I don’t know if there’s any food available out there, so I’ll take some survival kits. I’d better mark the landing point in case of accident, and we’d better arrange for you to operate the reverse process on the machine at certain intervals.’

  ‘I’m not happy about this,’ Erie said. ‘But you seem determined to go ahead, and time is vital. I think you’d better go on, and when I’ve arranged for more men to follow you I’ll see that precautions are taken at this end to protect the advances the professor has made. As soon as he’s returned we can use the Celertron to get at Aubin, and that time can’t come soon enough for any of us.’

  Ethne mentally agreed. She started across the Lab to collect the items she needed. They carried a large stock of every conceivable article because their tests ranged from checking on endurance limits to practically smashing equipment in order to find hidden strain and flaws.

  She was impatient to return to the alien world upon which she had found herself. Erie helped her pack the items she selected into containers, and they loaded the base with what she considered to be essentials. She included a language transmuter, and artificial lighting in the form of atomic diffusers. Her brief visit to Crana had not been sufficient for her to check every detail of the environment, but she was satisfied that she would not be at a complete disadvantage in her search for Condor.

  When she was ready she went to the base and settled herself upon it with her stores. Erie came to confront her. His face was taut with anxiety, and she knew he was undecided about this return trip. But she wouldn’t take any refusal on his part. This was something she had to do, and she meant to go through with it.

  ‘When you start away from that landing point you mentioned you had better mark your progress,’ he said. ‘I’ll send half a dozen heavily armed men to track you, so distribute beacons in your wake.’

  ‘I’ll do that. I’ve got some along,’ she retorted. ‘Now start the Celertron, Professor, and send me on my way. Use the reverse process every hour. We’ll be waiting to return if there’s no trouble.’

  Erie shook his head as he went back to the workbench, and Ethne prepared herself for the ordeal of going through dematerialization. The next minute she was being whirled through the Limbo of time and space, and when she recovered her senses fully once more she was standing with he
r equipment on the grassy slope where Condor had first appeared on Crana.

  Working quickly, Ethne unloaded her supplies and stacked them between the sloping sides of a narrow crevice. She armed herself with a laser and tucked the hand-stunner into her belt. Before moving off she fixed the language transmuter around her neck, clipping the electrodes to her throat and temples. If she met any of the natives of this alien planet she would be able to communicate with them.

  She was in a hurry to start searching for Condor, and she studied the ground in an attempt to find tracks. There were none discernible. She didn’t forget Ozen either, and kept a sharp watch for the general as she started down the slope towards the wreckage she could see below.

  Ethne watched her surroundings, feeling tense and unreal in this situation. As far as she could see there were no obvious signs of habitation around her. She approached the tangled wreckage of the airship that Condor had brought down and stared long and hard at the body of the Cranum crumpled beside it. She saw footprints in the dust around her, some of them barefoot, and she began to wonder what she could expect to meet. When she spotted footprints moving away from the wreck she began to follow. There were boot prints in the dust, and she believed they might belong to Condor.

  When she reached the lower reaches of the slope she spotted movement, and pulled up quickly, holding the hand-stunner ready. She saw a tall figure rising up from behind a rock, and her pale eyes shone with interest.

  The Nether male came slowly towards her, and Ethne took in his marvellous physique. He was holding a club, which he brandished from time to time, and he slowed his approach as he drew nearer.

  Ethne switched on the semantics transmuter and spoke to the Nether, although he wouldn’t be able to understand her until he had spoken. She tried to encourage him to speak, but he stared at her, trying to get in closer without arousing her suspicions of his intentions. When Ethne made a threatening gesture with the hand-stunner he paused and started away nervously, and she spoke again, wanting him to talk to enable the transmuter to get a reading of his speech so that the computer could analyse his language and then transmute whatever she said into it and vice versa.

  When she heard a sound to her rear she glanced over her shoulder and was filled with horror at the sight of three more warriors sneaking towards her while her attention was held by the one in front. She lifted the hand-stunner and fired swiftly, half frozen in fear, and tried to keep an eye on the Nether whom she had seen first. He was running towards her now, intent upon braining her with his club. She sent two of the three down with a shot of energy and the other turned and fled quickly. As she turned to face the first one again he struck at her with the club.

  Ethne sidestepped the blow and fired hurriedly, knocking the Nether to the ground with the discharge of energy. She was breathing heavily as she peered around, but the danger seemed past now, and she stood wondering if this was what had happened to Professor Condor.

  She fancied that she would have to await the reinforcements that Erie promised to send, but she was too worried about Condor to let her fears for herself make her forget her duty. She looked around, spotting the warrior who had got away, and he was a hundred yards distant, peering at her from behind a rock.

  Ethne started towards the rock, wanting to make contact with the male Nether. He watched her approach, and when she put the hand-stunner into her belt he came upright and stared at her. She called to him, wanting a reply, but he began to move warily away, and Ethne followed him because the footprints she had been following led in the same direction.

  The Nether started running away from her, travelling effortlessly over the hot ground, and Ethne wondered where he found the energy. She kept moving, forcing her tired legs into action, but she didn’t relax her vigilance, and she made her way farther down the slope towards the valley.

  The Nether soon disappeared, and Ethne tightened her lips as she gazed around. How could she possibly find Professor Condor in this place? She was beginning to think that she ought to have brought some form of transport to aid her in the search when she spotted a figure walking ponderously along a nearby ridge. She stopped to stare at it, frowning as she failed to relate it to the savages she had already encountered. She moved to the shelter of a rock and remained concealed, peering out at the newcomer, and feeling that she had fallen into the depths of an uncanny nightmare.

  The Humic paid no attention to her presence, but continued along the ridge as if patrolling specific areas. Ethne waited until he had vanished before moving on, and when she reached the ridge she found herself peering down into a deeper valley, where vegetation grew and water glinted in the sunlight. She spotted the Nether camp, and crouched in cover to watch and wonder.

  When she heard the sound of approaching feet she flattened herself and waited tensely, finding another of the Humic guards coming by. She watched it in a form of horrified disbelief, staring at its clay body as if convinced that she was dreaming. But the Humic showed no awareness of her presence and continued away, leaving her alarmed and shaken by the sight of him.

  A score of questions were clamouring in her mind. Where was the professor? Was he still alive or had he met with a violent end at the strong hands of the savages? What had become of Ozen? Had the general been killed also? She fingered the hand-stunner and watched her surroundings, her mind filled with conjecture.

  A furtive figure suddenly appeared on her left, moving quickly along the ridge, dropping down into cover, then reappearing to continue, and Ethne caught her breath as she recognized Herri Ozen. The general was watching the valley, staring down at the camp below, and he didn’t see Ethne because she was motionless and in cover.

  She was relieved to set eyes upon a familiar figure, guessing that no matter what their relationship back on Earth was, they could not afford to be enemies here. Ozen was moving in her direction, and she waited tensely until he came within calling distance.

  ‘General!’ Ethne kept her tones low, and she saw Ozen spin around and stare wildly in her direction at the sound of her voice. ‘Over here!’ She showed herself slightly, then dropped back into cover as the general started towards her. She covered him with the hand-stunner as he arrived.

  ‘What did you do to me?’ he gasped at her, his face showing fear and shock. ‘Where are we? Am I suffering hallucinations, or do I really see two suns in the sky?’

  ‘You’re on another planet, General,’ Ethne told him, surprised that she was so calm and matter of fact. ‘There’s no time for any explanations now, but if you ever want to get back to Earth then you’d better stay with me, and do exactly what I tell you.’

  ‘This is like a bad nightmare,’ he muttered slowly. ‘I saw Stone Age savages, and then some creatures that looked like nothing on Earth.’

  ‘I’ve seen them also, and they’re not disposed towards friendship,’ she agreed. ‘Have you seen anything of Professor Condor?’

  ‘Nothing.’ The general shook his head. ‘So this is the secret Condor was working on. Some means of instant transportation that overcomes the problem of distance! The World Master will be pleased with this! He’s long dreamed of dominating Space.’

  ‘He won’t get the chance to use the Celertron,’ Ethne said, glancing around.

  ‘So Condor was working with that Resistance Group!’ The general edged closer to Ethne, who waggled the hand-stunner at him and spoke quickly.

  ‘Don’t get any ideas about overpowering me, General,’ she warned. ‘If anything happens to me then you’ll be stranded on this planet until you die. You’d better be ready to defend me with your life, because if you don’t then you’re finished along with me.’

  He stared at her for long moments, and she could almost see the mental struggle going on in his mind.

  ‘You appear to have the advantage now,’ he retorted at length. ‘But just wait until we return to Earth.’

  ‘That won’t be until we’ve found the professor,’ she retorted. ‘I’ve got the feeling those savages took him, and
we’ll have to check out their camp before I’m satisfied either way.’

  ‘Give me that hand-stunner,’ he said eagerly. ‘I’ll need a weapon against these creatures. You’ve got a laser projector on your belt. It’s the most powerful weapon we have. Keep that and let me have the stunner.’

  ‘No. I can’t trust you. Even though you need my help to get back to Earth, you’d overpower me if you had the opportunity. I won’t take any chances with you, General, so be warned. I think you’re better off dead — better, that is, for the people of Earth. You’re a cold blooded killer, and it was men like you who made Aubin’s world domination possible.’

  Ozen’s dark eyes glittered for a moment, but he shrugged and grinned. The next instant he was pressing himself flat and whispering a harsh warning to her. Ethne stayed motionless, hearing a few moments later the sound of ponderous feet, and then another Humic appeared, moving along the ridge without looking to left or right. They waited until it had gone before getting up, and then the general moved to Ethne’s side.

  ‘What was Condor planning to do with that projector he invented?’ he demanded harshly. ‘How was it to be used against the World Master? Don’t try to deny it now. I’ve worked a few things out in my mind since you transmitted me to this planet!’

  ‘You can ask the professor himself when you see him,’ Ethne said thinly. ‘I don’t think you’re in any position now to bully or threaten me. You have lost the initiative, General, and I hope you never regain it.’

  ‘How do we get back to Earth?’ he demanded sullenly.

  ‘That’s my secret, and you’ll have to wait around to find out. Now let’s see if we can get closer to that camp and check it out. If the professor is still alive then that’s where he’s most likely to be, and a prisoner.’

  ‘These savages probably eat their prisoners,’ Ozen said harshly. ‘You’d better be careful that we don’t fall into their hands. Let me have a weapon.’

  Ethne shook her head and started moving, crawling over the ridge and starting down the slope that led into the valley. She looked back once and saw Ozen following her stealthily, and she was pleased that he had accepted the situation. She felt easier in her mind because he was with her, although she had no intention of arming him.