The Revolt on Venus

by Carey Rockwell

  CHAPTER 15

  "I can tell you the way out of the base."

  Adjusting the plastic helmet over his head, Carson stepped up close toAstro and Tom and spoke confidently. "It's very simple."

  "Whew!" exclaimed Tom. "I thought we'd have to go fumbling around."

  Carson pointed through the darkness. "Follow this lane straight downuntil you come to a large repair lock. There's a space freighter on themaintenance cradle outside. You can't miss it. Turn left and follow atrail to the base of the canyon wall. There are jungle creepers andvines growing up the side and you can climb them easily."

  Tom nodded and repeated the directions, then turned to Astro. "Maybeyou'd better stay here, Astro. I can make it alone."

  "No." Connel spoke sharply from the doorway. "Astro speaks Venusian. Ifyou're stopped, he can speak for you. You'd give yourself away."

  "Very well, sir," said Tom. "I guess that is best. Ready to go, Astro?"

  "Ready," replied the big cadet.

  "Good-by, Major," said Tom, reaching into the doorway to shake handswith Connel. "I'll try my best."

  "It's a matter of life and death, Tom." Connel's voice was low andhusky. "Not our lives, or the lives of a few people, but the life anddeath of the Solar Alliance."

  "I understand, sir." Tom turned to Astro and the two cadets marched offquickly.

  They had no difficulty finding the giant ship on the cradles outside therepair shop and quickly turned toward the base of the cliff. Twentyminutes later they had left the center of activity and were close to thecanyon wall. They were congratulating themselves on their luck in notbeing stopped or questioned when suddenly they saw a guard ahead of themon sentry duty.

  "Ill take care of him," whispered Astro. "You hide here in the shadows,and when I whistle, you start climbing. Then I'll cover you from thereuntil you get to the top. Got it?"

  "Right!" The two cadets shook hands briefly. Each knew that there was noneed to speak of their feelings. "Take care of Roger," said Tom. "Wedon't know how badly he's been injured."

  "I'll see to him," said Astro. "Watch me now and wait for my whistle."He turned away and then paused to call back softly, "Spaceman's luck,Tom."

  "Same to you, Astro," replied Tom, and then crouched tensely in theshadows.

  The big cadet walked casually toward the sentry, who spotted himimmediately and brought his gun up sharply, calling a challenge in theVenusian tongue.

  "A friend," replied Astro in the same dialect.

  The sentry lowered the gun slightly. "What are you doing out here?" heasked suspiciously.

  "Just taking a walk," said Astro. "Looking for something."

  "What?" asked the sentry.

  "Trying to make a connection."

  "A connection? What kind of connection?"

  "This kind!" said Astro suddenly, chopping the side of his hand down onthe sentry's neck, between the helmet and his uniform collar.

  The sentry fell to the ground like a poleaxed steer and lay still. Astrogrinned, then turned and went whistling off into the darkness. Twentyfeet away Tom heard the signal and hurried to the base of the cliff. Hegrabbed a thick vine and pulled himself upward, hand over hand. Halfwayup he found a small ledge and stopped to rest. Below him, he could seeAstro hurrying back toward the center of the base. The dim lights andthe distant hum of activity assured him that so far his escape wasunnoticed. He resumed his climb, and fifteen minutes later thecurly-haired cadet stood on the canyon rim. After another short rest heturned and plunged into the jungle.

  Tom knew that as long as he kept the planet of Earth over his rightshoulder, while keeping the distant star of Regulus ahead of him, he wastraveling in the right direction to Sinclair's plantation. He stopped tocheck his bearings often, occasionally having to climb a tree to seeover the top of the jungle. He ignored the threat of an attack by ajungle beast. For some reason it did not present the danger it had whenhe had first entered the jungle, seemingly years before. Under pressure,the cadet had become skilled in jungle lore and moved with amazingspeed. He kept the blaster ready to fire at the slightest movement, butfortunately during the first night he encountered nothing more dangerousthan a few furry deerlike animals that scampered behind him off thetrail.

  Morning broke across the jungle in a sudden burst of sunlight. The airwas clear and surprisingly cool, and Tom felt that he could make theSinclair plantation by nightfall if he continued pushing full speedahead.

  He stopped once for a quick meal of the last of the synthetics that hehad stuffed in his pocket from his shoulder pack, and then continued ina steady, ground-eating pace through the jungle. Late in the afternoonhe began to recognize signs of recent trail blazing, and once he cutacross the path Astro had made. He wondered if the trail was one Astrohad cut while he was lost, or previously. He finally decided to go aheadon his own, since he had managed to come this far without the aid of anyguide markers.

  As the darkening shadows of night began to spread over the jungle theyoung cadet began to worry. He had been allowed thirty-six hours to makeit back to the _Polaris_, communicate with Commander Walters, and tellhim the position of the base, and Tom had to allow time for the SolarGuard fleet to assemble and blast off, so that it would arrive at thebase at exactly noon on the next day. He had to reach the Sinclairplantation before nightfall or the fleet would never make it.

  Suddenly to his left he heard a noisy crashing of underbrush and theroar of a large beast. Tom hesitated. He could hide; he could fight; orhe could break to his right and try to escape. The beast growledmenacingly. It had picked up his scent. Tom was sure it was a largebeast on the prowl for food, and he decided that he could not waste timehiding, or risk being injured in a battle with the jungle prowler. Hequickly broke to his right and raced through the jungle. Behind him, thebeast picked up the chase, the ground trembling with its approach. Itbegan to gain on him. Tom was suddenly conscious of having lost hisbearings. He might be running away from the clearing!

  Still he ran on, legs aching and lungs burning. He charged through theunderbrush that threatened any moment to trip him. When he was almost atthe point of complete exhaustion, and ready to turn and face the beastbehind him, he saw something that renewed his spirit and sent newstrength through his body. Ahead through the vines and creepers, theslender nose of the _Polaris_ was outlined against the twilight sky.

  Disregarding the beast behind him, he plunged through the last few feetof jungle undergrowth and raced into the clearing around the Sinclairhome. Behind him, the beast suddenly stopped growling, and when Tomreached the air lock of the _Polaris_, he saw that the beast had turnedback, reluctant to come out of the protection of the jungle.

  Tom pulled the air-lock port open and was about to step inside when heheard a harsh voice coming from the shadow of the port stabilizer.

  "Just stop right where you are!"

  Tom jerked around. Rex Sinclair stepped out of the shadow, a paralo-raygun in his hand.

  "Mr. Sinclair!" cried Tom, suddenly relieved. "Boy, am I glad to seeyou!" He jumped to the ground. "Don't you recognize me? Cadet Corbett!"

  _"Mr. Sinclair!" cried Tom, suddenly relieved_]

  "Yes, I recognize you," snarled Sinclair. "Get away from that air lockor I'll blast you!"

  Tom's face expressed the confusion he felt. "But, Mr. Sinclair, you'remaking a mistake. I've got to get aboard and warn--" He stopped. "What'sthe idea of holding a paralo ray on me?"

  "You're not warning anybody!" Sinclair waved the gun menacingly. "Nowget over to the house and walk slowly with your hands in the air or I'llfreeze you solid!"

  Stunned by this sudden turn of events, Tom turned away from the airlock. "So you're one of them, too," said Tom. "No wonder we were caughtin the jungle. You knew we were looking for the base."

  "Never mind that," snapped Sinclair. "Get into the house and make itquick!"

  The young cadet walked slowly toward the house. He saw the charredremains of the burned outbuildings and nodded. "So it was all an act,eh? You had you
r buildings burned to throw us off the track. Small priceto pay to remain in the confidence of the Solar Guard."

  "Shut up!" growled Sinclair.

  "You might be able to shut me up, but it'll take a lot more than a bunchof rabble rousers to shut up the Solar Guard!"

  "We'll see," snapped Sinclair.

  They reached the house and Tom climbed the steps slowly, hoping theplanter would come close enough for a sudden attack, but he was toocareful. They moved into the living room and Tom stopped in surprise.George Hill and his wife were tied hand and foot to two straight-backedchairs.

  Tom gasped. "George! Mrs. Hill!"

  George Hill strained against his bonds and mumbled something through thegag in his mouth, but Tom couldn't understand what he was trying to say.Mrs. Hill just looked at the planter with wide, frightened eyes. Thecadet whirled around angrily. "Why, you dirty little space rat!"

  Sinclair didn't hesitate. He squeezed the trigger of his paralo-ray gunand Tom stiffened into rigidity.

  The planter dropped the ray gun into a chair and leisurely began to tiethe hands and feet of the immobilized cadet.

  "Since you can hear me, Corbett," said Sinclair, "and since you arepowerless to do anything about what I'm about to tell you, I'm going togive you a full explanation. I owe it to you. You've really worked forit."

  Unable to move a muscle, Tom nevertheless could hear the planterclearly. He mentally chided himself at his stupidity in allowing himselfto be captured so easily.

  Sinclair continued, "My original invitation to you and your friends, touse my home as a base for your hunting operations was sincere. I had noidea you were in any way connected with the investigation the SolarGuard was planning to make into the Nationalist movement."

  Tom was completely bound now, and the planter stepped back, picked upthe ray gun, and flipping on the neutralizer, released the cadet fromthe effects of the ray charge. Tom shuddered involuntarily, his nervesand muscles quivering as life suddenly flowed into them again. Hetwisted at the bonds on his wrists, and to his amazement found themslightly loose. He was sure he could work his hands free, but decided towait for a better opportunity. He glanced at the clock on the wall nearby and saw that it was nine in the evening. Only fifteen hours beforethe Solar Guard must attack!

  Sinclair sat down casually in a chair and faced the cadet. George andMrs. Hill had stopped struggling and were watching their employer.

  "Do you know anything about the bomb we found on the _Polaris_ on ourtrip to Venus?" asked Tom.

  "I planned that little surprise myself, Corbett," said Sinclair."Unfortunately our agents on Earth bungled it."

  "It seems to me that was pretty stupid. There would have been anotherman sent in Major Connel's place, and we were warned that something bigwas in the wind."

  "Ah, quite so, Corbett," said Sinclair. "But the destruction of the_Polaris_ would have caused no end of speculation. There would have beenan investigation which would have temporarily removed the spotlight fromthe Nationalist movement. That would have given us ample time tocomplete our preparations for the attack."

  "Then you knew," said Tom bitterly, "when Major Connel, Roger, Astro,and I left here that we were going to be captured."

  "Well, that was one of the details of the final plan. Personally, Ihoped that you and your nosy major would meet a more dramatic andpermanent end in the jungle."

  "What are you going to do with us?" asked Tom, glancing at George andhis wife. "And what do Mr. and Mrs. Hill have to do with your scheme?"

  "Unfortunately they discovered who I am, and of course had to be takencare of. As to your eventual disposition, I haven't had time to thinkabout that."

  "Well, you'd better start thinking," said Tom. "And you'd better do agood job when you attack the Solar Guard. Perhaps you don't know it,Sinclair, but the whole pattern of the Solar Guard is one of defense. Wedo not invite attack, but are prepared for it. And we have the power tocounterattack!"

  "When we get through with your Solar Guard, Corbett," sneered Sinclair,"there won't be anything left but smoldering heaps of junk and the deadbodies of stupid men!"

  The buzz of a teleceiver suddenly sounded in another part of the houseand Sinclair left the room quickly. When he was sure the planter was outof earshot, Tom turned to George and whispered, "I think I can work myhands loose. Where can I find a ray gun?" George began to mumblefrantically but Tom couldn't understand him, and the sound of returningfootsteps silenced Hill. The planter strode back into the room,hurriedly putting on the green uniform of the Nationalists. "I've justreceived word of a speed-up in the preparations for our attack," hesaid. "Soon, Corbett--soon you will see what will happen to the SolarGuard!"