Deathworld

  XV.

  The truck rumbled up to the perimeter gate and stopped. Krannon waved tothe guards through the front window, then closed a metal shield over it.When the gates swung open the truck--really a giant armored tank--groundslowly forward. There was a second gate beyond the first, that did notopen until the interior one was closed. Jason looked through thesecond-driver's periscope as the outer gate lifted. Automaticflame-throwers flared through the opening, cutting off only when thetruck reached them. A scorched area ringed the gate, beyond that thejungle began. Unconsciously Jason shrank back in his seat.

  All the plants and animals he had seen only specimens of, existed herein profusion. Thorn-ringed branches and vines laced themselves into asolid mat, through which the wild life swarmed. A fury of sound hurledat them, thuds and scratchings rang on the armor. Krannon laughed andclosed the switch that electrified the outer grid. The scratchings diedaway as the beasts completed the circuit to the grounded hull.

  It was slow-speed, low-gear work tearing through the jungle. Krannon hadhis face buried in the periscope mask and silently fought the controls.With each mile the going seemed to get better, until he finally swung upthe periscope and opened the window armor. The jungle was still thickand deadly, but nothing like the area immediately around the perimeter.It appeared as if most of the lethal powers of Pyrrus were concentratedin the single area around the settlement. Why? Jason asked himself. Whythis intense and planetary hatred?

  The motors died and Krannon stood up, stretching. "We're here," he said."Let's unload."

  There was bare rock around the truck, a rounded hillock that projectedfrom the jungle, too smooth and steep for vegetation to get a hold.Krannon opened the cargo hatches and they pushed out the boxes andcrates. When they finished Jason slumped down, exhausted, onto the pile.

  "Get back in, we're leaving," Krannon said.

  "You are, I'm staying right here."

  Krannon looked at him coldly. "Get in the truck or I'll kill you. No onestays out here. For one thing you couldn't live an hour alone. But worsethan that the grubbers would get you. Kill you at once, of course, butthat's not important. But you have equipment that we can't allow intotheir hands. You want to see a grubber with a gun?"

  While the Pyrran talked, Jason's thoughts had rushed ahead. He hopedthat Krannon was as thick of head as he was fast of reflex.

  Jason looked at the trees, let his gaze move up through the thickbranches. Though Krannon was still talking, he was automatically awareof Jason's attention. When Jason's eyes widened and his gun jumped intohis hand, Krannon's own gun appeared and he turned in the samedirection.

  "There--in the top!" Jason shouted, and fired into the tangle ofbranches. Krannon fired, too. As soon as he did, Jason hurled himselfbackwards, curled into a ball, rolling down the inclined rock. The shotshad covered the sounds of his movements, and before Krannon could turnback the gravity had dragged him down the rock into the thick foliage.Crashing branches slapped at him, but slowed his fall. When he stoppedmoving he was lost in the tangle. Krannon's shots came too late to hithim.

  Lying there, tired and bruised, Jason heard the Pyrran cursing him out.He stamped around on the rock, fired a few shots, but knew better thanto enter the trees. Finally he gave up and went back to the truck. Themotor gunned into life and the treads clanked and scraped down the rockand back into the jungle. There were muted rumblings and crashes thatslowly died away.

  Then Jason was alone.

  * * * * *

  Up until that instant he hadn't realized quite how alone he would be.Surrounded by nothing but death, the truck already vanished from sight.He had to force down an overwhelming desire to run after it. What wasdone was done.

  This was a long chance to take, but it was the only way to contact thegrubbers. They were savages, but still they had come from human stock.And they hadn't sunk so low as to stop the barter with the civilizedPyrrans. He had to contact them, befriend them. Find out how they hadmanaged to live safely on this madhouse world.

  If there had been another way to lick the problem, he would have takenit; he didn't relish the role of martyred hero. But Kerk and hisdeadline had forced his hand. The contact had to be made fast and thiswas the only way.

  There was no telling where the savages were, or how soon they wouldarrive. If the woods weren't too lethal he could hide there, pick histime to approach them. If they found him among the supplies, they mightskewer him on the spot with a typical Pyrran reflex.

  Walking warily he approached the line of trees. Something moved ona branch, but vanished as he came near. None of the plants near athick-trunked tree looked poisonous, so he slipped behind it. There wasnothing deadly in sight and it surprised him. He let his body relax abit, leaning against the rough bark.

  Something soft and choking fell over his head, his body was seized in asteel grip. The more he struggled the tighter it held him until theblood thundered in his ears and his lungs screamed for air.

  Only when he grew limp did the pressure let up. His first panic ebbed alittle when he realized that it wasn't an animal that attacked him. Heknew nothing about the grubbers, but they were human so he still had achance.

  His arms and legs were tied, the power holster ripped from his arm. Hefelt strangely naked without it. The powerful hands grabbed him againand he was hurled into the air, to fall face down across something warmand soft. Fear pressed in again, it was a large animal of some kind. Andall Pyrran animals were deadly.

  When the animal moved off, carrying him, panic was replaced by a feelingof mounting elation. The grubbers had managed to work out a truce ofsome kind with at least one form of animal life. He had to find out how.If he could get that secret--and get it back to the city--it wouldjustify all his work and pain. It might even justify Welf's death if theage-old war could be slowed or stopped.

  Jason's tightly bound limbs hurt terribly at first, but grew numb withthe circulation shut off. The jolting ride continued endlessly, he hadno way of measuring the time. A rainfall soaked him, then he felt hisclothes steaming as the sun came out.

  The ride was finally over. He was pulled from the animal's back anddumped down. His arms dropped free as someone loosed the bindings. Thereturning circulation soaked him in pain as he lay there, struggling tomove. When his hands finally obeyed him he lifted them to his face andstripped away the covering, a sack of thick fur. Light blinded him as hesucked in breath after breath of clean air.

  Blinking against the glare, he looked around. He was lying on a floor ofcrude planking, the setting sun shining into his eyes through thedoorless entrance of the building. There was a ploughed field outside,stretching down the curve of hill to the edge of the jungle. It was toodark to see much inside the hut.

  Something blocked the light of the doorway, a tall animallike figure.On second look Jason realized it was a man with long hair and thickbeard. He was dressed in furs, even his legs were wrapped in furleggings. His eyes were fixed on his captive, while one hand fondled anax that hung from his waist.

  "Who're you? What y'want?" the bearded man asked suddenly.

  Jason picked his words slowly, wondering if this savage shared the samehair-trigger temper as the city dwellers.

  "My name is Jason. I come in peace. I want to be your friend ..."

  "Lies!" the man grunted, and pulled the ax from his belt. "Junkmantricks. I saw y'hide. Wait to kill me. Kill you first." He tested theedge of the blade with a horny thumb, then raised it.

  "Wait!" Jason said desperately. "You don't understand."

  The ax swung down.

  "I'm from off-world and--"

  A solid thunk shook him as the ax buried itself in the wood next to hishead. At the last instant the man had twitched it aside. He grabbed thefront of Jason's clothes and pulled him up until their faces touched.

  "S'true?" he shouted. "Y'from off-world?" His hand opened and Jasondropped back before he could answer. The savage jumped over him, towardsthe dim rear of the hut.

 
"Rhes must know of this," he said as he fumbled with something on thewall. Light sprang out.

  All Jason could do was stare. The hairy, fur-covered savage wasoperating a communicator. The calloused, dirt-encrusted fingers deftlysnapped open the circuits, dialed a number.