The Space Pioneers

  CHAPTER 17

  "Where do we cut off?" asked Vidac. He sat beside Winters in theconverted jet boat, speeding down the smooth highway that Strong hadpassed over only a few minutes before.

  "It's right along here, somewhere," said Winters.

  "Better slow down," said Vidac. "We don't want to miss it. We haven'tmuch time. If Strong starts nosing around he might discover something."

  "Lucky for us we found out so quickly where the uranium is," repliedWinters.

  "It won't mean a thing unless we can get Logan to sign over his landholdings."

  Winters braked the jet car suddenly, throwing Vidac up against thewindshield. "What are you doing?" snapped Vidac.

  "Sorry, boss," replied Winters. "There's the road leading to the Loganplace up ahead."

  Winters slowed for the turn off the main highway and then accelerated tofull power again on the side road.

  "How are you going to get old Logan to sign the release?" asked Winters."Suppose he knows his land is worth about ten billion credits?"

  "How could he know?" asked Vidac. "The only ones that know are me, you,Bush, and Sykes."

  Winters nodded. "Then as soon as we get Logan to sign over the land, wetake care of Sykes, bring back his body as proof against the cadets, andeverything's set, eh?"

  "Something like that," said Vidac. "We still have to watch our step withStrong, though," said Vidac.

  The two men were silent as the jet car raced down the side road. Amoment later they could see the lights in the small crystal farmhouse.

  "Cut your lights," said Vidac. "We don't want to scare them."

  "O.K.," replied Winters. He switched off the powerful beams and slowedthe car to a crawl. They rolled past the outer farm buildings and cameto a stop in front of the main house.

  "Say, boss," said Winters suddenly. "Look! Tracks in the road! Cartracks! Somebody's been out here! Logan doesn't have a car!"

  "So what?" snarled Vidac. "Get hold of yourself. It could have beenanyone."

  A powerful light from the farmhouse suddenly flooded them and Logan'svoice cracked in the night air.

  "Who's there?" called the farmer.

  "Good evening, Mr. Logan," said Vidac, climbing out of the car. "This isthe governor."

  "Vidac!" said Logan, startled. "What do you want?"

  "This is what we want!" snarled Winters, whipping his ray gun into view."Get back inside!"

  "Wha--?" gasped Logan. "What's the meaning of this?"

  "You'd better do as the man says, Mr. Logan," said Vidac.

  Jane suddenly appeared behind Logan, her hands still soapy from washingthe supper dishes. "Who is it, Father?" she asked, and then seeing Vidacand Winters she stepped back inside the house.

  "Nothing to get alarmed about," said Vidac, pushing Logan into the housebefore him. "We just want to have a little talk." He smiled. "Businesstalk."

  "Isn't it too bad, Winters," said Vidac, "that we just missed supper?"

  "What do you want?" demanded Logan belligerently. He stepped in front ofJane protectively.

  "Now don't get excited Mr. Logan," said Vidac, his voice smooth. "Wejust want you to sign a little paper, that's all."

  "What kind of paper?" asked Logan.

  "Say," said Winters suddenly, "ain't you got a kid?"

  "If you mean my son, Billy," said Logan, "he's asleep."

  "I'd better check," said Winters, starting forward.

  "Never mind him," said Vidac. "We haven't got all night and there'snothing a kid could do."

  He pulled out a paper from his pocket and unfolded it, keeping his eyeson Logan. "Mr. Logan, we're going to foreclose your mortgage."

  "Foreclose!" gasped Logan. "But--but I haven't even had time to gatherin my first crop!"

  "We've taken a look at your fields and we don't think you're doing agood job," said Vidac. "In this mortgage you signed there's a clausethat states I can foreclose any time I want."

  "But how can you judge a crop by just looking at the fields?" askedJane.

  "Oh, we have ways, Miss Logan." Vidac smiled. He walked to a near-bytable, and pushing a stack of study spools to the floor, spread thepaper in front of him. He looked up at Logan and indicated the paper."Do you have a pen, or would you like to use mine?"

  "I'm not signing anything until I read it," snapped Logan.

  Vidac smiled and pushed the paper across the table. Logan came forwardand picked it up. He scanned it hurriedly and then glared at Vidac.

  "You can't do this!" he snapped. "I won't sign!"

  Winters suddenly leaped across the room and grabbed Jane by the wrist,jamming his gun in her back.

  Vidac leered at the farmer. "Have you ever been frozen by a ray gun, Mr.Logan?"

  Logan shook his head.

  "Let me tell you about it," said Vidac coolly. "The effects are verysimple, but very powerful. You are paralyzed! You can still see, hear,think, and breathe. Your heart continues to beat, but otherwise, you areabsolutely powerless. The aftereffects are even worse. The person whohas been frozen comes out completely whole, but"--Vidac suddenlyshuddered--"believe me, Mr. Logan, you feel like ten thousand bells werevibrating in your brain at one time. It isn't pleasant!"

  "Why--why--are you telling me this?" asked Logan.

  "You wouldn't want to see your daughter undergo such an experience,would you?"

  "If--if I sign the paper," stammered Logan, "will you leave Jane alone?"

  "I give you my word as a spaceman that nothing will happen to her. Infact, when you sign, you will continue to work the farm as before. Onlyyou'll be working for me. I wouldn't want to deprive you of yourlivelihood."

  Suddenly the door to the bedroom opened and young Billy burst into theroom, clad only in his pajamas.

  "Don't sign, Pa!" he screamed. "Wait and tell Captain Strong first!"

  "Strong!" exclaimed Vidac. "Has he been here?"

  Logan nodded his head, and taking Vidac's pen, started to sign thepaper.

  "No--no, don't, Pa!" cried Billy. "Don't--!"

  Logan paid no attention and finished signing. A look of deep hurt filledthe boy's eyes. "A--a spaceman--" he stammered, "a Solar Guardsman wouldnever have given up!" Crying, he turned away and buried his head in hissister's arms. Logan silently gave Vidac the paper and turned away.

  "Thank you, Mr. Logan," said Vidac with a smile. "That's all. Goodnight!" He turned and motioned for Winters to follow him. "Come on.Let's get back to the city!"

  Billy, Jane, and their father silently watched the two men leave thehouse. Even as the roar of the super-charged jet car faded away in thedistance, they still stood in silence.

  Finally Logan turned to his son and daughter. "There ain't but one thingleft to do. Go back to Venus as soon as we can get passage. I'm sorry,Billy, but--"

  "That's all right, Pa," said Billy. "I guess I would have done the samething--for Jane."

  * * * * *

  "Can't you get any more out of this jalopy?" asked Roger.

  Astro shook his head. "I've got her wide open now!"

  The big cadet sat hunched over the steering wheel of the small jet carStrong had used a short time before, racing along the same smoothhighway toward the spaceport on the other side of the hills. Tom waswedged in between Astro and Roger, his eyes straight ahead on the road.

  "Where do we start first?" asked Roger.

  "We've got to get a ship. The _Polaris_, if possible. We can't begin tolook for the professor without one. As soon as Vidac learns that we'veescaped, the whole satellite will be crawling with colonists and hisboys, looking for us."

  _"We better take it easy, Astro," said Tom. "Turn off thelights."_]

  "Colonists!" cried Astro. "Why would they want to help him?"

  "Vidac will think of something to convince them that we're dangerouscriminals," said Roger grimly. "Tom's right. We've got to get the_Polaris_."

  They were just leaving the crystal city behind them and winding throughthe hill section surrounding the flat
plain. Astro's handling of the jetcar was perfect as he took the curves in the road at full throttle. Theystill had a long way to go to reach the spaceport that had been built onthe other side of the hills.

  "You sure did a fine job of conversion on these jet boats," said Tom toAstro. "This baby feels as though she was going to take off."

  "I wish it was," said Roger, looking up at the hills on either side ofthem. "It would be a lot easier to blast over these things than gothrough them."

  The car sped up to the last summit that separated them from thespaceport.

  "We'd better take it easy," said Tom. "Turn off the lights, Astro. We'llditch this jet car about a mile from the spaceport and walk the rest ofthe way."

  "Right," said Astro. He gunned the little vehicle for the last burst ofspeed necessary to take them over the top. The jet car shuddered underthe extra power and a moment later the spaceport lay spread before them.Below them, in a five-mile circle, they could see the few remainingships of the great fleet. The _Polaris_ was easily recognized, andfortunately, was on the nearer side of the giant landing area.

  "There's home," said Roger.

  "Yes," agreed Tom. "And she sure looks good to me--"

  The curly-haired cadet suddenly stopped as powerful headlights loomed onthe highway ahead.

  "That's Vidac's jet car," said Roger. "I recognize the lights. We've gotto get out of here!"

  Astro braked the small vehicle and it screamed to a stop. The threecadets hastily piled out and raced for the darkness of the surroundinghills.

  No sooner had they disappeared than Vidac's jet car slammed to a stopbeside the deserted jet car. In a flash Vidac was out of the seat andexamining the vehicle. He turned to Winters, holding a small disk in hishand. "Tom Corbett's identification tag!" said Vidac. "The cadets haveescaped! Organize a search! The orders are _shoot to kill!_"