Brigands of the Moon

  XIV

  The giant Miko stood confronting me. He slid my cubby door closedbehind him. He stood with his head towering close against my ceiling.His cloak was discarded. In his leather clothes, and with his clankingsword ornament, his aspect carried the swagger of a brigand of old. Hewas bare-headed; the light from one of my tubes fell upon hisgrinning, leering gray face.

  "So, Gregg Haljan? You have come to your senses at last. You do notwish me to write my name on your chest? I would not have done that toDean; he forced me. Sit back."

  I had been on my bunk. I sank back at the gesture of his huge hairyarm. His forearm was bare now; the sear of a burn on it was plain tobe seen. He remarked my gaze.

  "True. You did that, Haljan, in Greater New York. But I bear you nomalice. I want to talk to you now."

  He cast about for a seat, and took the little stool which stood by mydesk. His hand held a small cylinder of the Martian paralyzing ray. Herested it beside him on the desk.

  "Now we can talk."

  I remained silent. Alert. Yet my thoughts were whirling. Anita wasalive. Masquerading as her brother. And, with the joy of it, came ashudder. Above everything, Miko must not know.

  "A great adventure we are upon, Haljan."

  My thoughts came back. Miko was talking with an assumption of friendlycomradeship. "All is well--and we need you, as I have said before. Iam no fool. I have been aware of everything that went on aboard thisship. You, of all the officers, are most clever at the routinemathematics. Is that so?"

  "Perhaps."

  "You are modest." He fumbled at a pocket of his jacket, produced ascroll-sheaf. I recognized it. Blackstone's figures. The calculationBlackstone made of the asteroid we had passed.

  "I am interested in these," Miko went on. "I want you to verify them.And this." He held up another scroll. "This is the calculation of ourpresent position and our course. Hahn claims he is a navigator. Wehave set the ship's gravity plates--see, like this."

  He handed me the scrolls. He watched me keenly as I glanced over them.

  "Well?" I said.

  "You are sparing of words, Haljan. By the devils of the airways, Icould make you talk! But I want to be friendly."

  I handed him back the scrolls. I stood up. I was almost within reachof his weapon, but with a sweep of his great arm he knocked me back tomy bunk.

  "You dare?" Then he smiled. "Let us not come to blows!"

  In truth, physical violence could get me nothing. I would have to tryguile. And I saw now that his face was flushed and his eyesunnaturally bright. He had been drinking alcolite; not enough tobefuddle him, but enough to make him triumphantly talkative.

  "Hahn may not be much of a mathematician," I suggested. "But there isyour Sir Arthur Coniston." I managed a sarcastic grin. "Is that hisname?"

  "Almost. Haljan, will you verify these figures?"

  "Yes. But why? Where are we going?"

  He laughed. "You are afraid I will not tell you! Why should I? Thisgreat adventure of mine is progressing perfectly. A tremendous stake,Haljan. A hundred million dollars in gold leaf. There will be fabulousriches for all of us--"

  "But where are we going?"

  "To that asteroid," he said. "I must get rid of these passengers. I amno murderer."

  With a half-dozen killings in the recent fight this was hardlyconvincing. But he was obviously wholly serious. He seemed to read mythoughts.

  "I kill only when necessary. We will land upon the asteroid. A perfectplace to maroon the passengers. Is it not so? I will give them thenecessities of life. They will be able to signal. And in a month orso, when we are perfectly safe and finished with our adventure, apolice ship no doubt will rescue them."

  "And then, from the asteroid," I suggested, "we are going--"

  "To the Moon, Haljan. What a clever guesser you are! Coniston and Hahnare calculating our course. But I have no great confidence in them.And so I want you."

  "You have me."

  "Yes. I have you. I would have killed you long ago--I am an impulsivefellow--but my sister restrained me."

  He gazed at me slyly. "Moa seems strangely to like you, Haljan."

  "Thanks," I said. "I'm flattered."

  "She still hopes I may really win you to join us," he went on. "Goldleaf is a wonderful thing; there would be plenty for you in thisaffair. And to be rich, and have the love of a woman like Moa...."

  He paused. I was trying cautiously to gauge him, to get from him allthe information I could. I said, with another smile, "That ispremature, to talk of Moa. I will help you chart your course. But thisventure, as you call it, is dangerous. A police ship--"

  "There are not many," he declared. "The chances of our encounteringone are very slim." He grinned at me. "You know that as well as I do.And we now have those code passwords--I forced Dean to tell me wherehe had hidden them. If we should be challenged, our password answerwill relieve suspicion."

  "The _Planetara_," I objected, "being overdue at Ferrok-Shahn, willcause alarm. You'll have a covey of patrol ships after you."

  "That will be two weeks from now," he smiled. "I have a ship of my ownin Ferrok-Shahn. It lies there waiting now, manned and armed. I amhoping that, with Dean's help, we may be able to flash them a signal.It will join us on the Moon. Fear not for the danger, Haljan. I havegreat interests allied with me in this thing. Plenty of money. We haveplanned carefully."

  He was idly fingering his cylinder; he gazed at me as I sat docile onmy bunk. "Did you think George Prince was a leader of this? A mereboy. I engaged him a year ago--his knowledge of science is valuable tous."

  My heart was pounding but I strove not to show it. He went on calmly.

  "I told you I am impulsive. Half a dozen times I have nearly killedGeorge Prince, and he knows it." He frowned. "I wish I had killed himinstead of his sister. That was an error."

  There was a note of real concern in his voice. He added, "That isdone--nothing can change it. George Prince is helpful to me. Yourfriend Dean, is another. I had trouble with him, but he is docilenow."

  I said abruptly, "I don't know whether your promise means anything ornot, Miko. But Prince said you would use no more torture."

  "I won't. Not if you and Dean obey me."

  "You tell Dean I have agreed to that. You say he gave you the codewords he took from Johnson?"

  "Yes. There was a fool, for you! That Johnson! You blame me, Haljan,for the death of Carter? You need not. Johnson offered to try andcapture you, take you both alive. He killed Carter because he wasangry with him. A stupid, vengeful fool! He is dead and I'm glad ofit."

  My mind was on Miko's plans. I ventured, "This treasure on theMoon--did you say it was on the Moon?"

  "Don't play the fool," he retorted. "I know as much about Grantline asyou do."

  "That's very little."

  "Perhaps."

  "Perhaps you know more, Miko. The Moon is a big place. Where, forinstance, is Grantline located?"

  I held my breath. Would he tell me that? A score of questions--vagueplans were in my mind. How skilled at mathematics were these brigands?Miko, Coniston, Hahn--could I fool them? If I could learn Grantline'slocation on the Moon, and keep the _Planetara_ away from it. Apretended error of charting. Time lost--and perhaps Snap could find anopportunity to signal Earth, get help.

  Miko answered my question as bluntly as I asked it. "I don't knowwhere Grantline is located. But we will find out. He will not suspectthe _Planetara_ so when we get close to the Moon, we will signal andask him. We can trick him into telling us. You think I do not knowwhat is on your mind, Haljan? There is a secret code of signalsarranged between Dean and Grantline. I have forced Dean to confess it.Without torture! Prince helped me in that. He persuaded Dean not todefy me. A very persuasive fellow, George Prince. More diplomatic thanI am. I give him credit for that."

  I strove to hold my voice calm. "If I should join you, Miko--my word,if I ever gave it, you would find dependable--I would say GeorgePrince is very valuable to us. You should rein your temper. He ishalf
your size--you might some time, without intention, do himinjury."

  He laughed. "Moa says so. But have no fear--"

  "I was thinking," I persisted. "I'd like to have a talk with GeorgePrince."

  Ah, my pounding, tumultuous heart! But I was smiling calmly. And Itried to put into my voice a shrewd note of cupidity. "I really knowvery little about this treasure, Miko. If there were a million or twoof gold leaf in it for me--"

  "Perhaps there would be."

  "Suppose you let me have a talk with Prince? I have some scientificknowledge myself about the powers of this catalyst. Prince's knowledgeand mine--we might be able to come to a calculation on the value ofGrantline's treasure. You don't know. You are only assuming."

  I paused after this glib outburst. Whatever may have been in Miko'smind, I cannot say. But abruptly he stood up. I had left my bunk buthe waved me back.

  "Sit down. I am not like Moa. I would not trust you just because youprotested you would be loyal." He picked up his cylinder. "We willtalk again." He gestured to the scrolls he had left upon my desk."Work on those. I will judge you by the results."

  He was no fool, this brigand leader.

  "Yes," I agreed. "You want a true course to the asteroid?"

  "Yes. And by the gods, I warn you, I can check up on you!"

  I said meekly, "Very well. But you ask Prince if he wants mycalculations on Grantline's possibilities."

  I shot Miko a foxy look as he stood by the door. I added, "You thinkyou are clever. There is plenty you don't know. Our first night outfrom Earth--Grantline's signals--didn't it ever occur to you that Imight have some figures on his treasure?"

  It startled him. "Where are they?"

  I tapped my forehead. "You don't suppose I was foolish enough torecord them. You ask Prince if he wants to talk to me. A hundredmillion, or two hundred million--it would make a big difference,Miko."

  "I will think about it." He backed out and sealed the door upon me.

  But Anita did not come. I verified Hahn's figures, which were verynearly correct. I charted a course for the asteroid; it was almost theone which had been set.

  Coniston came for my results. "I say, we are not so bad as navigators,are we? I think we're jolly good, considering our inexperience. Notbad at all, eh?"

  "No."

  I did not think it wise to ask him about Prince.

  "Are you hungry, Haljan?"

  "Yes."

  A steward came with a meal. The saturnine Hahn stood at my door with aweapon upon me while I ate. They were taking no chances and they werewise not to.

  The day passed. Day and night, all the same of aspect here in thestarry vault of space. But with the ship's routine it was day. Andthen another time of sleep. I slept fitfully, worrying, trying toplan. Within a few hours we would be nearing the asteroid.

  The time of sleep was nearly passed. My chronometer marked five A.M.original Earth starting time. The seal of my cubby door hissed. Thedoor slowly opened.

  Anita!

  She stood there with her cloak around her. A distance away on theshadowed deck Coniston was loitering.

  "Anita!" I whispered it.

  "Gregg, dear!"

  She turned and gestured to the watching brigand. "I will not be long,Coniston."

  She came in and half closed the door upon us, leaving it open enoughso that we could make sure that Coniston did not advance.

  I stepped back where he could not see us. "Anita!"

  She flung herself into my opened arms.