Disaster

  But now the Will-be Was drives had died and we were on planetary auxiliaries, slowing down even more for the last small part of the trip.

  The Countess Krak came into my cabin wearing an ordinary powder-blue space coverall. She gave me some hot food and was about to leave.

  I said, “I’m going crazy in here.”

  She shrugged. “All right. I’ll leave the door open.” That was all the sympathy I got. But she did prop it back.

  Heller, now that there wasn’t any danger or need of watchfulness, was sitting in the planetary-pilot chair.

  The Countess Krak sat down in the now-unused star-pilot chair. “How many miles to go?”

  He didn’t answer and she had to repeat the question.

  “Oh, not too long. Only a few thousand miles,” said Heller. “We’ll shortly cross the outer defense perimeter of Voltar.”

  “You seem very pensive,” said the Countess Krak.

  “Well, yes. I was thinking of your safety. You are still a nonperson, you know. I wish to put you in a hiding place before I officially report back in.”

  “Do you think that is necessary?” she said.

  “Well, I’ll be frank,” said Heller. “This whole mission started in a very peculiar way. They made me a prisoner in Spiteos. And after the attacks by the Apparatus assassin pilots I have been sort of leery of the whole thing. Fleet Intelligence Officer Bis and I decided to go through with it and see if we could find out what the Apparatus was up to. And I did find a secret base that nobody knew about but the Apparatus, and probably very few of them. But I don’t have the whole story. There could be fireworks and I don’t want you in the middle of it, not with your status. Why, I don’t even know what’s going on right this minute on Voltar.”

  “Are we in Homeview range?” said Krak. “Maybe we could learn something from a news broadcast.”

  He switched one of his screens to domestic bands and Homeview music came in.

  I was being very alert indeed. I had not known that he and Fleet Intelligence had been suspicious. I had the sudden sensation that my enemies had multiplied. I suddenly recalled the awful threat Fleet officers had made to me at their club concerning what they’d do if anything happened to Jettero Heller. The stupid fools made an idol of this man simply because he had been a racing pilot and an athlete and had done more than fifty volunteer missions. So he was a Fleet hero.

  Well, Lombar Hisst, as Apparatus Chief, was a man of sense. He hated the Fleet, he hated Heller personally, and he wasn’t a man to be checked by a little undeserved popularity. He’d make short work of Heller. My job was to get Heller into his hands.

  Suddenly I was distracted from my problems by an announcer saying, “And now it is our privilege to give you a replay of a selection from a popular musical of Hightee Heller, the darling of the spaceways, the sweetheart of billions of adoring fans.”

  Hightee Heller, Jettero’s sister, reputed to be the most beautiful woman in the one hundred and ten planets of the Voltar Confederacy, came on the screen.

  Back of her was a large ensemble of dancers and a chorus.

  She sang “Bold Prince Caucalsia” and the company got on a silly-looking boat and sailed off into the sky.

  Heller and Krak, the stupid idiots, both applauded her just as though she could hear them.

  “Well,” said Heller, “I’ve still got a family, anyway.”

  “You’ll have a bigger one if we can get things straightened out,” said the Countess.

  “That’s why I must play the return so carefully,” said Heller. “Nothing bad must happen to you. Here’s the news.”

  There were some shots of a park being dedicated on some planet, then a discovery of a new species of bird on Flisten and some other like items.

  A shot of some tanks being flown across a mammoth river came on. The announcer said, “Rebel forces on the planet Calabar have been under heavy pressure during the past week from new Apparatus units recently flown into the area.” It was followed by a shot of an officer who looked upset. “Army Corps Commander Zog has been deposed for his failures to make progress against the rebels.”

  The Army corps commander said, “The adherents of the rebellious Prince Mortiiy have the advantage of an unknown number of bases throughout the hundred-thousand-foot mountain ranges of Calabar. These peaks are honeycombed with caves. It has been my consistent opinion that massive frontal assaults are far too costly. I am tendering my resignation to the Lord of the Army Division.”

  The announcer said, “A spokesman for the Lord of the Army stated today that the court-martial of Zog is a certainty. The Grand Council deplores the fact that this rebellion is now entering its fifth year and has taken its suppression out of the hands of the Army and turned it over to the Exterior Division Apparatus forces.” Lord Endow came on, dribbling and drooling a bit, reading a prepared statement nearsightedly. “It is time we . . . er . . . ended . . . ah . . . this unseemly . . . well . . . irrational adherence to the Prince Mortiiy. . . . Er . . . well . . . we just can’t go on countenancing . . . yes, countenancing . . . a whole planet’s population insisting on supporting . . . er . . . hmmm . . . Prince Mortiiy. I am proud . . . happy? No . . . elated?—what is this word here?” An Apparatus officer came on suddenly. “Lord Endow wishes to state that he is determined to kill the enthusiasm of the population for Prince Mortiiy with fire and lightning and put a rapid end to this revolt.”

  “Well, well,” said Heller. “So they pulled the Army off the lines there and the Fleet is not participating. Those Apparatus ‘drunks’ will just begin systematic looting. Calabar’s a nice planet, you know—fantastic scenery. I was there once as a cadet and we couldn’t get over how big everything was. And how beautiful.”

  “The women, too?” said the Countess.

  Heller laughed. “None like you, darling.”

  He wouldn’t be laughing, I told myself smugly, if he knew that his influential friend on the Royal staff, Captain Tars Roke, had been demoted and removed to Calabar.

  My thoughts, however, began to wander, for it seemed the Apparatus was taking a pretty large role. Intended for matters exterior to the Confederacy, originally, it was taking an internal role more heavily than ever. It must be getting large increases of men and equipment, for it had never been very big. Being its chief was going to be a pretty large job.

  There were some other news items and then the announcer said, “Concern for the health of His Majesty, Cling the Lofty—Long Live His Majesty and the Voltar Dominions—was greatly diminished today by the optimistic announcement by his spokesman, Lombar Hisst, that with plenty of rest he can be expected to survive many years.”

  “Hold it!” said Heller. “What is this? Lombar Hisst—a spokesman for Cling the Lofty?”

  “That’s impossible!” said the Countess Krak. “Hisst is just a gutter rat! He isn’t a nobleman! He’s violating court protocol. I know! I had a lot of time to read that Compendium. That function should be performed by the Lord of Empire.”

  “There is something wrong,” said Heller.

  I seethed. My whole stake lay in getting him to an Apparatus base. Confound those Homeview people for arousing their suspicions! I knew that Lombar had control of things. But they mustn’t!

  “Dear,” said Heller, “maybe you’d better talk to the prisoner and see if he can shed any light on this.”

  I cringed. It was almost as if he had been reading my mind!

  Krak promptly got up, opened a carton, came in, and without so much as a “with your permission,” plopped a hypnohelmet on my head!

  She turned it on. She said, “Has Lombar Hisst been up to something?”

  “Oh, no,” I said in a properly muffled voice, not affected by the helmet at all, “Lombar is just an efficient public servant and he has to cover up for Lord Endow.”

  She thought for a moment. “Were you acting on Lombar Hisst’s orders when you sabotaged this mission?”

  “No,” I said. “That is what I am afraid of. That I will
be found out. It was all my own idea. I am jealous of Heller.”

  “You don’t know of any changes in the government?”

  “No. Nothing is wrong. My most recent communications just showed everything as usual.”

  She told me to just lie there and not see or hear anything. She went back to the flight deck a dozen feet away.

  “Dear,” she said, “he says nothing is wrong. I think it is safe to land. And we can go straight to Spiteos.”

  “Spiteos?” said Heller, thunderstruck. “Why?”

  “Dear,” said the Countess Krak, “I left some papers there. They are quite vital to our future.”

  “Lady,” said Heller, “Spiteos is Lombar Hisst’s terrain. You’ve been hinting at this for months. I think you’d better tell me all.”

  “Well, I’m sure it will be all right now to tell you. The mission is over.” And she proceeded to tell him all about the Royal proclamations I had had forged. One still had to be signed, but when it was signed, it would restore her identity, titles and lands. The other had to be endorsed at the end of the successful mission and it would give him a Royal post and no more suicidal combat-engineer assignments.

  Heller was amazed. “You saw these things?”

  “Yes, and they are entirely authentic. You mustn’t forget that other people think you are valuable, too! We only have to present them to His Majesty for their final signatures.”

  “Where are they?” said Heller.

  “I hid them at Spiteos,” said the Countess Krak.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” said Heller. “Let’s face it. You are a nonperson. You do not have any civil status at all. If they laid hands on you and you didn’t have these papers, they could just imprison you again. It’s too awful a risk. I just went through too much when I thought I had lost you to even discuss the matter further. When you’re two hundred years old, gray-haired and toothless and I’ve been dead for decades, you can bring the matter up again. But not before. That’s it. That’s final. That’s all there is to it. You are not going near Spiteos! FINISH!”

  “Oh, Jettero.”

  “No, I mean it! I am NOT going to lose you again!”

  “Jettero, you are always telling me that all life is, is a series of consecutive risks joined together with hairs stood on end.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “Well, the way you live, you probably think it. This isn’t something one should throw away. It means you can have a much better life and it means that I can marry you. This isn’t something you throw away. You sit right there.”

  The Countess Krak came back in. She picked up the helmet microphone. She said, “Are there any other copies of those documents anywhere?”

  I had been holding my breath. But now, like a brilliant blueflash, an idea came to me that had such certainty of success that I was in instant awe. The whole plan came to me, just like that! I could not only escape them but I could also get them captured.

  I was hard put to keep the elation out of my voice. I forced it to be muffled. I lied, “Yes. The exact same documents, perfect duplicates, are under the floor of my office at Section 451.”

  When she took the helmet off it was almost all I could do not to split my head in half with a grin.

  Heller and Krak had delivered themselves straight into my hands!

  PART SIXTY-FIVE

  Chapter 5

  Heller passed us through the defense perimeter in the outer reaches of Voltar by giving the number of a patrol craft. I had expected that he would use my identoplate but he didn’t even ask me for it.

  I wondered where we were going. I had thought that he would land at the hangars of the Apparatus Space Section, of course, the point where we had taken off. By craning my neck I could see that we were over a high plateau. That wasn’t even the main Fleet base! Where was he taking us?

  It seemed to be late afternoon on the ground. But we were not near enough to make out much detail.

  Then he did another crazy thing. A challenge came up to us from whatever was below and Heller said, “Upward Strike, requesting permission to land.”

  Upward Strike? That was the last of the original intergalactic battleships, 125,000 years old. A museum piece!

  We came down like a plummet in Heller’s usual landing style: fast and sudden.

  We were tail first, bow toward the sky. It put me upside down and I hung there, standing on my head. Then my gimbal bed belatedly reversed and I was being held down, standing up and staring out the suddenly opened port.

  WE WERE TOTALLY SURROUNDED BY FLEET MARINES!

  They stood with weapons ready—they even had a motorized field piece.

  Heller threw open the airlock.

  A bullhorn blared out, “Give us your recognition at once!” I knew that voice. It was Commander Crup.

  We were at Emergency Fleet Reserve.

  Heller yelled down from the entry port, sixty feet above the ground, “I thought that would get you!” He was laughing.

  “Blazing comets!” yelled Commander Crup. “It’s Jettero Heller! Jet, boy! You scared us half to death! We didn’t see it was Tug One until the last two seconds. You could’ve gotten yourself shot!”

  “I didn’t want to put it on the communication channels that I was arriving here. And I wanted a guard of Marines. I’ve got a prisoner I promised to bring home for trial. I’ve got to deliver him to the Royal prison.”

  “Who?”

  “Remember that Soltan Gris?” said Heller.

  “A ‘drunk’?” said Commander Crup. “Well, it’s about time somebody arrested him. What about Tug One? It’s an Apparatus vessel now.”

  “I’m transferring it to independent duty on my own cognizance. I’ve had a bellyful of ‘drunks.’”

  “Who hasn’t?” said Commander Crup. “We’ll get you a ladder and you can get down.”

  “Good,” shouted Heller. “And if old Atty is around, I want to see him, too.”

  Oh, this was boding no good for me. Those Fleet Marines looked deadly. I waited anxiously to see what was going to happen.

  When they got the ladder, Heller went down it in a long slide. Then he ran over and he and Commander Crup swatted each other on the back. The Marines stood alertly, eyeing the tug, and I knew they were slavering in the hopes of getting a shot at a “drunk.” I began to sweat.

  Old Atty, once Heller’s racing repair chief and a watchman now, came tearing up in a triwheeler and pumped Heller’s hand and wiped his eyes.

  Fleet reunion! I had forgotten how many friends Heller had. Next he’d probably take me to his palatial quarters at the officers’ club and let the younger men beat up on me for sport.

  They were grouped around Heller down there. Then Crup rushed off and a Fleet Marine sergeant rushed off and Atty rushed off. They all looked very businesslike. What was Heller up to?

  It struck me that nobody elsewhere had the least idea we were back. I prayed I could still make my idea work. Everything depended on delivering Heller to Lombar, and here he was surrounded by Fleet, the mortal foes of the Apparatus.

  The Marine sergeant came back and handed Heller a bag and Heller scaled the ladder and gave it to the Countess Krak.

  Then old Atty returned with a truckload of fuel rods, followed by an atmosphere-and-water truck.

  Then a civilian airbus jumped the fence and Commander Crup got out and talked with Heller.

  Suddenly, I heard a step in my door and glanced hastily sideways and got the impression of a Fleet Marine beside me. I felt a surge of fear. They had come to get me! I felt the buckles of the gimbal bed part and looked up.

  I WAS STARING INTO THE FACE OF THE COUNTESS KRAK, DRESSED AS A FLEET MARINE!

  Her hair was tucked under the combat helmet. The tan, high-collared tunic was darker than the slight tan of her face. She had done something with makeup and looked like a too-handsome young space soldier.

  So that was how he was going to hide her. I overcame my terror of being so close to her and filed the information
away.

  PART SIXTY-SIX

  Chapter 1

  Now, Soltan,” Krak said. “No tricks. When does your office close?”

  A surge of hope raced through me. I didn’t show it in my face. “Six,” I said.

  “That’s sunset,” she said. “And there won’t be anyone there?”

  “Nobody. They dive for home.”

  “Now listen carefully. We’re taking you there to get the duplicates of those Royal proclamations. If you even so much as quiver, we’ll break your legs. Understood?”