called Rym. Rym is the planet of intellect, of theordinary mind. Second, is Lyndal, the planet of love, beauty, parties,marriage, and things of a gentle nature. Third is Fors, planet ofaction, strife. Fourth is Bonken, planet of beneficence, of gain,money, health. Next comes Huck, orb of necessity, the GreaterInfortune, which brings men most trouble of all. Then Weepen, planetof illusion, of dreamers and poets and, poorly aspected, liars andcheats. And finally there is Sharb, planet of genius, of suddencataclysms."
"I see," Travis murmured.
"But it is not only these planets and their aspects which isimportant, it is also to be considered such houses and signs asthrough which these planets transit...."
She went on, but Travis was having difficulty following her. He couldnot help but return to Newton's Laws. It was incredible. Here on thisbackward planet, mired in an era roughly equivalent to the time of theRenaissance, an event was taking place almost exactly at the same timeas it had happened, long ago, on Earth. It had been Isaac Newton,then. It was, incredibly, this frail young man named Lappy now. Forunless Travis was greatly mistaken, Navel's kid brother was anauthentic genius. And such a genius as comes once in a hundred years.
So, naturally, Lappy would have to come home with Travis. The boy washardly college age as yet. Sent to school by Allspace, given a placein the great Allspace laboratories at Aldebaran, young Lappy mighteventually make the loss of the contract at Mert seem puny incomparison to the things that head of his could produce. For Lappy wasa natural resource, just as certainly as any mine on Mert, and sincethe advent of Earth science meant Mert would no longer be needing him,Lappy could go along with Travis and still leave him a clearconscience.
But the question still remained: how? He could not even get himselfout, yet, let alone Lappy. And the girl. What about the girl?
He brooded, groping for an out. But in the meanwhile he listened whilethe girl outlined Mert's system of astrology. He had realized finallythat the key to the business lay there. Astrology was these people'smost powerful motivating force. If he could somehow turn it to hisadvantage--He listened to the girl. And eventually found his plan.
"Ho!" he said abruptly. Startled, the girl stared at him.
"Lightning in the brain," Travis grinned, "solutions effervesce.Attend. Of surety, are not _places_ on Mert also ruled by the stars?Is it not true that towns and villages do also have horoscopes?"
Navel blinked.
"Why, see thee, it is in the nature of things, odd man, that allmatter is governed by the planets. How else come explanations, forexample, of natural catastrophes, fires, plagues, which affect wholecities and not others? And consider war, does not one country win, andthe other lose? Of a surety different aspects obtain...."
"Joy then," Travis said. "But do further observe. Is it not so, inyour astrology, that a man's horoscope may often conflict with that ofthe place wherein he dwells? Is it not so that, often, a man ispromised greater success in other regions, where the ruling stars moreclosely and friendlily conjoin his own?"
"Your mind leaps obstacles and homes to the truth," Navel saidapprovingly. "Many times has it been made clear that a man's fortunelies best in places ruled by his Ascendant, as witness, for example,those who are advised to take to the sea, or to southern lands...."
"Intoxication!" Travis cried out happily, "then is our goal madeknown. Consider: from your poor natal horoscope, in this city, thisland, no fortune arises. You doom yourself, with Lappy, by remaininghere. But what business is this? Seek you not better times? Could younot go forth to another place, and so become people of gravity, ofsubstance, of moment?"
The girl regarded for a moment, puzzled, then caught his point andshook her head sadly.
"Odd man, without profit. You misconstrue. Such as we, my brother andI, are not condemned by place, but by twistings of the character. Mynatal Huck, retrograde in the tenth, gives an untrustworthy,criminous person. It would be so here, there, anywhere. My pattern isset. Such travels as you describe are for those who conflict only withplace. I, and my brother, it is our sad fortune to conflict with_all_."
"But this is the core," Travis insisted. "The conflict is with _Mert_!Consider, such travail as is yours stems from the radiations of Huck,of Weepen, of Scharb. But should you remove yourself beyond theirreach, across great vastnesses of space to where other planetssubtend--and in their alien radiation extinguish and nullify those ofHuck--what fortune comes then? What rises, what leaps in joy?"
The girl sat speechless, staring at Travis with great soft eyes. Theboy Lappy, who until that moment had been grinning happily over thenews that his laws were true, suddenly understood what Travis wassaying and let his mouth fall open.
But the girl sat without expression. Then, to Travis' dismay, a slowdark look of disgust came over her face.
"This," she said ominously, "this smacks of _vetching_."
The word fell like a sudden fog. Lappy, who had begun to smile, cut itsharply off. Travis, remembering what vetching meant to these people,gathered his forces.
"Woman," he said bitingly, "you speak in offense, but with patienceand kindness I heal your insult. I control my choler, but my bloodflows hot, therefore fasten your tongue. Tell me not that I haveovervalued you, for your brain is clear, your courage thick. Whereforespeak of vetch? What vetch is there in travel? He vetches who leaves acertainty for another certainty, who attempts to avoid his starryfate. But you go from a certain end to an end not certain at all, toplaces of dark mystery, of grim foreboding. It may be that you perish,or pain in the extreme, as well as gain fortune. The end is not clear.This then is not vetching. Now retreat your words, and reply to me asone does to a friend, a companion, one who seeks your good."
He sat tautly while the girl thought it out. Eventually she droppedher eyes in submission and he sighed inwardly with relief. It wasaccomplished. He would have to shore it up perhaps with a littleelaboration, but it was accomplished.
Ten minutes later he was standing free and unbound in the passageway.It was just barely in time. Down the round dark tunnel two men came.
* * * * *
Navel stopped gingerly over the bodies and gazed at Travis withawestruck admiration.
"A rare skill," she murmured, "they did flip and gyrate as dry leavesin the wind."
"Observe then," Travis said ominously, inspecting meanwhile the longslash down his arm with which Tude had nearly gotten him "and learn.And in the future receive my words with planetary respect."
"I will."
"And I," added Lappy, shaken.
"Fair. Bright. Now attend. How lies the path?"
"Through more such as these, I fear. This place in which we troublelies at a dead end. We must proceed through great halls where many sitwaiting, ere we arrive at the light."
"No other way? Think now."
"None."
Travis sighed.
"And they talk about luck. Well boy," he turned to Lappy, "give meyour blunderbuss. Obtain that one's knife"--he indicated the sleepingTude--"and let us carve our way out into the sunshine."
But as it turned out, the getting free was much easier than he hadanticipated. There was only one band, the girl's own, between them andthe opening, and these had fortunately just finished their eveningmeal when Travis stalked, black, gaunt and murderous, out of thetunnel into their large round room. Part of it was the surprise, partof it was the sudden knowledge that big Tude and the other man hadalready tried to stop him, but most of it was simply the look of him.He was infinitely ready. They were not, had no reason to be, and theytook it automatically for granted that a man this confident must havethe stars behind him. They regarded him thoughtfully as he went on by.No one moved. They were a philosophical people. When he had gone,taking the boy and girl with him, they discussed it thoroughly.
Out under the sky at last it was pitch black and the stars wereshining. Travis realized that he had been in the sewer almost a full24 hours. That meant that the eclipse was done, tomorrow would be agood day. There was n
ot much time.
He commandeered the first carriage to come by, routing three elegantlydressed but unwarlike young men who fled in terror. He saw with reliefthat they thought him only another sewer rat, for if word of anEarthman robbing the local citizens ever got out there would be hellto pay, and in addition to his other troubles he could not abide that.He told Navel to head for the field where old 29 rested. Thoroughlybushed and beginning now to feel a woeful hunger, he sat back tobrood.
At the ship young Trippe greeted him with haggard astonishment. Hejumped forward joyfully.
"Trav! By jig, Trav, I thought we'd lost you. Old Dolly's over at thelocal police sta--" He stopped abruptly and stood slack-jawed as Naveland Lappy clambered fearfully through the lock. Travis glanced back.No