The Godmen

From the moonless sky of stars came a faraway shriek that in a heartbeat of time became a thunderous roar. Yrra cried out and upward at a black bulk with rows of lights that was down upon them like a falling meteor. But Harlow had ready recognized that sound, and it was the last sound he had expected to hear.

'Another ship!” he exclaimed. “Now why—” Then his hopes bounded. “By Heaven, maybe it's Dundonald come back here!'

'They have seen, in the town,” Yrra said swiftly. “Look!'

Back in the Ktashan town the torches were tossing wildly as men ran back out onto the dark plain. Over the dull, steady roar of riven atmosphere from the descending ship, Harlow could hear faraway cries of anger and alarm. He could well imagine the state of mind of N'Kann and the others when, right after ordering his own ship away, they saw another one arrive.

'They are coming,” Yrra said. “And if they find me talking secretly with you here, I will be imprisoned like Brai.'

He took her arm. “Come with me. It's all you can do, until they calm down.'

He ran with her toward the lights of the Thetis glancing up warily to make sure he did not get under the descending ship. But the newcomer was dropping down on the plain a little beyond the Thetis.

Men were running out of the Thetis, as he and Yrra ran up. He darted a glance backward and saw the torches streaming out over the plain. Now the newly-arrived ship was landing on the ground, its keel tubes spurning ghostly clouds of ions, and he made out its outlines as those of a twenty-man star-cruiser like his own ship.

Kwolek came running up to him, as he and Yrra reached the Thetis.

'It's another Star Survey cruiser! Do you suppose it's—” Then he broke off, looked at Yrra, and whistled. “Where'd you pick her up?'

'Get the men back into the ship,” snapped Harlow. “There's liable to be trouble. And take her with you. Garcia, you'll come with me.'

To Yrra he spoke as rapidly as he could in the Ktashan tongue. “Go with him. Your people are coming and they must not see you with us.'

She flashed a look of understanding at him, and went with Kwolek without a word.

The torches were corning across the plain in ragged order, still some distance away. Harlow glanced at them worriedly and then with Garcia beside him he hot-footed it around the stern of the Thetis.

His first close look at the newly-landed ship shattered his hopes.

Dundonald's cruiser had been the Starquest, but the name on the bows of this one, beneath the Survey, emblem, was Sunfire.

'Not Dundonald,” said Garcia. “But I didn't know another Survey ship was anywhere near here.'

The lock of the Sunfire opened as a square of glowing light in the dark flank. A tall figure shouldered out, glanced around, and then came toward Harlow and Garcia.

By the light streaming from the lock, from which other men in the standard uniform were now emerging, Harlow saw a big young man with close-cropped red hair — and keen, light blue eyes in a rawboned face.

'Taggart, commanding the Sunfire,' he said, extending his hand. “You'll be Harlow? I'm from Sector Three Division, I don't think we ever met. What the devil's going on here?'

'The people here are not happy about your coming,” Harlow said dryly. “If I may make a suggestion, I'd confine your men aboard ship for the present.'

Taggart looked at the oncoming torches and swore, then turned and rapped out an order to the men in the lock. Then he turned back to Harlow.

'Service courtesy demands that I visit your ship first, but shall we get a move on?” he said.

Harlow thought they had better. The torches were uncomfortably close, and he could hear the angry voices of the men who carried them.

With Garcia following them, he and Taggart went back around the Thetis on the double. As they reached its lock, he saw that the Ktashans had stopped a pistol-shot away, but a shout that he knew was from N'Kann rolled loudly.

'I warn you again, be gone by sunrise! All of you!'

Inside the Thetis, Taggart turned to Harlow with a perplexed look on his face.

'What's got into these people? They were listed as quite friendly.'

'They were — until Dundonald got to talking with one of them about the Vorn,” said Harlow.

Taggart's face lengthened. “So that's it. I wish no one had ever heard this cursed myth about the Vorn. It's kicked up trouble from here to Earth and it's still kicking. It's why I'm here.'

Harlow didn't like the sound of that, but kept from asking questions as they went toward his cabin. He passed Yrra standing uncertainly in a companionway with Kwolek. Taggart looked at the girl admiringly as Harlow said, “Wait here for a little, Yrra. They mustn't see you come out of our ship.'

She nodded, looking very young and more than a little unhappy, and he went on.

When Taggart was sprawled in a chair in his little cabin, with a drink, Harlow said, “Let's have it.'

Taggart set the drink down. “We were pulled out of Sector Three survey work to come here on special service. Our orders — to report to you, and assist under your command to find Dundonald and the Starquest.'

Harlow stared. “Meaning no discourtesy to you, but why in the world would they send another ship? If one can't find Dundonald, two can't.'

'There's more to it than that,” said Taggart. He looked keenly at Harlow. “Ever hear of the Cartel?'

Harlow was about to say he hadn't, but then checked himself. He remembered something. He said slowly, “That was years ago, back in the time when the star-drive was first invented, wasn't it? A bunch of tycoons on Earth who decided the star-drive was too profitable a thing to let the UN have, and tried to grab it. They got slapped down hard.

Taggart nodded. “That was the bunch. Now it's happening again, according to what the Survey just heard. There's a new Cartel operating — a group of tough magnates on Earth who are after something as big as the star- drive.'

'After what?” demanded Harlow.

Taggart picked up his glass and drained it. “After the Vorn.'

'The Vorn?” repeated Harlow. “I'll be — Why, nobody even knows who or what or where the Vorn are!'

'Right,” said Taggart. “But one thing people do know. They know that ever since the Survey started exploring the star-worlds, at world after world we've heard the stories about the mysterious Vorn, and how they can travel between the stars — without using ships like ours. It's why your friend Dundonald is hunting for them. It's why some very rich men on Earth are also extremely interested in finding them.'

He hunched forward, speaking earnestly. “Lots of people think these Vorn may have some method of instantaneous transmission of matter across interstellar distances. If they do, it would make starships obsolete. All right. A new Cartel, so the Survey just learned, is out to find that secret.'

Harlow stared at him troubledly. It made sense. There was a type who felt that nothing must be discovered, invented or made that did not make them richer than they already were.

Taggart leaned back, stretching tiredly. “When Survey Center heard that the Cartel has ships out hunting for Dundonald too, they thought you'd better have reinforcement. I was available, so they shoved me here. I've brought some weapons, by order, in case of trouble.'

He added, almost cheerfully, “Well, that's it and I'm reporting for orders. When do we start looking for Dundonald, and where?'

'I wish I knew,” Harlow said gloomily. “There's one man here who knows where Dundonald went, but I can't even get to him.'

He told Taggart about Brai, and what Yrra had said. The red-haired captain listened attentively. Then he exclaimed, “Why, there's no big problem in that. We'll help the girl get her brother out and this Brai can tell us what we want to know.'

'But Survey regulations forbid intrusions into local law and justice—” Harlow began.