message from?”
“A man who calls himself Red Badger,” Adams said. “He says he's a crewman from the
”
“They're descending to the surface of AR-32, sir.”
Potter stared at the crewman, eyes narrowed, dark brows creased. “That's quite impossible,” he said at last. “This planet is our exclusive preserve.”
Adams was about to reply, but perceived just in time that Potter was talking aloud to himself.
“I'll speak to him;“ Potter said. “Put it through for me.”
Adams went to the console and made the necessary adjustments. Badger's voice came through on the loudspeaker.
“Captain Potter? Sir, this is Crewman Badger from the ship
“Go ahead,” Potter said, and listened carefully as Badger told about the revolt he had led on the
“We didn't think it was fair, sir, Captain Hoban taking us into an area that was under the exclusive control of Bio-Pharm. The men asked me to speak for them. I talked with Captain Hoban, sir, in fair and reasonable terms, asking him to get a ruling from Bio-Pharm before taking us into this area. Can't say more reasonable than that, can I, sir? But Captain Hoban didn't see it that way. He ordered me and my men put into irons and held to face criminal charges back on Earth. We didn't agree, there was a fight, and me and some of the men came down to the planet.”
“You're on the surface of AR-32 now?” Potter asked.
“Yes, sir. And we're not the only ones. There's a Dr. Myakovsky down here, too, in his own pod, sir. He's come to this place to steal your royal jelly. He and Hoban are criminals, and they want to put us on charges!”
“That's very interesting,” Potter said. “Do you happen to have their exact location?”
“I'm afraid not, sir, since me and my mates had to leave ship in a hurry, so to speak. But I'll bet anything they're heading for the hive, where they sent that robot of theirs.”
“What robot are you referring to?”
“The one they call Norbert. Looks just like an alien, sir, only it's not a real one. There's a law against that, isn't there? The damned thing already killed some of my shipmates.”
“There's a law against it, all right,” Potter muttered. “My law, if no other!”
“Beg pardon, sir?”
“Never mind. What is this robot supposed to do?”
“Collect royal jelly, sir. And leave an electronic trail showing Myakovsky where to go.”
“Damn it!” Potter sputtered. “They could get what they came for and be out of here before we could stop them.”
“No, sir,” Badger said. “I've heard them talking to Captain Hoban on the radio. They plan to get through the hive by following an electronic signal that their robot is to lay down for them. But if me and my mates was to wipe out that electronic trail …”
“I like the idea of that,” Potter said slowly. “Can you do it? You would be rendering me a valuable service.”
“Indeed we can, sir. We're hoping it'll be taken into consideration when you pick us up. You are going to rescue us, aren't you, sir?”
“You can count on it,” Potter said. “There could be a reward in this for you. Does that sound good, Mr. Badger? Get in there and wipe out that trail. Then come to coordinates 546Y by 23X. We'll rendezvous with you there. You men will be rewarded for your good work.”
“Thank you, sir! You'll be hearing from us soon.”
The transmission ended. Potter turned to Adams. “Well, what are you standing around for? Get back to the radio room! And not a word of this to the crew, or I'll have your hide!”
“Yes, sir!” Adams saluted smartly and backed out of the room.
Potter waited until he was gone, then looked around the control room. The only ones present were his chief engineering officer, Ollins, and the helmsman, Driscoll.
“Driscoll,” Potter snapped.
“Sir?”
“You've heard nothing of this.”
“No, sir!”
“You can take a break now, mister. Ollins and I will finish out your watch.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” Driscoll saluted and left the control room.
Lieutenant Ollins was a grizzled old veteran of many space flights who had served with Potter before. In fact, the two men came from the same town in Tennessee. Ollins relaxed when Driscoll was away from the control room. Potter afforded him great privileges when none of the men were around. When they were, it was spit and polish and punctilio all the way, because that was the sort of man Potter was.
“Well, Tom,” Potter said. “Seems we've got a bit of a situation on our hands.”
“Seems so, sir,” Ollins said. “But unless I miss my guess …”
“Yes? Go ahead, Tom.”
“Unless I miss my guess, sir, you've thought up an interesting way to take care of it.”
Potter permitted himself a smile. “I don't know if I'd say 'interesting', Mr. Ollins. But 'thorough'… Yes, I think you'll find my way very thorough.”
58
Rain hammered against the pod's hatch like shot from a battery of shotguns. The pod quivered and shook as the storm shrieked and swore to itself, its voice falling to a whisper then rising to a banshee wail. Stan and the others were suited up in all-weather outfits that would give them some protection against the elements, though not much against the aliens. It was time to go.
“Okay,” Stan said. “Julie, you feel up to this?”
“I'm perfectly ready for a stroll,” Julie said airily. “It's just about sunset, isn't it?”
“Yes,” Gill said. “I've checked out the hive on remote sensing. The activity is reaching a peak.”
“A perfect time for us to drop in,” Julie said.
Stan felt a warm glow go through him when he looked at her. She was young, beautiful, and very brave. They were in about as difficult a situation as he could imagine, but she wasn't giving in a bit to it.
He turned to Gill. “What weapons do we have?”
Gill opened a locker and showed what he had brought. “Five chemical slugthrowers with fifty slug clips. These are somewhat old-fashioned weapons, but they are reliable. And their fifty-caliber slugs pack a wallop. I brought three Gauss needlers. They're recoilless, and their steel slivers ought to have a good effect against the aliens. I was only able to bring one Gyroc, and a bandolier of point seventy-five-caliber spin-stabilized rockets. Two high-impulse laser rifles, both fully charged, and that completes the arsenal, except for half a dozen concussion grenades. I would have liked a greater selection, but that was all that was available at the moment.”
“You have done admirably,” Stan said. “That's quite an array.”
“And, of course, I also have the light tracker, a heavy-duty communicator. As well as the suppressors to get us past the aliens undetected.”
“Very important, that last,” Stan said. “What range do the inhibitors have?”
“They'll dampen at close to one-hundred-percent strength for approximately three meters in all directions.”
“And how long will they last?”
“That's the bad part,” Gill said. “They may be good for half an hour at full strength, but it could be less.”
