The Star Hyacinths Read online

or we all get hit down there bywhatever hit the previous landing parties and it turns out that kwil'sno good for it. It's understood that in any such event you again headthe Cat immediately for the Hub and get the word to the agency. Right?"

  Duomart nodded.

  He brought a flat case of medical hypodermics out of his pocket, andopened it.

  "Going to take your shot of kwil before we land?" Miss Mines asked.

  "No. I want you to keep one of these needles on hand, at least until wefind out what the problem is. It'll knock you out if you have to takeit, but it might also keep you alive. I'm waiting myself to see if it'snecessary to go on kwil. The hallucinations I get from the stuffafterwards could hit me while we're in the middle of some criticalactivity or other, and that mightn't be so good." He closed the caseagain, put it away. "I think we've covered everything. If you'll checkthe view plate, something--or somebody--has come out from under thetrees near the column of smoke. And unless I'm mistaken it's a humanbeing."

  Duomart slipped the kwil needle he'd given her into a drawer of theinstrument console. "I don't think you're mistaken," she said. "I'vebeen watching him for the last thirty seconds."

  "It is a man?"

  "Pretty sure of it. He moves like one."

  Dasinger stood up. "I'll go talk with Egavine then. I had a job in mindfor him and his hypno sprays if we happened to run into humansurvivors."

  "Shall I put the ship down next to this one?"

  "No. Land around five hundred yards to the north, in the middle of thatbig stretch of open ground. That should keep us out of ambushes. Betterkeep clear of the airspace immediately around the wrecks as you godown."

  Duomart looked at him. "Darn right I'll keep clear of that area!"

  Dasinger grinned. "Something about the scout?"

  "Sure. No visible reason at all why the scout should have settled hardenough to buckle a drive. Handing was a good pilot."

  "Hm-m-m." Dasinger rubbed his chin. "Well, I've been wondering. TheDosey Asteroids raiders are supposed to have used an unknown type ofantipersonnel weapon in their attack on the station, you know. Nothingin sight on their wreck that might be, say, an automatic gun but ...well, just move in carefully and stay ready to haul away very fast atthe first hint of trouble!"

  * * * * *

  The Mooncat slid slowly down through the air near the point where theman stood in open ground, a hundred yards from the clump of trees out ofwhich smoke still billowed thickly upwards. The man watched thespeedboat's descent quietly, making no further attempt to attract theattention of those on board to himself.

  Duomart had said that the man was not a member of Handing's lost crewbut a stranger. He was therefore one of the Dosey Asteroids raiders.

  Putting down her two land legs, the Mooncat touched the open hillside alittle over a quarter of a mile from the woods, stood straddled andrakish, nose high. The storeroom lock opened, and a slender ramp slidout. Quist showed in the lock, dumped two portable shelters to theground, came scrambling nimbly down the ramp. Dr. Egavine followed, morecautiously, the two handcuffed Fleetmen behind him. Dasinger came outlast, glancing over at the castaway who had started across the slopetowards the ship.

  "Everyone's out," he told his wrist communicator. "Take her up."

  The ramp snaked soundlessly back into the lock, the lock snapped shutand the Mooncat lifted smoothly and quickly from the ground. Liu Taunusglanced after the rising speedboat, looked at Calat, and spoke loudlyand emphatically in Fleetlingue for a few seconds, his broad facewithout expression. Dasinger said, "All right, Quist, break out theshelter."

  When the shelter was assembled, Dasinger motioned the Fleetmen towardsthe door with his thumb. "Inside, boys!" he said. "Quist, lock theshelter behind them and stay on guard here. Come on, doctor. We'll meetour friend halfway...."

  * * * * *

  The castaway approached unhurriedly, walking with a long, easy stride,the bird thing on his shoulder craning its neck to peer at the strangerswith round yellow eyes. The man was big and rangy, probably less heavyby thirty pounds than Liu Taunus, but in perfect physical condition. Theface was strong and intelligent, smiling elatedly now.

  "I'd nearly stopped hoping this day would arrive!" he said intranslingue. "May I ask who you are?"

  "An exploration group." Dasinger gripped the extended hand, shook it, asDr. Egavine's right hand went casually to his coat lapel. "We noticedthe two wrecked ships down by the lake," Dasinger explained, "then sawyour smoke signal. Your name?"

  "Graylock. Once chief engineer of the Antares, out of Vanadia onAruaque." Graylock turned, still smiling, towards Egavine.

  Egavine smiled as pleasantly.

  "Graylock," he observed, "you feel, and will continue to feel, that thisis the conversation you planned to conduct with us, that everything isgoing exactly in accordance with your wishes." He turned his head toDasinger, inquired, "Would you prefer to question him yourself,Dasinger?"

  Dasinger hesitated, startled; but Graylock's expression did not change.Dasinger shook his head. "Very smooth, doctor!" he commented. "No, goahead. You're obviously the expert here."

  "Very well ... Graylock," Dr. Egavine resumed, "you will cooperate withme fully and to the best of your ability now, knowing that I am bothyour master and friend. Are any of the other men who came here on thosetwo ships down by the water still alive?"

  There was complete stillness for a second or two. Then Graylock's facebegan to work unpleasantly, all color draining from it. He said harshly,"No. But I ... I don't ..." He stammered incomprehensibly, went silentagain, his expression wooden and set.

  "Graylock," Egavine continued to probe, "you can remember everythingnow, and you are not afraid. Tell me what happened to the other men."

  Sweat covered the castaway's ashen face. His mouth twisted in agonized,silent grimaces again. The bird thing leaped from his shoulder with asmall purring sound, fluttered softly away.

  Dr. Egavine repeated, "You are not afraid. You can remember. Whathappened to them? How did they die?"

  And abruptly the big man's face smoothed out. He looked from Egavine toDasinger and back with an air of brief puzzlement, then explainedconversationally, "Why, Hovig's generator killed many of us as we ranaway from the Antares. Some reached the edges of the circle with me, andI killed them later."

  Dr. Egavine flicked another glance towards Dasinger but did not pause.

  "And the crew of the second ship?" he asked.

  "Those two. They had things I needed, and naturally I didn't want themalive here."

  "Is Hovig's generator still on the Antares?"

  "Yes."

  "How does the generator kill?"

  Sweat suddenly started out on Graylock's face again, but now he seemedunaware of any accompanying emotions. He said, "It kills by fear, ofcourse...."

  * * * * *

  The story of the Dosey Asteroids raider and of Hovig's fear generatorsunfolded quickly from there. Hovig had developed his machines for thesingle purpose of robbing the Dosey Asteroids Shipping Station. The planthen had been to have the Antares cruise in uncharted space with thelooted star hyacinths for at least two years, finally to approach thearea of the Federation from a sector far removed from the Dosey system.That precaution resulted in disaster for Hovig. Chief Engineer Graylockhad time to consider that his share in the profits of the raid would berelatively insignificant, and that there was a possibility of increasingit.

  Graylock and his friends attacked their shipmates as the raider wastouching down to the surface of an uncharted world to replenish itswater supply. The attack succeeded but Hovig, fatally wounded, took aterrible revenge on the mutineers. He contrived to set off one of hisgrisly devices, and to all intents and purposes everyone still alive onboard the Antares immediately went insane with fear. The ship crashedout of control at the edge of a lake. Somebody had opened a lock and anumber of the frantic crew plunged from the ramp and fell to their deatho
n the rocks below. Those who reached the foot of the ramp fledfrenziedly from the wreck, the effects of Hovig's machine pursuing thembut weakening gradually as they widened the distance between themselvesand the Antares. Finally, almost three miles away, the fear impulsesfaded out completely....

  But thereafter the wreck was unapproachable. The fear generator did notrun out of power, might not run out of power for years.

  Dasinger said, "Doctor, let's hurry this up! Ask him why they weren'taffected by their murder machines when they robbed Dosey Asteroids. Dothe generators have a beam-operated