Stanley Whiteside

“ He turned to Campora and growled, "Go wash your face!"
Ray's lips tightened helplessly. After all, Lodar's word was law. It was the only way to run a spaceship on its vast journeying through emptiness. It was the only insurance against hysteria from taut nerves, the fear of space rays, and claustrophobia in the little metal world.
With a long breath he turned to the magnaflux and swung the detector beams. The magnatoid field would instantly react to anything within five units. There was no time lapse as with radar, a vital point when riding on a Benson Drive. ”

“ Ray's voice was harsh. Lodar deserved all he got, but there was no sense in stirring the Vulcan to a charnal house of mob violence. He knew only too well the temper of the crew after two days of wracking tension.
"Listen to a coward like this?" Lodar sneered savagely and pointed at Campora. "He's afraid for his own hide! But he wasn't scared to stick a knife in a man's back on Earth! Oh, no! But now he's petrified at the thought of a policeman. He's stirring up the crew. He's a traitor to his rating!"
"You can't handle men when your own temper blows up!" Ray snapped. Lodar should know that. ”

“ In the corridor Williams stopped him.
"I hear we're still headed for Earth, Sir." The man's dark face held a worried look.
"Yes." Ray waited, but the other only shuffled his feet in uncomfortable silence, so he turned toward the girl's cabin.
Ellenor would know the answer.
"Are those Mutes telepathic?" he demanded almost savagely of her. The whole idea was unwelcome. In fact, his interest in the Mutes was like a foolish obsession!
"No." She stared at him a long while. "They know how people feel," she said at last. "They know how everything feels—animals, plants, and even the soil." ”

“ As inventor and owner of the Solver, my rights are patent."
"How come Sassoon grabbed your gadget, Professor?"
"The Solver is not a gadget!" he snaps. "It's a delicate machine—and dangerous! The man who controls it can solve any riddle, given time. Therefore, it should remain under scientific control. It belongs rightfully to the Science Department." ”

“ Campora looked his utter disbelief.
"We'll swing a thousand miles off Earth and I'll land in the escape boat. You can go on to Mars, sell the Vulcan to pay off the crew and yourself." Lodar smiled grimly. "Now get out of my way!"
As the captain strode down the corridor, Campora turned bitterly to the young navigator.
"He's lying, he's going to land on Earth. The filthy double-crosser wants to pay us off with a stolen ship, too!" Campora grabbed Ray's arms. "That escape boat is loaded with his takings. Thinks we're a bunch of suckers to let him be the big shot on dear old Earth! ”

“ I saw Sassoon give them a quick once-over before he went on to describe the wonders of the Solver. He gave a pretty good speech, too, if you didn't know what was behind it.
"Mankind," he finally ended, "will look back on this day as on the dawn of a new era. Posterity will bathe in the flow of a new wisdom that has come from our hands!" ”

“ Ray stopped. The dishes jumped as Lodar banged the table.
"Give in to a bunch of lousy space scum?" Lodar glared. "I know what they're afraid of. Every one of them is a jailbird! But, by Jupiter, I'm running this ship!"
"No one is running the ship right now," Ray said coldly. "The Vulcan is falling faster every minute. Our distance from the sun—"
"I'll talk to the swabs!" Lodar's jaw bulged as he pushed away his chair. "I'll beat out their brains if I have to!" He jerked open the door, then stared out. "What do you want?"
Campora was standing in the corridor. ”

“ Sassoon," he said apologetically as the boss of Geo-politics swung around to face him. "The Solver is not purely mechanical, you know. The actual work is done by the bio-chemical cells and these cannot be reset to zero without discharging their concept energy."
"Huh?" Sassoon frowned at the interruption. "Well, discharge 'em!"
"That's the trouble, sir. A Solver cell is like a human brain cell, it must complete its function in order to relapse into inactivity. Shutting off the Solver merely holds its processes in abeyance. ”

“ Under onslaught of Lodar's driving energy human lives were nothing. Even now the captain's dark eyes blazed with excitement, a savage delight in the approaching danger.
The young navigator began to plot the other ship's course. It was curving in behind them on the left. The intent was obvious; to overtake from one side and drive the Vulcan into a sheering curve. It would take power to get away, lots of power!
Ray called McVane on the interphone, breathed a sigh of relief as the engineer promptly answered. "We're running into trouble. Get your teakettle going—fast," he ordered. ”

“ Sassoon beamed on his audience, "we will demonstrate the Solver in action. Perhaps we should allow our scientific friends the honor of asking it the first riddle. After all, we owe science a great deal, ha-ha!" ”

“ I called up Professor Connor, the inventor, and told him who I was.
"I have no comments for the press!" he says tartly. In the visiplate, his beard was thrust forward so pugnaciously that it was all out of focus and I had to peer through the brush in order to see his face.
"Take it easy, Professor." I smiled suavely. "The Press is your best friend. If you're getting a dirty deal we will tell the whole world about it! Are you going to appeal the court decision?" ”

“ He burst into the control room.
Lodar turned from the chart file. The captain's face was white. His eyes burned starkly.
"So—you know they're dead." His voice was expressionless. "Are they any worse off dead than in a zoo?"
"You ordered those Mutes killed!"
Lodar made a hopeless gesture. "If we're intercepted, and have to fight, we'll all be killed, including the Mutes. So we get rid of them. We're clean, we go to Earth!"
"Cold-blooded murder!" Ray gritted. "A cowardly—"
"Stop it!" Lodar's voice cracked. "They're not human. Getting hysterical won't bring them back. ”

“ Ray locked the door uneasily. Kidnaping a missionary would mean plenty of investigation. Earth zealously protected all its numerous and varied religious workers. This one, he knew, belonged to a very small sect—a cult founded in dim antiquity.
"Wait till my father learns of this!" The girl was rubbing her elbows. "He'll call down the wrath of the Great Zipher on this—this ark of abominations! The grave will open to swallow you. Death and oblivion shall come, and everlasting torment—"
"Shut up!" Lodar pushed the girl away. "Why you people waste your time on Mutes—"
"They're not mute!" ”

“ Lodar had too much at stake. He was carrying a fortune back to Earth. His last chance at a decent life. As for the crew, most of them were wanted by the police in half the cities of Earth. Their safety lay in the outer planets or in space.
"We'll take a chance." Ray glanced at Lodar for confirmation, then tapped the magnaflux. "They've got more power, more guns, and they'll outrun us. We've got to cut out."
"Go ahead!" Lodar nodded tensely, like a leashed hound scenting trouble. "Campora's got the gun crews ready."
Ray hadn't figured on blasting at the Company ship. ”

“ The Solver was invented because the human brain is limited to a few concepts at one time. Science needed a brain that could juggle a whole bunch of ideas simultaneously. And since the Solver was fed only facts, its multi-brain wasn't cluttered with useless junk.
It had taken months to build it—and a lot of dough. So the scientists weren't anxious to have it snitched from them by any politician like Sassoon. ”

“ Ray suggested.
"And run into a patrol? Earth Fleet or Company ship, it makes no difference. If we're caught it means life!"
They were operating outside the law, and no one would listen to their excuses. Ray felt suddenly cold as he thought that over. Unease dampened his admiration for the captain. Lodar was too smart to be captured, his ruthless ability would see the Vulcan through all right. But he was quite capable of murdering the girl, if necessary, as a last resort in getting rid of her!
Scowling, Ray followed the captain. In the control room they found Campora studying the magnaflux. ”

“ Bertrand shook his head.
"As you may recall, Joe Squeeb definitely asked for an exact answer. The Solver will give it—regardless!"
"Eight— —one— —two—" The Solver was beginning to sound labored. Inside the great machine relays were madly racing.
"I guess Joe Squeeb just lost a job," I murmured.
"He has another job waiting for him." Bertrand almost grinned. "We need someone to dust our equipment—someone who knows enough not to monkey with things. It'll really be a pension job."
I looked at Sassoon. He appeared very unhappy. ”

“ If the Captain would only watch McVane as he did the others, things might be a lot better.
Perhaps Lodar was afraid for the hoard of jewels which was rumored to be aboard. Ray had heard whispers of this wealth, but he doubted that Lodar would fear any man, much less the space rats aft. Why, he could whip any ten of them!
Still, it might explain the sudden change in plans. Originally the Vulcan was destined for Mars where the load of Mutes would be sold to the zoos. Lodar's decision to head for Earth was unexpected, as unexpected as so many of his brilliant moves. ”

“ Rage at his own helplessness almost gagged Ray. "When we land on Earth I'm going to have you hunted down like a dog!"
"It takes evidence to hang a man." The captain chuckled mirthlessly. "Do you think I'd willingly jettison a valuable cargo? We'll be drifting for a week, at the mercy of any patrol ship that comes along. I had to do it."
A sudden thought iced Ray's boiling emotions.
Ellenor! He'd have to watch out for the girl.
With the Mutes gone, Lodar would have to reckon with the girl.
Ray turned to the door. He had to get away from Lodar before he was tempted to shoot the man! ”

“ Do you morons realize that the smoke will alert half the patrol ships in space?"
"I—I'm sorry, Captain." Campora backed away. "You see—"
"Shut up!" Lodar jerked his dark head. "Take over from Burk."
Feeling sorry for the cowed mate, Ray relinquished his controls and gave the course. Campora stared.
"But—I thought we were to head for Mars!"
"I changed that," Lodar interrupted impatiently.
"You never told us!" Campora looked excited. "You agreed that we'd never head for Earth without warning. You know the men won't stand for it!"
"Yes, they will!" Lodar eyed the mate steadily. ”

“ Ray had paused despite his loathing for the man.
"Sure." Jenkins moved closer. "Campora knifed a guy just before he skipped Earth. It was his second offense. Don't let on I told you." He looked anxious. "I was just trying to help, see?"
"Yes." Ray turned away disgustedly. "I'll talk to Lodar."
He was beginning to hate every man aboard the Vulcan. That wasn't good. It was a sign of space hysteria. He'd have to guard against such things.
Vigilance was the only safety factor.
Stay out in space too long and you begin to brood. ”

“ Once upon a time he must have had a lot of ambition, because it took a lot of drive for a self-educated man like Campora to become an officer. Perhaps the struggle had soured him.
Ray knew how tough it was. He'd had to fight his way, but—He stopped in mid-thought. Actually, he was no better. They were all in the same boat!
When Ray went aft a little later he found the repair crew working furiously. Lodar paced back and forth between the two main converters, his fists clenched and eyes alert. One of the crew lay sprawled in a corner. A glance was enough. The man was dead. ”