Michael Cathal

“ As Curtis Delman returned to consciousness, his first feeling was of relief. The cumulative strain of one takeoff after another could prove disastrous. It was one of the drawbacks to a spaceboat that the effect of rapid acceleration should be so marked. In a liner, the takeoff was little more than an inconvenience—and, despite exhaustive tests, there was no telling how an old heart would react to a series of blackouts. Now the danger no longer existed, for in thirty days they would arrive at Rejuvenal. As for the journey back, he would make it with the heart of a young man. ”

“ Silently, the two children trudged across the rock-face and began to climb the steep slope of the ramp, leaning forward to retain their balance. Tucked up in a blanket in Gillian Murray's arms, Jason Tarsh bawled hungrily. Higher and higher they climbed, the only living creatures in a purple world, striving toward their goal. Curtis Delman, hampered by the weight of the recording machine, kept urging her to keep up with him. ”

“ You're a success and I'm a success. It's not luck, Delman; we both have ability. Call it natural selection, if you like.
"Darwin did. We've fought for the chance to prolong our lives and, by doing so, we're able to marry again and have children and pass that ability down to them. Why, our lives are essential to the human race!"
"I should have thought there were sufficient chain-store magnates," said Tarsh.
Walter Pellinger turned on him. "Don't tempt me, Jason. Your activities on Neptune and Arcturus won't bear close investigation."
Jason Tarsh smiled and remained silent. ”

“ Along the far edge, mountains, bathed in sunlight, rose in barren splendor, their sharp peaks reaching for the sky, while, on each remaining side, the ground dropped sheer away, to reform itself in twisting valleys thousands of feet below. ”

“ You think!" Walter Pellinger shook his head vigorously from side to side. His ears were still ringing from the blast. "He's dead, Miss Murray. You hear me? He's dead! He doesn't need a champion now!"
Gillian Murray flushed. "Why, you ungrateful—"
"Shut up, both of you!" said Jason Tarsh angrily. "Can't you see there's work to be done? We've got to clear the runway."
Curtis Delman left the veranda rail and came toward them. "And just how do you propose to do that, Mr. Tarsh?" he asked quietly.
All of them looked at the lawyer in amazement. Jason Tarsh laughed derisively. ”

“ Delman nodded. "Considering it's more than ten times the weight of lead, that's not surprising."
"Anyhow, there's one consolation," said Jason Tarsh. "We weren't on that spaceboat."
The lawyer regarded him with pity. "No, we weren't," he said, "but whether it's a consolation remains to be seen."
"What are you driving at?" demanded Walter Pellinger. "They'll send a rescue party. They must know there's something wrong."
"Oh, yes," Delman agreed. "But they don't know what and we can't tell them. And, even if they did know, what could they do?" He began to stroll up and down the veranda. ”

“ The lawyer was in his prime, the natural strength of his features enhanced by the iron-gray hair and powerful physique.
"Really, Gillian," he said, "you ought to be thankful it's summer. At least, you've got three hours of daylight."
"Well, I can't understand it," said John Bridge. "We've been here sixty Earth days and the sun always sets at the same time."
"Nonsense," Delman replied. "It's been later each day. Though not much, I grant you. Remember, summer still has nine years to run."
"Will someone please tell me the time?" said Walter Pellinger.
Jason Tarsh regarded him with approval. ”

“ He'd been introduced as Jason Tarsh. The lawyer seemed to associate the name with a criminal case—something to do with smuggling—but the details eluded him.
The other was ordinary and ill at ease, a plump, red-faced man in a badly cut tweed tunic who looked out of place in the present company. His knuckles rapped nervously on the elbow-rest of his chair. Clearly, Mr. John Bridge had none of that confidence usually acquired by the millionaire. Yet only a wealthy man could afford the trip. Curtis Delman was puzzled. ”

“ The strong fingers of Jason Tarsh dug deep into the lawyer's arm. Delman turned instinctively. Nearly four hundred yards away, three figures stumbled back toward the house.
"It's too late," Delman said. "Get down, all of you! If Ross sees them, he may try to overshoot. If he's going too slowly, he'll have to use the rear jets and they might splash us. Get down!"
They flattened themselves out on the floor of the veranda. ”

“ No one knew better than himself the limitations of the planet. He'd lived here as a child, grown up under that plastic bubble which Man had built to preserve an atmosphere—two thousand acres of habitable land in a wilderness of millions of square miles. It was enough to break the heart of any boy.
Delman stooped to pick up his two heavy canes. The Captain leaped forward and handed them to him. Then lawyer and skipper left the suite and moved slowly toward the gangway. ”

“ He fell silent, allowing the implication to sink in.
"Seven million dollars!" cried Walter Pellinger. "I've paid seven million dollars just to die!" He began to laugh hysterically.
"Stop it, you fool!" Jason Tarsh caught him by the shoulders and began to shake him violently. "You've paid seven million dollars to die young. Why, you ought to be tickled pink. Remember the slogan of Galactic Stores—'Originality is the Test of Taste!'"
Gillian Murray seized the lawyer's hand. "Curtis, you said something about a method."
He pointed at the emergency hangar over on the far side. ”

“ There's only the house and a small landing-ground. And a spaceboat arrives and departs every thirty days, so nothing can happen."
"What about boots? Do we have to wear them?"
"You mean gravity-boots?" Delman asked.
Walter Pellinger scowled irritably and shifted his position. "Yes, I suppose so—those heavy things we wore on Borenius and Ziar."
Delman shook his head. "No, curiously enough, we don't. It's only a tertiary planet—less than one-eighth of Earth's volume—but its specific gravity is enormous. Rejuvenite, the rock it's composed of, is one of the heaviest minerals ever discovered. ”

“ When we're very young, we can't reason at all. There's nothing to fear—only youthful exuberance."
Before she could answer, the loudspeaker buzzed twice. There was a moment of silence, broken by the voice of Captain Ross.
"Attention, please! Attention, please! Will all passengers kindly retire to their cabins. The forward jets will be fired in exactly five minutes. I repeat, will all passengers—"
It was cool on the veranda, though outside, an alien sun beat down on the smooth expanse of runway, a narrow platform, less than a mile in length—the only flat stretch of land on the planet. ”

“ As he strode toward the hangar, the lawyer knew that the days were running short. True, the launching ramp was intact and one door of the hangar was already open; but it would take at least a week to remove the chunks of rejuvenite blocking the remaining door. Tarsh and himself had done most of the heavy work. Yet even Tarsh, with all his feline strength, was beginning to tire. The constant effort to make use of every scrap of daylight was proving too much for them.
According to Gillian, the lifeboat was unharmed. Delman hadn't the time to inspect it properly. ”

“ And, heaven knows, you're an unusually attractive cook. It gives one an appetite just to look at you." He got up to join her—a bearded giant, tall and deep-chested, like the heroes of the Viking sagas. ”

“ They gave the same name to their canaries in the old days—and most of those were killed by fire-damp. But to get back to your mythical patrol ship—where do you expect it to come from? You know as well as I do, they keep to the main spaceways. We're tucked away in a remote corner of the Galaxy. There's one chance in a thousand that a patrol ship is within forty-five days of here."
The color drained from Walter Pellinger's face. "Why forty-five?" he whispered.
The lawyer paused before replying. ”

“ There's very little left; the supplies were on the lifeboat. You're all hungry. I know you are."
"It's not only that, darling. Sleep is just as important. But we can't spare the time. Every day now, we'll be growing physically weaker and the same job will soon take us twice as long. There's so much to do. And we've got to plan all of it in advance, while our minds are still adult."
"Is that why you've got the recording machine down here?" ”

“ And suppose they all agree to build a raft on which to escape and get back to the head office—what you might call a 'joint venture.' Now let us also suppose that three of those people work hard, cut down trees and fashion them into planks, gather creepers and braid them into ropes, and generally do all they can to further the common purpose. ”

“ I've a long way to go yet."
"Is it a fact that the round trip costs five million dollars?"
"I'm afraid I can't answer that. It's a condition of the contract that passengers refrain from disclosing the price of their tickets."
"It is expensive, though?"
"Oh, naturally. But remember, the overhead is heavy. Three refueling bases on the minor planets, Borenius, Ziar and Algon, require constant maintenance, apart from the initial cost of runways. Then only five—er—patients can be housed on Rejuvenal at any given time. And one also has to consider the constant change of staff. ”