Stanley Whiteside

“ 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. ”

“ 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! ”

“ 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." ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Ray nodded, dislike of the other welling in him.
"Looky." Jenkins drew him to one side. "The men don't like the idea, see, of going to Earth. Most of us skipped out to space for a good reason, see?"
Ray nodded again, and his lips tightened impatiently. Jenkins was a bully.
"Well, sir, maybe you could persuade the captain to change his mind, huh? We don't want trouble."
"All right, I'll see." Ray started to turn away.
"Campora tried to tell the captain." Jenkins' grimy paw rested on Ray's arm, while he peered at him through his glasses. "But Lodar don't like Campora, see?" ”

“ Yes, Ray was curious to see these Mutes who were at the base of his trouble.
He followed Lodar along the central corridor to the mid-section well, and down to the lower deck. The surging hum of the converters wafted on the warm air as they passed the engine room.
In the after hold Jenkins and his Number Two Gang were bracing a large metal cage. Entering behind Lodar, Ray stared with mingled feelings at the captives behind the bars.
"Why, they look like humans!" he gasped. No wonder so many people objected to the trade! ”

“ Lodar gasped. "Campora gave them all those weapons."
They retreated to the control room and bolted the door, while McVane and the girl stared.
"We're in a spot," Lodar admitted.
"And we can thank you for it," Ray snapped. "This crew will have no more compunction over killing us than they had over bumping off those Mutes!"
"Well, now." McVane shifted his feet restlessly. "Let's not squabble. Anyway, 'twas Campora persuaded the captain to get rid of the Mutes."
They all tensed at a sudden sound outside—metal dragging the floor and voices. Then suddenly the smell of burning paint. ”

“ Ray urged. Above all, he didn't want Campora turned loose on the girl. "Give me time."
"Yea." Lodar's smile was grimly mocking. "In time she'll make a complete sucker of you! But it might be diverting. Go ahead!"
III
The very vastness of space lends a sense of security from detection. The enormous speed required to cover the parsecs between systems gives advantage to those who elude the patrols.
The Vulcan, bound for Earth, streaked through the blackness like a swift needle in illimitable space. Its sensitive detector beams probed the spangled cosmos for danger. ”

“ Lodar growled at last. "I'm in no shape to argue forever. One of us goes with the girl. We'll choose by lot."
He turned to rummage in the emergency kit again. "Ah!" He found a tin of wooden matches and clumsily broke it open. "We'll use three of these. I'll break two, leave one whole. The man who picks the whole one goes with the girl. Right?"
Ray frowned. He trusted neither Lodar nor McVane, but there was no other way to decide the issue unless they resorted to a free-for-all.
"All right," he agreed slowly. "Let Ellenor hold the matches."
Lodar sneered. ”

“ The Company even went further in order to clear itself. It righteously promised to limit the capture of Mutes and save them from extinction. In fact, it offered to patrol Venus and stop illegal raids by others.
Then the price of Mutes rose to fantastic heights. Poachers moved in to reap fortunes from the trade.
II
Lodar was one of them. Cashiered from the Earth Fleet, an ex-officer, he was well trained to outmaneuver the patrols. It was he who offered Ray his first job in months.
"Get in on the gravy," he urged. "They already made you a goat, and no one else will employ you!" ”

“ On Venus they know when the soil wishes to grow things; they know when things are due to happen. The moon of places tells them where to settle; where they are welcome. Theirs is a language of—of feelings, you might say. ”

“ They would burn up a man just as surely, even though in a different way. So haste was imperative.
It might take a week to repair the main converters. The insulation was badly charred on the stator coils. Several were burned out completely. So McVane was put to work.
The rattle of chain hoists and hiss of arc welder echoed hollowly through the drifting ship. Even so, had it not been for the comforting hum of the auxiliary generator the silence would have been maddening.
Ray had avoided seeing the girl since the death of the Mutes. ”

“ The interphone jingled and Lodar answered it.
"All right, Campora," he said after a moment, "get set for takeoff. Then report up here to me." He turned to Ray. "Take off, Mister. Make it snappy!"
Ray checked the safety lights, then signaled for power. He hoped McVane was sober. The sad-faced little engineer just couldn't stay away from his bottle.
But McVane was at least sober enough, for the metal floor began to throb gently as the converters on the lower deck groaned to life. While the machines built up to speed Ray adjusted the drive for a sixty degree lift. ”

“ Ray shook him violently. "There's mutiny! Up, quick!" He propelled the smaller man up the stairs. In the main corridor he stopped at the girl's cabin.
"Here." He shook McVane again, then handed him the keys. "Get that girl to the control room."
While McVane fumbled at the lock Ray hammered on Lodar's cabin. It was an age before the captain appeared. His dark eyes took in McVane and the girl, then swept back to Ray.
"Trouble, eh?" Without waiting to hear more he reached for his gun and joined them.
It was vital to hold the front of the ship. In any other section they would be merely prisoners. ”

“ She stared at the engineer.
McVane blinked. He scratched his whiskery chin. "Well, Ellenor, ye can have my cabin for the while," he offered.
"Come on, up you go!" Her dark eyes were bright with anger, but she climbed to the upper deck without further trouble.
They locked her in McVane's cabin.
"Funny, Mac giving up his room for her," Ray remarked as they headed forward to the control room.
"Because he's a no-good drunk?" Lodar sneered. "While some of us could be little gentlemen?" His face turned somber. "McVane is goofy. Had a wife and two kids. ”