“Once we’re out of this room” – Nik took the first difficulty that came to mind.”we can’t manage without goggles.” ‘
“That man had them,” Vandy pointed out. “We’ll need blasters, too. That flying thing – there may be more of those.”
“All right. But even with goggles and blasters, we can’t go back to the LB – that was set on a locked course.” Nik was listing the problems. “But just what we can do.”
Nik, sensitive without being conscious of it to some change in the atmosphere, glanced at Vandy. His eyes were normally golden, but now there seemed to be sparks of red fire in their depths. His small face was expressionless.
“You aren’t.” he began when Nik made a sudden warning gesture.
Behind Vandy, the door panel was opening. Nik arose to face it.
The same crewman who had brought them here tossed some ration containers in the general direction of the flap table. One missed and rolled to Vandy’s feet. He stooped to pick it up.
“I want to see Captain Leeds,” Nik said quickly.
“He ain’t here.”
“When will he come?”
“When he’s sent for, unless he gets some big ideas and makes the jump on his own.”
“Then who’s in charge?” Nik persisted. If Leeds was not, what did that mean for him, for Vandy, for the whole plan?
“Orkhad. And he wants to see you now. No – the kid stays here,” he added as Nik motioned to Vandy.
“I’ll be back,” Nik promised, but Vandy’s level gaze, still holding that ruddy spark, did not change. He said nothing as Nik hesitated irresolutely.
“Come on. Orkhad’s not a Veep as takes kindly to waiting,” the crewman said.
Nik went, but his first uneasiness was now a definite dislike of both his surroundings and the situation here. As they went down the corridor, he surveyed the physical features of the place. The walls were rock, hollowed out, not built up by blocks. Though the current of air was fresh, there were slimy trickles of moisture marking their surfaces. Who had fashioned this place Nik did not know, but he was convinced it was not the present inhabitants.
There were several chambers opening off that hall, all fitted with metal doors far newer than the walls on which they were installed. From quick glances, Nik learned those other rooms were living quarters, all like the one where he had been with Vandy.
They passed a larger room with a rack of blasters on the wall and various storages boxes piled within. Then the hall ended in large space dimly lighted. They threaded their way along a narrow balcony hanging above a wide space in which at least a dozen passages met in star formation, as if this were a grand terminal of some vast transportation system. But there was nothing to be seen in the half gloom save all those tunnel mouths evenly spaced about the expanse of the chamber.
The balcony brought them into another corridor, and Nik sniffed a new scent on the air. He had known that on Korwar. Someone not too far away was or had lately been smoking suequ weed.
Holding some of the same sickliness that seemed to be a part of the natural air of this world, the aroma grew stronger as they neared the end of the second corridor. And with every breath Nik drew, his fear grew. Suequ weed was one of the many drugs mankind had discovered to rot body and mind, and its side effects made for real trouble. The smoker lost all sense of fear or prudence, any sane balance of judgment. And the drug fostered recklessness that could involve not only the user but also his companions, were he in any position to give orders. If this Orkhad was the suequ smoker –
The room at the end of the corridor was different, in that an attempt had been made to lend it a measure of comfort.
There was a strip of matting across the floor and a cover of black feathers fluffing from the bunk. Fastened to the wall above that was a picture – not tri-dee but rather a round of crystal in which were suspended a number of brightly hued creatures, either insects or birds.
Oddly enough, the smell of suequ was not so strong in the room, though the empty pipe lay on the table to the right of the man sitting there, turning around in his fingers a cup that was barbaric art of precious metal and roughly cut gems.
He was plainly of Iskhag’s race, though his present dress was far removed from the other’s foppish splendor. His tunic was well cut but bare of ornament, and there was not so much as a jeweled buckle on his belt. His boots were those of any spaceman, though new, and the over-all color of his clothing was a russet brown. He was not armed, though the hooks of a blaster hold were riveted to his belt.
Nik’s guide sketched a casual salute and took his place against the wall, leaving his charge in the open to face Orkhad. The alien, did not break the silence, and Nik, wondering if the other were trying to needle him into some impatient mood, held to the same quiet.
Then Orkhad suddenly brought his cup down on the table top, the metal against metal producing a ringing note.
“You” – the thin notes of his high voice had a monotonous sound.”what do you do?”
To Nik, the question made very little sense. His job had been clearly defined back on Korwar. He was to bring Vandy here – wherever in the galaxy “here” was – and wheedle out of the boy the information Leeds needed.
“More of Leeds’ work!” Without waiting for any reply, Orkhad spat out that name, making it sound like an obscene oath. “Why did you come? To put the boy in the ship was all that was necessary. We are not so well-supplied that we can feed extra mouths. You are not needed here.”
“That isn’t what Captain Leeds said. I do not have the information yet.”
Orkhad only stared at Nik. The eyes in that blue face slitted instead of widened, as if the alien narrowed vision to see the better.
“Information?” he repeated. “What is this information?”
“Captain Leeds gave me my orders.”
“And Captain Leeds” – Orkhad made mockery of the name and title with the first real inflection Nik had heard in his voice.”is not here. He may not be here for some time. Here I am Veep – do you understand? And it is for me to determine the orders given – and obeyed. You have brought us Warlord Naudhin i’Akrama’s son. That is well. For him we have a use. And this is a world that is all your enemy. Do you understand that?
“It has a sun in the sky right enough – a red dwarf sun whose rays you cannot see, not with your eyes. I can see a little, but your breed can see nothing unless you wear cins. And it is a world to which things have happened – for it is close to its dark sun. Sometime – who knows how long ago – there was a flare that crisped out to make of this planet a scorched thing. Its seas were steamed into vapor, which still clouds overhead, though a measure of this comes earthward in rainstorms such as you cannot conceive of.
“There was life here before that flare. This” – one of those blue hands indicated the walls about them.”was perhaps a refuge wrought in despair by some intelligent life form long before Captain Leeds’ friends homed in here to discover a base to serve us well. Yes, intelligence burrowed and squirmed, hoping to preserve life, only to be burned away. So now we have some life, but none we cannot master with a blaster. Only to venture out into that murk without cin-goggles, without weapons – that is death as certain as its sun once gave this planet. Do, you understand that?”
Nik nodded.
“So, we are agreed. This base, it is life; out there is death. And in this base it is by my will that life continues. Since the boy knows you, will be quiet with you, you shall continue to be with him until we are ready to deal with him. That small purpose you may serve. Fabic, take him away.”
Nik went, adding up small items. Fabic was matching him step for step, and when they reached the balcony above the terminal, the crewman spoke.
“I never saw you with the captain.”
“I wasn’t one of his crew.”
Fabic grinned. “So you wasn’t of his crew. That figures – you’d have to be some older to make that claim. But you are his man now, and so I’ll pass on a warning. Don’t know when the captain will fin in here, but until he does, Orkhad gives the orders. You remember that, and there’ll be no flamer to push you out of orbit.”