Was this the place to which the zero stone had been pointing us? The discarded crystals here had no resemblance to that murky stone. But that had been exposed to centuries in space, and to whatever use as a source of energy its discoverers had put it to.
I leaned over to pick up one of the broken prisms. My guard placed a hand on the butt of a laser, but he made no move to stop me. This was a piece of quartz, I thought. But of that I could not be sure. One must never make snap judgments about finds on unknown planets. Vondar would have put any such material through exhaustive tests before he might venture an opinion, and even then I had known him to reserve final classification. He carried with him certain finds he was not sure of, even after years of study, since they possessed qualities which were beyond any code. All dealers accumulated a few such, and one of their principal activities when meeting a fellow gemologist was producing these mystery stones for comparison.
So what I held could be worthless quartz, or something quite different.
There was a sound from the tunnel and the medico entered, pushing before him a box which ran on rollers. Behind him came the two crewmen with other equipment. Then I became the object of tests.
I think first they still tried to find in me some seeds of the disease which had left such visible marks on my body. And the medico also applied a renewing ray to my bruised leg, so that I could no longer use lameness as a cover. But I could not, dared not resist – even when they at last locked me into a reader-helm. The very fact that they carried such a thing with them suggested they found its use necessary, illegal as that was.
With its pads locked to my forehead and the nape of my neck I could only answer with the strict truth, or what I thought was the truth. After they had reached that stage of the proceedings they summoned the Captain and it was he who fed me the questions.
“You are one Murdoc Jern, son to Hywel Jern–.”
“No.”
He was startled by that and looked to the medico, who leaned quickly to read the dial and then nodded to his commander.
“You are not Murdoc Jern?” the Captain began again.
“I am Murdoc Jern.”
“Then your father was Hywel Jern-“
“No.”
The Captain looked once more to the medico and received a second nod of assurance that the machine was functioning properly.
“Who was your father then?”
“I do not know.”
“Were you a member of Hywel Jern’s household?”
“Yes.”
“Did you consider yourself his son?”
“Yes.”
“What do you know of your real parents?”
“Nothing. I was told I was a duty child.”
An expression of relief flickered momentarily on the Captains face.
“But you were in Jern’s confidence?”
“He taught me.”
“About gems?”
“Yes.”
“And he apprenticed you to Ustle?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because, I believe, he wanted a future for me. Since his true son would have the shop upon his death.”
I could not stop the flow of words. It was as if I stood slightly apart and listened, as if it was I who answered. Now I sensed that once again the answer I had given was baffled.
“Did he ever show you a certain ring, one made to fit over the glove of a space suit?”
“Yes.”
“Did he tell you where it came from?”
“That it had been brought to him for hock-sale. That it had been found on the body of an alien floating in space.”
“What else did he tell you?”
“Nothing except that he believed there was something to be learned about it.”
“And he wanted you, during your travels with Ustle, to discover what you could?”
“Yes.”
“And what did you discover?”
“Nothing.”
The Captain seated himself on a folding stool one of his men had provided. He took from a seal pocket of his tunic a pale-green stick, put it between his teeth, and chewed upon it reflectively, as if studying on some new and vital question. At last he asked:
“Did you ever see the ring in later years?”
“Yes.”
“When and where?”
“On Angkor after my father’s death.”
“What did you do with it?”
“I took it with me.”
“You have it now?” He leaned forward, his eyes fully open, both pairs of lids raised.
“No.”
“Where is it?”
“I do not know.”
Again exasperation, this time strong enough to bring a sharp exclamation from him.
“State the last time you saw it and under what circumstances.”
“I gave it to Eet. He took it away.”
“Eet!” And who is Eet?”
“The mutant born of the ship’s cat on the Vestris.”
I think that had he not been so sure of the infallibility of the reader-helm, he would not have taken that for the truth. For it must have been the last answer he expected.
“Was that” – he spoke slowly now – “here on this planet, or on the Vestris?”
“Here.”
“And when?”
“Just before your ship planeted.”
“Where is this Eet now?” Again he leaned forward eagerly.
“Dead, I believe. He was crossing the top of the wreck when you flamed down. He must have been burned off by your deter rockets.”
“You- “ The Captain turned his head. “Thangsfeld, jump to it! I want every palm’s width of that ship’s surface searched and all the ground around it! Now!”
One of the crewman left at a run. Once more the Captain turned to me.
“Why did you give the ring to Eet?”
“The ring pulled us toward this place rather than to the wrecked ship. Eet wanted to know why.”
“Eet wanted to know,” he repeated. “What do you mean? You have stated that this creature was a mutant born of a ship’s cat – not an intelligent being.” Once more he looked to the medico for confirmation of my truthfulness.
“I do not know what Eet is,” I replied. “But he is not an animal, save perhaps outwardly.”
“Why did he and not you take this ring to the source of attraction?”
“We were besieged by the natives. Eet had a chance of getting out, I did not.”
“But why was it so important that the ring get out, via this Eet?”
“I do not know. Eet wanted to take it.”
“In what direction?”
“Farther on – over the river.”
“So!” He was on his feet in one lithe movement. “We are on the right track after all.” Once more he looked down at me. “Do you know what the ring stone is?”
“A source of energy – I think.”
“A good enough answer.” Still he looked at me, his inner eyelids almost closed, giving his eyes a disquieting opacity.
“What do we do Captain, with him-?” one of the human crewman asked.
“For the present, nothing. Keep him here. But then, even if he runs loose, I do not think he is going anywhere.” He laughed. “After all we owe him some small thanks. More if we find the ring at the wreck.”
They unstrapped me. I was very tired and willing to yield to my fatigue. But I remembered they had not asked me – the why and how of my leaving the Vestris. Had they swallowed my plague story and so would not question me about that? The indications were that they had not been in touch with the Free Trader, at least not since my escape. If these represented those who had bought me free from Tanth for their own purposes, they had not been in direct contact with other members of their team lately.
But this time I did not have Eet to depend upon, and thinking of Eet hurt more than I would have earlier believed possible. I hoped that he had not suffered, that that flash of violence had marked an instantaneous ending for him.
Would they find his body with the ring still tied about his neck? And what did they want it for – to lead them to others of its kind as it had guided me across space to the dead stones in the derelict? That such gems might be a revolutionary source of power was an easy guess. And such power, in the hands of the Guild, was worth far more to them than the ransom of a whole system of planets.
The medico and the other human crewman gathered their apparatus and left. But the X-Tee continued to sit by the door of the tunnel, on the stool left by the Captain. He, too, had pulled a green stick out and was chewing on it, but, while his eyes were half closed in enjoyment, his fronds pointed in my direction.
I slept then, and awoke to a shaking of the rock around me, a roar in my ears. There was another ship coming in. Perhaps the Vestris. If so, the Captain might be back with more questions. I lay listening, watching my guard.