S
VERDLOV considered. He had taken his turn on the stellar vessels, but had no interest in them: they were a chore, one of the less desirable aspects of the spaceman’s life. He had even been on duty when a new system was entered, but it had thrilled him not. Its planets turned out to be poisonous hells; he had finished his hitch and gone home before they even completed the transceiver station, the devil could drink his share of the celebration party.
“I don’t know which of them that would be,” he said.
“It is bound for Alpha Crucis. Or was. Several years ago, the photographs taken by its instruments were routinely roboanalyzed on Earth. There were discrepancies. Chiefly, some of the background stars were displaced, the Einstein effect of mass on light rays. A more careful study revealed there was a feeble source of long radio waves in that direction. They appear to be the dying gasp of a star.”
Since Sverdlov’s work involved him with the atomic nucleus, he could not help arguing: “I don’t think so. The dying gasp, as you put it, would be gravitational potential energy, released as radiation when a star’s own fires are all exhausted. But a thing so cold it only emits in the far radio frequencies . . . I’d say that was merely some kind of turbulence in what passes for an atmosphere. That the star isn’t just dying, it’s dead.”
“I don’t know,” shrugged Li-Tsung. “Perhaps no one does. This expedition will be to answer such questions. They gave up
on Alpha Crucis for the time being and decelerated the ship toward this black star. it is arriving there pow. The next personnel will take up an orbit and make the initial studies. You are the engineer.”
Sverdlov drew heavily on his cigar. “Why me?” he protested. “I’m an interplanetary man. Except for those interstellar tours, I’ve never even been out of the Tau Ceti System.”
“That may be one reason you were picked,” said Li-Tsung. “The Guild does not like its men too provincial in outlook.”
“Surely,” sneered Sverdlov. “We colonials can travel anywhere we please, except to Earth. Only our goods go to Earth without special permission.”
“You need not recruit us into the Fellowship of Independence,” said the thin man in a parched voice.
Sverdlov clamped teeth together and got out through stiff lips: “There will be Earthlings aboard, won’t there? It’s asking for trouble, to put me on the same ship as an Earthling.”
“You will be very polite and co-operative,” said Li-Tsung sharply. “There are other reasons for your assignment. I cannot say much, but you can guess that we have sympathizers, even members, in the Guild . . . on a higher level than space-hand! It is possible that something of potential military value will be learned from the dark star. Who knows? Something about force fields or—Use your own imagination. It can do no harm to have a Fellowship man on the Cross. It may do some good. You will report to me when you return.”
“Very well, very well,” grumbled Sverdlov. “I can stand a month or two of Earthlings, I suppose.”
“You will get your official orders soon,” Li-Tsung told him. He glanced at his watch. “I think you can run along now; you have a reputation as a, hm-m-m, fast worker. Enjoy yourself.”
“And don’t get talking drunk,” said the thin man.
Sverdlov paused in the doorway. “I don’t,” he said. “I wouldn’t be alive now if I did.”