Harry scratched his chin. "Is he actually aware he exists, you mean? That"s a big question and a bit out of my league.
Do you think he"s, what"s the word, sentient?"
"I didn"t at first, but from the way he"s talking now I"m beginning to wonder. But whether he is or not I won"t let him end up being driven mad like Kettlewell"s robot."
Harry smiled at her. "I bet you take in stray kittens and birds with broken wings as well. But now you really must rest a little more."
Sarah allowed herself to be tucked in, but as Harry turned to leave, she asked, "What"s this planning Max was talking about?"
"Just something that should enable us to get one over on Averon."
"Good, count me in," she said sleepily.
Sarah slept for another four hours, then woke feeling fully recovered. Harry related his own adventures, gave her a tour of the Oranos Oranos and introduced her to the Jand crew. She recalled seeing some Jand amongst the workers in the a.s.sembly camp. This news was greeted with both anger and hope by their fellows. and introduced her to the Jand crew. She recalled seeing some Jand amongst the workers in the a.s.sembly camp. This news was greeted with both anger and hope by their fellows.
"We knew the Union had kidnapped Jand in the past," said Tramour"des, "but we did not know where they had been taken or why. Now there"s a chance we may yet rescue some of them."
Sarah was puzzled to find the Oranos Oranos was still docked with the freighter as they flew through hypers.p.a.ce together. was still docked with the freighter as they flew through hypers.p.a.ce together.
Ch.e.l.l"lak explained the reason. "Your example of stowing away inside salvaged machinery has suggested a method of infiltrating whatever facility lies at the freighter"s final destination, Sarah"jane"smith. We still do not know why the freighter should have been manned by Maarcheen robots but we have taken advantage of the fact. Our technicians have repaired the damage your synthoid, ah, Max, did to them, and have also erased from their memories all records of your intrusion. We shall conceal a small party on board and let the freighter continue on as before, with the Oranos Oranos monitoring its progress by long-range scanner. After landing, the party will remain concealed for as long as possible while making a reconnaissance of the enemy base. If the opportunity arises they may also attempt some sabotage, but this will depend on what they find. The salvage being carried on the freighter suggests its destination is an important technical research centre something we had no idea Averon maintained outside its own system and it may hold items more valuable to us intact. These we shall attempt to liberate if possible. The monitoring its progress by long-range scanner. After landing, the party will remain concealed for as long as possible while making a reconnaissance of the enemy base. If the opportunity arises they may also attempt some sabotage, but this will depend on what they find. The salvage being carried on the freighter suggests its destination is an important technical research centre something we had no idea Averon maintained outside its own system and it may hold items more valuable to us intact. These we shall attempt to liberate if possible. The Oranos Oranos will hold herself ready to make a fast retrieval of the party when a suitable rendezvous point can be determined." will hold herself ready to make a fast retrieval of the party when a suitable rendezvous point can be determined."
"It sounds pretty risky," said Sarah.
"It is," Ch.e.l.l admitted, "but we are soldiers and the potential reward justifies any risk."
Sarah nodded. "Right, when do we start?"
Harry looked at her in alarm. "Now wait a minute, old girl, this is no "
"If you"re going to say this is no job for a woman, I shall kick you in the shins," Sarah said hotly. "It"s obvious there are hardly enough of you to crew this ship and form a commando party. Well, I can"t fly a s.p.a.ceship, but after tagging along after the Doctor for over a year I"ve had plenty of practice creeping round places I shouldn"t be in. I can use a gun and I want to do anything I can that will hurt Averon or help close that slave camp down and that"s all there is to be said."
"You have spirited and forceful females where you come from, Harry"sullivan," Ch.e.l.l observed with a smile.
"That has been pointed out before," Harry said dryly.
An hour later, Sarah, Harry, Max, Ch.e.l.l and two Jand crewmen Dekander Callon"mal, an artificer, and Hectander Orsang"tor, a munitions expert took their places in the freighter"s hold. Carefully prepared and concealed niches in the larger pieces of salvage were ready for them when the time came. Their equipment included insulated suits and respirators, as the ship"s damaged life-support system was left untouched, suggesting it had failed when it had been last switched off. They would leave it to the reactivated crew to decide on repairs, if and when they noticed it. Max, with fake burn marks and torn strips of metal adorning his body, resumed his place on the transportation pallet and went into low power mode while fresh plastic sheeting was wrapped around him. Sarah thought he would have the most comfortable journey of them all.
Ch.e.l.l gave a final okay over his narrow beam communicator and the Oranos Oranos undocked and pulled away until it was outside the freighter"s detector range. Time-coded instructions within the crew"s brains reactivated them, but they sensed no lapse in time as false data had been fed in to fill the missing hours. undocked and pulled away until it was outside the freighter"s detector range. Time-coded instructions within the crew"s brains reactivated them, but they sensed no lapse in time as false data had been fed in to fill the missing hours.
The flight into the unknown continued.
Almost ten hours later, alarms aboard the Oranos Oranos sounded as the freighter dropped out of hypers.p.a.ce. The sounded as the freighter dropped out of hypers.p.a.ce. The Oranos Oranos itself followed discreetly a few seconds later. Pa.s.sive sensors scanned their new surroundings as they followed the freighter in towards the new sun. Their readings caused Tramour"des to frown in displeasure. itself followed discreetly a few seconds later. Pa.s.sive sensors scanned their new surroundings as they followed the freighter in towards the new sun. Their readings caused Tramour"des to frown in displeasure.
They had emerged on the outskirts of a remote system that was nothing but a number on the star charts. It was listed as having minor planetoids, asteroid belts and a couple of frozen gas giants, but no Jand-type worlds large enough to support habitable biospheres. No Averonian, Jand or human could live unprotected anywhere in the system. Was that why they were using robots, Tramour wondered. Perhaps the base had no environment support facilities whatsoever? That would make it harder to detect. And the reconnaissance party only had basic survival suits. He"d better warn Ch.e.l.l of the possible danger.
"Losing precision track on freighter, sir," the scanner monitor reported even as he came to his decision.
"Why?"
"Interference from a charged dust cloud a.s.sociated with the asteroid belt they"re just pa.s.sing through, I think, sir."
"Helm: close up to one and a half standard detector radii,"
Tramour ordered. "Communications: open the channel to Dekkilander Ch.e.l.l"lak."
"They"ve gone, sir," the monitor said suddenly. "The ship track and the Dekkilander"s pulsebeam tracer they just vanished!"
19.
Execution he urgent beeping of his bedside communicator woke Kam T bril.
Blearily he turned on the sidelight and hit the receive b.u.t.ton. Andez"s voice issued from the speaker. "We"ve got a silent alarm alert. There"s an intruder in the sub-complex business room."
Kambril was suddenly wide awake. "Who?"
"The Doctor. It"s all right: the guards have him cornered he can"t escape."
"I"ll be there in five minutes."
He was still pulling on his clothes as he pa.s.sed Scout, standing ever vigilant in his usual alcove beside the front door of the apartment. The synthoid silently fell in behind him as he headed for the travel tube. A minute"s ride took him into the heart of the administration block. There were guards posted outside the conference and file rooms. He brushed past them and the door slid shut at his back. He saw with satisfaction that the rest of the regular council were already there: Andez, La.s.siter, Morven, Oban and Brant. They were all evidently anxious and still blinking the sleep from their eyes, but he thought Brant looked particularly distressed and her gaze shied away from his.
The connecting door to the file room was open, as was the concealed panel in its far wall. Even as Kambril took this in an elevator capsule rose into view and disgorged the Doctor and two guards. The Doctor"s clothing was in disarray, suggesting he had put up a fight and his hands were shackled behind him, but he still managed an infuriating smile as though he was granting them the privilege of an audience. He was pushed forward into the conference room to stand before the lower end of the table. One of the guards put his sonic screwdriver, copper bracelet and a few more confiscated pocket-sized electronic devices on the table before Kambril and Andez.
Kambril prodded at the a.s.sortment for a moment then looked at the Doctor. "I suppose you used these to detect the panel in the other room and override the security locks?"
"I have this terrible sense of curiosity," the Doctor admitted brightly. "When I find people are hiding something from me I just have to learn the truth."
Kambril turned angrily to Andez and the file room operators who were standing awkwardly to one side. "How was he allowed to get in here?"
"I left a device of my own in the corridor," the Doctor said, antic.i.p.ating the reply. "It was programmed to run in here when somebody pa.s.sed and cause a suitable diversion. It worked rather well, I thought."
"That"s correct," said Andez. "Academ Tarron alerted the operators earlier that some small unidentified creature had entered the conference room. They chased it but were unable to capture it. Maintenance are still searching."
"You might as well tell them to stop," said the Doctor helpfully. "It"ll have self-destructed by now."
"I suppose you made it and these burglar tools while you were working on that incomprehensible machine of yours?"
The Doctor smiled broadly. "I admit the device is a perfect red herring. Can I have a chair by the way? It"s impolite not to offer one"s guest a seat."
"It"s impolite for a guest to pry into his host"s private affairs," Andez snapped, becoming drawn into the Doctor"s foolish quibbling over etiquette.
"It"s doubly impolite to attempt to brainwash your guests,"
the Doctor replied mildly. Then his eyes narrowed for a moment. "And it"s even worse than impolite to subject millions of beings to needless suffering."
There was an audible indrawing of breath around the table and an exchange of quick anxious glances. He knew...but how much?
"Get him a chair," Kambril said sharply. A guard brought one forward and the Doctor seated himself comfortably while Kambril glared at him. How could he remain so infuriatingly calm? With an effort he tried to match the Doctor"s demeanour and asked lightly, "So, have you satisfied your curiosity, Doctor?"
"Well, I was rather rudely interrupted before I could complete my investigations, but I did discover one or two things of interest. The room at the bottom of that secret lift shaft of yours, for instance. There are controls in there for pumping pentatholene gas almost anywhere in the complex, which explains the artificially boosted emotions of those terribly patriotic hate sessions of which you seem so fond. It must also help Prander keep morale and a sense of purpose firm over the years. That"s his real job, isn"t it? And to keep everybody subtly reminded that you can"t really trust aliens, of course. Wouldn"t do to start developing a conscience about killing them, would it? Then there were the genuine computer files you keep down there. I wasn"t able to examine many of them, but the ones I did see were most illuminating. For instance, your armament production levels are almost double what Cara Tarron told me you achieved when she showed me round the automated factory. And those lists of enemy weapons" designs: far more detailed than the best intelligence could possibly deduce. Then there were manifests for shipments reported lost to the enemy yet the same ships seem to come back for more later. Considerate of the Union to return them, isn"t it?" He shook his head. "Suspicious, Director, highly suspicious."
Andez leant forward across the table. "When did you start to suspect?" he asked simply.
"Oh, almost from the very beginning," the Doctor said casually. "You tried to influence my emotions in this very room with a light dose of pentatholene when you wanted me to work for you, which was very greedy, by the way. While I was resisting its influence I noticed the wear pattern in the carpet. The edges indicated it was relatively new, yet it showed an unusual quant.i.ty of traffic pa.s.sing in and out of the file room, as does the corridor outside. Quite inexplicable unless you were having conferences every hour. And you should put a mat down at the bottom of the lift so you can wipe your feet and stop bringing up some of that fine rock dust from the lower tunnel. It doesn"t match anything from any adjacent room or corridor up here."
"Thank you, Doctor," said Kambril dryly. "We shall bear that in mind in the future. Any other little points we may have overlooked?"
"Quite a few, actually," said the Doctor, lounging insolently back in his chair despite his bound arms. "I noticed your file room staff were not really very skilled keyboard operators.
Partly window dressing for the benefit of innocent personnel, I suppose. But then of course the room itself is quite spurious, and their real function is to guard one of the secret entrances to the hidden half of the complex where the real files are kept.
How far does it extend, by the way?"
"Far enough, Doctor. Anything else?"
"Yes. It"s a mistake to use innocent people like Cara Tarron to do your dirty work. You did it to influence me at first, because her grief, her sense of duty and dedication to your cause are not only moving and admirable but absolutely genuine. The trouble is such people can"t keep secrets they don"t know exist. She casually told me of your reactions when I first turned up on your doorstep. You panicked and insisted on setting up that improvised testing chamber for my belongings. You were frantic to know what you were dealing with, but were evidently quite unused to a genuine genuine security problem. Then you suddenly became so friendly when you realized I could be useful: a lost and confused stranger who could be turned to your purpose. You completely forgot about treating me as a potential spy or even a major security risk, though you had every reason to be suspicious, not because of high principles or altruism but because you knew I could not be a spy." The Doctor"s eyes seemed to burn. "There"s only one way you could know that: you"re all traitors." security problem. Then you suddenly became so friendly when you realized I could be useful: a lost and confused stranger who could be turned to your purpose. You completely forgot about treating me as a potential spy or even a major security risk, though you had every reason to be suspicious, not because of high principles or altruism but because you knew I could not be a spy." The Doctor"s eyes seemed to burn. "There"s only one way you could know that: you"re all traitors."
The Doctor"s bantering almost playful manner had gone in an instant, to be replaced by condemnation delivered from on high: the voice of superior wisdom p.r.o.nouncing judgement. It was so compelling that for a moment Kambril read shock, guilt and shame in the faces around him, especially Brant"s.
But then he forced a slight smile The Doctor obviously didn"t know everything.
Andez flushed angrily. "That"s a lie, Doctor. I"m a loyal officer."
"How are we traitors, Doctor?" Kambril asked evenly.
"Who are we supposed to have betrayed?"
"You are traitors to the population of the entire Adelphine cl.u.s.ter. You"ve reached some sort of accommodation with Averon, haven"t you? Because you"ve discovered how mutually useful a permanent state of war can be. A dynamic equilibrium and safer than peace! Neither side wins but neither loses either except those p.a.w.ns who do your fighting for you, such as your old outpost and colony worlds, which were giving you trouble before the war started, I understand, and who would certainly secede once it ended with Landor gone.
So you keep many small wars alive, for which your allies have to keep buying your superior weapons to help them fight, while Averon does the same for the Union worlds." The Doctor leant forward and fixed Kambril with his penetrating eyes. "Who actually runs Deepcity? When did you sell out your honour and the chance of peace?"
Kambril chuckled. "What an imagination you have, Doctor.
So much extrapolated from so few facts. And of course you"re quite right, well, almost almost right. Shall I tell you something that you can believe absolutely? I am on the same side I have always been on; I am still doing the job I was placed here to do and I have never made any "accommodation" with Averon. right. Shall I tell you something that you can believe absolutely? I am on the same side I have always been on; I am still doing the job I was placed here to do and I have never made any "accommodation" with Averon.
You can make of that what you wish in the time left to you."
"And I"m still loyal to my oath of commission," said Andez indignantly. "Now put him in the sub-complex cells until we work out what to do with him."
Looking baffled and frustrated, the Doctor was hauled to his feet and marched away. "You can"t do this," he protested loudly. "It"s traditional to explain everything so you can gloat " A guard silenced him by driving his gun b.u.t.t into the pit of his stomach.
"Bring his scarf here," Kambril ordered as they dragged the Doctor away. A guard unwound it from the Doctor"s neck and dropped in on to the conference table, and then the Doctor was taken down below. Kambril picked it up and tested its strength thoughtfully before glancing at Andez.
"It may come in useful for dealing with our other problem.
Two birds with one stone, perhaps?"
"Oh yes, I suppose that makes sense," Andez agreed regretfully. "If you"re certain he can"t be trusted any longer."
"I"m certain. Scout."
The synthoid stepping forward. Kambril gave him precise instructions and handed over the scarf The others round the table listened with varying degrees of detachment. Only Brant spoke up. "You can"t mean it. This is going too far it"s murder!"
"It is a necessary execution," Kambril said coldly.
"Perfectly logical in the context of what we have been doing for almost twenty years. If you had any doubts there have been ample opportunities to express them before now, Admin Brant."
"I could see it was necessary then, but all the lies have to end some time. Surely we"ve achieved enough now?"
"No. The plan has a minimum of another five years to run.
Then, only if required, it will be ended under controlled conditions. You know that."
"I know," said Brant bitterly.
The first light of morning angled through the blinds as Malf was woken by the sounds of Hevist and Selto slipping out from the adjoining room.
Hah, Malf thought. Going to check the transport early, were they? Couldn"t face him this morning, could they? He lay back watching the bars of sunlight slowly turn from red to gold as they edged across the wall. He hadn"t felt this good in years.
He should have put his foot down long ago. It was outrageous that an artist of his calibre should ever have had to put up with such treatment. But anyway, that was an end to it. They were leaving today, and he had no doubt the journey to their next engagement would be far more comfortable than previous ones. To his public he was Admiral Dorling, and they"d better not forget it.
Though it was still early he was up and had almost finished dressing when a slight sound disturbed him. He spun round to find the communicating door was open and Kambril"s synthoid was standing framed within it. Malf quickly dropped into character. "You gave me a start. Scout, isn"t it? Silent footwork. Well done. Just the sort of thing to use when creeping up on the enemy. Has the Director sent you here with a message?"
"Yes." As Scout stepped into the room, a panel in its chest sprung open and it pulled a colourful tightly rolled bundle from the cavity within.
"Why, that"s that Doctor fellow"s scarf. What are you "
"You are requested to remain still while this unit follows its orders."
The robot moved with incredible speed. Before Malf could regain control of his tongue to call out it had taken two quick steps forward, wrapped the scarf around his neck and pulled it tight. Then there was no breath left for words. Distantly he heard Scout emotionlessly repeating its orders as it choked the life from him.
"Use human strength levels only. Leave scarf with body.
Ensure unit is not observed arriving or departing from target"s room." Malf"s body went limp, dangling from probably the most colourful instrument of murder ever seen. Scout dropped him to the floor and the folds of the scarf fell across his still form like an impromptu rainbow veil of wool.
It was in this position that the guest quarters" robot cleaning monitor found him an hour later.