Part 1 (1/2)
The Judas Valley.
by Gerald Vance.
_Why did everybody step off the s.h.i.+p in this strange valley and promptly drop dead? How could a well-equipped corps of tough s.p.a.cemen become a field of rotting skeletons in this quiet world of peace and contentment? It was a mystery Peter and Sherri had to solve. If they could live long enough!_
Peter Wayne took the letter out of the machine, broke the seal, and examined it curiously. It was an official communication from the Interstellar Exploration Service. It read:
FROM: Lieutenant General Martin Scarborough, I.E.S.
TO: Captain Peter Wayne, Preliminary Survey Corps
Report immediately to this office for a.s.signment to I.E.S. _Lord Nelson_. Full briefing will be held at 2200 hours, 14 April 2103.
By order of the Fleet Commandant.
It was short, brief, and to the point. And it gave no information whatsoever. Peter Wayne shrugged resignedly, put the letter down on his bed, walked over to the phone, and dialed a number.
A moment later, a girl's face appeared--blonde-haired, with high cheekbones, deep blue-green eyes, and an expression of the lips that intriguingly combined desirability and crisp military bearing.
”Lieutenant James speaking,” she said formally. Then, as Wayne's image appeared on her screen, she grinned. ”Hi, Pete. What's up?”
”Listen, Sherri,” Wayne said quickly. ”I'm going to have to cancel that date we had for tomorrow night. I just got my orders.”
The girl laughed. ”I was just going to call _you_, I got a fac-sheet too. Looks as though we won't see each other for a while, Pete.”
”What s.h.i.+p are you getting?”
”The _Lord Nelson_.”
It was Wayne's turn to laugh. ”It looks as though we _will_ be seeing each other. That's my s.h.i.+p too. We can keep our date in the briefing room.”
Her face brightened. ”Good! I'll see you there, then,” she said. ”I've got to get my gear packed.”
”Okay,” Wayne said. ”Let's be on time, you know how General Scarborough is.”
She smiled. ”Don't worry, Peter. I'll be there. So long for now.”
”Bye, Sherri.” He cut the connection, watched the girl's face melt away into a rainbow-colored diamond of light, and turned away. There were a lot of things to do before he would be ready to leave Earth for an interstellar tour of duty.
He wondered briefly as he started to pack just what was going on. There was usually much more notice on any big jump of this order. Something special was up, he thought, as he dragged his duffle-bag out of the closet.
He was at the briefing room at 2158 on the nose. The Interstellar Exploration Service didn't much go for tardiness, but they didn't pay extra if you got there a half-hour early. Captain Peter Wayne made it a point of being at any appointment two minutes early--no more, no less.
The room was starting to fill up, with men and women Wayne knew well, had worked with on other expeditions, had lived with since he'd joined the IES. They looked just as puzzled as he probably did, he saw; they knew they were being called in on something big, and in the IES big meant _big_.
At precisely 2200, Lieutenant General Scarborough emerged from the inner office, strode briskly up the aisle of the briefing room, and took his customary stance on the platform in front. His face looked stern, and he held his hands clasped behind his back. His royal blue uniform was neat and trim. Over his head, the second hand of the big clock whirled endlessly. In the silence of the briefing room, it seemed to be ticking much too loudly.