Part 29 (1/2)

”Did anyone get the gun from that dead man?” he asked. ”It would blow this thing open.”

”No,” Rhes said, ”we didn't stop.”

Before the words were out of his mouth two men were running back towards the buildings, angling away from each other. The s.h.i.+p's guns roared again, a string of explosions cut across one man. Before they could change direction and find the other man he had reached the buildings.

He returned quickly, darting into the open to throw the gun to them.

Before he could dive back to safety the sh.e.l.ls caught him.

Jason grabbed up the gun as it skidded almost to his feet. They heard the sound of wide-open truck turbines screaming towards them as he blasted the lock. The mechanism sighed and the hatch sagged open. They were all through the air lock before the first truck appeared. Naxa stayed behind with the gun, to hold the lock until they could take the control room.

Everyone climbed faster than Jason, once he had pointed them the way, so the battle was over when he got there. The single city Pyrran looked like a pin-cus.h.i.+on. One of the techs had found the gun controls and was shooting wildly, the sheer quant.i.ty of his fire driving the trucks back.

”Someone get on the radio and tell the talkers to call the attack off,”

Jason said. He found the communications screen and snapped it on. Kerk's wide-eyed face stared at him from the screen.

”_You!_” Kerk said, breathing the word like a curse.

”Yes, it's me,” Jason answered. He talked without looking up, while his hands were busy at the control board. ”Listen to me, Kerk--and don't doubt anything I say. I may not know how to fly one of these s.h.i.+ps, but I do know how to blow them up. Do you hear that sound?” He flipped over a switch and the faraway whine of a pump droned faintly. ”That's the main fuel pump. If I let it run--which I won't right now--it could quickly fill the drive chamber with raw fuel. Pour in so much that it would run out of the stern tubes. Then what do you think would happen to your one and only s.p.a.cer if I pressed the firing b.u.t.ton? I'm not asking you what would happen to me, since you don't care--but you need this s.h.i.+p the way you need life itself.”

There was only silence in the cabin now, the men who had won the s.h.i.+p turned to face him. Kerk's voice grated loudly through the room.

”What do you want, Jason--what are you trying to do? Why did you lead those animals in here ...” His voice cracked and broke as anger choked him and spilled over.

”Watch your tongue, Kerk,” Jason said with soft menace. ”These _men_ you are talking about are the only ones on Pyrrus who have a s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p. If you want them to share it with you, you had better learn to talk nicely.

Now come over here at once--and bring Brucco and Meta.” Jason looked at the older man's florid and swollen face and felt a measure of sympathy.

”Don't look so unhappy, it's not the end of the world. In fact, it might be the beginning of one. And another thing, leave this channel open when you go. Have it hooked into every screen in the city so everyone can see what happens here. Make sure it's taped too, for replay.”

Kerk started to say something, but changed his mind before he did. He left the screen, but the set stayed alive. Carrying the scene in the control room to the entire city.

XXVII.

The fight was over. It had ended so quickly the fact hadn't really sunk in yet. Rhes rubbed his hand against the gleaming metal of the control console, letting the reality of touch convince him. The other men milled about, looking out through the viewscreens or soaking in the mechanical strangeness of the room.

Jason was physically exhausted, but he couldn't let it show. He opened the pilot's medbox and dug through it until he found the stimulants.

Three of the little gold pills washed the fatigue from his body, and he could think clearly again.

”Listen to me,” he shouted. ”The fight's not over yet. They'll try anything to take this s.h.i.+p back and we have to be ready. I want one of the techs to go over these boards until he finds the lock controls. Make sure all the air locks and ports are sealed. Send men to check them if necessary. Turn on all the screens to scan in every direction, so no one can get near the s.h.i.+p. We'll need a guard in the engine room, my control could be cut if they broke in there. And there had better be a room-by-room search of the s.h.i.+p, in case someone else is locked in with us.”

The men had something to do now and felt relieved. Rhes split them up into groups and set them to work. Jason stayed at the controls, his hand next to the pump switch. The battle wasn't over yet.

”There's a truck coming,” Rhes called, ”going slow.”

”Should I blast it?” the man at the gun controls asked.

”Hold your fire,” Jason said, ”until we can see who it is. If it's the people I sent for, let them through.”