Part 11 (1/2)

”At this rate,” said Nick, ”we could all have it.”

”Thank you,” I said. ”Line up on the left to drop dead. Do you want to run a sweepstakes on who's still alive at daybreak?”

”Shut up” said Eve.

The conversation died.

Charlot returned a couple of minutes later. ”We're in bad trouble,” he said.

”We know,” I said.

”How many?” asked Johnny.

”Four,” said Charlot. ”Just sickening. Nothing serious, they thought. They feel bad, but not very. Four of them. And Just.”

Eve buried her head in her hands. During all the time that Varly's gun had been pointed at her back she hadn't looked one tenth as scared as she did now.

”It doesn't make sense,” I said. Somebody had to say it. It was a pretty hollow thing to say, while we were all sitting there contemplating disaster and doom, but d.a.m.n it, it didn't make sense-not at all. There was no logic to it. Four Aegis people, plus Just, plus Johnny, plus G.o.d only knew how many at Merani's encampment all felt ill. Not seriously ill-just ill. The sort of thing you could pick up on almost any world, and almost invariably did. Changes of air, changes of water. h.e.l.l, you could pick up a fragile gut by travelling ninety miles across country. I'd had symptoms such as Johnny was describing on a hundred occasions.

But no one had suffered on Pharos before now. The Caradoc people had been here months, the Aegis people weeks, our own group only days. All of a sudden, this bug had found us out. And something-could it really be the same bug? -had killed Varly. Justice, maybe, but enough to throw a flat panic into every single man (and woman) on the planet.

What had happened today? Only one thing. The battles.h.i.+p had dropped a thousand men. Enough to introduce fifty million minor bugs to the planet's surface. But the disease had broken out in exactly those places where the Caradoc black-s.h.i.+rts hadn't gone-the alien camp, the Hooded Swan. And Varly. The invaders had certainly never got near him.

What had happened yesterday? What did Varly, the Aegis people, Johnny, Just, and the scientists at the waterfall have in common on that day? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

It didn't make sense, and I said so.

”Captain,” said Charlot, choosing to ignore me, at least for the time being. ”I want a section of the lower deck sterilised, and then prepared as an isolation section, with a lock that can be decontaminated every time someone goes through it. I want everyone with any symptoms at all in that section, but keep the suits on for the time being, just in case they don't all have the same thing. Just takes charge inside the section, you take charge outside. We'll get a doctor from Ullman-or transfer our cases to their isolation sector if they haven't a doctor to spare just for us. Miss Lapthorn will help you. Grainger, you come with me.

We're going out to find what Caradoc is doing about that body.”

”What about the call circuit?” I asked.

”Check with the rest now. Then one of the Aegis people who isn't ill can take over and maintain a permanent contact.”

”Aegis people! In the control room?”

”It's only a temporary measure,” said Charlot. ”Ill be back here shortly even if you have other things to do.”

That reminded me.

”How do you feel?” I asked him.

”Bad,” he said. ”Probably worse than the ones who are properly sick. But I haven't got what they've got.”

”Are you sure about that?” I said. ”You're the only case of illness on this world we know about prior to today.”

”I a.s.sure you I haven't been spreading any plagues,” said Charlot, in a voice that was as dry as charred paper. ”I have not been ill-merely somewhat decrepit. Yes, I know what you're thinking-there's no need to annoy me further by suggesting it. Of course I could be wrong. Of course I could be dead within the hour. But you'd better hope fervently that I'm right, because if I'm not, who is going to get us all out of this mess? Kerman? A military doctor from the battles.h.i.+p who never saw Pharos until today? You'd better pray that I stay healthy, Grainger. Now check that circuit and let's move.”

Wordlessly, I turned to activate a bleep at all points on the circuit.

”Merani here,” came one instant acknowledgement.

”This is Powell. I'm in town,” said the second.

”Harrier 32,” said someone else, presumably giving the name of a craft rather than a person. ”Just a second. Ullman wants to talk to you.”

”Never mind the second,” I said. ”This is the Hooded Swan. We have six cases of reported illness here.

None apparently serious.”

”We have nearly thirty cases here,” said Merani. ”Some are only slight. At least ten are serious-two may be critical. No deaths yet.”

”Ask him how long since the outbreak started,” said Charlot.

I relayed the question.

”n.o.body reports feeling ill prior to this morning,” said Merani. ”The first cases-cases which are now critical- Were in the biology section. They reported sick in the early evening, before you left the camp. It was some hours before the seriousness of the situation was realised.”

Fools, I muttered under my breath. ”Who's in charge there?” I asked, letting the sting loose into my voice.

”Kerman,” he replied.

”Kerman's not ill?” I asked.

”No. Perfectly fit. Is this really...?”

”No,” I said. ”Powell-you got a report?”

”No figures,” he said. ”The military has taken over here in town. Ullman has gone back to the field....”

”This is Ullman,” said a new voice, cutting across Powell. ”I'm taking charge of the whole operation, Mr Grainger. This whole planet is now under martial law. You people are instructed to stay inside your s.h.i.+p.

I have a full medical team working on the problem, with the co-operation of the medical team from the town. Well have the problem licked in no time.”

”You can go to h.e.l.l,” I said. ”Who the h.e.l.l do you think you are? Martial law!”

”Stay in your s.h.i.+p,” repeated Ullman.

Charlot put his hand on my shoulder and leaned forward.

”I warn you, Ullman,” he said. ”If you interfere in any way with me, people on this world are going to die.

A great many people. This isn't a medical problem-this is a problem in ecosystemic a.n.a.lysis.”

”Rubbish,” said Ullman. ”No one in my crew or in the town has reported anything more serious than they could have given themselves with a dose of laxative. h.e.l.l, I've been on a hundred worlds, and I usually feel like this first day down. I'm not incapacitated in any way. If this is a plague, then I'll be among the first to die, and you can take over then. In the meantime, I'll run things. Got that?”