Rogue Ship

33

Gourdy had invited Hewitt to join him on the bridge.

With them were several of Browne's former officers, including Miller, Selwyn, and Mindel, and several scientists. Two astronomers, Clyde Josephs who was chief of the astronomical staff, and his chief assistant, Max Hook, were among the latter.

In the background, five of Gourdy's henchmen stood. Each of these five was armed with two blasters.

After they had gazed at the careening stars for at least a minute, Hewitt grew aware that the chief astronomer's eyes were beginning to shine.

'Gentlemen!' the man said in an awed tone. 'We are witnessing a spectacle that surely no man ever dreamed he would see – certainly no astronomer who has taken the rigidities of the space-time universe for granted.'

He seemed to become aware of the tension in every person who was watching him. His eyes widened. Then he looked at Hewitt with an innocent, questioning expression, but it was Gourdy he addressed.

'What is it you want to know, Captain?'

Gourdy made a strangled sound. 'What's happening?' he asked explosively.

'The whole universe seems to be moving at millions of light-years a second.' He stopped, as though he had just realized the fantastic thing that he had said, and stood blinking. He must have been in shock, for he went on, 'I hope you will give me an opportunity to make a detailed study of the phenomenon.'

He appeared to realize, from the choleric expression on Gourdy's face, that his request was not the exciting thing for Gourdy that it was for him.

He glanced around the circle of tense, staring eyes, and his somewhat round face took on an understanding expression.

'Don't be alarmed, gentlemen! If you have some fear that the stars are going to run away from us, or that time will run out for us – don't worry. This can probably go on for billions of years.'

Again, he paused. Again, he must have realized that he was still not making a warm place for himself in the hearts of the dozen men who were watching him so grimly.

It was Hewitt who suddenly relaxed and said in a friendly tone, 'Mr. Josephs, the figure you have used – millions of light-years – indicates that we are in trouble as no human beings have ever been. At this moment I'm frightened. Are we ever going to see our own people again, and if so, how are we going to do it? This is what concerns us.'

Josephs stood stock-still, blinking. Then he said, 'Oh!' And in a subdued tone, 'The sun is only moving away from us slowly. I would venture to say that that proves that what we are witnessing is not entirely a speed phenomenon.'

Hewitt said, startled, 'But that would mean a time expansion of absolutely incredible proportions. I can't even imagine it.'

Josephs said apologetically, 'Perhaps the sooner I begin my study -'

'But where are the planets?' Gourdy yelled. 'That's what we want to know. What's happened to Earth, Mars, Venus, Jupiter and – and – the others? They aren't there.'

He was more perturbed about that than about the speed. Earth was his ultimate goal. His special situation required that he go there more slowly than the others desired.

But he wanted Earth to be there when he finally arrived.

Once more Josephs was apologetic. 'They probably are there, sir, but orbiting around the sun at such a high velocity we can't see them. I imagine that if we could look closely enough we'd see rings of light. The superspeed cameras aboard will undoubtedly be able to obtain some kind of picture.'

Gourdy said from between clenched teeth, 'Take 'em. Take the pictures, damn it, and send them to me.'

The photographs – which were delivered to Gourdy's desk later that day – showed all the planets. Josephs had appended a note:

Gourdy riffled through the photographs with impatient fingers. He was about to put them down when an oddity about one of the pictures struck him. He drew it out of the pack and stared at it with a frown.

The camera had taken a picture angling across a part of the curved outer hull of the Hope of Man. In the distance, this starry scene was of a portion of the sky. It was bright and beautiful with points of lights – thousands of distant suns. On the back of the picture, Josephs had written in connection with this part of the scene: 'Looking toward Aries, toward which the solar system is moving.'

That part was understandable, obvious.

But there was a whitish blotch across the lower part of the photograph. At that point, the curving surface of the ship was already falling away. The blotch seemed to be an extension of a condition that came up from the ship, below the range of the camera.

About this phenomenon, Josephs had noted on the back, 'I have no idea what the semicircular shape is. It looks like too much light got onto the film. In view of our unusual matter-state, I decided not to make the automatic assumption that it was merely a defect.'

Gourdy couldn't make anything out of it either. So he shrugged presently and put it aside. He felt incompetent in the face of so many unusual conditions to make any kind of a scientific judgment. But he was as convinced as ever that he was the logical person to supervise the research that would have to be done. As he saw it, the scientists would have to report to him. He would decide what to do, and when.

He said to Harcourt, who had brought the photos, 'We got plenty of scientific brains to take care of our scientific problems.'

Thus, lightly, he dismissed a situation that had no parallel in human experience.

He saw now, clearly, that this condition was the opportunity he had been seeking.

'Call everybody up to the main assembly room,' he commanded. 'See that the boys are armed, and tell 'em to act and look as if they can take care of anything and anybody.'

'You want everybody?' Harcourt asked, incredulous. 'All those guys from downstairs, too!'

'Everybody. Meeting right after dinner.'

At the meeting, Gourdy had the projectionist show the photos, and he had Clyde Josephs explain what they meant.

When that was done, Gourdy stepped forward. 'Now, folks,' he said, 'what this really means is that we won't be landing till we solve the problem. I promise this. The best scientific and engineering brains aboard will be assigned to the task and' -he indicated Hewitt, who sat in the front row below him – 'I'm sure Mr. Hewitt will contribute what he can from his overall knowledge of the ship.'

He beckoned Hewitt. 'Will you come up here, sir?' he asked graciously.

Hewitt climbed onto the stage grimly. He was disturbed by the skill with which Gourdy was manipulating the meeting in his own favor. He glanced questioningly at Gourdy.

Gourdy said courteously, 'Mr. Hewitt, will you tell all of these people how and under what conditions you came aboard?'

When Hewitt had done so, Gourdy said, 'In your opinion, is there any chance of using your method in reverse to get these people to Earth?'

Even if there was, it was the last thing that Hewitt – with his purposes – would have admitted.

Aloud he said, 'Since we don't even know exactly what happened, the answer has to be that it's impossible. I've tried to imagine the time-space condition that existed when I came aboard the Hope of Man – what, for example, was the relationship in terms of physics and chemistry between me and the ship? I cannot get a satisfactory concept. My suggestion is the same as Mr. Josephs' – that we catch up with the solar system, and then make our next move on the basis of what we observe at that time.'

Gourdy stepped forward beside Hewitt. He was smiling, but alarm bells were ringing inside him. Although he could see no harm in the actual suggestion, he suddenly suspected a conspiracy. The fact that Josephs and Hewitt had made the same recommendation seemed significant and sinister. He had a feeling that the scientists understood something that he didn't.

At the moment, he saw that he had no alternative but to accept it. He said loudly, 'I hereby authorize Mr. Hewitt and Mr. Miller to accelerate this ship to match velocities with the solar system.'

He turned to Hewitt, and with apparent openness said, 'What about the repair Mr. Lesbee was doing on the engine?'

Hewitt had already examined the engines and recognized the repair for what it was. He said smoothly, 'Only the instrument panels have been removed so far, and we should be able to replace them by the time the sleep period begins.'

'Then act!' said Gourdy in the decisive tone that he considered necessary to reassure the people of the ship at this special meeting.

Thus the assembly came to its end.

Back in his cabin, Gourdy settled into his chair with savage satisfaction and gazed up at Harcourt. 'And now,' he said, 'we've got to get rid of Hewitt. What he did there did him no good, but it was a try.'

The quick, earlier suspicion had become a solid certainty in his mind.

He added, 'Hewitt is our only danger now, since Lesbee took off.'

Thought of Lesbee made him shake his head in wonderment. 'That guy Lesbee really had a head on his shoulders. He had me figured, all right. But I'm kinda glad he got away – if he did; maybe he's lost out there in that spinning universe.' He broke off: 'Here, have a sip of this!'

Ilsa had been pouring wine while he talked. He ignored her as one might a servant. He was unaware that his attitude toward the women was changing. More and more, he treated them as if they were total nonentities.

Paying no attention to Ilsa, he said, 'Killing Hewitt should be made to look like an accident. But don't waste any time. Do it just before morning. Best thing I can think of is, make it look as if his machine short-circuited in some way and exploded.'

'That'll be pretty hard for me to put over.' Harcourt spoke doubtfully.

Gourdy was contemptuous. 'Don't be a nut. It doesn't matter how something is done, just so's you leave yourself a loophole. Something that confuses these poor dopes is all you need. And then you make it damned dangerous for anyone to be suspicious.'

There was what seemed to be a continuing resisting expression on Harcourt's face. Gourdy scowled at his henchman.

'Look– ' he said flatly, 'we've got to do it. Don't give me any argument!'

Harcourt protested, 'I'm not arguing, boss. I'm just thinking how to do it. Since you didn't take any of that stuff away from him, who knows what he's got in that space capsule. My idea is I'll just blow it up, but I'll have to see how to do it.'

Gourdy said, 'I let him keep it because I didn't want him to have any suspicion that I was going to move against him. So now we use it against him.'

'The way I've got it,' said Harcourt, more confident now, 'I'll brief some of the guys. Then I'll go down to the engine room when Miller and Hewitt start the acceleration. And I'll stick with Hewitt from that time on. I'll follow him to his room. I'll wait in the hallway outside until the other guys join me. My idea is, we'll go in some time during the last half of the sleep period and catch him in bed. O.K.?'

'Sounds perfect,' said Gourdy.

It was at that point that the woman slipped out of the room. Although she went quietly, her departure brought her to Gourdy's awareness.

He said, 'As soon as Hewitt is out of the way, I'm taking over these women. I've already had Lesbee's wife brought back. Since she didn't want to go in the first place, I decided to return her to the status of captain's wife. If that makes her happy, I can't complain.'

He gazed up at the big man cynically. 'Now listen, I'm giving each of you fellows permission to take on a second woman. I warn you, though. Don't just grab one. Tell the men to look over a few and then come to me. We'll decide between us which one. We can't monkey with the wives of men we need, and there'd be trouble if somebody took one of the young girls. But we'll figure it out and keep it damn secret for a while.'

Harcourt's eyes were glistening. 'That fellow, Tellier – his wife! Can I have her?'

'She's yours – after tomorrow,' said Gourdy, casually. 'Now, get!'

Harcourt got.