he hit the dirt once more.
He didn’t feel like getting up again. He tried it twice and failed. The third time he was cunning. He told himself he was just playing a game, conned himself into crouching, then stretched suddenly. He went out like a light.
Next thing he knew, there was a great metal monster standing over him. A giant. A fantastic creature, vaguely humanoid in form. A colossus.
“What the hell are you?” he asked faintly.
He felt he ought to know the voice that answered. It was vaguely familiar, but he was just too tired to identify it.
“Boss, I am the resurrection and the life. Take it easy. You have had a hard day.”
Then great metal hands came down and scooped Conrad up as if he were a baby.
“Rest easy, Boss,” said the strangely familiar voice. “You’ve had a rough time. Don’t worry yourself no more. Bang on schedule, de U.S. cavalry has come over de hill.”
Kwango!
Conrad was immensely pleased that he had finally identified the voice. Kwango in an exo-skeleton.
Commander James Conrad uttered a great sigh and went peacefully to sleep.
Stage Three
SHOWDOWN
Phase One
THE IMPORTANT PATIENT
The first thing Conrad saw when he opened his eyes was the face of Lieutenant Smith. Her white hair was a bit disordered, but she looked beautiful. He had a feeling of deja vu .
“Good morning, James. I hope you had a good sleep. I have filled you full of anti-biotics and set the arm properly. I had to do a bit of fancy needlework also, but it will hardly show. You were in quite a state.”
“How did Kwango find me?”
She shrugged. “You know Kurt. The Gods gave him too many talents—fortunately for us. He worked out some kind of search pattern based on your probably flight-path, harnessed himself in the exo and departed at thirty knots. You have seen what he can do in an exo-skeleton. Be thankful.”
“I am.”
“Now for the bad news. I have assumed temporary command of the Santa Maria . It is entered in the log and countersigned by Kwango. All legal. I shall retain command until, in my judgment, you are a fit person. Understood, Commander?”
Bloody woman! Now he knew it really was deja vu . It had happened on Kratos also. Only there he had smashed himself up having a go at the death worms.
“Understood, Commander?” she repeated with an edge of hardness in her voice.
He sighed. “Understood—Commander.” His head was clear and he felt fit enough to get up and resume duty. But what the hell use was that if she was backed up by Kwango? She would only get Kurt to hold him down while she shot a needleful of sleep-juice into him. She was that kind of woman. “How long is the sentence this time?”
Indira smiled. “Three days if you are lucky.”
“Do I get any remission for good behaviour?”
“I’ll think about it. Meanwhile, do you feel fit enough to explain how you, an experienced pilot, managed to smash the chopper?”
“I do.”
At that moment Kwango came into the cabin. “So the good Commander is alive and well… Boss, you have been a very naughty boy. If you don’t behave yourself, the Lieutenant and I are not going to let you play with any more expensive toys for quite a while. And how do you like that?”
“I don’t. Thanks for picking me up, Kurt, but spare me the funnies.”
“How came you to bust the chopper—drunken driving?”
“Kurt, my prosthetic arm is still O.K. Remember that.”
Kwango laughed. “Right, Commander. Now tell it like it was.”
Conrad remembered vividly all that had happened. He recounted the sequence of events concisely, accurately.
When he had finished, Kwango let out a low whistle. “So the rings can knock out atomic engines, control systems, radio communications.”
“So it would appear. We haven’t discovered much about
Tantalus so far; but what we have discovered is rather unnerving… How long have I been out, by the way?”
“About thirty hours,” said Indira. “I could have let you
He didn’t feel like getting up again. He tried it twice and failed. The third time he was cunning. He told himself he was just playing a game, conned himself into crouching, then stretched suddenly. He went out like a light.
Next thing he knew, there was a great metal monster standing over him. A giant. A fantastic creature, vaguely humanoid in form. A colossus.
“What the hell are you?” he asked faintly.
He felt he ought to know the voice that answered. It was vaguely familiar, but he was just too tired to identify it.
“Boss, I am the resurrection and the life. Take it easy. You have had a hard day.”
Then great metal hands came down and scooped Conrad up as if he were a baby.
“Rest easy, Boss,” said the strangely familiar voice. “You’ve had a rough time. Don’t worry yourself no more. Bang on schedule, de U.S. cavalry has come over de hill.”
Kwango!
Conrad was immensely pleased that he had finally identified the voice. Kwango in an exo-skeleton.
Commander James Conrad uttered a great sigh and went peacefully to sleep.
Stage Three
SHOWDOWN
Phase One
THE IMPORTANT PATIENT
The first thing Conrad saw when he opened his eyes was the face of Lieutenant Smith. Her white hair was a bit disordered, but she looked beautiful. He had a feeling of deja vu .
“Good morning, James. I hope you had a good sleep. I have filled you full of anti-biotics and set the arm properly. I had to do a bit of fancy needlework also, but it will hardly show. You were in quite a state.”
“How did Kwango find me?”
She shrugged. “You know Kurt. The Gods gave him too many talents—fortunately for us. He worked out some kind of search pattern based on your probably flight-path, harnessed himself in the exo and departed at thirty knots. You have seen what he can do in an exo-skeleton. Be thankful.”
“I am.”
“Now for the bad news. I have assumed temporary command of the Santa Maria . It is entered in the log and countersigned by Kwango. All legal. I shall retain command until, in my judgment, you are a fit person. Understood, Commander?”
Bloody woman! Now he knew it really was deja vu . It had happened on Kratos also. Only there he had smashed himself up having a go at the death worms.
“Understood, Commander?” she repeated with an edge of hardness in her voice.
He sighed. “Understood—Commander.” His head was clear and he felt fit enough to get up and resume duty. But what the hell use was that if she was backed up by Kwango? She would only get Kurt to hold him down while she shot a needleful of sleep-juice into him. She was that kind of woman. “How long is the sentence this time?”
Indira smiled. “Three days if you are lucky.”
“Do I get any remission for good behaviour?”
“I’ll think about it. Meanwhile, do you feel fit enough to explain how you, an experienced pilot, managed to smash the chopper?”
“I do.”
At that moment Kwango came into the cabin. “So the good Commander is alive and well… Boss, you have been a very naughty boy. If you don’t behave yourself, the Lieutenant and I are not going to let you play with any more expensive toys for quite a while. And how do you like that?”
“I don’t. Thanks for picking me up, Kurt, but spare me the funnies.”
“How came you to bust the chopper—drunken driving?”
“Kurt, my prosthetic arm is still O.K. Remember that.”
Kwango laughed. “Right, Commander. Now tell it like it was.”
Conrad remembered vividly all that had happened. He recounted the sequence of events concisely, accurately.
When he had finished, Kwango let out a low whistle. “So the rings can knock out atomic engines, control systems, radio communications.”
“So it would appear. We haven’t discovered much about
Tantalus so far; but what we have discovered is rather unnerving… How long have I been out, by the way?”
“About thirty hours,” said Indira. “I could have let you
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