J McKenna: Slave Planet

The crowd broke up. Most followed Niktus and Keltar back to the village with the Earth captives, while about a third loped after the other women.

Ahead, Kate was happy to see the tactic worked. She looked back and counted a dozen or so men running after them. “Set your phasers on heavy stun,” she said. “Let’s not fuck around with these bastards any more. Ally, you pilot. Greta, you stand with me to hold them off.”

Greta started to object. As commander of the away team, she should be allowed to remain pilot. Wisely, she kept her mouth shut, remembering the accident that caused all the problems.

When they reached the bobsled, Ally yanked open the canopy and pulled out the bulky space suits covering the rear seats. These would have to stay behind. There would be no time to don the constricting garments. She jumped into the pilot’s seat and started takeoff procedures.

Kate and Greta faced the advancing crowd. As soon as they were in range, they fired. Two, then four men fell. The rest scattered. Some picked up rocks, but the range made it difficult for them to get a throw off before they were zapped. In seconds, the crowd was routed.

“Come on! We’re ready to go!” Ally shouted.

The officers jumped into the rear seats and strapped themselves in. The humanoids who were still standing began to drift closer, only to shy back when the big engine fired. Kate reached up and slammed the canopy shut just as the bobsled started its run. With flaps on maximum, the craft soon lifted off and rocketed into the sky.

“Yahoo!” Greta shouted. “I was never so glad to leave a place!” Her exuberance shut down immediately, as the realization hit her that they had left their friends behind. “Can we go back for them, captain?”

Kate shook her head. “No. Beth was right. We must think of the overall mission. If we tried to go back, we’d probably get ourselves in trouble again. No, we must go home. NASA is sending another ship out for them.”

No one said anything for a while after that. There was really nothing to say.

The pod raced up through the atmosphere. In minutes, the deep black of space filled the canopy. Kate shivered as the cold cut through the thin metal skin. “Too bad we didn’t have time to put on our spacesuits,” she murmured. She was worried about what they had left behind. Besides the suits and the pod, they'd left Beth’s medical kit, the Utes and a couple of radios. Strange devices to the natives. She hoped it wouldn’t cause the humanoids to turn on Beth and Jorja, accuse them of black magic.

Soon, the comforting shape of the Letanya came into view. They docked and waited for the air to return to the docking chamber. When the canopy rose, it was a somber group of astronauts that climbed out.

They walked single file down the corridor to their cabins, where they donned clothes. Allyson and Greta felt strange having coveralls on again, but neither spoke of it. Within a few minutes, they were all on the bridge. Without thinking, Kate flicked on the main screen, letting the transponders overlay the camera image of the village. Two yellow dots were moving down one of the streets leading to the square, surrounded by dozens of humanoids. They watched in silence for a few minutes.

“I’ll tell you one thing, captain,” Ally finally said. “The next ship that NASA builds is going to have pods big enough for all the crewmen at once.”

Heads nodded. They were so close to getting them all out!

Kate checked the board and found two messages waiting. Sighing, she called them up in order. “Care to watch your captain get fired?”

Hunter’s mottled face appeared on the large screen. “Houston, calling Letanya . I’ve given you a direct order, Captain Dyson. I want you to return with the ship immediately. Under no circumstances are you to use an escape pod in that risky manner. We’re sending another ship to your location with a complement of Marines and it can reach them within six to eight months. I want you to acknowledge this message as soon as you get it. I don’t think I need remind you of the effect this kind of insubordination could have on your career. This is Houston, over and out.”

Silence settled again over the trio. Kate checked the logs. As she had anticipated, that message had been received just ten minutes after she had jettisoned away in the pod. The second message had been received a full day later.

“Well, we’ve got one more. No doubt this will be my official dismissal.” She brought up the other message onscreen.

The smiling face of John Phillips filled the screen. Kate’s brow furrowed. She had expected Hunter again.

“U.S.S. Letanya , this is Houston. I hope you get this message, captain. It’s important. When word got out about Admiral Hunter’s orders to you to abandon your crewmates and head for home, the reaction was swift and overwhelming. The general consensus was, ‘American astronauts do not leave their buddies behind.’ The country rose up with one voice and backed your decision to go down to the planet, despite the risks. The president removed Hunter from his post just four hours ago and has put me in charge of the mission until you return.”

Kate had trouble believing what she was hearing. She heard a soft “All riiiight!” from Ally as they strained to hear the rest.

“We all hope and pray that you succeeded. We’re sending another two ships to you now. The U.S.S. Saratoga will arrive in six months, the Sovereign a month later. The Saratoga contains a boatload of Marines just itching to free your crew women. Scientists are aboard the Sovereign, ready to study the planet and it’s people. If you hear this message, please respond if you can. The entire country is waiting to hear from you. This is Houston, over and out.”

A ragged cheer went up from Ally and Greta. Kate was simply too emotionally drained to react. She took a few minutes to compose herself, then gave her crew women a thin smile. “Well, I think we’d better check in. I only wish we could’ve rescued them all.”

Kate asked Ally and Greta to stand behind her as she dialed up the radio-telescope. “Houston, this is Letanya . Three of us are back aboard ship. As you can see, Commander Egerton and Mission Commander Hanson are safe. Hanson did suffer some injuries, but they are not considered serious. It was a risky operation, I admit. We were successful in getting all five crew members away from the village, but unfortunately, we had to leave Dr. Reyes and Lt. Commander Smith behind. They have been taken back into the village by the humanoids.”

She paused, blinking back tears. “With the personnel and equipment we have, I’m not sure another rescue attempt will be successful. These humanoids are aggressive and strong and aren’t intimidated by our display of modern technology. I’m willing to try, but after our close call, I’m afraid if we go back, we could be recaptured. Please advise us as to what course of action you recommend. This is Letanya , over and out.”

She turned to the others. “You can send personal messages while we wait. If you prefer, you can record them in your quarters.” They both nodded and left the bridge. Kate sat alone, wondering what ordeals the astronauts were going through down on the surface. Were they being beaten? Raped? Maybe even executed?

Kate put her head in her hands and cried.

NASA agreed with the captain. Don’t risk another rescue attempt, she was told. “You are ordered to come home, Letanya ,” Phillips said gently. “Everyone here knows that you’d like to stay in orbit. But you know that you’d have to go into cryosleep anyway to conserve air and food, so you wouldn’t be any help to Dr. Reyes or Lt. Commander Smith. And after you woke up long enough to watch the Saratoga rescue your friends, you’d face another seven months of sleep to get home. Cryosleep isn’t recommended for such long periods. There really isn’t any more you can do for your friends. Please come home. Houston, over and out.”