Kenneth Gantz - Not in Solitude

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Not in Solitude: краткое содержание, описание и аннотация

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MURDER ON THE “FAR VENTURE”
Nose pointed skyward, the Far Venture rested on the barren soil of Mars, poised for take-off. Outside, a party of scientists had wandered from the ship into the mysterious lichen forests and disappeared. Inside, the 125 man crew of military and civilian specialists seethed with conflict and tensions. An alien intelligence seemed to be interfering with the ship’s rocket engines and nuclear activator. And, into this explosive situation, suddenly comes—murder.
It was a race against the clock and Dane had to make a fast decision. Colonel Cragg, the C.O. of the USAF spacecraft Far Venture, was ready to write off the party of scientists who had strayed from the ship and seemingly disappeared. The crew of civilian and military specialists were poised for the nuclear blast-off that should take this first Martian mission back to Earth.
But Dane had seen the curious spark fires that flashed across the sands from the mysterious lichen beds. Dane believed they were the signals of some alien form of life and that the scientists were still alive…
He had to prove his theory, even if it meant clashing with the military brass and placing his own life in danger. For unless they understood the nature of what he believed to be a hostile, threatening force and took steps against it—none of them might ever see the planet Earth again…
Here are all the ingredients for a first-rate science fiction thriller, written with the authenticity that only a man close to our nation’s space program could give it. cite —Montreal Star cite —Air Force Times cite —Air Force News Service

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Noel appeared at the thick door of the command post, his dark, squeezed features at last showing the strain of red eyes and slackened mouth. He nodded at Dane. “I want to talk to you.”

Dane followed him around the passage to the commander’s quarters. “How is the colonel today?” he asked, feeling himself an intruder among Cragg’s vacated gadgets.

Noel pointed at a chair. “I’ll get to that later.” He sat his small body neatly down at the desk. “I want a complete briefing from you on this idea you have about a microscopic civilization here.” There was a tint of contempt to his directness.

“Lieutenant Yudin must have made his report,” Dane commented.

Noel picked up Cragg’s straightedge and waved it Cragg-like. “I expect prompt reports from my officers and men. Also from the civilians on board concerning anything related to our mission. I know you know that our biologist hasn’t found any microscopic organisms on this planet, not a single kind, except those we brought along ourselves aboard the spacecraft.”

Noel’s familiar face was suddenly strange. Dane paused, sensing a taut remoteness about the man that struck him all at once with the born authoritarian, the dedicated man. As a commander Colonel Cragg had been tough and hard; this man would be rigid. Undeviating from whatever line he might draw. With full command on his shoulders this was not the same man.

“I am. I am well aware of it,” he said finally.

“So you think the biologist is wrong.”

“I don’t know. I do know there are keenly intelligent beings here. So far they have remained invisible to us. Either by design, or because they are remote, or because our eyesight doesn’t pick them up. I was just speculating about microscopic beings. This is a large planet. We have explored only a tiny part of it firsthand. Forms of life are confined to certain zones on Earth, why not here? I also have other speculations. You must have some yourself. Have you considered the possibility of intelligent forces? Charges and potentials similar to electrical activations, for example? What about the spark fires? They could be something more than static discharges. Maybe in some way we haven’t imagined they are what we call alive.”

Noel’s eyes slid into his and locked. “An hour ago I was told you had a record for imagination, but don’t try to make a fool out of me with a bunch of wild ideas. I want to know two things. First, what you really know, if anything. Second, why have you been feeding Lieutenant Yudin a lot of stuff and nonsense?”

“What’s the matter, Major? Your nerves acting up?” Dane said bluntly.

Noel laid down the straightedge carefully, feeling for the desk top, his hard eyes unswerving, staring at him as if a steel circle held the two of them immovably together.

Then a change, almost of friendliness, came over him. The official mask relaxed. “Maybe,” he said. “I don’t want to be peremptory with you, Dr. Dane. And I don’t expect any man to take it lying down if I am. I lost two men this afternoon and two friends. I can’t forget that I am at least temporarily responsible for an important mission of the United States Air Force that includes the safe return of this spacecraft and all aboard. Both that mission and our return are mysteriously endangered. I’ve got to know anything you might have learned or what you might really suspect about these messages we have been receiving. First of all, I’ve got to know why you’re so sure they aren’t just faked someway.”

Dane thought a minute. “Well, in the first place, we would have to assume somebody aboard has capabilities we don’t know about ourselves. Before they could fake the pictogram symbols, for example, and tap them to a radar screen. That’s a pretty big assumption right there. And all because somebody’s crazy? That’s not enough for me either. Why go to all that assumption, just because it’s hard to believe there are intelligent Martians on what we call a desert planet?”

Noel listened without interruption, with the skill of a man accustomed to detailed, factual briefings. Dane began at the beginning. He sketched in the background of the number table he had put together and explained the means it gave for reply to the Martians. He wrote down the symbols for the sentences he had solved, ending with the one that queried, “What are men?”

“With your permission,” he went on, “I want to state again that I have had nothing to do either with the stoppage of the drive or with the attack on Colonel Cragg. I want my release from arrest. I want to answer these signals, and I want unrestricted opportunity to build up a vocabulary of symbols for the possibility of detailed communication. We are on the verge of one of the great events of human history. We have made first contact with minds from another world. The significance of that contact dwarfs everything else connected with this voyage. And everything else in our century. Even the fact of this interplanetary flight itself.”

Noel said, “If you are right, there are two things that we’ve got to do—not just one. If there really are Martians, we’ve got to find out who and what they are. We’ve to find out how advanced a civilization they have, and especially if they are any threat to Earth on future flights here. But second, and this is the one that counts, we’ve got to get the information back to Earth. To do that, we’ve got to get off this planet.”

He smiled frostily. “I’m going to release you from arrest. You will give your full attention to developing friendly communication with the Martians, if any. I won’t say I’m ready to agree with you that there are. But I’m going to follow through with you. For a working assumption, at least. I’ve got to. You will exercise your activity through Lieutenant Yudin. He’ll be instructed to give you all the help we can.”

Dane stood up, exultant despite a thought about how imprisonment scars a man’s independence. Suddenly angry with his joy, he had to say it. “Am I to take it you’ve decided I’m clear? Or is it just that you need my help?”

“It looks like you’re doing better with the messages than the rest of the staff. But there’s one thing you can take for sure,” Noel snapped. “You’re not my candidate for the man who stuck that knife in the colonel. If you were, you’d rot before I’d turn you lose.”

The lips tightened again. The mask was back. “One thing more I want you to understand. You civilians are on board as technical experts and advisers. You are not to interfere in any way with the operation of this spacecraft or the duties of its crew.”

Dane said, “Have it anyway you like. I’m not looking for a medal.”

“Good.”

“Since you’ve been so thoughtful as to clear me of suspicion of attempted murder, you have somebody else in mind?”

“I didn’t say you were clear of suspicion. I said I didn’t think you did it. You ought to know who I’ve got in mind. I understand you’ve already put in your yell about it.”

Dane grunted his disgust. “You’d better wash your face on that one. It’s really out on a limb! Dr. Pembroke couldn’t do such a thing, no matter what condition he was in. Mentally or otherwise.” He struggled to hold his voice level. “I’ll tell you what I told your stooge Yudin. There’s a murderer on this ship. And if he tried for Colonel Cragg once, he’ll probably try again.”

“You ought to be glad I take Pembroke for my man. How-ever”—Noel shrugged—“Colonel Cragg is not so sure about Pembroke.”

“Cragg!” Dane exclaimed. “I thought he was still out.”

Noel shook his head. “Negative. He revived enough to say a few words last night and he’s better this morning.”

“Well,” Dane shot at him impatiently, “that ought to settle it. Who did he say it was?”

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