Andre Norton - The Science Fiction anthology

My officers sprang to obey orders, and I paced restlessly up and down the room, thinking. Just as the Ertak settled softly to earth, Correy returned with his prisoner. Two men stood on guard with drawn atomic pistols at the door.

“What’s the meaning of this indignity, sir?” flared Tipene. He had dressed hurriedly, and was by no means an imposing spectacle. He drew himself up to his full height, and tried to look domineering, but there was fear in his eyes. “I shall report you—”

“You’ll do no reporting, Tipene,” I broke in coldly. “I’ll do the reporting. You see, we know all about your little plan to desert your comrades, held by the Aranians as hostages, and to grasp all the glory of your findings for yourself. But—the plan doesn’t work. We’re going back.”

Tipene’s face drained a dirty yellow—a Zenian can never be actually pale.

“You ... how....” he floundered.

“A menore, under your pillow,” I explained crisply. “But that doesn’t matter, now. You will guide us to the spot where you found the Aranian city, and establish communication with the Aranians. When that’s done, I’ll give you further orders.”

“And if I won’t?” breathed Tipene, his teeth clenched in a shaking rage.

“But you will. Otherwise, we’ll permit you to continue your explorations on this interesting little sphere—minus your protective suit.”

Tipene stared at me with horror-stricken eyes. I think he saw that I meant exactly what I said—and I was not bluffing.

“I—I’ll do it,” he said.

“Then watch the river carefully,” I ordered. “Kincaide, lift her just enough so we can get a good view of the river. Tipene will tell you where to set her down.”

Navigating visually, Kincaide followed the winding course of the river, covering in a few minutes a distance it had taken the scientists a day to navigate.

“There—there is the place,” said Tipene suddenly. “Just this side of the patch of vegetation.”

“Very good. And remember what happens if you play any tricks,” I nodded grimly. “Descend to within a few yards of the ground, Mr. Kincaide; we’ll drop Tipene through the trap.”

Correy hurried the prisoner away, and I ordered the trap in the bottom of the Ertak’s hull to be opened.

“Now,” I informed Tipene, “we’ll let you down and you will establish communication with the Aranians. Tell them you have brought back, not tribute, but an enemy powerful enough to blast their entire city out of existence. It will be a simple matter for you to picture what an atomic grenade or one of the ship’s rays will do. We’ll arrange a little demonstration, if they’re not convinced. And tell them that if they don’t want to be wiped out, to bring Inverness and Brady to us, unharmed, as fast as their eight long legs will manage.”

“They won’t do it,” whined Tipene. “They were very angry over the killing of those others. I’m just risking my life without the possibility of gain.”

“You obey my orders, or you go down and stay there,” I said abruptly. “Which?”

“I’ll do as you say,” he said, and the cage dropped with him swiftly.

As soon as he was on the ground he reached up and adjusted his menore, peering around anxiously. For several minutes nothing happened, and then, the length of the ship away, one of the great trap-doors flew open. Out of it came one of the spiders, not rust-red like those we had seen, but faded to a dirty yellow. Close behind him were two of the rust-red Aranians, which fell in one on each side of the yellow chap.

The first Aranian, I presumed—and rightly—was one of the old learned members of the race. As he scuttled closer to the cowering Tipene, I saw that, amidst the bristles which covered his head and thorax, was a menore.

The three great spiders approached the ship warily, watching it constantly with huge, glittering eyes. A safe distance away they paused, and the old one fixed his attention on Tipene.

Evidently, what Tipene emanated caused the old fellow to become very angry; I could see his legs quivering, and his withered old mandibles fairly clattered.

“He says he won’t do it!” Tipene called up to me, excitedly. “Says we can’t reach them underground, and that they’ll kill their hostages if we try to harm them.”

“Ask him if there are any tunnels between the ship and the river,” I commanded. “We’ll demonstrate what we can do if he harms Inverness and Brady.”

The two were in silent communion for a moment, and Tipene looked up and shook his head.

“No,” he shouted. “No tunnels there. The water would seep into them.”

“Then tell him to watch!”

I stepped back and pressed an attention signal.

“Mr. Hendricks?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Open up with the starboard tube, full power, concentrated beam, at any spot halfway between here and the river. At once.”

“At once, sir!”

The ray generators hummed instantly, their note deepening a moment later. The ray bit into the dry, sandy soil, boring steadily into the earth, making an opening over twice the height of a man in diameter.

The fine, reddish-brown dust of disintegration hung swirling above the mouth of the tunnel at first, and then, as the ray cut deeper into the earth, settled quickly and disappeared.

“Cease operation, Mr. Hendricks!” I commanded. “Keep the generators on, and stand by for further orders.”

As soon as Hendricks’ quick acknowledgment came back, I called down to Tipene.

“Tell your friend to inspect the little hole we drilled,” I said. “Tell him to crawl down into it, if he wishes to see how deep it is. And then inform him that we have several ray tubes like this one, and that if he does not immediately produce his hostages, unharmed, we’ll rise above his city and blast out a crater big enough to bury the Ertak .”

Tipene nodded and communicated with the aged Aranian, who had cowered from the shaft in the earth disintegrated by our ray, and who now, very cautiously, approached it, flanked by his two far from eager guards.

At the lip of the slanting tunnel he paused, peered downward, and then, circling cautiously, approached the lidded tunnel whence he had emerged.

“He agrees,” Tipene called up sullenly. “He will deliver Inverness and Brady to us. But we must come and get them; he says they have barricaded themselves in one of the cubicles, and will not permit any Aranian to approach. They still have their atomic pistols; the Aranians did not realize they were weapons.”

“Very well; tell him a party from the ship will be ready in a few seconds. You will go with us as interpreter; you understand how to communicate with them.”

Ipressed Correy’s attention signal and he answered instantly.

“Pick five good men for a landing party, two of them portable disintegrator ray operators, with equipment. The others will be provided with ethon lamps, pistols, and atomic grenades. Get the men to the trap as quickly as possible, please.”

“Immediately, sir!”

I had the cage drawn up, and by the time I had secured my own equipment and returned, Correy was waiting with his men.

“One second, Mr. Correy, and we’ll leave,” I said, calling the navigating room. “Mr. Kincaide, I’m leaving you in command. We are going into the Aranian city to pick up Inverness and Brady. I anticipate no trouble, and if there is no trouble, we shall return within an hour. If we are not back within three hours, blast this entire area with atomic grenades, and riddle it with the rays. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir,” said Kincaide.

“And then proceed immediately to Base and report. I have made an entry in the log regarding this expedition, as official evidence, if needed.”