Planet Of No Return

4: D-Day Minus One

“I’ll draw up a list of recommendations at once,” Klart said, entering a series of commands into his personal terminal. The calmness of his manner indicating that he could no longer be surprised by anything a field agent did or said. Lea did not share his attitude.

“Brion Brandd — anyone who says anything like that must be insane. Carver, see that he is locked up at once.”

Carver nodded. “Lea is right. You can’t just walk around unarmed in this sort of situation, on a deadly planet like this one. It would be suicide.”

“Would it? Did all the machines and weapons help the two men who went before me? Marcill just vanished — but we now have a very good idea of what happened to him. And we know exactly what that killing machine did to Hartig. If you don’t mind, I don’t really want to go the way they went. It’s personal survival, not suicide that I’m thinking about. Before you make a decision I want you to consider two simple facts. Do you remember how Hartig died? The war machine came straight at him, targeted onto him by his radio or his weaponry. It detected him and destroyed him. Am I right?”

“So far,” Lea said. “Is that fact number one?”

“It is. Hartig was detected and destroyed. Fact two are the animals. You will remember that Hartig described them just after he landed. In the distance, bounding away.”

“And the relevance of these two pieces of information?” Carver asked.

“It’s obvious,” Lea told him. “The animals were alive and unbothered by the war machines. While Hartig was killed by them. So nature boy here is going to become an animal and prowl around on foot to sniff out the situation.”

“That’s insanity,” Carver said. “I cannot permit it.”

“You cannot stop it. Your responsibility ended when you got us here. I’m in command of the operation now. Lea stays with the lifeship in orbit. I land by myself.”

“I take back what I said,” Lea told them. “It’s a sound plan. At least for a Winner of the Twenties.” She saw Carver’s blank gaze and laughed. “They couldn’t have briefed you very well. Carver, if you didn’t know that Brion is a world-wide hero. His home planet — which is one of the most uncomfortable in the galaxy — has an annual competition that is not only physical but mental. Twenty different events — everything from fencing to poetry composition, weightlifting to chess. It must be the most gruelling contest that ever existed, an exhausting demonstration of both physical and intellectual skills. You can ask Brion the details, but the result is an incredible sporting event that has only a single Winner at the end of the year’s contests. Can you imagine a year-long athletic contest in which everyone on a planet participates? If you can absorb that — just think what the single victor of that contest must be like. If your imagination balks at that — why then just look at Brion here. He is one of those Winners. Whatever is causing the trouble on Selm-II — there is a very good chance that he will be able to take it on. And win.”

Carver clumped over and dropped into a deep chair, the crutch falling by his side. “I believe you,” he said. “Not that it makes any difference. As you said, what happens from now on is your responsibility. You’re correct, I’m out of it. All I can do now is wish you good luck. Klart will see that you have everything that you might need.”

“Here is a list of recommendations,” Klart said, tearing a sheet from the printer and handing it over. Lea took it before Brion could.

“I’ll be loafing about in the lifeship while you are on the surface, so taking care of the outfitting is my responsibility. You go do some pushups or take some anabolic steroids or whatever it is you do before a fight and I’ll sort this out.”

“What I do is I relax,” Brion said. “Prepare myself mentally for what is to come.”

“Well you just go and do that. I’ll let you see the final list for approval before I order the equipment.”

“No, you don’t have to do that. I leave that up to you and the experts. Just see that the outfitting is as complete as possible. I’ll need some special equipment, but I’ll arrange for that myself. All that I want right now is a detailed copy of the planetary survey. And a quiet spot to look at it.”

“You have private quarters,” Klart told him. “You’ll find all the information you want waiting for you in the terminal there.”

“Good. How soon can the equipment we need be readied?”

“Two, three hours in the most.”

“We’ll take ten. I want to sleep first. “He looked at the distant planet again. “As soon as we have rested and are equipped I want to board our lifeship and put it into a low orbit, then take a closer look at the planet’s surface. I’m very interested in just exactly what kind of animals those were that Hartig saw.”

Brion had been deeply asleep when Lea opened the door, but he awoke instantly. She hesitated, blinking into the darkness, and he called out to her. “Come in. I’ll turn on the light.”

“Do you usually sleep with all your clothes on?” she asked. “And your boots as well?”

“It’s called establishing a body image.” He drew a large glass of water from the dispenser and sipped at it. “I’ll be living in these clothes for some days, so they must be accepted as a part of my body. My body and my reflexes are my major defence, my most important weapon. I will be taking a knife as well. I have considered it carefully and I think the defence it will offer will be worth the gamble of taking it with me.”

“What knife — and what gamble? I don’t understand.”

“The knife will have to be made of a mineral. It will be the only exception, the only object not of completely natural origin. These clothes are made of vegetable fibres, their buttons are carved from bone. My boots are of leather made from animal hide, sewn and glued together. I have no metal, nor do I wear anything made of artificial fibres.”

“Not even the fillings in your teeth?” she asked, smiling.

“No, not even them.” Brion was unsmiling and deadly serious. “All of the metallic fillings have been removed and have been replaced with ceramic inlays. The closer I resemble any other creature in the natural environment, the safer I will be. That is why the knife is a calculated risk.” He turned so she could see the leather scabbard suspended at his side. From it he drew the long and transparent weapon and held it out for her inspection.

“It looks like glass. Is that what it is?”

He shook his head. “No, plasteel. A form of silicon that resembles glass in some ways, but it is stronger by a factor of one hundred since the molecules have been realigned to form a single giant crystal. It is virtually unbreakable and has an edge that will never dull. Since it is silicon, like sand, it should resemble sand to any detection apparatus. That is why I am taking the chance of having it with me.”

Lea watched in silence as Brion put the weapon carefully away, arched his fingers, then stretched like a great cat. She could see the movement of his muscles beneath the fabric of his clothing, was aware of his strength that was more than something simply physical.

“I have a feeling that you can do it,” she said. “I doubt if anyone else could, not anyone else in this entire spiral galaxy. Of course I still think that the whole thing is pretty insane — although I also think that it is probably the best chance we have of finding out what is happening down there.”

His reactions were so fast; it was something she had never become accustomed to. His arms were around her before she realized that he had moved; the strength in his hands like steel inside flesh. He kissed her quickly then stepped away. “Thank you. With your understanding and belief I am more prepared now to do what must be done. Let’s go to the ship.”

There was no ceremony involved in their departure. While Lea checked the loading lists, Brion talked to the chief navigation officer, who then computed and filed a number of orbits into the lifeship’s computer for them. When the preparatory work had been done, and all the checklists completed, they sealed the hatch. As soon as the signal was received that they were ready, the computer started the program that dropped them free of the mother ship. Gas jets flared to rotate the lifeship, then the main engines fired to put them into the designated orbit. Selm-II grew larger and larger on the screen before them.

“You’re frightened,” Brion said, covering her cold hand with his large one.

“It doesn’t take an empathetic to figure that one out,” she said, shivering and drawing close to him. “This operation may have looked good on paper — but the closer we get to that planet of no return down there the more worried I get. Two good men, both of them contact experts, have been killed down there. The same thing is very likely to happen to us.”

“I don’t think so. We are tar better prepared than they were. And it is their sacrifice that has supplied us with the information that we will need to survive. There’s nothing to be concerned about at this time. You must force yourself to relax, to conserve your energy and resources for the moment when they will be needed. What we must do now is establish a low orbit and do a complete survey before looking for a place to set down. Until that time there is no danger.”

The computer broke in, giving instant lie to his words.

“I have an atmospheric craft under observation. Its present course will pass beneath ours. Should I display?”

“Yes.”

A small dot appeared on the screen moving slowly from left to right.

“Enlarge the image.”

The moving speck swelled and became a thin metallic dart with swept-back wings. “What is its speed?” Brion asked, and a display appeared on the screen. “Mach 2.6. An advanced supersonic design, product of a highly developed technological culture. At that speed it will have limited fuel. If we can keep it in sight, we might be able to see where it lands.”

Lea finished the sentence for him. “And we also may stand a good chance of finding out just what is happening on this planet.”

“Exactly …”

The image of the aircraft on the screen tilted upon one wing and dived sharply; the computer spoke in the same instant.

“There is a digital radio broadcast emanating from the displayed plane. I am recording.”

The image on the screen disappeared in a sudden explosion of flame. “What caused that blowup?” Brion said.

“A surface to air missile. I detected its course just before the explosion.”

Brion nodded grimly. “That aircraft must have detected it as well, that’s why it took the sudden evasive action.”

“And that broadcast — is it possible that the crew of the plane sent it out?”

“Yes, of course! If it was a scout ship it was in that particular area for some reason. When it was fired upon they took evasive action while reporting back to their base. And unless I am mistaken — here comes the response now.” Brion pointed to the track suddenly displayed on the screen. “A ballistic missile, probably targeted on the ground defence missile site below. The war is still going on. So we know two more places where we don’t want to go.”

“The target site below — where something has just blown up with a spectacular explosion — and also the place where that missile was launched from that did all the damage.”

“Exactly. Until we know what is happening on this planet we want to stay as far away as possible from any war zones. Now let’s see if we can find some of those animals that Hartig spotted. We can be reasonably sure that they will keep well away from any battles or moving machinery. They took off when Hartig’s ship landed, and I imagine they will stay as far away as possible from anything mechanical.

They found the site they were looking for on the eastern shore of the gigantic lake that they named the Central Sea. Moving dots were scattered over the grass plains that stretched from the foothills all the way to the lake shore. Under the highest resolution of the electronic telescope, it could be seen that these were grazing animals of some kind. The location of the herd was recorded as well as other herds along the shore. There appeared to be predators as well; they saw one group fleeing in panic from what appeared to be larger and faster pursuers. But in all their searching they found absolutely no sign at all of any kind of civilization.

“That’s the area where I would like to drop,” Brion said. “On the plain where all the herds are.”

“What do you mean when you say ‘drop’? Aren’t we going to land this lifeship?”

“No. That’s the last thing we want to do. You saw what happened to that aircraft. We don’t want to get into radar range and alert their missiles. So I am going to compute a ballistic orbit that will drop me into the atmosphere at the correct spot.”

“Won’t it hurt just a little bit when you burn up, after impacting all that air waiting for you down there?”

Brion smiled. “I appreciate your concern. I’ll be wearing a gravchute that will slow my fall. I’ve also removed all of the unessential metal fittings from the pressure suit, even substituted a plastic oxygen tank. There is only the slightest chance that I can be detected by ground radar — particularly since the area we have picked seems to be clear of constructions of any kind. As soon as I hit the ground I’ll get rid of the gravchute along with the rest of the space gear.”

“But you’ll be stranded!”

“Hardly. I’ll be in communication with you.”

“Will you? Then you have invented an all-plastic radio?” Her attempt at humour failed dismally; there was only concern in her voice now.

“I intend to use these,” Brion said, pulling a length of collared cloth from the pack at his side. “I’ve worked out a simple code. When I spread these panels on the ground you’ll be able to see them clearly from space. As soon as I am down and it is daylight, I will lay out a message for you. As I move about I’ll send you regular messages so you will know everything that is happening.”

“It’s dangerous …”

“Everything about this operation is dangerous. But there is no other way that it can be done.” He turned back to the screen and examined the image carefully, finally tapping his finger on the image. “That’s where I want to go. Close to the place where the plains meet the hills. There will be woodland nearby for cover. If we time it right I can drop during the night and reach the ground at dawn. I will take shelter as soon as possible, then make my observations. If these animals are what they appear to be, wild native life forms, I can move on to the next step in the observation.”

“And that is going to be exactly what?”

“An approach on foot to one of the battle areas.”

“You can’t!”

“I’m sorry — but I must. There is very little we can learn about machine warfare from a herd of wild animals. The nearest wrecks are only about one-hundred miles away from my drop zone. An easy two or three day walk. I’ll make daily reports as I go, starting all messages with an ‘X’. This regular form does not occur in nature, so a computer scan will locate and zero in on it for you. I’m going to get some sleep now. Please wake me up an hour before I have to leave.”

The surface of Selm-II was lost in darkness below when Brion eased himself into the airlock. Everything he would need after he had landed was now sealed away in a thick plastic tube he had slung across his back. The bulk of the gravchute rested lightly on his massive shoulders, well strapped into place. Lea watched him as he checked the fastening on his pressure suit one last time; her hands were clasped so tightly together that her knuckles were white. He looked up and waved, but as he turned to leave she leaned forward and rapped on the front of his helmet. Brion unlocked the faceplate and swung it open. His expression was as calm as hers was perturbed.

“Yes?” he said.

For a moment she was silent, the only sound the hissing of oxygen from the helmet inlet. Then she leaned forward, standing on tiptoes, and kissed him firmly on the mouth. “I just wanted to wish you good luck. I’ll see you soon?”

“Of course.” He was smiling as he closed the faceplate again. Then he shuffled forward into the airlock and closed the inner door behind him; the indicator beside it flared red a moment later as the outer door opened.

Brion waited then, long minutes, staring out in the vacuum of space, until the computer signalled that the right moment had come. The instant the green light flashed on the control panel he launched himself forward and out of the ship.

Lea sat at the viewscreen and watched his falling body, pinpointed by the flare of braking rockets, until it dropped behind and vanished from sight.