Rogue Ship

26

On Earth, three weeks had gone by.

A disconcerted Hewitt had tried to speed up the various things that had to be accomplished. What money could do, he was able to do. But the human factor would not move a single hour or day faster than its normal rate.

The letter was one of the holdups. Hewitt had it written quickly, and then he dispatched copies of it by special messenger to the various persons who must approve it and sign it.

What with suggested changes and unexplained delays, and the final version being 'lost' for a week in the office of the Minister of State, the time dragged on.

But finally, the twelve copies of the letter were in Hewitt's possession, needing only his signature. In its final version, the letter read:

The first signature space was for Hewitt. The other signatories had graciously left the top line for him. The Minister of State of the Combined Western Powers had signed immediately below. And below that was the name of the Officer Commanding Space Fleets (OFCOMSPAF). Then came the signatures of three scientists: the 'great man' physicist – Peter Linden – a leading astronomer, and the head of the government science bureau.

A variety of officials and professional observers accompanied Hewitt aboard the Molly D : Space Patrol officers, a doctor, a member of the cabinet, a representative from the Asiatic Powers, and several space physicists...

The Hope of Man, as was to be expected, had outdistanced Earth, in the course of the three weeks, by over five hundred thousand miles. But, more important, since it was not affected by the sun's gravity, the solar system's over-all twelve-miles-per-second motion, in the direction of Aries, had caused the ship to have an apparent drift at that speed diagonally past the sun, a total of ten million miles. Twice during this time, the big ship had been observed to adjust course in such a manner that it would intercept Earth's orbit at some later time.

This was believed to be an indication that the ship's sensor-guidance equipment was still programmed to zero in on Earth.

Urgently, Hewitt ordered the takeoff.

Eight days later, the salvage vessel again attached itself to the huge ship. That was nearly a month, Earth time, since its previous journey... But it would be about half an hour on the Hope of Man -

As soon as the airlock was open and connected, Hewitt guided his tank suit into it. He went straight to the captain's cabin – and ran into his first problem. The black-haired man who had been so dramatically crumpled against the headboard of one of the beds in the master bedroom – was gone. The woman was still in the next bed.

Hewitt peered uncertainly into the gloom of the adjoining bedroom, and there also – each in a separate bed – were the three other women. But the person with whom he had planned to leave one of the letters, was nowhere to be found in the apartment.

Not that it mattered. It had been generally agreed by the experts on the Molly D that a total of twelve letters placed with different persons throughout the ship would effectively spread the news.

Hewitt left a copy on the man's unmade bed, several copies with women in the officers' cabins, four copies with men selected at random from the two hundred in the dormitory in the lower section of the ship, and a copy each with two men whom he found seated in adjoining chairs in the engine room, strapped in by safety belts.

Hewitt had come to the engine room last because he had photographic equipment attached to his suit, with which he had been requested to take a series of pictures showing the positions of all the dials. The physicists on the Molly D were particularly anxious for an opportunity to make a complete correlation.

He took the pictures. It was when he pressed the button that automatically folded the camera back into its protective case that Hewitt had a sudden thought. Those speed dials! They were different from what they had been on his previous visit.

His gaze flashed over to the velocity meters again. There was a red line on the meter, indicating light-speed, and the needle which last time had been far over the line, now hovered on the red.

Hewitt felt an intense, horrifying shock of fear.

The ship was already programmed for slowing down. And, in slowing, it had already reduced speed to within a few miles above the speed of light.

He took it for granted that the moment of transition would be dangerous for him. He was heading frantically out of the engine room by the time that thought was completed. The people aboard had survived crossing the line in the other direction. But they were a part of the speed process. How would the changeover, in reverse, affect someone who was not involved in the contraction? One thing seemed certain: Even at 973 to one, in his favor, there was not enough time to cover the distance he had to go.

It was as he was turning a corner, from which he could actually see – dimly – the distant airlock, that he felt his first nausea. He had no idea what might happen. But it occurred to him that he should slow down.

He applied the brake. He was aware of the tank suit rolling to a stop. And then -

Something grabbed his body from behind and squeezed it mercilessly. The sensation of being caught by a giant hand was so realistic that he squirmed to release himself from its clutch.

The great hand began to slip. He had the feeling then of being squirted from a space that was too small for him, into something – vast.

That was the last thing he remembered as blackness closed over him.