September 25, 2025 • 23 mins
In a world where extraordinary individuals emerge only once in a generation, Brion Brandd possesses a remarkable gift an enhanced sense of empathy. This unique ability propels him to victory in the Twenties, a prestigious competition showcasing the most brilliant minds on Anvhar. However, his triumph is short-lived as he is thrust into the chaotic realm of Dis, a planet on the brink of nuclear devastation. To save both worlds, Brandd must navigate treacherous negotiations with a menacing blockade, delve into the dark underbelly of Dis, and unravel the enigma of the merciless magter. Summary by Great Plains
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Chapter thirteen of Planet of the Damned. This is a
LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Planet of the Damned by Harry Harrison, Chapter thirteen. He
(00:25):
wouldn't come in, Sir, just hammered on the door and said,
I'm here. Tell brand good enough, Brionne said, fitting his
gun in the holster and sliding the extra clip into
his pocket. I am going out now, and I should
return before dawn. Get one of the wheeled stretchers down
here from the hospital. I'll want it waiting when I
get back Outside. The street was darker than he remembered.
(00:50):
Brion frowned, and his hand moved towards his gun. Some
one had put all the nearby lights out of commission.
There was just enough illumination from the stars to enable
him to make out the dark bulk of a sand car.
Brion brand A voice spoke harshly from the car. Get in.
The motor roared as soon as he had closed the door.
(01:11):
Without lights, the sand car churned a path through the
city and out into the desert. Though the speed picked up,
the driver still drove in the dark, feeling his way
with a light touch on the controls. The ground rose,
and when they reached the top of a mesa, he
killed the engine. Neither the driver nor Brionne had spoken
(01:32):
a word since they left. A switch snapped and the
instrument lights came on. In their dim glow, Brion could
just make out the other man's hawklike profile. When he moved,
Brion saw that his figure was cruelly shortened. Either accident
or a mutated gene had warped his spine, hunching him
(01:53):
forward in eternally bent supplication. Warped bodies were rare. His
was the Firstrione had ever seen. He wondered what series
of events had kept him from medical attention all his life.
This might explain the bitterness and pain in the man's voice.
Did the mighty brains on Njord bother to tell you
(02:15):
that they have chopped another day off the deadline? The
man asked that the world is about to come to
an end. Yes, I know, Brione said, That's why I'm
asking your group for help. Our time is running out
too fast. The man did an answer. He merely grunted
and gave his full attention to the radar pings and
glowing screen. The electronic senses reached out as he made
(02:37):
a check on all the search frequencies to see if
they were being followed. Where are we going, Brion asked,
out into the desert. The driver made a vague wave
of his hand. Headquarters of the army. Since the whole
thing will be blown up in another day, I guess
I can tell you. It's the only camp we have.
All the car's men and weapons are based there, and
(02:59):
Hiss he's the man in charge. Tomorrow it will be
all gone, along with this cursed planet. What's your business
with us? Shouldn't I be telling Hiss that suit yourself?
Satisfied with the instrument search, the driver kicked the car
to life again and turned on across the desert. But
(03:22):
we're a volunteer army, and we have no secrets from
each other, just from the fools at home who are
going to kill this world. There was a bitterness in
his words that he made no attempt to conceal. They
fought among themselves to put off a firm decision so
long that now they are forced to commit murder. From
what I had heard, I thought it was the other
way around. They call your injored army terrorists. We are
(03:47):
because we are an army and we're at war. The
idealist at home only understood that when it was too late.
If they had backed us in the beginning, we would
have blown open every black castle on diss searched until
we found those bombs. But that would have meant wanton
destruction and death. They wouldn't consider that. Now they are
going to kill every one, destroy everything. He flicked on
(04:09):
the panel lights just long enough to take a compass bearing,
and Brion saw the tortured unhappiness in his twisted body.
It's not over yet, Brion said. There is more than
a day left, and I think I'm on to something
that might stop the war without any bombs being dropped.
You're in charge of the cultural relationships Free bread and
(04:30):
Blankets foundation, aren't you. What good can your bunch do
when the shooting starts. None? But maybe we can put
off the shooting. If you are trying to insult me,
don't bother. My irritation quotient is very high. The driver
merely grunted at this, slowing down as they ran through
a field of broken rock. What is it you want?
(04:50):
He asked, we want to make a detailed examination of
one of the magster alive or dead. It doesn't make
any difference. You wouldn't happen to have one around. No,
we fought with them often enough, but always on their
home grounds. They keep all their casualties and a good
number of ours. What good will it do you? Anyway?
A dead one won't tell you where the bombs or
(05:12):
the jump space projector is. I don't see why I
should explain that to you unless you were in charge.
You are hiss, aren't you. The driver gave an angry sound,
and then was silent while he drove. Finally, he asked,
what makes you think that? Call it a hunch? You
don't act very much like a sand car driver, for
(05:33):
one thing. Of course, your army may be all generals
and no privates, but I doubt it. I also know
that time is almost run out for all of us.
This is a long rind, and it would be a
complete waste of time. If you just sat out in
the desert and waited for me. By driving me yourself,
you could make your mind up before we arrived, could
have a decision ready as to whether you are going
(05:54):
to help me or not are you. Yes, I'm hiss,
but you still have an ante my question, what do
you want the body for? We're going to cut it
open and take a good long look. I don't think
the matched are human. They are something living among men
and disguised as men, but still not human, secret aliens.
(06:16):
His exploded the words in a mixture of surprise and disgust.
Perhaps the examination will tell us that you're either stupid
or incompetent, His said bitterly. The heat of dis has
cooked your brains in your head. I'll be no part
of this kind of absurd plan. You must, Brione said,
(06:37):
surprised at his own calmness. He could sense the other
man's interest hidden behind his insulting manner. I don't even
have to give you my reasons. In another day, this
world ends and you have no way to stop it.
I just might have an idea that could work, and
you can't afford to take any chances, not if you
are really sincere. Either you are a murderer killing Disans
(06:59):
for pleasure, or honestly you want to stop the war,
which is it. You'll have your body, all right, Hes grated,
hurling the car viciously around a spire of rock. Not
that it will accomplish anything, but I can find no
fault with killing another matchter. We can fetch your operation
into our plans without any trouble. This is the last night,
(07:21):
and I have sent every one of my teams out
on raids. We're breaking into as many matched or towers
as possible before dawn. There is a slim chance that
we might uncover something. It's really just shooting in the dark,
but it's all we can do for now. My own
team is waiting, and you can ride along with us.
The others left earlier. We're going to hit a small
(07:42):
tower on this side of the city. We raided it
once before and captured a lot of small arms they
had stored there. There is a good chance that they
may have been stupid enough to store something there again.
Sometimes the matcher seemed to suffer a complete lack of imagination.
You have no idea just how right you are, Brione
told him. The sand car slowed down now as they
(08:04):
approached a slab sided mesa that rose vertically from the desert.
They crunched across broken rocks, leaving no tracks. A light
blinked on the dashboard and hiss stopped instantly and killed
the engine. They climbed out, stretching and shivering in the
cold desert night. It was dark walking in the shadow
of the cliff, and they had to feel their way
(08:25):
along the path through the tumbled boulders. A sudden blaze
of light made Brione WinCE and shield his eyes. Near
him on the ground was the humming shape of a
cancelation projector, sending out a fan shaped curtain of vibration
that absorbed all the light rays falling upon it. This
incredible blackness made a light proof wall for the recessed
(08:47):
hollow at the foot of the cliff. In the shelter
under the overhang of rock were three open sand cars.
They were large and armor plated, warlike in their scarred
gray paint. Men sprawled, talked and polished their weapons. Everything
stopped when Hiss and Brionne appeared load up. His called out,
(09:10):
We're going to attack now, same plan I outlined earlier.
Get telt over here in talking to his own men.
Some of the harshness was gone from his voice. The
tall soldiers of Niord moved in ready obeyance of their commander.
They loomed over his bent figure. Most of them twice
as tall as he, but there was no hesitation in
jumping when he commanded. They were the body of the
(09:33):
nyorg's striking force. He was the brains. A square cut
compact man rolled up to Hiss and saluted with a
leisurely flick of his hand. He was waited and slung
about with packs and electronic instruments. His pockets bulged with
small tools and spare parts. This is Telt, His said
to Brione, He'll take care of you. Telt's my personal
(09:56):
technical squad. He goes along on all my operation with
his meters to test the interiors of the disant forts.
So far he's found no trace of a jump space
generator or excessive radioactivity that might indicate a bomb. Since
he's useless and you're useless, you both take care of
each other. Use the car we came in. Telt's wide
(10:17):
face split in a frog like grin. His voice was
hoarse and throaty. Wait, just wait, some day those needles
gonna flicker and all our troubles be over. What you
want me to do with the stranger? Supply him with
a corpse. One of the magister his said, take it
wherever he wants, and then report back here. He scowled
(10:38):
at Telt. Some day your needles will flicker, poor fool,
This is the last day. He turned away and waved
the men into their sand cars. He likes me, Telt said,
attaching a final piece of equipment. You can tell because
he calls me names like that. He's a great man,
he says. But they never found out until it was
(10:59):
too late. Hand me that meter, will you. Brion followed
the technician out to the car and helped him loan
his equipment aboard. When the larger cars appeared out of
the darkness, Telt swung around after them. They snaked forward
in a single line through the rocks until they came
to the desert of rolling sand dunes. Then they spread
(11:19):
out in a line abreast and rushed towards their goal.
Telt hum to himself hoarsely as he drove. He broke
off suddenly and looked at Brione. What you want the
dead diss for a theory, Brione answered sluggishly. He had
been half napping in the chair, taking the opportunity for
some rest before the attack. I'm still looking for a
(11:39):
way to avert the end. You and hiss Telt said
with satisfaction, couple of idealists trying to stop a war
you didn't start. They would never listen to Hiss. He
told them in the beginning exactly what would happen, and
he was right. They always thought his ideas were crooked,
like him growing up alone in the hill camp with
(12:00):
his back too twisted and too old to be fixed.
When he finally did come out ideas twisted the same way,
made himself an authority on war. Huh war on ni'jord.
That's like being an ice cube specialist in hell. But
he knew all about it, though they never would let
him use what he knew. Put Grandaddy Craft in charge instead.
(12:23):
But Hiss is in charge of an army now, all volunteers,
too few of them, and too little money, too little
and too damned late to do any good. I'll tell
you we did our best, but it could never be
good enough. And for this we get called Butcher's there
was a catch, and tell it's voice now an under
current of emotion he couldn't suppress at home. They think
(12:47):
we like to kill, think we're insane. They can't understand
we're doing the only thing that has to be done.
He broke off as he quickly locked on the brakes
and killed the engine. The line of sand cars had
come to a stop. Ahead, just visible over the dunes
was the summit of a dark tower. We walk from here,
Telt said, standing and stretching. We can take our time
(13:10):
because the other boys go in first, soften things up.
Then you and I head for the sub cellar for
a radiation check and find you a handsome corpse, walking
at first, then crawling. When the dunes no longer shielded them,
they crept up on the distant keep. Dark figures moved
ahead of them, stopping only when they reached the crumbling
black walls. They didn't use the ascending ramp, but made
(13:34):
their way up the sheer outside face of the ramparts
line throwers, Telt whispered, anchor themselves. When the missile hits
have some kind of quick setting goo, then we go
up the filament with a line climbing motor Hiss invented them.
Is that the way you and I are going in?
Brion asked, no, we get out of the climbing. I
(13:56):
told you we hit this rock once before. I know
the layout inside. He was moving while he talked carefully
pacing the distance around the base of the tower. Should
be right about here. High pitched keening sliced the air,
and the top of the master building burst into flame.
Automatic weapons hammered above them. Something fell silently through the
(14:17):
night and hit heavily on the ground near them. Attack started.
Telt shouted, we have to get through now.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
While all the creepies are fighting it out on top.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
He pulled a plate shaped object from one of his
bags and slapped it hard against the wall. It hung there.
He twisted the back of it, told something and waved
brion to the ground.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Shaped charge should blow straight in, but you never can tell.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
The ground jumped under them, and the ringing thud was
a giant fist paunching through the wall. A cloud of
dust and smoke rolled clear, and they could see the
dark opening in the rock, a tunnel driven into the
wall by the directional force of the explosion. Elt shone
a light through the hole at the crumbled chamber inside.
(15:04):
Nothing to worry about from anybody who was leaning against
this wall. But let's get in and out of this
black behive before the ones upstairs come down to investigate.
Shattered rock was thick on the floor, and they skidded
and tumbled over it. Telt pointed the way with his
light down a sharply angled ramp underground chambers in the rock.
They always stir their stuff down there. A smoking black
(15:26):
sphere arked out of the tunnel's mouth, hitting at their feet.
Telt just gaped, but even as it hit the floor,
Brion was jumping forward. He caught it with the side
of his foot, kicking it back into the dark opening
of the tunnel. Telt hit the ground next to him
as the orange flame of an explosion burst below. Bits
of shrapnel rattled from the ceiling and walls behind them. Grenades,
(15:48):
Telt gasped. They've only used them once before, can't have many,
got a worn hiss. He plugged a throat mike into
the transmitter on his tack and spoke quickly into it.
There was a stirring below, and Brione poured a rain
of fire into the tunnel.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
They're catching it back on top. Two. We gotta pull out,
go first, and I'll cover you.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
I came from my disan. I'm not leaving until I
get one.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
You're crazy, You're dead if you stay.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Tilt was scrambling back towards the crumbled entrance. As he talked,
his back was turned when Brione fired. The manster had
appeared silently as the shadow of death. They charged without
a sound, running with expressionless faces into the bullets. Two
died at once, curling and folding. The third one fell
at Brion's feet, shot pierced, dying but not yet dead,
(16:39):
leaving a crimson track. It hunched closer, lifting its knife
to Brione. He didn't move. How many times must you
murder a man? Or was it a man? His mind
and body rebelled against the killing, and he was almost
ready to accept death himself rather than kill again. Telt's
bullets tore through the body. It dropped with grim finality.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
There's your course, en, get it out of here.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
Telt screeched between them. They worked the sodden weight of
the dead matchter through the hole, their exposed backs crawling
with the expectation of instant death. No further attack came
as they ran from the tower, other than a grenade
that exploded too far behind them to do any harm.
One of the armored sand cars circled the keep, headlights blazing,
(17:25):
keeping up a steady fire from its heavy weapons. The
attackers climbed into it. As they beat a retreat, Telt
and Brione dragged the disan behind them, Struggling through the
loose sand toward the circling car. Telt glanced over his
shoulder and broke into a shambling run. They're following us,
he gasped, So first time they've ever chased us after
(17:46):
a raid. They must know we have the body, Brione said,
leave it behind. Telt choked.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
Do heavy to carry anyway?
Speaker 1 (17:54):
I'd rather leave you, Brione said, sharply, let me have it.
He pulled the corpse away from the unresisting tilt and
heaved it across his own shoulders. Now use your gun
to cover us. Telt threw a rain of slugs back
toward the dark figure following them. The driver of this
sandcar must have seen the flare of their fire, because
(18:15):
the truck turned and started towards them. It breaked in
a choking cloud of dust, and ready hands reached to
pull them up. Brione pushed the body in ahead of
himself and scrambled after it. The truck engine throbbed, and
they turned away into the blackness, away from the gutted tower.
You know, that was more like a kind of joke
(18:35):
when I said I'd leave the corpse behind, Telt told Brion,
you didn't believe me, did you? Yes, Brione said, holding
the dead weight of the matchter against the truck's side.
I thought you meant it, ah, Telt protested, You're as
bad as Hiss. You take things too seriously. Brione suddenly
(18:56):
realized that he was wet with blood, his clothing sodden.
His stomach rose at the thought, and he clutched the
edge of the sand car. Killing like this was too personal.
Talking abstractly about a body was one thing, but murdering
a man then lifting his dead flesh and feeling his
blood warm upon you is an entirely different matter. But
(19:21):
the matchter weren't human. He knew that the thought was
only mildly comforting. After they had reached the other waiting
sand cars, the rating party split up. Each one goes
in a different direction. Telt said, so they can't track
us to the base. He clipped a piece of paper
next to the compass and kicked the motor into life.
(19:42):
We'll make a big U turn in the desert and
end up in hovistadt I got the course here, then
I'll dump you and your friend and beat it back
to our camp. You're still not burned at me for
what I said? Are you? Are you? Brione didn't answer.
He was staring fixedly out of the side window. What's
Telt asked. Brione pointed out at the rushing darkness over there,
(20:07):
he said, pointing to the growing light on the horizon dawn.
Telt said, lot a rain on your planet. Didn't you
ever see the sun come up before? Not on the
last day of a world? Lock it up, Telt grumbled.
You give me the crawls. I know they're going to
be blasted, but at least I know I did everything
(20:27):
I could to stop it. How do you think they
are going to be feeling at home on Jord from
tomorrow on? Maybe we can still stop it, Brione said,
shrugging off the feeling of gloom. Telt's only answer was
a wordless sound of disgust. By the time they had
cut a large loop in the desert, the sun was
well up in the sky the daily heat begun. Their
(20:49):
course took them through a chain of low, flinty hills
that cut their speed almost to zero. They ground ahead
in a low gear while Telt sweated and cursed, struggling
with the controls. Then they were on firm sand and
picking up speed toward the city. As soon as Brione
saw Hovistat, clearly he felt a clutch of fear. From
(21:09):
somewhere in the city, a black plume of smoke was rising.
It could have been one of the deserted buildings of flame,
a minor blaze. Yet the closer they came, the greater
his tension grew. Brione didn't dare put it into words himself.
It was Telt who vocalized the thought, a fire or
something coming from your area, somewhere close to your building.
(21:34):
Within the city. They saw the first signs of destruction,
broken rubble on the streets, the smell of greasy smoke
in their nostrils. More and more people appeared, going in
the same direction they were. The normally deserted streets of
Howestadt were now almost crowded, disans, obvious by their bare shoulders,
(21:54):
mixed with the few off worlders who still remained. Brione
made sure the tarpauline was well wrapped around the body
before they pushed the sand car slowly through the growing crowd.
I don't like all this publicity. Telt complained, looking at
the people, it's the last day, or I'd be turning back.
They know our cars. We've raided them often enough. Turning
(22:16):
a corner, he breaked suddenly, mouth agape. Ahead was destruction.
Black broken rubble had been churned into desolation. It was
still smoking, pink tongues of flame licking over the ruins.
A fragment of wall fell with a rumbling crash. It's
(22:36):
your building, the foundation building, Telt shouted.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
They've been here ahead of us. Must have used the
radio to call a raid. They did a job, explosive
of some kind.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
Hope was dead. Dis was dead. In the ruin ahead,
mixed and broken with other rubble, where the bodies of
all the people who had trusted him. Leah, beautiful and
cruelly dead, Leah doctor Stein, his patience fossil, all of them.
(23:12):
He had kept them on this planet, and now they
were dead, every one of them. Dead murderer. End of
chapter thirteen
Chapter thirteen of Planet of the Damned. This is a
LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Planet of the Damned by Harry Harrison, Chapter thirteen. He
(00:25):
wouldn't come in, Sir, just hammered on the door and said,
I'm here. Tell brand good enough, Brionne said, fitting his
gun in the holster and sliding the extra clip into
his pocket. I am going out now, and I should
return before dawn. Get one of the wheeled stretchers down
here from the hospital. I'll want it waiting when I
get back Outside. The street was darker than he remembered.
(00:50):
Brion frowned, and his hand moved towards his gun. Some
one had put all the nearby lights out of commission.
There was just enough illumination from the stars to enable
him to make out the dark bulk of a sand car.
Brion brand A voice spoke harshly from the car. Get in.
The motor roared as soon as he had closed the door.
(01:11):
Without lights, the sand car churned a path through the
city and out into the desert. Though the speed picked up,
the driver still drove in the dark, feeling his way
with a light touch on the controls. The ground rose,
and when they reached the top of a mesa, he
killed the engine. Neither the driver nor Brionne had spoken
(01:32):
a word since they left. A switch snapped and the
instrument lights came on. In their dim glow, Brion could
just make out the other man's hawklike profile. When he moved,
Brion saw that his figure was cruelly shortened. Either accident
or a mutated gene had warped his spine, hunching him
(01:53):
forward in eternally bent supplication. Warped bodies were rare. His
was the Firstrione had ever seen. He wondered what series
of events had kept him from medical attention all his life.
This might explain the bitterness and pain in the man's voice.
Did the mighty brains on Njord bother to tell you
(02:15):
that they have chopped another day off the deadline? The
man asked that the world is about to come to
an end. Yes, I know, Brione said, That's why I'm
asking your group for help. Our time is running out
too fast. The man did an answer. He merely grunted
and gave his full attention to the radar pings and
glowing screen. The electronic senses reached out as he made
(02:37):
a check on all the search frequencies to see if
they were being followed. Where are we going, Brion asked,
out into the desert. The driver made a vague wave
of his hand. Headquarters of the army. Since the whole
thing will be blown up in another day, I guess
I can tell you. It's the only camp we have.
All the car's men and weapons are based there, and
(02:59):
Hiss he's the man in charge. Tomorrow it will be
all gone, along with this cursed planet. What's your business
with us? Shouldn't I be telling Hiss that suit yourself?
Satisfied with the instrument search, the driver kicked the car
to life again and turned on across the desert. But
(03:22):
we're a volunteer army, and we have no secrets from
each other, just from the fools at home who are
going to kill this world. There was a bitterness in
his words that he made no attempt to conceal. They
fought among themselves to put off a firm decision so
long that now they are forced to commit murder. From
what I had heard, I thought it was the other
way around. They call your injored army terrorists. We are
(03:47):
because we are an army and we're at war. The
idealist at home only understood that when it was too late.
If they had backed us in the beginning, we would
have blown open every black castle on diss searched until
we found those bombs. But that would have meant wanton
destruction and death. They wouldn't consider that. Now they are
going to kill every one, destroy everything. He flicked on
(04:09):
the panel lights just long enough to take a compass bearing,
and Brion saw the tortured unhappiness in his twisted body.
It's not over yet, Brion said. There is more than
a day left, and I think I'm on to something
that might stop the war without any bombs being dropped.
You're in charge of the cultural relationships Free bread and
(04:30):
Blankets foundation, aren't you. What good can your bunch do
when the shooting starts. None? But maybe we can put
off the shooting. If you are trying to insult me,
don't bother. My irritation quotient is very high. The driver
merely grunted at this, slowing down as they ran through
a field of broken rock. What is it you want?
(04:50):
He asked, we want to make a detailed examination of
one of the magster alive or dead. It doesn't make
any difference. You wouldn't happen to have one around. No,
we fought with them often enough, but always on their
home grounds. They keep all their casualties and a good
number of ours. What good will it do you? Anyway?
A dead one won't tell you where the bombs or
(05:12):
the jump space projector is. I don't see why I
should explain that to you unless you were in charge.
You are hiss, aren't you. The driver gave an angry sound,
and then was silent while he drove. Finally, he asked,
what makes you think that? Call it a hunch? You
don't act very much like a sand car driver, for
(05:33):
one thing. Of course, your army may be all generals
and no privates, but I doubt it. I also know
that time is almost run out for all of us.
This is a long rind, and it would be a
complete waste of time. If you just sat out in
the desert and waited for me. By driving me yourself,
you could make your mind up before we arrived, could
have a decision ready as to whether you are going
(05:54):
to help me or not are you. Yes, I'm hiss,
but you still have an ante my question, what do
you want the body for? We're going to cut it
open and take a good long look. I don't think
the matched are human. They are something living among men
and disguised as men, but still not human, secret aliens.
(06:16):
His exploded the words in a mixture of surprise and disgust.
Perhaps the examination will tell us that you're either stupid
or incompetent, His said bitterly. The heat of dis has
cooked your brains in your head. I'll be no part
of this kind of absurd plan. You must, Brione said,
(06:37):
surprised at his own calmness. He could sense the other
man's interest hidden behind his insulting manner. I don't even
have to give you my reasons. In another day, this
world ends and you have no way to stop it.
I just might have an idea that could work, and
you can't afford to take any chances, not if you
are really sincere. Either you are a murderer killing Disans
(06:59):
for pleasure, or honestly you want to stop the war,
which is it. You'll have your body, all right, Hes grated,
hurling the car viciously around a spire of rock. Not
that it will accomplish anything, but I can find no
fault with killing another matchter. We can fetch your operation
into our plans without any trouble. This is the last night,
(07:21):
and I have sent every one of my teams out
on raids. We're breaking into as many matched or towers
as possible before dawn. There is a slim chance that
we might uncover something. It's really just shooting in the dark,
but it's all we can do for now. My own
team is waiting, and you can ride along with us.
The others left earlier. We're going to hit a small
(07:42):
tower on this side of the city. We raided it
once before and captured a lot of small arms they
had stored there. There is a good chance that they
may have been stupid enough to store something there again.
Sometimes the matcher seemed to suffer a complete lack of imagination.
You have no idea just how right you are, Brione
told him. The sand car slowed down now as they
(08:04):
approached a slab sided mesa that rose vertically from the desert.
They crunched across broken rocks, leaving no tracks. A light
blinked on the dashboard and hiss stopped instantly and killed
the engine. They climbed out, stretching and shivering in the
cold desert night. It was dark walking in the shadow
of the cliff, and they had to feel their way
(08:25):
along the path through the tumbled boulders. A sudden blaze
of light made Brione WinCE and shield his eyes. Near
him on the ground was the humming shape of a
cancelation projector, sending out a fan shaped curtain of vibration
that absorbed all the light rays falling upon it. This
incredible blackness made a light proof wall for the recessed
(08:47):
hollow at the foot of the cliff. In the shelter
under the overhang of rock were three open sand cars.
They were large and armor plated, warlike in their scarred
gray paint. Men sprawled, talked and polished their weapons. Everything
stopped when Hiss and Brionne appeared load up. His called out,
(09:10):
We're going to attack now, same plan I outlined earlier.
Get telt over here in talking to his own men.
Some of the harshness was gone from his voice. The
tall soldiers of Niord moved in ready obeyance of their commander.
They loomed over his bent figure. Most of them twice
as tall as he, but there was no hesitation in
jumping when he commanded. They were the body of the
(09:33):
nyorg's striking force. He was the brains. A square cut
compact man rolled up to Hiss and saluted with a
leisurely flick of his hand. He was waited and slung
about with packs and electronic instruments. His pockets bulged with
small tools and spare parts. This is Telt, His said
to Brione, He'll take care of you. Telt's my personal
(09:56):
technical squad. He goes along on all my operation with
his meters to test the interiors of the disant forts.
So far he's found no trace of a jump space
generator or excessive radioactivity that might indicate a bomb. Since
he's useless and you're useless, you both take care of
each other. Use the car we came in. Telt's wide
(10:17):
face split in a frog like grin. His voice was
hoarse and throaty. Wait, just wait, some day those needles
gonna flicker and all our troubles be over. What you
want me to do with the stranger? Supply him with
a corpse. One of the magister his said, take it
wherever he wants, and then report back here. He scowled
(10:38):
at Telt. Some day your needles will flicker, poor fool,
This is the last day. He turned away and waved
the men into their sand cars. He likes me, Telt said,
attaching a final piece of equipment. You can tell because
he calls me names like that. He's a great man,
he says. But they never found out until it was
(10:59):
too late. Hand me that meter, will you. Brion followed
the technician out to the car and helped him loan
his equipment aboard. When the larger cars appeared out of
the darkness, Telt swung around after them. They snaked forward
in a single line through the rocks until they came
to the desert of rolling sand dunes. Then they spread
(11:19):
out in a line abreast and rushed towards their goal.
Telt hum to himself hoarsely as he drove. He broke
off suddenly and looked at Brione. What you want the
dead diss for a theory, Brione answered sluggishly. He had
been half napping in the chair, taking the opportunity for
some rest before the attack. I'm still looking for a
(11:39):
way to avert the end. You and hiss Telt said
with satisfaction, couple of idealists trying to stop a war
you didn't start. They would never listen to Hiss. He
told them in the beginning exactly what would happen, and
he was right. They always thought his ideas were crooked,
like him growing up alone in the hill camp with
(12:00):
his back too twisted and too old to be fixed.
When he finally did come out ideas twisted the same way,
made himself an authority on war. Huh war on ni'jord.
That's like being an ice cube specialist in hell. But
he knew all about it, though they never would let
him use what he knew. Put Grandaddy Craft in charge instead.
(12:23):
But Hiss is in charge of an army now, all volunteers,
too few of them, and too little money, too little
and too damned late to do any good. I'll tell
you we did our best, but it could never be
good enough. And for this we get called Butcher's there
was a catch, and tell it's voice now an under
current of emotion he couldn't suppress at home. They think
(12:47):
we like to kill, think we're insane. They can't understand
we're doing the only thing that has to be done.
He broke off as he quickly locked on the brakes
and killed the engine. The line of sand cars had
come to a stop. Ahead, just visible over the dunes
was the summit of a dark tower. We walk from here,
Telt said, standing and stretching. We can take our time
(13:10):
because the other boys go in first, soften things up.
Then you and I head for the sub cellar for
a radiation check and find you a handsome corpse, walking
at first, then crawling. When the dunes no longer shielded them,
they crept up on the distant keep. Dark figures moved
ahead of them, stopping only when they reached the crumbling
black walls. They didn't use the ascending ramp, but made
(13:34):
their way up the sheer outside face of the ramparts
line throwers, Telt whispered, anchor themselves. When the missile hits
have some kind of quick setting goo, then we go
up the filament with a line climbing motor Hiss invented them.
Is that the way you and I are going in?
Brion asked, no, we get out of the climbing. I
(13:56):
told you we hit this rock once before. I know
the layout inside. He was moving while he talked carefully
pacing the distance around the base of the tower. Should
be right about here. High pitched keening sliced the air,
and the top of the master building burst into flame.
Automatic weapons hammered above them. Something fell silently through the
(14:17):
night and hit heavily on the ground near them. Attack started.
Telt shouted, we have to get through now.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
While all the creepies are fighting it out on top.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
He pulled a plate shaped object from one of his
bags and slapped it hard against the wall. It hung there.
He twisted the back of it, told something and waved
brion to the ground.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Shaped charge should blow straight in, but you never can tell.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
The ground jumped under them, and the ringing thud was
a giant fist paunching through the wall. A cloud of
dust and smoke rolled clear, and they could see the
dark opening in the rock, a tunnel driven into the
wall by the directional force of the explosion. Elt shone
a light through the hole at the crumbled chamber inside.
(15:04):
Nothing to worry about from anybody who was leaning against
this wall. But let's get in and out of this
black behive before the ones upstairs come down to investigate.
Shattered rock was thick on the floor, and they skidded
and tumbled over it. Telt pointed the way with his
light down a sharply angled ramp underground chambers in the rock.
They always stir their stuff down there. A smoking black
(15:26):
sphere arked out of the tunnel's mouth, hitting at their feet.
Telt just gaped, but even as it hit the floor,
Brion was jumping forward. He caught it with the side
of his foot, kicking it back into the dark opening
of the tunnel. Telt hit the ground next to him
as the orange flame of an explosion burst below. Bits
of shrapnel rattled from the ceiling and walls behind them. Grenades,
(15:48):
Telt gasped. They've only used them once before, can't have many,
got a worn hiss. He plugged a throat mike into
the transmitter on his tack and spoke quickly into it.
There was a stirring below, and Brione poured a rain
of fire into the tunnel.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
They're catching it back on top. Two. We gotta pull out,
go first, and I'll cover you.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
I came from my disan. I'm not leaving until I
get one.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
You're crazy, You're dead if you stay.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Tilt was scrambling back towards the crumbled entrance. As he talked,
his back was turned when Brione fired. The manster had
appeared silently as the shadow of death. They charged without
a sound, running with expressionless faces into the bullets. Two
died at once, curling and folding. The third one fell
at Brion's feet, shot pierced, dying but not yet dead,
(16:39):
leaving a crimson track. It hunched closer, lifting its knife
to Brione. He didn't move. How many times must you
murder a man? Or was it a man? His mind
and body rebelled against the killing, and he was almost
ready to accept death himself rather than kill again. Telt's
bullets tore through the body. It dropped with grim finality.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
There's your course, en, get it out of here.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
Telt screeched between them. They worked the sodden weight of
the dead matchter through the hole, their exposed backs crawling
with the expectation of instant death. No further attack came
as they ran from the tower, other than a grenade
that exploded too far behind them to do any harm.
One of the armored sand cars circled the keep, headlights blazing,
(17:25):
keeping up a steady fire from its heavy weapons. The
attackers climbed into it. As they beat a retreat, Telt
and Brione dragged the disan behind them, Struggling through the
loose sand toward the circling car. Telt glanced over his
shoulder and broke into a shambling run. They're following us,
he gasped, So first time they've ever chased us after
(17:46):
a raid. They must know we have the body, Brione said,
leave it behind. Telt choked.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
Do heavy to carry anyway?
Speaker 1 (17:54):
I'd rather leave you, Brione said, sharply, let me have it.
He pulled the corpse away from the unresisting tilt and
heaved it across his own shoulders. Now use your gun
to cover us. Telt threw a rain of slugs back
toward the dark figure following them. The driver of this
sandcar must have seen the flare of their fire, because
(18:15):
the truck turned and started towards them. It breaked in
a choking cloud of dust, and ready hands reached to
pull them up. Brione pushed the body in ahead of
himself and scrambled after it. The truck engine throbbed, and
they turned away into the blackness, away from the gutted tower.
You know, that was more like a kind of joke
(18:35):
when I said I'd leave the corpse behind, Telt told Brion,
you didn't believe me, did you? Yes, Brione said, holding
the dead weight of the matchter against the truck's side.
I thought you meant it, ah, Telt protested, You're as
bad as Hiss. You take things too seriously. Brione suddenly
(18:56):
realized that he was wet with blood, his clothing sodden.
His stomach rose at the thought, and he clutched the
edge of the sand car. Killing like this was too personal.
Talking abstractly about a body was one thing, but murdering
a man then lifting his dead flesh and feeling his
blood warm upon you is an entirely different matter. But
(19:21):
the matchter weren't human. He knew that the thought was
only mildly comforting. After they had reached the other waiting
sand cars, the rating party split up. Each one goes
in a different direction. Telt said, so they can't track
us to the base. He clipped a piece of paper
next to the compass and kicked the motor into life.
(19:42):
We'll make a big U turn in the desert and
end up in hovistadt I got the course here, then
I'll dump you and your friend and beat it back
to our camp. You're still not burned at me for
what I said? Are you? Are you? Brione didn't answer.
He was staring fixedly out of the side window. What's
Telt asked. Brione pointed out at the rushing darkness over there,
(20:07):
he said, pointing to the growing light on the horizon dawn.
Telt said, lot a rain on your planet. Didn't you
ever see the sun come up before? Not on the
last day of a world? Lock it up, Telt grumbled.
You give me the crawls. I know they're going to
be blasted, but at least I know I did everything
(20:27):
I could to stop it. How do you think they
are going to be feeling at home on Jord from
tomorrow on? Maybe we can still stop it, Brione said,
shrugging off the feeling of gloom. Telt's only answer was
a wordless sound of disgust. By the time they had
cut a large loop in the desert, the sun was
well up in the sky the daily heat begun. Their
(20:49):
course took them through a chain of low, flinty hills
that cut their speed almost to zero. They ground ahead
in a low gear while Telt sweated and cursed, struggling
with the controls. Then they were on firm sand and
picking up speed toward the city. As soon as Brione
saw Hovistat, clearly he felt a clutch of fear. From
(21:09):
somewhere in the city, a black plume of smoke was rising.
It could have been one of the deserted buildings of flame,
a minor blaze. Yet the closer they came, the greater
his tension grew. Brione didn't dare put it into words himself.
It was Telt who vocalized the thought, a fire or
something coming from your area, somewhere close to your building.
(21:34):
Within the city. They saw the first signs of destruction,
broken rubble on the streets, the smell of greasy smoke
in their nostrils. More and more people appeared, going in
the same direction they were. The normally deserted streets of
Howestadt were now almost crowded, disans, obvious by their bare shoulders,
(21:54):
mixed with the few off worlders who still remained. Brione
made sure the tarpauline was well wrapped around the body
before they pushed the sand car slowly through the growing crowd.
I don't like all this publicity. Telt complained, looking at
the people, it's the last day, or I'd be turning back.
They know our cars. We've raided them often enough. Turning
(22:16):
a corner, he breaked suddenly, mouth agape. Ahead was destruction.
Black broken rubble had been churned into desolation. It was
still smoking, pink tongues of flame licking over the ruins.
A fragment of wall fell with a rumbling crash. It's
(22:36):
your building, the foundation building, Telt shouted.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
They've been here ahead of us. Must have used the
radio to call a raid. They did a job, explosive
of some kind.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
Hope was dead. Dis was dead. In the ruin ahead,
mixed and broken with other rubble, where the bodies of
all the people who had trusted him. Leah, beautiful and
cruelly dead, Leah doctor Stein, his patience fossil, all of them.
(23:12):
He had kept them on this planet, and now they
were dead, every one of them. Dead murderer. End of
chapter thirteen
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