September 25, 2025 • 21 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 (00:09):
Chapter seventeen of Planet of the Damned. This is 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 seventeen. Do you
(00:32):
mean what you said about giving up? Leah asked. Brion
realized that she had stopped talking to all of some
time ago and had been listening to his conversation with Kraft.
He shrugged, trying to put his feelings into words. We've
tried and almost succeeded. But if they won't listen, what
can we do? What can one man possibly do against
(00:54):
a fleet loaded with h bombs? As if in answer
to that question, Ul's voice drowned him out, the harsh
disan word slashing the silence of the room. Kill you
the enemy, he said, kill you, umed vik. He shouted
the last word, and his hand flashed to his belt.
In a single swift motion, he lifted his blowgun and
(01:16):
placed it to his lips. A tiny dark quivered in
the already dead flesh of the creature in the magter's skull.
The action had all the symbolism of a broken lance
the declaration of war. Oulv understands it a lot better
than you might think, Lea said. He knows things about
symbiosis and mutualism that would give him a job as
(01:37):
a lecture in any university on Earth. He knows just
what the brain symbia is and what it does. They
even have a word for it, one that never appeared
in our disin language lessons. A life form that you
can live with or cooperate with is called a medvirk.
One that works to destroy you is a umed virk.
(01:57):
He also understands that life forms can change be medvirk
or umedvirk at different times. He has just decided that
the brain symbiad is umedvirk and he has out to
kill it. So will arrest of the distance as soon
as he can show them the evidence and explain. You're
sure of this, Brion asked, interested in spite of himself positive,
(02:18):
The Dissans have an absolute attitude towards survival. You should
realize that not the same as the magter, but not
much different in the results. They will kill the brain
symbiats even if it means killing every magter who harbors one.
If that is the case, we can't leave now, Brion said.
With these words, it suddenly became clear what he had
(02:40):
to do. The ship is coming down now from the fleet.
Get in it and take the body of the Magter.
I won't go. Where will you be, she asked, shocked
fighting the Magter. My presence on the planet means that
Kraft won't keep his threat to drop the bombs any
earlier than the midnight deadline. That would be deliberately murdering me.
(03:03):
I doubt if my presence past midnight will stop him,
but it should keep the bombs away at least until then.
What will you accomplish besides committing suicide? Lea pleaded. You
just told me how a single man can't stop the bombs.
What will happen to you at midnight? I'll be dead,
But in spite of that, I can't run away, not now.
(03:24):
I must do everything possible right up until the last instant.
Ulv and I will go to the Magter tower try
to find out if the bombs are there. He will
fight on our side now. He may even know more
about the bombs, things that he didn't want to tell me.
Before we can get help from his people. Some of
them must know where the bombs are being native to
(03:46):
this planet. Lea started to say something, but he rushed on,
drowning out her words. You have just as big a job.
Show the magter to Kraft. Explain the significance of the
brain parasite to him, Try to get get him to
talk to Hyes about the last raid. Try to get
him to hold off the attack. I'll keep the radio
(04:06):
with me and as soon as I know anything, I'll
call in. This is all last resort, fingering the dyke
kind of stuff, but it is all we can do,
because if we do nothing, it means the end of
dis Lea tried to argue with him, but he wouldn't
listen to her. He only kissed her, and with a
lightness he did not feel, tried to convince her that
(04:27):
everything would be all right. In their hearts, they both
knew it wouldn't be, but they left it that way
because it was the least painful solution. A sudden rumbling
shook the building and the windows darkened as a ship
settled in the street outside. The NYJOR crew came in
with guns pointed, alert for anything. After a little convincing,
(04:48):
they took the cadaver as well, as Leah. When they
lifted ship, Brion watched the spacer become a pinpoint in
the sky and vanish. He tried to shake off the
feeling that this was the last he would see any
of them. Let's get out of here fast, he told Alf,
picking up the radio before anyone comes around to see
why the ship landed. What will you do, Ulv asked
(05:11):
as they went down the street towards the desert. What
can we do in the few hours we have left?
He pointed at the sun nearing the horizon. Brion shifted
the weight of the radio to his other hand before replying,
get to the Magter tower we rated last night. That's
the best chance the bombs might be there. Unless you
(05:32):
know where the bombs are. Oliv shook his head. I
do not know, but some of my people may. We
will capture Magter, then kill him so they can all
see the Umedvirk. Then they will tell us everything they
know the tower first, then for bombs or a sample. Magter,
what's the fastest way we can get there? All frowned
(05:55):
in thought. If you can drive one of the cars
the off worlders use. I know where there are some
locked and buildings in the city. None of my people
know how they are made to move. I can work them.
Let's go. Chance was with them this time. The first
sand car they found still had the keys in the lock.
It was battery powered but contained a full charge. Much
(06:17):
quieter than the heavy atomic cars, it sped smoothly out
of the city and across the sand. Ahead of them,
the sun sank in a red wave of color. It
was six o'clock. By the time they reached the tower.
It was seven, and Brion's nerves felt as if they
were writhing under his skin. Even though it looked like suicide,
(06:38):
attacking the tower brought blessed relief. It was movement and action,
and for moments at a time he forgot the bombs
hanging over his head. The attack was nerve rackingly antaclimactic.
They used the main entrance, all of ranging soundlessly ahead.
There was no one in sight. Once inside, they crept
(06:58):
down towards the lower rooms, where the radiation had been detected.
Only gradually did they realize the Magter Tower was completely empty.
Every one gone ul grunted, sniffing the air in every
room they passed. Many Magter were here earlier, but they
are gone now. Do they often desert their towers. Brion asked, never,
(07:21):
I have never heard of it happening before. I can
think of no reason why they should do a thing
like this, Well I can. Brion told him they would
leave their home if they took something with them of
greater value, the bombs. If the bombs were hidden here,
they might move them after the attack. Sudden fear hit him,
(07:41):
or they might move them because it is time to
take them to the launcher. Let's get out of here
the quickest way we can. I smell air from outside,
alf said, coming from down there. This cannot be because
the Magter have no entrances this low in their towers.
We blasted one in earlier. That could be it. Can
you find it? Moonlight shone ahead as they turned an
(08:04):
angle of the corridor, and stars were visible through the
gaping opening in the wall. It looks bigger than it was,
Brion said, as if the Magter had enlarged it. He
looked through and saw the tracks in the sand outside,
as if they enlarged it to bring something bulky up
from below and carried it away in whatever made those tracks.
(08:26):
Using the opening themselves, they ran back to the sand car.
Brion ground. It fiercely around and turned the headlights on
the tracks. There were marks of a sand car's tread,
half obscured by thin, unmarked wheel tracks. He turned off
the lights and forced himself to move slowly and to
do an accurate job. A quick glimpse at his watch
(08:47):
showed him there were four hours left to go. The
moonlight was bright enough to illuminate the tracks. Driving with
one hand, he turned on the radio transmitter, already set
for craft's ways length. When the operator acknowledged his signal,
Brion reported what they had discovered and his conclusions. Get
(09:08):
that message to Commander Kraft. Now I can't wait to
talk to him. I'm following the tracks. He killed the
transmission and stamped on the accelerator. The sand car churned
and bounced down the track. They are going to the mountains,
ULV said some time later, as the tracks still pointed
straight ahead. There are caves there and many magter have
(09:28):
been seen near them. That is what I have heard.
The guess was correct. Before nine o'clock, the ground humped
into a range of foothills, and the darker masses of
mountains could be seen behind them, rising up to obscure
the stars. Stop the car here, Ulf said, The caves
began not too far ahead. There may be magter watching
(09:51):
or listening, so we must go quietly. Brion followed the
deep cut grooves, carrying the radio ULV came and went
on both sides silently as a shadow, scouting for hidden watchers.
As far as he could discover, there were none. By
nine thirty, Brion realized they had deserted the sand car
(10:11):
too soon. The tracks wound on and on and seemed
to have no end. They passed some caves, which Ulf
pointed out to him, but the tracks never stopped. Time
was running out, and the nightmare stumbling through the darkness continued.
More caves ahead, Ulf said, go quietly. They came cautiously
(10:31):
to the crest of a hill, as they had done
so many times already, and looked into the shadow valley beyond.
Sand covered the valley floor, and the light of the
setting moon shone over the tracks at a flat angle,
marking them off sharply as lines of shadow. They ran
straight across the sand valley and disappeared into the dark
(10:52):
mouth of a cave on the far side. Sinking back
behind the hilltop, Brion covered the pilot light with his
hand and turned on the transmitter. ULV stayed above him,
staring at the opening of the cave. This is an
important message, Brion whispered into the mic. Please record. He
(11:12):
repeated this for thirty seconds, glancing at his watch to
make sure of the time, since the seconds of waiting
stretched to minutes in his brain. Then, as clearly as possible,
without raising his voice above a whisper, he told of
the discovery of the tracks and the cave. The bombs
may or may not be in here, but we are
going in to find out. I'll leave my personal transmitter
(11:35):
here with the broadcast power turned on, so you can
home on its signal. That will give you a directional
beacon to find the cave. I'm taking the other radio in.
It has more power. If we can't get back to
the entrance, I'll try a signal from inside. I doubt
you will hear it because of the rock, but I'll try,
(11:56):
and of transmission. Don't try to answer me, because I
have the receiver returned off. There were no earphones on
the set and the speaker would be too loud here.
He switched off, held his thumb on the button for
an instant, then flicked it back on. Goodbye, Leah, he said,
and killed the power for good. They circled and reached
(12:17):
the rocky wall of the cliff. Creeping silently in the shadows,
they slipped up on the dark entrance of the cave.
Nothing moved ahead, and there was no sound from the
entrance of the cave. Brion glanced at his watch and
was instantly sorry. Ten thirty, the last shelter concealing them
was five meters from the cave. They started to rise
(12:40):
to rush the final distance, when all suddenly waved Brion down.
He pointed to his nose, then to the cave. He
could smell the magter. There, a dark figure separated itself
from the greater darkness of the cave. Mouth ulv acted instantly.
He stood up and his hand went to his mouth.
Ere hissed faintly through the tube in his hand, without
(13:03):
a sound. The magter folded and fell to the ground.
Before the body hit all crouched low and rushed in.
There was the sudden scuffling of feet on the floor,
then silence. Brion walked in, gun ready and alert, not
knowing what he would find. His toe pushed against a
body on the ground, and from the darkness all whispered.
(13:25):
There were only two We can go on now. Finding
their way through the cave was maddening torture. They had
no light, nor would they dare use one if they had.
There were no wheel marks to follow the stone floor.
Without all sensitive nose, they would have been completely lost.
The cave branched and rejoined, and they soon lost all
sense of direction. Walking was almost impossible. They had to
(13:48):
grope with their hands before them, like blind men, stumbling
and falling against the rock. Their fingers were soon throbbing
and raw from brushing against rough walls. All followed the
scent of the magter there hung in the air where
they had passed. When it grew thin, he knew they
had left the frequently used tunnels and entered deserted ones.
They could only retrace their steps and start again in
(14:10):
a different direction. More maddening than the walking was the
way time was running out inexorably. The glowing hands crept
around the face of Brion's watch until they stood at
fifteen minutes before twelve. There is a light ahead. Ulv whispered,
and Brion almost gasped with relief. They moved slowly and
silently until they stood concealed by the darkness, looking out
(14:33):
into a dome chamber brightly lit by glowing tubes. What
is it? Ulv asked, blinking in a painful wash of illumination.
After the long darkness, Brian had to fight to control
his voice to stop from shouting. The cage with the
metal webbing is a jump space generator. The pointed silver
shapes next to us are bombs of some kind, probably
(14:56):
the cobalt bombs we found it. His first impulse was
to instantly send the radio call that would stop the
waiting fleet of h bombers, but an unconvincing message would
be worse than no message at all. He had to
describe exactly what he saw here so the nyjorders would
know he wasn't lying. What he told them had to
fit exactly with the information they already had about the
(15:19):
launcher and the bombs. The launcher had been jury rigged
from a ship's jump space generator. That was obvious. The
generator and its controls were neatly cased and mounted. Cables
ran from them to a roughly constructed cage of woven
metal straps hammered and bent into shape by hand. Three
technicians were working on the equipment. Brion wondered what sort
(15:41):
of bloodthirsty war lovers the Magdaru found to handle the
bombing for them. Then he saw the chains around their
necks and the bloody wounds on their backs. He still
found it difficult to have any pity for them. They
had obviously been willing to accept money to destroy another planet,
or they would have been working here. They had probably
rebelled only when they discovered how suicidal the attack would be.
(16:06):
Thirteen minutes to midnight, Cradling the radio against his chest,
Brion rose to his feet. He had a better view
of the bombs. Now there were twelve of them alike.
His eggs from the same deadly clutch pointed like the
bow of a spacer. Each one swept smoothly back for
its two meters of length to a sharply chopped off end.
(16:28):
They were obviously incomplete the warheads of rockets. One had
its base turned towards him, and he saw six projecting
studs that could be used to attach it to the
missing rocket. A circular inspection port was opened in the
flat base of the bomb. This was enough. With this description,
the nyjorders would know he couldn't be lying about finding
(16:49):
the bombs. Once they realized this, they couldn't destroy dis
without first trying to neutralize them. Brion carefully counted fifty
paces before he stopped. He was far enough from the
cavern so he couldn't be heard, and an angle of
the cave cut out all light from behind him. With
carefully controlled movements, he turned on the power, switched the
(17:12):
set to transmit, and checked the broadcast frequency, all correct.
Then slowly and clearly, he described what he had seen
in the cavern behind him. He kept his voice emotionless,
recounting facts, leaving out anything that might be considered an opinion.
It was six minutes before midnight when he finished. He
(17:33):
thumbed the switch to receive and waited. There was only silence. Slowly,
the empty quality of the silence penetrated his numbed mind.
There were no crackling atmospherics nor hiss of static. Even
when he turned the power full on, the mass of
rock and earth of the mountain above was acting as
a perfect grounding screen, absorbing his signal even at maximum output.
(17:59):
They hadn't heard him. The Nyjord fleet didn't know that
the cobalt bombs had been discovered before their launching. The
attack would go ahead as planned. Even now, the bombay
doors were opening. Armed h bombs hung above the planet,
held in place only by their shackles. In a few minutes,
the signal would be given and the shackles would spring open.
(18:21):
The bombs dropped, clear killers. Brion shouted into the microphone.
You wouldn't listen to reason. You wouldn't listen to Hi's
or me, or to any voice that suggested an alternative
to complete destruction. You're going to destroy this and it's
not necessary. There were a lot of ways you could
have stopped it. You didn't do any of em, and
(18:43):
now it's too late. You'll destroy dis and in turn
this will destroy nyjord I Shall said that, and now
I believe him. You're just another damned failure in a
galaxy full of failures. He raised the radio above his
head and sent it crashing into the rock floor. Then
he was running back to ul trying to run away
from the realization that he too had tried and failed.
(19:06):
The people on the surface of Diss had less than
two minutes left to live. They didn't get my message,
Brion said to ULV. The radio won't work this far underground,
then the bombs will fall. Ulv asked, looking searchingly at
Brion's face in the dim reflected light from the cavern.
Unless something happens, we know nothing about the bombs will fall.
(19:29):
They said nothing after that, They simply waited. The three
technicians in the cavern were also aware of the time.
They were calling to each other and trying to talk
to the magter. The emotionless, parasite ridden brains of the
Magter saw no reason to stop work, and they attempted
to beat the men back to their tasks. In spite
of the blows, they didn't go. They only gaped in
(19:51):
horror as the clock hands moved remorselessly towards twelve. Even
the Magter dimly felt some of the significance of the occasion.
They stopped too, and waited. The hour hand touched twelve
on Brion's watch, then the minute hand. The second hand
closed the gap, and for tenth of a second three
hands were on one. Then the second hand moved on.
(20:14):
Brion's immediate sensation of relief was washed away by the
chilling realization that he was deep underground. Sound and seismic
waves were slow and the flare of atomic explosions couldn't
be seen here. If the bombs had been dropped at twelve,
they wouldn't know it. At once. A distant rumble filled
the air. A moment later, the ground heaved under them,
(20:37):
and the lights in the cavern flickered. Fine dust drifted
down from the roof above. Ulv turned to him, but
Brion looked away. He could not face the accusation in
the Disan's eyes. End of Chapter seventeen
Chapter seventeen of Planet of the Damned. This is 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 seventeen. Do you
(00:32):
mean what you said about giving up? Leah asked. Brion
realized that she had stopped talking to all of some
time ago and had been listening to his conversation with Kraft.
He shrugged, trying to put his feelings into words. We've
tried and almost succeeded. But if they won't listen, what
can we do? What can one man possibly do against
(00:54):
a fleet loaded with h bombs? As if in answer
to that question, Ul's voice drowned him out, the harsh
disan word slashing the silence of the room. Kill you
the enemy, he said, kill you, umed vik. He shouted
the last word, and his hand flashed to his belt.
In a single swift motion, he lifted his blowgun and
(01:16):
placed it to his lips. A tiny dark quivered in
the already dead flesh of the creature in the magter's skull.
The action had all the symbolism of a broken lance
the declaration of war. Oulv understands it a lot better
than you might think, Lea said. He knows things about
symbiosis and mutualism that would give him a job as
(01:37):
a lecture in any university on Earth. He knows just
what the brain symbia is and what it does. They
even have a word for it, one that never appeared
in our disin language lessons. A life form that you
can live with or cooperate with is called a medvirk.
One that works to destroy you is a umed virk.
(01:57):
He also understands that life forms can change be medvirk
or umedvirk at different times. He has just decided that
the brain symbiad is umedvirk and he has out to
kill it. So will arrest of the distance as soon
as he can show them the evidence and explain. You're
sure of this, Brion asked, interested in spite of himself positive,
(02:18):
The Dissans have an absolute attitude towards survival. You should
realize that not the same as the magter, but not
much different in the results. They will kill the brain
symbiats even if it means killing every magter who harbors one.
If that is the case, we can't leave now, Brion said.
With these words, it suddenly became clear what he had
(02:40):
to do. The ship is coming down now from the fleet.
Get in it and take the body of the Magter.
I won't go. Where will you be, she asked, shocked
fighting the Magter. My presence on the planet means that
Kraft won't keep his threat to drop the bombs any
earlier than the midnight deadline. That would be deliberately murdering me.
(03:03):
I doubt if my presence past midnight will stop him,
but it should keep the bombs away at least until then.
What will you accomplish besides committing suicide? Lea pleaded. You
just told me how a single man can't stop the bombs.
What will happen to you at midnight? I'll be dead,
But in spite of that, I can't run away, not now.
(03:24):
I must do everything possible right up until the last instant.
Ulv and I will go to the Magter tower try
to find out if the bombs are there. He will
fight on our side now. He may even know more
about the bombs, things that he didn't want to tell me.
Before we can get help from his people. Some of
them must know where the bombs are being native to
(03:46):
this planet. Lea started to say something, but he rushed on,
drowning out her words. You have just as big a job.
Show the magter to Kraft. Explain the significance of the
brain parasite to him, Try to get get him to
talk to Hyes about the last raid. Try to get
him to hold off the attack. I'll keep the radio
(04:06):
with me and as soon as I know anything, I'll
call in. This is all last resort, fingering the dyke
kind of stuff, but it is all we can do,
because if we do nothing, it means the end of
dis Lea tried to argue with him, but he wouldn't
listen to her. He only kissed her, and with a
lightness he did not feel, tried to convince her that
(04:27):
everything would be all right. In their hearts, they both
knew it wouldn't be, but they left it that way
because it was the least painful solution. A sudden rumbling
shook the building and the windows darkened as a ship
settled in the street outside. The NYJOR crew came in
with guns pointed, alert for anything. After a little convincing,
(04:48):
they took the cadaver as well, as Leah. When they
lifted ship, Brion watched the spacer become a pinpoint in
the sky and vanish. He tried to shake off the
feeling that this was the last he would see any
of them. Let's get out of here fast, he told Alf,
picking up the radio before anyone comes around to see
why the ship landed. What will you do, Ulv asked
(05:11):
as they went down the street towards the desert. What
can we do in the few hours we have left?
He pointed at the sun nearing the horizon. Brion shifted
the weight of the radio to his other hand before replying,
get to the Magter tower we rated last night. That's
the best chance the bombs might be there. Unless you
(05:32):
know where the bombs are. Oliv shook his head. I
do not know, but some of my people may. We
will capture Magter, then kill him so they can all
see the Umedvirk. Then they will tell us everything they
know the tower first, then for bombs or a sample. Magter,
what's the fastest way we can get there? All frowned
(05:55):
in thought. If you can drive one of the cars
the off worlders use. I know where there are some
locked and buildings in the city. None of my people
know how they are made to move. I can work them.
Let's go. Chance was with them this time. The first
sand car they found still had the keys in the lock.
It was battery powered but contained a full charge. Much
(06:17):
quieter than the heavy atomic cars, it sped smoothly out
of the city and across the sand. Ahead of them,
the sun sank in a red wave of color. It
was six o'clock. By the time they reached the tower.
It was seven, and Brion's nerves felt as if they
were writhing under his skin. Even though it looked like suicide,
(06:38):
attacking the tower brought blessed relief. It was movement and action,
and for moments at a time he forgot the bombs
hanging over his head. The attack was nerve rackingly antaclimactic.
They used the main entrance, all of ranging soundlessly ahead.
There was no one in sight. Once inside, they crept
(06:58):
down towards the lower rooms, where the radiation had been detected.
Only gradually did they realize the Magter Tower was completely empty.
Every one gone ul grunted, sniffing the air in every
room they passed. Many Magter were here earlier, but they
are gone now. Do they often desert their towers. Brion asked, never,
(07:21):
I have never heard of it happening before. I can
think of no reason why they should do a thing
like this, Well I can. Brion told him they would
leave their home if they took something with them of
greater value, the bombs. If the bombs were hidden here,
they might move them after the attack. Sudden fear hit him,
(07:41):
or they might move them because it is time to
take them to the launcher. Let's get out of here
the quickest way we can. I smell air from outside,
alf said, coming from down there. This cannot be because
the Magter have no entrances this low in their towers.
We blasted one in earlier. That could be it. Can
you find it? Moonlight shone ahead as they turned an
(08:04):
angle of the corridor, and stars were visible through the
gaping opening in the wall. It looks bigger than it was,
Brion said, as if the Magter had enlarged it. He
looked through and saw the tracks in the sand outside,
as if they enlarged it to bring something bulky up
from below and carried it away in whatever made those tracks.
(08:26):
Using the opening themselves, they ran back to the sand car.
Brion ground. It fiercely around and turned the headlights on
the tracks. There were marks of a sand car's tread,
half obscured by thin, unmarked wheel tracks. He turned off
the lights and forced himself to move slowly and to
do an accurate job. A quick glimpse at his watch
(08:47):
showed him there were four hours left to go. The
moonlight was bright enough to illuminate the tracks. Driving with
one hand, he turned on the radio transmitter, already set
for craft's ways length. When the operator acknowledged his signal,
Brion reported what they had discovered and his conclusions. Get
(09:08):
that message to Commander Kraft. Now I can't wait to
talk to him. I'm following the tracks. He killed the
transmission and stamped on the accelerator. The sand car churned
and bounced down the track. They are going to the mountains,
ULV said some time later, as the tracks still pointed
straight ahead. There are caves there and many magter have
(09:28):
been seen near them. That is what I have heard.
The guess was correct. Before nine o'clock, the ground humped
into a range of foothills, and the darker masses of
mountains could be seen behind them, rising up to obscure
the stars. Stop the car here, Ulf said, The caves
began not too far ahead. There may be magter watching
(09:51):
or listening, so we must go quietly. Brion followed the
deep cut grooves, carrying the radio ULV came and went
on both sides silently as a shadow, scouting for hidden watchers.
As far as he could discover, there were none. By
nine thirty, Brion realized they had deserted the sand car
(10:11):
too soon. The tracks wound on and on and seemed
to have no end. They passed some caves, which Ulf
pointed out to him, but the tracks never stopped. Time
was running out, and the nightmare stumbling through the darkness continued.
More caves ahead, Ulf said, go quietly. They came cautiously
(10:31):
to the crest of a hill, as they had done
so many times already, and looked into the shadow valley beyond.
Sand covered the valley floor, and the light of the
setting moon shone over the tracks at a flat angle,
marking them off sharply as lines of shadow. They ran
straight across the sand valley and disappeared into the dark
(10:52):
mouth of a cave on the far side. Sinking back
behind the hilltop, Brion covered the pilot light with his
hand and turned on the transmitter. ULV stayed above him,
staring at the opening of the cave. This is an
important message, Brion whispered into the mic. Please record. He
(11:12):
repeated this for thirty seconds, glancing at his watch to
make sure of the time, since the seconds of waiting
stretched to minutes in his brain. Then, as clearly as possible,
without raising his voice above a whisper, he told of
the discovery of the tracks and the cave. The bombs
may or may not be in here, but we are
going in to find out. I'll leave my personal transmitter
(11:35):
here with the broadcast power turned on, so you can
home on its signal. That will give you a directional
beacon to find the cave. I'm taking the other radio in.
It has more power. If we can't get back to
the entrance, I'll try a signal from inside. I doubt
you will hear it because of the rock, but I'll try,
(11:56):
and of transmission. Don't try to answer me, because I
have the receiver returned off. There were no earphones on
the set and the speaker would be too loud here.
He switched off, held his thumb on the button for
an instant, then flicked it back on. Goodbye, Leah, he said,
and killed the power for good. They circled and reached
(12:17):
the rocky wall of the cliff. Creeping silently in the shadows,
they slipped up on the dark entrance of the cave.
Nothing moved ahead, and there was no sound from the
entrance of the cave. Brion glanced at his watch and
was instantly sorry. Ten thirty, the last shelter concealing them
was five meters from the cave. They started to rise
(12:40):
to rush the final distance, when all suddenly waved Brion down.
He pointed to his nose, then to the cave. He
could smell the magter. There, a dark figure separated itself
from the greater darkness of the cave. Mouth ulv acted instantly.
He stood up and his hand went to his mouth.
Ere hissed faintly through the tube in his hand, without
(13:03):
a sound. The magter folded and fell to the ground.
Before the body hit all crouched low and rushed in.
There was the sudden scuffling of feet on the floor,
then silence. Brion walked in, gun ready and alert, not
knowing what he would find. His toe pushed against a
body on the ground, and from the darkness all whispered.
(13:25):
There were only two We can go on now. Finding
their way through the cave was maddening torture. They had
no light, nor would they dare use one if they had.
There were no wheel marks to follow the stone floor.
Without all sensitive nose, they would have been completely lost.
The cave branched and rejoined, and they soon lost all
sense of direction. Walking was almost impossible. They had to
(13:48):
grope with their hands before them, like blind men, stumbling
and falling against the rock. Their fingers were soon throbbing
and raw from brushing against rough walls. All followed the
scent of the magter there hung in the air where
they had passed. When it grew thin, he knew they
had left the frequently used tunnels and entered deserted ones.
They could only retrace their steps and start again in
(14:10):
a different direction. More maddening than the walking was the
way time was running out inexorably. The glowing hands crept
around the face of Brion's watch until they stood at
fifteen minutes before twelve. There is a light ahead. Ulv whispered,
and Brion almost gasped with relief. They moved slowly and
silently until they stood concealed by the darkness, looking out
(14:33):
into a dome chamber brightly lit by glowing tubes. What
is it? Ulv asked, blinking in a painful wash of illumination.
After the long darkness, Brian had to fight to control
his voice to stop from shouting. The cage with the
metal webbing is a jump space generator. The pointed silver
shapes next to us are bombs of some kind, probably
(14:56):
the cobalt bombs we found it. His first impulse was
to instantly send the radio call that would stop the
waiting fleet of h bombers, but an unconvincing message would
be worse than no message at all. He had to
describe exactly what he saw here so the nyjorders would
know he wasn't lying. What he told them had to
fit exactly with the information they already had about the
(15:19):
launcher and the bombs. The launcher had been jury rigged
from a ship's jump space generator. That was obvious. The
generator and its controls were neatly cased and mounted. Cables
ran from them to a roughly constructed cage of woven
metal straps hammered and bent into shape by hand. Three
technicians were working on the equipment. Brion wondered what sort
(15:41):
of bloodthirsty war lovers the Magdaru found to handle the
bombing for them. Then he saw the chains around their
necks and the bloody wounds on their backs. He still
found it difficult to have any pity for them. They
had obviously been willing to accept money to destroy another planet,
or they would have been working here. They had probably
rebelled only when they discovered how suicidal the attack would be.
(16:06):
Thirteen minutes to midnight, Cradling the radio against his chest,
Brion rose to his feet. He had a better view
of the bombs. Now there were twelve of them alike.
His eggs from the same deadly clutch pointed like the
bow of a spacer. Each one swept smoothly back for
its two meters of length to a sharply chopped off end.
(16:28):
They were obviously incomplete the warheads of rockets. One had
its base turned towards him, and he saw six projecting
studs that could be used to attach it to the
missing rocket. A circular inspection port was opened in the
flat base of the bomb. This was enough. With this description,
the nyjorders would know he couldn't be lying about finding
(16:49):
the bombs. Once they realized this, they couldn't destroy dis
without first trying to neutralize them. Brion carefully counted fifty
paces before he stopped. He was far enough from the
cavern so he couldn't be heard, and an angle of
the cave cut out all light from behind him. With
carefully controlled movements, he turned on the power, switched the
(17:12):
set to transmit, and checked the broadcast frequency, all correct.
Then slowly and clearly, he described what he had seen
in the cavern behind him. He kept his voice emotionless,
recounting facts, leaving out anything that might be considered an opinion.
It was six minutes before midnight when he finished. He
(17:33):
thumbed the switch to receive and waited. There was only silence. Slowly,
the empty quality of the silence penetrated his numbed mind.
There were no crackling atmospherics nor hiss of static. Even
when he turned the power full on, the mass of
rock and earth of the mountain above was acting as
a perfect grounding screen, absorbing his signal even at maximum output.
(17:59):
They hadn't heard him. The Nyjord fleet didn't know that
the cobalt bombs had been discovered before their launching. The
attack would go ahead as planned. Even now, the bombay
doors were opening. Armed h bombs hung above the planet,
held in place only by their shackles. In a few minutes,
the signal would be given and the shackles would spring open.
(18:21):
The bombs dropped, clear killers. Brion shouted into the microphone.
You wouldn't listen to reason. You wouldn't listen to Hi's
or me, or to any voice that suggested an alternative
to complete destruction. You're going to destroy this and it's
not necessary. There were a lot of ways you could
have stopped it. You didn't do any of em, and
(18:43):
now it's too late. You'll destroy dis and in turn
this will destroy nyjord I Shall said that, and now
I believe him. You're just another damned failure in a
galaxy full of failures. He raised the radio above his
head and sent it crashing into the rock floor. Then
he was running back to ul trying to run away
from the realization that he too had tried and failed.
(19:06):
The people on the surface of Diss had less than
two minutes left to live. They didn't get my message,
Brion said to ULV. The radio won't work this far underground,
then the bombs will fall. Ulv asked, looking searchingly at
Brion's face in the dim reflected light from the cavern.
Unless something happens, we know nothing about the bombs will fall.
(19:29):
They said nothing after that, They simply waited. The three
technicians in the cavern were also aware of the time.
They were calling to each other and trying to talk
to the magter. The emotionless, parasite ridden brains of the
Magter saw no reason to stop work, and they attempted
to beat the men back to their tasks. In spite
of the blows, they didn't go. They only gaped in
(19:51):
horror as the clock hands moved remorselessly towards twelve. Even
the Magter dimly felt some of the significance of the occasion.
They stopped too, and waited. The hour hand touched twelve
on Brion's watch, then the minute hand. The second hand
closed the gap, and for tenth of a second three
hands were on one. Then the second hand moved on.
(20:14):
Brion's immediate sensation of relief was washed away by the
chilling realization that he was deep underground. Sound and seismic
waves were slow and the flare of atomic explosions couldn't
be seen here. If the bombs had been dropped at twelve,
they wouldn't know it. At once. A distant rumble filled
the air. A moment later, the ground heaved under them,
(20:37):
and the lights in the cavern flickered. Fine dust drifted
down from the roof above. Ulv turned to him, but
Brion looked away. He could not face the accusation in
the Disan's eyes. End of Chapter seventeen
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