Science fiction; Short stories; Space pirates -- Fiction; Space ships -- Fiction
"I don't think you realize how many millions of miles your Flanjo ship
had to come to the rendezvous point," said Carrel. "As much as your
friends want this cargo, they won't stay around long. Solar Council
ships probably heard that broadcast."
"What makes you think they can find us?" sneered Albrekt. "We can't
call them either."
"They can't find us," replied Carrel calmly. "The chances are a million
to one against it, and we don't have enough time for chances like
that."
Ice seemed to enter Albrekt's veins. He glared at them from angry eyes.
They were inching closer to him. Already they were halfway across the
control room.
"Stand back!" he said, his voice trembling. "I'll burn all of you!"
"And die alone, Albrekt?" Carrel's brittle voice was like the blow of a
hammer against rock.
On the screen behind Carrel, the orb of Jupiter floated off the port
bow, red and ominous. Giant of the heavens, its tremendous mass could
snatch them from the sky, crush and break them like moths.
All the vast loneliness of space swept over Albrekt on wings of fear.
It was too much for a planet-bound mind to face. The last companionship
even of enemies was better than solitary death.
"No," he muttered, beaten, and the heat gun drooped in his hand.
Qoqol's eight-foot arm reached in like a striking snake to lift it from
his nerveless grasp.
"Good work, Qoqol," said Carrel heartily. "I had an idea the Flanjo
tradition of superiority would break in the face of the inevitable. It
was worth risking, now that we know we're safe."
"Safe?" said Albrekt bitterly. "Safe for what? To fall into Jupiter?"
"Well, now," said Carrel drolly, "I believe I neglected to say that
our spiral toward Jupiter will intercept the Solar Council base on
Callisto, didn't I? Yes sir, it's one of the neatest orbits Qoqol has
ever plotted."
"What?" demanded Albrekt, stunned. "You mean we're in a controlled
orbit?"
"Why, yes, my Flanjo friend. We started pulling out of the orbits your
blast tapes set about four months ago. If we hadn't, we wouldn't have
come anywhere near Jupiter."
"You lie!" shouted Albrekt. "You lie, Carrel! You couldn't! There's no
fuel!"
"I'm afraid we're going to have to keep you tied up to one of the bunks
for the next few weeks, Albrekt," said Carrel. "You're too valuable a
prisoner to take a chance on your doing away with yourself."
"There's no fuel," repeated Albrekt. He was almost whimpering.
"I'll relieve your mind on that score," said Carrel. "Have you ever
seen a sailing ship on Earth?"
Albrekt stared at him, uncomprehending.
"A sailing ship doesn't need fuel because it gets its power from the
wind," said Carrel. "Neither do we, now. I'm afraid that story I told
you about dangerous radiation from Jupiter was made up of whole cloth,
Albrekt. There isn't any.
"That lithium hemisphere we built isn't a shield. It's a sail."
"But there's no wind--there's no air--"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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