To the Stars Trilogy Part 29

"No," Jan said, almost unthinkingly, reacting by re-flex. The cables, the immobilized vehicles, they were his only weapon. He had the feeling that great forces were already at work against him and he could not surrender that weapon now. "Wait a bit. Just pa.s.s the word to the others that we will meet here in ... say, three hours. To go over unloading plans."

"If you say so.

It was a long wait and Jan felt very much alone. Through the front port he could see the people moving about; ordinary enough. But not ordinary for him. He had shaken the Family Heads up, caught them off balar:oe, won a victory. For the moment. But could he hold onto what he had gained? There was no use in speculating. Re could only work to control his impatience, sit quiet and wait to find out what their next move was going to be.

"It's not good," Ryzo said, climbing down through the hatch.

"What do you mean?"

"Old Ledon has forbidden me to go with the trains on the second trip. Just like that."

"He can't stop you."

"That's right, me, but I'm just one person. I know why I'm in this and what it means. I didn't answer him, just walked out. But how many others are going to do that? Right now the Elders are calling in every one of the technicians and mechanics. They will be told what to do~and they will obey. Which leaves us with a two-man revolution and no place to go.

"We're not dead yet. Stay here, sit on those cables, lock the hatch and don't open it until I get back.

Without them we're lost~'

'And if anyone should try to get them? One of our own men?"

"Don't let them have the cables. Even if..."

"If I have to fight? Kill them?"

"No, we're not going that far."

"Why not?" Hyzo was deadly serious now. "The ends justify the means."

"No they don't. Just do your best-without hurting anyone.

The hatch clanged shut behind Jan and he heard the dogs being driven home in the catch. He jumped down from the treads and walked steadily in the direction of the dome. The crowd had dispersed for the most part but there were still a number of people about. They looked at him with curiosity-but turned away when he caught their eyes. They were pa.s.sive, trained td accept orders, they would be no problem. It was the Elders he would have to deal with.

There were no Proctors at the entrance, which was a help; he wanted no trouble with them. Jan pushed the door open quietly and stood just inside it. They were there, all the Family Heads, too busy shouting at each other to notice him yet. He listened.

"Kill them all, that's the only answer!" Taekeng's voice was cracking; he must have screamed himself hoa.r.s.e.

"You're a fool," The Hradil said. "We must have the trained men to run the machinery. We must order them to obey us and they will do it. That is enough for now. Later when he is dead, they will be punished, one by one, we will not forget."

"No one will be pun~shed," Jan said, striding forward, as calm as they were angry. "You stupid people just will not realize the kind of trouble we are in. If the s.h.i.+ps don't arrive we don't get replacement parts or fuel. Our tanks and engines will be knocked out one by one and then we will all be dead. If the s.h.i.+ps come they will need all the corn we can possibly get together. They will need it for starving people-and we need it as the only weapon...

The Rradil spat in his face, the spittle striking him on the cheek, running down across his mouth. Re wiped it ~way with the back of his hand and fought to control his anger.

"You will do as we say," she ordered him. "There will be no more talk from you abput do this do that.

We are the Family Reads and we will be obeyed. There will not be another trip. You will..."

"You stupid old woman, can you not understand me? Are you so ignorant that you do not know that nothing will move until I permit it? I have parts of all the machines and they will not run until the parts are replaced. I will destroy these parts now and we will all die the quicker. I will do this at once if you do not permit the return trip for the corn. You do this and I promise to ask no more of you. When we return you are in charge as always. You issue the orders and everyone obeys. Is that agreeable?"

"No! You cannot tell us what to do." The Rradil would accept no compromises.

"I'm telling you nothing. I'm asking you first."

"It is not too bad a plan," Ivan s.e.m.e.nov said. "We lose nothing if they go back for the corn. And we did promise...

'Ask for a vote, Ivan," Jan said. "Or does this cow frighten you all?"

Then she was calm, just that suddenly. The unabated hatred was still there in her eyes, but not in her voice. 'All right, we will argue no more. The trains will leave as 5oofl as possible. I am sure you all agree."

They were confused, not understanding her sudden change. But Jan knew~ She was not ready for a showdown now. And she did not really care if the trains went or not. What she wanted was his death, preferably a long and painful one. From now on he walked with that danger and accepted it.

"I know you will all agree with Ivan and The Rradil," Jan said. "We leave as soon as the corn is emptied.

We will need all the new drivers...."

"No," The Rradil said. "There will be only men. It is not permitted for young girls to be alone with so many. None of the girls will be allowed to go. Alzbeta will not go.

She threw this last out as a challenge and for a moment he almost accepted it. Then realized he could lose everything if he insisted. Re matched her cold calmness with his own.

'All right then, just male drivers. Get out of here, and issue the orders to cooperate with me. Make it clear to eveyone what is happening. No more lies~'

"You should not.say that Ivan complained.

"Why not? It's true, Isn't it? Secret meetings, secret trials, secret execution plans, more lying so that fool Ritters.p.a.ch takes the blame. I do not trust one of you out of my sight. Leave and go to your families and tell them what is to be done. Only when everyone is sure what is happening will the machines be made operable again...

"Seize him now and kill him," Taekeng screamed.

"You can-but someone else will destroy the cables."

"It is Ryzo," Ledon said. "Re defied me like this one.

"We will issue the orders," the Hradil said. "Go at once and do it."

Thirteen.

The trains were ready to go, had been for almost two hours, standing quiet in the darkness. The drivers were in their seats waiting for orders. Food and supplies for the trip were in the house car, along with an unhappy doctor-in-training, Savas Tsiturides. Doctor Rosbagh said that his a.s.sistant was not completely trained, not able to be on his own. Tsiturides had fervently agreed. Re had come any-way. Jan could not risk his men on this trip without some kind of medical aid. The last details had been seen to, the off-duty drivers were already asleep, and he could not make excuses much longer.

"Back in five minutes," he said, ignoring the question-ing looks of his crew. Re climbed down from tank six, he would lead the tanks himself on the return trip, and walked back along the trains. This was the spot--but no one was here. It had been a risk to send the first message, madness to follow it up with a second. But he had had to do it. The Central Way was silent, it was the middle of the sleep period.

"Jan. Are you there?"

Re spun about and there she was, by the warehouse. He ran to her.

"I didn't know if you were coming."

"I had the message, but I couldn't leave until now, when they were all asleep. She has them watching me.

"Come with me."

He had meant to build his argument logically and rationally, explaining how important it was she keep the bit of independence gained. To perfect her technical skills. It was a good argument. He wasn't going to mention how he loved her and needed her. Yet at the sight of her he had forgotten it all and just blurted out the words. Alzbeta recoiled, shocked.

"I couldn't do that. There are only men."

"We're not animals. You won't be hurt, touched. It is important for you, for both of us."

"The Hradil would never permit it."

"Of course. That is why you must leave without per-mission. Everything is changing and we must make it change faster. If the s.h.i.+ps don't come all of us have only a few more years to live. When summer comes and we can't make the tri~we burn. I want those years with you, I can't bear losing one day of them."

"Of course, I know."

She was in his arms, and he was holding her tightly, hard 'to his body, and she was not resisting or pulling away. Over her shoulder he saw Ritters.p.a.ch and two Proctors running toward them. All the men carried clubs.

A trap, that's why Alzbeta had been late. They had intercepted his message, planned to catch them together. The Rradil must have arranged it all, was gloating now at her success.

"No!" Jan shouted, pus.h.i.+ng Alzbeta away from him, crouching in defense, hands extended. The clubs were to beat him with, not kill him, bring him back for her justice. "No!" shouted even louder still as he dived under the swing of the first Proctor's club.

The swing missed and he hit the Proctor hard, hear-ing the air rush from his chest, slapping his forearm hard against the man's throat as he whirled to face the others.

A club caught him on the side of his head, slammed down onto his shoulder. Jan shouted aloud with pain and grabbed the man, caught his neck in an armlock, pulled him about as a s.h.i.+eld between himself and Ritters.p.a.ch. Luckily the big man was still coward enough to hesitate, to let the other two take the punishment. Now he could wait no longer. Re swung wildly, afraid to close, striking the Proctor Jan held so that the man cried out, swung again.

"Don't, please stop," Alzbeta cried, trying to separate the struggling men. The first Proctor shoved her aside rudely and circled to take Jan from the rear. Alzbeta, crying, came fdrward again, just in time to step in front of Ritters.p.a.ch's wildly swinging club.

Jan could hear the sharp, malletlike crack as it caught her full on the side of her head. She dropped without a sound.

Re wanted to help her, but this must be finished first. In his anger he could not be stopped, tightening his arm hard so that the man he held tore at the pain in his thro~t, then went limp. Jan seized his club and spun the man's body about, ignorant of the club that struck him once, twice. Throwing the limp attacker into the moving one, following up with his own club, battering until both were still, turning about and going for Ritters.p.a.ch.

"Don't Ritters.p.a.ch said, striking out wildly in de-fense. Jan did not answer, his club speaking for him, thudding into the other's arm so the fingers went limp and the club fell. Hitting again, catching the back of the Proctor Captain's head when he turned to flee.

"What is it?" a voice shouted. One of the mechanics running down the train.

"They attacked me, hit her, get the doctor, a.s.sistant Tsiturides. Quickly."

Jan bent and picked up Alzbeta gently, bending his face to hers, afraid of what he would find. More afraid not to know. There was blood, dark on her pale skin. Her breath slow~ but regular.

He carried her carefully to the nearest car and took her inside, putting her down gently on the filthy rug.

"Where are you?" a voice called out. "What has happened."

It was Tsiturides, bent over the men on the ground. He straightened up from Ritters.p.a.ch, his face shocked. "That other one is unconscious. This one~ead."

"All right then, there's nothing you can do for him. Alzbeta is in here, struck by that pig. Take care of her."

The doctor pushed by and Jan watched while he opened his bag at her side. There were more running footsteps. Jan closed the door and looked at it, then took the keys from his belt and locked it.

"The fun's over," he said, turning to the men as they came up. "They jumped me and I took care of them. Now let us roll these trains before there are any more difficulties"

It was a stupid, impulsive thing to do. But it was done. Re had tried to do it by law, by asking The Hradil, by suffering the indignities of her rejection. Now he would do it his own way. There would be no going back from this either.

Buffers clanked together, the cars moved slowly at first, then faster and faster. Jan turned and ran toward his tank, waiting impatiently until the train had rumbled by, then hurrying over almost under the wheels of the next engine.

"Let's go," he said, closing the hatch behind him. "Move out ahead of the trains."

'And about time," Otakar said, gunning the engine.

Jan did not relax until the Central Way changed into the rock surface of the Road, until the warehouses had grown small and vanished behind the last car of the train. Then the fence posts were gone as well and the last of the farms and he still kept watching the monitor screen. They could not be followed-so what was he watching for? The one engine left behind was immobilized as a power station. Who was he running from?

Fourteen.

Jan dc~~.4ed that they would have to travel for at least four hours before they could make a stop. But he could not force himself to wait that long. Even three hours was too much; he had to know how Alzbeta was. It hadn't seemed too hard a blow, but she had been unconscious when he left. She might still be unconscious~{)r dead. The thought was unbearable; he had to find out. At the end of the second hour of driving he admitted defeat.

"All units," he ordered. " A short rest stop. Change drivers if you want to. Begin your slowdown now."

Even as he issued the command he pulled the tank out of line, spun it 180 degrees on its treads and went thundering back along the line of still moving trains. He found the car in which he had left Alzbeta and the doctor, reversed, and swung alongside it, slowing when it slowed, jumping down the instant they had stopped. The right key was ready in his hand and he unlocked the door and threw it open to face an angry Doctor Tsiturides.

"This is an insult, locking me in the way you did "Row is she?"

"This car is dusty, uncleaned, with no proper facilities."

"I said-how is she?"

The cold anger in his voice penetrated the doctor's complaints and he took a step backward. "She is doing well, as well as can be expected under the conditions. She is asleep now. Mild concussion, no more than that I am sure. It is safe to leave her alone and that is what I am doing."

He picked up his bag and hurried ~way. Jan wanted to look in, but was afraid to waken her. It was then that Alzbeta spoke.

"Jan? Are you there?"

"Yes, here I come.

She was propped up on a nest of blankets the doctor had put together, a white bandage around her head. Enough light came through the uncurtained window to show her face almost as pale as the cloth.

1itt1e~'Jan~ what happened? I remember we talked, then else."

"The Hradil set a trap for me-with you as bait. Ritters.p.a.ch and some of his men. Capture me or kill me, I don't know. Whatever they had planned misfired when you got in the way. I'm afraid I... lost my temper."

"Is that a bad thing to do?"