Star Hunter

turned, without opening his eyes, he felt the brush of softn

en rock toward the cloudless, blue-green sky. A

oot had slipped. Rynch Brodie sat up, flexed his bare thin arms, and moved his long legs experimenta

he chill of the stream flush away some of his waking bewilderment. He shook himself, maki

ece of labor or battle which had added pouch, belt, strip of fabric to his equipment.

bit of it. He'd been lucky, the survival manual on the L-B had furnished him with general

ther. A bush stirred ahead, against the pull of the light breeze. Rynch froze, then the haft of his

wept off balance. A water-cat, this year's cub. Dying, its claws, over-long in proportion to its paws, drew inch deep furrows i

had hunted water-cats for many seasons. Fortunately they were solitary, evil-tempered beasts that marked out a roam

sudden flash shook him, raised the dull ache still troubling his temples into a punishing throb. Going down on his knee

ting in his skull. Sitting in a room, drinking from a cup-it was as if a shadow picture fitted over the reality of

der rocks, gathered an army of blue-black, hard-shelled things, their clawed forelimbs extended, b

the torn skin of his ankle when he waded out knee-deep. Already that black tongue of small bodies lick

ay from the vicinity of the kill. A little later he flushed a four-footed creature from between two rocks and killed it with one blow from his spear ha

stick, as if a part of him knew very well what manner of animal he had killed. And yet,

had been traveling on the

ately dressed hair in which jeweled lights sparkled. There had been something bad-memory was no longer exact but chaoti

ons T

f piling rocks over Tait's twisted body. He had been alone then with only the survival manual an

e in his head made him drowsy. He curled u

ght, but rather a muted halo of evening. Rynch sat up, his heart pounding as if he ha

oing here? Wh

ds he dug into the sand on either side of him. Vaguely, a picture projected into his mind-he had sat in a room

e of rocks, managed to survive by himself because he had applied the aids in the boat to learn how. This morning he

ove it! There was the strong-jaw's den back there, somewhere on the rise where he had left the snapped haft of the

hat man, and the cup? Of the place of lights and smells, which he hated so much that the hate was

kened after that fall. Finally, finding shelter within the heart of a bush, he crouched low, listeni

s. He bit down hard on the knuckles of his clenched fist, attempting to bend that discovery into evidence. Why did he know at once that that t

own skin as he recited that formula. Then he scrambled up. His feet tangled

f hiding to investigate was a substance none of his species could have nam

a set pattern which had not been altered for eons, its only answer was a basic command reaffirmed. Again it made contact, strove to carry out that order fruitlessly. Where i

thdrew baffled. But its invasion, as ghostly as that h

was he, Rynch Brodie, who had lived in this wilderness on an unmapped frontier world for the passage of many seasons. That world w

hich had started all this. Right there was the slope down which he must have tumble

w lurked. But when he reached the crown of the bluff, nowhere did he sight the mounded earth of the pit's rim. He searched careful

and stumbled on, dazed

at. This was where he had regained cons

s there also no L-B? If he had passed this way dazed fr

to finger the wilted leaves. Something had come in this direction.

st obliterated marks on grass too resilient to hold t

t-was to the west. He had a vivid mental picture of the rocket shape, its once silver

, tested. A forest called delicately in its alien way. Rynch had a fleeting thought

by his indifference. While Rynch started at a steady distance to trot towards the e

atches of seas. They would set down on the western land mass. Its climate, geographical features and surface

's Ju

ter his impatience. The slightest hint could give birth to a suspicion which would blast their whole scheme. Wass might have had a hand in the selection of the

ainst any wrong move on Hume's part. And the Out-Hunter respected him as being m

s journey of the abandoned L-B. Exploration in that direction would be the first logical move for his party.

s command to remain in the general area. There had been a slight element of risk in leaving him

would protect and serve his civ clients. He slapped the last inflate valve on a bubble tent, watched it critically

reported to the small man who stood gazing about him wi

at might that be?" His voice was also e