Storm Over Warlock

he Throg plate as he approached. A quarter of its bulk was telescoped back into the rest, and surely none of the aliens could have su

. The port door in the black ship stood open, perhaps having burst in the impact against the cliff. Shann had almost reache

h use in meeting a blaster as a straw wand would be to ward off a blazing coal. A chill numbness held him as he

llected his wits. Only one shot! Was the beetle injured, unable to make sure of ev

hrog prisoner, and he would do it gladly if there was no hope of escape. Had there been only one charge left in that blaster? Shann could make half a dozen guesses as t

creeping up on him? Shann strained his ears, trying to catch some sound he could interpret. The few clak-claks

llow him down into this valley, and they had avoided the crater at a very

ng in his mind his hatred for the beetle-head, the need for finishing off that alien. If the animals could pick either

nst the ground, sent his body ro

r, bringing that weapon up to center it on him. The Throg was hunched over and perhaps to Taggi presented the o

he had attacked, squalled and retreated. Shann had had his precious seconds of distraction.

d again, gaining a temporary cover behind the wrecked ship. He squirmed under metal hot enough to s

y, which was better than that of three minutes ago-when the odds had been set at one in a hundred. He knew that he could not pre

g staggered around the end of the plate, his digits, which were closer to claws than fingers, fumbling with his weapon. The Terran snapped another shot fr

rashed forward, struck against the ship, and rebounded to the ground. Shann darted forward to seize the blaster, kicking loose th

lly at its target. And no Throg would kill one of his fellows. Or would he? Suppose orders had been issued

lyer provided him with protection from any overhead attack. Under

Cradling the blaster, the Terran continued to wait. His patience was rewarded when that investigating clak-clak took off uttering an e

s away. Shann waited in a half-crouch, his looted blaster covering the man now getting to his feet. There was no mistaking the familiar uniform, or ev

t how deep his unacknowledged loneliness had bit. There were two Terrans on Warlock now, and he di

emand held something

atened something which had flowered in him since he had struck into the wildern

'm from th

Where are the rest?" He gazed past Shann up the plateau slope as if he expected

n a colorless voice. He cradled the blaster on

?" Thorvald was plainly sta

he rest in camp. The wolverines had escaped from their cage

oice. Almost, Shann thought, as if he could turn that blade of rage against

d a right to be alive, hadn't he? Or did Thorvald believe that he should have gone running down to meet t

absently. "Then one of those platters jumped us on braking orbit, and my pilot was killed. When we set d

one of them," S

she wouldn't climb again. But they'll

taking a hand." His tone was as chill as t

ssolved the pattern of the Survey team. He didn't owe Thorvald any allegiance

. "Well, that's as good a

with him over a circuitous route which kept them away from both ships. Thorvald went up the cliff, swu

out the barrel of the blaster. Shann's own hold on the weapon tigh

have

put the Throg out of commission permanently, the officer was going to claim their o

m here." Thorvald made the w

ked the grip of the blaster under the alien's lax claws and inspected the result with the care of on

iked the need for making any explanations, "There is no reason for us to advertise our being alive. If the Throgs found a blaster mi

ior to their own weapons. Now they could not loot the plateship either. In silence he tu

t their curiosity made them scouts surpassing any human and that the men who followed would have ample warning of any danger to come. Without reference

t about for a proper night camp. The

d, breaking the silence for the firs

echniques which he himself did not possess, but to be reminded of that fact was an irritant rath

trap the force-blade ax at his belt. Bending over a sapling, he pounded away with a stone at the green wood a few inches above the root line until he was able to brea

t to use his ax, that was no reason that Shann could not put his heavy belt kni

g to come very hard to the other-"sooner or later the Throgs might just trace us here an

protested Shann. "There is

improvised stone a

e Throgs k

t idea struck home to Shann. Now he began t

d saw that the other was watching him with a new intentness, as if he had at last been re

be a native race,

than Thorvald had. He worried at one sapling after another until his hands were skinned and his breath came in painful gusts from under aching ribs. Thor

nches were woven back and forth through this framework, with an entrance, through which one might crawl on hands and knees, left facing the lakeside. The shelter they comp

primitive race on Terra. Certainly the beetl

therwise it is pretty heavy w

a sharp shake. The matted leaves

our play. Even a Throg isn't dense enough to believe that natives woul

eling southward, methodically erecting these huts here and there to confound Throgs who mi

ed wea

s," Shann pointed out. He did not add, as he wou

ap. He went back to the beach and crawled about there,

fire. He was hungry and looked longingly now and again to the supply bag Thorvald had brought w

back from the pond, a selection of round stones about the

sn't it?" Shann cou

then tossed the supply bag over to his companion. "Too late to hunt to

know of some supply

the other answere

't eat our ki

or them to leave the c

e c

h was neither joyous nor warming. "A native raid on an invaders'

ann what the other prop

The improbable we do at once; the impossible takes a little longer.' What did you think we were going to do? Sul

was ready enough to admit the truth, only some shade of