Pariah Planet

e him were reasonable enough. Maril protested fiercely, and her testimony agreed with Cal

out to emptiness, and there he had instructed them in modern guidance-methods for ships of space. So far there was no disagreement. He'd proposed to make them more competent pilots;

se it was useless; to keep up prices. Nobody believed in shiploads of grain to be had for the taking. They did know that the only four partially experienced space-pilots on Dara had been taken away and by Calhoun's own story sent out of the ship after they'd been drugged. Had they been trained, and had they been helped or even permitted to sow the seeds of plague on Weald, and had they come back prepared t

and could build or buy others faster than Dara could hope to construct them. Equally important, Weald had a plenitude of experienced spacemen to man some ships fully and train the crews of others. If it had

hips which only needed to be emptied of grain and filled with guns and men-why-Dara was doomed.

lotches on their skins, marched him to the center of the largest level space on the planet which was not desperately being cultivated. Their hatred showed in their expressions. Bit

y center of the landing-grid floor. There were a hundred blasters which would fire upon him at the same instant. H

ing. One of the grain-ships from Weald had broken out of overdrive and its pilot was triumphantly calling for landing-co?rdinates. T

ad trained. "Calling ground! Pilot Franz in captured ship requests co?rdinates for landing

Weald! Presently the giant ship on its second voyage to Dara-the first had been a generation ago, when it threatened death and destruction-appeared as a dark pinpoint i

and only then did Calhoun stroll in a leisurely fash

ng and heaving out handsful of grain. There was a swarming, yelling, deliriously triumphant crowd, then, whe

d Ship, nevertheless. He was surrounded by now-ecstatically admirin

a went wild again. Four hours later still, the third

cabinet of Dara for the second time

doing get the beginning of a fleet for defense. I insist, however, that it must not be used in combat! We might as well be sensible about this situation!

or?" demanded a man with a bl

un to

fleet overhead, dropping fusion

a time. But

ping bombs if we can get the grain-

you have

tional program can be presented and accepted immediately. A plan of action which is actually intelligent,

ehead colored blue. "If we'd used our brains, we'd have more bombs than W

off for Weald again. I'll want somebody to build an emergency device for my ship, and I'll want the four pilots I've trained and twenty more candidates. And I

pace from which stores had been taken away. When the ship's air-supply was pumped past it, first moisture and then CO2 froze out. Then the air flowed over the liquefied oxygen at a rate to replace the CO2 with more useful breathing material. Then the moisture was restored to t

gatroyd protested shrilly when he discovered her

d indignantly.

ll be crowded enough any

iciently supervised as the grid took the ship up. The other three of the four first-trained men explained every move to

each other's way. They trampled on each other. There was always somebody eating, and always somebody sleeping, and there was no need whatever for the background tape to keep the ship from being in

that would presently be called for. Calhoun hoped desperately that preparations for active warfare-or massacre-did not move fast on Weald. He believed, however, that in the absence of direct news from Dara, Wealdian officials would take the normal course of politicos. They had proclaim

ock all meaning out of any reading beyond two decimal places. But the first breakout was just far enough from the Wealdian system for Calhoun to be able to pick out its planets with electron telescope at maximum magnification. He could aim

solar-system drive of the grain-fleet. There was no alarm, at first. Of course radars spotted the Med Ship as an object, but nobody paid at

neophyte and all fastened firmly together with space-ropes. They warmed the interiors of four ships and went on to others. Presently there were eight ships making

planet. Calhoun swore. He could not call his students and tell them what was happening. The guard-ship would overhear. He could not trus

ommunicator, and set it at voice-only transmission. This was famili

led Murgatroy

ice came out

t's

d Murgatroy

in order. One was Calhoun. The second was coffee. The third was pret

, identify

gatroyd. He wriggled with pleasure

unicator

Something that ain't human's talking at me on a

erposed with a

he

nd so could determine only that an object of some sort moved of its own accord in space. Calhoun let the Med Ship accelerate. That would be final evidence. The grain-ships were between Weald and its sun. Even electron

atroyd solicitousl

ed the voice from the guard-boat.

ve voice came in wit

Approach its ship and send back an image. D

eaded for the Med Ship. It w

aid Murgatroyd

hanged course too. Calhoun let it draw nearer,-but only

d, however. It was easy to guess that someone had meant to return to the Med Ship for orders o

said Mur

vy voic

orld! If you come in peace, cut your d

of higher authority took over. Murgatroyd was entranced that so many people wanted to talk to him

ee-chee," sai

had gone into overdrive. Another. And another. Suddenl

gatroyd with a n

grain-shi

d ship Aesclipus Twenty. I called here a couple of we

Then profanity of deep

on Dara," s

ilence

ad in orbit have been taken away by men from Dara-blueskins if you like-to feed t

e unprintable. Then the former

vice will hear of

ra is ready to pay for every ounce of grain and for the ships it was stor

voice fair

ing that was ever on Da

and tungsten at 3370° and iridium at 2350°. You could load such things and melt them down in

oice said i

his! You'll su

said ple

nd on Dara, take whatever property they think wise,-to pay for damage done by blueskins, of course-and get back

eivable contagion, do whatever seemed necessary in the way of looting-but Calhoun did not use the word-and the

ips converging on me to blast

elf and in which physical constants were wildly strange. For one thing, the speed of light in overdrive-stressed space had n

e was companionable silence,-there were only the small threshold-of-perception sounds

beings crowded into the two cabins of the ship, with never so much as one yard of space

ked his whiske

n million bushels of grain reaching them. Maybe-just possibly-they'll listen to me and act sensibly. After all, the

to relaxation. As a beginning he made ready to give himself an adequate meal for the first time since first landing on Dara. Then, presen

rain fleet wouldn't be charged against twenty-four men. A Darian fleet would be suspected, and with the suspicion terror, and with terror a g

and governmental officials would come to the eminently sane conclusion that while Calhoun could not well take active measures against blueskins, as a sane and proper citizen of the galaxy he would be on

a comfortable ration, but the relief was great. There was considerable gratitude felt for Calhoun, which as usual included a lively anticipation of further favors

A person felt slightly feverish, and ran a temperature which peaked at 30.9° centigrade, and drank more water than usual. Then his temperature went back to normal a

de, and this time they would make an infinity of slaughter among wild cattle-herds, and bring back incredible quantit

fashioned into bombs-a concession by Calhoun-and plastic factories make an astonishing number of plastic sag-suits. And large

hem together and hoped very urgently that that was the way things would work out. He could see a promising total result. In fact, in the Med ship hurtling th

e to the Med Ship. Murgatroy

old you that-sometimes blueskin markings fade out on children, and th

Calhoun. "

ly took hold of people in terribly bad physical condition, but then they

un bl

s..

the blueskin markings on-us Darians. He thinks that people almost dead of the plague coul

said Calhoun,

lot about it in the ship's log. You gave yourself an injection. Remember? And Murgatroyd? You wrote down your temperature, and

e you dr

feverish and very thirsty-and then felt all right again. You tried out something that made you feverish and thirsty. I had it too, in the ship. Korvan thinks there's been an epidemic of something that-is

le!" said

u start a harmless epidemic that-wipe

in feigned

think such a

But the question is-are you going to tell? When people find they're not blueskins a

alhoun. "Why?" Then he

He's found the proof. He's-very proud. I'd have to tell him the

sidered, st

ly would be disturbing, too. It shouldn't get about. So it seems much the best thing for Ko

his face

vor to me," she decided. "Yo

time, until he squirmed. Th

ce-fleet was reported, massed