Aliens Alien Harvest - By Robert Sheckley Page 0,70

alone, isolated on a savage planet that favored no life except alien. Badger had been thinking furiously, trying to find a way to wrest victory from the jaws of defeat.

Then he thought he had it.

He set the sweep alarm on the radio to wide scanning and began searching the radio waves. It required no master radio operator to find a signal in a place as barren of radio activity as this one. Red locked onto the signal and began transmitting.

57

Adams, the Lancet's radio operator was a tall gangling youth with red hair and a prominent Adam's apple. He came into the main control room without knocking, because Captain Potter had posted standing orders that messages of urgency were to be transmitted at once and without the usual protocol that prevailed on the interstellar ships.

"Yes, what is it, Adams?" Potter snapped. The captain was tall and strongly constructed. His features were handsome and coarse, from the big knife of a nose to the heavy tufted eyebrows that gave his face a sinister character. He wore a midnight blue uniform with gold flash marks on the sleeves, showing his years of service in the Interspace Mariners' Association. His voice was low pitched, harsh, and resonant, the sort of voice you paid attention to the first time you heard it.

"Radio signal, sir," Adams said.

"Is it from the people on the harvester?"

"No, sir. We still haven't been able to establish contact with them. Their radio doesn't respond. I don't think it looks good, sir."

"Nobody gives a damn what you think," Potter said, his voice dropping to a sawmill rasp. "Who's the message from?"

"A man who calls himself Red Badger," Adams said. "He says he's a crewman from the Dolomite."

"Dolomite? Never heard of it. What location did they give?"

"They're descending to the surface of AR 32, sir."

Potter stared at the crewman, eyes narrowed, dark brows creased. "That's quite impossible," he said at last. "This planet is our exclusive preserve."

Adams was about to reply, but perceived just in time that Potter was talking aloud to himself.

"I'll speak to him;" Potter said. "Put it through for me."

Adams went to the console and made the necessary adjustments. Badger's voice came through on the loudspeaker.

"Captain Potter? Sir, this is Crewman Badger from the ship Dolomite. Sir, a situation has arisen which I would like to acquaint you with."

"Go ahead," Potter said, and listened carefully as Badger told about the revolt he had led on the Dolomite.

"We didn't think it was fair, sir, Captain Hoban taking us into an area that was under the exclusive control of Bio Pharm. The men asked me to speak for them. I talked with Captain Hoban, sir, in fair and reasonable terms, asking him to get a ruling from Bio Pharm before taking us into this area. Can't say more reasonable than that, can I, sir? But Captain Hoban didn't see it that way. He ordered me and my men put into irons and held to face criminal charges back on Earth. We didn't agree, there was a fight, and me and some of the men came down to the planet."

"You're on the surface of AR 32 now?" Potter asked.

"Yes, sir. And we're not the only ones. There's a Dr. Myakovsky down here, too, in his own pod, sir. He's come to this place to steal your royal jelly. He and Hoban are criminals, and they want to put us on charges!"

"That's very interesting," Potter said. "Do you happen to have their exact location?"

"I'm afraid not, sir, since me and my mates had to leave ship in a hurry, so to speak. But I'll bet anything they're heading for the hive, where they sent that robot of theirs."

"What robot are you referring to?"

"The one they call Norbert. Looks just like an alien, sir, only it's not a real one. There's a law against that, isn't there? The damned thing already killed some of my shipmates."

"There's a law against it, all right," Potter muttered. "My law, if no other!"

"Beg pardon, sir?"

"Never mind. What is this robot supposed to do?"

"Collect royal jelly, sir. And leave an electronic trail showing Myakovsky where to go."

"Damn it!" Potter sputtered. "They could get what they came for and be out of here before we could stop them."

"No, sir," Badger said. "I've heard them talking to Captain Hoban on the radio. They plan to get through the hive by following an electronic signal that their robot is to lay down for them. But if me and my mates was to wipe