Dard still watched the star ship. Yes, a thousand chances of failure against one or two of success. But what an adventure! And to be freeout of this dark morass which stunted minds and fed mans fears to the point of madnessto be free among the stars!
He heard Kimber laugh softly. Youre caught by it, too, arent you, kid? Well, keep your fingers crossed. If your brothers stuff works, if the Voice gives us the right course, if the new fuel Tang concocted will really take her through why were off!
Kimber seemed so confident that Dard dared now to ask that other question.
She isnt very big. How are you going to stow away all the people?
For the first time the space pilot did not meet his eyes. With the toe of his shabby boot Kimber kicked at an inoffensive table savagely.
We can stow away more than you would believe just looking at her, if we are able to use the hibernation process.
But not all, Dard persisted, driven by some inner need to know.
But not all, Kimber agreed with manifest reluctance.
Dard blinked, but now there was a veil between his eyes and the sleek, silver swell of the star ship. He was not going to question farther. There was no need to, and he had no desire for a straight answer. Instead he changed the subject abruptly.
When are you going to try to reach the Voice?
As soon as I hear from Tas
And what do you wish to hear from Tas? came a voice from behind Dard. That he has succeeded in making sense of gibberish and kicking legs and all the rest of the fantastic puzzle this young man has dumped into his head? Because if that is what you wait for, wait no longer, Sim! The sense has been made and thanks to Lars Nordis and our messengers, Kordovs big paw of a hand reached up to give Dards shoulder a reassuring squeeze, we can now take off into the heavens at our will. We wait only for your part of the operation.
Good enough. Kimber started to turn when Dard caught his arm.
Look here. Youve never been to the Temple of the Voice.
Of course not, Tas cut in, Is he completely crazy? Does one thrust ones hand into raw atomic radiation?
But I have! Maybe I cant work your computations but I can guide you in and out. And I know enough about the official forms to
Kimber opened his mouth, plainly to refuse, but again the First Scientist was too quick for him.
Now that makes very good sense, Sim. If young Nordis has already been therewhy, that is more than any of the rest of us have done. And in the disguise you have planned the risk is less.
The pilot frowned and Dard prepared for an outright refusal. But at last Kimber gave a half-nod. Tas pushed Dard after him.
Go along with you. And mind you bring him back in one piece. We can do many things among us, but he remains our only space pilot, our only experienced astrogator.
Dard followed Kimber along rock passages, back through the maze of the Cleft dwelling to a flight of stairs crudely hacked from the stone. The stairs ended in a large room holding a copter which bore all the markings of a Pax machine.
Recognize it! This is the one which you played tag with out in the valley. Now-get into this and hurry!
From the copter he took a bundle of clothing which he pitched over to Dard. The boy put on the Peacemans black and white, buckling around him as a finishing touch a belt supporting a hand stun gun. Although the clothes were large the fit was good enough to pass in the half-light of evening. And they had to visit the Voice at night to have any chance at all.
He took his place gingerly beside the pilot inside the copter. Overhead a cover had rolled back so that the sky was open to them. As Dard secretly gripped tile edge of his seat Kimber took the controls. And Dard continued to hold on as the machine started the slow spiral up into the air.
5: NIGHT AND THE VOICE
DARD SURVEYED the country over which the copter flew. It required only a few minutes to cover the same rugged miles across which he and Dessie had fought their way. And he was sure that he saw traces of that trip left on the snow below.
The machine skimmed over the heights which concealed the cave. And then, for the first time in crowded hours, Dard remembered Sach. It was down this very slope that the messenger had led the chase.
Youve heard from Sach? He was anxious to be reassured concerning that small, wary man.
But Kimber didnt reply at once. And when he did, Dard was aware of the reservations in his tone.
No news yet. He hasnt reported at any of our contacts. Which reminds me
Under the pilots control the copter swung to the right and headed away from the path Dard had followed into the hills. He was unreasonably glad that they were not going to wing over the charred ruins of the farmhouse.
Instead, within a short space, they were circling another farm, one in much better condition than the farm which had sheltered the Nordis family. In fact, the buildings gave such an air of Pax-blessed landsman prosperity that Dard wondered at Kimbers visiting the place. Only a man with the brightest of prospects under the new rule would dare to keep his buildings in such good repair. And the volume of smoke curling fatly from the chimney spoke of unlimited warmth and food, better conditions than anyone but a staunch supporter of the Company of Pax could attain.
Yet Kimber set the copter down without hesitation on a stretch of packed snow not too far from the house. Once down however the pilot made no move to leave the machine.
The house door opened and a man wearing the good farm homespun of an approved landsman-another Folley by all outward signs-crossed the yard. For one wild moment Dard was inclined to doubt the man beside him, being still more uneasy when the round plump face of the landsman was thrust close to the window of the copter.
Pale blue eyes in a weather-beaten face flicked over them both, and Dard did not miss the fact that they widened a fraction as they passed from Kimbers impassive face to his flashy uniform. The landsman turned and spat at a hound that approached, showing white teeth and growling.
Time? he asked.
Time, Kimber returned. Get moving on tonight if you can, Harmon.
Sure weve been packin some stuff already. Th boys got th road cleared
Then those blue eyes slid back to Dard. Whos th youngster?
Nordis brother. He got in with the Nordis girl. Lars is dead-raid.
Yeah. Heard a rumor they all were-that th roundup got em. Glad to know that aint th truth. Well-be seein you
With a wave of the hand he headed back to the house. And Kimber took them aloft.
I didnt think Dard began. Kimber chuckled.
You didnt think a man such as Harmon would be one of us? We have some mighty odd contacts here and there. We have men who drove ground trucks and men who were first rank scientists-before the purge. Theres Santee- he was a non-com of the old army-he can read and write his name-and hes an expert with weapons-to us hes as important a part of the Cleft as Tas Kordov, who is one of the worlds greatest biologists. We ask only one thing of a man-that he believes in true freedom. And Harmon is going to be more important in the future. We may know how to grow hydro-style-you had a meal or two with us and know that-but an honest dirt farmer will be able to teach us all better tricks. Added to that Harmons been our biggest ace in the hole all along. He and his wife, their son, and their twin girls-theyve been playing a mighty hard role for more than five years-doing it splendidly, too. But I can well believe that he welcomed my news that it is over. Double lives are tough going. Now, back to work.