CHAPTER 16. THE SEARCH AND A BONUS.
Michael watched with fascination as the Alien ship dropped to a sub-light speed; the glittering light show was reversed, but just as impressive. Kandras was now at the controls and had left it as late as he dared before reducing speed. They were already past the orbit of Jupiter and fast approaching the Asteroid belt.
The speed soon dropped away and the vessel gently nosed its way through the shattered remains of the long-dead planet. They finally took station on a group of large rocks, not too far away from where Kandras had been compromised by his crew.
"What now?" asked Kandras .
"Is it possible to identify any vessels on your scope?” replied Michael, hopefully.
"No... there are far to many rocks."
"Do you have any conventional radio facilities apart from your deep space, harmonic sets?"
Kandras thought for a moment and his eyes lit up as the memory came back to him. "Yes, we have… I have not used it for a very long time but we are equipped with a standard radio which was used for ship to ship communications when we were in the company of other vessels. "
He crossed to a locker on the wall, opened it and there was a beautiful, multi-band radio, a little dusty, but it looked to be in perfect working order.
Michael noticed a microphone. "I thought you communicated by telepathy?”
“We do whenever possible, but we can communicate by sound as well,
though we only do it when we are forced into it, as in radio messages.”
Michael switched on the set and it issued forth some crackly white-noise then it settled down. Michael looked for the tuning dial and found nothing. “How do you alter the wavelength?” he asked.
"You don’t need to, it will pick up any frequency and automatically transmit on the same wavelength as the incoming message. You can isolate your signal by ‘Squelching, down the other signals using those two levers, but leave them at zero until you hear something.”
The earphones were not for human ears, and there was no way they could be made to fit, so Kandras, with his usual amused gurgle, patched the sound into an external speaker arrangement.
Then they were soon under way again and commenced an audio and visual search through the desolation of the inner Asteroids. After awhile Kandras said, “Do you think it is worth using a life-forms scanner or do you anticipate finding only abandoned vessels?”
“That is a good question. ..will it detect life-forms through metal?” "Yes, that was its prime function when it was designed."
"In that case we may be able to pick up signs of life when we are unable to detect a ship due to metallic rock formations... it’s a good idea, we'll try it.”
Kandras switched on the scanner and the voyage continued fruitlessly. They flitted from rock field to rock field and investigated several small planetoids, but without success. They both realised the enormity of the task they had undertaken. The Asteroids encompassed a gigantic volume of space and it would, in reality, take decades to search it thoroughly. The instruments were the only real chance they had.
Twenty-four hours of close surveillance was unrewarded. Since this particular task required both their services, they matched orbits with their surroundings, had a meal and a few hours sleep to rest their eyes and refresh themselves.
About eight hours later Kandras lifted his head and looked at Michael. “I've picked something up,” he said incredulously. "It is very faint but it is definitely a life-form."
Michael's pulse quickened. "Do you think it is human?" he asked. “It's too weak to tell do you wish to investigate?"
“Yes, of course… you have control now," said Michael as he switched the piloting facilities to Kandras' station.
The Alien ship picked up a little speed and did a very jaunty turn to starboard and shot off on a new course.
"Michael.. you had better put on your space suit. This particular life-form would probably have a fit if I went to investigate."
Michael agreed and quickly rounded up his gear and put it on. Kandras told him where he could find a jet-gun and, apart from his helmet, was soon ready for action. Kandras now slackened speed and gently approached a group of boulders with a big flat chunk of rock at its centre. Michael was amazed to observe some garbage bags floating gently round the area.
There were a few pieces of machinery fastened to various rocks and Michael recognised the decaying remains of what had once been a thriving claim, now long abandoned.
The ship was brought to a halt. "The signal is emanating from over there, on the large rock, behind that big cylinder," Kandras informed him.
Michael looked to where Kandras had indicated and recognised an old bulk- oxygen cylinder, the type that had been used to supply several cabins at once and to fill empty tanks.
Kandras went to the rear airlock and explained its operation to Michael; they were quite different to the Earthly designed ones. In appearance it looked like a large tube which was partially cut away. It revolved on its base and had a glass-like substance as a door. The design was such that when it revolved you simply stepped out of the vessel, or vice-versa if you were entering, whilst the inner section remained sealed. It was a brilliantly simple device.
Michael stepped in, actuated the mechanism then pushed off into space. It was a psychologically difficult exercise for him after his recent experience of being cast adrift, but he gritted his teeth and jetted off towards the large cylinder. As he drifted over the top he saw a space-suited figure slumped against the tank support; it was totally inert. There was an emergency tube plugged straight into the oxygen tank with a make-shift connection. It slowly dawned on Michael that the space suit was very similar to his own, in fact it was exactly like his own it was a Company space suit.
Michael gently touched down alongside the prostrate man who appeared to be in a comatose state. He carefully turned him over and laid him on his back and by the dim light of his lamp he was able to read the name tag sewn on the front. It read 'Gorrie.'
"Gorrie... that name is familiar," said Michael to himself.
Then the memory returned. "Good God…. it's Captain Gorrie of the Titan how the devil have you managed to stay alive?"
Michael connected Captain Gorrie's oxygen pipe to his own supply, fastened them both together with his emergency line, then jetted off back to the Alien vessel. In a matter of minutes they were back inside and Michael and Kandras began work on the inert, but living, body of his Company colleague.
Captain Gorrie had miraculously found himself an oxygen supply which could have kept him alive for a further eighteen months. The biggest problems were dehydration, starvation and hypothermia. The Captain had been a big man to start with and Michael guessed that he must have found little pieces of ice from time to time which helped to sustain him, otherwise he would have died a long time ago.
Kandras was appalled at the emaciated state of the Captain's body. "How can he be still alive and in such a poor state?" he asked.
"It's a mixture of a little courage, some determination and a whole lot of anger, if he feels anything like I do. Unfortunately those admirable qualities will not keep him alive for much longer. Do you think that machine of yours can rustle up something suitable for him to ingest?"
"Yes. ..what we need is a high protein, high vitamin broth. .. I'II see to it straight away."
He returned a few minutes later with a flask full of a luke-warm, cloudy liquid. "This should do the trick." he said hopefully.
Captain Gorrie's tongue was badly swollen, so much so that it was impossible for the fluid to be swallowed. Kandras looked at the problem and then went to fetch a first-aid kit. With the contents of it they managed to get a small tube down his throat and with a syringe-like pump some liquid was trickled down the tube. The result was a violent attack of stomach cramps.
Kandras went to another locker and took out a complicated piece of equipment which resembled a gun. He took a phial from the first-aid kit and loaded it into the gun; it was a needle-less hypodermic device. He placed it against Captain Gorrie's abdomen and fired two quick shots; the cramps disappeared instantly and the Captain visibly relaxed all over.
After they had fed him some more water and fluid the tongue shrank a little and after a while they were able to remove the tube as the Captain became capable of swallowing on his own.
"Do you think we could bathe him...? His body temperature still feels quite low," asked Michael.
"Yes, that will be easy enough, but before you do, I would like to give him another shot... with your permission. It is a chemical which speeds up the body metabolism and consequently the body repairs itself quicker. It works on all known life- forms on our planet. It is completely harmless.”
Michael agreed, the shot was given and they gently carried the limp body through to the bathroom. The big tanks in the bathroom were side-opening and Michael carried Captain Gorrie into one, set the temperature and ran a deep, warm bath. They stayed there for about fifteen minutes; Michael thoroughly washed and shampooed him then massaged his limbs to restore his circulation as well as he could. They were both very clean when they finally emerged from the bath, Captain Gorrie was still unconscious, but his breathing had improved and he did not look as pale .
He was taken to a spare cabin and strapped to a bunk so that there would be no accidents during any of their many avoidance manoeuvres. Michael and Kandras returned to the Command Area, very carefully extricated the ship from the abandoned claim and resumed their search. Eight hours and many thousands of miles later, the scanners remained steadfastly blank.
In uninterrupted conditions the scanner had a range of about one thousand miles, but in the Asteroids the prevailing conditions frequently reduced their effectiveness to about half that distance. In spite of this, Michael was impressed by its efficiency, the scanner had picked up the feeble life-form of Captain Gorrie from three hundred miles away.
Michael's eyes were beginning to ache and his concentration was starting to wane; Kandras did not seem to be affected in the same way, his powers of concentration were far superior.
“Is there anybody there?" shouted an aggravated North Country voice.
Michael's tiredness dropped away as he realised that Captain Gorrie had regained consciousness. He turned to Kandras and said, "No offence, but I think I had better go to him. He will probably have a seizure if he sees you first.”
Kandras gurgled happily as the thought amused him. “He is probably ready for something to eat now... I think it’s about time we took a break as well. I'II match orbits then prepare us some food."
Michael hurried down the corridor to Captain Gorrie's room and was confronted by a very much stronger, irate patient.
“Where the Hell am I...? Who are you...? Are you a bloody pirate as well?” In spite of his concern Michael could not help grinning.
“Easy now. ..relax. ..you are amongst friends here.” "That isn't very likely, is it?" snapped Captain Gorrie. “Why have you got me strapped down like this?"
"It's for your own protection; we are moving through the Asteroids and we did not want you damaging yourself any further by falling on the floor."
"Well, if you are a friend, you can release me right away.”
"Captain Gorrie, I can understand your feelings and your aggressive attitude, but I assure you we are both on the same side... I, too, work for Sir Richard and I am a Senior Captain with the Company. Like you, I was tricked, captured and cast adrift, so, if you would please calm down, there are some things you need to know.”
Captain Gorrie gave Michael a hard look and then his facial expression softened. "I'm sorry, I suppose I'm not in a position to argue... after my recent experiences I find it difficult to trust anybody... this is a strange ship, where did you get it?"
"Are you going to behave yourself and listen if I remove these straps?” asked Michael, "because if you don't, you are going to get a shock that you may not recover from."
"Alright. ..you have my word, " said Captain Gorrie, begrudgingly.
Michael undid the straps and helped the tough Northerner into a sitting position and propped him up with pillows and cushions. "I am Captain Stephens of the freighter Atlas. I was sent here by Sir Richard to specifically investigate the disappearances of the Hercules and your own ship the Titan. My plan was to set ourselves up as bait... and it worked.”
"Are you the Captain Stephens who did the exploratory surveys of Saturn?” "The very same.”
The attitude of Captain Gorrie completely changed. "I recognise you now. I was very impressed by your achievements. How long have you worked for the Company?"
"Less than a month."
“Well I am proud to have you with us….. was it you that found me?"
"Yes... but I had assistance. What I am going to tell you is difficult to believe, but I want to prepare you before you find out by accident."
"My god! It must be serious.”
"I'll come straight to the point, Captain..."
"Call me Andy."
"Okay, Andy... this is not an Earth vessel. It is an Alien ship and the Alien is on board. He is a very pleasant chap and humanoid…. we saved each others lives."
Michael narrated his story and explained about the telepathic communication. Captain Gorrie was excited, but a little apprehensive, all at the same time; he listened intently, as though frightened of missing a word.
"Are you ready to meet Kandras now?" asked Michael.
"The sooner the better…. Hell.. this is exciting."
Michael left the room and returned with Kandras. Introductions were made and as Kandras communicated with Captain Gorrie, Michael was surprised that he could only pick up half of the conversation; he could not pick up any of the communications from Captain Gorrie. Kandras explained that this situation would improve as Captain Gorrie's telepathic facility strengthened.
Captain Gorrie's immediate and unreserved acceptance of Kandras was very encouraging and Kandras patiently answered all his questions. Eventually Michael won Andy's attention.
“I'm sorry to interrupt, but we need to feed you, you have very nearly starved to death. Do you think you could manage something to eat? I think it will have to be fluid for the time being."
Captain Gorrie considered the question. "I am so excited I seem to have forgotten about my own troubles. Actually, if I'm being honest, it is so long since I have eaten the thought never crossed my mind, but I will be a good patient and try."
"Good... I need you fit and well as soon as possible. I suspect you will wish to take command of the Titan when we find it?"
The Captains face lit up with a fierce determination and he grabbed Michael's hand. "Are you serious…? Are we going after them?"
"We certainly are."
He then latched on to one of Kandras' many hands. “Thank You….. thank you very much there is nothing I want more.”
It upset Michael to see the tears of gratitude on the other Captain's face and Kandras was deeply moved by his fierce determination.
Captain Gorrie's strength suddenly ran out and he sank back into his pillow, exhausted. A little later he was tucking into a specially prepared high-protein broth and drank as much fluid as his shrunken stomach would allow. After this he went back to sleep and instead of strapping him to the bunk, Michael arranged pillows to prevent him from rolling out.
When he was asleep Kandras gave him another shot of the metabolism accelerator.
"This will help him to digest the food a lot quicker and rapidly speed up his recovery."
Soon the ship was underway again and searching in earnest. Michael had one great fear, they could be travelling in the wrong direction, away from the Pirate's base. He had fixed in his mind a limiting co-ordinate at which point he would retrace his steps and search in the other direction.
There were several sources detected by the life-form scanner but a closer inspection had shown them to be bona-fide mining operations or private claims. As these became more frequent Michael became more and more convinced that he was travelling in the wrong direction. He voiced his fears to Kandras who was also of the same opinion.
Once the decision was taken Kandras was able to retrace their steps very quickly and they soon reached the vicinity where the ship had commenced the hunt. This time the search went in the opposite direction. There were no traces at all for a full six hours and Michael was feeling a little depressed, even though the lack of contact encouraged him to believe he was searching in the correct direction.
Michael had completely forgotten that the radio was on. He had previously squelched it down to cut out the radio chatter of the prospectors and it had not made a sound since they had reversed the direction of the search. He was startled when it suddenly came out with a fifteen second burst of absolute gibberish.
Michael looked at Kandras who was also wearing a puzzled expression. "I don't know what that was. ..do you?”
"No... not a clue, although I have heard similar signals before,” replied the Alien.
"I know what it was," said a voice from the doorway.
They both spun round and were surprised to see Captain Gorrie standing there. He looked a lot better but was a little unsteady on his feet.
"Go on then. ..what is it?” begged Michael.
"It's Morse code being transmitted on the scrambled channel I'd recognise it anywhere it's actually used only in emergencies," said Captain Gorrie emphatically.
Michael knew it should mean something to him, he had forgotten something which was very important; he wracked his brain trying to equate the significance of the signal. Then, like a veil being lifted, he recalled his ignominious exit from the Black Swan.
"It's Neville. ..it must be. ..he is still alive and he's just got a message away," said Michael excitedly. He thought for a moment and turned to Kandras. "Can your computers get any kind of fix on where that signal emanated from?"
Kandras grinned. "Do you want it correct to six or eight places of your decimals?"
Michael was almost dancing with excitement. "Do you mean you can pinpoint it?”
"To within a kilometre or two," laughed Kandras.
"Well let's do it before it is too late," hooted Michael, who was fearful that the opportunity would be lost.
Kandras went to the computer and expertly manipulated the keyboard. A few seconds later he looked up. "The co-ordinates are locked in. It will take about four hours to reach the destination... even I cannot rush about in these rock fields."
Michael had now simmered down and explained the reason for his outburst to his two companions. They were both of the same opinion that, under the circumstances, Michael's interpretation could be correct. The next four hours were going to seem interminable.
Michael looked Kandras straight in the eyes and decided to tackle a tricky problem. "We're now approaching a critical point in the proceedings. Now would be a good time to tell us what armament, if any, you have available."
Kandras gazed steadily back at him. "The taking of life is both abhorrent and expressly forbidden to my species. Our way is to disable, not to kill."
"Does that mean you have a kind of 'Stun Gun' which will disable people temporarily?" asked Michael hopefully.
“Good Lord, no! Our device disables machinery and electronics... permanently."
Now it was Michael's turn to show astonishment. "That in itself is a fascinating concept... but how do you deal with the people?”
"I have already brought you to your knees... accidentally, of course, but I could do it any time I liked."
“You mean by the power of your mind?"
“Precisely…. on our planet, people who have authority go through specialised training to enable them to do this... larger crowds are dealt with using a harmless anaesthetic gas which sends them to sleep.”
Michael pondered the problem a moment. "How does your Destructive ray work?"
"From what I gleaned from your astro-physics knowledge, you would call it a modified Gamma ray. It passes harmlessly through life-forms but turns metals into a mushy plastic. The damage is permanent and irreversible... I do not think you would wish to use it against your own ships."
Michael laughed, in agreement then spoke seriously. "You do realise, that my species does not have the same high ideals as yourself when it comes to killing. Our natural instincts are for self preservation. Make no mistake about it, Harry Morgan's men will shoot to kill. If you can get myself and Captain Gorrie close enough we will tackle them on our own."
Kandras gave Michael an incredulous look. "Do you seriously think that I would leave you to face them alone? I only said I wouldn't kill….. I did not say that I wouldn't fight."
"But you could be killed by these villains and I would not like that to happen," insisted Michael.
"They will not kill me and they will not kill you or Captain Gorrie... I cannot vouch for anyone else, but you two will not come to any harm and neither will I."
"How can you guarantee that?" asked a mystified Captain Gorrie.
"I can guarantee it because we will all be wearing a ‘Personal Protection Device,’ which makes you invulnerable.”
After a stunned silence Michael said, "I asked the wrong question, didn't I...? I should have asked you what defence systems you carried."
"That is one of the great differences in our philosophy; you think of attack we think of defence."
"We believe that attack is sometimes the best form of defence and sometimes we sacrifice a few to save many," argued Michael. "Anyway we will have plenty of time to argue the point after we have released and rescued our people."
All three of them staggered as the ship swung violently to avoid a rock cluster.
"We had better concentrate on the ship for the time being," remarked Kandras. "Will you take over the controls while I go and find the 'Protection Devices.'
Michael strapped himself into his seat and took over the modified controls. Captain Gorrie was really impressed. "Do you know how to pilot this thing?" he asked doubtfully.
"Yes, Kandras has taught me everything I need to know."
"Is it quick?”
Michael smiled knowingly. "I have done about seventy-five times the speed of light in it" he said truthfully. "I consider that to be quick, but Kandras doesn't. I have learnt so much from him. ..do you realise that I have been halfway to Alpha Centauri in less than two days.”
"That is incredible,” gasped the Captain.
"The whole damned situation is incredible,” said Michael grimly. "All three of us are alive as the result of three miracles... I just hope our good luck extends to the others."
“Amen to that!”
The two men lapsed into silence as Michael concentrated on the progress of the ship. Five minutes later Kandras returned carrying three small packs and some webbing. The 'Protection Devices' consisted of two plain black boxes which were strongly secured to a kind of thick fabric webbing which fitted like a parachute harness.
Kandras explained their operation. "The device puts you at the centre of a protective bubble some twelve feet in diameter. The focus automatically adjusts so that there are three protective layers in the shield. The outer shield is a modified Gamma-ray, similar to the one in the defence system. The second shield is a combination of a harmonic-light laser and a specially developed synthetic ray which disintegrates the plastic material which emerges through the outer shield.
The final shield serves two functions. Firstly, it protects the wearer from the harmful radiation effects of the other two layers and, secondly, it acts as a semi-permeable membrane, so to speak, for it allows material to pass through the shield from the inside, but absolutely nothing from the outside. It is necessary to wear breathing apparatus if you are to wear the devices for any length of time."
Michael and Andrew experimented with the devices and became thoroughly acquainted with them. They threw things at each other and were amazed to see them stop short in mid-air and bounce off. The only visible effect was a slight, green halo.
After a while Kandras left the bridge and returned two minutes later carrying the diminutive garments that had puzzled Michael so much. "Perhaps you would care to wear these, Andy," gurgled Kandras merrily.
Michael and Andy joined in the laughter as they realised that the only garment Andy had been wearing was a towel. This had long since dropped to the floor and during the experimenting modesty had been forgotten; he was stark naked.
Soon, in spite of all the same doubts that Michael had experienced, he was clothed in the same garb as the others and was looking a lot better.
Kandras spoke again. "We are passing through a relatively clear area; now would be a good time to eat and have a short rest."
This they did and one hour later, feeling fit and refreshed the three companions returned to the Command Area.