Crashlander

Suppose one hyperspace beast had discovered ships in this region, say during one of the Man-Kzin Wars? He'd gone to get his friends. Now they were preying around Sol system. The flow of ships around Sol is greater than that around any three colony stars. But if more monsters came, they'd surely have to move on to the other colonies.

I couldn't imagine a defense against such things. We might have to give up interstellar travel.

Ausfaller said, «I would be glad if you would change your mind and come with us, Mr. Shaeffer.»

«Um? Are you sure you want me on the same ship with you?»

«Oh, emphatically! How else may I be sure that you have not hidden a bomb aboard?» Ausfaller laughed. «Also, we can use a qualified pilot. Finally, I would like the chance to pick your brain, Beowulf Shaeffer. You have an odd facility for doing my job for me.»

«What do you mean by that?»

«General Products used blackmail in persuading you to do a close orbit around a neutron star. You learned something about their homeworld — we still do not know what it was — and blackmailed them back. We know that blackmail contracts are a normal part of puppeteer business practice. You earned their respect. You have dealt with them since. You have dealt also with Outsiders without friction. But it was your handling of the Lloobee kidnapping that I found impressive.»

Carlos was sitting at attention. I hadn't had a chance to tell him about that one yet. I grinned and said, «I'm proud of that myself.»

«Well, you should be. You did more than retrieve known space's top Kdatlyno touch sculptor: you did it with honor, killing one of their number and leaving Lloobee free to pursue the others with publicity. Otherwise the Kdatlyno would have been annoyed.»

Helping Sigmund Ausfaller had been the farthest thing from my thoughts for these past eight years, yet suddenly I felt damn good. Maybe it was the way Carlos was listening. It takes a lot to impress Carlos Wu.

Carlos said, «If you thought it was pirates, you'd come along, wouldn't you, Bey? After all, they probably can't find incoming ships.»

«Sure.»

«And you don't really believe in hyperspace monsters.»

I hedged. «Not if I hear a better explanation. The thing is, I'm not sure I believe in supertechnological pirates, either. What about those wandering masses?»

Carlos pursed his lips, said, «All right. The solar system has a good number of planets — at least a dozen so far discovered, four of them outside the major singularity around Sol.»

«And not including Pluto?»

«No, we think of Pluto as a loose moon of Neptune. It runs Neptune, Persephone, Caina, Antenora, Ptolemea, in order of distance from the sun. And the orbits aren't flat to the plane of the system. Persephone is tilted at 120 degrees to the system and retrograde. If they find another planet out there, they'll call it Judecca.»

«Why?»

«Hell. The four innermost divisions of Dante's hell. They form a great ice plain with sinners frozen into it.»

«Stick to the point,» said Ausfaller.

«Start with the cometary halo,» Carlos told me. «It's very thin: about one comet per spherical volume of the Earth's orbit. Mass is denser going inward: a few planets, some inner comets, some chunks of ice and rock, all in skewed orbits and still spread pretty thin. Inside Neptune there are lots of planets and asteroids and more flattening of orbits to conform with Sol's rotation. Outside Neptune space is vast and empty. There could be uncharted planets. Singularities to swallow ships.»

Ausfaller was indignant. «But for three to move into main trade lanes simultaneously?»

«It's not impossible, Sigmund.»

«The probability —»

«Infinitesimal, right. Bey, it's damn near impossible. Any sane man would assume pirates.»

It had been a long time since I had seen Sharrol. I was sorely tempted. «Ausfaller, have you traced the sale of any of the loot? Have you gotten any ransom notes?» Convince me!

Ausfaller threw back his head and laughed.

«What's funny?»

«We have hundreds of ransom notes. Any mental deficient can write a ransom note, and these disappearances have had a good deal of publicity. The demands were a fakes. I wish one or another had been genuine. A son of the Patriarch of Kzin was aboard Wayfarer when she disappeared. As for loot — hmm. There has been a fall in the black market prices of boosterspice and gem woods. Otherwise-2 He shrugged. «There has been no sign of the Barr originals or the Midas Rock or any of the more conspicuous treasures aboard the missing ships.»

«Then you don't know one way or another.»

«No. Will you go with us?»

«I haven't decided yet. When are you leaving?»

They'd be taking off tomorrow morning from the East End. That gave me time to make up my mind.

After dinner I went back to my room, feeling depressed. Carlos was going, that was clear enough. Hardly my fault … but he was here on Jinx because he'd done me and Sharrol a large favor. If he was killed going home …