Planet Of No Return

“Of course not. This is a good place to stop.” She was slipping to the ground even as he spoke. “As far as I can tell no one is after us yet, so we’re safe here for the moment. But once we are out on the plain we’ll be easy to see. We must decide now what we want to do next.”

“Why not drop greybeard for openers,” Lea said, waving towards the limp body over Brion’s shoulder. “Or have you forgotten you were carrying him?”

Brion let his burden slip down onto the matted leaves. “He’s not heavy. Very thin and old as you can see.”

“Is that the best one you could find?”

“Yes. He may represent some kind of authority, since he’s the only one I observed who was wearing any kind of non-functional decoration.” Brion moved aside the matted grey hair of the man’s beard to reveal the necklace of bleached bones that he wore about his neck. “He might have answers to questions that the others might not know.”

“Do you mean you actually took the time to look around and pick and choose when you went back to grab a prisoner?”

“Of course. It was a unique opportunity.”

“Some day I’m going to understand you — but not today. I’m thirsty and hungry and exhausted, and feel as though someone has walked all over me with spiked shoes. Have you given any thought to our Future?”

“A very great deal. There was both the time and the opportunity for concentration while we were walking. First, we must face some unpleasant facts. All of the equipment we were carrying is missing, as well as our food and water, my knife …”

“And if that radio controller isn’t still hidden in that crater where you put it, we might as well sign a mutual suicide pact right now. I don’t look forward to those types laying their hands on me a second time …” She leaned forward to look closely at their prisoner; then wrinkled her nose with disgust. “How awful. Since we’re speaking of hands — aren’t those human finger bones strung on Dirty’s necklace?”

Brion nodded. “I found that fact most interesting. That’s why I brought him. I also have a strong personal interest in that necklace.”

There was an edge of anger in his voice that had not been there before, that made her look at the necklace again. Bleached finger bones, one of them darker than the others. No, not darker, different. She looked more closely and saw that it was a freshly severed finger, the blood still caked darkly upon it. With sudden realization she stared, horrified, at Brion. He nodded grimly. Holding up his right hand so that all four of his remaining fingers could be clearly seen. Lea gasped.

“They did that to you — they’re filth! You didn’t let me know …”

“No point in doing that since there’s nothing either of us can do about it now. It’s not too serious, they tied a thong around the stump to stop the bleeding. But I am most curious about the significance of the act. This man will be able to tell us.” He dismissed the matter with a wave of his truncated hand. “But that is all in the future. Before we do anything else we must call the lifeship down. And I hope that you are correct about our radio controller, that it remains untouched. Until we get to it we have no way of knowing. Then we must reach the crater as soon as possible and signal the lifeship to land. You will board it and leave at once …”

“Without you? Do you really like this disgusting place so much?”

“Not particularly. But the work we have to do must be done here. And I don’t want this man in the ship.”

“Why? Afraid he’ll take it over?”

“Quite the opposite. I have an informed hunch, backed up by the feelings I sensed in Vjer, that it would be disaster to take any of these people out of their natural environment. I’ll be perfectly safe remaining here until you return. While the lifeship is completing a single orbit you will have time enough to assemble the items from a list that we will prepare now. After the orbit you can land with what we will need.”

“Shouldn’t I make a recording of what we have discovered so far?”

“That is item one on your list. After you do that you must get together the equipment that we will need. It is unavoidable that a number of items will have a high metallic content. I believe that it is still very important not to have any metal on our persons when we move about. But if I find that the fragment of wing is still undisturbed, why then we will know that we have a cache where we could leave these metal items until we need them.”

“Items such as a few stun grenades, a gun or two?”

“Very much what I had in mind. I have no desire for a rerun of last night’s performance.”

“A hearty second to that motion.” She climbed wearily to her feet. “I’m ready to go if you are. I get a very itchy feeling sitting here with my back to these woods.”

“You must be tested to see if you have empathetic powers,” Brion said, slowly hoisting the still-unconscious man to his shoulder. “They are out there now looking for us, I have been aware of it for some minutes. But I sense only worry and confusion so I don’t think they have found our trail.”