"Not much. Except that he was against war."
"We're all against war," Gross pointed out.
"True. But he was withdrawn, set apart. He lived very simply, cooking
his own meals. His wife died many years ago. He was born in Europe, in
Italy. He changed his name when he came to the United States. He used
to read Dante and Milton. He even had a Bible."
"Very anachronistic, don't you think?"
"Yes, he lived quite a lot in the past. He found an old phonograph and
records, and he listened to the old music. You saw his house, how
old-fashioned it was."
"Did he have a file?" Winter asked Gross.
"With Security? No, none at all. As far as we could tell he never
engaged in political work, never joined anything or even seemed to
have strong political convictions."
"No," Kramer, agreed. "About all he ever did was walk through the
hills. He liked nature."
"Nature can be of great use to a scientist," Gross said. "There
wouldn't be any science without it."
"Kramer, what do you think his plan is, taking control of the ship and
disappearing?" Winter said.
"Maybe the transfer made him insane," the Pilot said. "Maybe there's
no plan, nothing rational at all."
"But he had the ship rewired, and he had made sure that he would
retain consciousness and memory before he even agreed to the
operation. He must have had something planned from the start. But
what?"
"Perhaps he just wanted to stay alive longer," Kramer said. "He was
old and about to die. Or--"
"Or what?"
"Nothing." Kramer stood up. "I think as soon as we get to the moon
base I'll make a vidcall to earth. I want to talk to somebody about
this."
"Who's that?" Gross asked.
"Dolores. Maybe she remembers something."
"That's a good idea," Gross said.
* * * * *
"Where are you calling from?" Dolores asked, when he succeeded in
reaching her.
"From the moon base."
"All kinds of rumors are running around. Why didn't the ship come
back? What happened?"
"I'm afraid he ran off with it."
"He?"
"The Old Man. Professor Thomas." Kramer explained what had happened.
Dolores listened intently. "How strange. And you think he planned it
all in advance, from the start?"
"I'm certain. He asked for the plans of construction and the
theoretical diagrams at once."
"But why? What for?"
"I don't know. Look, Dolores. What do you remember about him? Is there
anything that might give a clue to all this?"
"Like what?"
"I don't know. That's the trouble."
On the vidscreen Dolores knitted her brow. "I remember he raised
chickens in his back yard, and once he had a goat." She smiled. "Do
you remember the day the goat got loose and wandered down the main
street of town? Nobody could figure out where it came from."
"Anything else?"
"No." He watched her struggling, trying to remember. "He wanted to
have a farm, sometime, I know."
"All right. Thanks." Kramer touched the switch. "When I get back to
Terra maybe I'll stop and see you."
"Let me know how it works out."
He cut the line and the picture dimmed and faded. He walked slowly
back to where Gross and some officers of the Military were sitting at
a chart table, talking.
"Any luck?" Gross said, looking up.
"No. All she remembers is that he kept a goat."
"Come over and look at this detail chart." Gross motioned him around
to his side. "Watch!"
Kramer saw the record tabs moving furiously, the little white dots
racing back and forth.
"What's happening?" he asked.
"A squadron outside the defense zone has finally managed to contact
the ship. They're maneuvering now, for position. Watch."
The white counters were forming a barrel formation around a black dot
that was moving steadily across the board, away from the central
position. As they watched, the white dots constricted around it.
"They're ready to open fire," a technician at the board said.
"Commander, what shall we tell them to do?"
Gross hesitated. "I hate to be the one who makes the decision. When it
comes right down to it--"
"It's not just a ship," Kramer said. "It's a man, a living person. A
human being is up there, moving through space. I wish we knew what--"
"But the order has to be given. We can't take any chances. Suppose he
went over to them, to the yuks."