At that moment a voice spoke from the doorway.
"No, gentlemen," said the mysterious Mr. Thaxton, "that is just what
you will _not_ do! You will continue on to Venus, that your perfidy may
be properly punished!"
* * * * *
It's funny how the mind works. There at that moment when I should have
been taking a swandive into the chilly waters of despair, do you know
what I found myself thinking?
I was thinking, "Gosh, what swell alliteration! I'd like to hear him
say: 'Peter Piper picked a peck of--'"
Then Cap Hanson risked apoplexy with a roar that lifted furniture.
"What! What, sir, do you mean by issuing commands to me in my own
spaceship? By what authority--"
The diminutive esper glanced meaningly at the pierce-gun in his right
hand.
"This is my authority, Captain. It will suffice until you and your crew
can be turned over to the soldiery of the Venusian government. And--
"Ah, Mr. Biggs! You're just in time to join our little party. No--if
you please! Don't make it necessary for me to--er--take drastic
measures. Be kind enough to raise your hands and walk across the
room--so!"
Biggs had, in his customary ambling, stork-on-roller-skates fashion,
stumbled into the room with nothing on his mind but hair. And had
thus fallen an easy victim to our "guest's" holdup. Now, dazedly, he
searched our faces for an explanation.
I shrugged. "Don't look at me," I told him. "I've got as many ideas as
a broken down college professor."
Cap Hanson renewed his attack on Thaxton.
"You're a fool," he snarled, "to think you can get away with this! Why,
blast you, it's still five days to Sun City! You don't think you can
hold us at the point of a gun for five days, do you?"
Thaxton smiled negligently.
"It won't be necessary to do that, Captain. I'm afraid you
underestimate the Intelligence Bureau and the resources of the present
Venusian government. The one"--he hinted malevolently--"you are trying
to overthrow.
"When the _Saturn_ prepared to leave Earth, I suspected it might
be the transport for contraband. I became a passenger, as you will
subsequently learn, by--"
"Forging papers," I sneered. "An ethical practice in your profession."
Instead of getting red, he took it as a compliment.
"Ah, you've already learned that? Congratulations, Sparks! I didn't
know you had such depths of perspicacity."
"I haven't!" I told him indignantly. "But I still know a phony when I
see one!"
"To continue," Thaxton smirked, "I made arrangements with the
_Cyclops_, finest space cruiser of the Venusian navy, to intercept this
ship at a point halfway between the two planets. Thus, you see--"
"Amazon?" said Biggs. "Wangpoo?"
"I beg your pardon, Mr. Biggs?" Thaxton appeared puzzled.
I said, "Don't mind him, Thaxton. He's our triple-fret man. You were
saying--"
* * * * *
I was stalling desperately for time. Confucius say, "Wise guy who
shoot off trap sometimes spring same for self." Rope was the one thing
I wanted Thaxton to have the most of. For Q.E.D. reasons.
"Thus, you see," he continued pleasantly, "within the next hour or two,
the _Cyclops_ will keep its rendezvous in space with the _Saturn_. And
at that time, gentlemen, it will be my great pleasure to seize this
ship, interne its crew, and take over its cargo as contraband--No,
Sparks! There's no use trying to reach that audio!"