There was a hiss of breath, then Campora's voice cut in. The low tones
were shaken by fury. "I'll be waiting, Lodar. No matter where we land,
I'll kill you!" His voice rose higher. "So help me, Lodar, if I have to
burn while I do it, I'll kill you!"
His voice had cracked hysterically while a shout of approval from the
others welled over the receiver.
Lodar snapped off the speaker. "I should have burned off both his
arms!" he rumbled. He went to the medical kit and took another pain
killer.
If there had been any chance of talking Lodar into a compromise Ray
would have tried, but he knew it was useless. Lodar was hag-ridden by
that compulsion to head for Earth. Like a dying elephant he was blind
to all else. If necessary, the death of the _Vulcan_ would be his swan
song.
As for the crew, liquor had flamed their hatred of the captain beyond
all reason. Campora would certainly never back down now. Nor would it
do any good to tell them of their peril from the sun. They'd think he
was lying!
Had there been time, there was air and food enough for a siege, but the
sun was too close now. A lengthy deadlock would be fatal.
The only other solution was to flee on the escape ship. Leave the crew
to their doom. Ray tried not to think what that would be like--the
slow roasting to death for the crew. But, even as the thought kept
recurring, he knew escape that way was hopeless. As soon as the escape
boat took off the crew would blast it with the broadside guns. Anything
within miles of their blast would be shriveled!
Nor did Ray like the way in which McVane and Lodar were now whispering
on the other side of the room.
Lodar had unearthed a bottle of Terran Whiskey in the emergency kit and
had given it to McVane. They'd had a drink together. A peace offering.
Now the engineer was adjusting Lodar's bandages, whispering in urgent
tones.
The captain's eyes, pin-pointed with pain, rested somberly on Ray,
then shifted as the young navigator returned the stare. Lodar muttered
something, his expression setting purposefully. As he stood up,
twisting his lips, Ray moved closer to the girl.
He knew Lodar well enough to expect anything. And McVane, after all,
was Lodar's man. They'd traveled together too long to split in a pinch.
As the two now crossed the room toward him Ray's hand closed on his
gun. At the suspicious move, Lodar's eyes gleamed sardonically.
"Mac and I were talking it over," he said. "Even if we lick the crew
there's no time left to repair the _Vulcan_. She's going to take the
sun-dive."
Ray nodded silently. Ellenor's hand was resting on his gun arm and
it bothered him. He tried to shake her off, but she seemed intent on
holding onto him. At any other time he would have been thrilled, but
not now.
Lodar went on carefully. The escape boat would hold all four of them
but it couldn't make a getaway. Their only alternative was a diversion.
"Two of us stay on the _Vulcan_ and engage the crew," Lodar concluded.
"The other two get away."
The proposal was an obvious solution, but, coming from Lodar, it could
hide black treachery. The captain's overwhelming desire to see Earth
again had already precipitated disaster. The man was blind to all but
the one great yearning.
"Ellenor wouldn't be any good in a scrap," Ray countered slowly, trying
to find a hitch in the plan. "She takes off with one of us."
Lodar argued bitterly. The girl had given enough trouble, she rated no
better break than the rest. The lucky ones should be chosen by chance,
and chance alone.
Ray flatly refused to budge.
When Ellenor tried to enter the argument it deteriorated into a wrangle
between the captain and herself. By this time McVane had almost reached
the singing stage again, plainly endeavoring to drown his fright now
that the chips were down. Finally the girl took his bottle from him.
"All right!" Lodar growled at last. "I'm in no shape to argue forever.
One of us goes with the girl. We'll choose by lot."
* * * * *
He turned to rummage in the emergency kit again. "Ah!" He found a tin
of wooden matches and clumsily broke it open. "We'll use three of
these. I'll break two, leave one whole. The man who picks the whole one
goes with the girl. Right?"
Ray frowned. He trusted neither Lodar nor McVane, but there was no
other way to decide the issue unless they resorted to a free-for-all.
"All right," he agreed slowly. "Let Ellenor hold the matches."
Lodar sneered.
"Now wouldn't that be nice for you!" he snarled. "I'll hold them. I'm
still giving orders. Or do you want to argue about that, too?" His hand
rested on his gun belt.
Ray hesitated. It wasn't so much that he was afraid to die. Only he
didn't want to be suckered into it. On the other hand, Lodar had an
equal right to be suspicious. "All right," he agreed slowly.
"Don't do it!" Ellenor protested sharply. "There must be another way."
But no one paid any attention.
Lodar turned his back and they heard him break two of the matches. When
he faced them again there were three little sticks in his large fist.
Only the tops showed.