Durham nodded to Karlovic, who spoke to the darkbird. It disappeared.
Within a few seconds the Star had begun to move. It moved fast, the
angry gleaming of its body making a streak like a white comet across
the green-lit void. It wrapped itself around the space-sweep, and then
it lifted and the ship continued on its way unchanged.
Morrison laughed.
The sweep rushed on toward the lifeboat. Its tubes were open, but
nothing came out of them. Durham shifted course to clear it, and it
blundered on by. In the screen, Morrison's image turned and spoke to
someone, and the someone answered, "I can't, they just aren't there."
Morrison turned again to Durham, or rather to the image of him that was
on his own screen. "I know what I'm supposed to say now, but I'm not
going to say it. I've got Miss Hawtree with me, had you forgotten that?
I don't think you've suddenly acquired that kind of guts."
Durham shook his head. "I don't need them. I want you alive, Morrison.
But I don't give a tinker's damn what happens to anybody else in this
whole backside of nowhere you call 9G. Nobody and nothing. And I have
the Bitter Star to back me up. I am wondering how many loyal employees
of Universal Minerals, and how many stupid Wanbecqs are going to
sacrifice their lives just to keep me from getting my hands on you.
Call them up, Morrison, and count them out, and we'll send the Star to
see them."
The Star glowed and glimmered and grew to a great shining, and a look
of worry deepened on Karlovic's face. Morrison did not answer, and
Durham could see the thoughts going round and round in his mind, the
possibilities being weighed and evaluated. Then the someone who was
behind Morrison and out of scanner range said in a queer flat voice,
"The tug _Varney_ calling in, sir. They boarded the sweep."
"Well?"
"All dead, sir. Frozen. Even the air was frozen. They said to tell you
they're going home."
"All right," said Morrison softly. "Durham, I'm going home too, to
Nanta Dik. Let's see if you can follow me there."
He broke contact. In the distance, Durham saw the bright speck that
was Morrison's ship make a wheeling curve and speed away. Durham said
grimly to Karlovic,
"Tell the darkbirds to follow with the Star. And then get hold of
somebody on Nanta Dik, somebody with authority. Tell them everything
that's happened. Tell them Morrison is all we want. We'll see how close
they let him get to home."
"I don't know," said Karlovic, and got busy with the communicator. Half
an hour later he sighed and blanked the screen. "They're sending up a
squadron to intercept Morrison. But they're scared. They're scared of
the Star. I've promised them--and nothing had better happen, Durham."