Nuoy was on his feet, making plans. "You and your ship will return to
Star Goal immediately. I will accompany you." The slurping sounds in
his throat were plainly audible.
"Eh?" the captain said.
Nuoy nodded firmly. "We will leave within two hours, as quickly as you
can stock the ship and as soon as my servants can transfer my things to
the vessel."
Captain Martin glanced out of the corner of his eyes at General
Stanley. The general looked in the other direction. "What about Earth
Government?"
"The government will authorize your return to Star Goal," Nuoy said,
his voice sharp. "They're in my vest pocket."
Again Martin glanced at Stanley. This time the general did not look
away. Pain showed on his face but he made no attempt to deny Nuoy's
statement.
"But why are we going back to Star Goal in such a rush?" Martin spoke.
"Don't be stupid, Martin," Nuoy answered. "If there is immortality to
be had anywhere in the universe, I intend to have it. Later, we will
establish a regular traffic between the Solar System and Star Goal. I
know a great many men around the system who will pay handsomely for the
privilege of visiting this planet you have discovered. We won't be such
fools as to give immortality away."
General Stanley managed to find his voice. "Perhaps Captain Martin does
not wish to return immediately. After all, he and his men have been
gone twenty years. They may have old friends they wish to see--"
"Captain Martin will take orders," Nuoy said crisply. "Just like you
do, Stanley."
The general was silent.
* * * * *
The creature facing Craig and Mary was seated behind an elaborate
control panel that was set in an alcove in the wall of the corridor
leading into the ship. Craig Randall knew enough about space ships
to know that no such alcove belonged here. He did not need to know
anything about space ships to know that the creature in the alcove did
not belong there. Nor did it belong anywhere in the Solar System.
His first dazed impression was that the creature was made of metal;
it had a metallic sheen about it. His second impression was that the
creature was composed of many kinds of crystals of a color varying all
the ways from infra red to ultra violet. The crystals seemed to be
in rapid vibration. A glow like an aura came from it and the colors
changed very rapidly.
The creature was round, two feet in diameter. Appendages of linked
crystals extended to the controls on the panel. Apparently these
appendages could be extruded and withdrawn at will. As Craig stared, an
appendage was withdrawn from the control panel and another was extended
from the circular body. If it had eyes, they were not visible, if it
had ears, he could not see them. There was no mouth, no nose, there was
only this globe of shining pulsing crystals.
"Where--where is the man we were talking to?" Craig whispered. In his
mind was still the lingering thought that they had spoken to a man.
"You were talking to me." A slight orange pulsation passed over the
crystals as the voice came.
"Who--who--"
"I am Filo of the Sorodromes," the voice answered. The crystals glowed
with a deep red color as if being Filo of the Sorodromes was a great
thing. "Why did you think something was wrong in the ship?"
"Well--"
"Speak the facts. Have you humans grown suspicious?"
"Suspicious of what?"
"Of the existence of the Sorodromes. Has some member of the crew
revealed our existence?" The globe showed a violent green at the
question.
"No," Craig answered. "Not so far as I know."
"Then why did you think something was wrong?"
"It wasn't that we _knew_ something was wrong."
"You are in a position where lying will do you no good. What is
happening inside the station? Are our controls failing?"
"What controls? Do you mean that you can control the crew of the
_Andromeda_ from here?"
"What do you think?" Filo answered. "If there had been any important
loss of control, I would have known about it. But there may have been
hints, attempts to convey information, which I did not catch. Have
there been such attempts?"
Before Craig could answer another voice was whispering in the air,
calling urgently, "Great Filo? Please contact me immediately." The
voice was a thin whisper of sound, as if somewhere a man was thinking
and his thoughts were being built up to audible volume.
"Yes," Filo answered. "What is it?"
"Nuoy insists on coming aboard the ship. Please instruct me."
"Who is Nuoy?"
"He seems to think he is the top dog in the System."
"What does he want?"
"I have told him a part of the story of Star Goal and that the race
which lives on Star Goal possesses immortality. He insists on returning
immediately to Star Goal to obtain immortality for himself. After that
he plans to establish a regular traffic between Star Goal and the Solar
System to peddle immortality to those rich enough to pay for it." A
faint repugnance sounded in the whisper.
Filo digested this information. The color coming from him was almost
pure white. He seemed to be vibrating at a tremendously high frequency.
"I await your orders," the whisper came again. "Shall I bring him
aboard the ship?"
"I am considering the matter."
"He is very impatient. Please instruct me immediately."
"I must confer with my fellows," Filo answered. "I will have an answer
for you in minutes."
"Yes, Great Filo," the voice whispered.
Filo was silent behind the control panel. Craig had the impression that
some wordless conference was taking place with other Sorodromes located
elsewhere. He stared at Mary in growing horror.
"That whisper was coming from Captain Martin," the girl whispered. "He
is the only person from the _Andromeda_ who is with Mr. Nuoy. And that
means--"
"It means that Captain Martin and the crew are not in charge of this
ship."
"And that means--"
"That something latched on to the crew of the _Andromeda_ on this
planet they call Star Goal. It means that the ship's landing here was a
ruse to get into Pluto Station, maybe from here on into the whole Solar
System!" His voice grew grim. "It means that the fate the military was
always afraid of has finally come in upon us, and has gotten under our
guard. It means we have welcomed a race of monsters into Pluto Station.
It means that Adam--How did Adam know that something was wrong?"
"Who is Adam?" Filo spoke.
"Just a man," Craig faltered.
"Ah--" Filo was apparently going to ask more questions but he was
interrupted by the arrival of three other Sorodromes. Balls of glowing
crystals, they came floating down the corridor from the interior of the
ship. Energy seemed to flow from them. Craig felt his skin begin to
itch and burn. The three conferred with Filo in a weird, wordless flow
of communication between them. From the way their colors changed Craig
had the impression that they were laughing at some secret joke of their
own.
"Yes?" Captain Martin's voice whispered.
"Bring this human to us," Filo answered. "We will accommodate him in
his desire to return to Star Goal. We will also assist him to set up
traffic between our planet and his system." Again the colors changed as
laughter seemed to ripple through them.
"What if others want to come too?"
"Bring them to the number of twenty. Do they seem suspicious?"
"Not so far as I can tell. Nuoy is burning with impatience to be away.
He insists we start loading the ship immediately."
"Then we must cooperate with him," Filo answered. Again the surge of
color that was laughter surged through the Sorodromes. "Summon the crew
to load and operate the ship. We will be ready when you arrive."
Filo extruded a tentacle, touched a control on the panel in front of
him. A section of metal wall that had been folded back slid across the
alcove, hiding it from sight.
"My three comrades will direct you," Filo's voice spoke from the empty
air.
* * * * *
Craig and Mary found themselves being herded down the corridor. They
turned a corner. A door leading into a storeroom was open. They were
herded through the door. It closed behind them, leaving them in total
darkness.
In that darkness was the soft sound of stealthy movement.
Captain Martin and Meyer Nuoy came through the lock. Nuoy was glowing
with eagerness.
As they passed through the lock Captain Martin glanced in the direction
of an alcove that he knew was hidden there. The expression on his face
was momentarily grim, but he said nothing.
"I'll take over your quarters, Captain Martin," Nuoy said. "Show me to
them so I can have my servants bring my belongings to them and make the
necessary changes as quickly as possible. Of course, I will want to
bring my own wines and foods, and I will bring my own staff of servants
with me, so I can have proper service on the trip. I understand the
accommodations on the deep-space ships are not elaborate."
"Of course, Mr. Nuoy," Captain Martin answered.
If he resented Nuoy's words or actions, no trace of it showed on his
face.