Read Online Planet of Dread by Murray Leinster - Free Book Online

object in the drawer. He had barely closed it when Carol was at the control-room door. She said in a small voice;
    “They want to talk to you.”
    He held up the paper.
    “Read this later. Not now,” he said curtly. He opened and closed the drawer again, this time putting the paper in it. “I want you to read this after the Hallet business is settled. I’m afraid that I’m not going to look well in your eyes.”
    She swallowed and did not speak. He went to where the others sat in official council. Burleigh said heavily;
    “We’ve come to a decision. We shall call Hallet and hear what he has to say, but we had to consider various courses of action and decide which were possible and which were not.”
    Moran nodded grimly. He had made his own decision. It was not too much unlike the one that, carried out, had made him seize the Nadine for escape from Coryus. But he’d listen. Harper looked doggedly resolved. Brawn seemed moody as usual.
    “I’m listening,” said Moran.
    “Hallet,” said Burleigh regretfully, “intended to murder all of us and with your help take the Nadine to some place where he could hope to land without space-port inspection.”
    Moran observed;
    “He didn’t discuss that part of his plans. He only asked if I’d make a deal to escape being marooned.”
    “Yes,” said Burleigh, nodding. “I’m sure—”
    “My own idea,” said Moran, “when I tried to seize the Nadine , was to try to reach one of several newly-settled planets where things aren’t too well organized. I’d memos of some such planets. I hoped to get to ground somewhere in a wilderness on one of them and work my way on foot to a new settlement. There I’d explain that I’d been hunting or prospecting or something of the sort. On a settled planet that would be impossible. On a brand-new one people are less fussy and I might have been accepted quite casually.”
    “Hallet may have had some such idea in his mind,” agreed Burleigh. “With a few bessendium crystals to show, he would seem a successful prospector. He’d be envied but not suspected. To be sure!”
    “But,” said Moran drily, “he’d be best off alone. So if he had that sort of idea, he intended to murder me too.”
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    Burleigh nodded. “Undoubtedly. But to come to our decision. We can keep him on board under watch—as we did you—and leave you here. This has disadvantages. We owe you much. There would be risk of his taking someone unawares and fighting for his life. Even if all went as we wished, and we landed and dispersed, he could inform the space-port officials anonymously of what had happened, leading to investigation and the ruin of any plans for the future revival of our underground. Also, it would destroy any hope for your rescue.”
    Moran smiled wryly. He hadn’t much hope of that, if he were marooned.
    “We could leave him here,” said Burleigh unhappily, “with you taking his identity for purposes of landing. But I do not think it would be wise to send a ship after him. He would be resentful. If rescued, he would do everything possible to spoil all our future lives, and we are fugitives.”
    “Ah, yes!” said Moran, still more wryly amused.
    “I am afraid,” said Burleigh reluctantly, “that we can only offer him his choice of being marooned or going out the airlock. I cannot think of any other alternative.”
    “I can,” said Moran. “I’m going to kill him.”
    Burleigh blinked. Harper looked up sharply.
    “We fight,” said Moran grimly. “Armed exactly alike. He can try to kill me. I’ll give him the same chance I have. But I’ll kill him. They used to call it a duel, and they came to consider it a very immoral business. But that’s beside the point. I won’t agree to marooning him here. That’s murder. I won’t agree to throwing him out the airlock. That’s murder, too. But I have the right to kill him if it’s in fair fight. That’s justice! You can bring him in and let him decide if he wants to be