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The Hell Ship By: Raymond Alfred Palmer (1910-1977) |
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By Ray Palmer [Transcriber Note: This etext was produced from If Worlds of Science
Fiction March 1952. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
[Sidenote: The passengers rocketed through space in luxury. But they
never went below decks because rumor had it that Satan himself manned
the controls of The Hell Ship. ]
The giant space liner swung down in a long arc, hung for an instant on
columns of flame, then settled slowly into the blast pit. But no hatch
opened; no air lock swung out; no person left the ship. It lay there,
its voyage over, waiting. The thing at the controls had great corded man like arms. Its skin was
black with stiff fur. It had fingers ending in heavy talons and eyes
bulging from the base of a massive skull. Its body was ponderous, heavy,
inhuman. [Illustration] After twenty minutes, a single air lock swung clear and a dozen armed
men in Company uniforms went aboard. Still later, a truck lumbered up,
the cargo hatch creaked aside, and a crane reached its long neck in for
the cargo. Still no creature from the ship was seen to emerge. The truck driver,
idly smoking near the hull, knew this was the Prescott , in from the
Jupiter run that this was the White Sands Space Port. But he didn't
know what was inside the Prescott and he'd been told it wasn't healthy
to ask. Gene O'Neil stood outside the electrified wire that surrounded the White
Sands port and thought of many things. He thought of the eternal secrecy
surrounding space travel; of the reinforced hush hush enshrouding
Company ships. No one ever visited the engine rooms. No one in all the
nation had ever talked with a spaceman. Gene thought of the glimpse he'd
gotten of the thing in the pilot's window. Then his thoughts drifted
back to the newsrooms of Galactic Press Service; to Carter in his plush
office. "Want to be a hero, son?" "Who, me? Not today. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe the next day." "Don't be cute. It's an assignment. Get into White Sands." "Who tried last?" "Jim Whiting." "Where is Whiting now?" "Frankly we don't know. But " "And the four guys who tried before Whiting?" "We don't know. But we'd like to find out." "Try real hard. Maybe you will." "Cut it out. You're a newspaperman aren't you?" "God help me, yes. But there's no way." "There's a way. There's always a way. Like Whiting and the others. Your
pals." Back at the port looking through the hot wire. Sure there was a way.
Ask questions out loud. Then sit back and let them throw a noose around
you. And there was a place where you could do the sitting in complete
comfort. Where Whiting had done it but only to vanish off the face of
the earth. Damn Carter to all hell! Gene turned and walked up the sandy road toward the place where the
gaudy neons of the Blue Moon told hard working men where they could
spend their money. The Blue Moon. It was quite a place. Outside, beneath the big crescent sign, Gene stopped to watch the crowds
eddying in and out. Then he went in, to watch them cluster around the
slot machines and bend in eager rows over the view slots of the peep
shows. He moved into the bar, dropped on one of the low stools. He ordered a
beer and let his eyes drift around. A man sat down beside him. He was husky, tough looking. "Ain't you the
guy who's been asking questions about the crews down at the Port?" Gene felt it coming. He looked the man over. His heavy face was flushed
with good living, eyes peculiarly direct of stare as if he was trying to
keep them from roving suspiciously by force of will. He was well
dressed, and his heavy hands twinkled with several rather large
diamonds. The man went on: "I can give you the information you want for
a price, of course." He nodded toward an exit. "Too public in here,
though." Gene grinned without mirth as he thought, move over Whiting here I
come , and followed the man toward the door... Continue reading book >>
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