Brood of the Dark Moon Read online

  CHAPTER VI

  "_Six to Four_"

  Perhaps to every person in that control room there came, as Chet'squiet, emotionless tones died away, the same mental picture; for therewas the same dazed look on the countenances of all.

  They were seeing an ocean of space, an endless void of empty black. Andacross that etheric sea was a whirling globe. They had seen it fromafar; they had seen its diminutive continents and its snow-cladpoles.... They would never see it again....

  Earth!--their own world!--home! And now for them it was only a moon, atremendous, glorious moon, whose apparent nearness would be taunting andcalling them each day and night of their lives....

  It was Diane Delacouer who dared to break the hard silence that boundthem all. From wide eyes she stared at Walt Harkness; then her lipsformed a trembling smile in which Chet, too, was included.

  "You saved us," she whispered; "you saved us, Chet ... but now it looksas if we all were exiles."

  She crossed slowly, walking like one in a dream, to stand close to WaltHarkness. And Chet Bullard also roused himself; but it was toward thestupefied, hulking figure of Schwartzmann that he moved.

  He reached for the detonite pistol, and this man who had been theircaptor was too stunned to make any resistance. Chet jammed the weaponunder his belt.

  "Close that port!" he ordered the two men who had half-opened it atSchwartzmann's command. "Keep that poison gas out."

  * * * * *

  There was a flash of color that swept by the open port--some flyingcreature of vivid crimson: Chet had no time to see what manner of birdor beast it was. But it was alive! He crossed to examine thespectro-analyzer, and the two men disregarded his order and slipped intothe rear cabin.

  "Seems all clear to me, Walt," he said; and Harkness confirmed hisfindings with a quick glance.

  "O.K.!" he assured Chet; "that air is all right to breathe."

  He glanced from a lookout port. "The air's moving now," he said. "Thatgas--whatever it was--is gone; it must have settled down here in thenight. Some new vent that has opened since we were here before.

  "But suppose we forget that and settle matters in here," he suggested;and Chet nodded assent.

  "Call your men!" Harkness ordered Schwartzmann.

  The man had recovered his composure; again his heavy face was flushedbeneath a stubble of beard. He made no move to comply with Harkness'demand.

  But there was no need: from the cabin at the rear came the scientist,Kreiss. His face was pale and drawn, and he stared long and searchinglyat Chet Bullard. His breath still whistled in his throat; the poison gashad nearly done for him.

  At his heels were the two who had been working at the port. Two others,who had held Harkness, were drawn off at one side, where they mumbledone to another and shot ugly glances toward Chet.

  This, Chet knew, accounted for all. Even the pilot, Max, had roused fromthe sleep that a blow on the chin had induced and was again on his feet.For him no explanation was needed; the shattered cage of theball-control told its own story.

  Harkness seated Mademoiselle Delacouer on a bench at the pilot's post."You will want to be in on this," he told her, "but I'll put you here incase they get rough. But don't worry," he added; "we'll be ready forthem now."

  * * * * *

  Then he turned to Schwartzmann: "Now, you! Oh, there are plenty ofthings I could call you! And you would understand them perfectly, thoughthey are all words that no gentleman would use."

  At Schwartzmann's outburst of profane rejoinder, Harkness broke in withno uncertain tones.

  "Shut up, Schwartzmann, and stay that way; I'm giving the orders now.And we'll just cut out all the pleasantries; they won't get us anywhere.We must face the situation, all of us; see what we're up against andmake some plans."

  But Herr Schwartzmann was not to be put down so easily. He crossed overto where Chet stood. Chet's hand dropped to the pistol that was hookedin his own belt, but Schwartzmann made no move toward it. Instead heplanted himself before the pilot and jammed his fists into his hipswhile he tried to draw his stocky form to equal Chet's slim height.

  "Fool!" he said. "Dolt! For a minute I believed you; I thought you hadcut us off from the Earth. Now I know better. Max, he understands ships;and the Herr Doktor Kreiss iss a man of science: together they therepairs will make."

  The Master Pilot smiled grimly. "Try to do it," he said, and turnedtoward the two whom Schwartzmann had named. "You, Max, and you, too,Doctor Kreiss--do you want to take on the job? If you do, I will helpyou."

  But the two looked at the shattered controls and shook their heads attheir employer.

  "Impossible!" the pilot exclaimed. "Without new parts it can never bedone."

  Schwartzmann seemed about to vent his fury upon the man who dared givesuch a report, but Doctor Kreiss raised a restraining hand.

  "Check!" he said. "I check that report. Repairs are out of thequestion."

  * * * * *

  Chet caught Harkness' eye upon him. "I'll be back," Harkness told himand went quickly toward the rear of the ship. Their stores were backthere; would Walt think to get a detonite pistol? He came back into theroom while the thought was still in Chet's mind. A gun was in each hand;he passed one of the weapons to Diane.

  Unconsciously, Schwartzmann felt for his own gun that was in Chet'sbelt. He laughed mirthlessly. "Two men," he said scornfully; "two menand a girl!"

  Harkness paid no attention. "Now we will get right down to cases," heremarked. "Two men and a girl is right--plus what is left of one ship.And please don't forget that the ship is ours and all the supplies thatare in it. Now, you listen to me; I've a few things to tell you."

  He faced squarely toward Schwartzmann, and Chet had to repress a grin atthe steely glint in his companion's eyes. Nice chap, Harkness--nice,easy-going sort--up to a certain point. Chet had seen him in actionbefore.

  "First of all," Harkness was saying, "don't think that we have anyillusions about you. You're a killer, and, like all such, you're acoward. If you had the upper hand, you would never give us a chance forour lives. In fact you were ready to throw us out to be gassed when Chetraised your little bet.

  "But it looks as if Chet and Mademoiselle Delacouer and I will have tobe living on this world for some time. We don't want to start that lifeby killing off even such as you--not in cold blood. We will give you achance; we will split our provisions with you--give you half of what wehave; you will have to shift for yourselves when that is gone. We willall have to learn to do that."

  * * * * *

  Again the heavy, glowering face of Schwartzmann broke into a laugh thatwas half sneer.

  "You're damned kind," he told Harkness, "and, as usual, a fool. Two menand a girl!" He half turned to count his own forces.

  "There are seven of us," he challenged; "seven! And all of themarmed--all but me!"

  He spoke a curt order in his own tongue, and each man whipped a pistolfrom his clothes.

  "Seven to two," he said, and laughed again; "maybe it iss that HerrHarkness would like to count them.

  "_Your_ ship and _your_ supplies!" he exclaimed scornfully. "And youwould be so kind as to giff us food.

  "_Gott im Himmel!_" he shouted; "I show you! I am talking now! We stayhere--_ja_--because this _Dummkopf_ has the controls _gebrochen_! But itiss we who stay; und you? You go, because I say so. It iss I who rule,und I prove it--seven to two!"

  "Three!" a firm voice spoke from between Chet and Harkness; "seven tothree! Our odds are improving, Herr Schwartzmann."

  And Chet saw from the corner of his eye that the gun in the small handof Mademoiselle Diane was entirely unwavering. But he spoke to hersharply, and his voice merged with that of Harkness who was sayingsomewhat the same words:

  "Back--go back, Diane! We can handle this. For God's sake, keep out; wedon't want any shooting."

  Neither of the men had drawn his gun. Their hands
were ready, but eachhad hoped to end this weird conference without firing a shot. Here wasno place for gun-play and for wounded men.

  * * * * *

  Their attention was on Diane for the moment. A growled word from theirenemy brought their minds back to him; they turned to find black pistolmuzzles staring each of them in the eyes. Herr Schwartzmann, in thelanguage of an earlier day, had got the drop.

  "Seven to three," Schwartzmann said; "let it go that way; no differencedoes it make. If I say one word, you die."

  Chet's arm ached to snap his hand toward his gun. It would be his lastmove, he well knew. He was sick with chagrin to see how easily they hadbeen trapped; Walt had tried to play fair with a man who had not an atomof fairness in his character. And now--

  "Seven to three!" Schwartzmann was gloating--till another voice brokein.

  "I don't check your figures." The whistling tones were coming from atortured throat, but the words were clear and distinct. "I don't checkyou; I make it six to four--and if one of your men makes a move, HerrSchwartzmann, I shall blow you to a pulp!"

  And Herr Doktor Kreiss held a gun in a steady hand as he moved a pacenearer to Chet--a gun whose slender barrel made a glinting line of lighttoward Schwartzmann's eyes.

  "If the gentlemen and Mademoiselle will permit," he offered almostdiffidently, "I would prefer to be aligned with them. We are citizens ofanother world now; my former allegiance to Herr Schwartzmann is ended.This is--what is it you say?--a new deal. I would like to see it; and Iuse another of your American aphorisms: I would like to see it a squaredeal."

  * * * * *

  The voice of a scholar, thought Chet; one more used to the precision oflaboratory phrases than to wild talk like this; but no man to be trifledwith, nevertheless. Chet did not hesitate to turn despite the pistolsthat were still aimed at him.

  But Herr Kreiss was not looking in his direction; his eyes were trainedsteadily in the same line as his gun. This little experiment he wasconducting seemed to require his undivided attention until the end. ToSchwartzmann he said sharply:

  "Your men--order them to drop their weapons. Quick!"

  As they clattered upon the floor the scientist turned and extended hishand to Chet.

  "And still speaking not too technically," he continued, "this is onehell of a fix that you have got us into. Even in desperate straits ittook nerve to do that." He pointed to the shattered remains of themultiple bars that had been the control mechanism, and added:

  "I admire that kind of nerve. And, if you don't mind, since we areexiles together--" His throat seemed choking him again.

  There were weapons in the hands of Chet and Harkness; they were notmaking the same mistake twice. Chet shifted his gun to his left handthat he might reach toward the scientist with his right.

  "I knew you were white all the time," Chet told him; "I'll say youbelong!"