Pariah Planet

verdrive. They'd come from Weald in the cargo-holds of the liners now transformed into fighting ships. The scouts swept low, transmitting fine-screen images back to

and industrial centers were wholly open to inspection from the sky. It looked as if the scouts hunted most busily for the fleet of f

d there was no sign of military preparedness against their coming. The huge ships of the main fleet waited while they reported monotonously that they saw no sign of the stolen fleet. But t

usion-bombs certain to be involved in any actual conflict, there was something like an embarrassed pause. The Wealdian ships were ready to bomb.

or thousands, or even tens of thousands of miles away. It could cover the world of Dara with mushroom clouds springing up and spreading to make a continuous pall of atomic-fusion products. And

n destructiveness. It found no capacit

It was a fleet of thirty-seven giant ships. They carried such-and-such bombs in such-and-such quantities. Unless its orders were countermanded, it would deliver those bombs on We

war. Neither planet could trust the other, even for minutes. If they did not destroy each other simultaneously, as now was possible, each would expect the o

would pay in ingots of iridium and uranium and tungsten-and gold if Weald wished it-for all damages Weald might claim. It would even pay indemnity for the miners of Orede, who had died

d then betray Dara. But it was Calhoun's idea. It seemed plausible to the admirals of Weal

as almost-almost!-revolution to insist upon resistance, however hopeless and however fatal. But not all of Dara realized

d staff. A monster ship of Weald came heavily down, riding the landing-grid's force-fields. It touched gently. Its occupants were apprehensive, but hungry for the loot t

gion. They could loot with impunity, and all contamination would remain outside the suits. What loot they gathered, obviously, could be decontaminated before it was returned to Weald. I

e of Dara weren't blueskins any lon

erators away. For the first time in history the operators of a landing-grid wore makeup to look like they did have blue pigment in

cious metals, brought in readiness to be surrendered and carried away. Some men set to work to

lenly away from them. They entered shops and took what t

d themselves to be robbed. They kept out of the way. It had been observed that the population was streaming out of the city, fleeing because th

e ships in space for those upon the ground. The first-landed ships had had their choice of loot. There were squabblings about priorities, now that the navy of Weald plainly had a lic

?mbarking-parties of other ships. There were more and more men to be found on ships where they did not belong, and more and more not to be found where they did. By the time half the fleet had been aground, there was no longer any p

l government of Dara broadcast a new message to the invaders. It requested that the looting stop.

the Darian fleet away from Weald, had been sent off long since. No other ship could get away now! The Darian

did control where a landing-force occupied the grid and all the ground immediately about it. The space admiral had headquarters in the landing-grid

yells. There were screamings. Intelligible communications ceased. Ships plunged crazily this wa

st of the fleet went through a period of hysterical madness. In some ships it lasted for minutes only

urgatroyd riding on his shoulder. A bewi

ame is Calhoun and I'm Med Service, and I think I met the

protested the officer.

t. I want to explain it to the admiral. He needs to know

around the airlocks of ships on the grid tarmac, waiting their turns to stand in corrosive gases for the decontamination of their suits, when they wou

, very ominous. There was strident argument. Pre

alhoun pleasantly. "The situation has

o layers of plastic, which covered h

ck!" he

ng or other has made the blue patches on the skins of Darians fade out. The

ral. "And what has that got

they've been mixing with your men, wearing sag-suits exactly like the one you're wearing now. They've been going aboard your ships in the confusion

red. Then his f

ly, "if you believe its crews have been exposed to carriers

said through

l bl

inst the gas. They kept them handy. On nearly all your ships aloft your crews are crazy from panic-gas. They'll stay that way until the air is changed. Darians have barricaded themselves in the control-rooms of most if not all your ships. You haven't got a fleet. If the few ships that will ob

n air from tanks. It would last so long only. If they were taken on board the still obedient ships overhead, Darians would unquestionably be mixed with them. There w

ral thickly. "I-do not know what you devi

e principles of planetary health practises to be explained, and a certain amount of prejudice that has to be thrown

er, felt that it was time to take

e-ch

do want to get the job done

ove to the doctors of Weald that there was no longer a plague on Dara, whatever had been the case three generations before. He had to sit by while an extremely self-confident young Darian doctor named Korvan rather condescendingly demonstrated that the former blue pigmentation was a viral product

self would join Dara in isolation from neighboring worlds. A messenger ship to recall the twenty-seven ships once floating in orbit about Weald. Most of them would be used for some

there were matters to be attended to. All the food-supplies that had been removed could not be rep

when he was almost ready to lea

like Korvan," sh

hink he will be a most prominent citizen,

iled ver

don't adm

n. "After all, he is attractive to you,

l. "Just as I didn't try to

ould have faced the fact that a man did not feel impelled to make passes at her. It

him," he said. "I hop

y. "He looks forward to splendid discove

obvious question. Instea

badly handled. There are a number of-discoveries that need to be made. I don't think your Korvan

said

detail about how the blueskin markings disappe

d. He brought

Maril, we'd be a team! Too bad! These are

her hand

er know, and he'll be a great man." Then she added defensively, "And

, "the most remarkable i

f those he was to visit. After this one more he'd return to sector headquarters w

coming, M

and a faint, faint, almost unhearable series of background s

ive and Calhoun guided it to a round and sunlit wo

Twenty reporting arrival and asking co?rdinates for landing. Purpose of

d message went many, many thousan

ty, repeat your

troyd

chee?

un si

Murgatroyd! Her

E