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| committer | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-01-27 19:21:31 -0800 |
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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ed645b2 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #61053 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61053) diff --git a/old/61053-h.zip b/old/61053-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 0c5ac6c..0000000 --- a/old/61053-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/61053-h/61053-h.htm b/old/61053-h/61053-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index c65ccfe..0000000 --- a/old/61053-h/61053-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1212 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Tolliver's Orbit, by H. B. Fyfe. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - -.ph1 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; } -.ph1 { font-size: large; margin: .83em auto; } - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Tolliver's Orbit, by H.B. Fyfe - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Tolliver's Orbit - -Author: H.B. Fyfe - -Release Date: December 30, 2019 [EBook #61053] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOLLIVER'S ORBIT *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="359" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>TOLLIVER'S ORBIT</h1> - -<p class="ph1">was slow—but it wasn't boring. And<br /> -it would get you there—as long as<br /> -you weren't going anywhere anyhow!</p> - -<h2>By H. B. FYFE</h2> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Worlds of If Science Fiction, September 1961.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Johnny Tolliver scowled across the desk at his superior. His black -thatch was ruffled, as if he had been rubbed the wrong way.</p> - -<p>"I didn't ask you to cut out your own graft, did I?" he demanded. -"Just don't try to sucker me in on the deal. I know you're operating -something sneaky all through the colony, but it's not for me."</p> - -<p>The big moon-face of Jeffers, manager of the Ganymedan branch of -Koslow Spaceways, glowered back at him. Its reddish tinge brightened -the office noticeably, for such of Ganymede's surface as could be seen -through the transparent dome outside the office window was cold, dim -and rugged. The glowing semi-disk of Jupiter was more than half a -million miles distant.</p> - -<p>"Try not to be simple—for once!" growled Jeffers. "A little percentage -here and there on the cargoes never shows by the time figures get back -to Earth. The big jets in the home office don't care. They count it on -the estimates."</p> - -<p>"You asked any of them lately?" Tolliver prodded.</p> - -<p>"Now, <i>listen</i>! Maybe they live soft back on Earth since the mines -and the Jovian satellite colonies grew; but they were out here in the -beginning, most of them. <i>They</i> know what it's like. D'ya think they -don't expect us to make what we can on the side?"</p> - -<p>Tolliver rammed his fists into the side pockets of his loose blue -uniform jacket. He shook his head, grinning resignedly.</p> - -<p>"You just don't listen to <i>me</i>," he complained. "You know I took this -piloting job just to scrape up money for an advanced engineering degree -back on Earth. I only want to finish my year—not get into something I -can't quit."</p> - -<p>Jeffers fidgeted in his chair, causing it to creak under the bulk of -his body. It had been built for Ganymede, but not for Jeffers.</p> - -<p>"Aw, it's not like that," the manager muttered. "You can ease out -whenever your contract's up. Think we'd bend a good orbit on your -account?"</p> - -<p>Tolliver stared at him silently, but the other had difficulty meeting -his eye.</p> - -<p>"All right, then!" Jeffers snapped after a long moment. "If you want it -that way, either you get in line with us or you're through right now!"</p> - -<p>"You can't fire me," retorted the pilot pityingly. "I came out here -on a contract. Five hundred credits a week base pay, five hundred for -hazardous duty. How else can you get pilots out to Jupiter?"</p> - -<p>"Okay I can't fire you legally—as long as you report for work," -grumbled Jeffers, by now a shade more ruddy. "We'll see how long you -keep reporting. Because you're off the Callisto run as of now! Sit in -your quarters and see if the company calls <i>that</i> hazardous duty!"</p> - -<p>"Doesn't matter," answered Tolliver, grinning amiably. "The hazardous -part is just being on the same moon as you for the next six months."</p> - -<p>He winked and walked out, deliberately leaving the door open behind him -so as to enjoy the incoherent bellowing that followed him.</p> - -<p><i>Looks like a little vacation</i>, he thought, unperturbed. <i>He'll come -around. I just want to get back to Earth with a clean rep. Let Jeffers -and his gang steal the Great Red Spot off Jupiter if they like! It's -their risk.</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Tolliver began to have his doubts the next day; which was "Tuesday" -by the arbitrary calender constructed to match Ganymede's week-long -journey around Jupiter.</p> - -<p>His contract guaranteed a pilot's rating, but someone had neglected to -specify the type of craft to be piloted.</p> - -<p>On the bulletin board, Tolliver's name stood out beside the number -of one of the airtight tractors used between the dome city and the -spaceport, or for hauling cross-country to one of the mining domes.</p> - -<p>He soon found that there was nothing for him to do but hang around the -garage in case a spaceship should land. The few runs to other domes -seemed to be assigned to drivers with larger vehicles.</p> - -<p>The following day was just as boring, and the next more so. He swore -when he found the assignment unchanged by "Friday." Even the reflection -that it was payday was small consolation.</p> - -<p>"Hey, Johnny!" said a voice at his shoulder. "The word is that they're -finally gonna trust you to take that creeper outside."</p> - -<p>Tolliver turned to see Red Higgins, a regular driver.</p> - -<p>"What do you mean?"</p> - -<p>"They say some home-office relative is coming in on the <i>Javelin</i>."</p> - -<p>"What's wrong with that?" asked Tolliver. "Outside of the way they keep -handing out soft jobs to nephews, I mean."</p> - -<p>"Aah, these young punks just come out for a few months so they can go -back to Earth making noises like spacemen. Sometimes there's no reason -but them for sending a ship back with a crew instead of in an economy -orbit. Wait till you see the baggage you'll have to load!"</p> - -<p>Later in the day-period, Tolliver recalled this warning. Under a -portable, double-chambered plastic dome blown up outside the ship's -airlock, a crewman helped him load two trunks and a collection of bags -into the tractor. He was struggling to suppress a feeling of outrage at -the waste of fuel involved when the home-office relative emerged.</p> - -<p>She was about five feet four and moved as if she walked lightly even -in stronger gravity than Ganymede's. Her trim coiffure was a shade too -blonde which served to set off both the blue of her eyes and the cap -apparently won from one of the pilots. She wore gray slacks and a heavy -sweater, like a spacer.</p> - -<p>"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said, sliding into the seat beside -Tolliver. "By the way, just call me Betty."</p> - -<p>"Sure," agreed Tolliver thinking, <i>Ohmigod! Trying already to be just -one of the gang, instead of Lady Betty! Is her old man the treasurer, -or does he just know where bodies are buried?</i></p> - -<p>"They were making dates," said the girl. "Were they ribbing me, or is -it true that none of the four of them goes back with the ship?"</p> - -<p>"It's true enough," Tolliver assured her. "We need people out here, and -it costs a lot to make the trip. They found they could send back loaded -ships by 'automatic' flight—that is, a long, slow, economical orbit -and automatic signalling equipment. Then they're boarded approaching -Earth's orbit and landed by pilots who don't have to waste their time -making the entire trip."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He followed the signals of a spacesuited member of the port staff and -maneuvered out of the dome. Then he headed the tractor across the -frozen surface of Ganymede toward the permanent domes of the city.</p> - -<p>"How is it here?" asked the girl. "They told me it's pretty rough."</p> - -<p>"What did you expect?" asked Tolliver. "Square dances with champagne?"</p> - -<p>"Don't be silly. Daddy says I'm supposed to learn traffic routing and -the business management of a local branch. They probably won't let me -see much else."</p> - -<p>"You never can tell," said the pilot, yielding to temptation. "Any -square inch of Ganymede is likely to be dangerous."</p> - -<p><i>I'll be sorry later</i>, he reflected, <i>but if Jeffers keeps me jockeying -this creeper, I'm entitled to some amusement. And Daddy's little girl -is trying too hard to sound like one of the gang.</i></p> - -<p>"Yeah," he went on, "right now, I don't do a thing but drive missions -from the city to the spaceport."</p> - -<p>"Missions! You call driving a mile or so a <i>mission</i>?"</p> - -<p>Tolliver pursed his lips and put on a shrewd expression.</p> - -<p>"Don't sneer at Ganymede, honey!" he warned portentously. "Many a -man who did isn't here today. Take the fellow who used to drive this -mission!"</p> - -<p>"You can call me Betty. What happened to him?"</p> - -<p>"I'll tell you some day," Tolliver promised darkly. "This moon can -strike like a vicious animal."</p> - -<p>"Oh, they told me there was nothing alive on Ganymede!"</p> - -<p>"I was thinking of the mountain slides," said the pilot. "Not to -mention volcanic puffballs that pop out through the frozen crust where -you'd least expect. That's why I draw such high pay for driving an -unarmored tractor."</p> - -<p>"You use armored vehicles?" gasped the girl.</p> - -<p>She was now sitting bolt upright in the swaying seat. Tolliver -deliberately dipped one track into an icy hollow. In the light gravity, -the tractor responded with a weird, floating lurch.</p> - -<p>"Those slides," he continued. "Ganymede's only about the size of -Mercury, something like 3200 miles in diameter, so things get heaped up -at steep angles. When the rock and ice are set to sliding, they come -at you practically horizontally. It doesn't need much start, and it -barrels on for a long way before there's enough friction to stop it. If -you're in the way—well, it's just too bad!"</p> - -<p><i>Say, that's pretty good!</i> he told himself. <i>What a liar you are, -Tolliver!</i></p> - -<p>He enlarged upon other dangers to be encountered on the satellite, -taking care to impress the newcomer with the daredeviltry of John -Tolliver, driver of "missions" across the menacing wastes between dome -and port.</p> - -<p>In the end, he displayed conclusive evidence in the form of the weekly -paycheck he had received that morning. It did not, naturally, indicate -he was drawing the salary of a space pilot. Betty looked thoughtful.</p> - -<p>"I'm retiring in six months if I'm still alive," he said bravely, -edging the tractor into the airlock at their destination. "Made my -pile. No use pushing your luck too far."</p> - -<p>His charge seemed noticeably subdued, but cleared her throat to request -that Tolliver guide her to the office of the manager. She trailed along -as if with a burden of worry upon her mind, and the pilot's conscience -prickled.</p> - -<p><i>I'll get hold of her after Jeffers is through and set her straight</i>, -he resolved. <i>It isn't really funny if the sucker is too ignorant to -know better.</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Remembering his grudge against the manager, he took pleasure in walking -in without knocking.</p> - -<p>"Jeffers," he announced, "this is ... just call her Betty."</p> - -<p>The manager's jowled features twisted into an expression of welcome as -jovial as that of a hungry crocodile.</p> - -<p>"Miss Koslow!" he beamed, like a politician the day before the voting. -"It certainly is an honor to have you on Ganymede with us! That's all, -Tolliver, you can go. Yes, indeed! Mr. Koslow—the president, that is: -your father—sent a message about you. I repeat, it will be an honor to -show you the ropes. Did you want something else, Tolliver?"</p> - -<p>"Never mind him, Mr. Jeffers," snapped the girl, in a tone new to -Tolliver. "We won't be working together, I'm afraid. You've already had -enough rope."</p> - -<p>Jeffers seemed to stagger standing still behind his desk. His loose -lips twitched uncertainly, and he looked questioningly to Tolliver. The -pilot stared at Betty, trying to recall pictures he had seen of the -elder Koslow. He was also trying to remember some of the lies he had -told en route from the spaceport.</p> - -<p>"Wh-wh-what do you mean, Miss Koslow?" Jeffers stammered.</p> - -<p>He darted a suspicious glare at Tolliver.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Jeffers," said the girl, "I may look like just another spoiled -little blonde, but the best part of this company will be mine someday. -I was not allowed to reach twenty-two without learning something about -holding on to it."</p> - -<p>Tolliver blinked. He had taken her for three or four years older. -Jeffers now ignored him, intent upon the girl.</p> - -<p>"Daddy gave me the title of tenth vice-president mostly as a joke, when -he told me to find out what was wrong with operations on Ganymede. -I have <i>some</i> authority, though. And you look like the source of the -trouble to me."</p> - -<p>"You can't prove anything," declared Jeffers hoarsely.</p> - -<p>"Oh, can't I? I've already seen certain evidence, and the rest won't -be hard to find. Where are your books, Mr. Jeffers? You're as good as -fired!"</p> - -<p>The manager dropped heavily to his chair. He stared unbelievingly at -Betty, and Tolliver thought he muttered something about "just landed." -After a moment, the big man came out of his daze enough to stab an -intercom button with his finger. He growled at someone on the other end -to come in without a countdown.</p> - -<p>Tolliver, hardly thinking about it, expected the someone to be -a secretary, but it turned out to be three members of Jeffers' -headquarters staff. He recognized one as Rawlins, a warehouse chief, -and guessed that the other two might be his assistants. They were large -enough.</p> - -<p>"No stupid questions!" Jeffers ordered. "Lock these two up while I -think!"</p> - -<p>Tolliver started for the door immediately, but was blocked off.</p> - -<p>"Where should we lock—?" the fellow paused to ask.</p> - -<p>Tolliver brought up a snappy uppercut to the man's chin, feeling that -it was a poor time to engage Jeffers in fruitless debate.</p> - -<p>In the gravity of Ganymede, the man was knocked off balance as much as -he was hurt, and sprawled on the floor.</p> - -<p>"I <i>told</i> you no questions!" bawled Jeffers.</p> - -<p>The fallen hero, upon arising, had to content himself with grabbing -Betty. The others were swarming over Tolliver. Jeffers came around his -desk to assist.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Tolliver found himself dumped on the floor of an empty office in the -adjoining warehouse building. It seemed to him that a long time had -been spent in carrying him there.</p> - -<p>He heard an indignant yelp, and realized that the girl had been pitched -in with him. The snapping of a lock was followed by the tramp of -departing footsteps and then by silence.</p> - -<p>After considering the idea a few minutes, Tolliver managed to sit up.</p> - -<p>He had his wind back. But when he fingered the swelling lump behind his -left ear, a sensation befuddled him momentarily.</p> - -<p>"I'm sorry about that," murmured Betty.</p> - -<p>Tolliver grunted. Sorrow would not reduce the throbbing, nor was he -in a mood to undertake an explanation of why Jeffers did not like him -anyway.</p> - -<p>"I think perhaps you're going to have a shiner," remarked the girl.</p> - -<p>"Thanks for letting me know in time," said Tolliver.</p> - -<p>The skin under his right eye did feel a trifle tight, but he could see -well enough. The abandoned and empty look of the office worried him.</p> - -<p>"What can we use to get out of here?" he mused.</p> - -<p>"Why should we try?" asked the girl. "What can he do?"</p> - -<p>"You'd be surprised. How did you catch on to him so soon?"</p> - -<p>"Your paycheck," said Betty. "As soon as I saw that ridiculous amount, -it was obvious that there was gross mismanagement here. It had to be -Jeffers."</p> - -<p>Tolliver groaned.</p> - -<p>"Then, on the way over here, he as good as admitted everything. You -didn't hear him, I guess. Well, he seemed to be caught all unaware, and -seemed to blame you for it."</p> - -<p>"Sure!" grumbled the pilot. "He thinks I told you he was grafting or -smuggling, or whatever he has going for him here. That's why I want to -get out of here—before I find myself involved in some kind of fatal -accident!"</p> - -<p>"What do you know about the crooked goings-on here?" asked Betty after -a startled pause.</p> - -<p>"Nothing," retorted Tolliver. "Except that there are some. There are -rumors, and I had a halfway invitation to join in. I think he sells -things to the mining colonies and makes a double profit for himself by -claiming the stuff lost in transit. You didn't think you scared him -that bad over a little slack managing?"</p> - -<p>The picture of Jeffers huddled with his partners in the headquarters -building, plotting the next move, brought Tolliver to his feet.</p> - -<p>There was nothing in the unused office but an old table and half a -dozen plastic crates. He saw that the latter contained a mess of -discarded records.</p> - -<p>"Better than nothing at all," he muttered.</p> - -<p>He ripped out a double handful of the forms, crumpled them into a pile -at the doorway, and pulled out his cigarette lighter.</p> - -<p>"What do you think you're up to?" asked Betty with some concern.</p> - -<p>"This plastic is tough," said Tolliver, "but it will bend with enough -heat. If I can kick loose a hinge, maybe we can fool them yet!"</p> - -<p>He got a little fire going, and fed it judiciously with more papers.</p> - -<p>"You know," he reflected, "it might be better for you to stay here. -He can't do much about you, and you don't have any real proof just by -yourself."</p> - -<p>"I'll come along with you, Tolliver," said the girl.</p> - -<p>"No, I don't think you'd better."</p> - -<p>"Why not?"</p> - -<p>"Well ... after all, what would he dare do? Arranging an accident to -the daughter of the boss isn't something that he can pull off without a -lot of investigation. He'd be better off just running for it."</p> - -<p>"Let's not argue about it," said Betty, a trifle pale but looking -determined. "I'm coming with you. Is that stuff getting soft yet?"</p> - -<p>Tolliver kicked at the edge of the door experimentally. It seemed to -give slightly, so he knocked the burning papers aside and drove his -heel hard at the corner below the hinge.</p> - -<p>The plastic yielded.</p> - -<p>"That's enough already, Tolliver," whispered the girl. "We can crawl -through!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Hardly sixty seconds later, he led her into a maze of stacked crates -in the warehouse proper. The building was not much longer than wide, -for each of the structures in the colony had its own hemispherical -emergency dome of transparent plastic. They soon reached the other end.</p> - -<p>"I think there's a storeroom for spacesuits around here," muttered -Tolliver.</p> - -<p>"Why do you want them?"</p> - -<p>"Honey, I just don't think it will be so easy to lay hands on a -tractor. I bet Jeffers already phoned the garage and all the airlocks -with some good lie that will keep me from getting through."</p> - -<p>After a brief search, he located the spacesuits. Many, evidently -intended for replacements, had never been unpacked, but there were a -dozen or so serviced and standing ready for emergencies. He showed -Betty how to climb into one, and checked her seals and valves after -donning a suit himself.</p> - -<p>"That switch under your chin," he said, touching helmets so she could -hear him. "Leave it turned off. <i>Anybody</i> might be listening!"</p> - -<p>He led the way out a rear door of the warehouse. With the heavy knife -that was standard suit equipment, he deliberately slashed a four-foot -square section out of the dome. He motioned to Betty to step through, -then trailed along with the plastic under his arm.</p> - -<p>He caught up and touched helmets again.</p> - -<p>"Just act as if you're on business," he told her. "For all anyone can -see, we might be inspecting the dome."</p> - -<p>"Where are you going?" asked Betty.</p> - -<p>"Right through the wall, and then head for the nearest mine. Jeffers -can't be running <i>everything</i>!"</p> - -<p>"Is there any way to get to a TV?" asked the girl. "I ... uh ... Daddy -gave me a good number to call if I needed help."</p> - -<p>"How good?"</p> - -<p>"Pretty official, as a matter of fact."</p> - -<p>"All right," Tolliver decided. "We'll try the ship you just came in on. -They might have finished refueling and left her empty."</p> - -<p>They had to cross one open lane between buildings, and Tolliver was -very conscious of moving figures in the distance; but no one seemed to -look their way.</p> - -<p>Reaching the foot of the main dome over the establishment, he glanced -furtively about, then plunged his knife into the transparent material.</p> - -<p>From the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Betty make a startled -gesture, but he had his work cut out for him. This was tougher than the -interior dome.</p> - -<p>Finally, he managed to saw a ragged slit through which they could -squeeze. There was room to walk between the inner and outer layer, so -he moved along a few yards. A little dust began to blow about where -they had gone through. He touched helmets once more.</p> - -<p>"This time," he said, "the air will really start to blow, so get -through as fast as you can. If I can slap this piece of plastic over -the rip, it may stow down the loss of pressure enough to give us quite -a lead before the alarms go off."</p> - -<p>Through the faceplates, he saw the girl nod, wide-eyed.</p> - -<p>As soon as he plunged the knife into the outer layer, he could see -dusty, moist air puffing out into the near-vacuum of Ganymede's -surface. Fumbling, he cut as fast as he could and shoved Betty through -the small opening.</p> - -<p>Squeezing through in his turn, he left one arm inside to spread the -plastic sheet as best he could. The internal air pressure slapped it -against the inside of the dome as if glued, although it immediately -showed an alarming tendency to balloon through the ruptured spot.</p> - -<p><i>They'll find it, all right</i>, Tolliver reminded himself. <i>Don't be here -when they do!</i></p> - -<p>He grabbed Betty by the wrist of her spacesuit and headed for the -nearest outcropping of rock.</p> - -<p>It promptly developed that she had something to learn about running on -ice in such low gravity. Until they were out of direct line of sight -from the settlement, Tolliver simply dragged her.</p> - -<p>Then, when he decided that it was safe enough to pause and tell her -how to manage better, the sight of her outraged scowl through the -face-plate made him think better of it.</p> - -<p><i>By the time we reach the ship, she'll have learned</i>, he consoled -himself.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was a long mile, even at the pace human muscles could achieve on -Ganymede. They took one short rest, during which Tolliver was forced -to explain away the dangers of slides and volcanic puffballs. He -admitted to having exaggerated slightly. In the end, they reached the -spaceship.</p> - -<p>There seemed to be no one about. The landing dome had been collapsed -and stored, and the ship's airlock port was closed.</p> - -<p>"That's all right," Tolliver told the girl. "We can get in with no -trouble."</p> - -<p>It was when he looked about to make sure that they were unobserved that -he caught a glimpse of motion back toward the city. He peered at the -spot through the dim light. After a moment, he definitely recognized -the outline of a tractor breasting a rise in the ground and tilting -downward again.</p> - -<p>"In fact, we <i>have</i> to get in to stay out of trouble," he said to Betty.</p> - -<p>He located the switch-cover in the hull, opened it and activated the -mechanism that swung open the airlock and extended the ladder.</p> - -<p>It took him considerable scrambling to boost the girl up the ladder and -inside, but he managed. They passed through the airlock, fretting at -the time required to seal, pump air and open the inner hatch; and then -Tolliver led the way up another ladder to the control room. It was a -clumsy trip in their spacesuits, but he wanted to save time.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" width="327" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>In the control room, he shoved the girl into an acceleration seat, -glanced at the gauges and showed her how to open her helmet.</p> - -<p>"Leave the suit on," he ordered, getting in the first word while she -was still shaking her head. "It will help a little on the takeoff."</p> - -<p>"Takeoff!" shrilled Betty. "What do you think you're going to do? I -just want to use the radio or TV!"</p> - -<p>"That tractor will get here in a minute or two. They might cut your -conversation kind of short. Now shut up and let me look over these -dials!"</p> - -<p>He ran a practiced eye over the board, reading the condition of the -ship. It pleased him. Everything was ready for a takeoff into an -economy orbit for Earth. He busied himself making a few adjustments, -doing his best to ignore the protests from his partner in crime. He -warned her the trip might be long.</p> - -<p>"I told you not to come," he said at last. "Now sit back!"</p> - -<p>He sat down and pushed a button to start the igniting process.</p> - -<p>In a moment, he could feel the rumble of the rockets through the deck, -and then it was out of his hands for several minutes.</p> - -<p>"That wasn't so bad," Betty admitted some time later. "Did you go in -the right direction?"</p> - -<p>"Who knows?" retorted Tolliver. "There wasn't time to check -<i>everything</i>. We'll worry about that after we make your call."</p> - -<p>"Oh!" Betty looked helpless. "It's in my pocket."</p> - -<p>Tolliver sighed. In their weightless state, it was no easy task to pry -her out of the spacesuit. He thought of inquiring if she needed any -further help, but reminded himself that this was the boss's daughter. -When Betty produced a memo giving frequency and call sign, he set about -making contact.</p> - -<p>It took only a few minutes, as if the channel had been monitored -expectantly, and the man who flickered into life on the screen wore a -uniform.</p> - -<p>"Space Patrol?" whispered Tolliver incredulously.</p> - -<p>"That's right," said Betty. "Uh ... Daddy made arrangements for me."</p> - -<p>Tolliver held her in front of the screen so she would not float out -of range of the scanner and microphone. As she spoke, he stared -exasperatedly at a bulkhead, marveling at the influence of a man who -could arrange for a cruiser to escort his daughter to Ganymede and -wondering what was behind it all.</p> - -<p>When he heard Betty requesting assistance in arresting Jeffers and -reporting the manager as the head of a ring of crooks, he began to -suspect. He also noticed certain peculiarities about the remarks of the -Patrolman.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>For one thing, though the officer seemed well acquainted with Betty, he -never addressed her by the name of Koslow. For another, he accepted the -request as if he had been hanging in orbit merely until learning who to -go down after.</p> - -<p><i>They really sent her out to nail someone</i>, Tolliver realized. <i>Of -course, she stumbled onto Jeffers by plain dumb luck. But she had an -idea of what to look for. How do I get into these things? She might -have got me killed!</i></p> - -<p>"We do have one trouble," he heard Betty saying. "This tractor driver, -Tolliver, saved my neck by making the ship take off somehow, but he -says it's set for a six-month orbit, or economy flight. Whatever they -call it. I don't think he has any idea where we're headed."</p> - -<p>Tolliver pulled her back, holding her in mid-air by the slack of her -sweater.</p> - -<p>"Actually, I have a fine idea," he informed the officer coldly. "I -happen to be a qualified space pilot. Everything here is under control. -If Miss Koslow thinks you should arrest Jeffers, you can call us later -on this channel."</p> - -<p>"Miss Koslow?" repeated the spacer. "Did she tell you—well, no matter! -If you'll be okay, we'll attend to the other affair immediately."</p> - -<p>He signed off promptly. The pilot faced Betty, who looked more offended -than reassured at discovering his status.</p> - -<p>"This 'Miss Koslow' business," he said suspiciously. "He sounded funny -about that."</p> - -<p>The girl grinned.</p> - -<p>"Relax, Tolliver," she told him. "Did you really believe Daddy would -send his own little girl way out here to Ganymede to look for whoever -was gypping him?"</p> - -<p>"You ... you...?"</p> - -<p>"Sure. The name's Betty Hanlon. I work for a private investigating -firm. If old Koslow had a son to impersonate—"</p> - -<p>"I'd be stuck for six months in this orbit with some brash young man," -Tolliver finished for her. "I guess it's better this way," he said -meditatively a moment later.</p> - -<p>"Oh, come <i>on</i>! Can't they get us back? How can you tell where we're -going?"</p> - -<p>"I know enough to check takeoff time. It was practically due anyhow, so -we'll float into the vicinity of Earth at about the right time to be -picked up."</p> - -<p>He went on to explain something of the tremendous cost in fuel -necessary to make more than minor corrections to their course. Even -though the Patrol ship could easily catch the slow freighter, bringing -along enough fuel to head back would be something else again.</p> - -<p>"We'll just have to ride it out," he said sympathetically. "The ship is -provisioned according to law, and you were probably going back anyhow."</p> - -<p>"I didn't expect to so soon."</p> - -<p>"Yeah, you were pretty lucky. They'll think you're a marvel to crack -the case in about three hours on Ganymede."</p> - -<p>"Great!" muttered Betty. "What a lucky girl I am!"</p> - -<p>"Yes," admitted Tolliver, "there <i>are</i> problems. If you like, we might -get the captain of that Patrol ship to legalize the situation by TV."</p> - -<p>"I can see you're used to sweeping girls off their feet," she commented -sourly.</p> - -<p>"The main problem is whether you can cook."</p> - -<p>Betty frowned at him.</p> - -<p>"I'm pretty good with a pistol," she offered, "or going over crooked -books. But cook? Sorry."</p> - -<p>"Well, one of us had better learn, and I'll have other things to do."</p> - -<p>"I'll think about it," promised the girl, staring thoughtfully at the -deck.</p> - -<p>Tolliver anchored himself in a seat and grinned as he thought about it -too.</p> - -<p><i>After a while</i>, he promised himself, <i>I'll explain how I cut the fuel -flow and see if she's detective enough to suspect that we're just -orbiting Ganymede!</i></p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Tolliver's Orbit, by H.B. 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Fyfe - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Tolliver's Orbit - -Author: H.B. Fyfe - -Release Date: December 30, 2019 [EBook #61053] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOLLIVER'S ORBIT *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - TOLLIVER'S ORBIT - - was slow--but it wasn't boring. And - it would get you there--as long as - you weren't going anywhere anyhow! - - By H. B. FYFE - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Worlds of If Science Fiction, September 1961. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -Johnny Tolliver scowled across the desk at his superior. His black -thatch was ruffled, as if he had been rubbed the wrong way. - -"I didn't ask you to cut out your own graft, did I?" he demanded. -"Just don't try to sucker me in on the deal. I know you're operating -something sneaky all through the colony, but it's not for me." - -The big moon-face of Jeffers, manager of the Ganymedan branch of -Koslow Spaceways, glowered back at him. Its reddish tinge brightened -the office noticeably, for such of Ganymede's surface as could be seen -through the transparent dome outside the office window was cold, dim -and rugged. The glowing semi-disk of Jupiter was more than half a -million miles distant. - -"Try not to be simple--for once!" growled Jeffers. "A little percentage -here and there on the cargoes never shows by the time figures get back -to Earth. The big jets in the home office don't care. They count it on -the estimates." - -"You asked any of them lately?" Tolliver prodded. - -"Now, _listen_! Maybe they live soft back on Earth since the mines -and the Jovian satellite colonies grew; but they were out here in the -beginning, most of them. _They_ know what it's like. D'ya think they -don't expect us to make what we can on the side?" - -Tolliver rammed his fists into the side pockets of his loose blue -uniform jacket. He shook his head, grinning resignedly. - -"You just don't listen to _me_," he complained. "You know I took this -piloting job just to scrape up money for an advanced engineering degree -back on Earth. I only want to finish my year--not get into something I -can't quit." - -Jeffers fidgeted in his chair, causing it to creak under the bulk of -his body. It had been built for Ganymede, but not for Jeffers. - -"Aw, it's not like that," the manager muttered. "You can ease out -whenever your contract's up. Think we'd bend a good orbit on your -account?" - -Tolliver stared at him silently, but the other had difficulty meeting -his eye. - -"All right, then!" Jeffers snapped after a long moment. "If you want it -that way, either you get in line with us or you're through right now!" - -"You can't fire me," retorted the pilot pityingly. "I came out here -on a contract. Five hundred credits a week base pay, five hundred for -hazardous duty. How else can you get pilots out to Jupiter?" - -"Okay I can't fire you legally--as long as you report for work," -grumbled Jeffers, by now a shade more ruddy. "We'll see how long you -keep reporting. Because you're off the Callisto run as of now! Sit in -your quarters and see if the company calls _that_ hazardous duty!" - -"Doesn't matter," answered Tolliver, grinning amiably. "The hazardous -part is just being on the same moon as you for the next six months." - -He winked and walked out, deliberately leaving the door open behind him -so as to enjoy the incoherent bellowing that followed him. - -_Looks like a little vacation_, he thought, unperturbed. _He'll come -around. I just want to get back to Earth with a clean rep. Let Jeffers -and his gang steal the Great Red Spot off Jupiter if they like! It's -their risk._ - - * * * * * - -Tolliver began to have his doubts the next day; which was "Tuesday" -by the arbitrary calender constructed to match Ganymede's week-long -journey around Jupiter. - -His contract guaranteed a pilot's rating, but someone had neglected to -specify the type of craft to be piloted. - -On the bulletin board, Tolliver's name stood out beside the number -of one of the airtight tractors used between the dome city and the -spaceport, or for hauling cross-country to one of the mining domes. - -He soon found that there was nothing for him to do but hang around the -garage in case a spaceship should land. The few runs to other domes -seemed to be assigned to drivers with larger vehicles. - -The following day was just as boring, and the next more so. He swore -when he found the assignment unchanged by "Friday." Even the reflection -that it was payday was small consolation. - -"Hey, Johnny!" said a voice at his shoulder. "The word is that they're -finally gonna trust you to take that creeper outside." - -Tolliver turned to see Red Higgins, a regular driver. - -"What do you mean?" - -"They say some home-office relative is coming in on the _Javelin_." - -"What's wrong with that?" asked Tolliver. "Outside of the way they keep -handing out soft jobs to nephews, I mean." - -"Aah, these young punks just come out for a few months so they can go -back to Earth making noises like spacemen. Sometimes there's no reason -but them for sending a ship back with a crew instead of in an economy -orbit. Wait till you see the baggage you'll have to load!" - -Later in the day-period, Tolliver recalled this warning. Under a -portable, double-chambered plastic dome blown up outside the ship's -airlock, a crewman helped him load two trunks and a collection of bags -into the tractor. He was struggling to suppress a feeling of outrage at -the waste of fuel involved when the home-office relative emerged. - -She was about five feet four and moved as if she walked lightly even -in stronger gravity than Ganymede's. Her trim coiffure was a shade too -blonde which served to set off both the blue of her eyes and the cap -apparently won from one of the pilots. She wore gray slacks and a heavy -sweater, like a spacer. - -"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said, sliding into the seat beside -Tolliver. "By the way, just call me Betty." - -"Sure," agreed Tolliver thinking, _Ohmigod! Trying already to be just -one of the gang, instead of Lady Betty! Is her old man the treasurer, -or does he just know where bodies are buried?_ - -"They were making dates," said the girl. "Were they ribbing me, or is -it true that none of the four of them goes back with the ship?" - -"It's true enough," Tolliver assured her. "We need people out here, and -it costs a lot to make the trip. They found they could send back loaded -ships by 'automatic' flight--that is, a long, slow, economical orbit -and automatic signalling equipment. Then they're boarded approaching -Earth's orbit and landed by pilots who don't have to waste their time -making the entire trip." - - * * * * * - -He followed the signals of a spacesuited member of the port staff and -maneuvered out of the dome. Then he headed the tractor across the -frozen surface of Ganymede toward the permanent domes of the city. - -"How is it here?" asked the girl. "They told me it's pretty rough." - -"What did you expect?" asked Tolliver. "Square dances with champagne?" - -"Don't be silly. Daddy says I'm supposed to learn traffic routing and -the business management of a local branch. They probably won't let me -see much else." - -"You never can tell," said the pilot, yielding to temptation. "Any -square inch of Ganymede is likely to be dangerous." - -_I'll be sorry later_, he reflected, _but if Jeffers keeps me jockeying -this creeper, I'm entitled to some amusement. And Daddy's little girl -is trying too hard to sound like one of the gang._ - -"Yeah," he went on, "right now, I don't do a thing but drive missions -from the city to the spaceport." - -"Missions! You call driving a mile or so a _mission_?" - -Tolliver pursed his lips and put on a shrewd expression. - -"Don't sneer at Ganymede, honey!" he warned portentously. "Many a -man who did isn't here today. Take the fellow who used to drive this -mission!" - -"You can call me Betty. What happened to him?" - -"I'll tell you some day," Tolliver promised darkly. "This moon can -strike like a vicious animal." - -"Oh, they told me there was nothing alive on Ganymede!" - -"I was thinking of the mountain slides," said the pilot. "Not to -mention volcanic puffballs that pop out through the frozen crust where -you'd least expect. That's why I draw such high pay for driving an -unarmored tractor." - -"You use armored vehicles?" gasped the girl. - -She was now sitting bolt upright in the swaying seat. Tolliver -deliberately dipped one track into an icy hollow. In the light gravity, -the tractor responded with a weird, floating lurch. - -"Those slides," he continued. "Ganymede's only about the size of -Mercury, something like 3200 miles in diameter, so things get heaped up -at steep angles. When the rock and ice are set to sliding, they come -at you practically horizontally. It doesn't need much start, and it -barrels on for a long way before there's enough friction to stop it. If -you're in the way--well, it's just too bad!" - -_Say, that's pretty good!_ he told himself. _What a liar you are, -Tolliver!_ - -He enlarged upon other dangers to be encountered on the satellite, -taking care to impress the newcomer with the daredeviltry of John -Tolliver, driver of "missions" across the menacing wastes between dome -and port. - -In the end, he displayed conclusive evidence in the form of the weekly -paycheck he had received that morning. It did not, naturally, indicate -he was drawing the salary of a space pilot. Betty looked thoughtful. - -"I'm retiring in six months if I'm still alive," he said bravely, -edging the tractor into the airlock at their destination. "Made my -pile. No use pushing your luck too far." - -His charge seemed noticeably subdued, but cleared her throat to request -that Tolliver guide her to the office of the manager. She trailed along -as if with a burden of worry upon her mind, and the pilot's conscience -prickled. - -_I'll get hold of her after Jeffers is through and set her straight_, -he resolved. _It isn't really funny if the sucker is too ignorant to -know better._ - - * * * * * - -Remembering his grudge against the manager, he took pleasure in walking -in without knocking. - -"Jeffers," he announced, "this is ... just call her Betty." - -The manager's jowled features twisted into an expression of welcome as -jovial as that of a hungry crocodile. - -"Miss Koslow!" he beamed, like a politician the day before the voting. -"It certainly is an honor to have you on Ganymede with us! That's all, -Tolliver, you can go. Yes, indeed! Mr. Koslow--the president, that is: -your father--sent a message about you. I repeat, it will be an honor to -show you the ropes. Did you want something else, Tolliver?" - -"Never mind him, Mr. Jeffers," snapped the girl, in a tone new to -Tolliver. "We won't be working together, I'm afraid. You've already had -enough rope." - -Jeffers seemed to stagger standing still behind his desk. His loose -lips twitched uncertainly, and he looked questioningly to Tolliver. The -pilot stared at Betty, trying to recall pictures he had seen of the -elder Koslow. He was also trying to remember some of the lies he had -told en route from the spaceport. - -"Wh-wh-what do you mean, Miss Koslow?" Jeffers stammered. - -He darted a suspicious glare at Tolliver. - -"Mr. Jeffers," said the girl, "I may look like just another spoiled -little blonde, but the best part of this company will be mine someday. -I was not allowed to reach twenty-two without learning something about -holding on to it." - -Tolliver blinked. He had taken her for three or four years older. -Jeffers now ignored him, intent upon the girl. - -"Daddy gave me the title of tenth vice-president mostly as a joke, when -he told me to find out what was wrong with operations on Ganymede. -I have _some_ authority, though. And you look like the source of the -trouble to me." - -"You can't prove anything," declared Jeffers hoarsely. - -"Oh, can't I? I've already seen certain evidence, and the rest won't -be hard to find. Where are your books, Mr. Jeffers? You're as good as -fired!" - -The manager dropped heavily to his chair. He stared unbelievingly at -Betty, and Tolliver thought he muttered something about "just landed." -After a moment, the big man came out of his daze enough to stab an -intercom button with his finger. He growled at someone on the other end -to come in without a countdown. - -Tolliver, hardly thinking about it, expected the someone to be -a secretary, but it turned out to be three members of Jeffers' -headquarters staff. He recognized one as Rawlins, a warehouse chief, -and guessed that the other two might be his assistants. They were large -enough. - -"No stupid questions!" Jeffers ordered. "Lock these two up while I -think!" - -Tolliver started for the door immediately, but was blocked off. - -"Where should we lock--?" the fellow paused to ask. - -Tolliver brought up a snappy uppercut to the man's chin, feeling that -it was a poor time to engage Jeffers in fruitless debate. - -In the gravity of Ganymede, the man was knocked off balance as much as -he was hurt, and sprawled on the floor. - -"I _told_ you no questions!" bawled Jeffers. - -The fallen hero, upon arising, had to content himself with grabbing -Betty. The others were swarming over Tolliver. Jeffers came around his -desk to assist. - - * * * * * - -Tolliver found himself dumped on the floor of an empty office in the -adjoining warehouse building. It seemed to him that a long time had -been spent in carrying him there. - -He heard an indignant yelp, and realized that the girl had been pitched -in with him. The snapping of a lock was followed by the tramp of -departing footsteps and then by silence. - -After considering the idea a few minutes, Tolliver managed to sit up. - -He had his wind back. But when he fingered the swelling lump behind his -left ear, a sensation befuddled him momentarily. - -"I'm sorry about that," murmured Betty. - -Tolliver grunted. Sorrow would not reduce the throbbing, nor was he -in a mood to undertake an explanation of why Jeffers did not like him -anyway. - -"I think perhaps you're going to have a shiner," remarked the girl. - -"Thanks for letting me know in time," said Tolliver. - -The skin under his right eye did feel a trifle tight, but he could see -well enough. The abandoned and empty look of the office worried him. - -"What can we use to get out of here?" he mused. - -"Why should we try?" asked the girl. "What can he do?" - -"You'd be surprised. How did you catch on to him so soon?" - -"Your paycheck," said Betty. "As soon as I saw that ridiculous amount, -it was obvious that there was gross mismanagement here. It had to be -Jeffers." - -Tolliver groaned. - -"Then, on the way over here, he as good as admitted everything. You -didn't hear him, I guess. Well, he seemed to be caught all unaware, and -seemed to blame you for it." - -"Sure!" grumbled the pilot. "He thinks I told you he was grafting or -smuggling, or whatever he has going for him here. That's why I want to -get out of here--before I find myself involved in some kind of fatal -accident!" - -"What do you know about the crooked goings-on here?" asked Betty after -a startled pause. - -"Nothing," retorted Tolliver. "Except that there are some. There are -rumors, and I had a halfway invitation to join in. I think he sells -things to the mining colonies and makes a double profit for himself by -claiming the stuff lost in transit. You didn't think you scared him -that bad over a little slack managing?" - -The picture of Jeffers huddled with his partners in the headquarters -building, plotting the next move, brought Tolliver to his feet. - -There was nothing in the unused office but an old table and half a -dozen plastic crates. He saw that the latter contained a mess of -discarded records. - -"Better than nothing at all," he muttered. - -He ripped out a double handful of the forms, crumpled them into a pile -at the doorway, and pulled out his cigarette lighter. - -"What do you think you're up to?" asked Betty with some concern. - -"This plastic is tough," said Tolliver, "but it will bend with enough -heat. If I can kick loose a hinge, maybe we can fool them yet!" - -He got a little fire going, and fed it judiciously with more papers. - -"You know," he reflected, "it might be better for you to stay here. -He can't do much about you, and you don't have any real proof just by -yourself." - -"I'll come along with you, Tolliver," said the girl. - -"No, I don't think you'd better." - -"Why not?" - -"Well ... after all, what would he dare do? Arranging an accident to -the daughter of the boss isn't something that he can pull off without a -lot of investigation. He'd be better off just running for it." - -"Let's not argue about it," said Betty, a trifle pale but looking -determined. "I'm coming with you. Is that stuff getting soft yet?" - -Tolliver kicked at the edge of the door experimentally. It seemed to -give slightly, so he knocked the burning papers aside and drove his -heel hard at the corner below the hinge. - -The plastic yielded. - -"That's enough already, Tolliver," whispered the girl. "We can crawl -through!" - - * * * * * - -Hardly sixty seconds later, he led her into a maze of stacked crates -in the warehouse proper. The building was not much longer than wide, -for each of the structures in the colony had its own hemispherical -emergency dome of transparent plastic. They soon reached the other end. - -"I think there's a storeroom for spacesuits around here," muttered -Tolliver. - -"Why do you want them?" - -"Honey, I just don't think it will be so easy to lay hands on a -tractor. I bet Jeffers already phoned the garage and all the airlocks -with some good lie that will keep me from getting through." - -After a brief search, he located the spacesuits. Many, evidently -intended for replacements, had never been unpacked, but there were a -dozen or so serviced and standing ready for emergencies. He showed -Betty how to climb into one, and checked her seals and valves after -donning a suit himself. - -"That switch under your chin," he said, touching helmets so she could -hear him. "Leave it turned off. _Anybody_ might be listening!" - -He led the way out a rear door of the warehouse. With the heavy knife -that was standard suit equipment, he deliberately slashed a four-foot -square section out of the dome. He motioned to Betty to step through, -then trailed along with the plastic under his arm. - -He caught up and touched helmets again. - -"Just act as if you're on business," he told her. "For all anyone can -see, we might be inspecting the dome." - -"Where are you going?" asked Betty. - -"Right through the wall, and then head for the nearest mine. Jeffers -can't be running _everything_!" - -"Is there any way to get to a TV?" asked the girl. "I ... uh ... Daddy -gave me a good number to call if I needed help." - -"How good?" - -"Pretty official, as a matter of fact." - -"All right," Tolliver decided. "We'll try the ship you just came in on. -They might have finished refueling and left her empty." - -They had to cross one open lane between buildings, and Tolliver was -very conscious of moving figures in the distance; but no one seemed to -look their way. - -Reaching the foot of the main dome over the establishment, he glanced -furtively about, then plunged his knife into the transparent material. - -From the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Betty make a startled -gesture, but he had his work cut out for him. This was tougher than the -interior dome. - -Finally, he managed to saw a ragged slit through which they could -squeeze. There was room to walk between the inner and outer layer, so -he moved along a few yards. A little dust began to blow about where -they had gone through. He touched helmets once more. - -"This time," he said, "the air will really start to blow, so get -through as fast as you can. If I can slap this piece of plastic over -the rip, it may stow down the loss of pressure enough to give us quite -a lead before the alarms go off." - -Through the faceplates, he saw the girl nod, wide-eyed. - -As soon as he plunged the knife into the outer layer, he could see -dusty, moist air puffing out into the near-vacuum of Ganymede's -surface. Fumbling, he cut as fast as he could and shoved Betty through -the small opening. - -Squeezing through in his turn, he left one arm inside to spread the -plastic sheet as best he could. The internal air pressure slapped it -against the inside of the dome as if glued, although it immediately -showed an alarming tendency to balloon through the ruptured spot. - -_They'll find it, all right_, Tolliver reminded himself. _Don't be here -when they do!_ - -He grabbed Betty by the wrist of her spacesuit and headed for the -nearest outcropping of rock. - -It promptly developed that she had something to learn about running on -ice in such low gravity. Until they were out of direct line of sight -from the settlement, Tolliver simply dragged her. - -Then, when he decided that it was safe enough to pause and tell her -how to manage better, the sight of her outraged scowl through the -face-plate made him think better of it. - -_By the time we reach the ship, she'll have learned_, he consoled -himself. - - * * * * * - -It was a long mile, even at the pace human muscles could achieve on -Ganymede. They took one short rest, during which Tolliver was forced -to explain away the dangers of slides and volcanic puffballs. He -admitted to having exaggerated slightly. In the end, they reached the -spaceship. - -There seemed to be no one about. The landing dome had been collapsed -and stored, and the ship's airlock port was closed. - -"That's all right," Tolliver told the girl. "We can get in with no -trouble." - -It was when he looked about to make sure that they were unobserved that -he caught a glimpse of motion back toward the city. He peered at the -spot through the dim light. After a moment, he definitely recognized -the outline of a tractor breasting a rise in the ground and tilting -downward again. - -"In fact, we _have_ to get in to stay out of trouble," he said to Betty. - -He located the switch-cover in the hull, opened it and activated the -mechanism that swung open the airlock and extended the ladder. - -It took him considerable scrambling to boost the girl up the ladder and -inside, but he managed. They passed through the airlock, fretting at -the time required to seal, pump air and open the inner hatch; and then -Tolliver led the way up another ladder to the control room. It was a -clumsy trip in their spacesuits, but he wanted to save time. - -In the control room, he shoved the girl into an acceleration seat, -glanced at the gauges and showed her how to open her helmet. - -"Leave the suit on," he ordered, getting in the first word while she -was still shaking her head. "It will help a little on the takeoff." - -"Takeoff!" shrilled Betty. "What do you think you're going to do? I -just want to use the radio or TV!" - -"That tractor will get here in a minute or two. They might cut your -conversation kind of short. Now shut up and let me look over these -dials!" - -He ran a practiced eye over the board, reading the condition of the -ship. It pleased him. Everything was ready for a takeoff into an -economy orbit for Earth. He busied himself making a few adjustments, -doing his best to ignore the protests from his partner in crime. He -warned her the trip might be long. - -"I told you not to come," he said at last. "Now sit back!" - -He sat down and pushed a button to start the igniting process. - -In a moment, he could feel the rumble of the rockets through the deck, -and then it was out of his hands for several minutes. - -"That wasn't so bad," Betty admitted some time later. "Did you go in -the right direction?" - -"Who knows?" retorted Tolliver. "There wasn't time to check -_everything_. We'll worry about that after we make your call." - -"Oh!" Betty looked helpless. "It's in my pocket." - -Tolliver sighed. In their weightless state, it was no easy task to pry -her out of the spacesuit. He thought of inquiring if she needed any -further help, but reminded himself that this was the boss's daughter. -When Betty produced a memo giving frequency and call sign, he set about -making contact. - -It took only a few minutes, as if the channel had been monitored -expectantly, and the man who flickered into life on the screen wore a -uniform. - -"Space Patrol?" whispered Tolliver incredulously. - -"That's right," said Betty. "Uh ... Daddy made arrangements for me." - -Tolliver held her in front of the screen so she would not float out -of range of the scanner and microphone. As she spoke, he stared -exasperatedly at a bulkhead, marveling at the influence of a man who -could arrange for a cruiser to escort his daughter to Ganymede and -wondering what was behind it all. - -When he heard Betty requesting assistance in arresting Jeffers and -reporting the manager as the head of a ring of crooks, he began to -suspect. He also noticed certain peculiarities about the remarks of the -Patrolman. - - * * * * * - -For one thing, though the officer seemed well acquainted with Betty, he -never addressed her by the name of Koslow. For another, he accepted the -request as if he had been hanging in orbit merely until learning who to -go down after. - -_They really sent her out to nail someone_, Tolliver realized. _Of -course, she stumbled onto Jeffers by plain dumb luck. But she had an -idea of what to look for. How do I get into these things? She might -have got me killed!_ - -"We do have one trouble," he heard Betty saying. "This tractor driver, -Tolliver, saved my neck by making the ship take off somehow, but he -says it's set for a six-month orbit, or economy flight. Whatever they -call it. I don't think he has any idea where we're headed." - -Tolliver pulled her back, holding her in mid-air by the slack of her -sweater. - -"Actually, I have a fine idea," he informed the officer coldly. "I -happen to be a qualified space pilot. Everything here is under control. -If Miss Koslow thinks you should arrest Jeffers, you can call us later -on this channel." - -"Miss Koslow?" repeated the spacer. "Did she tell you--well, no matter! -If you'll be okay, we'll attend to the other affair immediately." - -He signed off promptly. The pilot faced Betty, who looked more offended -than reassured at discovering his status. - -"This 'Miss Koslow' business," he said suspiciously. "He sounded funny -about that." - -The girl grinned. - -"Relax, Tolliver," she told him. "Did you really believe Daddy would -send his own little girl way out here to Ganymede to look for whoever -was gypping him?" - -"You ... you...?" - -"Sure. The name's Betty Hanlon. I work for a private investigating -firm. If old Koslow had a son to impersonate--" - -"I'd be stuck for six months in this orbit with some brash young man," -Tolliver finished for her. "I guess it's better this way," he said -meditatively a moment later. - -"Oh, come _on_! Can't they get us back? How can you tell where we're -going?" - -"I know enough to check takeoff time. It was practically due anyhow, so -we'll float into the vicinity of Earth at about the right time to be -picked up." - -He went on to explain something of the tremendous cost in fuel -necessary to make more than minor corrections to their course. Even -though the Patrol ship could easily catch the slow freighter, bringing -along enough fuel to head back would be something else again. - -"We'll just have to ride it out," he said sympathetically. "The ship is -provisioned according to law, and you were probably going back anyhow." - -"I didn't expect to so soon." - -"Yeah, you were pretty lucky. They'll think you're a marvel to crack -the case in about three hours on Ganymede." - -"Great!" muttered Betty. "What a lucky girl I am!" - -"Yes," admitted Tolliver, "there _are_ problems. If you like, we might -get the captain of that Patrol ship to legalize the situation by TV." - -"I can see you're used to sweeping girls off their feet," she commented -sourly. - -"The main problem is whether you can cook." - -Betty frowned at him. - -"I'm pretty good with a pistol," she offered, "or going over crooked -books. But cook? Sorry." - -"Well, one of us had better learn, and I'll have other things to do." - -"I'll think about it," promised the girl, staring thoughtfully at the -deck. - -Tolliver anchored himself in a seat and grinned as he thought about it -too. - -_After a while_, he promised himself, _I'll explain how I cut the fuel -flow and see if she's detective enough to suspect that we're just -orbiting Ganymede!_ - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Tolliver's Orbit, by H.B. 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