Astounding British Edition, Volume 8, No. 11 — page 33: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

BLOOD BANK 31 wince at the question. “I was aware of it, sir.” “Go on.” “We proceeded along the randomly selected course until the warp detectors warned us of a ship. When we came in range, I told the engineer to jockey into a parallel course and to lock the automatics to keep us parallel. When that was accom- plished, I called the unknown freighter with the standard challenge.” “You saw its insignia?” “Yes, sir. The yellow mercy star.” “Go on. Did they answer your challenge?” “Yes, sir. The reply, decoded, was: Mercy liner Sol-G-6, departure Sol III, destination Jod VI, cargo emergency surgi- bank supplies, Cluster Request A-4-J.” Beth nodded and watched Roki with clinical curiosity. “You knew about the Jod VI disaster? That twenty thousand casualties were waiting in Suspendfreeze lockers for those supplies?” “Yes, sir, I’m sorry they died.” “Go on with your account.” “I ordered the navigator to throw the dice again, to determine whether or not the freighter should be boarded for random cargo inspection. He threw a twelve, the yes- number. I called the freighter again, ordered the outer locks opened. It failed to answer, or respond in any way.” “One moment. You explained the reason for boarding? Sol is on the outer rim of the galaxy. It doesn’t belong to any cluster system. Primitive place—or regressed. They wouldn’t understand our ways.” “I allowed for that, sir,” continued the cold-faced Roki. “I explained the situation, even read them extracts of our patrol regs. They failed to acknowledge. I thought per- haps they were out of contact, so I had the message repeated to them by blinker. I know they got it, because the blinker- operator acknowledged the message. Evi- dently carried it to his superiors. Apparently they told him to ignore us, because when we blinked again, he failed to acknowledge. I then attempted to pull alongside and attach to their hull by magnetic grapples.” “They resisted?” “Yes, sir. They tried to break away by driving to a higher C-level. Our warp’ was already at six-thousand C’s, The mass-com- ponents: of our star cluster at that level was just a collapsing gas cloud, Of course, with our automatic trackers, they just dragged us with them, stalled, and plunged the other way. They pulled us down to the quarter-C level; most of the galaxy was at the red-dwarf stage. I suppose they realized — then that they couldn’t get away from us like that. They came back to a sensible. warp and continued on their previous course.” “And you did what?” “We warned them by every means of communication at our disposal, read them the standard warning.” “They acknowledge?” “Once, sir. They came back to say: This is an emergency shipment. We have orders not to stop. We are continuing on course, and will report you to authority upon arrival.” Roki paused, eyeing the colonel doubtfully. “May I make a personal obser- vation, sir?” Beth nodded tolerantly. “Go ahead.” “They wasted more time dodging about in the C’th component than they would have lost if they had allowed us to board them. I regarded this behaviour as highly suspicious.” “Did it occur to you that it might be due to some peculiarity in Sol HI’s culture? Some stubbornness, or resentment of authority?” “Yes, sir.” “Did you-ask opinions of your crew?” A slight frown creased Roki’s high fore- head. “No, sir.” “Why not?” “Regulation does not require it, sir. My personal reason—the cultural peculiarities of my planet.” The barb struck home. Colonel Beth knew the military culture of Roki’s world —Coph IV. Military rank was inherited. On his own planet, Roki was a nobleman and an officer of the war-college. He had been taught to rely upon his own decisions and to expect crisp, quick obedience. The colonel frowned at his desk. “Let’s put it this way: Did you know the opinions of the crew?” “Yes, sir. They thought that we should abandon the pursuit and allow the freighter to continue. I was forced to confine two of them to the brig for insubordination and attempted mutiny.” He stopped and glanced at one of the majors. “All due apologies to you, sir.” The major fiushed. He ranked Roki, but he had been with the patrol as an observer, and despite his higher rank, he was subject to the ship commander’s authority while in space, He had also been tossed in the GOMmicbooks;com