Shepherd of the Planets

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  SHEPHERD OF THE PLANETS

  By ALAN MATTOX

  ILLUSTRATOR SUMMERS

  _Renner had a purpose in life. And the Purpose in Life had Renner._

  The star ship came out of space drive for the last time, and made itsfinal landing on a scrubby little planet that circled a small and lonelysun. It came to ground gently, with the cushion of a retarder field, onthe side of the world where it was night. In the room that would havebeen known as the bridge on ships of other days, instrument lightsglowed softly on Captain Renner's cropped white hair, and upon theplanes of his lean, strong face. Competent fingers touched controls hereand there, seeking a response that he knew would not come. He had knownthis for long enough so that there was no longer any emotional impact init for him. He shut off the control panel, and stood up.

  "Well, gentlemen," he said, "that's it. The fuel pack's gone!"

  Beeson, the botanist, a rotund little man with a red, unsmiling face,squirmed in his chair.

  "The engineers on Earth told us it would last a lifetime," he pointedout.

  "If we were just back on Earth," Thorne, the ship's doctor, said drily,"we could tell them that it doesn't. They could start calculatingagain."

  "But what does it mean?" David asked. He was the youngest member of thecrew, signed on as linguist, and librarian to the ship.

  "Just that we're stuck here--where ever that is--for good!" Farrow saidbitterly.

  "You won't have to run engines anymore," Dr. Thorne commented, knowingthat remark would irritate Farrow.

  Farrow glared at him. His narrow cheekbones and shallow eyes wereshadowed by the control room lights. He was good with the engines whichwere his special charge, but beyond that, he was limited in bothsympathy and imagination.

  * * * * *

  Captain Renner looked from face to face.

  "We were lucky to set down safely," he said to them all. "We might havebeen caught too far out for a landing. It is night now, and I am goingto get some rest. Tomorrow we will see what kind of a world this is."

  He left the control room, and went down the corridor toward hisquarters. The others watched him go. None of them made a move to leavetheir seats.

  "What about the fuel pack?" David asked.

  "Just what he said," Farrow answered him. "It's exhausted. Done for! Wecan run auxiliary equipment for a long time to come, but no more stardrive."

  "So we just stay here until we're rescued," David said.

  "A fine chance for that!" Farrow's voice grew bitter again. "Our captainhas landed us out here on the rim of the galaxy where there won't beanother ship for a hundred years!"

  "I don't understand the man," Beeson said suddenly, looking around himbelligerently. "What are we doing out here anyway?"

  "Extended Exploration," said Thorne. "It's a form of being put out topasture. Renner's too old for the Service, but he's still a strong andcompetent man. So they give him a ship, and a vague assignment, and lethim do just about what he wants. There you have it."

  He took a cigar from his pocket, and looked at it fondly.

  "While they last, gentlemen," he said, holding it up. He snipped theend, and lit it carefully. His own hair had grown grey in the Service,and, in a way, the reason for his assignment to the ship was the same asRenner's.

  "I think," he said slowly, "that Captain Renner is looking forsomething."

  "But for what?" Beeson demanded. "He has taken us to everyout-of-the-way, backward planet on the rim. And what happens? We land.We find the natives. We are kind to them. We teach them something, andleave them a few supplies. And then Renner loses interest, and we goon!"

  "Perhaps it is for something in himself," David offered.

  "Perhaps he will find it here," Thorne murmured. "I'm going to bed."

  He got up from his seat.

  David stood up, and went over to one of the observation ports. He ranback the radiation screen. The sky outside was very black, and filledwith alien stars. He could see absolutely nothing of the landscape aboutthem because of the dark. It was a poor little planet. It hadn't even amoon.

  In the morning they opened up the ship, and let down the landing ramps.It was a very old world that they set foot upon. Whatever mountains orhills it had ever had, had long ago been leveled by erosion, so that nowthere was only a vaguely undulating plain studded with smooth androunded boulders. The soil underfoot was packed and barren, and therewas no vegetation for as far as they could see.

  But the climate seemed mild and pleasant, the air warm and dry, with asoft breeze blowing. It was probable that the breeze would be alwayswith them. There were no mountains to interfere with its passage, oralter its gentle play.

  Off to one side, a little stream ran crystal clear over rocks andgravel. Dr. Thorne got a sample bottle from the ship, and went over toit. He touched his fingers to the water, and then touched them to hislips. Then he filled the sample bottle from the stream, and came backwith it.

  "It seems all right," he said. "I'll run an analysis of it, and let youknow as soon as I can."

  He took the bottle with him into the ship.

  * * * * *

  Beeson stood kicking at the ground with the toe of his boot. His headwas lowered.

  "What do you think of it?" Renner asked.

  Beeson shrugged. He knelt down and felt of the earth with his hands.Then he got out a heavy-bladed knife and hacked at it until he had priedout a few hard pieces. He stood up again with these in his hands. Hetried to crumble them, but they would not crumble. They would only breakinto bits like sun-dried brick.

  "It's hard to tell," he said. "There seems to be absolutely no organicmaterial here. I would say that nothing has grown here for a long, longtime. Why, I don't know. The lab will tell us something."

  Renner nodded.

  For the rest of the day they went their separate ways; Renner to hiscabin to make the entries that were needed when a flight was ended, eventhough that ending was not intentional; Beeson to prowling along theedge of the stream and pecking at the soil with a geologist's pick; andFarrow to his narrow little world of engines where he worked at gettingready the traction machines and other equipment that would be needed.

  David set out on a tour of exploration toward the furthermost nests ofboulders. It was there that he found the first signs of vegetation. Inand around some of the larger groups of rocks, he found mosses andlichens growing. He collected specimens of them to take back with him.It was out there, far from the ship, that he saw the first animate life.

  When he returned, it was growing toward evening. He found that theothers had brought tables from the ship, and sleeping equipment, and setit up outside. Their own quarters would have been more comfortable, butthe ship was always there for their protection, if they needed it, andthey were tired of its confinement. It was a luxury to sleep outdoors,even under alien stars.

  Someone had brought food from the synthetizer, and arranged it on atable. They were eating when he arrived.

  He handed the specimens of moss and lichen to Captain Renner, who lookedat them with interest, and then passed them on to Beeson for his study.

  "Sir?" David said.

  "What is it, David?" Captain Renner asked.

  "I think there are natives here," David said. "I believe that I sawone."

  Renner's eyes lit up with interest. He laid down his knife and fork.

  "Are you sure?" he asked.

  "It was just a glimpse," David said, "of a hairy face peering around arock. It looked like one of those pictures of a cave man one used to se
ein the old texts."

  Renner stood up. He moved a little way away, and stood staring out intothe growing dark, across the boulder-studded plain.

  "On a barren planet like this," he said, "they must lack so manythings!"

  "I'd swear he almost looks happy," Dr. Thorne whispered to the man nextto him. It happened to be Farrow.

  "Why shouldn't he be?" Farrow growled, his mouth full of food. "He's gothim a planet to play with! That's what he's been aiming for--wait andsee!"

  * * * * *

  The next few days passed swiftly. Dr. Thorne found the water from thelittle stream not only to be potable, but extremely pure.

  Farrow got