Greylorn

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  GREYLORN

  By KEITH LAUMER

  Keith Laumer is a writer new to science fiction. In this story hedisplays the finesse, artistry and imagination of an old pro. Here isone of the tightest, tautest stories of interplanetary adventure in along while:

  PROLOGUE

  The murmur of conversation around the conference table died as the WorldSecretary entered the room and took his place at the head of the table.

  "Ladies and Gentlemen," he said. "I'll not detain you with formalitiestoday. The representative of the Navy Department is waiting outside topresent the case for his proposal. You all know something of the scheme;it has been heard and passed as feasible by the Advisory Group. It willnow be our responsibility to make the decision. I ask that each of youin forming a conclusion remember that our present situation can only bedescribed as desperate, and that desperate measures may be in order."

  The Secretary turned and nodded to a braided admiral seated near thedoor who left the room and returned a moment later with a younggray-haired Naval Officer.

  "Members of the Council," said the admiral, "this is LieutenantCommander Greylorn." All eyes followed the officer as he walked thelength of the room to take the empty seat at the end of the table.

  "Please proceed, Commander," said the Secretary.

  "Thank you, Mr. Secretary." The Commander's voice was unhurried and low,yet it carried clearly and held authority. He began without preliminary.

  "When the World Government dispatched the Scouting Forces forty-threeyears ago, an effort was made to contact each of the twenty-five worldsto which this government had sent Colonization parties during theColonial Era of the middle Twentieth Centuries. With the return of thelast of the scouts early this year, we were forced to realize that noassistance would be forthcoming from that source."

  The Commander turned his eyes to the world map covering the wall. Withthe exception of North America and a narrow strip of coastal waters, theentire map was tinted an unhealthy pink.

  "The latest figures compiled by the Department of the Navy indicate thatwe are losing area at the rate of one square mile every twenty-onehours. The organism's faculty for developing resistance to our chemicaland biological measures appears to be evolving rapidly. Analyses ofatmospheric samples indicate the level of noxious content rising at asteady rate. In other words, in spite of our best efforts, we are notholding our own against the Red Tide."

  A mutter ran around the table, as Members shifted uncomfortably in theirseats.

  * * * * *

  "A great deal of thought has been applied to the problem of increasingour offensive ability. This in the end is still a question of manpowerand raw resources. We do not have enough. Our small improvements ineffectiveness have been progressively offset by increasing casualtiesand loss of territory. In the end, alone, we must lose."

  The Commander paused, as the murmur rose and died again. "There ishowever, one possibility still unexplored," he said. "And recent workdone at the Polar Research Station places the possibility well withinthe scope of feasibility. At the time the attempt was made to establishcontact with the colonies, one was omitted. It alone now remains to besought out. I refer to the Omega Colony."

  A portly Member leaned forward and burst out, "The location of thecolony is unknown!"

  The Secretary intervened. "Please permit the Commander to complete hisremarks. There will be ample opportunity for discussion when he hasfinished."

  "This contact was not attempted for two reasons," the Commandercontinued. "First, the precise location was not known; second, thedistance was at least twice that of the earlier colonies. At the time,there was a feeling of optimism which seemed to make the attemptsuperfluous. Now the situation has changed. The possibility ofcontacting Omega Colony now assumes paramount importance.

  "The development of which I spoke is a new application of driveprinciple which has given to us a greatly improved effective velocityfor space propulsion. Forty years ago, the minimum elapsed time ofreturn travel to the presumed sector within which the Omega World shouldlie was about a century. Today we have the techniques to construct asmall scouting vessel capable of making the transit in just over fiveyears. We cannot hold out here for a century, perhaps; but we can managea decade.

  "As for location, we know the initial target point toward which Omegawas launched. The plan was of course that a precise target should beselected by the crew after approaching the star group closely enough topermit telescopic planetary resolution and study. There is no reason whythe crew of a scout could not make the same study and examination ofpossible targets, and with luck find the colony.

  "Omega was the last colonial venture undertaken by our people, twocenturies after the others. It was the best equipped and largestexpedition of them all. It was not limited to one destination, littleknown, but had a presumably large selection of potentials from which tochoose; and her planetary study facilities were extremely advanced. Ihave full confidence that Omega made a successful planetfall and has bynow established a vigorous new society.

  "Honorable Members of the Council, I submit that all the resources ofthis Government should be at once placed at the disposal of a task forcewith the assigned duty of constructing a fifty-thousand-ton scoutingvessel, and conducting an exhaustive survey of a volume of space of onethousand A.U.'s centered on the so-called Omega Cluster."

  The World Secretary interrupted the babble which arose with thecompletion of the officer's presentation.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, time is of the essence of our problem. Let'sproceed at once to orderly interrogation. Mr. Klayle, lead off, please."

  * * * * *

  The portly Councillor glared at the Commander. "The undertaking youpropose, sir, will require a massive diversion of our capacities fromdefense. That means losing ground at an increasing rate to the obscenitycrawling over our planet. That same potential applied to directoffensive measures may yet turn the balance in our favor. Against this,the possibility of a scouting party stumbling over the remains of acolony the location of which is almost completely problematical, andwhich by analogy with all of the earlier colonial attempts has at bestmanaged to survive as a marginal foothold, is so fantastically remote asto be inconsiderable."

  The Commander listened coolly, seriously. "Mr. Councillor," he replied,"as to our defensive measures, we have passed the point of diminishingreturns. We have more knowledge now than we are capable of employingagainst the plague. Had we not neglected the physical sciences as wehave for the last two centuries, we might have developed adequatemeasures before we had been so far reduced in numbers and area as to beunable to produce and employ the new weapons our laboratories havebelatedly developed. Now we must be realistic; there is no hope in thatdirection.

  "As to the location of the Omega World, our plan is based on the factthat the selection was not made at random. Our scout will proceed alongthe Omega course line as known to us from the observations which werecarried on for almost three years after its departure. We propose tocontinue on that line, carrying out systematic observation of eachpotential sun in turn. As we detect planets, we will alter course onlyas necessary to satisfy ourselves as to the possibility of suitabilityof the planet. We can safely assume that Omega will not have bypassedany likely target. If we should have more than one prospect underconsideration at any time, we shall examine them in turn. If the OmegaWorld has developed successfully, ample evidence should be discernibleat a distance."

  * * * * *

  Klayle muttered "Madness," and subsided. The angular member on his leftspoke gently, "Mr. Greylorn, why, if this colonial venture ha
s met withthe success you assume, has its government not reestablished contactwith the mother world during the last two centuries?"

  "On that score, Mr. Councillor, we can only conjecture," the Commandersaid. "The outward voyage may have required as much as fifty or sixtyyears. After that, there must have followed a lengthy period ofdevelopment and expansion in building the new world. It is not to beexpected that the pioneers would be ready to expend resources inexpeditionary ventures for some time."

  "I do not completely understand your apparent confidence in the abilityof the hypothetical Omega culture to supply massive aid to us, even ifits people should be so inclined," said a straight-backed woman member."The time seems very short for the mastery of an alien world."

  "The population development plan, Madam, provided for an increase fromthe