Priestess of the Flame, Page 2

and--Ibelieve you are acquainted with the remaining facts."

  "I am. I will consider your case and advise you later. Mr. Correy,will you conduct the stowaway to my quarters and place her underguard? Return when you have attended to this matter, and ask Mr.Kincaide to do likewise."

  "To your quarters, you said, sir?" asked Correy, his eyes veryserious, but not sufficiently so to entirely disguise the twinkle intheir depths. "Not to the brig?"

  I could cheerfully have kicked him.

  "To my quarters," I repeated severely, "and under guard."

  "Right, sir," said Correy.

  * * * * *

  While we were awaiting Correy and Kincaide, I briefly considered therather remarkable story which had been told me at Base.

  "Commander Hanson," the Chief of Command had said, "we're turning overto you a very delicate mission. You've proved yourself adept athandling matters of this kind, and we have every confidence you'llbring this one to a highly successful conclusion."

  "Thank you, sir; we'll do our best," I had told him.

  "I know that; the assurance isn't necessary, although I appreciate it.Briefly, here's what we're confronted with:

  "Lakos, as you know, is the principal source of temite for theuniverse. And without temite, modern space travel would be impossible;we would have to resort to earlier and infinitely more crude devices.You realize that, of course.

  "Now, for some time, those in charge of operations on Lakos havecomplained of a growing unrest, increasing insubordination on the partof the Lakonians, and an alarming decrease in production.

  "It has been extremely difficult--indeed, impossible--to determine thereasons for this, for, as you are perhaps aware, the atmosphere ofLakos is permeated with certain mineral fumes which, while notdirectly harmful to those of other worlds, do serve to effectivelyblock the passage of those rays of the sun which are essential to thehealth of beings like ourselves. Those in charge of operations thereare supplied artificially with these rays, as you are in your ship, bymeans of emanations from ethon tubes, but they have to be transferredat frequent periods to other fields of activity. The constant shiftingabout produces a state of disorder which makes the necessaryinvestigation impossible. Too, operations are carried on with aninsufficient personnel, because it is extremely difficult to inducedesirable types of volunteer for such disagreeable service.

  "We have, however, determined a few very important facts. This unresthas been caused by the activities of a secret organization or orderknown as the Worshipers of the Flame. That's as close a translation asI can give you. It sounds harmless enough, but from what we gather,it is a sinister and rather terrible organization, with a fanaticalbelief amounting, at times, to a veritable frenzy. These Lakonians area physically powerful but mentally inadequate people, as perhaps youare aware.

  "The leader of this order or cult call it what you will--seems to be awoman: a very fascinating creature, infinitely superior to her peopleas a whole; what biologists call a 'sport,' I believe--a radicaldeparture from the general racial trend.

  "This leader calls herself Liane, Chief Priestess of the Flame, Motherof Life, Giver of Death, and a few other high-sounding things. We havecalled her here to Base for questioning, and while she has been heresome time, we have so far learned next to nothing from her. She isvery intelligent, very alluring, very feminine--but reveals nothingshe does not wish to reveal.

  "Our purpose in having her brought here was two-fold: first, to gainwhat information we could from her, and if possible, prevail upon herto cease her activities; second, to deprive her cult of her leadershipwhile you conducted your investigation.

  "Your orders, then, are simple: you will proceed at once to Lakos, andinquire into the activities of this order. Somehow, it must becrushed; the means I shall leave to you. You will have completecooperation of those in charge of operations on Lakos; they areZenians and natives of Earth, and you may depend upon them implicitly.Do not, however, place any faith in any Lakonians; the entire nativepopulace may well be suspected of participation in the rites of thiscult, and they are a treacherous and ruthless people at best. Have youany questions, Commander?"

  "None," I had told him. "I have full authority to take any action Isee fit?"

  "Yes, at your discretion. Of course," he had added rather hastily,"you appreciate the importance of our supply of temite. Only Lakonianscan gather it in commercial quantities, under the existing conditionson Lakos, and our reserve supply is not large. We naturally wish toincrease production there, rather than endanger it. It's a delicatemission, but I'm trusting you and your men to handle it for us. I knowyou will."

  He had arisen then, smilingly, and offered his hand to me in thatgesture which marks a son of Earth throughout the universe, thusbringing the interview to a close.

  * * * * *

  IN talking the things over with my officers, we had decided themission promised to be an interesting one, but full of difficulties.The _Ertak_ had set down on Lakos more than once, and we all hadunpleasant memories of the place.

  The sunlight on Lakos, such as it was, was pale green and thin,lacking in warmth and vitality. The vegetation was flaccid and nearlycolorless, more like a mushroom growth than anything else; and theinhabitants were suspicious and unfriendly.

  Remembering the typical Lakonians, it was all the more surprising thata gracious creature like Liane could have sprung from their midst.They were a beetle-browed, dark race, with gnarled muscles and huge,knotted joints, speaking a guttural language all their own. Few spokethe universal language.

  But Liane, Chief Priestess of the Flame! The image of her keptdrifting back to my mind. There was a woman to turn any man's head!And such a turning would be dangerous, for Liane had no soft woman'ssoul, if I had read her brilliant blue eyes aright.

  "Rather a beauty, isn't she, sir?" commented Hendricks as I paused inmy restless pacing, and glanced at the two-dimensional charts.

  "The stowaway? Rather," I agreed shortly. "And chief instigator of thetrouble we've been sent to eliminate."

  "That seems almost--almost unbelievable, doesn't it?"

  "Why, Mr. Hendricks?"

  Correy and Kincaide entered before my junior officer could reply. Ithink he was rather glad of the excuse for not presenting his reasons.

  "Well, sir, she's under guard," reported Correy. "And now what's to bedone about her?"

  "That," I admitted, "is a question. After all, she's an importantpersonage at home. She was brought to Base as a guest, probablysomething of a guest of honor, of the Council, I gather. And,considering the work that's cut out for us, it would seem like a poormove to antagonize her unduly. What do you gentlemen think?"

  "I think you're right, sir," said Hendricks quickly. "I believe sheshould be given every consideration."

  * * * * *

  Kincaide, my level-headed second officer, glanced curiously atHendricks. "I see she's made one friend, anyway," he said. "Don't letyourself slip, my boy; I've run across her kind before. They'redangerous."

  "Thanks, but the warning's not necessary, Mr. Kincaide," repliedHendricks stiffly, an angry flush mounting to his checks. "I merelyexpressed a requested opinion."

  "We'll let that phase of it drop, gentlemen," I cut in sharply, as Isaw Kincaide's eyes flash. Trust a woman to stir up strife andill-feeling! "What shall we do with her?"

  "I believe, sir," said Correy, "that we'd be nice to her. Treat her asan honored guest; make the best of a bad situation. If she's what theChief thought she is, the boss of this outfit we've got to lick, thenthere's no need of stroking her the wrong way, as I see it."

  "And you, Mr. Kincaid?"

  "I see no other way out of it. Under the circumstances, we can't treather like a common culprit; both her position and her sex wouldprevent."

  "Very well, then; we seem to be agreed. We'll find suitable quartersfor her--"

  "I'll give her mine," put in Hendricks. "Correy will let me do
uble upwith him, I imagine."

  "Sure," nodded Correy.

  Kincaide glanced sharply at Hendricks, but said nothing. I knew,however, that he was thinking just what I was: that my young thirdofficer was in for a bad, bad time of it.

  Just how bad, I think neither of us guessed.

  * * * * *

  Liane became a member of the officers' mess on the _Ertak_. Sheoccupied Hendricks' stateroom, and, I must confess, with uncommon goodjudgment for a woman, remained there most of the time.

  She knew the reason for our mission, but this was one