Alien Mind Control from Planet P Ch. 03

"He went over to the Aoife with the Colonel."

"No, he didn't," said Worth.

"Worth, you're starting to show the classic symptoms of FTL sickness. You're having delusions. You're experiencing paranoia," said Anna. "Open the doors, Honey. Please let us help you."

Maria said, "Captain Rogers, we're receiving a hail from the Aoife. It's Colonel Bolden."

Thank goodness!

"Put him on."

Colonel Bolden appeared. "Worth?" he said. "I've taken a look at Conchita. Everything here is Condition Green. I repeat, everything is Condition Green."

Condition green. Everything was all right. So had Worth imagined the tentacle monster too?

"Attention," said Maria. "Someone is attempting to burn through the lockout in Science Lab 3."

Anna.

"Maria, jettison ship zone two."

"This action is not recommended," said Maria.

"Override, Captain Worth Rogers, authorization pi alpha four nine eight three."

Alarms sounded.

"Warning," said Maria. "This is the emergency ten second countdown to jettison of Ship Section Two. You now have twenty seconds to get to a safe zone. 20... 19... 18... 17... 16... 15... 14... 13... 12... 11... "

Anna!

Forgive me!

"7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Eject."

Worth felt the ship shudder mightily, as the ship ejected the labs and living quarters. Explosive bolts send the entire section careening into the air, and it came to a rough landing some 200 feet away from the ship. The frame of the Bellerophon was still intact, but now there was a gaping hole between the control room and the engineering section, accessible now only through a narrow shipwide corridor. This was one of the many contingencies that had been prepared for shipwide emergencies, to jettison damaged sections of the hull. But it was never intended to be used on a planetary surface. And it had certainly never been intended to use for situations like this.

"Worth, what are you doing?" came the Colonel's voice.

"Close communications," Worth ordered. "Maria, are Lieutenant Commander Anna Rogers and Major Bill Reynolds still alive?"

"Affirmative."

"And are the seals on ship zone two still intact?'

"Affirmative."

Good.

What choices did he have now? Aoife was compromised. The remainder of the Bellerophon's crew was compromised, or dead. He was the last one left. He really only had one option.

"Maria, prepare for immediate takeoff."

"Preparing four hour checklist."

"No time," said Worth.

"Preparing forty minute warm-up and systems check."

"Fine. But make it as quick as you can," said Worth. The ship was sealed, now. Or was it?

"Computer, suspend command codes for every other member of this expedition. Authorization Rogers, Pi Alpha four nine eight three."

"Relative value judgment required. State reason for action."

"The crew has been compromised. I have just witnessed my own wife murdering a fellow crewmember. I have witnessed the Colonel being attacked by what appeared to be an alien creature."

Maria paused for a long moment, and he feared she wasn't going to accept his explanation. She was the most sophisticated AI ever made, but one never knew-

"Justification accepted. Lockouts in place. There are now 39 minutes until take off."

Worth kept his eyes glued to the holoscreen. He started to see silvery figures assemble on the surface. His friends. His former friends. And what were they now?

The silvery figures went over to the jettisoned section. In a short time two silvery figures emerged from it. Reynolds and Anna, no doubt.

Anna! He would have to abandon his love, on an alien planet 16 light years from Earth! He never dreamed when they signed up for this mission that circumstances could come to this.

"Worth!" he heard over the comm.

"Worth!" he heard again.

Worth's face screwed up. He couldn't not answer. He couldn't resist that voice.

"I hear you," said Worth, breathing heavily.

"You have to stop this, Worth," said Anna. "You're going to destroy yourself."

Worth watched the silvery figures on the surface. They seemed to be conferring with each other on a private channel.

"Worth, you're not well," said Anna. "It's FTL sickness."

Worth didn't respond.

"Think about it, Worth. In order for you to be right, everyone else, all of us, even Colonel Bolden, have to be wrong. Every member of your crew. Every member of the Aoife. How likely is that, Worth? Really, how likely is it? Worth, try to think rationally, I beg you!" Her voice had a pleading tone to it that he couldn't ignore.

One of the silvery figures was bringing out something from the Aoife in a buggy. The buggy slowly was making its way to the Bellerophon.

"There are now 32 minutes until liftoff," said Maria.

"Worth, I love you," said Anna. "Please don't do this."

Worth felt his eyes tearing up. He didn't know what to say.

"I can feel the conflict within you, Worth. You're not well. We can still get past this, Worth! We can still go home together. I want to be with you, Worth. I want to be with you and love you and be loved by you and bear your children and spend the rest of my life with you."

Worth was openly crying now.

Worth noticed that the other silvery figures had pulled back, all except the one in the buggy. The silvery figure parked the buggy a good forty feet from the ship and took something out.

Worth stiffened. "Maria, what is that object being removed from the buggy?"

"The object closely resembles a laser cutter," said Maria calmly.

Worth watched the silvery figure start to attach the laser cutter to a tripod.

No.....

"Abort preflight. Emergency takeoff, now," said Worth.

"That action is not recommended," said Maria.

"Override. Emergency alpha one."

"Thirty second countdown required."

"Execute."

"30... 29.... 28...."

Worth started to feel a rumbling in the ship.

"20... 19.... 18...."

Worth saw the silvery figure aiming the laser cutter. Didn't he realize he would be obliterated when the ship took off? Why didn't he retreat to a safe distance like the others?

"10... 9.... 8....

Suddenly the laser cutter's beam flared out, and Worth felt an explosion rock the ship.

"What was that?"

"Containment on engine number four breached."

"Shut down engine number four!"

"Affirmative."

The man holding the laser torch started to adjust the aim to hit the other engines... when his time ran out.

"2... 1...."

"Ignition," said Maria dispassionately.

The Bellerophon gave a mighty roar, and lifted off. A tremendous heat licked the area around the ship. Worth was pressed into his acceleration chair. Displays all around him started to flood with information.

Two minutes later, he was in orbit.

Worth looked down at the orange-beige planet which had just claimed the lives of two more Survey Service crews. He had barely gotten away.

Or had he?

"Maria, is there anyone else aboard this ship besides me?"

"Negative."

"Are you certain?'

"Positive."

"Report on damage on engine number four."

The report came in, and it was grim. It could have been fixed at Kiawah Island, but Kiawah Island was more than 16 light years in that direction.

Well, then he would have to go home with only three engines. It was doable, but it would mean the journey would take twice as long. The exponential rules of FTL travel meant that losing 25% of engine power doubled the length of the trip.

Worth wished he could send a message back to Earth. But such a message would arrive years after he did. No, he would have to be the message. He would have to survive.

And what of the crew? If they took the Aoife, they could get home before he did. Both ships were unarmed; there was no way he could destroy the Aoife.

But would they take the Aoife back to Earth? Worth thought it unlikely. The first two crews had been compelled to stay on the planet. It was unlikely the pattern would change for these crews. Whatever the aliens had planned for them, it didn't seem to involve sending them home.

So Worth would have a four month journey instead of a two month trip. With only one person aboard, oxygen and food shouldn't be a problem. His biggest problem would be the loneliness.

And the heartbreak.

He had left his wife, the love of his life, on a planet which would soon be 16.6 light years away from him. They never should have come. It had been their hubris, their arrogance, their belief that they were fated to be together, that their destiny was untouchable by any force of nature reality could throw at them.

It had been the biggest mistake of their lives.