Star Ship on Saddle Mountain (10 page)
"Don't you call your parents something like Mom and
Dad — something like that, instead of by their first names?"
"Sometimes, Charles. But it is customary for family
groups to call each other by the one first name. They are just
plain Darda and Elstara, or father and mother. Whichever Biri and I
like to use."
Charles!"
"Old duplicate?"
"Sure, Biri Biri Bin!" the alien boy said. "And
last, Charles, I am Dondee Bin—in case you forgot!" •
"Gosh . . . that's sure a swell family, all those
folks, I mean," Charlie said wistfully.
"Hey—" he exclaimed, as the thought struck him, "I
hope that take-off didn't hurt Navajo."
"No, Charles," Dondee answered quickly. "I gave
instructions while we were eating, in a brief high speed
thought
that you did not even notice. An attendant took
proper care of Navajo before we adjusted to the magno lanes. He was
also fed. And," Dondee added, "he was given two of the
apples."
"Thanks, Dondee. Thanks a lot. Just so Nav is all
right."
"Oh, look—Charles! There, at the panoramic!"
Following after Dondee, Charlie gazed out, too,
through the non-reflecting clear crystalline view. It seemed as
though he were looking through a clear opening, with no window at
all, out into the towering vastness of the night.
mighty spectacle now glittering before him on the great velvety
black wall of space. It almost seemed that he could put out a hand
to that magnificence, and touch the very stars themselves. As
Dondee pointed further, Charlie held his breath at the still
greater beauty the alien boy was pointing out.
There, now, was a forward grouping of stars, great
suns all clear-cut and brilliant before him. Some were a smoldering
orange blaze and others a pale shimmering cobalt blue. Still others
shone a fiery crimson, while some were a bright green or pale
lemon. They seemed to Charlie as though they were on fire, burning
with a deep beauty from within them. In silence he watched with
Dondee the glittering cluster, the coloratura of suns splashed
against the vast wall of space, like a handful of great jewels
tossed out across the night by a giant hand of Eminence.
"It's like a star garden floating in time,
Dondee."
"Yes ... an incredible garden."
"They're a lot like giant candy drops, too,"
Charlie added. "Say—Dondee, do you think there are other people, on
some of those worlds, maybe?"
The alien boy looked at him a moment. Then his
surprised look changed to a friendly smile, as he saw that Charlie
had meant the question seriously.
"Yes, Charles, there are. We—your world and
mine—are only two of the lesser planets—in size, planets on the
outskirts of the great stream of civilizations. We would be very
vain and foolish, Charles, were we to think the Universe revolves
about our own small planets. There are numberless worlds besides
our own, whose chemistry and general environs are about the same as
the ones we live on. Therefore, even if my world did not already
know some of these civilizations, we should be rather primitive
were we to think our small cultures stood alone. There are many
more such advanced civilizations along what your world calls the
Milky Way, and what mine calls the Planetary Stream.
"And Charles, from what little my world knows of
this, their greatness, in the matter of being civilized, is far
beyond us. Theirs is a civilization from which the memories of war
have long been gone and forgotten, a high level of the philosophies
coupled with humanitarian workings beyond anything we know."
people, so we can hope
to some day arrive at that same high degree they
now hold. And if we do as they have done, Charles, we may some day
stand there where they are standing. We may hold that same
knowledge as our own, the most priceless thing of all. Never be
afraid to learn, Charles, to look up. For only then is it possible,
when you lift up your eyes, to see the shining stars that light all
night."
"I can see now why your world calls us primitives,"
Charlie said. "Earth is not only a small world, but our people are
always fighting and arguing about things, and never getting
anywhere much. I wish my world was as fine and important—" and
Charlie pointed through the clear panoramic, "as those worlds out
there."
"Never say that, Charles. It is important," Dondee
told him. "All peoples are important, no matter how small the world
in which they live."
Dad — something like that, instead of by their first names?"
"Sometimes, Charles. But it is customary for family
groups to call each other by the one first name. They are just
plain Darda and Elstara, or father and mother. Whichever Biri and I
like to use."
"Biri Biri Bin," Charlie said,
rolling out the words. "It's a pretty name, Dondee.
Bin,
that's your family
name, huh?"
Charles!"
"Old duplicate?"
"Sure, Biri Biri Bin!" the alien boy said. "And
last, Charles, I am Dondee Bin—in case you forgot!" •
"Gosh . . . that's sure a swell family, all those
folks, I mean," Charlie said wistfully.
"Hey—" he exclaimed, as the thought struck him, "I
hope that take-off didn't hurt Navajo."
"No, Charles," Dondee answered quickly. "I gave
instructions while we were eating, in a brief high speed
thought
that you did not even notice. An attendant took
proper care of Navajo before we adjusted to the magno lanes. He was
also fed. And," Dondee added, "he was given two of the
apples."
"Thanks, Dondee. Thanks a lot. Just so Nav is all
right."
"Oh, look—Charles! There, at the panoramic!"
Following after Dondee, Charlie gazed out, too,
through the non-reflecting clear crystalline view. It seemed as
though he were looking through a clear opening, with no window at
all, out into the towering vastness of the night.
"There
—see those great blue-white stars, Charles!
Suns!
Are they not
something!"
mighty spectacle now glittering before him on the great velvety
black wall of space. It almost seemed that he could put out a hand
to that magnificence, and touch the very stars themselves. As
Dondee pointed further, Charlie held his breath at the still
greater beauty the alien boy was pointing out.
There, now, was a forward grouping of stars, great
suns all clear-cut and brilliant before him. Some were a smoldering
orange blaze and others a pale shimmering cobalt blue. Still others
shone a fiery crimson, while some were a bright green or pale
lemon. They seemed to Charlie as though they were on fire, burning
with a deep beauty from within them. In silence he watched with
Dondee the glittering cluster, the coloratura of suns splashed
against the vast wall of space, like a handful of great jewels
tossed out across the night by a giant hand of Eminence.
"It's like a star garden floating in time,
Dondee."
"Yes ... an incredible garden."
"They're a lot like giant candy drops, too,"
Charlie added. "Say—Dondee, do you think there are other people, on
some of those worlds, maybe?"
The alien boy looked at him a moment. Then his
surprised look changed to a friendly smile, as he saw that Charlie
had meant the question seriously.
"Yes, Charles, there are. We—your world and
mine—are only two of the lesser planets—in size, planets on the
outskirts of the great stream of civilizations. We would be very
vain and foolish, Charles, were we to think the Universe revolves
about our own small planets. There are numberless worlds besides
our own, whose chemistry and general environs are about the same as
the ones we live on. Therefore, even if my world did not already
know some of these civilizations, we should be rather primitive
were we to think our small cultures stood alone. There are many
more such advanced civilizations along what your world calls the
Milky Way, and what mine calls the Planetary Stream.
"And Charles, from what little my world knows of
this, their greatness, in the matter of being civilized, is far
beyond us. Theirs is a civilization from which the memories of war
have long been gone and forgotten, a high level of the philosophies
coupled with humanitarian workings beyond anything we know."
"In other words, Dondee, they
can
really
say
they're
people, so we can hope
to some day arrive at that same high degree they
now hold. And if we do as they have done, Charles, we may some day
stand there where they are standing. We may hold that same
knowledge as our own, the most priceless thing of all. Never be
afraid to learn, Charles, to look up. For only then is it possible,
when you lift up your eyes, to see the shining stars that light all
night."
"I can see now why your world calls us primitives,"
Charlie said. "Earth is not only a small world, but our people are
always fighting and arguing about things, and never getting
anywhere much. I wish my world was as fine and important—" and
Charlie pointed through the clear panoramic, "as those worlds out
there."
"Never say that, Charles. It is important," Dondee
told him. "All peoples are important, no matter how small the world
in which they live."
CHAPTER EIGHT
Heavy Water
As the alien boy talked about
greater worlds, telling him things he had never even dreamed of,
Charlie's mind wandered. Despite himself, he continually found his
thoughts going back to that small world he called his own. He knew
now that, in the great brilliance of all the galaxies along the
starway, Earth was probably the least important world of all. As
Dondee had told him, other worlds considered his
Earth—
Little Star
as they called it—an outpost of civilization.
toward that blue brilliant cobalt sun directly ahead of them now,
it could never be so. Earth was the greatest star of all, and it
would always be, for Earth was home.
Still, it was good to talk to Dondee. It helped to
make him forget that he might never go home again. It was like
remembering the fishing trips up river with Uncle John, and he
tried hard not to think of home, not to remember. He was a captive,
no matter how friendly Dondee was. He was a prisoner on board an
alien star ship heading for a far-away world. His own world was now
behind.
Having explored most of the middle tiers of the
great ship with Dondee, Charlie at last found himself only a couple
of decks below the top control dome.
"The Commanding Navigator is probably still up
there," Charlie said, as they hesitated at the airlift. "Maybe we
can go through the lower control dome again, Dondee?"
"No, Charles. I still want to show you the top tier
and controls," came the alien boy's determined impulse. "I promised
you I would, and besides, we can always go through the lower dome
any time."
"Well, I sure would like to see it—that's if you're
sure it'll be all right to go in there, Dondee?"
"We will go through it, Charles. I promised
you."
Just then they came out from the inner recesses of
what amounted to the galley of the discus flagship, where a certain
amount of food was being prepared, in spite of the fact that most
of the meals were already packeted and ready-to-eat when originally
brought aboard on Dondee's world. And it was just then, as the
alien boy stepped out from behind him into the brighter light of
the main promenade of the tier, that Charlie noticed something. He
stopped short as he glanced back. Then putting a hand to Dondee's
shoulder, he turned him further to the bright wall lighting and
looked
r
waited, not quite understanding Charlie's action, Charlie began to
laugh.
"Why—what are you laughing for?" came the puzzled
impulse from Dondee. "I don't understand—"
Holding back his laughter, Charlie pulled Dondee
over to one of the bright mirror-like strips of metal that were on
every tier.
"Look, Dondee—look in there at yourself!" Charlie
pointed, and he was laughing again. "That's the biggest and best
shiner I ever saw! Even back in school!"
Dondee looked closely into the mirrowed panel,
tenderly feeling all around the perfectly blacked eye.
"The green in your eyes, Dondee, sure is a pretty
color in that big black circle!"
The alien boy looked dimly at Charlie's grinning
image in the panel. Then he laughed too.
"Charles—you called the coagulation a—a 'shiner.'
Why, Charles? My eye doesn't shine."
Finding it hard to hold back further laughing at
Dondee's serious face with its black eye, Charlie explained.
"It's the way folks talk in Arizona. That's what
our people call a black eye. It's from when we had the fight,
Dondee, that's how—"
"Oh, I know what it's from. Only, I never knew it
was called a shiner. 'Shiner,' that's a fine name for it! Only it
doesn't shine, Charles."
They both laughed again as they looked into another
panel they passed.
"It's funny," Charlie said, "it must be a full day
almost, since we had that fight. And only now your eye gets
black."
"You mean, on your world the coags—I mean, the
shiners come faster?"
"They sure do. Just as soon as the fight's over, a
little while after you get hit in the eye."
Walking toward the airlift, they both glanced at
another panel, and the beautiful little barrier that circled the
green of Dondee's eye.
"My eye does look a little bit like my home world,
Charles. I got that impulse that just passed through your mind
about the dark rings around Saturn!"
Just as Dondee was about to push
the button at the transparent cylinder to bring the airlift to
their tier, he withdrew his hand. The bright clear crystal cage
compartment was already coming down. Charlie nodded to the mild
quick impulse from Dondee that said:
the
Commanding Navigator.
taller than the other men Charlie had seen, also saw them now. He
put out a hand, bringing the lift back up to their tier. As the
panel slid open smoothly he stepped out, a flashing twinkle in his
large green eyes.
"The son of the Primate, Dondee," Charlie felt the
Captain's impulse, "should not find it so easy to bump into corners
on a cornerless discus star ship. The impossible, however, seems to
have occurred."
Dondee's hand went to his eye as he understood
the
captain's meaning.
"It's a 'shiner,' Sir! That's Arizona, for a
coagulation."
"An Arizona shiner," mused the Commander, glancing
again at Charlie, as he caught his guilty impulse. "I suppose you,
young man, will no doubt find corners on our Barrier World, on
which to secure what we term a coag."
"Yes sir!" Charlie said. As he replied, he couldn't
help noticing that the Commander's features were much like
Earthmen's. His and the other alien men too, for their faces,
though somewhat longer, were also oval. But the flagship's
Commander, as Charlie noticed now, had a face very much like a
friend of Uncle John's, back in Parker. There wasn't so much
difference, after all, in human features.
With the pleasant thought of the Commander's
resemblance to his own people, Charlie let the thoughts in his mind
flow freely to and fro, with Dondee, as they went into the top
control dome.
"Dondee, that big glass deal there—the one like a
giant round gold fish bowl. What is it?"
"Oh," came the alien boy's impulse reply, as they
stopped. "That is the D2O reserve, Charles. For the journey."
"D2O?" Charlie repeated.
"Yes. As your world no doubt knows, it's one and
one tenth heavier than the ordinary elements."
"It looks like," Charlie said, "well, like plain
old water, Dondee."
"That is just what it is, Charles. It's the
combination deuterium and oxygen, and what I believe your world
people term 'heavy water.'"
"Oh—that," Charlie said. "I didn't know this
flagship used fission power, Dondee. You said it ran on the Magno
Lanes."
"It does. The D2O is only the emergency reserve,
and for getting up the centrifugal force needed to nullify the
gravitational force field, both for arrival or blast off from a
solid surface. Such as for your world, Charles, or even my
own."
Charlie placed his hands lightly
on either side of the large crystalline ball, his nose pressed
against its side, as he looked into the magnified distortions of
the light beams slanting down through the fluid. For a moment, as
he looked, his thoughts raced back a million miles and more to a
small secret spot on a distant world. And in that moment,
remembering the time he had stared down, into the cool clear sunlit
depths of the icy Colorado, from a boulder at the curve in the
shore, Charlie asked himself the hazy, unformed t h o u g h t . .
.
What am I doing here, this far from
home?
wholly alone, nor unaware of the nearness of his alien friend,
whose smiling face even now looked at him through the globe from
the other side—the great green eyes with their golden circled pupil
coloring all the water. Charlie raised his face. For, even on this
small personal journey into the past he had known, he had not been
alone. And as he resented the thought, he realized that Dondee had
felt his impulse, and the smile left his face as he realized he had
not been wanted on that special momentary journey. But Charlie
changed the subject, for he didn't want to hurt Dondee's feelings,
his only alien friend.
"If only that Star Project is completed soon,"
replied the alien boy, not hearing Charlie's words, "then the
Barrier World will have the secret too—" Dondee suddenly
stopped,
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