THE PLANET THAT LOVED PEOPLE (standard:science fiction, 1364 words) [7/18] show all parts
Author: Danny Raven	Added: Mar 04 2016	Views/Reads: 1564/1191	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
PART 1 - CH 6

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story


This brought more murmured agreement. 

Kane turned to Tyler. “I told you nobody would be interested,” he said. 

Tyler shrugged and was about to say something when a movement in the
crowd caught his eye. Someone was trying to push his way through. 
Finally he made it and walked over to where the two of them were 
standing. 

The Worm waited until the crowd were quiet again and all attention was
on him. He brushed at some mud on his filthy wet clothes and smoothed 
back his greasy hair. He glanced at the prisoners then at Tyler. He 
smiled, showing his rotting brown teeth. 

“Commander,” he said, raising his voice so they could all hear because
he didn't want anyone to miss this. “if you need volunteers for 
Chameleon, I'll go!” 

The prisoners couldn't believe what they'd just heard! The Worm
volunteering to go to Chameleon! For the first time since he'd come to 
Sirene he was looked at with something close to respect by the other 
prisoners rather than the usual disgust. He made the most of it, 
strutting up and down in front of them with a smug grin on his face. 

Tyler allowed him his brief moment of glory then flicked his throat mike
back on. “Anybody else?” he asked, his voice booming out. 

The silence answered him. 

“Let's go,” he said to the Worm. “Move aside! Let us through!” he
ordered the prisoners. 

It was unlike them to be so compliant but still amazed by what had
happened, they obeyed and Tyler and the Worm walked forward to where 
the Falcon's force-field ended. 

“Move back!” Tyler ordered them. “The threat of no Dreamtabs still
stands if anybody tries anything. Back!” 

Muttering and cursing, the prisoners retreated a few yards. Tyler
signalled the Ship and the force-field was lowered and he and the Worm 
quickly stepped through then it was raised again. 

Safe inside the invisible barrier the Worm turned and bowed gracefully
to the mob, at the same time raising a single finger to them. They 
jeered him and a shower of rocks bounced off the force-field. Then the 
jeering turned to cheers and he spun round fearfully to see what it 
was, terrified he'd lost his protection but it was a Guard coming down 
the steps of the Ship holding a kicking, struggling Blaze 14. 

Kane grinned. ‘So that's what the cheering was about earlier,' he
thought. ‘Blaze must've dematerialized and gone through the force-field 
then into the Ship.' 

Blaze dematerialized again and the Guard who'd been holding him was left
clutching at thin air and looking bewildered. More laughter from the 
prisoners. ‘He must've gone back into the Ship,' thought Kane. 

Tyler was thinking along the same lines. “Tell the Bridge to relay me
through the Ship,” he ordered the Guard on the steps. 

The Guard rushed inside and when Tyler's voice boomed out again, Blaze
was also able to hear him. “You have exactly thirty seconds to leave 
the Ship,” he told him, “or my threat of no Dreamtabs on the next 
Transporter takes effect. I wouldn't envy you on Sirene if that 
happened.” 

Blaze heard him and materialized almost immediately. Right behind the
Worm. He tapped him on the shoulder and the Worm screamed and shot into 
the air. This brought laughter and whistling from the crowd. Blaze 
disappeared again and materialized outside the force-field. He bowed 
gracefully to the Worm, at the same time raising a single finger to 
him. 

The prisoners were still cheering and whistling as Tyler and a shaking
Worm went up the steps into the Falcon. Shortly afterwards the steps 
folded back in and the door slid shut. 

With no further reason for hanging round the Ship, the prisoners began
to drift away. When they were far enough over the moor, the force-field 
was lowered and the Ship rose slowly then gathered speed and arrowed 
gracefully into the grey sky then disappeared into the clouds. 

Most of the prisoners returned to the Block. A few wandered off to
wilder parts of the planet. Kane was returning to the hill. Slowly this 
time. No need to hurry. There was a lot he had to think about. Half an 
hour later when he was sitting on the same massive flat boulder gazing 
out over the rugged valley, he heard someone coming up the stony path. 
This time he wasn't irritated by the intrusion – he knew who it would 
be. 

Muslik Gra crested the rise and strolled over. He leaned against the
boulder and looked up at Kane. As usual he came straight to the point. 

“What did Tyler really talk to you about when you were out on the moor,
Frank?” he asked. “I caught some of it.” 

Kane grinned down at him. “Tell me, Muslik,” he said, “how'd you like to
get off this bloody awful planet!?” 


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