Space 1999 - The Time Fighters by Michael Butterworth

Author:Michael Butterworth
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Star Books
Published: 1977-08-25T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

Sudden recognition of where events would lead to if he didn’t act quickly forced Carter to reach forward and disarm the Croton woman. Whether she was right about Dorzak, as he believed, or whether she was wrong, he knew that, despite his love for Sahala, his loyalties ultimately lay with the Alphans. He could not stand by and let her harm them.

Sahala stared at him with a stricken expression of accusation on her face as he wrested the gun from her. He withered under her gaze, and felt a thousand longings to go to her for forgiveness and allow her to have her sweet way, but he desisted.

The others crowded round thankfully. The Guard whom she had overcome with her Love power had already revived and took her by the arm.

‘Take her back to detention,’ Verdeschi said sternly to him.

The Guard nodded. Sahala struggled rebelliously in his grasp; she glared at Carter, and was led away.

‘Let’s go and see Dorzak,’ Verdeschi continued grimly.

The Guard pressed a button which activated the entry hatch, and when the doors opened, climbed inside, followed eagerly by Maya and Helena.

Verdeschi glanced at Carter before stepping inside. ‘Thanks, Alan. You had me worried for a while. I thought she was getting to you.’

Carter shrugged. ‘She has gotten to me.’ He looked worried as the Italian glanced sharply at him.

The inside of the ship filled them with awe and they resisted the impulse to examine its smooth walls and simple furniture, its weird boxes and consoles, its humming power sources, its advanced engines and its maze of corridors and rooms.

‘Nice place,’ Carter commented, looking around the living area which Sahala had told him about. He saw her light-show equipment and Yesta’s mural. The walls were hung with paintings and the tables and surfaces crammed with sculptures of all kinds.

‘Crotons are obviously very cultured people.’ Verdeschi was impressed.

‘Just like the lady said,’ Carter told him. He saw three alcoves in the wall marked ‘Yesta’, ‘Clea’ and ‘Sahala’, respectively. He moved towards them, followed by Verdeschi.

He went inside Sahala’s alcove, then Clea’s, staring in fascination at the luxury beds of contained fluid and heavily decorated fabrics of various kinds. On Clea’s bed they found a tiny golden capsule. It looked more like a technological device than an ornament, and Verdeschi picked it up to examine it.

‘Got something?’ Carter asked him.

‘An electronic bug?’ the other suggested.

‘Could be... unless it’s some kind of charm.’

Verdeschi pocketed it. ‘Better send it to Technical. Have them check it out.’ He turned to Maya and Helena. They were examining the panel leading to the stasis chamber. Maya tapped it and ran her palms all over it. Eventually, it slid open. They stood back, alarmed by their discovery.

The two men ran over.

They saw Dorzak through the orange force-field. He was large, as Sahala had said, and lay sleeping, curled in a foetal position.

Maya looked on his motionless form, and smiled in joy. The man in front of her was really Dorzak. She shook her head emotionally, almost crying.

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