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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..11dc684 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #60460 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60460) diff --git a/old/60460-h.zip b/old/60460-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 9d194e5..0000000 --- a/old/60460-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60460-h/60460-h.htm b/old/60460-h/60460-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 4b1b17b..0000000 --- a/old/60460-h/60460-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1343 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Raider, by Don Berry. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - -.ph1 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; } -.ph1 { font-size: large; margin: .83em auto; } - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Raider, by Don Berry - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Raider - -Author: Don Berry - -Release Date: October 8, 2019 [EBook #60460] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RAIDER *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="343" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>THE RAIDER</h1> - -<h2>BY DON BERRY</h2> - -<p class="ph1"><i>He was a hunter with a Cause that<br /> -transcended all law. But, now, could<br /> -the Cause forgive him his service?</i></p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Worlds of If Science Fiction, April 1958.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>They dropped the raider on the night side, less than thirty miles from -Thanlar, the capitol city. The dark, slim ship drifted silently to the -ground, discharged its passenger and lifted again, moving slowly like -a great shark in the night. On the way out into space, it was caught -by the defense screens of Thanlar and disappeared in a gout of flaming -energy that lit up the entire night sky.</p> - -<p>The raider did not see it; he was already asleep.</p> - -<p>He slept, and his dreams were troubled by images of a familiar face. -Strong cheekbones, the mane of white hair, the famous half-smile of -Mayne Landing, Earth Commissioner to the Colony Planets. Mayne Landing, -the gentle representative of Terra to her children, the kindly old -gentleman with the fist of steel, the benevolent despot over a hundred -Colony Planets.</p> - -<p>Mayne Landing: victim.</p> - -<p>The raider woke with the dawn, a dawn that was slightly more red-tinged -than the sun he was used to. He gathered his small store of equipment -together and cached it in the low scrub of the surrounding forest. By a -clear, sparkling stream he washed, wincing slightly from the shock of -the too-cold water against his face.</p> - -<p>He wore clothes indistinguishable from the other farmers of this -district, slightly shabby, a uniform dun color. They did not fit him -well, but they could not hide the wide shoulder and slim waist. Well, -it didn't matter: the farmers of this planet, like all the Colonies, -had to work hard to scrape their meager living from the rocky soil. -They were all in good condition; he would not be conspicuous.</p> - -<p>He finished washing and dried himself on the sleeve of his jumper. Then -he began to walk down the rocky hill to the village that stood in the -tiny valley below. In the early sun, the tiny assemblage of white clean -houses sparkled like a handful of sand-polished shells clustered on a -beach. He stopped for a moment, halfway down, looking at the village.</p> - -<p>It was a nice little place, he thought. Peaceful in the early light, -calm. There were a few people moving about the streets, probably -farmers early on their way to the fields. It was a pastoral scene, like -something he had read in a book a long time ago.</p> - -<p><i>Nice</i>, he thought. <i>Quiet. I wonder what it will be like when I'm -finished here.</i></p> - -<p>It didn't pay to think about things like that. Not in his business.</p> - -<p>He let his eyes shift slightly to take in the tall towers of Thanlar, -just visible over the crest of hills on the other side of the valley. -Thanlar, the capitol. That was his concern. That was what he had to -think about, not the village.</p> - -<p>He sighed once, started down the hill again, walking slowly, picking -his way through the loose rocks with care.</p> - -<p>As he neared the village, he passed several crews of men going out into -the fields. He greeted them in Interlingua, and they replied shortly, -without curiosity. He knew he was a stranger to them; they did not -recognize him, but they showed no curiosity. These days, curiosity was -not much advantage to anyone, he thought. The farmers had probably -learned long ago not to show too much interest in any stranger who -suddenly appeared from nowhere.</p> - -<p>He came into the village and walked quickly to the faded wooden sign -that announced, TAILOR. Entering the little shop, more a general -dry-goods store than a tailor, he moved to the rear, to a small -counter. No one was there, and he rang the bell on the counter.</p> - -<p>After a moment, a man appeared, hastily buttoning a tunic, his hair -still tousled, sleep in his eyes.</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes? What is it? You are too early."</p> - -<p>"My apologies, old man," said the raider. "I am looking for a hunting -cloak."</p> - -<p>The small man's eyes narrowed. "Ah," he said. "A hunting cloak. I have -several. What did you have in mind."</p> - -<p>"Something in gray. To suit my name."</p> - -<p>"Ah. And what might you be hunting, Mr.—Gray?"</p> - -<p>"An animal of my home planet. It is called a jackal."</p> - -<p>"Ah."</p> - -<p>The old man suddenly turned from the low rack of cloaks and stared -directly at his customer. His mouth compressed in a thin, bitter line.</p> - -<p>"So. You are he. The Mr. Gray who hunts the jackal. Come."</p> - -<p>He turned and led the way into his living quarters behind the counter.</p> - -<p>"I will tell the others you are here," he said. He left through a rear -door, leaving the raider to wander about the tiny room, inspecting -it without interest. He had seen too many like it in the past five -years to be interested. Dingy little rooms in the back of a store, -insect-ridden chambers in public lodgings, shack in the backwoods -outside a city, too many, too many. And never a place to rest.</p> - -<p><i>After this one</i>, he promised himself. <i>After this one.</i></p> - -<p>Soon the little tailor came back, and there were two others with him. -One was a ferret-eyed little man with a suspicious stare, the other a -heavy-set farmer. The heavy-set man had a scythe in his hand, he had -apparently been on his way to his fields when the tailor found him. He -held the scythe tightly, and the raider could see he was very nervous. -It was probably the first time he had ever come into contact with one -of the raider's—profession. He didn't like it.</p> - -<p>Extending his free right hand, the farmer said, "My name is Carroll. -Joseph Carroll. You are—Mr. Gray?"</p> - -<p>The raider took the proffered hand warmly, trying to gain this man's -friendship. He would need all the help he could get.</p> - -<p>"Gray is my given name, Mr. Carroll. My last name—" he laughed -embarrassedly, "—well, they call me Wolf, for the time being."</p> - -<p>"Appropriate," said the man bitterly.</p> - -<p>"I'm sorry I have to meet you under these conditions, Mr. Carroll, very -sorry."</p> - -<p>The other shrugged, keeping his eyes fixed on the raider's lean, brown -face, trying to guess what sort of mind lay behind it.</p> - -<p>"In these times," he said finally, with an air of discouragement, "one -cannot choose either one's friends or the conditions of meeting."</p> - -<p>The ferret-eyed man had been watching the exchange closely, and now -he sidled up to the raider with his thin, white hand extended. "Please -forgive Joseph," he said smoothly. "He is not happy about this affair." -His voice exuded a sort of artificial charm, and Wolf found himself -repelled by the man.</p> - -<p>"None of us do," he said. He turned to the farmer again, who was -standing uncomfortably, his eyes on the floor. Wolf watched him for a -moment, just long enough for the farmer to know he was being watched.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps," said Wolf slowly, "we had better straighten this out right -now."</p> - -<p>The heavy-set man looked up defiantly. "All right," he said. "I admit -I do not like this business, I do not like what you are here for, I do -not like what will happen to our village when you are gone."</p> - -<p>The thin man laughed. "The old man means to say he is a coward."</p> - -<p>"No," said the man stubbornly, without taking his eyes away from Wolf. -"I am not a coward. But your mission means death for many people, -people I call my friends. I do not like that."</p> - -<p>"There is a necessity," said Wolf, quietly.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps, perhaps," said Joseph Carroll, shaking his head dubiously. "I -do not pretend to understand the political complications. I know only -that, whether you succeed or fail, our village is lost. Our people will -suffer for what you do. Many will probably die. You cannot expect me to -like that."</p> - -<p>"No," Wolf agreed. "We do not expect that of you, Joseph. No one -expects you to like this. But, tell me—"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"What was your tax the past year?" Wolf asked.</p> - -<p>The old man laughed bitterly. "Seventy-nine percent."</p> - -<p>"Enough to live on?"</p> - -<p>"Barely," said Carroll, leaning heavily on the scythe. "It means we -must work many hours, sixteen or more a day, in order to survive."</p> - -<p>"That is what we fight," said Wolf simply. "That, and the near slavery -of many of the Colonies. Do you know what happens to the money you pay -the Terran Federation in taxes?"</p> - -<p>"No," admitted Carroll. "No one has dared ask."</p> - -<p>Wolf laughed. "And yet they say the Federation is a republic? When the -citizen does not dare ask what happens to the taxes that are ground out -of him? I'll tell you, my friend Joseph. It is used for administration. -Simply that. Administration of a space empire is an expensive project, -and you must pay for it. It costs a great deal of money, our treasured -Empire. And what does the administration consist of? Machinery to -collect taxes. It is like a snake that feeds on its own tail, Joseph. -Taxes are increased in order to have enough money to collect more -taxes. It never ends."</p> - -<p>"This is one thing," said Joseph. "The killing of people is another."</p> - -<p>"How many do you know who have died in Debtor's camps, or died because -they could not work hard enough? Joseph, this is no life for a man. The -Colonies cannot develop under the Federation. They must be free to -govern themselves. Otherwise, we have simply a great, cancerous tumor, -spreading through the universe, calling itself the Terran Federation."</p> - -<p>Joseph sighed. "All right," he said. "In principle I agree. The -colonies must be free. But is there no other way than murder and -assassination? This violence—what can come of it? And if the -revolution succeeds eventually, how can we know the Federation will not -be replaced by the same thing under another name?"</p> - -<p>"Because you will govern yourselves," Wolf said. "Every Colony will be -autonomous, trading as a sovereign nation with the other Colonies. The -idea of a Galactic Empire is self-defeating, Joseph, it is unhealthy, -vicious. The only way man can go to the stars with his head up, is -without dreams of infinite power blinding him."</p> - -<p>"You are an idealist," said the ferret-eyed man, with surprise.</p> - -<p>"A man must live for something," said Wolf, quietly.</p> - -<p>"Certainly, certainly," the thin man agreed quickly. "I was surprised -to find an idealist in your—trade."</p> - -<p>"My trade is as distasteful to me as it is to you," said Wolf, speaking -more to Joseph Carroll than to the pale, thin man.</p> - -<p>"What will the death of Mayne Landing accomplish?" Carroll asked.</p> - -<p>"Confusion. He is the Administrator of over one hundred planets. He -is a strong man, a focal point. Without him, without his personal -strength, the administration of those planets will falter, and stop. -It isn't that he carries on the routine work, of course. But decisions -come from him, the decisions that cannot be made by routine, the -decisions that require a man's creative spark. Without that, the -routine itself cannot stand."</p> - -<p>"It rather sounds as if you respect the man," said Carroll.</p> - -<p>"Respect him? I—" Wolf hesitated, uncertain. "Yes," he finished. "I -respect him. He is doing what he thinks is right, as I do what I think -is right."</p> - -<p>"And you would kill a man for whom you hold no hatred," Carroll -muttered. "This thing is making beasts of us all."</p> - -<p><i>If you only knew</i>, thought Wolf, <i>if you only knew.</i></p> - -<p>"Sometimes it is necessary," he said aloud. "Sometimes bad things are -necessary, that good may follow."</p> - -<p>Carroll sighed. "Well, we are committed now. We must go ahead."</p> - -<p>"I will need detailed information on Landing's plan of inspection," -Wolf said.</p> - -<p>"You will have it," Carroll told him. "Daimya has been in the city for -five days, listening and watching."</p> - -<p>"Good," said Wolf. He felt better now, getting into the operation. This -he knew, this he could handle. It was what he was trained for. It was -the other things that were bad, the thinking, the wondering, the long -nights spent sleepless, uncertain.</p> - -<p>"When will he be back?" Wolf asked. "This Daimya."</p> - -<p>"She. Daimya is my daughter," Carroll said. "Even our children must -have blood on their hands. She will return this evening."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Daimya came, just after dark. Wolf was startled. He had expected a -child, from the way Carroll spoke, and Daimya was far from a child. She -was a slim woman, in her early twenties, he estimated. Her body was -sleek and fit, and her long black hair was tied behind her head, where -it flowed over her back like a waterfall carved from ebony. She had -large eyes, slightly almond shaped, that regarded him solemnly as she -gave the information she had gathered.</p> - -<p>"He will come to inspect this village in two days," she said. "He will -visit four farms, picked at random, and then there will be a procession -down the main street."</p> - -<p>"That would be our time," Wolf mused. "Crowds about."</p> - -<p>"Some will be killed," Daimya objected. "His guards will not take this -thing lightly."</p> - -<p>"I am sorry," Wolf said sincerely. "It is our best chance of success."</p> - -<p>Daimya shrugged. "You are the killer, not I," she said, with obvious -distaste.</p> - -<p>Wolf felt an impulse to explain, to justify, to make this slight girl -see that he hated this. Angrily he fought it down.</p> - -<p><i>It doesn't matter what she thinks</i>, he told himself. <i>It doesn't -matter. What matters is to get the job done and get out. That's all.</i></p> - -<p>"Tell me," Daimya said curiously, "how do you come to be mixed up in a -thing like this? You don't act like a hired killer."</p> - -<p>Wolf laughed shortly. "No," he said. "I'm an amateur. I was a Captain -of the Security Patrol once. My whole family was in Federation Service, -as a matter of fact. I was on Colony Patrol for three years. In that -time I saw so much suffering, so much injustice, so much simple cruelty -that—well, never mind. When I was contacted by a member of the -revolution underground, I deserted. It almost killed my father. Since I -was familiar with the Federation's higher echelons, I was assigned the -pleasant job of assassin."</p> - -<p>"How many men have you killed in that job?" Daimya asked, almost -casually.</p> - -<p>Wolf watched her for a long moment before answering. "You don't want to -know that," he said slowly.</p> - -<p>The girl dropped her eyes. "No. No, I guess you're right. I'm sorry."</p> - -<p>She stood and went to the door. She stopped there and turned, looking -at Wolf. He met her eyes and held them with his own, frankly, without -embarrassment.</p> - -<p>"I'm sorry," she repeated. She closed the door softly behind her, and -Wolf bent to study the map of the village she had provided.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The village lay in a cup-shaped valley. The main street was also -a direct highway out of Thanlar. On either side of the highway, -the farmer's fields stretched, checkered brown and green, to the -foothills. The entire valley was not more than a mile wide, and -the fields extended only a quarter of a mile on either side of the -main road. The foothills added another quarter of a mile, and then, -abruptly, the mountains started.</p> - -<p>Though one of the principal highways to Thanlar, the main street was -fairly narrow, bordered closely on either side by the small business -district, composed mostly of single story buildings constructed out of -native lumber from the hills.</p> - -<p>Wolf decided the center of the business district would offer the most -concealment. Any group of men at any other place would be viewed with -suspicion by Mayne Landing's bodyguards, and their chances would be -proportionately diminished.</p> - -<p>It remained to determine the most effective weapon. Explosive? No, -too many villagers would be killed. Yet that would certainly be the -most certain way, a grenade thrown from the roof of one of the low -buildings. He wondered how thoroughly the Administrator's men would -check the village before the procession.</p> - -<p>Joseph Carroll told him the check was cursory; except for the spasmodic -attacks of the revolution underground, the Colonies were submissive -enough, and the precautions taken were in the nature of routine.</p> - -<p>It looked to be easy, Wolf thought wryly. The easiest of them all, -since the planet was fairly distant from the scene of previous -underground operations.</p> - -<p>They wouldn't be expecting it, he thought. Down the main street in -procession, the Administrator standing in the little ground car, -smiling and waving to his subjects, genial, effusive. And then—</p> - -<p>"Joseph," said Wolf suddenly. "How many men can I depend on?"</p> - -<p>"Perhaps thirty," said the farmer. "Perhaps a few more."</p> - -<p>"Are they completely dependable?"</p> - -<p>"Within reason," said Carroll. "They are farmers, not soldiers. Plows -are more familiar to them than guns."</p> - -<p>"How many can you get me that will obey me without question, no matter -what?"</p> - -<p>Joseph Carroll tugged absently at his ear. Finally, he shrugged. -"Perhaps five," he said. "Including myself."</p> - -<p>"All right," sighed Wolf. "It will have to be that way, then. But the -others can be depended on 'within reason?'"</p> - -<p>"Yes," Carroll said. "Do not expect too much. They do not like this -business."</p> - -<p>"Neither do you," Wolf said. "But you count yourself among the five -trustworthy."</p> - -<p>Carroll didn't answer, and Wolf took his silence as a declaration of -faith.</p> - -<p>"All right," he said. "Leave me now. At sunset, bring your men to me, -all of them. I will work out the attack."</p> - -<p>"Very well," said Carroll, and started to leave.</p> - -<p>"Joseph," said Wolf softly, and the older man turned at the door.</p> - -<p>"What is it?"</p> - -<p>"What about Daimya?"</p> - -<p>"What about her?"</p> - -<p>"Where will she be during—this attack?"</p> - -<p>"At home, I expect," said Carroll. "Where she belongs."</p> - -<p>Wolf toyed for a moment with the map that lay before him.</p> - -<p>"Joseph," he said. "What <i>will</i> happen to the village?"</p> - -<p>"You don't know?" asked Carroll in surprise.</p> - -<p>"No," Wolf admitted. "I have never stayed behind."</p> - -<p>Carroll laughed bitterly. "One of two things," he said. "They will -either demolish it from the air, including the populace, or they will -put everyone in one of the forced labor camps." The farmer made a small -gesture of resignation.</p> - -<p>"I didn't know," Wolf said, almost under his breath. <i>Can I be -responsible for that?</i></p> - -<p>"They don't like Colonists cooperating with the revolutionaries," -Carroll continued. "Did you expect they exempted us all from our taxes -as a reward?"</p> - -<p>"No," Wolf said. "But I didn't know it was so—complete."</p> - -<p>"They are thorough," the old man shrugged. "Any village where an -incident occurs is made an example. Before long, you people will not -find much welcome in the Colonies."</p> - -<p>"I suppose not," Wolf mused. "Perhaps by then—"</p> - -<p>"You really believe you're going to succeed in overthrowing the -Federation, don't you?"</p> - -<p>"I must," said Wolf. "Without that, all this—" he gestured to the map -before him, traced with arrows, notations, ideas, "—is meaningless -slaughter."</p> - -<p>"So it seems," Carroll said flatly.</p> - -<p>"Joseph," said Wolf suddenly. "With luck, there will be a ship waiting -for me in the mountains when I've—finished here."</p> - -<p>"That's your good fortune," Carroll said grimly.</p> - -<p>"Will you come with me?"</p> - -<p>"And join the revolutionaries?"</p> - -<p>"You—and Daimya."</p> - -<p>Carroll considered it slowly. "No," he said finally. "Not I. I have -gotten my people into this, I must stay with them. All were against it -when you first contacted us. All but me. It is my fault. I have to stay -with them."</p> - -<p>Wolf felt a sudden surge of affection for the old man. Reluctant he -might be, but he knew what he was doing and he knew the consequences -and was willing to accept them.</p> - -<p>"And Daimya?"</p> - -<p>"That is a different matter," said Carroll. "It is not right that she -should suffer for her father's folly."</p> - -<p><i>Or that a father should suffer for his son's folly</i>, thought Wolf. But -he said nothing.</p> - -<p>"You would take her?" Carroll asked.</p> - -<p>"If I am—able," said Wolf.</p> - -<p>"All right," said the old man. "I will see to it. Better she should be -alive than dead. That is all that matters."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Wolfs final plan was simple. He had not enough men to count on a direct -attack. The major work would be performed by the dependable five, -of which Carroll assured him. The others would be used to create a -diversion to cover the actual assault.</p> - -<p>There was a slight bend to the highway just before it entered the -village. When the procession passed this point, they would see a -group of men disperse quickly into the low scrub at the side of the -road. This would put them on their guard, they would be apprehensive, -watching.</p> - -<p>When the procession had entered the village itself and was within the -short commercial strip, there would be an explosion back of them. -Grenades, perhaps some shooting. If Wolf's prediction were accurate, -this would divert the attention of at least the major portion of guards -for long enough.</p> - -<p>Long enough for the five men in the crowd to do what they had to do—</p> - -<p>"This must be timed perfectly," he told the man who was to head the -diversionary squad.</p> - -<p>"I understand that."</p> - -<p>"Too soon or too late, either will destroy us. It will take us too long -to reach the Administrator. He must be exactly opposite the tailor's -shop. It must be done right."</p> - -<p>"It will be done right."</p> - -<p>"If it is not, all the sacrifices are for nothing, you understand that? -The consequences will be as bad, or worse, for the village, and we will -have accomplished nothing. If the Administrator is dead, there will -be time for most of the villagers to escape into the hills before the -Federation can take action against them."</p> - -<p>The man left, after Wolf had provided him with the weapons his group -would need from his cache on the nearby hillside.</p> - -<p>The dependable five were instructed in their parts, and then there was -nothing to do but wait.</p> - -<p>The next morning dawned clear. The air was cool, a slight breeze -ruffled the fields around the village. As the sun rose higher in the -sky, it glinted sharply from the towers of Thanlar.</p> - -<p>It had been impossible to keep the entire operation a secret from -the villagers. They knew something was to happen, and they knew it -concerned the inspection trip of Mayne Landing to the village. It was -not hard to guess what it was.</p> - -<p>As the day drew on toward noon, the tension of the people grew. Small -knots of farmers gathered on the corners, their fields forgotten for -the day, talking low.</p> - -<p>Wolf didn't like it, it was too obvious. The village was primed, ready -to explode, and he was afraid the tension would make the guards <i>too</i> -alert. They had to be just tense enough to respond to the diversion, -not enough so they would be watching <i>everywhere</i>. He was counting on -an instinctive, rapid response.</p> - -<p>He sat behind the tailor shop, talking to his men with a confidence and -calm he did not feel. He spoke as if the success of the mission were a -foregone fact, and the escape of the villagers into the hills. But he -knew it was tenuous.</p> - -<p>Perhaps he had planned it too critically. Perhaps a simple direct -attack would have been better. Perhaps, perhaps—</p> - -<p>Any number of things were possible, he thought. But it was done now. If -he had made a mistake, they would know soon.</p> - -<p>On the contraband comset behind the tailor shop, Wolf had called the -mother-ship that hovered just out of detection range. All right, they -confirmed, there would be a shuttle in the hills back of the town. Did -he know the shuttle that had brought him had been lost? No? Well, it -had. With the whole crew aboard.</p> - -<p><i>That many more</i>, thought Wolf. <i>If anybody's keeping a list, I've got -a lot to my credit. Or damnation.</i> And, bitterly: <i>More friends than -enemies.</i></p> - -<p>Don't think about it. Do your job and get the hell out. If you can.</p> - -<p>He spoke to Daimya, but on her father's advice did not tell her of his -plan to take her along.</p> - -<p>"She won't go voluntarily," the old man said frankly. "We will have to -pretend we are all going to the hills. After that—" he nodded slowly, -"—the problem is yours."</p> - -<p>"I will take care of her, Joseph," Wolf had promised, and the -sun-browned farmer had clasped his hand tightly in a mute gesture of -hopefulness.</p> - -<p>"You understand—a man and his daughter—you understand?"</p> - -<p><i>More than you probably know, Joseph.</i></p> - -<p>"Yes," he said aloud. "I think I understand."</p> - -<p>And then came the word that the Administrator's procession was in -sight.</p> - -<p>Wolf looked at his five dependables. He passed each face slowly, -as if he had never seen them before. They were young, and old, and -middle-aged. They were dark from the hours in the sun, strong from the -work that pulled their muscles for the long hours each day. They smiled -at him, grimly, nervous, but they were good men.</p> - -<p><i>The faces of freedom</i>, Wolf thought. <i>These are the faces and the -bodies of freedom.</i></p> - -<p>Then it was time.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The streets were lined with silent people when the procession came into -view around the slight curve.</p> - -<p>Then there was a tentative cheer from someone. It was taken up by -someone else, and soon the crowd was roaring its synthetic appreciation -of Administrator Mayne Landing. Wolf breathed easier.</p> - -<p>Craning his neck in the crowd, Wolf spotted the other five, standing -dispersed in the crowd, but all near the spot on the street opposite -the tailor's shop. They made no acknowledgement except meeting his -eyes, then turning away to watch the procession near.</p> - -<p>As they came closer, Wolf noted with satisfaction that several of the -guards occasionally glanced at the street behind them.</p> - -<p>Good. They had seen the knot of men outside town, then. If they -expected anything, they were expecting it from behind them.</p> - -<p>He could see the tall, straight figure of Mayne Landing in the ground -car. He took in the familiar face almost hungrily, the great shock -of white hair moving gently in the slight breeze, the characteristic -gesture, a half-salute, the slight smile, the kindly eyes of the old -man—</p> - -<p>He tore his eyes away from the dignified figure and glanced behind him, -down the street. He saw a figure move on a roof-top, and wondered if -the guards saw it, too.</p> - -<p>Then the ground car was opposite, and Wolf had a wrenching sensation -that the diversionary squad was not going to go through with it....</p> - -<p>An explosion rocked the street a block away, shaking the ground -underfoot, shattering windows in the adjacent stores. A billow of dirty -black smoke began to drift toward the sky. There was a scattering of -small, explosive fire.</p> - -<p>The tone of the crowd's roar changed. It deepened and became a mass cry -of confusion and fright.</p> - -<p>Quietly, Wolf edged forward to the street, automatically noting that -his men were doing the same. Several of the guards had turned, were -running back toward the source of the excitement, and others were -turned toward it. But those around Mayne Landing had not responded. -They were keeping their eyes fixed on the crowd. They were too well -trained to be drawn off, and Wolf cursed under his breath.</p> - -<p>He stopped his forward motion and waited, rocking on the balls of his -feet. This was the part he hadn't told his five about.</p> - -<p>Suddenly there was a flurry in the crowd on the opposite side of -the street. The nearest guard whirled, in time to draw his hand gun -and fire. The first of the five sprawled in the street, a bloody -stump where his head had been. But the guard's blast had not been in -time to stop the long mowing knife that buried itself to the hilt in -his throat. He lurched forward, dropping the hand gun. His momentum -carried him almost into the edge of the crowd, and a woman screamed -hysterically.</p> - -<p>Wolf's other men had been only a fraction of a second behind the first, -and the street was now a chaos of shouting and the sharp, flat reports -of the guards' hand guns. The crowd milled frantically, adding to the -confusion as the attackers leaped at the procession.</p> - -<p>Wolf waited, waited, watching for the single split-second when the -guards were fully engaged with the crowd.</p> - -<p>Then it came, and their heads were momentarily turned away from Mayne -Landing.</p> - -<p>Wolf sprinted from the crowd, the short stiletto cradled in his hand. -He leaped to the side of the ground car just as Mayne Landing turned -toward him.</p> - -<p>He saw the old man's face clearly in that moment. It held no fear, but -only an unbelievable surprise, an astonishment beyond understanding. -Then the stiletto slid gently into the throat, severing the jugular, -and all surprise and emotion was lost in the implacable blank agony -of death. The still-pumping heart forced a pulsing stream of bright -arterial blood around the blade of the knife.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" width="650" height="488" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Then, as quickly as he had come, Wolf was gone. He slipped back -through the crowd, into the door of the tailor shop. Seconds later, -Joseph Carroll was there, one side of his gray farmer's tunic turning -brown-black from the blood that soaked it.</p> - -<p>"Come on!" Carroll snapped, running for the back.</p> - -<p>"What about the others?"</p> - -<p>"Gone," said the old man shortly. "All of them." He dashed out the door -of the tailor shop into the back and Wolf followed him.</p> - -<p>"Daimya!" Wolf shouted.</p> - -<p>"She's waiting for us in the foothills."</p> - -<p>The sound of the crowd and the blasting of hand guns was loud behind -them as they began their dash across the checkered fields. For a few -moments, nothing followed. Then Wolf heard a faint shout behind them, -and a huge gout of dirt erupted from the field beside him, almost -knocking him down.</p> - -<p>He regained his balance and started to run low, crouched and -zig-zagging while the tiny explosive pellets pocked the field around -him. It seemed an eternity before they had crossed the field, but he -knew it was not more than a couple of minutes.</p> - -<p>Joseph Carroll was ahead of him, already beginning to tear through the -scrub growth of the foothills, making his way up. Just as he entered -the undergrowth, Wolf saw the old man joined by a smaller, slighter -figure.</p> - -<p>There was a roar in his ears, and he fell, a searing pain across his -back. Numbly, he realized he'd been hit, but somehow it didn't seem -important. He picked himself up and followed Carroll into the scrub. -Soon he was out of sight of their pursuers, though the explosions of -their weapons still followed them with uncanny accuracy.</p> - -<p>He caught up with the old man and his daughter in a small clearing. -Carroll lay with his head cradled in Daimya's lap, gasping for breath.</p> - -<p>"We've got to go on," Wolf said. "Come on, I'll help."</p> - -<p>"You're hurt!" the girl said.</p> - -<p>"Not badly. Come on, we've got to get your father out of here!"</p> - -<p>The old man put his arms around the shoulders of the other two, and -they struggled up the hill, breaking their way through the brush, -slipping, sometimes falling. Behind them, there was still the -occasional sound of the explosive pellets, and infrequently, one came -very near.</p> - -<p>"Close," muttered Wolf as an explosion showered them with dirt. -"They're on the path now."</p> - -<p>They went a few steps farther, and Joseph slumped between them.</p> - -<p>"Dad!" called Daimya. "Please! Please try to go on!"</p> - -<p>Wolfs hand slid down the old man's back, came away warm and wet.</p> - -<p>He was silent for a moment, then gently lowered the suddenly limp body -to the ground.</p> - -<p>"Come on," he said to Daimya. The girl was standing over the inert -form of her father, not understanding what had happened, words of -encouragement still on her lips.</p> - -<p>"Dad?" she said, bewildered.</p> - -<p>Wolf took her arm. "Daimya, he's gone. Come on."</p> - -<p>"No—Dad—" She knelt beside him on the ground.</p> - -<p>"Sorry, Daimya," Wolf said under his breath. He swung, hitting her -cleanly behind the head. The girl collapsed soundlessly, and he slung -her over his shoulder and started on up the hill.</p> - -<p>Finally, he cleared the crest. Just beyond it, lying in a tiny meadow -lay the black, unmarked shuttle ship. As he came in view, the port -opened and a man ran toward him. Wolf stumbled, caught his balance, -went on.</p> - -<p>"Here," said the crewman, "let me take her."</p> - -<p>Silently, out of fatigue, Wolf relinquished his load and stumbled -toward the port. It slid shut behind them, just in time to keep them -from being covered with dirt blown from a hole that suddenly appeared a -yard behind. Wolf caught a glimpse of men appearing at the crest.</p> - -<p>Inside the ship, he could hear the thud and clang of the explosive -cartridges detonating uselessly against the permalloy hull. Then the -drives roared their song of power, and the shuttle lifted clear.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The crewmen were more than curious.</p> - -<p>"Who the hell's the girl?"</p> - -<p>"Got me. Never heard of such a thing."</p> - -<p>"Well, I suppose a Raider has a right to pick up a little booty now and -then," another laughed. "They don't have the easiest job in the world."</p> - -<p>"Bet she's going to be mad when she wakes up."</p> - -<p>"Yeah. Looks like the Raider might be worrying a little about that -right now."</p> - -<p>Wolf stood at the forward screen, silently watching the shape of the -mother-ship grow larger and larger until the screen held nothing but -the great black hull.</p> - -<p>The crewmen were wrong, he wasn't worried about Daimya's waking. He -could take care of that when the time came.</p> - -<p>He was thinking about other things, the things that came to him when he -slept, the faces, the names, the actions, the right and wrong of living -according to what you think is right, no matter what the cost.</p> - -<p>But the cost, the cost....</p> - -<p>It was so high sometimes, so terribly high.</p> - -<p><i>This trip</i>, he thought. A shuttle crew. Five good men, probably the -whole village, eventually. Those who did escape into the hills would -lead a life of fear and pursuit, foraging as they went until finally -they were caught. And worst of all, this was worst of all, and mentally -he saw the list, the list of his responsibilities, the list for which -he would someday have to account.</p> - -<p>The bright name of Mayne Landing: victim.</p> - -<p>His mind shied away from it.</p> - -<p><i>Can that be forgiven? Can such a thing ever be forgiven?</i></p> - -<p>Gray Landing, called Wolf in the underground, turned away from the -forward screen and began to prepare to board the mother-ship.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Raider, by Don Berry - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RAIDER *** - -***** This file should be named 60460-h.htm or 60460-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/4/6/60460/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Raider - -Author: Don Berry - -Release Date: October 8, 2019 [EBook #60460] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RAIDER *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - THE RAIDER - - BY DON BERRY - - _He was a hunter with a Cause that - transcended all law. But, now, could - the Cause forgive him his service?_ - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Worlds of If Science Fiction, April 1958. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -They dropped the raider on the night side, less than thirty miles from -Thanlar, the capitol city. The dark, slim ship drifted silently to the -ground, discharged its passenger and lifted again, moving slowly like -a great shark in the night. On the way out into space, it was caught -by the defense screens of Thanlar and disappeared in a gout of flaming -energy that lit up the entire night sky. - -The raider did not see it; he was already asleep. - -He slept, and his dreams were troubled by images of a familiar face. -Strong cheekbones, the mane of white hair, the famous half-smile of -Mayne Landing, Earth Commissioner to the Colony Planets. Mayne Landing, -the gentle representative of Terra to her children, the kindly old -gentleman with the fist of steel, the benevolent despot over a hundred -Colony Planets. - -Mayne Landing: victim. - -The raider woke with the dawn, a dawn that was slightly more red-tinged -than the sun he was used to. He gathered his small store of equipment -together and cached it in the low scrub of the surrounding forest. By a -clear, sparkling stream he washed, wincing slightly from the shock of -the too-cold water against his face. - -He wore clothes indistinguishable from the other farmers of this -district, slightly shabby, a uniform dun color. They did not fit him -well, but they could not hide the wide shoulder and slim waist. Well, -it didn't matter: the farmers of this planet, like all the Colonies, -had to work hard to scrape their meager living from the rocky soil. -They were all in good condition; he would not be conspicuous. - -He finished washing and dried himself on the sleeve of his jumper. Then -he began to walk down the rocky hill to the village that stood in the -tiny valley below. In the early sun, the tiny assemblage of white clean -houses sparkled like a handful of sand-polished shells clustered on a -beach. He stopped for a moment, halfway down, looking at the village. - -It was a nice little place, he thought. Peaceful in the early light, -calm. There were a few people moving about the streets, probably -farmers early on their way to the fields. It was a pastoral scene, like -something he had read in a book a long time ago. - -_Nice_, he thought. _Quiet. I wonder what it will be like when I'm -finished here._ - -It didn't pay to think about things like that. Not in his business. - -He let his eyes shift slightly to take in the tall towers of Thanlar, -just visible over the crest of hills on the other side of the valley. -Thanlar, the capitol. That was his concern. That was what he had to -think about, not the village. - -He sighed once, started down the hill again, walking slowly, picking -his way through the loose rocks with care. - -As he neared the village, he passed several crews of men going out into -the fields. He greeted them in Interlingua, and they replied shortly, -without curiosity. He knew he was a stranger to them; they did not -recognize him, but they showed no curiosity. These days, curiosity was -not much advantage to anyone, he thought. The farmers had probably -learned long ago not to show too much interest in any stranger who -suddenly appeared from nowhere. - -He came into the village and walked quickly to the faded wooden sign -that announced, TAILOR. Entering the little shop, more a general -dry-goods store than a tailor, he moved to the rear, to a small -counter. No one was there, and he rang the bell on the counter. - -After a moment, a man appeared, hastily buttoning a tunic, his hair -still tousled, sleep in his eyes. - -"Yes, yes? What is it? You are too early." - -"My apologies, old man," said the raider. "I am looking for a hunting -cloak." - -The small man's eyes narrowed. "Ah," he said. "A hunting cloak. I have -several. What did you have in mind." - -"Something in gray. To suit my name." - -"Ah. And what might you be hunting, Mr.--Gray?" - -"An animal of my home planet. It is called a jackal." - -"Ah." - -The old man suddenly turned from the low rack of cloaks and stared -directly at his customer. His mouth compressed in a thin, bitter line. - -"So. You are he. The Mr. Gray who hunts the jackal. Come." - -He turned and led the way into his living quarters behind the counter. - -"I will tell the others you are here," he said. He left through a rear -door, leaving the raider to wander about the tiny room, inspecting -it without interest. He had seen too many like it in the past five -years to be interested. Dingy little rooms in the back of a store, -insect-ridden chambers in public lodgings, shack in the backwoods -outside a city, too many, too many. And never a place to rest. - -_After this one_, he promised himself. _After this one._ - -Soon the little tailor came back, and there were two others with him. -One was a ferret-eyed little man with a suspicious stare, the other a -heavy-set farmer. The heavy-set man had a scythe in his hand, he had -apparently been on his way to his fields when the tailor found him. He -held the scythe tightly, and the raider could see he was very nervous. -It was probably the first time he had ever come into contact with one -of the raider's--profession. He didn't like it. - -Extending his free right hand, the farmer said, "My name is Carroll. -Joseph Carroll. You are--Mr. Gray?" - -The raider took the proffered hand warmly, trying to gain this man's -friendship. He would need all the help he could get. - -"Gray is my given name, Mr. Carroll. My last name--" he laughed -embarrassedly, "--well, they call me Wolf, for the time being." - -"Appropriate," said the man bitterly. - -"I'm sorry I have to meet you under these conditions, Mr. Carroll, very -sorry." - -The other shrugged, keeping his eyes fixed on the raider's lean, brown -face, trying to guess what sort of mind lay behind it. - -"In these times," he said finally, with an air of discouragement, "one -cannot choose either one's friends or the conditions of meeting." - -The ferret-eyed man had been watching the exchange closely, and now -he sidled up to the raider with his thin, white hand extended. "Please -forgive Joseph," he said smoothly. "He is not happy about this affair." -His voice exuded a sort of artificial charm, and Wolf found himself -repelled by the man. - -"None of us do," he said. He turned to the farmer again, who was -standing uncomfortably, his eyes on the floor. Wolf watched him for a -moment, just long enough for the farmer to know he was being watched. - -"Perhaps," said Wolf slowly, "we had better straighten this out right -now." - -The heavy-set man looked up defiantly. "All right," he said. "I admit -I do not like this business, I do not like what you are here for, I do -not like what will happen to our village when you are gone." - -The thin man laughed. "The old man means to say he is a coward." - -"No," said the man stubbornly, without taking his eyes away from Wolf. -"I am not a coward. But your mission means death for many people, -people I call my friends. I do not like that." - -"There is a necessity," said Wolf, quietly. - -"Perhaps, perhaps," said Joseph Carroll, shaking his head dubiously. "I -do not pretend to understand the political complications. I know only -that, whether you succeed or fail, our village is lost. Our people will -suffer for what you do. Many will probably die. You cannot expect me to -like that." - -"No," Wolf agreed. "We do not expect that of you, Joseph. No one -expects you to like this. But, tell me--" - -"Yes." - -"What was your tax the past year?" Wolf asked. - -The old man laughed bitterly. "Seventy-nine percent." - -"Enough to live on?" - -"Barely," said Carroll, leaning heavily on the scythe. "It means we -must work many hours, sixteen or more a day, in order to survive." - -"That is what we fight," said Wolf simply. "That, and the near slavery -of many of the Colonies. Do you know what happens to the money you pay -the Terran Federation in taxes?" - -"No," admitted Carroll. "No one has dared ask." - -Wolf laughed. "And yet they say the Federation is a republic? When the -citizen does not dare ask what happens to the taxes that are ground out -of him? I'll tell you, my friend Joseph. It is used for administration. -Simply that. Administration of a space empire is an expensive project, -and you must pay for it. It costs a great deal of money, our treasured -Empire. And what does the administration consist of? Machinery to -collect taxes. It is like a snake that feeds on its own tail, Joseph. -Taxes are increased in order to have enough money to collect more -taxes. It never ends." - -"This is one thing," said Joseph. "The killing of people is another." - -"How many do you know who have died in Debtor's camps, or died because -they could not work hard enough? Joseph, this is no life for a man. The -Colonies cannot develop under the Federation. They must be free to -govern themselves. Otherwise, we have simply a great, cancerous tumor, -spreading through the universe, calling itself the Terran Federation." - -Joseph sighed. "All right," he said. "In principle I agree. The -colonies must be free. But is there no other way than murder and -assassination? This violence--what can come of it? And if the -revolution succeeds eventually, how can we know the Federation will not -be replaced by the same thing under another name?" - -"Because you will govern yourselves," Wolf said. "Every Colony will be -autonomous, trading as a sovereign nation with the other Colonies. The -idea of a Galactic Empire is self-defeating, Joseph, it is unhealthy, -vicious. The only way man can go to the stars with his head up, is -without dreams of infinite power blinding him." - -"You are an idealist," said the ferret-eyed man, with surprise. - -"A man must live for something," said Wolf, quietly. - -"Certainly, certainly," the thin man agreed quickly. "I was surprised -to find an idealist in your--trade." - -"My trade is as distasteful to me as it is to you," said Wolf, speaking -more to Joseph Carroll than to the pale, thin man. - -"What will the death of Mayne Landing accomplish?" Carroll asked. - -"Confusion. He is the Administrator of over one hundred planets. He -is a strong man, a focal point. Without him, without his personal -strength, the administration of those planets will falter, and stop. -It isn't that he carries on the routine work, of course. But decisions -come from him, the decisions that cannot be made by routine, the -decisions that require a man's creative spark. Without that, the -routine itself cannot stand." - -"It rather sounds as if you respect the man," said Carroll. - -"Respect him? I--" Wolf hesitated, uncertain. "Yes," he finished. "I -respect him. He is doing what he thinks is right, as I do what I think -is right." - -"And you would kill a man for whom you hold no hatred," Carroll -muttered. "This thing is making beasts of us all." - -_If you only knew_, thought Wolf, _if you only knew._ - -"Sometimes it is necessary," he said aloud. "Sometimes bad things are -necessary, that good may follow." - -Carroll sighed. "Well, we are committed now. We must go ahead." - -"I will need detailed information on Landing's plan of inspection," -Wolf said. - -"You will have it," Carroll told him. "Daimya has been in the city for -five days, listening and watching." - -"Good," said Wolf. He felt better now, getting into the operation. This -he knew, this he could handle. It was what he was trained for. It was -the other things that were bad, the thinking, the wondering, the long -nights spent sleepless, uncertain. - -"When will he be back?" Wolf asked. "This Daimya." - -"She. Daimya is my daughter," Carroll said. "Even our children must -have blood on their hands. She will return this evening." - - * * * * * - -Daimya came, just after dark. Wolf was startled. He had expected a -child, from the way Carroll spoke, and Daimya was far from a child. She -was a slim woman, in her early twenties, he estimated. Her body was -sleek and fit, and her long black hair was tied behind her head, where -it flowed over her back like a waterfall carved from ebony. She had -large eyes, slightly almond shaped, that regarded him solemnly as she -gave the information she had gathered. - -"He will come to inspect this village in two days," she said. "He will -visit four farms, picked at random, and then there will be a procession -down the main street." - -"That would be our time," Wolf mused. "Crowds about." - -"Some will be killed," Daimya objected. "His guards will not take this -thing lightly." - -"I am sorry," Wolf said sincerely. "It is our best chance of success." - -Daimya shrugged. "You are the killer, not I," she said, with obvious -distaste. - -Wolf felt an impulse to explain, to justify, to make this slight girl -see that he hated this. Angrily he fought it down. - -_It doesn't matter what she thinks_, he told himself. _It doesn't -matter. What matters is to get the job done and get out. That's all._ - -"Tell me," Daimya said curiously, "how do you come to be mixed up in a -thing like this? You don't act like a hired killer." - -Wolf laughed shortly. "No," he said. "I'm an amateur. I was a Captain -of the Security Patrol once. My whole family was in Federation Service, -as a matter of fact. I was on Colony Patrol for three years. In that -time I saw so much suffering, so much injustice, so much simple cruelty -that--well, never mind. When I was contacted by a member of the -revolution underground, I deserted. It almost killed my father. Since I -was familiar with the Federation's higher echelons, I was assigned the -pleasant job of assassin." - -"How many men have you killed in that job?" Daimya asked, almost -casually. - -Wolf watched her for a long moment before answering. "You don't want to -know that," he said slowly. - -The girl dropped her eyes. "No. No, I guess you're right. I'm sorry." - -She stood and went to the door. She stopped there and turned, looking -at Wolf. He met her eyes and held them with his own, frankly, without -embarrassment. - -"I'm sorry," she repeated. She closed the door softly behind her, and -Wolf bent to study the map of the village she had provided. - - * * * * * - -The village lay in a cup-shaped valley. The main street was also -a direct highway out of Thanlar. On either side of the highway, -the farmer's fields stretched, checkered brown and green, to the -foothills. The entire valley was not more than a mile wide, and -the fields extended only a quarter of a mile on either side of the -main road. The foothills added another quarter of a mile, and then, -abruptly, the mountains started. - -Though one of the principal highways to Thanlar, the main street was -fairly narrow, bordered closely on either side by the small business -district, composed mostly of single story buildings constructed out of -native lumber from the hills. - -Wolf decided the center of the business district would offer the most -concealment. Any group of men at any other place would be viewed with -suspicion by Mayne Landing's bodyguards, and their chances would be -proportionately diminished. - -It remained to determine the most effective weapon. Explosive? No, -too many villagers would be killed. Yet that would certainly be the -most certain way, a grenade thrown from the roof of one of the low -buildings. He wondered how thoroughly the Administrator's men would -check the village before the procession. - -Joseph Carroll told him the check was cursory; except for the spasmodic -attacks of the revolution underground, the Colonies were submissive -enough, and the precautions taken were in the nature of routine. - -It looked to be easy, Wolf thought wryly. The easiest of them all, -since the planet was fairly distant from the scene of previous -underground operations. - -They wouldn't be expecting it, he thought. Down the main street in -procession, the Administrator standing in the little ground car, -smiling and waving to his subjects, genial, effusive. And then-- - -"Joseph," said Wolf suddenly. "How many men can I depend on?" - -"Perhaps thirty," said the farmer. "Perhaps a few more." - -"Are they completely dependable?" - -"Within reason," said Carroll. "They are farmers, not soldiers. Plows -are more familiar to them than guns." - -"How many can you get me that will obey me without question, no matter -what?" - -Joseph Carroll tugged absently at his ear. Finally, he shrugged. -"Perhaps five," he said. "Including myself." - -"All right," sighed Wolf. "It will have to be that way, then. But the -others can be depended on 'within reason?'" - -"Yes," Carroll said. "Do not expect too much. They do not like this -business." - -"Neither do you," Wolf said. "But you count yourself among the five -trustworthy." - -Carroll didn't answer, and Wolf took his silence as a declaration of -faith. - -"All right," he said. "Leave me now. At sunset, bring your men to me, -all of them. I will work out the attack." - -"Very well," said Carroll, and started to leave. - -"Joseph," said Wolf softly, and the older man turned at the door. - -"What is it?" - -"What about Daimya?" - -"What about her?" - -"Where will she be during--this attack?" - -"At home, I expect," said Carroll. "Where she belongs." - -Wolf toyed for a moment with the map that lay before him. - -"Joseph," he said. "What _will_ happen to the village?" - -"You don't know?" asked Carroll in surprise. - -"No," Wolf admitted. "I have never stayed behind." - -Carroll laughed bitterly. "One of two things," he said. "They will -either demolish it from the air, including the populace, or they will -put everyone in one of the forced labor camps." The farmer made a small -gesture of resignation. - -"I didn't know," Wolf said, almost under his breath. _Can I be -responsible for that?_ - -"They don't like Colonists cooperating with the revolutionaries," -Carroll continued. "Did you expect they exempted us all from our taxes -as a reward?" - -"No," Wolf said. "But I didn't know it was so--complete." - -"They are thorough," the old man shrugged. "Any village where an -incident occurs is made an example. Before long, you people will not -find much welcome in the Colonies." - -"I suppose not," Wolf mused. "Perhaps by then--" - -"You really believe you're going to succeed in overthrowing the -Federation, don't you?" - -"I must," said Wolf. "Without that, all this--" he gestured to the map -before him, traced with arrows, notations, ideas, "--is meaningless -slaughter." - -"So it seems," Carroll said flatly. - -"Joseph," said Wolf suddenly. "With luck, there will be a ship waiting -for me in the mountains when I've--finished here." - -"That's your good fortune," Carroll said grimly. - -"Will you come with me?" - -"And join the revolutionaries?" - -"You--and Daimya." - -Carroll considered it slowly. "No," he said finally. "Not I. I have -gotten my people into this, I must stay with them. All were against it -when you first contacted us. All but me. It is my fault. I have to stay -with them." - -Wolf felt a sudden surge of affection for the old man. Reluctant he -might be, but he knew what he was doing and he knew the consequences -and was willing to accept them. - -"And Daimya?" - -"That is a different matter," said Carroll. "It is not right that she -should suffer for her father's folly." - -_Or that a father should suffer for his son's folly_, thought Wolf. But -he said nothing. - -"You would take her?" Carroll asked. - -"If I am--able," said Wolf. - -"All right," said the old man. "I will see to it. Better she should be -alive than dead. That is all that matters." - - * * * * * - -Wolfs final plan was simple. He had not enough men to count on a direct -attack. The major work would be performed by the dependable five, -of which Carroll assured him. The others would be used to create a -diversion to cover the actual assault. - -There was a slight bend to the highway just before it entered the -village. When the procession passed this point, they would see a -group of men disperse quickly into the low scrub at the side of the -road. This would put them on their guard, they would be apprehensive, -watching. - -When the procession had entered the village itself and was within the -short commercial strip, there would be an explosion back of them. -Grenades, perhaps some shooting. If Wolf's prediction were accurate, -this would divert the attention of at least the major portion of guards -for long enough. - -Long enough for the five men in the crowd to do what they had to do-- - -"This must be timed perfectly," he told the man who was to head the -diversionary squad. - -"I understand that." - -"Too soon or too late, either will destroy us. It will take us too long -to reach the Administrator. He must be exactly opposite the tailor's -shop. It must be done right." - -"It will be done right." - -"If it is not, all the sacrifices are for nothing, you understand that? -The consequences will be as bad, or worse, for the village, and we will -have accomplished nothing. If the Administrator is dead, there will -be time for most of the villagers to escape into the hills before the -Federation can take action against them." - -The man left, after Wolf had provided him with the weapons his group -would need from his cache on the nearby hillside. - -The dependable five were instructed in their parts, and then there was -nothing to do but wait. - -The next morning dawned clear. The air was cool, a slight breeze -ruffled the fields around the village. As the sun rose higher in the -sky, it glinted sharply from the towers of Thanlar. - -It had been impossible to keep the entire operation a secret from -the villagers. They knew something was to happen, and they knew it -concerned the inspection trip of Mayne Landing to the village. It was -not hard to guess what it was. - -As the day drew on toward noon, the tension of the people grew. Small -knots of farmers gathered on the corners, their fields forgotten for -the day, talking low. - -Wolf didn't like it, it was too obvious. The village was primed, ready -to explode, and he was afraid the tension would make the guards _too_ -alert. They had to be just tense enough to respond to the diversion, -not enough so they would be watching _everywhere_. He was counting on -an instinctive, rapid response. - -He sat behind the tailor shop, talking to his men with a confidence and -calm he did not feel. He spoke as if the success of the mission were a -foregone fact, and the escape of the villagers into the hills. But he -knew it was tenuous. - -Perhaps he had planned it too critically. Perhaps a simple direct -attack would have been better. Perhaps, perhaps-- - -Any number of things were possible, he thought. But it was done now. If -he had made a mistake, they would know soon. - -On the contraband comset behind the tailor shop, Wolf had called the -mother-ship that hovered just out of detection range. All right, they -confirmed, there would be a shuttle in the hills back of the town. Did -he know the shuttle that had brought him had been lost? No? Well, it -had. With the whole crew aboard. - -_That many more_, thought Wolf. _If anybody's keeping a list, I've got -a lot to my credit. Or damnation._ And, bitterly: _More friends than -enemies._ - -Don't think about it. Do your job and get the hell out. If you can. - -He spoke to Daimya, but on her father's advice did not tell her of his -plan to take her along. - -"She won't go voluntarily," the old man said frankly. "We will have to -pretend we are all going to the hills. After that--" he nodded slowly, -"--the problem is yours." - -"I will take care of her, Joseph," Wolf had promised, and the -sun-browned farmer had clasped his hand tightly in a mute gesture of -hopefulness. - -"You understand--a man and his daughter--you understand?" - -_More than you probably know, Joseph._ - -"Yes," he said aloud. "I think I understand." - -And then came the word that the Administrator's procession was in -sight. - -Wolf looked at his five dependables. He passed each face slowly, -as if he had never seen them before. They were young, and old, and -middle-aged. They were dark from the hours in the sun, strong from the -work that pulled their muscles for the long hours each day. They smiled -at him, grimly, nervous, but they were good men. - -_The faces of freedom_, Wolf thought. _These are the faces and the -bodies of freedom._ - -Then it was time. - - * * * * * - -The streets were lined with silent people when the procession came into -view around the slight curve. - -Then there was a tentative cheer from someone. It was taken up by -someone else, and soon the crowd was roaring its synthetic appreciation -of Administrator Mayne Landing. Wolf breathed easier. - -Craning his neck in the crowd, Wolf spotted the other five, standing -dispersed in the crowd, but all near the spot on the street opposite -the tailor's shop. They made no acknowledgement except meeting his -eyes, then turning away to watch the procession near. - -As they came closer, Wolf noted with satisfaction that several of the -guards occasionally glanced at the street behind them. - -Good. They had seen the knot of men outside town, then. If they -expected anything, they were expecting it from behind them. - -He could see the tall, straight figure of Mayne Landing in the ground -car. He took in the familiar face almost hungrily, the great shock -of white hair moving gently in the slight breeze, the characteristic -gesture, a half-salute, the slight smile, the kindly eyes of the old -man-- - -He tore his eyes away from the dignified figure and glanced behind him, -down the street. He saw a figure move on a roof-top, and wondered if -the guards saw it, too. - -Then the ground car was opposite, and Wolf had a wrenching sensation -that the diversionary squad was not going to go through with it.... - -An explosion rocked the street a block away, shaking the ground -underfoot, shattering windows in the adjacent stores. A billow of dirty -black smoke began to drift toward the sky. There was a scattering of -small, explosive fire. - -The tone of the crowd's roar changed. It deepened and became a mass cry -of confusion and fright. - -Quietly, Wolf edged forward to the street, automatically noting that -his men were doing the same. Several of the guards had turned, were -running back toward the source of the excitement, and others were -turned toward it. But those around Mayne Landing had not responded. -They were keeping their eyes fixed on the crowd. They were too well -trained to be drawn off, and Wolf cursed under his breath. - -He stopped his forward motion and waited, rocking on the balls of his -feet. This was the part he hadn't told his five about. - -Suddenly there was a flurry in the crowd on the opposite side of -the street. The nearest guard whirled, in time to draw his hand gun -and fire. The first of the five sprawled in the street, a bloody -stump where his head had been. But the guard's blast had not been in -time to stop the long mowing knife that buried itself to the hilt in -his throat. He lurched forward, dropping the hand gun. His momentum -carried him almost into the edge of the crowd, and a woman screamed -hysterically. - -Wolf's other men had been only a fraction of a second behind the first, -and the street was now a chaos of shouting and the sharp, flat reports -of the guards' hand guns. The crowd milled frantically, adding to the -confusion as the attackers leaped at the procession. - -Wolf waited, waited, watching for the single split-second when the -guards were fully engaged with the crowd. - -Then it came, and their heads were momentarily turned away from Mayne -Landing. - -Wolf sprinted from the crowd, the short stiletto cradled in his hand. -He leaped to the side of the ground car just as Mayne Landing turned -toward him. - -He saw the old man's face clearly in that moment. It held no fear, but -only an unbelievable surprise, an astonishment beyond understanding. -Then the stiletto slid gently into the throat, severing the jugular, -and all surprise and emotion was lost in the implacable blank agony -of death. The still-pumping heart forced a pulsing stream of bright -arterial blood around the blade of the knife. - -Then, as quickly as he had come, Wolf was gone. He slipped back -through the crowd, into the door of the tailor shop. Seconds later, -Joseph Carroll was there, one side of his gray farmer's tunic turning -brown-black from the blood that soaked it. - -"Come on!" Carroll snapped, running for the back. - -"What about the others?" - -"Gone," said the old man shortly. "All of them." He dashed out the door -of the tailor shop into the back and Wolf followed him. - -"Daimya!" Wolf shouted. - -"She's waiting for us in the foothills." - -The sound of the crowd and the blasting of hand guns was loud behind -them as they began their dash across the checkered fields. For a few -moments, nothing followed. Then Wolf heard a faint shout behind them, -and a huge gout of dirt erupted from the field beside him, almost -knocking him down. - -He regained his balance and started to run low, crouched and -zig-zagging while the tiny explosive pellets pocked the field around -him. It seemed an eternity before they had crossed the field, but he -knew it was not more than a couple of minutes. - -Joseph Carroll was ahead of him, already beginning to tear through the -scrub growth of the foothills, making his way up. Just as he entered -the undergrowth, Wolf saw the old man joined by a smaller, slighter -figure. - -There was a roar in his ears, and he fell, a searing pain across his -back. Numbly, he realized he'd been hit, but somehow it didn't seem -important. He picked himself up and followed Carroll into the scrub. -Soon he was out of sight of their pursuers, though the explosions of -their weapons still followed them with uncanny accuracy. - -He caught up with the old man and his daughter in a small clearing. -Carroll lay with his head cradled in Daimya's lap, gasping for breath. - -"We've got to go on," Wolf said. "Come on, I'll help." - -"You're hurt!" the girl said. - -"Not badly. Come on, we've got to get your father out of here!" - -The old man put his arms around the shoulders of the other two, and -they struggled up the hill, breaking their way through the brush, -slipping, sometimes falling. Behind them, there was still the -occasional sound of the explosive pellets, and infrequently, one came -very near. - -"Close," muttered Wolf as an explosion showered them with dirt. -"They're on the path now." - -They went a few steps farther, and Joseph slumped between them. - -"Dad!" called Daimya. "Please! Please try to go on!" - -Wolfs hand slid down the old man's back, came away warm and wet. - -He was silent for a moment, then gently lowered the suddenly limp body -to the ground. - -"Come on," he said to Daimya. The girl was standing over the inert -form of her father, not understanding what had happened, words of -encouragement still on her lips. - -"Dad?" she said, bewildered. - -Wolf took her arm. "Daimya, he's gone. Come on." - -"No--Dad--" She knelt beside him on the ground. - -"Sorry, Daimya," Wolf said under his breath. He swung, hitting her -cleanly behind the head. The girl collapsed soundlessly, and he slung -her over his shoulder and started on up the hill. - -Finally, he cleared the crest. Just beyond it, lying in a tiny meadow -lay the black, unmarked shuttle ship. As he came in view, the port -opened and a man ran toward him. Wolf stumbled, caught his balance, -went on. - -"Here," said the crewman, "let me take her." - -Silently, out of fatigue, Wolf relinquished his load and stumbled -toward the port. It slid shut behind them, just in time to keep them -from being covered with dirt blown from a hole that suddenly appeared a -yard behind. Wolf caught a glimpse of men appearing at the crest. - -Inside the ship, he could hear the thud and clang of the explosive -cartridges detonating uselessly against the permalloy hull. Then the -drives roared their song of power, and the shuttle lifted clear. - - * * * * * - -The crewmen were more than curious. - -"Who the hell's the girl?" - -"Got me. Never heard of such a thing." - -"Well, I suppose a Raider has a right to pick up a little booty now and -then," another laughed. "They don't have the easiest job in the world." - -"Bet she's going to be mad when she wakes up." - -"Yeah. Looks like the Raider might be worrying a little about that -right now." - -Wolf stood at the forward screen, silently watching the shape of the -mother-ship grow larger and larger until the screen held nothing but -the great black hull. - -The crewmen were wrong, he wasn't worried about Daimya's waking. He -could take care of that when the time came. - -He was thinking about other things, the things that came to him when he -slept, the faces, the names, the actions, the right and wrong of living -according to what you think is right, no matter what the cost. - -But the cost, the cost.... - -It was so high sometimes, so terribly high. - -_This trip_, he thought. A shuttle crew. Five good men, probably the -whole village, eventually. Those who did escape into the hills would -lead a life of fear and pursuit, foraging as they went until finally -they were caught. And worst of all, this was worst of all, and mentally -he saw the list, the list of his responsibilities, the list for which -he would someday have to account. - -The bright name of Mayne Landing: victim. - -His mind shied away from it. - -_Can that be forgiven? Can such a thing ever be forgiven?_ - -Gray Landing, called Wolf in the underground, turned away from the -forward screen and began to prepare to board the mother-ship. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Raider, by Don Berry - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RAIDER *** - -***** This file should be named 60460.txt or 60460.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/4/6/60460/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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