SEQUEL
BY BEN SMITH
ILLUSTRATED BY BERWIN
Jubil had had his chance. But he'd washed out of
the Academy while his friends went on to greatness—and
to death. He'd missed the boat at every turn.
But now there were no turns left, with raw space
around him and death waiting on a lonely asteroid....
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Rocket Stories, July 1953.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
Jubil drifted slowly, alone except for the phosphorescent star shinethat filtered through the face-plate of his suit. He was resting,conserving the oxygen that hissed steadily and quietly through thevalve near his neck. It was time for peace; there had been too muchviolence already.
Once, as his body continued its involuntary and aimless turning, Jubilsaw the dark hull of the Mercury II, the outer access door firmlyclosed now and the stern beginning to fluoresce with the secondaryradiation that betokened the firing of the drives. Still, Jubil couldfeel no anger at Radik.
When the crew had conspired to mutiny, when Radik, Olgan and the resthad decided to take over the operation of the Mercury II, at thattime had been the need for honest anger. Jubil had hesitated weaklyinstead, had chosen to be a bystander and had suffered the fate of theaverage non-participant; he had been outcast from the closed circleof both friend and enemy. Kane, once Captain of the Mercury II, wasnow dead and his dis-charred body drifting somewhere in the spatialwilderness.
"Have you changed your thinking, Jubil?" It was Radik's voice in thehelmet phones and Jubil could almost see the heavy face with itsfringe of space-black beard. Jubil rested, listening to the cosmicinterference in his R-link equipment.
"Jubil! Jubil Marken! Have you changed your mind?"
"Radik—" Jubil formed the words slowly, using his lips only andbreathing shallowly. "Piracy suits you, Radik. You are one of theruthless...."
Jubil could hear Radik's throaty chuckle. "A dead man of honor is stilldead, Jubil." The communication circuit went silent except for the buzzof voices in the background. Jubil drifted on, conscious of the factthat he was moving but so full of the lethargy of the moment that heneglected it. What would it be like, this bit of time that was left? Ithad been an hour since Jubil had been forcibly ejected from the accessdoor of the Mercury II; the flask at his back carried oxygen forfour. Three hours of life—while around his slowly turning body was theagelessness of endless space. Jubil smiled, just a little, consciousof the fact that he felt no fear. The die was cast now; he had made hisdecision finally, and he did not regret it.
"There is space-craft in Sector 180, Jubil," it was Radik again, "Raconhas just reported it. But they'll miss you by at least ten parsecs.Have you changed your mind?"
"No."
"Very well." Jubil could see the pulsing of the Mercury's drives,now. Radik was taking no chances on the strange ship still light yearsaway from his stern being patrol. "Good news for you, Jubil. You arein the gravitational field of an asteroid. You can't see it, yet; it'sdirectly above you. But you'll drift to it and cling like a snail on astone for as long as time itself. Good-bye, Jubil."
Strange, Jubil thought, that there was no anger in him now. Thereshould be oxygen enough for a good two hours yet, so this eerie ennuicould not be the prelude to a rising car