Transcriber's Note:
This etext was produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction September 1952. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
MARLEY'S CHAIN
By Alan E. Nourse
Tam's problem was simple. He lived in a world that belongedto someone else.
hey saw Tam's shabby clothing and the small, weather-beaten bag hecarried, and they ordered him aside from the flow of passengers, andchecked his packet of passports and visas with extreme care. Then theyordered him to wait. Tam waited, a chilly apprehension rising in histhroat. For fifteen minutes he watched them, helplessly.
Finally, the Spaceport was empty, and the huge liner from the outerAsteroid Rings was being lifted and rolled by the giant hooks andcranes back into its berth for drydock and repair, her curved,meteor-dented hull gleaming dully in the harsh arc lights. Tam watchedthe creaking cranes, and shivered in the cold night air, feelinghunger and dread gnawing at his stomach. There was none of the elationleft, none of the great, expansive, soothing joy at returning to Earthafter eight long years of hard work and bitterness. Only the cold,corroding uncertainty, the growing apprehension. Times had changedsince that night back in '87—just how much he hardly dared to guess.All he knew was the rumors he had heard, the whispered tales, thefrightened eyes and the scarred backs and faces. Tam hadn't believedthem then, so remote from Earth. He had just laughed and told himselfthat the stories weren't true. And now they all welled back into hismind, tightening his throat and making him tremble—
"Hey, Sharkie. Come here."
Tam turned and walked slowly over to the customs official who held hispapers. "Everything's in order," he said, half defiantly, looking upat the officer's impassive face. "There isn't any mistake."
"What were you doing in the Rings, Sharkie?" The officer's voice wassharp.
"Indenture. Working off my fare back home."
The officer peered into Tam's face, incredulously. "And you come backhere?" He shook his head and turned to the other officer. "I knewthese Sharkies were dumb, but I didn't think they were that dumb." Heturned back to Tam, his eyes suspicious. "What do you think you'regoing to do now?"
Tam shrugged, uneasily. "Get a job," he said. "A man's got to eat."
The officers exchanged glances. "How long you been on the Rings?"
"Eight years." Tam looked up at him, anxiously. "Can I have my papersnow?"
A cruel grin played over the officer's lips. "Sure," he said, handingback the packet of papers. "Happy job-hunting," he added sardonically."But remember—the ship's going back to the Rings in a week. You canalways sign yourself over for fare—"
"I know," said Tam, turning away sharply. "I know all about how thatworks." He tucked the papers carefully into a tattered breast pocket,hefted the bag wearily, and began trudging slowly across the coldconcrete of the Port toward the street and the Underground. A wave ofloneliness, almost overpowering in intensity, swept o