HEADACHES
They from Sargol on and into Hyper also on schedule. From that point on there was nothing to do but wait out the time of and that Steen Wilcox had plotted a which would cut that time to a minimum. But this there was little once they were in Hyper. No when Dane into the cabin, which was the common meeting place of the spacer, he was to others there him, with a of one of Mura's special close at hand, about their landing date.
Dane, himself, once he had off the of his Sargolian illness, time to his studies. When he had joined the Queen as a out of the Pool, he had learned that all the ten years of study then him had only been an to the amount he still had to he take his place as an equal with such a as Van Rycke—if he had the which would him in time to that level. While he had still had his superior's he had to him as an instructor, going to him with problems of or barter. But now he had no to upon the Cargo-master, and with the of old records on his own, out the why and for any from the regular procedure. He had no of his own status—whether the return to Terra would him earthed. And he would ask no questions.
They had been four days of ship's time in Hyper when Dane walked into the cabin, after his work with old records, to no Mura in the beyond, no on the coil. Rip sat at the table, his long out, his happy very sober.
"What's wrong?" Dane for a mug, then no pot of drink, put it in place.
"Frank's sick—"
"What!" Dane turned. Illness such as they had into on Sargol had a logical base. But on ship was something else.
"Tau has him isolated. He has a and he out when he to up. Tau's tests."
Dane sat down. "Could be something he ate—"
Rip his head. "He wasn't at the feast—remember? And he didn't eat anything from outside, he that to Tau. In he didn't go much while we were down—"
That was only too true as Dane now recall. And the that the had not been at the feast, had not native food products, out the and most for his present collapse.
"What's this about Frank?" Ali in the doorway. "He said yesterday that he had a headache. But now Tau has him off—"
"But he wasn't at that feast." Ali stopped as the of that him. "How's Tang feeling?"
"Fine—why?" The Com-tech had come up Kamil and was for himself. "Why this in the of my health?"
"Frank's with something—in isolation," Rip bluntly. "Did he do anything out of the ordinary when we were off ship?"
For a long moment the other at Shannon and then he his head. "No. And he wasn't dirt-side to any either. So Tau's tests—" He into silence. None of them to put their into words.
Dane up the he had with him and on the to return it. The of the office was and to his he Van Rycke out. He the tape in its case and out the next one. Sinbad was there, not in his own private hammock, but out on the Cargo-master's bunk. He Dane lazily, a of welcome. For some since they had from Sargol the cat had been lazy—as if his there had much of his vitality.
"Why aren't you out working?" Dane asked as he over to under a for the of such a caress. "You the lately, boy?"
Sinbad and after the manner of his looked bored. As Dane to go the Cargo-master came in. He no at Dane's presence. Instead he out and the label of the tape Dane had just chosen. After a at the symbol he took it out of his assistant's hand, it in its case, and for a moment the selection of past records. With a tongue-click of he out another and it across the to Dane.
"See what you can make out of this tangle," he ordered. But Dane's as if some weight had been from them. The old was still lacking, but he was no longer to the of Van Rycke's displeasure.
Holding the as if it were a Koros Dane to his own cabin, the tape into his reader, the ear and on his to listen.
He was in the of a so that he was after the two moves, when he opened his to see Ali at the door panel. The Engineer-apprentice an and Dane off the ear buttons.
"What is it?" His question a note.
"I've got to have help." Ali was terse. "Kosti's out!"
"What!" Dane sat up and his to the in almost one movement.
"I can't shift him alone," Ali the obvious. The was almost his size. "We must him to his quarters. And I won't ask Stotz—"
For a perfectly good Dane knew. An assistant—two of the apprentices—could go sick, but their officers' good health meant the most to the Queen. If some were it would be for Ali and himself to be exposed, than to have Johan Stotz with all his knowledge of the ship's any disease.
They the sitting, in the or so of which to his own cubby. He had been making for his when the had taken him. And by the time the two his side, he was to come around, moaning, his hands going to his head.
Together they got him on his and him to his where he again, weight they had to push into place. Dane looked at Ali—
"Tau?"
"Haven't had time to call him yet." Ali was at the which Kosti's space boots.
"I'll go." Glad for the Dane up the to the next and the narrow to the Medic's where he on the panel.
There was a pause Craig Tau looked out, lines of his mouth, his eyes.
"Kosti, sir," Dane gave his news quickly. "He's collapsed. We got him to his cabin—"
Tau no of surprise. His hand out for his kit.
"You touched him?" At the other's he added an order. "Stay in your until I have a to look you over—understand?"
Dane had no to answer, the Medic was already on his way. He to his own cabin, the for his imprisonment, but against it. Rather than he on the reader—but, although and were into his ears—he very little. He couldn't apply himself—not with a new at him from the bulkhead.
The of the space were not to be numbered, death walked among the a familiar of all spacemen. And to the Free Trader it was the and on every ship that raised. But there were deaths and deaths—And Dane not the Van Rycke as his hobby—had recorded in his private library of the of space.
Stories such as that of the "New Hope" from the Martian Rebellion—the ship which had for the but had arrived, which for a eternity, a in free fall, its port closed but the "dead" lights on at its nose—a ship which through five centuries had been only by a in distress. Such were numerous. There were other of "plague" ships free with their crews, or and into some sun by a so that they might not their farther. Plague—the "worst" the Traders had to face. Dane his shut, to upon the voice in his ears, but he not his nor—his fears.
At a touch on his arm he started so that he the from the reader and sat up, shamefaced, to Tau. At the Medic's orders he for one of the most complete he had a port. It an almost of the skin on his and shoulders, but when Tau had done he gave a of relief.
"Well, you haven't got it—at least you don't any yet," he his almost the were out of his mouth.
"What were you looking for?"
Tau took time out to explain. "Here," his touched the small at the of Dane's and then him around and two places on the of his and under his blades. "Kosti and Mura have red here. It's as if they have been an of some narcotic." Tau sat on the jump seat while Dane dressed. "Kosti was dirt-side—he might have up something—"
"But Mura—"
"That's it!" Tau his on the of the bunk. "Frank left the ship—yet he the signs. On the other hand you are all right so and you were off ship. And Ali's clean and he was with you on the hunt. We'll just have to wait and see." He got up wearily. "If your to ache," he told Dane, "you here in a and put—understand?"
As Dane learned all the other members of the were the same type of inspection. But none of them the marks which meant trouble. They were on for Terra—but—and that but must have large in all their minds—once there would they be allowed to land? Could they for a hearing? Plague ship—Tau must the answer they came into normal space about their own or they were in for such trouble as a the of mishaps.
Kosti and Mura were in isolation. There were for nursing and Tau, unable to be in two places at once, Weeks to look after his in the section.
There was up of duties. Tau no longer with Mura the of the garden so Van Rycke took over. While Dane himself in of the and, while he did not have Mura's hand at the to the point they fresh food, after a day or two he to and produced a which some of from Captain Jellico.
They all a of when, after three days, no more of the on new members of the crew. It to Tau to the each for the of the points, and the Medic's did not relax.
In the meantime neither Mura Kosti appeared to suffer. Once the of and were passed, the into a semi-conscious as if they were under of some type. They would eat, if the food was in their mouths, but they did not to know what was going on about them, did they answer when spoken to.
Tau, visits to them, in his lab, blood samples, reading the records of diseases, trying to the for their attacks. But as yet his were nothing. He had come out of his and sat in at the table while Dane him a of caf-hag.
"I don't it!" The Medic the table top than the cook. "It's a of some kind. Kosti dirt-side—Mura didn't. Yet Mura came with it first. And we didn't ship any food from Sargol. Neither did he eat any while we were there. Unless he did and we didn't know about it. If I just him to long to answer a of questions!" Sighing he his on his arms and was asleep.
Dane put the on the unit and sat at the other end of the table. He did not have the to shake Tau into wakefulness—let the a slice of time, he needed it after the of the past four days.
Van Rycke passed along the on his way to the hydro, Sinbad at his heels. But in a moment the cat was back, up on Dane's knee. He did not up, but against the man's arm, up with a to touch Dane's chin, one of the soundless, which were his for attention.
"What's the matter, boy?" Dane the cat's ears. "You haven't got a headache—have you?" In that second a wild came into his mind. Sinbad had been planet-side on Sargol as much as he could, and on ship he was at home in all their cabins—could he be the of the disease?
A good idea—only if it were true, then the second should have been Van, or Dane—whereas Sinbad most of the time in their cabins—not Kosti. The cat, as as he knew, had any particular for the and did not sleep in Karl's quarters. No—that point did not fit. But he would mention it to Tau—no use anything—no how wild.
It was the of which puzzled them all. As as Tau had been able to Mura and Kosti had nothing much in common that they were on the same spacer. They did not in the same section, their of labor were totally different, they had no special food or drink tastes in common, they were not of the same race. Frank Mura was one of the of a (or now mysterious) people who had had their home on a series of in one of Terra's seas, which almost a hundred years had been up in a series of world-rending quakes—Japan was the name of that nation. While Karl Kosti had come from the once land the away which had the name of "Europe." No, all the way along the two had only very meeting points—they on the Solar Queen and they were of Terran birth.
Tau and sat up, at Dane, then pushed his black and a measure of alertness. Dane the now cat in the Medic's and in a his suspicion. Tau's hands closed about Sinbad.
"There's a in that—" He looked a little less and he from the Dane gave him for the second time. Then he out with Sinbad under one arm—bound for his lab.
Dane up the galley, trying to put away as as Mura them. He didn't have much in the Sinbad lead, but in this case must be out.
When the Medic did not appear the of the ship's day Dane was not concerned. But he was to trouble when Ali came in with an and a complaint.
"Seen anything of Craig?"
"He's in the lab," Dane answered.
"He didn't answer my knock," Ali protested. "And Weeks says he hasn't been in to see Karl all day—"
That did catch Dane's attention. Had his been right? Was Tau on the of a which had him to the lab? But it wasn't like the Medic not to look in on his patients.
"You're sure he isn't in the lab?"
"I told you that he didn't answer my knock. I didn't open the panel—" But now Ali was already in the the way he had come, with Dane on his heels, an for that in their minds. And their were by what they as they approached the panel—a low out of pain. Dane the door open.
Tau had from his to the floor. His hands were at his which rolled from to as if he were trying to some agony. Dane the Medic's under tunic. There was no need to make a examination, in the of Craig Tau's was the tell-tale red blotch.
"Sinbad!" Dane about the cabin. "Did Sinbad out past you?" he of the puzzled Ali.
"No—I haven't him all day—"
Yet the cat was in the and it had no place. To make sure Dane the they Tau to his bunk. The Medic had out again, passed into the second stage of the malady. At least he was out of the pain which appeared to be the of the disease.
"It must be Sinbad!" Dane said as he his report directly to Captain Jellico. "And yet—"
"Yes, he's been in Van's cabin," the Captain mused. "And you've him, he slept on your bunk. Yet you and Van are all right. I don't that. Anyway—to be on the safe side—we'd and him before—"
He didn't have to any for the grim-faced men who listened. With Tau—their one of the gone—they had a black them.
They did not have to search for Sinbad. Dane to his own the cat the of Van Rycke's cabin, his to the thin of the door. Dane him up and took him to the small space for the of choice of commerce. To his Sinbad as he opened the hatch, kicking and then with claws. The cat to go and Dane had all he do to him in. When he the he Sinbad himself against the as if to his way out. Dane, blood in scratches, in search of aid. But some him to pause as he passed Van Rycke's door. And when his no answer he pushed the open.
Van Rycke on his bunk, his closed in a way which had only too familiar to the of the Solar Queen. And Dane that when he looked for it he would the mark of the on the Cargo-master's body.
