The Rings of Tantalus by Edmund Cooper Read Free Book Online

like that?”
    “When the king had dismissed him, this guy went home and told his buddy about the situation. The buddy was all shook up. He said: Look, friend, I know you can’t do it, and you know you can’t do it. The shit is going to hit the fan. But the guy who was supposed to have the fluence gave a big smile and said: A lot can happen in a year, friend. I may die, or Louis may die—or the horse may talk.”
    Conrad laughed. “I take the point. We have one planetary cycle to prove Tantalus.”
    “That’s it, Boss. And if we don’t get knocked off, let us hope the horse talks.”
    ” Get some lager nice and cool. I’m jetting back… And get Matthew to start the resuscitation sequences for Khelad, Uhlmann and Zonis—in that order. Now we know we are not going to be zapped by an alien egg, we had better try to find out which—if any—of our chilled comrades harbours animosity.”
    “Decision noted,” said Kwango. “Execution proceeds.”

 
    Phase Five
    ENIGMA VARIATION THE SECOND
     
    The six Expendables were in the Santa Maria’s saloon. The meal had been excellent, and Conrad has ensured that plenty of wine and spirits were available. He wanted everyone—particularly the three who had recently emerged from suspended animation—to feel relaxed. He noted with relief that Ahmed Khelad, though a Muslim, was not averse to alcohol. If Khelad was the bad boy, booze might relax him sufficiently to make a small mistake.
    “I give you a toast,” said Conrad. “Let us drink to Alexei, who will take—as they say—new heart when we touch down on Tantalus and Lieutenant Smith can operate.”
    “To Alexei!” Everyone drank, and everyone was slightly smashed. But Conrad was not too smashed to notice that Ruth Zonis managed to squirt most of her brandy over her face. There were roars of laughter. Khelad, on the other hand, took his brandy like a spaceman to the manner born. Lisa Uhlmann swallowed hers with ferocious intensity.
    “Ahmed,” Conrad affected surprise, “I thought your religion forbade the taking of liquor.”
    Khelad smiled. “Allah has given me a special dispensation. I shall not be denied my quota of houris in Paradise.”
    “I presume the dispensation is for services rendered—or about to be rendered.”
    “Yes, effendi. For services rendered or about to be rendered.”
    Ahmed Khelad was slender, wiry, good-looking. No doubt, thought Conrad, he could be a big hit with women —when he wanted to be.
    “Some of your fellow Arabs are not as broadminded as you, Ahmed,” said Conrad. “Not only do they stick to the letter of the Koran, but they disapprove of new worlds being opened up for mankind. They think the money should be spent raising their standard of living.”
    Khelad shrugged. “It is a point of view… You must know, Commander, that many of the peoples of Islam are conservative in their ideas. That is not, perhaps, an entirely bad thing.”
    Ruth Zonis was either very pissed or very good at seeming to be very pissed. She tossed her long, black hair and gazed at Khelad with wide expressive eyes. “We know all about the conservative attitudes of the Arabs,” she said thickly. “For centuries your people marked time. They did little or nothing with their land and little or nothing with their culture. Then, when Israel started to turn the desert green, your Islamic friends got all hot and bothered. They tried to push the Israelis into the sea and turn fertile land back into desert.” She laughed. “It was a big mistake. You only outnumbered us ten to one. So there was no real problem.”
    Ahmed gazed at her coolly. “That is ancient history. We have all progressed since then. Ruth, you are beautiful, you are intelligent, and you are a Jewess. I have no quarrel with you. I will drink to the future of Israel. Is that enough to make us friends?”
    Zonis raised her glass also. “It is enough to stop us being enemies.”
    Lisa Uhlmann said: “You are not being very gracious,