The Rings of Tantalus by Edmund Cooper Read Free Book Online Page A

Ruth. Let us drink also to all Third World countries— which have been used as pawns for too long in the interminable chess game between the U.S.A. and the Soviet Union.”
    Conrad glanced at Lieutenant Smith and Kwango. Indira, one eyebrow raised, was looking at Lisa Uhlmann. Kwango looked benignly at Khelad.
    “My great-great grandfather’s ghost,” said Kwango, “has just reminded me that the Arabs once sold my people into slavery.”
    “That is perfectly true, Kurt,” said Ahmed. “It is also true that Commander Conrad’s ancestors exploited my people, your people, and Lieutenant Smith’s people. Can we not forget the past?”
    Conrad saw that tempers were rising. Should he cool it or not cool it? He decided to cool it. Surely any potential saboteur was not going to allow himself or herself to be exposed by taunting.
    “I’m about to play the heavy,” he said. “All previous statements are cancelled. The message is this: we are all human beings, and our task is to prove Tantalus fit for colonization by human beings, whether they are Israeli, Arab, Negro, Indian or whatever. So the final toast is mankind—may it flourish and prosper… And after you have squirted the last of the brandy, kindly remember that you are all Expendables. We are going to prove this planet. Some of us may die in the process. But we are going to score for stupid old homo sapiens .”
    “I’ll drink to stupid old homo sapiens” said Lieutenant
    Smith. “He may come in assorted colours and sizes, but his blood is always red.”
    Conrad finished his brandy. “Now, I’ll tell you why we have had this extra booze ration. We are going to begin to work good and hard. Khelad, Zonis and Uhlrriann have been out of S.A. long enough to adjust. As you know, while you were still in the cooler, we discovered the existence of this huge derelict vessel and had to use some previous time proving it represented no threat. However the fact that it was holed by something big gives cause for concern. It is remotely possible that the missile originated on Tantalus. The information the robot probe brought back to Earth is not sufficient to preclude this idea. All it told us was that Tantalus is Earth-type, with an Earth-type biosphere based on the carbon cycle and with an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere. The data the probe gave up suggested—but did not prove—that there was no technologically-based civilization. No radio emissions were registered, nor was there any indication of any kind of electric power or atomic energy. The probe could not even determine what substance the rings were made of.
    So we are left with this situation: there is in eccentric orbit one vast disabled star-ship, dirtside there are five enigmatic rings, each about five kilometres in diameter, horizontally placed in a kind of clearing, geometrically related to each other in an exact pentagon on Continent A. Continent B has no rings. Continent C has no rings. The numerous islands and archipelagos have no rings… So, before we touch down on Continent A to investigate the ring system, we are going into low-level orbit. We are going to check and recheck the data given by the probe.
    “Six hours from now, I intend to transfer the Santa Maria from its present one thousand kilometres orbit to an orbit of two hundred and fifty kilometres altitude. The vessel will be skating just above the extreme limits of the atmosphere, so we shall not be able to stay long without further power manoeuvres.
    “I anticipate remaining in the two-fifty slot for about twenty orbits. During that time we will exercise full telemetry and we will also have two people constantly on watch on the nav deck. Three of us are veterans, three of us are newcomers. We will pair appropriately. I will stand watch with Khelad. Lieutenant Smith will stand watch with Ulhmann. Kwango will stand watch with Zonis.”
    There was a brief silence. Then Ahmed Khelad said softly: “Commander, cannot the robots perform the routine