Part 4

I walked to the next shuttle bus stop and rode across to the _Pericles_. It was a gigantic ship, twenty times the capacity of a Venus or Mars rocket. Comet-shaped, engineered to approach fifty per cent of the speed of light through cumulative acceleration, the star-ship had two vast cargo entrances in addition to the passenger airlock. In one, which was now closing, I caught sight of crated farm machinery. Into the other, herds of cattle were being driven.

It was nearly eight o'clock. I approached the _Pericles_ warily. We were all supposed to meet by the livestock gate. Dozens of people were milling about, some ranchers, some colonizers, bargaining at the last minute over a sheep or a goat or a horse or a cow to replace a dead or sick animal. That some of the men were detectives I did not doubt. I saw Celia close to the entrance with Freddie. We exchanged glances of recognition, but kept widely separated.

Solly came up. "I checked with the captain about Dolly and me waiving our right to have a child during the voyage, and taking Freddie with us instead. You were right. He wouldn't buy it."

"That was tremendously generous of you even to offer."

"But," said Solly, "there's been one cancellation!"

Our eyes met. "What's the fare?" I inquired.

"Two thousand." Solly looked down for a moment, then threw back his head. "Look, that's still your money, even if you did give it to us. Dolly and I are willing ... would be happy to pay Freddie's fare. And take care of him as our own if you and Celia can't get on."

"My son has no future on Earth," I said. "If Celia's willing, I am. Go talk to her."

Solly went to Celia. She did not once look in my direction and I was glad. In the end, Freddie went with Solly, and I could tell what the lie was. Solly was going to show Freddie the insides of the wonderful ship.

It was a quarter after eight. Only forty-five minutes before take-off. Celia and I were going to be left behind. There didn't seem much reason for further pretense. I took my wife's hand.

"Little did we know how important your going-away present would be. Solly used two thousand of it to pay Freddie's fare."

Celia shook her head. "He didn't have to do that."

"Sweetheart, all we have left is about a hundred and fifty credits."

"That may be all _you_ have left," she said proudly, "but that isn't all _we_ have left. If my addition is correct, we have ninety thousand cash credits in my purse, right at this minute!"

"What! How do you mean?"

Celia put her arm in mine. "I played a dirty trick on you, darling. You signed and I added another zero."

"You took out a hundred thousand! No wonder that teller made such a fuss."

"Dear, I thought you might have to use a little bribery. I knew Freddie was in trouble, and that was my fault, of course. I'm the villain in his home-life!" She smiled ruefully, then looked at the _Pericles_, her eyes brimming with tears. "But I had no idea they'd try to take him away from us!"

My thoughts pulsed wildly. "Look, Celia! We can both get aboard! Give me the money!" I took her purse and ran over to the huddle of colonizers.

"I've got ninety-thousand cash credits! Who'll give up his place on the _Pericles_?"

The group turned to face me in astonishment. One man came forward. I thought I saw a gun hidden in his sleeve. "Ninety thousand?"

"That's right. Who wants it?"

"Ninety thousand is a small fortune," said the man. "Anyone with that kind of money shouldn't need to pull up stakes on Earth and start life all over again on a new planet. Should he?"

"I don't imagine so. Who'll take ninety thousand for his place on the _Pericles_?" I repeated over his shoulder.

"Unless he has some special, very compelling reason for leaving Earth," the stranger continued.

* * * * *

A colonizer ran up breathlessly. "Ninety thousand? Let me see it!"

I opened the purse, pulled out the wad of bills, and flung the purse on the ground.

The colonizer riffed through the wad. "That's for me! I'll take it!"

He reached for the money.

"Just a minute," I said. "It's yours after you give that lady over there your berth and make it legal with the ship."

"Hey," said a companion, "how about all your belongings? Your cattle and equipment? You haven't time any more to take it off."

"Heck, my whole outfit isn't worth more than fifteen thousand! I'll give it to the lady."

He ran to Celia and the two of them dashed for the passenger ramp. It was eight-thirty-five. Twenty-five minutes before take-off.

I put the money in my coat pocket.

"I don't think," said the stranger, "that this transaction is going through." He stepped so close we were almost jaw to jaw. "Let me see your identity tag."

"Who are you trying to impersonate?" I said.

"A common ordinary rancher," he replied, flashing his badge. "Now let's see your identification."

"Certainly." I showed him my false wrist tag.

"Donald Simpson, I see." He stared at me through narrowed eyes. "Where did you find that, Mr. Sponsor?"

"Sponsor? Is that the guy you're looking for? I have about a dozen other documents to prove I'm Simpson. If you have the patience to look at them."

I opened the briefcase and handed him the packet. They had cost me thousands and they were awfully good forgeries. They slowed the detective down quite a bit.

"Why are you offering that kind of money to get the lady on board?"

"Because I'm awfully anxious to get rid of her."

"You didn't happen to put a kid aboard that ship too, for the same reason?"

"If you think I did, why don't you go look?"

"I may do that, mister. You know, we can hold this ship on the field for an hour or more if we think it would prove profitable."

I saw Celia waving from the passenger gangway, and the colonizer come sprinting our way.

"It's done!" he exclaimed breathlessly. "Let's have the money."

I reached into my pocket.

The detective laid his hand on my arm. "I said I didn't think this transaction was going through." He turned to the colonizer. "You'd better switch things back to the way they were."

"No," I said, pressing the gun through my coat pocket into the belly of the detective, "don't pay any attention to this character." I crossed over with my other hand and withdrew the money.

"Take this," I said to the colonizer, "and get out of here. Fast as you can!"

He was confused but not on basic things. He took his money and virtually ran.

Ten minutes to nine.

They were closing up the passenger airlock, removing the ramp.

"You know," said the detective very quietly, "my buddy is coming. He won't understand this embrace we're in. I'm quite sure he won't like it one bit."

The last of the animals were being led into the livestock hold. The ranchers were dispersing. The colonizers were all aboard. We stood virtually alone beside the ship.

"I am prepared to be killed," I said, "and to take you with me in the process."

A police car hovered in the air beside us.

"Say!" yelled its pilot. "They've found the Sponsor car over next to the Asteroid surveyor!" He pointed across the field. "They're searching the ship. We've got to help. Hop on!"

I stepped back, with my hand still in my pocket.

"Yes," I said, "hop on!"

The detective clambered aboard the police car. He gave me a look that I'll always remember. A sort of sneer and a sort of smile. "Good luck, Simpson," he said.

The police car whisked away.

Five minutes to nine.

I wheeled and ran to the livestock hold. The hatch was about shut and I knew it was too late. 'Goodbye, my darlings! Goodbye!'

Then the hatch jammed and could not close the last six inches and I saw the reason. A steer had broken loose and charged the door. His head was caught in the opening. His neck had snapped instantly and he was dead.

They re-opened the hatch long enough to fling the thousand-pound carcass onto the field. And that was all the time I needed to come aboard.

A crew member hollered at me: "Do you belong here?"

"Yes," I replied, "I certainly do."

As I said it, the ship blasted heavenward and I was flung to the deck. I started to curse, and then I chuckled. I was stretched out ignominiously beside a cow in the fresh-smelling hay.

I, Bart Sponsor, Top Competitor, starting a new life. This way!

_Well Solly_, I mused, _understand the planet we're going to has lots of rocky acres._