The Weakling Read online

  Produced by Greg Weeks, David Wilson and the OnlineDistributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

  THE WEAKLING

  By EVERETT B. COLE

  _A strong man can, of course, be dangerous, but he doesn't approach the vicious deadliness of a weakling--with a weapon!_

  Illustrated by van Dongen

  Naran Makun looked across the table at the caravan master.

  "And you couldn't find a trace of him?"

  "Nothing. Not even a scrap of his cargo or so much as the bones of along-neck. He just dropped out of sight of his whole train. He wentthrough this big estate, you see. Then he cut back to pick up some ofhis stops on the northern swing. Well, that was all. He didn't get tothe first one." The other waved a hand.

  "Weird situation, too. Oh, the null was swirling, we know that, and hecould have been caught in an arm. It happens, but it isn't too oftenthat an experienced man like your brother gets in so deep he can't getout somehow--or at least leave some trace of what happened." The manpicked up his cup, eying it thoughtfully.

  "Oh, we've all had close ones, sure. We've all lost a long-neck or so,now and then. Whenever the null swirls, it can cover big territory in abig hurry and most of that northern swing is null area at one time oranother. One of those arms can overrun a train at night and if a manloses his head, he's in big trouble." He sipped from his cup.

  "Young caravan master got caught that way, just a while back. A friendof mine, Dr. Zalbon, was running the swing after the null retracted. Hefound what was left."

  "Told me he ran into a herd of carnivores. Fifteen or twenty real bigfellows. Jaws as long as a man. He killed them off and then found they'dbeen feeding on what was left of Dar Konil's train."

  He shook his head. "It's not a nice area."

  "Hold everything." Naran leaned forward. "You said my brother wentthrough this big estate. Anyone see him come out?"

  Dar Girdek smiled. "Oh, sure. The Master of the Estates, Kio Barra,himself. He saw him to the border and watched him go on his way."

  Naran looked doubtful. "And what kind of a character is this Barra?"

  "Oh, him!" Dar Girdek waved a hand. "Nothing there. In the first place,he holds one of the biggest estates in the mountain area. So what wouldhe want to rob a freight caravan for?" He laughed.

  "In the second place, the guy's practically harmless. Oh, sure, he's gota title. He's Lord of the Mountain Lake. And he wears a lot of psioniccrystalware. But he's got about enough punch to knock over somevarmint--if it's not too tough. Dar Makun might be your weak brother,but he'd have eaten that guy for breakfast if he'd tried to be rough."

  "Psionic weakling, you mean? But how does he manage to be a masterProtector of an Estate?"

  Dar Girdek smiled wryly. "Father died. Brother sneaked off somewhere.That left him. Title's too clear for anyone to try any funny business."

  "I see." Naran leaned back. "Now, what about this null?"

  "Well, of course you know about the time the pseudomen from the Fifthmanaged to sneak in and lay a mess of their destructors on Carnol?"

  "I might. I was one of the guys that saw to it they didn't get back tocelebrate." Naran closed his eyes for an instant.

  "Yeah. Way I heard it, you were the guy that wrapped 'em up. Too badthey didn't get you on the job sooner. Maybe we wouldn't have this messon our hands now." Dar Girdek shrugged.

  "Anyway, they vaporized the city and a lot of area around it. That wasbad, but the aftereffect is worse. We've got scholars beating theirbrains cells together, but all they can tell us is that there's a bigarea up there just as psionically dead as an experimental chamber." Hegrinned.

  "I could tell 'em that much myself. It's a sort of cloud. Goesturbulent, shoots out arms, then folds in again.

  "We'd by-pass the whole thing, but it's right on the main trade route.Only way around it is plenty of days out of the path, clear down aroundthe middle sea and into the lake region. Then you have to go all the wayback anyway, if you plan to do any mid-continent trading. And you stilltake a chance of getting caught in a swirl arm."

  Naran tilted his head. "So? Suppose you do get into a swirl? All youneed to do is wait." He smiled.

  "You know. Just sort of ignore it. It'll go away."

  "Uh huh. Sounds easy enough. It's about what we do when we have to. Butthere are things living there. They can be hard to ignore."

  "You mean the carnivores?"

  "That's right. If you meet one of those fellow out in normal territory,he's no trouble at all. You hit him with a distorter and he flops. Thenyou figure out whether to reduce him to slime or leave the carcass forhis friends and relations." He smiled.

  "From what your brother said, you wouldn't need the distorter."

  Naran smiled deprecatingly. "That's one of the things they pay me for,"he remarked. "We run into some pretty nasty beasties at sea."

  "Yeah. I've heard. Big, rough fellows. Our varmints are smaller. Butwhat would you do if you ran into twenty tons or so of pure murder, andyou with no more psionic power than some pseudoman?"

  Naran looked at him thoughtfully. "I hadn't thought of that," headmitted. "I might not like it. Jaws as longs as a man, you said?"

  The other nodded. "Longer, sometimes. And teeth as long as your hand.One snap and there's nothing left.

  "When they kill a long-neck, they have a good meal and walk away fromwhatever's left. But people are something else. They just can't getenough and they don't leave any crumbs." He waved a hand.

  "There've been several trains caught by those things. A swirl arm comesover at night, you see, and the caravan master loses his head. He can'tthink of anything but getting out. Oh, he can yell at his drivers.They've got a language, and we all know it. That's easy. But did youever try to get a long-neck going without psionic control?"

  "I see what you mean. It could be a little rough."

  "Yeah. It could be. Anyway, about this time, everybody's yelling ateverybody else. The long-necks are squealing and bellowing. Drivers arejerking on reins. And a herd of carnivores hears the commotion. So, theydrop around to see the fun. See what I mean?"

  Naran nodded and Dar Girdek went on.

  "Well, that's about it. Once in a great while, some guy manages to getinto a cave and hide out till the null swings away and another caravancomes along. But usually, no one sees anything but a little of the cargoand some remains of long-necks. No one's ever come up with any part ofman or pseudoman. As I said, one snap and there's nothing left."

  Naran smiled wryly. "Tough to be popular, I guess." He leaned forward.

  "But you've been over the trail several times since he disappeared. Andyou said you've seen nothing. No trace of the train. That right?"

  The other shook his head. "Not even a cargo sling."

  "You're making up a train now, aren't you? I'd like to go along on thisnext trip. Fact is, I've been thinking some nasty thoughts. And I'mgoing to be uneasy till I find out whether I'm right or not."

  Dar Girdek rubbed his chin. "Want to buy in, maybe?"

  "No, I don't think so. I'll work my way--as your lead driver."

  "Oh, no!" Dar Girdek laughed. "You don't put a psionic on somelong-neck. Lead driver's pseudoman, just like the rest." He sobered.

  "Oh, sure. You could handle the drivers, but it just isn't done."

  Naran smiled. "Oh, as far as the other drivers'll know, I'm just anotherpseudoman. I've been a ship's non-psi agent, remember? We earn our keepby dealing with the people in non-psi areas."

  "It won't work." The caravan master shook his head. "These drivers canget pretty rough with each other. You'd have to set two or three of themback on their heels the first day. It would be either that, or get a lotof bruises and end up as camp flunky."

  "Could be," Naran told him. "Tel
l you what. You turn me loose in anexperimental chamber so I can't fudge. Then send your toughest driver inand tell him to kick me out of there. I'll show him some tricks Ilearned from the non-psi's overseas and he'll be a smarter man when hewakes up."

  * * * * *

  Leuwan, Kio Barra, Lord of the Mountain Lake, Master of the Estates KiraBarra, and Protector