LIZ HUFFORD

 

TABLETS OF STONE

 

 

After
months in flight, the crew of the merchant ship was happy to land almost
anywhere: Galen was an exception. When they learned that a repair stop on the
planet was unavoidable, morale dropped. “Solitary confinement" was the captainÅ‚s
wry comment to Lorn Newent, the other unmarried crewman. Lorn, the shipłs communications
man, contacted the stationmaster just as he had three years before. He focused
the image on the screen.

 

“Hello..."

 

This time the station operator
was female. She looked very young, and pretty enough for Lorn to term fragile.
He usually described her race as scrawny nondescripts.

 

“Communicator Newent. Have
received your request: permission granted. We sympathize with your mechanical
difficulties. Three weeks is an extended tour; however, regulations must be
maintained. Please order the crew to remain within the restricted area. We
apologize for the limited facilities, but unfortunately no more space is
available. Any requests may be registered with me. We will, of course, expect
reimbursement for the extra two-week occupancy."

 

“Yes," he said, struggling with
the language, “we are prepared to unload three times the usual amount of
nutrient."

 

The tip of her small tongue
appeared for a moment at corner of her mouth. She wouldnłt be half bad if you
fattened her up a little.

 

“I have a request," Lorn said as
he leaned across the desk.

 

The girlłs shoulders tightened as
she refused to acknowledge him.

 

“I said I have a request."

 

She turned, unsure in her
response and angry because of it.

 

“Mr. Newent, you always
have a request. My position requires that I serve the crew. I am not personally
responsible for your individual happiness."

 

“Would you like to be?" he asked
with his most earnest expression.

 

“Would I like to be what?" she
replied. “Mr. Newent, for a communications expert you are quite inept. I have
no idea what the literal content of this conversation is!"

 

“ThatÅ‚s all right," he muttered
apologetically, “I donÅ‚t think it has any. ItÅ‚s all subjective: I like to talk
to you."

 

She blushed. “ItÅ‚s just that I
have other work to do. IÅ‚m planning the use of this field until it is again
needed for a landing."

 

“That pushed for room?" he asked.
“I thought the population was being controlled."

 

“For the moment," she said, “but
only for the moment."

 

“About my request," he continued,
“would you like to use the recreational facilities with me?"

 

She frowned.

 

“Okay, okay, youÅ‚re very busy. I
just thought sometime ..." He paused, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and
looked toward the climbing white housing modules and narrow, teeming streets of
Galen. “I donÅ‚t suppose you could give me an ashore?"

 

“Sorry," she said.

 

“Well, maybe sometime we could
walk down to the fence and talk to the guards or do sit-ups together in the
exercise room." He turned to leave. She watched him, glanced at the papers on
her desk, and rose.

 

“Mr. Newent. .

 

* * * *

 

Lorn
reached for her hand and again she was angry.

 

“ThatÅ‚s immoral, Lorn," she said.

 

“Immoral," he chuckled. He was
beginning to develop his own theory of relativity.

 

“Yes," she replied firmly, “it
would be the beginning of evil. If you touch my hand, you will want to touch
more of me. If you touch more of me, I would probably want you to touch more
of me. Do not think that I am foolishly ignorant of these things, but it would
be evil I would deserve death."

 

“Death!" Lorn was suddenly alert.

 

“How do you stop evil on your
planet?" she asked.

 

* * * *

 

Lorn
watched as the planet Galen dotted, specked, and finally winked its way into
oblivion. He wondered how much hell hełd catch. At least there would be no
fine. He had told Tessca he would not see her until she had been discovered. He
would deny knowledge of her act: she would claim it was her own idea. No one
could prove him accomplice. The crew was composed of three couples, the
captain, and himself. Surely sympathy would lie with the “star-crossed lovers."

 

“Lorn!"

 

He whirled around. “Captain?"

 

“TesscaÅ‚s on board."

 

Lorn screwed up his face and
tilted it quizzically. “Sir?"

 

“Come off it, Lorn," the captain
said, “you know damn well sheÅ‚s here."

 

“Sir, you know I wasnÅ‚t anxious
to leave, but surely you donłt think..."

 

“Like hell I donÅ‚t. You know we
carry extra supplies, although not many, I assure you. Authorized Personnel
Only," The captain drummed his fingers on the regulations book. “I have a
professional crew and you bring in a pretty little bitch from a crowded,
worthless planet we know next to nothing about. Now I could understand if it
were one of those broads from..."

 

He paused to reflect on some
enjoyable leave spent on a still-unnamed planet. “Still, she was a charming
little thing. I should have said something, but no, I thought, the kid needs a
bit of fun. Didnłt think youłd do a fool thing like this. I canłt throw her off.
Wełre not turning back. By God..."

 

The captain bit the side of his mouth.
A moment passed before he spoke.

 

“I suppose youÅ‚ll want me to do
the honors."

 

Lorn looked at the darkness where
Galen had been.

 

“Well, if you would, sir."

 

“Your ways are very strange, Lorn,"
she said. “He says those words and itÅ‚s all right. I will not be evil."

 

“ThatÅ‚s right," Lorn smiled.

 

“We never tried that," she said.

 

“You would have been a frustrated
old maid if it werenłt for me."

 

Lorn placed his hands on her
shoulders and steered her to the bunk.

 

* * * *

 

Tessca
was pregnant. The captain shuddered at the thought of explaining two stowaways,
but the imminence of life renewed everyonełs spirits. Everyone but Tessca.
Pregnancy did not agree with her. Her face was haggard. She moved slowly and
complained of being tired.

 

“I am going to be evil, arenÅ‚t I,
Lorn?" she whimpered.

 

“Evil," he said, “no, youÅ‚re just
the most wretched moralist IÅ‚ve ever seen. IÅ‚ve explained to you our custom. We
are married. That means it wonłt be evil. You should be happy to have a child."

 

“A child," she said, thoughtfully
pulling her hair. “But I still look and feel to myself very evil."

 

He pulled her on his lap.

 

“I love you, Tessca."

 

When Tessca gave birth, two of
the wives assisted. When she saw it was evil, Tessca let herself die.
The women shrieked their way from the birthplace.

 

LOGBOOK ENTRY: “There were about
fifty of the tiny infants. From what we deduced about Tesscałs aging process,
their approximate growth rate was calculated. The oxygen will not hold out. By
the time we realized what must be done some of them could crawl. The women
could not bring themselves to help us. We have not finished the task. Some of
them have found their way into the nutrient chambers.

 

“Lorn has hung himself."