Barrington Bayley SF Gateway Omnibus: The Soul of the Robot, The Knights of the Limits, The Fall of Chronopolis

Ergrad, at the head of four or five other enforcers, entered the inn and stood surveying the room, his head slightly bent beneath the big black beams.

‘Looks like the whole pack is here, eh?’ he barked. ‘All right, Erled, the Council has just now ordered that your solidity ship be destroyed, so lead us to it so that we may get on with the good work.’

‘Do you need us for that?’ Erled retorted. ‘Do the job yourselves.’

Ergrad looked at him thoughtfully. ‘Don’t try to be obstructive, Erled, or it will go all the worse for you. It seems that you’ve managed to keep the site of your workshop to yourselves, at any rate Erkarn found himself unable to locate it for some reason or other, which looks damned peculiar to me. Well, anyway, we knew you people came here for relaxation and I’ll thank you for the information.’

A chain of thoughts flashed through Erled’s mind. For a workshop, or any other site for that matter, to be unlocated by the Proctor of Emptiness Utilisation was not only peculiar, it was downright incredible. Only one explanation came to Erled. Since the machines and workspace had originally been allocated by Ergurur, who was sympathetic to them, then somehow he must have concealed this legally obligatory information from Erkarn! An ecstatic hope accelerated Erled’s heart. Even in the Council there was dissension! Ergurur was trying to help them!

Around him the others were crying ‘Shame!’ and protesting to the law enforcers. Ergrad rounded on them, his face livid.

‘To your homes, all of you, or you’ll learn what it means to cross the law!’

Threateningly, he brandished his truncheon and his followers produced theirs. There was a moment’s pause.

Then a heavy glass came sailing through the air and struck Ergrad on the temple. He staggered, while the glass fell to the floor and shattered. With a howl of rage Ergrad ordered his men to attack and in seconds the inn was the scene of an unsightly brawl.

Erled and Ereton, already made nervous by the tense situation, had backed to the far end of the room. They looked on the brawl appalled. Then a cry floated through to them, from Ervane, Erled believed.

That cry prompted Erled into action. Surreptitiously he eased open the rear exit and beckoned to Ereton. Together they slipped away. Minutes later they were headed for the perimeter, having changed direction several times on the public conveyor system to elude pursuit.

‘This is terrible!’ Ereton said, although he had obeyed Erled as if he had no will of his own. ‘Do you think we should go back, Erled, and apologise to Proctor Ergrad? Otherwise everyone will be punished severely.’

‘Our friends would never have dared to attack the enforcers if they hadn’t been both drunk and angry,’ Erled admitted. ‘Perhaps that will count in their favour when they come to trial. As for us, a wild intention has entered my mind of which I think the others would approve, Ereton.’

They spoke no more during the rest of the journey, aware that anyone sitting near them on the transporter chairs might be eavesdropping on their conversation. Before long they came to the workshop on the edge of the Cavity where the solidity ship was housed.

The area was deserted, no residences being nearby and this being the rest period. Erled opened the gate and they crept inside. Before them the solidity ship stood on a short ramp, its snout facing the bare rock of infinity but a few yards away.

The ship had the form of a fluted cylinder, either end being squarely blunt and intricated with drive machinery. ‘To destroy this ship would be a crime,’ Erled said. His mouth curled in disgust. ‘They talk of faith. But isn’t our effort a matter of faith? – faith that the universe contains more than just our one cavity? That there are other worlds if only we will look?’

‘You want us to take the ship and go illegally into solidity,’ Ereton said tonelessly.

‘Yes, why not? What else is left to us? It’s either that or abandon all our dreams and live useless, frustrated lives. We’ve got this one chance, so let’s take it!’

In his heart Ereton had known that this was why they had come here, but the thought of such a step made him go deathly pale. ‘Do you realise what it means? It will be the death sentence when we return!’

‘Not if we return with news of other emptiness in the rock!’ Erled replied triumphantly. ‘We have friends even in the Council, you know!’ One friend, anyway, he told himself privately.

Ereton opened his hands in a hopeless gesture. ‘And suppose we find no new emptiness? How long did the ancients search?’ He shook his head. ‘We’re both mad.’

‘Both of us, eh?’ Erled grinned. ‘I knew you were with me! Don’t prevaricate, we may only have minutes in which to make our get-away!’

Smiling wryly, Ereton patted him on the shoulders. ‘Of course I’m with you, old friend. As you say, what else is there to do at a juncture like this?’