A Maze of Death - Chapter 5

What we can do, is to transmit to the relay network, transmit so it'll be carried back to Terra, and inform General Treaton at Interplan West of what's happened, that our briefing of his instructions has failed to take place. Under the circumstances they'll undoubtedly be willing containing a second tape which we can run through the transport here. How long will that take? I don't know; At the most it shouldn't take more than two or three days. The only problem would be... There may be a security factor. Treaton may not want this request run through the relay network, where anyone with a class one receiver can pick it up. His reaction then would be to ignore our request. If they do that, we ought to pack up and leave here. Immediately. Leave how? Nosers... We have no vehicles here except inert and fuel-zero nosers. Make a sample try at picking up the relay people. Maybe you can get them right now. Why not? Anything? Nothing. We're not on the air. What? What's the matter? I can't pull them and if we're not on the air they sure as hell aren't going to pull us. It's a plot, a friggin'plot. You mean that literally? You mean this is intentional? Oh. Yes, I understand what happened. Is it bad? When the satellite received my signal to activate the disc it sent a signal back. A signal to this gear. The signal shut down everything. It overrode my instructions. We ain't receiving and we ain't transmitting, no matter what I tell this junk to do. It's off the air, and it'll probably take another signal from the satellite to get it functioning again. What can you do but admire it? We transmit our initial instruction to the satellite; in response it sends one back. It's like chess: move and respond. I started the whole thing going. Like a rat in a cage, trying to find the lever that drops food. Rather than the one that transmits an electric shock. We're totally isolated. What we must do, is to prepare a joint prayer. We can probably get through on pineal gland emanation, if we make it short. I can help on preparing it, since I'm a trained linguist. As a last resort. Not as a last resort. As an effective, proven method of getting help. Mr Tallchief, for example, got here because of a prayer. But it passed along the relay. We have no way to reach the relay. You have no faith in prayer? I have no faith in prayer that's not electronically augmented. Even Specktowsky admitted that; if a prayer is to be effective it must be electronically transmitted through the network of god-worlds so that all Manifestations are reached. I suggest that we transmit our joint prayer as far as we can through the automatic pilot beam. If we can project it eighty or ninety thousands miles out it should be easier for the Deity to pick it up... since gravity works in inverse proportion to the power of the prayer, meaning that if you can get the prayer away from a planetary body - and ninety thousand miles is reasonably away - then there is a good mathematical chance of the various Manifestations receiving it. It's against Terran law to doubt the power of prayer. A violation of the civil code of all Inter-plan West stages and holdings. And you'd report it. Nobody's doubting the efficacy of prayer. We're merely disagreeing on the most effective way of handling it. I need a drink. Goodbye. A good idea. I think I'll go along, too. This is really terrible, isn't it? I can't believe that General Treaton could have authorized this deliberately; An electronic breakdown that they don't know about. Don't you agree? General Treaton from all I've heard, is a thoroughly reputable man. Which aspect of the Deity should we pray to? If you want time rolled back, say to the moment before any of us accepted this assignment, then it would be to the Mentufacturer. If we want the Deity to stand in for us, collectively to replace us in this situation, then it would be the Intercessor. If we individually want help in finding our way out... The thing to do, is to ask Mr Tallchief to word the prayer, inasmuch as he was so successful in his recent previous prayer. Evidently he knows how to phrase properly. Get Tallchief. He's probably moving his possessions from his noser. Somebody go find him. I'll go. Why no guide lights around here? Why aren't I in there? Functioning as part of the group. But the group didn't function as a group anyhow; it was always a finite number of self-oriented individuals squalling with one another. Yes. Who is it? Morley. They sent me to find you. They want you to compose the prayer, since you had such good luck a couple of days ago. No more prayers for me. Look where that last prayer got me... stuck here with all of you. No offence, I just mean... It was a cruel and inhuman act to grant that prayer, considering the situation here. And it must have known it. I can understand your feeling. Why don't you do it? You just recently met the Walker; it would be smarter to use you. I'm no good at prayers. I didn't summon the Walker; it was his idea to come to me. How about a drink? And then maybe you could give me a hand with my stuff. I have to move my own stuff. That's an outstanding cooperative attitude. If you had helped me... How strange and goddam awful.