THE 3rd PARTY
BY LEE B. HOLUM
A series of "incidents" had provoked
a state of emergency between two great powers.
The reason was obvious. But why a single
chemist as bait—and who was the third party?...
The 4th award winner in IF's
College Science Fiction Contest.
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Worlds of If Science Fiction, March 1955.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
Snow beat against the tall windows of the terminal building. Thehowling of the wind around the corners of the building and acrossthe broad expanse of the rocket field went unheard by the thousandswho streamed across the crowded floor. Each was intent on his or heraffairs, hurrying to board one of the tall spires out on the snowcovered field, seeing someone off, or waiting for incoming friends.
Roger Lorin and his wife waited near the entrances to the boardingtunnels for the announcement that would send them out under the fieldto their rocket. The shouts of porters and the voices of excitedpassengers mingled with the noises of the terminal. Groups of peoplemoved across the floor like the currents of the ocean.
Suddenly, the announcer's voice boomed out over the p. a. "Allpassengers for the Arctic City rocket report to tunnel seven."
"Come on Linda," Roger said. "That's our ship." He hurried his wifetoward the tunnel entrance. A few minutes later they stepped off theconveyer walk at the bottom of an elevator shaft. The gray uniformedattendant checked their tickets, before the glass cage lifted them tothe lock entrance high on the side of the rocket. The wind sang itsmournful song around the corners of the cage and fired volleys of snowagainst the glass. At the air lock entrance, a stewardess checked theirtickets a second time.
"Couches 34 and 35? Follow me, please." She led them up one deck andover to a pair of couches, one of which was next to a small eyeport.
"Take the one next to the port, honey," said Roger. "The view's worthseeing."
A moment later, a buzzer sounded, and a red light flashed on near thehatch to the deck above. The voice of the pilot came over the intercomsystem.
"We are blasting off in five minutes. All passengers who have notstrapped in will please do so immediately." Three minutes went by, andthe final warning buzzer sounded. After another two minutes, the rumbleof the motors came from the tail of the ship. The rocket, a toweringsilver needle with orange flame spouting from its lower end, pausedon the field as its motors warmed up. Then it rose majestically on acolumn of fire and disappeared in the swirling snow.
Linda was surprised to find that the sound of the blast off was not asloud as she had expected. Neither did she find the acceleration of twoand a half gravities excessively uncomfortable. The brightly lightedcompartment made the scene outside the eyeport seem dark; although itwas only four-thirty in the afternoon. Tiny pellets of snow streamedby the port during the few seconds it took the rocket to scream throughthe lower atmosphere. Then the ship burst through the clouds. Lindagave an exclamation of surprise and pleasure at the sheer beauty of thesight. The clouds rose like tumbled snowy mountain ranges under an iceblue winter sky. The setting sun painted their tops in brilliant huesof pink, orange, and violet. Their eastern sides lay in blue shadowhoneycombed with caves and grottos.
"It's beautiful!" exclaimed Linda. "I never dreamed it