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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b07578b --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #68609 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/68609) diff --git a/old/68609-0.txt b/old/68609-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index dc69911..0000000 --- a/old/68609-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9696 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Skylark of Valeron, by Edward E. Smith - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Skylark of Valeron - -Author: Edward E. Smith - -Release Date: July 25, 2022 [eBook #68609] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net. - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SKYLARK OF VALERON *** - - - - - - The SKYLARK of VALERON - - by EDWARD E. SMITH, Ph.D. - - _Illustrated by Elliot Dold_ - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Astounding Stories August, September, October, - November, December 1934, January, February 1935. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - - - - PROLOGUE - - -"Mother-r-r!" A sturdy, auburn-haired urchin of twelve--Richard -Ballinger Seaton the fourteen hundred and seventy-first--turned to the -queenly young matron who was his mother as the viewing area before them -went blank. "You said that as soon as I was old enough you would let -me see the rest of the 'Exploits of Seaton One.' Now grandfather's the -chief of the Galactic Council, and I'm twelve, and I'm old enough." - -"Perhaps you are, son." Into the beautiful eyes of the young woman -came that indefinable, indescribable something; the knowledge that her -oldest was no longer a baby. "Tell me the story as it is run for the -holiday, and I shall see." - -"Richard Ballinger Seaton the First was a Ph. D. in chemistry," the boy -began. "He lived in the city of Washington, in what was then the United -States of America. He was born--" - -"Never mind dates and such things, sonny. It would take too long -to give all the details. I just want to make sure that you really -understand the story--conditions were _so_ different then from what -they are now." - -"Well, Seaton One discovered Rovolon, which he called 'X' metal at -first. He found out that it would turn copper into energy, and he and -Martin Reynolds Crane One built the very first space ship that was ever -known. But the World Steel Corporation wanted all the Rovolon that -Seaton had found; so Dr. DuQuesne, a chemist of theirs, and a kind of a -spy named Perkins, tried to steal it away from him. They got a little -of it, but it exploded some copper and killed a lot of people. - -"When Seaton heard about the explosion he found out that some of his -Rovolon was gone, and they hired some detectives and had an awful -time. A lot more people were killed, and a Japanese assistant of -Crane's, named Shiro, was almost killed, too. Then they went to work -and invented a lot of new instruments, such as a compass that pointed -at any one thing forever; and attractors and repellers and rays and -screens and explosives and lots of things that are good yet. - -"This DuQuesne tried for a long time to get the Rovolon and couldn't, -so they built a space ship from Seaton's plans that they stole, and -he carried off Dorothy Vaneman and Margaret Spencer, the girls that -Seaton One and Crane One were going to marry--and they did marry them, -afterward, too. Well, Dorothy kicked Perkins in the stomach, and the -space ship ran away and kept on going until it got caught by the -attraction of the Dark Mass that the First of Energy has always had so -much trouble with, and while they were falling toward it that Perkins -went crazy and tried to kill Margaret, but DuQuesne killed him instead, -and then Seaton One caught up with them and rescued them and--" - -"Just a minute, son; there is no great hurry. How did Seaton One get -way out there?" - -"Well, they had their big new space ship, the _Skylark of Space_, all -built by then, and Seaton One had an object-compass set on DuQuesne, -because he'd been watching him a long time since he'd been making -lots of trouble for him. So Seaton One and Crane One followed the -object-compass and found them and rescued them all but Perkins, because -he was dead already. - -"They had an awful time getting away from the Dark Mass, but they -did it, but they were about out of copper, so they had to hunt up a -planet that had some. They landed on one that dinosaurs and things -like that lived on, and got a lot more Rovolon, but didn't find any -copper, so they hunted up more planets. One had poison gas instead of -air, and another had people that were pure intellectuals, so that they -had bodies whenever they wanted to, but not all the time. They pretty -nearly dematerialized Seaton One and all the rest of them, and we're -awfully glad they didn't. - -"Well, anyway, they got away, but they had an awful time, and after a -while they saw the green suns of the Central System. There's lots of -copper there, you know; so much that Grandfather Seaton wouldn't let me -swim in the ocean last year when we were there because it was copper -solution and it would have made me sick. They went to Osnome first, one -of the inside worlds, and landed in a country named Mardonale. - -"They were bad people and wanted to kill Seaton One and steal his -ship, and they had already captured Dunark, the Kofedix or crown prince -of the other nation, Kondal. Then Dunark helped Seaton One get away, -and they all went home with Dunark. But the _Skylark_ was pretty nearly -ruined in the battle they had getting away from Mardonale, so Seaton -One and Dunark built it over out of arenak, which was much better than -the funny, soft steel they used to use in the old days. Of course, -arenak doesn't amount to much beside the inoson we have now, but even -Seaton One didn't know anything about inoson then. - -"Then they got married. Seaton married Dorothy, and they're our -great-great--fourteen hundred and seventy times--grandparents. Crane -married Margaret, and they're awfully famous, too. And Shiro is, too, -especially in Asiatica. Well, anyway, after they got married they had a -fight with a monster Karlon, and were just going to start back here for -Tellus when the whole Mardonalian fleet attacked Kondal. The _Skylark -Two_ beat them all, and DuQuesne helped, too, and then of course -Dunark's father was Karfedix or emperor of the whole planet of Osnome, -and he made Seaton One the overlord. Then they came back home. Seaton -One and Crane One didn't know just what to do with DuQuesne, but he -jumped out of _Skylark Two_ in a parachute and got away. - - * * * * * - -"They hadn't been back on Tellus very long when Dunark came to visit -them, from Osnome, after some salt which they needed to make arenak, -and some more Rovolon. He was going to blow up another planet of the -Central Sun because they were having a war. But Seaton One didn't -have enough Rovolon, so both _Skylark Two_ and the _Kondal_ started -out to go to the 'X' planet after some, and on the way there they -were attacked by a space ship of the Fenachrone, who were a race -of terrible men who were going to conquer the whole universe. The -Fenachrone blew up the _Kondal_, and pretty nearly destroyed the -_Skylark_, too, but Seaton One could use zones of force as well as -they could--I don't know much about zones of force because they're in -advanced physics, but they're barriers in the ether and space ships -use them yet because nothing above the fifth level can get through -them--and finally Seaton One cut the Fenachrone ship all up into little -pieces. Then he rescued Dunark, and one of his wives named Sitar, but -one of the bad men got away without being killed and DuQuesne picked -him up--" - -"But you haven't said anything about DuQuesne being out there, sonny." - -"Well, he was. He kept on trying to get the Rovolon away from Seaton -One, but couldn't, so he took his own space ship and went to Osnome. -You see, while he was there he had found out something about the -Fenachrone and was going to join them. Well, he got to Osnome and stole -a better space ship than the one he had and started out to go to the -Fenachrone System, but on the way he passed close to where _Skylark -Two_ was fighting the big Fenachrone ship, which was the flagship -_Y427W_. The chief engineer of the ship got away, and DuQuesne rescued -him, and he showed DuQuesne how to get to the Fenachrone world, and -he installed his own super-drive on the _Violet_, which was the name -of DuQuesne's ship. But when they got there something funny happened. -A Fenachrone patrol ship apparently captured the _Violet_, and they -burned up what they thought were DuQuesne and Loring--this Loring was -DuQuesne's helper--and the engineer reported over the visirecorder -everything that had happened to the flagship, and Seaton and Crane were -listening in on their projector. Now's the funny part. Some of the -visirecorder report was right, but some of it didn't really happen that -way at all, because Dr. DuQuesne knew all the time what was going--" - -"You are getting ahead of the story, sonny. You have heard that part, -of course, but you haven't actually seen the record of it yet." - -"Well, anyway, Seaton One found out the Fenachrone's plans by reading -their brains with a mechanical educator, and he made Dunark's people -make peace with the other planet, the one that they were going to -blow up. He knew from some old legends that there was a race of green -men somewhere in the Central System that knew everything, so he went -hunting for them. They went to Dasor first, where those funny porpoise -men live, and a Dasorian named Sacner Carfon was councilor then. A -Sacner Carfon is councilor there yet, too, and I beat his boy shooting -a ray, but he beat me all hollow swimming, because he's got web feet -and hands. The Dasorians told Seaton One where to go, and that's how -they found Norlamin, where the oldest and wisest men in the whole -Galaxy live. Rovol, the First of Rays, and Drasnik, the First of -Psychology, and Caslor, the First of Mechanism, and lots of the other -Firsts of Norlamin helped them build things. - -"Oh, yes; I almost forgot about the way the Norlaminian scientists -learn things. When one of them gets old he makes a record of his brain -on a tape, and when his son takes his place he just transfers all his -knowledge to the son's brain with a mechanical educator, and then -he--the son, I mean--knows everything that every specialist in that -line ever did find out, and he goes on from there. Rovol and Drasnik -and some of the others gave Seaton One and Crane One copies of their -own brains that way, and that's why they knew so much. And then they -built a projector that would take images of themselves clear across -the Galaxy in a couple of seconds on fifth-order rays, and into the -middle of suns and anywhere else they wanted to be or work, and then -they built _Skylark Three_, a space ship about five kilometers long. -Not so much these days, of course, but she was the biggest thing in the -ether then. - -"But by that time the Fenachrone fleet had started out to conquer the -Galaxy, and Seaton One and Crane One and all the other Ones and the -Firsts of Norlamin hunted them up with the projector and blew them -up by exploding their power bars, which were made of copper instead -of uranium, like _Three_ used. And then Dunark blew up the whole -Fenachrone planet, so that they'd never make any more trouble, but one -Fenachrone ship got away and started out for another Galaxy, 'way out -of range of the projector. So Seaton One chased it and caught it out -in space, halfway to the other Galaxy. They had a terrible battle, but -Seaton One blew it up and the picture stopped, and I want to see some -more of the 'Exploits,' mother, please!" - -"Very well told, son--I believe that you are old enough to follow -One and his friends of ancient times. You will have them next year, -anyway, in your history classes, and you might as well see them now; -particularly since it is our own family history as well as that of -civilization." The young woman pressed a contact in the arm of her -chair and spoke: - -"Central Library of History, please.... Mrs. R. B. Seaton fourteen -seventy. Please put on reel three of the 'Exploits.' Wave point one -nine four six.... Thank you." - - - - - I. - - -Day after day a spherical space ship of arenak tore through the -illimitable reaches of the interstellar void. She had once been a war -vessel of Osnome; now, rechristened the _Violet_, she was bearing two -Terrestrials and a Fenachrone--Dr. Marc C. DuQuesne of World Steel, -"Baby Doll" Loring, his versatile and accomplished assistant, and the -squat and monstrous engineer of the flagship _Y427W_--from the Green -System toward the Solar System of the Fenachrone. The mid-point of the -stupendous flight had long since been passed; the _Violet_ had long -been "braking down" with a negative acceleration of five times the -velocity of light. - -Much to the surprise of both DuQuesne and Loring, their prisoner -had not made the slightest move against them. He had thrown all the -strength of his supernaturally powerful body and all the resources of -his gigantic brain into the task of converting the atomic motors of the -_Violet_ into the space-annihilating drive of his own race. This drive, -affecting alike as it does every atom of substance within the radius of -action of the power bar, entirely nullifies the effect of acceleration, -so that the passengers feel no motion whatever, even when the craft -is accelerating at maximum--and that maximum is almost three times as -great as the absolutely unbearable full power of the _Skylark of Space_. - -The engineer had not shirked a single task, however arduous. And, -once under way, he had nursed those motors along with every artifice -known to his knowing clan; he had performed such prodigies of -adjustment and tuning as to raise by a full two per cent their already -inconceivable maximum acceleration. And this was not all. After the -first moment of rebellion, he did not even once attempt to bring to -bear the almost irresistible hypnotic power of his eyes; the immense, -cold, ruby-lighted projectors of mental energy which, both men knew, -were awful weapons indeed. Nor did he even once protest against the -attractors which were set upon his giant limbs. - -Immaterial bands, these, whose slight force could not be felt unless -the captor so willed. But let the prisoner make one false move, -and those tiny beams of force would instantly become copper-driven -tornadoes of pure energy, hurling the luckless body against the wall of -the control room and holding him motionless there, in spite of the most -terrific exertions of his mighty body. - -DuQuesne lay at ease in his seat; rather, scarcely touching the -seat, he floated at ease in the air above it. His black brows were -drawn together, his black eyes were hard as he studied frowningly -the Fenachrone engineer. As usual, that worthy was half inside the -power plant, coaxing those mighty motors to do even better than their -prodigious best. - -Feeling his companion's eyes upon him, the doctor turned his -inscrutable stare upon Loring, who had been studying his chief even as -DuQuesne had been studying the outlander. Loring's cherubic countenance -was as pinkly innocent as ever, his guileless blue eyes as calm and -untroubled; but DuQuesne, knowing the man as he did, perceived an -almost imperceptible tension and knew that the killer also was worried. - -"What's the matter, Doll?" The saturnine scientist smiled mirthlessly. -"Afraid I'm going to let that ape slip one over on us?" - -"Not exactly." Loring's slight tenseness, however, disappeared. "It's -your party, and anything that's all right with you tickles me half -to death. I have known all along you knew that that bird there isn't -working under compulsion. You know as well as I do that nobody works -that way because they're made to. He's working for himself, not for us, -and I had just begun to wonder if you weren't getting a little late in -clamping down on him." - -"Not at all--there are good and sufficient reasons for this apparent -delay. I am going to clamp down on him in exactly"--DuQuesne glanced -at his wrist watch--"fourteen minutes. But you're keen--you've got a -brain that really works--maybe I'd better give you the whole picture." - -DuQuesne, approving thoroughly of his iron-nerved, cold-blooded -assistant, voiced again the thought he had expressed once before, a few -hours out from Earth; and Loring answered as he had then, in almost the -same words--words which revealed truly the nature of the man: - -"Just as you like. Usually I don't want to know anything about -anything, because what a man doesn't know he can't be accused of -spilling. Out here, though, maybe I should know enough about things to -act intelligently in case of a jam. But you're the doctor--if you'd -rather keep it under your hat, that's all right with me, too. As I've -said before, it's your party." - -"Yes; he certainly is working for himself." DuQuesne scowled blackly. -"Or, rather, he thinks he is. You know I read his mind back there, -while he was unconscious. I didn't get all I wanted to, by any -means--he woke up too soon--but I got a lot more than he thinks I did. - -"They have detector zones, 'way out in space, all around their world, -that nothing can get past without being spotted; and patrolling -those zones there are scout ships, carrying armament to stagger the -imagination. I intend to take over one of those patrol ships and by -means of it to capture one of their first-class battleships. As a first -step I'm going to hypnotize that ape and find out absolutely everything -that he knows. When I get done with him, he'll do exactly what I tell -him to, and nothing else." - -"Hypnotize him?" Curiosity was awakened in even Loring's incurious mind -at this unexpected development. "I didn't know that was one of your -specialties." - -"It wasn't until recently, but the Fenachrone are all past masters, -and I learned about it from his brain. Hypnosis is a wonderful science. -The only drawback is that his mind is a lot stronger than mine. -However, I have in my kit, among other things, a tube of something that -will cut him down to my size." - -"Oh, I see--pentabarb." With this hint, Loring's agile mind grasped -instantly the essentials of DuQuesne's plan. "That's why you had to -wait so long, then, to take steps. Pentabarb kills in twenty-four -hours, and he can't help us steal the ship after he's dead." - -"Right! One milligram, you know, will make a gibbering idiot out of any -human being; but I imagine that it will take three or four times that -much to soften _him_ down to the point where I can work on him the way -I want to. As I don't know the effects of such heavy dosages, since -he's not really human, and since he must be alive when we go through -their screens, I decided to give him the works exactly six hours before -we are due to hit their outermost detector. That's about all I can tell -you right now; I'll have to work out the details of seizing the ship -after I have studied his brain more thoroughly." - - * * * * * - -Precisely at the expiration of the fourteen allotted minutes, DuQuesne -tightened the attractor beams, which had never been entirely released -from their prisoner; thus pinning him helplessly, immovably, against -the wall of the control room. He then filled a hypodermic syringe and -moved the mechanical educator nearer the motionless, although violently -struggling, creature. Then, avoiding carefully the baleful outpourings -of those flame-shot volcanoes of hatred that were the eyes of the -Fenachrone, he set the dials of the educator, placed the headsets, and -drove home the needle's hollow point. One milligram of the diabolical -compound was absorbed, without appreciable lessening of the blazing -defiance being hurled along the educator's wires. One and one half--two -milligrams--three--four--five-- - -That inhumanly powerful mind at last began to weaken, but it became -entirely quiescent only after the administration of the seventh -milligram of that direly potent drug. - -"Just as well that I allowed only six hours." DuQuesne sighed in relief -as he began to explore the labyrinthine intricacies of the frightful -brain now open to his gaze. "I don't see how any possible form of life -can hold together long under seven milligrams of that stuff." - -He fell silent and for more than an hour he studied the brain of the -engineer, concentrating upon the several small portions which contained -knowledge of most immediate concern. Then he removed the headsets. - -"His plans were all made," he informed Loring coldly, "and so are mine, -now. Bring out two full outfits of clothing--one of yours and one -of mine. Two guns, belts, and so on. Break out a bale of waste, the -emergency candles, and all that sort of stuff you can find." - -DuQuesne turned to the Fenachrone, who stood utterly lax, inanimate, -and stared deep into those now dull and expressionless eyes. - -"You," he directed crisply, "will build at once, as quickly as you can, -two dummies which will look exactly like Loring and myself. They must -be lifelike in every particular, with faces capable of expressing the -emotions of surprise and of anger, and with right arms able to draw -weapons upon signal--_my_ signal. Also upon signal their heads and -bodies will turn, they will leap toward the center of the room, and -they will make certain noises and utter certain words, the records of -which I shall prepare. Go to it!" - -"Don't you need to control him through the headsets?" asked Loring -curiously. - -"I may have to control him in detail when we come to the really fine -work, later on," DuQuesne replied absently. "This is more or less in -the nature of an experiment, to find out whether I have him thoroughly -under control. During the last act he'll have to do exactly what I -shall have told him to do, without supervision, and I want to be -absolutely certain that he will do it without a slip." - -"What's the plan--or maybe it's something that is none of my business?" - -"No; you ought to know it, and I've got time to tell you about it now. -Nothing material can possibly approach the planet of the Fenachrone -without being seen, as it is completely surrounded by never less than -two full-sphere detector screens; and to make assurance doubly sure -our engineer there has installed a mechanism which, at the first touch -of the outer screen, will shoot a warning along at tight communicator -beam, directly into the receiver of the nearest Fenachrone scout ship. -As you already know, the smallest of those scouts can burn this ship -out of the ether in less than a second." - -"That's a cheerful picture. You still think we can get away?" - -"I'm coming to that. We can't possibly get through the detectors -without being challenged, even if I tear out all his apparatus, so -we're going to use his whole plan, but for our benefit instead of his. -Therefore his present hypnotic state and the dummies. When we touch -that screen you and I are going to be hidden--well hidden. The dummies -will be in sole charge, and our prisoner will be playing the part I -have laid out for him. - -"The scout ship that he calls will come up to investigate. They will -bring apparatus and attractors to bear to liberate the prisoner, and -the dummies will try to fight. They will be blown up or burned to -cinders almost instantly, and our little playmate will put on his space -suit and be taken across to the capturing vessel. Once there, he will -report to the commander. - -"That officer will think the affair sufficiently serious to report it -directly to headquarters. If he doesn't, this ape here will insist upon -reporting it to general headquarters himself. As soon as that report is -in, we, working through our prisoner here, will proceed to wipe out the -crew of the ship and take it over." - -"And do you think he'll really do it?" Loring's guileless face showed -doubt, his tone was faintly skeptical. - -"I _know_ he'll do it!" The chemist's voice was hard. "He won't -take any active part--I'm not psychologist enough to know whether I -could drive him that far, even drugged, against an unhypnotizable -subconscious or not--but he'll be carrying something along that will -enable me to do it, easily and safely. But that's about enough of this -chin music--we'd better start doing something." - - * * * * * - -While Loring brought space clothing and weapons, and rummaged through -the vessel in search of material suitable for the dummies' fabrication, -the Fenachrone engineer worked rapidly at his task. And not only did -he work rapidly, he worked skillfully and artistically as well. This -artistry should not be surprising, for to such a mentality as must -necessarily be possessed by the chief engineer of a first-line vessel -of the Fenachrone, the faithful reproduction of anything capable of -movement was not a question of art--it was merely an elementary matter -of line, form, and mechanism. - -Cotton waste was molded into shape, reënforced, and wrapped in leather -under pressure. To the bodies thus formed were attached the heads, -cunningly constructed of masticated fiber, plastic, and wax. Tiny -motors and many small pieces of apparatus were installed, and the -completed effigies were dressed and armed. - -DuQuesne's keen eyes studied every detail of the startlingly lifelike, -almost microscopically perfect, replicas of himself and his traveling -companion. - -"A good job," he commented briefly. - -"Good?" exclaimed Loring. "It's perfect! Why, that dummy would fool my -own wife, if I had one--it almost fools me!" - -"At least, they're good enough to pass a more critical test than any -they are apt to get during this coming incident." - -Satisfied, DuQuesne turned from his scrutiny of the dummies and went -to the closet in which had been stored the space suit of the captive. -To the inside of its front protector flap he attached a small and -inconspicuous flat-sided case. He then measured carefully, with a filar -micrometer, the apparent diameter of the planet now looming so large -beneath them. - -"All right, Doll; our time's getting short. Break out our suits and -test them, will you, while I give the big boy his final instructions?" - -Rapidly those commands flowed over the wires of the mechanical -educator, from DuQuesne's hard, keen brain into the now-docile mind of -the captive. The Earthly scientist explained to the Fenachrone, coldly, -precisely, and in minute detail, exactly what he was to do and exactly -what he was to say from the moment of encountering the detector screens -of his native planet until after he had reported to his superior -officers. - -Then the two Terrestrials donned their own armor of space and made -their way into an adjoining room, a small armory in which were hung -several similar suits and which was a veritable arsenal of weapons. - -"We'll hang ourselves up on a couple of these hooks, like the rest -of the suits," DuQuesne explained. "This is the only part of the -performance that may be even slightly risky, but there is no real -danger that they will spot us. That fellow's message to the scout ship -will tell them that there are only two of us, and we'll be out there -with him, right in plain sight. - -"If by any chance they should send a party aboard us they would -probably not bother to search the _Violet_ at all carefully, since they -will already know that we haven't got a thing worthy of attention; and -they would of course suppose us to be empty space suits. Therefore -keep your lens shields down, except perhaps for the merest crack to -see through, and, above all, don't move a millimeter, no matter what -happens." - -"But how can you manipulate your controls without moving your hands?" - -"I can't; but my hands will not be in the sleeves, but inside the body -of the suit--shut up! Hold everything--there's the flash!" - - * * * * * - -The flying vessel had gone through the zone of feeble radiations which -comprised the outer detector screen of the Fenachrone. But though -tenuous, that screen was highly efficient, and at its touch there burst -into frenzied activity the communicator built by the captive to be -actuated by that very impulse. It had been built during the long flight -through space, and its builder had thought that its presence would be -unnoticed and would remain unsuspected by the Terrestrials. - -Now automatically put into action, it laid a beam to the nearest scout -ship of the Fenachrone and into that vessel's receptors it passed -the entire story of the _Violet_ and her occupants. But DuQuesne had -not been caught napping. Reading the engineer's brain and absorbing -knowledge from it, he had installed a relay which would flash to his -eyes an inconspicuous but unmistakable warning of the first touch of -the screen of the enemy. The flash had come--they had penetrated the -outer lines of the monstrous civilization of the dread and dreaded -Fenachrone. - -In the armory DuQuesne's hands moved slightly inside his shielding -armor, and out in the control room the dummy that was also, to all -outward seeming, DuQuesne moved and spoke. It tightened the controls -of the attractors, which had never been entirely released from their -prisoner, thus again pinning the Fenachrone helplessly against the wall. - -"Just to be sure you don't try to start anything," it explained coldly, -in DuQuesne's own voice and tone. "You have done well so far, but I'll -run things myself from now on, so that you can't steer us into a trap. -Now tell me exactly how to go about getting one of your vessels. After -we get it I'll see about letting you go." - -"Fools, you are too late!" the prisoner roared exultantly. "You would -have been too late, even had you killed me out there in space and had -fled at your utmost acceleration. Did you but know it you are as dead, -even now--our patrol is upon you!" - -The dummy that was DuQuesne whirled, snarling, and its automatic -pistol and that of its fellow dummy were leaping out when an awful -acceleration threw them flat upon the floor, a magnetic force snatched -away their weapons, and a heat ray of prodigious power reduced the -effigies to two small piles of gray ash. Immediately thereafter a beam -of force from the patrolling cruiser neutralized the attractors bearing -upon the captive and, after donning his space suit, he was transferred -to the Fenachrone vessel. - -[Illustration: _The dummy that was DuQuesne whirled, snarling, and its -automatic pistol and that of its fellow dummy were leaping out when a -magnetic force snatched away their weapons and a heat ray of prodigious -power reduced the effigies to two small piles of gray ashes. And -DuQuesne, motionless inside his space suit, waited_--] - -Motionless inside his space suit, DuQuesne waited until the airlocks -of the Fenachrone vessel had closed behind his erstwhile prisoner; -waited until the engineer had told his story to Fenal, his emperor, -and to Fenimal, his general in command; waited until the communicator -circuit had been broken and the hypnotized, drugged, and already dying -creature had turned as though to engage his fellows in conversation. -Then only did the saturnine scientist act. His finger closed a circuit, -and in the Fenachrone vessel, inside the front protector flap of the -discarded space suit, the flat case fell apart noiselessly and from it -there gushed forth volume upon volume of colorless and odorless, but -intensely lethal, vapor. - -"Just like killing goldfish in a bowl." Callous, hard, and cold, -DuQuesne exhibited no emotion whatever; neither pity for the vanquished -foe nor elation at the perfect working out of his plans. "Just in case -some of them might have been wearing suits, for emergencies, I had some -explosive copper ready to detonate, but this makes it much better--the -explosion might have damaged something we want." - -And aboard the vessel of the Fenachrone, DuQuesne's deadly gas diffused -with extreme rapidity, and as it diffused, the hellish crew to the last -man dropped in their tracks. They died not knowing what had happened -to them; died with no thought of even attempting to send out an alarm; -died not even knowing that they died. - - - - - II. - - -"Can you open the airlocks of that scout ship from the outside, -doctor?" asked Loring, as the two adventurers came out of the armory -into the control room where DuQuesne, by means of the attractors, began -to bring the two vessels together. - -"Yes. I know everything that that engineer of a first-class battleship -knew. To him, one of these little scouts was almost beneath notice, -but he did know that much about them--the outside controls of all -Fenachrone ships work the same way." - -Under the urge of the attractions, the two ships of space were soon -door to door. DuQuesne set the mighty beams to lock the craft -immovably together and both men stepped into the _Violet's_ airlock. -Pumping back the air, DuQuesne opened the outer door, then opened both -outer and inner doors of the scout. - -As he opened the inner door the poisoned atmosphere of the vessel -screamed out into space, and as soon as the frigid gale had subsided -the raiders entered the control room of the enemy craft. Hardened and -conscienceless killer though Loring was, the four bloated, ghastly -objects that had once been men gave him momentary pause. - -"Maybe we shouldn't have let the air out so fast," he suggested, -tearing his gaze away from the grisly sight. - -"The brains aren't hurt, and that's all I care about." Unmoved, -DuQuesne opened the air valves wide, and not until the roaring blast -had scoured every trace of the noxious vapor from the whole ship did -he close the airlock doors and allow the atmosphere to come again to -normal pressure and temperature. - -"Which ship are you going to use--theirs or our own?" asked Loring, as -he began to remove his cumbersome armor. - -"I don't know yet. That depends largely upon what I find out from the -brain of the lieutenant in charge of this patrol boat. There are two -methods by which we can capture a battleship; one requiring the use of -the _Violet_, the other the use of this scout. The information which I -am about to acquire will enable me to determine which of the two plans -entails the lesser amount of risk. - -"There is a third method of procedure, of course; that is, to go back -to Earth and duplicate one of their battleships ourselves, from the -knowledge I shall have gained from their various brains concerning the -apparatus, mechanisms, materials, and weapons of the Fenachrone. But -that would take a long time and would be far from certain of success, -because there would almost certainly be some essential facts that I -would not have secured. Besides, I came out here to get one of their -first-line space ships, and I intend to do it." - -With no sign of distaste DuQuesne coupled his brain to that of the -dead lieutenant of the Fenachrone through the mechanical educator, -and quite as casually as though he were merely giving Loring another -lesson in Fenachrone matters did he begin systematically to explore -the intricate convolutions of that fearsome brain. But after only ten -minutes' study he was interrupted by the brazen clang of the emergency -alarm. He flipped off the power of the educator, discarded his headset, -acknowledged the call, and watched the recorder as it rapped out its -short, insistent message. - -"Something is going on here that was not on my program," he announced -to the alert but quiescent Loring. "One should always be prepared -for the unexpected, but this may run into something cataclysmic. The -Fenachrone are being attacked from space, and all armed forces have -been called into a defensive formation--Invasion Plan XB218, whatever -that is. I'll have to look it up in the code." - - * * * * * - -The desk of the commanding officer was a low, heavily built cabinet -of solid metal. DuQuesne strode over to it, operated rapidly the -levers and dials of its combination lock, and took from one of the -compartments the "Code"--a polygonal framework of engraved metal bars -and sliders, resembling somewhat an Earthly multiplex squirrel-cage -slide rule. - -"X--B--Two--One--Eight." Although DuQuesne had never before seen such -an instrument, the knowledge taken from the brains of the dead officers -rendered him perfectly familiar with it, and his long and powerful -fingers set up the indicated defense plan as rapidly and as surely as -those of any Fenachrone could have done. He revolved the mechanism -in his hands, studying every plane surface, scowling blackly in -concentration. - -"Munition plants--shall--so-and-so--We don't care about that. -Reserves--zones--ordnance--commissary--defensive screens--Oh, here we -are! Scout ships. Instead of patrolling a certain volume of space, each -scout ship takes up a fixed post just inside the outer detector zone. -Twenty times as many on duty, too--enough so that they will be only -about ten thousand miles apart--and each ship is to lock high-power -detector screens and visiplate and recorder beams with all its -neighbors. - -"Also, there is to be a first-class battleship acting as mother ship, -protector, and reserve for each twenty-five scouts. The nearest one is -to be--Let's see, from here that would be only about twenty thousand -miles over that way and about a hundred thousand miles down." - -"Does that change your plans, chief?" - -"Since my plans were not made, I cannot say that it does--it changes -the background, however, and introduces an element of danger that did -not previously exist. It makes it impossible to go out through the -detector zone--but it was practically impossible before, and we have -no intention of going out, anyway, until we possess a vessel powerful -enough to go through any barrage they can lay down. On the other hand, -there is bound to be a certain amount of confusion in placing so -many vessels, and that fact will operate to make the capture of our -battleship much easier than it would have been otherwise." - -"What danger exists that wasn't there before?" demanded Loring. - -"The danger that the whole planet may be blown up," DuQuesne returned -bluntly. "Any nation or race attacking from space would of course have -atomic power, and any one with that power could volatilize any planet -by simply dropping a bomb on it from open space. They might want to -colonize it, of course, in which case they wouldn't destroy it, but it -is always safest to plan for the worst possible contingencies." - -"How do you figure on doing us any good if the whole world explodes?" -Loring lighted a cigarette, his hand steady and his face pinkly -unruffled. "If she goes up, it looks as if we go out, like that--puff!" -And he blew out the match. - -"Not at all, Doll," DuQuesne reassured him. "An atomic explosion -starting on the surface and propagating downward would hardly develop -enough power to drive anything material much, if any, faster than -light, and no explosion wave, however violent, can exceed that -velocity. The _Violet_, as you know, although not to be compared with -even this scout as a fighter, has an acceleration of five times that, -so that we could outrun the explosion in her. However, if we stay in -our own ship, we shall certainly be found and blown out of space as -soon as this defensive formation is completed. - -"On the other hand, this ship carries full Fenachrone power of offense -and defense, and we should be safe enough from detection in it, at -least for as long a time as we shall need it. Since these small -ships are designed for purely local scout work, though, they are -comparatively slow and would certainly be destroyed in any such cosmic -explosion as is manifestly a possibility. That possibility is very -remote, it is true, but it should be taken into consideration." - -"So what? You're talking yourself around a circle, right back to where -you started from." - -"Only considering the thing from all angles." DuQuesne was unruffled. -"We have lots of time, since it will take them quite a while to perfect -this formation. To finish the summing up--we want to use this vessel, -but is it safe? It is. Why? Because the Fenachrone, having had atomic -energy themselves for a long time, are thoroughly familiar with its -possibilities and have undoubtedly perfected screens through which no -such bomb could penetrate. - -"Furthermore, we can install the high-speed drive in this ship in a few -days--I gave you all the dope on it over the educator, you know--so -that we'll be safe, whatever happens. That's the safest plan, and it -will work. So you move the stores and our most necessary personal -belongings in here while I'm figuring out an orbit for the _Violet_. -We don't want her anywhere near us, and yet we want her to be within -reaching distance while we are piloting this scout ship of ours to the -place where she is supposed to be in Plan XB218." - -"What are you going to do that for--to give them a chance to knock us -off?" - -"No. I need a few days to study these brains, and it will take a few -days for that battleship mother ship of ours to get into her assigned -position, where we can steal her most easily." DuQuesne, however, did -not at once remove his headset, but remained standing in place, silent -and thoughtful. - -"Uh-huh," agreed Loring. "I'm thinking the same thing you are. Suppose -that it _is_ Seaton that's got them all hot and bothered this way?" - -"The thought has occurred to me several times, and I have considered it -at some length," DuQuesne admitted at last. "However, I have concluded -that it is not Seaton. For if it is, he must have a lot more stuff than -I think he has. I do not believe that he can possibly have learned -that much in the short time he has had to work in. I may be wrong, of -course; but the immediately necessary steps toward the seizure of that -battleship remain unchanged whether I am right or wrong; or whether -Seaton was the cause of this disturbance." - - * * * * * - -When the conversation was thus definitely at an end, Loring again -incased himself in his space suit and set to work. For hours he -labored, silently and efficiently, at transferring enough of their -Earthly possessions and stores to render possible an extended period of -living aboard the vessel of the Fenachrone. - -He had completed that task and was assembling the apparatus and -equipment necessary for the rebuilding of the power plant before -DuQuesne finished the long and complex computations involved in -determining the direction and magnitude of the force required to give -the _Violet_ the exact trajectory he desired. The problem was finally -solved and checked, however, and DuQuesne rose to his feet, closing his -book of nine-place logarithms with a snap. - -"All done with _Violet_, Doll?" he asked, donning his armor. - -"Yes." - -"Fine! I'll go aboard and push her off, after we do a little -stage-setting here. Take that body there--I don't need it any more, -since he didn't know much of anything, anyway--and toss it into the -nose compartment. Then shut that bulkhead door, tight. I'm going to -drill a couple of holes through there from the _Violet_ before I give -her the gun." - -"I see--going to make us _look_ disabled, whether we are or not, huh?" - -"Exactly! We've got to have a good excuse for our visirays being out -of order. I can make reports all right on the communicator, and send -and receive code messages and orders, but we certainly couldn't stand a -close-up inspection on a visiplate. Also, we've got to have some kind -of an excuse for signaling to and approaching our mother battleship. We -will have been hit and punctured by a meteorite. Pretty thin excuse, -but it probably will serve for as long a time as we will need." - -After DuQuesne had made sure that the small compartment in the prow -of the vessel contained nothing of use to them, the body of one of the -Fenachrone was thrown carelessly into it, the air-tight bulkhead was -closed and securely locked, and the chief marauder stepped into the -airlock. - -"As soon as I get her exactly on course and velocity, I'll step out -into space and you can pick me up," he directed briefly, and was gone. - -In the _Violet's_ engine room DuQuesne released the anchoring attractor -beams and backed off to a few hundred yards' distance. He spun a couple -of wheels briefly, pressed a switch, and from the _Violet's_ heaviest -needle-ray projector there flashed out against the prow of the scout -patrol a pencil of incredibly condensed destruction. - -Dunark, the crown prince of Kondal, had developed that stabbing ray -as the culminating ultimate weapon of ten thousand years of Osnomian -warfare; and, driven by even the comparatively feeble energies known -to the denizens of the Green System before Seaton's advent, no -known substance had been able to resist for more than a moment its -corrosively, annihilatingly poignant thrust. - -And now this furious stiletto of pure energy, driven by the full -power of four hundred pounds of disintegrating atomic copper, at this -point-blank range, was hurled against the mere inch of transparent -material which comprised the skin of the tiny cruiser. DuQuesne -expected no opposition, for with a beam less potent by far he had -consumed utterly a vessel built of arenak--arenak, that Osnomian -synthetic which is five hundred times as strong, tough, and hard as -Earth's strongest, toughest, or hardest alloy steel. - -Yet that annihilating needle of force struck that transparent surface -and rebounded from it in scintillating torrents of fire. Struck and -rebounded, struck and clung; boring in almost imperceptibly as its -irresistible energy tore apart, electron by electron, the surprisingly -obdurate substance of the cruiser's wall. For that substance was -the ultimate synthetic--the one limiting material possessing the -utmost measure of strength, hardness, tenacity, and rigidity -theoretically possible to any substance built up from the building -blocks of ether-borne electrons. This substance, developed by the -master scientists of the Fenachrone, was in fact identical with the -Norlaminian synthetic metal, inoson, from which Rovol and his aids had -constructed for Seaton his gigantic ship of space--_Skylark Three_. - - * * * * * - -For five long minutes DuQuesne held that terrific beam against the -point of attack, then shut it off; for it had consumed less than half -the thickness of the scout patrol's outer skin. True, the focal area of -the energy was an almost invisibly violet glare of incandescence, so -intensely hot that the concentric shading off through blinding white, -yellow, and bright-red heat brought the zone of dull red far down the -side of the vessel; but that awful force had had practically no effect -upon the spaceworthiness of the stanch little craft. - -"No use, Loring!" DuQuesne spoke calmly into the transmitter inside -his face plate. True scientist that he was, he neither expressed nor -felt anger or bafflement when an idea failed to work, but abandoned -it promptly and completely, without rancor or repining. "No possible -meteorite could puncture that shell. Stand by!" - -He inspected the power meters briefly, made several readings through -the filar micrometer of number six visiplate and checked the vernier -readings of the great circles of the gyroscopes against the figures in -his notebook. Then, assured that the _Violet_ was following precisely -the predetermined course, he entered the airlock, waved a bloated arm -at the watchful Loring, and coolly stepped off into space. The heavy -outer door clanged shut behind him, and the globular ship of space -rocketed onward; while DuQuesne fell with a sickening acceleration -toward the mighty planet of the Fenachrone, so many thousands of miles -below. - -That fall did not long endure. Loring, now a space pilot second to -none, had held his vessel dead even with the _Violet_; matching exactly -her course, pace, and acceleration at a distance of barely a hundred -feet. He had cut off all his power as DuQuesne's right foot left the -Osnomian vessel, and now falling man and plunging scout ship plummeted -downward together at the same mad pace; the man drifting slowly toward -the ship because of the slight energy of his step into space from -the _Violet's_ side and beginning slowly to turn over as he fell. So -consummate had been Loring's spacemanship that the scout did not even -roll; DuQuesne was still opposite her starboard airlock when Loring -stood in its portal and tossed a space line to his superior. This -line--a small, tightly stranded cable of fiber capable of retaining its -strength and pliability in the heatless depths of space--snapped out -and curled around DuQuesne's bulging space suit. - - * * * * * - -"I thought you'd use an attractor, but this is probably better, at -that," DuQuesne commented, as he seized the line in a mailed fist. - -"Yeah. I haven't had much practice with them on delicate and accurate -work. If I had missed you with this line I could have thrown it again; -but if I missed this opening with you on a beam and shaved your suit -off on this sharp edge, I figured it'd be just too bad." - -The two men again in the control room and the vessel once more leveled -out in headlong flight, Loring broke the silence: - -"That idea of being punctured by a meteorite didn't pan out so heavy. -How would it be to have one of the crew go space-crazy and wreck the -boat from the inside? They do that sometimes, don't they?" - -"Yes, they do. That's an idea--thanks. I'll study up on the symptoms. -I have a lot more studying to do, anyway--there's a lot of stuff I -haven't got yet. This metal, for instance--we couldn't possibly build -a Fenachrone battleship on Earth. I had no idea that any possible -substance could be so resistant as the shell of this ship is. Of -course, there are many unexplored areas in these brains here, and quite -a few high-class brains aboard our mother ship that I haven't even seen -yet. The secret of the composition of this metal must be in some of -them." - -"Well, while you're getting their stuff, I suppose I'd better fly at -that job of rebuilding our drive. I'll have time enough all right, you -think?" - -"Certain of it. I have learned that their system is ample--automatic -and foolproof. They have warning long before anything can possibly -happen. They can, and do, spot trouble over a light-week away, so their -plans allow one week to perfect their defenses. You can change the -power plant over in four days, so we're well in the clear on that. I -may not be done with my studies by that time, but I shall have learned -enough to take effective action. You work on the drive and keep house. -I will study Fenachrone science and so on, answer calls, make reports, -and arrange the details of what is to happen when we come within the -volume of space assigned to our mother ship." - - * * * * * - -Thus for days each man devoted himself to his task. Loring rebuilt -the power plant of the short-ranging scout patrol into the terrific -open-space drive of the first-line battleships and performed the simple -routines of their Spartan housekeeping. DuQuesne cut himself short on -sleep and spent every possible hour in transferring to his own brain -every worth-while bit of knowledge which had been possessed by the -commander and crew of the patrol ship which he had captured. - -Periodically, however, he would close the sending circuit and -report the position and progress of his vessel, precisely on time -and observing strictly all the military minutiae called for by the -manual--the while watching appreciatively and with undisguised -admiration the flawless execution of that stupendous plan of defense. - -The change-over finished, Loring went in search of DuQuesne, whom he -found performing a strenuous setting-up exercise. The scientist's face -was pale, haggard, and drawn. - -"What's the matter, chief?" Loring asked. "You look kind of peaked." - -"Peaked is good--I'm just about bushed. This thing of getting a hundred -and ninety years of solid education in a few days would hardly come -under the heading of light amusement. Are you done?" - -"Done and checked--O.K." - -"Good! I am, too. It won't take us long to get to our destination now; -our mother ship should be just about at her post by this time." - -Now that the vessel was approaching the location assigned to it in the -plan, and since DuQuesne had already taken from the brains of the dead -Fenachrone all that he wanted of their knowledge, he threw their bodies -into space and rayed them out of existence. The other corpse he left -lying, a bloated and ghastly mass, in the forward compartment as he -prepared to send in what was to be his last flight report to the office -of the general in command of the plan of defense. - -"His high-mightiness doesn't know it, but that is the last call he is -going to get from this unit," DuQuesne remarked, leaving the sender and -stepping over to the control board. "Now we can leave our prescribed -course and go where we can do ourselves some good. First, we'll find -the _Violet_. I haven't heard of her being spotted and destroyed as a -menace to navigation, so we'll look her up and start her off for home." - -"Why?" asked the henchman. "Thought we were all done with her." - -"We probably are, but if it should turn out that Seaton is back of all -this excitement, our having her may save us a trip back to the Earth. -Ah, there she is, right on schedule! I'll bring her alongside and set -her controls on a distance-squared decrement, so that when she gets out -into space she'll have a constant velocity." - -"Think she'll get out into free space through those screens?" - -"They will detect her, of course, but when they see that she is an -abandoned derelict and headed out of their system they'll probably let -her go. It will be no great loss, of course, if they do burn her." - -Thus it came about that the spherical cruiser of the void shot away -from the then feeble gravitation of the vast but distant planet of -the Fenachrone at a frightful but constant speed. Through the outer -detector screens she tore. Searching beams explored her instantly and -thoroughly; but since she was so evidently a deserted hulk and since -the Fenachrone cared nothing now for impediments to navigation beyond -their screens, she was not pursued. - -On and on she sped, her automatic controls reducing her power in exact -ratio to the square of the distance attained; on and on, her automatic -deflecting detectors swinging her around suns and solar systems and -back upon her original right line; on and on toward the Green System, -the central system of this the First Galaxy--our own native island -universe. - - - - - III. - - -"Now we'll get ready to take that battleship." DuQuesne turned to his -aid as the _Violet_ disappeared from their sight. "Your suggestion that -one of the crew of this ship could have gone space-crazy was sound, and -I have planned our approach to the mother ship on that basis. - -"We must wear Fenachrone space suits for three reasons: First, because -it is the only possible way to make us look even remotely like them, -and we shall have to stand a casual inspection. Second, because it -is general orders that all Fenachrone soldiers must wear suits while -at their posts in space. Third, because we shall have lost most of -our air. You can wear one of their suits without any difficulty--the -surplus circumference will not trouble you very much. I, on the -contrary, cannot even get into one, since they're almost a foot too -short. - -"I must have a suit on, though, before we board the battleship; so I -shall wear my own, with one of theirs over it--with the feet cut off -so that I can get it on. Since I shall not be able to stand up or to -move around without giving everything away because of my length, I'll -have to be unconscious and folded up so that my height will not be too -apparent, and you will have to be the star performer during the first -act. - -"But this detailed instruction by word of mouth takes altogether too -much time. Put on this headset and I'll shoot you the whole scheme, -together with whatever additional Fenachrone knowledge you will need to -put the act across." - -A brief exchange of thoughts and of ideas followed. Then, every detail -made clear, the two Terrestrials donned the space suits of the very -short, but enormously wide and thick, monstrosities in semihuman form -who were so bigotedly working toward their day of universal conquest. - -DuQuesne picked up in his doubly mailed hands a massive bar of metal. -"Ready, Doll? When I swing this we cross the Rubicon." - -"It's all right by me. All or nothing--shoot the works!" - -DuQuesne swung his mighty bludgeon aloft, and as it descended the -telemental recorder sprang into a shower of shattered tubes, flying -coils, and broken insulation. The visiray apparatus went next, followed -in swift succession by the superficial air controls, the map cases, and -practically everything else that was breakable; until it was clear to -even the most casual observer that a madman had in truth wrought his -frenzied will throughout the room. One final swing wrecked the controls -of the airlocks, and the atmosphere within the vessel began to whistle -out into the vacuum of space through the broken bleeder tubes. - -"All right, Doll, do your stuff!" DuQuesne directed crisply, and threw -himself headlong into a corner, falling into an inert, grotesque huddle. - -Loring, now impersonating the dead commanding officer of the scout -ship, sat down at the manual sender, which had not been seriously -damaged, and in true Fenachrone fashion laid a beam to the mother ship. - -"Scout ship _K3296_, Sublieutenant Grenimar commanding, sending -emergency distress message," he tapped out fluently. "Am not using -telemental recorder, as required by regulations, because nearly all -instruments wrecked. Private 244C14, on watch, suddenly seized with -space insanity, smashed air valves, instruments, and controls. Opened -lock and leaped out into space. I was awake and got into suit before -my room lost pressure. My other man, 397B42, was unconscious when I -reached him, but believe I got him into his suit soon enough so that -his life can be saved by prompt aid. 244C14 of course dead, but I -recovered his body as per general orders and am saving it so that -brain lesions may be studied by College of Science. Repaired this -manual sender and have ship under partial control. Am coming toward -you, decelerating to stop in fifteen minutes. Suggest you handle this -ship with beam when approach as I have no fine controls. Signing -off--_K3296_." - -"Superdreadnought _Z12Q_, acknowledging emergency distress message of -scout ship _K3296_," came almost instant answer. "Will meet you and -handle you as suggested. Signing off--_Z12Q_." - -Rapidly the two ships of space drew together; the patrol boat now -stationary with respect to the planet, the huge battleship decelerating -at maximum. Three enormous beams reached out and, held at prow, -mid-section, and stern, the tiny flier was drawn rapidly but carefully -against the towering side of her mother ship. The double suction seals -engaged and locked; the massive doors began to open. - - * * * * * - -Now came the most crucial point of DuQuesne's whole scheme. For that -warship carried a complement of nearly a hundred men, and ten or a -dozen of them--the lock commander, surgeons and orderlies certainly, -and possibly a corps of mechanics as well--would be massed in the -airlock room behind those slowly opening barriers. But in that scheme's -very audacity lay its great strength--its almost complete assurance -of success. For what Fenachrone, with the inborn superiority complex -that was his heritage, would even dream that two members of any alien -race would have the sheer, brazen effrontery to dare to attack, -empty-handed, a full-manned Class Z superdreadnought, one of the most -formidable structures that had ever lifted its stupendous mass into the -ether? - -But DuQuesne so dared. Direct action had always been his forte. -Apparently impossible odds had never daunted him. He had always planned -his coups carefully, then followed those plans coldly and ruthlessly -to their logical and successful conclusions. Two men could do this job -very nicely, and would so do it. DuQuesne had chosen Loring with care. -Therefore he lay at ease in his armor in front of the slowly opening -portal, calmly certain that the iron nerves of his assassin aid would -not weaken for even the instant necessary to disrupt his carefully laid -plan. - -As soon as the doors had opened sufficiently to permit ingress, Loring -went through them slowly, carrying the supposedly unconscious man -with care. But once inside the opaque walls of the lock room, that -slowness became activity incarnate. DuQuesne sprang instantly to his -full height, and before the clustered officers could even perceive that -anything was amiss, four sure hands had trained upon them the deadliest -hand weapons known to the superlative science of their own race. - -Since DuQuesne was overlooking no opportunity of acquiring knowledge, -the heads were spared; but as the four furious blasts of vibratory -energy tore through those massive bodies, making of their every -internal organ a mass of disorganized protoplasmic pulp, every -Fenachrone in the room fell lifeless to the floor before he could move -a hand in self-defense. - -Dropping his weapons, DuQuesne wrenched off his helmet, while Loring -with deft hands bared the head of the senior officer of the group upon -the floor. Headsets flashed out--were clamped into place--dials were -set--the scientist shot power into the tubes, transferring to his own -brain an entire section of the dead brain before him. - -[Illustration: _DuQuesne clamped the headset into place, shot power -into it and transferred to his own brain an entire section of the brain -of the dead Fenachrone._] - -His senses reeled under the shock, but he recovered quickly, and even -as he threw off the phones Loring slammed down over his head the helmet -of the Fenachrone. DuQuesne was now commander of the airlocks, and the -break in communication had been of such short duration that not the -slightest suspicion had been aroused. He snapped out mental orders to -the distant power room, the side of the vessel opened, and the scout -ship was drawn within. - -"All tight, sir," he reported to the captain, and the _Z12Q_ began to -retrace her path in space. - -DuQuesne's first objective had been attained without untoward incident. -The second objective, the control room, might present more difficulty, -since its occupants would be scattered. However, to neutralize this -difficulty, the Earthly attackers could work with bare hands and thus -with the weapons with which both were thoroughly familiar. Removing -their gauntlets, the two men ran lightly toward that holy of Fenachrone -holies, the control room. Its door was guarded, but DuQuesne had known -that it would be--wherefore the guards went down before they could -voice a challenge. The door crashed open and four heavy, long-barreled -automatics began to vomit forth a leaden storm of death. Those pistols -were gripped in accustomed and steady hands; those hands in turn were -actuated by the ruthless brains of heartless, conscienceless, and -merciless killers. - - * * * * * - -His second and major objective gained, DuQuesne proceeded at once to -consolidate his position. Pausing only to learn from the brain of the -dead captain the exact technique of procedure, he summoned into the -sanctum, one at a time, every member of the gigantic vessel's crew. Man -after man they came, in answer to the summons of their all-powerful -captain--and man after man they died. - -"Take the educator and get some of their surgeon's skill," DuQuesne -directed curtly, after the last member of the crew had been accounted -for. "Take off the heads and put them where they'll keep. Throw the -rest of the rubbish out. Never mind about this captain--I want to study -him." - -Then, while Loring busied himself at his grisly task, DuQuesne sat at -the captain's bench, read the captain's brains, and sent in to general -headquarters the regular routine reports of the vessel. - -"All cleaned up. Now what?" Loring was as spick-and-span, as calmly -unruffled, as though he were reporting in one of the private rooms of -the Perkins Café. "Start back to the Earth?" - -"Not yet." Even though DuQuesne had captured his battleship, thereby -performing the almost impossible, he was not yet content. "There are a -lot of things to learn here yet, and I think that we had better stay -here as long as possible and learn them; provided we can do so without -incurring any extra risks. As far as actual flight goes, two men can -handle this ship as well as a hundred, since her machinery is all -automatic. Therefore we can run away any time. - -"We could not fight, however, as it takes about thirty men to handle -her weapons. But fighting would do no good, anyway, because they could -outnumber us a hundred to one in a few hours. All of which means that -if we go out beyond the detector screens we will not be able to come -back--we had better stay here, so as to be able to take advantage of -any favorable developments." - -He fell silent, frowningly concentrated upon some problem obscure to -his companion. At last he went to the main control panel and busied -himself with a device of photo cells, coils, and kino bulbs; whereupon -Loring set about preparing a long-delayed meal. - -"It's all hot, chief--come and get it," the aid invited, when he saw -that his superior's immediate task was done. "What's the idea? Didn't -they have enough controls there already?" - -"The idea is, Doll, not to take any unnecessary chances. Ah, this -goulash hits the spot!" DuQuesne ate appreciatively for a few minutes -in silence, then went on: "Three things may happen to interfere -with the continuation of our search for knowledge. First, since we -are now in command of a Fenachrone mother ship, I have to report to -headquarters on the telemental recorder, and they may catch me in a -slip any minute, which will mean a massed attack. Second, the enemy -may break through the Fenachrone defenses and precipitate a general -engagement. Third, there is still the bare possibility of that cosmic -explosion I told you about. - -"In that connection, it is quite obvious that an atomic explosion -wave of that type would be propagated with the velocity of light. -Therefore, even though our ship could run away from it, since we have -an acceleration of five times that velocity, yet we could not see -that such an explosion had occurred until the wave-front reached us. -Then, of course, it would be too late to do anything about it, because -what an atomic explosion wave would do to the dense material of this -battleship would be simply nobody's business. - -"We might get away if one of us had his hands actually on the controls -and had his eyes and his brain right on the job, but that is altogether -too much to expect of flesh and blood. No brain can be maintained at -its highest pitch for any length of time." - -"So what?" Loring said laconically. If the chief was not worried about -these things, the henchman would not be worried, either. - -"So I rigged up a detector that is both automatic and instantaneous. -At the first touch of any unusual vibration it will throw in the full -space drive and will shoot us directly away from the point of the -disturbance. Now we shall be absolutely safe, no matter what happens. - -"We are safe from any possible attack; neither the Fenachrone nor our -common enemy, whoever they are, can harm us. We are safe even from the -atomic explosion of the entire planet. We shall stay here until we get -everything that we want. Then we shall go back to the Green System. We -shall find Seaton." - -His entire being grew grim and implacable, his voice became harder and -colder even than its hard and cold wont. "We shall blow him clear out -of the ether. The world--yes, whatever I want of the Galaxy--shall be -_mine_!" - - - - - IV. - - -Only a few days were required for the completion of DuQuesne's -Fenachrone education, since not many of the former officers of the -battleship had added greatly to the already vast knowledge possessed by -the Terrestrial scientists. Therefore the time soon came when he had -nothing to occupy either his vigorous body or his voracious mind, and -the self-imposed idleness irked his active spirit sorely. - -"If nothing is going to happen out here we might as well get started -back; this present situation is intolerable," he declared to Loring -one morning, and proceeded to lay spy rays to various strategic points -of the enormous shell of defense, and even to the sacred precincts of -headquarters itself. - -"They will probably catch me at this, and when they do it will blow the -lid off; but since we are all ready for the break we don't care now how -soon it comes. There's something gone sour somewhere, and it may do us -some good to know something about it." - -"Sour? Along what line?" - -"The mobilization has slowed down. The first phase went off -beautifully, you know, right on schedule; but lately things have -slowed down. That doesn't seem just right, since their plans are all -dynamic, not static. Of course general headquarters isn't advertising -it to us outlying captains, but I think I can sense an undertone of -uneasiness. That's why I am doing this little job of spying, to get -the low-down--Ah, I thought so! Look here, Doll! See those gaps on the -defense map? Over half of their big ships are not in position--look at -those tracer reports--not a battleship that was out in space has come -back, and a lot of them are more than a week overdue. I'll say that's -something we ought to know about--" - -"Observation Officer of the _Z12Q_, attention!" snapped from the -tight-beam headquarters communicator. "Cut off those spy rays and -report yourself under arrest for treason!" - -"Not to-day," DuQuesne drawled. "Besides, I can't--I am in command here -now." - -"Open your visiplate to full aperture!" The staff officer's voice -was choked with fury; never in his long life had he been so grossly -insulted by a mere captain of the line. - -DuQuesne opened the plate, remarking to Loring as he did so; "This is -the blow-off, all right. No possible way of stalling him off now, even -if I wanted to; and I really want to tell them a few things before we -shove off." - -"Where are the men who should be at stations?" the furious voice -demanded. - -"Dead," DuQuesne replied laconically. - -"Dead! And you have reported nothing amiss?" He turned from his own -microphone, but DuQuesne and Loring could hear his savage commands: - -"_X1427_--Order the twelfth squadron to bring in the _Z12Q_!" - -He spoke again to the rebellious and treasonable observer: "And you -have made your helmet opaque to the rays of this plate, another -violation of the code. Take it off!" The speaker fairly rattled -under the bellowing voice of the outraged general. "If you live -long enough to get here, you will pay the full penalty for treason, -insubordination, and conduct unbecom--" - -"Oh, shut up, you yapping nincompoop!" snapped DuQuesne. - -Wrenching off his helmet, he thrust his blackly forbidding face -directly before the visiplate; so that the raging officer stared, from -a distance of only eighteen inches, not into the cowed and frightened -face of a guiltily groveling subordinate, but into the proud and -sneering visage of Marc C. DuQuesne, of Earth. - -And DuQuesne's whole being radiated open and supreme contempt, the -most gallingly nauseous dose possible to inflict upon any member of -that race of self-styled supermen, the Fenachrone. As he stared at the -Earthman the general's tirade broke off in the middle of a word and he -fell back speechless--robbed, it seemed, almost of consciousness by the -shock. - -"You asked for it--you got it--now just what are you going to do with -it or about it?" DuQuesne spoke aloud, to render even more trenchantly -cutting the crackling mental comments as they leaped across space, each -thought lashing the officer like the biting, tearing tip of a bull whip. - -"Better men than you have been beaten by overconfidence," he went -on, "and better plans than yours have come to nought through -underestimating the resources in brain and power of the opposition. -You are not the first race in the history of the universe to go down -because of false pride, and you will not be the last. You thought that -my comrade and I had been taken and killed. You thought so because _I_ -wanted you so to think. In reality we took that scout ship, and when we -wanted it we took this battleship as easily. - -"We have been here, in the very heart of your defense system, for ten -days. We have obtained everything that we set out to get; we have -learned everything that we set out to learn. If we wished to take it, -your entire planet could offer us no more resistance than did these -vessels, but we do not want it. - -"Also, after due deliberation, we have decided that the universe would -be much better off without any Fenachrone in it. Therefore your race -will of course soon disappear; and since we do not want your planet, -we will see to it that no one else will want it, at least for some few -eons of time to come. Think _that_ over, as long as you are able to -think. Good-by!" - - * * * * * - -Duquesne cut off the visiray with a vicious twist and turned to Loring. -"Pure boloney, of course!" he sneered. "But as long as they don't know -that fact it'll probably hold them for a while." - -"Better start drifting for home, hadn't we? They're coming out after -us." - -"We certainly had." DuQuesne strolled leisurely across the room toward -the controls. "We hit them hard, in a mighty tender spot, and they will -make it highly unpleasant for us if we linger around here much longer. -But we are in no danger. There is no tracer ray on this ship--they use -them only on long-distance cruises--so they'll have no idea where to -look for us. Also, I don't believe that they'll even try to chase us, -because I gave them a lot to think about for some time to come, even if -it wasn't true." - -But DuQuesne had spoken far more truly than he knew--his "boloney" was -in fact a coldly precise statement of an awful truth even then about to -be made manifest. For at that very moment Dunark of Osnome was reaching -for the switch whose closing would send a detonating current through -the thousands of tons of sensitized atomic copper already placed by -Seaton in their deep-buried emplantments upon the noisome planet of the -Fenachrone. - -DuQuesne knew that the outlying vessels of the monsters had not -returned to base, but he did not know that Seaton had destroyed them, -one and all, in free space; he did not know that his arch-foe was the -being who was responsible for the failure of the Fenachrone space ships -to come back from their horrible voyages. - -Upon the other hand, while Seaton knew that there were battleships -afloat in the ether within the protecting screens of the planet, he -had no inkling that one of those very battleships was manned by his -two bitterest and most vindictive enemies, the official and completely -circumstantial report of whose death by cremation he had witnessed such -a few days before. - -DuQuesne strolled across the floor of the control room, and in -mid-step became weightless, floating freely in the air. The planet had -exploded, and the outermost fringe of the wave-front of the atomic -disintegration, propagated outwardly into spherical space with the -velocity of light, had impinged upon the all-seeing and ever-watchful -mechanical eye which DuQuesne had so carefully installed. But only -that outermost fringe, composed solely of light and ultra-light, had -touched that eye. The relay--an electronic beam--had been deflected -instantaneously, demanding of the governors their terrific maximum of -power, away from the doomed world. The governors had responded in a -space of time to be measured only in fractional millionths of a second, -and the vessel leaped effortlessly and almost instantaneously into an -acceleration of five light-velocities, urged onward by the full power -of the space-annihilating drive of the Fenachrone. - -The eyes of DuQuesne and Loring had had time really to see nothing -whatever. There was the barest perceptible flash of the intolerable -brilliance of an exploding universe, succeeded in the very instant of -its perception--yes, even before its real perception--by the utter -blackness of the complete absence of all light whatever as the space -drive automatically went into action and hurled the great vessel away -from the all-destroying wave-front of the atomic explosion. - -As has been said, there were many battleships within the screens of the -distant planet, supporting a horde of scout ships according to Invasion -Plan XB218; but of all these vessels and of all things Fenachrone, -only two escaped the incredible violence of the holocaust. One was the -immense space traveler of Ravindau the scientist which had for days -been hurtling through space upon its way to a far-distant Galaxy; the -other was the first-line battleship carrying DuQuesne and his killer -aid, which had been snatched from the very teeth of that indescribable -cosmic cataclysm only by the instantaneous operation of DuQuesne's -automatic relays. - -Everything on or near the planet had of course been destroyed -instantly, and even the fastest battleship, farthest removed from the -disintegrating world, was overwhelmed without the slightest possibility -of escape. For to human eyes, staring however attentively into -ordinary visiplates, these had practically no warning at all, since -the wave-front of atomic disruption was propagated with the velocity -of light and therefore followed very closely indeed behind the narrow -fringe of visible light which heralded its coming. - -Even if one of the dazed commanders had known the meaning of the -coruscant blaze of brilliance which was the immediate forerunner of -destruction, he would have been helpless to avert it, for no hands -of flesh and blood, human or Fenachrone, could possibly have thrown -switches rapidly enough to have escaped from the advancing wave-front -of disruption; and at the touch of that frightful wave every atom of -substance, alike of vessel, contents, and hellish crew, became resolved -into its component electrons and added its contribution of energy to -the stupendous cosmic catastrophe. - - * * * * * - -Even before his foot had left the floor in free motion, however, -DuQuesne realized exactly what had happened. His keen eyes saw the -flash of blinding incandescence announcing a world's ending and sent to -his keen brain a picture; and in the instant of perception that brain -had analyzed that picture and understood its every implication and -connotation. Therefore he only grinned sardonically at the phenomena -which left the slower-minded Loring dazed and breathless. - -He continued to grin as the battleship hurtled onward through the void -at a pace beside which that of any ether-borne wave, even that of such -a Titanic disturbance as the atomic explosion of an entire planet, was -the veriest crawl. - -At last, however, Loring comprehended what had happened. "Oh, it -exploded, huh?" he ejaculated. - -"It most certainly did." The scientist's grin grew diabolical. "My -statements to them came true, even though I did not have anything to -do with their fruition. However, these events prove that caution is -all right in its place--it pays big dividends at times. I'm very glad, -of course, that the Fenachrone have been definitely taken out of the -picture." - -Utterly callous, DuQuesne neither felt nor expressed the slightest -sign of pity for the race of beings so suddenly snuffed out of -existence. "Their removal at this time will undoubtedly save me a lot -of trouble later on," he added, "but the whole thing certainly gives me -furiously to think, as the French say. It was done with a sensitized -atomic copper bomb, of course; but I should like very much to know -who did it, and why; and, above all, how they were able to make the -approach." - -"Personally, I still think it was Seaton," the baby-faced murderer put -in calmly. "No reason for thinking so, except that whenever anything -impossible has been pulled off anywhere that I ever heard of, he was -the guy that did it. Call it a hunch, if you want to." - -"It may have been Seaton, of course, even though I can't really think -so." DuQuesne frowned blackly in concentration. "It may have been -accidental--started by the explosion of an ammunition dump or something -of the kind--but I believe that even less than I do the other. It -couldn't have been any race of beings from any other planet of this -system, since they are all bare of life, the Fenachrone having killed -off all the other races ages ago and not caring to live on the other -planets themselves. No; I still think that it was some enemy from -outer space; although my belief that it could not have been Seaton is -weakening. - -"However, with this ship we can probably find out in short order who -it was, whether it was Seaton or any possible outside race. We are far -enough away now to be out of danger from that explosion, so we'll slow -down, circle around, and find out whoever it was that touched it off." - -He slowed the mad pace of the cruiser until the firmament behind them -once more became visible, to see that the system of the Fenachrone was -now illuminated by a splendid double sun. Sending out a full series -of ultra-powered detector screens, DuQuesne scanned the instruments -narrowly. Every meter remained dead, its needle upon zero; not a sign -of radiation could be detected upon any of the known communicator or -power bands; the ether was empty for millions upon untold millions -of miles. He then put on power and cruised at higher and higher -velocities, describing a series of enormous looping circles throughout -the space surrounding that entire solar system. - -Around and around the flaming double sun, rapidly becoming first a -double star and then merely a faint point of light, DuQuesne urged the -Fenachrone battleship, but his screens remained cold and unresponsive. -No ship of the void was operating in all that vast volume of ether; no -sign of man or of any of his works was to be found throughout it. - -DuQuesne then extended his detectors to the terrific maximum of their -unthinkable range, increased his already frightful acceleration to -its absolute limit, and cruised madly onward in already vast and -ever-widening spirals until a grim conclusion forced itself upon his -consciousness. Unwilling though he was to believe it, he was forced -finally to recognize an appalling fact. The enemy, whoever he might -have been, must have been operating from a distance immeasurably -greater than any that even DuQuesne's newfound knowledge could believe -possible; abounding though it was in astounding data concerning -superscientific weapons of destruction. - -He again cut their acceleration down to a touring rate, adjusted his -automatic alarms and signals, and turned to Loring, his face grim and -hard. - -"They must have been farther away than even any of the Fenachrone -physicists would have believed possible," he stated flatly. "It looks -more and more like Seaton--he probably found some more high-class help -somewhere. Temporarily, at least, I am stumped--but I do not stay -stumped long. I shall find him if I have to comb the Galaxy, star by -star!" - -Thus DuQuesne, not even dreaming what an incredibly inconceivable -distance from this Galaxy Seaton was to attain; nor what depths of -extradimensional space Seaton was to traverse before they were again -to stand face to face--cold black eyes staring straight into hard and -level eyes of gray. - - - - - V. - - -_Skylark Three_, the mightiest space ship that had ever lifted her -stupendous mass from any planet known to the humanity of this, the -First Galaxy, was hurtling onward through the absolute vacuum of -intergalactic space. Around her there was nothing--no stars, no suns, -no meteorites, no smallest particle of cosmic dust. The First Galaxy -lay so far behind her that even its vast lens showed only as a dimly -perceptible point of light in the visiplates. - -The Fenachrone space chart placed other Galaxies to right of and -to left of, above and below, the flying cruiser; but they were so -infinitely distant that their light could scarcely reach the eyes of -the Terrestrial wanderers. Equally far from them, or farther, but in -their line of flight, lay the distant Galaxy which was their goal. - -So prodigious had been the velocity of the _Skylark_, when the last -vessel of the Fenachrone had been destroyed, that she could not -possibly have been halted until she had covered more than half the -distance separating that Galaxy from our own; and Seaton and Crane -had agreed that this chance to visit it was altogether too good to -be missed. Therefore the velocity of their vessel had been augmented -rather than lessened, and for uneventful days and weeks she had bored -her terrific way through the incomprehensible nothingness of the -interuniversal void. - -After a few days of impatient waiting and of eager anticipation, -Seaton had settled down into the friendly and companionable routine -of the flight. But inaction palled upon his vigorous nature and, -physical outlet denied, he began to delve deeper and deeper into the -almost-unknown, scarcely plumbed recesses of his new mind--a mind -stored with the accumulated knowledge of thousands of generations of -the Rovol and of the Drasnik; generations of specialists in research in -two widely separated fields of knowledge. - -Thus it was that one morning Seaton prowled about aimlessly in brown -abstraction, hands jammed deep into pockets, the while there rolled -from his villainously reeking pipe blue clouds of fumes that might have -taxed sorely a less efficient air-purifier than that boasted by the -_Skylark_; prowled, suddenly to dash across the control room to the -immense keyboards of his fifth-order projector. - -There he sat, hour after hour; hands setting up incredibly complex -integrals upon its inexhaustible supply of keys and stops; gray eyes -staring unseeingly into infinity; he sat there, deaf, dumb, and blind -to everything except the fascinatingly fathomless problem upon which he -was so diligently at work. - -Dinner time came and went, then supper time, then bedtime; and Dorothy -strode purposefully toward the console, only to be led away, silently -and quietly, by the watchful Crane. - -"But he hasn't come up for air once to-day, Martin!" she protested, -when they were in Crane's private sitting room. "And didn't you tell -me yourself, that time back in Washington, to make him snap out of it -whenever he started to pull off one of his wild marathon splurges of -overwork?" - -"Yes; I did," Crane replied thoughtfully; "but circumstances here -and now are somewhat different from what they were there and then. I -have no idea of what he is working out, but it is a problem of such -complexity that in one process he used more than seven hundred factors, -and it may well be that if he were to be interrupted now he could never -recover that particular line of thought. Then, too, you must remember -that he is now in such excellent physical condition that he is in no -present danger. I would say to let him alone, for a while longer, at -least." - -"All right, Martin, that's fine! I hated to disturb him, really--I -would hate most awfully to derail an important train of thought." - -"Yes; let him concentrate a while," urged Margaret. "He hasn't indulged -in one of those fits for weeks--Rovol wouldn't let him. I think it's a -shame, too, because when he dives in like that after something he comes -up with it in his teeth--when he really thinks, he does things. I don't -see how those Norlaminians ever got anything done, when they always did -their thinking by the clock and quit promptly at quitting time, even if -it was right in the middle of an idea." - -"Dick can do more in an hour, the way he is working now, than Rovol of -Rays could ever do in ten years!" Dorothy exclaimed with conviction. -"I'm going in to keep him company--he's more apt to be disturbed by my -being gone than by having me there. Better come along, too, you two, -just as though nothing was going on. We'll give him an hour or so yet, -anyway." - -The trio then strolled back into the control room. - -But Seaton finished his computations without interruption. Some time -after midnight he transferred his integrated and assembled forces to an -anchoring plunger, arose from his irksome chair, stretched mightily, -and turned to the others, tired but triumphant. - -"Folks, I think I've got something!" he cried. "Kinda late, but it'll -take only a couple of minutes to test it out. I'll put these nets over -your heads, and then you all look into that viewing cabinet over there." - - * * * * * - -Over his own head and shoulders Seaton draped a finely woven screen -of silvery metal, connected by a stranded cable to a plug in his -board; and after he had similarly invested his companions he began to -manipulate dials and knobs. - -As he did so the dark space of the cabinet became filled with a soft -glow of light--a glow which resolved itself into color and form, a -three-dimensional picture. In the background towered a snow-capped, -beautifully symmetrical volcanic mountain; in the foreground were to -be seen cherry trees in full bloom surrounding a small structure of -unmistakable architecture; and through their minds swept fleeting -flashes of poignant longing, amounting almost to nostalgia. - -"Good heavens, Dick, what have you done now?" Dorothy broke out. "I -feel so homesick that I want to cry--and I don't care a bit whether I -ever see Japan again or not!" - -"These nets aren't perfect insulators, of course, even though I've got -them grounded. There's some leakage. They'd have to be solid to stop -all radiation. Leaks both ways, of course, so we're interfering with -the picture a little, too; but there's some outside interference that I -can't discover yet." - -Seaton thought aloud, rather than explained, as he shut off the power. - -"Folks, we _have_ got something! That's the sixth-order pattern, and -_thought_ is in that level! Those were _thoughts_--Shiro's thoughts." - -"But he's asleep, surely, by this time," Dorothy protested. - -"Sure he is, or he wouldn't be thinking that kind of thoughts. It's his -subconscious--he's contented enough when he's awake." - -"How did you work it out?" asked Crane. "You said, yourself, that it -might well take lifetimes of research." - -"It would, ordinarily. Partly a hunch, partly dumb luck, but mostly a -combination of two brains that upon Norlamin would ordinarily never -touch the same subject anywhere. Rovol, who knows everything there is -to be known about rays, and Drasnik, probably the greatest authority -upon the mind that ever lived, both gave me a good share of their -knowledge; and the combination turned out to be hot stuff, particularly -in connection with this fifth-order keyboard. Now we can really do -something!" - -"But you had a sixth-order detector before," Margaret put in. "Why -didn't we touch it off by thinking?" - -"Too coarse--I see that, now. It wouldn't react to the extremely -slight power of a thought-wave; only to the powerful impulses from a -bar or from cosmic radiation. But I can build one now that will react -to thought, and I'm going to; particularly since there was a little -interference on that picture that I couldn't quite account for." He -turned back to the projector. - -"You're coming to bed," declared Dorothy with finality. "You've done -enough for one day." - -She had her way, but early the next morning Seaton was again at the -keyboard, wearing a complex headset and driving a tenuous fabric of -force far out into the void. After an hour or so he tensed suddenly, -every sense concentrated upon something vaguely perceptible; something -which became less and less nebulous as his steady fingers rotated -micrometric dials in infinitesimal arcs. - -"Come get a load of this, folks!" he called at last. "Mart, what would -a planet--an inhabited planet, at that--be doing 'way out here, Heaven -only knows how many light-centuries away from the nearest Galaxy?" - - * * * * * - -The three donned headsets and seated themselves in their chairs in -the base of the great projector. Instantly they felt projections of -themselves hurled an incomprehensible distance out into empty space. -But that weird sensation was not new; each was thoroughly accustomed to -the feeling of duality incident to being in the _Skylark_ in body, yet -with a duplicate mentality carried by the projection to a point many -light-years distant from his corporeal substance. Their mentalities, -thus projected, felt a fleeting instant of unthinkable velocity, then -hung poised above the surface of a small but dense planet, a planet -utterly alone in that dreadful void. - -[Illustration: _Dorothy, Margaret and Crane donned headsets and seated -themselves in the base of the great projector._] - -But it was like no other planet with which the Terrestrial wanderers -were familiar. It possessed neither air nor water, and it was entirely -devoid of topographical features. It was merely a bare, mountainless, -depthless sphere of rock and metal. Though sunless, it was not dark; it -glowed with a strong, white light which emanated from the rocky soil -itself. Nothing animate was visible, nor was there a sign that any form -of life, animal or vegetable, had ever existed there. - -"You can talk if you want to," Seaton observed, noticing that Dorothy -was holding back by main strength a torrent of words. "They can't hear -us--there's no audio in the circuit." - -"What do you mean by 'they,' Dick?" she demanded. "You said it was an -inhabited planet. That one isn't inhabited. It never was, and it can't -possibly be, _ever!_" - -"When I spoke I thought that it was inhabited, in the ordinary sense -of the word, but I see now that it isn't," he replied, quietly and -thoughtfully. "But they were there a minute ago, and they'll probably -be back. Don't kid yourself, Dimples. It's inhabited, all right, and -by somebody we don't know much--or rather, by something that we knew -once--altogether too well." - -"The pure intellectuals," Crane stated, rather than asked. - -"Yes; and that accounts for the impossible location of the planet, too. -They probably materialized it out there, just for the exercise. There, -they're coming back. Feel 'em?" - -Vivid thoughts, for the most part incomprehensible, flashed from the -headsets into their minds; and instantly the surroundings of their -projections changed. With the speed of thought a building materialized -upon that barren ground, and they found themselves looking into a -brilliantly lighted and spacious hall. Walls of alabaster, giving -forth a living, almost a fluid light. Tapestries, whose fantastically -intricate designs changed from moment to moment into ever new and -ever more amazingly complex delineations. Gem-studded fountains, -whose plumes and gorgeous sprays of dancing liquid obeyed no Earthly -laws of mechanics. Chairs and benches, writhing, changing in form -constantly and with no understandable rhythm. And in that hall were the -intellectuals--the entities who had materialized those objects from the -ultimately elemental radiant energy of intergalactic space. - -Their number could not even be guessed. Sometimes only one was -visible, sometimes it seemed that the great hall was crowded with -them--ever-changing shapes varying in texture from the tenuousness of a -wraith to a density greater than that of any Earthly metal. - -So bewilderingly rapid were the changes in form that no one appearance -could be intelligently grasped. Before one outlandish and unearthly -shape could really be perceived it had vanished--had melted and -flowed into one entirely different in form and in sense, but one -equally monstrous to Terrestrial eyes. Even if grasped mentally, no -one of those grotesque shapes could have been described in language, -so utterly foreign were they to all human knowledge, history, and -experience. - -And now, the sixth-order projections in perfect synchronism, the -thoughts of the Outlanders came clearly into the minds of the four -watchers--thoughts cold, hard, and clear, diamondlike in polish and in -definition; thoughts with the perfection of finish and detail possible -only to the fleshless mentalities who for countless millions of years -had done little save perfect themselves in the technique of pure and -absolute thinking. - -The four sat tense and strained as the awful import of those thoughts -struck home; then, at another thought of horribly unmistakable meaning, -Seaton snapped off his power and drove lightning fingers over his -keyboard, while the two women slumped back, white-faced and trembling, -into their seats. - -"I thought it was funny, back there that time, that that fellow -couldn't integrate in the ninety-seven dimensions necessary to -dematerialize us, and I didn't know anything then." Seaton, his -preparations complete, leaned back in his operator's seat at the -console. "He was just kidding us--playing with us, just to see what -we'd do, and as for not being able to think his way back--phooie! -He can think his way through ninety-seven universes if he wants to. -They're certainly extragalactic, and very probably extrauniversal, and -the one that played with us could have dematerialized us instantly if -he had felt like it." - -"That is apparent, now," Crane conceded. "They are quite evidently -patterns of sixth-order forces, and as such have a velocity of anything -they want to use. They absorb force from the radiations in free space, -and are capable of diverting and of utilizing those forces in any -fashion they may choose. They would of course be eternal, and, so far -as I can see, they would be indestructible. What are we going to do -about it, Dick? What _can_ we do about it?" - -"We'll do _something_!" Seaton gritted. "We're not as helpless as they -think we are. I've got out five courses of six-ply screen, with full -interliners of zones of force. I've got everything blocked, clear down -to the sixth order. If they can think their way through those screens -they're better than I think they are, and if they try anything else -we'll do our darnedest to block that, too--and with this Norlaminian -keyboard and all the uranium we've got that'll be a mighty lot, believe -me! After that last crack of theirs they'll hunt for us, of course, -and I'm pretty sure they'll find us. I thought so--here they are! -Materialization, huh? I told him once that if he'd stick to matter that -I could understand, I'd give him a run for his money, and I wasn't -kidding him, either." - - - - - VI. - - -Far out in the depths of the intergalactic void there sped along upon -its strange course the newly materialized planet of the intellectuals. -Desolate and barren it was, and apparently destitute of life; but -life was there--eternal, disembodied life, unaffected by any possible -extreme of heat or cold, requiring for its continuance neither water -nor air, nor, for that matter, any material substance whatsoever. And -from somewhere in the vacuum above that planet's forbidding surface -there emanated a thought--a thought coldly clear, abysmally hopeless. - -"I have but one remaining aim in this life. While I have failed again, -as I have failed innumerable times in the past, I shall keep on trying -until I succeed in assembling in sufficient strength the exact forces -necessary to disrupt this sixth-order pattern which is I." - -"You speak foolishly, Eight, as does each of us now and again," came -instant response. "There is much more to see, much more to do, much -more to learn. Why be discouraged or disheartened? An infinity of time -is necessary in which to explore infinite space and to acquire infinite -knowledge." - -"Foolish I may be, but this is no simple recurrent outburst of -melancholia. I am definitely weary of this cycle of existence, and -I wish to pass on to the next, whatever of experience or of sheer -oblivion it may bring. In fact, I wish that you, One, had never worked -out the particular pattern of forces that liberated our eleven minds -from the so-called shackles of our material bodies. For we cannot die. -We are simply patterns of force eternal, marking the passage of time -only by the life cycles of the suns of the Galaxies. - -"Why, I envy even the creatures inhabiting the planets throughout -the Galaxy we visited but a moment ago. Partially intelligent though -they are, struggling and groping, each individual dying after only a -fleeting instant of life; born, growing old, and passing on in a minute -fraction of a millionth of one cycle--yet I envy even them." - -"That was the reason you did not dematerialize those you accompanied -briefly while they were flitting about in their crude space ship?" - -"Yes. Being alive for such an infinitesimal period of time, they value -life highly. Why hurry them into the future that is so soon to be -theirs?" - -"Do not dwell upon such thoughts, Eight," advised One. "They lead only -to greater and greater depths of despondency. Consider instead what we -have done and what we shall do." - -"I have considered everything, at length," the entity known as Eight -thought back stubbornly. "What benefit or satisfaction do we get out -of this continuous sojourn in the cycle of existence from which we -should have departed æons ago? We have power, it is true, but what of -it? It is barren. We create for ourselves bodies and their material -surroundings, like this"--the great hall came into being, and so vast -was the mentality creating it that the flow of thought continued -without a break--"but what of it? We do not enjoy them as lesser beings -enjoy the bodies which to them are synonymous with life. - -"We have traveled endlessly, we have seen much, we have studied much; -but what of it? Fundamentally we have accomplished nothing and we know -nothing. We know but little more than we knew countless thousands of -cycles ago, when our home planet was still substance. We know nothing -of time; we know nothing of space; we know nothing even of the fourth -dimension save that the three of us who rotated themselves into it have -never returned. And until one of us succeeds in building a neutralizing -pattern we can never die--we must face a drab and cheerless eternity of -existence as we now are." - -"An eternity, yes, but an eternity neither drab nor cheerless. We know -but little, as you have said, but in that fact lies a stimulus; we can -and shall go on forever, learning more and ever more. Think of it! But -hold--what is that? I feel a foreign thought. It must emanate from a -mind powerful indeed to have come so far." - -"I have felt them. There are four foreign minds, but they are -unimportant." - -"Have you analyzed them?" - -"Yes. They are the people of the space ship which we just mentioned; -projecting their mentalities to us here." - -"Projecting mentalities? Such a low form of life? They must have -learned much from you, Eight." - -"Perhaps I did give them one or two hints," Eight returned, utterly -indifferent, "but they are of no importance to us." - -"I am not so sure of that," One mused. "We found no others in that -Galaxy capable of so projecting themselves, nor did we find any beings -possessing minds sufficiently strong to be capable of existence without -the support of a material body. It may be that they are sufficiently -advanced to join us. Even if they are not, if their minds should prove -too weak for our company, they are undoubtedly strong enough to be of -use in one of my researches." - - * * * * * - -At this point Seaton cut off the projections and began to muster his -sixth-order defenses, therefore he did not "hear" Eight's outburst -against the proposal of his leader. - -"I will not allow it, One!" the disembodied intelligence protested -intensely. "Rather than have you inflict upon them the eternity of -life that we have suffered I shall myself dematerialize them. Much as -they love life, it would be infinitely better for them to spare a few -minutes of it than to live forever." - -But there was no reply. One had vanished; had darted at utmost speed -toward the _Skylark_. Eight followed him instantly. Light-centuries of -distance meant no more to them than to Seaton's own projector, and they -soon reached the hurtling space ship; a space ship moving with all its -unthinkable velocity, yet to them motionless--what is velocity when -there are no reference points by which to measure it? - -"Back, Eight!" commanded One abruptly. "They are inclosed in a -nullifying wall of the sixth order. They are indeed advanced in -mentality." - -"A complete stasis in the sub-ether?" Eight marveled, "That will do as -well as the pattern--" - -"Greetings, strangers!" Seaton's thought interrupted. Thoughts as -clear as those require no interpretation of language. "My projection -is here, outside the wall, but I might caution you that one touch -of your patterns will cut it off and stiffen that wall to absolute -impenetrability. I assume that your visit is friendly?" - -"Eminently so," replied One. "I offer you the opportunity of joining -us; or, at least, the opportunity of being of assistance to science in -the attempt at joining us." - -"They want us to join them as pure intellectuals, folks." Seaton turned -from the projector, toward his friends. "How about it, Dottie? We've -got quite a few things to do yet in the flesh, haven't we?" - -"I'll say we have, Dickie--don't be an idiot!" She chuckled. - -"Sorry, One!" Seaton thought again into space. "Your invitation is -appreciated to the full, and we thank you for it, but we have too many -things to do in our own lives and upon our own world to accept it at -this time. Later on, perhaps, we could do so with profit." - -"You will accept it _now_," One declared coldly. "Do you imagine that -your puny wills can withstand _mine_ for a single instant?" - -"I don't know; but, aided by certain mechanical devices of ours, I do -know that they'll do a terrific job of trying!" Seaton blazed back. - -"There is one thing that I believe you can do," Eight put in. "Your -barrier wall should be able to free me from this intolerable condition -of eternal life!" And he hurled himself forward with all his -prodigious force against that nullifying wall. - -Instantly the screen flamed into incandescence; converters and -generators whined and shrieked as hundreds of pounds of power uranium -disappeared under that awful load. But the screens held, and in an -instant it was over. Eight was gone, disrupted into the future life for -which he had so longed, and the impregnable wall was once more merely -a tenuous veil of sixth-order vibrations. Through that veil Seaton's -projection crept warily; but the inhuman, monstrous mentality poised -just beyond it made no demonstration. - -"Eight committed suicide, as he has so often tried to do," One -commented coldly, "but, after all, his loss will be felt with relief, -if at all. His dissatisfaction was an actual impediment to the -advancement of our entire group. And now, feeble intellect, I will let -you know what is in store for you, before I direct against you forces -which will render your screens inoperative and therefore make further -interchange of thought impossible. You shall be dematerialized; and, -whether your minds are strong enough to exist in the free state, your -entities shall be of some small assistance to me before you pass on to -the next cycle of existence. What substance do you disintegrate for -power?" - -"That is none of your business, and since you cannot drive a ray -through this screen you will never find out!" Seaton snapped. - -"It matters little," One rejoined, unmoved. "Were you employing pure -neutronium and were your vessel entirely filled with it, yet in a -short time it would be exhausted. For, know you, I have summoned the -other members of our group. We are able to direct cosmic forces which, -although not infinite in magnitude, are to all intents and purposes -inexhaustible. In a brief time your power will be gone, and I shall -then confer with you again." - - * * * * * - -The other mentalities flashed up in response to the call of their -leader, and at his direction arranged themselves all about the -far-flung outer screen of the _Skylark_. Then from all space, directed -inward, there converged upon the space ship gigantic streamers of -force. Invisible streamers, and impalpable, but under their fierce -impacts the defensive screens of the Terrestrial vessel flared into -even more frenzied displays of pyrotechnic incandescence than they -had exhibited under the heaviest beams of the superdreadnought of the -Fenachrone. For thousands of miles space became filled with coruscantly -luminous discharges as the uranium-driven screens of the _Skylark_ -dissipated the awful force of the attack. - -"I don't see how they can keep that up for very long." Seaton frowned -as he read his meters and saw at what an appalling rate their store -of metal was decreasing. "But he talked as though he knew his stuff. -I wonder if--um--um--" He fell silent, thinking intensely, while the -others watched his face in strained attention; then went on: "Uh-huh, I -see--he _can_ do it--he wasn't kidding us." - -"How?" asked Crane tensely. - -"But how can he, possibly, Dick?" cried Dorothy. "Why, they aren't -_anything_, really!" - -"They can't store up power in themselves, of course, but we know -that all space is pervaded by radiation--theoretically a source of -power that outclasses us as much as we outclass mule power. Nobody -that I know of ever tapped it before, and I can't tap it yet; but -they've tapped it and can direct it. The directing is easy enough to -understand--just like a kid shooting a high-power rifle. He doesn't -have to furnish energy for the bullet, you know--he merely touches off -the powder and tells the bullet where to go. - -"But we're not quite sunk yet. I see one chance; and even though it's -pretty slim, I'd take it before I would knuckle down to his nibs out -there. Eight said something a while ago, remember, about 'rotating' -into the fourth dimension? I've been mulling the idea around in my -mind. I'd say that as a last resort we might give it a whirl and take a -chance on coming through. See anything else that looks at all feasible, -Mart?" - -"Not at the present moment," Crane replied calmly. "How much time have -we?" - -"About forty hours at the present rate of dissipation. It's constant, -so they've probably focused everything they can bring to bear on us." - -"You cannot attack them in any way? Apparently the sixth-order zone of -force kills them?" - -"Not a chance. If I open a slit one kilocycle wide anywhere in the band -they'll find it instantly and it'll be curtains for us. And even if I -could fight them off and work through that slit I couldn't drive a zone -into them--their velocity is the same as that of the zone, you know, -and they'd simply bounce back with it. If I could pen them up into a -spherical--um--um--no use, can't do it with this equipment. If we had -Rovol and Caslor and a few others of the Firsts of Norlamin here, and -had a month or so of time, maybe we could work out something, but I -couldn't even start it alone in the time we've got." - -"But even if we decide to try the fourth dimension, how could you do -it? Surely that dimension is merely a mathematical concept, with no -actual existence in nature?" - -"No; it's actual enough, I think--nature's a big field, you know, and -contains a lot of unexplored territory. Remember how casually that -Eight thing out there discussed it? It isn't how to get there that's -biting me; it's only that those intellectuals can stand a lot more -grief than we can, and conditions in the region of the fourth dimension -probably wouldn't suit us any too well. - -"However, we wouldn't have to be there for more than a hundred -thousandth of a second to dodge this gang, and we could stand almost -anything that long, I imagine. As to how to do it--rotation. Three -pairs of rotating, high-amperage currents, at mutual right angles, -converging upon a point. Remembering that any rotating current exerts -its force at a right angle, what would happen?" - -"It might, at that," Crane conceded, after minutes of narrow-eyed -concentration; then, Crane-wise, began to muster objections. "But it -would not so affect this vessel. She is altogether too large, is of the -wrong shape, and--" - -"And you can't pull yourself up by your own boot straps," Seaton -interrupted. "Right--you've got to have something to work from, -something to anchor your forces to. We'd make the trip in little old -_Skylark Two_. She's small, she's spherical, and she has so little mass -compared to _Three_ that rotating her out of space would be a lead-pipe -cinch--it wouldn't even shift _Three's_ reference planes." - -"It might prove successful," Crane admitted at last, "and, if so, -it could not help but be a very interesting and highly informative -experience. However, the chance of success seems to be none too great, -as you have said, and we must exhaust every other possibility before we -decide to attempt it." - - * * * * * - -For hours then the two scientists went over every detail of their -situation, but could evolve no other plan which held out even the -slightest gleam of hope for a successful outcome; and Seaton seated -himself before the banked and tiered keyboards of his projector. - -There he worked for perhaps half an hour, then called to Crane: "I've -got everything set to spin _Two_ out to where we're going, Mart. Now if -you and Shiro"--for Crane's former "man" and the _Skylark's_ factotum -was now quite as thoroughly familiar with Norlaminian forces as he had -formerly been with Terrestrial tools--"will put some forces onto the -job of getting her ready for anything you think we may meet up with, -I'll put in the rest of the time trying to figure out a way of taking a -good stiff poke at those jaspers out there." - -He knew that the zones of force surrounding his vessel were absolutely -impenetrable to any wave propagated through the ether, and to any -possible form of material substance. He knew also that the sub-ether -was blocked, through the fifth and sixth orders. He knew that it was -hopeless to attempt to solve the problem of the seventh order in the -time at his disposal. - -If he were to open any of his zones, even for an instant, in order to -launch a direct attack, he knew that the immense mentalities to which -he was opposed would perceive the opening and through it would wreak -the Terrestrials' dematerialization before he could send out a single -beam. - -Last and worst, he knew that not even his vast console afforded any -combination of forces which could possibly destroy the besieging -intellectuals. What _could_ he do? - -For hours he labored with all the power of his wonderful brain, now -stored with all the accumulated knowledge of thousands upon thousands -of years of Norlaminian research. He stopped occasionally to eat, and -once, at his wife's insistence, he snatched a little troubled and -uneasy sleep; but his mind drove him back to his board and at that -board he worked. Worked--while the hands of the chronometer approached -more and ever more nearly the zero hour. Worked--while the _Skylark's_ -immense stores of uranium dwindled visibly away in the giving up -of their inconceivable amounts of intra-atomic energy to brace the -screens which were dissipating the inexhaustible flood of cosmic force -being directed against them. Worked--in vain. At last he glanced at -the chronometer and stood up. "Twenty minutes now--time to go," he -announced. "Dot, come here a minute!" - -"Sweetheart!" Tall though Dorothy was, the top of her auburn head -came scarcely higher than Seaton's chin. Tightly but tenderly held in -his mighty arms she tipped her head back, and her violet eyes held no -trace of fear as they met his. "It's all right, lover. I don't know -whether it's because I think we're going to get away, or because we're -together; but I'm not the least bit afraid of whatever it is that's -going to happen to us." - -"Neither am I, dear. Some way, I simply can't believe that we're -passing out; I've got a hunch that we're going to come through. We've -got a lot to live for yet, you and I, together. But I want to tell you -what you already know--that, whatever happens, I love you." - -"Hurry it up, Seatons!" - -Margaret's voice recalled them to reality, and all five were wafted -upon beams of force into the spherical launching space of the craft in -which they were to venture into the unknown. - -That vessel was _Skylark Two_, the forty-foot globe of arenak which -from Earth to Norlamin had served them so well and which had been -carried, life-boatlike, well inside the two-mile-long torpedo which was -_Skylark Three_. The massive doors were clamped and sealed, and the -five human beings strapped themselves into their seats against they -knew not what emergency. - -"All ready, folks?" Seaton grasped the ebonite handle of his master -switch. "I'm not going to tell you Cranes good-by, Mart--you know my -hunch. You got one, too?" - -"I cannot say that I have. However, I have always had a great deal of -confidence in your ability. Then, too, I have always been something of -a fatalist; and, most important of all, like you and Dorothy, Margaret -and I are together. You may start any time now, Dick." - -"All right--hang on. On your marks! Get set! _Go!_" - -As the master switch was thrown a set of gigantic plungers drove -home, actuating the tremendous generators in the holds of the massive -cruiser of space above and around them; generators which, bursting into -instantaneous and furious activity, directed upon the spherical hull -of their vessel three opposed pairs of currents of electricity; madly -spinning currents, of a potential and of a density never before brought -into being by human devices. - - - - - VII. - - -DuQuesne did not find Seaton, nor did he quite comb the Galaxy star -by star, as he had declared that he would do in that event. He did, -however, try; he prolonged the vain search to distances of so many -light-years and through so many weeks of time that even the usually -complacent Loring was moved to protest. - -"Pretty much like hunting the proverbial needle in the haystack, isn't -it, chief?" that worthy asked at last. "They could be clear back home -by this time, whoever they are. It looks as though maybe we could do -ourselves more good by doing something else." - -"Yes; I probably am wasting time now, but I hate to give it up," the -scientist replied. "We have pretty well covered this section of the -Galaxy. I wonder if it really was Seaton, after all? If he could blow -up that planet through those screens he must have a lot more stuff than -I have ever thought possible--certainly a lot more than I have, even -now--and I would like very much to know how he did it. I couldn't have -done it, nor could the Fenachrone, and if he did it without coming -closer to it than a thousand light-years--" - -"He may have been a lot closer than that," Loring interrupted. "He has -had lots of time to make his get-away, you know." - -"Not so much as you think, unless he has an acceleration of the same -order of magnitude as ours, which I doubt," DuQuesne countered. -"Although it is of course possible, in the light of what we know must -have happened, that he may have an acceleration as large as ours, or -even larger. But the most vital question now is, where did he get his -dope? We'll have to consider the probabilities and make our own plans -accordingly." - -"All right! That's your dish--you're the doctor." - -"We shall have to assume that it was Seaton who did it, because if it -was any one else, we have nothing whatever to work on. Assuming Seaton, -we have four very definite leads. Our first lead is that it must have -been Seaton in the _Skylark_ and Dunark in the _Kondal_ that destroyed -the Fenachrone ship from the wreck of which he rescued the engineer. I -couldn't learn anything about the actual battle from his brains, since -he didn't know much except that it was a zone of force that did the -real damage, and that the two strange ships were small and spherical. - -"The _Skylark_ and the _Kondal_ answer that description and, while -the evidence is far from conclusive, we shall assume as a working -hypothesis that the _Skylark_ and the _Kondal_ did in fact attack and -cut up a Fenachrone battleship fully as powerful as the one we are now -in. That, as I do not have to tell you, is a disquieting thought. - -"If it is true, however, Seaton must have left the Earth shortly after -we did. That idea squares up, because he could very well have had an -object-compass on me--whose tracer, by the way, would have been cut by -the Fenachrone screens, so we needn't worry about it, even if he did -have it once. - -"Our second lead lies in the fact that he must have got the dope on the -zone of force sometime between the time when we left the Earth and the -time when he cut up the battleship. He either worked it out himself on -Earth, got it en route, or else got it on Osnome, or at least somewhere -in the Green System. If my theory is correct, he worked it out by -himself, before he left the Earth. He certainly did not get it on -Osnome, because they did not have it. - -"The third lead is the shortness of the period of time that elapsed -between his battle with the Fenachrone warship and the destruction of -their planet. - -"The fourth lead is the great advancement in ability shown; going as he -did from the use of a zone of force as an offensive weapon, up to the -use of some weapon as yet unknown to us that works _through_ defensive -screens fully as powerful as any possible zone of force. - -"Now, from the above hypotheses, we are justified in concluding that -Seaton succeeded in enlisting the help of some ultrapowerful allies in -the Green System, on some planet other than Osnome--" - -"Why? I don't quite follow you there," put in Loring. - -"He didn't have this new stuff, whatever it is, when he met the -battleship, or he would have used it instead of the dangerous, almost -hand-to-hand fighting entailed by the use of a zone of force," DuQuesne -declared flatly. "Therefore he got it some time after that, but before -the big explosion; and you can take it from me that no one man worked -out a thing that big in such a short space of time. It can't be done. -He had help, and high-class help at that. - -"The time factor is also an argument in favor of the idea that he got -it somewhere in the Green System--he didn't have time to go anywhere -else. Also, the logical thing for him to do would be to explore the -Green System first, since it has a very large number of planets, many -of which undoubtedly are inhabited by highly advanced races. Does that -make it clearer?" - -"I've got it straight so far," assented the aid. - - * * * * * - -"We must plan our course of action in detail before we leave this -spot," DuQuesne decided. "Then we will be ready to start back for the -Green System, to find out who Seaton's friends were and to persuade -them to give us all the dope they gave him. Now pin your ears back and -listen to this, every word of it. - -"We are not nearly as ready nor as well equipped as I thought we -were--Seaton is about three laps ahead of us yet. Also, there is a lot -more to psychology than I ever thought there was before I read those -brains back there. Both of us had better get in training mentally to -meet Seaton's friends, whoever they may be, or else we probably will -not be able to get away with a thing. - -"Both of us, you especially, want to clear our minds of every thought -inimical to Seaton in any way or in even the slightest degree. You and -I are, and always have been, two of the best friends Seaton ever had -on Earth--or anywhere else, for that matter. And of course I cannot -be Marc DuQuesne, for reasons that are self-evident. From now on I am -Stewart Vaneman, Dorothy's brother--No; forget all that--too dangerous. -They may know all about Seaton's friends and Mrs. Seaton's family. -Our best line is to be humble cogs in Seaton's great machine. We -worship him from afar as the world's greatest hero, but we are not of -sufficient importance for him to know personally." - -"Isn't that carrying caution to extremes?" - -"It is not. The only thing that we are certain of concerning these -postulated beings is that they know immensely more than we do; -therefore our story cannot have even the slightest flaw in it--it must -be bottle-tight. So I will be Stewart Donovan--fortunately I haven't -my name, initials, or monogram on anything I own--and I am one of -the engineers of the Seaton-Crane Co., working on the power-plant -installation. - -"Seaton may have given them a mental picture of DuQuesne, but I will -grow a mustache and beard, and with this story they will never think -of connecting Donovan with DuQuesne. You can keep your own name, since -neither Seaton nor any of his crowd ever saw or heard of you. You are -also an engineer--my technical assistant at the works--and my buddy. - -"We struck some highly technical stuff that nobody but Seaton could -handle, and nobody had heard anything from him for a long time, so we -came out to hunt him up and ask him some questions. You and I came -together because we are just like Damon and Pythias. That story will -hold water, I believe--do you see any flaws in it?" - -"Perhaps not flaws, but one or two things you forgot to mention. How -about this ship? I suppose you could call her an improved model, but -suppose they are familiar with Fenachrone space-ship construction?" - -"We shall not be in this ship. If, as we are assuming, Seaton and his -new friends were the star actors in the late drama, those friends -certainly have mentalities and apparatus of high caliber and they would -equally certainly recognize this vessel. I had that in mind when I -shoved the _Violet_ off." - -"Then you will have the _Violet_ to explain--an Osnomian ship. However, -the company could have imported a few of them, for runabout work, since -Seaton left. It would be quicker than building them, at that, since -they already have all the special tools and stuff on Osnome." - -"You're getting the idea. Anything else?" - -"All this is built around the supposition that he will not be there -when we arrive. Suppose he _is_ there?" - -"The chances are a thousand to one that he will be gone somewhere, -exploring--he never did like to stick around in any one place. And even -in the remote possibility that he should be on the planet, he certainly -will not be at the dock when we land, so the story is still good. If he -should be there, we shall simply have to arrange matters so that our -meeting him face to face is delayed until after we have got what we -want; that's all." - -"All right; I've got it down solid." - -"Be sure that you have. Above all, remember the mental attitude toward -Seaton--hero worship. He is not only the greatest man that Earth ever -produced; he is the king-pin of the entire Galaxy, and we rate him -just a hair below the Almighty. Think that thought with every cell -of your brain. Concentrate on it with all your mind. Feel it--act -it--really believe it until I tell you to quit." - -"I'll do that. Now what?" - -"Now we hunt up the _Violet_, transfer to her, and set this cruiser -adrift on a course toward Earth. And while I think of it, we want to be -sure not to use any more power than the _Skylark_ could, anywhere near -the Green System, and cover up anything that looks peculiar about the -power plant. We're not supposed to know anything about the five-light -drive of the Fenachrone, you know." - -"But suppose that you can't find the _Violet_, or that she has been -destroyed?" - -"In that case we'll go to Osnome and steal another one just like her. -But I'll find her--I know her exact course and velocity, we have -ultrarange detectors, and her automatic instruments and machinery make -her destructionproof." - - * * * * * - -DuQuesne's chronometers were accurate, his computations were sound, -and his detectors were sensitive enough to have revealed the presence -of a smaller body than the _Violet_ at a distance vastly greater than -the few millions of miles which constituted the unavoidable error. -Therefore the Osnomian cruiser was found without trouble and the -transfer was effected without untoward incident. - -Then for days the _Violet_ was hurled at full acceleration toward -the center of the Galaxy. Long before the Green System was reached, -however, the globular cruiser was swung off her course and, mad -acceleration reversed, was put into a great circle, so that she would -approach her destination from the direction of our own solar system. -Slower and slower she drove onward, the bright green star about which -she was circling resolving itself first into a group of bright-green -points and finally into widely spaced, tiny green suns. - -Although facing the completely unknown and about to do battle, with -their wits certainly, and with their every weapon possibly, against -overwhelming odds, neither man showed or felt either nervousness or -disorganization. Loring was a fatalist. It was DuQuesne's party; he was -merely the hired help. He would do his best when the time came to do -something; until that time came there was nothing to worry about. - -DuQuesne, on the other hand, was the repose of conscious power. He had -laid his plans as best he could with the information then at hand. If -conditions changed he would change those plans; otherwise he would -drive through with them ruthlessly, as was his wont. In the meantime he -awaited he knew not what, poised, cool, and confident. - -Since both men were really expecting the unexpected, neither betrayed -surprise when something that was apparently a man materialized -before them in the air of the control room. His skin was green, as -was that of all the inhabitants of the Green System. He was tall and -well-proportioned, according to Earthly standards, except for his -head, which was overlarge and particularly massive above the eyes and -backward from the ears. He was evidently of advanced years, for his -face was seamed and wrinkled, and both his long, heavy hair and his -yard-long, square-cut beard were a snowy white, only faintly tinged -with green. - -The Norlaminian projection thickened instantly, with none of the -oscillation and "hunting" which had been so noticeable in the one -which had visited _Skylark Two_ a few months earlier, for at that -comparatively short range the fifth-order keyboard handling it -could hold a point, however moving, as accurately as a Terrestrial -photographic telescope holds a star. And in the moment of -materialization of his projection the aged Norlaminian spoke. - -[Illustration: _"I welcome you to Norlamin, Terrestrials," spoke the -projection. "I suppose that you are close friends of Seaton and Crane, -and that you come to learn why they have not communicated with you?"_] - -"I welcome you to Norlamin, Terrestrials," he greeted the two marauders -with the untroubled serenity and calm courtesy of his race. "Since you -are quite evidently of the same racial stock as our very good friends -the doctors Seaton and Crane, and since you are traveling in a ship -built by the Osnomians, I assume that you speak and understand the -English language which I am employing. I suppose that you are close -friends of Seaton and Crane and that you have come to learn why they -have not communicated with you of late?" - - * * * * * - -Self-contained as DuQuesne was, this statement almost took his breath -away, squaring almost perfectly as it did with the tale he had so -carefully prepared. He did not show his amazed gratification, however, -but spoke as gravely and as courteously as the other had done: - -"We are very glad indeed to see you, sir; particularly since we know -neither the name nor the location of the planet for which we are -searching. Your assumptions are correct in every particular save one--" - -[Illustration: _Self-contained as DuQuesne was, this statement almost -took his breath away, squaring almost perfectly as it did with the tale -he had so carefully prepared._] - -"You do not know even the name of Norlamin?" the Green scientist -interrupted. "How can that be? Did not Dr. Seaton send the projections -of all his party to you upon Earth, and did he not discuss matters with -you?" - -"I was about to explain that." DuQuesne lied instantly, boldly, and -convincingly. "We heard that he had sent a talking, three-dimensional -picture of his group to Earth, but after it had vanished all the real -information that any one seemed to have obtained was that they were -here in the Green System somewhere, but not upon Osnome, and that they -had been taught much of science. Mrs. Seaton did most of the talking, -I gather, which may account for the dearth of pertinent details. - -"Neither my friend Loring, here, nor I--I am Stewart Donovan, by the -way--saw the picture, or rather, projection. You assumed that we are -Seaton's close friends. We are engineers in his company, but we have -not the honor of his personal acquaintance. His scientific knowledge -was needed so urgently that it was decided that we should come out here -after him, since the chief of construction had heard nothing from him -for so long." - -"I see." A shadow passed over the seamed green face. "I am very sorry -indeed at what I have to tell you. We did not report anything of it to -Earth because of the panic that would have ensued. We shall of course -send the whole story as soon as we can learn what actually did take -place and can deduce therefrom the probable sequence of events yet to -occur." - -"What's that--an accident? Something happened to Seaton?" DuQuesne -snapped. His heart leaped in joy and relief, but his face showed only -strained anxiety and deep concern. "He isn't here now? Surely nothing -serious could have happened to him." - -"Alas, young friend, none of us knows yet what really occurred. It -is highly probable, however, that their vessel was destroyed in -intergalactic space by forces about which we have as yet been able -to learn nothing; forces directed by some intelligence as yet to us -unknown. There is a possibility that Seaton and his companions escaped -in the vessel you knew as _Skylark Two_, but so far we have not been -able to find them. - -"But enough of talking; you are strained and weary and you must rest. -As soon as your vessel was detected the beam was transferred to me--the -student Rovol, perhaps the closest to Seaton of any of my race--so that -I could give you this assurance. With your permission I shall direct -upon your controls certain forces which shall so govern your flight -that you shall alight safely upon the grounds of my laboratory in a -few minutes more than twelve hours of your time, without any further -attention or effort upon your part. - -"Further explanations can wait until we meet in the flesh. Until that -time, my friends, do nothing save rest. Eat and sleep without care -or fear, for your flight and your landing shall be controlled with -precision. Farewell!" - -The projection vanished instantaneously, and Loring expelled his -pent-up breath in an explosive sigh. - -"Whew! But what a break, chief, what a--" - -He was interrupted by DuQuesne, who spoke calmly and quietly, yet -insistently: "Yes, it is a singularly fortunate circumstance that the -Norlaminians detected us and recognized us; it probably would have -required weeks for us to have found their planet unaided." DuQuesne's -lightning mind found a way of covering up his companion's betraying -exclamation and sought some way of warning him that could not be -overheard. "Our visitor was right in saying that we need food and rest -badly, but before we eat let us put on the headsets and bring the -record of our flight up to date--it will take only a minute or two." - -"What's biting you, chief?" thought Loring as soon as the power was on. -"We didn't have any--" - -"Plenty!" DuQuesne interrupted him viciously. "Don't you realize that -they can probably hear every word we say, and that they can see every -move we make, even in the dark? In fact, they may be able to read -thoughts, for all I know; so _think straight_ from now on, if you never -did before! Now let's finish up this record." - -He then impressed upon a tape the record of everything that had -just happened. They ate. Then they slept soundly--the first really -untroubled sleep they had enjoyed for weeks. And at last, exactly as -the projection had foretold, the _Violet_ landed without a jar upon the -spacious grounds beside the laboratory of Rovol, the foremost physicist -of Norlamin. - - * * * * * - -When the door of the space ship opened, Rovol in person was standing -before it, waiting to welcome the voyagers and to escort them to -his dwelling. But DuQuesne, pretending a vast impatience, would not -be dissuaded from the object of his search merely to satisfy the -Norlaminian amenities of hospitality and courtesy. He poured forth his -prepared story in a breath, concluding with a flat demand that Rovol -tell him everything he knew about Seaton, and that he tell it at once. - -"It would take far too long to tell you anything in words," the ancient -scientist replied placidly. "In the laboratory, however, I can and -will inform you fully in a few minutes concerning everything that has -happened." - -Utter stranger himself to deception in any form, as was his whole race, -Rovol was easily and completely deceived by the consummate acting, both -physical and mental, of DuQuesne and Loring. Therefore, as soon as the -three had donned the headsets of the wonderfully efficient Norlaminian -educator, Rovol gave to the Terrestrial adventurers without reserve his -every mental image and his every stored fact concerning Seaton and his -supposedly ill-fated last voyage. - -Even more clearly than as if he himself had seen them all happen, -DuQuesne beheld and understood Seaton's visit to Norlamin, the story -of the Fenachrone peril, the building of the fifth-order projector, -the demolition of Fenor's space fleet, the revenge-purposed flight -of Ravindau the scientist, and the complete volatilization of the -Fenachrone planet. - -He saw Seaton's gigantic space cruiser _Skylark Three_ come into being -and, uranium-driven, speed out into the awesome void of intergalactic -space in pursuit of the last survivors of the Fenachrone race. He -watched the mighty _Three_ overtake the fleeing vessel, and understood -every detail of the epic engagement that ensued, clear to its -cataclysmic end. He watched the victorious battleship speed on and -on, deeper and deeper into the intergalactic void, until she began -to approach the limiting range of even the stupendous fifty-order -projector by means of which he knew the watching had been done. - -Then, at the tantalizing limit of visibility, something began to -happen; something at the very incomprehensibility of which DuQuesne -strained both mind and eye, exactly as had Rovol when it had taken -place so long before. The immense bulk of the _Skylark_ disappeared -behind zone after impenetrable zone of force, and it became -increasingly evident that from behind those supposedly impervious and -impregnable shields Seaton was waging a terrific battle against some -unknown opponent, some foe invisible even to fifth-order vision. - -For nothing was visible--nothing, that is, save the released energies -which, leaping through level after level, reached at last even to the -visible spectrum. Yet forces of such unthinkable magnitude were warring -there that space itself was being deformed visibly, moment by moment. -For a long time the space strains grew more and more intense, then -they disappeared instantly. Simultaneously the _Skylark's_ screens of -force went down and she was for an instant starkly visible before she -exploded into a vast ball of appallingly radiant, flaming vapor. - - * * * * * - -In that instant of clear visibility, however, Rovol's mighty mind had -photographed every salient visible feature of the great cruiser of the -void. Being almost at the limit of range of the projector, details were -of course none too plain; but certain things were evident. The human -beings were no longer aboard; the little lifeboat that was _Skylark -Two_ was no longer in her spherical berth; and there were unmistakable -signs of a purposeful and deliberate departure. - -"And," Rovol spoke aloud as he removed the headset, "although we -searched minutely and most carefully all the surrounding space we could -find nothing tangible. From these observations it is all too plain that -Seaton was attacked by some intelligence wielding dirigible forces of -the sixth order; that he was able to set up a defensive pattern; that -his supply of power-uranium was insufficient to cope with the attacking -forces; and that he took the last desperate means of escaping from his -foes by rotating _Skylark Two_ into the unknown region of the fourth -dimension." - -DuQuesne's stunned mind groped for a moment in an amazement akin to -stupefaction, but he recovered quickly and decided upon his course. - -"Well, what are you doing about it?" he snapped. - -"We have done and are doing everything possible for us, in our present -state of knowledge and advancement, to do," Rovol replied placidly. "We -sent out forces, as I told you, which obtained and recorded all the -phenomena to which they were sensitive. It is true that a great deal of -data escaped them, because the primary impulses originated in a level -beyond our present knowledge, but the fact that we cannot understand it -has only intensified our interest in the problem. It shall be solved. -After its solution we shall know what steps to take and those steps -shall then be taken." - -"Have you any idea how long it will take to solve the problem?" - -"Not the slightest. Perhaps one lifetime, perhaps many--who knows? -However, rest assured that it shall be solved, and that the condition -shall be dealt with in the manner which shall best serve the interest -of humanity as a whole." - -"But good heavens!" exclaimed DuQuesne. "In the meantime, what of -Seaton and Crane?" He was now speaking his true thoughts. Upon this, -his first encounter, he could in nowise understand the deep, calm, -timeless trend of mind of the Norlaminians; not even dimly could he -grasp or appreciate the seemingly slow but inexorably certain method -in which they pursued relentlessly any given line of research to its -ultimate conclusion. - -"If it should be graven upon the sphere that they shall pass they -may--and will--pass in all tranquility, for they know full well that it -was not in idle gesture that the massed intellect of Norlamin assured -them that their passing should not be in vain. You, however, youths of -an unusually youthful and turbulent race, could not be expected to view -the passing of such a one as Seaton from our own mature viewpoint." - -"I'll tell the universe that I don't look at things the way you do!" -barked DuQuesne scathingly. "When I go back to Earth--if I go--I shall -at least have tried. I've got a life-sized picture of myself standing -idly by while some one else tries for seven hundred years to decipher -the indecipherable!" - -"There speaks the impetuousness of youth," the old man chided. "I have -told you that we have proved that at present we can do nothing whatever -for the occupants of _Skylark Two_. Be warned, my rash young friend; do -not tamper with powers entirely beyond your comprehension." - -"Warning be damned!" DuQuesne snorted. "We're shoving off. Come on, -Loring--the quicker we get started the better our chance of getting -something done. You'll be willing to give me the exact bearing and the -distance, won't you, Rovol?" - -"We shall do more than that, son," the Green patriarch replied, while -a shadow came over his wrinkled visage. "Your life is your own, to do -with as you see fit. You have chosen to go in search of your friends, -scorning the odds against you. But before I tell you what I have in -mind, I must try once more to make you see that the courage which -dictates the useless sacrifice of a life ceases to be courage at all, -but becomes sheerest folly. - -"Since we have had sufficient power several of our youths have been -studying the fourth dimension. They rotated many inanimate objects into -that region, but could recover none of them. Instead of waiting until -they had derived the fundamental equations governing such phenomena -they rashly visited that region in person, in a vain attempt to achieve -a short cut to knowledge. Not one of them has come back. - -"Now I declare to you in all solemnity that the quest you wish to -undertake, involving as it does not only that entirely unknown region -but also the equally unknown sixth order of vibrations, is to you at -present utterly impossible. Do you still insist upon going?" - -"We certainly do. You may as well save your breath." - -"Very well; so be it. Frankly, I had but little hope of swerving you -from your purpose by reason. But before you go we shall supply you -with every resource at our command which may in any way operate to -increase your infinitesimal chance of success. We shall build for you a -duplicate of Seaton's own _Skylark Three_, equipped with every device -known to our science, and we shall instruct you fully in the use of -those devices before you set out." - -"But the time--" DuQuesne began to object. - -"A matter of hours only," Rovol silenced him. "True, it took us some -little time to build _Skylark Three_, but that was because it had -not been done before. Every force employed in her construction was -of course recorded, and to reproduce her in every detail, without -attention or supervision, it is necessary only to thread this -tape, thus, into the integrator of my master keyboard. The actual -construction will of course take place in the area of experiment, but -you may watch it, if you wish, in this visiplate. I must make a short -series of observations at this time. I will return in ample time to -instruct you in the operation of the vessel and of everything in it." - -In stunned amazement the two men stared into the visiplate, so -engrossed in what they saw there that they scarcely noticed the -departure of the aged scientist. For before their eyes there had -already sprung into being an enormous structure of laced and latticed -members of purple metal, stretching over two miles of level plain. -While it was very narrow for its length, yet its fifteen hundred feet -of diameter dwarfed into insignificance the many outlandish structures -near by, and under their staring eyes the vessel continued to take -form with unbelievable rapidity. Gigantic girders appeared in place as -though by magic; skin after skin of thick, purple inoson was welded -on; all without the touch of a hand, without the thought of a brain, -without the application of any visible force. - -"Now you can say it, Doll; there's no spy ray on us here. What a -break--what a break!" exulted DuQuesne. "The old fossil swallowed it -bodily, hook, line, and sinker!" - -"It may not be so good, though, at that, chief, in one way. He's -going to watch us, to help us out if we get into a jam, and with that -infernal telescope, or whatever it is, the Earth is right under his -nose." - -"Simpler than taking milk away from a blind kitten," the saturnine -chemist gloated. "We'll go out to where Seaton went, only farther--out -beyond the reach of his projector. There, completely out of touch with -him, we'll circle around the Galaxy back to Earth and do our stuff. -Easier than dynamiting fish in a bucket--the old sap's handing me -everything I want, right on a silver platter!" - - - - - VIII. - - -Six mighty rotating currents of electricity impinged simultaneously -upon the spherical hull of _Skylark Two_ and she disappeared utterly. -No exit had been opened and the walls remained solid, but where the -forty-foot globe of arenak had rested in her cradle an instant before -there was nothing. Pushed against by six balancing and gigantic -forces, twisted cruelly by six couples of angular force of unthinkable -magnitude, the immensely strong arenak shell of the vessel had held -and, following the path of least resistance--the only path in which -she could escape from those irresistible forces--she had shot out of -space as we know it and into the impossible reality of that hyperspace -which Seaton's vast mathematical knowledge had enabled him so dimly to -perceive. - -As those forces smote his vessel, Seaton felt himself compressed. He -was being driven together irresistibly in all three dimensions, and -in those dimensions and at the same time he was as irresistibly being -twisted--was being corkscrewed in a monstrously obscure fashion which -permitted him neither to move from his place nor to remain in it. He -hung poised there for interminable hours, even though he knew that the -time required for that current to build up to its inconceivable value -was to be measured only in fractional millionths of a single second. - -Yet he waited strainingly while that force increased at an all but -imperceptible rate, until at last the vessel and all its contents were -squeezed out of space, in a manner somewhat comparable to that in which -an orange pip is forced out from between pressing thumb and resisting -finger. - -At the same time Seaton felt a painless, but unutterably horrible, -transformation of his entire body--a rearrangement, a writhing, -crawling distortion; a hideously revolting and incomprehensibly -impossible extrusion of his bodily substance as every molecule, every -atom, every ultimate particle of his physical structure was compelled -to extend itself into that unknown new dimension. - -He could not move his eyes, yet he saw every detail of the grotesquely -altered space ship. His Earthly mentality could not understand anything -he saw, yet to his transformed brain everything was as usual and quite -in order. Thus the four-dimensional physique that was Richard Seaton -perceived, recognized, and admired as of yore his beloved Dorothy, in -spite of the fact that her normally solid body was now quite plainly -nothing but a three-dimensional surface, solid only in that logically -impossible new dimension which his now four-dimensional brain accepted -as a matter of course, but which his thinking mentality could neither -really perceive nor even dimly comprehend. - -He could not move a muscle, yet in some obscure and impossible way -he leaped toward his wife. Immobile though tongue and jaws were, yet -he spoke to her reassuringly, remonstratingly, as he gathered up her -trembling form and silenced her hysterical outbursts. - -"Steady on, dear, it's all right--everything's jake. Hold everything, -dear. Pipe down, I tell you! This is nothing to let get your goat. Snap -out of it, Red-Top!" - -"But, Dick, it's--it's just--" - -"Hold it!" he commanded. "You're going off the deep end again. I can't -say that I expected anything like this, either, but when you think -about things it's natural enough that they should be this way. You -see, while we've apparently got four-dimensional bodies and brains -now, our intellects are still three-dimensional, which complicates -things considerably. We can handle things and recognize them, but we -can't think about our physical forms, understand them, or express them -either in words or in thoughts. Peculiar, and nerve-wracking enough, -especially for you girls, but quite normal--see?" - -"Well, maybe--after a fashion. I was afraid that I had really gone -crazy back there, at first, but if you feel that way, too, I know -it's all right. But you said that we'd be gone only a skillionth of a -second, and we've been here a week already, at the very least." - -"All wrong, dear--at least, partly wrong. Time does go faster here, -apparently, so that we seem to have been here quite a while; but as -far as our own time is concerned we haven't been here anywhere near a -millionth of a second yet. See that plunger? It's still moving in--it -has barely made contact. Time is purely relative, you know, and it -moves so fast here that that plunger switch, traveling so fast that the -eye cannot follow it at all ordinarily, seems to us to be perfectly -stationary." - -"But it _must_ have been longer than that, Dick! Look at all the -talking we've done. I'm a fast talker, I know, but even I can't talk -that fast!" - -"You aren't talking--haven't you discovered that yet? You are thinking, -and we are getting your thoughts as speech; that's all. Don't believe -it? All right; there's your tongue, right there--or better, take your -heart. It's that funny-looking object right there--see it? It isn't -beating--that is, it would seem to us to take weeks, or possibly -months, to beat. Take hold of it--feel it for yourself." - -"Take _hold_ of it! My own heart? Why, it's inside me, between my -ribs--I couldn't, possibly!" - -"Sure you can! That's your intellect talking now, not your brain. -You're four-dimensional now, remember, and what you used to call your -body is nothing but the three-dimensional hypersurface of your new -hyperbody. You can take hold of your heart or your gizzard just as -easily as you used to pat yourself on the nose with a powder puff." - -"Well, I won't, then--why, I wouldn't touch that thing for a million -dollars!" - -"All right; watch me feel mine, then. See, it's perfectly motionless, -and my tongue is, too. And there's something else that I never -expected to look at--my appendix. Good thing you're in good shape, old -vermiform, or I'd take a pair of scissors and snick you off while I've -got such a good chance to do it without--" - -"Dick!" shrieked Dorothy. "For the love of Heaven--" - -"Calm down, Dottie, calm down. I'm just trying to get you used to this -mess--I'll try something else. Here, you know what this is--a new can -of tobacco, with the lid soldered on tight. In three dimensions there's -no way of getting into it without breaking metal--you've opened lots -of them. But out here I simply reach _past_ the metal of the container, -like this, see, in the fourth dimension? Then I take out a pinch of the -tobacco, so, and put it into my pipe, thus. The can is still soldered -tight, no holes in it anywhere, but the tobacco is out, nevertheless. -Inexplicable in three-dimensional space, impossible for us really to -understand mentally, but physically perfectly simple and perfectly -natural after you get used to it. That'll straighten you out some, -perhaps." - -"Well, maybe--I guess I won't get frantic again, Dickie--but just the -same, it's altogether too perfectly darn weird to suit me. Why don't -you pull that switch back out and stop us?" - -"Wouldn't do any good--wouldn't stop us, because we have already had -the impulse and are simply traveling on momentum now. When that is used -up--in some extremely small fraction of a second of our time--we'll -snap back into our ordinary space, but we can't do a thing about it -until then." - - * * * * * - -"But how can we move around so fast?" asked Margaret from the -protecting embrace of the monstrosity that they knew to be Martin -Crane. "How about inertia? I should think we'd break our bones all to -pieces." - -"You can't move a three-dimensional body that fast, as we found out -when the force was coming on," Seaton replied. "But I don't think that -we are ordinary matter any more, and apparently our three-dimensional -laws no longer govern, now that we are in hyperspace. Inertia is based -upon time, of course, so our motion might be all right, even at that. -Mechanics seem to be different here, though, and, while we seem solid -enough, we certainly aren't matter at all in the three-dimensional -sense of the term, as we used it back where we came from. But it's all -over my head like a circus tent--I don't know any more about most of -this stuff than you do. I thought, of course--if I thought at all, -which I doubt--that we'd go _through_ hyperspace in an instant of time, -without seeing it or feeling it in any way, since a three-dimensional -body cannot exist, of course, in four-dimensional space. How did we get -this way, Mart? Is this space coexistent with ours or not?" - -"I believe that it is." Crane, the methodical, had been thinking -deeply, considering every phase of their peculiar predicament. -"Coexistent, but different in all its attributes and properties. -Since we may be said to be experiencing two different time rates -simultaneously, we cannot even guess at what our velocity relation is, -in either system of coördinates. As to what happened, that is now quite -clear. Since a three-dimensional object cannot exist in hyperspace, it -of course cannot be thrown or forced through hyperspace. - -"In order to enter this region, our vessel and everything in it had to -acquire the property of extension in another dimension. Your forces, -calculated to rotate us here, in reality forced us to assume that extra -extension, which process automatically moved us from the space in which -we could no longer exist into the only one in which it is possible for -us to exist. When that force is no longer operative, our extension into -the fourth dimension will vanish and we shall as automatically return -to our customary three-dimensional space, but probably not to our -original location in that space. Is that the way you understand it?" - -"That's a lot better than I understood it, and it's absolutely right, -too. Thanks, old thinker! And I certainly hope we don't land back there -where we took off from--that's why we left, because we wanted to get -away from there. The farther the better," Seaton laughed. "Just so we -don't get so far away that the whole Galaxy is out of range of the -object-compasses we've got focused on it. We'd be lost for fair, then." - -"That is a possibility, of course." Crane took the light utterance far -more seriously than did Seaton. "Indeed, if the two time rates are -sufficiently different, it becomes a probability. However, there is -another matter which I think is of more immediate concern. It occurred -to me, when I saw you take that pinch of tobacco without opening the -tin, that everywhere we have gone, even in intergalactic space, we have -found life, some friendly, some inimical. There is no real reason to -suppose that hyperspace is devoid of animate and intelligent life." - -"Oh, Martin!" Margaret shuddered. "Life! Here? In this horrible, this -utterly impossible place?" - -"Certainly, dearest," he replied gravely. "It all goes back to -the conversation we had long ago, during the first trip of the -old _Skylark_. Remember? Life need not be comprehensible to us to -exist--compared to what we do not know and what we can never either -know or understand, our knowledge is infinitesimal." - -She did not reply and he spoke again to Seaton: - -"It would seem to be almost a certainty that four-dimensional life -does in fact exist. Postulating its existence, the possibility of an -encounter cannot be denied. Such beings could of course enter this -vessel as easily as your fingers entered that tobacco can. The point -of these remarks is this--would we not be at a serious disadvantage? -Would they not have fourth-dimensional shields or walls about which we -three-dimensional intelligences would know nothing?" - -"Sweet spirits of niter!" Seaton exclaimed. "Never thought of that at -all, Mart. Don't see how they could--and yet it does stand to reason -that they'd have some way of locking up their horses so they couldn't -run away, or so that nobody else could steal them. We'll have to do a -job of thinking on that, big fellow, and we'd better start right now. -Come on--let's get busy!" - -Then for what seemed hours the two scientists devoted the power -of their combined intellects to the problem of an adequate -fourth-dimensional defense, only and endlessly to find themselves -butting helplessly against a blank wall. - -Baffled, they drifted on through the unknowable reaches of hyperspace. -All they knew of time was that it was hopelessly distorted; of space -that it was hideously unrecognizable; of matter that it obeyed no -familiar laws. They drifted, and drifted--futilely, timelessly, -aimlessly, endlessly-- - - - - - IX. - - -When _Skylark Three_ left Norlamin in pursuit of the fleeing vessel of -Ravindau, the Fenachrone scientist, the occasion had been made an event -of world-wide interest. From their tasks everywhere had come the mental -laborers to that stupendous event. To it had come also, practically en -masse, the "youngsters" from the Country of Youth; and even those who, -their life work done, had betaken themselves to the placid Nirvana of -the Country of Age returned briefly to the Country of Study to speed -upon its epoch-making way that stupendous messenger of civilization. - -But in sharp contrast to the throngs of Norlaminians who had witnessed -the take-off of _Three_, Rovol alone was present when DuQuesne and -Loring wafted themselves into the control room of its gigantic -counterpart. DuQuesne had been in a hurry, and in the driving urge -of his haste to go to the rescue of his "friend" Seaton he had so -completely occupied the mind of Rovol that that aged scientist had had -no time to do anything except transfer to the brain of the Terrestrial -pirate the knowledge which he would so soon require. - -Of the real reason for this overweening haste, however, Rovol -had not had the slightest inkling. DuQuesne well knew what the -ancient physicist did not even suspect--that if any one of several -Norlaminians, particularly one Drasnik, First of Psychology, should -become informed of the proposed flight, that flight would not -take place. For Drasnik, that profound student of the mind, would -not be satisfied with DuQuesne's story without a thorough mental -examination--an examination which, DuQuesne well knew, he could not -pass. Therefore Rovol alone saw them off, but what he lacked in numbers -he made up in sincerity. - -"I am very sorry that the exigencies of the situation did not permit a -more seemly leave-taking," he said in parting, "but I can assure you of -the coöperation of every one of us whose brain can be of any use. We -shall watch you, and shall aid you in any way we can." - -"Farewell to you, Rovol, my friend and my benefactor, and to all -Norlamin," DuQuesne replied solemnly. "I thank you from the bottom of -my heart for everything you have done for us and for Seaton, and for -what you may yet be called upon to do for all of us." - -He touched a stud and in each of the many skins of the great cruiser a -heavy door drove silently shut, establishing a manifold seal. - -His hand moved over the controls, and the gigantic vessel tilted -slowly upward until her narrow prow pointed almost directly into the -zenith. Then, easily as a wafted feather, the unimaginable mass of -the immense cruiser of space floated upward with gradually increasing -velocity. Faster and faster she flew, out beyond measurable atmospheric -pressure, out beyond the outermost limits of the Green System, swinging -slowly into a right line toward the point in space where Seaton, his -companions, and both their space ships had disappeared. - -On and on she drove, now at high acceleration; the stars, so widely -spaced at first, crowding closer and closer together as her speed, long -since incomprehensible to any finite mind, mounted to a value almost -incalculable. Past the system of the Fenachrone she hurtled; past -the last outlying fringe of stars of our Galaxy; on and on into the -unexplored, awesome depths of free and absolute space. - -Behind her the vast assemblage of stars comprising our island universe -dwindled to a huge, flaming lens, to a small but bright lenticular -nebula, and finally to a mere point of luminosity. - -For days communication with Rovol had been difficult, since as the -limit of projection was approached it became impossible for the most -powerful forces at Rovol's command to hold a projection upon the flying -vessel. In order to communicate, Rovol had to send out a transmitting -and receiving projection. - -As the distance grew still greater, DuQuesne had done the same thing. -Now it was becoming evident, by the wavering and fading of the signals, -that even the two projections, reaching out toward each other though -they were, would soon be out of touch, and DuQuesne sent out his last -message: - -"There is no use in trying to keep in communication any longer, as our -beams are falling apart fast. I am on negative acceleration now, of an -amount calculated to bring us down to maneuvering velocity at the point -to which the inertia of _Skylark Two_ would have carried her, without -power, at the time when we shall arrive there. Please keep a listening -post established out this way as far as you can, and I will try to -reach it if I find out anything. If I fail--good-by!" - -"The poor, dumb cluck!" DuQuesne sneered as he shut off his sender and -turned to Loring. "That was so easy that it was a shame to take it, but -we're certainly set to go now." - -"I'll say so!" Loring agreed enthusiastically. "That was a nice touch, -chief, telling him to keep a lookout out here. He'll do it with forces, -of course, not in person; but at that it'll keep him from thinking -about the Earth until you're all set." - -"You've got the idea, Doll. If they had any suspicion at all that we -were heading back for the Earth they could block us yet, easily enough; -but if we can get back inside the Solar System before they smell a rat -it will be too late for them to do anything." - -He rotated his ship through an angle of ninety degrees upon her -longitudinal axis and applied enough downward acceleration to swing her -around in such an immense circle that she would approach the Galaxy -from the side opposite to that from which she had left it. - - * * * * * - -Then, during days that lengthened into weeks and months of dull and -monotonous flight, the two men occupied themselves, each in his -own individual fashion. There was no piloting to do and no need of -vigilance, for space to a distance of untold billions of miles was -absolutely and utterly empty. - -Loring, unemotional and incurious, performed what simple routine -housekeeping there was to do, ate, slept, and smoked. During the -remainder of the time he simply sat still, stolidly doing nothing -whatever until the time should come when DuQuesne would tell him to -perform some specific act. - -DuQuesne, on the other hand, dynamic and energetic to his ultimate -fiber, found not a single idle moment. His newly acquired knowledge -was so vast that he needs must explore and catalogue his own brain, -to be sure that he would be able instantly to call upon whatever -infinitesimal portion of it might be needed in some emergency. - -The fifth-order projector, with its almost infinitely complicated -keyboard, must needs be studied until its every possible resource of -integration, permutation, and combination held from him no more secrets -than does his console from a master of the pipe organ. Thus it was that -the Galaxy loomed ahead, a stupendous lens of flame, before DuQuesne -had really realized that the long voyage was almost over. - -To his present mentality, working with his newly acquired fifth-order -projector, the task of locating our Solar System was but the work of a -moment; and to the power and speed of his new space ship the distance -from the Galaxy's edge to the Earth was merely a longish jaunt. - -When they approached the Earth it appeared as a softly shining, -greenish half moon. With fleecy wisps of cloud obscuring its surface -here and there, with gleaming ice caps making of its poles two -brilliant areas of white, it presented an arrestingly beautiful -spectacle indeed; but DuQuesne was not interested in beauty. Driving -down from the empty reaches of space north of the ecliptic, he observed -that Washington was in the morning zone, and soon his great vessel was -poised motionless, invisibly high above the city. - -His first act was to throw out an ultra-powered detector screen, with -automatic trips and tighteners, around the entire Solar System; out -far beyond the outermost point of the orbit of Pluto. Its every part -remained unresponsive. No foreign radiation was present in all that -vast volume of space, and DuQuesne turned to his henchman with cold -satisfaction stamped upon his every hard lineament. - -"No interference at all, Doll. No ships, no projections, no spy rays, -nothing," he said. "I can really get to work now. I won't be needing -you for a while, and I imagine that, after being out in space so long, -you would like to circulate around with the boys and girls for a couple -of weeks or so. How are you fixed for money?" - -"Well, chief, I could do with a small binge and a few nights out among -'em, if it's all right with you," Loring admitted. "As for money, -I've got only a couple of hundred on me, but I can get some at the -office--we're quite a few pay days behind, you know." - -"Never mind about going to the office. I don't know exactly how well -Brookings is going to like some of the things I'm going to tell him, -and you're working for _me_, you know, not for the office. I've got -plenty. Here's five thousand, and you can have three weeks to spend it -in. Three weeks from to-day I'll call you on your wireless phone and -tell you what to do. Until then, do as you please. Where do you want me -to set you down? Perhaps the Perkins roof will be clear at this hour." - -"Good as any. Thanks, chief," and without even a glance to assure -himself that DuQuesne was at the controls Loring made his way through -the manifold airlocks and calmly stepped out into ten thousand feet of -empty air. - - * * * * * - -DuQuesne caught the falling man neatly with an attractor beam and -lowered him gently to the now-deserted roof of the Perkins Café--that -famous restaurant which had been planned and was maintained by the -World Steel Corporation as a blind for its underground activities. -He then seated himself at his console and drove his projection down -into the innermost private office of World Steel. He did not at first -thicken the pattern into visibility, but remained invisible, studying -Brookings, now president of that industrial octopus, the World Steel -Corporation. - -The magnate was seated as of yore in a comfortably padded chair at his -massive and ornate desk, the focus and the center of a maze of secret -private communication bands and even more secret private wires. For -Steel was a growing octopus and its voraciously insatiable maw must be -fed. - -Brookings had but one motto, one tenet--get it. By fair play at times, -although this method was employed but seldom; by bribery, corruption, -and sabotage as the usual thing; by murder, arson, mayhem, and all -other known forces of foul play if necessary or desirable--Steel got it. - -To be found out was the only sin, and that was usually only venial -instead of cardinal; for it was because of that sometimes unavoidable -contingency that Steel not only retained the shrewdest legal minds in -the world, but also wielded certain subterranean forces sufficiently -powerful to sway even supposedly incorruptible courts of justice. - -Occasionally, of course, the sin was cardinal; the transgression -irremediable: the court unreachable. In that case the octopus lost a -very minor tentacle; but the men really guilty had never been brought -to book. - -Into the center of this web, then, DuQuesne drove his projection and -listened. For a whole long week he kept at Brookings' elbow, day and -night. He listened and spied, studied and planned, until his now -gigantic mentality not only had grasped every detail of everything that -had developed during his long absence and of everything that was then -going on, but also had planned meticulously the course which he would -pursue. Then, late one afternoon, he cut in his audio and spoke. - -"I knew of course that you would try to double-cross me, Brookings, but -even I had no idea that you would make such an utter fool of yourself -as you have." - -As he heard the sneering, cutting tone of the scientist's -well-remembered voice, the magnate seemed to shrink visibly; his face -turning a pasty gray as the blood receded from it. - -"DuQuesne!" he gasped. "Where--are you?" - -"I'm right beside you, and I have been for over a week." DuQuesne -thickened his image to full visibility and grinned sardonically as -the man at the desk reached hesitantly toward a button. "Go ahead and -push it--and see what happens. Surely even you are not dumb enough to -suppose that a man with my brain--even the brain I had when I left -here--would take any chances with such a rat as you have always shown -yourself to be?" - -Brookings sank back into his chair, shaking visibly. "What are you, -anyway? You look like DuQuesne, and yet--" His voice died away. - -"That's better, Brookings. Don't ever start anything that you can't -finish. You are and always were a physical coward. You're one of the -world's best at bossing dirty work from a distance, but as soon as it -gets close to you you fold up like an accordion. - -"As to what this is that I am talking and seeing from, it is -technically known as a projection. You don't know enough to understand -it even if I should try to explain it to you, which I have no intention -of doing. It's enough for you to know that it is something that -has all the advantages of an appearance in person, and none of the -disadvantages. None of them--remember that word. - -"Now I'll get down to business. When I left here I told you to hold -your cockeyed ideas in check--that I would be back in less than five -years, with enough stuff to do things in a big way. You didn't wait -five days, but started right in with your pussyfooting and gumshoeing -around, with the usual result--instead of cleaning up the mess, you -made it messier than ever. You see, I've got all the dope on you--I -even know that you were going to try to gyp me out of my back pay." - -"Oh, no, doctor; you are mistaken, really," Brookings assured him. He -was fast regaining his usual poise, and his mind was again functioning -in its wonted devious fashion. "We have really been trying to carry on -until you got back, exactly as you told us to. And your salary has been -continued in full, of course--you can draw it all at any time." - -"I know I can, in spite of you. However, I am no longer interested -in money. I never cared for it except for the power it gave, and I -have brought back with me power far beyond that of money. Also I have -learned that knowledge is even greater than power. I have also learned, -too, however, that in order to increase my present knowledge--yes, even -to protect that which I already have--I shall soon need a supply of -energy a million times greater than the present peak output of all the -generators of Earth. As a first step in my project I am taking control -of Steel right now, and I am going to do things the way they should be -done." - -"But you can't do that, doctor!" protested Brookings volubly. "We will -give you anything you ask, of course, but--" - -"But nothing!" interrupted DuQuesne. "I'm not asking a thing of you, -Brookings--I'm _telling_ you!" - -"You think you are!" Brookings, goaded to action at last, pressed a -button savagely, while DuQuesne looked on in calm contempt. - - * * * * * - -Behind the desk, ports flashed open and rifles roared thunderously in -the confined space. Heavy bullets tore through the peculiar substance -of the projection and smashed into the plastered wall behind it, but -DuQuesne's contemptuous grin did not change. He moved slowly forward, -hands outthrust. Brookings screamed once--a scream that died away to a -gurgle as fingers of tremendous strength closed about his flabby neck. - -There had been four riflemen on guard. Two of them threw down their -guns and fled in panic, amazed and terrified at the failure of their -bullets to take effect. Those guards died in their tracks as they ran. -The other two rushed upon DuQuesne with weapons clubbed. But steel -barrel and wooden stock alike rebounded harmlessly from that pattern of -force, fiercely driven knives penetrated it but left no wound, and the -utmost strength of the two brawny men could not even shift the position -of the weird being's inhumanly powerful fingers upon the throat of -their employer. Therefore they stopped their fruitless attempts at a -rescue and stood, dumfounded. - -"Good work, boys," DuQuesne commended. "You've got nerve--that's -why I didn't bump you off. You can keep on guarding this idiot here -after I get done teaching him a thing or two. As for you, Brookings," -he continued, loosening his grip sufficiently so that his victim -could retain consciousness, "I let you try that to show you the real -meaning of futility. I told you particularly to remember that this -projection has _none_ of the disadvantages of a personal appearance, -but apparently you didn't have enough brain power to grasp the thought. -Now, are you going to work with me the way I want you to or not?" - -"Yes, yes--I'll do anything you say," Brookings promised. - -"All right, then." DuQuesne resumed his former position in front of -the desk. "You are wondering why I didn't finish choking you to death, -since you know that I am not at all squeamish about such things. I'll -tell you. I didn't kill you because I may be able to use you. I am -going to make World Steel the real government of the Earth, and its -president will therefore be dictator of the world. I do not want the -job myself because I will be too busy extending and consolidating -my authority, and with other things, to bother about the details of -governing the planet. As I have said before, you are probably the best -manager alive to-day; but when it comes to formulating policies you're -a complete bust. I am giving you the job of world dictator under one -condition--that you run it _exactly_ as I tell you to." - -"Ah, a wonderful opportunity, doctor! I assure you that--" - -"Just a minute, Brookings! I can read your mind like an open book. You -are still thinking that you can slip one over on me. Know now, once -and for all, that it can't be done. I am keeping on you continuously -automatic devices that are recording every order that you give, every -message that you receive or send, and every thought that you think. -The first time that you try any more of your funny work on me I will -come back here and finish up the job I started a few minutes ago. Play -along with me and you can run the Earth as you please, subject only to -my direction in broad matters of policy; try to double-cross me and you -pass out of the picture. Get me?" - -"I understand you thoroughly." Brookings' agile mind flashed over -the possibilities of DuQuesne's stupendous plan. His eyes sparkled -as he thought of his own place in that plan, and he became his usual -blandly alert self. "As world dictator, I would of course be in a -higher place than any that World Steel, as at present organized, could -possibly offer. Therefore I will be glad to accept your offer, without -reservations. Now, if you will go ahead and give me an outline of what -you propose. I will admit that I did harbor a few mental reservations -at first, but you have convinced me that you actually can deliver the -goods." - -"That's better. I will show you very shortly whether I can deliver. -I have prepared full plans for the rebuilding of all our stations -and Seaton's into my new type of power plant for the erection of a -new plant at every strategic point throughout the world, and for -interlocking all these stations into one system. Here they are." A -bound volume of data and a mass of blue prints materialized in the air -and dropped upon the desk. "As soon as I have gone you can call in the -chiefs of the engineering staff and put them to work." - -"I perceive what seem to me to be obstacles," Brookings remarked, after -his practiced eye had run over the salient points of the project and -he had leafed over the pile of blue prints. "We have not been able to -do anything with Seaton's plants because of their enormous reserves of -power, and his number one plant is to be the key station of our new -network. Also, there simply are not men enough to do this work. These -are slack times, I know, but even if we could get every unemployed man -we still would not have enough. And, by the way, what became of Seaton? -He apparently has not been around for some time." - -"You needn't worry about Seaton's plants--I'll line them up for you -myself. As for Seaton, he was chased into the fourth dimension. He -hasn't got back yet, and he probably won't; as I will explain to his -crowd when I take them over. As for men, we shall have the combined -personnel of all the armies and navies of the world. You think that -even that force won't be enough, but it will. As you go over those -plans in detail, you will see that by the proper use of dirigible -forces we shall have plenty of man power." - -"How do you intend to subdue the armies and navies of the world?" - -"It would take too long to go into detail. Turn on that radio there -and listen, however, and you'll get it all--in fact, being on the -inside, you'll be able to do a lot of reading between the lines that no -one else will. Also, what I am going to do next will settle the doubt -that is still in your mind as to whether I've really got the stuff." - - * * * * * - -The projection vanished, and in a few minutes every radio receiving -set throughout the world burst into stentorian voice. DuQuesne was -broadcasting simultaneously upon every channel from five meters -to five thousand, using a wave of such tremendous power that even -two-million-watt stations were smothered at the very bases of their own -transmitting towers. - -"People of Earth, attention!" the speakers blared. "I am speaking -for the World Steel Corporation. From this time on the governments -of all nations of the Earth will be advised and guided by the World -Steel Corporation. For a long time I have sought some method of doing -away with the stupidities of the present national governments. I have -studied the possibilities of doing away with war and its attendant -horrors. I have considered all feasible methods of correcting your -present economic system, under which you have had constantly recurring -cycles of boom and panic. - -"Most of you have thought for years that something should be done -about all these things. You are not only unorganized, however; you are -and always have been racially distrustful and hence easily exploited -by every self-seeking demagogue who has arisen to proclaim the dawn -of a new day. Thus you have been able to do nothing to improve world -conditions. - -"It was not difficult to solve the problem of the welfare of mankind. -It was quite another matter, however, to find a way of enforcing -that solution. At last I have found it. I have developed a power -sufficiently great to compel world-wide disarmament and to inaugurate -productive employment of all men now bearing arms, as well as all -persons now unemployed, at shorter hours and larger wages than any -heretofore known. I have also developed means whereby I can trace -with absolute certainty the perpetrators of any known crime, past or -present; and I have both the power and the will to deal summarily with -habitual criminals. - -"The revolution which I am accomplishing will harm no one except -parasites upon the body politic. National boundaries and customs shall -remain as they now are. Governments will be overruled only when and as -they impede the progress of civilization. War, however, will not be -tolerated. I shall prevent it, not by killing the soldiers who would do -the actual fighting, but by putting out of existence every person who -attempts to foment strife. Those schemers I shall kill without mercy, -long before their plans shall have matured. - -"Trade shall be encouraged, and industry. Prosperity shall be -world-wide and continuous, because of the high level of employment and -remuneration. I do not ask you to believe all this, I am merely telling -you. Wait and see--it will come true in less than thirty days. - -"I shall now demonstrate my power by rendering the navy of the United -States helpless, without taking a single life. I am now poised low over -the city of Washington. I invite the Seventieth Bombing Squadron, which -I see has already taken to the air, to drop their heaviest bombs upon -me. I shall move out over the Potomac, so that the fragments will do -no damage, and I shall not retaliate. I could wipe out that squadron -without effort, but I have no desire to destroy brave men who are only -obeying blindly the dictates of an outworn system." - - * * * * * - -The space ship, which had extended across the city from Chevy Chase -to Anacostia, moved out over the river, followed by the relatively -tiny bombers. After a time the entire countryside was shaken by the -detonations of the world's heaviest projectiles, but DuQuesne's cold, -clear voice went on: - -"The bombers have done their best, but they have not even marred the -outer plating of my ship. I will now show you what I can do if I should -decide to do it. There is an obsolete battleship anchored off the Cape, -which was to have been sunk by naval gunfire. I direct a force upon -it--it is gone; volatilized almost instantly. - -"I am now over Sandy Hook. I am not destroying the coast-defense -guns, as I cannot do so without killing men. Therefore I am simply -uprooting them and am depositing them gently upon the mud flats of the -Mississippi River, at St. Louis, Missouri. Now I am sending out a force -to each armed vessel of the United States navy, wheresoever situated -upon the face of the globe. - -"At such speed as is compatible with the safety of the personnel, I am -transporting those vessels through the air toward Salt Lake City, Utah. -To-morrow morning every unit of the American navy will float in Great -Salt Lake. If you do not believe that I am doing this, read in your own -newspaper to-morrow that I have done it. - -[Illustration: _"To-morrow morning," the cold, clear voice went on, -"every unit of the American navy will float in Great Salt Lake."_] - -"To-morrow I shall treat similarly the navies of Great Britain, France, -Italy, Japan, and the other maritime nations. I shall deal then with -the naval bases of the world and with the military forces and their -fortifications. - -"I have already taken steps to abate the nuisance of certain widely -known criminals and racketeers who have been conducting, quite openly -and flagrantly, a reign of terror for profit. Seven of those men have -already died, and ten more are to die to-night. Your homes shall -be safe from the kidnaper; your businesses shall be safe from the -extortioner and his skulking aid, the dynamiter. - -"In conclusion, I tell you that the often-promised new era is here; not -in words, but in actuality. Good-by until to-morrow." - -DuQuesne flashed his projection down into Brookings' office. "Well, -Brookings, that's the start. You understand now what I am going to do, -and you know that I can do it." - -"Yes. You undoubtedly have immense power, and you have taken exactly -the right course to give us the support of a great number of people who -would ordinarily be bitterly opposed to anything we do. But that talk -of wiping out gangsters and racketeers sounded funny, coming from you." - -"Why should it? We are now beyond that stage. And, while public opinion -is not absolutely necessary to our success it is always a potent force. -No program of despotism, however benevolent, can expect to be welcomed -unanimously; but the course I have outlined will at least divide the -opposition." - -DuQuesne cut off his forces and sat back at the controls, relaxed, -his black eyes staring into infinity. Earth was his, to do with as -he wished; and he would soon have it so armed that he could hold it -against the universe. Master of Earth! His highest ambition had been -attained--or had it? The world, after all, was small--merely a mote in -space. Why not be master of the entire Galaxy? There was Norlamin to be -considered, of course-- - -Norlamin! - -Norlamin would not like the idea and would have to be pacified. - -As soon as he got the Earth straightened out he would have to see what -could be done about Norlamin. - - - - - X. - - -"Dick!" Dorothy shrieked, flashing to Seaton's side; and, abandoning -his fruitless speculations, he turned to confront two indescribable, -yet vaguely recognizable, entities who had floated effortlessly into -the control room of the _Skylark_. Large they were, and black--a dull, -lusterless black--and each was possessed of four huge, bright lenses -which apparently were eyes. "Dick! What are they, anyway?" - -"Life, probably; the intelligent, four-dimensional life that Mart fully -expected to find here," Seaton answered. "I'll see if I can't send them -a thought." - -Staring directly into those expressionless lenses the man sent out wave -after wave of friendly thought, without result or reaction. He then -turned on the power of the mechanical educator and donned a headset, -extending another toward one of the weird visitors and indicating as -clearly as he could by signs that it was to be placed back of the -outlandish eyes. Nothing happened, however, and Seaton snatched off the -useless phones. - -"Might have known they wouldn't work!" he snorted. "Electricity! Too -slow--and those tubes probably won't be hot in less than ten years -of this hypertime, besides. Probably wouldn't have been any good, -anyway--their minds would of course be four-dimensional, and ours most -distinctly are not. There may be some point--or rather, plane--of -contact between their minds and ours, but I doubt it. They don't act -warlike, though; we'll simply watch them a while and see what they do." - -But if, as Seaton had said, the intruders did not seem inimical, -neither were they friendly. If any emotion at all affected them, it was -apparently nothing more nor less than curiosity. They floated about, -gliding here and there, their great eyes now close to this article, -now that; until at last they floated _past_ the arenak wall of the -spherical space ship and disappeared. - -Seaton turned quickly to his wife, ready to minister again to -overstrained nerves, but much to his surprise he found Dorothy calm and -intensely interested. - -"Funny-looking things, weren't they, Dick?" she asked animatedly. "They -looked just like highly magnified chess knights with four hands; or -like those funny little sea horses they have in the aquarium, only on a -larger scale. Were those propellers they had instead of tails natural -or artificial--could you tell?" - -"Huh? What're you talking about? I didn't see any such details as -that!" Seaton exclaimed. - -"I couldn't, either, really," Dorothy explained, "until after I found -out how to look at them. I don't know whether my method would appeal -to a strictly scientific mind or not. I can't understand any of this -fourth-dimensional, mathematical stuff of yours and Martin's, anyway, -so when I want to see anything out here I just pretend that the -fourth dimension isn't there at all. I just look at what you call the -three-dimensional surface and it looks all right. When I look at you -that way, for instance, you look like my own Dick, instead of like a -cubist's four-dimensional nightmare." - -"You have hit it, Dorothy." Crane had been visualizing four-dimensional -objects as three-dimensional while she was speaking. "That is probably -the only way in which we can really perceive hyperthings at all." - -"It _does_ work, at that!" Seaton exclaimed. "Congratulations, Dot; -you've made a contribution to science--but say, what's coming off now? -We're going somewhere." - - * * * * * - -For the _Skylark_, which had been floating freely in space--a motion -which the senses of the wanderers had long since ceased to interpret -as a sensation of falling--had been given an acceleration. Only a -slight acceleration, barely enough to make the floor of the control -room seem "down," but any acceleration at all in such circumstances was -to the scientists cause for grave concern. - -"Nongravitational, of course, or we couldn't feel it--it'd affect -everything about the ship alike. What's the answer, Mart, if any?" -Seaton demanded. "Suppose that they've taken hold of us with a tractor -ray and are taking us for a ride?" - -"It would appear that way. I wonder if the visiplates are still -practical?" Crane moved over to number one visiplate and turned it in -every direction. Nothing was visible in the abysmal, all-engulfing, -almost palpable darkness of the absolute black outside the hull of the -vessel. - -"It wouldn't work, hardly," Seaton commented. "Look at our time -here--we must be 'way beyond light. I doubt if we could see anything, -even if we had a sixth-order projector--which of course we haven't." - -"But how about our light inside here, then?" asked Margaret. "The lamps -are burning, and we can see things." - -"I don't know, Peg," Seaton replied. "All this stuff is 'way past me. -Maybe it's because the lights are traveling with us--no, that's out. -Probably, as I intimated before, we aren't seeing things at all--just -feeling them, some way or other. That must be it, I think--it's sure -that the light-waves from those lamps are almost perfectly stationary, -as far as we're concerned." - -"Oh, there's something!" Dorothy called. She had remained at the -visiplate, staring into the impenetrable darkness. "See, it just -flashed on! We're falling toward ground of some kind. It doesn't look -like any planet I ever saw before, either--it's perfectly endless and -it's perfectly flat." - -The others rushed to the plates and saw, instead of the utter -blackness of a moment before, an infinite expanse of level, uncurving -hyperland. Though so distant from it that any planetary curvature -should have been evident, they could perceive no such curvature. Flat -that land was, and sunless, but apparently self-luminous; glowing with -a strong, somewhat hazy, violet light. And now they could also see -the craft which had been towing them. It was a lozenge-shaped affair, -glowing fiercely with the peculiarly livid "light" of the hyperplanet; -and was now apparently exerting its maximum tractive effort in a vain -attempt to hold the prodigious mass of _Skylark Two_ against the -seemingly slight force of gravitation. - -"Must be some kind of hyperlight that we're seeing by," Seaton -cogitated. "Must be sixth or seventh-order velocity, at least, or we'd -be--" - -"Never mind the light or our seeing things!" Dorothy interrupted. "We -are falling, and we shall probably hit hard. Can't you do something -about it?" - -"Afraid not, Kitten." He grinned at her. "But I'll try it--Nope, -everything's dead. No power, no control, no nothing, and there won't be -until we snap back where we belong. But don't worry about a crash. Even -if that ground is solid enough to crash us, and I don't think it is, -everything out here, including gravity, seems to be so feeble that it -won't hurt us any." - -Scarcely had he finished speaking when the _Skylark_ struck--or, -rather, floated gently downward into the ground. For, slight as was -the force of gravitation, and partially counteracted as well by the -pull of the towing vessel, the arenak globe did not even pause as -it encountered the apparently solid rock of the planet's surface. -That rock billowed away upon all sides as the _Skylark_ sank into it -and through it, to come to a halt only after her mass had driven a -vertical, smooth-sided well some hundreds of feet in depth. - -Even though the Osnomian metal had been rendered much less dense than -normal by its extrusion and expansion into the fourth dimension, yet it -was still so much denser than the unknown material of the hyperplanet -that it sank into that planet's rocky soil as a bullet sinks into thick -jelly. - -"Well, that's that!" Seaton declared. "Thinness and tenuosity, as well -as feebleness, seem to be characteristics of this hypermaterial. Now -we'll camp here peacefully for a while. Before they succeed in digging -us out--if they try it, which they probably will--we'll be gone." - - * * * * * - -Again, however, the venturesome and impetuous chemist was wrong. Feeble -the hypermen were, and tenuous, but their curiosity was whetted even -sharper than before. Derricks were rigged, and slings; but even before -the task of hoisting the _Skylark_ to the surface of the planet was -begun, two of the peculiar denizens of the hyperworld were swimming -down through the atmosphere of the four-dimensional well at whose -bottom the Earth vessel lay. Past the arenak wall of the cruiser they -dropped, and into the control room they floated. - -"But I do not understand it at all, Dick," Crane had been arguing. -"Postulating the existence of a three-dimensional object in -four-dimensional space, a four-dimensional being could of course -enter it at will, as your fingers entered that tobacco can. But since -all objects here are in fact and of necessity four-dimensional, that -condition alone should bar any such proceeding. Therefore, since you -actually _did_ take the contents out of that can without opening it, -and since our recent visitors actually _did_ enter and leave our -vessel at will, I can only conclude that we must still be essentially -three-dimensional in nature, even though constrained temporarily to -occupy four-dimensional space." - -"Say, Mart, that's a thought! You're still the champion -ground-and-lofty thinker of the universe, aren't you? That explains -a lot of things I've been worrying myself black in the face about. I -think I can explain it, too, by analogy. Imagine a two-dimensional man, -one centimeter wide and ten or twelve centimeters long; the typical -flatlander of the classical dimensional explanations. There he is, in -a plane, happy as a clam and perfectly at home. Then some force takes -him by one end and rolls him up into a spiral, or sort of semisolid -cylinder, one centimeter long. He won't know what to make of it, but -in reality he'll be a two-dimensional man occupying three-dimensional -space. - -"Now imagine further that we can see him, which of course is a pretty -tall order, but necessary since this is a very rough analogy. We -wouldn't know what to make of him, either, would we? Doesn't that -square up with what we're going through now? We'd think that such a -thing was quite a curiosity and want to find out about it, wouldn't we? -That, I think, explains the whole thing, both our sensations and the -actions of those sea horses--huh! Here they are again. Welcome to our -city, strangers!" - -But the intruders made no sign of understanding the message. They did -not, could not, understand. - -The human beings, now using Dorothy's happily discovered method of -dimensional reduction, saw that the hypermen did indeed somewhat -resemble overgrown sea horses--the hippocampus of Earthly zoölogy--but -sea horses each equipped with a writhing, spinning, air-propeller tail -and with four long and sinuous arms, terminating in many dexterous and -prehensile fingers. - -[Illustration: _Using Dorothy's method of dimensional reduction, Seaton -and the Cranes saw that the hypermen did indeed somewhat resemble -overgrown sea horses._] - -Each of those hands held a grappling trident; a peculiar, -four-dimensional hyperforceps whose insulated, interlocking teeth -were apparently electrodes--conductors of some hyperequivalent of our -Earthly electricity. With unmoved, expressionless "faces" the two -visitors floated about the control room, while Seaton and Crane sent -out wave after wave of friendly thought and made signs of friendship in -all the various pantomimic languages at their command. - -"Look out, Mart, they're coming this way! I don't want to start -anything hostile, but I don't particularly like the looks of those -toad-stabbers of theirs, and if they start any funny business with them -maybe we'd better wring their fishy little necks!" - -But there was to be no neck-wringing--then. Slight of strength the -hypermen were, and of but little greater density than the thin air -through which they floated so easily; but they had no need of physical -strength--then. - -Four tridents shot out, and in a monstrously obscure fashion reached -_past_ clothing, skin, and ribs; seizing upon and holding firmly, but -painlessly and gently, the vital nervous centers of the human bodies. -Seaton tried to leap to the attack, but even his quickness was of -no avail--even before he moved, a wave of intolerable agony surged -throughout his being, ceasing only and completely when he relaxed, -relinquishing his pugnacious attempt. Shiro, leaping from the galley -with cleaver upraised, was similarly impaled and similarly subdued. - -Then a hoisting platform appeared, and Seaton and Margaret were forced -to board it. They had no choice; the first tensing of the muscles to -resist the will of the hyperman was quelled instantly by a blast of -such intolerable torture that no human body could possibly defy it for -even the slightest perceptible instant of time. - -"Take it easy, Dot--Mart," Seaton spoke rapidly as the hoist started -upward. "Do whatever they say--no use taking much of that stuff--until -Peg and I get back. We'll get back, too, believe me! They'll _have_ -to take these meat hooks out of us sometime, and when they do they'll -think a cyclone has broken loose." - - - - - XI. - - -Raging but impotent, Seaton stood motionless beside his friend's wife -upon the slowly rising lift; while Crane, Dorothy, and Shiro remained -in the control room of the _Skylark_. All were helpless, incapable -alike of making a single movement not authorized by their grotesque -captors. Feeble the hypermen were, as has been said; but at the first -tensing of a human muscle in revolt there shot from the insulated teeth -of the grappling hypertrident such a terrific surge of unbearably -poignant torture that any thought of resistance was out of the question. - -Even Seaton--fighter by instinct though he was, and reckless as -he was and desperate at the thought of being separated from his -beloved Dorothy--had been able to endure only three such shocks. The -unimaginable anguish of the third rebuke, a particularly vicious and -long-continued wrenching and wringing of the most delicate nerve -centers of his being, had left him limp and quivering. He was still -furious, still bitterly humiliated. His spirit was willing, but he was -physically unable to drive his fiendishly tortured body to further acts -of rebellion. - -Thus it was that the improvised elevator of the hypermen carried two -docile captives as it went _past_--not _through_--the spherical arenak -shell of _Skylark Two_ and up the mighty well which the vessel had -driven in its downward plunge. The walls of that pit were glassily -smooth; or, more accurately, were like slag: as though the peculiarly -unsubstantial rock of the hyperplanet had been actually melted by the -force of the cruiser's descent, easy and gradual as the fall had seemed -to the senses of the Terrestrials. - -It was apparent also that the hypermen were having difficulty in -lifting the, to them, tremendous weight of the two human bodies. The -platform would go up a few feet, then pause. Up and pause, up and -pause; again and again. But at last they reached the top of the well, -and, wretched as he was, Seaton had to grin when he perceived that -they were being lifted by a derrick, whose overdriven engine, attended -though it was by a veritable corps of mechanics, could lift them only -a few feet at a time. Coughing and snorting, it ran slower and slower -until, released from the load, it burst again into free motion to build -up sufficient momentum to lift them another foot or so. - -And all about the rim of that forty-foot well there were being erected -other machines. Trusses were rising into the air, immense chains -were being forged, and additional motors were being assembled. It -was apparent that the _Skylark_ was to be raised; and it was equally -evident that to the hypermen that raising presented an engineering -problem of no small magnitude. - -"She'll be right here when we get back, Peg, as far as those jaspers -are concerned," Seaton informed his companion. "If they have to slip -their clutches to lift the weight of just us two, they'll have one -sweet job getting the old _Skylark_ back up here. They haven't got -the slightest idea of what they're tackling--they can't begin to pile -enough of that kind of machinery in this whole part of the country to -budge her." - -"You speak as though you were quite certain of our returning," Margaret -spoke somberly. "I wish that I could feel that way." - -"Sure I'm certain of it," Seaton assured her. "I've got it all figured -out. Nobody can maintain one hundred per cent vigilance forever, and -as soon as I get back into shape from that last twisting they gave me, -I'll be fast enough to take advantage of the break when it comes." - -"Yes; but suppose it doesn't come?" - -"It's bound to come sometime. The only thing that bothers me is -that I can't even guess at when we're due to snap back into our own -three-dimensional space. Since we couldn't detect any motion in an -ether wave, though, I imagine that we'll have lots of time, relatively -speaking, to get back here before the _Skylark_ leaves. Ah! I wondered -if they were going to make us walk to wherever it is they're taking us, -but I see we ride--there comes something that must be an airship. Maybe -we can make our break now instead of later." - -But the hyperman did not relax his vigilance for an instant as the -vast, vague bulk of the flier hovered in the air beside their elevator. -A port opened, a short gangplank shot out, and under the urge of -the punishing trident the two human beings stepped aboard. A silent -flurry ensued among the weird crew of the vessel as its huge volume -sank downward under the unheard-of mass of the two captives, but no -opportunity was afforded for escape--the gripping trident did not -relax, and at last the amazed officers succeeded in driving their -motors sufficiently to lift the prodigious load into the air of the -hyperplanet. - -"Take a good, long look around, Peg, so that you can help find our -way back," Seaton directed, and pointed out through the peculiarly -transparent wall of their conveyance. "See those three peaks over -there, the only hills in sight? Our course is about twelve or fifteen -degrees off the line of the right-hand two--and there's something that -looks like a river down below us. The bend there is just about on -line--see anything to mark it by?" - -"Well, there's a funny-looking island, kind of heart-shaped, with a -reddish-colored spire of rock--see it?" - -"Fine--we ought to be able to recognize that. Bend, heart-island, red -obelisk on what we'll call the upstream end. Now from here, what? Oh, -we're turning--going upstream. Fine business! Now we'll have to notice -when and where we leave this river, lake, or whatever it is." - - * * * * * - -They did not, however, leave the course of the water. For hundreds of -miles, apparently, it was almost perfectly straight, and for hours -the airship of the hypermen bored through the air only a few hundred -feet above its gleaming surface. Faster and faster the hypership flew -onward, until it became a whistling, yelling projectile, tearing its -way at a terrific but constant velocity through the complaining air. - -But while that which was beneath them was apparently the fourth -dimensional counterpart of an Earthly canal, neither water nor -landscape was in any sense familiar. No sun was visible, nor moon, -nor the tiniest twinkling star. Where should be the heavens there was -merely a void of utter, absolute black, appalling in its uncompromising -profundity. Indeed, the Terrestrials would have thought themselves -blind were it not for the forbidding, Luciferean vegetation which, -self-luminous with a ghastly bluish-violet pseudo-light, extended -outward--flat--in every direction to infinity. - -"What's the matter with it, Dick?" demanded Margaret, shivering. "It's -horrible, awful, unsettling. Surely anything that is actually seen must -be capable of description? But this--" Her voice died away. - -"Ordinarily, three-dimensionally, yes; but this, no," Seaton -assured her. "Remember that our brains and eyes, now really -pseudo-fourth-dimensional, are capable of seeing those things as -they actually are; but that our entities--intelligences--whatever -you like--are still three-dimensional and can neither comprehend nor -describe them. We can grasp them only very roughly by transposing them -into our own three-dimensional concepts, and that is a poor subterfuge -that fails entirely to convey even an approximate idea. As for that -horizon--or lack of it--it simply means that this planet is so big that -it looks flat. Maybe it _is_ flat in the fourth dimension--I don't -know!" - -Both fell silent, staring at the weird terrain over which they were -being borne at such an insane pace. Along its right line above that -straight watercourse sped the airship, a shrieking arrow; and to the -right of the observers and to left of them spread, as far as the eye -could reach, a flatly unbroken expanse of the ghostly, livid, weirdly -self-luminous vegetation of the unknowable hyperworld. And, slinking, -leaping, or perchance flying between and among the boles and stalks of -the rank forest growth could be glimpsed fleeting monstrous forms of -animal life. - -Seaton strained his eyes, trying to see them more clearly; but owing -to the speed of the ship, the rapidity of the animals' movements, the -unsatisfactory illumination, and the extreme difficulty of translating -at all rapidly the incomprehensible four-dimensional forms into their -three-dimensional equivalents, he could not even approximate either -the size or the appearance of the creatures with which he, unarmed and -defenseless, might have to deal. - -"Can you make any sense out of those animals down there, Peg?" Seaton -demanded. "See, there's one just jumped out of the river and seemed to -fly into that clump of bamboolike stuff there. Get any details?" - -"No. What with the poor light and everything being so awful and so -distorted, I can hardly see anything at all. Why--what of them?" - -"This of 'em. We're coming back this way, and we may have to come on -foot. I'll try to steal a ship, of course, but the chance that we'll be -able to get one--or to run it after we do get it--is mighty slim. But -assuming that we are afoot, the more we know about what we're apt to -go up against the better we'll be able to meet it. Oh, we're slowing -down--been wondering what that thing up ahead of us is. It looks like a -cross between the Pyramid of Cheops and the old castle of Bingen on the -Rhine, but I guess it's a city--it seems to be where we're headed for." - -"Does this water actually flow out from the side of that wall, or am I -seeing things?" the girl asked. - -"It seems to--your eyes are all right, I guess. But why shouldn't it? -There's a big archway, you notice--maybe they use it for power or -something, and this is simply an outfall--" - -"Oh, we're going in!" Margaret exclaimed, her hand flashing out to -Seaton's arm. - -"Looks like it, but they probably know their stuff." He pressed her -hand reassuringly. "Now, Peg, no matter what happens, stick to me as -long as you possibly can!" - -As Seaton had noticed, the city toward which they were flying resembled -somewhat an enormous pyramid, whose component units were themselves -mighty buildings, towering one above and behind the other in crenelated -majesty to an awe-inspiring height. In the wall of the foundation tier -of buildings there yawned an enormous opening, spanned by a noble arch -of metaled masonry, and out of this gloriously arched aqueduct there -sprang the stream whose course the airship had been following so long. -Toward that forbidding opening the hypership planed down, and into it -she floated slowly and carefully. - - * * * * * - -Much to the surprise of the Terrestrials, however, the great tunnel -of the aqueduct was not dark. Walls and arched ceiling alike glowed -with the livid, bluish-violet ultra-light which they had come to -regard as characteristic of all hyperthings, and through that uncanny -glare the airship stole along. Once inside the tunnel its opening -vanished--imperceptible, indistinguishable from its four-dimensional, -black-and-livid-blue background. - -Unending that tunnel stretched before and behind them. Walls and watery -surface alike were smooth, featureless, and so uniformly and weirdly -luminous that the eye could not fix upon any point firmly enough to -determine the rate of motion of the vessel--or even to determine -whether it was moving at all. No motion could be perceived or felt and -the time-sense had long since failed. Seaton and Margaret may have -traveled in that gigantic bore for inches or for miles of distance; -for seconds or for weeks of hypertime; they did not then and never did -know. But with a slight jar the hypership came to rest at last upon a -metallic cradle which had in some fashion appeared beneath her keel. -Doors opened and the being holding the tridents, who had not moved a -muscle during the, to the Terrestrials, interminable journey, made it -plain to them that they were to precede him out of the airship. They -did so, quietly and without protest, utterly helpless to move save at -the behest of their unhuman captor-guide. - -Through a maze of corridors and passages the long way led. Each was -featureless and blank, each was lighted by the same eerie, bluish -light, each was paved with a material which, although stone-hard to -the hypermen, yielded springily, as yields a soft peat bog, under -the feet of the massive Terrestrials. Seaton, although now restored -to full vigor, held himself rigorously in check. Far from resisting -the controlling impulses of the trident he sought to anticipate those -commands. - -Indeed, recognizing the possibility that the captor might be aware, -through those electrical connections, of his very ideas, he schooled -his outward thoughts to complete and unquestioning submission. Yet -never had his inner brain been more active, and now the immense -mentality given him by the Norlaminians stood him in good stead. For -every doorway, every turn, every angle and intersection of that maze of -communicating passageways was being engraved indelibly upon his brain, -he knew that no matter how long or how involved the way, he could -retain his orientation with respect to the buried river up which they -had sailed. - -And, although quiescent enough and submissive enough to all outward -seeming, his inner brain was keyed up to its highest pitch, eager to -drive Seaton's gigantic and instantaneously reacting muscles into -outbursts of berserk fury at the slightest lapse of the attention of -the wielder of the mastering trident. - -But there was no such lapse. The intelligence of the hyperman seemed to -be concentrated in the glowing tips of the forceps and did not waver -for an instant, even when an elevator into which he steered his charges -refused to lift the immense weight put upon it. - -A silent colloquy ensued, then Seaton and Margaret walked endlessly up -a spiral ramp. Climbed, it seemed, for hours, their feet sinking to -the ankles into the resilient material of the rock-and-metal floor, -while their alert guardian floated effortlessly in the air behind them, -propelled and guided by his swiftly revolving tail. - -Eventually the ramp leveled off into a corridor. Straight ahead, two -aisles--branch half right--branch half left--first turn left--third -turn right--second doorway on right. They stopped. The door opened. -They stepped into a large, officelike room, thronged with the -peculiar, sea-horselike hypermen of this four-dimensional civilization. -Everything was indescribable, incomprehensible, but there seemed to -be desks, mechanisms, and tier upon tier of shelf-like receptacles -intended for the storage of they knew not what. - -Most evident of all, however, were the huge, goggling, staring eyes of -the creatures as they pressed in, closer and closer to the helplessly -immobile bodies of the man and the woman. Eyes dull, expressionless, -and unmoving to Earthly, three-dimensional intelligences; but organs of -highly intelligible, flashing language, as well as of keen vision, to -their possessors. - -Thus it was that the very air of the chamber was full of speech and -of signs, but neither Margaret nor Seaton could see or hear them. In -turn the Earthman tried, with every resource at his command of voice, -thought, and pantomime, to bridge the gap--in vain. - - * * * * * - -Then strange, many-lensed instruments were trundled into the room and -up to the helpless prisoners. Lenses peered; multicolored rays probed; -planimeters, pantographs, and plotting points traced and recorded every -bodily part; the while the two sets of intelligences, each to the other -so foreign, were at last compelled to acknowledge frustration. Seaton -of course knew what caused the impasse and, knowing the fundamental -incompatibility of the dimensions involved, had no real hope that -communication could be established, even though he knew the hypermen to -be of high intelligence and attainment. - -The natives, however, had no inkling of the possibility of -three-dimensional actualities. Therefore, when it had been made plain -to them that they had no point of contact with their visitors--that the -massive outlanders were and must remain unresponsive to their every -message and signal--they perforce ascribed that lack of response to a -complete lack of intelligence. - -The chief of the council, who had been conducting the examination, -released the forces of his mechanisms and directed his flashing glance -upon the eyes of the Terrestrials' guard, ordering him to put the -specimens away. - -"--and see to it that they are watched very carefully," the ordering -eye concluded. "The Fellows of Science will be convened and will study -them in greater detail than we have been able to do here." - -"Yes, sir; as you have said, so shall it be," the guard acknowledged, -and by means of the trident he guided his captives through a -high-arched exit and into another labyrinth of corridors. - -Seaton laughed aloud as he tucked Margaret's hand under his arm and -marched along under the urge of the admonishing trident. - -"'Nobody 'ome--they ain't got no sense,' says his royal nibs. 'Tyke 'em -awye!'" he exclaimed. - -"Why so happy all of a sudden, Dick? I can't see very much change in -our status." - -"You'd be surprised." He grinned. "There's been a lot of change. I've -found out that they can't read our thoughts at all, as long as we don't -express them in muscular activity. I've been guarding my thoughts and -haven't been talking to you much for fear they could get my ideas some -way. But now I can tell you that I'm going to start something pretty -quick. I've got this trident thing pretty well solved. This bird's -taking us to jail now, I think, and when he gets us there his grip will -probably slip for an instant. If it does he'll never get it back, and -we'll be merrily on our way." - -"To jail!" Margaret exclaimed. "But suppose they put us--I hope they -put us in the same cell!" - -"Don't worry about that. If my hunch is right it won't make a bit of -difference--I'll have you back before they can get you out of sight. -Everything around here is thin almost to the point of being immaterial, -you know--you could whip an army of them in purely physical combat, and -I could tear this whole joint up by the roots." - -"A la Samson? I believe that you could, at that." Margaret smiled. - -"Yeah; or rather, you can play you're Paul Bunyan, and I'll be Babe, -the big blue ox. We'll show this flock of prop-tailed gilliwimpuses -just how we gouged out Lake Superior to make a he-man's soup bowl!" - -"You make me feel a lot better, Dick, even if I do remember that Babe -was forty-seven ax handles across the horns." Margaret laughed, but -sobered quickly. "But here we are--oh, I _do_ hope that he leaves me -with you!" - - - - - XII. - - -They had stopped beside a metal grill, in front of which was poised -another hyperman, his propeller tail idling slowly. He had thought -that he was to be Seaton's jailer, and as he swung the barred gate -open he engaged the Terrestrial's escort in optical conversation--a -conversation which gave Seaton the mere instant of time for which he -had been waiting. - -"So these are the visitors from outer space, whose bodies are so much -denser than solid metal?" he asked curiously. "Have they given you much -trouble?" - -"None at all. I touched that one only once, and this one, that you are -to keep here, wilted at only the third step of force. The orders are -to keep them under control every minute, however. They are stupid, -senseless brutes, as is of course to be expected from their mass and -general make-up. They have not given a single sign of intelligence of -even the lowest order, but their strength is apparently enormous, and -they might do a great deal of damage if allowed to break away from the -trident." - -"All right; I'll hold him constantly until I am relieved," and the -jailer, lowering his own trident, extended a long, tentacular arm -toward the grooved and knobbed shaft of the one whose teeth were -already imbedded in Seaton's tissues. - -Seaton had neither perceived nor sensed anything of this conversation, -but he was tense and alert; tight-strung to take advantage of even -the slightest slackening of the grip of the grappling fingers of the -controller. Thus in the bare instant of the transfer of control from -one weird being to the other he acted--instantaneously and highly -effectively. - -With a twisting leap he whirled about, wrenching himself free from the -punishing teeth of the grapple. Lightning hands seized the shaft and -swung the weapon in a flashing arc. Then, with all the quickness of his -highly trained muscles and with all the power of his brawny right arm, -Seaton brought the controller down full upon the grotesque head of the -hyperman. - -He had given no thought to the material character of weapon or -of objective; he had simply wrenched himself free and struck -instinctively, lethally, knowing that freedom had to be won then or -never. But he was not wielding an Earthly club or an Osnomian bar; -nor was the flesh opposing him the solid substance of a human and -three-dimensional enemy. - -At impact the fiercely driven implement flew into a thousand pieces, -but such was the power behind it that each piece continued on, driving -its relentless way through the tenuous body substance of the erstwhile -guard. That body subsided instantly upon the floor, a shapeless and -mangled mass of oozing, dripping flesh. Weaponless now, holding -only the shattered butt of the ex-guard's trident, Seaton turned to -confront the other guard who, still holding Margaret helpless, was -advancing upon him, wide-open trident to the fore. - -He hurled the broken stump; then, as the guard nimbly dodged the flying -missile, he leaped to the barred door of the cell. He seized it and -jerked mightily; and as the anchor bolts of the hinges tore out of the -masonry he swung the entire gate in a full-sweeping circle. Through -the soft body the interlaced bars tore, cutting it into ghastly, -grisly dice, and on, across the hall, tearing into and demolishing the -opposite wall. - -"All right, Peg, or did he shock you?" Seaton demanded. - -"All right, I guess--he didn't have time, to do much of anything." - -"Fine, let's snap it up, then. Or wait a minute, I'd better get us a -couple of shields. We've got to keep them from getting those stingarees -into us again--as long as we can keep them away from us we can do about -as we please around here, but if they ever get hold of us again it'll -be just too bad." - -While Seaton was speaking he had broken away and torn out two great -plates or doors of solid metal, and, handing one of them to his -companion, he went on: "Here, carry this in front of you and we'll go -places and do things." - -But in that time, short as it was, the alarm had been given, and up -the corridor down which they must go was advancing a corps of heavily -armed beings. Seaton took one quick step forward, then, realizing -the impossibility of forcing his way through such a horde without -impalement, he leaped backward to the damaged wall and wrenched out -a huge chunk of masonry. Then, while the upper wall and the now -unsupported ceiling collapsed upon him, their fragments touching his -hard body lightly and bouncing off like so many soft pillows, he hurled -that chunk of material down the hall and into the thickest ranks of -the attackers. - -Through the close-packed phalanx it tore as would a plunging tank -through massed infantry, nor was it alone. Mass after mass of rock was -hurled as fast as the Earthman could bend and straighten his mighty -back, and the hypermen broke ranks and fled in wild disorder. - -For to them Seaton was not a man of flesh and blood, lightly tossing -pillows of eiderdown along a corridor, through an assemblage of -wraithlike creatures. He was to them a monstrous being, constructed -of something harder, denser, and tougher than any imaginable metal. -A being driven by engines of unthinkable power, who stood unharmed -and untouched while masses of stone, brickwork, and structural steel -crashed down upon his bare head. A being who caught those falling -masses of granite and concrete and hurled them irresistibly through -rank after rank of flesh-and-blood men. - -"Let's go, Peg!" Seaton gritted. "The way's clear now, I guess--we'll -show those horse-faced hippocampuses that what it takes to do things, -we've got!" - - * * * * * - -Through the revolting, reeking shambles of the corpse-littered corridor -they gingerly made their way. Past the scene of the battle, past -intersection after intersection they retraced their course, warily and -suspiciously at first. But no ambush had been laid--the hypermen were -apparently only too glad to let them go in peace--and soon they were -hurrying along as fast as Margaret could walk. - -They were soon to learn, however, that the denizens of this city of -four-dimensional space had not yet given up the chase. Suddenly the -yielding floor dropped away beneath their feet and they fell, or, -rather, floated, easily and slowly downward. Margaret shrieked in -alarm, but the man remained unmoved and calm. - -"'Sall right, Peg," he assured her. "We want to go clear down to the -bottom of this dump, anyway, and this'll save us the time and trouble -of walking down. All right; that is, if we don't sink into the floor -so deep when we hit that we won't be able to get ourselves out of it. -Better spread out that shield so you'll fall on it--it won't hurt you, -and it may help a lot." - -So slowly were they falling that they had ample time in which to -prepare for the landing; and, since both Seaton and Margaret were -thoroughly accustomed to weightless maneuvering in free space, their -metal shields were flat beneath them when they struck the lowermost -floor of the citadel. Those shields were crushed, broken, warped and -twisted as they were forced into the pavement by the force of the -falling bodies--as would be the steel doors of a bank vault upon being -driven broadside on, deep into a floor of solid concrete. - -But they served their purpose; they kept the bodies of the Terrestrials -from sinking beyond their depth into the floor of the hyperdungeon. -As they struggled to their feet, unhurt, and saw that they were in a -large, cavernous room, six searchlightlike projectors came into play, -enveloping them in a flood of soft, pinkish-white light. - -Seaton stared about him, uncomprehending, until he saw that one of -the hypermen, caught accidentally in the beam, shriveled horribly and -instantly into a few floating wisps of luminous substance which in a -few seconds disappeared entirely. - -"Huh! Death rays!" he exclaimed then. "'Sa good thing for us we're -essentially three-dimensional yet, or we'd probably never have known -what struck us. Now let's see--where's our river? Oh, yes; over this -way. Wonder if we'd better take these shields along? Guess not, they're -pretty well shot--we'll pick us up a couple of good ones on the way, -and I'll get you a grill like this one as a good club, too." - -"But there's no door on that side!" Margaret protested. - -"We should fret a lot about that--we'll roll our own as we go along." - -His heavy boot crashed against the wall before them, and a section -of it fell outward. Two more kicks and they were through, hurrying -along passages which Seaton knew led toward the buried river, breaking -irresistibly through solid walls whenever the corridor along which they -were moving angled away from his chosen direction. - -Their progress was not impeded. The hyperbeings were willing--yes, -anxious--for their unmanageable prisoners to depart and made no further -attempts to bar their path. Thus the river was soon reached. - -The airship in which they had been brought to the hypercity was nowhere -to be seen, and Seaton did not waste time looking for it. He had been -unable to understand the four-dimensional controls even while watching -them in operation, and he realized that even if he could find the -vessel the chance of capturing it and of escaping in it was slight -indeed. Therefore, throwing an arm around his companion, he leaped -without ado into the speeding current. - -"But, Dick, we'll drown!" Margaret protested. "This stuff must be -altogether too thin for us to swim in--we'll sink like rocks!" - -"Sure we will, but what of it?" he returned. "How many times have you -actually breathed since we left three-dimensional space?" - -"Why, thousands of times, I suppose--or, now that you mention it, I -don't really know whether I'm breathing at all or not--but we've been -gone so long--Oh, I don't believe that I really know _anything_!" - -"You aren't breathing at all," he informed her then. "We have been -expending energy, though, in spite of that fact, and the only way I -can explain it is that there must be fourth-dimensional oxygen or we -would have suffocated long ago. Being three-dimensional, of course we -wouldn't have to breathe it in for the cells to get the benefit of -it--they can grab it direct. Incidentally, that probably accounts for -the fact that I'm hungry as a wolf, but that'll have to wait until we -get back into our own space again." - -True to Seaton's prediction, they suffered no inconvenience as they -strode along upon the metaled pavement of the river's bottom, Seaton -still carrying the bent and battered grating with which he had wrought -such havoc in the corridor so far above. - -Almost at the end of the tunnel, a sharklike creature darted upon -them, dreadful jaws agape. With his left arm Seaton threw Margaret -behind him, while with his right he swung the four-dimensional grating -upon the monster of the deeps. Under the fierce power of the blow the -creature became a pulpy mass, drifting inertly away upon the current, -and Seaton stared after it ruefully. - -"That particular killing was entirely unnecessary, and I'm sorry I did -it," he remarked. - -"Unnecessary? Why, it was going to bite me!" she cried. - -"Yeah, it _thought_ it was, but it would have been just like one of -our own real sharks trying to bite the chilled-steel prow off of a -battleship," he replied. "Here comes another one. I'm going to let him -gnaw on my arm, and see how he likes it." - -On the monster came with a savage rush, until the dreadful, outthrust -snout almost touched the man's bare, extended arm. Then the creature -stopped, dead still in mid-rush, touched the arm tentatively, and -darted away with a quick flirt of its powerful tail. - -"See, Peg, he knows we ain't good to eat. None of these hyperanimals -will bother us--it's only these men with their meat hooks that we have -to fight shy of. Here's the jump-off. Better we hit it easylike--I -wouldn't wonder if that sandy bottom would be pretty tough going. I -think maybe we'd better take to the beach as soon as we can." - - * * * * * - -From the metaled pavement of the brilliantly lighted aqueduct they -stepped out upon the natural sand bottom of the open river. Above them -was only the somberly sullen intensity of velvety darkness; a darkness -only slightly relieved by the bluely luminous vegetation upon the -river's either bank. In spite of their care they sank waist-deep into -that sand, and it was only with great difficulty that they fought their -way up to the much firmer footing of the nearer shore. - -Out upon the margin at last, they found that they could make good -time, and they set out downstream at a fast but effortless pace. Mile -after mile they traveled, until, suddenly, as though some universal -switch had been opened, the ghostly radiance of all the vegetation of -the countryside disappeared in an instant, and utter and unimaginable -darkness descended as a pall. It was not the ordinary darkness of an -Earthly night, nor yet the darkness of even an Earthly dark room; it -was indescribably, completely, perfect darkness of the total absence of -every ray of light, unknown upon Earth and unknowable to Earthly eyes. - -"Dick!" shrieked Margaret. "Where are you?" - -"Right here, Peg--take it easy," he advised, and groping fingers -touched and clung. "They'll probably light up again. Maybe this is -their way of having night. We can't do much, anyway, until it gets -light again. We couldn't possibly find the _Skylark_ in this darkness; -and even if we could feel our way downriver we'd miss the island that -marks our turning-off point. Here, I feel a nice soft rock. I'll sit -down with my back against it and you can lie down, with my lap for a -pillow, and we'll take us a nap. Wasn't it Porthos, or some other one -of Dumas' characters that said, 'He who sleeps, eats'?" - -"Dick, you're a perfect peach to take things the way you do." -Margaret's voice was broken. "I know what you're thinking of, too. Oh, -I _do_ hope that nothing has become of them!" For she well knew that, -true and loyal friend though Seaton was, yet his every thought was for -his beloved Dorothy, presumably still in _Skylark Two_--just as Martin -Crane came first with her in everything. - -"Sure they're all right, Peg." An instantly suppressed tremor shook -his giant frame. "They're figuring on keeping them in the _Lark_ until -they raise her, I imagine. If I had known as much then as I know now -they'd never have got away with any of this stuff--but it can't be -helped now. I wish I could do something, because if we don't get back -to _Two_ pretty quick it seems as though we may snap back into our own -three dimensions and land in empty space. Or would we, necessarily? The -time coördinates would change, too, of course, and that change might -very well make it obligatory for us to be back in our exact original -locations in the _Lark_ at the instant of transfer, no matter where we -happen to be in this hyperspace-hypertime continuum. Too deep for me--I -can't figure it. Wish Mart was here, maybe he could see through it." - -"You don't wish so half as much as I do!" Margaret exclaimed feelingly. - -"Well, anyway, we'll pretend that _Two_ can't run off and leave us -here. That certainly is a possibility, and it's a cheerful thought to -dwell on while we can't do anything else." - -They fell silent. Now and again Margaret dozed, only to start awake -at the coughing grunt of some near-by prowling hyperdenizen of that -unknown jungle, but Seaton did not sleep. He did not even half believe -in his own hypothesis of their automatic return to their space ship; -and his vivid imagination insisted upon dwelling lingeringly upon every -hideous possibility of their return to three-dimensional space outside -their vessel's sheltering walls. And that same imagination continually -conjured up visions of what might be happening to Dorothy--to the -beloved bride who, since their marriage upon far distant Osnome, had -never before been separated from him for so long a time. He had to -struggle against an insane urge to do something, anything; even to -dash madly about in the absolute blackness of hyperspace in a mad -attempt--doomed to certain failure before it was begun--to reach -_Skylark Two_ before she should vanish from four-dimensional space. - -Thus, while Seaton grew more and more tense momently, more and ever -more desperately frustrate, the abysmally oppressive hypernight wore -illimitably on. Creeping--plodding--d-r-a-g-g-i-n-g endlessly along; -extending itself fantastically into the infinite reaches of all -eternity. - - - - - XIII. - - -As suddenly as the hyperland had become dark it at last became light. -There was no gradual lightening, no dawning, no warning--in an instant, -blindingly to eyes which had for so long been straining in vain to -detect even the faintest ray of visible light in the platinum-black -darkness of the hypervoid, the entire countryside burst into its -lividly glowing luminescence. As the light appeared Seaton leaped to -his feet with a yell. - -"Yowp! I was never so glad to see a light before in all my life, even -if it is blue! Didn't sleep much either, did you, Peg?" - -"Sleep? I don't believe that I'll _ever_ be able to sleep again! It -seemed as though I was lying there for weeks!" - -"It did seem long, but time is meaningless to us here, you know." - -The two set out at a rapid pace, down the narrow beach beside the -hyperstream. For a long time nothing was said, then Margaret broke out, -half hysterically: - -"Dick, this is simply driving me mad! I think probably I _am_ mad, -already. We seem to be walking, yet we aren't, really; we're going -altogether too fast, and yet we don't seem to be getting anywhere. -Besides, it's taking forever and ever--" - -"Steady, Peg! Keep a stiff upper lip! Of course we really aren't -walking, in a three-dimensional sense, but we're getting there, just -the same. I'd say that we were traveling almost half as fast as that -airship was, which is a distinctly cheerful thought. And don't try -to think of anything in detail, because equally of course we can't -understand it. - -"And as for time, forget it. Just remember that, as far as we are -concerned, this whole episode is occupying only a thousandth of a -second of our own real time, even if it seems to last a thousand years. - -"And, above all, get it down solid that you're not nutty--it's just -that everything else around here is. It's like that wild one Sir -Eustace pulled on me that time, remember? 'I say, Seaton, old chap, the -chaps hereabout seem to regard me as a foreigner. Now really, you know, -they should realize that I am simply alone in a nation of foreigners.'" - -Margaret laughed, recovering a measure of her customary poise at -Seaton's matter-of-fact explanations and reassurance, and the -seemingly endless journey went on. Indeed, so long did it seem that -the high-strung and apprehensive Seaton was every moment expecting -the instantaneous hypernight again to extinguish all illumination -long before they came within sight of the little island, with its -unmistakably identifying obelisk of reddish stone. - -"Woof, but that's a relief!" he exploded at sight of the marker. "We'll -be there in a few minutes more--here's hoping it holds off for those -few minutes!" - -"It will," Margaret said confidently. "It'll have to, now that we're so -close. How are you going to get a line on those three peaks? We cannot -possibly see over or through that jungle." - -"Easy--just like shooting fish down a well. That's one reason I was so -glad to see that tall obelisk thing over there--it's big enough to hold -my weight and high enough so that I can see the peaks from its top. -I'm going to climb up it and wigwag you onto the line we want. Then -we'll set a pole on that line and crash through the jungle, setting up -back-sights as we go along. We'll be able to see the peaks in a mile or -so, and once we see them it'll be easy enough to find _Two_." - -"But climbing Cleopatra's Needle comes first, and it's straight up and -down," Margaret objected practically. "How are you going to do that?" - -"With a couple of hypergrab-hooks--watch me!" - -He wrenched off three of the bars of his cell grating and twisted -them together, to form a heavy rod. One end of this rod he bent back -upon itself, sharpening the end by squeezing it in his two hands. It -required all of his prodigious strength, but in his grasp the metal at -last, slowly, flowed together in a perfect weld and he waved in the air -a sharply pointed hook some seven feet in length. In the same way he -made another, and, with a word to the girl, he shot away through the -almost intangible water toward the island. - -He soon reached the base of the obelisk, and into its rounded surface -he drove one of his hyperhooks. But he struck too hard. Though the hook -was constructed of the most stubborn metal known to the denizens of -that strange world, the obelisk was of hyperstone and the improvised -tool rebounded, bent out of all semblance and useless. - -It was quickly reshaped, however, and Seaton went more gently about his -task. He soon learned exactly how much pressure his hooks would stand, -and also the best method of imbedding the sharp metal points in the -rock of the monument. Then, both hooks holding, he drove the toe of one -heavy boot into the stone and began climbing. - - * * * * * - -Soon, however, his right-hand hook refused to bite; the stone had so -dulled the point of the implement that it was useless. After a moment's -thought Seaton settled both feet firmly and, holding the shaft of the -left-hand hook under his left elbow, bent the free end around behind -his back. Then, both hands free, he essayed the muscle-tearing task of -squeezing that point again into serviceability. - -"Watch out, Dick--you'll fall!" Margaret called. - -"I'll try not to," he called back cheerfully. "Took too much work -and time to get up this far to waste it. Wouldn't hurt me if I did -fall--but you might have to come over and pull me out of the ground." - -He did not fall. The hook was repointed without accident and he -continued up the obelisk--a human fly walking up a vertical column. -Four times he had to stop to sharpen his climbers, but at last he -stood atop the lofty shaft. From that eminence he could see not only -the three peaks, but even the scene of confused activity which he knew -marked the mouth of the gigantic well at whose bottom the _Skylark_ -lay. Margaret had broken off a small tree, and from the obelisk's top -Seaton directed its placing as a transit man directs the setting of his -head flag. - -"Left--'way left!" His arm waved its hook in great circles. "Easy -now!" Left arm poised aloft. "All right for line!" Both arms swept -up and down, once. A careful recheck--"Back a hair." Right arm out, -insinuatingly. "All right for tack--down she goes!" Both arms up and -down, twice, and the feminine flagman drove the marker deep into the -sand. - -"You might come over here, Peg!" Seaton shouted, as he began his hasty -descent. "I'm going to climb down until my hooks get too dull to -hold, and then fall the rest of the way--no time to waste sharpening -them--and you may have to rally 'round with a helping hand." - -Scarcely a third of the way down, one hook refused to function. A -few great plunging steps downward and the other also failed--would -no longer even scratch the stubborn stone. Already falling, Seaton -gathered himself together, twisted bars held horizontally beneath him, -and floated gently downward. He came to ground no harder than he would -have landed after jumping from a five-foot Earthly fence; but even his -three-ply bars of hypermetal did not keep him from plunging several -feet into that strangely unsubstantial hyperground. - -Margaret was there, however, with her grating and her plate of armor. -With her aid Seaton struggled free, and together they waded through the -river and hurried to the line post which Margaret had set. Then, along -the line established by the obelisk and the post, the man crashed into -the thick growth of the jungle, the woman at his heels. - -Though the weirdly peculiar trees, creepers, and bamboolike shoots -comprising the jungle's vegetation were not strong enough to bar the -progress of the dense, hard, human bodies, yet they impeded that -progress so terribly that the trail-breaker soon halted. - -"Not so good this way, Peg," he reflected. "These creepers will soon -pull you down, I'm afraid; and, besides, we'll be losing our line -pretty quickly. What to do? Better I knock out a path with this magic -wand of mine, I guess--none of this stuff seems to be very heavy." - -Again they set out; Seaton's grating, so bent and battered now that -it could not be recognized as once having been the door of a prison -cell, methodically sweeping from side to side; a fiercely driven scythe -against which no hyperthing could stand. Vines and creepers still -wrapped around and clung to the struggling pair; shattered masses -drifted down upon them from above, exuding in floods a viscous, gluey -sap; and both masses of broken vegetation and floods of adhesive juices -reënforced and rendered even more impassible the already high-piled -wilderness of débris which had been accumulating there during time -unthinkable. - - * * * * * - -Thus hampered, but driven to highest effort by the fear of imminent -darkness and consequent helplessness, they struggled indomitably on. -On and on; while behind them stretched an ever-lengthening, straight, -sharply cut streak of blackness in the livid hyperlight of the jungle. - -Seaton's great mass and prodigious strength enabled him to force his -way through that fantastically inimical undergrowth without undue -difficulty, but the unremitting pull and drag of the attacking vines -eventually wore down the woman's much slighter physique. - -"Just a minute, Dick!" She stopped, strength almost spent. "I hate to -admit that I can't stand the pace, especially since you are doing all -the real work, as well as wading through the same mess that I am, but I -don't believe that I can go on much longer without a rest." - -"All right--" Seaton began, but broke off, staring ahead. "No; keep on -coming one minute more, Peg--three more jumps and we're through." - -"I can go that much farther, of course. Lead on, MacDuff!" and they -struggled on. - -Seaton had spoken truly. In a few more steps they broke out of the -thick growth of the jungle and into the almost-palpable darkness -of a great, roughly circular area which had been cleared of the -prolific growth. In the center of this circle could be seen the bluely -illuminated works of the engineers who were raising _Skylark Two_. The -edge of the great well was surrounded by four-dimensional machinery; -and that well's wide apron and its towering derricks were swarming with -hypermen. - -"Stay behind me, Peg, but as close as you can without getting hit," the -man instructed his companion after a hasty but comprehensive study of -the scene. "Keep your shield up and have your grating in good swinging -order. I'll be able to take care of most of them, I think, but you want -to be ready to squash any of them that may get around me or who may -rush us from behind. Those stickers of theirs are bad medicine, girl, -and we don't want to take any chances at all of getting stuck again." - -"I'll say we don't!" she agreed feelingly, and Seaton started off over -the now unencumbered ground. "Wait a minute, Dick--where are you, -anyway? I can't see you at all!" - -"That's right, too. Never thought of it, but there's no light. The -glimmer of those plants is pretty faint, at best, and doesn't reach out -here at all. We'd better hold hands, I guess, until we get close to the -works out there so that we can see what we're doing and what's going -on." - -"But I've got only two hands--I'm not a hippocampus--and they're both -full of doors and clubs and things. But maybe I can carry this shield -under my arm, it isn't heavy--there, where are you, anyway?" - -Seeking hands found each other, and, hand in hand, the two set out -boldly toward the scene of activity so starkly revealed in the center -of that vast circle of darkness. So appalling was the darkness that it -was a thing tangible--palpable. Seaton could not see his companion, -could not see the weapons and the shield he bore, could not even -faintly discern the very ground upon which he trod. Yet he plunged -forward, almost dragging the girl along bodily, eyes fixed upon the -bluely gleaming circle of structures which was his goal. - -"But Dick!" Margaret panted. "Let's not go so fast; I can't see a -thing--not even my hand right in front of my eyes--and I'm afraid we'll -bump into something--anything!" - -"We've got to snap it up, Peg," the man replied, not slackening his -pace in the slightest, "and there's nothing very big between us and the -_Skylark_, or we could see it against those lights. We may stumble over -something, of course, but it'll be soft enough so that it won't hurt us -any. But suppose that another night clamps down on us before we get out -there?" - -"Oh, that's right; it did come awfully suddenly," and Margaret leaped -ahead; dread of the abysmally horrible hypernight so far outweighing -her natural fear of unseen obstacles in her path that the man was hard -put to it to keep up with her. "Suppose they'll know we're coming?" - -"Maybe--probably--I don't know. I don't imagine they can see us, but -since we cannot understand anything about them, it's quite possible -that they may have other senses that we know nothing about. They'll -have to spot us mighty quick, though, if they expect to do themselves -any good." - -The hypermen could not see them, but it was soon made evident that -the weird beings had indeed, in some unknown fashion, been warned of -their coming. Mighty searchlights projected great beams of livid blue -light, beams which sought eagerly the human beings--probing, questing, -searching. - -As he perceived the beams Seaton knew that the hypermen could not -see without lights any better than he could; and, knowing what to -expect, he grinned savagely into the darkness as he threw an arm around -Margaret and spoke--or thought--to her. - -"One of those beams'll find us pretty quick, and they may send -something along it. If so, and if I yell jump, do it quick. Straight -up; high, wide, and handsome--jump!" - - * * * * * - -For even as he spoke, one of the stabbing beams of light had found them -and had stopped full upon them. And almost instantly had come flashing -along that beam a horde of hypermen, armed with peculiar weapons at -whose use the Terrestrials could not even guess. - -But also almost instantly had Seaton and Margaret jumped--jumped with -the full power of Earthly muscles which, opposed by only the feeble -gravity of hyperland, had given their bodies such a velocity that -to the eyes of the hypermen their intended captives had simply and -instantly disappeared. - -"They knew we were there, all right, some way or other--maybe our mass -jarred the ground--but they apparently can't see us without lights, -and that gives us a break," Seaton remarked conversationally, as they -soared interminably upward. "We ought to come down just about where -that tallest derrick is--right where we can go to work on them." - -But the scientist was mistaken in thinking that the hypermen had -discovered them through tremors of the ground. For the searching cones -of light were baffled only for seconds; then, guided by some sense -or by some mechanism unknown and unknowable to any three-dimensional -intelligence, they darted aloft and were once more outlining the -fleeing Terrestrials in the bluish glare of their livid radiance. And -upward, along those illuminated ways, darted those living airplanes, -the hypermen; and this time the man and the woman, with all their -incredible physical strength, could not leap aside. - -"Not so good," said Seaton, "better we'd stayed on the ground, maybe. -They _could_ trace us, after all; and of course this air is their -natural element. But now that we're up here, we'll just have to fight -them off; back to back, until we land." - -"But how can we stay back to back?" asked Margaret sharply. "We'll -drift apart at our first effort. Then they'll be able to get behind us -and they'll have us again!" - -"That's so, too--never thought of that angle, Peg. You've got a belt -on, haven't you?" - -"Yes." - -"Fine! Loosen it up and I'll run mine through it. The belts and an -ankle-and-knee lock'll hold us together and in position to play tunes -on those sea horses' ribs. Keep your shield up and keep that grating -swinging and we'll lay them like a carpet." - -Seaton had not been idle while he was talking, and when the attackers -drew near, vicious tridents outthrust, they encountered an irresistibly -driven wall of crushing, tearing, dismembering, and all-destroying -metal. Back to back the two unknown monstrosities floated through the -air; interlaced belts holding their vulnerable backs together, gripped -legs holding their indestructibly dense and hard bodies in alignment. - -[Illustration: _The hypermen encountered an irresistibly driven wall of -crushing, tearing, dismembering and all-destroying metal._] - -For a time the four-dimensional creatures threw themselves upon the -Terrestrials, only to be hurled away upon all sides, ground literally -to bits. For Margaret protected Seaton's back, and he himself took care -of the space in front of him, to right and to left of them, above and -below them; driving the closely spaced latticework of his metal grating -throughout all that space so viciously and so furiously that it seemed -to be omnipresent as well as omnipotent. - - * * * * * - -Then, giving up hope of recapturing the specimens alive, the -hyperbeings turned upon them their lethal beams. Soft, pinkly glowing -beams which turned to a deep red and then flamed through the spectrum -and into the violet as they were found to have no effect upon the human -bodies. But the death rays of the hypermen, whatever the frequency, -were futile--the massed battalions at the pit's mouth were as impotent -as had been the armed forces of the great hypercity, whose denizens had -also failed either to hold or to kill the supernatural Terrestrials. - -During the hand-to-hand encounter the two had passed the apex of their -flight; and now, bathed in the varicolored beams, they floated gently -downward, directly toward the great derrick which Seaton had pointed -out as marking their probable landing place. In fact, they grazed one -of the massive corner members of the structure; but Seaton interposed -his four-dimensional shield and, although the derrick trembled -noticeably under the impact, neither he nor Margaret was hurt as they -drifted lightly to the ground. - -"Just like jumping off of and back into a feather bed!" Seaton exulted, -as he straightened up, disconnected the hampering belts, and guided -Margaret toward the vast hole in the ground, unopposed now save for -the still-flaring beams. "Wonder if any more of them want to argue the -right of way with us? Guess not." - -"But how are we going to get down there?" asked Margaret. - -"Fall down--or, better yet, we'll slide down those chains they've -already got installed. You'd better carry all this junk, and I'll kind -of carry you. That way you won't have to do anything--just take a ride." - -Scarcely encumbered by the girl's weight, Seaton stepped outward to the -great chain cables, and hand under hand he went down, down past the -huge lifting cradles which had been placed around the massive globe of -arenak. - -"But we'll go right through it--there's nothing to stop us in this -dimension!" protested Margaret. - -"No, we won't; and yes, there is," Seaton replied. "We swing _past_ it -and down, around onto level footing, on this loose end of chain--like -this, see?" and they were once more in the control room of _Skylark -Two_. - -There stood Dorothy, Crane, and Shiro, exactly as they had left them so -long before. Still held in the grip of the tridents, they were silent, -immobile; their eyes were vacant and expressionless. Neither Dorothy -nor Crane gave any sign of recognition, neither seemed even to realize -that their loved ones, gone so long, had at last returned. - - - - - XIV. - - -Seaton's glance leaped to his beloved Dorothy. Drooping yet rigid -she stood there, unmoving, corpselike. Accustomed now to seeing -four-dimensional things by consciously examining only their -three-dimensional surfaces, he perceived instantly the waxen, utterly -inhuman vacuity of her normally piquant and vivacious face--perceived -it, and at that perception went mad. - -Clutching convulsively the length of hyperchain by which he had swung -into the control room he leaped, furious and elementally savage. - -So furious was his action that the chain snapped apart at the wall of -the control room; so rapid was it that the hyperguard had no time to -move, nor even to think. - -That guard had been peacefully controlling with his trident the -paralyzed prisoner. All had been quiet and calm. Suddenly--in an -instant--had appeared the two monstrosities who had been taken to the -capital. And in that same fleeting instant one of the monsters was -leaping at him. And ahead of that monster there came lashing out an -enormous anchor chain, one of whose links of solid steel no ordinary -mortal could lift; an anchor chain hurtling toward him with a velocity -and a momentum upon that tenuous hyperworld unthinkable. - -The almost-immaterial flesh of the hyperman could no more withstand -that fiercely driven mass of metal than can a human body ward off an -armor-piercing projectile in full flight. Through his body the great -chain tore; cutting, battering, rending it into ghastly, pulpily -indescribable fragments unrecognizable as ever having been anything -animate. Indeed, so fiercely had the chain been urged that the metal -itself could not stand the strain. Five links broke off at the climax -of the chain's black-snakelike stroke, and, accompanying the bleeding -scraps of flesh that had been the guard, tore on past the walls of the -space ship and out into the hypervoid. - -The guard holding his tridents in Crane and Shiro had not much more -warning. He saw his fellow obliterated, true; but that was all he lived -to see, and he had time to do exactly nothing. One more quick flip of -Seaton's singularly efficient weapon and the remains of that officer -also disappeared into hyperspace. More of the chain went along, this -time, but that did not matter. Dropping to the floor the remaining -links of his hyperflail, Seaton sprang to Dorothy, reaching her side -just as the punishing trident, released by the slain guard, fell away -from her. - -She recovered her senses instantly and turned a surprised face to the -man, who, incoherent in his relief that she was alive and apparently -unharmed, was taking her into his arms. - -"Why, surely, Dick, I'm all right--how could I be any other way?" she -answered his first agonized question in amazement. She studied his worn -face in puzzled wonder and went on: "But you certainly are not. What -has happened, dear, anyway; and how could it have, possibly?" - -"I hated like sin to be gone so long, Dimples, but it couldn't be -helped." Seaton, in his eagerness to explain his long absence, did not -even notice the peculiar implications in his wife's speech and manner. -"You see, it was a long trip, and we didn't get a chance to break away -from those meat hooks of theirs until after they got us into their city -and examined us. Then, when we finally did break away, we found that we -couldn't travel at night. Their days are bad enough, with this thick -blue light, but during the nights there's absolutely no light at all, -of any kind. No moon, no stars, no nothing--" - -"Nights! What are you talking about, Dick, anyway?" Dorothy had been -trying to interrupt since his first question and had managed at last to -break in. "Why, you haven't been gone at all, not even a second. We've -all been right here, all the time!" - -"Huh?" ejaculated Seaton. "Are you cuckoo, Red-Top, or what--" - -"Dick and I were gone at least a week, Dottie," Margaret, who had been -embracing Crane, interrupted in turn, "and it was awful!" - -"Just a minute, folks!" Seaton listened intently and stared upward. -"We'll have to let the explanations ride a while longer. I thought -they wouldn't give up that easy--here they come! I don't know how long -we were gone--it seemed like a darn long time--but it was long enough -so that I learned how to mop up on these folks, believe me! You take -that sword and buckler of Peg's, Mart. They don't look so hot, but -they're big medicine in these parts. All we've got to do is swing them -fast enough to keep those stingaroos of theirs out of our gizzards -and we're all set. Be careful not to hit too hard, though, or you'll -bust that grating into forty pieces--it's hyperstuff, nowhere near -as solid as anything we're used to. All it'll stand is about a normal -fly-swatting stroke, but that's enough to knock any of these fan-tailed -humming birds into an outside loop. Ah, they've got guns or something! -Duck down, girls, so we can cover you with these shields; and, Shiro, -you might pull that piece of chain apart and throw the links at -them--that'll be good for what ails them!" - -The hypermen appeared in the control room, and battle again was -joined. This time, however, the natives did not rush to the attack -with their tridents; nor did they employ their futile rays of death. -They had guns, shooting pellets of metal; they had improvised -crossbowlike slings and catapults; they had spears and javelins made -of their densest materials, which their strongest men threw with all -their power. But pellets and spears alike thudded harmlessly against -four-dimensional shields--shields once the impenetrable, unbreakable -doors of their mightiest prison--and the masses of metal and stone -vomited forth by the catapults were caught by Seaton and Crane and -hurled back through the ranks of the attackers with devastating effect. -Shiro also was doing untold damage with his bits of chain and with such -other items of four-dimensional matter as came to hand. - -Still the hypermen came pressing in, closer and closer. Soon the three -men were standing in a triangle, in the center of which were the women, -their flying weapons defining a volume of space to enter which meant -hideous dismemberment and death to any hypercreature. But on they came, -willing, it seemed, to spend any number of lives to regain their lost -control over the Terrestrials; realizing, it seemed, that even those -supernaturally powerful beings must in time weaken. - - * * * * * - -While the conflict was at its height, however, it seemed to Seaton that -the already tenuous hypermen were growing even more wraithlike; and -at the same time he found himself fighting with greater and greater -difficulty. The lethal grating, which he had been driving with such -speed that it had been visible only as a solid barrier, moved more -and ever more slowly, to come finally to a halt in spite of his every -effort. - -He could not move a muscle, and despairingly he watched a now -almost-invisible warden who was approaching him, controlling trident -outthrust. But to his relieved surprise the hyperforceps did not touch -him, but slithered _past him_ without making contact; and hyperman and -hyperweapon disappeared altogether, fading out slowly into nothingness. - -Then Seaton found himself moving in space. Without volition he was -floating across the control room, toward the switch whose closing -had ushered the Terrestrials out of their familiar space of three -dimensions and into this weirdly impossible region of horror. He was -not alone in his movement. Dorothy, the Cranes, and Shiro were all in -motion, returning slowly to the identical positions they had occupied -at the instant when Seaton had closed his master switch. - -And as they moved, they _changed_. The _Skylark_ herself changed, as -did every molecule, every atom of substance, in or of the spherical -cruiser of the void. - -Seaton's hand reached out and grasped the ebonite handle of the switch. -Then, as his entire body came to rest, he was swept by wave upon wave -of almost-unbearable relief as the artificial and unnatural extension -into the fourth dimension began to collapse. Slowly, as had progressed -the extrusion into that dimension, so progressed the de-extrusion from -it. Each ultimate particle of matter underwent an indescribable and -incomprehensible foreshortening; a compression; a shrinking together; -a writhing and twisting reverse rearrangement, each slow increment of -which was poignantly welcome to every outraged unit of human flesh. - -Suddenly seeming, and yet seemingly only after untold hours, the return -to three-dimensional space was finished. Seaton's hand drove through -the remaining fraction of an inch of its travel with the handle of -the switch; his ears heard the click and snap of the lightning-fast -plungers driving home against their stop blocks--the closing of the -relay switches had just been completed. The familiar fittings of the -control room stood out in their normal three dimensions, sharp and -clear. - -Dorothy sat exactly as she had sat before the transition. She was -leaning slightly forward in her seat--her gorgeous red-bronze hair -in perfect order, her sweetly curved lips half parted, her violet -eyes widened in somewhat fearful anticipation of what the dimensional -translation was to bring. She was unchanged--but Seaton! - -He also sat exactly as he had sat an instant--or was it a -month?--before; but his face was thin and heavily lined, his -normally powerful body was now gauntly eloquent of utter fatigue. -Nor was Margaret in better case. She was haggard, almost emaciated. -Her clothing, like that of Seaton, had been forced to return to a -semblance of order by the exigencies of interdimensional and intertime -translation, and for a moment appeared sound and whole. - -The translation accomplished, however, that clothing literally felt -apart. The dirt and grime of their long, hard journey and the sticky -sap of the hyperplants through which they had fought their way had -of course disappeared--being four-dimensional material, all such had -perforce remained behind in four-dimensional space--but the thorns and -sucking disks of the hypervegetation had taken toll. Now each rent and -tear reappeared, to give mute but eloquent testimony to the fact that -the sojourn of those two human beings in hyperland had been neither -peaceful nor uneventful. - -Dorothy's glance flashed in amazement from Seaton to Margaret, and she -repressed a scream as she saw the ravages wrought by whatever it was -that they had gone through. - -But Seaton's first thought was for the bodiless foes whom they might -not have left behind. "Did we get away, Mart?" he demanded, hand still -upon the switch. Then, without waiting for a reply, he went on: "We -must've made it, though, or we'd've been dematerialized before this. -Three rousing cheers! We made it--we made it!" - -For several minutes all four gave way to their mixed but profound -emotions, in which relief and joy predominated. They had escaped from -the intellectuals; they had come alive through hyperspace! - -"But Dick!" Dorothy held Seaton off at arm's length and studied his -gaunt, lined face. "Lover, you look actually thin." - -"I _am_ thin," he replied. "We were gone a week, we told you. I'm just -about starved to death, and I'm thirstier even than that. Not being -able to eat is bad; but going without water is worse, believe me! My -whole insides feel like a mess of desiccated blotters. Come on, Peg; -let's empty us a couple of water tanks." - -They drank; lightly and intermittently at first, then deeply. - -At last Seaton put down the pitcher. "That isn't enough, by any means; -but we're damp enough inside so that we can swallow food, I guess. -While you're finding out where we are, Mart, Peg and I'll eat six or -eight meals apiece." - - * * * * * - -While Seaton and Margaret ate--ate as they had drunk, carefully, but -with every evidence of an insatiable bodily demand for food--Dorothy's -puzzled gaze went from the worn faces of the diners to a mirror which -reflected her own vivid, unchanged self. - -"But I don't understand it at all, Dick!" she burst out at last. -"_I'm_ not thirsty, nor hungry, and I haven't changed a bit. Neither -has Martin; and yet you two have lost pounds and pounds and look as -though you had been pulled through a knot hole. It didn't seem to us as -though you were away from us all. You were going to tell me about that -back there, when we were interrupted. Now go ahead and explain things, -before I explode. What happened, anyway?" - -Seaton, hunger temporarily assuaged, gave a full but concise summary of -everything that had happened while he and Margaret were away from the -_Skylark_. He then launched into a scientific dissertation, only to be -interrupted by Dorothy. - -"But, Dick, it doesn't sound reasonable that all that could _possibly_ -have happened to you and Peggy without our even knowing that any time -at all had passed!" she expostulated. "We weren't unconscious or -anything, were we, Martin? We knew what was going on all the time, -didn't we?" - -"We were at no time unconscious, and we knew at all times what was -taking place around us," Crane made surprising but positive answer. He -was seated at a visiplate, but had been listening to the story instead -of studying the almost-sheer emptiness that was space. "And since it is -a truism of Norlaminian psychology that any lapse of consciousness, of -however short duration, is impressed upon the consciousness of a mind -of even moderate power, I feel safe in saying that for Dorothy and me, -at least, no lapse of time did occur or could have occurred." - -"There!" Dorothy exulted. "You've got to admit that Martin knows his -stuff. How are you going to get around that?" - -"Search me--wish I knew." Seaton frowned in thought. "But Mart chirped -it, I think, when he said 'for Dorothy and me, at least,' because -for us two time certainly lapsed, and lapsed plenty. However, Mart -certainly _does_ know his stuff; the old think tank is full of bubbles -all the time. He doesn't make positive statements very often, and when -he does you can sink the bank roll on 'em. Therefore, since you were -both conscious and time did not lapse--for you--it must have been time -itself that was cuckoo instead of you. It must have stretched, or must -have been stretched, like the very dickens--for you. - -"Where does that idea get us? I might think that their time was -intrinsically variable, as well as being different from ours, if it -was not for the regular alternation of night and day--of light and -darkness, at least--that Peg and I saw, and which affected the whole -country, as far as we could see. So that's out. - -"Maybe they treated you two to a dose of suspended animation or -something of the kind, since you weren't going anywhere--Nope, that -idea doesn't carry the right earmarks, and besides it would have -registered as such on Martin's Norlaminianly psychological brain. So -that's out, too. In fact, the only thing that could deliver the goods -would be a sta--but that'd be a trifle strong, even for a hyperman, I'm -afraid." - -"What would?" demanded Margaret. "Anything that you would call strong -ought to be worth listening to." - -"A stasis of time. Sounds a trifle far-fetched, of course, but--" - -"But phooey!" Dorothy exclaimed. "Now you _are_ raving, Dick!" - -"I'm not so sure of that, at all," Seaton argued stubbornly. "They -really understand time, I think, and I picked up a couple of pointers. -It would take a sixth-order field--That's it, I'm pretty sure, and that -gives me an idea. If they can do it in hypertime, why can't we do it in -ours?" - -"I fail to see how such a stasis could be established," argued Crane. -"It seems to me that as long as matter exists time must continue, since -it is quite firmly established that time depends upon matter--or rather -upon the motion in space of that which we call matter." - -"Sure--that's what I'm going on. Time and motion are both relative. -Stop all motion--relative, not absolute motion--and what have you? You -have duration without sequence or succession, which is what?" - -"That would be a stasis of time, as you say," Crane conceded, after due -deliberation. "How can you do it?" - -"I don't know yet whether I can or not--that's another question. -We already know, though, how to set up a stasis of the ether along -a spherical surface, and after I have accumulated a little more -data on the sixth order it should not be impossible to calculate a -volume-stasis in both ether and sub-ether, far enough down to establish -complete immobility and local cessation of time in gross matter so -affected." - -"But would not all matter so affected assume at once the absolute zero -of temperature and thus preclude life?" - -"I don't think so. The stasis would be sub-atomic and instantaneous, -you know; there could be no loss or transfer of energy. I don't see how -gross matter could be affected at all. As far as I can see it would -be an absolutely perfect suspension of animation. You and Dot lived -through it, anyway, and I'm positive that that's what they did to you. -And I still say that if anybody can do it, we can." - -"'And that,'" put in Margaret roguishly, "as you so feelingly remark, -'is a cheerful thought to dwell on--let's dwell on it!'" - -"We'll do that little thing, too, Peg, some of these times; see if we -don't!" Seaton promised. "But to get back to our knitting, what's the -good word, Mart--located us yet? Are we, or are we not, heading for -that justly famed distant Galaxy of the Fenachrone?" - -"We are not," Crane replied flatly, "nor are we heading for any other -point in space covered by the charts of Ravindau's astronomers." - -"Huh? Great Cat!" Seaton joined the physicist at his visiplate, and -made complete observations upon the few nebulae visible. - -He turned then to the charts, and his findings confirmed those of -Crane. They were so far away from our own Galaxy that the space in -which they were was unknown, even to those masters of astronomy and of -intergalactic navigation, the Fenachrone. - -"Well, we're not lost, anyway, thanks to your cautious old bean." -Seaton grinned as he stepped over to an object-compass mounted upon the -plane table. - - * * * * * - -This particular instrument was equipped with every refinement known -to the science of four great Solar Systems. Its exceedingly delicate -needle, swinging in an almost-perfect vacuum upon practically -frictionless jeweled bearings, was focused upon the unimaginable -mass of the entire First Galaxy, a mass so inconceivably great that -mathematics had shown--and even Crane would have stated as a fact--that -it would affect that needle from any point whatever, however distant, -in universal space. - -Seaton actuated the minute force which set the needle in motion, but -it did not oscillate. For minute after minute it revolved slowly but -freely, coming ultimately to rest without any indication of having -been affected in the least by any external influence. He stared at -the compass in stark, unbelieving amazement, then tested its current -and its every other factor. The instrument was in perfect order and -in perfect adjustment. Grimly, quietly, he repeated the oscillatory -test--with the same utterly negative result. - -"Well, that is eminently, conclusively, definitely, and unqualifiedly -that." He stared at Crane, unseeing, his mind racing. "The most -sensitive needle we've got, and she won't even register!" - -"In other words, we are lost." Crane's voice was level and calm. -"We are so far away from the First Galaxy that even that compass, -supposedly reactive from any possible location in space, is useless." - -"But I don't get it, at all, Mart!" Seaton expostulated, paying no -attention to the grim meaning underlying his friend's utterance. "With -the whole mass of the Galaxy as its object of attachment that needle -absolutely will register from a distance greater than any possible -diameter of the super-universe--" His voice died away. - -"Go on; you are beginning to see the light," Crane prompted. - -"Yeah--no wonder I couldn't plot a curve to trace those Fenachrone -torpedoes--our fundamental assumptions were unsound. The fact simply -is that if space is curved at all, the radius of curvature is vastly -greater than any figure as yet proposed, even by the Fenachrone -astronomers. We certainly weren't out of our own space a thousandth of -a second--more likely only a couple of millionths--do you suppose that -there really are folds in the fourth dimension?" - -"That idea has been advanced, but folds are not strictly necessary, nor -are they easy to defend. It has always seemed to me that the hypothesis -of linear departure is much more tenable. The planes need not be -parallel, you know--in fact, it is almost a mathematical certainty that -they are _not_ parallel." - -"That's so, too; and that hypothesis would account for everything, of -course. But how are--" - -"What _are_ you two talking about?" demanded Dorothy. "We simply -couldn't have come that far--why, the _Skylark_ was stuck in the ground -the whole time!" - -"As a physicist, Red-Top, you're a fine little beauty-contest winner." -Seaton grinned. "You forget that with the velocity she had, the _Lark_ -couldn't have been stopped within three months, either--yet she seemed -to stop. How about that, Mart?" - -"I have been thinking about that. It is all a question of relative -velocities, of course; but even at that, the angle of departure of the -two spaces must have been extreme indeed to account for our present -location in three-dimensional space." - -"Extreme is right; but there's no use yapping about it now, any more -than about any other spilled milk. We'll just have to go places and do -things; that's all." - -"Go where and do what?" asked Dorothy pointedly. - -"Lost--lost in space!" Margaret breathed. - -As the dread import of their predicament struck into her consciousness -she had seized the arm rests of her chair in a spasmodic clutch; but -she forced herself to relax and her deep brown eyes held no sign of -panic. - -"But we have been lost in space before, Dottie, apparently as badly as -we are now. Worse, really, because we did not have Martin and Dick with -us then." - -"'At-a-girl, Peg!" Seaton cheered. "We may--be lost--guess we are, -temporarily, at least--but we're not licked, not by seven thousand rows -of apple trees!" - -"I fail to perceive any very solid basis for your optimism," Crane -remarked quietly, "but you have an idea, of course. What is it?" - -"Pick out the Galaxy nearest our line of flight and brake down for -it." Seaton's nimble mind was leaping ahead. "The _Lark's_ so full -of uranium that her skin's bulging, so we've got power to burn. In -that Galaxy there are--there _must_ be--suns with habitable, possibly -inhabited, planets. We'll find one such planet and land on it. Then -we'll do with our might what our hands find to do." - -"Such as?" - -"Along what lines?" queried Dorothy and Crane simultaneously. - -"Space ship, probably--_Two's_ entirely too small to be of any account -in intergalactic work," Seaton replied promptly. "Or maybe fourth-, -fifth- and sixth-order projectors; or maybe some kind of an ultra-ultra -radio or projector. How do I know, from here? But there's thousands of -things that maybe we can do--we'll wait until we get there to worry -about which one to try first." - - - - - XV. - - -Seaton strode over to the control board and applied maximum -acceleration. "Might as well start traveling, Mart," he remarked to -Crane, who had for almost an hour been devoting the highest telescopic -power of number six visiplate to spectroscopic, interferometric, and -spectrophotometric studies of half a dozen selected nebulae. "No matter -which one you pick out we'll have to have quite a lot of positive -acceleration yet before we reverse to negative." - -"As a preliminary measure, might it not be a good idea to gain some -idea as to our present line of flight?" Crane asked dryly, bending a -quizzical glance upon his friend. "You know a great deal more than -I do about the hypothesis of linear departure of incompatible and -incommensurable spaces, however, and so perhaps you already know our -true course." - -"Ouch! Pals, they got me!" Seaton clapped a hand over his heart; then, -seizing his own ear, he led himself up to the switchboard and shut off -the space drive, except for the practically negligible superimposed -thirty-two feet per second which gave to the _Skylark's_ occupants a -normal gravitational force. - -"Why, Dick, how perfectly silly!" Dorothy chuckled. "What's the matter? -All you've got to do is to--" - -"Silly, says you?" Seaton, still blushing, interrupted her. "Woman, you -don't know the half of it! I'm just plain dumb, and Mart was tactfully -calling my attention to the fact. Them's soft words that the slatlike -string bean just spoke, but believe me, Red-Top, he packs a wicked -wallop in that silken glove!" - -"Keep still a minute, Dick, and look at the bar!" Dorothy protested. -"Everything's on zero, so we must be still going straight up, and all -you have to do to get back somewhere near our own Galaxy is to turn it -around. Why didn't one of you brilliant thinkers--or have I overlooked -a bet?" - -"Not exactly. You don't know about those famous linear departures, but -I do. I haven't that excuse--I simply went off half cocked again. You -see, it's like this: Even if those gyroscopes could have retained their -orientation unchanged through the fourth-dimensional translation, which -is highly improbable, that line wouldn't mean a thing as far as getting -back is concerned. - -"We took one gosh-awful jump in going through hyperspace, you know, -and we have no means at all of determining whether we jumped up, -down, or sidewise. Nope, he's right, as usual--we can't do anything -intelligently until he finds out, from the shifting of spectral lines -and so on, in what direction we actually are traveling. How're you -coming with it, Mart?" - -"For really precise work we shall require photographs of some twenty -hours' exposure. However, I have made six preliminary observations, -as nearly on rectangular coördinates as possible, from which you can -calculate a first-approximation course which will serve until we can -obtain more precise data." - -"All right! Calcium H and calcium K--Were they all type G?" - -"Four of them were of type G, two were of type K. I selected the H and -K lines of calcium because they were the most prominent individuals -appearing in all six spectra." - -"Fine! While you're taking your pictures I'll run them off on the -calculator. From the looks of those shifts I'd say I could hit our -course within five degrees, which is close enough for a few days, at -least." - -Seaton soon finished his calculations. He then read off from the great -graduated hour-space and declination-circles of the gyroscope cage the -course upon which the power bar was then set, and turned with a grin to -Crane, who had just opened the shutter for his first time exposure. - -"We were off plenty, Mart," he admitted. "The whole gyroscope system -was rotated about ninety degrees minus declination and something like -plus seven hours' right ascension, so we'll have to forget all our old -data and start out from scratch with the reference planes as they are -now. That won't hurt us much, though, since we haven't any idea where -we are, anyway. - -"We're heading about ten degrees or so to the right of that nebula over -there, which is certainly a mighty long ways off from where I thought -we were going. I'll put on full positive and point ten degrees to the -left of it. Probably you'd better read it now, and by taking a set of -observations, say a hundred hours apart, we can figure when we'll have -to reverse acceleration. - -"While you're doing that I thought I'd start seeing what I could do -about a fourth-order projector. It'll take a long time to build, and -we'll need one bad when we get inside that Galaxy. What do you think?" - -"I think that both of those ideas are sound," Crane assented, and each -man bent to his task. - - * * * * * - -Crane took his photographs and studied each of the six key nebulae -with every resource of his ultrarefined instruments. Having determined -the _Skylark's_ course and speed, and knowing her acceleration, he was -able at last to set upon the power bar an automatically varying control -of such a nature that her resultant velocity was directly toward the -lenticular nebula nearest her former line of flight. - -That done, he continued his observations at regular -intervals--constantly making smaller his limit of observational error, -constantly so altering the power and course of the vessel that the -selected Galaxy would be reached in the shortest possible space of time -consistent with a permissible final velocity. - -And in the meantime Seaton labored upon the projector. It had been -out of the question, of course, to transfer to tiny _Two_ the immense -mechanism which had made of _Three_ a sentient, almost a living, -thing; but, equally of course, he had brought along the force-band -transformers and selectors, and as much as possible of the other -essential apparatus. He had been obliged to leave behind, however, -the very heart of the fifth-order installation--the precious lens of -neutronium--and its lack was now giving him deep concern. - -"What's the matter, Dickie? You look as though you had lost your last -friend." Dorothy intercepted him one day as he paced about the narrow -confines of the control room, face set and eyes unseeing. - -"Not quite that, but ever since I finished that fourth-order outfit -I've been trying to figure out something to take the place of that -lens we had in _Three_, so that I can go ahead on the fifth, but that -seems to be one thing for which there is absolutely no substitute. It's -like trying to unscrew the inscrutable--it can't be done." - -"If you can't get along without it, why didn't you bring it along, too?" - -"Couldn't." - -"Why?" she persisted. - -"Nothing strong enough to hold it. In some ways it's worse than atomic -energy. It's so hot and under such pressure that if that lens were -to blow up in Omaha it would burn up the whole United States, from -San Francisco to New York City. It takes either thirty feet of solid -inoson or else a complete force-bracing to stand the pressure. We had -neither, no time to build anything, and couldn't have taken it through -hyperspace even if we could have held it safely." - -"Does that mean--" - -"No. It simply means that we'll have to start at the fourth again -and work up. I did bring along a couple of good big faidons, so that -all we've got to do is find a planet heavy enough and solid enough -to anchor a full-sized fourth-order projector on, within twenty -light-years of a white dwarf star." - -"Oh, is that all? You two'll do that, all right." - -"Isn't it wonderful the confidence some women have in their husbands?" -Seaton asked Crane, who was studying through number six visiplate and -the fourth-order projector the enormous expanse of the strange Galaxy -at whose edge they now were. "I think maybe we'll be able to pull it -off, though, at that. Of course we aren't close enough yet to find such -minutiae as planets, but how are things shaping up in general?" - -"Quite encouraging! This Galaxy is certainly of the same order of -magnitude as our own, and--" - -"Encouraging, huh?" Seaton broke in. "If such a dyed-in-the-wool -pessimist as you are can permit himself to use such a word as that, -we're practically landed on a planet right now!" - -"And shows the same types and varieties of stellar spectra," Crane went -on, unperturbed. "I have identified with certainty no less than six -white dwarf stars, and some forty yellow dwarfs of type G." - -"Fine! What did I tell you?" exulted Seaton. - -"Now go over that again, in English, so that Peggy and I can feel -relieved about it, too," Dorothy directed. "What's a type-G dwarf?" - -"A sun like our own old Sol, back home," Seaton explained. "Since we -are looking for a planet as much as possible like our own Earth, it -is a distinctly cheerful fact to find so many suns so similar to our -own. And as for the white dwarfs, I've got to have one fairly close to -the planet we land on, because to get in touch with Rovol I've got to -have a sixth-order projector; to build which I've first got to have one -of the fifth order; for the reconstruction of which I've got to have -neutronium; to get which I'll have to be close to a white dwarf star. -See?" - -"Uh-huh! Clear and lucid to the point of limpidity--not." Dorothy -grimaced, then went on: "As for me, I'm certainly glad to see those -stars. It seems that we've been out there in absolutely empty space for -ages, and I've been scared a pale lavender all the time. Having all -these nice stars around us again is the next-best thing to being on -solid ground." - - * * * * * - -At the edge of the strange Galaxy though they were, many days were -required to reduce the intergalactic pace of the vessel to a value at -which maneuvering was possible, and many more days passed into time -before Crane announced the discovery of a sun which not only possessed -a family of planets, but was also within the specified distance of a -white dwarf star. - -To any Earthly astronomer, whose most powerful optical instruments fail -to reveal even the closest star as anything save a dimensionless point -of light, such a discovery would have been impossible, but Crane was -not working with Earthly instruments. For the fourth-order projector, -although utterly useless at the intergalactic distances with which -Seaton was principally concerned, was vastly more powerful than any -conceivable telescope. - -Driven by the full power of a disintegrating uranium bar, it could hold -a projection so steadily at a distance of twenty light-years that a man -could manipulate a welding arc as surely as though it was upon a bench -before him--which, in effect, it was--and in cases in which delicacy -of control was not an object, such as the present quest for such vast -masses as planets, the projector was effective over distances of many -hundreds of light-years. - -Thus it came about that the search for a planetiferous sun near a white -dwarf star was not unduly prolonged, and _Skylark Two_ tore through the -empty ether toward it. - -Close enough so that the projector could reveal details, Seaton drove -projections of all four voyagers down into the atmosphere of the -first planet at hand. That atmosphere was heavy and of a pronounced -greenish-yellow cast, and through it that fervent sun poured down a -flood of livid light upon a peculiarly dead and barren ground--but -yet a ground upon which grew isolated clumps of a livid and monstrous -vegetation. - -"Of course detailed analysis at this distance is impossible, but what -do you make of it, Dick?" asked Crane. "In all our travels, this is -only the second time we have encountered such an atmosphere." - -"Yes; and that's exactly twice too many." Seaton, at the spectroscope, -was scowling in thought. "Chlorin, all right, with some fluorin and -strong traces of oxides of nitrogen, nitrosyl chloride, and so on--just -about like that one we saw in our own Galaxy that time. I thought then -and have thought ever since that there was something decidedly fishy -about that planet, and I think there's something equally fishy about -this one." - -"Well, let's not investigate it any further, then," put in Dorothy. -"Let's go somewhere else, quick." - -"Yes, let's," Margaret agreed, "particularly if, as you said about -that other one, it has a form of life on it that would make our -grandfather's whiskers curl up into a ball." - -"We'll do that little thing; we haven't got _Three's_ equipment now, -and without it I'm no keener on smelling around this planet than you -are," and he flipped the projection across a few hundred million miles -of space to the neighboring planet. Its air, while somewhat murky and -smoky, was colorless and apparently normal, its oceans were composed of -water, and its vegetation was green. "See, Mart? I told you something -was fishy. It's all wrong--a thing like that can't happen even once, -let alone twice." - -"According to the accepted principles of cosmogony it is of course to -be expected that all the planets of the same sun would have atmospheres -of somewhat similar composition," Crane conceded, unmoved. "However, -since we have observed two cases of this kind, it is quite evident -that there are not only many more suns having planets than has been -supposed, but also that suns capture planets from each other, at least -occasionally." - -"Maybe--that would explain it, of course. But let's see what this world -looks like--see if we can find a place to sit down on. It'll be nice -to live on solid ground while I do my stuff." - -He swung the viewpoint slowly across the daylight side of the strange -planet, whose surface, like that of Earth, was partially obscured by -occasional masses of cloud. Much of that surface was covered by mighty -oceans, and what little land there was seemed strangely flat and -entirely devoid of topographical features. - -The immaterial conveyance dropped straight down upon the largest -visible mass of land, down through a towering jungle of fernlike and -bamboolike plants, halting only a few feet above the ground. Solid -ground it certainly was not, nor did it resemble the watery muck of -our Earthly swamps. The huge stems of the vegetation rose starkly -from a black and seething field of viscous mud--mud unrelieved by -any accumulation of humus or of débris--and in that mud there swam, -crawled, and slithered teeming hordes of animals. - -"What perfectly darn funny-looking mud puppies!" Dorothy exclaimed. -"And isn't that the thickest, dirtiest, gooiest mud you ever saw?" - -"Just about," Seaton agreed, intensely interested. "But those things -seem perfectly adapted to it. Flat, beaver tails; short, strong legs -with webbed feet; long, narrow heads with rooting noses, like pigs; -and heavy, sharp incisor teeth. But they live on those ferns and -stuff--that's why there's no underbrush or dead stuff. Look at that -bunch working on the roots of that big bamboo over there. They'll have -it down in a minute--there she goes!" - - * * * * * - -The great trunk fell with a crash as he spoke, and was almost instantly -forced beneath the repellant surface by the weight of the massed "mud -puppies" who flung themselves upon it. - -"Ah, I thought so!" Crane remarked. "Their molar teeth do not match -their incisors, being quite Titanotheric in type. Probably they can -assimilate lignin and cellulose instead of requiring our usual nutrient -carbohydrates. However, this terrain does not seem to be at all -suitable for our purpose." - -"I'll say it doesn't. I'll scout around and see if we can't find some -high land somewhere, but I've got a hunch that we won't care for that, -either. This murky air and the strong absorption lines of SO2 seem to -whisper in my ear that we'll find some plenty hot and plenty sulphurous -volcanoes when we find the mountains." - -A few large islands or small continents of high and solid land were -found at last, but they were without exception volcanic. And those -volcanoes were not quiescent. Each was in constant and furious eruption. - -"Well, I don't see any place around here either fit to live in or solid -enough to anchor an observatory onto," Seaton concluded, after he had -surveyed the entire surface of the globe. "I think we'd better flit -across to the next one, don't you, folks?" - -Suiting action to word, he shot the beam to the next nearest planet, -which chanced to be the one whose orbit was nearest the blazing sun, -and a mere glance showed that it would not serve the purposes of the -Terrestrials. Small it was, and barren: waterless, practically airless, -lifeless; a cratered, jagged, burned-out ember of what might once have -been a fertile little world. - -The viewpoint then leaped past the flaming inferno of the luminary and -came to rest in the upper layers of an atmosphere. - -"Aha!" Seaton exulted, after he had studied his instruments briefly. -"This looks like home, sweet home to me. Nitrogen, oxygen, some CO2, a -little water vapor, and traces of the old familiar rare gases. And see -the oceans, the clouds, and the hills? Hot dog!" - -As the projection dropped toward the new world's surface, however, -making possible a detailed study, it became evident that there was -something abnormal about it. The mountains were cratered and torn; -many of the valleys were simply desolate expanses of weathered lava, -tuff, and breccia; and, while it seemed that climatic conditions were -eminently suitable, of animal life there was none. - -And it was not only the world itself that had been outraged. Near a -great inland lake there spread the ruins of what had once been a great -city; ruins so crumbled and razed as to be almost unrecognizable. What -had been stone was dust, what had been metal was rust; and dust and -rust alike were now almost completely overgrown by vegetation. - -"Hm-m-m!" Seaton mused, subdued. "There _was_ a near-collision of -planet-bearing suns, Mart; and that chlorin planet was captured. This -world was ruined by the strains set up--but surely they must have been -scientific enough to have seen it coming? Surely they must have made -plans so that _some_ of them could have lived through it?" - -He fell silent, driving the viewpoint hither and thither, like a hound -in quest of a scent. "I thought so!" Another ruined city lay beneath -them; a city whose buildings, works, and streets had been fused -together into one vast agglomerate of glaringly glassy slag, through -which could be seen unmelted fragments of strangely designed structural -members. "Those ruins are fresh--that was done with a heat ray, Mart. -But who did it, and why? I've got a hunch--wonder if we're too late--if -they've killed them all off already?" - -Hard-faced now and grim, Seaton combed the continent, finding at last -what he sought. - -"Ah, I thought so!" he exclaimed, his voice low but deadly. "I'll -bet my shirt that the chlorins are wiping out the civilization of -that planet--probably people more or less like us. What d'you say, -folks--do we declare ourselves in on this, or not?" - -"I'll tell the cockeyed world--I believe that we should--By all -means--" came simultaneously from Dorothy, Margaret, and Crane. - -"I knew you'd back me up. Humanity _über alles_--_homo sapiens_ against -all the vermin of the universe! Let's go, _Two_--do your stuff!" - - * * * * * - -As _Two_ hurtled toward the unfortunate planet with her every iota of -driving power, Seaton settled down to observe the strife and to see -what he could do. That which lay beneath the viewpoint had not been a -city, in the strict sense of the word. It had been an immense system of -concentric fortifications, of which the outer circles had long since -gone down under the irresistible attack of the two huge structures of -metal which hung poised in the air above. Where those outer rings had -been there was now an annular lake of boiling, seething lava. Lava -from which arose gouts and slender pillars of smoke and fume; lava -being volatilized by the terrific heat of the offensive beams and being -hurled away in flaming cascades by the almost constant detonations -of high-explosive shells; lava into which from time to time another -portion of the immense fortress slagged down--put out of action, -riddled, and finally fused by the awful forces of the invaders. - -Even as the four Terrestrials stared in speechless awe, an intolerable -blast of flame burst out above one of the flying forts and down it -plunged into the raging pool, throwing molten slag far and wide as it -disappeared beneath the raging surface. - -"Hurray!" shrieked Dorothy, who had instinctively taken sides with the -defenders. "One down, anyway!" - -But her jubilation was premature. The squat and monstrous fabrication -burst upward through that flaming surface and, white-hot lava -streaming from it in incandescent torrents, it was again in action, -apparently uninjured. - -[Illustration: _But the squat and monstrous flying fort burst upward -through the seething surface and was again in full action._] - -"All fourth-order stuff, Mart," Seaton, who had been frantically busy -at his keyboard and instruments, reported to Crane. "Can't find a trace -of anything on the fifth or sixth, and that gives us a break. I don't -know what we can do yet, but we'll do something, believe me!" - -"Fourth order? Are you sure?" Crane doubted. "A fourth-order screen -would be a zone of force, opaque and impervious to gravitation, whereas -those screens are transparent and are not affecting gravity." - -"Yeah, but they're doing something that we never tried, since we never -used fourth-order stuff in fighting. They've both left the gravity band -open--it's probably too narrow for them to work through, at least with -anything very heavy--and that gives us the edge." - -"Why? Do you know more about it than they do?" queried Dorothy. - -"Who and what are they, Dick?" asked Margaret. - -"Sure I know more about it than they do. I understand the fifth and -sixth orders, and you can't get the full benefit of any order until you -know all about the next one. Just like mathematics--nobody can really -handle trigonometry until after he has had calculus. And as to who -they are, the folks in that fort are of course natives of the planet, -and they may well be people more or less like us. It's dollars to -doughnuts, though, that those vessels are manned by the inhabitants of -that interloping planet--that form of life I was telling you about--and -it's up to us to pull their corks if we can. There, I'm ready to go, I -think. We'll visit the ship first." - -The visible projection disappeared and, their images now invisible -patterns of force, they stood inside the control room of one of the -invaders. The air bore the faint, greenish-yellow tinge of chlorin; -the walls were banked and tiered with controlling dials, meters, and -tubes; and sprawling, lying, standing, or hanging before those controls -were denizens of the chlorin planet. No two of them were alike in form. -If one of them was using eyes he had eyes everywhere; if hands, hands -by the dozen, all differently fingered, sprouted from one, two, or a -dozen supple and snaky arms. - -But the inspection was only momentary. Scarcely had the unseen visitors -glanced about the interior when the visibeam was cut off sharply. The -peculiar beings had snapped on a full-coverage screen and their vessel, -now surrounded by the opaque spherical mirror of a zone of force, was -darting upward and away--unaffected by gravity, unable to use any of -her weapons, but impervious to any form of matter or to any ether-borne -wave. - -"Huh! 'We didn't come over here to get peeked at,' says they." Seaton -snorted. "Amœbic! Must be handy, though, at that, to sprout eyes, arms, -ears, and so on whenever and wherever you want to--and when you want -to rest, to pull in all such impedimenta and subside into a senseless -green blob. Well, we've seen the attackers, now let's see what the -natives look like. They can't cut us off without sending their whole -works sky-hooting off into space." - -The visibeam sped down into the deepest sanctum of the fortress without -hindrance, revealing a long, narrow control table at which were -seated men--men not exactly like the humanity of Earth, of Norlamin, -of Osnome, or of any other planet, but undoubtedly men, of the genus -_homo_. - -"You were right, Dick." Crane the anthropologist now spoke. "It seems -that on planets similar to Earth in mass, atmosphere, and temperature, -wherever situated, man develops. The ultimate genes must permeate -universal space itself." - -"Maybe--sounds reasonable. But did you see that red light flash on when -we came in? They've got detectors set on the gravity band--look at the -expression on their faces." - - * * * * * - -Each of the seated men had ceased his activity and was slumped down -into his chair. Resignation, hopeless yet bitter, sat upon lofty, domed -brows and stared out of large and kindly eyes. - -"Oh, I get it!" Seaton exclaimed. "They think the chlorins are watching -them--as they probably do most of the time--and they can't do anything -about it. Should think they could do the same--or could broadcast an -interference--I could help them on that if I could talk to them--wish -they had an educator, but I haven't seen any--" He paused, brow knitted -in concentration. "I'm going to make myself visible to try a stunt. -Don't talk to me; I'll need all the brain power I've got to pull this -off." - -As Seaton's image thickened into substance its effect upon -the strangers was startling indeed. First they shrank back in -consternation, supposing that their enemies had at last succeeded in -working a full materialization through the narrow gravity band. Then, -as they perceived that Seaton's figure was human, and of a humanity -different from their own, they sprang to surround him, shouting words -meaningless to the Terrestrials. - -For some time Seaton tried to make his meaning clear by signs, but the -thoughts he was attempting to convey were far too complex for that -simple medium. Communication was impossible and the time was altogether -too short to permit of a laborious learning of language. Therefore -streamers of visible force shot from Seaton's imaged eyes, sinking -deeply into the eyes of the figure at the head of the table. - -"Look at me!" he commanded, and his fists clenched and drops of sweat -stood out on his forehead as he threw all the power of his brain into -that probing, hypnotic beam. - -The native resisted with all his strength, but not for nothing had -Seaton had superimposed upon his already-powerful mind a large -portion of the phenomenal brain of Drasnik, the First of Psychology -of Norlamin. Resistance was useless. The victim soon sat relaxed and -passive, his mind completely subservient to Seaton's, and as though in -a trance he spoke to his fellows. - -"This apparition is the force-image of one of a group of men from -a distant Solar System," he intoned in his own language. "They are -friendly and intend to help us. Their space ship is approaching -us under full power, but it cannot get here for many days. They -can, however, help us materially before they arrive in person. To -that end, he directs that we cause to be brought into this room a -full assortment of all our fields of force, transmitting tubes, -controllers, force-converters--in short, the equipment of a laboratory -of radiation--No, that would take too long. He suggests that one of us -escort him to such a laboratory." - - - - - XVI. - - -As Seaton assumed, the near-collision of suns which had affected so -disastrously the planet Valeron did not come unheralded to overwhelm a -world unwarned, since for many hundreds of years her civilization had -been of a high order indeed. - -With all their resources of knowledge and of power, however, it was -pitifully little that the people of Valeron could do; for of what avail -are the puny energies of man compared to the practically infinite -forces of cosmic phenomena? Any attempt of the humanity of the doomed -planet to swerve from their courses the incomprehensible masses of -those two hurtling suns was as surely doomed to failure as would be the -attempt of an ant to thrust from its rails an onrushing locomotive. - -But what little could be done was done; done scientifically and -logically; done, if not altogether without fear, at least inasmuch -as was humanly possible without favor. With mathematical certainty -were plotted the areas of least strain, and in those areas were -constructed shelters. Shelters buried deeply enough to be unaffected -by the coming upheavals of the world's crust; shelters of unbreakable -metal, so designed, so latticed and braced as to withstand the seismic -disturbances to which they were inevitably to be subjected. - -Having determined the number of such shelters that could be built, -equipped, and supplied with the necessities of life in the time -allowed, the board of selection began its cold-blooded and heartless -task. Scarcely one in a thousand of Valeron's teeming millions was to -be given a chance for continued life, and they were to be chosen only -from the children who would be in the prime of young adulthood at the -time of the catastrophe. - -These children were the pick of the planet: flawless in mind, body, and -heredity. They were assembled in special schools near their assigned -refuges, where they were instructed intensively in everything that they -would have to know in order that civilization should not disappear -utterly from the universe. - -Such a thing could not be kept a secret long, and it is best to touch -as lightly as possible upon the scenes which ensued after the certainty -of doom became public knowledge. - -Characters already strong were strengthened, but those already weak -went to pieces entirely in orgies to a normal mind unthinkable. Almost -overnight a peaceful and law-abiding world went mad--became an insane -hotbed of crime, rapine, and pillage unspeakable. Martial law was -declared at once, and after a few thousand maniacs had been ruthlessly -shot down, the soberer inhabitants were allowed to choose between two -alternatives. They could either die then and there before a firing -squad, or they could wait and take whatever slight chance there might -be of living through what was to come--but devoting their every effort -meanwhile to the end that through those selected few the civilization -of Valeron should endure. - -Many chose death and were executed summarily and without formality, -without regard to wealth or station. The rest worked. - - * * * * * - -Since the human mind cannot be kept indefinitely at high tension, the -new condition of things came in time to be regarded almost as normal, -and as months lengthened into years the routine was scarcely broken. - -But always there were the sly--the self-seekers, the bribers, the -corruptionists--willing to go to any lengths whatever to avoid their -doom. Not openly did they carry on their machinations, but like -loathsome worms eating at the heart of an outwardly fair fruit. But the -scientists, almost to a man, were loyal. Trained to think, they thought -clearly and logically, and surrounded themselves with soldiers and -guards of the same stripe. - -Time went on. The shelters were finished. Into them were taken stores, -libraries, tools and equipment of every sort necessary for the -rebuilding of a fully civilized world. Finally the "children," now in -the full prime of young manhood and young womanhood, were carefully -checked in. Once inside those massive portals of metal they were of a -world apart. - -They were completely informed and completely educated; they had for -long governed themselves with neither aid nor interference; they knew -precisely what they must face; they knew exactly what to do and exactly -how to do it. Behind them the mighty, multi-ply seals were welded into -place and broken rock by the cubic mile was blasted down upon their -refuges. - -Day by day the heat grew more and more intense. The tides waxed ever -higher. Cyclonic storms raged ever fiercer, accompanied by an incessant -blaze of lightning and a deafeningly continuous roar of thunder. - -Work was at an end and the masses were utterly beyond control. The -devoted were butchered by their frantic fellows; the hopeless were -stung to madness; the stolid were driven to frenzy by the realization -that there was to be no future; the remaining sly ones deftly turned -the unorganized fury of the mob into a purposeful attack upon the -shelters, their only hope of life. - -But at each refuge the rabble met an unyielding wall of guards loyal -to the last, and of scientists who, their work now done, were merely -waiting for the end. Guards and scientists fought with rays, rifles, -swords, and finally with clubs, stones, fists, feet and teeth. -Outnumbered by thousands they fell and the howling mob surged over -their bodies. To no purpose. Those shelters had been designed and -constructed to withstand the attacks of nature gone berserk, and futile -indeed were the attempts of the frenzied hordes to tear a way into -their sacred recesses. - -Thus died the devoted and high-souled band who had saved their -civilization; but in that death each man was granted the boon which, -deep in his heart, he had craved. They had died quickly and violently, -fighting for a cause they knew to be good. - - * * * * * - -The suns passed, each upon his appointed way. The cosmic forces ceased -to war and to the tortured and ravaged planet there at last came peace. -The surviving children of Valeron emerged from their subterranean -retreats and undauntedly took up the task of rebuilding their world. -And to such good purpose did they devote themselves to the problems of -rehabilitation that in a few hundred years there bloomed upon Valeron a -civilization and a culture scarcely to be equaled in the universe. - -For the new race had been cradled in adversity. In its ancestry there -was no physical or mental taint or weakness, all dross having been -burned away by the fires of cosmic catastrophe which had so nearly -obliterated all the life of the planet. - -Immediately after the Emergence it had been observed that the two -outermost planets of the system had disappeared and that in their stead -revolved a new planet. This phenomenon was recognized for what it was, -an exchange of planets; something to give concern only to astronomers, -and to them only mathematically, in the computation of now greatly -perturbed orbits. - -No one except sheerest romancers even gave thought to the possibility -of life upon other worlds, it being an almost mathematically -demonstrable fact that the Valeronians were the only life in the entire -universe. And even if other planets might possibly be inhabited, what -of it? The vast reaches of empty ether intervening between Valeron and -even her nearest fellow planet formed an insuperable obstacle even to -communication, to say nothing of physical passage. - -When the interplanetary invaders were discovered upon Valeron, Quedrin -Vornel, the most brilliant physicist of the planet, and his son Quedrin -Radnor, the most renowned, were among the first to be informed of the -visitation. - -Of these two, Quedrin Vornel had for many years been engaged in -researches of the most abstruse and fundamental character upon the -ultimate structure of matter. He had delved deeply into those which we -know as matter, energy, and ether, and had studied exhaustively the -phenomena characteristic of or associated with atomic, electronic, and -photonic rearrangements. - -His son, while a scientist of no mean attainments in his own right, did -not possess the phenomenally powerful and profoundly analytical mind -that had made the elder Quedrin the outstanding scientific genius of -his time. He was, however, a synchronizer _par excellence_, possessing -to a unique degree the ability to develop things and processes of -great utilitarian value from concepts and discoveries of a purely -scientific and academic nature. - -The vibrations which we know as Hertzian waves had long been known and -had long been employed in radio, both broadcast and tight-beam, in -television, in beam-transmission of power, and in receiverless visirays -and their blocking screens. When Quedrin the elder disrupted the atom, -however, successfully and safely liberating and studying not only its -stupendous energy but also an entire series of vibrations, rays, and -particles theretofore unknown to science, Quedrin the younger began -forthwith to turn the resulting products to the good of mankind. - -Intra-atomic energy soon drove every prime mover of Valeron and shorter -and shorter waves were harnessed. In beams, fans, and broadcasts -Quedrin Radnor combined and heterodyned them, making of them tools and -instruments immeasurably superior in power, precision, and adaptability -to anything that his world had ever before known. - -Due to the signal abilities of brilliant father and famous son, -the laboratory in which they labored was connected by a private -communication beam with the executive office of the Bardyle of Valeron. -"Bardyle," freely translated, means "coördinator." He was neither king, -emperor, nor president; and, while his authority was supreme, he was in -no sense a dictator. - -A paradoxical statement this, but a true one; for the orders--or -rather, requests and suggestions--of the Bardyle merely guided the -activities of men and women who had neither government nor laws, as we -understand the terms, but were working of their own volition for the -good of all mankind. The Bardyle could not conceivably issue an order -contrary to the common weal, nor would such an order have been obeyed. - - * * * * * - -Upon the wall of the laboratory the tuned buzzer of Bardyle's -beam-communicator sounded its subdued call and Klynor Siblin, the -scientist's capable assistant, took the call upon his desk instrument. -A strong, youthful face appeared upon the screen. - -"Radnor is not here, Siblin?" The pictured visitor glanced about the -room as he spoke. - -"No, sir. He is out in the space ship, making another test flight. He -is merely circling the world, however, so that I can easily get him on -the plate here if you wish." - -"That would perhaps be desirable. Something very peculiar has occurred, -concerning which all three of you should be informed." - -The connections were soon made and the Bardyle went on: - -"A semicircular dome of force has been erected over the ruins of the -ancient city of Mocelyn. It is impossible to say how long it has been -in place, since you know the ruins lie in an entirely unpopulated area. -It is, however, of an unknown composition and pattern, being opaque -to vision and to our visibeams. It is also apparently impervious to -matter. Since this phenomenon seems to lie in your province I would -suggest that you three men investigate it and take such steps as you -deem necessary." - -"It is noted, O Bardyle," and Klynor Siblin cut the beam. - -He then shot out their heaviest visiray beam, poising its viewpoint -directly over what, in the days before the cataclysm, had been the -populous city of Mocelyn. - -Straight down the beam drove, upon the huge hemisphere of greenly -glinting force; urged downward by the full power of the Quedrins' -mighty generators. By the very vehemence of its thrust it tore through -the barrier, but only for an instant. The watchers had time to -perceive only fleetingly a greenish-yellow haze of light, but before -any details could be grasped their beam was snapped--the automatically -reacting screens had called for and had received enough additional -power to neutralize the invading beam. - -Then, to the amazement of the three physicists, a beam of visible -energy thrust itself from the green barrier and began to feel its way -along their own invisible visiray. Siblin cut off his power instantly -and leaped toward the door. - -"Whoever they are, they know something!" he shouted as he ran. "Don't -want them to find this laboratory, so I'll set up a diversion with a -rocket plane. If you watch at all, Vornel, do it from a distance and -with a spy ray, not a carrier beam. I'll get in touch with Radnor on -the way." - -Even though he swung around in a wide circle, to approach the strange -stronghold at a wide angle to his former line, such was the power of -the plane that Siblin reached his destination in little more than an -hour. Keying Radnor's visibeam to the visiplates of the plane, so that -the distant scientist could see everything that happened, Siblin again -drove a heavy beam into the unyielding pattern of green force. - -[Illustration: _Surrounded by a shell of energy, he was drawn toward -the huge dome._] - -This time, however, the reaction was instantaneous. A fierce tongue -of green flame licked out and seized the flying plane in mid-air. -One wing and side panel were sliced off neatly and Siblin was thrown -out violently, but he did not fall. Surrounded by a vibrant shell of -energy, he was drawn rapidly toward the huge dome. The dome merged with -the shell as it touched it, but the two did not coalesce. The shell -passed smoothly through the dome, which as smoothly closed behind it. -Siblin inside the shell, the shell inside the dome. - - - - - XVII. - - -Siblin never knew exactly what happened during those first few minutes, -nor exactly how it happened. One minute, in his sturdy plane, he was -setting up his "diversion" by directing a powerful beam of force upon -the green dome of the invaders. Suddenly his rocket ship had been -blasted apart and he had been hurled away from the madly spinning, -gyrating wreckage. - -He had a confused recollection of sitting down violently upon something -very hard, and perceived dully that he was lying asprawl upon the -inside of a greenishly shimmering globe some twenty feet in diameter. -Its substance had the hardness of chilled steel, yet it was almost -perfectly transparent, seemingly composed of cold green flame, pale -almost to invisibility. He also observed, in an incurious, foggy -fashion, that the great dome was rushing toward him at an appalling -pace. - -He soon recovered from his shock, however, and perceived that the -peculiar ball in which he was imprisoned was a shell of force, of -formula and pattern entirely different from anything known to the -scientists of Valeron. Keenly alive and interested now, he noted with -high appreciation exactly how the wall of force that was the dome -merged with, made way for, and closed smoothly behind the relatively -tiny globe. - -Inside the dome he stared around him, amazed and not a little awed. -Upon the ground, the center of that immense hemisphere, lay a -featureless, football-shaped structure which must be the vessel of the -invaders. Surrounding it there were massed machines and engineering -structures of unmistakable form and purpose; drills, derricks, shaft -heads, skips, hoists, and other equipment for boring and mining. -From the lining of the huge dome there radiated a strong, lurid, -yellowish-green light which intensified to positive ghastliness the -natural color of the gaseous chlorin which replaced the familiar air in -that walled-off volume so calmly appropriated to their own use by the -Outlanders. - -As his shell was drawn downward toward the strange scene Siblin saw -many moving things beneath him, but was able neither to understand -what he saw nor to correlate it with anything in his own knowledge or -experience. For those beings were amorphous. Some flowed along the -ground, formless blobs of matter; some rolled, like wheels or like -barrels; many crawled rapidly, snakelike; others resembled animated -pancakes, undulating flatly and nimbly about upon a dozen or so short, -tentacular legs; only a few, vaguely manlike, walked upright. - -A glass cage, some eight feet square and seven high, stood under the -towering bulge of the great ship's side; and as his shell of force -engulfed it and its door swung invitingly open, Siblin knew that he was -expected to enter it. - -Indeed, he had no choice--the fabric of cold flame that had been -his conveyance and protection vanished, and he had scarcely time to -leap inside the cage and slam the door before the noxious vapors of -the atmosphere invaded the space from which the shell's impermeable -wall had barred it. To die more slowly, but just as surely, from -suffocation? No, the cage was equipped with a thoroughly efficient -oxygen generator and air purifier; there were stores of Valeronian food -and water; there were a chair, a table, and a narrow bunk; and, wonder -of wonders, there were even kits of toilet articles and of changes of -clothing. - -Far above a great door opened. The cage was lifted and, without any -apparent means either of support or of propulsion, it moved through the -doorways and along various corridors and halls, coming finally to rest -upon the floor in one of the innermost compartments of the sky rover. -Siblin saw masses of machinery, panels of controlling instruments, and -weirdly multiform creatures at station; but he had scant time even to -glance at them, his attention being attracted instantly to the middle -of the room where, lying in a heavily reënforced shallow cup of metal -upon an immensely strong, low table, he saw a--a _something_; and for -the first time an inhabitant of Valeron saw at close range one of the -invaders. - -It was in no sense a solid, nor a liquid, nor yet a jelly; although it -seemed to partake of certain properties of all three. In part it was -murkily transparent, in part greenishly translucent, in part turbidly -opaque; but in all it was intrinsically horrible. - -But that it was sentient and intelligent there could be no doubt. Not -only could its malign mental radiations be felt, but its brain could -be plainly seen; a huge, intricately convolute organ suspended in an -unyielding but plastic medium of solid jelly. Its skin seemed thin and -frail, but Siblin was later to learn that that tegument was not only -stronger than rawhide, but was more pliable, more elastic, and more -extensible than the finest rubber. - - * * * * * - -As the Valeronian stared in helpless horror that peculiar skin -stretched locally almost to vanishing thinness and an enormous, -Cyclopean eye developed. More than an eye, it was a special organ -for a special sense which humanity has never possessed, a sense -combining ordinary vision with something infinitely deeper, -more penetrant and more powerful. Vision, hypnotism, telepathy, -thought-transference--something of all three, yet in essence a thing -beyond any sense or faculty known to us or describable in language -had its being in the almost-visible, almost-tangible beam of force -which emanated from the single, temporary "eye" of the Thing and bored -through the eyes and deep into the brain of the Valeronian. Siblin's -very senses reeled under the impact of that wave of mental power, but -he did not quite lose consciousness. - -"So _you_ are one of the ruling intelligences of this planet--one of -its most advanced scientists?" The scornful thought formed itself, -coldly clear, in his mind. "We have always known, of course, that we -are the highest form of life in the universe, and the fact that you -are so low in the scale of mentality only confirms that knowledge. It -would be surprising indeed if such a noxious atmosphere as yours could -nurture any real intelligence. It will be highly gratifying to report -to the Council of Great Ones that not only is this planet rich in the -materials we seek, but that its inhabitants, while intelligent enough -to do our bidding in securing those materials, are not sufficiently -advanced to cause us any trouble." - -"Why did you not come in peace?" Siblin thought back. Neither cowed nor -shaken, he was merely amazed at the truculently overbearing mien of the -strange entity. - -"Bah!" snapped the amœbus savagely. "That is the talk of a -weakling--the whining, begging reasoning of a race of low intelligence, -one which knows and acknowledges itself inferior. Know you, feeble -brain, that we of Chlora"--to substitute an intelligible word for -the unpronounceable and untranslatable thought-image of his native -world--"neither require nor desire cooperation. We are in no need -either of assistance or of instruction from any lesser and lower form -of life. We instruct. Other races, such as yours, either obey or are -obliterated. I brought you aboard this vessel because I am about to -return to my own planet, and had decided to take one of you with me, so -that the other Great Ones of the Council may see for themselves what -form of life this Valeron boasts. - -"If your race obeys our commands implicitly and does not attempt to -interfere with us in any way, we shall probably permit most of you to -continue your futile lives in our service; such as in mining for us -certain ores which, relatively abundant upon your planet, are very -scarce upon ours. - -"As for you personally, perhaps we shall destroy you after the other -Great Ones have examined you, perhaps we shall decide to use you as -a messenger to transmit our orders to your fellow creatures. Before -we depart, however, I shall make a demonstration which should impress -upon even such feeble minds as those of your race the futility of any -thought of opposition to us. Watch carefully--everything that goes on -outside is shown in the view box." - -Although Siblin had neither heard, felt, nor seen the captain issue any -orders, all was in readiness for the take-off. The mining engineers -were all on board, the vessel was sealed for flight, and the navigators -and control officers were at their panels. Siblin stared intently -into the "view box," the three-dimensional visiplate that mirrored -faithfully every occurrence in the neighborhood of the Chloran vessel. - -The lower edge of the hemisphere of force began to contract, passing -smoothly through or around--the spectator could not decide which--the -ruins of Mocelyn, hugging or actually penetrating the ground, allowing -not even a whiff of its precious chlorin content to escape into the -atmosphere of Valeron. The ship then darted into the air and the -shrinking edge became an ever-decreasing circle upon the ground beneath -her. That circle disappeared as the meeting edge fused and the wall of -force, now a hollow sphere, contained within itself the atmosphere of -the invaders. - -High over the surface of the planet sped the Chloran raider toward the -nearest Valeronian city, which happened to be only a small village. -Above the unfortunate settlement the callous monstrosity poised its -craft, to drop its dread curtain of strangling, choking death. - -Down the screen dropped, rolling out to become again a hemispherical -wall, sweeping before it every milliliter of the life-giving air of -Valeron and drawing behind it the noxious atmosphere of Chlora. For -those who have ever inhaled even a small quantity of chlorin it is -unnecessary to describe in detail the manner in which those villagers -of Valeron died; for those who have not, no possible description could -be adequate. Suffice it to say, therefore, that they died--horribly. - - * * * * * - -Again the wall of force rolled up, coming clear up to the outer skin -of the cruiser this time, in its approach liquefying the chlorin and -forcing it into storage chambers. The wall then disappeared entirely, -leaving the marauding vessel starkly outlined against the sky. Then, -further and even more strongly to impress the raging but impotent -Klynor Siblin: - -"Beam it down!" the amœbus captain commanded, and various officers sent -out thin, whiplike tentacles toward their controls. - -Projectors swung downward and dense green pillars of flaming energy -erupted from the white-hot refractories of their throats. And what -those green pillars struck subsided instantly into a pool of hissing, -molten glass. Methodically they swept the entire area of the village. - -"You monster!" shrieked Siblin, white, shaken, almost beside himself. -"You vile, unspeakable monster! Of what use is such a slaughter of -innocent men? They have not harmed you--" - -"Indeed they have not, nor could they," the amœbus interrupted -callously. "They mean nothing whatever to me, in any way. I have gone -to the trouble of wiping out this city to give you and the rest -of your race an object lesson; to impress upon you how thoroughly -unimportant you are to us and to bring home to you your abject -helplessness. Your whole race is, as you have just shown yourself to -be, childish, soft, and sentimental, and therefore incapable of real -advancement. On the contrary we, the masters of the universe, do not -suffer from silly inhibitions or from foolish weaknesses." - -The eye faded out, its sharp outlines blurring gradually as its highly -specialized parts became transformed into or were replaced by the -formless gel composing the body of the creature. The amœbus then poured -himself out of the cup, assumed the shape of a doughnut, and rolled -rapidly out of the room. - -When the Chloran captain had gone, Siblin threw himself upon his -narrow bunk, fighting savagely to retain his self-control. He _must_ -escape--he _must_ escape--the thought repeated itself endlessly in his -mind--but how? The glass walls of his prison were his only defense -against hideous death. Nowhere in any Chloran thing, nowhere in any -nook or cranny of the noisome planet toward which he was speeding, -could he exist for a minute except inside the cell which his captors -were keeping supplied with oxygen. No tools--nothing from which to make -a protective covering--no way of carrying air--nowhere to go--helpless, -helpless--even to break that glass meant death-- - - * * * * * - -At last he slept, fitfully, and when he awoke the vessel was deep in -interplanetary space. His captors paid no further attention to him--he -had air, food, and water, and if he chose to kill himself that was of -no concern to them--and Siblin, able to think more calmly now, studied -every phase of his predicament. - -There was absolutely no possibility of escape. Rescue was out of -the question. He could, however, communicate with Valeron, since in -his belt were tiny sender and receiver, attached by tight beams to -instruments in the laboratory of the Quedrins. Detection of that pencil -beam might well mean instant death, but that was a risk which, for the -good of humanity, must be run. Lying upon his side, he concealed one -ear plug under his head and manipulated the tiny sender in his belt. - -"Quedrin Radnor--Quedrin Vornel--" he called for minutes, with no -response. Truly, something of grave import must have happened to -cause complete desertion of _that_ laboratory. However, it mattered -little; his messages would be recorded. He went on to describe in -detail, tersely, accurately, and scientifically, everything that he had -observed and deduced concerning the Chlorans, their forces, and their -mechanisms. - -"We are now approaching the planet," he continued, now an observer -reporting what he saw in the view box. "It is apparently largely land. -It has north and south polar ice caps. A dark area, which I take to be -an ocean, is the most prominent feature visible at this time. It is -diamond-shaped and its longer axis, lying north and south, is about one -quarter of a circumference in length. Its shorter axis, about half that -length, lies almost upon the equator. We are passing high above this -ocean, going east. - -"East of the ocean and distant from it about one fifth of a -circumference lies quite a large lake, roughly elliptical in shape, -whose major axis lies approximately northeast and southwest. We are -dropping toward a large city upon the southeast shore of this lake, -almost equally distant from its two ends. Since I am to be examined by -a so-called 'Council of Great Ones,' it may be that this city is their -capital. - -"No matter what happens, do not attempt to rescue me, as it is -entirely hopeless. Escape is likewise impossible, because of the lethal -atmosphere. There is a strong possibility, furthermore, that I may be -returned to Valeron as a messenger to our race. This possibility is -my only hope of returning. I am sending this data and will continue -to send it as long as is possible, simply to aid you in deciding what -shall be done to defend our civilization against these monsters. - -"We are now docking, near a large, hemispherical dome of force--My -cell is being transported through the atmosphere toward that dome--It -is opening. I do not know whether my beam can pass out through it, but -I shall keep on sending--Inside the dome there is a great building, -toward which I am floating--I am inside the building, inside a glass -compartment which seems to be filled with air--Yes, it _is_ air, for -the creatures who are entering it are wearing protective suits of some -transparent substance. Their bodies are now globular and they are -walking, each upon three short legs. One of them is developing an eye, -similar to the one I descr--" - -[Illustration: _Their bodies were globular, and each one walked upon -three short legs._] - -Siblin's message stopped in the middle of a word. The eye had developed -and in its weirdly hypnotic grip the Valeronian was helpless to do -anything of his own volition. Obeying the telepathic command of the -Great One, he stepped out into the larger room and divested himself of -his scanty clothing. One of the monstrosities studied his belt briefly, -recognized his communicator instruments for what they were, and kicked -them scornfully into a corner--thus rendering it impossible for either -captive or captors to know it when that small receiver throbbed out its -urgent message from Quedrin Radnor. - -The inspection and examination finished, it did not take long for the -monstrosities to decide upon a course of action. - -"Take this scum back to its own planet as soon as your cargo is -unloaded," the chief Great One directed. "You must pass near that -planet on your way to explore the next one, and it will save time and -inconvenience to let it carry our message to its fellows." - -Out in space, speeding toward distant Valeron, the captain again -communicated with Siblin: - -"I shall land you close to one of your inhabited cities and you will at -once get in touch with your Bardyle. You already know what your race is -to do, and you have in your cage a sample of the ore with which you are -to supply us. You shall be given twenty of your days in which to take -from the mine already established by us enough of that ore to load this -ship--ten thousand tons. The full amount--and pure mineral, mind you, -no base rock--must be in the loading hoppers at the appointed time or I -shall proceed to destroy every populated city, village, and hamlet upon -the face of your globe." - -"But that particular ore is rare!" protested Siblin. "I do not believe -that it will prove physically possible to recover such a vast amount of -it in the short time you are allowing us." - -"You understand the orders--obey them or die!" - - - - - XVIII. - - -Very near to Valeron, as space distances go, yet so far away in terms -of miles that he could take no active part whatever in the proceedings, -Quedrin Radnor sat tense at his controls, staring into his powerful -visiplates. Even before Klynor Siblin had lifted his rocket plane -off the ground, Radnor had opened his throttles wide. Then, his ship -hurtling at full drive toward home, everything done he could do, he sat -and watched. - -Watched, a helpless spectator. Watched while Siblin made his futilely -spectacular attack; watched the gallant plane's destruction; watched -the capture of the brave but foolhardy pilot; watched the rolling up -and compression of the Chloran dome; watched in agony the obliteration -of everything, animate and inanimate, pertaining to the outlying -village; watched in horrified relief the departure of the invading -space ship. - -Screaming through the air, her outer plating white hot from its -friction, her forward rocket tubes bellowing a vicious crescendo, -Radnor braked his ship savagely to a landing in the dock beside the -machine shop in which she had been built. During that long return -voyage his mind had not been idle. Not only had he decided what to -do, he had also made rough sketches and working drawings of the -changes which must be made in his peaceful space ship to make of her a -superdreadnought of the void. - -This was not as difficult an undertaking as might be supposed. She -already had power enough and to spare, her generators and connectors -being able to supply, hundreds of times over, her maximum present -drain; and, because of the ever-present danger of collision with -meteorites, she was already amply equipped with repeller screens and -with automatically tripped zones of force. Therefore all that was -necessary was the installation of the required offensive armament--beam -projectors, torpedo tubes, fields of force, controls, and the like--the -designing of which was a simple matter for the brain which had tamed to -man's everyday use the ultimately violent explosiveness of intra-atomic -energy. - -Radnor first made sure that the machine-shop superintendent, master -mechanic, and foremen understood the sketches fully and knew precisely -what was to be done. Then, confident that the new projectors would -project and that the as yet nonexistent oxygen bombs would explode with -their theoretical violence, he hurried to the office of the Bardyle. -Already gathered there was a portentous group. Besides the coördinator -there were scientists, engineers, architects, and beam specialists, as -well as artists, teachers, and philosophers. - -"Greetings, Quedrin Radnor!" began the Bardyle. "Your plan for the -defense of Valeron has been adopted, with a few minor alterations -and additions suggested by other technical experts. It has been -decided, however, that your proposed punitive visit to Chlora cannot -be approved. As matters now stand it can be only an expedition of -retaliation and vengeance, and as such can in no wise advance our -cause." - -"Very well, O Bardyle! It is--" Radnor, trained from infancy in -cooperation, was accepting the group decision as a matter of course -when he was interrupted by an emergency call from his own laboratory. -An assistant, returning to the temporarily deserted building, had found -the message of Klynor Siblin and had known that it should be given -immediate attention. - -"Please relay it to us here, at once," Radnor instructed; and, when the -message had been delivered: - -"Fellow councilors, I believe that this word from Klynor Siblin will -operate to change your decision against my proposed flight to Chlora. -With these incomplete facts and data to guide me I shall be able to -study intelligently the systems of offense and of defense employed by -the enemy, and shall then be in position to strengthen immeasurably our -own armament. Furthermore, Siblin was alive within the hour--there may -yet be some slight chance of saving his life in spite of what he has -said." - -The Bardyle glanced once around the circle of tense faces, reading in -them the consensus of opinion without having recourse to speech. - -"Your point is well taken, Councilor Quedrin, and for the sake of -acquiring knowledge your flight is approved," he said slowly. -"Provided, however--and this is a most important proviso--that you can -convince us that there is a reasonable certainty of your safe return. -Klynor Siblin had, of course, no idea that he would be captured. -Nevertheless, the Chlorans took him, and his life is probably forfeit. -You must also agree not to jeopardize your life in any attempt to -rescue your friend unless you have every reason to believe that such an -attempt will prove successful. We are insisting upon these assurances -because your scientific ability will be of inestimable value to Valeron -in this forthcoming struggle, and therefore your life must at all -hazards be preserved." - -"To the best of my belief and ability my safe return is certain," -replied Radnor positively. "Siblin's plane, used only for low-speed -atmospheric flying, had no defenses whatever and so fell an easy prey -to the Chlorans' attack. My ship, however, was built to navigate space, -in which it may meet at any time meteorites traveling at immensely high -velocities, and is protected accordingly. She already had four courses -of high-powered repeller screens, the inside course of which, upon -being punctured, automatically throws around her a zone of force. - -"This zone, as most of you know, sets up a stasis in the ether itself, -and thus is not only absolutely impervious to and unaffected by -any material substance, however applied, but is also opaque to any -vibration or wave-form propagated through the ether. In addition to -these defenses I am now installing screens capable of neutralizing any -offensive force with which I am familiar, as well as certain other -armament, the plans of all of which are already in your possession, to -be employed in the general defense. - -"I agree also to your second condition." - -"Such being the case your expedition is approved," the Bardyle said, -and Radnor made his way back to the machine shop. - - * * * * * - -His first care was to tap Siblin's beam, but his call elicited no -response. Those ultrainstruments were then lying neglected in a corner -of an air-filled room upon far Chlora, where the almost soundless voice -of the tiny receiver went unheard. Setting upon his receiver a relay -alarm to inform him of any communication from Siblin, Radnor joined the -force of men who were smoothly and efficiently re-equipping his vessel. - -In a short time the alterations were done, and, armed now to the teeth -with vibratory and with solid and gaseous destruction, he lifted his -warship into the air, grimly determined to take the war into the -territory of the enemy. - -He approached the inimical planet cautiously, knowing that their cities -would not be undefended, as were those of his own world, and fearing -that they might have alarms and detector screens of which he could -know nothing. Poised high above the outermost layer of that noxious -atmosphere he studied for a long time every visible feature of the -world before him. - -In this survey he employed an ordinary, old-fashioned telescope instead -of his infinitely more powerful and maneuverable visirays, because the -use of the purely optical instrument obviated the necessity of sending -out forces which the Chlorans might be able to detect. He found the -diamond-shaped ocean and the elliptical lake without difficulty, and -placed his vessel with care. He then cut off his every betraying force -and his ship plunged downward, falling freely under the influence of -gravity. - -Directly over the city Radnor actuated his braking rockets, and as they -burst into their staccato thunder his hands fairly flashed over his -controls. Almost simultaneously he scattered broadcast his cargo of -bombs, threw out a vast hemisphere of force to confine the gas they -would release, activated his spy ray, and cut in the generators of his -awful offensive beams. - -The bombs were simply large flasks of metal, so built as to shatter -upon impact, and they contained only oxygen under pressure--but -what a pressure! Five thousand Valeronian atmospheres those flasks -contained. Well over seventy-five thousand pounds to the square inch -in our ordinary terms, that pressure was one handled upon Earth only -in high-pressure laboratories. Spreading widely to cover almost -the whole circle of the city's expanse, those terrific canisters -hurtled to ground and exploded with all the devastating might of the -high-explosive shells which in effect they were. - -But the havoc they wrought as demolition bombs was neither their -only nor their greatest damage. The seventy-five million cubic feet -of free oxygen, driven downward and prevented from escaping into -the open atmosphere by Radnor's forces, quickly diffused into a -killing concentration throughout the Chloran city save inside that -one upstanding dome. Almost everywhere else throughout that city the -natives died exactly as had died the people of the Valeronian village -in the strangling chlorine of the invaders; for oxygen is as lethal to -that amœbic race as is their noxious halogen to us. - -Long before the bombs reached the ground Radnor was probing with his -spy ray at the great central dome from within which Klynor Siblin's -message had in part been sent. But now he could not get through -it; either they had detected Siblin's beam and blocked that entire -communication band or else they had already put up additional barriers -around their headquarters against his attack, quickly though he had -acted. - -Snapping off the futile visiray, he concentrated his destructive beam -into a cylinder of the smallest possible diameter and hurled it against -the dome; but even that frightful pencil of annihilation, driven by -Radnor's every resource of power, was utterly ineffective against that -greenly scintillant hemisphere of force. The point of attack flared -into radiant splendor, but showed no sign of overloading or of failure. - -Knowing now that there was no hope at all of rescuing Siblin and that -he himself had only a few minutes left in which to work, Radnor left -his beam upon the dome only long enough for his recording photometers -to analyze the radiations emanating from the point of contact. Then, -full-driven still, but now operating at maximum aperture, he drove -it in a dizzying spiral outwardly from the dome, fusing the entire -unprotected area of the metropolis into a glassily fluid slag of -seething, smoking desolation. - -But beneath that dome of force there was a mighty fortress indeed. It -is true that her offensive weapons had not seen active service for many -years; not since the last rebellion of the slaves had been crushed. It -is also true that the Chloran officers whose duty it was to operate -these weapons had been caught napping--as thoroughly surprised at that -fierce counterattack as would be a group of Earthly hunters were the -lowly rabbits to turn upon them with repeating rifles in their furry -paws. - -But it did not take long for those officers to tune in their offensive -armament, and that armament was driven by no such puny engines as -Radnor's space ship bore. Being stationary and a part of the regular -equipment of a fortress, their size and mass were of course much -greater than anything ordinarily installed in any vessel, of whatever -class or tonnage. Also, in addition to being superior in size and -number, the Chloran generators were considerably more efficient in the -conversion and utilization of interatomic energy than were any then -known to the science of Valeron. - -Therefore, as Radnor had rather more than expected, he was not long -allowed to wreak his will. From the dome there reached out slowly, -almost caressingly, a huge arm of force incredible, at whose first -blighting touch his first or outer screen simply vanished--flared -through the visible spectrum and went down, all in the veriest -twinkling of an eye. That first screen, although the weakest by far of -the four, had never even radiated under the heaviest test loads that -Radnor had been able to put upon it. Now he sat at his instruments, -tense but intensely analytical, watching with bated breath as that -Titanic beam crashed through his second screen and tore madly at his -third. - - * * * * * - -Well it was for Valeron that day that Radnor had armed and powered his -vessel to withstand not only whatever forces he expected her to meet, -but had, with the true scientific spirit and in so far as he was able, -provided against any conceivable emergency. Thus, the first screen -was, as has been said, sufficiently powerful to cope with anything -the vessel was apt to encounter. Nevertheless, the power of the other -defensive courses increased in geometrical progression; and, as a final -precaution, the fourth screen, in the almost unthinkable contingency -of its being overloaded, threw on automatically in the moment of its -failure an ultimately impenetrable zone of force. - -That scientific caution was now to save not only Radnor's life, but -also the whole civilization of Valeron. For even that mighty fourth -screen, employing in its generation as it did the unimaginable sum -total of the power possible of production by the massed converters -of the space flyer, failed to stop that awful thrust. It halted it -for a few minutes, in a blazingly, flamingly pyrotechnic display of -incandescence indescribable, but as the Chlorans meshed in additional -units of their stupendous power plant it began to radiate higher and -higher into the ultra-violet and was certainly doomed. - -It failed, and in the instant of its going down actuated a zone of -force--a complete stasis in the ether itself, through which no possible -manifestation, either of matter or of energy in any form, could in any -circumstances pass. Or could it? Radnor clenched his teeth and waited. -Whether or not there was a sub-ether--something lying within and -between the discrete particles which actually composed the ether--was a -matter of theoretical controversy and of some academically scientific -interest. - -But, postulating the existence of such a medium and even that of -vibrations of such infinitely short period that they could be -propagated therein, would it be even theoretically possible to -heterodyne upon them waves of ordinary frequencies? And could those -amorphous monstrosities be so highly advanced that they had reduced to -practical application something that was as yet known to humanity only -in the vaguest, most tenuous of hypotheses? - -Minute after minute passed, however, during which the Valeronian -remained alive within an intact ship which, he knew, was hurtling -upward and away from Chlora at the absolute velocity of her inertia, -unaffected by gravitation, and he began to smile in relief. Whatever -might lie below the level of the ether, either of vibration or of -substance, it was becoming evident that the Chlorans could no more -handle it than could he. - -For half an hour Radnor allowed his craft to drift within her -impenetrable shield. Then, knowing that he was well beyond atmosphere, -he made sure that his screens were full out and released his zone. -Instantly his screens sprang into a dazzling, coruscant white under -the combined attack of two space ships which had been following him. -This time, however, the Chloran beams were stopped by the third screen. -Either the enemy had not had time to measure accurately his power, or -they had not considered such measurement worth while. - -They were now to pay dearly for not having gauged his strength. -Radnor's beam, again a stabbing stiletto of pure energy, lashed out -against the nearer vessel; and that luckless ship mounted no such -generators as powered her parent fortress. That raging spear, driven -as it was by all the power that Radnor had been able to pack into his -cruiser, tore through screens and metal alike as though they had been -so much paper; and in mere seconds what had once been a mighty space -ship was merely a cloud of drifting, expanding vapor. The furious -shaft was then directed against the other enemy, but it was just too -late--the canny amœbus in command had learned his lesson and had -already snapped on his zone of force. - -Having learned many facts vital to the defense of Valeron and knowing -that his return homeward would now be unopposed, Radnor put on full -touring acceleration and drove toward his native world. Motionless at -his controls, face grim and hard, he devoted his entire mind to the -problem of how Valeron could best wage the inevitable war of extinction -against the implacable denizens of the monstrous, interloping planet -Chlora. - - - - - - XIX. - - -As has been said, Radnor's reply to Siblin's message was unheard, for -his ultraphones were not upon his person, but were lying disregarded in -a corner of the room in which their owner had undergone examination by -his captors. They still lay there as the Valeronian in his cage was -wafted lightly back into the space ship from which he had been taken -such a short time before; lay there as that vehicle of vacuous space -lifted itself from its dock and darted away toward distant Valeron. - -During the earlier part of that voyage Radnor was also in the ether, -traveling from Valeron to Chlora. The two vessels did not meet, -however, even though each was making for the planet which the other -had left and though each pilot was following the path for him the -most economical of time and of power. In fact, due to the orbits, -velocities, and distances involved, they were separated by such a vast -distance at the time of their closest approach to each other that -neither ship even affected the ultrasensitive electro-magnetic detector -screens of the other. - -Not until the Chloran vessel was within Valeron's atmosphere did her -commander deign again to notice his prisoner. - -"As I told you when last I spoke to you, I am about to land you in one -of your inhabited cities," the amœbus informed Siblin then. "Get in -touch with your Bardyle at once and convey our instructions to him. -You have the sample and you know what you are to do. No excuses for -nonperformance will be accepted. If, however, you anticipate having any -difficulty in convincing your fellow savages that we mean precisely -what we say, I will take time now to destroy one or two more of your -cities." - -"It will not be necessary--my people will believe what I tell them," -Siblin thought back. Then, deciding to make one more effort, hopeless -although it probably would be, to reason with that highly intelligent -but monstrously callous creature, he went on: - -"I wish to repeat, however, that your demand is entirely beyond reason. -That ore is rare, and in the time you have allowed us I really fear -that it will be impossible for us to mine the required amount of it. -And surely, even from your own point of view, it would be more logical -to grant us a reasonable extension of time than to kill us without -further hearing simply because we have failed to perform a task that -was from the very first impossible. You must bear it in mind that a -dead humanity cannot work your mines at all." - -"We know exactly how abundant that ore is, and we know equally well -your intelligence and your ability," the captain replied coldly--and -mistakenly. "With the machinery we have left in the mine and by working -every possible man at all times, you can have it ready for us. I am -now setting out to explore the next planet, but I shall be at the mine -at sunrise, twenty of your mornings from to-morrow. Ten thousand tons -of that mineral must be ready for me to load or else your entire race -shall that day cease to exist. It matters nothing to us whether you -live or die, since we already have slaves enough. We shall permit you -to keep on living if you obey our orders in every particular, otherwise -we shall not so permit." - -The vessel came easily to a landing. Siblin in his cage was picked up -by the same invisible means, transported along corridors and through -doorways, and was deposited, not ungently, upon the ground in the -middle of a public square. When the raider had darted away he opened -the door of his glass prison and made his way through the gathering -crowd of the curious to the nearest visiphone station, where the mere -mention of his name cleared all lines of communication for an instant -audience with the Bardyle of Valeron. - -"We are glad indeed to see you again, Klynor Siblin." The coördinator -smiled in greeting. "The more especially since Quedrin Radnor, even -now on the way back from Chlora, has just reported that his attempt to -rescue you was entirely in vain. He was met by forces of such magnitude -that only by employing a zone of force was he himself able to win -clear. But you undoubtedly have tidings of urgent import--you may -proceed." - -Siblin told his story tersely and cogently, yet omitting nothing of -importance. When he had finished his report the Bardyle said: - -"Truly, a depraved evolution--a violent and unreasonable race indeed." -He thought deeply for a few seconds, then went on: "The council -extraordinary has been in session for some time. I am inviting you to -join us here. Quedrin Radnor should arrive at about the same time as -you do, and you both should be present to clear up any minor points -which have not been covered in your visiphone report. I am instructing -the transportation officer there to put at your disposal any special -equipment necessary to enable you to get here as soon as possible." - -The Bardyle was no laggard, nor was the transportation officer of -the city in which Siblin found himself. Therefore when he came -out of the visiphone station there was awaiting him a two-wheeled -automatic conveyance bearing upon its windshield in letters of orange -light the legend, "Reserved for Klynor Siblin." He stepped into -the queer-looking, gyroscopically stabilized vehicle, pressed down -"9-2-6-4-3-8"--the location number of the airport--upon the banked keys -of a numbering machine, and touched a red button, whereupon the machine -glided off of itself. - -It turned corners, dived downward into subways and swung upward onto -bridges, selecting unerringly and following truly the guiding pencils -of force which would lead it to the airport, its destination. Its pace -was fast, mounting effortlessly upon the straightaways to a hundred -miles an hour and more. - -There were no traffic jams and very few halts, since each direction of -traffic had its own level and its own roadway, and the only necessity -for stopping came in the very infrequent event that a main artery into -which the machine's way led was already so full of vehicles that it had -to wait momentarily for an opening. There was no disorder, and there -were neither accidents nor collisions; for the forces controlling those -thousands upon thousands of speeding mechanisms, unlike the drivers -of Earthly automobiles, were uniformly tireless, eternally vigilant, -and--sober. - -Thus Siblin arrived at the airport without incident, finding his -special plane ready and waiting. It also was fully automatic, -robot-piloted, sealed for high flight, and equipped with everything -necessary for comfort. He ate a hearty meal, and, then, as the plane -reached its ninety-thousand-foot ceiling and leveled out at eight -hundred miles an hour toward the distant capital, undressed and went to -bed, to the first real sleep he had enjoyed for many days. - - * * * * * - -As has been indicated, Siblin lost no time; but, rapidly as he had -traveled and instantly as he had made connections Quedrin Radnor was -already in his seat in the council extraordinary when Siblin was -ushered in to sit with that august body. The visiphone reports had -been studied exhaustively by every councilor, and as soon as the -newcomer had answered their many questions concerning the details of -his experiences the council continued its intense, but orderly and -thorough, study of what should be done, what could be done, in the -present crisis. - -"We are in agreement, gentlemen," the Bardyle at last announced. "This -new development, offering as it does only the choice between death and -slavery of the most abject kind, does not change the prior situation -except in setting a definite date for the completion of our program -of defense. The stipulated amount of tribute probably could be mined -by dint of straining our every resource, but in all probability that -demand is but the first of such a never-ending succession that our -lives would soon become unbearable. - -"We are agreed that the immediate extinction of our entire race is -preferable to a precarious existence which can be earned only by -incessant and grinding labor for an unfeeling and alien race; an -existence even then subject to termination at any time at the whim of -the Chlorans. - -"Therefore the work which was begun as soon as the strangers revealed -their true nature and which is now well under way shall go on. Most of -you know already what that work is, but for one or two who do not and -for the benefit of the news broadcasts I shall summarize our position -as briefly as is consistent with clarity. - -"We intend to defend this, our largest city, into which is being -brought everything needed of supplies and equipment, and as many men as -can work without interfering with each other. The rest of our people -are to leave their houses and scatter into widely separated temporary -refuges until the issue has been decided. This evacuation may not be -necessary, since the enemy will center their attack upon our fortress, -knowing that until it has been reduced we are still masters of our -planet. - -"It was decided upon, however, not only in the belief that the enemy -may destroy our unprotected centers of population, either wantonly -or in anger at our resistance, but also because such a dispersion -will give our race the greatest possible chance of survival in the -not-at-all-improbable event of the crushing of our defenses here. - -"One power-driven dome of force is to protect the city proper, and -around that dome are being built concentric rings of fortifications -housing the most powerful mechanisms of offense and defense possible -for us to construct. - -"Although we have always been a peaceful people our position is not -entirely hopeless. The _sine qua non_ of warfare is power, and of that -commodity we have no lack. True, without knowledge of how to apply -that power our cause would be already lost, but we are not without -knowledge of the application. Many of our peace-time tools are readily -transformed into powerful engines of destruction. Quedrin Radnor, -besides possessing a unique ability in the turning of old things to -new purposes, has studied exhaustively the patterns of force employed -by the enemy and understands thoroughly their generation, their -utilization, and their neutralization. - -"Finally, the mining and excavating machinery of the Chlorans has been -dismantled and studied, and its novel features have been incorporated -in several new mechanisms of our own devising. Twenty days is none too -long a time in which to complete a program of this magnitude and scope, -but that is all the time we have. You wish to ask a question, Councilor -Quedrin?" - -"If you please. Shall we not have more than twenty days? The ship to be -loaded will return in that time, it is true, but we can deal with her -easily enough. Their ordinary space ships are no match for ours. That -fact was proved so conclusively during our one engagement in space that -they did not even follow me back here. They undoubtedly are building -vessels of vastly greater power, but it seems to me that we shall be -safe until those heavier vessels can arrive." - -"I fear that you are underestimating the intelligence of our foes," -replied the coördinator. "In all probability they know exactly what -we are doing, and were their present space ships superior to yours we -would have ceased to exist ere this. It is practically certain that -they will attack as soon as they have constructed craft of sufficient -power to insure success. In fact, they may be able to perfect their -attack before we can complete our defense, but that is a chance which -we must take. - -"In that connection, two facts give us grounds for optimism. First, -theirs is an undertaking of greater magnitude than ours, since they -must of necessity be mobile and operative at a great distance from -their base, whereas we are stationary and at home. Second, we started -our project before they began theirs. This second fact must be allowed -but little weight, however, for they may well be more efficient than we -are in the construction of engines of war. - -"The exploring vessel is unimportant. She may or may not call for -her load of ore; she may or may not join in the attack which is now -inevitable. One thing only is certain--we must and we will drive this -program through to completion before she is due to dock at the mine. -Everything else must be subordinated to the task; we must devote to it -every iota of our mental, physical, and mechanical power. Each of you -knows his part. The meeting is adjourned _sine die_." - - * * * * * - -There ensued a world-wide activity unparalleled in the annals of the -planet. During the years immediately preceding the cataclysm there had -been hustle and bustle, misdirected effort, wasted energy, turmoil -and confusion; and a certain measure of success had been wrested out -of chaos only by the ability of a handful of men to think clearly and -straight. Now, however, Valeron was facing a crisis infinitely more -grave, for she had but days instead of years in which to prepare to -meet it. But now, on the other hand, instead of possessing only a -few men of vision, who had found it practically impossible either to -direct or to control an out-and-out rabble of ignorant, muddled, and -panic-stricken incompetents, she had a population composed entirely -of clear thinkers who, requiring very little direction and no control -at all, were able and eager to work together whole-heartedly for the -common good. - -Thus, while the city and its environs now seethed with activity, -there was no confusion or disorder. Wherever there was room for a man -to work, a man was working, and the workers were kept supplied with -materials and with mechanisms. There were no mistakes, no delays, no -friction. Each man knew his task and its relation to the whole, and -performed it with a smoothly efficient speed born of a racial training -in coöperation and coördination impossible to any member of a race of -lesser mental attainments. - -To such good purpose did every Valeronian do his part that at dawn of -The Day everything was in readiness for the Chloran visitation. The -immense fortress was complete and had been tested in every part, from -the ranked batteries of gigantic converters and generators down to -the most distant outlying visiray viewpoint. It was powered, armed, -equipped, provisioned, garrisoned. Every once-populated city was devoid -of life, its inhabitants having dispersed over the face of the globe, -to live in isolated groups until it had been decided whether the proud -civilization of Valeron was to triumph or to perish. - -Promptly as that sunrise the Chloran explorer appeared at the lifeless -mine, and when he found the loading hoppers empty he calmly proceeded -to the nearest city and began to beam it down. Finding it deserted he -cut off, and felt a powerful spy ray, upon which he set a tracer. This -time the ray held up and he saw the immense fortress which had been -erected during his absence; a fortress which he forthwith attacked -viciously, carelessly, and with the loftily arrogant contempt which -seemed to characterize his breed. - -But was that innate contemptuousness the real reason for that suicidal -attempt? Or had that vessel's commander been ordered by the Great -Ones to sacrifice himself and his command so that they could measure -Valeron's defensive power? If so, why did he visit the mine at all -and why did he not know beforehand the location of the fortress? -Camouflage? In view of what the Great Ones of Chlora must have known, -why that commander did what he did that morning no one of Valeron ever -knew. - -The explorer launched a beam--just one. Then Quedrin Radnor pressed -a contact and out against the invader there flamed a beam of such -violence that the amœbus had no time to touch his controls, that even -the automatic trips of his zone of force--if he had such trips--did not -have time in which to react. The defensive screens scarcely flashed, -so rapidly did that terrific beam drive through them, and the vessel -itself disappeared almost instantly--molten, vaporized, consumed -utterly. But there was no exultation beneath Valeron's mighty dome. -From the Bardyle down, the defenders of their planet knew full well -that the real attack was yet to come, and knew that it would not be -long delayed. - -It was not. And the ships which came to reduce Valeron's far-flung -stronghold in no way resembled any form of space ship with which -humanity was familiar. Two stupendous structures of metal appeared, -plunging stolidly along, veritable flying fortresses, of such enormous -bulk and mass that it seemed scarcely conceivable for them actually to -support themselves in air. - -Simultaneously the two floating castles launched against the towering -dome of defense the heaviest beams they could generate and project. -Under that awful thrust Valeron's mighty generators shrieked a mad -crescendo and her imponderable shield radiated a fierce, eye-tearing -violet, but it held. Not for nothing had the mightiest minds of -Valeron wrought to convert their mechanisms and forces of peace into -engines of war; not for nothing had her people labored with all their -mental and physical might for almost two-score days and nights, -smoothly and efficiently as one mind in one body. Not easily did even -Valeron's Titanic defensive installation carry that frightful load, but -they carried it. - - * * * * * - -Then, like mythical Jove hurling his bolt--like, that is, save that -beside that Valeronian beam any possible bolt of lightning would have -been as sweetly innocuous a caress as young love's first kiss--Radnor -drove against the nearer structure a beam of concentrated fury; a beam -behind which there were every volt and every ampere that his stupendous -offensive generators could yield. - -The Chloran defenses in turn were loaded grievously, but in turn they -also held; and for hours then there raged a furiously spectacular -struggle. Beams, rods, planes, and needles of every known kind and -of every usable frequency of vibratory energy were driven against -impenetrable neutralizing screens. Monstrous cannon, hurling shells -with a velocity and of an explosive violence far beyond anything known -to us of Earth, radio-beam-dirigible torpedoes, robot-manned drill -planes, and the many other lethal agencies of ultra-scientific war--all -these were put to use by both sides in those first few frantic hours, -but neither side was able to make any impression upon the other. Then, -each realizing that the other's defenses had been designed to withstand -his every force, the intensive combat settled down to a war of sheer -attrition. - -Radnor and his scientists devoted themselves exclusively to the -development of new and ever more powerful weapons of offense; the -Chlorans ceased their fruitless attacks upon the central dome and -concentrated all their offensive power into two semicircular arcs, -which they directed vertically downward upon the outer ring of the -Valeronian works in an incessant and methodical flood of energy. - -They could not pierce the defensive shields against Valeron's massed -power, but they could and did bring into being a vast annular lake of -furiously boiling lava, into which the outer ring of fortresses began -slowly to crumble and to dissolve. This method of destruction, while -slow, was certain; and grimly, pertinaciously, implacably, the Chlorans -went about the business of reducing Valeron's only citadel. - -The Bardyle wondered audibly how the enemy could possibly maintain -indefinitely an attack so profligate of energy, but he soon learned -that there were at least four of the floating fortresses engaged in -the undertaking. Occasionally the two creations then attacking were -replaced by two precisely similar structures, presumably to return to -Chlora in order to renew their supplies of the substance, whatever -it was, from the atomic disintegration of which they derived their -incomprehensible power. - -And slowly, contesting stubbornly and bitterly every foot of ground -lost, the forces of Valeron were beaten back under the relentless, -never-ceasing attack of the Chloran monstrosities--back and ever -back toward their central dome as ring after ring of the outlying -fortifications slagged down into that turbulently seething, that -incandescently flaming lake of boiling lava. - - - - - XX. - - -Valeron was making her last stand. Her back was against the wall. The -steadily contracting ring of Chloran force had been driven inward until -only one thin line of fortified works lay between it and the great dome -covering the city itself. Within a week at most, perhaps within days, -that voracious flood of lava would lick into and would dissolve that -last line of defense. Then what of Valeron? - -All the scientists of the planet had toiled and had studied, day and -night, but to no avail. Each new device developed to halt the march of -the encroaching constricting band of destruction had been nullified in -the instant of its first trial. - -"They must know every move we make, to block us so promptly," Quedrin -Radnor had mused one day. "Since they certainly have no visiray -viewpoints of material substance within our dome, they must be able to -operate a spy ray using only the narrow gravity band, a thing we have -never been able to accomplish. If they can project such viewpoints -of pure force through such a narrow band, may they not be able to -project a full materialization and thus destroy us? But, no, that band -is--_must_ be--altogether too narrow for that." - -Stirred by these thoughts he had built detectors to announce the -appearance of any nongravitational forces in the gravity band and -had learned that his fears were only too well founded. While the -enemy could not project through the open band any forces sufficiently -powerful to do any material damage, they were thus in position to -forestall any move which the men of Valeron made to ward off their -inexorably approaching doom. - -Far beneath the surface of the ground, in a room which was not only -sealed but was surrounded with every possible safeguard, nine men sat -at a long table, the Bardyle at its head. - -"--and nothing can be done?" the coördinator was asking. "There is no -possible way of protecting the edges of the screens?" - -"None." Radnor's voice was flat, his face and body alike were eloquent -of utter fatigue. He had driven himself to the point of collapse, and -all his labor had proved useless. "Without solid anchorages we cannot -hold them--as the ground is fused they give way. When the fused area -reaches the dome the end will come. The outlets of our absorbers will -also be fused, and with no possible method of dissipating the energy -being continuously radiated into the dome we shall all die, practically -instantaneously." - -"But I judge you are trying something new, from the sudden cutting off -of nearly all our weight," stated another. - -"Yes. I have closed the gravity band until only enough force can get -through to keep us in place on the planet, in a last attempt to block -their spy rays so that we can try one last resort--" He broke off as -an intense red light suddenly flared into being upon a panel. "No; -even that is useless. See that red light? That is the pilot light of -a detector upon the gravity band. The Chlorans are still watching us. -We can do nothing more, for if we close that band any tighter we shall -leave Valeron entirely and shall float away, to die in space." - -As that bleak announcement was uttered the councilors sat back limply -in their seats. Nothing was said--what was there to say? After all, the -now seemingly unavoidable end was not unexpected. Not a man at that -table had really in his heart thought it possible for peaceful Valeron -to triumph against the superior war craftiness of Chlora. - -They sat there, staring unseeing into empty air, when suddenly in that -air there materialized Seaton's projection. Since its reception has -already been related, nothing need be said of it except that it was the -Bardyle himself who was the recipient of that terrific wave of mental -force. As soon as the Terrestrial had made clear his intentions and his -desires, Radnor leaped to his feet, a man transformed. - -"A laboratory of radiation!" he exclaimed, his really profound -exhaustion forgotten in a blaze of new hope. "Not only shall I lead him -to such a laboratory, but my associates and I shall be only too glad to -do his bidding in every possible way." - - * * * * * - -Followed closely by the visitor, Radnor hurried buoyantly along a -narrow hall and into a large room in which, stacked upon shelves, lying -upon benches and tables, and even piled indiscriminately upon the -floor, there was every conceivable type and kind of apparatus for the -generation and projection of etheric forces. - -Seaton's flashing glance swept once around the room, cataloguing and -classifying the heterogeneous collection. Then, while Radnor looked on -in a daze of incredulous astonishment, that quasi-solid figure of force -made tangible wrought what was to the Valeronian a scientific miracle. -It darted here and there with a speed almost impossible for the eye to -follow, seizing tubes, transformers, coils, condensers, and other items -of equipment, connecting them together with unbelievable rapidity into -a mechanism at whose use the bewildered Radnor, able physicist though -he was, could not even guess. - -The mechanical educator finished, Seaton's image donned one of its sets -of multiple headphones and placed another upon the unresisting head -of his host. Then into Radnor's already reeling mind there surged an -insistent demand for his language, and almost immediately the headsets -were tossed aside. - -"There, that's better!" Seaton--for the image was, to all intents -and purposes, Seaton himself--exclaimed. "Now that we can talk to -each other we'll make those jelly brains hard to catch. They'll think -they've got hold of a wild cat by the tail pretty quick now, and -they'll be yelling for help to let go." - -"But the Chlorans are watching everything you do," protested Radnor, -"and we cannot block them out without cutting off our gravity entirely. -They will therefore be familiar with any mechanism we may construct and -will be able to protect themselves against it." - -"They just think they will," was the grim response. "I can't close the -gravity band without disaster, any more than you could, but I can find -any spy ray they can use and send back along it a jolt that'll burn -their eyes out. You see, there's a lot of stuff down on the edge of the -fourth order that neither you folks nor the Chlorans know anything -about yet, because you haven't had enough thousands of years to study -it." - -While he was talking, Seaton had been furiously at work upon a small -generator, and now he turned it on. - -"If they can see through _that_," he said, "they're a lot smarter -than I think they are. Even if they're bright enough to have figured -out what I was doing while I was doing it, it won't do them any good, -because this outfit will scramble any beam they can send through that -band." - -"I must bow to your superior knowledge, of course," Radnor said -gravely, "but I should like to ask one question. You are working -a full materialization through less than a quarter of the gravity -band--something that has always been considered impossible. Is there no -danger that the Chlorans may analyze your patterns and thus duplicate -your feat?" - -"Not a chance," Seaton assured him positively. "This stuff I am using -is on a tight beam, so tight that it is absolute proof against analysis -or interference. It took the Norlaminians--and they're a race of real -thinkers--over eight thousand years to go from the beams you and the -Chlorans are using down to what I'm showing you. Therefore I'm not -afraid that the opposition will pick it up in the next week or two. But -we'd better get busy in a big way. Your most urgent need, I take it, is -for something--anything--that will stop that surface of force before it -reaches the skirt of your defensive dome and blocks your dissipators?" - -"Exactly!" - -"All right. We'll build you a four-way fourth-order projector to handle -full materializations--four way to handle four attackers in case -they get desperate and double their program. With it you will send -working images of yourselves into the power rooms of the Chloran ships -and clamp a short circuiting field across the secondaries of their -converters. Of course they can bar you out with a zone of force if they -detect you before you can kill the generators of their zones, but that -will be just as good, as far as we're concerned--they can't do a thing -as long as they're on, you know. Now put on the headset again and I'll -give you the dope on the projector. Better get a recorder, too, as -there'll be some stuff that you won't be able to carry in your head." - -The recorder was brought in and from Seaton's brain there flowed -into it and into the mind of Radnor the fundamental concepts and -complete equations and working details of the new instrument. Upon -the Valeronian's face was first blank amazement, then dawning -comprehension, and lastly sheer, wondering awe as, the plan completed, -he removed the headset. He began a confused panegyric of thanks, but -Seaton interrupted him briskly. - -"'Sall right, Radnor, you'd do the same thing for us if things were -reversed. Humanity has got to stick together against all the vermin of -all the universes. But, say, I'm getting a yen to see this mess all -cleaned up, myself--think I'll stick around and help you build it. -You're all in, clear to the neck, but you won't rest until the Chlorans -are whipped--I can't blame you for that, I wouldn't either--and I'm -fresh as a daisy. Let's go!" - - * * * * * - -In a few hours the complex machine was done. Radnor and Siblin were -seated at two of the sets of controls, associate physicists at the -others. - -"Since I don't know any more about their system of conversion than -you do, I can't tell you in detail what to do," Seaton was issuing -final instructions. "But whatever you do, don't monkey with their -primaries--shortening them would overload their liberators and blow -this whole Solar System over into the next Galaxy. Take time to be dead -sure that you've got the secondaries of their main converters, and -slap a short circuit on as many of them as you can before they cut you -off with a zone. You'll probably find a lot of liberator-converter sets -on vessels of that size, but if you can kill the ones that feed the -zone generators they're our meat." - -"You are much more familiar with such things than we are," Radnor -remarked. "Would you not like to come along?" - -"I'll say I would, but I can't," Seaton replied instantly. "This isn't -me at all, you know. But let's see--" - -"Oh, of course," Radnor apologized. "In working with you so long and so -cordially I forgot for the moment that you are not here in person." - -"Nope, can't be done." Seaton frowned, still immersed in -the hitherto unstudied problem of the reprojection of a -projected image. "Need over two hundred thousand relays -and--um--synchronization--neuro-muscular--not on this outfit. Wonder if -it can be done at all? Have to look into it sometime--but excuse me, -Radnor, I was thinking and got lost. Ready to go? I'll watch you on -the plate here and be ready to offer advice--not that you'll need it. -Shoot!" - -Radnor snapped on the power and he and his aid shot their projections -into one of the opposing fortresses, Siblin and his associate going -into the other. Through compartment after compartment of the immense -structures the as yet invisible projections went, searching for the -power rooms. They were not hard to find, extending as they did nearly -the full length of the stupendous structures; vaulted caverns filled -with linked pairs of mastodonic fabrications, the liberator-converters. - -Springing in graceful arcs from heavily insulated posts in the -ends of one machine of each pair were five great bus-bars, which -Radnor and Siblin recognized instantly as secondary leads from the -converters--the gigantic mechanisms which, taking the raw intra-atomic -energy from the liberators, converted it into a form in which it could -be controlled and utilized. - -Neither Radnor nor Siblin had ever heard of five-phase energy of any -kind, but those secondaries were unmistakable. Therefore all four -images drove against the fivefold bars their perfectly conducting -fields of force. Four converters shrieked wildly, trying to wrench -themselves from their foundations; insulation smoked and burst wildly -into yellow flame; the stubs of the bars grew white-hot and began to -fuse; and in a matter of seconds a full half of each prodigious machine -subsided to the floor, a semimolten, utterly useless mass. - -[Illustration: _They drove their fields of force against the fivefold -bars._] - -Similarly went the next two in each fortress, and the next--then -Radnor's two projections were cut off sharply as the Chloran's -impenetrable zone of force went on, and that fortress, all its beams -and forces inoperative, floated off into space. - -Siblin and his partner were more fortunate. When the amœbus commanding -their prey threw in his zone switch nothing happened. Its source of -power had already been destroyed, and the two Valeronian images went -steadily down the line of converters, in spite of everything the -ragingly frantic monstrosities could do to hinder their progress. - -The terrible beam of destruction held steadily upon that fortress by -the beamers in Valeron's mighty dome had never slackened its herculean -efforts to pierce the Chloran screens. Now, as more and more of the -converters of that floating citadel were burned out those screens began -to radiate higher and higher into the ultra-violet. Soon they went -down, exposing defenseless metal to the blasting, annihilating fury -of the beam, to which any conceivable substance is but little more -resistant than so much vacuum. - -There was one gigantic, exploding flash, whose unbearable brilliance -darkened even the incandescent radiance of the failing screen, and -Valeron's mighty beam bored on, unimpeded. And where that mastodonic -creation had floated an instant before there were only a few curling -wisps of vapor. - -"Nice job of clean-up, boys--fine!" Seaton clapped a friendly hand upon -Radnor's shoulder. "Anybody can handle them now. Better you take a week -off and catch up on sleep. I could do with a little shut-eye myself, -and you've been on the job a lot longer than I have." - -"But hold on--don't go yet!" Radnor exclaimed in consternation. "Why, -our whole race owes its very existence to you--wait at least until our -Bardyle can have a word with you!" - -"That isn't necessary, Radnor. Thanks just the same, but I don't go in -for that sort of thing, any more than you would. Besides, we'll be here -in the flesh in a few days and I'll talk to him then. So long!" and the -projection disappeared. - - * * * * * - -In due time _Skylark Two_ came lightly to a landing in a parkway near -the council hall, to be examined curiously by an excited group of -Valeronians who wondered audibly that such a tiny space ship should -have borne their salvation. The four Terrestrials, sure of their -welcome, stepped out and were greeted by Siblin, Radnor, and the -Bardyle. - -"I must apologize, sir, for my cavalier treatment of you at our -previous meeting." Seaton's first words to the coördinator were -in sincere apology. "I trust that you will pardon it, realizing -that something of the kind was necessary in order to establish -communication." - -"Speak not of it, Richard Seaton. I suffered only a temporary -inconvenience, a small thing indeed compared to the experience of -encountering a mind of such stupendous power as yours. Neither words -nor deeds can express to you the profound gratitude of our entire race -for what you have done for Valeron. - -"I am informed that you personally do not care for extravagant praise, -but please believe me to be voicing the single thought of a world's -people when I say that no words coined by brain of man could be just, -to say nothing of being extravagant, when applied to you. I do not -suppose that we can do anything, however slight, for you in return, in -token that these are not entirely empty words?" - -"You certainly can, sir," Seaton made surprising answer. "We are so -completely lost in space that without a great deal of material and of -mechanical aid we shall never be able to return to, nor even to locate -in space, our native Galaxy, to say nothing of our native planet." - -A concerted gasp of astonishment was his reply, then he was assured in -no uncertain terms that the resources of Valeron were at his disposal. - -A certain amount of public attention had of course to be endured; but -Seaton and Crane, pleading a press of work upon their new projectors, -buried themselves in Radnor's laboratory, leaving it to their wives to -bear the brunt of Valeronian adulation. - -"How do you like being a heroine, Dot?" Seaton asked one evening, as -the two women returned from an unusually demonstrative reception in -another city. - -"We just revel in it, since we didn't do any of the real work--it's -just too perfectly gorgeous for words," Dorothy replied shamelessly. -"Especially Peggy." She eyed Margaret mischievously and winked -furtively at Seaton. "Why, you ought to see her--she could just simply -roll that stuff up on a fork and eat it, as though it were that much -soft fudge!" - -Since the scientific and mechanical details of the construction of a -fifth-order projector have been given in full elsewhere there is no -need to repeat them here. Seaton built his neutronium lens in the core -of the near-by white dwarf star, precisely as Rovol had done it from -distant Norlamin. He brought it to Valeron and around it there began -to come into being a duplicate of the immense projector which the -Terrestrials had been obliged to leave behind them when they abandoned -gigantic _Skylark Three_ to plunge through the fourth dimension in tiny -_Two_. - -"Maybe it's none of my business, Radnor," Seaton turned to the -Valeronian curiously during a lull in their work, "but how come you're -still simply shooting away those Chloran vessels by making them put out -their zones of force? Why didn't you hop over there on your projector -and blow their whole planet over into the next Solar System? I would -have done that long ago if it had been me, I think." - -"We did visit Chlora once, with something like that in mind, but our -attempt failed lamentably," Radnor admitted sheepishly. "You remember -that peculiar special sense, that mental force that Siblin tried to -describe to you? Well, it was altogether too strong for us. My father, -possessing one of the strongest minds of Valeron, was in the chair, but -they mastered him so completely that we had to recall the projection -by cutting off the power to prevent them from taking from his mind by -force the methods of transmission which you taught us and which we were -then using." - -"Hmm! So that's it, huh?" Seaton was greatly interested. "Maybe I'll -take one on the chin, but I'm going to lock horns with that bunch of -squidges myself, one of these days. When this projector gets itself -done I'll skip over there and try them a whirl--with this fifth-order -outfit I think maybe I'll be able to make big medicine on them." - - * * * * * - -True to his word, Seaton's first use of the new mechanism was to -assume the offensive. He first sought out and destroyed the Chloran -structure then in space--now an easy task, since zones of force, while -impenetrable to any ether-borne phenomena, offer no resistance whatever -to forces of the fifth order, propagated as they are in that inner -medium, the sub-ether. Then, with the Quedrins standing by, to cut off -the power in case he should be overpowered, he invaded the sanctum -sanctorum of all Chlora--the private office of the Supreme Great One -himself--and stared unabashed and unaffected into the enormous "eye" of -the monstrous ruler of the planet. - -There ensued a battle royal. Had mental forces been visible, it would -have been a spectacular meeting indeed! Larger and larger grew the -"eye" until it was transmitting all the terrific power generated by -that frightful, visibly palpitating brain. But Seaton was not of -Valeron, nor was he handicapped by the limitations of a fourth-order -projector. He was now being projected upon a full beam of the fifth, by -a mechanism able to do full justice to his stupendously composite brain. - -The part of that brain he was now employing was largely the -contribution of Drasnik, the First of Psychology of ancient Norlamin; -and from it he was hurling along that beam the irresistible sum total -of mental power accumulated by ten thousand generations of the most -profound students of the mind that our Galaxy has ever known. - -The creature, realizing that at long last it had met its mental master, -must have emitted radiations of distress, for into the room came -crowding hordes of the monstrosities, each of whom sought to add his -own mind to those already opposing the intruder. In vain--all their -power could not turn Seaton's penetrating glare aside, nor could it -wrest from that glare's unbreakable grip the mind of the tortured -Great One. - -And now, mental waves failing, they resorted to the purely physical. -Hand rays of highest power blasted at that figure uselessly; fiercely -driven bars, spears, axes, and all other weapons rebounded from -it without leaving a mark upon it, rebounded bent, broken, and -twisted. For that figure was in no sense matter as we understand the -term. It was pure force--force made palpable and coherent by the -incomprehensible power of disintegrating matter; force against which -any possible application of mechanical power would be precisely as -effective as would wafted thistledown against Gibraltar. - -Thus the struggle was brief. Paying no attention to anything, mental -or physical, that the other monstrosities could bring to bear, Seaton -compelled his victim to assume the shape of the heretofore-despised -human being. Then, staring straight into that quivering brain through -those hate-filled, flaming eyes, he spoke aloud, the better to drive -home his thought: - -"Learn, so-called Great One, once and for all, that when you attack any -race of humanity anywhere, you attack not only that one race, but all -the massed humanity of all the planets of all the Galaxies! As you have -already observed, I am not of the planet Valeron, nor of this Solar -System, nor even of this Galaxy; but I and my fellows have come to the -aid of this race of humanity whom you were bold enough to attack. - -"I have proved that we are your masters, mentally as well as -scientifically and mechanically. Those of you who have been attacking -Valeron have been destroyed, ships and crews alike. Those en route -there have been destroyed in space. So also shall be destroyed any -and all expeditions you may launch beyond the limits of your own foul -atmosphere. - -"Since even such a repellent civilization as yours must have its place -in the great scheme of things, we do not intend to destroy your planet -nor such of your people as remain upon it or near it, unless such -destruction shall become necessary for the welfare of the human race. -While we are considering what we shall do about you, I advise you to -heed well this warning!" - - - - - XXI. - - -The four Terrestrials had discussed at some length the subject of -Chlora and her outlandish population. - -"It looks as though you were perched upon the horns of a first-class -dilemma," Dorothy remarked at last. "If you let them alone there is no -telling what harm they will do to these people here, and yet it would -be a perfect shame to kill them all--they can't help being what they -are. Do you suppose you can figure a way out of it, Dick?" - -"Maybe--I've got a kind of a hunch, but it hasn't jelled into a -workable idea yet. It's tied in with the sixth-order projection that -we'll have to have, anyway, to find our way back home with. Until we -get that working I guess we'll just let the amœbuses stew in their own -juice." - -"Well, and then what?" Dorothy prompted. - -"I told you it's nebulous yet, with a lot of essential details yet to -be filled in--" Seaton paused, then went on, doubtfully: "It's pretty -wild--I don't know whether--" - -"Now you _must_ tell us about it, Dick," Margaret urged. - -"I'll say you've got to," Dorothy agreed. "You've had a lot of ideas -wild enough to make any sane creature's head spin around in circles -before this, but not one of them was so hair raising that you were -backward in talking about it. This one must be the prize brain storm of -the universe--spill it to us!" - -"All right, but remember that it's only half baked and that you asked -for it. I'm doping out a way of sending them back to their own Solar -System, planet and all." - -"What!" exclaimed Margaret. - -Dorothy simply whistled--a long, low whistle highly eloquent of -incredulity. - -"Maintenance of temperature? Time? Power? Control?" Crane, the -imperturbable, picked out unerringly the four key factors of the -stupendous feat. - -"Your first three objections can be taken care of easily enough," -Seaton replied positively. "No loss of temperature is possible through -a zone of force--our own discovery. We can stop time with a stasis--we -learned that from watching those four-dimensional folks work. The power -of cosmic radiation is practically infinite and eternal--we learned how -to use that from the pure intellectuals. Control is the sticker, since -it calls for computations and calculations at present impossible; but I -believe that when we get our mechanical brain done, it will be able to -work out even such a problem as that." - -"What d'you mean, mechanical brain?" demanded Dorothy. - -"The thing that is going to run our sixth-order projector," Seaton -explained. "You see, it'll be altogether too big and too complicated to -be controlled manually, and thought--human thought, at least--is on one -band of the sixth order. Therefore the logical thing to do is to build -an artificial brain capable of thinking on _all_ bands of the order -instead of only one, to handle the whole projector. See?" - -"No," declared Dorothy promptly, "but maybe I will, though, when I see -it work. What's next on the program?" - -"Well, it's going to be quite a job to build that brain and we'd better -be getting at it, since without it there'll be no _Skylark Four_--" - -"Dick, I object!" Dorothy protested vigorously. "_The Skylark of Space_ -was a nice name--" - -"Sure, you'd think so, since you named her yourself," interrupted -Seaton in turn, with his disarming grin. - -"Keep still a minute, Dickie, and let me finish. _Skylark Two_ was -pretty bad, but I stood it; and by gritting my teeth all out of shape -I did manage to keep from squawking about _Skylark Three_, but I -certainly am not going to stand for _Skylark Four_. Why, just think of -giving a name like that to such a wonderful thing as she is going to -be--as different as can be from anything that has ever been dreamed of -before--just as though she were going to be simply one more of a long -series of cup-challenging motor boats or something! Why, it's--it's -just too perfectly idiotic for words!" - -"But she's _got_ to be some kind of a _Skylark_, Dot--you know that." - -"Yes, but give her a name that means something--that sounds like -something. Name her after this planet, say--_Skylark of Valeron_--how's -that?" - -"O.K. by me. How about it, Peg? Mart?" - -The Cranes agreed to the suggestion with enthusiasm and Seaton went on: - -"Well, an onion by any other name would smell as sweet, you know, -and it's going to be just as much of a job to build the _Skylark of -Valeron_ as it would have been to build _Skylark Four_. Therefore, as I -have said before and am about to say again, we'd better get at it." - -The fifth-order projector was moved to the edge of the city, since -nowhere within its limits was there room for the structure to be built, -and the two men seated themselves at its twin consoles and their hands -flew over its massed banks of keyboards. For a few minutes nothing -happened; then on the vast, level plain before them--a plain which -had been a lake of fluid lava a few weeks before--there sprang into -being an immense foundation-structure of trussed and latticed girder -frames of inoson, the hardest, strongest, and toughest form of matter -possible to molecular structure. One square mile of ground it covered -and it was strong enough, apparently, to support a world. - - * * * * * - -When the foundation was finished, Seaton left the framework to Crane, -while he devoted himself to filling the interstices and compartments as -fast as they were formed. He first built one tiny structure of coils, -fields, and lenses of force--one cell of the gigantic mechanical brain -which was to be. He then made others, slightly different in tune, and -others, and others. - -He then set forces to duplicating these cells, forces which -automatically increased in number until they were making and setting -five hundred thousand cells per second, all that his connecting forces -could handle. And everywhere, it seemed, there were projectors, fields -of force, receptors and converters of cosmic energy, zones of force, -and many various shaped lenses and geometric figures of neutronium -incased in sheaths of faidon. - -From each cell led tiny insulated wires, so fine as to be almost -invisible, to the "nerve centers" and to one of the millions of -projectors. From these in turn ran other wires, joining together to -form larger and larger strands until finally several hundred enormous -cables, each larger than a man's body, reached and merged into an -enormous, glittering, hemispherical, mechano-electrical inner brain. - -For forty long Valeronian days--more than a thousand of our Earthly -hours--the work went on ceaselessly, day and night. Then it ceased -of itself and there dangled from the center of the glowing, gleaming -hemisphere a something which is only very vaguely described by calling -it either a heavily wired helmet or an incredibly complex headset. It -was to be placed over Seaton's head, it is true--it _was_ a headset, -but one raised to the millionth power. - -It was the energizer and controller of the inner brain, which was in -turn the activating agency of that entire cubic mile of as yet inert -substance, that assemblage of thousands of billions of cells, so soon -to become the most stupendous force for good ever to be conceived by -the mind of man. - -When that headset appeared Seaton donned it and sat motionless. For -hour after hour he sat there, his eyes closed, his face white and -strained, his entire body eloquent of a concentration so intense as -to be a veritable trance. At the end of four hours Dorothy came up -resolutely, but Crane waved her back. - -"This is far and away the most crucial point of the work, Dorothy," he -cautioned her gravely. "While I do not think that anything short of -physical violence could distract his attention now, it is best not to -run any risk of disturbing him. An interruption now would mean that -everything would have to be done over again from the beginning." - -Something over an hour later Seaton opened his eyes, stretched -prodigiously, and got up. He was white and trembling, but tremendously -relieved and triumphant. - -"Why, Dick, what have you been doing? You look like a ghost!" Dorothy -was now an all solicitous wife. - -"I've been _thinking_, and if you don't believe that it's hard work -you'd better try it some time! 'Sall right, though, I won't have to do -it any more--got a machine to do my thinking for me now." - -"Oh, is it all done?" - -"Nowhere near, but it's far enough along so that it can finish itself. -I've just been telling it what to do." - -"_Telling_ it! Why, you talk as though it were human!" - -"Human? It's a lot more than that. It can outthink and outperform even -those pure intellectuals--'and that,' as the poet feelingly remarked, -'is going some'! And if you think that riding in that fifth-order -projector was a thrill, wait until you see what this one can do. Think -of it"--even the mind that had conceived the thing was awed--"it is an -extension of my own brain, using waves that traverse even intergalactic -distances practically instantaneously. With it I can see anything I -want to look at, anywhere; can hear anything I want to hear. It can -build, make, do, or perform anything that my brain can think of." - -"That is all true, of course," Crane said slowly, his sober mien -dampening Dorothy's ardor instantly, "but still--I can not help -wondering--" He gazed at Seaton thoughtfully. - -"I know it, Mart, and I'm working up my speed as fast as I possibly -can," Seaton answered the unspoken thought, rather than the words. "But -let them come--we'll take 'em. I'll have everything on the trips, ready -to spring." - -"What _are_ you two talking about?" Dorothy demanded. - -"Mart pointed out to me the regrettable fact that my mental processes -are in the same class as the proverbial molasses in January, or as a -troop of old and decrepit snails racing across a lawn. I agreed with -him, but added that I would have my thoughts all thunk up ahead of time -when the pure intellectuals tackle us--which they certainly will." - -"_Slow!_" she exclaimed. "When you planned the whole _Skylark of -Valeron_ and nobody knows what else, in five hours?" - -"Yes, dear, _slow_. Remember when we first met our dear departed -friend Eight, back in the original _Skylark_? You saw him materialize -exact duplicates of each of our bodies, clear down to the molecular -structures of our chemistry, in less than one second, from a cold, -standing start. Compared to that job, the one I have just done is -elementary. It took me over five hours--he could have done it in -nothing flat. - -"However, don't let it bother you too much. I'll never be able to equal -their speed, since I'll not live enough millions of years to get the -required practice, but our being material gave us big advantages in -other respects that Mart isn't mentioning because, as usual, he is -primarily concerned with our weaknesses--yes? No?" - -"Yes; I will concede that being material does yield advantages which -may perhaps make up for our slower rate of thinking," Crane at last -conceded. - -"Hear that? If he admits that much, you know that we're as good as in, -right now," Seaton declared. "Well, while our new brain is finishing -itself up, we might as well go back to the hall and chase the Chlorans -back where they belong--the Brain worked out the equations for me this -morning." - - * * * * * - -From the ancient records of Valeron, Radnor and the Bardyle had -secured complete observational data of the cataclysm, which had made -the task of finding the present whereabouts of the Chlorans' original -sun a simple task. The calculations and computations involved in the -application of forces of precisely the required quantities to insure -the correct final orbit were complex in the extreme; but, as Seaton had -foretold, they had presented no insurmountable difficulties to the vast -resources of the Brain. - -Therefore, everything in readiness, the two Terrestrial scientists -surrounded the inimical planet with a zone of force, so that it would -lose none of its heat during the long journey; and with a stasis of -time, so that its people would not know of anything that was happening -to them. They then erected force-control stations around it, adjusted -with such delicacy and precision that they would direct the planet into -the exact orbit it had formerly occupied around its parent sun. Then, -at the instant of correct velocity and position, the control stations -would go out of existence and the forces would disappear. - -As the immense ball of dazzlingly opaque mirror which now hid the -unwanted world swung away with ever-increasing velocity, the Bardyle, -who had watched the proceedings in incredulous wonder, heaved a -profound sigh of relaxation. - -"What a relief--what a relief!" he exclaimed. - -"How long will it take?" asked Dorothy curiously. - -"Quite a while--something over four hundred years of our time. But -don't let it gnaw on you--they won't know a thing about it. When the -forces let go they'll simply go right on, from exactly where they left -off, without realizing that any time at all has lapsed--in fact, for -them, no time at all shall have lapsed. All of a sudden they will find -themselves circling around a different sun, that's all. - -"If their old records are clear enough they may be able to recognize -it as their original sun and they'll probably do a lot of wondering as -to how they got back there. One instant they were in a certain orbit -around this sun here, the next instant they will be in another orbit -around an entirely different sun! They'll know, of course, that we did -it, but they'll have a sweet job figuring out how and what we did--some -of it is really deep stuff. Also, they will be a few hundred years off -in their time, but since nobody in the world will know it, it won't -make any difference." - -"How perfectly weird!" Dorothy exclaimed. "Just think of losing a -four-hundred-year chunk right out of the middle of your life and not -even knowing it!" - -"I would rather think of the arrest of development," meditated Crane. -"Of the opportunity of comparing the evolution of the planets already -there with that of the returned wanderer." - -"Yeah, it would be interesting--'sa shame we won't be alive then," -Seaton responded, "but in the meantime we've got a lot of work to do -for ourselves. Now that we've got this mess straightened out I think -we had better tell these folks good-by, get into _Two_, and hop out to -where Dot's _Skylark of Valeron_ is going to materialize." - -The farewell to the people of Valeron was brief, but sincere. - -"This is in no sense good-by," Crane concluded. "By the aid of these -newly discovered forces of the sixth order there shall soon be worked -out a system of communication by means of which all the inhabited -planets of the Galaxies shall be linked as closely as are now the -cities of any one world." - -_Skylark Two_ shot upward and outward, to settle into an orbit well -outside that of Valeron. Seaton then sent his projection back to the -capital city, fitted over his imaged head the controller of the inner -brain, and turned to Crane with a grin. - -"That's timing it, old son--she finished herself up less than an hour -ago. Better cluster around and watch this, folks, it's going to be -good." - - * * * * * - -At Seaton's signal the structure which was to be the nucleus of the new -space traveler lifted effortlessly into the air its millions of tons of -dead weight and soared, as lightly as little _Two_ had done, out into -the airless void. Taking up a position a few hundred miles away from -the Terrestrial cruiser, it shot out a spherical screen of force to -clear the ether of chance bits of débris. Then inside that screen there -came into being a structure of gleaming inoson, so vast in size that to -the startled onlookers it appeared almost of planetary dimensions. - -"Good heavens--it's stupendous!" Dorothy exclaimed. "What did you boys -make it so big for--just to show us you could, or what?" - -"Hardly! She's just as small as she can be and still do the work. -You see, to find our own Galaxy we will have to project a beam to a -distance greater than any heretofore assigned diameter of the universe, -and to control it really accurately its working base and the diameter -of its hour and declination-circles would each have to be something -like four light-years long. Since a ship of that size is of course -impracticable, Mart and I did some figuring and decided that with -circles one thousand kilometers in diameter we could chart Galaxies -accurately enough to find the one we're looking for--if you think of -it, you'll realize that there are a lot of hundredth-millimeter marks -around the circumference of circles of that size--and that they would -probably be big enough to hold a broadcasting projection somewhere -near a volume of space as large as that occupied by the Green System. -Therefore we built the _Skylark of Valeron_ just large enough to -contain those thousand-kilometer circles." - -As _Skylark Two_ approached the looming planetoid the doors of vast -airlocks opened. Fifty of those massive gates swung aside before her -and closed behind her before she swam free in the cool, sweet air and -bright artificial sunlight of the interior. She then floated along -above an immense, grassy park toward two well-remembered and beloved -buildings. - -[Illustration: _As the tiny ship approached, the doors of vast airlocks -opened._] - -"Oh, Dick!" Dorothy squealed. "There's our house--and Cranes! It's -funny though to see them side by side. Are they the same inside, -too--and what's that funny little low building between them?" - -"They duplicate the originals exactly, except for some items of -equipment which would be useless here. The building between them is -the control room, in which are the master headsets of the Brain -and its lookouts. The Brain itself is what you would think of as -underground--inside the shell of the planetoid." - -The small vessel came lightly to a landing and the wanderers -disembarked upon the close-clipped, springy turf of a perfect lawn. -Dorothy flexed her knees in surprise. - -"How come we aren't weightless, Dick?" she demanded. "This gravity -isn't--_can't_ be--natural. I'll bet you did that, too!" - -"Mart and I together did, sure. We learned a lot from the intellectuals -and a lot more in hyperspace, but we could neither derive the -fundamental equations nor apply what knowledge we already had until we -finished this sixth-order outfit. Now, though, we can give you all the -gravity you want--or as little--whenever and wherever you want it." - -"Oh, marvelous--this is glorious, boys!" Dorothy breathed. "I have -always just simply despised weightlessness. Now, with these houses and -everything, we can have a perfectly wonderful time!" - -"Here's the dining room," Seaton said briskly. "And here's the headset -you put on to order dinner or whatever is appropriate to the culinary -department. You will observe that the kitchen of this house is purely -ornamental--never to be used unless you want to." - -"Just a minute, Dick," Dorothy's voice was tensely serious. "I have -been really scared ever since you told me about the power of that -Brain, and the more you tell me of it the worse scared I get. Think -of the awful damage a wild, chance thought would do--and the more an -ordinary mortal tries to avoid any thought the surer he is to think -it, you know that. Really, I'm not ready for that yet, dear--I'd much -rather not go near that headset." - -"I know, sweetheart," his arm tightened around her. "But you didn't -let me finish. These sets around the house control forces which are -capable of nothing except duties pertaining to the part of the house in -which they are. This dining-room outfit, for instance, is exactly the -same as the Norlaminian one you used so much, except that it is much -simpler. - -"Instead of using a lot of keyboards and force-tubes, you simply think -into that helmet what you want for dinner and it appears. Think that -you want the table cleared and it is cleared--dishes and all simply -vanish. Think of anything else you want done around this room and it's -done--that's all there is to it. - -"To relieve your mind I'll explain some more. Mart and I both realized -that that Brain could very easily become the most terrible, the -most frightfully destructive thing that the universe has ever seen. -Therefore, with two exceptions, every controller on this planetoid -is of a strictly limited type. Of the two master controls, which are -unlimited and very highly reactive, one responds only to Crane's -thoughts, the other only to mine. As soon as we get some loose time -we are going to build a couple of auxiliaries, with automatic stops -against stray thoughts, to break you girls in on--we know as well as -you do, Red-Top, that you haven't had enough practice yet to take an -unlimited control." - -"I'll say _I_ haven't!" she agreed feelingly. "I feel lots better -now--I'm sure I can handle the rest of these things very nicely." - -"Sure you can. Well, let's call the Cranes and go into the control -room," Seaton suggested. "The quicker we get started the quicker we'll -get done." - - * * * * * - -Accustomed as she was to the banks and tiers of keyboards, switches, -dials, meters, and other operating paraphernalia of the control rooms -of the previous _Skylark_, Dorothy was taken aback when she passed -through the thick, heavily insulated door into that of the _Skylark of -Valeron_. For there were four gray walls, a gray ceiling, and a rugged -gray floor. There were low, broad double chairs and headsets. There was -nothing else. - -"This is your seat, Dottie, here beside me, and this is your -headset--it's just a visiset, so you can see what is going on, not a -controller," he hastened to reassure her. "You have a better illusion -of seeing if your eyes are open, that's why everything is neutral in -color. But better still for you girls, we'll turn off the lights." - -The illumination, which had seemed to pervade the entire room instead -of emanating from any definite sources, faded out; but in spite of the -fact that the room was in absolute darkness Dorothy saw with a clarity -and a depth of vision impossible to any Earthly eyes. She saw at one -and the same time, with infinite precision of detail, the houses and -their contents; the whole immense sphere of the planetoid, inside and -out; Valeron and her sister planets encircling their sun; and the -stupendous full sphere of the vaulted heavens. - -She knew that her husband was motionless at her side, yet she saw him -materialize in the control room of _Skylark Two_. There he seized -the cabinet which contained the space chart of the Fenachrone--that -library of films portraying all the Galaxies visible to the wonderfully -powerful telescopes and projectors of that horrible race. - -That cabinet became instantly a manifold scanner, all its reels -flashing through as one. Simultaneously there appeared in the air -above the machine a three-dimensional model of all the Galaxies there -listed. A model upon such a scale that the First Galaxy was but a tiny -lenticular pellet, although it was still disproportionately large; -upon such a scale that the whole vast sphere of space covered by the -hundreds of Fenachrone scrolls was compressed into a volume but little -larger than a basketball. And yet each tiny Galactic pellet bore its -own peculiarly individual identifying marks. - -Then Dorothy felt as though she herself had been hurled out into the -unthinkable reaches of space. In a fleeting instant of time she passed -through thousands of star clusters, and not only knew the declination, -right ascension, and distance of each Galaxy, but saw it duplicated in -miniature in its exact place in an immense, three-dimensional model in -the hollow interior of the space-flyer in which she actually was. - -The mapping went on. To human brains and hands the task would have -been one of countless years. Now, however, it was to prove only a -matter of hours, for this was no human brain. Not only was it reactive -and effective at distances to be expressed in light-years or parsecs: -because of the immeasurable sixth-order velocity of its carrier wave -it was equally effective at distances of thousands upon thousands of -light--millionia--reaches of space so incomprehensibly vast that the -rays of visible light emitted at the birth of a sun so far away would -reach the point of observation only after that sun had lived through -its entire cycle of life and had disappeared. - -"Well, that's about enough of that for you, for a while," Seaton -remarked in a matter-of-fact voice. "A little of that stuff goes a long -ways at first--you have to get used to it." - -"I'll say you do! Why--I--it--" Dorothy paused, even her ready tongue -at a loss for words. - -"You can't describe it in words--don't try," Seaton advised. "Let's go -outdoors and watch the model grow." - -To the awe, if not to the amazement of the observers, the model had -already begun to assume a lenticular pattern. Galaxies, then, really -_were_ arranged in general as were the stars composing them; there -really _were_ universes, and they really _were_ lenticular--the vague -speculations of the hardiest and most exploratory cosmic thinkers were -being confirmed. - -For hour after hour the model continued to grow and Seaton's face began -to take on a look of grave concern. At last, however, when the chart -was three fourths done or more, a deep-toned bell clanged out the -signal for which he had been waiting--the news that there was now being -plotted a configuration of Galaxies identical with that portrayed by -the space chart of the Fenachrone. - -"Gosh!" Seaton sighed hugely. "I was beginning to be afraid that -we had escaped clear out of our own universe, and that would have -been bad--very, very bad, believe me! The rest of the mapping can -wait--let's go!" - -Followed by the others he dashed into the control room, threw on his -helmet, and hurled a projection into the now easily recognizable First -Galaxy. He found the Green System without difficulty, but he could -not hold it. So far away it was that even the highest amplification -and the greatest power of which the gigantic sixth-order installation -was capable could not keep the viewpoint from leaping erratically, in -fantastic bounds of hundreds of millions of miles, all through and -around its objective. - -But Seaton had half expected this development and was prepared for it. -He had already sent out a broadcasting projection; and now, upon a band -of frequencies wide enough to affect every receiving instrument in use -throughout the Green System and using power sufficient to overwhelm any -transmitter, however strong, that might be in operation, he sent out in -a mighty voice his urgent message to the scientists of Norlamin. - - - - - XXII. - - -In the throne room of Kondal, with its gorgeously resplendent jeweled -ceiling and jeweled metallic-tapestry walls, there were seated in -earnest consultation the three most powerful men of the planet -Osnome--Roban and Karfedix [1], Dunark the Kofedix [2], and Tarnan -the Karbix [3]. Their "clothing" was the ordinary Osnomian regalia -of straps, chains, and metallic bands, all thickly bestudded with -blazing gems and for the most part supporting the full assortment of -devastatingly powerful hand weapons without which any man of that race -would have felt stark naked. Their fierce green faces were keenly -hawklike; the hard, clean lines of their bare green bodies bespoke the -rigid physical training that every Osnomian undergoes from birth until -death. - -[Footnote 1: Emperor.] - -[Footnote 2: Crown Prince.] - -[Footnote 3: President of the Church and Commander in Chief of all -armed forces of Osnome.] - -"Father, Tarnan may be right," Dunark was saying soberly. "We are too -savage, too inherently bloodthirsty, too deeply interested in killing, -not as a means to some really worth-while end, but as an end in itself. -Seaton the overlord thinks so, the Norlaminians think so, and I am -beginning to think so myself. All really enlightened races look upon -us as little better than barbarians, and in part I agree with them. I -believe, however, that if we were really to devote ourselves to study -and to productive effort we could soon equal or surpass any race in the -System, except of course the Norlaminians." - -"There may be something in what you say," the emperor admitted -dubiously, "but it is against all our racial teachings. What, then, of -an outlet for the energies of all manhood?" - -"Constructive effort instead of destructive," argued the Karbix. "Let -them build--study--learn--advance. It is all too true that we are far -behind other races of the System in all really important things." - -"But what of Urvan and his people?" Roban brought up his last and -strongest argument. "They are as savage as we are, if not more so. -As you say, the necessity for continuous warfare ceased with the -destruction of Mardonale, but are we to leave our whole planet -defenseless against an interplanetary attack from Urvania?" - -"They dare not attack us," declared Tarnan, "any more than we dare -attack them. Seaton the overlord decreed that the people of us two -first to attack the other dies root and branch, and we all know that -the word of the overlord is no idle, passing breath." - -"But he has not been seen for long. He may be far away and the -Urvanians may decide at any time to launch their fleets against us. -However, before we decide this momentous question I suggest that you -two pay a visit of state to the court of Urvan. Talk to Urvan and -his Karbix as you have talked to me, of coöperation and of mutual -advancement. If they will coöperate, we will." - -During the long voyage to Urvania, the third planet of the fourteenth -sun, however, their new ardor cooled perceptibly--particularly that of -the younger man--and in Urvan's palace it became clear that the love -of peaceful culture inculcated upon those fierce minds by contact with -more humane peoples could not supplant immediately the spirit of strife -bred into bone and fiber during thousands of generations of incessant -warfare. - -For when the two Osnomians sat down with the two Urvanians the very -air seemed charged with animosity. Like strange dogs meeting with -bared fangs and bristling manes, Osnomian and Urvanian alike fairly -radiated hostility. Therefore Tarnan's suggestions as to coöperation -and understanding were decidedly unconvincing, and were received with -open scorn. - -"Your race may well wish to coöperate with ours," sneered the Emperor -of Urvania, "since, but for the threats of that self-styled overlord, -you would have ceased to exist long since. And how do we know where -that one is, what he is doing, whether he is paying any attention to -us? Probably you have learned that he has left this System entirely -and have already planned an attack upon us. In self-defense we shall -probably have to wipe out your race to keep you from destroying ours. -At any rate your plea is very evidently some underhanded trick of your -weak and cowardly race--" - -"Weak! Cowardly! _Us?_ You conceited, bloated toad!" stormed Dunark, -who had kept himself in check thus far only by sheer power of will. He -sprang to his feet, his stool flying backward. "Here and now I demand -a meeting of honor, if you know the meaning of the word honor." - - * * * * * - -The four enraged men, all drawing weapons, were suddenly swept apart, -then clutched and held immovably as a figure of force materialized -among them--the form of an aged, white-bearded Norlaminian. - -[Illustration: _The four enraged men, all drawing weapons, were -suddenly swept apart._] - -"Peace, children, and silence!" the image commanded sternly. "Rest -assured that there shall be no more warfare in this System and that -the decrees of the overlord shall be enforced to the letter. Calm -yourselves and listen. I know well, mind you, that none of you really -meant what has just been said. You of Osnome were so impressed by the -benefits of mutual helpfulness that you made this journey to further -its cause; you of Urvania are at heart also strongly in favor of it, -but neither of you has strength enough or courage enough to admit it. - -"For know, vain and self-willed children, that it is weakness, not -strength, which you have been displaying. It may well be, however, that -your physical bravery and your love of strife can now be employed for -the general good of all humanity. Would you join hands, to fight side -by side in such a cause?" - -"We would," chorused the four, as one. - -Each was heartily ashamed of what had just happened, and was glad -indeed of the opportunity to drop it without losing face. - -"Very well! We of Norlamin fear greatly that we have inadvertently -given to one of the greatest foes of universal civilization weapons -equal in power to the overlord's own, and that he is even now working -to undo all that had been done. Will you of Osnome and you of Urvania -help in conducting an expedition against that foe?" - -"We will!" they exclaimed. - -Dunark added: "Who is that enemy, and where is he to be found?" - -"He is Dr. Marc C. DuQuesne, of Earth." - -"DuQuesne!" barked Dunark. "Why, I thought the Fenachrone killed him! -But we shall attend to it at once--when _I_ kill any one he _stays_ -killed!" - -"Just a moment, son," the image cautioned. "He has surrounded Earth -with defenses against which your every arm would be entirely impotent. -Come you to Norlamin, bringing each of you one hundred of his best men. -We shall have prepared for you certain equipment which, although it -may not enable you to emerge victorious from the engagement, will at -least insure your safe return. It might be well also to stop at Dasor, -which is not now far from your course of flight, and bring along Sacner -Carfon, who will be of great assistance, being a man both of action and -of learning." - -"But _DuQuesne_!" raved Dunark, who realized immediately what must have -happened. "Why didn't you ray him on sight? Didn't you know what a liar -and a thief he is, by instinct and training?" - -"We had no suspicion then who he was, thinking, as did you, that -DuQuesne had passed. He came under another name, as Seaton's friend. He -came as one possessing knowledge, with fair and plausible words. But of -that we shall inform you later. Come at once--we shall place upon your -controls forces which shall pilot you accurately and with speed." - -Upon the aqueous world of Dasor they found its amphibious humanity -reveling in an activity which, although dreamed of for centuries, had -been impossible of realization until the _Skylark_ had brought to them -a supply of Rovolon, the metal of power. Now cities of metal were -arising here and there above her waves, airplanes and helicopters sped -through and hovered in her atmosphere, barges and pleasure craft sailed -the almost unbroken expanse of ocean which was her surface, immense -submarine freighters bored their serenely stolid ways through her -watery depths. - -Sacner Carfon, the porpoiselike, hairless, naked Dasorian councilor, -heaved his six and a half feet of height and his five hundredweight of -mass into Dunark's vessel and greeted the Osnomian prince with a grave -and friendly courtesy. - -"Yes, friend, everything is wonderfully well with Dasor," he answered -Dunark's query. "Now that our one lack, that of power, has been -supplied, our lives can at last be lived to the full, unhampered by the -limitations which we have hitherto been compelled to set upon them. But -this from Norlamin is terrible news indeed. What know you of it?" - -During the trip to Norlamin the three leaders not only discussed and -planned among themselves, but also had many conferences with the -Advisory Five of the planet toward which they were speeding, so that -they arrived upon that ancient world with a complete knowledge of -what they were to attempt. There Rovol and Drasnik instructed them in -the use of fifth-order forces, each according to his personality and -ability. - -To Sacner Carfon was given high command, and he was instructed minutely -in every detail of the power, equipment, and performance of the vessel -which was to carry the hope of civilization. To Tarnan, the best -balanced of his race, was given a more limited knowledge. Dunark and -Urvan, however, were informed only as to the actual operation of the -armament, with no underlying knowledge of its nature or construction. - -"I trust that you will not resent this necessary caution," Drasnik -said carefully. "Your natures are as yet essentially savage and -bloodthirsty; your reason is all too easily clouded by passion. You -are, however, striving truly, and that is a great good. With a few -mental operations, which we shall be glad to give you at a later time, -you shall both be able to take your places as leaders in the march of -your peoples toward civilization." - - * * * * * - -Fodan, majestic chief of the Five, escorted the company of warriors to -their battleship of space, and what a ship she was! Fully twice the -size of _Skylark Three_ in every dimension she lay there, surcharged -with power and might, awaiting only her commander's touch to hurl -herself away toward distant and now inimical Earth. - -But the vengeful expedition was too late by far. DuQuesne had long -since consolidated his position. His chain of interlinked power -stations encircled the globe. Governments were in name only. World -Steel now ruled the entire Earth and DuQuesne's power was absolute. -Nor was that rule as yet unduly onerous. The threat of war was gone, -the tyranny of gangsterism was done, everybody was working for high -wages--what was there to kick about? Some men of vision of course -perceived the truth and were telling it, but they were being howled -down by the very people they were trying to warn. - -It was thus against an impregnably fortified world that Dunark and -Urvan directed every force with which their flying superdreadnought -was armed. Nor was she feeble, this monster of the skyways, but -DuQuesne had known well what form the attack would take and, having the -resources of the world upon which to draw, he had prepared to withstand -the amassed assault of a hundred such vessels--or a thousand. - -Therefore the attack not only failed; it was repulsed crushingly. For -from his massed generators DuQuesne hurled out upon the Norlaminian -space ship a solid beam of such incredible intensity that in -neutralizing its terrific ardor her store of power-uranium dwindled -visibly, second by second. So rapidly did the metal disappear that -Sacner Carfon, after waging the unequal struggle for some twenty hours, -put on high acceleration and drove back toward the Central System, -despite the raging protests of Dunark and of his equally tempestuous -fellow lieutenant. - -And in his private office, which was also a complete control room, -DuQuesne smiled at Brookings--a hard, thin smile. "Now you see," he -said coldly. "Suppose I hadn't spent all this time and money on my -defenses?" - -"Well, why don't you go out and chase 'em? Give 'em a scare, anyway?" - -"Because it would be useless," DuQuesne stated flatly. "That ship -carries more stuff than anything we have ready to take off at present. -Also, Dunark does not scare. You might kill him, but you can't scare -him--it isn't in the breed." - -"Well, what is the answer, then? You have tried to take Norlamin with -everything you've got--bombs, automatic ships, and projectors--and you -haven't got to first base. You can't even get through their outside -screens. What are you going to do--let it go on as a stalemate?" - -"Hardly!" DuQuesne smiled thinly. "While I do not make a practice -of divulging my plans, I am going to tell you a few things now, so -that you can go ahead with more understanding and hence with greater -confidence. Seaton is out of the picture, or he would have been back -here before this. The Fenachrone are all gone. Dunark and his people -are unimportant. Norlamin is the only known obstacle between me and the -mastery of the Galaxy, therefore Norlamin must either be conquered or -destroyed. Since the first alternative seems unduly difficult, I shall -destroy her." - -"Destroy Norlamin--how?" The thought of wiping out that world, with all -its ancient culture, did not appall--did not even affect--Brookings' -callous mind. He was merely curious concerning the means to be employed. - -"This whole job so far has been merely a preliminary toward that -destruction," DuQuesne informed him levelly. "I am now ready to go -ahead with the second step. The planet Pluto is, as you may or may not -know, very rich in uranium. The ships which we are now building are -to carry a few million tons of that metal to a large and practically -uninhabited planet not too far from Norlamin. I shall install driving -machinery upon that planet and, using it as a projectile which all -their forces cannot stop, I shall throw Norlamin into her own sun." - - * * * * * - -Raging but impotent, Dunark was borne back to Norlamin; and, more -subdued now but still bitterly humiliated, he accompanied Urvan, Sacner -Carfon, and the various Firsts to a consultation with the Five. - -As they strolled along through the grounds, past fountains of flaming -color, past fantastically geometric hedges intricately and ornately -wrought of noble metal, past walls composed of self-luminous gems so -moving as to form fleeting, blending pictures of exquisite line and -color, Sacner Carfon eyed Drasnik in unobtrusive signal and the two -dropped gradually behind. - -"I trust that you were successful in whatever it was you had in mind to -do while we set up the late diversion?" Carfon asked quietly, when they -were out of earshot. - -Dunark and Urvan, his fierce and fiery aids, had taken everything that -had happened at its face value, but not so had the leader. Unlike his -lieutenants, the massive Dasorian had known at first blast that his -expedition against DuQuesne was hopeless. More, it had been clear to -him that the Norlaminians had known from the first that their vessel, -enormous as she was and superbly powerful, could not crush the defenses -of Earth. - -"We knew, of course, that you would perceive the truth," the First -of Psychology replied as quietly. "We also knew that you would -appreciate our reasons for not taking you fully into our confidence -in advance. Tarnan of Osnome also had an inkling of it, and I have -already explained matters to him. Yes; we succeeded. While DuQuesne's -whole attention was taken up in resisting your forces and in returning -them in kind, we were able to learn much that we could not have -learned otherwise. Also, our young friends Dunark and Urvan, through -being chastened, have learned a very helpful lesson. They have seen -themselves in true perspective for the first time; and, having fought -side by side in a common and so far as they knew a losing cause, they -have become friends instead of enemies. Thus it will now be possible -to inaugurate upon those two backward planets a program leading toward -true civilization." - -In the Hall of the Five the Norlaminian spokesman voiced thanks and -appreciation for the effort just made, concluding: - -"While as a feat of arms the expedition may not have been a success, -in certain other respects it was far from being a failure. By its help -we were enabled to learn much, and I can assure you now that the foe -shall not be allowed to prevail--it is graven upon the sphere that -civilization is to go on." - -"May I ask a question, sir?" Urvan was for the first time in his -bellicose career speaking diffidently. "Is there no way of landing a -real storming force upon Earth? Must we leave DuQuesne in possession -indefinitely?" - -"We must wait, son, and work," the chief answered, with the fatalistic -calm of his race. "At present we can do nothing more, but in time--" - -He was interrupted by a deafening blast of sound--the voice of Richard -Seaton, tremendously amplified. - -"This is the _Skylark_ calling Rovol of Norlamin--_Skylark_ calling -Rovol of Norlamin--" it repeated over and over, rising to a roar and -diminishing to a whisper as Seaton's broadcaster oscillated violently -through space. - -Rovol laid a beam to the nearest transmitter and spoke: "I am here, -son. What is it?" - -"Fine! I'm away out here in--" - -"Hold on a minute, Dick!" Dunark shouted. He had been humble and sober -enough since his return to Norlamin, realizing as he never had before -his own ignorance in comparison with the gigantic minds about him, the -powerlessness of his entire race in comparison with the energies he had -so recently seen in action. But now, as Seaton's voice came roaring in -and Rovol and his brain-brother were about to indulge so naïvely and so -publicly in a conversation which certainly should not reach DuQuesne's -ears, his spirits rose. Here was something he could do to help. - -"DuQuesne is alive, has Earth completely fortified, and is holding it -against everything we can give him," Dunark went on rapidly. "He's got -everything we have, maybe more, and he's undoubtedly listening to every -word we're saying. Talk Mardonalian--I know for a fact that DuQuesne -can't understand that. They've got an educator here and I'll give it to -Rovol right now--all right, go ahead." - -"I'm clear out of the Galaxy," Seaton's voice went on, now speaking the -language of the Osnomian race which had so recently been destroyed. "So -many Galaxies away that none of you except Orlon could understand the -distance. The speed of transmission is due to the fact that we have -perfected and I am using a sixth-order projector, not a fifth. Have you -a ship fit for really long-distance flight--as big as _Three_ was, or -bigger?" - -"Yes; we have a vessel twice her size." - -"Fine! Load her up and start. Head for the Great Nebula in -Andromeda--Orlon knows what and where that is. That isn't very close to -my line, but it will do until you get some apparatus set up. I've got -to have Rovol, Drasnik, and Orlon, and I would like to have Fodan; you -can bring along anybody else that wants to come. I'll sign on again in -an hour--you should be started by then." - - * * * * * - -Besides the four Norlaminians mentioned, Caslor, First of Mechanism, -and Astron, First of Energy, also elected to make the stupendous -flight, as did also many "youngsters" from the Country of Youth. Dunark -would not be left behind, nor would adventurous Urvan. And lastly there -was Sacner Carfon the Dasorian, who remarked that he "would have to go -along to make the boys behave and to steer the ship in case the old -professors forgot to." The space ship was well on its way when at the -end of the hour Seaton's voice again was heard. - -"All right, put me on a recorder and I'll give you the dope," he -instructed, when he had made sure that his signal was received. - -"DuQuesne has been trying to put a ray on us and he may try to follow -us," Dunark put in. - -"Let him," Seaton shot back grimly, then spoke in English: "DuQuesne, -Dunark says that you're listening in. You have my urgent, if not -cordial, invitation to follow this Norlaminian ship. If you follow it -far enough, you'll take a long, long ride, believe me!" - -Again addressing the voyagers, he recounted briefly everything that had -occurred since the abandonment of _Skylark Three_, then dived abruptly -into the fundamental theory and practical technique of sixth-order -phenomena and forces. - -Of that ultramathematical dissertation Dunark understood not even the -first sentence; Sacner Carfon perhaps grasped dimly a concept here and -there. The Norlaminians, however, sat back in their seats, relaxed and -smiling, their prodigious mentalities not only absorbing greedily but -assimilating completely the enormous doses of mathematical and physical -science being thrust upon them so rapidly. And when that epoch-making, -that almost unbelievable, tale was done, not one of the aged scientists -even referred to the tape of the recorder. - -"Oh, wonderful--wonderful!" exclaimed Rovol in ecstasy, his -transcendental imperturbability broken at last. "Think of it! Our -knowledge extended one whole order farther in each direction, both into -the small and into the large. Magnificent! And by one brain, and that -of a youth. Extraordinary! And we may now traverse universal space -in ordinary time, because that brain has harnessed the practically -infinite power of cosmic radiation, a power which exhausted the store -of uranium carried by _Skylark Three_ in forty hours. Phenomenal! -Stupendous!" - -"But do not forget that the brain of that youth is a composite of -many," said Fodan thoughtfully, "and that in it, among others, -were yours and Dunark's. Seaton himself ascribes to that peculiar -combination his successful solution of the problem of the sixth order. -You know, of course, that I am in no sense belittling the native power -of that brain. I am merely suggesting that perhaps other noteworthy -discoveries may be made by superimposing brains in other, but equally -widely divergent, fields of thought." - -"An interesting idea, truly, and one which may be fruitful of result," -assented Orlon, the First of Astronomy, "but I would suggest that we -waste no more time. I, for one, am eager to behold with my own inner -consciousness the vistas of the Galaxies." - -Agreeing, the five white-bearded scientists seated themselves at the -multiplex console of their fifth-order installation and set happily to -work. Their gigantic minds were undaunted by the task they faced--they -were only thrilled with interest at the opportunity of working with -magnitudes, distances, forces, objects, and events at the very -contemplation of which any ordinary human mind would quail. - -Steadily and contentedly they worked on, while at the behest of their -nimble and unerring fingers there came into being the forces which were -to build into their own vessel a duplicate of the mechano-electrical -brain which actuated and controlled the structure, almost of planetary -proportions, in which Seaton was even then hurtling toward them. -Hurtling with a velocity rapidly mounting to a value incalculable; -driven by the power liberated by the disintegrating matter of all the -suns of all the Galaxies of all the universes of cosmic space! - - - - - XXIII. - - -With all their might of brain and skill of hand and with all the -resources of their fifth-order banks of forces, it was no small task -for the Norlaminians to build the sixth-order controlling system which -their ship must have if they were to traverse universal space in any -time short of millenia. But finally it was done. - -A towering mechano-electrical brain almost filled the mid-section of -their enormous sky rover, the receptors and converters of the free -energy of space itself had been installed, and their intra-atomic -space-drive, capable of developing an acceleration of only five -light-veloci ties, had been replaced by Seaton's newly developed -sixth-order cosmic-energy drive which could impart to the ship and its -entire contents, without jolt, jar, or strain, any conceivable, almost -any calculable, acceleration. - -For many days the Norlaminian vessel had been speeding through the void -at her frightful maximum of power toward the _Skylark of Valeron_, -which in turn was driving toward our Galaxy at the same mad pace. -Braking down now, since only a few thousand light-years of distance -separated the hurtling flyers, Seaton materialized his image at the -brain control of the smaller cruiser and thought into it for minutes. - -"There, we're all set!" In the control room of the _Skylark_ Seaton -laid aside his helmet and wiped the perspiration from his forehead in -sheer relief. "The trap is baited and ready to spring--I've been scared -to death for a week that they'd tackle us before we were ready for -them." - -"What difference would it have made?" asked Margaret curiously. "Since -we have our sixth-order screens out they couldn't hurt us, could they?" - -"No, Peg; but keeping them from hurting us isn't enough--we've got to -capture 'em. And they'll have to be almost directly between Rovol's -ship and ours to make that capture possible. You see, we'll have to -send out from each vessel a hollow hemisphere of force and surround -them. If we had only one ship, or if they don't come between our two -ships, we can't bottle them up, because they have exactly the same -velocity of propagation that our own forces have. - -"Also, you can see that our projector can't work direct on more than -a hemisphere without cutting its own beams, and that we can't work -through relay stations because, fast as relays are, the Intellectuals -would get away while the relays were cutting in. Any more questions?" - -"Yes; I have one," put in Dorothy. "You told us that this artificial -brain of yours could do anything that your own brain could think of, -and here you've got it stuck already and have to have two of them. How -come?" - -"Well, this is a highly exceptional case," Seaton replied. "What I said -would be true ordinarily, but now, as I explained to Peg, it's working -against something that can think and act just as quickly as it can." - -"I know, dear, I was just putting you on the spot a little. What are -you using for bait?" - -"Thoughts. We're broadcasting them from a point midway between the two -vessels. They're keen on investigating any sixth-order impulses they -feel, you know--that's why we've kept all our stuff on tight beams -heretofore, so that they probably couldn't detect it--so we're sending -out a highly peculiar type of thought, that we are pretty sure will -bring them in from wherever they are." - -"Let me listen to it, just for a minute?" she pleaded. - -"W-e-l-l--I don't know." He eyed her dubiously. "Not for a minute--no. -Being of a type that not even a pure intellectual can resist, they'd -burn out any human brain in mighty short order. Maybe you might for -about a tenth of a second, though." - -He lowered a helmet over her expectant head and snatched it off again, -but that moment had been enough for Dorothy. Her violet eyes widened -terribly in an expression commingled of amazedly poignant horror and of -dreadfully ecstatic fascination. - -[Illustration: _Her whole body trembled violently. "Oh, Dick, Dick!" -she gasped. "How horrible!"_] - -"Dick--Dick!" she shrieked; then, recovering slowly: "How horrible--how -ghastly--how perfectly, exquisitely damnable! What is it? Why, I -actually heard babies begging to be born! And there were men who had -died and gone to heaven and hell; there were minds that had lost their -bodies and didn't know what to do--were simply shrieking out their -agony, despair, and utter, unreasoning terror for the whole universe -to hear! And there were joys, pleasures, raptures, so condensed as -to be almost as unbearable as the tortures. And there were other -things--awful, terrible, utterly indescribable and unimaginable things! -Oh, Dick, I was sure that I had gone stark, staring, raving crazy!" - -"'Sall right, dear," Seaton reassured his overwrought wife. "All those -things are really there, and more. I told you it was bad medicine--that -it would tear your brain to pieces if you took much of it." - - * * * * * - -Seaton paused, weighing in his mind how best to describe the really -indescribable signal that was being broadcast by the Brain, then went -on, choosing his words with care: - -"All the pangs and all the ecstasies, all the thoughts and all the -emotions of all evolution of all things, animate and inanimate, are -there; of all things that ever have existed from the unknowable -beginning of infinite time and of all things that ever shall exist -until time's unknowable end. It covers all animate life, from the first -stirring of that which was to vitalize the first uni-cell in the slime -of the first world ever to come into being in the cosmos, to the last -cognition of the ultimately last intelligent entity ever to be. - -"Our present humanity was of course included, from before conception, -through birth, through all of life, through death, and through the -life beyond. It covers inanimate evolution from the ultimate particle -and wave, through the birth, life, death, and re-birth of any possible -manifestation of energy and of matter, up to and through the ultimate -universe. - -"Neither Mart nor I could do it all. We carried everything as far as we -could, then the Brain went through with it to its logical conclusion, -which of course we could not reach. Then the Brain systematized all the -data and reduced it to a concentrated essence of pure thought. It is -that essence which is being broadcast and which will certainly attract -the Intellectuals. In the brief flash you got of it you probably could -understand at all only the human part--but maybe it's just as well." - -"I'll say it's just as well!" Dorothy emphatically agreed. "I wouldn't -listen to that again, even for a millionth of a second, for a million -dollars--but I wouldn't have missed it for another million, either. I -don't know whether to beg you to listen to it, Peggy, or to implore you -not to." - -"Don't bother," Margaret replied positively. "Anything that could throw -you into such a hysterical tantrum as that did, I don't want any of at -all. None at all, in fact, it would be altogether too much for--" - -"Got them, folks--all done!" Seaton exclaimed. "You can put on your -headsets now." - -A signal lamp had flashed brightly and he knew that those two gigantic -brains, working in perfect synchronism, had done instantaneously all -that they had been set to do. - -"Are you dead sure that they got them all, Dick?" - -"Absolutely, and they got them in less time than it took the filament -of the lamp to heat up. You can bank on it that all seven of them are -in the can. I go off half cocked and make mistakes, but those Brains -don't--they can't." - -Seaton was right. Though far away, even as universal distances go, the -Intellectuals had felt that broadcast thought and had shot toward its -source at their highest possible speed. For in all their long lives -and throughout all their cosmic wanderings they had never encountered -thoughts of such wide scope, such clear cogency, such tremendous power. - -The discarnate entities approached the amazing pattern of mental force -which was radiating so prodigally and addressed it; and in that instant -there were shot out curvingly from each of the mechano-electrical -brains a gigantic, hemispherical screen. - -Developing outwardly from the two vessels as poles with the -unimaginable velocity possible only to sixth-order forces, the two -cups were barriers impenetrable to any sixth-order force, yet neither -affected nor were affected by the gross manifestations which human -senses can perceive. Thus Solar Systems, even the neutronium cores of -stars, did not hinder their instantaneous development. - -Hundreds of light-years in diameter though they were, the open edges -of those semiglobes of force met in perfect alignment and fused -smoothly, effortlessly, instantaneously together to form a perfect, -thought-tight sphere. The violently radiating thought-pattern which had -so interested the Intellectuals disappeared, and at the same instant -the ultrasensitive organisms of the entities were assailed by the to -them deafening and blinding crash and flash of the welding together -along its equator of the far-flung hollow globe. - -These simultaneous occurrences were the first intimations that -everything was not what it appeared, and the disembodied intelligences -flashed instantly into furious activity, too late by the smallest -possible instant of time. The trap was sprung, the sphere was -impervious at its every point, and, unless they could break through -that wall, the Intellectuals were incarcerated until Seaton should -release his screens. - - * * * * * - -Within the confines of the globe there were not a few suns and -thousands of cubic parsecs of space upon whose stores of energy the -Intellectuals could draw. Wherefore they launched a concerted attack -upon the wall, hurling against it all the force they could direct. -But they were not now contending against the power of any human, -organic, finite brain. For Seaton's mind, powerfully composite though -it was of the mightiest intellects of the First Galaxy, was only the -primary impulse which was being impressed upon the grids and was -being amplified to any desirable extent by the almost infinite power -of those two cubic miles of coldly emotionless, perfectly efficient, -mechano-electrical artificial Brains. - -Thus against every frantic effort of the Intellectuals within it the -sphere was contracted inexorably, and as it shrank, reducing the volume -of space from which the prisoners could draw energy, their struggles -became weaker and weaker. When the ball of force was only a few -hundred miles in diameter and the two vessels were relatively at rest, -Seaton erected auxiliary stations around it and assumed full control. - -Rapidly then the prisoning sphere, little larger now than a toy -balloon, was brought through the inoson wall of the _Skylark_ and -held motionless in the air above the Brain room. A complex structure -of force was built around it, about which in turn there appeared a -framework of inoson, supporting sixteen massive bars of uranium. - -Seaton took off his helmet and sighed. "There, that'll hold them for a -while, I guess." - -"What are you going to do with them?" asked Margaret. - -"Darned if I know, Peg," he admitted ruefully. "That's been pulling -my cork ever since we figured out how to catch them. We can't kill -them and I'm afraid to let them go, because they're entirely too hot -to handle. So in the meantime, pending the hatching out of a feasible -method of getting rid of them permanently, I have simply put them in -jail." - -"Why, Dick, how positively brutal!" Dorothy exclaimed. - -"Yeah? There goes your soft heart again, Red-Top, instead of your hard -head. I suppose it would be positively O.K. to let them loose, so -that they can dematerialize all four of us? But it isn't as bad as it -sounds, because I've got a stasis of time around them. We can leave -them in there for seventeen thousand million years and even their -intellects won't know it, because for them no time at all shall have -lapsed." - -"No-o-o--of course we can't let them go scot-free," Dorothy admitted, -"but we--I should--well, maybe couldn't you make a bargain with them to -give them their liberty if they will go away and let us alone? They're -such free spirits, surely they would rather do that than stay bottled -up there forever." - -"Since they are purely intellectual and hence immortal, I doubt very -much if they'll dicker with us at all," Seaton replied. "Time doesn't -mean a thing to them, you know; but since you insist I'll check the -stasis and talk it over with them." - -A tenuous projection, heterodyned upon waves far below the band upon -which the captives had their being, crept through the barrier screen -and Seaton addressed his thoughts to the entity known as "One." - -"Being highly intelligent, you have already perceived that we are -vastly more powerful than you are. Living in the flesh possesses many -advantages over an immaterial existence. One of these is that it -permitted us to pass through the fourth dimension, which you cannot do -because your patterns are purely three-dimensional and inextensible. -While in hyperspace we learned many things. Particularly we learned -much of the really fundamental natures and relationships of time, -space, and matter, gaining thereby a basic knowledge of all nature -which is greater, we believe, than any that has ever before been -possessed by any three-dimensional being. - -"Not only can we interchange matter and energy as you do in your -materializations and dematerializations, but we can go much farther -than you can, working in levels which you cannot reach. For instance, I -am projecting myself through this screen, which you cannot do because -the carrier wave is far below your lowest attainable level. - -"With all my knowledge, however, I admit that I cannot destroy you, -since you can shrink as nearly to a mathematical point as I can -compress this zone, and its complete coalescence would of course -liberate you. Upon the other hand, you realize your helplessness inside -that sphere. You can do nothing about it since it cuts off your sources -of power. - -"I can keep you imprisoned therein as long as I choose. I can -set upon it forces which will keep you imprisoned until this -two-hundred-kilogram ingot of uranium has dwindled down to a mass of -less than one milligram. Knowing that the half-life period of that -element is approximately five times ten to the ninth years, you can -calculate for yourself the length of time during which you shall remain -incarcerated. - -"My wife, however, has a purely sentimental objection to confining -you thus, and wishes to make an agreement with you whereby we may set -you at liberty without endangering our own present existences. We are -willing to let you go if you will agree to leave this universe forever. -I realize, of course, that you are beyond either sentiment or passion -and are possessed of no emotions whatever. Realizing this, I give you a -choice, upon purely logical grounds, thus: - -"Will you leave us and our universe alone, to work out our own -salvation or our own damnation, as the case may be, or shall I leave -you inside that sphere of force until its monitor bars are exhausted? -Think well before you reply; for, know you, we all prefer to exist -for a short time as flesh and blood rather than for all eternity as -fleshless and immaterial intelligences. Not only that--we intend so to -exist and we shall so exist!" - -"We shall make no agreements, no promises," One replied. "Yours is -the most powerful mind I have encountered--almost the equal of one of -ours--and I shall take it." - -"You just _think_ you will!" Seaton blazed. "You don't seem to get -the idea at all. I am going to surround you with an absolute stasis -of time, so that you will not even be conscious of imprisonment, to -say nothing of being able to figure a way out of it, until certain -more pressing matters have been taken care of. I shall then work out -a method of removing you from this universe in such a fashion and to -such a distance that if you should desire to come back here the time -required would be, as far as humanity is concerned, infinite. Therefore -it must be clear to you that you will not be able to get any of our -minds, in any circumstances." - -"I had not supposed that a mind of such power as yours could think so -muddily," One reproved him. "In fact, you do not so think. You know as -well as I do that the time with which you threaten me is but a moment. -Your Galaxy is insignificant, your universe is but an ultramicroscopic -mote in the cosmic all. We are not interested in them and would have -left them before this had I not encountered your brain, the best I have -seen in substance. That mind is highly important and that mind I shall -have." - -"But I have already explained that you can't get it, ever," protested -Seaton, exasperated. "I shall be dead long before you get out of that -cage." - -"More of your purposely but uselessly confused thinking," retorted One. -"You know well that your mind shall never perish, nor shall it diminish -in vigor throughout all time to come. You have the key to knowledge, -which you will hand down through all your generations. Planets, Solar -Systems, Galaxies, will come and go, as they have since time first was; -but your descendants will be eternal, abandoning planets as they age to -take up their abodes upon younger, pleasanter worlds, in other systems -and in other Galaxies--perhaps even in other universes. - -"And I do not believe that I shall lose as much time as you think. You -are bold indeed in assuming that your mind, able as it is, can imprison -mine for even the brief period we have been discussing. At any rate, do -as you please--we will make neither promises nor agreements." - - - - - XXIV. - - -Immense as the Norlaminian vessel was, getting her inside the planetoid -was a simple matter to the Brain. Inside the _Skylark_ a dome bulged -up, driving back the air; a circular section of the multilayered -wall disappeared; Rovol's space-torpedo floated in; the wall was -again intact; the dome vanished; the visitor settled lightly into the -embrace of a mighty landing cradle which fitted exactly her slenderly -stupendous bulk. - -The Osnomian prince was the first to disembark, appearing unarmed; for -the first time in his warlike life he had of his own volition laid -aside his every weapon. - -"Glad to see you, Dick," he said simply, but seizing Seaton's hand in -both his own, with a pressure that said far more than his words. "We -thought they got you, but you're bigger and better than ever--the worse -jams you get into, the stronger you come out." - -Seaton shook the hands enthusiastically. "Yeah, 'lucky' is my middle -name--I could fall into a vat of glue and climb out covered with talcum -powder and smelling like a bouquet of violets. But you've advanced more -than I have," glancing significantly at the other's waist, bare now -of its wonted assortment of lethal weapons. "You're going good, old -son--we're all behind you!" - -He turned and greeted the other new-comers in cordial and appropriate -fashion, then all went into the control room. - -During the long flight from Valeron to the First Galaxy no one paid -any attention to course or velocity--a handful of cells in the Brain -piloted the _Skylark_ better than any human intelligence could have -done it. Each Norlaminian scientist studied rapturously new vistas of -his specialty: Orlon the charted Galaxies of the First Universe, Rovol -the minutely small particles and waves of the sixth order, Astron the -illimitable energies of cosmic radiation, and so on. - -Seaton spent day after day with the Brain, computing, calculating, -thinking with a clarity and a cogency hitherto impossible, all to one -end. What should he do, what _could_ he do, with those confounded -Intellectuals? Crane, Fodan, and Drasnik spent their time in planning -the perfect government--planetary, systemic, galactic, universal--for -all intelligent races, wherever situated. - -Sacner Carfon studied quietly but profoundly with Caslor of Mechanism, -adapting many of the new concepts to the needs of his aqueous planet. -Dunark and Urvan, their fiery spirits now subdued and strangely awed, -devoted themselves as sedulously to the arts and industries of peace as -they formerly had to those of war. - -Time thus passed quickly, so quickly that, almost before the travelers -were aware, the vast planetoid slowed down abruptly to feel her -cautious way among the crowded stars of our Galaxy. Though a mere -crawl in comparison with her inconceivable intergalactic speed, her -present pace was such that the stars sped past in flaming lines of -light. Past the double sun, one luminary of which had been the planet -of the Fenachrone, she flew; past the Central System; past the Dark -Mass, whose awful attraction scarcely affected her cosmic-energy -drive--hurtling toward Earth and toward Earth's now hated master, -DuQuesne. - -DuQuesne had perceived the planetoid long since, and his robot-manned -ships rushed out into space to do battle with Seaton's new and peculiar -craft. But of battle there was none; Seaton was in no mood to trifle. -Far below the level of DuQuesne's screens, the cosmic energies directed -by the Brain drove unopposed upon the power bars of the space fleet -of Steel and that entire fleet exploded in one space-filling flash of -blinding brilliance. Then the _Skylark_, approaching the defensive -screens, halted. - -"I know that you're watching me, DuQuesne, and I know what you're -thinking about, but you can't do it." Seaton, at the Brain's control, -spoke aloud. "You realize, don't you, that if you clamp on a zone of -force it'll throw the Earth out of its orbit?" - -"Yes; but I'll do it if I have to," came back DuQuesne's cold accents. -"I can put it back after I get done with you." - -"You don't know it yet, big shot, but you are going to do exactly -nothing at all!" Seaton snapped. "You see, I've got a lot of stuff here -that you don't know anything about because you haven't had a chance -to steal it yet, and I've got you stopped cold. I'm just two jumps -ahead of you, all the time. I could hypnotize you right now and make -you do anything I say, but I'm not going to--I want you to be wide -awake and aware of everything that goes on. Snap on your zone if you -want to--I'll see to it that the Earth stays in its orbit. Well, start -something, you big, black ape!" - - * * * * * - -The screens of the _Skylark_ glowed redly as a beam carrying the -full power of DuQuesne's installations was hurled against them--a -beam behind which there was the entire massed output of Steel's -world-girdling network of superpower stations. But Seaton's screens -merely glowed; they did not radiate even under that Titanic thrust. -For, as has been said, this new _Skylark_ was powered, not by -intra-atomic energy, but by the cosmic energy liberated by all the -disrupting atoms in all the suns of all the Galaxies of all the -universes. Therefore her screens did not radiate; in fact, the furious -blasts of DuQuesne's projectors only increased the stream of power -being fed to her receptors and converters. - -The mighty shields of the planetoid took every force that DuQuesne -could send, then Seaton began to compress his zones, leaving open -only the narrow band in the fourth order through which the force of -gravitation makes itself manifest. Not only did he leave that band -open, he so blocked it open that not even DuQuesne's zones of force, -full-driven though they were, could close it. - -In their closing those zones brought down over all Earth a pall of -darkness of an intensity theretofore unknown. It was not the darkness -of any possible night, but the appalling, absolute blackness of the -utter absence of every visible wave from every heavenly body. As that -unrelieved and unheralded blackness descended, millions of Earth's -humanity went mad in unspeakable orgies of fright, of violence, and of -crime. - -But that brief hour of terror, horrible as it was, can be passed -over lightly, for it ended forever any hope of world domination by -any self-interested man or group, paving the way as it did for the -heartiest possible reception of the government of right instead of by -might so soon to be given to Earth's peoples by the sages of Norlamin. - -Through the barriers both of mighty space ship and of embattled planet -Seaton drove his sixth-order projection. Although built to be effective -at universal distances the installation was equally efficient at only -miles, since its control was purely mental. Therefore Seaton's image, -solid and visible, materialized in DuQuesne's inner sanctum--to see -DuQuesne standing behind Dorothy's father and mother, a heavy automatic -pistol pressed into Mrs. Vaneman's back. - -"That'll be all from you, I think," he sneered. "You can't touch -me without hurting your beloved parents-in-law and you're too -tender-hearted to do that. If you make the slightest move toward me all -I've got to do is to touch the trigger. And I shall do that, anyway, -right now, if you don't get out of this System and stay out. I am still -master of the situation, you see." - -"You are master of nothing, you murderous baboon!" - -Even before Seaton spoke the first word his projection had acted. -DuQuesne was fast, as has been said, but how fast are the fastest of -human nervous and muscular reactions when compared with the speed -of thought? DuQuesne's retina had not yet registered the fact that -Seaton's image had moved when his pistol was hurled aside and he was -pinioned by forces as irresistible as the cosmic might from which they -sprang. - -DuQuesne was snatched into the air of the room--was surrounded by -a globe of energy--was jerked out of the building through a welter -of crushed and broken masonry and concrete and of flailing, flying -structural steel--was whipped through atmosphere, stratosphere, and -empty space into the control room of the _Skylark of Valeron_. The -inclosing shell of force disappeared and Seaton hurled aside his -controlling helmet, for he knew that his iron self-control was fast -giving way. He knew that wave upon wave of passion, of sheer hate, -was rising, battering at the very gates of his mind; knew that if he -wore that headset one second longer the Brain, actuated by his own -uncontrollable thoughts, would passionlessly but mercilessly exert its -awful power and blast his foe into nothingness before his eyes. - -Thus at long last the two men, physically so like, so unlike mentally, -stood face to face; hard gray eyes staring relentlessly into unyielding -eyes of midnight black. Seaton was in a towering rage; DuQuesne, cold -and self-contained as ever, was calmly alert to seize any possible -chance of escape from his present predicament. - -"DuQuesne, I'm telling you something," Seaton gritted through clenched -teeth. "Prop back your ears and listen. You and I are going out in -that projector. You are going to issue 'cease firing' orders to all -your stations and tell them that you're all washed up--that a humane -government is taking things over." - -"Or else?" - -"Or else I'll do, here and now, what I've been wanting to do to you -ever since you shot up Crane's place that night--I will scatter your -component atoms all the way from here to Valeron." - -"But, Dick--" Dorothy began to protest. - -"Don't butt in, Dot!" - -Stern and cold, Seaton's voice was one his wife had never before heard. -Never had she seen his face so hard, so bitterly implacable. - -"Sympathy is all right in its place," Seaton went on, "but this is the -showdown. The time for dealing tenderly with this piece of mechanism in -human form is past. He has needed killing for a long time, and unless -he toes the mark quick and careful he'll get it, right here and right -now. - -"And as for you, DuQuesne," turning again to the prisoner, "for your -own good I'd advise you to believe that I'm not talking just to make a -noise. This isn't a threat, it's a promise--get me?" - -"You couldn't do it, Seaton, you're too--" Their eyes were still -locked, but into DuQuesne's there had crept a doubt. "Why, I believe -you _would_!" he exclaimed. - -"I'll tell the cockeyed universe I will!" Seaton barked. "Last chance! -Yes or no?" - -"Yes." DuQuesne knew when to back down. "You win--temporarily at -least," he could not help adding. - - * * * * * - -The projection went out and the required orders were given. Sunlight, -moonlight, and starlight again bathed the world in wonted fashion. -DuQuesne sat at ease in a cushioned chair, smoking Crane's cigarettes; -Seaton stood scowling blackly, hands jammed deep into pockets, -addressing the jury of Norlaminians. - -"You see what a jam I'm in?" he complained. "I could be arrested for -what I think of that bird. He ought to be killed, but I can't do it -unless he gives me about half an excuse, and he's darn careful not to -do that. So what?" - -"The man has a really excellent brain, but it is slightly warped," -Drasnik offered. "I do not believe, however, that it is beyond repair. -It may well be that a series of mental operations might make of him a -worth-while member of society." - -"I doubt it." Seaton still scowled. "He'd never be satisfied unless he -was all three rings of the circus. Being a big shot isn't enough--he's -got to be the whole works, a regular Poo-Bah. He's naturally -antisocial--he would always be making trouble and would never fit -into a really civilized world. He _has_ got a wonderful brain; but he -isn't human--Say, that gives me an idea!" His corrugated brow smoothed -magically, his boiling rage was forgotten. - -"DuQuesne, how would you like to become a pure intellect? A bodiless -intelligence, immaterial and immortal, pursuing pure knowledge and pure -power throughout all cosmos and all time, in company with seven other -such entities?" - -"What are you trying to do, kid me?" DuQuesne sneered. "I don't need -any sugar coating on my pills. You are going to take me on a one-way -ride--all right, go to it, but don't lie about it!" - -"No; I mean it. Remember the one we met in the first _Skylark_? Well, -we captured him and six others, and it's a very simple matter to -dematerialize you so that you can join them. I'll bring them in, so -that you can talk to them yourself." - -The Intellectuals were brought into the control room, the stasis -of time was released, and DuQuesne--via projection--had a long -conversation with One. - -"That's the life!" he exulted finally. "Better a million times over -than any possible life in the flesh--the ideal existence! Think you can -do it without killing me, Seaton?" - -"Sure I can--I know both the words and the music." - -DuQuesne and the caged Intellectuals poised in the air, Seaton threw -a zone around cage and man, the inner zone of course disappearing as -the outer one went on. DuQuesne's body disappeared--but not so his -intellect. - -"That was the first really bad mistake you ever made, Seaton," the same -sneering, domineering, icily cold DuQuesne informed Seaton's projection -in level thought. "It was bad because you can't ever remedy it--you -_can't_ kill me now! And now I _will_ get you--what's to hinder me from -doing anything I please?" - -"I am, bucko," Seaton informed him cheerfully. "I told you quite a -while ago that you'd be surprised at what I could do, and that still -goes as it lays. But I'm surprised at your rancor and at the survival -of your naughty little passions. What d'you make of it, Drasnik? Is it -simply a hangover, or may it be permanent in his case?" - -"Not permanent, no," Drasnik decided. "It is only that he has not yet -become accustomed to his changed state of being. Such emotions are -definitely incompatible with pure mentality and will disappear in a -short time." - -"Well, I'm not going to let him think even for a minute that I slipped -up on his case," Seaton declared. "Listen, you. If I hadn't been dead -sure of being able to handle you I would have killed you instead of -dematerializing you. And don't get too cocky about my not being able to -kill you yet, either, if it comes to that. It shouldn't be impossible -to calculate a zone in which there would be no free energy whatever, so -that you would starve to death. But don't worry, I'm not going to do it -unless I have to." - -"Just what do you think you _are_ going to do?" - -"See that miniature space ship there? I am going to compress you and -your new playmates into this spherical capsule and surround you with -a stasis of time. Then I am going to send you on a trip. As soon as -you are out of the Galaxy this bar here will throw in a cosmic-energy -drive--not using the power of the bar itself, you understand, but only -employing its normal radiation of energy to direct and to control -the energy of space--and you will depart for scenes unknown with an -acceleration equal to the sixth power of the velocity of light. You -will travel at that acceleration until this small bar is gone. It will -last approximately ninety thousand million years, which, as One will -assure you, is but a moment. - -"Then these large bars, which will still be big enough to do the work, -will rotate your capsule into the fourth dimension. This is desirable, -not only to give you additional distance, but also to destroy any -orientation you may have remaining, in spite of the stasis of time -and the not inconsiderable distance already covered. When and if you -get back into three-dimensional space you will be so far away from -here that you will certainly need most of what is left of eternity to -find your way back here." Then, turning to the ancient physicist of -Norlamin: "O.K., Rovol?" - -"An exceedingly scholarly bit of work," Rovol applauded. - -"It is well done, son," majestic Fodan gravely added. "Not only is it -a terrible thing indeed to take away a life, but it is certain that -the unknowable force is directing these disembodied mentalities in -the engraving upon the sphere of a pattern which must forever remain -hidden from our more limited senses." - -Seaton thought into the headset for a few seconds, then again projected -his mind into the capsule. - -"All set to go, folks?" he asked. "Don't take it too hard--no matter -how many millions of years the trip lasts, you won't know anything -about it. Happy landings!" - -The tiny space-ship prison shot away, to transport its contained -bodiless intelligences into the indescribable immensities of the -super-universe; of the cosmic all; of that ultimately infinite space -which can be knowable, if at all, only to such immortal and immaterial, -to such incomprehensibly gigantic, mentalities as were theirs. - - - - - EPILOGUE - - -The erstwhile overlord and his wife sat upon an ordinary davenport in -their own home, facing a fireplace built by human labor, within which -nature-grown logs burned cracklingly. Dorothy wriggled luxuriously, -fitting her gorgeous auburn head even more snugly into the curve of -Seaton's mighty shoulder, her supple body even more closely into the -embrace of his brawny arm. - -"It's funny, isn't it, lover, the way things turn out? Space ships -and ordinary projectors and forces and things are all right, but I'm -awfully glad that you turned that horrible Brain over to the Galactic -Council in Norlamin and said you'd never build another. Maybe I -shouldn't say it, but it's ever so much nicer to have you just a man -again, instead of a--well, a kind of a god or something." - -"I'm glad of it, too, Dorothy mine--I couldn't hold the pose. When I -got so mad at DuQuesne that I had to throw away the headset I realized -that I never could get good enough to be trusted with that much -dynamite." - -"We're both really human, and I'm glad of it. It's funny, too," she -went on dreamily, "the way we jumped around and how much we missed. -From here across thousands of Solar Systems to Osnome, and from -Norlamin across thousands of Galaxies to Valeron. And yet we haven't -seen either Mars or Venus, our next-door neighbors, and there are lots -of places on Earth, right in our own back yard, that we haven't seen -yet, either." - -"Well, since we're going to stick around here for a while, maybe we can -catch up on our local visitings." - -"I'm glad that you are getting reconciled to the idea; because where -you go I go, and if I can't go you can't, either, so you've _got_ to -stay on Earth for a while, because Richard Ballinger Seaton the Second -is going to be born right here, and not off in space somewhere!" - -"Sure he is, sweetheart. I'm with you, all the way--you're a blinding -flash and a deafening report, dear little girl friend, and, as I may -have intimated previously, I love you." - -"Just as I love you--it's wonderful, isn't it, how supremely happy you -and I are? I wish more people could be like us--more of them will be, -too, won't they, after this new planetary government has shown them -what coöperation can do?" - -"They're bound to, dear. It'll take time, of course--racial hates and -fears cannot be overcome in a day--but the people of our old Earth are -not too dumb to learn." - -Auburn head close to brown, they stared into the flickering flames in -silence; the wonderfully satisfying silence of perfect comradeship, -perfect sympathy, perfect understanding, perfect and perfected love. - -For these two the problems of life were few and small. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SKYLARK OF VALERON *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/old/68609-0.zip b/old/68609-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 9b00caa..0000000 --- a/old/68609-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/68609-h.zip b/old/68609-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index d3ad8f1..0000000 --- a/old/68609-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/68609-h/68609-h.htm b/old/68609-h/68609-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index a791b92..0000000 --- a/old/68609-h/68609-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10038 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Skylark of Valeron, by Edward E. 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Smith</p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Skylark of Valeron</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Edward E. Smith</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: July 25, 2022 [eBook #68609]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net.</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SKYLARK OF VALERON ***</div> - -<div class="figcenter x-ebookmaker-drop"> - <img src="images/illusc1.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>The SKYLARK of VALERON</h1> - -<h2>by EDWARD E. SMITH, Ph.D.</h2> - -<p><i>Illustrated by Elliot Dold</i></p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Astounding Stories August, September, October,<br /> -November, December 1934, January, February 1935.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">PROLOGUE</p> - - -<p>"Mother-r-r!" A sturdy, auburn-haired urchin of twelve—Richard -Ballinger Seaton the fourteen hundred and seventy-first—turned to the -queenly young matron who was his mother as the viewing area before them -went blank. "You said that as soon as I was old enough you would let -me see the rest of the 'Exploits of Seaton One.' Now grandfather's the -chief of the Galactic Council, and I'm twelve, and I'm old enough."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps you are, son." Into the beautiful eyes of the young woman -came that indefinable, indescribable something; the knowledge that her -oldest was no longer a baby. "Tell me the story as it is run for the -holiday, and I shall see."</p> - -<p>"Richard Ballinger Seaton the First was a Ph. D. in chemistry," the boy -began. "He lived in the city of Washington, in what was then the United -States of America. He was born—"</p> - -<p>"Never mind dates and such things, sonny. It would take too long -to give all the details. I just want to make sure that you really -understand the story—conditions were <i>so</i> different then from what -they are now."</p> - -<p>"Well, Seaton One discovered Rovolon, which he called 'X' metal at -first. He found out that it would turn copper into energy, and he and -Martin Reynolds Crane One built the very first space ship that was ever -known. But the World Steel Corporation wanted all the Rovolon that -Seaton had found; so Dr. DuQuesne, a chemist of theirs, and a kind of a -spy named Perkins, tried to steal it away from him. They got a little -of it, but it exploded some copper and killed a lot of people.</p> - -<p>"When Seaton heard about the explosion he found out that some of his -Rovolon was gone, and they hired some detectives and had an awful -time. A lot more people were killed, and a Japanese assistant of -Crane's, named Shiro, was almost killed, too. Then they went to work -and invented a lot of new instruments, such as a compass that pointed -at any one thing forever; and attractors and repellers and rays and -screens and explosives and lots of things that are good yet.</p> - -<p>"This DuQuesne tried for a long time to get the Rovolon and couldn't, -so they built a space ship from Seaton's plans that they stole, and -he carried off Dorothy Vaneman and Margaret Spencer, the girls that -Seaton One and Crane One were going to marry—and they did marry them, -afterward, too. Well, Dorothy kicked Perkins in the stomach, and the -space ship ran away and kept on going until it got caught by the -attraction of the Dark Mass that the First of Energy has always had so -much trouble with, and while they were falling toward it that Perkins -went crazy and tried to kill Margaret, but DuQuesne killed him instead, -and then Seaton One caught up with them and rescued them and—"</p> - -<p>"Just a minute, son; there is no great hurry. How did Seaton One get -way out there?"</p> - -<p>"Well, they had their big new space ship, the <i>Skylark of Space</i>, all -built by then, and Seaton One had an object-compass set on DuQuesne, -because he'd been watching him a long time since he'd been making -lots of trouble for him. So Seaton One and Crane One followed the -object-compass and found them and rescued them all but Perkins, because -he was dead already.</p> - -<p>"They had an awful time getting away from the Dark Mass, but they -did it, but they were about out of copper, so they had to hunt up a -planet that had some. They landed on one that dinosaurs and things -like that lived on, and got a lot more Rovolon, but didn't find any -copper, so they hunted up more planets. One had poison gas instead of -air, and another had people that were pure intellectuals, so that they -had bodies whenever they wanted to, but not all the time. They pretty -nearly dematerialized Seaton One and all the rest of them, and we're -awfully glad they didn't.</p> - -<p>"Well, anyway, they got away, but they had an awful time, and after a -while they saw the green suns of the Central System. There's lots of -copper there, you know; so much that Grandfather Seaton wouldn't let me -swim in the ocean last year when we were there because it was copper -solution and it would have made me sick. They went to Osnome first, one -of the inside worlds, and landed in a country named Mardonale.</p> - -<p>"They were bad people and wanted to kill Seaton One and steal his -ship, and they had already captured Dunark, the Kofedix or crown prince -of the other nation, Kondal. Then Dunark helped Seaton One get away, -and they all went home with Dunark. But the <i>Skylark</i> was pretty nearly -ruined in the battle they had getting away from Mardonale, so Seaton -One and Dunark built it over out of arenak, which was much better than -the funny, soft steel they used to use in the old days. Of course, -arenak doesn't amount to much beside the inoson we have now, but even -Seaton One didn't know anything about inoson then.</p> - -<p>"Then they got married. Seaton married Dorothy, and they're our -great-great—fourteen hundred and seventy times—grandparents. Crane -married Margaret, and they're awfully famous, too. And Shiro is, too, -especially in Asiatica. Well, anyway, after they got married they had a -fight with a monster Karlon, and were just going to start back here for -Tellus when the whole Mardonalian fleet attacked Kondal. The <i>Skylark -Two</i> beat them all, and DuQuesne helped, too, and then of course -Dunark's father was Karfedix or emperor of the whole planet of Osnome, -and he made Seaton One the overlord. Then they came back home. Seaton -One and Crane One didn't know just what to do with DuQuesne, but he -jumped out of <i>Skylark Two</i> in a parachute and got away.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"They hadn't been back on Tellus very long when Dunark came to visit -them, from Osnome, after some salt which they needed to make arenak, -and some more Rovolon. He was going to blow up another planet of the -Central Sun because they were having a war. But Seaton One didn't -have enough Rovolon, so both <i>Skylark Two</i> and the <i>Kondal</i> started -out to go to the 'X' planet after some, and on the way there they -were attacked by a space ship of the Fenachrone, who were a race -of terrible men who were going to conquer the whole universe. The -Fenachrone blew up the <i>Kondal</i>, and pretty nearly destroyed the -<i>Skylark</i>, too, but Seaton One could use zones of force as well as -they could—I don't know much about zones of force because they're in -advanced physics, but they're barriers in the ether and space ships -use them yet because nothing above the fifth level can get through -them—and finally Seaton One cut the Fenachrone ship all up into little -pieces. Then he rescued Dunark, and one of his wives named Sitar, but -one of the bad men got away without being killed and DuQuesne picked -him up—"</p> - -<p>"But you haven't said anything about DuQuesne being out there, sonny."</p> - -<p>"Well, he was. He kept on trying to get the Rovolon away from Seaton -One, but couldn't, so he took his own space ship and went to Osnome. -You see, while he was there he had found out something about the -Fenachrone and was going to join them. Well, he got to Osnome and stole -a better space ship than the one he had and started out to go to the -Fenachrone System, but on the way he passed close to where <i>Skylark -Two</i> was fighting the big Fenachrone ship, which was the flagship -<i>Y427W</i>. The chief engineer of the ship got away, and DuQuesne rescued -him, and he showed DuQuesne how to get to the Fenachrone world, and -he installed his own super-drive on the <i>Violet</i>, which was the name -of DuQuesne's ship. But when they got there something funny happened. -A Fenachrone patrol ship apparently captured the <i>Violet</i>, and they -burned up what they thought were DuQuesne and Loring—this Loring was -DuQuesne's helper—and the engineer reported over the visirecorder -everything that had happened to the flagship, and Seaton and Crane were -listening in on their projector. Now's the funny part. Some of the -visirecorder report was right, but some of it didn't really happen that -way at all, because Dr. DuQuesne knew all the time what was going—"</p> - -<p>"You are getting ahead of the story, sonny. You have heard that part, -of course, but you haven't actually seen the record of it yet."</p> - -<p>"Well, anyway, Seaton One found out the Fenachrone's plans by reading -their brains with a mechanical educator, and he made Dunark's people -make peace with the other planet, the one that they were going to -blow up. He knew from some old legends that there was a race of green -men somewhere in the Central System that knew everything, so he went -hunting for them. They went to Dasor first, where those funny porpoise -men live, and a Dasorian named Sacner Carfon was councilor then. A -Sacner Carfon is councilor there yet, too, and I beat his boy shooting -a ray, but he beat me all hollow swimming, because he's got web feet -and hands. The Dasorians told Seaton One where to go, and that's how -they found Norlamin, where the oldest and wisest men in the whole -Galaxy live. Rovol, the First of Rays, and Drasnik, the First of -Psychology, and Caslor, the First of Mechanism, and lots of the other -Firsts of Norlamin helped them build things.</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes; I almost forgot about the way the Norlaminian scientists -learn things. When one of them gets old he makes a record of his brain -on a tape, and when his son takes his place he just transfers all his -knowledge to the son's brain with a mechanical educator, and then -he—the son, I mean—knows everything that every specialist in that -line ever did find out, and he goes on from there. Rovol and Drasnik -and some of the others gave Seaton One and Crane One copies of their -own brains that way, and that's why they knew so much. And then they -built a projector that would take images of themselves clear across -the Galaxy in a couple of seconds on fifth-order rays, and into the -middle of suns and anywhere else they wanted to be or work, and then -they built <i>Skylark Three</i>, a space ship about five kilometers long. -Not so much these days, of course, but she was the biggest thing in the -ether then.</p> - -<p>"But by that time the Fenachrone fleet had started out to conquer the -Galaxy, and Seaton One and Crane One and all the other Ones and the -Firsts of Norlamin hunted them up with the projector and blew them -up by exploding their power bars, which were made of copper instead -of uranium, like <i>Three</i> used. And then Dunark blew up the whole -Fenachrone planet, so that they'd never make any more trouble, but one -Fenachrone ship got away and started out for another Galaxy, 'way out -of range of the projector. So Seaton One chased it and caught it out -in space, halfway to the other Galaxy. They had a terrible battle, but -Seaton One blew it up and the picture stopped, and I want to see some -more of the 'Exploits,' mother, please!"</p> - -<p>"Very well told, son—I believe that you are old enough to follow -One and his friends of ancient times. You will have them next year, -anyway, in your history classes, and you might as well see them now; -particularly since it is our own family history as well as that of -civilization." The young woman pressed a contact in the arm of her -chair and spoke:</p> - -<p>"Central Library of History, please.... Mrs. R. B. Seaton fourteen -seventy. Please put on reel three of the 'Exploits.' Wave point one -nine four six.... Thank you."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">I.</p> - - -<p>Day after day a spherical space ship of arenak tore through the -illimitable reaches of the interstellar void. She had once been a war -vessel of Osnome; now, rechristened the <i>Violet</i>, she was bearing two -Terrestrials and a Fenachrone—Dr. Marc C. DuQuesne of World Steel, -"Baby Doll" Loring, his versatile and accomplished assistant, and the -squat and monstrous engineer of the flagship <i>Y427W</i>—from the Green -System toward the Solar System of the Fenachrone. The mid-point of the -stupendous flight had long since been passed; the <i>Violet</i> had long -been "braking down" with a negative acceleration of five times the -velocity of light.</p> - -<p>Much to the surprise of both DuQuesne and Loring, their prisoner -had not made the slightest move against them. He had thrown all the -strength of his supernaturally powerful body and all the resources of -his gigantic brain into the task of converting the atomic motors of the -<i>Violet</i> into the space-annihilating drive of his own race. This drive, -affecting alike as it does every atom of substance within the radius of -action of the power bar, entirely nullifies the effect of acceleration, -so that the passengers feel no motion whatever, even when the craft -is accelerating at maximum—and that maximum is almost three times as -great as the absolutely unbearable full power of the <i>Skylark of Space</i>.</p> - -<p>The engineer had not shirked a single task, however arduous. And, -once under way, he had nursed those motors along with every artifice -known to his knowing clan; he had performed such prodigies of -adjustment and tuning as to raise by a full two per cent their already -inconceivable maximum acceleration. And this was not all. After the -first moment of rebellion, he did not even once attempt to bring to -bear the almost irresistible hypnotic power of his eyes; the immense, -cold, ruby-lighted projectors of mental energy which, both men knew, -were awful weapons indeed. Nor did he even once protest against the -attractors which were set upon his giant limbs.</p> - -<p>Immaterial bands, these, whose slight force could not be felt unless -the captor so willed. But let the prisoner make one false move, -and those tiny beams of force would instantly become copper-driven -tornadoes of pure energy, hurling the luckless body against the wall of -the control room and holding him motionless there, in spite of the most -terrific exertions of his mighty body.</p> - -<p>DuQuesne lay at ease in his seat; rather, scarcely touching the -seat, he floated at ease in the air above it. His black brows were -drawn together, his black eyes were hard as he studied frowningly -the Fenachrone engineer. As usual, that worthy was half inside the -power plant, coaxing those mighty motors to do even better than their -prodigious best.</p> - -<p>Feeling his companion's eyes upon him, the doctor turned his -inscrutable stare upon Loring, who had been studying his chief even as -DuQuesne had been studying the outlander. Loring's cherubic countenance -was as pinkly innocent as ever, his guileless blue eyes as calm and -untroubled; but DuQuesne, knowing the man as he did, perceived an -almost imperceptible tension and knew that the killer also was worried.</p> - -<p>"What's the matter, Doll?" The saturnine scientist smiled mirthlessly. -"Afraid I'm going to let that ape slip one over on us?"</p> - -<p>"Not exactly." Loring's slight tenseness, however, disappeared. "It's -your party, and anything that's all right with you tickles me half -to death. I have known all along you knew that that bird there isn't -working under compulsion. You know as well as I do that nobody works -that way because they're made to. He's working for himself, not for us, -and I had just begun to wonder if you weren't getting a little late in -clamping down on him."</p> - -<p>"Not at all—there are good and sufficient reasons for this apparent -delay. I am going to clamp down on him in exactly"—DuQuesne glanced -at his wrist watch—"fourteen minutes. But you're keen—you've got a -brain that really works—maybe I'd better give you the whole picture."</p> - -<p>DuQuesne, approving thoroughly of his iron-nerved, cold-blooded -assistant, voiced again the thought he had expressed once before, a few -hours out from Earth; and Loring answered as he had then, in almost the -same words—words which revealed truly the nature of the man:</p> - -<p>"Just as you like. Usually I don't want to know anything about -anything, because what a man doesn't know he can't be accused of -spilling. Out here, though, maybe I should know enough about things to -act intelligently in case of a jam. But you're the doctor—if you'd -rather keep it under your hat, that's all right with me, too. As I've -said before, it's your party."</p> - -<p>"Yes; he certainly is working for himself." DuQuesne scowled blackly. -"Or, rather, he thinks he is. You know I read his mind back there, -while he was unconscious. I didn't get all I wanted to, by any -means—he woke up too soon—but I got a lot more than he thinks I did.</p> - -<p>"They have detector zones, 'way out in space, all around their world, -that nothing can get past without being spotted; and patrolling -those zones there are scout ships, carrying armament to stagger the -imagination. I intend to take over one of those patrol ships and by -means of it to capture one of their first-class battleships. As a first -step I'm going to hypnotize that ape and find out absolutely everything -that he knows. When I get done with him, he'll do exactly what I tell -him to, and nothing else."</p> - -<p>"Hypnotize him?" Curiosity was awakened in even Loring's incurious mind -at this unexpected development. "I didn't know that was one of your -specialties."</p> - -<p>"It wasn't until recently, but the Fenachrone are all past masters, -and I learned about it from his brain. Hypnosis is a wonderful science. -The only drawback is that his mind is a lot stronger than mine. -However, I have in my kit, among other things, a tube of something that -will cut him down to my size."</p> - -<p>"Oh, I see—pentabarb." With this hint, Loring's agile mind grasped -instantly the essentials of DuQuesne's plan. "That's why you had to -wait so long, then, to take steps. Pentabarb kills in twenty-four -hours, and he can't help us steal the ship after he's dead."</p> - -<p>"Right! One milligram, you know, will make a gibbering idiot out of any -human being; but I imagine that it will take three or four times that -much to soften <i>him</i> down to the point where I can work on him the way -I want to. As I don't know the effects of such heavy dosages, since -he's not really human, and since he must be alive when we go through -their screens, I decided to give him the works exactly six hours before -we are due to hit their outermost detector. That's about all I can tell -you right now; I'll have to work out the details of seizing the ship -after I have studied his brain more thoroughly."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Precisely at the expiration of the fourteen allotted minutes, DuQuesne -tightened the attractor beams, which had never been entirely released -from their prisoner; thus pinning him helplessly, immovably, against -the wall of the control room. He then filled a hypodermic syringe and -moved the mechanical educator nearer the motionless, although violently -struggling, creature. Then, avoiding carefully the baleful outpourings -of those flame-shot volcanoes of hatred that were the eyes of the -Fenachrone, he set the dials of the educator, placed the headsets, and -drove home the needle's hollow point. One milligram of the diabolical -compound was absorbed, without appreciable lessening of the blazing -defiance being hurled along the educator's wires. One and one half—two -milligrams—three—four—five—</p> - -<p>That inhumanly powerful mind at last began to weaken, but it became -entirely quiescent only after the administration of the seventh -milligram of that direly potent drug.</p> - -<p>"Just as well that I allowed only six hours." DuQuesne sighed in relief -as he began to explore the labyrinthine intricacies of the frightful -brain now open to his gaze. "I don't see how any possible form of life -can hold together long under seven milligrams of that stuff."</p> - -<p>He fell silent and for more than an hour he studied the brain of the -engineer, concentrating upon the several small portions which contained -knowledge of most immediate concern. Then he removed the headsets.</p> - -<p>"His plans were all made," he informed Loring coldly, "and so are mine, -now. Bring out two full outfits of clothing—one of yours and one -of mine. Two guns, belts, and so on. Break out a bale of waste, the -emergency candles, and all that sort of stuff you can find."</p> - -<p>DuQuesne turned to the Fenachrone, who stood utterly lax, inanimate, -and stared deep into those now dull and expressionless eyes.</p> - -<p>"You," he directed crisply, "will build at once, as quickly as you can, -two dummies which will look exactly like Loring and myself. They must -be lifelike in every particular, with faces capable of expressing the -emotions of surprise and of anger, and with right arms able to draw -weapons upon signal—<i>my</i> signal. Also upon signal their heads and -bodies will turn, they will leap toward the center of the room, and -they will make certain noises and utter certain words, the records of -which I shall prepare. Go to it!"</p> - -<p>"Don't you need to control him through the headsets?" asked Loring -curiously.</p> - -<p>"I may have to control him in detail when we come to the really fine -work, later on," DuQuesne replied absently. "This is more or less in -the nature of an experiment, to find out whether I have him thoroughly -under control. During the last act he'll have to do exactly what I -shall have told him to do, without supervision, and I want to be -absolutely certain that he will do it without a slip."</p> - -<p>"What's the plan—or maybe it's something that is none of my business?"</p> - -<p>"No; you ought to know it, and I've got time to tell you about it now. -Nothing material can possibly approach the planet of the Fenachrone -without being seen, as it is completely surrounded by never less than -two full-sphere detector screens; and to make assurance doubly sure -our engineer there has installed a mechanism which, at the first touch -of the outer screen, will shoot a warning along at tight communicator -beam, directly into the receiver of the nearest Fenachrone scout ship. -As you already know, the smallest of those scouts can burn this ship -out of the ether in less than a second."</p> - -<p>"That's a cheerful picture. You still think we can get away?"</p> - -<p>"I'm coming to that. We can't possibly get through the detectors -without being challenged, even if I tear out all his apparatus, so -we're going to use his whole plan, but for our benefit instead of his. -Therefore his present hypnotic state and the dummies. When we touch -that screen you and I are going to be hidden—well hidden. The dummies -will be in sole charge, and our prisoner will be playing the part I -have laid out for him.</p> - -<p>"The scout ship that he calls will come up to investigate. They will -bring apparatus and attractors to bear to liberate the prisoner, and -the dummies will try to fight. They will be blown up or burned to -cinders almost instantly, and our little playmate will put on his space -suit and be taken across to the capturing vessel. Once there, he will -report to the commander.</p> - -<p>"That officer will think the affair sufficiently serious to report it -directly to headquarters. If he doesn't, this ape here will insist upon -reporting it to general headquarters himself. As soon as that report is -in, we, working through our prisoner here, will proceed to wipe out the -crew of the ship and take it over."</p> - -<p>"And do you think he'll really do it?" Loring's guileless face showed -doubt, his tone was faintly skeptical.</p> - -<p>"I <i>know</i> he'll do it!" The chemist's voice was hard. "He won't -take any active part—I'm not psychologist enough to know whether I -could drive him that far, even drugged, against an unhypnotizable -subconscious or not—but he'll be carrying something along that will -enable me to do it, easily and safely. But that's about enough of this -chin music—we'd better start doing something."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>While Loring brought space clothing and weapons, and rummaged through -the vessel in search of material suitable for the dummies' fabrication, -the Fenachrone engineer worked rapidly at his task. And not only did -he work rapidly, he worked skillfully and artistically as well. This -artistry should not be surprising, for to such a mentality as must -necessarily be possessed by the chief engineer of a first-line vessel -of the Fenachrone, the faithful reproduction of anything capable of -movement was not a question of art—it was merely an elementary matter -of line, form, and mechanism.</p> - -<p>Cotton waste was molded into shape, reënforced, and wrapped in leather -under pressure. To the bodies thus formed were attached the heads, -cunningly constructed of masticated fiber, plastic, and wax. Tiny -motors and many small pieces of apparatus were installed, and the -completed effigies were dressed and armed.</p> - -<p>DuQuesne's keen eyes studied every detail of the startlingly lifelike, -almost microscopically perfect, replicas of himself and his traveling -companion.</p> - -<p>"A good job," he commented briefly.</p> - -<p>"Good?" exclaimed Loring. "It's perfect! Why, that dummy would fool my -own wife, if I had one—it almost fools me!"</p> - -<p>"At least, they're good enough to pass a more critical test than any -they are apt to get during this coming incident."</p> - -<p>Satisfied, DuQuesne turned from his scrutiny of the dummies and went -to the closet in which had been stored the space suit of the captive. -To the inside of its front protector flap he attached a small and -inconspicuous flat-sided case. He then measured carefully, with a filar -micrometer, the apparent diameter of the planet now looming so large -beneath them.</p> - -<p>"All right, Doll; our time's getting short. Break out our suits and -test them, will you, while I give the big boy his final instructions?"</p> - -<p>Rapidly those commands flowed over the wires of the mechanical -educator, from DuQuesne's hard, keen brain into the now-docile mind of -the captive. The Earthly scientist explained to the Fenachrone, coldly, -precisely, and in minute detail, exactly what he was to do and exactly -what he was to say from the moment of encountering the detector screens -of his native planet until after he had reported to his superior -officers.</p> - -<p>Then the two Terrestrials donned their own armor of space and made -their way into an adjoining room, a small armory in which were hung -several similar suits and which was a veritable arsenal of weapons.</p> - -<p>"We'll hang ourselves up on a couple of these hooks, like the rest -of the suits," DuQuesne explained. "This is the only part of the -performance that may be even slightly risky, but there is no real -danger that they will spot us. That fellow's message to the scout ship -will tell them that there are only two of us, and we'll be out there -with him, right in plain sight.</p> - -<p>"If by any chance they should send a party aboard us they would -probably not bother to search the <i>Violet</i> at all carefully, since they -will already know that we haven't got a thing worthy of attention; and -they would of course suppose us to be empty space suits. Therefore -keep your lens shields down, except perhaps for the merest crack to -see through, and, above all, don't move a millimeter, no matter what -happens."</p> - -<p>"But how can you manipulate your controls without moving your hands?"</p> - -<p>"I can't; but my hands will not be in the sleeves, but inside the body -of the suit—shut up! Hold everything—there's the flash!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The flying vessel had gone through the zone of feeble radiations which -comprised the outer detector screen of the Fenachrone. But though -tenuous, that screen was highly efficient, and at its touch there burst -into frenzied activity the communicator built by the captive to be -actuated by that very impulse. It had been built during the long flight -through space, and its builder had thought that its presence would be -unnoticed and would remain unsuspected by the Terrestrials.</p> - -<p>Now automatically put into action, it laid a beam to the nearest scout -ship of the Fenachrone and into that vessel's receptors it passed -the entire story of the <i>Violet</i> and her occupants. But DuQuesne had -not been caught napping. Reading the engineer's brain and absorbing -knowledge from it, he had installed a relay which would flash to his -eyes an inconspicuous but unmistakable warning of the first touch of -the screen of the enemy. The flash had come—they had penetrated the -outer lines of the monstrous civilization of the dread and dreaded -Fenachrone.</p> - -<p>In the armory DuQuesne's hands moved slightly inside his shielding -armor, and out in the control room the dummy that was also, to all -outward seeming, DuQuesne moved and spoke. It tightened the controls -of the attractors, which had never been entirely released from their -prisoner, thus again pinning the Fenachrone helplessly against the wall.</p> - -<p>"Just to be sure you don't try to start anything," it explained coldly, -in DuQuesne's own voice and tone. "You have done well so far, but I'll -run things myself from now on, so that you can't steer us into a trap. -Now tell me exactly how to go about getting one of your vessels. After -we get it I'll see about letting you go."</p> - -<p>"Fools, you are too late!" the prisoner roared exultantly. "You would -have been too late, even had you killed me out there in space and had -fled at your utmost acceleration. Did you but know it you are as dead, -even now—our patrol is upon you!"</p> - -<p>The dummy that was DuQuesne whirled, snarling, and its automatic -pistol and that of its fellow dummy were leaping out when an awful -acceleration threw them flat upon the floor, a magnetic force snatched -away their weapons, and a heat ray of prodigious power reduced the -effigies to two small piles of gray ash. Immediately thereafter a beam -of force from the patrolling cruiser neutralized the attractors bearing -upon the captive and, after donning his space suit, he was transferred -to the Fenachrone vessel.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>The dummy that was DuQuesne whirled, snarling, and its -automatic pistol and that of its fellow dummy were leaping out when a -magnetic force snatched away their weapons and a heat ray of prodigious -power reduced the effigies to two small piles of gray ashes. And -DuQuesne, motionless inside his space suit, waited</i>—</p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Motionless inside his space suit, DuQuesne waited until the airlocks -of the Fenachrone vessel had closed behind his erstwhile prisoner; -waited until the engineer had told his story to Fenal, his emperor, -and to Fenimal, his general in command; waited until the communicator -circuit had been broken and the hypnotized, drugged, and already dying -creature had turned as though to engage his fellows in conversation. -Then only did the saturnine scientist act. His finger closed a circuit, -and in the Fenachrone vessel, inside the front protector flap of the -discarded space suit, the flat case fell apart noiselessly and from it -there gushed forth volume upon volume of colorless and odorless, but -intensely lethal, vapor.</p> - -<p>"Just like killing goldfish in a bowl." Callous, hard, and cold, -DuQuesne exhibited no emotion whatever; neither pity for the vanquished -foe nor elation at the perfect working out of his plans. "Just in case -some of them might have been wearing suits, for emergencies, I had some -explosive copper ready to detonate, but this makes it much better—the -explosion might have damaged something we want."</p> - -<p>And aboard the vessel of the Fenachrone, DuQuesne's deadly gas diffused -with extreme rapidity, and as it diffused, the hellish crew to the last -man dropped in their tracks. They died not knowing what had happened -to them; died with no thought of even attempting to send out an alarm; -died not even knowing that they died.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">II.</p> - - -<p>"Can you open the airlocks of that scout ship from the outside, -doctor?" asked Loring, as the two adventurers came out of the armory -into the control room where DuQuesne, by means of the attractors, began -to bring the two vessels together.</p> - -<p>"Yes. I know everything that that engineer of a first-class battleship -knew. To him, one of these little scouts was almost beneath notice, -but he did know that much about them—the outside controls of all -Fenachrone ships work the same way."</p> - -<p>Under the urge of the attractions, the two ships of space were soon -door to door. DuQuesne set the mighty beams to lock the craft -immovably together and both men stepped into the <i>Violet's</i> airlock. -Pumping back the air, DuQuesne opened the outer door, then opened both -outer and inner doors of the scout.</p> - -<p>As he opened the inner door the poisoned atmosphere of the vessel -screamed out into space, and as soon as the frigid gale had subsided -the raiders entered the control room of the enemy craft. Hardened and -conscienceless killer though Loring was, the four bloated, ghastly -objects that had once been men gave him momentary pause.</p> - -<p>"Maybe we shouldn't have let the air out so fast," he suggested, -tearing his gaze away from the grisly sight.</p> - -<p>"The brains aren't hurt, and that's all I care about." Unmoved, -DuQuesne opened the air valves wide, and not until the roaring blast -had scoured every trace of the noxious vapor from the whole ship did -he close the airlock doors and allow the atmosphere to come again to -normal pressure and temperature.</p> - -<p>"Which ship are you going to use—theirs or our own?" asked Loring, as -he began to remove his cumbersome armor.</p> - -<p>"I don't know yet. That depends largely upon what I find out from the -brain of the lieutenant in charge of this patrol boat. There are two -methods by which we can capture a battleship; one requiring the use of -the <i>Violet</i>, the other the use of this scout. The information which I -am about to acquire will enable me to determine which of the two plans -entails the lesser amount of risk.</p> - -<p>"There is a third method of procedure, of course; that is, to go back -to Earth and duplicate one of their battleships ourselves, from the -knowledge I shall have gained from their various brains concerning the -apparatus, mechanisms, materials, and weapons of the Fenachrone. But -that would take a long time and would be far from certain of success, -because there would almost certainly be some essential facts that I -would not have secured. Besides, I came out here to get one of their -first-line space ships, and I intend to do it."</p> - -<p>With no sign of distaste DuQuesne coupled his brain to that of the -dead lieutenant of the Fenachrone through the mechanical educator, -and quite as casually as though he were merely giving Loring another -lesson in Fenachrone matters did he begin systematically to explore -the intricate convolutions of that fearsome brain. But after only ten -minutes' study he was interrupted by the brazen clang of the emergency -alarm. He flipped off the power of the educator, discarded his headset, -acknowledged the call, and watched the recorder as it rapped out its -short, insistent message.</p> - -<p>"Something is going on here that was not on my program," he announced -to the alert but quiescent Loring. "One should always be prepared -for the unexpected, but this may run into something cataclysmic. The -Fenachrone are being attacked from space, and all armed forces have -been called into a defensive formation—Invasion Plan XB218, whatever -that is. I'll have to look it up in the code."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The desk of the commanding officer was a low, heavily built cabinet -of solid metal. DuQuesne strode over to it, operated rapidly the -levers and dials of its combination lock, and took from one of the -compartments the "Code"—a polygonal framework of engraved metal bars -and sliders, resembling somewhat an Earthly multiplex squirrel-cage -slide rule.</p> - -<p>"X—B—Two—One—Eight." Although DuQuesne had never before seen such -an instrument, the knowledge taken from the brains of the dead officers -rendered him perfectly familiar with it, and his long and powerful -fingers set up the indicated defense plan as rapidly and as surely as -those of any Fenachrone could have done. He revolved the mechanism -in his hands, studying every plane surface, scowling blackly in -concentration.</p> - -<p>"Munition plants—shall—so-and-so—We don't care about that. -Reserves—zones—ordnance—commissary—defensive screens—Oh, here we -are! Scout ships. Instead of patrolling a certain volume of space, each -scout ship takes up a fixed post just inside the outer detector zone. -Twenty times as many on duty, too—enough so that they will be only -about ten thousand miles apart—and each ship is to lock high-power -detector screens and visiplate and recorder beams with all its -neighbors.</p> - -<p>"Also, there is to be a first-class battleship acting as mother ship, -protector, and reserve for each twenty-five scouts. The nearest one is -to be—Let's see, from here that would be only about twenty thousand -miles over that way and about a hundred thousand miles down."</p> - -<p>"Does that change your plans, chief?"</p> - -<p>"Since my plans were not made, I cannot say that it does—it changes -the background, however, and introduces an element of danger that did -not previously exist. It makes it impossible to go out through the -detector zone—but it was practically impossible before, and we have -no intention of going out, anyway, until we possess a vessel powerful -enough to go through any barrage they can lay down. On the other hand, -there is bound to be a certain amount of confusion in placing so -many vessels, and that fact will operate to make the capture of our -battleship much easier than it would have been otherwise."</p> - -<p>"What danger exists that wasn't there before?" demanded Loring.</p> - -<p>"The danger that the whole planet may be blown up," DuQuesne returned -bluntly. "Any nation or race attacking from space would of course have -atomic power, and any one with that power could volatilize any planet -by simply dropping a bomb on it from open space. They might want to -colonize it, of course, in which case they wouldn't destroy it, but it -is always safest to plan for the worst possible contingencies."</p> - -<p>"How do you figure on doing us any good if the whole world explodes?" -Loring lighted a cigarette, his hand steady and his face pinkly -unruffled. "If she goes up, it looks as if we go out, like that—puff!" -And he blew out the match.</p> - -<p>"Not at all, Doll," DuQuesne reassured him. "An atomic explosion -starting on the surface and propagating downward would hardly develop -enough power to drive anything material much, if any, faster than -light, and no explosion wave, however violent, can exceed that -velocity. The <i>Violet</i>, as you know, although not to be compared with -even this scout as a fighter, has an acceleration of five times that, -so that we could outrun the explosion in her. However, if we stay in -our own ship, we shall certainly be found and blown out of space as -soon as this defensive formation is completed.</p> - -<p>"On the other hand, this ship carries full Fenachrone power of offense -and defense, and we should be safe enough from detection in it, at -least for as long a time as we shall need it. Since these small -ships are designed for purely local scout work, though, they are -comparatively slow and would certainly be destroyed in any such cosmic -explosion as is manifestly a possibility. That possibility is very -remote, it is true, but it should be taken into consideration."</p> - -<p>"So what? You're talking yourself around a circle, right back to where -you started from."</p> - -<p>"Only considering the thing from all angles." DuQuesne was unruffled. -"We have lots of time, since it will take them quite a while to perfect -this formation. To finish the summing up—we want to use this vessel, -but is it safe? It is. Why? Because the Fenachrone, having had atomic -energy themselves for a long time, are thoroughly familiar with its -possibilities and have undoubtedly perfected screens through which no -such bomb could penetrate.</p> - -<p>"Furthermore, we can install the high-speed drive in this ship in a few -days—I gave you all the dope on it over the educator, you know—so -that we'll be safe, whatever happens. That's the safest plan, and it -will work. So you move the stores and our most necessary personal -belongings in here while I'm figuring out an orbit for the <i>Violet</i>. -We don't want her anywhere near us, and yet we want her to be within -reaching distance while we are piloting this scout ship of ours to the -place where she is supposed to be in Plan XB218."</p> - -<p>"What are you going to do that for—to give them a chance to knock us -off?"</p> - -<p>"No. I need a few days to study these brains, and it will take a few -days for that battleship mother ship of ours to get into her assigned -position, where we can steal her most easily." DuQuesne, however, did -not at once remove his headset, but remained standing in place, silent -and thoughtful.</p> - -<p>"Uh-huh," agreed Loring. "I'm thinking the same thing you are. Suppose -that it <i>is</i> Seaton that's got them all hot and bothered this way?"</p> - -<p>"The thought has occurred to me several times, and I have considered it -at some length," DuQuesne admitted at last. "However, I have concluded -that it is not Seaton. For if it is, he must have a lot more stuff than -I think he has. I do not believe that he can possibly have learned -that much in the short time he has had to work in. I may be wrong, of -course; but the immediately necessary steps toward the seizure of that -battleship remain unchanged whether I am right or wrong; or whether -Seaton was the cause of this disturbance."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>When the conversation was thus definitely at an end, Loring again -incased himself in his space suit and set to work. For hours he -labored, silently and efficiently, at transferring enough of their -Earthly possessions and stores to render possible an extended period of -living aboard the vessel of the Fenachrone.</p> - -<p>He had completed that task and was assembling the apparatus and -equipment necessary for the rebuilding of the power plant before -DuQuesne finished the long and complex computations involved in -determining the direction and magnitude of the force required to give -the <i>Violet</i> the exact trajectory he desired. The problem was finally -solved and checked, however, and DuQuesne rose to his feet, closing his -book of nine-place logarithms with a snap.</p> - -<p>"All done with <i>Violet</i>, Doll?" he asked, donning his armor.</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"Fine! I'll go aboard and push her off, after we do a little -stage-setting here. Take that body there—I don't need it any more, -since he didn't know much of anything, anyway—and toss it into the -nose compartment. Then shut that bulkhead door, tight. I'm going to -drill a couple of holes through there from the <i>Violet</i> before I give -her the gun."</p> - -<p>"I see—going to make us <i>look</i> disabled, whether we are or not, huh?"</p> - -<p>"Exactly! We've got to have a good excuse for our visirays being out -of order. I can make reports all right on the communicator, and send -and receive code messages and orders, but we certainly couldn't stand a -close-up inspection on a visiplate. Also, we've got to have some kind -of an excuse for signaling to and approaching our mother battleship. We -will have been hit and punctured by a meteorite. Pretty thin excuse, -but it probably will serve for as long a time as we will need."</p> - -<p>After DuQuesne had made sure that the small compartment in the prow -of the vessel contained nothing of use to them, the body of one of the -Fenachrone was thrown carelessly into it, the air-tight bulkhead was -closed and securely locked, and the chief marauder stepped into the -airlock.</p> - -<p>"As soon as I get her exactly on course and velocity, I'll step out -into space and you can pick me up," he directed briefly, and was gone.</p> - -<p>In the <i>Violet's</i> engine room DuQuesne released the anchoring attractor -beams and backed off to a few hundred yards' distance. He spun a couple -of wheels briefly, pressed a switch, and from the <i>Violet's</i> heaviest -needle-ray projector there flashed out against the prow of the scout -patrol a pencil of incredibly condensed destruction.</p> - -<p>Dunark, the crown prince of Kondal, had developed that stabbing ray -as the culminating ultimate weapon of ten thousand years of Osnomian -warfare; and, driven by even the comparatively feeble energies known -to the denizens of the Green System before Seaton's advent, no -known substance had been able to resist for more than a moment its -corrosively, annihilatingly poignant thrust.</p> - -<p>And now this furious stiletto of pure energy, driven by the full -power of four hundred pounds of disintegrating atomic copper, at this -point-blank range, was hurled against the mere inch of transparent -material which comprised the skin of the tiny cruiser. DuQuesne -expected no opposition, for with a beam less potent by far he had -consumed utterly a vessel built of arenak—arenak, that Osnomian -synthetic which is five hundred times as strong, tough, and hard as -Earth's strongest, toughest, or hardest alloy steel.</p> - -<p>Yet that annihilating needle of force struck that transparent surface -and rebounded from it in scintillating torrents of fire. Struck and -rebounded, struck and clung; boring in almost imperceptibly as its -irresistible energy tore apart, electron by electron, the surprisingly -obdurate substance of the cruiser's wall. For that substance was -the ultimate synthetic—the one limiting material possessing the -utmost measure of strength, hardness, tenacity, and rigidity -theoretically possible to any substance built up from the building -blocks of ether-borne electrons. This substance, developed by the -master scientists of the Fenachrone, was in fact identical with the -Norlaminian synthetic metal, inoson, from which Rovol and his aids had -constructed for Seaton his gigantic ship of space—<i>Skylark Three</i>.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>For five long minutes DuQuesne held that terrific beam against the -point of attack, then shut it off; for it had consumed less than half -the thickness of the scout patrol's outer skin. True, the focal area of -the energy was an almost invisibly violet glare of incandescence, so -intensely hot that the concentric shading off through blinding white, -yellow, and bright-red heat brought the zone of dull red far down the -side of the vessel; but that awful force had had practically no effect -upon the spaceworthiness of the stanch little craft.</p> - -<p>"No use, Loring!" DuQuesne spoke calmly into the transmitter inside -his face plate. True scientist that he was, he neither expressed nor -felt anger or bafflement when an idea failed to work, but abandoned -it promptly and completely, without rancor or repining. "No possible -meteorite could puncture that shell. Stand by!"</p> - -<p>He inspected the power meters briefly, made several readings through -the filar micrometer of number six visiplate and checked the vernier -readings of the great circles of the gyroscopes against the figures in -his notebook. Then, assured that the <i>Violet</i> was following precisely -the predetermined course, he entered the airlock, waved a bloated arm -at the watchful Loring, and coolly stepped off into space. The heavy -outer door clanged shut behind him, and the globular ship of space -rocketed onward; while DuQuesne fell with a sickening acceleration -toward the mighty planet of the Fenachrone, so many thousands of miles -below.</p> - -<p>That fall did not long endure. Loring, now a space pilot second to -none, had held his vessel dead even with the <i>Violet</i>; matching exactly -her course, pace, and acceleration at a distance of barely a hundred -feet. He had cut off all his power as DuQuesne's right foot left the -Osnomian vessel, and now falling man and plunging scout ship plummeted -downward together at the same mad pace; the man drifting slowly toward -the ship because of the slight energy of his step into space from -the <i>Violet's</i> side and beginning slowly to turn over as he fell. So -consummate had been Loring's spacemanship that the scout did not even -roll; DuQuesne was still opposite her starboard airlock when Loring -stood in its portal and tossed a space line to his superior. This -line—a small, tightly stranded cable of fiber capable of retaining its -strength and pliability in the heatless depths of space—snapped out -and curled around DuQuesne's bulging space suit.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"I thought you'd use an attractor, but this is probably better, at -that," DuQuesne commented, as he seized the line in a mailed fist.</p> - -<p>"Yeah. I haven't had much practice with them on delicate and accurate -work. If I had missed you with this line I could have thrown it again; -but if I missed this opening with you on a beam and shaved your suit -off on this sharp edge, I figured it'd be just too bad."</p> - -<p>The two men again in the control room and the vessel once more leveled -out in headlong flight, Loring broke the silence:</p> - -<p>"That idea of being punctured by a meteorite didn't pan out so heavy. -How would it be to have one of the crew go space-crazy and wreck the -boat from the inside? They do that sometimes, don't they?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, they do. That's an idea—thanks. I'll study up on the symptoms. -I have a lot more studying to do, anyway—there's a lot of stuff I -haven't got yet. This metal, for instance—we couldn't possibly build -a Fenachrone battleship on Earth. I had no idea that any possible -substance could be so resistant as the shell of this ship is. Of -course, there are many unexplored areas in these brains here, and quite -a few high-class brains aboard our mother ship that I haven't even seen -yet. The secret of the composition of this metal must be in some of -them."</p> - -<p>"Well, while you're getting their stuff, I suppose I'd better fly at -that job of rebuilding our drive. I'll have time enough all right, you -think?"</p> - -<p>"Certain of it. I have learned that their system is ample—automatic -and foolproof. They have warning long before anything can possibly -happen. They can, and do, spot trouble over a light-week away, so their -plans allow one week to perfect their defenses. You can change the -power plant over in four days, so we're well in the clear on that. I -may not be done with my studies by that time, but I shall have learned -enough to take effective action. You work on the drive and keep house. -I will study Fenachrone science and so on, answer calls, make reports, -and arrange the details of what is to happen when we come within the -volume of space assigned to our mother ship."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Thus for days each man devoted himself to his task. Loring rebuilt -the power plant of the short-ranging scout patrol into the terrific -open-space drive of the first-line battleships and performed the simple -routines of their Spartan housekeeping. DuQuesne cut himself short on -sleep and spent every possible hour in transferring to his own brain -every worth-while bit of knowledge which had been possessed by the -commander and crew of the patrol ship which he had captured.</p> - -<p>Periodically, however, he would close the sending circuit and -report the position and progress of his vessel, precisely on time -and observing strictly all the military minutiae called for by the -manual—the while watching appreciatively and with undisguised -admiration the flawless execution of that stupendous plan of defense.</p> - -<p>The change-over finished, Loring went in search of DuQuesne, whom he -found performing a strenuous setting-up exercise. The scientist's face -was pale, haggard, and drawn.</p> - -<p>"What's the matter, chief?" Loring asked. "You look kind of peaked."</p> - -<p>"Peaked is good—I'm just about bushed. This thing of getting a hundred -and ninety years of solid education in a few days would hardly come -under the heading of light amusement. Are you done?"</p> - -<p>"Done and checked—O.K."</p> - -<p>"Good! I am, too. It won't take us long to get to our destination now; -our mother ship should be just about at her post by this time."</p> - -<p>Now that the vessel was approaching the location assigned to it in the -plan, and since DuQuesne had already taken from the brains of the dead -Fenachrone all that he wanted of their knowledge, he threw their bodies -into space and rayed them out of existence. The other corpse he left -lying, a bloated and ghastly mass, in the forward compartment as he -prepared to send in what was to be his last flight report to the office -of the general in command of the plan of defense.</p> - -<p>"His high-mightiness doesn't know it, but that is the last call he is -going to get from this unit," DuQuesne remarked, leaving the sender and -stepping over to the control board. "Now we can leave our prescribed -course and go where we can do ourselves some good. First, we'll find -the <i>Violet</i>. I haven't heard of her being spotted and destroyed as a -menace to navigation, so we'll look her up and start her off for home."</p> - -<p>"Why?" asked the henchman. "Thought we were all done with her."</p> - -<p>"We probably are, but if it should turn out that Seaton is back of all -this excitement, our having her may save us a trip back to the Earth. -Ah, there she is, right on schedule! I'll bring her alongside and set -her controls on a distance-squared decrement, so that when she gets out -into space she'll have a constant velocity."</p> - -<p>"Think she'll get out into free space through those screens?"</p> - -<p>"They will detect her, of course, but when they see that she is an -abandoned derelict and headed out of their system they'll probably let -her go. It will be no great loss, of course, if they do burn her."</p> - -<p>Thus it came about that the spherical cruiser of the void shot away -from the then feeble gravitation of the vast but distant planet of -the Fenachrone at a frightful but constant speed. Through the outer -detector screens she tore. Searching beams explored her instantly and -thoroughly; but since she was so evidently a deserted hulk and since -the Fenachrone cared nothing now for impediments to navigation beyond -their screens, she was not pursued.</p> - -<p>On and on she sped, her automatic controls reducing her power in exact -ratio to the square of the distance attained; on and on, her automatic -deflecting detectors swinging her around suns and solar systems and -back upon her original right line; on and on toward the Green System, -the central system of this the First Galaxy—our own native island -universe.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">III.</p> - - -<p>"Now we'll get ready to take that battleship." DuQuesne turned to his -aid as the <i>Violet</i> disappeared from their sight. "Your suggestion that -one of the crew of this ship could have gone space-crazy was sound, and -I have planned our approach to the mother ship on that basis.</p> - -<p>"We must wear Fenachrone space suits for three reasons: First, because -it is the only possible way to make us look even remotely like them, -and we shall have to stand a casual inspection. Second, because it -is general orders that all Fenachrone soldiers must wear suits while -at their posts in space. Third, because we shall have lost most of -our air. You can wear one of their suits without any difficulty—the -surplus circumference will not trouble you very much. I, on the -contrary, cannot even get into one, since they're almost a foot too -short.</p> - -<p>"I must have a suit on, though, before we board the battleship; so I -shall wear my own, with one of theirs over it—with the feet cut off -so that I can get it on. Since I shall not be able to stand up or to -move around without giving everything away because of my length, I'll -have to be unconscious and folded up so that my height will not be too -apparent, and you will have to be the star performer during the first -act.</p> - -<p>"But this detailed instruction by word of mouth takes altogether too -much time. Put on this headset and I'll shoot you the whole scheme, -together with whatever additional Fenachrone knowledge you will need to -put the act across."</p> - -<p>A brief exchange of thoughts and of ideas followed. Then, every detail -made clear, the two Terrestrials donned the space suits of the very -short, but enormously wide and thick, monstrosities in semihuman form -who were so bigotedly working toward their day of universal conquest.</p> - -<p>DuQuesne picked up in his doubly mailed hands a massive bar of metal. -"Ready, Doll? When I swing this we cross the Rubicon."</p> - -<p>"It's all right by me. All or nothing—shoot the works!"</p> - -<p>DuQuesne swung his mighty bludgeon aloft, and as it descended the -telemental recorder sprang into a shower of shattered tubes, flying -coils, and broken insulation. The visiray apparatus went next, followed -in swift succession by the superficial air controls, the map cases, and -practically everything else that was breakable; until it was clear to -even the most casual observer that a madman had in truth wrought his -frenzied will throughout the room. One final swing wrecked the controls -of the airlocks, and the atmosphere within the vessel began to whistle -out into the vacuum of space through the broken bleeder tubes.</p> - -<p>"All right, Doll, do your stuff!" DuQuesne directed crisply, and threw -himself headlong into a corner, falling into an inert, grotesque huddle.</p> - -<p>Loring, now impersonating the dead commanding officer of the scout -ship, sat down at the manual sender, which had not been seriously -damaged, and in true Fenachrone fashion laid a beam to the mother ship.</p> - -<p>"Scout ship <i>K3296</i>, Sublieutenant Grenimar commanding, sending -emergency distress message," he tapped out fluently. "Am not using -telemental recorder, as required by regulations, because nearly all -instruments wrecked. Private 244C14, on watch, suddenly seized with -space insanity, smashed air valves, instruments, and controls. Opened -lock and leaped out into space. I was awake and got into suit before -my room lost pressure. My other man, 397B42, was unconscious when I -reached him, but believe I got him into his suit soon enough so that -his life can be saved by prompt aid. 244C14 of course dead, but I -recovered his body as per general orders and am saving it so that -brain lesions may be studied by College of Science. Repaired this -manual sender and have ship under partial control. Am coming toward -you, decelerating to stop in fifteen minutes. Suggest you handle this -ship with beam when approach as I have no fine controls. Signing -off—<i>K3296</i>."</p> - -<p>"Superdreadnought <i>Z12Q</i>, acknowledging emergency distress message of -scout ship <i>K3296</i>," came almost instant answer. "Will meet you and -handle you as suggested. Signing off—<i>Z12Q</i>."</p> - -<p>Rapidly the two ships of space drew together; the patrol boat now -stationary with respect to the planet, the huge battleship decelerating -at maximum. Three enormous beams reached out and, held at prow, -mid-section, and stern, the tiny flier was drawn rapidly but carefully -against the towering side of her mother ship. The double suction seals -engaged and locked; the massive doors began to open.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Now came the most crucial point of DuQuesne's whole scheme. For that -warship carried a complement of nearly a hundred men, and ten or a -dozen of them—the lock commander, surgeons and orderlies certainly, -and possibly a corps of mechanics as well—would be massed in the -airlock room behind those slowly opening barriers. But in that scheme's -very audacity lay its great strength—its almost complete assurance -of success. For what Fenachrone, with the inborn superiority complex -that was his heritage, would even dream that two members of any alien -race would have the sheer, brazen effrontery to dare to attack, -empty-handed, a full-manned Class Z superdreadnought, one of the most -formidable structures that had ever lifted its stupendous mass into the -ether?</p> - -<p>But DuQuesne so dared. Direct action had always been his forte. -Apparently impossible odds had never daunted him. He had always planned -his coups carefully, then followed those plans coldly and ruthlessly -to their logical and successful conclusions. Two men could do this job -very nicely, and would so do it. DuQuesne had chosen Loring with care. -Therefore he lay at ease in his armor in front of the slowly opening -portal, calmly certain that the iron nerves of his assassin aid would -not weaken for even the instant necessary to disrupt his carefully laid -plan.</p> - -<p>As soon as the doors had opened sufficiently to permit ingress, Loring -went through them slowly, carrying the supposedly unconscious man -with care. But once inside the opaque walls of the lock room, that -slowness became activity incarnate. DuQuesne sprang instantly to his -full height, and before the clustered officers could even perceive that -anything was amiss, four sure hands had trained upon them the deadliest -hand weapons known to the superlative science of their own race.</p> - -<p>Since DuQuesne was overlooking no opportunity of acquiring knowledge, -the heads were spared; but as the four furious blasts of vibratory -energy tore through those massive bodies, making of their every -internal organ a mass of disorganized protoplasmic pulp, every -Fenachrone in the room fell lifeless to the floor before he could move -a hand in self-defense.</p> - -<p>Dropping his weapons, DuQuesne wrenched off his helmet, while Loring -with deft hands bared the head of the senior officer of the group upon -the floor. Headsets flashed out—were clamped into place—dials were -set—the scientist shot power into the tubes, transferring to his own -brain an entire section of the dead brain before him.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>DuQuesne clamped the headset into place, shot power into it -and transferred to his own brain an entire section of the brain of the -dead Fenachrone.</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>His senses reeled under the shock, but he recovered quickly, and even -as he threw off the phones Loring slammed down over his head the helmet -of the Fenachrone. DuQuesne was now commander of the airlocks, and the -break in communication had been of such short duration that not the -slightest suspicion had been aroused. He snapped out mental orders to -the distant power room, the side of the vessel opened, and the scout -ship was drawn within.</p> - -<p>"All tight, sir," he reported to the captain, and the <i>Z12Q</i> began to -retrace her path in space.</p> - -<p>DuQuesne's first objective had been attained without untoward incident. -The second objective, the control room, might present more difficulty, -since its occupants would be scattered. However, to neutralize this -difficulty, the Earthly attackers could work with bare hands and thus -with the weapons with which both were thoroughly familiar. Removing -their gauntlets, the two men ran lightly toward that holy of Fenachrone -holies, the control room. Its door was guarded, but DuQuesne had known -that it would be—wherefore the guards went down before they could -voice a challenge. The door crashed open and four heavy, long-barreled -automatics began to vomit forth a leaden storm of death. Those pistols -were gripped in accustomed and steady hands; those hands in turn were -actuated by the ruthless brains of heartless, conscienceless, and -merciless killers.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>His second and major objective gained, DuQuesne proceeded at once to -consolidate his position. Pausing only to learn from the brain of the -dead captain the exact technique of procedure, he summoned into the -sanctum, one at a time, every member of the gigantic vessel's crew. Man -after man they came, in answer to the summons of their all-powerful -captain—and man after man they died.</p> - -<p>"Take the educator and get some of their surgeon's skill," DuQuesne -directed curtly, after the last member of the crew had been accounted -for. "Take off the heads and put them where they'll keep. Throw the -rest of the rubbish out. Never mind about this captain—I want to study -him."</p> - -<p>Then, while Loring busied himself at his grisly task, DuQuesne sat at -the captain's bench, read the captain's brains, and sent in to general -headquarters the regular routine reports of the vessel.</p> - -<p>"All cleaned up. Now what?" Loring was as spick-and-span, as calmly -unruffled, as though he were reporting in one of the private rooms of -the Perkins Café. "Start back to the Earth?"</p> - -<p>"Not yet." Even though DuQuesne had captured his battleship, thereby -performing the almost impossible, he was not yet content. "There are a -lot of things to learn here yet, and I think that we had better stay -here as long as possible and learn them; provided we can do so without -incurring any extra risks. As far as actual flight goes, two men can -handle this ship as well as a hundred, since her machinery is all -automatic. Therefore we can run away any time.</p> - -<p>"We could not fight, however, as it takes about thirty men to handle -her weapons. But fighting would do no good, anyway, because they could -outnumber us a hundred to one in a few hours. All of which means that -if we go out beyond the detector screens we will not be able to come -back—we had better stay here, so as to be able to take advantage of -any favorable developments."</p> - -<p>He fell silent, frowningly concentrated upon some problem obscure to -his companion. At last he went to the main control panel and busied -himself with a device of photo cells, coils, and kino bulbs; whereupon -Loring set about preparing a long-delayed meal.</p> - -<p>"It's all hot, chief—come and get it," the aid invited, when he saw -that his superior's immediate task was done. "What's the idea? Didn't -they have enough controls there already?"</p> - -<p>"The idea is, Doll, not to take any unnecessary chances. Ah, this -goulash hits the spot!" DuQuesne ate appreciatively for a few minutes -in silence, then went on: "Three things may happen to interfere -with the continuation of our search for knowledge. First, since we -are now in command of a Fenachrone mother ship, I have to report to -headquarters on the telemental recorder, and they may catch me in a -slip any minute, which will mean a massed attack. Second, the enemy -may break through the Fenachrone defenses and precipitate a general -engagement. Third, there is still the bare possibility of that cosmic -explosion I told you about.</p> - -<p>"In that connection, it is quite obvious that an atomic explosion -wave of that type would be propagated with the velocity of light. -Therefore, even though our ship could run away from it, since we have -an acceleration of five times that velocity, yet we could not see -that such an explosion had occurred until the wave-front reached us. -Then, of course, it would be too late to do anything about it, because -what an atomic explosion wave would do to the dense material of this -battleship would be simply nobody's business.</p> - -<p>"We might get away if one of us had his hands actually on the controls -and had his eyes and his brain right on the job, but that is altogether -too much to expect of flesh and blood. No brain can be maintained at -its highest pitch for any length of time."</p> - -<p>"So what?" Loring said laconically. If the chief was not worried about -these things, the henchman would not be worried, either.</p> - -<p>"So I rigged up a detector that is both automatic and instantaneous. -At the first touch of any unusual vibration it will throw in the full -space drive and will shoot us directly away from the point of the -disturbance. Now we shall be absolutely safe, no matter what happens.</p> - -<p>"We are safe from any possible attack; neither the Fenachrone nor our -common enemy, whoever they are, can harm us. We are safe even from the -atomic explosion of the entire planet. We shall stay here until we get -everything that we want. Then we shall go back to the Green System. We -shall find Seaton."</p> - -<p>His entire being grew grim and implacable, his voice became harder and -colder even than its hard and cold wont. "We shall blow him clear out -of the ether. The world—yes, whatever I want of the Galaxy—shall be -<i>mine</i>!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">IV.</p> - - -<p>Only a few days were required for the completion of DuQuesne's -Fenachrone education, since not many of the former officers of the -battleship had added greatly to the already vast knowledge possessed by -the Terrestrial scientists. Therefore the time soon came when he had -nothing to occupy either his vigorous body or his voracious mind, and -the self-imposed idleness irked his active spirit sorely.</p> - -<p>"If nothing is going to happen out here we might as well get started -back; this present situation is intolerable," he declared to Loring -one morning, and proceeded to lay spy rays to various strategic points -of the enormous shell of defense, and even to the sacred precincts of -headquarters itself.</p> - -<p>"They will probably catch me at this, and when they do it will blow the -lid off; but since we are all ready for the break we don't care now how -soon it comes. There's something gone sour somewhere, and it may do us -some good to know something about it."</p> - -<p>"Sour? Along what line?"</p> - -<p>"The mobilization has slowed down. The first phase went off -beautifully, you know, right on schedule; but lately things have -slowed down. That doesn't seem just right, since their plans are all -dynamic, not static. Of course general headquarters isn't advertising -it to us outlying captains, but I think I can sense an undertone of -uneasiness. That's why I am doing this little job of spying, to get -the low-down—Ah, I thought so! Look here, Doll! See those gaps on the -defense map? Over half of their big ships are not in position—look at -those tracer reports—not a battleship that was out in space has come -back, and a lot of them are more than a week overdue. I'll say that's -something we ought to know about—"</p> - -<p>"Observation Officer of the <i>Z12Q</i>, attention!" snapped from the -tight-beam headquarters communicator. "Cut off those spy rays and -report yourself under arrest for treason!"</p> - -<p>"Not to-day," DuQuesne drawled. "Besides, I can't—I am in command here -now."</p> - -<p>"Open your visiplate to full aperture!" The staff officer's voice -was choked with fury; never in his long life had he been so grossly -insulted by a mere captain of the line.</p> - -<p>DuQuesne opened the plate, remarking to Loring as he did so; "This is -the blow-off, all right. No possible way of stalling him off now, even -if I wanted to; and I really want to tell them a few things before we -shove off."</p> - -<p>"Where are the men who should be at stations?" the furious voice -demanded.</p> - -<p>"Dead," DuQuesne replied laconically.</p> - -<p>"Dead! And you have reported nothing amiss?" He turned from his own -microphone, but DuQuesne and Loring could hear his savage commands:</p> - -<p>"<i>X1427</i>—Order the twelfth squadron to bring in the <i>Z12Q</i>!"</p> - -<p>He spoke again to the rebellious and treasonable observer: "And you -have made your helmet opaque to the rays of this plate, another -violation of the code. Take it off!" The speaker fairly rattled -under the bellowing voice of the outraged general. "If you live -long enough to get here, you will pay the full penalty for treason, -insubordination, and conduct unbecom—"</p> - -<p>"Oh, shut up, you yapping nincompoop!" snapped DuQuesne.</p> - -<p>Wrenching off his helmet, he thrust his blackly forbidding face -directly before the visiplate; so that the raging officer stared, from -a distance of only eighteen inches, not into the cowed and frightened -face of a guiltily groveling subordinate, but into the proud and -sneering visage of Marc C. DuQuesne, of Earth.</p> - -<p>And DuQuesne's whole being radiated open and supreme contempt, the -most gallingly nauseous dose possible to inflict upon any member of -that race of self-styled supermen, the Fenachrone. As he stared at the -Earthman the general's tirade broke off in the middle of a word and he -fell back speechless—robbed, it seemed, almost of consciousness by the -shock.</p> - -<p>"You asked for it—you got it—now just what are you going to do with -it or about it?" DuQuesne spoke aloud, to render even more trenchantly -cutting the crackling mental comments as they leaped across space, each -thought lashing the officer like the biting, tearing tip of a bull whip.</p> - -<p>"Better men than you have been beaten by overconfidence," he went -on, "and better plans than yours have come to nought through -underestimating the resources in brain and power of the opposition. -You are not the first race in the history of the universe to go down -because of false pride, and you will not be the last. You thought that -my comrade and I had been taken and killed. You thought so because <i>I</i> -wanted you so to think. In reality we took that scout ship, and when we -wanted it we took this battleship as easily.</p> - -<p>"We have been here, in the very heart of your defense system, for ten -days. We have obtained everything that we set out to get; we have -learned everything that we set out to learn. If we wished to take it, -your entire planet could offer us no more resistance than did these -vessels, but we do not want it.</p> - -<p>"Also, after due deliberation, we have decided that the universe would -be much better off without any Fenachrone in it. Therefore your race -will of course soon disappear; and since we do not want your planet, -we will see to it that no one else will want it, at least for some few -eons of time to come. Think <i>that</i> over, as long as you are able to -think. Good-by!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Duquesne cut off the visiray with a vicious twist and turned to Loring. -"Pure boloney, of course!" he sneered. "But as long as they don't know -that fact it'll probably hold them for a while."</p> - -<p>"Better start drifting for home, hadn't we? They're coming out after -us."</p> - -<p>"We certainly had." DuQuesne strolled leisurely across the room toward -the controls. "We hit them hard, in a mighty tender spot, and they will -make it highly unpleasant for us if we linger around here much longer. -But we are in no danger. There is no tracer ray on this ship—they use -them only on long-distance cruises—so they'll have no idea where to -look for us. Also, I don't believe that they'll even try to chase us, -because I gave them a lot to think about for some time to come, even if -it wasn't true."</p> - -<p>But DuQuesne had spoken far more truly than he knew—his "boloney" was -in fact a coldly precise statement of an awful truth even then about to -be made manifest. For at that very moment Dunark of Osnome was reaching -for the switch whose closing would send a detonating current through -the thousands of tons of sensitized atomic copper already placed by -Seaton in their deep-buried emplantments upon the noisome planet of the -Fenachrone.</p> - -<p>DuQuesne knew that the outlying vessels of the monsters had not -returned to base, but he did not know that Seaton had destroyed them, -one and all, in free space; he did not know that his arch-foe was the -being who was responsible for the failure of the Fenachrone space ships -to come back from their horrible voyages.</p> - -<p>Upon the other hand, while Seaton knew that there were battleships -afloat in the ether within the protecting screens of the planet, he -had no inkling that one of those very battleships was manned by his -two bitterest and most vindictive enemies, the official and completely -circumstantial report of whose death by cremation he had witnessed such -a few days before.</p> - -<p>DuQuesne strolled across the floor of the control room, and in -mid-step became weightless, floating freely in the air. The planet had -exploded, and the outermost fringe of the wave-front of the atomic -disintegration, propagated outwardly into spherical space with the -velocity of light, had impinged upon the all-seeing and ever-watchful -mechanical eye which DuQuesne had so carefully installed. But only -that outermost fringe, composed solely of light and ultra-light, had -touched that eye. The relay—an electronic beam—had been deflected -instantaneously, demanding of the governors their terrific maximum of -power, away from the doomed world. The governors had responded in a -space of time to be measured only in fractional millionths of a second, -and the vessel leaped effortlessly and almost instantaneously into an -acceleration of five light-velocities, urged onward by the full power -of the space-annihilating drive of the Fenachrone.</p> - -<p>The eyes of DuQuesne and Loring had had time really to see nothing -whatever. There was the barest perceptible flash of the intolerable -brilliance of an exploding universe, succeeded in the very instant of -its perception—yes, even before its real perception—by the utter -blackness of the complete absence of all light whatever as the space -drive automatically went into action and hurled the great vessel away -from the all-destroying wave-front of the atomic explosion.</p> - -<p>As has been said, there were many battleships within the screens of the -distant planet, supporting a horde of scout ships according to Invasion -Plan XB218; but of all these vessels and of all things Fenachrone, -only two escaped the incredible violence of the holocaust. One was the -immense space traveler of Ravindau the scientist which had for days -been hurtling through space upon its way to a far-distant Galaxy; the -other was the first-line battleship carrying DuQuesne and his killer -aid, which had been snatched from the very teeth of that indescribable -cosmic cataclysm only by the instantaneous operation of DuQuesne's -automatic relays.</p> - -<p>Everything on or near the planet had of course been destroyed -instantly, and even the fastest battleship, farthest removed from the -disintegrating world, was overwhelmed without the slightest possibility -of escape. For to human eyes, staring however attentively into -ordinary visiplates, these had practically no warning at all, since -the wave-front of atomic disruption was propagated with the velocity -of light and therefore followed very closely indeed behind the narrow -fringe of visible light which heralded its coming.</p> - -<p>Even if one of the dazed commanders had known the meaning of the -coruscant blaze of brilliance which was the immediate forerunner of -destruction, he would have been helpless to avert it, for no hands -of flesh and blood, human or Fenachrone, could possibly have thrown -switches rapidly enough to have escaped from the advancing wave-front -of disruption; and at the touch of that frightful wave every atom of -substance, alike of vessel, contents, and hellish crew, became resolved -into its component electrons and added its contribution of energy to -the stupendous cosmic catastrophe.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Even before his foot had left the floor in free motion, however, -DuQuesne realized exactly what had happened. His keen eyes saw the -flash of blinding incandescence announcing a world's ending and sent to -his keen brain a picture; and in the instant of perception that brain -had analyzed that picture and understood its every implication and -connotation. Therefore he only grinned sardonically at the phenomena -which left the slower-minded Loring dazed and breathless.</p> - -<p>He continued to grin as the battleship hurtled onward through the void -at a pace beside which that of any ether-borne wave, even that of such -a Titanic disturbance as the atomic explosion of an entire planet, was -the veriest crawl.</p> - -<p>At last, however, Loring comprehended what had happened. "Oh, it -exploded, huh?" he ejaculated.</p> - -<p>"It most certainly did." The scientist's grin grew diabolical. "My -statements to them came true, even though I did not have anything to -do with their fruition. However, these events prove that caution is -all right in its place—it pays big dividends at times. I'm very glad, -of course, that the Fenachrone have been definitely taken out of the -picture."</p> - -<p>Utterly callous, DuQuesne neither felt nor expressed the slightest -sign of pity for the race of beings so suddenly snuffed out of -existence. "Their removal at this time will undoubtedly save me a lot -of trouble later on," he added, "but the whole thing certainly gives me -furiously to think, as the French say. It was done with a sensitized -atomic copper bomb, of course; but I should like very much to know -who did it, and why; and, above all, how they were able to make the -approach."</p> - -<p>"Personally, I still think it was Seaton," the baby-faced murderer put -in calmly. "No reason for thinking so, except that whenever anything -impossible has been pulled off anywhere that I ever heard of, he was -the guy that did it. Call it a hunch, if you want to."</p> - -<p>"It may have been Seaton, of course, even though I can't really think -so." DuQuesne frowned blackly in concentration. "It may have been -accidental—started by the explosion of an ammunition dump or something -of the kind—but I believe that even less than I do the other. It -couldn't have been any race of beings from any other planet of this -system, since they are all bare of life, the Fenachrone having killed -off all the other races ages ago and not caring to live on the other -planets themselves. No; I still think that it was some enemy from -outer space; although my belief that it could not have been Seaton is -weakening.</p> - -<p>"However, with this ship we can probably find out in short order who -it was, whether it was Seaton or any possible outside race. We are far -enough away now to be out of danger from that explosion, so we'll slow -down, circle around, and find out whoever it was that touched it off."</p> - -<p>He slowed the mad pace of the cruiser until the firmament behind them -once more became visible, to see that the system of the Fenachrone was -now illuminated by a splendid double sun. Sending out a full series -of ultra-powered detector screens, DuQuesne scanned the instruments -narrowly. Every meter remained dead, its needle upon zero; not a sign -of radiation could be detected upon any of the known communicator or -power bands; the ether was empty for millions upon untold millions -of miles. He then put on power and cruised at higher and higher -velocities, describing a series of enormous looping circles throughout -the space surrounding that entire solar system.</p> - -<p>Around and around the flaming double sun, rapidly becoming first a -double star and then merely a faint point of light, DuQuesne urged the -Fenachrone battleship, but his screens remained cold and unresponsive. -No ship of the void was operating in all that vast volume of ether; no -sign of man or of any of his works was to be found throughout it.</p> - -<p>DuQuesne then extended his detectors to the terrific maximum of their -unthinkable range, increased his already frightful acceleration to -its absolute limit, and cruised madly onward in already vast and -ever-widening spirals until a grim conclusion forced itself upon his -consciousness. Unwilling though he was to believe it, he was forced -finally to recognize an appalling fact. The enemy, whoever he might -have been, must have been operating from a distance immeasurably -greater than any that even DuQuesne's newfound knowledge could believe -possible; abounding though it was in astounding data concerning -superscientific weapons of destruction.</p> - -<p>He again cut their acceleration down to a touring rate, adjusted his -automatic alarms and signals, and turned to Loring, his face grim and -hard.</p> - -<p>"They must have been farther away than even any of the Fenachrone -physicists would have believed possible," he stated flatly. "It looks -more and more like Seaton—he probably found some more high-class help -somewhere. Temporarily, at least, I am stumped—but I do not stay -stumped long. I shall find him if I have to comb the Galaxy, star by -star!"</p> - -<p>Thus DuQuesne, not even dreaming what an incredibly inconceivable -distance from this Galaxy Seaton was to attain; nor what depths of -extradimensional space Seaton was to traverse before they were again -to stand face to face—cold black eyes staring straight into hard and -level eyes of gray.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusc2.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">V.</p> - - -<p><i>Skylark Three</i>, the mightiest space ship that had ever lifted her -stupendous mass from any planet known to the humanity of this, the -First Galaxy, was hurtling onward through the absolute vacuum of -intergalactic space. Around her there was nothing—no stars, no suns, -no meteorites, no smallest particle of cosmic dust. The First Galaxy -lay so far behind her that even its vast lens showed only as a dimly -perceptible point of light in the visiplates.</p> - -<p>The Fenachrone space chart placed other Galaxies to right of and -to left of, above and below, the flying cruiser; but they were so -infinitely distant that their light could scarcely reach the eyes of -the Terrestrial wanderers. Equally far from them, or farther, but in -their line of flight, lay the distant Galaxy which was their goal.</p> - -<p>So prodigious had been the velocity of the <i>Skylark</i>, when the last -vessel of the Fenachrone had been destroyed, that she could not -possibly have been halted until she had covered more than half the -distance separating that Galaxy from our own; and Seaton and Crane -had agreed that this chance to visit it was altogether too good to -be missed. Therefore the velocity of their vessel had been augmented -rather than lessened, and for uneventful days and weeks she had bored -her terrific way through the incomprehensible nothingness of the -interuniversal void.</p> - -<p>After a few days of impatient waiting and of eager anticipation, -Seaton had settled down into the friendly and companionable routine -of the flight. But inaction palled upon his vigorous nature and, -physical outlet denied, he began to delve deeper and deeper into the -almost-unknown, scarcely plumbed recesses of his new mind—a mind -stored with the accumulated knowledge of thousands of generations of -the Rovol and of the Drasnik; generations of specialists in research in -two widely separated fields of knowledge.</p> - -<p>Thus it was that one morning Seaton prowled about aimlessly in brown -abstraction, hands jammed deep into pockets, the while there rolled -from his villainously reeking pipe blue clouds of fumes that might have -taxed sorely a less efficient air-purifier than that boasted by the -<i>Skylark</i>; prowled, suddenly to dash across the control room to the -immense keyboards of his fifth-order projector.</p> - -<p>There he sat, hour after hour; hands setting up incredibly complex -integrals upon its inexhaustible supply of keys and stops; gray eyes -staring unseeingly into infinity; he sat there, deaf, dumb, and blind -to everything except the fascinatingly fathomless problem upon which he -was so diligently at work.</p> - -<p>Dinner time came and went, then supper time, then bedtime; and Dorothy -strode purposefully toward the console, only to be led away, silently -and quietly, by the watchful Crane.</p> - -<p>"But he hasn't come up for air once to-day, Martin!" she protested, -when they were in Crane's private sitting room. "And didn't you tell -me yourself, that time back in Washington, to make him snap out of it -whenever he started to pull off one of his wild marathon splurges of -overwork?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; I did," Crane replied thoughtfully; "but circumstances here -and now are somewhat different from what they were there and then. I -have no idea of what he is working out, but it is a problem of such -complexity that in one process he used more than seven hundred factors, -and it may well be that if he were to be interrupted now he could never -recover that particular line of thought. Then, too, you must remember -that he is now in such excellent physical condition that he is in no -present danger. I would say to let him alone, for a while longer, at -least."</p> - -<p>"All right, Martin, that's fine! I hated to disturb him, really—I -would hate most awfully to derail an important train of thought."</p> - -<p>"Yes; let him concentrate a while," urged Margaret. "He hasn't indulged -in one of those fits for weeks—Rovol wouldn't let him. I think it's a -shame, too, because when he dives in like that after something he comes -up with it in his teeth—when he really thinks, he does things. I don't -see how those Norlaminians ever got anything done, when they always did -their thinking by the clock and quit promptly at quitting time, even if -it was right in the middle of an idea."</p> - -<p>"Dick can do more in an hour, the way he is working now, than Rovol of -Rays could ever do in ten years!" Dorothy exclaimed with conviction. -"I'm going in to keep him company—he's more apt to be disturbed by my -being gone than by having me there. Better come along, too, you two, -just as though nothing was going on. We'll give him an hour or so yet, -anyway."</p> - -<p>The trio then strolled back into the control room.</p> - -<p>But Seaton finished his computations without interruption. Some time -after midnight he transferred his integrated and assembled forces to an -anchoring plunger, arose from his irksome chair, stretched mightily, -and turned to the others, tired but triumphant.</p> - -<p>"Folks, I think I've got something!" he cried. "Kinda late, but it'll -take only a couple of minutes to test it out. I'll put these nets over -your heads, and then you all look into that viewing cabinet over there."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Over his own head and shoulders Seaton draped a finely woven screen -of silvery metal, connected by a stranded cable to a plug in his -board; and after he had similarly invested his companions he began to -manipulate dials and knobs.</p> - -<p>As he did so the dark space of the cabinet became filled with a soft -glow of light—a glow which resolved itself into color and form, a -three-dimensional picture. In the background towered a snow-capped, -beautifully symmetrical volcanic mountain; in the foreground were to -be seen cherry trees in full bloom surrounding a small structure of -unmistakable architecture; and through their minds swept fleeting -flashes of poignant longing, amounting almost to nostalgia.</p> - -<p>"Good heavens, Dick, what have you done now?" Dorothy broke out. "I -feel so homesick that I want to cry—and I don't care a bit whether I -ever see Japan again or not!"</p> - -<p>"These nets aren't perfect insulators, of course, even though I've got -them grounded. There's some leakage. They'd have to be solid to stop -all radiation. Leaks both ways, of course, so we're interfering with -the picture a little, too; but there's some outside interference that I -can't discover yet."</p> - -<p>Seaton thought aloud, rather than explained, as he shut off the power.</p> - -<p>"Folks, we <i>have</i> got something! That's the sixth-order pattern, and -<i>thought</i> is in that level! Those were <i>thoughts</i>—Shiro's thoughts."</p> - -<p>"But he's asleep, surely, by this time," Dorothy protested.</p> - -<p>"Sure he is, or he wouldn't be thinking that kind of thoughts. It's his -subconscious—he's contented enough when he's awake."</p> - -<p>"How did you work it out?" asked Crane. "You said, yourself, that it -might well take lifetimes of research."</p> - -<p>"It would, ordinarily. Partly a hunch, partly dumb luck, but mostly a -combination of two brains that upon Norlamin would ordinarily never -touch the same subject anywhere. Rovol, who knows everything there is -to be known about rays, and Drasnik, probably the greatest authority -upon the mind that ever lived, both gave me a good share of their -knowledge; and the combination turned out to be hot stuff, particularly -in connection with this fifth-order keyboard. Now we can really do -something!"</p> - -<p>"But you had a sixth-order detector before," Margaret put in. "Why -didn't we touch it off by thinking?"</p> - -<p>"Too coarse—I see that, now. It wouldn't react to the extremely -slight power of a thought-wave; only to the powerful impulses from a -bar or from cosmic radiation. But I can build one now that will react -to thought, and I'm going to; particularly since there was a little -interference on that picture that I couldn't quite account for." He -turned back to the projector.</p> - -<p>"You're coming to bed," declared Dorothy with finality. "You've done -enough for one day."</p> - -<p>She had her way, but early the next morning Seaton was again at the -keyboard, wearing a complex headset and driving a tenuous fabric of -force far out into the void. After an hour or so he tensed suddenly, -every sense concentrated upon something vaguely perceptible; something -which became less and less nebulous as his steady fingers rotated -micrometric dials in infinitesimal arcs.</p> - -<p>"Come get a load of this, folks!" he called at last. "Mart, what would -a planet—an inhabited planet, at that—be doing 'way out here, Heaven -only knows how many light-centuries away from the nearest Galaxy?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The three donned headsets and seated themselves in their chairs in -the base of the great projector. Instantly they felt projections of -themselves hurled an incomprehensible distance out into empty space. -But that weird sensation was not new; each was thoroughly accustomed to -the feeling of duality incident to being in the <i>Skylark</i> in body, yet -with a duplicate mentality carried by the projection to a point many -light-years distant from his corporeal substance. Their mentalities, -thus projected, felt a fleeting instant of unthinkable velocity, then -hung poised above the surface of a small but dense planet, a planet -utterly alone in that dreadful void.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>Dorothy, Margaret and Crane donned headsets and seated -themselves in the base of the great projector.</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>But it was like no other planet with which the Terrestrial wanderers -were familiar. It possessed neither air nor water, and it was entirely -devoid of topographical features. It was merely a bare, mountainless, -depthless sphere of rock and metal. Though sunless, it was not dark; it -glowed with a strong, white light which emanated from the rocky soil -itself. Nothing animate was visible, nor was there a sign that any form -of life, animal or vegetable, had ever existed there.</p> - -<p>"You can talk if you want to," Seaton observed, noticing that Dorothy -was holding back by main strength a torrent of words. "They can't hear -us—there's no audio in the circuit."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean by 'they,' Dick?" she demanded. "You said it was an -inhabited planet. That one isn't inhabited. It never was, and it can't -possibly be, <i>ever!</i>"</p> - -<p>"When I spoke I thought that it was inhabited, in the ordinary sense -of the word, but I see now that it isn't," he replied, quietly and -thoughtfully. "But they were there a minute ago, and they'll probably -be back. Don't kid yourself, Dimples. It's inhabited, all right, and -by somebody we don't know much—or rather, by something that we knew -once—altogether too well."</p> - -<p>"The pure intellectuals," Crane stated, rather than asked.</p> - -<p>"Yes; and that accounts for the impossible location of the planet, too. -They probably materialized it out there, just for the exercise. There, -they're coming back. Feel 'em?"</p> - -<p>Vivid thoughts, for the most part incomprehensible, flashed from the -headsets into their minds; and instantly the surroundings of their -projections changed. With the speed of thought a building materialized -upon that barren ground, and they found themselves looking into a -brilliantly lighted and spacious hall. Walls of alabaster, giving -forth a living, almost a fluid light. Tapestries, whose fantastically -intricate designs changed from moment to moment into ever new and -ever more amazingly complex delineations. Gem-studded fountains, -whose plumes and gorgeous sprays of dancing liquid obeyed no Earthly -laws of mechanics. Chairs and benches, writhing, changing in form -constantly and with no understandable rhythm. And in that hall were the -intellectuals—the entities who had materialized those objects from the -ultimately elemental radiant energy of intergalactic space.</p> - -<p>Their number could not even be guessed. Sometimes only one was -visible, sometimes it seemed that the great hall was crowded with -them—ever-changing shapes varying in texture from the tenuousness of a -wraith to a density greater than that of any Earthly metal.</p> - -<p>So bewilderingly rapid were the changes in form that no one appearance -could be intelligently grasped. Before one outlandish and unearthly -shape could really be perceived it had vanished—had melted and -flowed into one entirely different in form and in sense, but one -equally monstrous to Terrestrial eyes. Even if grasped mentally, no -one of those grotesque shapes could have been described in language, -so utterly foreign were they to all human knowledge, history, and -experience.</p> - -<p>And now, the sixth-order projections in perfect synchronism, the -thoughts of the Outlanders came clearly into the minds of the four -watchers—thoughts cold, hard, and clear, diamondlike in polish and in -definition; thoughts with the perfection of finish and detail possible -only to the fleshless mentalities who for countless millions of years -had done little save perfect themselves in the technique of pure and -absolute thinking.</p> - -<p>The four sat tense and strained as the awful import of those thoughts -struck home; then, at another thought of horribly unmistakable meaning, -Seaton snapped off his power and drove lightning fingers over his -keyboard, while the two women slumped back, white-faced and trembling, -into their seats.</p> - -<p>"I thought it was funny, back there that time, that that fellow -couldn't integrate in the ninety-seven dimensions necessary to -dematerialize us, and I didn't know anything then." Seaton, his -preparations complete, leaned back in his operator's seat at the -console. "He was just kidding us—playing with us, just to see what -we'd do, and as for not being able to think his way back—phooie! -He can think his way through ninety-seven universes if he wants to. -They're certainly extragalactic, and very probably extrauniversal, and -the one that played with us could have dematerialized us instantly if -he had felt like it."</p> - -<p>"That is apparent, now," Crane conceded. "They are quite evidently -patterns of sixth-order forces, and as such have a velocity of anything -they want to use. They absorb force from the radiations in free space, -and are capable of diverting and of utilizing those forces in any -fashion they may choose. They would of course be eternal, and, so far -as I can see, they would be indestructible. What are we going to do -about it, Dick? What <i>can</i> we do about it?"</p> - -<p>"We'll do <i>something</i>!" Seaton gritted. "We're not as helpless as they -think we are. I've got out five courses of six-ply screen, with full -interliners of zones of force. I've got everything blocked, clear down -to the sixth order. If they can think their way through those screens -they're better than I think they are, and if they try anything else -we'll do our darnedest to block that, too—and with this Norlaminian -keyboard and all the uranium we've got that'll be a mighty lot, believe -me! After that last crack of theirs they'll hunt for us, of course, -and I'm pretty sure they'll find us. I thought so—here they are! -Materialization, huh? I told him once that if he'd stick to matter that -I could understand, I'd give him a run for his money, and I wasn't -kidding him, either."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">VI.</p> - - -<p>Far out in the depths of the intergalactic void there sped along upon -its strange course the newly materialized planet of the intellectuals. -Desolate and barren it was, and apparently destitute of life; but -life was there—eternal, disembodied life, unaffected by any possible -extreme of heat or cold, requiring for its continuance neither water -nor air, nor, for that matter, any material substance whatsoever. And -from somewhere in the vacuum above that planet's forbidding surface -there emanated a thought—a thought coldly clear, abysmally hopeless.</p> - -<p>"I have but one remaining aim in this life. While I have failed again, -as I have failed innumerable times in the past, I shall keep on trying -until I succeed in assembling in sufficient strength the exact forces -necessary to disrupt this sixth-order pattern which is I."</p> - -<p>"You speak foolishly, Eight, as does each of us now and again," came -instant response. "There is much more to see, much more to do, much -more to learn. Why be discouraged or disheartened? An infinity of time -is necessary in which to explore infinite space and to acquire infinite -knowledge."</p> - -<p>"Foolish I may be, but this is no simple recurrent outburst of -melancholia. I am definitely weary of this cycle of existence, and -I wish to pass on to the next, whatever of experience or of sheer -oblivion it may bring. In fact, I wish that you, One, had never worked -out the particular pattern of forces that liberated our eleven minds -from the so-called shackles of our material bodies. For we cannot die. -We are simply patterns of force eternal, marking the passage of time -only by the life cycles of the suns of the Galaxies.</p> - -<p>"Why, I envy even the creatures inhabiting the planets throughout -the Galaxy we visited but a moment ago. Partially intelligent though -they are, struggling and groping, each individual dying after only a -fleeting instant of life; born, growing old, and passing on in a minute -fraction of a millionth of one cycle—yet I envy even them."</p> - -<p>"That was the reason you did not dematerialize those you accompanied -briefly while they were flitting about in their crude space ship?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. Being alive for such an infinitesimal period of time, they value -life highly. Why hurry them into the future that is so soon to be -theirs?"</p> - -<p>"Do not dwell upon such thoughts, Eight," advised One. "They lead only -to greater and greater depths of despondency. Consider instead what we -have done and what we shall do."</p> - -<p>"I have considered everything, at length," the entity known as Eight -thought back stubbornly. "What benefit or satisfaction do we get out -of this continuous sojourn in the cycle of existence from which we -should have departed æons ago? We have power, it is true, but what of -it? It is barren. We create for ourselves bodies and their material -surroundings, like this"—the great hall came into being, and so vast -was the mentality creating it that the flow of thought continued -without a break—"but what of it? We do not enjoy them as lesser beings -enjoy the bodies which to them are synonymous with life.</p> - -<p>"We have traveled endlessly, we have seen much, we have studied much; -but what of it? Fundamentally we have accomplished nothing and we know -nothing. We know but little more than we knew countless thousands of -cycles ago, when our home planet was still substance. We know nothing -of time; we know nothing of space; we know nothing even of the fourth -dimension save that the three of us who rotated themselves into it have -never returned. And until one of us succeeds in building a neutralizing -pattern we can never die—we must face a drab and cheerless eternity of -existence as we now are."</p> - -<p>"An eternity, yes, but an eternity neither drab nor cheerless. We know -but little, as you have said, but in that fact lies a stimulus; we can -and shall go on forever, learning more and ever more. Think of it! But -hold—what is that? I feel a foreign thought. It must emanate from a -mind powerful indeed to have come so far."</p> - -<p>"I have felt them. There are four foreign minds, but they are -unimportant."</p> - -<p>"Have you analyzed them?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. They are the people of the space ship which we just mentioned; -projecting their mentalities to us here."</p> - -<p>"Projecting mentalities? Such a low form of life? They must have -learned much from you, Eight."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps I did give them one or two hints," Eight returned, utterly -indifferent, "but they are of no importance to us."</p> - -<p>"I am not so sure of that," One mused. "We found no others in that -Galaxy capable of so projecting themselves, nor did we find any beings -possessing minds sufficiently strong to be capable of existence without -the support of a material body. It may be that they are sufficiently -advanced to join us. Even if they are not, if their minds should prove -too weak for our company, they are undoubtedly strong enough to be of -use in one of my researches."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>At this point Seaton cut off the projections and began to muster his -sixth-order defenses, therefore he did not "hear" Eight's outburst -against the proposal of his leader.</p> - -<p>"I will not allow it, One!" the disembodied intelligence protested -intensely. "Rather than have you inflict upon them the eternity of -life that we have suffered I shall myself dematerialize them. Much as -they love life, it would be infinitely better for them to spare a few -minutes of it than to live forever."</p> - -<p>But there was no reply. One had vanished; had darted at utmost speed -toward the <i>Skylark</i>. Eight followed him instantly. Light-centuries of -distance meant no more to them than to Seaton's own projector, and they -soon reached the hurtling space ship; a space ship moving with all its -unthinkable velocity, yet to them motionless—what is velocity when -there are no reference points by which to measure it?</p> - -<p>"Back, Eight!" commanded One abruptly. "They are inclosed in a -nullifying wall of the sixth order. They are indeed advanced in -mentality."</p> - -<p>"A complete stasis in the sub-ether?" Eight marveled, "That will do as -well as the pattern—"</p> - -<p>"Greetings, strangers!" Seaton's thought interrupted. Thoughts as -clear as those require no interpretation of language. "My projection -is here, outside the wall, but I might caution you that one touch -of your patterns will cut it off and stiffen that wall to absolute -impenetrability. I assume that your visit is friendly?"</p> - -<p>"Eminently so," replied One. "I offer you the opportunity of joining -us; or, at least, the opportunity of being of assistance to science in -the attempt at joining us."</p> - -<p>"They want us to join them as pure intellectuals, folks." Seaton turned -from the projector, toward his friends. "How about it, Dottie? We've -got quite a few things to do yet in the flesh, haven't we?"</p> - -<p>"I'll say we have, Dickie—don't be an idiot!" She chuckled.</p> - -<p>"Sorry, One!" Seaton thought again into space. "Your invitation is -appreciated to the full, and we thank you for it, but we have too many -things to do in our own lives and upon our own world to accept it at -this time. Later on, perhaps, we could do so with profit."</p> - -<p>"You will accept it <i>now</i>," One declared coldly. "Do you imagine that -your puny wills can withstand <i>mine</i> for a single instant?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know; but, aided by certain mechanical devices of ours, I do -know that they'll do a terrific job of trying!" Seaton blazed back.</p> - -<p>"There is one thing that I believe you can do," Eight put in. "Your -barrier wall should be able to free me from this intolerable condition -of eternal life!" And he hurled himself forward with all his -prodigious force against that nullifying wall.</p> - -<p>Instantly the screen flamed into incandescence; converters and -generators whined and shrieked as hundreds of pounds of power uranium -disappeared under that awful load. But the screens held, and in an -instant it was over. Eight was gone, disrupted into the future life for -which he had so longed, and the impregnable wall was once more merely -a tenuous veil of sixth-order vibrations. Through that veil Seaton's -projection crept warily; but the inhuman, monstrous mentality poised -just beyond it made no demonstration.</p> - -<p>"Eight committed suicide, as he has so often tried to do," One -commented coldly, "but, after all, his loss will be felt with relief, -if at all. His dissatisfaction was an actual impediment to the -advancement of our entire group. And now, feeble intellect, I will let -you know what is in store for you, before I direct against you forces -which will render your screens inoperative and therefore make further -interchange of thought impossible. You shall be dematerialized; and, -whether your minds are strong enough to exist in the free state, your -entities shall be of some small assistance to me before you pass on to -the next cycle of existence. What substance do you disintegrate for -power?"</p> - -<p>"That is none of your business, and since you cannot drive a ray -through this screen you will never find out!" Seaton snapped.</p> - -<p>"It matters little," One rejoined, unmoved. "Were you employing pure -neutronium and were your vessel entirely filled with it, yet in a -short time it would be exhausted. For, know you, I have summoned the -other members of our group. We are able to direct cosmic forces which, -although not infinite in magnitude, are to all intents and purposes -inexhaustible. In a brief time your power will be gone, and I shall -then confer with you again."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The other mentalities flashed up in response to the call of their -leader, and at his direction arranged themselves all about the -far-flung outer screen of the <i>Skylark</i>. Then from all space, directed -inward, there converged upon the space ship gigantic streamers of -force. Invisible streamers, and impalpable, but under their fierce -impacts the defensive screens of the Terrestrial vessel flared into -even more frenzied displays of pyrotechnic incandescence than they -had exhibited under the heaviest beams of the superdreadnought of the -Fenachrone. For thousands of miles space became filled with coruscantly -luminous discharges as the uranium-driven screens of the <i>Skylark</i> -dissipated the awful force of the attack.</p> - -<p>"I don't see how they can keep that up for very long." Seaton frowned -as he read his meters and saw at what an appalling rate their store -of metal was decreasing. "But he talked as though he knew his stuff. -I wonder if—um—um—" He fell silent, thinking intensely, while the -others watched his face in strained attention; then went on: "Uh-huh, I -see—he <i>can</i> do it—he wasn't kidding us."</p> - -<p>"How?" asked Crane tensely.</p> - -<p>"But how can he, possibly, Dick?" cried Dorothy. "Why, they aren't -<i>anything</i>, really!"</p> - -<p>"They can't store up power in themselves, of course, but we know -that all space is pervaded by radiation—theoretically a source of -power that outclasses us as much as we outclass mule power. Nobody -that I know of ever tapped it before, and I can't tap it yet; but -they've tapped it and can direct it. The directing is easy enough to -understand—just like a kid shooting a high-power rifle. He doesn't -have to furnish energy for the bullet, you know—he merely touches off -the powder and tells the bullet where to go.</p> - -<p>"But we're not quite sunk yet. I see one chance; and even though it's -pretty slim, I'd take it before I would knuckle down to his nibs out -there. Eight said something a while ago, remember, about 'rotating' -into the fourth dimension? I've been mulling the idea around in my -mind. I'd say that as a last resort we might give it a whirl and take a -chance on coming through. See anything else that looks at all feasible, -Mart?"</p> - -<p>"Not at the present moment," Crane replied calmly. "How much time have -we?"</p> - -<p>"About forty hours at the present rate of dissipation. It's constant, -so they've probably focused everything they can bring to bear on us."</p> - -<p>"You cannot attack them in any way? Apparently the sixth-order zone of -force kills them?"</p> - -<p>"Not a chance. If I open a slit one kilocycle wide anywhere in the band -they'll find it instantly and it'll be curtains for us. And even if I -could fight them off and work through that slit I couldn't drive a zone -into them—their velocity is the same as that of the zone, you know, -and they'd simply bounce back with it. If I could pen them up into a -spherical—um—um—no use, can't do it with this equipment. If we had -Rovol and Caslor and a few others of the Firsts of Norlamin here, and -had a month or so of time, maybe we could work out something, but I -couldn't even start it alone in the time we've got."</p> - -<p>"But even if we decide to try the fourth dimension, how could you do -it? Surely that dimension is merely a mathematical concept, with no -actual existence in nature?"</p> - -<p>"No; it's actual enough, I think—nature's a big field, you know, and -contains a lot of unexplored territory. Remember how casually that -Eight thing out there discussed it? It isn't how to get there that's -biting me; it's only that those intellectuals can stand a lot more -grief than we can, and conditions in the region of the fourth dimension -probably wouldn't suit us any too well.</p> - -<p>"However, we wouldn't have to be there for more than a hundred -thousandth of a second to dodge this gang, and we could stand almost -anything that long, I imagine. As to how to do it—rotation. Three -pairs of rotating, high-amperage currents, at mutual right angles, -converging upon a point. Remembering that any rotating current exerts -its force at a right angle, what would happen?"</p> - -<p>"It might, at that," Crane conceded, after minutes of narrow-eyed -concentration; then, Crane-wise, began to muster objections. "But it -would not so affect this vessel. She is altogether too large, is of the -wrong shape, and—"</p> - -<p>"And you can't pull yourself up by your own boot straps," Seaton -interrupted. "Right—you've got to have something to work from, -something to anchor your forces to. We'd make the trip in little old -<i>Skylark Two</i>. She's small, she's spherical, and she has so little mass -compared to <i>Three</i> that rotating her out of space would be a lead-pipe -cinch—it wouldn't even shift <i>Three's</i> reference planes."</p> - -<p>"It might prove successful," Crane admitted at last, "and, if so, -it could not help but be a very interesting and highly informative -experience. However, the chance of success seems to be none too great, -as you have said, and we must exhaust every other possibility before we -decide to attempt it."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>For hours then the two scientists went over every detail of their -situation, but could evolve no other plan which held out even the -slightest gleam of hope for a successful outcome; and Seaton seated -himself before the banked and tiered keyboards of his projector.</p> - -<p>There he worked for perhaps half an hour, then called to Crane: "I've -got everything set to spin <i>Two</i> out to where we're going, Mart. Now if -you and Shiro"—for Crane's former "man" and the <i>Skylark's</i> factotum -was now quite as thoroughly familiar with Norlaminian forces as he had -formerly been with Terrestrial tools—"will put some forces onto the -job of getting her ready for anything you think we may meet up with, -I'll put in the rest of the time trying to figure out a way of taking a -good stiff poke at those jaspers out there."</p> - -<p>He knew that the zones of force surrounding his vessel were absolutely -impenetrable to any wave propagated through the ether, and to any -possible form of material substance. He knew also that the sub-ether -was blocked, through the fifth and sixth orders. He knew that it was -hopeless to attempt to solve the problem of the seventh order in the -time at his disposal.</p> - -<p>If he were to open any of his zones, even for an instant, in order to -launch a direct attack, he knew that the immense mentalities to which -he was opposed would perceive the opening and through it would wreak -the Terrestrials' dematerialization before he could send out a single -beam.</p> - -<p>Last and worst, he knew that not even his vast console afforded any -combination of forces which could possibly destroy the besieging -intellectuals. What <i>could</i> he do?</p> - -<p>For hours he labored with all the power of his wonderful brain, now -stored with all the accumulated knowledge of thousands upon thousands -of years of Norlaminian research. He stopped occasionally to eat, and -once, at his wife's insistence, he snatched a little troubled and -uneasy sleep; but his mind drove him back to his board and at that -board he worked. Worked—while the hands of the chronometer approached -more and ever more nearly the zero hour. Worked—while the <i>Skylark's</i> -immense stores of uranium dwindled visibly away in the giving up -of their inconceivable amounts of intra-atomic energy to brace the -screens which were dissipating the inexhaustible flood of cosmic force -being directed against them. Worked—in vain. At last he glanced at -the chronometer and stood up. "Twenty minutes now—time to go," he -announced. "Dot, come here a minute!"</p> - -<p>"Sweetheart!" Tall though Dorothy was, the top of her auburn head -came scarcely higher than Seaton's chin. Tightly but tenderly held in -his mighty arms she tipped her head back, and her violet eyes held no -trace of fear as they met his. "It's all right, lover. I don't know -whether it's because I think we're going to get away, or because we're -together; but I'm not the least bit afraid of whatever it is that's -going to happen to us."</p> - -<p>"Neither am I, dear. Some way, I simply can't believe that we're -passing out; I've got a hunch that we're going to come through. We've -got a lot to live for yet, you and I, together. But I want to tell you -what you already know—that, whatever happens, I love you."</p> - -<p>"Hurry it up, Seatons!"</p> - -<p>Margaret's voice recalled them to reality, and all five were wafted -upon beams of force into the spherical launching space of the craft in -which they were to venture into the unknown.</p> - -<p>That vessel was <i>Skylark Two</i>, the forty-foot globe of arenak which -from Earth to Norlamin had served them so well and which had been -carried, life-boatlike, well inside the two-mile-long torpedo which was -<i>Skylark Three</i>. The massive doors were clamped and sealed, and the -five human beings strapped themselves into their seats against they -knew not what emergency.</p> - -<p>"All ready, folks?" Seaton grasped the ebonite handle of his master -switch. "I'm not going to tell you Cranes good-by, Mart—you know my -hunch. You got one, too?"</p> - -<p>"I cannot say that I have. However, I have always had a great deal of -confidence in your ability. Then, too, I have always been something of -a fatalist; and, most important of all, like you and Dorothy, Margaret -and I are together. You may start any time now, Dick."</p> - -<p>"All right—hang on. On your marks! Get set! <i>Go!</i>"</p> - -<p>As the master switch was thrown a set of gigantic plungers drove -home, actuating the tremendous generators in the holds of the massive -cruiser of space above and around them; generators which, bursting into -instantaneous and furious activity, directed upon the spherical hull -of their vessel three opposed pairs of currents of electricity; madly -spinning currents, of a potential and of a density never before brought -into being by human devices.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">VII.</p> - - -<p>DuQuesne did not find Seaton, nor did he quite comb the Galaxy star -by star, as he had declared that he would do in that event. He did, -however, try; he prolonged the vain search to distances of so many -light-years and through so many weeks of time that even the usually -complacent Loring was moved to protest.</p> - -<p>"Pretty much like hunting the proverbial needle in the haystack, isn't -it, chief?" that worthy asked at last. "They could be clear back home -by this time, whoever they are. It looks as though maybe we could do -ourselves more good by doing something else."</p> - -<p>"Yes; I probably am wasting time now, but I hate to give it up," the -scientist replied. "We have pretty well covered this section of the -Galaxy. I wonder if it really was Seaton, after all? If he could blow -up that planet through those screens he must have a lot more stuff than -I have ever thought possible—certainly a lot more than I have, even -now—and I would like very much to know how he did it. I couldn't have -done it, nor could the Fenachrone, and if he did it without coming -closer to it than a thousand light-years—"</p> - -<p>"He may have been a lot closer than that," Loring interrupted. "He has -had lots of time to make his get-away, you know."</p> - -<p>"Not so much as you think, unless he has an acceleration of the same -order of magnitude as ours, which I doubt," DuQuesne countered. -"Although it is of course possible, in the light of what we know must -have happened, that he may have an acceleration as large as ours, or -even larger. But the most vital question now is, where did he get his -dope? We'll have to consider the probabilities and make our own plans -accordingly."</p> - -<p>"All right! That's your dish—you're the doctor."</p> - -<p>"We shall have to assume that it was Seaton who did it, because if it -was any one else, we have nothing whatever to work on. Assuming Seaton, -we have four very definite leads. Our first lead is that it must have -been Seaton in the <i>Skylark</i> and Dunark in the <i>Kondal</i> that destroyed -the Fenachrone ship from the wreck of which he rescued the engineer. I -couldn't learn anything about the actual battle from his brains, since -he didn't know much except that it was a zone of force that did the -real damage, and that the two strange ships were small and spherical.</p> - -<p>"The <i>Skylark</i> and the <i>Kondal</i> answer that description and, while -the evidence is far from conclusive, we shall assume as a working -hypothesis that the <i>Skylark</i> and the <i>Kondal</i> did in fact attack and -cut up a Fenachrone battleship fully as powerful as the one we are now -in. That, as I do not have to tell you, is a disquieting thought.</p> - -<p>"If it is true, however, Seaton must have left the Earth shortly after -we did. That idea squares up, because he could very well have had an -object-compass on me—whose tracer, by the way, would have been cut by -the Fenachrone screens, so we needn't worry about it, even if he did -have it once.</p> - -<p>"Our second lead lies in the fact that he must have got the dope on the -zone of force sometime between the time when we left the Earth and the -time when he cut up the battleship. He either worked it out himself on -Earth, got it en route, or else got it on Osnome, or at least somewhere -in the Green System. If my theory is correct, he worked it out by -himself, before he left the Earth. He certainly did not get it on -Osnome, because they did not have it.</p> - -<p>"The third lead is the shortness of the period of time that elapsed -between his battle with the Fenachrone warship and the destruction of -their planet.</p> - -<p>"The fourth lead is the great advancement in ability shown; going as he -did from the use of a zone of force as an offensive weapon, up to the -use of some weapon as yet unknown to us that works <i>through</i> defensive -screens fully as powerful as any possible zone of force.</p> - -<p>"Now, from the above hypotheses, we are justified in concluding that -Seaton succeeded in enlisting the help of some ultrapowerful allies in -the Green System, on some planet other than Osnome—"</p> - -<p>"Why? I don't quite follow you there," put in Loring.</p> - -<p>"He didn't have this new stuff, whatever it is, when he met the -battleship, or he would have used it instead of the dangerous, almost -hand-to-hand fighting entailed by the use of a zone of force," DuQuesne -declared flatly. "Therefore he got it some time after that, but before -the big explosion; and you can take it from me that no one man worked -out a thing that big in such a short space of time. It can't be done. -He had help, and high-class help at that.</p> - -<p>"The time factor is also an argument in favor of the idea that he got -it somewhere in the Green System—he didn't have time to go anywhere -else. Also, the logical thing for him to do would be to explore the -Green System first, since it has a very large number of planets, many -of which undoubtedly are inhabited by highly advanced races. Does that -make it clearer?"</p> - -<p>"I've got it straight so far," assented the aid.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"We must plan our course of action in detail before we leave this -spot," DuQuesne decided. "Then we will be ready to start back for the -Green System, to find out who Seaton's friends were and to persuade -them to give us all the dope they gave him. Now pin your ears back and -listen to this, every word of it.</p> - -<p>"We are not nearly as ready nor as well equipped as I thought we -were—Seaton is about three laps ahead of us yet. Also, there is a lot -more to psychology than I ever thought there was before I read those -brains back there. Both of us had better get in training mentally to -meet Seaton's friends, whoever they may be, or else we probably will -not be able to get away with a thing.</p> - -<p>"Both of us, you especially, want to clear our minds of every thought -inimical to Seaton in any way or in even the slightest degree. You and -I are, and always have been, two of the best friends Seaton ever had -on Earth—or anywhere else, for that matter. And of course I cannot -be Marc DuQuesne, for reasons that are self-evident. From now on I am -Stewart Vaneman, Dorothy's brother—No; forget all that—too dangerous. -They may know all about Seaton's friends and Mrs. Seaton's family. -Our best line is to be humble cogs in Seaton's great machine. We -worship him from afar as the world's greatest hero, but we are not of -sufficient importance for him to know personally."</p> - -<p>"Isn't that carrying caution to extremes?"</p> - -<p>"It is not. The only thing that we are certain of concerning these -postulated beings is that they know immensely more than we do; -therefore our story cannot have even the slightest flaw in it—it must -be bottle-tight. So I will be Stewart Donovan—fortunately I haven't -my name, initials, or monogram on anything I own—and I am one of -the engineers of the Seaton-Crane Co., working on the power-plant -installation.</p> - -<p>"Seaton may have given them a mental picture of DuQuesne, but I will -grow a mustache and beard, and with this story they will never think -of connecting Donovan with DuQuesne. You can keep your own name, since -neither Seaton nor any of his crowd ever saw or heard of you. You are -also an engineer—my technical assistant at the works—and my buddy.</p> - -<p>"We struck some highly technical stuff that nobody but Seaton could -handle, and nobody had heard anything from him for a long time, so we -came out to hunt him up and ask him some questions. You and I came -together because we are just like Damon and Pythias. That story will -hold water, I believe—do you see any flaws in it?"</p> - -<p>"Perhaps not flaws, but one or two things you forgot to mention. How -about this ship? I suppose you could call her an improved model, but -suppose they are familiar with Fenachrone space-ship construction?"</p> - -<p>"We shall not be in this ship. If, as we are assuming, Seaton and his -new friends were the star actors in the late drama, those friends -certainly have mentalities and apparatus of high caliber and they would -equally certainly recognize this vessel. I had that in mind when I -shoved the <i>Violet</i> off."</p> - -<p>"Then you will have the <i>Violet</i> to explain—an Osnomian ship. However, -the company could have imported a few of them, for runabout work, since -Seaton left. It would be quicker than building them, at that, since -they already have all the special tools and stuff on Osnome."</p> - -<p>"You're getting the idea. Anything else?"</p> - -<p>"All this is built around the supposition that he will not be there -when we arrive. Suppose he <i>is</i> there?"</p> - -<p>"The chances are a thousand to one that he will be gone somewhere, -exploring—he never did like to stick around in any one place. And even -in the remote possibility that he should be on the planet, he certainly -will not be at the dock when we land, so the story is still good. If he -should be there, we shall simply have to arrange matters so that our -meeting him face to face is delayed until after we have got what we -want; that's all."</p> - -<p>"All right; I've got it down solid."</p> - -<p>"Be sure that you have. Above all, remember the mental attitude toward -Seaton—hero worship. He is not only the greatest man that Earth ever -produced; he is the king-pin of the entire Galaxy, and we rate him -just a hair below the Almighty. Think that thought with every cell -of your brain. Concentrate on it with all your mind. Feel it—act -it—really believe it until I tell you to quit."</p> - -<p>"I'll do that. Now what?"</p> - -<p>"Now we hunt up the <i>Violet</i>, transfer to her, and set this cruiser -adrift on a course toward Earth. And while I think of it, we want to be -sure not to use any more power than the <i>Skylark</i> could, anywhere near -the Green System, and cover up anything that looks peculiar about the -power plant. We're not supposed to know anything about the five-light -drive of the Fenachrone, you know."</p> - -<p>"But suppose that you can't find the <i>Violet</i>, or that she has been -destroyed?"</p> - -<p>"In that case we'll go to Osnome and steal another one just like her. -But I'll find her—I know her exact course and velocity, we have -ultrarange detectors, and her automatic instruments and machinery make -her destructionproof."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>DuQuesne's chronometers were accurate, his computations were sound, -and his detectors were sensitive enough to have revealed the presence -of a smaller body than the <i>Violet</i> at a distance vastly greater than -the few millions of miles which constituted the unavoidable error. -Therefore the Osnomian cruiser was found without trouble and the -transfer was effected without untoward incident.</p> - -<p>Then for days the <i>Violet</i> was hurled at full acceleration toward -the center of the Galaxy. Long before the Green System was reached, -however, the globular cruiser was swung off her course and, mad -acceleration reversed, was put into a great circle, so that she would -approach her destination from the direction of our own solar system. -Slower and slower she drove onward, the bright green star about which -she was circling resolving itself first into a group of bright-green -points and finally into widely spaced, tiny green suns.</p> - -<p>Although facing the completely unknown and about to do battle, with -their wits certainly, and with their every weapon possibly, against -overwhelming odds, neither man showed or felt either nervousness or -disorganization. Loring was a fatalist. It was DuQuesne's party; he was -merely the hired help. He would do his best when the time came to do -something; until that time came there was nothing to worry about.</p> - -<p>DuQuesne, on the other hand, was the repose of conscious power. He had -laid his plans as best he could with the information then at hand. If -conditions changed he would change those plans; otherwise he would -drive through with them ruthlessly, as was his wont. In the meantime he -awaited he knew not what, poised, cool, and confident.</p> - -<p>Since both men were really expecting the unexpected, neither betrayed -surprise when something that was apparently a man materialized -before them in the air of the control room. His skin was green, as -was that of all the inhabitants of the Green System. He was tall and -well-proportioned, according to Earthly standards, except for his -head, which was overlarge and particularly massive above the eyes and -backward from the ears. He was evidently of advanced years, for his -face was seamed and wrinkled, and both his long, heavy hair and his -yard-long, square-cut beard were a snowy white, only faintly tinged -with green.</p> - -<p>The Norlaminian projection thickened instantly, with none of the -oscillation and "hunting" which had been so noticeable in the one -which had visited <i>Skylark Two</i> a few months earlier, for at that -comparatively short range the fifth-order keyboard handling it -could hold a point, however moving, as accurately as a Terrestrial -photographic telescope holds a star. And in the moment of -materialization of his projection the aged Norlaminian spoke.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus4.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>"I welcome you to Norlamin, Terrestrials," spoke the -projection. "I suppose that you are close friends of Seaton and Crane, -and that you come to learn why they have not communicated with you?"</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"I welcome you to Norlamin, Terrestrials," he greeted the two marauders -with the untroubled serenity and calm courtesy of his race. "Since you -are quite evidently of the same racial stock as our very good friends -the doctors Seaton and Crane, and since you are traveling in a ship -built by the Osnomians, I assume that you speak and understand the -English language which I am employing. I suppose that you are close -friends of Seaton and Crane and that you have come to learn why they -have not communicated with you of late?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Self-contained as DuQuesne was, this statement almost took his breath -away, squaring almost perfectly as it did with the tale he had so -carefully prepared. He did not show his amazed gratification, however, -but spoke as gravely and as courteously as the other had done:</p> - -<p>"We are very glad indeed to see you, sir; particularly since we know -neither the name nor the location of the planet for which we are -searching. Your assumptions are correct in every particular save one—"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus4a.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>Self-contained as DuQuesne was, this statement almost took -his breath away, squaring almost perfectly as it did with the tale he -had so carefully prepared.</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"You do not know even the name of Norlamin?" the Green scientist -interrupted. "How can that be? Did not Dr. Seaton send the projections -of all his party to you upon Earth, and did he not discuss matters with -you?"</p> - -<p>"I was about to explain that." DuQuesne lied instantly, boldly, and -convincingly. "We heard that he had sent a talking, three-dimensional -picture of his group to Earth, but after it had vanished all the real -information that any one seemed to have obtained was that they were -here in the Green System somewhere, but not upon Osnome, and that they -had been taught much of science. Mrs. Seaton did most of the talking, -I gather, which may account for the dearth of pertinent details.</p> - -<p>"Neither my friend Loring, here, nor I—I am Stewart Donovan, by the -way—saw the picture, or rather, projection. You assumed that we are -Seaton's close friends. We are engineers in his company, but we have -not the honor of his personal acquaintance. His scientific knowledge -was needed so urgently that it was decided that we should come out here -after him, since the chief of construction had heard nothing from him -for so long."</p> - -<p>"I see." A shadow passed over the seamed green face. "I am very sorry -indeed at what I have to tell you. We did not report anything of it to -Earth because of the panic that would have ensued. We shall of course -send the whole story as soon as we can learn what actually did take -place and can deduce therefrom the probable sequence of events yet to -occur."</p> - -<p>"What's that—an accident? Something happened to Seaton?" DuQuesne -snapped. His heart leaped in joy and relief, but his face showed only -strained anxiety and deep concern. "He isn't here now? Surely nothing -serious could have happened to him."</p> - -<p>"Alas, young friend, none of us knows yet what really occurred. It -is highly probable, however, that their vessel was destroyed in -intergalactic space by forces about which we have as yet been able -to learn nothing; forces directed by some intelligence as yet to us -unknown. There is a possibility that Seaton and his companions escaped -in the vessel you knew as <i>Skylark Two</i>, but so far we have not been -able to find them.</p> - -<p>"But enough of talking; you are strained and weary and you must rest. -As soon as your vessel was detected the beam was transferred to me—the -student Rovol, perhaps the closest to Seaton of any of my race—so that -I could give you this assurance. With your permission I shall direct -upon your controls certain forces which shall so govern your flight -that you shall alight safely upon the grounds of my laboratory in a -few minutes more than twelve hours of your time, without any further -attention or effort upon your part.</p> - -<p>"Further explanations can wait until we meet in the flesh. Until that -time, my friends, do nothing save rest. Eat and sleep without care -or fear, for your flight and your landing shall be controlled with -precision. Farewell!"</p> - -<p>The projection vanished instantaneously, and Loring expelled his -pent-up breath in an explosive sigh.</p> - -<p>"Whew! But what a break, chief, what a—"</p> - -<p>He was interrupted by DuQuesne, who spoke calmly and quietly, yet -insistently: "Yes, it is a singularly fortunate circumstance that the -Norlaminians detected us and recognized us; it probably would have -required weeks for us to have found their planet unaided." DuQuesne's -lightning mind found a way of covering up his companion's betraying -exclamation and sought some way of warning him that could not be -overheard. "Our visitor was right in saying that we need food and rest -badly, but before we eat let us put on the headsets and bring the -record of our flight up to date—it will take only a minute or two."</p> - -<p>"What's biting you, chief?" thought Loring as soon as the power was on. -"We didn't have any—"</p> - -<p>"Plenty!" DuQuesne interrupted him viciously. "Don't you realize that -they can probably hear every word we say, and that they can see every -move we make, even in the dark? In fact, they may be able to read -thoughts, for all I know; so <i>think straight</i> from now on, if you never -did before! Now let's finish up this record."</p> - -<p>He then impressed upon a tape the record of everything that had -just happened. They ate. Then they slept soundly—the first really -untroubled sleep they had enjoyed for weeks. And at last, exactly as -the projection had foretold, the <i>Violet</i> landed without a jar upon the -spacious grounds beside the laboratory of Rovol, the foremost physicist -of Norlamin.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>When the door of the space ship opened, Rovol in person was standing -before it, waiting to welcome the voyagers and to escort them to -his dwelling. But DuQuesne, pretending a vast impatience, would not -be dissuaded from the object of his search merely to satisfy the -Norlaminian amenities of hospitality and courtesy. He poured forth his -prepared story in a breath, concluding with a flat demand that Rovol -tell him everything he knew about Seaton, and that he tell it at once.</p> - -<p>"It would take far too long to tell you anything in words," the ancient -scientist replied placidly. "In the laboratory, however, I can and -will inform you fully in a few minutes concerning everything that has -happened."</p> - -<p>Utter stranger himself to deception in any form, as was his whole race, -Rovol was easily and completely deceived by the consummate acting, both -physical and mental, of DuQuesne and Loring. Therefore, as soon as the -three had donned the headsets of the wonderfully efficient Norlaminian -educator, Rovol gave to the Terrestrial adventurers without reserve his -every mental image and his every stored fact concerning Seaton and his -supposedly ill-fated last voyage.</p> - -<p>Even more clearly than as if he himself had seen them all happen, -DuQuesne beheld and understood Seaton's visit to Norlamin, the story -of the Fenachrone peril, the building of the fifth-order projector, -the demolition of Fenor's space fleet, the revenge-purposed flight -of Ravindau the scientist, and the complete volatilization of the -Fenachrone planet.</p> - -<p>He saw Seaton's gigantic space cruiser <i>Skylark Three</i> come into being -and, uranium-driven, speed out into the awesome void of intergalactic -space in pursuit of the last survivors of the Fenachrone race. He -watched the mighty <i>Three</i> overtake the fleeing vessel, and understood -every detail of the epic engagement that ensued, clear to its -cataclysmic end. He watched the victorious battleship speed on and -on, deeper and deeper into the intergalactic void, until she began -to approach the limiting range of even the stupendous fifty-order -projector by means of which he knew the watching had been done.</p> - -<p>Then, at the tantalizing limit of visibility, something began to -happen; something at the very incomprehensibility of which DuQuesne -strained both mind and eye, exactly as had Rovol when it had taken -place so long before. The immense bulk of the <i>Skylark</i> disappeared -behind zone after impenetrable zone of force, and it became -increasingly evident that from behind those supposedly impervious and -impregnable shields Seaton was waging a terrific battle against some -unknown opponent, some foe invisible even to fifth-order vision.</p> - -<p>For nothing was visible—nothing, that is, save the released energies -which, leaping through level after level, reached at last even to the -visible spectrum. Yet forces of such unthinkable magnitude were warring -there that space itself was being deformed visibly, moment by moment. -For a long time the space strains grew more and more intense, then -they disappeared instantly. Simultaneously the <i>Skylark's</i> screens of -force went down and she was for an instant starkly visible before she -exploded into a vast ball of appallingly radiant, flaming vapor.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>In that instant of clear visibility, however, Rovol's mighty mind had -photographed every salient visible feature of the great cruiser of the -void. Being almost at the limit of range of the projector, details were -of course none too plain; but certain things were evident. The human -beings were no longer aboard; the little lifeboat that was <i>Skylark -Two</i> was no longer in her spherical berth; and there were unmistakable -signs of a purposeful and deliberate departure.</p> - -<p>"And," Rovol spoke aloud as he removed the headset, "although we -searched minutely and most carefully all the surrounding space we could -find nothing tangible. From these observations it is all too plain that -Seaton was attacked by some intelligence wielding dirigible forces of -the sixth order; that he was able to set up a defensive pattern; that -his supply of power-uranium was insufficient to cope with the attacking -forces; and that he took the last desperate means of escaping from his -foes by rotating <i>Skylark Two</i> into the unknown region of the fourth -dimension."</p> - -<p>DuQuesne's stunned mind groped for a moment in an amazement akin to -stupefaction, but he recovered quickly and decided upon his course.</p> - -<p>"Well, what are you doing about it?" he snapped.</p> - -<p>"We have done and are doing everything possible for us, in our present -state of knowledge and advancement, to do," Rovol replied placidly. "We -sent out forces, as I told you, which obtained and recorded all the -phenomena to which they were sensitive. It is true that a great deal of -data escaped them, because the primary impulses originated in a level -beyond our present knowledge, but the fact that we cannot understand it -has only intensified our interest in the problem. It shall be solved. -After its solution we shall know what steps to take and those steps -shall then be taken."</p> - -<p>"Have you any idea how long it will take to solve the problem?"</p> - -<p>"Not the slightest. Perhaps one lifetime, perhaps many—who knows? -However, rest assured that it shall be solved, and that the condition -shall be dealt with in the manner which shall best serve the interest -of humanity as a whole."</p> - -<p>"But good heavens!" exclaimed DuQuesne. "In the meantime, what of -Seaton and Crane?" He was now speaking his true thoughts. Upon this, -his first encounter, he could in nowise understand the deep, calm, -timeless trend of mind of the Norlaminians; not even dimly could he -grasp or appreciate the seemingly slow but inexorably certain method -in which they pursued relentlessly any given line of research to its -ultimate conclusion.</p> - -<p>"If it should be graven upon the sphere that they shall pass they -may—and will—pass in all tranquility, for they know full well that it -was not in idle gesture that the massed intellect of Norlamin assured -them that their passing should not be in vain. You, however, youths of -an unusually youthful and turbulent race, could not be expected to view -the passing of such a one as Seaton from our own mature viewpoint."</p> - -<p>"I'll tell the universe that I don't look at things the way you do!" -barked DuQuesne scathingly. "When I go back to Earth—if I go—I shall -at least have tried. I've got a life-sized picture of myself standing -idly by while some one else tries for seven hundred years to decipher -the indecipherable!"</p> - -<p>"There speaks the impetuousness of youth," the old man chided. "I have -told you that we have proved that at present we can do nothing whatever -for the occupants of <i>Skylark Two</i>. Be warned, my rash young friend; do -not tamper with powers entirely beyond your comprehension."</p> - -<p>"Warning be damned!" DuQuesne snorted. "We're shoving off. Come on, -Loring—the quicker we get started the better our chance of getting -something done. You'll be willing to give me the exact bearing and the -distance, won't you, Rovol?"</p> - -<p>"We shall do more than that, son," the Green patriarch replied, while -a shadow came over his wrinkled visage. "Your life is your own, to do -with as you see fit. You have chosen to go in search of your friends, -scorning the odds against you. But before I tell you what I have in -mind, I must try once more to make you see that the courage which -dictates the useless sacrifice of a life ceases to be courage at all, -but becomes sheerest folly.</p> - -<p>"Since we have had sufficient power several of our youths have been -studying the fourth dimension. They rotated many inanimate objects into -that region, but could recover none of them. Instead of waiting until -they had derived the fundamental equations governing such phenomena -they rashly visited that region in person, in a vain attempt to achieve -a short cut to knowledge. Not one of them has come back.</p> - -<p>"Now I declare to you in all solemnity that the quest you wish to -undertake, involving as it does not only that entirely unknown region -but also the equally unknown sixth order of vibrations, is to you at -present utterly impossible. Do you still insist upon going?"</p> - -<p>"We certainly do. You may as well save your breath."</p> - -<p>"Very well; so be it. Frankly, I had but little hope of swerving you -from your purpose by reason. But before you go we shall supply you -with every resource at our command which may in any way operate to -increase your infinitesimal chance of success. We shall build for you a -duplicate of Seaton's own <i>Skylark Three</i>, equipped with every device -known to our science, and we shall instruct you fully in the use of -those devices before you set out."</p> - -<p>"But the time—" DuQuesne began to object.</p> - -<p>"A matter of hours only," Rovol silenced him. "True, it took us some -little time to build <i>Skylark Three</i>, but that was because it had -not been done before. Every force employed in her construction was -of course recorded, and to reproduce her in every detail, without -attention or supervision, it is necessary only to thread this -tape, thus, into the integrator of my master keyboard. The actual -construction will of course take place in the area of experiment, but -you may watch it, if you wish, in this visiplate. I must make a short -series of observations at this time. I will return in ample time to -instruct you in the operation of the vessel and of everything in it."</p> - -<p>In stunned amazement the two men stared into the visiplate, so -engrossed in what they saw there that they scarcely noticed the -departure of the aged scientist. For before their eyes there had -already sprung into being an enormous structure of laced and latticed -members of purple metal, stretching over two miles of level plain. -While it was very narrow for its length, yet its fifteen hundred feet -of diameter dwarfed into insignificance the many outlandish structures -near by, and under their staring eyes the vessel continued to take -form with unbelievable rapidity. Gigantic girders appeared in place as -though by magic; skin after skin of thick, purple inoson was welded -on; all without the touch of a hand, without the thought of a brain, -without the application of any visible force.</p> - -<p>"Now you can say it, Doll; there's no spy ray on us here. What a -break—what a break!" exulted DuQuesne. "The old fossil swallowed it -bodily, hook, line, and sinker!"</p> - -<p>"It may not be so good, though, at that, chief, in one way. He's -going to watch us, to help us out if we get into a jam, and with that -infernal telescope, or whatever it is, the Earth is right under his -nose."</p> - -<p>"Simpler than taking milk away from a blind kitten," the saturnine -chemist gloated. "We'll go out to where Seaton went, only farther—out -beyond the reach of his projector. There, completely out of touch with -him, we'll circle around the Galaxy back to Earth and do our stuff. -Easier than dynamiting fish in a bucket—the old sap's handing me -everything I want, right on a silver platter!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusc3.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">VIII.</p> - - -<p>Six mighty rotating currents of electricity impinged simultaneously -upon the spherical hull of <i>Skylark Two</i> and she disappeared utterly. -No exit had been opened and the walls remained solid, but where the -forty-foot globe of arenak had rested in her cradle an instant before -there was nothing. Pushed against by six balancing and gigantic -forces, twisted cruelly by six couples of angular force of unthinkable -magnitude, the immensely strong arenak shell of the vessel had held -and, following the path of least resistance—the only path in which -she could escape from those irresistible forces—she had shot out of -space as we know it and into the impossible reality of that hyperspace -which Seaton's vast mathematical knowledge had enabled him so dimly to -perceive.</p> - -<p>As those forces smote his vessel, Seaton felt himself compressed. He -was being driven together irresistibly in all three dimensions, and -in those dimensions and at the same time he was as irresistibly being -twisted—was being corkscrewed in a monstrously obscure fashion which -permitted him neither to move from his place nor to remain in it. He -hung poised there for interminable hours, even though he knew that the -time required for that current to build up to its inconceivable value -was to be measured only in fractional millionths of a single second.</p> - -<p>Yet he waited strainingly while that force increased at an all but -imperceptible rate, until at last the vessel and all its contents were -squeezed out of space, in a manner somewhat comparable to that in which -an orange pip is forced out from between pressing thumb and resisting -finger.</p> - -<p>At the same time Seaton felt a painless, but unutterably horrible, -transformation of his entire body—a rearrangement, a writhing, -crawling distortion; a hideously revolting and incomprehensibly -impossible extrusion of his bodily substance as every molecule, every -atom, every ultimate particle of his physical structure was compelled -to extend itself into that unknown new dimension.</p> - -<p>He could not move his eyes, yet he saw every detail of the grotesquely -altered space ship. His Earthly mentality could not understand anything -he saw, yet to his transformed brain everything was as usual and quite -in order. Thus the four-dimensional physique that was Richard Seaton -perceived, recognized, and admired as of yore his beloved Dorothy, in -spite of the fact that her normally solid body was now quite plainly -nothing but a three-dimensional surface, solid only in that logically -impossible new dimension which his now four-dimensional brain accepted -as a matter of course, but which his thinking mentality could neither -really perceive nor even dimly comprehend.</p> - -<p>He could not move a muscle, yet in some obscure and impossible way -he leaped toward his wife. Immobile though tongue and jaws were, yet -he spoke to her reassuringly, remonstratingly, as he gathered up her -trembling form and silenced her hysterical outbursts.</p> - -<p>"Steady on, dear, it's all right—everything's jake. Hold everything, -dear. Pipe down, I tell you! This is nothing to let get your goat. Snap -out of it, Red-Top!"</p> - -<p>"But, Dick, it's—it's just—"</p> - -<p>"Hold it!" he commanded. "You're going off the deep end again. I can't -say that I expected anything like this, either, but when you think -about things it's natural enough that they should be this way. You -see, while we've apparently got four-dimensional bodies and brains -now, our intellects are still three-dimensional, which complicates -things considerably. We can handle things and recognize them, but we -can't think about our physical forms, understand them, or express them -either in words or in thoughts. Peculiar, and nerve-wracking enough, -especially for you girls, but quite normal—see?"</p> - -<p>"Well, maybe—after a fashion. I was afraid that I had really gone -crazy back there, at first, but if you feel that way, too, I know -it's all right. But you said that we'd be gone only a skillionth of a -second, and we've been here a week already, at the very least."</p> - -<p>"All wrong, dear—at least, partly wrong. Time does go faster here, -apparently, so that we seem to have been here quite a while; but as -far as our own time is concerned we haven't been here anywhere near a -millionth of a second yet. See that plunger? It's still moving in—it -has barely made contact. Time is purely relative, you know, and it -moves so fast here that that plunger switch, traveling so fast that the -eye cannot follow it at all ordinarily, seems to us to be perfectly -stationary."</p> - -<p>"But it <i>must</i> have been longer than that, Dick! Look at all the -talking we've done. I'm a fast talker, I know, but even I can't talk -that fast!"</p> - -<p>"You aren't talking—haven't you discovered that yet? You are thinking, -and we are getting your thoughts as speech; that's all. Don't believe -it? All right; there's your tongue, right there—or better, take your -heart. It's that funny-looking object right there—see it? It isn't -beating—that is, it would seem to us to take weeks, or possibly -months, to beat. Take hold of it—feel it for yourself."</p> - -<p>"Take <i>hold</i> of it! My own heart? Why, it's inside me, between my -ribs—I couldn't, possibly!"</p> - -<p>"Sure you can! That's your intellect talking now, not your brain. -You're four-dimensional now, remember, and what you used to call your -body is nothing but the three-dimensional hypersurface of your new -hyperbody. You can take hold of your heart or your gizzard just as -easily as you used to pat yourself on the nose with a powder puff."</p> - -<p>"Well, I won't, then—why, I wouldn't touch that thing for a million -dollars!"</p> - -<p>"All right; watch me feel mine, then. See, it's perfectly motionless, -and my tongue is, too. And there's something else that I never -expected to look at—my appendix. Good thing you're in good shape, old -vermiform, or I'd take a pair of scissors and snick you off while I've -got such a good chance to do it without—"</p> - -<p>"Dick!" shrieked Dorothy. "For the love of Heaven—"</p> - -<p>"Calm down, Dottie, calm down. I'm just trying to get you used to this -mess—I'll try something else. Here, you know what this is—a new can -of tobacco, with the lid soldered on tight. In three dimensions there's -no way of getting into it without breaking metal—you've opened lots -of them. But out here I simply reach <i>past</i> the metal of the container, -like this, see, in the fourth dimension? Then I take out a pinch of the -tobacco, so, and put it into my pipe, thus. The can is still soldered -tight, no holes in it anywhere, but the tobacco is out, nevertheless. -Inexplicable in three-dimensional space, impossible for us really to -understand mentally, but physically perfectly simple and perfectly -natural after you get used to it. That'll straighten you out some, -perhaps."</p> - -<p>"Well, maybe—I guess I won't get frantic again, Dickie—but just the -same, it's altogether too perfectly darn weird to suit me. Why don't -you pull that switch back out and stop us?"</p> - -<p>"Wouldn't do any good—wouldn't stop us, because we have already had -the impulse and are simply traveling on momentum now. When that is used -up—in some extremely small fraction of a second of our time—we'll -snap back into our ordinary space, but we can't do a thing about it -until then."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"But how can we move around so fast?" asked Margaret from the -protecting embrace of the monstrosity that they knew to be Martin -Crane. "How about inertia? I should think we'd break our bones all to -pieces."</p> - -<p>"You can't move a three-dimensional body that fast, as we found out -when the force was coming on," Seaton replied. "But I don't think that -we are ordinary matter any more, and apparently our three-dimensional -laws no longer govern, now that we are in hyperspace. Inertia is based -upon time, of course, so our motion might be all right, even at that. -Mechanics seem to be different here, though, and, while we seem solid -enough, we certainly aren't matter at all in the three-dimensional -sense of the term, as we used it back where we came from. But it's all -over my head like a circus tent—I don't know any more about most of -this stuff than you do. I thought, of course—if I thought at all, -which I doubt—that we'd go <i>through</i> hyperspace in an instant of time, -without seeing it or feeling it in any way, since a three-dimensional -body cannot exist, of course, in four-dimensional space. How did we get -this way, Mart? Is this space coexistent with ours or not?"</p> - -<p>"I believe that it is." Crane, the methodical, had been thinking -deeply, considering every phase of their peculiar predicament. -"Coexistent, but different in all its attributes and properties. -Since we may be said to be experiencing two different time rates -simultaneously, we cannot even guess at what our velocity relation is, -in either system of coördinates. As to what happened, that is now quite -clear. Since a three-dimensional object cannot exist in hyperspace, it -of course cannot be thrown or forced through hyperspace.</p> - -<p>"In order to enter this region, our vessel and everything in it had to -acquire the property of extension in another dimension. Your forces, -calculated to rotate us here, in reality forced us to assume that extra -extension, which process automatically moved us from the space in which -we could no longer exist into the only one in which it is possible for -us to exist. When that force is no longer operative, our extension into -the fourth dimension will vanish and we shall as automatically return -to our customary three-dimensional space, but probably not to our -original location in that space. Is that the way you understand it?"</p> - -<p>"That's a lot better than I understood it, and it's absolutely right, -too. Thanks, old thinker! And I certainly hope we don't land back there -where we took off from—that's why we left, because we wanted to get -away from there. The farther the better," Seaton laughed. "Just so we -don't get so far away that the whole Galaxy is out of range of the -object-compasses we've got focused on it. We'd be lost for fair, then."</p> - -<p>"That is a possibility, of course." Crane took the light utterance far -more seriously than did Seaton. "Indeed, if the two time rates are -sufficiently different, it becomes a probability. However, there is -another matter which I think is of more immediate concern. It occurred -to me, when I saw you take that pinch of tobacco without opening the -tin, that everywhere we have gone, even in intergalactic space, we have -found life, some friendly, some inimical. There is no real reason to -suppose that hyperspace is devoid of animate and intelligent life."</p> - -<p>"Oh, Martin!" Margaret shuddered. "Life! Here? In this horrible, this -utterly impossible place?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly, dearest," he replied gravely. "It all goes back to -the conversation we had long ago, during the first trip of the -old <i>Skylark</i>. Remember? Life need not be comprehensible to us to -exist—compared to what we do not know and what we can never either -know or understand, our knowledge is infinitesimal."</p> - -<p>She did not reply and he spoke again to Seaton:</p> - -<p>"It would seem to be almost a certainty that four-dimensional life -does in fact exist. Postulating its existence, the possibility of an -encounter cannot be denied. Such beings could of course enter this -vessel as easily as your fingers entered that tobacco can. The point -of these remarks is this—would we not be at a serious disadvantage? -Would they not have fourth-dimensional shields or walls about which we -three-dimensional intelligences would know nothing?"</p> - -<p>"Sweet spirits of niter!" Seaton exclaimed. "Never thought of that at -all, Mart. Don't see how they could—and yet it does stand to reason -that they'd have some way of locking up their horses so they couldn't -run away, or so that nobody else could steal them. We'll have to do a -job of thinking on that, big fellow, and we'd better start right now. -Come on—let's get busy!"</p> - -<p>Then for what seemed hours the two scientists devoted the power -of their combined intellects to the problem of an adequate -fourth-dimensional defense, only and endlessly to find themselves -butting helplessly against a blank wall.</p> - -<p>Baffled, they drifted on through the unknowable reaches of hyperspace. -All they knew of time was that it was hopelessly distorted; of space -that it was hideously unrecognizable; of matter that it obeyed no -familiar laws. They drifted, and drifted—futilely, timelessly, -aimlessly, endlessly—</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">IX.</p> - - -<p>When <i>Skylark Three</i> left Norlamin in pursuit of the fleeing vessel of -Ravindau, the Fenachrone scientist, the occasion had been made an event -of world-wide interest. From their tasks everywhere had come the mental -laborers to that stupendous event. To it had come also, practically en -masse, the "youngsters" from the Country of Youth; and even those who, -their life work done, had betaken themselves to the placid Nirvana of -the Country of Age returned briefly to the Country of Study to speed -upon its epoch-making way that stupendous messenger of civilization.</p> - -<p>But in sharp contrast to the throngs of Norlaminians who had witnessed -the take-off of <i>Three</i>, Rovol alone was present when DuQuesne and -Loring wafted themselves into the control room of its gigantic -counterpart. DuQuesne had been in a hurry, and in the driving urge -of his haste to go to the rescue of his "friend" Seaton he had so -completely occupied the mind of Rovol that that aged scientist had had -no time to do anything except transfer to the brain of the Terrestrial -pirate the knowledge which he would so soon require.</p> - -<p>Of the real reason for this overweening haste, however, Rovol -had not had the slightest inkling. DuQuesne well knew what the -ancient physicist did not even suspect—that if any one of several -Norlaminians, particularly one Drasnik, First of Psychology, should -become informed of the proposed flight, that flight would not -take place. For Drasnik, that profound student of the mind, would -not be satisfied with DuQuesne's story without a thorough mental -examination—an examination which, DuQuesne well knew, he could not -pass. Therefore Rovol alone saw them off, but what he lacked in numbers -he made up in sincerity.</p> - -<p>"I am very sorry that the exigencies of the situation did not permit a -more seemly leave-taking," he said in parting, "but I can assure you of -the coöperation of every one of us whose brain can be of any use. We -shall watch you, and shall aid you in any way we can."</p> - -<p>"Farewell to you, Rovol, my friend and my benefactor, and to all -Norlamin," DuQuesne replied solemnly. "I thank you from the bottom of -my heart for everything you have done for us and for Seaton, and for -what you may yet be called upon to do for all of us."</p> - -<p>He touched a stud and in each of the many skins of the great cruiser a -heavy door drove silently shut, establishing a manifold seal.</p> - -<p>His hand moved over the controls, and the gigantic vessel tilted -slowly upward until her narrow prow pointed almost directly into the -zenith. Then, easily as a wafted feather, the unimaginable mass of -the immense cruiser of space floated upward with gradually increasing -velocity. Faster and faster she flew, out beyond measurable atmospheric -pressure, out beyond the outermost limits of the Green System, swinging -slowly into a right line toward the point in space where Seaton, his -companions, and both their space ships had disappeared.</p> - -<p>On and on she drove, now at high acceleration; the stars, so widely -spaced at first, crowding closer and closer together as her speed, long -since incomprehensible to any finite mind, mounted to a value almost -incalculable. Past the system of the Fenachrone she hurtled; past -the last outlying fringe of stars of our Galaxy; on and on into the -unexplored, awesome depths of free and absolute space.</p> - -<p>Behind her the vast assemblage of stars comprising our island universe -dwindled to a huge, flaming lens, to a small but bright lenticular -nebula, and finally to a mere point of luminosity.</p> - -<p>For days communication with Rovol had been difficult, since as the -limit of projection was approached it became impossible for the most -powerful forces at Rovol's command to hold a projection upon the flying -vessel. In order to communicate, Rovol had to send out a transmitting -and receiving projection.</p> - -<p>As the distance grew still greater, DuQuesne had done the same thing. -Now it was becoming evident, by the wavering and fading of the signals, -that even the two projections, reaching out toward each other though -they were, would soon be out of touch, and DuQuesne sent out his last -message:</p> - -<p>"There is no use in trying to keep in communication any longer, as our -beams are falling apart fast. I am on negative acceleration now, of an -amount calculated to bring us down to maneuvering velocity at the point -to which the inertia of <i>Skylark Two</i> would have carried her, without -power, at the time when we shall arrive there. Please keep a listening -post established out this way as far as you can, and I will try to -reach it if I find out anything. If I fail—good-by!"</p> - -<p>"The poor, dumb cluck!" DuQuesne sneered as he shut off his sender and -turned to Loring. "That was so easy that it was a shame to take it, but -we're certainly set to go now."</p> - -<p>"I'll say so!" Loring agreed enthusiastically. "That was a nice touch, -chief, telling him to keep a lookout out here. He'll do it with forces, -of course, not in person; but at that it'll keep him from thinking -about the Earth until you're all set."</p> - -<p>"You've got the idea, Doll. If they had any suspicion at all that we -were heading back for the Earth they could block us yet, easily enough; -but if we can get back inside the Solar System before they smell a rat -it will be too late for them to do anything."</p> - -<p>He rotated his ship through an angle of ninety degrees upon her -longitudinal axis and applied enough downward acceleration to swing her -around in such an immense circle that she would approach the Galaxy -from the side opposite to that from which she had left it.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Then, during days that lengthened into weeks and months of dull and -monotonous flight, the two men occupied themselves, each in his -own individual fashion. There was no piloting to do and no need of -vigilance, for space to a distance of untold billions of miles was -absolutely and utterly empty.</p> - -<p>Loring, unemotional and incurious, performed what simple routine -housekeeping there was to do, ate, slept, and smoked. During the -remainder of the time he simply sat still, stolidly doing nothing -whatever until the time should come when DuQuesne would tell him to -perform some specific act.</p> - -<p>DuQuesne, on the other hand, dynamic and energetic to his ultimate -fiber, found not a single idle moment. His newly acquired knowledge -was so vast that he needs must explore and catalogue his own brain, -to be sure that he would be able instantly to call upon whatever -infinitesimal portion of it might be needed in some emergency.</p> - -<p>The fifth-order projector, with its almost infinitely complicated -keyboard, must needs be studied until its every possible resource of -integration, permutation, and combination held from him no more secrets -than does his console from a master of the pipe organ. Thus it was that -the Galaxy loomed ahead, a stupendous lens of flame, before DuQuesne -had really realized that the long voyage was almost over.</p> - -<p>To his present mentality, working with his newly acquired fifth-order -projector, the task of locating our Solar System was but the work of a -moment; and to the power and speed of his new space ship the distance -from the Galaxy's edge to the Earth was merely a longish jaunt.</p> - -<p>When they approached the Earth it appeared as a softly shining, -greenish half moon. With fleecy wisps of cloud obscuring its surface -here and there, with gleaming ice caps making of its poles two -brilliant areas of white, it presented an arrestingly beautiful -spectacle indeed; but DuQuesne was not interested in beauty. Driving -down from the empty reaches of space north of the ecliptic, he observed -that Washington was in the morning zone, and soon his great vessel was -poised motionless, invisibly high above the city.</p> - -<p>His first act was to throw out an ultra-powered detector screen, with -automatic trips and tighteners, around the entire Solar System; out -far beyond the outermost point of the orbit of Pluto. Its every part -remained unresponsive. No foreign radiation was present in all that -vast volume of space, and DuQuesne turned to his henchman with cold -satisfaction stamped upon his every hard lineament.</p> - -<p>"No interference at all, Doll. No ships, no projections, no spy rays, -nothing," he said. "I can really get to work now. I won't be needing -you for a while, and I imagine that, after being out in space so long, -you would like to circulate around with the boys and girls for a couple -of weeks or so. How are you fixed for money?"</p> - -<p>"Well, chief, I could do with a small binge and a few nights out among -'em, if it's all right with you," Loring admitted. "As for money, -I've got only a couple of hundred on me, but I can get some at the -office—we're quite a few pay days behind, you know."</p> - -<p>"Never mind about going to the office. I don't know exactly how well -Brookings is going to like some of the things I'm going to tell him, -and you're working for <i>me</i>, you know, not for the office. I've got -plenty. Here's five thousand, and you can have three weeks to spend it -in. Three weeks from to-day I'll call you on your wireless phone and -tell you what to do. Until then, do as you please. Where do you want me -to set you down? Perhaps the Perkins roof will be clear at this hour."</p> - -<p>"Good as any. Thanks, chief," and without even a glance to assure -himself that DuQuesne was at the controls Loring made his way through -the manifold airlocks and calmly stepped out into ten thousand feet of -empty air.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>DuQuesne caught the falling man neatly with an attractor beam and -lowered him gently to the now-deserted roof of the Perkins Café—that -famous restaurant which had been planned and was maintained by the -World Steel Corporation as a blind for its underground activities. -He then seated himself at his console and drove his projection down -into the innermost private office of World Steel. He did not at first -thicken the pattern into visibility, but remained invisible, studying -Brookings, now president of that industrial octopus, the World Steel -Corporation.</p> - -<p>The magnate was seated as of yore in a comfortably padded chair at his -massive and ornate desk, the focus and the center of a maze of secret -private communication bands and even more secret private wires. For -Steel was a growing octopus and its voraciously insatiable maw must be -fed.</p> - -<p>Brookings had but one motto, one tenet—get it. By fair play at times, -although this method was employed but seldom; by bribery, corruption, -and sabotage as the usual thing; by murder, arson, mayhem, and all -other known forces of foul play if necessary or desirable—Steel got it.</p> - -<p>To be found out was the only sin, and that was usually only venial -instead of cardinal; for it was because of that sometimes unavoidable -contingency that Steel not only retained the shrewdest legal minds in -the world, but also wielded certain subterranean forces sufficiently -powerful to sway even supposedly incorruptible courts of justice.</p> - -<p>Occasionally, of course, the sin was cardinal; the transgression -irremediable: the court unreachable. In that case the octopus lost a -very minor tentacle; but the men really guilty had never been brought -to book.</p> - -<p>Into the center of this web, then, DuQuesne drove his projection and -listened. For a whole long week he kept at Brookings' elbow, day and -night. He listened and spied, studied and planned, until his now -gigantic mentality not only had grasped every detail of everything that -had developed during his long absence and of everything that was then -going on, but also had planned meticulously the course which he would -pursue. Then, late one afternoon, he cut in his audio and spoke.</p> - -<p>"I knew of course that you would try to double-cross me, Brookings, but -even I had no idea that you would make such an utter fool of yourself -as you have."</p> - -<p>As he heard the sneering, cutting tone of the scientist's -well-remembered voice, the magnate seemed to shrink visibly; his face -turning a pasty gray as the blood receded from it.</p> - -<p>"DuQuesne!" he gasped. "Where—are you?"</p> - -<p>"I'm right beside you, and I have been for over a week." DuQuesne -thickened his image to full visibility and grinned sardonically as -the man at the desk reached hesitantly toward a button. "Go ahead and -push it—and see what happens. Surely even you are not dumb enough to -suppose that a man with my brain—even the brain I had when I left -here—would take any chances with such a rat as you have always shown -yourself to be?"</p> - -<p>Brookings sank back into his chair, shaking visibly. "What are you, -anyway? You look like DuQuesne, and yet—" His voice died away.</p> - -<p>"That's better, Brookings. Don't ever start anything that you can't -finish. You are and always were a physical coward. You're one of the -world's best at bossing dirty work from a distance, but as soon as it -gets close to you you fold up like an accordion.</p> - -<p>"As to what this is that I am talking and seeing from, it is -technically known as a projection. You don't know enough to understand -it even if I should try to explain it to you, which I have no intention -of doing. It's enough for you to know that it is something that -has all the advantages of an appearance in person, and none of the -disadvantages. None of them—remember that word.</p> - -<p>"Now I'll get down to business. When I left here I told you to hold -your cockeyed ideas in check—that I would be back in less than five -years, with enough stuff to do things in a big way. You didn't wait -five days, but started right in with your pussyfooting and gumshoeing -around, with the usual result—instead of cleaning up the mess, you -made it messier than ever. You see, I've got all the dope on you—I -even know that you were going to try to gyp me out of my back pay."</p> - -<p>"Oh, no, doctor; you are mistaken, really," Brookings assured him. He -was fast regaining his usual poise, and his mind was again functioning -in its wonted devious fashion. "We have really been trying to carry on -until you got back, exactly as you told us to. And your salary has been -continued in full, of course—you can draw it all at any time."</p> - -<p>"I know I can, in spite of you. However, I am no longer interested -in money. I never cared for it except for the power it gave, and I -have brought back with me power far beyond that of money. Also I have -learned that knowledge is even greater than power. I have also learned, -too, however, that in order to increase my present knowledge—yes, even -to protect that which I already have—I shall soon need a supply of -energy a million times greater than the present peak output of all the -generators of Earth. As a first step in my project I am taking control -of Steel right now, and I am going to do things the way they should be -done."</p> - -<p>"But you can't do that, doctor!" protested Brookings volubly. "We will -give you anything you ask, of course, but—"</p> - -<p>"But nothing!" interrupted DuQuesne. "I'm not asking a thing of you, -Brookings—I'm <i>telling</i> you!"</p> - -<p>"You think you are!" Brookings, goaded to action at last, pressed a -button savagely, while DuQuesne looked on in calm contempt.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Behind the desk, ports flashed open and rifles roared thunderously in -the confined space. Heavy bullets tore through the peculiar substance -of the projection and smashed into the plastered wall behind it, but -DuQuesne's contemptuous grin did not change. He moved slowly forward, -hands outthrust. Brookings screamed once—a scream that died away to a -gurgle as fingers of tremendous strength closed about his flabby neck.</p> - -<p>There had been four riflemen on guard. Two of them threw down their -guns and fled in panic, amazed and terrified at the failure of their -bullets to take effect. Those guards died in their tracks as they ran. -The other two rushed upon DuQuesne with weapons clubbed. But steel -barrel and wooden stock alike rebounded harmlessly from that pattern of -force, fiercely driven knives penetrated it but left no wound, and the -utmost strength of the two brawny men could not even shift the position -of the weird being's inhumanly powerful fingers upon the throat of -their employer. Therefore they stopped their fruitless attempts at a -rescue and stood, dumfounded.</p> - -<p>"Good work, boys," DuQuesne commended. "You've got nerve—that's -why I didn't bump you off. You can keep on guarding this idiot here -after I get done teaching him a thing or two. As for you, Brookings," -he continued, loosening his grip sufficiently so that his victim -could retain consciousness, "I let you try that to show you the real -meaning of futility. I told you particularly to remember that this -projection has <i>none</i> of the disadvantages of a personal appearance, -but apparently you didn't have enough brain power to grasp the thought. -Now, are you going to work with me the way I want you to or not?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes—I'll do anything you say," Brookings promised.</p> - -<p>"All right, then." DuQuesne resumed his former position in front of -the desk. "You are wondering why I didn't finish choking you to death, -since you know that I am not at all squeamish about such things. I'll -tell you. I didn't kill you because I may be able to use you. I am -going to make World Steel the real government of the Earth, and its -president will therefore be dictator of the world. I do not want the -job myself because I will be too busy extending and consolidating -my authority, and with other things, to bother about the details of -governing the planet. As I have said before, you are probably the best -manager alive to-day; but when it comes to formulating policies you're -a complete bust. I am giving you the job of world dictator under one -condition—that you run it <i>exactly</i> as I tell you to."</p> - -<p>"Ah, a wonderful opportunity, doctor! I assure you that—"</p> - -<p>"Just a minute, Brookings! I can read your mind like an open book. You -are still thinking that you can slip one over on me. Know now, once -and for all, that it can't be done. I am keeping on you continuously -automatic devices that are recording every order that you give, every -message that you receive or send, and every thought that you think. -The first time that you try any more of your funny work on me I will -come back here and finish up the job I started a few minutes ago. Play -along with me and you can run the Earth as you please, subject only to -my direction in broad matters of policy; try to double-cross me and you -pass out of the picture. Get me?"</p> - -<p>"I understand you thoroughly." Brookings' agile mind flashed over -the possibilities of DuQuesne's stupendous plan. His eyes sparkled -as he thought of his own place in that plan, and he became his usual -blandly alert self. "As world dictator, I would of course be in a -higher place than any that World Steel, as at present organized, could -possibly offer. Therefore I will be glad to accept your offer, without -reservations. Now, if you will go ahead and give me an outline of what -you propose. I will admit that I did harbor a few mental reservations -at first, but you have convinced me that you actually can deliver the -goods."</p> - -<p>"That's better. I will show you very shortly whether I can deliver. -I have prepared full plans for the rebuilding of all our stations -and Seaton's into my new type of power plant for the erection of a -new plant at every strategic point throughout the world, and for -interlocking all these stations into one system. Here they are." A -bound volume of data and a mass of blue prints materialized in the air -and dropped upon the desk. "As soon as I have gone you can call in the -chiefs of the engineering staff and put them to work."</p> - -<p>"I perceive what seem to me to be obstacles," Brookings remarked, after -his practiced eye had run over the salient points of the project and -he had leafed over the pile of blue prints. "We have not been able to -do anything with Seaton's plants because of their enormous reserves of -power, and his number one plant is to be the key station of our new -network. Also, there simply are not men enough to do this work. These -are slack times, I know, but even if we could get every unemployed man -we still would not have enough. And, by the way, what became of Seaton? -He apparently has not been around for some time."</p> - -<p>"You needn't worry about Seaton's plants—I'll line them up for you -myself. As for Seaton, he was chased into the fourth dimension. He -hasn't got back yet, and he probably won't; as I will explain to his -crowd when I take them over. As for men, we shall have the combined -personnel of all the armies and navies of the world. You think that -even that force won't be enough, but it will. As you go over those -plans in detail, you will see that by the proper use of dirigible -forces we shall have plenty of man power."</p> - -<p>"How do you intend to subdue the armies and navies of the world?"</p> - -<p>"It would take too long to go into detail. Turn on that radio there -and listen, however, and you'll get it all—in fact, being on the -inside, you'll be able to do a lot of reading between the lines that no -one else will. Also, what I am going to do next will settle the doubt -that is still in your mind as to whether I've really got the stuff."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The projection vanished, and in a few minutes every radio receiving -set throughout the world burst into stentorian voice. DuQuesne was -broadcasting simultaneously upon every channel from five meters -to five thousand, using a wave of such tremendous power that even -two-million-watt stations were smothered at the very bases of their own -transmitting towers.</p> - -<p>"People of Earth, attention!" the speakers blared. "I am speaking -for the World Steel Corporation. From this time on the governments -of all nations of the Earth will be advised and guided by the World -Steel Corporation. For a long time I have sought some method of doing -away with the stupidities of the present national governments. I have -studied the possibilities of doing away with war and its attendant -horrors. I have considered all feasible methods of correcting your -present economic system, under which you have had constantly recurring -cycles of boom and panic.</p> - -<p>"Most of you have thought for years that something should be done -about all these things. You are not only unorganized, however; you are -and always have been racially distrustful and hence easily exploited -by every self-seeking demagogue who has arisen to proclaim the dawn -of a new day. Thus you have been able to do nothing to improve world -conditions.</p> - -<p>"It was not difficult to solve the problem of the welfare of mankind. -It was quite another matter, however, to find a way of enforcing -that solution. At last I have found it. I have developed a power -sufficiently great to compel world-wide disarmament and to inaugurate -productive employment of all men now bearing arms, as well as all -persons now unemployed, at shorter hours and larger wages than any -heretofore known. I have also developed means whereby I can trace -with absolute certainty the perpetrators of any known crime, past or -present; and I have both the power and the will to deal summarily with -habitual criminals.</p> - -<p>"The revolution which I am accomplishing will harm no one except -parasites upon the body politic. National boundaries and customs shall -remain as they now are. Governments will be overruled only when and as -they impede the progress of civilization. War, however, will not be -tolerated. I shall prevent it, not by killing the soldiers who would do -the actual fighting, but by putting out of existence every person who -attempts to foment strife. Those schemers I shall kill without mercy, -long before their plans shall have matured.</p> - -<p>"Trade shall be encouraged, and industry. Prosperity shall be -world-wide and continuous, because of the high level of employment and -remuneration. I do not ask you to believe all this, I am merely telling -you. Wait and see—it will come true in less than thirty days.</p> - -<p>"I shall now demonstrate my power by rendering the navy of the United -States helpless, without taking a single life. I am now poised low over -the city of Washington. I invite the Seventieth Bombing Squadron, which -I see has already taken to the air, to drop their heaviest bombs upon -me. I shall move out over the Potomac, so that the fragments will do -no damage, and I shall not retaliate. I could wipe out that squadron -without effort, but I have no desire to destroy brave men who are only -obeying blindly the dictates of an outworn system."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The space ship, which had extended across the city from Chevy Chase -to Anacostia, moved out over the river, followed by the relatively -tiny bombers. After a time the entire countryside was shaken by the -detonations of the world's heaviest projectiles, but DuQuesne's cold, -clear voice went on:</p> - -<p>"The bombers have done their best, but they have not even marred the -outer plating of my ship. I will now show you what I can do if I should -decide to do it. There is an obsolete battleship anchored off the Cape, -which was to have been sunk by naval gunfire. I direct a force upon -it—it is gone; volatilized almost instantly.</p> - -<p>"I am now over Sandy Hook. I am not destroying the coast-defense -guns, as I cannot do so without killing men. Therefore I am simply -uprooting them and am depositing them gently upon the mud flats of the -Mississippi River, at St. Louis, Missouri. Now I am sending out a force -to each armed vessel of the United States navy, wheresoever situated -upon the face of the globe.</p> - -<p>"At such speed as is compatible with the safety of the personnel, I am -transporting those vessels through the air toward Salt Lake City, Utah. -To-morrow morning every unit of the American navy will float in Great -Salt Lake. If you do not believe that I am doing this, read in your own -newspaper to-morrow that I have done it.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus5.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>"To-morrow morning," the cold, clear voice went on, "every -unit of the American navy will float in Great Salt Lake."</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"To-morrow I shall treat similarly the navies of Great Britain, France, -Italy, Japan, and the other maritime nations. I shall deal then with -the naval bases of the world and with the military forces and their -fortifications.</p> - -<p>"I have already taken steps to abate the nuisance of certain widely -known criminals and racketeers who have been conducting, quite openly -and flagrantly, a reign of terror for profit. Seven of those men have -already died, and ten more are to die to-night. Your homes shall -be safe from the kidnaper; your businesses shall be safe from the -extortioner and his skulking aid, the dynamiter.</p> - -<p>"In conclusion, I tell you that the often-promised new era is here; not -in words, but in actuality. Good-by until to-morrow."</p> - -<p>DuQuesne flashed his projection down into Brookings' office. "Well, -Brookings, that's the start. You understand now what I am going to do, -and you know that I can do it."</p> - -<p>"Yes. You undoubtedly have immense power, and you have taken exactly -the right course to give us the support of a great number of people who -would ordinarily be bitterly opposed to anything we do. But that talk -of wiping out gangsters and racketeers sounded funny, coming from you."</p> - -<p>"Why should it? We are now beyond that stage. And, while public opinion -is not absolutely necessary to our success it is always a potent force. -No program of despotism, however benevolent, can expect to be welcomed -unanimously; but the course I have outlined will at least divide the -opposition."</p> - -<p>DuQuesne cut off his forces and sat back at the controls, relaxed, -his black eyes staring into infinity. Earth was his, to do with as -he wished; and he would soon have it so armed that he could hold it -against the universe. Master of Earth! His highest ambition had been -attained—or had it? The world, after all, was small—merely a mote in -space. Why not be master of the entire Galaxy? There was Norlamin to be -considered, of course—</p> - -<p>Norlamin!</p> - -<p>Norlamin would not like the idea and would have to be pacified.</p> - -<p>As soon as he got the Earth straightened out he would have to see what -could be done about Norlamin.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">X.</p> - - -<p>"Dick!" Dorothy shrieked, flashing to Seaton's side; and, abandoning -his fruitless speculations, he turned to confront two indescribable, -yet vaguely recognizable, entities who had floated effortlessly into -the control room of the <i>Skylark</i>. Large they were, and black—a dull, -lusterless black—and each was possessed of four huge, bright lenses -which apparently were eyes. "Dick! What are they, anyway?"</p> - -<p>"Life, probably; the intelligent, four-dimensional life that Mart fully -expected to find here," Seaton answered. "I'll see if I can't send them -a thought."</p> - -<p>Staring directly into those expressionless lenses the man sent out wave -after wave of friendly thought, without result or reaction. He then -turned on the power of the mechanical educator and donned a headset, -extending another toward one of the weird visitors and indicating as -clearly as he could by signs that it was to be placed back of the -outlandish eyes. Nothing happened, however, and Seaton snatched off the -useless phones.</p> - -<p>"Might have known they wouldn't work!" he snorted. "Electricity! Too -slow—and those tubes probably won't be hot in less than ten years -of this hypertime, besides. Probably wouldn't have been any good, -anyway—their minds would of course be four-dimensional, and ours most -distinctly are not. There may be some point—or rather, plane—of -contact between their minds and ours, but I doubt it. They don't act -warlike, though; we'll simply watch them a while and see what they do."</p> - -<p>But if, as Seaton had said, the intruders did not seem inimical, -neither were they friendly. If any emotion at all affected them, it was -apparently nothing more nor less than curiosity. They floated about, -gliding here and there, their great eyes now close to this article, -now that; until at last they floated <i>past</i> the arenak wall of the -spherical space ship and disappeared.</p> - -<p>Seaton turned quickly to his wife, ready to minister again to -overstrained nerves, but much to his surprise he found Dorothy calm and -intensely interested.</p> - -<p>"Funny-looking things, weren't they, Dick?" she asked animatedly. "They -looked just like highly magnified chess knights with four hands; or -like those funny little sea horses they have in the aquarium, only on a -larger scale. Were those propellers they had instead of tails natural -or artificial—could you tell?"</p> - -<p>"Huh? What're you talking about? I didn't see any such details as -that!" Seaton exclaimed.</p> - -<p>"I couldn't, either, really," Dorothy explained, "until after I found -out how to look at them. I don't know whether my method would appeal -to a strictly scientific mind or not. I can't understand any of this -fourth-dimensional, mathematical stuff of yours and Martin's, anyway, -so when I want to see anything out here I just pretend that the -fourth dimension isn't there at all. I just look at what you call the -three-dimensional surface and it looks all right. When I look at you -that way, for instance, you look like my own Dick, instead of like a -cubist's four-dimensional nightmare."</p> - -<p>"You have hit it, Dorothy." Crane had been visualizing four-dimensional -objects as three-dimensional while she was speaking. "That is probably -the only way in which we can really perceive hyperthings at all."</p> - -<p>"It <i>does</i> work, at that!" Seaton exclaimed. "Congratulations, Dot; -you've made a contribution to science—but say, what's coming off now? -We're going somewhere."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>For the <i>Skylark</i>, which had been floating freely in space—a motion -which the senses of the wanderers had long since ceased to interpret -as a sensation of falling—had been given an acceleration. Only a -slight acceleration, barely enough to make the floor of the control -room seem "down," but any acceleration at all in such circumstances was -to the scientists cause for grave concern.</p> - -<p>"Nongravitational, of course, or we couldn't feel it—it'd affect -everything about the ship alike. What's the answer, Mart, if any?" -Seaton demanded. "Suppose that they've taken hold of us with a tractor -ray and are taking us for a ride?"</p> - -<p>"It would appear that way. I wonder if the visiplates are still -practical?" Crane moved over to number one visiplate and turned it in -every direction. Nothing was visible in the abysmal, all-engulfing, -almost palpable darkness of the absolute black outside the hull of the -vessel.</p> - -<p>"It wouldn't work, hardly," Seaton commented. "Look at our time -here—we must be 'way beyond light. I doubt if we could see anything, -even if we had a sixth-order projector—which of course we haven't."</p> - -<p>"But how about our light inside here, then?" asked Margaret. "The lamps -are burning, and we can see things."</p> - -<p>"I don't know, Peg," Seaton replied. "All this stuff is 'way past me. -Maybe it's because the lights are traveling with us—no, that's out. -Probably, as I intimated before, we aren't seeing things at all—just -feeling them, some way or other. That must be it, I think—it's sure -that the light-waves from those lamps are almost perfectly stationary, -as far as we're concerned."</p> - -<p>"Oh, there's something!" Dorothy called. She had remained at the -visiplate, staring into the impenetrable darkness. "See, it just -flashed on! We're falling toward ground of some kind. It doesn't look -like any planet I ever saw before, either—it's perfectly endless and -it's perfectly flat."</p> - -<p>The others rushed to the plates and saw, instead of the utter -blackness of a moment before, an infinite expanse of level, uncurving -hyperland. Though so distant from it that any planetary curvature -should have been evident, they could perceive no such curvature. Flat -that land was, and sunless, but apparently self-luminous; glowing with -a strong, somewhat hazy, violet light. And now they could also see -the craft which had been towing them. It was a lozenge-shaped affair, -glowing fiercely with the peculiarly livid "light" of the hyperplanet; -and was now apparently exerting its maximum tractive effort in a vain -attempt to hold the prodigious mass of <i>Skylark Two</i> against the -seemingly slight force of gravitation.</p> - -<p>"Must be some kind of hyperlight that we're seeing by," Seaton -cogitated. "Must be sixth or seventh-order velocity, at least, or we'd -be—"</p> - -<p>"Never mind the light or our seeing things!" Dorothy interrupted. "We -are falling, and we shall probably hit hard. Can't you do something -about it?"</p> - -<p>"Afraid not, Kitten." He grinned at her. "But I'll try it—Nope, -everything's dead. No power, no control, no nothing, and there won't be -until we snap back where we belong. But don't worry about a crash. Even -if that ground is solid enough to crash us, and I don't think it is, -everything out here, including gravity, seems to be so feeble that it -won't hurt us any."</p> - -<p>Scarcely had he finished speaking when the <i>Skylark</i> struck—or, -rather, floated gently downward into the ground. For, slight as was -the force of gravitation, and partially counteracted as well by the -pull of the towing vessel, the arenak globe did not even pause as -it encountered the apparently solid rock of the planet's surface. -That rock billowed away upon all sides as the <i>Skylark</i> sank into it -and through it, to come to a halt only after her mass had driven a -vertical, smooth-sided well some hundreds of feet in depth.</p> - -<p>Even though the Osnomian metal had been rendered much less dense than -normal by its extrusion and expansion into the fourth dimension, yet it -was still so much denser than the unknown material of the hyperplanet -that it sank into that planet's rocky soil as a bullet sinks into thick -jelly.</p> - -<p>"Well, that's that!" Seaton declared. "Thinness and tenuosity, as well -as feebleness, seem to be characteristics of this hypermaterial. Now -we'll camp here peacefully for a while. Before they succeed in digging -us out—if they try it, which they probably will—we'll be gone."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Again, however, the venturesome and impetuous chemist was wrong. Feeble -the hypermen were, and tenuous, but their curiosity was whetted even -sharper than before. Derricks were rigged, and slings; but even before -the task of hoisting the <i>Skylark</i> to the surface of the planet was -begun, two of the peculiar denizens of the hyperworld were swimming -down through the atmosphere of the four-dimensional well at whose -bottom the Earth vessel lay. Past the arenak wall of the cruiser they -dropped, and into the control room they floated.</p> - -<p>"But I do not understand it at all, Dick," Crane had been arguing. -"Postulating the existence of a three-dimensional object in -four-dimensional space, a four-dimensional being could of course -enter it at will, as your fingers entered that tobacco can. But since -all objects here are in fact and of necessity four-dimensional, that -condition alone should bar any such proceeding. Therefore, since you -actually <i>did</i> take the contents out of that can without opening it, -and since our recent visitors actually <i>did</i> enter and leave our -vessel at will, I can only conclude that we must still be essentially -three-dimensional in nature, even though constrained temporarily to -occupy four-dimensional space."</p> - -<p>"Say, Mart, that's a thought! You're still the champion -ground-and-lofty thinker of the universe, aren't you? That explains -a lot of things I've been worrying myself black in the face about. I -think I can explain it, too, by analogy. Imagine a two-dimensional man, -one centimeter wide and ten or twelve centimeters long; the typical -flatlander of the classical dimensional explanations. There he is, in -a plane, happy as a clam and perfectly at home. Then some force takes -him by one end and rolls him up into a spiral, or sort of semisolid -cylinder, one centimeter long. He won't know what to make of it, but -in reality he'll be a two-dimensional man occupying three-dimensional -space.</p> - -<p>"Now imagine further that we can see him, which of course is a pretty -tall order, but necessary since this is a very rough analogy. We -wouldn't know what to make of him, either, would we? Doesn't that -square up with what we're going through now? We'd think that such a -thing was quite a curiosity and want to find out about it, wouldn't we? -That, I think, explains the whole thing, both our sensations and the -actions of those sea horses—huh! Here they are again. Welcome to our -city, strangers!"</p> - -<p>But the intruders made no sign of understanding the message. They did -not, could not, understand.</p> - -<p>The human beings, now using Dorothy's happily discovered method of -dimensional reduction, saw that the hypermen did indeed somewhat -resemble overgrown sea horses—the hippocampus of Earthly zoölogy—but -sea horses each equipped with a writhing, spinning, air-propeller tail -and with four long and sinuous arms, terminating in many dexterous and -prehensile fingers.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus6.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>Using Dorothy's method of dimensional reduction, Seaton and -the Cranes saw that the hypermen did indeed somewhat resemble overgrown -sea horses.</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Each of those hands held a grappling trident; a peculiar, -four-dimensional hyperforceps whose insulated, interlocking teeth -were apparently electrodes—conductors of some hyperequivalent of our -Earthly electricity. With unmoved, expressionless "faces" the two -visitors floated about the control room, while Seaton and Crane sent -out wave after wave of friendly thought and made signs of friendship in -all the various pantomimic languages at their command.</p> - -<p>"Look out, Mart, they're coming this way! I don't want to start -anything hostile, but I don't particularly like the looks of those -toad-stabbers of theirs, and if they start any funny business with them -maybe we'd better wring their fishy little necks!"</p> - -<p>But there was to be no neck-wringing—then. Slight of strength the -hypermen were, and of but little greater density than the thin air -through which they floated so easily; but they had no need of physical -strength—then.</p> - -<p>Four tridents shot out, and in a monstrously obscure fashion reached -<i>past</i> clothing, skin, and ribs; seizing upon and holding firmly, but -painlessly and gently, the vital nervous centers of the human bodies. -Seaton tried to leap to the attack, but even his quickness was of -no avail—even before he moved, a wave of intolerable agony surged -throughout his being, ceasing only and completely when he relaxed, -relinquishing his pugnacious attempt. Shiro, leaping from the galley -with cleaver upraised, was similarly impaled and similarly subdued.</p> - -<p>Then a hoisting platform appeared, and Seaton and Margaret were forced -to board it. They had no choice; the first tensing of the muscles to -resist the will of the hyperman was quelled instantly by a blast of -such intolerable torture that no human body could possibly defy it for -even the slightest perceptible instant of time.</p> - -<p>"Take it easy, Dot—Mart," Seaton spoke rapidly as the hoist started -upward. "Do whatever they say—no use taking much of that stuff—until -Peg and I get back. We'll get back, too, believe me! They'll <i>have</i> -to take these meat hooks out of us sometime, and when they do they'll -think a cyclone has broken loose."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XI.</p> - - -<p>Raging but impotent, Seaton stood motionless beside his friend's wife -upon the slowly rising lift; while Crane, Dorothy, and Shiro remained -in the control room of the <i>Skylark</i>. All were helpless, incapable -alike of making a single movement not authorized by their grotesque -captors. Feeble the hypermen were, as has been said; but at the first -tensing of a human muscle in revolt there shot from the insulated teeth -of the grappling hypertrident such a terrific surge of unbearably -poignant torture that any thought of resistance was out of the question.</p> - -<p>Even Seaton—fighter by instinct though he was, and reckless as -he was and desperate at the thought of being separated from his -beloved Dorothy—had been able to endure only three such shocks. The -unimaginable anguish of the third rebuke, a particularly vicious and -long-continued wrenching and wringing of the most delicate nerve -centers of his being, had left him limp and quivering. He was still -furious, still bitterly humiliated. His spirit was willing, but he was -physically unable to drive his fiendishly tortured body to further acts -of rebellion.</p> - -<p>Thus it was that the improvised elevator of the hypermen carried two -docile captives as it went <i>past</i>—not <i>through</i>—the spherical arenak -shell of <i>Skylark Two</i> and up the mighty well which the vessel had -driven in its downward plunge. The walls of that pit were glassily -smooth; or, more accurately, were like slag: as though the peculiarly -unsubstantial rock of the hyperplanet had been actually melted by the -force of the cruiser's descent, easy and gradual as the fall had seemed -to the senses of the Terrestrials.</p> - -<p>It was apparent also that the hypermen were having difficulty in -lifting the, to them, tremendous weight of the two human bodies. The -platform would go up a few feet, then pause. Up and pause, up and -pause; again and again. But at last they reached the top of the well, -and, wretched as he was, Seaton had to grin when he perceived that -they were being lifted by a derrick, whose overdriven engine, attended -though it was by a veritable corps of mechanics, could lift them only -a few feet at a time. Coughing and snorting, it ran slower and slower -until, released from the load, it burst again into free motion to build -up sufficient momentum to lift them another foot or so.</p> - -<p>And all about the rim of that forty-foot well there were being erected -other machines. Trusses were rising into the air, immense chains -were being forged, and additional motors were being assembled. It -was apparent that the <i>Skylark</i> was to be raised; and it was equally -evident that to the hypermen that raising presented an engineering -problem of no small magnitude.</p> - -<p>"She'll be right here when we get back, Peg, as far as those jaspers -are concerned," Seaton informed his companion. "If they have to slip -their clutches to lift the weight of just us two, they'll have one -sweet job getting the old <i>Skylark</i> back up here. They haven't got -the slightest idea of what they're tackling—they can't begin to pile -enough of that kind of machinery in this whole part of the country to -budge her."</p> - -<p>"You speak as though you were quite certain of our returning," Margaret -spoke somberly. "I wish that I could feel that way."</p> - -<p>"Sure I'm certain of it," Seaton assured her. "I've got it all figured -out. Nobody can maintain one hundred per cent vigilance forever, and -as soon as I get back into shape from that last twisting they gave me, -I'll be fast enough to take advantage of the break when it comes."</p> - -<p>"Yes; but suppose it doesn't come?"</p> - -<p>"It's bound to come sometime. The only thing that bothers me is -that I can't even guess at when we're due to snap back into our own -three-dimensional space. Since we couldn't detect any motion in an -ether wave, though, I imagine that we'll have lots of time, relatively -speaking, to get back here before the <i>Skylark</i> leaves. Ah! I wondered -if they were going to make us walk to wherever it is they're taking us, -but I see we ride—there comes something that must be an airship. Maybe -we can make our break now instead of later."</p> - -<p>But the hyperman did not relax his vigilance for an instant as the -vast, vague bulk of the flier hovered in the air beside their elevator. -A port opened, a short gangplank shot out, and under the urge of -the punishing trident the two human beings stepped aboard. A silent -flurry ensued among the weird crew of the vessel as its huge volume -sank downward under the unheard-of mass of the two captives, but no -opportunity was afforded for escape—the gripping trident did not -relax, and at last the amazed officers succeeded in driving their -motors sufficiently to lift the prodigious load into the air of the -hyperplanet.</p> - -<p>"Take a good, long look around, Peg, so that you can help find our -way back," Seaton directed, and pointed out through the peculiarly -transparent wall of their conveyance. "See those three peaks over -there, the only hills in sight? Our course is about twelve or fifteen -degrees off the line of the right-hand two—and there's something that -looks like a river down below us. The bend there is just about on -line—see anything to mark it by?"</p> - -<p>"Well, there's a funny-looking island, kind of heart-shaped, with a -reddish-colored spire of rock—see it?"</p> - -<p>"Fine—we ought to be able to recognize that. Bend, heart-island, red -obelisk on what we'll call the upstream end. Now from here, what? Oh, -we're turning—going upstream. Fine business! Now we'll have to notice -when and where we leave this river, lake, or whatever it is."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>They did not, however, leave the course of the water. For hundreds of -miles, apparently, it was almost perfectly straight, and for hours -the airship of the hypermen bored through the air only a few hundred -feet above its gleaming surface. Faster and faster the hypership flew -onward, until it became a whistling, yelling projectile, tearing its -way at a terrific but constant velocity through the complaining air.</p> - -<p>But while that which was beneath them was apparently the fourth -dimensional counterpart of an Earthly canal, neither water nor -landscape was in any sense familiar. No sun was visible, nor moon, -nor the tiniest twinkling star. Where should be the heavens there was -merely a void of utter, absolute black, appalling in its uncompromising -profundity. Indeed, the Terrestrials would have thought themselves -blind were it not for the forbidding, Luciferean vegetation which, -self-luminous with a ghastly bluish-violet pseudo-light, extended -outward—flat—in every direction to infinity.</p> - -<p>"What's the matter with it, Dick?" demanded Margaret, shivering. "It's -horrible, awful, unsettling. Surely anything that is actually seen must -be capable of description? But this—" Her voice died away.</p> - -<p>"Ordinarily, three-dimensionally, yes; but this, no," Seaton -assured her. "Remember that our brains and eyes, now really -pseudo-fourth-dimensional, are capable of seeing those things as -they actually are; but that our entities—intelligences—whatever -you like—are still three-dimensional and can neither comprehend nor -describe them. We can grasp them only very roughly by transposing them -into our own three-dimensional concepts, and that is a poor subterfuge -that fails entirely to convey even an approximate idea. As for that -horizon—or lack of it—it simply means that this planet is so big that -it looks flat. Maybe it <i>is</i> flat in the fourth dimension—I don't -know!"</p> - -<p>Both fell silent, staring at the weird terrain over which they were -being borne at such an insane pace. Along its right line above that -straight watercourse sped the airship, a shrieking arrow; and to the -right of the observers and to left of them spread, as far as the eye -could reach, a flatly unbroken expanse of the ghostly, livid, weirdly -self-luminous vegetation of the unknowable hyperworld. And, slinking, -leaping, or perchance flying between and among the boles and stalks of -the rank forest growth could be glimpsed fleeting monstrous forms of -animal life.</p> - -<p>Seaton strained his eyes, trying to see them more clearly; but owing -to the speed of the ship, the rapidity of the animals' movements, the -unsatisfactory illumination, and the extreme difficulty of translating -at all rapidly the incomprehensible four-dimensional forms into their -three-dimensional equivalents, he could not even approximate either -the size or the appearance of the creatures with which he, unarmed and -defenseless, might have to deal.</p> - -<p>"Can you make any sense out of those animals down there, Peg?" Seaton -demanded. "See, there's one just jumped out of the river and seemed to -fly into that clump of bamboolike stuff there. Get any details?"</p> - -<p>"No. What with the poor light and everything being so awful and so -distorted, I can hardly see anything at all. Why—what of them?"</p> - -<p>"This of 'em. We're coming back this way, and we may have to come on -foot. I'll try to steal a ship, of course, but the chance that we'll be -able to get one—or to run it after we do get it—is mighty slim. But -assuming that we are afoot, the more we know about what we're apt to -go up against the better we'll be able to meet it. Oh, we're slowing -down—been wondering what that thing up ahead of us is. It looks like a -cross between the Pyramid of Cheops and the old castle of Bingen on the -Rhine, but I guess it's a city—it seems to be where we're headed for."</p> - -<p>"Does this water actually flow out from the side of that wall, or am I -seeing things?" the girl asked.</p> - -<p>"It seems to—your eyes are all right, I guess. But why shouldn't it? -There's a big archway, you notice—maybe they use it for power or -something, and this is simply an outfall—"</p> - -<p>"Oh, we're going in!" Margaret exclaimed, her hand flashing out to -Seaton's arm.</p> - -<p>"Looks like it, but they probably know their stuff." He pressed her -hand reassuringly. "Now, Peg, no matter what happens, stick to me as -long as you possibly can!"</p> - -<p>As Seaton had noticed, the city toward which they were flying resembled -somewhat an enormous pyramid, whose component units were themselves -mighty buildings, towering one above and behind the other in crenelated -majesty to an awe-inspiring height. In the wall of the foundation tier -of buildings there yawned an enormous opening, spanned by a noble arch -of metaled masonry, and out of this gloriously arched aqueduct there -sprang the stream whose course the airship had been following so long. -Toward that forbidding opening the hypership planed down, and into it -she floated slowly and carefully.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Much to the surprise of the Terrestrials, however, the great tunnel -of the aqueduct was not dark. Walls and arched ceiling alike glowed -with the livid, bluish-violet ultra-light which they had come to -regard as characteristic of all hyperthings, and through that uncanny -glare the airship stole along. Once inside the tunnel its opening -vanished—imperceptible, indistinguishable from its four-dimensional, -black-and-livid-blue background.</p> - -<p>Unending that tunnel stretched before and behind them. Walls and watery -surface alike were smooth, featureless, and so uniformly and weirdly -luminous that the eye could not fix upon any point firmly enough to -determine the rate of motion of the vessel—or even to determine -whether it was moving at all. No motion could be perceived or felt and -the time-sense had long since failed. Seaton and Margaret may have -traveled in that gigantic bore for inches or for miles of distance; -for seconds or for weeks of hypertime; they did not then and never did -know. But with a slight jar the hypership came to rest at last upon a -metallic cradle which had in some fashion appeared beneath her keel. -Doors opened and the being holding the tridents, who had not moved a -muscle during the, to the Terrestrials, interminable journey, made it -plain to them that they were to precede him out of the airship. They -did so, quietly and without protest, utterly helpless to move save at -the behest of their unhuman captor-guide.</p> - -<p>Through a maze of corridors and passages the long way led. Each was -featureless and blank, each was lighted by the same eerie, bluish -light, each was paved with a material which, although stone-hard to -the hypermen, yielded springily, as yields a soft peat bog, under -the feet of the massive Terrestrials. Seaton, although now restored -to full vigor, held himself rigorously in check. Far from resisting -the controlling impulses of the trident he sought to anticipate those -commands.</p> - -<p>Indeed, recognizing the possibility that the captor might be aware, -through those electrical connections, of his very ideas, he schooled -his outward thoughts to complete and unquestioning submission. Yet -never had his inner brain been more active, and now the immense -mentality given him by the Norlaminians stood him in good stead. For -every doorway, every turn, every angle and intersection of that maze of -communicating passageways was being engraved indelibly upon his brain, -he knew that no matter how long or how involved the way, he could -retain his orientation with respect to the buried river up which they -had sailed.</p> - -<p>And, although quiescent enough and submissive enough to all outward -seeming, his inner brain was keyed up to its highest pitch, eager to -drive Seaton's gigantic and instantaneously reacting muscles into -outbursts of berserk fury at the slightest lapse of the attention of -the wielder of the mastering trident.</p> - -<p>But there was no such lapse. The intelligence of the hyperman seemed to -be concentrated in the glowing tips of the forceps and did not waver -for an instant, even when an elevator into which he steered his charges -refused to lift the immense weight put upon it.</p> - -<p>A silent colloquy ensued, then Seaton and Margaret walked endlessly up -a spiral ramp. Climbed, it seemed, for hours, their feet sinking to -the ankles into the resilient material of the rock-and-metal floor, -while their alert guardian floated effortlessly in the air behind them, -propelled and guided by his swiftly revolving tail.</p> - -<p>Eventually the ramp leveled off into a corridor. Straight ahead, two -aisles—branch half right—branch half left—first turn left—third -turn right—second doorway on right. They stopped. The door opened. -They stepped into a large, officelike room, thronged with the -peculiar, sea-horselike hypermen of this four-dimensional civilization. -Everything was indescribable, incomprehensible, but there seemed to -be desks, mechanisms, and tier upon tier of shelf-like receptacles -intended for the storage of they knew not what.</p> - -<p>Most evident of all, however, were the huge, goggling, staring eyes of -the creatures as they pressed in, closer and closer to the helplessly -immobile bodies of the man and the woman. Eyes dull, expressionless, -and unmoving to Earthly, three-dimensional intelligences; but organs of -highly intelligible, flashing language, as well as of keen vision, to -their possessors.</p> - -<p>Thus it was that the very air of the chamber was full of speech and -of signs, but neither Margaret nor Seaton could see or hear them. In -turn the Earthman tried, with every resource at his command of voice, -thought, and pantomime, to bridge the gap—in vain.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Then strange, many-lensed instruments were trundled into the room and -up to the helpless prisoners. Lenses peered; multicolored rays probed; -planimeters, pantographs, and plotting points traced and recorded every -bodily part; the while the two sets of intelligences, each to the other -so foreign, were at last compelled to acknowledge frustration. Seaton -of course knew what caused the impasse and, knowing the fundamental -incompatibility of the dimensions involved, had no real hope that -communication could be established, even though he knew the hypermen to -be of high intelligence and attainment.</p> - -<p>The natives, however, had no inkling of the possibility of -three-dimensional actualities. Therefore, when it had been made plain -to them that they had no point of contact with their visitors—that the -massive outlanders were and must remain unresponsive to their every -message and signal—they perforce ascribed that lack of response to a -complete lack of intelligence.</p> - -<p>The chief of the council, who had been conducting the examination, -released the forces of his mechanisms and directed his flashing glance -upon the eyes of the Terrestrials' guard, ordering him to put the -specimens away.</p> - -<p>"—and see to it that they are watched very carefully," the ordering -eye concluded. "The Fellows of Science will be convened and will study -them in greater detail than we have been able to do here."</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir; as you have said, so shall it be," the guard acknowledged, -and by means of the trident he guided his captives through a -high-arched exit and into another labyrinth of corridors.</p> - -<p>Seaton laughed aloud as he tucked Margaret's hand under his arm and -marched along under the urge of the admonishing trident.</p> - -<p>"'Nobody 'ome—they ain't got no sense,' says his royal nibs. 'Tyke 'em -awye!'" he exclaimed.</p> - -<p>"Why so happy all of a sudden, Dick? I can't see very much change in -our status."</p> - -<p>"You'd be surprised." He grinned. "There's been a lot of change. I've -found out that they can't read our thoughts at all, as long as we don't -express them in muscular activity. I've been guarding my thoughts and -haven't been talking to you much for fear they could get my ideas some -way. But now I can tell you that I'm going to start something pretty -quick. I've got this trident thing pretty well solved. This bird's -taking us to jail now, I think, and when he gets us there his grip will -probably slip for an instant. If it does he'll never get it back, and -we'll be merrily on our way."</p> - -<p>"To jail!" Margaret exclaimed. "But suppose they put us—I hope they -put us in the same cell!"</p> - -<p>"Don't worry about that. If my hunch is right it won't make a bit of -difference—I'll have you back before they can get you out of sight. -Everything around here is thin almost to the point of being immaterial, -you know—you could whip an army of them in purely physical combat, and -I could tear this whole joint up by the roots."</p> - -<p>"A la Samson? I believe that you could, at that." Margaret smiled.</p> - -<p>"Yeah; or rather, you can play you're Paul Bunyan, and I'll be Babe, -the big blue ox. We'll show this flock of prop-tailed gilliwimpuses -just how we gouged out Lake Superior to make a he-man's soup bowl!"</p> - -<p>"You make me feel a lot better, Dick, even if I do remember that Babe -was forty-seven ax handles across the horns." Margaret laughed, but -sobered quickly. "But here we are—oh, I <i>do</i> hope that he leaves me -with you!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XII.</p> - - -<p>They had stopped beside a metal grill, in front of which was poised -another hyperman, his propeller tail idling slowly. He had thought -that he was to be Seaton's jailer, and as he swung the barred gate -open he engaged the Terrestrial's escort in optical conversation—a -conversation which gave Seaton the mere instant of time for which he -had been waiting.</p> - -<p>"So these are the visitors from outer space, whose bodies are so much -denser than solid metal?" he asked curiously. "Have they given you much -trouble?"</p> - -<p>"None at all. I touched that one only once, and this one, that you are -to keep here, wilted at only the third step of force. The orders are -to keep them under control every minute, however. They are stupid, -senseless brutes, as is of course to be expected from their mass and -general make-up. They have not given a single sign of intelligence of -even the lowest order, but their strength is apparently enormous, and -they might do a great deal of damage if allowed to break away from the -trident."</p> - -<p>"All right; I'll hold him constantly until I am relieved," and the -jailer, lowering his own trident, extended a long, tentacular arm -toward the grooved and knobbed shaft of the one whose teeth were -already imbedded in Seaton's tissues.</p> - -<p>Seaton had neither perceived nor sensed anything of this conversation, -but he was tense and alert; tight-strung to take advantage of even -the slightest slackening of the grip of the grappling fingers of the -controller. Thus in the bare instant of the transfer of control from -one weird being to the other he acted—instantaneously and highly -effectively.</p> - -<p>With a twisting leap he whirled about, wrenching himself free from the -punishing teeth of the grapple. Lightning hands seized the shaft and -swung the weapon in a flashing arc. Then, with all the quickness of his -highly trained muscles and with all the power of his brawny right arm, -Seaton brought the controller down full upon the grotesque head of the -hyperman.</p> - -<p>He had given no thought to the material character of weapon or -of objective; he had simply wrenched himself free and struck -instinctively, lethally, knowing that freedom had to be won then or -never. But he was not wielding an Earthly club or an Osnomian bar; -nor was the flesh opposing him the solid substance of a human and -three-dimensional enemy.</p> - -<p>At impact the fiercely driven implement flew into a thousand pieces, -but such was the power behind it that each piece continued on, driving -its relentless way through the tenuous body substance of the erstwhile -guard. That body subsided instantly upon the floor, a shapeless and -mangled mass of oozing, dripping flesh. Weaponless now, holding -only the shattered butt of the ex-guard's trident, Seaton turned to -confront the other guard who, still holding Margaret helpless, was -advancing upon him, wide-open trident to the fore.</p> - -<p>He hurled the broken stump; then, as the guard nimbly dodged the flying -missile, he leaped to the barred door of the cell. He seized it and -jerked mightily; and as the anchor bolts of the hinges tore out of the -masonry he swung the entire gate in a full-sweeping circle. Through -the soft body the interlaced bars tore, cutting it into ghastly, -grisly dice, and on, across the hall, tearing into and demolishing the -opposite wall.</p> - -<p>"All right, Peg, or did he shock you?" Seaton demanded.</p> - -<p>"All right, I guess—he didn't have time, to do much of anything."</p> - -<p>"Fine, let's snap it up, then. Or wait a minute, I'd better get us a -couple of shields. We've got to keep them from getting those stingarees -into us again—as long as we can keep them away from us we can do about -as we please around here, but if they ever get hold of us again it'll -be just too bad."</p> - -<p>While Seaton was speaking he had broken away and torn out two great -plates or doors of solid metal, and, handing one of them to his -companion, he went on: "Here, carry this in front of you and we'll go -places and do things."</p> - -<p>But in that time, short as it was, the alarm had been given, and up -the corridor down which they must go was advancing a corps of heavily -armed beings. Seaton took one quick step forward, then, realizing -the impossibility of forcing his way through such a horde without -impalement, he leaped backward to the damaged wall and wrenched out -a huge chunk of masonry. Then, while the upper wall and the now -unsupported ceiling collapsed upon him, their fragments touching his -hard body lightly and bouncing off like so many soft pillows, he hurled -that chunk of material down the hall and into the thickest ranks of -the attackers.</p> - -<p>Through the close-packed phalanx it tore as would a plunging tank -through massed infantry, nor was it alone. Mass after mass of rock was -hurled as fast as the Earthman could bend and straighten his mighty -back, and the hypermen broke ranks and fled in wild disorder.</p> - -<p>For to them Seaton was not a man of flesh and blood, lightly tossing -pillows of eiderdown along a corridor, through an assemblage of -wraithlike creatures. He was to them a monstrous being, constructed -of something harder, denser, and tougher than any imaginable metal. -A being driven by engines of unthinkable power, who stood unharmed -and untouched while masses of stone, brickwork, and structural steel -crashed down upon his bare head. A being who caught those falling -masses of granite and concrete and hurled them irresistibly through -rank after rank of flesh-and-blood men.</p> - -<p>"Let's go, Peg!" Seaton gritted. "The way's clear now, I guess—we'll -show those horse-faced hippocampuses that what it takes to do things, -we've got!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Through the revolting, reeking shambles of the corpse-littered corridor -they gingerly made their way. Past the scene of the battle, past -intersection after intersection they retraced their course, warily and -suspiciously at first. But no ambush had been laid—the hypermen were -apparently only too glad to let them go in peace—and soon they were -hurrying along as fast as Margaret could walk.</p> - -<p>They were soon to learn, however, that the denizens of this city of -four-dimensional space had not yet given up the chase. Suddenly the -yielding floor dropped away beneath their feet and they fell, or, -rather, floated, easily and slowly downward. Margaret shrieked in -alarm, but the man remained unmoved and calm.</p> - -<p>"'Sall right, Peg," he assured her. "We want to go clear down to the -bottom of this dump, anyway, and this'll save us the time and trouble -of walking down. All right; that is, if we don't sink into the floor -so deep when we hit that we won't be able to get ourselves out of it. -Better spread out that shield so you'll fall on it—it won't hurt you, -and it may help a lot."</p> - -<p>So slowly were they falling that they had ample time in which to -prepare for the landing; and, since both Seaton and Margaret were -thoroughly accustomed to weightless maneuvering in free space, their -metal shields were flat beneath them when they struck the lowermost -floor of the citadel. Those shields were crushed, broken, warped and -twisted as they were forced into the pavement by the force of the -falling bodies—as would be the steel doors of a bank vault upon being -driven broadside on, deep into a floor of solid concrete.</p> - -<p>But they served their purpose; they kept the bodies of the Terrestrials -from sinking beyond their depth into the floor of the hyperdungeon. -As they struggled to their feet, unhurt, and saw that they were in a -large, cavernous room, six searchlightlike projectors came into play, -enveloping them in a flood of soft, pinkish-white light.</p> - -<p>Seaton stared about him, uncomprehending, until he saw that one of -the hypermen, caught accidentally in the beam, shriveled horribly and -instantly into a few floating wisps of luminous substance which in a -few seconds disappeared entirely.</p> - -<p>"Huh! Death rays!" he exclaimed then. "'Sa good thing for us we're -essentially three-dimensional yet, or we'd probably never have known -what struck us. Now let's see—where's our river? Oh, yes; over this -way. Wonder if we'd better take these shields along? Guess not, they're -pretty well shot—we'll pick us up a couple of good ones on the way, -and I'll get you a grill like this one as a good club, too."</p> - -<p>"But there's no door on that side!" Margaret protested.</p> - -<p>"We should fret a lot about that—we'll roll our own as we go along."</p> - -<p>His heavy boot crashed against the wall before them, and a section -of it fell outward. Two more kicks and they were through, hurrying -along passages which Seaton knew led toward the buried river, breaking -irresistibly through solid walls whenever the corridor along which they -were moving angled away from his chosen direction.</p> - -<p>Their progress was not impeded. The hyperbeings were willing—yes, -anxious—for their unmanageable prisoners to depart and made no further -attempts to bar their path. Thus the river was soon reached.</p> - -<p>The airship in which they had been brought to the hypercity was nowhere -to be seen, and Seaton did not waste time looking for it. He had been -unable to understand the four-dimensional controls even while watching -them in operation, and he realized that even if he could find the -vessel the chance of capturing it and of escaping in it was slight -indeed. Therefore, throwing an arm around his companion, he leaped -without ado into the speeding current.</p> - -<p>"But, Dick, we'll drown!" Margaret protested. "This stuff must be -altogether too thin for us to swim in—we'll sink like rocks!"</p> - -<p>"Sure we will, but what of it?" he returned. "How many times have you -actually breathed since we left three-dimensional space?"</p> - -<p>"Why, thousands of times, I suppose—or, now that you mention it, I -don't really know whether I'm breathing at all or not—but we've been -gone so long—Oh, I don't believe that I really know <i>anything</i>!"</p> - -<p>"You aren't breathing at all," he informed her then. "We have been -expending energy, though, in spite of that fact, and the only way I -can explain it is that there must be fourth-dimensional oxygen or we -would have suffocated long ago. Being three-dimensional, of course we -wouldn't have to breathe it in for the cells to get the benefit of -it—they can grab it direct. Incidentally, that probably accounts for -the fact that I'm hungry as a wolf, but that'll have to wait until we -get back into our own space again."</p> - -<p>True to Seaton's prediction, they suffered no inconvenience as they -strode along upon the metaled pavement of the river's bottom, Seaton -still carrying the bent and battered grating with which he had wrought -such havoc in the corridor so far above.</p> - -<p>Almost at the end of the tunnel, a sharklike creature darted upon -them, dreadful jaws agape. With his left arm Seaton threw Margaret -behind him, while with his right he swung the four-dimensional grating -upon the monster of the deeps. Under the fierce power of the blow the -creature became a pulpy mass, drifting inertly away upon the current, -and Seaton stared after it ruefully.</p> - -<p>"That particular killing was entirely unnecessary, and I'm sorry I did -it," he remarked.</p> - -<p>"Unnecessary? Why, it was going to bite me!" she cried.</p> - -<p>"Yeah, it <i>thought</i> it was, but it would have been just like one of -our own real sharks trying to bite the chilled-steel prow off of a -battleship," he replied. "Here comes another one. I'm going to let him -gnaw on my arm, and see how he likes it."</p> - -<p>On the monster came with a savage rush, until the dreadful, outthrust -snout almost touched the man's bare, extended arm. Then the creature -stopped, dead still in mid-rush, touched the arm tentatively, and -darted away with a quick flirt of its powerful tail.</p> - -<p>"See, Peg, he knows we ain't good to eat. None of these hyperanimals -will bother us—it's only these men with their meat hooks that we have -to fight shy of. Here's the jump-off. Better we hit it easylike—I -wouldn't wonder if that sandy bottom would be pretty tough going. I -think maybe we'd better take to the beach as soon as we can."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>From the metaled pavement of the brilliantly lighted aqueduct they -stepped out upon the natural sand bottom of the open river. Above them -was only the somberly sullen intensity of velvety darkness; a darkness -only slightly relieved by the bluely luminous vegetation upon the -river's either bank. In spite of their care they sank waist-deep into -that sand, and it was only with great difficulty that they fought their -way up to the much firmer footing of the nearer shore.</p> - -<p>Out upon the margin at last, they found that they could make good -time, and they set out downstream at a fast but effortless pace. Mile -after mile they traveled, until, suddenly, as though some universal -switch had been opened, the ghostly radiance of all the vegetation of -the countryside disappeared in an instant, and utter and unimaginable -darkness descended as a pall. It was not the ordinary darkness of an -Earthly night, nor yet the darkness of even an Earthly dark room; it -was indescribably, completely, perfect darkness of the total absence of -every ray of light, unknown upon Earth and unknowable to Earthly eyes.</p> - -<p>"Dick!" shrieked Margaret. "Where are you?"</p> - -<p>"Right here, Peg—take it easy," he advised, and groping fingers -touched and clung. "They'll probably light up again. Maybe this is -their way of having night. We can't do much, anyway, until it gets -light again. We couldn't possibly find the <i>Skylark</i> in this darkness; -and even if we could feel our way downriver we'd miss the island that -marks our turning-off point. Here, I feel a nice soft rock. I'll sit -down with my back against it and you can lie down, with my lap for a -pillow, and we'll take us a nap. Wasn't it Porthos, or some other one -of Dumas' characters that said, 'He who sleeps, eats'?"</p> - -<p>"Dick, you're a perfect peach to take things the way you do." -Margaret's voice was broken. "I know what you're thinking of, too. Oh, -I <i>do</i> hope that nothing has become of them!" For she well knew that, -true and loyal friend though Seaton was, yet his every thought was for -his beloved Dorothy, presumably still in <i>Skylark Two</i>—just as Martin -Crane came first with her in everything.</p> - -<p>"Sure they're all right, Peg." An instantly suppressed tremor shook -his giant frame. "They're figuring on keeping them in the <i>Lark</i> until -they raise her, I imagine. If I had known as much then as I know now -they'd never have got away with any of this stuff—but it can't be -helped now. I wish I could do something, because if we don't get back -to <i>Two</i> pretty quick it seems as though we may snap back into our own -three dimensions and land in empty space. Or would we, necessarily? The -time coördinates would change, too, of course, and that change might -very well make it obligatory for us to be back in our exact original -locations in the <i>Lark</i> at the instant of transfer, no matter where we -happen to be in this hyperspace-hypertime continuum. Too deep for me—I -can't figure it. Wish Mart was here, maybe he could see through it."</p> - -<p>"You don't wish so half as much as I do!" Margaret exclaimed feelingly.</p> - -<p>"Well, anyway, we'll pretend that <i>Two</i> can't run off and leave us -here. That certainly is a possibility, and it's a cheerful thought to -dwell on while we can't do anything else."</p> - -<p>They fell silent. Now and again Margaret dozed, only to start awake -at the coughing grunt of some near-by prowling hyperdenizen of that -unknown jungle, but Seaton did not sleep. He did not even half believe -in his own hypothesis of their automatic return to their space ship; -and his vivid imagination insisted upon dwelling lingeringly upon every -hideous possibility of their return to three-dimensional space outside -their vessel's sheltering walls. And that same imagination continually -conjured up visions of what might be happening to Dorothy—to the -beloved bride who, since their marriage upon far distant Osnome, had -never before been separated from him for so long a time. He had to -struggle against an insane urge to do something, anything; even to -dash madly about in the absolute blackness of hyperspace in a mad -attempt—doomed to certain failure before it was begun—to reach -<i>Skylark Two</i> before she should vanish from four-dimensional space.</p> - -<p>Thus, while Seaton grew more and more tense momently, more and ever -more desperately frustrate, the abysmally oppressive hypernight wore -illimitably on. Creeping—plodding—d-r-a-g-g-i-n-g endlessly along; -extending itself fantastically into the infinite reaches of all -eternity.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusc4.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XIII.</p> - - -<p>As suddenly as the hyperland had become dark it at last became light. -There was no gradual lightening, no dawning, no warning—in an instant, -blindingly to eyes which had for so long been straining in vain to -detect even the faintest ray of visible light in the platinum-black -darkness of the hypervoid, the entire countryside burst into its -lividly glowing luminescence. As the light appeared Seaton leaped to -his feet with a yell.</p> - -<p>"Yowp! I was never so glad to see a light before in all my life, even -if it is blue! Didn't sleep much either, did you, Peg?"</p> - -<p>"Sleep? I don't believe that I'll <i>ever</i> be able to sleep again! It -seemed as though I was lying there for weeks!"</p> - -<p>"It did seem long, but time is meaningless to us here, you know."</p> - -<p>The two set out at a rapid pace, down the narrow beach beside the -hyperstream. For a long time nothing was said, then Margaret broke out, -half hysterically:</p> - -<p>"Dick, this is simply driving me mad! I think probably I <i>am</i> mad, -already. We seem to be walking, yet we aren't, really; we're going -altogether too fast, and yet we don't seem to be getting anywhere. -Besides, it's taking forever and ever—"</p> - -<p>"Steady, Peg! Keep a stiff upper lip! Of course we really aren't -walking, in a three-dimensional sense, but we're getting there, just -the same. I'd say that we were traveling almost half as fast as that -airship was, which is a distinctly cheerful thought. And don't try -to think of anything in detail, because equally of course we can't -understand it.</p> - -<p>"And as for time, forget it. Just remember that, as far as we are -concerned, this whole episode is occupying only a thousandth of a -second of our own real time, even if it seems to last a thousand years.</p> - -<p>"And, above all, get it down solid that you're not nutty—it's just -that everything else around here is. It's like that wild one Sir -Eustace pulled on me that time, remember? 'I say, Seaton, old chap, the -chaps hereabout seem to regard me as a foreigner. Now really, you know, -they should realize that I am simply alone in a nation of foreigners.'"</p> - -<p>Margaret laughed, recovering a measure of her customary poise at -Seaton's matter-of-fact explanations and reassurance, and the -seemingly endless journey went on. Indeed, so long did it seem that -the high-strung and apprehensive Seaton was every moment expecting -the instantaneous hypernight again to extinguish all illumination -long before they came within sight of the little island, with its -unmistakably identifying obelisk of reddish stone.</p> - -<p>"Woof, but that's a relief!" he exploded at sight of the marker. "We'll -be there in a few minutes more—here's hoping it holds off for those -few minutes!"</p> - -<p>"It will," Margaret said confidently. "It'll have to, now that we're so -close. How are you going to get a line on those three peaks? We cannot -possibly see over or through that jungle."</p> - -<p>"Easy—just like shooting fish down a well. That's one reason I was so -glad to see that tall obelisk thing over there—it's big enough to hold -my weight and high enough so that I can see the peaks from its top. -I'm going to climb up it and wigwag you onto the line we want. Then -we'll set a pole on that line and crash through the jungle, setting up -back-sights as we go along. We'll be able to see the peaks in a mile or -so, and once we see them it'll be easy enough to find <i>Two</i>."</p> - -<p>"But climbing Cleopatra's Needle comes first, and it's straight up and -down," Margaret objected practically. "How are you going to do that?"</p> - -<p>"With a couple of hypergrab-hooks—watch me!"</p> - -<p>He wrenched off three of the bars of his cell grating and twisted -them together, to form a heavy rod. One end of this rod he bent back -upon itself, sharpening the end by squeezing it in his two hands. It -required all of his prodigious strength, but in his grasp the metal at -last, slowly, flowed together in a perfect weld and he waved in the air -a sharply pointed hook some seven feet in length. In the same way he -made another, and, with a word to the girl, he shot away through the -almost intangible water toward the island.</p> - -<p>He soon reached the base of the obelisk, and into its rounded surface -he drove one of his hyperhooks. But he struck too hard. Though the hook -was constructed of the most stubborn metal known to the denizens of -that strange world, the obelisk was of hyperstone and the improvised -tool rebounded, bent out of all semblance and useless.</p> - -<p>It was quickly reshaped, however, and Seaton went more gently about his -task. He soon learned exactly how much pressure his hooks would stand, -and also the best method of imbedding the sharp metal points in the -rock of the monument. Then, both hooks holding, he drove the toe of one -heavy boot into the stone and began climbing.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Soon, however, his right-hand hook refused to bite; the stone had so -dulled the point of the implement that it was useless. After a moment's -thought Seaton settled both feet firmly and, holding the shaft of the -left-hand hook under his left elbow, bent the free end around behind -his back. Then, both hands free, he essayed the muscle-tearing task of -squeezing that point again into serviceability.</p> - -<p>"Watch out, Dick—you'll fall!" Margaret called.</p> - -<p>"I'll try not to," he called back cheerfully. "Took too much work -and time to get up this far to waste it. Wouldn't hurt me if I did -fall—but you might have to come over and pull me out of the ground."</p> - -<p>He did not fall. The hook was repointed without accident and he -continued up the obelisk—a human fly walking up a vertical column. -Four times he had to stop to sharpen his climbers, but at last he -stood atop the lofty shaft. From that eminence he could see not only -the three peaks, but even the scene of confused activity which he knew -marked the mouth of the gigantic well at whose bottom the <i>Skylark</i> -lay. Margaret had broken off a small tree, and from the obelisk's top -Seaton directed its placing as a transit man directs the setting of his -head flag.</p> - -<p>"Left—'way left!" His arm waved its hook in great circles. "Easy -now!" Left arm poised aloft. "All right for line!" Both arms swept -up and down, once. A careful recheck—"Back a hair." Right arm out, -insinuatingly. "All right for tack—down she goes!" Both arms up and -down, twice, and the feminine flagman drove the marker deep into the -sand.</p> - -<p>"You might come over here, Peg!" Seaton shouted, as he began his hasty -descent. "I'm going to climb down until my hooks get too dull to -hold, and then fall the rest of the way—no time to waste sharpening -them—and you may have to rally 'round with a helping hand."</p> - -<p>Scarcely a third of the way down, one hook refused to function. A -few great plunging steps downward and the other also failed—would -no longer even scratch the stubborn stone. Already falling, Seaton -gathered himself together, twisted bars held horizontally beneath him, -and floated gently downward. He came to ground no harder than he would -have landed after jumping from a five-foot Earthly fence; but even his -three-ply bars of hypermetal did not keep him from plunging several -feet into that strangely unsubstantial hyperground.</p> - -<p>Margaret was there, however, with her grating and her plate of armor. -With her aid Seaton struggled free, and together they waded through the -river and hurried to the line post which Margaret had set. Then, along -the line established by the obelisk and the post, the man crashed into -the thick growth of the jungle, the woman at his heels.</p> - -<p>Though the weirdly peculiar trees, creepers, and bamboolike shoots -comprising the jungle's vegetation were not strong enough to bar the -progress of the dense, hard, human bodies, yet they impeded that -progress so terribly that the trail-breaker soon halted.</p> - -<p>"Not so good this way, Peg," he reflected. "These creepers will soon -pull you down, I'm afraid; and, besides, we'll be losing our line -pretty quickly. What to do? Better I knock out a path with this magic -wand of mine, I guess—none of this stuff seems to be very heavy."</p> - -<p>Again they set out; Seaton's grating, so bent and battered now that -it could not be recognized as once having been the door of a prison -cell, methodically sweeping from side to side; a fiercely driven scythe -against which no hyperthing could stand. Vines and creepers still -wrapped around and clung to the struggling pair; shattered masses -drifted down upon them from above, exuding in floods a viscous, gluey -sap; and both masses of broken vegetation and floods of adhesive juices -reënforced and rendered even more impassible the already high-piled -wilderness of débris which had been accumulating there during time -unthinkable.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Thus hampered, but driven to highest effort by the fear of imminent -darkness and consequent helplessness, they struggled indomitably on. -On and on; while behind them stretched an ever-lengthening, straight, -sharply cut streak of blackness in the livid hyperlight of the jungle.</p> - -<p>Seaton's great mass and prodigious strength enabled him to force his -way through that fantastically inimical undergrowth without undue -difficulty, but the unremitting pull and drag of the attacking vines -eventually wore down the woman's much slighter physique.</p> - -<p>"Just a minute, Dick!" She stopped, strength almost spent. "I hate to -admit that I can't stand the pace, especially since you are doing all -the real work, as well as wading through the same mess that I am, but I -don't believe that I can go on much longer without a rest."</p> - -<p>"All right—" Seaton began, but broke off, staring ahead. "No; keep on -coming one minute more, Peg—three more jumps and we're through."</p> - -<p>"I can go that much farther, of course. Lead on, MacDuff!" and they -struggled on.</p> - -<p>Seaton had spoken truly. In a few more steps they broke out of the -thick growth of the jungle and into the almost-palpable darkness -of a great, roughly circular area which had been cleared of the -prolific growth. In the center of this circle could be seen the bluely -illuminated works of the engineers who were raising <i>Skylark Two</i>. The -edge of the great well was surrounded by four-dimensional machinery; -and that well's wide apron and its towering derricks were swarming with -hypermen.</p> - -<p>"Stay behind me, Peg, but as close as you can without getting hit," the -man instructed his companion after a hasty but comprehensive study of -the scene. "Keep your shield up and have your grating in good swinging -order. I'll be able to take care of most of them, I think, but you want -to be ready to squash any of them that may get around me or who may -rush us from behind. Those stickers of theirs are bad medicine, girl, -and we don't want to take any chances at all of getting stuck again."</p> - -<p>"I'll say we don't!" she agreed feelingly, and Seaton started off over -the now unencumbered ground. "Wait a minute, Dick—where are you, -anyway? I can't see you at all!"</p> - -<p>"That's right, too. Never thought of it, but there's no light. The -glimmer of those plants is pretty faint, at best, and doesn't reach out -here at all. We'd better hold hands, I guess, until we get close to the -works out there so that we can see what we're doing and what's going -on."</p> - -<p>"But I've got only two hands—I'm not a hippocampus—and they're both -full of doors and clubs and things. But maybe I can carry this shield -under my arm, it isn't heavy—there, where are you, anyway?"</p> - -<p>Seeking hands found each other, and, hand in hand, the two set out -boldly toward the scene of activity so starkly revealed in the center -of that vast circle of darkness. So appalling was the darkness that it -was a thing tangible—palpable. Seaton could not see his companion, -could not see the weapons and the shield he bore, could not even -faintly discern the very ground upon which he trod. Yet he plunged -forward, almost dragging the girl along bodily, eyes fixed upon the -bluely gleaming circle of structures which was his goal.</p> - -<p>"But Dick!" Margaret panted. "Let's not go so fast; I can't see a -thing—not even my hand right in front of my eyes—and I'm afraid we'll -bump into something—anything!"</p> - -<p>"We've got to snap it up, Peg," the man replied, not slackening his -pace in the slightest, "and there's nothing very big between us and the -<i>Skylark</i>, or we could see it against those lights. We may stumble over -something, of course, but it'll be soft enough so that it won't hurt us -any. But suppose that another night clamps down on us before we get out -there?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, that's right; it did come awfully suddenly," and Margaret leaped -ahead; dread of the abysmally horrible hypernight so far outweighing -her natural fear of unseen obstacles in her path that the man was hard -put to it to keep up with her. "Suppose they'll know we're coming?"</p> - -<p>"Maybe—probably—I don't know. I don't imagine they can see us, but -since we cannot understand anything about them, it's quite possible -that they may have other senses that we know nothing about. They'll -have to spot us mighty quick, though, if they expect to do themselves -any good."</p> - -<p>The hypermen could not see them, but it was soon made evident that -the weird beings had indeed, in some unknown fashion, been warned of -their coming. Mighty searchlights projected great beams of livid blue -light, beams which sought eagerly the human beings—probing, questing, -searching.</p> - -<p>As he perceived the beams Seaton knew that the hypermen could not -see without lights any better than he could; and, knowing what to -expect, he grinned savagely into the darkness as he threw an arm around -Margaret and spoke—or thought—to her.</p> - -<p>"One of those beams'll find us pretty quick, and they may send -something along it. If so, and if I yell jump, do it quick. Straight -up; high, wide, and handsome—jump!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>For even as he spoke, one of the stabbing beams of light had found them -and had stopped full upon them. And almost instantly had come flashing -along that beam a horde of hypermen, armed with peculiar weapons at -whose use the Terrestrials could not even guess.</p> - -<p>But also almost instantly had Seaton and Margaret jumped—jumped with -the full power of Earthly muscles which, opposed by only the feeble -gravity of hyperland, had given their bodies such a velocity that -to the eyes of the hypermen their intended captives had simply and -instantly disappeared.</p> - -<p>"They knew we were there, all right, some way or other—maybe our mass -jarred the ground—but they apparently can't see us without lights, -and that gives us a break," Seaton remarked conversationally, as they -soared interminably upward. "We ought to come down just about where -that tallest derrick is—right where we can go to work on them."</p> - -<p>But the scientist was mistaken in thinking that the hypermen had -discovered them through tremors of the ground. For the searching cones -of light were baffled only for seconds; then, guided by some sense -or by some mechanism unknown and unknowable to any three-dimensional -intelligence, they darted aloft and were once more outlining the -fleeing Terrestrials in the bluish glare of their livid radiance. And -upward, along those illuminated ways, darted those living airplanes, -the hypermen; and this time the man and the woman, with all their -incredible physical strength, could not leap aside.</p> - -<p>"Not so good," said Seaton, "better we'd stayed on the ground, maybe. -They <i>could</i> trace us, after all; and of course this air is their -natural element. But now that we're up here, we'll just have to fight -them off; back to back, until we land."</p> - -<p>"But how can we stay back to back?" asked Margaret sharply. "We'll -drift apart at our first effort. Then they'll be able to get behind us -and they'll have us again!"</p> - -<p>"That's so, too—never thought of that angle, Peg. You've got a belt -on, haven't you?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"Fine! Loosen it up and I'll run mine through it. The belts and an -ankle-and-knee lock'll hold us together and in position to play tunes -on those sea horses' ribs. Keep your shield up and keep that grating -swinging and we'll lay them like a carpet."</p> - -<p>Seaton had not been idle while he was talking, and when the attackers -drew near, vicious tridents outthrust, they encountered an irresistibly -driven wall of crushing, tearing, dismembering, and all-destroying -metal. Back to back the two unknown monstrosities floated through the -air; interlaced belts holding their vulnerable backs together, gripped -legs holding their indestructibly dense and hard bodies in alignment.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus7.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>The hypermen encountered an irresistibly driven wall of -crushing, tearing, dismembering and all-destroying metal.</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>For a time the four-dimensional creatures threw themselves upon the -Terrestrials, only to be hurled away upon all sides, ground literally -to bits. For Margaret protected Seaton's back, and he himself took care -of the space in front of him, to right and to left of them, above and -below them; driving the closely spaced latticework of his metal grating -throughout all that space so viciously and so furiously that it seemed -to be omnipresent as well as omnipotent.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Then, giving up hope of recapturing the specimens alive, the -hyperbeings turned upon them their lethal beams. Soft, pinkly glowing -beams which turned to a deep red and then flamed through the spectrum -and into the violet as they were found to have no effect upon the human -bodies. But the death rays of the hypermen, whatever the frequency, -were futile—the massed battalions at the pit's mouth were as impotent -as had been the armed forces of the great hypercity, whose denizens had -also failed either to hold or to kill the supernatural Terrestrials.</p> - -<p>During the hand-to-hand encounter the two had passed the apex of their -flight; and now, bathed in the varicolored beams, they floated gently -downward, directly toward the great derrick which Seaton had pointed -out as marking their probable landing place. In fact, they grazed one -of the massive corner members of the structure; but Seaton interposed -his four-dimensional shield and, although the derrick trembled -noticeably under the impact, neither he nor Margaret was hurt as they -drifted lightly to the ground.</p> - -<p>"Just like jumping off of and back into a feather bed!" Seaton exulted, -as he straightened up, disconnected the hampering belts, and guided -Margaret toward the vast hole in the ground, unopposed now save for -the still-flaring beams. "Wonder if any more of them want to argue the -right of way with us? Guess not."</p> - -<p>"But how are we going to get down there?" asked Margaret.</p> - -<p>"Fall down—or, better yet, we'll slide down those chains they've -already got installed. You'd better carry all this junk, and I'll kind -of carry you. That way you won't have to do anything—just take a ride."</p> - -<p>Scarcely encumbered by the girl's weight, Seaton stepped outward to the -great chain cables, and hand under hand he went down, down past the -huge lifting cradles which had been placed around the massive globe of -arenak.</p> - -<p>"But we'll go right through it—there's nothing to stop us in this -dimension!" protested Margaret.</p> - -<p>"No, we won't; and yes, there is," Seaton replied. "We swing <i>past</i> it -and down, around onto level footing, on this loose end of chain—like -this, see?" and they were once more in the control room of <i>Skylark -Two</i>.</p> - -<p>There stood Dorothy, Crane, and Shiro, exactly as they had left them so -long before. Still held in the grip of the tridents, they were silent, -immobile; their eyes were vacant and expressionless. Neither Dorothy -nor Crane gave any sign of recognition, neither seemed even to realize -that their loved ones, gone so long, had at last returned.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XIV.</p> - - -<p>Seaton's glance leaped to his beloved Dorothy. Drooping yet rigid -she stood there, unmoving, corpselike. Accustomed now to seeing -four-dimensional things by consciously examining only their -three-dimensional surfaces, he perceived instantly the waxen, utterly -inhuman vacuity of her normally piquant and vivacious face—perceived -it, and at that perception went mad.</p> - -<p>Clutching convulsively the length of hyperchain by which he had swung -into the control room he leaped, furious and elementally savage.</p> - -<p>So furious was his action that the chain snapped apart at the wall of -the control room; so rapid was it that the hyperguard had no time to -move, nor even to think.</p> - -<p>That guard had been peacefully controlling with his trident the -paralyzed prisoner. All had been quiet and calm. Suddenly—in an -instant—had appeared the two monstrosities who had been taken to the -capital. And in that same fleeting instant one of the monsters was -leaping at him. And ahead of that monster there came lashing out an -enormous anchor chain, one of whose links of solid steel no ordinary -mortal could lift; an anchor chain hurtling toward him with a velocity -and a momentum upon that tenuous hyperworld unthinkable.</p> - -<p>The almost-immaterial flesh of the hyperman could no more withstand -that fiercely driven mass of metal than can a human body ward off an -armor-piercing projectile in full flight. Through his body the great -chain tore; cutting, battering, rending it into ghastly, pulpily -indescribable fragments unrecognizable as ever having been anything -animate. Indeed, so fiercely had the chain been urged that the metal -itself could not stand the strain. Five links broke off at the climax -of the chain's black-snakelike stroke, and, accompanying the bleeding -scraps of flesh that had been the guard, tore on past the walls of the -space ship and out into the hypervoid.</p> - -<p>The guard holding his tridents in Crane and Shiro had not much more -warning. He saw his fellow obliterated, true; but that was all he lived -to see, and he had time to do exactly nothing. One more quick flip of -Seaton's singularly efficient weapon and the remains of that officer -also disappeared into hyperspace. More of the chain went along, this -time, but that did not matter. Dropping to the floor the remaining -links of his hyperflail, Seaton sprang to Dorothy, reaching her side -just as the punishing trident, released by the slain guard, fell away -from her.</p> - -<p>She recovered her senses instantly and turned a surprised face to the -man, who, incoherent in his relief that she was alive and apparently -unharmed, was taking her into his arms.</p> - -<p>"Why, surely, Dick, I'm all right—how could I be any other way?" she -answered his first agonized question in amazement. She studied his worn -face in puzzled wonder and went on: "But you certainly are not. What -has happened, dear, anyway; and how could it have, possibly?"</p> - -<p>"I hated like sin to be gone so long, Dimples, but it couldn't be -helped." Seaton, in his eagerness to explain his long absence, did not -even notice the peculiar implications in his wife's speech and manner. -"You see, it was a long trip, and we didn't get a chance to break away -from those meat hooks of theirs until after they got us into their city -and examined us. Then, when we finally did break away, we found that we -couldn't travel at night. Their days are bad enough, with this thick -blue light, but during the nights there's absolutely no light at all, -of any kind. No moon, no stars, no nothing—"</p> - -<p>"Nights! What are you talking about, Dick, anyway?" Dorothy had been -trying to interrupt since his first question and had managed at last to -break in. "Why, you haven't been gone at all, not even a second. We've -all been right here, all the time!"</p> - -<p>"Huh?" ejaculated Seaton. "Are you cuckoo, Red-Top, or what—"</p> - -<p>"Dick and I were gone at least a week, Dottie," Margaret, who had been -embracing Crane, interrupted in turn, "and it was awful!"</p> - -<p>"Just a minute, folks!" Seaton listened intently and stared upward. -"We'll have to let the explanations ride a while longer. I thought -they wouldn't give up that easy—here they come! I don't know how long -we were gone—it seemed like a darn long time—but it was long enough -so that I learned how to mop up on these folks, believe me! You take -that sword and buckler of Peg's, Mart. They don't look so hot, but -they're big medicine in these parts. All we've got to do is swing them -fast enough to keep those stingaroos of theirs out of our gizzards -and we're all set. Be careful not to hit too hard, though, or you'll -bust that grating into forty pieces—it's hyperstuff, nowhere near -as solid as anything we're used to. All it'll stand is about a normal -fly-swatting stroke, but that's enough to knock any of these fan-tailed -humming birds into an outside loop. Ah, they've got guns or something! -Duck down, girls, so we can cover you with these shields; and, Shiro, -you might pull that piece of chain apart and throw the links at -them—that'll be good for what ails them!"</p> - -<p>The hypermen appeared in the control room, and battle again was -joined. This time, however, the natives did not rush to the attack -with their tridents; nor did they employ their futile rays of death. -They had guns, shooting pellets of metal; they had improvised -crossbowlike slings and catapults; they had spears and javelins made -of their densest materials, which their strongest men threw with all -their power. But pellets and spears alike thudded harmlessly against -four-dimensional shields—shields once the impenetrable, unbreakable -doors of their mightiest prison—and the masses of metal and stone -vomited forth by the catapults were caught by Seaton and Crane and -hurled back through the ranks of the attackers with devastating effect. -Shiro also was doing untold damage with his bits of chain and with such -other items of four-dimensional matter as came to hand.</p> - -<p>Still the hypermen came pressing in, closer and closer. Soon the three -men were standing in a triangle, in the center of which were the women, -their flying weapons defining a volume of space to enter which meant -hideous dismemberment and death to any hypercreature. But on they came, -willing, it seemed, to spend any number of lives to regain their lost -control over the Terrestrials; realizing, it seemed, that even those -supernaturally powerful beings must in time weaken.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>While the conflict was at its height, however, it seemed to Seaton that -the already tenuous hypermen were growing even more wraithlike; and -at the same time he found himself fighting with greater and greater -difficulty. The lethal grating, which he had been driving with such -speed that it had been visible only as a solid barrier, moved more -and ever more slowly, to come finally to a halt in spite of his every -effort.</p> - -<p>He could not move a muscle, and despairingly he watched a now -almost-invisible warden who was approaching him, controlling trident -outthrust. But to his relieved surprise the hyperforceps did not touch -him, but slithered <i>past him</i> without making contact; and hyperman and -hyperweapon disappeared altogether, fading out slowly into nothingness.</p> - -<p>Then Seaton found himself moving in space. Without volition he was -floating across the control room, toward the switch whose closing -had ushered the Terrestrials out of their familiar space of three -dimensions and into this weirdly impossible region of horror. He was -not alone in his movement. Dorothy, the Cranes, and Shiro were all in -motion, returning slowly to the identical positions they had occupied -at the instant when Seaton had closed his master switch.</p> - -<p>And as they moved, they <i>changed</i>. The <i>Skylark</i> herself changed, as -did every molecule, every atom of substance, in or of the spherical -cruiser of the void.</p> - -<p>Seaton's hand reached out and grasped the ebonite handle of the switch. -Then, as his entire body came to rest, he was swept by wave upon wave -of almost-unbearable relief as the artificial and unnatural extension -into the fourth dimension began to collapse. Slowly, as had progressed -the extrusion into that dimension, so progressed the de-extrusion from -it. Each ultimate particle of matter underwent an indescribable and -incomprehensible foreshortening; a compression; a shrinking together; -a writhing and twisting reverse rearrangement, each slow increment of -which was poignantly welcome to every outraged unit of human flesh.</p> - -<p>Suddenly seeming, and yet seemingly only after untold hours, the return -to three-dimensional space was finished. Seaton's hand drove through -the remaining fraction of an inch of its travel with the handle of -the switch; his ears heard the click and snap of the lightning-fast -plungers driving home against their stop blocks—the closing of the -relay switches had just been completed. The familiar fittings of the -control room stood out in their normal three dimensions, sharp and -clear.</p> - -<p>Dorothy sat exactly as she had sat before the transition. She was -leaning slightly forward in her seat—her gorgeous red-bronze hair -in perfect order, her sweetly curved lips half parted, her violet -eyes widened in somewhat fearful anticipation of what the dimensional -translation was to bring. She was unchanged—but Seaton!</p> - -<p>He also sat exactly as he had sat an instant—or was it a -month?—before; but his face was thin and heavily lined, his -normally powerful body was now gauntly eloquent of utter fatigue. -Nor was Margaret in better case. She was haggard, almost emaciated. -Her clothing, like that of Seaton, had been forced to return to a -semblance of order by the exigencies of interdimensional and intertime -translation, and for a moment appeared sound and whole.</p> - -<p>The translation accomplished, however, that clothing literally felt -apart. The dirt and grime of their long, hard journey and the sticky -sap of the hyperplants through which they had fought their way had -of course disappeared—being four-dimensional material, all such had -perforce remained behind in four-dimensional space—but the thorns and -sucking disks of the hypervegetation had taken toll. Now each rent and -tear reappeared, to give mute but eloquent testimony to the fact that -the sojourn of those two human beings in hyperland had been neither -peaceful nor uneventful.</p> - -<p>Dorothy's glance flashed in amazement from Seaton to Margaret, and she -repressed a scream as she saw the ravages wrought by whatever it was -that they had gone through.</p> - -<p>But Seaton's first thought was for the bodiless foes whom they might -not have left behind. "Did we get away, Mart?" he demanded, hand still -upon the switch. Then, without waiting for a reply, he went on: "We -must've made it, though, or we'd've been dematerialized before this. -Three rousing cheers! We made it—we made it!"</p> - -<p>For several minutes all four gave way to their mixed but profound -emotions, in which relief and joy predominated. They had escaped from -the intellectuals; they had come alive through hyperspace!</p> - -<p>"But Dick!" Dorothy held Seaton off at arm's length and studied his -gaunt, lined face. "Lover, you look actually thin."</p> - -<p>"I <i>am</i> thin," he replied. "We were gone a week, we told you. I'm just -about starved to death, and I'm thirstier even than that. Not being -able to eat is bad; but going without water is worse, believe me! My -whole insides feel like a mess of desiccated blotters. Come on, Peg; -let's empty us a couple of water tanks."</p> - -<p>They drank; lightly and intermittently at first, then deeply.</p> - -<p>At last Seaton put down the pitcher. "That isn't enough, by any means; -but we're damp enough inside so that we can swallow food, I guess. -While you're finding out where we are, Mart, Peg and I'll eat six or -eight meals apiece."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>While Seaton and Margaret ate—ate as they had drunk, carefully, but -with every evidence of an insatiable bodily demand for food—Dorothy's -puzzled gaze went from the worn faces of the diners to a mirror which -reflected her own vivid, unchanged self.</p> - -<p>"But I don't understand it at all, Dick!" she burst out at last. -"<i>I'm</i> not thirsty, nor hungry, and I haven't changed a bit. Neither -has Martin; and yet you two have lost pounds and pounds and look as -though you had been pulled through a knot hole. It didn't seem to us as -though you were away from us all. You were going to tell me about that -back there, when we were interrupted. Now go ahead and explain things, -before I explode. What happened, anyway?"</p> - -<p>Seaton, hunger temporarily assuaged, gave a full but concise summary of -everything that had happened while he and Margaret were away from the -<i>Skylark</i>. He then launched into a scientific dissertation, only to be -interrupted by Dorothy.</p> - -<p>"But, Dick, it doesn't sound reasonable that all that could <i>possibly</i> -have happened to you and Peggy without our even knowing that any time -at all had passed!" she expostulated. "We weren't unconscious or -anything, were we, Martin? We knew what was going on all the time, -didn't we?"</p> - -<p>"We were at no time unconscious, and we knew at all times what was -taking place around us," Crane made surprising but positive answer. He -was seated at a visiplate, but had been listening to the story instead -of studying the almost-sheer emptiness that was space. "And since it is -a truism of Norlaminian psychology that any lapse of consciousness, of -however short duration, is impressed upon the consciousness of a mind -of even moderate power, I feel safe in saying that for Dorothy and me, -at least, no lapse of time did occur or could have occurred."</p> - -<p>"There!" Dorothy exulted. "You've got to admit that Martin knows his -stuff. How are you going to get around that?"</p> - -<p>"Search me—wish I knew." Seaton frowned in thought. "But Mart chirped -it, I think, when he said 'for Dorothy and me, at least,' because -for us two time certainly lapsed, and lapsed plenty. However, Mart -certainly <i>does</i> know his stuff; the old think tank is full of bubbles -all the time. He doesn't make positive statements very often, and when -he does you can sink the bank roll on 'em. Therefore, since you were -both conscious and time did not lapse—for you—it must have been time -itself that was cuckoo instead of you. It must have stretched, or must -have been stretched, like the very dickens—for you.</p> - -<p>"Where does that idea get us? I might think that their time was -intrinsically variable, as well as being different from ours, if it -was not for the regular alternation of night and day—of light and -darkness, at least—that Peg and I saw, and which affected the whole -country, as far as we could see. So that's out.</p> - -<p>"Maybe they treated you two to a dose of suspended animation or -something of the kind, since you weren't going anywhere—Nope, that -idea doesn't carry the right earmarks, and besides it would have -registered as such on Martin's Norlaminianly psychological brain. So -that's out, too. In fact, the only thing that could deliver the goods -would be a sta—but that'd be a trifle strong, even for a hyperman, I'm -afraid."</p> - -<p>"What would?" demanded Margaret. "Anything that you would call strong -ought to be worth listening to."</p> - -<p>"A stasis of time. Sounds a trifle far-fetched, of course, but—"</p> - -<p>"But phooey!" Dorothy exclaimed. "Now you <i>are</i> raving, Dick!"</p> - -<p>"I'm not so sure of that, at all," Seaton argued stubbornly. "They -really understand time, I think, and I picked up a couple of pointers. -It would take a sixth-order field—That's it, I'm pretty sure, and that -gives me an idea. If they can do it in hypertime, why can't we do it in -ours?"</p> - -<p>"I fail to see how such a stasis could be established," argued Crane. -"It seems to me that as long as matter exists time must continue, since -it is quite firmly established that time depends upon matter—or rather -upon the motion in space of that which we call matter."</p> - -<p>"Sure—that's what I'm going on. Time and motion are both relative. -Stop all motion—relative, not absolute motion—and what have you? You -have duration without sequence or succession, which is what?"</p> - -<p>"That would be a stasis of time, as you say," Crane conceded, after due -deliberation. "How can you do it?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know yet whether I can or not—that's another question. -We already know, though, how to set up a stasis of the ether along -a spherical surface, and after I have accumulated a little more -data on the sixth order it should not be impossible to calculate a -volume-stasis in both ether and sub-ether, far enough down to establish -complete immobility and local cessation of time in gross matter so -affected."</p> - -<p>"But would not all matter so affected assume at once the absolute zero -of temperature and thus preclude life?"</p> - -<p>"I don't think so. The stasis would be sub-atomic and instantaneous, -you know; there could be no loss or transfer of energy. I don't see how -gross matter could be affected at all. As far as I can see it would -be an absolutely perfect suspension of animation. You and Dot lived -through it, anyway, and I'm positive that that's what they did to you. -And I still say that if anybody can do it, we can."</p> - -<p>"'And that,'" put in Margaret roguishly, "as you so feelingly remark, -'is a cheerful thought to dwell on—let's dwell on it!'"</p> - -<p>"We'll do that little thing, too, Peg, some of these times; see if we -don't!" Seaton promised. "But to get back to our knitting, what's the -good word, Mart—located us yet? Are we, or are we not, heading for -that justly famed distant Galaxy of the Fenachrone?"</p> - -<p>"We are not," Crane replied flatly, "nor are we heading for any other -point in space covered by the charts of Ravindau's astronomers."</p> - -<p>"Huh? Great Cat!" Seaton joined the physicist at his visiplate, and -made complete observations upon the few nebulae visible.</p> - -<p>He turned then to the charts, and his findings confirmed those of -Crane. They were so far away from our own Galaxy that the space in -which they were was unknown, even to those masters of astronomy and of -intergalactic navigation, the Fenachrone.</p> - -<p>"Well, we're not lost, anyway, thanks to your cautious old bean." -Seaton grinned as he stepped over to an object-compass mounted upon the -plane table.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>This particular instrument was equipped with every refinement known -to the science of four great Solar Systems. Its exceedingly delicate -needle, swinging in an almost-perfect vacuum upon practically -frictionless jeweled bearings, was focused upon the unimaginable -mass of the entire First Galaxy, a mass so inconceivably great that -mathematics had shown—and even Crane would have stated as a fact—that -it would affect that needle from any point whatever, however distant, -in universal space.</p> - -<p>Seaton actuated the minute force which set the needle in motion, but -it did not oscillate. For minute after minute it revolved slowly but -freely, coming ultimately to rest without any indication of having -been affected in the least by any external influence. He stared at -the compass in stark, unbelieving amazement, then tested its current -and its every other factor. The instrument was in perfect order and -in perfect adjustment. Grimly, quietly, he repeated the oscillatory -test—with the same utterly negative result.</p> - -<p>"Well, that is eminently, conclusively, definitely, and unqualifiedly -that." He stared at Crane, unseeing, his mind racing. "The most -sensitive needle we've got, and she won't even register!"</p> - -<p>"In other words, we are lost." Crane's voice was level and calm. -"We are so far away from the First Galaxy that even that compass, -supposedly reactive from any possible location in space, is useless."</p> - -<p>"But I don't get it, at all, Mart!" Seaton expostulated, paying no -attention to the grim meaning underlying his friend's utterance. "With -the whole mass of the Galaxy as its object of attachment that needle -absolutely will register from a distance greater than any possible -diameter of the super-universe—" His voice died away.</p> - -<p>"Go on; you are beginning to see the light," Crane prompted.</p> - -<p>"Yeah—no wonder I couldn't plot a curve to trace those Fenachrone -torpedoes—our fundamental assumptions were unsound. The fact simply -is that if space is curved at all, the radius of curvature is vastly -greater than any figure as yet proposed, even by the Fenachrone -astronomers. We certainly weren't out of our own space a thousandth of -a second—more likely only a couple of millionths—do you suppose that -there really are folds in the fourth dimension?"</p> - -<p>"That idea has been advanced, but folds are not strictly necessary, nor -are they easy to defend. It has always seemed to me that the hypothesis -of linear departure is much more tenable. The planes need not be -parallel, you know—in fact, it is almost a mathematical certainty that -they are <i>not</i> parallel."</p> - -<p>"That's so, too; and that hypothesis would account for everything, of -course. But how are—"</p> - -<p>"What <i>are</i> you two talking about?" demanded Dorothy. "We simply -couldn't have come that far—why, the <i>Skylark</i> was stuck in the ground -the whole time!"</p> - -<p>"As a physicist, Red-Top, you're a fine little beauty-contest winner." -Seaton grinned. "You forget that with the velocity she had, the <i>Lark</i> -couldn't have been stopped within three months, either—yet she seemed -to stop. How about that, Mart?"</p> - -<p>"I have been thinking about that. It is all a question of relative -velocities, of course; but even at that, the angle of departure of the -two spaces must have been extreme indeed to account for our present -location in three-dimensional space."</p> - -<p>"Extreme is right; but there's no use yapping about it now, any more -than about any other spilled milk. We'll just have to go places and do -things; that's all."</p> - -<p>"Go where and do what?" asked Dorothy pointedly.</p> - -<p>"Lost—lost in space!" Margaret breathed.</p> - -<p>As the dread import of their predicament struck into her consciousness -she had seized the arm rests of her chair in a spasmodic clutch; but -she forced herself to relax and her deep brown eyes held no sign of -panic.</p> - -<p>"But we have been lost in space before, Dottie, apparently as badly as -we are now. Worse, really, because we did not have Martin and Dick with -us then."</p> - -<p>"'At-a-girl, Peg!" Seaton cheered. "We may—be lost—guess we are, -temporarily, at least—but we're not licked, not by seven thousand rows -of apple trees!"</p> - -<p>"I fail to perceive any very solid basis for your optimism," Crane -remarked quietly, "but you have an idea, of course. What is it?"</p> - -<p>"Pick out the Galaxy nearest our line of flight and brake down for -it." Seaton's nimble mind was leaping ahead. "The <i>Lark's</i> so full -of uranium that her skin's bulging, so we've got power to burn. In -that Galaxy there are—there <i>must</i> be—suns with habitable, possibly -inhabited, planets. We'll find one such planet and land on it. Then -we'll do with our might what our hands find to do."</p> - -<p>"Such as?"</p> - -<p>"Along what lines?" queried Dorothy and Crane simultaneously.</p> - -<p>"Space ship, probably—<i>Two's</i> entirely too small to be of any account -in intergalactic work," Seaton replied promptly. "Or maybe fourth-, -fifth- and sixth-order projectors; or maybe some kind of an ultra-ultra -radio or projector. How do I know, from here? But there's thousands of -things that maybe we can do—we'll wait until we get there to worry -about which one to try first."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XV.</p> - - -<p>Seaton strode over to the control board and applied maximum -acceleration. "Might as well start traveling, Mart," he remarked to -Crane, who had for almost an hour been devoting the highest telescopic -power of number six visiplate to spectroscopic, interferometric, and -spectrophotometric studies of half a dozen selected nebulae. "No matter -which one you pick out we'll have to have quite a lot of positive -acceleration yet before we reverse to negative."</p> - -<p>"As a preliminary measure, might it not be a good idea to gain some -idea as to our present line of flight?" Crane asked dryly, bending a -quizzical glance upon his friend. "You know a great deal more than -I do about the hypothesis of linear departure of incompatible and -incommensurable spaces, however, and so perhaps you already know our -true course."</p> - -<p>"Ouch! Pals, they got me!" Seaton clapped a hand over his heart; then, -seizing his own ear, he led himself up to the switchboard and shut off -the space drive, except for the practically negligible superimposed -thirty-two feet per second which gave to the <i>Skylark's</i> occupants a -normal gravitational force.</p> - -<p>"Why, Dick, how perfectly silly!" Dorothy chuckled. "What's the matter? -All you've got to do is to—"</p> - -<p>"Silly, says you?" Seaton, still blushing, interrupted her. "Woman, you -don't know the half of it! I'm just plain dumb, and Mart was tactfully -calling my attention to the fact. Them's soft words that the slatlike -string bean just spoke, but believe me, Red-Top, he packs a wicked -wallop in that silken glove!"</p> - -<p>"Keep still a minute, Dick, and look at the bar!" Dorothy protested. -"Everything's on zero, so we must be still going straight up, and all -you have to do to get back somewhere near our own Galaxy is to turn it -around. Why didn't one of you brilliant thinkers—or have I overlooked -a bet?"</p> - -<p>"Not exactly. You don't know about those famous linear departures, but -I do. I haven't that excuse—I simply went off half cocked again. You -see, it's like this: Even if those gyroscopes could have retained their -orientation unchanged through the fourth-dimensional translation, which -is highly improbable, that line wouldn't mean a thing as far as getting -back is concerned.</p> - -<p>"We took one gosh-awful jump in going through hyperspace, you know, -and we have no means at all of determining whether we jumped up, -down, or sidewise. Nope, he's right, as usual—we can't do anything -intelligently until he finds out, from the shifting of spectral lines -and so on, in what direction we actually are traveling. How're you -coming with it, Mart?"</p> - -<p>"For really precise work we shall require photographs of some twenty -hours' exposure. However, I have made six preliminary observations, -as nearly on rectangular coördinates as possible, from which you can -calculate a first-approximation course which will serve until we can -obtain more precise data."</p> - -<p>"All right! Calcium H and calcium K—Were they all type G?"</p> - -<p>"Four of them were of type G, two were of type K. I selected the H and -K lines of calcium because they were the most prominent individuals -appearing in all six spectra."</p> - -<p>"Fine! While you're taking your pictures I'll run them off on the -calculator. From the looks of those shifts I'd say I could hit our -course within five degrees, which is close enough for a few days, at -least."</p> - -<p>Seaton soon finished his calculations. He then read off from the great -graduated hour-space and declination-circles of the gyroscope cage the -course upon which the power bar was then set, and turned with a grin to -Crane, who had just opened the shutter for his first time exposure.</p> - -<p>"We were off plenty, Mart," he admitted. "The whole gyroscope system -was rotated about ninety degrees minus declination and something like -plus seven hours' right ascension, so we'll have to forget all our old -data and start out from scratch with the reference planes as they are -now. That won't hurt us much, though, since we haven't any idea where -we are, anyway.</p> - -<p>"We're heading about ten degrees or so to the right of that nebula over -there, which is certainly a mighty long ways off from where I thought -we were going. I'll put on full positive and point ten degrees to the -left of it. Probably you'd better read it now, and by taking a set of -observations, say a hundred hours apart, we can figure when we'll have -to reverse acceleration.</p> - -<p>"While you're doing that I thought I'd start seeing what I could do -about a fourth-order projector. It'll take a long time to build, and -we'll need one bad when we get inside that Galaxy. What do you think?"</p> - -<p>"I think that both of those ideas are sound," Crane assented, and each -man bent to his task.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Crane took his photographs and studied each of the six key nebulae -with every resource of his ultrarefined instruments. Having determined -the <i>Skylark's</i> course and speed, and knowing her acceleration, he was -able at last to set upon the power bar an automatically varying control -of such a nature that her resultant velocity was directly toward the -lenticular nebula nearest her former line of flight.</p> - -<p>That done, he continued his observations at regular -intervals—constantly making smaller his limit of observational error, -constantly so altering the power and course of the vessel that the -selected Galaxy would be reached in the shortest possible space of time -consistent with a permissible final velocity.</p> - -<p>And in the meantime Seaton labored upon the projector. It had been -out of the question, of course, to transfer to tiny <i>Two</i> the immense -mechanism which had made of <i>Three</i> a sentient, almost a living, -thing; but, equally of course, he had brought along the force-band -transformers and selectors, and as much as possible of the other -essential apparatus. He had been obliged to leave behind, however, -the very heart of the fifth-order installation—the precious lens of -neutronium—and its lack was now giving him deep concern.</p> - -<p>"What's the matter, Dickie? You look as though you had lost your last -friend." Dorothy intercepted him one day as he paced about the narrow -confines of the control room, face set and eyes unseeing.</p> - -<p>"Not quite that, but ever since I finished that fourth-order outfit -I've been trying to figure out something to take the place of that -lens we had in <i>Three</i>, so that I can go ahead on the fifth, but that -seems to be one thing for which there is absolutely no substitute. It's -like trying to unscrew the inscrutable—it can't be done."</p> - -<p>"If you can't get along without it, why didn't you bring it along, too?"</p> - -<p>"Couldn't."</p> - -<p>"Why?" she persisted.</p> - -<p>"Nothing strong enough to hold it. In some ways it's worse than atomic -energy. It's so hot and under such pressure that if that lens were -to blow up in Omaha it would burn up the whole United States, from -San Francisco to New York City. It takes either thirty feet of solid -inoson or else a complete force-bracing to stand the pressure. We had -neither, no time to build anything, and couldn't have taken it through -hyperspace even if we could have held it safely."</p> - -<p>"Does that mean—"</p> - -<p>"No. It simply means that we'll have to start at the fourth again -and work up. I did bring along a couple of good big faidons, so that -all we've got to do is find a planet heavy enough and solid enough -to anchor a full-sized fourth-order projector on, within twenty -light-years of a white dwarf star."</p> - -<p>"Oh, is that all? You two'll do that, all right."</p> - -<p>"Isn't it wonderful the confidence some women have in their husbands?" -Seaton asked Crane, who was studying through number six visiplate and -the fourth-order projector the enormous expanse of the strange Galaxy -at whose edge they now were. "I think maybe we'll be able to pull it -off, though, at that. Of course we aren't close enough yet to find such -minutiae as planets, but how are things shaping up in general?"</p> - -<p>"Quite encouraging! This Galaxy is certainly of the same order of -magnitude as our own, and—"</p> - -<p>"Encouraging, huh?" Seaton broke in. "If such a dyed-in-the-wool -pessimist as you are can permit himself to use such a word as that, -we're practically landed on a planet right now!"</p> - -<p>"And shows the same types and varieties of stellar spectra," Crane went -on, unperturbed. "I have identified with certainty no less than six -white dwarf stars, and some forty yellow dwarfs of type G."</p> - -<p>"Fine! What did I tell you?" exulted Seaton.</p> - -<p>"Now go over that again, in English, so that Peggy and I can feel -relieved about it, too," Dorothy directed. "What's a type-G dwarf?"</p> - -<p>"A sun like our own old Sol, back home," Seaton explained. "Since we -are looking for a planet as much as possible like our own Earth, it -is a distinctly cheerful fact to find so many suns so similar to our -own. And as for the white dwarfs, I've got to have one fairly close to -the planet we land on, because to get in touch with Rovol I've got to -have a sixth-order projector; to build which I've first got to have one -of the fifth order; for the reconstruction of which I've got to have -neutronium; to get which I'll have to be close to a white dwarf star. -See?"</p> - -<p>"Uh-huh! Clear and lucid to the point of limpidity—not." Dorothy -grimaced, then went on: "As for me, I'm certainly glad to see those -stars. It seems that we've been out there in absolutely empty space for -ages, and I've been scared a pale lavender all the time. Having all -these nice stars around us again is the next-best thing to being on -solid ground."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>At the edge of the strange Galaxy though they were, many days were -required to reduce the intergalactic pace of the vessel to a value at -which maneuvering was possible, and many more days passed into time -before Crane announced the discovery of a sun which not only possessed -a family of planets, but was also within the specified distance of a -white dwarf star.</p> - -<p>To any Earthly astronomer, whose most powerful optical instruments fail -to reveal even the closest star as anything save a dimensionless point -of light, such a discovery would have been impossible, but Crane was -not working with Earthly instruments. For the fourth-order projector, -although utterly useless at the intergalactic distances with which -Seaton was principally concerned, was vastly more powerful than any -conceivable telescope.</p> - -<p>Driven by the full power of a disintegrating uranium bar, it could hold -a projection so steadily at a distance of twenty light-years that a man -could manipulate a welding arc as surely as though it was upon a bench -before him—which, in effect, it was—and in cases in which delicacy -of control was not an object, such as the present quest for such vast -masses as planets, the projector was effective over distances of many -hundreds of light-years.</p> - -<p>Thus it came about that the search for a planetiferous sun near a white -dwarf star was not unduly prolonged, and <i>Skylark Two</i> tore through the -empty ether toward it.</p> - -<p>Close enough so that the projector could reveal details, Seaton drove -projections of all four voyagers down into the atmosphere of the -first planet at hand. That atmosphere was heavy and of a pronounced -greenish-yellow cast, and through it that fervent sun poured down a -flood of livid light upon a peculiarly dead and barren ground—but -yet a ground upon which grew isolated clumps of a livid and monstrous -vegetation.</p> - -<p>"Of course detailed analysis at this distance is impossible, but what -do you make of it, Dick?" asked Crane. "In all our travels, this is -only the second time we have encountered such an atmosphere."</p> - -<p>"Yes; and that's exactly twice too many." Seaton, at the spectroscope, -was scowling in thought. "Chlorin, all right, with some fluorin and -strong traces of oxides of nitrogen, nitrosyl chloride, and so on—just -about like that one we saw in our own Galaxy that time. I thought then -and have thought ever since that there was something decidedly fishy -about that planet, and I think there's something equally fishy about -this one."</p> - -<p>"Well, let's not investigate it any further, then," put in Dorothy. -"Let's go somewhere else, quick."</p> - -<p>"Yes, let's," Margaret agreed, "particularly if, as you said about -that other one, it has a form of life on it that would make our -grandfather's whiskers curl up into a ball."</p> - -<p>"We'll do that little thing; we haven't got <i>Three's</i> equipment now, -and without it I'm no keener on smelling around this planet than you -are," and he flipped the projection across a few hundred million miles -of space to the neighboring planet. Its air, while somewhat murky and -smoky, was colorless and apparently normal, its oceans were composed of -water, and its vegetation was green. "See, Mart? I told you something -was fishy. It's all wrong—a thing like that can't happen even once, -let alone twice."</p> - -<p>"According to the accepted principles of cosmogony it is of course to -be expected that all the planets of the same sun would have atmospheres -of somewhat similar composition," Crane conceded, unmoved. "However, -since we have observed two cases of this kind, it is quite evident -that there are not only many more suns having planets than has been -supposed, but also that suns capture planets from each other, at least -occasionally."</p> - -<p>"Maybe—that would explain it, of course. But let's see what this world -looks like—see if we can find a place to sit down on. It'll be nice -to live on solid ground while I do my stuff."</p> - -<p>He swung the viewpoint slowly across the daylight side of the strange -planet, whose surface, like that of Earth, was partially obscured by -occasional masses of cloud. Much of that surface was covered by mighty -oceans, and what little land there was seemed strangely flat and -entirely devoid of topographical features.</p> - -<p>The immaterial conveyance dropped straight down upon the largest -visible mass of land, down through a towering jungle of fernlike and -bamboolike plants, halting only a few feet above the ground. Solid -ground it certainly was not, nor did it resemble the watery muck of -our Earthly swamps. The huge stems of the vegetation rose starkly -from a black and seething field of viscous mud—mud unrelieved by -any accumulation of humus or of débris—and in that mud there swam, -crawled, and slithered teeming hordes of animals.</p> - -<p>"What perfectly darn funny-looking mud puppies!" Dorothy exclaimed. -"And isn't that the thickest, dirtiest, gooiest mud you ever saw?"</p> - -<p>"Just about," Seaton agreed, intensely interested. "But those things -seem perfectly adapted to it. Flat, beaver tails; short, strong legs -with webbed feet; long, narrow heads with rooting noses, like pigs; -and heavy, sharp incisor teeth. But they live on those ferns and -stuff—that's why there's no underbrush or dead stuff. Look at that -bunch working on the roots of that big bamboo over there. They'll have -it down in a minute—there she goes!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The great trunk fell with a crash as he spoke, and was almost instantly -forced beneath the repellant surface by the weight of the massed "mud -puppies" who flung themselves upon it.</p> - -<p>"Ah, I thought so!" Crane remarked. "Their molar teeth do not match -their incisors, being quite Titanotheric in type. Probably they can -assimilate lignin and cellulose instead of requiring our usual nutrient -carbohydrates. However, this terrain does not seem to be at all -suitable for our purpose."</p> - -<p>"I'll say it doesn't. I'll scout around and see if we can't find some -high land somewhere, but I've got a hunch that we won't care for that, -either. This murky air and the strong absorption lines of SO2 seem to -whisper in my ear that we'll find some plenty hot and plenty sulphurous -volcanoes when we find the mountains."</p> - -<p>A few large islands or small continents of high and solid land were -found at last, but they were without exception volcanic. And those -volcanoes were not quiescent. Each was in constant and furious eruption.</p> - -<p>"Well, I don't see any place around here either fit to live in or solid -enough to anchor an observatory onto," Seaton concluded, after he had -surveyed the entire surface of the globe. "I think we'd better flit -across to the next one, don't you, folks?"</p> - -<p>Suiting action to word, he shot the beam to the next nearest planet, -which chanced to be the one whose orbit was nearest the blazing sun, -and a mere glance showed that it would not serve the purposes of the -Terrestrials. Small it was, and barren: waterless, practically airless, -lifeless; a cratered, jagged, burned-out ember of what might once have -been a fertile little world.</p> - -<p>The viewpoint then leaped past the flaming inferno of the luminary and -came to rest in the upper layers of an atmosphere.</p> - -<p>"Aha!" Seaton exulted, after he had studied his instruments briefly. -"This looks like home, sweet home to me. Nitrogen, oxygen, some CO2, a -little water vapor, and traces of the old familiar rare gases. And see -the oceans, the clouds, and the hills? Hot dog!"</p> - -<p>As the projection dropped toward the new world's surface, however, -making possible a detailed study, it became evident that there was -something abnormal about it. The mountains were cratered and torn; -many of the valleys were simply desolate expanses of weathered lava, -tuff, and breccia; and, while it seemed that climatic conditions were -eminently suitable, of animal life there was none.</p> - -<p>And it was not only the world itself that had been outraged. Near a -great inland lake there spread the ruins of what had once been a great -city; ruins so crumbled and razed as to be almost unrecognizable. What -had been stone was dust, what had been metal was rust; and dust and -rust alike were now almost completely overgrown by vegetation.</p> - -<p>"Hm-m-m!" Seaton mused, subdued. "There <i>was</i> a near-collision of -planet-bearing suns, Mart; and that chlorin planet was captured. This -world was ruined by the strains set up—but surely they must have been -scientific enough to have seen it coming? Surely they must have made -plans so that <i>some</i> of them could have lived through it?"</p> - -<p>He fell silent, driving the viewpoint hither and thither, like a hound -in quest of a scent. "I thought so!" Another ruined city lay beneath -them; a city whose buildings, works, and streets had been fused -together into one vast agglomerate of glaringly glassy slag, through -which could be seen unmelted fragments of strangely designed structural -members. "Those ruins are fresh—that was done with a heat ray, Mart. -But who did it, and why? I've got a hunch—wonder if we're too late—if -they've killed them all off already?"</p> - -<p>Hard-faced now and grim, Seaton combed the continent, finding at last -what he sought.</p> - -<p>"Ah, I thought so!" he exclaimed, his voice low but deadly. "I'll -bet my shirt that the chlorins are wiping out the civilization of -that planet—probably people more or less like us. What d'you say, -folks—do we declare ourselves in on this, or not?"</p> - -<p>"I'll tell the cockeyed world—I believe that we should—By all -means—" came simultaneously from Dorothy, Margaret, and Crane.</p> - -<p>"I knew you'd back me up. Humanity <i>über alles</i>—<i>homo sapiens</i> against -all the vermin of the universe! Let's go, <i>Two</i>—do your stuff!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>As <i>Two</i> hurtled toward the unfortunate planet with her every iota of -driving power, Seaton settled down to observe the strife and to see -what he could do. That which lay beneath the viewpoint had not been a -city, in the strict sense of the word. It had been an immense system of -concentric fortifications, of which the outer circles had long since -gone down under the irresistible attack of the two huge structures of -metal which hung poised in the air above. Where those outer rings had -been there was now an annular lake of boiling, seething lava. Lava -from which arose gouts and slender pillars of smoke and fume; lava -being volatilized by the terrific heat of the offensive beams and being -hurled away in flaming cascades by the almost constant detonations -of high-explosive shells; lava into which from time to time another -portion of the immense fortress slagged down—put out of action, -riddled, and finally fused by the awful forces of the invaders.</p> - -<p>Even as the four Terrestrials stared in speechless awe, an intolerable -blast of flame burst out above one of the flying forts and down it -plunged into the raging pool, throwing molten slag far and wide as it -disappeared beneath the raging surface.</p> - -<p>"Hurray!" shrieked Dorothy, who had instinctively taken sides with the -defenders. "One down, anyway!"</p> - -<p>But her jubilation was premature. The squat and monstrous fabrication -burst upward through that flaming surface and, white-hot lava -streaming from it in incandescent torrents, it was again in action, -apparently uninjured.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus8.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>But the squat and monstrous flying fort burst upward through -the seething surface and was again in full action.</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"All fourth-order stuff, Mart," Seaton, who had been frantically busy -at his keyboard and instruments, reported to Crane. "Can't find a trace -of anything on the fifth or sixth, and that gives us a break. I don't -know what we can do yet, but we'll do something, believe me!"</p> - -<p>"Fourth order? Are you sure?" Crane doubted. "A fourth-order screen -would be a zone of force, opaque and impervious to gravitation, whereas -those screens are transparent and are not affecting gravity."</p> - -<p>"Yeah, but they're doing something that we never tried, since we never -used fourth-order stuff in fighting. They've both left the gravity band -open—it's probably too narrow for them to work through, at least with -anything very heavy—and that gives us the edge."</p> - -<p>"Why? Do you know more about it than they do?" queried Dorothy.</p> - -<p>"Who and what are they, Dick?" asked Margaret.</p> - -<p>"Sure I know more about it than they do. I understand the fifth and -sixth orders, and you can't get the full benefit of any order until -you know all about the next one. Just like mathematics—nobody can -really handle trigonometry until after he has had calculus. And as -to who they are, the folks in that fort are of course natives of the -planet, and they may well be people more or less like us. It's dollars -to doughnuts, though, that those vessels are manned by the inhabitants -of that interloping planet—that form of life I was telling you -about—and it's up to us to pull their corks if we can. There, I'm -ready to go, I think. We'll visit the ship first."</p> - -<p>The visible projection disappeared and, their images now invisible -patterns of force, they stood inside the control room of one of the -invaders. The air bore the faint, greenish-yellow tinge of chlorin; -the walls were banked and tiered with controlling dials, meters, and -tubes; and sprawling, lying, standing, or hanging before those controls -were denizens of the chlorin planet. No two of them were alike in form. -If one of them was using eyes he had eyes everywhere; if hands, hands -by the dozen, all differently fingered, sprouted from one, two, or a -dozen supple and snaky arms.</p> - -<p>But the inspection was only momentary. Scarcely had the unseen visitors -glanced about the interior when the visibeam was cut off sharply. The -peculiar beings had snapped on a full-coverage screen and their vessel, -now surrounded by the opaque spherical mirror of a zone of force, was -darting upward and away—unaffected by gravity, unable to use any of -her weapons, but impervious to any form of matter or to any ether-borne -wave.</p> - -<p>"Huh! 'We didn't come over here to get peeked at,' says they." Seaton -snorted. "Amœbic! Must be handy, though, at that, to sprout eyes, arms, -ears, and so on whenever and wherever you want to—and when you want -to rest, to pull in all such impedimenta and subside into a senseless -green blob. Well, we've seen the attackers, now let's see what the -natives look like. They can't cut us off without sending their whole -works sky-hooting off into space."</p> - -<p>The visibeam sped down into the deepest sanctum of the fortress without -hindrance, revealing a long, narrow control table at which were -seated men—men not exactly like the humanity of Earth, of Norlamin, -of Osnome, or of any other planet, but undoubtedly men, of the genus -<i>homo</i>.</p> - -<p>"You were right, Dick." Crane the anthropologist now spoke. "It seems -that on planets similar to Earth in mass, atmosphere, and temperature, -wherever situated, man develops. The ultimate genes must permeate -universal space itself."</p> - -<p>"Maybe—sounds reasonable. But did you see that red light flash on when -we came in? They've got detectors set on the gravity band—look at the -expression on their faces."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Each of the seated men had ceased his activity and was slumped down -into his chair. Resignation, hopeless yet bitter, sat upon lofty, domed -brows and stared out of large and kindly eyes.</p> - -<p>"Oh, I get it!" Seaton exclaimed. "They think the chlorins are watching -them—as they probably do most of the time—and they can't do anything -about it. Should think they could do the same—or could broadcast an -interference—I could help them on that if I could talk to them—wish -they had an educator, but I haven't seen any—" He paused, brow knitted -in concentration. "I'm going to make myself visible to try a stunt. -Don't talk to me; I'll need all the brain power I've got to pull this -off."</p> - -<p>As Seaton's image thickened into substance its effect upon -the strangers was startling indeed. First they shrank back in -consternation, supposing that their enemies had at last succeeded in -working a full materialization through the narrow gravity band. Then, -as they perceived that Seaton's figure was human, and of a humanity -different from their own, they sprang to surround him, shouting words -meaningless to the Terrestrials.</p> - -<p>For some time Seaton tried to make his meaning clear by signs, but the -thoughts he was attempting to convey were far too complex for that -simple medium. Communication was impossible and the time was altogether -too short to permit of a laborious learning of language. Therefore -streamers of visible force shot from Seaton's imaged eyes, sinking -deeply into the eyes of the figure at the head of the table.</p> - -<p>"Look at me!" he commanded, and his fists clenched and drops of sweat -stood out on his forehead as he threw all the power of his brain into -that probing, hypnotic beam.</p> - -<p>The native resisted with all his strength, but not for nothing had -Seaton had superimposed upon his already-powerful mind a large -portion of the phenomenal brain of Drasnik, the First of Psychology -of Norlamin. Resistance was useless. The victim soon sat relaxed and -passive, his mind completely subservient to Seaton's, and as though in -a trance he spoke to his fellows.</p> - -<p>"This apparition is the force-image of one of a group of men from -a distant Solar System," he intoned in his own language. "They are -friendly and intend to help us. Their space ship is approaching -us under full power, but it cannot get here for many days. They -can, however, help us materially before they arrive in person. To -that end, he directs that we cause to be brought into this room a -full assortment of all our fields of force, transmitting tubes, -controllers, force-converters—in short, the equipment of a laboratory -of radiation—No, that would take too long. He suggests that one of us -escort him to such a laboratory."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusc5.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XVI.</p> - - -<p>As Seaton assumed, the near-collision of suns which had affected so -disastrously the planet Valeron did not come unheralded to overwhelm a -world unwarned, since for many hundreds of years her civilization had -been of a high order indeed.</p> - -<p>With all their resources of knowledge and of power, however, it was -pitifully little that the people of Valeron could do; for of what avail -are the puny energies of man compared to the practically infinite -forces of cosmic phenomena? Any attempt of the humanity of the doomed -planet to swerve from their courses the incomprehensible masses of -those two hurtling suns was as surely doomed to failure as would be the -attempt of an ant to thrust from its rails an onrushing locomotive.</p> - -<p>But what little could be done was done; done scientifically and -logically; done, if not altogether without fear, at least inasmuch -as was humanly possible without favor. With mathematical certainty -were plotted the areas of least strain, and in those areas were -constructed shelters. Shelters buried deeply enough to be unaffected -by the coming upheavals of the world's crust; shelters of unbreakable -metal, so designed, so latticed and braced as to withstand the seismic -disturbances to which they were inevitably to be subjected.</p> - -<p>Having determined the number of such shelters that could be built, -equipped, and supplied with the necessities of life in the time -allowed, the board of selection began its cold-blooded and heartless -task. Scarcely one in a thousand of Valeron's teeming millions was to -be given a chance for continued life, and they were to be chosen only -from the children who would be in the prime of young adulthood at the -time of the catastrophe.</p> - -<p>These children were the pick of the planet: flawless in mind, body, and -heredity. They were assembled in special schools near their assigned -refuges, where they were instructed intensively in everything that they -would have to know in order that civilization should not disappear -utterly from the universe.</p> - -<p>Such a thing could not be kept a secret long, and it is best to touch -as lightly as possible upon the scenes which ensued after the certainty -of doom became public knowledge.</p> - -<p>Characters already strong were strengthened, but those already weak -went to pieces entirely in orgies to a normal mind unthinkable. Almost -overnight a peaceful and law-abiding world went mad—became an insane -hotbed of crime, rapine, and pillage unspeakable. Martial law was -declared at once, and after a few thousand maniacs had been ruthlessly -shot down, the soberer inhabitants were allowed to choose between two -alternatives. They could either die then and there before a firing -squad, or they could wait and take whatever slight chance there might -be of living through what was to come—but devoting their every effort -meanwhile to the end that through those selected few the civilization -of Valeron should endure.</p> - -<p>Many chose death and were executed summarily and without formality, -without regard to wealth or station. The rest worked.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Since the human mind cannot be kept indefinitely at high tension, the -new condition of things came in time to be regarded almost as normal, -and as months lengthened into years the routine was scarcely broken.</p> - -<p>But always there were the sly—the self-seekers, the bribers, the -corruptionists—willing to go to any lengths whatever to avoid their -doom. Not openly did they carry on their machinations, but like -loathsome worms eating at the heart of an outwardly fair fruit. But the -scientists, almost to a man, were loyal. Trained to think, they thought -clearly and logically, and surrounded themselves with soldiers and -guards of the same stripe.</p> - -<p>Time went on. The shelters were finished. Into them were taken stores, -libraries, tools and equipment of every sort necessary for the -rebuilding of a fully civilized world. Finally the "children," now in -the full prime of young manhood and young womanhood, were carefully -checked in. Once inside those massive portals of metal they were of a -world apart.</p> - -<p>They were completely informed and completely educated; they had for -long governed themselves with neither aid nor interference; they knew -precisely what they must face; they knew exactly what to do and exactly -how to do it. Behind them the mighty, multi-ply seals were welded into -place and broken rock by the cubic mile was blasted down upon their -refuges.</p> - -<p>Day by day the heat grew more and more intense. The tides waxed ever -higher. Cyclonic storms raged ever fiercer, accompanied by an incessant -blaze of lightning and a deafeningly continuous roar of thunder.</p> - -<p>Work was at an end and the masses were utterly beyond control. The -devoted were butchered by their frantic fellows; the hopeless were -stung to madness; the stolid were driven to frenzy by the realization -that there was to be no future; the remaining sly ones deftly turned -the unorganized fury of the mob into a purposeful attack upon the -shelters, their only hope of life.</p> - -<p>But at each refuge the rabble met an unyielding wall of guards loyal -to the last, and of scientists who, their work now done, were merely -waiting for the end. Guards and scientists fought with rays, rifles, -swords, and finally with clubs, stones, fists, feet and teeth. -Outnumbered by thousands they fell and the howling mob surged over -their bodies. To no purpose. Those shelters had been designed and -constructed to withstand the attacks of nature gone berserk, and futile -indeed were the attempts of the frenzied hordes to tear a way into -their sacred recesses.</p> - -<p>Thus died the devoted and high-souled band who had saved their -civilization; but in that death each man was granted the boon which, -deep in his heart, he had craved. They had died quickly and violently, -fighting for a cause they knew to be good.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The suns passed, each upon his appointed way. The cosmic forces ceased -to war and to the tortured and ravaged planet there at last came peace. -The surviving children of Valeron emerged from their subterranean -retreats and undauntedly took up the task of rebuilding their world. -And to such good purpose did they devote themselves to the problems of -rehabilitation that in a few hundred years there bloomed upon Valeron a -civilization and a culture scarcely to be equaled in the universe.</p> - -<p>For the new race had been cradled in adversity. In its ancestry there -was no physical or mental taint or weakness, all dross having been -burned away by the fires of cosmic catastrophe which had so nearly -obliterated all the life of the planet.</p> - -<p>Immediately after the Emergence it had been observed that the two -outermost planets of the system had disappeared and that in their stead -revolved a new planet. This phenomenon was recognized for what it was, -an exchange of planets; something to give concern only to astronomers, -and to them only mathematically, in the computation of now greatly -perturbed orbits.</p> - -<p>No one except sheerest romancers even gave thought to the possibility -of life upon other worlds, it being an almost mathematically -demonstrable fact that the Valeronians were the only life in the entire -universe. And even if other planets might possibly be inhabited, what -of it? The vast reaches of empty ether intervening between Valeron and -even her nearest fellow planet formed an insuperable obstacle even to -communication, to say nothing of physical passage.</p> - -<p>When the interplanetary invaders were discovered upon Valeron, Quedrin -Vornel, the most brilliant physicist of the planet, and his son Quedrin -Radnor, the most renowned, were among the first to be informed of the -visitation.</p> - -<p>Of these two, Quedrin Vornel had for many years been engaged in -researches of the most abstruse and fundamental character upon the -ultimate structure of matter. He had delved deeply into those which we -know as matter, energy, and ether, and had studied exhaustively the -phenomena characteristic of or associated with atomic, electronic, and -photonic rearrangements.</p> - -<p>His son, while a scientist of no mean attainments in his own right, did -not possess the phenomenally powerful and profoundly analytical mind -that had made the elder Quedrin the outstanding scientific genius of -his time. He was, however, a synchronizer <i>par excellence</i>, possessing -to a unique degree the ability to develop things and processes of -great utilitarian value from concepts and discoveries of a purely -scientific and academic nature.</p> - -<p>The vibrations which we know as Hertzian waves had long been known and -had long been employed in radio, both broadcast and tight-beam, in -television, in beam-transmission of power, and in receiverless visirays -and their blocking screens. When Quedrin the elder disrupted the atom, -however, successfully and safely liberating and studying not only its -stupendous energy but also an entire series of vibrations, rays, and -particles theretofore unknown to science, Quedrin the younger began -forthwith to turn the resulting products to the good of mankind.</p> - -<p>Intra-atomic energy soon drove every prime mover of Valeron and shorter -and shorter waves were harnessed. In beams, fans, and broadcasts -Quedrin Radnor combined and heterodyned them, making of them tools and -instruments immeasurably superior in power, precision, and adaptability -to anything that his world had ever before known.</p> - -<p>Due to the signal abilities of brilliant father and famous son, -the laboratory in which they labored was connected by a private -communication beam with the executive office of the Bardyle of Valeron. -"Bardyle," freely translated, means "coördinator." He was neither king, -emperor, nor president; and, while his authority was supreme, he was in -no sense a dictator.</p> - -<p>A paradoxical statement this, but a true one; for the orders—or -rather, requests and suggestions—of the Bardyle merely guided the -activities of men and women who had neither government nor laws, as we -understand the terms, but were working of their own volition for the -good of all mankind. The Bardyle could not conceivably issue an order -contrary to the common weal, nor would such an order have been obeyed.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Upon the wall of the laboratory the tuned buzzer of Bardyle's -beam-communicator sounded its subdued call and Klynor Siblin, the -scientist's capable assistant, took the call upon his desk instrument. -A strong, youthful face appeared upon the screen.</p> - -<p>"Radnor is not here, Siblin?" The pictured visitor glanced about the -room as he spoke.</p> - -<p>"No, sir. He is out in the space ship, making another test flight. He -is merely circling the world, however, so that I can easily get him on -the plate here if you wish."</p> - -<p>"That would perhaps be desirable. Something very peculiar has occurred, -concerning which all three of you should be informed."</p> - -<p>The connections were soon made and the Bardyle went on:</p> - -<p>"A semicircular dome of force has been erected over the ruins of the -ancient city of Mocelyn. It is impossible to say how long it has been -in place, since you know the ruins lie in an entirely unpopulated area. -It is, however, of an unknown composition and pattern, being opaque -to vision and to our visibeams. It is also apparently impervious to -matter. Since this phenomenon seems to lie in your province I would -suggest that you three men investigate it and take such steps as you -deem necessary."</p> - -<p>"It is noted, O Bardyle," and Klynor Siblin cut the beam.</p> - -<p>He then shot out their heaviest visiray beam, poising its viewpoint -directly over what, in the days before the cataclysm, had been the -populous city of Mocelyn.</p> - -<p>Straight down the beam drove, upon the huge hemisphere of greenly -glinting force; urged downward by the full power of the Quedrins' -mighty generators. By the very vehemence of its thrust it tore through -the barrier, but only for an instant. The watchers had time to -perceive only fleetingly a greenish-yellow haze of light, but before -any details could be grasped their beam was snapped—the automatically -reacting screens had called for and had received enough additional -power to neutralize the invading beam.</p> - -<p>Then, to the amazement of the three physicists, a beam of visible -energy thrust itself from the green barrier and began to feel its way -along their own invisible visiray. Siblin cut off his power instantly -and leaped toward the door.</p> - -<p>"Whoever they are, they know something!" he shouted as he ran. "Don't -want them to find this laboratory, so I'll set up a diversion with a -rocket plane. If you watch at all, Vornel, do it from a distance and -with a spy ray, not a carrier beam. I'll get in touch with Radnor on -the way."</p> - -<p>Even though he swung around in a wide circle, to approach the strange -stronghold at a wide angle to his former line, such was the power of -the plane that Siblin reached his destination in little more than an -hour. Keying Radnor's visibeam to the visiplates of the plane, so that -the distant scientist could see everything that happened, Siblin again -drove a heavy beam into the unyielding pattern of green force.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus10.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>Surrounded by a shell of energy, he was drawn toward the -huge dome.</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>This time, however, the reaction was instantaneous. A fierce tongue -of green flame licked out and seized the flying plane in mid-air. -One wing and side panel were sliced off neatly and Siblin was thrown -out violently, but he did not fall. Surrounded by a vibrant shell of -energy, he was drawn rapidly toward the huge dome. The dome merged with -the shell as it touched it, but the two did not coalesce. The shell -passed smoothly through the dome, which as smoothly closed behind it. -Siblin inside the shell, the shell inside the dome.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XVII.</p> - - -<p>Siblin never knew exactly what happened during those first few minutes, -nor exactly how it happened. One minute, in his sturdy plane, he was -setting up his "diversion" by directing a powerful beam of force upon -the green dome of the invaders. Suddenly his rocket ship had been -blasted apart and he had been hurled away from the madly spinning, -gyrating wreckage.</p> - -<p>He had a confused recollection of sitting down violently upon something -very hard, and perceived dully that he was lying asprawl upon the -inside of a greenishly shimmering globe some twenty feet in diameter. -Its substance had the hardness of chilled steel, yet it was almost -perfectly transparent, seemingly composed of cold green flame, pale -almost to invisibility. He also observed, in an incurious, foggy -fashion, that the great dome was rushing toward him at an appalling -pace.</p> - -<p>He soon recovered from his shock, however, and perceived that the -peculiar ball in which he was imprisoned was a shell of force, of -formula and pattern entirely different from anything known to the -scientists of Valeron. Keenly alive and interested now, he noted with -high appreciation exactly how the wall of force that was the dome -merged with, made way for, and closed smoothly behind the relatively -tiny globe.</p> - -<p>Inside the dome he stared around him, amazed and not a little awed. -Upon the ground, the center of that immense hemisphere, lay a -featureless, football-shaped structure which must be the vessel of the -invaders. Surrounding it there were massed machines and engineering -structures of unmistakable form and purpose; drills, derricks, shaft -heads, skips, hoists, and other equipment for boring and mining. -From the lining of the huge dome there radiated a strong, lurid, -yellowish-green light which intensified to positive ghastliness the -natural color of the gaseous chlorin which replaced the familiar air in -that walled-off volume so calmly appropriated to their own use by the -Outlanders.</p> - -<p>As his shell was drawn downward toward the strange scene Siblin saw -many moving things beneath him, but was able neither to understand -what he saw nor to correlate it with anything in his own knowledge or -experience. For those beings were amorphous. Some flowed along the -ground, formless blobs of matter; some rolled, like wheels or like -barrels; many crawled rapidly, snakelike; others resembled animated -pancakes, undulating flatly and nimbly about upon a dozen or so short, -tentacular legs; only a few, vaguely manlike, walked upright.</p> - -<p>A glass cage, some eight feet square and seven high, stood under the -towering bulge of the great ship's side; and as his shell of force -engulfed it and its door swung invitingly open, Siblin knew that he was -expected to enter it.</p> - -<p>Indeed, he had no choice—the fabric of cold flame that had been -his conveyance and protection vanished, and he had scarcely time to -leap inside the cage and slam the door before the noxious vapors of -the atmosphere invaded the space from which the shell's impermeable -wall had barred it. To die more slowly, but just as surely, from -suffocation? No, the cage was equipped with a thoroughly efficient -oxygen generator and air purifier; there were stores of Valeronian food -and water; there were a chair, a table, and a narrow bunk; and, wonder -of wonders, there were even kits of toilet articles and of changes of -clothing.</p> - -<p>Far above a great door opened. The cage was lifted and, without any -apparent means either of support or of propulsion, it moved through the -doorways and along various corridors and halls, coming finally to rest -upon the floor in one of the innermost compartments of the sky rover. -Siblin saw masses of machinery, panels of controlling instruments, and -weirdly multiform creatures at station; but he had scant time even to -glance at them, his attention being attracted instantly to the middle -of the room where, lying in a heavily reënforced shallow cup of metal -upon an immensely strong, low table, he saw a—a <i>something</i>; and for -the first time an inhabitant of Valeron saw at close range one of the -invaders.</p> - -<p>It was in no sense a solid, nor a liquid, nor yet a jelly; although it -seemed to partake of certain properties of all three. In part it was -murkily transparent, in part greenishly translucent, in part turbidly -opaque; but in all it was intrinsically horrible.</p> - -<p>But that it was sentient and intelligent there could be no doubt. Not -only could its malign mental radiations be felt, but its brain could -be plainly seen; a huge, intricately convolute organ suspended in an -unyielding but plastic medium of solid jelly. Its skin seemed thin and -frail, but Siblin was later to learn that that tegument was not only -stronger than rawhide, but was more pliable, more elastic, and more -extensible than the finest rubber.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>As the Valeronian stared in helpless horror that peculiar skin -stretched locally almost to vanishing thinness and an enormous, -Cyclopean eye developed. More than an eye, it was a special organ -for a special sense which humanity has never possessed, a sense -combining ordinary vision with something infinitely deeper, -more penetrant and more powerful. Vision, hypnotism, telepathy, -thought-transference—something of all three, yet in essence a thing -beyond any sense or faculty known to us or describable in language -had its being in the almost-visible, almost-tangible beam of force -which emanated from the single, temporary "eye" of the Thing and bored -through the eyes and deep into the brain of the Valeronian. Siblin's -very senses reeled under the impact of that wave of mental power, but -he did not quite lose consciousness.</p> - -<p>"So <i>you</i> are one of the ruling intelligences of this planet—one of -its most advanced scientists?" The scornful thought formed itself, -coldly clear, in his mind. "We have always known, of course, that we -are the highest form of life in the universe, and the fact that you -are so low in the scale of mentality only confirms that knowledge. It -would be surprising indeed if such a noxious atmosphere as yours could -nurture any real intelligence. It will be highly gratifying to report -to the Council of Great Ones that not only is this planet rich in the -materials we seek, but that its inhabitants, while intelligent enough -to do our bidding in securing those materials, are not sufficiently -advanced to cause us any trouble."</p> - -<p>"Why did you not come in peace?" Siblin thought back. Neither cowed nor -shaken, he was merely amazed at the truculently overbearing mien of the -strange entity.</p> - -<p>"Bah!" snapped the amœbus savagely. "That is the talk of a -weakling—the whining, begging reasoning of a race of low intelligence, -one which knows and acknowledges itself inferior. Know you, feeble -brain, that we of Chlora"—to substitute an intelligible word for -the unpronounceable and untranslatable thought-image of his native -world—"neither require nor desire cooperation. We are in no need -either of assistance or of instruction from any lesser and lower form -of life. We instruct. Other races, such as yours, either obey or are -obliterated. I brought you aboard this vessel because I am about to -return to my own planet, and had decided to take one of you with me, so -that the other Great Ones of the Council may see for themselves what -form of life this Valeron boasts.</p> - -<p>"If your race obeys our commands implicitly and does not attempt to -interfere with us in any way, we shall probably permit most of you to -continue your futile lives in our service; such as in mining for us -certain ores which, relatively abundant upon your planet, are very -scarce upon ours.</p> - -<p>"As for you personally, perhaps we shall destroy you after the other -Great Ones have examined you, perhaps we shall decide to use you as -a messenger to transmit our orders to your fellow creatures. Before -we depart, however, I shall make a demonstration which should impress -upon even such feeble minds as those of your race the futility of any -thought of opposition to us. Watch carefully—everything that goes on -outside is shown in the view box."</p> - -<p>Although Siblin had neither heard, felt, nor seen the captain issue any -orders, all was in readiness for the take-off. The mining engineers -were all on board, the vessel was sealed for flight, and the navigators -and control officers were at their panels. Siblin stared intently -into the "view box," the three-dimensional visiplate that mirrored -faithfully every occurrence in the neighborhood of the Chloran vessel.</p> - -<p>The lower edge of the hemisphere of force began to contract, passing -smoothly through or around—the spectator could not decide which—the -ruins of Mocelyn, hugging or actually penetrating the ground, allowing -not even a whiff of its precious chlorin content to escape into the -atmosphere of Valeron. The ship then darted into the air and the -shrinking edge became an ever-decreasing circle upon the ground beneath -her. That circle disappeared as the meeting edge fused and the wall of -force, now a hollow sphere, contained within itself the atmosphere of -the invaders.</p> - -<p>High over the surface of the planet sped the Chloran raider toward the -nearest Valeronian city, which happened to be only a small village. -Above the unfortunate settlement the callous monstrosity poised its -craft, to drop its dread curtain of strangling, choking death.</p> - -<p>Down the screen dropped, rolling out to become again a hemispherical -wall, sweeping before it every milliliter of the life-giving air of -Valeron and drawing behind it the noxious atmosphere of Chlora. For -those who have ever inhaled even a small quantity of chlorin it is -unnecessary to describe in detail the manner in which those villagers -of Valeron died; for those who have not, no possible description could -be adequate. Suffice it to say, therefore, that they died—horribly.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Again the wall of force rolled up, coming clear up to the outer skin -of the cruiser this time, in its approach liquefying the chlorin and -forcing it into storage chambers. The wall then disappeared entirely, -leaving the marauding vessel starkly outlined against the sky. Then, -further and even more strongly to impress the raging but impotent -Klynor Siblin:</p> - -<p>"Beam it down!" the amœbus captain commanded, and various officers sent -out thin, whiplike tentacles toward their controls.</p> - -<p>Projectors swung downward and dense green pillars of flaming energy -erupted from the white-hot refractories of their throats. And what -those green pillars struck subsided instantly into a pool of hissing, -molten glass. Methodically they swept the entire area of the village.</p> - -<p>"You monster!" shrieked Siblin, white, shaken, almost beside himself. -"You vile, unspeakable monster! Of what use is such a slaughter of -innocent men? They have not harmed you—"</p> - -<p>"Indeed they have not, nor could they," the amœbus interrupted -callously. "They mean nothing whatever to me, in any way. I have gone -to the trouble of wiping out this city to give you and the rest -of your race an object lesson; to impress upon you how thoroughly -unimportant you are to us and to bring home to you your abject -helplessness. Your whole race is, as you have just shown yourself to -be, childish, soft, and sentimental, and therefore incapable of real -advancement. On the contrary we, the masters of the universe, do not -suffer from silly inhibitions or from foolish weaknesses."</p> - -<p>The eye faded out, its sharp outlines blurring gradually as its highly -specialized parts became transformed into or were replaced by the -formless gel composing the body of the creature. The amœbus then poured -himself out of the cup, assumed the shape of a doughnut, and rolled -rapidly out of the room.</p> - -<p>When the Chloran captain had gone, Siblin threw himself upon his -narrow bunk, fighting savagely to retain his self-control. He <i>must</i> -escape—he <i>must</i> escape—the thought repeated itself endlessly in his -mind—but how? The glass walls of his prison were his only defense -against hideous death. Nowhere in any Chloran thing, nowhere in any -nook or cranny of the noisome planet toward which he was speeding, -could he exist for a minute except inside the cell which his captors -were keeping supplied with oxygen. No tools—nothing from which to make -a protective covering—no way of carrying air—nowhere to go—helpless, -helpless—even to break that glass meant death—</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>At last he slept, fitfully, and when he awoke the vessel was deep in -interplanetary space. His captors paid no further attention to him—he -had air, food, and water, and if he chose to kill himself that was of -no concern to them—and Siblin, able to think more calmly now, studied -every phase of his predicament.</p> - -<p>There was absolutely no possibility of escape. Rescue was out of -the question. He could, however, communicate with Valeron, since in -his belt were tiny sender and receiver, attached by tight beams to -instruments in the laboratory of the Quedrins. Detection of that pencil -beam might well mean instant death, but that was a risk which, for the -good of humanity, must be run. Lying upon his side, he concealed one -ear plug under his head and manipulated the tiny sender in his belt.</p> - -<p>"Quedrin Radnor—Quedrin Vornel—" he called for minutes, with no -response. Truly, something of grave import must have happened to -cause complete desertion of <i>that</i> laboratory. However, it mattered -little; his messages would be recorded. He went on to describe in -detail, tersely, accurately, and scientifically, everything that he had -observed and deduced concerning the Chlorans, their forces, and their -mechanisms.</p> - -<p>"We are now approaching the planet," he continued, now an observer -reporting what he saw in the view box. "It is apparently largely land. -It has north and south polar ice caps. A dark area, which I take to be -an ocean, is the most prominent feature visible at this time. It is -diamond-shaped and its longer axis, lying north and south, is about one -quarter of a circumference in length. Its shorter axis, about half that -length, lies almost upon the equator. We are passing high above this -ocean, going east.</p> - -<p>"East of the ocean and distant from it about one fifth of a -circumference lies quite a large lake, roughly elliptical in shape, -whose major axis lies approximately northeast and southwest. We are -dropping toward a large city upon the southeast shore of this lake, -almost equally distant from its two ends. Since I am to be examined by -a so-called 'Council of Great Ones,' it may be that this city is their -capital.</p> - -<p>"No matter what happens, do not attempt to rescue me, as it is -entirely hopeless. Escape is likewise impossible, because of the lethal -atmosphere. There is a strong possibility, furthermore, that I may be -returned to Valeron as a messenger to our race. This possibility is -my only hope of returning. I am sending this data and will continue -to send it as long as is possible, simply to aid you in deciding what -shall be done to defend our civilization against these monsters.</p> - -<p>"We are now docking, near a large, hemispherical dome of force—My -cell is being transported through the atmosphere toward that dome—It -is opening. I do not know whether my beam can pass out through it, but -I shall keep on sending—Inside the dome there is a great building, -toward which I am floating—I am inside the building, inside a glass -compartment which seems to be filled with air—Yes, it <i>is</i> air, for -the creatures who are entering it are wearing protective suits of some -transparent substance. Their bodies are now globular and they are -walking, each upon three short legs. One of them is developing an eye, -similar to the one I descr—"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus9.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>Their bodies were globular, and each one walked upon three -short legs.</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Siblin's message stopped in the middle of a word. The eye had developed -and in its weirdly hypnotic grip the Valeronian was helpless to do -anything of his own volition. Obeying the telepathic command of the -Great One, he stepped out into the larger room and divested himself of -his scanty clothing. One of the monstrosities studied his belt briefly, -recognized his communicator instruments for what they were, and kicked -them scornfully into a corner—thus rendering it impossible for either -captive or captors to know it when that small receiver throbbed out its -urgent message from Quedrin Radnor.</p> - -<p>The inspection and examination finished, it did not take long for the -monstrosities to decide upon a course of action.</p> - -<p>"Take this scum back to its own planet as soon as your cargo is -unloaded," the chief Great One directed. "You must pass near that -planet on your way to explore the next one, and it will save time and -inconvenience to let it carry our message to its fellows."</p> - -<p>Out in space, speeding toward distant Valeron, the captain again -communicated with Siblin:</p> - -<p>"I shall land you close to one of your inhabited cities and you will at -once get in touch with your Bardyle. You already know what your race is -to do, and you have in your cage a sample of the ore with which you are -to supply us. You shall be given twenty of your days in which to take -from the mine already established by us enough of that ore to load this -ship—ten thousand tons. The full amount—and pure mineral, mind you, -no base rock—must be in the loading hoppers at the appointed time or I -shall proceed to destroy every populated city, village, and hamlet upon -the face of your globe."</p> - -<p>"But that particular ore is rare!" protested Siblin. "I do not believe -that it will prove physically possible to recover such a vast amount of -it in the short time you are allowing us."</p> - -<p>"You understand the orders—obey them or die!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XVIII.</p> - - -<p>Very near to Valeron, as space distances go, yet so far away in terms -of miles that he could take no active part whatever in the proceedings, -Quedrin Radnor sat tense at his controls, staring into his powerful -visiplates. Even before Klynor Siblin had lifted his rocket plane -off the ground, Radnor had opened his throttles wide. Then, his ship -hurtling at full drive toward home, everything done he could do, he sat -and watched.</p> - -<p>Watched, a helpless spectator. Watched while Siblin made his futilely -spectacular attack; watched the gallant plane's destruction; watched -the capture of the brave but foolhardy pilot; watched the rolling up -and compression of the Chloran dome; watched in agony the obliteration -of everything, animate and inanimate, pertaining to the outlying -village; watched in horrified relief the departure of the invading -space ship.</p> - -<p>Screaming through the air, her outer plating white hot from its -friction, her forward rocket tubes bellowing a vicious crescendo, -Radnor braked his ship savagely to a landing in the dock beside the -machine shop in which she had been built. During that long return -voyage his mind had not been idle. Not only had he decided what to -do, he had also made rough sketches and working drawings of the -changes which must be made in his peaceful space ship to make of her a -superdreadnought of the void.</p> - -<p>This was not as difficult an undertaking as might be supposed. She -already had power enough and to spare, her generators and connectors -being able to supply, hundreds of times over, her maximum present -drain; and, because of the ever-present danger of collision with -meteorites, she was already amply equipped with repeller screens and -with automatically tripped zones of force. Therefore all that was -necessary was the installation of the required offensive armament—beam -projectors, torpedo tubes, fields of force, controls, and the like—the -designing of which was a simple matter for the brain which had tamed to -man's everyday use the ultimately violent explosiveness of intra-atomic -energy.</p> - -<p>Radnor first made sure that the machine-shop superintendent, master -mechanic, and foremen understood the sketches fully and knew precisely -what was to be done. Then, confident that the new projectors would -project and that the as yet nonexistent oxygen bombs would explode with -their theoretical violence, he hurried to the office of the Bardyle. -Already gathered there was a portentous group. Besides the coördinator -there were scientists, engineers, architects, and beam specialists, as -well as artists, teachers, and philosophers.</p> - -<p>"Greetings, Quedrin Radnor!" began the Bardyle. "Your plan for the -defense of Valeron has been adopted, with a few minor alterations -and additions suggested by other technical experts. It has been -decided, however, that your proposed punitive visit to Chlora cannot -be approved. As matters now stand it can be only an expedition of -retaliation and vengeance, and as such can in no wise advance our -cause."</p> - -<p>"Very well, O Bardyle! It is—" Radnor, trained from infancy in -cooperation, was accepting the group decision as a matter of course -when he was interrupted by an emergency call from his own laboratory. -An assistant, returning to the temporarily deserted building, had found -the message of Klynor Siblin and had known that it should be given -immediate attention.</p> - -<p>"Please relay it to us here, at once," Radnor instructed; and, when the -message had been delivered:</p> - -<p>"Fellow councilors, I believe that this word from Klynor Siblin will -operate to change your decision against my proposed flight to Chlora. -With these incomplete facts and data to guide me I shall be able to -study intelligently the systems of offense and of defense employed by -the enemy, and shall then be in position to strengthen immeasurably our -own armament. Furthermore, Siblin was alive within the hour—there may -yet be some slight chance of saving his life in spite of what he has -said."</p> - -<p>The Bardyle glanced once around the circle of tense faces, reading in -them the consensus of opinion without having recourse to speech.</p> - -<p>"Your point is well taken, Councilor Quedrin, and for the sake of -acquiring knowledge your flight is approved," he said slowly. -"Provided, however—and this is a most important proviso—that you can -convince us that there is a reasonable certainty of your safe return. -Klynor Siblin had, of course, no idea that he would be captured. -Nevertheless, the Chlorans took him, and his life is probably forfeit. -You must also agree not to jeopardize your life in any attempt to -rescue your friend unless you have every reason to believe that such an -attempt will prove successful. We are insisting upon these assurances -because your scientific ability will be of inestimable value to Valeron -in this forthcoming struggle, and therefore your life must at all -hazards be preserved."</p> - -<p>"To the best of my belief and ability my safe return is certain," -replied Radnor positively. "Siblin's plane, used only for low-speed -atmospheric flying, had no defenses whatever and so fell an easy prey -to the Chlorans' attack. My ship, however, was built to navigate space, -in which it may meet at any time meteorites traveling at immensely high -velocities, and is protected accordingly. She already had four courses -of high-powered repeller screens, the inside course of which, upon -being punctured, automatically throws around her a zone of force.</p> - -<p>"This zone, as most of you know, sets up a stasis in the ether itself, -and thus is not only absolutely impervious to and unaffected by -any material substance, however applied, but is also opaque to any -vibration or wave-form propagated through the ether. In addition to -these defenses I am now installing screens capable of neutralizing any -offensive force with which I am familiar, as well as certain other -armament, the plans of all of which are already in your possession, to -be employed in the general defense.</p> - -<p>"I agree also to your second condition."</p> - -<p>"Such being the case your expedition is approved," the Bardyle said, -and Radnor made his way back to the machine shop.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>His first care was to tap Siblin's beam, but his call elicited no -response. Those ultrainstruments were then lying neglected in a corner -of an air-filled room upon far Chlora, where the almost soundless voice -of the tiny receiver went unheard. Setting upon his receiver a relay -alarm to inform him of any communication from Siblin, Radnor joined the -force of men who were smoothly and efficiently re-equipping his vessel.</p> - -<p>In a short time the alterations were done, and, armed now to the teeth -with vibratory and with solid and gaseous destruction, he lifted his -warship into the air, grimly determined to take the war into the -territory of the enemy.</p> - -<p>He approached the inimical planet cautiously, knowing that their cities -would not be undefended, as were those of his own world, and fearing -that they might have alarms and detector screens of which he could -know nothing. Poised high above the outermost layer of that noxious -atmosphere he studied for a long time every visible feature of the -world before him.</p> - -<p>In this survey he employed an ordinary, old-fashioned telescope instead -of his infinitely more powerful and maneuverable visirays, because the -use of the purely optical instrument obviated the necessity of sending -out forces which the Chlorans might be able to detect. He found the -diamond-shaped ocean and the elliptical lake without difficulty, and -placed his vessel with care. He then cut off his every betraying force -and his ship plunged downward, falling freely under the influence of -gravity.</p> - -<p>Directly over the city Radnor actuated his braking rockets, and as they -burst into their staccato thunder his hands fairly flashed over his -controls. Almost simultaneously he scattered broadcast his cargo of -bombs, threw out a vast hemisphere of force to confine the gas they -would release, activated his spy ray, and cut in the generators of his -awful offensive beams.</p> - -<p>The bombs were simply large flasks of metal, so built as to shatter -upon impact, and they contained only oxygen under pressure—but -what a pressure! Five thousand Valeronian atmospheres those flasks -contained. Well over seventy-five thousand pounds to the square inch -in our ordinary terms, that pressure was one handled upon Earth only -in high-pressure laboratories. Spreading widely to cover almost -the whole circle of the city's expanse, those terrific canisters -hurtled to ground and exploded with all the devastating might of the -high-explosive shells which in effect they were.</p> - -<p>But the havoc they wrought as demolition bombs was neither their -only nor their greatest damage. The seventy-five million cubic feet -of free oxygen, driven downward and prevented from escaping into -the open atmosphere by Radnor's forces, quickly diffused into a -killing concentration throughout the Chloran city save inside that -one upstanding dome. Almost everywhere else throughout that city the -natives died exactly as had died the people of the Valeronian village -in the strangling chlorine of the invaders; for oxygen is as lethal to -that amœbic race as is their noxious halogen to us.</p> - -<p>Long before the bombs reached the ground Radnor was probing with his -spy ray at the great central dome from within which Klynor Siblin's -message had in part been sent. But now he could not get through -it; either they had detected Siblin's beam and blocked that entire -communication band or else they had already put up additional barriers -around their headquarters against his attack, quickly though he had -acted.</p> - -<p>Snapping off the futile visiray, he concentrated his destructive beam -into a cylinder of the smallest possible diameter and hurled it against -the dome; but even that frightful pencil of annihilation, driven by -Radnor's every resource of power, was utterly ineffective against that -greenly scintillant hemisphere of force. The point of attack flared -into radiant splendor, but showed no sign of overloading or of failure.</p> - -<p>Knowing now that there was no hope at all of rescuing Siblin and that -he himself had only a few minutes left in which to work, Radnor left -his beam upon the dome only long enough for his recording photometers -to analyze the radiations emanating from the point of contact. Then, -full-driven still, but now operating at maximum aperture, he drove -it in a dizzying spiral outwardly from the dome, fusing the entire -unprotected area of the metropolis into a glassily fluid slag of -seething, smoking desolation.</p> - -<p>But beneath that dome of force there was a mighty fortress indeed. It -is true that her offensive weapons had not seen active service for many -years; not since the last rebellion of the slaves had been crushed. It -is also true that the Chloran officers whose duty it was to operate -these weapons had been caught napping—as thoroughly surprised at that -fierce counterattack as would be a group of Earthly hunters were the -lowly rabbits to turn upon them with repeating rifles in their furry -paws.</p> - -<p>But it did not take long for those officers to tune in their offensive -armament, and that armament was driven by no such puny engines as -Radnor's space ship bore. Being stationary and a part of the regular -equipment of a fortress, their size and mass were of course much -greater than anything ordinarily installed in any vessel, of whatever -class or tonnage. Also, in addition to being superior in size and -number, the Chloran generators were considerably more efficient in the -conversion and utilization of interatomic energy than were any then -known to the science of Valeron.</p> - -<p>Therefore, as Radnor had rather more than expected, he was not long -allowed to wreak his will. From the dome there reached out slowly, -almost caressingly, a huge arm of force incredible, at whose first -blighting touch his first or outer screen simply vanished—flared -through the visible spectrum and went down, all in the veriest -twinkling of an eye. That first screen, although the weakest by far of -the four, had never even radiated under the heaviest test loads that -Radnor had been able to put upon it. Now he sat at his instruments, -tense but intensely analytical, watching with bated breath as that -Titanic beam crashed through his second screen and tore madly at his -third.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Well it was for Valeron that day that Radnor had armed and powered his -vessel to withstand not only whatever forces he expected her to meet, -but had, with the true scientific spirit and in so far as he was able, -provided against any conceivable emergency. Thus, the first screen -was, as has been said, sufficiently powerful to cope with anything -the vessel was apt to encounter. Nevertheless, the power of the other -defensive courses increased in geometrical progression; and, as a final -precaution, the fourth screen, in the almost unthinkable contingency -of its being overloaded, threw on automatically in the moment of its -failure an ultimately impenetrable zone of force.</p> - -<p>That scientific caution was now to save not only Radnor's life, but -also the whole civilization of Valeron. For even that mighty fourth -screen, employing in its generation as it did the unimaginable sum -total of the power possible of production by the massed converters -of the space flyer, failed to stop that awful thrust. It halted it -for a few minutes, in a blazingly, flamingly pyrotechnic display of -incandescence indescribable, but as the Chlorans meshed in additional -units of their stupendous power plant it began to radiate higher and -higher into the ultra-violet and was certainly doomed.</p> - -<p>It failed, and in the instant of its going down actuated a zone of -force—a complete stasis in the ether itself, through which no possible -manifestation, either of matter or of energy in any form, could in any -circumstances pass. Or could it? Radnor clenched his teeth and waited. -Whether or not there was a sub-ether—something lying within and -between the discrete particles which actually composed the ether—was a -matter of theoretical controversy and of some academically scientific -interest.</p> - -<p>But, postulating the existence of such a medium and even that of -vibrations of such infinitely short period that they could be -propagated therein, would it be even theoretically possible to -heterodyne upon them waves of ordinary frequencies? And could those -amorphous monstrosities be so highly advanced that they had reduced to -practical application something that was as yet known to humanity only -in the vaguest, most tenuous of hypotheses?</p> - -<p>Minute after minute passed, however, during which the Valeronian -remained alive within an intact ship which, he knew, was hurtling -upward and away from Chlora at the absolute velocity of her inertia, -unaffected by gravitation, and he began to smile in relief. Whatever -might lie below the level of the ether, either of vibration or of -substance, it was becoming evident that the Chlorans could no more -handle it than could he.</p> - -<p>For half an hour Radnor allowed his craft to drift within her -impenetrable shield. Then, knowing that he was well beyond atmosphere, -he made sure that his screens were full out and released his zone. -Instantly his screens sprang into a dazzling, coruscant white under -the combined attack of two space ships which had been following him. -This time, however, the Chloran beams were stopped by the third screen. -Either the enemy had not had time to measure accurately his power, or -they had not considered such measurement worth while.</p> - -<p>They were now to pay dearly for not having gauged his strength. -Radnor's beam, again a stabbing stiletto of pure energy, lashed out -against the nearer vessel; and that luckless ship mounted no such -generators as powered her parent fortress. That raging spear, driven -as it was by all the power that Radnor had been able to pack into his -cruiser, tore through screens and metal alike as though they had been -so much paper; and in mere seconds what had once been a mighty space -ship was merely a cloud of drifting, expanding vapor. The furious -shaft was then directed against the other enemy, but it was just too -late—the canny amœbus in command had learned his lesson and had -already snapped on his zone of force.</p> - -<p>Having learned many facts vital to the defense of Valeron and knowing -that his return homeward would now be unopposed, Radnor put on full -touring acceleration and drove toward his native world. Motionless at -his controls, face grim and hard, he devoted his entire mind to the -problem of how Valeron could best wage the inevitable war of extinction -against the implacable denizens of the monstrous, interloping planet -Chlora.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XIX.</p> - - -<p>As has been said, Radnor's reply to Siblin's message was unheard, for -his ultraphones were not upon his person, but were lying disregarded in -a corner of the room in which their owner had undergone examination by -his captors. They still lay there as the Valeronian in his cage was -wafted lightly back into the space ship from which he had been taken -such a short time before; lay there as that vehicle of vacuous space -lifted itself from its dock and darted away toward distant Valeron.</p> - -<p>During the earlier part of that voyage Radnor was also in the ether, -traveling from Valeron to Chlora. The two vessels did not meet, -however, even though each was making for the planet which the other -had left and though each pilot was following the path for him the -most economical of time and of power. In fact, due to the orbits, -velocities, and distances involved, they were separated by such a vast -distance at the time of their closest approach to each other that -neither ship even affected the ultrasensitive electro-magnetic detector -screens of the other.</p> - -<p>Not until the Chloran vessel was within Valeron's atmosphere did her -commander deign again to notice his prisoner.</p> - -<p>"As I told you when last I spoke to you, I am about to land you in one -of your inhabited cities," the amœbus informed Siblin then. "Get in -touch with your Bardyle at once and convey our instructions to him. -You have the sample and you know what you are to do. No excuses for -nonperformance will be accepted. If, however, you anticipate having any -difficulty in convincing your fellow savages that we mean precisely -what we say, I will take time now to destroy one or two more of your -cities."</p> - -<p>"It will not be necessary—my people will believe what I tell them," -Siblin thought back. Then, deciding to make one more effort, hopeless -although it probably would be, to reason with that highly intelligent -but monstrously callous creature, he went on:</p> - -<p>"I wish to repeat, however, that your demand is entirely beyond reason. -That ore is rare, and in the time you have allowed us I really fear -that it will be impossible for us to mine the required amount of it. -And surely, even from your own point of view, it would be more logical -to grant us a reasonable extension of time than to kill us without -further hearing simply because we have failed to perform a task that -was from the very first impossible. You must bear it in mind that a -dead humanity cannot work your mines at all."</p> - -<p>"We know exactly how abundant that ore is, and we know equally well -your intelligence and your ability," the captain replied coldly—and -mistakenly. "With the machinery we have left in the mine and by working -every possible man at all times, you can have it ready for us. I am -now setting out to explore the next planet, but I shall be at the mine -at sunrise, twenty of your mornings from to-morrow. Ten thousand tons -of that mineral must be ready for me to load or else your entire race -shall that day cease to exist. It matters nothing to us whether you -live or die, since we already have slaves enough. We shall permit you -to keep on living if you obey our orders in every particular, otherwise -we shall not so permit."</p> - -<p>The vessel came easily to a landing. Siblin in his cage was picked up -by the same invisible means, transported along corridors and through -doorways, and was deposited, not ungently, upon the ground in the -middle of a public square. When the raider had darted away he opened -the door of his glass prison and made his way through the gathering -crowd of the curious to the nearest visiphone station, where the mere -mention of his name cleared all lines of communication for an instant -audience with the Bardyle of Valeron.</p> - -<p>"We are glad indeed to see you again, Klynor Siblin." The coördinator -smiled in greeting. "The more especially since Quedrin Radnor, even -now on the way back from Chlora, has just reported that his attempt to -rescue you was entirely in vain. He was met by forces of such magnitude -that only by employing a zone of force was he himself able to win -clear. But you undoubtedly have tidings of urgent import—you may -proceed."</p> - -<p>Siblin told his story tersely and cogently, yet omitting nothing of -importance. When he had finished his report the Bardyle said:</p> - -<p>"Truly, a depraved evolution—a violent and unreasonable race indeed." -He thought deeply for a few seconds, then went on: "The council -extraordinary has been in session for some time. I am inviting you to -join us here. Quedrin Radnor should arrive at about the same time as -you do, and you both should be present to clear up any minor points -which have not been covered in your visiphone report. I am instructing -the transportation officer there to put at your disposal any special -equipment necessary to enable you to get here as soon as possible."</p> - -<p>The Bardyle was no laggard, nor was the transportation officer of -the city in which Siblin found himself. Therefore when he came -out of the visiphone station there was awaiting him a two-wheeled -automatic conveyance bearing upon its windshield in letters of orange -light the legend, "Reserved for Klynor Siblin." He stepped into -the queer-looking, gyroscopically stabilized vehicle, pressed down -"9-2-6-4-3-8"—the location number of the airport—upon the banked keys -of a numbering machine, and touched a red button, whereupon the machine -glided off of itself.</p> - -<p>It turned corners, dived downward into subways and swung upward onto -bridges, selecting unerringly and following truly the guiding pencils -of force which would lead it to the airport, its destination. Its pace -was fast, mounting effortlessly upon the straightaways to a hundred -miles an hour and more.</p> - -<p>There were no traffic jams and very few halts, since each direction of -traffic had its own level and its own roadway, and the only necessity -for stopping came in the very infrequent event that a main artery into -which the machine's way led was already so full of vehicles that it had -to wait momentarily for an opening. There was no disorder, and there -were neither accidents nor collisions; for the forces controlling those -thousands upon thousands of speeding mechanisms, unlike the drivers -of Earthly automobiles, were uniformly tireless, eternally vigilant, -and—sober.</p> - -<p>Thus Siblin arrived at the airport without incident, finding his -special plane ready and waiting. It also was fully automatic, -robot-piloted, sealed for high flight, and equipped with everything -necessary for comfort. He ate a hearty meal, and, then, as the plane -reached its ninety-thousand-foot ceiling and leveled out at eight -hundred miles an hour toward the distant capital, undressed and went to -bed, to the first real sleep he had enjoyed for many days.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>As has been indicated, Siblin lost no time; but, rapidly as he had -traveled and instantly as he had made connections Quedrin Radnor was -already in his seat in the council extraordinary when Siblin was -ushered in to sit with that august body. The visiphone reports had -been studied exhaustively by every councilor, and as soon as the -newcomer had answered their many questions concerning the details of -his experiences the council continued its intense, but orderly and -thorough, study of what should be done, what could be done, in the -present crisis.</p> - -<p>"We are in agreement, gentlemen," the Bardyle at last announced. "This -new development, offering as it does only the choice between death and -slavery of the most abject kind, does not change the prior situation -except in setting a definite date for the completion of our program -of defense. The stipulated amount of tribute probably could be mined -by dint of straining our every resource, but in all probability that -demand is but the first of such a never-ending succession that our -lives would soon become unbearable.</p> - -<p>"We are agreed that the immediate extinction of our entire race is -preferable to a precarious existence which can be earned only by -incessant and grinding labor for an unfeeling and alien race; an -existence even then subject to termination at any time at the whim of -the Chlorans.</p> - -<p>"Therefore the work which was begun as soon as the strangers revealed -their true nature and which is now well under way shall go on. Most of -you know already what that work is, but for one or two who do not and -for the benefit of the news broadcasts I shall summarize our position -as briefly as is consistent with clarity.</p> - -<p>"We intend to defend this, our largest city, into which is being -brought everything needed of supplies and equipment, and as many men as -can work without interfering with each other. The rest of our people -are to leave their houses and scatter into widely separated temporary -refuges until the issue has been decided. This evacuation may not be -necessary, since the enemy will center their attack upon our fortress, -knowing that until it has been reduced we are still masters of our -planet.</p> - -<p>"It was decided upon, however, not only in the belief that the enemy -may destroy our unprotected centers of population, either wantonly -or in anger at our resistance, but also because such a dispersion -will give our race the greatest possible chance of survival in the -not-at-all-improbable event of the crushing of our defenses here.</p> - -<p>"One power-driven dome of force is to protect the city proper, and -around that dome are being built concentric rings of fortifications -housing the most powerful mechanisms of offense and defense possible -for us to construct.</p> - -<p>"Although we have always been a peaceful people our position is not -entirely hopeless. The <i>sine qua non</i> of warfare is power, and of that -commodity we have no lack. True, without knowledge of how to apply -that power our cause would be already lost, but we are not without -knowledge of the application. Many of our peace-time tools are readily -transformed into powerful engines of destruction. Quedrin Radnor, -besides possessing a unique ability in the turning of old things to -new purposes, has studied exhaustively the patterns of force employed -by the enemy and understands thoroughly their generation, their -utilization, and their neutralization.</p> - -<p>"Finally, the mining and excavating machinery of the Chlorans has been -dismantled and studied, and its novel features have been incorporated -in several new mechanisms of our own devising. Twenty days is none too -long a time in which to complete a program of this magnitude and scope, -but that is all the time we have. You wish to ask a question, Councilor -Quedrin?"</p> - -<p>"If you please. Shall we not have more than twenty days? The ship to be -loaded will return in that time, it is true, but we can deal with her -easily enough. Their ordinary space ships are no match for ours. That -fact was proved so conclusively during our one engagement in space that -they did not even follow me back here. They undoubtedly are building -vessels of vastly greater power, but it seems to me that we shall be -safe until those heavier vessels can arrive."</p> - -<p>"I fear that you are underestimating the intelligence of our foes," -replied the coördinator. "In all probability they know exactly what -we are doing, and were their present space ships superior to yours we -would have ceased to exist ere this. It is practically certain that -they will attack as soon as they have constructed craft of sufficient -power to insure success. In fact, they may be able to perfect their -attack before we can complete our defense, but that is a chance which -we must take.</p> - -<p>"In that connection, two facts give us grounds for optimism. First, -theirs is an undertaking of greater magnitude than ours, since they -must of necessity be mobile and operative at a great distance from -their base, whereas we are stationary and at home. Second, we started -our project before they began theirs. This second fact must be allowed -but little weight, however, for they may well be more efficient than we -are in the construction of engines of war.</p> - -<p>"The exploring vessel is unimportant. She may or may not call for -her load of ore; she may or may not join in the attack which is now -inevitable. One thing only is certain—we must and we will drive this -program through to completion before she is due to dock at the mine. -Everything else must be subordinated to the task; we must devote to it -every iota of our mental, physical, and mechanical power. Each of you -knows his part. The meeting is adjourned <i>sine die</i>."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>There ensued a world-wide activity unparalleled in the annals of the -planet. During the years immediately preceding the cataclysm there had -been hustle and bustle, misdirected effort, wasted energy, turmoil -and confusion; and a certain measure of success had been wrested out -of chaos only by the ability of a handful of men to think clearly and -straight. Now, however, Valeron was facing a crisis infinitely more -grave, for she had but days instead of years in which to prepare to -meet it. But now, on the other hand, instead of possessing only a -few men of vision, who had found it practically impossible either to -direct or to control an out-and-out rabble of ignorant, muddled, and -panic-stricken incompetents, she had a population composed entirely -of clear thinkers who, requiring very little direction and no control -at all, were able and eager to work together whole-heartedly for the -common good.</p> - -<p>Thus, while the city and its environs now seethed with activity, -there was no confusion or disorder. Wherever there was room for a man -to work, a man was working, and the workers were kept supplied with -materials and with mechanisms. There were no mistakes, no delays, no -friction. Each man knew his task and its relation to the whole, and -performed it with a smoothly efficient speed born of a racial training -in coöperation and coördination impossible to any member of a race of -lesser mental attainments.</p> - -<p>To such good purpose did every Valeronian do his part that at dawn of -The Day everything was in readiness for the Chloran visitation. The -immense fortress was complete and had been tested in every part, from -the ranked batteries of gigantic converters and generators down to -the most distant outlying visiray viewpoint. It was powered, armed, -equipped, provisioned, garrisoned. Every once-populated city was devoid -of life, its inhabitants having dispersed over the face of the globe, -to live in isolated groups until it had been decided whether the proud -civilization of Valeron was to triumph or to perish.</p> - -<p>Promptly as that sunrise the Chloran explorer appeared at the lifeless -mine, and when he found the loading hoppers empty he calmly proceeded -to the nearest city and began to beam it down. Finding it deserted he -cut off, and felt a powerful spy ray, upon which he set a tracer. This -time the ray held up and he saw the immense fortress which had been -erected during his absence; a fortress which he forthwith attacked -viciously, carelessly, and with the loftily arrogant contempt which -seemed to characterize his breed.</p> - -<p>But was that innate contemptuousness the real reason for that suicidal -attempt? Or had that vessel's commander been ordered by the Great -Ones to sacrifice himself and his command so that they could measure -Valeron's defensive power? If so, why did he visit the mine at all -and why did he not know beforehand the location of the fortress? -Camouflage? In view of what the Great Ones of Chlora must have known, -why that commander did what he did that morning no one of Valeron ever -knew.</p> - -<p>The explorer launched a beam—just one. Then Quedrin Radnor pressed -a contact and out against the invader there flamed a beam of such -violence that the amœbus had no time to touch his controls, that even -the automatic trips of his zone of force—if he had such trips—did not -have time in which to react. The defensive screens scarcely flashed, -so rapidly did that terrific beam drive through them, and the vessel -itself disappeared almost instantly—molten, vaporized, consumed -utterly. But there was no exultation beneath Valeron's mighty dome. -From the Bardyle down, the defenders of their planet knew full well -that the real attack was yet to come, and knew that it would not be -long delayed.</p> - -<p>It was not. And the ships which came to reduce Valeron's far-flung -stronghold in no way resembled any form of space ship with which -humanity was familiar. Two stupendous structures of metal appeared, -plunging stolidly along, veritable flying fortresses, of such enormous -bulk and mass that it seemed scarcely conceivable for them actually to -support themselves in air.</p> - -<p>Simultaneously the two floating castles launched against the towering -dome of defense the heaviest beams they could generate and project. -Under that awful thrust Valeron's mighty generators shrieked a mad -crescendo and her imponderable shield radiated a fierce, eye-tearing -violet, but it held. Not for nothing had the mightiest minds of -Valeron wrought to convert their mechanisms and forces of peace into -engines of war; not for nothing had her people labored with all their -mental and physical might for almost two-score days and nights, -smoothly and efficiently as one mind in one body. Not easily did even -Valeron's Titanic defensive installation carry that frightful load, but -they carried it.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Then, like mythical Jove hurling his bolt—like, that is, save that -beside that Valeronian beam any possible bolt of lightning would have -been as sweetly innocuous a caress as young love's first kiss—Radnor -drove against the nearer structure a beam of concentrated fury; a beam -behind which there were every volt and every ampere that his stupendous -offensive generators could yield.</p> - -<p>The Chloran defenses in turn were loaded grievously, but in turn they -also held; and for hours then there raged a furiously spectacular -struggle. Beams, rods, planes, and needles of every known kind and -of every usable frequency of vibratory energy were driven against -impenetrable neutralizing screens. Monstrous cannon, hurling shells -with a velocity and of an explosive violence far beyond anything known -to us of Earth, radio-beam-dirigible torpedoes, robot-manned drill -planes, and the many other lethal agencies of ultra-scientific war—all -these were put to use by both sides in those first few frantic hours, -but neither side was able to make any impression upon the other. Then, -each realizing that the other's defenses had been designed to withstand -his every force, the intensive combat settled down to a war of sheer -attrition.</p> - -<p>Radnor and his scientists devoted themselves exclusively to the -development of new and ever more powerful weapons of offense; the -Chlorans ceased their fruitless attacks upon the central dome and -concentrated all their offensive power into two semicircular arcs, -which they directed vertically downward upon the outer ring of the -Valeronian works in an incessant and methodical flood of energy.</p> - -<p>They could not pierce the defensive shields against Valeron's massed -power, but they could and did bring into being a vast annular lake of -furiously boiling lava, into which the outer ring of fortresses began -slowly to crumble and to dissolve. This method of destruction, while -slow, was certain; and grimly, pertinaciously, implacably, the Chlorans -went about the business of reducing Valeron's only citadel.</p> - -<p>The Bardyle wondered audibly how the enemy could possibly maintain -indefinitely an attack so profligate of energy, but he soon learned -that there were at least four of the floating fortresses engaged in -the undertaking. Occasionally the two creations then attacking were -replaced by two precisely similar structures, presumably to return to -Chlora in order to renew their supplies of the substance, whatever -it was, from the atomic disintegration of which they derived their -incomprehensible power.</p> - -<p>And slowly, contesting stubbornly and bitterly every foot of ground -lost, the forces of Valeron were beaten back under the relentless, -never-ceasing attack of the Chloran monstrosities—back and ever -back toward their central dome as ring after ring of the outlying -fortifications slagged down into that turbulently seething, that -incandescently flaming lake of boiling lava.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusc6.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XX.</p> - - -<p>Valeron was making her last stand. Her back was against the wall. The -steadily contracting ring of Chloran force had been driven inward until -only one thin line of fortified works lay between it and the great dome -covering the city itself. Within a week at most, perhaps within days, -that voracious flood of lava would lick into and would dissolve that -last line of defense. Then what of Valeron?</p> - -<p>All the scientists of the planet had toiled and had studied, day and -night, but to no avail. Each new device developed to halt the march of -the encroaching constricting band of destruction had been nullified in -the instant of its first trial.</p> - -<p>"They must know every move we make, to block us so promptly," Quedrin -Radnor had mused one day. "Since they certainly have no visiray -viewpoints of material substance within our dome, they must be able to -operate a spy ray using only the narrow gravity band, a thing we have -never been able to accomplish. If they can project such viewpoints -of pure force through such a narrow band, may they not be able to -project a full materialization and thus destroy us? But, no, that band -is—<i>must</i> be—altogether too narrow for that."</p> - -<p>Stirred by these thoughts he had built detectors to announce the -appearance of any nongravitational forces in the gravity band and -had learned that his fears were only too well founded. While the -enemy could not project through the open band any forces sufficiently -powerful to do any material damage, they were thus in position to -forestall any move which the men of Valeron made to ward off their -inexorably approaching doom.</p> - -<p>Far beneath the surface of the ground, in a room which was not only -sealed but was surrounded with every possible safeguard, nine men sat -at a long table, the Bardyle at its head.</p> - -<p>"—and nothing can be done?" the coördinator was asking. "There is no -possible way of protecting the edges of the screens?"</p> - -<p>"None." Radnor's voice was flat, his face and body alike were eloquent -of utter fatigue. He had driven himself to the point of collapse, and -all his labor had proved useless. "Without solid anchorages we cannot -hold them—as the ground is fused they give way. When the fused area -reaches the dome the end will come. The outlets of our absorbers will -also be fused, and with no possible method of dissipating the energy -being continuously radiated into the dome we shall all die, practically -instantaneously."</p> - -<p>"But I judge you are trying something new, from the sudden cutting off -of nearly all our weight," stated another.</p> - -<p>"Yes. I have closed the gravity band until only enough force can get -through to keep us in place on the planet, in a last attempt to block -their spy rays so that we can try one last resort—" He broke off as -an intense red light suddenly flared into being upon a panel. "No; -even that is useless. See that red light? That is the pilot light of -a detector upon the gravity band. The Chlorans are still watching us. -We can do nothing more, for if we close that band any tighter we shall -leave Valeron entirely and shall float away, to die in space."</p> - -<p>As that bleak announcement was uttered the councilors sat back limply -in their seats. Nothing was said—what was there to say? After all, the -now seemingly unavoidable end was not unexpected. Not a man at that -table had really in his heart thought it possible for peaceful Valeron -to triumph against the superior war craftiness of Chlora.</p> - -<p>They sat there, staring unseeing into empty air, when suddenly in that -air there materialized Seaton's projection. Since its reception has -already been related, nothing need be said of it except that it was the -Bardyle himself who was the recipient of that terrific wave of mental -force. As soon as the Terrestrial had made clear his intentions and his -desires, Radnor leaped to his feet, a man transformed.</p> - -<p>"A laboratory of radiation!" he exclaimed, his really profound -exhaustion forgotten in a blaze of new hope. "Not only shall I lead him -to such a laboratory, but my associates and I shall be only too glad to -do his bidding in every possible way."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Followed closely by the visitor, Radnor hurried buoyantly along a -narrow hall and into a large room in which, stacked upon shelves, lying -upon benches and tables, and even piled indiscriminately upon the -floor, there was every conceivable type and kind of apparatus for the -generation and projection of etheric forces.</p> - -<p>Seaton's flashing glance swept once around the room, cataloguing and -classifying the heterogeneous collection. Then, while Radnor looked on -in a daze of incredulous astonishment, that quasi-solid figure of force -made tangible wrought what was to the Valeronian a scientific miracle. -It darted here and there with a speed almost impossible for the eye to -follow, seizing tubes, transformers, coils, condensers, and other items -of equipment, connecting them together with unbelievable rapidity into -a mechanism at whose use the bewildered Radnor, able physicist though -he was, could not even guess.</p> - -<p>The mechanical educator finished, Seaton's image donned one of its sets -of multiple headphones and placed another upon the unresisting head -of his host. Then into Radnor's already reeling mind there surged an -insistent demand for his language, and almost immediately the headsets -were tossed aside.</p> - -<p>"There, that's better!" Seaton—for the image was, to all intents -and purposes, Seaton himself—exclaimed. "Now that we can talk to -each other we'll make those jelly brains hard to catch. They'll think -they've got hold of a wild cat by the tail pretty quick now, and -they'll be yelling for help to let go."</p> - -<p>"But the Chlorans are watching everything you do," protested Radnor, -"and we cannot block them out without cutting off our gravity entirely. -They will therefore be familiar with any mechanism we may construct and -will be able to protect themselves against it."</p> - -<p>"They just think they will," was the grim response. "I can't close the -gravity band without disaster, any more than you could, but I can find -any spy ray they can use and send back along it a jolt that'll burn -their eyes out. You see, there's a lot of stuff down on the edge of the -fourth order that neither you folks nor the Chlorans know anything -about yet, because you haven't had enough thousands of years to study -it."</p> - -<p>While he was talking, Seaton had been furiously at work upon a small -generator, and now he turned it on.</p> - -<p>"If they can see through <i>that</i>," he said, "they're a lot smarter -than I think they are. Even if they're bright enough to have figured -out what I was doing while I was doing it, it won't do them any good, -because this outfit will scramble any beam they can send through that -band."</p> - -<p>"I must bow to your superior knowledge, of course," Radnor said -gravely, "but I should like to ask one question. You are working -a full materialization through less than a quarter of the gravity -band—something that has always been considered impossible. Is there no -danger that the Chlorans may analyze your patterns and thus duplicate -your feat?"</p> - -<p>"Not a chance," Seaton assured him positively. "This stuff I am using -is on a tight beam, so tight that it is absolute proof against analysis -or interference. It took the Norlaminians—and they're a race of real -thinkers—over eight thousand years to go from the beams you and the -Chlorans are using down to what I'm showing you. Therefore I'm not -afraid that the opposition will pick it up in the next week or two. But -we'd better get busy in a big way. Your most urgent need, I take it, is -for something—anything—that will stop that surface of force before it -reaches the skirt of your defensive dome and blocks your dissipators?"</p> - -<p>"Exactly!"</p> - -<p>"All right. We'll build you a four-way fourth-order projector to handle -full materializations—four way to handle four attackers in case -they get desperate and double their program. With it you will send -working images of yourselves into the power rooms of the Chloran ships -and clamp a short circuiting field across the secondaries of their -converters. Of course they can bar you out with a zone of force if they -detect you before you can kill the generators of their zones, but that -will be just as good, as far as we're concerned—they can't do a thing -as long as they're on, you know. Now put on the headset again and I'll -give you the dope on the projector. Better get a recorder, too, as -there'll be some stuff that you won't be able to carry in your head."</p> - -<p>The recorder was brought in and from Seaton's brain there flowed -into it and into the mind of Radnor the fundamental concepts and -complete equations and working details of the new instrument. Upon -the Valeronian's face was first blank amazement, then dawning -comprehension, and lastly sheer, wondering awe as, the plan completed, -he removed the headset. He began a confused panegyric of thanks, but -Seaton interrupted him briskly.</p> - -<p>"'Sall right, Radnor, you'd do the same thing for us if things were -reversed. Humanity has got to stick together against all the vermin of -all the universes. But, say, I'm getting a yen to see this mess all -cleaned up, myself—think I'll stick around and help you build it. -You're all in, clear to the neck, but you won't rest until the Chlorans -are whipped—I can't blame you for that, I wouldn't either—and I'm -fresh as a daisy. Let's go!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>In a few hours the complex machine was done. Radnor and Siblin were -seated at two of the sets of controls, associate physicists at the -others.</p> - -<p>"Since I don't know any more about their system of conversion than -you do, I can't tell you in detail what to do," Seaton was issuing -final instructions. "But whatever you do, don't monkey with their -primaries—shortening them would overload their liberators and blow -this whole Solar System over into the next Galaxy. Take time to be dead -sure that you've got the secondaries of their main converters, and -slap a short circuit on as many of them as you can before they cut you -off with a zone. You'll probably find a lot of liberator-converter sets -on vessels of that size, but if you can kill the ones that feed the -zone generators they're our meat."</p> - -<p>"You are much more familiar with such things than we are," Radnor -remarked. "Would you not like to come along?"</p> - -<p>"I'll say I would, but I can't," Seaton replied instantly. "This isn't -me at all, you know. But let's see—"</p> - -<p>"Oh, of course," Radnor apologized. "In working with you so long and so -cordially I forgot for the moment that you are not here in person."</p> - -<p>"Nope, can't be done." Seaton frowned, still immersed in -the hitherto unstudied problem of the reprojection of a -projected image. "Need over two hundred thousand relays -and—um—synchronization—neuro-muscular—not on this outfit. Wonder if -it can be done at all? Have to look into it sometime—but excuse me, -Radnor, I was thinking and got lost. Ready to go? I'll watch you on -the plate here and be ready to offer advice—not that you'll need it. -Shoot!"</p> - -<p>Radnor snapped on the power and he and his aid shot their projections -into one of the opposing fortresses, Siblin and his associate going -into the other. Through compartment after compartment of the immense -structures the as yet invisible projections went, searching for the -power rooms. They were not hard to find, extending as they did nearly -the full length of the stupendous structures; vaulted caverns filled -with linked pairs of mastodonic fabrications, the liberator-converters.</p> - -<p>Springing in graceful arcs from heavily insulated posts in the -ends of one machine of each pair were five great bus-bars, which -Radnor and Siblin recognized instantly as secondary leads from the -converters—the gigantic mechanisms which, taking the raw intra-atomic -energy from the liberators, converted it into a form in which it could -be controlled and utilized.</p> - -<p>Neither Radnor nor Siblin had ever heard of five-phase energy of any -kind, but those secondaries were unmistakable. Therefore all four -images drove against the fivefold bars their perfectly conducting -fields of force. Four converters shrieked wildly, trying to wrench -themselves from their foundations; insulation smoked and burst wildly -into yellow flame; the stubs of the bars grew white-hot and began to -fuse; and in a matter of seconds a full half of each prodigious machine -subsided to the floor, a semimolten, utterly useless mass.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus11.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>They drove their fields of force against the fivefold bars.</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Similarly went the next two in each fortress, and the next—then -Radnor's two projections were cut off sharply as the Chloran's -impenetrable zone of force went on, and that fortress, all its beams -and forces inoperative, floated off into space.</p> - -<p>Siblin and his partner were more fortunate. When the amœbus commanding -their prey threw in his zone switch nothing happened. Its source of -power had already been destroyed, and the two Valeronian images went -steadily down the line of converters, in spite of everything the -ragingly frantic monstrosities could do to hinder their progress.</p> - -<p>The terrible beam of destruction held steadily upon that fortress by -the beamers in Valeron's mighty dome had never slackened its herculean -efforts to pierce the Chloran screens. Now, as more and more of the -converters of that floating citadel were burned out those screens began -to radiate higher and higher into the ultra-violet. Soon they went -down, exposing defenseless metal to the blasting, annihilating fury -of the beam, to which any conceivable substance is but little more -resistant than so much vacuum.</p> - -<p>There was one gigantic, exploding flash, whose unbearable brilliance -darkened even the incandescent radiance of the failing screen, and -Valeron's mighty beam bored on, unimpeded. And where that mastodonic -creation had floated an instant before there were only a few curling -wisps of vapor.</p> - -<p>"Nice job of clean-up, boys—fine!" Seaton clapped a friendly hand upon -Radnor's shoulder. "Anybody can handle them now. Better you take a week -off and catch up on sleep. I could do with a little shut-eye myself, -and you've been on the job a lot longer than I have."</p> - -<p>"But hold on—don't go yet!" Radnor exclaimed in consternation. "Why, -our whole race owes its very existence to you—wait at least until our -Bardyle can have a word with you!"</p> - -<p>"That isn't necessary, Radnor. Thanks just the same, but I don't go in -for that sort of thing, any more than you would. Besides, we'll be here -in the flesh in a few days and I'll talk to him then. So long!" and the -projection disappeared.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>In due time <i>Skylark Two</i> came lightly to a landing in a parkway near -the council hall, to be examined curiously by an excited group of -Valeronians who wondered audibly that such a tiny space ship should -have borne their salvation. The four Terrestrials, sure of their -welcome, stepped out and were greeted by Siblin, Radnor, and the -Bardyle.</p> - -<p>"I must apologize, sir, for my cavalier treatment of you at our -previous meeting." Seaton's first words to the coördinator were -in sincere apology. "I trust that you will pardon it, realizing -that something of the kind was necessary in order to establish -communication."</p> - -<p>"Speak not of it, Richard Seaton. I suffered only a temporary -inconvenience, a small thing indeed compared to the experience of -encountering a mind of such stupendous power as yours. Neither words -nor deeds can express to you the profound gratitude of our entire race -for what you have done for Valeron.</p> - -<p>"I am informed that you personally do not care for extravagant praise, -but please believe me to be voicing the single thought of a world's -people when I say that no words coined by brain of man could be just, -to say nothing of being extravagant, when applied to you. I do not -suppose that we can do anything, however slight, for you in return, in -token that these are not entirely empty words?"</p> - -<p>"You certainly can, sir," Seaton made surprising answer. "We are so -completely lost in space that without a great deal of material and of -mechanical aid we shall never be able to return to, nor even to locate -in space, our native Galaxy, to say nothing of our native planet."</p> - -<p>A concerted gasp of astonishment was his reply, then he was assured in -no uncertain terms that the resources of Valeron were at his disposal.</p> - -<p>A certain amount of public attention had of course to be endured; but -Seaton and Crane, pleading a press of work upon their new projectors, -buried themselves in Radnor's laboratory, leaving it to their wives to -bear the brunt of Valeronian adulation.</p> - -<p>"How do you like being a heroine, Dot?" Seaton asked one evening, as -the two women returned from an unusually demonstrative reception in -another city.</p> - -<p>"We just revel in it, since we didn't do any of the real work—it's -just too perfectly gorgeous for words," Dorothy replied shamelessly. -"Especially Peggy." She eyed Margaret mischievously and winked -furtively at Seaton. "Why, you ought to see her—she could just simply -roll that stuff up on a fork and eat it, as though it were that much -soft fudge!"</p> - -<p>Since the scientific and mechanical details of the construction of a -fifth-order projector have been given in full elsewhere there is no -need to repeat them here. Seaton built his neutronium lens in the core -of the near-by white dwarf star, precisely as Rovol had done it from -distant Norlamin. He brought it to Valeron and around it there began -to come into being a duplicate of the immense projector which the -Terrestrials had been obliged to leave behind them when they abandoned -gigantic <i>Skylark Three</i> to plunge through the fourth dimension in tiny -<i>Two</i>.</p> - -<p>"Maybe it's none of my business, Radnor," Seaton turned to the -Valeronian curiously during a lull in their work, "but how come you're -still simply shooting away those Chloran vessels by making them put out -their zones of force? Why didn't you hop over there on your projector -and blow their whole planet over into the next Solar System? I would -have done that long ago if it had been me, I think."</p> - -<p>"We did visit Chlora once, with something like that in mind, but our -attempt failed lamentably," Radnor admitted sheepishly. "You remember -that peculiar special sense, that mental force that Siblin tried to -describe to you? Well, it was altogether too strong for us. My father, -possessing one of the strongest minds of Valeron, was in the chair, but -they mastered him so completely that we had to recall the projection -by cutting off the power to prevent them from taking from his mind by -force the methods of transmission which you taught us and which we were -then using."</p> - -<p>"Hmm! So that's it, huh?" Seaton was greatly interested. "Maybe I'll -take one on the chin, but I'm going to lock horns with that bunch of -squidges myself, one of these days. When this projector gets itself -done I'll skip over there and try them a whirl—with this fifth-order -outfit I think maybe I'll be able to make big medicine on them."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>True to his word, Seaton's first use of the new mechanism was to -assume the offensive. He first sought out and destroyed the Chloran -structure then in space—now an easy task, since zones of force, while -impenetrable to any ether-borne phenomena, offer no resistance whatever -to forces of the fifth order, propagated as they are in that inner -medium, the sub-ether. Then, with the Quedrins standing by, to cut off -the power in case he should be overpowered, he invaded the sanctum -sanctorum of all Chlora—the private office of the Supreme Great One -himself—and stared unabashed and unaffected into the enormous "eye" of -the monstrous ruler of the planet.</p> - -<p>There ensued a battle royal. Had mental forces been visible, it would -have been a spectacular meeting indeed! Larger and larger grew the -"eye" until it was transmitting all the terrific power generated by -that frightful, visibly palpitating brain. But Seaton was not of -Valeron, nor was he handicapped by the limitations of a fourth-order -projector. He was now being projected upon a full beam of the fifth, by -a mechanism able to do full justice to his stupendously composite brain.</p> - -<p>The part of that brain he was now employing was largely the -contribution of Drasnik, the First of Psychology of ancient Norlamin; -and from it he was hurling along that beam the irresistible sum total -of mental power accumulated by ten thousand generations of the most -profound students of the mind that our Galaxy has ever known.</p> - -<p>The creature, realizing that at long last it had met its mental master, -must have emitted radiations of distress, for into the room came -crowding hordes of the monstrosities, each of whom sought to add his -own mind to those already opposing the intruder. In vain—all their -power could not turn Seaton's penetrating glare aside, nor could it -wrest from that glare's unbreakable grip the mind of the tortured -Great One.</p> - -<p>And now, mental waves failing, they resorted to the purely physical. -Hand rays of highest power blasted at that figure uselessly; fiercely -driven bars, spears, axes, and all other weapons rebounded from -it without leaving a mark upon it, rebounded bent, broken, and -twisted. For that figure was in no sense matter as we understand the -term. It was pure force—force made palpable and coherent by the -incomprehensible power of disintegrating matter; force against which -any possible application of mechanical power would be precisely as -effective as would wafted thistledown against Gibraltar.</p> - -<p>Thus the struggle was brief. Paying no attention to anything, mental -or physical, that the other monstrosities could bring to bear, Seaton -compelled his victim to assume the shape of the heretofore-despised -human being. Then, staring straight into that quivering brain through -those hate-filled, flaming eyes, he spoke aloud, the better to drive -home his thought:</p> - -<p>"Learn, so-called Great One, once and for all, that when you attack any -race of humanity anywhere, you attack not only that one race, but all -the massed humanity of all the planets of all the Galaxies! As you have -already observed, I am not of the planet Valeron, nor of this Solar -System, nor even of this Galaxy; but I and my fellows have come to the -aid of this race of humanity whom you were bold enough to attack.</p> - -<p>"I have proved that we are your masters, mentally as well as -scientifically and mechanically. Those of you who have been attacking -Valeron have been destroyed, ships and crews alike. Those en route -there have been destroyed in space. So also shall be destroyed any -and all expeditions you may launch beyond the limits of your own foul -atmosphere.</p> - -<p>"Since even such a repellent civilization as yours must have its place -in the great scheme of things, we do not intend to destroy your planet -nor such of your people as remain upon it or near it, unless such -destruction shall become necessary for the welfare of the human race. -While we are considering what we shall do about you, I advise you to -heed well this warning!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XXI.</p> - - -<p>The four Terrestrials had discussed at some length the subject of -Chlora and her outlandish population.</p> - -<p>"It looks as though you were perched upon the horns of a first-class -dilemma," Dorothy remarked at last. "If you let them alone there is no -telling what harm they will do to these people here, and yet it would -be a perfect shame to kill them all—they can't help being what they -are. Do you suppose you can figure a way out of it, Dick?"</p> - -<p>"Maybe—I've got a kind of a hunch, but it hasn't jelled into a -workable idea yet. It's tied in with the sixth-order projection that -we'll have to have, anyway, to find our way back home with. Until we -get that working I guess we'll just let the amœbuses stew in their own -juice."</p> - -<p>"Well, and then what?" Dorothy prompted.</p> - -<p>"I told you it's nebulous yet, with a lot of essential details yet to -be filled in—" Seaton paused, then went on, doubtfully: "It's pretty -wild—I don't know whether—"</p> - -<p>"Now you <i>must</i> tell us about it, Dick," Margaret urged.</p> - -<p>"I'll say you've got to," Dorothy agreed. "You've had a lot of ideas -wild enough to make any sane creature's head spin around in circles -before this, but not one of them was so hair raising that you were -backward in talking about it. This one must be the prize brain storm of -the universe—spill it to us!"</p> - -<p>"All right, but remember that it's only half baked and that you asked -for it. I'm doping out a way of sending them back to their own Solar -System, planet and all."</p> - -<p>"What!" exclaimed Margaret.</p> - -<p>Dorothy simply whistled—a long, low whistle highly eloquent of -incredulity.</p> - -<p>"Maintenance of temperature? Time? Power? Control?" Crane, the -imperturbable, picked out unerringly the four key factors of the -stupendous feat.</p> - -<p>"Your first three objections can be taken care of easily enough," -Seaton replied positively. "No loss of temperature is possible through -a zone of force—our own discovery. We can stop time with a stasis—we -learned that from watching those four-dimensional folks work. The power -of cosmic radiation is practically infinite and eternal—we learned how -to use that from the pure intellectuals. Control is the sticker, since -it calls for computations and calculations at present impossible; but I -believe that when we get our mechanical brain done, it will be able to -work out even such a problem as that."</p> - -<p>"What d'you mean, mechanical brain?" demanded Dorothy.</p> - -<p>"The thing that is going to run our sixth-order projector," Seaton -explained. "You see, it'll be altogether too big and too complicated to -be controlled manually, and thought—human thought, at least—is on one -band of the sixth order. Therefore the logical thing to do is to build -an artificial brain capable of thinking on <i>all</i> bands of the order -instead of only one, to handle the whole projector. See?"</p> - -<p>"No," declared Dorothy promptly, "but maybe I will, though, when I see -it work. What's next on the program?"</p> - -<p>"Well, it's going to be quite a job to build that brain and we'd better -be getting at it, since without it there'll be no <i>Skylark Four</i>—"</p> - -<p>"Dick, I object!" Dorothy protested vigorously. "<i>The Skylark of Space</i> -was a nice name—"</p> - -<p>"Sure, you'd think so, since you named her yourself," interrupted -Seaton in turn, with his disarming grin.</p> - -<p>"Keep still a minute, Dickie, and let me finish. <i>Skylark Two</i> was -pretty bad, but I stood it; and by gritting my teeth all out of shape -I did manage to keep from squawking about <i>Skylark Three</i>, but I -certainly am not going to stand for <i>Skylark Four</i>. Why, just think of -giving a name like that to such a wonderful thing as she is going to -be—as different as can be from anything that has ever been dreamed of -before—just as though she were going to be simply one more of a long -series of cup-challenging motor boats or something! Why, it's—it's -just too perfectly idiotic for words!"</p> - -<p>"But she's <i>got</i> to be some kind of a <i>Skylark</i>, Dot—you know that."</p> - -<p>"Yes, but give her a name that means something—that sounds like -something. Name her after this planet, say—<i>Skylark of Valeron</i>—how's -that?"</p> - -<p>"O.K. by me. How about it, Peg? Mart?"</p> - -<p>The Cranes agreed to the suggestion with enthusiasm and Seaton went on:</p> - -<p>"Well, an onion by any other name would smell as sweet, you know, -and it's going to be just as much of a job to build the <i>Skylark of -Valeron</i> as it would have been to build <i>Skylark Four</i>. Therefore, as I -have said before and am about to say again, we'd better get at it."</p> - -<p>The fifth-order projector was moved to the edge of the city, since -nowhere within its limits was there room for the structure to be built, -and the two men seated themselves at its twin consoles and their hands -flew over its massed banks of keyboards. For a few minutes nothing -happened; then on the vast, level plain before them—a plain which -had been a lake of fluid lava a few weeks before—there sprang into -being an immense foundation-structure of trussed and latticed girder -frames of inoson, the hardest, strongest, and toughest form of matter -possible to molecular structure. One square mile of ground it covered -and it was strong enough, apparently, to support a world.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>When the foundation was finished, Seaton left the framework to Crane, -while he devoted himself to filling the interstices and compartments as -fast as they were formed. He first built one tiny structure of coils, -fields, and lenses of force—one cell of the gigantic mechanical brain -which was to be. He then made others, slightly different in tune, and -others, and others.</p> - -<p>He then set forces to duplicating these cells, forces which -automatically increased in number until they were making and setting -five hundred thousand cells per second, all that his connecting forces -could handle. And everywhere, it seemed, there were projectors, fields -of force, receptors and converters of cosmic energy, zones of force, -and many various shaped lenses and geometric figures of neutronium -incased in sheaths of faidon.</p> - -<p>From each cell led tiny insulated wires, so fine as to be almost -invisible, to the "nerve centers" and to one of the millions of -projectors. From these in turn ran other wires, joining together to -form larger and larger strands until finally several hundred enormous -cables, each larger than a man's body, reached and merged into an -enormous, glittering, hemispherical, mechano-electrical inner brain.</p> - -<p>For forty long Valeronian days—more than a thousand of our Earthly -hours—the work went on ceaselessly, day and night. Then it ceased -of itself and there dangled from the center of the glowing, gleaming -hemisphere a something which is only very vaguely described by calling -it either a heavily wired helmet or an incredibly complex headset. It -was to be placed over Seaton's head, it is true—it <i>was</i> a headset, -but one raised to the millionth power.</p> - -<p>It was the energizer and controller of the inner brain, which was in -turn the activating agency of that entire cubic mile of as yet inert -substance, that assemblage of thousands of billions of cells, so soon -to become the most stupendous force for good ever to be conceived by -the mind of man.</p> - -<p>When that headset appeared Seaton donned it and sat motionless. For -hour after hour he sat there, his eyes closed, his face white and -strained, his entire body eloquent of a concentration so intense as -to be a veritable trance. At the end of four hours Dorothy came up -resolutely, but Crane waved her back.</p> - -<p>"This is far and away the most crucial point of the work, Dorothy," he -cautioned her gravely. "While I do not think that anything short of -physical violence could distract his attention now, it is best not to -run any risk of disturbing him. An interruption now would mean that -everything would have to be done over again from the beginning."</p> - -<p>Something over an hour later Seaton opened his eyes, stretched -prodigiously, and got up. He was white and trembling, but tremendously -relieved and triumphant.</p> - -<p>"Why, Dick, what have you been doing? You look like a ghost!" Dorothy -was now an all solicitous wife.</p> - -<p>"I've been <i>thinking</i>, and if you don't believe that it's hard work -you'd better try it some time! 'Sall right, though, I won't have to do -it any more—got a machine to do my thinking for me now."</p> - -<p>"Oh, is it all done?"</p> - -<p>"Nowhere near, but it's far enough along so that it can finish itself. -I've just been telling it what to do."</p> - -<p>"<i>Telling</i> it! Why, you talk as though it were human!"</p> - -<p>"Human? It's a lot more than that. It can outthink and outperform even -those pure intellectuals—'and that,' as the poet feelingly remarked, -'is going some'! And if you think that riding in that fifth-order -projector was a thrill, wait until you see what this one can do. Think -of it"—even the mind that had conceived the thing was awed—"it is an -extension of my own brain, using waves that traverse even intergalactic -distances practically instantaneously. With it I can see anything I -want to look at, anywhere; can hear anything I want to hear. It can -build, make, do, or perform anything that my brain can think of."</p> - -<p>"That is all true, of course," Crane said slowly, his sober mien -dampening Dorothy's ardor instantly, "but still—I can not help -wondering—" He gazed at Seaton thoughtfully.</p> - -<p>"I know it, Mart, and I'm working up my speed as fast as I possibly -can," Seaton answered the unspoken thought, rather than the words. "But -let them come—we'll take 'em. I'll have everything on the trips, ready -to spring."</p> - -<p>"What <i>are</i> you two talking about?" Dorothy demanded.</p> - -<p>"Mart pointed out to me the regrettable fact that my mental processes -are in the same class as the proverbial molasses in January, or as a -troop of old and decrepit snails racing across a lawn. I agreed with -him, but added that I would have my thoughts all thunk up ahead of time -when the pure intellectuals tackle us—which they certainly will."</p> - -<p>"<i>Slow!</i>" she exclaimed. "When you planned the whole <i>Skylark of -Valeron</i> and nobody knows what else, in five hours?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, dear, <i>slow</i>. Remember when we first met our dear departed -friend Eight, back in the original <i>Skylark</i>? You saw him materialize -exact duplicates of each of our bodies, clear down to the molecular -structures of our chemistry, in less than one second, from a cold, -standing start. Compared to that job, the one I have just done is -elementary. It took me over five hours—he could have done it in -nothing flat.</p> - -<p>"However, don't let it bother you too much. I'll never be able to equal -their speed, since I'll not live enough millions of years to get the -required practice, but our being material gave us big advantages in -other respects that Mart isn't mentioning because, as usual, he is -primarily concerned with our weaknesses—yes? No?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; I will concede that being material does yield advantages which -may perhaps make up for our slower rate of thinking," Crane at last -conceded.</p> - -<p>"Hear that? If he admits that much, you know that we're as good as in, -right now," Seaton declared. "Well, while our new brain is finishing -itself up, we might as well go back to the hall and chase the Chlorans -back where they belong—the Brain worked out the equations for me this -morning."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>From the ancient records of Valeron, Radnor and the Bardyle had -secured complete observational data of the cataclysm, which had made -the task of finding the present whereabouts of the Chlorans' original -sun a simple task. The calculations and computations involved in the -application of forces of precisely the required quantities to insure -the correct final orbit were complex in the extreme; but, as Seaton had -foretold, they had presented no insurmountable difficulties to the vast -resources of the Brain.</p> - -<p>Therefore, everything in readiness, the two Terrestrial scientists -surrounded the inimical planet with a zone of force, so that it would -lose none of its heat during the long journey; and with a stasis of -time, so that its people would not know of anything that was happening -to them. They then erected force-control stations around it, adjusted -with such delicacy and precision that they would direct the planet into -the exact orbit it had formerly occupied around its parent sun. Then, -at the instant of correct velocity and position, the control stations -would go out of existence and the forces would disappear.</p> - -<p>As the immense ball of dazzlingly opaque mirror which now hid the -unwanted world swung away with ever-increasing velocity, the Bardyle, -who had watched the proceedings in incredulous wonder, heaved a -profound sigh of relaxation.</p> - -<p>"What a relief—what a relief!" he exclaimed.</p> - -<p>"How long will it take?" asked Dorothy curiously.</p> - -<p>"Quite a while—something over four hundred years of our time. But -don't let it gnaw on you—they won't know a thing about it. When the -forces let go they'll simply go right on, from exactly where they left -off, without realizing that any time at all has lapsed—in fact, for -them, no time at all shall have lapsed. All of a sudden they will find -themselves circling around a different sun, that's all.</p> - -<p>"If their old records are clear enough they may be able to recognize -it as their original sun and they'll probably do a lot of wondering as -to how they got back there. One instant they were in a certain orbit -around this sun here, the next instant they will be in another orbit -around an entirely different sun! They'll know, of course, that we did -it, but they'll have a sweet job figuring out how and what we did—some -of it is really deep stuff. Also, they will be a few hundred years off -in their time, but since nobody in the world will know it, it won't -make any difference."</p> - -<p>"How perfectly weird!" Dorothy exclaimed. "Just think of losing a -four-hundred-year chunk right out of the middle of your life and not -even knowing it!"</p> - -<p>"I would rather think of the arrest of development," meditated Crane. -"Of the opportunity of comparing the evolution of the planets already -there with that of the returned wanderer."</p> - -<p>"Yeah, it would be interesting—'sa shame we won't be alive then," -Seaton responded, "but in the meantime we've got a lot of work to do -for ourselves. Now that we've got this mess straightened out I think -we had better tell these folks good-by, get into <i>Two</i>, and hop out to -where Dot's <i>Skylark of Valeron</i> is going to materialize."</p> - -<p>The farewell to the people of Valeron was brief, but sincere.</p> - -<p>"This is in no sense good-by," Crane concluded. "By the aid of these -newly discovered forces of the sixth order there shall soon be worked -out a system of communication by means of which all the inhabited -planets of the Galaxies shall be linked as closely as are now the -cities of any one world."</p> - -<p><i>Skylark Two</i> shot upward and outward, to settle into an orbit well -outside that of Valeron. Seaton then sent his projection back to the -capital city, fitted over his imaged head the controller of the inner -brain, and turned to Crane with a grin.</p> - -<p>"That's timing it, old son—she finished herself up less than an hour -ago. Better cluster around and watch this, folks, it's going to be -good."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>At Seaton's signal the structure which was to be the nucleus of the new -space traveler lifted effortlessly into the air its millions of tons of -dead weight and soared, as lightly as little <i>Two</i> had done, out into -the airless void. Taking up a position a few hundred miles away from -the Terrestrial cruiser, it shot out a spherical screen of force to -clear the ether of chance bits of débris. Then inside that screen there -came into being a structure of gleaming inoson, so vast in size that to -the startled onlookers it appeared almost of planetary dimensions.</p> - -<p>"Good heavens—it's stupendous!" Dorothy exclaimed. "What did you boys -make it so big for—just to show us you could, or what?"</p> - -<p>"Hardly! She's just as small as she can be and still do the work. -You see, to find our own Galaxy we will have to project a beam to a -distance greater than any heretofore assigned diameter of the universe, -and to control it really accurately its working base and the diameter -of its hour and declination-circles would each have to be something -like four light-years long. Since a ship of that size is of course -impracticable, Mart and I did some figuring and decided that with -circles one thousand kilometers in diameter we could chart Galaxies -accurately enough to find the one we're looking for—if you think of -it, you'll realize that there are a lot of hundredth-millimeter marks -around the circumference of circles of that size—and that they would -probably be big enough to hold a broadcasting projection somewhere -near a volume of space as large as that occupied by the Green System. -Therefore we built the <i>Skylark of Valeron</i> just large enough to -contain those thousand-kilometer circles."</p> - -<p>As <i>Skylark Two</i> approached the looming planetoid the doors of vast -airlocks opened. Fifty of those massive gates swung aside before her -and closed behind her before she swam free in the cool, sweet air and -bright artificial sunlight of the interior. She then floated along -above an immense, grassy park toward two well-remembered and beloved -buildings.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus12.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>As the tiny ship approached, the doors of vast airlocks -opened.</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Oh, Dick!" Dorothy squealed. "There's our house—and Cranes! It's -funny though to see them side by side. Are they the same inside, -too—and what's that funny little low building between them?"</p> - -<p>"They duplicate the originals exactly, except for some items of -equipment which would be useless here. The building between them is -the control room, in which are the master headsets of the Brain -and its lookouts. The Brain itself is what you would think of as -underground—inside the shell of the planetoid."</p> - -<p>The small vessel came lightly to a landing and the wanderers -disembarked upon the close-clipped, springy turf of a perfect lawn. -Dorothy flexed her knees in surprise.</p> - -<p>"How come we aren't weightless, Dick?" she demanded. "This gravity -isn't—<i>can't</i> be—natural. I'll bet you did that, too!"</p> - -<p>"Mart and I together did, sure. We learned a lot from the intellectuals -and a lot more in hyperspace, but we could neither derive the -fundamental equations nor apply what knowledge we already had until we -finished this sixth-order outfit. Now, though, we can give you all the -gravity you want—or as little—whenever and wherever you want it."</p> - -<p>"Oh, marvelous—this is glorious, boys!" Dorothy breathed. "I have -always just simply despised weightlessness. Now, with these houses and -everything, we can have a perfectly wonderful time!"</p> - -<p>"Here's the dining room," Seaton said briskly. "And here's the headset -you put on to order dinner or whatever is appropriate to the culinary -department. You will observe that the kitchen of this house is purely -ornamental—never to be used unless you want to."</p> - -<p>"Just a minute, Dick," Dorothy's voice was tensely serious. "I have -been really scared ever since you told me about the power of that -Brain, and the more you tell me of it the worse scared I get. Think -of the awful damage a wild, chance thought would do—and the more an -ordinary mortal tries to avoid any thought the surer he is to think -it, you know that. Really, I'm not ready for that yet, dear—I'd much -rather not go near that headset."</p> - -<p>"I know, sweetheart," his arm tightened around her. "But you didn't -let me finish. These sets around the house control forces which are -capable of nothing except duties pertaining to the part of the house in -which they are. This dining-room outfit, for instance, is exactly the -same as the Norlaminian one you used so much, except that it is much -simpler.</p> - -<p>"Instead of using a lot of keyboards and force-tubes, you simply think -into that helmet what you want for dinner and it appears. Think that -you want the table cleared and it is cleared—dishes and all simply -vanish. Think of anything else you want done around this room and it's -done—that's all there is to it.</p> - -<p>"To relieve your mind I'll explain some more. Mart and I both realized -that that Brain could very easily become the most terrible, the -most frightfully destructive thing that the universe has ever seen. -Therefore, with two exceptions, every controller on this planetoid -is of a strictly limited type. Of the two master controls, which are -unlimited and very highly reactive, one responds only to Crane's -thoughts, the other only to mine. As soon as we get some loose time -we are going to build a couple of auxiliaries, with automatic stops -against stray thoughts, to break you girls in on—we know as well as -you do, Red-Top, that you haven't had enough practice yet to take an -unlimited control."</p> - -<p>"I'll say <i>I</i> haven't!" she agreed feelingly. "I feel lots better -now—I'm sure I can handle the rest of these things very nicely."</p> - -<p>"Sure you can. Well, let's call the Cranes and go into the control -room," Seaton suggested. "The quicker we get started the quicker we'll -get done."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Accustomed as she was to the banks and tiers of keyboards, switches, -dials, meters, and other operating paraphernalia of the control rooms -of the previous <i>Skylark</i>, Dorothy was taken aback when she passed -through the thick, heavily insulated door into that of the <i>Skylark of -Valeron</i>. For there were four gray walls, a gray ceiling, and a rugged -gray floor. There were low, broad double chairs and headsets. There was -nothing else.</p> - -<p>"This is your seat, Dottie, here beside me, and this is your -headset—it's just a visiset, so you can see what is going on, not a -controller," he hastened to reassure her. "You have a better illusion -of seeing if your eyes are open, that's why everything is neutral in -color. But better still for you girls, we'll turn off the lights."</p> - -<p>The illumination, which had seemed to pervade the entire room instead -of emanating from any definite sources, faded out; but in spite of the -fact that the room was in absolute darkness Dorothy saw with a clarity -and a depth of vision impossible to any Earthly eyes. She saw at one -and the same time, with infinite precision of detail, the houses and -their contents; the whole immense sphere of the planetoid, inside and -out; Valeron and her sister planets encircling their sun; and the -stupendous full sphere of the vaulted heavens.</p> - -<p>She knew that her husband was motionless at her side, yet she saw him -materialize in the control room of <i>Skylark Two</i>. There he seized -the cabinet which contained the space chart of the Fenachrone—that -library of films portraying all the Galaxies visible to the wonderfully -powerful telescopes and projectors of that horrible race.</p> - -<p>That cabinet became instantly a manifold scanner, all its reels -flashing through as one. Simultaneously there appeared in the air -above the machine a three-dimensional model of all the Galaxies there -listed. A model upon such a scale that the First Galaxy was but a tiny -lenticular pellet, although it was still disproportionately large; -upon such a scale that the whole vast sphere of space covered by the -hundreds of Fenachrone scrolls was compressed into a volume but little -larger than a basketball. And yet each tiny Galactic pellet bore its -own peculiarly individual identifying marks.</p> - -<p>Then Dorothy felt as though she herself had been hurled out into the -unthinkable reaches of space. In a fleeting instant of time she passed -through thousands of star clusters, and not only knew the declination, -right ascension, and distance of each Galaxy, but saw it duplicated in -miniature in its exact place in an immense, three-dimensional model in -the hollow interior of the space-flyer in which she actually was.</p> - -<p>The mapping went on. To human brains and hands the task would have -been one of countless years. Now, however, it was to prove only a -matter of hours, for this was no human brain. Not only was it reactive -and effective at distances to be expressed in light-years or parsecs: -because of the immeasurable sixth-order velocity of its carrier wave -it was equally effective at distances of thousands upon thousands of -light—millionia—reaches of space so incomprehensibly vast that the -rays of visible light emitted at the birth of a sun so far away would -reach the point of observation only after that sun had lived through -its entire cycle of life and had disappeared.</p> - -<p>"Well, that's about enough of that for you, for a while," Seaton -remarked in a matter-of-fact voice. "A little of that stuff goes a long -ways at first—you have to get used to it."</p> - -<p>"I'll say you do! Why—I—it—" Dorothy paused, even her ready tongue -at a loss for words.</p> - -<p>"You can't describe it in words—don't try," Seaton advised. "Let's go -outdoors and watch the model grow."</p> - -<p>To the awe, if not to the amazement of the observers, the model had -already begun to assume a lenticular pattern. Galaxies, then, really -<i>were</i> arranged in general as were the stars composing them; there -really <i>were</i> universes, and they really <i>were</i> lenticular—the vague -speculations of the hardiest and most exploratory cosmic thinkers were -being confirmed.</p> - -<p>For hour after hour the model continued to grow and Seaton's face began -to take on a look of grave concern. At last, however, when the chart -was three fourths done or more, a deep-toned bell clanged out the -signal for which he had been waiting—the news that there was now being -plotted a configuration of Galaxies identical with that portrayed by -the space chart of the Fenachrone.</p> - -<p>"Gosh!" Seaton sighed hugely. "I was beginning to be afraid that -we had escaped clear out of our own universe, and that would have -been bad—very, very bad, believe me! The rest of the mapping can -wait—let's go!"</p> - -<p>Followed by the others he dashed into the control room, threw on his -helmet, and hurled a projection into the now easily recognizable First -Galaxy. He found the Green System without difficulty, but he could -not hold it. So far away it was that even the highest amplification -and the greatest power of which the gigantic sixth-order installation -was capable could not keep the viewpoint from leaping erratically, in -fantastic bounds of hundreds of millions of miles, all through and -around its objective.</p> - -<p>But Seaton had half expected this development and was prepared for it. -He had already sent out a broadcasting projection; and now, upon a band -of frequencies wide enough to affect every receiving instrument in use -throughout the Green System and using power sufficient to overwhelm any -transmitter, however strong, that might be in operation, he sent out in -a mighty voice his urgent message to the scientists of Norlamin.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusc7.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XXII.</p> - - -<p>In the throne room of Kondal, with its gorgeously resplendent jeweled -ceiling and jeweled metallic-tapestry walls, there were seated in -earnest consultation the three most powerful men of the planet -Osnome—Roban and Karfedix <a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a>, Dunark the Kofedix <a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a>, and Tarnan -the Karbix <a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a>. Their "clothing" was the ordinary Osnomian regalia -of straps, chains, and metallic bands, all thickly bestudded with -blazing gems and for the most part supporting the full assortment of -devastatingly powerful hand weapons without which any man of that race -would have felt stark naked. Their fierce green faces were keenly -hawklike; the hard, clean lines of their bare green bodies bespoke the -rigid physical training that every Osnomian undergoes from birth until -death.</p> - -<p>"Father, Tarnan may be right," Dunark was saying soberly. "We are too -savage, too inherently bloodthirsty, too deeply interested in killing, -not as a means to some really worth-while end, but as an end in itself. -Seaton the overlord thinks so, the Norlaminians think so, and I am -beginning to think so myself. All really enlightened races look upon -us as little better than barbarians, and in part I agree with them. I -believe, however, that if we were really to devote ourselves to study -and to productive effort we could soon equal or surpass any race in the -System, except of course the Norlaminians."</p> - -<p>"There may be something in what you say," the emperor admitted -dubiously, "but it is against all our racial teachings. What, then, of -an outlet for the energies of all manhood?"</p> - -<p>"Constructive effort instead of destructive," argued the Karbix. "Let -them build—study—learn—advance. It is all too true that we are far -behind other races of the System in all really important things."</p> - -<p>"But what of Urvan and his people?" Roban brought up his last and -strongest argument. "They are as savage as we are, if not more so. -As you say, the necessity for continuous warfare ceased with the -destruction of Mardonale, but are we to leave our whole planet -defenseless against an interplanetary attack from Urvania?"</p> - -<p>"They dare not attack us," declared Tarnan, "any more than we dare -attack them. Seaton the overlord decreed that the people of us two -first to attack the other dies root and branch, and we all know that -the word of the overlord is no idle, passing breath."</p> - -<p>"But he has not been seen for long. He may be far away and the -Urvanians may decide at any time to launch their fleets against us. -However, before we decide this momentous question I suggest that you -two pay a visit of state to the court of Urvan. Talk to Urvan and -his Karbix as you have talked to me, of coöperation and of mutual -advancement. If they will coöperate, we will."</p> - -<p>During the long voyage to Urvania, the third planet of the fourteenth -sun, however, their new ardor cooled perceptibly—particularly that of -the younger man—and in Urvan's palace it became clear that the love -of peaceful culture inculcated upon those fierce minds by contact with -more humane peoples could not supplant immediately the spirit of strife -bred into bone and fiber during thousands of generations of incessant -warfare.</p> - -<p>For when the two Osnomians sat down with the two Urvanians the very -air seemed charged with animosity. Like strange dogs meeting with -bared fangs and bristling manes, Osnomian and Urvanian alike fairly -radiated hostility. Therefore Tarnan's suggestions as to coöperation -and understanding were decidedly unconvincing, and were received with -open scorn.</p> - -<p>"Your race may well wish to coöperate with ours," sneered the Emperor -of Urvania, "since, but for the threats of that self-styled overlord, -you would have ceased to exist long since. And how do we know where -that one is, what he is doing, whether he is paying any attention to -us? Probably you have learned that he has left this System entirely -and have already planned an attack upon us. In self-defense we shall -probably have to wipe out your race to keep you from destroying ours. -At any rate your plea is very evidently some underhanded trick of your -weak and cowardly race—"</p> - -<p>"Weak! Cowardly! <i>Us?</i> You conceited, bloated toad!" stormed Dunark, -who had kept himself in check thus far only by sheer power of will. He -sprang to his feet, his stool flying backward. "Here and now I demand -a meeting of honor, if you know the meaning of the word honor."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The four enraged men, all drawing weapons, were suddenly swept apart, -then clutched and held immovably as a figure of force materialized -among them—the form of an aged, white-bearded Norlaminian.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus13.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>The four enraged men, all drawing weapons, were suddenly -swept apart.</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Peace, children, and silence!" the image commanded sternly. "Rest -assured that there shall be no more warfare in this System and that -the decrees of the overlord shall be enforced to the letter. Calm -yourselves and listen. I know well, mind you, that none of you really -meant what has just been said. You of Osnome were so impressed by the -benefits of mutual helpfulness that you made this journey to further -its cause; you of Urvania are at heart also strongly in favor of it, -but neither of you has strength enough or courage enough to admit it.</p> - -<p>"For know, vain and self-willed children, that it is weakness, not -strength, which you have been displaying. It may well be, however, that -your physical bravery and your love of strife can now be employed for -the general good of all humanity. Would you join hands, to fight side -by side in such a cause?"</p> - -<p>"We would," chorused the four, as one.</p> - -<p>Each was heartily ashamed of what had just happened, and was glad -indeed of the opportunity to drop it without losing face.</p> - -<p>"Very well! We of Norlamin fear greatly that we have inadvertently -given to one of the greatest foes of universal civilization weapons -equal in power to the overlord's own, and that he is even now working -to undo all that had been done. Will you of Osnome and you of Urvania -help in conducting an expedition against that foe?"</p> - -<p>"We will!" they exclaimed.</p> - -<p>Dunark added: "Who is that enemy, and where is he to be found?"</p> - -<p>"He is Dr. Marc C. DuQuesne, of Earth."</p> - -<p>"DuQuesne!" barked Dunark. "Why, I thought the Fenachrone killed him! -But we shall attend to it at once—when <i>I</i> kill any one he <i>stays</i> -killed!"</p> - -<p>"Just a moment, son," the image cautioned. "He has surrounded Earth -with defenses against which your every arm would be entirely impotent. -Come you to Norlamin, bringing each of you one hundred of his best men. -We shall have prepared for you certain equipment which, although it -may not enable you to emerge victorious from the engagement, will at -least insure your safe return. It might be well also to stop at Dasor, -which is not now far from your course of flight, and bring along Sacner -Carfon, who will be of great assistance, being a man both of action and -of learning."</p> - -<p>"But <i>DuQuesne</i>!" raved Dunark, who realized immediately what must have -happened. "Why didn't you ray him on sight? Didn't you know what a liar -and a thief he is, by instinct and training?"</p> - -<p>"We had no suspicion then who he was, thinking, as did you, that -DuQuesne had passed. He came under another name, as Seaton's friend. He -came as one possessing knowledge, with fair and plausible words. But of -that we shall inform you later. Come at once—we shall place upon your -controls forces which shall pilot you accurately and with speed."</p> - -<p>Upon the aqueous world of Dasor they found its amphibious humanity -reveling in an activity which, although dreamed of for centuries, had -been impossible of realization until the <i>Skylark</i> had brought to them -a supply of Rovolon, the metal of power. Now cities of metal were -arising here and there above her waves, airplanes and helicopters sped -through and hovered in her atmosphere, barges and pleasure craft sailed -the almost unbroken expanse of ocean which was her surface, immense -submarine freighters bored their serenely stolid ways through her -watery depths.</p> - -<p>Sacner Carfon, the porpoiselike, hairless, naked Dasorian councilor, -heaved his six and a half feet of height and his five hundredweight of -mass into Dunark's vessel and greeted the Osnomian prince with a grave -and friendly courtesy.</p> - -<p>"Yes, friend, everything is wonderfully well with Dasor," he answered -Dunark's query. "Now that our one lack, that of power, has been -supplied, our lives can at last be lived to the full, unhampered by the -limitations which we have hitherto been compelled to set upon them. But -this from Norlamin is terrible news indeed. What know you of it?"</p> - -<p>During the trip to Norlamin the three leaders not only discussed and -planned among themselves, but also had many conferences with the -Advisory Five of the planet toward which they were speeding, so that -they arrived upon that ancient world with a complete knowledge of -what they were to attempt. There Rovol and Drasnik instructed them in -the use of fifth-order forces, each according to his personality and -ability.</p> - -<p>To Sacner Carfon was given high command, and he was instructed minutely -in every detail of the power, equipment, and performance of the vessel -which was to carry the hope of civilization. To Tarnan, the best -balanced of his race, was given a more limited knowledge. Dunark and -Urvan, however, were informed only as to the actual operation of the -armament, with no underlying knowledge of its nature or construction.</p> - -<p>"I trust that you will not resent this necessary caution," Drasnik -said carefully. "Your natures are as yet essentially savage and -bloodthirsty; your reason is all too easily clouded by passion. You -are, however, striving truly, and that is a great good. With a few -mental operations, which we shall be glad to give you at a later time, -you shall both be able to take your places as leaders in the march of -your peoples toward civilization."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Fodan, majestic chief of the Five, escorted the company of warriors to -their battleship of space, and what a ship she was! Fully twice the -size of <i>Skylark Three</i> in every dimension she lay there, surcharged -with power and might, awaiting only her commander's touch to hurl -herself away toward distant and now inimical Earth.</p> - -<p>But the vengeful expedition was too late by far. DuQuesne had long -since consolidated his position. His chain of interlinked power -stations encircled the globe. Governments were in name only. World -Steel now ruled the entire Earth and DuQuesne's power was absolute. -Nor was that rule as yet unduly onerous. The threat of war was gone, -the tyranny of gangsterism was done, everybody was working for high -wages—what was there to kick about? Some men of vision of course -perceived the truth and were telling it, but they were being howled -down by the very people they were trying to warn.</p> - -<p>It was thus against an impregnably fortified world that Dunark and -Urvan directed every force with which their flying superdreadnought -was armed. Nor was she feeble, this monster of the skyways, but -DuQuesne had known well what form the attack would take and, having the -resources of the world upon which to draw, he had prepared to withstand -the amassed assault of a hundred such vessels—or a thousand.</p> - -<p>Therefore the attack not only failed; it was repulsed crushingly. For -from his massed generators DuQuesne hurled out upon the Norlaminian -space ship a solid beam of such incredible intensity that in -neutralizing its terrific ardor her store of power-uranium dwindled -visibly, second by second. So rapidly did the metal disappear that -Sacner Carfon, after waging the unequal struggle for some twenty hours, -put on high acceleration and drove back toward the Central System, -despite the raging protests of Dunark and of his equally tempestuous -fellow lieutenant.</p> - -<p>And in his private office, which was also a complete control room, -DuQuesne smiled at Brookings—a hard, thin smile. "Now you see," he -said coldly. "Suppose I hadn't spent all this time and money on my -defenses?"</p> - -<p>"Well, why don't you go out and chase 'em? Give 'em a scare, anyway?"</p> - -<p>"Because it would be useless," DuQuesne stated flatly. "That ship -carries more stuff than anything we have ready to take off at present. -Also, Dunark does not scare. You might kill him, but you can't scare -him—it isn't in the breed."</p> - -<p>"Well, what is the answer, then? You have tried to take Norlamin with -everything you've got—bombs, automatic ships, and projectors—and you -haven't got to first base. You can't even get through their outside -screens. What are you going to do—let it go on as a stalemate?"</p> - -<p>"Hardly!" DuQuesne smiled thinly. "While I do not make a practice -of divulging my plans, I am going to tell you a few things now, so -that you can go ahead with more understanding and hence with greater -confidence. Seaton is out of the picture, or he would have been back -here before this. The Fenachrone are all gone. Dunark and his people -are unimportant. Norlamin is the only known obstacle between me and the -mastery of the Galaxy, therefore Norlamin must either be conquered or -destroyed. Since the first alternative seems unduly difficult, I shall -destroy her."</p> - -<p>"Destroy Norlamin—how?" The thought of wiping out that world, with all -its ancient culture, did not appall—did not even affect—Brookings' -callous mind. He was merely curious concerning the means to be employed.</p> - -<p>"This whole job so far has been merely a preliminary toward that -destruction," DuQuesne informed him levelly. "I am now ready to go -ahead with the second step. The planet Pluto is, as you may or may not -know, very rich in uranium. The ships which we are now building are -to carry a few million tons of that metal to a large and practically -uninhabited planet not too far from Norlamin. I shall install driving -machinery upon that planet and, using it as a projectile which all -their forces cannot stop, I shall throw Norlamin into her own sun."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Raging but impotent, Dunark was borne back to Norlamin; and, more -subdued now but still bitterly humiliated, he accompanied Urvan, Sacner -Carfon, and the various Firsts to a consultation with the Five.</p> - -<p>As they strolled along through the grounds, past fountains of flaming -color, past fantastically geometric hedges intricately and ornately -wrought of noble metal, past walls composed of self-luminous gems so -moving as to form fleeting, blending pictures of exquisite line and -color, Sacner Carfon eyed Drasnik in unobtrusive signal and the two -dropped gradually behind.</p> - -<p>"I trust that you were successful in whatever it was you had in mind to -do while we set up the late diversion?" Carfon asked quietly, when they -were out of earshot.</p> - -<p>Dunark and Urvan, his fierce and fiery aids, had taken everything that -had happened at its face value, but not so had the leader. Unlike his -lieutenants, the massive Dasorian had known at first blast that his -expedition against DuQuesne was hopeless. More, it had been clear to -him that the Norlaminians had known from the first that their vessel, -enormous as she was and superbly powerful, could not crush the defenses -of Earth.</p> - -<p>"We knew, of course, that you would perceive the truth," the First -of Psychology replied as quietly. "We also knew that you would -appreciate our reasons for not taking you fully into our confidence -in advance. Tarnan of Osnome also had an inkling of it, and I have -already explained matters to him. Yes; we succeeded. While DuQuesne's -whole attention was taken up in resisting your forces and in returning -them in kind, we were able to learn much that we could not have -learned otherwise. Also, our young friends Dunark and Urvan, through -being chastened, have learned a very helpful lesson. They have seen -themselves in true perspective for the first time; and, having fought -side by side in a common and so far as they knew a losing cause, they -have become friends instead of enemies. Thus it will now be possible -to inaugurate upon those two backward planets a program leading toward -true civilization."</p> - -<p>In the Hall of the Five the Norlaminian spokesman voiced thanks and -appreciation for the effort just made, concluding:</p> - -<p>"While as a feat of arms the expedition may not have been a success, -in certain other respects it was far from being a failure. By its help -we were enabled to learn much, and I can assure you now that the foe -shall not be allowed to prevail—it is graven upon the sphere that -civilization is to go on."</p> - -<p>"May I ask a question, sir?" Urvan was for the first time in his -bellicose career speaking diffidently. "Is there no way of landing a -real storming force upon Earth? Must we leave DuQuesne in possession -indefinitely?"</p> - -<p>"We must wait, son, and work," the chief answered, with the fatalistic -calm of his race. "At present we can do nothing more, but in time—"</p> - -<p>He was interrupted by a deafening blast of sound—the voice of Richard -Seaton, tremendously amplified.</p> - -<p>"This is the <i>Skylark</i> calling Rovol of Norlamin—<i>Skylark</i> calling -Rovol of Norlamin—" it repeated over and over, rising to a roar and -diminishing to a whisper as Seaton's broadcaster oscillated violently -through space.</p> - -<p>Rovol laid a beam to the nearest transmitter and spoke: "I am here, -son. What is it?"</p> - -<p>"Fine! I'm away out here in—"</p> - -<p>"Hold on a minute, Dick!" Dunark shouted. He had been humble and sober -enough since his return to Norlamin, realizing as he never had before -his own ignorance in comparison with the gigantic minds about him, the -powerlessness of his entire race in comparison with the energies he had -so recently seen in action. But now, as Seaton's voice came roaring in -and Rovol and his brain-brother were about to indulge so naïvely and so -publicly in a conversation which certainly should not reach DuQuesne's -ears, his spirits rose. Here was something he could do to help.</p> - -<p>"DuQuesne is alive, has Earth completely fortified, and is holding it -against everything we can give him," Dunark went on rapidly. "He's got -everything we have, maybe more, and he's undoubtedly listening to every -word we're saying. Talk Mardonalian—I know for a fact that DuQuesne -can't understand that. They've got an educator here and I'll give it to -Rovol right now—all right, go ahead."</p> - -<p>"I'm clear out of the Galaxy," Seaton's voice went on, now speaking the -language of the Osnomian race which had so recently been destroyed. "So -many Galaxies away that none of you except Orlon could understand the -distance. The speed of transmission is due to the fact that we have -perfected and I am using a sixth-order projector, not a fifth. Have you -a ship fit for really long-distance flight—as big as <i>Three</i> was, or -bigger?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; we have a vessel twice her size."</p> - -<p>"Fine! Load her up and start. Head for the Great Nebula in -Andromeda—Orlon knows what and where that is. That isn't very close to -my line, but it will do until you get some apparatus set up. I've got -to have Rovol, Drasnik, and Orlon, and I would like to have Fodan; you -can bring along anybody else that wants to come. I'll sign on again in -an hour—you should be started by then."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Besides the four Norlaminians mentioned, Caslor, First of Mechanism, -and Astron, First of Energy, also elected to make the stupendous -flight, as did also many "youngsters" from the Country of Youth. Dunark -would not be left behind, nor would adventurous Urvan. And lastly there -was Sacner Carfon the Dasorian, who remarked that he "would have to go -along to make the boys behave and to steer the ship in case the old -professors forgot to." The space ship was well on its way when at the -end of the hour Seaton's voice again was heard.</p> - -<p>"All right, put me on a recorder and I'll give you the dope," he -instructed, when he had made sure that his signal was received.</p> - -<p>"DuQuesne has been trying to put a ray on us and he may try to follow -us," Dunark put in.</p> - -<p>"Let him," Seaton shot back grimly, then spoke in English: "DuQuesne, -Dunark says that you're listening in. You have my urgent, if not -cordial, invitation to follow this Norlaminian ship. If you follow it -far enough, you'll take a long, long ride, believe me!"</p> - -<p>Again addressing the voyagers, he recounted briefly everything that had -occurred since the abandonment of <i>Skylark Three</i>, then dived abruptly -into the fundamental theory and practical technique of sixth-order -phenomena and forces.</p> - -<p>Of that ultramathematical dissertation Dunark understood not even the -first sentence; Sacner Carfon perhaps grasped dimly a concept here and -there. The Norlaminians, however, sat back in their seats, relaxed and -smiling, their prodigious mentalities not only absorbing greedily but -assimilating completely the enormous doses of mathematical and physical -science being thrust upon them so rapidly. And when that epoch-making, -that almost unbelievable, tale was done, not one of the aged scientists -even referred to the tape of the recorder.</p> - -<p>"Oh, wonderful—wonderful!" exclaimed Rovol in ecstasy, his -transcendental imperturbability broken at last. "Think of it! Our -knowledge extended one whole order farther in each direction, both into -the small and into the large. Magnificent! And by one brain, and that -of a youth. Extraordinary! And we may now traverse universal space -in ordinary time, because that brain has harnessed the practically -infinite power of cosmic radiation, a power which exhausted the store -of uranium carried by <i>Skylark Three</i> in forty hours. Phenomenal! -Stupendous!"</p> - -<p>"But do not forget that the brain of that youth is a composite of -many," said Fodan thoughtfully, "and that in it, among others, -were yours and Dunark's. Seaton himself ascribes to that peculiar -combination his successful solution of the problem of the sixth order. -You know, of course, that I am in no sense belittling the native power -of that brain. I am merely suggesting that perhaps other noteworthy -discoveries may be made by superimposing brains in other, but equally -widely divergent, fields of thought."</p> - -<p>"An interesting idea, truly, and one which may be fruitful of result," -assented Orlon, the First of Astronomy, "but I would suggest that we -waste no more time. I, for one, am eager to behold with my own inner -consciousness the vistas of the Galaxies."</p> - -<p>Agreeing, the five white-bearded scientists seated themselves at the -multiplex console of their fifth-order installation and set happily to -work. Their gigantic minds were undaunted by the task they faced—they -were only thrilled with interest at the opportunity of working with -magnitudes, distances, forces, objects, and events at the very -contemplation of which any ordinary human mind would quail.</p> - -<p>Steadily and contentedly they worked on, while at the behest of their -nimble and unerring fingers there came into being the forces which were -to build into their own vessel a duplicate of the mechano-electrical -brain which actuated and controlled the structure, almost of planetary -proportions, in which Seaton was even then hurtling toward them. -Hurtling with a velocity rapidly mounting to a value incalculable; -driven by the power liberated by the disintegrating matter of all the -suns of all the Galaxies of all the universes of cosmic space!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XXIII.</p> - - -<p>With all their might of brain and skill of hand and with all the -resources of their fifth-order banks of forces, it was no small task -for the Norlaminians to build the sixth-order controlling system which -their ship must have if they were to traverse universal space in any -time short of millenia. But finally it was done.</p> - -<p>A towering mechano-electrical brain almost filled the mid-section of -their enormous sky rover, the receptors and converters of the free -energy of space itself had been installed, and their intra-atomic -space-drive, capable of developing an acceleration of only five -light-veloci ties, had been replaced by Seaton's newly developed -sixth-order cosmic-energy drive which could impart to the ship and its -entire contents, without jolt, jar, or strain, any conceivable, almost -any calculable, acceleration.</p> - -<p>For many days the Norlaminian vessel had been speeding through the void -at her frightful maximum of power toward the <i>Skylark of Valeron</i>, -which in turn was driving toward our Galaxy at the same mad pace. -Braking down now, since only a few thousand light-years of distance -separated the hurtling flyers, Seaton materialized his image at the -brain control of the smaller cruiser and thought into it for minutes.</p> - -<p>"There, we're all set!" In the control room of the <i>Skylark</i> Seaton -laid aside his helmet and wiped the perspiration from his forehead in -sheer relief. "The trap is baited and ready to spring—I've been scared -to death for a week that they'd tackle us before we were ready for -them."</p> - -<p>"What difference would it have made?" asked Margaret curiously. "Since -we have our sixth-order screens out they couldn't hurt us, could they?"</p> - -<p>"No, Peg; but keeping them from hurting us isn't enough—we've got to -capture 'em. And they'll have to be almost directly between Rovol's -ship and ours to make that capture possible. You see, we'll have to -send out from each vessel a hollow hemisphere of force and surround -them. If we had only one ship, or if they don't come between our two -ships, we can't bottle them up, because they have exactly the same -velocity of propagation that our own forces have.</p> - -<p>"Also, you can see that our projector can't work direct on more than -a hemisphere without cutting its own beams, and that we can't work -through relay stations because, fast as relays are, the Intellectuals -would get away while the relays were cutting in. Any more questions?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; I have one," put in Dorothy. "You told us that this artificial -brain of yours could do anything that your own brain could think of, -and here you've got it stuck already and have to have two of them. How -come?"</p> - -<p>"Well, this is a highly exceptional case," Seaton replied. "What I said -would be true ordinarily, but now, as I explained to Peg, it's working -against something that can think and act just as quickly as it can."</p> - -<p>"I know, dear, I was just putting you on the spot a little. What are -you using for bait?"</p> - -<p>"Thoughts. We're broadcasting them from a point midway between the two -vessels. They're keen on investigating any sixth-order impulses they -feel, you know—that's why we've kept all our stuff on tight beams -heretofore, so that they probably couldn't detect it—so we're sending -out a highly peculiar type of thought, that we are pretty sure will -bring them in from wherever they are."</p> - -<p>"Let me listen to it, just for a minute?" she pleaded.</p> - -<p>"W-e-l-l—I don't know." He eyed her dubiously. "Not for a minute—no. -Being of a type that not even a pure intellectual can resist, they'd -burn out any human brain in mighty short order. Maybe you might for -about a tenth of a second, though."</p> - -<p>He lowered a helmet over her expectant head and snatched it off again, -but that moment had been enough for Dorothy. Her violet eyes widened -terribly in an expression commingled of amazedly poignant horror and of -dreadfully ecstatic fascination.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus14.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>Her whole body trembled violently. "Oh, Dick, Dick!" she -gasped. "How horrible!"</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Dick—Dick!" she shrieked; then, recovering slowly: "How horrible—how -ghastly—how perfectly, exquisitely damnable! What is it? Why, I -actually heard babies begging to be born! And there were men who had -died and gone to heaven and hell; there were minds that had lost their -bodies and didn't know what to do—were simply shrieking out their -agony, despair, and utter, unreasoning terror for the whole universe -to hear! And there were joys, pleasures, raptures, so condensed as -to be almost as unbearable as the tortures. And there were other -things—awful, terrible, utterly indescribable and unimaginable things! -Oh, Dick, I was sure that I had gone stark, staring, raving crazy!"</p> - -<p>"'Sall right, dear," Seaton reassured his overwrought wife. "All those -things are really there, and more. I told you it was bad medicine—that -it would tear your brain to pieces if you took much of it."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Seaton paused, weighing in his mind how best to describe the really -indescribable signal that was being broadcast by the Brain, then went -on, choosing his words with care:</p> - -<p>"All the pangs and all the ecstasies, all the thoughts and all the -emotions of all evolution of all things, animate and inanimate, are -there; of all things that ever have existed from the unknowable -beginning of infinite time and of all things that ever shall exist -until time's unknowable end. It covers all animate life, from the first -stirring of that which was to vitalize the first uni-cell in the slime -of the first world ever to come into being in the cosmos, to the last -cognition of the ultimately last intelligent entity ever to be.</p> - -<p>"Our present humanity was of course included, from before conception, -through birth, through all of life, through death, and through the -life beyond. It covers inanimate evolution from the ultimate particle -and wave, through the birth, life, death, and re-birth of any possible -manifestation of energy and of matter, up to and through the ultimate -universe.</p> - -<p>"Neither Mart nor I could do it all. We carried everything as far as we -could, then the Brain went through with it to its logical conclusion, -which of course we could not reach. Then the Brain systematized all the -data and reduced it to a concentrated essence of pure thought. It is -that essence which is being broadcast and which will certainly attract -the Intellectuals. In the brief flash you got of it you probably could -understand at all only the human part—but maybe it's just as well."</p> - -<p>"I'll say it's just as well!" Dorothy emphatically agreed. "I wouldn't -listen to that again, even for a millionth of a second, for a million -dollars—but I wouldn't have missed it for another million, either. I -don't know whether to beg you to listen to it, Peggy, or to implore you -not to."</p> - -<p>"Don't bother," Margaret replied positively. "Anything that could throw -you into such a hysterical tantrum as that did, I don't want any of at -all. None at all, in fact, it would be altogether too much for—"</p> - -<p>"Got them, folks—all done!" Seaton exclaimed. "You can put on your -headsets now."</p> - -<p>A signal lamp had flashed brightly and he knew that those two gigantic -brains, working in perfect synchronism, had done instantaneously all -that they had been set to do.</p> - -<p>"Are you dead sure that they got them all, Dick?"</p> - -<p>"Absolutely, and they got them in less time than it took the filament -of the lamp to heat up. You can bank on it that all seven of them are -in the can. I go off half cocked and make mistakes, but those Brains -don't—they can't."</p> - -<p>Seaton was right. Though far away, even as universal distances go, the -Intellectuals had felt that broadcast thought and had shot toward its -source at their highest possible speed. For in all their long lives -and throughout all their cosmic wanderings they had never encountered -thoughts of such wide scope, such clear cogency, such tremendous power.</p> - -<p>The discarnate entities approached the amazing pattern of mental force -which was radiating so prodigally and addressed it; and in that instant -there were shot out curvingly from each of the mechano-electrical -brains a gigantic, hemispherical screen.</p> - -<p>Developing outwardly from the two vessels as poles with the -unimaginable velocity possible only to sixth-order forces, the two -cups were barriers impenetrable to any sixth-order force, yet neither -affected nor were affected by the gross manifestations which human -senses can perceive. Thus Solar Systems, even the neutronium cores of -stars, did not hinder their instantaneous development.</p> - -<p>Hundreds of light-years in diameter though they were, the open edges -of those semiglobes of force met in perfect alignment and fused -smoothly, effortlessly, instantaneously together to form a perfect, -thought-tight sphere. The violently radiating thought-pattern which had -so interested the Intellectuals disappeared, and at the same instant -the ultrasensitive organisms of the entities were assailed by the to -them deafening and blinding crash and flash of the welding together -along its equator of the far-flung hollow globe.</p> - -<p>These simultaneous occurrences were the first intimations that -everything was not what it appeared, and the disembodied intelligences -flashed instantly into furious activity, too late by the smallest -possible instant of time. The trap was sprung, the sphere was -impervious at its every point, and, unless they could break through -that wall, the Intellectuals were incarcerated until Seaton should -release his screens.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Within the confines of the globe there were not a few suns and -thousands of cubic parsecs of space upon whose stores of energy the -Intellectuals could draw. Wherefore they launched a concerted attack -upon the wall, hurling against it all the force they could direct. -But they were not now contending against the power of any human, -organic, finite brain. For Seaton's mind, powerfully composite though -it was of the mightiest intellects of the First Galaxy, was only the -primary impulse which was being impressed upon the grids and was -being amplified to any desirable extent by the almost infinite power -of those two cubic miles of coldly emotionless, perfectly efficient, -mechano-electrical artificial Brains.</p> - -<p>Thus against every frantic effort of the Intellectuals within it the -sphere was contracted inexorably, and as it shrank, reducing the volume -of space from which the prisoners could draw energy, their struggles -became weaker and weaker. When the ball of force was only a few -hundred miles in diameter and the two vessels were relatively at rest, -Seaton erected auxiliary stations around it and assumed full control.</p> - -<p>Rapidly then the prisoning sphere, little larger now than a toy -balloon, was brought through the inoson wall of the <i>Skylark</i> and -held motionless in the air above the Brain room. A complex structure -of force was built around it, about which in turn there appeared a -framework of inoson, supporting sixteen massive bars of uranium.</p> - -<p>Seaton took off his helmet and sighed. "There, that'll hold them for a -while, I guess."</p> - -<p>"What are you going to do with them?" asked Margaret.</p> - -<p>"Darned if I know, Peg," he admitted ruefully. "That's been pulling -my cork ever since we figured out how to catch them. We can't kill -them and I'm afraid to let them go, because they're entirely too hot -to handle. So in the meantime, pending the hatching out of a feasible -method of getting rid of them permanently, I have simply put them in -jail."</p> - -<p>"Why, Dick, how positively brutal!" Dorothy exclaimed.</p> - -<p>"Yeah? There goes your soft heart again, Red-Top, instead of your hard -head. I suppose it would be positively O.K. to let them loose, so -that they can dematerialize all four of us? But it isn't as bad as it -sounds, because I've got a stasis of time around them. We can leave -them in there for seventeen thousand million years and even their -intellects won't know it, because for them no time at all shall have -lapsed."</p> - -<p>"No-o-o—of course we can't let them go scot-free," Dorothy admitted, -"but we—I should—well, maybe couldn't you make a bargain with them to -give them their liberty if they will go away and let us alone? They're -such free spirits, surely they would rather do that than stay bottled -up there forever."</p> - -<p>"Since they are purely intellectual and hence immortal, I doubt very -much if they'll dicker with us at all," Seaton replied. "Time doesn't -mean a thing to them, you know; but since you insist I'll check the -stasis and talk it over with them."</p> - -<p>A tenuous projection, heterodyned upon waves far below the band upon -which the captives had their being, crept through the barrier screen -and Seaton addressed his thoughts to the entity known as "One."</p> - -<p>"Being highly intelligent, you have already perceived that we are -vastly more powerful than you are. Living in the flesh possesses many -advantages over an immaterial existence. One of these is that it -permitted us to pass through the fourth dimension, which you cannot do -because your patterns are purely three-dimensional and inextensible. -While in hyperspace we learned many things. Particularly we learned -much of the really fundamental natures and relationships of time, -space, and matter, gaining thereby a basic knowledge of all nature -which is greater, we believe, than any that has ever before been -possessed by any three-dimensional being.</p> - -<p>"Not only can we interchange matter and energy as you do in your -materializations and dematerializations, but we can go much farther -than you can, working in levels which you cannot reach. For instance, I -am projecting myself through this screen, which you cannot do because -the carrier wave is far below your lowest attainable level.</p> - -<p>"With all my knowledge, however, I admit that I cannot destroy you, -since you can shrink as nearly to a mathematical point as I can -compress this zone, and its complete coalescence would of course -liberate you. Upon the other hand, you realize your helplessness inside -that sphere. You can do nothing about it since it cuts off your sources -of power.</p> - -<p>"I can keep you imprisoned therein as long as I choose. I can -set upon it forces which will keep you imprisoned until this -two-hundred-kilogram ingot of uranium has dwindled down to a mass of -less than one milligram. Knowing that the half-life period of that -element is approximately five times ten to the ninth years, you can -calculate for yourself the length of time during which you shall remain -incarcerated.</p> - -<p>"My wife, however, has a purely sentimental objection to confining -you thus, and wishes to make an agreement with you whereby we may set -you at liberty without endangering our own present existences. We are -willing to let you go if you will agree to leave this universe forever. -I realize, of course, that you are beyond either sentiment or passion -and are possessed of no emotions whatever. Realizing this, I give you a -choice, upon purely logical grounds, thus:</p> - -<p>"Will you leave us and our universe alone, to work out our own -salvation or our own damnation, as the case may be, or shall I leave -you inside that sphere of force until its monitor bars are exhausted? -Think well before you reply; for, know you, we all prefer to exist -for a short time as flesh and blood rather than for all eternity as -fleshless and immaterial intelligences. Not only that—we intend so to -exist and we shall so exist!"</p> - -<p>"We shall make no agreements, no promises," One replied. "Yours is -the most powerful mind I have encountered—almost the equal of one of -ours—and I shall take it."</p> - -<p>"You just <i>think</i> you will!" Seaton blazed. "You don't seem to get -the idea at all. I am going to surround you with an absolute stasis -of time, so that you will not even be conscious of imprisonment, to -say nothing of being able to figure a way out of it, until certain -more pressing matters have been taken care of. I shall then work out -a method of removing you from this universe in such a fashion and to -such a distance that if you should desire to come back here the time -required would be, as far as humanity is concerned, infinite. Therefore -it must be clear to you that you will not be able to get any of our -minds, in any circumstances."</p> - -<p>"I had not supposed that a mind of such power as yours could think so -muddily," One reproved him. "In fact, you do not so think. You know as -well as I do that the time with which you threaten me is but a moment. -Your Galaxy is insignificant, your universe is but an ultramicroscopic -mote in the cosmic all. We are not interested in them and would have -left them before this had I not encountered your brain, the best I have -seen in substance. That mind is highly important and that mind I shall -have."</p> - -<p>"But I have already explained that you can't get it, ever," protested -Seaton, exasperated. "I shall be dead long before you get out of that -cage."</p> - -<p>"More of your purposely but uselessly confused thinking," retorted One. -"You know well that your mind shall never perish, nor shall it diminish -in vigor throughout all time to come. You have the key to knowledge, -which you will hand down through all your generations. Planets, Solar -Systems, Galaxies, will come and go, as they have since time first was; -but your descendants will be eternal, abandoning planets as they age to -take up their abodes upon younger, pleasanter worlds, in other systems -and in other Galaxies—perhaps even in other universes.</p> - -<p>"And I do not believe that I shall lose as much time as you think. You -are bold indeed in assuming that your mind, able as it is, can imprison -mine for even the brief period we have been discussing. At any rate, do -as you please—we will make neither promises nor agreements."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XXIV.</p> - - -<p>Immense as the Norlaminian vessel was, getting her inside the planetoid -was a simple matter to the Brain. Inside the <i>Skylark</i> a dome bulged -up, driving back the air; a circular section of the multilayered -wall disappeared; Rovol's space-torpedo floated in; the wall was -again intact; the dome vanished; the visitor settled lightly into the -embrace of a mighty landing cradle which fitted exactly her slenderly -stupendous bulk.</p> - -<p>The Osnomian prince was the first to disembark, appearing unarmed; for -the first time in his warlike life he had of his own volition laid -aside his every weapon.</p> - -<p>"Glad to see you, Dick," he said simply, but seizing Seaton's hand in -both his own, with a pressure that said far more than his words. "We -thought they got you, but you're bigger and better than ever—the worse -jams you get into, the stronger you come out."</p> - -<p>Seaton shook the hands enthusiastically. "Yeah, 'lucky' is my middle -name—I could fall into a vat of glue and climb out covered with talcum -powder and smelling like a bouquet of violets. But you've advanced more -than I have," glancing significantly at the other's waist, bare now -of its wonted assortment of lethal weapons. "You're going good, old -son—we're all behind you!"</p> - -<p>He turned and greeted the other new-comers in cordial and appropriate -fashion, then all went into the control room.</p> - -<p>During the long flight from Valeron to the First Galaxy no one paid -any attention to course or velocity—a handful of cells in the Brain -piloted the <i>Skylark</i> better than any human intelligence could have -done it. Each Norlaminian scientist studied rapturously new vistas of -his specialty: Orlon the charted Galaxies of the First Universe, Rovol -the minutely small particles and waves of the sixth order, Astron the -illimitable energies of cosmic radiation, and so on.</p> - -<p>Seaton spent day after day with the Brain, computing, calculating, -thinking with a clarity and a cogency hitherto impossible, all to one -end. What should he do, what <i>could</i> he do, with those confounded -Intellectuals? Crane, Fodan, and Drasnik spent their time in planning -the perfect government—planetary, systemic, galactic, universal—for -all intelligent races, wherever situated.</p> - -<p>Sacner Carfon studied quietly but profoundly with Caslor of Mechanism, -adapting many of the new concepts to the needs of his aqueous planet. -Dunark and Urvan, their fiery spirits now subdued and strangely awed, -devoted themselves as sedulously to the arts and industries of peace as -they formerly had to those of war.</p> - -<p>Time thus passed quickly, so quickly that, almost before the travelers -were aware, the vast planetoid slowed down abruptly to feel her -cautious way among the crowded stars of our Galaxy. Though a mere -crawl in comparison with her inconceivable intergalactic speed, her -present pace was such that the stars sped past in flaming lines of -light. Past the double sun, one luminary of which had been the planet -of the Fenachrone, she flew; past the Central System; past the Dark -Mass, whose awful attraction scarcely affected her cosmic-energy -drive—hurtling toward Earth and toward Earth's now hated master, -DuQuesne.</p> - -<p>DuQuesne had perceived the planetoid long since, and his robot-manned -ships rushed out into space to do battle with Seaton's new and peculiar -craft. But of battle there was none; Seaton was in no mood to trifle. -Far below the level of DuQuesne's screens, the cosmic energies directed -by the Brain drove unopposed upon the power bars of the space fleet -of Steel and that entire fleet exploded in one space-filling flash of -blinding brilliance. Then the <i>Skylark</i>, approaching the defensive -screens, halted.</p> - -<p>"I know that you're watching me, DuQuesne, and I know what you're -thinking about, but you can't do it." Seaton, at the Brain's control, -spoke aloud. "You realize, don't you, that if you clamp on a zone of -force it'll throw the Earth out of its orbit?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; but I'll do it if I have to," came back DuQuesne's cold accents. -"I can put it back after I get done with you."</p> - -<p>"You don't know it yet, big shot, but you are going to do exactly -nothing at all!" Seaton snapped. "You see, I've got a lot of stuff here -that you don't know anything about because you haven't had a chance -to steal it yet, and I've got you stopped cold. I'm just two jumps -ahead of you, all the time. I could hypnotize you right now and make -you do anything I say, but I'm not going to—I want you to be wide -awake and aware of everything that goes on. Snap on your zone if you -want to—I'll see to it that the Earth stays in its orbit. Well, start -something, you big, black ape!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The screens of the <i>Skylark</i> glowed redly as a beam carrying the -full power of DuQuesne's installations was hurled against them—a -beam behind which there was the entire massed output of Steel's -world-girdling network of superpower stations. But Seaton's screens -merely glowed; they did not radiate even under that Titanic thrust. -For, as has been said, this new <i>Skylark</i> was powered, not by -intra-atomic energy, but by the cosmic energy liberated by all the -disrupting atoms in all the suns of all the Galaxies of all the -universes. Therefore her screens did not radiate; in fact, the furious -blasts of DuQuesne's projectors only increased the stream of power -being fed to her receptors and converters.</p> - -<p>The mighty shields of the planetoid took every force that DuQuesne -could send, then Seaton began to compress his zones, leaving open -only the narrow band in the fourth order through which the force of -gravitation makes itself manifest. Not only did he leave that band -open, he so blocked it open that not even DuQuesne's zones of force, -full-driven though they were, could close it.</p> - -<p>In their closing those zones brought down over all Earth a pall of -darkness of an intensity theretofore unknown. It was not the darkness -of any possible night, but the appalling, absolute blackness of the -utter absence of every visible wave from every heavenly body. As that -unrelieved and unheralded blackness descended, millions of Earth's -humanity went mad in unspeakable orgies of fright, of violence, and of -crime.</p> - -<p>But that brief hour of terror, horrible as it was, can be passed -over lightly, for it ended forever any hope of world domination by -any self-interested man or group, paving the way as it did for the -heartiest possible reception of the government of right instead of by -might so soon to be given to Earth's peoples by the sages of Norlamin.</p> - -<p>Through the barriers both of mighty space ship and of embattled planet -Seaton drove his sixth-order projection. Although built to be effective -at universal distances the installation was equally efficient at only -miles, since its control was purely mental. Therefore Seaton's image, -solid and visible, materialized in DuQuesne's inner sanctum—to see -DuQuesne standing behind Dorothy's father and mother, a heavy automatic -pistol pressed into Mrs. Vaneman's back.</p> - -<p>"That'll be all from you, I think," he sneered. "You can't touch -me without hurting your beloved parents-in-law and you're too -tender-hearted to do that. If you make the slightest move toward me all -I've got to do is to touch the trigger. And I shall do that, anyway, -right now, if you don't get out of this System and stay out. I am still -master of the situation, you see."</p> - -<p>"You are master of nothing, you murderous baboon!"</p> - -<p>Even before Seaton spoke the first word his projection had acted. -DuQuesne was fast, as has been said, but how fast are the fastest of -human nervous and muscular reactions when compared with the speed -of thought? DuQuesne's retina had not yet registered the fact that -Seaton's image had moved when his pistol was hurled aside and he was -pinioned by forces as irresistible as the cosmic might from which they -sprang.</p> - -<p>DuQuesne was snatched into the air of the room—was surrounded by -a globe of energy—was jerked out of the building through a welter -of crushed and broken masonry and concrete and of flailing, flying -structural steel—was whipped through atmosphere, stratosphere, and -empty space into the control room of the <i>Skylark of Valeron</i>. The -inclosing shell of force disappeared and Seaton hurled aside his -controlling helmet, for he knew that his iron self-control was fast -giving way. He knew that wave upon wave of passion, of sheer hate, -was rising, battering at the very gates of his mind; knew that if he -wore that headset one second longer the Brain, actuated by his own -uncontrollable thoughts, would passionlessly but mercilessly exert its -awful power and blast his foe into nothingness before his eyes.</p> - -<p>Thus at long last the two men, physically so like, so unlike mentally, -stood face to face; hard gray eyes staring relentlessly into unyielding -eyes of midnight black. Seaton was in a towering rage; DuQuesne, cold -and self-contained as ever, was calmly alert to seize any possible -chance of escape from his present predicament.</p> - -<p>"DuQuesne, I'm telling you something," Seaton gritted through clenched -teeth. "Prop back your ears and listen. You and I are going out in -that projector. You are going to issue 'cease firing' orders to all -your stations and tell them that you're all washed up—that a humane -government is taking things over."</p> - -<p>"Or else?"</p> - -<p>"Or else I'll do, here and now, what I've been wanting to do to you -ever since you shot up Crane's place that night—I will scatter your -component atoms all the way from here to Valeron."</p> - -<p>"But, Dick—" Dorothy began to protest.</p> - -<p>"Don't butt in, Dot!"</p> - -<p>Stern and cold, Seaton's voice was one his wife had never before heard. -Never had she seen his face so hard, so bitterly implacable.</p> - -<p>"Sympathy is all right in its place," Seaton went on, "but this is the -showdown. The time for dealing tenderly with this piece of mechanism in -human form is past. He has needed killing for a long time, and unless -he toes the mark quick and careful he'll get it, right here and right -now.</p> - -<p>"And as for you, DuQuesne," turning again to the prisoner, "for your -own good I'd advise you to believe that I'm not talking just to make a -noise. This isn't a threat, it's a promise—get me?"</p> - -<p>"You couldn't do it, Seaton, you're too—" Their eyes were still -locked, but into DuQuesne's there had crept a doubt. "Why, I believe -you <i>would</i>!" he exclaimed.</p> - -<p>"I'll tell the cockeyed universe I will!" Seaton barked. "Last chance! -Yes or no?"</p> - -<p>"Yes." DuQuesne knew when to back down. "You win—temporarily at -least," he could not help adding.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The projection went out and the required orders were given. Sunlight, -moonlight, and starlight again bathed the world in wonted fashion. -DuQuesne sat at ease in a cushioned chair, smoking Crane's cigarettes; -Seaton stood scowling blackly, hands jammed deep into pockets, -addressing the jury of Norlaminians.</p> - -<p>"You see what a jam I'm in?" he complained. "I could be arrested for -what I think of that bird. He ought to be killed, but I can't do it -unless he gives me about half an excuse, and he's darn careful not to -do that. So what?"</p> - -<p>"The man has a really excellent brain, but it is slightly warped," -Drasnik offered. "I do not believe, however, that it is beyond repair. -It may well be that a series of mental operations might make of him a -worth-while member of society."</p> - -<p>"I doubt it." Seaton still scowled. "He'd never be satisfied unless he -was all three rings of the circus. Being a big shot isn't enough—he's -got to be the whole works, a regular Poo-Bah. He's naturally -antisocial—he would always be making trouble and would never fit -into a really civilized world. He <i>has</i> got a wonderful brain; but he -isn't human—Say, that gives me an idea!" His corrugated brow smoothed -magically, his boiling rage was forgotten.</p> - -<p>"DuQuesne, how would you like to become a pure intellect? A bodiless -intelligence, immaterial and immortal, pursuing pure knowledge and pure -power throughout all cosmos and all time, in company with seven other -such entities?"</p> - -<p>"What are you trying to do, kid me?" DuQuesne sneered. "I don't need -any sugar coating on my pills. You are going to take me on a one-way -ride—all right, go to it, but don't lie about it!"</p> - -<p>"No; I mean it. Remember the one we met in the first <i>Skylark</i>? Well, -we captured him and six others, and it's a very simple matter to -dematerialize you so that you can join them. I'll bring them in, so -that you can talk to them yourself."</p> - -<p>The Intellectuals were brought into the control room, the stasis -of time was released, and DuQuesne—via projection—had a long -conversation with One.</p> - -<p>"That's the life!" he exulted finally. "Better a million times over -than any possible life in the flesh—the ideal existence! Think you can -do it without killing me, Seaton?"</p> - -<p>"Sure I can—I know both the words and the music."</p> - -<p>DuQuesne and the caged Intellectuals poised in the air, Seaton threw -a zone around cage and man, the inner zone of course disappearing as -the outer one went on. DuQuesne's body disappeared—but not so his -intellect.</p> - -<p>"That was the first really bad mistake you ever made, Seaton," the same -sneering, domineering, icily cold DuQuesne informed Seaton's projection -in level thought. "It was bad because you can't ever remedy it—you -<i>can't</i> kill me now! And now I <i>will</i> get you—what's to hinder me from -doing anything I please?"</p> - -<p>"I am, bucko," Seaton informed him cheerfully. "I told you quite a -while ago that you'd be surprised at what I could do, and that still -goes as it lays. But I'm surprised at your rancor and at the survival -of your naughty little passions. What d'you make of it, Drasnik? Is it -simply a hangover, or may it be permanent in his case?"</p> - -<p>"Not permanent, no," Drasnik decided. "It is only that he has not yet -become accustomed to his changed state of being. Such emotions are -definitely incompatible with pure mentality and will disappear in a -short time."</p> - -<p>"Well, I'm not going to let him think even for a minute that I slipped -up on his case," Seaton declared. "Listen, you. If I hadn't been dead -sure of being able to handle you I would have killed you instead of -dematerializing you. And don't get too cocky about my not being able to -kill you yet, either, if it comes to that. It shouldn't be impossible -to calculate a zone in which there would be no free energy whatever, so -that you would starve to death. But don't worry, I'm not going to do it -unless I have to."</p> - -<p>"Just what do you think you <i>are</i> going to do?"</p> - -<p>"See that miniature space ship there? I am going to compress you and -your new playmates into this spherical capsule and surround you with -a stasis of time. Then I am going to send you on a trip. As soon as -you are out of the Galaxy this bar here will throw in a cosmic-energy -drive—not using the power of the bar itself, you understand, but only -employing its normal radiation of energy to direct and to control -the energy of space—and you will depart for scenes unknown with an -acceleration equal to the sixth power of the velocity of light. You -will travel at that acceleration until this small bar is gone. It will -last approximately ninety thousand million years, which, as One will -assure you, is but a moment.</p> - -<p>"Then these large bars, which will still be big enough to do the work, -will rotate your capsule into the fourth dimension. This is desirable, -not only to give you additional distance, but also to destroy any -orientation you may have remaining, in spite of the stasis of time -and the not inconsiderable distance already covered. When and if you -get back into three-dimensional space you will be so far away from -here that you will certainly need most of what is left of eternity to -find your way back here." Then, turning to the ancient physicist of -Norlamin: "O.K., Rovol?"</p> - -<p>"An exceedingly scholarly bit of work," Rovol applauded.</p> - -<p>"It is well done, son," majestic Fodan gravely added. "Not only is it -a terrible thing indeed to take away a life, but it is certain that -the unknowable force is directing these disembodied mentalities in -the engraving upon the sphere of a pattern which must forever remain -hidden from our more limited senses."</p> - -<p>Seaton thought into the headset for a few seconds, then again projected -his mind into the capsule.</p> - -<p>"All set to go, folks?" he asked. "Don't take it too hard—no matter -how many millions of years the trip lasts, you won't know anything -about it. Happy landings!"</p> - -<p>The tiny space-ship prison shot away, to transport its contained -bodiless intelligences into the indescribable immensities of the -super-universe; of the cosmic all; of that ultimately infinite space -which can be knowable, if at all, only to such immortal and immaterial, -to such incomprehensibly gigantic, mentalities as were theirs.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">EPILOGUE</p> - - -<p>The erstwhile overlord and his wife sat upon an ordinary davenport in -their own home, facing a fireplace built by human labor, within which -nature-grown logs burned cracklingly. Dorothy wriggled luxuriously, -fitting her gorgeous auburn head even more snugly into the curve of -Seaton's mighty shoulder, her supple body even more closely into the -embrace of his brawny arm.</p> - -<p>"It's funny, isn't it, lover, the way things turn out? Space ships -and ordinary projectors and forces and things are all right, but I'm -awfully glad that you turned that horrible Brain over to the Galactic -Council in Norlamin and said you'd never build another. Maybe I -shouldn't say it, but it's ever so much nicer to have you just a man -again, instead of a—well, a kind of a god or something."</p> - -<p>"I'm glad of it, too, Dorothy mine—I couldn't hold the pose. When I -got so mad at DuQuesne that I had to throw away the headset I realized -that I never could get good enough to be trusted with that much -dynamite."</p> - -<p>"We're both really human, and I'm glad of it. It's funny, too," she -went on dreamily, "the way we jumped around and how much we missed. -From here across thousands of Solar Systems to Osnome, and from -Norlamin across thousands of Galaxies to Valeron. And yet we haven't -seen either Mars or Venus, our next-door neighbors, and there are lots -of places on Earth, right in our own back yard, that we haven't seen -yet, either."</p> - -<p>"Well, since we're going to stick around here for a while, maybe we can -catch up on our local visitings."</p> - -<p>"I'm glad that you are getting reconciled to the idea; because where -you go I go, and if I can't go you can't, either, so you've <i>got</i> to -stay on Earth for a while, because Richard Ballinger Seaton the Second -is going to be born right here, and not off in space somewhere!"</p> - -<p>"Sure he is, sweetheart. I'm with you, all the way—you're a blinding -flash and a deafening report, dear little girl friend, and, as I may -have intimated previously, I love you."</p> - -<p>"Just as I love you—it's wonderful, isn't it, how supremely happy you -and I are? I wish more people could be like us—more of them will be, -too, won't they, after this new planetary government has shown them -what coöperation can do?"</p> - -<p>"They're bound to, dear. It'll take time, of course—racial hates and -fears cannot be overcome in a day—but the people of our old Earth are -not too dumb to learn."</p> - -<p>Auburn head close to brown, they stared into the flickering flames in -silence; the wonderfully satisfying silence of perfect comradeship, -perfect sympathy, perfect understanding, perfect and perfected love.</p> - -<p>For these two the problems of life were few and small.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> Emperor.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> Crown Prince.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> President of the Church and Commander in Chief of all -armed forces of Osnome.</p></div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SKYLARK OF VALERON ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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