WORLD 3769-37,478,326,894,6, TALSO
Wade sat at the screen for some time, while Zezdon Afthen, in his own reveries, continued.
"Our was too psychic, and too little curious. We learned too little of the world about, and too much of our own processes. We are a peaceful race, for, while you and the Ancient Masters learned the of in a world of strife, where only the fittest, the best survived, we learned life in a world, where the Ancient Masters us to live, where the one social were best developed, where he who would most help the others, and the race, was permitted to live. Is it not natural that our will not among themselves? We are to toward and struggle. The and the maniac, or those who are as by examination, are 'removed' as the Leaders put it. Lethal gas.
"At any rate, we know so pitiably little of natural science. We were against an science."
"I promise you, Afthen, that if Earth survives, Ortol shall survive, for we have you all the we know of and we will give your people all the we shall learn of." Morey spoke from the doorway. Arcot was directly him.
They talked for a while, then Wade retired for some needed sleep, while Morey and Arcot started work on the time fields.
Hour after hour the ship on through the dark of space, distorted, of light them, that moved and as their speed them on.
They had to move slower soon, as the them near the space-marks of suns. Finally, still moving close to fifteen thousand miles second, they saw the sun they was sun 3769-37,478,-326,894, twice as large as Sol, two and a times as and twenty-six times as brilliant.
Thirteen major they as they the with their powerful telectroscope, the more than ten billion miles from the parent sun, while six, the one by the world number, was at a of five hundred miles, nearly as from the sun as Jupiter is from ours, yet the sun, more than twenty-five times as much and light in the blue-white range, the to the same temperature Earth enjoys. Spectroscopy that the was well with oxygen, and so the were oxygen-breathing men, those of the Negrian people who live in an of hydrogen.
Arcot the ship toward the planet, and as it larger, he off the space-control, and set the for full charge, while the ship entered the planet's in a dive, still at a speed of than a hundred miles a second. But this speed was as the ship high over to the green of land ahead in the zone. Observations from by means of the space-control, thus going in time, that the had a day of hours, the was nearly nine thousand miles, which would an high for the and a high for the Ortolians, used to their world smaller than Earth, with 80 of Earth's gravity.
Wade some analysis of the atmosphere, and with the of a mouse, it "Q.A.R." (quite all right) for beings. It had not killed the mouse, so would it all right.
"We'll land at the city that comes into view," Arcot. "Afthen, you be the spokesman; you have a very ability with the communication, and have a of the we need to than has Zezdon Fentes."
They were over land, a that them as great mountains, with snow, rose beneath. Suddenly, a appeared from one of the hills, and at them with an acceleration. Arcot moved just to the blow, and to meet the ship. Instantly, now that he had a good view of it he was it was a Thessian ship. Waiting no longer to that it was not a ship of this world, he a at it. The into a of pyrotechnics on the Thessian shield. The Thessian with all he had available, an induction-beam, an light-beam, and with with an that was very light. This was no ship, but a full-fledged battleship.
The Ancient Mariner was instantly. None of the were hurt, but the pressure of the the ship to one side. The alone was dangerous. It passed through the lux-metal unhindered, and the perfectly it, and it into power. At once, all the metal objects in the ship to up with rapidity. Since there were no on the ship, no was done.
Arcot his perfect shield—the space-distortion.
"That's no mild dose," he said in a voice, rapidly. "He's a real-for-sure battleship. Better in the power room, Morey."
In a moments the ship was again. Opening the somewhat, Arcot was able to that no were being played on it, for no energy as the opened field, other than the of the sun and planet.
Arcot opened it. The was about the mountains, and was now some miles distant. His last view of Arcot's ship had been a ship, one that in distance, the of another space, though he did not know it.
Arcot three powerful on the Thessian ship, and toward it, them with rays. The Thessian stopped the moleculars, but the had already the of the ship. By some of magnetic or devices, the enemy and replied, and so that Arcot was again blinded.
He had again been in a line toward the enemy, and now he in the entire power of his magnetic field-rays. The disappeared, and the heat, light and stopped.
"Worked again," Arcot. A new set of was automatically, and the screen again lighted. The Thessian ship was end over end toward the ground. It with a crash. Simultaneously from the of the Ancient Mariner came a crash, an that the ship forward, as though a hand had pushed it from behind.
The Ancient Mariner like a top, the direction of the explosion, though still traveling in the direction it had been pursuing, but now. Behind them the air was a of ionization. Tremendous of what had been a ship were down, end over end. And those of the them to be four of solid relux.
"Enemy got up somehow while the were out, and was to hell. Somebody them up beautifully. Look at the ground there—it's red hot. That's from the of our encounter. Heat reflected, light off, from ions—nice little workout—and it didn't our of two-inch relux. Now tell me: what will up four-foot relux?" asked Arcot, looking at the fragments. "It to me those don't need any help from us; they may it with thanks."
"But they may be to help us," Afthen, "and we need such help."
"I didn't to come out alive from that there. It was luck. If they what we had, they against it in an hour," added Arcot.
"Let's those over there—look!" From the of the ship they had downed, a of men in were filing. Any men to would have been killed by the fall, but not Thessians. They machines, and as they out of the ship in that looked as though they had been from a cannon, they and on the ground and to jump back, at a speed that was bewildering, in any creature.
They themselves quickly. It took less than thirty seconds, and they had a large under the entire group and machines. Arcot a down. The and up all about them, the ship up, to into the great its had formed. But the told of the over the little group of men. A down, while the men still at their projectors. The now its purpose. In an the about them was white hot, lava. It was liquid, furiously. But the on it. The enemy ship sinking, and in a moment had almost the white rock.
A of the melted up, and under Arcot's direction, in a cloud of on the men working. The protected, and the white rolled off. But it was their boat. Arcot hopefully.
Meanwhile a machine was calling for help and sending out of their and position.
Then all was out in a single of the magnetic beam. The jumped a little, despite their weight, and the in white heat, the fused. But the men were still active, and from the spot, each protected by a pack.
A of at each from either of two of the Ancient Mariner's projectors as Morey Arcot. Their little for an under the thousands of of energy at the screen, then away, and the a moment later, and the twisting, away. Meanwhile Wade was with the magnetic apparatus, after shield, which either Arcot or Morey off. The from so much as a mile not to these supermen, for an later they would be up away in great on their own power as their suits, out by the magnetic field, failed them.
It was but a of minutes the last had been either by the or the ship. Then, back, Arcot slowly settled the enemy ship.
"Wait," called Arcot as Morey started for the door.
"Don't go out yet. The friends who that little who up will up. Wait and see what happens." Hardly had he spoken, when a rose from a a of a mile away. Immediately Arcot the screen him. He to near. There was one man, and he what was a by the blade, above his head, it from to side.
"There they are—whatever they are. Intelligent all right—what more peace than a such as a knife in position? You go with Zezdon Afthen. Try a knife by the blade."
Morey as he got into his power suit, on Wade's O.K. of the atmosphere. "They may mistake me for the cook out looking for dinner, and I wouldn't my that way. I'll take the and it way instead."
Nevertheless, as he from the ship, with Afthen close behind, he the long knife by the blade, and Afthen, very his still power suit, followed.
Into the the men stepped. Their skin and took on a under the sunlight.
The single was joined by a second, also a weapon, and together they them down. Morey and Zezdon Afthen suit. The two parties toward each other.
The with a swift, light step, jumping from to rock, while Morey and Afthen part way toward them. The men of this world were totally any Morey had of. Their and brain case was so small as to be almost animalish. The nose was small and well formed, the ears more or less cup-shaped with a power of motion. Their were huge, no larger than a terrestrian's, though in the they were necessarily closely placed, protected by that actually from the to them. Tiny, the head, to a neck.
They were short, five feet, yet of for their short, arms, the under the tight rubber-like garments, and the equal were members of a in with them. The deep, chest, wide, square shoulders, hips, with the to a perfect of brainless, strength.
"Strangers from another planet, of our enemies. What you here at this time of troubles?" The came from the them.
"We to aid, and to aid. The that you face, not alone your world, but all this star cluster," Zezdon Afthen steadily.
The his with an of hopelessness. "The is than we feared. It was just that permitted us to have our in condition at the time your ship was attacked. It will be a day the machine will again be of successful operation. When in condition for use, it is invincible, but—one in thirty hours—you can see we are not of great aid." He shrugged.
An enemy with of power, deadly, unknown that out entire with a single sweep—and no defense save this single weapon, good but once a day! Morey read the of the man.
"What is the difficulty?" asked Morey eagerly.
"Power, of power. Our are going without power, while every electric on the is its into the that work these damnable, things. Invincible with power—helpless without."
"Ah!" Morey's with delight—invincible weapon—with power. And the Ancient Mariner power.
"What power do you use—how do you your power?"
"Combining agent with heat. Heat used to liquid and the turbines."
"We can give you power. What have you available?"
Only Morey's had to "watts" to "How many man-weights can you through your time interval, equal to this." He gave the man some of a second, by counting. The man rapidly. His answer that a total of two billion were available.
"Then the is hereafter, if what you say is true. Our ship alone can easily ten thousand times that power.
"Come, in the ship, us to your capital."
The men turned, and to their position the rocks, while Morey and Zezdon Afthen waited for them. Soon they returned, and entered the ship.
"Our world," the leader rapidly, "is a single colony. The is 'Shesto,' our world we call 'Talso.'" His were explicit, and Arcot started for Shesto, on Talso.
