THE BATTLE OF EARTH
It had been an hour for the of the Solar System.
They were in the last of Earth's defense when the staff notice that a radio message of power had the screen, with for them. It was "Arcot."
"Bringing new weapon. Draw all ships the when I start action, and drive Thessians into space. Retire as soon as a of ten thousand miles is reached. I will then the fleet," was the message.
"Gentlemen: We are losing. The move would be unless we are sure of being able to drive them. If we don't, we are in any event. I trust Arcot. How vote you?" asked General Hetsar Sthel.
The message was to the ships. Scarcely a moment after the message had been relayed, a appeared in space, just the battle. It forward, and planted itself directly in the of the battle, two Thessians in its progress. The Thessian ships off its sides, and away. It waiting, making no move. All the Thessian ships above the full of their into its bulk. A of ran over every ship—save the giant. The were being from its sides, and their energy the very ships that were sending them!
A moved up, and the of out, in space.
"Now," Morey, "we shall see what will stand."
A spot on the of the ship had incandescent. A vapor, a of from it, and instantly. Another came and and they each other. The was under the ray, but very slowly, into rays, then free, and spreading.
"We will not fight," Morey as he saw Arcot shift in his seat.
Arcot the moleculars. They out, touched the of the fort, and it into that was white, the colors so quickly. A screen into being, and the was off. The screen was a of as of clashed.
Arcot used a more of his power. The the screen, and it once—then died into blackness. The in like a can, and rolled away. The other was near now, and started an attack of its own. Arcot the this time. He was not the many ships.
The great ship suddenly, over to one side. "Foolish of me," said Arcot. "They us."
A of crumpled, and by a of against a on the great sides, told the story. Eight of not give way.
Yet another ship it. But it stopped away from the of the ship. It a more unyielding—artificial matter.
But now Arcot was using this major weapon—artificial matter. Ship after ship, or attacking, was by a great of it, a of energy as the the shield, the now by the energy of all the millions of of space it in an instant. Then came the of the matter, and a of alone remained.
But the pressing of the battle-front which had been on Chicago, of Earth's metropolises, was lifted. This disc-front was now as Arcot's ship its strength, and its morale, under the drive of the now Solarians.
The other moved up now, with twenty of the largest battleships. The its ray—and Arcot his new "magnet." It was not a true magnet, but a space field, a by the energy of all the universe.
The was gigantic. Even Arcot's ship was a small thing it, but it and as space visibly in a magnetic of such as to be immeasurable.
Arcot's was and not wanting.
Suddenly every Thessian ship in to exist. They disappeared. Instantly Arcot on all time power, and toward Venus. The Thessians were already the planet, and no possible overtake them. An touch of the space control, and the ship was hundreds of miles of the atmosphere.
Space about them, reeled, and was firm. The Thessian was them in a moment, visible now as they to normal speed. Startled, no doubt, to them the ship they had fled, they on for a space. Then, as though by some magic, they stopped and in of light.
When space had twisted, before, it was Arcot had on the power of space to an that had been to it—ten sols. That was of a second, and for a hundredth part of a second it had flowed. Before them, in a plane, had been an thin of matter, four hundred thousand of it, and into this invisible, hard barrier, the Thessian had rammed. And it was gone.
"I think," said Arcot softly, as he took off his headpiece, "that the of the end is in sight."
"And I," said Morey, "think it is now out of sight. Half a dozen ships stopped. And they are gone now, to the others."
"What warning? What can they tell? Only that their ships were by something they couldn't see." Arcot smiled. "I'm going home."
