VENONE
Up from Earth, out of its clear sky, and into the and dark of space and near a sun the ship soared. They had been it over New York, and now as it rose, hundreds of craft, and a large ships it until it was out of Earth's atmosphere. Then—it was gone. Gone across space, toward that Universe at a speed no other thing equal. In minutes the great of the Universe had taken them, as they took their to their way to Earth after the battle, if still they come.
Then into the of the Intergalactic spaces.
"This will be our opportunity to test the full speed of this ship. We have its velocity, and we should measure it now. Take a on the of the Island, as from here, Morey. Then we will travel ten seconds, and look again."
Half a light years from the center of the Island now, the great spread out over the space them, the size of a dinner plate at about thirty distance, it was more than two hundred and fifty thousand light years across. Checking carefully, Morey read their as just of five hundred thousand light years.
"Hold on—here we go," called Arcot. Space was black, and them ran the ships that always when space is closed to the smallest compass, for light leaving, goes around a space is in miles, of light centuries and returns. There was no sound, no vibration, only Torlos' iron a as the into the space from the fields, their magnetic by in some degree.
For ten that minutes Arcot the ship on the under the maximum powers of space and time distortion. Then he simultaneously.
The black of space was about them as before, but now the of the Nebula was them! So was it, that these men, who its magnitude, in wonder. None of them had been able to of such a as this ship had shown! In seconds, Morey a moment later, they had one million, one hundred thousand light years! Their was six hundred and sixty miles second!
"Then it will take us only a little over one thousand to travel the hundred and fifty light years, at 110,000 light years second—that's about the of our galaxy, isn't it!" Wade.
They started on now, and one thousand and ten seconds, or a little more than eighteen minutes later, they stopped again. So them now as to be almost in the universes, their own Island, and they the Universe that now less than twenty light years ahead. Still, it was further, after this gulf, than are many of those we see from Earth, many of which that distance. They must now, for they did not know the exact to the Nebula. Carefully, in jumps of five light years, forty-five second drives, they nearer.
Then they entered the Island, and toward the center.
"Good Lord, Arcot, look at those suns!" Morey in amazement. For the time they were the of this at a range that permitted observation, and Arcot had stopped to observe. The one they had had been a blue-white of mass, nearly one hundred and fifty times as as our own sun, and all the surface was power into space at a of nearly thirty thousand square inch! No it, however, in its through space.
"I've been noticing the number of here. Look around."
The Thought moved on, on to other suns. They must one that was inhabited.
They stopped at last near a great orange giant, and it. It had planets, and as Arcot watched, he saw in the a line of from the world, and off to as they the speed of light! Instantly he started the Thought in time for the freighters. He them, and them as they across the void. He he was visible to them, and as he suspected, they soon stopped, and to him.
"Morey—take the Thought. I'm going to visit them in the Banderlog as I think we shall name the tender," called Arcot, off the headset, and the seat. The other of ships was now less than a hundred thousand miles away, visible in the telectroscope. They were still signaling, and Arcot had set an device an powerful toward them in a of and dashes, an signal, though also, to those others.
"Is it safe, Arcot?" asked Torlos anxiously. To approach those ships in the Banderlog unwise.
"Far than they'll believe. Remember, only the Thought up against such as the Banderlog carries, as they are by energy," Arcot, toward the little tender.
In a moment it was out through the lock, and away from them like a bullet, the in less than ten seconds.
"They are by thought!" Zezdon Afthen presently. "But I cannot them, for the are too weak to be received."
For nearly an hour the Banderlog the fleet, then it about, and once more to the Thought. Inside the lock, and a moment later Arcot appeared again on the of the door. He looked relieved.
"Well, I have some good news," he said and smiled, down. "Follow that bunch, Morey, and I'll tell you about it. Set it and she'll nicely. We have a long way to go, and those are slow freighters, by one Cruiser.
"Those men," he began, "are men of Venone. You Thett's records said something of the Mighty Warless Ones of Venone? Those are they. They most of this universe, the Thessians but four of a minor sun, way off in one corner. It the Thessians are their exiles, those who have, from to generation, been either to go there, or who wanted to go there.
"They did not like the and more method of of undesirables, the death they now use. Thett was their prison world. No one returned and his family go with him if they desired, but if they did not, they were for of traits—murder, of any sort, any to injustice.
"About six hundred years ago of our time, Thett revolted. There were scientists there, and their scientists had a thing that they had been for generations—the Twin-ray. I don't know what it is, and the Venonians don't either. It is the that and lux, however, and can be only on a machine the size of their forts, to some limitations. Just what those are the Venonians don't know. Other than that they had no new weapons.
"But it was enough. Their ships which had the worlds of the prison system, Antseck, were destroyed, so that Venone no word of it till a ship, prisoners, their absence. The ship returned without landing. Thett was now independent. But they were to their system, for although they had the ships, they had been permitted to have time apparatus, to see it, was any one who its there. The result was that they were as as ever.
"This was for two centuries. Two centuries later it was out by one of their scientists, and the Warless Ones had a War of defense. Their small of cruisers, designed for work and for space of and asteroids, was instantly, their world was protected only by the screen, which the Thessians did not have, and by the that they more cruisers. In less than a year Thett was defeated, and to her world, though Venone not overcome Thett, now, for around their they had so many the rays, that no ship approach.
"Then Thett learned how to make the screen, and came again. Venone had planetoid stations, that of an I wonder at, with their of projecting. It these people have force-power that through space, by which an entire can tie in for power, and they these in that way. Lord only what they had, but the Thessians couldn't the power to fight.
"They've been let alone since then, they did not know why. I told them what their dear friends had been doing in that time, and the Venonians were surprised, and very sorry. They my for such a menace, that it was their fault. They offered any help they give, and I told them that a of this would be of the use. They are going now to Venone, and we are to go with them, and see what they have to offer. Also, they want a of this 'remarkable ship that can whole of Thessians, and or make at will,'" Arcot.
"I do not in the least them for wanting to see this ship in operation, Arcot, but they are, very evidently, a much older than yours," said Torlos, his clear and sharp, as those of a man who has over what he says carefully. "Are you not that their minds may be more powerful than yours, that this they have told you is but a to this ship on their world where thousand, millions can their will against you and the ship by mind where they cannot it by force?"
"That," Arcot, "is where 'the rub' comes in as an of Earth put it. I don't know and I did not have a to see. Wherefore I am about to do some work. Let me have the controls, Morey, will you?"
Arcot a new ship. It was entirely, perforce, of cosmium, and relux, for those were the only of he create in space from energy. It was with drive, and time speed apparatus, and his mind this smaller ship with his in less than the two days that it took them to Venone. In the meantime, the Venonian had close, and in as the ship was from the energy of space, a thing of matter, from the of space, and under such as the not visualize.
Now, this move was the for this construction, for while the Venonian was busy, in the construction, his mind was not shielded, and it was open for of two such minds as those of Zezdon Afthen and Zezdon Inthel. With their and mind-science, at times by Morey's less skillful, but more powerful mind of his older race, and powerful too, of long and training, and of his inheritance, they the minds of many of the officers of the ship without their awareness.
As a final test, Arcot, having the ship, that the Venonian officer and one of the men of his ship have a trial of powers.
Zezdon Afthen first, and the two ships, along by at a speed unthinkable, the two men with those of will.
Quickly Zezdon Afthen told Arcot what he had learned.
The sun of Venone was close, now, and Arcot prepared to use as he the little space machine he had made. Morey took it, and away from the Thought on its time field. The ship had been with lead fuel for its matter-burning from the supply that had been on the Thought for emergencies, and the air had come from the Thought's great tanks. Morey was going to Venone ahead of the Thought to scout—"to see many of the men of Venone and out from them what I can of the relationship Venone and Thett."
Hours later Morey returned with a report. He had many of the men of Venone, and with them from the safety of his ship, where the had protected him and the ship against the of this world. He did not Venone; he wanted them to see it as he had it.
So the little ship, which had its purpose now, was destroyed, nearly a light year from Venone, and left a when two plates of had closed upon it, the apparatus, some use it. There was little about it, the alone perhaps, that might have been of use to Thett, and Thett already had the ray—but why take needless risk?
Then once more they were toward Venone. Soon the star of which it was a enormous. Then, at Morey's direction, they swung, and them a planet. Large as Thett, near a miles in diameter, its was very closely equal to that of our sun. Yet it was but the burned-out of the photospheric of this sun, and the that a sun active were not here; it was a cold planet. But its was far, higher than that of our sun, for our sun is but than ordinary sea water. This world was as copper, for with the of the that had it, more of the had gone into its making, and its was than that of Earth.
About it two Worlds, each larger than Jupiter, but of a here! And Venone itself was by millions, yet their low, green and metal were in the of lands with hillocks, by trees that their weight in the water-dense atmosphere.
Here, too, there were no seas, for the temperature was above the temperature of water, and only in the self-cooling of these men and in the trees which themselves, there be liquid.
The sun of the world was another of the red stars, close to three hundred and fifty times the of our sun. It was by but three planets. Its was almost from the surface of the world as the Thought slowly through fifteen thousand miles of air, to the on light through so much air. Earth have rested on this and not its atmosphere! Had Earth been at this planet's center, the Moon have about it, and would not have been the planet's surface!
In wonder the the world as they sank, and their friends looked on amazed, less of the of what they saw. Already the field, they see that were being produced on them, and on the ship. Arcot alone know the gravitation, and his told him now that he was to a of three thousand four hundred and eighty-seven second, or almost one hundred and nine times Earth's pull.
"The Thought one billion, two hundred and six million, five hundred thousand tons, with tender, on Earth. Here it one hundred and twenty-one billion tons," said Arcot softly.
"Can you set it down? It may under this if the drive isn't supporting it," asked Torlos anxiously.
"Eight cosmium, and else supported by cosmium. I this thing to any strain. Watch—if the planet's surface will take the load," Arcot.
They were still sinking, and now a number of small ships were around the slowly settling giant. In a moments more people, hundreds, thousands of men were through the air up to the ship.
A had appeared, and was very on leading them somewhere, and Arcot it as it through the air. "No wonder they streamline," he as he saw the it took to drive the ship through this air. The air pressure their ship now was so great, that the of the air pressure alone was enormous. The pressure was well over nine to the square inch, on the surface of that ship!
They fifty miles from a large city which was the capital. The land level, and the off in in an clear. There was no in the air at their of nearly three hundred feet, for was too on this world. There were no clouds. The of this world were not large, not be large, for their weight would tear them down, but what there were were jagged, rock, in outline.
"No rain—no temperature to them down," said Wade looking at them. "The zone of can't be here."
"What, Wade, is the zone of fracture?" asked Torles.
"Rock has weight. Any substance, no how brittle, will if pressure is to from all sides. A thing which can will not or fracture. You can't the pressure to which the three hundred is to. There is the of atmosphere, the of above, and all by this gravitation. By the time you a mile, the is under such an great pressure that it will like mud. The there cannot break; it under pressure. Above, the can break, of flowing. That is the zone of fracture. On Earth the zone of is ten miles deep. Here it must be of the order of only five hundred feet! And the that a planet's surface on the zone of flowage—they the zone of fracture."
The ship had been sinking, and now, it gave a very of Wade's words. It had landed, and Arcot off the power. There was a roaring, and the ship trembled, rocked, and rolled along a bit. Instantly Arcot it into the air.
"Whoa—can't do it. The ship will it, and won't under the load—but the won't. We a Venone-quake. One of those Wade was talking about under the added strain."
Quickly Wade that all the were floating, floating, and in just as a must be. The added had been great, so that, with an already on this particular block, this "boat" had a into the zone, till it was once more at and balanced.
"They wish us to come out that they may see us, and friends from another Island," Zezdon Afthen.
"Tell them they'd have to us up off the ground, if we it. We come from a world where we about as much as a here," said Wade, at the of trying to walk on this world.
"Don't—tell them we'll be right out," said Arcot sharply. "All of us."
Morey and the others all at Arcot in amazement. It was impossible!
But Zezdon Afthen did as Arcot had asked. Almost immediately, another Morey out of the what was a pressure suit. Behind him came another Wade, Torlos, Stel Felso Theu, and all the members of their party save Arcot himself! The Galactians in wonder—then and laughed together. Arcot had sent images of them all!
Their images out, and the Venonian which had collected, in wonder at the giants, twice their above them.
"You see not us, but images of us. We cannot your your air pressure, save in the protection of our ship. But these images are true images of us."
For some time then they communicated, and Arcot to give a of their power. At the of the who had the of a from the of space, Arcot a small, very simple, drive machine of pure cosmium, making it from energy. It but minutes, and the Venonians in wonder as Arcot's the machine their eyes. The ship Arcot gave to an official of the city who had appeared. The Venonian looked at the thing skeptically, and it to like the that it, entered the port. Powered as it was by lead generators, the lead alone having been by of natural matter, it was powerful, and speedy. The official entered it, and it still existing, it out. Much to his it flew, and perfectly.
Nearly ten hours Arcot and his friends at Venone, and they left, the Venonians, for all their of structure, had proven themselves true, men, and a that our Alliance has since every to respect and honor. Our with them, though on under difficulties, is none the less a of friendship.
