"They are visible." Molo from the of his electro-telescope. "Do you want to see them, Gregg Haljan?"
We were in the and of the Star-Streak, Molo and his sister Meka, Venza, Anita and myself. Unobtrusively on the was a small, gray, rat-faced fellow, put there, in hand, to watch us. He was a from the of Grebhar, a of the Star-Streak's crew.
We were some ten hours out from Wandl. A group of four of the Wandl ships were with us, in a line some ten thousand miles to our left. We had been toward Mars. Some fifteen other Wandl were ahead and others following.
We were no more than fifteen miles from Mars when Molo the ships. "Will you them, Gregg Haljan?"
I moved to take his place at the 'scope-grid, with the of Anita and Venza upon me. They sat together on a low bench against the of the turret.
It was here, with little of lights, and the in the plates of the dome. The of Snap had put a look upon the girls. They were dispirited, with Meka. They had had a word with me. I think that all of us had about up those hours. Molo had me times with his of navigation.
But I saw no to him. He was indeed, more[123] than I, and more skillful, in mechanics. I with him. I learned the operation and the of the Star-Streak, which was not different from the Cometara or the Planetara.
Poor Snap! He and I had planned to and this Star-Streak. We have her. There were, I gathered, some fifteen men her now, but no more than two or three were at the mechanisms. Even they be with at times, for the ship's were all automatic, directly from the turret.
I learned too, something, though not much, of the Star-Streak's weapons. They were to those of the ships, since Molo in his had upon all the best he of the three worlds.
The Star-Streak, this toward Mars, was in close with the Wandl craft. There was a vessel, the Wor, off to our left now. It the brain master in of the Wandl forces. Molo took his orders from the Wor, but since his and his were so different, the Star-Streak was set apart.
"I can do what I like," Molo told me. "With my own I can act; you shall see."
"You've had of experience, Molo."
"Have I not! The terror of the starways, your world called me." He vaingloriously. "I must it now."
"Act, do not talk," Meka sourly. "Children with toys make speeches like that, and then the toys broken."
"Fear not, sister. Never again will the Star-Streak come to grief."
And now I through the 'scope at the waiting ships. They were some eight miles off Mars. I and saw the little group. There were fifty of them. The majority were Martian, long, low and very sharp-ended, and red in color. The Earth and Venus ships were and drab. I the different of in this assembled fleet: many like my ill-starred Cometara; a police ships; and about a dozen of the long, narrow warships. It was their into battle.[124] They had only been these past years, by peaceful governments that there again would be another war!
The little was waiting for us. It was being by occasional other ships from Mars. They saw us now. The of a Benson curve-light them, with a toward us. The image of them over a miles to one side.
Molo laughed when he saw it. "Protecting themselves already! But we are not going to attack them there."
The of the Wandl me. We away from the to Mars and toward Earth and Venus. Earth was the nearer to us, with Venus some miles her. For hours we in that curve. Then with our Wandl following, we for Earth. I not help the way the Star-Streak was handled. She more than the Wandl craft; and our next meal, we were leading them all.
Would the ships us? It was they were coming; but from their position, hours of would be needed. The other from Venus and Earth their and after us. We passed five or six hundred thousand miles of of them.
I now that some twenty other Wandl ships, Wandl after us, had directly for Earth. We were all together presently, the Star-Streak and nearly fifty Wandl ships, close to one of the Moon. The allies, about a hundred of them, were through space, scattered, with and direction, but most of them to the Moon and Earth.
This was the day! I call it that: a of which Meka us in the turret, and a little sleep when she took the girls and I on the floor. I who was in of this force, and did not learn until that it was Grantline. The Cometara had upon the Moon Apennines, not very from where my old Planetara still lay, near the of Archimedes. But Grantline and a of his companions, with their suits, had free from the of the wreckage;[125] and a hours later, a ship out from Earth them up.
Grantline, on one of the Earth police ships, the now, and he told me in detail how he to his in the battle, thus me to it from viewpoints. He had been toward Mars when he saw us make the turn. He a landing upon Earth might be planned and all his ships into the area the Moon and Earth to cut us off.
But that was what Wandl wanted. The Wandl ships, with the Star-Streak among them, a complete slow of the Moon. It took another day. Molo said very little to me in of the Wandl tactics, but I see that the object was to Grantline into following. A of the ships did us around, but not many. The the line the Moon and Earth.
There had been no yet the ships. The in the must be in mind. The from the Wandl ships were only a at such a long distance; Grantline's Zed-rays and Benson curve-lights were only. For offence, Grantline's and other were of range, but none for such as these.
Wandl to the battle, and Grantline was as well. He did not know what these would use; his only had been our with the discs.
Then, at the end of the second day, came the clash. The Star-Streak, and all the Wandl ships, were again on the Earth of the Moon; they were twenty thousand miles above its surface. Grantline's was a hundred thousand miles off, toward Earth. One of the Wandl ships came forward, and Grantline sent one of the new-style to meet it.
They each other. Both were cautious, but there was a fifty miles. The Earth ship her bolts. The of the Wandl ship them. There was a of close to the ship, and a of the hull, but nothing more. It that the electro-barrages of the Wandl and ships were very in nature, an of electro-magnetism, the[126] ship like a fifty away, the of the enemy bolt. The Wandl ship no bolts; she a score of the the passing. They were of sizes, but to those which cut and the Cometara; in this instance, the Grantline ship was able to each of them as it came close.
This was the encounter. The Earth to its and the Wandl its fellows. It had no bolts. Grantline now what proved to be the fact: these Wandl were not with long-range guns. The Wandl were necessary; they a encounter. They were in a group, a five hundred mile area, over the Moon surface. Their purpose was not yet apparent, but Grantline saw now that one of the Wandl ships was and landing on the Moon. It the Apennines and not from Archimedes.
What was that for? Grantline noticed that the lowering, closely-gathered Wandl to the landing. And their gravity-rays, with force, out to the Grantline should they try to advance.
This Earthward of the Moon was now in shadow, but Grantline's Zed-ray the on the Moon. Apparatus was being unloaded. It seemed, there on the Moon plain in the of the Apennines, that some extensive, was being prepared.
It was for this the Wandl was waiting, off from until this Moon was ready. When Grantline that conclusion, he ordered all his to a attack.
