by Various
Vagabonds of Space
A COMPLETE NOVELETTE
_By Harl Vincent_
_Carr went mad with fury. There it was, looming closein his vision._]
[Sidenote: From the depths of the Sargasso Sea of Space came thethought-warning, "Turn back!" But Carr and his Martian friend found itwas too late!]
CHAPTER I
_The Nomad_
Gathered around a long table in a luxuriously furnished director'sroom, a group of men listened in astonishment to the rapid andforceful speech of one of their number.
"I tell you I'm through, gentlemen," averred the speaker. "I'm fed upwith the job, that's all. Since 2317 you've had me sitting at the helmof International Airways and I've worked my fool head off for you.Now--get someone else!"
"Made plenty of money yourself, didn't you, Carr?" asked one of thedirectors, a corpulent man with a self-satisfied countenance.
"Sure I did. That's not the point. I've done all the work. There's notanother executive in the outfit whose job is more than a title, andyou know it. I want a change and a rest. Going to take it, too. So, goahead with your election of officers and leave me out."
"Your stock?" Courtney Davis, chairman of the board, sensed that CarrParker meant what he said.
"I'll hold it. The rest of you can vote it as you choose: divide theproxies pro rata, based on your individual holdings. But I reserve theright to dump it all on the market at the first sign of shadydealings. That suit you?"
The recalcitrant young President of International Airways had risenfrom the table. The chairman attempted to restrain him.
"Come on now, Carr, let's reason this out. Perhaps if you just took aleave of absence--"
"Call it anything you want. I'm done right now."
Carr Parker stalked from the room, leaving eleven perspiringcapitalists to argue over his action.
* * * * *
He rushed to the corridor and nervously pressed the call button of theelevators. A minute later he emerged upon the roof of the Airwaysbuilding, one of the tallest of New York's mid-town sky-scrapers. Theair here, fifteen hundred feet above the hot street, was cool andfresh. He walked across the great flat surface of the landing stage toinspect a tiny helicopter which had just settled to a landing. Angeredas he was, he still could not resist the attraction these trim littlecraft had always held for him. The feeling was in his blood.
His interest, however, was short lived and he strolled to theobservation aisle along the edge of the landing stage. He staredmoodily into the heavens where thousands of aircraft of alldescriptions sped hither and yon. A huge liner of the Martian routewas dropping from the skies and drifting toward her cradle on LongIsland. He looked out over the city to the north: fifty miles of it heknew stretched along the east shore of the Hudson. Greatest of thecities of the world, it housed a fifth of the population of the UnitedStates of North America; a third of the wealth.
Cities! The entire world lived in them! Civilization was too highlydeveloped nowadays. Adventure was a thing of the past. Of course therewere the other planets, Mars and Venus, but they were as bad. At leasthe had found them so on his every business trip. He wished he hadlived a couple of centuries ago, when the first space-ships venturedforth from the earth. Those were days of excitement and daringenterprise. Then a man could find ways of getting away fromthings--next to nature--out into the forests; hunting; fishing. Butthe forests were gone, the streams enslaved by the power monopolies.There were only the cities--and barren plains. Everything in life wasmade by man, artificial.
* * * * *
Something drew his eyes upward and he spotted an unusual object in theheavens, a mere speck as yet but drawing swiftly in from the upper airlanes. But this ship, small though it appeared, stood out from amongstits fellows for some reason. Carr rubbed his eyes to clear his vision.Was it? Yes--it was--surrounded by a luminous haze. Notwithstandingthe brilliance of the afternoon sun, this haze was clearly visible. Asilver shimmering that was not like anything he had seen on Earth. Theship swung in toward the city and was losing altitude rapidly. Itssilvery aura deserted it and the vessel was revealed as a sleek,tapered cylinder with no wings, rudders or helicopter screws. Like thegiant liners of the Interplanetary Service it displayed no visiblemeans of support or propulsion. This was no ordinary vessel.
Carr watched in extreme interest as it circled the city in a hugespiral, settling lower at each turn. It seemed that the pilot wassearching for a definite landing stage. Then suddenly it swooped witha rush. Straight for the stage of the Airways building! The strangeaura reappeared and the little vessel halted in mid-air, poised amoment, then dropped gracefully and lightly as a feather to the levelsurface not a hundred feet from where he stood. He hurried to the spotto examine the strange craft.
"Mado!" he exclaimed in surprise as a husky, bronzed Martian squeezedthrough the quickly opened manhole and clambered heavily to theplatform. Mado of Canax--an old friend!
"Devils of Terra!" gasped the Martian, his knees giving way, "--yourmurderous gravity! Here, help me. I've forgotten the energizingswitch."
* * * * *
Carr laughed as he fumbled with a mechanism that was strapped to theMartian's back. Mado, who tipped the scales at over two hundred poundson his own planet, weighed nearly six hundred here. His legs simplycouldn't carry the load!
"There you are, old man." Parker had located the switch and a musicalpurr came from the black box between the Martian's broad shoulders."Now stand up and tell me what you're doing here. And what's the ideaof the private ship? Come all the way from home in it?"
His friend struggled to his feet with an effort, for the fieldemanating from the black box required a few seconds to reach theintensity necessary to counteract two-thirds of the earth's gravity.
"Thanks Carr," he grinned. "Yes, I came all the way in that bus.Alone, too--and she's mine! What do you think of her?"
"A peach, from what I can see. But how come? Not using a privatespace-flier on your business trips, are you?"
"Not on your life! I've retired. Going to play around for a few years.That's why I bought the Nomad."
"Retired! Why Mado, I just did the same thing."
"Great stuff! They've worked you to death. What are you figuring ondoing with yourself?"
Carr shrugged his shoulders resignedly. "Usual thing, I suppose.Travel aimlessly, and bore myself into old age. Nothing else to do. Nokick out of life these days at all, Mado, even in chasing around fromplanet to planet. They're all the same."
* * * * *
The Martian looked keenly at his friend. "Oh, is that so?" he said."No kick, eh? Well, let me tell you, Carr Parker, you come with me andwe'll find something you'll get a kick out of. Ever seen the SargassoSea of the solar system? Ever been on one of the asteroids? Ever seenthe other side of the Moon--Uranus--Neptune--Planet 9, the farthestout from the sun?"
"No-o." Carr's eyes brightened somewhat.
"Then you haven't seen anything or been anywhere. Trouble with you isyou've been in the rut too long. Thinking there's nothing left in theuniverse but the commonplace. Right, too, if you stick to the regularroutes of travel. But the _Nomad's_ different. I'm just a rover whenI'm at her controls, a vagabond in space--free as the ether thatsurrounds her air-tight hull. And, take it from me, there's somethingto see and do out there in space. Off the usual lanes, perhaps, butit's there."
"You've been out--how long?" Carr hesitated.
"Eighty Martian days. Seen plenty too." He waved his arm in a gesturethat seemed to take in the entire universe.
"Why come here, with so much to be seen out there?"
"Came to visit you, old stick-in-the-mud," grinned Mado, "and to tryand persuade you to join me. I find you footloose already. You'reitching for adventure; excitement. Will you come?"
Carr listened spellbound. "Right now?" he asked.
"This very minute. Come on."
"Bag! What for? Plenty of duds on the _Nomad_--for any old climate.And money--don't make me laugh! Vagabonds need money?" He backedtoward the open manhole of the _Nomad_, still grinning.
Carr hesitated, resisting the impulse to take Mado at his word. Helooked around. The landing stage had been deserted, but people nowwere approaching. People not to be tolerated at the moment. He sawCourtney Davis, grim and determined. There'd be more arguments,useless but aggravating. Well, why not go? He'd decided to break away.What better chance? Suddenly he dived for the manhole of Mado'svessel; wriggled his way to the padded interior of the air-lock. Heheard the clang of the circular cover. Mado was clamping it to itsgasketed seat.
"Let's go!" he shouted.
CHAPTER II
_Into the Heavens_
The directors of International Airways stared foolishly when they sawCarr Parker and the giant Martian enter the mysterious ship which wasa trespasser on their landing stage. They gazed incredulously as thegleaming torpedo-shaped vessel arose majestically from its position.There was no evidence of motive power other than a sudden radiationfrom its hull plates of faintly crackling streamers of silvery light.They fell back in alarm as it pointed its nose skyward and acceleratedwith incredible rapidity, the silver energy bathing them in itsblinding luminescence. They burst forth in excited recrimination whenit vanished into the blue. Courtney Davis shook his fist after thedeparting vessel and swore mightily.
Carr Parker forgot them entirely when he clambered into the bucketseat beside Mado, who sat at the Nomad's controls. He was free atlast: free to probe the mysteries of outer space, to roam the skieswith this Martian he had admired since boyhood.
"Glad you came?" Mado asked his Terrestrial friend.
"You bet. But tell me about yourself. How you've been and how comeyou've rebelled, too? I haven't seen you for a long time, you know.Why, it's been years!"
"Oh, I'm all right. Guess I got fed up with things about the same wayyou did. Knew last time I saw you that you were feeling as I did.That's why I came after you."
"But this vessel, the _Nomad_. I didn't know such a thing was inexistence. How does it operate? It seems quite different from theusual ether-liners."
* * * * *
"It's a mystery ship. Invented and built by Thrygis, a discreditedscientist of my country. Spent a fortune on it and then went broke andkilled himself. I bought it from the executors for a song. Theythought it was a pile of junk. But the plans and notes of the inventorwere there and I studied 'em well. The ship is a marvel, Carr.Utilizes gravitational attraction and reversal as a propelling forceand can go like the Old Boy himself. I've hit two thousand miles asecond with her."
"A second! Why, that's ten times as fast as the regular liners! Mustuse a whale of a lot of fuel. And where do you keep it? The fuel, Imean."
"Make it right on board. I'm telling you Carr, the _Nomad_ has noequal. She's a corker."
"I'll say she is. But what do you mean--make the fuel?"
"Cosmic rays. Everywhere in space you know. Seems they are the resultof violent concentrations of energy that cause the birth of atoms.Thrygis doped out a collector of these rays that takes 'em from theirpaths and concentrates 'em in a retort where there's a spongy metalcatalyst that never deteriorates. Here there is a reaction to theoriginal action out in space and new atoms are born, simple ones ofhydrogen. But what could be sweeter for use in one of our regularatomic motors? The energy of disintegration is used to drive thegenerators of the artificial gravity field, and there you are. Soundscomplicated, but really isn't. And nothing to get out of whackeither."
* * * * *
"Beats the rocket motors and bulky fuel of the regular liners a mile,doesn't it? But since when are you a navigator, Mado?"
"Don't need to be a navigator with the _Nomad_. She's automatic, oncethe controls are set. Say we wish to visit Venus. The telescope issighted on that body and the gravity forces adjusted so we'll beattracted in that direction and repelled in the opposite direction.Then we can go to bed and forget it. The movement of the body in itsorbit makes no difference because the force follows wherever it goes.See? The speed increases until the opposing forces are equal, whendeceleration commences and we gradually slow down until within tenthousand miles of the body, when the _Nomad_ automatically stops.Doesn't move either, until we awaken to take the controls. How's thatfor simple?"
"Good enough. But suppose a wandering meteor or a tiny asteroid getsin the way? At our speed it wouldn't have to be as big as your fist togo through us like a shot."
"All taken care of, my dear Carr. I told you Thrygis was a wiz. Such ahappenstance would disturb the delicate balance of the energycompensators and the course of the _Nomad_ would instantly alter tododge the foreign object. Once passed by, the course would again beresumed."
"Some ship, the _Nomad_!" Carr was delighted with the explanations."I'm sold on her and on the trip. Where are we now and where bound?"
* * * * *
Mado glanced at the instrument board. "Nearly a million miles out andheaded for that Sargasso Sea I told you about," he said. "It isn'tvisible in the telescope, but I've got it marked by the stars. Outbetween the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, a quarter of a billion milesaway. But we'll average better than a thousand miles a second. Bethere in three days of your time."
"How can there be a sea out there in space?"
"Oh, that's just my name for it. Most peculiar thing, though. There'sa vast, billowy sort of a cloud. Twists and weaves around as if alive.Looks like seaweed or something; and Carr, I swear there are thingsfloating around in it. Wrecks. Something damn peculiar, anyway. I vowI saw a signal. People marooned there or something. Sorta scared meand I didn't stay around for long as there was an awful pull from themass. Had to use full reversal of the gravity force to get away."
"Now why didn't you tell me that before? That's something to thinkabout. Like the ancient days of ocean-going ships on Earth."
"Tell you? How could I tell you? You've been questioning me ever sinceI first saw you and I've been busy every minute answering you."
Carr laughed and slid from his seat to the floor. He felt curiouslylight and loose-jointed. A single step carried him to one of thestanchions of the control cabin and he clung to it for a moment toregain his equilibrium.
"What's wrong?" he demanded. "No internal gravity mechanism on the_Nomad_?"
"Sure is. But it's adjusted for Martian gravity. You'll get along, butit wouldn't be so easy for me with Earth gravity. I'd have to wear theportable G-ray all the time, and that's not so comfortable. All rightwith you?"
"Oh, certainly. I didn't understand."
* * * * *
Carr saw that his friend had unstrapped the black box from hisshoulders. He didn't blame him. Glad he wasn't a Martian. It wasmighty inconvenient for them on Venus or Terra. Their bodies, largeand of double the specific gravity, were not easily handled wheregravity was nearly three times their own. The Venusians andTerrestrials were more fortunate when on Mars, for they could becomeaccustomed to the altered conditions. Only had to be careful theydidn't overdo. He remembered vividly a quick move he had made on hisfirst visit to Mars. Carried him twenty feet to slam against a granitepedestal. Bad cut that gave him, and the exertion in the rarefiedatmosphere had him gasping painfully.
He walked to one of the ports and peered through its thick window.Mado was fussing with the controls. The velvety blackness of theheavens; the myriad diamond points of clear brilliance. Cold, too, itlooked out there, and awesomely vast. The sun and Earth had been leftbehind and could not be seen. But Carr didn't care. The heavens weremarvelous when viewed without the obstruction of an atmosphere. Buthe'd seen them often enough on his many business trips to Mars andVenus.
"Ready for bed?" Mado startled him with a tap on the shoulder.
"Why--i
f you say so. But you haven't shown me through the _Nomad_yet."
"All the time in the universe for that. Man, don't you realize you'refree? Come, let's grab some sleep. Need it out here. The ship'll behere when we wake up. She's flying herself right now. Fast, too."
Carr looked at the velocity indicator. Seven hundred miles a secondand still accelerating! He felt suddenly tired and when Mado openedthe door of a sleeping cabin its spotless bunk looked very inviting.He turned in without protest.
CHAPTER III
_A Message_
The days passed quickly, whether measured by the Martian chronometeraboard the _Nomad_ or by Carr's watch, which he was regulating tomatch the slightly longer day of the red planet. He was becomingproficient in the operation of all mechanisms of the ship and haddeveloped a fondness for its every appointment.
Behind them the sun was losing much of its blinding magnificence as itreceded into the ebon background of the firmament. The Earth was butone of the countless worlds visible through the stern ports,distinguishable by its slightly greenish tinge. They had reached thevicinity of the phenomenon of space Mado had previously discovered.Carr found himself seething with excitement as the _Nomad_ was broughtto a drifting speed.
Mado, who had disclaimed all knowledge of navigation, was busy in theturret with a sextant. He made rapid calculations based on itsindications and hurried to the controls.
"Find it?" Carr asked.
"Yep. Be there in a half hour."
The nose of the vessel swung around and Mado adjusted the gravityenergy carefully. Carr glued his eye to the telescope.
"See anything?" inquired Mado.
"About a million stars, that's all."
"Funny. Should be close by."
Then: "Yes! Yes! I see it!" Carr exulted. "A milky cloud. Transparentalmost. To the right a little more!"
The mysterious cloud rushed to meet them and soon was visible to thenaked eye through the forward port. Their speed increased alarminglyand Mado cut off the energy.
"What's that?" Mado stared white-faced at his friend.
"A voice! You hear it too?"
"Yes. Listen!"
Amazed, they gazed at each other. It was a voice; yet not a sound cameto their ears. The voice was in their own consciousness. A mentalmessage! Yet each heard and understood. There were no words, but clearmental images.
"Beware!" it seemed to warn. "Come not closer, travelers from afar.There is danger in the milky fleece before you!"
* * * * *
Mado pulled frantically at the energy reverse control. The force wasnow fully repelling. Still the billowing whiteness drew nearer. Itboiled and bubbled with the ferocity of one of the hot lava cauldronsof Mercury. Changing shape rapidly, it threw out long streamers thatwrithed and twisted like the arms of an octopus. Reaching. Searchingfor victims!
"God!" whispered Carr. "What is it?"
"Take warning," continued the voice that was not a voice. "A greatship, a royal ship from a world unknown to you, now is caught in thegrip of this mighty monster. We can not escape, and death drawsquickly near. But we can warn others and ask that our fate be reportedto our home body."
A sudden upheaval of the monstrous mass spewed forth an object thatbounced a moment on the rippling surface and then was lost to view. Asphere, glinting golden against the white of its awful captor.
"The space-ship!" gasped Mado. "It's vanished again!"
They hurtled madly in the direction of this monster of the heavens,their reverse energy useless.
"We're lost, Mado." Carr was calm now. This was excitement with avengeance. He'd wished for it and here it was. But he'd much ratherhave a chance to fight for his life. Fine ending to his dreams!
"Imps of the canals! The thing's alive!" Mado hurled himself at thecontrols as a huge blob of the horrible whiteness broke loose from themain body and wobbled uncertainly toward them. A long feeler reachedforth and grasped the errant portion, returning it with a viciousjerk.
"Turn back! Turn back!" came the eery warning from the golden sphere."All is over for us. Our hull is crushed. The air is pouring from ourlast compartment. Already we find breathing difficult. Turn back! Thethird satellite of the fifth planet is our home. Visit it, we beseechyou, and report the manner of our going. This vile creature of spacehas power to draw you to its breast, to crush you as we are crushed."
* * * * *
The _Nomad_ lurched and shuddered, drawn ever closer to the horridmass of the thing. A gigantic jellyfish, that's what it was, a hundredmiles across! Carr shivered in disgust as it throbbed anew, sendingout those grasping streamers of its mysterious material. As the_Nomad_ plunged to its doom with increasing speed, Mado tried tolocate some spot in the universe where an extreme effect could beobtained from the full force of the attracting or repulsive energies.They darted this way and that but always found themselves closer tothe milky billows that now were pulsating in seeming eagerness toengulf the new victim.
Once more came the telepathic warning, "Delay no longer. It is hightime you turned back. You must escape to warn our people and yours.Even now the awful creature has us in its vitals, its tentaclesreaching through our shattered walls, creeping and twining through thepassages of our vessel. Crushing floors and walls, its demoniacenergies heating our compartment beyond belief. We can hold out nolonger. Go! Go quickly. Remember--the third satellite of the fifthplanet--to the city of golden domes. Tell of our fate. Our people willunderstand. You--"
The voice was stilled. Mado groaned as if in pain and Carr saw in thatinstant that each knob and lever on the control panel glowed with anunearthly brush discharge. Not violet as of high frequencyelectricity, but red. Cherry red as of heated metal. The emanations ofthe cosmic monster were at work on the _Nomad_. A glance through theforward port showed they had but a few miles to go. They'd be in theclutches of the horror in minutes, seconds, at the rate they weretraveling. Mado slumped in his seat, his proud head rollinggrotesquely on his breast. He slid to the floor, helpless.
* * * * *
Carr went mad with fury. It couldn't be! This thing of doom was acreature of his imagination! But no--there it was, looming close inhis vision. By God, he'd leave the mark of the _Nomad_ on the viciousthing! He remembered the ray with which the vessel was armed. He wasin the pilot's seat, fingering controls that blistered his hands andcramped his arms with an unnameable force. He'd fight the brute! Fullenergy--head on--that was the way to meet it. Why bother with thereversal? It was no use.
A blood-red veil obscured his vision. He felt for the release of theray; pulled the gravity energy control to full power forward. In adaze, groping blindly for support, he waited for the shock of impact.The mass of that monstrosity must be terrific, else why had it such apower of attraction for other bodies? Or was it that the thingradiated energies unknown to science? Whatever it was, the thing wouldknow the sting of the _Nomad's_ ray. Whatever its nature, animate orinanimate, it was matter. The ray destroyed matter. Obliterated itutterly. Tore the atoms asunder, whirling their electrons from theirorbits with terrific velocity. There'd be some effect, that wascertain! No great use perhaps. But a crater would mark the lastresting place of the _Nomad_; a huge crater. Perhaps the mistywhiteness would close in over them later. But there'd be less of thecreature's bulk to menace other travelers in space.
His head ached miserably; his body was shot through and through withcramping agonies. The very blood in his veins was liquid fire, searinghis veins and arteries with pulsing awfulness. He staggered from thecontrol cabin; threw himself on his bunk. The covers were electrifiedand clung to him like tissue to rubbed amber. The wall of the sleepingcabin vibrated with a screeching note. The floors trembled. Madness!That's all it was! He'd awaken in a moment. Find himself in his ownbed at home. He'd dreamed of adventures before now. But never of suchas this! It just couldn't happen! A nightmare--fantasy of anover-tired brain--it was.
There came a violent
wrench that must have torn the hull plates fromtheir bracings. The ship seemed to close in on him and crush him. Aterrific concussion flattened him to the bunk. Then all was still.Carr Parker's thoughts broke short abruptly. He had slipped intounconsciousness.
CHAPTER IV
_Europa_
When Carr opened his eyes it was to the normal lighting of his ownsleeping cabin. The _Nomad_ was intact, though an odor of scorchedvarnish permeated the air. They were unharmed--as yet. He turned onhis side and saw that Mado was moving about at the side of his couch.Good old Mado! With a basin of water in his hand and a cloth. He'dbeen bathing his face. Brought him to. He sat up just as Mado turnedto apply the cloth anew.
"Good boy, Carr! All right?" smiled the Martian.
"Little dizzy. But I'm okay." Carr sprang to his feet where he wabbleduncertainly for a moment. "But the _Nomad?_" he asked. "Is she--are wesafe?"
"Never safer. What in the name of Saturn did you do?"
Carr passed his hand across his eyes, trying to remember. "The D-ray,"he said. "I turned it on and dived into the thing with fullattraction. Then--I forget. Where is it--the thing, I mean?"
"Look!" Mado drew him to the stern compartment.
Far behind them there shone a misty wreath, a ring of drifting matterthat writhed and twisted as if in mortal agony.
"Is that it?"
"What's left of it. You shot your way through it; through and out ofits influence. D-ray must have devitalized the thing as it boredthrough. Killed its energies--for the time, at least."
Already, the thing was closing in. Soon there would be a solid mass asbefore. But the _Nomad_ was saved.
"How about yourself?" asked Carr anxiously. "Last time I saw you youwere flat on the floor."
"Nothing wrong with me now. A bit stiff and sore, that's all. When Icame to I put all the controls in neutral and came looking for you. Iwas scared, but the thing's all over now, so let's go."
"Where?"
"Europa."
"Where's that?"
"Don't you remember? The third satellite of the fifth planet. That'sEuropa, third in distance from Jupiter, the fifth planet. It is aboutthe size of Terra's satellite--your Moon. We'll find the city of thegolden domes."
* * * * *
Carr's eyes renewed their sparkle. "Right!" he exclaimed. "I forgotthe mental message. Poor devils! All over for them now. But we'llcarry their message. How far is it?"
"Don't know yet till I determine our position and the position ofJupiter. But it's quite a way. Jupiter's 483 million miles from theSun, you know."
"We're more than half way, then."
"Not necessarily. Perhaps we're on the opposite side of the sun fromJupiter's present position. Then we'd have a real trip."
"Let's figure it out." Carr was anxious to be off.
Luck was with them, as they found after some observations from theturret. Jupiter lay off their original course by not more than fifteendegrees. It was but four days' journey.
Again they were on their way and the two men, Martian and Terrestrial,made good use of the time in renewing their old friendship and in thestudy of astronomy as they had done during the first leg of theirjourney. Though of widely differing build and nature, the two found aclose bond in their similar inclinations. The library of the Nomad wasan excellent one. Thrygis had seen to that, all of the voice-visionreels being recorded in Cos, the interplanetary language, with itsstandardized units of weight and measurement.
* * * * *
The supplies on board the _Nomad_ were ample. Synthetic foods therewere for at least a hundred Martian days. The supply of oxygen andwater was inexhaustible, these essential items being produced inautomatic retorts where disassembled electrons from their cosmic-rayhydrogen were reassembled in the proper structure to produce atoms ofany desired element. Their supply of synthetic food could bereplenished in like manner when necessity arose. Thrygis had forgottennothing.
"How do you suppose we'll make ourselves understood to the people ofEuropa?" asked Carr, when they had swung around the great orb ofJupiter and were headed toward the satellite.
"Shouldn't have any trouble, Carr. Believe me, to a people who haveprogressed to the point of sending mental messages over five hundredmiles of space, it'll be a cinch, understanding our simple mentalprocesses. Bet they'll read our every thought."
"That's right. But the language. Proper names and all that. Can't getthose over with thought waves."
"No, but I'll bet they'll have some way of solving that too. You waitand see."
Carr lighted a cigar and inhaled deeply as he gazed from one of theports. He'd never felt better in his life. Always had liked Martiantobacco, too. Wondered what they'd do when the supply ran out. Onething they couldn't produce synthetically. The disc of the satelliteloomed near and it shone with a warmly inviting light. Almost red,like the color of Mars, it was. Sort of golden, rather. Anyway, hewondered what awaited them there. This was a great life, this roamingin space, unhampered by laws or conventions. The _Nomad_ was wellnamed.
"Wonder what they'll think of our yarn," he said.
"And me. I wonder, too, what that ungodly thing was back there. Thething that is now the grave of some of their people. And what thegolden sphere was doing so far from home. It's a mystery."
* * * * *
They had gone over the same ground a hundred times and had not reacheda satisfactory conclusion. But perhaps they'd learn more in the cityof golden domes.
"Another thing," said Carr, "that's puzzled me. Why is it that Europahas not been discovered before this; that it's inhabited, I mean?"
"Rocket ships couldn't carry enough fuel. Besides, our astronomers'vealways told us that the outer planets were too cold; too far from thesun."
"That is something to think about. Maybe we'll not be able to standthe low temperature; thin atmosphere; low surface gravity."
"We've our insulated suits and the oxygen helmets for the first twoobjections. The G-rays'll hold us down in any gravity. But we'll seemighty soon. We're here."
They had entered the atmosphere as they talked and the _Nomad_ wasapproaching the surface in a long glide with repulsion full on. It wasdaytime on the side they neared. Pale daylight, but revealing. Thegreat ball that was Jupiter hung low on the horizon, its misty outlinefaintly visible against the deep green of the sky.
* * * * *
The surface over which they skimmed was patchworked with farm-landsand crisscrossed by gleaming ribbons. Roadways! It was like thevoice-vision records of the ancient days on Mars and Terra beforetheir peoples had taken to the air. Here was a body where a personcould get out in the open; next to nature. They crossed a lake of calmgreen water fringed by golden sands. At its far side a village spreadout beneath them and was gone; a village of broad pavements andcircular dwellings with flat rooms, each with its square of ground. Agolden, mountain range loomed in the background; vanished beneaththem. More fields and roads. Everywhere there were yellows and redsand the silver sheen of the roads. No green save that of the darkeningsky and the waters of the streams and ponds. It was a most invitingpanorama.
Occasionally they passed a vessel of the air--strange flapping-wingedcraft that soared and darted like huge birds. Once one of themapproached so closely they could see its occupants, seemingly a peoplesimilar to the Venusians, small of stature and slender.
"How in time are we to find this city of golden domes?" Carrejaculated.
As if in answer to his question there came a startling command,another of the mental messages.
"Halt!" it conveyed to their mind. "Continue not into our countryuntil we have communed with you."
Obediently Mado brought up the nose of the _Nomad_ and slowed her downto a gradual stop. They hovered at an altitude of about four thousandfeet, both straining their ears as if listening for actual speech.
"It is well," continued the message. "Your thoughts ar
e good. You comefrom afar seeking the city of golden domes. Proceed now and a fleet ofour vessels will meet you and guide you to our city."
"Now wouldn't that jar you?" whispered Carr. "Just try to get awaywith anything on this world."
Mado laughed as he started the generators of the propellingenergy. "I'd hate to have a wife of Europa," he commented. "Nositting-up-with-sick-friend story could get by with her!"
CHAPTER V
_The City of Golden Domes_
With the _Nomad_ cruising slowly over the surface of the peacefulsatellite, Mado sampled the atmosphere through a tube which wasprovided for that purpose. The pressure was low, as they had expected;about twenty inches of mercury in the altitude at which they drifted.But the oxygen content was fairly high and the impurities negligible.A strange element was somewhat in evidence, though Mado's analysisshowed this to be present in but minute quantity. They opened theports and drew their first breath of the atmosphere of Europa.
"Good air, Carr." Mado was sniffing at one of the ports. "A bit rarefor you, but I think you'll get along with it. Temperature offorty-five degrees. That's not so bad. The strangest thing is thegravity. This body isn't much more than two thousand miles indiameter, yet its gravity is about the same as on Venus--seven eighthsof that of Terra. Must have a huge nickel-iron core."
"Yes. It'll be a cinch for me. But you, you big lummox--it's the G-rayfor you as long as we're here."
"Uh-huh. You get all the breaks, don't you?"
Carr laughed. He was becoming anxious to land. "What sort of areception do you suppose we'll get?" he said.
"Not bad, from the tone of that last message. And here they come,Carr. Look--a dozen of them. A royal reception, so far."
Suddenly they were in the midst of a flock of great birds; birds thatflapped their golden wings to rise, then soared and circled like thegulls of the terrestrial oceans. And these mechanical birds were fast.Carr and Mado watched in fascination as they strung out in V formationand led the way in the direction of the setting sun. Six, sevenhundred miles an hour the _Nomad's_ indicator showed, as they swung inbehind these ships of Europa.
* * * * *
They crossed a large body of water, a lake of fully five hundred milesin width. More country then, hardly populated now and with but few ofthe gleaming roadways. The sun had set, but there was scarcely anydiminution of the light for the great ball that was Jupiter reflecteda brilliance of far greater intensity than that of the full Moon on aclear Terrestrial night. A marvelous sight the gigantic bodypresented, with its alternate belts of gray-blue and red and dazzlingwhite. And it hung so low and huge in the heavens that it seemed onehad but to stretch forth a hand to touch its bright surface.
Another mountain range loomed close and was gone. On its far sidethere stretched the desolate wastes of a desert, a barren plain thatextended in all directions to the horizon. Wind-swept, it was andmenacing beneath them. Europa was not all as they had first seen it.
A glimmer of brightness appeared at the horizon. The fleet wasreducing speed and soon they saw that their journey was nearly over.At the far edge of the desert the bright spot resolved itself into theoutlines of a city, the city of golden domes. Cones they looked like,rather, with rounded tops and fluted walls. The mental message hadconveyed the most fitting description possible without words orpicture.
The landing was over so quickly that they had but confused impressionsof their reception. A great square in the heart of the city, crowdedwith people. Swooping maneuvers of hundreds of the bird-like ships. Anopen space for their arrival. The platform where a committee awaitedthem. The king, or at least he seemed to be king. The sea of upturnedfaces, staring eyes.
* * * * *
Mado fidgeted and opened his mouth to voice a protest but Carr nudgedhim into silence. The king had risen from his seat in the circle onthe platform and was about to address them. There was no repetition ofthe telepathic means of communication.
"Welcome, travelers from the inner planets," said the king. He spokeCos perfectly! "Cardos, emperor of the body you call Europa, salutesyou. Our scientists have recorded your thoughts with their psycho-rayapparatus and have learned that you have a message for us, a messagewe fear is not pleasant. Am I correct?"
Carr stared at the soft-voiced monarch of this remarkable land. It wasincredible that he spoke in the universal language of the innerplanets!
"Your Highness," he replied, "is correct. We have a message. But itamazes us that you are familiar with our language."
"That we shall explain later. Meanwhile--the message!"
"The message," Carr said, "is not pleasant. A golden sphere out inspace. Helpless in the clutches of a nameless monster, a vast creatureof jellylike substance but possessed of enormous destructive energy. Amental message to our vessel warning us away and bidding us to comehere; to tell you of their fate. We escaped and here we are."
The face of Cardos paled. He reached for an egg-shaped crystal thatreposed on the table; spoke rapidly into its shimmering depths. Hiddenamplifiers carried his voice throughout the square in booming tones.It was a strange tongue he spoke, with many gutturals and sibilants. Agroan came up from the assembled multitude.
Cardos tossed the crystal to the table with a resigned gesture, thentottered and swayed. Instant confusion reigned in the square and theemperor was assisted from the platform by two of his retainers. Theynever saw him again.
* * * * *
One of the counsellors, a middle-aged man with graying russet hair andlarge gray eyes set in a perfectly smooth countenance, stepped fromthe platform and grasped the two adventurers as the confusion in thesquare increased to an uproar.
"Come," he whispered, in excellent Cos; "I'll explain all to you inthe quiet of my own apartments. I am Detis, a scientist, and my homeis close by."
Gently he clung to them as the larger men forced their way between themilling groups of excited Europans. No one gave them much attention.All seemed to be overcome with grief. A terrible disaster, this lossof the golden sphere must be!
They were out of the square and in one of the broad streets. Thefluted sides of the unpointed cones shone softly golden on all sides.Alike in every respect were these dwellings of the people of Europa,and strangely attractive in the light of the mother planet.
Not a word was spoken when they reached the abode of their guide. Theyentered an elaborate hall and were whisked upward in an automaticelevator. Detis ushered them into his apartment when they alighted. Hesmiled gravely at their looks of wonder as they cast eyes on the mazeof apparatus before them. It was a laboratory rather than a livingroom in which they stood.
Detis led them to an adjoining room where he bid them be seated. Theyexchanged wondering glances as their host paced the floor vigorouslybefore speaking further.
"Friends," he finally blurted, "I hope you'll excuse my emotion butthe news you brought is a terrible blow to me as to all Europa. Carli,our prince, beloved son of Cardos, was commander of the ship youreported lost. We deeply mourn his loss."
* * * * *
Carr and Mado waited in respectful silence while their host madeeffort to control his feelings.
"Now," he said, after a moment, "I can talk. You have many questionsto ask, I know. So have I. But first I must tell you that Carli's wasan expedition to your own worlds. A grave danger hangs over them andhe was sent to warn them. He has been lost. Our only space-shipcapable of making the journey also is lost. Six Martian years wererequired to build it, so I fear the warning will never reach yourpeople. Already the time draws near."
"A grave danger?" asked Mado. "What sort of a danger?"
"War! Utter destruction! Conquest by the most warlike and ambitiouspeople in the solar system."
"Not the people of Europa?" asked Carr.
"Indeed not. There is another inhabited satellite of Jupiter, nextfarthest from the mother planet. Ganymede, you call it. It is
fromthere that these conquerors are to set forth."
"Many of them?" inquired Mado.
"Two million or so. They're prepared to send an army of more than atenth of that number on the first expedition."
"A mere handful!" Carr was contemptuous.
"True, but they are armed with the most terrible of weapons. Yourpeople are utterly unprepared and, unless warned, will be driven fromtheir cities and left in the deserts to perish of hunger and exposure.This is a real danger."
"Something in it, Carr, if what he says is true. We've no arms norwarriors. Haven't had for two centuries. You know it as well as I do."
"Bah! Overnight we could have a million armed and ready to fight themoff."
* * * * *
Detis raised his hand. "You offend me," he said gravely. "I have toldyou this in good faith and you reward me with disbelief and boastfultalk. Your enemies are more powerful than you think, and your ownpeople utterly defenceless against them."
"I'm sorry," Carr apologized, "and I'll listen to all you have to say.Surely your prince has not given his life in vain." He was ashamedbefore this scientist of Europa.
A tinkling feminine voice from the next room called something in theEuropan tongue.
Detis raised his head proudly and his frown softened at the sound ofdainty footsteps. His voice was a caress as he replied.
A vision of feminine loveliness stood framed in the doorway and thevisitors rose hastily from their seats. Carr gazed into eyes of thedeepest blue he had ever seen. Small in stature though this girl ofEuropa was--not more than five feet tall--she had the form of agoddess and the face of an angel. He was flushing to the roots of hishair. Could feel it spread. What an ass he was anyway! Anyone'd thinkhe'd never seen a woman in all his thirty-five years!
"My daughter, Ora, gentlemen," said Detis.
The girl's eyes had widened as she looked at the huge Martian with thefunny black box on his back. They dropped demurely when turned tothose of the handsome Terrestrial.
"Oh," she said, in Cos, "I didn't know you had callers."
CHAPTER VI
_Vlor-urdin_
The time passed quickly in Pala-dar, city of the golden domes. Detisspent many hours in the laboratory with his two visitors and the fairOra was usually at his side. She was an efficient helper to her fatherand a gracious hostess to the guests.
The amazement of the visitors grew apace as the wonders of Europanscience were revealed to them. They sat by the hour at the illuminatedscreen of the rulden, that remarkable astronomical instrument whichbrought the surfaces of distant celestial bodies within a few feet oftheir eyes, and the sounds of the streets and the jungles to theirears. It was no longer a mystery how the language of Cos had become sofamiliar to these people.
They learned of the origin of the races that inhabited Europa andGanymede. Ages before, it was necessary for the peoples of the thenthickly populated Jupiter to cast about for new homes due to thecooling of the surface of that planet. Life was becoming unbearable.In those days there were two dominant races on the mother body, agentle and peaceful people of great scientific accomplishment and arace of savage brutes who, while very clever with their hands, were oflesser mental strength and of a quarrelsome and fighting disposition.
Toward the last the population of both main countries was reduced tobut a few survivors, and the intelligent race had discovered a meansof traversing space and was prepared to leave the planet for the morelivable satellite--Europa. Learning of these plans, the others made atreaty of perpetual peace as a price for their passage to anothersatellite--Ganymede. The migration began and the two satellites weresettled by the separate bands of pioneers and their new lives begun.
* * * * *
The perpetual treaty had not been broken since, but the energies ofthe warlike descendants of those first settlers of Ganymede wereexpended in casting about for new fields to conquer. Through the agesthey cast increasingly covetous eyes on those inner planets, Mars,Terra and Venus. Not having the advantage of the Rulden, they knew ofthese bodies only what could be seen through their own crude opticalinstruments and what they had learned by word of mouth from certainrenegade Europans they were able to bribe.
While their neighbors of the smaller satellite were engaged inpeaceful pursuits, tilling the soil and making excellent homes forthemselves, the dwellers on Ganymede were fashioning instruments ofwarfare and building a fleet of space-ships to carry them to theirintended victims. It was a religion with them; they could think ofnothing else. An unscrupulous scientist of Europa sold himself to themseveral generations previously and it was this scientist who had madethe plans for their space-fliers and had contrived the deadly weaponswith which they were armed. He likewise taught them the language ofCos and it now was spoken universally throughout Ganymede inanticipation of the glorious days of conquest.
"You honestly believe them able to do this?" asked Carr, stillskeptical after two days of discussion.
"I know it as a certainty," Detis replied solemnly. "It is only duringthe past generation we have learned of the completeness and awfulnessof their preparations. Your people can not combat their sound-ray.With it they can remain outside the vision of those on the surface andset the tall buildings of your cities in harmonic vibrations that willbring them down in ruins about the ears of the populace."
* * * * *
"There'll be nothing left for them to take if they destroy all ourcities: nowhere for them to live. I don't get it."
"Only a few will be destroyed completely, to terrify the rest of theinhabitants of your worlds. Others will be depopulated by means ofvibrations that will kill off the citizens without harming the citiesthemselves--vibrations which are capable of blanketing a large areaand raising the body temperature of all living things therein to apoint where death will ensue in a very few minutes. Other vibrationswill paralyze all electrical equipment on the planet and make itimpossible for your ships of the air to set out to give battle, evenwere they properly armed."
"Looks bad, Carr," said Mado glumly.
"It does that. We've got to go back and carry the warning."
"I fear it is too late," said Detis. "Much time will be needed inwhich to develop a defense and surely it can not be done within thethree isini before they set forth--about four of your days."
"They leave that soon?" Carr was taken aback.
"Yes, with their one hundred and twenty vessels; forty to each of yourthree planets; seventeen hundred men to a vessel."
Carr jumped to his feet. "By the heat devils of Mercury!" he roared,"well go to their lousy little satellite and find a way to preventit!"
* * * * *
Ora gazed at his flushed face with unconcealed admiration.
"You're crazy!" exploded Mado. "What can we do with the _Nomad_?"
"Her D-ray can do plenty of damage."
"Yes, but they'd have us down before we could account for five oftheir vessels. It's no use, I tell you."
But Carr was stubborn. "We'll pay them a call anyway. I'll bet we candope out some way of putting it over on them. Are you game?"
"Of course I'm game. I'll go anywhere you will. But it's a fool ideajust the same."
"Maybe so. Maybe not. Anyway--let's go."
"Just a moment, gentlemen," Detis interposed. "How about me?"
Carr stared at him and saw that his eyes shone with excitement. "Why,I believe you'd like to go with us!" he exclaimed admiringly.
"I would, indeed."
"Come on then. We're off." He was impatient to be gone.
Detis busied himself with a small apparatus that folded into a compactcase, explaining that it was one that might prove useful. Ora left theroom but quickly returned. She too carried a small case, and she haddonned a snug fitting leather garment that covered her from neck toknees.
"What's this?" demanded Carr. "Surely Miss Ora does not intend to comewith us?"
/> "She never leaves my side," said Detis proudly.
"Nothing doing!" Carr stated emphatically. "There'll be plenty ofdanger on this trip. Well have no woman along--least of all yourcharming daughter."
* * * * *
Mado was leaving everything to his friend, but he grinned inanticipation when he saw the look of anger on the girl's face.
She stamped her little foot and faced Carr valiantly. "See here, Mr.Carr Parker!" she stormed. "I'm no weakling. I'm the daughter of myfather and where he goes I go. You'll take me or I'll never speak toyou again."
Carr flushed. He was accustomed to his own way in most things andentirely unused to the ways of the gentler sex. He could have shakenthe little vixen! But now she was standing before him and there wassomething in those great blue eyes besides anger; something that sethis heart pounding madly.
"All right!" he agreed desperately, "have your own way."
He turned on his heel and strode to the door. Giving in to this slipof a girl! What a fool he was! But it would be great at that to haveher along in the _Nomad_.
They found the public square deserted, the gilded dwellings hung withsomber colors in mourning for Carli. Ora and Detis were very quiet andpreoccupied when they entered the _Nomad_. The five isini oflamentation for the young prince had not yet passed.
The two Europans were delighted with the appointments and mechanismsof the little vessel from Mars. They investigated every nook andcranny of its interior during the journey and were voluble in theirpraise of its inventor and builder. Neither had ever set foot in aspace-flier and each was seized with a longing to explore space withthese two strangers from the inner planets. They would make a coupleof good vagabonds along with Mado and himself, Carr thought as theyexpressed their feelings. But there was more serious business at hand.They were nearing Ganymede.
"Where'll we land, Detis?" Mado called from the control cabin.
"Vlor-urdin. That is their chief city. I'll guide you to thelocation."
* * * * *
They took up their places at the ports and scanned the surface of thesatellite as Mado dropped the ship into its atmosphere. A fardifferent scene was presented than on Europa. The land was seamed andscarred, the colors of the foliage somber. Grays and brownspredominated and the jungles seemed impenetrable. A river swung intoview and its waters were black as the deepest night, its flowsluggish. A rank mist hung over the surface.
"The river of Charis!" exclaimed Detis. "Follow it, Mado. No, theother direction. There! It leads directly to Vlor-urdin."
By good chance they had entered the atmosphere at a point not far fromtheir destination. In less than an hour by the _Nomad's_ chronometerthe towers of Vlor-urdin were sighted.
It was a larger city than Pala-dar and of vastly different appearance.A hollow square of squat buildings enclosed the vast workshops andstorage space of the fleet of war vessels. Their huge spherical bulksrose from their cradles in tier after tier that stretched as far asthe eye could reach when the _Nomad_ had dropped to a level butslightly above the tips of the highest spires. The spires wereeverywhere, decorative towers at the corners of the squat buildings.Everything was black, the vessels of the fleet, the squat buildingsand the spires of Vlor-urdin. Death was in the air. Rank vapor driftedin through the opened ports. There was silence in the city below themand silence in the _Nomad_.
Ora shuddered and drew closer to him. Carr was aware of her nearnessand a lump rose in his throat. A horrible fear assailed him. Fear forthe safety of the dainty Europan at his side. He found her hand;covered it protectingly with his own.
CHAPTER VII
_Rapaju_
Detis was setting up and adjusting the complicated mechanisms of hislittle black case. A dozen vacuum tubes lighted, and a murmur ofthrobbing energy came from a helix of shining metallic ribbon thattopped the whole. Flexible cables led to a cap-like contrivance whichDetis placed on his head. He frowned in concentration.
"The psycho-ray apparatus." Ora explained. "He's sending a message tothe city."
Evidently the influence of the ray was directive. They had no inklingof the thoughts transmitted from the alert brain of the scientist but,from the look of satisfaction on his face, they could see that he wasobtaining the desired contact.
"Rapaju," he exclaimed, switching off the power of his instrument,"commander of the fleet of the Llotta. I have advised him of ourarrival. Told him that a Martian and a Terrestrial wish to treat withhim concerning the proposed invasion of their planets. His answeringthought first was of fiercest rage, then conciliatory in nature. He'llreceive you and listen to your arguments, though he promises nothing.Is that satisfactory?"
"Yes." Carr and Mado were agreed. At least it would give them a chanceto look over the ground and to make plans, should any occur to them.
The _Nomad_ circled over the heart of the city and soon Mado saw asuitable landing space. They settled gracefully in an open area closeby the building indicated by Detis as that of the administrationofficials of the city.
* * * * *
A group of squat, sullen Llotta awaited them and, without speaking aword either of hatred or welcome, led them into the forbiddingentrance of the building. Close-set, beady eyes; unbelievably flatfeatures of chalky whiteness; chunky bowed legs, bare and hairy; longarms with huge dangling paws--these were the outstandingcharacteristics of the Llotta. Mado stared straight before him,refusing to display any great interest in the loathsome creatures, butCarr was frankly curious and as frankly disapproving.
Rapaju leered maliciously when the four voyagers stood before him. Helooked the incarnation of all that was evil and vile, a monster amongmonsters. Sensing him to be the more aggressive of the two visitorsfrom doomed planets, he addressed his remarks to Carr.
"You come to plead with Rapaju," he sneered, his Cos tinged with anoutlandish accent, "to beg for the worthless lives of yourcompatriots; for the wealth of your cities?"
"We come to reason with you," replied Carr haughtily, "if you arecapable of reasoning. What is this incredible thing you are planning?"
Mado gasped at the effrontery of his friend. But Carr was oblivious ofthe warning looks cast in his direction.
"Enough of that!" snapped Rapaju. "I'll do the talking--you thereasoning. I've a proposition to make to you, and if you know what'sbest, you'll agree. Otherwise you'll be first of the Terrestrials todie. Is that clear?"
"Clear enough, all right," growled Carr. "What do you mean--aproposition?"
"Ha! I thought you'd listen. My offer is the lives of you and yourcompanion in exchange for your assistance in guiding my fleet to thecapital cities of your countries. Not that our plans will be changedif you refuse, but that much time will be saved in this manner andquick victory made certain without undue sacrifice of valuableproperty."
"You--you--!" Carr stammered in anger. But there was no use in raisinga rumpus--now. They'd only kill him. Something might be accomplishedif he pretended to accede. "Go on with your story," he finishedlamely.
"In addition to sparing your lives I'll place you both in highposition after we seize your respective planets. Make you chiefofficers in the prison lands we intend to establish for yourcountrymen. What do you say?"
"Will you give us time to talk it over and think about it?"
"Until the hour of departure, if you wish."
* * * * *
Carr bowed, avoiding Mado's questioning eyes. He looked at Ora whereshe stood at the side of Detis. She flashed him a guarded smile. Heknew that she understood.
Rapaju relaxed. He was confident he could bribe these puerileforeigners to help him in the great venture. And sadly he needed suchhelp. The Llotta were not navigators. Their knowledge of the heavenswas sadly incomplete. They had no maps of the surfaces of the planetsto be visited. Their simultaneous blows would be far more effectiveand the campaign much shorter if they could choose the most vitalcenters for the
initial attacks.
"Now," he said, "that we understand one another, let us talk furtherof the plans. Then you will be able to consider carefully beforemaking your decision."
Rapaju could be diplomatic when he wished. Carr longed to sink hisfingers in the hairy throat. But he smiled hypocritically and found anopportunity to wink meaningly at Mado. This was going to be good! Andwho knew?--perhaps they might find some way to outwit these madsavages. To think of them in control of the inner planets wasrevolting.
They retired to a small room with Rapaju and four of his lieutenants,Detis and Ora accompanying them. Ora sat close to Carr at the circulartable in Rapaju's council. Carr thought grimly of the board meetingsin far away New York.
Rapaju talked. He told of the armament of his vessels, painting vividpictures of the destruction to be wrought in the cities of Terra, ofMars and Venus. His great hairy paws clutched at imaginary riches whenhe spoke glowingly of the plundering to follow. He spoke of the womenof the inner planets and Carr half rose from his seat when he observedthe lecherous glitter in his beady eyes. Ora! Great God, was she safehere? He stole a glance at the girl and a recurrence of the awful fearsurged through him. In her leather garment, close fitting and severe,she looked like a boy. Perhaps they would not know. Besides, there wasthe perpetual treaty with Europa. It always had been observed, Detissaid.
* * * * *
As Rapaju expanded upon the glories to come he told perforce of manyof the details of the plans. One thing stood out in Carr's mind: thevessels of the Llotta were not equal to the _Nomad_ in many respects.They must carry their entire supply of fuel from the starting pointand this was calculated as but a small percentage in excess of thatrequired to carry them to their destinations. Their speed was not asgreat as the _Nomad's_ by at least a third. If the _Nomad_ led thefleet from Ganymede they might be able to get them off their course;cause them to run out of fuel out in the vacuum and absolute zero ofspace. He kicked Mado under the table and arose to ask a few leadingquestions.
Ora was whispering to her father and he nodded his head as if incomplete agreement with what she was saying. These two were notdeceived by his apparent traitorous talk, but Mado was aghast. Carrwondered if Rapaju believed him as did his friend.
"We'll do it, Rapaju," he stated finally. "In our ship, the _Nomad_,we'll guide you across the trackless wastes of the heavens. We'll takeyou to our capital cities; point out to you the richest of theindustrial centers. We have no love for our own worlds. Mado and Ideserted them for a life of vagabondage amongst the stars. We ask noreward other than that we be permitted to leave once more on ourtravels, to roam space as we choose."
Mado attempted to voice an objection but Carr's hand was heavy on hisshoulder. "Shut up, you fool!" he hissed in his ear. "Can't you trustme?"
* * * * *
Rapaju's eyes seemed to draw closer together as he returned Carr'sunflinching stare. He walked around the table and stood at the side ofthe tall Terrestrial. Suddenly he grasped Ora's jacket, tore it openat the throat. He ran his hairy fingers over the bare shoulder of theshrinking girl and gurgled his delight at the velvet smoothness of herskin.
With a roar like a wild animal Carr was upon him, bearing him to thefloor. His fingers were in that hairy throat, where they had itched totwine.
"Dirty, filthy beast!" he was snarling. "Lay your foul hands on Ora,will you? Say your prayers, if you know any, you swine!"
Then his muscles went limp and he was jerked to his feet by a terribleforce, a force that sent him reeling and gasping against the wall. Oneof Rapaju's lieutenants stood before him with a tiny weapon in hishand, the weapon which had released the paralyzing gas he breathed. Hewas choking; suffocating. A black mist rose before him. He felt hisknees give way. Dimly, as in a dream, he saw that Ora was in Detis'arms. Rapaju was on his feet, fingering his neck and laughinghorribly.
"The treaty, Rapaju!" Detis was shouting.
Ora was sobbing. Mado was in the hands of two of the vile Llotta,struggling wildly to free himself. The Martian's eyes accused him. Heshut his own and groaned. Opened them again. But it was no use.Everything in the room was whirling now, crazily. He fought to regainhis senses, crawled weakly toward the squat figure of Rapaju where itswayed and twisted and spun around. Then all was darkness. The gas hadtaken its toll.
CHAPTER VIII
_The Expedition_
Carr awakened to a sense of wordless disgust. Fool that he was tospill the beans as he had! All set to put one over on the leader ofthe Llotta, then to come a cropper like this! He knew he had beenspared for a purpose. The gas was not intended to kill, only to renderhim helpless for a time. He opened his eyes to the light of a familiarroom. He had awakened before in this bed. It was his own cabin onboard the _Nomad_. What had happened? Had he dreamed it all. Europa,Ora, Rapaju--all of it? He sat up and felt of his aching head.
"Oh, are you awake?" a soft voice greeted him.
"Ora!" he exclaimed. It was indeed she, beautiful as ever.
"Sh-h," she warned, placing the tip of a finger to his lips. "They'llhear us."
"Who?" he whispered.
"Rapaju--his two guards. They're in the control cabin with father andMado."
"What? They've taken the _Nomad_?"
"Yes. We're under way. They've forced Mado to guide them but do nottrust him. Rapaju spared you as he believes you more capable. He'llhold you to your word."
"Lord! But what are you doing here?"
Ora dropped her eyes. "He--Rapaju--" she said, "inferred from youraction in assaulting him that you were very fond of me. He holds me asa hostage for your good behavior. Father volunteered to come along. Hepersuaded Rapaju to allow it. Swore allegiance to his cause. Of coursehe wouldn't leave me."
* * * * *
Carr gazed at her in admiration of her courage. She had been nursinghim, too! What a girl she was!
"Ora," he said huskily, "Rapaju was right. I am fond of you. More thanfond: I love you. I never knew I could feel this way."
"Oh Carr, you mustn't!" She drew back as he scrambled to his feet."They'll find us. We must not show that we care. Rapaju is a beast. Hewants me for himself and is delaying the time only until you havebrought the fleet safely to the inner planets and to their greatcities. He--"
"The skunk! Wants you himself, does he? Why, why didn't I kill him?But Ora, you said--you do care--"
"Ha! I thought so!" Rapaju stood in the doorway, grinning mockingly atthe pair. "The impetuous Terrestrial is up and about. Back at his oldgame!"
"Please, please, for my sake, Carr!" Ora pressed him back as hetensed his muscles for a spring.
"Sorry I was so slow," Carr grated, over her shoulder. "Another fiveseconds, Rapaju, and I'd have had your windpipe out by the roots."
Rapaju scowled darkly and fingered his throat. "But, my dear Carr, youwere too slow," he said, "and I live--and shall live--while you shalldie. Meanwhile you'll carry out your agreement. Come, Ora."
The girl hesitated a moment, then with a pleading glance at Carrstepped from the room.
"All right now, Parker," snapped Rapaju. "Into your clothes and intothe pilot's seat. You'll stay there, too, till the journey's over. Getbusy!"
One of his guards had appeared in the doorway. Carr knew thatresistance was useless. Besides, seated at those controls, he mightthink of something. Rapaju'd never get Ora if he could help it!
* * * * *
Mado's shoulders drooped and his face was haggard and drawn, but hesummoned a smile when he saw Carr.
"Hello, Carr," he said. "You all right?"
"Sure. Rapaju says I've got to take the controls."
"Very well." Mado shrugged his broad shoulders and slipped from thepilot's seat. Two ugly Llotta guards were watching, ray-pistols inhand. "The chart is corrected, Carr, and--"
"Never mind the conversation!" Rapaju snarled. "There'll be no talkbetween you at all. Beat it to y
our cabin, Mado."
The Martian glowered and made as if to retort hotly.
"But Rapaju," Detis interposed, speaking from his position at one ofthe ports, "they'll have to consult regarding the course of thevessel. Mado is more familiar than Carr with the navigation of space."
"Shut up!" roared Rapaju. "I know what I am doing. And, what's more,you'll not converse with them, either! I'm running this expedition,and I'm not taking any chances."
Detis subsided and followed Mado through the passage to the sleepingcabins.
* * * * *
The ensuing silence was ominous. Carr could feel the eyes of theLlotta upon him as he examined the adjustments of the controls andpeeped through the telescope. A glance at the velocity indicatorshowed him they were traveling at a rate of eight hundred miles asecond. He studied the chart and soon made out their position. Jupiterwas a hundred million miles behind them and they were heading almostdue sunward. The automatic control mechanism was not functioning.Evidently Mado had kept this a secret--and for a purpose. He wished hecould talk with his friend. They'd plan something.
"Like your job?" Rapaju was gloating over this Terrestrial who haddared to lay hands upon him.
"Yes, but not the company." Carr was disdainful.
"You'll like it less before I've finished with you. And get thisstraight. You think we're dependent on you to guide us to the innerplanets, and that we'll not harm any of you until they are reached.Don't fool yourself! I've watched Mado and I've spent much time in theexcellent library of the _Nomad_. I've learned plenty about thenavigation of space and can reach those planets as quickly anddirectly as you. But it pleases me to see you work, so work you shall.I'll check you carefully, and don't think you can deceive me. Don'ttry to depart from the true course. The sun is my check as it isyours, and I'll keep constant tab on our position. Get it?"
"A rather long speech, Rapaju." Carr grinned into the evil face of thecommander.
"Still defiant, eh? Suits me, Carr Parker. We'll have some nice talkshere, and then--when it pleases me--you'll suffer. You shall live tosee your home city crash in utter ruin; your people slain, starved,beaten. And, above all, there's Ora--"
"Don't defile her name in your ugly mouth, you--!"
* * * * *
Carr bit his tongue to keep back the torrent of invectives that sprangto his lips. This would never do! He'd get himself bumped off beforethey were well started. And while there was life there was hope. He'dstick to his guns and think; think and plan. If only he could have afew words with Mado. They must get out of this mess. There must be away! There must!
Rapaju was laughing in triumph. Thought he had cowed him, did he?Boastful savage! If he could navigate the _Nomad_ himself, why didn'the? Liar! He and Mado were godsends to him, and he knew it! His speechat the council table had been the real truth.
Foreign thoughts entered his mind. Detis, good old Detis, was usinghis thought apparatus in his own cabin! He paid no attention to thewords of Rapaju when he left the control room. Detis was on the job!Between them they'd outwit this devil of Ganymede.
"Keep your courage," came the message. "I've read the thoughts of Madoand he bids you examine the chart carefully. He's made some notationsin the ancient language of Mars. The automatic control of the _Nomad_can be used when necessary. He has not advised Rapaju of itsexistence."
Carr was encouraged and he concentrated on a suitable reply. But,though he did not consciously will it, his thoughts were of Ora.
Instantly there came the reassurance of her father. "Ora is not inimmediate danger. Rapaju is saving her for his revenge on you. And I'mwatching her constantly. A ray-pistol is concealed in my clothing, itscharge ready for the foul creature in case he should lay hands on her.But you must plan an escape, and salvation for your worlds. Examinethe chart at once."
* * * * *
He looked from the corner of his eye and saw that one of the Llottaguards was watching intently. He peered into the eye-piece of thetelescope; made an inconsequential change in one of the adjustments.The guard stirred but did not arise. He looked at the chart with newinterest, scanned its markings carefully. What had Mado marked for hisattention? There were hundreds of notations, some in Cos and a few inthe ancient Martian, all in Mado's painstaking chirography.
Ah, there it was! A tiny spot almost on their course, with Mado'sminute notation. Sargasso Sea! What did it mean? Did Mado intend tolead the fleet into the embrace of that dreadful monster they had sofortunately escaped? An excellent idea to save the inner planets. Butsuicide for them! He'd do it though, if it weren't for Ora. She was sosweet and innocent. She must not die; must not suffer. Another waymust be found. He groaned aloud as he realized that her predicamentwas the result of his own bullheadedness. If only he hadn't insistedon the trip to Ganymede. But then there was the problem of preservingthe civilization of the inner planets. It had to be met.
There was a commotion behind him; a feminine shriek from the aftercabins; loud shoutings from the beast called Rapaju. Carr's heartskipped a beat. He was paralyzed with fear. But only for an instant.With a bellow of rage he whirled around and started for the door,charging the two guards with head down and arms flailing.
CHAPTER IX
_Nemesis_
The Llotta did not use their ray-pistols. They were too busyattempting to elude the mad rushes of the powerful Terrestrial.Besides, there were good reasons they should not kill him--yet. Carrdrove one of them halfway down the passageway with a well-plantedpunch. The other was on his back, hairy legs twined around his waist,an arm under his chin, drawing his head back with a steady andterrible pressure. He whirled around, trying to shake off his beastlyantagonist.
But these powerful legs and arms held fast. He tore at the hairyankles where they crossed in the pit of his stomach; wrenched themfree. Still the creature clung to him, twisting his head until itseemed his neck must break. He found a waving foot with his righthand; wrenched it mightily. There was a sharp snap and the footdangled limp in his fingers. He had broken the ankle. With a howl ofpain his assailant let go and dropped to the floor to crawl away likea whipped cur.
In a flash Carr saw that the brute was reaching for his ray-pistolwhere it had dropped during the encounter. He kicked it from the reachof that hairy paw and sprang after it. With one of those littleweapons in his hands the odds would change! His fingers closed on itsgrip just as Ora rushed into the room, closely followed by Rapaju,whose distorted features were terrible to behold. The cabin was fullof them now; the guard he had first knocked down; the lust-crazedcommander--the one with the broken ankle. All but Detis and Mado. Carrfaced them alone.
So close was Rapaju to the girl that he dared not use the pistol, andnow the uninjured guard was circling him, trying to get in a positionwhere he could use his ray-pistol without endangering his commander.Carr fumbled for the release of the weapon he held in his hand; foundit. The guard threw himself to the floor when he saw it raised;shouted a warning. But it was too late. The deadly ray had sped on itsmission of death; struck him full in the middle. The twisted body laystill a moment and then collapsed like a punctured balloon, leavinghis scant clothing in a limp heap--empty. A worthy miniature of theD-ray, this little weapon!
* * * * *
He turned to face Rapaju and saw that he was shielding himself withOra's body. She had fainted and now hung drooping in the arms of thebeast. Where was Mado? Detis? Good God--he'd killed them! Carr thoughtof that little spot on the chart. Must be very close now. They'd passso near there'd be no escape. But he could not reach the controlswithout taking his eyes from Rapaju. That would have to wait.
Rapaju was backing toward the door, still holding the limp figure ofthe girl before him. The injured guard lay moaning on the floor.
"Drop her, you devil!" Carr shouted desperately as he saw that Rapajusoon would reach the passageway.
Then suddenly he reached for the
controls and pushed the energy leverto full speed forward. He braced himself for the shock of accelerationand saw Rapaju and Ora thrown backward into the passageway, the girl'sbody cushioned by that of her captor as they were flung violently tothe floor. Madly he rushed to the narrow entrance and tore at thehairy arms that encircled the slender waist of the girl. He jerked thesnarling commander of the Llotta expedition to his feet and slammedhim against the metal wall.
"Now, you damn pig," he grunted, "I'll finish the job. Dirty scum of arotten world!"
He dragged his victim into the control cabin and threw him to thefloor. But Rapaju was like an eel. He wriggled from under him andsnatched from the heap of clothing the ray-pistol of the disintegratedguard. With a yelp of triumph he rose to his knees and leveled theweapon.
A well placed kick sent it spinning and Carr was upon him. He snappedback the head with a terrible punch; then lifted the dazed creature tohis feet and stepped back.
"Stand up and take it like a man!" he roared.
* * * * *
Rapaju shook his head to clear it and rushed in with a bellow of rage.Just what Carr wanted! Starting almost from the floor, his right cameup to meet the vicious jaw with a crack that told of the terrificpower behind it. Lifted from his feet and hurled half way across theroom by the impact, Rapaju lay motionless where he fell.
Carr was at the telescope. Their speed was close to fifteen hundredmiles a second. The monstrous mass of Mado's Sargasso Sea loomed closein his vision. Off their course by a hundred miles or more. They'dmiss it all right. He had the situation in hand now on board the_Nomad_. But how about the fleet behind them? He thought fast andfuriously. Another two minutes and they'd pass the thing; theinexplicable horror which had accounted for the golden sphere of theEuropans. Could he use it? Suppose the fleet of the enemy--
The idea was full of possibilities.
He rushed to the stern compartment, and scanned the heavens for themassed body of spheres he knew would be the fleet of the Llotta. Atthis speed they must have fallen far behind. Yes, there they were. Notso far behind at that. The battle in the control room must have been ashorter one than it had seemed. He returned quickly to the controlsand reversed the energy, to give the fleet a chance to catch up tohim.
Closer came that mass of whitish jelly. And now it was much largerthan before. The terrible creature, for living matter it was, beyonddoubt, was growing with the rapidity of a rising flood. Greattentacles of its horrid translucent substance reached in alldirections for possible victims. He sickened at the sight. But what afate for the fleet of the Llotta! If only he could maneuver them intoits influence.
* * * * *
He changed his course slightly and headed directly for the monster,again increasing speed. Perhaps--if he calculated the forcescorrectly--he could dive through it again with the D-ray to clear apath. But no. It was a miracle they had escaped before, and now thevicious thing was more than double its previous size. Once more healtered his course. He'd cross in front of the thing; skim it as closeas he dared and shoot from its influence on the far side. The greatermass of the enemy vessels and their lack of a quick-acting repulsiveforce would prove their undoing.
Full speed ahead. A rapid mental calculation--an educated guess,rather--and he set the automatic control. Turning around to start forthe stern compartment, he saw that Ora had recovered from her swoonand now stood swaying weakly in the passageway.
"Ora!" he exclaimed delightedly. He rushed to her side and supportedher in a tender embrace.
"Rapaju?" she questioned with horror in her eyes.
"Won't bother you for a while, dear. But your father--Mado?"
"He gassed them. They'll recover." The brave girl had regained hercomposure.
"Good! But, come! Time's short." He half carried her to the rear,berating himself the while for his inability to pay her closerattention. With arms still around her he placed her at one of thestern ports.
"What is it, Carr?" She sensed his excitement.
"The fleet--see! We'll destroy them."
The spherical vessels were close behind, huddled together in massformation and following the _Nomad_ blindly.
"How, Carr?"
"Lead them into it. Wait tall you see! There's a--"
* * * * *
The _Nomad_ lurched, and changed direction. Cold fear clutched at histhroat. That devil of a guard! Why hadn't he killed him? He dashedthrough the passage, Ora at his heels.
Sure enough, the crippled guard had dragged himself to the controls;was manipulating the energy director as he had seen Mado do. They wereheading directly for the terrible monster of the heavens!
No need now to peer through the telescope. The thing was visible tothe naked eye. No power could save them! Carr hurled himself at theguard and tore at the hairy paw which gripped the lever. The throbbingof strange energies filled the air of the room, and Carr's brainpulsed with the maddening rhythm. The red discharge appeared at theprojections of the control panels. He forgot the fleet of the Llotta,forgot the menace to his own world. Only Ora mattered now, and he hadnot the power to save her!
As in a daze he knew he was wrenching mightily at the body of thepowerful minion of Rapaju. His fingers encountered heated metal--oneof the ray-pistols. He felt the intense vibration of the weapon as itscharge was released. But he still lived. The beast who held it hadmissed! Dimly he was conscious of the screams of Ora; of the yieldingof the creature who fought him. An animal cry registered on hisconsciousness and he shook the suddenly limp Llotta from him. He knewsomehow that his last enemy was gone.
A quick glance showed him that Ora was still on her feet, bracedagainst the wall. The red veil was before his eyes. He grasped thecontrols, and fought desperately to keep his strength and senses. Astreamer of horrid whiteness swung across his vision; slitheredclammily over the glass of one of the forward ports. They were intothe thing! It was the end! He groaned aloud as he fumbled with themechanisms and strove to formulate a plan of escape.
* * * * *
The fleet, he knew, was just behind. An enormous mass. The repulsiveenergy astern would be terrific. He turned it full on. The whitenessobscured his vision. Then it was gone once more. A single streamerwaved before him and encompassed them. The movement of these membersmust be inconceivably rapid, else they'd be invisible at the speed the_Nomad_ was traveling. Full speed ahead. The repulsion full on in thedirection of the center of the mass as well as astern. The frameworkof the _Nomad_ creaked protestingly from the terrific forces that toreat her vitals.
Then suddenly they were released. The _Nomad_ was shooting off intospace. The resultant of those combined forces had done the trick. Onlythe edge of that devil-fish of space, had they touched. Free--theywere free of the monster! The red veil lifted. He rushed to Ora'sside. She was kneeling at one of the floor ports, breathing heavilybut unharmed.
Below them they saw the swiftly receding mass: the fleet of the Llottadiving headlong, drawn inexorably into the rapacious embrace of thevile creature of the heavens. An instant the awful whiteness of thething closed in greedily about the many spheres of the fleet;swallowed them from sight and contorted madly and with seeming gleeover the triumph. Then, in a burst of blinding incandescence, it wasgone. The monster, the fleet--everything--blasted into nothingness.The fuel storage compartments of the vessels of Ganymede had exploded!The heavens were rid of the inexplicable growing menace; the innerplanets were saved from a terrible invasion. And the _Nomad_ was safe.Ora, Detis, Mado--all were safe!
At his side Ora was trembling. Gently he raised her to her feet, andtook her into his arms.
CHAPTER X
_Vagabonds All_
Together they cared for Detis and Mado; made them comfortable in theirbunks until the time when the effects of the gas would wear off.Lucky it was that Rapaju had used the gas pistol rather than the ray.Perhaps it had been a mistake. Or perhaps he had needed the
scientificknowledge of Detis, the familiarity with the inner planets that wasMado's. At any rate, they had no delusions regarding his designs onOra or his hatred of Carr. By his own passions had the commander ofthe fleet been led to the error that cost him his life and madepossible the destruction of his fleet.
Carr was torn by conflicting emotions. The delectable little Europanwas most disturbing. He'd never had much use for the other sex--onEarth. Too dominating, most of them. And always thrown at his head bydesigning parents for his money. But Ora was different! Her verynearness set his pulses racing. And he knew that she cared for him ashe did for her. Those moments in the control cabin after theexplosion! But something had come over him since he cut loose from theold life. Wanderlust--that was it. He'd never go back. Neither wouldhe be content to settle down to a domestic life in Pala-dar. Wanted tobe up and going somewhere.
"Oh, Carr, Carr!" Ora's voice called to him. "Mado is awake. He wantsyou."
Good old Mado! Why couldn't they just continue on their way as theyhad started out? Roaming the universe in search of other adventures!But the silvery tinkle of Ora's laughter reached his ears. She wasirresistible! He forgot his doubts as he hurried to his friend'scabin.
* * * * *
Mado was staring at the Europan maiden with a ludicrous expression ofastonishment--gawping, Carr called it. And Ora was laughing at him.
"Your friend," she gurgled, "doesn't believe he's alive, or that I am,or you. Tell him we are."
Carr grinned. Mado did look funny at that. "Hello, old sock," he said,"had a bad dream?"
"Did I? Oh boy!" Mado rocked to and fro, his head in his hands. Thenhe displayed sudden intense interest. "Rapaju?" he asked. "Hisguards--the fleet--what's happened?"
"Ah ha! Now you know you're alive!" Carr laughed. "But the others aredead and gone. The fleet's gone to smash--and how!"
"But Carr. How did you do it? Tell me!"
Mado threw off his covers and clapped his friend on the back, aresounding thump that brought a gasp from Ora.
"Your Sargasso Sea did it. And it's a thing of the past, too. Waittill I tell you about it!"
* * * * *
Ora tripped from the room as Carr sat on the edge of the bunk to spinhis yarn.
"But man alive!" Mado exclaimed when the story was finished. "Don'tyou know you've done a miraculous thing? I'd never have had the nerve.That damn creature out there had more than four times its formerattracting energy. That's what made it impossible for the fleet to getaway. And you--you lucky devil--you just doped it out right. The fleetof the Llotta gave you a tremendous push from astern when you used therepulsive energy. If they hadn't been there with their enormous massto react against we'd all have been mincemeat now along with theLlotta. You Terrestrials sure can think fast! Me, now--Lord, if it hadbeen me, I'd have thought of it after my spirit had departed to itsreward--or punishment. Glory be! It's the greatest thing I ever heardof."
"Rats! You'd have done the same as I did. Probably would have missedit a mile instead of nearly getting caught as I did. A good thing thefleet's gone, though. Mars and Terra--Venus, too--they'll never knowhow close it was for them. Wouldn't have sense enough to appreciateit, anyway."
"They would if they ever got a taste of what the Llotta planned. Butwhat's wrong with you Carr? You act sore. Want to go home?"
"Me? Don't be like that. No--I'd like to carry on as we planned.There's Saturn, Uranus and Neptune yet; Planet 9; a flock ofsatellites and asteroids. Oh, dammit!"
Mado looked his amazement. "Well, what's to prevent it?" he demanded."The _Nomad's_ still here, and so are we. I'm just as anxious to keepgoing as you are. Why not?"
But Carr did not reply. Why not, indeed? He strode from the cabin andinto the control room. The _Nomad_ was drifting in space, subject onlyto natural forces that swung it in a vast orbit around the sun. Hestarted the generators and drove the vessel from her temporary orbitwith rapid acceleration. Out--out into the jeweled blackness of theheavens. There was Jupiter out there, a bright orb that came suddenlyvery near when he centered it on the cross-hairs of the telescope.
The excited voices of Ora and Detis came to his ears. The boomingspeech of Mado. Why couldn't he be sensible and companionable as theywere? But a perverse demon kept him at the controls. They'd think hima grouch. Well, maybe he was! But the vastness of the universebeckoned. New worlds to explore; mysteries to be solved; a life ofcountless new experiences! Anyone'd think he was the owner of the_Nomad_, the way he planned for the future.
* * * * *
They were in the control cabin now--Mado and Detis and Ora. A momenthe hesitated, eyes glued to the telescope. Then, with a petulantgesture, he reached for the automatic control; locked it. Shouldn't bethis way. They'd think him an awful cad. And they'd be right! Hewhirled to face them.
Detis was smiling. Mado gazed owlishly solemn. Ora clung to the arm ofher father, and her long lashes hid the blue eyes that had played suchhavoc with the emotions of the Terrestrial.
"Carr," said Detis, gently, "we must thank you. You saved our lives,you know."
"Aw, forget it. Saved my own, too, didn't I? By a lucky break."
"It wasn't luck, Carr." Detis was gripping his hand now. "It was sheergrit and brains. You had them both. If you hadn't used them we'd allbe corpses--or disintegrated--excepting Ora, perhaps. And you know thefate that awaited her. Instead, we are alive and well. The fleet isgone. Rapaju's body and that of his guard drift nameless in spacewhere you disposed of them through the air-lock of the _Nomad_. Theinner planets need fear no future invasion, for the resources ofGanymede have been expended in the one huge enterprise that hasfailed. All through your quick wit and bravery. No, it wasn't luck."
"Nonsense, Detis." Carr returned the pressure of the scientist's hand,smiling sheepishly. He pushed him away after a moment. He didn't wanttheir gratitude or praise. Didn't know what he wanted. Ora stillavoided meeting his gaze. "Nonsense," he repeated. "And now, pleaseleave me. You, Detis. Mado, too. I'd like to be alone for awhile--with Ora. Mind?"
Mado's owlish look broadened to a knowing grin as he backed into thepassageway. Detis collided with the huge Martian in his eagerness tobe out of the room. They were alone and Carr was on his feet. Nothingmattered now--excepting Ora. Suddenly she was in his arms, thefragrance of her hair in his nostrils.
* * * * *
Star gazing, the two of them. It was ridiculous! But the wonders ofthe universe held a new beauty now for Carr. The distant suns hadtaken on added brilliance. Still they beckoned.
"Carr," the girl whispered, after a time, "where are we going?"
"To Europa. Your home."
"To--to stay?"
"No." Carr was suddenly confident; determined. "We'll stop there tobreak the news. Then we'll be wedded, you and I, according to thecustom of your people. Our honeymoon--years of it--will be spent inthe _Nomad_, roving the universe. Mado'll agree, I know. Wanderers ofthe heavens we'll be, Ora. But we'll have each other; and whenwe've--you've--had enough of it, I'll be ready to settle down.Anywhere you say. Are you game?"
"Oh, Carr! How did you guess? It's just as we'd planned. Father andMado and I. Didn't think I'd go, did you, you stupid old dear?"
"Why--why Ora." Carr was stammering now. He'd thought he was beingmasterful--making the plans himself. But she'd beat him to it, theadorable little minx! "I was a bit afraid," he admitted; "and I stillcan't believe that it's actually true. You're sure you want to?"
"Positive. Why Carr, I've always been a vagabond at heart. And nowthat I've found you we'll just be vagabonds together. Father and Madowill leave us very much to each other. Their scientific leanings, youknow. And--oh--it'll just be wonderful!"
"It's you that'll make it wonderful, sweetheart."
Carr drew her close. The stars shone still more brightly and beckonedanew. Vagabonds, all of them! Like the gypsies of old, but with vastlymore territory to roam.
The humdrum routine of his old life seemedvery far behind. He wondered what Courtney Davis would say if he couldsee him now. Wordless happiness had come to him, and he let histhoughts wander out into the limitless expanse of the heavens. Stargazing still--just he and Ora.
