The Space Opera Megapack: 20 Modern and Classic Science Fiction Tales

by John W. Campbell

  As the men entered one door Dorothy and Margaret, with the Karfedir and Sitar, entered the other, and the entire assemblage rose to its feet and snapped into the grand salute. Moving to the accompaniment of strange martial music from concealed instruments, the two parties approached each other, meeting at the raised platform or pulpit where Karbix Tarnan, a handsome, stately, middle-aged man who carried easily his hundred and fifty karkamo of age, awaited them. As he raised his arms, the music ceased.

  It was a solemn and wonderfully impressive spectacle. The room, of burnished metal, with its bizarre decorations wrought in scintillating gems; the constantly changing harmony of colors as the invisible lamps were shifted from one shade to another; the group of mighty nobles standing rigidly at attention in a silence so profound that it was an utter absence of everything audible as the Karbix lifted both arms in a silent invocation of the great First Cause—all these things deepened the solemnity of that solemn moment.

  When Tarnan spoke, his voice, deep with some great feeling, inexplicable even to those who knew him best, carried clearly to every part of the great chamber.

  “Friends, it is our privilege to assist today in a most notable event, the marriage of four personages from another world. For the first time in the history of Osnome, one karfedix has the privilege of entertaining the bridal party of another. It is not for this fact alone, however, that this occasion is to be memorable. A far deeper reason is that we are witnessing, possibly for the first time in the history of the Universe, the meeting upon terms of mutual fellowship and understanding of the inhabitants of two worlds separated by unthinkable distances of trackless space and by equally great differences in evolution, conditions of life, and environment. Yet these strangers are actuated by the spirit of good faith and honor which is instilled into every worthy being by the great First Cause, in the working out of whose vast projects all things are humble instruments.

  “In honor of the friendship of the two worlds, we will proceed with the ceremony.

  “Richard Seaton and Martin Crane, exchange the plain rings with Dorothy Vaneman and Margaret Spencer.”

  They did so, and repeated, after the Karbix, simple vows of love and loyalty.

  “May the First Cause smile upon this temporary marriage and render it worthy of being made permanent. As a lowly servant of the all-powerful First Cause I pronounce you two, and you two, husband and wife. But we must remember that the dull vision of mortal man cannot pierce the veil of futurity, which is as crystal to the all-beholding eye of the First Cause. Though you love each other truly, unforeseen things may come between you to mar the perfection of your happiness. Therefore a time is granted you during which you may discover whether or not your unions are perfect.”

  A pause ensued, then Tarnan went on:

  “Martin Crane, Margaret Spencer, Richard Seaton, and Dorothy Vaneman, you are before us to take the final vows which shall bind your bodies together for life and your spirits together for eternity. Have you considered the gravity of this step sufficiently to enter into this marriage without reservation?”

  “I have,” solemnly replied the four, in unison.

  “Exchange the jeweled rings. Do you, Richard Seaton and Dorothy Vaneman; and you, Martin Crane and Margaret Spencer; individually swear, here in the presence of the First Cause and that of the Supreme Justices of Kondal, that you will be true and loyal, each helping his chosen one in all things, great and small; that never throughout eternity, in thought or in action, will either your body or your mind or your conscious spirit stray from the path of fairness and truth and honor?”

  “I do.”

  “I pronounce you married with the eternal marriage. Just as the faidon which you each now wear—the eternal jewel which no force of man, however applied, has yet been able to change or deform in any particular; and which continues to give off its inward light without change throughout eternity—shall endure through endless cycles of time after the metal of the ring which holds it shall have crumbled in decay: even so shall your spirits, formerly two, now one and indissoluble, progress in ever-ascending evolution throughout eternity after the base material which is your bodies shall have returned to the senseless dust from whence it arose.”

  The Karbix lowered his arms and the bridal party walked to the door through a double rank of uplifted weapons. From the chapel they were led to another room, where the contracting parties signed their names in a register. The Kofedix then brought forward two marriage certificates—heavy square plates of a brilliant purple metal, beautifully engraved in parallel columns of English and Kondalian script, and heavily bordered with precious stones. The principals and witnesses signed below each column, the signatures being deeply engraved by the royal engraver. Leaving the registry, they were escorted to the dining hall, where a truly royal repast was served. Between courses the highest nobles of the nation welcomed the visitors and wished them happiness in short but earnest addresses. After the last course had been disposed of, the Karbix rose at a sign from the Karfedix and spoke, his voice again agitated by the emotion which had puzzled his hearers during the marriage service.

  “All Kondal is with us here in spirit, trying to aid us in our poor attempts to convey our welcome to these our guests, of whose friendship no greater warrant could be given than their willingness to grant us the privilege of their marriage. Not only have they given us a boon that will make their names revered throughout the nation as long as Kondal shall exist, but they have also been the means of showing us plainly that the First Cause is upon our side, that our age-old institution of honor is in truth the only foundation upon which can be built a race fitted to survive. At the same time they have been the means of showing us that our hated foe, entirely without honor, building his race upon a foundation of bloodthirsty savagery alone, is building wrongly and must perish utterly from the face of Osnome.”

  His hearers listened, impressed by his earnestness, but plainly not understanding his meaning.

  “You do not understand?” he went on, with a deep light shining in his eyes. “It is inevitable that two peoples inhabiting worlds so widely separated as are our two should be possessed of widely-varying knowledge and abilities, and these strangers have already made it possible for us to construct engines of destruction which shall obliterate Mardonale completely.…” A fierce shout of joy interrupted the speaker and the nobles sprang to their feet, saluting the visitors with upraised weapons. As soon as they had reseated themselves, the Karbix continued:

  “That is the boon. The vindication of our system of evolution is easily explained. The strangers landed first upon Mardonale. Had Nalboon met them in honor, he would have gained the boon. But he, with the savagery characteristic of his evolution, attempted to kill his guests and steal their treasures, with what results you already know. We, on our part, in exchange for the few and trifling services we have been able to render them, have received even more than Nalboon would have obtained, had his plans not been nullified by their vastly superior state of evolution.”

  The orator seated himself and there was a deafening clamor of cheering as the nobles formed themselves into an escort of honor and conducted the two couples to their apartments.

  Alone in their room, Dorothy turned to her husband with tears shining in her beautiful eyes.

  “Dick, sweetheart, wasn’t that the most wonderful thing that anybody ever heard of? Using the word in all its real meaning, it was indescribably grand, and that old man is simply superb. It makes me ashamed of myself to think that I was ever afraid or nervous here.”

  “It sure was all of that, Dottie mine, little bride of an hour. The whole thing gets right down to where a fellow lives—I’ve got a lump in my throat right now so big that it hurts me to think. Earthly marriages are piffling in comparison with that ceremony. It’s no wonder they’re happy, after taking those vows—especially as they don’t have to take them until after they are sure of themselves.

  “But we’re sure already, sweetheart,” as he embrace
d her with all the feeling of his nature. “Those vows are not a bit stronger than the ones we have already exchanged—bodily and mentally and spiritually we are one, now and forever.”

  CHAPTER XVII.

  Bird, Beast, or Fish?

  “These jewels rather puzzle me, Dick. What are they?” asked Martin, as the four assembled, waiting for the first meal. As he spoke he held up his third finger, upon which gleamed the royal jewel of Osnome in its splendid Belcher mounting of arenak as transparent as the jewel itself and having the same intense blue color. “I know the name, ‘faidon,’ but that’s all I seem to know.”

  “That’s about all that anybody knows about them. It is a naturally-occurring, hundred-faceted crystal, just as you see it there—deep blue, perfectly transparent, intensely refractive, and constantly emitting that strong, blue light. It is so hard that it cannot be worked, cut, or ground. No amount of the hardest known abrasive will even roughen its surface. No blow, however great, will break it—it merely forces its way into the material of the hammer, however hard the hammer may be. No extremity of either heat or cold affects it in any degree, it is the same when in the most powerful electric arc as it is when immersed in liquid helium.”

  “How about acids?”

  “That is what I am asking myself. Osnomians aren’t much force at chemistry. I’m going to try to get hold of another one, and see if I can’t analyze it, just for fun. I can’t seem to convince myself that a real atomic structure could be that large.”

  “No, it is rather large for an atom,” and turning to the two girls, “How do you like your solitaires?”

  “They’re perfectly beautiful, and the Tiffany mounting is exquisite,” replied Dorothy, enthusiastically, “but they’re so awfully big! They’re as big as ten-carat diamonds, I do believe.”

  “Just about,” replied Seaton, “but at that, they’re the smallest Dunark could find. They have been kicking around for years, he says—so small that nobody wanted them. They wear big ones on their bracelets, you know. You sure will make a hit in Washington, Dottie. People will think you’re wearing a bottle-stopper until they see it shining in the dark, then they’ll think it’s an automobile headlight. But after a few jewelers have seen these stones, one of them will be offering us five million dollars apiece for them, trying to buy them for some dizzy old dame who wants to put out the eyes of some of her social rivals. Yes? No?”

  “That’s about right, Dick,” replied Crane, and his face wore a thoughtful look. “We can’t keep it secret that we have a new jewel, since all four of us will be wearing them continuously, and anyone who knows jewels at all will recognize these as infinitely superior to any known Earthly jewel. In fact, they may get some of us into trouble, as fabulously valuable jewels usually do.”

  “That’s true, too. So we’ll let it out casually that they’re as common as mud up here—that we’re just wearing them for sentiment, which is true, and that we’re thinking of bringing back a shipload to sell for parking lights.”

  “That would probably keep anyone from trying to murder our wives for their rings, at least.”

  “Have you read your marriage certificate, Dick?” asked Margaret.

  “Not yet. Let’s look at it, Dottie.”

  She produced the massive, heavily-jeweled document, and the auburn head and the brown one were very close to each other as they read together the English side of the certificate. Their vows were there, word for word, with their own signatures beneath them, all deeply engraved into the metal. Seaton smiled as he saw the legal form engraved below their signatures, and read aloud:

  “I, the Head of the Church and the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of Kondal, upon the planet Osnome, certify that I have this day, in the city of Kondalek, of said nation and planet, joined in indissoluble bonds of matrimony, Richard Ballinger Seaton, Doctor of Philosophy, and Dorothy Lee Vaneman; Doctor of Music; both of the city of Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America, upon the planet Earth, in strict compliance with the marriage laws, both of Kondal and of the United States of America. Tarnan.”

  Witnesses:

  Roban, Emperor of Kondal.

  Tural, Empress of Kondal.

  Dunark, Crown Prince of Kondal.

  Sitar, Crown Princess of Kondal.

  Marc C. DuQuesne, Ph. D., Washington, D. C.

  “That is some document,” remarked Seaton. “Probably a lawyer could find fault with his phraseology, but I’ll bet that this thing would hold in any court in the world. Think you’ll get married again when we get back, Mart?”

  Both girls protested, and Crane answered:

  “No, I think not. Our ceremony would be rather an anticlimax after this one, and this one will undoubtedly prove legal. I intend to register this just as it is, and get a ruling from the courts. But it is time for breakfast. Pardon me—I should have said ‘darprat,’ for it certainly is not breakfast-time by Washington clocks. My watch says that it is eleven-thirty P. M.”

  “This system of time is funny,” remarked Dorothy. “I just can’t get used to having no night, and.…”

  “And it’s such a long time between eats, as the famous governor said about the drinks,” broke in Seaton.

  “How did you know what I was going to say, Dick?”

  “Husbandly intuition,” he grinned, “aided and abetted by a normal appetite that rebels at seventeen hours between supper and breakfast, and nine hours between the other meals. Well, it’s time to eat—let’s go!”

  After eating, the men hurried to the Skylark. During the sleeping-period the vessel had been banded with the copper repellers: the machine guns and instruments, including the wonderful Osnomian wireless system, had been installed; and, except for the power-bars, she was ready for a voyage. The Kondalian vessel was complete, even to the cushions, but was without instruments.

  After a brief conversation with the officer in charge, Dunark turned to Seaton.

  “Didn’t you find that your springs couldn’t stand up under the acceleration?”

  “Yes, they flattened out dead.”

  “The Kolanix Felan, in charge of the work, thought so, and substituted our compound-compensated type, made of real spring metal, for them. They’ll hold you through any acceleration you can live through.”

  “Thanks, that’s fine. What’s next, instruments?”

  “Yes. I have sent a crew of men to gather up what copper they can find—you know that we use practically no metallic copper, as platinum, gold, and silver are so much better for ordinary purposes—and another to erect a copper-smelter near one of the mines which supply the city with the copper sulphate used upon our tables. While they are at work I think I will work on the instruments, if you two will be kind enough to help me.”

  Seaton and Crane offered to supply him with instruments from their reserve stock, but the Kofedix refused to accept them, saying that he would rather have their help in making them, so that he would thoroughly understand their functions. The electric furnaces were rapidly made ready and they set to work; Crane taking great delight in working that hitherto rare and very refractory metal, iridium, of which all the Kondalian instruments were to be made.

  “They have a lot of our rare metals here, Dick.”

  “They sure have. I’d like to set up a laboratory and live here a few years—I’d learn something about my specialty or burst. They use gold and silver where we use copper, and platinum and its alloys where we use iron and soft steel. All their weapons are made of iridium, and all their most highly-tempered tools, such as their knives, razors, and so on, are made of opaque arenak. I suppose you’ve noticed the edge on your razor?”

  “How could I help it? It is hard to realize that a metal can be so hard that it requires forty years on a diamond-dust abrasive machine to hone a razor—or that once honed, it shaves generation after generation of men without losing in any degree its keenness.”

  “I can’t understand it, either—I only know that it’s so. They have all our heavy metals
in great abundance, and a lot more that we don’t know anything about on Earth, but they apparently haven’t any light metals at all. It must be that Osnome was thrown off the parent sun late, so that the light metals were all gone?”

  “Something like that, possibly.”

  The extraordinary skill of the Kofedix made the manufacture of the instruments a short task, and after Crane had replaced the few broken instruments of the Skylark from their reserve stock, they turned their attention to the supply of copper that had been gathered. They found it enough for only two bars.

  “Is this all we have?” asked Dunark, sharply.

  “It is, your Highness,” replied the Kolanix. “That is every scrap of metallic copper in the city.”

  “Oh, well, that’ll be enough to last until we can smelt the rest,” said Seaton. “With one bar apiece we’re ready for anything Mardonale can start. Let ’em come!”

  The bars were placed in the containers and both vessels were tried out, each making a perfect performance. Upon the following kokam, immediately after the first meal, the full party from the Earth boarded the Skylark and accompanied the Kofedix to the copper smelter. Dunark himself directed the work of preparing the charges and the molds, though he was continually being interrupted by wireless messages in code and by messengers bearing tidings too important to trust into the air.

  “I hope you will excuse all of these delays,” said Dunark, after the twentieth interruption, “but.…”

  “That’s all right, Dunark. We know that you’re a busy man.”

  “I can tell you about it, but I wouldn’t want to tell many people. With the salt you gave us, I am preparing a power-plant that will enable us to blow Mardonale into.…”

  He broke off as a wireless call for help sounded. All listened intently, learning that a freight-plane was being pursued by a karlon a few hundred miles away.

  “Now’s the time for you to study one, Dunark!” Seaton exclaimed. “Get your gang of scientists out here while we go get him and drag him in!”