Creatures of Vibration
Page 2
into awriggling line that quickly streaked its way across the equator,completely banding the body as they watched. A moment it lay there likea great serpent encircling the globe, and then it vanished in a flash ofintense light that left them blinking in amazement. It was as if a trailof gunpowder had been laid across the surface and then set off by atorch in the hand of some unseen giant of the cosmos. A strangeelectrical storm that agitated the cloud blanket mightily, then left itmore densely closed in than before.
Through the forward port the satellite could be seen with the naked eye,growing larger now and resolving itself into a tiny globe. To Carr itseemed that the diminutive moon winked provocatively as he turned toregard it without the rulden's aid. Off to the west, Saturn and herrings almost filled the sky, and their baleful light shone cold andmenacing against the black velvet of the heavens.
* * * * *
Mado took the controls when the _Nomad_ entered the atmosphere of Titanand drifted over the sea of clouds. He corrected the altimeter for themass of this body of three thousand miles diameter, and noted that theywere up about six thousand feet. Test samples indicated that the outsideair, although thin, was pure. But they did not open the ports as theyhad no intention of landing.
Ora had not yet awakened and Carr hoped fervently that she would not doso until they had left the immediate vicinity of Titan. It was vastlybetter if she missed seeing anything of the barbarians of the cloudysatellite. Besides, with her adventuresome and fearless nature, she'dnot be satisfied merely to look on from afar--she'd want them to land.And that must not be done.
Something tinkled metallically against the hull plates of the vessel.Again and again the sound was repeated, and soon they saw that the airwas filled with driving particles which clattered on the thick glass ofthe ports and contacted resoundingly with the hull. A vast cloud ofblack loomed directly ahead, springing up from the tossing cloud banks;and Mado yanked at the controls, swerving the _Nomad_ sharply from hercourse.
But there was no escaping the fury of that sudden squall; they were inthe thick of it in an instant, and the ship was buffeted and tossedabout as if it were a toy. Millions of the driving particles batteredthe _Nomad_ and the din of their pounding was terrific as the ship waswhirled deeper into the midst of the tempest.
* * * * *
Carr saw that the black particles were piling up around the rim of theport, sticking fast to the metal of the hull. They were bristling infantastic array, like iron filings adhering to the poles of a magnet. Ina flash it came to him that these particles were magnetic; the _Nomad_was covered with them and they piled on ever more thickly, soonweighting her down so heavily that she lost altitude. They were at themercy of a furious electrical storm of mysterious nature.
"Imps of the canals!" Mado shouted above the din. "We're finished! Themachinery is paralyzed. This iron hail is charged."
The viewing port was completely covered over now with particles thatarched across from rim to rim, slender rod-like things about two incheslong and of the thickness of heavy wire. Black, they were, as black asgraphite. Detis worked frantically with Mado at the useless controls,vainly endeavoring to stabilize the pitching vessel.
Dazed by the suddenness of the calamity, Carr turned to look at thealtimeter. Five thousand feet, forty-five hundred, four thousand! Nosedown, and reeling drunkenly, the _Nomad_ was diving to certain disasteron the rocky ground of Titan. He dashed from the control room, callingdistractedly to Ora as he raced along the passageway.
She staggered from the stateroom and into his arms, a slim, boyishfigure in her snug leather jacket and breeches. Together they were flungviolently against the partition by a heavy lurch of the vessel.
"What is it?" she gasped, clinging to him for support.
"A freak storm, in Titan's atmosphere. Guess the _Nomad's_ done for."Carr drew her fiercely close as an awful picture flashed across hismind--of Ora's body mangled in twisted wreckage; of the savages findingit, down there....
The metal floor-plates seemed to buckle and hurl themselves aft with agrinding crash of disrupted joints. Holding desperately to the preciouslittle body within his arms, Carr was thrown off his feet. There was adetonation as if the universe had been blasted into oblivion--thendarkness, and numbed silence.
* * * * *
"Carr, you're hurt!" Ora moaned.
He was--a little. His head was splitting and the taste of blood was inhis mouth, but it was nothing serious. He'd been half knocked out, buthis head was clearing already. Of far greater importance was the factthat Ora was unharmed; he satisfied himself of that immediately.
"I'm all right," he grunted, struggling to his feet and feeling aroundin the blackness.
The lights in the passage were out and he groped blindly along thepartition, the metal of which had suddenly become very hot to the touch.There was a curious feeling of lightness as if his body had no weight atall; the ship rolled gently and he knew they were falling swiftly to theinevitable crash. Yet he clung fast to Ora, and, together, they madetheir way to the control room.
Faint daylight streamed in through the ports there and he saw Mado andDetis, both bleeding from injuries they had received when the mysteriousshock hurled them amongst the control mechanisms. They were workingfuriously with the exciter-generator, which had stopped. The _Nomad_ waswithout power and helpless to exert her anti-gravity energy.
"The iron hail!" gasped the Europan scientist. "It gave up its charge,Carr--exploded. Here, give us a hand and see if we can get thegenerators started."
The ports were clear of the black particles and Carr saw that the outersurface of the glass was cracked and darkened from the heat of theblast. He understood, remembering the black band and the flash they hadseen across the cloud layer from afar. And in the instant of rememberinghe saw that the ground was very near, rushing upward to meet them. Acoil of the exciter-armature broke away in his fingers; the thing hadbeen burned out by the electric storm, and the _Nomad_ was doomed.
The altimeter needle moved with sickening speed and already registeredbut little more than five hundred feet. Four hundred! Carr bracedhimself for the impending crash and gathered Ora in his arms.
And then a strange thing happened. Four light rays, dazzling inintensity, stabbed up at them from the forest beneath them and convergedon the vessel's hull. The _Nomad_ staggered, then came to an even keeland slackened in her mad dash to the surface. She vibrated from stem tostern under the mighty conflict of energies and they felt themselvespressed hard against the floor-plate. But the mysterious energy beamshad come too late to save them. A densely wooded slope loomed directlyahead. There was a crashing of branches and the rending of mightytrunks, and the _Nomad_ came to a jarring stop.
* * * * *
"Devils of Terra!" Mado ejaculated. "We're in a fine fix now. We'll haveto set foot on Titan whether we want to or not."
Carr had laughed, somewhat shakily, in relief. They were safe, all ofthem, and no one much hurt. And the generator coils could be rewound.But he sobered instantly at Mado's words; they'd have to produce copperand insulating materials for the job.
"Right," he agreed. "And that's not so good."
"What's so terrible about landing here?" Ora inquired. "I thought wewere expecting to explore this satellite." She looked up from herministrations to Detis, who had a nasty scalp wound.
"The people here are dangerous savages," Carr answered gravely. "Atleast some of them are; we saw them in the rulden. You'll have to remainaboard while we look up the ones who projected those rays and do somebargaining with them."
"What! You expect me to hide in the vessel while you're at work outside?Not much! I want to see something of Titan while we are here." Herpretty chin was set in that determined manner she had.
"I tell you it's too risky!" Carr was firm, but he looked at Madobeseechingly, signaling for his support.
But the Martian only grinned owlishly. He knew
as well as did Carr thatOra would have her way.
"Risky--pooh!" she returned. "I'm not afraid. We have our ray pistolsand the funny torpedoes you brought from Mars. Besides, I don't believeit's as bad as you think."
Carr shrugged his shoulders. After all, they probably would notencounter any of the savages here in the forest. Beings of far greaterintelligence were responsible for those rays, that much was certain.Besides, they'd be three able-bodied men out there to watch over her,and he'd make sure she didn't get too far away from the ship.
* * * * *
Carr was first to step from the opened manhole to the soft carpet of theTitanese forest. He found the air cool and crisp, with a tang of ozoneassailing his nostrils. There was a pulsating motion in it that he couldhardly define; it