Part 23 (1/2)

Arcot arrived soon after this catastrophe. The Thessians left almost immediately, after the loss of three hundred or more s.h.i.+ps. One hundred and fifty wrecks were found. The rest were so blasted by the forces which attacked them, that no traces could be found, and no count made.

But as those s.h.i.+ps fled back to their base, Arcot, with the wonderfully delicate mental control of his s.h.i.+p, was able to watch them, and follow them; for, invisible under normal conditions, by twisting s.p.a.ce in the same manner that they did he was able to see them flee, and follow.

Light year after light year they raced toward the distant base. They reached it in two hours, and Arcot saw them from a distance sink to the various worlds. There were twelve gigantic worlds, each far larger than Jupiter of Sol, and larger than Stwall of Talso's sun, Renl.

”I think,” said Arcot as he stopped the s.h.i.+p at a third of a light year, ”that we had best destroy those planets. We may kill many men, and innocent non-combatants, but they have killed many of our races, and it is necessary. There are, no doubt, other worlds of this Universe here that we do not know of that have felt the vengeance of Thett, and if we can cause such trouble to them by destroying these worlds, and putting the fear of our attacking their mother world into them, they will call off those other fleets. I could have been invisible to Thett's s.h.i.+ps as we followed them here, and for the greater part of the way I was, for I was sufficiently out of their time-rate, so that they were visible only by the short ultra-violet, which would have put in their infra-red, and, no photo-electric cell will work on quanta of such low energy. When at last I was sure of the sun for which they were heading, I let them see us, and they know we are aware of their base, and that we can follow them.

”I will destroy one of these worlds, and follow a fleet as it starts for their home nebula. Gradually, as they run, I will fade into invisibility, and they will not know that I have dropped back here to complete the work, but will think I am still following. Probably they will run to some other nebula in an effort to throw me off, but they will most certainly send back a s.h.i.+p to call the fleets here to the defense of Thett.

”I think that is the best plan. Do you agree?”

”Arcot,” asked Morey slowly, ”if this race attempts to settle another Universe, what would that indicate of their own?”

”Hmmm--that it was either populated by their own race or that another race held the parts they did not, and that the other race was stronger,”

replied Arcot. ”The thought idea in their minds has always been a single world, single solar system as their home, however.”

”And single solar systems cannot originate in this s.p.a.ce,” replied Morey, referring to the fact that in the primeval gas from which all matter in this Universe and all others came, no condensation of ma.s.s less than thousands of millions of times that of a sun could form and continue.

”We can only investigate--and hope that they do not inhabit the whole system, for I am determined that, unpleasant as the idea may be, there is one race that we cannot afford to have visiting us, and it is going to be permanently restrained in one way or another. I will first have a conference with their leaders and if they will not be peaceful--the _Thought_ can destroy or make a Universe! But I think that a second race holds part of that Universe, for several times we have read in their minds the thought of the 'Mighty Warless Ones of Venone.'”

”And how do you plan to destroy so large a planet as these are?” asked Morey, indicating the telectroscope screen.

”Watch and see!” said Arcot.

They shot suddenly toward the distant sun, and as it expanded, planets came into view. Moving ever slower on the time control, Arcot drove the s.h.i.+p toward a gigantic planet at a distance of approximately 300,000,000 miles from its primary, the sun of this system.

Arcot fell into step with the planet as it moved about in its...o...b..t, and watched the speed indicator carefully.

”What's the orbital speed, Morey?” asked Arcot.

”About twelve and a half miles per second,” replied the somewhat mystified Morey.

”Excellent, my dear Watson,” replied Arcot. ”And now does my dear friend know the average molecular velocity of ordinary air?”

”Why, about one-third of a mile a second, average.”

”And if that planet as a whole should stop moving, and the individual molecules be given the entire energy, what would their average velocity be? And what temperature would that represent?” asked Arcot.

”Good--Why, they would have to have the same kinetic energy as individuals as they now have as a whole, and that would be an average molecular velocity in random motion of 12.5 miles a second--giving about--about--about--twelve thousand degrees centigrade!” exclaimed Morey in surprise. ”That would put it in the far blue-white region!”

”Perfect. Now watch.” Arcot donned the headpiece he had removed, and once more took charge. He was very far from the planet, as distances go, and they could not see his s.h.i.+p. But he wanted to be seen. So he moved closer, and hung off to the sunward side of the planet, then moved to the night side, but stayed in the light. In seconds, a battlefleet was out attempting to destroy him.

Surrounding the s.h.i.+p with a wall of artificial matter, lest they annoy him, he set to work.

Directly in the orbit of the planet, a faint mistiness appeared, and rapidly solidified to a t.i.tanic cup, directly in the path of the planet.

Arcot was pouring energy into the making of that matter at such a rate that s.p.a.ce was twisted now about them. The meter before them, which had not registered previously, was registering now, and had moved over to three. Three sols--and was still climbing. It stopped when ten were reached. Ten times the energy of our sun was pouring into that condensation, and it solidified quickly.

The Thessians had seen the danger now. It was less than ten minutes away from their planet, and now great numbers of s.h.i.+ps of all sorts started up from the planet, swarming out like rats from a sinking vessel.