Part 26 (2/2)
As their battles.h.i.+ps arrived they were conducted to one of the satellites, and each man was ”fumigated,” lest he bring disease to the mother planet. Men entered, men apparently emerged. But they were different men.
”It seems,” said the Sthanto softly, after the scout had left, ”that we will have little difficulty, for they are, we know, vulnerable to the triple ray. And if we can but once destroy their driving units they will be helpless on our world. I doubt that wild tale of their using no fuel.
Even if that be true they will be helpless with their power apparatus destroyed, and--if we miss the first time, we can seek it out, or drive them off!
”All of which is dependent on the fact that they attack at a point where we have a triple ray station to meet them. There are but three of these, actually, but I have had dummy stations, apparently identical with our other real stations, set up in many places.
”This gibberish we hear of creating matter--it is impossible, and surely unsuitable as a weapon. Their misty wall--that may be a force plane, but I know of no such possibility. The artificial substance though--why should any one make it? It but consumes energy, and once made is no more dangerous than ordinary matter, save that there is the possibility of creating it in dangerous position. Remember, we have heard already of the mental suggestions planes--mere force planes--_plus_ a wonderfully developed power of suggestion. They do most of their damage by mental impression. Remember, we have heard already of the mental suggestions of horrible things that drove one fleet of the weak-minded colonists mad.
”And that, I think, we will use to protect ourselves. If we can, with the apparatus which you, my son, have developed, cause them to believe that all the other forts are equally dangerous, and that this one on Thett is the best point of attack--It will be easy. Can you do it?”
”I can, Oh Sthanto, if but a sufficient number of powerful minds may be brought to aid me,” replied the youngest of the four councilmen.
”And you, Ranstud, are the stations ready?” asked the ruler.
”We are ready.”
Chapter XXV
WITH GALAXIES IN THE BALANCE
The _Thought_ arose from Venone after long hours, and at Arcot's suggestion, they a.s.sumed an orbit about the world, at a distance of two million miles, and all on board slept, save Torlos, the tireless molecular motion machine of flesh and iron. He acted as guard, and as he had slept but four days before, he explained there was really no reason for him to sleep as yet.
But the terrestrians would feel the greatest strain of the coming encounter, especially Arcot and Morey, for Morey was to help by repairing any damage done, by working from the control board of the _Banderlog_. The little tender had sufficient power to take care of any damage that Thett might inflict, they felt sure.
For they had not learned of the triple ray.
It was hours later that, rested and refreshed, they started for Thett.
Following the great s.p.a.ce-chart that they had been given by the Venonians, a series of blocks of clear lux metal, with tiny points of slowly disintegrating lux, such as had been used to illuminate the letters of the _Thought_'s name representing suns, the colors and relative intensity being shown. Then there was a more manageable guide in the form of photographs, marked for route by constellations formations as well, which would be their actual guide.
At the maximum speed of the time apparatus, for thus they could better follow the constellations, the _Thought_ plunged along in the wake of the tiny scout s.h.i.+p that had already landed on Thett. And, hours later, they saw the giant red sun of Antseck, the star of Thett and its system.
”We're about there,” said Arcot, a peculiar tenseness showing in his thoughts. ”Shall we barge right in, or wait and investigate?”
”Well have to chance it. Where is their main fort here?”
”From the direction, I should say it was to the left and ahead of our position,” replied Zezdon Afthen.
The s.h.i.+p moved ahead, while about it the tremendous Thessian battlefleet buzzed like flies, thousands of s.h.i.+ps now, and more coming with each second.
In a few moments the t.i.tanic s.h.i.+p had crossed a great plain, and came to a region of bare, rocky hills several hundred feet high. Set in those hills, surrounded by them, was a huge sphere, resting on the ground. As though by magic the Thessian fleet cleared away from the _Thought_. The last one had not left, when Arcot shot a terrific cosmic ray toward the sphere. It was relux, and he knew it, but he knew what would happen when that cosmic ray hit it. The solometer flickered and steadied at three as that inconceivable ray flashed out.
Instantly there was a terrific explosion. The soil exploded into hydrogen atoms, and expanded under heat that lashed it to more than a million degrees in the tiniest fraction of a second. The terrific recoil of the ray-pressure was taken by all s.p.a.ce, for it was generated in s.p.a.ce itself, but the direct pressure struck the planet, and that t.i.tanic planet reeled! A tremendous fissure opened, and the section that had been struck by the ray smashed its way suddenly far into the planet, and a geyser of fluid rock rolled over it, twenty miles deep in that world. The relux sphere had been struck by the ray, and had turned it, with the result that it was pushed doubly hard. The enormously thick relux strained and dented, then shot down as a whole, into the incandescent rock.
<script>