Part 2 (1/2)

Then hundreds of the s.h.i.+ps shot forward, each to plunge into and explode inside one of the skeletons. When visibility was restored another wave of s.h.i.+ps came forward to repeat the performance, but there was nothing left to fight. Every surviving skeleton had blinked out of normal s.p.a.ce.

The remaining s.h.i.+ps made no effort to pursue the skeletons, nor did they re-form as a fleet. Each s.h.i.+p went off by itself.

And on that distant planet of the Stretts the group of mechs watched with amazed disbelief as light after light after light winked out on their two-miles-long control board. Frantically they relayed orders to the skeletons; orders which did not affect the losses.

”Brain-pans will blacken for this ...” a mental snarl began, to be interrupted by a coldly imperious thought.

”That long-dead unit, so inexplicably reactivated, is approaching the fuel world. It is ignoring the battle. It is heading through our fleet toward the Oman half ... _handle_ it, ten-eighteen!”

”It does not respond, Your Loftiness.”

”Then blast it, fool! Ah, it is inactivated. As encyclopedist, Nine, explain the freakish behavior of that unit.”

”Yes, Your Loftiness. Many cycles ago we sent a s.h.i.+p against the Omans with a new device of destruction. The Omans must have intercepted it, drained it of power and allowed it to drift on. After all these cycles of time it must have come upon a small source of power and of course continued its mission.”

”That can be the truth. The Lords of the Universe must be informed.”

”The mining units, the carriers and the refiners have not been affected, Your Loftiness,” a mech radiated.

”So I see, fool.” Then, activating another instrument, His Loftiness thought at it, in an entirely different vein, ”Lord Ynos, Madam? I have to make a very grave report....”

In the _Perseus_, four scientists and three Navy officers were arguing heatedly; employing deep-s.p.a.ce verbiage not to be found in any dictionary. ”Jarve!” Karns called out, and Hilton joined the group.

”Does anything about this planet make any sense to you?”

”No. But you're the planetographer. 'Smatter with it?”

”It's a good three hundred degrees Kelvin too hot.”

”Well, you know it's loaded with uranexite.”

”That much? The whole crust practically jewelry ore?”

”If that's what the figures say, I'll buy it.”

”Buy _this_, then. Continuous daylight everywhere. Noon June Sol-quality light _except_ that it's all in the visible. Frank says it's from bombardment of a layer of something, and Frank admits that the whole thing's impossible.”

”When Frank makes up his mind what 'something' is, I'll take it as a datum.”

”Third thing: there's only one city on this continent, and it's protected by a screen that n.o.body ever heard of.”

Hilton pondered, then turned to the captain. ”Will you please run a search-pattern, sir? Fine-toothing only the hot spots?”

The planet was approximately the same size as Terra; its atmosphere, except for its intense radiation, was similar to Terra's. There were two continents; one immense girdling ocean. The temperature of the land surface was everywhere about 100F, that of the water about 90F. Each continent had one city, and both were small. One was inhabited by what looked like human beings; the other by usuform robots. The human city was the only cool spot on the entire planet; under its protective dome the temperature was 71F.

Hilton decided to study the robots first; and asked the captain to take the s.h.i.+p down to observation range. Sawtelle objected; and continued to object until Hilton started to order his arrest. Then he said, ”I'll do it, under protest, but I want it on record that I am doing it against my best judgment.”

”It's on record,” Hilton said, coldly. ”Everything said and done is being, and will continue to be, recorded.”

The _Perseus_ floated downward. ”_There's_ what I want most to see,”