Hunters Out of Space Read online

  CHAPTER 8

  At their request, eight couples and their children were brought from TheNebula to the cavern. For the crew of the first ship had been old men--andthe cavern had never known a child's laughter.

  Then Ato led his group back to the moon's surface.

  As a little conveyor belt hoisted him through the tube into the centralcore of the ship, Jack Odin found himself worrying a bit about Nea. She haddecided to go on with them. Due to her experimental interests, Jack hadsupposed that she would stay with Wolden. But there she was, still carryingthat perplexing case of hers. Quiet and sad-eyed, a little smaller thanMaya, her face a little sharper, she still looked so much like Maya thatOdin couldn't get his thoughts away from her.

  * * * * *

  There was one last period of final check-outs. Then Ato gave the signal,standing lean and tall in the control room, with a tight belt about hisnarrow waist, and Wolden's slug-horn fastened securely to it.

  The Nebula leaped toward the star-studded skies.

  Odin watched the moon disappear below them. Mars with its canals and mossydeserts loomed ahead--swerved aside, and was behind them, Jupiter with itsred clouds and its protean "eye" reached out for them and was left behind.The planets became smaller. They winked at them and cheered them on with afar halloo. Then Pluto loomed ahead, lost and forgotten up there in thenight. And to Odin's surprise, one last tiny planet, frozen to the colorof a moonstone, looked at them like a dead thing that could not evenremember life--and asked them what they were--and wearily bade themgoodbye.

  When the planets were no more than seed-pearls floating in the vast behindthem, Ato gave the signal for all to make ready. There was a scurryingaboard ship for couches and over-stuffed chairs. And after the warning bellhad ceased clanging, Ato muttered to Odin and Gunnar: "This has been testedenough. It ought to work."

  With one last shrug of his lean shoulders, Ato pulled the lever that threwthem into the Fourth Drive.

  The stars and the planets became streamers of light. They burst likesky-rockets and a million sparks fell into the void. The sparks winked outand the ship hurtled on through a darkness that seemed to take form beforethem. It was as though they burrowed through swathes of black cotton.

  Once before, Jack Odin had experienced a feeling akin to this. It wasthe time when he had used Ato's belt, and Gunnar had flung him into spaceas though he had been a minnow at the end of a snapping line. But thatexperience had been momentary. This built itself up--until Odin felthimself expanding and contracting at each pulse beat. His heart seemedto beat slower and slower. Waves of smothering pain struck him when theypassed the speed of light. Then the pain diminished. He gasped for air,and it seemed to take years to reach his chest. The pain and the feelingof speed went slowly away. They were merely drifting now, as though in adream, with a feeling of high exhilaration flooding over him. He rememberedfeeling that way once as a boy when a heavy storm had passed, taking itswracks of clouds with it, and the sinking sun had come out to turn all thetrees to emeralds.

  And now, beyond life, and beyond death, with eternity curving like arainbow of light around them, they dashed on and on into the unknown.

  Time did not exist. Space had a new concept. Speed was something thatadvanced them. It was little more than a sensation until Alpha Centauribegan to loom larger upon their screens. From their vantage point inTrans-Einsteinian space, it did not look like a star at all. It was twointertwined circular spirals of light, and at the intervals where thetwo coils met were little nodules of gold.

  The crew was given instructions on the anticipated sensations that wereto follow.

  "It will be like plunging back from immortality to mortality," Ato toldOdin. "Over four years have passed, as light is measured. We have noteaten more than twenty meals."

  He pulled the lever that slowed them out of the Fourth Drive intothree-dimensional space. There was the same sickening sensation whenthey dropped lower than the speed of light. And, braking all thewhile, they zoomed swiftly down upon the binary suns and their sevenworlds.

  * * * * *

  Odin had been watching the screens for three hours. He felt sick and oldover the things that he had seen. Seven worlds--all blackened and burnedout. Life had been there, but what form of life only Grim Hagen might havetold them. They were cindered--their atmosphere, which had not been oxygen,had burned away. Ato's probing instruments found neither liquid nor gas.His screens found an occasional shattered city, where broken spires reachedtwisted fingers into the vacant sky.

  Ato was watching the needles upon another machine. "The Old Ship has beenhere. What happened I do not know. They may have defied Grim Hagen. Maybethey refused to join him. Certainly, in all the worlds, billions of them,there must be many where conflict and submission are unknown. These peoplemight not have been able to understand Grim Hagen's ultimatum. They mayhave died trying to figure out what the strange voice from the sky wastalking about. On the other hand, he may not have given them an ultimatumat all. This may have been a practice assault--like Hitler's attack uponPoland, just to see how much death could be inflicted. We shall neverknow."

  They flashed away into space. Ato threw them into the Fourth Drive again.And once more the lights from the far-off stars circled like fireflies.And eternity curved in a rainbow of light about them.

  * * * * *

  Hours no longer existed, but it seemed to Jack Odin that many hours passedwhile he tried to get that sick, cold feeling out of his chest. Timecrawled by while he tried to resolve his thoughts. Perhaps Wolden had beenright. Men did not belong here. Man and Brons were orphans of the stars.Was there some element upon the earth that made them vicious? Was there anyway that they could come out here into space on equal terms with livingthings? Or must they always come as conquerors, eager to fight, or refugeeswho soon became resentful of the natives. Would the worlds out there becomemere plundered planets with a portion of the aborigines' land grudginglyset apart for reservations?

  Of course, Grim Hagen was a Bron--one of the worst of them. But Bronsand men had lived so close together for so long that there was littledifference between them. Odin knew some men who, given the ship andthe weapons, would have done as Grim Hagen had done. And would havearrogantly demanded a medal, besides.

  Oh, well, there was no sense in staying in the doldrums forever. Outthere, time was on the side of the stars. If a demon of discord stole in,time could wait--

  They readied themselves for combat. Ato's instruments were probing spacefor a sign of the Old Ship. The ancient weapons and some new ones werenow in place. Each man took his turn at practice.

  But Gunnar, although he was put in charge of one of the needle-nosed guns,took the service lightly. In his spare time he busied himself with his andOdin's swords.

  "Grim Hagen has all of these. We have defenses for such weapons. So hasGrim Hagen. The total of all such endeavor will be zero. And then, when thechips are down, it will be the old swords and the knives and the strongarms. Wait and see--"

  However, Odin soon learned that there was one new weapon aboard ship. Atthe request of Nea, Ato called a meeting of his ten captains.

  The girl was dressed neatly in a white skirt and blouse. She wore a redribbon in her hair. Odin had not known her to take any interest in clothes.Ordinarily she was the poorest dressed woman on the ship.

  Now, she produced her invention with a proud toss of black curls and aflush of excitement on her pale face.

  "My father's work is finished," she told them proudly. "The Scientist backthere within the moon gave me the last idea. But, all in all, it is myfather's invention. Had he lived, he would have perfected it. Just as Ihave done." Her eyes flashed. "Yes, some who are within this room thoughtthat he wasted his time away. He washed beakers in the labs because some ofyou said that he produced nothing--"

  Ato's face was thin. "Nea, the past is behind us. Why carry your resentmentwith you? Your father died a hero's de
ath. We have honored him."

  Again Nea's dark eyes flashed. "Oh, once he was dead you thought very wellof him. And as for resentment, isn't this whole trip being made because youresent Grim Hagen--"

  Ato's face was growing darker. "You signed the ship's articles, Nea. We goto rescue our friends and loved ones. We go as a police force to punish onewho has done much evil--"

  A grizzled Bron nodded in agreement. "Yes, Nea, this talk serves nopurpose. Get along with your invention."

  "Very well. I asked for a live thing, but Ato would not agree."

  Again Ato was on the defensive. "There are not a dozen pets on the ship. Ido not approve of such experiments. Besides, the batteries are already setup." He pointed to a row of dry-cells, connected together and wired to alarge volt-meter upon the wall.

  "All right." Nea threw a switch that put the batteries in circuit. Theneedle of the gauge moved over to its farthest point. "Now," she told them."You shall see. But be still. I am sure I can control it--"

  Odin thought there was just a bit of doubt in her voice. If so, it wouldonly be natural.

  She opened the case and took out something which still looked to Jack Odinlike a bowling ball--except that it was studded with little brads of copperand a swatch of fine, silky wires was wrapped around it.

  She pressed a button upon its surface. It began to hum. Slowly it rose intothe air. The silky wires drooped down. They writhed and probed about.

  "This is as near as man has ever come to making a living thing," Neaexplained. "It moves. It reacts to sensations. It makes its own energy.Watch!"

  Slowly the globe with its trailing tentacles moved about the room. Itwhined hungrily when it found the batteries. It hovered above them andthe silky wires fanned out. Then it darted down. The wires felt overthe batteries and their connections--softly--eagerly. The whine changedto a purr of enjoyment. The thing fed. And slowly the pointer upon thevolt-meter moved over to zero.

  * * * * *

  Nea raised a tiny whistle to her mouth. There was no sound, but thecopper-studded globe seemed to hear. It raised itself back into the air.The silken wires wrapped themselves about the round body. It came back toNea--slowly--almost defiantly--and settled into her arms like a plump catreturning to a doting mistress.

  Nea pressed the button again and put it back into its case.

  "Wonderful," Ato applauded. "I move that we give Nea a vote of thanks."

  "But what earthly good is it?" Gunnar asked. "I could have swatted it witha broom."

  "And you would have died." Nea turned upon him like a tigress. "It feedsupon electricity and it can discharge a lightning bolt. Don't you see?There are few weapons that can resist it. But that is not all. In your ownbrain, Gunnar, there is a charge of electricity. It may be the only reallife that you have within you. This can take it all away. That was why Iasked for a live thing to demonstrate--"

  The grizzled Bron who had spoken once before now laughed good-humoredly."Demonstrate it on Gunnar," he suggested.

  "And I will thump your skull--" Gunnar was ready to go for him, but Odingrabbed the little giant's arm.

  "He jokes. Besides, you are ruining the girl's show. This means much toher."

  Nea gave him a grateful glance. The council voted their thanks to Nea anda tribute to her father. She was assigned a half-dozen helpers to fashionas many of the globes as she could. They adjourned.

  * * * * *

  As The Nebula drove on, it became harder and harder for Odin to judgetime. He could only gauge it by some event such as the council meetingand say "before this" or "after that."

  He and Gunnar were with Ato in the control room when suddenly warningbells began to jangle and red lights flashed on and off.

  Ato adjusted the largest screen. And there, slowly revolving like anhour-glass of gold amid uprushing sparks of sun and flame, was The OldShip.

  Ato pointed to a bright star. "Aldebaran. They are headed there."

  His voice was shaking just a bit when he called into the speaker: "Battlestations, everyone!"

  Gunnar took off for the needle-nosed instrument which he had grown to hate.Odin stood by to help with the screens.

  "Watch forward now!" Ato warned. "Sight at thirty degrees above the equatorof The Nebula. Adjust for Doppler--X over Y. We have him on the screensnow. This means that he can get a fix on us. Careful now--"

  As he watched the screen, Jack Odin saw three tiny sparks leap from GrimHagen's ship. They danced toward them, growing as they came. At first theywere blue, but as they filled the screen, almost hiding the Old Ship fromhis vision, they changed to amber and topaz.

  Bells and klaxons shrieked their warnings.

  Ato watched and waited. Just as the three growing lights filled the screenhe touched a lever. The Nebula danced away. Breathless, Jack Odin alteredthe screens and watched the three globes of flame hurtle past them.

  Far away now, they slowed like living things, puzzled at having lost theirprey.

  Slowed they merged together--

  And turned back upon their quarry!