Skylark Three

sne's

beings could walk, and two men got up, exercised vigorously to restore the circulation to their numbed bodies,

eless blue eyes, his slight form of rather less than medium height. But never did outward attributes more belie the inner man! The yellow curls covered a brain agile, keen, and hard; the girlish complexion neither paled nor reddened under stress; the wide blue eyes had glanced along the barrels of so many lethal weapons, that in various locali

of ham and eggs, buttered toast, and strong, a

t to know w

ome, by the way this elevator of y

" DuQuesne, watching the other narrowly as he made this startling announcement and remembering the effect of a similar one upon Perkins, saw with approval

e is nine-tenths of a good breakfast. As to where we a

o know where we'r

ling in case of a leak. Now that we are on our way, though, maybe I should know enough about things to act intelligently, if something unfore

u are in as deep as you can get, and since this trip is dangerous, you should know everything there is

lieve

sne applied more power, but not en

er as hard all the way, th

rselves. High acceleration is punishment for anyone and we must keep ourselves

d other

one upon me; but, sensitive as they are, they can't hold on a mass as small as a man at this distance. That was why we left at midnight, after he had gone to bed-so that we'

tellar cruise, the voyage of the Skylark of Space. When h

and all at once. Do you mind if I ask a few foolish

is hard to understand a lot of that Osnom

away-how are you

ep me from finding out anything, but I learned all about the compasses, built a few of them in their own shop, and set one on Osnome. I had it, among other things, i

arenak armor t

dred times as strong as chrome-vanadium steel, and even when you've got it to the yield-point, it doesn't break, but stretches out and snaps back, like rubber, with the strength unimpaired.

that stuff will stop a stee

ard to believe, but nevertheless it's a fact. The only way to kill Seaton with a gun would be to use one heavy enough so that the shock of the impact would kill him-and it wouldn't surprise

heard that

of it. You know that I'm

and that's saying somethin

quarter of a second after he had his side all cleaned up. To make it worse I missed once with my left hand-he didn't. There's absolutely no use tackling Richard Seaton without an Osnomian ray-generator or some

le him with heat. How

s a kid. He's one of the best amateur magicians in the country, and I will sa

e have only ordinary weapons and they have all that stuff. Thi

d what we are out here to get for ourselves. Y

d have gone alone; so I also suspect that that's only half of it. I

ay screens, generators, guns, and everything else, upon this ship, or else convert their vessel into a space-ship. Instead of using their ordinary power, however, we will do as Seaton did, and use intra-atomic power, which is practically infinite. Then we'll have everything Seaton's got, but that isn't enoug

I ask how you

weak, and because of the light gravity of the planet, I had to do a lot of work or walking to keep in any kind of condition at all. I learned Kondalian quickly, and g

n off, and that made me curious, because no imaginable fall will break an arenak hull. I walked in through the hole and saw that it was one of their fighting tenders-a combination warship and repair shop, with all of the stuff in it that I've been telling you about. The generators were mostly burned out

rship? And what good could a mechanical e

ake any difference-you can read their brains just the same, if they haven't been dead too long. However, when I tried to read theirs, I found only blanks-their brains had been destroyed so that nobody could

ights' that I used to read when I was a boy. You know, it really i

rd to understand, but I'm going to

oat and looking out of the windows, I'll believe any

others, because he put on an air-helmet and dived into this locker where he hid under a pile of gear, fixing things so that he could see out through the transparent arenak of the wall. No sooner was he hidden that the front end of the ship went up in a blaze of light, in spite of their ray screens going full blast. They were up so high by that time that when the bow was burned off the other three fainted

st booties I know, then. The stuff we've been getting

y were going to wipe out all the present inhabitants of the system and take it over, as a base for further operations. After that they amused themselves by describing exactly the kinds of death and destruction they were going to use. They described most of it in great detail. It's too involved to tell you about now, but they've got rays, generators, and screens that even the Osnomians never heard of. And of course they've got intra-atomic energy the same as we have. After telling them all this and watching them suffer, they put

trange facts. "That news is staggering, Doctor. Think of

e fact any actual consideration. But now that you've had a little time to get used to the idea of there being othe

ff that we won't be able to make the approach. However, if the Osnomian fittings we're going to get are as good as you say they are, I

actual procedure over there is concerned, of course, I haven't made any definite plans. We'll have to size up the situa

gly unlike physically, but so alike inwardly, shook hands

o men took their regular shifts at the controls. In due time they approached Osnome, and DuQues

al now. No, there's a war on down there yet-at least, there's

?" asked Loring, who was also exam

bably built more of them since that time. Their airships can't touch us, but those ball-shap

ils. They're certainly having a hot tim

bbornly defended by the inhabitants of the third planet of the f

I want to see if they've got many of those space-ships in action, and you will want to see what w

rent material, partially covered with slag, through which they saw that the central space was occupied by orderly groups of barracks, and that round the circumference were arranged gigantic generators, projectors, and other machinery at whose purposes they could not even guess. From the base of the dome a twenty-mile-wide apron of the same glassy substance spread over the ground, and above this apron and around the dome were thrown the mighty defensive ray-screens,

ing directed under the exposed edge of that unbreakable apron, which was in actuality anchored to the solid core of the planet itself; lava flowing into and filling up the vast craters caused by the explosions. The attack seemed fiercest at certain points, perhaps a quarter of a mile apart around the circle, and after a time the watchers perceived that at those points, under the edge of the apron, in that indescribable inferno of boiling lava, destructive rays, and

tly, repaired or replaced, it would be back at work. But it was not the defenders who had suffered most heavily. The fortress was literally ringed about with the shattered remnants o

ped out into the air, followed by a puff of orange-colored smoke. At the first sign of trouble, the ship next it in line leaped in front of it and the four figures floated gently to the ground, supported by friendly attractors and protected from enemy rays by the bulk and by the screens of the rescuing vessel. Two great airships

he teamwork they use when it does happen. How about waiting until they disable another one like that, and then grabbing it while its in the a

e, he went on: "So this is war out this way? You're right. Seaton, with half this stuff, could whip the combined armies and navies of the

nder if it can be the strangers already? Don't think so-they aren't due for a couple of years yet, and I don't think the Kondalians could stand against them a minute. It must be what is left of M

long time before deciding that it was safe to board it. Through the transparent walls they could see no sign of life, and DuQuesne donned a vacuum suit and stepped into the airlock. As Loring held the steel vessel close to the stranger, DuQuesne leaped lightly through the open door into the interior. Shutting the door, he opened an auxiliary air-tank, adjusting the gauge to one atmosphere as he did so. The pressure normal, he dive

s undoubtedly one of the finest space-ships of

they ge

all. The copper repellers are gone, of course, and most of the bars that were in use are melted down, but there was enough of the main bar left to drive the ship and we can replace the melted stuff easily enough. Nothing else was hurt, as there's absolutely nothing in the structure of th

he smoke we

r water was all boiled away through the safety-valves. Those

pper repeller-bands? This ship mus

ront line. As to banding on the repellers-that's easy. That airship is half full of metal-working machinery that

to keen and direct scrutiny, and drove their task through to completion on the shortest possible time. The copper repellers were banded on, and much additional machinery was installed in the already well-equipped shop. This done, they transferred to

se ships? They could get a g

though, to test everything out. Since you're not familiar with the controls of a ship of this

the vessel lightly to a landing upon their return. "We can burn the old one up no

condense all around. We don't want to leave any tracks, so we'd better pull them out into space to destroy them. We could turn them loose, and as you've

airship, pressed the connectors of the softener ray, the heat ray, and the induction ray, and threw the master switch. Almost instantly the entire hull became blinding white, but it was several seconds before the extr

when the destruction was complete. "Now shine it on that sixty-in

radiance-as he swung the projector in one flashing arc from the stem to the s

this ship of ours has a ski

want to argue with anybody out here

and the power of these rays. Suppose I had ha

we could have whipped even

This new one of ours is such a sweet, harmless, inoffensiv

hundreds of thousand of miles per second, then reversing the acceleration until the velocity was zero. They studied the controls and alarm system until each knew perfectly every instrument, every tiny light, and the tone of each bell. They practiced with the rays, singly and in combinat

arm bell sounded its warning and a brillian

-atomic energy detector. Somebody's using power out here. Direction

hem a long time they saw a sudden sharp flash, apparently an immense distance ahead, a

n at once for three or four seconds," reported DuQue

more put upon her course. As she proceeded, however, the warnings of the liberation of intra-atomic energy grew stronger and stronger, and both men scanned their path intensely for a sight of the source of the disturbance, while their

hen we passed it, it's nothing to be afraid

an object floating in spac

lock, or shall we bring it in w

It's probably an Osnomian, but you never can tell. It may be one of those other people. We know they were around h

into the airlock. "He's big enough around for four Osnomians,

ne approached him. He then read the temperature and pressure of the stranger's air-supply, and allowed the surplus air t

the educator and han

onscious, and we might not be able to

irst quest was for the weapons and armament of the vessel. In this he was disappointed, as he learned that the stranger was one of the navigating engineers, and as such, had no detailed knowledge of the matters of prime importance to t

hrough an extraordinarily powerful telescope with the eyes of their prisoner, they saw them approach, all unsuspecting. DuQuesne recognized all five persons in the Skylark and Dunark and Sitar in the Kondal; such was that unearthly optical instrument and so clear was the impression upon the mind before him. They saw the attack and the battle. They saw the Skylark throw off her zone of force a

owerful were the forces upon him, however, that only a few twitching muscles gave evidence that he was struggling at all. Glancing about him he recognized the attractors and repellers bearing upon him, ceased his efforts to escape, and hurled the full power of

nlike you of the Fenachrone, however, men of my race do not always kill strangers at sight, merely because they are strang

you who have destroyed my vessel. If you have mentality enough to understand any portion of my mind-whi

dering whether it was to his advantage to infor

e terms. An automatic liar by instinct and training whenever you think lies will best serve your purpose, you may yet have intelligence enough to recognize simple truth when you hear it. You already have observed that we are of the same race as those who destroyed your vessel, and have assumed that we are with them. In that you are wrong. It is true that I am

's barbed comments concerning his honor and ver

l of ours, with its secrets unknown to any others of the Unive

too, remember that I have your mind, and can get along without you; even though I am willing to admit that you could be of enough help to me so that I would save your life in exchange for that help. Also remember that, superman tho

f those things. I can, however, do this much-if you will return me to my own planet, you two shall be received as guests aboard one of our vessels and

eased until after you have told all. Then, and then only, will we try to discover a way of returning you to your own world safely, and yet in a manner which wi

yzing every feature of the situati

knowledge of your mind, reenforced by your own dead brain; and with the vast resources of all the planets of the green system; there is no doubt that the plans of the Fenachrone will be seriously interfered with. Myriads of your race will certainly lose their lives, and

place in your mind?" The stranger spoke thoughtfully. "In that I understand your viewpoint thoroughly. But, after I have remodeled

dictating terms. We can get along without you. Therefore you must decide quickly whether you would rather die suddenly and surely, here in space and right now, or help us as

o the prisoner. "Wouldn't we gain more by killing him and g

wanted to-and I haven't the slightest intention of trying. I intend killing him on sight. Here's what we're going to do. First, we'll get what we came after. Then we'll find the Skylark and blow her clear out of space, and take over the pieces of that Fenachrone ship. After that we'

one-for he well knew one fact that DuQuesne's hurried inspection had failed to glean from the labyrinthine intricacies of that fearsome brain: that once within the detector screens of that distant solar system these Earth-beings would be utterly helpless before the forces which would inevitably be turned upon them. A

y supposed the ultimate in protection, were reenforced by a ten-thousand-pound mass of activated copper, effective for untold millions of

entire hull. The passengers felt only the utter lack of all weight and the other peculiar sensations with which they were already familiar, as each had had previous experience of free motion in