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.First the occupants would have an opportunity to provetheir friendliness."Terrestrians Arcot, Morey and Wade reporting back from exploration in space,with two friends.All have been on Earth with us previously," said Arcot intothe radio vision apparatus."Very well, Dr.Arcot.You are going to New York or Vermont?" asked the Patrolcommander."Vermont.""Yes, Sir.I'll see that you aren't stopped again." And, thanks to the messagethus sent ahead, they were not, and in less than half an hour they landed oncemore in Vermont, on the field from which they had started.The group of scientists who had been here on their last call had gone, whichseemed natural enough to them, who had been working for three months in theinterval of their trip, but to Dr.Arcot senior, as he saw them, it was amisfortune."Now I never will get straight all you'll have ready, and I didn't expect youback till next week.The men have all gone back to their laboratories, sincethat permits of better work on the part of each, but we can call them here inhalf an hour.I'm sure they'll want to come.What did you learn, Son, orhaven't you done any calculating on your data as yet?""We learned plenty, and I feel quite sure that a hint of what we have wouldbring all those learning-hounds around us pretty quickly, Dad," laughed Arcotjunior, "and believe it or not, we've been calculating on this stuff for threemonths since we left yesterday!" "What!""Yes, it's true! We were on our time field, and turned on the spacecontrol and a Thessian ship picked that moment to run into us.We cut the shipin half as neatly as you please, but it threw us eighty thousand years intothe past.We have been coasting through time on retarded rate while Earthcaught up with itself, so to speak.In the meantime three months in a day!"But don't call those men.Let them come to the appointment, while we do somework, and we have plenty of work to do, Iassure you.We have a list of things to order from the standard supply houses,and I think you better get them for us, Dad."Arcot's manner became serious now."We haven't gotten our Government ExpenseResearch Cards yet, and you have.Order the stuff, and get it out here, while we get ready for it.Honestly, Ibe-Keve that a few ships such as this apparatus will permit, will be enough inthemselves to do the job.It really is a pity that the other men didn't havethe opportunity we had for crowding much work into little time!"But then, I wouldn't want to take that road to concentration again myself!"Have the enemy amused you in my absence? Come on, let's sit down in the houseinstead of standing here in the sun."They started toward the house, as Arcot senior explained what had happened inthe short time they had been away."There is a friend of yours here, whom youhaven't seen in some time, Son.He came with some allies."As they entered the house, they could hear the boards creak under some heavyweight that moved across the floor, soundlessly and light of motion in itself.A shadow fell across the hall floor, and in the doorway a tremendouslypowerfully-built figure stood.Page 55ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlHe seemed to overflow the doorway, nearly six and a half feet tall, and fullyas wide as the door.His rugged, bronzed face was smiling pleasantly, and hisdeep-set eyes seemed to flash; a living force flowed from them."Torlos! By the Nine Planets! Torlos of Nansal! Say, I didn't expect you here,and I will not put my hand in that meatgrinder of yours," grinned Arcothappily, as Torlos stretched forth a friendly, but quite too powerful hand.Torlos of Nansal, that planet Arcot had discovered on his first voyage acrossspace, far in another Island of Space, anotherIsland Universe, was not constructed as are human beings of Earth, nor ofVenus, Talso, or Ortol, but most nearly resembled, save in size, theThessians.Their framework, instead of being stone, as is ours, was iron,their bones were pure metallic iron, far stronger than bone.On these farstronger bones were great muscles of an entirely different sort, a muscle thatused heat of the body as its fuel, a muscle that was utterly tireless, andunbelievably powerful.Not a chemical engine, but a molecular motion engine,it had no chemical fatigue-products that would tire it, and needed only theconstant heat supply the body sucked from the air to work indefinitely.Unlimited by waste-carrying considerations, the strength was enormous.It was one of the commercial space freighters plying between Nansal, Sator,Earth and Venus that had brought the news of this war to him, Torlosexplained, and he, as the new Trade Coordinator and Fourth of the Four who nowruled Nansal, had suggested that they go to the aid of the man who had soaided them in their great war with Sator.It was Arcot's gift of the secret ofthe molecular ray and the molecular ship that had enabled them to overcometheir enemy of centuries, and force upon them an unwelcome peace.Now, with a fleet of fifty interstellar, or better, intergalac-ticbattleships, Nansal was coming to Earth's aid.The battleships were now on patrol with all of Earth's and Venus' fleet.Butthe Nansalian ships were all equipped with the enormously rapid spacedistortion system of travel, of course, and were a shock troop in the patrol.The Terres-trian andVenerian patrols were not so equipped in full."And Arcot, from what I have learned from your father, it seems that I can beof real assistance," finished Torlos."But now, I think, I should know what the enemy has done.I see they builtsome forts.""Yes," replied Arcot senior, "they did.They decided that the system used onthe forts of North and South poles was too effective.They moved to space, andcut off slices of Luna, pulled it over on their molecular rays, and usedsome of1the most magnificent apparatus you ever dreamed of.I have just startedworking on the mathematics of it."We sent out a fleet to do some investigating, but they attacked, and stoppedwork in the meantime.Whatever the ray is that can destroy matter at adistance, they are afraid that we could find its secret too easily, and blpckit, for they don't think it is a weapon, and it is evidently slow in action.""Then it isn't what I thought it was," muttered Arcot."What did you think itwas?" asked his father."Er tell you later.Go on with the account." "Well, tocontinue.We have not been idle.Following your suggestion, we built up alarge ray screen apparatus, in fact, several of them, and carried them inships to different parts of the world.Also some of the planets, lestthey start dropping worlds on us.They are already in operation, sending theirdefensive waves against theHeaviside layer.Radio is poor, over any distance, and we can't call Venusfrom inside the layer now.However, we tested the protection, and itworks far more efficiently than we calculated, due to theamazing conductivity of the layer."If they intend to attack in thatway, I suspect that it will be soon, for they are ready now, as we discovered.An attack on their fort was met with a ray screen from the fort.Page 56ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"They fight with a wild viciousness now.They won't let a ship get near them.They destroy everything on sight.They seem tremendously afraid of thatapparatus of yours.Too bad we had no more.""We will have if you will let me get to work." They went to the ship, andentered it.Arcot senior did not follow, but the others waited, while the shipleft Earth once more, and floated in space [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]