The tiny golden sphere, blazing with terrible
energy, spelled Galactic Empire at last to
the out-space horde, once they had tapped its
limitless power. They were grimly amused
therefore when Captain Glayne of the Stellar
Guardians dropped innocently out of sub-space
to view their mighty prize.
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Planet Stories Spring 1950.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
The two Terran super Galactics glided side-by-side in the immensity
of the interstellar void. Secure in the knowledge that they were the
mightiest battleships ever built in the known galaxy, they didn't
bother to raise their anti-energy shields. They knew, absolutely, that
no other warcraft in the universe could equal their strength....
Jukes, the third pilot, lounged carelessly in his gimbal-slung shock
seat, idly watching the screen before him. Aside from his sister
ship, there was nothing to be seen but the harsh points of starlight.
Cautiously he looked over his shoulder to see if the executive officer
were nearby, then, apparently satisfied, lit a cigarette and blew an
expansive plume of smoke at the serried banks of instruments that
were terraced about him.
Suddenly the intermittent glowing of a red blinker aroused him.
Throwing the butt to the deck, he bent forward, squinting into the
screen. Far down in one corner he detected an irregularly sparkling
mote moving slowly across the blazing points of the distant stars. With
a single motion of his arm he swept the Call to Quarters alarm studs
and began to speak rapidly into his throat transmitter. As the muffled
vibrating thunder of his ship's drivers rose, he could make out his
sister ship gradually swinging into an approach orbit.
A double tap on his shoulder informed him that the first pilot was
there to take over. Smoothly he slipped from the shock seat and took
up his station with the other two pilots near the auxiliary control
boards. Everywhere about him was excited, orderly confusion as the huge
warship stripped for possible action. The orbit calculators at his left
took up the excited jabbering chorus and somewhere above the third
pilot was aware of the massive charge accumulators for the Kellander
miatron blasters whining up the scale.
"It's a Delban," he muttered to his fellow pilots. "Just a pipsqueak,
too, blast his miserable, trespassing soul. A light cruiser, from what
I saw of him."