Arcot pulled a pad of paper and a pencil from his pocket and began to
sketch rapidly. First, he drew the local galaxy, with dots for stars,
and swept his hand around him. He made one of the dots a little heavier
and pointed at the bright blur in the cloudy sky above them. Then he
drew a circle around that dot and put another dot on it, at the same
time indicating the planet beneath them.
Torlos showed that he understood.
Arcot continued. At the other end of the paper, he drew another galaxy,
and indicated Earth. Then he drew a dotted line from Earth to the planet
they were now on.
Torlos looked at him in incredulous wonder. Again he indicated his
respect for Arcot's brain.
Arcot smiled and indicated the city. "Can we go there?" he projected
into the other's mind.
Torlos turned and glanced toward the end of the corridor. There was no
one in sight, so he shouted an order in a deep, pleasant voice.
Instantly, another giant man came striding down the corridor with a
lithe softness that indicated tremendous muscular power, excellently
controlled. He saluted by placing his left hand over the right side of
his chest. Arcot noted that for future reference.
Torlos spoke to the other alien for a moment. The other left and
returned a minute later and said something to Torlos. Torlos turned to
Arcot indicating that he should return to his ship and follow them.
Arcot suddenly turned his eyes and looked directly into the black eyes
of the alien. "Torlos," he projected, "will you come with us on our
ship?"
"I am commander of this ship. I can not go without the permission of my
chief. I will ask my chief."
Again he turned and left Arcot. He was back in a few minutes carrying a
small handbag. "I can go. This keeps me in communication with my ship."
Arcot adjusted his weight to zero and floated lightly out the doorway.
He rose about six feet above the landing, then indicated to Torlos that
he was to grasp Arcot's feet, one in each hand. Torlos closed a grip of
steel about each ankle and stepped off the platform.
At once, they dropped, for the power suit had not been adjusted to the
load. Arcot yelped in pain as Torlos, in his surprise at not floating,
involuntarily gripped tighter. Quickly, Arcot turned on more power and
gasped as he felt the weight mount swiftly. He had estimated Torlos'
weight at two hundred seventy or so--and it was more like three hundred
and fifty! Soon, however, he had the weight adjusted, and they floated
easily up toward the _Ancient Mariner_.
They floated in through the door of the ship, and, once inside, Torlos
released his hold. Arcot was immediately slammed to the roof with a
weight of three hundred and fifty pounds!
A moment later, he was again back on the floor, rubbing his back. He
shook his head and frowned, then smiled and pretended to limp.
"Don't let go so suddenly," he admonished telepathically.
"I did not know. I am sorry," Torlos thought contritely.
"Who's your friend?" asked Wade as he entered the corridor. "He
certainly looks husky."
"He is," Arcot affirmed. "And he must be weighted with lead! I thought
he'd pull my legs off. Look at those arms!"
"I don't want to get him mad at me," Wade grinned. "He looks like he'd
make a mean opponent. What's his name?"
"Torlos," replied Arcot, just as Fuller stepped in.
Torlos was looking curiously at a crowbar that had been lying in a rack
on the wall. He picked it up and flexed it a bit, as a man might flex a
rapier to test its material. Then he held it far out in front of him and
proceeded to tie a knot in the inch-thick metal bar! Then, still
frowning in puzzlement, he untied it, straightened it as best he could,
and put it back in the rack.
The Earthmen were staring in utter astonishment to see the terrific
strength the man displayed.
He smiled as he turned to them again.
"If he could do that at arm's length," Wade said thoughtfully, "what
could he do if he really tried?"
"Why don't you try and see?" Fuller asked sweetly.
"I can think of easier--but probably no quicker--ways of committing
suicide," Wade replied.
Arcot laughed and, looking at Torlos, projected the general meaning of
the last remarks. Torlos joined them in the laugh.
"All my people are strong," he thought. "I can not understand why you
are not. That was a tool? We could not use it so; it is too weak."
Wade and the others picked up the thought, and Wade laughed. "I suppose
they use old I-beams to tie up their Christmas presents."
Arcot held a moment of silent consultation with Torlos, then turned to
the others. "We are supposed to follow these men to their city to have
some kind of an audience with their ruler, according to Torlos. Let's
get started; the rest of the fleet is waiting."
Arcot led Torlos through the main engine room, and was going into the
main coil room when Torlos stopped him.
"Is this all your drive apparatus?" he thought.
"Yes, it is," Arcot projected.
"It is smaller than the power equipment of a small private machine!" His
thoughts radiated surprise. "How could you make so great a distance?"
"Power," said Arcot. "Look!" He drew his molecular ray pistol. "This
alone is powerful enough to destroy all your battle fleet without any
danger on our part. And, despite your strength, you are helpless against
me!"
Arcot touched a switch on his belt and vanished.
In amazement, Torlos reached out a hand to the spot where Arcot had
stood. There was nothing there. Suddenly, he turned, touching the back
of his head. Something had tugged at his hair!
He looked all around him and moved his arms around--to no avail. There
was nothing there.
Then, in the blink of an eye, Arcot was floating in the air before him.
"What avails strength against air, Torlos?" he asked, smiling.
"For safety's sake," Torlos thought, "I want to be your friend!" He
grinned widely.
Arcot led the way on into the control room, where Morey had already
started to follow the great fleet toward the city.
"What are we going to do at the city?" Arcot asked Torlos
telepathically.
"This is the capital of the world, Sator, and here is the
commander-of-all-military-and-civil-forces. It is he you will see. He
has been summoned," Torlos replied carefully.
"We visited the third world of this system first," Arcot told the
alien, "and they repulsed us. We tried to be friendly, but they attacked
us at once. In order to keep from being damaged, we had to destroy one
of their city-protecting ray buildings." This last thought was hard to
transmit; Arcot had pictured mentally a scene in which the ray building
was ripped out of the ground and hurled into the air.
In sudden anxiety and concern, Torlos stared into Arcot's eyes. And in
that look, Arcot read what even telepathy had hidden heretofore.
"Did you destroy the city?" asked Torlos anxiously. But it was not the
question of a man hoping for the destruction of his enemies' cities;
Arcot got the mental picture of the city, but with it, he picked up the
idea of "home"! Of course, the ideas of "city" and "home" might be
synonymous with these people; they never seemed to leave their cities.
But why this feeling of worry?
"No, we didn't want to hurt them," Arcot thought. "We destroyed the ray
building only in self defense."
"I understand." Despite obvious mental efforts, Torlos positively
radiated a feeling of relief!
"Are you at war with that world?" Arcot asked coolly.
"The two worlds have been at war for many generations," Torlos said,
then quickly changed the subject. "You will soon meet the leader of all
the forces of Sator. He is all-powerful here. His word must be
absolutely obeyed. It would be wise if you did not unnecessarily offend
him. I see from what your mind tells me that you have great power, but
there are many ships on Sator, more than Nansal can boast.
"Our commander, Horlan, is a military commander, but since every man is
necessarily a soldier, he is a true ruler."
"I understand," Arcot thought. He turned to Morey and spoke in English,
which Torlos could not understand. "Morey, we're going to see the top
man here. He rules the army, which runs everything. You and I will go,
and leave Wade and Fuller behind as a rear guard. It may not be
dangerous, but after being chased off one world, we ought to be as
careful as possible.
"We'll go fully armed, and we'll stay in radio contact at all times.
Watch yourselves; we don't want them even to touch this ship until we
know what kind of people they are."
They had followed the Satorian ships toward the city. The giant magnetic
ray barrier opened for them, and the _Ancient Mariner_ followed. They
were inside the alien city.