_The Betrayal of Dalis_
And until the arrival of the other two Sarkas, Dalis said nothing. His
face flushed an angry red as Sarka the First received the "Enter" Signal
and stepped into the laboratory which had once been his--which he had
delivered into the capable hands of Sarka the Second, in order to find
new channels for his genius, as a worker for the betterment of the
world's people. This he had found in organization, so that the people
worked and labored, despite their personal quarrels, in closer harmony
than they ever had before. But now Sarka the Third had called, and the
two Sarkas responded. Dalis snarled at his ancient enemy, who looked to
be the image of Sarka the Third and not one whit older, though one had
preceded the other into the world by many centuries.
"Still the pleasant, congenial Dalis, I see!" smiled Sarka the First.
* * * * *
For the moment it seemed that Dalis would die there of his seething
anger; but he answered no word for all of a minute. Then:
"This mad grandson of yours has made me a prisoner, until such time as I
concur in all his plans!"
"If he says you are a prisoner, that you are!" snapped the elder Sarka
angrily. "Son, what is this thing you plan?"
"For almost a century," replied Sarka, "I have been planning this. I
knew, when father told me that Dalis had sworn he was able to halt for a
moment the headlong flight of the Earth in its orbit, that Dalis did not
lie or bluff! In your day, even, that was possible, and I continued with
the knotty problem until I deduced the manner of its doing. I, too, can
halt the Earth's rotation, or throw it out of its orbit! I took your
idea, Dalis, _independently_ of you, knowing you would never reveal
your secret to a Sarka, and amplified it until I can not only halt the
Earth in its orbit, but throw it out of its orbit entirely!"
For a moment Sarka studied the angry face of Dalis, and his own was very
thoughtful.
"Dalis," he said at last, "I wish you were not our enemy! For you are a
genius, and the world has need of all the knowledge of such genius as it
possesses. Why do you oppose us?"
"Because," snarled Dalis, "I guessed something of your plan that I do
not like! I do not like the Sarkas, never have; but neither have the
Sarkas any love for me! When you spoke to us all, I knew that somehow
you had discovered the secret! You spoke, when you delivered your
ultimatum, of attacking the Moon, and after it Mars! You also granted to
my Gens what would have seemed a great honor--to anyone who did not
fathom the tricky scheming of the Sarkas!--that of being the first into
the fray! If we are to be first, and the Moon is to be the first
attacked, then you plan to relieve the world forever of me, your
arch-enemy, by exiling me and all my Gens upon the Moon! A dead world,
covered with ashes, whose people dwell in dank caverns, like gnomes of
the underworld...."
* * * * *
"Stay!" snapped Sarka. "But I granted you a greater honor even than
that, Dalis! I planned on your Gens, led by you, making a successful
conquest of the Moon--because only such a genius as Dalis could force
from this dead world a living for his Gens! Because you are the wisest
of the Spokesmen, I planned for you the greatest task! Because I need
you ... I do not slay you!"
"I thank you," bowing low, with the deepest sarcasm, "but you honor me
too much! And tell me, pray, if it is not true that you plan for the
Sarkas their choice of the best and newest worlds of the Universe?"
Sarka did not answer for a second, while his sensitive nostrils quivered
with fury. The Sarkas had not noticed, but Jaska, daughter of Cleric,
had admitted herself through the Exit Dome, in a way known only to Sarka
and to herself, as she had entered many times before so as not to
disturb Sarka at his labors. She now stood silently there, divesting
herself of her Belt and outer clothing, beneath which was the golden
toga worn by all the women of the earth. Dalis, however, had seen her,
and his eyes narrowed craftily as he awaited the answer of Sarka.
"Dalis," said Sarka softly, "it is not for you to question me, but to
obey me! I have not undertaken this step without mastering all its
details, and I refuse to allow you to swerve me in a single one of them
from my plan."
* * * * *
Dalis straightened, standing stiffly at savage attention, and met the
angry eyes of Sarka without flinching. There was no fear in Dalis, as
all the world knew. But he was a schemer, and selfish.
"After all," he said, "I have known Sarkas to make promises they could
not keep! How do I know, how does the world know, that you can do what
you say you can do?"
"If," said Sarka, "I close all contact of this laboratory with the world
outside, so that none may hear what I say save we four, and I then
whisper here the secret you never told, Dalis, when my father's father
refused to help you--will you then believe?"
The face of Dalis went suddenly white, but he nodded, his eyes burning
redly. Jaska moved closer to the men, who stood near the table of the
vari-colored lights.
"You needed my father's father," said Sarka softly, "because the secret
of your scheme rested here in this laboratory, which is the highest
point in the world! You pretended to need him in your scheme; but you
did not need my father's father, though you _did_ need his laboratory,
and some of the facts of science that _he_ discovered. So you came to
him with your scheme, discovered that he believed, though he denied it,
your scheme was possible--because he refused to aid you in it! Then, as
an excuse to re-enter this laboratory, you told him you would return
within two days! Now, shall I tell you your secret?"
* * * * *
The lips of Dalis were moving soundlessly. His right hand started to
rise, as though he would make it signal the negative he was unable for a
moment to speak. But even as he stood there, swaying slightly on his
feet, Sarka dashed to the lights on the table, disconnecting them one by
one; to the Revolving Beryl, which then ceased to revolve for the first
time in centuries--whirled when he had finished, and stepped to the very
center of the room.
"Now," he whispered, "your secret, Dalis!"
Still the hand upraised, still Dalis tried to speak, and could not.
Sarka spoke, in a hoarse, almost terrified whisper, four words:
"The Beryl! The Ovoids!"
Gasps of surprise from the other two Sarkas, whose eyes for a second
flashed to the huge Beryl, which now was still, silent--and blind.
Dawning comprehension was evident in their faces.
"The success of the Revolving Beryl," whispered Sarka, "which sees all
that transpires in this world, depends on one fact: that its revolving
is proportionately timed to infinite exactness with the revolution of
the Earth about its axis! This Beryl is the Master Beryl of the Earth,
which was why Dalis needed this Beryl, and could use no other!"
* * * * *
"Suppose that for a period of two days, uniformly progressive, this
Beryl were forced to revolve in sharp jerks at an increasing rate of
speed! With all connections in place, and all the world's Beryls attuned
to the speed of this one--what would happen? What would happen if a
single Gens were marshalled in warlike array atop the area of the Gens,
and kept up a steady, rhythmic march for a period of hours?"
"In a few hours," whispered Sarka the First, "the roof of the Gens area
would begin to vibrate, to vibrate throughout all the area, and even
into all surrounding Gens areas--and in time the roof would collapse!"
"Exactly!" said Sarka, breathing heavily. "This Beryl, when attuned to
all other Beryls in the world, would have this vibratory effect, not
only on a certain area of the world--but upon the entire world!--Force
the speed of the Beryls to the uttermost limit, and you sway the world
to your will! As a marching horde would sway the roof of a vast section
of the world if the horde's commander willed!
"But that is not enough! The world would tremble, but nothing more! The
Earth's store of Ovidum, which is Anti-Gravitational, and used in minute
quantities in our Anti-Gravitational Ovoids, is evenly distributed
throughout the world. By vibration of the Beryls I can control it,
scatter it or gather it all together wherever I will! By shifting
through vibration this Anti-Gravitational material, I can disrupt, make
uneven, or nullify the pull of gravity on the Earth!"
"That would do it," said Dalis, finding his voice at last; "but how
would you control the course the Earth would take, thus thrown out of
its orbit?"
"That, my dear Dalis, is for the moment my secret!"
"But is it?" Dalis suddenly shouted.
* * * * *
Before the three Sarkas could recover from their surprise at the man's
sudden vehemence, he made a swift, terrifying move. He leaped away from
them to stand beside Jaska, daughter of Cleric.
"Sarka," he shrieked, "I know you love this woman! Note this little tube
I hold against her side. With it I can cause her to vanish for all time,
merely by a slight pressure of the fingers! And that will I do, unless
you immediately open all contacts with the world and remain silent while
I tell the people of Earth how you would betray them!"
The three Sarkas were petrified with amazement and horror, for they
recognized the slender tube in the hand of Dalis as a Ray Director, the
world's greatest engine of destruction, and knew that it would do
exactly as Dalis had said it would.
Automatically, because they were brave men, they had stepped a trifle
closer to Jaska and Dalis. Perspiration poured from their cheeks as they
stared at this rebel. But their fears were for Jaska, who now spoke for
the first time.
"Let him do as he wills," she said smilingly, "since for the good of the
world I do not fear to die! Refuse him, Sarka, and know that I go into
Death's Darkness loving you always, and knowing that you will succeed in
the end, in spite of the opposition of men like Dalis!"
* * * * *
A man of unexpected actions, this Dalis, for while the attentions of the
Sarkas were on the little tableau he had staged, his eyes had darted to
the Beryl, to the control which Sarka had touched to still its
revolving. Now he sprang away from Jaska, was free of her and the Sarkas
before any could move to intercept him.
He dashed to the Beryl. Instantly it swept into motion, while Dalis
whirled to face the Sarkas, and from his lips came a burst of triumphant
laughter. One hand was on the Beryl Control, the other still held the
Ray Director.
"Fools!" he cried. "Fools! Duped like children! And now it is Dalis who
is master of the world! Move closer to me, and I will turn my Ray
Director upon this Beryl, which you have so kindly informed me is master
of all the Beryls and of all Ovidum deposits! Be glad that I do not turn
it upon you; but for you I have a kinder, more honorable fate! I now am
master, and will direct the destiny of the world! But I will never
leave it, because I suspect that it is the most pleasant of all the
worlds! I will, however, choose for the Sarkas a world that shall be the
dreariest in all the Universe!"
The Sarkas whirled as soft laughter came from Jaska, daughter of Cleric.
Strange, lilting laughter. They turned in time to see her vanish through
the Exit Dome; but for a long moment her jeering laughter seemed to
sound in the laboratory she had left-and, to judge by her laughter, had
betrayed! For Dalis, arch-traitor, echoed her laughter!