_The Attack of the Yellow Stars_
"Why should I safeguard Jaska?" asked Sarka quietly. "She is a true
daughter of Cleric! If Cleric does not fear for her to be Spokesman of a
Gens, why should I? He is her father. If she wins, the more glory will
be hers! If she loses, she will at least have tried!"
"Meaning," snarled Dalis, "that I have refused even to try!"
Sarka shrugged expressively, and the three stepped once more into the
Observatory, took their places before the Micro-Telescopes. For a moment
they could not see the outline of the Moon, for during their brief
sojourn in the laboratory the Moon seemed to have disintegrated, flying
into countless spheroidal pieces.
"You see?" said Dalis. "The Moon-men do not wait for us! They attack!"
It was all too true that the Aircars which had been mustered at the rims
of the Moon's craters had been hurled outward into space, outward toward
the on-rushing Earth, and the myriad numbers of them for a time shut out
all view of the surface of the Moon.
"God!" spoke Sarka, and it was like a prayer. His cheeks were pale as
death, for in a moment he would speak the word which would send the Gens
of Dalis, under the leadership of Jaska, out against these formidable
Aircars of the Moon-men, and the appearance of the on-rushing cars was
terrifying. That their flying radius, outward, was a great one, was
manifest by the fact that the Earth would not for another hour reach its
closest estimated point with the Moon.
* * * * *
Sarka, exchanging glances with his father, rose and stepped again into
the laboratory. Even as he entered the room of the Master Beryl,
Jaska's broken signal came through.
"I am ready, Sarka!" came her soft voice, vibrant with confidence. "The
Gens is ready, and the Gens believes in me!"
For a moment Sarka hesitated before taking the plunge. Then he spoke the
fatal words.
"Go, Jaska, and my love goes with you!"
As the Earth approached closer to the Moon, the revolving of the Beryls
had been decreased, so that the motion of the Master Beryl was almost
normal--normal being that speed with which it revolved when it was
necessary to use it for visual contact with the people of the Earth.
Out of the area of the Gens of Dalis darted the green specks which were
the flying people of Dalis! Sarka, staring in among them, focussing the
Beryl-microscope, sought for some way of identifying Jaska, who led
them. A thrill coursed through him when he made her out,
unmistakably--dressed still in the tight white clothing of her own Gens,
with the Red Lily of the house of Cleric on her breast and on her back!
The daughter of Cleric was leading the Gens of Dalis into combat under
her own colors and her father's insignia!
* * * * *
Sarka raced back to the Observatory, seated himself again to watch the
attack, which must of necessity be joined within a matter almost of
minutes. Those myriads of Aircars flying outward from the Moon, had
seemed invincible; but up until now he had never seen an entire Gens
mustered at one time. His whole being thrilled with the awesome grandeur
of the spectacle; it seemed that not an able-bodied individual of the
Gens of Dalis had failed to answer the muster of the Gens.
Millions upon millions of people, taking off the icy roof of that part
of the Earth lying between Ohi and the North Pole, from the heart of
what had once been part of the Pacific Ocean.
So many of them were there that when they were free of the Earth,
flashing outward at two thousand miles an hour, it was impossible to see
the Moon or those formidable Aircars--and still, out of the heart of the
area of the Gens of Dalis, came other myriads, each flight waiting only
for the preceding flight to clear!
The green, tight fitting clothing of the Gens of Dalis, each individual
wearing the yellow star of the Spokesman of the Gens! A marvelous,
awe-inspiring sight!
And this was but a single area, and the earth was divided into twelve
such areas, some smaller, none larger, which showed Sarka for the first
time a hint of the mighty man-power, and fighting woman-power which he
controlled. However, once free of the Earth, conduct of the fight would
be in the hands of the Spokesman--Jaska, acting for Dalis.
* * * * *
Sarka turned to Dalis, his eyes flashing.
"Does it not thrill you, O Dalis?" he demanded. "Do you not wish now
that you had gone out with your people as their leader?"
"They follow Jaska like sheep," he stated with a snort. "But wait! My
Gens seem invincible, because it bulks between us and the Aircars of the
Moon-Dwellers! Wait, see how the battle goes! The Gens may yet have need
of Dalis!"
Sarka studied those outgoing hosts, which were dwindling away to mere
specks with vast speed, for through the cordons and cordons of them he
could now see the Aircars more plainly. It was still possible, when one
looked through the Micro-Telescopes, to see the slim figure of Jaska
leading the attack. She was in the vanguard of the Gens of Dalis leading
her people onward as though she had been born to command--utterly
fearless.
"And I was small enough," whispered Sarka, "to doubt you! I even told
you that I doubted you! Forgive me, Jaska! Forgive me!"
And still, as Level after Level gave up its myriads, the Gens of Dalis
shot forth from the Gens area, and winged away, following the lead of
Jaska. Millions of people, armed with Ray Directors and Atom
Disintegrators. How tiny the individuals seemed, against the mighty bulk
of those Aircars of the Moon!
But Sarka did not fear, save for the safety of Jaska, as he was
realizing anew that he had scarcely skimmed the surface of the man-might
of the Earth.
* * * * *
Now, seen through the myriads of the Dalis Gens, he could see again the
on-rushing Aircars, and his heart misgave him for a moment as he could
tell, by estimation, that at least a hundred families were outlined
against each individual car, which moment by moment grew larger.
Those tentacles were now much in evidence, rising and falling under and
around the racing Aircars like serpents, or dragging ropes; but seeming
like living things in the sentient manner of their moving--eager to come
in contact with the first of the earthlings, and to wrap those tentacles
about them, crush them, hurl them into space.
Sarka went back into the laboratory only long enough to attune the
Beryls of the Earth to a point where the Earth would remain almost
stationary, comparatively speaking, taking a curving course about the
surface of the Moon, as it had for countless millions of years coursed
about the Sun.
Then, back to the Observatory, to see how went the battle. Through the
Micro-Telescopes the first meeting was plain to be seen. The Gens of
Dalis rushed headlong to meet the Aircars and many of them rushed
headlong to their destruction.
Sarka noted a group of perhaps a hundred people break forth from the
vanguard of the attackers, and mount to a safe height above the Aircars
against which the Gens were hurling themselves. A sigh of relief escaped
him, and he wished there were some way in which he could learn the
individual identities of the ninety and nine who had taken Jaska
forcibly out of danger! For her white clothing, and her Red Lily of
Cleric were plainly visible and recognizable! The men of the Gens of
Dalis might permit the leadership of a woman, but they would not permit
her to be needlessly endangered.
* * * * *
Sarka turned to Dalis, and noted that the face of the master egotist was
pale and drawn, his nostrils quivering with emotion, as he watched his
Gens go into battle, and a feeling of satisfaction coursed through Sarka
like a little white flame. Dalis was proud of his Gens, and now was
wishing that he, and not Jaska, were leading them onward.
"I would wager something," whispered Sarka to himself, "that Dalis will
not be able to stand it! That before battle has been joined for ten
minutes, he will have gone out to take over the leadership of the Gens!
Jaska must have guessed that, too! Wise, clever Jaska!"
With a fearless massing of forces, the people of the yellow stars joined
battle with the Aircars! The manner of men who flew the Aircars was
still unknown to the people of Earth.
But in a trice they would know.
In a matter of minutes Earth would realize the horror of what faced the
Gens of Dalis, whom Jaska led!
For with the sending out of their Aircars the Moon-men had given but the
merest hint of their ponderous, devastating might!