"Very much so. You'd scarcely take him for a scientist."
"And our destination is--what?" asked Kincaide.
"That I don't know. Inverness is to give us that information when he
arrives, which will be very shortly, if he is on time."
"Our destination," said Correy, "will probably be some little ball of
mud with a tricky atmosphere or some freak vegetation they want to
study. I'd rather--"
A sharp rap on the door of the navigating room, where we had gathered
for an informal council of war, interrupted.
"Party of three civilians at the main exit port, Port Number One,
sir," reported the sub-officer of the guard. "One sent his name:
Carlos Inverness."
"Very good. Admit them at once, and recall the outer guards. We are
leaving immediately."
As the guard saluted and hurried away, I nodded to Correy. "Have the
operating room crew report for duty at once," I ordered, "and ask
Sub-officer Scholey to superintend the sealing of the ports. Mr.
Kincaide, will you take the first watch as navigating officer? Lift
her easily until we determine our objective and can set a course; this
is like shoving off with sealed orders."
"Worse," said Hendricks unhappily. "Sealed orders promise something
interesting, and--"
"Carlos Inverness and party," announced the guard from the doorway.
Inverness nodded to me in friendly fashion and indicated his two
companions.
"Commander Hanson," he said, "permit me to present Godar Tipene and
Cleve Brady, who are my companions on this expedition." I bowed, and
shook hands with Brady; Tipene was a Zenian, and hence did not offer
me this greeting of Earth. Then, quickly, I completed the round of
introductions, studying Inverness's companions with interest as I did
so.
* * * * *
Brady was short, and rather red-faced; a beefy, taciturn type, with a
trap-like mouth and thoughtful discerning eyes. He struck me as being
one with whom most men would like to be friendly, but who would have
exceedingly few friends.
The Zenian was a perfect foil for him. Tipene was exceedingly tall and
slender, like all his race, and very dark. His eyes were almost
womanly in their softness, and he had the nervous grace of a
thoroughbred--which is an Earth animal of particularly high breeding,
raised for show purposes. He had the happy faculty of speaking the
language of Earth without a trace of Zenian or Universal accent; the
Zenians are exceeded by none in linguistic ability, which was a real
accomplishment before these decadent days when native languages are
slipping so rapidly into obscurity.
"And now," said Inverness crisply, when the introductions were over,
"I presume you'll wish to know something about our destination and the
objects of this expedition, sir?"
"It would be helpful in charting our course," I admitted, smiling.
Inverness, with beautiful disregard for the necessities of space
navigation, spread voluminous papers over the table whose surface was
formed by the pair of three-dimensional charts which were the
_Ertak's_ eyes in outer space.
"Our destination," he said, "is a body designated on the charts as
FX-31. You are familiar with it, Commander Hanson?"
"Hardly familiar," I admitted, smiling at Correy. "The universe is
rather sizable, and even the named bodies are so numerous that one is
able to be familiar with but an exceedingly small percentage. Its
designation, of course, gives me certain information regarding its
size, location and status, however."
"How much information, Commander?" asked Tipene nervously.
"Well, 'F' indicates that it is large; larger than Earth, for example.
The numerals tells me where to locate it upon our space charts. And
the 'X' would indicate that it is inhabited, but not by intelligent
beings. Or that there is reasonable doubt as to the nature of those
inhabiting it."
"A very good summary of the knowledge we have," nodded Inverness
approvingly. "I can add but one bit of information which may or may
not be accurate: that the sphere known as FX-31 is populated by a
ruling class decidedly unusual in type, and possessed of a degree of
intelligence which has made them virtual masters of the sphere."
"What are they like?" asked Correy. "Will they put up a fight? Are
they dangerous?"
* * * * *
"Our knowledge came from a luckless tramp liner which set down on
FX-31 in search of water, their water-producing equipment having been
damaged by carelessness. They found water, a great river of it, and
sent a party of five men to determine its fitness for human
consumption. They were snapped up before they had gone a hundred feet
from the ship--and no more men were sent out. They hovered over the
stream and drew up the water in containers devised for the purpose."
"Snapped up?" asked Correy impatiently. "By whom? Or what?"
"By spiders!" replied Inverness, his eyes shining with the fanatical
gleam of a scientist who scents something strange. "Great
spiders--perhaps not true spiders, but akin to them, from the
descriptions we have--of what is known on Earth as the trap-door
variety, but possessed of a high degree of intelligence, the power of
communication, and definitely organized."
"Organized," put in Tipene, "in the sense that they work together
instead of individually; that there are those to command and those to
obey."
"You say they are large," I commented. "How large?"
"Large enough," said Inverness grimly, "to enable one of them to
instantly overpower a strong man."
I saw Correy glance forward, where our largest disintegrator-ray tubes
were located, and his eyes lit up with the thought of battle.
"If there's anything I hate," he gritted, "it's a spider. The hairy,
crawling beasts! I'll man one of the tubes myself, just for the fun of
seeing them dissolve into nice brown dust, and--"
"I'm afraid not, Mr. Correy," said Inverness, shaking his head. "We're
going to study them--not to exterminate them. Our object is to learn
their history, their customs, their mode of communication, and their
degree of intelligence--if possible."
"Yes," grunted Brady. "If possible."
* * * * *
Kincaide set the _Ertak_ down on FX-31, close to the shore of a river,
as gently as a feather settling to earth. Correy and I made our way to
the exit port, where Inverness and his companions had gathered, with a
considerable amount of scientific apparatus, and what seemed to be a
boat, ingeniously taken down for shipment.
All three of the scientists were clad in suits of some gray material,
flexible as cloth, but possessed of a certain metallic sheen, which
completely covered them. The material had been stiffened to form a
sort of helmet, with a broad band of transparent material set in at
the eye level, so that the wearer could see to both sides, as well as
to the front. I could also discern the outlines of menores--the crude
and cumbersome type of thought-transference instrument used in that
day--apparently built into the helmets. Belted around their middles
were atomic pistols of the latest and most deadly model.
"For emergency use only, Commander," explained Inverness, observing my
glance. His voice came quite clearly through the fabric which covered
his face, so I gathered it was sufficiently porous to admit air for
breathing. "This garment we wear will be sufficient protection, we
believe; their mandibles are the weapons of the creatures we are to
study, and this fabric should be ample protection against much more
deadly weapons.
"Now, we shall walk to the shore of the river; if we are not
molested--and I believe we shall not be, here, because the
infiltration of water would quickly fill any passage sunk into this
sandy earth so close to the river--please have your men bring our
supplies to us, the boat first."
I nodded, and the three men walked through the open port, out across
the gleaming, golden sand, to the water's edge. A number of great
scarlet birds, with long, fiercely taloned legs, swooped about them
curiously, croaking hoarsely and snapping their hawkish beaks, but
offering no real molestation.
My men quickly carried their supplies to them, and before the last of
the equipment had been delivered, the boat was assembled and afloat: a
broad-beamed craft with hollow metal ribs, covered with some shining
fabric which was unfamiliar to me. There was a small cabin forward and
a small atomic engine housed back near the stern.
I walked to the edge of the water and shook hands with Inverness and
Brady; with Tipene I exchanged bows.
"I am sorry," said Inverness, "that I am facing you with what will,
undoubtedly, be a monotonous and wearying vigil, for we shall probably
be gone several weeks." He referred, I must explain, to a period of
seven Earth days, a common unit of time on Earth.
"We'll make the best of it," I said, thinking of Correy, and how he
would rage at such a period of inaction. "The best of luck to you!"
"Thanks; we'll remain no longer than necessary," smiled Inverness,
smiling, his shining eyes already fixed on the river ahead.
"And that will be no short time," said the taciturn Brady. "Shall we
start?"
* * * * *
Correy raged. I had expected that, and I was in complete sympathy with
him. Routine patrol was better than being earth-fast on this barren
and uninteresting ball of mud.
"Have I your permission, sir," asked Correy on the fourth day, "to
make a little tour of inspection and exploration? We might run into
some fresh meat."
"I'm not sure that would be wise. These spider creatures--"
"Pardon me, sir," interrupted Correy eagerly, "but we could take a
small landing force, armed with pistols and grenades. Even a field ray
tube. Certainly we could handle anything which might turn up, then."
"And, you rather hope that something will turn up, Mr. Correy?"
Correy grinned and shrugged his shoulders.
"It would break the monotony, wouldn't it, sir? And, too, if anything
should happen to them"--and he glanced up the river, in the direction
taken by the three scientists--"we'd know something about what we had
to contend with, wouldn't we?"
I'm not sure whether it was Correy's argument or my own venturesome
disposition which swayed me, but immediately after lunch Correy and I,
with a picked crew of men, started out from the ship.
Up until that time, we had confined our activities to the area between
the ship and the shore--a small enough space at best. Now we rounded
the shining blunt bow of the _Ertak_ and headed inland, Correy and
myself in the lead, the two portable disintegrator ray-men immediately
behind us, and the four other men of the party flanking the ray
operators, two on each side.
It was hot, but the air was dry and invigorating. There was not a
cloud visible in the sky. Far ahead was a low line of bluish, fronded,
vegetation; whether small trees or some fern-like undergrowth, we
could not determine. The ground between the ship and the line of
vegetation was almost completely barren, the only growth being a
lichenous sort of vegetation, gray-green in color.
* * * * *
Here and there on the ground were the imprints of sharp, split hoofs,
and Correy pointed these out to me with the comment that one of the
guards had reported seeing a number of slender-legged animals roaming
here in the star-light, apparently seeking water, but frightened by
the strange apparition of our ship.
"From the way he described them, they're something like the deer we
used to have on Earth," he said. "I've seen the fossils in the
museums, and they had little sharp, split hoofs like--"
One of the men behind us shouted a warning at that instant, and we
both whirled in our tracks. My eyes fell instantly upon one of the
strangest and most fearsome sights I have ever seen--and I have
explored many strange and terrible worlds.
To our left, a huge circular section of the earth had lifted, and was
swinging back on a hinge of glistening white fibers; a disk as great
in diameter as the height of a man, and as thick as a man's body.
Where the disk had been, gaped a tunnel slanting down into the earth,
and lined with the same glistening white fibers which covered the
bottom of the disk, and hinged it in place. As I looked, there sprang
from this tunnel a _thing_ which I shall call a spider, yet which was
too monstrous to be called by such an innocuous name.
It was rust red in color, with eight bristling legs, each tipped with
three curved and tufted claws. On each side of its face was an armored
mandible, tipped with shining fangs, and beside them, slender,
six-jointed palps stretched hungrily.
The man who had seen the disk fly up opened fire without orders, and
if he had not done so, some of us would not have returned to the ship.
As it was, the atomic pistol whispered a steady stream of death which
spattered the hairy body into an oozing pulp while it was still in
mid-air. We leaped away, adding our fire to that of the alert guard
who had first seen the apparition, and the spider, a twitching bundle
of bespattered legs, fell on the spot where, an instant before, we had
been.
Almost at the same instant two other great circular trap-doors swung
up, just beyond the first, and their hairy, malignant occupants leaped
toward us.
* * * * *
Our pistols were ready, now, however, and the portable ray equipment
was humming. The ray dissolved the first into a sifting of reddish
dust, and our pistols slashed the other into ribbons.
"Back to the ship!" I shouted. "Look, Mr. Correy--there are hundreds
of them!"
Before us score upon score of the great disks were lifting, and from
the tunnel each revealed, monstrous rust-red bodies were pouring.
Our retreat covered by the two ray operators, we made our way swiftly
to the ship. The great spiders, apparently alarmed by the magical
disappearance of those of their comrades upon which the disintegrator
ray rested, hesitated for a moment, their tremendous legs tensed, and
their mandibles quivering with venomous anger, and then scuttled back
into their holes, swinging their covers into place as they did so.
"We didn't do so badly, at that," grinned Correy rather breathlessly,
as we gained the welcome shelter of the _Ertak_. "There are a score
and more of those potlids still standing open--which means that many
spiders didn't go back to tell about what happened to them."
"True--but had they waited until they could have surrounded us, the
_Ertak_ would have been short-handed on the return trip. She would
have been just two officers and six men short."
I have never seen a real expression of fear on Correy's face, but I
came as close to it then as I ever did.
"They're tough customers," he said. "I never did like spiders, and I
like them less, now. Those things stood half again as high as a man on
their long legs, and could jump half the length of the ship."
"Hardly that," I said. "But I'll say this: if they're the gentry
Inverness and the other two are investigating, they're welcome to
their jobs!"
* * * * *
There wasn't any difficulty in keeping the men close to the ship after
that, although waiting was a tedious and nerve-racking procedure.
We watched the spider-infested territory closely, however, and found
that they fed at night upon the deer-like creatures Correy had
mentioned. These unwary beasts, seeking water, were pounced upon the
instant they came close to one of the hidden dens, and dragged swiftly
out of sight. These observations were made by television, and Correy
in particular would sit up half the night watching the creatures at
work.
It was the second day of the fourth week that the sentry on duty
called out that the boat was returning. We hastened down to the river
to welcome them back, and I for one felt very much relieved.
But as the boat approached, I felt my fears returning, for there was
only one man visible: Tipene.
The Zenian, bedraggled and weary, had lost or discarded the protective
suit he had worn, and his lean, dark face was haggard.
"We leave immediately, Commander Hanson," he said as he disembarked.
"Please give the necessary orders."
"But the others, sir? Where are Inverness and Brady?"
"Dead," said Tipene. "The Aranians got them. I barely escaped myself."
"And who are the Aranians?" I asked.
"The creatures which control this world. The spider creatures.
Aranians, they call themselves. Do we leave at once, as I ordered?"
I thought quickly. I didn't like Tipene, and never had, and I fancied
even less the high-handed attitude he was taking.
"I would suggest, sir, that you first give us an account of what has
happened," I said shortly. "If there is anything we can do for the
other two, perhaps--"
"I said they were dead," snapped Tipene. "You can't do anything for
dead men, can you?"
"No. But we must have a report to enter on our log, you understand,
and--I'll be very busy on the return trip. I'd like to have your story
before we start." Somehow, I was suspicious of Tipene.
"Very well. Although I warn you I shall report your delay to your
superiors." I shrugged, and led the way to the dining saloon which,
small as it was, held chairs enough to seat us all.
* * * * *
"My story is very brief," he said, when my three officers, Tipene, and
myself were seated. "We proceeded up the river to a spot which we
deemed suited as a point of entry into the country, and far enough
from the ship so that its presence would not be alarming to the
inhabitants.
"We permitted ourselves to be captured by the Aranians, knowing that
our protective suits would prevent them from doing us serious bodily
injury.
"You have seen the creatures--word of your adventure with them
precipitated our misfortune, I might say here--and you know of their
tunnels. We were taken down one of these tunnels, and into a still
larger one. This in turn gave onto a veritable subterranean avenue,
and, in time, led to a sort of underground metropolis."
"What?" growled Correy. "An underground city of those things?"
"I should like to ask that you do not interrupt," said Tipene coldly.
"This metropolis was really no more than a series of cubicles, opening
off the innumerable crisscrossing tunnels, and many layers in
thickness. Passage from one level to another was by means of slanting
tunnels.
"Some of these cubicles were very large, and utilized as storage
rooms. Others were used for community activities, schools,
entertainments, and so forth. We learned these things later, and
explored them by means of our _ethon_ lamps--the entire system of
tunnels being, of course, in utter darkness.
"The first few days they were exceedingly hostile, and tried to tear
us to pieces. When they could not do this, word was sent to some of
their more learned members, and we were investigated. By the use of
extra menores we had brought with us, we established a contact with
their minds; first by the usual process of impressing pictures of our
thoughts upon their minds, and later by more direct process."
* * * * *
"I will say nothing of the great scientific value of our discoveries,
for you would neither understand nor appreciate them--although they
will set the scientific universe agog," continued Tipene, his eyes
gleaming suddenly with a triumphant light. "As we perfected
communication, we convinced them that we were friendly, and we gained
their complete confidence.
"They are a very ancient race. Very slowly have they come to their
present stage of mental development, but they now possess reasoning
faculties, a language--and a form of community government. There is
much more, which, as I have said, would be of no significance to you.
"And then word came that beings like ourselves had attacked and killed
many of the Aranians. The news had traveled slowly, for their system
of communication is crude, but it reached the community center in
which we were staying.
"Instantly, all was hostility. They felt they had been betrayed, and
that we might betray them. Brady and Inverness, always rash and
thoughtless, had discarded their protective suits, feeling sure they
were perfectly safe, and they were torn to pieces.
"I, having a more scientific and cautious mind, doubting everything as
a true scientific mind must, still wore my armor. By the liberal use
of my pistol, I managed to fight my way to the surface, and to the
boat. And now, Commander Hanson, will you start back, as I have
ordered?"
I don't know what I would have said if I had not caught a peculiar
glance from Correy, a glance accompanied by a significant, momentary
closing of one eye (a gesture of Earth which means many things, and
which is impossible to explain) and a slight nod.
"Very well, Mr. Tipene," I said shortly. "We'll start at once.
Gentlemen, will you join me in the navigating room?"
* * * * *
Correy was the last to arrive in the navigating room, and when he came
in his eyes were dancing.
"I've just transferred Tipene to another stateroom, sir," he said. "A
specially equipped stateroom."
"You what?"
"If you'll give orders, sir, for an immediate start, I'll tell you all
about it," chuckled Correy. "Tipene says he's worn out, and is going
to retire as soon as we start. And when he does--we'll learn
something."
I nodded to Kincaide, and he gave the general attention signal. In a
few seconds the outer sentry was recalled, and the exit port had been
sealed. Slowly, the _Ertak_ lifted.
"Maybe I'm wrong, sir," said Correy then, "but I'm convinced that
Tipene is lying. Something's wrong; he was in altogether too much of a
hurry to get away.
"So, before I transferred him to the other stateroom, I concealed a
menore under the mattress of his bunk, immediately under where his
head will lie. It's adjusted to full strength, and I believe it will
pick up enough energy to emanate what he's thinking about. We'll be in
the next stateroom and see what we can pick up. How does that sound,
sir?"
"Like something you'd cook up, Mr. Correy!" I said promptly. "And I
believe, as you do, that if it works at all, we'll find out something
interesting."
We equipped ourselves with menores, adjusted to maximum power, and
silently filed into the stateroom adjacent to Tipene's.
He was moving about slowly, apparently undressing, for we heard first
one boot and then another drop to the floor. And we could sense vague
emanations, too faint to be intelligible, and unmistakably coming from
him.
"Probably sitting on the edge of his bunk," whispered Correy. "When he
lies down, it'll work like a charm!"
It did--almost too well. Suddenly we caught a strong emanation, in the
Universal language.
* * * * *
"Surly individual, that Hanson--didn't like my giving orders--hurt his
dignity. But I had my own way, and that's all that's important. Seemed
to be suspicious--they all were. Maybe I was a bit urgent--but I was
afraid--those damned Aranians might have changed their spidery minds.
"They can't be very intelligent--to think I'd come back with tribute
to pay for the spiders that fool Hanson and his men killed. Why, the
ship's rays could wipe them all out, drill a hole in the ground--they
didn't realize that. Thought that by holding Brady and that conceited
Inverness for hostages, they'd be safe--and I'd be idiotic enough to
not see this chance to get all the glory of the expedition for
myself--instead of sharing it with those two. You're a quick thinker,
Tipene--the true, ruthless, scientific mind...."
I motioned for my officers to follow me, and we made our way, silent
and grim-faced, to the navigating room.
"Nice, friendly lad, isn't he?" snarled Correy. "I thought there was
something up. What are your plans, sir?"
"We'll go to the rescue of Inverness and Brady, of course. Mr. Correy,
place Tipene under arrest, and bring him here at once. Mr. Kincaide,
take over the ship; give orders to set her down where we were. And
you, Mr. Hendricks, will take personal command of the forward ray
tubes."
My officers sprang to obey orders, and I paced restlessly up and down
the room, thinking. Just as the _Ertak_ settled softly to earth,
Correy returned with his prisoner. Two men stood on guard with drawn
atomic pistols at the door.
"What's the meaning of this indignity, sir?" flared Tipene. He had
dressed hurriedly, and was by no means an imposing spectacle. He drew
himself up to his full height, and tried to look domineering, but
there was fear in his eyes. "I shall report you--"
"You'll do no reporting, Tipene," I broke in coldly. "I'll do the
reporting. You see, we know all about your little plan to desert your
comrades, held by the Aranians as hostages, and to grasp all the glory
of your findings for yourself. But--the plan doesn't work. We're going
back."
* * * * *
Tipene's face drained a dirty yellow--a Zenian can never be actually
pale.
"You ... how...." he floundered.
"A menore, under your pillow," I explained crisply. "But that doesn't
matter, now. You will guide us to the spot where you found the Aranian
city, and establish communication with the Aranians. When that's done,
I'll give you further orders."
"And if I won't?" breathed Tipene, his teeth clenched in a shaking
rage.
"But you will. Otherwise, we'll permit you to continue your
explorations on this interesting little sphere--minus your protective
suit."
Tipene stared at me with horror-stricken eyes. I think he saw that I
meant exactly what I said--and I was not bluffing.
"I--I'll do it," he said.
"Then watch the river carefully," I ordered. "Kincaide, lift her just
enough so we can get a good view of the river. Tipene will tell you
where to set her down."
Navigating visually, Kincaide followed the winding course of the
river, covering in a few minutes a distance it had taken the
scientists a day to navigate.
"There--there is the place," said Tipene suddenly. "Just this side of
the patch of vegetation."
"Very good. And remember what happens if you play any tricks," I
nodded grimly. "Descend to within a few yards of the ground, Mr.
Kincaide; we'll drop Tipene through the trap."
Correy hurried the prisoner away, and I ordered the trap in the bottom
of the _Ertak's_ hull to be opened.
"Now," I informed Tipene, "we'll let you down and you will establish
communication with the Aranians. Tell them you have brought back, not
tribute, but an enemy powerful enough to blast their entire city out
of existence. It will be a simple matter for you to picture what an
atomic grenade or one of the ship's rays will do. We'll arrange a
little demonstration, if they're not convinced. And tell them that if
they don't want to be wiped out, to bring Inverness and Brady to us,
unharmed, as fast as their eight long legs will manage."
"They won't do it," whined Tipene. "They were very angry over the
killing of those others. I'm just risking my life without the
possibility of gain."
"You obey my orders, or you go down and stay there," I said abruptly.
"Which?"
"I'll do as you say," he said, and the cage dropped with him swiftly.
* * * * *
As soon as he was on the ground he reached up and adjusted his menore,
peering around anxiously. For several minutes nothing happened, and
then, the length of the ship away, one of the great trap-doors flew
open. Out of it came one of the spiders, not rust-red like those we
had seen, but faded to a dirty yellow. Close behind him were two of
the rust-red Aranians, which fell in one on each side of the yellow
chap.
The first Aranian, I presumed--and rightly--was one of the old learned
members of the race. As he scuttled closer to the cowering Tipene, I
saw that, amidst the bristles which covered his head and thorax, was a
menore.
The three great spiders approached the ship warily, watching it
constantly with huge, glittering eyes. A safe distance away they
paused, and the old one fixed his attention on Tipene.
Evidently, what Tipene emanated caused the old fellow to become very
angry; I could see his legs quivering, and his withered old mandibles
fairly clattered.
"He says he won't do it!" Tipene called up to me, excitedly. "Says we
can't reach them underground, and that they'll kill their hostages if
we try to harm them."
"Ask him if there are any tunnels between the ship and the river," I
commanded. "We'll demonstrate what we can do if he harms Inverness and
Brady."
The two were in silent communion for a moment, and Tipene looked up
and shook his head.
"No," he shouted. "No tunnels there. The water would seep into them."
"Then tell him to watch!"