"You did, till your weight was reduced by the degravitator strapped to
your back. Remove it, and your body, without changing size, will once
more attract and be attracted by your planet sufficiently to weigh one
hundred and eighty pounds. This ship, small as it no doubt appeared
to you and your companion, weighs countless tons. Were it not for the
giant degravitator in the central room it would plummet down to the
ocean depths."
Hammond nodded, slowly. "With such science, and at peace among
yourselves, you must be supreme on your planet. And yet--" His gaze
shifted to shield and weapon on the small table. "You seem a warrior
people."
Gena's face clouded. "Life is a struggle, Earthman. Forever and beyond,
perhaps. We Metiphrons have achieved to unity and peace. But on Mars
evolution took two parallel paths. That which culminated in the
Metiphrons, my people, arising as on Earth from the lowly protozoa.
And with it, keeping pace, that of the crustacean--culminating in the
opposite life form of Mars--the Sediphrons. For centuries now they
have fought us for mastery of the planet. Somewhat related to your
arachnidæ, their later evolution has been consciously anthropomorphic,
as they strove to imitate us in everything, even in bodily shape. Their
motives?" The girl smiled bleakly. "The ancient motives of life--to
enslave us, to be dominant on the planet, to infuse our blood with
their own in order to speed their anthropomorphic evolution--and
finally, to use as food those of us not suitable for slaves or to bear
their hybrid progeny.
"You can see why the very thought of them is repugnant to us. Why every
female bears arms from infancy. And why we hoped to find aid, from the
females here on Earth, for our fight to crush the Sediphrons."