Cosmic Allies
"Cripes!" said Flick Muldoon, awed. "Eternal life! Golly, that's almost
enough time for a guy to catch up on his back sleep."
"Or," chuckled O'Day, "really learn how to play a good game of
tri-chess.[10] But this is no time to be talking about things like
that. The first problem is: how are we going to contact the Magogeans
again?"
[Footnote 10: Tri-chess: a highly involved game of tri-dimensional
chess played on a series of eight superimposed glassine boards.
Pieces move not only horizontally, as in the ancient Persian game,
but vertically as well. Two additional types of pieces are used in
conjunction with the traditional "pawn, knight, bishop," et al. ... the
"pilot," which may move in any direction horizontally or vertically
until opposed by another piece, and the "ranger," which may move five
vertical spaces and three horizontal, or vice versa, disregarding
occupants of those squares.--_Ed._]
"I think--" Hugh Warren had risen abruptly to his feet as a light
flashed on the signal panel before them--"I think we won't have to
worry about that problem. The Magogeans seem to have already contacted
_us_! See that warning? It means there is someone at the airlocks."
"Then quickly," snapped Gary, "turn on the force-shield, Hugh!"
Dr. Kang shook his head. "It is too late, now. If invaders have lighted
the warning signal they are already inside the protective envelope." He
turned worried eyes to the space patrolman. "What shall we do, Captain?"
"There's only one thing _to_ do," grunted Warren. "Find out who it is,
then blast them to hell-and-gone out. Hawkins!" He bawled the name out
over the audio. A moment later the little cockney steward bustled into
the turret.
"Comin' hup, Captain. You called me?"
"Yes. Break open the ordnance lockers. Supply every man aboard with
arms. I'm afraid we have visitors."
Hawkins grinned impishly. He didn't scare easily. "Right, Cap'n. Side
arms all around it is, sir." And he scampered away as Warren turned to
his companions.
"All right. Let's go have a little look-see at our unexpected guests."
Moments later they were standing in the companionway beside the fore
sta'b'rd lock. As the turret's warning system had advised, someone
was outside the ship. A duplicate signal, activated by electric eye,
was flashing on the airlock's inner port. Not only that, but through
the aerated protection chamber could be heard faint noises of someone
rapping or fumbling with the exterior controls.
O'Day nodded at Lane significantly. "Magogeans, all right. But our pal
Borisu's not with them. He'd know how to operate the lock from outside.
They don't."
Gary said tightly, "Well, since the mountain can't come to Mohammed--"
and drew down the lever which opened the inner port. The noises were
clearer now. In addition to the scrabbling sound there were faint
murmurs, a low babble of indistinguishable voices.
Warren glanced swiftly at instruments on the airlock wall, nodded to
his companions. "Gravity and atmosphere O.Q. We're adjusted to the
first by our changed size, I guess, and the second approaches Earth's
normal. Everybody set? I'll throw open the outer door. The minute you
see them, let 'em have it."
And his hand reached for the second control lever, that which would
open the passageway between the _Liberty's_ interior and the outer
darkness. But even before the activating machinery could throw the
massive door open, a single voice raised above those others which
muttered outside. And the words it spoke startled all the _Liberty's_
equipage into stunned immobility. For in clear, unmistakable terms, the
voice repeated a single phrase in three languages ... Jovian, Solar
Universal, and Amer-English.
"_Phaedu m'akki; toratu'sl!... Amiji sumo; ammité!... We are friends;
let us in!_"
Gary gasped, "Good Lord! English!"
"A trick!" Lark warned. "Don't take any chances!"
But then the great door swung open. And even _he_ allowed his ready
weapon to fall to his side as there stood outlined in the bright oblong
of the portal a group of azure-tinted men similar in trappings and
appearance to their Jovian benefactors.
* * * * *
Dr. Bryant choked, "Men of Jupiter! But how come _you_ here?"
The leader of the newcomers, both arms widely outstretched in token
of pacific intent, smiled with happiness at learning which tongue he
should employ.
In precise and only faintly accented English he said hesitantly, "No,
not uff Jupiter, Misser. We are chilttren of the planet Gog."
"Gog!" exclaimed Gary. "But that planet has not existed for--"
A cloud darkened the stranger's eyes. He nodded sorrowful agreement.
"For many centuries your time ... for long years, ours. Nor did any
uff us here ever see our parent planet. We are the children and the
children's children uff our forefathers who once ruled Magog."
Warren, suddenly remembering his obligation as space captain and host,
said, "Gad, this is incredible! But we can't talk here. Come into the
ship where we can be comfortable while we get acquainted."
The Gogean leader turned to the doorway, raised his voice to an
assemblage of attendants. Muttered replies and the stirring of many
bodies in the darkness betold acceptance of his command. Then,
designating one or two to be his companions, he followed Warren to the
_Liberty's_ lounge.
And there in an ultramodern Earthly space-cruiser was held the
strangest conference ever attended by humans. A conference between
adventurers of two solar worlds and representatives of an alien galaxy
whose ancient culture had long since vanished from mankind's ken.
It was a give-and-take exchange exciting to both sides.
"We haff been looking for you," said the Gogean leader, Tsalnor, "and
hoping against hope we might somehow get in touch with you. When we
saw your ship and recognized it to be no space vessel of the Magogean
fleet, our hearts leaped with joy. Joy which increased when you landed
scarce four _talus_ from our encampment."
"Saw our ship?" exclaimed Nora. "In this impenetrable darkness?"
* * * * *
The Gogean shrugged. "Darkness ... light ... what difference do these
things make? We whose lives are spent in everlasting night make no
distinction. Long years ago we were forced to either lose the power uff
vision entirely or adapt our eyesight to seeing in the dark. Our people
haff done the latter.
"When, years ago, the Magogeans with the help of their diabolic
ultrawave cannon succeeded in overthrowing our empire, those uff us who
were not slain sought refuge here on the eternally dark side of Magog."
"Eternally dark side!" broke in Dr. Kang. "But of course! I had guessed
the period of axial revolution might be slow, but did not realize it
coincided _exactly_ with that of your planet's orbital revolution about
its primary. Like our solar planet Mercury, Magog presents always the
same face to its sun!"
"True," said Tsalnor bitterly. "And for two decades haff our people
languished here, never seeing the glorious light uff day, save when a
few members uff daring expeditions venture into the Twilight Zone for
essential supplies we cannot here obtain."
"But--but don't the Magogeans know you are here? There must be many of
you."
Tsalnor said bitterly, "We number in the hundreds uff thousands. And
they know we are here, yes. But they dare attack us no more than we
have dared attack their fortified cities. There exists between us an
implacable hatred, but an armed truce. For neither force dares meet its
enemy on that enemy's home terrain.
"Yes," he continued, "we who were millions now number in the hundreds
uff thousands. But those who claim Gog is dead would eat their words
to see the cities we haff hewn from these harsh rocks. We haff culture
here, libraries and science.
"And--" he gritted--"an ever watchful army uff men who will someday
arise to reclaim that which is rightfully theirs!"
Dr. Kang roused suddenly from an attitude of thought. "There is one
thing which puzzles me, Tsalnor. Your knowledge of the language of our
universe. You addressed us not only in _modern_ Jovian tongue but in
Universal and English as well. How knew you these languages?"
Tsalnor answered proudly, "By long study and careful translation, uff
course. For many of your centuries we haff been listening to the speech
transmitted via etherwaves by what you call your radio. Our people have
long studied your three most-used languages against the ever-hoped-for
day when our empire should be resurrected."
"But," demanded Gary shrewdly, "since you know our tongue, how is it
_you_ never attempted to communicate with us? If you have receivers to
pick up our radio conversation, certainly you should be able to build
transmitters as well?"
"Certainly, we _could_ do so, Earthman. But we would not dare. We
are not fools, but neither are our adversaries. Were we to build
transmitting units here on Magog's Darkside, by directional finders
they could locate our cities and send a space armada to wipe us out uff
existence.
"No, we haff had to wait and build and hope and plan for just such a
day as this.
"But now--" And his eyes lighted raptly--"Now at last you haff come!
Working together, we shall overthrow the Magogeans, stay the disaster
you haff told me threatens our ancient universe, and again be free to
look upon the sun."
* * * * *
Captain Hugh Warren spread his hands in a gesture of despair. "You know
you have our friendship. We would do anything within our power to help
you, but--what can we do? If you, with a great army, have never been
able to breach the Magogean defenses, what can our pitiful group do--?"
"You," said Tsalnor promptly, "can do what no Gogean can do ... effect
entry to Magog's capital, and there work from within to destroy the
barrier wall which protects it. When that wall falls our warriors will
flood into the city of Khundru in hordes--"
"We? But why _we_--?"
Tsalnor smiled mirthlessly. "It is a matter uff hue."
Warren jumped. "Who, me?"
"No," said Dr. Bryant. "Not you, Hugh--hue! I see what he means. It is
a matter of fleshly color. The Magogeans are our color, or nearly so.
Dr. 'Boris Anjers' was of a complexion sufficiently similar to that of
an Earthman to pass himself off for many years as a Eurasian. Similarly
_we_ might, I suppose, masquerade as Magogeans--"
He turned a questioning gaze to Tsalnor. The Gogean nodded. "Exactly.
Let one uff our blue-fleshed brethren but present an appearance before
any Magogean and he would be rayed down mercilessly without ever being
granted an opportunity to speak.
"You alone haff the coloration which would permit entry into the city
uff Khundru--"
"Where _is_ this city?"
"A very short distance from here. Scarce more than a hundred _talus_,
on the edge of the Twilight Zone."
"And you say it's the Magogean _capital_? Isn't that location a rather
dangerous one for their most important city?"
"On the contrary, Khundru is located at an axis uff vital strategic
importance. It spans the estuary uff the river Driya where it meets the
Pinoor Sea, and is protected from assault from either side by lofty
mountain ranges. Its rear is protected by Darkside."
"But you spoke of a barrier shield."
"Yes. It is that which prevents our armed forces from storming Khundru.
About and around their capital the Magogeans have forged some sort uff
an invisible barrier impenetrable by any material substance. What this
is, we do not know. Unable to study it at first hand, our scientists
haff never been able to study its secret."
"Invisible barrier! A force-shield!" Gary Lane spun swiftly to their
Martian comrade. "Dr. Kang, it must be something like the force-shield
you installed on the _Liberty_!"
Kang nodded slowly. "Very likely. I know now why Borisu never
questioned _me_ so eagerly about the activation of _my_ device as he
did the Jovian engineers about their quad warp. It was because he
already understood it."
"You mean," demanded the Gogean, "you _comprehend_ this mechanism?"
Kang nodded.
"But then no one need enter Khundru!"
"Unfortunately, someone must. There is no way to rupture an entropic
force barrier from without. If your divisions are to storm Khundru, the
wall must be broken from the control room inside that city."
* * * * *
Gary drew a deep breath. "O.Q. We're elected. Lark ... Hugh ...
Flick...."
"A moment, Gary," interrupted Lark. "Just how are we to effect entry
into Khundru? Will there be questions to ask or answer?"
Tsalnor puzzled briefly. "It would be best," he decided, "to pass
yourselves off as common serfs. We shall teach you the Magogean
language and acquaint you with its customs. But it would take too long
a training to enable you to pass yourselves as members uff the ruling
class. There are but two divisions uff Magogeans. The common people,
serfs who are little more than feudal slaves; and the kraedars, or
overlords--"
"That's what Borisu called himself," remembered Gary. "Kraedar."
"The kraedars are the military and ruling class. You would never be
able to pass yourself off successfully as one uff these. Therefore it
were wiser to allow yourselves to be taken into the city as workers.
This may entail some hardships, but you will be inside where you want
to be. And once there, your own ingenuity can devise ways and means uff
doing that which is needful."
"I thought," nodded Kang, "the situation would be something like that.
In that case, Gary, you must change your plans. Nothing would arouse
Magogean suspicion quicker than to have five strong, strapping, young
strangers seek entry to their capital city ... particularly on the
heels of the report Borisu may even now be submitting to his peers."
"But who, then--?" questioned Gary.
"Why not," suggested Kang quietly, "just my daughter and myself? We
understand the operation of the force-shield. Of the two of us, surely
_one_ can find some way to break the Magogean barrier for a short time."
Gary said stubbornly, "The idea is a good one, Dr. Kang. But two is not
enough. Let it be the _three_ of us."
"The _four_ of us," broke in Lark O'Day. "If Penny's going, I want to
be in on this shindig, too."
"Why not," suggested Nora Powell, "count me in? With two women out
of five, certainly we would seem an innocuous little band. A family
circle, so to speak, with Dr. Kang as the parent, Penny and I his
married daughters--"
Kang said dubiously, "I don't know. There is too much difference in the
pigmentation of our skins for us to be taken as a family unit. True, my
daughter's flesh is little more golden than yours, Miss Powell--"
Tsalnor dismissed the objection with a short laugh.
"You do not know Magog, Dr. Kang. Such dissimilarities in coloration
are not the exception but the rule amongst their people. The Magogean
hordes haff interbred to such an extent that the closest blood brothers
oft look like men of different races. Miss Powell's plan is quite
feasible."
"O.Q.," said Gary. "Then that's the ticket. How long to put us through
this teaching-training period you were talking about?"
"Not long. Those things will be done during studying periods and even
while you sleep ... electrically."
"Then," said Gary, rising, "let's move the _Liberty_ to your
headquarters and get on with the job. Because there's lots to be done,
and very little time left to do it in."