_The Tritu Anu_
Before the car came to a stop Tiedus rummaged in a locker and stretched
forth his hands as if carrying something delicate and fragile.
"It will be necessary for you to put this on," he said: "it will be
unsafe otherwise."
Blaine stared, mystified. Was this Rulan kidding him? "Put what on?" he
asked.
"A thousand pardons. I had forgotten that you do not know. I hold in my
hands a cloak, an invisible thing that will hide you from the guards
and from the Zara's crystal. Another secret of my father's. Dantor
developed it for him only recently."
Blaine felt the texture of the stuff then; crumpled it in his fingers
as its gossamer-like weight dropped in loose folds around his body. But
there was nothing there: to the eyes. It simply did not exist except to
the touch, and he felt no different with it on than he had before.
"Where's Tommy?" he asked suddenly, seeing that Dantus now sat alone at
the controls.
Tiedus laughed. "He has been covered in the same manner," he said, "and
is safely hidden from sight as are you."
Incredulous, disbelieving, Blaine called out to his friend in a
tremulous voice. And Tom Farley's awed response reassured him.
"Keep close to me," Tiedus told him. The car had stopped and he
directed them into the basket of the lift. The two Earth men collided
violently and, clinging to each other in their ghastly invisibility,
laughed crazily for a moment. As far as any observers might know there
were only the two Rulans in the basket.
* * * * *
Blaine fingered Pegrani's ray pistol when the cable lowered them
swiftly to the roof of a huge steel cylinder that rose, a solitary and
unlovely structure, in the midst of the jungle a thousand miles from
Ilen-dar. The indicator informed him that seven energy charges still
remained in the storage chamber of the little weapon. Its possession
brought him a measure of confidence.
Careful scrutiny of the roof had shown it to be deserted, so the basket
was brought to rest in a deeply shadowed portion. Immediately they
stepped out, and it was sent swiftly aloft by remote control of a
portable ether-wave that Dantor produced.
They encountered two of the green-bronze guards in one of the passages
below and these challenged the Rulan lads with drawn pistols. The alarm
was out! Fortunately Pegrani had not recognized Tiedus or all would
have been lost. But the Zara was watching every Rulan community and had
instructed her guards to take the Earth men into custody at all costs.
Those remarkable cloaks were all that saved them. They breathed easier
when the guards passed on.
Now they were in a lift, dropping speedily into the depths of the Tritu
Anu. When the cage came to rest they were hustled into a maze of
winding passageways that led ever downward. A wall of damp stone
finally blocked their progress, but at Dantus' touch of a hidden spring
a section of the solid rock swung aside to admit them to a concealed
room where the lights were bright and where a delegation of Rulans
awaited their coming.
With the cloaks of invisibility removed, they were welcomed by Dantor,
a tall white-haired Rulan who was startlingly like his son.
They were a solemn lot, these Rulans of the older generation, but they
gazed on the Earth men with sympathy and understanding. An entirely
different breed from the Llotta.
This room was a secret laboratory, fully equipped for chemical and
physical research. Dantor sat before a smaller replica of the Zara's
crystal ball as he addressed the visitors.
* * * * *
"No doubt you are puzzled," he began, using the language of the Llotta
with an accent that softened its harsh gutturals, "over the calamity
that has befallen you. And it is not to be wondered at. But your own
danger is as nothing compared with the danger that now threatens our
whole solar system. It is to explain that and to ask your cooperation
in warding off the holocaust that I have sent for you.
"Since the destruction of the Tritu Nogaru we Rulans number less than
one thousand, of whom three hundred are here. The Tritu Anu is foremost
of the royal laboratories of Llotta-nar and its work is carried out
entirely by our people. It is only on account of our superior
accomplishments in science that the Llotta have allowed us to exist for
so long a time, and, in this connection, I might say that the Zara has
been taken severely to task for her wanton massacre of the Rulans of
the Tritu Nogaru. But that is neither here nor there; it is merely a
sidelight I am giving you.
"The important thing is this k-metal of yours and its relation to the
plans of the Llotta. Antrid, as you know, is a dying world; coming
rapidly to the end of its resources. And, as our ancestors did before
us, the Llotta have been casting their eyes about for a new home. The
inner planets beckoned, especially your Earth, but it was manifestly
impossible to reach them as there is insufficient fuel in all Antrid to
provide for the voyage of even one space ship. Then, with the long
range searching rays of the crystal ball television and sound
reproducers, they discovered the use of this k-metal. The sending of
Antazzo to your Earth followed.
"The rest you know insofar as his activities are concerned, but what
you do not know is this: The Llotta have constructed a huge steel tube
that is set deep into the crust of Antrid; an enormous rocket-tube if
you please, like one of those on your space ship. They plan to use the
energy of this supply of k-metal in setting up tremendous streams of
electronic discharges from the great tube and thus to swing the
satellite from its natural orbit. They would send this entire world
hurtling through space toward the inner planets, and, by proper control
of the rocket discharges, bring it close to your Earth where it would
become a secondary satellite at close range. Then they could war on you
at their leisure and finally take Earth as their new home. Thus have
the Llotta planned."
"What!" Blaine exclaimed. "Why, we'd blast them from the skies before
they were started. They haven't a chance."
* * * * *
Dantor nodded gravely. "I am sure of it," he agreed: "I have seen your
great guns in the crystal. But they are blind to that possibility. And
there are other serious flaws in the plan. The incentive, of course,
lies in the certain knowledge that we are using up the internal heat of
Antrid so rapidly that less than a century of life now remains to its
peoples. Our power is produced by admitting water to the interior
through myriads of tubes that serve the double purpose of introducing
the water and conveying the generated steam back to the surface, where
it produces electricity by driving great turbine generators. This
electricity is distributed by charging the copper shell and the ground
beneath at high frequency; it is collected from the air between by the
heaters and various machines that use it. But the shortage is ever more
serious and Antrid is cooling off. Thus the need for the k-metal and
thus the sending of Antazzo. And now for the flaws:
"The Zara, in killing Antazzo, frustrated her own plans, as he alone,
of all her people, knew how to use this marvelous energy producer.
Realizing this, she set about to make friends with you two in the hope
that the information might be obtained from you. That was a great
mistake and raised an unexpected obstacle."
"Well, I'll be damned!" Blaine exploded. "No wonder she tried her wiles
on me. Tried to make a sucker out of me, didn't she?"
Dantor smiled knowingly. "More about Clyone later," he said. "Actually
she is enamoured of you, Carson, and besides she is not really
responsible for the mad plan herself. But that tale can wait.
"The basic and most serious flaw in the plan is this: It can not
possibly succeed, no matter how successful their attempts. What they do
not understand and will not believe when I tell them is that the only
result of the mad experiment will be the complete destruction of the
solar system, Antrid and themselves included. Complete and horrible
annihilation, I say!" Dantor paused and eyed his visitors solemnly.
* * * * *
In his mind's eye, Blaine could not visualize such a thing nor picture
the possible explanation. But he saw that Tommy had paled and was
clenching his fists. Tommy was more of a scientist; it must be he
realized what this enterprise involved.
Dantor was speaking again, in low, intense tones: "What they are
refusing to see is that the delicate balance of the solar system will
be disturbed if a body as large as Antrid is moved a half billion miles
sunward. All bodies are kept in their orbits by a nice balance of mass
attraction and centrifugal force; if a single one is altered all others
are affected. What would happen is easy to calculate. First off, when
Antrid approached the inner planets all bodies in the system would
change their paths and the altered forces would cause severe
earthquakes, tidal waves and other natural disturbances of disastrous
extent.
"These would increase in violence as Antrid drew nearer to the sun,
and, if she finally took up her position as a new satellite of the
Earth, the entire solar system would be in chaos. By this time, even if
life still remained on Earth, it would quickly become extinct, for the
vastly increased tidal forces on that body would flood the land to the
peaks of the highest mountains. Earth would draw in closer to the sun
due to loss of velocity and increased mass of the Earth-moon system.
Tremendous new forces would rend asunder the Earth, its moon, and
Antrid. Venus and Mars, following suit as the forces equalized, we
would have a dead universe."
* * * * *
Tommy believed him. That was apparent from his furrowed brow and grim
set jaw. "I'll never give 'em the secret of the k-metal," he grated.
"Nor will Carson; I'll gamble on that. We'll die here before they'll
get it out of us."
Blaine seconded his remarks fervently. Then, turning to the Rulan
scientist, "Perhaps," he suggested, "we might remain in hiding here for
an indefinite period. Perhaps even we might contrive a way of getting
to the store of k-metal and regaining possession of it. They'd be
licked for sure then."
Dantor beamed. "That is exactly why I sent for you," he said. Then
sobering anew, he added, "But I fear that would not be the end. They
will not give up. Another emissary would be transmitted to duplicate
Antazzo's exploit on Earth and in five of your years the danger would
again be faced. They would take infinite precaution to prevent a second
failure. We must make it forever impossible--now."
"How can we? My God, it's hopeless!" Blaine groaned.
"Nothing is hopeless, my boy. Consider the plight of the Rulans. No,
there is still hope and we will leave you to think it over--if you are
willing. It is necessary that we Rulans show our faces above before we
arouse the suspicions of the guards."
"Of course we're willing. We'll stay as long as you say--and help."
Blaine was intensely earnest and Tommy chimed in with his old time
fervor and enthusiasm. But hope of success seemed remote.
A murmur of approval came from the assembled Rulans, and Dantor wiped a
trace of moisture from his tired old eyes. "Thank you," he said simply.
"This chamber is insulated from the searching rays of the crystal
spheres. You are safe for the present and will be supplied with
everything you need. And I shall return shortly to discuss the matter
in further detail."
* * * * *
The two Earth men were alone then, in the uncanny silence of the
underground retreat, regarding each other with awed comprehension. What
patient, hopeless creatures these Rulans were! Knowing they were
doomed, and without thought of their own safety, they were bending
their every effort to the impossible task of saving the universe from
the madness of the Llotta.
"What do you know about that?" Tommy said, after a while.
"It's true, what he said?" Blaine asked. "What would happen to our
world, I mean--and to the rest?"
"Not a question of doubt. He's doped it out to a T. Smart guy, this
Dantor."
"What do you think? Is there a chance? Think--"
"Hush!" Tommy interrupted him. "Didn't you hear something?"
The silence was ghastly; depressing. Blaine heard distinctly the
beating of his own heart.
Then it was there again, that sound--a muffled scream from the other
side of the stone door. A woman's scream of desperate entreaty. A
shuddering, long-drawn moan, trailing off into deathly silence.