OUT OF THE SKY.
It was a picturesque procession that started for Reabon shortly after
midnight. Destho's two-score motor vehicles and a number of carts had
been pressed into use. All were equipped with bright searchlights, fore
and aft, that lighted the road and reflected brilliantly from the armor
and weapons of the marching men.
Grandon rode in the lead with Bordeen and Joto, commanders of the two
armies that had won a bloody victory only to have it turned to apparent
defeat by the laws of the empire. Princess Vernia and Rotha followed in
the car immediately behind them.
The Earth-man rode in moody silence, nor did his two companions
interrupt his thoughts. Bordeen, rough warrior though he was,
understood and was silent, while Joto had lost his customary smile.
As the motors were throttled down to conform to the speed of the
marching men, their progress was quite slow. Morning found them a good
half day's march from the capital.
Grandon was startled by a sudden cry from the driver. At the same time
their vehicle came to a full stop, and shouts of wonder and alarm
echoed from without.
Believing they had been attacked, he drew his scarbo, and leaped from
the car. To his surprise he beheld a huge ball, more than fifty feet in
diameter, blocking the road. Many of the soldiers as well as occupants
of the other cars were running toward it.
"What is that thing?" he asked a young Travek.
"I do not know, your majesty," the man replied. "They who first saw it
say it fell from the sky."
Grandon approached the globe and examined it curiously. It appeared
to be constructed of a material similar to asbestos, held in place by
a network of steel wires. Near the center of the side he faced was a
circle of metal, apparently aluminum, studded with bolts. Suddenly the
circle began to turn. A murmur of surprise went up from the watchers.
The thing revolved quite slowly at first, gradually gaining momentum.
Grandon noticed that with each revolution it projected farther from the
sphere than before.
Vernia came up behind him, followed by Rotha.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I don't know," replied Grandon. "It may be some new implement of war.
You had best go back in your car until we find out."
She complied quite meekly, he thought. He turned to the assembled
soldiers.
"Back. Stand back," Grandon warned them. "This thing may explode and
blow you all up."
After ordering men and vehicles back a distance of a hundred yards, he
approached the thing alone. A screwlike cylinder now projected from the
globe for more than five feet.
He could plainly see the threaded sides as it hung there, twenty-five
feet above his head. Suddenly it fell forward with a loud click and
hung suspended by a thick hinge, disclosing a dark hole. From this
hole a ladder of flexible steel cable suddenly dropped, one end nearly
touching the ground.
The figure of a man appeared in the opening, a figure incased from head
to foot in a suit of rubber similar to that worn by deep sea divers.
The headpiece was of metal with glass eyeholes, and a square box was
fastened on the back like a knapsack.
* * * * *
Grandon was mystified. Everything about the sphere, from the
craftsmanship of the metal cylinder to the diving suit, reminded him of
Earth. Could this be a creature from his own planet?
The man above him appeared to survey him for a moment through the glass
eyeholes--then turned and descended the swaying ladder. When he reached
the ground he turned once more and looked at Grandon. Then he reached
up and unscrewed the globular headpiece.
It was when he removed it that the Earth-man had a bigger surprise than
at any time since his sojourn in Zarovia. He recognized the bulging
forehead, the thick, shaggy brows, and the bearded features of the
terrestrial scientist, Dr. Morgan!
The man of science advanced smiling, with his right hand extended and
his helmet tucked under his left arm.
"How are you, my boy?" he asked cordially, in English. The familiar
tongue sounded welcome in Robert Grandon's ears.
Grandon took the extended hand, and there was no doubt of its reality
as the sinewy fingers gripped his.
"Dr. Morgan," he gasped. "How in blazes did you get here?"
A gleam of triumph shone in the eyes of the doctor.
"I have solved the problem of physical interplanetary navigation, and
have come to keep my promise to take you back to Earth," he said.
"Suppose we climb into that vehicle of yours and I'll tell you about it
while we ride to Reabon."
"We'll have to get your sphere out of the way first," replied Grandon.
"The road is blocked."
"Don't worry about that," answered the doctor. "Watch."
Even as he spoke the huge globe moved upward from its resting place and
hovered a hundred feet above their heads.
"Ah. So you have a chauffeur for the thing."
"Positively not. I came alone."
"Then how--"
Grandon was interrupted by a cry from several of the men and saw that
they were looking to the westward. Following the direction of their
startled glances, he was surprised to behold a huge fleet of Olban
airships bearing down on them. The ships were many times larger than
the little one-man craft in which he had last seen Vorn Vangal, or even
the two-man ship Grandon had used against the flying grampites; but
these airships were constructed on the same general principles. Each
airship had ten shining glass cabs and bristled with the burnished
barrels of mattorks, projecting fore and aft, on both sides and below.
The formidable-looking fleet, traveling almost with the speed of
mattork projectiles, came to a dead stop above them. Then one airship
descended to the spot where the globe of Dr. Morgan had rested a moment
before, and a set of aluminum stairs which had been telescoped on the
deck was elongated and flung over the side, reaching to the ground.
Two men descended: The foremost was clad in scarlet apparel, trimmed
with gold and glittering with precious jewels. His feet were incased in
sandals of the softest frella hide, and he wore a turbanlike headpiece,
also of scarlet ornamented with gold fringe, and set with an enormous
glittering ruby that blazed from the middle of his forehead. His
companion was more soberly garbed in purple trimmed with silver and
also ornamented with jewels.
Grandon recognized the handsome, smooth-shaven youth in scarlet as
Harry Thorne, the Martian whom Dr. Morgan had dispatched to Venus
with Grandon. The man in purple was Vorn Vangal. At the same moment
Thorne saw the doctor and ran forward, embracing him with a glad cry of
recognition. He greeted Grandon with a warm hand-clasp.
It was not necessary to introduce Dr. Morgan and Vorn Vangal. The
two men, each the greatest scientist of his planet and times, had
communicated and projected their images across the trackless ether so
many times that recognition was instantaneous.
"Where is this beautiful princess of yours, Grandon?" asked Dr. Morgan.
"I am anxious to meet her."
"And I also," supplemented Thorne, "though there is a certain princess
waiting for me back in Olba whose beauty I have not seen matched on
three planets."
"I think," smiled Vorn Vangal, "you will find that opinions are quite
likely to vary on such things as the beauty of a woman."
* * * * *
Grandon could not find the heart to reply to their good-natured
badinage.
"What ails you, man?" asked Thorne. "You look as if Vangal here had
just pronounced sentence of death on you."
"Buck up, my boy," said Dr. Morgan. "You haven't lost her yet."
"Haven't lost her?" Grandon almost snarled as he spoke. "Didn't she
sign a marriage decree making Destho her husband and Emperor of Reabon?"
He led them to Vernia's vehicle. She received them graciously, with all
the dignity and poise of a born princess.
"And now," said the doctor when the presentation was concluded, "where
are Bordeen and Joto?"
"What do you know about Bordeen and Joto?" asked Grandon in surprise.
"You forget that I have been in telepathic _rapport_ with you up to
the moment I landed," replied the doctor. "I have broken _rapport_ now
because it is unnecessary."
They found Bordeen and Joto with several of the captains, examining the
Olban airship, while members of the crew eyed them rather suspiciously
from the deck above.
Introductions over, Harry Thorne invited them aboard.
"Ride with me to Reabon," he said. "We have every comfort and
convenience and plenty of room for all."
He led them up the aluminum steps and along the deck to the foremost
glass cab. Bordeen called down to his captains to resume the march, and
the ship rose majestically as they entered the snug, glass-inclosed
room, with its luxurious cushioned seats and thickly carpeted floor.
When all were seated a slave brought them steaming liquor in golden
cups.
"And now that we are all assembled," said Harry Thorne, "I should like
to ask Grandon why we are going to Reabon and what we are supposed to
do when we get there."
Grandon drained his cup and handed it to a waiting servant.
"The Princess of Reabon has been compelled to sign away her fortune and
her hand. Speaking for myself and my Fighting Traveks, we go as her
escort, to do her bidding no matter what may arise. To me it is almost
inconceivable that she will meekly submit to Destho, yet if that be her
intention, neither I nor any of my men will raise a hand to stay her.
If, on the other hand, she should, at the last moment, decide to free
herself from Destho and regain her lost throne, we will be ready to
fight for her to the last man."
"You have spoken for the warriors of Granterra and their commander as
well," said Joto.
"And for the Imperial Air Patrol of Olba, if I and my men may be
included," declared Harry Thorne.
"It seems," said the doctor smiling, "that the princess does not lack
allies. As to whether she will call on any of you or not--who can say?
A woman's mind--"
"Is past understanding for any mere man, on this-planet or another,"
interrupted Vorn Vangal. "However, I do not believe she will call on
any of us for assistance. The princess has issued a proclamation.
That proclamation, once signed, is binding alike on herself and her
subjects. She might nullify any ordinary proclamation by issuing
another, but in this case such a proceeding is quite impossible. She
has named another to rule over her and her subjects. He, and he alone,
can now nullify the proclamation."
* * * * *
"In that case," said Joto, "there might be ways of persuading him."
"A worthy suggestion, Joto," proceeded Bordeen, "but hardly practical.
It is true that, allied as we are, we constitute considerable military
power, but we cannot cope with the mighty armies of Reabon for any
long period of time. They would wipe us out eventually by sheer force
of numbers if in no other way. The army of Reabon is the largest and
best equipped in all Zarovia, and her soldiers know not the meaning of
fear. Should Vernia decide on a revolt against the new emperor we could
undoubtedly get her out of the country alive, but we could scarcely
reconquer her empire for her. A revolt against the emperor would make
her a traitor and an outcast, and, under the existing constitution of
Reabon, which has prevailed for ages, she could never hope to regain
her throne and scepter. As I see it, the thing rests squarely with her.
When we reach Reabon she must choose between freedom as an outcast from
her country forever, or the half of her throne which the proclamation
still allows her, and virtual slavery to her emperor."
"Vorn Vangal speaks the truth," said Bordeen slowly, "for well do I
know the unchanging laws of Reabon and the regard in which they are
held by every subject of the empire."
"In that case," said Dr. Morgan, "it seems that further discussion of
the problem is futile. It rests with her majesty to choose, and with us
to act only when she has made her decision."
"Quite right," agreed Thorne. "And now that the subject has been
dispensed with for the present, doctor, suppose you tell us a few
things I have been itching to find out ever since I received your
telepathic summons to meet you here, through Vorn Vangal. You have had
quite an advantage over Grandon and me, you know, being cognizant of
our every moment since we left the Earth, while we know nothing of what
you have done since we last saw you--not even how you managed to bridge
the gap that divides Venus and the Earth."
"As we are nearing Reabon I will only touch on a few points that may be
of interest to you," said the doctor. "Both of you will be surprised to
know that the Zarovian men who exchanged bodies with you have committed
suicide, destroying your earthly bodies by leaping from a precipice. I
did not communicate the reason to you, but it will become apparent from
what I am about to relate.
"The Olban prince whom you represent, Thorne, knew the secret of aërial
navigation through amplifying the power of telekinesis. I persuaded
him to share this secret with me in the interests of science, after
pointing out the fact that we were on another world and that, in
consequence, I could not possibly work evil against his country, which
was the reason for his having been sworn to secrecy.
"Both this prince and Prince Thaddor knew something of the exploits of
both of you on this planet. The former became despondent because of his
betrayal of the Olban secret, while the latter grew insanely jealous
of Grandon. They formed a suicide pact, and stole away together one
moonlight night to carry it out. Their--or more exactly, your--mangled
bodies were found the next morning at the foot of the cliff.
"As soon as I learned how to construct the mechanism which amplifies
the power of telekinesis I set to work to improve and strengthen it
until at last I had a mechanism capable of carrying me with the speed
of thought when once freed from atmospheric friction. The mechanism
complete, I constructed the spherical vehicle now floating above us,
using steel and asbestos throughout and insulating against the cold
of absolute zero through which I knew I must pass by using six vacuum
spaces, one within the other, with walls of reënforced pressed cork
between them. The screwlike door was similarly constructed with
six vacuum spaces and when it was in place, completed an air-tight,
water-tight sphere, impervious alike to extraordinarily high or low
temperatures.
"My personal equipment consisted of an ordinary diver's suit and oxygen
tank. The oxygen tank was necessary only at the beginning or end of a
journey, for, once on the way, I had no need of it. This statement may
seem strange to those of you who do not fully understand the powers of
the subjective mind, but I will explain to the best of my ability." The
doctor paused to allow them to assimilate these amazing facts, then
resumed:
* * * * *
"You, Grandon, have undoubtedly read of men permitting themselves to
be hypnotized and buried alive. Perhaps you thought such articles pure
buncombe. They were, however, in most cases founded on facts. There
was, for example, the case of the Fakir of Lahore who, after going
into the cataleptic state, was buried alive in an air-tight vault for
a period of six weeks. His nostrils and ears were first filled with
wax; he was then placed in a linen bag, then in a wooden box which
was securely locked, and the box was deposited in a brick vault which
was carefully plastered up with mortar and sealed with the rajah's
seal. A guard of British soldiers was detailed to watch the vault day
and night. At the end of the prescribed period the vault was opened
in the presence of Sir Claude Wade, the then British Resident at the
court of Loodhiana, and of Runjeet Singh. The fakir was restored to
consciousness.
"I mention this to illustrate rather than to prove my statements,
for the fact that I am here is proof enough. In a state of complete
catalepsy or suspended animation, man has no need for air, water or
food. All bodily functions--breathing, digestion, assimilation, even
circulation--are arrested. The brain itself, the organ of the objective
mind, ceases to function. Only the subjective mind, the ego, the soul
of man, which has assumed complete control of the body, remains active.
It is conscious of what goes on about it, not through the use of
physical organs, but by intuitive perception. Some people have named
this power of intuitive perception clairvoyance or clairaudience.
Wonderful as it is, we will not discuss it further here, as we are
chiefly concerned with the more wonderful power of telekinesis.
"It is a well known fact that subjective powers become stronger as the
cataleptic state is approached, and strongest when it is reached. You
will thus see that, while I made the interplanetary trip in a state
of suspended animation, my telepathic rapport with both of you was
strengthened, my power of intuitive perception was abnormally strong,
and my telekinetic powers, enhanced as they were by this factor and by
that wonderful mechanism which the Olbans have invented, exceeded my
wildest dreams. I was thus enabled to steer straight for the spot where
I might find Grandon of Terra, and at the same time to guide the Olban
fleet unerringly to the same place with the assistance of Vorn Vangal,
who was employing the same powers in a slightly lesser degree.
"My vehicle is large enough and strong enough to house three men. In it
are two extra diving suits. It is the fulfillment of my promise to you.
In a few days I start my return journey to Earth. I will be happy to
have either or both of you join me if you care to do so, though I fancy
that Harry Thorne will not care to leave, and that Grandon's decision
to go or stay will depend on what takes place in Reabon to-day. I
assure you that the trip will be no more dangerous than the one we are
now taking in this Olban airship. I do not ask for your decisions now.
When I am ready to start I will let you know, and you will have until
then to make up your minds."
"Mine is made up right now," said Thorne. "You couldn't drive me away
from this planet with a pack of man-eating hahoes. There's a little
girl back in Olba--"
"Tell us about her, old man, and some of your adventures," said Grandon.
They were interrupted by a call from the lookout. Thorne stepped out
for a moment--then returned.
"My story will have to wait," he said, "for we have arrived in Reabon."