[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
That became his destination. The Kyriari's keen understanding of psychology
aided him in understanding what had happened during his unconsciousness.
Placing himself in the respective positions of Thordred and Stephen Court, he
applied rules of logic.
When Court had entered the golden space ship and found the cataleptic bodies,
he would naturally have tried to awaken them. When he awoke Thordred, what had
happened?
There were two possibili~ies. Thordred, Ardath realized now, wanted power
above all else. He - had resented the Kyrian's domination. After apparently
succeeding in killing his former master, he woqld not have been willing to
obey Court. Rather,- his lust for power would have been given fresh fuel. - -
He and Court would have become either enemies or friends. In the latter case,
Ardath now faced two opponents. But why should Court, having built this
ingenious and expensive space ship, have been willing to destroy it by aiming
it at the Sun? He would naturally have wished to retain it for later use. A
logical man does not destroy valuable equipment, and only a logical and
intelligent person could have built this vessel. -
But Thondred, on the other hand, would have wished the smaller ship destroyed,
so that he would possess the only space ship on Earth. Such tactics would
strengthen his power. Unless there were already other spacecraft in existence.
. .
That was impossible. This one was obviously patterned on
Ardath's own vessel. A man with sufficient knowledge to create it would have
used it, first of all, to visit the original ship. That sounded logical,
though not entirely certain.
Court would probably have resented the destruction of his property. That
indicated that he and Thordred were enemies. But from that conclusion, Ardath
could go no further. He could only wait until he had reached the Earth and
visited the home of Stephen Court in Wisconsin. If Court lived, he would
certainly be an ally.
And now Ardath concentrated on creating a weapon. Equipment was at hand, and
electricity. Atomic energy Ardath could not manufacture at present, but he
thought it would not be necessary. Already he had a plan for a weapon in mind.
It must be able to convey a strong shock, or even a fatal one, over quite a
Page 64
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
distance. That necessitated some conductor of the current. A jet of water-a
thin spray, perhaps-might do the trick. But the use of ordinary water was not
quite satisfactory.
Ardath began to experiment with the limited laboratory he had at his command.
He worked arduously, sleeping and eating only when he found time, while the
ship sped toward its destination.
Earth grew from a star to a spinning globe, cloud-sheathed, and then into a
vast concave disk that blotted out the starry void. Ardath found the outline
of North America, checked it with his maps. Then he sent the vessel arrowing
toward Lake Michigan, which was visible even from beyond the atmosphere.
It was night before he landed outside the village near Court's home. He
lowered the ship silently among concealing trees and slipped toward the lights
of the settlement.
His clothing would arouse curiosity, he realized, but that could not be
helped. Taking his new weapon, which was awkwardly bulky, he moved forward. -
Luck was with him. A youth, idling along the highway in a dim stretch, paused
to stare at Ardath. The Kyrian took advantage of the opportunity. Mouthing the
unfamiliar words carefully, he asked:
"Can you say where Stephen Court lives?" It sounded like:
"Cah yoh-uh say vhere Stephen Coo-urt llv-es?"
The boy blinked. "Sure. You're a foreigner, ain't you?"
When no answer came, he went on, pointing.
"Right up the road here." He gave explicit directions. "But I wouldn t go up
there if I was you. There was a fire up there just a little while ago, and
folks saw some funny kind of airship hanging around. They think it crashed in
the valley behind the house, but nobody's gone to look. We stay away from
Court's place since he had a case of the
Plague there."
Without a word, Ardath left the lad and hurried on. He had understood most of
what had been said. "A funny kind of airship?" Could that be the golden space
vessel? By the gods, if it had crashed- -
The ruina of the house told their own story. Ardath hesitated, then skirted it
to climb up the slope beyond the charred foundation-s. -
"The valley behind the house," the boy had said. Ardath topped the ridge. His
thin, patrician face went cold as marble at the sight before him. The ship was
wrecked, he saw at a glance. And he saw, too, the moonlit figures of huge
Thordied and his paralyzed prisoners.
As the ray flashed out from the' lens in Thordred's hand, Ardath ran swiftly
down the slope, concealing himself amid the bushes. As an odor of charred
flesh came to his nostrils, his eyes were suddenly remorseless as death.
At last he was close enough. He rose from the shadows and called softly:
"Thordredl"
The bearded giant whirled, shocked amazement in the amber eyes. The yellow ray
swung wide, out of his control. Simultaneously Ardath liftecj the weapon he
held, and a -thin jet of fluid shot from its muzzle, splashing on Thordred's
arm. The giant yelled in agony, and his lens fell to the ground.
"You betrayed me, Thordred," Ardath said motionlessly. "It is just thatyou
die."
He stepped forward. The huge, bearded figure swayed and writhed in agony,
striving to break free from the invisible grip that held it. Ardath's foot
slipped on a rounded stone. For a second, the liquid jet wavered from its
mark. But swept back swiftly- Thordred was gone! He flung himself back into
the shelter of the bushes. The crashing of underbrush told of his flight.
Ardath shrugged and lowered his weapon.
"He is harmless now," he said, and bent to pick up the lens. Briefly he eyed
the - three men and the girl, still paralyzed. "Scipio, Li Yang, and two
strangers."
He made a hasty adjustment on the crystal, sent a blue glow sweeping out to
Page 65
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
bathe the four. The paralysis fled.
"Ardath!" Li Yang said. "You came in good time."
"By the gods, yes!" Scipio roared. His voice went soft with regret. "Though
not in time to save Jansaiya." His eyes clouded. Lifting his saber, he plunged
forward."I'll be back with Thordred's head," he promised over his shoulder,
and vanished into the woods.
"You-you're Ardath?" Court asked. -
The burn on his chest -was aching painfully, but it was not deep, and it had
been automatically cauterized. He stared at the rescuer. The Kyrian nodded.
"I am- Ardath. You seem to know of me. Are you Stephen Court?"
"Yes. But how did you learn English? How did you escape from the Sun trap?
What-"
"Wait." Ardath was staring down at the wrecked ship. "Before all else, the
atomic energy must be prisoned again. It is"
-he fumbled for the right word-"dangerous. To approach it closely means
de-ath."
"Lead?" Court suggested.
-When Ardath looked puzzled, he gave the atomic number. "Only a special alloy
will insulate the rays of atomic energy.
Do you see that container? It looks like a speck from here, beside the spot of
light. Only that can hold the power." He frowned. "The power must be placed in
its sheath again. But-" -
"It means death," Li Yang broke in. "Very welL I shall do it."
Court clutched the fat arm.
"You need not sncriflce yourself."
Ardath's face was expressionless as he went on in his painful, stilted
Englishi
"Whoever goes must be quick. The rays kill swiftly. Hurry to the ship, slide
the container over the little globe of atomic energy, and put the cover in [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl rafalstec.xlx.pl
That became his destination. The Kyriari's keen understanding of psychology
aided him in understanding what had happened during his unconsciousness.
Placing himself in the respective positions of Thordred and Stephen Court, he
applied rules of logic.
When Court had entered the golden space ship and found the cataleptic bodies,
he would naturally have tried to awaken them. When he awoke Thordred, what had
happened?
There were two possibili~ies. Thordred, Ardath realized now, wanted power
above all else. He - had resented the Kyrian's domination. After apparently
succeeding in killing his former master, he woqld not have been willing to
obey Court. Rather,- his lust for power would have been given fresh fuel. - -
He and Court would have become either enemies or friends. In the latter case,
Ardath now faced two opponents. But why should Court, having built this
ingenious and expensive space ship, have been willing to destroy it by aiming
it at the Sun? He would naturally have wished to retain it for later use. A
logical man does not destroy valuable equipment, and only a logical and
intelligent person could have built this vessel. -
But Thondred, on the other hand, would have wished the smaller ship destroyed,
so that he would possess the only space ship on Earth. Such tactics would
strengthen his power. Unless there were already other spacecraft in existence.
. .
That was impossible. This one was obviously patterned on
Ardath's own vessel. A man with sufficient knowledge to create it would have
used it, first of all, to visit the original ship. That sounded logical,
though not entirely certain.
Court would probably have resented the destruction of his property. That
indicated that he and Thordred were enemies. But from that conclusion, Ardath
could go no further. He could only wait until he had reached the Earth and
visited the home of Stephen Court in Wisconsin. If Court lived, he would
certainly be an ally.
And now Ardath concentrated on creating a weapon. Equipment was at hand, and
electricity. Atomic energy Ardath could not manufacture at present, but he
thought it would not be necessary. Already he had a plan for a weapon in mind.
It must be able to convey a strong shock, or even a fatal one, over quite a
Page 64
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
distance. That necessitated some conductor of the current. A jet of water-a
thin spray, perhaps-might do the trick. But the use of ordinary water was not
quite satisfactory.
Ardath began to experiment with the limited laboratory he had at his command.
He worked arduously, sleeping and eating only when he found time, while the
ship sped toward its destination.
Earth grew from a star to a spinning globe, cloud-sheathed, and then into a
vast concave disk that blotted out the starry void. Ardath found the outline
of North America, checked it with his maps. Then he sent the vessel arrowing
toward Lake Michigan, which was visible even from beyond the atmosphere.
It was night before he landed outside the village near Court's home. He
lowered the ship silently among concealing trees and slipped toward the lights
of the settlement.
His clothing would arouse curiosity, he realized, but that could not be
helped. Taking his new weapon, which was awkwardly bulky, he moved forward. -
Luck was with him. A youth, idling along the highway in a dim stretch, paused
to stare at Ardath. The Kyrian took advantage of the opportunity. Mouthing the
unfamiliar words carefully, he asked:
"Can you say where Stephen Court lives?" It sounded like:
"Cah yoh-uh say vhere Stephen Coo-urt llv-es?"
The boy blinked. "Sure. You're a foreigner, ain't you?"
When no answer came, he went on, pointing.
"Right up the road here." He gave explicit directions. "But I wouldn t go up
there if I was you. There was a fire up there just a little while ago, and
folks saw some funny kind of airship hanging around. They think it crashed in
the valley behind the house, but nobody's gone to look. We stay away from
Court's place since he had a case of the
Plague there."
Without a word, Ardath left the lad and hurried on. He had understood most of
what had been said. "A funny kind of airship?" Could that be the golden space
vessel? By the gods, if it had crashed- -
The ruina of the house told their own story. Ardath hesitated, then skirted it
to climb up the slope beyond the charred foundation-s. -
"The valley behind the house," the boy had said. Ardath topped the ridge. His
thin, patrician face went cold as marble at the sight before him. The ship was
wrecked, he saw at a glance. And he saw, too, the moonlit figures of huge
Thordied and his paralyzed prisoners.
As the ray flashed out from the' lens in Thordred's hand, Ardath ran swiftly
down the slope, concealing himself amid the bushes. As an odor of charred
flesh came to his nostrils, his eyes were suddenly remorseless as death.
At last he was close enough. He rose from the shadows and called softly:
"Thordredl"
The bearded giant whirled, shocked amazement in the amber eyes. The yellow ray
swung wide, out of his control. Simultaneously Ardath liftecj the weapon he
held, and a -thin jet of fluid shot from its muzzle, splashing on Thordred's
arm. The giant yelled in agony, and his lens fell to the ground.
"You betrayed me, Thordred," Ardath said motionlessly. "It is just thatyou
die."
He stepped forward. The huge, bearded figure swayed and writhed in agony,
striving to break free from the invisible grip that held it. Ardath's foot
slipped on a rounded stone. For a second, the liquid jet wavered from its
mark. But swept back swiftly- Thordred was gone! He flung himself back into
the shelter of the bushes. The crashing of underbrush told of his flight.
Ardath shrugged and lowered his weapon.
"He is harmless now," he said, and bent to pick up the lens. Briefly he eyed
the - three men and the girl, still paralyzed. "Scipio, Li Yang, and two
strangers."
He made a hasty adjustment on the crystal, sent a blue glow sweeping out to
Page 65
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
bathe the four. The paralysis fled.
"Ardath!" Li Yang said. "You came in good time."
"By the gods, yes!" Scipio roared. His voice went soft with regret. "Though
not in time to save Jansaiya." His eyes clouded. Lifting his saber, he plunged
forward."I'll be back with Thordred's head," he promised over his shoulder,
and vanished into the woods.
"You-you're Ardath?" Court asked. -
The burn on his chest -was aching painfully, but it was not deep, and it had
been automatically cauterized. He stared at the rescuer. The Kyrian nodded.
"I am- Ardath. You seem to know of me. Are you Stephen Court?"
"Yes. But how did you learn English? How did you escape from the Sun trap?
What-"
"Wait." Ardath was staring down at the wrecked ship. "Before all else, the
atomic energy must be prisoned again. It is"
-he fumbled for the right word-"dangerous. To approach it closely means
de-ath."
"Lead?" Court suggested.
-When Ardath looked puzzled, he gave the atomic number. "Only a special alloy
will insulate the rays of atomic energy.
Do you see that container? It looks like a speck from here, beside the spot of
light. Only that can hold the power." He frowned. "The power must be placed in
its sheath again. But-" -
"It means death," Li Yang broke in. "Very welL I shall do it."
Court clutched the fat arm.
"You need not sncriflce yourself."
Ardath's face was expressionless as he went on in his painful, stilted
Englishi
"Whoever goes must be quick. The rays kill swiftly. Hurry to the ship, slide
the container over the little globe of atomic energy, and put the cover in [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]