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Alcatraz of the Starways - Albert dePina, Henry Hasse · Captives of the Thieve-Star

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  Speaker 1: Section one of Alcatraz of the Star Wars. This is
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  Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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  Speaker 1: Read by Cinda J. M. Alcatraz of the Star Wars
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  Speaker 1: by Henry Hasse and Albert Depina. Section one. Venus was
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  Speaker 1: a world enslaved, and then, like an avenging angel, fanning
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  Speaker 1: the flames of raging revolt, came a warrior princess in
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  Speaker 1: whose mind lay dread knowledge, the knowledge of a weapon
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  Speaker 1: so terrible it had been used but once in the
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  Speaker 1: history of the universe. Purple Mark Denning almost sobbed a
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  Speaker 1: purple Josmian forgetting the sweat in his eyes and the
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  Speaker 1: insufferable heat about him. His clutching hand held up the
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  Speaker 1: mud dripping globe the size of a baseball, irridescent in
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  Speaker 1: the Venusian night, the phosphorescent glow that bathed the endless
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  Speaker 1: swamp and ghastly green struck myriad shimmering rainbows from the
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  Speaker 1: dark sphere. Two more of those in your free lower species.
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  Speaker 1: It was an ironic voice with the resonant sweetness of
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  Speaker 1: a cello in its depths that issued from the haze
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  Speaker 1: near by. Frantically, Mark reached down into the tepid mud
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  Speaker 1: where he had felt the swaying stems of Josmie and
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  Speaker 1: Lily's whip about his knees. Another globe met his hand.
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  Speaker 1: He tugged and twisted until it tore from the stem,
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  Speaker 1: but when he raised it to the surface, it was white,
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  Speaker 1: immediately began to shrink. It would continue until it became
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  Speaker 1: the size of a small marble, when it would either
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  Speaker 1: rot as the majority did, or begin to crystallize into
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  Speaker 1: a priceless Venusian pearl. But that happened only with one
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  Speaker 1: in ten thousand. It was different with the purple ones.
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  Speaker 1: They never failed to crystallize into a violet globe of
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  Speaker 1: unearthly beauty and incalculable value. Less than a hundred of
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  Speaker 1: the purple had ever been found. They were so rare
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  Speaker 1: that any prisoner who harvested three was granted freedom. Pretty
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  Speaker 1: the Chellow voice taunted behind Mark. In a few hours,
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  Speaker 1: it'll be rotting and stinking to high heaven. Cut it
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  Speaker 1: a laddo, Mark growled. He tossed the white jasmin into
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  Speaker 1: the basket he pushed before him, across the mud. The
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  Speaker 1: purple one he placed carefully in his trouser pocket. He
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  Speaker 1: pushed on, searching the pungent, smelling mud that came up
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  Speaker 1: to his thighs. Suddenly, the warm ooze rose to his
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  Speaker 1: waist and crept inexorbably higher. For an instant Mark clowt
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  Speaker 1: at the mud. It was surging up to his armpit. Now,
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  Speaker 1: as he floundered in the tenacious sinkhole, he shook his
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  Speaker 1: head to get the sweat out of his eyes and
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  Speaker 1: the numbness from his brain. He stopped thrashing about, for
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  Speaker 1: he knew that was futile. He threw back his head
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  Speaker 1: and gave a shout in which was more than a
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  Speaker 1: note of sheer terror. At least a dozen men were
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  Speaker 1: moving near him, waist deep in the Venusian mud. At
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  Speaker 1: his cry, they stopped and stared at him dully, fatalistically.
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  Speaker 1: They could easily have formed a chain and pulled him out,
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  Speaker 1: but none moved. They'd seen too many repetitions of this
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  Speaker 1: tragedy to care anymore. It happened every day a new man,
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  Speaker 1: a little careless, caught in one of the deadly sinkholes.
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  Speaker 1: It happened even to the veterans of this Venusian prison camp,
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  Speaker 1: sometimes deliberately as they became weary of a hopeless existence.
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  Speaker 1: The mud was almost to Mark's chin. Now only his
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  Speaker 1: forearms and his blonde hair were visible. Hatred came into
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  Speaker 1: his eyes as he glared at the men about him,
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  Speaker 1: most of them earthmen like himself, who would not help him. Again,
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  Speaker 1: he struggled, tried to hoist himself upward. Don't struggle, you fool,
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  Speaker 1: came the resonant voice from behind him. Be still, every
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  Speaker 1: movement helps to sink you. Then, in an undertone, no
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  Speaker 1: human was ever able to think clearly anyway. Mark smiled
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  Speaker 1: despite his predicament. Then he urged, hurry, a laddo, hurry
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  Speaker 1: over the expanse of hellish greenlit munk. A tiny figure
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  Speaker 1: inched toward Mark, scarcely five feet in height. A Laddo's
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  Speaker 1: arms and legs were now outspread to distribute his weight
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  Speaker 1: over as much area as possible. The rescuing figure was
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  Speaker 1: like an imp from Hades, clad as it was, in
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  Speaker 1: a tight fitting garment of metallic blue, which even the
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  Speaker 1: clinging mud failed to dull, while membrous wings of a
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  Speaker 1: lighter hue began at its wrists joined to the entire
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  Speaker 1: under arm and the sides of its body all the
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  Speaker 1: way to its feet, much as the wings of a bat.
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  Speaker 1: Swiftly it crawled and wriggled toward the earth Man, and
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  Speaker 1: without a word, grasped him with both tiny hands. By
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  Speaker 1: the arms. It braced itself on its wings and heaved
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  Speaker 1: a few inches of Mark Denning emerged from the mud
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  Speaker 1: with a sucking sound. Again a laddo made a prodigious effort,
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  Speaker 1: and again the Earthman came up from the mud a
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  Speaker 1: few more inches. The winged figure held him there while
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  Speaker 1: it gasped for breath. Now spread your arms on the
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  Speaker 1: mud and stiffen your neck, subspecies, the winged one laughed. Swiftly,
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  Speaker 1: it cuppt its seemingly fragile hands under Mark's chin, and
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  Speaker 1: slowly but surely began to pull him back and out.
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  Speaker 1: Most of an hour went by before the earth Man's
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  Speaker 1: superb torso it emerged and he was able to help
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  Speaker 1: the rescuer. At last, he was out of the sinkhole, panting,
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  Speaker 1: Almost exhausted and half nude, he still found strength to
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  Speaker 1: feel at his trouser pocket, and was gratified to find
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  Speaker 1: his purple Josmian still there. It was now about half
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  Speaker 1: its original size, and soon would cease its shrinkage and
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  Speaker 1: begin to crystallize. Mark gazed into the oval face panting
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  Speaker 1: next to his. The heavily fringed eyes were closed as
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  Speaker 1: it breathed in labored gasps, and the slender, fragile form
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  Speaker 1: shook now and then with nervous spasms. Mark never ceased
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  Speaker 1: to wonder at the beauty of the Venusians, nor at
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  Speaker 1: their absolute and maddening conviction that theirs was the only
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  Speaker 1: true intelligence in the universe. Now to these qualities, Mark
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  Speaker 1: added that of indomitable courage as he gazed at a
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  Speaker 1: laddo and marveled, well, aladdo, Thanks seemed sort of a
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  Speaker 1: stupid word in a case like this. I owe you
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  Speaker 1: my life. I don't know how I'll ever repay the debt.
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  Speaker 1: Mark's eyes roved over the weird scene, taking in the soulless,
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  Speaker 1: hopeless hulks that had once been men, and it suddenly
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  Speaker 1: occurred to him that he'd had enough of this hellish
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  Speaker 1: corner of Venus. He'd been here two months, and already
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  Speaker 1: he was unable to think clearly. He was becoming identified
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  Speaker 1: with the living death of the Venusian prison swamp. His
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  Speaker 1: mission apparently had failed. What he had come to learn
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  Speaker 1: remained a secret, and he was slowly becoming like these
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  Speaker 1: shells of men who prowled the ocean of mud, eventually
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  Speaker 1: to disappear beneath it. No need to thank me, Middle order,
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  Speaker 1: I would have missed our discussions had you gone, the
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  Speaker 1: Venusian grimmed, implishly. What I've been promoted. You must be
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  Speaker 1: ill to call me anything above a lower order or
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  Speaker 1: a subspecies. Mark smiled too, but seriously wondered what crime
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  Speaker 1: A good damn a laddo to a prison reserved only
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  Speaker 1: for the most hardened and hopeless criminals, or for political
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  Speaker 1: prisoners whose existence was a threat to the Triplanetary League
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  Speaker 1: at times. You're almost intelligent, the Venutian replied, placidly. Any
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  Speaker 1: one of these other men would have struggled had they
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  Speaker 1: been in your place, and I would have been helpless.
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  Speaker 1: Why didn't you use your brain? Mark couldn't resist prodding
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  Speaker 1: the other and by flying above me get to me
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  Speaker 1: quicker instead of crawling all that distance. The winged figure
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  Speaker 1: laughed mirthlessly, and for an answer, held up its arms.
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  Speaker 1: The azure membranes that were its wings hung in limp folds. Useless,
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  Speaker 1: you see, he said quietly, the tendons have been cut.
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  Speaker 1: Otherwise I could fly up and out of this swamp,
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  Speaker 1: despite its five hundred mile width. Mark could find no
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  Speaker 1: words to say. Since being assigned at his own request
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  Speaker 1: to this last grim even of the damned, by the
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  Speaker 1: Triplanetary Prison Bureau on a special mission, there had been
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  Speaker 1: moments when the horror of it all made him doubt
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  Speaker 1: the wisdom of maintaining such a ghastly place. He knew,
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  Speaker 1: of course, the tremendous deterrent influence its existence exerted, besides
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  Speaker 1: the important revenue derived from Venusian pearls. Still it all
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  Speaker 1: seemed too inhuman. You don't seem criminal, earth Man, the
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  Speaker 1: chillo like voice introduced on Mark's thoughts, I fail to
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  Speaker 1: catch the typical vibrations of the killers and ravagers. Your crime?
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  Speaker 1: Was it political? Well, yes, Marcus sented hurriedly. It wouldn't
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  Speaker 1: do for this Venusian to suspect he was an operative.
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  Speaker 1: To put it briefly, I am classified as too individualistic
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  Speaker 1: for the new order of controlled endeavor, also typed as irreconcilable.
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  Speaker 1: And you know what that means perfectly. The enigmatic smile
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  Speaker 1: hovering on the Venusian's lips baded slowly. I too, am
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  Speaker 1: a political My father was Bedroom the liberator. All we
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  Speaker 1: of Venus asked was real independence instead of the mock
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  Speaker 1: freedom your Earth grants us. In reality, we are a
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  Speaker 1: vassal state with no voice but Earth, Bedroom, Mark exclaimed, aghast.
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  Speaker 1: For more than a decade that name had made history,
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  Speaker 1: engulfing three planets in a suicidal struggle that had ended
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  Speaker 1: in a stalemate. Bedroom was dead now Mark new. But
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  Speaker 1: in Venus and even on Mars, the name was a
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  Speaker 1: glorious legend. It was only with the greatest effort and
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  Speaker 1: vigilance that Earth was able to enforce the peace. So
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  Speaker 1: this is what became of you, Mark said, slowly, softly.
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  Speaker 1: The three worlds do not know. They still wonder. Then
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  Speaker 1: he caught himself and bitter's lip. Yes, Aladdo murmured bitterly,
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  Speaker 1: the worlds do not know. I was to be given amnesty.
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  Speaker 1: I was so young, but your inner council decided that
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  Speaker 1: as long as I lived, I would be a rallying
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  Speaker 1: point for irreconcilables of Venus, and so I was hunted
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  Speaker 1: from planet to planet until well, here I am on
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  Speaker 1: my own world, but as far away from my people
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  Speaker 1: as if I was on Beltaguse. Here I do not live.
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  Speaker 1: But surely there must be some way of convincing the
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  Speaker 1: council that you're harmless, and if that fails, well of
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  Speaker 1: getting you out of here, out of Paridim. Aladdo's smile
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  Speaker 1: had all the despairing bitterness of a soul damned for
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  Speaker 1: all eternity, all the tears and the anguish and the
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  Speaker 1: racking sorrow of the condemned since the world began, seemed
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  Speaker 1: to be frozen for an instant in that smile. Look
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  Speaker 1: about you, earth man. It was true. Mark had to
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  Speaker 1: acknowledge the psychological genius who devised the Venusian prison system.
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  Speaker 1: For five hundred miles, the swamp Paridim extended in either direction, impassable,
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  Speaker 1: pitted with sinkholes into which a man would disappear without
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  Speaker 1: a trace. And beyond were the impenetrable jungles, alive with
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  Speaker 1: lurking Carnova, lurking monsters of the night, red in tooth
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  Speaker 1: and claw. Only on the opposite hemisphere were the two
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  Speaker 1: larger and hospitable continents of Venus. Here on this tiny continent.
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  Speaker 1: The prison ship came once a month to hover over
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  Speaker 1: the tiny islet in the middle of the swamp, the
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  Speaker 1: only spot of firm ground for untold miles. Here it
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  Speaker 1: droped supplies in food and occasionally picked up the little
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  Speaker 1: heaps of fabulous Venusian pearls. There were no guards, and
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  Speaker 1: none were needed for at night, when the awful humidity increased,
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  Speaker 1: the men worked or died. With night came the dreaded
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: fog lurid in the ghostly illumination of the igneous fatui,
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  Speaker 1: the phosphorescent radiance of this vast graveyard, and the idol
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  Speaker 1: died decomposition of the blood set in essential salts within
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  Speaker 1: Their bodies were dissolved, cellular activity ceased, and their bodies bloated.
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  Speaker 1: Not many, however, were idle. Escape for years had been
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  Speaker 1: thought of virtual impossibility. The very thought would have brought
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  Speaker 1: smiles to the grim faces of that August body the
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  Speaker 1: Triplanetary Bureau of Prisons. And yet a notorious killer who
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  Speaker 1: had been sent to this swamp only a year ago,
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  Speaker 1: had recently been found dead out in space. A patrol
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  Speaker 1: ship had found the body floating a few thousand miles
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  Speaker 1: off Galisto, an atom blast whole drilled neatly through the forehead.
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  Speaker 1: There was not the slightest doubt that this was the
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  Speaker 1: same man. How had this criminal been able to escape
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  Speaker 1: the swamp and travel to Callisto, millions of miles away.
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  Speaker 1: It was a mystery and above all a challenge. Apparently
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  Speaker 1: the Venus prison had ceased to be impregnable, and that
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  Speaker 1: was why Mark Denning, the Prison Bureau's leading investigator, was here.
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  Speaker 1: Guard your pearl. Middle species. A Laddo's voice was ironic.
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  Speaker 1: Once more, escape and with it you may buy a
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  Speaker 1: pardon without a backward glance. The Venusian moved on with
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  Speaker 1: nightmare slowness through the swirling mists, pushing his basket into
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  Speaker 1: which the Josmian globes were loaded escape. Mark thought, following
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  Speaker 1: the Venusian, he did not need to escape. He could
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  Speaker 1: signal the prison ship to pick him up the next
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  Speaker 1: time it arrived. He wondered if he should. He'd been
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  Speaker 1: here two months and they were an eternity that dwarfed
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  Speaker 1: any concept of hell. But he hadn't any clue to
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  Speaker 1: the mystery of the escaping convicts. He could hardly return
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  Speaker 1: with a confession of failure. He looked ahead through the
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  Speaker 1: mists at the slender body of a laddo in its
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  Speaker 1: tight fitting sheath of metallic blue. I would miss a laddo,
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  Speaker 1: Mark whispered to himself. And if he can stand it here,
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  Speaker 1: I should be able to What are you mumbling about
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  Speaker 1: to yourself? Aladdo's mocking voice came back to him. That
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  Speaker 1: lowers you from the middle species to the subspecies. Again.
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  Speaker 1: He held up a Josmian globe against the greenish swamp
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  Speaker 1: glow white, he said contemptuously, and threw it into the basket,
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  Speaker 1: pushing through the muck with its tremendous strength. Mark cut
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  Speaker 1: the distance and separated them. You may have my purple one, Aladdo.
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  Speaker 1: I will not need it, and perhaps you with it.
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  Speaker 1: You might. If I were to gather a hundred purple ones,
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  Speaker 1: I could not buy my release. The Venusian was staring
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  Speaker 1: at Mark peculiarly, as if wondering why he should have
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  Speaker 1: made that offer. Do you suppose earth Man, any of
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  Speaker 1: the other men saw you find it? They would kill
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  Speaker 1: you for it? Cheerfully? No, I think not. No one
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  Speaker 1: saw me bring it up, But you then guard it.
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  Speaker 1: Aladdo eyed Mark's powerful frame. Critically guard it with your life,
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: for you may have to fight for it soon. Telepathy,
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  Speaker 1: you've caught some one's thought vibrations, Mark asked in a whisper.
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  Speaker 1: He well knew that telepathy, although not commonly used, was
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: an established fact among the Venusians. But Aladdo's long lashes
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  Speaker 1: rested against pallid cheeks, veiling eyes that were a brim
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  Speaker 1: with something Mark could not understand. No, the winged one said,
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  Speaker 1: at last, it wasn't a thought vibration, not that clear,
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  Speaker 1: Perhaps a vibration of evil. Be alert, earth man, I
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  Speaker 1: can say no more. Are all right? Thanks? Alatto? But
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: inwardly Mark cursed the inherent Venusian mania for ultra reserve,
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  Speaker 1: for making a mystery of even the most commonplace affairs.
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  Speaker 1: Let's head for the island. It's almost gone. Above The
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: cloud cap was prismatic with color as the sun tried
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  Speaker 1: feebly to penetrate the grayness and then gave up the attempt,
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  Speaker 1: as if it had tried many times before and failed. Slowly,
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  Speaker 1: the vast swamps contours came into view, with their small
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: island a faint green line against the horizon's rim, and
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: as the gray stawn light increased, suffusing the grim morass,
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  Speaker 1: Mark and a Latto made their slow way toward it.
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  Speaker 1: End of section one, Section two of Alcatraz of the
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  Speaker 1: Starways by Henry Hasse and Albert de Pina. This LibriVox
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: courting is in the public domain. Read by Cindy J. M.
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  Speaker 1: Section two. Up you go. Mark's long muscles courted as
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  Speaker 1: he heaved, and a Latto's body left the mud with
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  Speaker 1: a sucking sound, to sprawl on the solid ground of
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  Speaker 1: the island. Presently the earth man joined him, and for
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: a few seconds they rested silently. All around them, the
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: vegetation surged, lush and matted, inextricably tangled with parasitic vines,
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: whereas the expanse of swamp was bare of the myriad
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: growths of venus. For some unknown chemical reason, the island
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  Speaker 1: itself was riotous with them. It was as if every
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: inch of terra firma were precious. The humid air was
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: hot and stagnant, heavy with the overpowering fragments of flowers.
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: Even after two months of conditioning, Mark had difficulty in
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: breathing as the odors of this alien world increased as
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: the temperature rose. Ah, what a world. Mark said disgustedly
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: as he rose to his feet. I'm going to bathe
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: before the gang arrives. You better come too. Together they
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: went up the vine entangled path toward the barracks, and
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: rounding a corner of the building, followed another path to
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: where a small spring gushed from an elevation. It fell
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: in a sparkling shower, and then meandered a few feet
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  Speaker 1: to lose itself in the swamp. A laddo, as usually,
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: merely let the water flow over the metallic suit that
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: sheathed the slender body. By the time they had finished bathing,
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: the rest of the convicts began to emerge from radiating
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: paths to dump their swamp pearls into the growing heap
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: by the side of their barracks. Some of the men
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: threw themselves on the ground, exhausted in mines and bodies,
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: and were almost instantly asleep. A few sat against the
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: barrack's wall and chewed the deadly to scyth's stems, their
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: eyes vacant, their faces gray. To Scyth was awful stuff,
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  Speaker 1: even if it did banish pain. Mark knew that these
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: men wouldn't last long, but he wondered if perhaps they
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: weren't the wiser ones after all. Returning from his bath
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  Speaker 1: to the barracks, Mark found that Alatto had disappeared. He
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: entered and donned a thin, rubberoid garment from among his
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: meager store of personal belongings. It resembled one of the
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: ancient woolen suits that earthmen had used against the cold
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: many centuries before, but there was a great difference. Mark's
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: garment was impervious to cold or heat, highly flexible, yet
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: the inner lining of a lurium mesh could intercept anything
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: short of a ray blast. When Mark emerged, he found
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: a lotto talking in very low tones with a tall
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: Martian Venusian half breed. This man was fantastic. He had
• 20:49
  Speaker 1: the slenderness of the Venusians and the finely chiseled features,
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: but his eyes were Martian, deep purple and immense, far
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: too large for the fame. The breadth of shoulder and
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: barrel chest was Martian too, ludicrous in comparison with a
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: wasp waist and slender thighs. Mark had seen this half
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: read about the swamp before and wondered who he was now. Alatto,
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: glancing up, called to him. Mark walked over to them.
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  Speaker 1: This is Luhor earth Man. The Venusian crossed both hands
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: at the wrists and the immemorial Venusian gesture indicating that
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: a friend was being introduced. Luhor the earth Man's name
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: is Mark. He is the one I told you about.
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: Note the muscular power of the body, the intelligence of
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: the face no less than middle order. I think you
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: shall find him most useful. Mark felt as if he
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: were on the auction block as Alatto calmly pointed out
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: his physical attributes. He was mystified. At the back of
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: his mind, a vague memory strode to emerge. It was
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: barely a sense of having seen this man Luhor before
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: moving among the convicts and whispering to them briefly. Perhaps
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: it had been an illusion of the swamp's night glow,
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: and yet the feeling persisted. Mark extended his hand to
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: the Martian Venusian, who eyed him silently, expressionless, without grasping
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: the preferred hand. Around them, the atmosphere was electric. At last,
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: Luthor spoke, only fifteen can go. They have been picked out.
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: He was a rumbling voice, emotionless, cold, eliminate one. Then
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: Alado said, imperiously, how they'll fight like Ushliandians. They already
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: know they've been picked. Oh Aladdian. Then Mark Denning understood
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: escape was being planned. Alado was one of those to
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: go and was trying to induce Luhor to include him.
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: Mark's heart was pounding. He knew that it was now
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: or never. He must be among those who escaped. He
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: would never again be so close to the solution of
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: the mysteries he'd been sent here to solve. I'm new here,
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: Mark spoke, hurriedly. Look at my arms, my chest. I
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: have tremendous strength and endurance. My vitality has not been
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: sapped by the swamp as yet. Take me also, Luhor.
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: I'll repay you beyond anything you can dream of. The
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: halfbreed's mouth twisted slowly into a cold sneer as he
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: gazed at the Earthman. Then he shrugged his shoulders. It
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: might have meant anything, but Mark thought it meant denial.
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: In silence, Luhor bowed to Ulado and strode off toward
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: a group of several men. It was odd, Mark thought
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: a half read convict showing such a mark of respect
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: to another convict, But perhaps it was because Luhor was
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: half Venusian and bedroom had been Aladdo's father. Mark turned
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: questioningly to Lado. He was amazed to see sudden alarm
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: leap into the Venusian's eyes, together with a warning cry.
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: Mark stepped lithely aside, but not in time to avoid
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: a terrific blow between his shoulder blades that left a
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: burning point of fire in his flesh. He half fell
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: to his knees, but whirled around to confront a bestial face,
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: maddened now by bloodlust. In the attacker's hand was a
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: halft and a piece of broken blade from what had
• 24:22
  Speaker 1: evidently been a smuggled knife. It was useless, now shattered
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: against the allurium mesh inner lining of Mark's suit. With
• 24:30
  Speaker 1: a cry of baffled rage, the attacking earth Man hurled
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: the broken weapon into Mark's face and launched himself close
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: behind it. Mark rolled slightly aside, then gained his feet
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: and whirled to face his attacker. Mark was icy calm now.
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: He awaited the convict's next rush, then sent a straight
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: left unerringly to the man's head, driving him off balance.
• 24:54
  Speaker 1: Mark kept facing him, balanced lightly on his toes. As
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: the man came boring back in tenaciously. Mark's right arm
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: was a peg upon which he hung the convict's blow
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: while he used the boxer's left long and weaving, throwing
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: it swiftly three times like a cat's sparring with a mouse.
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: The killer rushed, aggressive and eager. Mark let his heels
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: touch the ground, this time refuse to give way. He
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: took a murderous hook to the stomach without flinching, countered
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: with a quick left of the face, then a vicious
• 25:27
  Speaker 1: right cross. The convict's face seemed to lose contour, Its
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: features blurred as the face went gory, his feet crossed
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: and his knees went suddenly rubbery. He fell with a
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: crash and didn't get up. Mark towered above him, breathing heavily,
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: only now aware of the little group of interested men
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: who had watched you fight like a Venusian Oslandian, as
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: ruthless and as methodical. It was lehor who stepped forward
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: and spoke. It was grinning twistedly as hede Mark's handiwork. Now,
• 26:02
  Speaker 1: I wonder why he wanted to eliminate me. Mark gestured
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: puzzledly for an answer. A laddo standing close by him
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: tapped the spot wherein a hidden inner pocket reposed the
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: purple pearl. The gesture went unnoticed by Leuhor, but Marx
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: suddenly understood, would you care. Leuhor waved a hand as
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: if dismissing the fallen foe. He was one of the chosen.
• 26:28
  Speaker 1: You may take his place, earth Man, since you have
• 26:30
  Speaker 1: so neatly disabled him. His large, weird eyes took in
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: Mark's physique with a new interest. To a Laddo, he said,
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: you have your wish again. There was that odd note
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: of deference in his voice. He bowed slightly and turned
• 26:45
  Speaker 1: away again to the gathered little group of men. When
• 26:49
  Speaker 1: do we start? Mark whispered eagerly to a Laddo. But
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: the Venusian's eyes were preternaturally bright. A frail hand was
• 26:56
  Speaker 1: held up for silence. Mark stood tense. The brightness of
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: Aladdo's eyes seemed to increase, and then Mark heard it.
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: They all heard it. It was unbelievable, the low, powerful
• 27:11
  Speaker 1: hum of a repulsion beam rent the stillness. It was
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: faint and far away at first, but it came steadily louder.
• 27:19
  Speaker 1: This marked new was not the hornet's hum of the
• 27:22
  Speaker 1: tiny craft the prison bureaus sent with supplies. This was
• 27:26
  Speaker 1: the unmistakable vibration of a spacer hovering above them. Soon,
• 27:32
  Speaker 1: the immense bulk of the spaceship dropped slowly from the
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: cloud banks above, like a silvery ghost descending. It hovered
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: fifty feet above the islet, the powerful repulsion beam humming
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: its deafening drone, and under hull lock opened. A long,
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: flexible ladder rushed uncoiling through the murky atmosphere until it
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: struck the ground a dozen paces from the barracks. Back
• 27:57
  Speaker 1: Lure's voice crackled like an icy chain as an avalanche
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: of humanity scrambled toward the ladder, clawing, tearing, and screaming.
• 28:06
  Speaker 1: In his hand he held an atom blast capable of
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: annihilating that entire snarling group. They saw it and halted uncertainly.
• 28:14
  Speaker 1: Leuhors strode calmly toward the ladder and again shouted, back,
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: you vermin. He brought the weapon up as if to fire,
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: and the tattered dregs who had been human beings still
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: prized life enough to retreat sullenly. In a cold voice,
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: Lewure called names from a list in his hand. His
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: huge purple orbs inspected each man to step forward. Then
• 28:37
  Speaker 1: he waved them toward the ladder. A Laddo was first,
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: and Mark's heart leapt as the Venusian scrambled up the
• 28:44
  Speaker 1: weaving ladder, grasping the metal rungs with fragile hands. One
• 28:48
  Speaker 1: by one, fifteen convicts were called. Mark was among the last,
• 28:52
  Speaker 1: and he heard Leehor ordering the remaining convicts into the swamp.
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: Two disobeyed and leaped forward desperately. Leehor's adam blast spat
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: one man dropped in his tracks, and the other went
• 29:03
  Speaker 1: scrambling back. Cries, imprecations, curses and bleedings dwindled as the
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: men retreated to the mud. It was then that Luhor
• 29:13
  Speaker 1: himself began to ascend the rungs. As the latter was
• 29:16
  Speaker 1: slowly pulled up. A rush of maddened convicts clawed at
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: empty air as the stairway to freedom rose above their heads.
• 29:24
  Speaker 1: Luhor laughed mockingly down at them. Mark, just above, suddenly
• 29:28
  Speaker 1: hated Luhor for that. Inside the spacer, with the airlock closed,
• 29:34
  Speaker 1: Luhor turned to the waiting men. His rumbling voice rose commandingly,
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: anyone with weapons, whatever they are, throw them on the
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: floor before you. If you refuse, or we have to
• 29:44
  Speaker 1: search you to find them, you'll be dropped through the
• 29:47
  Speaker 1: airlock into the swamp choose. The absolute cold finality of
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: his tone left no doubt. A veritable arsenal of sharpened rocks,
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: crude metal knives, and bent wires coated with deadly poison
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: from Venusian plants showered down all through. The half Breed's
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: purple eyes ranged down the line of men as if
• 30:08
  Speaker 1: he could see into their minds. There was a moment
• 30:11
  Speaker 1: of silence, then one of the men hesitantly dropped an
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: out moded heat gun, old fashioned but deadly. Luhor's eyebrows
• 30:19
  Speaker 1: went up, and he smiled thinly. All right, he told
• 30:22
  Speaker 1: a member of the crew, gather up this junk and
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: toss it out. You new men follow me first, you'll
• 30:29
  Speaker 1: slice off the mud and put on some decent clothes. Afterwards,
• 30:32
  Speaker 1: you'll see the commander. And he added, the commander, we'll
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: see you. A fleeting smile hovered on his lips, as
• 30:40
  Speaker 1: if he'd had a little joke all his own. Mark
• 30:45
  Speaker 1: was amazed at the spaciousness of the ship and at
• 30:48
  Speaker 1: the luxury of its appointments. It was apparent at once
• 30:51
  Speaker 1: that this was no ordinary spacer, for it was a
• 30:55
  Speaker 1: fighting craft as well, a long slim torpedo of death
• 31:00
  Speaker 1: beyond anything he'd ever seen. He only obtained a glimpse
• 31:04
  Speaker 1: of a few of the craft's weapons, but they looked
• 31:06
  Speaker 1: formidable enough to tackle anything the triplanetary ships could muster.
• 31:11
  Speaker 1: He tried not to appear too curious. However, he knew
• 31:14
  Speaker 1: that just now his best bet was to look dazed
• 31:17
  Speaker 1: and docile. He glanced around for a laddo, but the
• 31:21
  Speaker 1: little Venusian had disappeared. Mark wasn't too surprised. He was
• 31:26
  Speaker 1: satisfied to know that a laddo was on the ship
• 31:29
  Speaker 1: and that eventually he would appear. The men scrubbed themselves
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: with soap under needles of warm water and achieved cleanliness
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: for the first time in many months. Dressed in clean
• 31:40
  Speaker 1: trousers and tunics, they were ready at last to go
• 31:43
  Speaker 1: before the commander. The men moved restlessly and whispered among themselves.
• 31:48
  Speaker 1: None knew where they were going or why. They only
• 31:51
  Speaker 1: knew that a miracle had happened and they had been
• 31:54
  Speaker 1: delivered from the Great Swamp. It didn't occur to any
• 31:57
  Speaker 1: of them as yet that there could be a situation
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: even remotely as bad as their living death in the swamp.
• 32:05
  Speaker 1: One by one, they were called as they waited in
• 32:07
  Speaker 1: the ship's comfortable leisure room. At its far end was
• 32:11
  Speaker 1: an automatic beryllium door, and as each man's name was
• 32:15
  Speaker 1: called through an amplifier, the door would open to permit
• 32:18
  Speaker 1: a man to go through. Already nine men had passed through,
• 32:23
  Speaker 1: and none had emerged. Mark could hardly restrain his impatience.
• 32:28
  Speaker 1: Behind that door was the solution of a great mystery,
• 32:31
  Speaker 1: a mystery which had grown in importance beyond anything the
• 32:34
  Speaker 1: prison bureau officials had dreamed of. Mark realized, considering the
• 32:39
  Speaker 1: perilous super efficiency of this spaceship now speeding away from Venus,
• 32:46
  Speaker 1: Mark's name was called last, and he tried to achieve
• 32:49
  Speaker 1: a careless nonchalance as he walked toward the door that
• 32:52
  Speaker 1: opened silently for him. He would not have been too
• 32:55
  Speaker 1: surprised to find that a Laddo was the commander of
• 32:58
  Speaker 1: this ship. That occurred to him as he entered the
• 33:02
  Speaker 1: huge compartment. However, he had only a confused impression of
• 33:06
  Speaker 1: brilliant lighting and indiscriminate luxury. Magnificent ceiling high tapestries covered
• 33:13
  Speaker 1: the metal walls beneath his feet, the resilient pile of
• 33:16
  Speaker 1: an imperial Martian rug was a splash of very colored splendor.
• 33:21
  Speaker 1: Ornaments from three planets were everywhere. Some of the museum pieces,
• 33:26
  Speaker 1: like the dusk of extinct Martian Majagua wood inlaid with
• 33:30
  Speaker 1: miniature mosaics of semi pression stones loot from the space lanes.
• 33:36
  Speaker 1: Mark exclaimed inwardly, and then he was beyond all amazement
• 33:40
  Speaker 1: as his gaze went across the bright room and he
• 33:43
  Speaker 1: saw the two people present. One was lhor dressed resplendently,
• 33:48
  Speaker 1: now the shadow of a smile upturning the corners of
• 33:51
  Speaker 1: his mouth. He was standing seated at a desk. Beside
• 33:54
  Speaker 1: him was a girl. She was clad in a close
• 33:57
  Speaker 1: fitting uniform of white, gleaming material like watered silk. Mark
• 34:02
  Speaker 1: slowly let out his breath, and then he crossed the room.
• 34:06
  Speaker 1: He wondered if she were really that beautiful, or if
• 34:08
  Speaker 1: it was just the garish lights and surroundings. She spoke first,
• 34:13
  Speaker 1: if you must be amazed, please do it quickly. I
• 34:15
  Speaker 1: am weary of these interviews. Mark looked at her eyes
• 34:19
  Speaker 1: that were blue but unsmiling, and lips that smiled thinly
• 34:22
  Speaker 1: but didn't mean it. Her slightly turned up nose would
• 34:26
  Speaker 1: have been amusing ordinarily, but wasn't now. Coppery brown hair
• 34:30
  Speaker 1: was brushed smoothly back from her forehead to fall in
• 34:33
  Speaker 1: waves to her shoulders. Mark wished she would smile with
• 34:37
  Speaker 1: her eyes as well as her lips. His own smile faded.
• 34:41
  Speaker 1: He took a deep breath and said, I am sufficiently amazed. Good,
• 34:46
  Speaker 1: then we can proceed. Luhor, is this the last one? Yes,
• 34:51
  Speaker 1: he's the one I was telling you about. She turned
• 34:54
  Speaker 1: cold blue eyes upon Mark again. Her voice was emotionless,
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: almost a monotone. Lure tells me that you were exceedingly
• 35:02
  Speaker 1: anxious to leave the Venus Swamp. Why why, Mark repeated,
• 35:07
  Speaker 1: in amazement. Why does any man want to leave there?
• 35:10
  Speaker 1: It's a living death and I was slowly going crazy.
• 35:14
  Speaker 1: You'd only been there a few months, that's right. Why
• 35:19
  Speaker 1: were you sent there? Mark hesitated for a split second
• 35:22
  Speaker 1: and decided he'd better stick to the same story he
• 35:25
  Speaker 1: told Aladdo. I'm a political he said. She nodded as
• 35:29
  Speaker 1: though satisfied. I've never been actually in the swamp. I
• 35:33
  Speaker 1: understand that you worked hard there, Yes, very hard. We
• 35:37
  Speaker 1: had to to stay alive. You will work very hard
• 35:41
  Speaker 1: for me for the same reason. Perhaps you will wish
• 35:44
  Speaker 1: you had stayed in the swamp. What can you do?
• 35:47
  Speaker 1: Mark brightened around a spaceship. I can handle rocket tubes
• 35:52
  Speaker 1: or controls, also probably any weapon you care to mention.
• 35:56
  Speaker 1: Calculations and differential equations are pretty easy. Almost quote you
• 36:00
  Speaker 1: the entire advanced principles of space navigation. With a rush
• 36:05
  Speaker 1: of nostalgia, Mark was remembering all the mechanics and mathematics
• 36:08
  Speaker 1: of his four years in government spacer school. He went
• 36:12
  Speaker 1: on with cool confidence. I could take one of your
• 36:15
  Speaker 1: Atomo motors apart, jumble the pieces, and put it together again.
• 36:18
  Speaker 1: I'm really a mechanic rather than a spaceman. Spacery's only
• 36:22
  Speaker 1: a hobby of mine. She swung her eyes over to
• 36:26
  Speaker 1: the half breed luthor nodded, grinning with huge amusement. She
• 36:29
  Speaker 1: said to Mark, you will work at the mines where
• 36:32
  Speaker 1: you are going. You can make that a hobby of yours.
• 36:36
  Speaker 1: I do not like men with me in space who
• 36:38
  Speaker 1: know more about a ship than I do. Mark slowly seethed,
• 36:43
  Speaker 1: but said nothing. She waved a slim hand in dismissal. Luhor,
• 36:48
  Speaker 1: still grinning, showed Mark the door by which to go out.
• 36:54
  Speaker 1: End of Section two. Section three of Alcatraz of the
• 37:03
  Speaker 1: Starways by Henry Hasse and Albert de Pina. This LibriVox
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: recording is in the public domain. Read by Cinta j. M.
• 37:14
  Speaker 1: Section three. Mark awakened, suddenly aware that some one was
• 37:18
  Speaker 1: shaking him. Intense light almost blinded him as he opened
• 37:22
  Speaker 1: his eyes, and he shut them hurriedly. He lay for
• 37:26
  Speaker 1: a few seconds, enjoying the luxury of the berth on
• 37:29
  Speaker 1: which he had slept. Had been long since he'd felt
• 37:32
  Speaker 1: the yielding comfort of a coil pad beneath his body,
• 37:35
  Speaker 1: or cool linen sheets against his flesh. Rouse yourself, sluggard,
• 37:40
  Speaker 1: the voice was mocking, familiar, rich with golden overtones. Get
• 37:45
  Speaker 1: that deficient brain of yours to working lower order. A laddo,
• 37:50
  Speaker 1: you Venusian demon, where have you been? In his delight,
• 37:55
  Speaker 1: Mark grabbed a Laddo's slender hands and almost crushed them.
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: I was beginning to think I'd have to tear the
• 38:01
  Speaker 1: ship apart to find you my hands, A Laddo exclaimed
• 38:07
  Speaker 1: in alarm and withdrew them, But there was shining joy
• 38:10
  Speaker 1: in his smile. Perched on the edge of the berth,
• 38:13
  Speaker 1: the tiny Venusian regarded the giant earthmen with laughing eyes,
• 38:17
  Speaker 1: bluer even than the azure wings that hung like a cloak.
• 38:20
  Speaker 1: But it was a subtly different. A Laddo, glowing and
• 38:24
  Speaker 1: clean until the exquisitely chiseled face was like alabaster. The curling,
• 38:29
  Speaker 1: close cropped hair blue black and gleaming. Dressed in a
• 38:33
  Speaker 1: soft gray tunic and tight white trousers. The wings were
• 38:37
  Speaker 1: vivid in contrast, almost iridescent. The tiny feet were encased
• 38:42
  Speaker 1: in bootlets of red Oslandian fur and a belt of
• 38:46
  Speaker 1: platinum lynks circled the narrow waist, holding a holster with
• 38:50
  Speaker 1: a small short rage. Adam Blaster surprised, Mark flicked a
• 38:55
  Speaker 1: forefinger at the weapon and looked inquiringly at a Laddo.
• 39:00
  Speaker 1: They let you have this, yes, the Venusian nodded. Remember
• 39:06
  Speaker 1: bedroom was my father. I can be most useful to them.
• 39:10
  Speaker 1: Although my father's dead. There are still followers on three planets,
• 39:14
  Speaker 1: ready at a moment's notice to rally behind a leader.
• 39:18
  Speaker 1: I could be that leader, or at least appear to be.
• 39:22
  Speaker 1: I am a guest of honor on this cruiser, A prisoner,
• 39:26
  Speaker 1: of course. Aladdo smiled ironically, but shown every courtesy. I
• 39:32
  Speaker 1: even have my own private quarters instead of sleeping here
• 39:35
  Speaker 1: with a crew. But what is this all about? Aladdo?
• 39:40
  Speaker 1: Mark was exasperated as the mystery grew. What's the purpose
• 39:44
  Speaker 1: behind all this? Ruthless criminals salvaged from a Venusian prison swamp,
• 39:49
  Speaker 1: and now this supercruiser built to withstand anything. And who
• 39:53
  Speaker 1: is that girl? I? But the Venusian interrupted him, No time,
• 39:58
  Speaker 1: now you'll learn everything present. Dress quickly and come with me.
• 40:03
  Speaker 1: I'm dressed, Mark answered, Springing up, he zipped on light
• 40:07
  Speaker 1: insulated shoes and followed a Laudo to the main cabin.
• 40:10
  Speaker 1: The rest of the men were already there, clustered about
• 40:13
  Speaker 1: the starboard ports and an excited group. The light in
• 40:16
  Speaker 1: this room was blazing. Mark could feel the gentle vibration
• 40:20
  Speaker 1: of the Adamle motors somewhere deep in the spaceship, and
• 40:24
  Speaker 1: again the question overwhelmed him. Where were they going? He
• 40:29
  Speaker 1: was soon to learn. Recklessly, he gazed out into space.
• 40:33
  Speaker 1: Instantly he pivoted away, as if a gigantic hand had
• 40:37
  Speaker 1: spun him. He had looked almost directly into the sun.
• 40:41
  Speaker 1: It was a sun fast beyond imagining, tongues of flame
• 40:45
  Speaker 1: flickering slowly out for thousands of miles. He knew it
• 40:49
  Speaker 1: was only the thickness of the krysite ports that saved
• 40:52
  Speaker 1: the men's eyes. Slowly, Mark's eyes became accustomed to the
• 40:56
  Speaker 1: fierce glare, and by shading them obliquely, he could discern
• 41:00
  Speaker 1: the object of the men's excitement, a dark little speck
• 41:03
  Speaker 1: of a planet sweeping in its orbit, just beyond the
• 41:06
  Speaker 1: Sun's rim. It rapidly grew larger as the spaceship moved
• 41:10
  Speaker 1: inward on a long tangent Mercury. Mark exclaimed, staring, No,
• 41:17
  Speaker 1: we crossed the orbit of Mercury two hours ago. It
• 41:21
  Speaker 1: was a laddo who spoke beside him. Then that must be.
• 41:26
  Speaker 1: But it's impossible, Mark laughed a little wildly. How long
• 41:30
  Speaker 1: since we left Venus? Ten hours? Earth? Man, it is
• 41:35
  Speaker 1: possible that is the planet Vulcan. Unbelievable, Mark almost whispered,
• 41:42
  Speaker 1: Why it takes the fastest patrol cruiser forty eight hours
• 41:46
  Speaker 1: to reach Mercury's orbit from Venus? Lord, what sort of
• 41:51
  Speaker 1: speed has this spacer? But Alato didn't answer. A door
• 41:56
  Speaker 1: had opened, and Luhor stepped in Vulcan. He said, tolessly,
• 42:00
  Speaker 1: as we approach even the thickness of these ports won't
• 42:03
  Speaker 1: be enough. Put on these. He handed the men pairs
• 42:06
  Speaker 1: of krysite goggles, the lenses specially processed. Does this mean
• 42:11
  Speaker 1: we're actually going to attempt a landing on Vulcan, Mark
• 42:15
  Speaker 1: asked the half breed. It's madness, it's never been done,
• 42:20
  Speaker 1: but it has been done. Lehar gazed at Mark frigidly.
• 42:24
  Speaker 1: You merely have never heard of it. Who's at the controls?
• 42:29
  Speaker 1: Mark struggled to subdue the excitement in his voice. Why
• 42:33
  Speaker 1: the commander naturally assisted by myself? Luhor's vast chest arched
• 42:39
  Speaker 1: with pride. Observed closely, earth men, and you will be
• 42:42
  Speaker 1: treated to as masterly a feat of navigation as you're
• 42:46
  Speaker 1: likely ever to see again. His purple orbs roved over
• 42:50
  Speaker 1: the men, clean dressed and rested, the haunted look beginning
• 42:54
  Speaker 1: to fade from their eyes. He nodded approval as he
• 42:57
  Speaker 1: turned and left a base at Vulcan. Mark was repeating inwardly,
• 43:04
  Speaker 1: and a cold fear at this growing mystery grew apace
• 43:07
  Speaker 1: within him. It was not only a masterly feet of navigation,
• 43:12
  Speaker 1: it was incredible. As the hurtling spaceship continued along its
• 43:16
  Speaker 1: tangent until Vulcan, slightly smaller than Mercury, came swinging around
• 43:21
  Speaker 1: to bisect their trajectory. Very neatly. Their speed was manipulated
• 43:26
  Speaker 1: to allow the planet to come between them and the Sun.
• 43:29
  Speaker 1: Then the great Spacer began to pursue a direct course.
• 43:33
  Speaker 1: Mark noticed that Vulcan kept one side eternally some words, swiftly.
• 43:38
  Speaker 1: The spaceship approached the dark outward side. Actually it was
• 43:42
  Speaker 1: not dark, but it could be called so in comparison
• 43:45
  Speaker 1: with the molten sunward side. Mark realized the almost insurmountable
• 43:50
  Speaker 1: difficulty of keeping the spacer on a trajectory with the
• 43:53
  Speaker 1: Sun's tremendous gravitational pull so dangerously near. The slightest deviation
• 43:59
  Speaker 1: now would send them hurling past Vulcan and into that
• 44:03
  Speaker 1: naming Hecto tomb. He knew as well that there could
• 44:07
  Speaker 1: be no atmosphere on Vulcan to help them break. But
• 44:11
  Speaker 1: even as these thoughts were racing through his mind, Vulcan
• 44:14
  Speaker 1: came rushing up at them with the fury of a
• 44:17
  Speaker 1: miniature hell running rampant. Its surface was lividly aglow, with
• 44:22
  Speaker 1: a flaming curve of the Sun as a backdrop, blotting
• 44:25
  Speaker 1: out the horizon. Suddenly they were leveling over its surface
• 44:29
  Speaker 1: at a speed that to Mark spelled disaster. He saw
• 44:33
  Speaker 1: the fore jets flaming over a wide terrain of what
• 44:36
  Speaker 1: might have been lava or pummus, but that didn't seem
• 44:40
  Speaker 1: to check their reckless speed at all. Directly ahead, black
• 44:44
  Speaker 1: mountain ranges sheered upward as if to disembowel the ship
• 44:48
  Speaker 1: on jagged summits. Mark merely closed his eyes, awaiting the
• 44:52
  Speaker 1: crash that seemed inevitable. No ship he knew could ever
• 44:56
  Speaker 1: break in time at that suicidal speed. A terrific force
• 45:01
  Speaker 1: jarred him to the floor. A profound nausea made him wretch.
• 45:05
  Speaker 1: Then Leuhor was touching his shoulder and Marked open his eyes.
• 45:09
  Speaker 1: All out, we're home. The half breed grinned, you're lucky
• 45:14
  Speaker 1: that the synchronized MA magnetic fields minimized acceleration. Earth Man
• 45:19
  Speaker 1: doors were opening, voices were drifting into the ship. The
• 45:22
  Speaker 1: vibration of the Atomo motors had ceased. White Faced and shaken,
• 45:27
  Speaker 1: the men debarked into a wide corridor hewn out of
• 45:30
  Speaker 1: solid rock into which the ship had berthed. Glancing back,
• 45:34
  Speaker 1: Mark saw metal doors of titanic proportions. Now hermetically closed.
• 45:39
  Speaker 1: Ahead were similar doors. Then he heard the deep, far
• 45:42
  Speaker 1: away throbbing of generators, and he knew that he was
• 45:46
  Speaker 1: in an airlock built on a gigantic scale. A few
• 45:50
  Speaker 1: seconds later, the inner doors slid open. As they walked forward.
• 45:55
  Speaker 1: Leuhor turned to Mark with a proud smile. You won't
• 45:58
  Speaker 1: find that type of navigation and the advanced principles a
• 46:03
  Speaker 1: earth man, No, indeed not, Mark admitted, But I still
• 46:08
  Speaker 1: don't understand that breaking process. Luhor pointed to a colossal
• 46:13
  Speaker 1: set of coils in niches along each side of the
• 46:16
  Speaker 1: vast corridor, synchronized magnetic degravitation fields. They arrest mass and
• 46:22
  Speaker 1: speed synchronously, finally stopping the spaser and a graduating net
• 46:26
  Speaker 1: of force. Similar coils to these exist for a mile
• 46:30
  Speaker 1: along the gorge back there through which we came. Even so,
• 46:34
  Speaker 1: it's a very delicate and precise process. They stepped into
• 46:40
  Speaker 1: a grotto so vast as to dwarf anything Mark had
• 46:44
  Speaker 1: ever imagined. It extended for miles, sheltering an entire little city.
• 46:49
  Speaker 1: Mark saw rows of stone dwellings streamlined ultramodern. From larger
• 46:55
  Speaker 1: buildings came the sounds of blasphernace and an occasional flash
• 46:58
  Speaker 1: of ruddy glow. Groups of workmen hurried past, glanced curiously
• 47:02
  Speaker 1: at the new arrivals, but didn't stop to fraternize. And
• 47:06
  Speaker 1: then Mark saw Carston. Ernest Carston, one of the very
• 47:11
  Speaker 1: highest men among the Triplanetary Prison Bureau officials. The surprise
• 47:17
  Speaker 1: stopped Mark Jenning in his tracks, but fortunately, thanks to
• 47:20
  Speaker 1: his training, he managed to keep his face impassive. As
• 47:23
  Speaker 1: they recognized each other simultaneously, Carston flashed him a quick
• 47:27
  Speaker 1: look that seemed to say later. Then the newcomers were
• 47:31
  Speaker 1: marching in silence to a spacious building where they were
• 47:34
  Speaker 1: assigned rooms. The furnishings were simple but comfortable, and Leuhor
• 47:38
  Speaker 1: led them to the rear of the building where the
• 47:40
  Speaker 1: dining room was located. They ate with the famished eagerness
• 47:44
  Speaker 1: of men who had long subsisted on compressed synthetic rations.
• 47:49
  Speaker 1: Then they were issued cigarettes to the men who had
• 47:52
  Speaker 1: been doomed on venus only a few hours previously. It
• 47:55
  Speaker 1: was like awakening in heaven from a nightmare in hell.
• 48:01
  Speaker 1: Through Mark's mind ran an ancient saying, eat, drink, and
• 48:06
  Speaker 1: be merry for tomorrow. End of Section three, Section four
• 48:19
  Speaker 1: of Alcatraz of the Starways by Henry Hasse and Albert Tippina.
• 48:24
  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Read by
• 48:28
  Speaker 1: Cinda J. M. Section four. Standing in the doorway, the
• 48:35
  Speaker 1: girl of the unsmiling blue eyes surveyed the new men silently.
• 48:39
  Speaker 1: Her trim aloof figure instantly commanded their attention and their
• 48:44
  Speaker 1: respect as well. I cannot waste words on you, she
• 48:47
  Speaker 1: said abruptly, for my time is limited. I know all
• 48:50
  Speaker 1: of your names, so you shall know mine as well,
• 48:54
  Speaker 1: although it will mean nothing to you. I am Cynthia Marnick.
• 48:58
  Speaker 1: But you will address me always as commander. You will
• 49:02
  Speaker 1: obey me implicitly in all things here second to me,
• 49:06
  Speaker 1: you will obey lehre. All of you volunteered to come.
• 49:11
  Speaker 1: Now that you're here, you are part of our scheme
• 49:13
  Speaker 1: of things, and you will work as hard as you
• 49:16
  Speaker 1: did in the swamp. It is dangerous work, but you
• 49:19
  Speaker 1: will have ample Renunration. Idlers and grumblers will be done
• 49:24
  Speaker 1: away with. I promise you your lives were forfeit in
• 49:28
  Speaker 1: the swamp, and that is not altered by your being
• 49:31
  Speaker 1: on Vulcan. She paused, as if waiting for objections, but
• 49:35
  Speaker 1: every man was silent, very well. Luho will explain later
• 49:40
  Speaker 1: what you're here for. Meanwhile, you are free to go
• 49:42
  Speaker 1: anywhere you like within the city, but be ready to
• 49:45
  Speaker 1: work about eight earth hours from now. As abruptly as
• 49:49
  Speaker 1: she had come, Commander Cynthia Marnick turned and was gone.
• 49:54
  Speaker 1: The men smoked and talked among themselves, speculating what their
• 49:57
  Speaker 1: tasks might be. The memory of the prison and swamp
• 50:00
  Speaker 1: was too recent for them to care much. Mark rose
• 50:04
  Speaker 1: quietly and stepped out of the dining room. He noticed
• 50:08
  Speaker 1: that a ladda was absent from the meal, and he
• 50:10
  Speaker 1: wondered if his Venusian friend was still an honored guest.
• 50:14
  Speaker 1: Deciding to inspect the city, Mark tried to retrace his
• 50:17
  Speaker 1: steps to those buildings where he had heard the blast furnaces,
• 50:21
  Speaker 1: but at the first cross corridor, Ernest Carston stepped out
• 50:25
  Speaker 1: and walked beside him. He smiled at Mark denning, but
• 50:29
  Speaker 1: held a warning finger to his lips. They walked in
• 50:32
  Speaker 1: silence while the corridors became rockier and more dimly lighted.
• 50:37
  Speaker 1: At last, far away from the city, Carson stopped under
• 50:40
  Speaker 1: an immense jutting rock and quietly gripped Mark's hand. There
• 50:44
  Speaker 1: was a world of feeling in his voice as he said,
• 50:47
  Speaker 1: barely whispering, I'd lost hope of ever seeing any of
• 50:52
  Speaker 1: you again. How did you get here? Mark asked the
• 50:56
  Speaker 1: question that had been burning in his mind. Did they
• 51:00
  Speaker 1: pick you up at the swamp too? Yes, we're both
• 51:04
  Speaker 1: on the same trail, and here the trail ends. But
• 51:09
  Speaker 1: I had no idea you preceded me. Mark told him
• 51:13
  Speaker 1: it must have been considered a far more important assignment
• 51:15
  Speaker 1: than I was told to send you to the swamp.
• 51:20
  Speaker 1: We didn't know. We weren't certain, Carston said thoughtfully, But
• 51:25
  Speaker 1: we received a bit of information which, if true, was
• 51:29
  Speaker 1: one of the greatest importance. It seemed impossible, fantastic, But
• 51:34
  Speaker 1: the hazard was so great that even what amounted to
• 51:38
  Speaker 1: a vague rumor warranted my going. You were to follow
• 51:42
  Speaker 1: in a few months without knowing I had gone ahead. Well,
• 51:47
  Speaker 1: you already know most of the rest, but Earth's government
• 51:50
  Speaker 1: doesn't even suspect the deadly peril it will soon have
• 51:53
  Speaker 1: to face. I'm afraid, Mark stated frankly that there are
• 51:57
  Speaker 1: a lot of gaps in what I do know. I
• 52:00
  Speaker 1: can tell, of course, that something mighty big is going
• 52:03
  Speaker 1: on here, But what was that bit of information you received.
• 52:08
  Speaker 1: It goes back nearly a quarter of a century, Carston replied, slowly,
• 52:13
  Speaker 1: and concerns a man named George Marnick. He and his
• 52:16
  Speaker 1: young wife were among the first pioneers to venture out
• 52:19
  Speaker 1: to Callisto. Those were the ruthless years, when the great
• 52:24
  Speaker 1: Earth monopolies stopped at nothing, were very often lawless, and
• 52:29
  Speaker 1: usually got what they wanted. Carston paused to light a cigarette.
• 52:34
  Speaker 1: George Marnock, he went on, discovered one of the richest
• 52:37
  Speaker 1: palladium veins on Callisto and was developing it slowly, but
• 52:42
  Speaker 1: one of the monopolies decided that it wanted Marnick's rich vein.
• 52:46
  Speaker 1: In an ensuing struggle with some of the monopolies hired hoodlums,
• 52:49
  Speaker 1: Marnick's wife was burned down brutally with an electro gun.
• 52:53
  Speaker 1: She left a daughter, about five years old, whom they
• 52:57
  Speaker 1: had named Cynthia. Do you follow me go on, Mark said,
• 53:03
  Speaker 1: in a cold, dry voice. Well after the tragedy, George
• 53:08
  Speaker 1: Marnick disappeared. He was never heard of again, except by
• 53:13
  Speaker 1: the Earth monopolies. They heard of him plenty. He terrorized
• 53:18
  Speaker 1: the space lanes for years, and more than one monopoly
• 53:21
  Speaker 1: went under bankrupt by the incessant attacks on their ships
• 53:25
  Speaker 1: by an enemy who had achieved a ruthlessness greater even
• 53:29
  Speaker 1: than theirs. It was rumored that Marnich had vowed never
• 53:32
  Speaker 1: to set foot on Earth again, and that his life
• 53:36
  Speaker 1: was dedicated to the destruction of the monopolies. He almost
• 53:40
  Speaker 1: achieved his task, except that the Earth's government finally stepped
• 53:44
  Speaker 1: in and dissolved the monopolies. Carston paused and drew in
• 53:48
  Speaker 1: a long breath, and then Mark urged, as if fascinated
• 53:54
  Speaker 1: by this saga of another day. Well, then, as you know,
• 53:58
  Speaker 1: Emperor Beedron of Venus achieved his famous alliance with Darvajo
• 54:02
  Speaker 1: of Mars, and together they sought to end Earth's domination
• 54:05
  Speaker 1: and exploitation of their planets. You know about the bitter
• 54:09
  Speaker 1: Ten Years' War. That's history. But when the Triplanetary Patrol
• 54:14
  Speaker 1: was formed during the truce that followed at the death
• 54:17
  Speaker 1: of Bedroom, half the Solar system was searched for George
• 54:21
  Speaker 1: Marnick's base and the rich plunder he was reprouited to
• 54:24
  Speaker 1: have there. It was all in vain. You can now
• 54:27
  Speaker 1: see why the Patrol has never been able to land
• 54:31
  Speaker 1: on Vulcan But if I remember correctly, Mark Dennings said, reminiscently,
• 54:38
  Speaker 1: George Marnick was certified as dead. As the years went
• 54:41
  Speaker 1: by and piracy ceased, The records gave no information as
• 54:47
  Speaker 1: to his daughter Cynthia. She was merely marked missing. Precisely,
• 54:53
  Speaker 1: Carston assented, then, that vital bit of information you received
• 54:57
  Speaker 1: must have concerned this base on vult No worse, it
• 55:03
  Speaker 1: concerned that George Marnick was alive and planning to end
• 55:08
  Speaker 1: the interplanetary truce, to loose bitter war upon three worlds. Again,
• 55:15
  Speaker 1: good Lord Mark was stunned. But how Venus and Mars
• 55:19
  Speaker 1: were disarmed under Earth's dictated peace. Yes, true, Mars is
• 55:26
  Speaker 1: a small and dying race, and not to be greatly feared.
• 55:30
  Speaker 1: But Venus has never become reconciled. You know their unholy
• 55:34
  Speaker 1: pride and their utter conviction that theirs are the greatest
• 55:37
  Speaker 1: minds in our universe. Underneath the apparently peaceful surface revolts
• 55:43
  Speaker 1: smoldering revolt fanned by Marnick. Yes, Carson went on, if
• 55:50
  Speaker 1: George Marnick did have some fantastic plan in mind, Venus
• 55:54
  Speaker 1: would be the likeliest place for him to find backing
• 55:57
  Speaker 1: and followers. On the face of it, it seems absurd,
• 56:01
  Speaker 1: of course, But when the supply of Venusian pearls dwindled
• 56:05
  Speaker 1: to a mere trickle, and a criminal from the swamp
• 56:08
  Speaker 1: was found dead millions of miles away in the vicinity
• 56:13
  Speaker 1: of Callisto, we knew then that there was a definite
• 56:17
  Speaker 1: tie up. It was time to investigate. George Marnick, the
• 56:22
  Speaker 1: last space pirate, is alive, an ancient, embittered wreck living
• 56:28
  Speaker 1: on hate. Carston fell silent, and Commander Cynthia, his daughter, Mark,
• 56:36
  Speaker 1: whispered musingly, is the one in charge. Now, yes, you
• 56:42
  Speaker 1: wouldn't have believed it possible, eh, But remember during those
• 56:46
  Speaker 1: reckless years when her father was the most hunted man
• 56:49
  Speaker 1: in the universe. Cynthia grew up with him, constantly at
• 56:53
  Speaker 1: his side, learning all the tricks of a master at piracy.
• 56:58
  Speaker 1: She must share her father's hate for a world that
• 57:01
  Speaker 1: only brought them tragedy and sorrow. Marnick's psychopathic, of course,
• 57:06
  Speaker 1: his mind's warped. She must share his views, although at
• 57:10
  Speaker 1: times I wonder sometimes when I look at her, his
• 57:15
  Speaker 1: voice dwindled. So it all boils down to one thing.
• 57:21
  Speaker 1: Mark's analytical mind had already absorbed all the facts that
• 57:25
  Speaker 1: the spacer that brought us here is a menace to civilization.
• 57:28
  Speaker 1: Its speed alone is beyond anything we have at present.
• 57:32
  Speaker 1: A fleet of them could wreck havoc on Earth's forces.
• 57:36
  Speaker 1: Earth must be warned at all costs, Carston. Ernest Carston
• 57:41
  Speaker 1: looked at Mark pityingly, lines of weariness and anxiety creasing
• 57:45
  Speaker 1: his face. Do you think, he said, slowly, if there
• 57:49
  Speaker 1: were any way out, I would be here. Vulcan and
• 57:53
  Speaker 1: the Venus Swamp both have a thing in common. There's
• 57:56
  Speaker 1: no escape except through Marnick. Commander Cynthia only carries out
• 58:01
  Speaker 1: his orders. But she's a woman, Carston. If she could
• 58:06
  Speaker 1: be made to realize what another interplanetary war means, the
• 58:11
  Speaker 1: awful carnage, the destruction, perhaps she could somehow be reached.
• 58:17
  Speaker 1: I wish that were possible, Carston exclaimed feverently. But she's
• 58:22
  Speaker 1: like a being that's hypnotized. George Marnick must dominate her, completely,
• 58:27
  Speaker 1: old and decrepit as he must be. Remember, it's the
• 58:31
  Speaker 1: only life she's ever known. He must be the only
• 58:35
  Speaker 1: being she's ever loved. Have you any concrete knowledge of
• 58:39
  Speaker 1: their plans? No? Only deductions. Darvajo, ruler of Mars was
• 58:45
  Speaker 1: here three weeks ago. Cynthia brought him for hours. He
• 58:49
  Speaker 1: was with Marnik in the latter's palace. That can only
• 58:52
  Speaker 1: mean one thing. Of course, then there's the new metal
• 58:56
  Speaker 1: that's the real problem and the real menace metal, a
• 59:02
  Speaker 1: new alloy. Mark Denning was all interest. Nothing so simple
• 59:07
  Speaker 1: as that. Carson explained with tragic calm, a metal unique
• 59:11
  Speaker 1: in the universe, a new allotropic form of beryllium, which,
• 59:16
  Speaker 1: beyond a certain temperature, reacts by hardening in direct ratio
• 59:21
  Speaker 1: to pressure and heat. Once cast, it is literally heat
• 59:25
  Speaker 1: and blast proof and so light that it triples efficiency
• 59:29
  Speaker 1: in relation to fuel consumption. And George Marnock's building has
• 59:33
  Speaker 1: been building a fleet of these superspacers. I suppose they're
• 59:39
  Speaker 1: mining that metal here. Mark's face was white, yes, on
• 59:44
  Speaker 1: the sunward side of Vulcan. That's what swamp convicts are
• 59:47
  Speaker 1: brought here for. And I suppose either the ore or
• 59:52
  Speaker 1: the smelted metals being shipped to secret bases on Mars
• 59:55
  Speaker 1: and Venus. Mark's voice was strained and opaque, yet earth Man.
• 1:00:01
  Speaker 1: The alien voice was at once like a whiplash and
• 1:00:04
  Speaker 1: like a fragment of music. Both men whirled about out
• 1:00:09
  Speaker 1: of the shadows, as if emerging from the bizarre scene
• 1:00:12
  Speaker 1: of tortured rocks and twisted cavern walls, stepped a slender
• 1:00:15
  Speaker 1: figure with pendent wings. A Latto Mark filled a curious
• 1:00:20
  Speaker 1: tingling at the sight of his Venusian friend as he
• 1:00:23
  Speaker 1: went forward with hands outstretched. It was nothing compared to
• 1:00:28
  Speaker 1: the shock mirrored on Carston's face. A laddieon He too,
• 1:00:32
  Speaker 1: exclaimed a mixture of despair and impotent rage in his voice.
• 1:00:37
  Speaker 1: Peace lower order. A Laddo laughed, but hiding his hands
• 1:00:41
  Speaker 1: behind his back as he addressed Mark, I shall not
• 1:00:45
  Speaker 1: trust my hands to you again. It is enough to
• 1:00:48
  Speaker 1: have crippled wings. The Venusians stared full into Carston's eyes
• 1:00:53
  Speaker 1: as he uttered the last words significantly, and the latter's
• 1:00:57
  Speaker 1: face turned deep red. Are you still a guest? Where
• 1:01:01
  Speaker 1: are they keeping you? I have missed you, Mark turned
• 1:01:04
  Speaker 1: to Carston, his face alight. Aladdo saved my life in
• 1:01:07
  Speaker 1: the swamp. I'm staying with a commander and her father.
• 1:01:12
  Speaker 1: It is a small universe, after all, he added, turning
• 1:01:15
  Speaker 1: to Carston. A colonel, you know each other, Mark asked, surprised.
• 1:01:22
  Speaker 1: Carston's face reddened and then paled. I am a servant
• 1:01:27
  Speaker 1: of my government, he answered the Venusian stiffly. My duty
• 1:01:30
  Speaker 1: is to obey, not to question orders. Princess, what is
• 1:01:35
  Speaker 1: all this? What do you mean, Princess? Will someone explain?
• 1:01:39
  Speaker 1: Mark was exasperated. Aladdian's the daughter of the late emperor,
• 1:01:44
  Speaker 1: bedroom of Venus, Carston said, then fell silent. A look
• 1:01:48
  Speaker 1: at the Venusian's smiling face told Mark it was true.
• 1:01:52
  Speaker 1: His own face was ludicrous, his mouth partly open for
• 1:01:55
  Speaker 1: the moment, speechless. Then a dark flush of anger swept
• 1:01:59
  Speaker 1: up like a tie to the roots of his hair.
• 1:02:03
  Speaker 1: A girl, a defenseless girl that's never committed a crime
• 1:02:09
  Speaker 1: in her life, condemned to that Venus swamp, to the
• 1:02:12
  Speaker 1: most ghastly, the most cruel, living death in the universe.
• 1:02:17
  Speaker 1: Words failed him as he shook with rage. What was
• 1:02:22
  Speaker 1: Earth's government thinking? Of the council must have been mad?
• 1:02:26
  Speaker 1: Mark detting choked, careful. Ernest Carston warned, Remember, you're an
• 1:02:32
  Speaker 1: earth Man. Denning to question in the council is treason? Treason?
• 1:02:36
  Speaker 1: Be damned, and the council too, Mark rage. There are limits.
• 1:02:41
  Speaker 1: There's no reason for that prison swamp except greed. Better
• 1:02:46
  Speaker 1: Adam Blast habitual criminals than condemned them there that is
• 1:02:50
  Speaker 1: worse than any crime. He towered above Carston, a formidable
• 1:02:54
  Speaker 1: engine of destruction, his face a mask of fury than
• 1:02:59
  Speaker 1: a tiny fragile hand was on his arm, and the
• 1:03:02
  Speaker 1: Venusian's calm voice rose in the brief silence. It is
• 1:03:06
  Speaker 1: too late to remold the past, but we can refashion
• 1:03:10
  Speaker 1: the immediate future, Mark Denning? Can we? How it seems
• 1:03:15
  Speaker 1: that Marnik and Commander Cynthia hold all the cards, not
• 1:03:19
  Speaker 1: all A Laddian shook her exquisite head. They have perfected
• 1:03:23
  Speaker 1: their plan for the immediate future. But we can be
• 1:03:27
  Speaker 1: the element of the unpredictable. You mean you're not in
• 1:03:32
  Speaker 1: sympathy with their plans, that you wouldn't serve as a
• 1:03:35
  Speaker 1: rallying point to sway the masses of Venus. Carston looked bewildered.
• 1:03:40
  Speaker 1: I thought when I saw you, that was the reason
• 1:03:43
  Speaker 1: they'd brought you here. We know that your people would
• 1:03:46
  Speaker 1: revolt at a word from you, Princess. That's what our
• 1:03:49
  Speaker 1: government feared. I know, and I will not lead my
• 1:03:55
  Speaker 1: people to an a hecatomb in space, but neither will
• 1:03:59
  Speaker 1: the Earth continue to exploit my planet and debatch my people.
• 1:04:03
  Speaker 1: This time there will be a peace, and it will
• 1:04:06
  Speaker 1: be equitable. Aladian had drawn herself to a full four
• 1:04:11
  Speaker 1: foot eleven inches, and there was an imperious note in
• 1:04:14
  Speaker 1: her voice. Carston stood silent and grim mark looking at
• 1:04:21
  Speaker 1: his Venetian friend, Anew thought irreverently that with the spiked
• 1:04:25
  Speaker 1: heeled sandals of Earth, Aladdian would be only slightly under
• 1:04:29
  Speaker 1: the average height of an Earth girl. He shook his
• 1:04:32
  Speaker 1: head irritably. This was no time to ponder inconsequential things, Aladdian,
• 1:04:38
  Speaker 1: he said, do you know much of their plans and
• 1:04:41
  Speaker 1: what is being done with a new metal? Partly? We
• 1:04:45
  Speaker 1: have discussed ways and means since my arrival here. George
• 1:04:49
  Speaker 1: Marnick is very impatient. I think he fears that he
• 1:04:52
  Speaker 1: may die before he can see his plans carried through. First,
• 1:04:56
  Speaker 1: he will equip a fleet equal or superior to Earth's forces.
• 1:05:00
  Speaker 1: Then he will take over Callisto, the new Gibraltar between
• 1:05:04
  Speaker 1: the inner and outer planets, after which he will complete
• 1:05:07
  Speaker 1: an alliance with Venus and Mars. He does not plan
• 1:05:11
  Speaker 1: to conquer Earth. He knows it would take years, but
• 1:05:14
  Speaker 1: his scheme would bottle your planet relegate it to the
• 1:05:17
  Speaker 1: status of a minor power. Without interplanetary colonies, without outer revenues,
• 1:05:23
  Speaker 1: Venus and Mars alone would expand in the Solar System
• 1:05:28
  Speaker 1: for a while. Mark said lachlonically, Mars would never be
• 1:05:32
  Speaker 1: content with anything short of complete rule as long as
• 1:05:35
  Speaker 1: Darvajo lives and the metal is smelted here under secret process,
• 1:05:41
  Speaker 1: and parts for the space cruisers and especial rockets manufactured,
• 1:05:45
  Speaker 1: then there are stored in one of the asteroids where
• 1:05:48
  Speaker 1: they will be assembled later into a fleet. That is
• 1:05:50
  Speaker 1: all the data I have now, But this Luhore, Mark asked,
• 1:05:55
  Speaker 1: what is his real status? Commander Cynthia seems to trust
• 1:05:58
  Speaker 1: him implicitly, she does. Aladdian replied, he's an old friend
• 1:06:03
  Speaker 1: of George Marnock, one of his trusted lieutenants from the
• 1:06:06
  Speaker 1: pirate days. But he's a cold devil, combines the worst
• 1:06:10
  Speaker 1: from both Venusian and Martian. Don't underestimate him. He can
• 1:06:15
  Speaker 1: be deadly. I've had occasion to see that, Mark said, dryly.
• 1:06:21
  Speaker 1: They're all deadly in this deadly little planet. Carson said vehemently.
• 1:06:26
  Speaker 1: He looked far older than his scant thirty years. His
• 1:06:29
  Speaker 1: face was bleak and haggard. But this is heaven in
• 1:06:34
  Speaker 1: comparison with the prison swamp. Aladdian told him coldly. She
• 1:06:38
  Speaker 1: seemed to have a determined animosity toward the high ranking
• 1:06:41
  Speaker 1: Earth official. It wasn't I who sent you there, No,
• 1:06:47
  Speaker 1: it was only your relentless pursuit that eventually resulted in
• 1:06:51
  Speaker 1: my capture, the Venusian answered, And it was only you
• 1:06:55
  Speaker 1: who cut the tendons of my wings. Oh, I know
• 1:06:59
  Speaker 1: you were only acting under orders. Aladdian was smiling again
• 1:07:03
  Speaker 1: as she turned back to Mark. We had better all
• 1:07:06
  Speaker 1: go back to our quarters now, but it would be
• 1:07:09
  Speaker 1: best if we did not return together. She moved away,
• 1:07:12
  Speaker 1: then added, watch leeuhor Mark. I am not sure, but
• 1:07:16
  Speaker 1: I think he too, is part of the unpredictable. Mark
• 1:07:21
  Speaker 1: watched her slim figure with the azure wings and the tight,
• 1:07:24
  Speaker 1: curling blue black hair melt way into the shadows. I
• 1:07:28
  Speaker 1: will see you tomorrow. Her voice floated back like a
• 1:07:31
  Speaker 1: golden molten stream. And of section four section five of
• 1:07:43
  Speaker 1: Alcatraz of the Starways by Henry Hasse and Albert Tuppina.
• 1:07:48
  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Read by
• 1:07:52
  Speaker 1: Cinta J. M. Section five only twenty two men Luhor
• 1:07:59
  Speaker 1: Commander Cynthia Marnik stood very straight and very slim in
• 1:08:02
  Speaker 1: the center of the airlock, surveying the new men plus
• 1:08:05
  Speaker 1: a sprinkling of others preparatory to the trip outside even
• 1:08:10
  Speaker 1: less than the last trip. Annoyance creased a frown between
• 1:08:13
  Speaker 1: her blue eyes. All we can spare, Commander, every available
• 1:08:18
  Speaker 1: man's at the furnaces. Your father has ordered it. So
• 1:08:22
  Speaker 1: turning to the waiting men, Leuhar began to instruct them
• 1:08:25
  Speaker 1: in the operation of their metal surface suits. As you
• 1:08:29
  Speaker 1: can see, they're two suits in one, he explained, tersely,
• 1:08:32
  Speaker 1: operating on the vacuum principle. Here's the cooling device between
• 1:08:36
  Speaker 1: each metal sheeting. You'll have to bear more heat than
• 1:08:39
  Speaker 1: you've ever endured, but don't get panicky. Here's where you
• 1:08:43
  Speaker 1: regulate the oxygen flow into the helmet, he indicated, a
• 1:08:47
  Speaker 1: little dial. Each man was assigned to a wide, flat
• 1:08:50
  Speaker 1: bottomed sled, which he was to pull behind him. They
• 1:08:54
  Speaker 1: were also equipped with curious spur like picks. Mark failed
• 1:08:58
  Speaker 1: to understand the reason for such prim methods, but remained
• 1:09:01
  Speaker 1: discreetly silent. You men who've made the trip before helped
• 1:09:05
  Speaker 1: the new arrivals. Leuhorra ordered curtly. Mark noted that Leuhor
• 1:09:10
  Speaker 1: himself was not going to accompany them, but Cynthia Marnock
• 1:09:13
  Speaker 1: was already encased in her suit. Ernest Carston went over
• 1:09:17
  Speaker 1: to help her adjust the helmet. I can manage quite
• 1:09:20
  Speaker 1: all right, thank you, she said, but it did not
• 1:09:24
  Speaker 1: escape Mark that her voice was soft, and that she
• 1:09:26
  Speaker 1: smiled at Garston. Carston came over to give Mark a hand.
• 1:09:31
  Speaker 1: He smiled reassuringly through his helmet's visiplate, then flicked on
• 1:09:35
  Speaker 1: Mark's radiophone and said, briefly, stay close to me. I'm
• 1:09:39
  Speaker 1: one of the veterans. Bring vulk, We're about ready. The
• 1:09:43
  Speaker 1: Commander's voice sounded startling inside Mark's head piece. Who's vulc?
• 1:09:49
  Speaker 1: Mark asked Carston in a whisper. Before the latter could answer,
• 1:09:52
  Speaker 1: there was a sudden, unearthly rumbling behind them. Mark turned, stared,
• 1:09:58
  Speaker 1: then froze in his tracks. A huge, awesome apparition was
• 1:10:02
  Speaker 1: lumbering in a straight line for the Commander. It was
• 1:10:06
  Speaker 1: vaguely human in that it possessed a head torso, four
• 1:10:10
  Speaker 1: limbs of elephantine proportions, and it waddled upright. But the
• 1:10:15
  Speaker 1: human resemblance went no further. The creature's skin, if skin,
• 1:10:19
  Speaker 1: it was, gleamed silvery metallic, and gave the impression of
• 1:10:23
  Speaker 1: being fluid, a reminded mark of nothing so much as
• 1:10:27
  Speaker 1: an immense blob of mercury that might at any moment
• 1:10:30
  Speaker 1: collapse into a puddle and spread over the floor. But
• 1:10:35
  Speaker 1: Fulk didn't collapse. He approached the commander and stood docilely waiting.
• 1:10:40
  Speaker 1: She patted the creature's arm and then handed him a
• 1:10:43
  Speaker 1: package of something. Vulk rumbled his appreciation and poured the
• 1:10:47
  Speaker 1: contents into a gash that appeared in his face. Then
• 1:10:50
  Speaker 1: he waddled contentedly to a large sledge and took up
• 1:10:54
  Speaker 1: the reins. Wow, where did you ever dig up that? Mark?
• 1:10:59
  Speaker 1: Turned white face to Carston Folk. He's a native of
• 1:11:04
  Speaker 1: this planet. But more than that, he's an ambassador of peace.
• 1:11:08
  Speaker 1: The commander's crisp voice made further conversation impossible. Single file,
• 1:11:13
  Speaker 1: you men stay as close to each other as the
• 1:11:15
  Speaker 1: sleds will permit. Carston, you stay in the middle as usual,
• 1:11:19
  Speaker 1: and watch out for the blitzeys. If you men work hard,
• 1:11:23
  Speaker 1: we should be back within ten hours. Silently, the outer
• 1:11:26
  Speaker 1: door of the lock slid open, and the men began
• 1:11:29
  Speaker 1: to file out, with a gigantic Vulk at the head.
• 1:11:32
  Speaker 1: The brightness was intense, although they were on the planet's
• 1:11:36
  Speaker 1: dark side. Shimmering waves of heat danced before them over
• 1:11:39
  Speaker 1: the flat terrain. At the very end of the line.
• 1:11:42
  Speaker 1: Commander Cynthia kept pace with them. Would it you mean
• 1:11:46
  Speaker 1: by Ambassador of Peace? Carston? Mark had purposely fallen in
• 1:11:50
  Speaker 1: line next to him, a Justure radiophone to its shortest
• 1:11:53
  Speaker 1: distance communication. Carston directed him, so it will be inaudible
• 1:11:58
  Speaker 1: to anyone else. As Mark did so, Carston continued, we
• 1:12:02
  Speaker 1: couldn't get out the metal were after without Vulc. His
• 1:12:05
  Speaker 1: home is on the neutral strip where we're going, that
• 1:12:08
  Speaker 1: part of the planet where the outward and someward side meet.
• 1:12:12
  Speaker 1: All of Vulk's canner there and they resent us. They've
• 1:12:15
  Speaker 1: attacked us before we bring Vulcan as an evidence of
• 1:12:19
  Speaker 1: friendly intentions. They have a speech of sorts, and Vulk
• 1:12:23
  Speaker 1: supposed to pacify them. What was it the commander gave
• 1:12:28
  Speaker 1: him before we left. Powdered metal filings, tiny scraps from
• 1:12:33
  Speaker 1: the factories. That's what's in those big sacks up there.
• 1:12:35
  Speaker 1: On Vulk sled a peace offering for his people. They
• 1:12:40
  Speaker 1: subsist on metal. Mark Denning was aghast. Everything on this
• 1:12:45
  Speaker 1: planet does that is, everything native to it, and they're
• 1:12:49
  Speaker 1: impervious to heat. Of course, if Vulk had not been
• 1:12:52
  Speaker 1: captured by George Mornick almost immediately after it was born,
• 1:12:56
  Speaker 1: it would never have been conditioned to the comparatively cool
• 1:12:59
  Speaker 1: atmosphere of the Bay. In silence, they trudged mile after mile,
• 1:13:04
  Speaker 1: following the same line of black hills that housed their base.
• 1:13:08
  Speaker 1: Mark marveled at how comfortable the vacuum suits were, but
• 1:13:11
  Speaker 1: he knew the real geat hadn't started yet. It came presently.
• 1:13:15
  Speaker 1: As they veered further outward from the hills, the heat
• 1:13:18
  Speaker 1: increased steadily and became more intense than anything Mark had
• 1:13:22
  Speaker 1: ever experienced. Perspiration dripped stickily within his suit. He wanted
• 1:13:27
  Speaker 1: to wipe his face, but couldn't. He could only shake
• 1:13:29
  Speaker 1: his head to keep the sweat from his eyes, but
• 1:13:32
  Speaker 1: there was no keeping the mirages from his eyes. In
• 1:13:35
  Speaker 1: every direction, the terrain rocked and rolled under huge undulating
• 1:13:40
  Speaker 1: hazes of heat. Horizons leaped at him in wave after wave,
• 1:13:44
  Speaker 1: and fled away again. The men ahead seemed to do
• 1:13:48
  Speaker 1: fantastic dances. They no longer trod on rock. The ground
• 1:13:53
  Speaker 1: beneath was soft, white and leprous, looking powdery almost as dust.
• 1:13:59
  Speaker 1: Mark felt it hot around his metal clad ankles. Now
• 1:14:02
  Speaker 1: he realized the reason for the flat bottom sleds. He
• 1:14:06
  Speaker 1: knew too, that a spaceship could never venture over here
• 1:14:09
  Speaker 1: and get back safely. Compasses and magna plates and everything
• 1:14:13
  Speaker 1: else would go haywire. Peering ahead, he discerned Vulk's fantastic bulk,
• 1:14:19
  Speaker 1: which now had turned a glowing cherry red. He shuddered
• 1:14:23
  Speaker 1: at the thought of what would happen to a man
• 1:14:25
  Speaker 1: suddenly bereft of the protecting vacuum suit. Out of the silence,
• 1:14:30
  Speaker 1: a vast rumbling sound rose, like magnified thunder. Mark saw
• 1:14:34
  Speaker 1: Carston fumble with his radio phone, then peer all about
• 1:14:37
  Speaker 1: into the haze. Blitzy's coming, He yelled into his instrument.
• 1:14:41
  Speaker 1: Everyone stopped. Mark followed Carson's line of sight, but he
• 1:14:45
  Speaker 1: couldn't see a thing. Swarm coming from the left. Carson
• 1:14:49
  Speaker 1: yelled again. The commander moved hurriedly along the line. Lie down, everyone,
• 1:14:53
  Speaker 1: face to the left, upbend your sleds, and if you
• 1:14:56
  Speaker 1: value your lives, stay behind them. The second all was confusion,
• 1:15:01
  Speaker 1: as the men flung themselves to the powdery soil. Then
• 1:15:04
  Speaker 1: a metal barrier sprung up. As the sleds came end
• 1:15:07
  Speaker 1: to end, Still nothing could be seen. Suddenly, then they came.
• 1:15:11
  Speaker 1: The air was blue from crackling sparks. As dozens of
• 1:15:14
  Speaker 1: the Blitzeis struck the sleds with the impact of bullets.
• 1:15:19
  Speaker 1: A sound like the humming of millions of hornets was
• 1:15:21
  Speaker 1: in their ears. As the greater part of the swarm
• 1:15:24
  Speaker 1: passed overhead, Mark had a confused vision of electric blue
• 1:15:28
  Speaker 1: streaks that writhed and zigzagged, landed, and leaped again, propelling
• 1:15:33
  Speaker 1: themselves blindly. As suddenly as it had come, the danger
• 1:15:38
  Speaker 1: was over. The men arose somewhat shakily. The ground about
• 1:15:42
  Speaker 1: them was strewn with the snake like blitzees. Mark picked
• 1:15:45
  Speaker 1: one up and found it to be metallic, about five
• 1:15:48
  Speaker 1: inches in length, transparent blue in color. The head was
• 1:15:52
  Speaker 1: triangular eyeless. Along its back, Mark felt a thin, wiry
• 1:15:56
  Speaker 1: sort of filament. They're like living bolts of electricity, Carston
• 1:16:01
  Speaker 1: told him. They seemed to short circuit themselves when they
• 1:16:04
  Speaker 1: strike the sleds. The caravan continued. Hours later, they arrived
• 1:16:09
  Speaker 1: at their destination a small rise in the terrain before them,
• 1:16:12
  Speaker 1: covered with glittering crystals in huge boulder like lumps. The
• 1:16:16
  Speaker 1: sides of the little hill was composed of the same ore,
• 1:16:20
  Speaker 1: apparently in limitless amount, but as if guarding it against them,
• 1:16:25
  Speaker 1: rows of redly glowing vulcs stood motionless, elephantine. Facing them.
• 1:16:31
  Speaker 1: Mark couldn't tell whether they were friendly or hostile to him.
• 1:16:34
  Speaker 1: There was no expression to be seen on those fluid heads.
• 1:16:37
  Speaker 1: But Commander Cynthia's vulk went over to his henchmen and
• 1:16:41
  Speaker 1: shabbered in rumbling noises, pointing to the huge sacks on
• 1:16:45
  Speaker 1: his own sled. Presently, three of the vulks came over
• 1:16:48
  Speaker 1: and snatched at the sacks, opened them, and grabbed handfuls
• 1:16:51
  Speaker 1: of the metallic filings. Seemingly satisfied, the trio lumbered off,
• 1:16:56
  Speaker 1: followed by the rest bearing the sacks. The men began
• 1:16:59
  Speaker 1: to work, then, loading the ore on the sleds and
• 1:17:01
  Speaker 1: breaking it with their small hand picks. Even to have
• 1:17:04
  Speaker 1: come here was bad enough, and to breathe was an agony.
• 1:17:08
  Speaker 1: But to work in this inferno of unimaginable heat and
• 1:17:12
  Speaker 1: blinding glare was a nightmare. More than once Mark felt
• 1:17:16
  Speaker 1: himself sway and stood quite still until the dizziness passed.
• 1:17:20
  Speaker 1: One of the men pitched forward and lay still. Commander
• 1:17:24
  Speaker 1: Cynthia examined the fallen man. She gestured to Vulk, who
• 1:17:27
  Speaker 1: grasped him and stretched him over the oar on his
• 1:17:30
  Speaker 1: own sled. The Commander's face was drawn and white through
• 1:17:34
  Speaker 1: the visa plate, and her eyes were tragic. Mark was
• 1:17:38
  Speaker 1: seeing evidences today that she was not entirely cold and
• 1:17:41
  Speaker 1: heartless as he had first thought. It seemed an eternity
• 1:17:45
  Speaker 1: before they were through with their task. At last, the
• 1:17:47
  Speaker 1: sleds were loaded to capacity, and they rested awhile before
• 1:17:51
  Speaker 1: starting the return journey. They could only pull the heavy
• 1:17:54
  Speaker 1: sleds slowly now, and only the knowledge that every mile
• 1:17:58
  Speaker 1: brought them nearer to the base, away from this suffocating hell,
• 1:18:02
  Speaker 1: spurred them on. After a while, the commander called a halt,
• 1:18:06
  Speaker 1: and the men sank down against their sleds, like puppets
• 1:18:09
  Speaker 1: whose strings had been cut. There was a strange absence
• 1:18:12
  Speaker 1: of curses and rebellion against the appalling experience they were undergoing.
• 1:18:16
  Speaker 1: There was not enough strength left for that. Then Mark
• 1:18:20
  Speaker 1: saw Commander Cynthia suddenly stand up through the visiplate, Her
• 1:18:24
  Speaker 1: eyes were wide, and they mirrored horror. End of section
• 1:18:29
  Speaker 1: five Section six of Alcatraz of the Starways by Henry
• 1:18:40
  Speaker 1: Hasse and Albert Depina. This LibriVox recording is in the
• 1:18:43
  Speaker 1: public domain. Read by Cinda J. M. Section six. Up
• 1:18:49
  Speaker 1: on your feet, every man of you test your oxygen
• 1:18:53
  Speaker 1: tanks quickly. Her voice was tense with suppressed emotion. Something
• 1:18:57
  Speaker 1: in her tone seemed to cut a path through the
• 1:18:59
  Speaker 1: heat ridden legathy of their minds. For the men staggered
• 1:19:03
  Speaker 1: to their feet, hands fumbling for their testing buttons. Mark
• 1:19:07
  Speaker 1: found his, and his eyes darted to the tiny dial
• 1:19:09
  Speaker 1: inside his helmet. The pointer swung and registered one hour. Frantically,
• 1:19:15
  Speaker 1: he pushed the button again once more. The pointer, inexorbably
• 1:19:19
  Speaker 1: indicated this same period of time, one hour. He breathed, stunned.
• 1:19:26
  Speaker 1: That was barely a third of the time it would
• 1:19:28
  Speaker 1: take to return to the base. Out of the dancing
• 1:19:31
  Speaker 1: mirage before him, the alabaster face of Aladdian seemed to
• 1:19:35
  Speaker 1: float and smile with infinite, pained laden regret. Mark realized
• 1:19:40
  Speaker 1: that unless a miracle happened, he would never see her again.
• 1:19:44
  Speaker 1: And now, for the first time, it dawned on him
• 1:19:46
  Speaker 1: how much he wanted to around him. The men were
• 1:19:49
  Speaker 1: milling in confusion, panic stricken. Their few hours stay at
• 1:19:53
  Speaker 1: the base had been like a brief taste of heaven,
• 1:19:56
  Speaker 1: and life had become precious once more. All of us
• 1:20:00
  Speaker 1: can't get back, the commander was saying, But there's enough
• 1:20:02
  Speaker 1: oxygen among us to permit seven, at most eight, to
• 1:20:05
  Speaker 1: do so. I'm willing to draw lots with the rest
• 1:20:08
  Speaker 1: of you, but decide quickly. Every instant is precious. No,
• 1:20:13
  Speaker 1: a man screamed hysterically near the breaking point, I'd rather
• 1:20:16
  Speaker 1: take my chances. His voice ended in a hoarse sob.
• 1:20:20
  Speaker 1: Then a strange thing happened. Ernest Carston, white faced and unsteady,
• 1:20:25
  Speaker 1: stepped forward. You can take my supply, Commander Cynthia, he offered,
• 1:20:29
  Speaker 1: You need not draw lots. Let the men do that.
• 1:20:33
  Speaker 1: She waved him aside and shook her head, but her
• 1:20:36
  Speaker 1: eyes softened gratefully. She glanced at the tall timer at
• 1:20:40
  Speaker 1: her wrist. I will give you men just thirty seconds
• 1:20:44
  Speaker 1: to make your decision, otherwise I will be forced to
• 1:20:46
  Speaker 1: make it. But from the group came no decision, only
• 1:20:51
  Speaker 1: sullen argument and frantic babbling. Some of them measured the
• 1:20:55
  Speaker 1: distance between them and the girl eyeing hungrily the adam
• 1:20:58
  Speaker 1: blast guns at either side of her wrist. What a woman,
• 1:21:03
  Speaker 1: Carston murmured to himself, lost in admiration, but Mark heard him. Yes,
• 1:21:09
  Speaker 1: she is magnificent, he agreed in a dry croak. A
• 1:21:13
  Speaker 1: pity all that courage, and he checked himself and fell
• 1:21:16
  Speaker 1: dully silent again. It was then that Mark saw something,
• 1:21:20
  Speaker 1: or thought he did, far away, shimmering through the dancing heat.
• 1:21:24
  Speaker 1: He wiped the sparkling dust from his visiplate and strained
• 1:21:27
  Speaker 1: his eyes, desperately, praying that it was not a mirage.
• 1:21:31
  Speaker 1: He clutched at Carston and pointed, the hills. Are those
• 1:21:35
  Speaker 1: hills our hills? Carston nodded dumbly. At last he managed
• 1:21:40
  Speaker 1: to crow, yes, But the entrance is miles away at
• 1:21:43
  Speaker 1: the other end. But there may be a chance, remember Aladdian,
• 1:21:48
  Speaker 1: The corridors a honeycomb of caverns. Commander Mark turned up
• 1:21:52
  Speaker 1: his radiophone, his voice drowning out the babble of the men.
• 1:21:56
  Speaker 1: How far is that range of hills, commander? She followed
• 1:21:59
  Speaker 1: his point, a little less than an hour at its
• 1:22:02
  Speaker 1: closest point. And the system of caverns, how far does
• 1:22:06
  Speaker 1: it extend? Aren't those hills practically honeycombed their entire length,
• 1:22:10
  Speaker 1: we might find wait, The word came explosively as her
• 1:22:15
  Speaker 1: mind darted into the past, down the corridor of years. Yes,
• 1:22:19
  Speaker 1: I remember, some of the caverns did lead out to
• 1:22:23
  Speaker 1: this side, and father sealed them to make the base
• 1:22:25
  Speaker 1: air tight. She gazed at the distant hills as if
• 1:22:28
  Speaker 1: trying to recapture forgotten seen, and a bulky shape hurled forward,
• 1:22:33
  Speaker 1: clawing for the weapons at her waist, but Carson had
• 1:22:36
  Speaker 1: been watching. He thrust out a metal shod foot, and
• 1:22:39
  Speaker 1: the convict went sprawling ludicrously into the swirling white dust.
• 1:22:44
  Speaker 1: Thank you again, the commander said, in a whisper. This
• 1:22:48
  Speaker 1: strip has been a revelation in so many ways. Her
• 1:22:52
  Speaker 1: face was as white as the powdery soil underfoot, and
• 1:22:56
  Speaker 1: she was near collapse. But from some unknown source she stilled,
• 1:23:00
  Speaker 1: drew from enough strength reserve to maintain her authority. Hands
• 1:23:04
  Speaker 1: on her atom blast guns, she faced the men into
• 1:23:07
  Speaker 1: line as before, we've got to make the hills in
• 1:23:10
  Speaker 1: less than one hour. Leave the sleds. It's the hills
• 1:23:13
  Speaker 1: or your lives. The effect was miraculous. Suddenly they were docile,
• 1:23:19
  Speaker 1: grasping at the slender hope she offered them, and content
• 1:23:21
  Speaker 1: to have her bear the burden. Quickly they fell into line,
• 1:23:24
  Speaker 1: with Vulk leading the way. Again, the men needed no urging.
• 1:23:28
  Speaker 1: The knowledge that they only had one more hour of
• 1:23:31
  Speaker 1: oxygen was enough. If their truck up to now had
• 1:23:35
  Speaker 1: been a nightmare, This latter stage surpassed even the most
• 1:23:39
  Speaker 1: secret refinements of a Martian torture chamber. In an agony
• 1:23:43
  Speaker 1: of slowness, the minutes lengthened and seemed to stand still.
• 1:23:46
  Speaker 1: The low range of hills seemed to dance mockingly and
• 1:23:50
  Speaker 1: recede into the distance beyond the horizon's endless rim. In
• 1:23:54
  Speaker 1: addition now to the heat in their brains and the
• 1:23:56
  Speaker 1: glare in their eyes, their lungs were tortured, as they
• 1:23:59
  Speaker 1: regularly did. The oxygen intake valves to the barest minimum.
• 1:24:04
  Speaker 1: After an eternity in which even memory seemed to have fled.
• 1:24:08
  Speaker 1: They were walking on rock, and the heat began imperceptibly
• 1:24:12
  Speaker 1: to abate. Directly before them, the hills rose out of
• 1:24:16
  Speaker 1: the torturing blaze. Cries that were little more than miserable
• 1:24:19
  Speaker 1: croakings echoed through the radiophones as the men broke ranks.
• 1:24:24
  Speaker 1: They staggered on, holding to each other for support. Mark
• 1:24:27
  Speaker 1: looked around for the commander and saw her clutching at
• 1:24:30
  Speaker 1: Carston's shoulder for support, while his arm was about her waist,
• 1:24:34
  Speaker 1: half holding her up. The girl disengaged herself and by
• 1:24:37
  Speaker 1: sheer Wilfhower drove toward the base of the low lying
• 1:24:41
  Speaker 1: cliffs before them. Wait, she ordered. She stopped, and the
• 1:24:46
  Speaker 1: men halted behind her, weaving on their feet. She stared
• 1:24:49
  Speaker 1: around us, as if desperately trying to recall something deeply
• 1:24:53
  Speaker 1: embedded in the matrix of the past. Then she veered
• 1:24:56
  Speaker 1: to the right, waving for vulcan the men to follow.
• 1:24:59
  Speaker 1: Mark did his oxygen tank and glanced at the dial again.
• 1:25:03
  Speaker 1: It read ten minutes. It was a race with time,
• 1:25:05
  Speaker 1: which now perversely seemed to be rushing by on flying feet.
• 1:25:10
  Speaker 1: Thirty yards further, the cliffs curved in sharply rounding it.
• 1:25:13
  Speaker 1: The commander gave a glad cry. In the center was
• 1:25:16
  Speaker 1: a gigantic metal door, hermetically ceiling what had once been
• 1:25:21
  Speaker 1: the entrance to a cave. The men staggered forward, some
• 1:25:25
  Speaker 1: of them clawing feebly at the barrier. Others sank wordlessly
• 1:25:28
  Speaker 1: to the rocky ground. They weren't even sure that beyond
• 1:25:31
  Speaker 1: that metal wall they would find life giving air. The
• 1:25:34
  Speaker 1: commander had drawn both at em pistols and stood there
• 1:25:37
  Speaker 1: surveying the barrier as if paralyzed. What are you waiting for?
• 1:25:41
  Speaker 1: Mark pressed forward. In minutes the men will be dying,
• 1:25:44
  Speaker 1: blast and opening for the very first time. Mark saw
• 1:25:49
  Speaker 1: her hesitant, indecisive, as if unable to think. But the
• 1:25:53
  Speaker 1: air she managed to gasp. It will escape from the
• 1:25:56
  Speaker 1: caves clear back to the base. All those men there
• 1:25:59
  Speaker 1: and father, their lives are more important than ours. In
• 1:26:04
  Speaker 1: those brief seconds, Mark admired her despite the deadly threat
• 1:26:08
  Speaker 1: to the earth she embodied. He admired her for her
• 1:26:11
  Speaker 1: humanity and loyalty to the men at the base. But
• 1:26:14
  Speaker 1: there was no time to lose. He made her decision superfolious.
• 1:26:18
  Speaker 1: We got a chance it. With a swift, darting movement,
• 1:26:22
  Speaker 1: he rested an adam blast gun from her hand and
• 1:26:25
  Speaker 1: discharged it steadily at the metal door at a point
• 1:26:28
  Speaker 1: just above the ground. A second later, she was helping
• 1:26:31
  Speaker 1: him with the other gun. Instantly the metal turned fiery red,
• 1:26:35
  Speaker 1: then white, and finally a secular section fell outward with
• 1:26:39
  Speaker 1: a hissing rush of air. Dive in men with the
• 1:26:43
  Speaker 1: dregs of strength he didn't know he still possessed. Mark
• 1:26:46
  Speaker 1: grasped them in and pushed them toward the aperture, helped
• 1:26:49
  Speaker 1: shove them through. Throw your helmets back, he shouted. In
• 1:26:53
  Speaker 1: you go, he told the commander, and despite her protests,
• 1:26:56
  Speaker 1: he lifted her off her feet, almost handing her through
• 1:26:59
  Speaker 1: the blasting entrance. Only Vulk and Mark were laughed. As
• 1:27:03
  Speaker 1: the Earthman crawled through, He motioned for Vulk to follow.
• 1:27:06
  Speaker 1: The metallic being dropped all fours and pushed in his arms,
• 1:27:10
  Speaker 1: his head, his massive shoulders, his side scraped still hot
• 1:27:15
  Speaker 1: edges of the aperture, and there he stuck the mid inside,
• 1:27:19
  Speaker 1: grasped his arms and pulled, but in vain. Vulk gazed
• 1:27:23
  Speaker 1: ludicrously from side to side, and heaved prodigiously, but in vain.
• 1:27:28
  Speaker 1: The Vulcanian seemed molded to the hole. Wait, tell him
• 1:27:33
  Speaker 1: not to struggle, not to move. Mark was exultant as
• 1:27:36
  Speaker 1: he turned to the girl. The air's no longer rushing away.
• 1:27:39
  Speaker 1: If he'll only remain there until we get back with
• 1:27:41
  Speaker 1: equipment to seal that hole, the danger's over, Vulk seemed
• 1:27:45
  Speaker 1: to be pondering, his limbs sprawled like a distorted swastika,
• 1:27:50
  Speaker 1: and on his usually blank, fluid face was something like surprise.
• 1:27:54
  Speaker 1: In the dim recesses of his alien mind, he could
• 1:27:57
  Speaker 1: find no parallel to this. The commander spoke to him slowly,
• 1:28:02
  Speaker 1: with desperate emphasis. Reaching into a pocket of her suit,
• 1:28:05
  Speaker 1: she brought out another package of powdered metal, which Fulk
• 1:28:08
  Speaker 1: promptly stuffed into his mouth. He understands, she said at last,
• 1:28:12
  Speaker 1: but I'll leave one of you here with him to
• 1:28:14
  Speaker 1: be certain he does. For a while they rested, lying prone,
• 1:28:19
  Speaker 1: helmets thrown back, luxuriating in the comparative coolness and the
• 1:28:23
  Speaker 1: drops of pure air. All were thirsty, their throats parched
• 1:28:27
  Speaker 1: and aching. But the nightmare was over. Presently. The commander
• 1:28:30
  Speaker 1: rose to her feet and gave the order to march.
• 1:28:34
  Speaker 1: She was almost at her usual self, again, detached, impersonal,
• 1:28:39
  Speaker 1: but she was white to the lips and her eyes
• 1:28:41
  Speaker 1: were electric. As she said, Luhor will pay for this.
• 1:28:48
  Speaker 1: She barely breathed it, but Mark heard her, and he
• 1:28:51
  Speaker 1: knew what she meant. It was Leuhor who had prepared
• 1:28:54
  Speaker 1: the units of oxygen for the suits. End of sections
• 1:29:05
  Speaker 1: Section seven of Alcatraz of the Starways by Henry Hassen
• 1:29:10
  Speaker 1: Albert Depina. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain
• 1:29:15
  Speaker 1: read by Cinta j M. Section seven. Under the dim
• 1:29:20
  Speaker 1: illumination maintained even as far as these outlying caves, the
• 1:29:24
  Speaker 1: group went grimly on. Their passage through the tortuous corridors
• 1:29:28
  Speaker 1: was dotted by discarded vacuum suits, but no echoes drifted
• 1:29:33
  Speaker 1: back to them from the activity of the base. Twice
• 1:29:36
  Speaker 1: they lost their way, ending up against blank rock walls
• 1:29:40
  Speaker 1: and retracing their steps. But at last the interconnecting tunnel
• 1:29:45
  Speaker 1: chain became familiar to the commander. She blames Leuhor for
• 1:29:50
  Speaker 1: the oxygen business, Mark murmured to Carston, walking beside him.
• 1:29:54
  Speaker 1: Should Carson, exclaimed blacklonically grimly, Aladdian warned against leuhorre Remember
• 1:30:02
  Speaker 1: they'll be hell to pay when we get back. Any
• 1:30:04
  Speaker 1: monkey wrench thrown into the machinery of their plants helps
• 1:30:07
  Speaker 1: the earth. I hope, he broke off, staring moodily ahead.
• 1:30:13
  Speaker 1: She's far more human than you think. Mark Denning said softly, Yes,
• 1:30:18
  Speaker 1: I noticed that today, Carston's voice sounded glad. It's only
• 1:30:22
  Speaker 1: the spartan training. She learned while cruising the space lanes
• 1:30:25
  Speaker 1: with her piratical father that keeps her up, that and
• 1:30:30
  Speaker 1: the old man's insane will, driving her on through a
• 1:30:32
  Speaker 1: sense of loyalty to him. They were so dear to
• 1:30:36
  Speaker 1: the base now that Mark expected momentarily to hear the
• 1:30:39
  Speaker 1: clang of metal in the factories, the voices of workmen.
• 1:30:43
  Speaker 1: His heart quickened at the thought of seeing Aladdian, and
• 1:30:46
  Speaker 1: he forgot his weariness in embroidering upon that thought. But
• 1:30:51
  Speaker 1: the ominous stillness remained unbroken. They entered the final quarter
• 1:30:56
  Speaker 1: leading to the vast central chamber. The commander ran forward,
• 1:30:59
  Speaker 1: with the anxious men close behind her. They entered the grotto.
• 1:31:03
  Speaker 1: The subterranean base extended into the distance before their startled
• 1:31:07
  Speaker 1: unbelieving eyes. What Cynthia began bewilderedly. It was a dead city,
• 1:31:15
  Speaker 1: soundless and inert under the distant cavern roof. It had
• 1:31:18
  Speaker 1: the air of a ghost town, drained of all life.
• 1:31:22
  Speaker 1: Mark's heart leapt into his mouth Aladian, he cried involuntarily,
• 1:31:27
  Speaker 1: and his hands clenched in an agony of anxiety of
• 1:31:30
  Speaker 1: helpless rage. Commander Cynthia was already running toward the palace,
• 1:31:35
  Speaker 1: a deathly fear mirrored in her eyes. The men had
• 1:31:39
  Speaker 1: stopped uncertainly, too weary and exhausted to understand. Then, driven
• 1:31:44
  Speaker 1: by a single thought, they staggered off to their building
• 1:31:46
  Speaker 1: in search of water and food. Scarcely had the echoes
• 1:31:51
  Speaker 1: of Mark's cry stopped reverberating when from the shadows of
• 1:31:54
  Speaker 1: a traverse corridor emerged the elfin figure of the Venusian.
• 1:31:59
  Speaker 1: Aladdian gazed at Mark as if he had returned from
• 1:32:01
  Speaker 1: the dead. She closed her eyes, swayed a little. Mark
• 1:32:05
  Speaker 1: caught her in his arms. He too was silent. No
• 1:32:09
  Speaker 1: words would serve to the palace. She finally breathed, gently,
• 1:32:14
  Speaker 1: disengaging herself. Followed by Carston, they hurried to the imposing
• 1:32:18
  Speaker 1: building where old George Marnick reigned. Aladdean led them swiftly
• 1:32:22
  Speaker 1: through the paneled outer hall, through the magnificent salon, where
• 1:32:26
  Speaker 1: the loot, for many years was a fabulous welter of wealth.
• 1:32:30
  Speaker 1: Mark had no eyes for it. Now. They did not
• 1:32:32
  Speaker 1: stop until they reached the inner chambers, and finally came
• 1:32:35
  Speaker 1: to George Barnick's room, where no one but Cynthia was
• 1:32:39
  Speaker 1: ever permitted. Lying grotesquely twisted on the priceless Martian tapestry
• 1:32:45
  Speaker 1: that covered the bed. The ancient pirate was dead. Cynthia
• 1:32:49
  Speaker 1: Marnock was kneeling beside him, weeping softly. There was no
• 1:32:52
  Speaker 1: doubt as to the manner of his death. The pencil
• 1:32:55
  Speaker 1: thin opening through his temple could only have been done
• 1:32:58
  Speaker 1: by Adam blast luhor Aladian said, indicating the wound with
• 1:33:04
  Speaker 1: a gesture. They withdrew, leaving Cynthia alone with her grief.
• 1:33:08
  Speaker 1: The two men followed the Venusian girl to the immense
• 1:33:11
  Speaker 1: palace dining room with her own hand. She served them
• 1:33:14
  Speaker 1: food and drink, asking no questions, uttering no words until
• 1:33:18
  Speaker 1: their vast hunger and thirst were appeased. Then she sat down,
• 1:33:22
  Speaker 1: and so she began, without preamble. The unpredictable has entered.
• 1:33:28
  Speaker 1: At their rust of questions, she held up a hand.
• 1:33:30
  Speaker 1: Let me explain, she begged, I can do it briefly
• 1:33:33
  Speaker 1: if you were silent. After you left, Leuhor ordered every
• 1:33:37
  Speaker 1: man here to go aboard the spacer. He blasted down
• 1:33:40
  Speaker 1: two or three who refused. You will find them in
• 1:33:43
  Speaker 1: the airlock. Previous to that, I heard him arguing with
• 1:33:46
  Speaker 1: George Barnick. He Adam blasted Marnik from behind. I know
• 1:33:51
  Speaker 1: because I deliberately contacted his mind, although the effort nearly
• 1:33:55
  Speaker 1: drove me mad. It is not easy for us to
• 1:33:58
  Speaker 1: tune to an alien intellect. But Luhor, being partially Venusian, helped.
• 1:34:03
  Speaker 1: The miracle is he didn't take you with him. Carson
• 1:34:06
  Speaker 1: ventured you were too valuable to leave behind. When we
• 1:34:11
  Speaker 1: came here yesterday, she said, simply, I studied the plans
• 1:34:14
  Speaker 1: of these caverns. When I learned what was in Leehor's mind,
• 1:34:17
  Speaker 1: I hid an a maze of abandoned corridors. They searched
• 1:34:21
  Speaker 1: for me a while, but since he plans to return,
• 1:34:24
  Speaker 1: he gave up the search For the present. He had
• 1:34:27
  Speaker 1: no time to waste. The patrol has been to the
• 1:34:29
  Speaker 1: prison swamp, failing to find either of you, and learning
• 1:34:33
  Speaker 1: of my disappearance, Earth has mobilized its fleet. Ah, how
• 1:34:38
  Speaker 1: do you know this? Both men leaned tensely forward through
• 1:34:44
  Speaker 1: the athromagnum. George Marnick has in his laboratory here the
• 1:34:48
  Speaker 1: most powerful receiving and transmission instrument I have ever seen,
• 1:34:52
  Speaker 1: greater even than the athromagnum we have on Venus. So
• 1:34:57
  Speaker 1: that's how we always kept a step ahead of the
• 1:34:59
  Speaker 1: patrol cars. And mused the scientists he used to kidnap
• 1:35:02
  Speaker 1: from spaceliners. He must have forced them to perfect scientific
• 1:35:06
  Speaker 1: inventions here. Yes, the Venusian girl nodded, but I haven't
• 1:35:11
  Speaker 1: told you the most important part Leuhor's plan. If he succeeds,
• 1:35:16
  Speaker 1: there will be no peace. He has taken the men
• 1:35:18
  Speaker 1: to the asteroid where Marnik's new fleet of space vessels
• 1:35:22
  Speaker 1: are to be assembled. But worse than that, they are
• 1:35:25
  Speaker 1: also to fit gigantic rockets to the asteroid itself. It
• 1:35:30
  Speaker 1: is very dense and greatly pitted, which simplifies things. With
• 1:35:34
  Speaker 1: the rockets of this new metal, he can guide the
• 1:35:36
  Speaker 1: asteroid's course. It will be the terror of space, literally
• 1:35:40
  Speaker 1: invulnerable with banks of immense electro cannon and atom blasts,
• 1:35:45
  Speaker 1: and cradling a swarm of the new spacers. Ernest Carston
• 1:35:50
  Speaker 1: could only hold his head in his hands. Earth's greatest
• 1:35:53
  Speaker 1: enemy had died in Marnik, but a greater, more ruthless
• 1:35:56
  Speaker 1: one had arisen in leeuhore Go on Aladdian Please, Mark's
• 1:36:02
  Speaker 1: tones were reassuring. Lure does not suspect that I contacted
• 1:36:06
  Speaker 1: his mind. He believes all of you have died in
• 1:36:08
  Speaker 1: the wastes. I got that from his mind too. Since
• 1:36:11
  Speaker 1: he will return because Vulcan is to be the seat
• 1:36:14
  Speaker 1: of his empire, and he wants me, we have time
• 1:36:17
  Speaker 1: to plan how we are going to receive him. He
• 1:36:19
  Speaker 1: is persuaded that the only living being on Vulcan now
• 1:36:23
  Speaker 1: is a defenseless girl. She smiled enigmatically. But that asteroid,
• 1:36:29
  Speaker 1: that hellish threat to Earth. Carston was beside himself and
• 1:36:35
  Speaker 1: to Venus and Mars. Aladdian reminded him gently, it will
• 1:36:39
  Speaker 1: take months for those rockets to be installed, Earth Man,
• 1:36:43
  Speaker 1: he will be here long before that. I am certain
• 1:36:45
  Speaker 1: of it, as only a woman can be certain. She
• 1:36:49
  Speaker 1: raised her eyes and gazed at the doorway framed at
• 1:36:52
  Speaker 1: the entrance to the dining room. Cynthia Marnick stood, looking
• 1:36:55
  Speaker 1: somberly and dry eyed. Aladdian rose swiftly and went over
• 1:36:59
  Speaker 1: to her, My dear, the Venetian said, softly, a world
• 1:37:03
  Speaker 1: of compassion in her voice. Cynthia smiled wanly took the
• 1:37:07
  Speaker 1: tumbler of water that Carston extended to her. She drank dazedly,
• 1:37:11
  Speaker 1: and then sat down with the inexpressible weariness of one
• 1:37:14
  Speaker 1: whose world has come tumbling down about her. Head. Aladdian
• 1:37:18
  Speaker 1: darted to the kitchen and, upon returning, made the Earth
• 1:37:20
  Speaker 1: girl drink a cup of concentrate, then led her away
• 1:37:23
  Speaker 1: to her bedroom. You must sleep, Aladian was saying, softly, monotonously,
• 1:37:28
  Speaker 1: with a hypnotic cadence in her voice. I wonder if
• 1:37:32
  Speaker 1: it will be safe to arm the men, Carson questioned, thoughtfully,
• 1:37:35
  Speaker 1: his mind grappling with the problem. As a chance we'll
• 1:37:39
  Speaker 1: have to take Mark Denny replied, A few among them
• 1:37:43
  Speaker 1: are not really hardened criminals, but are politicals. As you know.
• 1:37:47
  Speaker 1: I think they will all fight for us, provided we
• 1:37:49
  Speaker 1: can offer them freedom win, and if we win, I
• 1:37:53
  Speaker 1: can make them no promises not sanctioned by the Earth Counsel,
• 1:37:57
  Speaker 1: Carston said stiffly. Remember their are forfeit, and so will
• 1:38:03
  Speaker 1: ours be if you don't snap out of that single
• 1:38:06
  Speaker 1: track rut in which you've grooved your brain. Mark exclaimed acidly.
• 1:38:11
  Speaker 1: Council or no Council, the Earth, Venus, Mars, and the
• 1:38:15
  Speaker 1: colonies must be saved. This is no time to quibble
• 1:38:19
  Speaker 1: about ethics. A hell of a lot will be left
• 1:38:22
  Speaker 1: of your council if we don't stop. Luthor. You startle
• 1:38:27
  Speaker 1: me sometimes, Mark Denning, you do not sound as a
• 1:38:30
  Speaker 1: true servant of the Earth state, because to you, Mark
• 1:38:35
  Speaker 1: said slowly, the state is the few decrepit members calling
• 1:38:39
  Speaker 1: themselves the Council and the top heavy government of Earth.
• 1:38:44
  Speaker 1: But to me, the state are the millions and billions
• 1:38:48
  Speaker 1: of human beings whose destinies are ruled by a self
• 1:38:52
  Speaker 1: appointed few, and who are now facing even a worse
• 1:38:56
  Speaker 1: slavery if we don't succeed in being what Aladdinan calls
• 1:39:00
  Speaker 1: the unpredictable. Carson's face flushed with anger. He drew himself
• 1:39:05
  Speaker 1: to his full height as he said, I represent the
• 1:39:09
  Speaker 1: government of Earth, which rules the planets, and I am
• 1:39:13
  Speaker 1: your superior officer. You're wrong, Mark Denning countered, rising to
• 1:39:20
  Speaker 1: I am a free agent as of this moment, and recognize,
• 1:39:24
  Speaker 1: though superior, I'll not be hamstrung by rules and regulations
• 1:39:29
  Speaker 1: which can't serve us. Now, Carston, no need to quarrel.
• 1:39:34
  Speaker 1: Aladian spoke placidly from the doorway, where unnoticed she had
• 1:39:38
  Speaker 1: been listening. Because only I and Cynthia can make terms
• 1:39:42
  Speaker 1: with Earth if we survive. You and Commander Cynthia, Carson exclaimed,
• 1:39:49
  Speaker 1: both of your lives have been forfeit. I doubt if
• 1:39:52
  Speaker 1: the Council will be willing to listen to any terms
• 1:39:54
  Speaker 1: coming from you. Mark Denning's face was stained by a
• 1:39:59
  Speaker 1: dull flush, and he took a step forward, but Aladdian
• 1:40:02
  Speaker 1: laid her hand lightly on his arm and stopped him.
• 1:40:06
  Speaker 1: The Colonel belongs to the old order, she said, very softly.
• 1:40:09
  Speaker 1: It is difficult for him to adjust himself to a
• 1:40:12
  Speaker 1: changing universe, but this time it is beyond his control.
• 1:40:18
  Speaker 1: Why Carston uttered the word grimly, because through the Ethromagnum,
• 1:40:23
  Speaker 1: I have already warned Venus and Mars. My planet is
• 1:40:27
  Speaker 1: being mobilized. Mars will soon take the necessary steps. But
• 1:40:32
  Speaker 1: the most important reason of all is that Earth has
• 1:40:36
  Speaker 1: no means of landing a fleet on Vulcan, does not
• 1:40:39
  Speaker 1: know the location of Leuhor's asteroid, and does not even
• 1:40:43
  Speaker 1: suspect the existence of the new allotropic metal. Carston looked
• 1:40:49
  Speaker 1: baffled as the Venusian girl spoke, then turned to Mark
• 1:40:52
  Speaker 1: Denning with the expression of a man who for once
• 1:40:55
  Speaker 1: felt hopelessly lost. I can promise the mis who aid
• 1:41:00
  Speaker 1: us a fortune to each, Aladdian continued, and the leisure
• 1:41:04
  Speaker 1: to spend it on Venus. As for the Earth, she said, thoughtfully,
• 1:41:10
  Speaker 1: only Commander Cynthia, and I know the formula for the
• 1:41:12
  Speaker 1: new metal and the location of the asteroid. I will
• 1:41:18
  Speaker 1: talk to them, in Mark said, with a finality that
• 1:41:20
  Speaker 1: left no doubt. Let them rest for a few hours.
• 1:41:24
  Speaker 1: Then I'll see to it that they're on our side.
• 1:41:26
  Speaker 1: I know how to rouse them. Wait until they learned
• 1:41:28
  Speaker 1: that Luhor short changed them on oxygen. How much backing
• 1:41:32
  Speaker 1: can you expect from Venus Aladdian to the last man,
• 1:41:37
  Speaker 1: she said quietly. They have already seen me through the
• 1:41:40
  Speaker 1: ether magnum and heard my story. I intercepted the triplanetary
• 1:41:45
  Speaker 1: beam as the Earth broadcast and transmitted our beam along
• 1:41:48
  Speaker 1: their channel. By the time Earth's government set out their
• 1:41:52
  Speaker 1: interceptor to neutralize my beam, it was already too late.
• 1:41:56
  Speaker 1: The three planets are seething. Louhore, wouldn't he have picked
• 1:42:01
  Speaker 1: up on your beam on the spacer and heard you?
• 1:42:04
  Speaker 1: Aladdie in shrugged. He knows I'm here. The confusion created
• 1:42:08
  Speaker 1: by my broadcast only served to aid his plans for
• 1:42:11
  Speaker 1: the moment. He has nothing to fear. As far as
• 1:42:13
  Speaker 1: he knows, a war between the planets would only make
• 1:42:16
  Speaker 1: his conquest simpler. And knowing that Carston spoke bitterly, you
• 1:42:23
  Speaker 1: still broadcast your story and let your image be seen.
• 1:42:27
  Speaker 1: Do you suppose Venus will ever be content now with
• 1:42:29
  Speaker 1: anything short of war? Yes? I do. We are intelligent beings,
• 1:42:36
  Speaker 1: not Martian atavisms, nor do we have your Earth's insane
• 1:42:40
  Speaker 1: will to power. We only want peace and with it freedom.
• 1:42:45
  Speaker 1: But the game is ruthless, Carston. The universe is the stake.
• 1:42:49
  Speaker 1: Aladdian turned to leave Mark. She said gently, from the doorway,
• 1:42:55
  Speaker 1: Cynthia can show you where the arsenal is located. You'll
• 1:42:58
  Speaker 1: find every imaginable way. Also, you had better study the
• 1:43:02
  Speaker 1: combination that opens the airlocks and the synchronized degravitators. I
• 1:43:06
  Speaker 1: suspect that Leuhor will be back here soon, very soon. Suddenly,
• 1:43:13
  Speaker 1: the terrific reaction of that day hit Mark with a
• 1:43:16
  Speaker 1: sickening impact. He was hardly able to rise to his feed.
• 1:43:20
  Speaker 1: Carston was slumped over the table. Mark went over and
• 1:43:23
  Speaker 1: shook him gently, and somehow aided the older man to
• 1:43:26
  Speaker 1: his feet. Together they went into the fabulously furnished salon, and,
• 1:43:30
  Speaker 1: unable to go any further, threw themselves on couches piled
• 1:43:33
  Speaker 1: with priceless rugs and embroidered scarfs. From the various planets.
• 1:43:38
  Speaker 1: Carston instantly was asleep. Despite his utter weariness, Mark slept fitfully,
• 1:43:46
  Speaker 1: awakening and then dropping back to sleep. As the hours
• 1:43:48
  Speaker 1: passed in their eternal caravan, something clamored at the back
• 1:43:52
  Speaker 1: of his brain, something he had forgotten because of the
• 1:43:55
  Speaker 1: major crisis they'd had to confront on their return to
• 1:43:58
  Speaker 1: the base. And suddenly he sat upright. The overhead lights
• 1:44:03
  Speaker 1: had automatically dimmed. No one was stirring with a shock.
• 1:44:07
  Speaker 1: Mark had remembered Vulcan and the man they had left
• 1:44:10
  Speaker 1: to watch him. He leaped to his feet, aching in
• 1:44:13
  Speaker 1: every bone, and ran to the building where the men
• 1:44:15
  Speaker 1: were quartered. If Vulk gets tired of waiting and wriggles
• 1:44:19
  Speaker 1: out through that hole, he tried not to think of
• 1:44:21
  Speaker 1: the rest. He burst into the building and roused the
• 1:44:24
  Speaker 1: men up on your feet, there's no time to waste.
• 1:44:27
  Speaker 1: His terrible urgency instilled them with a nameless fear, prodding
• 1:44:30
  Speaker 1: them as nothing else would have done. Your lives are
• 1:44:33
  Speaker 1: at stake, he told them bluntly, and reminded them of Vulcan.
• 1:44:37
  Speaker 1: At any moment he might decide he's waited long enough.
• 1:44:40
  Speaker 1: Who among you knows how to repair that breach. Three
• 1:44:43
  Speaker 1: of the men came forward. All right, Mark told them,
• 1:44:46
  Speaker 1: hurry to the shops and get what instruments and materials
• 1:44:49
  Speaker 1: you need. But hurry. The men could not return to sleep, now,
• 1:44:53
  Speaker 1: knowing that at any moment the base's life giving air
• 1:44:56
  Speaker 1: might go rushing away. This emergency, following so close upon
• 1:45:00
  Speaker 1: the other hardships of the day, seemed too much. Mark
• 1:45:03
  Speaker 1: saw that they were all very near the breaking point.
• 1:45:07
  Speaker 1: Now was a psychological moment to speak to them and,
• 1:45:10
  Speaker 1: by giving them the entire picture, lift them above the
• 1:45:13
  Speaker 1: present crisis as well as inspire them with hope for
• 1:45:16
  Speaker 1: the future. Calmly, he told of Lee Hoor's treachery in
• 1:45:21
  Speaker 1: giving them a short oxygen supply with the intention of
• 1:45:24
  Speaker 1: murdering them all Deliberately, with calculated phrases, he aroused their
• 1:45:29
  Speaker 1: hatred and thirst for revenge. Mark paused, letting it sink in,
• 1:45:35
  Speaker 1: giving time for their dark passions to reach a peak.
• 1:45:38
  Speaker 1: Then he told of Leehorse asteroid and the threat to
• 1:45:41
  Speaker 1: the planets. He dangled before their eyes the promise of
• 1:45:44
  Speaker 1: untold wealth and freedom on Venus for the rest of
• 1:45:47
  Speaker 1: their lives, to give his promises authority and wait. He
• 1:45:51
  Speaker 1: made no bones about the fact that he was a
• 1:45:53
  Speaker 1: high operative of the Triplanetary Bureau of Prisons. But he
• 1:45:57
  Speaker 1: climaxed it with the guarantee of al blanket pardon from
• 1:46:01
  Speaker 1: the Earth Council itself. You will see and hear the
• 1:46:05
  Speaker 1: Council on the Athomagnum, but we shall be making the terms.
• 1:46:09
  Speaker 1: Mark Denning said, falsely, there's no trick in this. You
• 1:46:13
  Speaker 1: have everything to gain and nothing to lose. In the swamp,
• 1:46:18
  Speaker 1: your lives were forfeit. They were forfeit here on Vulcan too.
• 1:46:22
  Speaker 1: I promise you wealth on Venus and the freedom you'll
• 1:46:26
  Speaker 1: never have any other way. Who's with me? He need
• 1:46:31
  Speaker 1: not have asked, for the clamor that answered him was
• 1:46:33
  Speaker 1: affirmative and unanimous. Gone for the moment was their fatigue
• 1:46:38
  Speaker 1: as they embroidered upon the possibilities of the days to come.
• 1:46:42
  Speaker 1: Not until the trio returned from repairing the breach, bringing
• 1:46:45
  Speaker 1: Vulk with them, did the men return to their sleep
• 1:46:47
  Speaker 1: with the first and only hope they had had in years.
• 1:46:51
  Speaker 1: Only Mark Denning realized the trials to come. These few
• 1:46:54
  Speaker 1: men had been won over easily. Not so easy would
• 1:46:59
  Speaker 1: be the Negotia shid terms with Earth. The Earth government
• 1:47:03
  Speaker 1: had won its dominance over the system the hard way
• 1:47:06
  Speaker 1: only after a bitter ten years interplanetary war, and it
• 1:47:11
  Speaker 1: would not easily relinquish its position. End of section seven
• 1:47:22
  Speaker 1: Section eight of Alcatraz of the Star Wars by Henry
• 1:47:26
  Speaker 1: Hasse and Albert de Pina. This LibriVox recording is in
• 1:47:30
  Speaker 1: the public domain. Read by Cinde j M. Section eight.
• 1:47:35
  Speaker 1: The days that followed were eternities to the little group
• 1:47:38
  Speaker 1: left stranded on Vulcan Base. Nerves were taut and tempers
• 1:47:42
  Speaker 1: were short. Every man there, as well as the two women,
• 1:47:45
  Speaker 1: realized that their very lives, as well as the fate
• 1:47:48
  Speaker 1: of the system depended. On the day of Luhor's return
• 1:47:52
  Speaker 1: from the asteroid, Mark had aroused the men too well.
• 1:47:56
  Speaker 1: They were impatient and restless. They didn't want their freedom
• 1:47:59
  Speaker 1: handed to them on a silver platter. They wanted to
• 1:48:02
  Speaker 1: fight for it. Aladian had said Luho would be back soon,
• 1:48:06
  Speaker 1: very soon. Mark questioned her about it, even with that
• 1:48:11
  Speaker 1: fast spacer. Aladian replied, it will take him several days
• 1:48:15
  Speaker 1: to get out to that asteroid and back again. Cynthia
• 1:48:18
  Speaker 1: tells me her father sent a crew of men there
• 1:48:20
  Speaker 1: a month ago to assemble the new spacers. Luhor will
• 1:48:25
  Speaker 1: undoubtedly win them all to his side and bring half
• 1:48:28
  Speaker 1: of them back to continue the work ear, Cynthia, says.
• 1:48:32
  Speaker 1: Cynthia seems to have confided a lot in you, Mark exclaimed,
• 1:48:36
  Speaker 1: with a sudden, unexplainable suspicion. Aladdian smiled wearily and slowly
• 1:48:42
  Speaker 1: shook her head. You are demoted back to the lower order,
• 1:48:46
  Speaker 1: Mark Denning, she said, with the hint of the same
• 1:48:49
  Speaker 1: mockery Mark had known in the swamp. Cynthia Marnik needs
• 1:48:52
  Speaker 1: our help now. She only carried out her father's orders.
• 1:48:57
  Speaker 1: But now that the dynasty is crumbling about her, ear,
• 1:49:00
  Speaker 1: she's bewildered and a little frightened. Something else has happened
• 1:49:04
  Speaker 1: to her too, for the first time in her life.
• 1:49:07
  Speaker 1: What's that? Never mind, Aladdian said enigmatically. Ernest Carston knows
• 1:49:14
  Speaker 1: it will turn out all right. Meanwhile, you had better
• 1:49:17
  Speaker 1: put the men here to work. It will help pass
• 1:49:19
  Speaker 1: the time. Goodbye, Mark, Like an azure winged elf, she
• 1:49:26
  Speaker 1: hurried back to the laboratory, where she spent most of
• 1:49:28
  Speaker 1: her time. That was the first instance Mark could remember
• 1:49:33
  Speaker 1: when Aladdian had called him by his first name, and
• 1:49:37
  Speaker 1: he liked it. He called them in together and assigned
• 1:49:40
  Speaker 1: them to post at the furnaces, where they continued to
• 1:49:42
  Speaker 1: turn out the metal that would be fashioned into the
• 1:49:45
  Speaker 1: super rocket tubes. Earth was massing its fleet and Venus
• 1:49:49
  Speaker 1: was mobilizing. Mark realized that if a truce could not
• 1:49:52
  Speaker 1: be called, they would need every one of the outlaw
• 1:49:55
  Speaker 1: spacers on the asteroid and others as well. He took
• 1:49:59
  Speaker 1: a few of them men with him to the arsenal,
• 1:50:01
  Speaker 1: where they began to get every available weapon in readiness
• 1:50:04
  Speaker 1: for the triplanetary showdown that was sure to come. Tell
• 1:50:09
  Speaker 1: them to stop work, Aladdian said to Mark two days later,
• 1:50:12
  Speaker 1: then bring them to the laboratory. They have as much
• 1:50:15
  Speaker 1: right as we to know what is happening. I've been
• 1:50:18
  Speaker 1: working on the Ethmagnum center, and I shall try to
• 1:50:21
  Speaker 1: contact both Venus and Earth. They gathered in the magnificent
• 1:50:25
  Speaker 1: laboratory George Marnick had erected here. Various machines were arranged
• 1:50:30
  Speaker 1: in preponderant array, but all were dwarfed by the imposing
• 1:50:34
  Speaker 1: ethromagnum In the center of the room. Hidden automomotors hummed
• 1:50:39
  Speaker 1: a smooth and powerful threadnee the control panel as tall
• 1:50:43
  Speaker 1: as Aladdian herself, connected to huge coils of radical design,
• 1:50:47
  Speaker 1: which themselves led to the televis, a huge sensitized sheet
• 1:50:51
  Speaker 1: of metal reaching clear up to the ceiling. Carston, an
• 1:50:56
  Speaker 1: Earth patriot to the end, watched these activities with misgivings.
• 1:50:59
  Speaker 1: But he was silent, curiously so, and Mark wondered at it.
• 1:51:05
  Speaker 1: Mark was soon to know the reason for Carston's silence,
• 1:51:08
  Speaker 1: and to realize that the Earth official did not give
• 1:51:11
  Speaker 1: up so easily. I want you all to stand back
• 1:51:15
  Speaker 1: against the walls, Aladdian said, out of range of the televis.
• 1:51:19
  Speaker 1: Luhor may pick this up, and he must not know
• 1:51:22
  Speaker 1: there's anyone here but me. She operated the dials quickly, surely,
• 1:51:26
  Speaker 1: with tendril like fingers. A faint, faraway voice was heard
• 1:51:30
  Speaker 1: droning monotonously Earth is sending to Venus. Now, Aladdian said,
• 1:51:34
  Speaker 1: never once removing her gaze from the dancing dials before her.
• 1:51:38
  Speaker 1: If I can intercept the Earth beam, I can get
• 1:51:41
  Speaker 1: my message to Venus through that channel by drowning them out.
• 1:51:45
  Speaker 1: I did it once before the sound of the voice
• 1:51:47
  Speaker 1: increased and the words became distinguishable. They were haranguing, dictatorial,
• 1:51:53
  Speaker 1: Undoubtedly one of the Earth councils speaking to Venus. At
• 1:51:56
  Speaker 1: the same time, the huge metallic sheet above Aladdian's head
• 1:51:59
  Speaker 1: took on a silvery glow, and a wavering scene began
• 1:52:03
  Speaker 1: to appear. The scene was a crowded city square with
• 1:52:06
  Speaker 1: thousands of faces upturned to a televised screen atop one
• 1:52:09
  Speaker 1: of the buildings. That's Navarro, capital city of Venus. Aladdian murmured,
• 1:52:16
  Speaker 1: they are listening to the Earth broadcast. Now I will
• 1:52:19
  Speaker 1: let them see me. Automatically, her hand reached out and
• 1:52:22
  Speaker 1: grasped a lever, which he threw downward. The automomotors shrieked
• 1:52:27
  Speaker 1: as they absorbed the increased power, and soon the sound
• 1:52:30
  Speaker 1: rose above the audible. At the same time, the Earth
• 1:52:33
  Speaker 1: voice was drowned out and the scene at Navarro became
• 1:52:37
  Speaker 1: very clear to the watchers in the room. On the
• 1:52:39
  Speaker 1: huge public televised screen at Navarro, the image of Aladdian,
• 1:52:44
  Speaker 1: Princess of Venus and daughter of Bedroom the Liberator, became visible.
• 1:52:48
  Speaker 1: The crowd did not cheer, but awaited her message, knowing
• 1:52:51
  Speaker 1: that at any moment, the Earth would throw off the
• 1:52:54
  Speaker 1: beam when it realized what was happening. Greetings, my people, Aladdie,
• 1:53:00
  Speaker 1: and spoke quickly as I told you before Earth is
• 1:53:02
  Speaker 1: mobilizing its fleet. And I know that you are preparing
• 1:53:05
  Speaker 1: for any contingency. That is well, But I entreat you
• 1:53:09
  Speaker 1: not to act in any manner until you have heard
• 1:53:11
  Speaker 1: further from me. There is a greater danger than that
• 1:53:14
  Speaker 1: of Earth. I am safe and well. I cannot come
• 1:53:17
  Speaker 1: to you now, but soon. In that moment, the Earth
• 1:53:21
  Speaker 1: beams ceased and the scene on the televis blanked out.
• 1:53:24
  Speaker 1: Aladdian turned with a satisfied smile to Mark and Cynthia
• 1:53:27
  Speaker 1: and the others. It is enough that they saw me.
• 1:53:30
  Speaker 1: My people will not act now without word from me.
• 1:53:34
  Speaker 1: I hope I shall never have to give that word, Aladdian.
• 1:53:38
  Speaker 1: Mark spoke worriedly. Isn't it a risk for you to
• 1:53:41
  Speaker 1: broadcast at all? The Earth government doesn't know your present whereabouts.
• 1:53:45
  Speaker 1: But if they were to send out razor beams and
• 1:53:48
  Speaker 1: learn you were operating from Vulcan, well, it's true. No
• 1:53:52
  Speaker 1: patrol ship is equipped to land on Vulcan, but they
• 1:53:55
  Speaker 1: could bottle us up here. Ernest Carston, who had been
• 1:53:59
  Speaker 1: silently but he eternally watchful, became suddenly tense at Mark's words.
• 1:54:04
  Speaker 1: They have sent out tracer beams. Aladian replied, but with
• 1:54:07
  Speaker 1: this instrument, I can neutralize them all. Fondly, she touched
• 1:54:12
  Speaker 1: the athromagnum by her side. Anyway, the immediate danger is
• 1:54:16
  Speaker 1: not from Earth, but from Leuho. Let us not forget that,
• 1:54:20
  Speaker 1: and I must warn Earth. I must make them understand.
• 1:54:24
  Speaker 1: She turned to the dialed panel again, and even as
• 1:54:26
  Speaker 1: her fingers made swift connections, she continued to speak. It
• 1:54:30
  Speaker 1: may not be easy to establish a direct channel from
• 1:54:33
  Speaker 1: here to Earth, but I think I have completed a
• 1:54:35
  Speaker 1: new trance tellicator beam on which George Marnick was working.
• 1:54:39
  Speaker 1: It should do away with a magnetic disturbance caused by
• 1:54:42
  Speaker 1: our close proximity to the Sun. We shall see again.
• 1:54:46
  Speaker 1: The automomotors whined and ascended the scale. This time there
• 1:54:50
  Speaker 1: was a new exultant note. Minutes passed, then the overhead
• 1:54:54
  Speaker 1: screen began to take on a hazing, shifting blur. Aladdian's
• 1:54:58
  Speaker 1: fingers moved unerringly on the dials. The blur came suddenly
• 1:55:02
  Speaker 1: sharply into focus. Carston, standing against the firewall next to
• 1:55:06
  Speaker 1: Mark Denning, leaned tensely forward, his eyes aglow. The scene
• 1:55:10
  Speaker 1: on the televised was the Earth Council. Carston almost leaped
• 1:55:14
  Speaker 1: forward in his excitement, but Mark gripped his arm tightly.
• 1:55:18
  Speaker 1: Aladdian was speaking to the council in slow, matter of
• 1:55:22
  Speaker 1: fact tones. She told of George Marnick, of the new medal,
• 1:55:25
  Speaker 1: of Luhor and Leuhor's plans. She told of the asteroid
• 1:55:29
  Speaker 1: and the fleet being assembled there, without revealing the asteroid's position.
• 1:55:34
  Speaker 1: She described the properties of the new medal, but was
• 1:55:36
  Speaker 1: careful not to hint of its source. I seek to
• 1:55:40
  Speaker 1: warn you, Aladian's voice came, fraverent and clear. You are
• 1:55:45
  Speaker 1: plunging into disaster. It is not my people I think
• 1:55:48
  Speaker 1: of now, but the Triplanet Federation. If you continue to
• 1:55:52
  Speaker 1: mobilize your fleet, I am not sure I can control
• 1:55:55
  Speaker 1: the irreconcilables among my people. I certainly cannot control Davago
• 1:55:59
  Speaker 1: of Mars, who is headstrong beyond reason. It will mean
• 1:56:04
  Speaker 1: an hecatomb in space, with Luhor holding his asteroid in
• 1:56:08
  Speaker 1: readiness for the final blow. This Luhor and the formidable
• 1:56:12
  Speaker 1: asteroid of which you speak, came the cold, sneering voice
• 1:56:15
  Speaker 1: of the Earth Coordinator. Tell us more of them, give
• 1:56:19
  Speaker 1: us the location of the asteroid. Ladian hesitated for an instant, No,
• 1:56:24
  Speaker 1: that I cannot do You cannot, because no such asteroid
• 1:56:29
  Speaker 1: and no such metal exists. You would try to frighten
• 1:56:33
  Speaker 1: us with this story of a demon asteroid and a
• 1:56:36
  Speaker 1: super space fleet. It would not be that you seek
• 1:56:40
  Speaker 1: to gain time for your people to rally to you
• 1:56:43
  Speaker 1: now that they know you have escaped the prison swamp.
• 1:56:45
  Speaker 1: Or perhaps you'd need time in which to coordinate your
• 1:56:48
  Speaker 1: resources with those of Darvagio with Mars. Let us advise you, Aladdian,
• 1:56:54
  Speaker 1: that within a week the main body of our fleet
• 1:56:56
  Speaker 1: will be at Venus, and it will not go well
• 1:56:59
  Speaker 1: with your era concilables. We shall know how to handle them.
• 1:57:03
  Speaker 1: This time, we shall not be so lenient as before.
• 1:57:07
  Speaker 1: Perhaps in order to spare them, you will wish to
• 1:57:10
  Speaker 1: give yourself up to us. Daughter of bedroom, Aladian's slender
• 1:57:15
  Speaker 1: body grew taunt as though struck by a whiplash. With
• 1:57:19
  Speaker 1: a single sweep of the control lever, she cut off
• 1:57:22
  Speaker 1: the beam. Dazedly, she crossed the room, oblivious to the
• 1:57:25
  Speaker 1: murmurs of the others. Her usually alabaster face was now
• 1:57:29
  Speaker 1: chalk white beneath her curling blue black hair. Her lips
• 1:57:32
  Speaker 1: were pressed tight, but they trembled nevertheless. At the laboratory door,
• 1:57:37
  Speaker 1: Mark caught her arm walked beside her. Aladdian. He choked ay.
• 1:57:43
  Speaker 1: She became aware of him, then smiled up at him
• 1:57:45
  Speaker 1: through her bitterness. Aladdian, I am I just want to
• 1:57:51
  Speaker 1: say I'm sorry. I'm an earth man. She stopped, suddenly
• 1:57:57
  Speaker 1: faced him, took one of his hands in both of hers. No, Mark,
• 1:58:01
  Speaker 1: do not say that. Do not ever say it, for
• 1:58:05
  Speaker 1: you are more than that much more. End of section
• 1:58:11
  Speaker 1: eight section nine of Alcatraz of the Starways by Henry
• 1:58:21
  Speaker 1: Hasse and Albert Tepina. This LibriVox recording is in the
• 1:58:25
  Speaker 1: public domain. Read by Cinda J. M. Section nine. It
• 1:58:31
  Speaker 1: was night and the overhead lights in the corridors were dimmed.
• 1:58:36
  Speaker 1: Ernest Carston tossed restlessly in his bed. He could not sleep.
• 1:58:40
  Speaker 1: He'd been unable to sleep since seeing and hearing the
• 1:58:43
  Speaker 1: Earth Council on the Athromagnum. Carston arose and dressed quickly. Silently,
• 1:58:49
  Speaker 1: he crossed the room to the outer door and stepped
• 1:58:51
  Speaker 1: out into the corridor. He paced slowly, aimlessly, his brow
• 1:58:56
  Speaker 1: knit in deep thought. Finally, he made a decision and
• 1:59:00
  Speaker 1: turned his footsteps in the direction of the palace and
• 1:59:03
  Speaker 1: the laboratory. He was still an earth official, and he
• 1:59:07
  Speaker 1: had known all the time that he would have to
• 1:59:09
  Speaker 1: take matters here into his own hands. Before he reached
• 1:59:13
  Speaker 1: the corridor leading to the laboratory, however, he heard the
• 1:59:16
  Speaker 1: soft shuffle of footsteps. Carston leaped back into the shadows
• 1:59:20
  Speaker 1: just as a lone figure emerged from one of the
• 1:59:23
  Speaker 1: transverse corridors. It passed very close to him, and he
• 1:59:27
  Speaker 1: saw that it was Cynthia Marnock. Her face seemed very white,
• 1:59:31
  Speaker 1: and her steps were hurried. Carston's heart quickened a pace
• 1:59:36
  Speaker 1: as he followed her at a safe distance, keeping to
• 1:59:38
  Speaker 1: the shadows. She continued along the main corridor, past the
• 1:59:42
  Speaker 1: men's quarters and past the furnaces. With a shock, Carston
• 1:59:46
  Speaker 1: realized she was heading for the outer air lock. He
• 1:59:49
  Speaker 1: reached there in time to see the huge door slide open.
• 1:59:52
  Speaker 1: Then Cynthia stepped through and the door closed. Carston waited,
• 1:59:57
  Speaker 1: giving her time to leave the tunnel before he followed. Finally,
• 2:00:01
  Speaker 1: he entered the tunnel himself, having long since learned how
• 2:00:04
  Speaker 1: to operate the mechanism of these doors. Cynthia was gone,
• 2:00:08
  Speaker 1: the outer doors were closed. Carston hurried down the long tunnel.
• 2:00:12
  Speaker 1: The magnetic degravitizing coils along each side were silent now,
• 2:00:17
  Speaker 1: whou to remain so until the spacers return. Carston reached
• 2:00:21
  Speaker 1: the racks of vacuum suits near the outer door, quickly
• 2:00:25
  Speaker 1: donned one, and was soon outside the base. Against the
• 2:00:28
  Speaker 1: sun swept horizon. A hundred yards away, he could easily
• 2:00:32
  Speaker 1: discern Cynthia's metal encased figure. She kept close to the
• 2:00:36
  Speaker 1: shadows at the foot of the low lying cliffs. Not
• 2:00:39
  Speaker 1: once did she look back. A quarter of a mile further,
• 2:00:43
  Speaker 1: she turned sharply entered a narrow, steep walled canyon. Puzzled,
• 2:00:48
  Speaker 1: Carston hurried forward. He reached the canyon and entered it,
• 2:00:52
  Speaker 1: realizing that this must be one of the few places
• 2:00:55
  Speaker 1: on Vulcan's surface where there was anything simulating night. It
• 2:00:59
  Speaker 1: was really dark, but sort of a twilight gloom between
• 2:01:03
  Speaker 1: the rock cliffs. Sheering upward, and he saw Cynthia. She
• 2:01:08
  Speaker 1: hadn't gone far. Her vacuum suited figure stood very still,
• 2:01:12
  Speaker 1: and she seemed to be staring up at the immensity
• 2:01:14
  Speaker 1: of space. Carston crept closer, came very near, indeed, until
• 2:01:19
  Speaker 1: he could see the profiled whiteness of her face beneath
• 2:01:22
  Speaker 1: the helmet. Carston stared too, following her gaze. At first
• 2:01:27
  Speaker 1: he didn't see a thing. Then, high on the horizon,
• 2:01:30
  Speaker 1: out of the sun's glare, right between the canyon walls,
• 2:01:34
  Speaker 1: he caught the bright blue glint of a star. He
• 2:01:38
  Speaker 1: realized suddenly what it was, and with a sharp intake
• 2:01:42
  Speaker 1: of breath, he whispered, Earth. She must have had her
• 2:01:46
  Speaker 1: helmet phones on. She turned slowly to face him, and
• 2:01:49
  Speaker 1: Carston was startled at the clear cut radiance of her face.
• 2:01:53
  Speaker 1: It's the Earth. Yes, it's beautiful. There's no other place
• 2:01:58
  Speaker 1: on this planet where you can see it like that,
• 2:02:00
  Speaker 1: And then only when the position is right, sometimes not
• 2:02:04
  Speaker 1: for months. Carson stepped quickly to her side. Cynthia averted
• 2:02:09
  Speaker 1: her face, but not before he saw the glint of
• 2:02:11
  Speaker 1: tears in her eyes, and the lengthening glimmer of one
• 2:02:14
  Speaker 1: that rolled down her cheek beneath the transparent helmet. For
• 2:02:19
  Speaker 1: an instant, Carston was dumbfounded. Then a vast exultation surged
• 2:02:24
  Speaker 1: within him. I knew it, he whispered fiercely. Almost from
• 2:02:29
  Speaker 1: the first moment I saw you, I sensed there was
• 2:02:32
  Speaker 1: something artificial beneath your mask of hardness. This is it.
• 2:02:37
  Speaker 1: You don't hate Earth at all, Cynthia, you've never hated it, Yes,
• 2:02:42
  Speaker 1: she spoke softly, her voice deepening. I've never hated Earth.
• 2:02:47
  Speaker 1: It was only my father. Abruptly, she stopped, and her
• 2:02:50
  Speaker 1: gaze strayed to where the blue star shone like an
• 2:02:53
  Speaker 1: aquamarine ablaze. I can't remember clearly. It's like a vague dream,
• 2:03:00
  Speaker 1: but I have a dim vision of green fields and
• 2:03:02
  Speaker 1: golden light, and clouds in an unreal blue sky, and
• 2:03:06
  Speaker 1: trees beside a wide lake with a crispang of air
• 2:03:11
  Speaker 1: different from the air here. To me, that's Earth. I
• 2:03:16
  Speaker 1: was born there. Her voice faded, and as if from
• 2:03:19
  Speaker 1: a great distance, Carson heard her say, oh, perhaps it's
• 2:03:25
  Speaker 1: just a dream. No, it's not a dream, Carston whispered,
• 2:03:30
  Speaker 1: standing very close to her. Now it's a part of you.
• 2:03:34
  Speaker 1: It belongs to you. All Earthians feel that out here,
• 2:03:38
  Speaker 1: a yearning to get back. Cynthia. I've loved you from
• 2:03:42
  Speaker 1: the very first, didn't you know? Let me take you
• 2:03:45
  Speaker 1: back with me, out of this madness that can only
• 2:03:48
  Speaker 1: mean death for us all. He stopped at the sight
• 2:03:51
  Speaker 1: of her upturned face white and wan. I guessed, yes,
• 2:03:57
  Speaker 1: I know. I've been waiting a long time to hear
• 2:03:59
  Speaker 1: you say this, yes, and I'd go with you, Carston.
• 2:04:02
  Speaker 1: But how is it possible? Now? My life's forfeit, you
• 2:04:07
  Speaker 1: yourself said so, now, Carston was very sure of himself. No,
• 2:04:13
  Speaker 1: my dear, he said softly, trying to filter the triumph
• 2:04:16
  Speaker 1: from his voice. Your life's not forfeit if you help
• 2:04:20
  Speaker 1: prevent the carnage, the destruction that Aladdean's mad dream will
• 2:04:24
  Speaker 1: bring about. She doesn't know, She can't know. The awful
• 2:04:29
  Speaker 1: power of Earth's fleet leu horse vaunted supercruisers will be
• 2:04:33
  Speaker 1: so many leaves scattered in the void. This hallotropic metal
• 2:04:37
  Speaker 1: on which his hope of invincibility is based can be
• 2:04:40
  Speaker 1: neutralized and destroyed. But how what can we do? Cynthia's
• 2:04:46
  Speaker 1: voice held a note of despair as her hand unconsciously
• 2:04:49
  Speaker 1: went out to his We can give Earth the location
• 2:04:54
  Speaker 1: of Leuhor's asteroid and the secret of Vulcan. He said
• 2:04:58
  Speaker 1: it so softly, so insinuatingly, that it was little more
• 2:05:02
  Speaker 1: than a thought. I can promise you an absolute pardon,
• 2:05:06
  Speaker 1: my dear. More, I can promise you honor for aiding Earth.
• 2:05:11
  Speaker 1: The Council knows how to reward, as it knows how
• 2:05:14
  Speaker 1: to punish. But Aladdian and Mark. Would it not mean
• 2:05:19
  Speaker 1: death or worse for them both? She shuddered as a
• 2:05:23
  Speaker 1: vision of the swamp came before her eyes. I could
• 2:05:26
  Speaker 1: never condemn them to that, she thought aloud. With my influence,
• 2:05:31
  Speaker 1: I can get amnesty for them, leniency at least, Carston said,
• 2:05:36
  Speaker 1: with the glibness of one to whom nothing mattered. But
• 2:05:39
  Speaker 1: the ultimate task that must be accomplished at all costs,
• 2:05:44
  Speaker 1: all Earth wants is to avoid another war. If we
• 2:05:47
  Speaker 1: make it possible for Earth's fleet to capture Lewlor and
• 2:05:51
  Speaker 1: neutralize the asteroid, I'm certain the Council will pardon Aladdian
• 2:05:55
  Speaker 1: and Mark. He pressed her hand confidently in both of his.
• 2:06:00
  Speaker 1: She seemed to hesitate, but Carston knew she had already
• 2:06:03
  Speaker 1: made up her mind. If you're sure you can obtain
• 2:06:07
  Speaker 1: the pardon and stop this senseless war, Yes, yes, my dear,
• 2:06:14
  Speaker 1: I'll give the Earth Counsel any information you wish. Her
• 2:06:18
  Speaker 1: voice dwindled and stopped as Carston took her into his arms.
• 2:06:23
  Speaker 1: He himself was white and trembling with the reaction of
• 2:06:26
  Speaker 1: having accomplished his task. Over her shoulder, he could see
• 2:06:30
  Speaker 1: the twinkling blue dot of Earth. He smiled, and it
• 2:06:35
  Speaker 1: was a very smug smile. His breath was long and trembling,
• 2:06:39
  Speaker 1: but his intense emotion at the moment was not akin
• 2:06:43
  Speaker 1: to love. End of section nine, Section ten of Alcatraz
• 2:06:55
  Speaker 1: of the Starways by Henry Hassen Albert de Pina. This
• 2:06:59
  Speaker 1: libre vox recording is in the public domain. Read by
• 2:07:03
  Speaker 1: Cinda J. M. Section ten. Soon now, Carston's murmur echoed
• 2:07:09
  Speaker 1: eerily against the shrill hum of the automomotors in the
• 2:07:13
  Speaker 1: upper scales. The phantasmal glow of the selector's green suffused
• 2:07:18
  Speaker 1: the chamber. Selenic cells poured additional power into the transteleicator beam.
• 2:07:23
  Speaker 1: As Cynthia's fingers trembled over the shining dials, Carston, standing
• 2:07:27
  Speaker 1: beside her, was white faced and tense. Slowly, a shifting
• 2:07:31
  Speaker 1: blur materialized on the huge televise of the athromagnum. It
• 2:07:36
  Speaker 1: focused and the thin lipped ascetic features of the Earth
• 2:07:40
  Speaker 1: coordinator materialized. In the immense council room of Earth, the
• 2:07:45
  Speaker 1: Council in full session surrounded him. All were intent on
• 2:07:49
  Speaker 1: their receiving screens, on which Carston and Cynthia were reflected.
• 2:07:54
  Speaker 1: Cynthia stepped nervously aside and Carston came forward. He bowed low,
• 2:07:59
  Speaker 1: then his voice hoarse with uncontrollable elation, rose and greeting,
• 2:08:04
  Speaker 1: your beneficence and Elders of the Council. I am speaking
• 2:08:08
  Speaker 1: from Vulcan, the long sought base of Captain George Marnick,
• 2:08:13
  Speaker 1: where I have been a prisoner for many months, but
• 2:08:16
  Speaker 1: no longer. This, he gestured, hesitantly, is Cynthia, George Marnick's daughter,
• 2:08:23
  Speaker 1: for whom I beseech the Coordinator's and the Council's clemency
• 2:08:27
  Speaker 1: for the service she is about to do. Then, in
• 2:08:31
  Speaker 1: slow and measured words, Carston told in detail all that
• 2:08:35
  Speaker 1: had happened, beginning with his own release from the swamp
• 2:08:38
  Speaker 1: by Cynthia, relating Leuhor's murder of Marnich, and finally telling
• 2:08:43
  Speaker 1: of the asteroid where Lewhor's space cruisers were being assembled,
• 2:08:47
  Speaker 1: and of the new allotropic metal being mined on Vulcan.
• 2:08:51
  Speaker 1: Then he motioned for Cynthia to come forward. The Coordinator
• 2:08:55
  Speaker 1: had listened in silence, his grim face impassive. Every eye
• 2:08:59
  Speaker 1: in the council room was unwaveringly on the screen, and
• 2:09:03
  Speaker 1: the silence lay heavy between two distant worlds. Slowly Cynthia
• 2:09:07
  Speaker 1: walked toward the Arethromagnum center, a sheaf of notepaper in
• 2:09:11
  Speaker 1: her hand. She smiled wanly but confidently at Carston. Then,
• 2:09:16
  Speaker 1: in a colorless voice, she read her mathematical figures, giving
• 2:09:20
  Speaker 1: the position of the asteroid in space and the formula
• 2:09:23
  Speaker 1: for the shortest approach from Vulcan. As the key for
• 2:09:27
  Speaker 1: computation of the trajectory from Earth without animation. She gave
• 2:09:31
  Speaker 1: the formula for the allotropic metal process and the secret
• 2:09:34
  Speaker 1: of the entrance to Vulcan. Then she fell silent, as
• 2:09:40
  Speaker 1: if she didn't know what to do. She turned to
• 2:09:42
  Speaker 1: Carston and caught, for a fleeting instant the smug smile
• 2:09:45
  Speaker 1: of triumph on his lips, But before she could comprehend
• 2:09:49
  Speaker 1: its meaning, it was gone. Will will I be pardoned?
• 2:09:54
  Speaker 1: Cynthia questioned aloud, more to Carston than to the coordinator
• 2:09:58
  Speaker 1: on the screen. But the s violence in the council
• 2:10:00
  Speaker 1: room of Earth persisted, as busy mathematicians already were furiously
• 2:10:05
  Speaker 1: computing the mathematical formulae. A thin, contemptuous smile had parted
• 2:10:10
  Speaker 1: the cardinator's lips. It was the first time Carston had
• 2:10:14
  Speaker 1: ever seen him smile, and the room where he and
• 2:10:17
  Speaker 1: Cynthia stood, although millions of miles distant, seemed colder. Suddenly,
• 2:10:22
  Speaker 1: as that galacial glimmer came through the screen, Carston opened
• 2:10:26
  Speaker 1: his lips to speak your beneficence, he began, but suddenly
• 2:10:32
  Speaker 1: catapulted from the deepening darkness of the corridors. An azure
• 2:10:36
  Speaker 1: winged figure with curved hands outstretched, fell like an avenging
• 2:10:40
  Speaker 1: fury upon Carston's back. Dainty hands suddenly transformed into claws
• 2:10:45
  Speaker 1: dug like spikes of steel. A supple body too ethereal
• 2:10:49
  Speaker 1: for strength now seemed made of metal as the Venusian
• 2:10:53
  Speaker 1: girl attacked him with a savagery that brought every man
• 2:10:56
  Speaker 1: of Earth's distant council room to his feet. Close on her,
• 2:11:00
  Speaker 1: Mark Denning had barely time to separate the tangled figures.
• 2:11:04
  Speaker 1: Carson's face dripped blood where Aladdian's fingernails had furrowed deep.
• 2:11:08
  Speaker 1: Cynthia seemed rooted to the spot. So incredibly swift had
• 2:11:13
  Speaker 1: it been that the battle was over in seconds. Aladdian's
• 2:11:17
  Speaker 1: eyes were pools of fire as she faced the council.
• 2:11:20
  Speaker 1: Her streaming hair seemed to shimmer as she spat her
• 2:11:23
  Speaker 1: venom into the screen. Very well send your space fleet,
• 2:11:27
  Speaker 1: you clumsy fools. Let your madness condemn the planets to
• 2:11:31
  Speaker 1: a bath of blood. Yes, you have the formula for
• 2:11:35
  Speaker 1: the allotropic metal, but what good is it to you
• 2:11:38
  Speaker 1: without a source of supply. You have the location of
• 2:11:41
  Speaker 1: the asteroid, but do you suppose your fleet can stand
• 2:11:45
  Speaker 1: against such a mobile fortress as or will make it.
• 2:11:48
  Speaker 1: But as a waste of words, I know I can
• 2:11:51
  Speaker 1: never convince you. Only death and destruction can. But this
• 2:11:56
  Speaker 1: I do tell you. Never, never again will you enslave Venus.
• 2:12:03
  Speaker 1: Never again will you imprison me in that inhuman swamp.
• 2:12:08
  Speaker 1: And never will you land on Vulcan. For I have
• 2:12:12
  Speaker 1: one weapon left, one which only we of Venus possess.
• 2:12:17
  Speaker 1: We've used it once on Mars, once in our history
• 2:12:21
  Speaker 1: only for we are not warlike. But before Luhor and
• 2:12:26
  Speaker 1: the Martian Hordes overrun my planet and yours, as he
• 2:12:31
  Speaker 1: certainly can, I will use this weapon Earthian on the screen,
• 2:12:37
  Speaker 1: The Coordinator's face was livid. Arrest her, he said, across
• 2:12:42
  Speaker 1: the immense distance to Carstan in the name of the
• 2:12:46
  Speaker 1: Supreme Council of the Triplanetary Federation. Arrest her her life's forfeit.
• 2:12:54
  Speaker 1: But Carston stood motionless pale as death, suddenly confronted by
• 2:12:58
  Speaker 1: the grim figure of Mars, who gripped an electropistol in
• 2:13:02
  Speaker 1: his hand. At this veritable moment, out of the void,
• 2:13:07
  Speaker 1: cutting in on the beam like a disembodied cachination of
• 2:13:11
  Speaker 1: some strange creature. Wave upon wave of gigantic mirth poured
• 2:13:16
  Speaker 1: on two worlds, And as every participant of this drama
• 2:13:20
  Speaker 1: stood tense watching their screens, there slowly emerged the half
• 2:13:24
  Speaker 1: breed figure of Lure, his gargantuan laughter still roaring in
• 2:13:29
  Speaker 1: uncontrollable paroxysms. So that's it, Lehorn managed to choke between spasms.
• 2:13:36
  Speaker 1: What entertainment you've provided me with? And what information? And
• 2:13:42
  Speaker 1: to think a Laddian that I've planned to make you
• 2:13:44
  Speaker 1: my empress. Why my little dove has claws, he exclaimed admiringly.
• 2:13:51
  Speaker 1: His immense, ugly bulk dominated the entire screen. As his
• 2:13:55
  Speaker 1: bellowing laughter began again, the Earth Coordinator almost beside himself.
• 2:14:00
  Speaker 1: Through a master switch, the televised screens of two worlds
• 2:14:03
  Speaker 1: flickered and went blank. The pulsing whine of the Automa
• 2:14:07
  Speaker 1: motors was like a dirge. Cynthia passed a trembling hand
• 2:14:11
  Speaker 1: across her eyes, and her gaze wavered before Aladdian's accusing stare.
• 2:14:15
  Speaker 1: She glanced briefly at Carston with a slowly dawning wonderment,
• 2:14:19
  Speaker 1: as if in awareness of his aims had begun to
• 2:14:22
  Speaker 1: waken within her. I I'm afraid I've made a mess
• 2:14:28
  Speaker 1: of things, she said in a slow, deep voice. Ever
• 2:14:32
  Speaker 1: since father's death, I seemed to have lost my grip.
• 2:14:36
  Speaker 1: I'm so sorry, Aladdian. I thought it was for the best.
• 2:14:41
  Speaker 1: Carston assured me we'd be pardoned. Her voice trailed off
• 2:14:44
  Speaker 1: as she turned her face away from them. All I
• 2:14:48
  Speaker 1: should burn you, Mark Jennings said to Carston in a cold,
• 2:14:52
  Speaker 1: tight voice, and Carston went white. You've managed to wreck
• 2:14:56
  Speaker 1: our plans about as completely as possible. If the Earth
• 2:15:00
  Speaker 1: blasts Luhor out of space, we face surrender or slow starvation.
• 2:15:04
  Speaker 1: If Leuhor wins, he can starve us out or blast
• 2:15:07
  Speaker 1: his way in here with his allotropic cruisers, now that
• 2:15:11
  Speaker 1: he is forewarned by you. Either way we lose. But
• 2:15:15
  Speaker 1: I guarantee you, Carston, you won't come out of this easily.
• 2:15:21
  Speaker 1: Each word was like ice, and Aladdian nodded slowly at
• 2:15:24
  Speaker 1: Mark's words. A strange light in her brilliant eyes. We
• 2:15:29
  Speaker 1: haven't lost yet, mark. With a swift motion, she crossed
• 2:15:32
  Speaker 1: to the ethromagnum again and turned it on. Remember I
• 2:15:36
  Speaker 1: still have a weapon. My people are behind me, but
• 2:15:41
  Speaker 1: Venus doesn't have a fleet. Earth is seen to that wait.
• 2:15:46
  Speaker 1: Her unerring precision brought the screen to life. In a
• 2:15:49
  Speaker 1: burst of light. A scene took place alien exotic, the
• 2:15:53
  Speaker 1: Imperial Palace on Venus. A Greek crowd stood before it
• 2:15:56
  Speaker 1: in silence, extending into the distance, as if the park
• 2:16:00
  Speaker 1: like expanse had become a place of pilgrimage. An eternal
• 2:16:04
  Speaker 1: vigil all faced the televised screen that rose from the
• 2:16:07
  Speaker 1: floor level to the top of the palace. Fantastic blue
• 2:16:11
  Speaker 1: green mountains filled the background, dwarfing the small, fragile figure
• 2:16:15
  Speaker 1: that materialized on the receiving screen. My people, I speak
• 2:16:21
  Speaker 1: to you for the third, perhaps for the last time.
• 2:16:25
  Speaker 1: There was a world of yearning in the cello like voice.
• 2:16:28
  Speaker 1: As Aladdian opened her arms toward them, a cyclonic roar
• 2:16:32
  Speaker 1: burst forth in tribute and greeting, but quickly died down
• 2:16:36
  Speaker 1: as they awaited her message. When I last spoke, I
• 2:16:40
  Speaker 1: told you not to act without word from me. I
• 2:16:43
  Speaker 1: hoped I would never have to give that word, but
• 2:16:46
  Speaker 1: now I fear I must. The hour is almost here.
• 2:16:51
  Speaker 1: What I will ask of you is the supreme sacrifice.
• 2:16:55
  Speaker 1: You know what that means, I too, am prepared to
• 2:16:58
  Speaker 1: make it. There is no other way. Many will die,
• 2:17:03
  Speaker 1: but only that others may avoid an even worse slavery
• 2:17:06
  Speaker 1: than they now endure, and that we may attain our
• 2:17:10
  Speaker 1: rightful inheritance, an equal place in the planetary federation. The
• 2:17:15
  Speaker 1: voice rose like a stream of music, and tears were
• 2:17:18
  Speaker 1: in Aladdian's eyes. The choice is yours, my people. When
• 2:17:23
  Speaker 1: the thunderous response had died down in waves of overpowering sound,
• 2:17:27
  Speaker 1: Aladdian stood in silence for several moments. In silence, too,
• 2:17:31
  Speaker 1: the Venusian multitude remained with upturned faces. Mark had an
• 2:17:37
  Speaker 1: eerie feeling that a planet was in tune with a fragile,
• 2:17:42
  Speaker 1: winged figure. When the connection had been broken, and once
• 2:17:46
  Speaker 1: more the laboratory had reverted to semi gloom, Mark turned
• 2:17:50
  Speaker 1: to Carston and removed his weapons from him. I can't
• 2:17:53
  Speaker 1: take any chances with you now, he said, coldly. After
• 2:17:56
  Speaker 1: what you've done. You wanted to become a hero in
• 2:17:59
  Speaker 1: the eyes of the Earth Earth counsel. Well, from now
• 2:18:01
  Speaker 1: on you'll dance to my tune, but not for long,
• 2:18:06
  Speaker 1: Carston sneered, openly, recovering his poise and confidence. The game's up, Dunning,
• 2:18:11
  Speaker 1: You're a renegade to Earth, and she'll be treated as such.
• 2:18:14
  Speaker 1: It'll be child's play for Earth's fleet to burn Luhor
• 2:18:17
  Speaker 1: and his asteroid to a crisp After that, he stopped
• 2:18:21
  Speaker 1: and grinned contemptuously. After that, we'll be taken care of.
• 2:18:27
  Speaker 1: It was a Laddiean who spoke, and her voice was
• 2:18:29
  Speaker 1: soft like dark molten gold. Careful Mark, she interposed, quickly,
• 2:18:34
  Speaker 1: placing her hand on Mark's arm as his grip tightened
• 2:18:37
  Speaker 1: on the electro. I don't deserve any leniency, Cynthia said, Dolly,
• 2:18:45
  Speaker 1: I've been a fool. Aladdian gazed at the Earth girl
• 2:18:50
  Speaker 1: with a universe of pity in her eyes and a
• 2:18:52
  Speaker 1: great understanding. No, my dear, she said softly, not a fool,
• 2:18:58
  Speaker 1: only a girl in love. But you, she lashed at Carston.
• 2:19:04
  Speaker 1: You shall reap the whirlwind, and I assure you a
• 2:19:08
  Speaker 1: Venusian whirlwind is beyond your ken. End of Section ten,
• 2:19:20
  Speaker 1: Section eleven of Alcatraz of the Starways by Henry Hassen
• 2:19:25
  Speaker 1: Albert de Pina. This librevox recording is in the public domain.
• 2:19:29
  Speaker 1: Read by Cindy J. M. Section eleven, No Sign of
• 2:19:35
  Speaker 1: the Asteroid. Mark Denning's voice was harsh as he addressed
• 2:19:39
  Speaker 1: the restless group of men milling in front of the laboratory.
• 2:19:42
  Speaker 1: We've picked up Earth's fleet, that is all. It's now
• 2:19:46
  Speaker 1: proceeding beyond the orbit of Mars. Come in and watch
• 2:19:50
  Speaker 1: if you wish, but it may be ours yet. The
• 2:19:53
  Speaker 1: clang and clamor of the furnaces had long ago ceased
• 2:19:55
  Speaker 1: as Vulcan awaited the outcome of the space struggle that
• 2:19:58
  Speaker 1: would mean so much to them. Since Carstan's betrayal had
• 2:20:02
  Speaker 1: become known, the men had discussed the situation from every angle. Paradoxally,
• 2:20:07
  Speaker 1: they hoped for Lehor's victory so they could deal with
• 2:20:10
  Speaker 1: the Martian half reed at the very worst, death was
• 2:20:14
  Speaker 1: better than paradigm, which surely awaited them again if Earth
• 2:20:18
  Speaker 1: won in this crisis. As Earth's fleet, in awesome array,
• 2:20:22
  Speaker 1: advanced toward the asteroid's position, which Cynthia had given, Aladdian
• 2:20:27
  Speaker 1: kept a ceaseless vigil at the televise in far off Navarro,
• 2:20:31
  Speaker 1: the palace grounds were a sea of upturned Venusian faces
• 2:20:35
  Speaker 1: intent upon their screen. Darvajo sat brooding on his barbaric
• 2:20:39
  Speaker 1: throne on Mars, his craggy face dark with passion, thinking
• 2:20:43
  Speaker 1: of the upstart Luhar who had wrecked his plans. Within
• 2:20:48
  Speaker 1: the Austere Council chamber of Earth, the coordinator paced to
• 2:20:52
  Speaker 1: and fro before the screen, while the odd Council didn't
• 2:20:55
  Speaker 1: dare to stir. It hadn't been hard for the ethoscreens
• 2:20:59
  Speaker 1: of each world to pick out the flaming majesty of
• 2:21:02
  Speaker 1: Earth's fleet, and they had followed its progress for hours.
• 2:21:06
  Speaker 1: The meteoric speed seemed a snail's pace across the respective
• 2:21:10
  Speaker 1: televised panels. Look Aladdian cried, spilling the cup of hot
• 2:21:15
  Speaker 1: concentrate Cynthia had brought to her. With electrifying suddenness, the
• 2:21:19
  Speaker 1: scene in the panel had leaped to vivid life. Concentric
• 2:21:23
  Speaker 1: whirls of green, disintegrating light flashed from all units of
• 2:21:27
  Speaker 1: Earth's fleet, simultaneously merging into a single appalling cloud that
• 2:21:32
  Speaker 1: preceded the fleet itself. To the watchers, the spread of
• 2:21:36
  Speaker 1: the light seemed slow, but it must have encompassed thousands
• 2:21:39
  Speaker 1: of miles. But why, Aladdian breathed, even as she twisted
• 2:21:44
  Speaker 1: the dials trying to center the scene more perfectly. They're
• 2:21:48
  Speaker 1: not within hours of the asteroid belt, and they will
• 2:21:51
  Speaker 1: only give their position away to Leuhore. Carston, Mark and
• 2:21:57
  Speaker 1: the others had come crowding into the room to watch
• 2:21:59
  Speaker 1: this scene. Carston whispered exultantly that green light is radioactive,
• 2:22:05
  Speaker 1: disintegreeting energy. It merges with whatever it touches, unbalancing the
• 2:22:09
  Speaker 1: atomic structure of metal. Wait till they enveloped blue Horse
• 2:22:12
  Speaker 1: asteroid in that Yes, I know it well. Aladian murmured.
• 2:22:18
  Speaker 1: They used it in the Long War against Venus. But
• 2:22:21
  Speaker 1: there is a neutralizing force now which even Earth does
• 2:22:25
  Speaker 1: not know. George Marnick developed it right here on Vulcan Base.
• 2:22:30
  Speaker 1: Carston's lips curled, but he said nothing. The sight of
• 2:22:33
  Speaker 1: Earth's mighty Armadas sweeping forward on its mission had instilled
• 2:22:37
  Speaker 1: him with a swaggering confidence. They continued to watch the
• 2:22:41
  Speaker 1: scene in silence, even as the Earth Council and the
• 2:22:44
  Speaker 1: people of Venus and Darvago on Mars were watching. Still,
• 2:22:48
  Speaker 1: the fleet swept forward. Minutes passed the greenish half circle
• 2:22:53
  Speaker 1: of light preceded it beating back the darkness, expanding unimaginable distances,
• 2:22:58
  Speaker 1: as though reaching out greedy hands. Then suddenly, Aladdian's words
• 2:23:04
  Speaker 1: came true. From a point in space far in advance
• 2:23:09
  Speaker 1: of the fleet, a tiny white beam of light became visible.
• 2:23:13
  Speaker 1: It reached out like a slashing saber, swiftly expanding and
• 2:23:16
  Speaker 1: closing the gap of darkness. It came from the asteroid itself,
• 2:23:20
  Speaker 1: now revealed to the watchers for the first time, merely
• 2:23:23
  Speaker 1: a tiny dark mass that seemed to move forward with
• 2:23:26
  Speaker 1: infinite caution against the fleet. There it is, Mark breathed.
• 2:23:31
  Speaker 1: Luthorus carried his plan through. He's made a rogue asteroid
• 2:23:35
  Speaker 1: of it, moved it clear out of the belt. Words
• 2:23:39
  Speaker 1: ceased as they watched the preliminary maneuvers. The asteroid slashing
• 2:23:43
  Speaker 1: saber of white touched the disintegrating power of the green,
• 2:23:47
  Speaker 1: But it was the green that disintegrated, slowly, almost caressingly.
• 2:23:52
  Speaker 1: The pale beam moved across the advancing blanket of light.
• 2:23:55
  Speaker 1: Where it touched the green dissolved magically as though it
• 2:24:00
  Speaker 1: never been That's what I meant. The etheric inertia ray
• 2:24:05
  Speaker 1: Aladdian's murmur was tinged with exultation as she sensed Krston
• 2:24:09
  Speaker 1: standing beside her, taut with surprise. Still, the Earth fleet
• 2:24:14
  Speaker 1: moved forward in battle formation, in staggered horizontal tears. Impelled
• 2:24:19
  Speaker 1: by the terrific momentum. It depended upon maneuverability to escape
• 2:24:23
  Speaker 1: the impending danger, But inexorbably, the asteroid moved forward, also
• 2:24:28
  Speaker 1: as if hungry to meet its enemy. Limed behind its
• 2:24:31
  Speaker 1: own ghastly light, it was revealed as a leisurely rotating
• 2:24:36
  Speaker 1: mass of rock and mineral, with jagged pinnacles reaching out
• 2:24:40
  Speaker 1: and deep black gullies agape. A blinding glance of electric
• 2:24:45
  Speaker 1: blue lashed from Earth's flagship like a probing finger searching
• 2:24:49
  Speaker 1: for a weak point. It stabbed blue horse white ray
• 2:24:53
  Speaker 1: and ended in a corsicating upheaval of incandescent light. The
• 2:24:57
  Speaker 1: asteroid was very close now. It seemed as if nothing
• 2:25:00
  Speaker 1: could prevent that side real mass, some ten miles in diameter,
• 2:25:04
  Speaker 1: from plowing through the tiers of Earth's spacers. But in
• 2:25:08
  Speaker 1: that veritable moment, when disaster seemed certain, Earth's mass fleet
• 2:25:13
  Speaker 1: executed one of the most spectacular feeds of navigation the
• 2:25:16
  Speaker 1: universe had ever witnessed. The units literally broke apart and
• 2:25:21
  Speaker 1: moved outward into a perfect cone like formation, with the
• 2:25:25
  Speaker 1: base or open end toward the asteroid. Again. The green
• 2:25:30
  Speaker 1: radiance from all sides now went out to envelop the
• 2:25:33
  Speaker 1: asteroid and a glaucus sheath as the dark mass drifted
• 2:25:37
  Speaker 1: into the trap. This is it, Carson gloated hoarsely. Now
• 2:25:42
  Speaker 1: watch your asteroid crumble. The others said nothing. All were
• 2:25:46
  Speaker 1: tense as the tiny ten mile world entered the open
• 2:25:49
  Speaker 1: end of the cone to what seemed certain destruction. Now
• 2:25:53
  Speaker 1: the white ethic inner charray lashed out savagely, again, sweeping
• 2:25:58
  Speaker 1: in swift arcs, but failed to spell the concentrated waves
• 2:26:01
  Speaker 1: of green fire. Then from the surface of the dark world.
• 2:26:05
  Speaker 1: Luhor's own space fleet arose six cruisers, only dwarfed in
• 2:26:11
  Speaker 1: size by some of the Earth's larger ships. With blinding speed,
• 2:26:14
  Speaker 1: the six allotropic cruisers headed for the closing jaws of
• 2:26:17
  Speaker 1: the trap. The Earth commander was not prepared for such acceleration.
• 2:26:23
  Speaker 1: It was unbelievable. He had little time to think as
• 2:26:27
  Speaker 1: Leuhor's cruisers blasted with the raking fire of electro cannon
• 2:26:30
  Speaker 1: at close range. Three Earth ships went hurtling end over
• 2:26:34
  Speaker 1: and through the void, ripped from stern to bow. Impervious
• 2:26:38
  Speaker 1: to the wild fire of Earth's fleet. The Ollotropic cruisers
• 2:26:42
  Speaker 1: plowed on. Two Earth cruisers at the jaws of the
• 2:26:46
  Speaker 1: trap were unable to maneuver in time. Lee Horse ships
• 2:26:49
  Speaker 1: in a straight line hit them head on, plowed through
• 2:26:53
  Speaker 1: them and out again, leaving behind a tangled wreck of
• 2:26:57
  Speaker 1: twisted girders and scattered debris. Lu Or six ships were
• 2:27:01
  Speaker 1: out of the trap now, and they wheeled in a
• 2:27:04
  Speaker 1: mighty arc, hung chain, poised as though to watch behind
• 2:27:09
  Speaker 1: the now glowing asteroid erupted the real destruction. This had
• 2:27:14
  Speaker 1: been Leuhor's plan from the first. The balance of men
• 2:27:17
  Speaker 1: taken from paridims swamp left on the bleak little world
• 2:27:20
  Speaker 1: to fight for their lives. Now released hidden rocket tubes
• 2:27:23
  Speaker 1: that blasted in perfectly spaced rotation. The rocky world began
• 2:27:28
  Speaker 1: to spin as it plunged ponderously forward. Bank upon bank
• 2:27:32
  Speaker 1: of electro cannon lashed out like uncurled blue lightning. Adamite
• 2:27:38
  Speaker 1: bombs burst among Earth's fleet, which surrounded this deadly pin wheel.
• 2:27:42
  Speaker 1: In less than a minute, Earth's fast armada was completely disorganized.
• 2:27:47
  Speaker 1: Space had become a shambles of ripped metal plates, twisted
• 2:27:51
  Speaker 1: rocket tubes and blasted hulls like a livid, craggy corner
• 2:27:55
  Speaker 1: of Hell. Running rampant, the rogue asteroids spun faster and fast,
• 2:28:00
  Speaker 1: spewing annihilation, but this was its death rose. The concentrated,
• 2:28:05
  Speaker 1: disintegrating glow had taken effect and could not now be stopped.
• 2:28:10
  Speaker 1: The craggy world began to crumble in great masses of
• 2:28:13
  Speaker 1: rock and metal, like a leprous organism. The few remaining
• 2:28:17
  Speaker 1: units of the Earthian fleet tried desperately to escape the
• 2:28:20
  Speaker 1: disintegrating lethal mass, but behind them, now at a safe
• 2:28:24
  Speaker 1: distance from it, all Lee horse ships barred the way piteously.
• 2:28:28
  Speaker 1: His electro cannon raked them, impervious to their erratic salvos.
• 2:28:33
  Speaker 1: His flagship, with its impossible speed, darted among them like
• 2:28:36
  Speaker 1: a cosmic simptar, until barely a half a dozen of
• 2:28:39
  Speaker 1: Earth's former amada were able to flee and scattered disarray.
• 2:28:44
  Speaker 1: Half a dozen out of more than a hundred. Contemptuously,
• 2:28:49
  Speaker 1: Leuhor did not even deign to pursue. Where an immense
• 2:28:53
  Speaker 1: battle fleet and a dwarf world had battled for supremacy
• 2:28:56
  Speaker 1: in space, now only shattered metal fragments and a disintegrated
• 2:29:01
  Speaker 1: reign of mineral and rock remained veiled by cosmic darkness
• 2:29:07
  Speaker 1: and of section eleven Section twelve of Alcatraz of the
• 2:29:17
  Speaker 1: Starways by Henry Hassen Albert Depina. This LibriVox recording is
• 2:29:22
  Speaker 1: in the public domain. Read by Sinde j M. Section twelve.
• 2:29:28
  Speaker 1: It had been too much and too sudden for speech.
• 2:29:32
  Speaker 1: Aladdim was on her feet now, even she was still
• 2:29:35
  Speaker 1: gripped by the awe of the vast debacle. Mark watched
• 2:29:40
  Speaker 1: Ernest Carston stumbled dazedly from the laboratory room, the appalling
• 2:29:45
  Speaker 1: horror in his eyes betraying how intimately Earth's tragedy was his.
• 2:29:50
  Speaker 1: He'd sent them out there to conquer, and they had
• 2:29:54
  Speaker 1: remained to die. No one spoke. The crowding men who'd
• 2:29:59
  Speaker 1: hoped for victory by leu horror even turned away before
• 2:30:02
  Speaker 1: the magnitude of his power. The laboratory and Vulcan reflected
• 2:30:07
  Speaker 1: in miniature the shock silence of four worlds. They'd seen
• 2:30:11
  Speaker 1: the mightiest armada of all time reduced to nothing in
• 2:30:15
  Speaker 1: a space of minutes. Aladdian was the first to act.
• 2:30:19
  Speaker 1: With the same beam through which they'd watched the holocaust.
• 2:30:22
  Speaker 1: She contacted Earth. She tuned the council chamber, where gray
• 2:30:26
  Speaker 1: faces looked to the Coordinator in bewilderment and fear. But
• 2:30:30
  Speaker 1: the Coordinator, stricken to the depths of his narrow soul,
• 2:30:34
  Speaker 1: was incapable of speech. In the oppressive silence, Aladdian's winged
• 2:30:38
  Speaker 1: figure materialized on the screen. I greet you Earthians for
• 2:30:43
  Speaker 1: the last time. Her molten voice had overtones of sadness.
• 2:30:48
  Speaker 1: You have seen your mighty fleet destroyed. Earth is defenseless.
• 2:30:54
  Speaker 1: Luhr is on his way to Earth. How How do
• 2:30:58
  Speaker 1: you know the core was moved to speech now galvanized
• 2:31:02
  Speaker 1: into life by a more immediate fear. How because I
• 2:31:07
  Speaker 1: am right now in telepathic contact with Leuhor's mind, we
• 2:31:12
  Speaker 1: shall fight to the end. Yes, I expected that of
• 2:31:16
  Speaker 1: you you would condemn Earth to the same fate as
• 2:31:19
  Speaker 1: your fleet. Awaken Earthmen, No weapon that you have can
• 2:31:24
  Speaker 1: destroy allotropic metal. You have seen lewhor ships slice through
• 2:31:29
  Speaker 1: your vessels as if they were paper. You're at his
• 2:31:32
  Speaker 1: mercy now. Aladdian allowed her words to sink while she
• 2:31:36
  Speaker 1: widened the beam to include Mars and Venus as well
• 2:31:39
  Speaker 1: as Earth, that her voice might carry to the entire federation.
• 2:31:44
  Speaker 1: I am not speaking to you only now, but to
• 2:31:48
  Speaker 1: three worlds whose fate depends on your decision. Agree to
• 2:31:52
  Speaker 1: what I ask, and the danger from Luhor will be eliminated.
• 2:31:57
  Speaker 1: What do you ask? The coordinator voice came through as
• 2:32:00
  Speaker 1: a mere whisper. Three things only. Absolute liberation of Venus
• 2:32:06
  Speaker 1: and Mars, which means equal representation at the Triplanetary Federation Council.
• 2:32:13
  Speaker 1: Complete abolishment of the inhuman swamp of Paradigm and Venus
• 2:32:18
  Speaker 1: to retain Vulcan with its allotropic metal as a measure
• 2:32:22
  Speaker 1: of final safety. Agree to these points before the assembled
• 2:32:26
  Speaker 1: peoples of the inhabited planets who are listening now, and
• 2:32:30
  Speaker 1: Luhor shall never reach Earth. On Mars and Earth and Venus,
• 2:32:35
  Speaker 1: her winged figures were reflected while her voice cadenced in
• 2:32:40
  Speaker 1: the ears of untold millions. First came the Coordinator's voice,
• 2:32:45
  Speaker 1: how are you to prevent that fiend Luhr from pursuing
• 2:32:48
  Speaker 1: his gorse? And Second, what guarantees will we have that
• 2:32:52
  Speaker 1: Venus will not build more of the allotropic cruisers to attack.
• 2:32:57
  Speaker 1: Although white and shaken, the Coordinator could snarl, I will
• 2:33:02
  Speaker 1: answer your second question first. As you will know, Venus
• 2:33:06
  Speaker 1: has never in all her history resorted to war rather
• 2:33:10
  Speaker 1: than kill. Her voice became bitter. We submitted to Earth's
• 2:33:14
  Speaker 1: cruel domination. We saw the inhuman prison swamps bring into
• 2:33:19
  Speaker 1: being for greed of the Josmian pearls, death and persecution
• 2:33:23
  Speaker 1: for the sake of power. I even personally suffered this.
• 2:33:28
  Speaker 1: She held up her wings, whose tendons had been cut.
• 2:33:31
  Speaker 1: Yet despite it all history does not record murder by Venusians.
• 2:33:36
  Speaker 1: That Earthian is your guarantee that we shall keep the peace.
• 2:33:41
  Speaker 1: As to Luhor, I and I alone can stop him.
• 2:33:45
  Speaker 1: Now this is an offered chance. You may take or leave. Remember,
• 2:33:50
  Speaker 1: Luhor's fleet has ten times the speed of Earth's fast
• 2:33:53
  Speaker 1: its vessel, and will be there sooner than you suppose.
• 2:33:57
  Speaker 1: Think fast Earthian think. Also, Mark interposed, in a voice
• 2:34:03
  Speaker 1: of steel, that here on Vulcan, we have the allotropic metal,
• 2:34:07
  Speaker 1: the means to work it, and the men to build
• 2:34:09
  Speaker 1: our own cruisers if we so desire. I accept, The
• 2:34:15
  Speaker 1: Coordinator said sullenly. Despite his fear and helpless rage, he
• 2:34:19
  Speaker 1: could only envisage defeat and destruction should Luhor arrive at Earth.
• 2:34:24
  Speaker 1: As for a Laddian on Vulcan stopping the mad half breed,
• 2:34:28
  Speaker 1: he did not see how it was possible, but he
• 2:34:30
  Speaker 1: had nothing further to lose. By agreeing with a gesture,
• 2:34:34
  Speaker 1: he ordered the council to drop a pact. Four worlds
• 2:34:38
  Speaker 1: watched the signatures grow one by one. Then, and not
• 2:34:41
  Speaker 1: until then, did Aladdian play her last card as she
• 2:34:45
  Speaker 1: brought Venus into focus. Now the single word was the last,
• 2:34:51
  Speaker 1: she uttered as she opened her arms. Her people were ready.
• 2:34:55
  Speaker 1: They knew the sacrifice. Millions of miles away, an entire planet,
• 2:35:00
  Speaker 1: as if it had been a single cosmic mind concentrated
• 2:35:04
  Speaker 1: on Luhor's fleet, A mighty stream of thought flowed out,
• 2:35:08
  Speaker 1: vast but intangible, wave upon wave directed by Aladdian. The
• 2:35:13
  Speaker 1: accumulated thought vibrations beat ceaselessly upon the minds of Leuhor
• 2:35:18
  Speaker 1: and his men, and on Venus. Slowly. Here and there
• 2:35:23
  Speaker 1: a winged figure fell and lay still, its mind sapped
• 2:35:27
  Speaker 1: by the prodigious effort that knew no bounds. But the
• 2:35:31
  Speaker 1: knowledge that Aladdian their princes, who directed the combined flow,
• 2:35:35
  Speaker 1: was under an infinitely greater mental strain than any of
• 2:35:38
  Speaker 1: them individually, gave them added inspiration. Aladian had long since
• 2:35:44
  Speaker 1: made all the others, even Mark, leave the laboratory. She
• 2:35:48
  Speaker 1: maintained her vigil and efforts alone on her magnum screen,
• 2:35:52
  Speaker 1: which has shifted to cosmic space. The six invulnerable vessels
• 2:35:56
  Speaker 1: continued their purposeful route toward Earth. Serenely they sped, but suddenly,
• 2:36:02
  Speaker 1: with an odd twist, one of the spacers plunged headlong
• 2:36:05
  Speaker 1: without warning into his sister ship. Both exploded into a
• 2:36:08
  Speaker 1: cataract of flame. Another wavered wheeled, then plunged toward outer
• 2:36:13
  Speaker 1: space at fortygenous speed to disappear in a dwindling dot
• 2:36:18
  Speaker 1: of silver. Of the remaining three, one began to fire
• 2:36:22
  Speaker 1: broadsides against the others, then rotated over and over out
• 2:36:25
  Speaker 1: of control, while air locks open and figures leaped out
• 2:36:29
  Speaker 1: to instantaneous death in the frigidity of space. It was
• 2:36:33
  Speaker 1: a scene of silent horror. But while scores died in space,
• 2:36:38
  Speaker 1: hundreds died on Venus at the magnitude of the effort.
• 2:36:42
  Speaker 1: Still the Venusian populace of millions, concentrated in purposeful silence.
• 2:36:48
  Speaker 1: A sense of madness unleash stole into the laboratory room,
• 2:36:52
  Speaker 1: where Aladdian stood alone, motionless and white faced. She scarcely breathed.
• 2:36:58
  Speaker 1: Her blue eyes were dilated on the screen now only
• 2:37:01
  Speaker 1: one cruiser remained. Not until then did Aladdian move her
• 2:37:05
  Speaker 1: hand reached out automatically to the dials. A second later,
• 2:37:09
  Speaker 1: the interior of Leehor's cruiser lay revealed. The huge half
• 2:37:14
  Speaker 1: breed had held out to the last. He'd realized what
• 2:37:17
  Speaker 1: was happening, knew that the thought power of an entire
• 2:37:20
  Speaker 1: telepathic nation was reaching out across vast distances of space.
• 2:37:25
  Speaker 1: The ghastly vibration of madness battering against the brains of
• 2:37:28
  Speaker 1: his men. Now even Leuhor began to succumb, his brutal
• 2:37:33
  Speaker 1: face contorted by spasms of demonic evil. His crew of
• 2:37:38
  Speaker 1: men around him were already insane. A few sob monotonously
• 2:37:42
  Speaker 1: on their knees, rocking from side to side. Others were
• 2:37:45
  Speaker 1: already dead. One crewman was absorbed in daintily flaying another
• 2:37:50
  Speaker 1: with a bright keen penknife, while the rest were systematically
• 2:37:54
  Speaker 1: destroying the ship and each other. In the midst of
• 2:37:57
  Speaker 1: the scene, Leehor's face went suddenly gray and blank. He
• 2:38:01
  Speaker 1: drew his electro pistol, and, like a man possessed, used
• 2:38:04
  Speaker 1: it methodically about him until only he remained alive. It
• 2:38:08
  Speaker 1: was then that Aladdian used her last remaining strength, directing
• 2:38:13
  Speaker 1: Luhor like an automaton, to the controls, where he remained frozen.
• 2:38:18
  Speaker 1: The vessel healed in space, changed course, heading away from Earth,
• 2:38:21
  Speaker 1: now speeding directly sunward toward Vulcan Base. Within the laboratory room,
• 2:38:27
  Speaker 1: Aladdian swayed, her face whiter than death. She grasped at
• 2:38:31
  Speaker 1: the instrument panel for support, but her fingers closed on
• 2:38:35
  Speaker 1: air as she crumpled to the floor. End of section twelve.
• 2:38:46
  Speaker 1: Section thirteen of Alcatraz of the Starways by Henry Hassen
• 2:38:50
  Speaker 1: Albert Tappina. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
• 2:38:54
  Speaker 1: Read by Cinte j M. Section thirteen. She was barely
• 2:38:59
  Speaker 1: conscious of Mark and Cynthia and Carston seconds later bursting
• 2:39:03
  Speaker 1: into the room, and of Mark's face, mirroring his anxiety
• 2:39:06
  Speaker 1: as he hurried to her. In the same instant, she
• 2:39:09
  Speaker 1: knew that her people's accumulative vibration had reached an apex
• 2:39:13
  Speaker 1: of power, and like an avenging fury was turning their way,
• 2:39:18
  Speaker 1: centering on one person in that laboratory room. Desperately, Aladdian
• 2:39:23
  Speaker 1: tried to stop it, but she was too near exhaustion
• 2:39:27
  Speaker 1: and too late, Like a concentrated cosmic javelin of death.
• 2:39:31
  Speaker 1: That stream of madness reached Carston alone. He shrieked but once,
• 2:39:36
  Speaker 1: and leapt wildly, his hands clutching at his temples. Then
• 2:39:39
  Speaker 1: he crumpled to the floor. He had been blasted to death,
• 2:39:43
  Speaker 1: as suddenly, as if a gigantic atom blast had drilled
• 2:39:46
  Speaker 1: him between the eyes. Not until then could Aladdian rise
• 2:39:50
  Speaker 1: wearily to her feet, assisted by Mark. Sorrowfully, she looked
• 2:39:54
  Speaker 1: at the figure of Carstan already on Venus. She knew
• 2:39:58
  Speaker 1: thousands lay dead, and perhaps undreds more had died in
• 2:40:01
  Speaker 1: this final vengeful effort. They could not forget. She said
• 2:40:06
  Speaker 1: sadly that it was Carston who hounded me throughout the
• 2:40:09
  Speaker 1: system to result in my imprisonment at Paradigm, and that
• 2:40:13
  Speaker 1: it was he who cut the tendons of my wings.
• 2:40:16
  Speaker 1: She still clung to Mark's arm, half supported by him.
• 2:40:19
  Speaker 1: But despite her utter weariness and all she had gone through,
• 2:40:23
  Speaker 1: Aladdian still had eyes for Cynthia, who stood there a forlorn,
• 2:40:28
  Speaker 1: shattered figure, staring down at the body of Carston. Do
• 2:40:33
  Speaker 1: not mind too much, my dear Aladian's voice and heart
• 2:40:36
  Speaker 1: went out in pity to the earth girl. In a
• 2:40:39
  Speaker 1: short time, you will forget all that has happened here.
• 2:40:42
  Speaker 1: Come with us to Venus. I know you will find
• 2:40:45
  Speaker 1: happiness there with us. It was Mark who spoke, his voice,
• 2:40:51
  Speaker 1: a bare whisper of hope. Yes, Mark Aladdian smiled at
• 2:40:55
  Speaker 1: him the impish smile he had known in paradigm. Then
• 2:40:58
  Speaker 1: from the recesses of her tur Eunich, she drew forth
• 2:41:01
  Speaker 1: a gleaming, iridescent pearl, the purple Josmian. Mark gasped, the
• 2:41:07
  Speaker 1: one I found in the swamp. I've forgotten about it.
• 2:41:11
  Speaker 1: I kept it for you, Mark, knowing I would need
• 2:41:14
  Speaker 1: it for this moment, from lower species to middle order.
• 2:41:18
  Speaker 1: Her smile was impish again. It's not bad for an
• 2:41:21
  Speaker 1: earth man. Take the Josmian. Now it's yours. With it,
• 2:41:25
  Speaker 1: I elevate you to the highest order. And but she
• 2:41:29
  Speaker 1: said no more. For within Mark's arms she was deciding
• 2:41:33
  Speaker 1: he wasn't much taller than the average Venusian. No, not
• 2:41:38
  Speaker 1: a great deal taller at all. End of Section thirteen,
• 2:41:45
  Speaker 1: end of Alcatraz of the Starways by Henry Hasse and
• 2:41:49
  Speaker 1: Albert de Pina