"I know, and he meant it, then. But sincethen, he's found out something that's changed his plans. He found itout from me--like a big fool, I told him everything when he questionedme."
The Jovian continued rapidly. "I told him that Murdock had sent thattelaudio message back to Patrol headquarters, asking about my record.Now Dark figures that the Patrol will come out here to find out ifthat message meant that some of John Dark's outfit had actuallyescaped.
"Dark wants the Patrol to keep thinking that he and his outfit weredestroyed--so he can slip out to Pluto and prepare a new base. SoDark, when he leaves here, is going to drop Miss Loring and herfriends by the wrecked _Sunsprite_, so the Patrol will find 'em deadby the wreck and will believe their cruiser crashed accidentally. Thatway, they won't go on searching as they would if Miss Loring's partywas all missing. And Dark will have a chance to get out to Plutowithout an alarm going out."
Kenniston was suspicious. "Why do you tell us this, Holk? You're oneof the pirates yourself."
"I know, but I'm afraid Dark means to drop _me_ with the others bythe _Sunsprite_!" Holk Or exclaimed. "He didn't say so, but I believehe figures on doing it so that the telaudio inquiry about me would beexplained when I was found dead with the others by the wreck."
Murdock said swiftly, "The Jovian's right, Kenniston. All this is justwhat Dark _would_ do, to hide his trail, now that he knows my telaudiomessage may have aroused the Patrol's suspicion."
Holk Or said emphatically, "I'm with you if you can figure out any wayto take the _Falcon_, Kenniston!"
Kenniston paced to and fro. His whole mind was suddenly in a wildturmoil of stark fears. This meant death for Gloria and the others,and the ultimate responsibility for that death would be his.
"There is one possible chance for us to take the _Falcon_," hemuttered finally. "But my God, it seems like an insane idea--"
"Wait a minute!" Captain Walls interrupted. "Dark won't drop you andyour brother to die, Kenniston. He still needs your brother as aphysician. You two will be safe even if we are killed."
"What of that? I can't let Gloria and the rest of you be murdered! Iwas willing to sacrifice you when I thought it was only a question ofyour being held for ransom, but this changes everything," Kennistonsaid wildly.
"It doesn't change anything," the captain said firmly. "Your duty isto keep your brother alive at all costs, to save that formula thatmeans life and hope for thousands of gravitation-paralysis victimslike my son."
"You mean--I should let you all be killed so Ricky and I can besaved?" Kenniston cried. "I'm damned if I will!"
"We'll never do that!" Ricky Kenniston agreed warmly. "No formula inthe world is worth that."
"_This_ formula is," Gloria said earnestly to Kenniston. "The captainis right."
"I won't do it," Kenniston repeated. "I have an idea by which we mightbe able to take the _Falcon_. We're going to try it."
"Be reasonable, Kenniston," pleaded Hugh Murdock. "None of us exceptHolk Or has a weapon. What chance would we have against half a hundredarmed pirates?"
* * * * *
Kenniston looked at his brother. "Ricky, your formula strengthens thenervous system against any form of shock or damage, doesn't it? Yousaid it did it by sheathing the nerves themselves with an impenetrablecoating."
Ricky nodded puzzledly. "Yes, that's the principle. But how is thatgoing to help us?"
"The Vestans," Kenniston reminded, "seize control of their victims byinserting those tiny needle antennae of theirs into the victim'snerve-system to establish contact. Wouldn't your formula insulate thenerves against such contact? Wouldn't it make a man immune to Vestanattack?"
"Why, it would!" Ricky declared wonderingly. "I never thought of it,yet it's entirely logical."
"Then," Kenniston said swiftly, "I want you to give every one of us,including yourself, an injection of the formula right now."
The driving purpose in his voice brushed aside all their bewilderedquestions and objections. Hastily, Ricky prepared his hypodermics andrapidly made an injection of the milky fluid into the bignerve-centers in the neck of each of them. Kenniston did the same forRicky himself.
"We _should_ be immune now to Vestan attack," Kenniston saidprayerfully.
"But what good's that going to do us?" Holk Or demanded. "Are youfiguring to try an escape into the jungle?"
"No, I'm figuring on taking the _Falcon_--by using the Vestans,"Kenniston replied. "Holk, can you get into the ship and turn off thepower that keeps the electric wall going? Can you drop the wall?"
The Jovian's jaw dropped. "Why, sure, I could do that, but if I did,all those hordes of Vestans outside the wall will burst in here--"
He stopped, his eyes bulging. "Good God, then that's your plan? To letthe Vestans in?"
"That's it," Kenniston said tightly, his face grim. "To let theVestans in on the pirates. That'll give us a chance to take theship--if the formula really makes us immune to the Vestans."
The terrible nature of the proposal stunned them all. But in a momenta flame of purpose lit in the Jovian's eyes.
"I'll do it!" he swore. "It's better than waiting for Dark to kill melike he's planning. You be ready!"
The Jovian slipped out of the opening in the back of the hut. They sawhim presently, casually approaching the door of the _Falcon_.
John Dark stood, a tall, dominant figure in the moonslight, barkingorders to the scores of pirates who were bolting in the last of thenew rocket-tubes. Kenniston's eyes swung toward the shimmeringelectric wall, and the horde of Vestan-dominated animals outside it.
The wall suddenly died! And as the electric barrier vanished, into theclearing came rushing the swarm of asteroidal animals.
"The wall's down!" John Dark yelled, his atom-gun leaping into hishand. "Get back into the ship--get back--"
The crash of his atom-gun drowned his own shout. Other pirates werefiring wildly at the hideous creatures assailing them.
For the little gray Vestans had detached themselves from their animalvictims and were swarming upon the pirates, clambering with blurringspeed up their legs and backs, sinking into their necks the tinyantennae.
Kenniston glimpsed John Dark, with a hideous little gray bunch nowfastened to the back of his neck, drop his gun and stalk stiffly awaytoward the jungle. His face was an unhuman, lifeless mask--he was ahuman automaton, dominated utterly by the alien creature.
"Come on!" Kenniston yelled to his friends. "Now's our chance to getinto the ship!"
* * * * *
They plunged out of the hut into the gruesome melee. Screaming pirateswere now running into the jungle in vain effort to escape the hordesof Vestans. More than half the corsairs were now overcome.
Kenniston heard a scream from Gloria as they ran, felt a swiftscurrying up his back, then the needle-like stab of antennae sinkinginto his neck.
But the parasitic creature did _not_ overpower his will! He reachedaround, grasped and tore loose the hideous little thing, and withstrong revulsion flung it to the ground.
"Your formula works, Ricky--we're immune to them!" he gasped. "Buthurry!"
Other Vestans were clambering up on them like ghastly gray spiders asthey ran, but were powerless to overcome them. They tore away thecreatures and plunged on.
Holk Or appeared in the door of the _Falcon_, his green face blazingas his atom-pistol pumped crashing fire into pirates inside the ship.
"I've got the ship cleared of them!" the Jovian shouted to Kenniston."Let's get out of here!"
It was time they did so. Almost the last of John Dark's pirates hadbeen possessed by Vestans and had become parasite-dominated robotsstumbling off into the jungle. The remaining swarms of gray creatureswere scurrying toward Kenniston's group.
They tumbled into the _Falcon_ and slammed shut the space-door. Theship, completely if roughly repaired, was ready for take-off. CaptainWalls and the men of the _Sunsprite_ crew hastily started thenewly-installed cyclotrons while Kenniston and the others ra
ced up tothe bridge.
Kenniston took the controls. He sent the big black pirate ship leapingup into the darkness upon flaming keel and tail-jets, and then itclimbed steeply toward the wonderful sky of countless rushingmoonlets.
By the time an hour had passed, the _Falcon_ had groped out throughthe periodic break in the meteor-swarm around the asteroid. And it wasthrobbing at steadily increasing speed out into the vault of space,away from the World with a Thousand Moons.
"We'll head for Mars," Kenniston