Giants on the Earth

  CHAPTER III

  _The Doom on Mars_

  Two days later Damis dropped the ship gently to the ground in a wide anddeep depression which had been designated as their landing place. TheGrand Mognac had assured them that the depression held enough atmosphereto enable them to breathe with comfort. There was no one in sight whenthey landed and after a short consultation, Damis and Turgan entered theairlock. In a few moments they stood on the surface of Mars.

  They had landed in a desert without even a trace of the most rudimentaryvegetation. Barren slate-colored mountains shut off their view at adistance of a few miles. When they strove to move they found that theconditions which had confronted the Jovians in their first landing onthe Earth were duplicated. The lesser gravity of the smaller planet madetheir strength too great for easy control and the slightest effort sentthem yards into the air. This condition had been anticipated and at aword from Damis, lead weights, made to clamp on the soles of theirsandals were passed out from the space ship. Although this enabled themto keep their footing when moving over the dry surface of Mars, theslightest exertion in the thin air caused them acute distress.

  "We had better save our strength until the messengers of the GrandMognac arrive," said Damis at length. "We may have quite a trip beforeus."

  Turgan agreed and they sat down by the side of the ship where its shadowwould shield them from the fierce solar rays which beat down on them.The sun looked curiously small, yet its rays penetrated the thin airwith a heat and fierceness strange to them. Lura and a half dozen of thecrew were passed through the airlock and joined them.

  "I am surprised that the Martians have not arrived," said Damispresently. "I am interested to see what their appearance is."

  * * * * *

  Hardly had he spoken than the air before them seemed to thicken in acurious fashion. Lura gave a cry of alarm and pressed close to Damis.The sun's rays penetrated with difficulty through a patch of airdirectly before them. Gradually the mistiness began to assume a nebulousuncertain outline and separated itself into four distinct patches. Thethickening air took on a silvery metallic gleam and four metalliccylinders made their appearance. Two of them were about eight feet inheight and three feet in diameter. The other two were fully thirty feetin length and about the same diameter. On the top of each one was aprojecting cap shaped like a mushroom and from it long tenuous streamersof metal ran the full length of each cylinder. From the ether came athought wave which registered on the brains of all the Terrestrials.

  "The Grand Mognac of Mars sends his greeting and a welcome to thevisitors from Earth," the message ran. "Before his envoys make theirappearance before you, we wish to warn you to be prepared for a severeshock for their physical appearance is not that of the life with whichyou are familiar. I would suggest that you turn your heads while weemerge from our transporters."

  Obediently the Earthmen turned their gaze toward their ship untilanother thought wave ordered them to turn. Lura gave a cry of horror andDamis instinctively raised one of the Jovian ray tubes. Before them werehuge figures which seemed to have stepped out of a nightmare, sogrotesque were their forms.

  * * * * *

  The Martians had long slug-like bodies, twenty-five feet in length, fromwhich projected a multiplicity of short legs. The legs on the rearportions of the bodies terminated in sucker-like disks on which theystood on the surface of the planet. The upper part of the body wasraised from the ground and the legs terminated in forked appendages likehands. Stiff, coarse hair, brown in color, protruded from betweenbrilliant green scales, edged with crimson. The heads were huge andmisshapen and consisted mostly of eyes with a multitude of facets andhuge jaws which worked incessantly as though the slugs were continuallychewing on something. Nothing that the Earth could show resembled thosemonstrosities, although it flashed across Damis' mind that a hugelyenlarged caricature of an intelligent caterpillar would bear someresemblance to the Martians. Another thought wave impinged on theconsciousness of the Terrestrials.

  "Mars is much older than your planet and evolution has gone much fartherhere than it has on the Earth. At one time there were forms of lifesimilar to yours which ruled this planet, but as air and water becamescarce, these forms gave way to others which were better suited toconditions as they existed. I would be pleased to explain further, butthe Grand Mognac anxiously awaits his guests. His orders are that two ofyou shall visit him in his city. The two whom he desires to come areTurgan, the leader of the expedition and Damis, the Nepthalim. Fearnothing, you are among friends."

  Damis hesitated and cast a glance at Lura.

  "By all means, Damis, do as the Grand Mognac bids you," she exclaimed."I will stay here with the ship until you return. I am not at allfrightened, for the whole crew will be here with me."

  * * * * *

  Damis kissed her and after a word with Turgan, he announced theirreadiness to proceed. He inquired the direction in which they shouldtravel, but another thought wave interrupted him.

  "We have brought transportation for you," it said. "Each of you willenter one of the smaller transporters which were especially prepared foryour use. When you enter them, seal them tightly and place your feet inthe stirrups you will find in them. Grasp the handles which will bebefore you firmly in your hands. In an instant you will be dissolvedinto elemental atoms and carried on a beam of force to the receivingfocus where you will again be materialized. There is no danger and nopain. It is our usual means of transportation."

  With a final word of farewell to Lura and the crew, Turgan and Damisunfastened and entered the two smaller cylinders. Before the astonishedeyes of the Terrestrials the cylinders grew thin and vanished like apuff of smoke dissipating in a wind. Lura turned to Kastner whom Turganhad left in command.

  "What were my father's orders?" she asked.

  "Merely that we wait here until his return," he replied. "Since we areamong friends, there is no need to keep the ray projectors manned and Iam anxious to let all of the crew have the experience of setting foot ona new planet."

  "I am a little tired," said Lura. "I will return to the ship and restwhile you let the crew try their footing on Mars."

  She entered the airlock and in a few moments was again inside the ship.At a word from Kastner the balance of the crew passed through the lockand began to amuse themselves by trying to keep their footing on thesurface of Mars.

  * * * * *

  Damis and Turgan, having entered the transporters, slipped their feet inplace as the Martians had directed. They grasped firmly the handleswhich projected from the inside of the cylinders. There was a momentarysensation of slight nausea and then a thought wave reached them.

  "You have arrived. Unfasten your cylinders and emerge."

  They stepped out of the transporters and rubbed their eyes inastonishment. Two of the huge slugs had been amazing, but the effect ofhalf a hundred grouped about them was more than the mind could, for amoment, grasp. They were in a huge room composed apparently of the samesilvery material of which the transporters were made. It rose abovethem in a huge dome with no signs of windows or openings. It was lightedby a soft glow which seemed to emanate from the material of the domeitself, for it cast no shadows. On a raised platform before them restedone of the huge slugs, a broad band of silvery metal set with flashingcoruscating jewels clasped about its body. From the ornament and theexalted position, they judged that they were before the Grand Mognac ofMars. With a muttered word to Turgan to follow him, Damis advanced tothe foot of the platform and bowed deeply.

  "I thank you for that mark of respect, Nepthalim," came a thought wavefrom the Grand Mognac, "but such forms are obsolete on Mars. Here allliving intelligences are equal. Only the accident of superior mentalpower is allowed to differentiate between us and this added power bringsonly added and more arduous duties. You came here to get weapons whichwill free you from t
he dominance of the Jovians who rule you, did younot?"

  "We did, oh Grand Mognac," replied Damis.

  "Your prayers shall be answered if you are found worthy. Relate to menow all that has passed since the Jovians first landed on your planet.If you can form thoughts without speaking, you may save the effort ofspeech. The air has become so thin on Mars that sound will not carryover large portions of it. As a result, we have no organs of hearing,for they have been atrophied from ages of disuse. We use thought as ouronly means of communication."

  * * * * *

  Rapidly, Damis marshaled his thoughts in order. Slowly and carefully hepictured in his mind the landing of the Jovians as he had heard itdescribed and then the event leading up to their trip. The Grand Mognacfrequently interrupted him and caused him to amplify in detail some ofthe mental pictures and at times turned to Turgan and requested him topicture the same events. When Damis had finished the Grand Mognac wasmotionless for ten minutes.

  "Pardon me for sealing my thoughts from you," he said at length, "but myconsultation with my councillors was not a matter for those from anotherplanet to know, no matter how friendly they may be. My council haveagreed with me that your tale is a true one and has been fairlypictured. We have no interest in the fate of your planet except that wedesire to help the form best adapted to bring about the day we all awaitwith anxiety when all of the planets will be united in bonds of love andjustice. We believe that the form which developed on the Earth is betteradapted to this than the form which developed on Jupiter and we willgive you weapons which will enable you to free yourselves and to protectyour planet against future invasions. My scientists are now busypreparing for you weapons which we will deliver to your ship. Meanwhile,you are our honored guests. You will be interested in seeing life as itexists here and Attomanis, one of my council, will be your guide andwill answer your questions."

  The Grand Mognac dropped the upper portion of his body to the dais as asign that the interview was ended. Damis and Turgan hurriedly tried toform appropriate expressions of gratitude in their minds but a powerfulthought wave took possession of their minds.

  "Follow me," it said.

  * * * * *

  One of the caterpillars crawled forward and beckoned to them. With abackward glance at the Grand Mognac who seemed unaware of theirexistence, Damis and Turgan followed their guide. He led the way to aplatform upon which he slowly crawled. In answer to a thought command,Turgan and Damis climbed upon it and in an instant they were skimming athigh speed over the ground. The platform came to a stop near the outeredge of the huge dome. They followed their guide from the platform to abox-like contrivance built against the dome. It had lenses similar inappearance to the observers on the Jovian space ship but built on alarger scale. Attomanis removed the lenses from the instrument andsubstituted two smaller pairs through which he motioned Turgan and Damisto look.

  Before them lay a huge plain across which ran a belt of green foliage.The vegetation forms were like nothing the earth could show. There wereno true leaves but huge pulpy branches ran up into the air a hundredfeet and divided and subdivided until they became no larger around thanhairs. At places on the plants were huge crimson, mauve and blueflowers, ten feet across. As they watched a monstrous form flitted intoview. It was that of a butterfly, but such a butterfly as they had neverimagined.

  The spread of the huge wings was fully a hundred feet across and itsswollen body was larger by far than the huge slug which stood besidethem. The butterfly waved its thirty-foot tentacles and approached oneof the blue flowers. A long curled sucker, fifty feet in length,unrolled and was plunged down into the heart of the trumpet-shapedflower. Gradually the blue color faded to mauve and then to a brilliantcrimson. The butterfly abandoned it when the change of color wascompleted and flitted away to another of the blue blooms.

  * * * * *

  "What manner of thing is that?" demanded Damis.

  "That was a member of the council," replied Attomanis. "She was chosento be one of those to perpetuate our race. Evolution has gone furtherwith us than on your planet but it will show you what in time you mayexpect.

  "Life started with an amoeba on Mars as it did on Earth and the slowprocess of evolution followed similar lines. At one time forms likeyours were the ruling and guiding intelligences of Mars. They were,however, a highly specialized form. As conditions changed, the formchanged. The head and chest grew larger as the air grew thinner untilthe enfeebled trunk and limbs could no longer support their weight.Gradually the form died out and was replaced by others.

  "The forms which you call insects on your Earth were more primitive andhardier forms and more readily adaptable. They increased in size and inintelligence until they were ready to supplant all other forms. The lastvestiges of the bipeds were carefully nurtured and guarded by ourforefathers until the vanishing atmosphere made their survivalimpossible. The insect form became supreme.

  "We multiplied with extreme rapidity and would have overcrowded theplanet had we not learned several things. Our present form of life isimmature in many ways. For example, we are totally unable to reproduceour kind. That is the function of the next phase. In this form, however,the intelligence reaches its maximum. As a result, all living creatures,except selected ones, have their growth arrested at the larval stage andpass their entire life in this form. Certain ones at long intervals oftime as the population diminishes, are allowed to spin cocoons and hatchout in the form you have witnessed. This form is almost brainless, thesecuring of nourishment from flowers and reproducing their kind beingthe limits of their intelligence. The eggs are maturing in the body ofthe one you saw. Soon she will lay many thousands of them and then, herlife mission accomplished, she will die. We will gather these eggs andtend them until they hatch. All defective ones will be destroyed and thebalance will be instructed until they are ready to take their place inthe community and carry on the work of the planet."

  * * * * *

  "That is extremely interesting," exclaimed Damis. "Will our Earth intime support the same forms of life as does Mars now?"

  "I can see no reason why evolution should follow a different path therethan it has here," replied Attomanis, "but millions of years will passbefore you lose your atmosphere to such an extent as we have. All of ourwater is gathered at the polar icecaps, from whence we lead it as itmelts through underground pipes hundreds of miles to the spot where wedesire vegetation to grow. There we deliver it directly to the roots ofthe plants so there is no waste. Great bands of cultivated areascrisscross the planet where the soil is of unusual fertility. A certainnumber of plants are allowed to flower and to bear fruit for thesustenance of the reproductive form of life and to replace themselves.The others we devour while they are young and tender."

  "Do you always live in these sealed cities?"

  "Always. There are hundreds of them scattered over the planet. As youhave noticed, they are composed of damazonium, the same substance as isused in making the transporters. The whole city is but a largetransporter. When we desire to feed, the city is disintegrated andmaterialized over a patch of vegetation which we eat. When the supply isfor a time exhausted, the city is moved. This is one way in which weconserve the small supply of atmosphere which is left."

  Attomanis suddenly paused and held up one hand for silence. In a momentthe thought waves again beat in on the consciousness of Damis andTurgan.

  "The weapons which were promised you are ready," he said. "We willreturn to the throne of the Grand Mognac and you will receiveinstructions in their use."

  * * * * *

  He again mounted the platform and Damis and Turgan took their placesbeside him. Rapidly they were borne over the ground until they came to astop before the dais on which the Grand Mognac rested. Beside the fourcylinders in which they and the Grand Mognac's messengers had traveledfr
om the space ship to the city, another of huge proportions stoodbefore the platform. Beside it were two instruments. From a mass ofcoils and tubes a long rod projected up. It was pivoted so that it couldbe directed toward any point. The rod on one of the instruments was bluewhile the other was a fiery scarlet.

  "These are the weapons which will enable you to destroy your oppressorsand prevent more from ever landing," said the Grand Mognac. "I mustcaution you, however, regarding their use. They generate a ray of almostinfinite frequency, much higher than the disintegrating ray the Joviansuse. Instead of resolving materials into light and energy, these deviceswill absolutely destroy the ether, that imponderable substance whichpermeates and fills all space.

  "Heat and light travel in waves through the ether. When it is destroyed,only blackness and entire absence of heat remain. Nothing can bear thecold of interstellar space and yet it is warm compared to the absolutecold which the absence of ether produces. When you direct one of theserays toward a Jovian ship, the ether in the ship is destroyed. Noinsulation against the cold of space will interfere for the etherpenetrates and permeates all substance. The cold of absolute nothingnesswill destroy all life in the twinkling of an eye and the ship will bereduced to a puff of powder. At such a temperature, even stellanium hasless strength than the most brittle substance.

  * * * * *

  "There are two of these devices, set to different powers. The one withthe blue rod is for use against space ships either before or after theyenter the atmosphere envelope. Beware of using it except when it pointsin a direction almost normal to the surface of your planet. Thesedevices tap and use the enormous force of gravity itself and when theyare locked to your planet, they are anchored to the center of gravity ofthe planet. Unless it were normal to the planet's surface, its reactiveforce is so great that it would disrupt the balance which holds theplanet in place were the beam sent off on a tangential line.

  "The other, whose projecting rod is painted red, can be used at anyangle as its force is only a minute fraction of that of the other. Italso must be locked to the center of gravity of the earth before it isused by means of the switch on the front. This instrument will give youpower to annihilate your oppressors on earth, for while it has not theterrible force of the other, it will penetrate any protective screenwhich the science of Jupiter can erect. Use it only against the Joviansand when you have finished with it, destroy it that it may not fall intothe hands of those who would misuse it. The other may be left intact torepel other Jovian attacks but I think you need fear none. Once theylearn you have it, they will be content with their conquests of Venusand Mercury and give you a wide berth. The Jovians have had a taste ofit already and they leave Mars alone. Each instrument is set in actionby closing the switch on top, after closing the gravity anchor switch.To stop them, open the top switch."

  Under the direction of the Grand Mognac, the Martians placed theterrible weapons in the transporter prepared for them. Turgan and Damisstrove to thank the Grand Mognac for his gift but he interrupted thempromptly.

  "No thanks are due us," he said. "We have done that which we believe isthe best for the orderly development of this galaxy of planets and thereis no reason why we should be thanked. Now enter the transporters andyou will be returned to your space ship. Destroy your oppressors andwork for the day when Mars and Earth will march in peace toward thefinal goal of all life."

  * * * * *

  Accompanied by two Martian envoys, Damis and Turgan entered thecylinders and fastened them closely. They set their feet in place andgrasped the handles before them. Again came the feeling of nausea andthen a thought ordered them to emerge from the transporters. Theyemerged almost at the same instant. Before them lay the space ship withits airlock wide open. Not a living soul was in sight. Damis leapedtoward the ship, but his foot struck an obstruction which sent himsprawling. He glanced down and a hoarse cry of alarm broke from hislips. He had stumbled over the body of Kastner. The body had beenhorribly mutilated by some heavy instrument, one arm hanging to thetorso by a mere shred of flesh. Scattered around on the ground lay othermutilated bodies.

  With a shout of anguish, Turgan sped toward the open space ship. Damis,with a pale face, hastily examined the dead bodies. Eighteen of theTerrestrials lay stiff in death while the bodies of two huge Jovians inthe uniform of Glavour's personal guard told the cause of their death.Damis struck by a sudden apprehension, ran from one body to the next,and in a little while he straightened up with a momentary breath ofrelief. Lura's body was not among them. He turned to the space ship intime to see Turgan appear in the door of the airlock, his face distortedby grief and his tall body swaying. Damis hurriedly ran to him.

  "Is Lura--dead?"

  He brought out the last word with an effort. Turgan's face worked for amoment before he could reply. Through the thin air of Mars came hischoking voice.

  "Worse," he muttered: "she is gone!"

  Damis' fist caught him under the ear.]