The Forgotten Planet
_By Sewell Peaslee Wright_
I have been asked to record, plainly and without prejudice, a briefhistory of the Forgotten Planet.
[Sidenote: The authentic account of why cosmic man damned an outlawworld to be, forever, a leper of Space.]
That this record, when completed, will be sealed in the archives of theInterplanetary Alliance and remain there, a secret and rather dreadfulbit of history, is no concern of mine. I am an old man, well past thecentury mark, and what disposal is made of my work is of littleimportance to me. I grow weary of life and living, which is good. Thefear of death was lost when our scientists showed us how to live untilwe grew weary of life. But I am digressing--an old man's failing.
"It's nothing. Close the exit; we depart at once."]
The Forgotten Planet was not always so named. The name that it once borehad been, as every child knows, stricken from the records, actual andmental, of the Universe. It is well that evil should not be remembered.But in order that this history may be clear in the centuries to come, myrecord should go back to beginnings.
So far as the Universe is concerned, the history of the Forgotten Planetbegins with the visit of the first craft ever to span the space betweenthe worlds: the crude, adventuresome _Edorn_, whose name, as well asthe names of the nine Zenians who manned her, occupy the highest placesin the roll of honor of the Universe.
Ame Baove, the commander and historian of the _Edorn_, made but briefcomment on his stop at the Forgotten Planet. I shall record it in full:
"We came to rest upon the surface of this, the fourth of the planets visited during the first trip of the _Edorn_, eighteen spaces before the height of the sun. We found ourselves surrounded immediately by vast numbers of creatures very different from ourselves, and from their expressions and gestures, we gathered that they were both curious and unfriendly.
"Careful analysis of the atmosphere proved it to be sufficiently similar to our own to make it possible for us to again stretch our legs outside the rather cramped quarters of the _Edorn_, and tread the soil of still another world.
"No sooner had we emerged, however, than we were angrily beset by the people of this unfriendly planet, and rather than do them injury, we retired immediately, and concluded our brief observations through our ports.
"The topography of this planet is similar to our own, save that there are no mountains, and the flora is highly colored almost without exception, and apparently quite largely parasitical in nature. The people are rather short in stature, with hairless heads and high foreheads. Instead of being round or oval, however, the heads of these people rise to a rounded ridge which runs back from a point between and just above the eyes, nearly to the nape of the neck behind. They give evidence of a fair order of intelligence, but are suspicious and unfriendly. From the number and size of the cities we saw, this planet is evidently thickly populated.
"We left about sixteen spaces before the height of the sun, and continued towards the fifth and last planet before our return to Zenia."
* * * * *
This report, quite naturally, caused other explorers in space tohesitate. There were so many friendly, eager worlds to visit, during theyears that relations between the planets were being established, that anunfriendly people were ignored.
However, from time to time, as space-ships became perfected and morecommon, parties from many of the more progressive planets did call. Eachof them met with the same hostile reception, and at last, shortly afterthe second War of the Planets, the victorious Alliance sent a fleet ofthe small but terrible Deuber Spheres, convoyed by four of the largestof the disintegrator ray-ships, to subjugate the Forgotten Planet.
Five great cities were destroyed, and the Control City, the seat of thegovernment, was menaced before the surly inhabitants conceded allegianceto the Alliance. Parties of scientists, fabricators, and workmen werethen landed, and a dictator was appointed.
From all the worlds of the Alliance, instruments and equipment werebrought to the Forgotten Planet. A great educational system was plannedand executed, the benign and kindly influence of the Alliance made everyeffort to improve the conditions existing on the Forgotten Planet, andto win the friendship and allegiance of these people.
For two centuries the work went on. Two centuries of bloodshed, strife,hate and disturbance. No where else within the known Universe was thereill feeling. The second awful War of the Planets had at last succeededin teaching the lesson of peace.
Two centuries of effort--wasted effort. It was near the end of thesecond century that my own story begins.
Commander at that time of the super-cruiser _Tamon_, a Special Patrolship of the Alliance, I was not at all surprised to receive orders fromthe Central Council to report at emergency speed. Special Patrol work inthose days, before the advent of the present de-centralized system, wasa succession of false starts, hurried recalls, and urgent, emergencyorders.
* * * * *
I obeyed at once. In the Special Patrol service, there is no questioningorders. The planet Earth, from which I sprang, is and always has beenproud of the fact that from the very beginning, her men have been pickedto command the ships of the Special Patrol. No matter how dangerous, howforlorn and hopeless the mission given to a commander of a SpecialPatrol ship, history has never recorded that any commander has everhesitated. That is why our uniform of blue and silver commands therespect that it does even in this day and age of softening anddecadence, when men--but again an old man digresses. And perhaps it isnot for me to judge.
I pointed the blunt nose of the _Tamon_ at Zenia, seat of the CentralCouncil, and in four hours, Earth time, the great craft swept over thegleaming city of the Central Council and settled swiftly to the courtbefore the mighty, columned Hall of the Planets.
Four pages of the Council, in their white and scarlet livery, met me andconducted me instantly to a little anteroom behind the great councilchamber.
There were three men awaiting me there; three men whose faces, at thattime, were familiar to every person in the known Universe.
Kellen, the oldest of the three, and the spokesman, rose as I enteredthe room. The others did likewise, as the pages closed the heavy doorsbehind me.
"You are prompt, and that is good," thought Kellen. "I welcome you.Remove now thy menore."
I glanced up at him swiftly. This must surely be an important matter,that I was asked to remove my menore band.
It will, of course, be understood that at that time we had but a bulkyand clumsy instrument to enable us to convey and receive thought; adevice consisting of a heavy band of metal, in which were imbedded thenecessary instruments and a tiny atomic energy generator, the wholebeing worn as a circlet or crown upon the head.
Wonderingly, I removed my menore, placed it upon the long, dark tablearound which the three men were standing, and bowed. Each of the three,in turn, lifted their gleaming circlets from their heads, and placedthem likewise upon the table before them.
* * * * *
"You wonder," said Kellen, speaking of course, in the soft and liquiduniversal language, which is, I understand, still disseminated in ourschools, as it should be. "I shall explain as quickly and as briefly aspossible.
"We have called you here on a dangerous mission. A mission that willrequire tact and quickness of mind as well as bravery. We have selectedyou, have called you, because we are agreed that you possess thequalities required. Is it not so?" He glanced at his two companions, andthey nodded gravely, solemnly, without speaking.
"You are a young man, John Hanson," continued Kellen, "but your recordin your service is one of which you can be proud. We trust you--withknowledge that is so secret, so precious, that we must revert to speechin order to convey it; we dare not trust it, even in this protected andguarded place, to the menore's quicker
but less discreet communication."
He paused for a moment, frowning thoughtfully as though dreading tobegin. I waited silently, and at last he spoke again.
"There is a world"--and he named a name which I shall not repeat, thename of the Forgotten Planet--"that is a festering sore upon the body ofthe Universe. As you know, for two centuries we have tried to pass on tothese people an understanding of peace and friendship. I believe thatnothing has been left undone. The Council and the forces behind it havedone everything within their power. And now--"
He stopped again, and there was an expression of deepest pain writtenupon his wise and kindly face. The pause was for but an instant.
"And now," he went on firmly, "it is at an end. Our work has beenundone. Two centuries of effort--undone. They have risen in revolt, theyhave killed all those sent by the Alliance of which this Council is thegoverning body and the mouthpiece, and they have sent us an ultimatum--athreat of war!"
"_What?_"
* * * * *
Kellen nodded his magnificent old head gravely.
"I do not wonder that you start," he said heavily. "War! It must not be.It cannot be! And yet, war is what they threaten."
"But, sir!" I put in eagerly. I was young and rash in those days. "Whoare they, to make war against a united Universe?"
"I have visited your planet, Earth," said Kellen, smiling very faintly."You have a tiny winged insect you call _bee_. Is it not so?"
"Yes."
"The bee is a tiny thing, of little strength. A man, a little child,might crush one to death between a thumb and finger. But the bee maysting before he is crushed, and the sting may linger on for days, apainful and unpleasant thing. Is that not so?"
"I see, sir," I replied, somewhat abashed before the tolerant, kindlywisdom of this great man. "They cannot hope to wage successful war, butthey may bring much suffering to others."
"Much suffering," nodded Kellen, still gently smiling. "And we aredetermined that this thing shall not be. Not"--and his face grew graywith a terrible and bitter resolve--"not if we have to bring to bearupon that dark and unwilling world the disintegrating rays of every shipof the Alliance, so that the very shell of the planet shall disappear,and no life ever again shall move upon its surface.
"But this," and he seemed to shudder at the thought, "is a terrible anda ruthless thing to even contemplate. We must first try once again topoint out to them the folly of their ways. It is with this mission thatwe would burden you, John Hanson."
* * * * *
"It is no burden, but an honor, sir," I said quietly.
"Youth! Youth!" Kellen chided me gently. "Foolish, yet rather glorious.Let me tell you the rest, and then we shall ask for your reply again.
"The news came to us by a small scout ship attached to that unhappyworld. It barely made the journey to Jaron, the nearest planet, andcrashed so badly, from lack of power, that all save one man were killed.
"He, luckily, tore off his menore, and insisted in speech that he bebrought here. He was obeyed, and, in a dying condition, was brought tothis very chamber." Kellen glanced swiftly, sadly, around the room, asthough he could still visualize that scene.
"Every agent of the Alliance upon that hateful planet was set upon andkilled, following the working out of some gigantic and perfectlyexecuted plan--all save the crew of this one tiny scout ship, which wasspared to act as a messenger.
"'Tell your great Council,' was the message these people sent to us,'that here is rebellion. We do not want, nor will we tolerate, yourpeace. We have learned now that upon other worlds than ours there aregreat riches. These we shall take. If there is resistance, we have anew and a terrible death to deal. A death that your great scientistswill be helpless against; a horrible and irresistable death that willmake desolate and devoid of intelligent life any world where we areforced to sow the seeds of ultimate disaster.
"'We are not yet ready. If we were, we would not move, for we preferthat your Council have time to think about what is surely to come. Ifyou doubt that we have the power to do what we have threatened to do,send one ship, commanded by a man whose word you will trust, and we willprove to him that these are no empty words.'"
* * * * *
"That, as nearly as I can remember it," concluded Kellen, "is themessage. The man who brought it died almost before he had finished.
"That is the message. You are the man we have picked to accept theirchallenge. Remember, though, that there are but the four of us in thisroom. There are but four of us who know these things. If you for anyreason do not wish to accept this mission, there will be none to judgeyou, least of all, any one of us, who know best of all the perils."
"You say, sir," I said quietly, although my heart was pounding in mythroat, and roaring in my ears, "that there would be none to judge me.
"Sir, there would be myself. There could be no more merciless judge. Iam honored that I have been selected for this task, and I accept theresponsibility willingly, gladly. When is it your wish that we shouldstart?"
The three presiding members of the Council glanced at each other,faintly smiling, as though they would say, as Kellen had said a shorttime before: "Youth! Youth!" Yet I believe they were glad and somewhatproud that I had replied as I did.
"You may start," said Kellen, "as soon as you can complete the necessarypreparations. Detailed instructions will be given you later."
He bowed to me, and the others did likewise. Then Kellen picked up hismenore and adjusted it.
The interview was over.
* * * * *
"What do you make it?" I asked the observer. He glanced up from hisinstrument.
"Jaron, sir. Three degrees to port; elevation between five and sixdegrees. Approximate only, of course, sir."
"Good enough. Please ask Mr. Barry to hold to his present course. Weshall not stop at Jaron."
The observer glanced at me curiously, but he was too well disciplined tohesitate or ask questions.
"Yes, sir!" he said crisply, and spoke into the microphone beside him.
None of us wore menores when on duty, for several reasons. Ourinstruments were not nearly as perfect as those in use to-day, andverbal orders were clearer and carried more authority than mentalinstructions. The delicate and powerful electrical and atomic mechanismof our ship interfered with the functioning of the menores, and at thattime the old habit of speech was far more firmly entrenched, due tohereditary influence, than it is now.
I nodded to the man, and made my way to my own quarters. I wished mostheartily that I could talk over my plans with someone, but this had beenexpressly forbidden.
"I realize that you trust your men, and more particularly yourofficers," Kellen had told me during the course of his partingconversation with me. "I trust them also--yet we must remember that thepeace of mind of the Universe is concerned. If news, even a rumor, ofthis threatened disaster should become known, it is impossible topredict the disturbance it might create.
"Say nothing to anyone. It is your problem. You alone should leave theship when you land; you alone shall hear or see the evidence they haveto present, and you alone shall bring word of it to us. That is the wishof the Council."
"Then it is my wish," I had said, and so it had been settled.
* * * * *
Aft, in the crew's quarters, a gong sounded sharply: the signal forchanging watches, and the beginning of a sleep period. I glanced at theremote control dials that glowed behind their glass panel on one side ofmy room. From the registered attraction of Jaron, at our present speed,we should be passing her within, according to Earth time, about twohours. That meant that their outer patrols might be seeking ourbusiness, and I touched Barry's attention button, and spoke into themicrophone beside my bunk.
"Mr. Barry? I am turning in for a little sleep. Before you turn over thewatch to Eitel, will you see that the nose rays are set for the Spec
ialPatrol code signal for this enar. We shall be close to Jaron shortly."
"Yes, sir! Any other orders?"
"No. Keep her on her present course. I shall take the watch from Mr.Eitel."
Since there have been changes since those days, and will undoubtedly beothers in the future, it might be well to make clear, in a document suchis this, that at this period, all ships of the Special Patrol Serviceidentified themselves by means of invisible rays flashed in certainsequences, from the two nose, or forward, projectors. These code signalswere changed every enar, a period of time arbitrarily set by theCouncil; about eighteen days, as time is measured on the Earth, anddivided into ten periods, as at present, known as enarens. These werefurther divided into enaros, thus giving us a time-reckoning system foruse in space, corresponding roughly to the months, days and hours of theEarth.
I retired, but not to sleep. Sleep would not come. I knew, of course,that if curious outer patrol ships from Jaron did investigate us, theywould be able to detect our invisible ray code signal, and thus satisfythemselves that we were on the Council's business. There would be nodifficulty on that score. But what I should do after landing upon therebellious sphere, I had not the slightest idea.
* * * * *
"Be stern, indifferent to their threats," Kellen, had counseled me, "butdo everything within your power to make them see the folly of theirattitude. Do not threaten them, for they are a surly people and youmight precipitate matters. Swallow your pride if you must; remember thatyours is a gigantic responsibility, and upon the information you bringus may depend the salvation of millions. I am convinced that they arenot--you have a word in your language that fits exactly. Not pretending... what is the word?"
"Bluffing?" I had supplied in English, smiling.
"Right! Bluffing. It is a very descriptive word. I am sure they are notbluffing."
I was sure of it also. They knew the power of the Alliance; they hadbeen made to feel it more than once. A bluff would have been a foolishthing, and these people were not fools. In some lines of research theywere extraordinarily brilliant.
But what could their new, terrible weapon be? Rays we had; at least halfa dozen rays of destruction; the terrible dehydrating ray of the DeuberSpheres, the disintegrating ray that dated back before Ame Baove and hisfirst voyage into space, the concentrated ultra-violet ray that struckmen down in fiery torment.... No, it could hardly be a new ray that wastheir boasted weapon.
What, then? Electricity had even then been exhausted of itspossibilities. Atomic energy had been released, harnessed, and directed.Yet it would take fabulous time and expense to make these machines ofdestruction do what they claimed they would do.
Still pondering the problem, I did fall at last into a fitful travestyof sleep.
* * * * *
I was glad when the soft clamor of the bell aft announced the nextchange of watch. I rose, cleared the cobwebs from my brain with an icyshower, and made my way directly to the navigating room.
"Everything tidy, sir," said Eitel, my second officer, and a Zenian. Hewas thin and very dark, like all Zenians, and had the high, effeminatevoice of that people. But he was cool and fearless and had the uncannycerebration of his kind; I trusted him as completely as I trusted Barry,my first officer, who, like myself, was a native of Earth. "Will youtake over?"
"Yes," I nodded, glancing at the twin charts beneath the ground glasstop of the control table. "Get what sleep you can the next few enaros.Presently I shall want every man on duty and at his station."
He glanced at me curiously, as the observer had done, but saluted andleft with only a brief, "Yes, sir!" I returned the salute and turned myattention again to the charts.
The navigating room of an interplanetary ship is without doubtunfamiliar ground to most, so it might be well for me to say that suchships have, for the most part, twin charts, showing progress in twodimensions; to use land terms, lateral and vertical. These charts arereally no more than large sheets of ground glass, ruled in bothdirections with fine black lines, representing all relatively closeheavenly bodies by green lights of varying sizes. The ship itself isrepresented by a red spark and the whole is, of course, entirelyautomatic in action, the instruments comprising the chart being operatedby super-radio reflexes.
* * * * *
Jaron, the charts showed me at a glance, was now far behind. Almostdirectly above--it is necessary to resort to these unscientific terms tomake my meaning clear--was the tiny world Elon, home of the friendly butimpossibly dull winged people, the only ones in the known Universe. Iwas there but once, and found them almost laughably like our commondragon-flies on Earth; dragon-flies that grow some seven feet long, andwith gauzy wings of amazing strength.
Directly ahead, on both charts, was a brilliantly glowing sphere ofgreen--our destination. I made some rapid mental calculations, studyingthe few fine black lines between the red spark that was our ship, andthe nearest edge of the great green sphere. I glanced at our speedindicator and the attraction meter. The little red slide that movedaround the rim of the attraction meter was squarely at the top, showingthat the attraction was from straight ahead; the great black hand wasnearly a third of the way around the face.
We were very close; two hours would bring us into the atmosphericenvelope. In less than two hours and a half, we would be in the ControlCity of what is now called the Forgotten Planet!
I glanced forward, through the thick glass partitions, into theoperating room. Three men stood there, watching intently; they too, werewondering why we visited the unfriendly world.
The planet itself loomed up straight ahead, a great half-circle, itscurved rim sharp and bright against the empty blackness of space; thechord ragged and blurred. In two hours ... I turned away and began arestless pacing.
* * * * *
An hour went by; an hour and a half. I pressed the attention button tothe operating room, and gave orders to reduce our speed by half. We werevery close to the outer fringe of the atmospheric envelope. Then,keeping my eye on the big surface-temperature gauge, with its stubby redhand, I resumed my nervous pacing.
Slowly the thick red hand of the surface-temperature gauge began tomove; slowly, and then more rapidly, until the eyes could catch itscreeping.
"Reduce to atmospheric speed," I ordered curtly, and glanced downthrough a side port at one end of the long navigating room.
We were, at the moment, directly above the twilight belt. To my right,as I looked down, I could see a portion of the glistening antarctic icecap. Here and there were the great flat lakes, almost seas, of theplanet.
Our geographies of the Universe to-day do not show the topography ofthe Forgotten Planet: I might say, therefore, that the entire sphere wasland area, with numerous great lakes embedded in its surface, togetherwith many broad, very crooked rivers. As Ame Baove had reported, therewere no mountains, and no high land.
"Altitude constant," I ordered. "Port three degrees. Stand by forfurther orders."
The earth seemed to whirl slowly beneath us. Great cities driftedastern, and I compared the scene below me with the great maps I tookfrom our chart-case. The Control City should be just beyond the visiblerim; well in the daylight area.
"Port five degrees," I said, and pressed the attention button to Barry'squarters.
"Mr. Barry, please call all men to quarters, including the off-dutywatch, and then report to the navigating room. Mr. Eitel will be undermy direct orders. We shall descend within the next few minutes."
"Very well, sir."
I pressed the attention button to Eitel's room.
"Mr. Eitel, please pick ten of your best men and have them report at theforward exit. Await me, with the men, at that place. I shall be with youas soon as I turn the command over to Mr. Barry. We are descendingimmediately."
"Right, sir!" said Eitel.
* * * * *
I turned from t
he microphone to find that Barry had just entered thenavigating room.
"We will descend into the Great Court of the Control City, Mr. Barry,"I said. "I have a mission here. I am sorry, but these are the onlyinstructions I can leave you.
"I do not know how long I shall be gone from the ship, but if I do notreturn within three hours, depart without me, and report directly toKellen of the Council. To him, and no other. Tell him, verbally, whattook place. Should there be any concerted action against the _Tamon_,use your own judgment as to the action to be taken, remembering that thesafety of the ship and its crew, and the report of the Council, areinfinitely more important than my personal welfare. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir. Too damned clear."
I smiled and shook my head.
"Don't worry," I said lightly. "I'll be back well within the appointedtime."
"I hope so. But there's something wrong as hell here. I'm talking now asman to man; not to my commanding officer. I've been watching below, andI have seen at least two spots where large numbers of our ships havebeen destroyed. The remaining ships bear their own damned emblem wherethe crest of the Alliance should be--and was. What does it mean?"
"It means," I said slowly, "that I shall have to rely upon every man andofficer to forget himself and myself, and obey orders without hesitationand without flinching. The orders are not mine, but direct from theCouncil itself." I held out my hand to him--an ancient Earth gesture ofgreeting, good-will and farewell--and he shook it vigorously.
"God go with you," he said softly, and with a little nod of thanks Iturned and quickly left the room.
* * * * *
Eitel, with his ten men, were waiting for me at the forward exit. Themen fell back a few paces and came to attention; Eitel saluted smartly.
"We are ready, sir. What are your orders?"
"You are to guard this opening. Under no circumstances is anyone toenter save myself. I shall be gone not longer than three hours; if I amnot back within that time, Mr. Barry has his orders. The exit will besealed, and the _Tamon_ will depart immediately, without me."
"Yes, sir. You will pardon me, but I gather that your mission is adangerous one. May I not accompany you?"
I shook my head.
"I shall need you here."
"But, sir, they are very excited and angry; I have been watching themfrom the observation ports. And there is a vast crowd of them around theship."
"I had expected that. I thank you for your concern, but I must go alone.Those are the orders. Will you unseal the exit?"
His "Yes, sir!" was brisk and efficient, but there was a worried frownon his features as he unlocked and released the switch that opened theexit.
The huge plug of metal, some ten feet in diameter, revolved swiftly andnoiselessly, backing slowly in its fine threads into the interior of theship, gripped by the ponderous gimbals which, as the last threadsdisengaged, swung the mighty disc to one side, like the door of somegreat safe.
"Remember your orders," I smiled, and with a little gesture to convey anassurance which I certainly did not feel, I strode through the circularopening out into the crowd. The heavy glass secondary door shot downbehind me, and I was in the hands of the enemy.
* * * * *
The first thing I observed was that my menore, which I had picked up onmy way to the exit, was not functioning. Not a person in all that vastmultitude wore a menore; the five black-robed dignitaries who marched tomeet me wore none.
Nothing could have showed more clearly that I was in for trouble. Toinvite a visitor, as Kellen had done, to remove his menore first, was,of course, a polite and courteous thing to do if one wished tocommunicate by speech; to remove the menore before greeting a visitorwearing one, was a tacit admission of rank enmity; a confession thatone's thoughts were to be concealed.
My first impulse was to snatch off my own instrument and fling it in thesolemn, ugly faces of the nearest of the five dignataries; I rememberedKellen's warning just in time. Quietly, I removed the metal circlet andtucked it under my arm, bowing slightly to the committee of five as Idid so.
"I am Ja Ben," said the first of the five, with an evil grin. "You arethe representative of the Council that we commanded to appear?"
"I am John Hanson, commander of the ship _Tamon_ of the Special PatrolService. I am here to represent the Central Council," I replied withdignity.
"As we commanded," grinned Ja Ben. "That is good. Follow us and youshall have the evidence you were promised."
Ja Ben led the way with two of his black-robed followers. The other twofell in behind me. A virtual prisoner, I marched between them, throughthe vast crowd that made way grudgingly to let us pass.
* * * * *
I have seen the people of most of the planets of the known Universe.Many of them, to Earth notions, are odd. But these people, so much likeus in many respects, were strangely repulsive.
Their heads, as Ame Baove had recorded, were not round like ours, butpossessed a high bony crest that ran from between their lashless,browless eyes, down to the very nape of their necks. Their skin, eventhat covering their hairless heads, was a dull and papery white, likeparchment, and their eyes were abnormally small, and nearly round. Ahateful, ugly people, perpetually scowling, snarling; their very voicesresembled more the growl of wild beasts than the speech of intelligentbeings.
Ja Ben led the way straight to the low but vast building of dun-coloredstone that I knew was the administration building of the Control City.We marched up the broad, crowded steps, through the muttering, jeeringmultitude into the building itself. The guards at the doors stood asideto let us through and the crowd at last was left behind.
A swift, cylindrical elevator shot us upward, into a great glass-walledlaboratory, built like a sort of penthouse on the roof. Ja Ben walkedquickly across the room towards a long, glass-topped table; the otherfour closed in on me silently but suggestively.
"That is unnecessary," I said quietly. "See, I am unarmed and completelyin your power. I am here as an ambassador of the Central Council, not asa warrior."
"Which is as well for you," grinned Ja Ben. "What I have to show you,you can see quickly, and then depart."
From a great cabinet in one corner of the room he took a shiningcylinder of dark red metal, and held it up before him, stroking itssleek sides with an affectionate hand.
* * * * *
"Here it is," he said, chuckling. "The secret of our power. In here,safely imprisoned now, but capable of being released at our command, isdeath for every living thing upon any planet we choose to destroy." Hereplaced the great cylinder in the cabinet, and picked up in its stead atiny vial of the same metal, no larger than my little finger, and not solong. "Here," he said, turning again towards me, "is the means ofproving our power to you. Come closer!"
With my bodyguard of four watching every move, I approached.
Ja Ben selected a large hollow hemisphere of crystal glass and placed itupon a smooth sheet of flat glass. Next he picked a few blossoms from abowl that stood, incongruously enough, on the table, and threw themunder the glass hemisphere.
"Flora," he grinned.
Hurrying to the other end of the room, he reached into a large flatmetal cage and brought forth three small rodent like animals, natives ofthat world. These he also tossed carelessly under the glass.
"Fauna," he grunted, and picked up the tiny metal vial.
One end of the vial unscrewed. He turned the cap gently, carefully, astrained, anxious look upon his face. My four guards watched himbreathlessly, fearfully.
* * * * *
The cap came loose at last, disclosing the end of the tube, sealed witha grayish substance that looked like wax. Very quickly Ja Ben rolled thelittle cylinder under the glass hemisphere, and picked up a beaker thathad been bubbling gently on an electric plate close by. Swiftly hepoured the thick contents of the beaker around
the base of the glassbell. The stuff hardened almost instantly, forming an air-tight sealbetween the glass hemisphere and the flat plate of glass upon which itrested. Then, with an evil, triumphant smile, Ja Ben looked up.
"_Flora_," he repeated. "_Fauna._ And _death_. Watch! The little metalcylinder is plugged still, but in a moment that plug willdisappear--simply a volatile solid, you understand. It is going rapidly... rapidly ... it is almost gone now! Watch ... In an instant now ..._ah!_"
I saw the gray substance that stopped the entrance of the little metalvial disappear. The rodents ran around and over it, trying to find acrevice by which they might escape. The flowers, bright and beautiful,lay untidily on the bottom of the glass prison.
Then, just as the last vestige of the gray plug vanished; an amazing, aterrible thing happened. At the mouth of the tiny metal vial a greenishcloud appeared. I call it a cloud, but it was not that. It was solid,and it spread in every direction, sending out little needles that lashedabout and ran together into a solid mass while millions of littleneedles reached out swiftly.
One of these little needles touched a scurrying animal. Instantly thetiny brute stiffened, and from his entire body the greenish needlesspread swiftly. One of the flowers turned suddenly thick and pulpy withthe soft green mass, then another, another of the rodents ... _God!_
In the space of two heart beats, the entire hemisphere was filled withthe green mass, that still moved and writhed and seemed to press againstthe glass sides as though the urge to expand was insistent,imperative....
* * * * *
"What is it?" I whispered, still staring at the thing.
"_Death!_" grunted Ja Ben, thrusting his hateful face close to mine, histiny round eyes, with their lashless lids glinting. "Death, my friend.Go and tell your great Council of this death that we have created forevery planet that will not obey us.
"We have gone back into the history of dealing death and have come backwith a death such as the Universe has never known before!
"Here is a rapacious, deadly fungus we have been two centuries indeveloping. The spores contained in that tiny metal tube would beinvisible to the naked eye--and yet given but a little time to grow,with air and vegetation and flesh to feed upon, and even that smallcapsule would wipe out a world. And in the cabinet,"--he pointedgrinning triumphantly--"we have, ready for instant use, enough of thespores of this deadly fungas to wipe out all the worlds of your greatAlliance.
"To wipe them out utterly!" he repeated, his voice shaking with a sortof frenzy now. "Every living thing upon their faces, wrapped in thatthin, hungry green stuff you see there under that glass. All life wipedout; made uninhabitable so long as the Universe shall endure. Andwe--_we_ shall be rulers, unquestioned, of that Universe. Tell yourdoddering Council _that_!" He leaned back against the table, pantingwith hate.
"I shall tell them all I have seen; all you have said," I nodded.
"You believe we have the power to do all this?"
"I do--God help me, and the Universe," I said solemnly.
* * * * *
There was no doubt in my mind. I could see all too clearly how welltheir plans had been laid; how quickly this hellish growth wouldstrangle all life, once its spores began to develop.
The only possible chance was to get back to the Council and make myreport, with all possible speed, so that every available armed ship ofthe universe might concentrate here, and wipe out these people beforethey had time to--
"I know what you are thinking, my friend," broke in Ja Ben mockingly."You might as well have worn the menore! You would have the ships of theAlliance destroy us before we have time to act. We had foreseen that,and have provided for the possibility.
"As soon as you leave here, ships, provided with many tubes like the onejust used for our little demonstration, will be dispersed in everydirection. We shall be in constant communication with those ships, andat the least sign of hostility, they will be ordered to depart andspread their death upon every world they can reach. Some of them you maybe able to locate and eliminate; a number of them are certain to eludecapture in infinite space--and if only one, one lone ship, shouldescape, the doom of the Alliance and millions upon millions of peoplewill be pronounced.
"I warn you, it will be better, much better, to bow to our wishes, andpay us the tribute we shall demand. Any attempt at resistance willprecipitate certain disaster for your Council and all the worlds theCouncil governs."
"At least, we would wipe you out first," I said hoarsely.
"True," nodded Ja Ben. "But the vengeance of our ships would be aterrible thing! You would not dare to take the chance!"
I stood there, staring at him in a sort of daze. What he had said was sotrue; terribly, damnably true.
If only--
* * * * *
There was but one chance I could see, and desperate as it was, I tookit. Whirling the heavy metal ring of my menore in my hand, I sprangtowards the table.
If I could break the sealed glass hemisphere, and loose the fungus uponits creators; deal to them the doom they had planned for the universe,then perhaps all might yet be well.
Ja Ben understood instantly what was in my mind. He and his four aidesleaped between me and the table, their tiny round eyes blazing withanger. I struck one of the four viciously with the menore, and with agasp he fell back and slumped to the floor.
Before I could break through the opening, however, Ja Ben struck me fullin the face with his mighty fist; a blow that sent me, dazed andreeling, into a corner of the room. I brought up with a crash againstthe cabinet there, groped wildly in an effort to steady myself, and fellto the floor. Almost before I struck, all four of them were upon me.
They hammered me viciously, shouted at me, cursed me in the universaltongue, but I paid no heed. I pretended to be unconscious, but my heartwas beating high with sudden, glorious hope, and in my brain a terrible,merciless plan was forming.
When I had groped against the cabinet in an effort to regain my balance,my fingers had closed upon one of the little metal vials. As I fell, Icovered that hand with my body and hastily hid the tiny tube in a deeppocket of my blue and silver Service uniform.
* * * * *
Slowly, after a few seconds, I opened my eyes and looked up at them,helplessly.
"Go, now!" snarled Ja Ben, dragging me to my feet. "Go, and tell yourCouncil we are more than a match for you--and for them." He thrust me,reeling, towards his three assistants. "Take him to his ship, and sendaid for Ife Rance, here." He glanced at the still unconscious figure ofthe victim of my menore, and then turned to me with a last warning.
"Remember, one thing more, my friend: you have disintegrator rayequipment upon your ship. You have the little atomic bombs that won forthe Alliance the Second War of the Planets. I know that. But if you makethe slightest effort to use them, I shall dispatch a supply of the greendeath to our ships, and they will depart upon their missions at once.You would take upon yourself a terrible responsibility by making thesmallest hostile move.
"Go, now--and when you return, bring with you members of your greatCouncil who will have the power to hear our demands, and see that theyare obeyed. And do not keep us waiting over long, for we are animpatient race." He bowed, mockingly, and passed his left hand swiftlybefore his face, his people's sign of parting.
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak, and, hemmed in by my threeblack-robed conductors, was hurried down the elevator and back throughthe jeering mob to my ship.
* * * * *
The glass secondary door shot up to permit me to enter, and Eitelgripped my shoulder anxiously, his eyes smoldering angrily.
"You're hurt, sir!" he said in his odd, high-pitched voice, staring intomy bruised face. "What--"
"It's nothing," I assured him. "Close the exit immediately; we depart atonce."
"Yes, sir!" He closed the switch, and the great threaded p
lug swunggently on its gimbals and began to revolve, swiftly and silently. Alittle bell sounded sharply, and the great door ceased its motion. Eitellocked the switch and returned the key to his pocket.
"Good. All men are at their stations?" I asked briskly.
"Yes, sir! All except these ten, detailed to guard the exit."
"Have them report to their regular stations. Issue orders to the rayoperators that they are to instantly, and without further orders,destroy any ship that may leave the surface of this planet. Have everyatomic bomb crew ready for an instant and concentrated offensivedirected at the Control City, but command them not to act under anycircumstances unless I give the order. Is that clear, Mr. Eitel?"
"Yes, sir!"
I nodded, and turned away, making my way immediately to the navigatingroom.
"Mr. Barry," I said quickly and gravely, "I believe that the fate of theknown Universe depends upon us at this moment. We will ascendvertically, at once--slowly--until we are just outside the envelope,maintaining only sufficient horizontal motion to keep us directly overthe Control City. Will you give the necessary orders?"
"Immediately, sir!" He pressed the attention button to the operatingroom and spoke swiftly into the microphone; before he completed theorder I had left.
* * * * *
We were already ascending when I reached the port forward atomic bombstation. The man in charge, a Zenian, saluted with automatic precisionand awaited orders.
"You have a bomb in readiness?" I asked, returning the salute.
"Those were my orders, sir."
"Correct. Remove it, please."
I waited impatiently while the crew removed the bomb from the releasingtrap. It was withdrawn at last; a fish-shaped affair, very much like theancient airplane bombs save that it was no larger than my two fists,placed one upon the other, and that it had four silvery wires runningalong its sides, from rounded nose to pointed tail, held at a distancefrom the body by a series of insulating struts.
"Now," I said, "how quickly can you put another object in the trap,re-seal the opening, and release the object?"
"While the Commander counts ten with reasonable speed," said the Zenianwith pride. "We won first honors in the Special Patrol Service contestsat the last Examination, the Commander may remember."
"I do remember. That is why I selected you for this duty."
With hands that trembled a little, I think, I drew forth the little vialof gleaming red metal, while the bombing crew watched me curiously.
"I shall unscrew the cap from this little vial," I explained, "and dropit immediately into the releasing trap. Re-seal the trap and releasethis object as quickly as it is possible to do so. If you can better thetime you made to win the honors at the Examination--in God's name, doso!"
"Yes, sir!" replied the Zenian. He gave brisk orders to his crew, andeach of the three men sprang alertly into position.
* * * * *
As quickly as I could, I turned off the cap of the little metal vial anddropped it into the trap. The heavy plug, a tiny duplicate of the exitdoor, clicked shut upon it and spun, whining gently, into the opening.Something clicked sharply, and one of the crew dropped a bar into place.As it shot home, the Zenian in command of the crew pulled the releaseplunger.
"Done, sir!" he said proudly.
I did not reply. My eye fixed upon the observation tube that wasfollowing the tiny missile to the ground.
The Control City was directly below us. I lost sight of the vial almostinstantly, but the indicating cross-hairs showed me exactly where thevial would strike; at a point approximately half way between the edge ofthe city and the great squat pile of the administrating building, withits gleaming glass penthouse--the laboratory in which, only a fewminutes before, I had witnessed the demonstration of the death whichawaited the Universe.
"Excellent!" I exclaimed. "Smartly done, men!" I turned and hurried tothe navigating room, where the most powerful of our television discs waslocated.
The disc was not as perfect as those we have to-day; it was hooded tokeep out exterior light, which is not necessary with the laterinstruments, and it was more unwieldy. However, it did its work, and didit well, in the hands of an experienced operator.
With only a nod to Barry, I turned the range band to maximum, andbrought it swiftly to bear upon that portion of the city in which thelittle vial had fallen. As I drew the focusing lever towards me, thescene leaped at me through the clear, glowing glass disc.
* * * * *
Froth! Green, billowing froth that grew and boiled and spreadunceasingly. In places it reached high into the air, and it moved withan eager, inner life that was somehow terrible and revolting. I movedthe range hand back, and the view seemed to drop away from me swiftly.
I could see the whole city now. All one side of it was covered with thespreading green stain that moved and flowed so swiftly. Thousands oftiny black figures were running in the streets, crowding away from theawful danger that menaced them.
The green patch spread more swiftly always. When I had first seen it,the edges were advancing as rapidly as a man could run; now they werefairly racing, and the speed grew constantly.
A ship, two of them, three of them came darting from somewhere, towardsthe administration building, with its glass cupola. I held my breath asthe deep, sudden humming from the _Tamon_ told me that our rays werebusy. Would they--
One of the enemy ships disappeared suddenly in a little cloud of dirty,heavy dust that settled swiftly. Another ... and the third. Three littlestreaks of dust, falling, falling....
A fourth ship, and a fifth came rushing up, their sides faintly glowingfrom the speed they had made. The green flood, thick and insistent, wasracing up and over the administration building now. It reached the roof,ran swiftly....
The fourth ship shattered into dust. The fifth settled swiftly--and thenthat ship also disappeared, together with a corner of the building. Thenthe thick green stuff flowed over the whole building and there wasnothing to be seen there but a mound of soft, flowing, gray-green stuffthat rushed on now with the swiftness of the wind.
* * * * *
I looked up, into Barry's face.
"You're ill!" he said quickly. "Is there anything I can do, sir?"
"Yes," I said, forming the words with difficulty. "Give orders to ascendat emergency speed!"
For once my first officer hesitated. He glanced at the attraction meterand then turned to me again, wondering.
"At this height, sir, emergency speed will mean dangerous heating of thesurface; perhaps--"
"I want it white hot, Mr. Barry. She is built to stand it. Emergencyspeed, please--immediately!"
"Right, sir!" he said briskly, and gave the order.
I felt my weight increase as the order was obeyed; gradually thefamiliar, uncomfortable feeling left me. Silently, Barry and I watchedthe big surface temperature gauge as it started to move. The heat insidebecame uncomfortable, grew intense. The sweat poured from us. In theoperating room forward, I could see the men casting quick, wonderingglances up at us through the heavy glass partition that lay between.
The thick, stubby red hand of the surface temperature gauge moved slowlybut steadily towards the heavy red line that marked the temperature atwhich the outer shell of our hull would become incandescent. The handwas within three or four degrees of that mark when I gave Barry theorder to arrest our motion.
When he had given the order, I turned to him and motioned towards thetelevision disc.
"Look," I said.
* * * * *
He looked, and when at last he tore his face away from the hood, heseemed ten years older.
"What is it?" he asked in a choked whisper. "Why--they're being wipedout; the whole of that world--"
"True. And some of the seeds of that terrible death might have driftedupward, and found a lodging place upon the surface of ou
r ship. That iswhy I ordered the emergency speed while we were still within theatmospheric envelope, Barry. To burn away that contamination, if itexisted. Now we are safe, unless--"
I pressed the attention button to the station of the chief of the rayoperators.
"Your report," I ordered.
"Nine ships disintegrated, sir," he replied instantly. "Five before thecity was destroyed, four later."
"You are certain that none escaped?"
"Positive, sir."
"Very good."
I turned to Barry, smiling.
"Point her nose for Zenia, Mr. Barry," I said. "As soon as it isfeasible, resume emergency speed. There are some very anxious gentlementhere awaiting our report, and I dare not convey it except in person."
"Yes, sir!" said Barry crisply.
* * * * *
This, then, is the history of the Forgotten Planet. On the charts of theUniverse it appears as an unnamed world. No ship is permitted to passclose enough to it so that its attraction is greater than that of thenearest other mass. A permanent outpost of fixed-station ships, withheadquarters upon Jaron, the closest world, is maintained by theCouncil.
There are millions of people who might be greatly disturbed if they knewof this potential menace that lurks in the midst of our Universe, butthey do not know. The wisdom of the Council made certain of that.
But, in order that in the ages to come there might be a record of thismatter, I have been asked to prepare this document for the sealedarchives of the Alliance. It has been a pleasant task; I have relived,for a little time, a part of my youth.
The work is done, now, and that is well. I am an old man, and weary.Sometimes I wish I might live to see the wonders that the nextgeneration or so will witness, but my years are heavy upon me.
My work is done.
* * * * *
ASTOUNDING STORIES
_Appears on Newsstands_
THE FIRST THURSDAY IN EACH MONTH
* * * * *
"_And I would have been the greatest man in the world._"]