Wonder Stories, September, 1931
Wonder Stories, September, 1931
ROFESSOR, there’s something
He had buried his eyes in his hands
wrong with these controls! and was still leaning upon the spherical wall
“P They’re fighting back and won’t of the space-sphere for support. My cries respond to my guidance. At present we are for
eventually aroused him and he lurched
some unaccountable reason drifting toward forward, his hair awry and his staring eyes Eros!”
wild.
The Professor did not answer. I had
“K Two!” he gasp-ed in a tone full of
been making swift manipulations upon the
horror. “K Two! Did you say that the ship has
levers of the control board for some moments,
lost control!”
but our space sphere floated steadily onward,
I remembered my own trouble and
with the rocky disc of Eros inflating like a
turned to the controls.
balloon as we approached. I was rapidly
“Yes, sir,” I said. “See for yourself. I
growing alarmed. “Professor!” I called. can’t imagine what is wrong. Our anti-
“Professor!”
gravitational screens should be functioning
I turned around in my seat and scanned
perfectly. Is anything the matter?”
the single room of the tiny bubble which was
He had seized the controls from me
our space sphere. Merely a tiny observation
with a violence unwonted to his usually mild
sphere. Professor D Four-Ten had enlisted my
nature, and now stood staring wildly at the
assistance for a small space excursion of broadening disc of Eros looming close, while several hours. We had embarked from the roof
the controls responded to his touch with futile of the Earthron University and floated out into lurches which did not in any way affect our
space with the intention of studying the steady acceleration toward Eros.
spectric reflection of the earth as seen from
“My God!” screamed Professor D
the unobstructed visualization of open space.
Four-Ten suddenly. His tone was filled with
As a brilliant student in astrophysics I had
utter horror. “It’s coming! It’s coming!”
become Professor D Four-Ten’s favorite. It
had been for this reason that he had asked me
HE flung his arms before his face in a
to accompany him.
protective gesture, while his fear-tortured
Through a small transparent spaceport
features fastened themselves upon some object
a Giggins telescope to which our spectroscope
in the broad face of Eros.
of immense power was attached, stared toward
“What’s coming?” I cried leaping to
the earth. But Professor D Four-Ten, who had
my feet. My words appeared to calm him to
kept close to the eyepiece since the beginning
some extent. The placid calmness of
of our trip, was not there. He had lurched up
resignation to fate replaced the fire in his eyes.
against the televisoset, and his eyes were Then with a strange calm, he placed a fatherly strained and horrible. In his hand he clutched a arm about my shoulders.
small square of blue paper which I instantly
“K Two,” he said. “Are you afraid to
recognized as a spacegram.
die?”
Something of a contorted horror in his
For a moment I stared at him. Wildly!
features were communicated instantly to me.
Without comprehension! And I read the truth
Something was vitally wrong, that was sure.
in his calm old eyes. Courage there—against
“Professor D. Four-Ten!” I cried in
death itself! Death! Was I afraid to die?
alarm, momentarily forgetting the inexplicable
Visions passed through my
ailment of our sphere’s controls. “For God’s
subconscious mind, as they do through any
sake, sir, what is the matter?”
man’s brain who suddenly faces death. Half-
An Adventure on Eros
3
be, it must be, and I am glad to die with one
fancied, the Earthron University! And now
who is not afraid of Fate!”
Death! It was horrible!
We gripped hands in that fierce
“Surely, sir!” I cried, seizing the thin
manner which expresses so much emotion.
old arm in my agitated hands. “Surely—not
“Yes,” cried Professor, his eyes
that—”
suddenly with a frantic joy. “Death! We know
But he interrupted me, took my it will come! And I shall welcome it in this trembling hands from his arms and pushed
manner—welcome it as a gift from the
forward the blue square of crinkled paper. I
Science at whose feet I have placed my life.
stared at it, swiftly perused it for some
“But see—it approaches!”
explanation to the horror.
I had fallen rather weakly to the
control desk, but I followed his pointing finger DEC 2012
out into the broad disc of Eros. A tiny dot was INTERPLANETARY EARTHPORT
growing in its heart. The Valondine! Charged IMPORTANT STOP DETAIN ALL with static electricity!
SPACECRAFT LEAVING EARTH WITHIN
“Don’t you see,” said Professor D
TWENTY-FOUR HOURS STOP CLOUD Four-Ten. “A simple problem in physics!” For OF STRANGE ELECTRO METEORITES a moment I thought he was crazy. My own BRUSHED PAST EROS CAUSING brain, yet revolving inwardly, could not so VIOLENT ELECTRICAL DISPLAY STOP
readily accept this calmness. Fears swept me,
SPACE CRUISER VALONDINE
regrets, and the love of life. Surely this calm REFUELING AT EROS WITHIN THE old fool was crazy. But his voice droned on HOUR AND LEAVING FOR EARTH
and on.
COMMANDER
“A simple problem in physics. The
MARSPORT
cloud of meteorites charged the great lava-
basalt sphere, which is Eros, to its very full.
Aeons seemed to pass swiftly as I read
The Valondine, landing on Eros for refueling, the missive, ages whirled swiftly about the
became charged. Now it will attract us, sweep
void, leaving me lifeless in the vortex. I was
us to our death! The Martian Commander
dimly aware of D Four-Ten talking, in a realized this and spacegrammed to earth. But monotone which ground slowly but steadily
it was too late, too late!”
into my consciousness like the steady rasping
of a grist mill.
MY horrified eyes were fastened upon the
“Eros disturbed by an electrical display
small dot which had swiftly enlarged to the
due to a cloud of meteorites! And the space
miniature outlines of a space cruiser,
Cruiser Valondine will be charged by contact!
approaching swiftly. A great object in the
Don’t you see my boy, a simple problem of
vacuum, charged with electricity, attracting,
static electricity! And even now the cruiser
attracting...
Valondine is coming closer—always closer!”
“You must realize,” said Professor D
The first coma of realization of death,
Four-Ten, “that the simplest principles are the the lethargy which had seized me, now passed,
ones which we must combat the hardest. In
leaving me weak but possessed of a strange
your experiments you have seen pithballs
calmness and resignation to death akin to the
charged with electricity which attract others
scientist’s own.
against the pull of gravity. Very well, that is
“Sir,” I cried staunchly. “If death must
exactly what we are now. That great cruiser
Wonder Stories
4
Valondine is a pithball, full of electricity, and creatures with a tiny ring of eyes about the
we are another, being pulled in by its upper portion of the cylindrical body. A vast attraction!”
squadron of the creatures were materializing
“But I don’t want to die!” I shouted
from a series of what looked like ant mounds,
suddenly. “I don’t want to die!” I struggled to and they maneuvered swiftly upward.
arise but his hands pushed me down. Seizing
“I can’t understand!” murmured
the controls I futilely endeavored to swing the Professor D Four-Ten in perplexity. “The
metal people of Eros have always been so
vibration of the ship—of accelerating speed!
peaceful!”
Swinging swiftly toward the Valondine!
For almost half a century the Earth-
Electric sparks were flying from my hands to
Mars Space Line had maintained a refueling
the walls of the sphere. My hair was straight
station on Eros, unhindered by the peaceable
upright due to the electric condition of our
metal men, who went their own way quietly.
sphere, induced by the charged body of the
Now, however, they looked decidedly vicious
cruiser.
and the little eyes in the strange shapes
“Death!” Professor D Four-Ten was
changed to angry colors like semaphores.
whispering it over my shoulder. “Death! With
Never before had they been known to offer
science! Magnificent! Glorious. Another battle!
moment—it will be over!”
“There is but one thing we can do!”
Like an avalanche of fate the great
cried D Four-Ten. “That is to prepare for
cruiser was now swinging down upon us. So
battle. Perhaps with our ray disintegrators we
swiftly did it approach that it appeared to
can make some headway!”
inflate, like a balloon, to suddenly fill the
Now that we faced a tangible danger
entire vista. And the strange fears and which could be measured with our own emotions which swept me were suddenly capabilities we fell to with a common will.
brought to their climax, surging and tearing
The breathless moments just past were
through my soul as that great charged body
forgotten, and I swiftly got one of the
leapt at us.
disintegration controls ready. I stood at a
Crash! There was a vivid flash! Our
control at the front of the sphere near the
ship lurched, rushed mightily through space;
pilot’s seat, and the Professor ran to the rear of entered a mad falling arc of acceleration! I
the sphere where another ray machine was
was dazed; for a moment I could not believe
stationed.
my senses. We had survived!
As the long flight of metal figures
“Saved!” ejaculated Professor D Four-
approached from below, the tentacles from
Ten delightedly. “Saved! The charge of their middles unwrapped and stretched electricity neutralized by jumping across in a
forward in anticipation!
spark! Don’t you see, the rarefied air of this
“Ready!” called the Professor coolly.
little planet enabled the surplus electrons of
“Quite
ready,” I replied.
the electric charge to jump through space!
“Very well,” he ordered. “Wait till
Saved!”
they are about a hundred feet below. I will
“I’m not so sure of that Professor,” I
give the word and we shall fire. And, by the
put in, noticing something below the ship. He
way, I’ve arrived at an explanation for their
followed my pointing finger. From the rocky
sudden hostility. You see they are of metal
surface of the planet below the weird metallic
and they have become charged with electricity
inhabitants of Eros were floating upward—
which affected the planet Eros. Doubtless this
An Adventure on Eros
5
charge affects their irritability! Ready! Then
suddenly sent hurtling back into space after
fire!”
being charged with electricity.
I pulled the release lever, and stared
I had a sudden vision as the sphere
stupidly downward at the metal creatures who
leaped upward—of metal men being sent
floated swiftly upward. No ray of destruction
sprawling as our ship shot up like a bullet
was forthcoming from the exterior ray nozzle.
from a gun, and the broad expanse of Eros
I heard an exclamation from behind.
became a gigantic disc which filled the sky
“Wrecked!” cried the Professor. and quickly receded to a small orange as we
“Hopelessly fused by the spark of electricity
were flung into space.
which leaped from the Valondine. ”
Then I lost consciousness. My body
Then, working madly at the had been hurled against a transparent space disintegrator, realizing it was out of port in the bottom of the sphere, and my commission, I really knew despair! The bodies
momentary impressions had thus been gained.
of dully scintillant metal approached swiftly
Then a wave of dark oblivion seemed to
and their tentacles wrapped about our sphere.
engulf me. Pain shot through my head—and I
The malevolent eyes glared in at us. Soon the
knew no more.
twining metal-sheathed tentacles were wound
* * * *
about the ship as more and more of the
I awoke; opened my eyes. Where was
creatures added their weight to our vessel.
I? The remembrance of my recent experiences
Through the spaceports their thickly twining
flooded my mentality; I looked about. The
tentacles were visible, shutting so much light
pain had completely left my head; and—I was
out that we were in partial shadow. Then our
back in the laboratory—back in the
sphere began once more to sink.
schoolroom of the astrophysics class of the
We were being dragged down to Eros,
Earthron laboratory.
by a cloud of passing meteorites.
Dully I felt for my temples; they were
&nbs
p; Our sphere fell swiftly; I could see the
throbbing! The pads of a headphone came off
broad rock expanse looming close; saw a great
into my hands. I turned wondering eyes about
rock upon which we were landing. The as a step approached.
tentacles writhed and tugged. Closer and
The kindly old face of Professor D
closer! What would they do to us? Never had
Four-Ten was approaching. He was smiling.
the metal men of Eros been previously
“Well, my boy,” he said. “You have
aroused.
had your lesson. Are you ready for
Then we touched the rock!
recitation?”
I don’t know which was the more
“Why,” I gasped. “Why—I thought—
surprised; the metal men or the Professor and
for a moment ...”
myself. Have you ever seen a comb charged
“I know,” he said understandingly.
by electricity by rubbing through the hair pick
“You thought that you were actually living
up bits of paper. The paper clings a moment,
those experiences. The Telepadion Instructor
then leaps away with a snap. That is exactly
sent artificial nerve irritations to the brain
what happened to our space sphere. It touched
through the brush-pad contacts at your temple.
the surface of Eros. In a moment our space
By thus actually experiencing—or seeming to
sphere had been charged with the same charge
experience your lesson in space navigation it
of electricity which permeated Eros. Now, it is has branded its theme indelibly into your
a common fact that like charges repel each
brain.”
other. Therefore our space sphere was
I looked with new respect at the
Wonder Stories