Invaders from the Infinite - John W. Campbell (the top 100 crime novels of all time .txt) 📗

get their energy from the radiations of the suns of space. This could not be great⁠—but we know she told the truth, and we know their power is great. She told the truth, for we could determine when she lied, by mental action, of course.

“But more we could not learn. The man died without telling anything, merely cursing. He knew nothing anyway, as we already had determined,” concluded the scout.

Silently the Sthanto sat in thought for some moments. Then he raised his head, and looked at the scout once more.

“You have done well. You secured some information of import, which was more than we had dared hope for. But you managed things poorly. The woman should not have died so soon. We can only guess.

“The radiation of the suns of space⁠—hmmm⁠—” Sthanto Thalt’s brow wrinkled in thought. “The radiation of the suns of space. Were his power derived from the sun near which he is operating, he would not have said suns. It was more than one?”

“It was, oh Sthanto,” replied the scout positively.

“His power is unreasonable. I doubt that he gave the true explanation. It may well have been that he did not trust the Venonians. I would not, for all their warless ways. But surely the suns of space give very little power at any given point at random. Else space would not be cold.

“But go, Scout, and you will be assigned a position in the fleet. The Colonial fleet, the remains of it, have arrived, and the colonists been removed. They failed. We will use their ships. You will be assigned.” The scout left, and was indeed assigned to a ship of the colonists. The incoming colonial transports had been met at the outposts of the system, and rayed out of existence at once⁠—failures, and bringing danger at their heels. Besides⁠—there was no room for them on Thett without Thessians being crowded uncomfortably.

As their battleships arrived they were conducted to one of the satellites, and each man was “fumigated,” lest he bring disease to the mother planet. Men entered, men apparently emerged. But they were different men.

“It seems,” said the Sthanto softly, after the scout had left, “that we will have little difficulty, for they are, we know, vulnerable to the triple ray. And if we can but once destroy their driving units they will be helpless on our world. I doubt that wild tale of their using no fuel. Even if that be true they will be helpless with their power apparatus destroyed, and⁠—if we miss the first time, we can seek it out, or drive them off!

“All of which is dependent on the fact that they attack at a point where we have a triple ray station to meet them. There are but three of these, actually, but I have had dummy stations, apparently identical with our other real stations, set up in many places.

“This gibberish we hear of creating matter⁠—it is impossible, and surely unsuitable as a weapon. Their misty wall⁠—that may be a force plane, but I know of no such possibility. The artificial substance though⁠—why should anyone make it? It but consumes energy, and once made is no more dangerous than ordinary matter, save that there is the possibility of creating it in dangerous position. Remember, we have heard already of the mental suggestions planes⁠—mere force planes⁠—plus a wonderfully developed power of suggestion. They do most of their damage by mental impression. Remember, we have heard already of the mental suggestions of horrible things that drove one fleet of the weak-minded colonists mad.

“And that, I think, we will use to protect ourselves. If we can, with the apparatus which you, my son, have developed, cause them to believe that all the other forts are equally dangerous, and that this one on Thett is the best point of attack⁠—It will be easy. Can you do it?”

“I can, Oh Sthanto, if but a sufficient number of powerful minds may be brought to aid me,” replied the youngest of the four councilmen.

“And you, Ranstud, are the stations ready?” asked the ruler.

“We are ready.”

XXV With Galaxies in the Balance

The Thought arose from Venone after long hours, and at Arcot’s suggestion, they assumed an orbit about the world, at a distance of two million miles, and all on board slept, save Torlos, the tireless molecular motion machine of flesh and iron. He acted as guard, and as he had slept but four days before, he explained there was really no reason for him to sleep as yet.

But the terrestrians would feel the greatest strain of the coming encounter, especially Arcot and Morey, for Morey was to help by repairing any damage done, by working from the control board of the Banderlog. The little tender had sufficient power to take care of any damage that Thett might inflict, they felt sure.

For they had not learned of the triple ray.

It was hours later that, rested and refreshed, they started for Thett. Following the great space-chart that they had been given by the Venonians, a series of blocks of clear lux metal, with tiny points of slowly disintegrating lux, such as had been used to illuminate the letters of the Thought’s name representing suns, the colors and relative intensity being shown. Then there was a more manageable guide in the form of photographs, marked for route by constellations formations as well, which would be their actual guide.

At the maximum speed of the time apparatus, for thus they could better follow the constellations, the Thought plunged along in the wake of the tiny scout ship that had already landed on Thett. And, hours later, they saw the giant red sun of Antseck, the star of Thett and its system.

“We’re about there,” said Arcot, a peculiar tenseness showing in his thoughts. “Shall we barge right in, or wait and investigate?”

“We’ll have to chance it. Where is their main fort here?”

“From the direction, I should say it was to the left and ahead