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

form new planets, and so the process repeats itself. But Venone knows better now, and their criminals will not populate more worlds.

“And we can go⁠—home. To our little dust specks.”

“But they’re wonderfully welcome dust specks, and utterly important to us, Earthman,” reminded Zezdon Afthen.

“Let us go then,” said Arcot.

It was dusk, and the rose tints of the recently-set sun still hung on the clouds that floated like white bits of cotton in the darkening blue sky. The dark waters of the little lake, and the shadowy tree-clad hills seemed very beautiful. And there was a little group of buildings down there, and a broad cleared field. On the field rested a shining, slim shape, seventy-five feet long, ten feet in diameter.

But all, the lake, the mountains even, were dwarfed by the silent, glistening ruby of a gigantic machine that settled very, very slowly, and very, very gently downward. It touched the rippled surface of the lake with scarcely a splash, then hung, a quarter submerged in that lake.

Lights were showing in the few windows the huge bulk had, and lights showed now in the buildings on the shore. Through an open door light was streaming, casting silhouettes of two men. And now a tiny door opened in the enormous bulk that occupied the lake, and from it came five figures, that floated up, and away, and toward the cottage.

“Hello, Son. You have been gone long,” said Arcot, senior, gravely, as his son landed lightly before him.

“I thought so. Earth has moved in her orbit. More than six months?”

His father smiled a bit wryly. “Yes. Two years and three months. You got caught in another time field and thrown the other way this time?”

“Time and force. Do you know the story yet?”

“Part of it⁠—Venone sent a ship to us within a month of the time you left, and said that all Thett’s system had disappeared save for one tremendous gas cloud⁠—mostly hydrogen. Their ships were met by such a blast of cosmic rays as they came toward Thett that the radiation pressure made it almost impossible to advance. There were two distinct waves. One was rather slighter, and was more in the gamma range, so they suspected that two bodies had been directly destroyed; one small one, and one large one were reduced completely to cosmics. Your warning to Sentfenn was taken seriously, and they have vacated all planets near. It was the force field created when you destroyed Thett that threw you forward? Where are the others?”

“Zezdon Afthen and Zezdon Inthel we took home, and dropped in their power suits, without landing. Stel Felso Theu as well. We will visit them later.”

“Have you eaten? Then let us eat, and after supper we’ll tell you what little there is to tell.”

“But Arcot,” said Morey slowly, “I understand that Dad will be here soon, so let us wait. And I have something of which I have not spoken to you as yet. Worked it out and made it on the back trip. Installed in the Thought with the Banderlog’s controls. It is⁠—well, will you look?⁠—Fuller! Come and see the new toy you designers are going to have to work on!”

They had all been depressed by the thought of their long absence, by the scenes of destruction they had witnessed so recently. They were beginning to feel better.

“Watch.” Morey’s thoughts concentrated. The Thought outside had been left on locked controls, but the apparatus Morey had installed responded to his thoughts from this distance.

Before them in the room appeared a cube that was obviously copper. It stayed there but a moment, beaming brightly, then there was a snapping of energies about them⁠—and it dropped to the floor and rang with the impact!

“It was not created from the air,” said Morey simply.

“And now,” said Arcot, looking at it, “Man can do what never before was possible. From the nothingness of Space he can make anything.

“Man alone in this space is Creator and Destroyer.

“It is a high place.

“May he henceforth live up to it.”

And he looked out toward the mighty starlit hull that had destroyed a solar system⁠—and could create another.

Endnotes

Islands of Space. ↩

The Black Star Passes. ↩

Colophon

Invaders from the Infinite
was published in 1932 by
John W. Campbell.

This ebook was produced for
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