path for him the most economical of time and of power. In fact, due to the orbits,
velocities, and distances involved, they were separated by such a vast distance at the
time -of their closest approach to each other that neither ship even affected the
ultrasensitive electromagnetic detector screens of the other.
Not until the Chloran vessel was within Valeron’s atmosphere did her commander deign
again to notice his prisoner.
“As I told you when last I spoke to you, I am about to land you in one of your inhabited
cities,” the amoebus informed Siblin then. “Get in touch with your Bardyle at once and
convey our instructions to him. You have the sample and you know what you are to do.
No excuses for nonperformance will be accepted. If, however, you anticipate having any
difficulty in convincing your fellow savages that we mean precisely what we say, I will
take time now to destroy one or two more of your cities.”
“It will not be necessary-my people will believe what I tell them,” Siblin thought back.
Then deciding to make one more effort, hopeless although it probably would be, to
reason with that highly intelligent but monstrously callous creature, he went on:
“I wish to repeat, however, that your demand is entirely beyond reason. That ore is rare,
and in the time you have allowed us I really fear that it will be impossible for us to mine
the required amount of it. And surely, even from your own point of view, it would be more
logical to grant us a reasonable extension of time than to kill us without further hearing
simply because we have failed to perform a task that was from the very first impossible.
You must bear it in mind that a dead humanity cannot work your mines at all.”
“We know exactly how abundant that ore is, and we know equally well your intelligence
and your ability,” the captain replied coldly-and mistakenly. “With the machinery we have
left in the mine and by working every possible man at all times, you can have it ready for
us. I am now setting out to explore the next planet, but I shall be at the mine at sunrise,
twenty of your mornings from to-morrow. Ten thousand tons of that mineral must be
ready for me to load or else your entire race shall that day cease to exist. It matters
nothing to us whether you live or die, since we already have slaves enough. We shall
permit you to keep on living if you obey our orders in every particular, otherwise we shall
not so permit.”
The vessel came easily to a landing. Siblin in his cage was picked up by the same
invisible means, transported along corridors and through doorways, and was deposited,
not ungently, upon the ground in the middle of a public square. When the raider darted
away he opened the door of his glass prison and made his way through the gathering
crowd of the curious to the nearest visiphone station, where the mere mention of his
name cleared all lines of communication for an instant audience with the Bardyle of
Valeron.
“We are glad indeed to see you again, Klynor Siblin.” The coordinator smiled in greeting.
“The more especially since Quedrin Radnor, even now on the way back from Chlora, has
just reported that his attempt to rescue you was entirely in vain. He was met by forces of
such magnitude that only by employing a zone of force was he himself able to win clear.
But you undoubtedly have tidings of urgent import-you may proceed.”
Siblin told his story tersely and cogently, yet omitting nothing of importance. When he had
finished his report the Bardyle said:
“Truly, a depraved evolution-a violent and unreasonable race indeed.” He thought deeply
for a few seconds, then went on: “The council extraordinary has been in session for
some time. I am inviting you to join us here. Quedrin Radnor should arrive at about the
same time as you do, and you both should be present to clear up any minor points which
have not been covered in your visiphone report. I am instructing the transportation officer
there to put at your disposal any special equipment necessary to enable you to get here
as soon as possible.”
The Bardyle was no laggard, nor was the transportation officer of the city in which Siblin
found himself. Therefore when he came out of the visiphone station there was awaiting
him a two-wheeled automatic conveyance bearing upon its windshield in letters of orange
light the legend, “Reserved for Klynor Siblin.” He stepped into the queer looking,
gyroscopically stabilized vehicle, pressed down “9-2-6-4-3-8” -the location number of the
airport-upon the banked keys of a numbering machine, and touched a red button, where-
upon the machine glided off of itself.
It turned corners, dived downward into subways and swung upward onto bridges,
selecting unerringly and following truly the guiding pencils of force which would lead it to
the airport, its destination. Its pace was fast, mounting effortlessly upon the
straightaways to a hundred miles an hour and more.
There were no traffic jams and very few halts, since each direction of traffic had its own
level and its own roadway, and the only necessity for stopping came in the very
infrequent event that a main artery into which the machine’s way led was already so full
of vehicles that it had to wait momentarily for an opening. There was no disorder, and
there were neither accidents nor collisions; for the forces controlling those thousands
upon thousands of speeding mechanisms, unlike the drivers of Earthly automobiles, were
uniformly tireless, eternally vigilant, and-sober.
Thus Siblin arrived at the airport without incident, finding his special plane ready and
waiting. It also was fully automatic, robot-piloted, sealed for high flight, and equipped
with everything necessary for comfort. He ate a hearty meal, and then, as the plane
reached its ninety-,thousand-foot ceiling and leveled out at eight hundred miles an hour
toward the distant capital, undressed and went to bed, to the first real sleep he had
enjoyed for many days.
As has been indicated, Siblin lost no time; but, rapidly as be had traveled and instantly as
he had made connections, Quedrin Radnor was already in his seat in the council
extraordinary when Siblin was ushered in to sit with that august body. The visiphone
reports had been studied exhaustively by every councilor, and as soon as the newcomer
had answered their. many questions concerning the details of his experiences the council
continued its intense, but orderly and thorough, study of what should be done, what could
be done, in the present crisis.
“We are in agreement, gentlemen,” the Bardyle at last announced. “This new
development, offering as it does only the choice between death and slavery of the most
abject kind, does not change the prior situation except in setting a definite date for the
completion of our program of defense. The stipulated amount of tribute probably could
be mined by dint of straining our every resource, but in all probability that demand is but
the first of such a never-ending succession that our lives would soon become unbearable.
“We are agreed that the immediate extinction of our entire race is preferable to a
precarious existence which can be earned only by incessant and grinding labor for an
unfeeling and alien race; an existence even then subject to termination at any time at the
whim of the Chlorans.
“Therefore the work which was begun as soon as the strangers revealed their true
nature and which is now well under way shall go on. Most of you know already what that
work is, but for one or two who do not and for the benefit of the news broadcasts I shall
summarize our position as briefly as is consistent with clarity.
“We intend to defend this, our largest city, into which is being brought everything needed
of supplies and equipment, and as many men as can work without interfering with each
other. The rest of our people are to leave their houses and scatter into widely separated
temporary refuges until the issue has been decided. This evacuation may not be
necessary, since the enemy will center their attack upon our fortress, knowing that until it
has been reduced we are still masters of our planet.
“It was decided upon, however, not only in the belief that the enemy may destroy our
unprotected centers of population, either wantonly or in anger at our resistance, but also
because such a dispersion will give our race the greatest possible chance of survival in
the not-at-all-improbable event of the crushing of our defenses here.
“One power-driven dome of force is to protect the city proper, and around that dome are
being built concentric rings of fortifications housing the most powerful mechanisms of
offense and defense possible for us to construct.
“Although we have always been a peaceful people our position is not entirely hopeless.