CHAPTER X
Death Sentence
So time sped by. And outward, ever toward the fringes of Sol's empire, flashed theLibertyon her all-important mission. The sun which but a few short weeks ago had been a blazing furnace threatening fiery annihilation to the space venturers had now dwindled to the apparent size of a tiny, glowing pea, half lost in the black depths behind them. A small, feebly glistening body whose heat at this great distance was scarce sufficient to make its presence felt.
And as this great luminary shrunk, its offspring grew ever larger in theLiberty'svision plate. Now the fifth planet was a heaven-filling orb scant hours away. Already the cruiser had whisked through the orbit of Jupiter's nine satellites and now, on a course carefully set by Lark O'Day, Skipper Warren was preparing to drop theLibertyto Jupiter's surface.
Muldoon, standing beside the space patrolman as he fingered the studs, said wonderingly, "Boy, that's one big planet, ain't it? Only—" His brow furrowed—"there's one thing I don't understand. How far away from it are we?"
"'Bout twenty thousand," answered Warren.
"Well, then, how come it hasn't gripped us yet? I should think a thing as big as that would have a grav-drag strong enough to clamp hold of us about three or four times this far away."
Warren chuckled. "Appearances are deceiving, Flick. Don't let the apparent size of Jupiter fool you."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Simply," explained the pilot, "that the true planet Jupiter is not much larger than Earth."
"What? But I can see for myself—"
"What you see is Jupiter's tremendous atmosphere belt. For some reason never satisfactorily explained, Jupiter's gaseous protective envelope is more than a thousand times deeper than that of any other planet. That's why Earth's astronomical instruments always show Jupiter's mass to be so tenuous; with a specific gravity, in fact, less than that of water. Jupiter is a gigantic cosmic fake; a huge bubble of semi-viscous atmosphere in the heart of which is embedded only a tiny, normal-sized core of the more cohesive elements which go to make up a planet."
"Why, the big quack!" said Muldoon indignantly. Then another thought struck him. "But say, if that's the case it must be colder than Tophet on that planet? Those miles upon miles of cloudbank should completely blot out the sun."
O'Day nodded. "And so they do. But on the other hand, they completely blanket the cold of interstellar space. You'll find Jupiter a dark, murky planet, but one with a very pleasant and equitable climate. Well—" He nodded to Warren as the vision plate before them was suddenly befilmed with writhing tendrils of moisture-laden atmosphere—"we're diving into the cotton. From now on it's blind flight. Co-ordinates O.Q.?"
"O.Q.," said Warren briefly, and concentrated on the task of dropping theLibertythrough unfathomable miles of enswaddling cloud to the tiny core within.
A short time later his efforts gained their recompense. The gray veil thinned, then parted, and once again theLibertywas scudding through clear atmosphere, sunless and damply gray, but not unpleasant. Above the virgin surface of a planet not unlike jungle-strewn Venus, great rivers sprawled through chains of rolling hills. The brown soil was resplendent with wild, brilliantly multicolored foliage.
The rest was simple. Pangré, capital city, lay at the north polar extremity of Jupiter. They had but to follow their compass to reach it. So in a space of time measurable by minutes theLibertyhad attained and hovered over the fourth of the great world capitals that they had visited on their flight.
A bustle of activity on the spaceport below greeted their arrival. They asked and were given clearance. Smoothly Hugh Warren dropped the whippet craft into the designated cradle. And as the hypatomics spluttered into silence, the spacefarers prepared to leave their ship.
A great throng was gathered at the rocketdrome. That was understandable, for of all the civilized planets, Jupiter was least visited by Earth's commercemen, and it was a rare occasion indeed which saw a sleek cruiser of the Space Patrol dropping jets on the faraway world.
That many of the assemblage were bearing arms was also evident to those aboard theLiberty, but Gary Lane found no cause for alarm in this fact. It was only natural that since suspicion and a degree of animosity existed amongst the governments of all the planets the Jovians should come to meet their visitors prepared for any eventuality. On every planet so far his mission had been greeted with distrust. He did not expect it to be otherwise here. He only hoped that candor and a complete explanation of the crisis would here win him the last of those four needed secrets.
"Nevertheless," said Dr. Kang, "it is written: 'The wise man treads the unknown path with drawn sword'. It would be well for us to approach the Jovians as cautiously as they await our coming. Therefore, while you go out I shall remain within the ship, watching carefully. At the first sign of hostile movement I shall depress the force-shield button, surrounding you and theLiberty, with an impenetrable field. Good luck, my friends."
"And since," added Dr. Anjers, "it would not look well for the crew to remain aboard, if we are to give an appearance of frankness and amity, I shall go to the engine room and there keep the hypos running for immediate departure ... if such should be necessary."
Thus it was arranged. And so, a few minutes later, young Dr. Lane headed a company numbering a score which clambered from theLiberty'sairlock to the surface of the planet Jupiter.
The space sailors and blasters, grateful for an opportunity to stretch their legs, came happily from the ship. But none, not even the skipper Hugh Warren himself, wore sidearms, so desirous was Gary of proving to the Jovians his good will. With calm assurance the venturers moved toward the azure-fleshed assembly awaiting them, taking care, however, not to step beyond that imaginary line which Dr. Kang had said was the limit of the force-shield protection.
Gary raised both arms aloft in the universal token of greeting.
"Peace, men of Jupiter!" he cried. "We come from Earth in friendship and goodwill on a mission of vital importance, and we beg an audience with your leaders."
He could not have dreamed what was to happen next. It happened too swiftly and too suddenly for any comprehension. The leader of the Jovians, a member (if one could judge by the elaborateness of his trappings) of the Supreme Council, flung high his arm in a sign which was anything but friendly. His voice rasped forth in strident command.
"It is they! The Earthling traitors who would steal the fruits of our knowledge and destroy our noble culture. Seize them and hold them fast!"
In that instant the waiting throng coalesced into an angry mob, and as one man surged violently forward to seize their earthly visitors!
There was but one thing for Gary Lane to do. He spun toward the ship, shouted, "The force-shield, Dr. Kang! Turn it on!"
Then, with a sigh of assurance that they were safe from their attackers, to his comrades he said mournfully, "Well, we might as well go back to the ship. They don't seem to believe us. Guess we'll have to talk to them by radio until we can make them understand—"
Then the shrill cry of Nora Powell brought his words to an abrupt end.
"The barrier, Gary! It's not working! Look! They're breaking through!"
And Gary whirled again to see. In truth, there was no invisible shield to stay the advance of the onrushing Jovians. Already the vanguard of the blue-skinned warriors was rushing down upon his band, and already the startled Earthmen were preparing to combat this unexpected threat.
They were, or had been, men of the Space Patrol. They had no intention of surrendering meekly to a force of an alien planet, no matter how out-numbered or outarmed.
The voice of Herby Hawkins cried in shrill dismay, "Why, the blue blighters! Wot scum! Let 'em 'ave it, boys!"
And though guns had been forbidden the landing party, other but still formidable weapons appeared miraculously in space-bronzed fists. Sheath knives and leaded knucks, a Martiankuugla, an Erosiantraal.[8]
In vain, Lane cried swift warning, "No, lads! Don't fight! Let them take us if they must! Go peaceably!"
His words came too late. Already a Jovian had fallen beneath the thrust of a slashing blade. Another was gasping out his life in choking coils of the Martiankuugla, while bubbling screams of horror bespoke the whirling path of the cross-shaped Erosian weapon.
Then sheer weight of numbers overwhelmed the feeble defense. The Jovians smashed through the battling few, and their stronger weapons took harsh toll of those who had dared oppose them.
Gary saw two Earth mariners go down, Robinson and Mulasky, parched to cinders by the lethal flame of the universally employed needle-gun. He saw Bill Smikes, who had wielded thetraal, literally torn to pieces by the vengeful hands of blue-skinned foemen. And another fell also; one innocent of any attack. Chief Engineer Sebold, whose only crime had been attempting to hurry his men to safety. A ray gun caught him, burning his legs out from under him as if they had been tinder. He toppled and fell forward, his grizzled old space-beaten face a mass of shock and incredulity.
With a cry Gary leaped to his side. But there was nothing to be done. The engineer was as good as dead ... and knew it. He twisted his writhing form to look up. His lips muttered thickly, "The foreign doctor! The filthy, murdering beast! He sold us out!"
Then a whiteness drained his lips ... and he was gone.
But with his passing ended—for the time being, at least—the slaughter. For now the Jovians had accomplished their end; had completely surrounded the Earth party, and held every member captive save those in the ship. Nor didtheyhold their freedom for long. At the Jovian leader's command a corps of warriors rushed the airlock. When they emerged a few minutes later they escorted with no gentleness Kang and Boris Anjers. Anjers' usually cherubic face was mottled with rage and scorn. As he was thrust into company with his comrades he pointed a quivering finger at Kang and screamed, "The yellow devil! He never pressed the button! The shield was never activated!"
O'Day, who during the brief affray had made no attempt to fight, but had leaped to the protection of the two girls, now glanced up from the pale golden creature whose slim form his arm still encircled to meet the eyes of Dr. Kang questioningly.
"Never pressed—But, Dr. Kang, why not?"
No muscle moved on the aged Martian's features, but his eyes were dark pools of bewilderment. "There is something terribly wrong. Ididdepress the button. The force-shield should have worked. I—I do not understand!"
Then there was time for no more, for the Jovian commander was prodding them into motion, and his voice was unequivocably harsh.
"To the Hall with them, that they may be judged and sentenced for this vile treachery!"
Thus, not as free men freely seeking a gift of equals, but as already half-adjudged and half-condemned captives, were the space venturers transported to the Council Hall of Pangré.
Here sat in judgment upon them white robed and diademed beings of a race not now to be found on any of the inner planets. The azure-tinted people who, if Dr. Kang's explanation were true, had in eons past spread culture throughout the whole of the solar system.
The judging of theLiberty'sequipage was a swift formality, speedily concluded. The Jovian council's handling of the case was a travesty of justice. It listened to the tale told by its fellow members, crisply abbreviated Gary Lane's attempt at explanation, and the half score Councillors conferred briefly amongst themselves.
Then one, their leader, turned to address the Earthmen. "It is enough! We have decided. By the powers invested in us, the Supreme Council of Ahura-Pangré, we do hereby determine and judge—"
"But," cried Gary Lane, "you haven't listened to our story ... haven't heard our reasons for coming here...."
"That since in violation of every rule and precept of interplanetary law you, a group of criminal felons from a neighbor planet, have made landing without permission upon our world—"
"We couldn't do otherwise. We had to come here, learn your secret...."
"And did hereupon murderously set upon and slay certain of our citizens—"
"Us?" cried Flick Muldoon. "Us set upon and slayed? Listen, you blue-skinned baboon, we came here as friendly as fleas on a pup's tail.Yourboys are the ones who started the fighting!"
"We do therefore," continued the Jovian Councillor sternly, "hereby condemn and sentence you—"
Gary drew a deep, regretful breath. Well, here it came. Imprisonment. A long wrangle of extraditionary rites ... transportation back to Earth, there to stand trial before a jury of Earthmen ... a dreary, tedious, legalistic process, wasting precious—oh, so precious—time! He twisted restlessly under the knowledge that while worlds dillydallied, disaster crept ever nearer. If he could only make these people understand—
Then his petulance died, appalled. For the Councillor was speaking again, and from his lips were falling words that in his wildest imaginings Gary had not dreamed to hear. Words which not only wasted precious time but spelled forever an end to their vital mission. Dreadful words of doom.
"Do hereby condemn and sentence you," intoned the Chief Councillor stridently, "to ...immediate execution!"