The Space Opera MEGAPACK ®. Jay Lake
case—a space-man who’s lain paralyzed for years. The formula was designed to strengthen the human nervous system against the shock of varying gravitations, to re-establish an already damaged nerve-web. And it worked.”
Kenniston’s voice was husky as he concluded. “It worked, and that living log became a man again. The formula was a success. Ricky and I started back for Earth, where he intended to announce the discovery and arrange for its manufacture on a big scale. But, on the way back, Dark’s pirates captured us.”
Kenniston flung out his hand in a tortured gesture. “That’s why I went to any lengths to save Ricky’s life! It’s because Ricky is the only person who knows the intricate formula of this serum. If he were to die, the secret of the cure would die with him. And that would mean that thousands on thousands more of space-men would be stricken into living death by gravitation-paralysis in the future, just as so many thousands of old friends and shipmates of mine have been stricken in the past!”
Captain Walls was the first to speak. Quietly, the plump master of the Sunsprite extended his hand.
“Kenniston, will you shake hands with me? And will you forgive me for everything? You did absolutely right. I’m an old space-man and I know what gravitation-paralysis is.”
Gloria’s dark eyes were glimmering with tears. “If we’d only known,” she murmured to Kenniston. “No one could blame you for sacrificing a lot of worthless idlers like us, for a thing like this.”
“But you’re going to be all right—all of you,” Kenniston assured her. “John Dark will make you pay a big ransom, but you can afford that and you’ll get back safely to Earth.”
“Thank Heaven for that!” exclaimed Mrs. Milsom. “I can’t understand all this scientific talk of yours, but I do know that that pirate chief means no good to me. Didn’t you see the lustful looks he gave me?”
The laugh that greeted this lessened the tension. Kenniston turned as Ricky plucked at his arm.
“What about ourselves, Lance?” Ricky asked quietly. “Dark still won’t let us go, you know. He still needs me as a doctor.”
Hugh Murdock stepped forward. “Dark would let you both go, for a big enough ransom. I’d like to pay it for you.”
The handsomeness of Murdock’s gesture moved Kenniston. He was only able to mutter his thanks.
* * * *
While Ricky was treating Captain Walls’ burned arm, the officer kept looking fascinatedly at that square bottle of milky fluid.
He said hesitantly, “I’ve a son—back on Earth. For five years he’s lain in a cot from the gravitation-paralysis that hit him out on Jupiter. Do you suppose—”
Ricky nodded. “Yes, Captain. I’m sure that we can cure him, now.”
There was an uproar out in the clearing. Kenniston went to the door and looked out.
The electric wall had temporarily been dropped, and Kin Ibo and the main body of the pirates were hastily entering the camp with their improvised power-sledges that bore heavy loads of machinery and materials.
Kenniston heard Kin Ibo reporting shrilly to John Dark, “We lost two men to the Vestans on the way here—and nearly lost two more! All this activity has drawn them from all over the asteroid! Look at that!”
Outside the electric wall, which had been hastily re-raised, could be glimpsed the shapes of lurking asteroidal animals. Meteor-rats, big striped cats, flame-birds—and every one of those lurking animals bore attached to its neck one of the little gray Vestan parasites.
John Dark was saying harshly, “We’ve got to have the rest of those materials to repair the Falcon.”
“I tell you, it’d be suicide to try another trip through those jungles!” expostulated the Martian. “Those Vestans are devils!”
“Bah, you Martians are all alike—no good when your superstitions get aroused,” snorted Dark contemptuously. “I’ll take the men down myself. Come on, men—unload those sledges and we’ll go back to the wreck.”
His indomitable personality drove the scared, unwilling pirates into the task. Again the electric wall was faded out for a moment to let them out.
When they returned some time toward morning, Kenniston heard the crash of atom-guns heralding their approach. And when the wall was momentarily dropped, John Dark and his men stumbled into the camp with their loaded sledges in sweating haste.
“Turn on the wall again—quick!” bellowed Dark’s bull voice. “The jungle’s swarming with the gray devils now—they got five of us on the way back!”
Ricky, looking over Kenniston’s shoulder, spoke appalledly. “Good God, Lance—look at them! I didn’t know there were so many Vestans!”
Outside the barrier of shimmering electricity, scores of animals and birds dominated by the dreaded little gray parasitical creatures were now swarming. And their number seemed growing every minute.
“All this activity of the night has drawn the Vestans from far and wide,” Kenniston muttered. “I don’t like it. If that electric wall should fail, the creatures would be in on us in a moment.”
Dark himself seemed to feel something of the same apprehension, for he was shouting urgent orders. “Hook up those atomic welders, and start putting the new plates into the Falcon’s tail. Kin Ibo, have your gang fit in the new rocket-tubes. I’ll see to installing the new cycs. If we work, we can get the job done by tomorrow night and get out of here.”
Through the day, the pirates toiled with an energy that showed their earnest desire to leave the asteroid. That desire was reinforced by the ever-larger number of Vestans that now swarmed outside the wall.
There were literally hundreds of the gray parasites now outside the barrier. To have tried going outside the wall now would have been sheer suicide. The creatures were apparently driven by unholy eagerness to possess themselves of human bodies.
Gloria, looking out with Kenniston, shuddered deeply. “This horrible world! It’s like a nightmare.”
“We’ll soon be away from it,” Kenniston reassured. “See, they’ve almost finished repairing the Falcon.”
* * * *
The urgent toil of the pirates was showing results. By the time night came again, and the meteor-moonlets blazed forth with magic beauty in the dark heavens, the task of repair was almost done.
Kenniston and his companions had not ventured forth from the hut. Pirates were everywhere in the clearing, and all had heard John Dark’s strict order to blast down the captives if they left their prison.
But from the hut, Kenniston and the others could see that the horde of Vestan-dominated animals around the camp had further increased. With ghastly avidity, they kept circling the shimmering, electric wall.
Kenniston turned in alarm at a ripping sound from the back of the log hut. Two of the logs were being torn out bodily. The battered green face and giant shoulders of Holk Or came through the opening.
“Kenniston, I came in this way because I didn’t dare let Dark see me talking to you!” the Jovian exclaimed. His face was urgent in expression. “I’ve found out that Dark doesn’t mean to let your friends here get away from Vesta alive.”
“What?” exclaimed Kenniston. “That’s impossible! Dark said he was going to hold Gloria and the others for ransom.”
Holk Or nodded hastily. “I know, and he meant it, then. But since then, he’s found out something that’s changed his plans. He found it out from me—like a big fool, I told him everything when he questioned me.”
The Jovian continued rapidly. “I told him that Murdock had sent that telaudio message back to Patrol headquarters, asking about my record. Now Dark figures that the Patrol will come out here to find out if that message meant