which, with all itspromise of interest and adventure, we must leave behind, in favor of aroutine stop at the sub-base on Arpan.
I think both of us would have gladly given years of our lives to turnthe _Ertak's_ blunt nose toward Hydrot, but we had our orders, and inthe Service as it was in those days, an officer did not question hisorders.
* * * * *
Correy mooned around the Arpan sub-base like a fractious child. Kincaideand I endeavored to cheer him up, and Hendricks, the _Ertak's_ youngthird officer, tried in vain to induce Correy to take in the sights.
"All I want to know," Correy insisted, "is whether there's any change inorders. You got the news through to Base, didn't you, sir?"
"Right. All that came back was the usual 'Confirmed.' No comment."Correy muttered under his breath and wandered off to glare at theArpanians who were working on the _Ertak_. Kincaide shrugged and shookhis head.
"He's spoiling for action, sir," he commented. Kincaide was my secondofficer; a cool-headed, quick-witted fighting man, and as fine anofficer as ever wore the blue-and-silver uniform of the Service. "I onlyhope--message for you, sir." He indicated an Arpanian orderly who hadcome up from behind, and was standing at attention.
"You're wanted immediately in the radio room, sir," said the orderly,saluting.
"Very well," I nodded, returning the salute and glancing at Kincaide."Perhaps we will get a change in orders after all."
I hurried after the orderly, following him down the broad corridors ofthe administration building to the radio room. The commander of theArpan sub-base was waiting there, talking gravely with the operator.
"Bad news, Commander," he said, as I entered the room. "We've justreceived a report from the passenger liner _Kabit_, and she's indesperate straits. At the insistence of the passengers, the ship madecontact with Hydrot and is unable to leave. She has been attacked bysome strange monster, or several of them--the message is badly confused.I thought perhaps you'd like to report the matter to Base yourself."
"Yes. Thank you, sir. Operator, please raise Base immediately!"
* * * * *
The _Kabit_? That was the big liner we had spoken to the day beforeCorrey and I had seen the new continent rise above the boundless watersof Hydrot. I knew the ship; she carried about eighteen hundredpassengers, and a crew of seventy-five men and officers. Beside her, the_Ertak_ was a pygmy; that the larger ship, so large and powerful, couldbe in trouble, seemed impossible. Yet--
"Base, sir," said the operator, holding a radio-menore toward me.
I placed the instrument on my head.
"John Hanson, Commander of the Special Patrol ship _Ertak_ emanating.Special report for Chief of Command."
"Report, Commander Hanson," emanated the Base operator automatically.
"Word has just been received at Arpan sub-base that passenger liner_Kabit_ made contact with Hydrot, landing somewhere on the newcontinent, previously reported by the _Ertak_. Liner _Kabit_ reportsitself in serious difficulties, exact nature undetermined, butapparently due to hostile activity from without. Will awaitinstructions."
"Confirmed. Commander Hanson's report will be put through to Chief ofCommand immediately. Stand by."
I removed the radio-menore, motioning to the operator to resume hiswatch.
Radio communication in those days was in its infancy. Several personswho have been good enough to comment upon my previous chronicles of theSpecial Patrol Service, have asked "But, Commander Hanson! Why didn'tyou just radio for assistance?" forgetting as young persons do, thatthings have not always been as they are to-day.
The _Ertak's_ sending apparatus, for example, could reach out at best nomore than a day's journey in any direction, and then only imperfectly.Transmission of thought by radio instead of symbols or words, had beenintroduced but a few years before I entered the Service. It must beremembered that I am an old, old man, writing of things that happenedbefore most of the present population of the Universe was born--that Iam writing of men who, for the larger part, have long since embarkedupon the Greatest Adventure.
* * * * *
"Base, sir," said the operator after a moment, and I hastily slipped onthe radio-menore.
"Commander John Hanson, standing by," I shot at the operator at Base."Have you orders?"
"Orders for Captain John Hanson, Commander of the Special Patrol ship_Ertak_," emanated the operator in a sort of mental drone. "Chief ofCommand directs that the _Ertak_ proceed immediately to the scene of thereported difficulty, and take any necessary steps to relieve same. Iwill repeat the orders," and he droned through them a second time.
"Orders are understood. The results of our operations will be reportedto Base as soon as possible." I tore off the radio-menore and hurriedfrom the room, explaining to the sub-base commander as I went.
Correy was standing beside the _Ertak_, talking to Kincaide, and as Iapproached, they both looked around quickly and hopefully.
"What's up, sir?" asked Correy, reading news in my face. "A change inorders?"
"Correct! That big liner, the _Kabit_, landed on Hydrot, and she's insome sort of mysterious trouble. Orders from the Chief himself are toproceed there immediately. Are any men away from the ship on leave?"
"If there are, we can do without them!" shouted Correy. "I'll stand adouble watch."
"The crew is on duty, sir," said Kincaide quietly. "Mr. Hendricks isaboard directing the taking on of supplies. We can leave any time youorder, sir."
"We leave immediately, gentlemen," I said. "Mr. Correy, will you givethe necessary orders?"
"Yes, sir!" grinned Correy, his eyes dancing like a schoolboy's. He wasin the navigating room jabbing attention signals and snapping ordersinto the microphone before Kincaide and I, moving more leisurely, hadentered the ship.
* * * * *
Hurtling through space at maximum speed, it took us two days, Earthtime, to come close enough to Hydrot so that we could locate theunfortunate _Kabit_. She had landed on a level plain near the shore ofthe new continent, where she lay, just a tiny bright speck, even underthe maximum power of our television disk.
"It's an odd thing, sir, that we can't raise her by radio," commentedHendricks, who was on duty. "Have we tried recently?"
"We've been trying constantly, at intervals of but a few minutes," Ireplied grimly. "Several times, the operator reports, he has been ableto get a muffled and garbled response, utterly unintelligible. He saysthat the signals sound as though the radio emanation-plates in her outerhull were damaged or grounded. We'll just have to wait until we getthere."
"As soon as we are near enough, please make an analysis of heratmosphere, so that we can break out masks, if necessary." Hendricks,while young and rather too impulsive, was a good rough-and-readyscientist, as well as a courageous and dependable officer. "When Mr.Correy relieves you, please inform him that I am taking a watch below,should he need me." Hydrot was looming up in the television disk, and Iwished to be rested and ready for action when we landed.
* * * * *
I was awakened by an uncomfortable warmth, and when I glanced at mywatch the explanation was obvious. We had penetrated the outer gaseousenvelope of the world that had so recently given birth to a continent,and Correy was driving the _Ertak_ through at reckless speed.
When I entered the navigating room, Correy glanced up guiltily at thesurface-temperature gauge and then hastily saluted.
"We're reducing speed, sir," he said. "Atmosphere is rather denser thanI had expected. Hendricks reports the air breathable, with a humidity ofone hundred. And--tell me, sir, what do you make of the appearance ofthe _Kabit_ now?"
I bent over the hooded television disk anxiously. The _Kabit_ was in thecenter of the field, and the image was perhaps a third of the disk'sdiameter in length.
Instead of a tiny bright speck, I could see now the fat bulk of theship, its bright metal gleaming--but across
or around the ship, werebroad spiral bands of black or dark green, as sharp as though they hadbeen painted there.
"What are the bands, Mr. Correy?" I asked sharply. "Have you formed anyopinion?"
"I have, sir, but I'd rather not offer it at this time," said my firstofficer gravely. "Look about the ship, in the immediate vicinity, andsee if you find anything of interest. My eyes may be playing me tricks."
I glanced curiously at Correy, and then bent my attention on the imagein the disk.
* * * * *
It was impossible to make out any details of the background, save thatthe country round seemed