companions had tested the atmosphere and found no gasses that mighthave been inimical to our organisms. Thus they prepared for the greatestadventure of all--the emergence. The locks were opened. A draft offragrant, if heavy atmosphere swept through our globe. It was pleasantlyinvigorating and bright outside--so I was told by their telepathicmessages, for I alone remained within.
Telepathically they kept me informed, as they wandered up the narrowvalley. The soil was firm and amazingly fertile. Vegetation grew thicklyeverywhere. They reached the far end of the valley at last, and rockyramparts towered over them.
Then it was--how can I begin to describe it to you, Exalted Empress?From _their minds_, coming back to me, was a sudden flood of excited,hysterical thought! It seemed filled with intense loathing and fear!Imagine me there, if you can--helpless--and in a frenzy of despairwondering what they could have encountered!
Desperately I extended my potential. I managed to intuit a fierce battlein which they were engaging. And some of my companions were dying!Hordes of fierce denizens from the rocks above were descending uponthem. They had taken weapons along, true--but I could sense now by theirfrantic thought that these war-like creatures of Terra numbered in thehundreds, with hordes of them swarming from beyond!
For a long while the battle raged, then I sensed that my companions wereretreating. Oh, I was glad! Glad! At least I would not be left alone.But of the two score who had ventured out, only _six_ returned. As theyoperated the lock of the ship, and tumbled in, I could see--or rather_perceive_--a long part of the terrain behind them.
Then it was that my mind sickened. _For the creatures of this bright newworld were--Termans!_ Slightly different from those we had battled onDiskra, true. These were even more monstrous, over six feet tall, withlong shaggy manes and a reddish fuzz covering their four limbs ... and OBeneficence, I swear it--_sickening blue eyes_! They walked upright andcarried crude weapons, shafts of wood fitted with sharp-edged _stone_!
Not until much later did my returning companions tell me what they hadseen through their telescopic lenses. Just beyond this valley were vastplains where the Termans seemed to number in the thousands, huge nomadictribes of them. There were other creatures as well, some massive beyondall belief, others fierce and blood-lusting with huge saber-like teeth.
"We could colonize Terra indeed," was the consensus of our thoughts, "butat what a price! To be forever battling these creatures--particularly theTermans, that abominable _genus Homo_...."
Can you imagine, O Empress Uldulla, how the irony of it bit us? It wasalmost more than we could bear to think that on Diskra our own _genusFormicae_ was in life-or-death struggle with these creatures and we hadfound them swarming here as well! All--all of this lush, verdant worldwas defiled!
There was nothing we remaining seven could do now. Sadly we set aboutrepairing the ship, so that we could bear the awful tidings back toDiskra. And as we sped again toward our beloved planet, a sombre pallfell upon us. The interchange of thoughts were brief and tinged with aprofound despair.
* * * * *
This resolved into amazement, however, as we came ever closer to Diskra.For now, through our telecto-scope we could see that our planet had beensubtly altered! A few symmetrical lines had appeared on the face ofDiskra, as if a cosmic hand had drawn straight lines across withmathematical precision!
Not until we had safely landed, did we learn the truth. O joyous news!The hordes of Termans had been repulsed and were even then being slowlydriven back! Our scientists had created in the laboratories a type of_formic acid_ somewhat similar to the vesicatory secretion occurringwithin our own bodies--but infinitely more deadly! It had been used as aweapon against the Termans. And more! Huge walls of gaseous formic acid,held unwavering by electronic force fields, were being erected. It wasthese walls that caused the astronomical illusion we had seen fromspace.
The rest, O Illustrious Empress, I believe you know well. How theTermans never again were able to penetrate our walls. How we waged waron the detestable creatures for a number of years until finally no traceof them remained on Diskra.
Aye! Five millenniums have passed since the events I have related. Fivemillenniums since my crushed body was done away with and I was preservedin my rectangle of _glassaran_, with the constantly renovatedthought-life-fluid kept exquisitely warm. In this state I haveaccompanied many another expedition to the planets, in my capacity ofofficial Recorder. I am but Yours to command, Exalted Empress, shouldyou wish to hear of them.
But I have a warning! Slowly I have developed a new sense that needs noteyes, nor ears, nor sense of touch--no antennae even, such as I oncepossessed--but unites and transcends all these! And I beg of you in mymost abject humility, _do not venture to remove even one formic-acidwall_, either from above or from its depth into the ground. Rather buildmore! Perceptively I shudder in the awful remembrance of their occasion,and the day may come when they will be needed once more.
Thus I warn humbly, and remain Your Supreme Fertility's mostinsignificant servant,
Braanol.
Transcriber's Note:
This etext was produced from _Fantasy Book_ Vol. 1 Number 1 (1947). Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without note.
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