The huge ship from Mars bore on toward Earth with
the last haggard survivors of a terrible plague.
But Ric Martin hurtled to intercept the space-giant,
knowing it brought an evil far deadlier than
even the relentless metal-spores it fled!
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Planet Stories Summer 1947.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
"In approximately two more hours," Dar Mihelson said, "the ionizationtowers will fail. Look well upon your world, for we may never return."
He was a huge, stern-visaged man, with the weight of hisresponsibility showing upon him, but his voice was soft as he spoke tohis people through the ship's central televise.
"This is our last chance for survival. Upon the success of this flightdepends our very lives, and the preservation of the race. Venus isdenied to us. Mercury has thrown up a barricade for ten thousand milesaround their planet. Only Earth has offered us sanctuary—and eventhere a growing faction has risen against us in fear that some of thedeadly spores may be transported to their planet."
Dar Mihelson paused, turned his bronze face to look out upon hisworld. His violet eyes brimmed with anguish. Only the walls of redmetallic dust could be seen, the appalling clouds that had surged fromthe furthermost reaches of the planet to wipe out most of the populace,destroying cities, crumbling everything metallic and thereby addingunto itself. It had been a race of their science against time. TheIonization Towers had held back the dust, only long enough for the hugespaceship to be completed.
"We want to go peaceably," Dar Mihelson continued, "but we areprepared for any contingency. Many of you have wondered about theValiant's unusual construction; some of you have doubted that the shipis capable. True, its secret is known only to a few, but this much Ican tell you now: the Valiant is a fully-equipped fighting ship, andwe will use it as such if the occasion arises!"
The lines smoothed from Mihelson's face, as he concluded, "You haveall been assigned to your quarters. The take-off will be in thirtyminutes. Let us spend that time in prayer to merciful Providence, toguide us safely through our crisis...."
I
Ric Martin could feel the excitement already, as he eased his gyrocloser to Mount Palomar and saw the great Observatory dome just belowhim. The night was dark, ideal for observation. The greatest minds ofEarth would be here this night, to watch a world and its people intheir death-throes.
Ric's face went grim at the thought of it. For weeks the tele-casts hadbeen jammed with the news. Mars was dying, and Mars had been a friendlyneighbor for decades. Earth had been helpless to act. No one, not eventhe Martians, knew where the mysterious Red Plague came from; it hadappeared simultaneously in a score of places across the planet, quicklyspreading and destroying everything before it.
After prolonged hesitancy, the Earth Council had agreed to accept theMars refugees. Thereupon a brooding dread and mistrust had swept acrossEarth like a patina. A new political faction, the anti-Mars sect, hadarisen and was gathering strength. There would surely be trouble....
A shrill siren blast brought Ric out of his revery. He glanced back,saw a white-winged police 'copter descending upon him.
"Damn!" Ric set his plane down on the broad field atop Palomar, as thepolice 'copter came down beside him. Ric stepped out, straightened hisuniform and waited.
"How'd you ever get thro