The Black Star Passes John W. Campbell (good novels to read in english TXT) š
- Author: John W. Campbell
Book online Ā«The Black Star Passes John W. Campbell (good novels to read in english TXT) šĀ». Author John W. Campbell
āWe have the microphone turned way down. Letās step up the power a bit and see if there are any sounds outside,ā said Arcot and walked over to the power control switch. An instant later a low hum came from the loudspeaker. There was a light breeze blowing. In the distance, forming a dull background for the hum, there came a low rumbling that seemed punctuated now and then by a greater sound.
āMust be a long way off,ā said Arcot, a puzzled frown on his face. āSwing the ship around so we can see in what direction the sound is loudest,ā he suggested.
Slowly Morey swung the ship around on its vertical axis. Without a doubt, something off in the direction of the hills was making a considerable noise.
āArcot, if thatās a fight between two animalsā ātwo of those giant animals that you said might be hereā āI donāt care to get near them!ā Fullerās narrowed eyes strove to penetrate the haze that screened the low hills in the blue distance.
The microphone was shut off while the Solarite shot swiftly forward toward the source of the sound. Quickly the hills grew, the blue mistiness disappearing, and the jagged mounds revealing themselves as bleak harsh rock. As they drew nearer they saw beyond the hills, intermittent flashes of brilliant light, heard shattering blasts of sound.
āA thunderstorm!ā Wade began, but Arcot interrupted.
āNot so fast, Wadeā āFullerās animal is thereā āthe only animal in all creation that can make a noise like that! Look through the telescopeā āsee those dots wheeling about there above the flashing lights? The only animal that can make that racket is man! There are men over thereā āand they arenāt in a playful mood! Turn on the invisibility while we can, Moreyā āand letās get nearer!ā
āLook outā āhere we go!ā Morey began to close a tiny switch set in one side of the instrument panelā āthen, before the relay below could move, he had flipped it back.
āHere, you take it, Arcotā āyou always think about two steps ahead of meā āyouāre quicker and know the machine better anyway.ā
Quickly the two men exchanged places.
āI donāt know about that, Morey,ā said a voice from vacancy, for Arcot had at once thrown the ship into invisibility. āThe longer weāre here, the more mistakes I see we made in our calculations. I see what put me off so badly on my estimate of the intelligence of life found here! The sun gives it a double dose of heatā ābut also a double dose of other radiationsā āsome of which evidently speed up evolution. Anyway, we may be able to find friends here more quickly if we aid one side or the other in the very lively battle going on there. Before we go any further, whatās our decision?ā
āI think it is a fine idea,ā said Fuller. āBut which side are we to aidā āand what are the sides? We havenāt even seen them yet. Letās go nearer and take a good look.ā
āYesā ābut are we going to join either side after looking?ā
āOh, thatās unanimous!ā said Wade, excitedly.
The invisible ship darted forward. They sped past the barrier of low hills, and were again high above a broad plain. With a startled gasp, Arcot cut their speed. There, floating high in the air, above a magnificent city, was a machine such as no man had ever before seen! It was a titanic airplaneā āmonstrous, gargantuan, and every other word that denoted immensity. Fully three-quarters of a mile the huge metal wings stretched out in the dull light of the cloudy Venerian day; a machine that seemed to dwarf even the vast city beneath it. The roar of its mighty propellers was a rumbling thunder to the men in the Solarite. From it came the flashing bursts of flame.
On closer inspection, the watchers saw what seemed to be a swarm of tiny gnats flying about the mighty plane. They appeared to be attacking the giant as vainly as gnats might attack an eagle, for they could not damage the giant machine. The flashing bombs burst in blasts of yellow flame as harmlessly as so many firecrackers.
All that mighty plane was covered with heavy metal plates, fully ten inches thick, and of metal so tough that when the powerful bombs hit it they made no impression, though they blasted tremendous craters in the soil below. From it poured a steady stream of bombs that burst with a great flash of heat and light, and in an instant the tiny planes they struck streaked down as incandescent masses of metal.
Yet the giant seemed unable to approach the cityā āor was it defending it? No, for it was from the city that the vainly courageous little ships poured out. But certainly it was not these ships that kept the titanic battleship of the air at bay!
Tensely the men watched the uneven conflict. The rain of bombs continued, though all fell short of the city. But slowly around the metropolis there appeared an area of flaring, molten lava, and steadily this moved toward the beautiful buildings. Suddenly the battleship turned toward the city and made a short dash inward on its circling path. As though awaiting this maneuver, a battery of hissing, flaming swords of white light flashed upward, a few hundred feet from the ring of molten rock. As the titanic plane rolled, side-slipped out of the way, they passed, harmlessly, barely missing a monstrous wing.
āWhich?ā Arcot demanded. āI say the city. No one should destroy anything
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