The Moon Destroyers
Page 4
raking over, for they were alllooking slightly sheepish, as men do when they have had to reveal themost intimate details of their lives.
"All in shape here," Linet reported. "Five of the men I know best aresearching the living quarters, under command of Professor Erickson. Ifyou will come with me now, we will go to the observation room, where therest of the men are loafing while off duty."
As they passed down the central hall in the section where the cabinswere located, a man ran out from a side passage, saw them, and turned atfull speed for the bow.
"Stop him," came a shout. Holden recognized the voice as Erickson's. Theman heard it, too, for he whirled in his tracks, whipped anold-fashioned automatic pistol from his pocket, leveled it at Holden,and took careful aim. The fraction of a second during which his eyerested along the sights was his undoing.
Captain Linet's hand, hidden under the loose jacket he was wearing,pressed the release on his short-range ray pistol, a light bluish streaktouched the man's breast, and he fell forward, his heart literallyshattered by the energy of the ray.
Holden reached him first, and rolled him over. His face was faintlyfamiliar, and doubt changed to recognition as Captain Linet exclaimed,"It's Chambers, a former petty officer on my airliner."
It was the man who had come up to the Captain while Holden and Ericksonwere conversing with him on the bridge.
"What on earth could the man have been up to? He must have been mad toattack me on this ship, with no chance of escape," exclaimed Holden. "Doyou know anything of his record, Captain?"
"Nothing whatsoever, except that he seemed honest enough, and hardworking. I was the one responsible for his presence on board here, as hehad mentioned some knowledge of interplanetary travel, and we neededmen."
Erickson had come up by that time.
"We found nothing in this man's cabin except some tools that he hadevidently stolen from the machine shop, and a code book of the type usedby commercial companies for interplanetary messages. He entered the roomwhile we were searching it, and bolted when he saw us."
The thing was puzzling, but most of the men on board accepted theexplanation that the man was mad, and had for some reason resorted todesperate measures to assure the safety of the moon.
"You know," explained Captain Linet, "back a few hundred years ago,there was the expression 'moonstruck' applied to people who werementally deranged."
At any rate, the incident was closed, as no one could be found who mightpossibly have been an accomplice. Minor damage caused by the cloud ofmeteorites was repaired, and the three ships swung in close together,heading for the satellite which they were commissioned to destroy.
The men spent as much time as they could in their bunks, for there washard dangerous work ahead of them. Huge cartridges had to be filled with_hexoxen_, caps of Europium placed on top, and adjustments made so that,after a certain time had elapsed, the catalyst would come into contactwith the _hexoxen_, causing a reaction to take place which wouldcontinue almost as long as there was solid material present to bevaporized. One slip of tired hands, one miscalculation and many men,perhaps the entire party, would suffer a terrible fate.
Holden was busy with one of the latest and best maps of the moon,looking for places where landing could be made, and charting the spotswhere the cartridges would be buried. The exact time for which everycharge was to be set had to be worked out in advance.