by Jimmy Guieu
The screen went dark and Hornuk turned to his friends. “This Nysmian, N’xok, is the Plenipotentiary Minister, the emissary to the Galactic Empire. He’s kind of like Siomak’s ambassador, his right-hand man.”
“His accomplice, then!” Commander Taylor spoke up, not mincing words.
“So, it’s these pseudo-men, these abortive crocodiles, these sideshow freaks who want to conquer the Universe!” Kariven was indignant. “Have you got a plan, Hornuk, for attacking Siomak without committing suicide?”
The Grand Instructor thought for a minute and then said, “We’ll go to Nysmi on board the galactic fighter ship Okan. It’s just come out of our testing center and is able to reach amazing speeds. Plus, it’s equipped with formidable weapons system, including a disintegrator cannon, which is so new that even the Nysmians don’t know about it.”
Glanya smiled. “Right now… I mean in our future age even simple handguns are disintegrators.”
“We’re not there yet,” Inshtug said, “but I figure it’d be better not to use the weapon. There’s a better way to beat Siomak: Put in his capital one or more Z’nabag bombs. The bombs can explode after our visit and spread the gas that affects the brain’s nerve center. The chemical compound drives them crazy by combining with the blood’s oxygen. All the capital’s inhabitants will become homicidal and kill each other like savages. Siomak and his cronies won’t escape.”
“Bravo!” Hornuk congratulated. “The gas will get rid of the tyrant without exposing us. Revamp the weapons on the Okan, Inshtug, and wait for us on the runway.”
“I’ll go with Inshtug,” Commander Taylor offered. “You can show me a hangar where I can park the Retro-timeship during our trip.”
As the American officer and the pre-Bimkamian were leaving, the long-range viewer screen lit up. N’xok’s hideous face was framed in the rectangle.
“His Majesty Siomak is honored to welcome the delegation from Bitnak to Nysmi. The League of Independent Worlds is always ready to open its doors to new members from the Galactic Empire.” Addressing the Grand Instructor personally N’xok added, “If you leave immediately you will arrive in M’zom, our capital, by the end of the day… of our day, of course. You can take a rest and tomorrow visit whatever you’d like.”
“Thank you, N’xok. We recognize the infinite kindness of His Majesty Siomak. Peace be with you.”
When the screen turned off Hornuk muttered thoughtfully, “We’re lucky to arrive at night on this hemisphere of the planet Nysmi. It’ll make our job easier…”
Hornuk and his friends met up with Inshtug in the astrodome along with Commander Taylor.
“Lieutenant Clark and his men complained because we left them here instead of taking them with us into the fight,” Taylor said. “Since the Retro-timeship is closed up safely in the hangar, I gave them free time until we get back. Inshtug set them up with one of his friends to be their tour guide.”
“He’ll have his work cut out for him,” Streiler snorted. “Rudy Clark and his five GIs are great guys but there’s no one better at chasing skirts.”
In fact, leaving the huge, metal hangar Lieutenant Clark and his team, accompanied by a well-built giant, were heading for the city. Hands in pockets, smoking a Lucky or chewing gum, the Americans were strolling casually, glad to abandon their “bus” and inactivity for a while.
The galactic fighter Okan, with its slender form, its nose pointed like a needle, its fuselage lined with windows and its tripod landing gear, looked like a supersonic jet from the Atomic Age, but its sensational capabilities naturally put it far above those snail-paced jets.
Before entering the cockpit, Inshtug opened a hidden recess in the wall and showed the bombs with Z’nabag gas. These powerful weapons were composed of a cylinder about 20 inches long and 6 inches in diameter. Their upper cap enclosed the time delay mechanism. When it went off, the gas would stream out silently and in less than 15 minutes would cover over half a square mile.
According to the Grand Instructor’s calculations, 20 to 30 bombs would be enough to contaminate the atmosphere of M’zom, Siomak’s capital. But in case of any hitch they were carrying 40.
The hatch closed with a click and the Okan took off without a sound. With its anti-gravitational thrusters working at full power it shot off like an arrow and passed the atmospheric layer in a split second. Without the anti-g system counteracting the effects of acceleration in the cabin, the passengers felt like mush. The speedometer spun off higher and higher numbers on the indicator.
The galactic fighter reacted magnificently to the toughest demands. Using the inexhaustible energy of the cosmic rays that filled the Universe, like the Retro-timeship did, it would touch down on Nysmi in the Choïko solar system in a little less than three hours.
From time to time a meteor detected on the radar exploded and for a brief time lit up the eternal night of space. The sensors that had spotted it had instantly shot the disintegrator cannon. The celestial rock was thus transformed into radiation before it presented any danger to the ship.
Streiler, who was a specialist in super-rockets, sat in amazement of the space jet. The windows made of Baxlin, an indestructible and incombustible alloy fabricated in a magnetic field (the elements to be fused floating in the air and bombarded with special rays), were transparent but the outrageous speed of the ship kept the passengers from admiring the endless constellations of the cosmos or the dazzling disintegration of the meteors.
The interstellar viewer screen used special frequencies that allowed for brief communication: a green-scaled Nysmian popped up. Hornuk was surprised but being a good diplomat he saluted and greeted him kindly. The Nysmians loved showing off with flashy protocol.
“This is space control,” the green thing announced. “You’re about to enter the cosmic zone of the Independent Worlds. Please adjust your radars’ wavelengths targeting meteorites and break the connection with your disintegrator cannons.”
The Nysmian waited for Hornuk to do this. When he saw him flip a switch and turn a calibrated dial, he nodded and after pressing a button on the control panel in front of him said, “A security patrol is coming to you. You will stop your ship so they can board and inspect you. They will then escort you to the M’zom astrodome where you are expected. Over and out.”
Hornuk signed out. He gradually reversed the direction of the magneto-cosmic thrusters and quickly stopped the ship, as safely in decelerating as in accelerating.
“They’re suspicious by nature,” he smiled. “If you’ve got weapons, I advise you to hide them in the secret compartment in the cabin. They’ll be safe with the gas bombs because the door is made of an ultra-thick element. Even if they pound on the wall the Nysmians won’t be able to detect the hole.”
Regretfully the time explorers put their Colts in the secret compartment and returned to the cockpit. Through the Baxlin windows they saw the bright, blinking light of the anticipated patrol. It grew bigger as it got closer and after a minute it eased up alongside the Okan, motionless in space.
An articulated, circular tube came out of the patrol, a small, elliptical spaceship, and magnetically attached to the fighter’s hatch, fitting the curve perfectly. Hornuk verified the seal before ordering the hatch to be opened. The Grand Instructor and his friends watched the operation through the viewer that was now switched over to the cabin.
Four scaly Nysmians came into focus on the screen. They had just entered the airlock of the Okan and were carefully closing the hatch of the pressurized chamber that was connected by a tube to their own spaceship.
The cameras installed along the passageways and corridors broadcast the image of the four lizard men walking to the cockpit. The group stopped in front of the sealed door and the chief banged on the reinforced armor with the butt of his paralyzing pistol. Hornuk ordered the door to be opened immediately.
“Our ship is open to you,” he greeted. “You can search it from the upper deck to the bottom hold. Would you like me to go with you?”
The search lasted two hours and was conducted as meticulously as possible. The machine room, the supply holds, the observation equipment, the radar cases, everything was checked carefully, felt physically and probed by ultrasound.
Hornuk wondered if the Nysmians wouldn’t go so far as to dismantle the huge cosmic ray generator piece by piece!
Satisfied with their examination, which confirmed the delegation’s good intentions, they went back to their patrol ship to escort the foreigners.
Once again Streiler rubbed his hands together and put on a radiant smile. “Now we’re safe and probably considered harmless.”
“We can only hope so, although this… friendly visit could have ulterior motives. Either the Nysmians are convinced that we’ve come to spy on them or they really believe that since you’ve only recently come under the Galactic Empire’s protection you’re thinking of joining the League of Independent Worlds. If that’s the case, the Nysmians will be forced to make a good impression on you by any means possible. Maybe they’ll even make you an offer, thinking you’re official representatives from your… imaginary government.”
Everyone smiled, thinking of the comical outcome.
The patrol flew at the same reduced speed as the fighter and escorted it roughly 10,000 yards. Little by little a star grew bigger: an enormous green sun. It shined in space without lighting it up but with the intensity of a blinding, electric arc.
“Choïko!” Hornuk announced, pointing at the sun that drifted away to the right as the galactic fighter changed direction. “We’re heading for the planet Nysmi, which you can see now off the radar.”
The time explorers looked out the windows and saw a pale sphere crossed by a dark crescent.
The Grand Instructor informed them, “This planet is a little bigger than earth. Therefore, the gravity is heavier although totally supportable. Its atmosphere, which we can breath, contains more ozone than on Earth, but for a short stay it won’t have any serious effects on your lungs.”
The globe gradually filled up the horizon.
Hornuk reduced the speed even more and dove into the atmosphere at only 1,000 miles an hour. The effects of acceleration, just like those of deceleration, were offset by a single reverse mechanism. The spaceship came almost immediately out of the zone lit by the green sun into the hemisphere darkened by night.
The Grand Instructor asked for his position and received it instantly from the observation post that had tracked them since they entered the planet’s attraction field. Guided by the radar signals sent from the ground the fighter soon came in sight of M’zom, an immense metropolis, headquarters of Siomak, the tyrant of the so-called Independent Worlds.
The brightly lit city formed a rectangle of around 12 by 5 miles. The astrodome with its red and blue beacons formed another rectangle to the north of the city. The control tower authorized their landing and gave the necessary signals to the pilots of the two ships. The Okan and the escort patrol made a complete circle before losing altitude and setting down on the runway that was marked out for them with lights.
As they got out of the ship they were welcomed by N’xok in person. The Nysmians from the patrol, since their mission was accomplished, saluted and went back on board their ship, which shot off immediately into the starry heavens.
N’xok show respect to the members of the delegation. “Welcome to M’zom. His majesty greets you. Please accept his hospitality. Rooms will be prepared for you in the Royal Palace. His Majesty is sorry that he cannot see you tonight. An important meeting with high dignitaries of the realm is keeping him from this pleasure. Nonetheless, tomorrow you will be greeted and welcomed as is proper.”
“You really show us too much honor, N’xok,” Hornuk bowed his head. “The infinite kindness of His Majesty puzzles us. We didn’t expect to be received by him…”
“Would you like to rest in your rooms or do you prefer to visit our capital?” N’xok asked submissively.
“We don’t want to put you out but… since you offered I think we’d like to walk around a little.”
“With pleasure,” the scaly Nysmian bowed. “I’ll be glad to show you some attractions in M’zom. Tonight there happens to be an excellent historical show at the teleorama. Would you like to go?”
“Well what a coincidence! This delegation with me is very interested in history,” Hornuk accepted casually.
N’xok could obviously not understand the irony of this little joke.
A car with a turbine drove them through the streets illuminated by green spheres. The strange streetlights were floating in the air by electromagnetism, the side walls producing a strong enough field to keep them in the air.
The teleorama, crowded with male and female Nysmians, was a giant parallelepiped rectangle. One end served as a screen. The Plenipotentiary Minister and his guests sat in one of the box seats that hung like magic from the wall on the right.
The lights went out and after the short credits, courteously translated by N’xok, the actors appeared. They were in an apparently real scene: a mountain that really looked like a mountain, a real spaceship, everything in three dimensions, nothing like film, television or stereorama. The process was obviously original but our friends understood absolutely nothing of the story!
Kariven thought for a minute and then asked Hornuk to translate this question to N’xok: “After the show can we take a tour in the ship and fly over the area before heading to His Majesty’s palace? N’xok could maybe come with us?”
When he got an answer Hornuk translated, “N’xok will be delighted to join us.”
“Good,” Kariven nodded. “So, we can all go together on a little tour…”
Hornuk pretended to concentrate on the giant teleorama screen but in truth he was wondering what Kariven was cooking up. Starting a thought-conversation with him would have raised the Nysmian’s suspicions if he were paying any attention to their body language or the expressions on their faces.
Coming out of the show N’xok and his guests took the road back to the astrodome while chatting about the charms of M’zom, the capital. Since the delegation was accompanied by Siomak’s Plenipotentiary Minister the guards gave them no trouble. N’xok sat next to Hornuk at the commands and the fighter took off. It rose slowly at cruising speed.
While the Grand Instructor was describing his ship to the Nysmian, Kariven took Inshtug aside and whispered, “Quietly open the secret compartment and give me a Colt. Do it quick!”
Glanya and Streiler stood behind the giant to screen the action as best they could. Two minutes later, Kariven, Colt in hand, stuck the barrel of his weapon against the neck of the captured Nysmian. “Tell this filthy creature not to move,” he ordered Hornuk.
N’xok, feeling the cold steel against his neck, swung around. Kariven pushed the gun harder into the scaly skin. Stunned, the Plenipotentiary Minister could not understand the change in attitude.
Although they did not know the details of Kariven’s plans, his friends quickly surrounded him. Each of them held a Colt, finger on the trigger, aimed at the prisoner.
“If you make a wrong move, we’ll shoot you down mercilessly,” Hornuk growled. “Our sudden change intrigues you, doesn’t it? Well, now you can know that we’ve come to M’zom to kill Siomak.”
Furious at being deceived, N’xok lunged at Kariven, who stepped aside and hammered the Nysmian’s skull with his Colt. He hit him hard, hard enough to kill a man, but on the scaly, green carapace it only clinked and bounced back.
N’xok swung back and tried to grab Glanya. Three shots fired abruptly.
Hit in the stomach and chest N’xok howled out but did not give up. He staggered and reached out his webbed fingers toward the fighter’s control panel, hoping, no doubt, to sabotage some vital system.
Kariven’s Colt spit out more 11.25mm bullets. The Nysmian’s head exploded and its lizard body dropped to the metal floor at the feet of the pilot.
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br /> “Drop the bombs!” Kariven ordered as he reholstered his smoking gun.
While the Grand Instructor kept the fighter flying in circles, Inshtug slipped the bombs one by one into a slanted cylinder with airtight valves. The Okan then crossed over M’zom in two diagonal, intersecting flights to make sure the bombs would fall inside the city.
“It’s done, let’s get out of here!” Inshtug shouted. “The 40 bombs dropped will release the gas on impact. We didn’t have time to set any timers.”
The galactic fighter soared into the sky at an incredible speed. It disappeared in an instant, flying across space at maximum speed.
When the spaceship with Hornuk at the helm finally slowed its crazy pace to enter the local cluster of stars that formed the heart of our solar system, the people of M’zom, in the throes of collective madness caused by the Z’nabag gas, had finished killing one another.
During the meeting of the high dignitaries of the Independent Worlds, Siomak and his cohorts had a weird, inexplicable feeling. Little by little, as the gas-laden air filled their lungs, they felt a silent rage swell inside them, a kind of hatred toward their fellows. All of a sudden, in their troubled minds, the madness exploded, lunatic murder that pitted one against another, brother against brother, friend against friend.
Siomak’s eyes turned red, rolled upwards and looked like they shot lightning. He drew his paralyzing pistol and shot straight in front of him, freezing a dozen Nysmians in the most ridiculous postures. Eight of his scaly cohorts rushed him and in no time at all pummeled his body, bit it, trampled it and left it twitching on the corpse-ridden floor.
When this was done the maniacs beat each other in an all-out brawl. All night long the city rang out with the clamor of this violent battle. The next morning the majestic orb of the fantastic green sun rose over the metropolis transformed into a massacre. Only a few Nysmians were spared, with a crazed look in their eyes, their fingers stained red with the blood of their victims, searching among the corpses for the rare survivors who could put up one last fight.