T2 Return To Mars

by Captain W E Johns

  This conversation did not take place in the sort of silence that might be imagined on the fringe of a forest. It seemed to Rex that the noise made by the trees was greater than it had been, and he remarked on it.

  'It is the trees talking,' answered Vargo calmly.

  Rex also observed that the men were working at furious speed and asked why they should so exhaust themselves. 'Look,' said Vargo, pointing.

  Following the outstretched finger Rex saw more and more tendrils advancing, an army of them, with a slow sinuous movement. 'How do they do that?' he cried. Aren't they rooted to the ground?'

  Vargo said yes, but when attacked they broke off at their roots and were free to move.

  'But then they must die!'

  Vargo explained that when they stopped they could put down new roots anywhere.

  I don't like trees that walk,' muttered Rex.

  The workmen were carrying the logs to the ship when something happened, and even they appeared to be taken by surprise.

  Suddenly there was a tearing sound that was almost like a snarl. Hard on it came shouts of warning which made Rex jump without looking for the danger. A few steps would have taken him clear, but he was just too late.

  The next instant he was struggling for his life. What had happened he did not know, but in a dim sort of way he realized that the second tree had fallen and the branches had him in their grip, coiling about him like steel springs and crushing the life out of him. As fast as he tore them off they sprang back, so that he would have needed a dozen pairs of hands to deal with them.

  Panic took possession of him and he yelled for help, although he could see Tiger and Toby in the same trap. Above the moaning of the trees came the crisp thud of axes on wood as the workmen rushed to the rescue. At each blow one or more of the encircling thongs went limp, until at last, with a shuddering gasp, he was able to tear himself free.

  Or so he thought, not

  knowing that he was still held by the ankles, so that when he started to run he went flat on his face. There was more chopping, and a workman dragged him into the open, where he sat panting with fright and exertion, by no means convinced that he was not in the throes of a nightmare.

  Tiger and Toby, with white faces, joined him; and there they sat, recovering from shock, while the workmen completed their task. Some of the logs, Rex saw with disgust, were still moving. When Vargo told him the men were ready to go, unthinkingly, as he rose, he picked up a stick to steady himself; but the thing twisted like an eel in his hand and he dropped it with a gasp.

  'Let's get out of this,' he said desperately. 'It's beastly.'

  Together they walked to the ship, and a few minutes later were on their way home. The logs, in four foot lengths, lay on the floor. Rex eyed them suspiciously. Some of them were still moving. But by the time the ship was back on Mino they lay still and silent in death.

  There was one other incident just before they left Mino which they would remember later, although at the time it passed almost without comment.

  Some scientists had come over and talked among themselves about the Spacemaster; not so much its design as the metal employed. This was done with such earnestness that the Professor asked them if anything was wrong. It transpired that steel was unknown to them; but they did not like it, saying it was too hard, too brittle, for the abnormal conditions imposed by space travel. It would, they said, quickly become subject to fatigue. Such a ship would have a short life. They themselves employed a softer alloy, embodying orichalcum. It was this that gave their ships the red-coppery tint. Steel, subject to certain rays that occurred in space, might change its atomic structure.

  Rex, of course, remembered what the scientists had said about this earlier. However, curiously perhaps, the Professor did not take the warning seriously. He was more interested in the peculiar properties of orichalcum, and said he would like to take a sample of it with him when he went home. So the subject was not pursued.

  With everything arranged preparations were made for departure. A Minoan ship would accompany the Spacemaster to give it extra velocity. There would be two hops; the first to Mars, where the state of the mosquitoes was to be ascertained. It was finally decided that Vargo, who had become one of the Professor's party, should travel in the Spacemaster as far as Mars. All being well the Minoan ship might give the Space-.

  master a tow all the way to Earth, in order that Vargo could see the exact location of Glensalich Castle, should it in an emergency be necessary for a Minoan ship to seek the Professor at his base.

  Little dreaming that upon this arrangement, made almost casually, their lives were to depend, the two ships took off, much to the distress of Morino, who bade Rex a tearful fare-. well. Rex, a trifle huskily, said he would be coming back one day, although in his heart he doubted it.

  They had become close friends.

  His last glimpse of her was a forlorn figure standing on the landing square, gazing upwards.

  16 The end of

  the Spacemaster

  The journey to Mars was made without incident beyond one or two noisy collisions with patches of meteoric dust or gas particles which, opined Vargo, were the residue of the exploded Vontor. He would not say the same of a long-tailed comet. He had seen it before, he averred. Like Vontor, it had come in from outer space, and its orbit was not yet constant; wherefore it was watched by the astronomers with some anxiety.

  The effect of this sort of thing on Rex was to make him uncomfortably aware that life even on the best planets was not as secure as some people imagined. If only they would remember that they were living on an unexploded bomb that might go off at any moment, in a universe of misguided missiles, they might stop making guided ones, and worry less about trivialities.

  Even before they landed he could see that the vegetation on Mars was still spreading; no one could say why; but Vargo was sure it was all to the good. Both machines touched down on the square. Evening came, and produced none of the dreaded red clouds, much to the Professor's satisfaction, for it went far to prove that his 'chain reaction' method of dealing with the mosquitoes had been successful. As for the other creatures of the jungle, nothing was seen of them, although as no one felt like looking for trouble no attempt was made to disturb them. Tiger, having shown Vargo how to use the rifle, made him a present of it, in case a weapon became necessary.

  The crew of the Minoan ship had of course been warned, through Vargo, to be on the lookout for these creatures. According to the Council there was no record of them in ancient Martian legend; but that did not necessarily mean that they, or a smaller form of the same beasts, had not been there in olden times. The Professor, while admitting that his insecticide may have been responsible for bringing them into the open, denied liability for their creation. They must have been there in some form all the time.

  The tall rushes would have provided them with ample cover. Anyway, there was no need to worry. If the beasts did not devour each other they would soon die from the disorder that had killed the mosquitoes.

  What little there was to do and talk about on Mars was soon done, and dawn the following day saw the Spacemaster making ready to leave on the last hop of its journey home. Vargo said that as they were so slow the captain of the Minoan ship, Gator Faro, would take them in tow. With his superior velocity, this would cut the eight-day journey to two. At first the Professor demurred, for he was anxious that no more 'saucers' should be seen near Glensalich - anyway, until he was ready to fulfil his obligations with the things he had promised.

  The Professor intended to build a new ship, but in case of delay, or should anything go wrong, the following arrangement for maintaining contact had been made. Vargo was to come over once a month, on the night of the full moon. If he saw a signal of green lights it would mean that it was safe for him to land. If there were no lights the ship was not to land, for it would mean either that it was dangerous, or the equipment the Professor had promised was not ready.

  It was now pointed out that if the Minoan
ship was to come close enough to Earth for Vargo, or Gator the captain, to pinpoint Glensalich, they might as well accept the offer of a tow. This was agreed. It was also agreed that Vargo should travel in the Spacemaster, so that the landmarks for locating Glensalich could be pointed out to him, although this would mean that the Minoan ship would have to land on Earth at the end of the voyage to pick him up.

  Little guessing that had it not been for this arrangement they would never have reached home the passengers took their places and the two ships set off, Rex feeling more comfortable now that the shining star that was Earth, easily recognizable by its Moon, was once more in sight.

  He watched it becoming

  brighter as a mariner, homeward bound, might watch the guiding light of his home port.

  It was some hours later, with Earth and Moon together forming a magnificent double star, when disaster of a kind never contemplated struck the Spacemaster. The Professor, who had been using his telescope, in putting it down brought the heavy end in sharp contact with the wall.

  From what happened the wall might have been made of thin glass.

  A small piece of metal broke clean away, leaving a hole.

  For a second he stared at it incredulously, uncomprehendingly. So did everyone. In dumb fascination Rex watched the edges of the hole crumbling, as if it might have been biscuit, under the force of the escaping pressure, and realized that the steel walls were rotten. And if the walls were rotten the whole ship must be rotten.

  The Professor was the first to recover, shouting for a meteor plug. Tiger grabbed one and clapped it over the hole, where it remained firm, held in place by the pressure within.

  'Into suits, everybody,' ordered the Professor crisply. I don't understand what has happened; but if the metal is as rotten as that the whole ship may disintegrate at any moment.'

  The scientists warned you that your metal was dangerous,' reminded Vargo calmly, as everyone with feverish haste began getting into his suit. What use the suits would be if the ship went to pieces Rex could not imagine.

  Be careful not to knock the walls,' cried the Professor.

  They were still not in their suits when the plug blew out, leaving a larger hole. Tiger applied a larger one, but already so much pressure had been lost that he had difficulty in making it stick.

  'Don't push too hard or the whole wall may break down,' said the Professor grimly. Give her all the air you have, Judkins.'

  Rex looked at Earth. Before the accident it had looked so close. Now it looked so far away. He knew they would never get home.

  Vargo confirmed his fears. 'We shall have to abandon the ship,' he said, still imperturbable. 'It would be better to do that than wait for her to go to pieces and have to be picked up afterwards.'

  What he meant by being picked up Rex could not imagine. Even the Professor was slow to grasp what Vargo meant. 'How can we abandon ship?'

  'We must go over to Gator.'

  'You mean - we must go from this ship to his?'

  'Of course. It is simple. With our ships it is done all the time. The captain of a fleet must go from one ship to another. You will see.'

  What happens if you fall,' asked Rex, although even as he spoke he guessed the answer.

  Fall?' echoed Vargo. How can you fall? Without weight it is impossible.

  If I jump out I must come back to the ship, drawn by its gravity. Nearer to Earth or Mars it would be dangerous, but here it is safe. Have you never stepped out of your ship in space?'

  Never,' answered Rex, warmly. 'And I hope I never have to.'

  Vargo is right,' asserted the Professor. The people on Earth who propose to build a platform in space as the first step to the Moon are working on that principle. I fear I am getting dull-witted.'

  There the conversation ended as spacesuits were closed, which was just as well, for at this juncture the plug flew out, leaving such a gaping hole that Rex knew the ship must be airless. The thought gave him butterflies in the stomach.

  Vargo went into the airlock leaving both doors open, for with the ship airless there was no point in closing them. They could see him making signals to their consort. The bigger ship closed in on them, slowly, until they were only three or four yards apart, with the two airlocks in line. The outer door of the Minoan ship opened. From it to the door of the Spacemaster slid a thin rod, bridging the gap.

  Rex, watching spellbound, now saw a sight that made him doubt both his eyes and his sanity. It was Vargo, pulling himself across the gap by his hands, apparently without the slightest effort. From the far side he turned and signalled that they were to follow, one by one, the same way.

  Then the airlock closed. A moment later it opened again. Vargo was no longer there. His face appeared at a window.

  I'll play pathfinder if you like,' offered Toby, moving towards the door.

  'As captain of the ship I shall go last,' decided the Professor. 'Even in space we must maintain the old traditions.'

  With his heart in his mouth, as the saying is, Rex watched Toby swing himself across the awful gap. Clearly he thought nothing of it, for from the far airlock he turned and grinned. The process of closing and reopening the airlock was repeated, and Toby was inside.

  'You go next, Rex,' ordered Tiger.

  To say that Rex was not scared as he crossed the bridge in silent space would not be true; but it was much less fearful than he expected. There was no sense of height to induce vertigo, as would have been the case had such a bridge spanned two high buildings on Earth. Nor was there any movement. The two ships might have been stationary. The only outside object he saw as he made the crossing was the Moon, large and shining. He realized why Vargo had made light of the operation; but still, his heart thumped, and he was more than a little relieved to find himself safely inside the Minoan ship.

  From a window he watched Tiger and Judkins cross. Then the Professor appeared in the doorway of the Spacemaster's airlock; and such a ludicrous spectacle did he present with his books and instruments slung around him that Rex started to laugh; but humour vanished as his eyes beheld, and photographed on his brain for ever, a thing so frightful that he forgot to breathe. Right round the Spacemaster ran a crack; an open crack. With horror unspeakable he saw that the ship was in fact in two pieces. Every instant he expected to see the two halves fly apart. But nothing of the sort happened. As the ship was not under power the two parts just went on together, as presently Rex realized, they were bound to.

  The Professor made the crossing and in another minute he was inside.

  Suits no longer needed, were removed. The Spacemaster was still beside them, so the Professor's first question to Vargo was: 'What are you going to do with my ship. It mustn'

  t be allowed to fall on Earth, as it will, if you take it close.'

  Vargo spoke to Gator in his own language. Turning back to the Professor he said: It cannot be left in space where it would be a danger to ships.

  Gator says he will cast it off here, where it will remain until he comes back, when he will collect it and let it drop on Phobos, where you will find it should you have left in it anything you would like to save.'

  Capital,' agreed the Professor. 'Now my friends, would you be so kind as to take us home?'

  Not without emotion Rex saw the ship that had served them so well, although it had become a death trap, abandoned in space.

  'You will show me where you want us to land you,' requested Vargo.

  'It will have to be on the heather near the house, for I fear your ship is too big to get down on my small concrete apron,' answered the Professor.

  Ìf somebody spots us landing it's going to start something,' observed Toby.

  For a while Rex entertained himself by pondering this remark. What would happen if they were seen landing? Could they say they had been to Mars, lost their ship, and had been brought home in a Martian saucer'? They might say it, but no one would believe a story so utterly fantastic. Yet what other explanation would fit the case? How else could they explain their
landing from one of the oft-reported flying saucers? It would, he decided, save a lot of trouble if they were not seen. Fortunately, nobody was likely to be on the hill at that hour.

  With the ship in free fall Earth was beginning to look more like a world.

  Soon he was able to make out the continent of America, always unmistakable. Western Europe and the British Isles were in darkness and almost free from cloud, although there were masses of it over the Atlantic.

  The Professor stood by Vargo giving directions which were passed on to Gator, who was in control of the ship.

  Lights began to show. The first to appear were the airport beacons. Rex pointed them out to Vargo, who was mildly curious, for his people did not practise this form of flying, and apparently never had. They had gone direct to vertical flight which, on a small world, was of more practical use.

  Still falling the ship dropped towards Great Britain, to Scotland, and the lonely valley that had been the Spacemaster's base. The outlines of the physical features swiftly became more clearly marked. Suddenly a moving light caught Rex's eye, and he let out a cry of warning as he made out the navigation lights of a big aircraft standing towards them. The two ships passed with a comfortable margin but Rex knew that the pilot had seen them from the way he turned sharply. It was a service machine, and he could imagine the crew staring from cockpit, cabin and tail turret.

  'Poor fellows,' said Professor sadly. Imagine the ridicule they'll have to face when they return home 'and report that they've seen a flying saucer. Thank goodness a machine designed for horizontal flight can't follow one that can drop like a stone.'

  With no more noise than a cloud passing across the face of the moon, checking its fall as it neared the ground, under the Professor's guidance the ship came to rest on a flat area of heather a few hundred yards from the glen.

  They were home. To Rex this was almost as amazing as anything he had seen on the voyage. Once more time was time and weight was weight.

  Delay being held dangerous no time was lost unloading their belongings, spacesuits, the Professor's instruments and an ingot of orichalcum. A few last words with Vargo, smiles and bows of farewell, and the travellers stood on the solid-feeling soil of their own planet.