Peering out through the Comet’s visor plates, her passengers saw s pair of them stalk toward the ship, their hands reaching as usual for the weapons at their belts as they strode, invulnerable, through a criss-crossing maze of deadly projectiles and deadlier rays.
And then the Sverds stopped. Their hands dropped away from their weapons, and when they moved again it was almost tamely. A door of the Comet slid open, and they came aboard.
That in itself was enough to demoralize the soldiers of Gorma Hass. But later, when the Sverds emerged from the Comet to fight against them instead of for them, they broke battle formation and ran in terror. Their opponents, heartened by the unexpected change, cut them down or took them prisoner to the last man.
The first time this happened, those on board the Comet were almost as startled as the others, despite Curt’s explanation of what would take place.
“I still can’t believe my eyes, Curt,” marveled Joan. “They’re such deadly, inhuman creatures.”
“They’re deadly only because Gorma Hass has made them so. Ordinarily, once he’s given them his orders, they obey. But the farther away he is from them, the less powerful his commands are. That’s why I can cut in with commands of my own, and have them shift their obedience to me.”
“And you owe this also to Ystal?”
Curt nodded. “If not for him, all the special telepathic powers I had in his own Universe would have disappeared, just as they’ve done with you, Joan, and with the rest of us. I think they’ll disappear in time anyway, but meanwhile, I’ve still got them, and I can use them against Gorma Hass.”
For the first time since the star-captains had come to him for help, Curt found them hopeful.
“A few more victories like this,” said Hol Jor, “and Gorma Hass will be defeated. His men will no longer have confidence in him.”
“Gorma Hass will be defeated,” agreed Curt, “but not by such victories alone. We shall have to get rid of him personally.”
Ber Del looked troubled. “It is dangerous to attempt a personal struggle with Gorma Hass.”
“Just as dangerous for him as for us,” replied Curt. “I know that Gorma Hass had mental powers that we can not equal, but we must not exaggerate them. You remember that when Simon and Mar Del faced him, he did not use those powers to destroy them. He relied upon the Sverds.”
KI ILLOK nodded. “I had thought of that, I have never been able to understand why.”
“It is because to be fully effective, his mind must function in a space that conducts thought waves well. Ours does not. And in addition he must be able to operate on a mind which receives thought waves without too much difficulty. Neither Simon’s nor Mar Del’s was susceptible because of Simon’s special dampener.”
“Yours will be, Curt,” said Joan.
“Aye, lad, which means that you yourself will be in the greatest danger.”
“That can’t be helped,” retorted Curt. “If we expect to get rid of Gorma Hass, I must take that chance. To make up for any inferiority in will, I’ll have the advantage of surprise. Gorma Hass won’t be expecting me to attack. And he won’t realize that he’ll need to hurry, that if I can hold him back for only a few minutes, we’ll be able to bring that four-dimensional projector to bear on him.”
“What if he is too strong?” asked Ber Del.
“He won’t be. Meanwhile, we’d better get to the next planet where Gorma Hass intends to attack, and spoil his plans there. The sooner we make it clear to him that something is seriously wrong, the sooner he’ll come to us.”
But it was neither on the next planet nor on the one after it that the final struggle with Gorma Hass was destined to come. On each, Curt was able to divert the Sverds from the tasks to which Gorma Hass had set them, and make them carry out his own will. In each case, the soldiers of Gorma Hass, without the Sverds, showed little stomach for a fight. But their master himself did not appear. Not until the Comet had taken part in half a dozen battles, and captured almost a score of the Sverds, did Curt and the others see a sign of Gorma Hass. And then they saw him almost too late.
Several of the Sverds, following the failure of the human soldiers, had advanced to the attack against the Comet. As usual, Curt had set his will against that of their master. He saw the Sverds hesitate, and expected them to come on board the ship, as all the others had done. But their hesitation lasted longer than usual. It ended in their pointing their weapons once more toward the Comet.
“Otho!” cried Curt.
Otho acted quickly. It was as if he had sensed Curt’s will merely at the sound of his name. Before the slow-moving, beastlike creatures could fire, he had set the rockets blasting, and lifted the Comet into the air.
“Slow down,” ordered Curt. “Slow down and turn back. Gorma Hass is either on that battlefield or near it. Otherwise, the Sverds would have obeyed me. We’ll have to find him.”
“There’ll be no difficulty about that,” said the Brain.
“I’ll look for a robot,” boomed Grag.
“And I’ll keep my eyes peeled for an android,” observed Otho. “He can’t escape.”
Curt did not reply. He knew that Gorma Hass could escape without difficulty, and that only ignorance of his danger kept him in the neighborhood of the battle. That ignorance would not last long. It Curt failed to take advantage of this opportunity, he might never find another.
It was Otho’s keen eyes that detected him first. “There he is,” cried the android triumphantly. “An android just like me. Except that he’s frowning.”
“The projector is ready, lad,” remarked the Brain quietly.
Curt nodded. For the first time, he was going to make full use of the increased mental power that Ystal had given him. And Gorma Hass did not suspect!
THE Comet, braking to landing speed, settled down on the ground.
“I’ll have to get out,” said Curt. “I think Simon will want to come with me. I’ll want Grag and Otho, too. As for you, Joan, I think you’d better stay here.”
“We are not deserting you now,” exclaimed Ki Illok hotly. “After all, this is our fight.”
“You are staying,” replied Curt mildly.
Ki Illok, his face dazed, opened his mouth to reply, and closed it without speaking. Curt knew that he would stay.
Otho had landed the ship a few hundred feet away from the center of the fighting. As Curt and the other Futuremen advanced rapidly, the firing died away around them. The Sverds, obeying the orders of Gorma Hass, were mowing down the opposition.
“Less chance of our being hit by stray rays,” murmured Curt. “Our thanks to Gorma Hass for that.”
Grag was carrying the projector. Close behind him, the Brain floated in the air. Curt could sense the anxiety in the Brain’s mind, but he knew that Simon would say nothing that might tend to lessen his confidence. He would need all of it for the coming struggle.
Then suddenly, the figure of an Earthman loomed before Curt. There was an evil grin on the creature’s face.
“It is the box-creature and his strange companions,” said Gorma Hass. “You, the red-head, were the false Sverd. For a time I sought you in vain. But now —”
A Sverd was approaching, summoned by Gorma Hass. Curt’s mind leaped abruptly toward Gorma Hass. There was an expression of astonishment on the bogus Earthman’s face. The Sverd, his orders now confused, stopped moving, as if waiting for a clearer voice to tell him what to do.
For the first time in his life, Curt felt that his mind was something tangible, like an arm or a tentacle, with almost physical power. He seemed to feel Gorma Hass give way under the shock, he could sense the terror that filled his opponent’s mind. Curt had won the advantage of surprise, and in a moment the struggle would be over.
“Simon!” he cried. “Throw the switch! Now!”
The projector was directed at Gorma Hass. Simon moved hastily, and then his voice rasped out in despair. “Hold him, Curt! A wire has been burned out by a stray atom-beam!”
Gorma
Hass was beginning to recover from his surprise. Curt could feel him fighting back, and for a moment he seemed to be conscious of a hand trying to grasp his brain, attempting to destroy it. To those who observed him, he seemed to be doing nothing but stare ahead at the figure at Gorma Hass, but the effort was taxing his power of will to the utmost. The perspiration started out on his forehead.
“Hold him, Chief!” It was Otho’s voice, anxious but encouraging. “Another few seconds, and I’ll have that thing fixed! He can’t throw you!”
Otho’s fingers were moving so fast that the air seemed to be full of his hands. The burned-out wire fell to the ground; another, hastily torn by Grag from his own arm, took its place. Grag’s arm fell paralyzed to his side, but he hardly seemed to notice it. He was gazing anxiously at the robot figure of Gorma Hass.
And now Gorma Hass was gaining the upper hand. His grip was closing on Curt’s brain, and not all Curt’s will could force it away. He was not fighting now to pin Gorma Hass down, he was simply fighting for time. Ten seconds, five — they meant the difference between success and failure!
HE WAS not going to have five seconds. In the time that it took a thought wave to travel from the mind of Gorma Hass to his own, he heard his opponent gloating.
“You have overestimated your strength, Earthman! You are helpless now! I have merely to will it — and you will cease to exist! I have merely —”
Curt stared. For the figure of Gorma Hass had disappeared. He felt his mind relax, and a feeling of weakness swept over him.
“Get him, Chief!” yelled Otho. “He’s gone!”
Gorma Hass was gone, but Curt’s mind was so spent that he could not even transmit orders to the Sverd. The creature remained standing, motionless as before. And Grag, as if understanding the situation, lifted Curt off the ground with the arm that was not paralyzed, and with giant strides made for the Comet.
It was hours later before Curt came to. “You’re all right, lad?” asked the Brain anxiously.
“All right, but weak. I’m not used to feeling this way.”
“ You’ll get over it. You’ll feel better, lad, when I tell you that Gorma Hass’ soldiers lost that battle.”
“As they will now lose all the battles to come,” said Ber Del. “The main danger is ended. The Sverds are no longer a threat, and we fear no human opponents.”
“Now, thanks to Captain Future, we can defend ourselves,” added Hol Jor.
Ki Illok’s eyes were gleaming. “There is at last an end to running away. It will be pleasant to see our enemies do the running.”
“Then our task here is ended,” said Curt. “And we’d better get back to Sol, and find out how things have gone in our absence.”
“Aye, lad.” The Brain’s eyes rose steadily in the air as he stared at Joan. “But first we must see that Joan makes the return journey.”
Curt nodded. Then he glanced at Mar Del, and grinned. The Vegan was disconsolately making ready to leave.
“Stay, Mar Del,” he urged, “I think there’s a Vegan girl by the name of Varra you’d like to meet.”
Mar Del shrugged uncomfortably. “I have already met the one Vegan girl I care to know, and she is not for me. I do not intend to repeat the mistake of Gorma Hass, who remained to gloat when he should have left for his own safety.”
“You think that you are in danger?” asked Mar Del.
“I fear that if I remain, I too, like Gorma Hass, will lose my mind completely.”
Joan smiled. “Stay, Mar Del. I promise you that soon I shall be able to speak your own language. And I think — I can not promise, but I think that when Captain Future is gone — I shall love you very much.”
IT WAS another day, however, before the mental interchange between Joan and Varra was completed. Soon thereafter the Futuremen, once more alone aboard the Comet, were speeding through four-dimensional space toward their own solar system.
“Say, Chief,” cried Otho, “I’m getting to recognize these fake suns. I can tell them from the real ones now without the instruments!”
“Excellent!” rasped the Brain. “Your ability will be useful when we make our trip to Deneb, to investigate the origin of the humanoid races.”
Otho’s eyes shone. “That’s a trip I’d like to make! When —”
There was a roar from Grag. “That’s a real sun ahead, not a fake! Keep your eyes on those instruments, you over-inflated hunk of rubber substitute!”
Curt smiled. “Some day, Otho, we’ll go to Deneb, but not now. There are too many other things to attend to first.”
And the other Futuremen, guessing his thought, agreed. It was one thing to have Joan Randall with him in the form of a blue-skinned Vegan girl. But it was quite another to see her as she really was. Even the Brain, long dead to most human emotions, or Grag, who had never had them, could understand that.
The Comet roared ahead. Otho pressed a stud, and the four-dimensional world disappeared behind them. Ahead was a blazing yellow star, and a black dot that might be Jupiter moving across its surface.
It was a reasonably small Solar System, but a remarkably pleasant one.
It was a wonderful feeling, thought Curt, to be going back.
THE END
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Captain Future 14 - Worlds to Come (Spring 1943) Page 12