Corsairs of the Cosmos By EDMOND HAMILTON _A stupendous story of the Interstellar Patrol--an amazing weird-scientific tale of an invasion from outside the universe._ [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Weird Tales April 1934. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] "What was the greatest adventure that you ever took part in during your service in the Interstellar Patrol?" That is a question which I, Dur Nal, captain in the Patrol, and my two officers are often asked. My own answer is: "I believe our space-fight with the serpent-people was the wildest adventure ever we had." Korus Kan, my first officer, disagrees: "It was the time that we were drawn into the dark nebula." And Jhul Din, my big second officer, differs with both of us and says, "That time we penetrated inside a comet was by far the most venturous." To settle this difference of opinion I once put the question to Lacq Larus, Chief of the Interstellar Patrol. Lacq Larus knew of every venture we of the service had ever engaged upon. He considered for a long time before he answered me. "Dur Nal," he told me finally, "I think that the time we fought the cosmic corsairs was the wildest any of us ever saw." And looking back, I am not sure but that Lacq Larus is right. For certainly that was the maddest space-struggle in which even the oldest veterans of the Patrol ever took part. My cruiser had just returned to headquarters at Canopus when the thing first burst upon us. Our ship had been engaged for long weeks patrolling a lonely section of the galaxy beyond Mira, policing space between the suns and seeing that law was maintained in the interstellar void. We had been glad enough when our relief came and we could return to headquarters. At full speed we flew across the galaxy between suns and nebulæ until at last we were watching Canopus' worlds come out of the huge white sun's glare as our cruiser swept in toward them. But our stay at headquarters was to be short. For when I went up into the great tower that holds the central authority of the Interstellar Patrol, and reported our return to Lacq Larus, the Chief, I found that a new assignment awaited us. "Dur Nal, I'm sorry to send you right back out into space," Lacq Larus told me, "but there's a job to be done." "What is it, sir?" I asked. "A little meteor-sweeping to be done?"