The Devolutionist and the EmancipatrixFlint, Homer Eon
Science
The Devolutionist and the Emancipatrix
Flint, Homer Eon
Life on other planets -- Fiction; Science fiction
But otherwise it was wonderfully like a drone bee. Van Emmon was
strongly reminded of what he had once viewed under a powerful lens.
The fragile semitransparent wings, the misshapen legs, and even the
jointed body with its scale-like segments, all were carefully
duplicated on a large scale. Imagine a bee thirty feet long!
At first the geologist was puzzled to find that it carried a pair of
many-jointed antennae. He could not see how any intelligent being
would make use of them; they were continually waving about, much as
bees wave theirs. Evidently these were the loose objects he had
already noted. "Now," he wondered, "why in thunder did the builders
go to so much trouble for the sake of mere realism?"
Then he saw that the antennae served a very real purpose. There was
no doubt about it; they were wireless antennae!
For presently the newcomer, who so far had not shown himself at any
point on his machine, sent out a message which was read as quickly
as it was received by Van Emmon's agent, and as unconsciously
translated:
"Number Eight Hundred Four, you are wanted on Plot Seventeen."
Whereupon Van Emmon's unknown assistant replied at once:
"Very well, Superior."
It was done by means of an extremely faint humming device, reminding
the geologist of certain wireless apparata he had heard. Not a word
was actually spoken by either Sanusian.
Van Emmon kept a close watch upon the conning tower on the other
machine. The sun was shining upon it in such a fashion that its
gleam made inspection very difficult. Once he fancied that he could
make out a short, compact figure within the "eye"; but he could not
be sure. The glass, or whatever it was, reflected everything within
range.
Was the airman a quadruped? Did he sit or stand upright, like a man?
Or did he use all four limbs, animal-fashion? Van Emmon had to admit
that he could not tell; no wonder he didn't guess the truth.
Shortly after receiving the summons, the geologist's agent changed
his direction slightly; and within ten minutes the machine was
passing over a large grain field. On the far edge was a row of
trees, and it was toward this that the Sanusian proceeded to
volplane, presently coming to another nausea-producing stop. Once
more Van Emmon was temporarily helpless.
When he could look again, he saw that the machine had landed upon a
steep slope, this time with its nose pointing upward. Far above was
what looked like a cave, with a growth of some queer, black grass on
its upper rim. The craft commenced to move upward, over a smooth,
dark tan surface.
In half a minute the machine had reached the top of the slope, and
the geologist looked eagerly for what might lie within the cave. He
was disappointed; it was not a cave at all. Instead, another brown
slope, or rather a bulging precipice, occupied this depression.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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