The Raiders of Saturn's RingGallun, Raymond Z. (Raymond Zinke)
Science
The Raiders of Saturn's Ring
Gallun, Raymond Z. (Raymond Zinke)
Science fiction; Titan (Satellite) -- Fiction; War stories
THE RAIDERS OF SATURN'S RING
By RAYMOND Z. GALLUN
Only one man could save Titan's Earth colony
from the merciless legions of the furred
Callistans. But between Ron Leiccsen and his
goal lay Saturn's whirling, deadly Rings.
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Planet Stories Fall 1941.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
Everywhere in Leiccsenland the farms were burning. Silvery Callistan
ships, slim arrows of destruction, flew above the countryside
methodically. Splendid grain and hay crops were blazing. Barns and
dwellings, too.
The thin, clear air trailed streamers of blue smoke, that blurred the
ringed globe of monster Saturn, visible at the horizon, above the
craggy surrounding hills.
The Earth-Colony here on Titan, largest of Saturn's satellites, seemed
doomed. The invaders were firing everything they could reach.
Angry farmers were gathered in front of the Community Bank in
Leiccsendale. Old Arne Reynaud, who kept a great orchard and
flower-garden beyond the village outskirts, stood on the concrete steps
of the bank building, and shouted to the assembled group of bitter
faces.
"Twenty-three Earth-years, Terrestrials have been here in
Leiccsenland!" he shrilled grimly. "Ain't nobody gonna drive us out
now! Not even these damned Callistans from their moon back Jupiter-way!
Titan, so far from the sun, was a frozen world when we came. Its water
was ice. Even its air lay in frozen snowdrifts in the awful cold!
We slaved and starved and spent almost every cent we had, getting
started here! Setting up Bart Mallory's atomic sun-ray towers, to make
the climate warm! Cultivating the soil, that hadn't had any life in it
for a billion years, since Saturn cooled too much to radiate any heat
to Titan! Bringing in seeds and cattle and hogs! Even bumble-bees to
pollinate the flowers! Ain't no dirty, fuzzy Callistan devils gonna
take Titan away from us now! We made us a little heaven, here, with the
sweat of our brows! And we're gonna keep it! Ain't no--"
Arne Reynaud got this far in his speech, his shrill, scratchy old voice
vibrant with mingled grief and wild determination. But just then a
second voice, from the rear of the little crowd, cut in like a whetted
knife-blade, keen and caustic and condemning:
"Shut up, Reynaud! That Iron-Made language of yours is completely out
of place, now! It only makes things worse! So, for God's sake, shut up!
Stop talking like a damned fool!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account