"The scientists must not awaken until we have the robots under our
command. By giving each scientist a heavy dose of Vanadol, enough for
weeks of sleep, we circumvent the antidote for sleep-freeze. It's
this way: when we land, the mechanism within each robot timed for
release on arrival, activates them for their one and only task, the
administration of anti-sleep freeze, but since each scientist will
have been thoroughly drugged with Vanadol, they'll be released from
sleep-freeze, but will continue to sleep under the powerful narcotic.
The robots then will be given such commands as we decide on, and will
be entirely answerable to us three only. They will facilitate immensely
the task of making Europa truly habitable, and since they are almost
indestructible, will be the most valuable of all weapons. Let's get
busy, if there's enough Vanadol, we've won the first round after all!"
Presently the Martian returned, "There's tons of the stuff," he
announced. Mark had to explain all over again.
VI
"Panadur!" Mark Lynn breathed softly as he glanced at the stark
grandeur of Europa from one of the glassite ports. It was night. The
macabre glow of Jupiter's Red Spot enveloped the satellite in a red
opaline haze that made the vari-colored cliffs gleam with twisted
flames in deep crimson and orange and purple. Over all, an eternal
mantle of snow lay like frozen spume. Mark opened his hand and looked
at the jewel he held. It was pulsing now with a fiery radiance.
The great spacer was lying in the cup-shaped hollow of the immense
valley, resting on the blanketing snow, just as once before, a
tiny cruiser had rested crippled in the fantastic Europan night.
But it was different then. Mark remembered his chilling awe at the
Dantesque panorama, and his shock when Jim Brannigan had found life
on Europa, the strange, exquisitely furred bipeds with slender arms
and six-fingered hands. He had thought them animals then, despite the
bright intelligence shining in the beryl-eyes of the creatures. But
he'd learned differently in time, when Jim had crushed his skull from
behind, and the Panadurs had saved him by absorbing Jim's life-energy
and transferring it to him while he lay unconscious. That was the
miracle, that the metabolism of the Panadurs could absorb energy from
any source and transfer it at will. They were telepathic, and their
leader had given him the jewel to facilitate communication if Mark ever
returned.
It was like the remembrance of a dream, to have the past pass in review
through his mind as he methodically donned his allurium suit, and
turned on the heating unit.
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