United States or Saint Barthélemy ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
The planetoid of the captive sun. That little hunk of bare rock out there is the first spot the Lhari visited in this galaxy even before Mentor. It's an inferno of light from that little blue-white sun, so of course they love it it's just like home to them. When they found that the inner planets of Antares were inhabited, they built their spaceport here, so they'd have a better chance at trade."
If we had encountered even a planetoid at that enormous rate, we would probably have been annihilated in white-hot death. But we had planned well, and there are no superiors to our stellar mechanics, our astronomers, our scientists.
"Several million stars," replied Evans in a lower voice. "And " His tone became suddenly severe. "Assistant Murphy, remember your manners when addressing your superior officer. I've a mind to report you." A flaming head of hair topping a grinning face poked around the edge of the door. "Lower your wavelength, lower your wavelength! You may think you're a sun, but you're just a planetoid.
And was there, or was there not, a lesser eruption upon the other side an almost imperceptible flash, as though something had shot from the doomed planetoid out into space? Nerado's looped neck straightened convulsively as his tortured drivers whined and shrieked at the terrific overload; but Roger's effort was far too intense to be long maintained.
Instantly the fleet abandoned the attack upon the planetoid and swung its cone around, to bring the flame-erupting axis to bear upon the inchoate something dimly perceptible to the ultra-vision of the Secret Service observers. Furiously the gigantic composite beam of the massed fleet was hurled, nor was it alone.
It was only a little larger than the one he had used to come here. It dropped down to the surface of the small planetoid only ten meters from the hidden trapdoor that led to the air lock beneath the surface. He could suddenly hear voices in the earphones of his helmet. Lasser? It's me, Fritz. I got your supplies and good news. The air lock trapdoor opened, and a spacesuited figure came out.
It again launched its stupendous cylinder of annihilation, but even as the mighty defensive screens of the planetoid flared into incandescently furious defense, the battle was interrupted and pirates and Triplanetarians learned alike that they were not alone in the ether.
From the charts of the recorders we can compute their fields of force, and from that point it is only a step to their method of liberating the energy. We shall build robots. They shall build other robots, who shall in turn construct another planetoid; one this time that, wielding the theoretical maximum of power, will be suited to my needs." "And where will you build it? We are marked.
The coordinates were taped into the computers of the waiting Patrol ship, as the preparations for launching were made. It could not be coincidence. Somewhere on the surface of that tiny planetoid racing in toward the Sun they knew they would find Roger Hunter's secret. Below them, as they watched, the jagged surface of the asteroid drew closer.
Of course we are a long way out of the orbit this planetoid followed, due to the effect of the time apparatus, but we can note where it is, and we'll be able to find it when we want it," said Arcot, seated at the great control board now. There were no buttons now, or visible controls; all was mental.
Word Of The Day