Out Around Rigel Read online

gone, the center of the nebula only afaint wisp. There were no clouds to give the colors of sunrise, but abluish-white radiance seemed to be trembling on the eastern horizon.

  And then, like a shot, Rigel came up into the sky. The light and heatstruck me like something solid, and I turned away. Even with my suitreflecting most of the light away, I felt noticeably warm. The _Comet_shone like a blinding mirror, so that it was almost impossible to seeGarth on the plain below it. Stumbling, and shielding my eyes with myhand, I made my way toward him.

  He was standing erect, in his hands two old Lunarian dueling swords.There was hate in his voice as the radio brought it in my ears.

  "Dunal, only one of us is going back to the moon."

  * * * * *

  I stared. Was the heat getting him? "Hadn't we better go inside," I saidquietly and somewhat soothingly.

  He made no reply, but only held out one of the hilts. I took it dumbly.In that instant he could have struck my head from my body, if he wished.

  "But, Garth, old friend--"

  "No friend to you. You shall win Kelvar now, or I. I'm giving you asporting chance. One of your light cuts letting the fluorine inside willbe as deadly as anything I can do. The one who goes back will tell of anaccident, making repairs out in space. Damn you, if you don't want me tokill you where you stand, come on and fight."

  "Garth, you've gone mad."

  "I've been waiting ever since I got you to leave the moon. On guard!"

  With a rush of anger I was upon him. He tried to step back, stumbled,had one knee on the ground, then hurled himself forward with a thrust atmy waist that I dodged only by an inch. I had to cover, and in spite ofmyself, with the cool work of parrying, my animosity began to disappear.

  And so began one of the strangest battles that the Universe has seen.Lumbering with our suits and the extra gravity, we circled each otherunder the blazing sky. The blue-white of Rigel shimmered off our suitsand the arcs of our blades as we cut and guarded--each wary now,realizing that a touch meant death. As that terrible sun climbed upwardin the sky, its heat was almost overpowering. The sweat poured off everyinch of my body, and I gasped for breath. And still we fought on, twoglittering metal monsters under the big blue star sweeping up to itsnoon.

  * * * * *

  I knew now that I could never kill Garth. I could not go back to Kelvarwith his blood. Yet if I simply defended, sooner or later he would wearme down. There was just one chance. If I could disarm him, I couldwrestle him into submission. Then he might be reasonable, or I couldtake him home bound.

  I began leading for the opening I wanted, but with no result. He seemedresolved to tire me out. Either I must carry the fight to him, or Iwould be beaten down. I made a wide opening, counting on dodging hisslow stroke. I did, but he recovered too soon. Again on the other side,with no better result. Still again, just getting in for a light tap onGarth's helmet. Then I stepped back, with guard low, and this time hecame on. His sword rose in a gleaming arc and hung high for a moment. Ihad him. There were sparks of clashing, locked steel.

  "Damn you, Dunal!" He took a great step back, narrowly keeping hisbalance on the sand. On another chance, I would trip him. My ears werealmost deafened by his roar, "Come on and _fight_."

  I took a step in and to the side, and had him in the sun. He swungblindly, trying to cover himself with his whirling point but I had halfa dozen openings to rip his suit. When he moved to try to see, I wouldlock with him again. I watched his feet.

  And as I watched, I saw an incredible thing. Near one of Garth's feetthe sand was moving. It was not a slide caused by his weight;rather--why, it was being pushed up from below. There was a little hump,and suddenly it had burst open, and a stringy mass like seaweed wascrawling toward his leg.

  "Look out, Garth," I yelled.

  * * * * *

  How he could see through that terrible sun I do not know, but Garthswung through my forgotten guard with a blow square across my helmetglass. The force threw me to the ground, and I looked up, dazed. Theberyllium glass had not broken to let in the fluorine-filled air, butGarth was standing over me.

  "That's your last trick, Dunal." His blade rose for the kill.

  I was unable even to get up, but with one hand I pointed to the ground.

  "Look!" I shouted again, and on the instant the thing wound itselfaround Garth's foot.

  He swung down, hacking it loose. I had got to my feet. "Run for theship," I cried, and started off.

  "Not that way."

  I looked back, and saw that I had run in the wrong direction. But itmade no difference. Over a whole circle around us the sand was rising,and directly between us and the _Comet_ there was a great green-brownmass. We were surrounded.

  We stood staring at the creatures. Spread out to full dimensions, eachone made a sphere about four feet in diameter. In the center, a solidmass whose outlines were difficult to discern; and spreading out fromthis a hundred long, thin, many-jointed arms or legs or branches orwhatever one could call them.

  The things were not yet definitely hostile--only their circle, ofperhaps fifty yards radius, grew continually thicker and moreimpenetrable. Within the enclosed area, the only ripples we could see inthe sand were heading outward. There was to be no surprise attack frombelow, at least; only one in mass. What, I wondered, might be a sign offriendship, to persuade them to let us go.

  * * * * *

  And then the circle began to close in. The things rolled over and overon themselves, like gigantic tumbleweeds. At one point, to the right ofthe direct route to the _Comet_, the line seemed thinner. I pointed theplace out to Garth.

  "Break through there, and make a run for it."

  We charged into the midst of them with swinging blades. The verysuddenness of our rush carried us half-way through their midst. Thensomething had my legs from behind. I almost fell, but succeeded inturning and cutting myself free. The creatures from the other side ofthe circle must have made the hundred yards in four or five seconds. Andthe rest had now covered the breach in front. It was hopeless.

  And so we stood back to back, hewing out a circle of protection againstour enemies. They seemed to have no fear, and in spite of thedestruction our blades worked among them, they almost overcame us bysheer numbers and weight. It was a case of whirling our swords back andforth interminably in the midst of their tentacles. Against the light,the long arms were a half-transparent brown. Our swords broke them inbright shivers. Formed from the predominant silicon of the planet, thecreatures were living glass!

  For perhaps a quarter of an hour we were in the thick of them, hewinguntil I thought my arms must fall, slashing and tearing at the ones thathad got underfoot and were clamping their tentacles around our legs.Only for the space-suits, we should have, by this time, been overpoweredand torn into bits--and yet these garments could not be expected to holdindefinitely.

  * * * * *

  But at last there was a breathing space. The crippled front ranksdragged themselves away, and there was left around us a brief area ofsand, covered with coruscating splinters of glass. Garth got the breathto say something or other encouraging. It was like old days at school.

  Only this time the odds were all against us. We were still a goodhundred yards from the _Comet_, and in our path stood a solid wall ofthe creatures. Even if we got free, they could outrace us to the goal.And with our limited strength, we could not hope to kill them all. In aminute or two, they would attack us again.

  Somehow we must fight our way as long as we lasted. Perhaps they mightbe frightened. We threw ourselves at the side next our goal. The linegave perhaps a yard, then stiffened, and we found ourselves swallowed upin a thick cloud of brown smoke.

  Poison gas! It must be shot out of their bodies, at a cost so great thatit was kept as a last resort. Through the rolling vapor it was justpossible to see our opponents, but they made no forward move. They we
rewaiting for us to be overcome. Suppose their compound could eat througheven our helio-beryllium? But it did not. We were safe.

  "Stand still, Garth," I whispered, counting on the radio to carry myvoice. "Let them think we're dead, and then give them a surprise."

  "All right."

  Long, long minutes.... If only they did not know that it was thecustomary thing for a dead man to fall.... Slowly they began to move in.

  Then Garth and I were upon them. They halted as if stupefied. We hadhacked our way half through their mass. The rest fled, and we beganrunning toward the _Comet_, praying that we might reach the ship beforethey could get organized again. How we floundered through the sand inwild and desperate haste.

  * * * * *

  Before we had covered half the distance, the pursuit began. There was noattempt to drag us down directly, but the two wings raced past to cut usoff in front. At the base of the little