The Flame-Worms of Yokku by Hal K Read online

  Amazing Stories, March, 1933

  The Flame-Worms of Yokku

  by Hal K. Wells

  ITHIN the central lounge-room of

  his tall body. Wheeler’s dark head barely

  the

  Falcon—space-yacht from reached Larsen’s shoulder, but his stocky W earth bound for the cyllogen mines body had the spreading shoulders and massive of Uranus—three men faced each other in a

  chest of one of earth’s ancient wrestlers.

  tense tableau of smoldering menace.

  The third member of the trio was Dalo

  The

  Falcon

  belonged

  to the two earth-

  Yok, Martian navigator of the Falcon. In any men in the little group—Eric Larsen and Bart

  physical combat either Larsen or Wheeler

  Wheeler. They were interplanetary could have broken Dalo Yok’s thin body in adventurers, whose close friendship had been

  half. Yet for the moment they stood helplessly sealed by perils mutually shared on every at bay before the menace of the acid-gun in habitable world in the solar system. Both were the blue-skinned Martian’s hand. Its spurting magnificent physical specimens.

  jet of acid-mist would crumble flesh and bone Larsen, blond as his distant Viking into steaming liquid, like butter melting before forebears, had the lithe strength of a tiger in the thrust of a white-hot poker.

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  Larsen’s eyes were fixed upon Dalo

  “Do you remember how your scientists

  Yok’s face, trying to fathom the reason for

  of earth laughed down Ran Yok’s claims after

  this utterly unexpected attack. During the he came hurtling in, dying and alone, from his twelve months that the Martian had been their great voyage into outer space? They said that navigator he had always been loyal, quiet, and his story was the mere fantasy of a dying

  as coldly efficient as an automaton. Those

  madman, and the rest of the solar system

  were the very qualities that made Martians in believed them. Ran Yok’s memory became a

  such great demand as space-navigators. laughingstock. It is left to me, son of Ran Combat and the other more adventurous Yok, to vindicate the vanished honor of the phases of exploration were left to the warmer-House of Yok.

  blooded races of Earth and Venus.

  “The chance for that vindication is

  On the present trip Dalo Yok had now at my hand. The Falcon shall follow Ran remained quietly in his quarters in the Yok’s historic trail, on beyond Uranus, navigating-room forward until barely two beyond Neptune, and on for two billion miles minutes ago, when he had come charging more through the black void of outer space, suddenly back into the lounge, confronting

  until we find again the lost dead sun of

  Larsen and Wheeler with his acid-gun and

  Yokku.”

  gibbering away in guttural Martian like a

  The Martian drew a small silken flag

  madman. In that excited flow of words the

  from his belt-pouch and shook its folds free

  bewildered earth-men had been able only to

  for the earth-men to see the intricate

  make out repeated references to “Yokku, lost

  monogram of ancient Martian script

  dead sun of Ran Yok.”

  embroidered in gold against a black

  Larsen’s gaze studied Dalo Yok’s face

  background.

  only briefly before he found that which he was

  “The banner of the mighty House of

  seeking. The reason for the Martian’s sudden

  Yok!” he shouted exultantly. “We shall plant

  outburst was clearly written in the slight it upon the loftiest peak of Yokku. There it greenish tinge of his yellow eyes and the

  shall proclaim to the entire Universe that Ran peculiar oily sheen of his blue-skinned face.

  Yok was neither liar nor madman, but the

  Those physical signs mean only one thing.

  greatest space explorer of all worlds and all Dalo Yok had been chewing luhna weed, the time!

  forbidden narcotic plant of Mars, which for

  “But enough of this!” Dalo Yok

  the time being drives its devotees thoroughly checked his harangue abruptly. “I am wasting

  and hopelessly insane.

  valuable time.” He gestured imperiously with

  Dalo Yok snarled as he met Larsen’s

  the barrel of his weapon toward the closed

  steady gaze. He abruptly shifted his tirade

  metal door behind them. “In the cage-room,

  from Martian to English.

  Earth-men. There you can remain safely out of

  “Earth-men, no longer are you masters

  my way until we land on Yokku. Hurry—I

  of the Falcon, ” he boasted. “From now on I have work to do.”

  shall dictate our course, and it will be a course A glance of swift relief passed

  that but one other man in all history has ever between Larsen and Wheeler. This was a

  dared travel. We go to seek the lost dead sun better break than they had dared hope for. The of Ran Yok—that fire-ringed world of cage-room—a bare steel cell used mystery to which he gave the name of Yokku.

  occasionally for transporting live animal

  I have the charts which everyone believed

  specimens from other planets—had a new

  were lost with Ran Yok’s death.

  feature of which Dalo Yok knew nothing.

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  3

  The heavy door of the cage-room in space, far beyond the known limits of the locked automatically and until recently could solar system, there was a dwarf companion to

  only be opened from the outside. But while

  the sun—not merely another planet, but a

  the ship was in repair dock on earth a month

  small dark sun warmed by the smoldering

  ago the accidental closing of the door had

  remnants of its own original fires, and

  made a prisoner of Wheeler for nearly twenty-

  possibly with portions of its surface-crust

  four hours before he was finally found. He and habitable by living beings.

  Larsen had promptly done away with any

  It was plausible enough as a theory. A

  future danger of that kind, by installing number of men had advanced it before Ran auxiliary mechanism that allowed the lock to

  Yok. The great majority of stars have stellar be opened from the inside by anyone who

  companions, and there was no particular

  knew the combination.

  reason why the sun should be a freak hermit.

  Trying to keep from seeming too It was admitted that a small solar companion, suspiciously acquiescent, Larsen and Wheeler

  even though self-luminous to a considerable

  retreated backward to the cage-room, followed degree, could exist far out in space and never by Dalo Yok with alertly leveled gun. A be discovered telescopically.

  moment later they were inside the cell and the But Ran Yok went farther than mere

  door clicked shut and locked after them.

  theory. He claimed to have charted the dwarf

  Wheeler promptly reached a hand companion’s actual position, two billion miles toward the new mechanism to unlock the beyond Neptune’s orbit. He offered a maze of door, but Larsen quickly stopped him.

  figures to support his assertion, but after a

  “Not to
o fast, Bart,” he whispered. cursory glimpse at them the leading scientists

  “Wait till we’re sure Dalo Yok has left the

  of both earth and Mars dismissed Ran Yok’s

  lounge. He’ll have to return to the navigating-claims as being too vaguely theoretical to even room to start the bow-generators for the merit consideration.

  propulsion rays, if he’s going to swing us

  Ran Yok then tried to induce space

  around Uranus. When we feel the vibration of

  explorers to voyage out into the uncharted

  the generators starting, we can sneak out and void in search of the dead sun, but he failed stalk him. Till then, let’s get away from this utterly. Space travel within the bounds of the door. He might take a peek in through the

  solar system itself was scarcely a century old.

  observation-panel and get suspicious.”

  To leave the familiar realm of the known

  Wheeler shrugged his shoulders in planets and go hurtling out two billion miles reluctant assent to the wisdom of Larsen’s

  into the black void of interstellar space in

  plan, and followed him over to the opposite

  search of a tiny dim world whose very

  wall. They sprawled as comfortably as they

  existence had yet to be proved—that was a

  could on the bare metal floor, silently waiting proposition before which even the hardiest of for the vibration of the generators.

  space explorers frankly quailed.

  Larsen’s thoughts were busy with

  Finally in sheer desperation Ran Yok

  memories conjured up by Dalo Yok’s mention

  secured a spaceship himself and with three

  of Yokku and Ran Yok. Five years ago—back

  companions set out. Six months later his ship in the Summer of 2149—both of those names

  came roaring in out of the Martian sky and

  had figured sensationally in the news of the

  crashed to the ground completely out of

  day.

  control. Opening the wreck, investigators

  Ran Yok, an obscure Martian found Ran Yok’s three companions gone and astronomer, had advanced the theory that out

  Ran Yok himself a raving madman who

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  screamed incessantly of “Worms—flame-

  luhna jag, and finally got himself hopped up worms—giant flame-worms of Yokku!”

  to the point where he had enough courage to

  He was so badly injured that he died

  try his hare-brained—”

  while they were removing him from the

  Larsen broke off abruptly as the metal

  wreckage. It was believed at that time that his floor suddenly began the vibration that told of charts and calculations had perished with him.

  the generators being started. Dalo Yok was

  The ship’s log was nearly destroyed in the

  safely back in the navigating-room.

  crash, but one of the few entries remaining

  The two men quickly rose to their feet

  legible seemed to indicate that Ran Yok had

  and started for the door. They had barely taken actually found the sun’s dwarf companion—a

  the first step when they detected the telltale strange habitable little world lighted and odor of burnt cinnamon. Their startled glance heated by a ring of fire encircling it—and had up at the ventilator high in the forward wall given it the name of Yokku.

  showed a pale amber mist streaming down

  For a brief time Ran Yok became a

  into the air of the little room. Lethygen—the popular hero in the sensational press. Then his instantaneous and perfect anaesthetic!

  story gradually crumbled before the cold logic With faces blanched in consternation,

  of Earth’s scientists, who pointed out that Ran they flung themselves forward in a last

  Yok was a totally inexperienced space desperate lunge for the door. But midway in explorer, and that there was not a shred of

  their rush their muscles collapsed under them actual proof that his entire story of Yokku was and they crashed helplessly to the floor.

  not a mere figment of a madman’s disordered

  The lethygen apparatus in the

  brain.

  ventilator was for use when animals in the

  In the reaction that followed, Ran cage-room became too violent. Under the Yok’s story was completely discredited. The

  influence of the amber mist a victim could be most commonly accepted belief regarding his

  kept in a state of suspended animation for

  tragic voyage finally came to be that he had

  weeks at a time. The release switch for the

  really landed upon some remote part of the

  lethygen was in the navigating-room. Dalo

  solar system—possibly one of the three Yok had apparently turned it on to rid himself unexplored moons of Jupiter. Losing his three of any further bother with his prisoners during companions in some tragedy there, his brain

  the trip.

  had given way under the shock and he had

  Larsen’s last conscious thought was

  headed back home, a pathetic madman with a

  one of sheer horror at the situation in which he

  “Yokku” obsession.

  and Wheeler were now placed—helpless

  Wheeler broke in upon Larsen’s prisoners lying there in a stupor of living-thoughts. “Too bad we didn’t know Dalo was

  death, while the space-ship hurtled on toward old Ran Yok’s son. There must be a taint of

  the unknown void of outer space, with only

  lunacy in the whole family.”

  the mad whims of a drug-crazed Martian to

  “We had no reason to guess it,” Larsen

  direct its flight. Then every thought faded

  answered. “Yok is a common enough family

  from Larsen’s brain in the final oblivion of the name on Mars. I wonder how long he’s been

  lethygen.

  brooding over his father’s wrongs and trying

  to plan a way to seize the Falcon? Probably HE struggled slowly, back to consciousness

  ever since he’s been with us, but never quite with a vague impression that something was

  got nerve enough up to really start things.

  wrong in his surroundings. He opened his eyes Then this trip he indulged in a private little and saw that the floor was sloping at an angle

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  5

  that had slid both himself and Wheeler down

  air-lock with an expression of frank

  against one wall. The Falcon had obviously

  amazement upon his deeply tanned face.

  landed somewhere, and the landing had been

  “Looks like that Martian idiot did just

  so badly botched that the ship now rested

  what he threatened to do about taking us to

  nearly over on one side.

  Yokku!” he announced grimly. “There’s the

  Wheeler was already awake. The two

  ring of fire in the sky that old Ran Yok wrote men clambered stiffly to their feet. A about in his log, and from what I can see of moment’s manipulation of the door’s the stars we’re somewhere out about two mechanism released the lock. They crept billion miles beyond Neptune. We must have cautiously out and advanced through the been in that lethygen sleep for weeks.”

  deserted lounge toward the navigating-room.

  “Did you see anything of Dalo Yok?”

  Their first glance inside showed them that

  Larsen demanded anxiously.

  caution was no longer necessary. Dalo Yok

  “Sure. I looked out just as he was

  had left the Falcon. Both the inner and outer passing out of sight through a gap in the
cliffs.

  doors of the air-lock were still slightly ajar He’s so full of luhna now he could hardly

  where the Martian had gone out.

  walk. Why so anxious about him? There’s no

  Wheeler entered the air-lock to look

  particular hurry in going after him.”

  outside for Dalo Yok. Larsen made a hurried,

  “Oh, yes, there is!” Larsen answered

  anxious examination of the intricate control

  grimly. He pointed to where the anode-bar

  panels and mechanisms in the navigating-

  was missing. “We’ve no reserve bar to replace room, to see how badly damaged they had

  that one, and no possible chance of getting

  been in the Falcon’s landing. It had been the one, if we’re out beyond reach of solar system jar of the landing that had put the cage-room supply-depots. We’ve got to catch Dalo Yok

  lethygen apparatus out of commission, for the before something happens to both him and the

  switch was still in the “on” position. A few

  bar. Otherwise we may be marooned here for

  other minor connections in the navigating-

  the rest of our lives.”

  room were broken, but Larsen found no

  As he spoke Larsen was already

  serious injury anywhere.

  handing down full equipment for their belt-

  Then suddenly he discovered harnesses from the racks in the room. He something that brought a smothered gasp of

  passed up the acid-guns because their range

  dismay to his lips. The anode-bar in the was too short for effective outdoor work, but central control panel was gone. The six-inch

  included nitrolite pistols, selithium tubes,

  piece of intricately fashioned marabite metal hand-axes, plenty of reserve ammunition, and

  had been clumsily disconnected from its even a tin each of concentrated food capsules.