EVANS OF THE EARTH-GUARD By Edmond Hamilton Read online

  Air Wonder Stories, April, 1930

  Air Wonder Stories

  2

  LL Earth-Guard rockets

  its half-hundred men had been hurtling toward

  attention! One-man rocket Pallas

  earth after its weary week’s vigil in space,

  “A speaking. Am pursued by pirate before this call had come.

  rocket believed to be that of the Hawk! I am

  And weary enough indeed was the

  running toward earth on space-lane 18, now in

  vigil that the rocket ships of the Earth-Guard

  zone 44-6, but am being rapidly overtaken!”

  kept around the earth and its moon, and had

  As the clear voice came from the kept up for more than fifty years. More than radiophone before him, Captain Wright Evans

  fifty years it had been since, back in 1954, the

  slammed over the reply-switch and shouted

  first crude rocket had thundered out from earth

  back into it.

  into the great void toward its shining satellite.

  “Earth-Guard Rocket 283 answering.

  Neither that first rocket nor the twenty-first

  Standing toward you at top speed instantly!”

  had reached their goal, but the next one had.

  Then he was up and bursting into the

  Thus had begun the commerce that

  great rocket ship’s squat little pilot-house, now filled all the space-lanes between the where a man seated at the controls turned

  earth and moon. In their first flame of

  inquiringly to him.

  exploration, men had headed out toward the

  “Full speed ahead, Calden!” he cried.

  nearer planets, too, but they had found them

  “The Hawk’s out again and after a one-man

  unapproachable because of the fierce guard

  rocket not a thousand miles ahead—it’s our

  maintained by their strange peoples. Every

  chance to get him at last!”

  ship that had sought to explore another planet

  “Full speed it is,” rejoined Calden had been annihilated on reaching it and we calmly, his hands flashing forth to flick down

  had finally realized that our planetary

  a half-score of the banked shining levers neighbors were guarding fiercely their before him.

  isolation.

  Instantly the great ship lurched and

  trembled as, from its rear, came thunderous

  THERE had remained to earth only its own

  explosion on explosion. In a moment every

  moon. But that had become swiftly a lure to

  one of its rear-tubes was firing, and the speed-

  all adventurous earthlings. Upon the moon’s

  dial’s arrow was creeping steadily forward

  other side were great mines in which men,

  until in a few minutes more it registered the

  dwelling in air-tight cities and toiling in

  ship’s top speed of ten thousand miles an

  hermetically-tight metal suits, worked the rare

  hour. The long gleaming craft, stubby of nose

  metals and minerals in which earth’s satellite

  and stern and fully five hundred feet in length,

  abounded. And upon the moon’s earthward

  was like a giant projectile, as it tore through

  side were other great air-tight cities, glass-

  the void, belching fire behind it.

  roofed and luxurious, to which went each year

  From the squat pilot-house set atop it,

  hundreds of thousands of the earth’s

  Evans and Calden gazed ahead. The great gray

  wealthy—there to spend their vacations—

  disk of earth filled a quarter of the heavens

  enjoying the wondrous celestial views, the

  before them, the outline of its continents and

  astounding strength and youth given them by

  seas visible here and there through its shifting

  the moon’s lesser gravity, and the chance to

  screen of clouds. Behind them the moon’s

  view the earth from the outside.

  silvery sphere was dwindling rapidly, as they

  So that there had grown gradually the

  had seen it dwindle now for hours. It was

  commerce that kept endless streams of ships

  hours that the great Earth-Guard rocket with

  moving between earth and moon—great and

  Evans of the Earth-Guard

  3

  luxurious passenger-craft laden with the muffled cheer came up from the gun-rooms wealthy and powerful of earth; and sleek beneath “They’re on their toes, evidently,” he private ships bound like the others for the

  commented. “They’re as crazy to get their

  luxurious lunar cities. Bulky and battered hands on the Hawk as you are.”

  cargo-rockets had their own space-lanes,

  Evans made no answer but started

  carrying metals and minerals to the earth, and

  ahead with teeth clenched upon his lower lip,

  returning with loads of supplies and tanks of

  glancing over now and then at the dials that

  the liquid rocket-fuel to the moon.

  recorded the rocket’s position between earth

  It was inevitable that all this traffic

  and moon. This recording was automatic,

  should need regulating, and so there had been

  being dependent on the change in the

  formed the Earth-Guard, an organization gravitational power of the two bodies. Evans corresponding to the old Coast-Guards of the

  saw by them now that the rocket was hurtling

  nations, but controlled by an international into the very zone in which the Pallas had commission of earth’s powers. The Earth-reported itself.

  Guard boasted five hundred gleaming rockets

  that patrolled ceaselessly the space between

  HE reached to turn a knob and there clicked

  and around the earth and moon, enforcing

  up into position against the lenses set in the

  peace with their electric guns and guarding the

  pilot-house window two long metal tubes with

  lunar commerce.

  eye-pieces that formed powerful binoculars.

  For there were those against whom it

  Gazing ahead through these he kept watch,

  must be guarded—space-pirates who dashed

  while with fingers on the firing-levers of the

  forth from time to time from hidden bases on

  rocket’s tubes Calden kept them steady on

  earth or moon to harry and hold up in the void

  their course. Minutes passed before Evans

  the rich lunar commerce. The boldest and uttered a cry.

  most dreaded of them all was that swift and

  “They’re just ahead!” he exclaimed.

  flashing corsair of the void known to all on

  Then, into the tube— “All batteries ready,

  earth and moon alike as the Hawk, and who

  Hartley, and use the port guns when we bank.”

  for years had been the despair of all the Earth-

  “Lord, look at that fellow!” breathed

  Guard.

  Calden as he too stared ahead. “He sure can

  “Lord, if we can get him!” Evans was

  handle a rocket—the Hawk can’t get his guns


  praying as he gazed out of a port hole from the

  on him!”

  hurtling ship’s pilot-house. “I get so tired of

  Far ahead of them in the void the scene

  jabs about him that I’d lose an arm to get

  of combat to which they had been summoned

  him.”

  was rushing into view. A tiny and shining one-

  “Well, everyone’s turn comes sooner

  man rocket was dodging and twisting and

  or later in that game,” philosophized Calden.

  circling in space, with its firing-tubes flaming

  “It may be the Hawk’s now.”

  first on one end and then on the other to keep

  Evans pulled a speaking-tube toward

  it in an ever-changing course. And around it,

  him and shouted down into it over the roar of

  like a great grim pike rushing a shining chub,

  the rocket’s explosions. “Hartley? Put full was circling and swooping a long dead-black crews on all the electric guns and have them

  rocket of the same size almost as the Earth-

  stand ready for action. Yes. And tell them it’s

  Guard craft. It was the dreaded black rocket of

  the Hawk we’re after this time—it’ll put them

  the Hawk, reputed the swiftest craft in space.

  on their toes.”

  The grim black rocket, whirling and

  Calden grinned as a moment later a

  dipping with a swiftness of maneuver

  Air Wonder Stories

  4

  astounding in a ship of its size, was one swift swoop and blow it had flashed off endeavoring to bring the twisting little craft

  the space-lane into the uncharted void, and

  that evaded it into the line of its guns. As their

  they glimpsed it only as a dwindling point of

  own ship thundered down on the scene, Evans

  fire that vanished in the next instant.

  and Calden saw the one side of the Hawk’s

  Evans, filled by a blind fury, whirled

  rocket stabbing forth a half-score slender jets

  to give Calden the order that would send them

  of blue fire as its electric-guns blasted toward

  in wild pursuit, but checked himself as he

  the smaller craft. But the latter had shot realized, despite his rage, the futility of such a upward in time to avoid the fire, and in the

  pursuit. Once out of sight, the Hawk in his

  next moment the Earth-Guard rocket was immensely swift rocket could laugh at all rushing down upon the ebon attacker.

  pursuit, as he had laughed many times. His

  “Fire!” As Hartley’s voice below face a study of conflicting emotions, Evans shouted the order, the Earth-Guard ship turned back toward his second-officer.

  poured a deadly fire toward the black rocket

  “Back to our regular course on the

  of the Hawk. But at the very instant of firing,

  space-lane,” he ordered wearily. “He’s got

  with a swiftness born of a hundred space-

  away again.”

  fights, the Hawk’s rocket had shot upward.

  Silently Calden headed the great Earth-

  “Missed him!” Calden cried. “Look Guard rocket again toward the great disk of out—he’s tailing—!”

  earth. But in a moment he motioned toward

  “Over quick!” Evans exclaimed. “Let

  something outside and above them. “It’s the

  him have the stern guns, Hartley!”

  rocket the Hawk was attacking,” he said.

  For in the instant after shooting “He’s signaling” for a contact.”

  upward to avoid their fire, the rocket of the

  “Let him come on, then,” answered the

  Hawk had flashed back down on them in the

  other.

  familiar maneuver of “tailing,” using all the

  Calden pressed the studs that flashed from

  firing-tubes placed in its nose for braking their own rocket’s nose the answering colored purposes to halt it and reverse it in a flash.

  signal-lights, and quickly the shining smaller

  Evans had a lightning glimpse of the

  craft drove down until it hung just over the big

  great black shape rushing stern-foremost down

  Earth-Guard ship. It settled smoothly then on

  on them. Then he felt his own rocket dip and

  the greater craft’s back, its nose firing-tubes

  dive like light as Calden’s hands flashed on

  blasting it to a halt. The ring of metal contact-

  the firing-levers, and for a moment Evans saw

  pins on its lower side fitted smoothly into the

  the white-lit pilot-house of the other rocket,

  standardized ring of openings ready for them

  with the tense figures inside it, before it on the Earth-Guard’s back.

  whirled out of view. He sensed rather than

  Held thus to the greater craft, the little

  saw the blast of the Hawk’s guns above them

  rocket was carried along through space like a

  as they dived just in time to avoid the deadly

  pilot-fish clinging to a great shark. In a

  missiles.

  moment there was the clang of the contact-

  door opening, as the occupant of the Pallas

  EVANS heard shouting voices from their own

  passed into the Earth-Guard rocket through

  gun-rooms and had no need to cry to Calden

  the latter’s similar door. In a moment more

  the next order, for already the other was Hartley, the third officer, was striding into the straightening out their course and sending pilot-house with the man who had been the their ship soaring upward again. But the long

  little craft’s sole occupant.

  black craft of the Hawk was gone! After that

  He was a tall young man with dark

  Evans of the Earth-Guard

  5

  hair and dark, laughing eyes. He came forward

  allowing the Hawk to come there, and to

  with hand outstretched to Evans and as the

  refuel in exchange for a share of his loot. I

  pocket-captain grasped it, he introduced was sent up to investigate, and I found out himself.

  enough to call the Hawk’s attention to me, and

  “Francis Seaworth,” he named himself,

  this is the second time he or his men nearly

  “and just now mighty pleased to see you!

  got me. I couldn’t find his base, but I did find

  Indeed, if you hadn’t come when you did, the

  that there’s a man now on earth who was

  Hawk would have had me in another minute—

  formerly in his service and who could tell me

  I didn’t have anyone to work my gun and

  where his base is if he wanted to. So I started

  could only try to evade him till you came.”

  back to earth in my own ship to see him. Well,

  Evans laughed. “What in the devil the Hawk was waiting, and if you hadn’t been made you start for earth all by yourself?” he

  within call it would have been all up with

  demanded. “Didn’t you hear two days ago that

  me.”

  the Hawk was out?”

  Evans considered. “It did seem mighty

  The other shook his head. “I heard,” he

  queer to us that the Hawk would stoop to

  said, “but that’s just why I chose this holding up one-man rockets,” he admitted, particular time for the trip. No, I don’t mean

  “but that explains it. So they’ve had a secret

  that as bravado,” he added quickly,
as he saw

  agent on his trail, eh?”

  the incredulous smiles of the three officers.

  “A very secret agent,” smiled the

  “What I mean is that I knew the Hawk was

  other. “My emblem,” he smiled as he opened

  waiting for a chance to jump on me, and when

  his jacket and showed a little card sewed onto

  I heard he was out on the space-lanes again, I

  the inside.

  thought he’d be too busy at his usual trade to

  Evans nodded. The card of an agent of

  think of me.”

  the International Commission merited any

  Evans regarded him with more help he could furnish.

  interest. “But what’s the Hawk after you for?”

  “In fact,” continued Seaworth, “I doubt

  he asked.

  if a dozen men on earth outside of the

  Seaworth

  hesitated.

  “Well, I wouldn’t

  International Commission know what I’ve

  want to spill too much.” He nodded toward the

  been doing. I’ve got no business, really,

  other officers.

  telling even you about it, but it’s about all

  Evans straightened with interest. wound up now, for if I get the information I’m

  “Anything you want to say you can tell me in

  after on earth it means we’ll catch the Hawk in

  front of my officers.”

  short order.”

  “Well,” said Seaworth, “I’ve been

  “Seems like catching the Hawk is

  spending the last year as a secret agent of the

  work for the Earth-Guard rather than for any

  International Commission, looking for the secret agents,” growled the bulldog-visaged Hawk’s base on the moon. They had an idea—

  Hartley. “We’re good enough to chase after all

  just an idea—that the Hawk’s base was really