The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Planetoid Of Peril, by Paul Read online

  Astounding Stories, November, 1931

  The Planetoid of Peril

  By Paul Ernst

  Undaunted by crazy tales of an indestructible presence on Asteroid Z-40, Harley 2Q14N20 sets out alone to face and master it.

  Astounding Stories, November, 1931

  ARLEY 2Q14N20 stopped for a around for a planetoid; want to get a place of moment outside the great dome of the

  my own out a way from Earth. Something,

  H Celestial Developments Company. you understand, that may turn out to be a Moodily he stared at their asteroid

  profitable investment as well as furnishing an development chart. It showed, as was to be exclusive home-site. I see on your chart that expected, the pick of the latest asteroid you have a sphere left for sale, in the Red subdivision projects: the Celestial

  Belt, so I came in to ask about it."

  Developments Company, established far back

  "Ah, you mean asteroid Z-40," said the in 2045, would handle none but the very best.

  youngster, gazing with envious respect at the Small chance of his finding anything here!

  ten-bar insignia, with the crossed Sco drills, However, as he gazed at the chart,

  that proclaimed Harley to be a mining

  hope came suddenly to his face, and his heart engineer of the highest rank. "Yes, that is still beat high under his sapphire blue tunic. There for sale. A splendid sphere, sir; and listed at a was an asteroid left for sale there—one blank remarkably low figure. Half a million dollars."

  space among the myriad, pink-lettered Sold

  "Half a million dollars!" exclaimed symbols. Could it be that here was the chance Harley. It was an incredibly small sum:

  he had been hunting so desperately?

  scarcely the yearly salary of an unskilled He bent closer, to read the description

  laborer. "Are you sure that's right?"

  of the sphere, and the hope faded gradually

  "Yes, that's the correct figure. Down from his countenance. According to its orbit payment of a third, and the remaining two

  and location, and the spectroscopic table of its thirds to be paid out of the exploitation

  mineral resources, it was a choice planetoid profits—"

  indeed. Of course such a rich little sphere, listed for sale by the luxurious Celestial HERE the conversation was interrupted by an Developments Company, would cost far more

  elderly, grey-haired man with the six-bar

  than he could ever rake together to pay for an dollar-mark insignia of a business executive asteroid.

  on his purple tunic. He had been standing

  Shaking his head, he adjusted his nearby, and at the mention of asteroid Z-40

  gravity regulator to give him about a pound had looked up alertly. He glided to the two and a half of weight, and started to float on.

  with a frown on his forehead, and spoke a few Then, his lips twisting at his own absurd curt words to the neophyte, who slunk away.

  hopefulness, he stopped again; and after

  "Sorry, sir," he said to Harley. "Z-40

  another moment of indecision turned into the isn't for sale."

  archway that led to the concern's great main

  "But your young man just told me that office. After all, it wouldn't hurt to inquire the it was," replied Hartley, loath to give up what price, even though he knew in advance it

  had begun to look like an almost unbelievable would be beyond his humble means.

  bargain.

  "He was mistaken. It's not on the

  A YOUNGSTER in the pale green of the one-

  market. It isn't habitable, you see."

  bar neophyte in business promptly glided

  "What's wrong—hasn't it an

  toward him.

  atmosphere?"

  "Something for you to-day, sir?" he

  "Oh, yes. One that is exceptionally

  asked politely.

  rich in oxygen, as is true of all the spheres we

  "Yes," said Harley. "I'm looking handle. With a late model oxygen

  The Planetoid of Peril

  3

  concentrator, one would have no trouble at all

  "Z-40 is an exceptionally fine bit of existing there."

  property. It is commodious; about twenty

  "Is its speed of revolution too great?"

  miles in diameter. Its internal heat is such that

  "Not at all. The days are nearly three it has a delightful climate in spite of the hours long: annoying till you get used to it, extreme rarity of atmosphere common to even but nothing like the inferior asteroids of the the best of asteroids. It has a small lake; in Mars Company where days and nights are less fact it has about everything a man could want.

  than ten minutes in duration."

  Yet, as I said, it is uninhabitable."

  "Well, is it barren, then? No minerals His voice sank still lower.

  of value? No vegetation?"

  "You see, sir, there's already a tenant

  "The spectroscope shows plenty of on that sphere, a tenant that was in possession metals, including heavy radium deposits. The long before the Celestial Developments

  vegetation is as luxuriant as that of semi-Company was organized. And it's a tenant that tropic Earth."

  can't be bought off or reasoned with. It's some

  "Then why in the name of Betelguese,"

  sort of beast, powerful, ferocious, that makes said Harley, exasperated, "won't you sell the it certain death for a man to try to land there."

  place to me? It's exactly what I've been

  "A beast?" echoed Harley. "What kind looking for, and what I'd despaired of finding of a beast?"

  at my price."

  "We don't know. In fact we hardly

  "I'm forbidden to tell why it isn't for even know what it looks like. But from what sale," said the executive, starting to float off.

  little has been seen of it, it's clear that it is like

  "It might hurt our business, reputation if the no other specimen known to universal science.

  truth about that bit of our celestial properties It's something enormous, some freak of animal became widely known—Oh, disintegrate it creation that seems invulnerable to man's all! Why wasn't the thing erased from the

  smaller weapons. And that is why we can't

  chart weeks ago!"

  offer the place for sale. It would be suicide for

  "Wait a minute." Harley caught his anyone to try to make a home there."

  arm and detained him. "You've gone too far to

  " Has anyone ever tried it?" asked back out now. I'm too eager to find some such Harley. "Any competent adventurer, I mean?"

  place as your Z-40 to be thrown off the

  "Yes. Twice we sold Z-40 before we

  subject like a child. Why isn't it for sale?"

  realized that there was something terribly wrong with it. Both buyers were hardy,

  THE MAN tightened his lips as though to

  intrepid men. The first was never heard of refuse to answer, then shrugged.

  after thirty-six hours on the asteroid. The

  "I'll tell you," he said at last. "But I beg second man managed to escape in his Blinco of you to keep it confidential. If some of our Dart, and came back to Earth to tell of a vast investors on neighboring asteroids ever found creature that had attacked him during one of out about the peril adjoining them on Z-40, the three-hour nights. His hair was white from they'd probably insist on having their money the sight of it, and he's still in a sanitarium, back."
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  slowly recovering from the nervous shock."

  He led the way to a more secluded spot

  under the big dome, and spoke in a low tone, HARLEY frowned thoughtfully. "If this thing with many a glance over his shoulder to see if is more than a match for one man, why don't anyone were within earshot.

  you send an armed band with heavy atomic

  Astounding Stories

  4

  guns and clear the asteroid by main force?"

  it means the fulfillment of all my dreams.

  "My dear sir, don't you suppose we've With that in view, do you think I'd hesitate to tried that? Twice we sent expensive risk my neck?"

  expeditions to Z-40 to blow the animal off the face of the sphere, but neither expedition was

  "NO," said the executive slowly, looking at able to find the thing, whatever it is. Possibly the younger man's powerful shoulders and

  it has intelligence enough to hide if faced by square-set chin and resolute eyes. "I don't overwhelming force. When the second think you would. Well, so be it. I'd greatly expedition failed, we gave it up. Poor business prefer not to sell you Z-40. But if you want to to go further. Already, Z-40 has cost us more sign an agreement that we're released of all than we could clear from the sale of half a blame or responsibility in case of your death, dozen planetoids."

  you can buy it."

  For a long time Harley was silent. The

  "I'll sign any agreement you please,"

  Company was a hard headed, cold blooded

  snapped Harley. "Here is a down payment of a concern. Anything that kept them from selling hundred and seventy thousand dollars. My

  an asteroid must be terrible indeed.

  name is Harley; sign 2Q14N20; unmarried—

  His jaw set in a hard line. "You've

  though I hope to change that soon, if I live—

  been honest with me," he said at length. "I occupation, mining engineer, ten-bar degree; appreciate it. Just the same—I still want to age, thirty-four. Now draw me up a deed for buy Z-40. Maybe I can oust the present tenant.

  Z-40, and see that I'm given a stellar call I'm pretty good with a ray-pistol."

  number on the switchboard of the Radivision

  "It would be poor policy for us to sell Corporation. I'll drop around there later and the asteroid. We don't want to become known get a receiving unit. Good day." And, as a firm that trades in globes on which it is adjusting his gravity regulator to lighten his fatal to land."

  weight to less than a pound, he catapulted out

  "Surely my fate is none of your the archway.

  worry?" urged Harley.

  Behind him a prosaic business

  "The asteroid," began the executive executive snatched a moment from a busy day with an air of finality, "is not for—"

  to indulge in a sentimental flight of fancy. He

  "Man,

  it's

  got to be!" cried Harley.

  had read once of curious old-time beings

  Then, with a perceptible effort he composed called knights, who had undertaken to fight himself. "There's a reason. The reason is a and slay fire-eating things called dragons for girl. I'm a poor man, and she's heiress to the sake of an almost outmoded emotion

  fabulous—Well, frankly, she's the daughter of referred to as love. It occurred to him that this 3W28W12 himself!" The executive started at brusque man of action might be compared to mention of that universally known number. "I just such a being. He was undertaking to slay don't want to be known as a fortune hunter; a dragon and win a castle for the daughter of and my best bet is to find a potentially rich 3W28W12—

  asteroid, cheap, and develop it—incidentally The romantic thought was abruptly

  getting an exclusive estate for my bride and broken up by the numeral. It jarred so,

  myself far out in space, away from the smoke somehow, that modern use of numbers instead and bustle of urban Earth. Z-40, save for the of names, when thinking of sentimental

  menace you say now has possession of it,

  passages of long ago. "The rose is fair; but in seems to be just what I want. If I can clear it, all the world there is no rose as fair as thou,

  The Planetoid of Peril

  5

  my princess 3W28W12...." No, it wouldn't do.

  A tremendous, weirdly manlike

  Cursing himself for a soft-headed fool,

  creature looming in the dim night—a thing

  he went to deliver a stinging rebuke to that seemed a part of the planetoid itself, somebody for not having blocked Z-40 off the fashioned from the very dirt and rock from asteroid chart weeks before.

  which it had risen—a thing immune to the

  ray-pistol, that latest and deadliest of man-

  "HARLEY 2Q14N20," recited the control made small-arms—a thing that moved like a assistant at Landon Field. "Destination, walking mountain and stared with terrible, asteroid Z-40. Red Belt, arc 31.3470. Sights stony eyes at its prey! That was what the

  corrected, flight period twelve minutes, forty-fellow said he had faintly made out in the eight seconds past nine o'clock. All set, sir?"

  darkness before his nerves had finally given Harley nodded. He stepped inside the

  way.

  double shell of his new Blinco Dart—that

  He had impressed Harley as being a

  small but excellent quantity-production craft capable kind of a person, too; not at all the that had entirely replaced the cumbersome sort to distort facts, nor to see imaginary space ships of a decade ago—and screwed

  figures in the night.

  down the man-hole lid. Then, with his hand on There was that matter of the stone

  the gravity bar, he gazed out the rear panel, splinter, however, which certainly argued that ready to throw the lever at the control the wan, prematurely white-haired fellow was assistant's signal.

  a little unbalanced, and hence not to be

  The move was unthinkingly, believed too implicitly. He'd handed it to mechanically made. Too many times had he

  Harley, and gravely declared it to be a bit of gone through this process of being aimed by the monster's flesh.

  astronomical calculation, and launched into

  "Why, it's only a piece of rock!"

  the heavens, to be much stirred by the wonder Harley had exclaimed before he could check of it. The journey to Z-40 in the Dart was no himself.

  more disquieting than, a century and a half

  "Did you ever see rock like it before?"

  ago, before the United States had fused

  Turning it over in his hands, Harley

  together into one vast city, a journey from had been forced to admit that he never had. It Chicago to Florida would have been in one of was of the texture and roughness of granite, the inefficient gasoline-driven vehicles of that but more heavily shot with quartz, or tridymite day.

  than any other granite he'd ever seen. It had a All his thoughts were on his dull opalescent sheen, too. But it was rock, all destination, and on a wonder as to what could right.

  be the nature of the thing that dwelt there.

  "It's a piece of the thing's hide," the He had just come from the sanitarium

  man had told him. "It flaked off when it tried where the man who'd bought Z-40 before him to pry open the man-hole cover of my Dart. A was recovering from nervous exhaustion. He'd moment after that I got Radivision arc

  gone there to try to get first hand information directions from London Field, aimed my

  about the creature the executive at the sights, and shot for Earth. It was a miracle I Celestial Developments Company had talked

  escaped."

  so vaguely of. And the tale the convalescent

  "But surely your ray-pistol—" Harley had told him of the thing on the asteroid was had begun, preserving a discreet silence about as fantastic as it was sketchy.

  the man's delusion concerning the stone

  Astounding Stories


  6

  splinter.

  dropped, plummet-like, away from him. He

  "I tell you it was useless as a toy!

  pushed the bar to the limit leg; and, at a rate of Never before have I seen any form of life that hundreds of miles a second, was repelled from could stand up against a ray-gun. But this Earth toward Z-40, and the thing that skulked thing did!"

  there.

  THIS was another statement Harley had WITH a scarcely perceptible jar, he landed on accepted with a good deal of reservation. He the small sphere that, he hoped, was to be his had felt sure the weapon the man had used had future home. Before opening his man-hole lid, a leak in the power chamber, or was in need of he went from panel to panel of the Dart and recharging, or something of the kind. For it cautiously reconnoitered. He had elected to had been conclusively proved that all organic land beside the little lake that was set like a matter withered and burned away under the

  three hundred-acre gem on the surface of Z-impact of the Randchron ray.

  40, and it was more than possible that the Nevertheless, discounting heavily the

  enemy had its den nearby.

  convalescent's wild story, only a fool would However, a careful survey of the

  have clung to a conviction that the menace on curved landscape in all directions failed to Z-40 was a trivial one. There was something reveal a glimpse of anything remotely

  on that asteroid, something larger and more threatening. He donned his oxygen

  deadly than Harley had ever heard of before in concentrator—in appearance a simple tube of all his planetary wanderings.