The Living Galaxy by Laurence Manning Read online

  Galaxy.” This is, of course, a misnomer for

  There was no mistake; the course was

  upwards of fifty galaxies were noted in it. The

  correctly laid out. But it called for driving at

  title, however, clearly gives the idea of one

  full speed on a course that curved more theory of its origin, which is that the sharply as the last fringe of stars were protuberance was a creature of life in some approached until at the last the course twisted

  form which utilized solar systems after the

  back upon itself and would return them, fashion of atoms. This theory is much seemingly, into the very universe from which

  supported by the observed fact that

  they sought to escape! Seven hundred years

  photographic projections of its outline

  were spent in completing the manoeuver and

  repeated at intervals of a hundred years

  at the end, they were apparently driving with

  showed clearly that the mass was in

  full power straight back toward a distant star.

  movement. For two million years it was

  It was days before they suspected and months

  studied with the most intense interest and a

  before they were certain of the amazing fact

  series of miniature statues were projected and

  that the faster they drove toward it, the farther

  photographed upon moving-picture film, one

  away it became! When it finally vanished as a

  after the other, each in its proper attitude. It

  far pin-prick of light, they searched with the

  was found that when the film was viewed

  telescopes and took sufficient observations to

  rapidly, the result was progressive movement.

  orient themselves, afterwards attempting to

  correct the photographs for light curvature.

  Let us be as explicit as we may: The shape of

  For they had passed beyond the stars.

  this mass was that of a rounded cylinder,

  And now picture these intrepid ones,

  bulged out roughly above the center line.

  gazing on one hand out upon nothingness and

  From this projected a streamer which tapered

  on the other upon a far distant wall of dusty

  almost to nothingness. The motion observed

  light that was all that remained of Creation!

  was, briefly, a wriggling of the streamer

  This wall they imagined as a floor and across

  (possibly a tentacle?) and a slow bending

  it they sped for a hundred thousand years

  forward of the main body.

  searching for anything that might project

  The next action of Bzonn upon

  above it—that might possibly explain the establishing these facts was characteristic of great shift to the red that had been the cause of

  the fearless and coldly scientific mind which

  their adventure. And they found it. What they

  drove him continuously throughout this extra-

  found is, of course, still debatable. Ahead of

  ordinary voyage. Straight down toward the

  them there loomed up a wall of distant wriggling tip of the tentacle of star-matter he starlight at right angles to the great floor sped his ship Humnanity. The voyage lasted beneath their planet-ship. This they half a million years and as the last stars in the approached not too closely, but skirted it and

  streamer came into view, it was noted that at

  in the course of a million years completely

  its point commenced the enormous vacancy in

  circled the mass of star-matter. It rose about a

  the universes—that conical emptiness

  million light years in height and half that in

  formerly occupied by countless stars that had

  diameter. Photographs of its contour were first started them on their quest!

  taken and by superimposing the outlines, a

  Here was (and still is) matter for the

  tiny model was created—a weird little thing

  gravest minds to consider! Those who take the

  that stood on their laboratory table. This opposite view from Bzonn point out that it is sculpture you have all seen copied in the inconceivable that this moving cluster of star

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  groups could have held life. They argue by

  more than two light years apart at the closest

  analogy that even if stars and planets could be

  and often as much as ten.

  substituted for atoms to make a scale of

  The task of destruction which he now

  existence similar to our own, yet the number

  set himself was simple—all that was

  of stars involved was too few (relatively) to

  necessary was to infect every tenth star he

  have created anything more than a very passed with his newly invented “delayed”

  primitive microscopic creature—much too vortex disease. There were by this time small to have fixed body parts such as several thousand humans upon the Humanity tentacles. They also, by mathematics, seek to

  of the moment. These were now divided into

  establish that there is so slight a resemblance

  ten groups and each group established upon a

  between atoms and solar systems as to suitable small planet as they passed among the preclude the very possibility. Such reasons

  suns.

  and arguments cannot be considered in an

  Each new planet was excavated for

  elementary treatise, but it must always be said

  blast chambers of gigantic size and covered

  that this occurred upon the edge of space—

  with huge engines for creating and releasing

  that light rays travel only a short distance

  power. A hundred thousand years was spent in

  outside of space (as was learned later and

  making these preparations, and upon an

  almost to their destruction) and that the rules

  agreed day, the ten Humanities set off through

  and properties of such an existence cannot be

  the star-strewn space a hundred light-years

  yet established. On the other hand, Bzonn

  apart, and as each selected star was passed, it

  undoubtedly leaped to conclusions. His next

  was subjected to the terrific thrust of the

  action can hardly be condoned upon a disease-producing vortex. The violence and scientific basis—for even if it averted fury of this operation must be seen to be destruction from a few billion or trillion believed. Photographic reproductions are humans, what is that? Humans can always be

  available at all museums and you are

  bred. And the phenomena he destroyed was

  requested to view them before the next term.

  one that, to date, has not since been observed

  The ten planets shrank almost a tenth of their

  and may conceivably never again occur.

  weight at each blast—shrank in one second!

  Ours is not to judge. Here to Bzonn

  You may well believe what terrific

  seemed a clear issue. He had found a gigantic

  earthquakes and storms racked them at that

  creature rooting dangerously with a tentacle

  moment! The crew could not have lived upon

  among the stars that housed the human race.

  them and did not attempt to. They set

  This he determined to stop if it lay in his

  automatic controls an hour in advance and

  power. It must be borne in mind that Bzonn

  took themselves to small space-ships which
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  felt no doubt that the star-mass composed a

  they guided to a few thousand miles distance

  living intelligent creature. At the top of the

  and there they waited until the shock had

  rounded body must, he thought, lie some sort

  passed before returning to their wrecked living

  of brain and toward this he drove his mobile

  quarters. In the two or three hundred years

  planetoid. Right up to the “head” of the which had then to elapse before the next creature he came and into it, observing no

  selected star approached, it was necessary to

  difference between the stars which formed it

  rebuild the machinery over the entire surface

  and those back in the more orderly portions of

  of each of the ten Humanities.

  space. Possibly, he reported, the stars were

  By the time the second blast was shot,

  more closely placed than might have been

  it was possible to see in the telescopes the first

  expected—no more than that. They were still

  signs of the vortex disease in the first infected

  Wonder Stories

  8

  suns they had left behind. When four blasts

  planetoid. The facts were signaled to all our

  had been delivered by each of the ten planet-

  consorts and I delayed the command to return

  ships, the distant stars were in violent on our course only long enough for Mechanics disruption. On they sped, delivering in all, six

  Delta to finish a gyroscope on my own planet.

  blasts apiece, and came out through the other

  This delay was fatal, as you shall see.

  side of the “Living Galaxy” and hastened

  “All this time, it must be remembered,

  away through the blackness beyond space, our planet-ships were speeding outward in the anxious to be well out of the way before that

  blackness beyond space. Evidently, light

  galaxy vanished in fiery vapor. On they waves cease to function entirely when space continued until, with the naked eye, they saw

  completely ends. Also, evidently we had

  nothing but a distant hint of grey, and the

  reached about then an absolutely blank

  telescopes showed only faint images of far

  condition which, near or in space, only

  stars. And as they proceeded to get clear of the

  partially exists. Whatever the exact reason, the

  danger zone, these faint images suddenly, fact is that, of a sudden, the other planets in inexplicably, and horrifyingly vanished!

  the fleet grew faint and dim and quite casually

  Bzonn vividly recalls this scene in the

  vanished. One of them was less than a

  following words: “Astronomy Gamma* first

  thousand miles away! Radio signals were tried

  reported it to me and I did not believe him. It

  in vain. Our gyroscope was set in motion

  was not an hour before that I had used the

  finally and I changed course at once, hoping to

  telescope myself. He went away and returned

  come close enough to the nearest planet-ship

  with Astronomy Alpha* himself and upon this

  to get into communication. Possibly her

  I went to investigate and found it was even as

  commander had the same idea—I may never

  I had been told. Through our most powerful

  know—but I never saw him again.

  electric telescope nothing—literally nothing—

  “For a hundred thousand years, I

  could be seen save for the other nine planets

  searched through the black fog in the most

  that formed our fleet. I signaled each of the

  complete and utter fruitlessness. Finally,

  nine in turn but not one reported any despairing of ever finding them, I gave the observation different from ours. The command for setting our course back to our command to apply rocket power to bring our

  starting point. Of the other nine planets, eight

  flight to a halt was a dangerous one—I dare

  had not set up gyroscopes when the light

  not give it. How could we tell that direction

  failed and could only by the merest chance

  might not be lost in the manoeuver? One thing

  ever hope to return to our familiar star

  I did know and only one—if our rockets were

  universes. Physics Beta, of course, had a guide

  kept shut off, our inertia would continue us in

  for his return and him I expected to find later

  a straight line. Possibly large gyroscopes on. As a matter of fact, he returned to human would hold direction and set us upon a return

  civilization half a million years before I did.

  course. I proceeded at once to try them.

  “For centuries we peered despairingly

  “By signal, I requested Physics Beta,

  out at the desolate wastes that lie there so

  who commanded one of the planetoids, to

  emptily and blackly, searching for the first

  make the official tests, using the other nine

  distant hints that might indicate our approach

  ships to check direction. In a tenth of a year,

  to familiar space. We gave up hope a dozen

  he had completed his apparatus and the test

  times, fearing that the gyroscope compass had

  was made. He found that the gyroscope failed, and a dozen times we kept grimly on, retained its direction in spite of all manner of

  for what else was there for us to do? Then

  maneuvers to which he subjected his came the glorious moment when, with the

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  naked eye, we all of us could make out the far

  such units? Can we reach these other islands

  floor of light formed by all created matter and

  in chaos steering through the lightless areas

  toward it we rushed until the separate light-

  with gyroscopes? Only time can tell.

  points showed as stars in the telescopes. And

  where we entered space, there was a great

  AFTERWORD

  rough lump of star-clusters projecting above

  the level floor of stars and this we When the voice of the teacher ceases, you photographed as we passed over and, laying

  look up, for the end of the chapter has been

  silhouette upon silhouette, built up a tiny reached. You have been so excited by the replica of its outline in our laboratory. It had

  substance of what has been read that you have

  the appearance of a long, rounded body lying

  lost your awe far this ancient man. Then his

  on its side with a tentacle motionless on the

  eyes sweep over the class and meet yours—

  floor beside it.”

  just for an instant—and pass on to the door as

  he walks out of the room. And then a low

  The remainder of Bzonn’s narrative is an babel of conversation breaks out among your argument in favor of his theory that he had

  six-year-old contemporaries and there is a

  slain a super-beast—a living galaxy of stars.

  general movement toward the door. You,

  He warmly defended his action and insisted

  reader, barely notice the others. Your chin is

  that a second beast doubtless exists on your hands and your elbows on your desk.

  somewhere and can be studied. He has made

  Your eyes stare through walls and pass

  frequent expeditions to the edge of space in

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sp; through space until, in imagination, you see

  many directions but, so far, without success.

  the warped and bulbous edge of space itself—

  At present, he has been absent twenty million

  see it as a fish sees the surface of water from

  years and is feared lost. But space has been

  beneath. How fine it would be, you think, to1

  conquered by many other explorers and there

  devote yourself forever to searching for the

  remains almost no star not already in our

  lost companions of Bzonn! But to do that one

  catalogs and almost no planet without its must wait until one knows enough and ....

  human settlement.

  there is the book before you. You are one of

  The next problem facing the human

  those who cannot wait for the next day to

  race is, is all this finite incurved group of star

  bring what it will—you must peer into the

  clusters we know as “space” merely one unit

  next chapter, driven by curiosity. For long

  in infinity? Do there lie imbedded in the dark

  hours you sit there over the book and I would

  nothingness beyond “space” incalculable other

  give anything to know what you read there!