EVANS OF THE EARTH-GUARD By Edmond Hamilton Read online

  tacked on,” Seaworth commented as they a steady roar of air against the rocket’s walls moved across the station.

  that was audible even above the thunder of

  “Yes, refueled and ready for you continued explosions from the rear; and the air whenever we’re near enough the moon for you

  grew suddenly warm about them. Then the

  to leave safely.”

  roar of air had ceased, the walls of the pilot-

  They passed inside and the stern-door

  house were cooling, and the diffused bright

  closed and whirred as Hartley spun it carefully

  sunlight of the atmosphere was gone. For in

  shut. Climbing the light metal ladders inside

  the immensity of space the sun flared fiercely

  the upreared craft the four men gained the

  on one side, while a rayless gloom, gemmed

  pilothouse, where Calden took his accustomed

  with steady-burning stars, stretched away on

  seat at the controls. Strapped into their shock-

  the other.

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  Ahead, the moon’s brilliant disk,

  “I told you it was crazy to think he’d

  almost completely illumined by the sun, tackle us,” Hartley rejoined, “though I admit gleamed calm and white amid the throbbing

  I’ve been hoping he would.”

  fires of the encircling stars. Evans and

  “Well, I haven’t,” Seaworth told them,

  Seaworth contemplated its beauty with a silent

  grinning. “It may be just play to you lads in

  wonder that not even long familiarity with the

  the Earth-Guard, but the Hawk nearly settled

  sight could dull. Calden, meantime, was me twice and I hate to think what he’d do if he calmly checking over dials and controls, while

  got me now.”

  Hartley had already gone below to sleep

  “No danger,” Evans told him as

  against the next watch at the controls. This

  Seaworth followed the yawning Hartley down

  vital station was filled by the craft’s three

  out of the pilot-house. “We’ll have you safe

  officers in successive watches of four hours

  and sound on the moon in a half day more,

  each.

  and if you can nab the Hawk there, it’ll punish

  In the hours that followed, Evans felt

  him for not showing up this trip.”

  slipping away from him the hope that he had

  cherished of meeting the Hawk in straight

  LEFT alone in the pilot-house, Evans sat at

  battle in mid-space. Since Commander Cain’s

  the control-board with eyes glancing from one

  warning to him, he had persuaded himself that

  to another of the recording dials above it. Now

  because of Seaworth’s presence the Hawk and then he depressed a firing-lever, firing one might really attack. Like all others in the of the rocket’s side tubes to keep it from Earth-Guard, Evans desired nothing more leaving its proper space-lane, but for the most ardently than a final battle with the elusive

  part the great craft hurtled steadily onward in

  and dreaded corsair.

  its course, and he occupied himself in

  But though the lookouts at every one

  contemplating through the windows the

  of the great rocket’s observation-cells kept an

  moon’s bright sphere and the dazzling light-

  unceasing watch through the void, no sign of

  patches on it that marked the position of the

  the black rocket was to be seen. The Earth-

  lunar cities.

  Guard ship might have been alone in space,

  Evans had been sitting thus in solitude

  had it not twice caught sight of great cargo-

  at the controls for some minutes before he

  rockets plowing their way moonward in the

  heard a strange popping sound from

  slower space-lanes, and once passed an earth-

  somewhere in the rocket’s interior beneath

  bound Earth-Guard craft closely enough in a

  him. He listened sharply, and heard other

  neighboring lane to exchange with it a quick-following popping sounds, as of slight flashing “Salute” signal in passing.

  detonations; then came a babel of cries from

  When Evans ascended to the pilot-

  beneath, cries that were cut sharply short!

  house for his third watch at the controls, Evans sprang to his feet. There was silence thirty-two hours after their start from earth,

  below now, but suddenly the door of the pilot-

  the moon’s gleaming sphere was huge in the

  house was flung open and Seaworth burst up

  heavens before them.

  into it, his face livid.

  “A dozen hours more and we’ll be

  “The Hawk!” he gasped. And then, his

  there,” he commented disappointedly to eyes suddenly widening, he pointed out Hartley and Seaworth, as he relieved the through the windows beyond Evans. “Look former at the controls. “I guess there’s no

  there!” he cried.

  chance of your wreaking your wrath on the

  Evans whirled toward the window. In

  Hawk this trip, Hartley.”

  the next instant he seemed to see a curtain of

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  11

  flame descending before his eyes as will stop at the command of an Earth-Guard something struck him a crashing blow on the

  ship, and since they all look alike we could do

  head. The flame-curtain was succeeded just about as we pleased with the rocket-instantly by the black depths of commerce if we had one. Therefore I decided unconsciousness.

  to get one.

  It was only slowly that he came back

  “It was easy. I merely embarked in a

  to himself. He became aware that he was

  little one-man ship and when I knew your

  sitting against the wall, that the thunder of the

  craft would be on the space-lane returning to

  rocket’s firing-tubes was coming to his ears,

  earth, I had my crew, in our regular black

  that his brain ached. He tried to move, but

  rocket, stage a faked attack upon me. I called

  found that his hands were tightly tied, his feet

  for help, you came; after a brief clash my crew

  were bound, and every movement made his

  fled as instructed, and you took me aboard.

  head throb. He opened his eyes, then stared

  You’d seen the Hawk attacking me, and so

  uncomprehendingly, as if stupefied.

  believed me implicitly when I told you I was a

  He was sitting against the pilot-house

  secret agent whom the Hawk was anxious to

  wall, and a half-dozen feet from him, at the

  capture. Secret agents, you should be aware,

  control-board, sat Seaworth. He was calmly

  are really not so communicative as that. And

  manipulating the firing-levers, and he looked

  of course, I couldn’t expect you to know that

  up and smiled as he saw Evans’ astounded

  my card was forged.

  gaze upon him.

  Then it was not hard for me to draw

  “It really was the Hawk after all, you

  out from you the suggestion that I might

  see,” he said. “Only instead of being outside

  return to the moon with you on this trip. That

  the rocket he was inside!” He laughed with

  was just what I was playing for,
of course—

  genuine amusement.

  the chance to travel back in this rocket. My

  Evans struggled to speak. “Then you—

  mission on earth was the purest falsehood—

  you—”

  the only thing I did there was to enjoy the

  “Yes, the Hawk, at your service,” witty remarks about the Earth-Guard and the Seaworth calmly told him. “And as a word of

  Hawk which I heard all around me. That case

  friendly advice, Captain Evans—when I brought with me held enough gas-bombs to someone tells you excitedly to look—look at

  paralyze your whole crew. They’re all down

  them.”

  there now unconscious—I used a mask for

  Evans, striving to understand, did not

  myself, of course—but they’re not hurt and

  hear the mocking final words.

  will be coming to in an hour.

  “You the Hawk! But we saw the

  “But I’m afraid that will be a little late.

  Hawk’s rocket attacking you there—we came

  For I waited to make this coup, to gas the crew

  and saved you—”

  and stun you, until we were just at this

  particular position in space. It is the

  THE Hawk laughed again. “I’m sorry to take

  prearranged position, and less than five

  the glory of your rescue away from you, thousand miles off this space-lane my own Evans, but it was really no rescue at all. You rocket and crew are waiting for me. We’re

  don’t understand? It’s simple enough. I heading toward them now, and before your decided some time ago that the possession of

  crew wakes, Evans, we’ll be with them and

  an Earth-Guard rocket would give me very

  this rocket will be in their hands. You and

  great advantages in my trade of—ah—

  your crew won’t be harmed, of course—we

  buccaneering. You see, every rocket in space

  can set you loose in a life ship near the

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  moon—but this Earth-Guard craft we’ll keep

  before his eyes, the shame and rage of fierce

  and it should prove highly useful. An old Commander Cain when the news reached ingenious plan, everything considered, don’t

  him, and the shame of all his companions in

  you think? Nothing overlooked.”

  the Earth-Guard.

  Evans’ brain was spinning as the

  Hawk’s amusement-filled voice ceased. The

  HE could hear the thin, derisive laughter of

  great rocket was out of the space-lane by now,

  the crowds; the new and side-splitting

  he knew—was heading under the Hawk’s witticisms in the teletheaters, the laughter of guiding hands to the prearranged position in

  all on earth and moon alike became audible to

  space where the black rocket of the corsair

  him. A fierce resolve, a last expedient of his

  waited with its crew to take complete despair, rose in Evans’ brain. He rose to his possession of the prize. And the Hawk had

  feet, tied as they were, and swaying, leaned

  captured it, had captured an Earth-Guard forward to catch at the control-board’s corner rocket, alone!

  with his bound hands supporting himself. The

  Evans raged at his bonds in senseless

  Hawk watched him curiously, with nothing to

  fury. His hands, tied before him, were cut

  fear from this one man, who, bound hand and

  deeply by the cords holding them as he foot, alone remained conscious of the rocket’s strained to break these. The Hawk looked up

  crew. Evans leaned across the control-board

  from the bank of firing-levers with which he

  and its banked levers toward the Hawk, and as

  was busy to shake his head in mocking he did so his two bound hands were moving, reproof.

  slowly, unobtrusively, toward the control-

  “Now, now, Captain Evans,” he board.

  soothed, “don’t take it so hard. Lots of

  “No Earth-Guard rocket has ever yet

  captains have found themselves in your been captured,” he said slowly and hoarsely, position before this, remember. Though I’ll

  his hands very near the black plug at the

  admit this is the first Earth-Guard rocket I’ve

  control-board’s corner, “and none is ever

  taken.”

  going to be.”

  “No Earth-Guard rocket has ever been

  The Hawk’s dark eyes, contemplating

  taken by an enemy,” said Evans thickly.

  him, held something that seemed to be almost

  “Not until now,” the Hawk conceded,

  sympathy. “Sorry, Captain Evans,” he said

  depressing two more firing-levers. “But there

  lightly. “I know how you must feel about it—

  has to be a first time for everything—and from

  but we’re almost there now. My rocket will be

  what I heard on earth I don’t think the capture

  showing up in a few minutes—we’ve almost

  of an Earth-Guard rocket will excite any reached it.”

  anger.”

  Evans laughed grimly. “Your rocket

  It would not, Evans reflected dully,

  will never see us again nor will anyone else.

  sinking for the moment into an apathy of

  You said you’d overlooked nothing, Hawk,

  despair. It would be merely with scornful but you did overlook one thing!”

  laughter, that the Earth-Guard would be met

  “And that?” The Hawk’s figure was

  when this latest and greatest exploit of the

  suddenly tense.

  Hawk became known. What derision would

  “That is something that you didn’t

  meet the news of this single-handed capture of

  know—that is the fact that in every Earth-

  a great rocket and all its crew, by the man they

  Guard rocket is placed a device for destroying

  were hunting! Evans could picture at the the rocket in case it has to be abandoned in moment as clearly as though a face were space. That device is a plug which when

  Evans of the Earth-Guard

  13

  pulled out ignites the rocket’s fuel tanks in six

  void, with rocket-gun available, he could still

  minutes. And that plug—”

  blast the Earth-Guard ship to pieces. Evans

  The Hawk’s hands flashed toward saw the little rocket swooping down until it Evans but before they could reach his bound

  was just before and above him, and braced

  hands, Evans had seized with them the black

  himself with tight-set teeth for the blast from

  plug at the control-board’s corner and with a

  its electric gun.

  crazy laugh had jerked it out!

  It did not come. Instead, as the Hawk’s

  For an instant there was a supreme

  little rocket dipped low, there flashed from it

  silence in the pilot-house of the hurtling the vari-colored lights of a signal.

  rocket, the Hawk and Evans facing each other

  Red—yellow—red—purple—Evans

  like two statues. Then with a single motion the

  read the signal automatically,

  Hawk had whirled, was out of the pilot-house.

  uncomprehendingly for the moment. It was

  There came the clang of contact-doors above

  “Salute!” And then he understood. The Hawk,

  being opened and shut with lightning rapidity,

  knowing himself tricked, had
come back not

  and then a blast of firing-tubes as, in his own

  to take revenge but to give that sportsmanlike

  little rocket, the Hawk drove clear from the

  hail to the man who had tricked him. Evans’

  great Earth-Guard craft. Evans stood still for a

  bound hands touched the signal-studs, and

  moment, then dragged himself to the control-

  from the great Earth-Guard rocket’s nose in its

  board’s other side.

  turn flashed the same signal “Salute!” Salute

  His bound hands pressed the firing-

  of the Earth-Guard’s captain to the Hawk, as

  levers in quick succession and as the great

  they roared past each other in space! And then

  rocket lurched beneath their impetus it was

  the Hawk was gone, his little ship hurtling

  turning in space, turning back toward the away into the chartless void outside the space-space-lane from which the Hawk had taken it!

  lanes where his great black rocket waited.

  Evans grasped the black plug on the board and

  Evans slumped weakly against the control-

  thrust it back into its socket. A small board.

  ventilating fan at the other side of the pilot-

  They found him there when they burst

  house that had ceased running when he had

  up into the pilot-house a half-hour later,

  withdrawn the plug began spinning again. Calden and Hartley and the others, babbling Evans laughed weakly.

  excitedly and uncomprehendingly. They had

  He straightened. There was a flash of

  just returned to consciousness. They found

  fire above and he saw that it was the tiny

  Evans against the control-board with hands

  rocket of the Hawk, driving back over the

  and feet still bound, keeping the great rocket

  great Earth-Guard craft. Evans knew that the

  steady on the space-lane to which he had