Chapter 5: Night Attack

Kenniston caught desperately at the hope implied by the Jovian’s words.

“What do you mean, Holk?”

“I mean that I’m a hundred times stronger on this little asteroid than I am on my own world, Jupiter. I can break the bolt of that door any time I want to.”

“But there’s an armed guard stationed outside it.”

“I know, and that’s where you come in, Kenniston. When I rip the door open, you be ready to jump the guard.”

Kenniston considered swiftly. The chance of their getting out of the ship and safely through the jungles to the pirate camp, even if they escaped this cabin, seemed a slim one. Yet it presented the only possibility of delivering the equipment in the hold to John Dark.

The bitter irony of it struck Kenniston, for the hundredth time. He, Lance Kenniston, honorable space-man for a dozen years, working desperately to aid the most notorious pirate in the void! Even drawing into danger the girl for whom he felt--

He shut Gloria out of his mind. He mustn’t think of her now. He must think only of Ricky, and of what would be lost if Ricky died. He must risk everything, sacrifice everything, to prevent that loss.

“We might as well try it now,” he told the Jovian in low tones. “The ship seems quiet.”

“I’ll do my best to make as little noise as possible,” Holk Or muttered. “Are you ready?”

The Jovian’s big hands grasped the knob of the door. Kenniston crouched a little behind him, every muscle tense.

Holk Or suddenly put all his gigantically magnified strength into a tremendous tug at the door. Its bolt snapped with a crack like that of a pistolshot, and it swung wide open.

The man on guard outside turned startledly, his hand darting to the atom-gun at his belt and his mouth open to yell. But Kenniston had launched himself like a human projectile as the door was torn open.

Kenniston’s fist smashed the space-sailor’s chin and the man sagged limp and unconscious with no chance to utter the cry on his lips. Hastily, Kenniston took his atom-pistol and eased him to the floor.

He and Holk Or listened tensely. The single sharp crack of the snapping bolt had apparently aroused no one. The ship was silent. All aboard were sleeping exhaustedly.

“Come on,” Kenniston murmured tensely to the Jovian. “We’ve got to hurry to get to Dark’s camp before night is over.”

Holk Or chuckled. “The chief will welcome us with open arms when he learns we’ve got the equipment here for him.”

Kenniston gripped the atom-pistol as they stole through the dark ship and out of the space-door. Outside, they paused in the darkness.

The scene was one of magic, unearthly beauty. The metal bulk of the cruiser and the towering jungle around the clearing were washed by brilliant silver light that fell from the wonderful night sky of this World with a Thousand Moons.

A thousand moons indeed seemed blazing in the canopied heavens overhead! The whole dark sky was crowded by the shining moonlets that rushed ceaselessly across the firmament with the spinning of the meteor-swarm of which they were part. It was like the glorious vista of a world seen in dreams.

But Kenniston was familiar with the unearthly spectacle. He led the way rapidly toward the northern edge of the jungle.

“We’ll just have to plunge in and head north,” he told the Jovian. “If we reach that little lake, we can soon find Dark’s camp.”

They started into the dense jungle, a fairyland of silver beams sifting through the choking fronds. Something scurried close by.

“Kenniston, shoot!” cried Holk Or instantly.

Kenniston had already glimpsed the white beast scurrying toward them across a little patch of moonslight. It was one of the big meteor-rats. On its neck bunched one of the little gray masses--a Vestan.

The horror inspired by the hideous parasites tightened Kenniston’s finger convulsively on the trigger of the atom-pistol. The crackling bolt of fire from the weapon ripped into the Vestan on the meteor-rat, and both parasite and animal victim were instantly a scorched, smoking heap.

“Hell, that’s torn it!” cried the big Jovian. “We’ve roused the whole ship!”

Men awakened by the blast of the atom-gun were pouring out of the Sunsprite, rushing after the two escaped men. Kenniston heard Captain Walls shouting.

“They’re in the jungle here! Spread out and surround them!” the officer was ordering.

Kenniston and the Jovian plunged forward, seeking to escape northward. But they had come up against an impenetrable abatis of brush.

Before they could find a way around it, they heard men crashing all around them. They were completely encircled.

“Kenniston, you and that Jovian walk back into the clearing with your hands raised or we’ll blast every inch of the brush till we get you!” came the stentorian shout of the captain.

“The devil--they’ve got us boxed!” exclaimed Holk Or furiously. “We’ll try to fight our way through.”

“No!” Kenniston declared. “We couldn’t make it anyway. And I’m not going to shoot innocent men.”

Holk Or angrily grabbed for the atom-pistol, but Kenniston promptly threw it away. Not even in this last extremity could he bring himself to kill.

“You’re a fool!” gritted the Jovian. “Now there’s nothing for it but surrender.”

With their hands raised, they walked out of the jungle into the brilliant silvery light of the clearing. Instantly they were surrounded by Captain Walls, Murdock and the other armed crew-men.

The girls and their scared chaperon, and young Lanning and Robbie Boone, were emerging in alarm from the Sunsprite. Kenniston did not look toward them.

Captain Walls’ face was grim in the moonslight, as he and his men covered the two captured fugitives. “Kenniston, you and this Jovian were going to make your way to John Dark and tell him of our presence here, weren’t you? You needn’t deny it--it’s plain enough.”

“Sure we were!” exclaimed the angry Jovian. “We’d have made it, too, if a Vestan hadn’t jumped us in the jungle.”

“That would have meant capture of us all by Dark’s pirates,” said the captain grimly. “You two are a danger to us all, while you live. I’m going to remove that danger. As master of a space-ship, I have legal right to order summary execution of any space-pirates I capture. I’m going to order that now.”