Chapter II: The Mysterious Space Craft

The machine men made way for their leader, 25X-987, who regarded the space craft ahead of them critically.

“Have you tried communicating with it yet?” he asked.

“There is no reply to any of our signals,” came the answer.

“Come alongside of it then,” ordered their commander. “It is small enough to be brought inside our carrying compartment, and we can see with our penetration rays just what manner of creatures it holds. They are intelligent, that is certain, for their space ship does imply as much.”

The space flyer of the Zoromes slowed up as it approached the mysterious wanderer of the cosmic void which hovered in the vicinity of the dying world.

“What a queer shape it has,” remarked 25X-987. “It is even smaller than I had previously calculated.”

A rare occurrence had taken place among the machine men of Zor. They were overcome by a great curiosity which they could not allow to remain unsatiated. Accustomed as they were to witnessing strange sights and still stranger creatures, meeting up with weird adventures in various corners of the Universe, they had now become hardened to the usual run of experiences which they were in the habit of encountering. It took a great deal to arouse their unperturbed attitudes. Something new, however, about this queer space craft had gripped their imaginations, and perhaps a subconscious influence asserted to their minds that here they have come across an adventure radically unusual.

“Come alongside it,” repeated 25X-987 to the operator as he returned to the control room and gazed through the side of the space ship in the direction of the smaller cosmic wanderer.

“I’m trying to,” replied the machine man, “but it seems to jump away a bit every time I get within a certain distance of it. Our ship seems to jump backward a bit too.”

“Are they trying to elude us?”

“I don’t know. They should pick up more speed if that is their object.”

“Perhaps they are now progressing at their maximum speed and cannot increase their acceleration any more.”

“Look!” exclaimed the operator. “Did you just see that? The thing has jumped away from us again!”

“Our ship moved also,” said 25X-987. “I saw a flash of light shoot from the side of the other craft as it jumped.”

Another machine man now entered and spoke to the commander of the Zorome expedition.

“They are using radium repellent rays to keep us from approaching,” he informed.

“Counteract it,” instructed 25X-987.

The man left, and now the machine man at the controls of the craft tried again to close with the mysterious wanderer of the space between planets. The effort was successful, and this time there was no glow of repulsion rays from the side of the long metal cylinder.

They now entered the compartment where various objects were transferred from out the depths of space to the interplanetary craft. Then patiently they waited for the rest of the machine men to open the side of their space ship and bring in the queer, elongated cylinder.

“Put it under the penetration ray!” ordered 25X-987. “Then we shall see what it contains!”

The entire group of Zoromes were assembled about the long cylinder, whose low nickel-plated sides shone brilliantly. With interest they regarded the fifteen-foot object which tapered a bit towards its base. The nose was pointed like a bullet. Eight cylindrical protuberances were affixed to the base while the four sides were equipped with fins such as are seen on aerial bombs to guide them in a direct, unswerving line through the atmosphere. At the base of the strange craft there projected a lever, while in one side was a door which, apparently opened outward. One of the machine men reached forward to open it but was halted by the admonition of the commander.