Edmond Hamilton

“ Less than sixty ships were now left of the whole solar system fleet. Alan Martin saw the futility of continuing this sacrifice, and gave the order to retreat again. His sixty ships gathered together, the battered, scorched remnants of the proud armada of so short a time before.
“We’ve shot our bolt!” Captain Malcolm said decisively. “With those deadly dematerializing beams, that can do just what they want to do.”
“If we only could have beams like those to meet them with!” cried Alan Martin. “Stone, isn’t there any chance of duplicating those beams?”
Ferdinand Stone shook his head. ”

“ As they charged, his cylinders swiftly assumed a square formation, the four sides of the square facing the four attacks.
Again beams and torpedoes choked the void as the attackers dashed upon the invaders. But even before they came within range – Puff! Puff! the solar system ships were flashing and going as Ay-Artz’s pale death fingers searched among them.
Still the attackers surged bravely forward, hoping to get close enough to concentrate attack on some cylinder and smash its screens. But the death fingers flashed them into nothingness in increasing numbers as they came on. ”

“ Ferdinand Stone, meanwhile, had been watching the craft’s progress in the visiplate, and now breathed an exclamation of wonder.
“Great heavens, they’re using at least six gravities deceleration! They must all be dead long ago from the terrific effects.”
Within a few minutes the little cigar-shaped ship of Dos-Tev and the huge dirigible-like bulk of the Washington were driving side by side in space. Attractive beams stabbed out from the flagship’s side and drew the strange little craft quickly to it. ”

“ Ferdinand Stone said excitedly, “Martin, that ghostly beam he uses must be one that transmutes the atoms of whatever matter it touches into pure force. You know, an atom is simply confined force and that pale beam releases it.
“And when the atoms touched by the beam explode into force, they touch off the atoms next to them, and so on until all the atoms on that place of matter are touched off. Just as a whole magazine will go when one bag of powder is fired.”
“Even ships that weren’t touched by the beam flared and vanished when the flare of other ships struck them!” ”

“ Ferdinand Stone said grimly. “Saturn will probably be visited next by the invaders, when they have established themselves strongly on Neptune.”
“No!” Martin cried. “By heaven, we’ve still got a chance if we can find out how those dematerializing beams are produced.
“Listen, this is what we’ll try. We’ll attack one of those four guarding cylinders out in space. Our ships, except this flagship, will endeavor to smash that cylinder’s screens and smash its outer skin. ”

“ Like sharks hanging upon three great whales, the scouts pressed as close to the cylinders as their force-screens would permit, pouring terrific concentrated forces upon them in an effort to smash thru their protection.
The ships of Ay-Artz answered! Long beams and broad fans of force slashed and sliced the attacking ships. Seven or eight of the scouts had already perished, but had not yet managed to break down the protective screens of the cylinders. ”

“ His body racked, crushed and broken by the terrific effect of the unusual deceleration, Dos-Tev’s face was a mask of appalling agony thru which his eyes glittered with unearthly, superhuman determination.
Not one of the earthmen could have spoken in that moment had their lives depended on it. ”

“ With one generator, what chance would we have against those seventeen huge cylinders and their equipment?”
“We’ll have a chance, all right, if we can just build the one generator,” Martin assured him. “But we must be quick.”
A few hours later, the remnants of the solar system fleet having lain in space that time at the same position, Ferdinand Stone raised a sweating, exhausted face from the interior of a big cylindrical mechanism. ”

“ In their formation of five columns they roared toward the oncoming enemy. Above the formation of columns flew the flagship, the Washington, from which Alan Martin peered tautly ahead, Captain Malcolm and Ferdinand Stone tense by his side.
The visibeams showed the fleet of Ay-Artz much closer. When a brief time, the twenty monster ships would be in sight to the unaided eye. ”

“ A moment later came report from the scouts, “We are in range, sir, but torpedoes prove ineffective. We are about to engage with beams.”
“He’d naturally have screens out to ward off torpedoes,” Ferdinand Stone commented. “We’ll see what beams can do.”
“There they go now – they’re fighting!” cried Captain Malcolm, pointing thru the bridge-room windows.
Far ahead in the black vault, little spurts and flickers of light were stabbing and dying all along a broad horizontal line.
They whirled to the visiplate, and on it the distant battle leaped clear and close to their eyes. ”