"Otis Adelbert Kline - Man from the Moon" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kline Otis Adelbert)

gravity control plant?тАЭ out ether ships with these ray projectors. No, we
тАЬThe thing is still in the experimental stage. must fight now, or be forever beaten. Turn the ray
Besides, it is a terrible and a dangerous thing to on them, and keep it going as long as they are in
disturb or attempt to change the orbit of Magong. range. Our other projecting stations will take up
Every body in the solar system is in perfect the duty, one by one, as the planet revolves on its
balance with every other body, and too great a axis.тАЭ
change, even in the orbit of our own relatively He turned to me.
small planet, may cause untold damage тАУ some тАЬMy son,тАЭ he said. тАЬThe entire war fleet of
upset of the scheme of things, which we cannot Magong is in your keeping. Save the fleet if you
possibly foresee. True, we have slightly perturbed can, yourself with it, but remember тАУ it is only a
the motion of Magong, just as an experiment, but it barrier. It is one of the protections of Magong. If
has been done cautiously, and always with a the barrier must be destroyed in the line of duty тАУ
counter-perturbance sufficient to bring it back to then do not attempt to save it at the cost of that
the proper place in its orbit.тАЭ which it was set up to protect. Do you
Once more my father looked through the giant understand?тАЭ
telescope. тАЬFully, father. I will be wary and circumspect,
тАЬThe projectile is formed and on the way,тАЭ he but I will not fail in the line of duty.тАЭ
said gravely. тАЬWhere it will strike, no one can tell Once more we entered the compression tube
тАУ not even those who are sending it. It may crush and were shot back to the imperial palace. After
this palace, destroy this city. It may kill nobody or bidding farewell to my mother, I said a last
wipe out a million people. It may miss Magong goodbye to my father, and went out to my flagship.
entirely, but this is not probable. We are too large a There were tears in the eyes of my mother as she
target. Let us go below. There is nothing more we called her last farewell to me. My father was too
8
Otis Adelbert Kline Man from the Moon Amazing Stories, October, 1930

much of a man of iron, however, to betray his on the work under the control of the same
emotion at such a time. operators.
During the progress of my ship toward Mars,

M Y fleet of ten thousand ether ships was six of these huge clusters were projected at my
ready for action, awaiting only my word of world. Five of them struck the target and one
command. I had formed a daring plan missed, to shoot out into space and become an
which, if successful, might mean the destruction of asteroid with an orbit of its own around the sun.
the fleet and my own death, but would make it My plan was simple and direct. Each of my
possible for Magong to win the war. ships carried a chart, showing the location of the
Leaving half of my ships to guard the planet thousand enemy wave stations. Each station was
against enemy craft, I took the other half and made numbered, and five ships were assigned to the
straight for Mars. Shortly after we started, the first attack of each.
huge missile of the Martians passed us, and a few My ship, together with four others of the most
minutes thereafter it struck Magong with a brilliant powerful of my navy, each carrying a battery of
flare of light, leaving a great dark pit in the ground twenty huge ray projectors, were to attack the
where it had fallen. Referring to my charts I found central magnetic station.
that it had alighted on a small village of about two While we neared Mars I watched the
hundred souls. What a sudden and terrible end for movements of the enemy fleet, and saw that it was
them! heading straight for Magong, evidently pleased at
As we pressed onward, I saw another large the fact that my first fleet had dispersed. This
nebula spiraling into shape, and knew that it would exactly suited my plans, as I knew that Hia Ku, my
not be long until a second projectile was on the able lieutenant, would give them a warm reception
way to Magong. with the five thousand ships I had left under his