He jumped down and grabbed Burl. Together, the two danced a wild jig of joy. Then they both remembered the Plutonians and turned, realizing that they had momentarily left themselves wide open to attack.
But there was nothing to be afraid of. The Plutonians were all torn, beaten, lifeless. Moving among them were their former victims—the exhibits gathered from worlds undreamed of by human astronomers. What hopes of vengeance had been stored in those inhuman hearts when each had been torn from his native world, had been caught in helpless paralysis and carried trillions of miles across trackless space as living trophies!
Although their forms were many and strange, there seemed to be no fear of one another among the survivors. What they had been through had united them forever. One by one, they began to gather around Burl and Russ, recognizing in them their saviors, grateful for their delivery.
Burl's helmet radio spoke up. "The Magellan calling Burl Denning! We have eliminated the last two enemy ships. Give us your location. We intend to A-bomb the installations on Triton as soon as we can pick you up!"
Burl spoke into the phone. "Hold up the explosions, colonel. We've taken the place intact. You can land the Magellan outside the main temple and come and see. We've got allies, lots of them."
"Yes," said Russ into his phone, "we've got the secret of Pluto, we've got a friendly, fellow world on Neptune, and we have a whole crowd of the strangest refugees you'll ever hope to see. Bring extra space suits with you. We have the makings here of friendship and trade with dozens of distant star planets—a treasure in itself worth a dozen trips around the solar system."
Burl looked around him, thoughtful at these words. Visions of the marvels that future A-G ships would find, as, manned by Earthly crews and carrying each star-being back to its galactic world, they opened up on each planet new vistas of achievement, science, and artistic marvel.
He found himself staring into the yellow eyes of the big, purple humanoid. His hand was grasped by the other's strangely shaped hand while a yellow, powdery creature like a human moth tried to touch Burl in fondness.
Burl smiled widely and began to grasp the proffered tentacles, pincers and grippers.
"Welcome," he said to them all. "Welcome to the solar system. We've got a lot to talk about."
About the Author
Donald A. Wollheim was bitten early by the science-fiction bug. As a boy, he filled many thick notebooks and scrapbooks with clippings, pictures, and facts about the planets, and astronomy in general.
He grew up in New York, graduating from New York University, and at once began a successful career as a free-lance writer of science fiction. Since 1946 he has been editor of a publishing house specializing in paperback books. A number of anthologies of the fantastic are the result of his editing.
Aware of the wide-spread interest in this subject, Mr. Wollheim decided to inaugurate science fiction conventions, and founded the Fantasy Amateur Press Association as well. He considers himself a true science fiction pioneer.
Among his hobbies are model soldiers. He is considered an authority on them and has a fabulous collection.
Other Winston Science Fiction Novels by the Author
THE SECRET of SATURN'S RINGS
The Secret of the Ninth Planet
On the day that the theft of the solar system's light begins. Burl Denning is with an archaeological expedition in the Andes, only a few miles from the source of the "disturbance." Within hours the United States Air Force has ordered the expedition to investigate the strange phenomenon that is causing a dimness and a drop in temperature throughout the world.
This is the start of a fantastic adventure that eventually takes Burl, a high-school senior, on the first circumnavigation of the solar system. On planet after planet, he and the crew of the Magellan, a gleaming, powerful, and virtually untested spaceship, discover the weird trappings of a brilliantly-designed Sun-tap station. Each planetfall brings unexpected hazards, as the ship draws closer and closer to solving the mystery of the theft.
The author has based his story on science fact. Researchers are actually at work on the possibilities of just such a circumnavigation, and on another surprising theory brought out in this book.
Other Winston Science Fiction Novels
ANT MEN, THE by Eric North—Geologists find living fossils in the badlands of Central Australia
ATTACK FROM ATLANTIS by Lester del Rey—An atomic submarine crew discovers the lost city of Atlantis
BATTLE ON MERCURY by Erik Van Lhin—Sun storms sweep Mercury and threaten man's existence
DANGER: DINOSAURS! by Richard Marsten—A treacherous big-game hunter leads an expedition back to the Age of Reptiles
EARTHBOUND by Milton Lesser—An ex-space cadet is forced to plunder ships he was trained to protect
FIVE AGAINST VENUS by Philip Latham—A Moon-bound rocket crashes in the misty wilds of Venus
ISLANDS IN THE SKY by Arthur C. Clarke—A teen-ager's adventures aboard a space station
LOST PLANET, THE by Paul Dallas—Two worlds on the verge of war
MAROONED ON MARS by Lester del Rey—A teen-ager on the first Moon-to-Mars expedition
MISSING MEN OF SATURN by Philip Latham—A space crew is held prisoner by froglike men on Saturn
MISSION TO THE MOON by Lester del Rey—Scientists make man's first journey to the Moon
MISTS OF DAWN by Chad Oliver—A space-time machine hurls a 20th-century boy back to 50,000 B. C.
MYSTERIOUS PLANT, THE by Kenneth Wright—A young captive on Planet X prevents Earth's destruction
MYSTERY OF THE THIRD MINE by R.W. Lowndes—Prospecting in the dangerous asteroid belt
PLANET OF LIGHT by Raymond F. Jones—A trip to another planet shows how the universe can be saved from destruction
ROCKET JOCKEY by Philip St. John—A space pilot battles Martians in rocket race
ROCKET TO LUNA by Richard Marsten—A stowaway on a Moon-bound rocket proves his worth
ROCKETS TO NOWHERE by Philip St. John—Scientists establish a colony on the Moon
SECRET OF THE NINTH PLANET, THE by Donald A. Wollheim—A high-school senior investigates the theft of the solar system's light
SECRET OF SATURN'S RINGS, THE by Donald A. Wollheim—A scientist proves his theories by means of a unique invention
SECRET OF THE MARTIAN MOONS, THE by Donald A. Wollheim—Scientists discover the secrets of Martian civilization
SON OF THE STARS by Raymond F. Jones—An interplanetary friendship brings Earth to the brink of destruction
SONS OF THE OCEAN DEEPS by Bryce Walton—Undersea terrors nearly thwart a project aimed at saving a continent
STAR CONQUERORS, THE by Ben Bova—The Terran Confederation battles for its existence against the all-powerful rulers of the Milky Way Galaxy
STAR SEEKERS, THE by Milton Lesser—A tale of a spaceship doomed to crash
STEP TO THE STARS by Lester del Rey—The U. S. builds a space station
TROUBLE ON TITAN by Alan E. Nourse—A rocket experimenter discovers a plot threatening Earth's existence
VANDALS OF THE VOID by Jack Vance—A tale of space pirates
VAULT OF THE AGES by Poul Anderson—Life 500 years after the flaming collapse of 20th-century civilization
WORLD AT BAY, THE by Paul Capon—Men from another planet attack Earth
YEAR WHEN STARDUST FELL, THE by Raymond Jones—A mysterious "fall-out" paralyzes civilization