Page 31 - Astounding Pulp V2

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31
moon Of DHIRIUffi

There were deadly parasites there, horribly efficient
parasites-but they forgot, in their fear of them, ,
pae characteristic of fruly efficient parasites-

By D. L James

Illustrated by W. A. Koll

THERE was an interval of tense silence
cate tints of purple, rose and golden
in the control room of the Pegasus. green.
Then a bell clanged sharply. Immedi-
He entered the cartridgclike car,
ately thereafter came ~ dull thump as the
which shuttled through a tube from
ship made contact w1tl1 the surf~ce of ...
stem to stern. and a second later emerged
Dione, and for a second low-pitched
into the rocket room. McDill and his
vibrations raced to swift death up and
mate, Perrin, appeared to be in ·exultant
down that drum-tight, molybdic ~.lloy
hull. moods-as well they mig!1t.
··we·re here!" ''Hey there, Norm," g rinned the
Captain Egard's usually hearty ~ i~e solidly-built, chief, welcoming Nomi
was edged with more than a trace of with a hearty slap on the back. ''\:Ve
strain. made it, son!"
"Hall. take an atmosphere test im- "Cap wants you and Perrin in the con-
mediately. And be sure you don't let trol rooms," said Norm. '
any of that stuff loose here inside the "Why didn't he phone?" asked Per-
ship ! Griffin, what's the temperature rin, tossing aside a handful of waste.
outside?"
Nor.m shook his head as he turned
"Still subzero, captain ; but the back to re-ente1- the ·liit. H e didn't like
meter's slowly rising." to mention Captain Egartl's unprece-
"Norm-if you can pllll )'Ollr head out dented display of jitteriness.
of that port-rw1 down to the rocket On the deck above the rocket room
room and tell McDill and Perrin I want he found Rives and Talbot starino from
'em up here just as soon as they can a port. They had evidently just ft~ishe(l
leave things. Get Rives and Talbot, giving their oxygen suits a last careful
too." , inspection.
Eric Norm, junior member of the Talbot was , speaking: "-a green
mote ! I saw it drift pa.st the port."
crew, tore himseli away from the port
through which he had been staring. That ''You're seeing thi,~gs,'' scoffed Rives.
s<;ene of alien grotesqueness had held a Five minutes later, the entire crew
peculiar fascination for him. Black of the Pegasus-nine men including the
rocks jutting up between fernlike ship's surgeon, Dr. Frontain-were con -
mounds of frozen vapor; ice crystals gregated in the not-too-spacious control
sparkling and thro\'.:ing back the light room. That is, all <'xcept Hall, who Burdened hampered' by the suit, lie stum-
of the tiny, but still brilliant sun in deli- was still busy with his atmo»?herc bled over 'the rocks, dodging frantical/y-
analysis.