Helplessly Marooned in Space, Earthman and Uranian Devise a Cunning Trap for an Interplanetary Outlaw! Then Bradlow saw the ships of his following burst apart with a dazzling flare of light SATURN’S RINGMASTER By RAYMOND Z. GALLUN Author of “Old Faithful,” “Derelict,” etc. “Y OU’RE licked, Raff Orethon. The justified, my friend. If you and that ridiculous new Esar repulsion shield will Uranian mascot of yours resorted to suicide, I am protect me and my people, not the certain that you would save yourselves much Titanian colony. I could kill you now, but to do so anguish of mind. That is all. Korse Bradlow, the would be a waste of effort, since you are already Ringmaster, has other business. Goodbye, trouble as good as dead. Sometimes self-murder is shooter! Farewell!” 1 Raymond Z. Gallun Saturn’s Ringmaster Thrilling Wonder, December, 1936 Raff Orethon, strapped in the wrecked cabin gifted with some touch of poetic humor, had of his spaceboat, was dimly aware of the words called himself the Ringmaster. And he had acted that clicked faintly in the etherphones of his promptly. Approaching from the rear, he had oxygen helmet. His faculties were still numb from disabled Raff’s flier with a protonic blast, and had the crash. In them there was room for scarcely caused it to dive into the Rings, where it had been more than one thought—he had failed. smashed against a meteor. The fact that Orethon Foggily he saw Korse Bradlow creep over had survived the collision, was one of those the rusty surface of the meteor against which the strange tricks of relativity. ruined spaceboat was telescoped. He saw him The meteor, hurtling around Saturn at a straighten up, holding the metal box which velocity of many miles per second, had been contained the pilfered Esar models tightly against going just a shade slower than the uncontrolled the side of his vacuum armor. He saw Bradlow ship, and in the same direction. And so Raff and jump athletically clear of the great lump of cosmic his weird companion still lived. And because they refuse, catch the door-rail of his own gaudily were harmless and half stunned and the death by gilded ship floating free in the ether, open the suffocation which was in store for them appealed valve, and disappear into the interior. to his sadistic nature, Bradlow had let them live. A moment later the rockets of the golden But he had taken the Esar models from them. craft spat blasts of incandescent flame, and it Young Orethon could grasp all the details of hurtled away, clear of the immeasurably frosty the situation now. glory of Saturn’s Rings. Its form dwindled swiftly Dazedly he looked down at the large fibrotex among the brittle stars. pocket on the front of his space suit. It bulged “What are we going to do now, Orethon?” with abhorrent contents. “What are we going to do, Ruzza?” he T HE question, sounding now in Raff’s questioned irritably. “Nothing but admire the etherphones, was certainly human enough as scenery, I guess—until our oxygen gives out.” far as its arrangement and meaning went; but the Ruzza was a native of the buried caves of curious tinny rasp of it suggested the tones of Uranus. It was his bulk, which would have some cheap and ancient phonograph. And to an weighed a scant three pounds on Earth, that uninformed observer its point of origin might caused Raff’s pocket to bulge. Ruzza was a have been puzzling at first. It came from the grotesquely humorous demonstration of the fact tympanic voice-membrane of Ruzza of Uranus. that all intelligent forms of life need not be Raff did not answer at once. He was trying to wrought in human shape. His body was a ball of straighten things out—trying to remember just leathery brown flesh, pronged with sensitive what had happened. prehensile feelers. Four of them, longer and The Esar models had been intended for thicker than the others, and covered by protecting delivery to the colony on the Saturnian moon, sheaths of transparent, cellophane-like material, Titan; and he had set out from Mars to take them were thrust ludicrously out of the top of the there. But somehow, probably through the agency pocket. They wavered from side to side with a of his efficient spy system, Korse Bradlow, restless motion. greatest rogue within the orbit of Pluto, had At their tips, looking through the clear learned of the mission and had foreseen its texture of his odd space attire, were bright, beady, purpose. It was a gesture of the forces of law intelligent eyes. Ruzza was a scientist of note in against his piratical depredations. his own country. His association with Orethon—a When a full-sized Esar apparatus had been matter now of seven Earth months—was an constructed, its deadly energy shield would screen expression of an adventurous yearning in the the domes of the colony, rendering them forever unnamed soul of the tiny creature. He had paid in impervious to attack. But meanwhile police craft bars of priceless actinium for the privilege of could continue their assaults on Bradlow’s camp traveling around with Orethon on his police on Tethys without fear of reprisal. duties; and though the young Earthman had often It was a dangerous situation for him who, found Ruzza’s constant presence annoying, he had 2 Raymond Z. Gallun Saturn’s Ringmaster Thrilling Wonder, December, 1936 endured it because of the pay. Any enterprising “You heard his little speech of departure,” he youth would have done so. said. “Isn’t that enough? Among the renegade The Uranian gave his buzzing version of a Terrestrials and Martians in his outfit, there are human laugh. “At least the scenery is very nice, plenty of skilled mechanics. He’ll build a big Esar eh, friend?” he questioned. apparatus to protect his headquarters on Tethys, of course. And he can make another apparatus to O RETHON agreed with a sullen nod. It was screen his fleet. From behind the screen he can Ruzza’s endless effort to be friendly that blast our orderly colony on Titan out of existence irritated him most. But he could not disagree with if it doesn’t submit. But it will—eventually. He’ll the little fellow now. rule the whole system of Saturn! So far from their The spectacle around them was the most home bases, no Earthly or Martian fleet would grandly beautiful in the solar system, and perhaps dare oppose him. And his depredations against in the entire universe. The large meteor on which commerce will doubtless continue.” they were marooned was one of myriads that were “Zaah, Raff Orethon!” Ruzza buzzed. “It in sight. Their range in size was tremendous; must not happen!” some were as massive as small mountains, while The Earthman felt exasperation rising within an immeasurable host of others were as fine as him. grains of dust. Glowing silvery with the reflected “I’m with you that way, Ruzza,” he said. “It rays of the distant sun, they formed a tremendous must not happen. But I’m afraid it will in spite of arching pathway, the width of several Earths. anything we can do to prevent it. We’re stranded Close at hand, the path was murky, like a here until doomsday. We can’t even save our own haze; but distance sharpened its outlines until it necks. Our etherphones, even at maximum power, became a great ribbon curving around the cloud- couldn’t send a warning all the way to Titan, even wrapped bulk of Saturn. Each cosmic lump and if such a warning would do any good. Our ship particle that composed it was a minute moon of can’t be repaired, and if it could be, we’d still find the monster planet. it impossible to get far. This is Bradlow’s Beyond the filmy texture of the Rings, the territory; his patrols are never far out of sight. A greater satellites glowed sullenly—Mimas, Rhea, damaged flier could never escape.” Titan, Tethys—Tethys, home of Bradlow’s band. “Supposing some small trick of invisibility Beyond the moon were the stars, eerily bright were used?” Ruzza queried. against the frigid blackness of infinity. “It would be nice,” Raff replied with bitter Under other circumstances Raff Orethon sarcasm. “It would be easy for us to go right to might have found the view even more interesting. work and invent an invisibility machine— But now the harsh grandeur of it only served to something which has never been effectively emphasize the helplessness of his position. His accomplished on any of the known planets.” spaceboat was wrecked beyond any possibility of Ruzza’s prongs bristled within the pocket repair; a glance through the shattered observation that held him. window at its crumpled prow, gleaming in the “You do not understand what I mean, Raff contrasting lights of many spheres, was enough to Orethon!” he shrilled. “It is simpler than that! tell him that. Wait! Put me down!” And it was not only his life and the Uranian’s Obediently the Earthman hoisted Ruzza from that would be lost; many Titan colonists would his odd refuge, and lowered him to the floor of the perish, and many others would be reduced to a cabin. The Uranian, clad in his transparent space state of slavery. Korse Bradlow would have his garment, drew himself with his feelers through the way now. opening left when the craft’s door had bulged “What will the Ringmaster do, now that he from its hinges. Raff looked into the periscope to has the repulsion shield?” Ruzza demanded watch him in his swift scrambling progress astern. suddenly. Presently Ruzza disappeared into a rent in the Raff shrugged, annoyed by what seemed to crumpled jumble of the spaceboat’s tail assembly. him a childish question. 3 Raymond Z. Gallun Saturn’s Ringmaster Thrilling Wonder, December, 1936 THERE was a long silence, during which Orethon Raff’s brows knitted as he sought to remained in the cabin, tentatively fussing with the concentrate. His gaze fell on the tiny atomic machine-gun with which the craft was equipped. projectiles in the belts of the machine-gun. Each The weapon’s long barrel was badly twisted at the projectile was filled with an explosive of muzzle. But it would be possible to saw off the tremendous violence; and each was fitted with a ruined part, thus making the gun practically as time fuse that could delay explosion a full minute good as new. The complicated sighting from the instant of percussion. mechanism seemed undamaged. But at these Suddenly he was very grateful for the thoughts Raff’s lips curled cynically. What was possibilities of those fuses. The delay they offered the use? He and Ruzza were hopelessly trapped might spell the difference between life and death and impotent. for his small, startling companion, and for Then the Uranian’s voice buzzed and shrilled himself. again in Orethon’s helmet phones: “One rocket “Come on, Ruzza!” he said at last. “We’ve tube is intact, and another is not beyond repair,” got a lot to do, but it won’t take long if we will Ruzza announced. only hurry!” “So?” Raff questioned. “What about it? All He unstrapped himself and kicked the ruined the new rockets on Earth and Mars wouldn’t put door of the flier out of his way. He had tools in his this pile of junk into flying trim again!” kit—blast-welders, chisels, wrenches. Gingerly he “Wait, Raff Orethon,” Ruzza answered. “I clambered forth onto the pitted surface of the have the beginning of a plan. I will explain. But meteor. Its gravity was almost nothing, and a too we must be careful. The power of our etherphones abrupt movement might have set him adrift in must be cut down to minimum so that no one will spite of his magnetized boots which attracted the hear.” nickel-iron alloy under him. Raff was mildly curious. Like a tumbleweed Ruzza bowled toward “Mine’s at minimum, of course,” he said. him to help. Saturn and its moons looked on, as if “Shoot!” fascinated by the strange machinations of living He listened while the Uranian outlined his creatures. sketchily conceived scheme in low, buzzing tones. S His hard young face, illumined by the contrasting KILFULLY Korse Bradlow guided his gilded lights of Saturn’s system, underwent many swift space flier toward Tethys. A cruel smirk of changes. First it showed the chagrin of doubt, then triumph curved his thin lips. He was pleased, and dawning wonder, then hope. Finally all his natural he was off guard. He was within his own section enthusiasm and resourcefulness, which had of space. There was but one danger that he knew seemed to be drained out of him, returned. about, and it was not a great one. Meteors were Once more he was his old, energetic, forceful plentiful here, so close to Saturn’s Rings. Because self. of them, and because there was no reason to “It’s worth a try, Ruzza,” he said grimly. hurry, he pursued his course at leisure. “Maybe it won ‘t work, but we can’t help that.” His thoughts were pleasant. The exquisite bit For a minute he sat chewing his lip and tried of piracy he had just accomplished would be to clear up in his mind the hazier phases of the accepted by the horde he commanded as sure plan. evidence of his right to rule. That was why he had “We’ll have to get rid of what’s left of the undertaken the theft of the Esar models single- ship,” he mused. “But that should be easy. All we handed. His following, gleaned from the criminal have to do is shove it off into space. And we’ll ranks of a solar system, was a fickle crowd at best. have to plot our course carefully, because we To remain its leader, a man must constantly won’t have the use of the usual well-balanced demonstrate his prowess. guiding machinery. There’ll be the danger of And Korse Bradlow knew that he was the colliding with meteors, of course; but that’s a risk only man fit to command. He had made we’ll have to take. Some of Bradlow’s men will Bradlow’s Circus; he had made himself its get us in the end. Or—or maybe—not—” Ringmaster. Without him, petty and bloody 4 Raymond Z. Gallun Saturn’s Ringmaster Thrilling Wonder, December, 1936 differences would soon cause it to break up, its a space ship invisible, It is in operation now, my various factions falling easy prey to the police friend. You will notice, too, if you take patrols. observations with your direction finder, that the But his position was doubly assured now. In waves which bring this message to you come from his mind’s eye he could picture pleasant things a point of origin which you will consider that soon would happen. He could see ships, impossible. We have changed position, Bradlow. protected by the blue fire of the repulsion shield, We are no longer in the Rings. We are clear of hurtling down upon Titan, smashing the domes of them, and we are coming toward you with intent its Colony and whipping its people into to kill. How it is that we have moved, I leave you submission. Titan would yield before other Esar to guess.” models could be sent to the harassed inhabitants. The Ringmaster’s laugh was low and Korse Bradlow was happy, steeped in his scornful. rambling dreams—dreams which seemed as “I admire your nerve, Orethon,” he said. certain to be realized as tomorrow’s dawn and “Probably I’d try a bluff, too, if I were one of the dusk, on Earth. living dead, as you are.” He did not glance into his rear-vision N periscope. But had he done so at the proper EVERTHELESS Bradlow turned his moment, he might have seen a slender sword of attention to a rectangular coil of wire, incandescent flame limned against Saturn’s mounted on a universal joint. He pointed its axis tremendous bulk. in the direction of the place where Orethon and It might have been the fiery wake of any Ruzza should be, allowing for the steady rotation ordinary spacecraft, building up speed. The of the substance of the Rings. Then he watched rockets of vessels that navigate the ether are not the bobbing needle of a sensitive galvanometer. continuously active during flight. They flame only Its reading did not balance as it should with the when a change in velocity or direction is strength of the incoming carrier waves, which, necessary; otherwise, in the frictionless void, no though Orethon was not speaking at the moment, application of power is required. A ship can coast were still being broadcast. Bradlow moved the on at undiminished speed for an indefinite if not coil experimentally, seeking the point of balance. infinite distance. And at last he found it, high up, clear of the Rings Presently the nearing trail of incandescence as Orethon had said! died out. Bradlow had not seen it; and if he had, A frown of worried puzzlement creased the be would have thought only that one of his Ringmaster’s brow. What the young patrol pilot henchmen was on a scouting tour somewhere had said was obviously true in part at least. But astern. that all of it could be true was of course And then a little red light gleamed on his impossible. And yet, who could be sure? For a instrument panel. Someone was calling him by moment Korse Bradlow felt a twinge of dread. etherphone. Then, before him, against the star curtain of space, Switches moved in his grasp. he saw the slender forms of seven fliers. Some of “The Ringmaster speaking,” he drawled into his followers were coming to meet him. Their the microphone inside his oxygen helmet. His presence served to banish the faint uncertainty voice was lazy and bored. which had touched his iron nerves. “You were a fool to let Ruzza and me live, Orethon’s voice was speaking again in his Bradlow,” came the words. helmet phones. “I believe that by now you have Though the Ringmaster recognized the found that what I have told you is not entirely a speaker at once, he was not alarmed. bluff, Bradlow,” it stated coolly. “I seem pretty “So, Orethon?” he questioned. sure of myself, don’t I? Probably you’ve got a “Yes, Bradlow,” was the calm reply. “We young space navy within call. You’d better yell have tricks up our sleeves other than the Esar for help, Bradlow.” shield. You did not know that we were carrying The Ringmaster betrayed none of the fury the another invention to Titan—one which will render insult aroused in him. 5 Raymond Z. Gallun Saturn’s Ringmaster Thrilling Wonder, December, 1936 “You want a show, do you, Orethon?” he asunder was too sudden and violent for questioned mildly. “Well, it’ll be just a workout disintegrating human senses to record. for the boys. Your wish shall be granted, trouble By then the meteors had passed far astern. shooter!” One of them was not quite what it seemed. Its He changed the adjustment of his etherphone, Saturnward end had been hollowed out, so that a and gave a sharp whistle into the mike. This was tiny cave was formed there. At the mouth of the his signal for attention. A moment later he heard cave a pair of rocket tubes had been welded firmly words of enthusiastic response coming from his to the meteoric alloy, their muzzles carefully henchmen: countersunk to minimize the possibility of their “Arka reporting, Sire... Ledrak reporting... being seen. Through the opening above the tubes, Leilson reporting...” the shortened barrel of a machine-gun projected. Loyal Earthmen and Martians were Behind the weapon crouched a man, and answering the call of the Ringmaster. beside him in the tiny cave they had carved out “Fan formation!” Bradlow ordered sharply. with blast-welders, was the grotesque shape of a “Watch for damaged flier of XL type. Blast out of Uranian. existence at sight!” He followed the command with a string of numbers which, in the terms of space navigation, indicated the position of Raff Orethon and Ruzza as nearly as he had been able to determine it with the direction finder. The golden ship of the Ringmaster executed a quick hairpin turn, its rockets flaming. The seven other fliers followed like an angry horde. Looking back through the mouth of their Sharp eyes were directed keenly ahead. refuge, they saw several swift flashes of flame. Minutes passed. The damaged craft bearing “Five, Raff Orethon!” Ruzza shrilled. “Four Orethon and Ruzza should be in sight now, but it and the Ringmaster! We made sure of him and his was not. There was nothing near except a few gilded ship. He is dead, and the Esar models are drifting meteors, shadow-blotched in the destroyed. Bradlow’s Circus will break up now, contrasting lights of the sun and of Saturn and her without his leadership. Titan won’t even need the moons and Rings. And meteors were too common repulsion shield! Nice stunt—my ‘invisibility’ here to attract more than momentary attention. trick—wasn’t it? Our rocket tubes practically Bradlow was becoming nervous. Could there turned this old meteor into a spaceship. And if you be any truth in what the insolent patrol pilot had hadn’t thought of using those time fuses on the said about an invisibility apparatus? He had atomic projectiles our friends probably would scarcely given any credence to that part of what have spotted us and have burned us out of space. Orethon had said before; but now he did not quite The first exploding ship would have put them know what to believe. wise. But we had those five as good as smashed H before their pilots knew it. And the three that E heard nothing as tiny explosive projectiles remain will never find us. The men at the controls drilled through the outer shell of his golden will never guess the truth, simple as it is.” flier, for the vacuum compartments between its In response to this long speech, Raff only inner and external walls deadened all sounds nodded laconically; but when he looked at the tiny which might have come from such a source. Uranian, pronged and brown like an oversized Some moments went by as the time fuses of burdock bur of his own native countryside, and the projectiles burned. Then Bradlow saw one of yet, by some surprising whim of nature, humanly the ships of his following burst apart with a intelligent, there was in his eyes a new awe and dazzling flare of light. For an instant he felt a respect for his weird companion. All his petty panic such as he had never before experienced. resentments were gone; and in their place was a The atomic explosion which ripped his own craft feeling of real friendship at last. 6 Raymond Z. Gallun Saturn’s Ringmaster Thrilling Wonder, December, 1936 R AFF glanced at his wrist watch, strapped because I always wanted to collect terrestrial over the fabric of his space suit. butterflies; and you’ll be glad because you’ll see “Continuing on our present course, we’ll be Miss Emily; and she’ll be glad because she’ll see within hailing distance of Titan with our you. Even all around, eh?” etherphones within ten hours,” he said. “We have Raff grinned genially behind the curve of his enough oxygen to last until they send somebody transparent oxygen helmet, and began to hum the out to pick us up. Meanwhile, what’ll we do?” tune of some ludicrous song. Ruzza joined him “Talk about Earth, sing about Earth, and with rasping buzzes. maybe sleep and dream about Earth,” Ruzza But beyond the maw of their meteor cave, the replied. “We’ll be going there soon, I think. The mad glory of Saturn’s system was still visible, Commissioners will give you a leave with pay, hemmed in by the black void and the sardonic I’m sure, for this Bradlow business. I’ll be glad, stars. 7