The Sargasso of Space Read online

combination-lock," she said.

  "The combination is 6-34-77-81," Kent told her swiftly. "Open it asquickly as you can."

  "Good God, Kent!" cried Crain. "You're going to have her--?"

  "Get out of there the only way she can!" Kent finished fiercely. "Youhave the door open, Marta?"

  "Yes; there are six or seven control-wheels inside."

  "Those wheels control the _Pallas'_ exhaust-valves," Kent told her."Each wheel opens the valves of one of the ship's decks or compartmentsand allows its air to escape into space. They're used for testing leaksin the different deck and compartment divisions. Marta, you must turnall those wheels as far as you can to the right."

  "But all the ship's air will rush out; the guards below have no suitson, and they'll be--" she was exclaiming. Kent interrupted.

  "It's the only chance for you, for all of us. Turn them!"

  There was a moment of silence, and Kent was going to repeat the orderwhen her voice came, lower in tone, a little strange:

  "I understand, Rance. I'm going to turn them."

  * * * * *

  There was silence again, and Kent and the men grouped round him weretense. All were envisioning the same thing--the air rushing out of the_Pallas'_ valves, and the unsuspecting guards in its lower deck smittensuddenly by an instantaneous death.

  Then Marta's voice, almost a sob: "I turned them, Rance. The air puffedout all around me."

  "Your space-suit is working all right?"

  "Perfectly," she said.

  "Then go down and tie together as many space-helmets as you can manage,get out of the airlock, and try to get over here to the _Martian Queen_with them. Do you think you can do that, Marta?"

  "I'm going to try," she said steadily. "But I'll have to pass those menin the lower-deck I just--killed. Don't be anxious if I don't talk for alittle."

  Yet her voice came again almost immediately. "Rance, the pumping hasstopped! They must have pumped all the fuel into the _Pallas_!"

  "Then Jandron and the rest will be coming back to the _Pallas_ at once!"Kent cried. "Hurry, Marta!"

  The suit-phone was silent; and Kent and the rest, their faces closelypressed against the deck-windows, peered intently along the wreck-pack'sedge. The _Pallas_ was hidden from their view by the wrecks between, andthere was no sign as yet of the girl.

  Kent felt his heart beating rapidly. Crain and Liggett pressed besidehim, the men around them; Krell's face was a mask as he too gazed. Kentwas rapidly becoming convinced that some mischance had overtaken thegirl when an exclamation came from Liggett. He pointed excitedly.

  * * * * *

  She was in sight, unrecognizable in space-suit and helmet, floatingalong the wreck-pack's edge toward them. A mass of the glassitespace-helmets tied together was in her grasp. She climbed bravely overthe stern of a projecting wreck and shot on toward the _Martian Queen_.

  The airlock's door was open for her, and, when she was inside it, theouter door closed and air hissed into the lock. In a moment she was inamong them, still clinging to the helmets. Kent grasped her swayingfigure and removed her helmet.

  "Marta, you're all right?" he cried. She nodded a little weakly.

  "I'm all right. It was just that I had to go over those guards that wereall frozen.... Terrible!"

  "Get these helmets on!" Crain was crying. "There's a dozen of them, andtwelve of us can stop Jandron's men if we get back in time!"

  Kent and Liggett and the nearer of their men were swiftly donning thehelmets. Krell grasped one and Crain sought to snatch it.

  "Let that go! We'll not have you with us when we haven't enough helmetsfor our own men!"

  "You'll have me or kill me here!" Krell cried, his eyes hate-mad. "I'vegot my own account to settle with Jandron!"

  "Let him have it!" Liggett cried. "We've no time now to argue!"

  Kent reached toward the girl. "Marta, give one of the men your helmet,"he ordered; but she shook her head.

  "I'm going with you!" Before Kent could dispute she had the helmet onagain, and Crain was pushing them into the airlock. The nine or ten leftinside without helmets hastily thrust steel bars into the men's handsbefore the inner door closed. The outer one opened and they leapt forthinto space, floating smoothly along the wreck-pack's border with bars intheir grasp, thirteen strong.

  Kent found the slowness with which they floated forward torturing. Heglimpsed Crain and Liggett ahead, Marta beside him, Krell floatingbehind him to the left. They reached the projecting freighters, climbedover and around them, braced against them and shot on. They sighted the_Pallas_ ahead now. Suddenly they discerned another group of elevenfigures in space-suits approaching it from the wreck-pack's interior,rolling up the tube-line that led from the _Pallas_ as they did so.Jandron's party!

  * * * * *

  Jandron and his men had seen them and were suddenly making greaterefforts to reach the _Pallas_. Kent and his companions, propellingthemselves frenziedly on from another wreck, reached the ship's side atthe same time as Jandron's men. The two groups mixed and mingled,twisted and turned in a mad space-combat.

  Kent had been grasped by one of Jandron's men and raised his bar tocrack the other's glassite helmet. His opponent caught the bar, and theystruggled, twisting and turning over and over far up in space amid ahalf-score similar struggles. Kent wrenched his bar free at last fromthe other's grasp and brought it down on his helmet. The glassitecracked, and he caught a glimpse of the man's hate-distorted face frozeninstantly in death.

  Kent released him and propelled himself toward a struggling trio nearby.As he floated toward them, he saw Jandron beyond them making wildgestures of command and saw Krell approaching Jandron with upraised bar.Kent, on reaching the three combatants, found them to be two ofJandron's men overcoming Crain. He shattered one's helmet as he reachedthem, but saw the other's bar go up for a blow.

  Kent twisted frantically, uselessly, to escape it, but before the blowcould descend a bar shattered his opponent's helmet from behind. As theman froze in instant death Kent saw that it was Marta who had struck himfrom behind. He jerked her to his side. The struggles in space aroundthem seemed to be ending.

  Six of Jandron's party had been slain, and three of Kent's companions.Jandron's four other followers were giving up the combat, floating offinto the wreck-pack in clumsy, hasty flight. Someone grasped Kent's arm,and he turned to find it was Liggett.

  "They're beaten!" Liggett's voice came to him! "They're all killed butthose four!"

  "What about Jandron himself?" Kent cried. Liggett pointed to twospace-suited bodies twisting together in space, with bars still in theirlifeless grasp.

  Kent saw through their shattered helmets the stiffened faces of Jandronand Krell, their helmets having apparently been broken by each other'ssimultaneous blows.

  Crain had gripped Kent's arm also. "Kent, it's over!" he was exclaiming."Liggett and I will close the _Pallas'_ exhaust-valves and release newair in it. You take over helmets for the rest of our men in the _MartianQueen_."

  * * * * *

  In several minutes Kent was back with the men from the _Martian Queen_.The _Pallas_ was ready, with Liggett in its pilot-house, the men takingtheir stations, and Crain and Marta awaiting Kent.

  "We've enough fuel to take us out of the dead-area and to Neptunewithout trouble!" Crain declared. "But what about those four ofJandron's men that got away?"

  "The best we can do is leave them here," Kent told him. "Best for them,too, for at Neptune they'd be executed, while they can live indefinitelyin the wreck-pack."

  "I've seen so many men killed on the _Martian Queen_ and here," pleadedMarta. "Please don't take them to Neptune."

  "All right, we'll leave them," Crain agreed, "though the scoundrelsought to meet justice." He hastened up to the pilot-house after Liggett.

  In a moment came the familiar blast of the rocket-tubes, and the_Pallas_ shot out cleanly from the wreck-pack's edge. A scattere
d cheercame from the crew. With gathering speed the ship arrowed out, itsrocket-tubes blasting now in steady succession.

  Kent, with his arm across Marta's shoulders, watched the wreck-pack growsmaller behind. It lay as when he first had seen it, a strange greatmass, floating forever motionless among the brilliant stars. He felt thegirl beside him shiver, and swung her quickly around.

  "Let's not look back or remember now, Marta!" he said. "Let's lookahead."

  She