BLACK-OUT
By JOSEPH FARRELL
The destiny of a dying world lay
in another—a blue planet which
could not control its own.
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Planet Stories Winter 1943.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
Old Thak watched fondly as the new telescope was being put into itsplace. He had been a long time persuading the elders to build thisinstrument, a duplicate of the one destroyed in the latest great war.It was as fine a telescope as Mars could produce, and only Thak'sassurances that the work was of the greatest importance had securedhim this luxury.
His project must succeed, he felt, glancing at his students. Like him,they were almost spherical in shape, with fine arm-like appendagesringing their middles. They were young and enthusiastic, and Thakbelieved they could revive the science of astronomy. He, the lastastronomer of Mars, would teach them all he knew.
The overseer of the workers was disgusted. "You waste our resources,Thak," he declared. "You have taken two years of labor by dozens ofworkers, and for what? So that you may look at the sky!"
Thak's tentacles purpled, a sign of irritation. "You military men!" heretorted. "It was your kind, Mitfpa, that destroyed our civilizationand reduced our race to a few hungry thousands. You have ruinedprogress and science forever. You have hastened the death of our race.Unless—"
He waved through the open doorway, pointing out the early evening sky.Just rising over the horizon was a blue body that was of a dazzlingbrilliance, outshining all the other heavenly bodies. Thak's voicebecame emotional.
"On that planet," he said, "are civilized beings. They hold the onlyhope for the salvation of our race. We must work to contact them, aslong as there is one of us to carry on!"
"What is this, Thak?" Mitfpa demanded angrily. "How can you say, oldone, that people of intelligence live on the blue planet? You will tellme next that you have been there!"
The soldier laughed scornfully, but Thak's voice was unruffled as heexplained. "This is no mere fancy of mine. These people have beensignalling to us for some time. And when I signalled back by creatinga network of space-warping lines through our entire power system, theystrengthened their signals. Then came your war—"
"Space warps?" Mitfpa growled. "More power wasted? How was thisaccomplished?"
The workers were bolting the last legs of the telescope into position,and the students were making happy squeaks. Thak looked gratefullytoward his new instrument, and toward the scholars. A fine lot of youngones, these. Perhaps, in them, astronomy would become once more ascience of great importance. Perhaps they would be the salvation ofMars.
He answered Mitfpa's questions. "The power used was very small. Youhave heard of controlled space warps?"
"What about it?" grumbled the soldier.
"An interesting laboratory trick. But it also occurs in nature.As a youth I once saw the light of stars bent around the sun in aselector-scope; indeed, it was this very phenomenon that showed ourscientists how to make their own warps."
"Enough of your lecture, old one. What was the result of thisscientific trickery?"
"One as stupid as you would not understand the method," Thak repliedlevelly, "but the result of warping all of our power beams was anetwork of opaque lines that to an observer would be an obvious signal.And now, if you are quite ready to leave—?"
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