Star of Blue

By MILTON KALETSKY

ND so, my dear marshal, you 'Typical Martian logic," he remarked
have no choice but to surren- quietly. "You'll murder millions of

der unconditionally."

Earthmen who want only peace and

Generalissimo Ankeen, command- then you'll blame me for it."

er-in-chief of the battle forces of

Generalissimo Ankeen glared at

Mars, paused to note the effect of this Hughes. "This is war ! Nothing can
declaration on his prisoner of war, stop Mars from conquering the entire
Marshal Hughes, leader of Earth's solar system, and I'm going to do it !"

fighting men.

His voice rose fanatically, then it

The Earthman's look of cold eon- dropped suddenly and took on an at-
tempt did not change. Over his pale, most pleading note.

lined features, his bushy gray eye-

Hughes, you're absolute dictator

brows rose a little as he returned the of Earth during this war and your

Martian's stare. But he said nothing, people will obey you. Save them from

Ankeen scowled. "I repeat, Hughes, destruction ! Order them to surren-

in the eight days since we captured der!"

you, your battle fleets have been large- The Earthman answered with quiet

ly ruined. Oh, your men fought brave- pride. "Yes, they will obey me. And I

lv and did us a lot of damage, I admit, have given them only one order :

but without you to lead them
Martian bowed derisively

tt

the Tight on !' " .

<*

my

Ankeen sneered a sarcastic reply.

forces smashed your chief fleets, and "Very, very dramatic* my dear mar-

now Earth lies helpless before me !"

shal, but very very foolish, The day

A triumphant leer passed across the of such heroism on the part of gener-
Martian's green face. Marshal als is long over. No longer do leaders
Hughes' impassive features showed of armies and fleets fight with their

men as you do. That's why you were
captured, Hughes, while I sat safely

no change, and still he said nothing.
Ankeen looked annoyed.

u

This bravado of yours will do you on Mars.

no good," he told Hughes in his thin, "In fact," Ankeen continued, "I

piping voice, "just as the courage of have never been off this planet, yet

Earth's defenders will do them no every move my men make, every ac-

good either. If you do not order them tion they carry out, is planned and di-

to surrender, they will go on fighting rected solely by me. Alone, I am the

and I'll be compelled to destroy them guiding mind of Mars !"

utterly. It means the death of millions He paused, enjoying the sound of

and the responsibility for this blood- his own voice boasting of his power,

shed will lie directly on you." "Right from this room here on Mars

Marshal Hughes smiled thinly. I directed the conquest of Venus and

*

Marshal! Hughes, leader of Earth's f fighting men, finds himself faced with
surrender to the heartless ruler of Mars — until he looks into the heavens
where the fate of his world rests upon the identification of a colon

54

STAR OF BL

o o o 55

of Jupiter's moons. Earth is next!"

High over the sprawling, blacked-

Hughes answered noncommittally, out metropolis, lighted only by the

"Perhaps,

?>

The Martian's face grew dark with

moon, the spherical Martian war ves-

zoomed, dropping

sels whirled and

anger. He leaned forward across the showers of small but deadly atomite
table between them to shake his three- bombs that blasted great craters out

fingered fist at Marshal Hughes.
"You doubt me? Then listen to this :

of the close-packed buildings.

From the ground below, beams of

At this very moment, my bombing explosive light flashed upwards, seek-
space-ships are over the largest cities . ing the attackers. Once, twice, and

of Earth, blasting them into nothing- again the beams found their marks

ness, smashing them to powder, wip- and Martian ships blasted apart in

ing out their inhabitants. I've called vast blinding flashes of light. But

on them to surrender and save their there were hundreds of Martian ships,

lives and property, but until they hear and the defense batteries on the

from you, they intend to fight on, at ground were rapidly going out of ac-

any cost.

"Do you hear, Hughes? I'm destroy -

tion as bombs fell on or near them.
Arikeen twisted a dial and abruptly

ing New York, London, Paris, Buenos the scene shifted to New York.

Aires, Tokio, Berlin and Rio de Janei- Hughes felt a spasm of homesickness

as he recognized the familiar towers
of Manhattan, reaching skywards a

HE Martian sank back in his seat, miJ e and more over the slender island.

ro rifirht now!"

panting with excitement

Here, too, clouds of Martian ships

Marshal Hughes stared into his en- floated over the city, scattering de-

emy's eyes and spoke calmly. (i Yoa lie struction. A few squadrons of Earth's

interestingly but eneonvincingly, An- battle fleet tore wildly back and forth

? in a futile counter-attack. Greatly out-

keen."

Ankeen stood up, his eight feet of numbered, they would all soon be
height curved over the Earthman, ripped to fragments.

With a wide mocking grin, he hissed,

"Then watch this, my dear marshal."

He turned to the curtain-draped

HOUGH the marshal sat rigidly

still, within him his heart was
wall behind him. Tugging at a cord, pounding fiercely as he watched the
he drew the curtain aside, revealing a uneven battle, his men, his brave men,
great television screen covering the fighting with such courage, when cour-
entire wall. He snapped a switch to age alone was not enough. They need-
darken the room and turned on the ed ships, and had so few. Ankeen was

right; he had to order them to sur-

television receiver.

"By my order," he said, "some of render. This slaughter was unneces-

the ships attacking Earth are tele- sary and futile.

vising the battle and are transmitting The scene shifted from place to

by beam to Mars. You will now see for place as the Martian operating the

yourself how helpless Earth is." televisor changed the direction of the

On the huge screen, blurred patches scanner. Hughes groaned in despair

of light were resolving themselves into

caught

a clear picture. There on the screen, in the rows and rows of gleaming Mar-
full natural color, appeared a night tian ships against the night sky. How
view of London from the air. many times he had stood on a high

56 O O O SCIENCE FICTION

Manhattan roof to study the stars in keen, chortling gleefully, called his un-

the quiet night. And now the scin- derlings and issued orders to inform

tillating pin-points were almost the fighting ships of the surrender.

blotted out by the ranks of fighting

ships.

A brilliant flash momentarily hid

the sky. A lucky hit by a Martian
cruiser had wiped out an entire squad-
ron of Earth's valiant defenders.

From the window, Hughes asked
irrelevantly, "Ankeen, did you ever
study astronomy V

44 Astronomy t" snorted the Martian,
looking up from a mass of papers,

gnored

bewilderment

"Why should a practical
read about stars ? I don't

-

leave

over something he'd glimpsed just be- why'd you a*

fore that brilliant flash. He waited ing Hughes with keen suspicion,
anxiously for another upwards view. «Q h nQ

The television scanner dropped for ,. '

wre

hattan. From end to end, the buildings

lay in tumbled heaps of brick and

steel, and still the remaining defense

batteries spit forth their reply to the

Martians.

Then the scene turned upwards

again

>eial reason. Just tha
so clear here on Mar
i thin atmosphere. Sat

urn and Jupiter are visime now. Ana
that beautiful bine planet there!
That's Earth, my homer

Ankeen stared at him in surprise,
then shouted disgustedly. "Bah ! What
silly sentiment ! Come along, my dear

. ' t . u A Ti„-»it M poet, FU arrange to send you back to

ing and repassing overhead. Hughes v"** * ** * J

desperately

your beautiful blue planet, so you can

to be sure before he made his deci- T*t *±/™* J™ star ^ azi ^-
sion. His eyes flashed over the screen.
Yes . . . there it was again. . . .

Astronomy! HahT

a

, . . HP*WO days later. Ankeen sat m his

Ankeen!" Hughes voice was 1 . , , . .. ,,

; " " . nm m. <* v A headquarters, impatiently wait-

hoarse with despair. 'Turn

were right. There's no use fighting

against such odds."

ing for a communication from his fleet

commander. At Ankeen's order, the

Martian fleet had withdrawn from
As the room was lighted again the Earth and had returned to its bas€S

leaped ea
with

on Earth's moon for repairs and re-
fueling. On Luna also was the re-

mainder of Earth's fleet, surrendered
on a sheet of paper and thrust it at under the terms of the armist ice.

words

the Earthman.

Hughes read J
said, "If I sign

me back to Earth at once to organize s hal Hughes.

Meanwhile his spies on Earth reported
that the Earthmen were abandoning
their defenses, as promised by Mar-

reconstruction."

All this news made Ankeen swell

Ankeen hastily nodded agreement with satisfaction. So far his plans

and Hughes signed the paper. It was were working out perfectly. One more

a declaration of complete and uncon- step remained, one small step.

ditional surrender. As soon as preparations were com-

Shoulders drooping, Hughes rose pleted, Ankeen gloated, his fleet would

and strode to a window to stare out at attack Earth again — and undefended

the night sky over Mars, while An- Earth now — and without warning;

STAR OF BLUE O o o 57

would completely destroy all fac- and I will destroy Earth utterly for

tories, industries and cities, just as your swindle I**

he had smashed the nations on Venus "Shut up," snapped Hughes coldly,

and Jupiter's moons after they had "I keep my word when it is honestly

surrendered. obtained, but you got me to sign that

That would remove forever the last surrender under false pretenses, and

obstacle to Mars' domination of the you know it. The entire world will

solar system. Then indeed would An- know it, and I knew it when I signed

keen be supreme in the universe and ft!

never would another planet grow
strong enough to challenge Mars!

His happy musings were interrupt-

The Martian stared dumbly, stran-
gled by disappointment and fury.
"That was a good job of acting you

ed by the buzz of the televisor. That did two da ^ s a 8°/' said Hughes, smil-

would be his fleet commander report- in * " You had me convinced by telling

ing that all was ready for the attack ™ e P art ° f the truth - It was teue that
on Earth.

It was his fleet commander, but one
look at the man's panic-stricken face
sent a pulse of terror through Ankeen.

"General!" the fleet commander

We have been tricked! The
Earthmen are attacking us !"

"What!" screamed Ankeen shrilly.
"With what ships? Why are you not
fighting back?"

"We did not expect attack and our

ships were all in the repair sheds. The

crews were outside the ships, resting.

We are being destroyed on the ground

before we can man the guns. Oh, now

they are blasting the buildings here

and

The screen lighted with a blinding

Earth's fleet was mostly destroyed,
but you didn't tell me that your fleet
was also almost all smashed, too. You
didn't tell me you feared another bat-
tle might finish what was left of your
fleet, and so you decided to try trick-
ery.

"Nor did you tell me you intended to
destroy Earth's industries and cities
after we surrendered. But I remem-
bered what you did to Venus and Jupi-
ter and I knew you'd do the same to
Earth,"

99

UGHES paused, smiled contemp-
tuously at the speechless Mar-
tian, and went on calmly.

"I still had an ace up my sleeve, An-
glare," thehladid" into darkness. On keen > which * wouldn't have used if
the moon, the televisor had just been y° u ' d been honest - Fort y new > ™°J-
blown to bits, together with an entire ern battIe rockets were m ? ace > bu J l1:

Martian space-ship base.

secretly and just finished. We caught

Before Ankeen could choke down your men completely by surprise, and
his fury, the screen lighted under a so now > m y dear A ^™> ' ™ st ask

new signal. Marshal Hughes ap-
peared, seated at the controls of a bat-
tle cruiser.

you to surrender!"

The Martian gurgled and gasped,
curses and oaths pouring from his

Ankeen's lidless eyes bulged in un- rage-distorted mouth.

controllable rage as he shrieked curses

at the Earthman.

"Shall I tell you how I knew you
were tricking me, my dear Ankeen?"

"You broke your word !" he howled Hughes went on, mimicking the

finally. "You tricked me into believ- mocking tone Ankeen had once used,

ing you would surrender ! Forever will "how I knew that the 'television'

your deceit be remembered by Mars views of your fleet attacking Earth

58 O O O SCIENCE FICTJON

were just motion pictures?"

Hughes grinned as he continued*

"A beautiful work of art, my dear An-

keen. Very accurate models of Earth's doubt that those scenes had occurred
cities, those were-

year, I should have seen a red planet
Mars. Instead I saw a blue planet
Earth! And so I knew without

on Mars!

"But you missed one point, Ankeen !

u

Why should a practical man like

When I saw the sky on that screen, I you read about the stars, Ankeen? I
could see the planets. If the scene guess you can answer that question
were really on Earth, at this time of yourself now!"

".;- -:,-

¥©

You should be personally acquainted with Mimi O'Graff,
the little miss who turns out many an interesting science-

fiction fan magazine. J
ment in this issue of SC

NC

ICTION, and you will find

there several items of interest to lovers of fantasy — beside;

a list of many of the leading fan magazines — little publica-

tions designed to bring you information about the people
behind the scenes in the science-fiction world.

— ***-• -i*.

•

e

you will like "The Eternal Conflict," our department of
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tBSt