n of dust, then twisting, whirling, it fell back in utter, chaotic
ruin.

Zezdon Fentes staggered back from the screen in horror.

"Arcot--drive down--increase your speed--the Thessians are there already
and have destroyed one city," called Morey sharply. The men secured
themselves with heavy belts, as the deep toned hum of the warning echoed
through the ship. A moment later they staggered under an acceleration of
four gravities. Space was dark for the barest instant of time, and then
there was the scream of atmosphere as the ship rocketed through the air
of the planet at nearly fifteen hundred miles per second. The outer wall
was blazing in incandescence in a moment, and the heavy relux screens
seemed to leap into place over the windows as the blasting heat,
radiated from the incandescent walls flooded in. The millions of tons
pressure of the air on the nose of the ship would have brought it to a
stop in an instant, and had it not been that the molecular drive was on
at full power, driving the ship against the air resistance, and still
losing. The ship slowed swiftly, but was shrieking toward the destroyed
city at terrific speed.

"Hesthis--to the--right and ahead. That would be their next attack,"
said the Ortolian. Arcot altered the ship's course, and they shot toward
the distance city of Hesthis. They were slowing perceptibly, and yet,
though the city was half around the world, they reached it in half a
minute. Now Arcot's wizardry at the controls came into play, for by
altering his space field constants, he succeeded in reaching a condition
that slowed the ship almost instantly to a speed of but a mile a second,
yet without apparent deceleration.

High in the white Ortolian sky was a shining point bearing down on the
now-visible city. Arcot slanted toward it, and the approaching ship grew
like an expanding rubber balloon.

A ray of intense, blindingly brilliant light flashed out, and a gout of
light appeared in the center of the city. A huge flame, bright blue,
shot heavenward in roaring heat.

Seeing that a strange ship had arrived was enough for the Thessians, and
they turned, and drove at Arcot instantly. The Thessian ship was built
for a heavy world, and for heavy acceleration in consequence, and, as
they had found from the captured ship, it was stronger than the _Ancient
Mariner_. Now the Thessians were driving at Arcot with an acceleration
and speed that convinced him dodging was useless. Suddenly space