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“Perhaps at closer range…?” ventured Kincaide.

“I think not. If Mr. Hendricks is correct–and I believe he is–these things aren’t material; they’re not matter, as we comprehend the word. And so, they can’t be disintegrated.”

“Then, sir, how are to best them?”

“First, we’ll have to know more about them. For one thing, their mode of attack. We should know very soon. Please recall Mr. Hendricks, and then order all hands to their posts. We may be in for it.”

* * * * *

Hendricks came rushing in breathlessly.

“The rays are useless, sir,” he said. “They’ll be on us in a few minutes. Any further orders?”

“Not yet. Have you any ideas as to their mode of attack? What they can do to us?”

“No, sir. That is, no reasonable idea.”

“What’s your unreasonable theory, then, Mr. Hendricks?”

“I’d prefer, sir, to make further observation first,” he replied. “They’re close enough now, I think, to watch through the ports. Have I your permission to unshutter one of the ports?”

“Certainly, sir.” The Ertak, like all Special Patrol ships of the period, had but few ports, and these were kept heavily shuttered. Her hull was double; she was really two ships, one inside the other, the two skins being separated and braced by innumerable trusses. Between the outer and the inner skin the air pressure was kept about one half of normal, thus distributing the strain of the pressure equally between the two hulls.

In order to arrange for a port or an exit, it was necessary to bring these two skins close together at the desired point, and strengthen this weak point with many braces. As a further protection against an emergency–and a fighting ship must be prepared against all emergencies–the ports were all shuttered with massive doors of solid metal, hermetically fitted. I am explaining this so much in detail for the benefit of those not familiar with the ships of my day, and because this information is necessary that one may have a complete understanding of subsequent events.

Hendricks, upon receiving my permission, sprang to one of the two ports in the navigating room and unshuttered it.

“The lights, please?” he asked, over his shoulder. Kincaide nodded, and switched off the ethon tubes which illuminated the room. The three of us crowded around the recessed port.

* * * * *

The things were not only close: they were veritably upon us! Even as we looked, one of them swept by the port so close that, save for the thick crystal, one might have reached out into space and touched it.

The television disk had represented them very accurately. They were, in their greatest dimension, perhaps twice the height of a man, and at close range their reddish color was more brilliant than I had imagined; in the thickest portion of the crescent, which seemed to be the nucleus, the radiance of the thing was almost blinding.

It was obvious that they were not material bodies. There were no definite boundaries to their bodies; they faded off into nothingness in a sort of fringe, almost like a dim halo.

An attention signal sounded sharply, and Kincaide groped his way swiftly to answer it.

“It’s Correy, sir,” he said. “He reports his rays are utterly useless, and asks for further orders.”

“Tell him to cease action, and report here immediately.” I turned to Hendricks, staring out the port beside me. “Well, what do you make of them now?”

Before he could reply, Kincaide called out sharply.

“Come here, sir! The charts are out of commission. We’ve gone blind.”

It was true. The charts were no more than twin rectangles of lambent red flame, with a yellow spark glowing dimly in the center of each, the fine black lines ruled in the surface showing clearly against the wavering red fire.