THE GHOST PLANET
a short novel
by MURRAY LEINSTER
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Thrilling Wonder Stories December 1948.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
CHAPTER I
Solar Newcomer
Tom Drake was the first human being who is known to have come incontact with the inhabitants of the Ghost Planet. At the time the GhostPlanet wasn't even a name. It was undreamed of.
More, Tom had to admit that he neither saw nor heard nor felt thecreatures whose existence he reported. The instruments of theWeddington had recorded absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. So,on his arrival at Earth, Tom was politely fired from the staff of theBlair Memorial Expedition to Titan and found his affairs in a parlousstate.
The encounter itself almost justified that action. The Weddington wasthe emergency craft left on Titan with the observing members of theexpedition. After eleven months of routine observations temperamentsclashed, crotchets developed and lunacy impended. So the Weddingtonwas sent back to earth for mail, reading-matter and visi-records tosave the situation.
Because of her size, only two men were required to man her. One wasTom Drake, who had no nerves and was the lowliest member of theexpedition's staff—the other navigating member of the crew, was themost high-strung and nerve-racked of the whole force on Titan.
Four days out toward Earth he blew up with a loud report and hadto take a hypnotic for twelve hours of restful slumber so he couldcontinue to navigate the Weddington. The Weddington's course wasclose by Mars then and, while the navigator snored heavily in his bunk,Tom Drake took post in the control room and relaxed.
It was very lonely. The sun was a small round flame. The stars weremany-colored unwinking specks of light. Tom Drake regarded theinstruments which said that the little ship went on her course withoutincident. Mars was a dim red disk of pinhead size far off to the left.
The tiny ship went streaking through emptiness without any of theghastly sounds her drive produced in atmosphere, leaving behindthe thinnest and most tenuous of tails, which was created by theinfinitesimal exhaust of ionized gases.
Later Tom was inclined to credit the whole thing to that tail. TheWeddington was still accelerating and would do so for three daysmore, switching to deceleration well past Mars. Partial compensationfor acceleration allowed of a high speed-gain rate.
Everything seemed utterly normal—depressingly so, in fact. Theexploration of the other planets of the solar system had beendisappointing. None would support a colony. There were observatories onMars and Luna and Mercury, but the Weddington was alone in emptiness.
Tom thought regretfully of ancient dreams of interplanetary commerceand almost resentfully of the recent tendency not even to dream ofinterstellar journeyings.
And then he saw something odd.
It was a tiny speck of mistiness, perhaps half the size of the disk ofMars. It was almost in line with the red planet. And in interplanetaryspace there should be nothing misty save comets. Tom regarded itabsently for a moment, then swung a telescope to bear.
It was a globular mass of unsubstantial reflecting stuff, like a puffof smoke in emptiness. Which, of course, was impossible. Also, thisparticular