A. E. Van Vogt - Concealment

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CONCEALMENT

By A E van Vogt

The Earth ship came so swiftly around the planetless Gisser sun that the alarm

system in the meteorite weather station had no time to react. The great

machine was already visible when Watcher grew aware of it.

Alarms must have blared in the ship, too, for it slowed noticeably and, still

braking, disappeared. Now it was coming back, creeping along, obviously trying

to locate the small object that had affected its energy screens.

It loomed vast in the glare of the distant yellow-white sun, bigger even at

this distance than anything ever seen by the Fifty Suns, a very hell ship out

of remote space, a monster from a semi-mythical world, instantly recognizable

from the descriptions in the history books as a battleship of Imperial Earth.

Dire had been the warnings in the histories of what would happen someday-and

here it was.

He knew his duty. There was a warning, the age-long dreaded warning, to send

to the Fifty Suns by the non-directional sub-space radio; and he had to make

sure nothing telltale remained of the station.

There was no fire. As the overloaded atomic engines dissolved, the massive

building that had been a weather sub-station simply fell into its component

elements.

Watcher made no attempt to escape. His brain, with its knowledge, must not be

tapped. He felt a brief, blinding spasm of pain as the energy tore him to

atoms.

She didn't bother to accompany the expedition that landed on the meteorite.

But she watched with intent eyes through the astroplate.

From the very first moment that the spy rays had shown a human figure in a

weather station-a weather station out here- she had known the surpassing

importance of the discovery. Her mind leaped instantly to the several

possibilities.

Weather stations meant interstellar travel. Human beings meant Earth origin.

She visualized how it could have happened:

an expedition long ago; it must have been long ago because now they had

interstellar travel, and that meant large populations on many planets.

His majesty, she thought, would be pleased.

So was she. In a burst of generosity, she called the energy room.

'Your prompt action, Captain Clone,' she said warmly, 'in inclosing the entire

meteorite in a sphere of protective energy is commendable, and wili be

rewarded.'

The man whose image showed on the astroplate, bowed. iThank you, noble lady.'

He added: 'I think we saved the electronic and atomic components of the entire

station. Unfortunately, because of the interference of the atomic energy of

the station itself, I understand the photographic department was not so

successful in obtaining clear prints.'

The woman smiled grimly, said: 'The man will be sufficient, and that is a

matrix for which we need no prints.'

She broke the connection, still smiling, and returned her gaze to the scene on

the meteorite. As she watched the energy and matter absorbers in their glowing

gluttony, she thought:

There had been several storms on the map in that weather station. She'd seen

them in the spy ray; and one of the storms had been very large. Her great ship

couldn't dare to go fast while the location of that storm was in doubt.

Rather a handsome young man he had seemed in the flashing glimpse she had had

in the spy ray, strong-willed, brave. Should be interesting in an uncivilized

sort of fashion.

First, of course, he'd have to be conditioned, drained of relevant

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A. E. Van Vogt - Concealment

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