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Volume 8323

MOON MAID AT THE EARTH'S CORE by ANDY NUNEZ

CHAPTER THIRTEEN - WORLD WAR PELLUCIDAR

The trip to Sari was one of the most uneventful parts of my entire tenure in Pellucidar up to that point. I flew high, but fast, not worrying about gas conservation in case pursuit appeared. However, no black planes rose to follow, so as soon as I calculated that it was impossible for the Race's lighter planes to catch up, I eased off the throttle and took my time, that is, if time was really there for the taking. To Lightning, my absence for a long time merely encompassed a short nap. Soon, the coast was beneath me, and I steered by the distant Great Peak and angled for Sari.

I knew that the capital of Pellucidar had gone to a war footing immediately. The city was ringed with round emplacements. Above the palace hung a series of what appeared to be barrage balloons, giant gasbags first used in the last world war. Troops were drilling, and I could also see groups of cannon. I circled the city once, wagged my wings, and then set the P-38 down in the same spot as before. I noted that a large, hastily put together building now sat nearby, also bracketed by emplacements. I shut off the plane and rolled her near the building. Pushing back the canopy, I was almost trampled by Lightning. He knew he was back where he belonged. I clambered out next and lifted Ee-la-nah from the cockpit, sitting her down on the wing. I dropped down to the field next, and then lifted her by the waist. She wrapped her arms and legs around my torso and gave me a kiss that curled my toes. When this cruel war is over, I thought.

Othniel appeared next, and acted nimbly in getting down on his own. While we were so engaged, a knot of men came out of the new building, some pushing carts of equipment. At their head, I recognized Giuseppe. He was dressed in hand-made greasy coveralls. His white teeth shone in his dark, smudged face as he stepped forward to shake my hand.

"Byron, mi amici," he greeted. "I was beginning to worry about you. You been gone a long time, you know."

"No, I don't know," I said. "It took as long as it took. I have got a lot to go over with you, but first, I need to report to the Emperor."

"He will probably come to you," Giuseppe said. "The whole city is talking about how you circled around. Look who is here! Ee-la-nah, cara mia! Give you old comrade a hug."

She let go me and accepted his bear hug, ignoring the oil stains. She introduced her brother Othniel.

"Byron told me of your abilities on the trip here," Othniel said. "I am at your service. I know the aircraft of the Race as well as anyone, since I was once in Jehoida's own squadron. That was before I understood how mad his father's schemes were."

"I can always use another hand," Giuseppe agreed. "You and I will meet with Abner Perry, and we will go over preparations. You may be able to give us insights."

"You have already come a long way," I observed. "I saw gun emplacements and barrage balloons."

"Well, the balloons are to keep low flying planes from strafing the palace," Giuseppe revealed. "We have emplacements, si, but not so many guns. The big gun that Abner invented, well, she is good for shooting down planes, but it takes time to turn them out."

Horns sounded beyond us. I saw a bodyguard of finely dressed warriors with the Emperor at their center. As predicted, he was on his way. I turned once more to Giuseppe.

"What is this building, your own palace?" I asked.

"I decided that you needed a hanger," he explained. "One side of this building opens wide enough for your plane to fit in. Less conspicuous from the air, eh? I trained these fellows to service your plane. We will have it fixed up in no time. Fuel will be distilled, and I would say that you will be ready to take to the air when the attack begins."

"And probably find out what happened to Custer at Little Big Horn," I chuckled. "Well, here is the Emperor. Time to report."

David Innes came forward and shook hands. I introduced him to Ee-la-nah and Othniel, then sent the latter off with Giuseppe to meet with Abner Perry and further defensive preparations. Meanwhile, Giuseppe's "mechanics" cleaned the grass out of my wheels and rolled my P-38 into its new home.

"I see that you were successful," David Innes said, nodding at Ee-la-nah.

"Beyond my imagination," I admitted. "We can scratch at least a dozen planes of the Race, between my leaving for Phutra and returning here. One of their airdromes was destroyed and numerous personnel killed or injured. I only wish I knew if Ko-lor and Larz escaped."

"My brother in law will be anxious," the Emperor stated. "He has all but given up hope of finding Larz. I will send a runner. Well, what do you think of our preparations so far?"

"From the air, it's a mixed bag. The antiaircraft emplacements look well situated, and the ring of balloons is fine, but your troops and cannons are too bunched up. You need to disperse them, or one bomb may wipe out whole batteries."

"I am used to the massed batteries I read about in Napoleon and the Civil War. My cannons, like my tactics are far behind the times."

"They still kill, sir. Like any invasion, the most vulnerable part is establishing a beachhead." I knew that I had got him out of his depth militarily when he shook his head. "What I mean, sir, is that when they come down initially, they will be at their most disorganized. The time to strike would be then, but we don't know where."

"From what I remember of my history, another vulnerable point would be their line of supply," David Innes said, rubbing his chin. "How do we disrupt that?"

"Well, unlike a land invasion, there are no supply trains or truck convoys. It will all be in the air. I'll talk the matter over with Giuseppe and Abner Perry. Right now, I'd like to make a request."

David Innes smiled. "You shall have whatever is in my power to give."

"A hot bath, a good meal and some change of clothes, both for me and my soon to be mate," I continued. "I have been shot at, nearly blown up, and jammed in a car made for children. I need to unwind a little, and then start planning. I bought us a little time, but we will need it all, whatever it amounts to."

"You shall have it all. My Empress' own clothiers will outfit Ee-la-nah, and you and Othniel may have your pick from the market. I will expect a report as soon as you are ready."

"You shall have it. My thanks." I shook his hand once more and he marched off, leaving me holding Ee-la-nah's tiny ivory hands in my own and gazing down into the opalescent depths of her eyes."

"God, how I love you," I said.

"I love you also," she whispered, giving my hands a gentle swing with her own. "Right now, though, we cannot stand out here gazing at each other like we are dumbstruck. If we are to defeat the Race, we must work quickly."

I sighed. "You are right, of course. Let's freshen up and eat, then find your brother and Giuseppe."

We walked toward the palace, and were met along the way by another procession of servants bearing flats of clothes for the both of us, while others bore folding tables and chairs or trays of refreshments. I picked out another set of clothes similar to my own over fruit juice, bread, and cheese, while Ee-la-nah found a practical outfit that was a loose fitting one piece dress, again with pockets. Having made our choices, we were led to bathhouses for the opposite sexes where we bathed in huge tubs of steaming water before changing. When we emerged, we found another table arranged, this time piled with a variety of meats and vegetables, along with a pitcher of the ubiquitous fruit juice. After dining, I felt like a new man, and we marched off to find Abner Perry's lab.

When I arrived, the front sliding door was half ajar. I thought I smelled something burning. Suddenly, there was a sharp bang from within, and I heard Perry shrieking.

"Duck!" He hollered.

There was a whooshing sound. We threw ourselves flat as something black shot out of the building and flashed only three feet above our heads, leaving a trail of sparks. It struck an unfortunate tree with a small explosion. Seeing that no more objects were being fired, we picked ourselves up and brushed off dry grass and dirt. Abner Perry, Giuseppe, and Othniel appeared, their faces and clothing smoke blackened.

"Bravissimo!" Giuseppe crowed. "It worked."

"Well, it was supposed to angle up more," Abner pointed out.

"I told you that you had the tail fins on backwards," the Italian engineer replied. "We try again, and this time put them on the way I say. We need to see how far it flies and how high."

"What was it?" I asked. "Celebrating Chinese New Year, perhaps?"

"Oh, it's a gonna be fireworks, OK, but for the shrimps from a the Moon," Giuseppe stated. "I got to thinking about these airships, and how Nobile always was worried about the hydrogen catching fire. These big rifles that Abner designed can punch through two inches of steel, but they would pass right on through the airships of the Race. We don't have time to develop incendiary rounds, so I thought, maybe rockets."

"Not bad, though they would be inaccurate," I pointed out. "We use them up top, firing from racks under the wings, but you have to have a dead bead on the target, or it has to be pretty big. Also, how fast can you turn them out."

"They use gunpowder, and we can make them out of wood and paper, just like you make the fireworks. One man can carry several and set them up in no time."

"I'll check with the Emperor, but it actually sounds like a good idea, if we can turn them out by the hundreds. How are you doing on the big guns?"

"They are much trickier," Abner said. "The machine stampings were made quickly, and need hand filing and adjustments. We have fifty of them, and can turn out another hundred if we have time. The problem is as much the people as the technology. These are cavemen, not factory workers, and they take a notion to go out and kill something, then they just walk away from the assembly line, or when they get the urge, they come and grab their mate and you don't see them for a while."

"Do your best," I said. "We'll all pitch in. We don't know exactly where they will land, but I can guess it is somewhere near where we found and destroyed that airship. They drop down there, clear a base, and then march on us from there. We need observers with some sort of telephone system."

"Fat chance," Giuseppe grunted. "They have heliographs, and a limited telegraph, but still most of the work is done with runners. Not even carrier pterodactyls."

I laughed. "Well, a larger network needs to be set up. You fellows draw up your plans. I have been thinking of how we hit them at home. Their moon is a honeycomb of passages, all fed through air pumps and vents to the surface. If that gets all gummed up, then they either come up to the surface or suffocate. Any thoughts?"

"Si, but they are very nasty ones," Giuseppe barked. "We would need to send Thuria some hot air balloons filled with inflammables. The balloons go up to the moon, explode, and the smoke is sucked down. The other alternative is to develop poison gas that is actually poisonous." He shot Perry a cunning grin.

"Sounds like nasty weapons either way," I said. "Work on the balloon idea, get the materials together, and we can ship them by sea to Thuria. I'll go see the Emperor now so we can get his seal of approval, but don't wait for me. Come on, Sweetheart."

Outside, we picked up a couple of bodyguards. The Emperor had dispatched them for our protection, according to one, but I assumed they were most likely to protect the populace against Lightning. The big cat followed behind me like a surface tabby, getting my attention by occasionally batting at my leg or hand with a paw. While such antics are considered cute by his smaller cousins above, being whacked by a tarag, even with claws retracted, can be disconcerting. My advice is to rub their heads after the first whack. They get progressively forceful after that one, and I had a bruise to prove it for several sleeps.

The major domo at the palace informed us that David Innes was in a conference with several prominent chiefs and visitors, so that we had to wait. I instructed him to make sure we didn't wait too long, because my tarag hadn't eaten lately, and he was not likely to be too choosy when he got hungry. The man blanched despite his gruff approach and hurried off. Shortly there came two fellows with the haunch of thag, the Bos Primigenus of our prehistoric past. Lightning fell upon this treat with unfeigned delight.

Luckily, our wait was short. Lightning was gnawing at the bone of his meal when the major domo reappeared and informed us that we could go in. He preceded us and opened the double doors. This time, the audience chamber was nearly half full. There were many men of all types and colors, every one armed to the teeth. David Innes smiled as we approached and motioned for the circle around him to part and admit us. Some appeared in awe of us, probably because my dress was similar to clothes David Innes preferred, the pale beauty of Ee-la-nah, or most likely Lightning dragging in a thag bone and falling on his stomach to crack it between his great fangs.

"Here is the man to whom we owe our good fortune," David Innes announced. "This is Byron Wells, who is also from the surface. Byron, these are chiefs from various parts of the Empire, such as Ja of Anoroc, Ho-don the Fleet One, Dacor the Strong One of Amoz and Tanar, son of Ghak. I summoned them here while you were gone to coordinate our defense. Also, at great pain, I have brought one from a far journey by sea and land. That he arrived so soon can only be attributed to the strange ways of time in Pellucidar. This is another flyer from above, a Lieutenant Von Horst, of Germany."

"My mate is not happy with my traveling so far from her," said the indicated one, a strapping blonde giant. "Still, I came here to aid David Innes at the side of Jason Gridley, so I feel my duty unfulfilled as long as there is a threat to the peace he has established with his empire."

I shook the man's hand, feeling a little funny since I was recently machine-gunning his countrymen back on the surface. The trip that he took was over ten years past, before the Nazis took power. He had no idea what had become of his nation and his people. "I am pleased to meet you," I said. "Things are not well in your country back home. Your country has been taken over by a dictator, a man named Hitler came to power, and has led your nation into a ruinous war."

"That is bitter news indeed," he replied. "I remember this Hitler who tried to take power with Ludendorf in Munich, while we were building the 0-220. There were many who supported him among the military, including the war ace, Goering, but I knew that his way would lead us to another world war. Tell me that your country is not against us, also."

"I am afraid it is," I admitted, suddenly sad that I had broached the subject. "The war will soon be over. We will have a just peace this time, though, not like before."

"Let us pray so," he said, lifting his head and looking me straight in the eye. "As much as I despise the swaggering of those Nazis, even I admit that the war reparations and the occupation of our industrial heartland would only cause hard feelings, much as Germany's seizure of Alsace and Lorraine in 1871 caused the last Great War."

"Well, both of us are helpless to do anything about what is going on up there," I reminded him. "Our war is here, and we are comrades in arms. We are against a foe with aircraft and airships, smaller than your zeppelins, but still heavily armed."

"Which means my navy will have no role," grumbled the bronze Ja of Anoroc. "We cannot sail the skies, after all."

"Don't be so sure," I told him. "There is a large role for you. Your navy can form a ring to watch for the invaders approach. You already use heliographs and telegraphs to transmit information. I suggest you form chains to cover an area near Thuria, by an island that I saw on a map." I went to one of the Emperor's side tables where a good map of the area was sitting unrolled. I brought it over. It looked to me that a navy could sit on the river that ran up to Sari from the south, and that there was a bay to the north where another fleet could sit. I started working on a plan. "Here, this island called Indiana. A line of picket boats could start here and stay at regular intervals, then an inner line of ships could cross the bay to the river, here, where a large squadron of your ships could act as a floating battery to protect Sari by sea. A similar flotilla could anchor on the bay to the north and do the same. The ability to bring a large amount of firepower to bear on an advancing enemy will make a difference."

"My ships will be easy prey for flying machines that can drop bombs while our cannons cannot hit them," Ja argued. "Still, the effort must be made."

"I'll try to come up with some sort of protection," I said. "I'll take Von Horst here with me and meet with Abner Perry, Giuseppe, and Othniel. Maybe we can set up a couple of these large rifles on the shore. For that matter, your men with regular rifles could try to hit the planes if they came in low enough." I turned to David Innes. "Abner Perry and Giuseppe have come up with an idea to make wooden and parchment rockets to be fired en mass, hoping that the barrage would bring down a plane if lucky, or an airship."

"Could these rockets be installed on Ja's ships?" David Innes asked, a smile coming to his grim face.

"Of course," I said. "You have solved the coverage problem. Each one of Ja's ships could hold a good-sized block of rockets. We use them for shore bombardment on the surface. We put them in racks, and the firing of one ignites the next in sequence until the whole rack is expended. Also, we need to send materials to Thuria to build balloons or rockets to fire at the moon in the hopes of igniting fires and clogging their air filtration systems."

"That would be a horrible weapon," David Innes said. "Innocents would suffocate. I will agree to assembling the material, but to use only as a last resort. The problem will be transporting it and instructing the Thurians in its use before the attack."

"All these things depend on how much time we have, and without a clock, we have no idea when it will happen," I fretted. Before I could say more, a messenger burst into the audience chamber, eyes wide in fear.

"My Emperor!" he called. "A black airship approaches from the direction of Thuria. Shall we destroy it?"

"I doubt even the haughty leaders of the Race would believe that we could be destroyed with but a single airship." David Innes stated. "Watch it and pass the word that no one shall fire without the Emperor's word. Come, gentlemen, let's go to one of the gun emplacements, so if it does attack, we can witness whether our new weapon will bring it down."

He rose and strode past us to the door, pausing only to grab his pistol and cartridge belt. We followed into the eternal noon of Pellucidar, to find an honor guard of twenty men, all armed with fairly modern looking rifles and cartridge bandoliers. We looked skyward and saw the black cigar shape of a dirigible of the Race approaching. It was traveling at a measured pace, and when it arrived over the city, it halted above the palace. I was stunned by the amplified voice that issued from it.

"Byron Wells!" It called.

"Here I am!" I hollered up at it. "Who wants to know?"

"It is I, Ko-lor of Thuria," the voice announced. "With me is Larz of Amoz, and others who escaped with us. We wish to land if it is permitted."

I glanced at David Innes, who nodded his assent. "It is," I called. "Land and be welcome."

There was a coughing as dirigible's engines throttled down and it swung to land nearby at the same field I used for the P-38. We rushed over to meet it, and arrived to see its occupants leaping out to tie the dirigible's nose down. They hammered long pitons into the ground and secured the nose via a cable attached to a ring in its blunt nose. Once this was done, whoever was in control turned off the engines and the airship settled calmly on the field, its massive tail propped up by a long rib that ran its length and had a tripod strut attached to keep it from dragging. Once quiet, a member of the Race exited the command gondola. In all, six cavemen and two members of the Race made its crew. I was happy to see that both Larz and Ko-lor were among them. Larz still carried his iron bar.

"Hail, friends," I greeted as they approached our party. "Welcome to Sari. This is the Emperor, David Innes." I indicated their hosts, who shook their hands in turn.

"Our air fleet grows," David Innes observed. "While this ship is not as formidable as Jason Gridley's, I am sure it is capable of much mischief."

"More than that," I said. "It is fast enough to transport material and men to Thuria, where we can prepare to strike hard at the Race's homeland if necessary."

"Then let us waste no more time," the Emperor commanded. "All know their tasks. Ja, you will disposition the Imperial Navy. I shall instruct our artisans to make the rockets as described. They must be easier to produce than the big rifles. Ghak, you will disperse the army, and send teams with heliographs in a wide arc around Sari. We must be ready to march quickly to wherever they land and stop their approach. The rest of you chiefs must go and prepare your warriors to come to Sari. Even if you do not have guns, your men will have a use, I promise."

People began to hurry to their tasks. Dacor the Strong one embraced his nephew fondly.

"My brother has been worried sick about you, and so has your aunt Dian," he told the club-wielding warrior. "How did you escape these little devils?"

"With Byron's help," Larz explained. "We were enslaved to mine for the Race, but we escaped and caused a cave-in. During the confusion, we got into the airship hangar and the little fellows helped us steal an airship. We flew first to Thuria to warn the king, then here to warn you. The men from the moon have many of these ships, and they will be loading them soon, by the look of the supplies we found. Had we more time, we would have tried to sabotage them, but we barely escaped before being fired on."

"You have done enough," Dacor said. "Now, you must rest and eat, while we load your ship."

Von Horst looked to the Emperor. "If you don't mind, sir, I'd like to go along," he said. "It's been a while since I have been on an airship, but I was a good junior officer. Of course, back home, I am married to La-ja, daughter of Brun, chief of Lo-har, where I am treated like a god, but I think I can humble myself for the good of all." His grin was so good-natured, I forgot about his Nazi countrymen. It was hard for me to divorce him from the enemy I fought above, but my experience in Pellucidar taught me to judge by deeds, not by association.

"I see nothing wrong with that," David Innes said, then turned to me. "You will report this to Perry?"

"Right away," I agreed. "If we are to prevent another Pearl Harbor, we have to really shake a leg."

"I am not sure of the reference, but if it means were are in peril, you're right. Go along, then."

Taking Ee-la-nah's hand, I rushed over to Perry's workshop, where I found a steady stream of both males and females passing from his lab to various points of the city. Hammers rang, and I could hear saws, steam whistles, and all the noise of modern industry. My time in the dank ruins of the Mahar city where all about me roamed savage prehistoric beasts was over. Even though the citizens of Sari still dressed in furs and skins, they used all the tools that David Innes could provide for them, and the thirty-odd years he had been down here in Pellucidar was transforming tribes of hunters and gatherers into a modern society whose industrial might was still blossoming. I felt sad for them, for all the good civilization brought, because it also brought ills that probably would not be evident for some time, such as dirty air and water, and the ills of modern society, including lawyers.

Perry, Giuseppe, and Othniel were directing Perry's assistants, who were in turn keeping order to the various artisans that were making the weapons. By now, they were all black with soot and grease. Othniel was stripped to the waist, his pale body hidden by grime. The heat and fumes inside the workshop were much worse than I remembered. I reported the news, and all were glad. Othniel was happy to hear about the airship.

"That's our best stroke of luck," he said. "It's no match for the fighters, but can be useful for rapid transport and scouting. I suggest that we whitewash the exterior, so that we know which one is ours. This Von Horst is reliable?"

"The best," Giuseppe spoke up. "Them Germans, they can make the airships. I think if we had time, he could design a fleet that could bomb the moon and make it fall from the sky."

"Next war," I said. "We have to fight this one with what we can make rapidly."

We worked like madmen, and drove the citizens of Sari to do the same. Some could not understand, but the older ones, who remembered the yoke of the Mahars, understood only too well, and kept the younger ones in line. Time could not be measured, but we managed to send two shiploads of inflammables and balloon materials to Thuria. We had workers build emplacements in an arc where the peninsula narrowed, to seal it from land approach, while scouts and light infantry watched the direction of Phutra, in case a landing was made there.

The rockets were surprisingly easy to mass-produce, and we soon had hundreds available, which we parceled out in boxes of thirty, each in its own compartment, with a single fuse to light them in sequence. Ja's fleet got them first, then we set them around Sari, to supplement the big guns. Heliograph stations were erected in a wide network on land, and in a supporting pattern at sea. We were still turning out material when finally got the bad news. A swarm of black planes had erupted from the moon, followed by at least thirty airships. They were arcing around the bay from Thuria, coming toward Sari. We had less than two hours, if time meant anything, I reasoned.

David Innes summoned his warriors, bringing in the non-rifle armed infantry from watching Phutra and hiding them in the woods. His riflemen he put around the emplacements built for such an approach. Cannons were dispersed, but able to coordinate their fire. Word came that the black planes were approaching the narrow part of the peninsula. The battle was about to start.