"Neal, what do you suppose the missión is?" "Send Captain Patterson and his crew in," "Yes, sir." "Go in, please." "Good morning, gentlemen." "Professor Konrad, Captain Patterson," "Lieutenant Cruze, Lieutenant Turner." "How do you do, Professor?" "We're honored, sir." "It's a pleasure, gentlemen." "I have a missión for you, Captain." "You're to ferry Professor Konrad to Space Station A." "You're disappointed, Captain?" "Missión not important enough for you?" "Oh, it isn't that, sir." "Well, anything Professor Konrad does is important." "Space Station A is his brainchild." "He fought for it." "He built it." "It's just that, we were hoping for a crack at the exploratory orbit around Mars." "You'll get it." "You and your men have earned the chance." "But this missión is of the gravest importance." "There are indications of serious trouble up there." "Professor Konrad will tell you about it when you're underway." "Until then, you're not even to discuss this with anyone." "Yes, sir." "Departure at 1400." "Your navigational data is being checked out." "Good luck, gentlemen." "At ease." " Doctor." " Lieutenant." "Lieutenant." "Pleasure, Captain." "A lousy milk run." "And we're stuck with it." "Look, we're the guys who made the first orbit around the moon." "We're not ordinary space jockeys." "They got freighters for that routine stuff." "You heard what the Colonel said." "This is a missión of the gravest importance." "What's important about a taxi run to that bus depot up there?" "Bus depot?" "I'm sorry, sir." "I..." "No, no, Lieutenant." "It's a good name for it." "It is a way station in space, spinning tirelessly 10,000 miles above our Earth, where travelers in space can take on oxygen, fuel, supplies of all kinds for their journeys" " to the far reaches of the universe." " Yes, sir." " Welcome aboard, Doctor." " Thank you, Captain." "Excuse me, sir." "They're still fueling the second stage." "The liquid oxygen." "I should know." "I've seen enough of these rockets blow up in my time." " Departure on time, Captain?" " Yes, we'll be ready." "Our navigation is all preset for us, recorded on tape and fed into our autopilot." "I still want Lieutenant Turner to check it, though." " Hey, where is that guy?" " Where else?" "But, Larry, spaceships are dangerous." "I mean, what if it should get lost up there?" "Or blow up or something?" "Oh, I wouldn't know what to do without you." "I'm sorry, baby, but I don't have any other choice." "I'm the navigator, and they can't make a move without me." "He's saying goodbye to a friend." "Lieutenant Turner, report to the ship on the double," "Oh, Larry." "On the double, Lieutenant." "So long, honey." "Don't do anything I wouldn't do." "Bye." "Thanks." "That was a pretty dirty trick, if you don't mind my saying so, sir." "Come on." "Let's get this show on the road." "Better look over that flight plan again." "Ready, Professor?" "It's almost takeoff time." "Ready, Captain." "Starfire to Control Room, ready to take off." "Zero plunge," "Twenty, nineteen," "eighteen, seventeen, sixteen, fifteen, fourteen, thirteen, twelve, eleven, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, fire," " You all right, Doctor?" " Y es." "Y es, I'm all right." "First stage burnout, two seconds late." "Second stage, right on the nose." "We should be on predicted course and speed." " Good." "Verify it with the base." " Yes, sir." " Let's take a look at your baby." " Fine." "Fine." "There it is." "Your way station in space." "A few hours cruising, and we'll be there." "How many times have you made this run, Doctor?" "100 or more, I should say." "I fought for the idea of a space station for many years, but it wasn't until that memorable day in 1957, when the first satellite was rocketed into space, that I got any support." "22 years ago, July 1963, we put the first materials for the space station into orbit around the Earth." "22 years ago, the first brave men stepped out into space," "with 10,000 empty miles beneath them to assemble that material." "Dr. Konrad, the Colonel said there were indications of serious trouble up there." "What did he mean?" "They've made some disturbing observations from the space station." "Apparently, we have some deadly neighbors in outer space." "Earth may be in mortal danger." "Captain, there's something strange going on out there." "Some sort of a beam." "What is it?" "A beam, a ray." "Energy of some kind, God knows what." "It's gone!" "It just blew up!" "Good men." "Good men on her." "Captain, it's coming towards us." "Hang on!" "Prepare for maximum acceleration." "It's overtaking us!" "It looks like snow." "No, that ain't snow, Mike." "That's ángel hair." "We done died and gone to heaven." "Captain." "Give me a hand here, men." "Captain's been hurt." " His head's cut." " This must be what hit him when all that stuff was flying around the cabin." "It's a small cut." "There may have been concussión." "Where are we?" "I was afraid you might ask that, Captain." "Lieutenant Turner here says we're in heaven." "Mr. Cruze doesn't seem to agree." "Myself, I'd vote for Alaska." "Alaska?" "It's a bad joke, my boy." "I've no idea where we are." "But first things first." "How do you feel now?" "Oh, I'm all right, except for the headache." "Captain, what hit us?" "The same thing that blasted the space station, I guess." "It picked us up like a chip of wood in a flash flood." "That it did." "Automatic landing controls must have worked perfectly, or we'd be splattered over 100 acres." "Did you get a report off the base?" "No, the radio's knocked out, both transmit and receive." "Captain, are we back on Earth?" "Easy enough to find out." "Larry, would you see if the artificial gravity is still working?" " Yeah, it's working." " Turn it off." "0.887." "Then we're not on Earth." "I tell you, we're in heaven." "Take a look at that speed indicator." "Over 100 miles a second." "We could have been going twice that fast." "Or 10 times that." "We could be almost anywhere." "What about Mars?" "Mars has polar snowcaps." "It also has a surface gravity of 0.38." "We'd all be bouncing around like ping-pong balls." "Why don't we check outside?" "I'll break out the pressure suits." "We may not need them." "The gravity is so close to Earth's, the atmosphere should be breathable." "Easy enough to find out." "You're right." "We won't need the pressure suits or the oxygen." " Got a hunch, Professor?" " Yes, yes, I do." "If it proves to be correct, we will have made the most fantastic voyage in history." "What is it, Doc?" "Where are we?" "Yeah, come on, Doc, give." "I want to be sure." "Captain, I want to explore a bit down there below the snowline." "All right." "We'll all go." "About that hunch of yours, Professor, you still got it?" "It's no longer a hunch, Captain." "I'm sure." " We're on the planet Venus." " What?" "At its closest, Venus is 26 million miles from Earth." "You don't just accidentally land on a planet 26 million miles away." "That's what I would have said, but it appears all things are possible in space." "We don't know how fast we were traveling, nor how long we were unconscious, but of one thing I'm sure, this is Venus." "Yeah, but, Doc, what about all those things we learned at school?" "You know, the atmosphere of Venus is supposed to be unbreathable." "The cloud layer's so thick that no light ever gets through." "And with a surface temperature higher than the boiling point of water." "Yes, I know." "I subscribe to many of those theories myself." "I even helped formulate some of them." "But it appears I'm closer to the problem now." "Not a sound." "Not even the hum of an insect." "Is this a dead planet, except for us?" "I don't know." "I don't know." "Was that a bird or an animal?" "My guess is that was an electronic signal of some kind." "Electronic signal?" "Did the hackles cut through the back of my shirt, Mike?" "They came up high enough." "Let's get this straight, Doctor." "Electronic signals could only be made by humans." "Not necessarily humans, Neal." "Intelligent beings perhaps, yes, but, who knows what form they may have taken." "It could be insects with tremendous mental powers." "You know, the Doctor's right." "Once I read one of those thriller dollar magazines that told all about the life on the planet Venus." "They had these little bitty guys, about so high." "Green bodies, green blood, heads like king-sized turnips." "They had beautiful eyes, though, waving around on the end of two-foot feelers." "You can see the advantage, Mike." "All they had to do was bend them around behind their head, and they can see what's sneaking up on them." "That sound definitely passed directly over our heads." "Well, there's nothing out there, I'm happy to report." "I can't stop thinking of Berger and the others on the space station." "All gone." "If one of those weirdies with the floating eyes catches up to us, we'll be gone, too." "You're a cheerful little thing tonight." "Why'd you ever give up that job as master of ceremonies in the Chamber of Horrors?" "All right, all right, boys." " Who'll take the first watch?" " I'll take it." " I couldn't sleep anyway." " You got it." "You guys go ahead and sack out." "If I see any of those little green men, I'll faint." "The sound of my body falling will wake you up." "I wouldn't worry." "The fire ought to keep them away." "How do you know?" "How do you know?" "They might try to come around to get warm." "Just checking." "See if you're on your toes." "Good night." "Well, Mike, you've been away from Earth too long." "Hey, you kids play rough." "All right, doll, all right." " We have found the intruders." " Good, Bring them in," "We shall do so." "They speak English." "Go!" "Go!" "Go!" "I believe we'd better accept the invitation." "Yeah, the way those shooting irons of theirs work, I'm with you, Doc." "Well, you heard what the babe said." "Little green men." "I hate them!" "I hate them!" "I hate them!" "I hate them!" "What do you suppose is the matter with her?" "I don't know." "What's she picking on me for?" "I didn't do anything." "Go!" " I don't think they like strangers." " I don't think they like men." "Yeah." "Where are the men?" "Well, what now?" "My guess is they want to look us over." "That's fair enough." "Larry's sure looking them over." "You're not fooling." "How do you like that blonde?" "Wow." "Hey, Mike, how'd you like to drag that to the senior prom?" "Professor, what do you make of all this?" "There's nothing but women." "Perhaps this is a civilization that exists without sex." "You call that civilization?" "Frankly, no." "That's the chief?" "I am Yllana, ruler of the city of Kadir and queen of this world." "Why are you here?" "We're amazed that you speak our language." "You shouldn't be." "We have monitored your electronic waves for many years." "I see." "I'm Captain Patterson." "This is Professor Konrad," "Lieutenant Turner, Lieutenant Cruze." "We came from Earth on a peaceful missión, but our ship was thrown off course, and we crashed here." "This is Venus, is it not?" "I believe that is your name for our planet." "If your people will help us repair the damage to our craft, we'll leave as soon as possible." "No, Captain." "If we let you go, you will return and make war on us." "That's not true." "The people of Earth have always been aggressive and warlike." "We told you, our missión was a peaceful one." "You betrayed yourselves, Captain." "When my guards found you, your first reaction was to kill." "But we thought we were being attacked." "We were merely defending ourselves." "I do not believe you." "I know how belligerent and quarrelsome you Earthmen are." "The Council will decide your fate." "The men from Earth have had their audience with Yllana." "She sent them to the prison chamber." " What sort of men are they?" " They seem strong and brave." "Their leader insisted they're on a peaceful missión, but Yllana did not believe him." "Do you believe him, Motiya?" "His eyes told me he spoke the truth." "I will talk to them." "I must be sure that they can be trusted." "The Council has deliberated." " lt is our decisión that you lied." " We told you the truth!" "You came here to spy on us, to prepare for invasión." "What is the plan of attack?" "This is utter nonsense." "There's no plan of attack." "Doctor, you are a man of intelligence." "You must see how futile this stubbornness is." "As a man of science, I assure you," "Earth has never considered Venus to be inhabited, or inhabitable." "Lieutenant Turner?" "I haven't heard of any plans." "Why don't you girls knock off all this Gestapo stuff and try to be a little friendly?" "You!" "What have you to say?" "Oh, I'm just fine, ma'am." "How's all your folks?" "You will die!" "But first you will scream for mercy when we force the truth from you." "Take them away!" "And I'm the guy that said this was gonna be a lousy milk run." "Very interesting so far." "Be more interesting when we find out what they're going to do with us." "Well, Venus is an awfully nice place to visit, but I certainly wouldn't want to live here." "Not much hope of breaking out." "Surprise one of the guards." "Get a hold of one of those ray guns." "Neal, why do you suppose the queen and her councilors wear those masks?" "I'd assume for the same reason that Oriental potentates made their wives wear veils." "Oh, you mean so the hoi polloi can't take a peek." "Something like that." "Brother!" "They must be knockouts, judging by what there is to see." "Those masked beauties may be knockouts to you, but I have sense of foreboding about them." "A feeling of something monstrous, evil." "So do I." "I didn't say anything to the queen." "I didn't want to put her on guard." "But I'm beginning to think our being here isn't an accident." "I'm afraid I must agree with you." "What's that?" "What's that?" "The ray that destroyed the space station and knocked us off our course may have originated right here." "Oh, come off it." "How could a bunch of women invent a gizmo like that?" "Sure, and even if they invented it, how could they aim it?" "You know how women drivers are." "I will take that." "Groceries." "Man, they're getting beautifuller and beautifuller." " The queen wants you to eat." " Yeah, so we'll eat." "Hey, you know, it's good." "But don't tell me what it is." "Extend our thanks to the queen." "And please ask her to grant us a further discussión." "I'm afraid no amount of discussión would help." "Surely, we can make her understand." "But the queen doesn't wish to understand." "She has nothing but hatred in her heart." "Sounds downright subversive." " Who are you?" " I'm Talleah." "I'm a member of the queen's court." "I came here to tell you that your lives are in great danger." "Maybe I could help." "Fine." "We can use a little help, baby." "Hold it." "Queen Yllana would kill anyone who tried to help us, wouldn't she?" "Yes." " We can't allow you to risk your life." " Why not?" "I'm not alone." "There are many of us who are against the queen's cruelties." "We would like to see her banished." "If you help us, we are going to help you." "I know everything." "I heard the verdict." "It's dangerous for you to come here." "I must take that risk and so must you." "Otherwise, the Earth is going to be destroyed." "Earth destroyed?" "By who?" "Yllana and that bunch of masked marvels of hers?" "Don't underestimate the queen." "Ten Earth years ago, our world became involved in war with the planet Mordo." "It was a terrible war." "We fought with weapons of great power, and we still were nearly defeated." "Finally, Mordo was destroyed." "However, the war was won at great cost." "Most of our cities were destroyed, and now they are lost to the jungle." "But what has this to do with Earth?" "We suffered greatly." "And that is when we women took over." "Go on." "We were led by a masked woman called Yllana." "Masked?" "Why?" "Nobody seems to know." "You mean, you've never seen her face?" "No, but she is said to be very beautiful." "You said Yllana led a revolt?" "She said that men caused the ruin of this world, and it was time for women to take it over." "She became our queen with an absolute power over life and death." "That's incredible." "How did she manage to overthrow the men?" "They didn't take her seriously." "They were preparing for war." "After all, she was only a woman." "Well, what happened to them?" "To the men." "They're all gone." "You mean, they're all dead?" "Not all of them." "Some of them she needed." "Scientists, mathematicians." "She banished them to Tyrus, a small satellite that circles Venus." "It became a prison colony." "Then, we're the only men on the whole planet?" "Yes." "Wow!" "No wonder they locked us up." "Yllana knows that the Earth has been making scientific progress, and she's afraid that they might attack us." "That's why she wants to destroy the Earth." "She must be mad." "She boasts that weapons made by her scientists can destroy the Earth." "The destruction of the space station." "That was the work of one of those weapons?" "Yes." "Then Earth may indeed be doomed." "Yeah, if she could knock out the space station the way she did, bam, maybe she could wipe out the Earth." "Yllana sends for you." "I think she wants you, Neal." "Sounds like an invitation to a royal working-over." " Look, no bunch of dames..." " Turner, don't be a fool." "You heard what that Yllana said she'd do to us?" "Yes, I heard what she said." "Also, I watched her." "Believe me, Captain Patterson, she only had eyes for you." "That's it." "Maybe Yllana has more on her mind besides military information." "Neal, why don't you give her the old romance bit?" "You know, give her that old black magic." " Queen Yllana?" " She's a woman, isn't she?" "Yes." "Remember the legend of Achilles' heel." "No one, man or woman, is completely invulnerable." "Now listen, skipper, maybe I'm the fellow that ought to have all this romantic razzmatazz." "Sorry, I don't think Yllana's your type." "What do you mean?" "If she's a woman, she's my type." "That old stuff again." "How can a doll as cute as that be such a pain in the neck?" "All right, Romeo," "I'll give it a whirl if I get the chance." "You know, there's a certain irony in the fact that our lives, and perhaps the lives of everyone on Earth may depend on Captain Patterson's sex appeal." "If she'd have only picked me." "I'd get her under a tree with a full moon and all that romantic jazz." "Do they have a moon on the planet Venus?" "Yes, they have several, but you'll never see them because of the dense cloud cover." "She picked the right guy, don't worry." "I hate her!" "I hate that queen!" "She's jealous." "26 million miles from Earth, and the little dolls are just the same." "Good evening, Captain Patterson." "Is anything the matter?" "Why, no, no." "Bring me a glass of wine, Captain, and one for yourself." "Now, drink with me." "Refreshing, don't you think?" "It's distilled from fruits and flowers found nowhere else in the universe." "You're right." "It's delicious." "It's exciting and mysterious as Queen Yllana." "I'm sorry my men and I gave the wrong impressión, but, a strange new world, our nerves were on edge." "You needn't bother to explain, Captain." "I understand perfectly." "I hope so." "It was scarcely good manners." "You can make your apology sound most convincing." "And, you'll accept it?" "Let us say, I'll consider it." "It doesn't depend on your deft phrases and your undeniable charm, Captain," "but as I indicated in our first meeting, your common sense." "My common sense?" "I mean quite frankly, Captain, if you do not give us a truthful explanation of your visit here, the Council sentence will be carried out to the letter." "I assume you'll weigh the consequences." "But I wonder, have you considered the alternative?" "The alternative?" "Even a queen can be lonely, Captain." "I've never admitted it until now." "Yllana." "The moment I saw you in the Council chamber," "I felt a weakness most unbecoming to a queen." "But not unbecoming to a lovely woman." " Take off your mask." " No." "You're certainly making it difficult." "I can see you are no novice at this, Captain." "Did you promise your men you'd sweep me off my feet?" "Use your male magnetism to win freedom for all of you?" "Certainly not." "Whatever gave you that idea?" "Come, Captain, you don't really hope to deceive me." "We're not fools." "Your space station was an outpost from which you intended to attack us." "How many times must I tell you?" "That's not true." "I've warned you, Captain." "You will speak the truth or suffer the consequences." " What is the plan of attack?" " There is no plan of attack." "Let me show you what happens to those who oppose me." "Look, Captain." "The beta disintegrator." " This is what destroyed the space station." " Yes." "And it will destroy the Earth just as easily." "But the people, the lives of those countless millions." "I admit the men of Earth have been quarrelsome and foolish in the past, but they mean no harm to your world." "I swear it." "I understand you better than you do yourself." "You're denying man's love, substituting hatred and a passión for this monstrous power you possess." "Monstrous?" "You're not only a queen, you're a woman, too." "And a woman needs a man's love." "Let me see your face." "For that you will die." "I'm sorry, I didn't understand." "Radiation burns." "Men did this to me." "Men and their wars." "You say I need the love of a man." "Very well." "Now that you know, will you give me that love, Captain?" " I didn't realize." " You didn't realize!" "Guards!" "Guards!" "It was atomic radiation that disfigured her." "I think it's affected her mind." "And it certainly would account for her hatred of men and wars." "I was clumsy." "I should have known." "Don't blame yourself." "No one suspected, not even Talleah." "Just the same, I failed." "It was our last chance." "Well, what are we gonna do, just sit around and wait for those dames to polish us off with the ray guns?" "Easy, Mike." "Hey, there's only two of them." "Let's rush them." " Mike, don't be silly." " Well, it's better than sitting around, waiting for something to happen." "Come on." "No, No!" "Friend." "Talleah." "Come." " I was so worried about you." " We're all right." "These are my friends, Motiya and Kaeel." "They are also your friends." "Hiya, dolls." "Glad to have you on our side." "We have no time to waste." "I've found out that the queen plans to destroy the Earth in two days." "Maybe she wasn't bluffing." "Where is the machine?" "The beta disintegrator?" "It is housed deep in the jungle." "An underground tube runs to it from Kadir, but it is well-guarded." "Then we'll have to go overland." "Can we get out of the city?" "It's not going to be easy, but we are going to try it." "Talleah, no need for you and your friends to risk your lives." "It's our fight." "If we can disable the machine, we'll come back to help you." " But we want to come with you." " Yes, we want to come with you." "We have no life here without love, children." "All right, you and your friends can come along." "Thank you." "Your weapons are here." "We're going to teach you how to use them." "Look in the laboratory." "Take them!" "Take them!" "Hide." "Come!" "Come!" "I didn't call for you." "What do you want?" "You are disturbing my work." "What do you want?" "Get out." "Get out of here." "You are not needed here." "I ordered, get out!" "All exits are sealed." "It's impossible to escape from the palace." "We'll try to fight our way through." "I know a way they may not think of." "Come on." "The Earthmen must be found, and I want them taken alive." "The richest reward to their captors." "No, no, please." "No!" "This is the traitor who helped the prisoners escape." "No, no, she's mistaken." "I swear it, Yllana." "Houdina has always been loyal to her queen." "Release her." "You may go." "It seems I'm always being forced close to you." "Oh, that's all right." "I'm not the type to complain." "Air Force, you know." "We learn to handle almost any emergency." "Promise you'll stay close to me no matter what happens." "Oh, yes." "Gosh, yes." "Yllana's detection devices are relentless." "Why, they might even track us down by our heartbeats." "Boy, I'm really giving her a target right now." "You're very pretty." "You're handsome." "Is there any special reason for taking your friends along?" "Yes, because if we can't change the civilization here," "I thought perhaps we can go someplace and start one on our own." "She's straightforward about it, anyway." "I hope you realize, Captain, this leaves you with a grave responsibility." "Well..." "I'm sure that the Captain is dependable in everything." "Looks like we lost them." "I guess we can rest a bit." "They're bombarding us by radar control." "They located us by infrared detection." "Radar can't track us in there." "The metallic streaks on the wall." "You're right, Neal." "No radar impulses can reach us here." "Do you realize that's gold?" "The whole planet must be veined with it." "What is so different about gold?" "We have much here." "It's incredible." "You know, under other circumstances, this would be so wonderful." "You beside me, watching the fire, the two of us planning the future." "I must admit I was thinking about the same thing." "But then again, we might have no future at all." "Tell me, Captain, were you happy on your planet?" "I was doing work that I liked." "I'd gotten a little recognition." "Yes, I'd say I was pretty content." "Were you really?" "No." "I hadn't found the girl I wanted, if that's what you're getting at." "I'm glad you said that." "I would be terribly jealous." "Talleah, you're amazing." "Why, you know, on Earth, a girl would rather die than show her real feelings." "We have an old saying," ""A man chases a girl until she catches him."" "How silly." "What a silly waste of time." "I think if a girl wants a man, she should tell him so." "You're very beautiful, Talleah." "I'm glad you noticed." "It took you such a long time." "I noticed from the first." "And I noticed that I wanted to kiss you from the very beginning." " Comfortable?" " Yes, very." " I think the fire's going out." " No, it isn't." "Oh, the fire." "Larry, get some more wood, will you?" "What do you mean, "Larry, get some more wood"?" "What's the matter with, "Mike, get some more wood"?" "This is one time when the seniority really pays off." "Turner, more wood." "Save my place." "Yes, sir." "No, I'll get it, Lieutenant." "I'm not busy." "We don't really need any more wood." "Look here!" "Guards outside." "They found our trail." "No." "No use to fight." "They'd simply surround us and starve us out." "They're too many." "How long could we last without food or water?" " You're sure they know we're in here?" " Yes, I'm sure." " I say let's make a break for it." " Wait a minute." " Nobody knows you helped us." " No." "All right." "So far as Yllana's concerned, you're still a loyal subject." "You all are." "So loyal, in fact, that you followed us here and recaptured us." "Yes." "Of course." "Come on." "It has to look good." "March us out." "Come on." "Guards!" "Help me with the prisoners." "We are going to take the prisoners back to Kadir." "Talleah has recaptured the Earthmen." "We shall return with them immediately." "Talleah has recaptured the fugitives," "Good." "Have them taken to my quarters." "Push forward the preparations with all possible speed." "Guards will remain here." "Man, I just aged 10 years out there." "What if those guards had insisted on coming in here with us?" "Nice going, Talleah." "I'm disappointed in you, Captain, attempting this foolhardy escape." "You should have known it would be impossible." "Perhaps you would have been more disappointed if I hadn't tried." "Perhaps." "But you'll never get another chance, I assure you." "I am going to allow myself the exquisite pleasure of watching you while I obliterate the Earth." "Then you will be executed." "Well done, Talleah." "I promised a rich reward for the captor, and you shall have it." "I don't want your reward." "One move, and I kill you." "You're all through." "You've had it." "Traitors!" "You know what this means." "Freedom for our people." "These women aren't alone." "There are thousands like them, desperately wishing for the old order." "And now they're going to have it." "My subjects are grateful to me." "I've kept peace." "Peace is not enough." "They must also be content." " Women can't be happy without men." " You're so right, baby." "Do you want to be hated, Yllana?" "I don't think you're a tyrant." "I think you're just a woman who's been hurt, hurt so badly you can never repay it." "Is that understanding, Captain, or pity?" "Call it what you want." "I'm giving you a chance to save your life." "First, you'll go to that tele-viewer screen of yours and give orders to suspend all work on the beta disintegrator." "I'll give no such orders." "And you will contact the guards on Tyrus and tell them to free all the men." "And if I refuse, Captain?" "The alternative wouldn't be a pleasant one." "No, I suppose not." "I've shown no mercy." "I should expect none." "That was a stupid thing to do, Yllana!" "You ought to know when you're beaten." "Beaten?" "You're beaten, Captain." "No one but I can give the orders you want, and I'll die before I give them!" "You know, Neal, it sounds like she means it." "That's great, just great!" "Is it true?" "The orders must come from Yllana?" "Yes." "And the orders are going to come from Yllana." "Of course." "I'm going to put on one of her dresses." "Come on, girls." "Help me." "I'm sorry." " We could have ruled this planet together." " Not your way, Yllana." "You would have done so if I had been as beautiful as Talleah." " Once I was beautiful." " Yes." "I'm sure you were." " Tie her up!" " Let me go!" " Put her in back of that screen." " lt'll be a pleasure." "Let me go!" "You're hurting me." "Let me go!" "Let me go!" "You're hurting me." "Let me go!" "You'll pay for this." "You'll all pay!" "You look like her twin sister." "Disguised like that, you can take us right to the machine, give us our chance to destroy it." "Are any of the personnel at the disintegrator base loyal to you?" "10 or even more." " We'll need them." "You better go ahead and tell them that we are coming." "Alert them to help us if necessary." "We'll do our best." "No, that way." "We may not have a chance to talk later." "We may not even live through the day." "I just want to say while I have the chance," "I love you." "Love." "I've almost forgotten, but if it is that warm feeling that makes my heart sing, then I, too, love you." "We must hurry." "We have no time to lose." "Don't forget." "We're your prisoners." "Get rid of those guns." "Yllana!" "Get out!" "I didn't send for you." "What are you looking for?" "You're disturbing me." "Traitor." "Now don't jump to conclusions." "Please!" "Now, if you'll just give me a second" " I can explain." " Silence, man." "So, the beautiful, loyal Talleah." " Let me kill her now." " No, not yet." "They shall die." "Talleah, Motiya, all of them, but not until they've witnessed my greatest triumph." "For her treachery, Talleah will die last, and most horribly of all." "I could spare your life." "I must say, this baby looks like it can do it." "Yes." "I believe they've solved the problem of projecting nuclear energy." "You will be interested to hear that the weapon will be ready to fire in a few minutes." "Well, Captain, no comments?" "I think you're out of your mind." "A person like you must appreciate this achievement, Professor." "One touch of a tiny red button, and Earth will become a wasteland, and the mountains will crumble into dust." "It's monstrous." "Will nothing keep you from going through with this?" "Nothing, Professor!" "You disappoint me." "I thought you would be fascinated." "Many would envy you this privilege, Professor." "If you've got a crazy notion to blast somebody, blast us." "In due time, Lieutenant." "In due time." "Look!" "Over there!" "My electronic telescope makes every detail clear." "It took untold millions of years to create the planet you call Earth." "Watch it closely, Earthmen." "It will be destroyed in a matter of seconds." "Watch it!" "And now the brave men who have helped us to get back our freedom and our happiness are about to depart." "Their ship has been repaired, and there is nothing that stands in their way to go back to their own planet." "If you must go, promise me you're going to come back to me." "I don't want to go, Talleah, believe me." "I want to stay here with you." "But, Larry, you said you loved me." "Oh, baby, I do, I do." "These past few days have been wonderful." "I mean, getting to know you and all." "Can't you delay your departure a day or two?" "I'm sorry." "No." " Where's Larry?" " Where else?" "Larry." "I gotta go." "I'll be back as soon as I can." " I was just being polite to the girl." " Sure, sure." "Come on." "We have to get going." "You're going to come back to me." "The electronic tele-viewer is working." "Earth answers us." "Wonderful!" "My orders to Captain Patterson are not to attempt a return flight in the Starfire." "I will not risk his life or the lives ofhis men in a patched-up ship," "Therefore, Captain, you and your crew will remain on the planet Venus until a relief expedition can reach you," "I know you men are anxious to return home," "Colonel, are you kidding?" "But you must bear your privations and your hardships bravely," "Hardships?" "Oh, I will, Colonel." "I will." "Bravely." "Yes, sir." "It may be a year or more before we can get to you," "You had your technicians working day and night." "You arranged this whole..." "A year."