By accident Granger saw the aliens land,
so with scientific curiosity he captured one of
them. This incident made Earth the scene of a—
Stellar Vengeance
By Frank Freeman
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy
February 1955
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
"You must realize," squealed the squat, ugly creature in the hastilyconstructed wooden cage, "that you're inviting certain destruction byholding me prisoner. I warn you, your time is short."
Walt Granger stomped over to the enclosure and swung a heavy bootagainst one of the two-by-fours that stood like a crooked row ofsentries. "That's my worry," he grunted.
He had stumbled upon the whole business just two hours before, right inthe middle of his part of the geoglogic survey that was going on in therock strewn hills and gullies known on the maps as the Millsport Range.He had seen the ship the moment it left the ground, and a few yardsfrom the burned circle of grass that was still smoldering from therocket blast, there sat the fat little specimen of life from anotherworld. Granger had caught the thing by surprise and had a rope aroundits middle before it could scamper into the brush.
"My comrades will return for me," warned the thing, its yellowisheyes slowly and rhythmically protruding and withdrawing within theirsockets. "They'll have no trouble finding you, and when they do...."
"Shut up!" snapped Granger, pulling on his leather jacket. He turnedto the cement fireplace and gave the embers a poke with a charredstick, looking around at the cage every few seconds as though he fearedleaving his back turned for more than instant.
He looked at his watch. Eight o'clock, and night was fast spreading ablanket of charcoal shadows over the hillsides. He'd wait till morningto move this crazy beast to the next camp six miles away. A night tripmight entail chances he wasn't willing to take.
After a couple of nervous fumbles with a match, he lit a cigaretteand glanced uneasily out the one window in the rough cabin. What ifthe alien, or whatever it was, wasn't kidding about the danger he wasin? What if his buddies did decide to come back before morning withthe extermination of a human on their minds? Think of it, Granger, hetold himself laconically, you'd be a hero! A nice, cold, dead one. Andthey'd never find the bunch who'd have knocked him off. He'd be one ofthose "mysterious deaths" the papers played up.
"Free me immediately!" screeched the angry captive, his head swayinglike a balloon on a stick. "You haven't much time left!"
"You're a nasty tempered little imp, aren't you?" growled Granger as hestrode across the room and peeked curiously inside the crate.
"I loathe you," growled the thing. "I have no intentions of deceivingyou. This whole situation is simply a matter of pure logic so far asyour plight is concerned."
"You're forgetting," said Granger, his voice lacking a certain amountof its previous confidence, "that you're the one who's in a mess."
"Only temporarily, you fool!" raved the creature, jumping franticallyup and down. "Look!" he screamed, pointing a tiny hand toward thewindow over Granger's left shoulder.
The geologist gasped as he shot a quick glance in the direction of thething's outstretched arm. A pale green light had turned the surroundingland and sky into an eerie dawn that extended its weird phosphorescenceinto the cabin itself. And two hundred yards from the cabin, in a smallarea relatively clear of major obstructions, was the same ship he hadseen a few hours before.
"They're here!" shouted