Outside the Universe
by Edmond Hamilton
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"Its vast mass of towering structures of blue vibrations was without occupants of any kind."
The Story Thus Far
A FLEET of serpent-people from a dying universe wipe out the Interstellar Patrol, establish a base on the worlds in the Cancer cluster, and capture the space-ship sent out under command of Dur Nal to ask help from the Andromeda universe. While the serpent-people perfect their huge death-beam, with which they plan to wipe out all life from our universe, Dur Nal and his crew escape from the serpent-universe and speed out toward the Andromeda at millions of light-speeds, pursued by the serpent-fleet.
10. Flight and Pursuit
"Through the vibration-wall!" I cried, as our ship raced out at utmost speed. "Out of the serpent-universe—and we may yet get to the Andromeda universe in time!"
The eyes of Jhul Din and Korus Kan were as aflame with excitement as my own, at that moment, and from beneath came the triumphant shouts of our followers. There remained of the latter hardly more than a bare score, I knew—few enough to handle the great ship, but the control and operation of it were so simple that by standing alternate watches we could hold our course through space. Briefly I explained this to Korus Kan, he nodding assent, when from Jhul Din there came a cry that caused both of us to spin around toward him in swift alarm. The big Spican's eyes were fixed upon the space-chart above, and as we turned he raised an arm toward it.
"The five hundred serpent-ships!" he cried. "They've come out through the great wall too—they're after us!"
The blood in my veins seemed to chill with sudden renewal of our former tenseness and terror, as on the space-chart we saw, racing out after us from the dying universe, the five hundred-odd serpent-ships that had risen from the giant central world to pursue us, and that now, undeterred by the fate of the ten ships we had
This story began in WEIRD TALES for July
