same for Ricky himself.
"We should be immune now to Vestan attack," Kenniston said prayerfully.
"But what good's that going to do us?" Holk Or demanded. "Are you figuring to try an escape into the jungle?"
"No, I'm figuring on taking the Falcon—by using the Vestans," Kenniston replied. "Holk, can you get into the ship and turn off the power that keeps the electric wall going? Can you drop the wall?"
The Jovian's jaw dropped. "Why, sure, I could do that, but if I did, all those hordes of Vestans outside the wall will burst in here—"
He stopped, his eyes bulging. "Good God, then that's your plan? To let the Vestans in?"
"That's it," Kenniston said tightly, his face grim. "To let the Vestans in on the pirates. That'll give us a chance to take the ship—if the formula really makes us immune to the Vestans."
The terrible nature of the proposal stunned them all. But in a moment a flame of purpose lit in the Jovian's eyes.
"I'll do it!" he swore. "It's better than waiting for Dark to kill me like he's planning. You be ready!"
The Jovian slipped out of the opening in the back of the hut. They saw him presently, casually approaching the door of the Falcon.
John Dark stood, a tall, dominant figure in the moonslight, barking orders to the scores of pirates who were bolting in the last of the new rocket-tubes. Kenniston's eyes swung toward the shimmering electric wall, and the horde of Vestan-dominated animals outside it.
The wall suddenly died! And as the electric barrier vanished, into the clearing came rushing the swarm of asteroidal animals.
"The wall's down!" John Dark yelled, his atom-gun leaping into his hand. "Get back into the ship—get back—"
The crash of his atom-gun drowned his own shout. Other pirates were firing wildly at the hideous creatures assailing them.
For the little gray Vestans had detached themselves from their animal victims and were swarming upon the pirates, clambering with blurring speed up their legs and backs, sinking into their necks the tiny antennae.
Kenniston glimpsed John Dark, with a hideous little gray bunch now fastened to the back of his neck, drop his gun and stalk stiffly away toward the jungle. His face was an unhuman, lifeless mask—he was a human automaton, dominated utterly by the alien creature.
"Come on!" Kenniston yelled to his friends. "Now's our chance to get into the ship!"
They plunged out of the hut into the gruesome melee. Screaming pirates were now running into the jungle in vain effort to escape the hordes of Vestans. More than half the corsairs were now overcome.
Kenniston heard a scream from Gloria as they ran, felt a swift scurrying up his back, then the needle-like stab of antennae sinking into his neck.
But the parasitic creature did not overpower his will! He reached around, grasped and tore loose the hideous little thing, and with strong revulsion flung it to the ground.
"Your formula works, Ricky—we're immune to them!" he gasped. "But hurry!"
Other Vestans were clambering up on them like ghastly gray spiders as they ran, but were powerless to overcome them. They tore away the crea-
