
A desperate exodus is underway as the last survivors of a mysterious, planet‑wide plague scramble aboard a massive Martian ship bound for Earth. Captain Ric Martin races to the launch site, hoping to steer the vessel clear of a hidden menace that could be far more lethal than the spores they’re fleeing. Meanwhile, the Martian leader Dar Mihelson delivers a grim broadcast, urging the refugees to pray while the ionization towers that shield their dying world flicker out.
On Earth, fear and suspicion stir a new anti‑Mars movement, turning the arrival of the refugees into a politically charged flashpoint. At the Palomar Observatory, Ric slips past security with a professor’s pass, joining the world’s leading scientists as they watch the crippled red planet on massive screens. The tension builds as the countdown to launch begins, and everyone wonders whether humanity can extend a hand without inviting the unseen horror that still haunts the Martian skies.
Language
en
Duration
~1 hours (83K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2021-01-19
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

d. 1957
A little-known but memorable pulp-era science fiction writer, he helped fill the pages of Planet Stories with fast-moving adventures, strange worlds, and cosmic danger. Though biographical details are scarce, his stories still stand out for their energetic space-opera spirit.
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