
In the far‑off reaches of space, an expansive, invisible laboratory sprawls across a barren world, its countless contraptions and shimmering energy fields hidden from any casual glance. The custodians of this marvel are two peculiar scientists—Pud, a senior mind with a hundred eyes spread across multiple heads, and his eager junior, Gop—who have devoted centuries to perfecting cloaking fields that keep their work concealed. Their routine is shattered when a tiny alien ship pierces the sky, descending toward the planet and threatening to expose every secret experiment.
Pud’s relentless insistence on deactivating every device collides with Gop’s curiosity, sparking a frantic scramble to mask the lab’s activity before the visitors can detect even the faintest flash. As the spacecraft lands and a mysterious black hole flickers nearby, the duo must decide whether to risk a final, daring concealment or confront the unknown guests head‑on. The tension between meticulous secrecy and inevitable discovery drives the early action, hinting at larger challenges ahead.
Language
en
Duration
~42 minutes (41K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2019-05-10
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1923–1998
A sharp, imaginative voice in mid-century science fiction, this American writer helped shape both magazine-era sci-fi and some of the genre’s most memorable screen stories. His work ranged from short fiction and editing to screenplays for film and television, including episodes of Star Trek and The Twilight Zone.
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