The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Great Dome on Mercury, by Arthur Leo Zagat

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Title: The Great Dome on Mercury

Author: Arthur Leo Zagat

Release Date: June 21, 2009 [EBook #29190]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GREAT DOME ON MERCURY ***

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Transcriber's Note:

This etext was produced from Astounding Stories April 1932.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the
U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.

[Illustration: "_Once more! Will you give me the recognition
signal?"_]

The Great Dome on Mercury

By Arthur L. Zagat

* * * * *

[Sidenote: Trapped in the great dome, Darl valiantly defends Earth's
outpost against the bird-man of Mars and his horde of pigmy henchmen.]

Darl Thomas mopped the streams of perspiration from his bronzed face
and lean-flanked, wiry body, nude save for clinging shorts and fiber
sandals. "By the whirling rings of Saturn," he growled as he gazed
disconsolately at his paper-strewn desk. "I'd like to have those
directors of ITA here on Mercury for just one Earth-month. I'll bet
they wouldn't be so particular about their quarterly reports after
they'd sweated a half-ton or so of fat off their greasy bellies.
'Fuel consumption per man-hour.': Now what in blazes does that mean?
Hey, Jim!" He swiveled his chair around to the serried bank of
gauge-dials that was Jim Holcomb's especial charge, then sprang to his
feet with a startled, "What's the matter?"

The chunky, red-haired control-man was tugging at a lever, his muscles
bulging on arms and back, his face white-drawn and tense. "Look!" he
grunted, and jerked a grim jaw at one of the dials. The long needle
was moving rapidly to the right. "I can't hold the air pressure!"

"Wow, what a leak!" Darl started forward. "How's it below, in the
mine?"

"Normal. It's the Dome air that's going!"

"Shoot on the smoke a