A Brand New World by Ray Cummings

It was a crowded day, with our morning walk through the city and our meeting with Graff. And from a distance we had seen the woman Brea. An arrogant giantess. A fitting mate for him, no doubt. "Empress of the Earth" -- she was already calling herself that. Kean informed us she was going to address the meeting to-night -- to tell the people of Garla what wonderful things would be brought back to them by Graff when he returned.

Father visited the Garland Council. He returned discouraged and indignant. They would have none of our pleas now. They did not want to see me or Dan or Freddie officially, to talk politics. Politely, they requested father to leave their affairs alone. After Graff's meeting they would give us their decision.

"I warned them," father exclaimed. "What will happen at this meeting to-night, I don't know. But I feel it bodes no good for Garla. Graff is treacherous to the very core of him. You'll see -- they'll all see!"

Freddie, Dan and I, had a brief consultation while father was at the Council. "What we'll do," said Dan, "will have to be on our own. Your father, Peter, has lived here, and likes these people. Even he can't see them as they are. Doubtless they did grow altruistic -- peace-loving -- all that he told us. But humans are humans. They think they see a way to personal gain. This government is greedy to get whatever it can out of Graff -- "

Freddie commented: "I wouldn't trust a shock from any of these people with a broken battery. Graff is the worst. Imagine little Zetta trying to bargain with a villain like Graff! " Freddie's admiration for Zetta was profound. "But she ought to be watched. Heaven knows what a girl like that will try and do!"

"I'd trust Kean," said Dan. "He's the only one."

We argued to very little purpose from a dozen angles. I think all three of us were sorry we had not leaped upon Graff -- made an end to him at once, up there on the Garla street corner.

"It would have been simple," said Dan. "But -- killing a man in broad daylight -- they'd have had us locked up by now -- I wonder how they punish murder in this place."

We had Kean to ourselves later in the day. It was before we went to the Scientists' Grotto. Kean said he had never seen the Garland weapons, though he knew where they were kept, under heavy guard. But he thought that during the evening meeting Graff was to hold, he would perhaps be able to plan a way to get into the grotto arsenal. With the physical force we three of earth were capable of using we could break into it.

During the meeting, attention would all be centered there. Most of the guards would be at the meeting. Kean planned to investigate conditions at the arsenal -- and report to us. If we could get the weapons -- get them to our vehicle -- We would try attacking Graff first, here in Garla. Or, preferably, as Kean pointed out, catch him on his way to the Braun city. And then, if we brought the wrath of the Garlands upon us, we would all escape to earth. Kean said very solemnly: "I trus' Zetta's woman conscience on this. She heard you talking of it this morning. Did you know that?"

"No," I said.

"Well, she did -- we Garlands have ver' sharp ears. I ask her advice. You see, that man Graff called me traitor. That hurt -- I was traitor, from the way he sees it. Not again would I be traitor -- mos' of all, not to my own worl'. But I ask Zetta. She says for us to take the Garland weapons to save the other worl' is just. " He was very earnest. "Not to take anything which by losing my Garla would be hurt. There is such a thing. If you planned to steal it, Zetta and I would not permit -- "

"The Infra-red Control? " said Freddie.

"Yes. That, Zetta and I would not let you touch. The ordinar' weapons -- of those Garla has many. The loss of some will help your worl', and cannot harm mine."

A very manly fellow -- quaintly dignified as he stood earnestly explaining. One Garland at least, whom we could trust. And Zetta.

We said nothing to father, or to Hulda, or Zetta. In mid-afternoon, before starting on this visit to the grotto which father had arranged, he took an hour and told us more of the strange science of this world. I feel that it would be out of place for me to set it forth in detail here. It is not my purpose to encumber this personal narrative with scientific data. Volumes of scientific text books will be written concerning Xenephrene, with father's voluminous notes as a basis. So I have summarized here merely such fundamentals necessary to make clear the strange adventures on earth, so briefly on Xenephrene and back again on earth, into which my family, friends and myself were plunged.

The basis, father told us, of all natural scientific phenomena on Xenephrene was an entity called _Reet_. An "etheric fluid. " A "movement of detached electrons. " He used both phrases. In its essence, Reet, he said, was an enigma. A force "akin perhaps to our electricity. " It existed in nature -- in the rain, the clouds, the air. It was the growing, life-giving essence of all vegetable and animal organism.

Just as we of earth, in a wide variety of forms, had learned to harness electricity, so on Xenephrene, Reet was harnessed. On earth a common electrical current, a bolt of lightning, a magnetic field, fluorescence of a Crooke's tube, the heat of an electric coil, a giant, leaping electric spark, the X-ray, radio waves -- all are akin. We know that now; we learn it more surely every year. On Xenephrene, a score of scientific phenomena were all manifestations of Reet, in various forms, under various abnormal conditions.

Our earth now is using Reet for the anti-gravity vehicles which now are adventuring into Space; and our scientists say that Reet itself is but another form of electrical force.