The Planet Man! The Planet Man! This is the fascinating story of Dantro the Planet Man. Troubleshooter for the League of Planets Organization. The law enforcement body for peace and justice in the celestial world. Whose headquarters and center of operations are situated on the capital of all the planets, Planaria Rex. From Mercury to Pluto, wherever danger threatens the universe, you will find Dantro the Planet Man fighting for fair play. In a moment, the Planet Man. The Planet Man. The planet's message could only have originated in this cluster of stars. It's the only system within that sector of space. Very well. We'll plot our course and then head for that area with the astral drive. Shouldn't take us long to get there. With your permission, I believe I can plot the proper space curve and coordinate more quickly. Certainly, Barrel. Take over. Boy, look at him go. He moves so fast you can hardly see it. The machine has many advantages over flesh and blood slabs. The precision is certainly one of them. I believe this is it. Okay, I'll flip this punch card into the automatic navigator and we'll be all set. You want to operate the controls, Barrel? No, I would prefer to concentrate on detecting any other messages that my people may send out. Okay, I'll take the controls. Hey, I'll stand up this time. If you can take a Dantro, well, I can. Now who's the hero sledge? I might have known you wouldn't forget that. Stand by to cut astral drive. Okay, cut it. Hey, you know, I didn't mind as much as I had before. Well, see, if you don't pay any attention, you don't notice it as much. I don't have a word for it. Where are we? Just a moment and I'll check our location on the space grid detector. All right. Want me to give you a hand? If you will, you operate the directional beam. The grid indicates some bodies in that quadrant. Let us take area 024. Just a minute, I'll set the dial. Okay, that's good. Cut in the beam. It's dead. Here goes the distance and width grid. Watch the screen. It's a weird sight, huh? What is it? A combination of two normal stars and a white dwarf. White dwarf? What's that? It's a dying sun flat, one that's lost most of its energy. How far off are we? Well, the closest is one of the normal stars. It's about 600 million miles away. We'll check that first unless Barrel has more specific information. No, I regret to say that my calculator places the sources of the emergency message definitely in the area around these three stars. But I cannot be sure from which specific area it originated. All right, hang on, flats. We'll use the astral drive to come in closer to that sun. Oh, boy, am I floating. Stand by to cut. Already? I'm just catching my breath. My head looks awfully close. No, we're about 100 million miles off. Let's check the detector and see if this star has any planets. There. I'll check the screen. There, it shows three. We'll run a quick remote analysis first. All right. I do not believe your analyzer will indicate any life on any of those three. Say, you're right. It's cold, nothing. We'll choose the other normal star. It's the most logical place to find any life. Okay, hit it. Cut it. Cutting on. Here goes the detector. Hey, no planets around this one. Where do we go now? What was it you call it, the white dwarf? That's the only one left. Here goes. Cutting out. I'll check the detector again. Look, three planets. You want to check them with the analyzer? We'll check them all together. Here comes the tab. Hey, wait a minute. The machine must be out of whack. Why? Look for yourself. It indicates no sign of life on any of these planets. Well, there's nothing wrong with the analyzer and interpreter slats. You know, we checked them thoroughly before we took off. It doesn't make any sense unless Barrow's mistaken. No, I have been checking my analysis while you were investigating those planets. That message originated from this sector of space definitely. Where does that leave us? There certainly isn't any sign of advanced civilization on any of these planets, or the analyzer would pick it up. Isn't that right, Dantel? I'm afraid it would. I do not understand it, but I would like to try one more thing. Why, you got an idea? As you know, I have a built-in detector and analysis system. It may be that it will pick emanations which your machine might miss if they were faint or deliberately shielded. At any rate, I would like to go outside the ship and see if I can detect any signs of radioactivity from any of these planets. Suit yourself, Barrow. Maybe you're right. Very well. I shall not be long. Barrow is sure he detects some activity in this region. What will his outer ship detector indicate? We'll be back in a moment, so level off. When we left Dantel and Slatt, they were aboard the Alpha investigating a group of planets from which Barrow the Roper insists there is some indication of activity. We find our friends now as they talk with Barrow, who is outside the ship checking the radioactivity in the area. Any luck, Barrow? I believe so. Did you get a reading? My instruments indicate a faint but definite sign of radioactivity emanating from that planet closest to the dying sun. Do you think it could be some naturally radioactive substance? No. I am certain it is a form of radioactivity which does not occur in nature. It has been altered as only could be done by some advanced science. I feel certain that it is from some power which has been deliberately screened. Without the advantage of my special construction, it would be almost impossible to detect. You'd better come in, Barrow. We'll decide what to do. Well, I think we should get going. Not so fast, Slatt. What do you mean not so fast? That's what we came here for, wasn't it? Barrow's friends are in some sort of trouble. We came to find out what it is. We'll find out, Slatt, but there's no point in risking everything. That is very sensible, Planet Man. I was going to suggest that myself. I wish you two let me in on it. What are you talking about? I believe that Dantro was going to suggest that not all of us descend to the surface of that planet to investigate. That's exactly what I was going to suggest. I think someone ought to stay here with the ship. I think you should both stay here with the ship while I go in and investigate the planet. I think I should go along with you, Barrow. I respect your mechanical abilities, but there are some things which you're not equipped to handle. Go on, don't anybody ask me. You two guys just settle everything you please yourselves. It's not a question of pleasing anyone, Slatt, but what sense is there risking the Alpha unnecessarily? Barrow and I can take a space launch and land on the planet. What am I supposed to do meanwhile? Sit here and twiddle my thumb? We can navigate the Alpha to within 20 million miles of that first planet. Look, you can talk all you like, make all the plans you like, but I am not going to stay behind while you two take all the risks. Now be sensible, Slatt. We can't leave the ship alone. We don't know what's down on that planet. It certainly doesn't make sense to put all of our irons in the fire at once. Okay, okay. I know when I'm outvoted, but there's one condition. What's that? You keep in touch with me every minute. The first sign of trouble, I'm coming in after you. That's just what you're not going to do, Slatt. We'll keep contact with you, but if for some reason the contact's broken, you head back for Rura's planet as fast as you can. Well, you mean not only do you want me to sit here when it's safe, but turn my back when there's trouble. What kind of guy you think I am? Don't forget, Slatt, that Barrow's whole exploring party disappeared somewhere around here. There were ten ships, almost as well-armed and equipped as the Alpha. Whatever eliminated them must still be here. I want you to go back and get help. If you bring the Alpha in, we may never get off alive. All right, all right. Just be careful, that's all. Now we better get some kind of an emergency signal just in case. If they can screen signs of radioactivity, they may be able to screen any signal you might beam at me. That's good thinking, Slatt. I believe we have a supply of emergency space flares on board the launch. If there's any sign of danger, I'll send one up and you head back to Rura. I'm not promising. Slatt, that's an order. All right, don't throw your weight around. Now help me into my space armor. Right. Let's go, Barrow. Hey, I'm going to follow you two from in here with a tight beam, Danto. Keep your communicator open so we can keep in constant contact. I'll do that, Slatt. Stand by the communicator. I'll stand by, but I don't like this one little bit. Here we go. Space launch away. Well, Barrow, we're coming in. Certainly doesn't look very encouraging. No. The planet seems totally devoid of life. I can't make out any details. The light is very faint, but there seems to be no large cities of any sort. But we'll be down in a few minutes and then we should know better. I'll give Slatt the buzz. Hello, Danto calling Slatt aboard the Alpha. Danto calling Slatt aboard the Alpha. Hello, Slatt calling Danto. Do you hear me, Danto? Come in. Why doesn't he answer? He promised he'd keep the communicator open. He knows how I hate to sit here. Hello, Slatt calling planet... Danto and Slatt obviously want to contact each other, but something seems to be interfering. What force can this be? We'll be back in a moment. But first, here is a message the planet man wants you to hear. Here is the message the planet man wants you to hear. Tune in again for more transcribed thrills and adventures. Rocket millions of light years into space with Danto the planet man. Baa... planet... man...
