Vampires of Space

In Short

This narrative follows Commander John Hanson and the crew of the Ertak as they investigate the mysterious disappearance of two passenger vessels in deep space. They discover "Electites"—crescent-shaped, intangible entities composed of raw electrical energy that feed upon the metal hulls of ships. Through the quick thinking of a junior officer who realizes these creatures can be "short-circuited" by water, the crew survives a desperate confrontation. It remains a quintessential example of early 1930s space opera, capturing a transition in fiction where the scientific laboratory began to supersede the frontier spirit.

The Story

Commander John Hanson, now an elderly man, recounts an adventure from his time as a leader in the Special Patrol Service. His ship, the Ertak, is ordered to investigate a sector of space where two vessels have vanished without a trace. While patrolling this uncharted region, Hanson’s crew detects a strange, pinkish haze on their sensors. They soon realize they are surrounded by thousands of crescent-shaped, glowing entities. These creatures are not made of matter but of pure electrical energy; they possess no physical rigidity, appearing almost like halos of light that can pass through one another.

As the entities descend upon the Ertak, the crew attempts to defend themselves with standard disintegrator rays, but the weapons prove useless. The monsters attach themselves to the ship’s hull, feeding on the metal as an electric arc feeds on electrodes. The ship begins to vibrate and buckle as the creatures erode the outer skin. Realizing they are doomed if they remain, Hanson orders an emergency landing on a nearby, uninhabited planet, N-127.

The surface of N-127 is hostile, featuring a nitrogen-heavy atmosphere and massive, alien vegetation. Hanson and his third officer, Hendricks, are forced to step outside in cumbersome, experimental breathing masks to confront the creatures directly. During this sortie, the entities attack the men, sensing the copper in their helmets. By chance, Hanson splashes water onto one of the creatures while frantically trying to escape. He notices the water causes the entity to hiss, writhe, and dissolve.

Returning to the ship, Hendricks deduces that the water acts as a short-circuit for the creatures' electrical nature. He quickly modifies standard fire-extinguishers into makeshift sprayers filled with water. The crew dons their suits and exits the Ertak once more. They use these crude, water-spraying devices to systematically destroy the Electites as the creatures peel themselves away from the ship to attack the crew. The monsters are finally vanquished, though the Ertak is left badly scarred. Upon their return to Base, the incident is classified as a top-secret matter. Decades later, with the invention of new anti-electrical hull coatings, the government finally allows Hanson to share the truth of his brush with the space-borne vampires.

How It Unfolds

A call to duty Commander Hanson is summoned to Base to investigate the disappearance of two ships in a remote sector. He takes his crew to the location, suspecting meteorites but finding something far more inexplicable.

The encounter The crew detects an approaching swarm of glowing, crescent-shaped entities that register as electrical disturbances. They realize these creatures are not material bodies, but rather hungry, intelligent manifestations of energy.

The defensive failure The Ertak opens fire with disintegrator rays, but the weapons only irritate the monsters. The crew watches in horror as the entities begin to consume the ship’s hull, threatening to tear the vessel apart in the vacuum.

The desperate landing Hanson decides to retreat to a nearby planet, N-127, to fight on solid ground. They land in a desolate environment where they must step outside into an unbreathable atmosphere to assess the situation.

The discovery While under attack, Hanson accidentally observes that water damages the entities. Hendricks, the ship's scientific mind, confirms this theory and builds makeshift water-spraying weapons.

The final victory Hanson and Hendricks exit the ship and successfully destroy the swarm using the water sprays. The threat is eliminated, the crew returns home, and the event is buried by the military to prevent panic.

The People

John Hanson is the story's narrator, a veteran commander who values action over laboratory theory. He represents the "old guard" of the Service, skeptical of the younger generation's reliance on gadgets yet ultimately reliant on his crew's ingenuity.

Hendricks serves as the ship's third officer. He is the intellectual core of the crew, possessing a "scientific mind" that enables him to look past the terror of the attack to analyze the physics of the enemy. His ability to adapt under pressure saves the lives of everyone on board.

Correy is the first officer and the group's "seeker after trouble." He is eager for combat and represents the aggressive, duty-bound spirit of the Patrol. While he is capable, he lacks the analytical insight that Hendricks provides.

Kincaide, the second officer, is described as cool-headed and reliable. He assists in the technical navigation of the ship through the crisis, acting as the steady hand required to manage the vessel while Hanson and Hendricks confront the monsters.

In Its Own Voice

"Creatures perhaps twice the height of a man in their greatest dimension? In shape like a crescent, with blunted horns somewhat straightened near the tips, and drawn close together?"

Hanson describes the terrifying appearance of the Electites to a younger officer who thinks he has discovered something new.

"These things--are eating us!"

Hendricks realizes the true nature of the threat as the entities begin to erode the hull of the ship like an electric arc.

"The spray seemed to dissolve the crescent-shaped creatures; where it hit, ragged holes appeared."

Hanson watches as the makeshift water-spraying weapons turn the tide against the seemingly invincible invaders.

What It's Really About

At its core, this book examines the confrontation between the known and the unknown. It explores the vulnerability of human technology when faced with phenomena that operate outside the laws of standard matter. The story serves as a brief, intense argument for the importance of "applied" science—the idea that abstract theories must eventually be wielded as practical tools to solve physical crises. Beneath the action, there is a subtle generational tension; the old commander, who remembers the days of "charting the unknown," balances his respect for the past against the necessity of adopting new, scientific solutions to survive the changing reality of space travel.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the classic "pulp" era of science fiction will find this a fascinating, brisk read. It carries the distinct tone of the 1930s, where space was a frontier defined by military discipline, leather-bound logs, and a sense of growing wonder. The prose is unpretentious and direct, focusing on the mechanical problem-solving that defined the genre during that period.

Modern readers should be prepared for the period-specific attitudes of the narrator, who speaks with the slightly condescending, "crotchety" air of a man who feels he has seen it all. The scientific explanations are intentionally "crude" by modern standards, reflecting the era's fascination with vacuum tubes, disintegrators, and radio reflexes. While the pacing is fast and the stakes are high, the story is ultimately a character piece—a reflection on how one man’s terrifying brush with the impossible eventually becomes a nostalgic, secret memory. It is a short, satisfying artifact of the early days of space exploration fiction, perfect for those who want to see how the genre’s tropes were first forged.