The Cephalids aka Invaders
Partial Transcript From Professor G. E. Challenger's Address at the Royal AcademyThese Martians are familiar to every living person on Earth. They are the aliens who sought to conquer our planet less than a decade ago.
It has been said that the Invaders from Mars are little more than disembodied brains. Biologically speaking, such comments are utter nonsense. They, though alien to our planet and thus unnatural or even ungodly to certain small minds, are nothing of the sort. These creatures, which I propose naming Cephalids, have all the functions and needs of ordinary beings. Cephalids, despite their outward resemblance to the octopi of Earth are not Cephalopods, nor even Mollusks of any kind. This resemblance arises, no doubt, from their peculiar combination of tentacles and the over-developed mass that serves them both as body and head. However, it is true that, like Mollusks, these creatures exude a slimy secretion that keeps their skins moist, preserving them from the desiccating environment of their native world.
The fore part of the body contains what we can readily recognize as sensory organs while the hinder part contains the various organs associated with the circulatory systems, digestion and so on. It is supported on a framework of cartilage that is at once strong and elastic. It is the flexure of this skeletal structure during respiration that accounts for the oft-noted "heaving" or "pulsating" observed in living specimens.
There are six powerful tentacles, three to each side, that a Cephalid may use to move itself about or to grasp things. One tentacle on each side is long and, apparently, more flexible. These extended tentacles seem to be used preferentially by the creatures for manipulating things. A tiny pair of extensible feeder tentacles are present at the corners of their lipless mouths.
The eyes of a Cephalid, those celebrated luminous orbs, are disturbingly like those of humans in form and structure, though not in size, and seem capable of perceiving in darkness that would stymie a man.
They are capable of producing sound, though we have no idea of their language. Indeed, certain well-developed centers in the Cephalid brain suggests that the creatures may have progressed beyond language and communicate with each other telepathically.
(Here Challenger was interrupted by much scoffing.)
Be that as it may. It is plain that much more study needs to be undertaken. Much more can be said about Cephalid biology, far less can be said about their psychology or even about their culture. Certainly we have evidence of their scientific achievements. The fact that Man has yet to duplicate some of those achievements makes it plain that the Cephalids are more advanced in some ways than Man Himself.
(Here Challenger was interrupted by boos and catcalls.)
Nevertheless. Nevertheless, I say, it goes beyond the bounds of reason to claim that these creatures have minds immeasurably superior to ours. Cephalids have a science that we are only beginning to grasp, but the Spirit of Man is such that we will, will I say, make that arcane knowledge out own.
Other Notes on the Cephalids
A well-known, though disgusting, fact is that Invaders subsist by drinking the body fluids of other living creatures. They brought beings, now known to be City Dweller Martians, with them to Earth and it was only when their "supplies" ran out and they took to making Mankind their food, that they were exposed to the bacterium that was their downfall. On Mars, it seems that they kept some populations of City Dweller Martians much as Man keeps domesticated animals. Other City Dwellers were allowed more freedom, and it has been suggested that the Invaders considered them the equivalent of "wild game" to be hunted when desired.
Invaders are rarely seen outside of one of their machines.
Battle Striders
These devices are formidable war machines. They are well armored and armed with medium class field pieces. Scout striders are somewhat lighter and armed with machine guns. A few battle striders have been fitted with salvaged heat ray projectors even though generating sufficient power for the weapon can be difficult.
The preserved body of a Cephalid Invader.
