 Why didn’t the proton gun hurt the monsters?
Hathaway only knew he was picked up and hurled against a lever-bank, and that Marnagan wasn't long in following, swearing loud words. A sweeter one still of Marnagan beating hell out of the controls and keeping his words to himself until just now. They stood in the middle of a pocked, time-eroded meteor plain that stretched off, dipping down into silent indigo and a rash of stars. Marnagan, firing his proton-gun. Super-gravity and a couple of well-tossed meteors. "You sure them beasts don't radiate ultra-violet or infra-red or something that won't come out on film?" "Nuts!
 The monsters had thick, resistant skin.
 The monsters ran too fast.  The proton gun was damaged in the crash.  The monsters had thick, resistant skin.  Irish wanted to negotiate a peace.