ANC

OCTOBER, 1953
2Si

STORIES OF SCIENCE AND FANTASY

 • • •

REATHES there a news- my life hasn’t been the same since.

B man
never
with soul so dead
plugged up the holes
who There, print that.
H: (interviewing) You’ve got

in his head and muttered “damme, 380 words to go and I don’t think
I wish somebody would interview we can use that about sisters.
me for once”? And, having so H. (solemnly) Better keep it

wished and gotten no place, toyed tame, at that. At the peculiar age
idly with the idea of doing the job of 12, in a Poughkeepsie, N. Y.
himself someday . . . grammar school, I got interested

Anyhow, this one’s got the in aeronautics, Willy Ley, science-

chance to give it a whirl in 500 fiction. and money. Some time
words, and so, excelsior — later, at Poughkeepsie High School,
Holden: (interviewing) Well my interests broadened perceptibly.
go ahead and talk! They now included aeronautics,
Holden: (leaning back, contem- Willy Ley, science-fiction, and
plating) I suppose there are a few money.
things that can be printed. I was H: (still interviewing) No girls?

one of a family of one boy, born PI: (thinking) .1 had heard the
in Rochester, N. Y. in 1923 B. S. word; came across it once at Mid-
— that’s Before Sisters of whom — dleburv College, Vermont. That s
in

there were a couple some 12 and where I went to study aeronautical

15 years later. There still are, and ( Continued on Page 66)
 Science
and

Stonier OCTOBER 1953

Volume 4
THE TIME ARMADA (Novel —25,000 words)
Number 9
by Fox B. Holden - 6
HEIR APPARENT (Short—4,500 words)
by Alan E. Nourse 68

COMBATMAN (Short —2,500 words)

by John Massie Davis 80
Wdtiam X JJa
SO SAYS THE MASTER (Novelette — 10,000 words)
Editor
by Daniel F. Galouye 88

WORLD WITHOUT GLAMOR (Short —5,000 words)

by Milton Lesser 114

THE IMPOSSIBLE PLANET (Short —3,000 words)

by Philip K . Dick.- ..128

HOLD ON TO YOUR BODYI (Short— 2,000 words) Managing Editor

by Richard O, Lewis 138

INTRODUCING THE AUTHOR 2 WJcoL Smith

THE EDITORIAL 4
FORECAST OF COMING ISSUES 67 Art Director
ELECTRONIC CHEMISTS 87
ATOMIC MOTOR 126
IMAGINATION SCIENCE FICTION LIBRARY 144
FANDORA'S BOX 146
SOUND AND FURY 152 November Issue on Sale
LETTERS FROM THE READERS 154 September 29th
TOMORROW'S SCIENCE 164

Published monthly by Greenleaf Publishing Company, 1426 Fowler Avenue, Photo cover by Malcolm Smith,
Evan hi. Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at Evanston, suggested by THE TIME AR-
III. Additional entry at Sandusky,
Ohio. Address all manuscripts and sub* MADA. Astronomical photos,
front and back covers wurtesy
scripiic:is to IUAG NATION, P.0. Box 230, Evanston, III. We do not aeeept
Mt. Wilson and Palomar Ob-
I

responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or art work: submissions must servatories. Interior art by
be accompanied by stamped, self-addressed return envelopes. The names W. E. Terry and H. W. Me-
of all characters that are used In stories are fictitious; any resemblance Cauley. Cartoons by Glueck,
to any person, living or dead is coincidental. Copyright 1953, Greenleaf Baker. Reid. Scheffy, Ludway
Publishing Company. Printed la U.S.A. and Kohler.

3

2 LONG ago we made a
A time
decision in regard to serials;
we wouldn’t use one unless a
truly outstanding book length nov-
el crossed our desk, and if we did
use one it would run for only two
—
issues we never could stand hav-
ing to wait more than a month to
finish a story! The great major-
ity of you readers, have agreed
with us on this policy. So now
bears fruit!
T— HIS month —for the first time
IMAGINATION publishes a
serial in two parts. We believe the
author. Fox B. Holden, has written
as gripping and dramatic a science
fiction novel as we’ve read in many
years; it will quite likely be pub-
lished in book form in the near
future; thus we’ve taken a new
step forward which we hope will
meet with your approval. We would
like to stress again that serials in
Madge will really have to be out-
standing, and, presented only in
—
two parts. If you can’t wait a
month to finish reading THE
TIME ARMADA we can provide
you with a copy of the November
issue right now! As this issue is
on sale, the November issue is al-
ready being sent to subscribers
so turn to page 162 and send your
subscription in right away. Your
copy wiH be sent you FREE (our
—
11,1x1 1,11
bonus offer) and the same day your
order is received. And there’s an-
other reason you’ll want to sub-
scribe now ,
—the November issue
features Robert A. Heinlein’s new
story, SKY LIFT. A Heinlein sto-
ry is, of course, a must, for every
fiction reader, so you can
science
make sure you don’t miss getting
your copy by subscribing. Do it to-
it day!
E VERY summer, it seems, the
flying saucers break out in a
rash throughout the country. This
summer is no exception. About the
most unusual account recently was
one reported over the Wire Ser-
vices, near Oroville, California. It
seems that a prospector was mak-
ing his way through a grove in the
hills toward a creek. He suddenly
came upon a clearing near the
creek, and smack into a bizarre ex-
perience. He says he saw a sau-
cer-shaped object at rest on the
ground (size judged to be around
eight feet in diameter and five feet
high) ;
but it wasn’t so much the
saucer that amazed him as the fig-
ure he saw standing by the creek.
According to this prospector he saw
a “conventionally clad’’ figure four
feet high, carrying what seemed to
be a silver-like pail, which appar-
ently had been used to obtain water
from the creek.
4
 —
Hfe “alien” made a beeline to- make it. We got a let-
T ward the flying saucer, and
as he approached it a section of
boys can’t
ter from Geoff St. Reynard ex-
—
pressing his regrets from the isle
smooth metal rolled back soundless- of Tobagoin the British West In-
ly. The “alien” disappeared inside, dies. Tough life, Geoff, old man,
the portal slid shut again, and the whiling away the summer in a tropic
ship rose from the clearing at a paradise. And Dwight Y. Swain
tremendous speed, vanishing in the has holed himself up in an air-con-
sky. The prospector picked hs jaw ditioned office somewhere in Okla-
up from the ground, hurried back homa and vows he won’t come out
to town and blurted his story to the until he finishes his new cover
world. novel for Madge. (A good idea at
that!) Then too we understand

N OW we never bat an eye at fly-

ing saucer stories, because we
are convinced they do exist, and
Mack Reynolds is deep in the heart
of Mexico, so he probably won’t be
able to tear himself away from the
further, we believe they’re extra- enchiladas. Too, Rog Phillips has
terrestrial. But we are inclined to mysteriously disappeared into some
cast a skeptical eye on that part home workshop in Chicago, where
of the story concerned wth four we learn, he is hardat work on some
foot high beings carrying — pails. highly secret invention —
probably
We’re sure the story became dram- a typewriter that writes its own
atized through the press to provide stories . .Don’t forget,
. Hein-
a “sensational” angle. Flying sau- lein next month, and page 162 this
cer appearances have become too issue wlh
frequent and wide-spread to be
newsworthy unless there’s a gim-
mick. The next thing you know the
papers will report a witness who
kibitzed at a gin game with the
saucer boys . which, come to
. .

think of it, we’d like to see our-

selves; that’s one way to get a
saucer for keeps; our "visitors”
may have the edge on us planet-
bound terrans technologically, but
the science of gin rummy involves
a sixth sense for a quick knock
and that we got! Come on down,
boys, and try a hand.

W
World
of
E were hoping we’d see most-
Madge’s writers at the 11th
Science Fiction Convention
in Philadelphia over the Labor Day
weekend. But sadly, some of the "Juniorl"

s
 .

THE TIME ARMADA

B,
B. Jlolln

politics and science don't mix — except that

Congressman Blair had once been a physicist. This
was The Beginning — but The End was worlds away . .

5:20 P. M., April 17, 1958 The front seat of the dark blue
sedan was soft and reassuring, and
ONGRESSMAN
C Blair shivered a
Douglas
little,

ed up his coat collar against

turn-
the warm current of air from
heater beneath
let his spare,
it felt good.
barely six-foot body
the
He

the gray drizzle that had been fall-
ing like a finely-sifted fog all
His head ached, his nose felt stuf-
fy, and he was tired. It was good
of Grayson to pick him up.
slump like a bag of wet wash and
day. pushed his hat back with the half-
formed thought that it might ease
the dull pressure behind his eyes.
“Rough going today, eh, Con-

7
8 IMAGINATION
gressman?” gether I guess. Here, have a cig-
Grayson twisted the blue sedan arette.”
into outbound Washington traffic, “Thanks. No, dammit. That’s
turned the windshield wipers to a just it— if they’d take this going to
faster pace. Click-click, click- Hell business and forget about it
click, and Blair wished someone —sink it, scuttle it. Nobody goes
would invent windshield wipers to Hell, he makes his own if that’s
for the brain, to be worn like a the way he lives, or he makes his
radio head-set, maybe with a hole own personal Heaven or Paradise
in the top of the head. or whatever you call it if that’s
“Hey, buddy! Republicans got the way he lives. Most of

your tongue?” us are between

in someplace,
“No, sorry, Carl. Just tired. It’s a little mostly indiffer-
scared,
that damned McKenny bill.” ent, and too mixed up to see the
“Off the record?” simple fact that the way of living
“I’m afraid so for now, Carl. He we’ve got in this country isn’t so

can get the thing through— he’s bad but what just plain honesty
so damn .
clever he should’ve been and a little intelligence couldn’t
£ woman. Got the steel men eat- run it right side up.”
ing out of his hand. Made no I know and you’re
“Sure, sure,
bones about telling the rest of us right,Doug. But take it easy . . .

today that what the hell, the peo- Things aren’t always as bad as
ple never had anything to say they look.”
about it, anyway. The work of
government is up to the profession- T)LAIR inhaled on the cigarette,
als. The sooner the people get laughed a little and felt bet-
their nose out of it, the better off ter. Sometimes he knew he sound-
they’ll be. He said that, Carl, ed like a college kid trying to tell

right in front of everybody. And his father what was wrong with
nobody so much as blinked.” the world, but that was why he
The drizzle started to develop liked Carl. Carl let him talk, knew
into a dark blue rain as they head- it was his way of blowing off the
ed toward the suburbs. pent-up steam.
“What’s going to happen, Carl?” “You know what, chum?” They
Blair said after awhile. were running smoothly along the
“If I knew, believe me, I would- highway now, the engine a reas-
n’t be sitting here! I don’t know, suring hum of power, the interior
Doug. We’ll all cook in Hell to- of the sedan warm and relaxing.
 THE TIME ARMADA 9
The rain was letting up a little, away the other night said that it
but dirty banks of fog had start- was an experiment with something
ed gathering at the roadside like called tired light.”
ghosts of all the work of the day, “Exactly. Television.”
tenuous, without substance. “Look, the quality of curiosity
“What, Carl?” is not strained, it droppeth as a

“You should’ve stuck with the gentle ten-ton truck from twenty
M.I.T. degree after all. Hell with stories up! You said or the mar- —
your brain you’d’ve made that try tini said anyway — that if this little
for the Moon a success last month gimcrack of yours works, it’d be
instead of another near miss.” able to bring back pictures of
“Maybe you’re right. Those things that happened in the past.
boys know what they’re doing You’re guilty until proven innocent,
though. I’ll stick to puttering.” Galileo. Start talking.”
“Puttering the man ‘He calls it. “Off the record—”
hath a lean and hungry look such — “I should broadcast it and get
men are dangerous Myself,
. . .
’
dunked in a witch’s chair.”
I think that gadget you ‘putter’ “Well — the martini had it a lit-

with in that cellar of yours is some tle balled up, but the essential
kind of a gismo to hypnotize all the idea’s there I guess. Anyway, it

states-righters into doing some- isn’t everybody who has a space-

thing intelligent like dropping warp for a household pet.”
dead without being told!” “Or Einstein for a hobby.”
“With ingenuity such as yours, “Blah, this is strictly Blair.

my friend, I think I could really That’s why it won’t work, and I’d
accomplish something in that cel- be only sensationally nuts if I ever
lar of mine at that! That’s the thought it would. But some men
trouble. You writers and news- take Scotch for their nerves, and
men have all the good ideas —slide- I take Scotch with electronics.

rules don’t think worth a damn! More of a jolt that way.”

Instead of a wonderful creation “Yuk, yuk.”
such as you suggest, what have I
got? A pile of junk that may, if
it works in any degree at all, turn THAT was why
have Carl for a friend.
it

No
was good to

out to be a fairly good television matter how sorry you got to feel-
”
set ing for yourself, he could usually
“You wouldn’t kid an old friend. snap you out of it one way or an-
That martini you were putting other. Right now, Doug thought,
 ——
IO IMAGINATION
Carl was diligently at work with comes in. After a certain length
that peculiar brand of psychology of time —unthinkable aeons of it

that all newspapermen strive cease- it, like all other forms of energy,
lessly to acquire that makes people peters out. Runs down. Quits.
blab when they ought to keep Kaput. They call it entropy. It
quiet. But why not —Carl would- constitutes, actually, a gradual
n’t know what the hell it was all running down, growing old of the
about and he wouldn’t care, if he universe. As far as anyone knows,
thought it would take some of the this happens before it ‘doubles
pressure off. back’ on itself, as you put it. You
“Well, listen then. Ever look can’t catch it coming around the
through an observatory telescope second time to see what you look-
and have somebody tell you you ed like umpteenillion ages ago. So,
were focused on some star or other if you want a second look at your-
a couple of thousand light years self, you’ve got to go out and catch

away? Maybe it was in the proc- the light which you reflected in
ess of blowing up and becoming a the past—”
nova or something like that. Any- “Oh brother. You mean any-
how, it would be explained to you body on a planet, say, forty light
that you were seeing that star as years from Earth with a supertel-
it was two thousand years ago. You escope looking at us would be
were seeing, for instance, an ex- watching the battle of Chateau
plosion that happened twenty cen- Thierry and Belleau Wood! A
turies in the past. Reason, of hundred and eighty light years
course, is that it took the light that away he’d see us slugging it out
long to get from the star to you. against King George III at Sara-
More simply, the light that strikes toga and Valley Forge!”
your back porch in the morning “You’ve got it. In other words,
leftthe sun about nine minutes the light
reflected from Earth
before.” then somewhere deep in Space
is
“Very clear. Only how come, now. If you could haul it in on
if the universe is a closed form of some kind of a receiver, you could
infinity like it says in all the new see everything all over again
books, this light never doubles you could watch the land masses
—
back on itself gives you two or of Earth as they shifted to form
even a million images of the same the continents as we know them
star?” today.”
“That’s where the tired light “You’d need something faster
 —
THE TIME ARMADA ii

than light to trap the light itself Carl. I guess that’s what fascin-
and I thought that was against ates me. A little learning is a
Fitzgerald or somebody.” dangerous thing, they say. Dot’s
“If you followed the same space afraid I’ll blow us up.”
warps the light did, it would be. “Well — she could have some-
But if it were possible to operate thing there!”
your receiver through the fabric “The thing probably won’t even
of space-time, instead of along it— toast a piece of bread. But I’d
a kind of short-cut- you might — rather fool with it than collect
turn up with what you’re after.” buttons or play bridge •
or some
”
“I am sorry I got into this.” other dam fool thing, so ...
Blair smiled tiredly. “Me too. The blue sedan sloshed up the
Hell, I’m fooling around with puddled drive-way to
. the new
things I don’t pretend to know nine-room bungalow and at the
anything about. enough
Just to porch Doug Blair got out. A wind
putter. Just enough to keep my had sprung up and the dampness
mind off all-day-long. God knows suddenly grasped his body, clung,
what I’ll get when I turn the damn as though he were naked.
thing on. Probably not even “Time for a drink, supper?”
snow so I’m not worried. Turn “No, thanks, Doug gotta see a —
left at the next stop-light —-they’ve man. Now take it easy let the —
got that new cut-off finished.” He state of the nation go bury its
started buttoning his coat. Gray- head for tonight and you have some
son turned left as ordered. fun blowing fuses!”
“But suppose it works?” “Yeah, yeah! O.K. and thanks.”
;

Wow. Then the steam-fitters The blue sedan sloshed its way
would envy me.” back to the highway, and Doug
“Well it sure oughtta do some- went into the house.
thing. You’ve been tinkering with
it for —
how long? Couple years?” TAOUGLAS Blair kissed his wife
“About four I guess, off and on. and, as he did every time he
Sometimes I get to wondering kissed her, wondered how he’d
what it’ll do if it does do anything.” been so lucky. He preferred to
“Show us Lillian Russell, maybe, think as seldom as memory would
or Little Egypt!” permit of how close he’d come on
“There’s a million possible re- a couple of occasions to marrying
sults when you go fooling around a country club, a bridge deck, a
with the structure of the universe, women’s society, an Emily Post
 ”

12 IMAGINATION
book. And when Dot had given ed where they got that solid
him Terry and Mike, she’d topped healthy look, and if either of them
off the miracle of herself with the would ever faintly resemble the
added one of two healthy young Cassius after whom even Carl
minds that had already learned to thought he should have been named.
say “prove it!” Some of the tired- The red hair of course was Doro-
ness left him, a lot of the aching thy’s. The blue eyes were Dorothy’s.
discouragement was brushed away. Even the were, he some-
brains
“Tired, Doug?” all Dorothy’s. But
times suspected,
“I was.” the dormant challenge that grew,
There was a sudden thundering not yet quite fully awakened,
which grew quickly into the crash- somewhere behind the freckled,
ing noises often made by wild ele- ten-year-old faces — that, if it ma-
phants getting exercise in a na- tured well, would be his.

tive village. “If,” Doug said then, “you three

“The patter of little feet,” Dor- will let a hungry man eat his sup-
othy said. per, he’ll let you in on a little sur-
“Oh. For a minute prise before hand. That is, if any-
it was termites. Hi, fellas
I
1
thought
What body’s interested —
kind of trouble did we almost keep “Tell us!”
out of today?” “Is it, Doug?”
“Hi, dad! Hey, Mike says you “Your brilliant father has ex-
aren’t ever going to try it out. You actly three connections to solder

are, aren’t you?” on the Contraption, and then —

well, after supper, we’ll all see to-
“I didn’t say not ever. I said
maybe not ever. Things like the
gether.” He Terry and
laughed.
Mike hooted. Dorothy looked a
Contraption take years to develop,
little worried, and told the boys
don’t they, dad?”
to wash up.
“Well,” Doug said, doing what
he could to stem the onslaught and
TT covered half the ten-foot
still stay on his feet, “what’s the
workbench, its large screen a
source of all this wisdom, Mr. Sci-
huge, lens-like square eye as it glint-
entist?”
ed beneath the glare of the cold-
“Some day I’ll be a scientist.
cathode lights that lined the ceiling
Mommy said so, didn’t you,
of the laboratory-like cellar.
mom?” Doug put the cooling soldering-
Every so often Doug wonder- iron back in its place. Dorothy
 —”
THE TIME ARMADA 13
had her Christmas camera mount- CHAPTER II
ed on a tripod a few feet back,
“Just in case,” she said, “it does HE was clad in superbly tail-
something before it blows up.” S ored cream-colored slacks of
Terry and Mike were silent, a material that was glass-like in
eyes wide, not quite behind their sheen, an equally well-fitted blouse
mother. of forest hardly a shadow
green
“We shall now,” Doug said, “see less than opaque, and sandals of

ifwe can get a look at Hopalong a soft, flexible texture slightly

Cassidy the way he looked when I raised at the heel. The wide cum-
was a boy. Better yet, maybe merbund of silken flame that cir-
Jack Benny when he was 39 . . .
cled her slender waist was her
and Valentino ...” only ornamentation.

He closed the and the

switch,
cathode lights flickered, went out.
There was a humming sound that
seemed to come from all sides of
Doug’s pastel shirt felt like a
feather; it lay open at the throat
and clung comfortably about his
chest and shoulders, then tapered

the cellar rather than from the

leisurely to his waist. The trous-

Contraption, and the bluish glow ers were of the same weight and
of adarker hue somewhere be-
emanated from the square convex
eye. Directly before it, they tween the blue of midnight and
cobalt; the sandals were like hers.
watched.
He did not understand.
The shimmered, gave the
light
—
“You I know you are not —
illusion that the Contraption it-
Her face was not the same; her
self was shimmering, fading. The
hair was the deeper red of ma-
work bench became indistinct.
hogany, her eyes as large, but of
“Doug—” green, not blue. Dorothy’s mouth
And then the workbench and was wider, her cheeks not quite so
the Contraption were gone, the shadowed. Yet now her face was
overhead cathode tubes were gone, drawn in the look of bewilderment
and daylight was filtering through that he felt on his own.
a cellar window that had moved “Doug?”
about four feet along the wall — “Dotl For God’s sake!”
which was now made of glass “Your voice is the same —but
brick instead of concrete. you don’t look like-»-”
Doug and his wife stood rooted. “Don’t get scared, take it easy.
Terry and Mike were gone, too. It’s me. You’re different too
 ” ”

i4 IMAGINATION
all but your voice. I’ve got to I got interested in once in space-
figure it out. Everything’s all time mechanics. But it was all
wrong. Wrong as hell—” on paper—just something to fool
He
found a chair of light metal with. It was impossible for the
that felt like foam rubber when Contraption to really do anything.”
he sat on it. Dorothy and he — He sat down again. “Impossible.”
knew somehow that it must be “Like flying, my mother used to
Dorothy—was looking around her say. What do we do, Doug?”
with quick, nervous glances. “That’s my gal . . .
” He got
“Doug, the boys where are the — up a second time, forced a smile.
boys?” “Let’s go upstairs and see if any-

“Terry! Mike!” He called body’s around.”

again, stood up. “Oh, God—” There were stairs. Wide and
“They were just behind me, gently curving and constructed of
Doug, they couldn’t have run — a light, lusterless steel.
“No I think— I think they Architecturally, the house was
must’ve stayed with with the — little different from many of the
Contraption. We were in the blur expensive-looking 'California-type
light. It wasn’t. They must’ve affairs he had seen in the women’s
been just beyond its effective magazines that Dot bought every
range. That must be it. It just so often. Yet there was something
got us.” about a certain grace
“Got us—you mean we’re
— its interior,
combined with a subtle simplicity
“No, no of course not. Alive that made it a work of art as a
as we’ll ever be. But where — good painting or sculptural piece
“Wherever we are, I don’t want is art. There was rebellion in it
to be here, Doug. I want to be —a gentle rebellion against the
back .”. . eye-aching extremes of artificial

“Easy, honey.” He put his arm modernity, yet at the "same time a
about her, drew her to him, and freedom of execution that made the
he could feel her taut muscles re- confines of formalized pattern seem
lax a little. “I’d like to say it’s childish.
a dream, but two people don’t The pastel carpeting was of a
dream the same dream at once. deep, soft substance that Doug rec-
And I’m not the type to think up ognized as a masterpiece in plas-
clothes like these all by myself . . . tic; the furniture was simple, cas-
Somehow, the Contraption did it. ual, but not stark and starved-
I was monkeying with a theorem looking. The rooms themselves
 ” —” ”

THE TIME ARMADA IS

were ample and were as bright in louvres in the back —engines in the
the far corners as in those nearest rear. They know their engineer-
the wide, sashless windows. They ing, too. Wonder the body is

were not separated by partitions, some sort of transparent steel

if
—
but divided instead by a fragile- “The people in them, Doug!
appearing tracery of lattice-work Did you see them? Just like—”
in which a decorative motif was “Like us, of course. Still ex-
woven with an almost fairy-like pecting the three bears? He laugh-
geometrical magic. The air was ed a little. They were like chil-
cool and fresh. dren in some new fairyland, half
“Now I know I’m dreaming,” afraid, half unbelieving. “Wher-
Dot said in a low voice.They walk- ever we are, it’s populated by hu-
ed quietly, from room to room, mans—if it weren’t, we may not
listening, half-waiting. “I expect have come out this way ...”
any minute to find three bowls of “Doug, do you know?” She
porridge somewhere,” Dot said. turned, faced him, and there was
“I wonder ...”
Doug said. still fear deep in her eyes. Not
“What’s here is— I think its ours. the stark fear of terror, but the
I we live here.”
think bewildered, uncomprehending fear
“Doug look through — the win- of disbelief.
dow!” “No I don’t. But these clothes
aren’t ours— even our faces, our
TIE saw a broad lawn of care- bodies aren’t. Just our actual
^ fully trimmed yet almost an- selves came through unaltered.
kle-deep grass, inset at the edges —
Our egos personalities—whatever
with a running garden. And the you want to call it that gives a hu-
street beyond was wide, and there man being his identity. The rest

were other houses at its far side we’ve — moved into, I think. Any-
that looked much as he knew this way, a theory to go on. I won-
one must appear. Roofs of tinted der
it’s

what our names are —

tiling, walls of delicately-toned “Doug, don’t.”
glass brick, wide, gently-curving “I wish I were trying to be
windows. funny. But don’t you see?”
These Doug saw in the first in- “Whatever happened to us
stant, and then there were the couldn’t that have changed us?
soundless vehicles in the street. —
Our our atomic structure, could-
“Like smooth, transparent wal- n’t that have been changed or al-
nut shells,” Doug said. “Cooling tered somehow? It’s all so crazy
—
i6 IMAGINATION
“It’s easy to see, m’girl, that are. They’d think more than
you don’t spend your time at a twice before rashly committing
bridge table all those hours I’m themselves to trouble. They’re
slaving away on Madhouse Hill! probably trying to communicate
But if that had happened ... I with the kids— if the kids stuck
don’t know. It’s the clothes. Too around that long. I’m wondering
completely different —not just out more about ther Contraption. If
”
of shape, or an altered shape, but they start fooling with it ...
of a fundamentally dijjerent shape. “Then we’d go back?”
We got— we got transplanted.” “Maybe. Maybe not. I think
“But then what of—” though that they’d leave it alone,
“Thinking the same thing. Sup- on the theory that whoever in-
pose the Contraption, whatever It’s vented it knows its use, knows how
done —suppose it works two ways? to handle it safely. They’d be
A swap, a trade?” wrong, but I think that’s how
“But Doug that’s—” they’d figure it. I don’t think any
He smiled. Dot was suddenly one’ll dare touch it, simply out of
silent with the knowledge that sheer fear of what might happen
whether she liked it or not, she next.”
could no longer refuse to accept “I’m scared, Doug. Awful
the facts as they were, could no scared.”
longer cross off their implications “I guess that makes two of us.
for want of bolder imagination. Somehow we’ve got to dig up the
“Are we — is it the ... the fu- parts for
— ”another Contraption.
ture?” And then He let the sentence
“Maybe. You could even ask drift into silence.

‘is this Earth?’ and I couldn’t tell “And then, Doug?”

you. wonder what they think
I “Well maybe with the exact same
where ... I wonder if
they are set-up —
same everything, I could
they know.” do it again. I don’t know. Rut
“Doug, would they— do any- if they so much as try to turn the
thing? To Terry and Mike, I other one off, try to change any-
mean?” thing, we’ll lose this point of ref-
“I sure hope not —and I don’t erence in space-time for good.”
think so. The boys will be all
right— they know their way around LOWLY, Dot nodded under-
back home—whomever it is we’ve S standing. “The parts,” she
replaced is in the same boat we said then. “Can we find the things
 ” —
THE TIME ARMADA
you need?” bility and probability paths, inter-
“I’ll give it the old college try, secting, paralleling, diverging,
sweetheart.” with each new
“How long — splitting
each new action —Lord it
decision,
was get-
He shrugged. “A few days may- ting insane.
me. Depends.” “Hell I’m all mixed up,” he said.
They were silent for a moment, Dot put her arm through his. He
looking through the wide window, nodded toward what was beyond
watching the beautiful vehicles as the window. “We might as well
they slid silently past, re-examining have a. look for ourselves. If any-
what they could see of the color- body says anything to us we’ll sud-
ful world beyond the rolling lawn. denly see something interesting in
Doug felt an aching in his jaws, a the other direction. Game?”
tightness through his lips. God, “I — I guess so ... ”

it was so silly— standing there, try- “Damn, I wish I had a cigar-

ing to explain, when he didn’t even ette!”
know what had happened, where They went to the front door,
—
they were or or when they were. swung it open.
He’d been after travelling light to
bring back pictures of the past— npHE streets were long and in-
every home should have one. Nuts. credibly wide and straight,
—
The future no, it wasn’t supposed bearing their traffic smoothly and
to be that way. Unless you ac- with hardly a hint of the inevitable
cepted past, present and future as jamming that was so familiar. The
the components of one great unit, sidewalks were immaculately kept,
and progression from one to the yet surprisingly free of pedestri-
other nothing more than illusion, ans; a few passed, bowed slightly
like the illusion of movement given and smiled, continued on.
by the hundreds of still frames on “Polite bunch,” Doug mur-
a film-strip. If time was like mured. “They bow like good Re-
such a film-strip, and you found publicans ...”
a way to jump forward along it, “And all smiling — as if they did-
bypassing the frames that were in n’t have a worry in the world.”
immediate succession “Democrats, then ” They laugh- !

But then what about the possi- ed, and for a moment the anxiety
bility-probability pattern theory, was gone, and the street could have
in which time was supposed to ex- been any fine street in the world
ist as an infinite number of possi- from which they’d come.
 i8 IMAGINATION
“We’d better try to find the cen- The future, I mean?”
ter of town,” Doug said then. “I don’t know, Dot ... I don’t
“We’ve got to do a lot more than know.”
ogle if we want to locate the stuff There were towering buildings
we’re after. Sshh ...” less than a half-mile from them of
This time two women passed. a simplicity and beauty that left
They smiled, bowed, went on. no time for talk. The city was sud-
“Maybe you’re the mayor of denly before them—a sparkling
this town or something—at least thing, unmarred by eye-stumbling
an alderman.” bits and pieces —
a flawless, symmet-
“They wouldn’t smile, honeyl rical sweep toward the heavens that
Anyway, there are three things momentarily stupefied credulity.
we’d better figure. How to get Traffic ramps soared from street-
money, how to get food, how to get level in gently curving ribbons
the equipment. Any ideas?” above spacious quiet parks; sound
“We should’ve searched the house was muffled to near-inaudibility,
for a wallet or something. Or and the illusion of a great fairy
maybe these people don’t believe kingdom was unmarred by the con-
in money—maybe they use a dif- fusion of advertising posters, mar-
ferent system altogether.” quees, store front lettering, or the
“It’s possible, of course, and— raucous stampede of elbowing
good night!” Doug was staring mobs . . .

suddenly upward. There had been “I wonder how they illuminate

a low rumbling sound which within
seconds had ascended the decibel
scale to a throbbing roar. A great,
tapering thing of silvery metal with
no hint of wing-surfaces was bolt-
ing skyward, and Doug knew some-
how that the sky was not its limit.
The roar and scream of suddenly-
split atmosphere subsided, and in
moments, the vertically-climbing
craft was out of sight. “They’ve
done it here, Dot! I’d bet the bot-
tom dollar I don’t have that we’ve
seen our first space-liner!”
“Could I have been right,
at night,” Doug was saying. “I
wonder what they—my God, Dot,
—
look up all over. Where is it?”
Far above, the sky seemed grad-
ually to darken into an ever-deep-
ening shadow of blackness. But
the sun— She couldn’t find the sun!
“It’s a different planet, Doug!”
—
“And the city it is lit! There
must be a sun but it’s down— it’s
night, and they’ve found a way to
illuminate an entire city as though
daylight were perpetual!”
And that was when it caught
Doug? their eye. It was a small store,
 THE TIME ARMADA 19

and she could see neatly-tiered from him somebody was

else sit-
rows of groceries inside — fruits and ting up. All the others were still
vegetables were easily recognizable asleep.
even the street’s width from them. “Hey!” Terry called.
But it was the little rack outside “Hey yourself! Who’re you?”
the store— the one that held the the other boy said.
newspapers. “Terry . Blair. Whatin the heck
Almost at a run they crossed the is this place? What’s your name?”
street,and Doug fought down the He had a funny feeling in his stom-
urge to reach out, grab one of ach, and he was hot and sweaty.
the editions. He wanted to hear the other boy’s
The front pages of the newspa- voice again.
pers were easily readable. Because “Quit your kiddin’—Terry Blair’s
they were printed in excellent Eng- my brother!”
lish. “What’re you talking about,
The date beneath the masthead anyway?” Terry said, wondering if
of one was April 17, 1958. The the other boy was trying to pick
paper was the Washington Post. a fight. “I’m Terry Blair all right,

and I know my brother when I

CHAPTER III see him! He’s Mike Blair, and
he don’t look anything like you.”
TT was light. Terry had been “Say who are you anyhow?
watching the darkness fade for Somebody tell you my name or
about ten minutes, fascinated, be- something? You aren’t awful
cause the diffused glow grew as funny.”
though from nowhere, and he could “Neither are you, tryin’ to imi-
not find the sun. At first he’d tate the way Mike talks.”
felt sort of scared, but nothing There were stirrings insome of
happened, so he’d kept watching, the other beds, and somebody
trying to find it. mumbled “Pipe down!” Terry
He was stillin bed. It was tried to be quiet getting out of the
when he became aware that it bunk. He stood up, felt a little

wasn’t his own bed that he sat up light-headed, and walked over to
wondering, trying to re-
straight, the other’s bed. He sat at its foot.
member. He was in a long, nar- The light feeling —and it seemed to
row place, and there were a lot of be all over him now— wouldn't go
beds —bunks, like his own, lining away.
each side, end to end. Across “Come on, don’t be wise. What
 ” ”

20 IMAGINATION
is this place?” “8, 1- ”

“Don’t be wise yourself! How “What’d I tell you? It sure is

should I know? Maybe it’s a hos- a dream. You’re Terry all right
pital. must’ve got sick
I down I guess and I’m me— Mike—but in
cellar or something when Dad a dream everybody always looks
turned on the Contraption — funny. You got black hair, all
“All that funny blue light,” Ter- straight and cut short.”
ry said. “But how—” “You too. But guess you’re
Then they looked at each other. Mike though, as long as it’s a
Hard. dream. Only I feel pretty real.”
“What d’you know about the “Sure, me too. Sometimes
‘blue light?” Mike asked. dreams are like that. Just like for
“How d’you know about Dad real.”

and the Contraption?” Terry coun- “Well I hope we don’t get into
tered. “You spying from some- a nightmare. They make me
place?” Terry was on his feet sweat awful.”
and had both small fists clenched. “I’m sweaty now so’re you.
all —
“You get up out of there!” It’s sure hot around here. Where in

“Wait up maybe it put us

. . .
heck d’you suppose we are, any-
to sleep, so this is all a dream, way?”
Nobody looks the same in “You don’t think Dad’s thing
like.

dreams.” killed us, and—and we’re

—
“You’re crazy. They don’t “Naw — they wouldn’t have beds
sound alike, and you’re trying to or anything. Anyhow, Dad told

sound like Mike ...” us all about that once. There’s

“You sound like Terry, too. You no such place. It’s got something
could all right in a dream, just to do with state of mind, whatever

like you know the same things. that is.”

I’ll tell you the first two numbers “Well we’ve been kinda bad ev-
in the address of our house. If ery now and then just the same.”
you can give me the last two, then “Dad says that hasn’t got any-
we will know. And if you can’t thing to do with it, don’t you re-
smart guy—” member? Nobody keeps books on
“You don’t even know the street you, like a report card, or any-
we live on.” thing. It’s up to you, and you
“It’s Delaware, so how do you know how you feel about it in-
like that? And here’s the first two side. That’s what he said, and I
numbers —2 ,
6 — ”
believe Dad. Dad’s smart, Terry.”
 ”

THE TIME ARMADA 2 I

“Wish he was here too.”, ing antenna-like from

“Grown-ups got dreams of their
own to worry about. You’re not
scared, are you?”
“Who me? Heck, no. Hey, have
a look at the funny clothes hang-
ing up at the side of our beds.
Like riding pants, with wide black
belts. Look, some belts got three
little silver things in each side.
have a look at the boots! Hey,
this one— light as anything.”
a single
point atop the highest, oddly flat-
topped turret. In the geometric
center of the squat structure’s oth-
erwise unbroken curving front was
a balcony, molded deftly into the
severe sweepng architectural lines
of which it was an integral, al-
though predominating part. Be-
And yond were rolling hills, and close
feel above them, a foggy, blue-white
sky.

“Who ever heard of blue riding Already waves of heat were be-
pants? Besides you don’t know ginning to shimmer from the triple
how to ride a horse any more than turrets of the gold-hued colossus in

I do.” the center of the great circle, and

the banners above them were being
“Bet I could though. Bov—”
whipped by stiff gusts that seem-
“Hey, have a look out this win-
ed to blow from several directions
dow. You can see all over. Gosh,
at once. Once or twice, there
this must be the same kind of
were flashes of lightning that split
place all the other long ones are.”
the low rolling bottom of the sky,
but there were no gathering storm
npHE buildings were long and clouds, nor was there rain.
narrow with rounded, Quon-
They were built “Gosh,” Terry said. “It sure is
set-type roofs.
funny grass —
end to end in long, dull-blue rows,
and the grass that grew between A high, sound
shrill suddenly
them was of an exactly matching pierced the stillness, and at its sig-
shade, tall, and lush. At precise nal, youngsters, no older than
intervals, the rows of buildings themselves were stumbling from
were interrupted by uncurbed their narrow cots, yawning, stand-

streets of hard-packed, dull black ing.

dirt, and at the end of the widest “They’re putting on their pants
was a field-like expanse trimmed and boots. We better ” Mike—
to a perfect circle. The massive, was saying. Wide-eyed, they watch-
glittering building in its center ed the others, carefully imitated
was immense. Varicolored ban- them. There were no shirts to
ners flew from a trio of spires ris- cover the young, sweating torsos,
 — ”

'22 IMAGINATION
and dressing was simple. Just the hasn’t seemed like that long, has
crisply-cut breeches, the light it Terry?”
snug-fitting boots, and the black “Golly, I-”
belts. “Terry? Thought you two were
“You guys been assigned to a Kurt and Ronal Blair? Washing-
quadrant yet?” ton, western hemisphere north?”
Mike looked up. He was a taller “We live in Washington, that’s
boy, and looked a little older than for sure,” Terry said. “But I’m
—
the rest. He wore a gold star in “Hey I know, Terry. It’s all
his belt, and there were still-red like we said, and here that’s us.
scars across his chest and across You can be Kurt. I’m Ronal. But
one shoulder. don’t get mixed up.”
“I guess not,” Mike said. “Your father’s Senior Quadrate
“What’s that? Quadrant, I mean?” Douglas Blair, isn’t he?” the tall
“How long have you been here, boy said.
anyway? Thought you two came “He’s the Douglas Blair part,
a couple of weeks ago. On the anyway,” Mike said. “Makes (
I

Mikol VI” guess over thirteen thousand dol-

The twins looked at each other, lars a year, too.”
then back to the tall, blonde boy. “Say, you sure you’re all right?
“What’s your name?” Terry I didn’t think you were hit very
asked. hard but you
in practice yesterday,
“I’m Jon Tayne. Son of Quad- talk as if you were. Thirteen thou-
rate Larsen Tayne. Your father’s sand dollars is just about enough
a general officer just like mine to buy a loaf of bread. Your fa-
that’s why we can talk together ther makes what mine does and
out here. Otherwise we couldn’t what every other adult does—
—part of the training, you know. thirty billion dollars a year. Then
Teaches you the undesirability of after he contributes his dutiful
class-consciousness. I’ve been here share to the Prelatinate, he has a
two years —they tossed me back. billions dollars left. Didn’t you
Insufficient conditioning. But it know that?”
doesn’t matter to me —maybe you’ll “Gosh no. Not exactly, I
get as big a kick out of it as I do. mean.”
I like it here. Not many do, “What’s Prelatinate?” Terry
though.” asked.
“It’s sure different,” Mike said, “What’s —
listen, fellows any —
“but we haven’t been here any two one of us, even a Quadrate’s son,
weeks, I don’t think. Anyway it can be turned into the Director for
 THE TIME ARMADA 23

saying a thing like that, even as a laying prostrate on the thickly-

joke. Better watch it. If there’s matted, damp blue grass, a little
one thing you learn here, it’s praise out of breath but strangely
and respect for your government. enough, little more fatigued than
They’re pretty rough on sacrilege, had they just finished a short inn-
I should think your father would ing of sandlot baseball. They both
have told you. My training was had been watching the milky-blue
started when I was four, but you sky, and had chosen a place to rest
sound almost as though you have- somewhat apart from the others.
n’t had any yet.” There were hundreds and hundreds
“I don’t even remember when I of the others in formations of their
was four,” Mike said own, Terry had noticed, and all to-
“That doesn’t matter. When an gether he could only guess at how
adult tells you -something—” many there were. There was one
The tall boy was interrupted adult in charge of all of them, but
then by a second sounding of the they had not seen him closely yet
shrill signal, and at once, he hur- nor heard his voice.
ried to the end of the building. Before the first sounds of thun-
The others fell in behind him in a der, Mike had been puzzling a lot
column of threes. Mike and of things at once.
Terry took positions at the end “Did you ever jump so high be-
of the column. fore?”
“Where are we going?” “It really wasn’t awful high.
“Breakfast, I hopel” Terry said. Higher, though I guess than ever
The tall boy pressed a stud in the before. Felt kind offunny, huh?”
wall, and the front door rolled back. “Sure did. Is it hard for you to
Then he turned his head and bel- walk?”
lowed “Section, tench -hut! Forward “We never played soldier much
march!” And he sounded as though —you know how Dad felt about
he enjoyed it. that. The other guys are pretty
They marched out, and, to Ter- good at keeping the same step.
it was to a huge,
ry’s gratification, We’ll catch on, though.”
diamond-shaped building in which “I didn’t mean that. I didn’t
they found breakfast waiting. feel — well, heavy enough, sort of.

I kinda bounce when I try to

TT was during the rest period af- walk.”
ter the half-hour session of “Me but
too, all dreams are fun-
calisthenics that the Mikol VII ny. I suppose in a dream you
landed. Terry and Mike had been could jump clear over the buildings
 ”

24 IMAGINATION
back there if you wanted to. Boy, “Look, it’s almost down —c’mon
wait’ll we tell Dad about dreaming up on this little hill here. You can
we’re in a military school. He’ll see ’em driving big trucks or some-
have a fit!” thing out to meet it. What do you
“He sure will. Remember that suppose it’s got?”
time we asked him about it? I “Wonder where it’s from? Mars,
guess even Mom was surprised at I bet.”
how he flew up that way. He said “Hi! Pretty sight, isn’t it?” It
ifhe hadn’t thought he could teach was the tall boy who led their
us himself how to grow up good section. He had his thumbs hook-
without putting us in unifoms to ed in his belt just behind where the
do he’d never have had us. But
it gold stars were.
it’s kind of fun though. So far
— “Sure is,” Terry said, eyes glued

That was when they heard the to the towering craft which had
thundering sound almost directly just settled perfectly to the
above them, but it was like no ground.
thunder they had ever heard be- “It’s the Mikol VII, and it’s the
fore. There was a sudden swirling last shipment before the games.
of the thick sky above them, and Guess there’ll be another ten
they jumped up, rooted, watching. thousand or so guys, and then we
The Mikol VII burst suddenly can start getting all our equipment
through the heavy clouds, its stern issued. They don’t give us our
belching flame and rolling volumes stuff until everybody’s here. That’s
of sound. The heavy air about to make it so that we all have an
them vibrated as they watched. absolutely equal amount of train-
It looked like a huge, shining ar- ing. Watch — they’re starting to
tillery shell, dropping groundward oome out now. Just the way you
as though held in the grip of some guys did when you came.”
great, invisible hand that slowed
it, held it in perfect balance as it jV TIKE and Terry weren’t lis-
descended wrong-end first, direct- tening. They watched as a
ly above the circular place at the great opening suddenly appeared
end of the long, broad street. near the ship’s blunt stern, to
“Like a big V-2 going the wrong which an inclined ramp was being
wav!” Mike said. towed by a tiny surface vehicle.
“It’s a space ship, that’s what it Then they started coming out, five
is!” Terry yelled. “Cornin’ in to abreast, in seemingly unending
land. Just like in the movie we numbers.
saw, Mike. Just like.” “They’re still wearing civvies,”
 THE TIME ARMADA 25

the tall boy said. “They’ll get gold star means?”

their game issue tonight, though, “Uh huh. You get ’em if you
and their equipment, along with volunteer. Like I did, before I
us. Trucks drop it off at each was ten. Sets a good example, you
barracks, and then it’s given out know.”
by each section leader. I guess “Gee. Is everybody here our
there must be tons of the stuff.” age?”
“Where they going now?” “Nobody can be more than a
As the youngsters poured from month over ten. That’s the law.
the Mikol VII they were grouped That is except for volunteers, who
by adults who had
into formations are younger, and those who get
come from the huge, golden build- tossed back for insufficient condi-
ing. tioning and have to stay for the
“Why, to their barracks, just games all over again, like me. I
like everybody else does. They ate was twelve a couple months ago.
before they landed, and their bar- I like it though.”
racks assignments were made at “But say, what’d you mean
headquarters on Earth before they about Earth?”
even took off.” “Well, that’s where all the plans
“On Earth?” and everything are made before
“Sure, didn’t you know that? you even leave. You didn’t think
Believe me, it has to be efficient. all that stuff was done here on

The Quadrates and their staffs Venus, did you?”

work all year at headquarters get-
ting things linedup for the games. \ S Jon had said, the trucks
They don’t show up here until the came with the loads of equip-
day things start. The Director’s ment for each barracks that night
here, but you only see him once, after supper. They were large,
at the opening ceremonies. As far long trucks and Terry wondered
as the games are concerned, he why they didn’t make the awful
ranks everybody —except the Pre- racket that trucks always made.
late-General, of course. He signs There wasn’t the stink of burned
the orders that split us up into our Diesel fuel. The huge vehicle just
quadrants.” rolled up outside soundlessly, and
“Hey, Jon . . Terry watched for the driver to
“You better call me lance-ser- get out. None did. He tried to
geant out here. Somebody could look into the front of the vehicle,
get the wrong idea.” but it was too dark to see what
“Sure, sarge! Is that what the was on the other side of the long,
 ”

26 IMAGINATION
narrow windows. have a whetstone, extra leather
“Nothing in there,” Jon said. thongs, a set of files, and a small

“Those are just for maintenance can of They’re to be kept in

oil.

inspection. It’d be a mess if the the condition which you find them,
robot control ever went out of and will be worn at all times on
whack, believe me. Better start the shoulder equipment sling which
help unloading.” is in the third box.
The unloading took less than fif- —
“In the third box the long, flat
teen minutes, and then the truck one, are your most important
moved on to the next barracks. pieces of equipment. I’ll show you
The rude, wooden crates were how they attach to your arm belt.
heavy, but not large. There were Needless to say, they must be kept
three for each of the hundred thoroughly polished— and sharp-
bunks. —
ened at all times. Now I’ll give
When the last was placed at the out the chisels, and you can open
foot of Jon’sbunk, he stood on the the boxes.”
largest one and told them what to They did. Terry and Mike help-
do. ed each other when they got their
“I’ll distribute a chisel to each chisels. They followed Jon’s di-
of you,” he said, “and as you open rections perfectly. First the hel-
each box, place its contents on met and the polishing kit. Then
your bunk, so that it can be in- the whetstone, extra leather thongs,
spected for fitness before use. the set of files, the can of oil,

“You will open the smallest box and the shoulder equipment sling.

first. In it you will find your hel- Then the eight-inch dagger, the
met and polishing kit. The hel- two-foot spiked mace, and the
met is to be kept shined at all double-edged broadsword . . .

times — if anybody’s isn’t it’s ten

demerits. Fifty, as you’ve all CHAPTER IV
been told, and you get your rec-
ords marked ‘insufficient condition- rT''HE price of the paper was
ing’. Your helmets may look heavy $3,ooo.
—on Earth they’d weigh about “Doug— do we dare
—
five pounds, but here they’re just “No. We’ve only got a second
a little less than four. You’ll get or so, as though we were just in-
used to them. terested passersby, looking at the
“In the second box— the flat headlines. Got to be careful.”
—
one you’ll find all your personal PRELATINATE OKs MORE
maintenance equipment. You should FUNDS FOR SCHOOLS the eight-
 ”

THE TIME ARMADA 27

column streamer read. Doug scan- back, but Dot clung close to him
ned the two-column lead quickly. as they walked, as though the ma-
“Washington, April, 17 (WP) — ture years since college had never
—Prelate General Wendel an- been, as though simple happiness
nounced through his press head- were again all that mattered.
quarters here tonight that both The mature years . . .

houses of the Prelatinate have unan- Doug wondered. Somewhere, he

imously voted to grant the request had always known, there was the
of the Council of Education, 27th place between resigned acceptance
Department, for seven trillion dol- of things as they were and perpet-
lars in additional funds for school ual refusal to recognize a condition
building. The funds will be used for what it was. Somewhere, hap-
for the replacement of 34 outmoded piness was a simple, honest thing,
buildings in the Department, the uncomplicated by the devious ma-
newest of which, it was said, is chinations of sadistic moral codes
more than 12 years old. The Coun- thatwould make a struggle of that
cil’s original request for five tril- right.Somewhere there was mean-
lion dollars was increased by the ing action, and the hypocrite
to
Prelatinate to seven trillion in rec- was at last fallen from the mock-
ognition of
— ing pedestal of lip-service right-
Good Lord, he thought, good eousness.
Lord ... Somewhere, perhaps long ago, a
City Cabinet Praises Mayor On man had said “I question” even
Budget Expansion . . . as, at the same time, another had
Area Industries Vote Shorter said “I condemn” and another had
Work Week . . . said “I follow”. Thus far, had
Liberals, Conservatives In Ac- they travelled the same road, but
cord On Labor Issue . . . here, the road was forked. One
S-Council Reports Second Ar- was a wide path. One an aimless
rest In Four Years . . . twisting thing that had no destina-
Veteran Civic Leader Admits tion. The other, narrow, and ever
Wisdom Of Youth Group’s Plan narrower as it progressed. And
there would be other forks, other
“Doug— oh Doug, none of this paths, that split and re-split as
can be real ...” they tracked the infinite reaches
“We’d better go. Back to the of time itself . . .

.”
house.And take it easy, lady . . He remembered the first thing
He managed to grin a little. he’d learned in his first plunge into
No one passed them on the walk space-mechanics research. Space
 —
28 IMAGINATION
cannot exist without time; time tiful lawn.
cannot exist without space. Space- And he tried to explain, until he
time, then, is the fabric of the Un- thought she understood.
iverse. He was She located
tired, then.
So the threads were real. As real food in the house, and
he found
as the fact that one day in his money in a which the
wallet in
life, he had decided to study law identification card said simply
rather than to continue as a phy- Douglas Blair, Senior Quadrate
sicist. There had suddenly been of Games.
a new split in the thread, and he But everything was changed
chose, and had become an attor- everything. Not just himself, not
ney, and then a man of politics. just Dorothy. A whole world. All
What had Carl said? “ . . . on another thread, that had started
you’d’ve made that try for the back somewhere, much further
moon a success last month instead back. Through history, there had
of another near-miss ...” been so many ifs . . .

And how many other might-have- In a little while she lay beside
beens could there be? him, and they slept.
We conceive of Time, as it is

integral with the structure of Space, 'T'HEY had intended to begin

an infinite . . . The second thing the search for materials to
he had learned. build another contraption, but be-
And therefore —therefore each fore he was fully dressed, from
thread of might-have-been, unto somewhere, there was a soft tink-
istelf, was. ling sound. It was repeated, sig-
Somewhere, there was a Con- nal-like,from a far corner of the
gressman named Douglas Blair. room. It came from what could
Somewhere, there was an astro- only have been an extremely sim-
physicist, an artist, a sculptor, a plified, compact version of the tel-

writer, a cab-driver, a general, a ephone, installed integrally with

sailor, a doctor, a thief, perhaps the ample arm of a lounging chair.
even a corpse named Douglas “Shall I?” he hesitated.
Blair . . . “Be careful ...”
“I know,” he said to the woman Doug lifted the slender receiver.
at his side then. “Dorothy, I “Blair,” he said.
think I know.” “Quardate Blair, sorry, sir, that
They entered the beautiful the liberty was taken to disturb
house set back from a wide,
far you at your home. However, be-
beautiful highway on a lush, beau- cause of the urgency of this morn-
 ”

THE TIME ARMADA 29

ing’s conference at your offices, Suddenly she was in his arms,
it was considered wise to remind and Doug could feel her tremble.
you of the time it is planned to “Don’t worry, honey,” Doug
convene, as per Instruction 43-A. said. He opened the door. “So
May you be expected at 1100 far it looks pretty civilized — hell,
hours, sir?” they couldn’t be any worse than
He
dared not hesitate. the quaint little tribe of cut-throats
“Yes, yes of course.” The voice back home! Matter of fact, if I
he answered was a woman’s. thought for a minute anyone here’d
“Will you wish the ‘copter as believe me —
usual, sir?” “Better not, Doug.”
“Why —yes of course, as usual. “Not a chance. I’m still one of
Thank you ...” He hung up Our Crowd I don’t — trust any-
quickly. Dot was looking at him body! And don’t you— Stay put
with the question held at her lips. right here ’til I’m back, under-
“I’m expected at some sort of stand?”
high-powered pow-wow in ” he
— He kissed her, then walked
glanced at a delicate clock inset in across the lawn to the idling heli-
the chair’s opposite arm, “—less copter.
than a half-hour. They’re sending It was empty.
a ’copter for me.God knows what He got inside, then saw the red
will happen if I don’t show up.” button with the one word RE-
And, he observed to himself, TURN under it. He punched it.
only God knew what would happen Effortlessly, the robot control-
when he did. led craft lifted, wafted him in sec-
onds high above the city. Its
CHAPTER V rise stopped at what he judged was
about 1,000 feet, then proceeded
"ITTHEN the ’copter swished to on a course of its own.
’ * “Wonderful, these dreamers,” he
a feather-like landing on the
wide expanse of the front lawn, muttered, and became engrossed in
Doug was ready. He had dress- study of the fabulous city below
ed himself in one of the dozen uni- him.
forms he had found arrayed in neat There was no capitol dome, nor
order in a full-length bedroom could he find the Washington mon-
closet. He fastened the cape at ument. But there was still the
his throat, wished suddenly that Potomac, and there were the cherry
there was some way he could take blossoms.
Dot with him. Then the city became little
30 IMAGINATION
more than a rolling pattern of line of technicians or even scientists
and color to him, and the thoughts got to the Contraption, touched
began coming quickly, intensely. anything . . . There would be no
An excuse for the difference in his knowing about that until they
voice — did people here have colds? tried to get back. Either the ref-
The uniform— suppose something erence frame would be the same
were wrong . .and his own man-
. or, if someone had tampered, it
nerisms —how closely would he re- would be completely altered, and
semble, under the close scru- Dot and himself would go from
tiny of the few there must be one time thread to the next, ad in-
who knew him well, the man whom finitum, with finding their own
he’d replaced— the other Douglas again as probable as finding a spe-
Blair, who must be
at this instant cific grain of sand in the Sahara.
facing the same problem in a world
The other Douglas Blair. And
as alien to him as this was to Con-
of course, his wife. He knew what
gressman Douglas Blair?
woman on the phone had said
The they looked like —she would have
Dot’s slenderness, her face, eyes,
“Your offices”—his meeting, then, hair ... No
one would know. And
and they’d ask questions.
the man would look like himself.
He’d been a fool. He’d never
Suppose even the kids didn’t know?
carry it off in a million years!
Doug wondered
They were smart —
even a half-in-
kids .And . .
if

then
they’d fool the
—then what?
telligent person of his own world
could spot the eternal phony try- No one would know, but that was
ing to bluff for what just wasn’t a joke. They wouldn’t believe it
there, even in the guy who’d learn- if his alter-ego got to a micro-
ed how from the right books. Hell, phone and broadcast it. People
he’d be as transparent as manners only believed in gossip, in rumor,
at a pink tea. in the miracles of wishful think-
ing. They never believed in facts.
TTE wondered about the other They accepted them, but they were
-* Douglas Blair, and how the not convinced. Newspapers would
trap felt that had snapped on him. publish accounts of dods that
About the kids—what about his wept, but carefully steered clear
kids? Terry was a smart boy and of the scientific phenomenon if it

he’d know the Contraption had were not between governmental

beeh responsible for what had hap- quotation marks. It was true of
pened. Would he try to get hold —
course mystery, properly inter-
of Carl or somebody? If a bunch preted, could not hurt. A fact de-
 —
THE TIME ARMADA 3i

fied interpretation; in the final their smart little world their lit- —
analysis, must be taken or left.
it tle dung-heaps of stupidity and
And when was a fact strange to
it moral cannibalism you’ve had the
the beliefs of men, it was left for colossal luck to escape . . .

as long a period as curiosity would Can’t do it? That’s right— the

permit. And then, of course, mis- kids, of course . . .

understood. Sure, but old Mother Nature

He wondered how the other takes care of that, doesn’t she?
Douglas Blair would manage, and When your kids are lying dead on
what, upon realizing that his was some foreign battlefield you can
the superior intelligence and knowl- have more . . . That’s why life’s

edge, he would do with it . . . cheap, old man . . . Nature doesn’t

The ’copter had begun to lose care- —
she’ll keep supplying and
altitude and the flat expanse of a supplying as long as there are fools
large roof below was its destina- enough to flood the market. And
tion. Its edges were lined with you have your woman, if it’s kids
other ’copters, hangars, servicing you want . . .

equipment, men. While he watch- It’s a clean slate . . . Pick up

ed a pilotless ship gently rose into the chalk —
a flight pattern above the roof to- But you couldn’t name them
ward which he descended. Another Mike and Terry, dammit, you
was descending toward it even as couldn’t!
he was, from slightly above and The ’copter’s landing-gear touch-
from the east. ed.
And then there were little cold, Its were still slowing as
blades
stabbing fingers of panic inside the two uniformed men appeared
him, squeezing, twisting his vitals. beside it, opened the small door.
Relax, mister. Doug climbed out, and the two
Now it was no longer a pleas- stood at attention, each right palm
antly fantastic detached stage set- open and raised. He understood.
ting, with red exit lights glowing The universal gesture for peace
reassuringly somewhere off in the a salute. An odd gesture to re-
shadows of reality. Quite pain- place the mock-shielding of the
fully, he felt the chiding slap of eyes against the glitter of a noble-
reality across his face. man’s shiny battle armor!
And it hurt. He returned it, and they fell in
Forget about the Contraption, at his side to escort him across the
forget about the smart guys, and landing roof to an opening entrance,
32 IMAGINATION
cloaks swirling gently behind them men, three obviously outranked the
in the bright morning sunlight. remaining six, who would have
looked, were it not for the too-ser-
T TE entered the chamber still ious set of their faces, like college
flanked by the orderlies. athletes. Their three superiors, he
There were nine men and a woman judged, were nearer his own age.
about the circumference of the The markings at the collars of
long, elliptical conference table, their blue cloaks were identical
and they stood as though brought with his own, with the exception
erect by a common puppet-string that they were executed in red
as he came through the wide door. rather than in white. Four iden-
The vacant chair was at the far tical insignia — four identical com-
end of the table. Silently, he was mands then.
escorted to it, seated. The others The term Quadrate was at once

bowed with but a hint of move- self-explanatory. Somewhere, there

ment toward him, then seated were four great armies . . .

themselves. The orderlies with- And he, apparently, held power

drew, and the softly curved walls of decision over them all. What
seemed to grow
upon them-in colossal thing surged one way or
selves as the wide doorway through the other at his order? And who —
which he had come soundlessly or what, in turn, ordered him?
disappeared. Now they were seated, waiting.
Here they were, then. Ten peo- You should’ve run, you should-
ple whom he did not know, call- ’ve run What’d you think it
. . .

ed to conference for the discussion was, just a dream with the label
of some supposedly vital situation “Impossible” stuck on it? How
of which he had not the slightest long did you think you could deny
inkling. And he had apparently the reality ofwhat you knew was
called it, so the talking was up to real? How deep do you have to
him. get into a mess before you’re con-
It would mean discovery before vinced you don’t come equipped
he had said ten words. with a guardian angel, a $64 mir-
As they sat, his eyes swept from acle that’ll just take you over and
one to the next in unhesitating bail you out when the going gets
succession. rough enough? Charms and such
The woman, next to him, was went out with the Dark Ages, mis-
clothed asDot had been. He had ter . Or didn’t anybody ever
. .

seen many less attractive. Of the tell you?

 THE TIME ARMADA 33
“ . . . Gentlemen, you of course the phase of the games but a
first
”
know why you’re here . . . That’s week hence, we have received noth-
the idea! After all, you learned the —
ing and there were details of
old double-talk technique a long last year’s Operational Procedure
time ago — Congressman. “There- that I know Quadrate Klauss as
fore perhaps it will be best to re- well as myself felt should have
verse the usual question and an- been further examined in the field.
swer procedure; I shall hear your The boys themselves keep develop-
questions and opinions on the mat- ing new techniques—one tells the
ter first, then present my own. other, a brother, a friend — and
Proceed ...” we must make it our business to

The girl was writing. keep abreast of them, or we’ll find

The others seemed to be swal- ourselves in the midst of a confu-
lowing it.
sion that could conceivably assail
the very psychological foundations
“Quadrate Blair,” the tallest of
“Frank-
upon which our civilization is
the three said abruptly.
built!”
ly, we were hoping you might lay
the matter open in this way! I
don’t intend to speak for Quadrate
npHE one called Klauss rose

Tayne and Quadrate Klauss, but then. He had a more soldier-

I think they have felt the same as ly carriage than the first man, but
I. Is it to be our understanding he was not as tall. His tone was
that we are to receive no OP for more conservative, yet of a more
this year’s games? I for one would subtle firmness. And Doug lis-

be the first to grant that our over- tened. It was the only way in

all system, developed since the days which he might gain some hint,
of the Sahara as it has been, is well some shadow of an idea of what
perfected, as nearly without flaw as these impossible men were talking
is possible to make it. Yet the about.
burden of detail is always with us. “Would you answer one ques-
It is the small details, after all, tion, sir?” the Quadrate named
each built on each, that have Klauss said. “Is the Director’s
brought us to the high level we’ve word on this thing final? I ask
achieved. There has always been this since if there is still the possi-
room for correction, for experi- bility of discussing further any or
ment, for change. Therefore I, all of the procedure amendments
and I think here I may speak for proposed in our check lists ...”
the others, am puzzled that, with The words meant nothing. So
 —

34 IMAGINATION
far so good, but it was just stalling lists.”
— he’d succeeded in gaining time, The third one rose, the one re-
but when they were finished, they’d ferred to as Tayne.
expect some sort of decision, and There was something in the look
then a follow-through. of the man that brought Doug at
Dammit, he was balled up! once on guard. Wide face and
Somehow maybe he could fake long shoulders, sharp, small features
enough to get the materials, build that gave his face a curious look
the Contraption and get out. A of flatness, small eyes. The eyes
tele-radio machine he had exam- bored in as though they could see
ined in the house while Dot slept through Doug’s body and into his
might provide some of the need- brain, examine it, and find it an
ed material, but not the vital imposter.
stuff. He would order that from “I think the Senior Quadrate
a government supply office as will agree,” he said, “that each
soon as he returned to the house. time the games are conducted, it
His rank should be sufficient to get must be according to a plan which
him what he needed without ques- is as closely fool-proof as is pos-
tions being asked. The Earth he sible to make it. I think he will
knew with all its clatter of empty agree that personal have
feelings
heads, its life-long familiarity no place in the formulation of such
Terry and Mike were there. Or plans — or their lack of formula-
this world of seeming intelligence, tion.”
efficiency, forthright honesty of were suddenly on Doug,
All eyes
conviction? Was there a choice? and he knew that here was a chal-
The girl beside him moved in lenge —
that here was something
her chair. Recording secretary, of the others had wished to say, but
course. She would know. Every- had considered the risk too great.
thing— “Continue,” he said.

How many times have you “I ask, in the interests of the

dreamed of a world like this? Don’t Council, what the Senior Quad-
be a fool . . . rate’s real reason is for having de-
“ —and I therefore submit, sir, layed the revised OP for so pro-
that unless final decision has been tracted a length of time. I am
made by the Director, we further not in position to demand an an-
discuss the expedited drafting of swer, but I point out that I ask
the new OP for this year, based on the question as an alternative to
the details enumerated in our check- filing a formal charge of outright
 —
THE TIME ARMADA 35
profligacy in office I” lence; the Council was stunned.
Doug felt cold little drops of
'T'HE sharp intakes of breath sweat rolling down the undersides
about the table were his cue. of his arms. What now? Was he
Even the girl hesitated the space supposed to shoot the man on the
of, a second in her transcription. spot? Fire him, what? He turn-
Suddenly, the thing was obvious. ed to the girl.
And Doug knew he could cope “You will make extra copies of
with it— he had, so many times be- the Quadrate’s remarks for the
fore! the Director’s personal file. For-
This lad, he thought, wants ward them to his headquarters as
to be the next Senior Quadrate! soon following adjournment of this
“It seems,” he said, “the Quad- session as is possible.” She nod-
rate has forgotten that the Coun- ded. He was still doing it right.
cil table is not intended as a poli- But luck wasn’t a consistent thing.
tical arena. He will be seated.” “Until the Director clarifies the
Tayne reddened. But he did not status of Quadrate Tayne, pending

sit. his review of this report of his in-

“The Director be praised but it’s subordinate charges and my own

time we got to the bottom of this! recommendations for the severest
penalty the law allows for such in-
Is not true, Quadrate Blair, that
it

the OP is being delayed so that

subordination, we will consider the

whole sections may be entirely re- conference adjourned, gentlemen

vised — in order to conform to your
They stood at once, bowed, and
personal beliefs concerning what
you term efficiency of equipment, flanked by their junior officers
filed silently out.
on which we hear you expound so
often? I suggest sir that you are
Doug remained seated. The sec-

grossly overstepping your author- retary was gathering her equip-

ity! I doubt seriously that our ment. He dared ask her —what?
check-lists have even been con- She startled him when she spoke.
suite:!! The Senior Quadrate “I’ll get the transcription coded
would accuse me of seeking his po- and prepared for A priority
sition— I’m aware of that but I — transmission on the first open Ven-
ask him point-blank of his own us channel. But if I may say so,
ambitions toward the Director- Sir— not that he certainly hasn’t
ate!” deserved it ever since his brother
There was but an instant of si- got him appointed— it’s too bad you
 .

36 IMAGINATION
could not have found some other Fatal error be damned!
way— I’ve always marvelled at the He would satisfy Tayne! As
methods you’ve been able to de- soon as the panel of the large, pri-
vise to cope with him in the past. vate office slid shut behind them,
—
This was but pardon me. I’m he would countermand his order to
entirely out of place.” the secretary and have her scrap
“No, no it’s all right. His broth- the section records which
of her
er?” was so much more damning to him-
“Why—yes of course, Gundar self than it could ever be to Tayne.

Tayne. The Director.” There would be some other way . .

Yes, was politics. But it was

it

CHAPTER VI the onlyweapon he knew, and

for the moment' he would have to

TTE had thought like a child to wield it more skillfully than he

-* have believed he could have ever had in his life.
done more than bluff. He had And idly, he wondered what they
thought like a child to have taken would do if he failed. If, some-
the impossible gamble at all. Al- how they saw through the disguise
ready he had committed a fatal er- of his body . . .

ror, and he knew that were it not
for his physical appearance the
farce would not have lasted ten
seconds.
Nonsense! Was not a high
stake worth the toss of any dice?
Perhaps he was slightly mad, but
he had not thought like a- child.
Slightly mad, mad enough to sup-
He knew what they would do.
They would make him build a new
Contraption, make him go. And
the Contraption they would make
him build—-there was of course
too great a chance that he and
Dorothy would miss their own
point in time, become hopelessly
lost . . .

pose that to win happiness there And wouldn’t it be sheer idiocy

must be courage, and with the to risk that?
courage, success, somehow.
He could feel the solidity of the OpHE office was a miniature of
corridor floor beneath his feet the council chamber. It was
as he followed her toward the pan- ellipitical, furnished with two desks
el at its end upon which the words of smooth, soft-finished metal
Office Of The Senior Quadrate molded to fit the general configur-
stood boldly, with the insignia of ations of the chamber itself, and
the office inscribed beneath them. planned for both business-like effi-
 — ”

THE TIME ARMADA 37

ciency and personal comfort. The sat down ...”
name-plate on the larger desk bore “Sorry sorry, Jane.”
. . . He
his insignia and said Douglas J. smiled. “It’s Tayne. I think I
Blair; that on the smaller said handled him rather badly.”
Miss Jane Landis. “Don’t worry so, Doug! I’ve
He seated himself. never seen such a little thing get
“Miss Landis, about that report under your skin. Everyone knows
to the Director. Perhaps per- — he never got properly conditioned,
haps as you suggested, it was in, even the Director himself. He’s a
shall we say, bad taste. Better good games officer, and that’s that.
file it. Future reference.” He’s always trying to draw some-
“Why Doug — what on Earth’s one into a state of anger, and you
the matter?” She put the re- told me yourself just yesterday
cording device on her desk, walked that you’re his special target just

over to his. There was a look of for the job. It’s a good thing you
concern on her face that he didn’t didn’t blow up in there. What
understand. What had he said came over you — giving an order
wrong now? Whatever it was, like mean?”
that, I

there was no hint of suspicion in —

“I let’s say I was confused for

her look, only a vague puzzlement. the moment.”

“As long as he’s the only head-
Young, and pretty. A trap, per-
—
haps no, they hadn’t tumbled yet. quarters
keep you
man
so upset,
like that there’s
nothing to
Perhaps just Nature’s own trap
and that was all. Funny, Doug Doug. Now
come on
—
thought, very funny. There were She was behind the desk, a slen-
rules. Sometimes you were sup- der hand on the back of his chair.

posed to be thankful to Nature, —

“Not no not now Jane. Any-
worship her, hold her in awe way you should appreciate my—”
and other times, you were sup- “Your position yes . . . . . .

posed to completely deny that she But Lisa’s not the jealous sort

existed, and villify her if she had Doug, you know that. Your wife’s

done too good a job. She had always been willing to share you
done a good job on Miss Landis. with others ...”
“Why, nothing. It is simply “I —yes I know that of course
that-”' . . .
” Good Lord . . .

“But why the ‘Miss’ Landis? He hadn’t even thought of it,

Did I do something wrong? And hadn’t been ready. The entire set-
the way you just went over and up of conventions would of course
 —
38 IMAGINATION
have so many differences —what you are now, Doug —and you’re
was simple bad taste in his time- third in worship only to the Pre-
phase might be accepted as a mat- late General himself.”
ter of course here. And vice-versa “Worship . . . you mean public
—
perhaps how was he to know? admiration, respect ...”
And he would have to know. “Doug, how can you say such a
“Doug ...” thing? like— well, as if they’d
It’s

He said nothing, and she with-, said years ago that they that —
drew a little. they admired or respected their
“Doug I’m sorry about getting God!”
out of line when I said what I did He felt the muscles in his jaw
about the way you handled Tayne, slacken, caught- them.
if that’s what it is ... I know my “There’s been a lot of progress
business and I know yours .” . since that era, of course. A lot of
He remained silent, and she left hard, exhaustingwork ...” He
his side of the desk. was any of his ques-
careful, lest
He tried to think, tried to re- tion-marks show. At any moment
member the early days in the he could imagine her whirling up-
courtroom. And he must say some- on him, shrieking “Imposter!”
thing quickly But she was taking the bait.
“No—no honestly I’m glad you “It seems impossible that there
said it. After all, how long have could ever have been a way of life
we known each other, Jane?” without the Prelatinate, the Quad-
“Ever since- — ever since your rature. Impossible even that there
election to the Quadrature almost was once such a thing as war. How
ten years ago.” terrible it must have been no —
“Yes— it’s a long time, isn’t it? conditioning, the constant killing
Tell me, had you ever known any- of valuable adults ...”
thing about me before then?”
“Why, only your name, your ac- T TE let her words sink into his
complishments. Your work for memory, pushed them, cram-
the great cause of politics and med them into it, then tried to
government as a journalist. I read make them follow through.
a lot of your work. I thought “Ironic, isn’t without
it, that
there was never a man more de- such beastiality there might never
voted to his party since the for- have been a world as we know it
mation of the Prelatinate itself. now. I sometimes wonder how
You were a great man then just as often they thought about the fu-
 I

THE TIME ARMADA 39

ture — if they thought about it as always an answer for you right
we do today. You know, Jane, I out of the Constitutional Com-
think about the future a lot. Re- mandments.”
member what we were talking “And of course no one dares
about just the other day —a week challenge them!”
or so ago, wasn’t it?” “Doug!”
And he waited, tensed. Too far, “Oh, don’t misunderstand,
perhaps— Jane.” Almost, that time. He
“Doug —Doug you mustn’t talk could feel the sweat start under his
about that any more! The S-Coun- arms again. Dammit what an or-
cil would have both of us in a ganization. They worshipped gov-
minute if they ever heard us. The ernment, they were scrupulously
boys in white have sterilized peo- careful to keep a perfect check-
ple for less than talking about the and-balance on political spheres
desirability of inter-political mar- of influence, they had such well-
riages. But God, how I wish I’d oiled machinery that even war
been brought up a Liberal! Lisa was impossible.
wouldn’t have had a chance!” “Don’t worry, I don’t.”
suppose it would’ve made
“I “I just meant that sometimes
the children a problem ...” it really makes me realize what a

“An understatement if I ever wonderful balance we’ve achieved.

heard one! Your twin sons— Education, population.”
bet they’re good solid Liberals by “No form of birth control could
—
now! Do they do they ever ques- ever have solved the problems of
tion, Doug? I’ve often wondered overcrowding and starvation and
about kids, brought up in the fam- war as well as the games. You
ily party from, the time they’re old should know! Without work like
enough to say ‘Prelatinate’. Have yours, Doug, just think what the
Kurt and Ronal ever— do they whole world could be like! There ’d
ever show a streak of heresy you — be the problem of enforcing the
know what I mean ... I should birth control laws again, knowing
think kids’d rebel, try out some that every time they were violated
ideas of their own.” the threat of unbalance would grow
“Well, did you ever, when you a little more.”
were a child?” The games again. What kind of
“No— no I guess not. I see magic, what kind of panacea were
what you mean. If you come out they? He thought of the teem-
with a really good question, there’s ing, overcrowded millions in Eur-
 :

40 IMAGINATION
ope, Asia —World War I, World understand.
War II, Korea, the Puerto Rican War Games, and she had said
revolution in 1955. New York and there was no war . . .

her East Side slums, Chicago, and Suddenly, he was afraid. Afraid
—whatever it was he headed, it
to reach inside the folder, afraid
solved these things. to find what would tell him that
“Guess I’d better get back to for some fearful reason she had
the big job,” he said then. “—Or lied, that this beautiful, sparkling
Tayne’ll be your new boss! And world was nothing but a lie . . .

then-” He read the file-tab again. WAR

“Doug what a perfectly awful GAMES, 1957, it said. No— no
thing to say! You’ve got to stop he did not understand.
worrying. Sometimes you’re hard- He drew out the four thick vol-
ly yourself —honestly, if I didn’t umes of bound records, the square
know you better I’d think you’d can containing the film strips, the
lost the old self-confidence, the thin sheaf of check-lists.
old strut! Your voice even sounds And he opened the personal rec-
kind of different. You’ve got to ord titled Senior Quadrate’s Re-
relax, mister.” port. May 1957-May
1, 7, 1957.
“When I get things taken care __ Blair.
of, maybe then . . . And I think— And simply, directly, it began on
I think I can give them something the first page.
they can’t say no to if I go over Subject-. War Games, 1957:
every detail once more — a whole Notes.
re-study.” He watched her face Location : Venus, northern mass,
closely, nerves taut for the first west: N Lat. 38° 24’ to N Lat.
tell-tale sign that he’d fallen on his 37°i2 ’—E Long. 4i°6’ to E. Long
°
face. But she nodded. 39 12 ’.
“Probably help. Shall I bring in Force: 1,231,693.
the whole file for last year? Check- Age range: Reg. 10 yrs. 1 mo.
lists, film-strips, the works? to 10 yrs. 4mos. Av: 10 yrs. 2V2
“Yes,” he said. “Yes. That’s mos.
what I want— the works.” Mortality: 483,912.
Wounded In Action ( Retrieved )
^TEATLY lettered on the file- 202,516.
tab of the heavy folder she Balance: Minus 200 M; plus 173
brought were the words WAR WIA. '

GAMES, 1957, and he did not Remarks: Within forgiveness

 ”

THE TIME ARMADA 4i

margin. Recommendations, Final Report.)

Conditioning : 3% held over. Removal of dead done with some-
Personal observation'. Full month what lower expedience than usual
training period completed by en- in all quadrants, due, however to
tire quadrant. For male children the increased vigor on numerous
oj the 10-year age level, exception- occasions to .. .

ally excellent military discipline Doug shut his eyes.

this year. From what- I witnessed No. No, none of this was so.
oj under
the quadrants Tayne, None of it . . .

Klauss and
Vladkow, they have “Jane!”
experienced the same good results. “Yes, Doug. Something —
Despite use of outmoded weapons, “I want to see the strips —now, if

combat exceptionally vigorous, well- possible.”

executed and effective. This was “Hit on something already?”
especially true in final phase, with “The strips I said! Now!”
all quadrants meeting on common “Of course— right away, Doug.”
front, nothern mass ( See map. She pressed a stud in a panel flush
Final Phase,) at which time 692,- with the desk-top. He knew he
51 1 were committed. Full day had startled her.
rest allowed all quadrants during But he had to see. If he could
transfer from southwestern mass see, he’d understand. The words
of quadrants 2 and 4. had made no sense at all, they
Klauss is to be especially com- were gibberish, crazy and he didn’t
mended thoroughness
for this in know what they meant.
psychologically preparing his quad-
rant. Each of its members seemed T TE held his muscles rigid as he
completely convinced that battle
A waited for the orderly she had
was necessary to survival; I as- summoned to prepare the- recessed
sume Klauss’ extraordinary success projector, inset wall-screen. Hurry,
may be laid to a great extent on damn you, hurry!
his expert use of the propaganda “Verbal commentary desired,
techniques so successful in the sir?”
World War. “Oh—yes, yes of course.”
Tayne is also to be commended, “All ready then, sir.”
as is Vladkow, for having trained “Go ahead then, go on.”
his quadrant to an admirably high The suffused lighting of the
degree of technical proficiency with chamber suddenly dimmed, and
both broadsword and mace. (See Jane rose from her desk.
42 IMAGINATION
 —
THE TIME ARMADA 43
“I’ll be in the eightieth level blue plain with the red of their
records library, sir, if I’m needed.” own blood . . .

“I don’t— well if you wish, Miss The broadswords rose and fell
Landis.” She left. Because she with a savagery unknown to any
knew—yes, of course she’d known but the ancient Turk, Mongol,
what was coming. And she had Spartan. They glinted strangely
left' in a daylight where there was no
In full color, the pictures flash- sun, and the piked maces swung in
ed on the screen. circles of red horror as they tore,
He watched, only subconsciously smashed, at young, half-naked
aware of the intermittent voice de- bodies . . .

scribing, evaluating, analyzing. He They swarmed across the wide,

sat and watched as though there flat expanses of bush, blue grass,
were not a mobile muscle in his and the cries that issued from
sweating body. their throats as they charged like
Ten-year-old, children, some- hunger-crazed beasts into the
where beneath a fantastic milk- sword-points of their opponents
white sky, painting an impossible were mercifully deleted; the mad-
44 IMAGINATION
dened distortion of the features on Kurt Blair: quadrant 3, Blair, to
their white, young faces was quadrant 1, Tayne. By Command:
enough. Gundar Tayne, Director . . .

The voice explained, pointed out, His thoughts spun dizzily. Mike,
reconciled pre-calculated plans Terry —
no, those were not the
with facts as they transpired. names. The other Blair’s sons . . .

The masses of mangled young This time, thank God, the other
flesh surged now forward now back, Blair’s sons . . .

to either side; swelled, bunched,

drove, fell writhing . . . CHAPTER VII
He saw a head fall, a running
body split in two down the back. tCT AM apparently a relatively
“That’s all, that’s all!” high official in the govern-
There was bitter stuff in his ment. It is called a Congressman.
throat and he fought to keep the Although there are many others
violent sickness bottled inside him. of equal and superior rank, I am
“Yes, yes sir.” well liked. I have a strong poli-

No no no no no! tical following.”

“Was there any suspicion?”
npHE illumination had returned “None at all. I had the good
-* fully when Tayne walked in, fortune, almost immediately upon
saluted loosely. He carried some- discovering my role in this civiliza-
thing in his right hand. tion, to gain access to a number of
“Yes?” speech recordings our host had
“There’sbeen an alteration in made. His voice is very little dif-
—
our rosters Old Man himself, I ferent than mine, and of course
had nothing to do with it. Here.” within about thirty minutes I had
Senses still numbed, he took the mastered his tone, his inflection,
thin plastisheets. He tried to get and his manner of speech. We
the words to make sense. Subject, shall have little or no difficulty.”
transfer, quadrant 3 to quadrant They were seated in the living
1, attention, Quadrates concerned. room of the house; in its den, two
“Apparently the Director thought young boys were diligently work-
it would be better this way. For my- ing at the task their father had set
self, I don’t see that it could make them. The books were opened in
any actual difference.” an orderly array on the wide, pol-
What was the man saying? What ished floor. One read excerpts
did— there it was. Ronal Blair, from the texts as the other quick-
 THE TIME ARMADA 45
ly gained mastery of a portable of knowledge, you will'
detailed
typewriter, transcribed as his find amazingly easy to cov-
it

brother read aloud. er up.” He toyed with a cigarette

“Father was correct in his rea- in a momentary attempt to deduce
soning . . . take this . . . with its function. He broke it in two,
the desertion by Germany of the examined the tobacco grains as she
League of Nations, the stage for spoke. Her voice was quiet, al-

World War II was set. Failure of most as though consciously held in

the Weimar Republic ...” check by some secret restraint.
Their sheaf of notes had grown “From your description, these
measurably in thickness since the people can be dealt with more or
first fact had been written on the less at the mental level of a child

first page the night before. The of eight, then ...”

boy had written it slowly as he “A child of about 13, on their
had begun mastery of the awkward Not in individual cases,
standards.
writing machine i. Washington — however—you will have to judge
defeats Cornwallis at Yorktown, quickly for There are
yourself.

Oct. 19, r 78 1 . . .
many who approach us in mental

In the living room, the woman agility. from what I’ve

I believe,

was listening to her husband. been able to discover during the

last few hours, that our host was
“By their standards, we would
one of those. There are few others
seem as improbable in our psycho-
of his rank, however, who are his
logical reactions, our reasoning and
equal.”
our way of life as they seem un-
“That would account for the ap-
der-developed and generally inferi-
paratus.” And then in a different
or in intelligence to our eyes. When
voiceand quite suddenly she said,
you’re among them, Lisa, you will
“Dare we not use it, Douglas, and
have to guard against the self-as- )>

surance which to them could be

easily interpreted as lack of emo-
“And what? Lisa, sometimes I
think I don’t understand you at
tion. Under any but the most in-
timate circumstances, we might ap-
all. You seem frightened, I think.

pear to them as some sort of think-

Are you frightened?”
ing machinery devoid of what they “No. No, Douglas.”
term ‘character’ and ‘personality’. “That’s better. At any rate, we
Other than that, you should will do best to leave his appara-
have little trouble. If you tus absolutely unmolested. Here,
should err through some lack apparently, science is not a re-
 ”

46 IMAGINATION
stricted thing, in the sense that probably, he may fail. Therefore,
the individual is not limited by we must go about the process of
law in its study and practice. Tech- adapting ourselves, and in any
nological secrets of the government measure possible, alter and adapt
are of course carefully guarded, this civilization to our own meth-
and periodically divulged to the ods and standards.”
public in vague or distorted form. “Please, Douglas —
However, the individual may be a “Yes?”
free agent in science to the limit of
his wealth, interest and intellectual HE looked away from him for
ability. That is why our host was S a moment, then back, but
able to complete a project similar with her eyes lowered.
to that upon which Zercheq was “I suppose changing them,” she
at work when he was apprehended. said softly, “would be a—a chal-
Although even my technical train- lenge to you, Douglas.” Then her
ing at Quadrature Academy ex- eyes came up, looked full into his.

cluded detailed study of space- “Please, let us use his device. Let
time mechanics just as it did nu- us .go back. I — It is that I — I am
clear fission, I’m quite positive afraid,Douglas,” she said.
that our host has constructed a “Afraid?” His tone was that
successful Chronospan, as Zercheq of a man speaking half in doubt,
called it. If we tamper with it, half in impatience. “I still fail to
his chances of returning here and understand you, Lisa. A moment
ours of returning to our phase in ago you said—”
time are reduced to absolute zero. “Then forgive me,” she inter-
As it is, he will be faced with the jected with a nervous suddenness.
task of building another to effect “It is — let us say it is the shock.”
his return— and unless he is a clev-
“If so it shall wear off. But you
er man indeed, his chances are of may be assured, Lisa, there is
course exceedingly slim. Zercheq nothing to fear. These people are
was only half-finished when the S at least a century behind us, gen-
Council apprehended him.” erally speaking. Sociologically, they
“We are the —innocent victims are wherewe were before the for-
of a trap, then.” mation of the Prelatinate—purely
“It need not be a trap, precisely, a case of arrested development dat-
my dear. There is a slim chance ing from antiquity. Technologic-
that we may return—but that must ally they are very little behind us
of course remain in his hands. Quite —perhaps only decades. I am not
 THE TIME ARMADA 47
as yet familiar with the manifold would take years with people such
details of which the causes are as these to convince them to adopt
comprised, but the effects in them- our game system. I shall work
selves are starkly obvious. There through their weak spots — their
are wars, for one thing. They are fear,, their desperation, their will-

the end effect of all the other con- ingness to follow beliefs unfound-
tributory effects. I am in a posi- ed in fact. Perhaps even within
tion to inaugurate the proper polit- months . . . Lisa, you’re not listen-
ical maneuvers to eliminate this ing!”
end effect— and I shall. The prob- “Yes. Yes I am, Douglas.”
lem of changing these people should “I see. You think that because
be quite simple, and because of they’re rank amateurs in the phil-
their terrible desperation, if should osophy of politicalmechanics, I
take astonishingly little time. They will meet insurmountable stum-
are slow-moving when it comes to bling blocks. It is true they are
governmental function for the di- quite backward in economic theory,
rect benefit of the individual, but and of course that has its manifes-
in their present state —as I say, al- tation throughout government as
most unbelievably confused and well as the governed. But for-
—
hazardous I am quite sure that tunately, their motives are trans-
they can be relied on to favor any parent to anyone except them-
possible solution to the curtail- selves— that will help at least in

ment of crisis after crisis.” gaining a toehold. Before I begin,

“You mean you mean — the
”
I want a few hours careful study
games, don’t you, Douglas? . . . of the notes the boys are compiling.
“Why of course! What else They’ve been industrious, I hope
would I mean?” and not too taken with all this.”

“They have space travel, I sup- She did not answer him.
pose—” “You are to be highly credited,
“No — no, oddly, they’re highly my dear,” he said. He knew her
skeptical of it — it’s still relegated to mood would pass. It had, be-
colorful pamphlets for amusement fore . “They are fine sons. I
. .

purposes and to a few rather well shall see to it, as long as we must
done pieces of fiction with all too remain in this time-phase, that the
limited circulation. But of course, only arms they shall ever carry
when the time comes, the Sahara will be in the war games which I
will serve well enough— that is feel confident I can inaugurate.
where we started. Ordinarily, it They’re in the den? After you,
4« IMAGINATION
my dear . . . posal for two main reasons and
He did not notice the sudden two alone: firstly, it is an indirect
tightening of the little lines at the solution to the thorny problem of
edges of her mouth. Civil Rights. Secondly, we sim-
ply must have the arms. No one
TT'OR several days, it was little could have foretold that Soviet
-* more than a game of watch- Russia would have
succeeded as
ful waiting. There had been she did in ultimately outproducing
committee meetings, sub-commit- us. Therefore we are caught by
tee meetings, and each had been surprise, and simply must have the
more tense complexion of its
in the funds, gentlemen. I wish to go
discussions than the one preceding definitely on record as favoring
it. These men, he found, were lit- the 50 per cent tax on individual
tle, desperate men, and had but income ...”
only recently come to realize it. “Impossible! I think the Con-
The notes Ronal and Kurt had gressman forgets the inherent
compiled for him were extensive strength in the will of the people!
and accurate. Fundamentally, he I tell you they’ve had all they will
understood the background of take. Especially in your own
cause and effect underlying the state. Congressman — they will be-
tensions, and had realized at once come slaves in a far more severe
that these men had become mired sense of theword than they ever
so deeply in the swale of political were before the Civil pardon W—
intrigue that they had at last come me. the War Between the States.”
to the point where they would “As I pointed out, Congressman,
gladly grab at the nearest straw to the' President’s proposal will solve
extricate themselves. But they had the thorny Civil Rights problem.
run out of straws. They had be- And at any rate, the people of which
gun running out in the early you so respectfully speak, Con-
1950’s; each had broken pitifully gressman. seem to have learned
since the Korea fiasco, and now that politics is after all a matter
they had been used up. He lis- for the professional politicians. I
tened, for his opportunity could think we both whether
realize that
come at any moment —and must
it or not they feel, as you say, that
be precisely the right moment. they have had all they can take,
“Gentlemen,” one of them began they will do little about it. When,
in the soft drawl of the south, “I in recent years, have they, may I
am in favor of the President’s pro- ask? I suggest, therefore ...”
 —

THE TIME ARMADA 49

Several of the conferees looked bettering the situation, how many
in Blair’s direction, as though, ex- were tenaciously satisfied with the
pecting him to do something. But status quo, and how many were
the time was not yet. And when intent on using the situation to
it came, he must be careful—even better their own interests. All
in their desperation, they would were desperate men. Only their
not accept it whole-hog. goals were different.
“ —and I b’lieve it is obvious In time of course he would be
that by working gradually, as we able to do away with most of
have in the past, we should not them. They would in all probabil-
have any of the trouble the Con- fit in a world organized
ity fail to
gressman from New York suggests. about the psychological concept on
Each year, we have simply added which the games were built. The
a little more, and promised it would people themselves, however, if

be the last time. Until now, even what the southern Congressman
at 30 per cent we are in a position had said were true, would fit per-
to continue almost indefinitely. fectly.
One thing the people do fear, gen- And inwardly, he smiled. It
tlemen, is war. We have been was almost a simple thing, because
skillful, and let us not mince it was obvious that what the man

words about it. They have been had said was at least true to a de-
thoroughly frightened ” ! gree. Their economic set-up was
Of course that was it. Gradu- proof of it. Millions and millions
ally, with accompanying promises of pieces of green paper, in which

. The fear had been made a di-

. .
they had implicit. faith despite the
rect thing, and the tangled, subt- facts which they knew to be true

le causes beneath had become psy- that far less than half of their pa-
chologically, if not actually, inac- per currency was validly backed
cessible. by the standard metal on which it
All of the causes, of course, he was based. There was not that
might never learn. But the gen- much ore in the planet’s entire

eral effects were obvious, so it was crust!

on them and with them alone that But they believed that the sys-
he must build his case. tem worked, and that was all that
was necessary.
TT was now a matter of discem- Just as the people of his own
ing how many of these men time-phase believed that a child
were genuinely concerned with could actually be conditioned for
 —
So IMAGINATION
life against violence, after sustain- was based were at once amazed at
ing the temporary psychological its simplicity: it consisted simply
shock caused by a week’s subjuga- of a logical premise that the killing
tion to the bloody horror of wan- of a required number of immature
ton slaughter. It was understood children was self-evidently worth
that such severe psychological the saving of millions of valuable
shock during the early years of adults. It was a matter of neces-
mental development was sufficient sary sacrifice.
to condition each new generation Yes, the people of this time-
for life againstany future acts of phase would fit into the plan well.
violence as adults, and it was be- Not because they were intelli-
lieved because it seemed to work. gent, but because they had a nat-
And because it seemed to work, it ural tendency as followers, and
was believed in. Each surviving because their limited imaginations
youth grew into adulthood as con- held them in a mentally astigmatic
vinced as his neighbor that the state, too concerned with the stat-
conditioning of the games was life- us quo to ask questions concerning
long, that the psychological scar the future until it was too late.
they left was permanent, and Blair smiled, this time openly.
would therefore render impossible Tayne could have the directorship
any form of violent conflict. back there! Here there was no
The belief, scientifically ques- Tayne. Here was a world for the
tionable as it might be, was never asking, upon which he would at
challenged, because there was al- last be the object of primary, not
ways the fact to face that there was, tertiary, worship by a planet! He
after all, no war. could take the shapeless clay
There was none primarily be- could cultivate it, could forge it in
cause the games simply solved time into a great, brilliant civili-
the main cause of it. Carefully —
zation and it would be his, all his.
controlled mortality rates on the What greater monument to the
battlefields kept the population genius of a man . . .

where it belonged, prevented the

ultimate over-crowding which was T was a week later when the time
directly and indirectly responsible I came. The Congressman from
at 90 per cent of the causes of any the south had been on a brief in-
armed conflict. The few who were spection of a hydrogen bomb site

sufficiently timorous to probe the following a test detonation. The

philosophy upon which the system pink flush had subsequently van-
 THE TIME ARMADA 5i

ished from his jowls and in its place he was at last convinced that these
was the color of ash. His brain men were genuinely afraid that
had been mightily disturbed; he the war from which no amount of
had been forced to the painful re- influence or money could buy their
course of thought, and that had safety was imminent. The third
disturbed it even further. war in their history which would
Two other Congressmen were genuinely be fought to win. The
getting away with intelligent de- others had been their American
bate, because the Congressman Revolution,and their Civil War.
from the south was at last quite Then, “Congressman Blair.
silent. You’ve had little to say for the
“ . . . And
contend that our
I last few days. Perhaps this sub-
armed forces have not at all times committee could profit by an opin-
been informing us truthfully, espe- ion from you ...”
cially regarding the need for vast The chance had come.
land armies, when it is obvious He “I have a plan,” he
rose.
that they have become obsolete. It said, “that may seem fantastic to
is myopinion that their mainten- you. have waited until most of
I
ance is used simply as a tool, gen- the routine arguments were heard,
tlemen—a tool to gouge extra taxes so that this thing would not be
fom the public, thereby enforcing any more confused and bogged
dependence for sur-
their increased down in senseless debate than nec-
vival on the government itself.” essary. I am prepared to answer
“You mean, Congressman, to say all questions directed to me re-

that the Army lies?” garding it, but I am finished at the

“Like a rug, Congressman!” first sign of the usual harangue.”

There was a murmur throughout

the
changes.
group, short, whispered ex-
H E watched their faces. They
were suddenly intense, and
“You can substantiate this there was a new alertness in them.
claim?” It was true, then— they did respect
“Do I really have to, Congress- him; he had a good following.
man?” “It is quite evident that our ene-
A gavel rapped quickly. Blair my has taken the advantage by
had slipped for the moment into surprise. The nuclear weapons on
the comfort of relaxation; by the both sides have kept us deadlock-
Prelatinate, it was amusing! ed for about seven nervous, un-
Then the debate continued, and comfortable, difficult years. And
 52 IMAGINATION
the deadlock is now on the verge sey.”
of finally being broken, and to his “May I submit, Congressman
advantage. He is now capable of Blair, thatyour plan is crazy? You
—
outproducing us his dealings with yourself admitted that manpower
unscrupulous American business- alone is woefully insufficient to
men have finally borne fruit, and cope with this situation.”
he has sprung his surprise. His “It is, as such. In the form of
nuclear weapons outnumber ours surprise —and believe me, it would
five to one and he is in the driver’s surprise the enemy ten times the
seat whether we care to deny it or degree to which it has obviously
not. And we are stuck with twenty shocked this group here it would —
million men under arms in the prove of great value, in that it
field —
rifles and hand-grenades, would reflect a murderously fright-
lumbering tanks and a few other ening desperation. It would, of
ridiculous toys. An organization course,have to be simultaneously
so tremendous that it trips itself accompanied by an immediate
and falls flat on its face at every step-up in production of nuclear
attempted move. weapons. All other types would
“But you gentlemen are pain- immediately be dropped. Factory
fully aware of all this, as are the shifts would in all instances im-
high-ranking, tradition-bound mil- mediately become full-day, full-

itary leaders who are still denying week.”

it. What you may not be aware “The Congressman from Cali-

of is that we may equalize our po- fornia.”

sition if we are quick to act — we “And you mean to imply that

may counter-surprise, counter- our enemy would actually stand in
shock, if we do not delay. fear of a thirteen-year-old?”
“I therefore ask your support, “Human mass has nothing to
gentlemen, when I introduce my do with age, Congressman.”
bill to immediately lower the pres- “The Congressman from Ohio.”
ent minimum draft age from sev- “What you suggest, Congress-
enteen to thirteen years.” man, is inhuman, unbearably hor-
The gavel clattered for order. rible —-you suggest that we sup-
Many had risen to their feet. port you in a bill to draft chil-
“Your questions, one at a time, ”
dren !

gentlemen.” “To make my point more clear,

“Very well. The chair recognizes perhaps I should ask some ques-
the Congressman from New Jer- tions of my own. First, am I to
 THE TIME ARMADA 53

understand that this group was built for the sole purpose of trap-
at any time in opposition to Uni- ping him, imprisoning him here.
versal Military Training? And— The high-pitched signal in the
second, is the youth of seventeen a receiver repeated evenly and he
grown man? forced himself to wait. His fin-

“Or shall I ask the question this gers drummed an uneven tattoo on
—
way where would you rather the low table, vibrated the disman-
place these youngsters — in a posi- tled parts of the tele-radio set
tion to possibly solve our dilemma, that he’d examined earlier. The
or in cities that cannot possibly be open pages of the catalogue from
adequately defended, and have the Science Council library trem-
them marked for certain death bled in his left hand.
along with the rest of us in them? “Electrosupply, Federal Service
“You say my proposal is un- Division,” the voice said suddenly.
bearably inhuman. You are right. “Hail, this is Senior Quadrate
War is. It makes little difference Blair again.”
how you draft its plans. “Hail, sir. Is there something
“Are there any further ques- unsatisfactory? The equipment
tions?” you ordered should have arrived
There were none. at your home—”
“Very well. I will call for a “It has, it is satisfactory. How-
confidence vote, with the chair’s ever I find that I neglected to re-
permission.” quest a high speed bl correction, —
“Permission granted.” high-kempage power pack.” He

The Congressman from the tried to steady the pages. The

closely printed alphabetized lines
south was very white. And very
silent.
kept running together.
.

“High-kempage power pack?

CHAPTER VIII Your reference, sir?”
“Reference?” The veins on his
‘T'vOT’S face was tense as she throat stood out, but his voice was
watched him. Doug held the del- not a sudden bellow from indigna-
icatephone device to his ear with tion. “You forget my position!
pressure that made his flesh white How soon may I expect the unit?”
around it. He was oblivious to “As soon as possible, sir.”
the wonder-like comforts of the He hung up. “Damn,” he said.
beautiful home now, cursing it sub- “Damn it to hell anyway! ”
consciously as though it had been “Doug, can I do anything?”
 —
54 IMAGINATION
“No, honey, no. We’ve just got He smiled. “Thanks, Dot. But
to sweat it out until that pack gets I’ve got to get that mess down-
here. It’ll be all right.” He forced stairs cleaned up. I’ll be all right.”
a smile, sank to a chair, put his —
The equipment the neat sorted
head in his hands. She knelt be- rows of resistors, condensers, vac-
side him. “The film-strips, that uum tubes and the rest of it glit-

you saw —they must have been tered on the long, wide expanse of
horrible.” the workbench he’d installed. At
Ke looked up. “Horrible isn’t one end was a half-completed
the word. God, what people. And framework, and at the other— was
at first What a
they seemed so — the blackened ruin of what had
cold-blooded, ruthless—” been a transformer.
“Easy, mister.” She came closer The burnt-out unit had cooled,

to him and he felt himself relax but the stench of overheated oil

slowly at the warmth of her touch. and melted insulation still hung in

“What a system ... I guess I the air trapped in the blue haze
read over those reports a dozen of smoke.

times. They know there is no “Can any of the rest be assem-

possible way to tell how long such bled in the meantime, Doug? I’ll
an awful mental shock will stay- help ...”
even in the impressionable mind
of a half-grown child. Yet they TTE busied himself with the
accept it as full-blown conditioning blackened junk. “It could,
process — they believe in it! They but it’s not worth the chance. It's
believe in everything around here got to be so damn perfect. I’ve
—they worship the government, got to know exactly what I’m go-
the Prelate General, the Director ing to be able to get out of the
even me! And because there’s no pack. Got to have at least 1,000
war and hasn’t been since the first Volts —or should I say Kemps—
Prelatinate, they keep right on be- anyway. Damn the DC ...”
lieving that from the day you fight He hadn’t found out about the
in the games —if you survive— utility power in the house until
til the day you die, you’re thor- he’d blown up the transformer. It
oughly conditioned against physi- was a little thing, direct current
cal violence
—” He let the sen- rather than alternating current,
tence taper off into silence. but it meant time, and there wasn’t
“Just rest awhile, darling,” she much time. He knew be
there’d
murmured. no chance of his getting through the
 THE TIME ARMADA 55
games undetected, even if he found “I’m afraid I fail to under-
a way somehow to stomach such a stand. You make it sound actu-
horror. ally as though I’m to have no
There was a gentle chiming choice in the matter. Who issued
sound. your orders?”
“The front door, Doug!” “Office of the Director, sir. And
“Guess I really threw a scare actually, sir, you have no choice.
into ’em! You go up first, I’ll If you will please accompany us.”
douse the lights.” They stood, immobile, waiting.
There were two of them, and There were only two of them. But
their uniforms were white. Their he knew that in minutes there could
helicopter idled on the front lawn. be two hundred.
They saluted. He went with them.
“Quadrate Blair, if you’ll ac-
company us please.” TTE judged the pneumatic ele-
They stood there, their faces im- -* vator tube had descended at
passive, their tones matter-of-fact least 20 levels below the surface
as though they had asked him to before it came to a softly-whisper-
pass the salt. ing halt on a resilient cushion of
“Accompany you? I understood compressed air. They left the tube,,
that you were going to deliver—” and the same miracle of lighting
“S-Council, Department of Se- that kept the city in eternal day-
curity, sir. You appreciate our light was gently suffused through
position. We have our orders. the entire length of the wide, silent
The Prelatinate-Attorney suggests corridors.
an interview immediately, sir. If
They Doug
did not walk far.
you will accompany us, please.” forced his mind
what order he
into
“You may tell the — the Prelat- could. were some adven-
If this
inate-Attorney that I’m quite busy, ture fantasy from the pages of fic-
but that I shall be glad to make tion there would somehow be an
an appointment for him later to- escape, some thing he could sud-
morrow.”
denly do and the tables would be
They stood There was a
there. turned. But it was not. It was
questioning look on Dot’s face, and fantastic, but it was as real as the
he had no answer for it. Some- day the first atomic bomb was
how, they’d gotten onto something. dropped.
Jane. No. Tayne again— The sliding panel admitted them
“We are sorry, sir.” to a round, low-ceilinged room sim-
 ” ”

56 IMAGINATION
ilar in most respects to his own of- get you down here on the spot.
fice, even to the intertelecon screen You can imagine where I’d be if

inset in the curving wall to the left I didn’t.”

of the large metal desk. The man “It was Tayne I suppose.”
behind the desk was thin-faced and There was a quick flick of the
slight,but there was an intelli- attorney’s eyes, but his face did-
gence behind the high forehead n’t change. “Personalities don’t
that seemed to put a snap in his matter, Doug.”
wide-spaced eyes as well as in his Doug waited for it. Behind the
voice. But it was the eyes that nonchalance, the employer-to-
made Doug’s nerves feel that they faithful-but-errant-employee tone,
must break likean overdrawn vio- there was something of hard spring
lin string at any moment; the voice steel, coiled, waiting to be sprung.
was smooth, controlled. “I’m not sure I like your tone,”

The orderlies saluted and were Doug bluffed. “I have some de-
dismissed. The panel slid closed. gree of position you know —
“Sorry to have to call you down “Yes, I know —you
seldom let
here like this, Doug. But damn anybody forget it. I understand

it, it’s my job, and besides that you’ve even reminded the Direc-
you’ve done something this time tor on occasion ...”
for which there’d be hell to pay if Doug shrugged. “Suppose we
the PG ever found out and you get down to it. Just what is there
know it as well as I do.” this time that has the DO so up-
He gestured Doug to a chair. set?”
The Prelatinate-Attorney’s tone
was relaxed, but Doug wondered rT''HE Attorney stiffened visibly.
how it might have sounded to a “What is there? You mean
man of lesser rank than himself. you don’t realize that you’ve come
One thing was certain; it was about as close as anyone can come
time to go back into the act. “I to committing a capital heresy?
suppose this all is leading up to Did you actually suppose you could
threats of the S-Council — order a thing like that without a
“Doug, when the DO buzzed me triple-endorsed Science Council
and said they’d been notified by reference? You know as well as
Electrosupply that you’d refused I do how strict the law about
is

to give a reference for a piece of possession of restricted equipment

equipment you ordered, there was of any kind by anyone except
nothing else for me to do but to members of the Science Council it-
 ! ”

THE TIME ARMADA 57

self. Even the Director has to go “High-kempage power pack?

through . channels I Where d’you You can’t be serious!”
think we’d be, anyway, if just any- warned you, Doug.”
“I’ve
body and everybody could read “Warn and be damned! You sit
any books, tinker with any kind of there and repeatedly accuse me of
paraphernalia they wanted to? ordering restricted equipment—
Damn it, man, if every Tom, Dick without reference, and you haven’t
and Harry went fooling around with even got your facts straight! Did
the knowledge that'wasn’t food for Electrosupply tell you that?”
them the whole damn planet would A peculiar look was on the At-
be in the S-chambersl” torney’s face.
“What do you mean, restrict- “DO said so.”
ed—?” “Well you could’ve saved us a
“And we can’t have any excep- good hour’s time if you’d have
tions! Except, that is, for the called me to see what I had to say
special training such as picked first me over here
before dragging
men as yourself received at the as ifwere a common criminal!
I
Quadrature Academy. But when I an apology will be in
think
it comes, to personal possession of order!” // only Barnunt had been
restricted stuff, without the re- right! “What I ordered, just in
quired reference, you might just as the event you’re as interested as
well be caught with a copy of you say you are, was a high-speed
Freud in your library!” blower-rack! ”
The pack. That had to be what “A— what?”
he meant— he’d been phoning for Reel him in!
the pack, and they’d asked for a “A high-speed blower-rack. So
reference . . . Somehow, he had to happens I’m having trouble with
—the catalogue! The closely print- the electronic units of my vento-
ed lines that got tangled up because conditioner at home, and I’m doing
he couldn’t hold it steady the work myself more or less as a
“You’re accusing me of ordering project in avocational therapy
—
restricted—” “Now it is you who can’t be ser-
“Now look, Doug. You’d bet- ious. How great a fool do you
ter tell me— I don’twant it on the think-”
record that I had to use Right of “Damn it, whose word are you
Office to get an answer. You or- going to take in this?” Doug stood
dered a high-kempage power-pack. up. “Some Electrosupply tech-
Now what for?” nician’s, who can’t hear any bet-
 ”

58 IMAGINATION
terthan you can reason, or mine?” left side, not quite counterbalanc-
There was a second’s silence. ing the mace which hung by its

“All right, Doug. You’re a fool, thong to his right.

you know. You are, and so am “They said there were a couple
I ... It was a high-speed blower- of hours before the next class,
rack. I’ll make sure it’s set didn’t they? The guy in the sharp
straight.” uniform said we could amuse our-
“Well, thank you.” selves any way we wanted.”
“Just be careful, Doug.” “Sure, but this isn’t the way the
“That’s good advice — don’t others are doing it. They all went
wear it out!” out and started practicing with the
He turned quickly, made his exit swords again. We oughtta.”
before the panel had widened half- “You rather do that than go ex-
way. ploring?”
Mike touched the half-healed
CHAPTER IX flesh-wound on his right shoulder.
He remembered how the short,

'T'HE ugly, black building stood dark-haired kid had laughed when
out like a shapeless smudge of it had started to bleed, and then
soot against the milk-white sky, how mad he got when he found he
but it was by sheer accident that couldn’t use the sword well enough
Terry and Mike discovered it, to cut him back.
built as it was at the water’s edge “I’d like to get that guy.”

where the high blue grass had been “Don’t be a dope. It’s only a
neither trampled nor trimmed, and dream—you didn’t really get hurt.
at a distance further from the Come on let’s see what that place
training areas than they had ever is. Nobody’s around ...”
ventured. “Maybe it is only a dream, but
he made me mad. Boy I’ll cut his
“We’d better go
We'll get in trouble.” Mike’s young
back, Terry.
ears off if I
—
body glistened with perspiration as
“Aw, come on.”
he stood on the knoll with his They had barely started down
brother, eyes still fastened to the the opposite side of the knoll when
low black structure as he spoke. Jon Tayne’s voice hailed them.-
His equipment belt was heavy and “Hey, you two! Where d’you
he tugged again at it to change the ihink you’re going, anyway?” They
distribution of its weight. The waited for him. There was a cross
broadsword swung loosely at his look on his face which Mike im-
 THE TIME ARMADA 59

mediately resented. “Who’s crazy?” Terry clenched

“Over there.” He pointed to- his fists, stuck his chin out.
ward the black building. “What’s “Look here —you want a fight or
it to you?” something?” Jon’s hand went to
“Nothing to me, but it’ll be dou- the hilt Terry un-
of his sword.
ble duty to you if you don’t get hooked his mace. Mike had his
back to the recreation area right sword half free of its wide scab-
away.” bard.
“There’s a lot of time yet. He Jon let his arms drop to his
said we could amuse ourselves, sides.
didn’the?” “Come on, wise who’s
guy,
“That doesn’t mean walking crazy?” Terry glared at him.
around wherever you please. It “You know what’ll happen to
means just what it says—giving you if you do anything to a sec-
your weapons a work-out. I was tion leader?”
called away from a good match “We didn’t ask to be here,”
just to come and find you two. Mike said. “And we didn’t ask to
Come on.” be pushed around, either, or told
They turned, fell in at either side where we could go and couldn’t go.
of him. Or be called crazy, either. The
“We didn’t mean anything whole thing is dumb.”
wrong,” Terry said. “After the games, if you’re still

“They’ll let it go this time be- alive, I’ll report you for that,” Jon
cause you’re new, and because you said.
are who you are. But you guys “Still alive? Who you kidding?
had better be more careful. That’s You talk like there was going to
restricted back there.” be a war. Grown-ups do that, kids
“What’s that? Restricted?” don’t.”
“You should know that!” “What do you think you’re being
“What is it?” trained to use your weapons for?”
“\our father never told you “That’s easy,” Terry said. “So
anything, did he?” we’ll know how to use ’em when
“Sure —course he did. Lots of we’re grown ups. It’s called UMT
things. But there’s no way he’d or something.”
know what that place is.” “You guys are cr ah, don’t be —
funny. The games start in three
ON stopped in mid-stride. “No days, then you’ll know if you’re in
J way he’d know? You crazy?” a war or not. And frankly, I hope
 ”

6o IMAGINATION1
you both end up back there.” He “Suppose — suppose
turned, started walking. hurt bad? Do they — you’re just

Terry and Mike let their hands “Not if they’ve made the quota.
fall from their weapons, followed If you end up hurt they take you
after him. to the other land mass— there’s a
“Nobody’s being funny,” Mike big hospital there. I’ve never seen
said. “Suppose we do end up it, but my father says it’s the big-
back in that place? So what?” gest single building ever made.”
“Listen the hero,” Jon said. “How long are you kept there?”
“You planning on taking on the “Until you’re recovered, of
whole First Quadrant single-hand- course. The longest case on their
ed or something? They sure don’t records was my cousin’s. He got
bring you back to life back there, a broken neck when he was hit in
if that’s what you think.
'
They the face by a mace, and lost both
just make you a little deader.” eyes. They repaired the cut nerves,
“Deader?” gave him two new eyes, and fixed
“Well I’d rather be buried if I his neck in about a month. They
get killed than burned into a little can do anything, so you don’t have
pile of ashes and sent home in a to worry. I got a broken back
jar. And that’s what they do. myself last year I was out walk- —
There’s not enough land on Venus ing in two weeks.”
to bury everybody every year, and
they sure aren’t going to go to the / T'HE recreation area was almost
trouble of hauling a bunch of -* in view. Already they were
corpses out into the ocean just to able to hear the clash of metal on
dump ’em. Not when they can metal, though a great tangled
as
burn ’em up, anyway, right here.” mass of scythes was being shaken
“Burn ’em up?” Mike said, by some huge, clumsy, hand which
feeling funny in his stomach. could not break them apart.
“Alive?” “Jon ...”
“Not often, I guess. Only when The section leader was quicken-
there’s a mistake and they don’t ing his pace. “Yes?”
notice it in time. Or if there “How in heck do they know
haven’t been enough guys killed to about the quota? How do they
make the year’s quota. Then they know they should pick you up if
if

take unconscious ones. That’s you’re hurt, or just leave you

what my father told me once, any- there?”
way.” “The tab ships take care of it.
 ”

THE TIME ARMADA 61

There’s a whole fleet of ’em, and around with a gun. And even in
they cover each area where there’s the short time of a week
—
fighting. They tabulate every- “Is that how long it lasts?”
thing that happens with things “Usually about that. But even
called telescanners, and they keep then with guns, you’d get used to
in constant communication with it. With swords it’s different.
the Quadrate’s ship. Any time You don’t get used to that in a
during the fighting, they know if week. You still feel pretty shaky
”
they’re ahead of tfie quota rate or when it’s all over, believe me . . .

behind it in their own area. And “Were you scared, Jon?”

all the time, the Quadrates are “You shouldn’t be scared,” he
comparing the figures they get said. “All you have to remember
from the tab ships with each other is what they keep telling you— the
so they can keep a running record others will kill you if you don’t
of the quota rate for all four quad- kill them. Always remember that.
rants. As long as the rate’s right, Then it gets to be sort of a — well,
or high, the medical ships keep like a game, to see who’s strongest,
landing and picking up the wound- who can use a sword the best . .
.”

ed, and flying ’em back. When the “Yeah,” Mike said. “Wait’ll I
tabulations show the rate’s lagging, get that guy!” His fingers brushed
the medical ships take it easy until lightly against the half-healed
they get the word to get to work wound again.
again.” Jon laughed. “Sore at some-
“They wouldn’t have so much body already?”
work to do if we could use guns in- “I’ll cut his ears off!”
stead of these things,” Terry said. “You’re getting the idea all

“I think guns would be more fun, right! Just be sure you don’t go
don’t you?” breaking any more rules— you can’t
“That’s what your father thinks, kill anybody until the games be-
isn’t it?” gin, you know.”
“Gosh, no, he doesn’t—” “I’ll show him!” Mike said.
“My father says that killing at “How long do we have yet to prac-
a distance isn't much good, because tice? Now, I mean?”
you never get into close contact. “Half an hour, maybe. I’ll see
And if you can’t see what happens
you later. I’ll forget about re-
when you actually kill somebody, porting you this time but don’t —
you can’t get conditioned very go for any more walks!” He left
well. You’d get bored just sitting them, and they walked into the
 a

62 IMAGINATION
recreation area with the others. dered if the dream would ever
Mike found the boy who had have to end.
laughed. And he found that it was
as Jon had said. There wasn’t CHAPTER X
any reason to feel afraid. The
sword wasn’t as heavy in his hands TAOUG worked silently. His eyes
as it had been at first, and it was stung, and he wasted a moment
more thrilling to use than just to rub them again, because he must
fists . . . see, must see so precisely, so exact-
The other boy was grinning, ly. The work table was almost
and it was easy to get mad enough bare of the equipment he had or-
to want to cut his head off. Both dered. The new Contraption had
hands on the long haft of his wea- devoured it into its fantastic vitals
pon, Mike swung harder, more as fast as his taut hands and flag-
surely than the first times he han- ging memory were able to feed.
dled the sword. He could parry, Yet it was useless work— the gleam-
now—and cut. Like that! ing thing he had built would never
The boy staggered back. The so much as fryan egg.
side of his head was bleeding pro- Yet he worked as though the
fusely, and the blood spurted power-pack were resting on the ta-
through his fingers as he pressed ble among the scraps of wire, bits
them to the gaping place where his and pieces that were left, as though
ear had been. somehow it would be there when he
“Rules! Rules!” needed it, and then they could
Mike lowered his sword. That go, could escape, and then forget
was right, the rules. He couldn’t . The two shiny terminals glared
. .

kill now . . . at him dully like two tiny eyes,

So he tried to laugh. At first each telling him that he was such
he had to force the sound from his a fool to hope that they could ever
throat, but suddenly he found it be anything else than bare. They
coming easily, clear, and loud. glared at him, told him that he was
The boy left the field toward finished now, finished, but with
the medical tents. the end impossibly far away.

And Mike found another with He let the tools drop amid the
whom to practice. It was what bits and pieces The Contraption
Jon had said, a great game — was a cold, dead thing, a mockery
great, crashing adventure! without its great surging electric
He swung the sword and won- heart. A mockery, a precisely as-
 ”

THE TIME ARMADA 63

sembled heap of shiny junk. track, to throw the Contraption

He was near exhaustion as he wildly out of focus and careen
looked at the two empty terminals. through a thousand tracks, a mil-
The anger in him had burned out lion,and look for a place where a
and became a cold leaden thing. man and a woman could be simply
He no longer cared about the ri- that and nothing either more nor
diculous beliefs, the regulations, less. For in all infinity there was
the laws that prohibited him from no such place, and the running
obtaining the thing he needed to would be worth less than the
free himself —no longer cursed wasted breath it took.
himself, for it was not he who was With Dot, one last time, then.
to blame. She stirred. Her eyes opened,
He went upstairs to where Dot and she smiled.
slept, and wondered if this was “Doug? Did you finish it,

how it felt to be a thousand years Doug?”

old. Finally tired, finally fed-up, “Yes. Yes, I finished it, as far

finally weary of being a fool. as it ever will be finished.”

He watched her as she slept, She dropped her eyes. “We can
watched the gentle rise and fall of keep trying.” They met his. “We
her breasts, let his eyes wander will keep trying, Doug. We’ve got

over the soft symmetry of her body, to— for Terry and Mike ...”
and asked himself why men were He said nothing. He sat heavily
so dutiful in creating their clank- on the bed, his features grim.
ing idiocies about and about
life He
took off his shirt and drop-
death when all that such diligence ped, exhausted, beside her.
accomplished was eternal blas-
phemy of the pure and simple. The E awoke with the idea.
beautiful they defiled, then dis- “Dot! Dot I think I’ve
guised the ruin they left with a found it!” He was instantly on
cloak labeled Duty, and went forth his feet, trying to jam the sleep
armed with the rotten wood of back from the center of his brain,
what they called Law to build a trying to make sure it was no left-
dingy world more to their liking over figment from a nightmare, a
than the garden that had been given wild dream. He heard her foot-
them for nothing . . . steps coming almost at a run.
was not fair, no it was not
It “What is it? You sound as if

fair, but he was tired at last. Too you’ve found a pre-Truman dollar
tired to look now for another time- under the bed
—
64 IMAGINATION
“I don’t know — it may be as “It’s a chance, Dot, and it’s a
half-baked as the kind that came good one. I’ll be the ranking of-
later —
worth even less, perhaps, ficer aboard of course I should- —
but it’s worth a try. They say n’t have too much trouble in pirat-
despierate situations* call for des- ing the thing— I’ll make them rip
perate action ...” the pack out for me, then I’ll or-
“Take easy, now. You aren’t
it der them to bring me back. Then
the blood and thunder type, ex- it’ll just be a race against time.”
actly!” There was a note of cau- He stood there, staring at the
tious anticipation in her voice, but delicate tracery of a lattice-work
there was hope in it, and it was wall, not seeing it. But he heard
enough. the fear in Dot’s voice.
“Tomorrow— or more exactly, “A space ship, Doug . . . Why
some sixteen hours from now, we you’d —you’d die.”
are scheduled to take off for Venus He laughed. “I’m sure the oth-
headquarters to begin the games er Quadrates don’t plan on dying,
>7
not for awhile yet, anyway. And
“Yes, I know,” she said quietly. I know it’ll work, if I’m careful.

“Well that’s it, don’t you see? And I’ve been careful so far.” He
I’ll go of course I’ll go but not — looked at her, and the fear had not
all the way!” left her eyes. “You mustn’t be
“Doug I won’t let you—any- afraid. Dot,” he said then. “There’s
more than you’d let me try to se- less to fear this way, because this

duce the Prelate General into giv- way there’s at least a chance. Don’t
ing us the thing!” you see the beauty of it— right up
“And I’ll bet you could, too!” to the last moment, everything will

He laughed, and it was a real appear to be as it should —and

laugh for the first time in what then before there’s even any sus-
seemed all his life. “But I’m picion I’ll take over probably be—
afraid the Prelate General is go- almost back to Earth before they
ing to be denied that dainty bit of even know anything’s gone hay-
intrigue, my darling. Don’t you wire.”
see? Space ships they’ve got to — “Won’t they be able to radio
have a method of communication! back from the other ships, I mean,
High-frequency radio high-volt- — when they realize things aren’t as
age stuff! Ten to one I’d find a —
they should be that the ship yon
power-pack aboard ” ! are in isn’t tagging along in the
“No, Doug, no . . . ” formation? They’ll just be wait-
 THE TIME ARMADA 65

ing for you when you land, Doug.” have been simple V-2 rockets on
“They’ll want to be waiting, sure some strange desert proving-
—but they won’t know where, not ground. At the same time they
until I’m down, and safely out, were the fantastic silver darts that
headed here.” he remembered from the pages of
Dot didn’t say anything then. colored Sunday supplements which
It was such a story-book plan, had foretold the coming of flight
such a crazy thing that it would through Space. Yet the feeling of
never work; she knew it would everyday security that they tore
never work. away was replaced with a vigorous
“Doug, Doug ...” thing inside him that was of firm-
He held her close to him. er stuff than awe, more challen-
“Dot,” he said, “we have two ging than fear, more exciting than
choices I think. We can be ma- adventure. And suddenly, sailing

ture, we can be logical, we can ships were the toys of children,

make a tragedy out of a desperate and oceans were spilled tea in a
situationand die martyrs to con- saucer.
servativethinking. Or we can They were a strange people,
keep grabbing at straws until we Doug thought. A horrible people,
are sunk or end up ingloriously perhaps, a people whom he want-
alive. Which way?” ed desperately to escape.Yet a
She looked up at him, tears in people who had learned that the
her eyes. “I guess a knock-down sky and the Earth were not enough,
drag-out thriller, mister . . . But nor were ever meant to be.
Doug — I’m scared.” A green light flashed. The three
Quadrates ended their conversa-
TTE stood still, apart from the tion, boarded waiting surface ve-
^ other three as they talked in hicles and started toward their

low, casual tones, waiting for the ships.

space-tower signal to board their A

car with a pennant bearing the
ships. An early morning breeze insignia of a Senior Quadrate fly-
tugged gently at his blue cloak, ing from atop its sleek passenger
and he had to shield his eyes with enclosure drove up beside Doug.
his gauntlets as he looked at the “Your transportation, sir.”
four slender columns of glittering He
returned the salute. “Thank
metal that tapered to needle points you, no. I shall walk,” he said.
high above him. A quarter their It was a short walk less than —
diameter and height they might two hundred yards, but he did not
 —
66 IMAGINATION
want it all to happen too quickly. At length he was swallowed up
His steps were measured in slow, inside it, and at a flashing blue sig-

deliberate cadence as he crossed nal, the four great ships thundered

the smooth plaza toward the' great for the stars, and left Earth a little
craft on which his insignia was em- thing behind them.
blazoned. (Concluded Next Month)

INTRODUCING The Author

^ ’3'ox B. Bdotden

(Continued from Page 2)

engineering. I did, too — for about Corps first as a cadet, but things
six months. But someplace there didn’t quite work out. Infantry.
was a slip between the slide-stick Then ASTP, and Signal Corps.
—
and the psyche by now I had read Wound up at Fort Knox as a
so’ much science-fiction that I tanked shave-tail (commanded a
wanted to write some myself. tank, you know) with a minor ad-
Switched to liberal arts, learned venture here and there, and fin-
the alphabet, and viola, siehst- du? ally made it home—quite unheroic-
H: (already losing interest) And ally, not from overseas —and af-
where you learned to write
that’s ter getting the B.A. I’d started out
things. for years before, got my first
six

H: (more seriously for a mo- newspaper job. General reporter,

ment) I might never have really feature-writer, part-time desk-man,
begun, or kept trying, if it hadn’t and you-name-it. Left there after
been for a fine professional in Mid- a couple of years, and am now in

dlebury who, for some reason, liked West Haven, Conn., an assistant
me. What I know, and where I’ve telegraph editor on the New Hav-
gotten so far, I owe largely to him. en Register. And —oh yes. I got
His name is Murray Hoyt. married. Two years ago, to a ter-
H: (still interviewing) Keep go- rific art teacher.
ing. 196 words left. H: (still interviewing) And does
H: (getting warmed up now she
that it's almost over) Army. Air H: (still talking) Reads science-
 —
INTRODUCING THE AUTHOR 67

fiction. Paints, too, of course, and money. Which,

science-fiction,
but reads science-fiction. Listens by the way, reminds me of the
to sci — time I
H: (tiring) And now for your H: (sick of the whole thing)
future? Learned, I’m sure, what “thirty”
H: (not tiring a bit) Oh, I have meantl
a very diversified field of inter-
ests. Aeronautics, Willy Ley, —Fox B. Holden

COMING NEXT MONTH:-

SKY by
LIFT
ROBERT A. HEINLEIN
In 1940your editor introduced Robert A. Heinlein to science iiction
fandom in the pages of STARDUST, a leading fan journal of the period.
Since that time the name of Heinlein has grown to a stature unrivaled
in modern science fiction history. Today Bob wears the well-earned
crown of “Mr. Science Fiction." A new Heinlein story is always a big
event, so we take pride in introducing the top writer of them all in
IMAGINATION. We'd suggest you get to your newsstand early on sale —
—
date September 29th or better yet, turn to page 162 and subscribe today.
You'll receive the November issue FREE as part of your subscription,
—
mailed to you IMMEDIATELY weeks ahead of newsstand publication! ...

. . . and in the DECEMBER issue the big news is:

THE COSMIC JUNKMAN

a thrilling new novel by
ROG PHILLIPS

Make A Date With IMAGINATION Every Month!

HEIR APPARENT
-Au £. n ourie

What drives a man to the stars on a life

of high adventure and grave peril? Even more
important can a girl's love keep him home?

E watched in silence as
grim - faced, uniformed
guards carried the small
bronze casket down from the
space ship. There were thousands
of us standing there in the pouring
rain, soaked to the skin. Yet some-
how we didn’t notice the rain or
the discomfort. We had waited
years for this moment, to honor
a great man’s triumphal return to
Earth He had waited too long.
. . .

The odds he faced had finally can-

and the guts
celled out luck, skill,
a : brave man needs to face space
alone . . .

They carried his casket by us,

across the sopping field, boots suck-
ing noisily in the heavy mud. In-
stead of smiles there were tears that
even the rain couldn’t hide. And
many a woman sobbed openly now
, . .
perhaps thinking of her own

69
 . ” ”

70 IMAGINATION
son or husband up there some- “Can’t tell women when to have
place . . .
babies,” I growled. “Nobody’s pass-
1 couldn’t jind any tears. And ed any laws yet.” I stripped off my
that was strange. For of all the shirt and disappeared toward the
thousands oj people watching his shower, winking at Marny as I
casket move slowly by, I should went. “And as for using my flat

have felt the deepest remorse. for immoral purposes —

At least, when you kill a man “Fat chance,” she grinned, jerk-
you’re supposed to feel that way . . ing a thumb at Bart. “The boy’s
on a jag. He won’t come near me.”
* * * I heard the glasses clinking as I
showered, and slipped on a cool,
TT had been so hot that I was fresh shirt. I found them both with
soaked through when I finished their noses in beer, Marny on the
at the hospital, and could think of couch, Bart staring out at the dark
nothing more enticing than a hot street. And I noticed the suppressed
bath and a long night’s sleep. An excitement in Bart’s eyes as I sank
interne’s life isn’t his own, and down in a chair.
the evenings I could call mine came “Ok,” I said. “So you’ve got
so seldom I couldn’t remember the news. Spill it.”

last time I’d been free. Still, there “I passed the test, Ben!”
were those evenings, and tonight I squinted at him, puzzled. Some-
seemed to be one of them, when I thing tried to clink down into place
used to think I’d been foolish to in mymind. Test? It seemed to me
keep from entanglements that would I had heard something about a test.
interfere with my professional pro- “That’s nice,” I said. “What test?”
gress, and begin to envy guys like “What test! Dillon’s engineering
Bart, with their black haired, blue competition, stupid! I told you
eyed girls. I was pleased when I about that
—
saw the light on under my door, My eyes widened, and I sat bolt
and found Bart and Marny there. upright. “You mean the competi-
Marny was at the refrigerator pour- tion for crews?”
ing some beer, and Bart was pac- Bart nodded excitedly. “That’s
ing back and forth like a tiger, his right. Dillon got thegovernment to
eyes bright with excitement. “You back his contracts and research, and
should get another hospital,” he he’ll be tripling the number of
exploded when I opened the door. ships in space within the next five
“Thought you’d never get here.’' years. He needs men — the best
 ” ” ” ” ” ” ”

HEIR APPARENT 7i

men he can get to man those ships! caught the look on Marny’s face.
And these tests are designed to pick It was one of those unguarded
the best part for Dillon’s crew
— moments, one of those looks no
He sank down on the davenport, his woman ever wants a man to see,
hands trembling. “It was the only but I saw it, and I saw the end
smart thing to do,” he said. “Every of things in her eyes. A look of
mug on the streets thinks that he horror and fear. For one brief
wants to walk in and ferry a ship instant was down, and
the shield
to Mars. That wouldn’t work it — I saw the terror and revulsion on
takes too much knowledge, too her face and knew everything that
much engineering skill, and lots was going through that mind of
more. The men who go have got hers. And then the look disap-
to be the best bets on every score peared, and she was walking back
— the best to handle the long trips, into the room, her face pale but
the best for repairing, reporting, ex- composed, watching Bart with a
ploring — everything. You saw kind of blank sadness in her eyes.
what happened to the first crews “That’s —
that’s wonderful, Bart,”
that went to Mars. There wasn’t she said. “You didn’t tell me you
any provision for anything but were taking it
—
technical skill, and they were at He looked up reddening. “I hard-
each other’s throats before they’d ly dared tell anyone. It was such
cleared Earth’s orbit. They prac- a slender chance. I didn’t see how
tically killed each other — some I could possibly get through it —
went loopy, some wouldn’t come the psych part, particularly. I may
back home —
Dillon had a real have to go out and hang by my
mess on his hands. So the tests knees from the jets on the trips
were set up for screening. The com- to keep myself from getting bored,
petition was really stiff — but part of the test was interested
I stared at him. “And you passed in idle-time creativity, and they
the tests — said I got through it better than
He was grinning from ear to ear. anyone else —
“I passed them — She was staring at him, her eyes
wide, “That means you’ll be going
T HEARD a swift breath, and into Dillon’s crew —
Marny was on her feet, picking “It means I have a chance! The
up the them
glasses swiftly, taking final sifting hasn’t been finished,
to the kitchen. Suddenly there was there’s a dozen more tests, a dozen
a cold breath in the room, and I performance checks, half a thousand
 ”” ” ” ” ”

72 IMAGINATION
conditioning tests I’d have to take The bafflement spread across
— but don’t you see what it means? Bart’s face as he looked down at
It means go to space, Marny!
I can her. “Marny, I — I don’t under-
It’s a chance in a thousand, and stand this. You know what I’ve

it’s mine wanted. I’ve told you time and

Dillon’s cut the ice, he’s
I

had half a dozen ships up, but the again

—
real work’s just begun. This puts “Oh, yes, talk! But I never
me in on the ground floor, Marny. dreamed you meant itl Everybody
There’s no end to the possibili- talks about going to space.”

ties
— “But not everyone gets the
She stared at him wordlessly. chancel” His voice was sharp in
“But they say Dillon’s an exploi- the still, hot room.
ter, Bart — a madman. He’s out “But only a fool would go!”
for what he can make out of it, “Then I’m a fool.” He turned
and nothing more. You can’t trust away, and sank down slowly in a
a man like that ...” chair. “I want it more than any-
Bart shrugged indifferently. “Sto- thing in the world.”
ries,” he said. “Dillon’s a pioneer.
Those who are afraid of space 'T'HE silence was deafening. When
spread dirty stories, sure, but she spoke, her voice was hard-
there’s no proof. Anyway, I won’t ly audible. “Then I guess that’s
fly with Dillon. He just builds the all there is to it.”
ships, and his ships are the finest “What do you mean?”
that can be built — “I mean if you go, we’re through.
“But Bart, it’s a fool’s errandl” That’s all.”
The girl’s eyes were huge, filling Bart blinked, his face pale. I
with tears. “You have a good job, could see his knuckles whitening
a good home —
you just can’t on the arms of the chair. “Marny,
go — it’s only a trip —
He blinked at her, unbelieving. She was shaking her head, and
“With a chance like this? To go her lower lip Her voice
trembled.
to space? I couldn’t stay home — was weak, and very, very tired.
She looked at him, and then at “No, Bart, not just a trip. A dozen
me, with the strangest baffled pain trips, or a thousand. It wouldn’t
in her eyes. She looked, suddenly, make any difference.” She took a
as though the bottom had dropped deep breath. “I’m sorry, Bart. I
o*t of her world. “You — you couldn’t do it. Across the country,
—
mean that, Bart?” across the ocean, yes. But space
 ” ” ”” ”

HEIR APPARENT 73
no, I couldn’t.” see —
“But you aren’t being reason- “Take me home, Bart.” The girl
able!” he exploded. “You act as stood up trembling.
though it’s the end of everything, “But Marny —
as if a trip to Mars was something Something in her eyes cut him
to get excited about —
look, Mar- off, and he took her coat, helped
ny. We love each other — you her into it almost savagely. “It’s
know that, and I know it, too. We stupid,” he said angrily. “It’s stu-
could be married — this week, pid and unreasonable —
right away — I wouldn’t be going “Please, Bart —
for at least six or eight months — Theyleft without another word,
why, I might not even make it at walking slightly apart, the anger
all! The tests aren’t over, this was and hurt carving deep, lines on
just the first screening, and I could Bart’s face, Marny’s eyes wide, her
flunk in a hundred thousand differ- mouth tight as she wiped her nose,
ent ways — heF face white as death. I walked
“But you’d pass,” she burst out. to the window, my mind spinning,
“You know you would. And then and saw them get into Bart’s three-
you’d go, and go, and go what — wheeler. Then they were gone,
kind of marriage would that be? down toward the city. For a long
What about a home, or children? time I stood and watched.
Oh, Bart, you know what happened
to the others! You’ll die, you'll be
killed — think of it! You don’t T KNEW that she’d come, sooner
know what you’d find out there, or later. She’d come to me many
and I couldn’t stand it
—” She times before, with big problems and
looked up at him, and her eyes and she knew that doctors
little,
were full of tears and bitterness. have a faculty for understanding
“It wouldn’t be a marriage, Bart. some of the messes people get into.
It couldn’t be.” I wasn’t surprised to see her, the
Bart looked up at me, his eyes next day, coming up the stairs in
pleading. “Tell her, Ben — oh, that blue dress that caught the
tell her,somehow — I can’t, I blackness of her hair and the start-
don’t know how — ” He broke off, ling blueness of her eyes. Her face
and walked to the far side of the was just as pale as the night be-
room, his whole body trembling — fore, but her eyes were clear. As
“You’re not being reasonable,” he she sat down, a trifle uneasily, as
broke out hotly. “You’ve got to though she couldn’t quite make up
 ”” ” ” ”

74 IMAGINATION
her mind whether she should have somewhere he could find a place
come or not, she looked like one for me there, loves me,
too. He
of those perfect, exquisite pink- I’m sure of —but
I’m only part
it

and-white china dolls. I sat down of his world, just one tiny little
opposite, and offered her a smoke; facet —
she accepted, and took a small puff I snuffed out my smoke, and
with nervous fingers. “I don’t know looked over at her. “And you?” I
why I’m here,” she said, finally. said. “What about your world?”
“Oh, Ben, I just don’t know what Her voice was very low. “Bart’s
to do — my world. All of it. Nothing else
“Bart?” really makes much difference to
She nodded. “I didn’t react so me.
well last night, I guess — I felt a little chill run up my
“No,” I said. “I guess you did- back. “Which means?”
n’t.” “I want to marry- him anyway.
“But I didn’t know what to Even if he goes, I want to marry
say. It wouldn’t have been right him.”
to have pretended to be happy I up and walked across
stood
about it.” the room, my mind racing. “Are
I sighed. “That’s true. There’s you here for advice, or did you
no good in pretending — not at just come to tell me this?”
this point.” “Oh, Ben, I don’t know! I can’t
“But this was the first I rea- think, I don’t know what to do. Do
lized he was really serious, Ben. you think it could work, Ben?
Oh, you know how he talks.” She Somehow, could we make it work?”
stared at her cigarette for a long looked at her for a moment.
moment. “He’s wonderful, Ben — I

“I don’t know. I haven’t got the

she said softly. “You know that, sort ofmind Bart has, or the sort
I think — of makeup. I actually don’t know
“He’s the most wonderful guy what makes him go, Marnv. But
alive.” I know that there’s a fundamental
She looked up at me gratefully. difference between us. Me, I’m not
“I think you mean that. I’ve known anxious to go anyplace. Give me
it — ever since our first dare. He a quiet, middle-class practice, and
brought me into a new world, a a home, and a wife, and a family,
completely new, wonderful, exciting and I’ll never want any more. Give
world. I kept fooling myself that the same to Bart and he’d die.
I could be part of it, I guess, that Ever since I’ve known him his eyes
 ” ”

HEIR APPARENT 75

have been on the stars. Can you in from the hospital. He was lying
understand that, Marny? That’s on the couch when I closed the
his life, everything that he wants. door. His shirt was open at the
He’s been aiming at the stars since neck, and he didn’t even move as
he was a kid, studying, working, I hung up my jacket in the closet.
getting into Rocket engineering, Then he said: “Hi, Ben. Been wait-
meeting people, talking all with — ing for you.”
one idea. To get into space, to go “Beer?”
places nobody has ever been. That’s He shook his head and sat up.
the kind of man Bart is. He’s a He looked like he’d been through
wanderer, a rover. Tie him down the dishwasher. There were grey
and he’d die.” I looked at her circles under his eyes, and he had-
closely. “You’ll kill him, Marny. n’t shaved for a couple of days.
No matter how much you try to But, worst of all was the look in
give in,it’ll be a losing game. It’ll his eyes — a look of bewilderment
always be a fight between you, and and torture I’d never seen there
going out on another trip. And before.
you’ll always lose. If you don’t, “You look like hell,” I said.
you’ll kill him. That’s all there is “I feel like hell.”
to it.” “Marny?”
There were tears in her eyes. He nodded, and lit a cigarette.
“What should I do, Ben?” After a puff or two he snubbed it

“Tie him down, and he’ll shrivel out in distaste. “Let’s get some
up and die. Turn him loose, and dinner,” he said. All the way down
nothing in the universe can stop to the diner he sat in the car with
him. Let him go, Marny. Com- his chin sunk in his chest. Finally
pletely. You can find another life he was facing me in a booth, and
down here, the sort of life you he couldn’t avoid my eyes any
need. But Bart could never find longer. “Marny and I had a talk
another life — last night.”
Her eyes were wide with pain “That’s nice,” I said. “What did
and sadness. “There’s no other wav, you decide?”
Ben?” “Oh, it was awful. Why can’t I
“If you love him, Marny, that’s keep my big yap shut once in a
the only thing you can do — while? I tried to reason with her,
Ben. And she was so damn calm
"DART was waiting for me, sev- and collected, and wouldn’t budge
eral nights later, when I got an inch, so I started losing my
 ” ”

76 IMAGINATION
temper, and then she really blew ing for keeps, and she isn’t even
up —
” He looked at me miserably. subtle about it.”

“She’s too good to lose, Ben. It “But what am I going to do?

doesn’t matter what it involves.” I’m in love with her, Ben.”
I looked up, wide-eyed. "What?” “Do you think she loves you?”
He couldn’t meet my eyes. “I’m “I —
I’m sure of it.”
not going. I’m mailing my resig- “But she won’t even try to un-
nation to Dillon tonight.” derstand your side! My god, Bart,
I just gaped at him. “Say that can’t you see what’s happening?
again, slower.” She’s selfish, Bart. Just plain sel-
“It’s no go, Ben. I’m staying fish.She wants you, and she wants
home.” you on her own terms. There won’t
“So you can marry that girl?” be any compromise. Turn in that
He nodded silently''. resignation, and you’re sunk —
“So that’s it,” I said disgusted- Anger lit in his eyes then. “It’s
ly. “The kitty cat has really shown not selfishness,” he said doggedly.
her claws. What are you, a puppet “Then what do you call it? Has
or something?” she even listened to you? Has she
“Aw, now Ben — given even one little minute’s con-
“You silly fool. So it’s stay home, sideration to how you feel?” I set
or else no Marny, is it? You mean down my coffee cup in disgust.
to tell me she had the gall to put “Marny is a woman,” I said slow-
it just like that? And you’re swal- ly. “To women, a husband and a
lowing it, like the world’s prize home are the end of existence. Oh,
”
sucker! there are other things, sure, but
He looked up puzzled. “I — I basically,a woman wants a hus-
just decided not to go, Ben. May- band, and somewhere, deep in her
be after we’re married she’ll see mind she has a picture of the vine-
things differently, but it just does- covered cottage in the country and
n’t figure any other way.” all the rest of the bilge that goes
I snorted. “It figures like a Hol- with it. Where does a space-man
lywood production. Straight down fit into that picture? He doesn’t.
the line. Get the brains to working, So there won’t be any space-man.
Bart! Do you really think she’s go- Do you think she really loves you,
ing to marry you and let you go? Bart? If she did, would she try
Like so much baloney! What wo- to keep you here?”
man wants to be a space-widow? “But I love her, Ben —
She’s not so dumb, Bart. She’s play- “And she’ll tear your heart out
 HEIR APPARENT 77

for it! You don’t belong down here, too, that hadn’t been there before.
Bart. You belong with Dillon. You Call it pain, if you want, or disap-
have the mind, the build, the po- pointment. “I’ll have to think, Ben.
tential that Dillon needs. Think of I’ll just have to think. But thanks
it!Out of all the thousands who for making me think.”
want to go to space, you have the I drained my cup, and sat back
chance. You’ll get to Mars, you’ll with a sigh, and felt the music sing
work to open the frontier, on Mars, through me. I knew the answer,
on Venus —
we’re on the edge of
-
now. “You won’t be sorry,” I said.
the greatest era of exploration and
discovery the earth has ever known, 'T'HE rest of the story is history,
Bart. We have the ships to take of Probably he never
course.
us to our own planets now, we need fully realized the part I had played
only the men with courage and in his decision. Possibly he would-
strength enough to leave their n’t have cared. He went through
homes and go. And with the new Dillon’s screening at the top of the
work on induced warp that Dillon’s list,and shipped on the little ex-
laboratories have been doing, it may Dream, and
ploratory ship Dillon’s
not be long before we can go headed out for Mars, with a little
farther than our system — on to crew around him, driving into the
the stars.You belong out there, blackness of space as though he
Bart — you don’t belong anywhere, couldn’t leave too soon. The land-
else. And against a challenge like ing was good, and the work be-
that, no woman is worth it. Men gan. What he did there everybody
likeyou can’t stay, Bart.” knows, the gruelling, dangerous
And then I saw the old light work of opening the frontier, of
coming back into his eyes, the light exploring and mapping. Every child
I knew I would see, the light that today has seen the pictures he made,
always appeared in his eyes when and sent back, working on Mars
be talked about the stars. I knew until the first wave of colonists
the key was turned now, that he •tame, and then he was on his way
could never change, that he knew again, to Venus, working in the
he had to go. “There’s no end to dust and horrible wind to open it
the possibilities,”
he said softly. up for observation and study, work-
“There’s simply no end.” ing with a frenzied vitality, a fierce
He set down his coffee cup, and urgent unity of purpose that turn-
the light was still in his eves. But ed into legend around him as his
there was something else in his eyes, crews came back. The staggering
 —
78 IMAGINATION
courage of the man, the fearless- had dreamed of but never before
ness, the eagerness to be first, to seen, jumping for the stars
push farther and farther into the He didn’t make it, of course. The
limitless challenge of interplane- ship was an impossible, audacious
tary exploration. Pictures came experiment, he didn’t really have a
back, messages came back, and chance. They brought him back,
later the colonists came back, tell- his body wrenched and broken from
ing tales of the man that grew and the shock, the little ship torn al-
expanded month after month. And most into ribbons. And from the
then, amazingly, the Dillon Warp wreckage they found the flaw, the
was perfected in the laboratory, vital information to make safe
and Bart Witton was the first to Warp passage possible. They
•petition for a ship, waiting eagerly brought body back to Star-
his
for word from the home offices that jump Station, and placed it with
he could command the first ship reverence in the pitted little ship
to make The world
a star-jump. with which he had started his fab-
listened,and cheered, never quite ulous career. They knew that the
understanding why, with all the brilliant life was gone, like the last
fame, he never returned to the ashes of a dying nova. And they
planet from which he came, but at knew that he had lead the way to
every chance turned his back on the greatest era in the history of
quiet Earth, and his face .toward Man —
the stormy stars — I knew the whole story, of course.
So the Star-jump Station went I knew the force *that drove him, I
up under his direction, the most knew why he never came home.
colossal task ever undertaken in I knew the truth of the last night
space, prelude to another infinite- he had seen Marny, the bitterness
ly more colossal task, the estab- in his eyes and voice as he left.
lishment of a Warp receiver big I knew the depth of the love he
enough to handle a ship. Bart was had carried with him to the stars,
the man the eyes of the world were and the horrible dread he held in
watching when he closed the last his heart of ever again coming back
port on the new little ship, waved to the earth he left, the dread of
a rakish farewell to the engineers ever again seeing the girl he had
and friends crowded near the ship, loved. I knewdepth of that
the
and then, with a burst of brilliant personal battle that drove him clos-
purple, threw in the Warp, and er to the stars that were his, and
flashed into the hyperspace men ever away from the Earth which
 —
HEIR APPARENT 79

dealt him his greatest bitterness with the parking problems we’re
And the girl? Marny should be having with ’copters these days.
home very soon now. It’s getting She should be in any minute.
late, past 10:30, and the bridge- But then, it may be a while be-
club never lasts later than 10:00. fore she comes. Sometimes she
It’s been a quiet, comfortable eve- stops on the porch, and just stands
ning, without a call, but a storm there, staring up at the stars, if

is blowing up from the West, and
the kids are getting restless.
she’ll be home very soon, and go
upstairs to kiss the kids goodnight,
and be nice to lie in bed and
it’ll
listen to the thunder crack. Matter
of fact, I think I heard the garage
the night is clear. I’ve seen her,
But, standing there for almost an hour,
sometimes, just staring up at the
blackness with tears in her eyes.
But she always comes in, and I
never ask her what she’s been
thinking. I don’t think I’d want

doors slamming just a minute or to know.

two ago. She still prefers the three- And me? I never look at the
wheeler to the ’copter, particularly stars.
 COMBATMAN
Sf $oL WUi. 3).'avid

During colonizing operations a Combatman

was always in charge — in case of trouble. This
trip we really had some — a whole planet of it!

him was the male Homonorm and

A
of
S Oomputerman,
first to
freeze after
the Time-Warp.
come
we
I
o\it
was
of
kicked clear
So I
the
deep

left
the two female Homonorms. They
came out, too, as the lifts worked,
and pretty soon the cabin looked
the needles in my wrists —the tubes like a morgue—or a cannibal’s
let me reach Brain One —and start- shop, if you prefer. Anyway, they
ed punching data from the instru- were defrosting, so I left ’em to
ments while my fingers were still make a check on Brain One and
half stiff. Finally, stiff fingers or see what brilliant, if mechanical
not, I had
the data racked into
all conclusion it had reached. Should
the primary feed and decided to be at least an hour before Com-
check on the passengers. It amused —
batman thawed even with the
me somewhat to note that even needles pumping.
Brain One was strictly stalling Brain One was feeding out tape
for time when it came to figuring now, slow as a snail considering its
out where we were, and why. cycling rate, so I figured we were
There was much buzzing and click- a long way from home. Okay with
ing but no tape feeding out, yet. —
me I’d been around and knew
Well, let the Brain figure it out. that if we could get somewhere
I had other things to do. we could get back. But I want-
I strolled back to secondary ed, and wanted bad, the data from
freeze unit and checked Combat- Time-Warp gauges. So I watched
man. He was on top of the heap, the tape, decoding mentally as it
of course — as stiff as a fresh steak, fed out and feeling, for a Cornpu-
so I stuck the needles in his wrists terman, an emotion similar to im-
and switched to defrost. Automatic patience.
lift pulled him out and beneath We were approaching — the Brain
80
 —
82 IMAGINATION
told me —a type three planet, radi- had never found their homeland.
ations okay, atmosphere higher in None of them ever talked with
oxygen than home, gravity slight- humans except to nose in on our
ly lighter in pull than normal expeditions or break up our wars.
the same junk I’d been picking up This one was quite a specimen,
since we started colonizing. Land maybe six feet, about 180 pounds,
masses stable, water in the air, with the quiet and arrogant
semi-condensed. Good place for strength of his race. He took a
colonizing, and this pleased me. deep breath, still leaning on the
We were out to establish and door frame.
leave the Homonorms for a gener- “Get me some whiskey,” his
ation, and Brain One had figured voice was hoarse from disuse and
all the details out while I was sit- the Time-Warp, “and get it now.”
ting in freeze like a hamburger. “Now, see here,” I began, “I’m
So far, so good. computerman and in charge of
One annoyed, or puzzled
thing and
this ship ...”
me. I kept throwing data from
TV and Radar into Feed-back T DIDN’T finish. With .the quiet
and asking about population, life sureness of a jungle cat he
forms, land denizens. All Brain had crossed the room, taken a
One came up with was Insufficient handful of my tunic and lifted me
Data. All right. It would be just —
from the chair in spite of the
another routine landing on anoth- fact that gravity was nearly nor-
er distant planet. Then I heard mal now because of the landing
the noise behind me and turned. jets. His voice was almost vel-
Combatman stood in the doorway, vety.
his skin still bluish from the freeze, “Perhaps you didn’t hear me. I
his eyes just clearing and working will repeat once more.” He paused
into focus. while I considered striking him
looked him over while he stood
I and sensibly, changed my
then,
there, somewhat surprised if one — mind. “Get me some whiskey.”
can ever be surprised at what his Then he dropped me back into the
race did. He was hung with enough chair.
weapons to stop a division of Ho- I’m not Computerman for noth-
monorms and I wondered, as I al- ing, so I computed the situation in
ways did, at the origin of his race. maybe a 'thousandth of a second.
His .type came drifting
always No one could push me around, so
down from somewhere north, back to prevent being pushed around I
home, and all our radar and planes got him his whiskey. He knock-
 —
COMBATMAN 83

ed off about a half pint at a swal- rays. That had happened before,
low and in a few minutes his skin and usually meant a minor war.
it

lost its bluish tinge. He was We always won, though we some-

awake, and his quick eyes swept times had to dig in and send for the
the gauges and the TV-Radar im- Control Fleet from home. The
age. Fleet was run by Combatmen,
“When do we land?” He made .though no Homonorm had ever fig-
no attempt to be courteous. ured out how they eased into all
I checked Brain One’s tape, the key positions. They were
somewhat rattled. “Twenty-one quite a race, all right.
minutes, four seconds,” I started, So I sat watching the Radar-
resisting a strange impulse to say screen and the planet, enlarging
‘sir’, “Near water, fresh, altitude rapidly. It' looked pretty good

under one mile from ...” about a quarter to a third land

“That’s all,” he said. “Thanks.” —
mass, I guessed just like home.
He left the room like a cat, crouch- Combatman came back in the
ing slightly as he went through the room, quietly.
door, leaping through and back- “Your pap-fed colonists are wak-
ing against the wall, but fast, once ing,”he grunted. “Better go and
he cleared. His weapons, all of wet-nurse them. They might catch
them, were so skillfully hung that cold.” He sat down in the pilot’s
he didn’t make a sound. Some- chair, much to my annoyance, and
how, I enjoyed watching the play swilled away at his bottle. I no-
of those muscles and felt rather ticed he’d replaced the original
glad to have him along, rough crock, and felt a moment’s con-
as he was. Outlying planets often cern. After all, we depended for
have warlike combat organizations basic safety on his training, in the
of their own, and Combatmen event of encountering hostility.
have saved many expeditions like He seemed utterly unconcerned as
this. Something in their nature, he lazily watched the screen.
or training— or both —seems to
make them invincible.
I turned back to Brain One,
checked the wiring on the denizen
THE
about
HomonormS were doing
complaining as usual
right,
cold and asking silly
the
all

circuit and tried to get more in-
formation about possible inhabi-
tants. No luck. Either there were
none or they were so highly
they could block off our probing
questions about where we were and
what year it was or would be at—
home. I ducked the questions,
civilized gave them their hypos and went
back to Brain One and the con-
 ”

84 IMAGINATION
trol panel. One look at controls and helped the Homonorms find
and I started boiling; this was food and the simple plasticlothes
the last straw. they'd be wearing. The ship
“Now, goddamit,” I started, lurched suddenly as it changed
“you can boss me around, but course at twenty miles and started
when it comes ” circling. Even back here could
to . . . I
“Shut up!” hear Brain One clacking in pro-
“I will not shut up ... ” test Over the conflicting instruc-
“Okay.” He was calm, leisure- tions. That big funk of a fighting
ly, even —but before I realized it man, of course, hadn’t had sense
he was rising, crossed the room enough to punch Clear and Recom-
and I had an arm behind me. It pute when he changed course and
didn't hurt but I felt pretty help- I could see the tape in my mind’s

less. Completely helpless, to be eye pouring frantically out with

truthful. Data Please, Data Please . . .

“Could it be,” he appeared to be Oh, well.

bored, “That you are tired of hav- Homonorms were thawing okay
ing .two arms?” He twisted slight- but crying like babies from Time-
ly and I got the idea so I shut up, Warp sickness and space fright.
for the second time. After a few I expected this and let them cry it
seconds he sat down in my chair out. Meanwhile I got busy with
and had another drink. When I Sensory Receptors to see if any-
could talk without sputtering I thing we knew of could be block-
worked up my mildest voice. ing Brain One’s circuits. This lack
“Would you me,” I almost
tell of info about the denizens had me
choked on the next word, “Please, a little worried: it wasn’t often
what in hell is the idea of circling Brain One came up with a blank,
at twenty miles, then dropping to on any subject. It made me fur-
ten and circling some more? We’re iousto be working like mad here
wasting tons of fuel which we may while that big oaf lounged in my
need for — chair slopping up a year’s supply
“Sure, brainy one, I’ll tell you. of stimulant. Defending the ship
I want to see what this place looks was his job; he should be .trying to
like and I’m picking the landing find out what was doing below us.
site. No.t you or that pile of rat- Instead, he sat around watching
tling tin there.” He gestured con- Radarscreen just like he was
temputously at Brain One. watching the fights his race staged
“Pile of tinl ” I couldn’t say back home for amusement.
more so I went back to the rear The ship lurched violently. Then
 COMBATMAN »5
it lurched again. I started for- my nose.
ward, worried, but the tailjets “And turn off this tin god of
blasted and I slammed against a yours,” he continued. “That clack-
wall, pinned tight. The pressure ing racket annoys me.” Casually,
cut wind and I fainted. My
my he kicked the part of Brain One
last recollection was the smell of nearest him, which was the back
scorching duralumin. We’d been of Wiring Panel Six.
hit, by something. “Oh, no...” I began. But I
did as I was told and ran Brain
TT7'HEN I revived, we were One through three clearing cycles,
^ back at Gravnorm and I stag-
*
just to make sure. There was no
gered, literally, back to control. telling what this lummox may have
My nose was
still bleeding, and done in my absence. Now I'd
the Homonorms, of course, were have to check everything and feed
still unconscious. Combatman sat in the information all over again.
comfortably in my padded chair,
Combatman leaned back in the
almost dreamily watching the
chair like he expected dental work,
screen. I felt a surge of anger,
and yawned luxuriously. He watch-
then realized I was too feeble to
ed as the screen blurred and fo-
support such an emotion. Remem-
cused, blurred and focused. It
bering my Psycho training I redi-
was sweeping at two miles and the
rected to curiosity. We dropped
ship was slowing.
“What ...” my voice sounded tail down and Grav changed faster
pretty shaky and Combatman than the interior hull moved. Fin-
handed me the bottle, grinning. ally we settled, and coasted above
“Quite a race down there,” he this planet.
seemed pleased. Then he spat, ex- The ship lurched, twice this
pertly, the result landing on the time almost simultaneously. Then
Radarscreen. “Can you work it lurched steadily. Combatman
that .thing?” threw the All Screens switch and
“Of course,” I muttered, half- watched the Radar. By now, he
insulted. was tense.
“Okay. We’re at a hundred “At a hundred miles ...” he
miles. Get that in focus as of two muttered. “What a race this is!”
miles, slow the ship and prepare He watched the screen with eyes
to hold stationary when I see what that reminded me more of a cat’s
I want to know.” than a human’s.
Weakly I fumbled with the con- “Stop!”
trols, sniffling back the blood from From habit I threw the master
 —
86 IMAGINATION
Out Switch and everything stop- set up for return. Do it now.”
ped —our
motion coordinated pre- Stunned, I went rearward and
with the planet’s, the Ra-
cisely told the people. They didn’t like
dar focused where it had been the idea very much, but regula-
and I got slammed against a wall tions said that when the ship was
again, of course. Well — I might attacked, Combatman was absolute
as well get used to it. When my boss. Then I returned. Combat-
eyes cleared I studied the image. man shot a glance at me and I
It was a rather crude city of con- nodded, then went to work on the
siderable size, though poorly, de- Control panel, reversing the whole
signed from the light, ventilation set up.
and transport angle. There was “When you finish I’ll get in
considerable movement, apparent- your ice box,” Combatman said.
ly ground vehicles of some sor.t. “And when you get out of Time-
Then I looked at Combatman. His Warp destroy that wiring. None
face was registering disbelief and of your ships is to come back
something resembling alarm here.”
though I’d never heard of any of I digested this slowly, wonder-
his race being really frightened. ing how to report to the council.
“Why no.t?” I ventured. “Per-
rT' HE ,
missile warning light haps with part of the Control
blinked frantically and the Fleet ...”
ship started lurching and pitching “The whole Control Fleet would-
again. Combatman turned to- n’t last two days on a desert of
ward me and his face was taut that world, Brainboy,” he said.
and urgent. His eyes misted faintly for a frac-
“How soon can you get In- tion of a second. “Those denizens,
to Time-Warp?” as you call them, are all mem-
—
“And and leave}” bers of my race, and this planet
“Right, and the sooner the bet- was my home—we called it Earth.”
ter.” He flipped the height con- He yawned and strode to the
trol and we moved, smoothly this rear and the freezer. At the por-
time, up away from the missiles tal he turned and grinned. “And
blasting outside our protective don’t ask me how we get back and
screen. “There’ll be no colonizing forth. I might get mad and have
done here.”
.”
my whole family drop over in- —
“But-but our orders were to . . laws and all.”
“No colonizing here. Put your I didn’t really understand him,
Homonorms back in the freezer and so went on with my wiring.
 {Electronic
< C^liemidts *
THE test-tube, the beaker and
the Bunsen Burner are becom-
ing old-hat in modern chemical lab-
other hand vaporizes the substance
and then weighs its components,
atom by atom, molecule by mole-
oratories— chemistry today is a —
cule and presents the results on
branch of electronics! Two instru- a strip of paper.
ments have come from physics, the These two tools are the chemical
spectrograph and the mass spectro- labs of the future. The companies
meter. Both of these tools are which manufacture them, cannot do
electronic marvels and they enable so rapidly enough, so acceptable
chemists to analyze complex sub- are they in modem science. Scien-
stances in a matter of minutes in- tists now envision the near future
—
stead of hours and days and with when these miraculous analytical
superior accuracy. instruments will be hooked up di-
Companies which used to have rectly into the manufacturing
huge laboratories and hundreds of scheme, controlling the flow of ma-
chemists, now employ a few tech- terials, and making truly ro-
nicians and these versatile instru- bot, automatic chemical fac-
ments. A specimen to be analyzed tories. These events are only dec-
is placed in an electric arc; a —
ades away or less. To present a
minute later a chart is removed picture of fifty years hence would
which shows exactly what elements probably be difficult; it would be
were present. Spectroscopic an- so strange and radical that it’d bfe
alysis of the light did the job! hard to believe. The electronic
The mass spectrometer on the chemist is here!

"Now, you're all agreed on staying?"

87
 So Says The Master

afyanief 3 . (jaiouye

Eorthmen hod been conditioned to serve

their conquering masters; and yet Irola dared
to attempt an escape — with no place to hide!

A S the sun hid

the
of
ancient,
masonry that
itself

gutted
behind
towers
rose like tot-
tering skeletons, Irola, in a crouch,
beat at

the '‘arena,”
away.
her
side of the wall
ears from the other
had its origin in
only a stone’s throw
She had often heard of
ran behind what might have the horrors that were staged there
once been a brick wall. On the for the delight of the masters.
other side of the wall was one of She gasped.
the roads that had been built by In the center of .the lighted field,
the invaders— the “masters.” Be- surrounded by wildly gesturing
hind her was .the working quarters and cheering masters, two humans
which she shared with the other of Class Indeterminate were lock-
Class A females, women who were ed in deadly combat. One was a
intelligent but too small, too weak monstrosity with six arms and a
to offer physical resistance to the thorny tail. The other was a bar-
dictates of the conquerors. rel-chested, two headed nightmare
Ahead was a breach in the wall whose snarling lips exposed inch-
that might betray her flight. She long fangs.
paused, breathing heavily, and re- Stifling a scream of revulsion,
arranged the single garment which Irola trembled as her eyes turn-
covered her. Then she peered —
ed to the “prize” an inadequate-
cautiously around the jagged ly-dressed girl who sat in the dust
stones, carefulnot to let herself of the arena, leaning forward in
be seen in the masters’ artificial imbecilic pleasure, ear lobes hang-
light that reinforced the twilight. ing past her shoulders and legs
The activity whose sounds had sprouting claws instead of feet.

88
 t -

90 IMAGINATION
The two-headed ogre sank its mentality to see through the lies

fangs into his foe, evoking a scream she would tell to defeat his loy-
of torment. The deformed girl alty to .the invaders She would
. . .

laughed delightfully and the mas- need one powerful enough to ward
ters roared their approval. off the perils which must exist in
Irola darted across .the breach a forest that had known no human
and continued 'her flight. control for centuries.

There were worse lots than be-

longing to Class A and working in TT was dark now, but a full moon
the laboratories, she reassured her- provided ample light for Irola
self. But suddenly she stopped to survey the pens from conceal-
again, shaking with a new-found ment behind a boulder. She lis-
fright. She no longer belonged to tened inattentively .to the slug-
Class A! She had escaped . . .
gish conversation of the scores of
And the penalty for that crime Class C men huddled under the
—
was transfer to Class Indetermin- lean-to in the nearest enclosure.
ate .. . A half hour passed and still she
Could she return now? Could had not moved, nor had any of
she cover the evidences of her es- the males left their shelter. Cau-
cape and avert the penalty? tiously, she crawled forward, reach-

She looked across the ruins into ed out and grasped the wire fence,
.the dusk that was gathering over rattling it slightly. Perhaps one
the forest beyond. Somewhere out
of them would come to investigate
the noise.
there must be free humans, men
and women who had escaped the But none did. Was it a wise
heel of the conqueror from anoth- plan she wondered suddenly.
er world —
who had successfully re- Could she dare hope one of them
mained out of .the stock pens and would be tricked by her story?
who bore and reared their chil- Not that she couldn’t tell it con-
dren normally, not through the ar- vincingly. But it was possible
tificial insemination methods which they wouldn’t even give her a
insured selective breeding. chance to speak when they saw
She stiffened resolutely and she was a Class A woman outside
strode forward. Ahead was the of her area. Their loyalty was
Cla'ss C male pens
filled with
. . .
blind; their devo.tion to the con-
big men. Men who
were muscular querors infinite. The overlords
and stupid, like the masters want- had made them that way.
ed them. Surely there would be No. She couldn’t chance it.
none among .them with sufficient She would have to face the dan-
 SO SAYS THE MASTER 9i

gers of the forest alone. She “I come for the masters!” she
squirmed away from the enclos- said hastily, in a trembling voice.
ure. His mouth closed and his frown
Too late! etched itself deeper. She was tense
One of them had heard. He had as she rose before him.
left the lean-to and was cautiously “Masters?” he repeated sluggish-
approaching. A giant of a man — as ly, as though he had never heard

were all the C’s—he came

Class of them.
forward, broad shoulders sag-
his Could it be that the Class C
ging, head cocked attentively as males were less agile, mentally,
though he were an animal ferret- than she had suspected?
ing out a scent. He wore only a His frown disappeared. “The
single cloth around his loin. masters!” he said with final com-
Already Irola was closer than prehension. “They spoke with
she had ever been to a male of her you? You saw them up close ?
own race. They sent you to see . . . me?
Now he was at the fence, his The vocal anxiety erupted into
brute fingers entwined in the mesh. what Irola imagined was awe.
The face that peered through the “Yes,” she lowered her voice to
wire squares offered paradoxes. a whisper, hoping he wrnuld do the
There was the perplexed frown, same. “The master of the mas-
the constant idiotic expression. But terscame .to me and said, ‘Irola,
yet there seemed to be an intent- you must go and tell’ ...”
ness — an animal alertness —in the Her voice broke off abruptly.
dense features. She had tricked herself by start-
Terrified, she shrank before his ing to use his name when she did
huge physical proportions. He not know it!

"... Go ”
was at least a head and a half tall- and tell Ralen . . .

er than she and he must weigh he prompted, nodding his head

more than twice as much. eagerly.
His eyes searched the area out- “Yes, that’s right,” she affirm-
side the enclosure; studied the ed, assured now that she had over-
boulder ten feet away from her, estimated the Class C intellect.
swept over to the bush behind “They said I must find Ralen and
which she lay only half concealed. tell him to accompany me into the

Then he saw her and stiffened, forest: to protect me so I can bring

his mouth falling open as he drew a message to the next city.”

in a deep draught of air for a Bewilderment returned to his
shout. face.
92 IMAGINATION
“They want you to help me get mesh. Wire after wire snapped
to the next settlement of the mas- until the fence was ripped almost
ters . . . The masters here are in in two. Then he stepped through
danger!” the gap.
He
tightened his grip on the “We will go,” he said in a steady
fence and the mesh strained and voice .that showed no sign of ex-
stretched under the force. Two ertion.
strands of wire snapped with a Boldly, he leaped over a slab
plunk. “Earthmen want to hur.t of concrete and strode off. She
the masters?” he demanded. followed. Ahead, the forest, damp
“No . . . the bad masters. There in its nightly blanket of dew, glis-
are bad masters here who want to tened enchantingly under the ris-
steal the .Earthmen and kill the ing moon.
good masters ” 1

A low, deep noise sounded in his (4VX7E must rest, Ralen 1” Iro-
throat. It was almost like a growl ’ ’ ola called to the tireless
“The bad masters are trying to man who strode some forty paces
grab the good ones and punish ahead of her. “I can’t go any
them,” she continued. “If they fartherl”
try to tell masters in other cities
She dropped to the still damp
of their plight, the evil ones will
forest floor. A shaft of sunlight
take over right away. Even if
found its way through .the foli-
one of the good masters tries to
age and encircled her figure like
leave to deliver the message, the
the big spotlights the invaders
bad ones will know something has used to inspect the Class A pens
gone wrong and will strike without drew her attention to
at night. It
waiting.”
the sky and she realized they had
Irola watched his eyes narrow been traveling due west.
and his muscles tighten. “The good They had started out the pre-
masters,” he muttered remorse-
vious night with her leading on
fully. “The good masters are in a southwestward course. But he
”
danger!
had taken over the lead and had
“But we can help them,” she of- veered to the right. She started
fered quickly.“They have picked to call his attention to the change
you and me to take the message in direction. But what difference
. .Will you go?”
.
did it make? If there were free
Ralen grunted and his biceps humans out here, it was just as
expanded as he forced apart his likely that they would be west as
hands, still entwined in the wire southwest.
 SO SAYS THE MASTER 93

He had retraced the distance be- Cautiously, her hand went to

tween them and now stood tower- the hem of her garment, fingered
ing over her. “We must hurry. the double material ... it was still

We must help .the masters.” there. Reassuringly, she felt the

“We have time.” Irola sighed hidden case that held the single
off the dimishing effects of rapid needle, its tip stained with the
breathing. “It may take days to deadly poison .that the conquerors
reach the next city.” used to destroy the useless mu-
“But the masters are in dan- tants.
”
ger! It would require but a single
Wasn’t he capable of ever for- scratch of his skin —when the time
getting about the invaders? “We came. She had stolen .the needle
must go slowly, carefully, so we and treatedit in the laboratory to

will be sure to get there ... so be used on him should they actu-
said the masters.” ally find free humans.
“But ...” Abruptly, she wondered whether
“The master’s orders I” she cut she would be able .to kill him. He

him short. was huge and tall, but not gro-

He dropped on the ground be- tesquely so, as she had imagined
side her and lay on his back, his all Class C males were. She re-
hands cupped beneath his head. membered the folklore passed on
Suddenly apprehensive, she eased to her in her childhood — the .tales

away. The power that was in that of pre-invasion days. By the stan-
chest .that bulged like the gnarled dards of the pre-overlords period,
root beneath her! In the huge perhaps Ralen would be consider-
arms! She imagined that he could ed .. would “pretty” be the cor-
.

crush her skull with but a casual rect word? she wondered.

blow of his rock-like fist. Irola was aware his eyes were
Irola closed her eyes and shud-
.
upon her. Awkwardly, she stared
dered. She had not been wise. She back at him, .then turned away.
had not thought the plan out to She tried to fathom his expression.
its conclusion. Thus far, she had The oafish frown was no longer
succeeded. But eventually suspi- there. Nor was he smiling not —
cion would well in his fogged mind exactly.
when he realized they were not Almost fearfully, she rose and
arriving at another city. She would walked off. Still his eyes followed
have to admit they were lost. And her, strange in their inscrutable in-
only she would be there to feel tentness, suggestive of a hidden
the brunt of his anger. mental attitude which she could
94 IMAGINATION
not understand. She sighed and withdrew her
She gasped and hurried her hand from .the lump in her gar-
steps as he rose and followed. Now ment. As long as the mentioning
she was remembering the folklore of the word- “masters” held its
again. There was a time when hypnotic compulsion she need not
males and females lived together, use her weapon.
shared the same quarters even. Re-
lationship was on an entirely dif- OpHE forest was huge and fright-
ferent plane then. She wondered ening and Irola faced with
whether she could outrun him, increasing apprehension each step
but glanced at his corded mus- that took her deeper into the un-
cles and decided she could not. known sea whispering
of leaves
“Irola,” he called. and stately bark columns.
She puzzled over the sudden On few occasions .that she
the
friendliness in his voice. had viewed it from elevated levels
But there was a roaring noise in the invaders’ laboratories, it had
overhead and she looked up in appeared as a slender finger of
time to see one of the overlords’ suffused green that lay like a cor-
flying vehicles floating slowly by. ridor between .twin mountain
“The masters!” Ralen shouted. chains.Then, it had been inviting.
“The bad ones!” she cried But now it was depressing, omin-
alarmingly, darting into a bush. ous in its quiet.
He merely stood motionless. She It was near the end of the first
started to call out to him to hide,
day when .they came upon the
but saw that he was luckily hidden clearing that stretched like a broad
beneath the branches of a thick band across the valley, from
tree.
mountain to mountain. As always,
The vehicle and its noise disap- the silent Ralen was at least a
peared and Ralen walked up to score of paces ahead of her, his
help her from the bush. But he eyes shifting nervously from side
did not let go of her hand imme- to side to detect any unknown
diately. dangers that might lie .there.
“The masters ...” she remind- At the edge of the clearing, how-
ed uneasily. “We must get to the ever, he paused and she overtook
city.” him.
Again the blank expression was Wearily, she leaned panting
on his face. “We will go and de- against a tree. “We’ve got to stop,”
liver the message as the master she implored. “I can’t go any far-
says.” ther!”
 SO SAYS THE MASTER 95
He eyed her questioningly. “The the injection that had been known
masters. We cannot ...” to drive women crazy.
Irola bit her lips. Why hadn’t “You have been punished?” she
she thought of some other ruse? asked.
There were evidently no dangers He turned to expose the pencil-
in the forest, as she had suspect- mark scars on his back where en-
ed. Without him, her escape and ergy beams had raked the flesh.
search for other free humans would She had noticed them before.
have been simple . But still, she
. .
“But the masters did not burn
admitted, it was reassuring to me more than they had to,” he
know he was there should she need said defensively.“That was when
him. they put the female in our pen to
Resolutely, she squared her see what would happen.”
shoulders and stepped off into the She looked at him expectantly.
clearing.
“We tore her apart.” He shrug-
The guttural sound he made was
ged. “The masters were angry.
a warning. He seized her arm and
They saidwe should have waited
pulled her roughly back beneath
and killed her later.” Ralen look-
the trees. Then, motioning her to
ed at her imploringly. “But we
stay there, he advanced cautiously,
couldn’t think of anything else
searching the sky as he went.
to do .that would make them
A hundred yards out, he turned
laugh.”
slowly, scanning the entire sky.
With a returning pang of fear,
Then he beckoned. His pace was
she moved away from him and
slower and she was able to stay
dropped slightly behind. She won-
by his side as they pushed across
dered abruptly whether she could
.the expanse of ankle-deep vegeta-
hope to make him understand the
tion.
undistor.ted facts about the mas-
“Ralen,” she asked impulsively,
tired of his silence, “what is it like
ters and the humans —
the invasion.
Could she expect him to compre-
in your pen?”
hend that through generations .the
“It is nice. The masters let us Class C, males had been reduced
fight when we want to. And they to loyal beasts? That through
beat us with their whips of light Mendelian recombinations other
only when we need it.” specialized classes of humans had
Punishment for the Class A been bred, such as her own which
workers was more subtle, but were intended .to assume quasi-
probably just as effective. Irola intellectual duties?
remembered her two sessions with Despondently, she shook her
 96 IMAGINATION
head. It was hopeless.
. Even the started to tell him as much. But
capacity to understand had been then she realized she had handed
bred out and his only reaction to him a mandate from the “good
her exposure of the “beloved mas- masters” to protect her.
ters” would be a murderous at- The lead vehicle, screeching its

tack as he realized he had been vengeance as it flayed the air in

tricked. near supersonic flight, broke out
over the edge of the trees and
AT'HEY were almost half way bore down upon them. Lances of
across the clearing when he white light-fire etched criss-cross
stopped and stiffened, holding *ip lines on the ground on either side
a hand in a gesture demanding si- of them. Then the craft was but a
lence. dot on the opposite horizon as it

Frantically, he
searched the streakedtoward the setting sun
horizon . . . and growled. and began its banked turn.
She saw them too the three — The second vehicle followed,
black specks that grew larger with wallowing in the tortured air that
alarming speed, advancing from was .the wake of the first. Again
their rear. there were loud blasts as the pen-

Crying out, she started to race cil flames groped ruthlessly for
back for the safety of the forest. their fleeing forms.

But suddenly she was swept off She heard Ralen’s grunt of pain
her feet and found herself hanging and felt him falter. But he stead-
across massive shoulder,
his the ied himself and ran on while the
bulging muscle jogging into her .third craft spewed its intended tor-

abdomen as he raced toward safe- ture and death about them.

ty much swifter than her own legs Irola screamed as one of the
would have carried her. white hot knives of light slashed
The first vehicle had become a across the soft flesh of her calves.
well-defined object silhouetted Another raked her thigh. She
against high clouds and they were closed her eyes and fought the
still an infinity away from the agony, warding off a faint.
refuge of the trees. When she opened her eyes again,
They could not make it. they were back in the forest and
“Let me down!” She beat Ralen was lowering her to the
against his back with her small ground. The sounds of the air-
fists. borne overlord crafts were darting
only he would release her he
If sibilances.
might be able to save himself. She She looked up at Ralen. There
 SO SAYS THE MASTER 97

were three streaks of seared flesh a reassuring distance between them.

across his chest and one on each But the impulse was lost in the
of his thighs. fatigue that gnawed at her en-
“Hurt?” he asked. tire body.
She had not expected that much She must have dozed. When
compassion of him. She nodded. she was conscious of being awake
He .turned to behind
the tree a few moments later, she realized
him and scraped bark from it with her head was resting on his re-
his nails, stuffing the flakes into laxed arm. She sighed content-
hismouth. Irola forgot her pain edly and was soon fully asleep.
as she puzzled over his odd be-
havior. A SOOTHING, rocking motion
Standing before her, he chewed accompanied her awakening.
the bark for perhaps three min- She stiffened. But an arm tight-
utes before he spat the mouthful ened under her thighs and another
into his hand. Then he gripped under her back. He was walking
her ankle with surprising- tender- with her in his arms. Her eyelids
ness as he spread the pulp evenly snapped open and she looked up,
over her burns. squinting in the darkness .to dis-
Almost immediately the sting cern features of a face that stared
was gone. Frowning in her failure sternly ahead.
to understand the origin of his They had crossed the clearing,
primitive knowledge of medical
she surmised, and were well into
application, she watched him treat
the forest on the other side. A
his own wounds.
star-filled sky lay overhead beyond
“It is almost dark,” he said, From
the half-concealing foliage.
tossing away the rest of the brown the east, the moon’s rays were
paste. “We will cross the clear-
slicing down through openings in
ing then.” umbrella of leaves to flicker
the
Why, she wondered, did they against Ralen’s swaying face, ac-
have to cross? centuating the lines of his puz-
“You said the other city was zling frown.
over there.” He pointed westward. Idioticexpression? She won-
She had said so, she remember- dered. Or did something else lie
ed, earlier during the day. Ex- deep underneath. Was there a
hausted, she fell back on the basic intelligence —
perhaps of a
ground. He dropped down beside type different from hers which —
her and lay looking up at the sky. she could not comprehend? Had
She wanted to move away —place something been bred out of her,
 a

98 IMAGINATION
too, that robbed her and the other hung from the band of his loin-
Class A’s of the ability to under- cloth; held it up in front of him.
stand the Class C’s? Perhaps to In the moonlight she saw that it
him she appeared as stupid. was a small, dead creature . . .

But she dismissed the perplexing meat. But she had never eaten
.thoughts and let her cheek drop raw animal flesh before! The idea
back against his biceps. As he was revolting and she started to

walked through a patch of moon- protest.

light, he looked down at her and “We will build a fire and roast
smiled. it,” he explained, “as soon as we
find a place where the light won’t
It was
not a personal smile,
shine up into .the sky.”
however, she realized. Actually his
single interest in her was provid-
Not far ahead they found it —
deep ravine with overhanging
ing the protection that the masters
ledges and concealed from the sky
had indicated. For a moment she
by a lush growth of vegetation.
had started to visualize not find-
ing free humans in the forest. She Then, as she huddled in a crevice
had even been bold enough to im- in the rocks tokeep warm, he knelt
agine she might convert this man. with two sticks in his hands. His
Then eventually there would be a behavior was perplexing, but she
race of people free from the wrath knew she must disregard it, be-
of the conquerors. cause she could never hope to un-
But the situation was an im- derstand anyone from the Class C
possible one. The moment he male pens. So she closed her eyes
learned she actually did not want and dozed.
to reach another city but had But when Irola awoke, there was
tricked him, he would turn on her a blazing fire where Ralen had
hatefullyand destroy her as the rubbed the sticks and the aroma
males of his pen had destroyed .the which was wafted to her nostrils
female who had been sacrificed for was one of roasting meat.
the delight of the overlords. While they ate in silence she
“Hungry?” Ralen asked sud- considered the unanticipated abil-
denly. ities he was showing. There was
She realized that she was al- — his alertness to guard against be-
most desperately so. ing detected as they entered the
She nodded. “But there is noth- clearing; his familiarity with prim-
ing we can eat.” itive means of treating wounds; his
He placed her on the ground ability to capture prey, build a
and grasped a furry, limp form that fire.
 SO SAYS THE MASTER 99
Surely, through their induced ter of the ravine. Then he splash-
mutations, .the conquerors must ed water on the embers.
have produced in the Glass C The sound died away as the
males reversions to the primitive overlords’ craft went out of range
—
type beasts who were but cave in the other direction. But the
men endowed with vocal faculties. fact that they may have been dis-
But was it possible that the build- covered made little impression on
ing of a fire could be the expres- Irola.
sion of an instinct? She wished Her hand still fumbled at the
she knew more about instincts. •hem of her garment. Where the
With his unexpected knowledge case with its deadly needle had
of primitive survival means, it been concealed was only a rip in
was very likely that he could the material.
maintain an existence in the for-
Horrified, she ran her hands
est for both of them.
over the ground in front of her.
“Ralen,” she called impulsively,
But finally the conviction became
having arrived at her decision.
“What would you do if I .told you
positive —she no longer had even
the meager advantage of the wea-
there were no evil masters; that
pon over him now!
they were all —good? Suppose I
you a
said I just told lie to make A GAIN Irola purposely lagged
you desert them?”
behind as he cautiously pick-
Hedropped the portion of meat ed his way through the woods the
which he had been eating and next day. Rays of the sun pierced
sprang up, fists clenched. His face the forest almost perpendicularly,
was a threatening mask of realiza- but the dense growth excluded the
tion and hate as he stepped .toward
midday heat.
her. Frantically, her hand shot
The random course which he
down to the hem of her garment.
was was beginning to
following
But he stopped and laughed. lead upward now along the gently
“I know!” he exclaimed jubilantly.
sloping face of a mountain that
“You’re just testing me! You want
had been on their right. And she
to see if I’m loyal to the masters!”
fought the incline with exagger-
A roaring sound abruptly filled ated effort, creating the impression
the night air above the crackling* that her. sluggishness was unavoid-
of the fire. able. Perhaps if she stayed far
Ralen whirled and used a stone enough behind she would find her
to push .the burning branches into chance .to escape.
the stream that flowed in the cen- But never did he allow himself
IOO IMAGINATION
to draw too far ahead. And always There were furiously gesturing
was he glancing back to see whether overlords,armed with the light-
she was still in sight. whip guns, as she had expected.
Sighing, she paused to rest at But there were humans too . . .

a spot where .the incline was par- Class Indeterminates!

ticularly steep. He stopped too, a Terrorized, she turned to look at
hundred paces ahead, and sat look- Ralen. His arm was in motion in
ing in her direction. front him, gesturing .to her to
of
conceal herself Or, was it a
Did he know she was trying to . . .

get away from him? Could he sus- signal intended for her? As she
ducked behind a ridge, she won-
pect she was falling behind only so
dered whether he might not have
.that she could dart off and lose
been trying to attract the atten-
herself in the immensity of the
tion of the overlords. After all,
forest?
he had stopped when she saw him
Suddenly he was on his feet,
and it almost seemed that he had
his eyes strained with concern as
flustered.
he glanced back down into the
valley from which they had come.
She glanced back at him. He
was motionless, cautiously watch-
She turned and followed his
ing the activity in the field . . .

riveted stare.
Air vehicles of the conquerors 1
Now was her chance—while his
eyes were not upon her!
But they weren’t headed in her
direction. Instead, the four crafts Slowly, in order to make no
—much larger than the ones which noise,
the ridge,
she worked her way along
out of his line of sight.
had chased them on the previous
day- —circled over the clearing in Then she paused briefly to look

which the attack had occurred. back into the clearing.

Then like vultures coming to Two
masters were leading six

rest, .they glided down to the level, Indeterminates into the woods,
open surface, three of them land- in their direction. A shudder of
ing at the forest’s fringe on the revulsion raced .through her as she
far side and one stopping close to squinted to discern the impossible
the spot where she and Ralen had forms of the creatures whose an-
entered the woods after crossing cestors, presumably, were human.
the clearing. There was one of the six-armed
As though on signal, the four monsters, all powerful appendages
vehicles spilled out their occupants writhing, flailing the air expectant-
simultaneously. ly, anxious to exert its restrained
Irola gasped. energy in a manner pleasing to the
 SO SAYS THE MASTER IOI

masters. up only to run on again until ex-

Another monstrosity hugged the haustion was a searing flame in
ground, speeding forward on four her breast.
legs. It had no arms, but even But she must not stop!
from the great distance Irola Once she paused to gulp water
could make out the grotesque fea- from an :
cv stream and dash the
tures of its, face — ’the huge nose, cooling liquid on her face and
its great nostrils flaring out trum- across her shoulders. Then she
pet-like as it skimmed over the splashed across the brook and
ground to pick up .the spoor of the tripped and fell on the other side.
prey. As she rose laboriously, she
Waiting to see no more of the wondered what would happen to
biological travesties, she whirled Ralen if he were caught. Perhaps
and dashed into the thick growth. he was not in as much danger as
It was better this way not only — she thought. If they questioned
was she removing herself from Ra- him before allowing the pack to at-
len’s inevitable attack of instinct, tack him, they would learn he had
for which he could not be held ac- not been disloyal. In .the simplic-

countable, but she was also per- ity of his defense, he would be
haps providing for her own sur- believed.
vival . Under no circumstances
. . Maybe it was better that she
could she be with this Class C man had left him — better for him. If
should they be overtaken! If the they were overtaken together, Ra-
animal pack were not loosed upon len would feel compelled to pro-
her to tear her apart, she would tect her, as' required by his dic-
surely fall before Ralen’s wrath tate from the “good master,” and
when he learned she had tricked would surrender his life to the
him into disloyalty! false cause.

Ever upward she ran, at times

T TER flight took her down having to claw her way from root
* -* through a deep, dark gorge to root in areas where the incline
and up again to a higher elevation was too steep to maintain her foot-
where she perspired under the ing.
heat of the sun in a relatively After a while the ground leveled
cleared area. somewhat and she was able to in-
Then she was in deep shadows crease her speed. It was then that
once more, racing between the she noticed the sky darkening and
trunks of huge trees, tripping over streaks of Lightning were play-
exposed roots and picking herself ing across the crest of mountains
102 IMAGINATION
on the other side of the valley. PEECHLESS, she stared .ter-

Hope surged and her lips moved S ror-stricken, waiting for his
in a prayer. The storm was ad- vengeful reaction to her attempted
vancing and the rain would de- escape.
stroy any evidence that could lead He turned. “That was good.
the pack along her trail! Already I did not know you could run so
.the small black clouds that herald- fast. We have come far from them
ed its approach were growing in now.”
size as they moved overhead to- She regarded him misgivingly,
ward the mountain tops in front suspicion beating down her fear.
of her. Was he trying to create the im-
A
low rumble of thunder growl- pression he thought her dash for
ed in the distance and was echoed freedom was but part of their
against a nearby peak. A drop of flight? Or was he actually dull-
rain found its way down through witted enough not to notice she
the leaves and splattered on her had been trying to get away?
shoulder. The rain that had started to
Her body became limp as she tinkle musically against waxen
realized the extent of her exhaus- leaves was no longer. She
falling
tion and she dropped to the ground searched the sky and was not quite
•beside another small stream, lying sure the storm would sweep over
on her chest and sucking
fuls of water to cool her
in mouth-
seared
their immediate area —
perhaps no.t
even over any of the section be-
throat. tween them and their pursuers.
Now she could allow herself a Their trail would not be obliterated
moment’s rest. But her fatigue after all. With that conviction,
was overpowering and she felt a she was once more gripped with
sleep of exhaustion beginning to the urgency of flight.
seize a paralyzing grip on her. Ignoring his presence, Irola rose
Desperately, she tried to fight it
and started up the mountain. But
off. But tortured muscles offered before she had gone ten steps, she
no resistance. felt his stout hand clamp down on

Abruptly there was a splashing her shoulder.

and water from the stream spray- Repressing a scream, she lurch-
ed over her again. She regained ed to tear herself free. But he lift-
full consciousness with a start. ed her into his arms. Then he was
Ralen knelt by the side of the trotting against the current in
stream scooping water into his the center of the stream.
mouth with cupped hands! Why hadn’t she thought of that?
 SO SAYS THE MASTER 103

She could have used any one of the not stop. We will continue until
numerous streams over which she we reach the city.”
had leaped as a means of conceal- But Irola ducked under the
ing her escape trail. Why was it ledge and shivered as she gained
that again the intelligence of a relief from the chilling current of
Class A woman had seemed to air that swept through the gorge.
how before .the unexpected intui- “We must rest here, Ralen.”
tive knowledge of a savage? She turned to explore the recess.
At least, she realized, his pres- It extended farther into the face
ent action was in one respect of the cliff than she thought!
proof that he had not been trying “Even the bad masters should
tif

to signal .the masters from his hill- come this way they will pass us
side position. He would not try to without realizing it.”

attract them one minute, then “We continue to the city!” He

evade them the next. caught her arm in a strong grip.
Farther upstream, they reached She could go no farther. Two
a fork and he selected the right- nights without sleep. Two days
hand brook, but slowed his pace of running. Only a handful of
as the incline steepened and the food. Couldn’t he realize that she
rocky bed become more treacher- was vastly inferior, physically, to
ous. him?
After they passed two more Mustering her courage, she faced
forks in the erratic system of con- him bravely. “You will listen to
verging rivulets, the sky darkened me, Ralen.” The words were as
once more and lightning flashed to stern as could make them.
she
the accompaniment of roaring
“You must do what I tell you. The
thunder that shook the forest.
master said so. We will rest so
Then the rain came. But they that I can deliver .the message.”
received a temporary reprieve
There was confusion on his face
from a drenching as they followed as lines of fatigue fought another
the stream through a deep gorge.
expression which she could not un-
Irola .tightened her grip on his derstand. For a moment it seemed
shoulder and pointed. “There. We the fatigue was going to win and
can stop until the storm is over.” he would fall in exhaustion on the
She directed his gaze to a recess pebble strewn floor of the recess.
in the wall of the gorge. But his features were strengthen-
He stopped and put her down in ed again from an inner energy and
the stream beside him. His ex- he stood looking appraisingly at
pression was a protest. “We will her, an inscrutable smile beginning
 !

104 IMAGINATION
to form at the corners of his IT EEP going, Irola! the voice
mouth. within commanded. Don’t
Alarmed, she backed away. She stop to rest! You’ll never awaken
was beginning to realize the sig- Her legs were numb, throbbing
nificance of the smile now. He stumps and the fire in her throat
advanced. But even in his bestial was a volcano as she stumbled on
disposition he had not the presence through the forest — through the
of mind to block off the entrance night.

to the recess in his approach. There was so much she had to

Her eyes filled with terror, she run from! There were the masters
started to lunge for the exit. But and their hateful slave culture,
how far could she run? Would and the monstrosities which they
her numb legs take her even as bred to hunt down and destroy
far as the stream? anyone permitted intelligence who
He was almost upon her. tried to escape. And, if her life
were spared, there was .the equal-
“The master!” she shouted.
ly horrifying future of existence in
“The master said you must pro-
Class Indeterminate.
tect me! He will be angry!”
But these were the fears she
His face relaxed. Was it a sur-
render to the almost magical
knew — the fears which she fled be-
cause she could not be more con-
phrases which she had invoked?
vinced of their horrors. It was the
Or was it submission to the inner
unknown fear that plagued her
weariness that he could not re-
most —the fear of Ralen. He could
sist?

Like a wounded giant, he low-

kill, or he could love — or he could
do both at the same time. Of all
ered himself to the ground and the monstrosities, this was the
dropped his head into the crook one that loomed most grotesquely.
of an arm. For a moment, he
A lingering drop that clung to
watched her.
the tip of a leaf long after the
She lay at the other end of the rain had stopped splashed upon
recess. But she desperately fought her arm. It startled her into the
the paralyzing sleep which was realization that she no was longer
trying to seize her in its unrelent- running; .that she had unconscious-
ing grip. She must stay awake! ly paused to lean gasping for '

She must be ready to push on as breath against the rough bark of

soon as he fell asleep. The words a tree.
had restrained him this time. But She went forward again —^this
would they the next? time in a staggering walk — for-
 SO SAYS THE MASTER 105

ward and upward, ever climbing. part whimper of eagerness.

Why was she going up? What It could be neither human nor
sire of compulsion was it that Class C individual who had made
was forcing her to flee uphill? the noise. An ember of frenzy
Long ago, she realized suddenly, flared against her spiritlessness and
she should have headed back down- she staggered onward, trying fu-
hill, on a course obliquely away tilelv to run.
from her pursuers. Why hadn’t She had covered perhaps a
she? What had clouded her rational quarter of a mile toward the other
processes to force her ever up- edge of .the valley before she tried
ward? to tell herself she had heard noth-
Unable to answer the questions, ing —
had only imagined that one
she forgot about them and con- of the scouting monstrosities was
tinued up the incline. Her mind overtaking her.
was blank for an indeterminate But even as she faltered, the
period, then she was aware that sound erupted again behind her.
her course was taking her across She whirled, arms partly upraised
level ground once more on an — in a feeble attempt at warding off
elevated valley between two white any charge that might be under
mountain peaks which glistened way. But there was none.
in the light of the low-hanging Less than a hundred yards off,
moon. however, she watched the motion
And
again she was conscious of of .tall grass betray the presence
only numbness where there should of ... of what?— Owe of the
have been thought. When the per- crawling monsters.
iod of near unconsciousness was Turning she stumbled, fell, pick-
over, it was dawn. ed herself up and stumbled again.
Now she was stumbling through Finally she regained her feet and
tall grass and thorny bushes and stood swaying dizzily. Where was
around large boulders. She col- she fleeing? Through dazed eyes,
lided with one of the rocks and she surveyed the landscape ahead,
realized she could go no farther. on either side . . . She was stum-
Clinging to .the slick, damp sur- bling into a .trap!
face for support, she felt herself Tall bounded the valley on
cliffs
slipping. three sides. The only exit was
But she stiffened abruptly. Be- the corridor through which she had
hind her there had been a noise 1 entered! She looked back toward
A low, human, or at least semi-hu- the forest which lay across its
man sound —part snort, part growl, mouth.
io6 IMAGINATION 1

And the growl-like guttural His smile was weak as he used

rumbled again. a trembling hand to brush tousled
She had not .the energy left for hair from his face. “I killed it,”
a scream as she turned to face he said simply.
her original line of flight . . . and Despite her state of near col-
pitched forward on her face. lapse, perplexity forced a frown
But even as she fell a final wave on her face. “I heard nothing.”
of terror washed over her . . . From He took her arm and lifted her
ahead, bearing down on her, hands up. “Let’s go.”
clawing the air in anticipation, He was tired. It was easy to see
came one of the six arm creatures! he, too, was fighting exhaustion.
“You found me again!” she
TROLA twisted to escape its in- muttered incredulously. “Twice
-* itial thrust. I lost you and twice you came di-

And, in doing so, she saw the rectly ...”

flash of white skin and corded It was not complete unconscious-
muscles comprising a body of tower- ness that came to claim her in
ing height that swept past her to mid-sentence.
meet the charge of the man-beast. Through the pall of near insen-
The two giant forms collided came the impressions of
sibility
and fell to the ground only feet into his arms.
being lifted But
from where she lay. this time, she sensed, he did not
She watched Ralen’s hands run. It was a slow, laborious pace

struggle against the six battering that seemed to last for an eternity
fists and finally reach the stout, before it increased.
furry throat. His grip slipped Then he was running again. She
once, but he restored it and press- could detect the desperation in his
ed his face close against .the thing’s motions.
shoulder to escape the murderous Irola felt rough rocks scrape
blows. her near limp form and she know
A half-dozen fists pounded his he was climbing an elevation. Then
body incessantly, leaving crimson he released her and she fell limply
welts. But the ferocity of the to a surface of bare rocks.
struggle diminished, until finally But it wasn’t the impact that
the last of the numerous arms fell
restored full consciousness. It was
limply .to the ground. the inhuman shouts that erupted
“Ralen!” Irola gasped, rising to like violent claps of thunder. She
her knees. “Back there, in the forced herself to a sitting position
grass! There’s another one!” and opened her eyes to look direct-
 SO SAYS THE MASTER 107

ly into the rocky surface of one fangs.

of the towering cliffs, so near it The thing’s anguished roars re-
seemed she could almost touch it. verberated against distant cliffs

Ralen’s voice clashed hoarsely until the itself seemed to

valley
with the animal sounds behind her shriek tormented protests. The
and she turned to see five Class beast scurried away, yelping, and
Indeterminate things streaking lost itself in the sea of grass as
toward him. Ralen turned to face the next
The scene of eruptive action was swiftest brute.
below. She sat on the flat surface Irola realized then he how tired
of a rocky elevation, perhaps ten was. He even grasped the few sec-
feet above .the floor of the valley onds before the next charge came
where the big Class C man stood to relax his tense muscles. For a
in a half crouch, tensed to meet moment he swayed and she thought
the monstrosities that were charg- he was going to collapse.
ing on .three sides. “Don’t, Ralen!” she cried sud-
There was another one of the denly. “Don’t fight!”
six-arm things. And there was She couldn’t let him sacrifice

one with only two arms but the — himself for her! It made no dif-

appendages were gigantic, so much ference whether his motive was to

out of proportion to the body that save her only because the master
it seemed the stumpy torso existed had directed it, or because he was
but to sustain the strength of the reacting to a basic instinct that
bulbous forearms and pincer hands. prodded the pre-invasion men to

The crawling beast with the huge protect their females.

nose was there too, only now it “Don’t fight them!” She rose
bared twin rows of fangs that drip- to make herself better heard.
ped saliva. Irola screamed in fear. “There are no bad masters! I
The crawling beast, displaying only told you that to get you to
incredible speed in its charge, come away with me! They are all
closed in Ralen sidestepped
first. good! When you listened to me
its lunge andbrought his arm you were being disloyal!”
around and down in a blow aimed There! She had done it! Would
at the hideous face. It was then he give up the fight now? Would
that she noticed the massive stone he turn with the other beasts and
which he clutched. charge up the side of. the elevation
It smashed into the chin and to tear her apart or to capture
nose of the monster, crushing bone, her?
pulping flesh, scattering broken He turned, even as the second
 io8 IMAGINATION
animal-like thing charged. But ponderous pincers on the ground
there was no anger on his face! ahead of it as it closed in.
He only smiled weakly and whirled Terrified, Irola watched the
to lock in battle with the hairy hairy thing, recovered fully from
thing whose head seemed to be the stunning impact, advance with
all mouth and whose knuckles both arms raised to drive its spurs
dragged the ground as it loped for- into Ralen’s back.
ward. She screamed a warning, real-
The powerful arms raised and izing even as she did that he could
reached out for Ralen, exposing not turn from the new attackers.
to view the rows of six-inch spurs Instinctively, she grabbed for the
that extended from elbows to nearest large rock that lay on the
wrists. ledge.
Finding strength she knew she
/CROUCHING suddenly as the
^ thing grabbed for him, Ralen
didn’t
it
possess,
out and down.
she lifted
It
it,

arched for-
cast

sprang high into the air between ward and crashed into the back
its extended arms and grasped its of the hairy thing’s head. The brute
shoulders as he came back down. collapsed, part of its brain spilling
He planted both heels in the from its skull.
thing’s midriff and jerked the huge Ralen locked with the six-arm-
torso forward. ed one as the two huge claws hov-
The monster’s body snapped up ered over him, snapping vehement-
and over, its stumpy legs describ- ly, waiting for their chance to find
ing an arc over its head. Still soft flesh on which to close with
clinging to it, Ralen swung around mangling, murderous force.
underneath, upside down, and re- Two of the hands gripped Ra-
leased his grip as his back rolled len’s throat while a pair locked
onto the ground. around and another pair
his waist
With terrific force, the beast was pommeled his Feebly, he
body.
catapulted into the rising wall of disentangled his arms from the
the elevation on which Irola stood. mass and wrenched one of the
Irregular rocks met the impact of hands from his neck, forcing It up
its back and it slid down to the and away.
ground. The brute whimpered One of the waiting pincers snap-
once in pain, then rose cautiously. ped at the upraised arm, missed
But Ralen had already turned and drew back for another lunge.
to face the manv-armed beast and The locked pair fell to the
the stumpy thing which pushed ground. Ralen worked a foot up
 SO SAYS THE MASTER 109

into the other’s abdomen and kick- sumed its attack. Staggering, Ra-
ed brutally, knocking the creature len backed out of its reach and
backward. Then' he whirled in circled around it. He went fast-
time to dodge a swing by the er than it could turn to face him.
watching thing’s pincers. At its rear, he dived in and
The beast that had brought up stabbed with the needle again. Im-
the rear of the charge — a thing mediately the claws dropped to
with two heads —dived into the the ground as the small body which
melee, reaching for Ralen’s legs supported them fell.
and trying to sink its teeth into
Panting, Ralen turned face
to
flesh.
her, too exhausted to hold up his
Meanwhile the claw came for- arms, to keep his body erect and
ward again. But the snapping vice his eyes focused.
of teeth missed him and came
But even as he fell she looked
down on one of the necks of the
up over him and saw the two
two-headed monster. The head
forms rise from the concealing
snapped off and rolled grotesque-
grass . . . masters!
ly on the ground as blood spurted
Drawing their light-whip guns,
from the stump at the thing’s
they came forward cautiously, yet
shoulder. It collapsed in a writh-
fearful of the superhuman Class
ing mass.
C man who even now found the
But again the six-armed brute
strength to rise once more and
had Ralen locked in its grip.
stand defiantly before them.
Irola sank despairingly to the
Run Irola! Down the other
rocky surface. Ralen was limp
now. He was apparently making
side — toward the cliff!
Even in the final seconds before
no attempt to fight back. Then
the light-whips would reach out to
she saw his right hand move to the
torture and kill him, he thought
band of his loincloth. It came
of her safety!
back up with the poisonous needle But he hadn’t
She started . . .

case!
spoken! She hadn’t heard the
He freed the other hand to open
words I

the container and withdraw the

Don’t stand there like an imbe-
minuscule weapon.
cile l Go!
Steel flashed sunlight as it sank It was not sound at all! The
into the fur. The brute went words had exploded in her head
limp at once. without entering through her
But there was no time for rest. ears!
The thing with the pincers re- Confounded, she screamed and
IIO IMAGINATION
the landscape spun dizzily around WAKE.
her. fought the faint
She long It was the unheard voice
enough to stare bewilderingly and again! A scream welled in her
fearfully at Ralen, braced to re- throat.
ceive the withering hell of light Do not cry out, Irola. There is

lances, and the masters who level- no danger.

ed weapons and fired.
their If the quality it displayed could
Then he was pitching to the be called a tone, she would
ground. But suddenly the over- say the “voice” was soothing. Her
lords stumbled backward, fear on initial fear melted and she open-
their faces, and raised their wea- ed her eyes.
pons to fire into the air. “Where are we?” she asked,
Numbly, she looked up. afraid to appear curious over his
At first it seemed the forms ability to put words directly into
streaking down at the invaders her head.
were birds. But there were no “We are beyond the cliff.” He
wings. As they darted over her spoke naturally now. “There was
head, screeching down in their a passage through it and this oth-
attack, she saw they were humans! er valley lies on this side And . . .

Small boxes of metal strapped to do not be afraid of my ability to

their chests seemed to glow with speak with you telepathically.”
a light of their own. For some “Tele ...?’’ She frowned. It
reason she associated the boxes was more than his ability to talk
with their ability to move through with unspoken words. He could
the air, for there was nothing else see the thoughts in her mind! He
attached to them that might serve had been able to see her thoughts
the same purpose. all along. That was why she
Each held a weapon in his hand couldn't lose herself from him!
that made vicious noises as it was Irola raised herself on an elbow.
pointed at the invaders. She lay in bright morning sun-
She tried to use her curiosity as light on a bed near the large win-
a stimulant to fight unconscious- dow of a stone dwelling place. And
ness. But she could not resist the there were many buildings as far
faint born of fear and bewilder- as she could see—some smaller,
ment. The last visual impression some much larger. But there was
she received was that of two of grass and even small trees grow-
the dropping down to the
fliers ing on top of the roof of each one.
side of the now unconscious Ra- And large nets of metal, spread
len. from building to building, were
 —
SO SAYS THE MASTER hi
trellises for great vines that hid ing up a fatigue-based resistance.
the settlement from above. So, all I do was to scare
could
Frowning, she looked into Ra- you into running again by making
len’s face. He smiled reassuring- noises like a Class Indeterminate
ly —no stupidity in the expression thing.”
now . . . only intelligence, a great “But ...” She tried to rise;
intelligence! fell back weakly. “But I don’t
“Not that intelligent.” He laugh- understand.”
ed. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have “You see, members of
Irola, all
forgotten I took the needle from Class C aren’t big and dumb. They
you. I would have remembered were, a few generations ago. But
soon enough to avoid some of the the invaders went a step too far
bruises from those things.” in inducing mutations to insure stu-
“You knew about the needle!” pidity in our stock. Their mis-
“Of course. It was my idea that take was in mutating a new char-
you bring the weapon.” acteristic — telepathic ability, allied
“Yours?” she asked incredu- with the sex determining gene. It
lously. is passed on to about half of the

“It was all my idea your es- — males in the class.

cape, the decision to take a Class “You can appreciate the ad-
C male with you, your coming to vantage. Although the first tele-
the right pen . . . Even when you paths were stupid, their unique
fled from me twice, I monitored ability soon offset their mental
and directed your thoughts so you disadvantage. They were able to
would flee in the right direction monitor the minds of their cap-
toward this settlement.” tors; to understand things with a
“You mean you let me flee?” logic borrowed from them, but
“Let you? — I made you run tempered by the masters’ hate for
away the last time. I had to. You all humans. Available to them

were too tired to go on. But we was all the knowledge of all the
had to continue. We had to get overlords even the most in-
. . .

here before they cut us off com- formed.

pletely. When we were in the “It hasn’t been hard to fool
gorge, I couldn’t insist that I carry them into continuing to conceive
you on —you
would have known of all Class C men as being big
then that I was taking you some- but simple oafs. And acquiring
where. And I couldn’t prompt more knowledge, more inventive
you with unconscious suggestive ability isn’t difficult either.”
telepathy — your mind was build- He patted the metal box on his
 . —
1 12 IMAGINATION
chest. “This is an example. With The outpost is fifteen hundred
very simple materials, we perfected miles away.”
this compact degravitator a feat — “How did Stam make out?”
much beyond their ability . . . We “Oh, he brought his party back
are getting some remarkable wea- already. They located and de-
pons, too —much better than they stroyed the four ships and all in-
have.” vaders and Class Indeterminates
“You look into their minds all aboard. You said there were only
the time?” four, didn’t you?”
“Practically. Even while we Ralen nodded.
were escaping, I was monitoring The other turned to Irola.
them —
until they threw in the “I’m sure you’ll like it here better
Class Indeterminates. It takes a than in the A pens, miss. And I
lot of concentration to influence hope you don’t resent the way you
.those monsters’ actions — especially were tricked. We only direct an
when you’re trying to keep yourself occasional escape from each sec-
from getting hacked to pieces. tor. We find it convenient to
That’s why I was unaware of the bring a normal woman each time.
two invaders hiding in the grass.” As long as .the conquerors fail to
keep count in the C pens, they’ll
\ TALL blond man with an in- never guess the dual nature of the
-** dtelible smile swept through escapes.”
the air toward the dwelling. He Then he was gone.
touched a knob on the box at his She turned toward Ralen. “But
chest and landed in front, walked why, Ralen? Why didn’t you tell
up to the window. me and save me all the horrible
“Rested up?” he asked. thoughts and ...”
Ralen nodded. He reached under the bed and
“Glad to have you with us. got one of the small boxes, began
Take a couple of days to get used strapping it around her waist.
to being outside of a pen. Then “Our first rule, whenever we
you’ll assume your duties. You uh, trick one of the A women into
will be assigned to communica- escaping with us, is not to let her
tions. You’ll work with one of know until we are safe at an out-
the inmates of your old pen in post.
helping to indoctrinate him and “If you had been captured be-
plan for his escape. You’ll also fore we reached here, they would
keep in contact with one of the have learned of the true nature
other outposts. Practice range . . of Class C — would have tor-
 SO SAYS THE MASTER ii3

tured it out of you. If you while, although you were never

knew nothing, you could tell aw^are of it.”
nothing. Using telepathy at the She looked down, embarrassed
last minute was permissible be- for a moment.
cause I knew they had decided to “Of course,” he added quickly,
send a party out to help us.” “if you decide you don’t —
like me,
The sound of playing children there are others here and ...”
erupted in the street a half block Irola started to answer. But
away. A dozen boys and girls then she realized she didn’t have
chased each other in a boisterous to. He knew the answer even as
game. soon as it formed in her mind.
“But why me, Ralen?” Irola She found his hand and held
asked. it as, together, they watched the
“Just a matter of choice.” He children scamper by —
free chil-
smiled. “I’ve known you a long dren.
 World Without Glamor

X eiier

Colonists on Talbor had little time for

anything but work, which was bad for morale. So
Earth sent a special ship — with a unique cargo.

M ARSDEN had filled

sin with well water

gan to lather his hands and
face with soap when Marie entered
a ba-
and be-
He had felt it for some time
now, this smouldering resentment
which had wedged its way between
them after only two years of mar-
their cabin. He looked up and riage. He couldn’t talk to her
clucked his tongue in disapproval. without not after they
arguing,
“Lord,” he said. “Look at your- had finished working for the day
self.” under the broiling sun and return-
Marie scowled at him as she re- ed, bone-weary and stiff-muscled,
moved her bandanna and shook to their cabin. The routine sick-
loose her short-cropped hair. “How ened him: he woud come in first,
do you expect me to look?” Her splash cold water on his face, may-
plain but pretty face was sweat- be scrub up some. Marie would
streaked. She wore a simple tunic follow after feeding their chickens
which fell halfway down her thighs (chickens here on Talbor, three
and almost matched her sturdy, dozen long light years from
sun-darkened legs in color, al- Earth!), strip off her tunic and
though sweat darkened the back try to scrub the grime from her
of the garment and left rings of body while he looked at her. And
white under the armpits where it if it were warm she’d prepare
had evaporated. their simple dinner half-naked,
“I know how I’d like you. to with no thought for modesty, until
look.” he knew every plane, every curve
“Harry Marsden, just what do of her body and realized it was a
you mean by that?” body strong for work and not soft
 n6 IMAGINATION
for play, a body good for bearing Marsden nodded. “Like to see
children, a body which could work it land. Everyone will be there,
allday in the fields like a machine I’ll bet.”
but which would never lose the grit “I suppose so. It’s a great deal
from its pores. of trouble, you ask me.”
if

“I didn’t mean anything by it. “Trouble?Don’t you want to

Forget what I said, Marie.” Mars- see the people of Earth?” There

den went to the clothing rack and it was again Marsden —

felt an
took down his one good suit. He argument brewing. Marie spoke
looked again at Marie, then closed like an old woman, but she was

his eyes and let a growing eager- only twenty-five. You couldn’t
ness engulf him. blame her, though, and every time
Marsden’s thoughts took that tack
The ship from Earth was com-
he felt sorry for his wife. She had
ing. Not the ship with more farm
machinery, not the battered freight-
known nothing but Talbor all her
life.
er which reached Talbor twice
every year, but a tourist ship — the “They’re people,”
“Just folks.”But she carefully re-
said Marie.

first one in Marsden’s memory.

There would be real Earth people
moved dress which had
the frilly

on it, men and women. He thought

hung near Marsden’s suit on the
rack and examined it critically.
deliciously of the women, wasp-
“You’re going to wear that?”
waisted, high-breasted, lithe-legged
Marie “What’s wrong with it?”
and delicate. would seem
so plain against them, so tragically
“Nothing. You haven’t put it

unfeminine — unless the pictures

on since we got married, that’s all.”

lied. Born on Talbor, Marsden “We can’t scare the Earth peo-
had never seen a real woman ple off with a lot of tunics and
of
Earth. coveralls.”
“Better get dressed,” said Mars-
jV/TAYBE Marsden would feel den, chuckling with grim amuse-
more inclined to watch the ment as Marie struggled with the
patterned years drag by on Talbor unfamiliar garment. Marsden’s own
if he just once saw the women of
starched collar threatened to choke

Earth. He never told this to Ma- him, but the women of Earth would
rie, for she wouldn’t understand. expect it.

“We’d better hurry,” she said, “What’s so funny, Harry?”

“or we won’t get to town till after “There must be an easier way to
the ship comes in.” climb into that thing. You look
 ”

WORLD WITHOUT GLAMOR 117

so funny.” think I would have married you if
Marie’s back was toward him. I had much choice?”
She took the dress off and threw it “Oh,” said Marsden. “I see.”
across the bed. “All right, I won’t Marie stared at him and shrug-
wear it. I won’t wear anything. ged her bare shoulders. “I’m sor-
I’m not going.” ry. I didn’t mean that, Harry.
“Now, Marie.” But you don’t see. Talbor is all
“Don’t you ‘now’ me. I’ll stay right for you because you’re a man
right here.” and you like to work like that.
“I was joking,” said Marsden, Don’t you think I’d rather be small
squirming uncomfortably inside his and attractive, instead of —
collar. “I think you’re very attractive.”
Marie flung the dress from bed “That’s a lie. I know how you
to floor. “You can throw it out, and Charlie Adcock get together
for all I care. Or give it away.” and look at those magazines with
“Thank you, I’ll stay here.” pictures of Earth women. Your
“For crying out loud!” Marsden tongues practically hang out.”
T
said in exasperation. “This is the “Y ou’ve been spying on us.”
biggest thing to hit Talbor in years. “Really, Harry. Is looking at
The Earth people are coming to a magazine so secret I’m not per-
visit us and you want to stay mitted to watch? Why don’t you
home.” treat me like an equal, anyway?
“They probably will make fun But no, you think of the women of
of us.” Earth. me tell you this,
Well, let
“If we act like bumpkins they Harry Marsden: I’m stronger than
will. If we act— well, sophisti- them, I can work harder and I’ll
cated, they won’t.” probably live longer and have more
“I’m not sophisticated.” Marie kids. What do you say to that?”
sat down on the bed where her “I’m going into Talbor City. If
dress had been, drew her legs up, you don’t want to see them, I do.”
wrapped her arms ' around her “Watch that collar doesn’t
knees. “Do I look sophisticated?” strangle you along the way.”
“Put the dress on.” “I’ll get used to it,” said Mars-
“I’ve never been off Talbor,
.
den, running a thick finger between
never. We have one town, two stiff cloth and raw skin.
hundred people on seventy or “Y'our face is getting red.”
eighty farms. Is it my fault I “That’s all right.”
wasn’t born on Earth? Do you “Red as a beet.”
118 IMAGINATION
“Shut up.” entered the city from the north,
“I’ll bet you find it hard to taking off his torn shirt and dis-
breathe.” carding because no shirt seemed
it

“Shut up!” better than a damaged one, he

“Try and make me.” Marie heard the singing.
got off the bed, and when Mars- Charlie Adcock’s deep, off-key
den made a threatening gesture he voice rose stridently above the oth-
thought she would run away. In- ers, singing a song which was pop-
stead, she leaped at him, got her ular among the men of Talbor, but
strong fingers under the collar and which the women hated.
yanked. The stiff collar burst
my
I want arms around
open, the entire shirt-front ripped.
A slim, small girl of Earth.
Marie began to laugh.
Marsden went for her with mur- If she don’t come to me
der in his eyes, but at that moment I think I’ll have to die
there came a roaring overhead like For the slim, smalt girl of Earth.
a dozen summer storms rolled into “Well, Harry! Thought you’d
one, booming and crashing in the never get here.”
sky over their cabin. Talbor’s sul- “I had some things to do,”
len orange sun had almost set, but
Marsden lied.
bright light flashed in through the
“They already landed. They’re
window, blinding them.
here on Talbor. Here. They went
“I ought to beat you,” said to the hotel right away, of course.
Marsden. But he opened the door First time the hotel’s been used
and went outside into the strong, since the last freighter crew de-
hot wind which had stirred over cided to stay overnight. The
their rocky farmland and flapped mayor’s declared a holiday. No-
the torn ends of his shirt against body’s working tomorrow.”
his chest. “Me and Marie got to work,”
The spaceship from Earth had said Marsden, realizing he might
arrived on Talbor. be able to make peace with his
wife after a day in the field.
'T'ALBOR City’s one street, dry “You ain’t serious.”
and dusty from the long day Marsden said, “How many of
and hot sun, was ablaze with light. them came?”
Marsden had never seen so many “About twenty, half of them
electric lights lit at once, not even women, Harry. You should see
on Saturday nights. Even as he the women, Harry. They wear real
 ”

WORLD WITHOUT GLAMOR 119

frilly things, like you never even TV/f'ARSDEN felt breakfast,
saw on Talbor. They’re beauti- heavy mouthful by mouth-
ful, friend. You know it. I mean ful, forming an uncomfortable
beautiful Hair fixed like
all over. lump inside his chest. It was a
it would take weeks to unravel. long table big enough for thirty
Belly’s so thin you could get your people, with the men and women
fingers around them. Straight, of Earth chatting comfortably on
slim legs, not a muscle on them. all sides of it, their gay clothing
Such white skin you’d swear it making the dining room appear in-
was made out of milk. And the tolerably drab. Marsden had been
way they walked, Harry— so deli- on the verge of forgetting break-
cate they could have run across a fast entirely, for when he reached
field of fresh eggs without break- the dining room he found all the
ing a shell.” seats at the table were taken ex-
“I think I’ll spend the night in cept one between two delicate,
town,” said Marsden, forgetting wasp-waisted women of Earth.
all about Marie. But Charlie Adcock, who was al-
“Oh, didn’t Marie come to town ready seated, had waved him on
with you?” toward the table with a broad grin,
Marsden shook his head without and it was either sit down or for-
talking. ever be a coward in Charlie’s eyes.
“Janie didn’t come neither. Say “Hello,” one of the women said
now, that’s all right, Harry. That while Marsden fidgeted and scoop-
sure is all right. Leave the wife ed forkfuls of bacon and eggs into
at home on a night like this. You his dry mouth.
know what? I think I’ll take a Marsden blinked. She was talk-
room right there in the hotel and ing to him.
maybe even get to eat breakfast “Good morning, Miss.”
with the women of Earth. What “So you’re a native of Talbor.
do you say, Harry?” Tell me,how do you stand it?”
“Suits me.”
Marsden’s mind “Born here, I guess.” Marsden
formed a brief image of Marie try- found it difficult to talk and eat at
ing awkwardly to fit into the dress the same time. His face grew un-
—to please me, he suddenly real- comfortably warm, his tongue
ized— and then the image faded. seemed to swell until he wanted
With Charlie Adcock he pushed to spit out.
through the crowd on the hotel
it

“I’m Alice Cooper, Mr. —

steps. Mister. No one had ever call-
 ”

120 IMAGINATION
ed him Mister. “Better call me scenery,” Marsden told her. “Mad-
Harry, Miss. Just Harry.” ison fallsare two-hundred feet
“I want you to tell me all about high, and we’ve got some moun-
your primitive planet, Harry. Ev- tains that
—
erything. I’ve got a camera and “Certainly, Harry. But I can
I’m going to take pictures and see that sort of thing just any-
write notes about them so when I place. want you to show me
I
get back to Earth I can tell every- your farm, your fields. How you
one about this quaint planet.” people of Talbor can get by on
Marsden wished he had a shirt, this rocky, God-forsaken place I’ll
for it wasn’t right for Alice Cooper never know. Why your parents
to have to see his sun-scorched, came here I could never figure out.”
hair-matted chest while she ate. He stood up awkwardly. “I
But Marsden felt somewhat bet- guess—well ...”
ter when he let his eyes rove to Alice Cooper rose to her feet in
the men of Earth. They sat tall a liquid motion beautiful to be-
and straight in clothing fancier hold. The top of her head came
than it was right for a man to up to his shoulders and she reach-
wear, but they were thin, pale and ed out with one small, dainty hand
—well, a washed-out looking.
little and touched his upper arm.
“Why don’t you show me “My, but you have big muscles.”
around?” Alice Cooper suddenly Marsden smiled.
asked him. “You can’t see a place “You need them in this grim,
unless a native shows it to you, and dreary place, of course. You prob-
we have to leave tonight.” ably wish you didn’t. You prob-
“Tonight?” ably would rather be thin and wear
“Of course, Harry. We have lots glassesmaybe and spend most of
of planets to visit and we can’t your time in an air-cooled office
spend more than a day on an out- and do things like that.”
of-the-way mote like Talbor.” “I don’t know. A man would
“Well, now, there are plenty of grow bored working in an office.”
interesting things on Talbor.” “See?” Alice Cooper cried.
“Oh, I know. I know. Rustic “See? I just knew I’d love Tal-
cabins, rocky fields, stolid farmers bor. You’re so primitive. Why,
who work the soil all day and fall you’re practically —Cro-Magnon.
into bed exhausted at night. It’s Come on outside, Hafry. I want
all very thrilling.” to take your picture.”
“We have some mighty nice She took his big hand and led
 WORLD WITHOUT GLAMOR 12 I

him to the door. Marsden looked steps snickered. “I didn’t know

back uncomfortably and saw Char- Marsden was an acrobat.”
lie Adcock off in a corner with two “His old lady claims she’s going
of the women of Earth, talking to sell him to the interstellar cir-
avidly. he thought
Strangely, cus when it comes around.”
Charlie was scowling about some- “What do you say we give him a
thing. hand?”
Talbor’s strong orange sunlight Marsden sat up, rubbed his head.
made him squint while Alice Coop- One of the men came over and of-
er said: “Tremendous place for a fered his arm. Cat-quick, Mars-
camera enthusiast. I hear it nev- den leaped to his feet and thrust
er rains around here. Surprising the man away from him so hard
this place isn’t a desert, don’t you that he stumbled back, crashed
think?” against the bottom steps and fell.

“It rains when it has to.” Something clicked, and Alice

“Here. Stand over here. Yes, Cooper squealed excitedly:
facing the sun. Can you do some- “I got it! That was perfect,
thing to show you’re almost— al- Harry. Thank you ever so much.
most ancestral?” I caught it just after you started
“I don’t understand, Miss.” to shove him and now when my

“Goodness, I mean your mus- friends see this they’ll know Tal-
cles. Flex them. Use them to do bor is a primitive place. Are there
something like lifting a heavy ob- many murders here?”
ject. Break something if you “I’ve never heard of one,” said
want to. I’m sure those muscles Harry, dusting his trousers off.
are good for something besides “We’re too busy for crime, I
weeding your fields or pulling a guess.”
plow.” “How terribly dull. Statistics
Marsden began to feel foolish show that more advanced societies
but obliged her with a handstand. are prone to higher crime rates,
He lost his balance, though, be- particularly crimes of passion,
fore she could take the picture and since everyone is high strung and
tumbled flat on his back in the capable of flying off the handle
dusty street, landing so hard he as the expression goes. Did you
saw stars. ever think of committing a crime
of passion, Harry?”
A COUPLE of men who had She stood there, small and frail

been 'watching from the hotel in the sunlight, delicately, lushly

122 IMAGINATION
curved. She wet her lips and they he asked uncomfortably.
were very red in the sunlight and
against her pale white face. tttj'VERYONE has a different
“No,” said Marsden thickly. crop to grow,” Marsden ex-
“I’d you back inside
better take plained later. “On my farm it’s

to your friends, maybe.” barley.”

“Why, don’t be ridiculous. See, “Just barley? It must be rath-
they’re all outside anyway.” er dull, growing barley all year
Marsden’s gaze took in Talbor long.”
City’s one street. The crowds “We have some cattle and
had thinned considerably; people chickens, too. But I spend most
moved off toward the outskirts and of my time tending the irrigation
the farmlands in twos and threes, ditches. Summertime it’s a sunrise
the Earth people scattered among to sunset job.”
them and going to see Talbor with “You poor man. ” Sud- You —
them. Marsden felt lost and denly- Ailce Cooper’s eyes grew
alone and a little frightened, for big. She gasped and clutched at
he knew he would go off into the Marsden’s arm. “Harry, over
country-side with Alice Cooper in there! Ooo, Harry!”
another moment, and he hardly Marsden turned, saw a small
trusted himself. dog bounding across the field play-
fully, turning and twisting and
“They’re not my
friends, Har-
barking at its own shadow.
ry. We’re traveling together, but
we hardly know each other. You “It’s nothing to be afraid of.”
don’t just make friends with any- “An animal, nothing to be afraid
one, it isn’t civilized. People are of? Harry, it’s coming this way.”
always out to get you, to trick you, The dog had seen them. Yelp-
to make fun of you and take ad- ing, its tail wagging, it came right
vantage of you. Oh, you’ve got up to them, nuzzling against Mars-
to be careful, I always say. Shall den’s leg while he crouched and
we see Talbor now?” petted it.

“I should go home and start “Better take me back to town,

plowing.” Harry.”
“I’m leaving tonight, Harry.” “There boy, there boy.” Mars-
Her hand slipped under his arm den scratched the dog’s ear, cuf-
and nestled there. His bare arm ed it gingerly with his big hand,
tingled. turned it around, thumped its rear
“What would you like to see?” and watched it leap away across
 WORLD WITHOUT GLAMOR 123

the rocky meadow. “Don’t worry, a primitive society, really primi-

Miss. A little dog like that never tive —but not to that extent. You
hurt anyone.” get married and— and stay with one
“I feel faint, Harry. I expected partner for life, for your whole
wilderness and that’s what I came life? Really?”
to see —but
animals running around “That’s right,” said Marsden.
loose? That’s too much.” “Don’t you?”
“Dogs and men get along fine —
“Well you wouldn’t understand,
on Talbor.” Harry. You just wouldn’t under-
“On Earth dogs are in the zoo stand. Here, help me up.”
where they belong.” Alice Coop- He got her to her; feet, but her
er patted her brow daintily with a twisted ankle wouldn’t support her.
handkerchief. “I do wish we could “You’d better carry me.”
get out of this sun.” Marsden nodded, got one hand
A person not liking dogs. It under her arms from behind, the
wasn’t right, Marsden thought. other in back of her thighs. Cra-
And hating the sun and the soil dling her thus, he began to walk.
out of which crops grew and . . .
She weighed almost nothing, she
Well, he blame Alice
couldn’t was incredibly feather-light, but
Cooper. Everything was so pleasant to the touch and smelling,
strange and new to her and she this close, of some delightful per-
was just plain upset. fume.
“I could take you to my cabin,” “You’re strong,” she said.
he told her. “It’s nearby.” Gulping audibly, Marsden avert-
Alice Cooper nodded, took one ed his face from hers, only inches
step foward, turned her ankle and away.
tripped. She fell heavily, catch-
ing one of her high heels against the "ITT HEN he pushed the cabin
hem of her frilly dress. There was * ’ door open with one foot,
a ripping sound and a long tear ap- Marie started to smile at him
peared in the bottom of the dress. from inside. The smile faded.
“It’s ruined,” said Alice Cooper “Harry. Oh. Is she— hurt or
in despair. something?”
“My wife can fix it.” “Aren’t you the bright one,”
“Your what?” Alice Cooper said. “I’m too lazy
“My wife.” to walk.”
“Don’t tell me you get married “Be quiet, Marie,” Marsden
here on Talbor? I knew this was said. “What’s the matter with
124 IMAGINATION
you?” gry-”
“Did I say something wrong? “You’re both crazy,” Alice
I’m sorry.” Cooper said. “Pretending you’re
“It’s to be expected,” Alice not hungry so the other can eat.
Cooper declared. No wonder this is such a back-
“You were gone all night, Har- ward place. If someone said that
ry.” to me I’d gobble the food up quick
“He can take care of himself, before he could change his mind.
I’m sure,” Alice Cooper said. On Earth, naturally, no one would
Harry frowned. “I told you to ever say it.”

keep quiet, Marie.” “I’ll get some cold cloths for

your leg,” Marsden said to break
“No, let her talk, Harry. Of
course he was gone all night.
the awkward silence which fol-
lowed.
What-’s the matter, don’t you think
“Cloths, nothing.” Alice Coop-
he can take care of himself?”
er stood up. “Did you think I
“My Harry is quite a capable
really hurt myself? I only want-
man, thank you.”
ed you to carry me and take me
“Marie!” here, but if this Hefty wife of yours
“Your Harry. That’s right, you is here, I guess you might as well
are fettered to one another all your take me back to town.”
lives. It’s fantastic. Will you be “If I wasn’t a lady ...” began
a good girl and bring me some- Marie.
thing to eat?”
“You? That’s very good, my
Marie nodded and soon return- dear. A lady wrestler, you mean.
ed with two plates of stew. It was Well, Harry, what are you waiting
Marsden’s favorite food and Ma- for? Take me back to Talbor
rie had probably prepared it as City, please.”
a peace offering, but two plates
Marsden looked at his wife’s
meant one for him and one for
plain, unpainted but still pretty
Alice Cooper and Marie would go
face, at the way days under the
hungry.
bright sun had added glowing high-
“I’m not in the mood to eat,” lights red-brown hair and
to her
said Harry while his stomach Alice Cooper seemed like a wilted
grumbled. flower by comparison. Marsden
“You? Not in the mood to eat thought of the long walk with her
Talborian stew? I’d like to see back to Talbor City and wished it
the day. Go ahead, I’m not hun- were over already.
 WORLD WITHOUT -GLAMOR 125

npHE spaceship blasted off with one.

-* a terrible clamor. The people “It’s still nice looking at pic-
of Earth, the men and women, tures and singing songs, I guess, if

were gone. They had been here we can forget about the real wom-
on Talbor only a few hours but en of Earth.”
to Marsden it seemed much longer. “A lucky accident,” said Mars-
He was infinitely glad they could den again. “Just when we got all
only stay one day. starry-eyed about things that did-
He met Charlie Adcock near the n’t matter, they came and showed
steps of the hotel. Charlie carried us what we really had.”
his shirt under one arm and was “Well, see you.”
scowling. “You know,” he said, Later, after Marsden returned
“songs and pictures are funny to his cabin, Marie said:
things. They sure can fool a guy “I’ll wear that dress Saturday
sometimes.” nights you want.”
if

“Yeah,” said Marsden. “Fine,” said Marsden. “But

“I don’t know, Harry. I’m still only Saturday nights. It’s silly
glad they came. We were busting the rest of the time.”
to see something different, either He took Marie in his arms.
to have them come here or maybe
to take off and forget all about LICE removed
\ Cooper the
Talbor.” tight corset with a sigh of re-
“What do you mean, forget lief. “The first thing I’m going
about Talbor? Talbor’s a pretty to do when we get back home is
nice place. You work all day, go out to the beach somewhere and
sure, but it’s good, cleanwork and get sunburned. Swim and ride
you know your friends are working horseback, too,” she told one of
too, and then Saturday night you her companions. “I feel all— all
can go into town hooting and hol- scrunched up.”
lering and no one cares.” “Little wonder, Alice. Women
“Yeah, Harry. Sure. That’s weren’t made to wear these tight
”
what I mean. You know what? things and get all constricted

Those women of Earth are kind “What a “Some-

job,” said Alice.
of skinny.” times I wonder worth it.
if it’s

“It was an accident they came We still have three more planets
when they did,” said Marsden. “A to visit on this trip.”

lucky accident. I like Talbor now. “It’s worth it. Sociology Cen-
I wouldn’t change places with any- tral figures it out just right. When
126 IMAGINATION
the folks on one of the out planets merge. They realize they have a
get a little disgruntled with what pretty good thing on their own
they’ve got, we’re sent. They’ve home planet.”
built up a mighty splendid picture “That’s the way it should be,
of Earth and Earth people.” but I still like Earth.”
“I know it. So we come along “Me too,” Alice smiled. “One
and do everything we can to make of these days, though, my husband
Earth look like the worst sink hole is going to make me give up my
in the universe. By the time we career and raise a whole crew of
leave, the two ideas— their own glo- children. You know something?
rified impression of Earth and our I think I’d like that fine.”
warped play-acting —
kind of THE END

*¥> Atomic *ffllotor

HE
T
gine.
dream of rocketeers
course the atomic rocket en-
of

Unfortunately, unless there

is tion of the motor.
So far as anyone can look into
the future, the atomic powered
is some unlikely, radical discovery, space ship will be able to exert only
it appears as if the atomic rocket very low thrusts. As a result
engine will have severe limitations. atomic engines will be suitable (for
Such an engine would work rough- a long time at least) only for long
ly like this: an atomic pile of fis- interplanetary journeys. Take-
sionable materials would generate offs and landing on planets will
a great deal of heat. This heat have to be done with chemical
still

would expand or vaporize gases rocket motors. A lesser problem

which in turn would be fed through than the thrust is of course the
the nozzles of a rocket to exert dangerous spray of radio-actives.
conventional thrust. Regardless of the low thrust of
This neat arrangement might a hypothetical atomic engine, it
seem the answer to the rocketeer’s can still be quite useful. Low
prayer at first, but there are prob- thrusts exerted over long periods
lems. For example, no matter how of time can build up respectable
hot the atomic pile gets (it dare speeds. Certainly the atomic engine
not be hot enough to melt) trans- has a future in space travel if for
ferring this heat to a gas, liquid or this purpose alone.
solid rapidly enough for useful The great hope naturally is that
high-powered thrust appears un- some as yet unthought of heat ex-
likely. In other words heat-ex- changer will be developed. Theo-
changing seems to be the limita- retically such a heat exchanger
 ATOMIC MOTOR
would be able to transfer large
amounts of heat generated from
atomic fission to large quantities
of materials (gases, etc.). Present
physical laws definitely limit this
flow to rather small rates. If
some entirely new method of heat
transfer were discovered or per-
haps some method of causing the
127
gases to fission themselves— that
would be another matter! Then
the atomic engine would really be
the Tocket motor of the future. Un-
til that event though, it looks as if
space travel is going to be done
with the aid of chemical rocket
—
motors and not much else . . .
* * *
128
 IMPOSSIBLE PLANET
Bt
Pkitip J(. Ibid

It seemed like an ordinary request— the

woman wanted to buy a ticket to Earth. And yet
the Captain knew that no such world existed! . * .

uo HE just
Norton
stands
said
there,”
nervously.
“What does she want?”
“She wants a ticket. She’s stone
“Captain, you have to talk deaf. She just stands there star-
to her.” ing and she won’t go away. It
130 IMAGINATION
gives me the creeps.” ed to the folio. Irma Gordon was
Captain Andrews got slowly to one of the original settlers of the
his feet. “Okay. I’ll talk to her. Riga system. Origin unknown.
Send her in.” Probably born out in space in —
“Thanks.” To the corridor one of the old sub-C ships. A
Norton said, “The Captain will strange feeling drifted through
talk to you. Come ahead.” him. The little old creature. The
There was motion outside the centuries she had seen! The
control room. A flash of metal. changes.
Captain Andrews pushed his desk “She wants to travel?” he ask-
scanner back and stood waiting. ed the robant.
“In here.” Norton backed into “Yes sir. She has come from
the control room. “This way. Right her home to purchase a ticket.”
in here.” “Can she stand space travel?”
Behind Norton came a wither- “She came from Riga, here to
ed little old woman. Beside her Fomalhaut IX.”
moved a gleaming robant, a tow- “Where does she want to go?”
ering robot servant, supporting her “To Earth, sir,” the robant said.
with its arm. The robant and the “Earth!” Andrews’ jaw drop-
tiny old woman entered the con- ped. He swore nervously. “What
trol room slowly. do you mean?”
“Here’s her papers.” Norton slid “She wishes to travel to Earth,
a folio onto the chart desk, his sir.”

voice awed. “She’s three hundred “You see?” Norton muttered.

and fifty years old. One of the “Completely crazy.”
oldest sustained. From Riga II.” Gripping his desk tightly, An-
Andrews leafed slowly through drews addressed the old woman.
the folio. In front of the desk “Madam, we can’.t sell you a
the little woman stood silently, ticket to Earth.”
staring straight ahead. Her faded “She can’t hear you, sir,” the
eyes were pale blue. Like ancient robant said.
china.
Andrews found a piece of pa-
“Irma Vincent Gordon,” An- per. He wrote in big letters:
drews murmured. He glanced up.
CAN’T SELL YOU A TICK-
“Is that right?”
ET TO EARTH
The old woman did not answer.
“She is totally deaf, sir,” tihe ro- T TE held it up. The old woman’s

bant said. -* eyes moved as she studied the

Andrews grunted and return- words. Her lips twitched. “Why
 ” ” 1

THE IMPOSSIBLE PLANET 13

not?” she said at last. Her voice robant said.

was faint and dry. Like rustling Andrews became suddenly quiet.
weeds. “A thousand positives.” He blanch-
Andrews scratched an answer. ed in amazement. His jaws clamp-
NO SUCH PLACE ed shut, the color draining from
He added grimly: his face.

MYTH—LEGEND — NEV- “How much?” the old woman

ER EXISTED “How much?”
repeated.
“Will that be sufficient?” the
The old woman’s faded eyes left
robant asked.
the words. She gazed directly at
For a moment Andrews swal-
Andrews, her face expressionless.
lowed silently. Abruptly he found
Andrews became uneasy. Beside
him, Norton sweated nervously.
his voice. “Sure,” he said. “Why
not?”
“Jeez,” Norton muttered. “Get
“Captain!” Norton protested.
her out of here. She’ll put the
“Have you gone nuts. You know
hex on us.”
there’s no such place as Earth!
Andrews addressed the robant.
“Can’t you make her understand.
How the hell can we—”
“Sure, we’ll take her.” An-
There is no such place as Earth.
drews buttoned his tunic slowly,
It’s been proved a thousand times.
hands shaking. “We’ll take her
No such primordial planet existed.
anywhere she wants to go. Tell her
All scientists agree human life
that. For a thousand positives
arose simultaneously throughout
we’ll be glad to take her to Earth.
the—” >

Okay?”
“It is her wish to travel to
Earth,” the robant said patiently. “Of course,” the robant said.

“She is three hundred and fifty “She has saved many decades for
years old and they have ceased giv- this. She will give you the kilo
ing her sustentation treatments. positives at once. She has them
She wishes to visit Earth before with her.”
she dies.”
“But it’s myth!” Andrews
a ex- (CT OOK,” Norton said. “You
ploded. He opened and closed his
' can get twenty years for
mouth, but no words came. this. They’ll take your articles and
“How much?” the old woman your card and they’ll
—
“How much?”
said. “Shut up.” Andrews spun the
“I can’t do it! ” Andrews shouted. dial of the intersystem vidsender.
“There isn’t
— Under them the jets throbbed and
“We have a kilo positives,” the roared. The lumbering transport
 ”” ”

132 IMAGINATION
had reached deep space. “I want gend?”
the main information library at “The Morrison Report of 5-C2ir
Centaurus II,” he said into the analyzed the total ethnic and sub-
speaker. liminal accounts of the legendary
“Even for a thousand positives Earth. The final summation noted
you can’t do it. Nobody can do that Earth is generally considered
it. They tried to find Earth for to be a small third planet of a nine
generations. Directorate ships planet system, with a single moon.
tracked down every moth-eaten Other than that, no agreement of
planet in the whole
— legends could be constructed.”

The vidsender clicked. “Cen- “I see. A third planet of a

taurus II.” nine planet system. With a single
“Information library.” moon.” Andrews broke the cir-
cuit and the screen faded.
Norton caught Andrews’ arm.
“Please, Captain. Even for two “So?” Norton said.

kilo positives
— Andrews got quickly to his feet.
“I want the following informa- “She probably knows every legend
tion,” Andrews said into the vid- about it.” He pointed down at —
speaker. “All facts known con- the passenger quarters below. “I
cerning the planet Earth. Legen- want to get the accounts straight.”
dary 'birthplace of the human “Why? What are you going to
race.” do?”
“No facts are known,” the de- Andrews flipped open the mas-
tached voice of the library moni- ter star chart. He ran his fingers
tor came. “The subject is classi- down the index and released the
fied as metaparticular.” scanner. In a moment it turned up
“What unverified but widely a card.
circulated reports have survived?” He grabbed the chart and fed
“Most legends concerning Earth it into the robant pilot. “The Em-
were lost during the Centauran- phor System,” he murmured
Rigan conflict of 4-B33a. What thoughtfully.
survived is fragmentary. Earth “Emphor? We’re going there?”
is variously described as a large “According to the chart, there
ringed planet with three moons, are ninety systems that show a
as a small, dense planet with a third planet of nine with a single
single moon, as the first planet of moon. Of the ninety, Emphor is
a ten-planet system located around the closest. We’re heading there
a dwarf white
— now.”
“What’s the most prevalent le- “I don’t get it,” Norton protest-
 THE IMPOSSIBLE PLANET i33

ed. “Emphor is a routine trading mercial ships come here occasion-

system. Emphor III isn’t even a ally. Contact with this region has
Class D check point.” been vague, since the Centauran-
Captain Andrews grinned tight- Rigan War.”
ly. “Emphor III has a single The passage rang with a sudden
moon, and it’s the third of nine sound. The gleaming robant and
planets. That’s all we want. Does Mrs. Gordon emerged through the
anybody know any more about doorway, into the control room. The
Earth?” He glanced downward. old woman’s face was alive with
“Does she know any more about excitement. “Captain! Is that — is

Earth?” that Earth down there?”

“I see,” Norton said slowly. Andrews nodded. “Yes.”
“I’m beginning to get the picture.” The robant led Mrs, Gordon
over to the big viewscreen. The
T^MPHOR III turned silent- old woman’s face twitched, ripples
below them.
ly A dull red of emotion stirring her withered fea-
globe, suspended among sickly tures. “I can hardly believe that’s
clouds, its baked and corroded really Earth. It seems impossible.”
surface lapped by the congealed re- Norton glanced sharply at Cap-
mains of ancient seas. Cracked, tain Andrews.
eroded cliffs jutted starkly up. The “It’s Earth,” Andrews stated,
flat plains had been dug and strip- not meeting Norton’s glance. “The
ped bare. Great gouged pits pock- moon should be around, soon.”
ed the surface, endless gaping The old woman did not speak.
sores. She had turned her back.
Norton’s face twisted in revul- Andrews contacted the auto-grap-
sion. “Look at it. Is anything ple and hooked the robant pilot on.
alive down there?” The transport shuddered and then
Captain Andrews frowned. “I began to drop, as the beam from
didn’t realize it was so gutted.” He Emphor caught it and took over.
crossed abruptly robant to the “We’re landing,” Andrews said
pilot. “There’s supposed to be an to the old woman, touching her on
auto-grapple someplace down the shoulder.
there. I’ll try to pick it up.” “She can’t hear you, sir,” the
“A grapple? You mean that robant said.
waste inhabited?”
is Andrews grunted. “Well, she
“A few Emphorites. Degenerate can see.”
trading colony of some sort.” An- Below them the pitted, ruined
drews consulted the card. “Com- surface of Emphor III was rising
134 IMAGINATION
rapidly. The ship entered the cloud through her, shaking the thin,
belt and emerged, coasting over a dried-out body. “Exhausted . .
.”
barren plain that stretched as far Her voice rose in shrill dismay.
as the eye could see. “It’s not supposed to be this way!
“What happened down there?” I don’t want it this way!”
Norton said to Andrews. “The The robant took her arm. “She
war?” had better rest. I’ll return her to
“War. Mining. And it’s old. her quarters. Please notify us
The pits are probably bomb cra- when the landing has been made.”
ters. Some of the long trendies “Sure.” Andrews nodded awk-
may be scoop gouges. Looks like wardly as the robant led the old
they really exhausted this place.” woman from the viewscreen. She
A crooked row of broken moun- clung to the guide rail, face dis-
tain peaks shot past under them. torted with fear and bewilderment.
They were nearing the remains of “Something’s wrong!” she wail-
an ocean. Dark, unhealthy water ed. “Why is it this way? Why .” . .

lapped below, a vast sea, crusted The robant led her from the con-
with salt and waste, its edges dis- trolroom. The closing of the hy-
appearing into banks of piled de- draulic safety doors cut off her
bris. thin cry abruptly.
“Why is it that way?” Mrs. Andrews relaxed, his body sag-
Gordon said suddenly. Doubt ging. “God.” He lit a cigarette
“Why?”
crossed her features. shakily. “What a racket she
“What do you mean?” An- makes.”
drews said. “We’re almost down.” Norton
“I don’t understand.” She stared said frigidly.
uncertainly down at the sur-

C OLD
face below. “It isn’t supposed wind lashed at them as
way. Earth is green.
to be this they stepped out cautiously.
Green and alive. Blue water The air smelled bad — sour and
and ...” Her voice trailed off acrid. Like rotted eggs. The wind
uneasily. “WAy?” brought salt and sand blowing up
Andrews grabbed some paper and against their faces.
wrote:
A few miles off the thick sea
COMMERCIAL OPERA- lay. They could hear it swishing
TIONS EXHAUSTED SUR- faintly, gummily. A few birds
FACE passed silently overhead, great
Mrs. Gordon studied his words, wings flapping soundlessly.
her lips twitching. A spasm moved “Depressing damn place,” An-
 THE IMPOSSIBLE PLANET 135
drews muttered. faded with sudden hunger.
eyes
“Yeah. I wonder what the old “Is that water? I want to see.”
lady’s thinking.” Andrews turned to Norton. “Get
Down the descent ramp came the launch out. Drive her where
the glittering robant, helping the she wants.”
little old woman. She moved hes- Norton pulled back angrily.
itantly, unsteadily, gripping the “Me?”
robant’s metal arm. The cold wind “That’s an order.”
whipped around her frail body. “Okay.” Norton returned reluc-
For a moment she tottered and — Andrews lit a
tantly to the ship.
then came on, leaving the ramp and and waited. Pres-
cigarette moodily
gaining the uneven ground. ently the launch slid out of the
Norton shook his head. “She ship, coasting across the ash to-
looks bad. This air. And the ward them.
wind.” “You can show her anything she
“I know.” Andrews moved back wants,” Andrews said to the ro-
toward Mrs. Gordon and the ro- bant. “Norton will drive you.”
bant. “How is she?” he asked. “Thank you, sir,” the robant
“She is not well, sir.” the ro- said. “She will be grateful. She
bant answered. has wanted all her life to stand on
“Captain,” the old woman whis- Earth. She remembers her grand-
pered. father telling her about it. She
“What is it?” believes that he came from Earth,
“You must tell me the truth. a long time ago. She is very old.
Is this — is this really Earth?” She is the last living member of
She watched her family.”
“You swear it is?
his lips
You swear?”
closely.
“But Earth is just a
— ” An-
Her voice rose in shrill terror. drews caught himself. “I mean
“It’s Earth!” Andrews snapped
irritably. “I told you before. Of “Yes sir. But she is very old.
course Earth.”
it’s And she has waited many years.”
“It look like Earth.”
doesn’t The robant turned to the old wom-
Mrs. Gordon clung to his answer, an and led her gently toward the
panic-stricken. “It doesn’t look like launch. Andrews stared after them
it really Earth?”
Earth, Captain. Is sullenly, rubbing his jaw and
“Yes!” frowning.
Her gaze wandered toward the “Okay,” Norton’s voice came
ocean. A strange look flickered from the launch. He slid the hatch
across her tired face, igniting her open and the robant led the old
 ”

136 IMAGINATION
woman carefully inside. The hatch Vanished.” Norton shuddered.
closed after them. “With her body.”
A moment later the launch shot Andrews tossed his cigarette sav-
away across the salt flat, toward agely away. The cigarette rolled
the ugly, lapping ocean. off, glowing behind them. “Any-
thing more?”
ORTON and Captain An- “Nothing. It all happened in a
' drews paced restlessly along second. She was standing there,
the shore. The sky was darkening. lpoking over the water. Suddenly
Sheets of salt blew against them. —
she quivered like a dead branch.
The mud flats stank in the gather- Then she just sort of dwindled
ing gloom of night. Dimly, off in away. And the robant was out of
the distance, a line of hills faded the launch and into the water
into the silence and vapors. with her before I could figure out
“Go on,” Andrews said. “What what was happening.”
then?” The sky was almost dark. Huge
“That’s all. She got out of the clouds drifted across the faint
launch. She and the robant. I stars. Clouds of unhealthy night
stayed inside. >
They stood looking vapors and particles of waste. A
across the ocean. After awhile the flock of immense birds crossed the
old woman sent the robant back horizon, flying silently.

to the launch.” Against the broken hills the

“Why?” moon was rising. A diseased, bar-
“I don’t know. She wanted to ren globe, tinted faintly yellow.
be alone, I suppose. She stood for Like old parchment.
a time by herself. On the shore. “Let’s get back in the ship,”
Looking over .the water. The wind Andrews said. “I don’t like this
rising. All at once she just sort place.”
of settled down. She sank down “I can’t figure out why it hap-
in a heap, into the salt ash.” pened. The old woman.” Nor-
“Then what?” ton shook his head.

“While I was pulling myself to-

“The wind. Radio-active toxins.
gether, the robant leaped out and I checked with Centaurus II. The
ran to her. picked her up. It
It
War devastated this whole system.
stood for a second and then it Left the planet a lethal wreck.”
started for the water. I leaped out “Then we won’t —
of the launch, yelling. It stepped “No. We won’t have to answer
into the water and disappeared. for it.” They continued for a
Sank down in the mud and filth. time in silence. “We won’t have
 ”

THE IMPOSSIBLE PLANET 137

to explain. It’s evident enough. eternal silence. Nothing but the
Anybody coming here, especially wind and the lapping of the thick
an old person — stagnant water. And the dark
“Only nobody would come here,” birds overhead.
Norton said bitterly. “Especially Something glinted. Something
an old person.” at his feet, in the salt ash. Re-
Andrews didn’t answer. He flecting the sickly pallor of the
paced along, head down, hands in moon.
pockets. Norton followed silently Andrews bent down and groped
behind. Above them, the single in the darkness. His fingers closed
moon grew brighter as it escaped over something hard. He picked
the mists and entered a patch of the small disc up and examined it.
clear sky. “Strange,” he said.
“By the way,” Norton said, his
voice cold and distant behind An- TT wasn’t until they were out in
drews. “This is the last trip I’ll deep space, roaring back to-
be making with you. While I was ward Fomalhaut, that he remem-
in the ship I filed a formal request bered the disc.
for new papers.” He slid away from the control
“Oh?” panel, searching his pockets for it.

“Thought I’d let you know. And The disc was worn and thin.
my share of the kilo positives. You And terribly old. Andrews rubbed
can keep it.” itand spat on it until it was clean
Andrews flushed and increased enough to make out. A faint im-
his pace, leaving Norton behind. pression —nothing more. He turn-
The old woman’s death had shaken ed it over. A token? Washer?
him. He lit another cigarette and Coin?
then threw it away. On the back were a few mean-
Damn it — the fault wasn’t his. ingless letters. Some ancient, for-

She had been old. Three hun- gotten script. He held the disc to
dred and fifty years. Senile and the light until he made the letters
deaf. A faded leaf, carried off by out.
the wind. By the poisonous wind E PLURIBUS UNUM
that lashed and twisted endlessly He shrugged; tossed the ancient
across the ruined face of the plan- bit of metal into a waste disposal

et. unit beside him, and turned his

The ruined face. Salt ash and attention to the star charts, and
debris. The broken line of crum- home . . .

bling hills. And the silence. The THE END

HOLD ONTO YOUR BODY!

Rickard O. X ewii

People do strange things— an example,

committing suicide for no apparent reason.
Unless it's time for a change of identity!

4 i
ID WELL,” I said, “why the door. “Do you by any chance
don't you go lose your- own a gun?”
self!” He turned, a frown spreading
He stared at me uncomprehend- between his mousy brows. “No,”
ing^- for a full three seconds. Then he said, slowly, “I don’t.” Then
a glimmer of understanding leap- he brightened. “But I could
ed into his beady little eyes and purchase one ” !

he got up from the chair before my “Fine,” I said, tossing him a

desk and started happily toward bill. “Buy a couple bullets for it,

the outer door of the office. too.”

“Okay, Mr. Nelson,” he said He caught the money, smiled,
over a thin shoulder. “Just what- —
nodded, and left closing the door
ever you say.” softly and respectfully behind him.
“Better still,” I amended, tap- Humming a merry little tune, I
ping the glass top of my desk with turned to the papers upon my
manicured nails, “go shoot your- desk. The partnership contract
self.” between James Fidwell and T. J.
He nodded blithely. “Just as Nelson. If one of the partners
you T. J. Just as you say.”
say, should die from any cause, the
He always called me T. J. when other partner would become sole
he felt that I was giving him a owner of the Remey Company . . .

measure of attention. They seemed quite in order. I

“Wait,” I said, as he reached shuffled them into a neat pile and
cut an intricate little dance step gan poking a finger into the little

on my way to the files with them, holes in the dial.

The partnership was soon to reach “Mr. Pasquamine?” I chimed,
a happy culmination. after hearing the faint click at
Suicide has it all over murder, the other end of the wire,
you know. No silly questions from “Yes.”
the police. No mess to clean up. “This is T;J., I said, chummily.
No body to get rid of. (The rel- “You still own that block of float-
atives usually take care of all ing stock in the Remey Company,
that.) No bother at all, really. don’t you?”
I skipped back to the desk, “Yes.”
flipped Up the telephone, and be- “Fine! Fine!” I complimented.

139
 ”

140 IMAGINATION
“Bring it over to my office as soon “And don’t bother about coming
as possible. And, by the way,” I back to the office afterwards,” I
added, casually, “have it trans- admonished.
ferred to my name, you know.” He paused, hand on the knob,
“Yes.” and turned. Then his round face
He was in my office in less than lighted up. “Ah, Mr. Nelson!” he
an hour, his fat hulk sweating and chuckled. “You make with the
panting in the chair before my joke!
desk, the heavy lids drooping over “Sure.” I smiled. “And now
his black eyes. The stocks were you go home and make with the
piled neatly before me. I thumb- knife.”
ed through them. They seemed That was the last time I saw
to be quite in order. I skipped Pasquamine. Except at the fun-
across the room to the files with eral, of course. He made a love-
them. ly corpse — considering everything.
“Pasquamine,” I said, returning It was the day following the
to my desk and handing him a funeral when there came a gentle
cheap cigar, “do you by chance tapping at my office door.
own a gun?” “Come in,” I said, tossing the
He shook his fat head. “No.” half-finished bottle of gin back
“Do you have at home, per- into the lower drawer.
chance, a rope?” I glanced at his They didn’t bother about
obese body. “A good stout one?” opening the door; they just crawl-
“No.” ed under it. A moment later, they
“A knife, perhaps? A good had had
slithered across the floor,
sharp one?” wiggled their way up to the top
His oily face beamed quickly. on my and had flattened out
desk,
“Ah, Mr. Nelson! That I have! upon its polished surface in com-
Sharp for the salami ” ! He kissed plete pseudopod relaxation. Gyf
his thick fingers and made a flip- and Gyl. My two very good
ping motion into the with them. air friends.
“Sharp for the good big salami!” “Sorry, boys,” I said, after we
“Excellent!” nodded quick
I had exchanged the usual amenities,
approbation. “Go home and cut “that I had to get rid of your
your throat with it.” symbiotics in such a messy fash-
ion. But business is business, you
T TE pushed his hulk up from the know; and I felt that the time
chair and walked toward the was right ...”
door. Gyf shrugged gelatinously. “I
 HOLD ON TO YOUR BODY I 141

was getting tired of occupying blotter my was blowing

desk fan
Fidwell, anyway,” he vibrated. in his direction. “Want
to wait—”
“Regular old pussyfoot. Never A burp nearly flipped him again.
had no fun.” “ — until these garlic fumes effer-
Gyl burped resoundingly in the vesce more completely from my
middle. “I hope the next body system.”
I get doesn’t turn out to be an- “It worked out wonderfully well,
other wine-guzzling, garlic eater.” though,” I said, “even though you
A tremor ran through him. “It did have to put up with the gar-
upsets me frightfully.” lic for awhile.” I 'brought out the
“Time and the rising tide of gin bottle from the lower drawer.
accidents will tell,” I soothed. “It was certainly fortunate that
“I’m cold,” trembled Gyf, “since Gyf was on hand to occupy Fid-
I ain’t got no body to keep me well just after his wife murdered
warm.” him.” I unstoppered the -bottle
“You might try my secretary,” and raised it to my lips. “To Fid-
I offered, playfully. “There’s a well, departed partner and erst-
body for you!” while owner of the Remey Com-
“You know I can’t,” he vibrated. pany!”
“She ain’t even dead yet!” “And the joke was on Mrs. Fid-
“Nearest thing to it,” I com- well,” sparkled Gvl’s sense of -hu-
mented, “this side of the precinct mor. “Just imagine:' seeing her
morgue.” husband up walking around, hale
That brought a shake of mirth and hearty, just a half hour after
from Gyl who really has a truly she had throttled the life out of
remarkable sense of humor. him with her own two hands! ”
Gyf, ignoring the levity, slid “No wonder she had to be lock-
over to the 'little intercom -box at ed up,” I chuckled, pouring a few
one side of the desk, crawled in drops of gin on the polished glass
through one of the slits, curled up, near my companion.
and promptly went to sleep. It “My getting the body of Pas-
seems that Fidwell, along with his quamine, owner of the floating
other faults, had also been a suf- stock, wasn’t sobad either,” he re-
ferer of insomnia. minded me, isolating a drop of gin
“I suppose,” I said to Gyl, con- and flowing around it.
versationally, “you’ll be wanting a I admitted the fact.
new body now ...” “He nearly crushed me, too, when
“Not necessarily. Not right he tumbled,” Gyl reminded. “I’d
away.” He edged away from the been following him two weeks,
142 IMAGINATION
waiting for his fat heart to do a of gin. “Oh, well,” he said dismiss-
flopperoo.” ing the ambition, “guess he doesn’t
Weboth laughed. I took an- have much to say about things,
other drink, and Gyl osmosed a anyway.” Then he brightened.
nip. “But there are some mighty fine
bureaus and departments there.
We could wiggle our way into one
F INALLY,desk.
I

“Listen,
leaned across
Gyl,” I
the
said, of those. A few million dollars
coldly serious. “Now that this here and there wouldn’t be missed.”
little deal is over, how would you “Atta boy! I’ll take you and
like to get in on something else? Gyf over to Washington in the
Something really big?" morning, then I’ll come back here
He instantly became all ears. and dispose of the business while
(Naturally, only a pseudopod can the two of you are getting estab-
do it.) lished.” It sounded like a good

“After I sell out Remey,” I con- idea. Within a few years we’d be
tinued, “we’ll have ample funds. rolling in the filthy stuff.

So-o, if we moved over to Wash- I poured a few more drops of

ington, D. C. . . . If you and Gyf gin on the glass top, then raised the
could get in touch with a couple bottle. “Here’s to happy days in
tottering congressmen who are the Pentagon!” I toasted.
about ready to depart from this Our spirits were soon soaring to
vale of tears ...” great heights, and, as usual under
Gyl caught on immediately. “T. such circumstances, Gyl began
J.,” he complimented, “you’ve got talking about the “good old days”
”
something! when you could pick up a likely

He fell silent, and I knew he corpse almost anywhere, anytime.

was letting the gin and the thought “Used to be so much simpler
trickle through him, savoring both then,” he commented, flowing
from various angles. Then he vi- around one of the fresh drops.
brated, dreamily, “I’ve always “Now you have to beat the em-
wanted to be a congressman. Or — balmed ” He chuckled. “Fairly
or a cabinet member. Or ” His — close race at times, too! But it

vibration dropped to little more keeps one on one’s pseudotoes, so

than a whisper. “ or a presi- — to speak!” A combined burp and
dent!” hiccough nearly flopped him off the
“Sorry,” I said, “but I believe desk.
he is already possessed.” After he had regained his equi-
Gyl flowed around another drop librium we spent an. enjoyable
 HOLD ON TO YOUR BODY! M3
half-hour talking of cadavers, fun- the slats . . .

eral homes, the comparative merits

of inhabiting youthful or wealthy 'T'HEY have Gyf and Gyl in a
bodies, and other delightfully little bottle now, tightly stop-

stimulating subjects. Then we be- pered and ready for shipment baek
gan to sing songs, old and new. home to Venus. They’ll be placed
We chorus of
"had finished the on the next space ship heading out.
“We Have All the Dough
of Re- There is a stupid Terrestrial
mey” time and were
for the third law, you know, which makes it
just getting warmed up on an ex- manditory that all Venusians be
temporization of “We’ll Carry On apprehended on sight or extract-
in the Pentagon” when the office ed from any body they may be oc-
door flew suddenly open and two cupying and sent back to Venus
Federal boys stepped in, followed in all possible haste.
by my stupid-looking secretary. And so I shall soon be extracted
They came quickly to the desk. from the body of T. J. Nelson and
One of them grabbed a bandful his neck will .bend double in the
of Gyl with one hand and pointed middle again just the way it was
a gun at me with the other. “Just when I found him shortly after
stay as you are,” the officer cau- his accident. Then, in a little
tioned. bottle of my own, I shall accom-
My dumb secretary stared at pany Gyf and Gyl homeward.
me with round, innocent eyes. “I But, don’t worry, I’ll be back!
couldn’t help hearing everything I’ll be back just as soon as I can
you Mr. Nelson,” she chirp-
said, hitch a ride on a returning space-
ed, half apologetically. “Your in- boat!
tercom box was open. Must be a So take good care of yourself,
short in it somewhere. Or a loose my friend, and don’t catch pneu-
connection ...” monia or step in front of a truck
The other officer picked up the or anything like that — until I re-

little box and shook it. A sur- turn.

prised Gyf felt out from between THE END

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 - REVIEWING CURRENT SCIENCE FICTION BOOKS -
(Conducted Lu ^fja er
9
Hard cover science fiction is booming and many fine novels
and anthologies are available at all bookstores or by writing
direct to the publishers. Bach month IMAGINATION will review
selected books as a guide to your recommended reading list.

Future Tense
edited, by Kendell Foster Crossen. story in his own collection (Peter
364 pages, Greenberg Pub-
$3.50. Phillips’ “The Plagiarist”) argues
lisher, New York, N. Y. for so entertainingly.
Any anthologist who can make The book has fourteen tales, di-
a statement like, “Two of the fin- vided into two sections: stories
est writers (if not the finest) in that previously appeared in maga-
science-fiction today are Ward zine form, and stories that had nev-
Moore and Ray Bradbury,” reveals er before seen print. Most of the
a curious deficiency in taste, judg- former are first-rate, most of the
ment and scope. In his ill-tem- latter should have remained in man-
pered introduction, Mr. Crossen uscript. In the balance, Future
huffs and puffs about “meaning- Tense is a better-than-average col-
ful literature,” “objectivity versus lection.
subjectivity,”and the author’s re- In addition to Phillips’ story,
lationship to his time. But the high honors go to Miriam Allen
standards he condemns most s-f for deFord’s “Throwback,” “Love Sto-
failing to meet, are little exempli- ry” by Christopher Monig, and Mr.
fied in his own selections. And that Crossen’s own enjoyable “Things
quality which he editorially scorns of Distinction." Ward Moore’s
—
as the object of s-f writing name- short satire, "We the People,” has
ly entertainment, pure and undi- a jolt ending but nothing to de-
—
rected is precisely what the first throne Heinlein.

144
 SCIENCE FICTION LIBRARY i45

Science Fiction Adventures In Dimension

edited, by Groff Conklin. 368 pages, two lovers’ world-of-might-have-
$2.95. Vanguard Press, New York, been in “What If . .
.”
N- Y. The prize
piece in the anthology
You might call this collection of is Ray Bradbury’s brilliant “Night
twenty-three short stories an “an- Meeting,’’ encounter on Mars be-
atomy of time travel.” Editor tween an Earth colonist and the
Conklin has tried to represent each ghost of a Martian from forty cen-
of the subject’s possibilities travel — turies in the past. There are other
from the present to the future, '

good stories by Roger Flint Young,

from the present to the past, from A. Bertram Chandler, Raymond
future to present, from past to pres- F. Jones, Fritz Leiber, and an old-
ent, and parallel worlds (side- timer by Miles J. Breuer.
wise in time). But alongside such excellence are
Among the many
enjoyable ex- several distinct potboilers. This
amples Day Keene’s “What So
:
need not have been. Conklin had
Proudly We Hail” is about a Rev- scores of previously-anthologized
olutionary War hero who finds him- time travel gems to choose from,
self in, and befuddled by, modem He need not have printed anything
U.S.A. “Ring Around the Red- second-rate. But he and his pub-
head” by John D. MacDonald shows lisher wanted to boast on the jack-
some of the perils of importing a et blurb, “Never before published
beautiful gal from a neighboring in book form.”
dimension. A time traveler goes We wonder why this is always
back to the Depression era to take considered such a compliment?
advantage of bargain prices in Mar- Perhaps there was a good reason
ion Gross’ “The Good Provider,” why no other anthologist had ;«ed
and Isaac Asimov neatly sums up some of these stories!

The Robot And The Man

Edited by Martin Greenberg.
pages, $2.95. Gnome Press,
York, N. Y.
This is a collection of ten stories
illustrating the theme of the robot
in science-fiction. It’s a neat idea.
Each tale carries the robot’s de-
velopment another step forward,
from man’s first invention of the
mechanical brain and earliest mo-
bile robot, to the perfect man-ser-
vant stage and the robot’s eventu-
al “acceptance as an entity by his,
creators.” In the end man disap-
pears, leaving a robot civilization.
The actual selection of stories
251 seems weak, however, considering
New the wealth and range of the genre.
The only above-average pieces are
“Self Portrait” by Bernard Wolfe,
“Final Command” by A. E. van
Vogt, and “Though Dreamers Die”
by Lester del Rey. The editor has
altered the stories to fit his chron-
icle, a doubtful practice which de-
prives the collection of variety
without improving the tales them-
selves. Other authors represented:
John D. MacDonald, Lewis Pad-
gett, H. H. Holmes, John S. Brown-
ing, Joseph E. Kelleam and Robert
Moore Williams.
 CoJudJ ^
H AVE you ever gone to a
meeting of a science fiction
club? If you haven’t, you’re
missing an interesting experience.
And the chances are there’s
group of stf fans meeting not too
far from you.
Sometimes I get to wondering
about fan clubs. How many are
there? How many different types of
clubs? I’ve been to mammoth or-
ganizations like ESFA, the East-
ern Science Fiction Association,
which meets in Newark, New Jer-
sey. ESFA has a constant at-
tendance of professionals in the sci-
ence fiction field, professonals who
go there both as speakers and as
guests. I’ve also been to small
groups composed primarily of high
school students, like the Space-
warpers of California’s San Fer-
nando Valley. Very different types
of clubs. And yet, both science fic-
tion clubs. Which is typical? Or
WI«ri WJf
are they both typical, or is any stf
club typical?
The ESFA is a sort of clearing
house for fans from the entire
a Greater New York area. By sub-
way and bus it’s not hard to reach
from any of the boroughs, and of
course it’s accessible to the cities
and towns on the Jersey side. So
it members, both regular and oc-
casional visitors, can be drawn from
a population of millions.
Of course, ESFA isn’t the only
science fiction club in the New
York area. How many others are
there? I don’t know .. There’s
.
the Hydra Club, of course, but it
can hardly be called a fan club,
since its membership consists pri-
marily of professionals in the field.
There’s the Queens Science Fiction
League, which mixes very little
with any of the others.And doubt-
less thereare quite a few mpre.
Of course the club you’ve been

FAXDORA’S BOX
hearing the most about this year
.
is the Philadelphia Science Fic-
tion Society, the sponsors of the
1953 11th World Science Fiction
Convention. The PSFS is one of
the oldest clubs in existence, if not
the oldest, having been in contin-
uous operation since 1935. I’ve
never been to a meeting there my-
self, but I hope to have the chance
to attend —
someday the group
seems to manage to blend serious
discussion of stf with a lot of hu-
mor and fun and friendliness. And
the capacity to work very, very
hard to put on a fine Convention.
As you go South there seems to
be quite a few cluhs. One I’d like
to drop in on is the group that
puts out the fanzine Hyperspace.
That’s the group that names itself
the Hopeful Young People’s Extra-
Radical Society for the Promotion
of Amiable Conditions Everywhere.
It’s hard to tell from the fanzine
whether or not they’re a formally
organized club, or just a few
friends with similar interests who
get together to discuss science fic-
tion and put out a fanzine. (Which
certainly would make them a club
anyway, even if they’re not overly
fond of following the rules of par-
liamentary procedure.)
If you’re down Atlanta way
there’s the Atlanta S-F Organiza-
tion. I don’t know much about this
club either, except that it started
ASFO, not so very long ago. A
good new fanzine, too.
From time to time in this col-
umn I’ve reviewed other local and
regional clubs. How many others,
equally active, that I’ve never even
heard of, I don’t know. I do know,
though, that if you live in Texas
you can get in touch with one of
—
147
the branches of the Texas Club, or
at least correspond with other Texas
fans. If you live in New England
there’s a regional group covering
your state as well as your neighbors.
If you live in Oregon or Washing-
ton, you can get in touch with other
active Northwest stf enthusiasts.
Wherever you live, though, if
know the addresses of
you’d like to
nearby clubs, or the headquarters
of correspondence clubs, there’s
one sure way of finding out. Write
in to Orville Mosher, the founder of
Project Fan Club, for information.
He’s put in a lot of work compiling
a list of just about every club that
there is, with all the pertinent data
on- it — how it’s organized, whether
it’s formal or informal, where and
how often it meets, main interests
of the members, etc. Including all
clubs mentioned in this column.
Just get in touch with Orville
Mosher, 1728 Mayfair, Emporia,
Kansas. He’ll send you names and
addresses of groups near you. (It
works the other way too. If you’re
starting up a club of your own, why
not send the information on it to
Orville?)
’VE mentioned several clubs that
I were confined to one geogra-
phical locality — the kind you could
drop in on, if you were in the vi-
cinty. But to be a typical science
fiction club a group doesn’t even
have to have its members within
assembling distance. A
club like
ESFA at one extreme. At the
is
other, find the purely cor-
you’ll
respondence clubs, those whose
members are scattered all over the
country, if not all over the world.
Lots of times the founders of this
type of club live in rural areas
 148 IMAGINATION
one or two or three fans reaching
out via their mimeo and the mails
toward all others of similar tastes
and similar interests in the field.
Some of the most active fans of
all are strictly long distance en-
thusiasts.
For an example of a wide flung
group there’s the all girl organiza-
tion of fandom, the Fanettes. Here
you’ll find girls from all over the
country. They put out their own
fanzine, or Femzine, devoted
the woman’s slant on things
ence fictional. Men can read the
mag, but can’t write for it, or join
the club.
Another correspondence club is
the SRSFCC, or Star Rockets Sci-
ence Fiction Correspondence Club,
which has members all over the
US, and also in Japan. How many
mpre of these letter writing clubs
there are I don’t have any idea.
I’ve just mentioned some of the
newer ones, and I haven’t even
touched yet on the big national and
international clubs, with their cor-
respondence sections and ther fan-
zine publishing departments.
Clubs like the NFFF, or National
Fantasy Fan Federation, a wide-
spread group to which many mem-
bers of local groups also be-
long. Or Operation Fantast, the
United Kingdom club wth head-
quarters in Great Britain and all
over the world. This is an or-
ganization well worth looking into,
if you’re interested
overseas friends.
in making
Another overseas club is just get-
ting well under way. It’s the
LSFO, or Lakeland Science Fic-
tion Organization, with headquar-
ters in Windermere, England. The
club has a newszine, a library, and
a regular meeting schedule. It
wants more members from all over
the world believing that the more
members it has, the more each
member will get from it.
Then there are the big amateur
press associations, FAPA
and
SAPS, where there’s almost always
a waiting list of prospective mem-
bers, and where some fine fanzines
are put out for intra-organization
circulation only. For the fans who
to are really interested in writing and
sci- editing, these are especially worth-
while groups.
But getting back clubs
to the
more easily located in time and
—
space those with definite meeting
addresses and definite meeting
times. Perhaps, after all, these
are the clubs that should be called
typical, for here is where most of
your science fiction fans get to-
gether once a week or once a month
to discuss the latest in the field
and to talk and visit and maybe
put out a club fanzine.
In the Los Angeles area there’s
the LASFS, the Los Angeles Sci-
ence Fantasy Society. The LASFS
is another of the really old clubs,
with at least one of its original
members still very much in evi-
dence. I’m referring of course to
long time fan Forrest J. Ackerman,
a man who has really identified him-
self with science fiction through-
out most of his life.
In San Francisco there are the
Little Men —
and if you’ve never
seen a copy of their Rhodomag-
netic Digest you’ve really missed a
fine job of amateur publishing.
Rhodo could hardly be called a fan-
zine, though. (In fact, I doubt
that the Little Men would appre-
ciate its being so called.) It’s def-

initely a literary, “little”
zine.
There are clubs for the junior
high and the high school age brac-
kets. (And even among a definite
age group the type of club may
vary a lot, depending on the tastes
of the particular membership.)
There are clubs, usually rather
small, that combine interest in sci-
ence fiction with interest in mod-
ern music or painting or literature,
and often turn out very fine maga-
zines of the literary type. And
there are many clubs, probably the
great majority, where you’ll find
people from every age group and
every walk of life, people as differ-
ent from each other in most of
their interests as can be- and yet
with one major interest in common.
Science fiction.
If you belong to a club now, you
know what I mean. If
why not find out for yourself? I
think you’ll like the people you’ll
meet.
% 5j:
Now to the fanzines:
ANDROMEDA: 25c; or 1/9 or
1 issue of a 35c U. S. professional
stf magazine; bimonthly; Pete
Campbell, 60 Calgarth Rd., Wind-
ermere, West., England. Pete Camp-
bellalso will give you information
on the Lakeland Science Fiction
Organization I mentioned earlier.
Its goal is at least 500 members,
from all over the world.
In the fifty pages of Andro-
meda’s first issue you’ll find just
about the best collection of ama-
teur science fiction I’ve read in a
long time. Often you’ll find a
good story in a fanzine. But it’s
rare indeed when you keep finding
one fine story after another. In
—
FANDORA’S BOX 149
maga- this issue you do just that. You’ll
get a quarter’s worth, and more, of
reading pleasure here.
* * *
SCIENCE FICTION ADVERTIS-
ER: 20c; bimonthly; 1745 Kenneth
Rd., Glendale 1, Calif. In this pho-
to-offset magazine you’ll find a lot
more than advertising, though the
advertisements are what pay the
printing. Just about everyone who
deals in buying and selling science
fiction trades here; response to ads
in this fanzine is very good in-
deed.
But of more interest, perhaps, to
the general reader are the excellent
feature articles on science fiction
trends and personalities and the
— equally fine review section. The
issue I have here has a particularly
large portion devoted to book re-
views; you’ll find covered here just
you don’t about all of the year’s releases.
* * *
VEGA: 10c; monthly; Joel Ny-
dahl, 119 S. Front St., Marquette,
Mich. Within a few months of its
first issue Vega is becoming one of
the top fanzines in the field.
Marion Zimmer Bradley’s series
of articles on “What Every Young
Fan Should Know,” is one of the
best serious columns I’ve ever read
on what fandom can actually mean
to the young fan. And it’s only
one of many good columns in Vega.
Joel says that except for the big
anniversary issue he’s cutting out
fiction. That’s something I’m sor-
ry to see. I liked reading Joel’s own
stories especially. But now I guess
we’ll be reading them in MADGE
he was published in last May’s
issue you know. A very good lit-
tle story by another fan turning
pro.
ISO IMAGINATION
And he puts out a fine mimeoed force in S-F Fandom?” His con-
zine, too. clusions: the import bans added
* # * to the decentralization of population

SEVAGRAM: 10c; published ir-

which keeps ‘stf readers up north
regularly: Van Splawn, 4942 West from gathering together into local
clubs.
Pine Blvd., St. Louis 8, Mo. There’s * * *
some good artwork in this new fan-
zine. Editor Splawn’s cover is FANTASTIC WORLDS: 30c;
particularly eye-catching. quarterly; Sam Sackett, 1449
Sevagram uses reprint material. Brockton Ave., Los Angeles 25,
In this case the reprints are from Calif. At first glance the price
other fanzines of past years. seems rather high for an amateur
There’s the Redd Boggs article, magazine. But if you’re really in-
“Forgotten Fantasies,’’ on Edward terested in quality, the extra mon-
Bellamy’s fantastic tales, only one ey is well spent indeed.
of which has survived to become a For here you’ll find a beautiful
classic. Except for his “Looking magazine photo-offset, with some
Backward,’’ Bellamy is forgotten as of the best covers and interior art
a writer of fantasies. This article in the field. (Lee Hoffman’s cov-
and review by Boggs first appear- er on the issue I have here a wing-—
ed in 1946 in the fanzine Star Rov- ed horse in the night sky, and the
er, but it’s as interesting and time- —
shadowed rider displays a new
ly now, in the fresh flood of sci- facet of the creative talents of the
ence fiction from all quarters. “Quandry” editor.)
There are so many fanzine arti- Among the articles you’ll always
cles and stories of past years find serious discussions of science
known only to a few collectors . . .
fiction and science fiction people,
* * * articles written by those well qual-
SPACE SHIP: 10c; quarterly; ified to cover their subjects.
Bob Silverberg, 760 Montgomery The only editorial requirement
St., Brooklyn 13, N. Y. Here’s one is quality. And that’s what Fan-
fanzine where you’ll find some tastic Worlds has a lot of.
* * *
thought-provoking and well-writ-
ten articles, and fan fiction too, PENDULUM: 15c; quarterly; Bill
all for only a dime. Venable, 610 Park Place, Pitts-
In the issue I have here it’s Redd burgh 9, Pa. Co-editors Venable
Boggs again, reviewing old time and Donald Susan put out this hu-
writers. This time it’s the back- morously slanted mimeoed zine.
ground to H. G. Wells’ “Time Trav- They belong to a group called Fan
eler”. The history of the book and Variety Enterprises, other mem-
its background in the world of the bers of which also turn out some
1890’s is very interesting reading. really good issues, such as Stf
Roger Dard reports on the state Trends, Vega, Cosmag, Science-
of science fiction in Australia. Im- Fantasy Bulletin, and many more.
port troubles in the Land Down In this issue of Pendulum Joe
Under. And Norman Browne poses Gibson writes an article titled “Get
the question: "Why Isn’t Canada a Out the Scotch, William, We’re
 FANDORA’S BOX
Lost Again." It’s on astrogation,
or how to find your way home from
the other side of the galaxy. You
don’t take a fix on three stars, as
you do when navigating near
Earth; you take a fix on three gal-
axies instead.
Fiction too, and reviews of cur-
rent stf.
* * *
KAYMAR TRADER: 10c, or 4/25c;
monthly; K. Martin Carlson, 1028-
3rd Ave. So., Moorhead, Minn. This
adzine, or advertising fanzine,
sponsored by the NFFF, the Na-
tional Fantasy Fan Federation.
Here you can list any science fic-
tion or fantasy books and maga-
zines you wish to sell, swap, or
buy —and that includes fanzines
too. Often rather extensive fan-
zine collections are offered for sale.
Rates for ads are reasonable and
you’ll find complete listings here.
NFFF members may subscribe to
the Trader for only 25c for 6 is-
sues, and purchase three ads for
the price of two.
* * *
MICRO: 10c;published every six
weeks; Donald O. Cantin, 214 Bre-
mer St., Manchester, N. H. Here’s
a digest-sized fanzine that really
goes in for fannish humor. You’ll
ren A. FreibeTg, 5018 W. 18th St.
Cicero 50, 111. Brevzine has gone
from digest sized to full 8'/2 by
11 inch pages now, and the major
difference is that now there’s room
for more stories and articles you’ll
enjoy.
The fiction leans more to fantasy
and weird than it does to science
fiction —at least in the issue I have
here. My favorite in the issue was
Robert Warner’s “First Flight,”
the tale of a young boy and the
is witch whose spell gives him wings.
In his regular column Henry
Moskowitz discusses current and
coming science fiction. And there
are several short bits introducing
the authors of the Brevzine sto-
ries. A good way to get acquainted
with some of the fan writers.
H? * *
A LA SPACE: 15c; published 7
times a year; Kent Corey, P. O.
Box 64, Enid, Oklahoma. In this
issue you’ll find an article by pro
writer Chester S. Geier on “How
to Write STF." According to
Chet you start by studying short
model stories, and finding out by
analyzing them how plots and sto-
ry ideas are developed. The key,
I guess, is really studying, and
working at it.

find writers like Bob Bloch and Also Shelby Vick, editor of the
Bob Tucker squaring off in these fanzine “Confusion” has a column
pages. In fact, unless you keep illustrated by one of his puffin crit-
up on the personalities in the field ters. It’s called “Dear Diary” (the
you may find yourselves a bit be- column, not the critter) and bears
wildered at times. a somewhat strong resemblance to
But if you’re a fan yourself, and Shelby’s “Dear Alice” column.
especially if you’re interested in * * *
maybe putting out a fanzine your- STAR LANES: 20c; quarterly;
self one of these days, you ought Orma McCormick, 1658 W. Hazel-
to have a fine time with Micro. hurst St., Ferndale 20, Mich. Orma
* * *
McCormick and co-editor Nan
BREVZINE: 10c bimonthly; War- Gerding put out this poetry zine.
152 IMAGINATION
with poems by a lot of the best fan- Carrigan a copy and you’ll be in-
tasy amateur verse writers. If cluded.
you’re a poetry fan this one’s for * * +

you. FANTASIA: 5c; published irregu-

My favorite was Rory Faulkner’s larly; Larry Balint, 3255 Golden
“Venusian Love Song’.” And An- Ave., Long Beach 6, Calif. In this
drew Duane’s “Exile.” Then there’s newsy little fanzine you’ll find re-
Lilith Lorraine, Robert Briney, Em- views, a letter section, and a lot
ili Thompson, and many, many of fannish good humor. And in
more. And artwork by Nancy the issue I have here Larry Ander-
Share. son’s short but explicit article on
* * * “How to Grow an Airplane Plant.”
THE MARTIAN TRADER:15c; If you like to enter into the spir-
about every six weeks; T. Carri- it of good natured fanning and if
gan, 179 Sydney St., Dorchester you know something about the peo-
25, Mass. You can save, though, ple and zines covered here, you’ll
by getting three issues of this get a kick out of this one.
tradezine for 25c. It’s a new trad- * * *
ing medium, where you can adver- That about winds up the fanzines
tise any science-fictional items you in the BOX for now. Remember, if
may want to sell or buy. Rates you have a zine you want reviewed,
are very reasonable. send it to me, Mari Wolf, Fan-
Also there are capsule reviews dora’s Box, IMAGINATION, P. O.
of other fanzines. If you have a Box 230, Evanston, 111.
zine you want listed in the Trader, See you again next month.
it’s very simple —
just send Editor —Mari Wolf

'k .Sound Sind 5 ury.

M UCH
ten
nonsense has been writ-
about “mystery super-
weapons” but as in so much con-
some sort of a heat beam ray. This
is the improbable case. All physi-
cal reasoning inclines to the unlike-
jecture there just enough truth
is lihood of a weapon like this. Maybe
to make the subject interesting. someday far in the future, yes, but
Avowedly, according to the Con- now, a resounding no.
gressmen the hypothetical mystery The second weapon though is an-
weapons of the future, the near other matter. By the very dearth
future, are not connected with ra- of publication about it in the phy-
dioactivity, atomic energy or biolog- sics journals, you are inclined to
ical warfare. Only two conclu- suspect that it is "in the works.”
sions are left to draw from, one of The weapon is of course, high fre-
them improbable, the other highly quency sound.
likely. Of itself high frequency sound
The firstsecret weapon gesta- is fairly common. It’s simply in-
ting in the laboratories might be audible sound waves commonly used
 SOUND AND FURY
in sub detection, inspection of flaws
in steels and similar prosaic tasks.
But high frequency sound (at a
high energy level) has another less
widely known property— it ean kill!
Experimentally there have been nu-
merous reports about its success
against rodents and insects. Bom-
barded with a focused ray or beam
of invisible inaudible sound, the
creatures have had their nervous
systems, even their tissues shat-
tered and disintegrated!
If that can happen with low-
can happen with Man.
level life, it
Probably the only difference is the
increased intensity of the sound re-
quired. Various sound generators
have been designed which can pro-
vide supersonic energy at high
153
enough levels to injure humans.
Step them up with still more pow-
er and there is no reason at all
why death cannot result. High pow-
er isneeded not only for the actu-
al tissue disrupting force but also
for the range and air-penetrating
effect. In fact if there are limita-
tions on a super-sonic weapon, un-
doubtedly they are of the range.
As a matter of fact it is also likely
that super-sonic weapons will be
short range affairs, but that is not
necessarily a drawback because they
are so insidious and almost inde-
tectable. It would be very interest-
ing to get a peek into the sound
—
laboratories today it’s a certainty
that super-sound as a weapon is be-
ing pushed with fury!
 ! —

REAL CRAZY, MAN! this! As to serials, I’m half and

half. Only time I really gripe
Dear Bill: about them is when I miss the first
The first science fiction maga- installment.
zine I picked up was your October
Madge’s book reviews are not
1952 issue of Madge, with the nov- outstanding, but they are better
el, ARMAGEDDON, 1970. Since than the average See you in
. . .

then I’ve observed that your mag- future issues.

azine has contained consistently
John Butler
high quality save for a few bumps 3118 Church Ave.
and rough spots now and then. Brooklyn, N. Y.
I am now a faithful reader. Drop the baseball bat, John. Hein-
More of writers Dan Galouye, lein coming up next issue. Is
St. Reynard, and Philip K. Dick. it good? It’s crazy man, REAL
Speaking of Dick, man! is that crazy! wlh
boy coming up!
Let’s not have an excessive num- COINCIDENCE . . .

—
ber of cartoons but not too few
Dear Mr. Hamling:
either. And coax you to get a
Heinlein story? I stand over you I have made a minor discovery
with a baseball bat. in the July ish of Madge. Re the
Now about the July issue. VOY- story by T. D. Hamm, NATIVE
AGE TO ETERNITY was every- SON, I wonder if the author read
thing I’d expected of Milton Les- IMPERFECTION by Leslie Walt-
ser. Real crazy, man ham in the June issue of START-
THE ANIMATED PINUP was LING STORIES. Both yarns util-
— NATIVE SON not so.
interesting ized the same gimmick . . .

COSMIC POACHERS — now there’s Now how about comparing

a story . . , Madge’s writers with other mags
The cover — let’s have more of if you think you can take it.

154
 —
LETTERS FROM THE READERS r 55

VOYAGE TO ETERNITY by we know that triple coincidence

Milton Lesser in the July issue was is something of a record Writ- . . .

good, and of course Lesser is a good ers. Madge has a fine lineup of
—
writer but. he can’t compare with top favorites, and the listcontinu-
Phil Farmer, George O. Smith, ally grows—next month with Hein-
Fletcher Pratt, Leigh Brackett, lein . .... . wlh
Chad Oliver, and Sam Merwin. Not
to mention Murray Leinster, Damon LONG LINE TO DENMARK
Knight, Jack Vance, Wallace West,
and, well, I could go on Madge . . . Dear Mr. Hamling:
never has writers like these. Just finished reading the July
Madge’s writers are usually good, issue of IMAGINATION and I had
the mag usually h. s good stories to write and tell you that I think
but nothing outstanding. For that VOYAGE TO ETERNITY is one
reason Madge will never be at the of the most exciting science fiction
top. novels I have ever read. It has
However, your features are out- placed Milton Lesser among my
standing, notably FANDORA’S —
favorite authors Bradbury, Hein-
BOX and the EDITORIAL. Oh yes, lein, Asimov, and Van Vogt.
the artwork is usually terrific, and Speaking of Heinlein, I think
those photo covers (July issue) are IMAGINATION simply must have
really great Maybe the tone of
. . .
a story by Mr. Science Fiction. You
my letter should be to get some see, I started reading American
really good writers. There is some- science fiction about a year ago.
thing so nice and friendly about It was Bradbury’s Martian Chron-
Madge that I hate to criticize, but icles. Next came one of Heinlein’s
I thought maybe you’d like to know books and I felt as if a door had
how I feel. been opened for me. I met a rich
Val Walker literary world I never dreamed of.
6438 E. 4th PI. Since then I guess I’ve become
Tulsa, Okla. quite a fan.
Whether or not T. D. read Hamm I like IMAGINATION because it
the story you mention we couldn’t seems to me it has a line. An in-
—
say but we do know that its creasing line if I may put it that
“similarity” to one in another mag- way. Every issue, in my opinion,
azine published at the same time is a little better than the previous
was sheer coincidence; Hamm’s one. I’d just like to say then, that
st07-y was purchased months prior at least one person here in Denmark
to onr publishing it . . . Speaking is enjoyihg the rich creative flavor

of coincidences, we once edited a of your excellently edited magazine.

detective magazine and recall I wish it all the luck in the future.
that one month we had a cover sto- Knud Rigbolt
ty entitled, BUT THE PATIENT 15, Mozartsvej
DIED. Two other magazines ap- Copenhagen SV
peared the same month with the Denmark
identical title we had! As far as Thanks for the kind words, Knud,
156 IMAGINATION
and you’ll yet your story by Mr. figure work. The illo for NA-
Science Fiction next month. Hope TIVE SON was nice, incorporating
you enjoy it wlh all the essentials of the story. How
about putting the artist’s name un-
PHILIPPINE BELLE der each illustration? To me at
least, the illustrations are second-
Dear Ed: ary in importance only to the sto-
Little did I expect when I first ries. The cartoons are swell. Keep
met “Madge” that I would win the them coming.
company of such a nice gal. Her Bob L. Stewart
type is a rare specie here and pret- Route #1
ty hard to get. Madge has now be- Brashear, Texas
—
come my best friend confronting Sorry you didn’t find the July
me with no problems, only enter- photo cover particularly eye-catch-
tainment. ing. Most readers found it quite
Stories from Daniel Galouye, attractive. We’ll see what we can
Geoff St. Reynard, and others reg- do about the artist credit on each
ularly in IMAGINATION are sure illo ... . . . wlh
hits. Keep them coming.
Lujano Orillo MORE LESSER AND CALLE
18 Plaza Rizal
Majayjay, Laguna Dear Bill:
Philippines The July issue of Madge con-
more of your fav-
You’ll be seeing tained high calibre material from
coming issues
orites in Just re-
. . .
cover to cover. The photo-cover by
ceived a card from St. Reynard. Malcolm Smith was an excellent
He’s vacationing ( lucky dog!) idea. Let’s see more along that
on the isle of Tobago in the line. The BIG surprise was the
British West Indies. We’ve told lead novel, VOYAGETO ETER-
him to keep his typewriter working NITY by Milton Lesser. It was in-
while he relaxes on'the beach., .wlh teresting AND
entertaining. The
accompanying illustrations by Paul
ARTWORK COMMENTARY Calle were a welcome addition to
the pages of Madge. Hope you will
Dear Bill: have more of his fine work.
Here are a few comments on Marvin J. Edwards
Madge’s artwork. In regard to the 1052 Merrimac Rd.
cover on the July issue, I liked the Camden 4, N. J.
idea of super-imposing model space Milt Lesser is working on a new
ships against an astronomical pho- feature novel for Madge right
tograph; however, the actual scene now, and Paul Calle will illustrate
did not appear particularly inter- it wlh
esting or eye-catching.
Paul Calle’s interior illos for OUR 3-D COVER
VOYAGE TO ETERNITY cer-
tainly showed a unique style for Dear Mr. Hamling:
 ;

LETTERS FROM THE READERS 157

At last, I believe, I am making er he finishes them the better. I
the transition from S-F reader to like your back coversbut would
too,
S-F fan. Just two years ago I prefer to see the photos in black
started reading science fiction at rather than blue.
the library; six months ago I began FANDORA’S BOX is excellent;
buying stf pocketbooks, and now it’sthe only fan magazine review
my first letter to a stf magazine at column existing today. The car-
the ripe old age of sixteen. toons are but don’t use too
fine
I received my introduction to many of them. Madge’s stories
Madge when a friend gave me a range from fair on up to the best.
copy of the October ’52 issue and VOYAGE TO ETERNITY was one
the January ’53 number. I enjoyed of the best, the rest were average.
them very much, but did not buy You’ve been hinting about Heinlein
any stf magazines until yesterday — nothing could be better!
when I picked up your July issue. Leigh Littleton
It was great! The cover actually 730 Fairview
seemed to have depth the — 3-D Bowling Green, Ohio
everybody is talking about. Speaking of covers, next month
The
stories in the July issue were Bill Terry grabbed the honors to
really tops. So much so that I paint the cover for Heinlein’s sto-
dashed over to a friend of mine ry. It’s really a top-notch job, and
who was selling his s-f magazines quite realistic wlh
and bought a dozen issues of
Madge. And just to show you how REAL IMAGINATION
much I like the magazine I’m en-
closing my subscription. Dear Ed:
» Dainis Bisenieks people
Like a lot of other in
545 S. Weadock
Madge’s letter column, this is my
Saginaw, Mich. However upon
first fan letter.
The July cover did have quite a reading through the July issue of
depth to it, one advantage of
bit of
Madge “The Magazine with Real
a strictly photographic cover. Imagination” I really felt inspired
Watch for more in the near fu- to write.
ture. This month’s cover has an in- First of all, as to fewer cartoons,
terstellar photo background wlh . . .
baloney! After reading a story
like NATIVE SON (which I liked
BEST STF COVER YET very much) I felt like I could use
a good chaser, and the cartoon
Dear Mr. Hamling: was just the thing.
I just received my July issue of As to your new book review
Madge, and I hardly knew it with column, well, frankly it rather falls
that photo-cover. It’s' the best one short, mainly because I don’t know
I’ve ever seen on a science fiction whether to read the books review-
magazine. You said that Malcolm ed or not. Mr. Reinsberg should be
Smith was working on some others more explicit in his recommenda-
as far as I’m concerned, the soon- tions.
158 IMAGINATION
James V. Chism that have been painted many hun-
1001 E. Main dreds of times. They lend a fresh
Anthony, Kansas slant, so to speak, and have a nov-
We'll caution Mark, feeling you elty all their own. As to readers
have a good point there . . . wlh not preferring what you term
flashy covers, we’ll leave that up
NO FLASHY COVERS? to the —
gang but our opinion is,
that if you mean by flashy drama, —
Dear Bill: color, and story sense, they are
What’s with all the noise about preferred. True, a magazine stands
covers? Three out of four letters or falls on its stories, but an at-
tractive cover is not to be mini-
in the July issue howl about Mc-
Cauley’s cover on the May issue. mized. And while we may slip up
once in awhile, we try and give
I have yet to see any cover that is
worth that much hoo-rah or criti- Madge’s covers that certain flash
wlh
cism. And then in your editorial
, . .

you go flippy about Malcolm Smith’s

new photo-cover. So what’s to BELABORED ANSWER
yell about? So Smith spent long
Dear Bill;
arduous hours carving miniature
space ships; so he used an orange First thing I did when I turned

for a sphere ship; so he used a to the July number of IMAGINA-

photograph of space as a backdrop. TION was to glance at the letter
Seems to me it would have been column. This
is a favorite policy

a lot simpler just to paint the cov- of mine when examining the qual-
er. Isn’t that what artists are ity of any mag, and believe it or
for? not, I always by-passed Madge on
My gosh, Bill, act your age. I’ll the stands until now.
admit that back when you broke My impresson was that though
into science fiction spectacular cov- 75% of the readers are satisfied
ers were needed to draw the cus- with the magazine as it now stands,
tomers’ eyes. But now the field they appear to be 75 % average read-
has grown up. People don’t want ers contented with average stories.
flashy covers! We
buy stf maga- The remaining 25% were equally di-
zines for science fiction, not trick vided into out and out “raves” and
photography. Anyway, what sells out and out criticism. Neither
stf mags today is how good the sto- were very interesting, though the
ries are, not the covers. latter was revealing; it gave me

Del Lane an “in” to Madge’s character.

3415 Meeker Ave. None of the stories was badly
Richmond 3, Cal. written, but there was no new
We’re not trying to sell trick theme in any of them. The most
photography, Del. It just seems entertaining was Lesser’s novel,
to us —
and most of our readers — VOYAGE TO ETERNITY. But
that photography offers a new ap- such is not new. Nor did I think
proach to old science fiction themes it good writing for him to keep
 LETTERS FROM THE READERS i59

suspense for a few chapters on You’ll find cartoons in all coming

what the “voyage" was and then to issues, Ed wlh
have it turn out as mere teleporta-
tion. This may
be all right for PULLING UP FAST
new fans, but not the experienced
reader. Dear Mr. Hamling:
But the greatest dislike I have After reading the July issue of
(outside of the dull reader column) Madge I feel I must make myself
are the pained and belabored re- heard. I’ll begin with the cover.
plies to these same letters by you. I was quite amazed at such a real-
The worst possible answer to a istic cover until I read your edito-
letter is a weak argument to a crit- rial and found out it was a photo-
icism perfectly obviously justified cover. I was extremely pleased be-
—more than a few weary plugs for cause my hobbies are astronomy and
—
coming stories absence of humor, photography and you incorpor-
and presence of propaganda. ated both into a fine cover.
I’d like to end this letter with In the letter section, I believe
the same comment as Hank Mos- Virginia Poore expressed my views
kowitz: “Madge is good but she — exactly. I understand stories very
can be better." well and most times better than the
Joe Keogh
adults. Thanks for your kind re-
63 Glenridge Ave. ply to her.
St. Catherines, Ont., Canada
I’m going to let you in on a
This reply short enough? wlh . . .

little secret. Although Madge is

a fine magazine, I still prefer Gal-
ONE OF THE BEST axy. But since I was “raised” on it
two years ago (I was 12) I guess
Dear Mr. Hamling:
that has a little bit to do with it.
The best way I can express my But Madge is running a close sec-
opinion of the July issue of Madge
ond, and pulling up fast. Your cov-
is by sending in my subscription.
ers, reader section, and other things
The first thing that caught my
eye was the impressive photo-cover.
give it a big boost. —
And I’m look-
ing forward to seeing a Heinlein
It was the best cover in a long time,
story!
and certainly the most realistic.
The new book review column is an
interestingand informative ad- WEIRD BOOKS
dition to a great magazine.
Weird, fantastic, and science-fiction
Keep using cartoons as they are books and back-dated magazines,
one of Madge’s most enjoyable fea- bought and sold.
tures. — All this combines to make
Madge one of the best science fic- Lowest Prices Free List
ton magazines on the market.
Werewolf Bookshop
Edward Rosenfeld Box 86B
B. D. 2,
5309 W. Jackson Blvd.
Shannon Rd. Verona, Penn.
Chicago 44, 111.
 :

i6o IMAGINATION
Michael Morris determined beforehand so you don’t
156 Huntington Blvd. have to find out the hard way. All
Roanoke, Va. things considered, Madge is going
The November issue featuring Hein- places faster lately!
lein goes on sale September 29th. Carol McKinney
Better reserve your copy at your 385 N. 8th East St.
newsstand, Mike wlh Provo, Utah
Malcolm is one of the finest artists
GOING PLACES FAST in the field, Carol, and you’ll be
seeing many more of his covers in
Dear wlh future issues. And Bill Terry has
VOYAGE TO ETERNITY was established quite a reputation too.
the best novel this year, but there Watch for his cover next issue illus-
was one small item that surprised trating the Heinlein story As to . . .

me. On the bottom of page 86 the Lesser’s shadow-casting ships in

author said: “ . . . only six ships deep space, we blush in shame , . .

—
remained in space casting perfect
shadows on the Andromeda gal-
axy." How could a space ship cast
a shadow on a galaxy? Now if
Lesser had said they were silhou-
etted . . .
And speaking of covers, the one
for July is the most eye-appealing
and downright top-excellent one
Madge has ever had. Looking back
over my collection of Madge from
the first issue in 1950, I find that
the four most outstanding covers
were for: July 1953, VOYAGE TO
ETERNITY; November 1951,
WARE, THE USURPERS; Decem-
ber 1952, CHILDREN OF THE
CHRONOTRON; and October
1952, ARMAGEDDON, 1970. Mal-
colm Smith did the first three
of these, Terry the last one. So
what does it prove? That since
Smith obviously does the best cov-
ers that’s why you use more of him.
Right?
The new book review section is a
very good idea. If the reviews are
even half-way intelligently written
(and they were in July) the par-
ticularly interesting books can be
wlh.
VOICE FROM THE CHASM
Dear Mr. Hamling:
I realize that every science fic-
tion magazine editor has a driving
ambition to improve his particular
tool of expression. However, I fail
to any manifestation of that
see
rather perverse complex which
causes strong men to become
stretcher cases from the effects of
long hours, writer’s cramp, caffeine
BE- and nicotine poisoning, and that
peculiar malady caused by excess-
sive absorption into the system of
large quantities of printer’s ink.
You appear to be restrainedly
proud of your achievement in the
introduction of photographic cov-
ers, and rightly so. But the poor
reproduction of these covers, and
the complete lack of progress in
this line seems to infer that “This
is the end of the line.’’
Your letter column is abominable.
Do they say anything worthwhile?
I have yet to see one that advances
any idea important enough to war-
 LETTERS FROM THE READERS 161

rant the gallons of ink to print it. needs, be neurotic, exhausted, and/
I must also complain about your or addicted to certain drugs .. .

excessive use of cartoons. I realize huh? Guess we’re a royal flop,

the expediency of saving money since we’re a slave to none of the
and material by the use of them. earmarks of success you mention.
However, you are in a business to On the other hand, we edit Madge
please customers ... I don’t know quite relaxed, enjoy doing it, and
if your failing is due to lack of sup- strangely enough have gained quite
port from the owners, or from the a devoted —
following circulation.
readers, your staff, or if it is just This is not an idea column —
plain, “I don’t care!” In the lat- it’s for comments. Using cartoons
ter case I must remind you that saves us money ? You hear that,
following improvements comes artists and engravers? Don’t you
circulation, and then higher profits. dare send us any more of your
But here’s one voice from the chasm nasty bills! Owners support? That’s
reflecting the views of many sci- us . We’ll have to talk to the
.

ence fiction devotees who, when guy . . Yep, pleasing readers is

.

hearing the name of IMAGINA- our business, and we’re in there

TION, merely reply, “Oh, well .”
. . —
pitching every issue hope we’ll be
Joe Kinne able to get the nod from you too,
255 South Sixth St. Joe, one of these days. In the
Fulton, N. Y. meantime, don’t miss the next is-
We weren’t aware that a science sue with Heinlein's cover story, on
fiction editor —
to be —
good must sale September 29 th ....
wlh

Sack Issues of Imagination Available

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{
 TOMORROW’S SCIENCE
EARTH'S MOON, LUNA: 240,000 miles distant. Moon will be
man's first conquest of space — within this century! The
thrill of interplanetary travel may already belong to man
in a parallel time-stream as in THE TIME ARMADA, page 6.
Another scan
by
cape!736