JUNE • 1964

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AN ANCIENT MADNESS by D^MON KNIGHT

THE MANY DOOMS by HARRY HARRISON
THE'KING OF THE BEASTS by PHILIP JOSE FARMER

TO BUILD A WORLD
They strove to make a
new Eden of the Moon!
A Complete Short Novel
by POUL ANDERSON
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* Entire contents copyrignt 1964.
 .

ALL STORIES NEW

galaxy
MAGAZINE
JUNE, 1964 • Vol. 22, No. 5 FREDERIK POHL
Editor
CONTENTS WILLY LEY
Science Editor
COMPLETE SHORT NOVEL
SOL COHEN
TO BUILD A WORLD 7
Publisher
by Poul -Anderson
DAVID PERTON
NOVELETTES Production Manoaer
THE WELL-TRAINED HEROES 82
DAVE GELLER. ASSOC.
by Arthur Sellings
Advertising
AN ANCIENT MADNESS 148
by Damon Knight MAVIS FISHER
Subscription Mgr.
THE SINCEREST FORM 176
By J. W. Groves GALAXY MAGAZINE is published
bi-monthly by Galaxy Publishing
SHORT STORIES Corporation. Main offices: 421
Hudson Street, New York 14,
THE KING OF THE BEASTS 65 N. Y. 50c per copy Subscrip-
by Philip Jose Farmer tion: (6 copies) $2.50 per year

THE MAN FROM EARTH 67 In the United States. Canada,

Mexico, South and Central
by Gordon R. Dickson America and U. S Possessions.
COLLECTOR'S FEVER 129 Elsewhere $3.50 Second class
postage paid at New York. *i Y.
by Roger Zelazny and at additiona' mailing of-
THE MANY DOOMS 132 fices. Copyright New York
by Harry Harrison 1964. by Galaxy Publishing
Corporation, Robert M. Guinn,
MEN OF GOOD WILL 170 President. All rights, including
by Ben Bova & Myron R. Lewis translations reserved All ma-
terial submitted must De ac-
SCIENCE DEPARTMENT companied by self-addressed
FOR YOUR INFORMATION 110 stamped envelopes. The pub-
lisher assumes no responsibili-
by Willy Ley ty for unsolicited material.
FEATURES Al: stories printed in this
magazine are fiction, ano any
EDITORIAL 4 similarity between characters
and actual persons is coin-
by Frederik Pohl cidental
FORECAST 147 Printed in the U. S. A.
By The Guinn Co., Inc. N. Y.
Cover by McKenna from TO BUILD A WORLD Title Reg. U S Pat Off
 All We Unemployed

\ couple of months ago in mation is what willmake our

these pages we discussed the grandchildren as much richer
technological revolution called than we as we are than the
automation, a word which has Elizabethans.
frightened millions of Americans. Of course, in the long run —
As Alexis de Tocqueville wrote as John Maynard Keynes told
more than one hundred years Franklin Roosevelt —
we are all
ago — dead.
What is quite certain in the
short run is that automation is
The majority of the people
going to put a lot of people out
do not clearly see what they
of work, and the equally certain
have to gain by a revolution,
but they continually and in a corollary of that fact is that they
. thousand ways feel that they will not like having this happen.
might lose by one. It will happen all the same, of
course.Competition will see to
One of the advantages of read- that.But what are we going to
ing science fiction is that it ac- do about millions of damaged
customs one to the long view. lives?
Naturally we can see the advan-
tages of automation; they have n the event, we should be able
been spelled out for us by a I to put quite a lot of sugar-
hundred writers over a period coating on the unemployment
of decades. We know perfectly pill; and as a matter of fact, we

well that in the long run auto- have already done so.

4
 ! i

p—ssw;- 'V , » s1 , " ,

'
—
ese great minds were Rosicrucians

/
WHAT SECRET POWER
DID THEY POSSESS?
tmv these men great?
Benjamin Frankl How does anyone — man or woman — achieve
greatness? Is it not by mastery of the powers
within ourselves ?

Know the mysterious world within you ! Attune

yourself to the wisdom of the ages! Grasp the
inner power of your mind Learn the secrets of a
!

full and peaceful life

Benjamin Franklin, statesman and inventor. ..

Isaac Newton, discoverer of the Law of Gravita-
'
Isaac Newton tion Francis Bacon, philosopher and scientist
. . .

. . like many other learned and great men and

.

women were Rosicrucians. The Rosicrucians

. . .

(NOT a religious organization) have been in

existence for centuries. Today, headquarters of
the Rosicrucians send over seven million pieces
of mail annually to all parts of the world.

WTe ROSICRUCIANS
San Jose (AMORC) California, U.S.A.
Francis Bacon
Scribe X*Y ,T.
THIS BOOK FRfE! The ROSICRUCIANS SEND THIS COUPON
(AMORC)
for your FREE San Jose, California, U.S.A.
Please send me the free book. The Mastery of
copy of “The Mas- Life,

tery of 1 Life” — which explains hpw I may learn

and powers of mind.
to use my faculties

§ TOQAY. No ob-
N.imp
:
ligation. A non-
profit organiza-
tion. Address :

Scibe X.Y.T.

5
 How many unemployed would ed out; add in, in short, everyone
you guess there are in the Unit- whose work performs no real
ed States today? Five or six function except to aid in the
million, as the census figures distribution of our surpluses.
indicate? These too are as unemployed as
Not by a long shot! There are any West Virginia miner on the
at least double that, and maybe dole; but their dole takes a more
far more. Add to those who are attractive form.
out of work and looking for And there is probably a lot

work those who are equally out more of it.

of work, but aren’t looking. The

over-65 retired persons. The wid-
ows living on insurance or pen-
sions. The divorcees living on
alimony. The beneficiaries of
stock-retirement plans. Add in a
large section of the student popu-
rT''he surplus work force re-
* leased by automation doesn’t
have to stagnate on a dole. It
can be put to work. Maybe it
can even be put to work on
things that are worth doing . . .

lation of our colleges and even worth doing not because some-
our high schools; add in, in fact, one can make a profit out of
every man and woman able to them, or because they enhance
work but at present not actually a national image, or because Oat-
working, whether or not he or flake County asks for a payroll
she really wants to find a job — under a distressed areas bill,
for these are as technologically but because well, “because
. . .

unemployed as any Massachu- they are there.”

setts shoemaker. We don’t have For that reason, those Con-
jobs for them. The difference is gressmen who criticize the space
simply that they are bought off projects because of their tremen-
instead of laid off, by the enor- dous cost —
and in the next
mous productive capacity of the breath vote funds for a highway
20th century. that leads from nowhere in par-
And don’t forget to add in all ticular to nothing at all have —
the “made” jobs —
the composi- always baffled us.
tors “bogus” type that
setting After all, if we’re going to pay
.has no destiny but to be set, people to do jobs that don’t
proofread, corrected and melted really accomplish anything . . .

down the government employees

;
why not hire some of them to
in arsenals and camps
training help us toward the stars?
that exist only because a Con-
gressman won’t let them be phas- — FREDERIK POHL
6 GALAXY
TO BUILD A WORLD
THE KING
of the BEASTS
BY PHILIP JOSE FARMER

Man had exterminated them aft

— now they were being reborn I

Hphe biologist was showing the that man struck God in the face
-* distinguished visitor through every time he wiped out a
the zoo and laboratory. branch of the animal kingdom.”
“Our budget,” he said, “is too He paused, and they looked
limited to re-create all known across the moats and the force
extinct species. So we bring to fields. The quagga wheeled and
life only the higher animals, the galloped, delight and sun flash-
beautiful ones that were wanton- ing off his flanks. The sea otter
ly exterminated. I’m trying, as poked his humorous whiskers
it were, to make up for brutality from the water. The gorilla
and stupidity. You might say peered from behind bamboo.

65
Passenger pigeons strutted. A succeeded in restoring and then
rhinoceros trotted like a dainty translating. Ah, see those huge
battleship. With gentle eyes a eggs? The chicks of the giant
giraffe looked at them, then re- moa are growing within them.
sumed eating leaves. These, almost ready to be taken
“There’s the* dodo. Not beauti- from the tank, are tiger cubs.
ful but very droll. And very help- They’ll be dangerous when
less. Come. I’ll show you the grown but will be confined
re-creation itself.” to the preserve.”
In the great building, they The visitor stopped before the
passed between rows of tall and last of the tanks.
wide tanks. They could see clear- “Just one?” he said. “What is
ly through the windows and the it?”
jelly within. “Poor little thing,” said the
“Those are African elephant biologist, now sad. “It will be
embryos,” said the biologist. so alone. But I shall give it all

“We plan to grow a large herd the love have.”

I

and then release them on the “Is it so dangerous?” said the

new government preserve.” visitor. “Worse than elephants,
“You positively radiate,” said tigers and bears?”
the distinguished visitor. “You “I had to get special per-
really love the animals, don’t mission to grow this one,” said
you?” the biologist. His voice quavered.
“I love all life.” The visitor stepped sharply
“Tell me,” said the visitor, back from the tank. He said,
“where do you get the data for “Then it must be . . . But you
re-creation?” wouldn’t dare!”
“Mostly, skeletons and skins The biologist nodded.
from the ancient museums. Ex- “Yes. It’s a man.”
cavated books and films that we — PHILIP JOSE FARMER

BACK NUMBERS
‘Ifyou've missed any copies of Galaxy, IF or Worlds of Tomorrow
from 1960 to date, our Back Number Department has a limited
supply available at 50c each, any three issues for $1.00, regard-
less of original cover price. Copies sent postpaid anywhere in U.S.
or Canada. Sorry, no copies before 1960 at present available.
Send dates and title of issues you wish with remittance to Galaxy

Publishing Corp., 421 Hudson Street, New York City 10014.

66 GALAXY
 THE MAN from EARTH
BY GORDON R. DICKSON

ILLUSTRATED BY GIUNTA

You can't execute a man for

a crime he didn't know he
was committing — can you?

nphe Director of the crossroads mitted them to be there. He did

*-world of Duhnbar had no oth-
er name, nor needed any; and
his handsomeness and majesty
were not necessarily according
to the standards of the human
race. But then, he had never
heard of the human race.
He sat in his equivalent of a
throne room day by day, while
the representatives of a thousand
passing races conducted their
business below and before the
dai^_ on which his great throne
chair sat. He enjoyed the feeling
of life around him, so he per-
not like to be directly involved
in that life. Therefore none of
them looked or spoke in his di-
rection.
Before him, he saw their num-
bers spread out through a lofty
hall.At the far end of the hall,
above the lofty portal, was a bal-
cony pierced through to the out-
side, so that it overlooked not
only the hall but the armed
guards on the wide steps that
approached the building. On this
balcony, more members of dif-
erent races talked and stood.

67
 Next to the Director’s chair,
on
his left, was a shimmering mir-
ror surface suspended in midair,
so that by turning his head only
slightly he could see himself re-
flected at full length. Sometimes
he looked and saw himself.
But at this moment, now, he
looked outward. In his mind’s
eye, he looked beyond the throne
room and the balcony and the
steps without. He saw in his
imagination all the planetwide
city surrounding, and the five
other worlds of this solar sys-
tem, which were the machine
shops and granaries of this
crown-world of Duhnbar. This
world and system he ruled is
. . . “The failure is a common
too mild a word. This world he
owned, and wore like a ring on
his finger.
All of it, seen in his mind’s
eye, had the dull tinge of famil-
iarity and sameness.
He moved slightly the index
one of his four-jointed fingers,
of which he had three, with an
opposed thumb on each hand.
The male adult of his own race
who currently filled a role some-
thing like that of chamberlain
stepped forward from behind the
throne chair. The Director did
not look at the Chamberlain,
knowing he would be there. The
Director’s thin lips barely moved
in his expressionless, pale green
face.
“It has been some moments,”
68
he said. “Is there still nothing
new?”
tC TAirector of All,” said the low
voice of the Chamberlain
at his ear. “Sinceyou last asked,
there has been nothing on the
six worlds which has not hap-
pened before. Only the landing
here at the throne city of a single
alien of a new race. He has
passed into the city now, omit-
ting to sacrifice at a purple
shrine but otherwise behaving as
all behave on your worlds.”
“Is there anything new,” said
the Director, “about his failure
to sacrifice?”
one,” said the Chamberlain. “It
has been many generations since
anyone seriously worshipped at
a purple shrine. The sacrifice is
a mere custom of our port.
Strangers not knowing of it in-
variably fail to light incense on
the cube before the purple.”
The Director said nothing im-
mediately. The Chamberlain
stood waiting. If he had been
left to wait until he collapsed
from fatigue or starvation, an-
other would have taken his place.
“Is there a penalty for this?”
said the Director at last.
“The penalty,” said the Cham-
berlain, “by ancient rule is
death. But hundreds of years
for
it has been remitted on payment
of a small fine.”
GALAXY
THE MAN FROM EARTH
 The Director turned these
words over in his mind.
“There is a value in old cus-
toms,” he said after a while. “Old
customs long fallen into disuse
•eem almost like something new
when they are revived. Let the
ancient penalty be reestablished.”
“From this transgressor,” ask-
ed the Chamberlain, “as well as
all others after?”
The Director moved his index
finger in silent assent and dis-
missal. The Chamberlain step-
ped backward and spoke to
the under-officerswho were al-
ways waiting.
The Director, sated with look-
ing out over the hall, turned his
gaze slightly to his own seated
image in the mirror surface at
his left. He saw there an individ-
ual a trifle over seven feet in
height, seated in a tall, carven
chair with ornate armrests. Four-
fingered hands lay upon the
curved ends of the armrests. The
arms, the legs, the body was cov-
ered in a slim, simple garment
of sky blue. From the neck of
the garment emerged a tall and
narrow head with lean features,
a straight, almost lipless mouth,
narrow nose and a greenish, hair-
iess skull. The eyes were golden,
enormous and beautiful.
But neither the eyes nor the
face showed any expression. The
faces of the Chamberlain and
the guards and others of the race
70
sometimes showed expressions.
But the Director’s face, never.
He was several hundreds of years
old and would live until some
rare accident killed him, or he
became weary of life.
He had never known what it
was He had never
to be sick.
known cold, hunger or any dis-
comfort. He had never known
fear, hatred, loneliness or love.
He watched himself now in the
mirror, for he posed an unend-
ing enigma to himself an enig-—
ma that alone relieved the bore-
dom of his existence. He did not
attempt to investigate the engi-
ma. He only savored it as a con-
noisseur might savor a fine wine.
The image in the mirror he
gazed upon was the image of a
being who could find no alter-
native but to consider himself as
a God.
AT^Till Mauston was broken-
’ knuckled and wrinkled
about the eyes. The knuckles he
had broken on human and alien
bones, fighting for what belong-
ed to him. The wrinkles about
the eyes had come from the
frowning harshness of expres-
sion evolved from endless bar-
gains driven. On the infrequent
occasions that he got back to
Earth to see his wife and two
young children, the wrinkles al-
most disappeared ... for a while.
But Earth was overcrowded and
GALAXY
the cost of living there was high.
He always had to leave again,
and the wrinkles always came
back. He was twenty-six years
old.
He had heard of Duhnbar
through a race of interstellar
traders called the Kjaka, heavy-
bodied, lion-featured and honest.
He had assumed there must be
such a world, as on Earth in the
past there had been ancient cities
like Samarkand under Tamer-
lane, where the great trade route
crossed. He had searched and
inquired and the Kjakas had
told him. Duhnbar was the Sa-
markand of the stars. One
mighty stream of trade flowed
out from the highly developed
worlds of the galaxy’s center and
met here with several peripheral
routes among the outlying, scat-
tered stars.
Will had come alone and he
was the first from Earth to reach
it. From this one trip, he could
well make enough to retire and
not have to leave his family on
Earth again. The Kjakas were
honest and had taught him the
customs of the Duhnbar port.
They had sent him to Kahl
Dohn, one of their own people
on Duhnbar, who would act as
Will’s agent there. They had for-
gotten the small matter of the
purple shrine. The custom was
all but obsolete, the fine was
nominal. They had talked of
THE MAN FROM EARTH
larger transactions and values.
Passing through the terminal
building of the port, Will saw a
cube of metal, a purple cloth
hanging on the wall above it and
small purple slivers that fumed
and reeked. He passed at a good
distance. Experience had taught
him not to involve himself with
the religions and customs of
peoples he did not know.
Riding across the city in an
automated vehicle set for the ad-
dress of his agent, Will passed
a square in which there was what
seemed to be a sort of forty-foot
high clothespole. What way hung
on it, however, were not clothes,
but bodies. The bodies were not
all of the native race, and he
was glad to leave it behind.
He reached the home of the
Kjakan agent. It was a pleasant,
two story, four-sided structure
surrounding an interior court-
yard rich with vegetation un-
known to Will. He and his host
saton an interior balcony of the
second floor overlooking the
courtyard, and talked. The
agent’s name was Kahl Dohn. He
ate a narcotic candy particular
to his own race and saw that
Will was supplied with a pure
mixture of distilled water and
ethyl alcohol —to which Will
added a scotch flavor from one
of the small vials he carried at
his belt. Will had set up a bal-
ance of credit on several Kjakan
71
worlds. Khal Dohn would buy shortly and went out. Khal Doha
for him on Duhnbar against that turned back to Will.
credit. “Did you see in the terminal
They were beginning a discus- — ” Khal Dohn described the
sion of what was available on Purple Shrine. Will nodded.
Duhnbar that would be best for “Did you go near it?”
Will to purchase, speaking in the “No,” said Will. “I always
stellar lingua franca, the trad- steer clear of such things, unless
ing language among the stars. I know about them.”

Abruptly, they were interrupted Khal Dohn stared at him for

by a voice from one of the walls, a long moment. Below the heavy,
speaking in a tongue Will did rather oriental fold of flesh, his
not understand. Khal Dohn lis- eyes were sad, dark and unread-
tened, answered and turned his able to Will.
heavy, leonine face on Will. “I don’t understand,” he said
''We must go downstairs,” he at last. “But you are guest, my
said. and my duty is to protect you.
He led Will back down to the We’d better go see an acquaint-
room which led to the street anced of mine —
one who has
before his home. Waiting there more influence here in the
were two of the native race in throne city than I do.”
black, short robes, belted at the He led Will out to one of the
waist with silver belts. A black automated vehicles. On their way
rod showed in a sort of silver to the home of the acquaintance
pencil-case attached to the belt he answered Will’s questions by
of each native. describing the custom of the
As Will and Khal came down Purple Shrine.
a curving ramp to them, the “ I — don’t understand,” the
golden eyes of both natives fast- Kjaka said. “I should have been
ened on Will with mild curiosity. able to pay your fine to the po-
“Stranger and alien,” said one lice and settle it. But they had
of them in the trade tongue, specific orders to arrest you and
“you are informed that you are take you in.”
under arrest.” “Why didn’t they, then?” ask-
ed Will.
VX7’ill them, and
looked at The dark eyes swung and met
opened his mouth. But Khal his own.
Dohn was already speaking in “You’re my guest,” said Khal
the native tongue; and after a Dohn. “I’ve taken on the respon-
little while the natives bowed sibility of your surrender at the

72 GALAXY
proper time, while they fulfill “Welcome,” said the tall alien.
my request for the verification “I am Avoa. What is it?”
of the order to arrest you.” “Something I don’t under-
Outside the little vehicle, as stand.” Khal switched to the na-
they turned into the shadow of tive tongue of Duhnbar and Will
a taller building, a coolness was left out of the conversation.
seemed to gather about them and They talked some little while.
reach inside to darken and slow “I check,” cried Avoa,
will
Will’s spirits. finally, breaking back into the,
‘‘Do you think it’s something trade tongue. “Come tomorrow
really important?” he said. early, Khal Dohn. Bring it with
‘‘No,” answered Khal Dohn. you.”
“No. I’m sure it’s all a mistake.” “Him,” said Khal. “I will
They stopped before a build- bring him.”
ing very like the home of Khal “Of course. Of course. Come
Dohn. Khal led Will up a ramp together. I’ll have news for you

to a room filled with oversize then. It can be nothing serious.”

furniture. From one large chair
rose a narrow-bodied, long-hand- I^hal and Will left and came
ed alien with six fingers to a back to the balcony above
hand. His face was narrow and the courtyard of Khal’s home.
horselike. He stood better than They sat talking. The sunset of
seven and half feet, in jacket the planet spread across the wes-
and trousers of a dark red color. tern skyline of the throne city, its
A dagger hung at his belt. light staining the white ceiling
“You are my guest as always, above them with a wash of red.
Khal Dohn!” he cried. His voice “You’re sure it’s nothing to
was strident and high-pitched. worry about?” Will asked the
He spoke the trade tongue, but Kjaka.
he pronounced the Kjakan name “I’m sure.” Khal Dohn finger-
of Khal Dohn with a skill Will ed one of his narcotic candies
had not been able to master. in thick fingers. “They have a
“And welcome as the guest of strict but fair legal code here.
—
my guest is ” he turned to Will, And if there is any misunder-
speaking to Khal —
“what is its standing, Avoa can resolve it. He
name — ?” has considerable influence. Shall
“His name,” said Khal, “is we return to talk of business?”
—
Will Mau ” his own, Kjakan So they talkedas the interior
tongue failed the English sf lights came on. Later they ate
sound — “Will Mauzzon.” their different meals together —
THE MAN FROM EARTH 73
Will’s from supplies
brought from his ship and
parted for the night.
It was a comfortable couch in
a pleasant, open-balconied room
giving on the courtyard below,
that Khal assigned Will. But
Will found sleep standing off
some distance from him.
a man of action, but here there
was no action to be taken. He
walked to the balcony and look-
ed down into the courtyard.
Below, the strange plants were
dim shapes in the light of a full
moon too weak and pale to be
the moon of Earth. He wonder-
ed how his wife and the two
children were. He wondered if,
across the light-years of distance,
they were thinking of him at
this moment, perhaps worrying
about him.
He breathed the unfamiliar,
tasteless night air and it seemed
heavy in his lungs. At his belt
was a container of barbiturates,
four capsules of seconal. He had
never found the need to take one
before in all these years between
the stars. He took one now, wash-
ingit down with the flat, distill-
ed water they had left
room for him.
He slept soundly after that,
without dreams.
VX/'hen he woke in the
’ ing, he felt better.
Dohn seemed to him to
74
he had sensible and undisturbed. They
— rode over to the home of Avoa
together; and Will took the op-
portunity he had neglected be-
fore to pump Khal about the
city as they rode through it.
When they entered the room
where they had met Avoa the
He was day before, the tall alien was
dressed in clothing of a lighter,
harsher red but seemed the same
in all other ways.
“Well,” said Will to him, smil-
ing, after they had greeted each
other in the trade tongue. “What
did you find out the situation
is?”
Avoa stared back at him for
a moment, then turned and be-
gan to speak rapidly to Khal in
the native tongue. Khal answer-
ed. After a moment they both
stopped and looked at Will with-
out speaking.
“What’s happened?” said Will.
“What is it?”
“I’m sorry,” said Khal slowly,
in the trade tongue. “It seems
that nothing can be done.”
Will stared at him. The words
he had heard made no sense.
“Nothing can be done?” he
in this said. “About what? What do you
mean?”
“I’m sorry,” said Khal. “I
mean, Avoa can do nothing.”
“Nothing?” said Will.
morn- Neither of the aliens answer-
Khal ed. They continued to watch
be quite him. Suddenly, Avoa shifted his
GALAXY
weight slightly on his long feet, among the stars. They know thk
and half-turned toward the door- — so they need something. J£
way of the room. symbol, something to set up, to
“I am sorry!” he cried sharp- reassure themselves of their right
ly. “Very sorry. But it is a situa- position.”
tion out of my control. I can do “In all else, they are reason-
nothing.” able,” said Avoa.
“Why?” burst out Will. He “Their symbol,” said Khal, “k
turned on Khal. “What’s wrong? the Director. They identify with
You told me their legal system him as being all-powerful, ovef
was fair. I didn’t know about things in the universe. His slight-
the shrine!” est whim is obeyed without hesi-
“Yes,” said Khal. “But this tation. He could order them afl
isn’t a matter for their law. Their to cut their own throats and they
Director has given an order.” would do it, without thinking.
“Director?” The word buzzed But of course he will not. He
as deadly and foolishly as a trop- is not in the least irresponsible.

ical mosquito in Will’s ears. He is sane and of the highest

“The one on the throne? What’s
he got to do with it?”
“It was his command,” said
Avoa suddenly in his strident
voice.“The ancient penalty was
intelligence. But the only law
he knows is his own.”
Cried Avoa, “He is all but im-
potent. Ordinarily he does noth-
ing. We interest and amuse him,

to be enforced. After he heard and he is bored, so he lets us

about your omission. From now trade here with impunity. But
on, newcomers will be warned. if he does act, there is no appeal.

They are fair here.” It is a risk we all take. You are

“Fair!” the word broke from not the only one.”

between Will’s teeth. “What “But I’ve got a wife ” Will —
about me? Doesn’t this Director broke off suddenly. He had
know about me? What is he, shouted out without thinking in
anyway?” English. They were gazing back
Khal and Avoa looked at each at him now without understand-
other, then back at Will. ing. For a moment a watery film
“These people here,” said blurred them before his eyes.
Khal slowly, “control trade for
rT"'he desert- dry wind of a de-
light-years in every direction.
Not because of any virtue in spair blew through him,
themselves, but because of the shriveling his hopes. What did
accident of their position here they know of wives and children,
«

THE MAN FROM EARTH 75

or Earth? He saw their faces “I must go,” he said. “I have
clearly now, both alien, one appointments on the throne
heavy and leonine, one pa- room balcony. Khal Dohn, give
trician and -?quine. He thought itanything that will make these
of his wife again, and the lasthours comfortable and my
children Without his income house will supply. You must sur-
they would be forced to em- ender it before midday to the
igrate. A remembrance of the police.”
bitter, crude and barren livings “No!” Will called after the tall
of the frontier planets came to alien. “If nobody else can save
his mind like strangling smoke. me, then I want to see him!”

“Wait,” he said, as Avoa turn- “Him?” said Khal. Avoa sud-

ed to go. Will brought his voice denly checked, and slowly turn-
done to a reasonable tone. ed back.
“There must be someone I can “The Director.” Will looked
appeal to. Khal Dohn.” He turn- at both of them. “I’ll appeal to
ed to the Kjaka. “I’m your him.”
guest.” Khal and Avoa looked at each
“You are my guest,” said Khal. other. There was a silence.
“But I can’t protect you against “No,” said Avoa, finally. “It
this. a natural, physical
It’s like isnever done. No one speaks to
force —a
great wind, an earth- him.” He seemed about to turn
quake against which I would be again.
helpless to protect any guest, or “Wait.” It was Khal who spoke
even myself.” this time. Avoa looked sharply
He looked at Will
with his at him. Khal met the taller alien’s
dark, alien eyes, like the eyes of eyes. “Will Mauzzon is my guest.’
an intelligent beast. “It is not my
guest,” said Avoa.
“Pure chance —
the chance of “7 am your guest,” said Khal,
the Director hearing about you without emotion.
and the shrine when he did,” Avoa stared now at the short-
said Khal, “has selected you. All er, heavier-bodied alien. Abrupt-
those who face the risk of trad- ly he said something sharply in
ing among the stars know the the native tongue.
chance of death. You must have Khal did not answer. He stood
figured the risk, as a good trader looking at Avoa without moving.
should.” “It is already dead,” Avoa
—
“Not like this ” said Will be- said at last slowly, in the trade
tween his teeth, but Avoa inter- tongue, glancing at Will, “and
rupted, turning to leave. being dead can have no further

76 GALAXY
effect upon the rest of us. You
waste your credit with me.”
Still Khal neither spoke nor
moved. Avoa turned and went
out.
“My
guest,” said Khal, sitting
down heavily in one of the over-
size of the room, “you
chairs
have little cause for hope.”
A fter that he sat silent. Will
paced the room. Occasionally
he glanced at the chronometer
on his wrist, adjusted to local
time. It showed the equivalent
of two and three-quarters hours
to noon when the wall chimed
and spoke in Avoa’s voice.
“Yoq have your audience,”
said Khal, rising. “I would still
advise against hope.” He looked
with his heavy face and dark
eyes at Will. “Worlds can’t af-
ford to war against worlds to pro-
tect their people, and there is no
reason for a Director to change
his mind.”
He took Will in one of the
small automated vehicles to the
throne room. Inside the portal,
at the steps leading up to the
balcony, he left Will.
“I’ll wait for you above,” Khal
said. “Good luck, my guest.”
Will turned. At the far end of
the room he saw the dais and the
Director. He went toward it
through the crowd, that at first
had hardly noticed him but grew
silent and parted before him as
THE MAN FROM EARTH
he proceeded, until he could
hear in the great and echoing
silence of the hall the sound of
his own footsteps as he approach-
ed the dais, the seated figure and
the throne, behind which stood
natives with the silver pencil
cases and black rods at their silv-
ver belts.
He came at last to the edge
of the dais and stopped, looking
up. Above him, the high green-
ish skull, the narrow nouth, the
golden eyes leaned forward to
look down at him; and he saw
them profiled in the mirror sur-
face alongside. The profile was
no more remote than the living
face it mirrored.
Will opened his mouth to
speak, but one of the natives be-
hind the throne, wearing the
Chamberlain’s silver badge,
stepped forward as the finger of
the Director gestured.
“Wait,” said the Chamberlain
in the trade tongue. He turned
and spoke behind him. Will wait-
ed, and the silence stretched out
long in the hall. After a while
there was movement and two na-
tives appeared, one with a small
chair, one with a tube-shaped
container of liquid.
“Sit,” said the Chamberlain.
“Drink. The Director has said
it.”
Will found himself seated and
with the tube in his hand. An
odor of alcohol diluted with wa-
77
 ”

ter came to his nostrils; and for “Certainly, then,” said Will,
moment a burst of wild laugh- “if the traders here respect the
ter trembled inside him. Then laws and customs of Duhnbar,
he controlled it and sipped from shouldn’t Duhnbar respect the
the tube. lives of those who come to
“What do you say?” said the trade?” He stared at the golden
Chamberlain. eyes hanging above him, but he
Will lifted his face to the un- could read no difference in them,
changing face of the Director. no response. They seemed to
Like the unreachable stare of an wait still. He took a deep breath.
insect’s eyes the great golden “Death is—”
orbs regarded him. He stopped. The Director had
“I haven’t intentionally com- moved on his throne. He leaned
mitted any crime,” said Will. slowly forward until his face
“The Director,” said the hung only a few feet above
Chamberlain, “knows this.” Will’s. He spoke in the trade
His voice was flat, uninflect- tongue, in a slow, deep, unex-
ed. But he seemed to wait. The pectedly resonant voice.
golden eyes of the throned fig- “Death,” he said, “is the final
ure seemed to wait, also watch- new experience.”
ing Irrationally, Will felt the He sat slowly back in his
firstsmall flame of a hope flick- chair. The Chamberlain spoke.
er to life within him. His trader’s “You will go now,” he said.
instinct stirred. If they would lis- Will sat staring at him, the
ten, there must always be a tube of alcohol and water still
chance. in his grasp.
“I came here on business,” he “You will go,” repeated the
said, “the same sort of business Chamberlain. “You are free un-
that brings so many. Certainly tilmidday and the moment of
this world and the trading done your arrest.”
on are tied together. Without
it Will’s head jerked up. He
Duhnbar there could be no trad- snapped to his feet from the
ing place here. And without the chair.
trading would Duhnbar and its “Are you all insane?” he
other sister worlds still be the shouted at the Chamberlain.
same?” “You can’t do this sort of thing
He paused, looking upward for without an excuse! My people
some reaction. take care of their own —
“The Director,” said the He broke off at the sight of
Chamberlain, “is aware of this.” the Chamberlain’s unmoved face.

78 GALAXY
He felt suddenly dizzy and nau- felt it bulge between his fingers
seated at the pit of his stomach. as his fingers contracted spas-
Said the Chamberlain, “It is modically. He opened his lips
understandable that you do not but no words worked their way
want to die. You will go now or past his tight muscles of his
I will have you taken away.” throat.
“It is the
interesting,” said
Something broke inside Will. deep and thrilling voice of the
^ It was like the last effort of a Director, as his great, golden eyes
man in a race who feels the run- looked down at Will, “that yoa
ning man beside him pulling do not understand me. It is in-
away and tries, but cannot match teresting to explain myself to
the pace. Dazedly, dully, he you. You give me reasons why
turned. Blindly he walked the you should not die.”
first few steps back toward the
“ — Reasons?” Between Will’s
distant portal. dry lips, the little word slipped
“Wait.” huskily out. Miraculously, out of
The Chamberlain’s voice turn- the ashes of his despair, he felt
ed him around. the tiny warmth of a new hope.
“Come back,” said the Cham- “Reasons,” said the Director.
berlain. “The Director will “You give me reasons. And there
speak.” are no reasons. There is only
___ _ »
Numbly he came back. The Di- me.
rector leaned forward once more, The hope flickered and stum-
until when Will halted their bled in its reach for life.

faces were only a few feet apart. “I will make you understand
“You will not die,” said the now,” said the deep and meas-
Director. ured voice of the Director. “It
Will stared up at the alien is I who am responsible for all
face without understanding. The things that happen here. It is my
words rang and reechoed like whim that moves them. There is
strange, incomprehensible sounds nothing else.”
in his ears. The golden eyes looked into
“You will live,” said the Di- Will’s. \
rector. “And when I send for “It was my whim,” said the Di-
you, from time to time, you will rector, “that the penalty of the
come again and talk to me.” shrine’s neglect should be im-
Will continued to stare. He posed once more. Since I had
felt the smooth, flexible tube of decided so, it was unavoidable
liquid in his right hand, and he that you should die. For when

THE MAN FROM EARTH 79

I decide, all things follow in-
exorably. There is no other way
or thing.”
Will stared, the muscles of his
neck stiff as an iron brace.
‘‘But then,” said the deep voice
beneath the glorious eyes, “as
you were leaving another desire
crossed my mind. That you
might interest me again on fu-
ture occasions.”
He paused.
“Once more,” he said, “all
things followed. If you were to
interest me in the future, you
could not die. And so you are not
to.” His eyes held Will’s. “And
now you understand.”
A faint thoughtfulness cloud-
ed his golden eyes.
“I have done something with
you this day,” he said almost to
himself, “that I have never done
before. It is quite new. I have
made you know what you are,
in respect to what I am. I have
taken a creature not even of my
own people and made it under-
stand it has no life or death or
reasons of its own, except those
my desires desire.”
He stopped speaking. But Will
still stood, rooted.
“Do not be afraid,” said the
Director. “I killed you. But I
have brought another creature
who understands to life in your
body. One who will walk this
world of mine for many years
before he dies.”
80
A sudden brilliance like a sheet
of summer lightning flared
in Will’s head, blinding him. He
heard his own voice shouting,
in a sound that was rage without
meaning. He flung his right arm
forward and up as his sight clear-
ed, and saw the liquid in the tube
he had held splash itself against
the downward-gazing, expres-
sionless face above him, and the
container bounce harmlessly
from the sky-blue robe below the
face.
There was a soundless jerk
through all the natives behind
the throne. A soundless gasp
as if the air had changed. Native
hands had flown to the black
rods. But there they hung.
The Director had not moved.
The watered alcohol dripped
slowly from his nose and chin.
But his features were unchanged,
his hands were still, no finger
on either hand stirred.
He continued to gaze at Will.
After a long second, Will turn-
ed. He was not quite sure what
he had done, but something sull-
en and brave burned redly in
him.
He began to walk up the long
aisle through the crowd, toward
the distant portal. In that whole
hall he was the only thing mov-
ing. The thousand different trad-
ers followedhim with their eyes,
but otherwise none moved, and
no one made a sound. From the
GALAXY
crowd there was silence. From ing down at Khal Dohn beside
the balcony overlooking, and the him.
steps beyond the entrance, there “What was. . Avoa’s voice
was silence. fumbled and failed. He added,
Step by echoing step he walk- almost humbly. “I am sorry. I
ed the long length of the hall do not even know the proper
and passed through the towering pronoun.”
archway into the bright day out- “He,” said Khal Dohn, still
side. He made it as far as half- looking down at the steps.
way down the steps before, in- “He. What did he call him-
side the hall, the Director’s fin- self?” Avoa said. “You told me,
ger lifted, the message of that but I do not remember. I should
finger was flashed to the ranked have listened, but I did not.
guards outside, and the black What did you say — what was
rods shot him down with flame he?”
in the sunlight. Khal Dohn lifted his heavy
On the balcony above, over- head and looked up at last.
looking those steps, Avoa stirred “He was a man,” said Khal
at last, turning his eyes from Dohn.
what was left of Will and look- — GORDON R. DICKSON

Cordwainer Smith

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THE MAN FROM EARTH 81

 THE
WELL-TRAINED HEROES
BY ARTHUR SELLINGS

ILLUSTRATED BY GAUGHAN

Getting to the planets may

not be the big problem —
maybe the hard part will be
handling the stay-at-homesl

I tive case —
but the effect was
the same; as the whine faded
'T'he sudden whine underneath through a whimper into silence
them was like the dying song the car slowed and stopped.
of a motor. But their car, being Howe pulled on the handbrake.
a linear job, didn’t have one. Pennell looked at the dead
The only motor was far away pulse meter, then questioningly
in the control station, setting up at Howe. This was only his sec-
a magnetic beat in the pulse ond assignment —
his first with
strips laid along the middle of Howe.
each traffic lane. Howe’s craggy face splintered
The dying fall was in the trac- in a crooked grin.

82
THE WELL-TRAINED HEROES
 “Sign One. Things must be
warming up.”
“But they sell Linear because
they guarantee the power.”
"Through Sleet and Snow and
Rain and Hail, The Linear Strip
Will Never Fail" Howe quoted
sardonically. “It hasn’t
It’s been failed. Switched off,
dear boy.”
People said that Howe was
a one-time actor. He wasn’t the
only one in Special Branch to
have accreted that aura. It seem-
ed to be the myth of Branch,
just as in advertising
Pennell had started his career).
There they regarded themselves
all as frustrated Great Writers
trapped in the plastic towers of
commerce, their wings clipped,
wild Byronic collars trimmed to
neat button-downs. People must
have some pretty rich private
fantasies to be in such a crazy
set-up as Branch —
and a pretty
good assortment of reasons.
His own was simple — to
a toehold, however oblique,
the Space Service ... a reason
which he had carefully conceal-
ed from the Interview Board
eight months ago. They might
have thought it the wrongest
possible one.
Howe
reached into the glove
compartment and took out a
black watch-sized instrument.
He slid back the door and went
round behind the car. Pennell
84
followed him. Howe bent over
the pulse strip. It was buried an
inch below the molycrete sur-
face, but the line of filler above
it was clearly discernible.
Howestraightened. “I thought
so.” Hecrossed the highway to
failed. the barrier that divided the two
sets of lanes. He straddled it,
then kneeled again over the
nearest lane —
the high-speed
one.
Pennell just reached the bar-
rier when he glimpsed something
from the corner of his eye. It was
(where red and moving fast.
“Watch out!” he screamed.
T T owe reacted instinctively,
flinging himself up against
the barrier as the red car hurtled
past. Pennell caught a glimpse of
the driver’s face —
a fat, fright-
ened one. Then the car was a
dwindling spot in the distance.
“Thanks,” Howe said non-
chalantly, swinging back over
get the barrier. He dusted down his
in night-colored uniform with one
sleek leather glove. “That con-
firms it. Power’s full on the other
strip — going out of Bonfield.”
“Then it’s already started,”
Pennell said as they went back
to the car. It wasn’t a question.
Score two out of two, in his
limited experience so far, for
Special Branch’s statistics de-
partment. “It’s uncanny, the way
they get it taped.”
GALAXY
 “Not so uncanny. Just effici- undue demand on the hospital
ent, blast ’em,” Howe answered. — especially the mental hospital,
“And experienced by now, after ifthe town’s got one ... an up-
three years. Pressure doesn’t turn in marital dispute cases. If
build up in really small towns — a town gets more than one
anything under ten thousand murder in a short space of time,
population. Towns that size that really gets the boys busy
aren’t much more than dormi- on their graphs. Various symp-
tories or stopover places. And in toms build up. The graph takes
big towns the pressure gets dis- on a familiar shape with a pre-
persed. People can change their dictable curve. Once that hap-
jobs —
or even get out. The big- pens —
well, that’s when we’re
ger the city, the more houses are alerted.”
rented. It’s the Bonfields of this He
broke off and gestured to
world that are the danger points. Pennell to change over seats.
They’re just big enough to sup- Pennell did as he was bid,
port some industry. People buy though he could see no point in
their houses. They’ve got more it. He said as much to Howe.
ties — and more reasons for feel- “Who goes to ring the break-
ing trapped.” down service?”
“I learned a bit about that at “Neither of us, my lad.” Howe
Training School.” grinned and reached beneath the
“Oh, they teach you that now, fascia. A humming started up and
do they?” mounted to a low drone.
“Only in outline. Just enough He answered Pennell’s look of
to let us know what kind of or- surprise
ganization they’ve got behind the “It happened to me last time
front line. All the same, it’s
” — out but one. So I took the pre-
“Uncanny. Yeah, you said caution of having an emergency
that. And all done without hav- motor fitted. Branch are think-
ing a Man On The Spot —
all ing of making them standard
out of freely available statistics equipment —
just in case this is
and press reports. It’s just know- going to become part of the pat-
ing what to watch. A
creep-up tern. Better than getting official
of the juvenile delinquency fig- screws put on the Linear people.
ures is usually the first sign. That would be a mite too obtru-
That immediately puts a red star sive for Branch. Anyway, it’s not
on the file. Then —
well, all the Linear company’s fault.
kinds of things ... a crop erf Their local controller probably
small-time- embezzlements . . . has a gun in his back.” He nod-

THE WELL-TRAINED HEROES 85

ded at Pennell. “Go on, give
a whirl. That pedal on the right
controls the power.”
Pennell’s foot found it. “I
wondered what it was for.
Thought it was something to do
with the air-conditioning.” He
pushed it down experimentally,
releasing the handbrake.
A handbrake was something
you only used on a linear job for
parking and emergencies. Driv-
ing a linear was even easier
than driving an auto-transmis-
sion petrol car. You had no wor-
ries about vehicles behind you
or in front of you. You only had
to watch when you switched
lanes, Momentum carried you
from one pulse strip to another;
then you picked up the pulse
again —
to ride on the crest of
a magnetic wave at sixty, ninety
or a hundred and twenty miles
an hour. Those were the speeds
of the lanes, as unvarying as
the frequency of an alternating
power line, except in smog or
snow when they were cut down
to whatever safe speed visibility
dictated.
But most of the old thrill
if
of driving had been taken away,
there was ample compensation
in slashed running and mainten-
ance costs. And there were still
plenty of roads left that you
could run an ordinary car on if
you so wanted.
Pennell put his foot right down
86
it and the car slowly reached a
majestic twenty-five.
“Though all the Linear sta-
tions fall, the Howe De Lux•
will never stall,” Howe chanted,
parodying the Linear company’*
slogan. “Well, not for fifty miles,
anyway, which is the limit of a
Lansen cell. But Bonfield’s only
twenty miles away now.”
'T'hey went sedately on their
-* way. It was early morning, a
faint mist still masking the day,
and there had been little traffic
on the roads so far. A couple of
cars passed them coming out of
Bonfield, and each time the
Special Branch men caught a
glimpse of mouths dropping in
surprise. The sight of a car go-
ing at twenty-five along a linear
highway must have had all the
unreality of a slow-motion film.
For three miles they saw noth-
ing on their side of the highway.
Then a utility wagon came hurt-
ling towards them.
“Keep right on,” Howe mut-
tered.
The utility driver appeared to
have the same idea. But at the
lastmoment he seemed to re-
member the rule of the road and
slewed violently past them,
with a screech of brakes. In their
rear mirror the two Special
Branch men saw it turn in pur-
suit of them. Which wasn’t a
hard task at their speed any ele-
;
GALAXY
sent of a contest was conspicu- The other cop —
a youngster;
ously lacking. Pennell, at twenty-six. could
The utility pulled alongside have given him a few years —
them. It held two policemen. reached to his hip. The sergeant
The driver flagged them ve- waved hand to
a restrain him,
hemently. Howe leaned out smirking as he did so. He fetch-
graciously like a grand seigneur ed out a notebook, ostentatiously
bowing and proceeded to hold extracted a pencil from its spine
two fingers up, practically in the and licked the point.
nostrils of the other driver. The “Right. Which way do you
latter went a shade of purple want it?”
and wrenched savagely at his “I don’t quite get you,” Howe
steering wheel. countered innocently. “What’s
“I think we had better stop, on? Some kind of trouble?”
dear boy,” Howe murmured. “No,” the cop said hastily —
But Pennell had already lifted a shade too hastily. “It’s none of
his foot from the pedal. your business.”
The cops climbed out of their “But it is my business,”
wagon and stalked over. One Howe said sweetly. “Here we
was carrying sergeant’s stripes were, driving along peacefully,
and walked as if they were new- when —”
ly acquired. He stopped by the The sergeant held up a beefy
Branch men’s car and pushed his hand. “If that’s the way you
cap back. want to play it —”
“What’s the game, mister?” The pencil descended and be-
“I should ask you that, I gan moving. ,

think,” Howe answered suavely. “One, failing to obey a signal

“Oh, you do, do you? Well,
I’m the one who asks the ques-
tions round here, and I’m the
one who gives the orders. And
the order I’m giving you is to
follow my wagon to the next
turnaround — ”
“But that’s just the direction
we were heading, officer.”
“ —and head back the way
you’ve come.”
“Ah. That we don't intend to
do.”
to stop —”
“Since when has a motorized
bull-charge been a signal to
stop?”
“Two, driving a non-linear ve-
hicles on a linear highway.”
“You can talk! This is a
linear vehicle. Latest model. And
we were driving on the right side
of the road, at least.”
The sergeant glared at him
and went on. “Three, insulting
behavior, i.e. making an obscene

THE WELL-TRAINED HEROES 87

gesture to a member of the
He broke off and turned to his
subordinate. “What is it,
ins?”
rT''he young cop had been clear-
ing his throat noisily.
he gestured meaningly towards
Howe and Pennell. The sergeant
followed his gesture, the look of
annoyance on his face shading
into puzzlement —
until he got
the message.
The seats on the latest linear
cars were low slung so that not
much more than the heads of
the occupants were visible. The
sergeant had thought they were
wearing dark business suits. Now
he made out the semi-military
cut of their jackets, the comet-
tail moulding on the black but-
tons.
He stepped back and planted
his fists on his hips.
“So you’re two of them, are
you? Well, don’t think that gives
you any privileges in my book.”
“I’m sorry to hear you say
that,” said Howe achingly. Des-
pite the sergeant’s words, the uni-
forms had obviously had a chast-
ening effect on him. Any visi-
tors to Bonfield would be high-
ly unwelcome just now, but that
two Spacers should turn up was
against all the odds. Infuriating-
ly so!
“Look,” the sergeant said, a
note of pleading entering his
88
— **
voice. “I don’twant any more on
my plate than I have got. If
Hawk- you want just to go through the
town I’ll give you an escort.”
“Come, come,” Howe chided.
“Where’s your local patriotism?
Now What did the guide book say
. . . Bonfield, pop. 12,735, sea-
level, set in the midst of the
renowned Southchester coun-
try .. .
?”
The sergeant looked pained.
“I’ve got my orders.”
“And we,” said Howe, “have
got the freedom of Bonfield.” He
pulled a slim black book from
his pocket. “The Spaceman’s
Passport. Take a look inside.
Skip the somewhat lamentable
likeness of myself and concen-
trate on the reading matter.”
“I don’t want to know,” the
sergeant said surlily. “Hold on.”
He jammed his cap back over
his eyes and stalked back to his
wagon, where he lifted a micro-
phone.
The youngster craned down
over the car and whispered
hoarsely to Howe.
“Certainly, dear boy,” Howe
responded.
“You mean it? ThanksV’ He
thrust his book through the open
window, looking back over his
shoulder to make sure his ser-
geant wasn’t watching. “Do you
mind putting the name of your
base underneath?”
“Of course,” said Howe, ob-
GALAXY
liging with more alacrity than “Look,” said Howe. Through
truthfulness. the lifting heat haze, what could
“Marsopolis," the boy breath- have at first been mistaken for a
ed He added eagerly, “You smoking factory stack could be
know, I volunteered for the seen as the charred skeleton of
Spacers, but got turned down. a building, still smoldering after
Those tests are tough, ain’t they? a fire.
I —” “I see,” Pennell said slowly.
The sergeant was returning “But listen.”
from the utility. The young cop Howe duly listened. “Good
stuffed his book back in his for you. That’s not the first thing
pocket and straightened hurried- most new agents notice.”
ly- Pennell was still listening —
“Okay,” the sergeant said and remembering being out with
heavily. “You’ve been cleared. his first-ever girl, walking in the
You can go through.” woods high above his hometown
“Much obliged,” said Howe. in the evening, listening to its
He nodded to Pennell, who re- voice. It was the voice of a town.
started the motor. “Despite your A voice that never stopped, but
doubts, officer, I’m sure we shall only varied as the wind veered
enjoy our stay.” or the stereo theaters turned out;
as whatever note, man-made or
II elemental, turned up on the
score.Sometimes, by some freak
'T'he road followed a gap in the of orchestration, it would be
hills. They came out on the hushed and a clear single note
crest of a gentle gradient — and would make itself heard a —
the town of Bonfield stretched train crying into the distance, a
beneath them, its nearer houses dull cryptic thudding, some voice
a scant two miles away. raised in a never-to-be-known
It looked like most other emotion.
towns of comparable size. A clus- He smiled wryly at the mem-
ter of taller buildings in the cen- ory —
not only of the voice but
ter; to one side a small factory of himself then. And now he was
area: around that the gray roofs here —
a member of a strange
of the older houses, newer red force —
listening to another
roofs blocking in the rest. It voice . . . and knowing that it

looked normal and peaceful was wrong.

enough from this distance. The ground-bass of traffic was
But — missing, for one thing. And the

THE WELL-TRAINED HEROES 89

note of other wheels those of — 'T'hey had to wait for that until
Industry —
was as sporadic as they had checked the car in
an engine missing on several at the Linear Station on the out-
cylinder? ihe human compo- skirts of town —
the usual sit-
nent was wrong too, ragged and ing. Several cops were clustered
out-of-tune. There was a sense around the place, trying hard to
of alarm bells ringing, but he look as if their group presence
couldn’t swear that he actually there was entirely coincidental.
heard them. But he did hear a But the only person to come run-
siren, for a brief second before it ning was the green-uniformed
died on a strangled note. controller, who leaped out of his
He shivered. plexiglass control dome as if he
“Check kit,” Howe said. He had just discovered that it was
took out his wallet and snapped being pumped full of poison gas.
it open. Pennell followed suit. “May I extend' the sincere
“Haemoxin pills,” Howe in- apologies of the company?” he
toned. stuttered. He was a little man
“Check.” with a bald head. The head was
“Anti-ditto.” glistening more brightly than the
“Check.” temperature warranted. “Any in-
“Vecol.” convenience to you will be com-
“Check.” pensated. I assure — ”

“Antifax.” Howe cut him off with a

“Check.” sweeping gesture.
“Disposal bomb.’ “No compensation would be
“Check.” Pennell grinned adequate for the waste of time
briefly. “As well as anyone can my companion and I have suf-
check it, short of actually using fered. We shall see our lawyers
it.” when we get back to civiliza-
Howe grunted. “We’d better tion.”
take an antifax now. Just in case “I’m sure there will be no
they put lie detectors on us. need for that,” the controller
That doesn’t often happen, but said agitatedly, taking a quick
you never know. Right, let’s look back over his shoulder. Pen-
roll.” nell tracked the glance. Howe
A mile on they passed a sign had been right. Gun in hand or
that said We/come to Bontield. not, there was certainly some-
Pennell grimaced, wondering body else in the dome. He wasn’t
what kind of welcome Bonfield in police uniform —
but neither
would have for them. was he in Linear Service green.
90 GALAXY
“Be assured that every care will of the Space Service, being a
be taken with your vehicle while citizen of space, is therefore a
it is in our charge.” The little citizen of all Earth, so he shall
man semaphored to an overalled be deemed a free man of all
service hand. countries and of all states, coun-
Howe merely snorted con- ties, communes or department*
temptuously and, beckoning to of those countries and of all
Pennell, strode off. cities, towns or villages ana be
Only now did the cops move. permitted to pass freely, subject
A couple peeled off and waited to his abiding by common law,
for the Space Service men at the in all such places and over all
exit gates. boundaries and frontiers without
“We’ve been detailed to look ”
let or hindrance.’
after you,”one of them said. Howe looked up.
“Look after us?” Howe’s eye- “Briefly, gentlemen, I regard
brows rose in feigned amaze- your company — roaring good
ment. “Well, remind whoever fellows as you may be — as
detailed you that there exists definitely a let and/or a hin-
something called the Spaceman’s drance. Kindly report back to
Charter.” your chief to that effect and —
“We know,” said the cop, a let us alone.”
pained expression on his face. The two Branch men stalked
“Nobody’s stopping you going off. The cops didn’t follow.
anywhere. This is just protec- Howe snickered loudly. “God,
tion.” they must hate us! You know,
“
Protection ? Is your town so I think one must be a bit of a

badly run that people need pro- sado-masochist to enjoy this

tecting?” job.”
The cop made a step towards Pennell grinned. “Are you?
them as if he’d like to punch Do you?”
their faces in — then obviously “That would be telling, dear
thought better of it. boy. Let me just say that it

“I see,” said Howe. “A bit near fills a space in this old lumber-
the mark, eh? Well, let me give room of a soul of mine that
you the exact wording of the would otherwise be grievously
Charter on this point.” He pull- empty.”
ed out his passport and opened They passed a turned-over car,
it. and another that had obviously
“‘Section one, paragraph just been rescued from that con-
three. Inasmuch as any member dition. Its bodywork a stove-in

THE WELL-TRAINED HEROES 91

ruin, itwas being winched onto
a breakdown truck. There were
few people on the streets, though
eyes peered out from the win-
dows of every other house.
There was a hush over the town
like thehush after a bombard-
ment — half relief, half fear for
when the next barrage should
start.
\ couple of youngsters came
out of a side street. They
caught sight of the Spacers and
jerked excitedly at each other’s
sleeves. They beckoned furi-
ously over their shoulders and
were joined by a dozen more
teenagers, boys and girls — wonder you ask,” Howe said
though it was a job to tell one
from the other in the crewcuts
and back slacks and jerkins that
both sexes affected. The mob
descended on the two Branch
men.
“Close ranks,” Howe said eas-
iy. Pennell didn’t feel so easy.
They used to tear pop singers
apart once, didn’t they?
The mob was on them.
“Sign this, please.”
“Real Spacers! Boy\”
“Which planet you from?”
“Kiss me! Kiss me!”
. Pennell caught a glint of scis-
sors —
reaching for a shoulder
tab or a lock of his hair. He
ducked. Then Howe struck out,
his arm flashing in a black arc.
His open hand landed, with all
92
his strength, across the nearest
face. It fell back. So did the rest
of them — in a sudden vacuum
of silence.
The one that Howe had struck
sprawled on the ground.
“Peggy!" one of the boys said
in a shocked voice.
The girl picked herself up, her
black pants dusty, one side of
her face branded crimson, the
rest of it pale. Then, in a way
curious to see, her whole face
went as red as the slap mark.
She turned on her heel and fled
sobbing.
“Wliat’d you do that for, mis-
ter?” one of the boys blurted.
“I
curtly. “Look at you! What
does it say on your jacket?” He
squinted, though the letters were
nearly a foot high. “Spaceman?”
His eyes went round the circle.
“Mars Or Bust? Venus Flight?”
His voice was scathing. “You’d
never make space, any of you.
You need discipline for our job.”
The kids’ eyes fell. There was
a shuffling of feet.
“Sorry, captain. We’ve never
been so close to a Spacer before.”
“And get your ranks right.”
Howe pointed to his sleeve.
‘We’re only Spacers First Class,
not captains.”
“Onlyl” one of them said.
“That’s like saying you’re only
— well, only the fifth Knight of
the Round Table!”
GALAXY
 “D’you ever hear anyone so “You certainly may not.”
modest?” a girl breathed ecsta- “Well, autographs, then?”
tically. Howe sighed. “All right. Juat
Howe cursed. He had been in one.”
Branch from the start, but he There was a flurry of move-
could still make mistakes. Kids ment, but the fair boy already
had such blasted short memor- had his book out.
ies! They had already forgotten Howe took it. He held it up
the girl he had slapped. He under his eyes and signed it
would have to correct the bal- with a hand that shook violent-
ance. ly-
“What do you want, anyway?” “What’s up with him?” one
“Just — just to be with you,” of the boys whispered anxious-
one of the girls said. ly to Pennell.
“Haven’t you Earthworms got “Planet shakes,” Pennell told
anything better to do?” him. “We all get it.”
“Earth worms?” echoed a
. . . “But I thought you fellers
tall, fair boy. He had a big were supposed to be so fit.”
comet-tail painted across his “Sure we were— . . . once.”
jerkin. Pennell twitched.
Howe sneered. “That’s what “I — I see,” the boy said,
we call you in the Service.” edging away. A girl took his
The fair boy’s lip drooped. place, holding out her bared
Then he brightened. “But we arm.
won’t be Earthworms
all our “I haven’t got a book. Any-
lives, we, fellers?” There
will way, have it on my
I’d rather
was a chorus of assent from his arm. won’t ever wash it till
I

mates. “The Service is getting the day I become a nurse in

bigger every day, isn’t it, mis- the Space Service.”
ter?”
“So’s the world population, T)ennell had half a mind to
sonny —
faster. But we haven’t -*•
take a haemoxin pill right
got time to chat on street com- there and then. The effect
ers with a bunch of pimply would soon dispel any romantic
kids.” notions she might have about
“Will you come and give a nursing the Brave Boys of the
talk our club?” asked the
at Space Service. But that would
tall fairboy. have been badly timed; hae-
“I strongly doubt it.” moxins had to be reserved for
“Can we have a button?” times of maximum effect. He
THE WELL-TRAINED HEROES 93
scrawled illegibly on the girl’s
arm, pressing harder than he
need have. She bit her lip.
He glanced at Howe, who
nodded briefly. They detached
themselves from the teen-age
gaggle and strode towards the
town center. The day was get-
ting warmer and gave every
threat of being a scorcher.
They halted outside a pub. It
was boarded shut.
They sought the next, and
found it what was obviously
in
the old original market square
of the town. There was prob-
ably, thought Pennell, a Bon-
field Society for the Protection
of Ancient Buildings. The nine-
teenth-century houses were im-
maculately painted, the few
shops obviously high-class ones.
Yet that civic pride had
cracked. Several windows were
broken. One shop front was a
gutted ruin. Most of the rest
were shut and shuttered. Only
a baker’s shops was doing bus-
iness. and that almost furtively.
One or two people lounged wari-
ly under the trees. The place
was hushed.
The two Special Branch men
went up to the doors of the
pub, the King’s Head.
This one had all its glass, but
a turnover card in its door said:
Sony, Closed. Open 10 a m.
Today it lied, Howe thought.
They weren’t sorry to be closed
94
— not today. He looked at hia
watch. The sign lied twice. It
was already half past the hour.
He raised his fist and smote
the glass panel so hard that
Pennell thought it would shat-
ter. But Howe had a longer ex-
perience of hammering on bar
doors —both on and off duty.
There was a clumping of feet
from inside. A voice called out
hollowly, “We’re shut.”
“Under the terms of your
license,” Howe announced, “you
are obliged to afford refreshment
to travelers.”
A face peered out from the
shadows within.
“How do I know you’re ” —
The landlord had obviously
just noticed the uniforms. There
was a pause, then bolts slid bads.
The door opened, on a chain.
“All right, so you’re travelers.
This place is shut. You can take
it up with the police if you’ve
got any objections.”
By this time a small crowd had
collected behind the two Spac-
ers. Howe was beginning to enjoy
himself.
“You mean —
the police have
closed you up?”
“Of course not. There —
there
was a bit of trouble in town last
night, that’s all. Now,
if you
don’t mind —
”
But Howe already had one
gleaming black boot in the door.
“Was the Riot Act read?”
GALAXY
 tpLUjfocn

“Not here it wasn’t. “I told you, they haven’t clos-

“Anywhere else?” ed us. They — they just advised
“Not that I know of.” all of us to stay shut till things
Which was according to pat- blew over, but they left it to our
tern, Howe thought. The local discretion.”
authorities did everything to keep “I see. Do you think it’s be-
the trouble within ordinary lim- ing — ah, discreet — to keep all
its. They would block the roads these people out?” Howe bent
into town they would censor
;
closer to the landlord and whis-
phone calls out of it. They could pered, “Would you rather let
gloss over things like that with them in or have them batter
an excuse of power or mechani- their way in?”
cal failure. And they would call The landlord hesitated. “All
in every spare cop for miles right. But at the first sign of
around. But riot measures, and trouble I’ll call the cops.”
the final resort —
martial law — There would be no need to.
were things everytown this hap- Howe looked over his shoulder
pened to shuddered from. and was not surprised to see a
“Then the police have no legal couple of blue uniforms dispers-
right to close you.” ed through the crowd.

THE WELL-TRAINED HEROES 9$

 Ill
A cheer went up as the lights
switched on. The chain rat-
tled free and the doors opened.
The landlord made a beeline for
his bar-flap to escape the rush.
But the procession inside was
pretty orderly. There was more
rush to slap the Spacers on the
back than to get to the bar.
stories ashade too raucously. H«
himself joined in, but Howe was
the center of attraction right
now.
Pennell found himself jostled
to the periphery of the crowd.
The landlord craned anxiously
over the bar.
“Your friend’s having a lot to
drink.”
“He can takeit,” Pennell told

But the drink started to flow. him. He certainly could, with the
Everybody insisted on treating help of a vecol. “Did you have it
the two men in black. The two bad last night?”
in blue looked on sourly from the “We didn’t. Only a few bottles
doorway. Pennell edged out to smashed. But some of the other
the men’s room at the first op- places in town were wrecked. I
portunity and swallowed a vecol. don’t know what’s come over the
That would counter as much place. It’s normally so peaceful.
alcohol as he could absorb in the Nobody’s sure just how it start-
next two hours. ed. Some say it was when Johnny
He went back to find Howe Colson came home from failing
telling some epic stories of his his Space Service test. He was
exploits in space. The audience one of the brightest kids in town.
was lapping it up. But Pennell No kid’s ever made the Ser-
knew that the repertoire was as vice from Bonfield — and you
carefully scripted as a tri-vee know how keen they all are.”
commercial. The story about “Yeah. I know.”
what happened when Howe was “Still, it wasn’t kids that did
marooned for three weeks in a all the damage around town
Venusian ape-peoples’ warren last heard one of my
night.
I

was funny, fictitious and pretty regularswas taken in for murder.

disgusting,even for a barroom He’s one of the quietest men I
story. Laugh now, think later. know — that’s the funniest
That was the kicker buried in thing.”
such ancedotes. And Howe was “Funny?”
telling them in just the right way “Crazy, I mean. That’s what
— Pennell had to admire his itis —
crazy. It seems to have
performance —
in a voice just been brewing for months. Now
too loud, laughing at his own suddenly the town’s like I —
96 GALAXY
don’t know how to explain it
ifs like everyone’s been taken
over.” He shivered and pulled
himself together with a visible
effort. “My wife says if we have
another night like last night she’s
going to move out. Can’t say as
I’d blame her, either.”
“Let’shope it doesn’t come
to that,” Pennell said and—
meant it. He drained his glass.
Other glasses around him were
empty too. He had
noticed that
they had been that way for the
past ten minutes. The Spacers
had been treated royally; now
people were waiting to be treated
back. Spacers got good money,
didn’t they? Howe was carefully
— but not too carefully — not
noticing. Pennell caught his eye
and they exchanged a ghost of a
wink. It was still noisy in the
pub, but it was beginning to
sound a bit hollow. Pennell de-
cided it was a good time to leave
Howe to it.
He slipped out into the bright
sunlight of the square. The news
had evidently got around that
two Spacers were in town. People
came up to him for souvenirs
and autographs. He was suitably
brusque with them.
He saw a coffee bar open, and
went in. The place was full
kids. The hero-worship started
immediately, but the clamor was
not half so intense as when that
first mob of teenagers had en-
THE WELL-TRAINED HEROES
— gulfed them. Word must have
got around about that, too, along
the kids’ special grapevine. Some
of them even looked indifferent.
After signing a few autographs,
he sorted one of them out, a
dark-haired boy who was look-
ing on sullenly from a table by
the wall.
“Want my autograph, sonny?”
Pennell called out to him.
nphe boy sneered. Unlike most
of the other kids, he was
dressed, not in black, but in a
striped sweatshirt. He was sit-
tingby himself in the otherwise
crowded room.
“Who wants a lousy Spacer’s
autograph?”
Boos and angry yells were di-
rected athim by the other kids.
“You’re looking for a clout
round the ear,” Pennell told him.
The boy stood up. He wasn’t
big,but his manner was quietly
defiant. A sudden hush fell on
the place.
“Who’s going to do that small
thing?” the boy asked.
Pennell started to move
towards him, the crowd falling
away in front of him. Then he
faltered and stopped.
“I’ve got better things to do
of than argue with a kid.” he said.
He turned away and sat down,
snapping his fingers to the wait-
ress for a coffee.
The silence crumbled into a
97
debris of murmurs. The kids bout a stupid kid like him. Let’s
gaped at him as if they couldn’t talk about us.”
believe their eyes and ears, then The kid looked sideways at
whispered to each other. Pennell him nervously. Pennell put his
smiled inwardly. He wondered arm around her. She squirmed
if old-time stage villains enjoyed under his touch.
getting hissed from the stage. “Come on, honey, you’re a big
Did they take it simply as a girl,” he said loudly, pleadingly.
tribute to their performance — All eyes were on him. The girl
or did it secretly gnaw at their was acutely embarrassed.
vitals? Someone said, “What’s wrong
The waitress came over with with him?”
his coffee and waited for pay- “Can’t he find women his own
ment. He let her wait before age?”
looking up at her. “Is he spooky or something?”
“What, do you expect Spacers Pennell was tempted, for the
to pay?” second time, to take a haemoxin.
She glared at him, then shrug- But it might have the wrong ef-
ged and went away. Another fect, swing them back into
small victory. But not so small, sympathy. Kids were unpredic-
he told himself. She must deal table.They’d had special classes
with hundreds of customers in a on kids —
and the teacher had
day. She was one of the impor- wound up by confessing just
tant people. that.
He turned to a girl sitting next The squirmed free and
girl
to him. She couldn’t have been moved to another table. Pennell
more than thirteen; only on the was wondering whether to give it
fringe of the coffee bar circle by another twist when he heard one
the look of her. of the kids say, “I wonder if

“What’s the name of that all Spacers are like that?” and
kid?” he asked her, to say some- knew that he had achieved
thing, anything. “That cheeky enough here.
kid who didn’t want my auto- He got up and strolled to the
graph.” door. He
turned and flung a coin
“Johnny —
Johnny Colson,” in the direction of the counter.
she said in a tiny voice. As he did so, he saw that the
.

That was the kid the landlord Colson boy was no longer setting
of the King’s Head had mention- alone.
ed. He couldn’t have picked any- The final satisfaction was
one better. “Still, let’s not talk hearing the clink of the coin

98 GALAXY
flung back and clattering on the who he likes . . and refuse who
.

pavement behind him. he don’t. And you, your friend

He walked back past the and any more of your precious
King’s Head. It was quiet — Space Service I don’t.”
oddly so after the way he had Pennell shrugged and went on
left it. He looked in. Only a his way.
couple of people were holding ^ After five minutes he came to
the bar up. Howe wasn’t one of the main shopping street of the
them. town. On a normal day it must
“Where’s my friend?” he de- be pretty busy. Even today there
manded, taking a step inside. was a fair number of people
about. He thought he detected
rT''he landlord glared at him. that people weren’t so edgy as
“The police took him in to they had been first thing that
cool off. He was trying to start morning. Perhaps he was kidding
a riot all own. Took ten
on his himself. Perhaps people were
people to get him to the wagon.” just recovering from the night’s
“He was always good for ten uproar and would have come
cops,” Pennell said braggingly. out in any case.
“Only two cops.” The land- But word got around. Howe
lord’s tone was caustic. “The had pried open one pub. Other
others were my
customers. They landlords would have got the
were glad to help.” message soon enough and open-
Good for Howe! Pennell ed up too. They would have
thought. Well, at least he’d heard, too, about the fracas at
know where to find him. But the King’s Head, but that was
he’d just test results. He started explicable —
two Spacers turn-
to walk up to the bar. ing up and shouting their mouths
The landlord lifted one flat off. Something definite, curable,
hand. instead of the baffling violence
‘We don’t want your custom, that had erupted the night be-
Spacer.” He spoke the last word fore.
as if it were a dirty one. “I just Pennell slipped a red hae-
rang up my lawyer. Maybe I moxin pill in his mouth and
do have to be open to serve gulped it down. He walked on,
travelers, maybe you do have attracting the usual glances,
— though lord
special privileges curious, admiring but some —
knows how characters like you definitely hostile now.
ever got them — but a land- Then the pill took hold.
lord’s still got the right to admit Violently.

THE WELL-TRAINED HEROES 99

 It didn’t feel pleasant, and it “It’s all right,” he gasped.
looked horrible. He started to “It’s only — only Spacer’s sick-
stagger, cannoning into two or ness.”
three startled passers-by. His A crowd had collected. For
head if it was trying to
felt as the second time in his short
swell twice its normal size.
to career Pennell knew what it
He finally collapsed in a heap must be like to be in a car crash
on the pavement. That last bit . . people looking at you with
.

was acting. A man under the in- a fascinated horror, trying to

fluence of one haemoxin could turn away but being unable to.
stay on his feet —
but with an He clawed at his tunic collar.
effort. Hands unbuttoned it for him.
Someone bent over him. He
groaned. A nd then he saw a face in the
“Quick, someone, call an am- crowd. It seemed to leap out
bulance. This man’s ill.” in sudden focus, the rest of the
Pennell plucked at the stran- faces blurring away to grayness.
ger’s sleeve. It was the kid from the coffee
“No — there’s
no need for an bar —
the Colson kid.
ambulance.” He meant it. He This is all I want, he thought
didn’t want hospital doctors run- savagely. The kid wouldn’t sort
ning around him in circles trying hirft out now, surely. But after,
to cure a disease that didn’t while there was still a crowd
exist! about, he might. And that could
“But you look terribly ill.” have one of two effects, both
Pennell know. By now his face highly not to be desired. At best,
must be a bright mauve, with it could turn the crowd from pity
all the capillaries standing out to sympathy. There was a big
on it as if a madman had difference. Pity had the required
scrawled across it for hours with ingredient of contempt. At the
a red ballpoint. Added to that worst, it could be the focus of a
were such personal touches as riot — a real riot.
agents were encouraged to culti- “Just — just prop me against
vate — in his case a realistic a wall,” he murmured. Hands
frothing at the mouth and a lifted, carried him.
breathing that sounded like a “Give me air.”
decrepit rat dragging its way The crowd stumbled back.
through a cellar full of rusty There must be hundreds of
nails. He’d worked hard on that them. But he couldn’t see
one. Johnny Colson’s face among
100 GALAXY
them now. Perhaps he had only The man looked suddenly iller
imagined it, he told himself. A than Pennell had felt during the
slight, but unpredictable, hal- entire episode of his “seizure”.
lucinogenesis was one of the “What’s wrong?” Pennell ask-
side-effects of haemoxin. ed him.
“I’m sure we ought to call an “Only that both my boy*
ambulance,” said the man who have volunteered. Course, they
had first come to his aid. haven’t got much chance of be-‘
“No — I’ve got some pills.” ing taken. All the same I’ll . . .

He groped inside his tunic and have to tell them. That there’s
brought out his wallet. Fumbling a lot they don’t know, I mean.”
it open, he took out an anti- Pennell wasn’t going to let
haemoxin pill. He swallowed it, him get away as easily as that.
and made sure that everyone “Hey, don’t go round giving
got a view of the multi-colored people a bad impression of the
array of capsules in the wallet Service. They give you these
before he folded it shut and pills. As long as you don’t make
stowed it back in his pocket. He a habit of them, it’s all right.”
heard someone whisper, “See “How do you mean — habit?”
that? He’s got a regular medicine “Perhaps I shouldn’t have
chest in there.” said that.I mean if you rely on

“That’s better,” he said. “I’ll them too much. I know one old-
get over it in a few minutes." timer —
he must be pushing
“How come they keep you in forty — who takes ten a day.
the Space Service if you get Which is all right while it lasts,
turns like this?” but of course — ”
“Huh —
that’s a good one! “Of course what?” the man al-
They wouldn’t be able to run a most screamed now.
Space Service if they sacked “Well, the old heart can’t take
every man who got the sickness. that kind of thing too long, can
It’s all the gravity changes. Sure, it? One day it’s pift and out —
your body adapts, but it always the airlock feet first.”
gets back at you.” The man gulped.
“Funny. I’ve read a lot about “I’m okay now,” said Pennell.
what it’s like out there, but I “Help me up.” He deliberately
never read about that.” didn’t frame it as a request.
“Course you don’t. D’you Neither, when he was back on
think they’d get so many volun- his feet, did he thank the man,
teers if they let everybody know but turned away from him as he
about it?” buttoned up his tunic.
THE WELL-TRAINED HEROES 101
 When he turned back the man
was gone —home hotfoot to re-
port to his boys, Pennell trusted.
Most of the crowd had gone, too.
Pennell dusted himself down and
went to walk off.
And then he saw him again
— the Colson kid, standing
•cross the street, watching him
from the shadow of a shop door-
way.
IV
"Pennell let his eyes travel past
-* the boy, telling himself that
this was nothing to worry about.
With the crowds gone, any
danger was past. If the kid want-
ed a fight, that was all right
by him. It would be a fight he
couldn’t lose —
in more senses
than one. He had backed down
in the coffee bar. Now if he beat
him up, he would earn an equal
dividend of disfavor. But the kid
would have to start it.
He walked off down the street.
He hadn’t gone far before he
knew that the kid was following
him. He stopped in a shop door-
way —the kind of arcade en-
trance with windows at an angle
to the sidewalk. By its reflec-
tion he saw the kid, fifty yards
behind him, stop too. A good
day for window-shoppers, Pen-
nell thought.
He walked on. He came to a
•upermarket that was open and
102
went in. It wasn’t very full.
There was no chance of dodging
anyone here. When he came out,
the kid was standing across the
road, a sardonic smile on his
lips.
A cab\ That was the answer.
But he didn’t remember seeing
one about the place. There must
be one or two in the town, but
their drivers had probably taken
themselves off the road during
the trouble. Perhaps they had
been wrecked.
It was no way out, in any case.
Bonfield was too small a place to
lose yourself in for long. Why
did he want to lose himself, any-
way? It gave him something to
occupy his mind while he wan-
dered round the place. There was
nothing much he could do now,
except watch and wait. He
wasn’t experienced enough to be
certain, but he could swear that
the tension was going out of the
town. Which meant his job was
nearly done.
All the same, he felt a nag-
ging disquiet. If the kid wanted
a fight, why didn’t he come up
and start one?
He The kid fol-
set off again.
lowed him at the same kind of
distance as before, too far away
for Pennell to call out to him
without attracting attention. If
anything did start, he must avoid
giving any impression that he
had picked on the kid.
GALAXY
 But after an hour of it, Pennell “Not any more. We let him
had had enough. He stopped and out.”
turned round to face the kid. “What?”
The kid stopped too. He just “About twenty minutes ago.
stood there, in the middle of The chief decided not to charge
tile sidewalk, his hands hanging him. We expected half the town
easily by his side, the same sar- to come demanding his release.
donic smile on his face. Pennell Him being a Spacer, I mean. But
swore under his breath, and took we didn’t get a soul in. He must
a step towards him. The kid have made a hell of a nuisance
didn’t move. But when Pennell of himself. He certainly did in
started to walk towards him, he here.”
turned and walked across the Pennel felt suddenly disquiet -
road. He stopped and turned. ened. He needed Howe, and the
Pennell had already stopped. broken-down ham had to disap-
There was no future in this. He pear. He felt annoyed at himself
turned and went on. There was for feeling at a loss over such a
only one answer —
he would small matter as the Colson kid.
have to contact Howe. It was But he did his best to sound un-
about time he bailed him out, concerned.
anyway. Howe would know to a “Well —
you know how it is.
degree if their mission had suc- Back on Earth for leave.”
ceeded. They could pack up and “Yeah, but it must be a hell
walk out of this town without of a out there to make a
life
worrying about crazy kids or man cutup the way he did.
anything else. Funny. dreamed once of get-
I

ting out there myself.” The ser-

T T e found the police station geant looked down at his ample
A easily enough. As he walked waistline and coughed.
up the steps to it, he glanced Pennell humored him. “It’s a
over his shoulder. The kid was tough life, all right. Not all star-

still following him. Well, per- light and roses.” He changed the
haps now, when he saw where subject. “How are things in
Pennell was going, he would have town?”
second thoughts. “How d’you mean?”
The desk sergeant looked at “I wondered if the chief might
him curiously as Pennell enter- be imposing a curfew tonight.”
ed. “A curfew?” The sergeant star-
“I believe you have a buddy ed at him as if it was a word in
of mine in charge,” Pennell said. Martian. “You must be nuts.”

THE WELL-TRAINED HEROES 103

 “I just wondered.” Pennell felt t was Pennell who was start-
slightly better. That seemed to r led, and he was sure that
confirm his impression that the he didn’t conceal it at all. What
danger point had been passed. did he do now? Try and pass
But it still left the small problem it off, tell the kid to beat it?

of the Colson kid. He looked But if the kid did suspect some-

out of the window. There was no thing that would be fatal.

sign of him. But, when he put his “Well?” he said, as evenly as
face close to the glass and squin- he could.
ted down the street, he cursed. “I’ve got a cousin in Fenton,”
The kid was standing on the the boy went on.
corner. “What’s that? A prison?”
He turned back to the ser- “You can lay off the act, mis-
geant. “Is there another way out ter,” the boy said. “This is in-
of this place? A back entrance, termission time. Fenton’s a
maybe?” small town up north, about two
The sergeant looked at him hundred miles from here. They
quizzically. “What, you want to had some kind of trouble up
avoid your fans?” He looked out there, too, about a year ago. My
into the empty street and smirk- cousin wrote to me about it. He
ed sarcastically. But he came out said they had quite a ball while
from behind his desk and showed it lasted. Myparents come from
Pennell along a corridor. He Fenton, and my uncle sends the
pushed open a door at the end local paper on every week. So,
of it. the week after, when I get the
“Thanks,” Pennell said. paper, what do I do? I look for
He was in a yard. A couple of the news splashed all over the
cops were lounging in a squad front page. And what do I find?
car. They looked at him with Nothing. Except, inside, the
minimal interest as he turned police court reports just happen
and went round the building. to be about three times longer
He moved quietly and came than usual. But scatttered
up to the Colson kid from be- through the paper, instead of be-
hind. ing in one chunk. And no word
“Well, sonny, what do you about any riots. So I think —
want?” either my crummy cousin was
The boy turned quickly. But dreaming, or else the town coun-
if he was startled, he didn’t show cil don’t like things like that be-
it. He merely grinned. ing splashed all over the place.
"Just waiting for the next act.” And I would have forgotten all
104 GALAXY
about it, even when things start- take me to your leader. But lay
ed to blow up here. I mean, off piy arm, will you?”
things like that can happen any- Pennell let go of his arm, but
where, I guess. Only — ”
watched him warily. The kid
“Only — ?” Pennell said, his made no attempt to escape. He’s
mouth dry. enjoying this, Pennell thought
“Only, my cousin also said, in vehemently. He certainly wasn’t.
the same letter, that a couple Only his second assignment, and
of Spacers had turned up in he had muffed it. He had visions
town. He just put it in a P.S. and of ruthless top-level action, of
I remember I was mad at him, agents —
real agents, the kind
going on about some stupid old with lean jaws and flat pistols
riots and leaving the important — embarking on midnight jets.
news till the end —
and in a Of Special Branch toppling in
couple of lines. He just said, mins, all because of him.
‘Two Spacers arrived in town. He braced himself. “Come on,”
They were creeps.’ I was so mad he said to the kid. Where to,
I wrote him a stinking letter, he didn’t know. And then he did
then I thought that anyone who know, and cursed himself for let-
could write about Spacers like ting this incident jolt him so bad-
that wasn’t worth wasting time ly. Of course He looked at his
l

and paper on, so I tom it up.” He
looked a bit shame-faced. “I’m
telling you the way I felt then.”
“And how do you feel now?”
Pennell said, quietly.
“It isn’t so much what
It’s what I think.” He
straight into Pennell’s eyes. “It’s
what I know.”
rT''here was only one thing
it, Pennell knew now. He
would have to find Howe. Rule
Nine. In case of emergency con-
tact the Senior Officer.
He grabbed the kid’s arm.
“You’re coming along with me.”
The boy winced under Pen-
nell’s grip, but he grinned. “Sure,
watch. It was four o’clock. The
bars weren’t open for the even-
ing yet. He could hardly picture
Howe sitting in some cafe sip-
ping tea. Luckily they were head-
I feel. ing the right way. He remember-
looked ed seeing the place that morning.
Sure enough, Howe was there
— in the lounge of the town’s
one hotel. He was acting with
for comforting normality, too —
arguing with a white-jacketed
waiter at the top of his voice.
As the waiter departed, Howe
spotted Pennell and the boy.
“Ah, guests!” He waved them
into chairs at his table. “I just
gained a victory over that re-
luctant servitor of Bacchus. At

THE WELL-TRAINED HEROES 105

least, I think I did. I ordered two cost to a fraction . . . but there
glasses, too, in the hope you had been talk like that for de-
would locate me shortly.” He cades now. It was still in the
cast an eye at the kid. “To what verbal stage.
do we owe the pleasure of this The painful and ironic fact
stripling’s company, though?” was that there was a bottleneck
“I think he’d better tell you in space — of all places.
himself,” Pennell said hollowly. There had been a bottleneck
The boy started talking. in many other endeavors in
Before very long it was obvi- man’s history. Always somebody
ous that he knew —
that he had had turned up with a means of
worked it out Pennell watch- breaking it. It had happened
ed Howe desperately, but the with the automobile, a rich man’s
other’s craggy face gave no sign toy until Ford had brought it
of emotion as the boy’s version within the range of every man’s
unfolded. pocket —by mass-production.
The boy didn’t have all the de- But nobody yet had found a way
tails, of course. He couldn’t have. of mass-producing spaceships.
Nobody, except a few hundred The budgets of the world creak-
people whose job it was to ed under the burden. And only
know, had any idea of how des- ten thousand people were in
perate a problem it was. space or on the planets yet —
Man had been in space for after fifty years.
fifty now — really in space.
years And were nearly five
there
First the Moon; soon after, billion people on Earth, most
Mars and Venus. On all three he of whom would have given their
had gained a precarious foot- right arms for the chance to get
hold. A foothold that was main- out there. Space had been plug-
tained only at enormous cost. ged too hard for too long by all
Rockets alone were expensive the interested parties — for sci-
enough, but the cost of fuel entific, industrial, financial, na-
alone meant that every kilogram tional or plain personal motives
of payload cost thousands to — the image polished too bright.
transport to the Outpost Planets. The image called to far more
There weren’t enough things of people than the traffic could
enough value out there to justify bear. Frustration had bred a par-
that kind of money. ticularly dangerous kind of
And men were payload. claustrophobia —
one that could,
There was talk of new drives if it got out of hand, become
that would cut transit time and global.

106 GALAXY
'"p'hat was how Special Branch Colson kid, “you know what we
had come into being to — have to do now? You’re quite
tarnish the image at those times right, we are agents. But, of
that the danger bell rang, when course, we can’t let people
all that bottled-up frustration know that. So what will it be?

exploded in violence. Poison or cold steel?”

It was an oddball remedy for The boy blinked nervously.
a tricky problem — but it work- But Pennell had to admire his
ed. At least, it had so far. It was gunts. “So what?” the boy said
just a matter of applying the with only a small tremor in his
remedy at the right point at the voice. “You can’t keep it a secret
right time, before the situation for ever. Other people will find
spread. In that respect it was no out.”
different from any other riot “You’re quite right,” Howe
situation in history. But this was told him. “Other people will.
a recurrent pattern — one that Other people have. But not
could be plotted. many. And we have our ways of
Special Branch had learned silencing them.” He reached in
quickly. A team of two had his pocket and pulled out a —
proved to be enough. More pad.
created suspicion; there weren’t A tear-off pad! Pennell’s world
that number of spacemen, and started to crumble at the edges.
only a small fraction of them on He gaped at Howe.
Earth at any one time. “What’s your name, son?”
“ —
so I suddenly saw,” the How asked the boy.
boy was saying, “how it was. Just “Colson. John Colson.”
as I’ve said.” “Date of birth?”
The waiter arrived then with “Thirty-first of May, two
a bottle of scotch and two glass- thousand and nine.”
es. “Been distilling .
it?” Howe Howe the details and
filled in
asked him sweetly. The waiter handed the pad to the boy, to-
glared and departed. Howe gether with his pen.
smacked his lips, but it was Pen- “Sign this.”
nell who grabbed at the bottle. The boy stared at the paper
Howe glanced at him chidingly. then at Howe, his eyes widening
Pennell’s hand shook slightly as in diebelief.“But —
but this is

an enlistment form.r
'

he poured out.
There was a long silence. “Well, do you want to sign it

“Of couse,” Howe said at last, or not?”

beaming over his glass at the “Do /!” He signed it as if

THE WELL-TRAINED HEROES 107

expecting to see it disappear at “If you like. But only because
any moment. they can afford to. The intake
Howe a carbon from
tore is eight hundred a year, and out
under the top sheet and handed of the millions of applications
it over. “Take that to your near- the Service gets, that can’t help
est Space Office.” He added to be more than slightly random
dryly, “if you look at the small — even taking the cream. So five
print, you’ll see that it swears a year getting in by the back
you to secrecy about any aspect door is neither here nor there.”
of the Service. Any aspect.” Pennell felt suddenly indig-
“Do you think I’d breathe a nant. He wanted to get into
word to anyone?” space too, like those millions of
other people. He thought he had
T>ennell watched the boy dis- played it clever —
and all he had
appear through the revolv- got himself into was this weird
ing doors.He gulped down his backwater of a service. And yet
drink. this kid had just walked out of
Howe guffawed. “Don’t look here with a precious enlistment
so surprised! What do you ex- paper in his hand!
pect the Service to do atomize — “That’s damn fine way to get
him or something?” recruits,” he exploded.
“Will they? Is that what it is “Funny you should say that,”
—a trick?” Howe “Eleven out of the
said.
“Of course not. Branch are fifteen passed out of basic train-
devious, but not that devious. ing in the highest grade. Two
He’ll start basic training next hadn’t finished the course the
week.” last time I looked at the figures.
“But —” '£ other two were only very

“Now you know why you have good. You see, it seems that any-
to report to your senior officer body who does spot just what’s
in emergencies. This is the kind going on is possessed of a very
of emergency they mean. As I rare quality in this mass-
told the kid just now, it doesn’t produced age —
initiative. So
happen very often. Only fifteen Johnny Colson had a cousin in a
times so far in the three years town the same thing happened
of Special Branch. Johnny Col- to, so you think that’s lucky,
son’s the sixteenth.” maybe? But most people have
“It’s a kind of blackmail,” heard of these riots by now, even
Pennell said slowly. “And though the towns concerned
Branch pays off.” clam up on them. But most
108 GALAXY
people don't put two and two to- of it out. I wonder whether he
gether.” worked out the final bit —
that
“But say a man who’s too old neither of us have been in space
for space puts two and two to- at all? Perhaps he thinks that
gether?” we’re just seconded to this job
Howe grinned crookedly. for twelve months or something.
“Well, I hope
don’t look too
I I can just see him going round
old. I’ve always rather prided when he passes out, trying to find
myself on ” — the two men who gave him his
“You mean — you . . .?” big chance! I bet
” —
Howe signed reminiscently. He stopped, seeing the expres-
“It was a small town —
just like sion on Pennell’s face.
Bonfield. Too damned small to “Ah, well, that’s all in the
have a theater, really. Which realm of conjecture. Here and
probably accounted for the man- now we’ve the best part of a
ager decamping with the takings, bottle to finish up before we re-
leaving yours truly flat broke port back for stand-by.
and stranded. .But it’s all fate, Pennell brought himself back
laddy. If the theater hadn’t been from far distances. “You’re darn
closed,it would probably have right we have,” he muttered.
got wrecked when the rioting “You can fill mine up —
to the
broke out. But that’s another brim.”
story.” And this was one
time he
He downed his drink, and wasn't going to take a vecol.
laughed. “Johnny worked most — ARTHUR SELLINGS

IF NOW MONTHLY!
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E. E. SMITH, Ph.D.
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THE WELL-TRAINED HEROES 109

for
your
information

BY WILLY LEY
ANYONE ELSE
FOR SPACE?
feel quite sure that many of
I my readers, after Mercury
flights, Vostok flights, American
Explorer and Russian Kosmos
satellites and TV programs via
Telstar and Syncom, have quiet-
ly wondered whether the other
nations are going to sit back and
watch the Russians race the
Americans to the moon (or vice

no
versa) or whether they have seriously interested in space tra-
space plans of their own. vel prior to 1961. The large
The answer is that they do, number of those who are new
and since items about space am- in the business lack general
bitions of other nations hardly background knowledge as well
ever break out of the profes- as proper judgement. This very
sional —
journals and are fairly often has the result that things
rare even in those journals it — the Americans are doing today
may be a good thing to do some are set up as European goals,
reporting. But don’t expect any goals which could not be reached
clear-cut time-tables for, say, until anumber of years has gone
France, or West Germany or the by and which, when finally
United Kingdom. They
don’t achieved, will by then be obso-
exist yet, for a variety of reas- lete. It does not make much
ons. sense, for example, to make plans
One of these reasons is a sim- for a large number of communi-
ple and understandable
one: cation satellites in low orbits
lack of money in large quanti- when it is absolutely certain that
ties. The other reason is that by that time a chain of American
there is much talk about col- satellites in the 24-hour orbit
laboration between the West- will be operational. Nor is there
European nations, coupled with any sense in the plans for a 100
a poorly hidden desire to do it kilogram (220 pounds) instru-
independently. Still another reas- ment package to be soft-landed
on for the general European un- on the moon in 1972, when both
certainty is the work already the Americans and the Soviets
done (or in the planning stage) are planning the same thing for
by the USA and the USSR. the years 1964 and 1965 and are
This was brought out recent- like to have a permanent
ly by a blistering editorial in manned base on the moon by
the Mitteilungen de DGRR, the 1972. So far no European coun-
monthly reports of the German try, nor any of the international

Society for Rocket Research and European organizations, has of-

Space Travel. This is what the fered any project for develop-
editor wrote: ment which is not a copy of
“Now work has begun in Eur- existing American projects.”
ope and also in Germany but — don’t know whether the edi-
I

work to what purpose? It is a tor of the Mitteilungen had a

historical fact that —especially in discussion with General Walter
Germany —too few people were Dornberger about half a dozen
FOR YOUR INFORMATION III
years ago when he paid a visit ada (called Alouette-, French for
to his native country. After his “Skylark”). Both were fired
return Dornberger told me that from the Atlantic Missile Range
he had been asked to speak to at Cape Kennedy and carried
various organizations on the into orbit by American rockets.
question of what Europe could The British-built Ariel, named
contribute to the Space Age. His by Prime Minister Harold Mac-
answer had been about as fol- Millan after the sprite in Shake-
lows: “Just assume that the speare’s Tempest, was put into
manned space station is in exist- orbit on April 26, 1962 by a
ence and that a manned flight Thor-Delta rocket and is in an
around the moon had been made. orbit which guarantees a life-
You sit down and think about time of at least a century; the
what should be done afterwards perigee is 244 miles out and the
and then do it.” apogee 760 miles. The orbital
It was good advice, but ap- period is 101 minutes. The
parently it did not penetrate. dome-shaped satellite has a dia-
meter of 23 inches and is a lit-
TTowever, the very fact that tle less than 11 inches high. Its
A there are two nations which purpose is to measure electron
have advanced far beyond all density in space (equipment
the others opens another possi- designed by the University of
bility: one of the countries that Birmingham) and cosmic ray
has not yet done much in the intensity (equipment by Im-
field of space research but feels perial College, London), and to
competent to do so might do it establish the concentration of
in collaboration withone of the ions and electrons near the
“Big Two”. Whether there is any earth, as well as the intensity of
such collaboration between the X-rays and ultraviolet rays com-
Soviet Union and one of the ing from the sun (equipment by
smaller countries behind the Iron University College, London, and
Curtain is not known, but the the University of Leicester).
western world has produced a The Canadian Alouette, put
number of examples. into orbit on September 28,
• There are now two satellites 1962 by a Thor-Agena rocket,B
in orbit which are called “inter- is heavier than Ariel; Alouette
national”. One of these two was weighs 320 pounds, Ariel only
designed and made in England 132 pounds.
(its name is Ariel') while the oth- Alouette looks circular (dia-
er was designed and built in Can- meter 42 inches) when seen

112 GALAXY
 THE CANADIAN BLACK BRANT ROCKETS
Black Brant I Black Brant n
Overall length (inches) 292.0 332.0
Nose cone length (inches) 62.3 86.0
Payload space (cubic feet) 4.0 6.2
Burning time (seconds) 20.0 26.0
Thrust (pounds) 20,000.0 16,000.0
Rocket weight, empty, (pounds) 1,758.5 2,095.0
Takeoff, without payload (pounds) 2,492.8 2,782.3

from top and oval

nearly tled section of the country. To
(height 34 when seen
inches) these considerations a third one,
from the the satellite
side. It is of a practical nature, had to be
with the longest antennas, one added, namely that the place
75 feet long and the other 150 should be accessible by rail for
feet. The satellite has been transporting the rockets and
dubbed a “topside sounder” other equipment. Since Fort
since its purpose is to detect Churchill was then the north-
cosmic noise and natural radio ernmost place in Canada that
signals originating in the earth’s could be reached by rail this
ionosphere; it reports on such site was chosen.
electronic noises from outside; A Canadian rocket now being
hence its designation. The or- tested at the Fort Churchill
bit of Alouette can justly be range is called Black Brant. The
called circular since the perigee second version of this rocket has
distance is 620 miles and the carried instrument payloads
apogee distance 640 miles. weighing 150 pounds to altitudes
Canada has its own rocket between 150 and 180 miles. The
range, located at Fort Churchill, Black Brant rockets are solid
Manitoba, a site originally picked fuel rockets and the design con-
for American high-altitude re- siderations said, “Reliability
search rockets (Aerobees and first;high payload capacity and
other types) during the Inter- high altitude capacity are sec-
national Geophysical Year. The ondary.” Black Brant III is go-
conditions laid down then were ing to be a larger version of
that the firing site should be Black Brant II, but Black Brant
as far to the north as possible TV will be a two-stage rocket,
and located in a sparsely set- expected to be able to lift a pay-

FOR YOUR INFORMATION 113

lead of 250 pounds to around
600 miles.
While the Black Brant rockets
are a purely Canadian develop-
ment which have nothing to do
with international cooperation
with the USA, there are. of
course, also agreements of co-
operation between the
Canada.
In general the policy of the
United States for such interna-
tional ventures is that no funds
will change hands though the
USA may supply the rockets in
some cases. And the condition
is that all the results of such
cooperations will be published
in scientific journals
available to any scientist with-
out regard to nationality.
/^vne such
^ scientific
been going on for
tion has
some time between the United
States and Sweden. The roc-
kets used were American Nike-
Cajun solid fuel high altitude
sounders as well as American
solid fuel ARACS
Launching site was the area of
Kronogard, and the main ob-
ject the four Nike-Cajun
of
shots was the study of the very
high noctilucent clouds. Two
were fired while noctilucent
clouds were present in the sky
and the two others when such
clouds were not present. The
measurements were made
114
titudes between 50 and 55 miles
and the temperatures at these
altitudes were found to be ex-
tremely low: minus 120° centi-
grade when no noctilucent
clouds were present, and minus
143° centigrade when they were
present.
USA and Sweden is also going to be the
site of a far northern space re-
search range, to be established
near the town of Kiruna, which
is north of the Arctic Circle. The
cost of this range is to be divided
among the eleven nations of
ESRO (European Space Re-
search Organization) which are:
Austria, Belgium, Denmark,
which are France, Germany (West), Great
Britain, Italy, Norway, Spain,
Sweden and Switzerland. No
date has been set for its com-
coopera- pletion.
Another international rocket
range was formally opened with
a shot of a Nike-Apache sound-
ing rocket in November, 1963.
The name of the site is Thumba,
located at the southern tip of
rockets. India. It is not quite an equa-
torial range since India does not
reach that far south, but it is
within less than 10 degrees of
the equator. Four Nike-Apache
rockets were supplied by NASA,
plus a loan of a launcher and
photographic equipment, and
the Indian personnel was trained
by NASA. The Indians supplied
at al- the launching site — available
GALAXY
for scientific work by any na- checking telemetry and so forth)
tion — and tiie scientific pay- along sub-orbital trajectories
loads, in this case devices re- from Wallops Island (off Vir-
leasing sodium vapors
for the ginia). A
rocket called Shot put
investigation high altitude
of was used, it is a two-stage all

winds. While the Indian rocket
range could not be placed on the
geographic equator it is located
on the magnetic equator, which
is useful for later shots devoted
to investigation of the earth’s
magnetic field.
rT~'he most interesting of these
joint projects is the Italian
San Marco Project, designed to
put a satellite into an equatorial
orbit.
Some of the existing satellites,
mainly American Explorer satel-
lites, are said to be in equatorial
orbits, but this is a somewhat
loose designation, it merely
means that the inclination of the
satellite’s orbit to the equator
is small. The San Marco satel-
lite is to be in an equatorial orbit
in the strict sense of the word,
staying over the equator all the
way round. And the simplest
way of establishing such an or-
bit is to shoot due East from a
point at the equator. In the San
Marco Project this will be done
by firing from a towable plat-
form at the equator off Africa’s
East Coast.
The San Marco Project has
three phases, the first being the
firing of test satellites
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
solid fuel rocket with a take-off
thrust of 120,000 pounds. The
firstShotput was fired on April
20, It was one of those
1963.
shots which look perfect to the
eye, but the telemetry tapes lat-
er inform you that it wasn’t;
in this case the payload kept
spinning though it was not sup-
posed to. In the second Shotput
shot, carried out from Wallops
Island on August 2, 1963. the
eyes of the observers and the
telemetry tapes agreed. It was
a perfect shot, carrying the
177.5-pound test satellite to an
altitude of 183 miles and 606
miles down-range where it
splashed into the Atlantic; no re-
covery was planned. The first
phase of the San Marco Pro-
ject will close with a third Shot-
put launching from the platform.
But meanwhile the second
phase will have been carried out,
which is putting a San Marco
satellite into orbit by means of
a Scout rocket, but fired from
Wallops Island. This shot will
not produce an equatorial or-
bit but will be a test of the satel-
lite. The third phase, finally,
will be the firing of a Scout roc-
ket from the towable platform to
(for put a San Marco satellite into an
115
equatorial orbit. Because of the particular shot was meant to
rocket used and the weight of show Nasser that Israel did have
the satellite it will be a fairly rockets.
low orbit, with an average dis-
tance from the ground of about \ for Egypt, it is the only
s

200 miles. country —

aside from the
Coming to the nations which
USA —
which has directly em-
have and are building,
built,
ployed German rocket scientists
rockets without United States who did their research during
aid, one gets into the difficulty the second World War.
that it is not easy to tell whether In the years immediately fol-
a specific rocket —
no matter
lowing the war a group of Ger-
mans worked in Egypt for the
what it may be called is — openly announced purpose of
meant for high altitude and ul-
developing modern anti-aircraft
timately for space research, or
rockets. By the year 1955 an-
whether it is a prototype of a
other group of Germans took
military rocket, or whethei a
over, and in July, 1963, the
specific rocket shot was just a
United Arab Republic paraded
political gesture.
several missiles. One, an anti-
Israel’s Shavit II (shavit is
aircraft weapon, was the Rus-
Hebrew “comet”) is a case
for
sian-made SA-2, radar guided
in point. Firedon July 5, 1961, and burning solid fuel. The oth-
the rocket climbed to a height
ers were liquid fuel ground to
of 50 miles, releasing sodium va- ground missiles, named A1 Zafir
por at the peak of its flight, but (Victory), Ai Kahir (Conquer-
did not carry any scientific in- or) and AI Ared (Pioneer), the
struments. It was announced latter one being a two stage mis-
that it was all solid fuel and sile. It was said at the time that
“all Israeli-made”,
but nothing AI Zafir and AI Kahir had a
else was said. The launching
range of from 300 to 360 miles
site was “at the Mediterranean
but that AI Ared was yet to be
shore”, but no location was giv- tested.
en. It had two or three
either Only a month later it was an-
stages. The
question of whether nounced that AI Ared would be
there had been a Shavit I was made into a three-stage rocket
not answered. And nothing else so that it could place a scienti-
has happened since which — fic satellite, called “The Star”,
leads one to conclude that the into orbit. The satellite is also
rocket most likely was a proto- built by Germans working in
type of a weapon and that that Cairo under Dr. Hassan Marie,
116 GALAXY
the chairman of Egypt’s Com-
mittee for Space Research.
Nothing is known so far about
the scientific functions of this
satellite — its political function
is obvious — nor about its in-
tended orbit. But it has been
stated that the shot is to be
carried out on July 23. 1964,
which is the anniversary of the
Egyptian revolution which put
Gamal Abdel Nasser into power.
Before going on to western
Europe a quick look to the Far
East, namely Japan, is neces-
sary.The Japanese began their
study of high-altitude rockets
with a series of tiny rockets
called “Pencil”. They
hardly larger, though
thicker, than an ordinary pen-
cil. That was in April, 1955.
Later in the same year they
built a series of rockets called
“Baby”, which were three and
four feet in length, still
small. Their first real project,
in the sense that these rockets
were expected to yield scientific
data, was called Kappa, five
inches in diameter and seven to
eight feet in length.
Kappa rockets were used dur-
ing the International Geophysi-
cal Year, along with Sigma
kets which were smaller, weigh-
ing only 22 pounds, but were
released after balloons had car-
riedthem to great heights.
The largest of the Kappa
WILLY LEY
kets, Kappa 9 L, reached a max-
imum altitude of 236 miles and
fell into the Japan Sea 391 miles
from the firing site at Akita,
located in the northern portion
of Honshu Island’s west coast.
After that several things hap-
pened. The range of the Kappa
9 L was almost enough to reach
Vladivostok or Olga, on the
Asian mainland, which could
easily lead to international com-
plications. Hence the Japanese
built a new firing site at Kago-
shima near the southern end of
Kyushu Island, where there is
plenty of open sea. Then they
sold a number of Kappa 6 roc-
were kets to the Yugoslav Astronomi-
much cal This rocket is
Association.
capable of carrying an instru-
ment load of 22 pounds to near-
ly 40 miles of altitude. Then
they started out on the develop-
ment of Lambda, which is a solid
quite fuel booster 25 feet long and
about two feet in diameter, cap-
able of producing 42 tons of
thrust for 18 seconds. A Kappa- 9
rocket with a Lambda booster
should be able to put a small
satellite into orbit.
In between the Japanese have
also entered intoan arrangement
roc- with NASA which furnished
Nike-Cajun rockets for ionos-
phere research. And, in addi-
tion to all this, the Japanese
have developed a number of
roc- military missiles of their own.
117
One is the TLRM, a two-stage an updated version of Esnault-
anti-aircraft missile looking Pelterie’s rocket, Veronique, 24
somewhat like our Nike-Her- feet tall and with a diameter erf
cules, while
the other, the 21.5 inches, burned Diesel oil
XAAM-A-3, could be called the with nitric acid. Its empty weight
Japanese version of the Side- was 772 pounds, take-off weight
winder missile, an air to air 2200 pounds, the highest alti-
weapon, equipped with an infra- tude reached by the first series
red homing device. of Veronique rockets —
on Feb-
ruary 21, 1964 — was 84 miles.
A mong west European
the The second series saw a change
countries the one with the in fuel, turpentine was substitut-
most clearcut space program is ed for Diesel oil with a fifty per
France. It is a little known fact cent increase in altitude.
that one of France’s aviation French plans comprise the
pioneers, Robert Esnault-Pel- development of three high-alti-
terie, was working on the design tude rockets, a guided (and lar-
of a high altitude rocket during ger) Veronique, Vesta and Rubis,
the years from 1935 to 1939. the development of a French
The outbreak of the second satellite (simply called FR. 1)
World War prevented Esnault- and the launching of at least
Pelterie from finishing his roc- two FR. 1 satellites, one by
ket. German rocket experts who means of a NASA Scout and
saw have expressed the opinion
it one by a French Diamant roc-
that it could easily have reached ket, which is 66 feet long with
the design altitude of 60 miles: a liquid fuel first stage and solid
if the second World War had fuel upper stages. But in spite of
started a year later we would the intensive work carried on,
now consider the high-altitude the French intend to participate
sounding rocket a French inven- in European space work, in the
tion. And after the war the ESRO (European Space Re-
French were the first west Euro- search Organization) as well as
pean nation to come up with a the ELDO (European Launcher
liquid fuel research rocket of Development Organization).
their own, the Veronique. General Robert Aubiniere, dir-
If I did not have the word of ector of the Centre National
Prof. E. Vassy of the University <f Etudes Spatiales, stated i
of Paris that the design was de- “France feels that space research
rived from that of the V-2, I should be planned on a Euro-
would have thought that it was pean basis. This concentration of
118 GALAXY
 FRENCH RESEARCH ROCKETS,
OPERATIONAL AND UNDER DEVELOPMENT
Name Propellant Number of Payload Altitude
stages (lbs.) (miles)

Belier (Ram) solid 1 66 56

Centaure solid 2 66 106
Dragon solid 2 66 344
Emma
(weather rocket) solid 2 4.5 44
Veronique liquid 1 132 125
Aigle solid 1 220 106
Eridan
(second stage is Aigle) solid 2 220 220
Veronique (guided) liquid 1 220 220
Vesta liquid 1 44 312
Rubis solid 2 132 1250
The figures for the performances of the guided Veronique, Vesta and Rubis are
the design figures; for the other rockets these are actual performance figures.

effort should allow Europe to re- craft Establishment. It is pow-

cover its past scientific and tech- ered by a Bristol Siddeley Gam-
nical primacy.” ma-2 rocket engine, burning
kerosene with concentrated hy-
A /S' oving across the Channel to drogen peroxide. Its four thrust
Great Britain we find a chambers produce a take off
country which has an exten- thrust of 16,400 pounds at sea
sive missile range, at Woomera level, which thrust increases to
in Australia, at its disposal and about 19,000 pounds in a va-
which has developed quite a cuum. The Black Knight has
number of smaller missiles, most been used successfully on the
of them anti-aircraft but — Woomera range for the testing
which has been curiously lag- of re-entry nose cones and has
ging, in spite of some promising carried such nose cones as high
beginnings, in the development as 500 miles. Since the height of
of large rockets. the nose cones has been kept
These were two
beginnings secret it is impossible to judge
rockets named Black Knight and how well the Black Knight
Blue Streak. The Black Knight would do as an instrument car-
rocketis about 35 feet tall, with rying sounding rocket for very
a diameter of 3 feet, and was high altitudes.
built by Saunders-Roe in col- The other big British rocket
laboration with the Royal Air- was the Blue Streak, developed
WILLY LEY 119
originally as an intermediate
range (say 1500 miles) ballistic
missile. The word “was” is due
to the fact that, to everybody’s
surprise, the British Government
cancelled the Blue Streak as a
missile in April, 1960. But the
rocket exists, built by de Havil-
land, powered by two Rolls-
Royce RZ-2 rocket engines of
137,000 pounds thrust each, burn-
ing kerosene with liquid oxygen.
The diameter of the rocket is 10
feet, the overall length, including
the engines, is 61 feet 6 inches.
Since the cancellation of the
Blue Streak as a missile removed
much of the secrecy attached to
it, British rocket enthusiasts
suggested using a Black Knight
as a second stage for a Blue
Streak for the orbiting of a Bri-
tish satellite. The Ministry of
Supplies did not reply to this
suggestion at all and the British
satellite was orbited by an Amer-
ican rocket. But late in 1960 the
British Government offered the
Blue Streak to France, for possi-
ble use as the first stage of a
jointEuropean space rocket.
And it is this fact which
brings us to West Germany — in research which might be in-
for the West Germans think a
great deal in terms of a Euro-
pean satellite carrier.
nphough the Germans made
the big jump from experi-
mental small rockets to the
120
operational V-2 during the sec-
ond World War, they were then
cut off from rocketry for a long
time. They were so much out
off,as a matter of fact, that the
Deutsches Museum in Munich,
when it planned a Hall of Space,
had to get a V-2 from the United
States in order to make their ex-
hibit.
What happened was quite sim-
ple, of course. The whole re-
search and planning staff of the
Peenemunde rocket research
center came to the United States.
A few others, like Dr. Eugen
Sanger and Dr. Irene Bredt
(later Mrs. Sanger) worked for
the French for a while. A few of
the younger men went to Egypt
and others were old enough to
retire.And a number of rocket
experts who had worked in var-
ious factories during the war
later followed the trail to the
United States and joined the
men from Peenemunde.
In addition to losing all the
experts, Germany was a de-
feated and occupied country for
a number of years, not sovereign
and therefore not free to engage
terpreted as military. The com-
bination of all these circum-
stances meant that the Germans
entered the active space age lat-
er than anybody else. And when
Dr. Sanger returned to Germany
to take over the post of director
GALAXY
 Fig. 1 Preliminary design sketch of a West German High-Altitude re-
search rocket with flex wing for recovery and re-use.

of research,he refrained from versatile, capable of being used

building rocket engines which
would have been a duplication
of other rocket engines, and con-
centrated on ramjets and theore-
tical work.
But now the Germans want to
do something. They have spent
a great deal of thought on the
design of a satellite which is ex-
pected to be quite heavy (weight
around 1.5 tons) but also quite
WILLY LEY
as a communications satellite, a
meteorological satellite and a
geodetic satellite. Since other
satellite designs have progressed
quite far, it may be doubted
whether this design will ever be
actually built.
On the other hand a German
design for a high altitude sound-
ing rocket which is recoverable
and reusable (see Fig. 1) may
121
well be built. The final size of
this rocket has not yet been de-
termined, since it obviously can
be built in various sizes; the pre-
liminary design sketch has a
peak altitude of 80 miles as the
basis for all calculations.
Another German design is con-
cerned with a satellite-carrying
rocket for the ELDO organiza-
tion. The first stage of this de-
sign is the British Blue Streak.
The French have offered to
build the second stage and the
Germans would like to tackle
the third stage which, because
of the carrying capacity of the
two lower must not weigh
stages,
over 10,000 pounds. Because
of this restriction they have
high energy fuels in mind, either
liquid hydrogen with liquid oxy-
gen, like the American Centaur,
or, if at all possible, liquid hy-
drogen with liquid fluorine.
Personally I feel that it will
be hydrogen and oxygen. Hydro-
gen is a fuel which offers many
problems. But as the American
Centaur flight has shown, these
problems can be overcome and
hydrogen is only explosive but
neither toxic nor corrosive, while
fluorine is the most difficult of
gll elements to handle. And the
advantages of using fluorine are
not very great.
I have in front of me a tabula-
tion of the German calculations
for three possible stages, two of
122
them for hydrogen and one for
fluorine. They calculate a speci-
fic impulse for vacuum condi-
tions of 432 and 446 for the two
kinds of hydrogen powered third
stages, and a specific impulse of
457 for the fluorine powered ver-
sion. These 11-25 points hardly
justify the extra problems and
dangers the fluorine would pose.
Well, that’s the picture as it
stands at the end of 1963, fore-
casting possible Egyptian, French
and ELDO satellites. In the
meantime the British are plann-
ing and building two satellites
tentatively called UK-2 and
UK-3 which, when finished, will
be put into orbit the way Ariel
was put there.
0=5
Any Questions ?
In my logarithm table (print-
ed in Europe) the mean distance
from the sun, the astronomical
unit, is given as 149.5 million
kilometers. Expressed in statute
miles this would be 92.894 mil-
lion miles. But American books
usually give the astronomical
unit as 93 million miles, or as
93,003,000 miles. Evidently the
figure of 93 million miles is just
a round figure. Could you give
me a more precise figure which
is generally accepted?
Richard Mannheimer
Denver, Colorado
GALAXY
 Yes, the figure of 93 million ago. My question is this: Christ-
miles is a rounded-off figure for mas is always the 25th of De-

easy remembering and it is cember, but Easter wanders back

slightly too large. However, -the and forth across the calendar.
corrections which have been Why? And how is the date of
made during the last thirty years Easter determined?
are on the order of 50,000 miles E. B. M. Barrett
or less — which sounds small, Coral Gables, Florida
especiallyif you remember that

the first determination of the The reason why Easter does

astronomical unit (by Giovanni
Domenico Cassini of 1672, based
on measurements during a Mars
opposition) arrived at 138.4 mil-
lion kilometers or 85,997,000
miles. The next determination of
1769, based on a transit of
Venus, gave 151.6 million kilo-
meters or 94,199,000 miles in 1873
Johann Gottfried Galle in Ber-
linused an opposition of the
minor planet Flora and arrived
at 148.33 million kilometers or
92,166 million miles. An opposi-
tion of the minor planet Eros
in 1930 gave the figure of 149.66
million kilometers or 92.99 mil-
lion miles (the origin of the fig-
ure in most books). Gerard de
Vaucouleurs, in 1961, arrived at
149.829.000 kilometers or 92,-
920.000 miles, while radar
bounces from Venus, also in
1961, gave 149,565,800 kilometers
or 92,935,700 miles.
on a specific date is that
the length of the year can-
not be evenly divided into weeks,
and Easter is to be a Sunday.
The Council of Nicea (in 325
A. D.) decided that Easter should
be celebrated on the Sunday
which follows the first full moon
after the vernal equinox. The
earliest possible Easter date,
therefore, is the 22nd of March,
while the latest possible Easter
date is the 25th of April.
The calculation of the date
used to be a tedious job, until
Carl Friedrich Gauss evolved a
relatively simple formula which
involves dividing the year by a
set of numbers of which the first
one is 19. Let us take the year
1970 as an example. 1970 di-
vided by 19 is 103 with 13 left
over. Gauss’ formula works with
these “leftovers” and assigns a
letter to each one of them.

I suspect that I learned the Easter, according to this for-

answer to my question in high mula, falls on
school but that was, I regret to
either
say, quite a number of years March ( 22+d+e )

FOR YOUR INFORMATION 123

or which produces the two possible
April ( d+e 9 )
dates of
Now we have to find the March (22 + 1 + 6) = 29
values for d and e where the April (14-6 = 7-9) + - 2
formula runs as follows:
The April date, being nega-
The remainder o f Year divided by 19 Is a tive, is impossible, hence the
The remainder of Year divided by 4 is b date for Easter for 1970 is
The remainder of Year divided by 7 is e
March 29.

In the May 1963 issue of the

30 magazine Planetary and Space
=
2b + 4c + 6d + N Science — I read my brother-in-
e
7 law’s copy —
there is a remark
the values of and M N depend that Russian writers have said
on the year according to this that The Book of the Secrets of
table Enoch contains a passage which
may be interpreted as a refer-
1700 - 1799 M = 23 N= 3
ence to a landing of extra-ter-
1800 - 1899 23 4
1900 - 2099 24 5
restrialson earth. The author of
2100 2199 24 6 the article considers this inter-
pretation mistaken. I must con-
One more provision has to be fess that I had never heard of
mentioned if the derived date :
such a book before and I won-
should read April 26 (one day der whether you could find out
beyond the possible limit) the something about it.
date will be April 19. If the date
Dorothy Steinfeld
is the limit of April 25, it is
Orange, New Jersey
changed to April 18, provided
that d-28 and a is larger than
I had read this article too and
10. (All these provisions are
I also had never heard of the
needed to take care of leap
Book of the Secrets of Enoch,
years).
but one afternoon in the New
Now let us carry the example
York Public Library clarified
through
things. Fortunately the book was
Y/19, a = 13 translated into English in 1896
Y/ 4, b = 2
by William Richard Morfill of
Y/ 7, c = 3
Oxford University. It is one of
d = (247 + 24 = 271 : 30 = 9. remain-
a group of ancient writings
der 1) = 1.
which go under the general term
e = (4 + 12 + 6 + 5 = 27 ; 7 - 3, re-
and
mainder 6) - 6. of “apocalyptic writings”

124 GALAX V"


the Enoch to whom it is
buted is the Enoch of Genesis
V: 18-24, the father of Methu-
selah and great grandfather of
Noah. There are, as I learned
from Mr. Morfill, two books of
Enoch, one in Ethiopian and one
in Slavonic but, again according
to Mr. Morfill, they have noth-
ing in common but the title.
Slavonic version is known
several copies, the most recent
of which is a part of a Sbornik
(collection) of the seventeenth
century.
The, book must have been
written at about the time of
Christ, for it is quoted in the
so-called Epistle of Barnabas
which is dated somewhere be-
tween 70 and 90 A. D. and in
a few writings which are a few
years older than Barnabas. But
the writer was evidently some-
body who spoke Greek and in
all probability, Greek only be-
cause he told why Adam was
given his name. According to
this book the Lord wanted to
indicate thatAdam and his seed
were to rule the earth, hence he
was named after the four quar-
ters of the earth which are
anatole (sunrise or east), dysis
(sunset or west), arktos (north)
and mesembria (south), hence
a-d-a-m! That this little anagram
works in Greek only and not in
any other language did not oc-
cur to the writer.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
:
attri- The contents of the book are
that Enoch is shown the heavens
and that the Lord then decrees
that Enoch shall be permitted
to hear the sacred books. He is
taken aside by the archangel
Vretil (Morfill remarks that this
name does not occur anywhere
else; my Greek dictionary sup-
The plies theinformation that bretaa
in isthe term for a wooden image
of a god; this may or may not
be the root word) who reads to
him for thirty days and nights
without stopping, Enoch taking
down every word. Then he is
returned to earth.
All the time 1 was, of course,
waiting for the passage which
Russian writers, to whom the
Book of Enoch is obviously more
familiar than to us, had inter-
preted as being a record of an
extraterrestrial visit, Finally,
near the very end, I found the
only lines which could conceiv-
ably be meant:
LXVII (1) When Enoch has discoursed
with the people, the Lord sent a dark-
ness upon the earth, and there was a
gloom, and it had those men standing
with Enoch. (2) And the angel hasted
and took Enoch and carried him to the
highest heaven where the Lord secured
him, and set him before his face, and
the darkness departed from the earth
and there was light. (3) And the people
saw and did not understand how Enoch
was taken, and they glorified God. And
they who had seen such things de-
parted to their houses.
Since the whole work is one
125
of religious imagery, the state-
ment that Enoch was carried to
the highest heaven while a su-
pernatural darkness surrounded
him can hardly be interpreted
as having a physical meaning.
As a matter of fact the whole
last scene is just an elaboration
of Genesis V: 24 “And Enoch
walked with God; and he was
not; for God took him.” And it
is probably this line which
caused the ancient Greek-speak-
ing writer to single him out as
the central character of his own
work. Most of the other people
mentioned in Genesis simply
die.
I understand that several air-
craft manufacturers have plans
for supersonic passenger jet-
liners on the drawing boards
which will be able to cross the
United States in about two hours.
But I have also heard that there
is a movement afoot for not li-
censing such airliners because of
the noise problem. I can see that
they must cause a lot of noise
when they break through the
sound barrier, but I don’t see
why this could not be over the
ocean at both ends of the trip.
E. E. Farbstein
Great Neck, Long Island
First let me say that the term
“sound barrier” is one of the
most misleading and most mean-
126
ingless terms ever coined. There
is no such thing. When the pilot
of one of our supersonic fighters
or bombers passes the speed of
sound he has to look at his in-
strument panel to learn that he
did. No sensation of any kind
accompanies this so-called feat.
It is sheer routine — if the plane
is built for it.
Then what is the “sonic boom”
that rattles windows when a su-
personic plane passes overhead?
The truthful answer is that it is
a shock wave, but since this
term does not mean much to
most people let’s take the whole
problem more slowly begin- —
ning with a propeller plane
which travels at the rate of 300
miles per hour or about 40 per
cent of the speed of sound.
Since the sound made by this
plane is faster than the plane
itself, the sound will travel
ahead. To an observer on the
ground the overall result is that
he first hears a faint propeller
noise from a distance, which
then grows in volume, and is
loudest when the plane is ap-
proximately overhead. Then it
diminishes at about the same
rate at which it increased earlier.
Now let us imagine a plane
flying at precisely the speed of
sound. (This cannot actually be
done. An actual plane can stay
below the speed of sound or it
can fly faster than sound, but
GALAXY
not at the speed of sound.) Since
such a plane would move as fast
as the noise it produces, its noise
cannot travel ahead. Hence its
approach could not be heard. To
an observer on the ground the
plane would approach noiseless-
ly but then, when it is overhead,
its noise would hit the observer
with a sudden blow. As distinct
from the gradual increase of the
noise level of the subsonic plane,
the noise from the plane travel-
ling at the speed of sound would
start at maximum intensity and
then diminish gradually.
The actual case of a plane fly-
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
ing faster than the speed of
sound is quite similar to the ex-
ample of the plane flying at the
speed of sound just given — ex-
cept that it cannot yet be heard
even when it is overhead.
The diagram shows what hap-
pens in the case of a plane fly-
ing at twice the speed of sound,
or, in figures, af the rate of 2200
feet per second. But the noise
made by the plane spreads only
at the rate of 1000 feet per sec-
ond. If we imagine the observer
to be on the ground directly be-
low the plane, at the line marked
3 in the diagram, the plane has
127
traveled 100 feet during the three
seconds since it passed the zero
line. But the noise produced
three seconds ago at the zero line
has travelled only 3300 feet. The
noise made two seconds ago at
the line marked 1 has spread
only 2200 feet, and the noise
made one second ago has spread
for only 1100 feet.
As can be seen, these expand-
ing spheres of sound (which ap-
pear as circles in the diagram)
all fit into a cone which, in hon-
or of the Austrian physicist
Ernst Mach, is called the Mach
cone.
All the noise produced by the
plane is inside the Mach cone.
Outside the cone complete sil-
ence prevails —that is, as far as
noise from that particular plane
is concerned. So if you hear the
“sonic boom”, it really means
that you have just been envelop-
ed by a Mach cone.
Now we can get back to the
problem of the supersonic air-
At take off and landing,
liner.
when it is flying at far less than
the speed of sound, the noise is
the same as that of current jet-
liners. But a number of minutes
after takeoff the plane will be-
come supersonic, and the Mach
cone will begin to form and it
will travel with the plane for
the whole duration of its flight.
For a flight across the ocean this
probably won’t matter. But a
cross-country flight is a different
story.
Naturally the Mach cone, like
any shock wave, will be attenu-
ated by distance. But normal fly-
ing altitudes are, as we well
know, not high enough. And
simply increasing the flight alti-
tudes would have the result that
the passenger liners get into the
high air lines now reserved for
military traffic. But this is a dif-
ferent problem.
— WILLY LEY

Coming Soon!
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from IF

160-page paperbound collection of the best stories

from the last few years of IF — your favorite writers
with some of their top yarns of recent years. Watch
for it on your newsstand — on sale soonl

128 GALAXY
 COLLECTOR ’S i

FEVER
BY ROGER ZELAZNY

It would make a fine exhibit

in someone's collection. Too
bad it happened to be alive!

tC^TThat are you doing there, don’t understand it all myself.”

’ * human?” “The name is Stone.”
long story.”
“It’s a “Okay, Stone. My uncle, who
“Good, I like long stories. Sit is a very important man, was
down and talk. No not on — supposed to send me to the
me!” Space Academy, but he didn’t.
“Sorry. Well, it’s all because /
He decided a liberal education
of my uncle, the fabulously was a better thing. So he sent me
wealthy —” to his old spinster alma mater
“Stop. What does ‘wealthy’ to major in nonhuman humani-
mean?” You with me, so far?”
ties.

“Well, like rich.” “No, but understanding is not

“And ‘rich’?” necessarily an adjunct to ap-
“Hm. Lots of money.’ preciation.”
“What’s money?” “That’s what I say. I’ll never
“You want to hear this story understand Uncle Sidney, but I
or don’t you?” appreciate his outrageous tastes,
“Yes, but I’d like to under- hismagpie instinct and his gross
stand it too.” meddling in other people’s af-
“Sorry, Rock, I’m afraid I fairs. I appreciate them till I’m

129
sick to the stomach. There’s “Yes, but I don’t want to.”
nothing else I can do. He’s a “Why not? You’d be lord of
carnivorous old family monu- his rock collection. Sort of a
ment, and fond of having his one-eyed man in a kingdom of
own way. Unfortunately, he also the blind, if I may venture an in-
has all the money in the family appropriate metaphor.”
— so it follows, like a xxt after a “Please don’t do that, what-
zzn, that he always does have his ever it is. It sounds awful. Tell
own way.” me, how did your uncle learn
“This money must be pretty of our world?”
important stuff.” “One of my
instructors read
“Important enough to sent me about an old space
this place in
across ten thousand light-years log. He was
an old space log col-
to an unnamed world which, in- lector. The log had belonged to
cidentally, I’ve just named a Captain Fairhill, who landed
Dunghill.” here several centuries ago and
“The low-flying zatt is a held lengthy discourses with
heavy eater, which accounts for your people.”
its low flying . . “Good old Foul Weather Fair-
“So I’ve noted. That is moss hill! How is he these days? Give
though, isn’t it?” him my regards —”
“Yes.” “He’s dead.”
“Good, then crating will be “What?”
less of a problem.” “Dead. Kaput. Blooey. Gone.
“What’s ‘crating’?” Deeble.”
“It means to put something in “Oh my! When did it happen?
a box to take it somewhere else.” I trust it was an esthetic oc-
“Like moving around?” currence of major import —”
“Yes.” “I really couln’t say. But I
“What are you planning on passed the information on to my
crating?” uncle, who decided to collect
“Yourself. Stone.” you. That’s why I’m here he —
“I’ve never been the rolling sent me.”
sort . .
.” “Really, as much as I appreci-
“Listen, Stone, my uncle is a ate the compliment, I can’t ac-
rbck collector, see? You are the company you. It’s almost deeble
only species of intelligent miner- time —”
al in the galaxy. You are also “I know, I read all about
the largest specimen I’ve spot- deebling in the Fairhill log be-
ted so far. Do you follow me?” fore I showed it to Uncle Sid-

130 GALAXY
ney. I tore those page out I “Small consolation. I want my
want him to be around when friends to see.”
you do it. Then I can inherit “I’m afraid that’s out of the
his money and console myself in question.”
all manner of expensive ways for “You are a very cruel human.
never having gone to the Space I hope you’re around when I

Academy. First I’ll become an deeble.”

alcoholic, then I’ll take up “I intend to be far away and
wenching —
or maybe I’d better on the eve of prodigious de-
do it the other way around . . . baucheries when that occurs.”
“But I want to deeble here,
among the things I’ve became T Tnder Dunghill’s sub-E gravi-
attached to!” tation Stone was easily roll-
“This is a crowbar. I’m going ed to the side of the space sedan,
to unattach you.” crated, and, with the help of a
“If you try it, I’ll deeble right winch, installed in the compart-
now.” ment beside the atomic pile. The
“You can’t. I measured your fact that it was a short- jaunt
mass before we struck up this sport model sedan, customized
conversation. It will take at least by owner, who had removed
its
eight months, under Earth con- much of the shielding, was the
ditions, for you to reach deeb- reason Stone felt a sudden flush
ling proportions.” of volcanic drunkenness, rapidly
“Okay, I was bluffing. But added select items to his col-
have you no compassion? I’ve lection and deebled on the spot.
rested here for centuries, ever' He mushroomed upwards,
since I was a small pebble, at then swept in great waves across
did my fathers before me. I’ve the plains of Dunghill. Several
added so carefully to my atom young Stones fell from the dus-
collection, building up the finest ty heavens wailing their birth
molecular structure in the neigh- pains across the community
borhood. And now, to be snatch- band.
ed away right before deebling “Gone fission,” commented a
time, it’s — it’s quite unrock of distant neighbor, above the sta-
you.” tic, “and sooner than I expected.
“It’snot that bad. I promise Feel that warm afterglow!”
you’ll the finest Earth
collect “An excellent deeble,” agreed
atoms available. You’ll go places another. “It always pays to be
no other Stone has ever been a cautious collector.”
before.” — ROGER ZELAZNY
COLLECTOR'S FEVER 131
THE
MANY DOOMS
BY HARRY HARRISON
ILLUSTRATED BY NODEL

Some men should never go

Into space — for their own
sake, and for the Earth'sl

One by one I dismayed them, closed latch with his fist. “Align-
frightened them sore with my ed and locked.”
glooms “Thirteen, bleed valve,” Rob-
One by one I betrayed them son read from the checklist
unto my manifold dooms. mounted on the bulkhead.
from The Law of the Yukon “Thirteen, closed,” Sonny tap-
Robert W. Service ped the other man’s suit with
his knuckles.
tt'T'welve, helmet lock,” Rob- “Fourteen, patch kit.”
eson's voice rattled from the “Fourtee ...”
external speaker of his pressure “What are you doing, Sonny,
suit. just what in the hell do you
“Twelve,” Sonny Greet echoed, think you are doing?” Captain
glancing at the red arrows now Hegg broke in, stomping across
point-to-point on the helmet and the airlock chamber towards
shoulder plate, then banging the them.

132
THE MANY DOOMS 133
 “Helping the prof with his know.” Robson’s smile could just
checklist I—thought that was be made out through the thick
obvious, Cap’n.” viewplate of his helmet. “He is
“Helping to kill him maybe. really a good type, but terribly
You are going to have to take hardworking. He means well.”
this kind of thing more serious- “But why is it always my neck
ly. You didn’t check that bleeder that gets caught in the bear trap
valve.” when he is meaning well?”
“I looked at it, the handle is Robson shrugged. “We had
up and down like it always is. better finish running through the
Closed —
and I’ve never seen checklist. I want to get those
one of them open yet.” sample traps in before dark.”
“But you don’t know until you “Right you are, Prof. We’ll
have checked it,” Hegg insisted pickit up from fourteen.”

with slow patience. “The handle Sonny watched through their

might be broken, or turned a half singleview port as Captain Hegg
turn.” and Robson, slow and clumsy in
“But it’s not, see Cap.” The their pressure suits, clambered
tiny handle did not move when over the nearby ridge and van-
he pushed on it. “So I was right ished from sight among the
all along.” strangely earth-like trees. He
“You were not, Sonny. You shook his head, not for the first
did not follow checklist routine, time, at the unreasonableness of
that is all that matters.” it all.

“Mea culpa,” Sonny insisted, “How about a game?” Arkady

raising his hands in
surrender, grinning disarmingly.
“Have patience with my youth,
Cap’n, and I promise never to
do it again.”
“See that you don’t.”
ICYTou don’t think I’m out to
* kill you, do you, Prof?”
Sonny asked, looking ruefully
away from the retreating back
of the captain. “If you were dead
who could I possibly win a chess
game from once in a while?”
“That’s just Hegg’s way, you
mock called from his bunk, holding up
his pocket chess set. “I’ll spot
you a rook.”
‘Why commit suicide? You
even won that game when you
had no queen.”
“Just your bad luck, Sonny.
With a queen ahead you could
even win against the great
Botvinnik, may his memory be
revered, if you would remember
to just keep exchanging.”
“Yeah, but I keep forgetting.
Look, Ivan Ivanovich, look out
there at a sunny day on Cassi-

134 GALAXY
dy-2. Wind in the trees, grass
growing, maybe just a teensy
tinge of green to the air that
isn’t quite earthlike. Doesn’t
make you want to shuck off your
clothes and go out and take a
walk?”
“Makes you want to be dead
in five seconds,” Arkady an-
swered heavily, setting up a prob-
lem on the board. “The air out
there is rich with deadly poisons
and a mixture of hydrogen and
methane that would bum with a
lovely flame in this room. Or
in your lungs. Even the stones
would burn in our air. Look how
wonderfully Reshevsky sank
Euwe back in middle ages, 1947.”
“Aw, come on, you know what
I’m talking about. I could give
you lectures about the natural
wonders of this world. Remem-
ber I’m the mineralogist here
and you are just a thick-headed
Russky mining engineer ...”
“I go back to salt mine in
morning.”
“. I’m talking about ro-
. .
mance, emotion, art. Look out
there. A world as close as the
thickness of this wall, yet more
unattainable than Earth, which
happens to be light-years away.
Don’t you feel it? Don’t you
want to go out there?”
go out there without my
“I
suit be dead in five seconds.”
I’ll
“You’re an unimaginative clod.
If you are the end product of
THE MANY DOOMS
the Glorious Revolution I say
bring back the Czar.”
“Da. It’s your turn to cook
it today.”
“How could I forget? I was
awake night worrying about
all
what tomake for dinner. Will
caviar go with the beef Strogan-
off? Is the vodka cold enough?”
“Dehydrations and coffee will
be fine with me,” Arkady an-
sewered imperturbably, concen-
trating on the chess board. “You
just torture yourself.”
< CT’m worried about young
A Greer,” Captain Hegg said,
after carefully making sure that
he was talking through his suit
speaker and that his radio was
turned off.
“Sonny is a good chap,” Rob-
son answered, plodding along at
his side. “He’s not as young as
all that either. He has his doctor-
ate, he’s done some very original
work. I’ve read some of his
papers.”
“It’s not his work that bothers
me. If he couldn’t do it Spatial
Survey would never have sent
him out on this job. If there are
the right kind of mineral de-
posits here he will find them and
Barabashev will find a way to
get the stuff out. I don’t know
anything about that; but I do
know my job, which is running
this expedition and seeing that
everyone stays alive. And Sonny
135
Greer is too careless out here.” contained samples of the local
“He has had field experience lifeforms, and it took some time
before.” for Robson to poison them and
“On Earth,” Hegg snorted. transfer them to the sealed
“Antarctic, jungles, deserts. Kid carrying case. There was no pos-
stuff. This is his first offplanet sible way to bring living speci-
trip and he is not serious enough mens back to earth, or even to
about it. You know what I keep them alive in the dome
mean, professor.” with the restricted means avail-
“Only too well —
since this is able. The animals would have to
my eighth survey. And I am be dissected and preserved in
much more supernumerary than sealed plastic.
you are, let us not forget. The It was sunset when they start-
only reason the higher powers ed the trek back with the heavy
include a food-consuming ecolo- carrying case, and it was dark
gist such as I on these junkets long before they had reached
is to stress the scientific value of the dome. But the directional
new-planet work and to get a beam came in clearly and the
bigger appropriation come bud- lighton top of the radio mast
get time. I have developed a was visible while they were still
very relaxed attitude towards two kilometers away. Air might
this sort of thing from being on have been a problem, they were
these expeditions, yet always be- both on their reserve tanks, but
ing a bit on the outside. Give the they had more than enough left
chap enough time and keep after for the remaining time. The
him. He’ll catch on. Don’t you outer door of the lock was open
remember me on my first expedi- and Hegg pulled it shut behind
tion? Tanarik-,4?” them, spun the wheel to seal it,
Hegg laughed. “How could then began the atmosphere
any of us forget it? It must evacuation pumps. Robson turn-
have been a month before the ed on the cleansing showers to
smell washed off.” wash away all traces of the alien
“Then you see what I mean. atmosphere and soil from their
Everyone is green as grass at suits.
the start. He’ll come around.” The shower roared briefly,
“I suppose you are right.” then died to a weak trickle.
“There’s something in my “The tank is empty,” Hegg
trap —
look! A serpentoid and said, looking at the indicator on
I swear —
it has six legs!” its side. “Who was supposed to

Two of the other traps also refill it?”

136 GALAXY
 “Sonny — I think,”Robson “It sounds dangerous, Cap-
said hesitatingly. “But I’m not tain. Isn’t there anything else.”
really sure of the roster.” “No. Do it that way, and do it
“I’m sure,” Hegg said grimly. now!”
He spun to the intercom phone “I’m surprised they didn’t
on the wall of the lock chamber build the tank in there with a
and leaned on the bell button. pipe so it could be filled from in
“What’s up?”’ the tiny speaker here.”
buzzed. “This station on call day “The principle is to have a
and ni ”
. . . few openings as possible in a
“You did not fill the shower sealed bulkhead —
and we can
tank, Greer. It is on your duty discuss the shortcomings of the
roster for today.” designers some other time. Get
“You’re right, Cap’n. Clean that drill NOW!”
slipped my head worrying about Captain Hegg waited stolidly
dinner and all. Soon as you get while the endless seconds drag-
inside I’ll get right on it.” ged by, but Robson could not
“Can you tell me how we are control his growing concern. He
going to get back inside if we kept glancing at his oxygen re-
can’t rinse?” serve indicator, tapping it ner-
vously. The needle was almost
rT~'here was only silence for long to the empty mark. He jumped,
seconds. Then, “I’m sorry startled, when a sudden shrill
about that. Just an accident. Is whining came from the silicon
there anything we can do?” bronze wall. The whining slowed
“You’re damn right there is. to a steady grinding noise and
Get the drill and chuck in a the black nose of the drill bit
bit with a diameter smaller than burst through the metal. It was
the filling hose from the reserve jerked out and the hiss of in-
cans. Shave down the end of coming air ended abruptly as the
the hose, then one of you stand tip of the hose plugged the open-
by with the tank while the other ing. Liquid gushed from it.
one drills a hole. As soon as the “Do a good job of washing —
drill is through jam in the end of and don’t bother to look at your
the hose —
and I mean fast. oxygen dial,” Hegg said. “There
You’ll have a positive pressure is an unmarked safety reserve in

on your side, so youll be all all these tanks. We have more

right. We’re in our suits. Then than enough time to do a com-
let in the shower fluid. We’ll plete job here.”
wash under the hose.” They scrubbed quickly with
THE MANY DOOMS 137
the heavy brushes, taking turns Do you have any idea just what
to wash the inaccessible parts of you did?”
each other’s suits. Robson had
a stifling sensation that he knew 'T'he words surprised the cap
was wholly imaginary and had A tain, because that was not
to fight back an urge to scream what he had meant to say at all.
when Hegg methodically washed Nor had he intended violence,
the sample boxes, tilting them on yet his fist was clenched and his
end to get at their bottoms. More arm drawn back. Christ, he
minutes dragged by as he went thought to himself, do 1 want to
over them both, then carefuly kill the kid? Toughened by ex-
over the floor, with the sniffer. perience on a dozen high-gravi-
He found two suspect spots neai ty worlds, his fist in that metal
the drain and had Robson scrub gauntlet would break the man’s
them while he finished quartering jaw, maybe his neck. It took
the area. more effort to relax than he had
“All clean,” Hegg said, thought possible and he had to
straightening up “And atmos- rub at the cable-hard muscles in
phere evacuation is complete. his neck to force away the ten-
Start the air pump and I’ll crack sion.
the door.” “I said that I was sorry, Cap-
Air hissed in, but even though tain. I mean that —”
the inner door was unlocked it “Will you get this through
stayed sealed, held in place by your thick head? Being sorry
the difference in atmospheric won’t help me if I’m dead. You
pressure. Robson stood before it, have had expedition experience
clenching his sweat-damp fingers before — earthside experience.
inside the armored gloves, fight- What happens in the bloody Gobi
ing to appear as calm as Captain desert or wherever you worked,
Hegg at his side. The sound of if you don’t fill the shower?”
incoming air stopped and the C<J »
door opened before them. Rob- “I’ll tell you what happens.
son fumbled at the latch to un- Nothing happens. Someone may-
•seal helmet. Hegg already
his be stays dirty for awhile but that
had his off, placed carefully in is all. And what happens here
the rack, before he stalked into if you forget to fill the shower?
the dome, straight to the white- Two men can die, that is what
faced Sonny Greer who stood can happen! Does the difference
against the far wall. penetrate, mister bloody stupid
“Do you know what you did? schoolboy?”
138 GALAXY
 Sonny Greer’s face was
then suddenly white with sup-
pressed rage. Robson was watch-
ing from the doorway where he
stood, his helmet in his hands.
“Easy on, Captain,” he said in
a worried voice. “There’s no
need for all of this.”
“No, the captain
Sonny broke in, his voice shak-
ing,whether from anger or other
emotion was hard to tell. “I de-
served that. And I’d lose my
temper myself if someone pulled
a stunt like that on me.” Arkady
watched but said nothing.
Captain Hegg turned his back
and became involved in remov-
ing his pressure suit so that the
others could not see his face. He
felt that his lips were pulled
back from his teeth like an ani-
mal ready to bite, and a small,
cool part of his
wondered at the
ferocity of his reaction.
ing with unhurried precision, he
forced himself to remove and
stow the suit before he spoke.
He was in control
again.Arkady was helping Rob-
son with his armor in the lock
chamber; they could hear what
was being said but not interrupt.
“Listen, Greer. have nothingI
personal against you, I hope you
realize that.” His voice was
normal.
“I know that Cap’ll.
rough but square.”
THE MANY DOOMS
red, Hegg chose to ignore the hint
of amusement in Sonny’s tones.
“I’m glad you realize that,
so youwill understand that what
I amgoing to do has no personal
prejudice but is done by the
book and for the good of the ex-
pedition as a whole. Have you
is right,” ever heard of a planetary in-
efficiency rating?”
“No.”
“I didn’t think you had. It is
not a secret, but at the same
time it is also not talked about
much. The rules are simple. Two
strikesand you are out. Out of
the expedition, out of Spatial
Survey and out of a job. You
have just had your first strike.”
“What do you mean ?” . . .
“I mean exactly what I say.
When I send in the weekly re-
port tomorrow I am going to give
consciousness you a negative efficiency mark.
unexpected This will go on your record. It
Mov- is not good, but it is nothing to
be ashamed of, a lot of men have
had them. The importance of the
rating is double — to drive home
of himself the importance of regulations to
you and to be sure you do not
endanger anyone else’s life. If
you make one more blunder I
send for your replacement.”
“Have a heart, Cap’n, it wasn’t
all that bad! No one was hurt. I
promise nothing like it will hap-
pen again. I’ll try doubly hard if
You’m you don’t report this.”
“You will try doubly hard be-
139
cause I do report it. If I had any take things seriously, all the
brains I would have sent in the time.”
first report when you didn’t “I think that you are worry-
check the bleed valve on Rob- ing without cause. You know
son’s suit. If I had done that that it is possible for a man to
this would be your second mark have a sense of humor and still
and you would be out which — to be serious about his work.
is where you belong. I don’t Good lord, you never seem to
think you have it in you to be complain about my jokes, ex-
a good spacer.” cept that you don’t think them
He turned and walked away, funny.”
as far as he could in the limited “A very different thing, pro-
confines of the dome. Sonny star- fessor. No matter how you are
ed after him, chewing his lip. feeling you always do your work
“I am hungry,” Arkady said, the same way, correctly and
walking across the dome and methodically.”
looking into the pot that was “Some people use the term
simmering slowly on the electric ‘old-maidish’ for that.”
stove. “The stew smells as good “Perhaps on Earth, where
as ever. Anyone joining me?” there are very few critical mis-
“A bowl for me, if you will, takes to be made. Out here it is
Arkady,” Hobson said, trying essential to survival. A man
with slight success to keep a must have it naturally, as you
natural tone into his voice. do, or force himself to learn it.

Some never learn itand find

t4'\/'our heroic treatment jobs on earth. I would sleep
seems to have worked,” much better if our mineralogist
Robson said looking out of the were there with them.”
port to see if Sonny and Arkady “Speak of the devil. They’re
were returning yet. “Over two on their way back now, lugging
weeks now and your problem a great ruddy trunk between
child has beert good as gold, seri- them. I hope you filled the show-
ous as a clam and attentive to er tank.”
his' duty.” “Of course! It’s on my roster
“Not as serious as that. He — ” He caught Robson’s eye and
is starting with the jokes again." forced himself to smile in re-
Captain Hegg stretched his long turn, though he did not consider
fingers,cramped from laboring this sort of joke to be in very
the keys of the minityper as he good taste.
wrote up his report. “He must The shower thundered and

140 GALAXY
roared on the other side of the CtTt be three months be-
will
bulkhead. Hegg eyed the patch is here to take
fore the ship
where they had drilled the hole ”
us Plenty of work yet
off. . . .

and made a mental note to “Paperwork and tedium, Cap

change it in the morning; the me lad! The purpose of this trip
continual pressure changes could was to see if rich enough de-
not be doing the flexible materi- posits of titanium, beryllium or
al any good. He wished, not for sodium could be found in great
the first time, that their weight enough concentration to justify
allowance had allowed for some the installation of robot mining
metalworking tools. The sound equipment, since it is impossible
of the shower stopped and the to bring in enough oxygen for
inner lock opened; the two men large-scale human operation.”
burst into the dome cheering and “We have found it,” Arkady
swinging the heavy case between broke in. “Almost a mountain of
them. ore! Chunks of pure metallic
“So pure they won’t have to sodium. can see the installation
I
bother to refine it!” Arkady now — a pithead, a spaceport.
shouted. The robot miners, conveyers, the
“The mother lode, the bonan- hum of mighty machines!”
za, the richest strike in the “Whenever you Russians get
known history of man —
no, in poetic is always tractors or
it
the history of the galaxy!” Sonny mighty machines," Captain Hegg
struck a noble pose, one foot said, catching the spark of their
on the case, arms flung theatri- enthusiasm. “Now climb out of
cally wide. those suits. And if either of you
“I gather you have found a are capable of it, I would enjoy
new deposit of ore,” Robson ob- having a written report that I
served dryly. can send off as soon as possible.”
“Did you check with the snif- For a few hours that night
fer before you bled in the air?” the precariousness of their thin-
“Of course, Cap’n, old watch- walled bubble of air on an alien
dog!” Sonny was so lost in en- world was forgotten, for this was
thusiasm that he had the temeri- an event to be celebrated. Their
ty to slap the captain on one survey was a success, even more
massive shoulder and never no- successful than had been hoped
ticed the sudden narrowing of for. The planet of Cassidy-
“As of this very moment
his eyes. would reluctantly release its pre-
you can chalk up this expedition cious metals and it would be the
as a howling success!” members of the expedition who
THE MANY DOOMS 141
received the credit for this
largesse.
Captain Hegg rooted in the
bottom of the container of the
dehydrated fish that they all
loathed, and brought up four
steaks that he had hidden there
for a deserving occasion. Hob-
son, as acting medical officer,
contributed a container of bran-
dy from the hospital stores. The
alcohol only added to their ela-
tion; they did not really need it.
This was a night that would long
be remembered. They retired
late, calling back and forth from
their bunks in the darkness,
laughing outrageously at the
sudden onslaught of Hobson’s
snores, then one by one falling
off to sleep as well.
Captain Hegg awoke possessed
by the premonition that some-
thing was very wrong. He shook
his head, cursing the muffling ef-
fects of the brandy, trying to un-
derstand why he had woken up.
The room was dark, except for
the glow of telltale lights from
the instrument panel, and even
from hisupper bunk he could
see that they all were glowing
green. It couldn’tbe that. A red
warning when the board was on
night command set off enough
alarms to lift them right out of
their beds. What else? He cough-
ed and cleared his throat.
With sudden panic he inhaled
deeply and broke into spasmo-
142
die coughing. Smoke! There
could be no smoke here! Smok-
ing was forbidden, while very
few things in the dome were
even combustible . . .
The ore case with the
samples)
ccp oil out!” Hegg bellowed
he half jumped, half
-^'-as
fell from the high bunk and
dived for the light switch. As
his hand hit it he saw the red
hairline gleam between the lid
and the body of the sealed case.
“Get up! Get up!”
He pulled Sonny halfway out
of his high bunk and at the
same instant kicked Arkady in
the side. This was all the time
he could spare. He was aware
of Robson stumbling up behind
him as he dived for the case.
“Robson! Open the door to the
lock chamber.”
The ecologist was tugging at
the wheel even before he had
finished speaking, and Hegg put
his shoulder to the case and
pushed just as the side burst
open with roaring flame. Clouds
of white smoke poured out and
intense glare bathed the full wall
of the room. Hegg fell backward,
coughing and retching painfully.
Sonny jumped over him and
threw a wad of blankets and
bedding over the flame. The
resistant material covered the
flame and checked the smoke
GALAXY
for an instant while he and and filtered away the smoke.
Arkady pushed the case towards “What happened . . .?” Arkady
the lock chamber door, now asked, still dazed by the sud-
standing open. denness of the emergency. Blood
Flame burst through the cov- ran down his leg, yet neither he
erings almost instantly but they nor any of the others noticed it.
were at the door. Molten metal “One of the locks on the
was dribbling from the flaming sample case wasn’t closed all the
case and, pushing wildly, Arkady way,” Robson said thickly. “1
slipped and put his knee full into saw it just as I pushed the thing
a pool of it. He rolled free, with- through the door. Right hand
out uttering a sound, and beat lock, open a couple of notches.
the flame from his pajama legs Enough to let a trickle of air
”
with his bare hands. At the in
same moment Robson and “Who sealed that case?”
Sonny gave 'a last concerted Hegg’s voice hammered at them,
heave and the leaking case slid his coughing forgotten, or
under
into the lock chamber. They control.
pushed at the door. “I did,” Arkady said. Then,
“Evacuation pump .
. . . . grimly, “But Sonny opened it
Hegg managed to say through again to put in a last piece of
___ »»
his coughing, but Arkady had ore.
dragged himself there with one As though their heads were
leg and the motor was already controlled by the same silent
whining. command they turned to face
The smoke was thicker before Sonny.
the last burning gobbet of metal “But I didn’t . . . well, maybe,
had been shoveled up and drop- it was an accident . .
.” he said,
ped into the largest of their his face slack, still stunned by
sample boxes. This was lined the suddenness of the emer-
with heavier metal; before it gency.
burned through they had the lid Robson was closest. “You —
sealed shut and an atmosphere you —
” he said, but could not
of inert helium pumped in. The find the words. With his shining
metal held, and in the lock bald head and jowled cheeks he
chamber the burning also stop- should have looked funny as he
ped as the combustible atmos- stood there, shaking with rage,
phere was removed. With each but he did not. Almost of its own
passing second the air cleared volition his open hand sprang
as the air circulators drew out out and slapped Sonny across

THE MANY DOOMS 143

the face. Sonny stumbled back-
wards, his fingers fumbling
towards the livid red mark on his
white cheek.
Arkady hopped forward. His
hard fist, swung with all of his
weight, caught Sonny on the side
of the neck, knocking him to the
floor. The three men fell on the
writhing body, pummeling and
kicking it, mouthing inarticulate
sounds.
Captain Hegg ground his heel
deep into the prostrate man’s
side just once before he re-
alized who he was and what he
was doing. He reeled away, then
turned back to shout to the other
two men. They did not hear him
and kept on grimily at what
they were doing. Pulling at them
did no good either so he had to
stop Arkady with a paralyzing
judo blow and drag the little
professor over to his bunk and
hold him there until he stopped
struggling.
“Let me have the key to the
medical supplies,” he said, when
he saw that Robson was finally
listening.
\To one ever discussed the
™ affairs of that night, except
for the needed mechanical de-
tails of cleaning up the damage.
Sonny Greer lay for three days
in his bunk, bandaged and silent,
closing his eyes when anyone
came near. Arkady’s burns were
144
bandaged and he hobbled around
the dome doing the minor main-
tenance work that he was cap-
able Captain Hegg broke into
of.
fits of exhausting coughing if he
did anything strenuous. Prof.
Robson, though unmarked physi-
cally, seemed to have shrunk
and his skin hung loosely. The
three men kept very much to
themselves, and when they talk-
ed did so in low voices.
It would be thirteen weeks
before the relief ship arrived.
On the fourth day Sonny Greer
climbed out of his bunk. Except
for his bruised face and the
bandages he seemed fit for duty.
“Is there anything I can do?”
he asked.
Arkady and Robson turned
away when he spoke. Hegg forc-
ed himself to answer.
“Just one thing. Arkady can’t
get into a suit, so you will have
to go out with me oilce to get
some more samples. After that
you will be relieved of duty. You
will stay in or near your bunk.
You touch none of the con-
will
trols or equipment. Your meals
will be brought to you.”
After that no one talked to
Sonny, even when they handed
him his food. The tension in the
small' dome grew worse with
every passing day and Hegg
wondered how long it would be
before something really snapped.
Sonny had stumbled once, on
GALAXY
his way from his bunk to the
toilet cubby, and accidentally
leaned on the air control con-
sole. Arkady had hit him
knocking him halfway across the
room. Hegg had been putting off
the trip for the samples, but he
finally forced himself to schedule
it Perhaps getting the man away
from the others for a while would
help.
“We are going after the ore
followed him through the dot
and watched his every move. It
was a compulsive action he could
once, not have resisted if he had want-
ed to.
The morning was worse. Sonny
was forced to fumble into his
suit by himself since the men
ignored him, while at the same
time they insisted on going
through Captain Hegg’s check-
list three times before they were

samples tomorrow,” he announc- satisfied. The inner door had

ed to the room in general. The actually been closed before Hegg
silence that followed was deadly. could force himself to go over to
“Let me check out your suit the man, to run through the
for you, Captain,” Arkady final- checklist with him. To touch
ly said. Sonny’s suit seemed repellent.
“I’llhelp him.” Robson climb- “One,” Sonny said. “Spare oxy
ed to his feet. ‘With two check- tank full.”
ing there are no errors. It’s bet- “One,” Hegg repeated, and
ter that way.” with an effort of will drove his
Hegg them go. It was that
let fingers to tap the hated metal.
way the time now, the three
all They went slowly down the list.
of them checking and counter- “Thirteen, bleed valve.”
checking each other, almost liv- “Thirteen, closed.” And Hegg's
ing in panic with their aware- fingers went out and felt the
ness of the manifold dooms that closed valve . . . then spun it
the planet held in store for them. open a half turn.
Captain Hegg did not know how
this situation could remain static ttVX^ait! There, it’s all right.”
* ’
for three full months. When the He sealed the valve
two men emerged from the lock again with palsied hands.
chamber, he realized that Sonny What had possessed him, he
was looking at him. thought as they left the lock and
“Can I check my suit, Cap- trudged slowly towards the dis-
tain?” he asked. Neither of the tant hills? Why had he done
men had gone near Greer’s suit. that? He had not willed it. He
It was as though he didn’t exist. would not kill Sonny, though he
“Go ahead,” Hegg said, then knew the man would be better
THE MANY DOOMS 145
off dead, before he did some-
thing that killed them all.
It was that simple. Sonny
Greer was a menace. No longer
a friend, he was in league with
the planet, joined in battle
against them.That was why the
other two men shunned him like
a Jonah. He was a Jonah. Worse
than a Jonah. He was linked
with the omnipresent powers
that sought to destroy them, and
they must both feel, as
that Greer would be better off
dead.
At that moment Sonny Greer
let go of his end of the sample
case, stumbled and fell.
Hegg looked on, stunned, as
he writhed on the ground, claw-
ing silently at helmet.
his
Sonny’s suit speaker was cut off
and only muffled sounds came
through the thick armor. Hegg
bent over him, uncomprehend-
ing, as the man’s body arched
like a bow and collapsed.
rolled himover and
through the faceplate
dead, tortured face.
His instant sympathy was
overwhelmed by a feeling of
immense relief.
Sonny seemed to have been
killed by poisoning from the
atmosphere. But how could it
have entered his suit? There
could be no leaks in the armor.
Hegg would swear to that; he
had checked it thoroughly him-
146
self. Then he remembered his
traitor fingers at the bleed valve
and he quickly tried it. No, it
was sealed.
Or was it? The handle was
tight to the stop and vertical —
but wasn’t there too much thread
showing? Hegg turned the limp
body until the sun shone direct-
ly into the mouth of the valve.
It was jammed half open by a
particle of metal. The air in the
he did, suit would be forced out by the
greater internal pressure, and
when the pressure dropped the
outside atmosphere would leak
in. Had leaked in; because
Sonny Greer was completely and
finally dead.
Again the wave of relaxation
swept over the captain, and it
carried with it a tiny, nagging
question.
How had the metal gotten into
the valve? By accident? A lucky
accident that made it lodge in
Hegg exactly such a way that the
looked valve handle would look shut
at the and feel shut —
even though it
was open?
“Cause of death, accidental,”
Captain Hegg said, louder than
he had intended, as he climbed
to his feet and cleaned the alien
dust from his hands, then rub-
bed them on his legs to cleanse
them again.
“It had to be an accident. I
can’t very well list you as sui-
cide,” he said to the unmoving
GALAXY
body. “It really should be self-
defense, or justified homicide or
something. But I can’t say that,
can I, Sonny?”
Now that death had removed
the threat, he could feel for the
firsttime the compassion that
had been buried by his urge for
survival.
“I’m sorry, Sonny,” he whis-
pered gently, and touched the
lifeless shoulder. “You just
shouldn’t have been out here. I
wish for all our sakes we had
found that out earlier.
“Mostly for your sake though,”
he said, rising. Then in a firmer
voice. “I better get back to the
dome, straighten this mess
out ...”
Beginning the long process of
forgetting.
— HARRY HARRISON

FORECAST
Ever since Scanners Live in Vain more than a decade ago, the name
of Cordwainer Smith has stood for something rare and precious in science
fiction, a kind of story that not only transcends what we know and do, but
even what we are. Smith's characters are no longer entirely human. They
are something beyond. Maybe they are something better. In the next issue
of Galaxy we have a long complete story by Cordwainer Smith called The
Dead Lady of Clown Town which shows what we mean. We recommend
it to any Smith fan — and, we think, it will create a lot of new members
of that class!

Back after an all-too-long absence is another Galaxy favorite, Richard

Wilson. In The Watchers in the Glade next issue Wilson brings you a
glimpse of the starry frontiers as our descendants may find them, a few
centuries hence. They may not like what they'll find —
but you'll like what
Wilson has to say on the subject . .

And, of course, there'll be more. Novelette called The Children of

Night, by a fellow named Pohl. Column by Willy Ley on fossils of several
kinds —the kind that are dug up, and the kind that do the digging and are
sometimes embarrassed by what they find. Short stories . . . maybe another
novelette or two . . yes. we think you'll like the issuel
.

THE MANY DOOMS 147

 l

An
Ancient BY DAMON KNIGHT

Madness
ILLUSTRATED BY GIUNTA

It was a crockery island, afloat on

an endless sea, and its mighty old
engines drove it on to .. . nowhere

which the sun appeared to swim

like a golden-green fish; but
'T'hirty sisters, as like as peas, over the roofs could be seen the
were sitting at their looms in strong blue of the sky, and even,
the court above the Gallery of at one or two places, the piercing
Weavers. In the cool shadow, white sparkle of the sea.
their white dresses rustled like The sisters were ivory-skin-
the stirrings of doves, and their ned, strong armed and straight
voices now murmured, now shril- of back, with eyebrows arched
led.Over the courtyard was a black over bright eyes. Some had
canopy of green glass, through grown fat, some were lean. But
148
 *. 4IUNTA - 41+

AN ANCIENT MADNESS 149

the same smiles dimpled their
cheeks, the same gestures threw
back their sleek heads when they
laughed, and each saw herself
mirrored in the others.
Only the youngest, Mary, was
Hers was the clan face,
different.
but so slender and grave that it
seemed a stranger’s. She had
been brought to birth to replace
old Anna-one, who had fallen
from the lookout and broken her
neck sixteen springs ago; and
some said it had been done too
quick; that Mary was from a
bad egg and should never have
been let grow. Now the truth was
that Mary’s genes had a long-
recessive trait of melancholy and
unworldliness, turned up by acci-
dent in the last cross; but the
Elders, who after all knew best,
had decided to give her the same
chance as anyone.
For in the floating island of
Iliria, everyone knew that the
purpose of life was happiness.
And therefore to deprive any-
one of life was a great shame.
At the far side of the court,
Vivana called from her loom,
“They say a new Fisher came
from the mainland yesterday!”
She was the eldest of the thirty,
‘a coarse, goodnatured woman
with a booming laugh. “If he’s
handsome, I may take him, and
give you others a chance at my
Tino. Rose, how would you like
that? Tino would be a good man
150
for you.” Her loom whirled, and
rich,dark folds of liase rippled
out. was an artificial fiber,
It
formed, spun, woven and dyed
in the loom, hardening as it
reached the air. A canister of the
stuff, like tinted gelatin, stood
at the top of every loom. It came
from the Chemist clan, who con-
cocted it by mysterious workings
out of the sea water that tum-
bled through their vats.
“What, is he tiring of you al-
ready?” Rose called back. She
was short and moon-faced, with
strong, clever fingers that danced
on the keyboard of her loom.
“Probably you belched in his
face once too often.” She raised
her shrill voice over the laugh-
ter. “Now let me tell you, Vi-
vana, if the new Fisher is as
handsome as that, I may take
him myself, and let you have
Mitri.” Mounds of apple-green
stuff tumbled into a basket
Between them, Mary worked
on, eyes cast down, without smil-
ing.
“Gogo and Vivana!” someone
shouted.
"Yes, that’s right —
never
mind about the Fisher! Gogo and
Vivana!” All the sisters were
shouting and laughing. But Mary
still sat quietly busy at her loom.
“All right, all right,” shouted
Vivana, wheezing with laughter.
“I will try him, but then who’s
to have Gunner?”
GALAXY
 “Me!"
“No, me!”
Gunner was the darling of the
Weavers, a pink man with thick
blond lashes and a roguish grin.
“No, let the youngsters have
a chance,” Vivana called re-
provingly. “Joking aside, Gunner
is too good for you old scows.”
Ignoring the shrieks of outrage,
she went on, “I say let Viola
have him. Better yet, wait, I
have an idea —
how about
Mary?”
'T'he chatter stilled; all eyes
turned toward the silent girl
where she sat, weaving slow
cascades of creamy white liase.
She flushed quickly, and bowed
her head, unable to speak. She
was sixteen, and had never taken
a lover.
The women looked at her,
the pleasure faded out of their
faces. Then they turned away,
and the shouting began again:
“Rudi!”
“Ernestine!”
“Huga!”
“Areta!”
Mary’s slim hands faltered,
and the intricate diapered pat-
tern of her weaving was spoiled.
Now the bolt would have to be
cut off, unfinished. She stopped
the loom, and drooped over it,
pressing her forehead against the
smooth metal. Tears burned her
eyelids. But she held herself
AN ANCIENT MADNESS
still, hoping Mia, at the next
loom, would not see.
Below in the street, a sudden
tumult went up. Heads turned
to listen: there was the wailing
of flutes, the thundering of
drums, and the sound of men’s
rich voices, singing and laughing.
A gate banged open, and a
clatter of feet came tumbling up
the stair. The white dresses
rustled as the sisters turned ex-
pectantly toward the arch.
A knot of laughing, struggling
men burst through, full into the
midst of the women, toppling
looms, while the sisters shrieked
in protest and pleasure.
The men were Mechanics,
dark-haired, gaunt, leavened by
a few blond Chemists. They
were wrestling, Mechanic again-
st Chemist, arms locked about
and each other’s necks, legs straining
for leverage. One struggling pair
toppled suddenly, overturning
two more. The men scrambled
up, laughing, red with exertion.
Behind them was a solitary
figure whose stillness drew
Mary’s eyes. He was tall, slender
and grave, with russet hair and
a quiet mouth. While the others
shouted and pranced, he stood
looking around the courtyard.
For an instant his calm gray
eyes met hers, and Mary felt a
sudden pain at the heart.
“Dear, what is it?” asked Mia,
leaning closer.
151

“I think I am ill,”
faintly.
“Oh, not now!” Mia protested.
Two of the men were wrestling
again.A heave, and the dark
Mechanic went spinning over the
other’s hip.
A shout of applause went up.
Through the uproar, Vivana’s
big voice came booming, “You
fishheads, get out! Look at this,
half a morning’s work ruined!
Are you all drunk? Get out!”
“We’re all free for the day!”
one of the Mechanics shouted.
“You, too —
the whole district!
It’s in the Fisher’s honor! So
come on, what are you waiting
for?”
—
said Mary standing there, hands in his
pockets, slumped a little as he
looked down at her.
He said, “What is your name?”
His voice was low and gentle.
“Mary,” she said.
“Will you go with me today,
Mary?”
Around her, the women’s
heads were turning. A silence
spread; she could sense the wait-
ing, the delight held in check.
She could not! Her whole soul
yearned for it, but she was too
afraid, there were too many eyes
watching. Miserably, she said,
“No,” and stopped, astonished,
listening to the echo of her voice
saying gladly, “Yes!” . . .

The women were up, in a sud- Suddenly her heart grew light
den flutter of voices and white as air. She stood, letting the
skirts, the men beginning to loom fall, and when he held out
spread out among them. The tall his hand, hers went into it as if

man still stood where he was. it knew how.

Now he was looking frankly at
Mary, and she turned away in UCo you have a rendezvous
confusion, picking up the botch- ^
with a mainland Fisher?”
ed fabric with hands that did not the Doctor inquired jovially. He
feel it. was and merry in his
pale- eyed
She was aware that two broad brown hat and yellow
Mechanics had turned back, tunic; he popped open his little
were leading the tall man across bag, took out a pill, handed it to
the courtyard, calling, “Violet Mary. “Swallow this, dear.”
Clara!” She did not move, but ‘What is it for, Doctor?” she
her breath stopped. asked, flushing.
Then they were pausing be- “Only a precaution. You
fore her loom. There was an wouldn’t want a baby to grow
av.’ful moment when she thought right in your belly, would you?
she could not move. Then she Ha, ha, ha! That shocks you,
looked up fearfully. He was does it? Well, you see, the Main-

152 3ALAXY
landers don’t sterilize the males,
their clan customs forbid it, so
they sterilize the females in-
stead. We
have to be watchful,
ah, yes, we Doctors! Swallow it
down, there’s a good girl.”
She took the pill, drank a sip
of water from the flask he hand-
ed her.
“Good, good —
now you can
go to your little meeting and be
Enjoy yourself!”
perfectly safe.
Beaming, he closed his bag and
went away.
II
/"'vn the high Plaza of Foun-
tains, overlooking the quay-
side and the sea, feasts of shrimp
and wine, seaweed salad, caviar,
pasta, iced sweets had been laid
out under canopies of green glass.
Orchestrinos were playing. Cou-
ples were dancing on the old
ceramic cobbles, white skirts
swinging, hair afloat in the bril-
liant air. Farther up, Mary and
Fisher had found a place to be
alone.
Under the bower in the cool
shade, they lay clasped heart to
heart. In her ecstasy she could
not tell where her body ended
or his began.
“Oh, I love you, I love you!”
she murmured.
His body moved, his head
drew back a little to look at her.
There was something troubled in
AN ANCIENT MADNESS
his gray eyes. “I didn’t know this
was going to be your first time,”
he said. “How is it that you
waited so long?”
“I was waiting for you,” she
said faintly, and it seemed to
her that it was so, and that she
had always known it. Her arms
tightened around him, wishing to
draw him closer to her body
again.
But he held himself away,
lookingdown at her with the
same vague uneasiness in his
eyes. don’t understand,” he
“I
said. “How could you have
known was coming?”
I
“I knew,” she said. Timidly
her hands began to stroke the
long, smooth muscles of his back,
the man’s flesh, so different
from her own. It seemed to her
that her fingertips knew him
without being told.
His body stiffened; his gray
eyes half closed. “Oh, Mary ...”
he said, and then he was close
against her again, his mouth
busy on hers.
Near the end she began to
weep, and lay in his arms after-
ward with the luxurious tears
wetting her cheeks, while his
voice asked anxiously, “Are you
all right? Darling, are you all
right?”; and she could not ex-
plain,but only held him tighter
and wept.
Later, hand in hand, they
wandered down the bonewhite
153
stairs to the quayside strewn
with drying nets, the glass floats
sparkling sharp in the sun, spars,
tackle and canvas piled every-
were. Only two boats were moor-
ed at the floating jetty below.
The rest were out fishing, black
specks on the glittering sea, al-
most at the horizon.
Over to eastward, they saw the
desolate smudge of the mainland
and the huddle of stones that
was Porto. “That’s where you
live,” she said wonderingly.
“Yes.”
“What do you do there?”
He paused, looked down at
her with that startled unease in
his glance. After a moment he
shrugged. “Work. Drink a little
in the evenings, make love. What
else would I do?”
A dull pain descended sudden-
ly on her heart and would not
lift its wings. “You’ve made love
to many women?” she asked
with difficulty.
“Of course. Mary, what’s the
matter?”
“You’re going back to Porto.
You’re going to leave me.”
Now the unnamed thing in
his eyes had turned to open in-
credulity. He held her arms,
staring down at her. “What
else?”
She put her head down ob-
stinately,burying it against his
chest. “Iwant to stay with you,”
she said in a muffled voice.
154
“But you can't You’re an
Islander — I’m a Mainlander.”
“I know.”
“Then why this foolishness?”
“I don’t know.”
TTe turned her without speak-
ing, and they stepped down
from the promenade, went into
the shadow of some storehouses
that abutted on the quayside.
The doors were open, breath-
ing scents of spices and tar, new
cordage, drying fish. Beyond
them was a pleasant courtyard
with boats piled upside down on
one side, on the other a table,
an umbrella, chairs, all cool in
the afternoon shadow. From
there they took a shallow stair-
case up into a maze of little
streets full of the dim, mys-
terious blue light that fell from
canopies of tinted glass between
roofs. Passing a house with open
shutters, they heard the drone of
childish voices. They peered in:
it was the nursery school —
forty
young Bakers, Chemists, Mech-
anics, fair skins and dark, each
in a doll-like miniature of his
clan costume, all earnestly re-
citing together while the shovel-
hatted Teacher stood listening
at the greenboard. Cool, neutral
light came from the louvred sky-
lights. The small faces were clear
and innocent, here a tiny Cook
in his apron, there two Carters
sitting together, identical in their
GALAXY
blue smocks, there a pale Doc- She was stunned; she could
tor, and beside him, Mary saw not believe it. Surely there
with a pang, a little Weaver in would be at least another night
white. The familiar features . .that was little enough to
.

were childishly blunted and ask.

small, the ivory skin impossibly “Can’t you stay?’ she said.
pure, the bright eyes wide. “You know I can’t.” His voice
“Look — that one,” she whis- was rough and strained. “I go
pered, pointing. where they tell me, come when
He peered in. “She looks like they say come.”
you. More like you than the
others. You’re different from all Ohe tried to hold back the time,
the rest, Mary. That’s why I k -'but slipped away, ran
it
like you.” He
looked down at through her fingers: the sky
her with a puzzled expression; darkened slowly from cerulean
his arm tightened around her. to Prussian blue. The stars came
“I’ve never felt quite this way out, and the cool night wind stir-
about a girl before. What are you red over the jetty.
doing to me?” he said. Below her, in a cluster of
She turned to him, embracing lights,they were making the
him, letting her body go soft and boat ready. Orchestrinos were
compliant against his. “Loving playing up the hillside, and
you, darling,” she said, smiling little crowd of men
there was a
up, her eyes half-closed. and women gathering to say
He kissed her fiercely, then good-by.There was laughter,
pushed her away, looking almost joking, voices raised good-na-
frightened. “See here, Mary,” he turedly in the evening stillness.
said abruptly, “we’ve got to Kief, pale in the lights, came
understand something.” up the stairs towhere she stood,
“Yes?” she said faintly, cling- his head tilted as he came, his
ing to him. grave eyes holding hers.
“I’m going to be back in Porto “I’m not going to cry,” she
tomorrow morning,” he said said.
“Tomorrow!” she said. “I His hands took her arms, grip-
thought —
”
ping her half in tenderness, half
“My work was done this morn- impatiently. “Mary, you know
ing. It was a simple adjustment this is wrong. Get over it. Find

of the sonics. You’ll catch yourself other men be happy.”—

plenty of fish from now on . . . “Yes. I’ll be happy.” she said.
I have nothing else to do.” He stared down at her in un-
AN ANCIENT MADNESS 155
certainty, then bent his head and
kissed her. She held herself pas-
sive in his arms, not responding
moment he
or resisting. After a
let her go and stepped back.
“Good-by, Mary.”
“Good-by, Kief.”
He turned, went quickly down
the steps. The laughing voices
surrounded him as he went tow-
ard the boat; after a moment she
heard his voice, too, lifted in
cheerful farewells.
In morning she awoke
the
knowing that he was gone. A
frightening knowledge of loss
seized her, and she sat up with
her heart leaping.
Down the high dormitory,
smelling faintly of cinnamon oil
and fresh linens, the sisters were
beginning to rustle sleepily out
of their cubicles, murmuring and
yawning. The familiar hiss of the
showers began at the far end
of the room. The white-curtained
windows were open, and from
her bed Mary could see the
cream and terra cotta roofs
spread out in a lazy descent. The
air was cool and still and myste-
riously pure: it was the best
moment of the day.
She rose, washed herself and
dressed mechanically. “What is
it, dear?” asked Mia, bending
toward her anxiously.
“Nothing. Kief is gone.”
“Well, there’ll be others.” Mia
patted her hand with a relieved
156
smile and went away. There was
a closeness between them, they
were almost of an age, and yet
even Mia could not be comfort-
able long in Mary’s company.
Mary sat with the others at
table, silent in the steaming fra-
grances of coffee and new bread,
the waves of cheerful talk that
flowed around her. Carrying her
loom, she went down with the
rest into the court and sat in
her usual place. The work be-
gan.
'T'ime stretched away wearily
into the future. How many
mornings in her life would she
sit here, where she sat now, be-
ginning to weave as she did now?
How could she endure it? How
had she ever endured it? She
put her fingers on the controls
of the loom, but the effort to
move them appalled her. A tear
dropped bright on the keyboard.
Mia leaned over toward her.
“Is there anything the matter?
Don’t you feel well?’
Her fists clenched uselessly. “I
can’t —I can’t —” was all she
could utter. Hot tears were run-
ning down her face; her jaw was
shaking. She bowed her head
over the loom.
The others clustered around
her. “Sick?” “What’s the trou-
ble?” “It was her first time, re-
member.” Then Vivana’s big
voice: “All right, what’s wrong?”
GALAXY
 She lifted her face. “He’s gone, my advice.” With a final squeeze,
Vivana. I can’t ” — Vivana let go her arm and turn-
“Of course he is. Don’t be a ed away.
silly girl.” A big arm went a-
round her comfortingly. Ill
“But I love him!”
“Well, of course you did. Noth- liria was neither wearisomely
ing to cry about. Now sit up and I flat, nor cone-shaped nor
behave yourself.” She held pyramidal in its construction,
Mary’s chin, squinting at her likesome of the northern islands,
critically. “Hm. I don’t suppose but was charmingly hollowed,
you’ve had much sleep. Didn’t like a cradle. The old cobble-
eat a bite at breakfast, either, did stoned streets rose and fell;
you?” there were stairways, balconies,
The tears kept on flowing, si- arcades; never a vista, always a
lently; Mary could not stop new prospect. The buildings
them. were pleasingly various, some
“She isn’t as strong as — ”
domed and spired, others spraw-
someone whispered. ling. Cream was the dominent
“Shush! Now look here.” Vi- color, with accents of cool light
vana’s voice grew gentler. “I’m blue, yellow and rose.
going to let you off weaving this For more than three hundred
morning. Go up and get some years the island had been afloat,
sleep, you want to. Or go down
if just as it now was: the same
to the pools and take the sun. plazas with their fountains, the
Go on with you now; don’t worry same shuttered windows, the
about the loom.” same rooftops. The people, too,
Mary stood up, drying her were unchanged. Making the
eyes, feeling miserable but flat- best of their reduced stock of
tered by the attention. The other healthy genes, Iliria’s founders
sisters drifted back to their work. had chosen some two hundred
Vivana, taking Mary’s arm, types, all congenial, sturdy, in-
walked her over to the archway. dustrious and cheerful, to be re-
“Listen,” she said in a hoarse produced over and over, time
undertone, “how long since without end. Every Ilirian male
you’ve been to church?” was sterilized before puberty;
“I don’t know. A few weeks. the race had its only immortali-
Or a month. Why?” ty in the incubators and frozen-
“Better go this morning. It’ll storage units of the clans’ birth
do you good, believe me — take laboratories.

AN ANCIENT MADNESS 157

 During the last century, some
colonies had been creeping back
onto the land as the contamina-
tion diminished; but every
Ilirian knew that only island life
was perfect.
Above, the unchanging streets
and buildings served each gen-
eration as the last. Down below,
the storage chambers, engine
rooms, seines, preserving rooms,
conveniently out of sight and
hearing, went on functioning as
they always had. Unsinkable,
sheathed in ceramic above and
below, the island would go on
floating just as it now was, for-
ever.
It was strange to Mary to see
the familiar streets so empty.
The morning light lay softly
along the walls. In comers blue
shadow gathered. Behind every
door and window there was a
subdued hum of activity; the
clans were at their work. All the
way to the church circle, she
passed no one but a Messenger
and two Carters with their loads.
All three looked at her curiously
until she was out of sight.
Climbing the Hill of Carpen-
ters, she saw the gray dome of
the church rising against the sky
— a smooth, unrelieved ovoid,
with a crescent of morning light
upon it. Overhead, a flock of
gulls hung in the air, wings
spread, rising and dipping. They
were gray against the light.
158
She paused on the porch step
to look down. From this height
she could see the quays and the
breakwater, and the sun on the
bright-work of the moored
launches; and then the long roll-
ing back of the sea, full of white-
caps in the freshening breeze;
and beyond that, the dark
smudge of the land, and the clut-
ter of brown windowed stone
that was Porto. She stood look-
ing at it for a moment, dry-eyed,
then went into the shadowed
doorway.
Clabert the Priest rose up
from his little desk and came to-
ward her with inkstained fingers,
his skirt flapping around his
ankles. “Good morning, cousin,
have you a trouble?”
“I’m in love with a man who
has gone away.”
Tie stared at her in perplexity
for a moment, then darted
down the corridor to the left.
“This way, cousin.” She followed
him past the great doors of the
central harmonion. He opened a
smaller door, curved like the end
of an egg, and motioned her in.
She stepped inside. The room
was gray, egg-shaped, and the
light came uniformly from the
smooth ceramic walls. “Twenty
minutes,” said Clabert, and with-
drew his head. The door shut,
joining indistinguishably with
the wall around it
GALAXY
 Mary found herself standing
on the faintly sloping floor, with
the smooth single curve of the
wall surrounding her. After a
moment she could no longer tell
how far away the big end of the
ovicle was; the room seemed
first quite small, only a few
yards from one end to the other;
then it was gigantic, bigger than
the sky. The floor shifted uncer-
tainly under her feet, and after
another moment she sat down
on the cool hollow slope.
The silence grew and deepen-
ed.
She had no feeling of confine-
ment. The air was fresh and in
constant slight movement. She
felt faintly and agreeably dizzy,
and put her arms behind her to
steady herself. Her vision began
to blur; the featureless gray
curve gave her no focus for her
eyes. Another moment passed,
and she become aware that the
muffled silence was really a con-
tinual slow hush of sound,
coming from all points at once,
like the distant murmuring of
the sea. She held her breath to
listen,and at once, like dozens
of wings flicking away in turn,
the sound stopped. Now, listen-
ing intently, she could hear a
stillfainter sound, a soft, rapid
pattering that stopped and came
again, stopped and came again
. . . and listening, she realized
that was the multiple echo of
it
f.fiUnrA
AN ANCIENT MADNESS 159
her own heartbeat. She breathed a stumbling rush, with faces pop-
again, and the slow hush flooded ping out of shutters behind her,
back. and fetched up laughing and
gasping with her arms around a
rT~'he wall approached, receded light column at the bottom.
-*... gradually it became A stout Carter in blue was
neither close nor far away; it grinning at her out of his tan-
hung gigantically and mistily ned face. “What’s the joke, wom-
just out of reach. The movement an?”
of air imperceptibly slowed. “Nothing,” she stammered.
Lying dazed and unthinking, “I’ve just been to church.”
she grew intensely aware of her “Ah!” he said, with a finger
existence, the meaty solidness of beside his nose, and went on.
her flesh, the incessant pumping She found herself taking the
of blood, the sigh of breath, the way downward to the quays.
heaviness and pressure, the The sunlit streets were empty;
pleasant beading of perspiration no one was in the pools. She
on her skin. She was whole and stripped and plunged in, gasp-
complete, all the way from ing at the pleasure of the cool
fingers to toes. She was unique- fresh water on her body. And
ly herself; somehow she had for- even when two Baker boys, an
gotten how important being her- older one and a younger came
self was . . . by and leaned over the wall
“Feeling better?” asked Cla- shouting, “Pretty! Pretty!” she
bert, ashe helped her out of the felt no confusion, but smiled up
chamber. at them and went on swimming.
“Yes ...” She was dazed and Afterward, she dressed and
languid; walking was an extra- strolled, wet as she was, along
ordinary effort. the sea-wall promenade. Giddily,
“Come back if you have these she began to sing as she walked,
confusions again,” Clabert called “Open your arms to me, sweet-
after her, standing in the porch heart, for when the sun shines
”
doorway. it’s pleasant to be in love . . .

Without replying, she went The orchestrinos had been play-

down the slope in the brilliant ing that, that night when —
sunshine. Her head was light, She felt suddenly ill, and stop-
her feet were amusingly slow to ped with her hand at her fore-
obey her. In a moment she was head.
running to catch up with herself, What was wrong with her? Her
down the steep cobbled street in mind seemed to reel, shake it-

160 GALAXY
self from one pattern into anoth-
er. She swung her head up, look-
ing with sharp anxiety for the
brown tangle of buildings on the
mainland.
At first it was not there,
then she saw it, tiny, almost
on the horizon. The island was
drifting, moving away, leaving
the mainland behind.
She sat down abruptly; her
legs lost their strength. She put
her face in her arms and wept:
“Kief! Oh, Kief!”
'T^his love that had come to her
was not the easy, pleasant
thing the orchestrinos sang of.
It was a kind of madness. She
accepted that, and knew herself
to be mad, yet could not change.
Waking and sleeping, she could
think only of Kief.
Her grief had exhausted itself;
her eyes were dry. She could see
herself now as the others saw her
— as something strange, un-
pleasant, ill-fitting. What
had she to spoil their pleasure?
She could go back to church,
and spend another dazed time in
the ovicle. “If you have these
confusions again,” the Priest had
said. She could go every morn-
ing, if need be, and again every
afternoon.
She had seen one who needed
to do as much, silly Marget
Tailor who always nodded and
smiled drooling a little, no mat-
AN ANCIENT MADNESS
ter what was said to her, and
who seemed to have a blankness
behind the glow of happiness in
her eyes. That was years ago.
She remembered the sisters al-
and ways complained of the wet
lost spots Marget left on her work.
Something must have happened
to her; others cut and stitched
for the Weavers now.
Or she could hug her pain to
herself, scourge them with it,
make them do something . . .
She had a vision of herself
running barefoot and ragged
through the streets, with people
in their doorways shouting,
“Crazy Mary! Crazy Mary!” If
shemade them notice her, made
them bring Kief back ... k
'
She stopped eating except
when the other sisters urged her,
and grew thinner day by day. Her
cheeks and eyes were hollow. All
day she sat in the courtyard, not
weaving, until at length the
other women’s voices grew
right melancholy and seldom. The
weaving suffered; there was no
joy in the clan house. Many
times Vivana and the others
reasoned with her, but she could
only give the same answers over
again, and at last she stopped
replying at all.
“But what do you want?” the
women asked her, with a note of
exasperation in their voices.
What did she want? She want-
ed Kief to be beside her every
161
night when she went to deep, “Come closer, child,” said
and when she wakened in the Laura-one at last, beckoning
inoming. She wanted his arms with a clawed finger. Mary rose
about her, his voice murmuring and walked to the table.
in her ear. Other men? It was “Now, then, tell me. Why
not the same thing. But they won’t you go back to work? Why
could not understand. did you throw the tonic the doc-
tor gave you away?”
IV “I won’t work,” she dared to
say, “until they give me back
^Tphe Elders met in a long, low Kief.”
room with cream colored The Elders looked at each
walls and beams of bone white. What is Kief?”
other. “Kief?
Behind a plain table of sanded, “Kief is my lover!” she said.
unpolished wood they sat in “He had to go back to the Main-
their starched white garments, land, but no one will listen. I
and looked at her with their have to be with him. Either let
wrinkled dark faces, with their me go, or bring him back. That’s
great dark eyes that were like all about it,” she finished, and
an aged caricature of her own. folded her arms across her
“Please your ageships,” said breast.
Vivana uncomfortably, “this is “But my dear child,” said
the matter of your youngest, Laura-one, bending across the
Mary, who won’t go back to table, “if Iunderstand what you
work at the looms.” She curtsied are saying you feel you have a
and sat down. claim upon this Kief of yours,
“Won’t go back to work?” ask- simply because he lay with you
ed the eldest, the crone Laura- a night or two? Is that it?”
one, with an incredulous lift of Mary nodded.
her hairless eyebrows. “Is she “But don’t you see how absurd
lick then?” that is? What if all of us sudden-
Vivana bobbed up again. ly decided to feel the same
“Please your ageship, she’s been way?”
to the Doctors. They said she “Then each woman would
tiras poorly and gave her a tonic, have her man, and everyone
but she threw it away.” would be happy!” answered
There was an agitated stir Mary.
among the Elders. Heads bent “My dear, they are all happy
togther; eyes stared at Mary in now. Except you.”
disbelief and alarm. At these words, Mary found
162 GALAXY
herself unable to prevent the t4T>ut why do you want me
tears from flowing. She wept ”
to make myself pretty?”
miserably, and could only sob, Mary asked with dull curiosity.
“He’s mine. I want him! I want Mia bent over her with a tube
him!” of cosmetic, touching the pale
The looked at each
Elders lips with crimson. “Never mind,
other with faces of dismay. At a something nice. Here, let me
sign from Laura-one, Vivana led smooth your eyebrows. Tut. how
Mary away. thin you’ve got! Never mind,
“Sisters,” said the eldest, when you’ll look very well. Put on
Mary was gone, ‘here’s a pretty your fresh robe, there’s a dear.”
What’s to be done?”
pail of fish. “I don’t know what difference
“The came from a bad
girl it makes.” But Mary stood up

egg,” said Laura-two, tracing a and wearily took off her dress,
round design on the table with thin and pale in the light. She
her fingertip. “It’s a pity. It put the new robe over her head,
happens sometimes. There was a shrugged her arms into it.
madman when I was a child, I “Is that all right?” she asked.
remember the women talking of “Dear Mary,” said Mia, with
it. Once I think I saw him: wild tears of sympathy in her eyes.
eyes, and he waved his arms. “Sweet, no, let me smooth your
Some Chemist boys laugh-
of the hair. Stand straighter, can’t you?
ed, but he frightened me.” How will any man —”
“What was done with him, do “Man?” said Mary. A little
you remember?” asked Edna- color came and went in her
three. cheeks. “Kief?”
“No. I don’t like to think of “No, dear. Forget Kief, will
it.” you?” Mia’s voice turned sharp
The others looked at each with exasperation.
other. “We must help her if we “Oh.” Mary turned her head
can,” said Laura-one. away.
“Yes.” “Can’t you think of anything
“She’s had no man since this else?Do try, dear. For me. Just
Kief?” try.”
“It seems not.” “All right”
“If she had one or two, she’d “Now come along, they’re
soon see there’s little difference.” waiting for us.”
“That’s true.” Mary stood up submissively
“Let’s think.” The old heads and followed her sister out of the
leaned nearer across the table. dormitory.

AN ANCIENT MADNESS 163

 n bright sunlight, the women she called plaintively. There was
I stood quietly and
talking no answer.
worriedly around the bower. “Go in, dear.”
With them was a husky Chemist at them appealing-
She looked
with golden brows and hair. His ly, then stopped and put her
pink face was good-natured and head in. A man’s form lay wait-
peaceful. He pinched the near- ing for her in the dimness.
est sister’s buttock and whisper- “Kief?” she said.
ed something in her ear; she The man sat up; strong hands
slapped his hand irritably. caught her wrists, pulled her
“Quick, here they come,” down. His eyes gleamed in the
said one suddenly. “Go in now. dimness; she caught the reek
Gunner.” of his breath —
beer and fish.
With an obedient grimace, the She gasped and began to
blond man ducked his head and struggle.
disappeared into the bower. In “So, so,” the man muttered,
a moment Mia and Mary came holding her body hard against
into view, the thin girl hanging him.
back when she saw the crowd “But you’re not Kief! Let me
and the bower. go!” She kicked ineffectually,
“What is it?” she complained. clawed at his face. The man
“I don’t want —
Mia, let me go.” grunted in surprise. When she
‘“No, dear. Come along. It’s screamed, he put his hand over
for the best, you’ll see,” said the her mouth.
other girl soothingly. “Do give “Stop that!” he said, then
me a hand here, one of you, cried out in pain —
she had bit-
won’t you?” ten the meaty pad under his
The two women urged the girl thumb. “‘What’s the matter with
toward the bower. Her face was you?”
pale and frightened. “But what Her limbs had turned weak
do you want me to —
You said She tried to get up, and this
Kief wasn’t —
Were you only time the man’s body rolled away
teasing me? Is Kief ?” — from her. Outside the bower,
The women gave each other anxious voices were calling.
looks of despair. “Go in, dear, Weeping, Mary got to hands and
and see, why don’t you?” knees, then struggled to her feet.
A wild expression came into “What’s the matter with you?”
Mary’s eyes. She hesitated, then the man’s voice said again, in a
stepped nearer the bower. The tone of anger.
two women let her go. “Kief?’’’ She came out into the light,
164 GALAXY
blinded by tears. Her robe was Footsteps sounded in the
wadded somehow around her street below. In a moment Vi-
waist, and she could not see to vana appeared, holding Mary by
pull it down. Bent over, tuggir.'i the arm. The younger woman’s
at the robe to cover herself, she eyes were downcast; the older
walked past the blurred faces, looked worried and anxious.
the reaching hands. “Here she is, your ageship,”
—
“Mary, wait ” “Dear, what said Vivana. “They found her
is it —what did he do?” at the little jetty, throwing bot-
“She bit me!” came the man’s tles into the sea.”
indignant voice. “Again?” asked the old wom-
“You fool, you must have an. “What was in the bottles?”
been too rough.” “Here’s one of them,” said Vi-
Somewhere up the slope, an vana, handing over a crumpled
orchestrino began playing. “If paper.
you would not be cruel, torment “Tell Kief the Fisher of the
me no more. Do not deny me town of Porto that Mary Weaver
ever; let it be now or never. Give still loves him,” the old woman

me your love, then, as you read. She folded the paper slow-
promised me before ...” ly and put it into her pocket.
“Always the same,” she said.
V “Mary, my child, don’t you
know that these bottles never
T Ter Laura-one, the
ageship, can reach your Kief?”
-* eldest Weaver, was pacing The young woman did not
up and down the sea-wall raise her head or speak.
promenade, knotting her fingers “And twice this month the
together in silent agitation. Once Fishers have had to catch you
she paused to look over the and bring you back when you
parapet. Below her the wall stole a launch,” the old woman
dropped sheer to blue water. She continued. “Child, don’t you see
glanced over at the blur of Porto, that this must end?”
half concealed in the morning Mary did not answer.
haze, and at the stark hills above “And these things that you
with their green fur of returning weave, when you weave at all.”
vegetation. said Laura-one, taking a wadded
Her eyes were still keen. Half- length of cloth from her apron
way across the distance, she pocket. She spread it taut and
could make out a tiny dark dot held it to the light. In the pat-
moving toward the island. tern, visible only, when the light

AN ANCIENT MADNESS 165

fell glancingly upon it, was Mary was silent.
woven the figure of a seated “Child, if that failed, would
woman with a child in her arms. you confess that you have been
Around them were birds with wrong? Would you let us help
spread wings among the inter- you?”
twined stems of flowers. “It wouldn’t fail,” Mary said
“Who taught you to weave stubbornly.
like this, child?” she asked. “But if it did?” the older
“No one,” said Mary, not woman insisted gently. “Just
looking up. suppose — just let yourself
The old woman looked down imagine.”
at the cloth again. “It’s beautiful Mary was silent a moment.
work, but —
” She sighed and “I would want to die,” she said.
put the cloth away. ‘We have no
place for it. Child, you weave 'T'he two elder Weavers looked
so well, why can’t you weave at each other, and for a
the usual patterns?” moment neither spoke.
“They are dead. This one is “May I go now?” Mary asked.
alive.” Vivana cast a glance down at
The old woman sighed again. the jetty, and said quickly,
“And how long is it that you “Maybe it’s best, your ageship.
have been demanding your Kief Tell them —”
back, dear?” Laura-one stopped her with a
“Seven months.” raised hand. Her lips were com-
“But now think.” The old pressed. “And if you go, child,
woman paused, glanced over her what will you do now?”
shoulder. The black dot on the “Go and make more messages,
sea was much nearer, curving in to put into bottles.”
toward the jetty below. “Sup- The old woman sighed. “You
pose this Kief did receive one of see?” she said to Vivana.
your messages. What then?” Footsteps sounded faintly on
“He would know how much I the jetty stair. A man’s head ap-
love him,” said Mary, raising peared. He was an island Fisher,
her head. Color came into her stocky, dark-haired, with a
cheeks: her eyes brightened. heavy black mustache. “Your
“And that would change his ageship, the man is here,” he
whole life, his loyalties, every- said, saluting Laura-one. “Shall
thing?” I — ?”
“Yes!” “No,” said Vivana involuntari-
“And if it did not?” ly. “Don’t. Send him back.”

166 GALAXY
 “What would be the good of
that?” the old woman asked rea-
sonably. “No, bring him up,
Alec.”
The Fisher nodded, turned
and was gone down the stair.
Mary’s head had come up. She
said, “The man — ?”
“There, it’s all right,” said Vi-
vana, going to her.
“Is it Kief?” she asked fear-
fully.
The older woman did not
reply. In a moment the black-
mustached Fisher appeared
again; he stared at them, climbed
to the head of the stair, stood
aside.
Behind him, after a moment,
another head rose out of the
stairwell. Under the russet hair,
the face was grave and thin. The
gray eyes went to Laura-one.
then to Mary; they stared at her,
as the man continued to climb
the steps. He reached the top,
and stood waiting, hands at
his sides. The black-mustached
Fisher turned and descended be-
hind him.
Mary had begun to tremble
all over.
“There, dear, it’s all right,”
said Vivana, pressing her arms.
As if the words had released her,
Mary walked to the Fisher.
Tears were shining on her face.
She clutched his tunic with both
hands, staring up at him. “Kief?”
she said.
AN ANCIENT MADNESS
His hands came up to hold her.
She threw herself against him
then, so violently that he stag-
gered, and clutched him as if she
wished to bury herself in his
body. Strangled, hurt sounds
came out of her.
The man looked over her head
at the two older women. “Can’t
you leave us alone for a mo-
ment?” he asked tonelessly.
“Of course,” said Laura-one,
a little surprised. “Why not? Of
course.” She gestured to Vivana,
and the two turned, walked
away a little distance down the
promenade to a bench, where
they sat looking out over the sea
wall.
Gulls mewed overhead. The
two women sat side by side with-
out speaking or looking at one
another. They were not quite
out of earshot.
VI
t tX s it really you?” Mary ask-
X ed, holding his face be-
tween her hands. She tried to
laugh. “Darling, I can’t see . . .
you’re all blurred.”
“I know,” said Kief quietly.
“Mary, I’ve thought about you
many times.”
“Have you?” she cried. "Oh,
that makes me so happy. Oh.
Kief, I could die now! Hold me,
hold me.”
His face hardened. His hands
167
absently stroked her back, up — never let me go —
no matter
and down. “They sent me to talk what they say.”
to you,” he said. “They thought He was silent a moment. “Ifi
you might listen to me. I’m sup- impossible.”
posed to cure you.” She raised her head.
“Of loving you?” Mary laugh- “Try to realize,” he said. “Thia
ed. At the sound, his hands is a sickness, Mary. You must
tightened involuntarily on her cure yourself.”
back. “How foolish they were! “Then you’re sick too!” she
How foolish, Kief!” said.
“Mary, we have only these “Maybe am, but I’ll get well,
I

few minutes,” he said. because I know I have to. And

She drew back a little
at him. “I don’t understand.”
“I’m to talk to you, and then
go back. That’s all I’m here for.”
She shook her head in disbe-
lief.“But you told me ” —
“Mary, listen to me. There
nothing else to do. Nothing.”
“Take me back with you.
Kief.” Her hands gripped him
hard. “That’s what I want
just to be with you. Take me
back.”
“And where will you live? In
the Fishers’ dormitory with forty
men?”
“I’ll live anywhere,
streets, I don’t care — ”
to look you must get well too. Forget me.
Go back to your sisters and your
weaving.”
“No, never,” she said.
“You must. Promise me,
Mary.” He held her tighter. “Do
is you understand? It’s important
to me. I must know, before I
leave, that you’ll let them cure
you. Otherwise
”—
— “Otherwise?”
“I couldn’t bear it,” he said.
She put her cheek against his
chest, gazing out across the
bright ocean. “Let me just be
quiet with you a moment,” she
in the said. ‘“I won’t cry any more.
Kief —
?”

“They would never allow it. “Yes?”

You know that, Mary.” “Is that all you have to say
She was crying, holding him, to me?”
shuddering over. “Don’t tell
all “It has to be all.” His eyes
me say it. Even if it’s
that, don’t closed, opened again. “Mary, I
true, can’t you pretend a little? didn’t want to feel this way.
Hold me, Kief! Tell me that you It’s wrong, it’s unhealthy, it

love me.” hurts. Promise me, before I go.

“I love you,” he said. Say you’ll let them cure you.”
“Tell me that you’ll keep me She pushed herself away,
168 GALAXY
wiped her eyes and her cheeks
wth the heel of one hand. Then
she looked up. “I’ll let them cure
me,” she said.
His face contorted. “Thank
you. I’ll go now, Mary.”
“One more kiss!” she cried,
moving toward him involuntari-
ly. “Only one more!”
TTe kissed her on the lips,
wrenched himself away, and
looking down to where the two
women sat, he made an angry
motion with his head.
As they rose and came nearer,
he held Mary at arm’s length.
“Now I’m really going,” he said
harshly. “Good-by, Mary.’”
“Good-by, Kief.” Her fingers
were clasped tight at her waist.
The man waited, looking over
her head, until Vivana came up
and took her arms gently. Then
he moved away. At the head of
the stairs he looked at her once
more; then he turned and began
to descend.
“Dear, it will be better now,
you’ll see,” said Vivana uncer-
tainly.
Mary said nothing. She stood
listening to the faint sounds
still,
that echoed up from the stair-
well: footsteps, voices, hollow
sounds.
There was a sudden stir, then
footsteps mounting the stair.
AN ANCIENT AAADNESS
Kief appeared again, chest heav-
ing, eyes bright. He seized both
of Mary’s hands in his. “Listen!”
he said. “I’m mad. You’re mad.
We’re both going to die.”
“I don’t care!” she said. Her
face was glowing as she looked
up at him.
“They say some of the streams
are running pure, in the hills.
then Grass is growing there — there
are fish in the streams, even the
wild fowl are coming back. We’ll
go there, Mary, together —
just
you and I. Alone. Do you under-
stand?”
“Yes, Kief, yes, darling.”
“Then come on!”
“Wait!” cried Laura-one shril-
ly after them as they fan down
the stair. “How will you live?
What will you eat? Think what
you are doing!”
Faint hollow sounds answered
her, then the purr of a motor.
Vivana moved to Laura-one’s
side,and the two women stood
watching, stricken silent, as the
dark tiny shape of the launch
moved out into the brightness.
In the cockpit they could make
out the two figures close togeth-
er, dark head and light. The
launch moved steadily toward
the land; and the two women
stood staring, unable to speak,
long after it was out of sight.
— DAMON KNIGHT
169
MEN
OF GOOD WILL
BY BEN BOVA & MYRON R. LEWIS

Why was the Moan at peace

when all the rest of the
Solar System was at war?

4tT had no idea,” said the UN out of their aluminized protec-

A representative as they step- tive suits. Patton was big, scrap-
ped through the airlock hatch, ing the maximum limit for space-
“that the United States’ lunar vehicle passengers, Torgeson, the
base was so big, and so thorough- UN man, was slight, thin-hair-
ly well equipped.” ed, bespectacled and somehow
“It’s a big operation, all right,” bland-looking.
Colonel Patton answered, grin- They stepped out of the air-
ning slightly. His professional lock, into the corridor that ran
satisfaction showed even behind the length of the huge plastic
the faceplate of his pressure dome that housed Headquar-
suit. ters, U. S. Moonbase.
The pressure in the airlock “What’s behind all the doors?”
equalibrated, and they squirmed Torgeson asked. His English had

170
a slight Scandinavian twang to he walked behind his metal desk
it. Patton found it a little irri- and sat down.
tating. “Now then,” said the colonel.
“On the right,” the colonel “You are the first man allowed
answered, businesslike, “are of- to set foot in this Moonbase who
ficers’ quarters, galley, officers’ isnot a security-cleared, triple-
mess, various laboratories and checked, native-born, Govern-
the headquarters staff offices. On ment-employed American. God
the left are the computers.” knows how you got the Pentagon
Torgeson blinked. “You mean to okay your trip. But now —
that half this building is taken that you’re here, what do you
up by computers? But why in want?”
the world . . . that is, why do Torgeson took off his rimless
you need so many? Isn’t it glasses and fiddled with them.
frightfully expensive to boost “I suppose the simplest answer
them up here? I know it cost would be the best. The United
thousands of dollars for my own Nations must —
absolutely must
flight to the Moon. The compu- — find out how and why you
ters must be
” — and the Russians have been able
“Frightfully expensive,” Pat- to live peacefully here on the
ton agreed, with feeling. “But we Moon.”
need them. Believe me we need
them.” atton’s mouth opened, but no
They walked the rest of the P words came out. He closed
way down the long corridor in si- it with a click.
lence. Patton’s office was at the “Americans and Russians,” the
very end of it. The colonel open- UN man went on, “have fired at
ed the door and ushered in the each other from orbiting satel-
UN representative. lite vehicles. They have exchang-

“A sizeable office,” Torgeson ed shots at both the North and

said.“And a window!’ South Poles. Career diplomats
“One of the privileges of have scuffled like prizefighters
rank,” Patton answered, smiling in the halls of the United Na-
tightly. “That white antenna tions building ...”
mast off on the horizon belongs “I didn’t know that.”
to the Russian base.” “Oh, yes. We have kept it
“Ah, yes. Of course. I shall quiet, of course. But the tensions
be visiting them tomorrow.” are becoming unbearable. Every-
Colonel Patton nodded and where on Earth the two sides are
gestured Torgeson to a chair as armed to the teeth and on the
MEN OF GOOD WILL 171
verge of disaster. Even in space desk: the clock, calendar, phone,
they fight. And yet, here on the IN/OUT baskets, tobacco can
Moon, you and the Russians live and pipe rack, assorted papers
side by side in peace. We must and reports — all neatly and
know how you do it!” quickly placed in the desk draw-
Patton grinned. “You came on ers. Patton then stood up, walk-
a very appropriate day, in that ed to the filing cabinet, and clos-
case. Well, let’s see now how. . . ed the metal drawers firmly.
to present the picture. You know He stood in the middle of the
that the environment here is ex- room, scanned the scene with ap-
tremely hostile : airless, low parent satisfaction, and then
gravity ...” glanced at his wristwatch.
“The environment here on the “Okay,” he said to Torgeson.
Moon,” Torgeson objected, “is “Get down on your stomach.”
no more hostile than that of “What?”
orbiting satellites. In fact, you “Like this,” the colonel said,
have some gravity, solid ground, and prostrated himself on the
large buildings —
many advan- rubberized floor.
tages that artificial satellites Torgeson stared at him.
lack. Yet there has been fighting “Come on! There’s only a few
aboard the satellites and not— seconds.”
on the Moon. Please don’t waste Patton reached up and grasp-
my time with platitudes. This ed the UN man by the wrist. Un-
trip costing the
is UN
too much believingly, Torgeson got out of
money. Tell me the truth.” the chair, dropped to his hands
Patton nodded. “I was going and knees and finally flattened
to. I’vechecked the information himself on the floor, next to the
sent up by Earthbase you’ve :
colonel.
been cleared by the White For a second or two they star-
House, the AEC, NASA and even ed at each other, saying nothing.
the Pentagon.” “Colonel, this is embar — .”

“So?” The room exploded into a shat-

“Okay. The plain truth of the tering volley of sounds.
matter is —
” A soft chime from

q small clock on Patton’s desk Qomething — many some-

interrupted him. “Oh. Excuse things — ripped through the
me. »» walls. The
air hissed and whined
Torgeson sat back and watch- above the heads of the two
ed as Patton carefully began prostrate men. The metal desk
clearing off all the articles on his and file cabinet rang eerily.
172 GALAXY
 Torgeson squeezed his eyes “What were those . . . things?”
shut and tried to worm into the “Bullets.”
floor. It was just like being shot “Bullets? But how
” —
at! The sergeants finished their
Abruptly it was over. frenzied work, lined up at the
The room was quiet once door and saluted. Colonel Patton
again, except for a faint hissing returned the salute and they
sound. Torgeson opened his eyes turned as one man and left the
and saw the colonel getting up. office, closing the door quietly
The door was flung open. Three behind them.
sergeants rushed in, armed with “Colonel, I’m frankly be-
patching disks and tubes of wildered.”
cement. They dashed around the “It’s simple enough to under-
office sealing up the several hun- stand. But don’t feel too badly
dred holes in the walls. about being surprised. Only the
Only gradually, as the ser- top level of the Pentagon knows
geants carried on their fevered, about this, And the president, of
wordless task, did Torgeson re- course. They had to let him in

alize that the walls were actual- on it.”

ly a quiltwork of patches. The “What happened?”

room must have been riddled re- Colonel Patton took his pipe
peatedly !
rack and tobacco can out of a
He climbed slowly to his feet. desk drawer and began filling
“Meteors?” he asked, with a one of the pipes. “You see,” he
slight squeak in his voice. began, “the Russians and us, we
Colonel Patton grunted nega- weren’t always so peaceful here
tively and resumed his seat be- on the Moon. We’ve had our in-
hind the desk. It was pockmark- cidents and scuffles, just as you
ed, Torgeson noticed now. So have on Earth.”
was the file cabinet. “Go on.”
“The window, in case you’re “Well —
” he struck a match
wondering, is bulletproof.” and puffed the pipe alight —
Torgeson nodded and sat “shortly after we set up this
down. dome for Moonbase HQ, and the
“You see,” the colonel said, Reds set up theirs, we got
"life isnot as peaceful here as into some real arguments.” He
you we get along fine
think. Oh, waved the match out and tossed
with the Russians —
now. We’ve it into the open drawer.

learned to live in peace. hadWe “We’re situated on the Ocean-

to.” us Procellarum, you know. Ex-

MEN OF GOOD WILL 173

actly on the lunar equator. One low-gravity conditions. They
of the biggest open spaces on this went right along past their tar-
hunk of airless rock. Well, the gets —”
Russians claimed they owned the Recognition dawned on Torge-
whole damned Oceanus, since son’s face. “Oh, no!”
they were here first. We main-
tained the legal ownership was 'TPnat’s right. They whizzed
not established, since according right along, skimmed over
to the UN Charter and the the mountain tops, thanks to the
subsequent covenants ” — curvature of this damned short
“Spare the legal details! lunar horizon, and established
Please, what happened?” themselves in rather eccentric
Patton looked slightly hurt. satellite orbits. Every hour or
“Well ... we started shooting so they return to perigee .. .

One of their guards

at each other. or, rather, periluna. And every
fired at one our guards. They twenty-seven days, periluna is
claim it was the other way right here, where the bullets ori-
round, of course. Anyway, within ginated. The Moon rotates on
twenty minutes we were fighting its axis every twenty-seven days,
a regular pitched battle, right you At any rate, when they
see.
out there between our base and come back this way, they shoot
theirs.” He gestured toward the the living hell out of our base —
window. and the Russian base, too, of
“Can you fire guns in airless course.”
space?” “But can’t you ...”
“Oh, sure. No problem at all. “Do what? Can’t move the
However, something unexpected base. Authorizationis tied up in
came up.” the Joint Chiefs of staff, and
“Oh?” they can’t agree on where to
“Only a few men got hit in move it to. Can’t bring up any
the battle, none of them serious- special shielding material, be-
ly. As in all battles, most of the cause that’s not authorized, eith-
rounds fired were clean misses.” er. The best thing we can do is
“So?” to requisition all the computers
Patton smiled grimly. “So one we can and try to keep track
of our civilian mathematicians of all the bullets. Their orbits
started doodling. We had sev- keep changing, you know, every
eral thousand very-high-velocity time they go through the bases.
bullets fired off. In airless space. Air friction, puncturing walls,
No friction, you see. And under ricochets off the furniture . . .

174 GALAXY
all that keeps changing their or- fessional grin. “I’ve got a small
bits enough to keep our compu- detail of men secretly at work
ters busy full time.” on the far side of the base —
“My God!” where the Reds can’t see —
“In the meantime, we don’t building a stone wall. That’ll
dare fire off any more rounds. stop the bullets. Then we’ll fix
It would overburden the compu- those warmongers once and for
ters and we’d lose track of all of all”
’em. Then we’d have to spend Torgeson’s face went slack.
every twenty-seventh day flat The chime sounded, muffled,
on our faces for hours.” from inside Patton’s desk.
Torgeson sat in numbed si- “Better get set to flatten out
lence. again. Here comes the second
“But don’t worry,” Patton con- volley.” —BEN BOV A
cluded with an optimistic, pro- 8s MYRON R. LEWIS
_j***-*-********lHt************************************'<

Cordwainer Smith
SMITH THE IMPERIAL STARS

Smith, Ph.D.
SMITH E. E.
THE STORE OF HEART'S DESIRES

George O. Smith
SMITH FIRE, 2019!

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MEN OF GOOD WILL 175

 They might not have been quite
authentic, but they were really
sincere. In fact, they were —

THE
SINCEREST
FORM
by J. W. GROVES
ILLUSTRATED BY COWLES

I across the heathery slopes of

"yX7"hen Bettycee saw what the
men were doing at the
spaceship her first reaction was
characteristic. Oh! she thought.
Tomcee shouldn’t be helping.
Not in his condition.
Then the full significance of
what they were up to hit her.
She gasped, and listened for a
moment to their incredible con-
versation. Panic-stricken, she
squealed and, thankful for the
adaptability of a truly human
body, flattered for herself the
six-foot long legs of an ostrich-
toad. With huge strides she raced
Berlin and round the wooded
base of thehill, New York, back
to Bettyaye and Bettybee. She
dropped down to her normal
height and breathlessly gasped
out the news.
Bettybee blinked. “Satan finds
mischief for idle hands to do!”
she exclaimed indignantly.
Bettyaye drew herself to her
full height. She was, naturally,
a tall blonde with greenish eyes,
as all women have been since
the human race began. But she
was sterner and fiercer than the
other two, and the staunchest up-
holder of the ancient Beliefs.

176
THE SINCEREST FORM 177
“It’s that filthy science of theirs,
and that ridiculous Arrhenius
theory,” she said. “It leads them
further and further into lies and
other unrighteous things every
day.”
Bettycee nodded, but she was
herself. Ithad been her duty to
tell the others about the men,
of course. But she wished there
had been some way of avoiding
it. She knew only too well what
it would lead to.
She spoke timidly. “Perhaps
— well, it doesn’t excuse the men
but
for shifting things, of course,
I mean they could be right about
a second spaceship, couldn’t
they? If it were bringing Some-
body and his watt.”
“Somebody!” said Bettyaye
impatiently. “That’s the only
part of the Beliefs you ever think
about. Anyway, did anybody ever
say anything about Somebody
using a spaceship to come?”
Bettycee shook her head mis-
erably. Nobody ever had.
“Watt can’t be cured. Must be
endured,” said Betybee cryptic-
ally.
“Well, all I meant was ” be- — eyes.
gan Bettycee. But she was wast-
ing her breath. The other two
had already gone.
Ohe caught them up just as
^ they reached the spaceship.
The men were well forward with
their work by now. One instru-
178
ment, made of twisted metal, was
out on the grass, and they were
just lifting another, consisting
largely of shattered crystal,
through the spaceship entrance.
Bettyaye raised her voice to a
scream. “How dare you! Put
them back at once!”
Tomaye looked at her haught-
ily. “We need both the telescope
and the radar for observing the
second spaceship.”
Tombee nodded. “That’s a
known scientific fact,” he said.
Bettycee blinked. Everybody
inherits ancestral memory from
Original-Betty and Original-
Tom, of course; but at times
Bettycee suspected that she had
acquired more of it than other
people had. She felt quite sure
that a radar and a telescope
ought to be a lot less crushed
and broken than that if you were
going to use them for observing
things. Still, the men were sci-
entists. So perhaps they liked to
have scientific instruments
around them while they worked,
even if they couldn’t really ob-
serve with anything but their
Tomcee spoke gently. “We are
doing this as much for the good
of your sex as ours, really,” he
said.
Bettycee’s heart warmed for
him. There he was —
still work-
ing much too hard for a man in
his condition —and yet he found
GALAXY
time to be considerate and think command been sent from Origi-
of other people. nal-Earth to Earth, in order to
Bettybee did not share her found the human race. And al-
sentiments. She sidled up to though it was Bettyaye that did
Betty aye, then glared at Tomcee. most talking about it, Bettycee’s
“The road to hell is paved with belief in this was as deep and
good intentions,” she snapped. profound as anybody’s. Indeed,
That anybody else had man- among the ancestral memories
aged to speak at all so far was that had been passed down to
due only to the fact that Betty- her was one quite distinct one
aye had been choked into sil- about Original-Betty being on
ence by indignation. Now she re- Original-Earth. And Original-
covered a little. “The whole idea Earth, it seemed, had even had
of second spaceship is sheer
a places on it called New York
blasphemy!” she screamed. and Berlin and London; though
“And taking things out of the they were not nice places like
one and only spaceship is sacri- the real ones, but rather nasty
lege. Your pretended belief in spots full of piled-up stone and
this disgusting Arrhenius theory metal and noisy rushing ma-
doesn’t excuse either.” chines.
Tomaye bristled, and did his The men, however, refused to
best as a mere male to out-bawl accept any of this. Strictly sci-
her. “Old, discredited supersti- entific, they were dedicated to
tions must always give way be- the Arrhenius theory that space
fore the needs of scientific in- was filled with a number of life-
vestigation!” he yelled. spores, or ships, each with its
Tombee nodded solemnly. own cargo of would-be flattered-
“That’s a known scientific fact,” ones like Original-Tom and
he concurred. Original-Betty, that were driven
Bettycee groaned inwardly onward by the pressure of light
and tried to shut her ears to all until by chance one of them
of it. It had
been gone over
all crashed on a suitable planet.
so often before. Over and over And really, thought Bettycee,
and over again ever since the although it’s quite a stupid idea
human race began. I don’t see why the men
shouldn’t keep it if it amuses
'T'he women were Believers, them. I really don't see why
holding fast to the ancient we’ve got to wait for Somebody
faith in a single, uniquely-creat- to come with his watt before we
ed spaceship that had by divine stop quarreling about it.

THE SINCEREST FORM 179

 ”

She blinked, realizing sudden- Then, gradually, she drifted

ly that the men had finished back. After all, she had to know
talking and were acting. They what had happened, however
had shouldered the radar and dreadful it was.
telescope and were marching off She found Bettyaye and Betty-
with them through the trees bee standing before the Ship,
across the heathery slope of Ber- talking. The men were nowhere
lin towards the hill, New York. to be seen. Bettyaye looked up
Bettyaye, white-faced from as she approached, and spoke
shock, took action herself. She scornfully.
left the side of the other women, “So there you are.”
ran round in front of the men “Time and tide wait for no
and threw her arms wide, sacri- man,” said Bettybee.
ficing half her body weight to “Don’t they?” said Bettycee.
gain extra spread. “No,” snapped Bettyaye. “Do
“Stop! In the name of the flat- you realize that the men have
tered-ones, stop!” already got the telescope and ra-
The men marched forward. dar in place on the side of New
Bettyaye held her ground. Then York and we haven’t even start-
a pointed piece of metal stick- ed our preparations yet?”
ing out from the radar poked at “Oh,” said Bettycee. She
the middle of her chest, forcing thought of something that had
her to grow a hole to accom- not occurred to her before.
modate it. She squealed and “What makes them feel so sure
wriggled aside. The men went that a second spaceship is com-
straight on. ing now?”
As Bettyaye began to flatter Bettyaye snorted. “Tomaye
herself the strongest vocal cords claims to have seen something
and longest tongue ever, Betty- up there; and to know it’s a ship
cee turned and ran off through just because it changed direc-
the trees. She just couldn’t bear tion. According to him no inert
to know what happened next. object following a natural orbit
ever does that, though how much
II he knows about it —
“Sticks and stones may break
A running for a while
fter my bones, but names never hurt
she slowed down, but she me,” interrupted Bettybee.
went on walking around on her Bettyaye nodded. “You’re
own for a long time, trying hard right. It’s a waste of time just
not to think about anything. telling each other what we think

180 GALAXY
 ” ”

of them. We’ve got to do some- Bettycee started to understand

thing.” what it was all about. “Oh!” she
Bettycee blinked. “But — but said. “Oh, but I think
—
what can we possibly do?” “Well?” said Bettyaye omi-
Bettyaye glared at her. “Not nously. “What do you think?”
everybody has spent their time Bettycee gulped twice, and
in the woods sulking,” she said. tried to find enough courage.
“We’ve got a plan.” She began to But it was no good. She just
speak more briskly. “You’re the couldn’t say it. Not to Bettyaye’s
best of us at doing out-of-the-way face.
flatterings, so you’d better play
the would-be. Nobody knows 'lA7'hen she wandered off in-
how one should look, so it to the woods for the sec-
doesn’t matter what shape you ond time she wasn’t running
take so long as the men don’t away again. Not because she
recognize you.” didn’t want to, but because she
Bettycee’s head was beginning knew it would be a waste of
to whirl. “But why shouldn’t time. She’d been allowed this
they recognize me? I mean, break only because everything
Tomcee might — was ready except the men. They,
“Don’t be stupid,” snapped it seemed, were not expecting
Bettyaye. “If they recognize you their second ship just yet, since
when you walk down to them we they had left the telescope and
will have wasted our time push- radar and wandered off some-
ing the observation dome up so where.
that it shows above the top of Bettycee didn’t know where
New York. They’ll know it’s they had gone, but she hadn’t
only the old one that’s been left the other two women very
shifted, not a new one that’s just far behind when she heard the
arrived.” rumble of Tomaye’s voice, and
“Where ignorance is bliss, ’tis Tombee’s assurance that that
folly to be wise,” said Bettybee. was a “known scientific fact.”
“Exactly!” Bettyaye nodded She turned aside. She didn’t
triumphantly. “And the more want to talk to those two now.
blissfully ignorant we can keep When she saw Tomcee sitting
the men, thinking that a second alone in a little copse she told
ship and another would-be flat- herself that she didn’t want to
tered-one have proved their Ar- talk to him either. But somehow
rhenius theory, the bigger fools she found herself walking up to
they will look.” him. He looked up and smiled

THE SINCEREST FORM 181

as she sat down. “Hello, dear. “Oh. But what if a
—
I’m glad you’ve come. I’ve been
wanting to talk to you about rT~'omcee interrupted rather
something.” more forcefully than was
“Have you, darling?” usual for him. “Please let’s leave
“Yes. This thing that’s going that subject, my dear. We
to happen to us soon.” He blush- haven’t a lot of time before the
ed faintly. “Don’t you think it’s ship comes, and I want to talk
rather beautiful that two such about something sensible.”
things should occur at once? “Sensible? But —
Oh, well all
That, and the coming of a new right.”
race to this old planet Earth.” “Fine.” Tomcee leaned back
Bettycee couldn’t remember on his hands. “Now, flattery in
ever having felt so wretched be- the animal kingdom is random.
fore. Oh, the poor darling? He A newly born flatterer flatters
really believed it! It was too the first creature it meets. But
cruel. only human children are allow-
“Look, Tomcee,” she began ed to flatter human beings.”
miserably. “Don’t build your “Everybody knows that.”
hopes up too much — “Certainly they do. But my
“Why not?” point is that according to the
Misery made Bettycee reck- Arrhenius theory the would-bes
Frantically she tried to keep
less. in a life-sporemust be essential-
allthoughts of Bettyaye out of ly human, whatever their shape.”
her mind. “Well, supposing I — Bettycee was used to being sat
mean just supposing —
some- upon, pushed around or ignored.
body was playing a trick on But for the last hour she seemed
you.” to have been getting a far greater
“A trick?” concentration of such treatment
“Yes. Trying to make some- than usual. Her voice felt as if
tiling look as if it was so when it was going to choke her. “What
it wasn’t, just to alter your be- do you mean?”
liefs and things.” “Come, my dear,” said Tom-
Tomcee smiled- tolerantly. cee rather impatiently. “Surely
“But that’s theadvantage of sci- it’s obvious what I mean.”
ence, my dear. We don’t have “I suppose it is. You really do
Beliefs. All our conclusions are mean that you —
you’d let our
based on the application of rea- babies and the would-bes in the
sons to observable data. Nobody second ship —
?”
could play a trick like that” Tomcee nodded, smiling. “I

182 GALAXY
feel would be a great gesture
it
of hospitality.”Then he blinked
at “What’s the matter?
her.
Don’t you Hke the idea?”
Like the idea? What was the
matter with him? If there really
had been a second spaceship
goodness knows what the would-
be flattered-ones on board might
have been. Things with three
heads, perhaps, or tentacles.
he would actually have taken ad-
vantage of the innocence and
helplessness of his own children
to let them flatter the horrors
and turn into —
well, just any-
thing ! granted. So when it happened
Suddenly everything seemed
to hit Bettycee at once. All the
years of quarrel, quarrel, quar-
rel. Then the men taking things
out of the Ship, and Bettyaye’s
silly, spiteful trick. And
this suggestion from the man
she loved and admired. The
choking sensation was worse
than ever now, and something
seemed to burn inside her.
how she found herself on her
feet, with no clear idea how she
got there. Why! She thought
with surprise, this is how Betty-
aye feels all the time. And it’s
— no, not nice exactly. But satis-
factory.
She glared down at her hus-
band, and forced herself to speak
gaily. “Why, whatever made you
think I didn’t like the idea?” she
said. “It’s grand. You go ahead
THE SINCEREST FORM
and do it as soon as you get the
chance.” And she turned and
ran away from him.
Naturally, being Bettycee,
now that she had made a move
of her own and improved Betty-
aye’s plan beyond measure, she
had not run more than a hun-
dred yards before she found her-
self wishing that something
And would happen that would put a
stop to the whole thing.
In her present mood, though,
it would have seemed the most
incredible thing in the universe
that any wish of hers should be
she simply did not realize it. She
was conscious only of a loud
thrumming sound that seemed to
come from far overhead. Ignor-
ing it, she ran on.
finally
Ill
T>y the time she got back to
Bettyaye and Bettybee the
Some- new feeling that Tomcee had in-
voked had left her completely.
She listened meekly and con-
tritely while Bettybee comment-
ed sniffily about many hands
making light work. She cringed
while Bettyaye snapped agree-
ment, and then demanded per-
emptorily, “Just what have you
been up to?”
“I — I’ve only been talking to
Tomcee,” said Bettycee. Then
she added hastily, “Oh, no, I
183
haven’t given anything away. In took to pass over. But when th«
fact I might have improved roar ceased abruptly she was the
things.” And
she spilled out the first on her feet, the first tfl see
story of her husband’s sugges- the brand-new spaceship that
tion and her reply. had landed on this side of New
Bettyaye seemed almost molli- York, its sparkling observation
fied. “Oh, well, that’s all right. dome brow
raised high above the
I suppose. Anyway, Bettybee and of the hill, where the men would
I have got the dome free so that plainly see it from the other side.
you can get it to the top of the Her initial reaction was a
hill on your own. Now we two lightening heart. It was real! It
will go round and talk to the had actually come! Tomcee was
men. When you are ready push right and Bettyaye was wrong,
the dome up to where they can wrong, wrong!
see it, and then come down to That lady was not disposed to
them and announce yourself as admit the fact so easily. She
a would-be and — crawled out from under the bush
Bettycee was still wishing fer- took one look, and whimpered,
vently that something would “It’s a trick the men are playing.
happen to stop all this. Vaguely, It’s got to be.”
too, she was wishing what she Bettybee sat up and blinked.
had wished so often before, that “Seeing’s believing. The proof of
something —
anything —
would the pudding is in the eating.”
stop Bettyaye talking. Bettycee looked down at them.
Yet even now, when both Seeing Bettyaye humiliated like
wishes were granted simultane- this had done something to her.
ously, she was not aware of it Somehow her chest seemed to be
at first. She only knew that sud- ten times its usual size, though
denly her ears were being tor- she wasn’t flattering a thing ex-
tured by a thunderous roar, and cept her normal self. And the
that a circular patch of light feeling that surged through her
was leaping at an impossible now wasn’t even Bettyayish. It
speed across the land. was something bigger, stronger
and better.
Ohe reached the shelter of “Get up,” she said.
^ the nearest bush in the Bettyaye gaped at her.
same fraction of a second as the “What?”
other two women, and cowered Bettybee shivered and crouch-
with them for the heart-thud’s ed lower “Discretion is the bet-
time that the monstrous shadow ter part of valor.”

184 GALAXY
 “I don’t care what part
she said.“Bettyaye, Tomcee
and my family are in danger
Now we’ve got to find out wheth-
er it’s Somebody or a would-be
in that ship. And if it’s a would-
De we’ve got to keep it from
meeting the men until it’s been
found by a wild flatterer.”"
She turned and set off across
Berlin, not bothering to look be-
hind her. Bettybee followed im-
mediately. Bettyaye hesitated,
but not for long.
The when you got
spaceship,
close to was a crude, raw-
it,
looking thing compared with the
original one. There were no
pretty-colored lichens growing
out of its seams, no delicate
purple and primrose ivies trail-
ing over it. And its surface was
just harsh, glaring metal with-
out a single streak of warm,
brown encrustation.
The three women hid them-
selves in a small clump of trees
to watch; flattering a few
branches and leaves to give them-
selves extra cover. After a sec-
ond or two a round hole opened
in the side of the ship and some-
thing came out. Or, more ac-
curately, some Thing came out
IV
Tt didn’t have three heads,
and there were no tentacles;
but the very subtlety of its
THE SINCEREST FORM
it is,” ishness made it the more horrify-
ing. In a lumpish sort of way it
was shaped like a man. Two
arms, two legs, a head. But it
was nearly two inches too short
for a true human male, and its
coloring was utterly, revolting-
ly wrong. Blue eyes and bright
red hair.
As the Thing walked away
from the ship there was a crack-
ling sound, and a blue light
flowed all around it. The grass
at its feet steamed, then flamed,
but the Thing walked on un-
harmed.
The Thing started to walk
away from the ship. As it did so
Bettycee, partly recovered from
her shock at its appearance, no-
ticed a metal plate strapped to
its shoulder. Ancestral memory
flashed the word “radio” to her,
but she had no idea wh»* it
meant. Suddenly the plate spoke.
“We’d better test the shock-
field.”
The Thing answered grumpily
from its mouth. “Do you have to
test it every single time we
land?”
“It’s there,” said the plate,
“For a purpose I like. To bum
the ears off any bug predator
that takes a fancy to wander in
to the ship. And since regula-
tions say it’s to be tested, tested
it’s going to be.”
The Thing’s mouth said, “I’ve
freak- got a feeling that if ever one of
185
these tests fail it’ll be the pro- Tomaye stopped in front of
tective suit that doesn’t work, the Thing. “Welcome, would-
not the field.” be,” he said formally.
As it spoke there came a crack “Well uh — —
hello,” said the
ling sound and a blue light flow- Thing from its mouth.
ed up and out, enclosing the ship “That’s a known scientific
like an umbrella-top. Where the fact,” said Tombee.
light touched the ground the “Uh — is it?” The Thing
grass steamed, then flamed. But dropped its voice. “They talk
the Thing just walked on. galacspeak. They must be hu-
Betty whimpered, “What a man. But something’s screwy.”
nasty way for a spaceship to be- “Yeah,” said the plate. “Watch
have!” out about a hundred yards to
“It didn’t hurt the would-be, your left. Three females coming
anyway,” said Bettycee. out of some trees.”
Having seen the Thing she put
all thought of Somebody and his "Dettycee *was rather sur-
watt out of her mind. “Now,”
” prised. She didn’t see how
she said, “flatter up all the ugly the plate knew, since it didn’t
things you can think of and — have any eyes. She stopped just
oh!” clear of the trees, and extended
Her stomach felt as if it were an arm to hold the other two
flattering a big stone and drop- women back. Until she found out
ping right out of her. Tomaye where Tomcee was and what he
and Tombee were coming over was up to it was difficult to know
the top of the hill already, be- what to do for the best.
fore she had had time to scare Tomaye said to the Thing
the would-be away, or anything! cheerfully, “Don’t worry. You
Almost she reverted to the old won’t have long to wait.”
Bettycee, but she made herself
—
“That’s ” began Tombee.
keep calm. At least Tomcee “You, I know,” said the
wasn’t here yet. Thing’s mouth. “That’s a known
The Thing began babbling scientific fact.”
nonsense out of its mouth. “Hu- Tombee looked nonplussed.
manoids, you said. These people The plate said, “I’m beginning
are genuine humans, or I’ve nev- to remember something. How
er seen any.” well did the hypno-course on
The metal plate said, “Looks space-history take on you?”
like it. But —
I don’t know. Go “Not too well,” said the mouth.
carefully.” “Nor on me. But I recall that
186 GALAXY
back in the early days there was their sweet green heads forward,
a wreck out this way somewhere. blindly seeking something to
A married couple. Their pictures flatter in the manner of babies
struck me when I learned about since time began.
them what a well-matched pair Bettybee said abruptly, “As
they must have been. He was an the twig is bent the tree will
out-planet ecologist and a grow.”
thorough agnostic. She was a 0

fundamentalist, out to bring the nphe words pierced the warm

message to any new races that -* glow of fatherhood that had
might be around.” been enveloping Bettycee and
The Thing’s mouth chuckled. brought her back to reality
“Nice recipe for a happy mar- again. She remembered with a
riage.You reckon these are their swift surge of horror just why
descendants, degenerated into Tomcee was here. Fear almost
idiocy?” choked her for the moment, and
“Maybe. But —
watch out. then she forced out a scream.
Here comes another one.” “No! No, Tomcee darling.
Bettycee had been trying to Please don’t.”
make sense of the Thing’s queer He turned his head and blink-
duo-monologue. Now she gave ed at her in surprise. “But I
up. Tomcee was coming over the must, my dear. Remember, I
top of New York. He was hold- didn’t only make the promise to
ing his arms straight out in front you, but to this poor, stray
of him, and his hands were would-be as well. Have we the
cupped. right to deprive it of its high
Bettycee’s heart warmed for destiny now?”
him so fiercely that she nearly The Thing had fallen back a
sobbed. So that was why he had couple of steps, and had been
not been with Tomaye and Tom- jerking itshead from side to side
bee. His time had come upon as she and her husband spoke.
him. And she had not been there, Tomcee stepped towards it, arms

and oh! she should have been. extended.

When a man first becomes a
mother he needs above all to
have his wife by his side.
She stretched her neck a little
so that she could look into his
hands. There they were, the little
darlings! Two of them, writhing
THE SINCEREST FORM
Bettycee screamed again. She
knew «he could not possibly get
there in time. Tomcee ’s babies
were already lifting themselves
up out of their mother’s hands
But despairingly, using every
ounce of herself that she could
187
 —
spare, swept upwards on
she her, then whipped out an arm
enormous legs and leaped for- to cord-like proportions and
ward. wound it round and round the
The Thing screeched from its Thing.
mouth and yelled from its plate. “You — you beast!” she pant-
“So that’s it!’’ And it jabbed a ed. “Why did you do that? You
hand into its clothing and jerked don’t deserve to be flattered at
out a metal tube. Something flat- all.”
tered thunder, and The Thing’s mouth began to
And then the universe went scream. “Help! It’s disarmed me.
utterly, utterly mad. Madder Turn the ship’s guns on both of
than it had gone when the sec- us before it changes me!”
ond ship turned up. Madder The plate said, “Don’t panic,
even than it had gone when that you fool. It’s an adult. Only an
pseudo- human abortion had unchanged young one can take
walked out of it. For, abruptly, you over.”
one by one, everybody began to Bettycee took no notice of the
stop being there. Or, more ac- noise. Now that she had got the
curately, they began to be every- Thing she wasn’t quite sure what
where at once. she wanted to do with it, but an
inherent sense of justice made
TT'irst poor Tomcee and his her feel that it ought to have
-* childrenwent, great gobs something nasty happen to it af-
of them flying outwards, and ter the way it had treated every-
spattering all over New York. body else. With her spare arm
Then Tomaye followed, and she flattered the claws of a war-
Tombee, and Bettyaye and rior beetle, and gave its nose a
Bettybee — quick pinch.
Bettycee had never seen such Its mouth yelled, “Hell! It’s
a thing happen to anybody be- pulling me to pieces now. Get
fore, but instinctively she knew me out of here!”
it must be quite unpleasant. Sud- The plate said, “All right. I’ll
denly she was feeling more Bet- lift ship and yank you both up
tyayish than ever she had. In to me with the anti-grav. The
mid-leap she switched substance shock-field will shake the brute
from her legs to her arms. The off, and you’ll be safe inside your
thunder-flattering tube had fin- protective suit.”
ished with everyone else and “Fine. Only hurry up.”
was rising towards her. She It was a shock to Bettycee
snatched it and tossed it behind when suddenly the ground start-

188 GALAXY
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ed to fall away beneath her. But — It was no use. Generations of
she refused to let it show. “You being able to flatter up as many
needn’t think you’re going to fingers as you liked had made
frighten me into letting you go counting forever a last art.
by playing silly tricks like this,” Bettycee shook the Thing
she told the Thing crossly. again. “Tell me the truth. Are
“No?” said the Thing’s mouth you really Somebody, or aren’t
as they sailed upwards. “You you?”
wait till you get a billion watts “S —
somebody? What the
of shock-field burning you up! heck do you mean?”
You’ll let go.” “The billion watts. Is a billion
“I won’t,” said Bettycee. a big enough number?”
And then she stopped, uncon- “Big enough ?”—
sciously tightening her grip. “Big enough to include num-
“What did you say?” ber four, stupid!”
The Thing seemed to be get- The Thing, white-faced, gaped
tiny into a panic again now. at her as if it had lost its senses.
“Hell, don’t crush me to death. ‘Well, sure it is. But
—
I didn’t mean it —
I mean
— “Then you are Somebody,” in-
Bettycee shook it to calm it. terrupted Betty, squealing with
“Stop blethering. You said some- delight. “Oh! how marvelous.
thing about a billion watts.”
— But why ?” —
“Yeah, sure. But At that moment they hit the
Bettycee gave a little squeal, shock-field. The blue light half
and blanked her mind to the blinded Bettycee, and the burn-
Thing’s sputtering. I must be ing hurt more than she had ex-
steady, she warned herself. I pected; but when it was over she
mustn’t build my hopes up too forgot it. Falling Earthwards she
high, or it will be such a let- had to flatter a ’chute-seed so
down if I turn out to be wrong. that she could land safely, of
But after all, the only reason we course; but she had enough of
thought this Thing couldn’t be herself left over for a tiny voice-
him was because it is so ugly. box with which to croon happily
Yet, if you come to think of it, as she went down.
Original -Tom never said he
would be nice-looking. V
T^vesperately she tried to A she dropped the last hun-
s
check. One— how did it ** dred feet the Thing sat in
go? One, three — or was it five? the ship far above her, facing a

190 GALAXY
slightly larger Thing as mon- group of differing individuals,
strously shaped and colored as one or two facets of the origi-
itself.“Imitators!” it was saying nal’s character.”
angrily. “And you tell me the The smaller Thing nodded,
Council will only put the planet and exhaled noisily. “Oh well,
off limits? It ought to be dusted that’s a relief.”
clean.”
The larger Thing spoke, odd- nphe ship went on and on. As
ly, in a voice just like the one it entered its second light-

that had come from the smaller
ones plate. “Not worth the both-
er,” it said. “They’re no men-
ace.
“No menace? When they can
imitate a man exactly, know ev-
er ything that’s in his brain?”
“Only occasionally,
once-in-a-thousand-years ship-
wreck happens. And they soon
lose the start that gives them.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes. Any human — or
human — brain forgets
and falsifies memories.
the imitators breed their young,
with no more humans around to
copy, imitate their parents, tak-
ing over the distorted memories
just as they are. Then they go
through life adding further al-
terations, and pass them on in
turn.”
“I see.”
“Sure. And that’s not all of it.
While the memories are going,
character traits are going too by
the same process. If a number of
imitators copy the same man
they start off alike. But after a
few generations you have a
year out from Earth, Bettycee
relaxed against the bole of the
tree from which she was ingest-
ing bark and looked round at
the rest of the human race.
She wasn’t quite herself again
yet; but most of her was there.
when a The others had done their best
to themselves together as
pull
well,but large chunks of them
had been blown too far away.
Each of them was going to have
fake to do quite a lot of eating before
things he or she could return to human
When form all at once.
“All right,” said Bettycee di-
dactically, continuing a discus-
sion thathad been going on ever
since she gotback to Earth. “It’s
agreed then that the body of our
knowledge be called Scientific
Beliefs, or Believer’s Science.”
Bettyaye had been concentrat-
ing on being amouth and stom-
ach and one small ear. Now she
stopped gulping in the grass
long enough to flatter up a
voice-box. “The word Believers
should be first.”
“For women,” said Bettycee.
“Believer’s Science for women,

THE SINCEREST FORM 191

Scientific Beliefs for men. And have called the sincerest form
both sets of knowledge to be ex- of flattery, I suppose.” It had
actly the same. Now, about the sighed. “Funny. I’d become re-
Arrhenius theory
— signed to the fact that arguments
Tomaye had found himself a between Betty and me would
wriggly-ants nest. The speaking- never finish while we were alive.
tongue that he flattered up quiv- But I did think they’d end when
ered in sympathy with its hunt- we died. Now I suppose they
ing companion. “Ar Arrhen- — will go on and on until Somebody
ius unassailable c — —
can’t per- comes and gives you creatures
—
mit —
modifications
— watt four
Tombee, wrapped around a Tomaye’s voice, though still
piece of tree-stump that was jerky, was almost humble. “All
really too large for him to con- r —
right. W—
what is the Sci-
sume in his present size, said, entific Belief about the Ar —
“Thas non scient’ficfac.” Arrhenius theory?”
Bettycee “Don’t argue,
said, “Space is filled with life-
please. I was the one who met spores pushed outwards by rays
Somebody, and he gave me a bil- of light,” said Bettycee. “But
lion watts. A billion includes space is small enough for there
number four. And you all know to be only two spores, the one
what getting number four that founded the human race and
means.” the one that brought Somebody.”
Everybody fell silent. Al- “And if another spaceship
though nobody had wanted to comes?”
think about it much in the old “Then we’ll run away and
days the ancestral memory was hide.”
still there, bright and clear.
After Original-Betty had been
flattered, Original-Tom had
gone on indulging in love-play,
U nimaginably far
smaller of the two Things
away, the

in the ship was making fine ad-

darting away here and there pre- justments to a series of vernier
tending it did not want to be dialsbeneath a large screen. Sud-
caught. Finally the three who denly a picture of the human
had founded the male side of race sprang into being. The
the human race had got it cor- Thing counted.
nered. It had stood still, trem- “All there,” it said. “Bits of
bling ecstatically in anticipation. them, anyway. Oh. well. Since
“So that’s it,” it had said. they’re harmless I don’t begrudge
“What my wife would inevitably it to them.”
192 GALAXY
 Back on Earth, Tomcee snug-
gled up to his wife, cooing softly.
Since he had taken the first, di-
rect shot it would be many, many
meals before he and his children
could do much else but snuggle
and coo. But his action was
enough to remind Bettycee that
there were other things for a
leader to do besides recodifying
Beliefs.
“Now, about children,”
said.
“Children?” said Bettyaye.
Bettycee nodded. “Some of us
can only talk in certain ways,
some of us talk too much, and
some of us only want to argue.
But there’s one thing we can all
do. We can all think wise and
beautiful thoughts if we try. In
future, any children
born not be allowed to flat-
will
ter their parents immediately.
They will be held off until their
father and mother are quite,
quite sure they are thinking the
wisest and most beautiful
thoughts they possibly can.”
Despite his limited resources
Tomcee managed one word.
“Nice.”
“Yes,” said Bettycee compla-
cently. “And I’m going to think
of lots more ways of
things nice, too.”
Up till now Bettybee had been
THE SINCEREST FORM
concentrating wholly on a tasty
piece of fern-root, leaving dis-
cussion to others. This oppor-
tunity, though, was too good to
miss. Hastily she began the nec-
essary conversion.
Aloft in the ship the picture
on the screen was beginning to
shrink and fade. The smaller
Thing leaned closer to peer at
she it. “You know,” it said, “Even
now those brutes must remem-
ber something of the old quar-
rels.Wonder what sort of a life
they are making for themselves
these days?”
below Bettycee repeated
F ar
herself dreamily. “Lots
and lots of more ways of mak-
that are ing things nice.”
Bettybee finished her new flat-
tering. Hastily she appraised her
fresh Tongue, vocal
resources.
cords, lungs. Yes, they were all
there. Happily she gave forth.
“And then,” she chortled, “And
then they all lived happily for
ever and ever after. Yippee.”
The larger Thing scratched its
chin thoughtfully. “What sort of
a life those brutes are leading
now?” it said. "I don’t suppose
making we shall ever find out.”
And alas! poor Things, they
never did. —J .W. GROVES
193
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