Including Venture Science Fiction
The Masculinist Revolt (nove let) WILLIAM TENN 4 Cartoon GAHAN WILSON 31 Explosion ROBERT ROHRER 32 Crystal Surfaces THEODORE L. THOMAS 42 Everyone's Hometown Is Guernica WILLARD MARSH 44 The 2-D Problem JODY SCOTI' 49 Books JUDITH MERRIL 61 First Context LAURENCE M. JANIFER and S. ]. TREIBICH 68 Science: Behind the Teacher's Back ISAAC ASIMOV 71 A Stick For Harry Eddington CHAD OLIVER 81 The Immortal (nove let) GORDON R, DICKSON 96 F &SF Marketplace 129 Cover by But Tanner (see page 70)
Joseph W. Ferman, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Isaac Asimov, SCIENCE EDITOR
Ted White, ASSISTANT ~ITOR Edward L. FertNJn, MANAGING EDITOR
Judith Merril, BOOK EDITOR Robert P. Mills, CONSULTING EDITOR
The Magalline of Fantos~ and Scil!flt:e Fiction, Voloune 29, No. 2, Whole No. 171, A•g. 1965. Published moKthl~ b~ Mercur~ Press, IKe., at 50t a cop~. AnntUJI subscriptitnl $5.00; $5.50 in CtJnada tJnd the Paft American Unioft, $6.00 in all other c011ntries. Publi cation office, 10 Ferry Street, Concord, N.H. Editorial and general mail should be sent to 347 East 35rd St., New York, N. Y. 10022. Second Class postage paid at Concord, N. H. Printed in U.S.A. «) 1965 by Mercur~ Press, Inc. All rights, including WtJnslations inta other langutJges reserved. Submissions must be accompa~ THE MASCIJLINIST BE VOLT by William Tenn I: THE COMING OF THE CODPIECE This P. Edward Pollyglow fondly nicknamed "Old Pep" by his HISTORIANS OF THE PERIOD BE followers-was the last of a family tween 1990 and 2015 disagree distinguished for generations in violently on the canses of the Mas the men's wear manufacturing culinist Revolt. Some see it as a line. Pollyglow's factory produced sexual earthquake of nation-wide only one item, men's all-purpose proportions that was long overdue. jumpers, and had always operated Others ~ontend that an elderly at full capacity-up to the mo bachelor founded the Movement ment the Interchangeable Style only to save himself from bank came in. Then, abruptly, over ruptcy and saw it turn into a terri night it seemed, there was no fying monster that swallowed him longer a market for purely male alive. apparel. 4 THE MASCULINIST REVOLT 5 He refused to admit that he and Meanwhile, women kept gain all of his machinery had become ing prestige and political power. obsolete as the result of a simple The F.E.P.C. started policing dis change iri fashion. What if the In criminatory employment practices terchangeable Style ruled out all in any way based upon sex. A sexual differentiation? "Try to Supreme Court decision (Mrs. make us swallow that!" he cackled Staub's Employment Agency for at first. "Just try!" Lady Athletes vs. The New York But the red ink on his ledgers State Boxing Commission) enun proved that his countrymen, how ciated the law in Justice Emmeline ever unhappily, were swallowing Craggly's historic words: "Sex is a it. private, internal matter and ends Pollyglow began to spend long at the individual's skin. From the hours brooding at home instead of skin outwards, in family chores, sitting nervously in his idle office. job opportunities, or even cloth Chiefly he brooded on the push ing, the sexes must be considered ing-around men had taken from legally interchangeable in all re women all through the twentieth spects save one. That one is the tra century. Men had once been proud ditional duty of the male to sup creatures; they had asserted them port his family to the limit of his selves; they had enjoyed a high physical powers-the fixed corner rank in human society. What had stone of all civilized existence." · happened? Two months later, the Inter Most of their troubles could be changeable Style appeared at the traced to a development that oc Paris openings. · curred shortly before World War I, It appeared, of course, as a ver he decided. "Man-tailoring," the sion of the all-purpose jumper, a first identifiable villain. kind of short-sleeved tunic worn When used in connection with everywhere at that time. But the women's clothes, "man-tailoring" men's type and the women's type implied that certain tweed skirts were now fused into a single Inter and doth coats featured unusu changeable garment. ally meticulous workmanship. Its That fusion was wrecking Polly vogue was followed by the imita glow's business. Without some de tive patterns: slacks for trousers, gree of maleness in dress, the work blouses for shirts, essentially male shop that had descended to him garments which had been frilled through a long line of manufactur here and furbelowed there and ing ancestors unquestionably had given new, feminine names. The to go on the auctioneer's block. "his-and-hers" fashions came next; He became increasingly desper they were universal by 1991. ate, increasingly bitter. 6 PAN1'ASY AND SCIENCE FICTION One night, he sat down to study or breeches-how easily it could the costumes of bygone eras. Which be added to a man's jumper! It was were intrinsically and flatteringly unquestionably, definitively male: virile-so virile that no weman any woman could wear it, of would dare force her way into course, but on her clothing it them? would be merely a useless append Men's styles of the late nine age, nay, worse than that, it would teenth century, for example. They be an empty mockery. were certainly masculine in that He worked all night, roughing you never san: a picture of women out drawings for his designers. In wearing them, but what was to pre bed at last, and exhausted, he was vent the modern female from do still bubbling with so much en ing so if she chose? And they were thusiasm that he forgot about sleep far too heavv and clumsv for the and hitched his aching shoulder gentle, mad~-to-order climates of blades up against the headboard. today's world. Visions of codpieces, millions of Back went Pcllyglow, century them, all hanging from Pollyglow by century, shaking his head and Men's Jumpers, danced and swung straining his eyes over ancient, and undulated in his head as he fuzzy woodcuts. Not this, no, nor stared into the darkness. that. He was morosely examining But the wholesalers refused the pictures of lmights in armor and new garment. The old Pollyglow trying to imagine a mailed shirt Jumper-yes: there were still a with a zipper up the back, when few conservative, fuddy-duddy he leaned back wearily and no men around who preferred famil ticed a fifteenth century portrait iarity and comfort to style. But lying among the pile of rejects at who in the world would want his feet. this unaesthetic ~ovelty? Why it This was the moment when flew in the verv face of the modern Masculinism began. doctrine of interchangeable sexes! Several of the other drawings His salesmen learned not to use had slid across the portrait, ob that as an excuse for failure. "Sep scuring most of it. The tight-fitting arateness!" he would urge them as hose over which Pollyglow had bit they slumped back into the office. ten his dry old lips negatively "Differentness! You've got to sell these were barely visible. But be them on separateness and differ tween them, in emphatic, distinc entness! It's our only hope-it's tive bulge, between them- the hope of the world!" The codpiece! Pollyglow almost forgot the This little bag which had once moribund state of his business, been worn on the front of the bose suffocating for lack of sales. He THE MASCULJNIST REVOLT 7 wanted to save the world. He shook Early fn the campaign, how with the force of his revelation : he ever, a market research specialist had come bearing a codpiece and employed by Pollyglow's advertis no one would have it. They must ing agency pointed out that the -for their own good. · word "masculine" had acquired He borrowed heavily and em unfortunate connotations in the barked upon a modest advertising last few decades. Tons of litera campaign. Ignoring the more ex ture, sociological and psychologi pensive, general-circulation me cal, on the subject of over-compen dia, he concentrated his budget in sation, or to Dorselblad. That left the third Since this too had little elect epithet-and Shepherd L. Mibs. on the situation: Newspapers from coast to coast CONGRESSMAN OFFERS carried the headline : TO APOLOGIZE: MIBS CLAIMS MORTAL "DIDN'T SAY IT BUT WILL INSULT RETRACT" CHALLENCES BORAX Unfortunately: TO DUEL SHEP CRIES For a wh:i.le, that is for three or "FOR SHAME! four editions, ther« was a sort of BORAX MUST BA TILE ME stunned silenoe. America held its OR BEAR COWARD'S breath. Theu: BRAND" DORSELBLAD The candidate and his advisors, DISPLEASED realizing there was no way out: URGES MIBS CALL IT MIBS-BORAX DUEL SET OFF FOR MONDAY And: HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP OLD PEP PLEADING TO OFFICIAn: WITH OlD SHiP "DON'T DIRTY YOUR HANDS Pray for Me, Borax Beas Mom: WITH HIM" Your Deac Boy, Alive or Dead But: MIBS IMMOVABLE Nobel Pme Wilmer Gets Nod DEMANDS A DEATH As Bout's Attending Sawbones As weD a&: CLARISSrMA 5TRUNT Borax aMI ten or Rvelve cigar- SAYS: munching counselors locked "TIDS IS A MAN'S themselves iD a hotel 1oom and AFFAffi" eonsidered 'be matter frGm aU Meanwhne, £rom the other side, possible angles. By this time, of there was an uncertain, tenta&ve course, he and his staff only approach to the problem: smoked cigars under conditions of BORAX EARS DUEL the greateet privaey. In public, PROMISE TO MOTHER they ate mints. This did not sit well with the They had been giv~n lhe choi£e new, duel-going public. There was of weapons, and a hard choice it another appreach: was. The Chicago Duel was dis CANDIDATE FOR missed as being essentially UDdig CHIEF EXECUTIVE nified and tending to blur the CAN'T BREAK LAW, Presidential image. Borax' as CLERGYMEN CRY sistant campaign llYclnager, a bril- THE MASCUUNlST llEVOLT 'll J.isnt Jewisb :Negro from the Span that the youag Alexauder Hamil ish-speaking ~tion of Los Angeles, ton had been cut doWll in the very sugge5ted a format derived from Bower of his political promise. the candidate's fame as a forward Some secluded spot, possibly hal passing quarterback in college. He lowed by a victory of the raw and wanted foxholes dug some twenty inexperienced army of George live yards apart and hand grenades Washington, would put the omens lobbed back and forth until one or definitely on their side. The party the other of the disputants had treasurer, a New England real es been satisfactorily exploded. tate agent in privak! life, was as But everyone iR that hotel room signed to the problem. was aware tllat he sat under the That left the strategy. august gaze of History, and History All night long, they debated a demanded the traditional alterna variety of ruses, from bribing or tives-swords or pistols. They had intimidating the duel's presiding to face the fact that Borax was officials to having Borax fire a mo skillful with neither, while his op ment before the signal-the ethies ponent had won tournaments with of the act, it was pointed out, both. Pistols were finally chosea would be completely confused by as adding the factors of great dis subsequent charges and cou!Mer tance and uncertain atmospheric charges in the newspapers. They conditions to their sid&. adjourned without having agreed Pistols, then. And only one shot on anything more hopeful than apiece for the mHimum chance of that Borax mould train iDtensively survival. But the site-? 111llder the pistol champion of fhe Mibs :bad uFged Weehawken United Stat.es in the two days re Heights in New Jerif#-.because of maining and do hi& leYel best to its historiQal associa&ns. Grand achieve some degree of proficiency. stands, he poiltted out, could eas . By the morning of the duel, the ily be erected along the Palisades ..,.oung candidate had become quite and substantial prices charged for morose. He had been out on tll.e admission. After advertising and pistol range continUOU6ly for al promotion £osts had been met, the most forty-eight hours. He com purse could be used by both major plained of a severe earache and an parties to defray their campaign nounced bitterly that he had only expenses. the slightest improvement m his Such consideral!ions weighed aim to show for it. All the way to heavily with Borax' admors. But the dueling grounds w:h:ile his for the negative side of the historical mally clad advisors wcangled and association weighed even more disputed, suggesting this method heavily: it was in Weehawken and that approach, he sat in si- 28 PANTASY AND SCIJINCE PJC'I'ION lence, his head bowed unhappily eled his pistol at his pale, perspir upon his chest. ing antagonist, aiming carefully He must have been in a state of and exactly over the space of sev complete panic. Only so can we eral dozen seconds. Then he fired account for his decision to use a and ki11ed the man. strategy which had not been first That was the ticket, Borax de approved by his entire entourage cided. Like Jackson, he'd let Mibs -an unprecedented and most shoot first. Like Jackson, he would serious political irregularity. then slowlv and inexorablv- Borax was no scholar, but he Unfortunately for both history was moderately well-read in and Borax, the first shot was the American history. He had even onlv one fired. Mibs didn't miss, al written a series of articles for a though he complained later-per Florida newspaper under the !?en fectionist that he was-that de eric title of When the Eagle fective sights on the antique duel Screamed, dealing with such great ing pistol had caused him to come moments in the nation's past as in a good five inches below target. Robert E. Lee's refusal to lead the The bullet went through the Union armies, and the defeat of right cheek of the Congressman's free silver and low tariffs by WiJ.. rigid, averted face and came out liam McKinley. As the black lim the left. It imbedded itself in a ousine sped to the far-distant field sugar maple some fifteen feet of honor, he reviewed this com away, from which it was later ex pendium of wisdom and patriotic tracted and presented to the Smith activity in search of an answer to sonian Institute. The tree, which his problem. He found it at last in became known as the Dueling Su the life-story of Andrew Jackson. gar Maple, was a major attraction Years before his elevation for years and the center of a vast to high national office, the seventh picnic grounds and motel com President of the United States had plex. In the first decade of the next been in a position similar to that in century, however, it was uprooted which Elvis P. Borax now found to make way for a through highway himself. Having been maneuvered that connected Schenectady, New into just such a duel with just such York, with the new international an opponent and recognizing his airport at Bangor, Maine. Replant own extreme nervousness, Jackson ed with much ceremony in Wash decided to let his enemy have the ington, D.C., it succumbed in a first shot. When, to everyone's sur few short months to heat prostra prise, the man missed and it was tion. Jackson's turn to fire, he took his Borax was hurried to the field own sweet time about it. He lev- hospital nearby, set up for just THE MASCULINIST REVOLT ]9 such an emergency. As the doctors tographed before the duel that worked on him, his chief cam prosthesis for the three or four paign manager, a politician far molars destroyed by the bullet was famed for calmness and acumen a relatively simple matter. But was under stress, came out of the tent piiOSthesis possible for a tongue? and ordered an armed guard post And tould plastic surgery ever re ed before it. store those round, sunny cheeks or Siuce the bulletins released in that heartwarming adglescent the next few days about Borax' grin? condition were reassuring but According to a now firm tradi cryptic, people did not know what tion, the last television debate of to think. Only one thing was defi the eempaign had to be held the nite: he weulllllve. night before Election Day. Mrs. Many rutnors circulated. They Stnmt gallantly offered to call it were su9jected to careful analysis off. The Boxax headquarters re by outstandmg Washington, Hol jected her oifer: tradition must not tywood aDd Broadway columnists. be set aside; the show must go on. Had Mibs really used a dum-dum That night, every single televi bullet? Had it been tipped with a sion set in the United States was in rare South American poison? Had operation, inclucUng even the old the candidate's mother actually black-and-white collectors items. traveled aH the way t1o New York Children were called from their from her gracious home in Flor beds, nurses from their hospital ida's Okeechobee Swamp and rounds, military sentries from their hurled herself upon Old Shep in outlying posts. the editorial offices of the Hairy Clarissima Strunt spoke first. Chest, fingernails scratching She summarized the issues of the and gouging, dental plates biting campaign in a friendly, ingratiat and tearing? Had there been a se ing manner and put the case for cret midnight ceremony in whieh Masculinism before the electorate ten regional leaders of Masculin in her best homespun style. ism had formed a hollow square Then the cameras swung to around Shepheerd L. Mibs and Congressman Borax. He did not say watched Henry Dorselblad break a word, stariag at the audience Mibs' sword and cigar across his sadly out of eloquent, misty eyes. latee, stamp Mibs' derby flat, and He pointed at the half-inch circu solemnly tear Mibs' codpiece from lar hole in his right cheek. Slowly, his loins? he turned the other cheek. There Everyone knew that the young was a similar hole tllere. He .shook congressman's body had been so his head and picked up a large pho painstakingly measured and pho- tograph of his mother in a rich sil- 30 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICnON ver frame. One tremendous tear headquarters. His body was not rolled down and splashed upon the found in the debris, thus giving picture. rise to many legends. Some said That was all. that he was impaled on the points One did not have to be a profes of countless umbrellas wielded by sional pollster or politician to pre outraged American motherhood. dict the result. Mrs. Strunt con Some said that he escaped in the ceded by noon of Election Day. In disguise of a scrubwoman and every state, Masculinism and its would return one day to lead resur protagonists were swept from office gent hordes of derby and cigar. To overwhelmingly defeated. Streets this date, however, he has not. were littered with discarded der Elvis P. Borax, as everyone bies and abandoned bustles. It was knows, served two terms as the suicide to be seen smoking a cigar. most silent President since Calvin Like Aaron Burr before him, Coolidge and retired to go into Shepherd L. Mibs fled to England. the wholesale flower business in He published his memoirs, married Miami. an earl's daughter and had five It was almost as if Masculinism children by her. His oldest son, a had never been. If we discount the biologist, became moderately fa beery groups of men who, at the mous as the discoverer of a cure for end of a party, nostalgically sing athlete's foot in frogs- a disease the old songs and call out the old that once threatened to wipe out heroic rallying cries to each other, the entire French frozen-frogs-legs we have today very few mementoes industry. of the great convulsion: Pollyglow carefully stayed out One of them is the codpiece. of the public eye until the day of The codpiece has survived as a his death; He was buried, as his part of modern male costume. In will requested, in a giant codpiece. motion, it has a rhythmic wave His funeral was the occasion for that reminds many women of a long, illustrated newspaper articles sternly shaken forefinger, warning reviewing the rise and fall of the them that men, at the last, can only movement he had founded. be pushed so far and no farther. And Henry Dorselblad disap For men, the codpiece is still a flag, peared before a veritable aval now a flag of truce perhaps, but it anche of infuriated women which flutters in a war that goes on and screamed down upon Masculinist on. 31 Robert Rohret.. s latest story concerns a deadly remnant from a century-old war-and its violent impact upon the crew of the Southern Star. Inversely, though its setting is far from Earth in the · distant future, its force will be readily felt in terms of the here and now. EXPLOSION h1 Robert Rohrer THE BLACK-HULLED MISSILE potent warhead moving until some ticked invisibly against the night thing got in the way. of space. It jumped rapidly from Again a circuit closed, a rod one predetermined coordinate to moved, and the Atom spewed pow another in an ever-widening er. The missile did not think. It square. The missile had missed its jumped. intended target, so its graduated square had become unusually A few hundred miles from the large. The side it leaped along missile lay the small cruiser now was I 00,000 miles long. Southern Star in a green pool of The missile had been fired a undispersed liquid refrigerant that hundred years before in a war that had accumulated outside her hull. had changed a way of life, a war There was a hole in the hull that that had not ended with the sur a tiny meteor had punched out. render which the beaten side had Since the heat of the rockets would been forced to make. The war was melt the hull if the refrigeration still being fought-not with the system did not function properly, titanic forces of the Atom and the the rockets had been shut off and Machine, but with the minds and the Southern Star lay without souls of men and of others who moving, with her protective screen would be men. down, in the direct path of the The tiny atomic engine of the missile. missile had kept the weapon leap There were two men and two ing from point to point at a con Maxyd in the cone-shaped en stant time rate for a century. It trance room just Ol:!.tside the rocket would keep the missile and the vault of the Southenz Star. One of 32 EXPLOSION 33 the men was tall, half-shaven, and Maxyd, who were already in space glistewng with perspiration on his suits, donned helmets and pre face and his neck. The other man pared to enter the emergency aper was shorter and cooler. The two ture in the pipe. Maxyd were cevered on their faces and paws with brush-like yellow In the control room of the fur; their heads were shaped like Southern Star stood Captain Hen dime-store teddy-bears', and they ry Bittnel. Bittnel was looking out looked almost exactly alike, at the huge forward viewport of the least to the two men. All four wore ship at the white and pink spat the pale blue uniform of their tering of stars on the black dome spaceforce. of the void. Bittnel, too, was going "Dam' pipe," said the tall man. to find a prostitute as soon as he He was unhappy because he was got to Colony Fifteen, but he did impatient to get to the next col not tell his friends. He did not ony, and this repair job would de tell the radio operator who sat to lay the ship for a day, or maybe his left, or the pilot who lounged for two days. "Dam' ole pipe, has in a padded chair before him, or to get busted." He set down the the M11xyd who stood at his right heavy toBls he was carrying and ann. He was not going to tell his stood up and stretched. "Gawd, wife on Earth, either. when I get to Fifteen I'm gonna The Maxyd at Captain Bittncl's get me the biggest whore I can right was named Kaaru. He was find and I'm-" Captain Bittnel's second in com "Shut up," said the shorter man. mand, and he transmitted all of The tall man stopped stretch the complaints of the enlisted ing. "What you say?" Maxyd to Captain Bittnel. There "I said, 'Shut up.' I'm sick and were many complaints, and Bitt tired of you and your damned nel often cursed in the privacy of mouth." his cabin the law which necessi "Oh, you are, well listen, what tated the mixture of men and are you anyway, a-" Maxyd in the crew of any mili "Hee, let us begin," said one of tary ship. the Maxyd. "It is that the time Bittnel Rever tired of watching wastes.'' the stars. There were many dif The tall man turned on the ferent kinds of stars, and they all Maxyd and leered, "Hee, hee, you had individual characters, for -Oh, all right, let's get on it.'' anyone who cared to look care The shorter man put down the fully enough to dig them out. And tools he Jaad brought, and since then when he had had enough of the men had carried the tools the watching any particular star, Bitt- 34 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION nel could stand back and get the "Meteor?" whole effect of the dust and the "No sir, the analyzers show ra fire and the shattered silver, and dioactivity, sir. I think it may be a he never tired of it. missile, sir." "That it is beautiful," said Ka "A missile?" Bittnel saw the aru quietly. others tense from the corners of Bittnel half-turned. He liked his eyes. "Are you sure?" Kaaru. What people said about the "Yes-yes sir, it couldn't be Maxyd race was so much garbage. anything else, sir." They were proud people, Bittnel "When will it hit?" had found that out; but they were "In a minute and a half, sir, if people. He sometimes could not we don't throw up the screen." understand why there was so much Bittnel handed back the head trouble among the crew over them. set. The screen generators would "Where have you an intention burn through the hull without re to go when we are landed at Col frigeration. But four of the crew ony Fifteen?" asked Kaaru in his were down there now, making re low, nasal voice. pairs on the main refrigeration "To the softest bed I can find," pipe. "Get the entrance room on said Bittnel truthfully. The ques the intercom.'' tion made him uncomfortable. "Yes, sir." Baker threw a switch. "I, too," said Kaaru. His stubby Bittnel picked up the intercom muzzle twitched. "The situation mike. 'This is the captain," he among the crew members has im said. "Seal the emergency aper proved a great length since you ture in the main pipe." spoke to your people." A surprised voice said over the Bittnel said, "I think it has. If intercom, "But sir, two Maxies are the enlisted Maxyd would just in there working now.'' ~alize what a great deal of re Kaaru stiffened. Bittnel looked spect I have for them, and I'm at the Maxyd. Kaaru's eyes were sure most of the men have for impassive. Bittnel knew what was them-" behind them. "How far inside are Baker, . the radio operator, they?" he asked. looked up and took off his head "About fifty yards," said the set. "It's the radar chief, sir." voice. Bittnel took the headset and put Bittnel said to Kaaru, "We've one of the phones to his ear and got less than a minute. I've got to spoke into the conical mike. "Har do it.'' ris?" Kaaru said nothing. "Captain, there's a bogey off our Bittnel said into the mike, starboard side, coming fast." Seal the aperture immediately.'' EXPLOSION 35 "Yes, sir," said the voice. There tant, distant as they had never was a sliding sound. been before the the course of Bitt Bittnel turned to· the pilot. nel's friendship with him. "I wiD "Pump the refrigerant back in and tell them. It would be better if I throw up the protective screen." could tell them of your apology "Yes, sir." The pilot's hands for the deaths at the same time." danced over the control board. Bittnel looked at Kaaru sharp Bittnel said to Kaaru, "There ly. The Maxyd were a proud peo wasn't time to get them out." He ple, but there were rules. "You knew that the Maxyd were at that know I can't do that, Kaaru,'' he moment being engulfed by refrig said. erant and battered to death on the Kaaru looked at his open paws connective girders in the pipe. and shrugged. "As you say." "I'm sorry." And he was. Kaaru said slowly, "I under The tall man was talking to two stand this. But will my people un of his friends in his compartment. derstand?" He said, "I got to give it to two of "You must make them under those dam' Maxies today." stand," said Bittnel intensely. One of the friends said, "Nawl" "Kaaru-" "Yeah, I did," said the tall man. An electric horn blared in the "I was on that repair detail; Cap'n ship. That meant the missile had called down, said 'Close up that hit the protective screen, but that emergency dingus, right now,' so I it had not exploded. did and right away ll'hoosh, the Kaaru said, "It did not explode. pipe filled up up with that refrig It is a dud, as you say." He said erant. Heard. those two Maxies this in a matter-of-fact way, but bangin' by inside. Got to go in and there was more accusation in his take 'em out tomorrow. We won't words than an angry tone could get to Fifteen for another day, but have put there. it was worth it, I got to give it to Bittnel said to the pilot, "Send two of those dam' -savages." some demolitions men out to get "Aw, you didn't give it to 'em, that thing inside if they think it's you just did what the Cap'n said." safe, Lieutenant. We can't leave "Yes, the Captain, he give it to it running around out there." He them." felt dried out inside. He had killed "Hell, it was just like givin' it two people, perhaps for no reason. to 'em myself,'' said the tall man. ''I'm sorry, Kaaru. I had no "I'd like to do it again. I'd like to choice, I-" really get me one, good." "I will try to tell my people of "So would I," said one of the it," said Kaaru. His eyes were dis- friends. 36 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION Bittnel was reading the report "It was the fault of the crew of !}te demolitions squad just be men," said Kaaru. fore sack time when Kaaru came Bittnel shook his head. "It was into his cabin. the captain's fault," he said. "The Bittnel stood. "Kaaru, will you captain shouldn't have apologized. sit?" he said, purposely following The Maxyd in the crew took the the translated speech-pattern of apology as a certificate of superi the Maxyd ritual courtesy. ority over the men. They lorded "I would," Kaaru refused. He that apology over the men until omitted the customary opening the men blew up, so the Lincoln expletive, so Bittnel knew his wound up a dead ship. I don't mood was grave. "I have spoken want rioting in my ship, Kaaru, with my people. They are from and if I did what you want I'd be themselves for the departure of running a bad risk of having just their comrades. They talk of-un that, for exactly the same reason. wise things. They demand a per I can't chance it." sonal apology." Either Kaaru ignored the point Bittnel compressed his lips. He or it did not sink in. "The case had half-expected this. The Maxyd with the Lincoln was a different wielded tremendous political in one in circumstance," said Kaaru. fluence in the interplanetary gov ''Yes, but the elements were the ernment because of their position, same, Kaaru," said Bittnel. "Don't until very recently, as an under you see, that's why there's a rule privileged social group. They ex against a captain making any sort pected men to follow their wishes of concession to his crew. It would unquestioningly now that they had destroy his authority over them; gained a certain measure of equal and that would mean no morale, ity. A great deal of misunder no order-" standing was resulting in the "I understand that there is a planets. regulation," said Kaaru. "But I Bittnel did not want any mis cannot make my people realize understanding on his ship. Misun that you are not using this regula derstanding was dangerous on a tion as an excuse because you do long-run voyage in a tiny vessel not wish to apologize to the with no women to relieve the ten Maxies." He said the word bitter sions. Bittnel asked, "Kaaru, do ly. you remember the Lincoln? The Bittnel said, "Your people, my lynchings?" people-Kaaru, we are supposed to Kaaru stood quietly. be one people, one crew on this Bittnel said, "The Lincoln's ship, functioning as a unit. As master tried apology." long as we are working against EXPLOSION 37 each other like this, trying to be "I will try. I will tell them in the one up on each other all the time, morning." there will be no unity. Now the Bittnel smiled and said, "Good." simple fact is that if a captain abases himself before his crew, he At lunch period the next day, loses their respect, and whatever the tall man talked to several of control he has over them. That's his friends across the narrow, long why there's a regulation. I happen mess table reserved for the men. to be the captain of this ship, and The Maxyd always ate at another the people you call your people table, across the mess hall. happen to be part of my crew, and The tall man was bitter. "Look what I did had to be done-so I at those bastards over there," he am going to follow the regula said, pointing. "Look at those tion." hairy bastards. Probably figuring Kaaru said quietly, "This is a out how to get our scalps. I'm glad tremendous insult to my people." those two got it, you know? Them Bittnel scowled and then tried and their dam' hee-hee's, and their again. "Look," he said, holding out dam' pop-eyes. They don't deserve the sheet of paper he had been to sleep in bunks like us, you reading, "This is the report the know that? They're just savages demolitions men sent to me. Look with uniforms on, that's all they at it. If the missile had hit the are. Just a few years ago they were h1,1ll, it would've gone off. It's an still livin' in caves, and that's the old missile, the screen wasn't quite truth. Savages, that's what they solid enough to trigger the war are." head, but the hull would've been. The rest of the men, wide-eyed, Now the thing's holding on by a leaned around the tall one. Every thread. The smallest, the smallest now and then one said, "Yer right, jar could make it cut loose. It's in you know?" the armory now, on braces. Before we get to Fifteen we'll have to At that moment, Kaarn was eject it in a Safe Zone and deto facing Bittnel across Bittnel's nate it. It would have blown this desk. Kaaru put the demolitions ship in half, Kaaru. Those two report carefully on the desk. didn't die for nothing. Tell the "They must have an apology," he others that." said. Kaaru finished reading and Bittnel said, "No. I can't." looked to Bittnel. Bittnel could al "And you mean that you will most see Kaaru's mind turning be not," said Kaaru. "You do not think hind those large, pale eyes. Finally them worthy of an apology from a Kaaru made a decision. He said, man. That is what they think." 38 PANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION "And that's what you think, too, Bittnel was thunderstruck. "You isn't it, Kaaru? That is what you -had me-followed!" he said. think." "Since at the time the situation Kaaru looked to one side and on board was very dire," said Ka said, "It is a matter of honor." aru in a sing-song tone, "and I "Of your honor, isn't it? As was under the thought that such their leader?" Bittnel put his fore information might be of much use head against his folded hands tir to the interests of my people. If edly. "Pressures, pressures," he you choose to ignore their request said. "On me, on you--on all of for satisfaction now, I will be us." forced to send this information to "My people have suffered be the central authorities and to your fore great indignities at the hands wife, and I have hesitated, but of your crewmen," said Kaaru. now I see my duty." "They won't ever again. I've "You would do that!" promised that." "There is the morale of my "It is not enough. They must people to think of," said Kaaru. have proof of your good will." ''You would do that! Why, you For the first time, Bittnel al God-damned, stinking-get out. lowed his irritation to show. "No, Get out of this office." damn it! I won't break regulations, ''You would wish that your wife and that's all there is to it. I am know of your moral turpitude? sorry about what happened, you Very well-" know that, but an open apology is Bittnel charged around his impossible. I'm sorry." desk and took Kaaru by the collar and opened the door and pushed Once again Kaaru's eyes showed Kaaru into the passageway. Kaaru that he had made a decision. He let himself be forced from the of said, "Under the pressure of duty fice; he tripped clumsily into the to the honor of my people, I must opposite wall. Bittnel closed the say this, that I have in my posses door. sion certain documented record of How? How would he explain to your activities on the last two her? What explanation was there, colonies we have stopped in, Cap except that he was a weak man and tain, which it would be disastrous the way things built up inside him for the central authorities-or for on a long trip when he was alone, your wife-to see. You have talked and that they meant nothing to of not breaking the regulations, him, only she meant anything to Captain, and yet you have done it, him- in a far less seemly fashion. You That was the part she would know of what I speak." hate him for most, that the others EXPLOSION 39 meant nothing. She would think of "\Vhat they gonna do?"), I've seen the others, not of herself. There 'em. They always got this head was no way to explain it to her, man who comes and tells 'em what especially from the middle of the the next move's gonna be, before universe. they eat or sleep-or b'fore they He sat at his desk. He had liked jump on somebody." Kaaru. He had heard of the "blood "What!" "What you mean, jump flaw" of the Maxyd, of their cun on somebody?" ning, their underhanded vicious "Just what I said. They get to ness, but he had never believed it gether like that every time b'fore of Kaaru. until now. Kaaru. they close in for killin' somebody. Well, what of it? his mind They can hug you to death, they said. Kaaru is only trying to pro don't look like it, but they can." tect the interests of his people, in "Gawd!" "My blaster's in my the way he has been taught to. He bunk!" "Look at that, they all got knew about you all the time, and guns!" "You better get yours." he never treated you as less than an "Shh! Don't let 'em hear us." equal for it. "Shut up, you bumpkins," said But why, why did he use it the tall man. "Wilks you better get now: against his friend, his cap that gun. Look at 'em there." tain? Bittnel's mind fell just short The Maxyd were growling at of the truth and went pitifully something Kaaru was saying. through the same frustrated cycle Teeth showed. The man called again and again until it was red Wilks scuttled away. and hot with the blood that anger Abruptly, one of the Maxyd forced into his temples. rose and left the mess hall. The At least he didn't have to let tall man said, "Look at that! There Kaaru send whatever material he goes one of 'em!" He bowed his had from the ship. He phoned the head and lowered his voice. "I'm radio operator and put a -ban on gonna go around the other way and all transmissions not in direct catch up to him and see what he reply to an outside call. does. You hear anything funny, "Now I'm right about what I you start shootin', hear?" say," said the tall man. "You see "Sure." "Yeah." "\Vatch it, that skinny one with the bars? man." "\Ve'll get 'em." He's the Cap'n's First Mate, what The tall man left. ever dam' good he is I don't know. Look at him. Look, see how he's Bittnel did not hear the fighting talkin' to 'em? He's gettin' 'm until his phone buzzed and he ready for somethin', I know, I've heard shouting through the re seen 'em work before ("You have?" ceiver behind the chief pilot's 40 PANTASY AND SCIENCE PICTION voice. "Captain Bittnel?" said the across the floor. He had been shot pilot. in a bad place. Bittnel was sur "What is it?" prised he could have talked. "Captain, there's some shooting Bittnel switched on the general going on down here. A Maxie tried intercom and said, "Attention! At to get Baker to send a duplication tention all hands! This is Captain to Earth, and he raised a row when Bittnel! All fighting must cease we told him we couldn't do it, immediately, I repeat, immediate and-" The pilot was breathing ly! All weapons must be laid hard. aside. All those who continue to "Yes?" said Bittnel. fight or to carry weapons after this "Someone on the -companion moment will be thrown into the way-shot the Maxie in the back brig and brought before-" Bitt with a blaster. Right away a lot of nel stopped. He had noticed the shooting started, sounded like it broken glass on the floor. He pull was in the mess hall-and-" ed the top of the intercom open. "\Vhat's the matter, Russell?" The circuits had been torn out and "The-I-" the tubes had been smashed. Bittnel jerked his receiver from Bittnel left the control room. his ear as the pilot's receiver Halfway down the companionway smashed against something. "Rus to the lQ.wer deck, he remembered sell? Russell!" the missile in the armory. What if He could hear shooting in the someone got to the armory? hall outside his office now. He rose He wheeled and jumped back and pulled his blaster from its up the steps and ran through the holster. He went to the door and hall of the main deck. If anyone opened it. A man with no chest shot that missile, or even knocked was lying just outside. A Maxyd it over, the ship would be blown was crouching beside the body. apart. Also, there was extra ammu The Maxyd raised a gun at Bitt nition in the armory. He would nel's face. have to seal the entrance. Bittnel had no time to shout a warning. Instinctively he fired his The tall man was running from weapon. The Maxyd's head compartment to compartment on exploded. the lower deck and shooting any Bittnel moved into the hall. alternate-shift Maxyd who were There was a lot of fighting going asleep inside. The tall man enjoy on below decks; the noise was ed the way the blaster jerked in terrific. his hand and the Maxyd jerked on Bittnel made it to the control their bunks right after. Sometimes room. The pilot was sprawled he deliberately aimed a bad shot EXPLOSION 41 so a Maxyd screamed and writhed Bittnel did not have a chance to the floor, and the tall man to pull his blaster from his holster would wait until the wounded before his arms were pinned to his Maxyd saw him and started crawl sides and he staggered back under ing away from him and then he the force of Kaaru's impetus and would shoot again. crashed into a wall of the armory. Kaaru's grasp tightened and Bittnel slammed the door of tightened around Bittnel's chest, the armory open, jumped inside, and Bittnel's breath came in short, closed the door and locked it, staccato gasps. Then Kaaru shifted and- his hold slightly to increase the "So, Captain!" pressure, and Bittnel's hand moved Bittnel whirled. Kaaru was directly onto the butt of his pistol. crouching in the middle of the Bittnel's hat had fallen to the floor. Bittnel was going to have to floor. Kaaru was already pushing killKaaru. Bittnel into a final, spine-snap Suddenly the whole mass of ping backward bend. Bittnel could emotion that had been accumu not get his gun from his holster, lating in Bittnel's chest since the but he could move it slightly deaths in the refrigeration pipe against his leg. He tried to move welled up and burst through his the barrel against Kaaru's body, throat, and Bittnel shouted "Oh but he could not, so he pulled the damn[" It was a hopeless suppli trigger without aiming. cation, the cry of a lost man. It The blind shot cut through two was a cry against the blood-blind of the four diagonal steel beams ed hatred that made intelligent that supported the black missile people want to kill each other; it horizontally close by. Neither Bitt was a protest against the lone nel nor Kaaru saw the missile rock liness that made weak men look to down on the remaining two beams loose women and weaker men look and snap them and drop to the to worse things, and against the floor. inept military system that made the men lonely for years and years The tall man screamed as the in the tomb of space. terrible red heat of the blast ripped Kaaru did not hear the suppli flesh from his face and body in cation in Bittnel's oath. Kaaru was great chunks. The armory was in responding to centuries of savage the middle of the Southern Star, culture; he was a killer robot who so the ship was blown in half. The leaped at the remote-control com two maimed sections cartwheeled mands of his ancestors. He leaped away from each other into the now, into Bittnel. darkness. ~ THE SCIENCE SPRINGBOARD CRYSTAL SURFACES by Theodore L. Thomas THERE ONCE WAS A TIME of the freshly cut surface of a ti when nobody worried much about tanium crystal showed that much the surfaces of metals and com- of the surface was covered by a pounds; after all, the surface must layer of oxygen atoms. Due to the be the same as the interior. But oxygen, the titanium atoms on as time went on it became appar- the surface had rearranged into a ent that there was something pe- configuration different from that culiar about surfaces. Unexpected existing in the interior of the crys chemical reactions took place tal. It was found that the surface when a surface was near by. So it could be cleaned under vacuum by became necessary to take a close heat and by bombardment with look at surfaces to see what was argon ions, a process known as going on. sputtering. In this manner it he- X rays were no good for the came possible to view a normal purpose; they penetrated too deep- surface, and to move atoms around ly. Neutrons penetrated even on it. deeper. Ordinary light was use- So physicists can now spot the less; the wavelengths were too positions of individual atoms on long and flopped right around the a surface. This might be enor atoms on the surface. Finally mously useful in the storage and somebody thought of using a beam retrieval of information. Memory of slow-moving electrons. The banks in some computers are wave nature of slow electrons was made up of tiny cores, each being such that they reflected and dif- a speck of magnetizable material fracted very nicely. When the dif- with a drilled hole. Each core fracted electrons were directed to contributes to information stor a fluorescent screen, you could sit age by simply being magnetized back and look at the atomic struc- or demagnetized, on or off, yes or tore of a surface, magnified many no. Well, why couldn't the posi millions of times. tion of an atom supply the same in- But early results raised the spec- formation? If an atom in the sor ter of contamination. Inspection face network is here, it means yes, 42 THE SCIENCE SPRINGBOARD 43 if there, no. Slightly more penetrat all the world's knowledge could be ing radiation could be used to read stored on the head of a pin. In out the layers which lie beneath fact, there would be so much the surface. room left over on that pin-head We used to think it wondrous that we could send it on to other to engrave the Lord's Prayer on worlds when we find them so they the head of a pin. Now that we could add their knowledge. Our can read the positions of atoms, pin-head would become a kind of Galactic Library. t::OJ..J..Et::TOa'S ITEMS We have ~ad a number of requests for two back issues of F&SF which are fast becoming collector's items. The first is the May 1963 special Bradbury issue. It contains two stories by Ray Bradbury, a complete index of his works, and a pro file. Cover is by Joe Mugnaini. The second is the November 1963 issue, featuring "A Rose For Ecclesiastes" by Roger Zelazny and "The Eyes of Phorkos" by Sir Lawrence Jones. The beautiful and distinctive cover is by the late Hannes Bok-his last fantasy cover. Only a limited number of copies of either issue are available. There can be no reprints after the supply is exhausted. $1.00 each from Mercury Press, 347 E. 53 St., New York, N. Y. 10022. Willard Marsh (whose new novel, WEEK WITH NO FRIDAY, has ;ust been published by Harper & Row) oDers a poignant demonstration of the Oscar Wilde observation: •It is through Art and Art only that we can shield ourselves from the sordid perils of actual existence." EVERYONE'S HOMETOWN IS GUERNICA by Willard Marsh THE SLENDER RAIN HAD LIFTED even a dishwasher. He'd been fired with the offshore breeze, The gut last night for dropping a bus pan ters, still quick with water, shone full of glasses. Roaming the empty spent yellow in the freshening light streets, his bitterness cooling in the of dawn. A roundshouldered little rain, he had now turned home man in a once white messjacket ward. came up the sidewalk. He watched the choppy waters of the bay Hearing blurred laughter, he against the gray horizon as the sky- glanced up to see a couple hidden line ripened. Perched like a thirsty in the porch of a rooming house. turtle, he craned his short corded Hands linked, they stared beyond neck to watch the changing tints of him toward the seablown stars sunrise. He was an artist. His stub- above the harbor. The artist ducked by fingers had the gift of snaring his head and hurried past them, rhythm, shape and color, looming conscious of his compulsive calling them late evenings in his basement that separated him from normal room until his inner vision took sounds and sights. place on the canvas, hot and distort- When he rounded the comer, a ed, more intimate than reality. He streetcleaner's cart came rumbling was an artist, but no one knew it. toward him. As it bumped along To support himself he washed the cobbles, a kitten darted from dishes in an all-nite cafeteria along behind a trashcan. Impulsively the the waterfront. But now he wasn't artist squatted on his heels. He C 1964 by ike Board of Education of ike Methodist Strullnct Movement 44 EVERYONE's HOMETOWN IS GUU.NICA 45 could see green eyes measuring him But its immature pink belly dis from the shadows. Gently, he drew· tended with milk, told him nothing. the kitten free. It was thin-ribbed Things you should have to ident and damp, the color of the pave ify you. ments that had hatched it. He held It must be a boy, he decided. it till the streetcleaner passed, re That a female of any kind could assuring it it wouldn't be collected. happen to him, even a scrawny But when he set it back down in tochus of a ketzel, was unlikely. It farewell, the kitten hooked its claws would have to have a name. in his pants-leg and clung reproach George, he said, testing it on his fully. tongue. It sounded reasonable. The artist picked it up again in George Ketzel, that's you now. embarrassment. He could feel the Hear? quick thm;l of its heart through his Unaware that it had become a jacket, a ridiculously confident soul of sorts, the kitten curled up rhythm of survival for something on a mound of laundry, where it so small and hoodooed. Probably awaited further opulence. And swarming with fleas. Still, if it now the artist felt a cleansing sense could intimidate the mice he sup of exhilaration: part light-headed posed he could settle for the fleas. ness from hunger or fatigue, part Back in his room, the artist mere committal to routine again, if dumped the kitten on the floor. It only through the frail committal of stretched, yawned, then began George Ketzel. searching for food. Such an op Hastily clearing the table, he set timist. Its sniffing led it across the out his cans and jars and brushes cracked linoleum to the streaked and placed a fresh canvas on the wall, then under the stove. It em easel. He had lived alone for so long erged with a caking of dust and a that another creature with him was shaken confidence to send up an in like summer in his room. Gradually sistent feeble yowling. The artist the old hypnosis took hold, the idiot remembered the can of milk in the rhythm of creation. Eye hefted per windowsill. He filled a saucer and spectives, wrist moved on subter added some stale bread. Standing ranean levels of its own. Occasion above the kitten, he smiled at the ally he'd swim out of it to watch the steady feathery purring which dozing kitten, addressing it in swallowing barely interrupted. Yiddish with a clumsy mixture of Such an animal, he told it. Such tenderness and obscenity. By the a sad excuse for a ketzel. time full morning grew across the When the kitten had finished, easel, he knew he had an under the artist hoisted it aloft. painting worth completing. Are you a girl ketzel or a boy? Day lengthened; he napped 46 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION some, drank too much tea and ed above the skillet, tantalizing argued too loudly with the kitten. smells rose in the room. The artist But toward evening, when he'd drew a deep breath and let it out been working for almost twelve with a sign. At the sound the wom hours, he knew he had it. Some un an turned. reachable inner censor admitted it Breakfast will be ready soon, would do. It lay, blocked and quiet she said. on the canvas, waiting for the Breakfast? he asked. colors which would wrench it into As soon as you get dressed. life. And even if the finished paint His mind came automatically up ing were to hang in some forgotten through his bewilderment to ask corner, its fierce light wasting like something. But instead he nodded, uranium, it was still necessary. obediently pulling on his socks. Too exhausted to fall asleep im The woman watched him with a mediately, he lay listening to the calm smile as she continued cook dinner-hour noises, the familiar ing. He hurriedly finished dressing. quarrels sifting from the upper Then he sat down again on the edge floors. Presently, as sleep and dusk of bed, not knowing quite what was approached together, he was vague expected of him. She glanced up in ly aware of the kitten huddling be surprise. side him, its fur soft and smelling Aren't you going to wash? as he thought a woman's armpits Wash? he said. Oh yes, of might. Then, as with men in all the course. \\'ash. rooming houses of the city, a lovely He squeezed into the kitchenette lady came and bent into his slupl and doused his face at the sink. ber. Drying himself, he noticed a large Morning broke, gong-yellow, fish skeleton on the scrubbed drain slanting brassily through the torn board. The kitten seemed to have shade. 1 he artist swung his feet to gotten out the window during the the floor and began groping for his night. He thought of asking the socks. Then he came fully awake. woman if she'd noticed, but then It wasn't the same floor anymore. It forgot as he watched her set the was as scrubbed and immaculate as table with a fluid grace. She was new, if it ever had been new. Even probably, he decided, just about the the woodwork had been eased of its most beautiful woman he'd seen in layered grime. He slowly raised his his life. Close up, at least. He clear head. A woman was standing over ed his throat. the gleaming stove, her back to So ~hat's that you're cooking? him. Her voice had a throaty breath-. She was slight, with delicate ears lessness, as if on the edge of laugh and long tawny hair. As she hover- ter. Her eyes, when he tried to meet BVERYONE'S HOMETOWN IS GUERNICA 47 them, were greenly secluded. She to study his reflection in shop win heaped his plate high, seated her dows in shy approval. Returning self and began feeding with a quick from these walks, regardless of the delicacy. hour, he'd find the woman waiting He would have liked to know -smilingly silent, passive. more about her, but she had a cur Then late one sultry afternoon tained independence that made the painting was completed. The communication clumsy, and finally artist examined it objectively, or unnecessary. When breakfast was tried to. As the easel shimmered be over she washed the dishes, scrub fore him, a nervous excitment bed the table and left. Presently he gradually possessed him. He had heard water running in the bath brought into being a castoff kitten, tub down the hall. He set his paints. not unlike the one he'd lost. He had out again at the easel, but it was placed it against a stark sidewalk hard to concentrate. He supposed where rooming houses festered the kitten, wherever it was, would rawly. But it was something more be back eventually. After awhile than just an abandoned kitten. Dig the woman returned, curling on the ging beyond the surface tags of bed to watch him. loneliness and hunger and despair, After preparing a light lunch of he had, by some subtle emotional spaghetti and fishballs, she disap photography, managed to snatch peared once again. And again she the dark old shape of misery. The came in with her hair damp and a kitten's eyes, like those of Tiresias, sleek shine to her complexion. As had turned inward, grown blind, the afternoon deepened, he fell in wise, and all-seeing with suffering. to an easy work rhythm. Humming You suspected it was going to die tunelessly he glanced up now and before the night was out-and yet then to watch her stretch and you suspected it was going to die in yawn, pink-mouthed, from the dignity. That death, the greatest shadows. indignity of all, could yet be met, The days passed in a summerish was continuously worth saying. monotone. He would awake to a Everyone's home town is Guernica. mopped room, clean underwear Staring at his work, the artist felt and the sizzling skillet smells. He confidence rising sweetly in his would paint for what might have veins. He ran out into the dusky been hours at a stretch : the clock streets. His excitement had grown had long since run down. And too intense to fit the narrow room. when he went abroad, the streets But when he came in sight of the admitted him. He'd lost his apolo downtown art galleries, some of getic slouch and now went buoy this assurance left him and he slow antly erect, even pausing at times ed to a walk. 48 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION He edged inside a smaller gal canvas, uncertainly attempting to lery where several \veil-dressed peo lighten the overcast quality, per ple were patrolling the thickly haps reduce the harshness just a carpeted gloom, conversing in rev little. His anxiety began communi erent \Yhispers. The artist took in cating itself to the woman. She the exhibits with a quick trained moved around the room with a sul glance. He saw the customary len restlessness. groupings of still lifes and pastor Along toward dawn he quit ales-competent, conventional and work. The woman wasn't around, thoroughly predictable. Nco but now and then she disappeared Grandma Moseses faced rehashed about this time on some errand of Mondrians for contrast, only none her own, probably to search for of it contrasted. Somewhat more at food. With a dragged-out feeling ease, he wandered over to the prize the artist threw himself across the exhibit. bed to wait for her return. Aft It was a large oil painting of a er a while he dropped into a doze, horse, a handsome black stallion. unrefreshing and uneasy. Nothing was omitted but imagina He awoke abruptly, still dressed. tion. Every hair of the mane was in Afternoon sunlight was seeping place. lt was all horse, enough to through the shade. It fell thinly on shame a taxidermist. Then the the littered table and the unswept artist noticed the price tag, tucked floor. The sink was still heaped discreetly in a corner. with last night's dishes. ·The wom He couldn't understand. It was a an was gone. He would. have called figure that exceeded the necessities her, but he didn't know her name. of life-his modest life from birth Padding over to the easel, the until this nioment, in any event. He artist faced last night's accomplish kept t·.-.;:mining the painting to dis ment. The painting was a parody cover the reason for its value. But of itself. All the original fury had the explanation lay in a dimension been extinguished by a soggy ap he was too disturbed to find. Look plication of diplomacy and erasure. ing up in confusion, the artist saw There was nothing left but a tabby a tidily-accountered clerk, the cat smiling at its good-willed can horse's groom, eyeing him in dis vas world. Get well, it seemed to taste. He slipped outside and took say, it's Christmas. the long walk home. The artist closed his eyes. Then, There, he reappraised his paint through his despair, he heard a ing. It looked more powerful than faint hungry mewing. And now he ever. But that meant it must be too knew the woman's name. But when strong, too bitter. Slowly he set out he opened his eyes and called her, his paints again. He peered at the only the kitten came. ~ ]ody Scott (GO FOR BAROQUE, June 1961) says that she has lived a "Theater of the Absurd Life"' and after reading the story below, we have no reason to disbelieve her. There are some people who think that Little Orphan Annie is a comic strip. If you are under that particular misconception THE 2-D PROBLEM wiU soon set you straight-as it will give you a fresh and funny and far-out (if somewhat nihilistic) focus on "reality.• THE 2-D PROBLEM by Jody Scott HANDSOME YOUNG DR. RAKE inhaled; he held it for thirty Savage relaxed at the Moon PX, seconds amid waves of rolling smoking imported pot, digging pleasure. the view of endless white desert The waiter broke the spell with and glittering craters. On the a phone call. bandstand, what looked like a ''I'm out," Rake choked, an split-leaf philodendron with a noyed. high I.Q. was belting tender love "Sir, it's an emergency. You're songs about pollinization. wanted at once." Rake was all keyed up. His That was the bloody drag about dancer friend Wand a came on being head of the Lunar Quaran next. Picture this gorgeous starlet tine Psychology Department; ev from Polaris, ten times lovelier ery busboy and hat check girl is than any show-business type from your super-ego. The Moon was the Earth. Bosoms perfect in shape Ellis Island of the gay new cen yet larger than bedpillows. The tury, and immigrants from other audience regresses into savagery worlds were quarantined here be when she does her famous routine fore being granted (or denied) balanced naked on ten Sirian Earth citizenship. A very explo gladiators with a laser beam in sive scene. Anythin'g could hap each hand, singing Moon River. pen, and everybody knew it. ("A keen sense of sex and danger" On the screen, Rake's assistant -N.Y. Herald Tribune.) Wait Morehouse looked frantic. ing on pins and needles, Rake "Doc," said Morehouse. 49 50 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION Rake sighed. "Take a tranqui· Wand a batted her lashes, ac· lizer; I'm watching Wanda." cepting a Durango Special and a Morehouse blotted his forehead light. "Oh, crazy, this imported with the sleeve of his white coat. stuff is right up my alley," she "I just can't handle this Callis· breathed. tan." "Well don't get carried away. "Don't be silly! He's only thirty We've got to leave. Morehouse inches tall." can't handle my Callistan." "Doc, uncanny things are hap ''Your Callistan? And who is pening." that, sweetie?" "What uncanny things?" "Oh, just a little humanoid "It's like a nightmare; I'm los with sad eyes and soft green fur." ing my mind." "Sounds darling." "I sl'e. Of course that's an occu· "He is darling. Like an import pational hazard. I'll be there di ed teddy bear." rectly," said Rake, and broke the "How nice. I always sleep with connection. Wanda, in spotlights a teddv bear." and nothing else, was electrifying. "Not with Gax, you don't! He's She was backed by a group of teen an adult male, our first specimen age li;-ards called The Saurians from Callisto; kind of like being who ''"ere doing A Pretty Polarian the very first tiger in the very first Girl Is Like a JHelody in neo zoo." rock-&-roll. The audience went "An adult male teddy bear," absolutely mad; except for the Wanda sparkled. Earth girls, who were crushed, "Yeah; what a historic mo· shattr··cd, weeping. For the past mentl \Ve're going to send an centu rv they had realized that an Earth snrcimen to Callisto in ex ugly Polarian chick is twice as change.;' gorgeous as the most gorgeous "Hook me," Wanda murmured, Earth chick. Ego bruisim!? You referring to her transparent bikini. know it! But luckily Earth girls 'Why not send Morehouse? Then had discovered that a sprav-on he can never interrupt us again." tranquilizer works three times Rake hooked, enjoying his work. faster than ordinarv tablets. which "Let's hope nothing serious is kept them ahead of the game. wron~. He said something about But Wanda-wow-this little 'uncanny nightmares' -do you doll was too much. suppose he's snapped under the After her number she bounced strain? Come on, let's hurry." over to Rake's table, breathless. Thev took the elevator car to "\Vas I good?" the quarantine section and walked "Good? You were a sensation." down the long corridor. Wanda THE 2-D PROBLEM 51 disliked this section; it was unset uals? 'Callistans absorb the culture tling. The corridor was lined with and re-exude it.' You read that to glassed-off rooms which simulated me! You figured it was just a pe life on various planets. It was a dantic way of saying they adapt place of horrible frozen gases and readily, remember?" chilling sound waves, and minia "Quit saying you-you-you and ture burning deserts where sen get to the point," Rake snapped. tient beasts murdered and ate their "Brace yourself, Doc. This is his 'cattle'-ghastly! There were blobs room.'' of lemon jello with beating hearts, Morehouse flung the door ope11. and monkeys two inches tall, and Inside was a bed, fireplace, bowl cobra-headed Denebians with that of goldfish, hooked rug, picture smell between wet goat and pulp window and the little Callistan mill, and some of them would himself in a rocking chair. He bang on the glass and shriek when was Late Walt Disney, almost to you walked past- the point of obscenity, and Wanda "U gh! And these creeps are de fell in love. manding Earth citizenship," Wan "Morehouse tells me we got da shuddered. problems," said Dr. Savage with "Hush! Remember, the last de phony heartiness. He glanced partment head got canned for def around and saw nothing out of amation." place and felt greatly relieved. Morehouse rushed out. "It's not Gax stared at Wanda. "My God! my fault," he cried instantly. May I touch those exquisite mam Rake said, "What isn't your mary glands? I've never seen an fault? Pull yourself together!" X-cup before." "I gave Gax a pile of comic "Certainly, if I may touch those books to read," Morehouse said, al velvety little feelers," Wanda most weeping. blushed. "Fine; that's a harmless diver- "No fraternizing," barked Sav SIOn.. " age. "Gax, what's up? Out with it "No, no! These people take and no clowning around!" things literally. He believes in the Gax shrugged. He jerked his comic books." thumb at the far wall. "See for "So what? I spent my whole yourself, Doc." childhood believing in comic On the wall was Little Orphan books and look how successful 1 Annie. Her arms were folded and am." she was tapping one foot, glaring "Doc, you don't understand," furiously out of her round white Morehouse yelled. "Remember eyes. She was two-dimensional, when you studied the briefing man- but very much alive. Suddenly 52 PANTASY AND SCIENCE PICTION above her head appeared a balloon his hand and arm slide right containing the words, "Are you the through-tum into a two-dimen chief of this crazy outfit?" sional hand and arm seemingly Rake fell back, stunned. Wanda drawn right on the surface of the grabbed his arm; Morehouse just wall! With an exclamation, he stood there. snatched his hand back, and Lit Gax said, "Excuse me, Doctor, tle Orphan Annie gave a nasty but her sound track gets stuck." snicker. He slapped the wall a couple of "If this scares you, wait until times and Annie gasped and spoke. you get trapped in Dimension She said, "Are you the chief of Five," she said cruelly. this crazy outfit?" "Now just a damn minute," Although badly jolted, Rake Rake said. "Can't we be friends?" sai~. "Uh, yeah! But how did you "With you, you kidnapper? get here?" Hah." Annie gave a short bitter laugh. "In that case we11 be right "Are you kiddin', Thick-face? You back," said Rake. He propelled engineered the whole thing! And Wanda and Morehouse into the if you molest me, or harm one hair corridor and slammed the door. o' my head, I'll have Punjab trap "You idiot," he snapped at door you into the fifth dimension!" Morehouse. 'What made you give Rake licked his lips, which Gax comic books to read?" tasted like cardboard. He took a "How was I to know? You told minute to study the situation calm-. me to acquaint him with this cul ly. It appeared as though a color ture. You're the department head slide were being projected on the -whv didn't you check the origi wall; but there was no projector. nal reports?" Little Orphan Annie stood in a Wanda said, "Oh, Rake, this is back alley in broad daylight. Rake terrible. What are you going to could see a row of garbage cans, do?" trees, the rear stairs of houses, a "\Veil, let's not get excited," brilliant blue skv with a couple of said Rake. "I never realized that fleecv clouds. The trees moved in a Little Orphan Annie could be so gentie breeze; their leaves rustled; downrieht belligerent, did you?" one leaf fell to the ground at An Morehouse said, "She's upset nie's feet; it was colored brown because Sandy bit an attendant and orange and it had a narrow and is now muzzled in the lab, brown border drawn around its being tested for rabies." ed!!e. Rake's curiosity got the best Rake groaned. "Why couldn't of him. He touched the colored you at least keep it simple?" picture, and was horrified to see "Don't blame me," Morehouse THE 2-D PllOBLEM 53 said angrily. "It happened after I that outfit off the rack, or who de phoned you. I called the attendant signed it for you?" to help me and he stuck his hand "Of all the goddam nerve," An in and Sandy took a bite out of it, nie said, slow and cold. so we grabbed Sandy and hauled Rake laughed, confused. "I did him off to the lab, and Annie got n't mean it that way; I'm really a mad, and half an hour later you great admirer of yours. Why, Ire waltz in and start giving me hell." member the time you beat up eight ~well, it's nobody's fault," Rake Communist hoodlums all at once, said, visualizing how all this single-handed, and I remember all would look on a report. 'Wanda, your little talks about goodness, get back to the PX. Morehouse, and morality, and if 'Daddy' War you wait here. If I yell, rush in bucks were president he'd make fast. I'm going to try to reason everybody good, just by example, with that little brat, and get her to and-" go back where she came from, and "Listen, Thick-face, I didn't put an end to this nonsense right ask to be dragged here and de now." famed by a cornball like you! The He entered Gax's room and a~ sooner I get back to my own comic preached the far wall, smiling in a strip the better, because yours friendlv, sincere manner. stinks. I'm warning you: if 'Dad "W~II. well," he said heartily. dy' hears about this he'll have you "Little Orphan Annie in person, pulled." after all these years! I can't tell Rake was feeling cold sweat on you how thrilled I am. What are his palms. "Meaning what?" you now-about a hundred and "Meaning you'll be yanked out fifty years old? And still wearing of this strip, out of this space-time the same red dress, how nice, and continuum, out of the minds of your hair still bright orange and everybody who ever knew you; in frizzier than ever! This gives me short, out. Like you never even ex such a wonderful sense of conti isted. Get the idea?" nuity. Do you mind if I call you "You wouldn't do anything so L.O.A.? And you can call me Doc horrible." tor Savage." But in his heart he knew she'd Annie was speechless with rage. wipe him out (after all, why not?) Rake knew he was sticking his on the slightest provocation. Inad foot in it, but he couldn't stop vertently he thought of that TV talking. "And how nice: you're commercial from Wolf IV, where wearing the same belt, the same the people are twenty feet tall stockings, the same shoes-what 'For power and punch, an Earth darling accessories-did you buy man for lunchl'-and he knew 54 PANTASY AND SCIE.NCB PICTION things like this were no longer quick! Here comes a smaller speci just nursery rhymes to scare the men! Why, any zoo would pay a kiddies. . . . At that moment, fortune for one of them!" Rake heard the noise of a motor 'Daddy made an expert rush at and saw, a little to the right of Gax, whirling the lasso and bel L.O.A.'s curly orange head, a lowing as he came. Gax grabbed a speck in the sky expand and take glass of water from the night stand the shape of a tiny helicopter and and smashed it against the waH expand some more, motor roaring. over 'Daddy's' round bald gleam Annie said, "Leapin' lizards, it's ing wealthy-looking head. 'Daddy' 'Daddy'! Now you're in trouble, immediately turned to the side Thick-face." and disappeared. The helicopter grew full-sized "Isn't that a bitch?" Gax pant and circled once and landed. ed. "If you fight these 2-D creeps 'Daddy' jumped out and raced to like a man, they turn to the side ward them, diamond stickpin and disappear.'' gleaming in the sun, round eyes Dr. Savage was galvanized with shining with horror. "Annie, get panic and frustration. He began back! It may be contagious!" rushing around, gathering all the "Too late now," said L.O.A. comic books and flinging them in glumly. "Anyway The Reader's Di to the fireplace and setting fire to gest says it's similar to leprosy; them with his lighter. He heard takes years of togetherness before Gax scream, and whirled; but it you finally catch the disease." was too late. Warbucks and the "I hope you're right," said 'Dad giant Punjab were already cram dy,' uncoiling a rope on his waist ming Gax into the helicopter, and and flicking it about in a virile out of Gax's mouth flowed a long manner. His eves never left Dr. white balloon containing the Sava!!e. He said, "Isn't that dis heart-rending words, "EEEEEEKI gusting? It's a nightmare come DOC! HELP!. . . ." true. I've read in Britannica about Before Rake could even get to these people with thickness, but the wall, they took off and buzzed who could believe in such a mon away. strosity? Look at his hands, his In the back seat of the helicop ugly, solid hands. And that face! ter, L.O.A. thumbed her nose at It turns mv stomach. He's too llLondon-the "Morehouse," he rapped out trees, the spires in the distance, the when his assistant appeared. "I whole scene fascinated and thrilled want you to have another Callistan Rake; he wanted to see more, but imported, immediately. No, no, Holmes opened his eyes and stared, don't argue! We have no choice! with the most heavy-lidded, pierc And do it fast before it's too late, ing gaze Rake had ever encoun understand? .. ," tered, at the two psychologists. The magnetism of the man was Three hours later, Savage was unsettling. Rake was glad Wanda giving the new Callistan, whose wasn't around; he knew that she name was Zoon, an inkblot test. would go for this tall cool English Morehouse watched. "How does type. He gathered his wits and said, it look, Doc?" "Mr. Holmes, I'd like to hire you "Lousy, but it's our only for a little job." chance," Savage said grimly. Holmes yawned. "Come up to "And this blot looks like a guy present time, Doctor." killing a guy," Zoon said. "And this "Meaning what?" blot, it looks like a man choking "I've been the man in the detec another man with a piece of piano tive field for 200 years, right?" wire. And this blot; why, that's "Right." odd; it looks like a guy killing a "So trying to hire me is like guy. And this blot-now there's an drafting Tutankhamen to run for unusual one; it looks like a guy stab- · president. Theoretically it's possi- THE 2-D PJlOBLEM 57 ble,- but only to a very subtle, pow "Right. He kidnapped a patient erful intellect, with an enormous of mine. I want you to track him expense account." down." "Uh-how did you know you've "Impossible." been the top detective for 200 ''Why impossible?" years?" "Booked solid! You should try "First, there's a calendar on the someone like Dick Tracy." wall behind you. Second, you aren't "A splendid idea," cried Savage. out hiring James Bond or one of "By the way, are you still on co the Sam Spade offshoots. Third, I caine?" recognize consuming hero worship Holmes laughed aloud. "By all when I see it." Holmes stretched means. It opens up many a sealed and rubbed the back of his neck. He vault. Here, let me give you a reached up with languid grace and signed testimonial to show your lo closed the window. "No use con cal police." taminating our picturesque nine "They'd scream! They use noth teenth century with your canned ing but pure, wholesome mari lunar air!" juana. Frankly, us marijuana smok "How did you know this is the ers would rather fight than switch." moon?" "How nice for you," said Holmes "Not being exactly blind, I see "While we're chatting, whatever the full Earth out the window." happened to Conan Doyle?" "What kind of a doctor am I?" "Died." Holmes chuckled. "Rorschach "And after that? ... But I can papers all over the floor, endless see you've got a lot of evolving to test questions, Scotch on the do; don't let me stand in your way," breath- But why come to me? I'm and Holmes disappeared. working on the Sign of the Four "Wow," said Savage. "But no and have no time to Jose." time to waste. Go dig up a stack of "Help me and I'll give you the Dick Tracy comics, on the double." solution!" After the comic books were col "Tot tot, that wouldn't pay; lected, Zoon was instructed to start time refuses to bend. You'd go out reading. Soon Dick Tracy materi like a candle." alized on the wall. It was night "Say, Annie threatened me along there, with a full moon in the up those same lines." per left-hand corner above police "And who is Annie?" headquarters. Seeing them, Tracy "Little Orphan. You've heard of yelped and shielded his face. "No "Daddv' Warbucks?" pictures! I'll sue you lousy rats! Holmes thought. "The comic Who says I can't claim Junior as a strip tycoon?" dependent? So what, he's a bUD- 58 PANTASY AND scmNCE PICTION dred and ten and a half! And that Rake sighed. Finally Dick Tracy city-hall payoff is a legitimate de re-appeared, his square jaw set. duction. And it's a stinking lie I've "Bad news," Tracy said glumly. been cleaning up on tax free pro "What! What bad news?" tection dough in the first ward-" "Gax won't come." "Easy, Tracy, easy," Rake "Gax won't come?" soothed. "We're not from Internal "That's right. He says to tell you Revenue. We just want you to do your reality is a mess and a mis a little job for us." take from the beginning, and he's "What kind of a job?" converted. Says that Little Orphan Savage told him. The pinpoint Annie's strip is by no means the eyes grew thoughtful under the yel Elysian Fields, but at least it low snap-brim. There was some makes more sense than your strip." haggling over fee, but Tracy finally "Dammit, this is not a comic jumped at eight pecks of lasers (to strip! This is real life!" sell to the death-ray factory) plus Tracy smiled sympathetically. a truckload of raw photons (illegal ''That's what they all say," he here, Tracy explained, because they soothed. turn you on to sheer mad joy when Rake sank down into a chair, mixed with frozens shadows ancl shattered. "Well, that's that," he belted down). said. ''I'm ruined. I'll be black Then the wall went blank. balled all over the galaxy; I'm Rake paced the floor. He cracked cooked." his knuckles, sent out for coffee, Zoon was looking at Tracy's ate some aspirin and paced the hand with a magnifying glass. He floor some more. Zoon picked up said, "Hey, Doc, did you ever no a copy of Our Lady of the Flowers, tice that this guy is made up of a by one Jean Genet, but Rake bunch of little colored dots?" snatched it out of his hands. Zoon "It's a lot more high-class than picked up a Golden Bible but Rake protein molecules," Tracy said screamed and confiscated it. "Go stiffiy. play with boats in the bathtub," he "I'm absolutely dead," Rake ordered. He groaned, staring at the moaned. full Earth out the window. An un Zoon said, "Doc, you talk like a believable sight, that great globe cube. All we gotta do is substitute hanging in the western sky! Impos my passport for Gax's, claim Gax sible to realize that a couple bil never existed, and send me to Earth lion creatures not only lived on it, instead." but actually took it seriously, con "By gad, there's a plan!" sidered it of consuming impor Zoon smiled. "I'm more the type tance. Rake brooded, Rake paced, anyway. I'm an other-directed con- THE 2-D PROBLEM 59 formist, crazy about mass culture rorsl" he shrieked. "Why you thick and big white lies and all that. faced, self-centered little monster! Why, you should see me dodge re You freak, you can't insult a big sponsibility while making speeches name and get away with it! I'll ruin about how responsible I ami" you! I'll 2-D your head and leave "Splendid," cried Rake. "You your body in the round! I'll kidnap sound like an old-line Earthman all your sexy Polarians and let from way back." Earthwomen rule the world again! "I am, I ami I'd do anything for . . . Say, there's a punishment and security. And just think : in the a half," and he turned to the side zoo, I'd have tenure. For that I'll and disappeared. flatter everybody night and day. Zoon was outraged. ''The nerve I've studied your advertising and of that second-class citizen, call I understand the method. Why, ing you names," said he. "But the Gax would just act independent, hell with him. I got another won and insult those Earth snobs, and derful idea. Know what you can wind up in front of a firing squad." send to Callisto in exchange for "H'm," said Rake, caressing his me? This." chin thoughtfully. "One point: He picked up the goldfish bowl don't materialize any more of these and set it in Rake's hands. two-dimensional horrors, under "But that's nothing but an ordi stand? Because if you do, they'll nary dime-store goldfish," Rake ride you right out of Earth on a said. rail." "Shh, Doc, my God, you've in "Doc, do I look like a nut? All I sulted enough groups for one day," want to do is conform." Zoon whispered. "No kidding, look. Rake had forgotten Tracy. The Look with the eyes of a Callistan. detective was quivering with rage Have you ever seen anything more and insult. "Two-dimensional hor- unbelievable?" ITS CORRECT TO CLIP/ Filling in the coupon on the next page oilers the following advantages: 1. Guaranteed monthly delivery to your door of the best in science fic tion and fantasy reading. 2. Reduced rate-it's cheaper to subscribe than to buy your copies at the newsstand. 3. An essentially unmarred copy of this issue-the coupon is backed up with this box, and its removal does not affect the te:d of the surrounding material. 60 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION Rake looked at the goldfish. It 3-D; it went from the man's hand opened and closed its little mouth, to Sandy's neck. Sandy bent at the staring back at Rake. Yes; when corners of the room. On his face you stopped to think of it, here was the traditional look of the dis was a solid gold, goggle-eyed indi dainful aristocrat manhandled by vidual alive in a genuine watery a dim-bulb peasantry. world, so near and yet so far, with Rake said, "He tested negative, I translucent fins, gently stirring the presume?" water, and its eyes mirroring eons The attendant looked sheepish. of undistilled history. . . . "We couldn't test him. We couldn't "Perfect! We'll send the fish to take a saliva sample, we couldn't Callisto," Rake said happily. stick a hypo into him, it kept com Zoon said, "Fine, and earlier to ing out the other side, and he day I had the idea copyrighted, and would laugh; it was embarrassing." my attorney has drawn up a little "Well, just let the S.O.B. go and agreement here giving me ten per hope we never see him again." cent of all you guys make off this The attendant unsnapped the fish in the future, so if you'll just leash from Sandy's neck, and San sign right here-" dy with a parting sneer bounded off down the alley. "Release Sandy," Rake ordered. When Rake went out, the at An attendant came in with the tendant was sweeping up all the dog. Rake watched with interest as balloons containing the word "Arf" the attendant led Sandy around the and dumping them gingerly into walls of the room. The leash was theashcan. ------Mercury Press, Inc., 347 East 53 Street, New York, N.Y. 10022 F-8 Send me The Magazine of FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION. I enclose 0 $5.00 for one year 0 $9.00 for two years. 0 $12.50 for three years. Name .••••••••••••••••..•.••••..•.•.•. • · ••••••• • •.•••..••.•• Pie- print Address ••••••••••••••••••••.•••••••••••••••••••••••••.•••••• City . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • State • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Zip # ...... BOOKS I DON'T LIKE PROGRAM NOTES. IF of the 2000 devotees of the Digest, I read them at all, it is only after you already know what the giggling the concert. At art exhibits, I use is about.) the catalog to check on a piece I've THE WORM RE-TURNS is a se already looked at enough; time lection of spoofs, satires, fantasies, enough then to find out what the parodies, verse, cartoons, science exhibitor, or even the artist, fiction, and surreal-science, from thought I should see in his work. the first five years of a remarkable As for prefaces, I turn back to them publication which is the offshoot of enthusiastically, if-and only if the remarkable achievements of a the contents of the book have made remarkable group of people whose me curious about the comments. efforts center on the work of Pro The first item on the table of fessor McConnell's Planaria Re COntentS of THE WORM RE-TURNS"' search Group at the University of is a "Compulsory Preface" by the Michigan's Mental Health Re editor; right after it is an introduc search Institute. These are, of tion, "Behold the Lowly Worm," by course, the world's worm runners. Arthur Koestler, which the book What they do is run worms jacket also lists as "compulsory." through mazes, subject them to I compromised and started with electric shocks, split their heads Koestler. If you share my stubborn and slice off their tails, and edu ness in such matters, I suggest you cate them by feeding them to each fight your own compulsions this other. What they htne done with once, and go along with Dr. Mc all this activity is establish firmly Connell's. The book will be hilari that-in asexual reproduction at ous either way, but if you know least-acquired characteristics can where it came from, and what it's be inherited. (That's right; here all about, it will be even funnier. we go again.) What they do in their (Of course, if you are already one spare time is write lab reports the- •THE WORM RE-TURNS, The Best from the Worm Runner's Digest, edited by James V. McConnell, Prentice-Hall, 1965, 182 pp., $3.95. 61 62 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION oretical essays, letters, and non yet I suppose (though nobody sense of all sorts for the Digest knows) which is probably the only publi One is 'go' while the other is cation which consistently parodies 'went' ..• itself, being as it is half dead-seri ous scientific journal and half ... "Body Ritual among the Naci Better let McConnell say it. rema," (the original users of Seru From his preface: "I believe that tan, no doubt) is an anthropologi the Digest is proof that a great cal study which may yet undermine many scientists can appreciate hu the entire American plumbing in mor even when it's pointed at their dustry. "On the Nature of Mathe own life's work, that a scientist can matical Proofs" is . . . be both half-serious and half-wit." Well, all I meant to do was pick The book is entirely from the out a few favorites. And I haven't witty half. Among the choicer yet mentioned the bulk of the vol chortles selected for the RE-TURN ume, which consists appropriately are a group of pop-eyed planarian enough of psychological and psy cartoons by l\1umme; a lesson in chiatric psatires. Here, for the Logogenetics by Damon Knight; a first time in a single volume, are deadpan delight entitled "The Ef the original reports on such pro fect of a Prefontal Lobotomy on the vocative new schools of thought as Mounting Behavior of the Congo hydroanalysis, tail envy, the food lese, Red-Eyed, Thyroidectomized ian psycholosis, nasal psychosexual Tsetse Fly;" a small nightmare of development, the cokological pro "A Bedtime Tale for Astronods" jective technique, and lots more. called "Population Debris;" and Finally, there is McConnell's own some neo-cuppian historical dis "Learning Theory," one of the coveries like "Einstein's Girl Fri more memorable stories from the day," "How Newton Discovered the old (Quinn) Worlds of If. Law of Gravitation," and "The Mr. Koestler's Compulsory In Truth about Mendel." troduction provides a vivid and Then there is Peter Runkel, comprehensive account of the fablist and versifier. To sample the background and history of worm sampler: running itself, and the significance of the worm runners' findings so The conspicuous thing far. He starts by saying: About a worm "One of the last Palinurian joys is: he's never loose of civilized middle age is to sit in but: he's never firm front of the log-fire, sip a glass of Each end's the same brandy, and read the Worm Run for all intent ner's Digest." IOOU 63 THE WORM RE-TUI\NS is the Di least tries to make good its titular gest, distilled. claim to being the "Year's Best SF," -jUDITH MERRIL I feel it would be inappropriate for me to review other anthologies in NOTE: the field. The rest of this column This is Anthology-Catchup has therefore been prepared by Month at F&:SF Books. As editor Fritz Leiber and Ted White. of an annual anthology which at -J. M. WORLDS OF WEIRD, Selected by Leo Margulies, Introduction and Notes by Sam Moskowitz, Pyramid, 50¢ THE DARK SIDE, Edited by Damon Knight, Doubleday, $4.50 SPACE, TIME & CRIME, Edited by Miriam Allen deFord, Paperback, 50¢ THE EIGHm GALAXY READER, Edited by Frederik Pohl, Double day, $3.95 These four anthologies show a lor demonstrates in his book Sex 30-year shift in imaginative fiction in History. Yes, Weird Tales dealt away from often doomful tales of with sex, often intelligently, at a weird tabooed far-off things by au time when SF magazines wouldn't thors somewhat alienated from the even peek at the ugly-headed stuff. here-and-now, to largely optimistic A stirring saga wherein a extrapolations from the technologi brawny Aryan defeats with poi cally exploding present by writers soned arrows and cold steel a gigan excited about (though often highly tic jelly-fleshed Lovecraftian mon critical of) the here-and-now. ster-Robert Howard at his chant Margulies' current clippings ing, Jack Londonish best. into the moldy shimmering Weird A silly overblown saga by Nict Tales barrel result in a potpouri zin Dyalhis, the man with the typical of the magazine : shtrange name and shloppy style; A moving, much imitated story it starts off as the crudest wish-ful by Edmund Hamilton about a boy fillment (You sit cross-legged on hom with wings. the floor, concentrate, and-Clickl A nasty insidious tale of the Mid [sic!] -you're an armored king in dle Ages demonstrating that Clark another dimension sword-slashing Smith knew a great deal about the two dozen hideous dwarfs to win linkage of sex-fears and witchcraft the most beautiful woman in Octo -quite as much as G. Rattray Tay- Ian) and ends with an anticipation 64 PANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION (1934) of the overrated wacky Comic Fantasies by Science Fiction (mytho)logic tales in Unknoum Writers and is conceived in the ( 1939 et seq.). spirit of, "Our SF boys can do 'em One of those easy-to-conceive, just as well as the Weird Tales impossible-to-achieve whopper sci weirdos-if not better!" ence-fantasies: a tale of sundered In the first category, Knight's dimensions written from both sides contention is well supported by of "The Diamond Lens." Frank Sturgeon's horrendous "It" (the Long creates beautifully atmos forest scenes in the first Karloff pheric rainbow pictures, yet fails to Frankenstein movie made realer convince. than cinema), Heinlein's "They" Finally, a new legend of Santa (that forever disturbing story of Claus. Weird Tales dared every the paranoid dilemma), and thing! See, there's this humanistic Wells's "The Story of the Late Mr. Viking who saves the infant Jesus Elvesham" (Old H. G. could easily from King Herod's men, decides have been the leading horror writ when he sees him hanging on the er of our age if he'd thought it Tree that he is Baldur the Beautiful worthwhile)-and almost as well come again, roves down the cen by Bradbury's "The Black Ferris" turies as the Wandering Blond Goy and Davidson's "The Golem." with immortal maid-at-arms in at Helping hold the horror line are tendance, and finally joins with two excellent realistic tales of the some Lapp warlocks and their rein fantasies which the human mind deer to become . . . yep, that's creates when faced with overpow right. All this sauced with Seabury ering fears: Richard McKenna's Quinn's sleek style and consider stark yet heart-warming "Casey able erudition, but-hein, sacre Agonistes" and Peter Phillips' dead bleu and name of a little blue man! ly "C/0 Mr. Makepeace," though -this one prefers Jules de Grand the latter is given a final half in! hearted psionic twist by a quote Moscowitz's aggressive honor from a book by Nandor Fudor, 'em-all annotations include some Freud's gift to the realms of ecto fascinating data. Turns out Weird plasm. Tales was launched by the publish The comic fantasies are not as er of College Humor to implement effective, though Gold's "Trouble his love of Edgar Poe and that How With Water" is the best laugh Un ard Lovecraft turned down the job knOllln ever tickled off. of editor. Knight's use of "the dark side" to mean all fantasy save SF jars a Knight's anthology could be sub little. Alice and Dracula in the titled Supernatural Horror 1J1td same black closet! But perhaps it BOOKS 65 has never occured to Knight to be tians the blessed institutions of afraid of the dark. newspapers, glad-handing, vice squads, religion, and wrestling. DeFord's thoughtful assembly of The remaining stories are mostly science-fiction tales of crime, pun in the lighter yet extremely difficult ishment-and a little detection form of future mysteries soluble by advances us toward the target of knowledge available to a modem the 30-year trend. The strongest reader. Among these, Pool and stories here are the ones closest to Karen Anderson's 'The Innocent reality, with the SF frame simply Arrival" delights by its bouncing putting the picture in sharper lightheartedness. focus: Francis McComas' portrait of a prison during a world-wide ca Pohl's dozen, all stories from the tastrophe when only the best hu last five years of Galaxy, let us man beings (but who are they?) sample at its pepperiest the current can be transported to Mars to sur end-product of the 30-year shift. vive; Pohl's harsh-etched views of Certainly these stories take off a Nazi death camb and other hu from the here-and-now: they bustle man horror-spots as seen from a and whirl with the pressures of future in which criminals are sen living in a fast-changing competi tenced to days or weeks in such tive democracy of big organizations, places by time-travel or, more like or else explore the greater strains ly, mind-wrenching; Bretnor's that will be impoSed on a few by lethally quiet study of a bitter little the exploration of space. person nibbling a big person to At least five of the stories are death by magnifying a small guilt comic infernos: Kingsley Amis' this story is pure realism except for name for tales which jolt charac an optional touch of extrasensory ters and reader alike by a series of perception); and Davidson's blaz satiric surprises and unanticipated ing statement of the case of Ameri frustrations, mostly involving tech can Indians victimized by bland nology and money, with the pace injustice and theft. quickening toward the climax like Obviously these stories are the music of Dukas' L'Apprenti searchingly critical-as of Mike sorcier. Typical is C. C. MacApp's Hammers in petticoats whose gos imagining of coffin manufacturers sip is grease-gun fire, of penal sys goosed by a computer's mistake into tems that don't rehabilitate, and of a monstrous selling program. Chan just our own sweet selvPs. lames dler Elliot does the same for free McKimmey's "The Eyes Have It" is hand freeway dri~ing. In Brian a comic inferno (see ahead) of Aldiss'-nom de nomi-Comic In man's effort to enforce on the Mar- ferno it's future publishers and 66 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION their humanoid robot servants, a stories of his own-whistlestops. curious combination. Two not He also dicsovered (no ha-ha) that quite-so comic infernos involve ali three deal with the universe armament escalation: a mad joke conceived as a gigantic machine by Albert Bermel and a remarkably with computer-like brains. A fan compact study of civilian shelters, tasy author hypnotized by SF? basebali hypnosis, competitive -FRITZ LEIBER careering, and almost everything else by Pohl and Kornbluth: Criti WORLD'S BEST SCIENCE FIC cal Mass. Dick's livclv vivid variant TION: 1965, Donald A. Wollheim on Poul Anderson's Sam Hall story & Terry Carr, eds., Ace Books, SO¢ seems to fit in here too. Two of the remaining stories In this, the first volume of a slash out at the conceit and xeno projected annual series, Ace has phobia of future yokelry, with the launched a competitor to Judith authors on the side of the violet Merril's own yearly series. The book caterpillars, of course. Three oth is by no means as inclusive as Miss ers teii of the conquest of space: Merril's attempts to be, but has the Thomas' "The Lonely Man," not advantage in timeliness; ali ·seven able for its strong characterization; teen stories originaily appeared in Clement's "Hot Planet," which 1964. Editors Wollheim and Carr handles the exploration of Mercury have also chosen a more direct and with such realism and originality hard-core sf approach; two stories that it had NASA writing the editor are from /\mazing Stories, two to find out more; and Harrv Har from Analog, two from the British rison's "Final Encounter," .which New Worlds, three from Galaxy, tackles an idea almost as impossi and five from F&SF. The remaining ble-to-achieve as the Long story three are not from sf magazines. aforementioned and brings it off. As a survey of the best of last On the whole, we seem to have year's magazine output, the book reached the point where science fic points up the problems sf maga tion isn't escape any more and zines have had in finding good short where there's a lot of propaganda material. Only John Brunner's for the viewpoint that mankind can "The Last Lonely Man" and Wil do something about any problem at liam F. Temple's "A Niche in all, including death and taxes. Time" are unflawed in construc Whistling fortissimo in the dark? tion. The remaining stories, the Or the beginning of the beginning? best among them Tom Purdom's Perusing these anthologies in the "Greenplace," Norman Kagan's quiet of his kitchen, the reviewer "Four Brands of the Impossible," discovered (ha-ha!) three little Edward Jesby's "Sea Wrack," and BOOKS 67 Thomas M. Disch's "Now Is For but well written. The other two, ever," are all incomplete in some by Josef Nesvadba and Harry Mu respect, some more incident than lisch, probably suffer from trans story, but-and perhaps this is be lation, but are bad stories in any cause all are by younger, newer, case, and I'm doubtful they would and less professionally accomplish have been considered if they'd been ed craftsmen-each is more vivid the work of domestic authors. and more emotionally compelling. One hopes that the state of the But they paint a bleak picture of field will allow a better volume next the world; pessimism runs riot year. through this collection as we are -TED WHITE confronted by a succession of un pleasant societies in which human thinking has taken a wrong turn A CHECKLIST OF SCIENCE ing, or reached a dead end. This FICTION ANTHOLOGIES, com is not, I think, a healthy trend for piled by W. R. Cole, introduction the field. by Theodore Sturgeon, $7.50 An attempt has been made to live up to the title (woRLD's A valuable reference volume list BEST) and to make the collection ing over 200 anthologies and their truly international in scope by in contents (about 2700 stories). In cluding, in addition to the two dexed by editor, story title, and stories from New Worlds, two author. The checklist covers the translations and the work of Aus period from 1927 through 1963. tralian writer Colin Free. Free's Available from: W. R. Cole, 11 71 story is a repellant dystopia story, East 8th St., Brooklyn 30, N.Y. COMING NEXT lfiONTII ••• May we impose upon our readers to stretch their minds and imagine what would happen if hostile creatures from outer space umded here on Earth!? Are we kidding? Not at all. To say more about next month's feature might spoil a fine entertainment sur prise. Watch for THE SALIVA TREE, a complete short novel by BRIAN W. ALDISS-coming in the September issue, on sale July 29. Me.B8t'B. Janlfer and Treibich ~ U8 with a ihorl and funny rendering of man tit lUI ftWifl inftgnificant moment. FIRST CONTEXT by Laurence M. Janifer and S. ]. Treibich THE THING, WHATEVER IT WAS, had shown up at !IODlebody's care first appeared on a BMEWS less invitation) what the Mariner screen, and for about three min had to push against, way up there utes a not-too-bright technician ill the void. thought it was the lost Mariner While he was straightening out rocket. these various tangles, word of the The Mariner rocket, however, thing, whatever it was, filtered into had been going out when last heard the control room. What it seemed from. This thing, whatever it was, to be, everybody agreed (except was coming in. And it was clearly Johnny Grant) was a flying saucer. in controlled flight, something "There aren't any flying sau which couldn't, unfortunately, be cer,," he said despairingly. "May said of the Mariner. be-" "We think," Johnny Grant kept "It's homing in on us," a Tank assuring the gaggle of Generals, Corps General said. "Controlled Admirals and other high and wor Sight. Too slow for a bomb. What ried brass, "it's been blown up. But else can it be?" it was too far out to tell-anyhow, "It isn't a weather balloon," a it can't fall back." Navy Admiral put in. "Or an ob "You're quite sure of that?" one servational error." By then, four of the Generals asked in a snap separate stations had reported the pish, tense tone of voice. thing, whatever it was. And it was "Quite sure," Johnny said sooth coming closer. ingly. "It was going too fast. Escape "There were no flying saucers velocity, you know." at all," an Air Force General said Whereupon he had to explain stolidly. "Until now." what escape velocity was, what an "But-" Johnny Grant said, a orbit was for, and (question asked little tired of all this brass. by a Coast Guard gentleman who He never got the chance to say 68 FWT CON'BXT 69 any more. There was a great roar "They didn't blow us up," the ing sound and the sky was sudden Air Force General said. ''They're ly very light. an alien race. Maybe they have a Johnny Grant was standing in message for us. Help - a broth front of one of the control room erhood of planets. Learned our viewers. He looked at it. language from radio broadcasts. Apparent height, six hundred Now they want us to join the feet. Apparent dimensions, incredi Galactic Federation." ble. "But -" Johnny Grant said. And it just hung there. "Of course, it could be danger "Gentlemen," Johnny Grant ous," the Coast Guard Admiral said, "it looks as if I were mis said. "Deadly radiation. Changes taken." men's minds. Makes them into The saucer opened a hatch on monsters. Hairy and with teeth. its underside. A box left the hatch Like in the movies." and sailed slowly toward the Cape "Maybe it'll blow up even after Kennedy firing area, where an such a long time," a Navy Admiral other Mariner waited hopefully. said. "It could be waiting for us." The collected brass (and Johnny Johnny looked around the con Grant) resigned itself to death. trol room. Sudden, blasting, unearthly death. Then, without a word, he The box didn't explode. shrugged, and began to undo the The saucer went away. hatch that led to the outside. Ninety-seven minutes passed. "Good boy," an Artillery Gen eral said. ''You'll get a medal for "Well?" asked a Marine Corps thIS.. " General. "Posthumous, if necessary," the Johnny Grant took a deep Marine Corps General added. breath. "Well, what?" he asked. Johnny stepped out, and began "Sir," he added hastily. to walk toward the box. "Shouldn't somebody investiga~ this-this thing, whatever it is" Ten minutes later, he was back. asked the Marine Corps General, "They learned our language looking intrepid but too old for the from radio broadcasts," he said. job. "Aha," the Air Force General "By all means," a Navy Admiral said. "Galactic Federation. Brother- added. His head turned. hood of planets." • Other heads turned as well. "Hmm," the Coast Guard Ad Johnny Grant found himself the miral said. "Does he look any more focus of all eyes. hairy to anybody? More monster "But -" he began. like, sort of?'' 70 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION "Does the box tick, even a little "What?" several Generals and bit?" asked the Navy Admiral. Admirals said, more or less at once. Johnny shook his head. "There Johnny Grant sighed. "They was a piece of paper in the box," he dropped us a traffic ticket," he said. said. "I guess we didn't manage to "Fifteen thousand dollars in gold. blow up the Mariner." For reckless driving." FULL COLOR PRINTS OF F&SF COVERS! COVERS BY EMSB, HUNTER, BONESTELL, AND OTHERS We have a limited supply of beautiful full color proofs of F&SF covers without overprinting. These are now being offered to readers at the following special prices& $1.00 FOR ONE COLOR PRINT 3.00 FOR FOUR DIFFERENT COLOR PRINTS 5.00 FOR EIGHT DIFFERENT COLOR PRINTS Each order for four will include one wrap-around double cover print; and each Ol'der for eight will include two. (Special oDer: A comprehensive collection of these beautiful prints-44 in all-for only $20.00) • FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION 347 East 53 St., New York, N.Y. 10022 Send me __ full color prints of F&SF covers without overprinting. I enclose $-- ( $1.00 for one, four for $3.00, eight for $5.00 or 44 for $20.00) Please priDt Name Address------ City------,---- State ------Zip--- (Requests for specific covers will be filled when ~ possible; otherwise, we wiU send our selection) THIS MONTH'S COVER by Bert Tanner pictures a space ship approach· ing Mars, which has been colonized along its canals. The painting is one of a group of murals at the Transportation and Travel Pavilion of the World'• Fair. Prints of this cover are available at $1.00 each. (See above.) SCIENCE eo BEHIND THE TEACHER'S BACK by Isaac Asimov IN THE COURSE OF WRITING THESE essays, I have developed several bad habits. Partly, this is because I have a natural affinity for bad habits and partly because I am given such a free hand that it is hard not to pamper myself. For instance, when space runs out and I am feeling Puckish, I commit a cliff-hanger and end with an indication that there is more to the story I am telling and that I will reserve the rest for another column some day. Afterward, I .may write that other column or I may not. It depends on my lordly whim. A ~cond bad habit is that of constantly referring to my genial audience as "Gentle Readers." The phrase originated, of course, as an indication that the readership was well-born and possibly of noble descent. In our own egalitarian society, the phrase has lost its aristocratic connotation and one can't help but think of the gentle readers as being kind-hearted, tender and sweet. And so they are, so they are, but not always, I'm afraid. My persistence in the first bad habit has just uncovered an exception to the generalization involved in my second bad habit. In my article THE CERTAINTY OF UNCERTAINTY (F &: SF, April 1965), I concluded: "If the uncertainty principle did not exist, neither would the universe as we know it; for the existence of all atoms other than hydrogen de pends on the uncertainty principle. "But my space, alas, is used up.-Another time?" Within a matter of days, I received a letter from a Fierce Reader .... Without a gentle word anywhere in it, she slashed away at me for "A young lady-undoubtedly benti(NI. 71 72 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION having dared drop the subject of the uncertainty principle in the middle. "Is the continuation coming in the next issue?" she blazed. I had to reply that it was not; that I hadn't given the matter much thought, and that I had thought that any time in the next year or two would be soon enough. However, since she sounded so savage, I thought I had better change my mind and write the continuation at once, for the August issue. She replied with the smoldering threat of "You'd better!" I hasten, dear lady, I hasten- In order not to make things too dull, let's continue the story of the uncertainty principle by talking first of what seems to be a different subject altogether. This different subject we can call, the Dilemma of the Atomic Nuclei that Shouldn't Be. The New Zealand-born physicist, Ernest Rutherford, had conclusive ly demonstrated the existence of the atomic nucleus by 1911 and for twenty years after that its general structure seemed established. Atomic nuclei were considered to consist of two types of particles, protons and electrons, each of the former possesing a unit positive charge ( + 1) and each of the latter possessing a unit negative charge ( -1 ). The protons, always present in excess, lent the nucleus a net positive charge. The one exception to this general rule was the simplest nucleus of all, that of the more common hydrogen isotope. It consisted of a single particle, a proton, and nothing else. As examples of more complicated situations, the most common oxygen isotope had atomic nuclei made up (it was thought) of 16 protons and 8 electrons for a net charge of + 8; the most common iron isotope had nuclei made up of 56 protons and 30 electrons for a net positive charge of +26; the most common uranium isotope had nuclei made up of 238 protons and 146 electrons for a net positive charge of +92; and so on. This seemed to make sense. The protons in the nucleus, all of them positively charged, repelled each other on the well-known electrical principle that "like charges repel." However, if one placed electrons strategically among the protons, the attraction between protons and electrons (opposite charges attract) would neutralize the repulsions and allow the nucleus to hang together. The electron could be considered a kind of "nuclear cement" and without it, it would seem, none of the nuclei could exist except that of hydrogen. Physicists were, however, by no means happy with the atomic nuclei in all respects. By dint of shrewd calculations, they had decided that BEHIND THE TEACHER's BACK. 73 both protons and electrons had spins that could be characterized by the numbers+~ or-~. That meant that nuclei made up of even num bers of particles should have overall spins equal to the algebraic sum of an even number of halves, plus or minus. Such a sum would always have to be a whole number, such as 1, 2, or 3. On the other hand, nuclei made up of an odd number of particles should have spins equal to the algebraic sum of an odd number of halves, and this should always add up to a "half-number" such as I Jh, 2 ~ and 3 ~. Unfortunately it didn't work that way. As an example, consider the most common nitrogen isotope. It was made up (so physicists had de cided in the Roaring Twenties) of 14 protons and 7 electrons for a total of 21 particles. Since this is an odd number of particles, the nitro gen nucleus ought to have an overall spin equal to a half-number, but it doesn't. Its spin is equal to a whole number. Something was therefore seriously wrong. Either the nuclei did not have the structure they were thought to have or else the law of conserva tion of angular momentum was broken. Physicists did not hesitate in their choice between these two alterna tives. They have a peculiar affection for laws of conservation of this or that and would not willingly see one broken. Therefore, they began to tum looks of deep disfavor on the whole proton.:Clectron theory of nu clear structure. You can imagine, then, the thrill of exultation that swept the world of nuclear physics when, in 1932, the English physicist, James Chad wick, discovered the neutron, a particle that strongly resembled a proton except that it lacked an electric charge. And it had a spin of ~. Scarcely allowing the neutron's discovery to grow cold, the German physicist, Werner Karl Heisenberg (the same who, five years earlier, had enunciated the uncertainty principle) suggested that atomic nuclei were made up of protons and neutrons rather than protons and electrons. Thus, the nuclei of the most common oxygen isotope would consist of 8 protons and 8 neutrons and its net charge would still be +8, thanks to the protons. (The neutrons, being uncharged, would contribute no charge of their own, and cancel none.) In the same way, the nuclei of the most common iron isotope would be made up of 26 protons and 30 neutrons (net charge, +26), the nuclei of the most common uranium isotope of 92 protons and 146 neutrons (net charge +92) and so on. The proton-neutron theory of nuclear structure could explain vir tually all the facts of life concerning the nuclei, just as well as the pro ton-electron theory had been able to. In addition, it also fit the facts of 74 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION nuclear spin with delightful accuracy. The nitrogen nucleus, for in stance, by the new theory, was made up of 7 protons and 7 neutrons, for a total of 14 particles. Now it had an even total of particles and the overall spin could, with sense, be represented by a whole number. The law of conservation of angular momentum was saved, by George. There was just one gigantic fly in the ointment. According to the new theory, atomic nuclei other than those of hydrogen ought to be non existent. The electron cement which had been counted upon to keep the protons in happy proximity was gone, and the protons were alone with their own company in the nucleus. (The neutrons were there, but electromag netically speaking, they didn't count.) The nucleus was full of repulsion, a great deal of repulsion, and nothing but repulsion. Within the nucleus, two protons are virtually in contact and are therefore separated, center to center, by about a ten-trillionth of a centi meter. The charge on each proton is terribly small by everyday standards, but the distance across which that charge need operate is terribly smaller. The result is that the repulsion between two neighboring protons works out to some 24,000,000 dynes. This, needless to say, is a simply terrific force to be concentrated be tween a pair of objects as tiny as protons and if this were the only force involved, two protons held in such close proximity would remain together for the merest split-instant and then separate at velocities close to that of light. Indeed, in 1932, there was no good way of accounting why two protons should be in such proximity in the first place. Since in all atomic nuclei, save in that of the atoms of the simplest element, hydrogen, two or more do exist in such proximity .(with neu trons strewn among them, of course) it turns out that there was nothing, in 1932, to account for the fact that matter, other than hydrogen, existed at all. Yet even the cleverest and most. inevitable scientific reasoning must bow before the presence of even the crudest fact. Matter did exist and consequently something was neutralizing and overcoming the repulsion between protons. Unfortunately, that "something" had to be another force and there was a shortage of known forces. Al1 the forces known in 19 3 2 were produced by one or the other of just two types of "force-fields." One of these was the "electromagnetic field" which governed the at tractions and repulsions among protons and electrons. It is the presence of this field which keeps atoms from making actual contact, since at BEHIND THE TEACHE1l0S BACK 75 close approach the negatively-charged electronic layers that fill the out· skirts of one atom repel the negatively-charged electronic layers that fill the outskirts of the other. Most ordinary forces with which we are ac· quainted-the pushes and pulls of everyday life-depend on the fact that the atoms of one piece of matter are, at close quarters, repelled by the atoms of another piece. The only force known in 1932 which was not electromagnetic in nature, was that of the "gravitational field" but it was quite clear that gravity could in no way counteract the mighty protonic repulsion within the nucleus. To be sure, protons within the nucleus experienced a gravi· tational attraction for each other since gravity depends only upon mass, is experienced only as an attraction, and is unaffected by electric charge. Unfortunately, however, the gravitational field is almost unimaginably weak; much less than a trillion-trillion-trillionth as strong as the electro magnetic field (see FIRST AND REARMOST, F & SF, October 1964 ). If the mat~er in a hundred billion galaxies (roughly all the matter in the known universe) could be squeezed into a volume no larger than the Earth, then the gravitational attraction of that mighty concentration of mass for a proton on its surface would equal the electromagnetic re pulsion produced by a second proton in contact with the first. But nothing less than a hundred billion galaxies crammed into an Earth-sized globe will do, and such objects are not be to found readily. Something else is needed; some new type of force-field altogether. This would give us a "nuclear force" and if this is to hold nuclei together and make matter (other than hydrogen) possible, it must have certain properties. In the first place, it must be even stronger than the electro magnetic field, at least at close quarters, for it must produce an attrac tion between protons stronger than the electromagnetic repulsion be tween them. Another point-Both electromagnetic and gravitational forces are long-range. To be sure, they both weaken with distance, but only as the square of that distance. As a result, gravitational and electromagnetic forces can make themselves felt across vast gaps of space. The hypothetical nuclear force can do no such thing. Within the infra-tiny nucleus it is overpoweringly intense, but it drops off very rapidly with distance; as a high-power of that distance, not just the square. At a distance greater than a ten-trillionth of a centimeter (at greater widths than the diameter of an atomic nucleus, for instance) it becomes weaker than the electromagnetic force, and if the distance increases to two or three ten-trillionths of a centimeter it becomes in detectable. 76 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION Thus we can explain the fact that protons are strongly attracted at sub-nuclear distances, but show no signs of attraction if they are any thing but cheek-by-jowl. But we can't just invent a nuclear force of peculiar properties out of thin air. There's something about clear-cut observational evidence which is terribly desirable. To find some, let's go by way of the uncertainty principle. (See, I got there.) In 1930, at a gathering of physicists at Brussels, Albert Einstein en deavored to show a fallacy in the reasoning that lay behind the un certainty principle, then three years old. This principle held (as I explained in THE CERTAINTY OF UNCERTAINTY) that the in herent uncertainty in the determination of position multiplied by the inherent uncertainty in the determination of momentum was equal to not less than about one-sixth of Planck's constant: (.6.p) (.6.mv) = I0-27 (Equation 1) Einstein showed that if this were so then it was possible to maintain that the same relationship would hold for the product of the inherent uncertainty in the determination of energy content ( .6.e) and the in herent uncertainty in the determination of time (.6.t) so that: (.6.e) (.6.t) = I0-27) (Equation 2) He·then went on to describe a thought experiment in which both energy and time could be measured simultaneously with unlimited exactness, assuming one had perfect measuring tools. If Einstein were right, the uncertainty principle was out the window. The Danish physicist, Niels Bohr, stayed awake that night, and the next day, haggard but triumphant, pointed out a few flaws in Einstein's reasoning and showed that in the thought experiment under discussion, the determination of time would upset the determination of energy and vice versa. Einstein had to admit, reluctantly, that Bohr was right. The uncertainty principle has not been seriously challenged since. Nevertheless, Einstein's version of the uncertainty principle, in which energy and time are linked, is perfectly correct and it introduces some interesting effects. Using Einstein's version, imagine that you are measuring the energy content of some system at some instant of time. If your measurement pinpoints the energy content at some mathematical instant of time over a duration of exactly zero seconds-you can't really measure the energy at all. The uncertainty of energy measurement is then infinite. BEHIND THE TI!ACHEI.'S BACK 77 If you are content to say that the energy of the system is thus and so over a certain period of time, then you are better off. The longer the period of time, the more exactly you can measure the energy content. Over a period of a ten-trillionth of a second or so, you could, ideally, measure the energy content of a system to a ten-trillionth of an erg or so. Under ordinary conditions, no one would want better than that. Nevertheless, such a situation introduces a certain limited flexibility into the most importanant generalization known to science: the law of conservation of energy. The law states that the energy content of a closed system must remain constant. Energy cannot appear out of nowhere and it cannot disappear into nowhere. However, if you measure the energy content of an atomic nucleus, let us say, over a period of a ten-trillionth of a second, you have determined that energy content, at best, only within a ten-trillionth of an erg. During that ten-trillionth of a second, the energy content can move freely up and down within that limit of a ten-trillionth of an erg, despite the law of conservation of energy. There would be no way of measuring that energy variation and therefore no way.· of accusing the nucleus of having broken the law. You may say, of course, that it doesn't matter whether we can detect the violation of the law or not; that the law cannot be violated under any circumstances. But is that so? Let's take an analogy. Suppose a schoolboy is strictly forbidden to show any impoliteness to his stem teacher at any time under pain of severe flogging. Suppose further that whenever the teacher turns his back, the boy sticks out his tongue, but manages to get it in again before the teacher turns toward him. As nearly as the teacher can tell, the boy is being perfectly polite at all times, and is not breaking the rule. In other words, a rule which ordinarily can't be broken, can be broken if it is done so over a short enough period. We can make this plain if we reword the rule to make it conform not to an impossible idealism, but to the situation as it truly exists. The rule is not: "A schoolboy must never be impolite to his teacher!" The rule, very obviously, is: "A school boy must never be caught being impolite to his teacher." All human rules are of that form. Even a murderer goes unpunished if the existence of the murder goes unsuspected. Analogously, we must not define the law of conservation of energy as: "The total energy of a system remains constant at all times" but only .as: "The total energy of a system remains measurably constant at all times." 78 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION What we cannot measure, we cannot expect to insist on controlling by fiat, and the uncertainty principle tells us what we cannot measure. Energy is permitted to vary by a certain fixed amount, and the shorter the time interval over which this variation takes place, the greater the amount of variation permitted. How does this apply to the nuclear field? Again we return to Heisenberg. \\Then he suggested the proton-neu tron structure of the nucleus he saw very well the difficulty that arose in connection with protonic repulsion. He suggested that force-fields exerted their influences of attraction and repulsion by the exclumge of particles between one body and another. In the case of the electromag netic field, the particle exchanged was the photon (the unit of radiant energy); and in the case of the gravitational field, the particle exchanged was the graviton (a particle which remains as yet hypothetical for it has never been detected). If there is to be a third force-field, a nuclear one, there must be a third exchange ,particle. The Japanese ph~ sicist, Hideki Yukawa, got to work on the properties of this hypothetical nuclear exchange particle. This exchange particle existed by virtue of the loophole offered by the uncertainty principle. It contained energy, but only the amount per· mitted by that principle. The shorter the time during which the nuclear exchange particle existed, the more energy it might have, so it was necessary to fix the duration of its existence somehow. The exchange particle had to exist long enough to get from one proton to its neighbor within the nucleus and back or it would not exist long enough to set up an attractive force between protons. It could not exist much longer than that because then it would last long enough to get outside the nucleus and make the nuclear force felt there-in regions where the nuclear force was never felt. Thus the time of duration, and therefore the particle's energy content, could be determined within rather fine limits. Suppose the exchange particle travelled at the velocity of light. It could then cover the distance from one proton to a neighboring proton and back in about 0.000000000000000000000005, or 5 X I0-21 seconds. If an energy measurement is made over a time interval not less than 5 X 1 o-24 seconds, the additional energy made available for the briefly existing exchange particle, by the flexibility introduced into the law of conservation of energy by the uncertainty principle, can be determined. Turning to Einstein's versioa of the uncertainty principle, the un· UHIND THit TEACHD1S BACK. certainty in time ( l:l.e) is set equal to 5 X l 0·26 and Equation 2 be comes: (~e) (5 x to-2•) = Io-:rr (Equation 3) Solving for f:j,e, we find that it equals 0.0002 ergs. This is the amount of energy that the uncertainty principle makes available for the exchange particle of the nuclear field. It is a tremendous amount of energy for a single particle and it would be difficult to handle as pure energy. It would be more convenient if the energy were, for the most part, packed into the form of mass-which is the most condensed form of energy known. An amount of energy equal to 0.0002 ergs can be packed into a particle with a mass about 250 times that of an electron, with enough left over to give it a velocity nearly that of light. Yukawa, when he published his theory in 1935, suggested therefore that the nuclear exchange particle have mass (unlike the massless photon and graviton) and that the mass be intermediate between that of the electron on one hand and the proton and neutron on the other.· (The proton and neutron are roughly 1840 times as massive as the electron and, therefore, something over 7 times as massive as Yukawa's exchange particle.) Suggesting a nuclear exchange particle of specific properties, is one thing, but some observational evidence was still necessary. Inside the nucleus, the exchange particle comes and goes within the time limit set by the uncertainty principle. This means it cannot be observed under any circumstances. It is a "virtual particle", not a real. one. But suppose energy is added to the nucleus; enough energy to supply the amount required for the exchange particle without having to resort to the flexibility of the uncertainty principle. In that case, might not the exchange particle assume a real exist.ence and condescend to hang around long enough to allow itself to be detected? The catch was that packing the necessary energy into the small con fines of the nucleus isn't easy. In the 1930's, the only possible source. of sufficiently concentrated energy were the cosmic rays. In 1936, the American physicist, Carl David Anderson, in the course of his cosmic ray studies, found that cosmic rays were indeed occasionally knocking particles out of the nucleus that resembled Yukawa's exchange particle in mass. That mass turned out to be 207 times that of an electron. Anderson called the particle a "mesotron" from the Greek word "meso" meaning "intermediate", but this was quickly abbreviated to "meson." Unfortunately, Anderson's meson did not have the properties ex- 80 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION pected of Yukawa's exchange particle. For one thing, Yukawa's exchange particle had to interact strongly with atomic nuclei, but Anderson's meson did not do so. It virtually ignored the existence of nuclei. The disappointment among phvsicists was keen. Then, in 1948, a group of English physicists, headed by Cecil Frank Powell, who were studying cosmic rays in the Bolivian Andes, detected another particle of intermediate mass. The new particle was about 2 70 times as massive as the electron (about a third more massive than Ander son's particle), and it interacted with nuclei with a most gratifying avidity. The new particle was also called a meson and it was distinguished from the meson earlier discovered by means of Greek letter prefixes. Anderson's meson was "mu-meson", soon shortened to "muon"; while Powell's meson was a "pi-meson", soon shortened to "pion." It is the pion that is Yukawa's exchange particle. It is the pion whose existence within the nucleus makes possible the development of a nuclear force of attraction between neighboring pro tons over a hundred times as intense as the electromagnetic force of repulsion between them. It is the pion therefore that makes the existence of matter, other than hydrogen, possible. And the existence of the pion is itself made possible (behind the teacher's back, so to speak) by the uncertainty principle. -So be careful how you yearn for certainty. And what about the muon? If that is not the exchange particle, what is it? That, as it ·happens, is an interesting question, for in recent years the muon has raised two problems that a.re possibly the most fascinating that currently face the nuclear physicist. It is not even a meson, really. It is, instead- But my space, alas, is used up.-Another time? Oh, nuts, I did it again! Wateh fer eur OCTOBER ALt.-STAR ISS1JE Featured is the first of a two-part novel by one of SF's most talented young writers, ROGER ZELAZNY. We doubt that you have ever read anything quite like AND CALL ME CONRAD. Its action is stunning, its characters vital, and its scene ... its scene is Earth but a vividly and terribly different Earth. The •new life• or ·second cltaDCd" theme is CJ ftwOrite of all of w when we are actively Involved in that burdensome search for happiness, dignity, contentment, caU it what you will. For most of Ul, refuvenation comes rarely and in smoU chunks. But ths Exchange gave Harry Eddington the Solution with one simple. clear cut business deal. For only seven miUion dollms. the E~ change would guarantee a life 9f TJO"f1Y and o o • A STICK FOR HARRY EDDINGTON by Chad Oliver THE GIANT PHOTOGRAPHS SET The man behind the polished into the panels of. the office walls desk, whose name was Richard were striking anachronisms: an Mavor, smiled and interlaced his Eskimo crouching on blue ice, a well-manicured fingers. "About the harpoon ready in his right hand, financial arrangements?" staring intently at a bone splinter • About the price, yes," Harry stuck into the thin partition of a said. seal's breathing hole; an African 'The Exchange does not dicker. man, his teeth filed down to sharp Our contract is a standard one, as points and the lobes of his ears dis I told you. For clients whose net tended, leaning on a staff in the worth is over one million dollars butter-yellow sunlight and gazing and we don't accept any other kind at a herd of skinny, hump-backed of clients, Mr. Eddington-the cattle; a Polynesian, his golden client is allowed to retain one body drenched with spray, guiding third of his wealth. This is to en an outrigger canoe through white able him to provide for his wife, surf that foamed like liquid cotton his children, his charities, and under a twilight sky .... whatnot. The rest is signed over to Harry Eddington jerked his at the Exchange. In return, the Ex tention away from the pictures. change guarantees to place the "Say that again," he demanded. c1ient in the form, location, and 81 82 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION situation that has been mutually ''You get a commission, don't agreed upon. There can be no re you?" funds, of course, because what we "Well, yes." are ~ffering you is by necessity a "I wasn't born yesterday," Harry one-way ticket. We can put you said. where you wish to go, but you will "In that case," said Richard Ma then be a pauper by our standards; vor, who had no intention whatever we can't bring you back again at of letting this particular fish get off our own expense. That's simple the hook, "you will certainly appre enough, isn't it?" ciate that our positions are differ Harry Eddington ignored the ent. You are-or were-a busi advice of his doctor and lit a ciga nessman, Mr. Eddington. You rette. "Very simple. I give you don't expect to get something for about seven million bucks. You nothing. The service we provide is give me a life of poYerty. Is that it?" highly specialized; it costs money. "Give or take a few hundred You came to us. We did not come to thousand dollars," Richard Mavor you. " said agreeably. "We will insist on a ''You sent me a letter," Harry thorough audit, of course." said stubbornly. "Isn't that a little steep?" "Come now. We do not advertise Mavor chuckled. "You can't take at random, but when we have rea it with you, Mr. Eddington. Either son to believe that a man is a poten way. If you live out your life in tial client we offer him an oppor your present circumstances, what tunity. The fact that you came here is left after taxes will do you no is proof that you are interested." good in your coffin. If you choose "Okay, I'm interested. I don't to accept our services, we have to expect to get something for noth insist on a clean break. This is for ing. On the other hand, I don't in your own welfare, believe me. If tend to get nothing for somethin8. the transfer is incomplete and ten A whole hell of a lot of something. tative, you would be nothing but a I worked hard to get where I am to rather peculiar tourist. Besides, it's day." Qlegal to set aside a kind of emer Mavor smiled and moved in for gency fund in case you change the kill. "And where are you today, your mind." Mr. Eddington? That is the heart ''You can't take it with you, ei of the matter, it seems to me. You ther, but you want it." are fifty-one years old and you can Mavor managed to achieve a not work because of the retirement hurt expression. "I only work here, laws. You have no real interests as I'm sure you understand. I don't apart from the business from which get the money." you are barred. Your children are A STICK FOR HARRY EDDINGTON 83 married and you seldom see them. tore home with you-here, these Your wife is younger than you are, four spools will do for a starter. and she has-ah-lost interest in Check them out and make up your you. A divorce would cost you a own mind. If you feel that our offer fortune, and your chances for hap is a good one for you, come back piness would be no better than they with your lawyer. I'll be glad to are now. You have made a great answer any of your questions at any deal of money, I grant you that. If time, of course." your money could buy you what Harry hesitated. "Just one ques you want-call it happiness, dig tion for now. This is a true ex nity, contentment, whatever you change, right? If I go, someone will please-then you would be a fool -ummm-take my place?" to sign it over to us. If, however, Richard Mavor smiled his ready your money is useless to you in your smile. "Nature abhors a vacuum, present circumstances, why try to Mr. Eddington." hang onto it? You recall the story "Meaning?" of the Spanish at Tenochtitlan, of 'Well, Mrs. Eddington will not course?" be left alone, I can assure you of "Can't say that I do," Harry said, that.'~ thinking that the man across the Harry grinned. 'That has possi desk knew entirely too much about bilities, doesn't it?" him. Richard Mavor looked at him "Well, in brief, when Cortes was sharply. "Our experience has been sacking the Aztec city, some of his that it works out very satisfactorily men got themseiYes so loaded down for all parties concerned." with treasure that they were at a Harry stood up and pocketed the distinct disadvantage when the go spools. Hl'll be in touch.'' ing got rough. In fact, when they Richard Mavor extended his had to swim for it across the ca smooth hand. ''We'll be expecting nals, they sank like stones. You fol you, Mr. Eddington.'' low me?" "I get the picture." Harry Eddington woke up early "I'm sure you do, Mr. Edding the next morning, as always. All ton. Now, let's put our cards on the his life he had gotten up at dawn table. There is really just one thing and had been in his office before for you to decide. How much is eight. Now that there. was no need your happiness worth to you? The for him to get up, he could not cul choice is yours-your money gives tivate the habit of sleeping late. you that choice. We don't expect He faced the day with a total you to decide today. We would like lack of enthusiasm. He glanced at for you to take some of our litera- the door of Emily's bedroom. It was 84 P.&M'I'ASY AD ICRNCE FICTION closed and probably locked. He glanced at the comics. Orphan An didn't try it. He killed an hour ill nie was the only one that had sur the bathroom, dressed with elabo vived from his youth, and he was rate and pointless care, and went mildlv reassured to find that she downstairs. had developed neither eyeballs nor The great house seemed empty, progressive political attitudes. He and for an excellent reason: it was tried to get through the sports sec empty. He rattled around in it like tion to see how the Cards were do a marble in a mahogany barrel. ing. Not bad, but they still weren't He sat down alone at the dining about to catch the General Dynam table and jabbed the breakfast but ics Giants. The G.D. Giants, as tons. In eighty seconds-no more, they were known in the trade, had no less-the serving cart roUed in just enticed too many good baU from the kitchen with two poached plavers with fancy stock deals. eggs, four pieces of bacon, toast, There was nothing much in the and coffee. It all tasted like saw news. The Mars Colony, staffed dust except for the coffee. The cof entirelv bv men and women under fee tasted like dishwater. twentv', announced that it would Harry got up and wandered be self-sustaining next year. Harry through the deserted house. He had had heard that one before. The the whole day ahead of him and President, who was a mature old absolutely nothing to do. He had gentleman of twenty-five, had eaten breakfast. The next big item made a speech vowing to end con on the agenda would be lunch. flict of interest contracts in the Then would come the intermina development of the Antarctic. The ble wait until dinner. After that, appearance of the Field Mice, a God alone knew. quartet of nine-year-old folk sing He went into the TV room and ers, had caused a near riot in stared at the blank gray screen that New York. Critics had praised the covered one wall. He decided that group's "purity of line" and "intui he wasn't desperate enough yet for tive understanding" of such hal davtime television. He sat down lowed ballads as Pistol PackiH' and picked up the morning paper. Mama and Three Little Fishes. It was a printed one; Harry was Harry hadn't much cared for the something of a traditionalist. He songs the first time around. Scien was not eager to read it, but a man tists at the National Institute had to do something. stated that human gills for under He checked the financial pages sea Jiving could now be obtained at with a practiced eye and found reasonable cost, and held out the that he had made about five thou distinct hope that there could now sand dollars while he slept. He be "increased social interaction" A STICK FOR HAU.Y EDDINGTON 85 between interested citizens and Dad or Pop. Harry's father had sperm whales. Harry wasn't inter called his father just that: Father. ested. And he had usually added that ob He read the ads with a feeling solete word, sir. somewhere between disgust and Harry remembered Grandfather despair. Harry had nothing against Eddington, remembered him viv advertising-quite the contrary idly. He remembered him from but the tone of the ads annoyed those long-ago Sunday dinners in him. All of the models in the pho the big white house when he was tographs were either bright-eyed a child, and he remembered him children or impossibly virile men from the stories his father had told and women in their teens. Old peo him. Grandfather Eddington had ple simply didn't exist. The prize been an awesome figure of a man. ad showed two women in seductive He had ruled his household like a nightgowns stretched out side by king. side on a bed with silken sheets. Harry could see him now, strid WHICH GIRL IS THE GREAT ing down the sidewalk ort a Sunday GRANDMOTHER? asked the cap afternoon, going to the park to feed tion. ONLY THE FAMILY DOC the birds. He always dressed ill TOR KNOWS FOR SURE! Bully white; he looked like a military for him, Harry thought. He read snowman with his shock of white on. It seemed that regular injec hair and his bushy white eyebrows. tions of beeswax, Lunar dust, and He carried a walking stick, a apricot juice would keep a woman carved staff of ornate po1ished perpetually young and "active," ap wood, and he twirled it as he parently right up to the time when walked. Family legend had it that she conked out from old age in the Grandfather had cracked a skull or midst of an orgy. two with that stick when people "Damnation," he said, and lit a had not gotten out of his way fast cigarette. enough to suit him. . It had been different in the old When Harry had been very days, Harry knew that. His father . small, dressed in his hated Sunday had not been any senior citizen at suit of blue coat and knickers, he fifty-one. He hadn't been this much had been allowed to tag along be out of things as an invalid of eighty. hind Grandfather on those walks to Still, if you were thinking about the park. He had admired that the good old days, you had to go walking stick more than anything back to Grandfather Eddington. else on earth. One day, he had Harry's kids called him Harry promised himself, he would have a when they bothered to speak to him stick like that. He would he some at all. Harry had called his father body. 86 FANTAST AND SCIENCE FICTION It hadn't quite worked out that to make. Now, about the new park way. that had been proposed. They Harry had no walking stick, and could clear that shoddy area be people would have considered him tween Main and Fulmore, run a balmy if he had bought one. No little rustic bridge over Clear body walked anywhere these days. Creek, put in some nice fat gold His authority in the family ap fish- proximated absolute zero. As for "Harry!" being a wise old man whose advice He looked up with a start. Not a was sought by all, that was a very goldfish, alas. Emily had arisen. large laugh. Nobody gave a hoot in "Harry, you're spilling ashes all hell what he thought about any over the rug." thing. The Field Mice? He still "Oh. Sorry, dear." thought that Benny Goodman had HI'm going out," Emily an been pretty hot stuff. The Mars nounced. Colony? He didn't know an aster He looked at her. She wasn't oid from a hole in the ground, and hard to look at by any means. Her didn't care. Baseball? He remem clear skin was unlined, her blonde bered Musial and Williams and 01' hair soft but expertly waved, her Diz-what could he possibly say figure young and appealing under about a Yankee first baseman who her clinging green dress. was fifteen years old? Sure, he "Going to see the swami?" Harry knew that players came along asked. much faster with all the organized "He's not a swami, and you pre-school training they got now, know it. He's a certified Interpreter but after all. . . . of Mysticism, and he's a very fine Face it. He was out of it, and man. " that was that. Emily had been going in for He leaned back in his reclining assorted cults of late, which really chair. The massage started. He wasn't like her at all. The cults all lapsed into daydream. He was do seemed to advocate abstinence ing that a lot lately-not quite from what they persisted in refer asleep, not quite awake. . . . ring to as pleasures of the flesh, Harry was walking briskly down or so Emily sdd. That certainly the sidewalk, his white suit shin wasn't like Emily either, and Harry ing in the sun. His stick felt good had his doubts. and solid in his right hand, and he "Give the swami my regards," he twirled it expertly as he strode said. along. "Good afternoon, sir," a man "I'll do that." Her voice was cool said, touching his cap. Harry nod and unconcerned. "And try not to ded indifferently; he had a decision drink too much this afternoon, A STICK FOil HAilllY EDDINCTON 87 Harry. We're going out tonight." vmcmg despite their murky lan "Out?" guage. Harry could spot a phony ''To the club. We're playing pitah a mile away, and the spools Bingo." struck him as being on the level. Oh boy, thought Harry. The problem was in trying to de Emily swished out, her hips cipher what it was that they were swinging engagingly. saying. Damn it, Harry thought, she The first one was wittily en does that on purpose. He had been titled, The Sociocultural Concom forced to try other women from itants of Status and Role Transfor time to time-a couple of years of mation. abstinence could be a very long Translated into a rough approxi time indeed, and Harry wasn't all mation of English, it said that that old-but they hadn't worked every social system was marked oft out very well. Basically, Harry was into a series of positions-statuses a decidedly conservative man. -and that for every status there He went in and ate lunch by was a role, the latter being the part himself, as usual. that a person was supposed to play He returned to his chair, dialed when he occupied a particular sta himself a bourbon and water, and tus. So far, so good. It seemed that took out the spools that Richard status was determined in a variety Mavor had given him. of ways, depending on the culture Harry Eddington had just about of the group in question, but that made up his mind. much the same ingredients were Still, he wasn't a man who liked used elsewhere in calculating sta to rush into things. tus: age, sex, birth, property, per He didn't entirely trust Mr. sonality characteristics, and so on. Richard Mavor. However, the value assigned to the He intended to be very sure that various factors changed from soci he knew what he was doing before ety to society. Some systems gave he put his John Henry on any con high status to the old, somt• to the tract. young; in some cultures it was great to be a man, in others it was better The spools, as he had feared, to be a woman. Harry began to get were rather heavy going. a headache. In addition, certain "You'd· think," he said aloud, kinds of persons were more highly "that with all the money they make valued in one system than in an they could afford some decent writ other. A warrior was a big man ers." among the Plains Indians, but if He stuck with them. The projec you were a Hopi you were supposed tions, he found, were oddly con- to be peaceful. There were rather 88 FANTASY AND SCIBNCE FICTION too many examples along the same got things done. Nowadays, the lines; Harry got the general idea legacy of this notion stiH survived. without undue difficulty. It seemed The elderly-legally defined as that the role that went along with those past fifty years of age-were the status also varied at different in a tough spot because they were times and places. The basic point thought of as obsolete. They didn't was simple enough: the problem of have much to offer in the way individual happiness and content of traditional wisdom because the ment was largely a matter of being culture had JiteraHy passed them the right sort of person in the right by: the culture changed so fast that place at the right time. In effect, the culture in which they were ex Harry figured, the business of the pert no longer existed. If they had Exchange was to match a given per money, they could function as con son with the culture that happened sumers. "Don't I know it," Harry to value what that particular per said. Beyond that, they could only son had to offer. try to "think young" and masquer He foHowed it aH the way ade as pot-bellied teen-agers. The through. Then he dialed another passing of the frontier had put drink and tackled the second spool. more economic power in the hand·s It, too, had a racy title: A The of women. The role of the male was matic Analysis of the American becoming ambiguous. . . . Culture Pattern. Harry felt worse than ambiguous. "Oh, brother," Harry said. His headache was assuming classic The idea this time hit dose proportions. He scanned the last enough to home to be moderately two spools with something less than interesting. The spool stated that complete dedication. the American culture in 199 5 was One was caJled The Legal and dassified as a dynamic, driven sys Ethical Aspects of Ego Exchange, tem; it was the precise opposite of a and it was primarily a summary of stable, passive culture type. The a series of court decisions. The key system retained a number of funda point seemed to be that personality mental ideas that had character transfers were legal as long as both ized it for many years: an emphasis of the parties concerned had given on very rapid technological and so their consent to the transaction. cial change, a focus on youth, an On the ethical side, the U.N., after isolation of the individual as a a long procedural wrangle, had kind of social atom. "That's me," given its blessing in the form of its Harry said. The ideal in the old Manifesto Regarding the Rights of American culture, the spool pro Individuals to Cultural Self-Deter jected, was the man of action, the mination, which sounded reason go-getter, the practical man who ably lofty. A STICK FOR HARRY EDDINGTON 89 The final spool was The Dy Mavor looked shocked. "It namic Mechanics of Personality doesn't work that way. We are not Transfer, which boasted a preface in the immortality business, Mr. by the retired head of the American Eddington. The transfer is only Medical Association. (A lengthy possible-mechanically and le footnote said proudly that the good gally-between two persons of the doctor was no,- a shaman on Tierra same physiological age. We have a del Fuego.) The projection was a leeway of a week or two at best. If maze of circuit diagrams and ob you had studied The Dynamic Me scure mathematical symbols, and chanics of Personality Trausfer. it was all Greek to Harry. " Well, no matter. "I'll take your word for it. Look, Harry was ready for Mr. Mavor. if this is such a good deal for me, bow come the other guy is SG will "We want to be completely satis ing to take my place?" fied," said Richard Mavor the next Mavor waved at the pictures on day. the walls. "People are funny, Mr. "That makes two of us." Eddington. One man's meat, you "I believe you said that you had know." some specific questions?" "It can't be that simple.'' "A few, yes. Let's suppose that I "It is and it isn't. Look at it this agree to make the switch. Does way. What we have in the modem the Exchange guarantee my future world is a situation in which most happiness?" of the people-numerically speak Mavor pursed his lips. "That's a ing, if that isn't overly redundant large order." -live in what amounts to the "It's your business, isn't it?" same basic culture, the urban, in Mavor leaned forward across the dustrialized, technologically so polished desk and chose his words phisticated culture that you and I with great care. 'We can guarantee grew up in. The rest of the people two things, certainly. First, we will -small in total numbers, but rich put you-the essential you, so to in diversity-live in the remnants speak-in a body that will-ah of primitive societies or in peasant harmonize with the new surround enclaves. In your case, there is no ings you choose. Second, we will point to shifting from one area to place you in a functioning culture another within the same basic cul that will maximize the attributes ture pattern. You have to go else you happen to possess." where, into the primitive world. Harry considered. "Okay, I'll ·Now, to most primitive peoples, ro buy that. Why can't you put me in mantic gush to the contrary, the a young body?" chance to have a shot at this glit- 90 PANTASY AND SCIENCE PICTION tering outside world of ours is how many primitive cultures there overwhelmingly attractive. Such a are left, to say nothing of peasant man, perhaps regrettably, doesn't societies. We always tend to think think much in terms of subtle sat that the wnole world is like our isfactions and delicate personality selves; that's been true all through adjustments. He hasn't got much of history. But God knows how. many anything, by our standards, and he cultures there were on this planet wants a car, a copter, a big house that never even heard of the Roman with a fancy bathroom, a TV, Empire, say. Even now, there are money, power. In short, he wants quite a few cultures kicking around what you have got. You have to live that are radically different from as a poor, powerless man before you our own-in Africa, in India, in can appreciate the other side of the South America, in New Guinea coin. And you have to live as a and other- places. Our job is to rich, lonely man to understand the know where those cultures are and rewards of other ways of living. what they are like. We employ as Neither man can tell the other one many anthropologists as the ten anything, but we have found that leading universities in this country both are eager and willing to make combined, and we spend a great the exchange." deal of money to ensure that those "It doesn't cost the other guy cultures will survive for a reasona anything?" ble length of time. But Jet's be "He hasn't any wealth, in our frank about this, Mr. Eddington. If terms. It has to be paid for at this you're looking for a romantic, un end." touched island full of beautiful, Harry nodded slowly. He happy pe9ple who are totally un thought he would know a snow job contaminated by any taint of con when he heard one, and Mavor tact with the outside world, you seemed to be giving him straight can forget it. It doesn't exist. All answers. "I thought these-uh we have to offer are real people and savages were dying out. What if real places. We have no conven there's no place to go? Suppose the ient time machine at our disposal. culture fizzles out while I'm still We can't put you in Utopia. But alive?" you certainly wouldn't be happy in Richard Mavor, who wouldn't never-never land anyway, believe see forty again, was an experienced me. There have to be a few prob man. He had a lot at stake, and he lems or there is no zest to living had the answers to tougher ques and that's the whole idea, isn't it?" tions than the ones that Harry Ed Harry felt a growing sense of ex dington was asking. "It's a funny citement. There might be a catch thing, actually. You'd be surprised in it somewhere, but he couldn't A melt FOR HARRY IIDDINGTOM 91 see it. It was a little like heaven; went into her own room and locked nobody ever came back to give you the door. a first-hand report. But what did he "Goodbye, Emily," said Harry. have to lose? He was smiling too. "Where could I go?" he asked. "What would it be like?" The African sun gave little Richard Mavor smiled with warmth in April. It was the middle considerable relief. He knew ex of the long rains in Kenya, and the actly where Harry was going. He hills of Ngelani were damp and even had the agreement ready with chilly. Wambua wa Mathenge, the man Harry was scheduled to re who had once been a man named place. The man's name was Warn Harry Eddington, pulJed his tat boa. Mavor was pleased for a num tered gray blanket around his ber of reasons, not the least of naked shoulders and shivered. which was that he felt a certain "I wiJI have more beer," he said, kinship with Harry. Of course, it extending his tin cup. wouldn't do to move too fast. He Ndambuki poured from the cal had to be careful. abash without comment. Warn "We11 have to run some tests, boa's cup was clean, as usual, but match you up with what we have then Wambua had been a little available. We want you to be com peculiar lately. pletely satisfied, as I told you. Un Wambua took a sip of beer and til the contracts are signed, how spat it on the ground for the aimu, ever-" the ancestors. The aimu were wel Harry stood -up. "My lawyer is come to it, in Wambua's opinion; outside," he said firmly. "Let's get the beer, made from quickly fer on with it.'' mented sugar cane juice, was a far cry from Budweiser. Two weeks later, on Harry's last He looked around. The fields, night as Harry Eddington, he took each one marked off by a hedge of Emily to a movie. It was a very sisal, stretched forlornly over the modem movie: it was filmed in treeless hillsides. Even now the jerky movements like a silent film, women were working with the it was equipped with smell and sen crops, as was fitting. A group of sations, and it had neither begin boys walked along the valJey trail, ning nor ending. Harry didn't care; pushing a herd of skinny hump his mind was on tomorrow. backed cattle. Wambua smiled, When they got home, both of showing his filed and pointed teeth. them seemed preoccupied. Emily He liked to look at cows. Cows smiled at him, which was unusual. were wealth, and cows could pay "Goodnight, Harry," she said, and the bride-price Jor his sons when 92 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION \Vambua was good and ready for said. "When you need nine men, them to marry. Wathome is number ten." A jet screamed through the sky, The elders gathered around the flashing over the huts of sun-dried calabash chuckled. That was a brick and thatch, headed for Nai good proverb, very apt indeed. robi. Wambua's smile vanished. "A frog cannot stop a cow from Those damned American tourists. drinking," Wambua continued. "Moreover, a neighbor makes a "Wambua!" It was Kioko who smelling sheath." spoke, Kioko of the splendid beard. Ndambuki slapped his thigh. ''You are dreaming, mutumia. Have Wambua might be acting a little you forgotten that we have a case strange, but he was no dumb Masai to decide when the council meets when it came to legal cases. tomorrow?" Wambua delivered his opinion Wambua felt a small glow of on the case at some length. He was pleasure. Kioko had called him enjoying himself hugely. Let the mutumia, elder. He was an elder, women work the fields and haul the of course, as were most men of his firewood on their backs, this was a age among the Kamba. All of the job for a man. This took real skill. men seated around the little fire "Never fight a war with your fin and sharing beer from the calabash ger," he concluded solemnly. were elders, as was only proper. The discussion went on all after "I am giving the matter much noon. The beer dwindled in the thought. More beer, Ndambuki?" calabash until nothing was left but Ndambuki, who was the junior a sticky residue for the flies. The elder present, poured again. fire died down to an orange pile of Wambua was thinking; that was hissing coals. true enough. But it was hard to Wambua glanced up in time to concentrate. He was sure that a see Muema, the first son of his first witch was after his cows. Two of wife, walking down the trail to them had gone lame in the past ward him. Muema stopped at are week alone. It was high time he spectful distance from the knot of went to the mundu mue and had elders. "Father," he said, "your the doctor cast his beads. Of food has been prepared, if you de course, he was not unmindful of sire to eat it." his duty. His opinion had been Wambua grunted. It was the sought in an important legal case. dutv of a son to assist his father If the elders did not maintain law when his father had been long at and order, who would? the beer calabash, but Wambua felt He sipped his beer thoughtfully. perfectly capable of navigating. "I will tell you f:4is, Kioko," he Still, it would be pleasant to walk A STICK FOR HARRY EDDINGTON 93 with his son. He stood up and He would not have changed checked his charms. The ball of places with anyone else in the lion hair and the small antelope world. horn were in their proper places, along with his cigarette lighter and Emily Eddington stared out of package of filter-tips. Wambua had the window of the TV room and not yet adapted to snuff. frowned with annoyance. The "Do you wish me to take your damned cows were still there in arm?" asked Muema. her backyard, standing placidly in "I can walk," Wambua assured the moonlight. She could smell him. The boy was being very care them right through the air condi ful with his manners. He had bet tioner. ter be, Wambua thought. Other What was worse, she could smell wise, Wambua would not give him Harry too. Harry wasn't much of a any cows, and that would be a dis one for taking baths. aster. No cows, no bride. Harry wasn't much of a one for Wambua picked up his elder's anything, if it came to that. He staff. It was made of hard brown spent his time staring at the TV or wood, smoothly polished from zooming through the city air in his years of use. It was seven feet long copter. Emily had been expecting and had a little fork at the top end. a bit of a thrill from being married Only an elder could carry such a to a man who was, after all, some stick. thing of a savage. She had been dis His son fell in behind him and appointed, to say the least. Harry Wambua started up the steep trail treated his cows with more consid that led to his cluster of huts. He eration than he showed her. blinked his eyes against the gray Emily turned away from the drizzle. The huts would be warm window. She had on her most se· and pleasantly smoky. He had not ductive negligee and her sexiest yet decided which wife he would gown under it. favor tonight. A man should try to "I'm going to bed, Harry," she be fair. It was really Syomiti's turn. said softly. There was too much witchcraft Harry Eddington, who had once around to take needless chances. been a man named Wambua wa On the other hand, Mbinya was Mathenge, continued to gaze with young and appealing. . . . rapt fascination at a western pro He gripped his stick firmly and gram on TV. There were lots of hummed a little tune. cows in the show. He did not W ambua did not regret the bother to look up at Emily. choice he had made, not for a mo "I will inform you when you are ment. wanted," Harry said. 94 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION Emily went up the stairs, boiling had wanted her from the first mo mad. ment he had seen her, and he still Tomorrow, she was going to wanted her. Their clandestine have a good long talk with dear old meetings were not enough, not Richard. nearly enough. . . . Mavor put on his most convinc "' can't stand it, do you hear?" ing manner, which could be quite Emily said. convincing indeed when he set his "It won't be for long, dear," mind to it. And he set his mind to Richard Mavor said patiently. it without reservation: his whole "You really shouldn't come here to future depended on it. "\Ve can't the office. It's too dangerous." stretch the law too far, darling. We Emily began to cry. "You don't have to wait until Harry-the sec love me any more," she said, cross ond Harry, that is-gets tired of ing her admirable legs. his new toys and starts thinking. It Mavor kissed her gently. ''You will take a few years, that's all. know better than that, Emily. I Then, when you've made him thor don't like this waiting either. But oughly miserable, we can plant we have to be careful. If the Ex that ad about the cattle ranch change finds out about that kick where he'll be sure to see it. I've back-" explained all this before, sugar; we· "You said you could work every both agreed to the plan, and we thing out." have to stick with it. Harry Num "I am working everything out. ber Two is not Harry Number One, Be reasonable, darling. When you not quite. He won't put up with first came to me about Harry-the a difficult wife, and he won't be first Harry, that is-I told you that tempted by any primitive society I could arrange it so that you -he's been there. Harry Number would get part of that seven mil Two will take the divorce route, lion back. You got it, didn't you? which will be just fine. He'll have You are still a very wealthy woman, his cattle ranch, you'll still have Emily." plenty of money, and we can get "I don't care. I did it for you, married." Richard, you know that. And now Emily dried her eyes. "Oh, I here I am stuck with that-that know-you're right, dear-but I cowboy-" hate this waiting. . . . Mavor felt a warm glow. She did "So do I. But it's the only way. care for him, at least a little. He Our time will come." knew Emily's faults; he had no il "Kiss me again, Richard. Really lusions about her. But he had fal kiss me." len hard for Emily Eddington. He Mavor did so. It was quite a kiss. A STICK FOR HAIUtY EDDINGTON 95 "I'll go now," she said, her spir satisfied in a culture that complete its much restored. "Same time and ly suited her. place as usual?" Richard Mavor wanted his "I'll be there." woman to be happy. He was going "Don't forget about me, Rich to marry her as soon as it could be ard." arranged, and he was going to do "Not a chance," he assured her. his best to make the marriage a He showed her out, his heart good one. But he did not delude pounding. himself. Emily had not been con tent with Harry Number One, she Richard Mavor sat behind his was not content with Harry Num polished desk and smiled with par ber Two, and she would not be con donable pride. He figured that by tent with Richard Mavor when she any reasonable standard he had got him. done pretty well for a mere wage Well, that was the way it was. earner faced with retirement. A man had to be practical. "Everybody wins," he said aloud. At the very least, he would have Harry Number One, he was Emily to himself for a few years. sure, was a happier man today. He He would have a taste of luxury knew all about Harry Number while it lasted. One; they were a lot alike in many And when she tired of him, or ways, even down to such details as he of her- having fallen for the same woman. He smiled. There was a remedy Harry Number Two was having a available. He was an expert in that good time, and would enjoy him particular field. self even more with his cattle He looked up at his favorite pic ranch. And Emily- ture. The African man in the but Well, Emily Eddington was ter-yellow sunlight was still lean probably as happy as she could ever ing on his staff, gazing out at the be. She was a restless woman, she herd of thin, hump-backed cattle. would always move from one man "Save a stick for me, Harry," to another, but she was basically Richard Mavor said quietly. It's an unusual mission indeed which requires a specialist in both geriatrics and gunnery. The mission: to penetrate 150 light years into ho9tile space, to track down and bring home one ship which ha8 survived a 2-century-old battle and which, incredibly, is piloted by a 200-year-old, living human being. THE IMMORTAL by Gordon R. Dickson THE PHONE WAS RINGING. HB ''Very good, sir. Out." The came up out of a sleep as dark as phone went dead. For a moment death, fumbled at the glowing but the desire for sleep sucked at Jim ton in the phone's base with numb Wander like some great black bog, fingers and punched it. The ring then with a convulsive jerk he ing ceased. threw it and the covers off him "Wander here," he mumbled. in one motion and sat up on the "Major, this is Assignment. edge of his bed in the darkness, Lieutenant Van Lee. Scramble, scrubbing at his face with an awk sir." ward hand. ''Right," he muttered. After a moment, he turned the "You're to show in Opera light on, got up, showered and tions Room four-oh-nine at f01u dressed. As he shaved, he watched hundred hours. Bring your person his face in the mirror. It was still als." made up of the same roughly ''Right." Groggily he rolled over handsome, large-boned features he on his stomach and squinted at his remembered, but the lines about watch in the glow from the button the mouth and between the eye on the phone. In the pale light, brows seemed deepened with the the hands of his watch stood at sleep, under the tousled black twelve minutes after three-three hair, coarsely curling up from his hundred ten hours. Enough time. forehead. It could not be drink, he "Understood, sir?" thought. He never drank even on "Understood, Lieutenant," he rest-alert nowdays. Alcohol did said. nothing for him any more. It was 96 THE IMMOllTAJ. ~ just that nowdays he slept like a took the lift tube up to the fourth Jog-like a log watersoaked and floor. The frosted pane of the door drowning in some bottomless lake. to room four-oh-nine glowed with When he was finally dressed, he a brisk, interior light. He knocked strapped on last of all his 'person on the door and went in without als' -his sidearm, the x-morphine waiting for an answer. kit, the little green thumbnail Behind the desk inside sat Gen square box holdng the cyanide eral Mollen, and in a chair half capsules. Then he left his room, facing the General was a civilian went down the long sleeping cor of Jim's own age, lean and high ridor of the officers' quarters and foreheaded, with the fresh skin out a side door into the darkness of and clear eyes of someone who has predawn and the rain. spent most of his years inside He could have gone around by walls, sheltered from the weather. the interior corridors to the Oper Both men looked up as Jim came ations building, but it was a short in and Jim found himself twinged cut across the quadrangle and the by a sudden and reasOnless dislike rain and chill would wake him, for the civilian. Perhaps, he drive the last longing for sleep thought, it was because the other from his bones. As he stepped out looked so wide awake and busi of the door the invisible rain, nesslike this unnatural hour of the driven by a light wind, hit him in morning. Of course, so did Gen the face. Beyond were the blurred eral Mollen, but that was differ lights of the Operations building ent. across the quadrangle. As Jim came forward, both of Far off to his left thun the other men stood up. der rolled. Tinny thunder "Jim," said the General, deep the kind heard at high altitudes, voiced, his square face unsmiling. in the mountains. Beyond the rain "I want you to meet Walt Trey. and darkness were the Rockies. He's from the Geriatrics Bureau." Above the Rockies the clouds. And He would be, thought Jim grim beyond the clouds, space, stretch ly, shaking hands with the other. ing beyond the Pole Star to the Walt Trey was as tall as Jim him Frontier. self, if leaner boned. And his Where he would doubtless be handsake was not weak. But still before the dawn rose, above this . . . here he was, thought Jim, a quadrangle, above these buildings, man as young as Jim himself, full these mountains, and this Earth. of the juices of living and with all He entered the Operations his attention focussed on the grey building, showed his identHica and tottering end years of life. A tion to the Officer of the Day, and bodysnatcher-a snatcher of old 98 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION bodies back &om the brink of the burst up like paper cutouts. The grave for a few months or a few ones in the center-well, they just years. disappeared." HPleased to meet you, \Valt," he "Disappeared," said Walt Trey. said, in a neutral tone. He did not seem disturbed by Jim's "Good to meet you, Jim." vivid description of the nova and "Sit down," said the General. death. "That's the right word. Do Jim pulled up a chair and they all you remember how long ago this sat down once more around the was?" desk. "Nearly two hundred years ago," "What's up, sir?" asked Jim. said Jim. He turned and looked "Something special," answered impatiently at General Mollen, Mollen. ''That's why Walt here's with a glance that said plaintly been rung in on it. Do you happen what is this? to remember about the Sixty Ships "Look here, Jim," said the Gen Battle?' eral. 'We've got something to "It was right after we found we show you." He pushed aside the had a frontier in common with the few papers on· the surface of the Laggi, wasn't it?" said Jim, slight desk in front of· him and touched ly puzzled. ''Two hundred years some studs on the edge of the desk. ago or so. Back before we and they The overhead lights dimmed. The found out logistics made space surface of the table became trans wars unworkable. Sixty of our parent and gave way to a scene of ships met forty-some of theirs be stars. To the three men seated yond the Pole Star and their ships around the desktop it was as if they were better. What about it?" looked down and out into an area "Do you remember how the bat of space a thousand light years tle came out?" It was the civilian, across. To the civilian, Jim was Walt Trey, leaning forward with thinking, the stars would be only a strange intensity. maze. To Jim himself, the image Jim shrugged. was long familiar. "Our ships were slower then. Mallen's hands did things with We hadn't started to design them the studs. Two hazy spheroids of for guarding a frontier, instead cif dim light, each about six hundred fighting pitched battles. They cut light years in diameter along its us up and suckered what was left longest axis, sprang into view into standing still while they set bright enough to establish their off a nova explosion," he ·said. He position and volume, not so bright looked into the civilian's eyes and as to hide the stars they enclosed. spoke de1iberately. ''The ships on The center of one of the spheroids the edKe of the explosion were was the sun of Earth, and the TID IMMORTAL 99 furthest extent of this spheroid in shiver had mn down his back. It one direction intermixed with an had been years since he had run edge of the other spheroid beyond across the old tale as a boy. the Pole Star, Polaris. "It's a French-Canadian ghost "Our area of space," said Mol legend, sir," he said. "The legend len's voice, out of the dimness was that voyageurs who had left around the table-"and the Lag their homes in Eastern Canada to gi's, Walt. They block our expan go out on the fur trade routes and sion in that direction, and we who had died out there ·would be block theirs in this. The distribu able to come back home one night tion of the stars in this view being of the year. New Year's night. what it is, it's not practical for They'd come sailing in through either race to go around the other. the storms and snow in ghost ca You see the frontier area?" noes, to join the people back home "Where the two come together, and kiss the girls they now would yes," said the voice of Walt. n't ever be seeing again. -That's "Now Jim-" said Mallen. what they called the story, La "Jim commands a wing of our Chasse Gallerie. It means the frontier guard ships, and he knows hunting of a type of butterfly that that area well. But nothing but invades beehives to steal the unmanned drones of ours have honey." ever gotten deep into Laggi terri "The pilot of this ship was a tory beyond the Frontier and come French-Canadian," said Mollen. back out again. Agreed, Jim?" "Raoul Penard." He coughed dryly. "Agreed, sir," said Jim. "More "He was greatly attached to his than ten, fifteen light years deep home. La Chasse Gallerie was one is suicide." of the ships near the center of the 'Well, perhaps," said Mollen. nova explosion, one of the ones "But let me go on. The Sixty Ships that disappeared. At that time we Battle was fought a hundred and didn't realize that the nova explo ninety-two years ago-here." A sion was merely a destructive ap bright point of light sprang into plication of the principle used in existence in the Frontier area. trans-light drive. -You've heard "One of the ships engaged in it of the statistical chance that a ship was a one man-vessel with semi caught just right by a nova explo animate automatic control system, sion could be transported instead named by its pilot La Chasse Gal of destroyed, Jim?" lerie-you said something, Jim? "I'd hate to count on it, sir," said The exclamation had emerged Jim. "Anyway, what's the differen from Jim's lips involuntarily. And ence? Modern ships can't be anti at the same time, foolishly, a slight cipated or held still long enough 100 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION for any kind of explosion to be ef headed back, toward Earth." fective. Neither the Laggi nor we Jim stared at the line in fascina have used the nova for. eighty tion. years." "No," he heard himself saying, "True enough," said MoJien. "it can't be. It's some sort of Laggi "But we aren't talking about mod trick. They've got a Laggi pilot ern ships. Look at the desk schema, aboard-" Jim. Forty-three hours ago, one of "Listen," said Mollen. "The our deep unmanned probes re probe heard talking inside the turned from far into Laggi territory ship. And it recorded. Listen-" with pictures of a ship. Look." Again, there was the faint snap Jim heard a stud click. The stars of a stud. A voice a human voice, shifted and drew back. Floating singing raggedly, almost absent against a backdrop of unknown mindedly to itself, entered the air stars he saw the cone shape of a of the room and rang on Jim's ears. one man space battlecraft, of a type ", .. en roulant ma boule, rou forgotten a hundred and fifty years lant- before. The view moved in dose en roulant ma boule, rou and he saw a name, abraded by lant ..." the singing broke off by dust and dimmed, but readable and the voice dropped into a mut on the hull. He read it. ter of a voice in a mixture of La Chasse Gallerie-The breath French and English, speaking to caught in his throat. itself, mixing the two languages "It's been floating around in indiscrimately. Jim, who had all Laggi territory all this time?" Jim but forgotten the little French he said. "I can't believe-" had picked up as a boy in Quebec, "More than that," Mollen inter was barely able to make out that rupted him. "That ship's under the possessor of the voice was carry power and moving." A stud ing on a running commentary to clicked. The original scene came the housekeeping duties he was do back. A bright line began at the ing about the ship. Talking to him extreme edge of the desk and began self after the fashion of hermits to creep toward the back Jimits of and lonely men. Laggi territory. It entered the ter "Now, then," said Jim, even ritory and began to pass through. while he wondered why he was "-You see," said Mallen's voice protesting such strong evidence at out of the dimness, "it's coming all. "Didn't you say they had the back from wherever the nova ex early semi-animate control systems plosion kicked it to, nearly two then? They used brain tissue grown hundred years ago. It's headed in a culture, didn't they? It's just back toward our own territory. It's the control system, parroting what THE IMMORT~ 101 it's heard, following out an early be alive at over two hundred years order to bring the ship back." of age." He watched Jim closely. "Look again," said Mollen. The "Jim, I'm asking you to take a sec view changed once more to a tion of four ships in to meet La closeup of La Chasse Gallerie. Jim Chasse Gallerie and bring her out." looked and saw wounds in the dust Jim stared at him. He found scarred hull-the slashing cuts of himself involuntarily wetting his modern light weapons, refinements lips and stopped the gesture. of the ancient laser bean-guns. "How deep?" he asked. "The ship's already had its first en "At least a hundred and fifty counter with the Laggi on its way years in toward the heart of Laggi home. It met three ships of a Laggi territory," said Mollen, bluntly. "If patrol-and fought them off." you want to turn it down, Jim, "Fought them off? That old don't hesitate. The man who pulls hulk?" Jim stared into the dimness this off has got to go into it believ where Mollen's face should be. ing he can make it back out again.'' "Three modem Laggi ships?" "That's me," said Jim. He "That's right," said Mollen. "It laughed, the bare husk of a laugh. killed two and escaped from the "That's the way I operate, General. third-and by rights it ought to be I volunteer.'' dead itself, but it's still coming. A "Good," said Mollen. He sat control system might record a voice back in his chair. "There's just one and head a ship home, but it can't more thing, then. Raoul Penard is fight off odds of three to one. That older than any human being has a takes a living mind." right to be and he's pretty certainly A stud clicked .. Dazzling over senile, if not out and out in head light sprang on again and the sane. We'll want a trained observer desk top was only a desk top. Blink along to get as much information ing in the illumination, Jim saw out of contact with the man as we Mollen looking across at him. can, in case you lose him and his "Jim," said the General, "this is ship, getting back. That calls for a volunteer mission. That ship is a man with a unique background headed dead across the middle of and experience in geriatrics and all Laggi territory and its going to be the knowledge of the aging process. hit again before it reaches the Walt, here, is the man. He'll re Frontier. Next time it'll be cut to place your regular gunner and ride ribbons, or captured. We can't af in your two-man ship with you." ford to have that happen. The pilot It was like a hard punch in the of that ship, this Raoul Penard, has belly. Jim sucked in air and found too much to tell us, even beginning he had jerked erect. Both men with the fact of how he happens to watched him. He waited a sec- 102 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION ond, to get his voice under controL of a ship cut wide open, and lost He spoke first to the general. back there somewhere . . . alive "Sir, I'll need a gunner. If there but lost . . . where you'll never be was ever a job where I'd need a able to find him? Do you know gunner, it'd be this one." what it might be like to be spilled "As a matter of fact," said 1\lol out and lost yourself and faced Jen, slowly-and Jim could feel with the choice of living three that this answer had been ready weeks, a month, two months in and \vaiting for him, "Walt here is your suit in the one in a million a gunner-a good one. He's a Cap chance of being found after ali tain in the Reserve, Forty-Second or of taking your cyanide capsules? Training Squadron. With a ninety Do you know what that's like?" two point six efficiency rating." "I know it," said Walt. His face "But he's still a week-end war had not changed. "The same way rior-" Jim swung about on the you do, as a series of possibilities lean geriatrics man. "Have you for the most part. I know it as well ever done a tour of duty? Real as I can without being wounded or duty? On the Frontier?" dead." "I think you know I haven't, Ma "I don't think you do!" snapped jor," said Walt, evenly. "If I'd had Jim raggedly. His hands were you'd have recognized me. We're shaking. He saw Walt looking at about the same age and there aren't them. that many on Frontier duty." "General," said \Valt, "perhaps "Then do you know what it's. we should ask for another volun like-what it can be like out teer?" there?" raged Jim. He knew his "Jim's our best man," said Mol voice was getting away from him, len. He had not moved, watching scaling upward in tone, but he did them both from behind the desk. not care. "Do you know how the "If I had a better man-or an bandits can come out of nowhere? equal man who was fresher-I'd Do you know you can be hit before have called him in instead. But you know anyone's anywhere near what you're after is just about im around? Or the ship next to you possible; and only a man who can can be hit and the screens have to do the impossible can bring it off. stay open-that's regulation, in Jim's that man. It's like athletic case of some miracle-that there's skills. Every so often a champion something can be done? Do you comes along, one in billions of know what it's like to sit there and people, who isn't just one notch up watch a man you've lived with from the next contenders but ten burning to death in a cabin he notches up from the nearest. can't get out of? -Or spilled out There's no point in sending you mE IMMORTAL 103 and five ships into Laggi territory moving Doorway. They stepped on with anyone else in command. You to the gently rolling strip, which simply wouldn't come back. With carried them forward onto a J1m,. you . . . may. " slightly faster strip, and then to a "I see," said Walt. He looked at faster, and so on until they were Jim. "Regardless, I'm going." flashing down the tunnel 'sur "And you're taking him, Jim," rounded by air pumped at a hun said Mollen, "or turning down the dred and twenty miles an hour in mission." the same direction they travelled, "And if I tum it down?" Jim so that they would not be blown off darted a glance at the general. their feet. In a few minutes they "I'll answer that," said Walt. came to the end; and air and strips Jim looked back at him. "If neces decelerated so that they slowed and sary, my Bureau will requisition a stepped at last into what looked ship and I'll go alone." like an ordinaty office, but which Jim stared back at the other for was deep in the heart of a moun a long moment, and felt the rage tain.-This, the memory returned drain slowly away from him, to be to Jim, in case the Transmission replaced by a great weariness. Section blew up on one of its at "All right," he said. "All right, tempts to transmit. The statistical Walt-General. I'll head the mis chance was always there. Perhaps, sion." He breathed deeply and this time ...? glanced over Walt's civilian suit. But Mollen had cleared them "How long'll it take you to get with the officer of the duty guard ready?" and they were moving on through "I'm ready now," said Walt. He other rooms to the suiting room, reached down to the floor behind where Jim and Walt climbed into the desk and came up with a pack the unbelievably barrel-bodied age of personals, sidearm, med-kit suits that were actually small and cyanide box. "The sooner the spaceships in themselves and in better." which-if they who wore them "All right. The five ships of the were unlucky and still would not Section are manned and waiting take their cyanide-they might for you," said Mollen. He stood up drift in space, living on recycled behind the desk and the two air and nourishments until they younger men got to their feet fac went mad, or died of natural ing him. "I'll walk down to Trans causes. mission Section with you." -Or were found and brought They went out together into the back. The one in a million chance. corridor and along it and down an Jim, now fully inside his suit, elevator tube to a tunnel with a locked it closed. 104 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION "All set?" it was Mollen's voice i11to the forward seat facing the coming at him over the aud circuit controls. Through his suit's recep of the suit. Through the transpar· tors, he heard Walt sliding into ent window of the headpiece he the gunner's seat, behind and to saw the older man watching him. the left of him. Already, in spite of "All set, GeneraL" He looked the efficiency of the suit, he could over at \Valt and saw him already feel the faint, enclosed stink of his suited and waiting. Trying to own body sweat, and responding to make points by being fast, thought the habit of many missions, his Jim sardonically. With the putting brain began to clear and come on of the suit, the old feeling of alive. He plugged his suit into the sureness had begun to flow back controls. into him, and he felt released. "Report," he said. One by one, "Let's go, bodysnatd1er." in order, the Swallow, the Fair "Good luck," said Mollen. He Maid, the Lela and the Andfriend did not comment on the name Jim replied."-Transmission Section," had thrown at the geriatrics man. said Jim, "this is Wander Section, Nor did Walt answer. Together ready and waiting for transmis they clumped across the room, sion." waited for the tons-heavy explosion "Acknowledged," replied the door to swing open, and clumped voice of the Transmission Section. through. There followed a short wait, dur On the floor of the vast cavera ing which as always Jim was con· that was the takeoff area, five scious, as if through some extra two-man ships sat like grey-white sense, of the many-tons weight of darts, waiting. Red 'manned' lights the collapsed magnesium alloy of glowed by each sealed port on the the ship's hulls bearing down on back four. Jim read their names as the specially reinforced concrete he stumped forward toward the of the takeoff area. "Ready to trans· open port of the lead ship, ais mit." ship, the Fourth 1Hary. The other "Acknowledged," said Jim. four ships were the Swallaw, the "On the count of four, then," Fair Maid, the Lela and the And said Transmission Section's calm, friel!d. He knew their pilots and disembodied voice. "For Picket gunners well. The Swallaw and Nine, L Sector, Frontier Area, the Andfriend were ships from his transmission of \Vander Section, own command. They and the other five ships. Counting now. Four. two were good ships handled by Three, . . ." the unimaginable good men. The best. tension that always preceeded Jim led the way aboard the transmission from one established Fourth Mary and fitted himself point to another, began to build, a THE IMMORTAL 105 gearing-up of nerves that affected Frontier area has been scouted for all the men on all the ships alike. slipover, and data prepared for "Two ..."the voice of Transmis flash transmission to you. You will sion Section seemed to thunder accept data and leave immediately. at them along their overwrought Please key to receive data." nerves. "One . . ." "Major-" began the voice of " ... Transmit!" Walt, behind him. Abruptly, a wave of disorienta "Shut up," said Jim. He said it tion and nausea broke through casually, without rancor, as if he them, and was gone. They floated was speaking to his regular gun in dark and empty interstellar ner, Lei£ Molloy. For a moment he space, with the stars of the Fron had forgotten that he was carrying tier Area surrounding them; and a a passenger instead of a proper uew voice spoke in their ear. gunman. And there was no time "Identify yourself," it said. to think about it now. "Acknowl "Identify yourself. This is Picket edge," he said to Picket Nine. Nine requesting identification." "Transmit data, please." "Wander Section. Five ships." He pressed the data key and the Jim did not bother to look at his light above it sprang into being instruments to find the space-float and glowed for nearly a full sec ing sphere that was Picket Nine. ond before going dark again. That, It was out there somewhere, with thought Jim, was a lot of data-at twenty ships scattered around, up the high speed transmission at to half a light year away, but all which such information was zeroed in on this reception point pumped into his ship's computing where he and the other four ships center. That was one of the reasons had emerged. Had Jim been a the new computing units were Laggi Wing or Picket Command evolved out of solid-state physics er, he would not have transmitted instead of following up the devel into this area with twice twenty opment of the semi-animate brains ships-no, nor with three times such as the one aboard the ancient that many. "Confirm transmission La Chasse Gallerie. The semi-ani notice from Earth? Five ship sec mate brains-living tissue in a tion for deep probe bandit terri nutrient solution-could not ac tory. Wander Section Leader, cept the modem need for sudden speaking." high-speed packing of sixteen "Transmission notice confirmed hours worth of data in the space of Wander Section Leader," crackled a second or so. back the voice from Picket Nine. Also, such living tissue had to "Mission confirmed. You will not be specially protected against high deship. Repeat, not deship. Local accelerations, needed to be fed and 106 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION trimmed-and it died on you at tance, and locate her in the area the wrong times. where she should then be, within All the time Jim was thinking an hour or so. Then they could this with one part of his mind, the theoretically at least-surround other and larger part of his think her, lock on, and try to improve on ing process was driving the gloved the ten light years of jump it fingers of his right hand. These seemed was the practical limit of moved over a bank of one hundred her pilot's or her control center's and twenty small black buttons, computing possibilities. ten across and twelve down, like With modern trans-light drive, the stops on a piano~accordion, the problem was not the ability tg and with the unthinking speed move or jump any required dis and skill of the trained operator, tance, but the ability to compute he punched them, requesting in correctly, in a reasonable time, the formation out of the body of data direction and distance in which just pumped into his ship's com the move should be made. Such puting center, building up from calculations took in of necessity this a picture of the situation, and the position and movement of the constructing a pattern of action to ship about to make the jump and be taken as a result. the position and movement of the Evoked by the intricate code set destination area-this in a galaxy up by combinations of the black where everything was in relative buttons under his fingers, the ghost movement, and only a mathemati voice of the computing center cal fiction, the theoretical center whispered in his ear in a code of point of the galaxy from which all words and numbers hardly less in distances were marked and meas tricate. ured, was fixed. " ... transmit destination area The greater the distance, the one-eighty ell wye, Lag Sector more involved and time-consum L 49 cat point 12:5, 13:2, 64: 5. ing the calculation. The law of Proceeding jumps I 0 ell wye, at diminishing returns would set in, inclination z49 degrees Frontier . and the process broke down of its midpoint. Optimum jumps two, own weight-it took a lifetime to .03 error correctible ..." calculate a single jump to a desti He worked steadily. The picture nation it would not take quite a began to emerge. It would not be lifetime to reach by smaller, more hard getting in. It was never hard easily calculable jumps. It was to do that. They could reach La this calculation time-factor that Chasse Gallerie in two tranmis made it impractical for the human sions or jumps across some hun and Laggi races to go around each dred and eighty light years of dis- others spatial territory. If we were THE IMMOATAL 107 all Raoul Penards, thought Jim immediately'. "Three. Two. One. grimly, with two hundred and Transmit-" more years of life coming, it'd be Once again the Wl'ench of dis different. -The thought chilled location. Nausea. him, he did not know why. He put Darkness. They were alone it out of his mind and went back to amongst the enemy's stars. None of the calculations. the other ships were in sight. The picture grew and com· "Swallow . . ." came a whisper pleted. He keyed his voice to the in his earphones as from some· other ships floating in dark space where unseen as a tight, short around him. range, light-born beam touched the "Wander Leader to Wander outside of the Fourth Mary, beam Section," he said. "\Vander Leader ing its message to his ears. "Fair to Wander Section. Prepare to Maid. Lela . . ." a slightly longer shift into bandit territory. Key for pause. "Andfriend." calculations pattern for first of two Andfriend was always a lag jumps. Acknowledge, all ships of gard. Jim had braced her pilot Wander Section." about it a dozen times. But now The ~ransmit section of his con· was not the hour for reprimands. trol board glowed briefly as the They were deep in Laggi territory, Swallow, the Fair Maid, the Lela and the alien alert posts would and the Andfriend pumped into have already picked up the burst o£ their own computing centers the energy not only from their trans situation and calculations he had mit off the Frontier, but from the worked out with his own. Their second jump to over a hundred voice came back, acknowledging. light years deep in Laggi territory. "Lock to destination," said Jim. Communication between the ships "Dispersal pattern K at destina· of the Section must be held to a tion. Repeat, pattern K, tight, hun· minimum while the aliens were still dred kilometer interval. Hundred trying to figure out where the kilometer interval." He glanced at second jump had landed the in· the sweep second hand of the clock truders. before him on his control board. Shortly, since they must know "Transmit in six seconds. Count· by now of the approximate position ing. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. of La Chasse Gallerie, and have Transmit-" ships on the way to kill her, they Again, the disorientation, and would put two and two together the nausea. and expect to find the intruders in Strange stars were around them. the same area. But for the moment "Check Ten," whispered Jim. It Wander Section, if it lay low and was the code for 'make next jump quiet, could feel it was safely hid· 108 FANTASY AN'D SCIENCE PICTION den in the immensities of enemy "You say he'll be along?" said space. Walt. "Why didn't we go directly Jim blocked off outside trans to him?" mission, and spoke over the inter "And make it absolutely clear to com to Walt. the Laggi he's what we're after?" "All right, bodysnatcher ," he answered Jim. "As long as they said. "What was it you wanted to don't know for sure, they have to say to me back at Frontier?" assume we don't even know of his There was a slight pause before existence. So we stop ahead in his the other's voice came back. line of travel-lucky he's just "Sir-" plugging straight ahead without "Never mind that," said Jim. "I trying any dodges-and wait for don't count Reserve Officers as the him. We might even make it look real thing. As far as I'm concerned like an accidental meeting to the you're a civilian. What was it you Laggi-" Jim smiled inside the wanted, Wa-bodysnatcher?" privacy of his suit's headpiece "All right, Major," said the without much humor. "-I don't voice of Walt. "I won't bother think." .about military manners with what "Do you think you can lock on I call you, and I won't bother with him without too much trouble-" what you call me." There was a "Depends," answered Jim, "on slight grimness of humor in the how fast he starts shooting at us voice of the geriatrics man. "I when he sees us." wanted to say-l'd like to get in "Shooting at us?" there was in close enough to La Chasse Gal credulity in Walt's l'Oice. "Why lerie, so that we can keep a tight should he-oh." His voice beam connection with her hull at dropped. "I see." all tim'es and I can record every "That's right," said Jim, "we thing Penard says from the time of don't look like any human ship he contact on. It'll be important." knew about, and he's in territory "Don't worry," said Jim. "He'll where he's going to be expecting be along in a few minutes, if my bandits, not friends." calculations were right. And I'll "But what're you going to do, to put you right up next to him. We're stop him shooting?" going to surround him with our "They dug up the recognition ships, lock him in the middle of us signals of the· Sixty Ships Battle," with magnetics, and try to boost said Jim. "Just pray he remembers out as a unit at something more them. And they've given me a practical than the little ten light voice signal that my blinker li~hts year at a time jumps that seem to can translate and flash at him in be all he's able to compute." the code he was working under at THE IMMORTAL 109 the time of the Battle. Maybe it'll that doesn't know what it's like to work, maybe it won't." see men die . . . I The impulse to "It will," said Walt, calmly. do murder passed after a moment, "Oh?" Jim felt harshness in his leaving Jim trembling and spent. chest. "\Vhat makes you so sure?" There was the sour taste of stomach "It's my field, Major. It's my acids in his mouth. business to know how the aged re 'We'll see," he said shakily over act. Aml one of their common re the intercom. "We'll see, body actions is to forget recent events snatcher." and remember the events of long "Why put it in the future, Ma ago. Their childhood. High points jor?" said the voice of the other. of their early life-and the Sixty "Why not tell me plainly what Ships Battle will have been one of you've got against someone work those." ingin geriatrics?" "So vou think Penard will re "Nothing," said Jim. "It's noth membe~?" in~ to do with me. Let'm all live "I think so," said \Yalt. "I think forever." he'll remember with almost hyp "Something wrong with that?" notic recall." "I don't see the point of it," said Jim grinned again, mirthlessly, Jim. 'You've got the average age privately in his suit. up pushing a hundred. What good "You'd better be right," he said. does it do?" His throat went a little "It's one order of impossibility to dry. I shouldn't talk so much, he pick him up and take him home. thought. But he went on and said It's another to fight off the Laggi it anyway. "What's the usc of it?" while we're doing it. To fight Pen "People are pretty vigorous up ard at the same time would be a through their nineties. If we can third order-and that's beyond push it farther . . . Here's Penard mortal men." who's over two hundred-" "Yes," said Walt. "You don't like "And what's the use of it? Vig to think of man as anything but orous!" said Jim, the words break mortal, do you, Major?" ing out of him. "Vigorous enough "Why, you-" Jim bit back the to totter around and sit in the sun rest of the words that flung them light. -What do you think's the selves into his throat. He sat rigid retirement age from Frontier and sweating in his suit, his hand duty?" lying across the accessible flap that "I know what it is," said Walt. would let him reach in and draw "It's thirtv-two." his sidearm without losing atmos "Thirt}·-two." Jim sneered. "So phere from inside the suit. This you've got all these extra vigorous crum-this c"'m-he thought, years of life for people, have you? 110 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION If they're all that vigorous, why In the same moment, the other can't they ride a frontier ship after ships of Wander Section were ap thirty-two? I'll tell you why, body pearing on other sides of the an snatcher. It's because they're too cient spaceship. Their magnetic old-too old physically, too old in beams licked out and locked-and the reflexes and the nerves! Snatch held, a fraction of a second before all the ancient bodies back from La Chasse Gallerie bucked like a the brink of the grave, but you wild horse and tried to escape by a can't change that. So what good's jump at trans-light speeds. your extra sixty-eight years?" The mass of the five other ships "Maybe you ought to ask Raoul held her back. Penard that," said Walt, softly. "Hold-" Jim was whispering A dark wave of pain and unhap into the headpiece of his suit and piness rose inside Jim, so that he circuits were translating his old had to clench his teeth to hold it fashioned phrases into blinking back from coming out in words. signal lights beamed at the cone "Never mind him," Jim said shape ship. "Hold. This is Gov huskily. For a second it was as if he ernment Rescue Contingent, title had been through it, himself, all Wander Section. Do not resist. We 'the endless years, refusing to die, are taking you in tow-" the unfit beating his ship back toward the ness of the ancient word, jarred in Frontier, and the Solar System, at Jim's mouth as he said it. "We're little jumps of ten light years taking you in tow to return you to length, apiece-and home. I'll get Earth Headquarters. Repeat . . ." him home, thought Jim to himself The flashing lights went on -I'll get Penard to the home he's spelling the message out, over and been after these two centuries if I over again. La Chasse Gallerie have to take him through every ceased fighting and hung docilely Laggi Picket area between here in the matching net of magnetic and the Frontier. "Never mind forces. Jim got a talk beam touch him," Jim said again to Walt, "he ing on the aged hull. was a fighter." ". . . home," a voice was say "He still is-" Walt was cut ing, the same voice he had heard suddenly short by the ringing of recorded in Mallen's office. "Chez the contact alarm. Jim's fingers moi . . ." it broke into a tangle slapped by reflex down on his bank of French that Jim could not fol of buttons and a moment later they low, and emerged in accented swam up beside a dust-scarred English with the cadence of poe cone-shape with the faded legend try,"... 'Poleon, hees sojer never La Chasse Gallerie visible on its fight-more brave as dem poor side. habitants-Chenier, he try for THE 1:\iMORTAL 111 broke de rank-Chenier come "Bandits" yelped the voice of dead immediatement ..." Andfriend. "Five bandits, sector "La Chasse Gallerie. La Chasse SlX-. " Gallerie," Jim was saying over and "Bandits. Two bandits, sector over, while the blinking 'lights on two, fifteen hundred kilometers-" his hull transformed the words into broke in the voice of Lela. a ship's code two centuries dead, Jim swore and slapped his fin "Can you understand me? Repeat, gers down on the buttons. Wit11 can you understand me? If so, all ships locked together, his jump acknowledge. Acknowledge ..•" impulse was sorted automatically There was no response from the through the computer center of dust-scarred hull, slashed by the each one, so that they all jumped Laggi weapons. Only the voice, re together in the direction and dis citing what Jim now recognized as tance he had programmed. There a poem by William Henry Drum was the wrench of feeling-and mond, one of the early poets to sudden silence. write in the French accented Eng The siren had cut off. The lish of the French-Canadian habit voices were silent. Automatic dis ant in the late nineteenth century. persal had taken place, and the ". . . De gun dey rattle lak' other four ships were spreading tonnere-" muttered on the voice, out rapidly to distances up to a "just baug, bang, bang! dat's way thousand kilometers on all sides, she go-" abruptly the voice of their receptors probing the empty Raoul Penard shifted to poetry in space for half a light year in each the pure French of another poem direction, quivering, seeking. by a medieval prisoner looking out "Looks like we got away," the to\\ er window of his prison on \Valt's voice was eerie in its natu the springtime. The shift was in rualness, breaking the stillness in perfect cadence and rhyme with Jim's headpiece. "Looks like they the earlier line in dialectical Eng lost us." lish. HThe hell they did!" said Jim, "Le temps a laisse tau mantau savagely. "They'll have unmanned de vent, de froidure, et de pluie" detector probes strung out all the "It's no use," said \Valt. "We'll way from here to the Frontier. have to get him back to Earth and They know we're not going any treatment, before you'll be able to place else." get through to him." "Then we better jump again-" "All right," said Jim. "Then "Not yet! Shut up, will you!" we'll head-." Jim bit the words off hard at his The moan of an interior siren lips. "The more they collect to hit blasted through his suit. us with here, the more we leave 112 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION ' behind when we jump again. Sit "Where to, bodysnatcher?" still back there and keep your whispered back Jim. "They'll have mouth shut. You're a gunner now, planet-based computers the size of not a talker." small cities working on our prob "Yes sir." There was no mock abilities of movement, now. Any ery in Walt's voice. This time Jim where we jump now in a straight did not comment on the 'sir'. line for the Frontier, they'll be The seconds moved slowly with waiting for us." the sweep hand of the clock in "Then jump to a side point. front of Jim. Inside the headpiece, Evade!" his face was dripping with perspi "If we do that," whispered Jim, raton. The blood creaked in his "we'll have to recalculate." He ears-. suddenly realized the other's whis Moan of siren! pering had brought him to lower "Bandits!" shouted the F11ir his own voice to a thread. Deliber Maid. "Four bandits-" ~tely he spoke out loud, but with "Bandits!" -"Bandits!" . . . transmission of the conversation Suddenly the helmet was full of to the other ships of the Section warning cries from all the ships. blocked off. "RecaJculation takes The tell-tale sphere in front of time. They'll be using that time to Jim came alive with the green dots find us-and they've got bigger of Laggi ships, over and beyond and better equipment for it than the white dots of his own Section. the computing centers aboard They came on, the green dots, · these little ships." with the illusion of seeming to "But what're we waiting for? spread apart as they advanced. Why'd they go away? Shouldn't They came on and . . . we go now-" Suddenly they were gone. They "No!" snarled Jim. "They went had winked out, disappeared as if away because they thought there they had never been there in the weren't enough of them." first place. "Not enough? There were "Formation Charlie," said Jim twice our number-" tonelessly to the other four ships. "Not enough," said Jim. "They They shifted their relative posi want to kill us all at one swat. tions. Jim sat silent, sweat drip They don't want any of us to es ping off his chin inside his suit. cape. It's not just La Chasse Gal He could feel the growing tension lerie. Enemy ships can't be al in the man behind him. lowed to get this deep into their "Jump!' " It was a whisper tom territory and live. We'd do the from a raw throat in Walt. "Why same thing if Laggi ships came don't you jump?" into our space. We'd have to make THE IMMORTAL 113 an object lesson of them-so they The slow and feeble lasers of wouldn't be tempted to try again." the old ship reached out toward "But-" the oncoming Laggi lights that "Bandits- Bandits! Ban- were ships, pathetically wide of dits!-" their mark. Something winked up Suddenly the pilots of all the ahead and suddenly the soft, on vessels were shouting at once. collapsed point of the primitive, Jim's hand slammed down on a dust-scarred hull was no longer button and four screens woke to there. Then Wander Section had life, showing the interior of the closed with some eight of the other four ships. The sight and enemy. sound of the other pilots and gun The Fourth Mary suddenly ners were there before his eyes. bucked and screamed. Her inter The spherical tell-tale was alive nal temperature suddenly shot up with green dots, closing in from momentarily to nearly two hun all sectors of the area, racing to eft dred degrees as a glancing blow globe the Wander Section. from the light-weapon of one of "James! Pattern James!" Jim the Laggi brushed her. There was heard his own voice shouting to a moment of insanity. Flame flick the other ships. "James. Hit, break ered suddenly in the interior of out, and check Ten. Check Fair Maid, obscuring the screen Ten ...." before Jim, picturing that interior. They were driving toward one Then they were past the enemy group of the approaching green fifteen and Jim cried-"Trans lights. La Chasse Gallerie was mit!" at the same time that he driving with them. Over the shout locked his own magnetic beams ing back and forth of the Wander on the chopped hull of La Chasse Section Pilots came the voice of Gallerie and tried to take her Raoul Penard, shouting, singing through the jump alone. -a strange, lugubrious tune but It should not have been possi in the cadence and tone of a battle ble .. But some sixth sense in the song. As if through the winds of a singing, crazed mind of Raoul nightmare, Jim heard him . . . Penard seemed to understand what "Frainchman, he don't lak to die Jim was trying. The two ships in de fallt jumped together under the Fourth 'When de mairsh she am so full Mary's control, and suddenly all of de game! five ships floated within sight of "An de little bool-frog, he's roll each other amid the peace and veree fat ..• darkness of empty space and the An de leetle mooslzrat, he's jus' tie alien stars. same! .•" Into this silence came the soft 114 FANTASY AND SCIENCB FICTION sound of sobbing from one of the bring back the ship we've just screens. Jim looked and saw the picked up in Laggi territory. charred interior of the Fair Maid. You're no good on that mission Her pilot was out of his seat and you're no good to this Section haH-<:rouched before the charred, without a gunner. Jump wide and barrel-suited figure in the gunner's go home! Do you hear me? That's chair. an order. Jump wide and go "Fair Maid/" Jim had to repeat home!" the call, more sharply. "Fair There was a moment's silence, Maid/ Acknowledge!" and then the pilot's figure moved The pilot's headpiece lifted. slowly and turned slowly back to The sobbing stopped. sit down before his controls. "Fair Maid here." The voice was "Acknowledge, Fair Maidl" thick-tongued, drugged-sounding. snapped Jim. "I had to shoot my gunner, Wan "Acknowledge," came the life der Leader. He was burning up in less voice of the pilot in the side his suit. I had to shoot my burned interior of the ship. "Jump gunner. He was burning up inside ing wide and going home." his-" "Out then," said Jim, in a calm "Fair Maid!" snapped Jim. er voice, "Good luck getting back. "Can you still compute and jump?" So long, Jerry." "Yes ..." said the drugged "So long, Wander Leader," voice. "I can compute and jump, came the numb reply. The gloved Wander Leader." hands moved on the singed con "All right, Fair Maid," said trols. Fair Maid vanished. said Jim. "You're to jump wide Jim sat back wearily in his pi angle off outside Laggi territory lot's chair. Hammering into his and then make your own way back ears came the voice of Raoul Pe to our side of the Frontier. Have nard, now crooning another verse you got that? Jump wide, and of his battle song . . . make your own way back. Jump ". . . Come all you beeg Can far enough so that it won't be adam an worth the Laggi's trouble to go af "Who want find work on Mee ter you." shegan, "No!" The voice lost some of its "Dere's beeg log drive all troo druggedness. "I'm staying, Wan ourlan', der Leader. I'm going to kill some YoN sure fin' work on Meesh-" " In a sudden reflex of rage, Jim's Fair Maid/" Jim heard his own hand slapped down on a button, voice snarling into his headpiece. cutting off in mid-word the song "This Section has a mission-to from La Chasse Gallerie. THE IMUO&TAL 115 "Major I" beams of the Laggi ships. And the The word was like a whip oldfashioned ceramet material of cracking across his back. Jim start her hull, built before collapsed ed awake to the fact of his pas metals had been possible, · had senger-gunner behind him. been opened up like cardboard "Well, bodysnatcher!" he said. under the edge of red-hot knives. "Who's been feeding you raw Jim stared, hearing the voice of meat?" Penard singing in his ears, and an "I think I've got my second icy trickle went down his perspi wind in this race," answered the ration-soaked spine. even, cold voice of Walt. "Mean "He can't be alive," Jim heard while, how about turning Penard himself saying. If a hit that did back on? My job's to record every not even penetrate the collapsed thing I can get from him, and I metal hull of the Fair Maid could can't do that with the talk beam turn that ship's interior into a between us shutoff." charred, if workable, area-what "The Fair Maid's gunner just must those light weapons of the died-" enemy have done to the interior of 'Turn the talk beam on(" the old ship he looked at now? Jim reached out and turned it But Raoul still sang from it his on, wondering a little at himself. song about lumbering in Meeshe I should feel like shooting him at an. this moment, he thought. Why "-Nobody could be alive in don't I? Penard's voice sang at that," Jim said. "I was right. It him once again. must be just his semi-animate con "Look," Jim began. "When a trol system parroting him and run man dies and a ship is lost-" ning the ship. Even at that, it's a "Have you looked at Penard's miracle its still working-" ship, Major?" interrupted the "We don't know," Walt's voice voice of Walt. "Take a look. Then cut in on him. "And until we maybe you'll understand why I know we have to assume it's Raoul want the talk beam on just as himself, still alive. After all, his long as there's any use." coming back at all is an impossi Jim turned and looked at the ble miracle. If that could happen, screen that showed the cone it could happen he's still alive in shaped vessel. He stared. that ship now. Maybe he's picked If La Chasse Gallerie had been up some kind of protection we badly cut up before, she was a don't know about." floating chunk of scrap now. She Jim shook his head, forgetting had been slashed deep in half a that probably Wa~t could not see dozen directions by the light this silent negative. It was not 116 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION possible that Penard was alive. Walt did not answer immedi But-he roused himself back to ately. Then ... his duty. He had a job to do. "I think you can count on it," His fingers began to dance over he said. "If Raoul Penard is the black buttons in their ranks alive in there, the fact that he re before him, working out the situa acted sensibly once should be an tion, planning his next move. indication he'll do it again. And "K formation," he said auto if you're right about it being just a matically to the other ships, but control center driving that ship, did not even glance at the tell-tale then it should react consistently sphere to make sure they obeyed in the same pattern to the same correctly. Slowly, the situation stimulus." took form. He was down one ship, "Yeah ..." said Jim softly. from ~ve to four of them, and that "But I wonder which it is-is Pe reduced the number of practical nard in there, alive or dead? Is it a fighting and maneuvering forma man we're trying to get out? Or a tions by a factor of better than control center?" three. And there was something "Does it matter?" said the level else ... voice of Walt. "Walt," he said, slowly. Jim stiffened. "Yes, Major?" "Not to you, does it, body "I want your opinion on some snatcher?" he said. "But I'm the thing," said Jim. "When we man that has to order men to kill jumped out of the fight area just themselves to get that ship home." now, it was a jump off the direct Something tightened in his throat. route home and to the side of near "You know that's what hit me ly sixty light years. I had to try to when I first saw you in Mallen's pick up La Chasse Gallerie and office, but I didn't know what it bring her with us. Penard let me was. You haven't got guts inside do that without fighting me with you, you've got statistical tables his own controls. Now, what I and a computer." want to know is-and it's almost He could hear his own harsh unimaginable that he's got power breathing in the headpiece of his on that hulk, anyway, but he ob suit as he finished talking. viously has-will he let me move ''You think so?" said Walt's him from now on without fighting voice, grimly. "And how about me, once I slap a magnetic on you, Major? The accidents of him? In other words, whether he's birth and change while you were a man or a semi-animate control, growing up gave you a one-in-bil was that a fluke last time, or can I lions set of mind and reflexes. count on it happening again?'' You were hom to be a white THE IMMORTAL 117 knight and slay dragons. Now Mary was the one that died, re you're in the dragon-slaying busi member-" Abruptly he quoted ness and something's gone wrong from the old Scots ballad. "Last with it you can't quite figure out. night there were faur Marys Something's gone sour, hasn't it?" tonight there'll be but three-". "Shut up!" said Jim, sweating. "Shut up!" husked Jim, the He felt his gloved hand resting on words choking in his throat. the access flap to his sidearm in "The signs read dead, Major. side the suit. I'm within my rights, All of them, including the fact the back of his mind told him, you hate me for being in the busi crazily, regulations provide for it. ness of trying to make people live The pilot of a two man ship is still longer. It was victory over evil you the captain with the power of life wanted in the first place-like the and death in emergency over his evil that makes men bum and die crew even if that crew is only one in their frontier ships. Victory, or man. If I shot him and gave a death. And now that you've been good reason, they might suspect, worn down to the conclusion that but they cauldn't do anything ... you can't win that victory, you "No," said Walt. "You've been want death. But you're not built going out of your way ever since right for suicide. That's the trou you laid eyes on me to provoke ble-" this-now listen to it. Your nerves Jim tried to speak, but the are shot, Major. You're a bad case strained muscles of his throat let of combat fatigue; but you won't out only a little, wordless rasp of quit and you're so valuable that "-Death has got to come and people like Mollen won't make take you, Major," said Walt. There you quit." was a trace of something like bru "Play-party psychiatrist, are tality in his voice. "And he's got to you?" demanded Jim through grit come take you against the most of ted teeth. Walt ignored him. your strength, against all your "You think I didn't have a fighting will. He's got to take you chance to look at your personal in spite of yourself. -And Death history before I met you?" said can't do it! That's what's wrong Walt. "You know better than to with you, isn't it, Major?" Walt think that. You're a Canadian paused. "That's why you don't yourself, and your background is want to grow old and be forced to Scotch and French. That's all leave out here, where Death lives." anyone needs to know to read the Walt's voice broke off. Jim sat, signs-and the signs all read the fighting for breath, his gloved fin same way. Your ship's named the gers trembling on the access flap Fourth Mary. And the Fourth to the sidearm. After a little, his 118 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION breath grew deeper again; and he piling up data on our mission here forced himself to turn back to his and on me as Leader of the Sec computations. Aside from the tion, and their picture gets more habit-instructed section of his complete every time we move and mind that concerned itself with they can get new data. If we this problem, the rest of him was dodged away from here to hide mindless. again, next time they'd find us I've got to do something, he even faster. And in two more hides thought. I've got to do something. they'd hit us almost as soon as we But nothing would come to mind. got hid. So there's no choice to it. Graduallv the careening vessel of We've got to go for the Frontier, his mind righted itself, and he now." carne back to a sense of duty-to "Yes," said \-Valt. "I can see we Wander Section and· his mission. do." Then suddenly a thought woke in "Y ou can, " sa1'd J'1m. "A n d th e him. Laggi can. Everybody can. But "Raoul Penard's dead," he said they also know I know that they've quite calmly to Walt. "Somehow, got most of the area from here to what we've been hearing and what the Frontier covered. Almost any we've been watching drive and where we come out, they'll be fight that ship is the semi-animate ready to hit us within seconds, control center. How it got to be with ships that are simply sitting another Raoul Penard, doesn't there, ready to make jump to wher matter. The tissue they used kept ever we emerge, their computa growing, and no one ever thought tions to the forty of fifty areas to keep one of them in contact within easy jump of them already with a man twentv-four hours a computed for them by the big day for his lifeti~e. So it's the planet-based machines. So, there's alter-ego, the control center we've only one thing left for me to do, as got to bring in. And there's a way they see it.-Go wide." to do that." "Wide?" said Walt. He sounded He paused and waited. There a trifle startled. was a second of silence, and then "Sure," said Jim, grinning Walt's voice spoke. mirthlessly to himself in the priv "Maybe I underestimated you, acy of his suit. "Like I sent Fair Major." Maid.-But there's a difference "Maybe you did," said Jim. "At between us and Fair Maid. We've any rate, here it is. In no more got La Chasse Gallerie. And the than another half hour we're going Laggi11 follow us. And we'll have to be discovered here. Those plan to keep running--outward until et-based big computers have been their edge in data lets them catch THE IMMOJ.TAL 119 up with us. And their edge in ship fighting accelerations would kill numbers finishes us off. The Laggi him. But," said Jim, drawing a ships won't quit on our trail deep breath. "It's not a man. It's a even if it means they won't get control center. And a control cen back themselves. As I said a little ter ought to be able to take it. earlier, enemy ships can't be al -Have you got anything to say, lowed to get this deep into their Walt?" territory and get home again." ''Yes," said Walt, quietly. "Of "So you're going wide," said ficially I protest your assumption Walt. "What's the use? It just puts that Raoul Penard is dead, and off the time-" your choice of an action which "I'm not going wide." Jim might be fatal to him as a re grinned privately and mirth sult." lessly once more. "That's what the Jim felt a kind of awe stir in Laggi think I'll do~ hoping for a him. miracle to save us. I'm going in "By-" he broke off. "Body stead where no one with any sense snatcher, you really expect to come would go-right under their out of this alive, don't you?" weapons. I've computed two ''Yes," said Walt, calmly. "I'm jumps to the Frontier which is the not afraid of living-the way you least we can make it in. We'll lock are. -You don't know it, Jim, but on and carry La Chasse Gallerie; there's a lot of people like you and we come out of the jump, back home, and I meet them all we'll come out shooting. Blind. the time. Ever since we started We11 blast our way through what working toward a longer life for ever's there and jump again as fast people, they've turned their back as we can. If one of us survives, on us. They say there's no sense in that'll be all that's necessary to living a longer time-but the truth lock on to La Chasse Gallerie and is they're afraid of it. Afraid a long jump her to the Frontier. If none life will show them up as failures, of us does-well, we've done our that they won't have death for an best." excuse for not making a go of life." Once more he paused. Walt "Never mind that!" Jim's throat said nothing. had gone dry again. "Stand to "Now," said Jim, grinning like your guns. We're jumping now a death's head. "If that was a two and we'll be coming out shoot hundred year old man aboard that ing." He turned swiftly to punch wreck of a ship there, and maybe the data key and inform his four burned badly or broken up by what remaining other ships. " ... Trans he's been through so far, that busi mitting in five seconds. Five. Four. ness of jumping and coming out at Three. Two. One. Transmit-" 120 PANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION Disorientation. Nausea suddenly and disappeared. The The stars were different. Accel third flashed and veered off. eration hit like a tree trunk ram "Bodysnatcherl" yelped Jim, ming into Jim's chest. His fingers suddenly drunk on battle delight. danced on the sub-light control "You're a gunner! A real gunner!" buttons. The voice of Raoul Pe HMore to the left and up-sec nard was howling his battle-song tor ten-" said a thick voice he again- could hardly recognize as Walt's, ". . . When you come drive de in his ear. He veered, saw two more beeg saw log, green lights. Saw one flare and "You got to jump jus' lak tle vanish-saw suddenly one of his frog! own white lights flare and vanish De foreman come, he say go as the scream of torn metal saki sounded from one of the screens ''You got in de watair tdl over below him. Glancing at the your back[ ..." screens, he saw for the moment the "Check Ten!" shouted Jim. "All one picturing AndFriend's cabin, ships check Ten. Transmit in showing the cabin split open, three seconds. Three. Two-" emptied and flattened for a sec No Laggi ships in the tell-tale ond before the screen went dark sphere- and blank. Suddenly the Fourth .Mary Grief tore at him. And rage. bucked and slammed. Flame flick "Transmit at will!" he howled ered for a fraction of a c;econd at the other ships. "Check Ten! through the cabin. The tell-tale Check Ten-" was ali,·c with green lights, clos He slapped a magnetic on the ing fast. battered cone shape that fled by a Fifieen of them or more . . . miracle still beside him and Directly ahead of the Fourth Mary punched for the jump-. were three of them in formation, Disorientation. Nausea. And closing on her alone. In Jim's ears The stars of the Frontier. Jim rang the wild voice of Penard . . . stared into his screens. They "P'raps you work on dri11e, tree floated in empty space, three grey four day- white dart shapes and the ravaged ''You find dat drive dat she don' cone of La Chasse Gallerie. Lela pay ..." rode level with Jim's ship, but "Gunner!" cried Jim, seeing the Swallow m1s slowly turning side green lights almost on top of him. ways like a dying fish drifting in It was as desperate as a cry for the ocean currents. Jim stared in help. In a moment- to the small screen showing the Two of the green lights flared Swallow's interior. The two suited THE IMMOilT.U. 121 figures sat in a blackened cabtn, "Wander Section-" muttered unmoving. Jim, still staring at the tattered "Swallawl" said Jim, hoarsely. cone-shape of La Chasse· Gallerie. "Are you all right? Acknowledge. He remembered the original leg Acknowledge!" end about the return of the dead But there was no answer from voyageurs in their ghost canoe, the two figures, and the Swallow and a shiver went down his back. continued to drift, turning, as if "Wander Section, returning from she was sliding off some invisible deep probe and rescue mission into slope into the endless depths of Laggi territory. Five ships with the universe. Jim shook with a two lost and one sent wide and cold, inner sickness like a chill. home, separately. Wander Leader, They're just unconscious, he speaking." thought. They have to be just un "Wander Leader!" crackled the conscious. Otherwise they would voice from Picket Six. "Alert has n't have been able to make the been passed all along the Frontier jump to here. for you and your ships and orders "-Brigadier/" the voice of Pe issued for your return. Congratu nard was singing with strange lations, Wander Section and wel softness- come back." ". • . repondit Ptmdore "Thanks Picket Six," said Jim, "Brigadier! vous avez raison, wearily. "It's good to be back, safe "Brigadier/ repondit Pandore on this side of the Frontier. We "Brigadier/ vous avez rlli had half the Laggi forces breath sonl-" ing down our-" Jim turned slowly to look in tD A siren howled from the control the screen showing La Chasse Gal board, cutting him off. Unbeliev lerie. He stared at what he saw. If ing, Jim jerked his head about to the old ship had been badly stare at the tell-tale sphere. It was slashed before, she was a ruin filled with the white lights of the now. Nothing could be alive ill ships of Picket Six in formation such a wreck. Nothing. But the spread out over a half light-year of voice of Penard sang on. distance. But, as he watched, "No . . . " muttered Jim out green lights began to wink into ex loud, unbelievingly. "Not even a istence all about his own battered semi-animate control center could Section. By sixes, by dozens, they come through that. It couldn't-" were jumping into the area of "Identify yourself!" crackled a Picket Six on the human side of voice suddenly on Jim's ears. the Frontier. "Identify yourself! This is Picket "Formation Bl Formation Bl" Six, B Sector, Frontier area." Jim found himself shouting at the 122 PJ\NTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION Lela and the Swallow. But only other Sectors. Hold until relieved! the Lela responded. The Swallow, Hold until relieved-" lost to ordinary vision, was on its Jim fought the black buttons, long, drowning fall into nothing too busy even to swear. ness still. "Cancel that. Lela, fol "Wander Section! \Vander Sec low me. Help me carry La tion!" shouted the voice of Picket Chasse-" Five. "Acknowledge!" His voice was all but drowned "Wander Section. Acknowledg out by transmissions from Picket ing!" grunted Jim. Six. "Wander Section! Jump for "Alert General. Alert General! home. Wander Leader, key for All Pickets, all Sectors!" Picket data. Key to receive data, and Six was caJling. "FuU fleet Laggi Check Ten. Check Ten." attack. Three wings enemy forces "Acknowledge!" snapped Jim, alreadv in this area. \Ve are over dropping his own slow computing. matched! Repeat. We are over He keyed for data, saw the data matched! Alert General-" light flash and knew he had re At maximum normal accelera ceived into his computing center tion, the Fourth Mary and Lela the information for the jump back with La Chasse Gallerie caught in tD Earth. "Hang on Lelaf" he a magnetic grip between them, shouted. "Here we go-" were running from the enemy He punched for jump. ships, while Jim computed franti Disorientation. Nausea. Ancl cally for a jump to any safe area, his fingers dancing on the black Peace. buttons. The Fourth Mary lay without "Alert General! All ships Picket moving under the landing lights Six hold until relieved. All ships of a concrete pad in the open, un hold! Under fire here at Picket der the nightime sky and the stars Six. \Ve are under-" the voice of of Earth. The daylight hours had Picket Six went dead. There was a passed while Wander Section had moment's silence and then a new been gone. Next to the Fourth voice broke in. Mary Jay the dark, torn shape of "-This is Picket Five. Ac La Chasse Gallerie, and beyond knowledge, Picket Six. Acknowl the ancient ship lay Lela. Three edge!" Another moment of silence, hundred light years away the then the new voice went on. "AJI Frontier battle would still be rag ships Picket Six. This is Picket ing. Laggi and men were out there Five taking over. Picket Five tak dying, and they would go on dying ing over. Our ships are on the way until the Laggi realized that Wan to you now, and the ships from der Section had finally made good THE IMMORTAL 123 its escape. Then the Laggi ships In ~ sort of dream he stripped would withdraw from an assault off his soaked clothing and show against a Frontier line that two ered, and put on a fresh jumper hundred and more years of fight suit. The cloth felt strange and ing had taught was unbreachable harsh against his arms and legs as by either combattant. But how if his body as well as what was in many, thought Jim with a dry and side him had been rubbed raw by bitter bleakness, would die before what he had just been through. He the withdrawal was made? walked heavily on into the de He punched the button to open briefing room, and dropped heav the port of the Fourth Mary, and ily into one of the lounge chairs. got clumsily to his feet in the A debriefing officer came up to bulky suit. During the hours just him, and sat down in a chair op past, he had forgotten he was posite, turning on the little black wearing it. Now, it was like being recorder pickup he wore at his swaddled in a mattress. He was as belt. The debriefing officer began thoroughly wet with sweat as if asking questions in the safe, quiet he had been in swimming with his monotone that had been found clothes on. least likely to trigger off emotion There was no sound coming al outbursts in the returned pilots. from La Chasse Gallerie. Had the Jim answered slowly, too drained voice of Raoul Penard finally been for emotion. silenced? Sodden with weariness, "... No," he said at last. "I Jim could not summon up the en didn't see Swallow again. She did ergy even to wonder about it. He n't acknowledge when I called for turned clumsily around and stum Formation B, and I had to go on bled back through the ship four without her. No, she never an steps and out the open port, vague swered after we reached the Fron ly hearing Walt Trey rising and tier." following behind him. "Thank you, Major." ·The de He stumped heavy-footed across briefing officer got to his feet, the concrete toward the lights of clicking off his recorder pickup, the Receiving Section, lifting like and went off. An enlisted man an ocean liner out of a sea of night. came around with a tray of glasses It seemed to him that he was a half filled with brownish whisky. long time reaching the door of the He offered it first to the pilot and Section, but he kept on stolidly, the gunner of the Lela, who were and at last he passed through and standing together on the other side into a desuiting room. Then at of the room with a debriefing of tendants were helping him off with ficer. The two men took their his suit. glasses absentmindedly and rlrank 124 FANTASY AN• SCIENCE FICTION from them without reaction, as if Jim felt what seemed like a the straight liquor in them had cooling spray against the skin of been water. The enlisted man his arm. And something woke in brought his tray over to where Jim him, after all. sat. "What're you doing?" he shout Jim shook his head. The enlist ed, struggling to his feet. ''You ed man hesitated. can't knock me out now! I've got "You're supposed to drink it, two ships not in yet. The Fair sir," he said. "Surgeon's orders." Maid and the Swallow-" The Jim shook his head again. The room began to tilt around him. enlisted man went away. A mo "You can't-" his tongue thick ment later he came back followed ened into unintelligibility. The by a major with the caduceus of room swung grandly around him the Medical Corps on his jacket and he felt the medical Major's lapel. arms catching him. And uncon "Here, Major," he said to Jim, sciousness closed upon him like a taking a glass from the tray and trap of darkness. holding it out to Jim. "Down the He slept, evidently for a long hatch." time, and when he woke he was Jim shook his head, rolling the not in the bed of his own quarters back of it against the top of the but in the bed of a hospital room. chair he sat in. Nor did they let him leave it for "It's no good," he said. "It does the better part of a week, and when n't do any good." he did, it was to go on sixty days The Medical Corps major put leave. Nonetheless, he had had the glass back on the tray and time, lying there in the peaceful, leaned forward. He put his thumb uneventful hospital bed, to come gently under Jim's right eye and to an understanding with himself. lifted the lid with his forefinger. When he got out he went looking He looked for a second, then let go for Walt Trey. and turned to the enlisted man. He located the geriatrics man ''That's all right," he said. "You finally on the secret site where La can goon." Chasse Gallerie was being probed The enlisted man took his tray and examined by the Geriatrics of glasses away. The doctor Bureau. Walt was at work with the reached into the inside pocket of crew that was doing this, and for his uniform jacket and took out a some little time word could not be small silver tube with a button on gotten to him; and without his its side. He rolled up Jim's right authorization, Jim could not be sleeve, put the end of the tube let in to see him. against it and pressed the button. Jim waited patiently in a shiny, THE IMMORTAL 125 sunlit lounge until a young man "'I couldn't find out anything. came to guide him in to the in Is it-is he, alive?" terior of a vast building where La "Yes," said Walt. "He's alive." Chasse Gallerie lay dwarfed by "Can you get through to him? her surroundings and surrounded -What came to me," said Jim, by complicated items of equip quickly, "while I was resting up in ment. It was apparently a break the hospital, was that I finally be period for most of the people gan to understand the reason be working on the old ship, for only hind all his poetry-quoting, and one or two figures were to be seen such. It struck me that he must doing things with this equipment have started all that deliberately. outside the ship. The young man To remind himself of where he was shouted in through the open port trying to get back to. To make it of La Chasse Gallerie, and left. sharp and clear in his mind so he Walt came out and shook hands couldn't forget it." with Jim. "Yes," said Walt nodding. There were dark circles under ''You're right. He wanted insur Walt's eyes and he seemed thin ance against quitting, against giv ner under the loose shirt and slacks ing up." he wore. "I thought so. You were right "-Sorry to hear about Swal bodysnatcher," Jim grinned with low," he said. slight grimness at the other man. "Yes," said Jim, a little bleakly, "I'd been trying to quit myself. Or "thev think she must have drifted find something that could quit me. back into Laggi territory. The You were right all the way down unmanned probes couldn't locate the line. I am a dragon-slayer. I her, and the Laggi may have taken was born that way, I'm stuck with her in. That's what chews on V0\1 it and I can't change it. I want to of course, not knowing if her pilot go through the Laggi, or around and gunner were dead or not. If them and end this damn murder they were, then there's nothing to ous stalemate. But I can't live think about. But if they weren't long enough. None of us can. And . . . we never know what be so I wanted to give up." comes of them-" He broke oi "And you aren't now?" that train of thought with a strong "No," said Jim, slowly. "It's still effort of will. "Fair Maid made it no use, but I'm going to keep hop in, safely. Anyway, it wasn't about Ing-for a miracle." the Section I came to see you." "Miracles are a matter of time," "No," Walt looked at him sym said Walt. "To make yourself a pathetically. "It was about Raoul millionaire in two minutes is just Penard you came, wasn't it?" about impossible. To make it in 126 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION two hundred years is practicaDy a chair half-gone. A black box stood certainty." That's what we're after in the center of the floor, an incon in the Bureau. If we could all live gruous piece of modem equip as long as Penard, all sorts of ment, connected by a thick grey things would become possible." cable to a bulkhead behind it. "And he's alive!" said Jim, shak "I \Vasn't wrong, then," said ing his head slowly. "He's really Jim, looking around him. "No hu alive! I didn't even want to believe man body could have lived it, it was so far-fetched. Jim broke through this. It was the semi-ani off. "Is he-" mate control center that was run "Sane? No," said Walt. "And I ning the ship as Penard's alter ego, don't think we'll ever be able to then, wasn't it? The man isn't re make him so. But maybe I'm ally alive?" wrong. As I say, with time, most "Yes," said Walt, "and no. You neal'-impossiblities become practi were right about the control cen cabilities." He stepped back from ter somehow absorbing the living the open port of La Chasse Gal personality of Penard. -But look lerie, and gestured to the interior. again. Could a control center like "Want to come in?" that, centered in living tissue Jim hesitated. Boating and growing in a nutrient "I don't have a Secret clearance solution with no human hands to for this project-" he began. care for it-could something like "Don't worry about it," inter that have survived this, either?" rupted Walt. "That's just to keep Jim looked around at the the news people off our necks un slashed and ruined interior. A til we decide how to handle this. coldness crept into him and he Come on." thought once more of the legend He led the way inside. Jim fol of great ghost cargo canoe sailing lowed him. Within, the ancient through the snow-filled skies witft metal corridor leading to the pil its dead crew, home to the New ot's compartment seemed swept Year's feast of the living. clean and dusted shiny, like some "No . . ." he said slowly, exhibit in a museum. The interior through stiff lips. "Then . • • had been hung with magnetic where is he?" lights, but the gaps and tears made "Here!" said Walt, reaching out by Laggi weapons let almost as with his fist to strike the metal much light in. The pilot's com bulkhead to which the gray cable partment was a shambles that had was attached. The dull boom of been tidied and cleaned. The in the struck metal reverberated on struments and control panel were Jim's ears. Walt looked penetrat all but obliterated and the pilot's ingly at Jim. THE IMMORTAL 127 ''You were right," said Walt, gap by a sort of neurobiotaxis into "when you said that the control the flow of impulse taking place center had become Penard-that in the solid state elements. Once it was Penard, after the man died. there, below all gross levels, there Not just a record-full of memories, was nothing to stop it infusing but something holding the vital, every connected solid part of the decision-making spark of the living ship." man himself. -But that was only Walt swept his hand around the half the miracle. Because the tis ruined pilot's compartment. sue living in the heart of the con "This," he said, "is Raoul Pen trol center had to die, too, and just ard. And this!" OIIce more he as the original Penard knew he struck the bulkhead above the would die, long before he could get black box. "The human body died. home, the tissue-Penard knew it The tissue activating the control too. But their determination, Pen center died. But Raoul came home ard's determination, to do some just as he had been determined to thing, solved the problem." do!" He stopped and stood staring at Walt stopped talking. His voice Jim, as if waiting for some sign seemed to echo away into the si that he had been understood. lence of the compartment. "Go on," said Jim. "And doing it," said Walt, more "The control system," said quietly, "he brought home the key Walt, "was connected to the con we've been hunting for in the Bur trols of the ship itself through an eau for over two hundred years. It's intermediate solid stage element pulled the plug on a dam behind which was the grandfather of the which there's been piling up a wholly inanimate solid-state com flood of theory and research. What puting centers in the ships you we needed to know was that the drive nowdays. The link was from living human essence could exist living tissue through the area of independent of the normal human solid-state physics to gross elec biochemical machinery. Now, we tronic and mechanical controls." know it. It'll take a little time, but "I know that," said Jim. "Part of soon it won't be necessary for the our training-" vital element of anyone to admit "The living spark of Raoul Pen extinction." ard, driven by his absolute deter But Jim was only half listening. mination to get home, passed from Something else had occurred to him into the living tissue of the him, something so poignant it con semi-animate controls system," tracted his throat painfully. went on Walt, as if Jim had not "Does he know?" Jim asked. spoken. "From there it bridged the ''You said he's insane. But does he 128 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION know he finally got here? Does he Jim looked up from listening, and know he made it-home?" saw Walt's eyes fixed on him with ''Yes," said Walt. "We're sure he a strange, hard look he had not does. Listen ..." seen before. He reached down and turned a "You didn't seem to follow me, control on the black box. And just now," said Walt. ''You didn't softly the voice of Raoul Penard seem to understand what I meant. came out of it, as if the man was You're one of our most valuable talking to himself. But it was a lives, the true white knight that all quieter, happier talking to himself of us dream of being at one time or than Jim had heard before. Raoul another, but only one in billions was quoting one of the poems of actually succeeds in being born to William Henry Drummond, again. be." But this time it was a poem entirely Jim stared back at him. in English and there was no trace "I told you," he said. "I can't of accent in the words at all .... help it." "That's not what I'm talking "0, Spirit of the mountain about," said Walt. "You wanted to that speaks to us to-night, "Your go out and fight the dragons, but voice is sad, yet still recalls past visions of delight, "When 'mid the life was too short. But what about now?" grand old Laurentides, old when "Now?" echoed Jim, staring at the Earth was new, "With flying him. "You mean-me?" feet we followed the moose and ''Yes," said Walt. His face was caribou. strange and intense, with the in "And backward rush sweet memo tensity of a crusader, and his voice seemed to float on the soft river of ries, like fragments of a dream, 'We hear the dip of paddles. . ." words flowing from the black box. "I mean you. What are you going Raoul's voice went on, almost to be doing, a thousand years from whispering, contentedly to itself. today?" ...,.. ************************* E MARKET PLACE • i* *************************• * BOOKS-MAGAZINES FREE BOOK "990 Successful, little-Known Busi nesses.'' Work Homel Plymouth-8FS, Brooklyn 18, New York. 25,000 maga&ines for sale. Thousands wanted In excellent condition, science fiction, weird, horror, spicy, western, adventure, others. Send Inventory Clearance. Send $1. for seven mystery list, enclosing stamp. Magazine Center, Box 214, pocket books-Mereury Mysteries, Bestseller Little Rock, Ark. 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