Tales of Scientifiction Lin Carter
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N O . 2 S 4 .S0 Tales of Scientifiction S T A R o G P I R A T E Premiers in Coxtact* <xj t6e by Lin Carter Tales of Siientifiction Number 2 August 1987 CONTENTS The Control Ro o m ....................................................... 2 Corsairs of the Cosmos...................................Lin Carter 3 Can the Daredevil of the Spaceways solve the secret of the Invisible mastermind of crime? The Other Place ................................. Richard L. Tierney 14 A murderer and a scientist wash their hands of this world to take refuge among the alien beings of another dimension! The Eyes of Thar.....................................Henry Kuttner 27 She spoke in a tongue dead a thousand years, and she had no memory for the man she faced. Yet he had held her tightly but a few short years before! Rescue Mission 2030 A.D.. .Charles Garofalo & Robert M. Price 38 Could Carmine withstand the missionary zeal of a fanat ical robot hunting for steel souls? Captain Future vs. the Old O n e s ..................... Will Murray 41 Amazing links revealed between Edmond Hamilton and H. P. Lovecraft! Ethergrams Howdy out there, all you space- "The Other Place." And strap your hounds! This Is your ol' pard, Capt selves in for a brand new regular ain Astro, hoping that all you ether- feature, "Tales from the Time Warp," eaters have bought your latest copy which will resurrect stories from of that sterling publication Astro- the Good Old Days of Pulp Science Adventures! Leaping asteroids, Fiction, good ones, but neglected spacehounds, but have we got an issue . until now, that is. Hop on for you this time— chock full of board for Henry Kuttner's "The Eyes sizzling adventures that will have of Thar" from the April 1944 issue all you spacehounds hocking your of Planet Stories. Thanks to Dan ion-blasters in order to afford our "Galactic" Gobbett, our reprint ed next one! We'll be leading off with itor, for coming up with this one! the latest epic adventure by that You'll get some cosmic chuckles master of space action, Lin Carter, out of "Rescue Mission 2030 A.D.," who gave you only last issue that a tale of religion run riot in the matchless masterpiece of planetary future by Charles Garofalo and Robert peril, "Murder in Space." Hold onto M. Price, and as befits studious your gravity belts while you read space-cadets, you'll learn a lesson "Corsairs of the Cosmos," the first or two from Will Murray's astro- adventure in a new space-spanning article, "Captain Future vs. the series featuring that rock-racing Old Ones," which first appeared in rogue Star Pirate! Fantasy Mongers #8, Fall 1983. Veteran spacehound Richard L. OK, that's enough chatter on the Tierney teases the iamgination with sub-space frequency! Let's clear a surreal saga of strange worlds, the static and tune in for thrills! STAR PIRATE BATTLES “THE BLUR" IN CORSAIRS OF THE COSMOS by Lin Carter Can the Daredevil of the Spaceways solve the secret of the in- visible mastermind of crime? 1. Villainy in the Void The burly Jovian stared in sur prise. "But, Captain— !" The Interplanet Lines freighter Sat "Do as 1 say, Mr. Urgon," growled urn Maid had just entered its parking the Mercurian officer in tones that orbit about Callisto, the jungle would accept of no demur. Baffled, moon of Jupiter. Present on the his officers disarmed themselves. bridge was Captain Nargo, a fat, The pressure of the proton needle dark-skinned, moon-faced Mercurian left the small of Nargo's back. With with the bright gold eyes of his furious eyes he watched as The Blur race. He was there to make certain crossed the bridge to scoop up the that his pilot entered orbit prop- weapons. As expected, he saw nothing perly. Satisfied, he turned to his but the slightest mist or haze where communications officer and was about the figure of a man should have been to tell him to signal up the fleet fully visible— The Blur was aptly of tugs which would unload the Saturn named, he thought bitterly to him Maid of her valuable cargo, when self. he suddenly froze. "Captain, we are being approached Someone was pressing the business by an unmarked cruiser!" yelped a end of a proton needle in the small young ensign. The Captain turned of his back— to stare at the forward televisor "This is The Blur speaking," a screen and saw a lean, rakish craft. soft voice whispered in his ear. It was painted dead black, and some "Kindly instruct your officers to thing about its slim, wolfish lines disarm themselves, and I assure you sent a cold shudder up the Mercur- that no one will be harmed." ian's spine. "Devils of the Darkside— !" the "That is my ship," The Blur whis plump Mercurian choked furiously. pered in his ear. "Instruct your Then he fell silent. Whoever the men that the forward airlock doors mystery mastermind known only as be opened." "The Blur" might be, he was the most "Open the forward airlock doors," cunning and successful corsair of Nargo growled, fat cheeks quivering the spaceways since the legendary with frustrate fury. days of Star Pirate himself. Al The young ensign gave him a star though, unlike Star Pirate, The Blur tled glance. "But, Captain— ?" did not hesitate to stain his hands "Do as you*re told, boy!" snapped with the blood of those foolish the Captain. "It may have escaped enough to get in his way. your notice, lad, but we are being "Mr. Urgon," the Captain said pirated, curse the luck! There’s in strangled tones to the pilot, a gun at my back even as I speak. a red-faced Jovian giant, "you will Open those airlock doors, and be remove your sidearm and lay it on quick about it!" And with bitterness the control console. You other gen in his golden eyes, the Mercurian tlemen will do the same." watched as a dozen unknown men with 3 4 / Astro-Adventures opaqued space helmets began trans in its power to catch this crook ferring crate after heavy and pon who calls himself The Blur and to derous crate to the nameless corsair bring him to justice! That's why craft. Those crates, he knew, held we have called upon persons such costly ingots of pure iridium, van as yourself to cooperate with us— " adium, chromium and ylemium from "Cooperate!" said Pendleton, with the metal refineries on Titan. The a rude snort. "Brannigan, everybody refined ore, almost one hundred per at Interplanet has cooperated fully cent pure, was worth an immense for with requests from the Patrol since tune. first this madman ran amok and began "You have been very cooperative, raiding our freighters! You re Captain," hissed that hated voice quested that we keep our ore ship in his ear. "Therefore, neither ments secret, and we kept them se you nor any of your officers or crew cret. You requested that we permit have suffered Injury. Be cooperative no passengers aboard our freighters, a brief while longer, and we will and passengers were forbidden, save no longer Interfere with your voy for our own employees. You requested age ..." that all officers go armed In space, "Go to the Devil, sir!" growled and we armed them all. And none the Mercurlan. of these measures did any good! Do A soft chuckle was his only an you know how many credits that ship swer. ment of rare metals The Blur pirated Moments later, the black cruiser from the Saturn Maid was worth, man? drifted away from its linkage with More credits than you'll earn in the Saturn Maid, and vanished— be your entire career! And this is coming as invisible to the human the sixth of these outrages this eye as had been its mysterious mas maniac has perpetrated against Inter ter. planet !" Within the hour, System-wide news "1 know, sir, but— !" services alerted a startled citi "But nothing!" growled Pendleton. zenry that The Blur had struck again! "I've had enough of you and your cautious half-measures. The time has come to bring into play extra 2. Calling Star Pirate! ordinary resources— the extraordinary abilities and skills of a truly ex The chairman of Interplanet Lines traordinary man. I refer to none was a large, red-faced man named other than— Star Pirate!" Pendleton whose hair was growing Brannigan flushed and bit his thin on top and whose temper was lip. That mischievous, devil-may- usually belligerent. As at the mo care rogue of the spaceways had long ment, for Instance. been a thorn in the Patrol officer's He glared accusingly across the side. In the days when he had been gleaming expanse of his huge desk, an outlaw, a thief and a living leg carved from a heavy slab of costly end, he had outsmarted, outwitted Venuslan goldenwood, at the Space and outflown Brannigan with merciless Patrol officer who had just entered ease; then, when he grew bored with the executive suite. This was a such easy victories and was offered granite-jawed veteran with thin lips an official pardon from the System and eyes like twin gimlets. His Council, following his heroic endea name was Brannigan. At the moment vors In the affair of the Solar he was perspiring freely and striving Queen, and turned his brilliant to hold on to his own temper. intelligence, his matchless skills "— I assure you, Mr. Pendleton, as a space pilot and his intrepid that the Patrol is doing everything bravery to the service of justice.