Including Venture Science Fiction Admimlty (short novel ) POUL ANDERSON 4 Eine Kleine Nachtmusik FREDERIC BROWN and CARL ONSPAUGH 58 Cartoon GAHAN WILSON 71 Books JUDITH MERRIL 72 Rake RON GOULART 78 Phoenix THEODORE L. THOMAS 88 The Ancient Last HERB LEHRMAN 91 Stand-In GREG BENFORD 93 Story of a Curse DORIS PITKIN BUCK 96 Nabonidus (verse) L. SPRAGUE DE CAMP 99 Science: Future? Tense! ISAAC ASIMOV 100 Of Time and the Yan ROGER ZELAZNY 110 Jabez O'Brien and Davy Jones' Locker ROBERT ARTHUR 113 Coming next month • • • 57 F&SF Marketplace 128 Index to Volume XXVIII 130 Cover by ]~~mes Roth (illust,.llling "Admirlllty") Joseph W. Ferman, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER [sooc Astmotl, SCIENCE EDI'l'OJl Ted While, ASSISTANT EDITOll Edword L. Ferman, MANAGING EDITOll Jtuiith Merril, BOOK EDITOll Robert P. Mills, CONSULTING EDITOR Tlut Magtniru of FaJIItuy 11t1d St:ietu:e Fktitn&, Volume 19, No. l, Whole No. 169, IM'M 1965. Pllblislled ,...,.ehly by Mercwr-, Press, Itu:., at 50- a co(>y. At~tiMal sMbscripliml $5.00; $5.50 i• Cat~ada and the Pa" America" Uni0t1; $6.00 in all other CDMfllries. PMbli­ catio" office, 10 Ferry Street, Catu:ord, N. H. Edieorial aftd get1eral mail shoMld be set1t to 341 Etut 53rd St., Nl!fiJ York, N. Y. 10022. Sectn&d CI<Us postage ~Jaid at Coftcord, N. H. Priated in U.S.A. C 1965 by Mercury Prrss, lflc. All~ rights, inclMding tratlslatitn&s ir~to otlutr langM~Jges, reserved. Submissitn&s ,...sl be accompanied by stamped, self-addressed eatJelopes; tlut Publisher us""'" no reqoruibili~ for reiN"' of ur~solicited mar~uscril>ls. Below appears the fiMl novel in Poul Anderson's privateer trilogy. Though a sequel to MARQUE AND REPRISAL (Feb. 1965) and AR­ SENAL PORT (Aprill965), ADMIRALTY is a complete short novel­ deepspace adventure at its imagiMtive best. The scene: a hostile region one hundred and fifty light-years from Earth, where the dominion of man is championed by one ship and a crew with the will to fight. ADMIRALTY by Poul Anderson CoNSIDER HIS PROBLEM. THE Thus every Aleriona vessel she Phoenix region lay a hundred and took drained her strength. The fifty-odd light-years from Sol. The prize crews could not return and only human settlement in it was rendezvous, when Fox depended the· French colony planet New for survival on unpredictable roo­ Europe, circling the sun Aurore. tion through immensity. No Alerion had seized this and was news came from home. And that, rapidly building orbital defenses slowly, wore down men's spirits. which would make it impregna- The prisoners he interviewed ble. Gunnar Heim had one ship. continued to tell Heim that Earth Fox II was, indeed, a cruiser, her had not moved, that the World gravitrons capable of fantastic ac- Federation Navy was still merely celeration, her automated arma- glaring at Alerion's, out on the ment able to curtain her in laser Marches. He believed them. As energy and nuclear hellfire while the months passed, his own hope directing a fatal slash through an faded. enemy's similar defense. But she Yet he was doing tremendous was alone, a privateer commis- damage. Aurore was not so close sioned on a technicality. Her men to The Eith either. The occupiers had signed on less for loot than for of New Europe sat at the end of the sake of striking at man's old a long supply line; and they could foe. However, she could only re- not spare much bottom for this supply by selling her captures. garrison, when Earth's superior C 1965 by Poul Anderson 4 ADMmALn 5 force might strike. Heim had not clashing their glasses, until the killed anybody-he was proud of bulkheads trembled. Endre Vad­ that-but he had sent valuable asz-wanderfooted troubadour of personnel off to internment; he space, sworn brother to his cap­ had grabbed ships and material tain -leaped onto . a table. His that were sorely missed; he tied slim body poised while his fingers up an unholy number of warcraft ftew across the guitar strings. on convoy duty and the hunt for More and more of the French be­ him. In the end, Alerion sent one gan to sing with him: of the best naval minds it had, to "C'est une fleur, fleur de prai­ deal with the situation. The new­ rie, comer started arming unescorted C' est une belle Rose de Prov­ cargo carriers. ence-" Fox encountered only one such At first Heim was laughing too Q-boat. Had the human crew loudly at Jean Irribame's last joke been less carefully picked and to hear. Then the music grew, and trained, it could have been the it took him. He remembered a cer­ end of her. As it was, she reacted tain night in Bonne Chance. Sud­ smoothly to the surprise, warded denly he was there again. Roofs off everything that was cast, and peaked around the garden, black laid the enemy under her guns. under the stars, but the yellow Meroeth's captain surrendered. light from windows joined the In a way, though, he had ac­ light of Diane rising full. A small complished his purpose. None re­ wind rustled the shrubs, to mingle alized it, but Gunnar Heim's raid­ scents of rose and lily with un­ ing was at an end. named pungencies from native blooms. Madelon's hand was I trusting in his. Gravel scrunched beneath their feet as they walked Joy filled the ship, where she toward the summerhouse. And lay far outsystem with her cap­ somewhere someone was playing tive. This was more than ·another a tape, this very song drifted success. There had been humans down the warm air, earthy and aboard Meroeth, who were now loving. set free. "-Sa jolie taille ronde et gra­ The mess seethed with men. cieuse Only twenty-five privateers re­ Comme une vague souple et mained, and a dozen New Euro­ ntysterieuse." peans, in a room that had once His eyes stung. He shook his held a hundred; but they seemed head harshly. to overflow it, shouting, singing, lrribame gave him a close look. 6 PANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION The New European was medium lrribarne laid a hand on his tall, spare of build, dark-haired, arm. "Un moment, s'il vous plait. long-headed, and clean-featured. The population of the whole plan­ He still wore the garments in et is only five hundred thousand. which he had been captured, The city people, that ynu would green tunic and trousers, soft meet, they arc much less. Perhaps boots, beret tucked in scaly leath­ I know." er belt, the uniform of a planetary "Madelon Dubois?" constabulary turned maquisard. "From Bonne Chance in ori­ Lieutenant's bars gleamed on his gin? Her father a doctor? But shoulders. yes! She married my own brother "Pourquoi cette tristesse sou­ Pierre. They live, what last I elaine?" heard." · "Eh?" Heim blinked. Between Darkness passed before Heim. the racket in here, the rustiness "Cud ske lov," he breathed: as of his French, and the fact that close to a prayer as he had come New Europe was well on the way since childhood. to evolving its own dialect, he did­ Irribarne considered him. The n't understand. captain was a huge man, two me­ "You show at once the trouble," ters in height, blockv of shoulders Irribarne said. Enough English and face, roan-haired eyes win­ speakers visited his planet, in the try blue; but on this instant he lost days, that town dwellers usu­ looked curiously helpless. "Ah, ally had some command of their this matters to you. Come, shall language. we not speak alone?" "Oh . nothing. A mem­ "All right. Thanks." Heim led ory. I spent several grand leaves the way to his cabin. When he on New Europe, when I was a shut the door, the noise of song Navy man. But that was-Judas, and belling chords was chopped that was twenty-one years ago." off as if they had entered another "And so you think of aliens that universe. slither through streets made emp­ Irribarne sat down and glanced ty of men. How they move softly, about the neat, compact room, like hunting panthers!" Irribarne the books, a model of a warship, scowled into his glass and drained pictures of a woman and a girl. it in a convulsive gesture. "Or "Votre famille?" he asked. perhaps you remember a girl, and "Yes. My wife's dead, though. wonder if she is dead or else hid­ Daughter's with her grandfather ing in the forests. Hein?" on Earth." Heim took his glance "Let's get refills," said Heim away from Lisa's image. At four­ brusquely. teen, she might have changed un- ADMIRALTY 7 recognizably by the time he got Okay. We were in love, when I back. If he ever did. He offered had a long leave on New Europe. one of his few remaining cigars Very innocent affair, I assure you. and began to stuff a pipe for him­ So damned innocent, in fact, that self. His fingers were not absolute­ I shied away a bit and-Anyhow, ly steady. "How is your own fam­ next time I came back she'd ily?" moved." 'Well, thank you. Of course, "Indeed so. To Chateau de St. that was a pair of weeks ago, Jacques. I thought always Pierre when my force was captured." Ir­ got her ... on the rebound? ribarne got his cigar going and Now and then she has laughed leaned back with a luxurious sigh.