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n> THE STARSLOGGERS
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byHARRY HARRISON
AMAN OF THE
RENAISSANCE
y WYMAN GUIN
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*(lf,
03X&XV
MAGAZINE
ALL STORIES NEW
• FREDERIK POHL
DECEMBER, 1964 Vol. 23, No. 2
Editor
CONTENTS WILLY LEY
Science Editor
COMPLETE SHORT NOVEL DIANE SULLIVAN
THE STARSLOGGERS .... 7 Associate Editor
by Harry Harrison SOL COHEN
Publisher
4
—
Secrets
entrusted
to a
few
|
The ROSICRUCIANS (AMORO
i San Jose, California
tion by mass fear and ignorance, these Please send me the free book. The Mastery
bets remain a useful heritage for the J
$
with his academic connection: Ley, C. S. Lewis, etc.) Maybe
his school is McGill’s Institute we should all start boning up
and Space Law.)
of Air right now . . .
ILLUSTRATED BY GIUNTA
7
poured out in wave after inspir- Star Troopers to the Skies
ing wave and even Bill’s thick Avaunt, and thrashed its way
peasant feet stirred in their clod- through Rockets Rumble and al-
hoppers as the shining boots of most demolished itself in the
the squad of soldiers crashed tumultuous rhythm of Sappers
along the road in perfect unison. at the Pithead Digging. It pur-
Medals jingled on the manly sued this last tune so strenuously
swell of their scarlet-clad chests. that one of its legs flew off, ris-
And there could certainly be no ing high into the air, but was
nobler sight in all the world. To caught dexterously before it
their rear marched the sergeant, could hit the ground and the
gorgeous in his braid and brass, music ended with the robot bal-
thickly clustered medals and rib- ancing on its remaining leg beat-
bons, sword and gun, girdled gut ing time with the detached limb.
and steely eye which sought out It also, after an ear-fracturing
Bill where he stood gawking over peal on the basses, used the leg
the fence. The grizzled head to point across the square to
nodded in his direction, the where a tri-di screen and re-
steel-trap mouth bent into a freshment booth had been set
friendly smile and there was a up. The troopers had vanished
conspiratorial wink. Then
the into the tavern and the recruit-
little legion was past, and hurry- ing sergeant stood alone among
ing behind in their wake came
a his robots, beaming a welcoming
huddle of dust- covered ancillary smile.
robots, hopping and crawling or
rippling along on treads. As soon ( t \T ow hear this! Free drinks
as these had gone by Bill ’ for all, courtesy of the
climbed clumsily over the split- Emperor, and some lively scenes
rail fence and ran after them. of jolly adventure in distant
There were no more than two in- climes toamuse you while you
teresting events every four years he called in an immense
sip,”
here, and he was not going to and leathery voice.
miss what hopefully promised to Most of the people drifted over,
be a third. Bill in their midst, though a few
A crowd hadalready gathered embittered and elderly draft-
in the market square when Bill dodgers slunk away between the
hurried up, and they were lis- houses. Cooling drinks were
tening to an enthusiastic band shared out by a robot with a
concert. The robot hurled itself spigot for a navel and an inex-
into the glorious measures of haustible supply of plastic
8 GALAXY
glasses in one metallic hip. screen went blank the refresh-
Bill sipped his happily while ment robot pounded hollowly on
he followed the enthralling ad- its metallic chest and bellowed
ventures of the space troopers DRINK! DRINK! DRINK! The
in full color with sound effects sheeplike audience swept that
and stimulating subsonics. There way, all except Bill who was
was battle and death and glory plucked from their midst by a
though it was only the Chingers powerful arm.
who died: troopers only suffered “Here, I saved some for you,”
neat little wounds in their ex- the sergeant said, passing over
tremities that could be covered a prepared cup so loaded with
easily by small bandages. And dissolved ego-reducing drugs that
while Bill was enjoying this. Re- they were crystallizing out at
cruiting Sergeant Grue was en- the bottom. “You’re a fine fig-
joying him, his little piggy eyes ure of a lad and to my eye seem
ruddy with greed as they fas- a cut above the yokels here. Did
tened onto the back of Bill’s you ever think of making your
neck. career in the forces?”
This is the one! he chortled to “I’m not the military type,
himself while, unknowingly, his shargeant .” Bill chomped his
. .
yellowed tongue licked at his jaws and spat to remove the im-
lips. He could already feel the pediment to his speech, puzzled
weight of the bonus money in at the sudden fogginess in his
his pocket. The rest of the au- thoughts. Though it was a trib-
dience were the usual mixed bag ute to his physique that he was
of overage men, fat women, even conscious after the volume
beardless youths and other un- of drugs and sonics that he had
enlistables. All except this broad- been plyed with. “Not the mili-
shouldered, square-chinned, cur- tary type. My fondest ambition
ly-haired chunk of electronic- is to be of help in the best way
cannon fodder. With a precise I can, in my
chosen career as a
hand on the controls the sergeant Technical Fertilizer Operator
lowered the background sub- and I’m almost finished with my
sonics and aimed a tight-beam correspondence course .” . .
THE STARSLOGGERS 9
the impulse to pull Bill’s lip of him and pointing to a large
down and take a quick peek at book held open by a tiny robot.
the condition of his back teeth. “Clothes make the man and most
Later. “Leave that kind of job men would be ashamed to be
to those that likeit. No chance seen in a crummy looking smock
of promotion. While a career in like that thing draped around
the troopers has no top. Why you or wearing those broken
Grand-Admiral Pflunger came canal boats on their feet. Why
upthrough the rocket tubes, as look like that when you can look
they say, from recruit trooper like this?"
to grand-admiral. How does that Bill’s eyes followed the thick
sound?” finger to the color plate in the
“It sounds very nice for Mr. book where a miracle of mis-
Pflunger but I think fertilizer applied engineering caused his
operating is more fun. Gee —
I’m own face to appear on the illus-
feeling sleepy. I think I’ll go lie trated figure dressed in trooper-
down.” red. The sergeant flipped the
“Not before you’ve seen this, pages and on each plate the uni-
just as a favor to me of course,” form was a little more gaudy,
the sergeant said, cutting in front the rank higher. The last one
10 GALAXY
was that of a grand-admiral and stripped him naked. “Hey!
Bill blinked at his own face un- Hey . . .!” he said.
der the plumed helmet, now with “It won’t hurt,” the sergeant
a touch of crowfeet about the said, poking his great head
eyes and sporting a handsome through the curtain and beaming
and gray-shot moustache, but at Bill’s muscled form. He poked
still undeniably his own. a finger into a pectoral (rock)
“That’s the way you will and then withdrew.
look,” the sergeant murmured
into his ear, “once you have tt/"vuch!” Bill said as the
climbed the ladder of success. ^ ' tailor extruded a cold
Would you like to try a uniform pointer and jabbed him with it,
THE STARSLOGGERS 11
trousers were pulled on next, flowing Cornucopia which does
then gleaming black knee-length not mean anything but it looks
boots. Bill staggered a bit as the nice and can be used to carry
curtain was whipped away and contraceptives.” He stepped back
a powered full-length mirror and admired Bill’s chest which
rolled up. was now adangle with ribbons,
“Oh how the girls love a uni- shining metal and gleaming paste
form,” the sergeant said, “and I gems.
can’t blame them.” “I just couldn’t,” Bill said.
A memory the vision of
of “Thank you anyway for the of-
Inga-Maria Calyphigia’s matched fer, but . .
.”
white moons obscured Bill’s sight
The sergeant smiled, prepared
for a moment, and when it had even for this eleventh hour re-
cleared he found he was grasp- sistance, and pressed the button
ing a stylo and was about to
on his belt that actuated the
sign the form that the recruiting
programmed hypno-coil in
the
sergeant held before him.
heel of Bill’s new boot. The pow-
“No,” Bill said, a little amazed erful neural current surged
at his own
firmness of mind. “I
through the contacts and Bill’s
don’t really want to. Technical hand twitched and jumped, and
FertilizerOperator .” . .
when the momentary fog had
“And not only will you receive lifted from his eyes he saw that
this lovely uniform, an enlist-
he had signed his name.
ment bonus and a free medical “But ”
. .
12 GALAXY
lie began to cry and wet his cut through the thud of march-
pants. ing feet.
“Your son is now a trooper for “Step up the count to 130,” the
the greater glory of the Emper- sergeant ordered, glancing at the
or,” the sergeant said, pushing watch which was set under the
his slack-jawed and round-shoul- nail of his little finger. “Just ten
dered recruit squad into line. miles to the station and we’ll be
“No! it can’t be . . .” Bill’s incamp tonight, my lads.”
mother sobbed, tearing at her The command robot moved its
graying hair. “I’m a poor widow metronome up one notch and the
he’s my sole support . . . you tramping boots conformed to the
cannot .
.!”. smarter pace and the men be-
“Mother . .
.” Bill said, but gan to sweat. By the time they
the sergeant shoved him back had reached the copter station
into the ranks. it was nearly dark, their red
“Be brave, madam,” he said paper uniforms hung in shreds,
humbly. the gilt had been rubbed from
“There can be no greater glory their potmetal buttons and the
for a mother.” He dropped a surface charge that repelled the
large newly minted coin into her dust from their thin plastic
hand. “Here is the enlistment boots had leaked away. They
bonus, the Emperor’s shilling. I looked as ragged, weary, dusty
know he wants you to have it. and miserable as they felt.
ATTENTION!”
With a clash of heels the grace- II
less recruits braced their shoul-
ders and lifted their chins. Much wasn’t the recorded bugle
t
to his surprise, so did Bill. I playing reveille that woke
“RIGHT TURN!” Bill, but the supersonics that
In a single, graceful motion streamed through the metal
as the command robot relayed frame of his bunk that shook him
the order to the hypno-coil in until the fillings vibrated from his
every boot. FORWARD teeth. He sprang to his feet and
MARCH! and they did in per- stood there shivering in the gray
fect rhythm, so well under con- of dawn. Because it was summer
trol that, try as hard as he could the floor was refrigerated no :
THE STARSLOGGERS 13
When the soul-shaking vibrations red gleams in the stygian dark-
died away they dragged their ness. A nose, broken and crushed,
thick and sandpaper
sackcloth squatted above the mouth that
fatigue uniforms from their was like a knife slash in the taut
bunks, pulled them hastily on, belly of a corpse, while from be-
jammed their feet into the great, between the lips issued the great,
purple recruit boots and stag- white fangs of the canine teeth,
gered out into the dawn. at least two inches long, that
“I am here to break your rested in grooves on the lower
spirit,” a voice, rich with men- lip.
width above the black tangle of “And a second month for talk-
the brows that were set like a ing back.”
rank growth of foliage at the rim He waited, but Bill was silent
of the black pits that concealed He had already learned his first
—
the eyes visible only as baleful lesson on how to be a good
14 GALAXY
trooper. Keep your mouth shut. speed. With each day conditions
Death wish paced on. became worse and Bill’s exhaus-
“Right now you are nothing tion greater. This seemed impos-
but horrible, sordid, flabby pieces sible, but it was nevertheless
of debased civilian flesh. I shall true. A large number of gifted
turn that flesh to muscle, your and sadistic minds had designed
wills to jelly, your minds to ma- it to be that way. The recruits'
chines. You will become good heads were shaved for uniformity
troopers or I will kill you. Very and their genitalia painted with
soon you will be hearing stories orange antiseptic to control the
about me, vicious stories about endemic crotch crickets. The
how I killed and ate a recruit food was theoretically nourishing
who disobeyed me.” but incredibly vile and when, by
He
halted and stared at them. mistake, one batch of meat was
Slowly the coffin-lid lips parted served in an edible state it was
in an evil travesty of a grin, while caught at the last moment and
a drop of saliva formed at the thrown out and the cook reduced
tip of each whitened tusk. two grades. Their sleep was bro-
“That story is true.” ken by mock gas attacks and
A moan broke from the row of their free time filled with caring
recruits and
they shook as for their equipment.
though a chill wind had passed
over them. The smile vanished. nphe seventh day was designa-
“We will run to breakfast now *- ted as a day of rest but they
as soon as I have some volun- all had received punishments,
teers for an easy assignment. Can like Bill’s KP, and it was as any
any of you drive a helicar?” other day. On this, the third
Two recruits hopefully raised Sunday of their imprisonment,
their hands and he beckoned they were stumbling through
them forward. “Alright, both of the last hour of the day before
you, mops and buckets behind the lights were extinguished and
that door. Clean out the latrine they were finally permitted to
while the rest are eating. You’ll crawl into their casehardened
have a better appetite for bunks. Bill pushed against the
lunch.” weak force field that blocked
That was Bill’s second lesson the door, cunningly designed to
on how to be a good trooper: allow the desert flies to enter
never volunteer. but not leave the barracks, and
The days of recruit training dragged himself in. After four-
passed with a horribly lethargic teen hours of KP his legs vibra-
THE STARSLOGGERS 15
ted with exhaustion and his arms us hate the dirty enemy more.”
were wrinkled and pallid as a Bill jumped, he had thought he
corpse’s from the soapy water. was alone in the latrine, and the
He dropped his jacket to the razor buzzed spitefully and
floor, where it stood stiffly, sup- gouged a bit of flesh from his
ported by its burden of sweat, lip.
grease and dust, and dragged his “Who’s there? Why are you
shaver from the foot locker. In hiding?” he snarled, then recog-
the latrine he bobbed his head nized the huddled dark figure
around trying to find a clear and the many pairs of boots. “Oh,
space on one of the mirrors. it’s only you Eager.” His anger
All of them had been heavily drained away and he turned back
stenciled in large letters with to the mirror.
such inspiring messages as KEEP Eager Beager was so much a
YOUR WUG SHUT — THE part of the latrine that you forgot
CHINGERS ARE LISTENING he was there. A moon-faced,
and IF YOU TALK THIS MAN eternally smiling youth whose
MAY DIE. He finally plugged apple red cheeks never lost their
the shaver in next to WOULD glow, and whose smile looked
YOU WANT YOUR SISTER so much out of place here in
TO MARRY ONE? and center- Camp Leon Trotsky that every-
ed his face in the O in ONE. one wanted to kill him until they
Black-rimmed, bloodshot eyes remembered that he was mad.
stared back at him as he ran
the buzzing machine over the TTe had to be mad because he
underweight planes of his jaw. -* was always eager to help his
16 GALAXY
smiles. He would still be there warfare. We
have to win the war.
after lights-out,working by the To win the war we have to fight
light of a burning wick struck in hard. In order to fight hard we
a can of polish and was usually have to have good soldiers. Good
up before the others in the morn- soldiers have to hate the enemy.
ing, finishing his voluntary job That’s the way it goes. The
and still smiling. Sometimes, Chingers are the only non-hu-
when the boots were very dirty, man race that has been discover-
he worked right through the ed in the galaxy that has gone
night. The kid was obviously in- beyond the aboriginal level, so
sane but no one turned him in naturally we have to wipe them
because he did such a good job out.”
on the boots and they all prayed “What the hell do you mean
that he wouldn’t die of exhaus- naturally ? I don’t want to wipe
tion until recruit training was anyone out. I just want to go
finished. home and be a Technical Fertili-
“Well if that’s what they want zer Operator.”
to say,why don’t they just say
‘hate the dirty enemy more’,” Cfl TC7'ell I don’t mean you per-
Billcomplained. He jerked his ’ ’
sonally, of course —
thumb at the far wall where gee!” Eager opened a fresh can
there was a poster labeled of polish with purple -stained
KNOW THE ENEMY. It fea- hands and dug his fingers into it.
head. “Whose sister would want they will only fight in defense,
to marry a thing like that any- and they have never made at-
way? And what would a thing tacks, yet. But we can’t believe
like that want to do with a sis- them even though it is true. They
ter, except maybe eat her?” might change their religion or
Eager put a last buff on a pur- their minds some day and then
ple toe and picked up another where would we be? The best
boot. He frowned for a brief in- answer is to wipe them out now.”
stant to show what a serious Bill unplugged his razor and
thought this was. “Well you see, washed his face in the tepid, rus-
gee — it doesn’t mean a real sis- ty water. “It still doesn’t seem
ter. It’s just part of psychological to make sense. Alright, so the
THE STARSLOGGERS 17
”
38 GALAXY
of the vehicles until they revived hadn’t been more than thirty
and could be urged back to their yards away, who had lectured
positions in the formation with them on venereal disease, but Bill
other staggering recruits. had been lucky enough to sit be-
Then the band burst into hind a post and had promptly
Spacemen Ho and Chingers fallen asleep.
Vanguished! and the broadcast After the band shut up, the
signal to each boot heel snapped anti-G loudspeakers floated out
the ranks to attention at the over the troops and the general
same instant and the thousands addressed them. He had nothing
of rifles flashed in the sun. The to say that anyone cared to listen
commanding general’s staff car to and he closed with the an-
— was obvious from the two
this nouncement that because of
stars painted on it —
pulled up losses in the field their training
beside the reviewing stand and a program would be accelerated,
tiny, round figure moved quickly which was just what they had
through the fumacelike air to expected. Then the band played
the comfort of the enclosure. Bill some more and they marched
had never seen him any closer back to the barracks, changed
than this, at least from the front, into their haircloth fatigues and
though once while he was re- marched — doubletime now —
turning from late KP he had to the range where they fired
spotted the general getting into their atomic rifles at plastic re-
his car near the camp theatre. plicas of Chingers that popped
At it was him,
least Bill thought up out of holes in the ground.
but he had seen was a brief
all Their aim was very bad until
rear view. Therefore, if he had a Deathwish Drang popped out of
mental picture of the general, it a hole and every trooper switch-
was of a large backside super- ed to full automatic and hit with
imposed on a teeny ant-like every charge fired from every
figure. gun, which is a very hard thing
He thought of most officers in to do. Then the smoke cleared
these general terms, since the and they stopped cheering and
men of course had nothing to do started sobbing when they saw
with officers during their recruit that it was only a plastic replica
training. Bill had had a good of Deathwish, now tom to tiny
glimpse of a 2nd lieutenant once, pieces, and the original appeared
near the orderly room, and he behind them and gnashed its
knew he had a face. And there tusks and gave them all a full
had been a medical officer who month’s KP.
THE STARSLOGGERS 19
Ill “Go on —
why is the body a
wonderful thing?”
tt'T'he human body is a won- They waited in expectant si-
derful thing,” Bowb Brown lence while Bowb managed to
said, a month later, when they tear a bite from his sausage and,
were sitting around a table in the after ineffectual chewing, swal-
Lowest Ranks Klub eating plas- lowed it with an effort that
tic skinned sausages stuffed with brought tears to his eyes. He
road sweepings and drinking eased the pain with a mouthful
watery warm beer. Bowb Brown of beer and spoke.
was a thoatherder from the “The human body is a wonder-
plains, which is why they called ful thing —
because if it doesn’t
him Bowb since everyone knows die — it lives.”
just what thoatherders do with They waited for more until
their thoats. He was tall, thin they realized that he was fin-
and bowlegged, his skin burnt ished, then they sneered.
to the color of ancient leather. “Boy, are you full of bowb!”
He rarely talked, being more “Sign up for O.C.S.!”
used to the eternal silence of “Yeah —
but what does it
the plains broken only by the mean?”
eerie cry of the restless thoat. Bill knew what it meant, but
He was a great thinker since the didn’t tell them.
one thing he had had plenty of There were only half as many
was time to think in. He could men in the squad as there had
worry a thought for days, even been the first day. One man had
weeks, before he mentioned it been transferred. All the others
aloud, and while he was thinking were sick or in the mental hos-
about it nothing could disturb pital,or discharged for the con-
him. He even let them call him venience of the government as
Bowb without protesting call any: being too crippled for active ser-
other trooper bowb and he vice. Or dead. The survivors,
would hit you in the face. Bill after losing every ounce of
and Eager and the other troopers weight not made up of bone or
from X squad sitting around the essential connective tissue, Rad
table all clapped and cheered, put back the lost weight in the
as they always did when Bowb form of muscle and were now
said something. completely adapted to the rigors
“Tell us more, Bowb!” of Camp Leon Trotsky, though
“It can still talk —
I thought they still loathed it.
it was deadl” Bill marveled at the efficiency
20 GALAXY
of the system. Civilians had to long time, but could think of
fool around with examinations, nothing else that anyone really
grades, retirement benefits, se- wanted. Eager Beager looked out
niority and a thousand other fac- from under the table where he
tors that limited the efficiency was surreptitiously polishing a
of the workers. But how easily boot and said that he wantetd
the troopers did it! They simply more polish, but they ignored
killed off the weaker ones and him. Even Bill, now that he put
used the survivors. He respected his mind to it, could think of
the system. Though he still loath- nothing he really wanted other
ed it. than this inextricably linked pair.
He tried hard to think of some-
tCVTou know what I need, I thing else, since he had vague
- •* need a woman,” Ugly memories of wanting other things
Ugglesway said. when he had been a civilian, but
“Don’t talk dirty,” Bill told nothing else came to mind.
him promptly, since he had been “Gee, it’s only seven more
brought up correctly. weeks until we get our first pass,”
“I’m not talking dirty!” Ugly Eager said from under the table,
whined. “It’s not like I said I then screamed as everyone kick-
wanted to re-enlist or that I ed him at once.
thought Deathwish was human or But slow as subjective time
anything like that. I just said I crawled by, the objective clocks
need a woman. Don’t we all?” were still operating and the seven
“I need a drink,” Bowb Brown weeks did pass by and eliminate
said as he took a long swig from themselves one by one. Busy
his glass of dehydrated reconsti- weeks filled with all the essen-
tuted beer, shuddered, then tial recruit training courses:
squirted it out through his teeth bayonet drill, small arms train-
in a long stream onto the con- ing, short arm inspection, grey-
crete, where it instantly evapora- pfing, orientation lectures, drill,
ted. communal singing and the Ar-
“Affirm, affirm,” Ugly agreed, ticles of War. These last were
bobbing his mat-haired warty read with dreadful regularity
head up and down. “I need a twice a week and were absolute
woman and a drink.” His whine torture because of the intense
became almost plaintive. “After somnolence they brought on.
all, what else is there to want in At the first rustle of the
the troopers outside of out?” scratchy, monotonous voice from
They thought about that a the tape player heads would be-
THE STARSLOGGERS 21
gin to nod. But every seat in crimpled scrap of plastic. . ms
the auditorium was wired with rite finished, there was a scram-
an EEG that monitored the ble for the monorail train whose
brain waves of the captive track ran on electrically charged
troopers. As soon as the shape pillers, soaring over the thirty-
of the Alpha wave indicated foot high barbed wire, crossing
transition from consciousness to the quicksand beds, then drop-
slumber a powerful jolt of cur- ping into the little farming town
rentwould be shot into the doz- of Leyville.
ing buttocks, jabbing the owner At least it had been an agricul-
painfully awake. tural town before Camp Leon
The musty auditorium was a Trotsky had been built and
dimly lit torture chamber, filled sporadically, in the hours when
with the droning dull voice punc- the troopers weren’t on leave,
tuated by the sharp screams of it followed its original agrarian
the electrified, the sea of nodding bent. The rest of the time the
heads abob here and there with grain and feed stores shut down
painfully leaping figures. and the drink and knock shops
opened. Many times the same
VTo one ever listened to the premises were used for both
’ terrible executions and functions. A lever would be
sentences announced in the Ar- pulled when the first of the leave
ticles for the most innocent of party thundered out of the sta-
crimes. Everyone knew that they tion and grain bins became beds,
had signed away all human rights salesclerks pimps, cashiers re-
when they enlisted. The itemiz- tained their same function —
ing of what they had lost inter- though the prices went up —
ested them not in the slightest. while counters would be racked
What they really were interested with glasses to serve as bars. It
in was counting the hours until was to one of these establish-
they would receive their first ments, a mortuary-cum-saloon,
pass. that Bill and his friends went.
The ritual by which this re- “What’ll it be, boys?” the
ward was begrudgingly given was ever-smiling owner of the Final
unusually humiliating, but they Resting Bar and Grill asked.
expected this and merely lower- “Double shot of embalming
ed their eyes and shuffled for- fluid,” Bowb Brown told him.
ward in the line, ready to sacri- “No jokes,” the landlord said,
fice any remaining shards of their the smile vanishing for a second
self-respect in exchange for the as he took down a bottle on
22 GALAXY
which the garish label REAL turned to see Eager still sitting
WHISKY had been pasted over at the table.
the etched in EMBALMING “Woman!” Ugly said enthu-
FLUID. “Any trouble I call the siastically, in the tone of voice
MPs.” The smile returned as you say Dinner! in when you are
money struck the counter. “Name calling a dog. The knot of men
your poison, gents.” stirred in doorway and
the
They sataround a long, nar- stamped their feet. Eager didn’t
row table it was wide
as thick as move.
with brass handles on both sides, “Gee —
I think I’ll stay right
and let the blessed relief of here,” he said, his smile simpler
ethyl alcohol trickle a path down than ever. “But you guys run
their dust-lined throats. along.”
“I never drank before I came “Don’t you feel well. Eager?”
into the service,” Bill said, drain- “Feel fine.”
ing four fingers neat of Old Kid- “Ain’t you reached puberty?”
“Gee ”
ney Killer and held his glass . .
while hot rivets hurled their flat “Two L’s for officers only, bowb
trajectories across the sky into — learn your place. What’s your
waiting buckets. The spots of classification?”
light died away as one behemoth “Recruit, unskilled, untrained,
of the star lanes was completed spacesick.”
and thin screams sounded in the “Well don’t puke in here, that’s
spacesuit radio circuit as the what you have your own quarters
workers, instead of being return- for. You are now a Fusetender
ed to the yards, were pressed into 6th class, unskilled. Bunk down
service on the ship they had so in compartment 34J-89T-001.
recently built. Move. And keep that woopsy-
This was total war. sack over your head.”
No sooner had Bill found his
T) ill staggered through the sag- quarters and thrown his bags
^ ^ ging plastic tube that con- into a bunk, where they floated
nected the shuttleship to a dread- five inches over the reclaimed
naught of space and dropped his rock-wool mattress, then Eager
bags in front of a Petty Chief Beager came in, followed by
26 GALAXY
by Bowb Brown and a crowd of 4 4'IT7elcome aboard the Chris-
strangers, some of them carrying ’ ’
tine Keeler,” he said and
welding torches and angry ex- with a friendly shake splintered
pressions. most of Bill’s knuckle bones.
“Where’s Ugly and the rest of “The grand old lady of this
the squad?” Bill asked. fleet, commissioned almost a
Bowb shrugged and strapped week ago. I’m Reverend Fuse-
himself into his bunk for a little tender 6th Class Tembo, and I
shuteye. Eager opened one of see by the stencil on your bag
the six bags he always carried that your name is Bill, and since
and removed some boots to pol- we’re shipmates, Bill, please call
ish. me Tembo, and how isthe con-
“Are you saved?” a deep voice dition of your soul?”
THE STARSLOGGERS 27
bulkhead, a planet swimming ar- eneral Quarters sounded, a
tistically through the void gir- hooting alarm keyed to the
dled by white clouds. Suddenly, resonant frequency of the human
ruddy lightning shot through the skull so that the bone vibrated
clouds and they twisted and boil- as though the head were inside
ed while great wounds appeared a mighty bell and the eyes blur-
on the planet below. From the red out of focus with each stroke.
pinhead speaker came the tiny There was a scramble for the
moaning sound of rolling, clash- passageway where the hideous
ing thunder. sound was not quite as loud and
“But wars sprang up among where non-coms were waiting to
the sons of man and they smote herd them to their stations. Bill
followed Eager Beager up an oily
each other with the atomic ener-
ladder and out of the hatch in
gies until the Earth itself groaned
the floor of the fuse room.
aloud and mighty was the holo-
Great racks of fuses stretched
caust. And when the final light-
away on all sides of them, while
nings stilled there was death in
from the tops of the racks sprang
the north, death in the west,
arm-thick cables that looped up-
death in the east, death, death,
wards and vanished through the
death. Do you realize what that
ceiling. In front of the racks,
means?” Tembo’s voice was elo-
evenly spaced, were round open-
quent with feeling, suspended for
ings a foot in diameter.
an instant in midflight, waiting
for theanswer to the catachisti- “My opening remarks will be
cal question.
brief,any trouble from any of
“I’m not sure,” Bill said, root-
you and I will personally myself
feed you head first down the
ing aimlessly in his bag, “I come
nearest fuseway.” A greasy fore-
from Phigerinadon II. it’s a quiet-
.” finger pointed at one of the
er place . .
28 GALAXY
efficient fusetenders or else feed the clips, and again Unggh! when
you down the nearest fuseway. he dropped it into the fuseway.
This is a highly skilled and effi- Then, still Ungghing, he pulled
cient technical specialty which a new fuse from the storage rack
usually takes a year to train a and clipped it into place and,
good man. But this is war so with a final Unggh! snapped
you’re going to learn to do it back to attention.
now or else. I will now demon- “And that’s the way it is done,
strate. Tembo front and center. by the count, by the numbers,
Take board 19J-9, it’s out of the trooper way and you are
circuit now.” going to learn it or else.” A dull
Tembo clashed his heels and buzzing sounded, grumbling
stood at rigid attention in front through the air like a stifled
handed Bill a yellow plastic cup fully, then saw red as the soup
from a rack before him. Bill ladle crashed down on his head.
moved on and when the trooper “Could I have it without the
in front of him stepped away he fatty acid ester?” he asked hope-
faced a blank wall from which fully, but he was pushed out in-
there emerged a single, handle- to the corridor where Eager
less spigot. A fat cook standing joined him.
next to it, wearing a large white “Gee,” Eager said. “This has
chef’s hat and a soiled under- all the food elements necessary
shirt, waved him forwards with to sustain life indefinitely. Isn’t
the soup ladle in his hand. that marvelous?”
“C’mon, co’mon, ain’t you Bill sipped at his cup then
never et before? Cup under the sighed tremulously.
spout, dogtag in the slot, snap
it up!” 44T ook at that,” Tembo said,
Bill held the cup as he had ' and when Bill turned, a
been advised and noticed a nar- projected image appeared on the
row slit in the metal wall just corridor wall. It showed a misty
at eye level. His dogtags were firmament in which tiny figures
hanging around his neck and he seemed to be riding on clouds.
pushed one of them into the “Hell awaits you, my boy, unless
slot. Something went buzzzzz you are saved. Turn your back
and a thin stream of yellow fluid on your superstitious way. The
gushed out, filling the cup half- First Reformed Voodoo Church
way. welcomes you with open arms,
“Next man!” the cook shouted come unto her bosom and find
and pulled Bill away so that your place in heaven at Samedi’s
Eager could take his place. right hand. Sit there with Mon-
“What is this?” Bill asked, peer- dongue and Bakalou and Zandor
ing into the cup. who will welcome you.”
“What is this! What is this!” The projected scene changed,
the cook raged, growing bright the clouds grew closer, while
red. “This is your dinner you from the little speaker came the
stupid bowb! This is absolutely tiny sound of a heavenly choir
chemically pure water in which with drum accompaniment. Now
are dissolved 18 amino acids, 16 tile figures could be seen clearly,
vitamins, 11 mineral salts, a flat- all with very dark skins and white
ty acid ester and glucose. What robes from the back of which
30 GALAXY
protruded great black wings. out pay, an honorable discharge
They smiled and waved grace- with band music as well as your
fully to each other as their free transport back to Earth.”
clouds passed, while singing en- Tembo, relaxed yet firm, look-
thusiastically and beating on the ed down at the runty lieutenant
little tom-toms that each one with his well-chewed blonde
carried. It was a lovely scene and moustache who stood before him.
Bill’s eyes misted a bit. “That will be impossible, sir.”
“Attention!"
The barking tones echoed from 11 T mpossible ” the lieutenant
!
the walls and the troopers snap- A screeched and rocked back
ped their shoulders back, heels and forth on his high-heeled
together, eyes ahead. The heav- boots.“Who are you to tell me
enly choir vanished as Tembo what is impossible ?!” —
shoved the projector back into “Not I, sir,” Tembo answered
his pocket. with utmost calm. “Regulation
“As you was,” First Class 13-9A, paragraph 45, page 8923,
Spleen ordered, and they turned volume 43 of Rules, Regulations
to see him leading two MPs with and Articles of War. ‘No man
drawn handguns who were acting nor officer shall or will receive
as a bodyguard for an officer. a discharge other than dishonor-
Bill knew it was an officer be- able with death sentence from a
cause they had had an Officer vessel, post, base, camp, ship,
Identification course, plus the outpost, or labor camp during
fact that there was a KNOW time of emergency’ .
.” .
32 GALAXY
“I’m a loyal trooper, of the ber with one curved wall, while
Emperor, sir, not a spy.” attached to this wall were cum-
“You’re not a spy, Tembo, we bersome devices set with meters,
have looked into that very care- dials, switches, controls, levers,
fully. But why are you in the a view screen and a relief tube.
service, Tembo?” Bill bent over and read the label
“To be a loyal trooper of the on the nearest one.
Emperor, sir, and to do my best “Mark IV Atomic Blaster —
to spread the gospel. Have you and look at the size of them!
been saved, sir?” This must be the ship’s main
“Watch your tongue, trooper battery.” He turned around and
or I’ll have you up on charges! saw that Eager was holding his
Yes, we know that story — rev- arm up so that his wristwatch
—
erend but we don’t believe it. pointed at the guns and was
You’re being too tricky, but we’ll pressing on the crown with the
find out .” He stalked away
. .
index finger of his other hand.
muttering to himself and they all “What are you doing?” Bill
snapped to attention until he asked.
was gone. The other troopers
looked at Tembo oddly and did
“Gee — just seeing what time
it was.”
not feel comfortable until he had “How
can you tell what time
gone. Bill and Eager walked slow- it when you have the inside
is
ly back to their quarters. of your wrist towards your face
“Turned down a discharge!” and the watch is on the out-
Bill mumbled in awe. side?”
“Gee,” Eager said, “maybe he’s Footsteps echoed far down the
nuts? I can’t think of any other long gundeck and they remem-
reason.” bered the sign on the outside of
“Nobody could be that crazy,” the door. In an instant they had
then “I wonder what’s in there?” slipped back through it and Bill
pointing to a door with a large pressed it quietly shut. When he
sign that read ADMITTANCE turned around Eager Beager had
TO AUTHORIZED PERSON- gone so that he had to make his
NEL ONLY. way back to their quarters by
“Gee — I don’t know — maybe himself. Eager was busy shining
food?” boots for his buddies and didn’t
They slipped through instantly look up from his work when Bill
and closed the door behind them, came in.
but there was no food there. In- But what had he been doing
stead they were in a long cham- with his watch?
THE STARSLOGGERS 33
V I’d like to . . . see the . . . chap-
lain . .
.”
'T'his question kept bugging Bill Spleen turned white and sank
all the time during the days back against the bulkhead. “Now
of their training as they painfully I heard everything,” he said
tion, but in spare moments Bill Bill blushed. “I’m sorry about
worried. He worried when they this, First Class Spleen, but I
stood in line for chow, and he can’t help it. It’s not my fault I
worried during the few moments have to see him, it could have
every night between the time the happened to anyone.” His voice
lights were turned off and the trailed away and he looked down
heavy descent of sleep rested at his feet, rubbing one boot
upon his fatigue drugged body. against another. The silence
He worried whenever he had the stretched out until Spleen finally
time to do it. And he lost weight. spoke, but all the comradeliness
He lost weight not because he was gone from his voice.
The shipboard rations. They were none of the rest of the boys hear
designed to sustain life, and that about it. Skip chow and get up
they did, but no mention was there now —
here’s a pass.” He
made of what kind of life it was scrawled on a scrap of paper then
to be. It was a dreary, under- threw it contemptuously to the
weight, hungry one. Yet Bill took floor, turning and walking away
no notice of this. He had a big- as Bill bent humbly to pick it
ger problem and he needed help. up.
After Sunday the end of
drill at
their second week he stayedto went down dropchutes,
talk to First Class Spleen instead B ill
34 GALAXY
fece and his throat was dry. His I’ve lost 600 jockstraps and they
knuckles boomed hollowly on the may be in there. You think it’s
panel and after an endless per- easy to be a laundry officer?”
iod a muffled voice sounded from He sniveled with self-pity and
the other side. pushed a tottering stack of pap-
“Yeah, yeah — c’mon in — it’s ers over to Bill who began to
open.” sort through them. Long before
Bill stepped through and snap- he was finished the buzzer sound-
ped to attention when he saw the ed that ended the watch.
officer behind the single desk “I knew it!” the officer sobbed
that almost filled the tiny room. hopelessly. “This job will never
The officer, a 4th lieutenant, end, instead it gets worse and
though still young was balding worse. And you think you got
rapidly. There were black circles problems!” He reached out an
under his eyes and he needed a unsteady finger and flipped over
shave. His tie, was knotted crook- the sign on his desk. It read
edly and badly crumpled. He CHAPLAIN on the other side.
continued to scratch among the Then he grabbed the end of his
stacks of paper that littered the necktie and pulled it back hard
desk, picking them up, changing over his right shoulder. The neck-
piles with them, scrawling notes tie was fastened to his collar
on some and throwing others into and the collar was set into ball
an overflowing wastebasket. bearings that rolled smoothly in
When he moved one of the stacks a track fixed to his shirt. There
Bill saw a sign on the desk that was a slight whirring sound as
read LAUNDRY OFFICER. the collar rotated, then the neck-
“Excuse me, sir,” he said, “but tie was hanging out of sight down
I am in the wrong office. I’m his back and his collar was now
looking for the chaplain.” on backwards, showing white and
“This is the chaplain’s office
smooth and cool to the front.
but he’s not on duty until 1300
hours, which, as someone even nphe chaplain steepled his fin-
as stupid looking as you can tell, gers before him, lowered his
is in fifteen minutes more.” eyes and smiled sweetly. “How
“Thank you, sir, I’ll come may I help you my son?”
back.” Bill slid towards the door. “I thought you were the laun-
“You’ll stay and work.” The dry officer.” Bill said, taken
officer raised bloodshot eyeballs aback.
and cackled evilly. “I got you. “I am, my but that is just
son,
You can sort the hanky reports. one of the burdens that must fall
THE STARSLOGGERS 35
upon my shoulders. There is away and reappeared a moment
little call for a chaplain in these later bearing a black plastic box
troubled times, but much call decorated with golden bulls, ram-
for a laundry officer. I do my pant. “Be with you in a second,”
best to serve.” He bent his head, the chaplain said, opening the
humbly. box.
“But —
which are you? A chap- First he unrolled a length of
lain who is a part-time laundry white cloth sewn with more gold-
officer, ora laundry officer who en bulls and draped this around
is a part-time chaplain?” his neck. He placed a thick,
“That is a mystery, my son. leather-bound book next to the
There are some things that it is box, then on the closed lid set
best not to know. But I see you two metal bulls with hollowed
are troubled. May I ask if you out backs. Into one of them he
are of the faith?” poured distilled water from a
“Which faith?” plastic flask and into the other
“That’s what I’m asking you!” sweet oil, which he ignited. Bill
the chaplain snapped, and for watched these familiar arrange-
a moment the old laundry offi- ments with growing happiness.
cer peeped through. “How can I “It’s very lucky,” Bill said,
help you if I do not know what “that you are a Zoroastrian. It
your religion is?” makes it much easier to talk to
“Fundamentalist Zoroastrian.” you.”
The chaplain took a plastic
covered sheet from a drawer and U VT° luck involved, my son,
ran his finger it. “Z . . down . ^ just intelligent planning.”
Z . . . Zen
Zodomite. . .
. . . The chaplain dropped some pow-
Zoroastrian, Reformed Funda- dered haoma into the flame and
mentalist, is that the one?” Bill’snose twitched as the drug-
“Yes sir.” ged incense filled the room. “By
“Well,should be no trouble the grace of Ahura Mazdan I am
with this my son ... 2 1 52 05 .”
. . an anointed priest of Zoroastra.
He quickly dialed the number By Allah’s will a faithful Muez-
on a control plate set in the zin of Islam, through Yahweh’s
desk, then, with a grand gesture intercession a circumcized rabbi,
and an evangelistic gleam in his and so forth.” His benign face
eye, he swept all the laundry broke into a savage snarl. “And
papers to the floor. Hidden ma- also because of an officer short-
chinery hummed briefly, a por- age I am the damned laundry
tion of the desk top dropped officer.” His face cleared. “But
36 GALAXY
now, you must tell me your prob- the stem and I heard it click!
lem.” It could be a camera. I ... I
“Well, it’s not easy. It may be think he is a Chinger spy!” Bill
just foolish suspicion on my part, sat back, breathing deeply and
but I’m worried about one of sweating. The fatal words had
my buddies. There is something been spoken.
strange about him. I’m not sure The chaplain continued to nod,
how to tell it . . smiling, half unconscious from
“Have confidence, my boy, and the haoma fumes. Finally he
reveal your innermost feelings to snapped out of it, blew his nose
me and do not fear. What I hear and opened the thick copy of the
shall never leave this room for Avesta. He mumbled aloud in
I am bound to secrecy by the old Persian a bit, which seemed
oath of my calling. Unburden to brace him, then slammed it
yourself.” shut.
“That’s very nice of you, and “You must not bear false wit-
I do feel better already. You see ness!” he boomed, fixing Bill
this buddy of mine has always with piercing gaze and accusing
been a funny, he shines the
little finger.
boots for all of us and volunteer-
ed for latrine orderly and doesn’t tiATou got me wrong,” Bill
like girls.” - * moaned, writhing in the
The chaplain nodded beatifi- chair.“He’s done these things, I
cally and fanned some of the in- saw him use the watch. What
cense towards his nose. “I see kind of spiritual aid do you call
little here to worry you, he this?”
sounds a decent lad. For is it not “Just a bracer my boy, a touch
written in the Vendidad that we of the old-time religion to re-
should aid our fellow man and new your sense of guilt and start
seek to shoulder his burdens and you thinking about going to
pursue not the harlots of the church regular again. You have
streets?” been backsliding!” the chaplain
Bill pouted. “That’s alright for roared.
Sunday school, but it’s no way to “What else could I do — chap-
act in the troopers! Anyway, we el is forbidden during recruit
just thought he was out of his training.”
mind and he might have been — “Circumstance is no excuse,
but that’s not all. I was with him but you will be forgiven this time
on the gun deck and he pointed because Ahura Mazdah is all-
his watch at the guns and pressed merciful.”
THE STARSLOGGERS 37
”
38 GALAXY
could pull the overmuscled mor- slap him on the offensive grin
ons with their eyes not an inch but Beager opened his mouth
apart, off him. and bit the hand that hit him,
“Not him . the officer
. clamping down hard so that the
gasped, and threw Bill a towel to officer could not get away. “He
wipe off some of the blood. ‘‘This bit me!” the man howled and
is our informant, the loyal, pa- tried desperately to pull free.
triotic hero who ratted on his Both MPs, each handcuffed to
buddy by the name of Eager an arm of the prisoner, raised
Beager, who we will now grab their clubs to give him a sound
and chain so he can be question- battering.
ed. Let’s go.” At this moment the top of
The MPs held Bill up between Eager Beager’s head flew open.
them and by the time they had
come to the fusetenders’ quar- TTappening at any other time
the breeze from their swift -* ^
ters this would have been con-
passage had restored him a bit. sidered unusual, but happening
The laundry officer opened the at this moment it was spectacu-
door just enough to poke in his larly unusual and they all, in-
head. “Hi, gang!” he called cheer- cluding Bill, gaped as a seven-
ily. “Is Eager Beager here?” inch high lizard climbed out of
Eager looked up from the boot the open skull and jumped to
he was polishing, waving and the floor in which it made a size-
grinning. “That’s me — gee.” able dent upon landing. It had
“Get him!” the laundry offic- four tiny arms, a long tail, a head
er expostulated, jumping aside like a baby alligator and was
and pointing accusingly. Bill bright green. It looked exactly
dropped to the floor as the MPs like a Chinger except that it was
let go of him and thundered into seven inches tall instead of seven
the compartment. By the time he feet.
had staggered back to his feet “All bowby humans have B.
Eager was pinioned handcuffed O.” it said in a thin imitation of
and chained, hand and foot, but Eager Beager’s voice. “Chingers
still grinning. can’t sweat Chingers forever!”
“Gee — you guys want some It charged across the compart-
boots polished too?” ment toward Beager’s bunk.
“No backtalk you dirty spy,” Paralysis prevailed. All of the
the laundry officer grated and fusetenders who had witnessed
slapped him hard on the offen- the impossible events stood or
sive grin. At least he tried to sat as they had been, frozen with
THE STARSLOGGERS 39
.
shock and eyes bulging like hard- space. There was the roar of air
boiled eggs. The laundry officer rushing into the void and the
was pinioned by the teeth locked clamor of alarm bells.
into his hand, while the two MPs “Well I'll be damned.” the
struggled with the handcuffs that laundry officer said, then snap-
held them to the immobile body. ped his gaping mouth closed and
Only Bill was free to move and, screamed, “Get this thing offa
stilldizzy from the beating, he my hand — it’s biting me to
bent over to grab the tiny crea- death!”
ture. Small and powerful talons The two MPs swayed back and
locked into his flesh and he was forth, handcuffed effectively to
pulled from his feet and went the immobile figure of the form-
sailing through the air to crash er Eager Beager. Beager just
against a bulkhead. “Gee — stared, smiling around the grip
that’s for you, you stoolie!” the he had on the officer’s hand, and
miniscule voice squeeked. it wasn’t until Bill got his atomic
Before anyone else could in- rifle and put the barrel into
terfere the lizardoid ran to Beag- Eager’s mouth and levered the
er’s pile of barracks bags and jaw open that the hand could be
tore the topmost one open and withdrawn. While he did this Bill
dived inside. A highpitched hum- saw that the top of Eager’s head
ming grew in volume an instant had splitopen just above his
later and from the bag emerged ears and was held at the back
the bulletlike nose of a shining by a shiny brass hinge. Inside the
pushed out until a
projectile. It gaping skull, instead of brains
tiny spaceship not two feet long and bones and things, was a
floated in the compartment. model control room with a tiny
Then it rotated about its vertical chair, miniscule controls, teevee
axis, stopped when it pointed at screens and a water cooler. Eag-
the bulkhead. The humming rose erwas just a robot worked by the
in pitch and the ship suddenly littlecreature that had escaped
shot forward and tore through in the spaceship. It looked like
the metal of the partition as if a Chinger —
but it was only sev-
it. had been no stronger than wet en inches tall.
cardboard. There were other dis- “Hey!” Bill said, “Eager is
tant tearing sounds as it pene- just a robot worked by the little
trated bulkhead after bulkhead creature that escaped in the
until,with a rending clang it spaceship! It looked like a Chin-
crashed through the outer skin ger —
but it was only seven
of the ship and escaped into inches tall .
40 GALAXY
“Seven inches, seven feet — “Look at the trouble you got
what difference does it make!” me into!” he whined.
the laundry officer mumbled pe- “At least close your head when
tulantly as he wrapped a hand- I’m talking to you,” Bill snarled
kerchief around his wounded and reached over to slam the
hand. “You don’t expect us to top of Eager’s head shut. But it
tell the recruits how big the didn’t do any good. Eager
enemy really are, or to explain couldn’t do anything now except
that they come from a 10G plan- smile. He had polished his last
et. We gotta keep the morale boot. He just stood there now, he
up.” was really veryheavy and be-
sides was magnetized to the floor.
VI The fusetenders hung their dirty
shirts and arc welders on him. He
VTow that Eager Beager had stayed there for three watches
^ ' turned out to before someone figured out what
be a Chinger
to do with him. Finally a squad
much alone.
spy, Bill felt very
of MPs came with crowbars and
Bowb Brown, who never talked
anyway, now talked even less, tilted him into a handcar and
which meant never, so there was rolledhim away.
no one that Bill could bitch to. “So long,” Bill called out, wav-
Bowb was the only other fuse- ing after him, then went back
man in the compartment who to polishing his boots. “He was
had been in Bill’s squad at Camp a good buddy even if he was a
Leon Trotsky, and all of the new Chinger spy.”
men were very clannish and giv- Bowb didn’t answer him, and
en to sitting close together and welders wouldn’t talk to him and
mumbling and throwing suspi- he spent a lot of the time avoid-
cious looks over their shoulders ing Reverend Tembo. The grand
ifhe should come too close. Their old lady of the fleet, Christine
only recreation was welding and Keeler, was still in orbit while
every offwatch they would break her engines were being installed.
out the welders and weld things There was very little to do be-
to the floor and the next watch cause, in spite of what First Class
cut them loose again which is Spleen had said they had mast-
about as dim a way of wasting ered all the intricies of fusetend-
time as there is, but they seemed ing in a little less than the pre-
to enjoy it. So Bill was very scribed year —in fact it took
much out of things and tried them something like maybe fif-
THE STARSLOGGERS 41
In his free time Bill wandered himself leaning further and fur-
around the ship, going as far as ther into the compartment as
the MPs who guarded the hatch- his eyes traced up the leg past
ways would allow him. He even the belt to the shirt to the neck
considered going back to se upon which rested the fa" that ->
leg and paralyzed with terror, just nuts. Should have known
better .”
as unable to control himself as . .
42 GALAXY
ly, “it can’t be, I know — but that in prehistoric times the drill-
you are acting like a human be- sergeants or whatever it was they
ing!” called them, that they were real
Deathwish chuckled, not his sadists! The armed forces would
ripsaw - slicing - human - bone let these people with no real
chuckle, but an almost normal knowledge absolutely destroy re-
one. cruits. Let them learn to hate
Bill stammered. “But you are the service before they learned
a sadist, a pervert, a beast, a to fear it, which wrecks hell with
creature, a thing, a murderer . .
discipline. And talk about waste-
“Why, thanks, Bill. That’s very ful! They were always marching
nice to hear. I try to do my job someone to death by accident or
I tell you they were worth it. The grated their nasal voices through-
image, that’s everything. I stud- out the ship.
ied the old tapes of prehistoric “Now hear this, the orders di-
spiritbreakers and in their own rect from the old man himself,
crude way they were good. Se- Captain Zekial, that you all have
lected by physical type and low been waiting to hear. We’re
I.Q. of course, but they knew heading into action so we are
their roles. Bullet heads, shaved going to have a clean buckle-
GALAXY
down fore and aft, stow all loose “Not again.” Bill pleaded.
gear.” “Look there,” Tembo said
A low, heartfelt groan of pain temptingly, and projected a hea-
echoed from every compartment venly scene with golden gates,
of the immense ship. clouds and a soft tom-tom beat
in the background.
VII “Knock off that salvation
crap!” First Class Spleen shout-
nphere was plenty of latrine ed, and the scene vanished.
rumor and scuttlebutt about Something tugged slightly at
this first flight of the Chris’ Bill’s stomach, but he ignored it
46 GALAXY
“How can we be anywhere head. A little planet with
perfect
else than where we started? Get- tiny icecaps,cold fronts, cloud
ting bigger, smaller
getting cover, oceans and the works.
doesn’t get us anyplace.” “What’s that?” Bill yiped.
“Bad navigation,” Tembo
“Well. they’re pretty tricky scowled. “Backlash, the ship is
with the old bloater slipping back a little on one end
drive. The way I heard it it’s instead of going all the other
like you take a rubber band and way. No-no! Don’t touch it, it
hold one end in each hand. You can cause accidents sometimes.
don’t move your left hand but That’s the planet we just left,
you stretch the band out as far Phigerinadon II.”
as it will go with your right hand. “My home,” Bill sobbed and
When you let the band shrink felt the tears rise as the planet
back again you keep your right shrank to the size of a marble.
hand steady and let go with your “So long, Mom.” He waved as
left. See? You never moved the the marble shrunk to a mote
rubber band, just stretched it then vanished.
and let it snap —
but it has mov- After this the journey was un-
ed over. Like our ship is doing eventful, particularly since they
now. It’s getting bigger, but in could not feel when they were
one direction. When the nose moving, did not know when they
reaches wherever we’re going the stopped, and had no idea where
stern will be wherever we were. they were. Though they were
Then we shrink and bango! there sure they had arrived somewhere
we are. And you can get into when they were orderd to strip
heaven just that easily, my son, the lashings from the fuses. The
only ”
if . . inaction continued for three
“Preaching on government watches and then the GENERAL
time, Tembo!” First Class Spleen QUARTERS alarm sounded. Bill
howled from the other side of ran with the others, happy for
the fuserack over which he was the first time since he had enlist-
looking with a mirror tied to the ed. All the sacrifices, the hard-
end of a rod. “I’ll have you ships would not be in vain. He
polishing fuseclips for a year. was seeing action at last against
You’ve been warned before.” the dirty Chingers.
They tied and polished in si- They stood in first position op-
lence after that, until a little posite the fuseracks, eyes intent
planet about as big as a tennis on the red bands on the fuses
ball swam in through the bulk- that were called the fusebands.
THE STARSLOGGERS 47
Through the soles of his boots The temperature stayed high,
Bill could feel a faint, distant just at the boundary of tolera-
tremor in the deck. while they stared
bility for hours,
“What’s that?” he asked Tem- at the fusebands. At one point
bo out of the comer of his mouth. there was a tiny plink that Bill
“Main drive, not the bloater felt through his bare feet on the
drive. Atomic engines. Means we hot metal rather than heard.
must be maneuvering, doing “What was that?”
something.” “Torpedoes being fired.”
“But what?” “At what?”
“Watch them fusebands!” Trembo just shrugged in an-
First Class Spleen shouted. swer and never let his vigilant
gaze stray from the fusebands.
T)ill was beginning to sweat — Bill writhed with frustration,
then suddenly realized that boredom, heat rash and fatigue
it was becoming excruciatingly for another hour, until the all
hot. Tembo, without taking his clear blew and a breath of cool
eyes from the fuses, slipped out air came in from the ventilators.
of his clothes and folded them By the time he had pulled his
neatly behind him. uniform back on Tembo was
“Are we allowed to do that?” gone and he trudged wearily
Bill asked, pulling at his collar. back to his quarters. There was
“What’s happening?” a new mimeographed notice pin-
pretty hot. Even hotter when the wear the Unit Engagement Award.
NOTE: Some personnel have been ob-
guns fire.” served with their Atomic Clusters bs-
48 GALAXY
verted ond this is WRONG and a barriers, the post was distributed
COURT-MART Ai OFFENSE that is pun-
ishable
I
by DEATH.
and Bill had a precious special-
postal from his mother. On one
VIII side of the card was a picture of
the Noisome-Offal refinery just
outside of his hometown, and this
\ fter the heroic razing of
'*"*•
17KL-345 there were weeks alone was enough to raise a lump
of training and drill to restore in his throat.Then, in the tiny
the battle-weary veterans to their square allowed for the message,
usual fitness. But midway in his mother’s scrawl had traced
these depressing months a new out: “Bad crop, in debt, robmule
callsounded over the speakers, has packing glanders, hope you
one had never heard before,
Bill are the same love,— Maw.”
a clanging sound like steel bars was a message from home
Still, it
Dance with tom-tom accompani- Tembo read the card one last
ment on his footlocker cover. time then plunge it into his cup
“Are you around the bend?” of dinner.
Bill asked dully from where he “What are you doing that for?”
sprawled reading a tattered copy he asked, shocked.
of Real Ghoul Sexfiend Shocker “What else is mail good for?”
Comics with built-in sound ef- Tembo hummed, and poked the
fects. A ghastly moan was keen- card deeper. “You just watch
ing from the page he was looking this now.”
at. Before Biirs startled gaze, and
“Don’t you know?” Tembo right in front of his eyes, the
asked. “Don’t you KNOW! card was starting to swell. The
That’s mail call, my boy, the white surface broke off and fell
grandest sound in space.” away in tiny flakes while the
The rest of the watch was brown insides grew and grew
spent in hurrying up and waiting, until they filled the cup and
standing in line and all the rest. were an inch thick. Tembo fish-
Maximum inefficiency was at- ed the dripping slab out and took
tached to the delivery of the a large bite from one corner.
mail but finally, in spite of all “Dehydrated chocolate,” he
THE STARSLOGGERS 49
said indistinctly. “Good! Try do big things grow; a tiny bird
yours.” terd lands on a snow- covered
mountain slope, rolls, collects
TT'ven before he spoke Bill had snow, becomes bigger and bigger,
*—t pushed his card down into gigantic and more gigantic until
the liquid and was fascinatingly it is a thundering mass of snow
cup, expanding out of the top. minister saw a bauble she cher-
Bill grabbed the end and held it
ished and with shrewish, spiteful
as it rose. Out and out it came
tongue exacerbated her peacock
until every drop of liquid had husband until, to give himself
been absorbed and Bill held be- peace, he promised her the trin-
tween his outstretched hands a ket, then sought the money for
string of fat, connected letters its purchase. Perhaps this was a
over two yards long. VOTE- word in the Emperor’s ear about
loading up the chow with stimu- stand by The voice was cut
. .
probably join up with your Voo- The next voice was a burst of
doo mob in a second.” music while the fusemen eyed
“I have talked with Brown their fusebands, but the next
about his soul, but the issue is voice after had all the rich ade-
still in doubt. He never answers noidal tones always heard from
me so I am not sure if he has peers of the empire.
heard me or not. But you are “Lads —
we’re going into ac-
different, my son, you show an- tion! This, the mightiest fleet
ger which means you are show- the galaxy has ever seen is head-
ing doubt, and doubt is the first ing directly towards the enemy
step to belief.” to deliver the devasting blow
The music cut off in mid-peal that may win us the war. In my
and for three seconds there was operations tank before me I see
an echoing blast of silence that myriad pinpoints of light, stretch-
abruptly terminated. ing as far as the eye can see and
“Now hear this. Attention all each point of light, I tell you
hands stand by ... in a few
. . . they are like holes in a blanket!,
moments we will be taking you is not a ship, not a squadron —
to the flagship for an on-the-spot but an entire fleet! We are
report from the admiral . . . sweeping forward, closing in .” . .
THE STARSLOGGERS 51
6
maining moments of this life that ‘We could have been in com-
may remain to you to seek sal- bat.” Bill pouted.
vation. That’s no admiral, that’s “. . thunder of atomic broad-
.
a canned tape. I’ve heard it five sides and lightning trails of hurt-
times already. They only play it ling torpedoes . .
.”
to build morale before what they
“I think we are now. It does
are sure is to be a battle with
feel warmer, doesn’t it, Bill? We
heavy losses. It never was an had better undress, if it really is
admiral, its from an old teevee
a battle we may get too busy.”
program.” “Let’s go, let’s go, down to the
“Yippee!” Bill shouted and buff,” First Class Spleen barked
leaped forward. The fuse he was leaping gazelle-like down the
looking at crackled with a bril- rows of fuses, clad only in a pair
liant discharge around the clips
of dirty gymsocks and his ta-
and at the same moment the tooed-on stripes and fouled fuse
fuseband charred and turned insignia of rank. There was a
from red to black. “Unggh!” he sudden crackling in the air and
grunted, then in rapid succes- Bill felt the shortly clipped stubs
sion, “Unggh! Unggh! Unggh!” of his hair stirring in his scalp.
burning his palms on the still hot “What’s that?” he yi >ed.
fuse, dropping it on his toe, and
finally getting it into a fuseway.
( Qecondary discharge from
When he turned back Tembo
had already clipped a fresh fuse
^ that bank of fuses,” Tembo
pointed. “It’s classified as to
into the empty clips.
what is happening but I heard
“That was my fuse —
you tell that it means one of the
shouldn’t have . .
.” there were defense screens is under radia-
tears in his eyes. tion attack and as it overloads it
“Sorry. But by the rules I climbs up the spectrum to green,
must help if I am free.” to blue to ultraviolet until fin-
52 GALAXY
ally it goes black and the screen First Class Spleen — maybe Sec-
breaks down.” ond Class Spleen would be able
“That sounds pretty way out.” to answer faster?”
“I told you it was just a ru- “Have pity, sir — I’m an old
mor. The material is classified.” man.” He dropped to his knees
“THERE SHE GOES!!” in prayerful attitude
a which
A crackling bang split the hu- took him off the screen.
mid air of the fuseroom and a “Get up you idiot! Have you
bank of fuses arced, smoked, repaired the fuses after that last
burned black. One of them overload?”
cracked in half, showering small “We replace, sir, not repair."
fragments like shrapnel in every “None of your technical gib-
direction. The fusemen leaped, berish, you swine! A straight
grabbed the fuses, slipped in re- answer!”
placements with sweating hands, “All in order, sir. Operating in
barely visible to each other the green. No complaints from
through the reeking layers of anyone, your worship.”
smoke. The fuses were driven “Why are you out of uniform?”
home and there was a moment’s “I am in uniform, sir,” Spleen
silence, broken only by a plain- whined, moving closer to the
tive bleating from the communi- screen so that his bare behind
cations screen. and shaking lower limbs could
“Son of a bowb!” First Class not be seen.
Spleen muttered, kicking a fuse “Don’t lie to me! There’s sweat
out of the way and diving for on your forehead. You aren’t
the screen. His uniform jacket allowed to sweat in uniform. Do
was hanging on a hook next to you see me sweating? And I
it,and he struggled into this be- have a cap on too —
at the cor-
fore banging the receive switch. rect angle. I’ll forget it this time
He finished closing the last but- because I have a heart of gold.
ton just as the screen cleared. Dismissed.”
Spleen saluted, so it must have
been an officer he was facing. tt'E'ilthy bowb!” Spleen cursed
The screen was edge on to Bill JL at the top of his lungs,
so he couldn’t tell, but the voice tearing the jacket from his stif-
had the quacking no-chin-and- ling body. The temperature was
plenty-of-teeth whine that he over 120 and still rising. “Sweat!
was beginning to associate with They have air-conditioning on
tiie officer class. the bridge —
and where do you
“You’re slow in answering, think they discharge the heat?
THE STARSLOGGERS 53
In here! YEOOWM” he cried. the room. In its eye-piercing light
Two entire bands of fuses blew and in a single, eternal moment
out at the same time, three of Bill saw the flame sear through
the fuses exploding like bombs. the ranks of the fusetenders,
At the same moment the floor throwing them about and incin-
under their feet bucked hard erating them like particles of
enough to actually be felt. dust in an open fire. Tembo
“Big trouble!” Tembo
shouted. crumpled and collapsed, a mass
“Anything that is strong enough of seared flesh; a flying length
to feel through the stasis field of metal tore First Class Spleen
must be powerful enough to flat- open from neck to groin in a
ten this ship pancake.
like a single hideous wound.
There go some more!” He dived “Look at that vent in Spleen!”
for the bank and kicked a fuse Bowb shouted, then screamed as
clear of the clips and jammed a ball of lightning rolled over
in a replacement. him and turned him to a black-
It was an inferno. Fuses were ened husk in a fraction of a sec-
exploding like aerial bombs, ond.
sending whistling particles of
ceramic death through the air. chance, a mere accident, Bill
There was a lightning crackle as By was holding the solid bulk
a board shorted to the metal of the fuse before him when the
floor and a hideous scream, flame struck. It washed over his
thankfully cut short, as the sheet left arm which was on the out-
of lightning passed through a side of the fuse and hurled its
fusetender’s body. Greasy smoke flaming weight against the thick
boiled and hung in sheets making cylinder. The force hit Bill,
it almost impossible to see. Bill knocked him back towards the
raked the remains of a broken reserve racks of fuses, and rolled
fuse from the darkened clips and him end over end flat on the
jumped for the replacement rack. floor while the all-destroying
He clutched the 90 pound fuse sheet of fire crackled inches
in his aching arms and had just above his head. It died away, as
turned back towards the boards suddenly as it had come, leaving
•when the universe suddenly ex- behind nothing but smoke, heat,
ploded. the scorched smell of roasted
All the remaining fuses seem- flesh, destruction and death,
ed to have shorted at once and death, death. Bill crawled pain-
the screaming bolt of crackling fully for the hatchway. Nothing
electricity crashed the length of else moved down the blackened
54 GALAXY
mVHTX -Hf.)
51
and twisted length of the fuse- pounds and he fell from the seat
room. light as a husk with a shriveled
The compartment below seem- parchment face as though not
ed just as hot, the air as bereft a drop of liquid were left in his
of nourishment for his lungs as body.
the one he had just quitted. He “Dehydrator ray,” Bill grunt-
crawled on, barely conscious of ed. “ thought they only had them
the fact that he moved on two on teevee.” The gunner’s seat
lacerated knees and one bloody was padded and looked very
hand. His other arm just hung comfortable, far more so than
and dragged, a twisted and black- the warped steel deck: Bill slid
ened length of debris, and only into the recently vacated posi-
the blessings of deep shock kept tion and stared with unseeing
him from screaming with un- eyes at the screen before him.
bearable pain. Littlemoving blobs of light.
He
crawled on, over a sill, In large letters, just above the
through a passageway. The air screen, was printed: GREEN
was and much cool-
clearer here, LIGHTS OUR SHIPS, RED
er: he sat up and inhaled its LIGHT ENEMY. FORGET-
blessed freshness. The compart- TING THIS IS A COURT-
ment was familiar —
yet unfa- MARTIAL OFFENSE.
miliar —
he blinked at it, trying “I won’t forget,” Bill mumbled
to understand why. Long and as he started to slide sideways
narrow with a curved wall that from the chair. To steady him-
had the butt ends of immense self he grabbed a large handle
guns projecting from it. that rose before him, and when
The main battery, of course, he did a circle of light with an
the guns Chinger spy Eager Bea- X in it moved on the screen. It
ger had photographed. Different was very interesting. He put the
now, the ceiling closer to the circle around one of the green
deck, bent and dented, as if lights, then remembered some-
some gigantic hammer had beat thing about a court-martial of-
on it from the outside. There fense. He jiggled it a bit and
was a man slumped in the gun- moved it over to a red light, with
ner’s seat of the nearest weapon. the X right over the light. There
“What happened?” Bill asked, was a red button on top of the
dragging himself over to the man handle and he pressed it because
and clutching him by the shoul- it looked like the kind of button
der. Surprisingly enough the thatis made to be pressed. The
56 GALAXY
in a very subdued way and the him a cup on a tray held by a
red lights went out. Not very white hand that was attached to
interesting, he let go of the a white arm that was connected
handle. to a white uniform well stuffed
“Oh, but you are a fighting with female breasts. With a gut-
fool!” a voice said and, with tural animal growl Bill knocked
some effort, Bill turned his head. the tray aside and hurled him-
A man stood in the doorway self at the dress. He didn’t quite
wearing a burned and tattered make it because his left arm was
uniform still hung with shreds of wrapped up in something and
gold braid. He weaved forward. hung from wires, so that he spun
“I saw it,” he breathed. “Until around in the bed like an impal-
my dying day I won’t forget it. ed beetle, still uttering harsh
A fighting fool! What guts! Fear- cries. The nurse shrieked and
less! Forward against the ene- fled.
my, no holds barred, don’t give “Glad to see that you are feel-
up the ship .”
. .
ing better,” the doctor said, whip-
“What the bowb you talking ping him straight in the bed with
about?” Bill asked thickly. a practiced gesture and numbing
“A hero!”the officer said arm with
Bill’s still flailing right
pounding Bill on the back, which a neat judo blow. pour you
“I’ll
caused a great deal of pain and some more dinner and you drink
was the last straw for his con- it right down, then we’ll let your
scious mind which let go the buddies in for the unveiling,
reins of command and went away they’re all waiting outside.”
to sulk. Bill passed out. The tingling was dying from
his arm and he could wrap his
IX fingers about the cup now. He
sipped. “What buddies? What
tCXTow won’t you be a nice unveiling? What’s going on
’ trooper-wooper and drink here?” he asked suspiciously.
your dinner .”. .
Then the door was opened and
The warm notes of the voice the troopers came in. Bill search-
insinuated themselves into a sin- ed their faces, looking for bud-
gularly repulsive dream that Bill dies, but all he saw were ex-
was only too glad to leave and, welders and strangers. Then he
with a great deal of effort he remembered. “Bowb Brown
managed to heave his eyes open. cooked!” he screamed. “Tembo
A quick bit of blinking got them broiled! First Class Spleen gut-
into focus and he saw before ted! They’re all dead!” He hid
THE STARSLOGGERS 57
under the covers and moaned unwind the bandages while the
horribly. troopers crowded around to
“That’s no way for a hero to watch.
act,” the doctor said, dragging “How is my arm, Doc?” Bill
him back onto the pillows and was suddenly worried.
tucking the covers under his “Grilled like a chop. I had to
arms. “You’re a hero, trooper, cut it off.”
the man whose guts, ingenuity, “Then what is this?” Bill
integrity, stick-to-itiveness, fight- shrieked, horrified.
ing spirit and deadly aim saved “Another arm that I sewed
the ship. All the screens were on. There were lots of them left
down, the power room destroyed, over after the battle. The ship
the gunners dead, control lost had over 42 percent casualties
and the enemy dreadnaught ze- and I was really cutting and
roing in for the kill when you chopping and sewing, I tell you.”
appeared like an avenging angel, The last bandage fell away and
wounded and near to death, and the troopers ahhhed with de-
with your last conscious effort light.
fired the shot heard round the “Say, that’s a mighty fine
fleet, the single blast that dis- arm!”
emboweled the enemy and saved “Make do something.”
it
our ship, the grand old lady of “And a damn nice seam there
the fleet Christine Keeler.” He at the shoulder look — how neat
handed a sheet of paper to Bill. the stitches are!”
“I am, of course, quoting from the “Plenty of muscles too and
official report, me myself I think good and long, not like the
it was just a lucky accident.” crummy little short one he has
“You’re just jealous,” Bill on the other side.”
sneered, already falling in love “Longer and darker that’s a —
with his new image. great skin color!”
Tembo’s arm!” Bill howl-
“It’s
tt'T'Xon’t get freudian with me!” ed. “Take it away!” He squirmed
the doctor screamed, then across the bed but the arm came
snuffled pitifully. “I always after him. They propped him up
wanted to be a hero, but all I again on the pillows.
do is wait hand and foot on “You’re a lucky bowb. Bill,
heroes. I’m taking that bandage having a good arm like that.
off now.” And your buddy’s arm too.”
He unclipped the wires that “We know that he wanted you
held up Bill’s arm and began to to have it.”
58 GALAXY
“You’ll always have something across his chest and the finger-
to remember him by.” tips quivered at his eyebrow. All
It really wasn’t a bad arm. Bill the troopers snapped to attention
bent it and flexed the fingers and returned the salute. The
still looking at it suspiciously. It door crashed open and an officer
felt alright. He reached out with poked his head in.
it and grabbed a trooper’s arm “Stand easy, men — this is just
and squeezed. He could feel the an informal visit by the old
man’s bones grating together man.”
while he screamed and writhed. “Captain Zekial coming here!”
Then Bill looked closer at the “I’ve never seen the old man
hand and began to shout curses . .” The troopers chippered like
.
THE STARSLOGGERS 59
able transportation to the Im- the crunched genes and defective
perial planet of Helior, there to recessives coming out and you
receive the hero’s award of the got a group of people that are
Purple Dart with Coalsack Neb- a little more exotic than most
ula Cluster from the Emperor’s nuthouses. There’s nothing wrong
own hand.” with the old man that a new
. I think I gotta go to da I.Q. wouldn’t cure! You should
bathroom . . have seen the captain of the last
“But now the exigencies of shipI was on .” he shuddered
. .
60 GALAXY
and the other the reverse, as the ways superior to his existence
expression goes, and the shaking as a trooper.
hand of fate flips this coin and
no man knoweth on which side X
it will landeth.
Fate flipped for Bill. The same r
I 'he transit stockade was a
fate that had guided his fingers A makeshift building of plastic
to the trigger that destroyed the sheets bolted to bent aluminum
Chinger dreadnaught failed one frames and was in the center of
day to guide his fingers on a a large quadrangle. MPs with
more mundane mission. bayoneted atom rifles marched
He received his medal pin- — around the perimeter of the six
ned on by the Emperor himself electrified barbed-wire fences.
in a heart-warming ceremony — The multiple gates were opened
and as soon as the royal cortege by remote control and Bill was
had withdrawn the honor guard dragged through them by the
sprang on Bill and savaged him handcuff robot that had brought
soundly. him here.
“Sacrilege!” a colonel of ma- This debased machine was a
rines roared as he sank his heel squat and heavy cube as high as
into Bill’s quivering kidney. his knee that ran on clanking
“If you were one of my lads treads, and from the top of which
I’d have you blown from an projected a steel bar with heavy
atomic cannon!” screeched an handcuffs fastened to the end.
artillery major as he mashed a Bill was on the end of the hand-
fist against Bill’s ear. cuffs. Escape was impossible be-
This was only the first of a series bomb it had in its guts and blew
of military pokeys through which up itself and the escaping pris-
they shuttled his carcass while oner, as well as anyone else in
trying to make up their minds the vicinity. Once inside the com-
what do with him. In transit
to pound the robot stopped and did
he brushed against the criminal not protest when the guard ser-
inhabitants of this secluded world geant unlocked the cuffs. As
and learned a form of low cun- soon as its prisoner was freed
ning that enabled him to survive the machine rolled into its ken-
with a minimum of effort. It was nel and vanished.
a pleasant, easy life, and in all “Alright wiseguy, you’re in my
THE STARSLOGGERS 61
charge now, and dat means trou- open and Bill looked in at the
ble for you,” the sergeant snap- narrow cell, dimly lit by the light
ped at Bill. He had a shaven that filtered through the trans-
head, a wide and scar-covered lucent plastic walls. The double-
jaw, small, close-set eyes in decker bunk took up almost all
which there flickered the gut- of the space, leaving only a nar-
tering candle of stupidity. row passage at one side. Two
Billnarrowed his own eyes to sagging shelves were bolted to
slits and slowly raised his good the far wall and, along with the
left-rightarm, flexing the bicep. stenciled message BE CLEAN
Tembo’s muscle swelled and NOT OBSCENE — DIRTY
splitthe thin prison fatigue jack- TALK HELPS THE ENEMY!,
et with a harsh ripping sound. made up the complete furnish-
Then Bill pointed to the ribbon ings. A small man with a pointed
of the Purple Dart which he face and beady eyes lay on the
had pinned to his chest. bottom bunk looking intently at
“Do you know how I got that?” Bill. Bill looked right back and
he asked in a grim and toneless frowned.
voice. “I got that by killing 13
Chingers single handed in a pill- U/^ome in, sarge,” the little
box I had been sent into. I got ^ man said as he scuttled up
into this stockade here because the support into the upper bunk.
after killing the Chingers I came “I been saving the lower for
back and killed the sergeant who you, yes I have. The name is
sent me in there. Now what— Blackey and I’m doing ten
did you say about trouble, ser- months for telling a second looey
geant?” to blow it out . .
62 GALAXY
After looking it over suspi- tle labeled COUGH SYPRUP
ciously Bill pulled the sealing and passed it to Bill. “Specially
string on the end of the plastic mixed for me by a friend in the
bag. As soon as the air rushed medics. Half grain alcohol and
in and hit the combustible lining half ether.”
the burger started to smoke and “Zoingg!” Bill said, dashing
within three seconds was steam- the tears from his eyes after
ing Lifting the bun Bill
hot. draining half the bottle. He felt
squirted ketchup in from the almost at peace with the world.
little sack at the other end of “You’re a good buddy to have
the bag, then took a suspicious around, Blackey.”
bite. It was rich, juicy horse. “You can say that again,”
“This old gray mare sure tastes Blackey told him earnestly. “It
likeit used to be,” Bill said, talk- never hurts to have a buddy,
ing with his mouth full. “How not in the troopers, the army,
did you ever smuggle this into the navy, anywheres. Ask old
the stockade?” Blackey, he knows. You got mus-
Blackey grinned and produced cles, Bill?”
a broad stage wink. “Contacts.
They bring it in to me, all I T)ill lazily flexed Tembo’s mus-
gotta do is ask. I didn’t catch cle for him.
the name.” “That’s what I like to see,”
“Bill.” Food had soothed his Blackey said in admiration.
ruffled temper. “I was sent up “With your muscles and my
on an indeterminate sentence for brain we can get along fine . .
.”
a crime too hideous to mention.”
“I have a brain too!”
“What was it?” Blackey licked
“Relax it! Give it a break,
his lips with anticipation.
while I do the thinking. I seen
“I was given a medal by him-
service in more armies than you
self,the Emperor, in person and
got days in the troopers. I got
the ceremony was broadcast live
to 967 billion teevee sets.”
my first purple heart serving
with Hannibal, there’s the scar
“So what’s wrong with that?”
right there,” he pointed to a
“My fly was open.” white arc on the back of his
Bill swallowed the last mouth- hand. “But I picked him for a
ful and wiped his fingers on loser and switched to Romulus
the blanket. “That was a good and Remus’s boys while there
burger, too bad there’s nothing was still time. I been learning
to wash it down with.” ever since and I always land on
Blackey produced a small bot- my feet. I saw which way the
THE STARSLOGGERS 63
wind was blowing and ate some pterodactyl. Knocked it down
laundry soap and got the trots myself with a stone from a sling
the morning of Waterloo, and I I had just invented.”
way, and missed that show too. “Safe as houses. Safest place
There’s always an angle to figure during the war is in the army.
I always say.” The jerks in the front lines get
“I never heard of those bat- their asses shot off, the civilians
tles. Fighting the Chingers?” at home get their asses blown
“No, earlier than that, a lot off. Guys in between safe as
earlier than that. Wars and wars houses. It takes 30, 50 maybe 70
ago.” guys in the middle to supply
“That makes you pretty old, every guy in the line. Once you
Blackey. You don’t look pretty learn to be a fileclerk you’re
old.” saft. Who ever heard of them
“I am pretty old, but I don’t shooting at a fileclerk? I’m a
tell people usually because they great fileclerk. But that’s just
give me the laugh. But I remem- in wartime. Peacetime, whenever
ber the pyramids being built, and they make a mistake and there
I remember what lousy chow the is peace for awhile, it’s better to
Assyrian army had, and the time be in the combat troops. Better
we took over Wug’s mob when food, longer leaves, nothing much
they tried to get into our cave, to do. Travel a lot.”
rolled rocks down on them.” “So what happens when the
“Sounds like a lot of bowb,” war starts?”
Bill said lazily, draining the bot- “I know 735 different ways to
tle. get into the hospitals.”
. “Yeah, that’s what everybody “Will you teach me a couple?”
says, so I don’t tell the old stor- “Anything for a buddy, Bill.
ies anymore. They don’t even show you tonight, after they
I’ll
64 GALAXY
had a broken arm!” he sighed. “Good news,” he said. “We’re
‘‘Which arm?” Bill cracked his shipping out.”
knuckles with a loud, rending “What’s good about that?” Bill
crunch. asked, surly at being disturbed
‘‘Dealer’s choice.” and still half stoned from the
previous evening’s drinking bout.
'~phe Plastichouse Stockade was “I like it here.”
a transient center where pri- “It’s going to get too hot for
soners were kept on the way us soon. The colonel is giving me
from somewhere to elsewhere. It the eye and a very funny look
was an easy, relaxed life enjoyed and I think he is going to have
by both guards and inmates with us shipped to the other end of
nothing to disturb the even ten- the galaxy where there is heavy
or of the days. There had been fighting. But he’s not going to
one new guard, a real eager type do anything until next week
fresh in from the National Ter- after I finish the books for him,
ritorial Guard, but he had had so I had secret orders cut for
an accident while serving the us this week sending us to Tabes
meals and had broken his arm. Dorsalis where the cement mines
Even the other guards were glad are.”
to see him go. About once a week “The dust world!” Bill shouted
Blackey would be taken away hoarsely and picked Blackley up
under armed guard to the Base by the throat and shook him. “A
Records Section where he was worldwide cement mine where
forging new records for a light men die of silicosis in hours. Hell
colonel who was very active in hole of the universe .
.”
.
THE STARSLOGGERS 65
with a lot of clerical help and Veneria where all the fighting is
they use trustees in the motor going on —
we’re heading for
pool since there aren’t enough combat!”
troops there. While I was work- “A little slip of the pen,”
ing on the records I changed Blackey sighed. “You can’t win
your MS from fusetender which them all.”
is a suicide job to driver, and
He dodged the kick Bill swung
here is your drive’s license with at him then waited patiently
qualifications on everything from while the MPs beat Bill sense-
a monocycle to an atomic 89-ton less with their clubs and drag-
tank. So we get us some soft ged him aboard the ship.
jobs and besides, the whole base
is air-conditioned.”
XI
was kind of nice here,”
“It
Bill said, scowling at the plas-
TT'eneria ...
a fog-shrouded
tic card that certified to his ap- * world of untold horrors,
titude in chauffeuring a number
creeping in its orbit around the
of strange vehicles most of which
ghoulish green star Hernia like
he had never seen. some repellent heavenly tres-
“They come, they go, they’re passer newly rose from the neth-
all the same,” Blackey said,
ermost pit What secrets lie be-
packing a small toilet kit. neath the eternal mists? What
They began to realize that nameless monsters undulate and
something was wrong when the gibber in its dank tarns and bot-
column of prisoners were shackl- tomless black lagoons? Faced by
ed then chained together with the unspeakable terrors of this
neckcuffs and leg irons and prod-
planet men go mad rather than
ded into the transport spacer by face up to the faceless. Veneria
a platoon of combat MPs. “Move
. . swamp world, the lair of
.
THE STARSLOGGERS 67
The sergeant suddenly began bad enough, but on this planet
vibrating like a plucked string they have the natives, the Ven-
and dropped onto the foot of ians, on their side. These Ven-
Bill’s bunk. “P-pocket . . . shirt ians look like moldy newts and
. . . p-p- pills . . he stuttered they got just maybe enough IQ
through chattering teeth. Bill to hold a gun and pull the trig-
pulled a plastic box of pills out ger, but it is their planet and
of the sergeant’s pocket and they’re murder out there in the
forced some of them into his swamps. They hide under the
mouth. The vibrations stopped mud and they swim under the
and the man sagged back against water and they swing from the
the wall, gaunter and yellower trees and the whole planet is
and streaming with sweat. thick with them. They got no
sources of supply, no army divi-
(t Taundice and swamp fever sions, no organizations, they just
•I and galloping filariasis, one dies the others eat
fight. If
camp. So you think that bugs for three years and we now con-
me? It does not bug me, it trol one hundred square miles of
68 GALAXY
“Alright you new men, now my. They dragged slowly down
hear this. You have all been as- the road of felled trees that
signed to B squad which is now wound through the swamp.
assembling in the compound, There was a sudden whistling
which squad will now march out overhead and heavy transports
into the swamp and finish the flashed by.
job these shagged creeps from A “We’re in luck today,” one of
squad began this morning. You the older prisoners said, “they’re
will do a good days work out sending in the heavy infantry
there. I am not going to appeal again. I didn’t know they had
to your sense of loyalty, your any left.”
honor or your sense of duty . . “You mean they’ll capture
Ferkel whipped out his atomic more territory?” Bill asked.
pistol and blew a hole in the “Naw, all they’ll get is dead.
ceiling through which rain began But while they’re getting butch-
to drip. “I am only going to ered some of the pressure will
appeal to your urge to survive, be off of us and we can maybe
because any man shirking, goof- work without losing too many
ing off or not pulling his own men.”
weight will personally be shot Without orders they all stop-
dead by me. Now get out.” With ped to watch as the heavy in-
his bared teeth and shaking fantry fell like rain into the
hands he looked sick enough and swamps ahead — and vanished
mean enough and mad enough Every
just as easily as raindrops.
to do it. Bill and the rest of B once in awhile there would be a
squad rushed out into the rain boom and flash as a teensie
and formed ranks. A-bomb went off, which prob-
ably atomized a few Venians,
4 4T)ick up da axes, pick up da but there were billions more of
A picks, get the uranium the enemy just waiting to rush
out,” the corporal of the armed in. Small arms crackled in the
guard snarled as they squelched distance and grenades boomed.
through the mud towards the Then over the trees they saw a
gate. The labor squad, carrying bobbing, bouncing figure ap-
their tools, stayed in the center, proach. It was a heavy infantry-
while the armed guard walked man in his armored suit and
on the outside. The guard wasn’t gasproof helmet, A-bombs and
there to stop the prisoners from grenades strapped to him, a reg-
escaping but to give some mea- ular walking armory. Or rather
sure of protection from the ene- hopping armory, since he would
THE STARSLOGGERS 69
have had trouble walking on a “Them suits weigh 3,000 pounds.
paved street with the weight of Goes down like a rock,” the cor-
junk hung about him, so there- poral said as he prodded them
fore moved by jumping, using ahead.
two reaction rockets, one bolted
to each hip. His hops were get- f this was a quiet day, Bill
ting lower and lower as he came I didn’t want to see a busy
near. He landed 50 yards away one. Since the entire planet of
ana sank slowly to his waist in Veneria was a swamp no ad-
the swamp, his rockets hissing vances could be made until a
as they touched the water. Then road was built. Individual sol-
he hopped again, much shorter diers might penetrate a bit ahead
this time, the rockets fizzling and of the road, but for equipment or
popping, and he threw his hel- supplies or even heavily armed
•
met open in the air. men a road was necessary.
“Hey, guys,” he called. “The Therefore the labor corps was
dirty Chingers got my fuel tank. building a road of felled trees.
My rockets are almost out, I At the front.
can’t hop much more. Give a Bursts from atom rifles steam-
buddy a hand will you . . .” He ed in the water around them and
hit the water with a splash. the poison darts were as thick
“Get outta the monkey suit as falling leaves. The firing and
and we’ll pull you in,” the guard sniping on both sides was con-
corporal called. stant while the prisoners cut
“Are you nuts!” the soldier down trees, trimmed and lashed
shouted. “It takes an hour to them together to push the road
get into and outta this thing.” forward another few inches. Bill
He triggered his rockets but trimmed and chopped and tried
they just went pffft and he rose to ignore the screams and falling
about a foot in the water, then bodies until it began to grow
dropped back. “The fuel’s gone! dark. The squad, now a good
Help me you bastards! What’s ‘
deal smarter, made their return
this,bowb-your-buddy week .” . . march in the dusk.
he shouted as he sank, then his “We pushed it ahead at least
‘
head went under and there were 30 yards this afternoon,” Bill
a few bubbles and nothing else. said to the old prisoner march-
“It’s always bowb-your-buddy ing at his side.
week,” the corporal said. “Get “Don’t mean nothing, Venians
the column moving!” he ordered, swim up in the night and take
and they shuffled forward. the logs away.”
70 GALAXY
Bill instantly made his mind “We don’t have an orderly
up to get out of there. room. We don’t have any rec-
“Got any more of that joy- ords. Everyone sent here gets
juice?” Sergeant Ferkel asked killed sooner or later, so who
when Bill dropped onto his bunk cares exactly when.”
and began to scrape some of “What about getting wound-
the mud from his boots with the ed?”
blade of his knife. Bill took a “Get sent to the hospital, get
quick slash at a plant coming up well, get sent back here.”
through the floorboards before “The only thing left to do is
he answered. mutiny!” Bill shouted.
“Do you think you could spare “Didn’t work last four times
me a moment to give me some we tried it. They just pulled the
advice, sergeant?” supply ships out and didn’t give
“I am a flowing fountain of us any food until we agreed to
advice once my throat is lubri- start fighting again. Wrong chem-
cated.” istry here, the food on this
all
Bill dug a bottle out of his planet is pure poison for our
pocket. “How do you get out metabolisms. We
had a couple
of this outfit?” he asked. of guys prove it the hard way.
“You get killed,” the sergeant Any mutiny that is going to suc-
told him as he raised the bottle ceed has to grab enough ships
to his lips. Bill snatched it out first so we can get off-planet. If
of his hand. you got any good ideas about
“That I know without your that I’ll put you in touch with
help,” he snarled. the Permanent Mutiny Commit-
“Well that’s all you gonna tee.”
know without my help,” the ser- “Isn’t there any way to get
geant snarled back. out?”
Their noses were touching and “I anshered that firsht,” Fer-
they growled at each other deep kel told him and fell over stone
in their throats. Having proven drunk.
just where they stood and just “I’ll see for myself,” Bill said
how tough they both were they as he slid the sergeant’s pistol
relaxed, and Sergeant Ferkel from his holster and slipped out
leaned back while Bill sighed and the back door.
passed him the bottle. Armored floodlights lit up the
forward positions facing the ene-
UT Tow’s about a job in the my and Bill went in the opposite
orderly room?” direction, towards the distant
THE STARSLOGGERS 71
white flares of landing rockets. mother to know that her boy is
Barracks and warehouses were a coward? Fifty seconds. Your
dotted about on the boggy ground Emperor has invested a lot of
but Bill stayed clear of them money in your training is this —
since they were all guarded, and the way you repay him? Forty -
the guards had itchy trigger fin- five seconds . .
gers. They fired at anything they Bill cursed and shot up the
saw, anything they heard, and nearest loudspeaker but the voice
if they didn’t see or hear any- continued from others down the
thing they fired once in awhile length of the fence. He turned
anyway just to keep their morale and went back the way he had
up. Lights were burning brightly come.
ahead and Bill crawled forward As he neared his barracks,
on his stomach to peer from be- skirting the front line to avoid
hind a rank growth at a tall, fire from the nervous guards in
floodlighted fence of barbed wire the buildings, all the lights went
that stretched out of sight in both out. At the same time gunfire
directions. and bomb explosions broke out
A burst from an atomic rifle on every side.
burned a hole in the mud about
a yard behind him and a search- XII
light swung over, catching him
full in its glare. omething slithered close by in
“Greetings from your com- S the mud and Bill’s trigger
manding officer,” an amplified finger spontaneously contracted
voice thundered from loudspeak- and he shot it. In the brief atom-
ers on the fence. “This is a re- ic flare he saw the smoking re-
corded announcement. You are mains of a dead Venian, as well
now attempting to leave the com- as an unusually large number
bat zone and enter the restricted of live Venians squelching to the
headquarters zone. This is for- attack. Bill dived aside instant-
bidden. Your presence has been ly, so that their return fire miss-
detected by automatic machin- ed him, and fled in the opposite
ery- and these same devices now direction. His only thought was
have a number of guns trained to save his skin and this he did
upon you. They will fire in sixty by getting as far from the firing
seconds if you do not leave. Be and the attacking enemy as he
patriotic, man! Do your duty. could. That this direction hap-
Death to the Chingers! Fifty-five pened to be into the trackless
seconds. Would you like your swamp he did not consider.
72 GALAXY
Survive his shivering little ego There was a little lizard perch-
screamed and he ran on into the ed on a nearby branch watching
swamp. him with jewel-like eyes.
Running became difficult when “Gee —
you were really sack-
the ground turned to mud, and ed out,” the Chinger said.
even more difficult when the Bill’s shot tore a smoking scar
mud gave way to open water. in the top of the branch, then
After paddling desperately for the Chinger swung back up from
an interminable length of time underneath and meticulously
Bill came to more mud. The wiped bits of ash from his paws.
first hysteria had now passed, “Easy on the trigger, Bill,”
the firing was only a dull rumble it said. “Gee I —
could have
in the distance and he was ex- killed you anytime during the
hausted. He dropped onto the night if I had wanted to.”
mudbank and instantly sharp “I know you,” Bill said hoarse-
teeth sank into his buttocks. ly. “You’re Eager Beager, aren’t
Screaming hoarsely he ran on you.”
until he ran into a tree. He
wasn’t going fast enough to hurt — this is just like old
himself and the feel of rough '-J home week, isn’t it.” A
bark under his fingers brought centipede was scuttling by and
out all of his eoanthropic survi- Eager Beager the Chinger grab-
val instincts: he climbed. bed it up with three of his arms
High up there were two and began pulling off legs with
branches that forked out from his fourth and eating them. “I
the trunk and he wedged himself recognized you Bill, and wanted
into the crotch, back to the solid to talk to you. I’ve been feeling
wood and gun pointed straight bad ever since I called you a
ahead and ready. Nothing both- stoolie, that wasn’t right of me.
ered him now and the night You were only doing your duty
sounds grew dim and distant, the when you turned me in. You
blackness was complete and wouldn’t like to tell me how
within a few minutes his head you recognized me, would you?”
started to nod. He dragged it he asked, and winked slyly.
back a few times, blinked about “Why don’t you bowb off,
at nothing, then finally slept Jack?” Billgrowled and groped
soundly. in his pocket for a bottle of
It was the first gray light of cough syrup. Eager Chinger
dawn when he opened his gum- sighed.
my eyes and blinked around. “Well, I suppose I can’t ex-
THE STARSLOGGERS 73
pect you to betray anything of “Like what?” Bill asked sus-
military importance, but I hope piciously, draining the bottle and
you will answer a few questions flinging it away into the jungle.
for me.” He discarded the de- “Well — gee — to begin
sim-
limbed corpse and groped about ply, how do you feel about us
in his marsupial pouch and pro- Chingers?”
duced a tablet and tiny writing “Death to all Chingers!” The
instrument. “You must realize little pen flew over the tablet.
that spying is not my chosen oc- “But you have been taught
cupation, but rather I was dra- to say that. How did you feel
gooned into it through my spe- before you entered the service?”
cialty which is exopology per- — “Didn’t give a damn about
haps you have heard of this dis- Chingers.” Out of the corner of
cipline?” his eye Bill was watching a sus-
“We had an orientation lecture picious movement of the leaves
once, an exopologist, all he could in the tree above.
talk about was alien creeps and “Fine! Then could you explain
things.” to me just who it is that hates
“Yes — well that roughly sums us Chingers and wants to fight
it up. The science of the study a war of extermination?”
of alien life forms, and of course “Nobody really hates Ching-
to us you homo sapiens are an ers, I guess. It’s just that there
around the branch when Bill war with so we fight with you.”
raised his gun. The moving leaves had parted
“Watch that kind of talk, and a great, smooth head with
bowb!” slitted eyes peered down.
74 GALAXY
Bill said, distracted by the area, just ten miles to a side,
soundless approach of the giant made a microscopic pinprick in
snake. “I guess because we like the hide of this planet. Yet if he
to, there doesn’t seem to be any didn’t find it he was as good as
other reason.” dead. And if he just stayed here
“You like to!” the Chinger he would die, so, picking what
squeaked, hopping up and down looked like the most likely direc-
with excitement. “No civilized tion, he started off.
race could like wars, death, kill- “I’m pooped,” he said, and
ing, maiming, rape, torture, pain was. A few hours of dragging
to name just a few of the con- through the swamps had done
comitant factors. Your race can’t nothing except weaken his mus-
be civilized!” cles, fill his skin with insect
The snake struck like light- bites, drain a quart or two of
ning and Eager Beager Chinger blood into the ubiquitous leeches
vanished down its spine-covered and deplete the charge in his
throat with only the slightest of gun as he killed a dozen or so
muffled squeals. of the local lifeforms that want-
“Yeah ... I guess we’re just ed him for breakfast. He was
not civilized,” Bill said, gun also hungry and thirsty. And
still lost.
ready, but the snake kept going
on down. At least fifty yards of The day just re-
rest of the
it slithered by before the tail capitulated the morning so that
flipped past and it was out of when the sky began to darken
sight. “Serves the damn spy he was close to exhaustion and
right,” Billgrunted happily and his supply of cough medicine
pulled himself to his feet. was gone. He was very hungry
Once on
the ground Bill began when he climbed a tree to find
to realize just how bad a spot a spot to rest for the night and
he was in. The damp swamp had he plucked a luscious looking red
fruit.
swallowed up any marks of his
passage from the night before “Supposed to be poison,” he
and he hadn’t the slightest idea looked at it suspiciously, then
in which direction the battle area smelled it. It smelled fine. He
lay. The sun was just a general threw it away.
illumination behind the layers of In the morning he was much
fog and cloud, and he felt a sud- hungrier. “Should I put the bar-
den chill as he realized how rel of the gun in my mouth and
small were his chances of find- blow my head off?” he asked
ing his way back. The invasion himself, weighing the atomic
THE STARSLOGGERS 75
pistol in his hand. “Plenty of walking up behind him and
time for that yet. Plenty of catching him in the back of the
things can still happen,” yet he neck with the rifle butt. The
didn’t really believe it. Suddenly last two troopers in the file saw
he heard voices coming through this but had enough brains to
the jungle towards him, human be quiet as he crept up on num-
voices. He settled behind the ber four. Some stir among the
limb and aimed his gun in that prisoners or a chance sound
direction. warned thisguard and he turned
about, raising his rifle. There
Ophe voices grew, then a clank- was no chance now to kill him
silently so Bill burned his head
ing and rattling. An armed
off and ran as fast as he could
Venian scuttled under the tree,
towards the head of the column.
but Bill held his fire as other
figures loomed out of the fog.
There was a shocked silence
It was a long file of human pris-
when the blast of the rifle echo-
on his head. Bill let them stum- ning it back and forth before
ble by underneath and kept a him like a water hose and hold-
careful count of the Venian ing the trigger on full automatic.
guards. There were five in all A continuous blast of fire pour-
With a sixth bringing up the ed out a yard above the ground
rear. and he squirted it in an arc be-
fore him. There were shouts and
When this one had passed un-
derneath the tree Bill dropped
screams in the fog and then the
straight down on him, braining
charge in the rifle was exhaust-
ed. Bill threw it from him and
him with his heavy boots. The
Venian was armed with a Chin- drew the pistol. Two of the re-
ger-made copy of a standard maining guards were down and
the last one was wounded and
atomic rifle and Bill smiled wick-
got off a single badly aimed shot
edly as he hefted its familiar
before Bill burned him too.
weight. After sticking the pistol
into his waistband he crept after “Not bad,” he said, stopping
the column, rifle ready. He man- and panting. “Six out of six.”
aged to kill the fifth guard by There were low moans coming
76 GALAXY
from the line of prisoners and should have hit the dirt like the
Bill curled his lip in disgust at others . .
.”
the three men who hadn’t drop- “You’re damn right you should
ped at his shouted command. have,” Bill said looking down
“What’s the matter?” he ask*, at the familiar, loathed, tusked
ed, stirring one with his foot, face. “You’re dying Deathwish,
“never been in combat before?” you’ve bought it.”
But this one didn’t answer be- “I know,” Deathwish said and
cause he was charred dead. coughed. His eyes were closed.
“Wrap this line in a circle,”
tC XT ever . .
.” the next one Bill shouted. “I want the medic
-* answered, gasping in up here.” The chain of prisoners
pain. “Get the corpsman, I’m curved around and they watch-
wounded, there’s one ahead in ed as the medic examined the
the line. Oh, oh, why did I ever casualties.
leave the Chris’ Keeler! Medic.” “A bandage on the looie’s arm
Bill frowned at the three gold takes care of him,” he said. “Just
balls of a fourth lieutenant on superficial burns. But the big
the man’s collar, then bent and guy with the fangs has bought
scraped some mud from his face. it.”
down the drain! This is I, your “Any way to get those neckirons
friendly local pastor, bringing off?” he asked.
you the blessings of Ahura Maz- “Not without the keys,” a bur-
dah, my son, and have you been ly infantry sergeant answered,
reading the Avesta every day “and the lizards never brought
before going to sleep?” them. We’ll have to wear them
“Bah!” Bill snarled, he until we get back. How come
couldn’t shoot him now, and you risked your neck saving us?”
walked over to the third wound- he asked suspiciously.
ed man. “Who wanted to save you?”
“Hello Bill ...” a weak voice Bill sneered. “I was hungry and
said. “I guess the old reflexes I figured that must be food you
THE STARSLOGGERS 77
said, looking relieved. “I can “Those are better odds for
understand now why you took all of us than they were about
rifles to the burly sergeant and it, Bill ... I know it . . . I’ve
the most likely looking combat terrorized my last recruit . . .
Bill asked the sergeant, who was buddy . . . taking care of me like
carefully wiping the moisture this . .
.”
78 GALAXY
evil red eyes open and staring. thatyou saw him thumbprint it
“The dirty bowb’s gone and and it is all affirm and legal-
died on me,” Bill said disgust- like,then sign your name.”
edly. After pondering for a mo- “But —
I couldn’t do that my
ment he dribbled some ink from son. I did not see the deceased
the pen onto the ball of Death- print the will and glmmpf . .
THE STARSLOGGERS 79
tt'T'he miracles of modem heavy weapons shook the mud
medicine,” the medic said under their feet. They worked
indistinctly as he worried a cake along parallel with the firing
of dehydrated luncheon meat. until it had died down, then
“Either you die or you’re back stopped. Bill, the only one not
in the line in a couple of weeks.” chained in the line, crawled
“Maybe a guy gets his arm ahead to reeonnoiter. The ene-
blown off?” my lines seemed to be lightly
“They got an icebox full of held and he found the spot that
old arms. Sew a new one on and looked the best for a break-
bango, right back into the line.” through. Then, before he return-
“What about a foot?” Bill ed, he dug the heavy cord from
asked, worried. his pocket that he had taken
“That’s right —
I forgot! They from one of the ration boxes. He
got a foot shortage. So many tied a tourniquet above his right
guys lying around without feet knee and twisted it tight with a
that they’re running out of bed- stick, then swallowed the three
space. They were starting to pills. He stayed behind some
ship some of them offplanet heavy shrubs when he called to
when I left.” the others.
“You got any pain pills?” Bill “Straight ahead, then sharp
asked, changing the subject. The right before that clump of trees.
medic dug out a white bottle. Let’s go — and FAST!”
“Three of these and you’d Bill led the way until
the first
laugh while they sawed your men could see the lines ahead.
head off.” Then he called out, “What’s
“Give me three.” that?” and ran into the heavy
“If you ever see a guy around foilage.“Chingers!” he shouted
what has his foot shot off you and sat down with his back to
better quick tie something a tree.
around his leg just over the He took careful aim with his
knee, tight, to cut the blood pistol and blew his right foot
off.” off.
“Thanks buddy.” “Get moving fast!” he shout-
“Let’s get moving,” the infan- ed and heard the crash of the
try sergeant said. “The quicker frightened men through the un-
we move the better our chances.” dergrowth. He threw the pistol
Occasional flares from atomic away, fired at random into the
burned through the foilage
rifles trees a few times, then dragged
overhead and the thud-thud of to his feet. The atomic rifle
80 GALAXY
made a good enough crutch to stone wall that bordered the road
hobble along on and he did not and rolled up his right pants
have far to go. Two troopers, leg. When he whistled one of the
they must have been new to robots trundled quickly over and
combat or they would have held out a tool box from which
known better, left the shelter to the sergeant took a large screw-
help him inside. driver and tightened one of the
“Thanks, buddie,” he gasped, bolts in the ankle of his artifi-
and sank to the ground. “War cial foot. Then he squirted a few
sure is hell.” drops from an oil can onto the
joint and rolled the pants leg
twinkled from the brazen in- “Don’t mind iffen I do, sure is
struments it worked with such hottern’n H out here today.”
enthusiasm. A small formation of “Say hell, son.”
assorted robots rolled and clat- “Momma don’t like me to
tered in its wake and bringing cuss. You sure do have long
up the rear was the solitary fi- teeth, mister.”
gure of the grizzle-haired re- The sergeant twanged a tusk.
cruiting sergeant, striding along “A big fellow like you shouldn’t
strongly, his rows of medals a- worry about a little cussing. If
jingle. Though the road was you were a trooper you could
smooth the sergeant lurched sud- say hell —
or even bowb if —
denly, stumbling, and cursed you wanted to, all the time.” *
with the rich proficiency of “I don’t think I’d want to say
years. anything like that,” he flushed
“Halt!” he commanded, and redly under his deep tan.
while his little company braked “Thanks for the beer, but I
to a stop he leaned against the gotta be ploughing on now.
THE STARSLOGGERS 81
Momma said I was to never talk begged, clutching the sergeant’s
to soldiers.” hand and dribbling tears onto
it. “I’ve lost one son, isn’t that
tt'VT'our momma’s right, a enough.” she blinked up through
* dirty, drinking
cussing, the tears, then blinked again.
crew the most of them. Say, “But you — you’re my boy! My
would you like to see a picture Bill come home! Even with those
here of a new model robomule teeth and the scars and one
that can run 1,000 hours without black hand and one white hand
lubrication?” The sergeant held and one artificial foot, I can
his hand out behind him and a tell, a mother always knows!”
expression appeared dead and I’ve lost ten men as it is. I know
juiceless. Only his large dark damn well it’s dangerous. I’ve
eyes betrayed him. They shifted been told you’re not afraid of
purposefully from focus to foc- danger. I’ve been told you enjoy
us, absorbing, categorizing, an- it.”
84 GALAXY
Brewster nodded. “Okay, he had to be near it, he had to
you’re on.” risk it,for only at the moment of
risk could his life have any
T)ert Lindstrom was aware of meaning.
his glamor only when he And this was the best risk in
wanted a woman. Then it prov- a life of risks. Not necessarily
ed most useful; it was a well- because it was the longest shot
honed, finely-crafted tool. There of all. Lindstrom had the profes-
were plenty of women who could sional risk-taker’s contempt for
resist the soldier of fortune myth, soldiers who took risks on or-
to be sure, but there were many ders.
more who could not. The prob- That ten soldiers had not come
abilities were all on his side. out was a thing of little im-
And odds were Bert Lind- port.
strom’s religion. What was interesting was that
Lindstrom was a calculating the dome from the stars was a
man. He would undertake noth- total unknown. Even the odds on
ing that did not seem to offer coming out were incalculable.
an odds on chance of success. They might be in his favor, they
Nothing, from seduction to as- might not. He was betting his in-
sassination. stinctive feelings about himself
Yet he would never fail to ac- against a complete unknown.
cept a challenge when the odds If he had set up the situation
were in his favor —
no matter if himself in a laboratory he could
he were risking m dime or his not have contrived a more per-
life. fect risk.
For in his system of values,
there was no real difference. It nphe hot desert wind blew at
was not what was being risked Lindstrom’s back as he ap-
that counted, it was the risk it- proached the entrance to the
self. His life meant little to him dome.
when he was not risking it. Only The soldiers who had not come
when he was gambling with his out had been armed to the teeth.
existence did it come to have Therefore Lindstrom was not.
meaning —then it was the stake, He carried only his old .45, a
the challenge, the risk. machete which was more a luck-
Lindstrom did not seek death. charm than anything else, a coil
He risked his life only when he of rope, an all-purpose utility
felt that the odds were on his knife and a flashlight.
side. He did not seek death, but The entrance was little more
THE RULES OF THE ROAD 85
than a door-sized hole in the ma- frightened: the instinctual fear
terial of the dome. Lindstrom of the unknown. This he had, of
peered inside. He could see noth- course, expected. Fear meant
ing but blackness. He drew his that there was danger, risk. And
gun, turned on the flashlight and risk meant that he was living.
stepped inside. The tunnel came to a fork.
As soon as he crossed the Decision number one. Had this
threshhold, there was light. It been the point at which the sol-
did not seem to come from any- diers had made the wrong cal-
where, it just was. culation? Lindstrom was sure
In the pearly luminescence, he that surviving in the dome was
could see he was standing at the a matter of making the proper
mouth of a tunnel, a smooth, calculations, the correct deci-
round, somehow almost color- sions. Either that, or there was
less tunnel, that curved crazily no way of surviving. And that
upwards and leftwards in an arc was apossibility not worth con-
so steep that it seemed impos- sidering —
since if it were true,
sible to hold one’s footing. the game was already lost.
Nevertheless, Lindstrom de- It waslike walking on a ledge
cided to try to climb it. Although over a precipice in the dark. You
the material of the tunnel seem- knew that there was a safe path
ed glass-smooth, it did not have and you knew that there was a
a low frictional coefficient. It point beyond which death lurk-
was more like walking on con- ed. But you had no way of
crete than glass. knowing how Wide the ledge was,
Stranger still, although his how much margin for error you
eyes told him that he was walk- had.
ing up a curve at an impossible There was nothing to choose
angle, his body tilted almost
. between the two forks. The one
forty degrees from the vertical, on the right curved up, the one
his kinesthetic senses told a dif- on the left down. Otherwise they
ferent story. The force of gravity were identical. A random choice.
remained perpendicular to the Okay, thought Lindstrom. He
floor of the tunnel, no matter hesitated for only a moment, and
what angle the tunnel took to then, for no reason in particular,
the Earth’s surface, so that he took the right-hand turn.
was walking upright, as if the He had only gone a few steps,
tunnel had a private gravity all the intersection was just behind
its own. him, when he felt a sudden flash
Lindstrom was somewhat of heat at his back.
86 GALAXY
He whirled in time to see a “stood up” —
or rather stood
solid pillar of fire engulf the down.
crotch of the intersection, the Quite suddenly, he was stand-
spot where he had stood mo- ing upright in what had been the
ments ago pondering his choice. hole. Now it was just more of
the same tunnel. The thing ac-
T esson number one, he thought. tually did have a gravity of its
' No Hamlets allowed. When own.
faced with a decision, make it, Lesson number two, he thought.
one way or the other. Don’t tem- This place has its own rules.
porize, or you’ll be vaporized. Learn them and obey them.
The tunnel wound on for an It was highly probable that
the hole. The beam petered out It was no place for a man un-
in the blackness. The hole seem- der orders.
ed made of the same material as Lindstrom felt calmer now; he
the tunnel. There was nothing to had dared and he had won. The
secure the rope to. fear that he had left was not a
Now what? thought Lindstrom paralyzer, it was a tonic, the
grimly. And how much time do satisfied fear that a matador
I have? He remembered the pil- feels when he realizes that he
lar of fire at the fork. is facing a truly great bull.
He felt that weird, timeless, He wandered
further along the
floating exhilaration that he only tunnel, and with every passing
experienced at those times when minute, the calmness he felt he
he knew that death was near, had earned diminished.
and had the time to contemplate This was not ordinary mortal
it. danger —
Lindstrom had lived
The hole wasthe tun-
like on speaking terms with death
nel. He must go forward, or . . . too long for mere danger to be
Not like the tunnel. It was the extraordinary. It was something
tunnel. Or at least it should be. far worse. He was thinking too
Fatalistically he dangled his much as he walked, and this was
feet into the hole, until his soles a place that was not to be
contacted its sides. Then he thought about, because it was a
gin to learn why,” said the voice. “Enough,” said the voice.
“Behold the road to the stars.”
He was in a place that was ter- T T e was back in the featureless
ror. It was no place at all. It was chamber.
everyplace. He was at the same “W-what . . . what was it?”
time in a lightless blackness, and “That,” said the voice, “is the
the mad dissociated core of a real universe. All else, is illu-
sun. It was a space with no di- sion, a partial truth, the projec-
mensions. It was a space with tion in three dimensions of a
an infinity of dimensions. reality with an infinity of dimen-
He had no senses. He had sions. That is the road to the
senses that could not exist. He stars.”
tasted color. He saw time ravel- “You mean we have to learn to
ed like a vast ball of twine about navigate in that? To remain sane
him. He heard the creation of long enough to find our way? It’s
the universe, and he smelt the impossible!”
acrid stench of its eventual “No,” said the voice. “That is
death. the real universe. It is not
Entropy ran forward, back- enough to learn to travel through
ward, in circles. He was bigger it. You must learn to live in it.”
It is possible times at
to be all TTe was in a space with four
once. Your race’s view of the dimensions. It hurt his mind.
universe is pathetically limited. There was a fourth dimension
Limited, perhaps to preserve that was somehow at right angle
your sanity.” to all three normal directions . . .
90 GALAXY
the atoms of his body, corres- slide down the hill of space-time
ponding, one for one, with each into one of the sun-atoms, the
other, macrocosm and micro- one called “Sol”, to one of its
cosm. electrons called “Earth.”
He
did a thing with his mind He was back in the chamber.
for which there are no words, and And he knew the way out.
he was back once more in the
featureless chamber . . . eneral Brewster stood out-
And was transported to even side his tent, staring at the
stranger othernesses . . . An in- silver dome, and wondering
finity of places, dimensions and whether it was time to try some-
othernesses for which there are thing else.
not even the ghosts of concepts. “Lindstrom’s been in there two
He felt a strangeness in his days,” he said to a nervous-look-
mind, a complexity beyond com- ing colonel. “I think we can as-
plexity, a revelation of new and sume that whatever happened to
unexpected textures in his psy- the others happened to him.”
che. Time was flux, space was “What now, sir?”
flux, eternity was a variable. “I don’t know ... I just don’t
There came a time when he know. I suppose we could try
stood, naked, alone and home- to blow the thing open, but —
sick, on the surface of some far- A man suddenly appeared out
off planet, looking up at a small of nowhere. He was standing just
star he knew was Sol. He re- outside the dome. He was a wiry
membered the spaces he had man, not short, not tall ....
seen —spaces of no dimensions, “What —
it’s Lindstrom.”
an infinity of dimensions, spaces The being that had been Bert
that were not spaces, but times. Lindstrom began to walk slowly
There was a way back to Earth. toward the tent. It had two arms,
He did something with his two legs, two eyes, a nose, a
mind, and the surface of the mouth. It was, in fact, the per-
planet vanished like mist. His fect image of the man who had
body floated in total blackness. entered the dome.
He felt it expand and contract But when Lindstrom was close
rhythmically, from the size of an enough for Brewster to see into
electron to the size of the uni- his eyes, the general was dread-
verse .He caught it in a phase
. . fully sure that the creature fac-
where each of its atoms corre- ing him was something other
sponded to a star in the Galaxy. than human.
Then he let his entire mass — NORMAN SPINRAD
THE RULES OF THE ROAD 91
BALLAD OF THE
92
INTERSTELLAR MERCHANTS
[ Ca. 2400 C E. |
— SHERI S. EBERHART
93
for
BY WILLY LEY
THE
RAREST ANIMALS
F
ple
or the last sixty years zoo-
logists and many other peo-
who love wildlife have been
worrying about a problem that
does not even occur to a real
estate dealer or the manager of
the Friendly Neighborhood
Household Finance office. It is
the fact that our earth is growing
poorer by a species of animal life
every decade or so. And during
94
the last twenty years this worry the past what can be done even
has taken a sharp turn upward at a late hour — the American
for two reasons the general pop-
: bison is an impressive example
ulation explosion and the fact of this.
that there are many new and At the time the thirteen colo-
recently independent nations in nies declared their idependence
South East Asia and in Africa. there were an estimated sixty
I am, on principle, quite pleased million bison on the North Amer-
about the fact that these nations ican continent. After the rail-
are I am even
now independent roads had been built across the
willing toadmit that practically continent —and in spite of a few
all of governments know
their protective laws passed by states
how sad it would be if the wild- like Kansas and Colorado —the
lifeof their areas disappeared. bison were virtually hunted out
Unfortunately they don’t do of existence. William, T. Homa-
much about it day of the New York Zoological
British and German scientists Park wrote the Smithsonian Re-
who flew to Africa for private port for 1887 and entitled it “The
inspections have stated with both Extermination of the American
anger and concern that things are Bison”, predicting that the spe-
not as pretty by far as the gov- cies would be extinct within less
ernment handouts would have it. than two decades. Since a cen-
Sure, there are wildlife preserves. sus taken by Hornaday in 1889
Often they actually have boun- showed that there were only 1091
dary markers. But most of them bison still living (two-thirds of
are not policed and poachers, them in Canada) his prediction
even caught, are never prose-
if would probably have come true
cuted. Trying to convince the if nothing had been done.
96 GALAXY
other species the day of extinc- comes from kyon (“dog”) and
tion is near. kephale (“head”). The English
Zoologists have drawn up a version of the scientific name
list of about fifteen species which would therefore be: the dog-
are very much endangered by headed pouched disturber (of
two facts: the number of speci- livestock). The actual English
mens is very small, and their name is Tasmanian Wolf because
geographical range is also very of the wolf-like head, or some-
small. Their extinction could be times Tasmanian Tiger, because
the result of a single large forest of the tiger-striped hindquarters.
fire,an unusually severe winter In size a fully grown male could
or the inability to escape newly compete with a police dog. The
introduced predators. females were much smaller. The
This list has been referred to Tasmanian Wolf, therefore, was
as “tomorrow’s fossils”. While it the largest meat-eating marsu-
contains a few names where this pial.
term seems to be exaggerated — As long as the number of set-
for example the wisent, which is tlerswas small and the number
under the firm protection of its of “wolves”was large it was very
own watchdog society — it also decidedly a nuisance. It is not
contains two names of species surprising that the settlers shot
which may no
longer exist. If them whenever they saw one.
survivors of these species are still But while wolf-like in appear-
in existence somewhere they are ance, the habits of Thylacinus
the rarest animals on earth. were quite different. It seems to
have hunted alone and was not
specimen was alive in the zoo- searching in the light of the early
logical park at Hobart, Tasma- morning. He knew of a fine of
nia’s largest city. When the zoo a £100 for killing a Thylacinus;
speciment died in 1935 the offi- on the other hand he knew that
cials issued a call for a replace- any reliable report on this ani-
ment, apparently confident that mal was of scientific value. So he
they would get one soon. They took hair and blood samples and
never did. But in 1938 one was sentthem to the university where
shot and photographed at Maw- they were tentatively identified
banna on Tasmania’s northwest as having come from a “tiger”.
coast. In 1957, a pilot, flying a Presumably the samples were
helicopter along the island’s west too small to make the identifica-
coast,saw a striped animal from tion positive.
the air which could have been And that’s the story now.
a Tasmanian Wolf. But a search Nobody can say that the Tas-
on the ground which was started manian Wolf is extinct, and no-
of the nineteenth century brought
the reply that no such animal
was known. If there had been
one like it, it was extinct.
One of the men who received
such a reply was Prof. Addison
Emery Verrill of Yale Univer-
sity; and his son, Alpheus Hyatt
Verrill,who explored the West
Indies early in this century, suc-
Fig. 3. The Cuban Solenodon ceeded in re-discovering Solen-
Probably exterminated by mongooses.
odon paradoxus in Santo Domin-
body can insist that it is
go in 1907. He obtained a female
still
which, on the day after capture,
alive. If it is, it is one of the
rarest animals on earth. gave birth to three naked young
and died immediately afterward.
A 11 this applies to the Cuban The animal must have been very
solenodon too, with the com- rare. It isnow extinct.
plication thatit is much harder
The Cuban solenodon was dis-
to get any information at all. covered in 1861 when a German
But before I go into the short traveler by the name of Gund-
and flimsy story of the Cuban lach shot one and sent it to the
solenodon a little backtracking Natural History Museum in Ber-
is necessary. lin for identification. It was
In 1833 the Russian Academy found to be a close relative of the
in St. Petersburg received a spe- species described by Brandt and
cimen of a new animal from though it lived on Hispaniola as
Haiti. It looked somewhat like a
well as on Cuba the scientific
shrew but was the size of a very name became Solenodon cuban-
large rat. It was turned over to us.
102 GALAXY
they dived, possibly browsing on and in 1762 somebody named
the vegetation. Korovin did the same. But in
Considering the place where 1772 Dimitri Bragin, who had
these marine mammals were been instructed to keep a journal
seen and the description of their on animal life in these waters,
appearance they could only be failed to see one. Other negative
surviving specimens of Steller’s reports followed. Therefore
Sea Cow, known to zoologists as Brandt in St. Petersburg (the
Rhytina stelleri. The animal was one who named solenodon) con-
originally discovered during the cluded that the animal had been
winter from 1741 to 1742 when exterminated around 1768.
the survivors of Vitus Bering’s This was a mistake. Reports
expedition to Alaska were ship- on sea cow hunts made in 1779
wrecked on the island where and 1780 were found later, and
Bering died and which bears his the Russian archives contained
name. The naturalist of the ex- a statement about a sighting of
pedition, Geog Wilhelm Steller, a sea cow during the year 1854.
recognized it as an enormously Nordenskiold, after reading all
large relative of the manatee and the reports, decided that the arc-
the dugong. They were up to 25 tic sea cow had not been exterm-
feet in length and lived in the inated in 1768, but driven away
shallow water around the island, from the island. But he conclud-
forming distinctive small herds. ed that they then became extinct
Steller said that they were num- anyway because their new habi-
erous around the island all year tat did not offer them favorable
round, but that he had never conditions.
seen one before anywhere else. After the report from the
About 1880 A. E- Nordenskiold Buran it seems that Norden-
collected all the material about skiold was both right and wrong.
the animal that could be found They were not exterminated at
in Russian archives. In 1754 the Bering Island, but dispersed.
vessel of one Ivan Krassilnikov However, they found new habi-
was provisioned with the flesh tats which permitted them to
and hides of the artic sea cow. survive. —WILLY LEY
THE MONSTER
BY ROGER
ZELAZNY
104
A great unrest was among the “We grow fewer every year,”
' n said.
people, for the time of de- “One day we shall no
cision was again at hand. The longer have any sacrifices left to
Elders voted upon the candi- offer.”
dates and the sacrifice was af- “Then that day we die,” said
firmed over the objections of the others.
Ryllik, the oldest. “So why prolong it?” he asked.
“It is wrong to capitulate “Let us fight them —
now, be-
thus,” he argued. fore we are no more!”
But they did not answer him, But the others shook their
and the young virgin was taken heads, a summary of that resig-
to the grotto of smokes and fed nation Ryllik had watched grow
the leaves of drowsiness. as the centuries passed. They all
Ryllik watched with disap- respected Ryllik’s age, but they
proval. did not approve of his thoughts.
“It should not be so,” he stat- They cast one last look back,
ed. “It is wrong.” just as the sun caught the clank-
“It has always been so,” said ing god upon his gilt-caparisoned
the others, “in the spring of the ~nount, his death-lance slung at
year,and in the fall. It has al- his side. Within the place where
ways been so.” And they cast the smokes were bom the maiden
worried glances down the trail thrashed her tail from side to
to where the sun was pouring side, rolling wild eyes beneath
morning upon the world. her youthful browplates. She
The god was already travel- sensed the divine presence and
ling through the great-leafed began to bellow.
forest. They turned away and lum-
“Let us go now,” they said. bered across the plains.
“Did you ever think of stay- As they neared the forest
ing? Of watching to see what the Ryllik paused and raised a sca-
monster god does?” asked Ryllik ley forelimb, groping after a
bitterly. thought. Finally, he spoke:
“Enough of your blasphem- “I seem to have memory,”
ies! Come along!” said he, “of a time when things
Ryllik followed them. were different.” END
105
106
by
107
The voices of our guards came prince would be made king. Un-
more frequently from far and til that ceremony there was dan-
108 GALAXY
the island. From wherever in put things clearly, the so-called
the world their masters may ‘false’ king is ‘false’ only because
live, they participate by messen- he is dead. He got that way be-
ger in the highest affairs of cause he refused to sign the
Chacone. After all, the whole treaty I want with the islands of
island is supported by these Tome and Parsos.
rare women. “He was a better administra-
“She hesitated at the door to tor than this prince will be.
make sure she was not intrud- Don’t forget, I taught this prince
ing. “I heard you moving about while he attended the Univer-
over an hour ago.” sity of Hahn. I can tell you, he
“I am
just waiting for noon. is something of a lout. But he
Nothing is safe until noon.” will sign the treaty as I wish it,
Up the street I thought I and so, he is a ‘true’ king, in my
glimpsed a furtive scuffle. estimation.”
She was approaching me and She put her golden arms
I “Did you hear a
raised a hand. about my shoulders and kissed
cry?” my mouth. Since she had been
She stopped, but she did not trained from childhood in every
glance out into the fog. “I heard nuance of love, and since she
nothing.” loved me deeply, it was a kind
“I thought I heard a cry.” of kiss that would have made a
Now she came directly to me. common man throw sticks at his
She took my hands and raised bride.
them until I followed with my Her lips broke with a little
body to stand over her. laugh and she drew back. “Dar-
ling, I must be seen in my funer-
he said, “Darling, you are de- al finery. Won’t you take me
S pressed about the killing. You down to the dining room?”
have you had to.
killed because Without offense she had in-
Now, in a few hours, your peo- terjected a little light-hearted-
ple will have a good king.” ness. Since arriving on my is-
‘T killed because I want to land a few weeks ago we had a
bind three poor little islands in- joke about her.
to one rich, big island.” In their natural habitat the —
I spoke with conscious melo- great cities on the rich islands
drama. “The men who died will of the world —
the Chacone
never share that wealth. The women display no vanity. For
men who live do not want it.” thousands of years die Chacon-
I kissed her and went on. “To ese have lived in ritual polyan-
110 GALAXY
hat, but I kept my Great Blade manner in which
he ate his
and my knife. eggs, we were from such a
safe
We were no more than seated raid. Now that we knew
him, he
at our table when I caught a could be watched and it would
flash erf evidence that I was be time enough to worry if he
right to be alert. man at aA disappeared.
table against the wall made a “Waiter.”
mistake. He came around the table
He was having flashed gull from where he had been watch-
eggs for breakfast. Instead of ing the boys put saucers of fruit
driving his sipping tube through before us and fill our glasses
the shell of the egg he was hold- with spiced rainwater.
ing, he punched a delicate hole “Yes, Master?”
in it with his thumb nail. “What is that shouting out in
He froze, and I swept my eyes the street?”
to the face of the Chacone be- “Both of the local printers
fore he could inspect the dining have sheets out this morning
room. The islands held by sea that tell of the revolution. Shall
bandits have never adopted the I send one of the children?”
112 GALAXY
She glanced up and down the turned to me with the glazed
page. “No, I don’t see anything stare of a completely ravished
about that.” woman. “What was funny, dar-
“I didn’t think you would. ling?”
But if we had lost the revolution “I’ll tell you what let’s do.
you would be reading a feature Give me that paper, now. Then,
story about it.” after breakfast, we’ll go upstairs
“ Did you have a flying ma- and snuggle into bed and read
chine?” to each other about ourselves.
“No, I had a machine that Won’t that be fun?”
didn’t fly.” She handed me the paper obe-
My
paper, printed from the diently. “Don’t be silly.”
larger wooden type was quite While she sat in her daze, au-
thick and I began hunting with tomatically rebathing in adula-
excited annoyance for some tion, I searched the metal print
mention of my great plan to for any mention of my plan to
bind together my home
isle and bind together the three little is-
the islands of Tome and Parsos. lands.
I could find no mention of it. There was nothing.
“Oh, darling, it tells about Slowly, I lowered the paper to
me! Listen! ‘For his work in the table. It was an ominous
developing the steel of the Great sign. They were dead against it.
‘Our whole citizenry has been gether and I found that I was
grateful these past weeks for her trembling with anticipatory
gracious
” — ’
rage. I had not led hundreds to
“My dear. Calm yourself!” their deaths, killing other hun-
“ —her gracious presence
‘for dreds only to let two smudge-
. her wit.
. . her taste and artis-
. . fingered printers stand in my
try her. .
.!’ ”
. . . way.
I saw that the spy for the sea
he was becoming quite breath- bandits was leaving. Then he
S less. I couldn’t help laughing. hesitated, staring at the door-
Her breathing stopped and she way.
114 GALAXY
of escaping with your lady ... I perhaps I was condemned to
beg you, don’t.” love her simply because I could
not have her.
Qhe was shaking her head I kissed the dear little Cha-
^ piteously with tears glisten- cone over and over and prom-
ing on her cheeks. “Please don’t ised her that I would return.
leave me. I do not fear any of Then I found that I was prom-
these things. Please take me ising to return with soldiers and
with you.” retake the Tower.
The rebel and I were staring So there it was in the open . .
at each other across the horrible the killing had not yet been
thought of capture by sea ban- enough. It had only been in
dits. I turned dazedly to the vain. Whether or not the sea
Chacone and shook my head. bandits came I would come
She buried her face and wept. again, to kill again for my plan
The waiter declared, “Master, to bind together the three is-
no harm will come to her. We lands.
will take good care of her.”
Then he excused himself and ^Tphe rebel and I had no dif-
hurried away. ficulty reaching the edge of
The rebel rose. “I will make the city. We were beckoned
one last check of the escape from point to point by our
route while you say farewell to waiting comrades. Trouble be-
your lady.” He left the dining gan immediately when we enter-
room by way of the kitchens. ed the forests of bamboo.
I stood up, and drew the Cha- A rebel came racing toward
cone up to me. Her lips moved us from ochre banners of fog.
warmly and her tears were hot “They have captured the boat
on my face. Undoubtedly, for the and the three men guarding it.
last time, I was holding the Take this side path to the raft.
world’s most fabulous prize in Hurry, they are right behind
my arms. Yet death, buzzing in- me.
sistantly in my ears reminded me He gestured wildly and fell at
that I had been condemned, long our feet with a javelin in his
ago, to love another. back. We raced into the forest
The woman I loved was beau- where the light of Sha’tule beat
but not this beautiful; ta-
tiful, at the fog with a golden ham-
lented, but not this talented; mer.
royal, but not his regal. She Shrieks and moans from a
was the mother of my son, and thousand lost souls burst from
116 GALAXY
.
ers add these cradles of bamboo I drew my steel knife and threw
making a channel to the sea for it,a flash of light, between the
their craft. ribs of the man on the left. His
We crawled onto the over- companion turned in astonish-
head cross members separating ment. I grimaced and hissed a
the bamboo walls of this chan- curse. He raised his javelin as,
120 GALAXY
rT~'he kings of Tome and Par- wouldn’t sleep on the same is-
-* sos were
both convinced land with a Tomian. They are
that myplan was feasible to root grubbers.”
bind together with great ropes I had the sail fully hoisted
these small islands so that even- and the raft jerked at its moor-
tually they would grow together ing. He did not take the hint, so
in the tropic lushness. When I went back and squatted near-
next their lands drifted out of the rope to untie it.
ial, they planned to erect the rebel, have not been taken from
great sails I had designed. They your home as a boy by the Ice
would try to maneuver their is- Islanders. You have not spent
lands together and bind them. two years as their slave. You are
With three islands thus bound a small-island man and you
.”
there would be so much less think like a small . .
122 GALAXY
her womb until it was the most to treasure them as myth.
beautiful in the world. She is I think this: the islands are
said to have travailed for a thou- being built each day. There are
sand years to create Ohme, forces building them and forces
where the tiny red deer bound tearing them apart In many
across emerald meadows and the parts of the ocean, such as Chryo
balloon flowers loose themselves where stupendous rocks reach
from their branches at night and to the clouds, there are great
copulate above the tree tops boiling places out of which
with little cries. gouts of pumidne are coughed
A man who notices what he up from the water. In addition
sees instead of what he hears there are many places in the sea
will not believe that Ohme, or where cones of hot rock and fire
any other island, was bom in rise high in the sky and two
such a way. of these are near the rock-latched
In my lifetime our knowl- island of Hahn. From all these
edge of the world has grown places comes stone filled with air-
tremendously, and we are not so spaces.
likely to believe that Sea God- Where beds of such pumicine
126 GALAXY
ing before the ugly gaffing polls time and salt my body if they
about me, leaped onto my for took me.
ward deck. jumped down the stairs and
I
slammed and bolted the door to
gave thanks to the rich la- the captain’s cabin. Right be-
I dies of Hahn. They are la- hind me two of them hit it with
vishly untrue to their husbands, terrifying fury. They would have
and a student at that university it down in seconds, but if the
is not worth his salt unless he old merchant man’s advice held
can throw a noose to the second up they would be too late.
floor of a rich man’s Tower. The His voice lashed me to ac-
bandit ship swept past, and I tion. “Throw open the door to
caught the rudder pommel neat- the forward compartment and
ly- jam it so you can see the for-
Desperation hoisted me to the ward hatch. Hurry back to the
railing,and one motion that lee port in the captain’s cabin
drew and swung the Great Blade and open it. Reach way up and
slashed the throat of the sur- you can cut loose the boom.”
prised helmsman. I watched through the door I
The bandits came at me to had opened and when I saw
take a live prize, but when I light at the forward hatch I
opened the chest of a man from slashed the lashing of the boom
arm to arm they changed plan. with my knife. There was a sick-
The great Blade of Hahn is still ening lurch through the ship
as rare in the world as a king’s and two men screamed. A leg
Tower and greatly feared by that had started down the lad-
fighting men. These five ban- der in the forward hatch was
dits now saw what I carried and whisked out again as if by the
they hurled club and javelin to hand of a god. There followed
kill.A javelin laid bare one of two splashes in the sea.
my ribs and a club momentarily
stunned me and I fell heavily to rT''he door to the captain’s ca-
my knees. bin was splintering, and I
The voice of the old merchant dashed forward. I went up the
man came back commandingly. hatch-ladder, blade first, and
“Board at the rudder and fight chopped off one of two bare feet
your way to the rear hatch.” I that suddenly appeared before
followed the voice in a gleam- me on the deck. His unbalanced
ing frenzy of the Great Blade. blow with a club smashed into
They would flay me a little at a the hatch and enough of my
the two who had come up out of ies and swabbed the deck clean.
the rear hatch witnessed this. Then I sat down near the tiller
When I approached them they and carefully cleaned and pol-
backed off respectfully. One of ished my Great Blade.
them dropped a stone ax to the What a marvel this metal was!
deck. Presently he turned and Recently the Hahnese have been
dove into the sea. working the gray iron that flows
The other man held a bone from a fiery cone near their
javelin hesitantly. I gestured rock latched island. Now I had
over the side of the ship. He learned to work it with char-
shook his head. I took a step coal to make blades such as
toward him and he hurled the these.
javelin. I chopped it out of the It had been for this the King
air. I raised the point of the of Hahn had given me the Cha-
Great Blade and I started back- cone.
ing him. When he reached the Unlike the killing in the revo-
rail he just leaned away from lution, I had no remorse over
the point until he fell over- the killing of the sea bandits.
board. They are descendants of the Ice
Then I understood why he Islanders. For centuries their
had not done as had his com- ancestors dominated our oceans;
panion. He could not swim. I their raiding and slaughtering
had to listen to his screams while almost wiped civilization off of
I brought the sail down to re- most islands. Those dark cen-
trim the ship. turies were ended only by the
The three men who had board- rise of the great navies of Thule
ed my raft had made some pro- and Hahn which have pushed
128 GALAXY
the bandits back to a few poor V
islands from which they oper-
ate. \ s you approach Thule you
I was thinking these things as understand that it takes a
I finished cleaning the blade man two days to walk across
and remembered that I had
I this largest of all islands. It lies
seen some writing on the table across the horizon like an end-
in the captain’s cabin. less, green cloud. The rocks
a seeming paradox that
It is to whichit is latched do not
the bandits so love slaughter and rise out of the soil. But the
torture that the most brutal man gleaming Tower of the King of
of another island shudders at the Thule, which is my design, can
though of them —
and yet they be seen from the sea.
are said to be constant poets. Thule is the great stationary
The long sagas of their history point of trade. All islands which
are marvels of myth and they are in currents that pass near her
are said to leave a scene of have cycles of industry and
slaughter with every man vying trade based on that fact. The
to compose the best verse about approach near Thule is always
it. festival time. When the currents
This captain had indeed been bring an island into these wa-
composing in a labored hand ters, the stores of its products
when I was sighted. His cup of are traded for the exotic prod-
morning tea had crashed to the ucts from many islands. Even
floor when I later cut the boom. the Ice Islanders of the north
But the piece of parchment and sometimes appear in fearsome
his writing brush were where he armadas to stand off Thule and
had left them. conducted sullen trade.
“Up ecstatic towers we I had not had Thule on the
raced. horizon more than a short time
With bone lance and flesh. when the sails of a fighting ship
Their women we pierced, came out in my direction. At this
Till thousands of doves. latitude there is little growth of
130 GALAXY
last great raid of the Ice Island- to your death. Don’t you wish
ers my parents had been killed. to stand on the Sea Floor? Must
All their servants, and I their you decay here at the surface?”
son, had been taken as slaves. It “You think he cannot forgive
was not, to the lords of Thule, a me?”
discredit to me that subsequent- “He will go through with it
ly a false king had assumed the because he commanded it. What
Tower of my home isle and had in the name of Sha’charn has
dissolved the lordship of my fa- brought you here?”
ther. “A false pretender holds the
If then, I was a lord by desert, Tower of my home isle. I have
it was no great crime to have come for soldiers to retake it.”
loved the youngest of the six “Why didn’t you go to Parsos
daughters of their king. Unpoli- which is drifting close to you
tic behavior, no doubt. But to be now?”
nailed to a plank! The thought The the fighter had
sails of
is abhorrent even beyond its been rehoisted and the light
reality because of the belief that breeze heeled us away from the
such cursed planks drift into the bandit ship which was returned
desert seas and remain afloat. with soldiers to pick up the
raft-load of its former crewmen.
•nphe Lord Captain who now Iexplained to the captain why
stared into my face knew I could not use soldiers from
that my sentence was irrational. Parsos.
If the king had had a son, if one The people of my homeland
of his older daughters had had have an outlandish reputation
a son, I would today be mar- for unpredictable and romantic
ried into the king’s family. For action. The Lords of Thule and
in that circumstance a son of Hahn, the great powers that
pure Thulian blood would not forced back the Ice Islanders,
have been required of the sometimes look down their
youngest princess, to be later, noses at our violent political his-
King of Thule. In that circum- tory. They call us “teri che”
stance my impropriety would which is to say, “wild ones”.
have led, not to her ineligibil- This captain now hurt my
ity for royal marriage, but to our heart, as if he had slapped my
early marriage. face. He shook his head with a
The captain took me aside. grim smile and said, “Teri che.”
“Master, why have you brought Then, staring into my face un-
this trial to me? I must take you comprehendingly, he went on,
So I would drift into deserts the tiny, windowless jail, his ter-
with the suns banging my eyes rible pride shrieked, “How could
while my home isle drifted in you have made a laughing stock
poverty. of me?”
The work of my own hand He tore the lash from the
was the final blow to my hopes. great brute beside him, and he
How awesome was this dwell- smashed it into my face. Repeat-
ing! At the far end of the square ing over and over, “How could
it soared fourteen levels into the you have made a laughing stock
sky. Its grounds were walled of me?’ he lashed my face and
with stone to twice the height of chest and groin, and I tasted
a man. Inside there, in the spa- what was to come.
cious gardens, rose four more As a boy I was tortured by the
towers, and even these were nine Ice Islanders. I do not bear tor-
levels high. ture well. I moaned when his
All this had been done to my weak flailing warned me of what
design, and now I trembled be- the big jailer could do. When he
fore it had exhausted himself, he sat
They did not take me to him. down on the damp floor and
Instead, he came to me. He came beat feebly with his fists.
134 GALAXY
The jailer took up the lash. alone for what I had done to
He grinned pleasantly to me him.
and asked politely, “How would On the third day he spoke.
you like it, Master? Slow, or “The Lord Captain who took
fast.” you has explained the reason
“No,” I shouted. “No, Highest you have come. It is good poli-
One, don’t let him do this!” tics for the rock-latched islands
But the poor old man was like Thule and Hahn, to
deaf to everything except his strengthen the freely floating
own misery and shame. islands. You may have the sol-
diers. Whatever you need.”
XT/hen I was again con- With that he rose to leave.
^ * scious, and the lights had Then at the door he turned,
stopped bursting in my eyes, the the whisper of his robes as loud
jailer was seated on a bench, as the shouting of a thousand
resting. The fat of his chest soldiers.
heaved, and he ran a stubby “Be very clear about this. I do
hand across it to wipe away his not waste a soldier for the sake
sweat. of ten che. I believe your plan
The king had risen from the to bind those three little islands
floor. His silks were dirty and into one rich, strong island will
disheveled. “How many have you work. By aiding that plan, I do
given him?”, he asked the jail- one more little thing to keep
er, hoarsely. back the Ice Islanders and keep
“Barely thirty, Highest One.” down the sea bandits. It strength-
Through the swimming of the ens Thule.”
room, I saw the jailer rise and His gray eyes lingered mo-
start toward me, and I screamed. mentarily as he turned and left
“Let him down. Be gentle me.
with him.”
I allowed myself to sink to the A gain and again, while the
calm Sea Floor. captain and I worked on the
He had me taken to his own plans for storming my home isle,
apartments, in the highest levels the king’s words stung me. “Z do
came
of the Tower. In silence, he not waste a soldier for the sake
every day and washed my of teri che.”
wounds and dressed them. Again and again, this stinging
He came several times each drove my mind to the pool in
day and repeated this care in si- the gardens of the Tower of my
lence so that I wept when I was homeland. It is a hole into the
A MAN OF THE RENAISSANCE 135
sea for decorative purposes and be too buoyant, and so stone
salt-lilies are grown there. On would have to line the bottom of
many such a pool
islands there is the craft until it was almost
in the gardens of the Tower. ready to sink. Now, there would
I have often thought. “Behind have to be a way to take on
allthe guards at the walls of the weight for sinking and get rid
Tower, there is a way in.” of it for coming back to the sur-
When the captain and I had face. So I would have a barrel
completed our plans and had de- braced on the floor midship
cided to embark in another and a pipe with a cock in that
four days, suddenly it came to would let water into it so that
me. “A craft can be built to go the craft would sink.
under the island and come up in From the iron that flows near
the pool.” their island, the Hahnese have
Such a surprise would save contrived a pump which a man
many soldiers of Thule, and may work by a handle and
many of my teri che. force water up a height. I would
In one moment things fell in- have to arrange one of these
to placefrom countless observa- pumps so that water could be
tions and sources. How had I forced from the barrel back in-
built and caulked the plumb- to the sea, and thus we would
ing in the Great Tower of come again to the surface.
Thule? How does a fish roll in I saw that when the craft sank
the water? How
strong is the I would go on sinking, however
thickest of the round lenses of slowly, unless a means other
the glass of Hahn? than emptying the barrels were
For two days, hardly taking used to stop this motion. So I
time to eat or sleep, I stayed in would have structures along the
my apartment drawing plans for sides like the fins of a fish that
such a craft. Once I went to the would maintain a level of de-
winery in the country and in- scent as long as the craft was
spected two of the great hogs- moving forward.
heads for storage which are It was in moving the craft for-
large enough for a man to stand ward that I had trouble. There
in. are no winds under the sea, and
The two giant hogsheads to paddle my hogsheads seemed
could be spliced together with to me out of the question. A
mores than enough strength and boat can be moved forward by
more room inside than would be thrashing the rudder in a crude
needed by two men. This would duplication of the fish tail. But
136 GALAXY
Isaw that no rudder I might de- luxurious bed and buried my
sign would move us from the face, and abruptly, there was the
edge of my home isle to the pool idea for the propulsion.
in the gardens of the Tower be- The rudder need not move like
fore the two or three occupants the tail of a fish, it need not act
of the hogsheads fell from ex- like any living thing. It could be
haustion. a spinning rudder of two blades
I had to ask the captain for a tilted oppositely on their axis.
delay in the embarkation. Na- This could be turned by a shaft
urally he was willing to wait extending into the craft. The
for any plan that would spare shaft should have two cranks in
his men. So I went back to my it so that two men could turn at
occupants could enter and leave. closed and tightened the hatch
In the front of this superstruc- in the top of the barrel and de-
ture I had had them caulk a cended into the dark to hear
thick lens of the glass of Hahn the soldier’s teeth chattering.
so that I could look forward un- I said, “Soldier, are you stand-
der water. ing by the crank?”
I had somehow miscalculated He gulped hard. “Yes, Mas-
the buoyancy and we had to add ter.”
some stone to the floor. Finally, “Stay there. Start crank-
when I and the soldier who ing when I tell you.”
would go with me were both I fumbled in the dark and
aboard, little more than the su- opened the cock of the barrel.
perstructure remained above Through the shallow, fast
water. breathing of the soldier, I could
The poor soldier was shaking hear water running into the bar-
with fright but determined to rel. Back at the window I caught
king. He could not stay away shins on the gracings for the
from this trial.I waited, stand-
barrel.
138 GALAXY
way up to the window.
The green light outside had
deepened shockingly. For the
firsttime I felt fear of the sea.
I scrambled to the pump and
worked it for fifteen back-break-
ing strokes. Then I turned the
crank with the soldier for twen-
ty-five turns, and I could re-
strain my anxiety no longer. I
went to the window and wiped
fog from the glass. The light was
reassuringly brighter.
“Rest a while, soldier.”
“What Master?”
“Rest a while.”
Ikept wiping the fog from
the window and watching the
light brighten until I could see
the swirling of the sea surface.
Now we needed forward speed
so the fins along the side would
keep us from coming all the
way to the surface.
“Let’s start cranking again.”
“Master, are we all right?”
“We’re all right, soldier, as
long as we crank.”
Iturned the crank another
hundred times with the soldier
and stumbled with exhaustion
back to the window. The light
was still all right. I looked hope-
fully ahead and to the sides,
knowing we could not be near
the fighter.
ble. He could not bring her What an old fox this king
here. was. The door opened and he
looks. But I saw, too, the shock went to ask him for this simple
to hair that is my people’s and happiness.
tile thin line of a mouth that is From behind a low cloud Sha-
mine. ’cham hurled a vast shaft of fire
The king took the child’s at the Great Tower of Thule. I
ted out the harsh reality of the He spread his hands as a con-
room. clusion.
I heard his voice repeat, “Do He turned again to the dying
not ask it of me.” light from the window, and I
I felt the huge wave ofemo- knew that he saw a marvelous
tion on which she and I had ris- vista that I had planned. “I have
en begin to wash from me. Help- built Thule into the greatest
lessly I stood there and felt it all power on the sea. I want my son
wash from me until I was left to rule what I have built.”
empty as a cadaver that had
somehow struck a pose of adora- went down to the streets.
tion. I I was numb with loss, and
Then her face was gone and I I understoodthat, all these
was back in the bitter reality of years, I had existed on the hope
the king’s room. From far below, that eventually he would let us
the noisy happiness of the eve- live together.Now I found that
ning streets was a murmur of I was going to have to live with
irony in this high place where the bleak certainty that I would
the last light of Sha’charn lay never again hold her. At the
across the rich carpet as might thought, my mouth grew dry
a fading, blue shroud. and my palms perspired.
144 GALAXY
I walked to the tower of the
upon my
painting of Namora.
captain came from his din-
The
ing and looked at me question-
ingly.
“We leave tonight. Captain. It
is the wish of the king.”
We sailed with nine fighters.
On the morning of the second
day out, before Sha’tule had
raised the first mists from the
bobbing pumicine beds of my
home isle, we lowered the un-
derwater craft into the sea on a
boom.
remember the eerie light in
I
from behind and cut them down. been signed by the Kings of Par-
I suppose a quiet sea will al- sos and of Tome.
ways speak to me of Lani. In any He hesitated fretfully. He
case, I can recapture her face asked many questions.
only as it drifts in the dark had expected him, in grati-
I
nether world. tude to me, and out of respect
There was a strange thing for the two great men who had
down there ... little fish with already signed the document,
rods straight up from their heads to grab a pen with haste.
on which hung bell-like lan- Instead the lout kept bringing
terns, brightly lighted. They up other matters of inconse-
came to the window and inspect- quence. He interrupted my argu-
ed me. Now they always invade ment with asides to his new
her memory, like little clowns First Overlord.
relieving tragedy. This First Overlord was sim-
ply one of yesterday’s rebels and
IX behaved accordingly. His idea of
polish was servility. Suddenly he
had the prince made king glanced at me in fright.
I that very noon. I was taking Then, like a great bell, I re-
no more chances with the lords heard what this profound king
of my home island and it is . . . had just asked yesterday’s rebel.
true, as has been claimed, that He had asked, “Where is the
when we brought him from the Chacone they sent to me with
prison to his Tower, he stumbled food while I was in prison?”
over corpses. He would have to He had asked this as though it
do that ! not once, but twice.
. . had just now occurred to him.
The officers of Thule laughed. Slowly I lowered the map
It really looked like we were which showed how Tome and
placing a dolt in the Tower to Parsos could be most efficient-
rule the teri che. ly bound to our island.
I gave him time to bathe and The First Overlord was agitat-
dine after the rudely rushed cer- ed. “She is here, Highest One.
.”
emony. Then I had myself You asked that . .
important to you, but I have fal- to Parsos and let you drift to
len in love. Desperately! It hap- Chryo.”
pens she is a Chacone, and I He stormed out of the room.
must determine to whom she be- “You’re under detention. Don’t
longs so that I may pay the forget it You’re under deten-
man a fair price. My mind will tion.” And then at the door, mel-
be much more receptive to your odramatically, “Oh, that you
theories when I have settled this should have blundered with her
affair of the heart.” loveliness before I found her!”
I could have choked him
was suddenly suffering a through a thousand deaths I
I very bad chill and I shiv- went to the wall and beat my fist.
ered. He took the map from my The little Chacone wept open-
hands and looked at it rather ly. She came and took my
gaily and with new interest. bruised hand and kissed it. She
“Master, this is truly a mo- sobbed, “Oh, Master, my heart
ment in our history. To think will break. I have known, Mas-
that my signature will set this ter. The way he looked at me
great plan in motion. You will from the jail, I knew this would
is to me. Do you
think I’ll bar- would turn then to stare at her,
gain with you? No! I’ll take her because she did not wait for that
148 GALAXY
and into the near wall. from pride and prejudice and
For a moment the place went the demands of provincialism.
silent.The wine seller glanced The street-lighters had set the
from his counter and shook his lamps guttering, and the fog
head. moved in and turned to pearl be-
“Now, Master, it’s a fine thing tween them. Somehow the fog
to get drunk and disorderly, but brought restraint and order and
let’s not tamper with life and a muffling of guilt. As I walked
limb.” the lamps came from the fog in
a regular cadence and the damp
stalked out to the streets, planks of the street became an
I and again I was alone orderly path through chaos.
among my people. I accepted My enormous crime against
their respectful nods and bows the Chacone settled into a knot
and understood that I would al- of guilt that Iwas going to have
ways be separated from them by to live with. It was a guilt fate
this heart that could love reason had made necessary if I was to
so deeply and reason away love put through the plan and. . .
150
"Sure, of course. But is she — Dan, we function. Why should
well, is she a manufactured ar- we be cluttering the works with
ticle like you? I mean, Dan, is this Noona?”
«he mechanical?” “Amoosement,” grated Dan.
Dan’s protruding eyes that “Foon. Loove, too. Besides I
usually glowed a kind of deep get loonesome when you’re oop
red when he was feeling right at the wafer factoory all day.”
changed to purple-blue. With “Dan!” I almost screamed, so
those weird beams he looked surprised was I that he should
straight at me. He didn’t answer speak so. “Do we not play chess
my question, but he laughed a or checkers every night, emo-
screechy laugh that sent shivers tionless games that give our
over my body. “Heepa heepa steel-sharp minds a chance to
heepa,” it sounded. function? Do I not let you sit
“Change the air, Dan!” I in the rolling soof-air chair when
shouted to reestablish my mas- you want to? Though for the life
tery. “Set the needle on tired of me I don’t know why you,
man’s roll, the way you know I with your steel shell, want to.
always want it when I’m done Do I not feed you your power
with businessman’s come-home.” wafers every day promptly at
He moved sluggishly toward the the hour we begin our evening?
pumps. In short, Dan, are you not one
“Brisk, Dan!” I snapped. “Get of the best-cared-for robots in
152 GALAXY
ed the shoulders down and trail- hole.But the pounding contin-
ed along the chair sides, dumping ued that sounded like a ham-
hands toward the floor. His eyes mer tapping a chisel.
were tragic, and when he spoke could see that each tap tore
I
it was in a voice that hurried at Dan’s power core and almost
to have done with what it had ripped him apart. I felt sorry
to say. for Dan the Can then, but soon
“Hear noise?” I admired him. For once he had
We heard it, a tappity-rap and made his decision he hardly
rattle sound surely locked in a wasted a tick. He leaped through
closet somewhere, or maybe in the air like a dedicated being
a basement under us. “When and fell several feet to the ce-
you don’t hear it, it’ll be all ment floor of that basement
over. Don’t care. Did all I could. hole. I heard him hit, and it
Wouldn’t listen.” sounded like dumping scrap at
“Who? What?” I blurted. tiie mill. I shuddered.
“Noona,” he cried. “Commit- When the noise of Dan’s de-
ting suicide. Now. Hammering scent cleared away, the tapping
at the locks put on. She’ll get
I noise seemed louder for a mo-
them. Nothing can seem to stop ment. Then it stopped altogeth-
the crazy force she’s working er. New sounds took its place,
for now. But I don’t care now.” the smallest of scratchy noises
“But why? What?” down in that basement dark, like
“Something from yesterday. metal sections being tenderly
Couldn’t understand. Good up opened on hinges that made al-
to then, good functional. Helped most no noise. Through this
in this parts store. Helped me were the two soft words, Danny
to prosper. could buy more
I — Noona, said with a strange
wafers. She could help me more. metallic tenderness. Then they
It was a good arrangement. Then came up in each others arms.
yesterday —
Something passed The shopowner could hardly
in the street! believe what he saw. His eyes
“Noona!” Dan shrieked. became strangely bright when he
“Don’t do it. Here’s loove!” And saw them embrace. ,
154 GALAXY
“Let’s go adjust the massage I hardly ever mention her name
and be like old times,” I sug- as we grow quietly older, so
gested. assured, unbothered, coolly
so
So we did, after awhile. And living our never changing func-
after many weeks Dan seemed tional routine.
almost to forget that tragic pe- But sometimes when the moon
riod when he had been slave to shines down a certain way on
Noona and love’s sickening emo- the wafer factory roofs and there
tions. Now our days are spent, is a soft touch of valentine wea-
much the same as before Noona, ther in a pink and peaceful time,
among the clean-cut little vic- and steel lovers sing to their
tories of functional living. Eight steel ladies in the big entertain-
hours I work at the power wafer ment panels of the wall, I see
factory so that I may earn Dan get that funny look. Then
enough wafers to power Dan the I say, “Dan, you’ve been work-
can for eight hours of game- ing too hard again, Dan; time
playing and care in the soof-air for your vacation again, Dan.”
chair. Eight hours I sleep. And And before he can react to stop
Noona just lies in the back beige me I rush over to jerk out his
room, cold, alone, without any power wafers —to save him
power, waiting for some master from — well, to save him from
tinkerer in robots I suppose to his foolish foolish self.
come and repair her. Dan and — DAVID R. BUNCH
FORECAST
Next issue brings long stories by Cordwainer Smith, J. T. McIntosh and
—
James H. Schmitz, as well as shorts by well, well see how many we can
fit in. We think it will be a rather outstanding issue, in terms of its fiction
content. But what we want to tell you about right now is not the fiction
but the features.
Feature one: The next Willy Ley column 'is produced at the suggestion
and special request of Betsy Curtis, herself a first-rate writer. "What," she
asked us recently, "are all those different kinds of things called orreries
that see in museums and shops?"
I We
fielded the question neatly by
passing it on to Willy; and the result is his upcoming column, which will
tell you rather more than you thought there was to know about orreries
ILLUSTRATED BY MORROW
I it of understanding, fought
against that limit, and surged
T Tate spewed across the gal- past it to limitless possibilities.
axy in a high crusade. Metal
-*• But behind all the arts and
ships leaped from world to sciences lay the drive of reli-
world and hurtled across space gion. And the religion was one of
to farther and farther stars. ancient anger and dedicat-
Planets surrendered their ores ed hate.
to sky-reaching cities, built The ships filled the galaxy un-
around fortress temples and til every world was conquered.
156
wall, topped the last rise and be- answer seriously. “I like your
gan humming its way down into company very much, Hal.”
Aristarchus. As it dipped He hadalways liked the com-
into the ink black of its own pany of the men he’d met on
shadow from the sun behind, its Earth or during his many years
headlights flashed on. Around on the Moon. Humans, he had
it, the jagged rocky walls scintil- decided long ago, were wonder-
lated in a riot of reflected colors ful. He had enjoyed the long
from crystal fractures that had field trip with Hal Norman
never been dulled by wind or while they collected data from
rain. the automatic recorders scat-
Inside the cab, the driver’s tered over the lunar surface. But
seat groaned protestingly at the itwould still be good to get back
robot’s weight as Sam shifted his to the dome, where the men had
six hundred terrestrial pounds given him the unique privilege
forward. Coming home was al- of joining them. There he could
ways a good time. He switched listen to the often inexplicable
lenses in his eyes and began but always fascinating conversa-
scanning the crater floor for the tion of forty men. And there,
first sight of the Lunar Base perhaps, he could join them in
Dome, though he knew it was their singing.
still hidden around a twist of Music and reading were the
the trail. chief recreations of the men
“You don’t have to be quite so here. There were thousands of
all-fired anxious to get back, microbooks in the dome library,
Sam,” Hal Norman complained. brought in a few at a time by
But the little selenologist was al- many men over the long years.
so gazing forward eagerly. “You They were one of the few taboos.
might show some appreciation It was against orders for Sam to
for the time I’ve spent answer- read any of them, and a man
ing your fool questions and try- had once told him that it was to
ing to pound sense into your tin save him from unnecessary con-
head. Anybody’d think you fusion. But the collection of mu-
didn’t like my company,” he sic was not forbidden, and he
pouted humorously. was often permitted to join in
Sam made the sound of a hu- their singing. All the robots had
man chuckle as he had taught perfect pitch, of course. But
himself to acknowledge all the only Sam had learned to sing ac-
verbal nonsense men called hu- ceptably enough to win a place
mor. But truth compelled him to in the dome.
TO AVENGE MAN 157
In anticipation, he began keep the stranded crew alive un-
humming a chanty about the sea til rescue could be sent. The
he had never seen. The cat-track three ships bore a striking re-
hummed downward between the semblance to the one that had
walls of the road that had been crashed. The only other such
crudely bulldozed from the rub- ships were those used in the
ble of the crater. Then they third expedition. But they had
broke out into the open, and he been parked in orbit around
could see the dome and the ter- Earth after the end of the third
ritory around it expedition fifty years ago. Once
Hal grunted in surprise. the Base was established, their
“That’s odd. I hoped the supply capacity had no longer been
rocket would be in. But what needed, and they were inefficient
are those three ships doing for routine supply shipment and
here?” the rotation of the men stationed
Sam cut off the headlights and here.
switched back to wide-angle
lenses. Now most of the crater T)efore he could comment
was visible, until it vanished on the ships, the buzzer
against the horizon, giving place sounded, indicating that Base
to the blackness of the sky and had spotted the cat-track. Sam
the myriad colored pinpoints of flipped the switch and acknowl-
the stars. Ahead lay the low edged the call.
dome that roofed the Base, with “Hi, Sam.” It was the voice of
its biphase microwave antenna Dr. Robert Smithers, the leader
tracking the manned space plat- of Lunar Base. “Butt out, will
form that circled Earth. Half a you? I want to talk to Hal.”
mile beyond it stood three ships, Sam could have tuned in on
bulky with exposed tanks and the communication frequency
each carrying a huge passenger with his own receptors, since
globe encased in bracing girders. the signal was strong enough at
They didn’t look like supply this distance. But he obeyed the
rockets. order to avoid listening as Hal
Sam’s eyes swept across the reached for the handset. There
crater floor, almost to the hori- was no way to detune his audio
zon. There he could make out receptors, however.
the crumpled wreck of an early He heard Hal’s greeting.
ship, still by the
surrounded Then there was silence for at
supply capsules that had been least a minute.
sent on automatic control to Hal’s face was shocked and
158 GALAXY
serious when he
finally spoke to his set, unsmiling expression
again. “But damned non-
that’s was usually meant to be a form
sense, Chief!Earth got over such of humor. He filed the puzzling
insanity half a century ago. words away in his permanent
There hasn’t been a sign of . . memory for later consideration.
Yes, sir . . . All right, sir. Thanks The terminator was rushing
for not taking off without me.” across the lunar surface. It
He hung up the handset, shak- would soon be night. More than
ing head. When he faced
his half of the near crater was al-
Sam, his expression was unread- ready hidden in blackness,
able. “Full speed, Sam.” though sunlight was still reach-
“There’s trouble,” Sam ing the Base, and the territory
guessed. He threw the cat-track beyond was in glaring white
into its top speed of thirty miles light. But the undiffused sha-
160 GALAXY
NX
TO AVENGE MAN
the lock, but at sight of Sam the those behind. He’s worth more
words were cut off. He stared than the whole lot of them.”
about in the silence, feeling sud- “Yeah. He is. But my orders
denly awkward. specify that all men and the
“Hello, Sam,” Dr. Smithers maximum possible number of
said finally. He was a tall, spare robots must be returned.” Smith-
man of barely thirty, but seven ers twisted his lips savagely and
years of responsibility here had suddenly turned to face the ro-
etched deep lines into his face bot. “Sam, I’ll give it to you
and put gray in his mustache, straight. I can’t take you with
though his other hair was still us. We have to leave you here
jet black. “All right, Hal. Your alone. I’m sorry, but that’s how
things are on the ship. I cut it it has to be.”
fine waiting for you, so we’re “You won’t be alone, Sam,”
leaving at once. No more argu- Hal Norman said. “I’m staying.”
ments. Get out there!” Sam stood silently for a mo-
“Go to hell!” Hal told him. “I ment, letting it register. His cir-
don’t desert my friends.” cuits found it hard to integrate.
Other men began moving out. He had never thought of being
Sam stepped aside to let them separated from these men who
pass, but they seemed to avoid had been his life. Going back to
looking at him. Earth had been easy to accept;
Smithers sighed wearily. he’d gone back there once be-
“Hal, I can’t argue this with fore. Little hopes and future-pic-
you. You’ll go if I have to chain tures he hadn’t known were in
you. Do you think I like this? hismind began to appear.
But we’re under military orders But with those came memor-
now. They’re going crazy back ies of Hal Norman’s expressed
there. They didn’t find out about hopes and dreams. The man had
the expected attack until a week showed Sam a picture of his fu-
ago, as near as I can learn, but ture wife and tried to describe
they’ve already canceled space. all that such a creature meant to
Damn it, I can’t take him! We’re a man. He’d spoken of green
at the ragged limit of available fields and the sea. He’d raved
lift now, and he represents six about Earth too often during the
hundred pounds of mass — more days they were together.
than four of the others,” he raised Sam moved forward toward
hisarms slightly. Hal. The man saw him coming
Hal gestured sharply toward and began to back away, but he
the outside. “Then leave four of was no match for the robot. Sam
162 GALAXY
held his arms and closed the could understand, and even they
moonsuit, then gathered the made no sense. With the men all
man up carefully. Hal was strug- gone, there would be no spare
gling, but it did no good against time. There would be more than
Sam’s determination. he could possibly find time to
“All right, Dr. Smithers. We accomplish. The great solar ob-
can go now,” Sam told the Chief. servatory across the crater would
need tending, the selenographs
rT''hey were the last to leave would have to be checked and
the dome. The little black at least the routine reports from
robots were already marching allinstruments would have to be
across the surface, with the men sent off weekly. He should have
straggling along behind them. had hours of instructions, but
Smithers fell into step with Sam, now it looked as if there would
moving as if the burden was on be no time for more than hasty
his back instead of in the arms orders.
of the robot. Hal had ceased By the time the three reached
struggling. He lay outwardly the nearest ship, the other men
quiet; but through the suit, and the little robots were all
Sam’s body receptors picked up aboard. The Chief motioned Hal
sounds that he had heard only up the ramp. For a moment the
twice before on occasions he younger man hesitated. He
tried not to remember. They turned toward Sam, started to
were the sounds of a man trying make a motion, and then swung
to control his weeping. away and dashed into the ship,
Half way to the ships, faint his shoulders shaking convul-
words came over the radio. “Put sively.
Sam obeyed, and the three other had disappeared. The ra-
moved on together. Smithers’ dio brought the sound of a sigh,
hand touched Sam’s shoulder, before the man moved. But there
and the man’s words came were no words.
through his suit. “Thanks, Sam. “You haven’t given me my or-
Handling Hal was a favor I no ders,” Sam reminded him.
longer had the right to ask erf Smithers shook his head, as if
you. Well, it looks as if you’re coming out of some deeper
going to have a lot of time to thoughts ef his own. His lips
.” twitched into what might have
kill. And we . .
164 GALAXY
of the female man about whom news and entertainment from
he’d spoken so often, and Sam the relay on the orbital station,
stared at it, trying again to un- but no signal was coming
derstand. At last, he put it care- through. He debated calling
fully into a drawer, closing it them, but initiating such a call
away from view. was reserved for Smithers. And
The microbooks Hal had liked he was gone.
to keep near him were in the He was outside again, staring
same drawer, and they reminded at Earth the next time the famil-
Sam of Smithers’ last words. iar spots that should have been
“Don’t forget the books!” The citiesswam into the darkened
words seemed needless, since side of Earth. There were still
Sam could never forget unless no spots of lights. Even with the
ordered to do so. And the Chief small telescope used for the in-
had said there were no orders. frequent observations of Earth,
There wasn’t even an order he could detect no sign of the
against reading the books now. cities. There was only the hint
166 GALAXY
present-day persons or events is and think less as he went
entirely coincidental. He looked through it, it was fiction.
168 GALAXY
be unlocked the controls for the into operation to turn him on
atomic generator and turned it automatically.
down to lowest idling rate.
its A few minutes later he found
He came back, turning the now the hole. A meteoroid the size of
dim lights off as he moved. In an egg must have hit the surface
the main room, he put his favor- above. It had struck with
ite tape on the player and the enough force to blast a tiny cra-
copy of Swinburne in the micro- terlet almost completely through
reader. But he did not turn them the dome, and internal pressure
on. Instead, he dropped his had done the rest
heavy body quietly onto the He secured patching material
floor before the entrance, where and began automatically mak-
the men would be sure to see him ing the repairs. There was still
170 GALAXY
keeping strict radio silence. man who had first introduced
“All right,” he said slowly in- him to his place with men had
to the silence of the dome. “All put a hand on his metal shoul-
right, face it. Men aren’t coming der and smiled at him.
back for a robot. Ever!” “You’re unique, Sam,” he’d
It was a speech out of the fic- said. “A lucky combination of
tion he had read, rather than out all the wild guesses we used in
But somehow say-
of rationality. making each Mark One individ-
ing loudly made it easier to
it ually, as well as some unique
face. Men
could not come to him. conditioning among that first
He wasn’t that valuable to them. Base staff. We don’t dare dupli-
He shook his head over that, cate you but some day the
yet,
remembering the time he had circuit control computer is go-
been taken back to Earth after ing to want to get your pattern
twenty years out of the creche in full for later brains. So take
and on the Moon. The Mark One good care of yourself. I’d keep
robots had all been destroyed in you here, but ... You take care
the accidents and difficulties of of yourself, Sam. You hear me?”
getting the Base established, ex- Sam had nodded. “Yes, sir. Do
cept for Sam. Supposedly better you mean you can make other
Mark Two robots were sent to brains exactly like mine?”
replace them, but they had been “Technically, the control
beset by some circuit flaws that computer can duplicate your de-
made them more prone to acci- sign,” DeMatre had answered.
dent and less useful than the “It won’t be just like your brain
first models. More than a hun- — too many random factors in
dred had been sent in all and — any really advanced mechanical
none had remained. It was then mind unit — but with similar ca-
they called Sam back to study pabilities. That’s why you’re
him. worth more money than this
whole project without you.
nphere, deep in the security- You’re worth quite a few mil-
hidden underground robot lion dollars, and it’s up to you
development workshops, he had to see valuable property like
been tested in every way they that isn’t destroyed. Right,
knew to help them in designing Sam?”
the Mark Three robots. And Sam had agreed and been
there old Stephen DeMatre had shipped back to the Moon, along
interviewed him for three whole with the first of the Mark Three
days. At the end of that time, the robots. And maybe his trip back
TO AVENGE MAN 171
had been of some use, since the have found an answer. But even-
new models worked as well as tually he nodded.
their permitted.
limitations A motor from the big shop
They were far better than the could be fitted to a capsule. It
preceding models. would be barely strong enough.
Maybe he wasn’t valuable But the plating could be re-
enough to men for them to come moved to lighten the little ship;
for him now. But by DeMatre’s Sam needed no protection from
own words, he was one of their space. And
the automatic guid-
most valuable possessions. If it ance system could be removed to
was up to him to see that he make enough room for him. He
wasn’t destroyed, then it was up could operate it manually, since
to him also to see that he wasn’t his reaction and integrating
lost to men. times were faster than that of
If they couldn’t come for him, even the system.
he had to go to them. Fuel would be a problem,
The question was: How? He though there was enough oxy-
couldn’t project himself by gen in the dome storage tanks. It
mind power like John Carter. would have to be hydrogen,
He had to have a rocket! since he could find rocks from
With the thought, he went which that could be released by
dashing out through the en- the power of the generator. For-
trance and heading toward the tunately, lunar gravity was
old wreck. It stood exactly as it easier to escape than that of
had after the landing that had Earth.
ruined it, with half its hull plat- He went back to the dome and
ing ripped off and most of its found paper and pencil. He was
rocket motors broken. It could humming softly to himself as he
never be flown again. Nor could began laying out his plan. It
the old supply capsules. They wasn’t easy. He might not be
had burned out their tubes in skilled enough to pilot the
getting here, being of minimum strange craft to the station. And
construction. There wasn’t even it would take a great deal of
room inside one for him. time. But Sam was going to the
Sam considered it, making men who wouldn’t come to him!
measurements and doing the
hardest thinking of his exis- V
ence. Without the long study of
all the technical manuals of the t takes experience to turn
dome library, he could never I engineering theory into
172 GALAXY
practice. Almost three years had gers moved delicately, and fuel
passed since Sam’s awakening metered out to the cranky little
before the orbital station swam motor.
slowly into view before him. It was not a perfect match, but
And the erratic takeoff and he managed to catch himself in
flight had been one that no hu- the net around the entrance to
man body could have stood. But the hub. He pulled himself free,
now he sighted on the huge met- as the capsule drifted off, and
al doughnut before him, estimat- began scrambling up to the lock.
ing its orbit carefully. There A moment later, he was stand-
were only a few gallons of fuel ing in the weightlessness of the
remaining in the tanks behind receiving section. And from the
him, and he had to reach the sounds of his feet, there was still
landing net at the first try. air in the station.
His first calculations seemed He froze motionless as he let
wrong. He glanced down at the himself realize he had made it.
huge orb of Earth and flipped Then he began looking for the
sun filters over his eyes. Some- men who should have seen his
thing was wrong. The station approach and be coming to ques-
was not holding its bottom point- tion him.
ed exactly at the center of Earth There was no sound of steps or
as it should have done; it was of any other activity, except for
turning very slowly, and even his own movements. Nor was
its spin was uneven, as if the wa- there any light from the bulbs
ter used to balance it against above him. The only illumina-
wobbling had not been distribu- tion was from a thick quarts
ted properly. Beside it, the little port that faced directly into the
ferry ship used between station sun.
and ships from Earth was jerk- Sam cut on thelamp built in-
ing slightly on the silicone-plas- to his chest, and began sweeping
tic line that held it. the sections of the hub with its
Sam felt an unpleasant stir- light. Dust had formed a patina
ring in his chest where most of here, too. He sighed softly into
his brain circuits lay. But he the air. Then he moved toward
forced it down and computed his the outer sections, his step de-
blast for all the factors. He had termined.
learned something of the behav- Half-way down the tube that
ior of his capsule during the ran from the hub to the outer
minutes of takeoff and the later hull, Sam stopped and cut off
approach to the station. His fin- his light. Ahead of him there
again and was hunting down The floor was littered with
roadways and rivers for signs of tape that should have held a rec-
movement. But there was no evi- ord of all the communications
dence of man. And all of the received and sent, and the drive
ruins looked old and weathered, capstan on the tape player was
as if there had been no man to bent into uselessness. Sam lift-
176 GALAXY
. .
ed a section of tape and placed it The noise grew worse then, to-
in the slot that gave his face a tally ruining intelligibility. Sam
sad caricature of a mouth. The caught bits of what might have
tape sensors moved into place, been sentences, but they made no
and he began scanning the bit of sense to him; they seemed to be
plastic. It was blank, probably pure gibberish. Then suddenly a
wiped of any message by time small section of the tape against
and the unshielded transformer the hub became almost clear.
that was still humming below The voice was high-pitched
the contnpl panel. now, and overmodulated, as if
Most of the tape cabinet was the words had been too loud to
empty, and there was nothing be carried by the transmitter.
on tapes within. Sam ripped There was a strange, unpleasant
open drawers, hunting for some quality that Sam had never
evidence. He finally found a sin- heard in a human voice before.
gle tape in the cabinet dented by .all shiny and bright. But
.
178 GALAXY
to draw in the ferry, tie it down possible only because he had no
firmly to the hub against the need of air to breathe.
wobbling of the station, and con- Even the fuel turned out to be
struct a crude scaffolding around a problem. Thirty years of sit-
it. Then he discovered that the ting in the tanks had started a
hub was in the shadow of the slow process that resulted in
station too much of the time, small tarry filaments through-
making metal there brittle with out. Pint by slow pint, it had to
cold. The whole job had to be be filtered and refiltered until it
180 GALAXY
tanks. He lifted his head to look across the sea, the Moon seemed
for the birdshe expected, but he to ride on the waves, casting a
could see no sign of them. There silver road of light over the wa-
were only insects, buzzing and ter.
humming. Sam had read the word. Now
The sun had already set, he for the first time, he found an
noticed. Yet it was not yet dark. understanding of it. This was
There was a paling of the light, Beauty.
and a soft diffusion. He shook He sighed as he heaved him-
his head. Above him, tiny twink- self from the sand and began
ling spots began to appear. He heading along the shore in
had read that stars twinkled, but search of a road that would take
he had thought it only fiction. him westward. No wonder men
He had never been under the wanted to come back to defend
open sky of Earth before. a world where something like
Then a soft murmur of sound this could be seen.
reached him. He started away, to The moon rose higher as he
be drawn back to it. Slowly he moved on, its light now bright
realized it was a sound like the enough to give him clear vision.
description of that heard near He came over a small rise in the
the sea. He had never seen an ground and spotted what seemed
ocean, either. And now one lay to be a road beyond it. Beside
no more than a mile away. the road was a house. It was dark
He stumbled through the and quiet, but he swung aside,
woods in the growing darkness. going through a copse of woods
For some reason, he was reluc- to reach it and search for any
tant to turn on his light. Even- evidence of humanity.
tually he learned to make his The windows were mostly
way through the brush and broken he saw as he ap-
around the trees. The sound proached. And weeds had
grew louder as he progressed. grown up around it. There was a
It was dark when he reached detached building beside it that
the seashore, but there was a held a small car, by what he
hint of faint light to the east. As could see through the single
he watched, it increased. A pale dusty window. He skirted that
white arc appeared over the hor- and reached the door of the
izon and grew to a large circle. house; it opened at his touch, its
The Moon, he realized finally. hinges protesting rustily.
The waves rose and fell, boom- Inside, the moonlight shone
ing into surf. And far out through the broken windows on
TO AVENGE MAN 181
a jumble of furniture that was seemed to have drifted to the
overturned and scattered in no shoulder before they stopped or
order Sam could see. And there crashed.
were other things —
white things The sun was just rising when
that lay sprawled about on the Sam located the place where the
floor. factory and warehouse had
served as a legitimate cover for
IT e recognized them from the secret underground robot
^ the pictures in the books — project. Fire and weather had
skeletons of human beings. Two left only gutted ruins and rusty
small skeletons were tangled in things that had once been ma-
one comer with their skulls chines. But the section that
bashed in. A male skeleton lay housed the creche entrance now
near them, with the rusty shape stood apart from the rest, almost
of a knife shoved through a unharmed.
scrap of clothing between two Sam moved into it and to the
ribs. There was a revolver near metal door openly concealed
one hand. Across the room, a fe- among other such doors. He
male skeleton was a jumbled should probably not have known
pile of bones, with a small hole the combination, but men were
in the skull that could have often careless among robots. He
come from a bullet. had been curious enough to note
Sam backed out of the room. the details, and Sam did not for-
He knew the meaning of anoth- get. He bent to what seemed to
er word now. He had seen Mad- be an ornamental grille and
ness. called out a series of numbers.
Men had learned to build The door seemed to stick a lit-
The tires were slightly soft, but light, but the bulbs sprang into
they took the bumps of the rut- life as he found a switch.
ted little rail. Later, when Sam He called out once, but he no
found a better road, they lasted longer expected to find men so
under he punishment of high easily. The place had the feel of
speed. Most of the road was abandonment. And while it could
clear. There were few vehicles have protected its workers from
along its way, and most of those almost anything, there had been
182 GALAXY
only enough food and water either during construction or
stocked here for two weeks. during the initial period before
There were a few signs that it awakening. Everything that Sam
had been used for a shelter, but had been before awakening had
most of it was still in very good come from this. That pattern
order. would still be recorded, along
He movedpast offices and la- with what the great computer
boratories toward the back. The had learned of him during his
real creche, with its playrooms return here five years before
and learning devices was empty, men abandoned the Moon.
he saw. No robots had been re-
ceiving post- awakening training. Cam moved toward the ma-
Sam was not surprised. Most of ^2 chine, gazing in surprise at
the work here had been devoted theamount of work lying about.
to researchor the possibilities There were boxes of robot bodies
of robots.Actual construction crammed into every storage
was only a necessary sideline. space. They could never have
Usually the brain complexes had been assembled in such numbers
been created and tested without here during the periodhe re-
bodies, and then extinguished be- membered. And beyond lay
fore there had been a full shelves jammed with the com-
awakening. ponents for the brain complexes.
He started toward the educator With such supplies, enough ro-
computer out of his old habits. bots could be made to supply
But it was only a machine that the Lunar Base needs for genera-
had programmed his progress tions.
from prepared tapes and memory The computer itself was large-
circuits. It could not help him ly hidden far below, but its panel
now. came to life at his touch. It
Beyond the creche lay the waited.
heart of the whole affair. Here “This is Robot Ninety-Three,
the brain complexes were as- Mark One,” Sam said. “You
sembled from components ac- have authorization on file.”
cording to esoteric calculations. The authorization from Dr.
This was work that required a DeMatre should have been can-
computer that was itself intelli- celed. But the machine did not
gent to some extent. It had to switch on alarm circuits. A thin
make sense out of the desirable cable of filaments reached out
options given it by men, then and passed into Sam’s mouth slit.
form the brain paths needed. It retracted, and the speaker
TO AVENGE MAN 183
came to life. “There is authori- vehicles. Further instruction not
zation.What is wanted?” necessary.”
“What is the correct date?” Sam in amazement.
grunted
Sam asked. Then he grunted as He’d been surprised at how well
the answer came from the ma- he had controlled the landing
chine’s isotope clock. craft and then the car. But it
It had been more than thirty- had never occurred to him that
seven years since the men had such knowledge had been built
left the Moon. He shook his in.
head, and the robot bodies caught “All right,” he decided. “Start
his attention again. “Why are so broadcasting again on all the
many robots being built?” frequencies you can handle. If
“Orders were received for one you get any answers, find where
thousand robots trained to fly the sender is and record it. If
missiles. Orders were suspended anyone asks who is calling, say
by Director DeMatre. No orders you’re calling for me and take
have been received for removing any message. Tell them I’ll be
parts.” back in one month.” He started
“Do you know what happened to turn away, then remembered.
to the men?” Sam had little hope “Finished for now.”
of finding an easy answer any The machine darkened. Sam
more, but he had to ask. headed out to find a field some-
The machine seemed to hesi- where that might still have an
tate. “Insufficient data. Orders operable plane. But he was al-
were given by Director DeMatre ready beginning to suspect what
to monitor broadcasts. Broad- he would find.
casts were monitored. Analysis
is incomplete. Data of doubtful VII
coherence. Requests for more
data were broadcast on all fre- grew and flowers bloom-
rass
quencies for six hours. Relevant '-J ed. Ants built nests and
replies were not received. Re- crickets chirped in the soft sum-
quest further information if avail- mer night. The seas swarmed
able.” with marine lifeof most kinds.
“Never mind,” Sam told it. And reptiles sunned themselves
“Can you teach me how to fly on rocks, or retired to their holes
a plane?” when the sun was too hot.
“Robot Ninety-Three, Mark But on all the Earth, no warm-
One, was programmed with es- blooded animal could be found.
tablished ability to control all The Earth of man was without
184 GALAXY
form and void. The cities were the nine preceding issues.Be-
slag heaps from which radioac- major news seemed
fore that, the
tivity still radiated. No fires to involve a political campaign
burned on the hearthstones of in United South Africa.
the most isolated houses. The Other scattered small libraries
villages were usually burned, had papers that were no differ-
sometimes apparently by acci- ent Yet the only clue was in
dent, but often as if they had one of those places. It was a
been fired deliberately by their piece of paper resting under the
owners. hand of a skeleton that was scat-
The Moon was a thing of glory tered before bound copies of a
over Lake Michigan. It was the technical journal. The paper was
only glorious thing for six hun- covered with doodles and stained
dred miles. Four returned winged inwhat might have been blood.
rockets rested on a field in Flori- But the words were legible:
da, but there was no sign of what “Lesson for the day. Assign
had become of the men who to all students. Politics: Men
rode down from the station in could not win such a war and
them. One winged craft stood that is obvious. Chemistry: Their
forlornly outside Denver, and nerve gas was similar to one we
there was a scrawl in crayon in- tested in small quantities. It
side its port that spelled the seemed safe. Yet when they
worst obscenity in the English dropped it over us in both
language. Northern and Southern hemi-
There was a library still stand- spheres, it did not settle out as
ing in Phoenix, and the last the test batches had done.
newspaper had the dateline of Proved, that aerosols must be
the day when Sam had seen the tested in massive quantities.
lights brighten over the cities of Medicine: Bonny was in the
Earth. Most of the front page shelter with me three weeks, yet
was occupied by a large box there was still enough in the air
which advised its readers that to makeher die in the ecstasty
the government had taken over of a theophany. Geography: The
all radio communications during wind patterns have been known
the crisis and would broadcast for years. In three weeks, they
significant news on the hour. The reach all the Earth. Psychology:
paper was cooperating with the I am mad. But my madness is
government in making all such that I am become only cold
news available by broadcast logic without a soul. Therefore,
only. The same box appeared in I must kill myself. Religion:
186 GALAXY
There had not even been a VIII
purpose to it. They hadn’t want-
ed the Earth for themselves. Tie shouted back audibly and
They had simply come and * -*-by radio and was on his feet,
slaughtered, to depart as sense- running toward the sound. His
lessly as they had departed be- feet crashed through the brush
fore. and he leaped over the rubble,
Sam beat his fist against his making no effort to find the
leg until the metal clanged easy path. As he stopped to listen
through the night. Then he lifted again, he heard the sound, di-
his other fist toward the stars rectly ahead, but even weaker.
and shook it. A minute later he almost stum-
It was wrong that the alien in- bled over the caller.
vaders should escape from pun- It was a robot. Once it had
ishment. been slim and neat, covered with
They had come with fire and black enamel. Now it was bent
pestilence, and they should be and bare metal was exposed. But
found and overcome with all that it was still a Mark Three. It lay
188 GALAXY
body. But in other ways, he must lips again, and the eyes closed.
have developed a great deal since Then abruptly they snapped
the days on the Moon. Time, open, and Smithers tried to sit
experience and the companion- up. “Sam! You really are Sami
ship of men had shaped him far How’d you get here?”
beyond what Sam remembered.
Then they were in a little oe had been fussing over a
hollow beside a brook, and J little fire, drawing supplies
there was a small tent pitched from the cart. Now he hobbled
beside a cart. Sam released Joe up with a bowl of some broth
and headed for the shelter. and began trying to feed the
Moonlight broke through the man. Smithers swallowed a few
trees and fell on the drawn suf- mouthfuls dutifully, but his eyes
fering of a human face just in- remained on Sam. And he nod-
side the tent. ded as he heard the summary
It took long study to find of the long struggle back to
familiar features. At first nothing Earth. But when Sam told of
seemed right. Then Sam traced the landing, he slumped back
the behind the long
jawline onto his pad.
beard and gasped in recognition. “I’m glad you made it. Glad
“Dr. Smithers!” I got a chance to see you again
“Hello, Sam.” The eyes open- before I give up the last ghost
ed slowly, and a pain-racked on Earth. I couldn’t figure that
smile stretched the lips briefly. radio signal Joe heard. Knew it
“I was just dreaming about you. couldn’t be a human call, but I
Thought you and Hal got lost never thought of you making it
190 GALAXY
—
rational. Samsoothed him and He’s finished. He dies, and the
sang to him, while Joe tried to universe won’t even know he’s
give him nourishment that was gone.”
loaded with morphine. Now even “We’ll know,” Joe said softly.
Sam could see that the man was Smithers dropped back onto
near death. The pulse was the pad. “Yeah. Maybe that
thready and the breathing helps. We had our faults, but I
seemed too much for the worn guess there must have been a
body. lot of —
good in us, too there had
In the morning, however, to be, if we could make two
Smithers was rational again. He people like you. God, I’m tired!”
managed a smile. “Man goeth to He closed his eyes. A few min-
his long home, and the mourn- utes later, Sam knew he was
ers won’t go about the streets this dead.
time. There won’t be any mourn-
ers.” nphe two robots waited to be
“There will be two,” Sam told sure, and then wrapped the
him. body in the tentand buried it,
“Yes.” Smithers thought it while Sam recited the scraps of
over and nodded. “That’s good, the burial service he had picked
somehow. A man hates not be- up from his reading.
ing missed. I guess you two will Sam sat down then where
have to take on all the debts of Smithers had died, staring at the
the human race now.” world where no man would ever
His breath caught sharply in live again. And the knot in his
his throat, and he retched weak- brain complex grew stronger and
ly. But he forced himself up on colder. He could not see the stars
his elbows and looked out in the light of the day. But he
through the flap of the tent to- knew they were there. And some-
ward the hills that showed where out there was the debt
through the shrubbery and the —
Smithers had given him a debt
blue of the sky beyond. of justice that had to be paid.
“There are a lot of debts and Saucers, Boskone, the Eich
a lot of broken promises, Sam, whatever they were, the evil
Joe.” he said. “Man had prom- alien monsters must be repaid to
ised to write some great things the last full measure for the foul-
into the future of this universe. ness they had done and which
He was going to conquer the stars man could no longer settle with
and even make a better scheme them.
for everything. But he failed. Anger and hate grew slowly in
TO AVENGE MAN 191
—
him against the enemy from the ery that had robbed the universe
stars, until he could no longer of that rac$. They would learn
contain his emotions. His radio that the universe held an enemy,
message was almost a scream as a race of technological monsters
he roused the computer. that must be sought among the
“You’ve got a thousand robot stars and exterminated to the
bodies waiting. Can you build last individual.
brains for them, modelled after They would comb the entire
the records of my brain? Can you galaxy for that enemy if they
build them without the limits you had to. And someday, mankind’s
used for later models? Do you debt of justice would be paid.
have materials for that?” Man would be avenged.
“Such a program is feasible,” Sam looked up at the sky and
the machine answered. foreswore all robots for all time
—
“Then start ” Sam began. But to that debt of vengeance.
his eyes fell on the wreck of
Joe’s body, and he modified his IX
order. “No, save one body to re-
place another robot I’ll bring you. T Tate spewed across the uni-
Start work at once on all the verse in a high crusade.
others.” Metal ships leaped from star to
“The program is begun,” the star and hurtled across the im-
machine agreed. mensities between the far-flung
Nine hundred and ninety-nine galaxies. The ships spawned in-
should be enough. They wouldn’t cessantly, and with each went
be just like him, Sam realized; the holy image of their faith and
DeMatre had said there was a the unsated and insatiable hun-
random factor. But they would ger of their hate.
do. The first group could find A thousand stars yielded the
raw materials for ten thousand dead and ancient wreckage of
more, and those for still more. races that had once achieved
There would be robots enough to technology. Five hundred suns
study all the books men had left, gave light to intelligent races
and to begin the long trip out in- quiet, peaceful races with back-
to space. ward cultures. The great ships
This time, there would be more dropped onto their worlds and
than a tape education for them. went away again, leaving peoples
Sam would be there to tell them throughout the galaxies filled
the story of man, the glory of with gratitude and paying hom-
the race, and the savage treach- age to the incredibly beautiful
192 GALAXY
images of the supernal be ng :
great Hall of Art that lifted its
called Man. But still the quest fairy beauty across the park. It
went on. was the eighth opus of their
greatest living composer an —
n a great temple palace on the early work, but magnificent
still
eda Galaxy, Sam stared down For the moment his shoulders
at a long table piled with little slumped faintly. His emotions
scraps of evidence. One graceful blended with the half -bitter
finger of his lithe seventeenth memories of other discoveries.
body stirred some of the scraps There had been the first visit to
and he bent closer to read what —
Mars a Mars where no John
was left of the ancient writing. Carter could ever have fought
Then he looked up and across green men for the hand of the
at the great scientist who had incredible Dejah Thoris. There
just returned from the ancient had been star after star, with no
mother world of Earth, incred- friendly Arisians, no gallant
ible light-years away. dragon-folk to join against the
“That is how the human race undiscovered menace of Boskone.
died?” Sam asked quietly. “You And for a thousand years, as fic-
are quite sure?” tion paled before reality, there
The scientist nodded. “Quite had been the growing doubt in
sure. Even with a hundred mil- his mind. Now the last effort to
lion workers, it took us fifty years make himself believe the legend
to gather all this on Earth. It he had created was spent.
has been so badly scattered, so “There is no Enemy now,” the
nearly ruined. But no truth from scientist said from behind him.
the past can be completely con- “There can be no doubt. Man
cealed from our present methods was his own destroyer. He killed
of research. Man died as I said.” himself. In a sense, his race was
Sam sighed softly and moved the one we are sworn to kill.”
to the window. Outside it was
summer, and the trees were in am leaned further out the win-
blossom, competing with the S dow. Below, the throng of
bright plumage of the birds busy, laughing people looked up
brought from far Deneb. The at him and cheered. There were
gardens were a poem of color. a dozen races in the park, min-
He bent forward, sniffing the gled with a majority of his
blended fragrance of the flowers. people. He smiled and lifted his
Strains of music came from the hand to them, then bent further
TO AVENGE MAN 193
out, until he could just see the the other, chosen by man, intel-
great statue of Man that reared ligence grew from the aggression*
heavenward over the central part of savagery and thrust the race
of the temple palace. He sighed ahead to great discoveries while —
again and inclined his head, be- building the means to the inevit-
fore backing from the window. able final aggression that must
“How many know this besides destroy itself utterly.
you, Robert?” he asked. Man had failed, like all other
“None. It was gathered in too races grown from killing strains
small fragments, until I could of animal life. But in dying, he
assemble it into a meaningful had passed on part of his soul to
pattern.” another race that had been de-
Sam smiled at him. “Your signed without his mighty pas-
work was well done, and there sions. Somehow he had passed
will be ways to reward you for it on the driving anger of his spirit
properly. But now I suggest that of his true children, the robots.
we bum this evidence.” And
they had carried on.
“Burn it!” Robert’s voice rose. The had been a created
robots
“Burn this evidence and shackle race, race designed only to
a
our race to superstition forever? serve, able to live in perfect
Our entire lives have been peace and without ambition.
shaped to fit a cult of vengeance. They had owned no heritage.
Now we can free ourselves. This But through an accident of fic-
is our heritage, Sam —
we can tion and a few dying words, men
be ourselves!” had left them a rich heritage.
Sam ran his finger through the Anger had carried them
evidence again. There was pity throughout the stars, and hatred
in his mind for the scientist, but had bridged the spaces between
more for the strange race of man the galaxies.
whose true nature had finally “You’re mistaken, Robert,”
been revealed in fact. Man had Sam said. “Vengeance is our her-
missed owning the universe by itage. Burn .the evidence.”
so little! But the fates of that Most of the material was tin-
universe had conspired against der dry, and it caught fire at
him. The fates had offered two the first spark. For a few seconds,
roads to intelligence.one,In it was seething pillar of
a
there was the quiet growth that flame. Then there was only a
led to pastoral life and gentle dark scar on the wood to show
pleasures, but somehow never the true death of man.
got beyond its native planet. In —
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194 GALAXY
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