Page 113 - Astounding Pulp V2

112 ASTOCXDL ·c SCIEXCE-FICTJOX
GRAY LE.· .t.\ .·
ply bccau c he wa- not yet clC\:-c t·n ui;h y ur $Cr n and ·ec "h~th('r r n
to work efficiently. an make him tdl the truth:·
Closer he crept. Closer. T h1.:rc \\ ere :\ it1.'r all, th, man mi ht n t I ' I) i, -·
pits beneath the pa vcmcnt. he oh,t· n eel, Th(' fat·t t h;\t h1..• ct uld undcr-.t3nd ~
big enough to hold a pecclstcr. Tr~p:-. :-tr:rngc bnuu:-i.g<' mc:ull nt,thin ~ 3t 31 .
He a,·oided them. There were ,·arwus :\II Lt'll$1ll ·u c1..mlJ.
mechanisms within the blank wall:; h ·· But in c:lse he sl1(>111d ht:- th 0ne " '
skirted. More traps. H e a \'Oidecl t ht.'m. :--ct'k- '' The Ch ('dt,rrl hc:-itatcd.
Photo cells, trigger beam . im·i:-ihlc " \\'c " ill :--ct' to it th3t n harm c n •-.
rays, networks. He a,·oidccl them ::ill. to you-··
Close enough.
.. ,Y c:tnn\1t.·· the ;( inth-th' l'=-. -
cht 11 ,g i::-t-br1 ,\-.c In. .. b1..•f on.· ~• )
D ELlCATELY he sent out a lllt'ntal
.:.-CrCl'I\ i$ rcl\·asc l I :-ll~~l':-l lhc l \\ • (}lh:,-
probe, and almost in the in tanl of its
t io11 him n·rhalh ·. u;1~i"r th<' infim::m.·'
sending, cables of steel came wltippin~ of the dnig- " hi,.:h t"t'thl r$ it im\ • ::-i~,• •
from afar. He percei,·ed them as they
f r any w:1.n n-bl..K1lh:d o~y~cn br ·~th~r
came. but he was unable to doclg-c t hc1;1
t te ll an~·thing c~n-pt · the t'1.."lHl l t~
all. His projectors flamed brie fly . only truth."
to-be sheared away. The cables w rapped T he . uggcstion. ~o emi11c.:1nl_· ~
about his limbs, binding him fa t. I-ldp-
l>le . wa::: 3.d ptc.:d f rth w ilh.
less, he was carried through the atmos- " Ar · u t h l .t>nsman " h ha$ m, k
phere, into the dome, through a u ~ir
it p ' ibl f r th l ::tt1·o l t dd,·~ u, ont
lock into. a chamber housing much grimly of the T -l111ri:rn ,::i.1::i.xy ?.. cam tit
unmistakable apparatus. A nd in the
sh:irp demand.
council room, where the nine of Bos- , . T o , ,,·a- ,e ~u •• 't11•pr·1si p
I
fl
"
l
" I\ J .1
kone and one armored Delg;onian On:r- • -
reply.
lord held meeting, a commun icator " \ Vho a rc yo 11, then ?·· ,.
buzzed and snarled.
" Philip l\'.foro·a11. class of-
t:-
, . ,
...
"A11 !" exclaimed Eichmil. '·Our visi- "Oh , this will tak e fo rc:·e-r · . snapp .... ~
tor has arrived and is awaiting· tis in the Ninth. " L et me qnc-:.- 10 1:1 h un. Can
the Delgonian hall of question. ha ll I nun s •' ' a11d
"t ·a d 1stanc
. d
?''
•
1
we meet agam, t 1ere. you con tro -·· '
without previou~ trteoaotns,t•'.01t11'0: )' e ·. • It
They did so; they of the E ich a nno re<l " If the)· a re not ~ 0 •.
·
· -cholo v can do
against the poisonous ox ygen, the Over- of u :; , 1Jccial,sls in P > 0 0 -
·
5
lord naked. All wore screens.
that." I · O vc:d o rd ! ..
"Earthling, we are glad indeed to sec "G t ·1· upon um,
you here," the First of Boskone wel- r o o wo1_" 11 , t·eassurecl D elgonia n
f he now tu ) d battle of
comed the prisoner. "For a Ion.-.· time :r. 1 . 5 crcen an a c
. . b s napped ofi u s .. ade the subether
we have been anxious rndecd-" . d ,:vh1c 1
1 rn
11
,n s ensue . . alLhotwh he no
-
The fury of the beams rebounded in scintillat- "I don't see how that can be," the b 1 F . K1nmson. 0 ·u
01
1 t tl·,e t ruth was, s t1
01 .
ing t orrents. shot off in b1inding .streamers- Lensman blurted. " I j ust graduated. longer knew "•' 1<l )" t·t of his menta l
My first big assignment, and I have d lar e · l"
00
failed," he ended bitterly. possesse a 1 1 Delo·onian's inin<l, as ha s
O
that any L e nsman could work without He. would not th ink into that base p ower, and t. e d clear was a capable
his Lens. T hat ~ould expla.in far too until he was far enough away_f1:om Wor◄ A start of surprise swept around the a lready been ma e '
1nuch_ of w h at had a lready h appened. sel so that the Velantian's h1dmg place, circle. Could this be? one indeed. l "Earth -
"D . t I" came the conun a nc .
Furthermore, it was a n ecessity in the if ·it were not already known, would not "He is lying," E ichmil 'decided. es1s . d ?"
1
only really convincing role· which I<:.i·n.J be revealed. He did not then know that "You of Delgon, take him out of his 111an, w ·I at hapr1ene · .
. ,, Kinnison rep. lied truth-
.
armor." The Overlord did so, the Tel- 1
1 - •
· • · ·l
nison could play in the event of his cap A that such a being as Worsel existed;_ he "Not ung, of us could res1st t 1e ot le t ,
"E
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tur e. did not think into the stronghold s1m• . lurian's strugg·les meaningless to the ful_lyh. acld1 penetrate or control..,
• reptile's superhuman strengt h. "Release 11e 1t er cou