Page 130 - Astounding Pulp V2
P. 130

130                   ASTOUNDING  SCIENCE-FICTION
                                                                                                                                                                                                     131
                                                                                                                                                        GRAY  LENS1-1A N
                                                                                                                                                                  were  being  equipped  with  super~Ber.-
                                                                                                                                                                  genholms  and  with  driving  p_roject?rs.
                                                                                                                                                                  The  negasphere,  the  mo_st  mcred1ble
                                                                                                                                                                  menace  to  naviaation  which  had  ever
                                                                                                                                                                  existed  in  space~ was being  patrolled  by
                                                                                                                                                                  a  cordon  of guard  ships.    .
                                                                                                                                                                    !\  d  all  this  activity  cente1·ed  111  one
                                                                                                                                                                  va~/~rn-lding and culminated  in <:>ne  man
                                                                                                                                                                    P  ·t \\cJmiral  I-Jaynes.  Galacllc  coun-
                                                                                                                                                                  -   0 1   ,   .   f   ff   And  H aynes
                                                                                                                                                                  cilor  and  ch1ef  o  sta  .   b   -e  he
                                                                                                                                                                  could  not get  enough  to  eat  tcau::,
                                                                                                                                                                          .      ,  , set o[ teeth .
                                                                                                                                                                  wa:,;  cuttmg  a  nc\\   .    f  them
                                                                                                                                                                    H e  cut  them,  all  thirty-two  o   t .
                                                                                                                                                                                         rfectly  even  °
                                                                                                                                                                  His  new  limbs_  grew  pe   '-d,at  had
                                                                                                                                                                        .    H air  arew  upon  "
                                                                                                                                                                         1
                                                                                                                                                                  the  na1 s.      ~  .   .  anse of pate.
                                                                                                                                                                  for  years  been a  sh111111g  e:'p  .   Id
                                                                                                                                                                                ]  acy's  rehef,  it  was  o
                                                                                                                                                                  But,  much  to  ~  ·I . ·!1 covered  the  new
                                                                                                                                                                    .
                                                                                                                                                                   I
                                                                                                                                                                               "''  1 ·t .  I aii·  not  brown,
                                                                                                                                                                            .
                                                                                                                                                                                    ·
                                                                                                                                                                  s ,111.  n  ot )·ouna  \\  11c   .  '.
                                                                                                                                                                  ).  I   It  was  w 11e ,   '         f
                                                                                                                                                                   1111  JS.   '   .   the  alossiness  o
                                                                                                                                                                  that  was  dulhng    cl  "'His  bifocal!),
                                                                                                                                                                                    I  ,ea  .
                                                                                                                                                                  II    ,•  bal<l  old   still  necessary  i  ·r  I  ,e
                                                                                                                                                                  - ayne::,
                                                                                                                                                                  unchanged,  were_.  o- clearly. near  or  far.
                                                                                                                                                                  were  to see an~11h1nf  I animals  aged  and
                                                                                                                                                                    .. O t ff experimen  a   I  ·  d  a ra-
                                                                                                                                                                                ,,  I acy  exp a111e
                                                                                                                                                                                                   b
                                                                                                                                                                             11
                                                                                                                                                                  died  nonua  Y,   :   eginnin«  to  won-
                                                                                                                                                                   •   J   ··but  I  wa::,   1  J   b
                                                                                                                                                                  c10u~ y.      re ·uvenated  you  two,  or
                                                                                                                                                                  der  1f  we  had   J   .··u,  eternal  life
                                                                                                                                                                                         1
                                                                                                                                                                     I
                                                                                                                                                                  per 1aps  en  dowed  you  "          ·
                                                                                                                                                                                     new parts  have  the
                                                                                                                                                                                  I
                                                                                                                                                                  Glad  to  se~  that t ,e  the  rest  of you-
                                                                                                                                                                  same  1)hys1cal~t 1re :.~1barrassing  to have
                                                                                                                                                                  it  would  be   1111   (  Y   to  aet  rid  of
                                                                                                                                                                  to  kill  two  G ray  L ens111en   b
                                                                                                                                                                  them."     ·,,   en  as  fHnny  as  a  n1b-
                                                                                                                                                                    l,You  arens  ev            ' " II
                                                                                                                                                                       .   h ,,  1-l aynes  grunted.  __ · v\ . 1en
                                                                                                                                                                  ber  ci ufc  '.   to  aive  young  h .111111s011
                                                                                                                                                                  are  you  gpmg   "'       1·   ti  t
                                                                                                                                                                         ·I·.?  Don't you  rea 1ze
                                                                                                                                                                  the  ,,·01  ,::; ·             1a  we
                                                                                                                                                                  need  him ?"   now-just as soon  as we
                                                                                                                                                                              11
                                                                                                                                                                    " P retty  soo  v.on  your  psyc 10 og1ca  ex-
                                                                                                                                                                                           I  I  .  1
                                                                                                                                                                  o-ive you  anc  1
                                                                                                                                                                  e,    ~   ,,
                                                                                                                                                                  a1ninations. T l  t  isn 't  necessary- my
                                                                                                                                                                    ··]3ah !   ,a
                                                                                                                                                                     .  ,  QX !"       .
                          A t  the  first  faint  touch  of  Kim's  ~ind,  th~.  E icp                                                                            bral11  s  .   t,at  )'Ou  th111k,  but what  do
                          reacted.  T entacles' like steel  whips lashed  out t9 bind                                                                               ··T hat s  w      .               .
                                                                                                                          Primary  projectors  were  111ade  to. take       about  bra111s?  Worse)  will
                                                                                                                                                                                          •  1  ·r
                          and  hold  him, to drag  him into the frowning  fort_rf!ss...:..._                                                          1            OU  know  <
                                                                                                                         even  higher  loads,  for  longer  t nnes.   Y   1  1  shape your  mmt -  1  any-
                                                                                                                                                                  tell  us  \A'  ia
                                                                                                                                                                                                      .
                                                                                                                          New  and  heavier  Q-type  helices  were   .. ,,
               had  previously  amassed  an  almost  in-  Weapons,  suppos·e~ly  of  "irresistible
               exhaustible supply  of wealth, for  its "re-  power,  were  made  even  q:iore  powerful.                 designeEl  and  built.  Larger  and  more   JS ~l~l~e  Velantian  put  both  Ilayn_es  and
                                                                                                                         destructive  duodec  bombs  were  hurl_ed       hendorfi  through  a  gruelmg e:x-
               serves  of  expe-n<lible  credit"  were  nm-  Screens  already  " impe-nefrable"  were                                                             von   Bo      .          •   .  <l
                                                                                                                         against  already  ruined, . torn,_  and  quiv-  · ,ation  find mg  t ,at t 1eir  min  s  hau
                                                                                                                                                                                         1
                                                                                                                                                                                    1
               uing like  water.                        stiffened  into even greater stubbQrnness.                                                                a1n11    ,
                                                                                                                         eriilg  test  planets.  Unmhab1te<l  worlds
                                                                                                                           AST-9
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