Page 144 - Astounding Pulp V2

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144 ASTOUNDING SCI ENCE-r-CCTION GRAY LENS11AN 145

ciLadels would now be automatic only, of mass sufficient to balance the posi- shjp,_ ~nd more; and our supplies and have reported fully. J:Ie will hpve in~
that no life had endured through that tive material of the universe we know. munitions are close at hand. \ Ve will valuable data upon whtcl: to wo_rk, and
awful flood of lethal radiation: but he It is conceivable that by hyperspatial wear them down- blast them out- the 111 ·uch time before even his outlying for-
\\'as taking no chances. Out flas hed the explorations and manipulations the Tel- T elurian Galaxy shall yet be ours !" tresses can be threatened. ·
penetrant super rays and the fortresses, luria11s have discovered that other 11ni- " From our viewpoint, we cannot re-
too. ceased to exist save as the impalj)a- verse and have transported some of its ADMIRAL HAYNES spent almost every fuse battle if his fleet is there. It would
ble infradust of space. substance into ours." waking h~ur setting up and knocking be suicidal for us ~o e~ter that Galax~,
leavino- intact outside it a fleet as pow-
And the massed Grand Fleet of the "Can they manufacture it?" E icl1111il clown tactical problems in the practice
Galactic Patrol. remaking its formation. dcma,~decl. tank, and gradually his expression erful :s that one is bound to be."
h_urtled outwarcl through the intergalac- "The probability that such material changed from one of strained anxiety to "Why? Harrying us from th~ rear
. o-1 t be bothersome, but I don t see
tic void .. can be manufactured is exceedingly one of pleased satisfaction. He went 1111::, 1 . ,,
small," \\'as the studied reply. "An en- over to his sealed-band transmitter, how it could be disastrous.
XXIV. " Not that. They could, and would,
tirely new mathematics \\'Ould be neces- called all communications officers, and
'·Tl!i;;y are not fools. I am not so sary. In all probability they fo11nd ordered: attack Tellus."
sure-" Eichmil had said · and when the it already existent.'' "Each vessel will direct its longest- ''01 -I never thouaht of that. But
fl
1
?"
::,
lci$t force ball, his last 1~eans oE inter- "\Ve must find it also. then. and at range detector, at highest possible power, couldn't they, anyway-t\\~O eets,- -
galaqic communication went dead the once.'' centrally upon the objective galaxy. "No. H e knows that f ell us ,s , ier1
F· , , strono-ly held. and that this is no orch-
_' irst of Boskone became very unsure "\ Ve will try. Bear -in mind, how- T he first observer to find enemy activity
"'fl et He will have to concentrate
·
mdecd. The Patrol undoubtedly had ever. that the field is large. and do not w(ll report it instantly to us here. \N~ nary e .
something new-he himself had had be optimistic of an early success. r otc. will send out a general C. .B., at which everythi11g be has up?n eith~r one or
glimpses of it-but what \\'as it ? also. that the substance is not necessary every vessel will cease blasting at once, the other-it is almost 111conce1vable that
That Jalte's liase was gone 'was obvi- -perhaps not even desirable- in a de- remaining motionless until further or- he would divide his forces.''
ous. That Boskone·s hold upon the fensive action." der:;." He then called Kinnison. ''QX. I said th.at you're the brains
I"
Tellurian Galaxy was gone, followed as "Why not?" "Look here," he directed tbe atten- o-f the outfit, and you -a re· .
a corollary. That the Patrol was or "Beca11se. by directing pressors tion of the younger man into the "Thanks, lad. At the first sign of
\~ould 0011 be wiping out Boskone's re- against such a bomb, J alte actually 1:educer, which now repesented inter- detection, we stop. The_y n~ay be able
~ional and planetary units was a logical ptilled it into his base, precisely where galactic space, with a portion of the Sec- to detect us·, but I doubt it, s1?ce :\•e are
-.
for them with special mstru-
oo ,mg
rnference. Star A Star that accursed the enemy wished i_t to go. As a sur- ond Galaxy filling one edge. '·J have I 1 . u Jh
director of Lensmen. ha<l-rnust have- prise attack, against those ignorant of a solution, but its practicabiljty depends ments. But that's immatenal. vv at
succeeded in stealina Jalte's records to its true nature, such a weapon would upon whether or not it calls for the im- I want to know is, ca~ yot'. an? your
he willing to destr;y out of hand 'the be effective indeed; but against us it possible from you, \ i\lorsel, and your.. crew split the fleet, malong tv.io ~1g. hol-
th1
base which had housed them. · will prove a boomerang. All that is Rigellians. You remarked at the start low hemispheres of it ? Let s gr_oup
Nor could Boskone do anything to needful is to mount tractor heads upon that I knew my tactics. I wish that I o-f ambers represent the enemy. Smee
help_ Lhe underlings, now that t he long- pressor bases, and thus drive the boml,. knew more-or at least could be cer- they know that ·we will have to carry
awaited attack upon Jarnevon itself was back upon those who send them.·• l t tain that B_oskone and I agree upon the battle to them, they_ will probably
be in fairly close format10n. Set your
almost certainly coming. L~t them come did not occur, even to the coldest sci- what constitutes good tactics. I feel two hemispheres-the_ reds-there ~nd
- ~oskone was ready. Or was it- entist of them all, that that bomb had quite safe in assuming, however, that we there. Close in, mak111g a sphere, like
qurte? Jatte·s defenses had been strong, been of planetary mass. Not one o( -the shall meet their Grand Fleet well out- this-englobing their whole fleet. Cau
hut they had not withstood that un- Eich suspected that all that remained side the Galaxy- "
,ou do it ?"
.
.
known weapon even for seconds. of the entire world upon which Jalte's "Why?" asked the startled K innison. ) Kinnison whistled througl~ his t~~ h ,
Eichmil called a joint meeting of Bos- base had stood was a handful of me- ''If I were E ichmil, I'd pull every ship , . low unmelodious whist.le. es
kone and the Academy of Science. teorites. I had in around Jarnevon and keep it a ;p,g, • I hief sup -
'
'\,__ >-1t I,,..lono's brazen caws, c
~Idly and precisely he told them every- "Let them come, then," the F ir;,t of there; they can't force engagement with --v :-.. . ?" .
they catch you at it.
thing that he had seen. Discussion fol- Boskone announced grimly. '·Their de- l1$ !" - poseH tl,ey ;, If you were using ·
lowed. pendence upon a new and supposedly ·~Poor tactics. The very presence of .. ow can · .
·nstead of double-en(led, tight-
"Negative matter beyond a doubt,'' a unknown weapon explains what would their fleet out in space will force us to detectors, l
·ncJers how 111any of our own ves-
b ean1
b1
?"
,
::;cientist summed up the consensus of otherwise be insane tact_ics. \i\Tith that engage, and decisively at that. F rom sels could you locate.
opinion. "It has long been s_urmised thal weapon impotent, they can110t possibly his viewpoint, if he defeats us there, "That's right, too-less th~n one per-
in sonic oLhcr, perhaps hyperspatial uni- win a long war waged so far from their that ends it. If he loses. that is only his cent of them. T hey couldn t tell that
verse there mu,-t exist negative matter bases. We can match them ship for first line of defense. His observers will