A. Merritt's Fantasy Magazine, October 1950 — page 111: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

108 A. MERRITT’S FANTASY “We had three prime objectives, Bull.” His voice was restrained and hard. “The base. The Valiant. You can guess the third?” Speechless, Dr. Bull nodded. “Taurus is. vital to our plan,”’ the pirate told him. “First, because of its strategic military importance, with your zuns com- manding ‘the Moon and the Earth and passage between them. But the vital item is TAU. “The main transmitters at the base and aboard were sabotaged before we could take them. Control of TAU is essential, to codrdinate our several secret organi- zations on Earth, and for the broadcast of scientific propaganda to check resistance on Earth and prevent any hostile action from the other planets.” . Scarr’s grin was ferocious. “You understand, therefore, that I’ve got to have Taurus—1intact !” Dr. Bull’s round face was pale, but his eyes had a calculating glint. He asked shrewdly: ‘‘What’s in it for me ?”’ “Your life,” the pirate told him. ‘So fong as you are useful to me. I won’t fail, Bul. The Iron Watch is everywhere. Nearly ten thousand important men will be seized, shot, or bombed, when I give the order over TAU.” His clenched fist rose, in an alarming salute. “If you aren’t with me—” sad Bs AGAINST you.” Dr. Bull nod- ded uneasily, and licked his pale lips. “Taurus is mine, Scarr. I’ve fought the IMA and the ICC and the patrol, for it. If’—he gulped noisily—‘“if that’s your best offer—I'll fight you, too.” The pirate grinned. “You can’t fight. I'll give you thirty seconds.” “TI don’t need thirty seconds.” Dr. Bull stood up before the iconoscopes, trembling in the bright uniform. “If you aren’t mov- ing out of my territorial space in thirty seconds, my forts will open fire.” Grinning, unalarmed, Scarr’s face faded from the screen. Dr. Bull snatched up a telephone, called his commander. “Berg!” His voice was cracked and breathless. ‘‘The Valiant is in the hands of pirates. Open fire with all your guns.” “Yes, Dr. Bull.” But the commander’s voice sounded flat and strained. Dr. Bull suddenly won- dered if the Iron Watch had organized men on Taurus also—agents could have come, among the flood of visitors; some of the officers had always spent too much in the casinos. Apprehensively, Dr. Bull picked up the telephone again. It was dead. He dropped it, listening for the great guns. All the planetoid weuld tremble to their stunning recoil. But they failed to fire. He hurried back to the telescope, found the Valiant again. Sliding down against the stars, it was so huge that a small part of it filled the field of the instrument. Dr. Bull stared in cold fascination at the ominous details of a jutting turret. Still the forts didn’t fire. Dr. Bull snatched up another telephone. He shouted into it, cursed, screamed. No response. He remembered that Scarr’s first principle of attack was to secure com- munications. Cold fear trickled down his spine. He snapped on a convenient telescreen. That was all right. The armored world- ship of the Planeteer careered across the screen. The black-bearded hero leveled his trusty ion-guns against the traitorous IMA officials and their unholy allies, the octopusmen from the invading comet. The film was still running, and TAU was intact—because Starr wanted it in- tact. But the studio and transmitter were already isolated from the rest of Taurus. And, for all Dr. Bull knew, there might be members of the Iron Watch among the engineers or the actors and musicians in the tower itself—suddenly he regretted an) (C 6)(0)©) Ss (C(O)