Adventures in the Far Future & Tales of Outer Space — page 117: what you’re looking at

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

planet they grow on, because cosmic rays reduce them to an unpalatable pulp. Nobody’s ever been able to make a vistek seed grow away from the planet Maiden—and that’s on the other side of the Galaxy.” Kit urged him to continue. “There’s one way it could have gotten there,” Brent told her quietly. “A transmitter. A transmitter of matter. In theory that would be instantaneous. But so far as the Profession Knows it’s never been done. But vistek on Khem IV proves it has been done.” “It follows,” said Kit sagely. “Of course!” “A transmitter on Maiden, and a receiver-transmitter on Khem IV. There’s a tyranny on Khem IV. There’s a barbarous empire out at Maiden. There’s an emperor with an aristocracy and torture chambers and an army and navy. Right?” “So my father said,” she agreed. “He’d have delusions of grandeur,” said Brent sourly. “It’s an occupational disease of emperors. He’d have ambitions to make an empire that would include all humanity. It’s been proved that it won’t work, but he’d think he could work it. And if he got hold of a matter-transmitter, he could shift his Space fleet anywhere he pleased much faster than any fleet could follow it to fight it.” Kit said matter-of-factly, “My father doesn’t think they would try conquest at first. They’d poison the air of a planet and kill everybody, and then loot it afterward. That would be to reward the army and navy. Then they'd attack key planets. Earth, for one. They’d destroy the strong planets which could make fighting fleets in days, if they wanted to. They’d raid, first—striking, sneaking back home by matter- transmitter, and then striking again. Bit by bit they’d whittle away the strength of civilization. When it was weak enough, they’d take over what was left.” CORniclooo SS CO