Astounding British Edition, Volume 8, No. 11 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

THE SPECTER GENERAL thousand. I'll run off the exact figures if you want them.” Kurt gulped. No place could be that far away. Not even Imperial Headquarters! He tried to measure out the distance in his mind in terms of days’ marches but he soon found himself lost. Thinking wouldn’t do it. He had to see with his own eyes where he was. “How do you get outside?” he asked. Ozaki gestured toward the air lock that opened at the rear of the compartment. “Why?” “I want to go out for a few minutes to sort of get my bearings.” Ozaki looked at him in disbelief. “What’s your game, anyhow?” he demanded. It was Kurt’s turn to look bewildered. “T haven’t any game. I’m just trying to find out where I am so [ll know which way to head to get back to the garrison.” “It'll be a long cold walk.” Ozaki laughed and hit the stud that slid back the ray screens on thé vision ports: “Take a look.” Kurt looked out into nothingness, a blue- black void marked only by distant pin points of light. He suddenly felt terribly alone, lost in a blank immensity that had no boundaries. Down was gone and so was up. - There was only this tiny lighted room. with nothing underneath it. The port began to swim in. front of his eyes as a sudden stfange vertigo Swept over him. He felt that if he looked out into that terrible space for another moment he would losé his sanity. He covered his eyes with his hands and staggered back to the center of the cabin. Ozaki slid the ray screens back in place. “Kind of gets you first time, doesn’t it?” Kurt had always carried a little automatic compass within his head. Wherever he had gone, no matter how far afield he had wandered, it had always pointed steadily toward home. Now for the first time in his life the needle was spinning helplessly. It was an uneasy feeling. He had to get oriented. “Which way is the garrison?” he pleaded. Ozaki shrugged. “Over there some place. I don’t know whereabouts on the planet you come from. I didn’t pick up your track until you were in free. space.” “Over where?” asked Kurt. “Think you can stand another look?” Kurt braced himself and nodded, The pilot opened a side port to vision and pointed. There, seemingly motionless in the black emptiness of space, floated a great greenish 19 gray globe. It didn’t make sense to Kurt. The satellite that hung somewhat to the left did, Its face was different the details were sharper than he’d ever seen them before, but the features he knew as well as his own. Night after night on scouting detail for the hunting parties while waiting for sleep he had watched the silver sphere ride through the clouds above him. He didn’t want to believe but he had to! His face was white and tense as he turned back to Ozaki. A thousand sharp and burn- ing questions milled chaotically through his mind. “Where am I?” he demanded. “How did I get out here? Who are you? Where did you come from?” “You’re in a spaceship,” said Ozaki, “a two-man scout. And that’s all you’re going to get out of me until you get some more - work done. You might as well start on this microscopic projector. The thing burned out just as the special investigator was about to reveal who had blown off the commis- sioner’s head by wiring a bit of plutonite into his autoshave. I’ve been going nuts ever since trying to figure out who did it!” Kurt took some tools out of the first echelon kit and knelt obediently down be- Side the small projector. Three hours later they sat down to dinner. Kurt had repaired the food machine and Ozaki was slowly masticating synthasteak that for the first time in days tasted like --synthasteak. As he ecstatically lifted the savory morsel to his mouth, the ship gave a sudden leap that plastered him and what remained of his supper against the rear bulkhead. There was darkness for a second and then the ceiling lights flickered on, then off, and then on again. Ozaki picked him- self up and gingerly ran his fingers over the throbbing lump that was beginning to grow out of the top of his head, His temper wasn’t improved when he looked up and saw Kurt still seated at the table calmly. cutting himself another piece of pie. “You should have braced yourself,” said Kurt conversationally, “The converter’s out of phase. You can hear her build up for a jump if you listen. When she does you ought to brace yourself. Maybe you don’t hear so good?” he asked helpfully. “Don’t talk with your mouth full, it isn’t polite,” snarled Ozaki. Late that night the converter cut out altogether. Ozaki was sleeping the sleep of the innocent and didn’t find out about it SHaC©) QO ECoOmichoo A