Astounding Science Fiction, August 1955 (British Edition) — page 105: what you’re looking at

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

TIME CRIME 103 ““Message a list of the time line designations you’ve gotten so far to Zulthran Torv, at Computer Office here,” Vall said. ““He’s working on the Esaron Sector dope; we think a pattern can be established. I'll be seeing you in about five hours; I’m rocketing out of here as soon as I get a few more things cleared up here.” Zulthran Torv, normally cautious to the degree of pessimism, was jubilant when Vall called him. “We have something, Vall,” he said. “It is, roughly, what Dr. Nentrov suggested—each of the intervals between the designations is a very minute but very exact fraction of the difference between lesser designation and the base-line designation.” “You have the base-line designation?” Vall demanded. “Oh, yes. That’s what I was telling you. We worked that out from the designations you gave me.” He recited it. “All the designations you gave me are—”’ Vall wasn’t listening to him. He frowned in puzzlement. “That’s not a Fifth Level designation,”’ he said. ““That’s First Level!”’ “That’s correct. First Level Abzar Sector.” “Now why in blazes didn’t anybody think of that before?” he marveled, and as he did, he knew the answer. Nobody ever thought of the Abzar sector. Twelve millennia ago, the world of the First Level had been exhausted; having used up the resources of their home planet, Mars, a hundred thousand years before, the descendents of the population that had migrated across space had repeated on the third planet the devastation of the fourth. The ancestors of Verkan Vall’s people had dis- covered the principle of paratime trans- position and had begun to exploit an infinity of worlds on other lines of 1 \ \ = — ee oe ee a pes ed ee eek, te ee — =— commiclooks.conn