Astounding Science Fiction, British Edition, December 1955 — page 93: what you’re looking at

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

THE LONG WAY HOME 91 the habitable planets Thor and Freyja of the Alpha Centaurian System. They were mechanized semibarbarians, divided into nobles, yeomen, and technicians, warlike and greedy for more land. They had fought an unsuccessful war with the natives of Thrym, a poisonous giant planet of Proxima, and later allied themselves with the wholly unhuman Thrymans. At present, sheer distance prevented war with Sol, but both sides were maneuvering for advantage and any upset in the balance of power could lead to space fleets bombarding the planets with ruinous effect. Lord Brannoch dhu Crombar of Thor was not only the Centaurian ambassador to Sol, but the head of a spy ring. Through a Solar officer in his pay, he learned of the Explorer and at once realized the significance of Saris’ hitherto unknown powers. He had four Thrymans in a tank with him—or one, since they could hook up telepathically into a single unit—whose ability to read human minds was a closely guarded secret of immense value. But he got the idea for a campaign to catch Saris for himself; he would work through Langley, of whose personal effects he had obtained photographs. These included pictures of the spaceman’s long-dead wife. Chanthavar was also anxious to get Saris, and asked Langley’s help; the spaceman, stunned and heartsick, stalled till he could learn more by claiming he had no idea where Saris would go. Chanthavar took the Explorer crew to a party, where they were a minor sensation and Langley got a further impression of Solar decadence and Centaurian ruthlessness. There he met Brannoch, as well as Goltam Valti, chief Solar factor of the Commercial Society. This was a nomad group, a civilization in its own right composed of many races, trading with all known planets and becoming ever more important as these used up their own resources. Both Brannoch and Valti hinted strongly that they would pay well to be told Saris’ whereabouts; obviously both had agents in the Solar government. Meanwhile the Holatan, pursued by Technate police, was trying to hide till he could evaluate the new situation for himself.- He was afraid his own planet, though far off, might become the prey of some chance conquistador; to aid it, he planned to play the various human factions off against each other. He used his brain’s power of electromagnetic induction, which enabled him to control any electronic apparatus, to help him capture a police aircraft, and in this he went looking for a hiding place. Chanthavar, endeavoring to make friends with them, took Langley, Blaustein, and Matsumoto on a tour of the capital city, Lora—meanwhile arguing that they should help the Technate, which stood for a peaceful status quo, and not the ambitious warlords of Centauri. While they were in a pleasure house, a party of men assaulted them and kidnaped Blaustein and Matsumoto. Langley joined the pursuit, but still dazed by the pleasure-house drugs, wandered off by himself into the low-level slums. Near Etie Town, the section reserved for non-_ human visitors, he was captured by another group of men. But a third band, this one from the Society, took him away from these and brought him to Valti’s headquarters. Valti explained that Blaustein and Matsumoto were probably kidnaped by Centaurian agents, who hoped they would know where Saris was. He also pointed out the importance of the Holatan—not for himself but for scientific comiclbooks.com