Astounding Science Fiction, British Edition — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

ENOUGH ROPE Fear. Shamuvaz, soldier of the empire, looked around him. He moved his head very slowly, lest he see something behind his back. There was only the landscape—distorted trees, murmur- ing reddish grass, a remote waterfall that echoed the furious clamor of his heart. He felt ill. He wanted to vomit. Looking at the faces of his companions, he thought that they were impossibly alien. They were evil. They were made evil by the same horror that rode on him, and in their panic they might turn and tear him. Shamuvaz whimpered, deep in his throat, and thought of his wife and children. They were so far away, so” many centuries away, he would never see them again. He would rot on Gyreion, the wind would blow through his ribs and the small beasts of the field would nest in his empty, empty skull. They said it was harmless. They said it was only that the natives—so thoroughly indoctrinated by the Pa- trol that there was no dealing with them . . . or was it that, being tele- paths, they knew Ulugan meant them for pawns?—the natives were afraid, and you yourself heard their fear. Nothing to it. Ignore it. You are a soldier of the empire, and fear of nothingness is unworthy of you. Only the generals didn’t have to live with fear. They didn’t have to torment themselves, night after night, to stay awake, for fear of the dreams; and when they finally did sleep, in spite of everything, they weren’t brought up within minutes, screaming. They didn’t see their comrades break, one by one, and be sent home mutter- ing idiot words, and wonder when their turn would come. Fear, panic, terror, blind howling horror. Shamuvaz groaned to himself. 19 When a hand teuched his shoulder, he leaped up, cursing, and spun around. His pistol was out before he saw that it was only Armazan. Arma- zan had been his best friend once. But you couldn’t trust anyone now. Shamuvaz held the gun leveled on Armazan’s belly. ‘Don’t do that,” he choked. “Don’t ever do that again.” “Listen.” Armazan spoke swiftly, a whisper that was blurred with his own trembling. ““Listen, Sham, we’re meet- ing after taps, down by the river. Sneak out of the barracks and join us.” ‘“‘What, what, what? Go out after dark? You’re crazy! This ‘rane has driven you crazy.’ ‘“No, not that, not that. Listen, a lot of us have decided we aren’t going to take any more of this. The - empire can’t ask it of us. It’s too much. Can’t trust those officers. Get them out of the way—a shot in the back, it’s easy if we just stick together, and then we can grab the base space- ship—” Hurulta had been sleeping poorly in the last month, and drugs no longer seemed to whip up his vitality. He clasped a ringing head in his hands and leaned on the desk. “It’s no use,” he said aloud. “We'll have to pull out of Gyreion. Every regiment there has been ruined for service. It'll take months to restore them to usefulness.”’ “But the Patrol, lord—’’ faltered Sevulan. “Patrol! We'll maintain a base on the neighboring planet, and a few orbital scouts around Gyreion itself. Should have done that in the first place.” “But then a strong attack could come in, wipe out our forces, take over the whole system—”’ “IT know. What of it? A chance we'll have to take. If only the busy- Comichooks co Al