Astounding Science Fiction (UK Edition) — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

4 _ ASTOUNDING SCIENCE-FICTION meteorology room, nothing at all about storms. She made the proper connection and flung her words: “What’s the matter, Lieutenant Cannons? Your assistants have been mak- ing prints and duplicates of various Kaider maps. Aren’t you getting anything?” The old meteorologist shook his head. “You will recall, noble lady, that when we captured that robot in space, he had time to send out a warning. Immediately on every Fifty Suns planet, all maps were despoiled, civilian meteorologists were placed aboard spaceships, that were stripped of receiving radios, with orders to go to a planet on a chance basis, and stay there for ten years. “To my mind, all this was done before it was clearly grasped that their navy hadn’t a chance against us. Now they are going to provide us with a naval meteorologist, but we Shall have to depend on our lie detectors as to whether or not he is telling us the truth.” | “I see.” The woman smiled. “Have no fear. They don’t dare oppose us openly. No doubt there is a plan being built up against us, but it cannot prevail now that we can take action to enforce our unalterable will. Whoever they send must tell us the truth. Let me know when he comes.” Lunch came, but she ate at her desk, watching the flashing pictures on the astro, listening to the murmur of voices, storing the facts, the general picture, into her brain. “There’s no doubt, Captain Turgess,” she commented once, savagely, “that we’re being lied to on a vast scale. But let it be so. We can use psychological tests to verify all the vital details. = “For the time being it is important that you relieve the fears of anyone you find it necessary to question. We must convince these people that Earth will accept them on an equal basis without bias or prejudice of any kind because of their robot orig—” She bit her lip. ““That’s an ugly word, the worst .kind of propaganda. We must eliminate it from our thoughts.” “I’m afraid,” the officer shrugged, | from our thoughts.” She stared at him, narrow-eyed, then cut him off angrily. A moment later she was talking into the general transmitter: “The word robot must not be used—by any of our personnel—under pain of fine—” Switching off, she put a busy signal on her spare receiver, and called Psychology House. Lieutenant Neslor’s He appeared on the plate. ‘gress along the street. ‘I heard your order just now, noble lady,” the woman psychologist said. “I’m afraid, however, that we're dealing with the deepest instincts of the human animal— hatred or fear of the stranger, the alien. “Excellency, we come from a long line of ancestors who, in their time, have felt superior to others because of some slight variation in the pigmentation of the skin. It is even recorded that the color of the eyes has influenced the egoistic in historical de- cisions. We have sailed into very deep waters, and it will be the crowning achieve- ment of our life if we sail out in a satis- factory fashion.” There was an eager lilt in the psycholo- gist’s voice; and the grand captain experi- enced a responsive thrill of joy. If there was one thing she apprectated, it was the positive outlook, the kind of people who faced all obstacles short of the recognizably impos- sible with a youthful zest, a will to win. She was still smiling as she broke the connection. The high thrill sagged. She sat cold with her problem. It was a problem. Hers. All aristocratic officers had carte blanche powers, and were expected to solve diffi- culties involving anything up to whole groups of planetary systems. After a minute she dialed the meteoro- logy room again. “Lieutenant Cannons, when the meteor- ology officer of the Fifty Suns navy arrives, please employ the following tactics—” Maltby waved dismissal to the driver of his car. The machine pulled away from the ‘curb and Maltby stood frowning at the flam- ing energy barrier that barred farther pro- Finally, he took another look at the Earth ship. It was directly above him now that he had come so many miles across the city toward it. It was tremendously high up, a long, black torpedo shape almost lost in the mist of distance. But high as it was it was still visibly bigger than anything ever seen by the Fifty Suns, an incredible creature of metal from a world so far away that almost, it had sunk to the status of myth. Here was the reality. There would be tests, he thought, penetrating tests before they’d accept any orbit he planned. It wasn’t that he doubted the ability of his double mind to overcome anything like that, but— Well to remember that the frightful gap of years which separated the science of Earth from that of the Fifty Suns had already shown unpleasant surprises. Maltby comiclooks CO