Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, Issue 45 — page 116: what you’re looking at

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

DIMENSIONAL DESTINY ment is needed to see us through, and I must give in- structions that I’m not avail- able for interviews for the present.” Naxos was impatient, but thankful that Ekrill had agreed to hear his story, although he felt that the older man would believe him to be mentally un- balanced, the aftermath of long tours of duty in perimeter zones. He resumed: ‘Later, we were able to solve the problem of spatial travel in terms of dimensional physics. Actually, spatial travel be- came a mis-nomer; it was dimension travel pure and simple. We could visit various levels. Eventually we found there was a limit. We couldn’t solve the riddle of the barrier. A matter of going so far and then... afull stop! “Up to very recently we’ve experienced no difficulty in travelling through the levels to the barrier, but during the past year I, at least, have hit on something different.” “Why didn’t you report it?” “It wasn’t anything definite, Ekrill; the department would have rejected it with the official stamp: insufficient data —the only way I can explain it is by recounting a personal journey from my own zonal level in Zenkal. I’d planned to 115 translate from 3D to 5D so that I could discuss certain difficulties, purely admin., with a wily old character, the Bandlittero of Gless. But for almost a week I couldn’t reach him! I landed all over the place except in Gless—I doubt if a translation was made beyond 4D.” “Surely, it was a technical fault?” Naxos sighed. “I don’t think so. At first that was my own assumption. Several check-ups showed that all the channel devices were func- tioning perfectly. Not a flaw anywhere. We switched over to duplicate channels and still I was unable to reach the Bandlittero. I was about to give up. Suddenly all became normal again; I pushed through to the old chief and finished my business.” “Then why worry any fur- ther ?”? Ekrill demanded. “Because we ran into more trouble. Only a few days later, a trade matter with that stupid Regent of Pignol in 4D. It was only a one-step journey and we couldn’t make it. Everything acted dead as far as a move from 3 to 4D was concerned; nothing seemed amiss. There’s number one— -couldn’t reach 5D, at least I think not, or a part of it conmicloooks.com