Avon Fantasy Reader No. 13 — page 32: what you’re looking at

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

“Jaron, sir. Three degrees to port; elevation between five and six degrees. Approximate only, of course, sir.” | “Good enough. Please ask Mr. Barry to hold to his present course. We shall not stop at Jaron.” | : Co The observer glanced at me curiously, but he was too well disciplined to hesitate or ask questions. “Yes, sir!’ he said crisply, and spoke into the microphone beside him. None‘of us wore menores when on duty, for several reasons. Our instru- ments were not nearly as perfect as those in use to-day, and verbal orders were clearer and carried more authority than mental instructions. The delicate and powerful electrical and atomic mechanism of our ship interfered with the functioning of the menores, and at that time the old habit of speech was far more firmly entrenched, due to hereditary influence, than it is now. I nodded to the man, and made my way to my own quarters. I wished most heartily that I could talk over my plans with someone, but this had been expressly forbidden. | “l realize that you trust your men, and more particularly your officers,” Kellen had told me during the course of his parting conversation with me. “T trust them also—yet we must remember that the peace of mind of the Universe is concerned. If news, even a rumor, of this threatened disaster should become known, it is impossible to predict the disturbance it might create. “Say nothing to anyone. It is your problem. You alone should leave the ship when you land; you alone shall hear or see the evidence they have to present, and you alone shall bring word of it to us. That is the wish of the Council.” “Then it is my wish,” I had said, and so it had been settled. Aft, in the crew’s quarters, a gong sounded sharply; the signal for changing watches, and the beginning of a sleep period. I glanced at the remote control dials that glowed behind their glass panel on one side of my room. From _ the registered attraction of Jaron, at our present speed, we should be passing her within, according to Earth time, about two hours. That meant that their outer patrols might be seeking our business, and I touched Barry’s attention button, and spoke into the microphone beside my bunk. “Mr. Barry? I am turning in for a little sleep. Before you turn over the watch to Eitel, will you see that the nose rays are set for the Special Patrol code signal for this enar? We shall be close to Jaron shortly.” “Yes, sir! Any other orders?” “No. Keep her on her present course. I shall take the watch from Mr. Eitel.” Since there have been changes since those days, and will undoubtedly be others in the future, it might be well to make clear, in a document such as this, that at this period, all ships of the Special Patrol Service identified them- selves by means of invisible rays flashed in certain sequences, from the two nose, or forward, projectors. These code signals were changed every enar, a period of time arbitrarily set by the Council; about eighteen days, as time is measured on the Earth, and divided into ten periods, as at present known as enarens. These were further divided into enaros, thus giving us a time- 30 : EoORnnicboao ate “3