Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1954-06 If
1954-06 If
I NOVELETTES i·
THE COLONISTS by Raymond F. Jones 4
THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING by Mari Wolf S4
SHORT STORIES
NO STRINGS ATTACHED by Lester del Rey 38
THE VALLEY by Richard Stockham 71
THE ORDEAL OF COLONEL JOHNS by George H. Smith 84
THE LINK by Alan E. Nourse 92
THE HOLES AND JOHN SMITH by Edward W. Ludwig 109
FEATURES
A CHAT WITH THE EDITOR 2
SNARING THE HUMAN MIND by Fritz Leiber 49
PERSONALITIES IN SCIENCE 106
WHAT IS YOUR SCIENCE I.Q.l 117
SCIENCE BRIEFS 118
COVER PICTORIAL: Equipping the Moon Base
by Ed Valigursky
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THE
UOLONISTS
By Raymond F.Jones
Illustrated by Paul Orban .
everyone gets his first time out, but had seventeen children and were
I didn't believe them. I didn't be- said to be extraordinarily happy.
lieve it was quite the same with My family still owns the homestead
anyone else. When I got out to they cleared. I was born there."
Mars finally, and dUring my one "It can be done, but it doesn't
tour on Pluto, it ·seemed to get conform closely with our currently
worse instead of decreasing as they accepted social mores," said Ashby
told me it would. When I got· out hopefully.
I took a job in my profession, and "I'm sure that won't stand in my
I've been satisfied, but I've never way. If there's a woman who's will-
been able to get rid of the feeling ing to take a chance, I certainly
there's something I'm missing, will be."
something I ought to be doing. It's "There's one more thing we have
connected with everything out to know," said Ashby. "What are
there." He lifted a broad hand and you running away from? Who or
gestured to the horizon beyond the what are your enemies?"
windows. Jorden laughed uncertainly. "I'm
"Perhaps your career should sorry, but I'm not running away
have been in the Service," sug- from anything. As far as I know I
gested Ashby. have no enemies." ,
"No. That was good enough ccAll colonists are running from
while it lasted, but they didn't have something," said Ashby. "Other-
anything I wanted permanently. wise they would stay where they
When I heard about the proposed are."
colonization on Serrengia that . J orden regarded him a moment
seemed to be it." in silence, then smiled slowly. "I
"Your application indicates you think you are going to have occa-
are not married." sion to revise that thesis," he said.
"That's right," said Jorden. eel "A great deal of history would
have no ties to hold me back." also have to be revised if we did,"
"You understand, of course, that said Ashby. "At any rate, let's go
as a colonist you will be expected down to the test pits. I'll show you
to marry, either before leaving or what's in store for you there, and
soon after arrival. Colonial life is you can further decide if you insist
family life." on going througb with it."
"I hadn't thought much about \
that, but it can't be too bad, I sup-
pose. I presume my choice would
be quite severely limited -to a fel-
low colonist?"
T HE LABORATORIES of the
Institute of Social Science were
spread over a forty acre area, con-
"Correct." sisting mostly of the test pits where
"There is a story about my third experimental examination of pro-
or fourth grandfather who was posed colonists was being con-
given a girl to marry the night be- ducted. Ashby led his visitor to the
fore he sailed from his homeland ground . floor where they took a.
to settle ina new country. They pair of the electric cycles us.ed for
16 RAYMOND F. JONES
transportation along the vast cor- uli to determine your reaction .to
ridors of the laboratory. them."
A quarter of a mile away they "Are they there constantly, night
stopped and entered a glassed~in and day?" .
control room fitted.. with :a number "No. When you· are asleep their
of desks and extensive banks of day's work is over and they go
electronic equipment. home." '.
"This almost looks like a good "What if I wake up and find the
sized computer setup," said Jorden whole setup is a phony?"
admiringly. "You won't. We have control
"We use computers extensively, beams constantly focussed upon the
but this equipment is merely the persons being tested. These are
recording and control apparatus used to keep him asleep when de-
for· the synthetic environment es- sirable, and to control him to the
tablished in the test pit. Please step extent of preventing him doing
this way." . physical harm to himself or others~"
The control room was empty "Is that necessary?" said Jorden
now, but during a test it was occu':' dubiously. "Why should anyone
pied by a dozen technicians. It was wish to do harm?"
a highly unorthodox procedure to "The Captain, whom we re-
show a prospective colonist the test leased today, was pushed to the
pit setup before examination, but point of suicide," said Ashby. "We
Ashby still had hopes of shunting find it quite necessary to assure our-
Jorden aside without wasting the selves of adequate control at all
facilities on· a useless test. times."
They moved to an observation "How 'can you set up the illu-
post and Ashby directed Jorden's sion of distance and a whole new
attention to the observation lenses. world in such a comparatively
"We cleaned out here this after- small area?" .
noon," he said. "A Captain of the "It is illusion, a great deal of it.
Service last occupied the pit." Some is induced along with the
Jorden looked up inquiringly. initial preconditioning, other fea-
"Did he-?" . tures are done mechanically, but
when you are there you will have
"No. He didn't make it. Tomor-
no doubt whatever that you are a
row morning you will be given a
'colonist on the planet Serrengia.
preconditioning which will set up You will act accordingly, and re-
the basic situation that you have spond to the stimuli exactly as if
traveled to Serrengia and are now you had been transported to the
established there in the colony. We actual planet. In this way, we are
will begin the test at a period of sure of finding colonists who will
some length after establishment not blow up when they face the
there, when difficulties begin to pile real situation."
up. Other members of the party "How many have you found so
will. be laboratory staff people who far?"
will provide specific, guiding stim- "None'."
THE COLONISTS 17
Jorden was shaken for a mo- even when not assigned to a test.
ment, but he smiled then and said, In a few minutes her voice came
"You have found one. Put my over the phone. "John? What can
name down on the books." I do for you?"
"We'll see," said Ashby grimly. "I thought I could let you off for
"Your colony will be in the limited a few days," said Ashby, "but we've
belt of the planet's northern hemi- got another one that's come up
sphere where considerable agricul- rather suddenly." He told her
ture is possible. You'll be in the briefly about Mark Jorden. "It's
midst of a group trying to beat a useless, but I don't want him run-
living from a world which is neither ning to the Commission right now,
excessively hostile nor conducive' to so we'll put him through. You'll be
indolence. Some of the people will the wife. We'll use Program Sixty
be bitter and wish they had never Eight, except that we'll accelerate
come. They will break up in it."
groups and fight each other. They "Accelerate-I"
will challenge every reason you "Yes. It won't hurt him any.
have for your own coming. You Whatever happens we can wipe up
will face your own personal im- afterwards. This is simply a nuis":
poverishment, the death of your ance and I want it out of the way
child-" as quickly as possible. Mter that-
"Child?" said Jorden. perhaps I can give you those few
"Yes. You will be provided with days I promised you. O.K.?"
a wife and three children. One of "It's all right with me," said
these will die, and you will react as Bonnie. "But an accelerated Sixty
if it were your own flesh. Your wife Eight-"
will oppose your staying, and de-
m'and a return to Earth. We will
throw at you every force available
to tear down your determination to
build a colony. We shall test in ev-
T HEY STOOD on a low hillock
overlooking the ninety acres. of
bottom land salvaged from the
ery possible way the validity of creek grass. Mark .Torden shaded
your decision to go. Do you still his eyes and squinted critically
wish to go through with it?" over the even stand of green shoots
.lorden's grin was' sOInewhat emerging from the bronzed soil.
fainter. He took a deep breath as Germination had been good in
he nodded slowly. "Yes, I'll go spite of the poor planting time.
through with it. I think it's what I The chance of getting a crop. out
want." was fair. If they didn't they'd be
eating shoe ,Plastic in another few
When Ashby finally returned months. I
alone to the office, Miss Haslam The ten year old boy beside him
had gone home. He put in a call clutched his hand and edged closer
anyway for Dr. Bonnie Nathan. as' if there were something threat-
She usually remained somewhere ening him from the broad fields.
in the laboratory until quite late, "Isn't there any way at all for
18 RA,YMONDF. JONES
Earth to send us food," he said, "if constant fear of this world he
we don't get a crop?" would never willingly call home.
"We have to make believe Earth Jorden's heart ached with longing
doesn't exist, Roddy," said Jorden. to instill some kind of joy intO him.
."We couldn't even· let them know "That looks like Mr. 'Tibbets,"
we need help, we're so far away." said Roddy suddenly,. his eyes on
He gripped the boy's· shoulders the new log house.
solidly in his big hands and drew "I believe you're right," said
him close. "We aren't going to need Jorden. "It looks like Roberts and
any help from Earth. We're going Adamson with him. Quite a dele-
to make it on our own. After' all, gation. I wonder what they want."
what would they do on Earth if The colony consisted of about a
they couldn't make it ? Where hundred families, each averaging
would they go for outside help?" five members. Originally they had
"I know," said the boy, "but settled on a broad plateau at some
there are so many of them they distance from the river. It was a
can't· fail. Here, there's only the good location overlooking hun-
few of US." dreds of miles of desert and forest
Jorden patted his shoulder gent- land. Its soil was fertile and the
ly a'g-ain as they started moving to- river water was lifted easily
ward the' rough houses a half mile through the abundant power of
away. "That makes it all the easier the community atomic energy
for us," he said. "We don't have to plant which had been brought from
worry about the ones who won't Earth.
cooperate. We can't lose with the Three months ago, however, the
setup we've got." power plant had been destroyed in
It was harder for Roddy. He re- a disasterous explosion that killed
membered Earth, although he had almost a score of the colonists.
been only four when they left. He Crops for their next season's food
still remembered the cities and the supply were half matured and could
oceans and the forests he had not be saved by any means avail-
known so briefly, and was cursed able.
with the human nostalgia for a past The community was broken into
that seemed more desirable than a number of smaller groups. Three
an unknown, fearful future.·
Of ;the other children, Alice had of these, composed of fifteen fam-
been a baby' when they left, and ilies each, moved to the .low lands
Jerry had been born during the along the river bank and cleared
trip. They knew only Serrengia acreage for new crops· in a desper-
and loved its wild, uncompr-omising ate hope of getting a harvest be-
rigor. They spent their abandoned fore the season ended. They had
wildness of childhood in the near- not yet learned enough' of the cycle
by hills and forests. But with Roddy of weather in this area to predict it
it was different. Childhood seemed with much accuracy.
to have slipped by him. He was Mark J orden was' in charge of
moody, and moved carefully ,iIi one of the farms and the elected
THE COLONISTS 19
leader of the village in which he "Why can't those who are be the
lived. ones to move?"
Tibbets was an elderly man from Now, .when he came into the
the same village. In his middle six- kitchen, she was tired, but she tried
ties, he presented a puzzle ·.to Jor- to smile as always at her pleasure
den as to why he had been permit- in seeing him again. He couldn't
ted to come. Roberts and Adamson imagine what it would be like not
were from the settlements farther having her to welcome him from
down the river. the fields.
Jorden felt certain of the reason "I'll get something cool for you
for their visit. He didn't want to and Roddy," she said. "Would
hear what they had to say;, but he you gentlemen like another drink?"
knew he might as well get it over When they were settled in the
with. front room Tibbets spoke. "You
They hailed him from the nar- know why we've come, Mark. The
row wooden . porch. Jorden came election is only a couple of months
up the steps and shook hands with away. We can't have Boggs in for
each. "Won't you come in? I'm another term of governor. You've
sure· Bonnie can find something got to say you'll run against him."
cool to drink." "As I told you last time, Boggs
Tibbets wiped his thin, wrinkled may be a poor excuse for the job,
brow. "She already has. That girl but I'd be worse. He's at least an
of yours doesn't waste any time be- administrator. I'm only an engineer
ing told what to do. It's too bad -and more recently a farmer."
some of the others can't pitch in "We've got something new,
the way Bonnie does." rww," said Tibbets, his eyes sud-
Jorden accepted the praise with- denly cold and meaningful.
out comment, wondering if no one "The talk about his deliberately
else at all .were aware of the hot, blowing up the power plant? Talk
violent protests she .sometimes of that kind could blow up the
poured out against him because of whole colony as well. Boggs may
the colony. r have his faults but he's not insane."
"Come in anyway," Jorden said. "We've got proof now," said
"I have to go back to the watering Tibbets. "It's true. Adamson's got
in a little while, but you can take it the evidence. He got one of the en-
easy till then." He led the way into gineers who escaped the blast to
the log house. talk. It's one of them who were
Their homes on the plateau had supposed to have been killed. He's
been. decent ones. With adequate so scared of Boggs he's still hiding
power they had made lumber and out. But he's got the proof and
cement, and within a year of their those who are hel)Jing him know
landing had buBt a town of fine it's true."
homes. Among those who had been "Tibbet's is right," said Adam-
forced to. abandon them, no one son earnestly. "We ~now it's true.
was more bitter than Bonnie. And something like that can't stay
"You're no farmer," she said. hidden. It's got to be brought out
20 RAYMOND F. JONES
if we're going to make the colony ours. We don't belong to Main-
survive. You can't just shut your town any more. It's their business
eyes to it and say, 'Good old Boggs up there. 1'd go crazy if anything
would never do a thing like that.' " happened to you. You've got to
Jorden's eyes were darker as he think of the rest of us!"
spoke in low tones now, hoping "I am thinking," said Mark. He
Roddy would not be listening in raised her chin so he could look
the kitchen. "Suppose it is true. into her eyes. "I'm thinking that
Why would Boggs do such an in- we are going to live here the rest of
sane thing?" our lives, and so are the children.
"Because he's an insane man," If the story about Boggs is true,
said Tibbets. "That's the obvious we're all concerned. We wouldn't
answer. He wants to destroy the be down here if the power plant
colony and limit its growth. He hadn't been destroyed. We'd be liv-
was satisfied to come here and be ing in our good home in Main-
elected governor and run the show. town. Would you expect me to let
He saw it as means of becoming a Boggs get away with this without
two-bit dictator over a group of raising a hand to stop him?"
subservient colonists. It hasn't "Yes-I would," said Bonnie,
turned out that way. He found a "because there is nothing anyone
large percentage of engineers and can do. You know he has Main-
scientists who would have none of town in the palm of his hand. He's
his nonsense. screened out every ruffian and
"He saw the group becoming soured colonist in the whole group
something bigger than himself. He and they'll do anything he says.
had to cut it down to his own size. You can't fight them all, Mark. I
. He's willing to destroy what he won't let you."
can't possess, but he believes that "It won't be me alone," said
by reducing us to primitive status Jorden. "If it develops into a fight
he can keep us in line. In either the majority of the colony will be
case the colony loses." with us. Earth will be with us.
"If what you say is true-if it's Boggs will be facing the results of
actually true," Jorden said, his the whole two billion year struggle
eyes suddenly far away,- "we've got it took to make man what he now
to fight him-" is."
"Then we can count on you?"
"Yes-you can count on me."
No Strings Attached
By Lester del Rey
Illustrated by Kelly Freas
"You won't have any trouble. Look, Henry adjusted his mind to having
can you really read my mind?" a well-conditioned demon on tap
"Naturally. But it's all disor- and then began the harder job of
ganized." bracing himself for Emma's inco-
"Umm. Well." It gave him a herent but detailed account of the
queasy feeling to think of anyone movie when she came back.
seeing his secret thoughts. But this Unfortunately, it was a more
fellow apparently didn't work by complicated plot than usual, and
human attitudes, anyhow. He she went on and on, from the mo-
groped about, and then smiled ment she entered the door. He tried
grimly. "All right, then. You can to close his ears, but he'd never suc-
tell I think of her as my wife. And ceeded in that. He yawned, and she
just to make sure, she'll be sure to yawned back, but went on until the
say something about early to bed last final morsel was covered for the
and early to rise; she says that everysecond or third time.
single damned night, Alfear! She "He was wonderful," she finally
never misses." concluded. "Just wonderful. Only
Alfear grunted. "Sounds more I wished you'd come with me.
reasonable every minute, Henry. You'd have liked it. Henry, did you
All right, when your wife says that, take the garbage out?"
I pop out and give her a stroke that "Yes, dear," he answered.
will kill her. How about dismissing "Hours· ago."
me now?" He yawned elaborately again.
"No strings?" Henry asked. He She mumbled something about hav-
watched carefully as Alfear nodded ing ·to keep. the kitchen clean be-
assent, and he could· see no sign of cause cleanliness was next to god-
cunning or trickery. He caught his liness, but her automatic yawn
breath, nodded, and closed his eyes. muffled the words. Then she
Seeing something vanish was noth- glanced at the clock. "Heavens, it's
ing he wanted. "Dismissed." almost one! And early to bed and
early to rise ..."
Henry jerked his eyes away, just
"I'll heat up the coffee, and then Alfear stood over Shirley's body,
you'll have to go," Shirley said rubbing one finger tenderly. His
firmly, heading for the kitchen. ears twitched uncertainly as he
"Plenty of people get up early studied Henry's horror-frozen face.
around here. And besides, you "I told you," he said. "I warned
need some sleep. Early to bed and you some of us get conditioned to a
early to rise, makes a man healthy, habit the first time. And you
wealthy and-" thought of her as your wife and she
From the kitchen came the said ..."
beginning of a shriek. It changed Abruptly, he vanished. Henry's
to a horrible gasp, and died away in screams were the only sound in the
a failing moan..There was the sound apartment.
of a body hitting the floor. • •• THE END
WORTH CITING
WITH CURT SIODMAK do- they be? Why will they take the
ing the script, Riders to the Stars terrifying gamble that runs the
promises to be a movie any died- gamut of human experiences?
in-the-wool science fiction lover What may happen before we
will put down on his "must see" reach those stars that twinkle so
list. We've just read the book- invitingly? .
another excellent Ballantine re- The cast seems to be a com-
lease-and it is just what the petent·· one, including Herbert
blurb claims it to be: "swift and Marshall, William Lundigan and
electrifying". Richard Carlson, and they've
No moon vistas, monsterous sure got a walloping good yam
Martians or Venusian aphrodites to work with.
are running rampant in this Incidentally, Siodmak's Dono-
story. Essentially, it is the tale of van's Brain has been made into
three men who gamble their a moving picture too and anyone
lives, with plausible and human who has read that classic science
motivations, to help change the fiction novel can look forward to
history of the world-and per- another fine film treat.
~aps the universe. Science fiction So-IF's Citation for this
has already accepted space travel month goes to the man whose
as a completely normal state of fine work in script writing and
affairs in the future, but this is story telling has taken a new di-
the story of the men who will do rection away from the "Franken-
it first. What sort of men will stein" tradition-Curt Siodmak.
Do you really know if it is really you who decides whether you
are happy, or hungry, or want something, or in love? Maybe
you do, but read this thought-provoking article on thought con-
trol and be on guard!
•
snarLng
THE HUMAN MIND
By Fritz Leiber
where they touch a selected bit of tiny holes in the skull were
gray matter. Radio control allows drilled and the wires inserted, con-
any selected part of the monkey's trol his emotions. Finally a midg-et
brain to be stimulated· electrically. bomb might be implanted in the
Sometimes the result is a violent flesh, set to explode at the proper
dislike of bananas. Sometimes the radio signal.
monkey finds himself with ten times While it might be wasteful to out-
as much appetite as usual. Some- fit an army this way, considering
times he gets violently aggressive, how age-old methods of discipline
and' sometimes he fawns. It all de- achieve comparable results, such
pends on which button is pushed. surg-eried-in devices could be used
Could anything like this be done to advantage on spies, soldiers on
in a practical way to human being-s? suicidal missions, suspected traitors
Surely not. But according to the and persons with top-secret infor-
Signal Corps Engineering Labora- mation.
tory at Fort Monmouth, New Jer- But how would it really help
sey, a wrist-watch size radio re- headquarters to give a man a vio-
ceiver has been perfected that hears lent dislike for bananas, or punch
up to 40 miles. It is made of five a button to make him aggressive,
transistors, a pencil-tip battery, a or decide from his sub-vocal mut-
tiny earphone like that of a hearing terings that he wasn't being ag-
aid, and an antenna that fits inside gressive enough and so blow him
a man's sleeve. up at long distance?
Meanwhile General Electric has The answer is that these are
developed a radio transmitter things that could be done today.
which, including the microphone, With our rapidly increasing- knowl-
is no bigg-er than a cigarette case. So edg-e of the human brain, control
far it has a rang-e of only 70 feet, will become much subtler. For that
but we all know what technology matter, maybe it has already 'be-
can do to a "so far". come much subtler. Maybe you are
Technologically-shrunken ver- haunted, as I am, by the uneasy
sions of such radio transmitters and feeling that we people outside the
receivers could be surg-ically in- barriers of military and govern-
serted into the human body. Spe- mental security simply don't know
cifically, near the skull, ear and the tenth of it. Heck, at some mo-
vocal chords, or connected to those ments I am afraid that I think cer-
by wires. The skin would be grown tain thoug-hts simply because some
back over them again, just as it is propaganda bureau has already in-
over a plastic or metal hip joint. vaded the inmost recesses of my
Such radios would report back to brain.
headquarters every word a man or Of course there are a lot more
woman said, they would even keep axlike methods than implanted
check on his half-whispered, or sub- radios of influencing- the activities
vocal thinking. They would send of the human brain-methods
him orders through an implanted which have been popular in hospi-
earphone. They might even, if the tals and clinics for some twenty
SNARING THE HUMAN MIND 51
years. I am referrinR to those meth-
ods which destroy a part of the
brain slowly by 10nR series of elec-
ItheTfeelISideaaNATURAL that we should
spontaneous revulsion at
of invading the human
tric shocks (or insulin or metrazol brain by knife or even electricity.
injections), or quickly by the sur- For a long time investigation of the
Reon's knife or probe. living human brain was taboo. The
In lobotomy and its sister oper- idea was that if it was bad to cut
ations a part of the brain is de- into the human body, it was much
stroyed and as a result the person so more indecent to cut into the seat
favored does not bother about of reason. Knowledge of the brain
things so much. For instance, if he was gained during necessary and
is against the government, he gives rare surgical operations, when a
up this idealistic pursuit and takes willing subject would permit the
up chasing food or women. Which surface of his brain to be given a
makes it easier for his keepers. mild electrical stimulation in dif-
I t has been suggested, by the ferent places, the subject reporting
French scientist Christian Favre, what he felt. Now it is possible to
that lobotomy may be one of the study the brain without piercing the
key weapons of dictators. Imagine skull. One method is by recordinR
that the dictator has captured an the well-known brain waves, those
enemy of his regime who cannot mixed and faint electrical rhythms
be broken down by torture. A clever that can be picked up by moist
twist of the surgeon's knife inside electrical contacts on the head.
his brain and he is turned into a But this is not thought-control.
veRetable, a creature who can be Brain waves cannot as yet be
drilled into saying whatever the beamed back into the skull to con-
prosecuting attorney wants to hear. trol a man's activities.
Would scars show that such sur- Yet recently it has been discov-
gery has been performed? The sur- ered that brain waves can (in a
geon's probe, inserted between the sense) be effectively turned back on
eyeball and the muscles around it, the brain to control it, not in the
can reach the brain and destroy the form of electricity, but light. At the
necessary part, leaving no outward Burden Neurological Institute in
trace. Bristol, England, physiologist Grey
Electro-shock, on the other hand, Walter gives people what he calls
probably does no damage to the flicker-fits. While a person's brain
brain except when treatments are waves are being recorded, a bright
repeated many times. But it has light that flickers about ten times a
been used as a threat to get neu- second is shined into his eyes. Then
rotic soldiers back into the fightinR the timing of the flashes is changed
lines. Some psychiatrists believe so that they are in exact rhythm
that electro-shock is effective most- with one of the chief brain waves.
ly because dread of it, much like At this point the person begins to
the old snake-pits and whippings see things that are not there, and
for lunatics, scares the patient back not only see but also feel and touch.
into a semblance of sanity. He may experience an inexplicible
52 FRITZ LEIBER
disgust, or intense pleasure. Finally problem from brain-side, rather
he begins to have convulsions like than nose-side. He finds that there
those of an epileptic. At this point are 24 different types of odor-sen-
Grey Walters switches off the light. sitive nerves leading from the nose
But suppose he didn't. Could to the brain. Depending on which
brilliant, rapidly flickering star- nerves are stimulated and which
shells strike down· an army with are not, the brain can sense about
artificial epilepsy? 16 million different odors. No won-
One thing that Grey Walter's der the experts couldn't find a vo-
subjects frequently see in their cabulary to describe smells accu-
flicker-fits is a spiral, a light that rately.
whirls out from a center in tight but These examples show the care-
rapidly widening circles. This is a fully detailed way the human
common scanning pattern-a way brain is being examined these days.
of inspecting every part of an area, For several years scientists like Nor-
just as a boy might hunt for a lost bert Wiener of M. I. T. (see IF,
baseball by circling out from a cen- January issue) have been hinting
tral point. TV does the same thing to us that the brain is a calculating
in getting or reproducing a picture, machine. And just like slot-ma-
except that it works in straight lines, chines, calculating machines can be
back and forth. gimmicked to give whatever re-
Grey Walter believes that here sults and payoff on whatever per-
we have evidence that the thinking centages the mechanic who adjusts
part of the brain is scanning the them chooses.
seeing part of the brain, which is Do you want your brain gim-
located in the back of the head, to micked? Neither do I. But we'll
see ·what pictures have been trans- have to watch. out for it in the fu-
mitted there from the retina of the ture.
eye. For a long time the robot of fic-
This is an example of the way tion has been the machine built to
the brain is being investigated these imitate man. Now it is turning out
days. Here is another: physiolo- that man himself is a robot, a vast-
gists have speculated about the sense ly complex electro-chemical circuit
of smell for a long time. They that can nevertheless be gimmicked
have tried to reduce it to something by a clever operator.
like the simple sweet-salt-bitter- Yet the gimmicking of the human
sour of the sense of taste. All sorts brain is far from a modern wonder.
of experts, including the suavest I t is something that was going on
French wine-tasters and the most long before the first priest of Am-
judicial British tea-samplers, have mon talked through a tube whose
tried to describe just what they were outlet was the mouth of the statue
smelling. But they did not reach of the god for whom he was solicit-
conclusions. ing. It started with the first witch-
Now Raymond Hainer, an in- doctor to discover the cosmos-shak-
dustrial scientist in Cambridge, ing truth that people don) think
·Massachusetts, has tackled this realistically, but in terms of desires
SNARING THE HUMAN MIND 53
and symbols. In other words, if you efficient gimmicking of the human
want to influence other people, you brain.
work through the subconscious.
This obviously holds true today. For
example, a firm manufacturing LOT OF this gimmicking
men's shirts and wanting to sell A seems much too obvious to be
them, not to ordinary customers effective, especially to the person
but to hard-headed retailers, de- who prides himself on being "ad-
cided on these rules: Don't talk hardened." This may be true for
about shirts, don't talk about prices; .the conscious mind, but hardly for
but show a pretty girl almost with- the subconscious. We laugh indul-
out one of the shirts you are trying gently at the childishness of an ad-
to sell. vertiser who tries to make us buy
Such seemingly obvious appeals a soft drink because it is pictured on
to basic human urges are getting the same billboard as an impossibly
more subtle all the time, as trained attractive and innocent-looking girl.
psychologists and sociologists are Meanwhile we drink the same soft
lured into the selling game by far drink because, we tell ourselves, it
higher salaries than universities can is really more refreshing.
pay. For instance, a Viennese psy- The migration of psychologists
chiatrist has figured out for Chrys- into industry has been paralleled by
ler that a man looks on a converti- other manifestations of a large-scale
ble as his mistress, but on a hard- attempt to gimmick the hurrian
topped sedan as his wife. So the brain: the growing resemblance be-
psychiatrist advises car dealers to tween articles and advertising in
put a convertible in the front win- magazines and newspapers; the ten;.
dow of the store, with a lot of more dency to expect authorities-or
businesslike cars behind it. Men perhaps, ultimately, robot brains-
will come in to smell anxiously to settle all questions; careful cen-
around the convertible, but they'll soring in advance of each item that
buy the other model. goes into the mass media of com-
Another psychoanalyst has been munication; increasing distrust by
authorities of the ability of ordinary
telling greeting card manufacturers
people to weigh any general prob-
just what shapes and forms to put lem intelligently.
on the pasteboard oblongs they sell. Meanwhile, our old friend hyp-
The shapes and forms, all very gay- notism is being made into a more
ly colored and carefully general- potent weapon. For a long time
ized, turn out to be the basic sym- many psychologists believed that a
bols of sex. hypnotized person could not be
Of course, part of this is just good made to perform an act contrary to
old horse sense and another part· is his moral code. Yet recent experi-
merely psychologists trying to sell ments show that a hypnotized per-
industry an interesting bill of goods. son will attempt a murderous attack
But there is a solid reminder of ac- on an innocent bystander-if first
tivities pointing to an ever more (Continued on page 105)
Here is a love story of two young people who met under the
magic of festival time. One was Trina, whose world was a gen-
tle make-believe Earth. The other was Max, handsome space-
man, whose world was the infinite universe of space .. ..
. ... .
the festival music sang through the
~
THE
VALLEY
By Richard Stockham
Illustrated by Ed Emsh
7~ ()IZdeat tJI
COLONEL JOHNS
By George H.. Smith
Illustrated by Rudolph Palais
The LINK
By Alan E. Nourse
Illustration by Rudolph Polais
before. With a sigh, Ravdin eased toward the shining walls of the city.
himself out of the seat, his heart Ravdin settled back, trying to clear
pounding with excitement. Per- his mind of the shock and horror,
haps, he thought, he was too ex- straining to catch the wisps of mu-
cited, too eager to be home, for his sic as he crossed closer to the hill-
mind still reeled from the fearful side place, down into the bright
discovery of his journey. beauty of the city. The curves and
The station was completely spires of glowing plastic passed be-
empty as Ravdin walked down the low, and his throat tightened as he
ramp to the shuttles. At the desk looked down. Very suddenly he re-
he checked his fuel report in the alized that his whole life was en-
shiny punchcard robot, and walked tangled in the very beauty of that
swiftly across the polished floor. wonderful city, everything he had
The wall panels pulsed a sombre ever hoped or dreamed lay shel-
blue-green, broken sharply by bril- tered there in the ever-clinging
liant flashes and overtones of scar- rhythm of colors and shapes and
let, reflecting with subtle accuracy sounds. And now, he knew, he
the tumult in his own mind. Not a would see his beloved city burning
sound was in the air, not a whisper once again, a consuming pyre,
nor sign of human habitation. heartbreaking memorial to the age-
Vaguely, uneasiness grew in his old fear of his people.
mind as he entered the shuttle sta- Softly the little shuttle-car
tion. Then, suddenly, the music sighed, settling down gently on the
caught him-a long, low chord of green terrace near the center of the
indescribable beauty, rising and city. The building was a master-
falling in the wind, a distant whis- piece of smoothly curving walls and
per of life. The Concert, of course. tasteful lines, opening a full side
Everyone would be at the Concert to the south to catch the soft sun-
tonight, and even at the five-mile light and warm breezes. Ravdin
distance, the beauty of four hun- stepped onto the deep carpeting of
dred perfectly harmonized voices the terrace. There was other music
could carry to him in the breeze. here, different music, a wilder,
The uneasiness disappeared, re- more intimate fantasy of whirling
placed by an eagerness to join, to sound. An oval door opened for
discharge his horrible message and him, ushering him into the vaulted
join the others in the great amphi- room. He stopped short, staggered
theatre set deep in the hillside out- for a moment by the overpowe<ring
side the city. Because he knew beauty of the dance before him.
everyone would be there-except A girl with flaming red hair-
one. Instinctively Ravdin knew red like the color of new flame-
that Lord Nehmon would be miss- dancing with enthralling beauty
ing the Concert, too, waiting for and abandon, her flowing body
him' to return. moving like ripples of wind to the
The shuttle slipped soundlessly music which filled the room with
from its berth, rising in a slow arc its throbbing cry. Her beauty was
high over the edges of Jungle-land exquisite, every motion, every
THE LINK 95
flowing turn, a symphony of flaw- go in the twinkling of an eye. But
less perfection as she danced to the I saw them in the twinkling of an
wild music. eye."
"Lord Nehmon!" "It couldn't have been anyone
The dancer threw back her head else ?"
sharply, eyes wide, her body frozen "Could anyone else build ships
in midair, and then, abruptly, she like the Hunters?"
was gone, leaving only the barest Nehmon sighed, sinking back
flickering image of her fiery hair. into his relaxer, shaking his head.
The music slowed, singing softly, 'INa one that we know." He
and Ravdin could see the man who glanced up at the scout. "Sit down,
sat in the room, looking at him.
Ravdin, sit down. I-I'll just have
Nehmon rose, a tall, vital man, his
to rearrange my thinking a Ii ttle.
graying hair and the strong, sad
lines of his face belying the youthful Where were they? How far?"
movement of his body. A smile Ravdin sat down facing him, his
broke on his face, and he came for- face drawn and pale. "Seven light
ward, clapping Ravdin on the back, years, Nehmon. Can you imagine
taking his hand warmly. "You're it? Just seven, and they were com-
too late for the Concert-it's a ing without hesitation. They know
shame. Mischana is the master to- where we are." His eyes filled with
night, and the whole city is fear. "They couldn't have come-
there-" unless they have the Warp, too--"
Ravdin's throat tightened as he The older man's breath cut off
tried to smile, and his voice was sharply. There was real alarm in
hoarse and urgent. "They're com- his eyes. "You're right," he said
ing, Nehmon! I saw them, hours softly. "Six months ago it was eight
ago-" hundred light years away, in an
The last overtones of the dance era completely remote from us.
broke abruptly, like a glass shat- Now just seven. In six months they
tered on stone. The room was have come so c1ose-"
deathly still. Lord Nehmon's eyes "And there's no confusion now.
searched the younger man's face They know where we are-" the
for a long moment; then he turned scout looked up at Nehmon, a deso-
away, not quite concealing the sad- late look. "What can we do? We
ness and pain in his eyes. "You have only weeks, maybe days, be-
couldn't be mistaken?" fore they're here. We have no time
"No chance. I found signs of to plan, no time to prepare for
their passing in a dozen places. I them. What can we do?"
saw them, their whole fleet. There The room was silent. Finally the
were hundreds. They're coming, I ol~er man stood up, wearily, his
saw them." six hundred years of life showing
"Did they see you?" Nehtnon's in his face for the first time in cen-
voice was sharp. turies. "We can do once again what
"No, no. The Warp is a wonder- we. have always done," he said sarl-
ful thing. With it, I can come and ly. "We can run away."
96 ALAN E. NOURSE
HE BRIGHT street below the so they've never found us-,-yet.
T oval window was. empty and
quiet. Not a breath of air stirred in
Whenever they come close to find-
ing us, we run."
the city. Ravdin stared out in Nehmon nodded slowly. "For
shocked silence, hardly believing thousands of years."
the words, now that he'd heard Ravdin's eyes were bright. "Yes,
them. "Again", he said dully. we run, we cringe, we hide under
"After we have worked so hard, stones, we break up our lives and
done so much-now we must burn tear up our families, we run like
the city and flee again-" His voice frightened animals-" he gulped a
trailed off to silence. He stared at breath, and his eyes sought Neh-
Nehmon, seeking in his face some mon's, angrily. HWhy do we run,
answer, some reassurance. He my Lord?"
found no answer there, only sad- Nehmon's eyes widened. "Be-
ness. "The Concerts-it's taken so cause we have no choice," he said
long, we're so close to the ultimate sharply. "We must run or be killed.
goal in the Concerts-" he gestured You know that; you've seen the
toward the thought-sensitive sound- records, you've been taught."
ing boards lining the walls, through "Oh, yes, I've been taught, I
which the dancer-illusion had been know. I've been taught that mil-
possible-"All the beauty and lenia ago remote ancestors of ours
peace we've found here-" fought the Hunters, and lost, and
"I know. How well I know." fled, and were pursued-and al-
Ravdin's voice became sharper. ways ran, ran, ran. But why? Time
"Yet the Hunters come again, and after time we've been cornered, and
again we must run away." He we've turned and fled. Why? Even
stared at the old man, his eyes sud- animals know that when they're
denly bright. "Nehmon, I've been cornered they must turn and
thinking-" fight-"
Nehmon looked up sharply. Not HWe are not animals." Neh-
in alarm, but with a look· of plead- mon's voice cut the air like a whip-
ing, like the look of an old and lash.
dying man who begs to be spared "But we could fight."
false hope. A faint smile crossed "Animals fight. We do not. We
his lips. "I think, too, sometimes." fought once, like animals, and now
"Not what I've been thinking." we must run from the Hunters,
Ravdin sat down, clasping his who must continue. to fight like ani-
hands in excitement. "We run mals.Let the Hunters fight."
away, Nehmon. Think about that Ravdin rubbed his lips, sinking
a moment. We run, and we run, back into the relaxer. "Then-the
and we run. From what? We run Hunters are not men like us,"· he
from. the Hunters. They're hunting said suddenly. "That's what you're
us,. these Hunters. They never quite saying. They're animals. We kill
find us, ·because we've already run. animals for· our food, isn't that
We're clever, we're fortunate, we true? We kill the tiger-beasts in the
have a way of life that they do not, Jungle to protect ourselves. Why
THE LINK 97
not kill the Hunters to protect our- face stricken. "Oh, Nehmon, if you
'selves?" could have been there tonight-it
Nehmon sighed, and reached out was horrible. There was something
a hand to the younger man. "I'm in the air. Everyone felt it-we
sorry," he said gently. "It seems knew there was something wrong,
logical, but it's false-logic. No, the and the Concert was ruined. The
H.unters are men-men just like people were afraid-"
you and me. Their lives are differ- Ravdin turned away sharply.
ent, their culture is different, but "Tell her," he said to the old man.
they are men. And human life is Dana looked at them, her gray
sacred, to us, above all else. This eyes widening in horror. "The
is the fundamental basis of our very Hunters! They've found us?"
existence. Without it we would be Ravdin nodded wordlessly.
Hunters, too. If we fight, we are Her hands trembled as she sat
dead. That's why we must run down, and there were tears in her
away now, and always. Because we eyes. "We came so close tonight-
know that we must not kill men." so very close. I felt the music before
it was sung, do you realize that? I
felt the fear around me, even
N THE STREET below, the though no one said a word. It
Onight air was suddenly full of
voices, chattering, intermingled
wasn't vague or fuzzy, it was clear!
The transference was perfect." She
with whispers of song and occa- turned her stunned face to the old
sional brief harmonic flutterings. man. "It's taken so long to come
The footfalls were muted on the this far, Nehmon. So much work
polished pavement as the people and trainingto reach toward a per-
passed, slowly, their voices carry- fect communal Concert. We've
ing a hint of puzzled uneasiness as had only two hundred years here,
they passed. only two hundred! I was just a lit-
"The Concert's over!" Ravdin tle girl when we came, I can't even
walked to the window, feeling a remember before that. Before we
chill. pass through him. "So soon- came here we were undisturbed for
something must have gone wrong." a thousand years, and before that,
Eagerly he searched the faces pass- four thousand. But two hundred-
ing in the street for Dana's face, we can't leave now. Not when
sensing the lurking discord in the we've come so far."
people's quiet talk. Suddenly the Ravdin looked from Dana to the
sound-boards in the room tinkled a old man. "Closer and closer. This
carrilonof ruby tones in his ear and time they will catch us. Or next
he turned from the window. And time, or the next. And that will be
then she was in the room, his new the end of everything for us, unless
bride, rushing to his. arms with a we fight them."· He paused, watch-
happy cry, pressing her soft cheek ing the last groups dispersing on the
to his rough chin. "You're back! street below. "If we only knew, for
Oh, I'm so' glad, so very glad!" She sure, what we were running from."
turned to Lord Nehmon then, her There was a startled silence. The
98 ALAN E~NOURSE
girl's breath came in a gasp and her the Concerts have changed! Even
eyes widened as his words sank my grandmother can remember
home. "Ravdin," she said softly. when the Concerts were just a few
"Have you ever seen a Hunter?" performers playing, and everyone
The couple stared at each other else just sitting and listening! Can
in amazement. Ravdin felt chill of you imagine anything more silly?
excitement tingle his spine. Music They hadn't even thought of trans-
burst from the sounding-board- ference then, they never dreamed
odd, wild music, suddenly hopeful. what a real Concert-communion
"No," he said, "no, of course not. could be. Why, those people had
You know that." never tasted music, until they be-
She rose from her seat, trem- came a part of the music. Even we
bling. She looked at Lord Nehmon. can see these changes - why
"Have you?" couldn't the Hunters have grown
"Never." The old man's voice and changed just as we have ?"
was harsh. Nehmon's voice broke in, almost
Dana stared at her husband. harshly, as he faced the excited
"Has anyone ever seen a Hunter?" pair. "The Hunters don't have
Ravdin's hand trembled. "1-1 Concerts," he said grimly. "You're
don't know. None of us living now, deluding yourselves. They laughed
no. It's been too long since they last at our music, they scoffed at our
actually found us. I've read-oh, I arts and twisted them into mock-
can't remember. I think my grand- eries. They had no concept of
father saw them-or my great beauty in their language. The
grandfather - somewhere back Hunters are incapable of change."
there. It's been thousands of "And you can say that when no~
years-" body has seen them for thousands
"Yet we've been tearing ourselves of years?"
up by the roots, wrenching our peo- Nehmon met her steady eyes;
ple from planet to planet, running read the strength and determina-
and dying and still running. Sup- tion in their depths. He knew, d~s~
pose that we might not have to pairingly, what they were thinking
run?" -that he was old, that he couldn't
He stared at her. "But they keep understand, that his mind was
coming. They keep searching for channeled now beyond the _ap-
us. What more proof do you need?" proach of wisdom. "You mustn't
Dana's face glowed with excite- think what you're thinking," he
ment; her slender body was alive said weakly. "You're blind. You
with new vitality, new hope. "But wouldn't know, you couldn't have
they might have changed. Things any idea what you would find. If
can happen-look at us, how we've you tried to contact them, you
grown since the wars with the could be lost completely, killed, tor~
Hunters. Think how our philoso- tured. If they haven't changed,you
phy and culture have matured! Oh, wouldn't stand a chance. You'd
Ravdin, you were to be Master at a never come back, Dana."
Concert next month. Think how "She's right." Ravdin's voice was
THE LINK 99
low in the still room. "You're once proud presence, leaving only
wrong, my Lord. We can't continue the scorched circle of land for the
this way if we're to survive. Some- jungle to reclaim, so that no eyes,
time our people must contact them, not even the sharpest, would ever
find the link that was once between know how long they had stayed,
us, and forge it strong again. We nor where they might have gone.
could do it." In the rounded room of his
"I could forbid you to go." house, Lord Nehmon dispatched
Dana looked at her husband, and the last of his belongings, a few re-
her eyes were proud. "You could membrances, nothing more, be-
forbid us to go," she said, facing cause the· space on the ships must
the old man, "but you could never take people, not remembrances. He
stop us." knew that the remembrances would
bring only pain. All day he had
supervised the loading, the intri-
link can be forged, we will do it." They were squat, misshapen ves-
"I wish you the best in every- sels, circling down out of the air,
thing." There were tears in the old hissing, screeching, landing with a
man's eyes as he turned and left the grinding crash in the tall thicket of
room. the jungle. Ravdin's signal had
brought the ships down, and the
Hunters had seen them, standing
•••••
Man knows he is the forerunner of a finer and more perfect race; and his
pride in that fact should be great enough to overshadow the disappoint-
ments and hardships of the present.. Pierre du Nouy
He was something out of a nightmare but his music was straight
from heaven. He was a ragged little man out of a hole but he
was money in the bank to Stanley's four-piece combo. He was
-whoops! ...