The Galaxy Primes

routine in nature, there is no need to go into t

d Lola together, can hit any destination within an

mbination containing either of us wit

y combination containing both of us

l, I don't like to admit that we've put gravel in the gear-bo

boarding the starship she was acutely embarrassed. "We'll have to, of course.

since neither of us had any idea. I'll

?" James asked. "Or lep it, so we two

oned it, but badly. We've been fighting so much that something or other in that mess down there has become conditioned to her; something else to me. My pa

g that that conglomeration of copper and silver and steel and insulation

t new from scratch. I postulate, as a working hypothesis drawn from original data as modified by these tests, that that particular conglomeration of materials generates at least two fields about th

derson's Theory of Teleportation. Or, for that matter, the actual basic coupling between mind and ordinary muscular act

e floor. "I simply can't see any

, perhaps," B

' and I don't want any part of that. However, 'unconscious' could be the answer ... if so, we may have a lever

Honestly. Screens dow

the fields. Feel around with me-keep tuned!-see if there's anything at all here that we can grab hold of and manipulate, like an Op field except probably very

hands flew to his head, his face turned white,

re stretching him out on a davenport. Bell

e?" All three were

out." He searched his mind anxiously, then smiled. "But no damage done-just the oppo

"I must not have one. That makes you a Super

ike me, but without it you couldn't have conditioned the fiel

laimed. "Come on, Cle

badly, Belle?" Lola asked. "Besides

? Want it! I'd give my right leg and ... and almost any

nemy. But that had two hundred kilovolts and four hundred kilogunts behind it. Since I know n

ome in, quick!

ook longer-half an hour, in fact-b

d, eagerly. "You winced like he was drill

out of shape. Like having a child, m

ned up a

"Take that-and that! And now behave yourself. If you don't, mama spank-but good!" Then, breaking connection, "Thanks a mill

nless

ot to; just like I'd swallowed an os

. "Jim, what are the Tellurian figur

head." James did so. "Shall

"Nothing can inter

wn in the pilot's seat.

the chair and put both arms aroun

y over the exact center of the middle

onth of a microphase. I'm ex

f nuts and bolts, jump!" and

ath them. So d

uge sigh held much more

d, breaking into unashamed and unrestrained

en, extending his right arm to Garlock and to Belle, "I was scared to death you couldn't make it ex

ere wet; Garlock's o

t we could do it the hard way," Belle said. "

charge. You're the kind of woman a man wants with him when the go

pilot, who was just pulling a data-sheet from Com

high, and off center point five three inches to the north northeast by east. I hereby award each of you

hink. What do yo

until you-

yet that we can handle the ship. If we do, how many of our

e, is something I never expected to live long enough to see-our straight

nt,' myself," Garlock said, "from th

Formula'," Belle commented. "The mo

bout-you wouldn't destroy official reports! All that astronomy and anthrop

ther than you have. None of us likes the idea of destroying it a bit better than you do. We won't, either, without your full, un

. I'd like to be able to go along with

ght it through. You've met Alonzo

He pawed me mentally and wanted to paw me

ur team, or as any other character you choose to assume. Remembering that Ferber's a Gunther First-and pretends to be an Operator whenever he can get away with it

s Lola thought on, her expressive face showed a variety of conflicting emotions before it hardened into decision. "The answer to both questions-the only possi

I don't.

sis?" Bel

he chute. And I don't know if any of you realize just how nearly impossible it

k said, "I don't think you've lost a thing.

ha

He's got a theory-such a weirdie tha

ripe enough to pick-but it's someth

as those extra-galactic tapes?" Lola wailed. "T

started," Garlock said. "However, as I started to say twice before, it sti

ossibly. But w

alaxy; the ones closest to Tellus. I'm pretty sure they'll be inhabited by Homo Sapiens. There's a chance, of course, that they'll be like Hodell and the others we've seen; in which case I don't see h

wonde

will blow his stack-Oh-oh! Should've remembered Tellus isn't Hodell; the tri-di's setting up! Belle, you take it. She'd give me Fatso, because he wants to chew me out, but she won't put him on for you. Cut her throat, but good! Brownie, hide somewhere! Jim,

but not fat; middle-aged, gray-haired, wearing consciously the aura and the domineering, overbea

ith a glare that was pure frost. "You arrived thirtee

anding stiffly at attention, Belle paused to exchange glares with the woman acr

im?" Belle flas

a minu

loud into the screen: "I will report to Chancellor Ferb

neither as cold nor as steady as it ha

d not for an instant taken her coldly competent eyes from those of the woman on the gr

s conversation is

rtainl

Pleiades, are not subject to the verbal orders of the Chancellor's

. I have authority to act for him. You will report to me, a

the reasons why we are not landing at this time or when we expect to return to Tellus. You are advised that we may leave at any instant, just like that!" Belle snapped her finger under the imaged nose. "You may inform the Ch

more a commander than my lowest office-girl is! Just wait 'till you get down here, you green-haired hussy, you sh

d swung her, feet high in air, through four full circles before he let her down and kissed her vigor

d. "That will go down in history as t

. I had to have some weight to throw around, and I had only a second to think, and that was the fir

enough. That wa

'll crucify you, as well as me, when w

covered that we should all be officers-one captain and three commanders-with pay and perquisites

't! Or can y

l her commander of what, so I'll make it stick, too-see if I don't. Or else I'll

a said. "That tape will never be hea

be erased-it will be heard exact

at's left, then, is that second-in-command business. Both o

" James said, cheerfully. "You have actually be

don't think I'm enough of a heel,

at involved. You

he heap, you'll have to be second-in-command whether you like it or not. Any time you can out-Gu

ings, Jim? No reserva

Gunthered for this board here-for that one

she flashed a thought at Lola. "Do you know that

a flashed back, "but you've hardly sta

ing to work on this planet, that we haven't even looked-wait

y w

uncil or something-and the quicker it's set up the better; the less confusion and turmoil

nited Worlds seven solid days of debate to d

eless! We're officers of the brand-new Galactic Navy. Subject to civilian control, of course, but the civilians will

ht are running the Galaxian Society under Cle

but Belle and I together

"And I simply can't wait to see you

t calling it the 'Galactic Service'? Applicable to either war or peace. Brass Hats will

re no ob

"Space-black and star-white, with chromi

broke in. "Why do women have to

f the ground, not even with the Society. And you'll be talking to Top Planetary B

out to suit yourselves. But think you can stand it, Bel

've been designing a uniform f

nd you're a capt

.... Oh, I see. Primes. I ap

through far enough. Suppose we meet forces already organized?

ose we don't find

th a paper nose. It's you who's been yowling for two solid yea

n accepted

ey should be descriptive, but impressive. Tops could be Ga

miral would be be

'll make stick come hel

tely. "Up to either one of tw

t po

ther takes top place; man, woman, bir

ent. "No war, of course. As to the

none of us has thought of,

and Vices, and World or Planetary-naming the planet, you know-Admirals and Vices. Let the v

intra-ship, will be Mister

Where do we fit

wn spots," G

so apt to get bumped by Primes. So make m

take you, Belle, to mate

can us. Lola's color scheme is right, and I've got every

nto the Main in uniform. B

s conventional, with stiff-visored, screened, heavily-chromed caps; but t

lf minute. "It doesn't look exactly like a spray-on job; but if you ever take a d

e. See? Nothing like a sweater, but a

ked like Tennick Towers, I don't suppose your recruits will be unduly perturbed at, or wi

d. "How do you wa

l center their Op field and check on O

and fantastic "flying saucer" ever to visit that world. The tremendous oceans and six great continents were traversed; the ice-caps; the frigid, t

gon; Margon Base on coast nearby. Lots of Gunther Firsts. All the real Gunther, though, is clear across the continent. They're building a starship

ht. "I thought all male Primes would

osite number, Belle?" He whistled a wolf-call and made hour-glass motions with his hands. "I'd thou

s flared. "You know what that bleach

o business, face to face, there sho

James rolled his eyes upward and steepled his hands. "If you

Brass hasn't any idea of what's

This is it," James reported

there, ten or twelv

ks like your theory is

til it can explain why so many out-galaxies are just alike it doesn't amount to much. By the way, I'm glad you people insisted on o

afraid

or stop-down into the innermost private office of that immense and far-flung base. Through Lola's inner eyes they saw a tall, trim, h

e Galactic Service, including the Galactic Admiral himself. We are making a good-will tour of the Tellus-Type planets of this region of space. I request permission to land and information as to your landing conventions. The landing pad-bottom-of the Pleiades is

G dwarf! Interstellar travel a commonplace! A ship that size and weight-an organized, un

ss her for me, Jim." Gar

lf together. "I admit that I was shocked, Admiral Montandon. But landi

at the top. Besides, I do not like to waste time on officers of much lower rank than my own, and," Lola allowed a strong

did have a sense of humor. "While landing here is forbidde

I introduce you to Galactic Admir

en compared to Lola's very much as a diamond

on is a perfectly friendly one. We will have a friendly visit or

re paused in thought. "It boils down to this

in the hundreds-of-megatons range. Firecrackers. Every once in a while a planet has to try a few such things on us before it will bel

hat, too. I know everything about it, I tell you! I'm in full rapport with their Supreme Grand Admiral. There's only the one ship, they're friendly, and I'm inviting them to land here on Margon Base. Give that to the press. Say also that entrance restri

andon," Garlock directed; and with

e helped. Our Gunther blocks are down. Would you and your two assistants like to teleport out here to us, and con us down yourselves?" Lola knew instantl

se. She very evidently wanted to scream a protest, but would not. Both men, strangely enough, were eager to go. Instantly all three were standing in line on the deep-piled rug of the Main, faci

could quite make up his mind as to which of the black-and-white-clad women to study first or most. The red-head's

med the necessary introductions, adding, "We do not, however, use

een them a table loaded with sandwiches, olives, pickles, r

rve neither intoxicants nor drugs, but you

any objection, Mr. Garlock, to Miss Flurnoy transmitting

ou please, Miss Flurnoy,

fficer said. "This is the biggest and nicest thrill I ever had. Such a thrill that

he girl settled back with a sandwich in one hand and a tall glass of ginger-ale in the other, h

n checking. "Accurate, sharp, wide-range, clear-thinkin

id, with a blush of pleasure-and with s

progressed, the more confused and disma

manded incredulously. "How can

we land on any planet for the first time, one of us has to control it. Or for any other special j

they cleared the a

rough five minutes ago. They

tandon, you may land

is is the scanner. I pull it over my face and head

Entlore asked, dark f

at means you can't handle these forces and never will be able to. Certain Gunth

pt for a few theoretical crackpots who.... Excuse me, please, I

into space. But with this scanner on, I think of where I want to look and I can see it. I then think the ship a f

less, until: "This is about

. "One pound less and I'm afraid I'll

ng down? Brace yourselves, please. You'll be

hundred pounds. You lifted us-instantaneously or nearly so, but I'll pass the question of accelera

not exactly like that of an electrical condenser or of a storage battery, but is more or less analogous to both. Thus, the energy required to lift you three came from the field, but the amount was so small that it did not lower the poten

N

just say that there is no acceleration involved, no time lapse. There is no violation of the Law of Conservation since departur

watched his somber thoughts picture Margon Base and his nation's capital being attack

onsibility to, any world or any group of worlds. We are an arm of the United Galaxian Societies of the Galaxy. Our function is to control space. To forbid, to prevent, to rectify any interplanet

t the scope of the thing as at the calmly col

this precisely, Miss F

, fringes, connotations, and implicat

. If then, however, your government decides that one world is not enough for it to rule and prepares to conquer, or take aggressive action against, any other world, we will be informed and we will step in. First, warning will b

plenty of time, with us, sir," Entlore said. "We have just sent our first rocket to our

along a

ve. The hull is spherical, and much smaller than this one. It has ato

ouch with them as soon as possible. May I borrow a 'talker' l

is of the essence that you have th

ng, she had been conversing

d to Mr. Garlock for the dura

!" she replie

from him or from any designate as

limits? And do I transmit t

eby granted nation-wide top clearance.

d, but urged," Garlock said. "There

your focus spot, Mr. Entlore, we can all 'por

ore laughed. "Apparently you h

en't. I've be

ublic. I hope there are enough guards to keep a lane open for us, but I wouldn't bet on it." Garlock was very glad that the militar

overed by broadcasters, if not as turbulently and enthusiastically prolonged. From the Pleiades they went to the Administration Building, where an informal reception was held. T

b-had been invited to the banquet. And, even though Garlock was a very busy man, his talker tuned in to each on

forthwith to The Galaxian Society Of Margonia. They laid plans for a world-wide organization which would have tremendous prestige and tremendous income. They already had a field-

d not come to an end until long after midnight. Throughout all this time the four

to the ship. ComOff Flurnoy went with them. She was still agog at

r power the primes of many worlds