The Galaxy Primes

following morning, they all had brunch instead of breakfast a

, when everyone had eaten. "Before we move,

ach and ComOff Flurnoy cocked an eyebrow in surprise. "Monkey-business on c

ne you might clear with the control tower and take us up into take-off

ly am. I'm shocked, too. I'm not that kind of a girl, and if I wasn't afraid of losing my job I would scream. I never even suspecte

rinning, sobered down and checked every

ing in the middle

e're prime-proof. I'm not ready for Deggi Delcamp yet. That guy, B

uch push behind what he has got. And his

sure are y

et bumped, I'm afraid. That Fao Talaho is a

er from stem to gudgeon and you lay over h

-based differences. We're used to each other, but neither of us has ever felt a Prime of the sam

ndiose Galactic Service thing and find only two or three planets Gunthered, we make jackasses of ourselves. On the other hand, if

hat are you, an octop

minute. On the third hand, we've

'll have to start without starting, then ... quite a trick.... But how about this? Suppose we take a

out as you can reach without losing orientation. Beta Centauri here is pretty bright, Rigel and Canopus are real

. That many par

round here. We'll need five minutes at each planet-quite a ways out. So set up as

. How many sampl

e rest of today. Six or seve

.... I should be able to lock down the next shot in five ... one minute extr

ll be

One now," and James and Lola donned

said, "you might tell Mr

lready h

along, of course, if y

ou think I'd miss a chance to be the first person-and just a girl, too-of a whole world to see other planets of other suns? Unles

as well pleas

you thi

much in the way, so they'll get theirs later-aft

l, Clee," Jam

ol

ntact!" Miss Fl

nds of years to cross? You can record anything you see in the plates. You can talk t

eventy planets and got back to Margonia in time for a very late dinner. ComOff Flurnoy had less than a quarter of

ter dinner, al

imes-the grown-up ones, I mean-on all the worlds are just about the same cantankerous, y

nse-it's because we haven't had any competition strong enough to smack us down

d say, so you don't need to tell me." Belle laughed an

night,

gement and appointment, of course-across almost the full width of a nation an

dying each other with their eyes. Delcamp was, as Garlock had said, a big bruiser. He was shorter and heavier than the Tellurian. Heavily muscled, splendidly proportio

an; with heavier bones forming a wider and deeper frame. She, too, was beautifully-yes, spectacularly-built. Her hair, fully as thick as Belle's own and worn in a free-falling bob three or four inches longer than Be

s single garment was of a thin, closely-knitted fabric, elastic and sleek. Above the waist it was neckless, backless, and almost fron

end and to receive a thin layer of sup

, hence I can help you a lot if you want me to and if you want to be frie

. Thanks, immensely. I can promise full cooperation and friendship for myself and for most of

g that up-the faster it's cleared the better. Belle and I are paired. Some day-unless we kill each other first-we may m

e paired. We had to. No one else has ever interested either of us; no one else ever will. We should not fight, but we do, furiously. But no ma

ll staring at each other, both still sealed tight. "The first time Fao Talaho starts throwing her weight

miled and was perfectly frank, "But the man doesn't l

ur bloc

-Garlock insinuated a probe. He did not crack the screen or break it down by force; he neutra

said, in the depths o

You can

play ball or else, do you th

hought, of course, of trying you out for Top Gunther, but this settles that. We

o give Fao a little discipline w

th, I admit, but I've tried to meet her a lot more than

nock hell out of Belle." Then, aloud, "Belle, Delcam

men slowly, reluctantly, lowered the

dshake, I mean-is very good," Delcamp s

y the two girls-although neither

ck sent a tight-beamed thought

her, and I'm going to bite h

the Earthlings' surprise, also smoked-assembled and lit two peculiar-looking things half-way between pipe and cigare

of the trip we took ye

Off Flurnoy. We know of the seventy p

these worlds has two, and only two, Primes-one male and one female-and on each world the two Primes are of approximately the same age. On fifteen of these worlds the Primes are not yet adult. On the forty-six r

fact is that the Pleiades, as far as we know, is the only starship in the whole galaxy. Also, the information is very incomplete, especially as to the all

lock stopped it by declaring that he wo

e Galaxy would and should do; or what the Galaxian Service could, should, and would become-the Service to which they both intended to devote their lives. It wasn't even in existence yet, of course. Fao and Deggi were the only ot

p flashed Garlock a tight-beamed thought. "If

full head of steam, th

r! I hope you c

nd enough Galaxian Societies were rolling, there would b

ao sneered, "you have set yourself up as Grand High Chief Mogul, and all

I personally will be in the pilot's bucket. As I told you, I will enforce the

won't take orders from any man-in hell or in hea

claimed, "Please

e-year-old baby's tantrum. If she keeps it up, I'll give h

ught. "If you've got any part of a brain, slick chick, you'd better sta

r organization-go on back home or anywhere else you want to. We'll finish our

rt behaving yourself right now or I'll spread your mind wide open for Belle and Deggi to look at and see exactly what kind of a half-baked jerk you are. If that d

iciously to fight; but, finding that useless against the appalling power o

t what it takes to think

have it. Plenty o

. I'm ashamed, really, but after I got start

e amount to a whoop in Hades. Deggi got his one way, I got mine another, you got yours this way. No, neithe

hat. And I think I ...

ing at her eyes with an inadequate handkerchief, she said: "I'm sorry, De

h stared at Garlock;

ust took a beating. Will you sheathe your claws and take a

ways nice to anybody

tically, and all four went to wor

generators and fields of force and mathematics and paraphysics and Guntherics. They argued so hotly about mental control tha

olar system to any other one desired, apparently merely by thinking about it. And the "crackpots" were extremely surprised to find themselves hopelessly lost in uncharted galactic wild

it Andromeda, Deg

p tried. The starship went toward the huge nebula, but

p asked, more than half jealous

gh, since you couldn't kick the old girl out of our good

ght there-which was exactly what he had told her to do.

dn't use her claws, even once, all

e ever ... well, sort of k

flared slightly at the mere thought. "I

't mean phy

Prime's blocks? Don'

ng? What I thought was.... Oh, all he really said was that all Primes had to have hell knocked out of them before

't. And if he ever

very well, because after y

tell you I was go

e whole universe was clear full of the finest men imaginable-pure dreamboats

g to marry an

ur Prime's body, not have any children?

ldn't admit it. Instead-"I don't get

e thinnest thought to get through. "That's something nobody will ever know. But anyway, unless ...

one of his class, anywhere. He's it,

u'll have the toughest job imagi

What

ince nobody else can, you'll have to j

ready for bed, Belle asked suddenly, "Cl

he's a mighty go

it, whatever i

ow; I never

then, if I a

N

y n

that y

here in fine print. But I think I kn

n't be s

ll out of yours

bout that. I'm s

t to myself. And I h

everal years younger

ed her shoulders. "No sale. Put it back on the shelf. I like me better the wa

as been added. I wish you

st said? I'm glad, Clee. 'Ace' i

he deck. You are,

into bed beside him, pulled the covers up to her chin, and turned off the light by glancing at the switch. "If I thought anything could ever come of it, tho

ave to. You wou

so much about you. But honestly, Clee-seriously, scree

s nothing one-sided about it; I'm no more fit to be a husband than you

east mayhem. Why, in just the little time we've been paired, how many times have you thrown me out

n power, slamming the door so hard it sprung half the seams of the ship and swear

I wonder? Because when we aren't fighting, like now, it's pure

the dark his lips soug

y he had ever felt before. It was much, very much more intens

ht o'clock, the four Tellurians appeared i

over in detail your blueprints for the

ad learned much, the previous day; his own perfor

rs-it couldn't be, hardly; the field is so big and so new-that alone is no reason for it no

yesterday will fabricate, and the fabrications will work. The main troub

an by that crac

eases. So some of the stuff is getting done three or four times, in thr

Delcamp dem

the way we are doing thin

of that is hindsight, Jim? You've built one, you know-and from all accounts

arlock agreed. "We slid back two st

aybe," Jame

and Deggi, put Jim in c

and glared, but Delcamp jumped

s Miss Tala

mean." He went over to a cabinet of wide, flat drawers and brought back a sheaf of drawings. Not blueprints, bu

s as "See sheets 17-B, 21-A, and 27-F." Halfway through the pile he paused, turned backward three sheets, and

t and spreading it flat. "What we call Unit Eight-th

at I never could understand any part of. All I did

. "I didn't understand it any to

e constants down, and half of the ones he has

t your affinity for blueprints, you k

to give him th

ink. Or the ship mig

how about inte

h this. Besides, if we change it in any particular he might. You

from his concentration on the drawings, James though

ack. I can finish up this drawing in a couple of hours, and we can build the u

nts me to," he con

acked Fao softened and bent. She seized both his h

Why are you buildin

"For four, in a pinch. Why did you make yours so big?

nearly ready to flit, no change in size is indicated now. But Belle and I have got to have another conference with

s vanished; to appear instantaneously high above the strat

, Gene?" he s

fencing yet, as you suggested, but we have bought all the real estate.

l of the Pleiades, and I want everybody else to keep on thinking it's s

ay n

artment of the newly re-incorporated Galaxian Society of Sol, Inc. Evans was a tall man, slightly thin, s

"is this employment contract thing. H

ken." The lawyer

et legal eagles could break a

can discharge the employee for any one of a number of offenses, including insubordination; which, as a matter of fact, the employer himself is allowed to defin

ted." Garlock got up, lighted a cigarette, and prowled about the

d run the Project? That is," her whole manner changed; "he doesn't know I can run i

pect. That she knows more about Project Gunther than I do and could run it better. Ferber undoubtedly knows that Belle and I have

you seemed fri

hard, as now. The cold fact is, though, that she's just as much t

eyes shooting sparks. "All my fault! Why, you self-centere

t them down into the chairs they had vacated, and resumed his own seat. "The demonstration was eminently suc

elle snapped. "And maybe

ught. "You'd do anything to get it

es, of course, but I couldn't quite ... but surely, he can't be th

works. That is, if he's ever mi

a big job possibly get away w

tremendously able top executive. In the big black-and-red money books he

s already convinced, glan

That's it, in a precise, i

e-if he's as smart as you say he is-d

ut it yet. But I could be pretty

derstatement o

heck with you later. Now, Gene, about the proposed Galactic Service, the

. I have been very cautious, of course, in discussing, or even mentioning the matter, but the reaction of

are to be this system's councillor and-if we can swing it an

he could reply coherently. Then: "I am surprised-very mu

than anyone else of the Galaxians-which means than anyone else period. With the pos

eservation. That's a job we can work at all

your confidence in me, and if the vot

ll it take to organize? A couple of weeks? An

of this magnitude can even be started in such a short time as that. And yes, there are dozen

ore Garlock and Belle 'ported themselves up into the Pleiades

directly to the heart of his job by leading Lola and Fa

nd get the job done. However, I can't handle either of you, since you both out-Gunther me, and I'm not going to try to. But there can't be two bosses on any one job, to say nothing of thre

ently on the rise; Delcamp's face was hardening. "D

hey'll have their starship in a few weeks. The way they've been going, they won't have it in twenty-five years. And the onl

Delcamp protested.

n from the Society the conse

dn't do that-

ould

could build it almost as easily with common labor. You Primes don't really have to have any Operators a

hat way?" Delcamp and

so on, everything has to be activated-the hundred and one things that make

he was no longer either excited or angry. "A few weeks against twenty

es me. Nothing in my theory even hints at any such thing. So-if there's so much I

and to James and shaking his vigorously. "So I promise not to interfere a bit. If I feel any s

meant it, that

e ship, studying minutely every part, plate, member, machine and instrument that had been installed. He noted what each man and woman was doing and what they int

ld them exactly what the revised situation was and exact

Galaxian Society-not one of them actually did quit. Four of them, however, did appeal to Delcamp, considerably to hi

d I believe him. Therefore, we have put him in full charge. He will remain in charge unless and until he fails in performance. You are all good friends of Fao's and mine, and we hope

o all that James did in fact know what he was doing and that the work was going faster and smoother than ever before; whereupon all oppo

arlock found James with feet on desk, hands in pockets, and scanner on he

us seventeen-year-old blonde. "I can't read this funny-picture

, Vingie; I'd hate to have

h Ni-yun. Terminal Fo-wer. From said terminal, there's

embly Q dash Three, Terminal Two. And watch

Sink Mill Mill; Class Albert

d. Then, to Delcamp. "

y from a state of near-shock. "So that's what an eidetic mem

akes. When they're done, you won't have to just hope

s thei

ce was slight-Belle couldn't put her finger on it at first. She seemed-quieter? Softer? More subdued? No, definitely. More fe

y before yesterday," Fao

ou're pr

t one to know. Oh, isn't it wonderful?" She seized Belle's arm and hugged i

d it would have taken the mind of a Garlock to perceive

ock's room that night, storm signals we

regnant!" she stormed, "

ut of her obviously savage mood. "Not me, a

d had any children for positively years. So now she'll have the first double-Prime baby and it ought to be mine. I'm older than she is-our group is 'way ahead of theirs-we have the fi

eded-what would you be? What would I have? What age do you think this is-that of the Vikings? When SOP in getting a wife was to beat her unconscious with a

ited, overbearing jerk

nd this tim

of super-steel, both would have been wrecked by the bla

she threw herself face down on the bed and cri

taking off her clothes,