Edward Everett Evans

“ Hanlon was silent a moment, then telepathed again. “There is no need for you all to stay here any longer. Tell all your people to go back to their forests, for they are all free.”
Geck turned to the other natives who were crowding close, and Hanlon could see him talking swiftly with that peculiar-looking little triangular-shaped mouth. Soon his mind was suffused with a tremendous wave of joy and ecstasy, and they began dashing out. Hanlon could see them talking to the natives in all the huts, and in moments all the natives except Geck were streaming happily toward the nearby forests. ”

“ Then the light cruisers began slipping through the screen of scouts to take their positions. Suddenly, a number of great beams of energy stabbed up toward them from below, and the screens of the cruisers flared in brilliant confiscations of flame as those mighty rays struck them.
“Don't you cruisers and scouts take foolish chances!” High Admiral Ferguson's voice rasped into the mike. “If those beams are too hot, get back fast! Heavy cruisers and battleships, down!”
Instantly Hanlon could feel the surge of acceleration as the great ship he was riding plummeted planetward. ”

“ The next day Hanlon again sat most of the time in the lounge, his eyes closed, letting his mind soak up all the impressions and vibrations he could. When one seemed particularly strong, he tried to follow it and locate the person—with his mind, not his eyes—and read the whole thought. ”

“ Hanlon jumped to his feet. “Get everyone to work; tell them to act real busy!” he snapped. “You, too!”
He thrust the frequency-transformer into a hole prepared for just such an emergency, grabbed up his shock-rod and stepped closer to the natives. He was standing there, to all appearances strictly on the job of making his charges work, when Philander came crawling up the rise into the pocket where this crew was mining the glossy, lustrous pitch-blank uraninite ore. ”

“ Geck's thoughts and expression were a blank, and it took most of the work-period even to make him understand what Hanlon was trying to ask. When he did finally manage to grasp the thought-concept, his answer was a decided negative.
“No, An-yon, us know nothing about other sun other planet. Before humans come suppose we only intelligent life anywhere. Things you call suns us thought little fires light sky at night. Wonder many night who build. Wonder what is burn where is nothing. Wonder why only one big fire come day. Wonder why big fire die come night.” ”

“ I would train you as you've never guessed it possible for a man to be trained. And then, together, Hanlon, we could rule the Universe!”
But George Hanlon was only half-listening, even to that last, that shocking, that totally unexpected proposition, his real goal. Here was the plot he had been seeking, the plot the Corps needed so desperately to know. Yet his personal crisis was, for the moment, more important if he was ever to be of any further benefit to the Secret Service or the Corps. To use his just-discovered knowledge, something else must come first. ”

“ Now, Hanlon, I think you had better do some very serious thinking. You can see why we are still skeptical of you. Everything points against you ... uh ... except your own word, and the fact that you so apparently did work hard and for our best interests at the mine. That point, I readily grant you, is very much in your favor. I am being very patient with you because, if you are telling the truth, you can be a very valuable man to me. You do have real ability, and other assets. But if you are not wholly for us, you are distinctly in our way. ”

“ Hanlon saw that just beyond the edge of it there were heavy forests—almost a jungle, but strange and alien.
As they drew nearer and finally entered it, the young SS man saw that this was, indeed, unlike any jungle or forest he had ever seen or heard about. Tall trees whose branches writhed as though alive, yet never attacked one. ”

“ Bohr was entirely on his own. The people of his planetary system—Canopus—are so far advanced they live on a completely co-operative basis, every one instinctively working for the common good of all. Bohr was an atavism—they caught him trying to ‘take over’ there, and banished him. He came here, for his restless mind and savage urge to dominate others would not let him rest until he was absolute ruler of some world or system—the bigger the better from his viewpoint. ”

“ He would have to think of himself as a soldier in war, and Rellos an enemy.
Outwardly calm, he shrugged indifferently. “Any guy that can't produce isn't worth keeping,” he said. “Any special way you want it done?”
“No ... I think I would like to see how you work. Plan it yourself. But if it isn't done, you had better not let me or my men see you again.”
“Fair enough. If I can't do a simple job like that I sure can't be of enough value to you to do myself any real good.”
They were silent again, but Hanlon's mind was bleak with what was to come. ”

“ Hanlon knew instinctively he would make no friends among them. “I only hope I make no enemies. Why was I, so drastically different from them, chosen as a guard? What's that leader got in his devious mind, anyway?” ”

“ Philander laughed, yet there was a curious undertone of almost-contempt in his voice. “Why're you so hipped on that subject?”
Hanlon grinned and misquoted, “Life is real, life is earnest, and the gravy is my goal.” Then he sobered and said, “'Cause with money you can do anything. When I've made a big pile, then I can go where I want to go, be what I want to be, and make people know I'm somebody.” ”

“ Hanlon answered honestly, “but now I understand Simonides has, just as she is the wealthiest planet. Of course, Terra being the original world, was bound to have the best the race could breed in all lines of endeavor. But when so many people migrated to other planets, she gradually lost many of her finest brains. Later, those other planets offered such fabulous wages to men and women with skills and trainings her first inhabitants lacked, that Terra was further drained.” ”

“ Hanlon didn't struggle when they bound him firmly in the chair with manacles on hands and feet. He knew it would be useless anyway. He let his body slump into his chair, and again directed his mind through that vent. He must not let them defeat him! He had to survive—to get word—to the Corps!
Then his searching mind contacted another—a weak, primitive one, but a mind. Avidly he fastened onto it, merged with it ... and found himself inside the brain of one of those Simonidean pigeons.
Ah! This is wonderful! Pigeons seldom fly alone. Where you find one you almost always find a number. ”

“ Hanlon quickly reached out to the dog's mind and impressed on it that it must follow the woman, and always do whatever she told it. The puppy then trotted away, content.
George Hanlon sank into his deck chair. This required a good think—a mighty serious think—he told himself. He would have to work on this as much as on human minds. For if he could control animals—would it work on birds, or insects? Maybe even fish?—then he could get into places he, as a man, could not go. ”

“ Clearly, distinctly, as though it were his own mind, Hanlon knew he was one with a deck steward, who had noticed him sitting there all day and the day before, with closed eyes and strained face. (His efforts at concentration must have been too apparent—he'd have to learn to guard that; to keep his face more impassive.) ”

“ Hanlon, walking along and taking it all in, seemed to catch faint whispers of thought, but could make nothing of it. He wondered what it was—perhaps some alien animal-life very low in the scale?
The ground was soft and mucky. The young checker cautioned the others, “Don't step off the path; some of this stuff's almost like quicksand.”
“There's a road to the mine,” he answered Hanlon's further question, “but it's winding and about five miles, where this path's only a half mile. Ground here won't stand heavy loads.”
“How big is this planet, anyway? Gravity seems about like Simonides and Terra.” ”

“ You have let yourself fail on examination questions you did not know, when you could have read the answers in your instructor's mind.”
“No, not that, sir,” Hanlon shook his head. “I never could read from a mind such specific information as answers to questions or to problems.”
“I imagine that will come when you start using your talent maturely,” Admiral Rogers shrugged indifferently. “But at the moment I want to talk very seriously about your assignment. First, however, I must have your most solemn oath never to reveal what I am about to tell you, for it is our most carefully-guarded secret.” ”

“ This was Hanlon's first time aboard one of these luxury liners—how different the deep-piled rugs, the magnificently frescoed passageway walls, the deeply upholstered furniture, from the utilitarian plainness of the Corps' warships on which he had made his practice cruises.
“As you may know, sir,” the steward said as they walked along, “there is neither night nor day in space, but we use Terran time on the ship, and lights are turned on and off to conform to the regular Terran day. Breakfast is served from seven to nine, luncheon from twelve to fourteen, and dinner from eighteen to twenty-one.” ”

“ Hanlon bowed his head in silent thanks for the tremendous compliment. “I only hope I can justify your faith in me, Geck,” he said humbly. “It will be a miracle if I can bring it about, but I certainly intend to keep on trying. It will take some time, you know that. I can't possibly do anything until after I leave here. But if it's humanly possible, I'll bring the fleet here to free you.”
“Us know will be hard, that maybeso it never come we be free,” the Guddu said. “But us know you are only hope. So us help you all us can. ”

“ Hanlon said. “If you and the top brass picked me for the SS because you thought I could, you'd better release me from it. I can't work in a crowd at all, for there's such a jumble of thought-emanations I can't separate them. Even working with an individual I can only sense something of his feelings. Just as now,” he grinned mirthlessly, “you're disappointed because I didn't get any data, and thinking my so-called mind-reading is all a fake.”
The admiral almost jumped. “Why, I am not ...,” then he looked surprised, and laughed. “By Snyder, I was, too!” ”

“ They started out, then Hanlon stopped the admiral with a hand on his arm. “Please, sir,” his face was flaming, his eyes miserable, but his voice was fairly steady. “Please don't call me ‘Sir’ all the time. It may be that my position as an SS man carries that distinction, but it makes me nervous. A youngster like me has no business being called ‘Sir’ by a top brass like you who has worked nearly half a century to achieve the honor.”
Admiral Hawarden grinned suddenly, and hugged Hanlon with a fatherly gesture. “You're all right, Son, and I'm for you. From now on you're simply ‘Newton’. ”

“ Hanlon knit his forehead in concentration. “I ... don't ... know,” he said slowly. “No one ever spoke of anyone as his superior. He's the man they were all afraid of....” He paused a moment, then said, even more slowly, “I've a peculiar hunch. I wish you'd have your best physicians examine that body. Have 'em use X-rays and fluoroscopes, rather than an autopsy. I'm not entirely convinced he was a human being.”
“What?” There was incredulity in that question. “What gives you that idea?”
“Sorry, sir, I can't give you my reasons just now,” Hanlon's face flushed, and his eyes were appealing. ”

“ The admiral winked briefly and with respect at Hanlon before reentering his cab.
But as the young man hurried back to his hotel to clean up, he was heartsick, remembering the many, many months of pleasant companionship with those boys. Especially Dick Trowbridge, who had been his roommate and special chum all through cadet school, and who today had seemed particularly disgusted and vicious in that fight.
Giving up all that had made life so happy and wonderful was more than a fellow could bear, his bitter thoughts ran. ”