Subject: Doomed Lensmen -- chapters 1 & 2 Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2000 08:12:02 -0800 From: Lee Gold To: mobrien@dnaco.net Here's the first half in ASCII DOOMED LENSMEN by Sybly Whyte originally serialized in The Third Foundation, beginning with issue #77 (the first issue of the fanzine) in 1967 Chapter One: GHARLANE'S ESCAPE As the flagship of the Thralian Grand Fleet sped towards Klovia, the Eddorian energizing the body of Premier Fossten suspiciously questioned Gannel, Tyrant of Thrale. Suddenly he shouted, "Die then! I should have known from the sheer perfection of your work that you were what you really are - Star A Star!" Even as he spoke, he attacked. Gannel, in reality Second Stage Lensmen Kim Kinnison, met the mounting fury of that attack, never knowing that he was not alone in his battle against the apparent leader of the Boskonian forces. At length, his sight and sense of perception revealed to him his conquered foe in the image of a huge Brain, apparently identical to that of Mentor the Arisian. Nor was this similarity surprising, for both images were actually hallucinations produced in Kinnison's mind by the fourfold Arisian fusion which called itself Mentor. So Kinnison relentlessly pummeled the illusion of a brain, while unbeknownst to him Mentor created such a screen of mental force around the captive Eddorian that that entity could neither communicate with its fellows nor escape the form of flesh it was then energizing. Finally, at Mentor's direction, Kinnison drew his ray-gun and, with apparently only that feeble instrument, succeeded in reducing what it was that lay before him to a smoking, shapeless heap. But neither the dogged Lensman nor the subtle Arisians were aware or indeed ever became aware that there had been yet another witness to that titanic battle of mind. Back on Thrale, in the Premier's secret quarters, a spy-screen had relayed the entire struggle. And the entity who watched it was none other than Gharlane of Eddore himself! Well was it for the Arisians' peace of mind that they never thought to check exactly which Eddorian had been cornered that day and forced to pass to the next plane of existence. Actually Gharlane had cautiously chosen to stay entirely away from the forefront of the battle. True, Premier Fossten had gone on the flagship of the Boskone Grant Fleet, but that worthy's body was then being energized not by Eddore's mighty Second-in-Command, but by one of his underlings - his ascosporic twin - differing from him only in strength of will and force of personality. The Arisians had long known that the Eddorians were completely asexual entities who were immortal except for death by violence and who multiplied their numbers by asexual sporulation. By this means, when an Eddorian had reached its capacity to live and learn, it simply divided into two new individuals, each of which, in addition to possessing in full the parent's mind and memories and knowledge, had also a brand-new zest for living and a greatly increased capacity for knowledge. This reproductive process in its purest form obviously produced two individuals equal in power and in competitive drive. But no Eddorian of the Innermost Circle was willing to allow such an equal to exist. These powerful minds, therefore, controlled the conditions of their self-reproduction so that of the two individuals produced, one was markedly the superior in vital force - and that one only was considered the true inheritor of the former personality. Thus it was that Gharlane's personality had endured through the countless millennia since the original formation of Earth. And thus when the time came for a direct attack on the Klovian Patrol Headquarters, Gharlane, wishing to keep personal control of the battle but wary of treachery, deliberately twinned himself and sent in Fossten's body an entity with his own desires and hatreds, a stupendously capable mind inferior only to himself and to the All-Highest in stark power. No wonder then that the Arisians were so confident that Gharlane had been destroyed. One of him had been. But another still remained! As he turned off the spy-screen, Gharlane was raging with barely controlled anger that he had been so nearly outmaneuvered. But instead of giving way to his almost incandescent fury, he deliberately forced himself to consider the implications of the scene he had just witnessed. The Grand Fleet was now for all intents and purposes already destroyed. The Patrol Headquarters would have little difficulty in demolishing it with one of their own Lensmen in control of the flagship. Indeed Thrale itself must now be temporarily conceded to the hated foe. He could most effectively oppose the Lensmen and their Civilization only by operating in secret, not by fighting a last ditch battle to keep control of a world of only tertiary importance. Also, as Gharlane now began to realize, there were advantages to be drawn even from this wreck of his plans. The Arisians would now probably be sure that he was dead. Let them continue to think so. They based, he knew, all their calculations on a highly intellectual Visualization of the Cosmic All, a system of speculation so subtle and intricate that it could be blurred by even one major unknown fact. And the continued existence of Eddore's Second-in-Command was a major fact indeed! So Gharlane cautiously retreated from Thrale, leaving the planet so quickly and so secretly that not a single mind there was ever aware that a second Eddorian had ever been there at all. He went, not to Eddore nor to any of the worlds which the Eddorians had already mobilized against Civilization, but to the very outskirts of the Second Galaxy, to the bleak world of Nergal, a world so far removed from the struggle between Civilization and the Eddorian Menace that no Arisian and, except for Gharlane, no Eddorian had ever spared time to investigate it thoroughly. Gharlane, however, had long been aware that Nergal was inhabited by a race of humanoid beings with a set of ethics equivalent to that of the Delgonian Overlords - plus a capacity for disciplined intellectual. strategy such as no Overlord ever dreamed of possessing. Gharlane had chosen to keep this planet out of the grand scheme of Eddorian cosmic conquest, to keep its existence secret even from the All-Highest. He had built up an organization upon it loyal not to Eddore but to himself, an organization with only one aim: to gather every possible item of information about the Arisian plans - and to devise schemes of nullifying them. Nergal thus represented to Gharlane his own private intelligence organization. As soon as the Eddorian had landed on that fortress world, he issued a summons for Zagan, the planetary chief, to attend him immediately. When the dictator arrived, Gharlane greeted him perfunctorily, then asked abruptly, "What is the state of your planetary defenses?" Zagan, inwardly perturbed at the unexpected arrival of his master, replied with outward calm, "We have been studying the data you lately made available to us about hyper-spatial tubes and negaspheres. As you are doubtless aware, the latter can easily be dealt with by simply focusing the light of a star upon them, a technique which we call the astrobeam. Detecting and combating a hyper-spatial tube is a more interesting problem. We have, however, I believe, solved the problem to your satisfaction by construction of hyper-space screens which not only indicate the presence of such tubes but also can stop even the most powerful from penetrating into normal space. We are fully equipped then against both these varieties of attack." "What about your defenses against mental attack?" the Eddorian demanded. "As you know," Zagan answered, "our screening is an exact duplicate of the plans you gave us of Eddore's own defense systems. However, I must confess that I am not wholly satisfied with this set up. It is true that such screens prevent the entrance of an invader or group of invaders of minds with the capacity of one of the Eich or even that of a Plooran. But we have no reason not to hypothesize that some of the enemy possess minds with a capacity nearly equal to yours. And against an assemblage of such minds, such screens would be of relatively little use. I hope I have not offended you by this frankness." "On the contrary," replied Gharlane, "a recent experience of mine has convinced me that our defenses must be even more powerful than those of Eddore. Now, by exactly what methods are you planning to repel a possible mental attack by such third-level minds?" Zagan hesitated slightly, then answered, "Actually for some time we found ourselves to be totally incapable of devising any such mechanism. But we have recently achieved a breakthrough on this and several other lines of investigation due to our new device: the telepathic computer. I have not previously informed you about this project since I wished to wait until I was sure it would be successful. "We have devised a computer capable not only of logically categorizing and extrapolating from data but also of gathering data by means of telepathic scrutiny of the cosmos. Only second- and third-level minds are immune to its sensors. Our first command to it was to assemble as much information as possible about the accursed Arisian Lens. As you know, the Lens is no mere artifact but a living entity, attuned to only one being, and when not in contact with that being immediately lethal to any other being who touches it. Our computer was able to give us such accurate data on the composition of this device that we are now capable of altering the Lens-Lensman relationship so that the Lens ceases to be attuned to its wearer and instantly kills him. "Unfortunately," and the Nergalian spoke with genuine grief, "the energy required for this feat is so great that all our resources are capable of killing only a handful of Lensmen. We have therefore decided to reserve this device as a defense against a possible attack by third-level intellects. We have developed a type of atomic-powered thought screens capable of detecting and for a limited time of blocking all such attack. We have tied the anti-Lens projectors into this defense so that any Lensman who gets past these screens will instantly be destroyed by his own Lens. I hope you approve of our planning." Gharlane complimented the tyrant brusquely, then remarked, "I should like to see this computer of yours. Where is it located?" The Nergalian complacently replied, "I took the liberty of mounting one of its extensions here in your offices." He strode to a corner of the room and indicated a dullish-gray, circular visiplate one yard in diameter. "This extension is keyed to your personality pattern. Simply address it telepathically, and it will obey all your instructions to the limits of its capabilities. Was there anything else that you wished to discuss at this time?" "No," Gharlane replied, "you may go, but be ready to return should I have need of you." He watched the Nergalian leave, then turned with grim satisfaction to the computer extension and asked, "What lines of inquiry are you currently pursuing?" The computer's answering thought was precise and dry, free from any personality overtones. "There are four projects in all. First, to collect all possible data about the entity or group of entities tentatively termed Star A Star. Second, assuming that Arisia ultimately aims at the conquest of Eddore, to determine in detail how it plans to achieve this end. Third, to determine what Arisia plans to do after the destruction of Eddore. Fourth, to determine what the possibilities are for Nergalian domination of the Material Cosmic All when Eddore is destroyed." The Eddorian replied grimly, "Modify that last project. Seek instead to determine how Nergal under my leadership may come to dominate the Material Cosmos. Now," he continued, "give me a precis of your findings on those first three projects of yours." For Gharlane was in no way perturbed that the machine should thus assume the total destruction of his home planet and of the rest of his species. The dominant, nay the only, drive of Eddorian psychology was for power, absolute power. No Eddorian ever felt any loyalty to any other. No Eddorian was capable of such emotions as pity, friendship or patriotism. For millennia, the Eddorians had indeed striven to kill each other. Now the survivors of those fierce battles cooperated - but for only one reason: to conquer enough galaxies so that each Eddorian could have as much power and authority as he could possible handle. And now Gharlane of Eddore dreamed of ruling the Macrocosmic All! Chapter Two: THE INVADER INVADED Nearly twenty years later, however, Gharlane seemed no nearer to his goal. The Nergalian scientists, in spite of all their attempts, had proven to be incapable of refining their telepathic computer to the point at which it could tap second- or third-level minds without alerting the individuals involved. As Ingleroy, the chief of the project, explained to Gharlane, "One of the chief characteristics of these higher level minds is a virtual fusion of the conscious and unconscious. Thus such individuals are able to function at top efficiency even when their bodies are asleep or drugged. And for the same reason, we are incapable of penetrating such a mind without in some way alerting it consciously to the fact that such a penetration is being attempted." During this period, Gharlane had confined himself to the Nergalian neighborhood of space. Much as it irked that proud mind to appear to be in hiding from the accursed Arisians and the Lensmen, he still recognized that such a course of activity was necessary. The fact that his ascosporic twin, his near equal, had been totally destroyed indicated that the Arisians were preparing to move openly against Eddore in the relatively near future, probably within the next few Tellurian centuries. Gharlane had been reluctantly forced to acknowledge the Arisians' highly perfected planning ability. He knew that he could upset their visualization only if that plan of action did not take his existence into account. Therefore, he would have to keep his survival unknown to them until the moment at which his reappearance would be most effective. For this reason, he never attempted to communicate directly or indirectly with the Innermost Circle of Eddore. Knowledge that he was still alive would certainly affect their actions, and so that knowledge could be induced as a second order variable by the observant Arisians. So for twenty years Gharlane played a lone hand, devoting himself to masterminding the Nergalian researches as he had once masterminded the affairs of two galaxies. Nor was he yet completely isolated from those extra-Nergalian doings. The Nergalians' telepathic computer in effect had turned virtually the entire population of many planets into a huge corps of spies. None of these spies was aware of the importance of his mission, or indeed aware of his mission at all. No spy could betray the Nergalian project to either Eddore or Arisia because they were all totally unaware of its existence. Gharlane himself analyzed all of the data thus gathered, but for all his efforts, he and the computer were able to solve only the first of the computer's four projects: the identity of Star A Star. It soon became clear to Gharlane that this hypothetical entity exhibited far too many inconsistencies to be possibly only one person. Instead there was, according to the computer, a probability of 97% that the activities ascribed to Star A Star resulted from those of at least three and no more than six second level minds, all with varying personalities, two of whom must be Kim Kinnison of Sol III and Nadreck of Palain VII. No breakthrough had occurred on the other three projects, however, until nearly twenty years after Gharlane's arrival on Nergal. At that time, Gharlane was digesting the latest reports on Kandron's success in creating a Civilization-wide epidemic of psychoses and mass hysteria, when he was notified that Ingleroy urgently desired to speak to him. Gharlane gave his permission, and the Nergalian scientist excitedly entered the room. "As you know, Master," he began without preamble, "we have been long searching for some means of probing the thoughts of high level mentalities. We met with utter failure because we had confined ourselves to seeking to tap these minds directly. But, on the other hand, I have found it to be quite easy to create a device which would indirectly probe the mind of even a third-level mentality - provided that that individual was wearing a Lens. We know that the Arisians have already built such a function into the Lens for their own purposes, that the Lens not only catalyses the wearer's mental power but also enables any Arisian to observe in complete detail anything that its wearer senses or thinks. "Obviously," the Nergalian continued, "under normal circumstances, the Arisians would be capable of observing any attempt of ours to make use of this same Lens function. But we do not need to confine ourselves to normal circumstances. The Arisians are clearly grooming the five Kinnison children for some kind of major attack, probably against Eddore itself. The boy in particular is known to have visited Arisia over ten times. He is undoubtedly privy to most of the Arisians' plans. All that we need to do is wait and watch for a time when his Arisian guardians are distracted, and then probe his mind through his Lens. Because this procedure is wholly indirect, no effect will be left on the brat's mind to alert either his siblings or his Arisian teachers." "That's all very well, but how do you know your device will work?" asked Gharlane. "I have already had it field-tested," Ingleroy replied. "First one of my subordinates used it on a first level Lensman, one of the recent graduating class." "That's hardly significant," retorted the Eddorian. "Our computer is also effective against such mentalities. What makes you think your device will work on second or third level minds?" "Once I knew that the device worked," Ingleroy continued imperturbably, "I tested it myself on two occasions. First I used it to probe the mind of a being at present at the first level of development although capable of advancing to second level if given the proper training. I refer, Master, to Clarrissa Kinnison, wife of one second-stage Lensman and mother of five third-stage Lensmen. Since the second-stage Lensmen are, of course, under full Arisian scrutiny at all times, I did not attempt to probe any of their minds. Instead, I then trained the device on Dur of the Eich, a second-stage mentality who is one of the Boskonian Black Lensmen. "In both cases, the results were completely successful. Transmission was clear and intact, nor was there any perception by the individuals involved or by others of their society that such invasion had taken place. If you would like me to conduct any other tests, I would be perfectly willing to do so, but I consider the efficiency of the device to be fully proven. "In any case, there is one other matter of importance that I would like to raise, if you have time," the scientist continued. "Are you aware that Zagan has been plotting to seize ultimate control from you immediately after we have conquered the Arisians?" "And you want to become tyrant in his stead," Gharlane said curtly. "That's right. I-" "Well, you won't," said the Eddorian flatly. "I have known about his schemes for the last century and foresee no difficulty whatsoever in forestalling them. Nor have I any illusions that you would be any more loyal a subordinate. However, that's not the reason why I'm refusing your request. Ingleroy, you're a scientist - and Zagan's an administrator - and as far as I'm concerned, you are both my tools, which I am using to achieve a specific desired end. I am not going to use you to perform an administration function of which you are not capable, no matter how much it might please your petty ego to get the title of tyrant. However, if your dissatisfaction with your present job seems unbearable, I would be quite willing to have you executed in order to give you peace of mind. Is that clear?" he demanded coldly, and the shaken Ingleroy indicated his assent. Gharlane continued in a mollified tone, "Very well. Now I want you to work with Zagan to set up an organization to watch those five Kinnison brats, particularly the boy. I want them watched so closely that we can be ready to pull off that Lens-tap trick of yours with only a minute's notice. Now go away, and don't come back unless you have something else new to report or unless I summon you." The scientist silently left. Time passed. Kandron of Onlo was destroyed by the coolly calculating Nadreck of Palain VII. The five young Kinnisons, children no longer, recognized their own limitations and returned one by one to Mentor for the treatment that would enable them to become mature third level minds. Their mother, Clarrissa Kinnison, the Red Lensman, finally became a Second-Stage Lensman through the aid of her son Kit. And finally one day, two years after his last visit, Ingleroy returned to Gharlane's office with news that Kit Kinnison seemed to be preparing to attempt an invasion of Eddore. "Zagan has remained in the Communications Room to monitor the reports," the scientist informed Gharlane. "We believe that conditions will soon be optimum for a Lens-tap and judged that you would want to supervise the proceedings yourself." Gharlane signified his approval and followed Ingleroy to the Communications Room where he found everything in readiness for the delicate task of mental invasion that was about to be performed. Zagan greeted him effusively as he entered the room, then said, "The Tellurian is currently within a light year of the star cluster within which Eddore lies; he is still outside the furthermost defense screens. We will be observing him by means of several of our agents who are mining artifacts and rare elements in the remains of the near-by systems destroyed in the Ancient Wars before the Eddorians chose to cooperate with one another." Slowly the dot of light representing the young Lensman's ship on the visiscreen moved closer to the Eddorian sun. "He must be through the first four screens by now," commented Ingleroy tensely. "According to the computer estimate, there is a probability of 83% that he will reach the lowest level and escape. We intend to let him get as far as possible into the Eddorian defense network before tapping. After all, every new bit of information he gains will also advance our own knowledge of the situation." Far away, Kit Kinnison doggedly drove his tiny spaceship forward until he reached a point inside of Eddore's innermost defensive screen. Here he knew he would be safe only as long as he did nothing; the slightest crack in his shield would leave him open to detection. For a moment, he panicked. Then he regained his self control and continued to drive the ship straight downward toward the planet through the noxious mixture of gaseous substances which composed the Eddorian atmosphere. When low enough, he halted the ship's downward motion and commenced to probe the planet with every one of his perceptive senses. Within almost a second, however, an Eddorian had detected him and came to investigate the intruder. Kit blasted him out of existence - and before the completely surprised monster had died, the young Lensman learned all that that entity had ever known about the Eddorian culture - its history, its ideals and ideologists, its organization, its military strategies - in short, its goals, strengths and weaknesses. He knew now exactly how, if Civilization were to triumph at all, the victory had to be achieved. Little did the young Klovian realize, however, that even as he had absorbed this incredible amount of information, a relay had been momentarily opened up that had connected his Lens to far-off Nergal, that all of his hard-won knowledge and conclusions had already been broadcast to Civilization's deadliest enemies! And so, completely unaware that his mind had been indirectly probed, Kit Kinnison, Child of the Lens, desperately hung on and slugged his way up into clear space as an entire planet furiously attempted his destruction. At long last, the young Lensman's ship passed through the second Eddorian screen and into an impenetrable protective sphere of Arisian thought. At the shock of his sudden relief from mental torment, Kit fainted in his control chair. He lay there in a stupor which changed gradually into a deep and natural sleep - slumped, inert, with his Lens shining brightly on one brawny forearm. Ominous was it for the forces of Civilization on that day that neither the young Lensman nor his four fair sisters nor his Arisian protectors were ever to guess that the Lens which had aided the advancement of Civilization so greatly had now betrayed it in the penultimate hour of need. And as Kit lay tranquilly sleeping, on far-off Nergal, Zagan impassively remarked, "I believe the computer should have fully digested the new data by this time." He turned to one of the machine's extensions and said, "Summarize your findings on your four areas of inquiry as modified by this new body of information." The computer emotionlessly replied, "The first project concerned the identity of the so-called Star A Star. As indicated by previous findings, the actions attributed to this being resulted from the life patterns of several individuals. Those individuals are four in number: Kim Kinnison of Klovia, Nadreck of Palain VII, Worsel of Velantia, and Tregonsee of Rigel IV. "The second project concerned the Arisian plans for conquering Eddore. It now appears that they intend to use three major forces in this battle: first, the Arisian world mind; second, a Lensman group mind; third, a fivefold fusion of the Kinnison children, which the entity being probed termed the Unit. This last will be a weapon of great power, since all the cooperating entities have third level minds and were furthermore bred to have personalities that would ensure an almost perfectly efficient fused group mind. Therefore, I predict a probability of 98% that such an invasion, unhindered by us, would be successful." Zagan began to make a remark, but Gharlane curtly silenced him and told the computer to continue. "The third project," said the machine, "concerned the actions of the Arisians after the destruction of Eddore. The mind being probed was not consciously aware of such plans but did contain several pieces of data relevant to them. I compute a probability of 96% that the Arisians plan to pass collectively on to the next stage of existence after, as they think, ensuring the survival of Civilization by the total destruction of the Eddorians. "The fourth project, as modified by the command of Gharlane, is to ascertain the chances that Nergal under his leadership might successfully dominate the Material Cosmic All once Eddore is destroyed. I have insufficient data to give even a tentative solution at this time to the probabilities for such a scope of conquest. However, I do compute a probability of 85% that Eddorian-led Nergalian forces can successfully dominate the entire First and Second Galaxies by following a certain optimum course of action." Stark silence reigned in the Communications Room when the computer had finished. Finally Zagan again emboldened himself to speak. "Of course, the computer's estimate of a 989% probability of Arisian victory applies only in the event that we ourselves take no part in the struggle. Since the Arisians are not aware of our existence, a surprise attack would probably be capable of totally disrupting their plan of action. The anti-Lens device in particular would enable us to destroy the five third stage Lensmen and thus deprive the Arisians of their most valuable weapon, plus wreaking great psychological damage among their forces." "You are totally correct," said Gharlane coldly. "However, we shall take no action whatsoever. If the other members of the Innermost Circle are foolish enough to allow themselves to be destroyed, let them die. I see no advantage to be gained by rescuing them. Instead, we shall continue to wait and watch. Only if new information is gathered which tends to disprove the computer's present findings shall we take any part in the forthcoming battles." And so again time passed without any overt action from Nergal. Arisia was defended against the attacking forces of Boskonia. Ploor fell, destroyed by its own sun, in a supernova produced by the Arisians throwing a loose planet through a hyper-spatial tube deep into that variable star. And finally Eddore itself was totally conquered, all its monstrous inhabitants exterminated by the incredible driving force produced by the cooperation of the Arisians and the Lensmen, as led and coordinated by the Unit itself. Less than a day later, the five Children of the Lens spoke again with that fourfold fusion of personalities which they knew as Mentor. Their first concern was to prevent Civilization from ever realizing the true nature of that last battle. The official story was to be that Ploor had been the top of Boskone and that it had been destroyed through the efforts of the four second stage Lensmen. The titanic Battle of Eddore would be spoken of only as a mopping-up mission, necessary to eradicate a residue of non-material malignancy left by the destruction of Ploor. But then, after they had agreed on this version of events, Mentor surprisingly announced that the Arisians now planned to resign their Guardianship of Civilization into the hands of the Unit. As the Five incredulously listened, they became aware that all the rest of the Arisians had already vanished from the cosmos, gone to explore the possibilities of the next stage of existence. Mentor reassured them that despite the recent chaotic condition of both galaxies, all hostile activity was completely disorganized, well within the ability of the Galactic Patrol as headed by their father to handle. They listened to him, still half-unbelievingly, as he said, "You may believe implicitly that what I now tell you is the truth, that even though we Arisians are no longer here, all shall be well: with us, with you, and with all Civilization." And thus, deluded into confidence by their false visualization, the four Moulders of Civilization departed to the next stage of existence; the last of the Arisians were gone. And on Nergal, Gharlane perceived that all of his hated enemies had now finally died. The triumphant Eddorian contemplated the future with an indescribably malignant pleasure, in an ecstasy of evil. Two forces had curbed his vaulting ambition for millennia: the Arisians and that one among the Eddorians who was his superior, that entity who was called the All-Highest. Now both were destroyed. and every atom of Gharlane's being rejoiced in the satisfaction of being the most powerful mind in the known universe, able to realize his dreams of infinite power unhindered by any effective opposition whatsoever!