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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6951c52 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #63988 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63988) diff --git a/old/63988-0.txt b/old/63988-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index b7a386e..0000000 --- a/old/63988-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1164 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Last Night Out, by Lee Gregor - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this ebook. - -Title: Last Night Out - -Author: Lee Gregor - -Release Date: December 08, 2020 [EBook #63988] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LAST NIGHT OUT *** - - - - - LAST NIGHT OUT - - By LEE GREGOR - - They shoved through the hate-filled crowds - of Terra, looking for a little pleasure, a - little entertainment. For tomorrow Ensign - Grey and his blue-furred space-mate, Canopus 43C, - would go off to war--if tomorrow ever came. - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Planet Stories September 1951. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -The unfriendly street stretched ahead of them, pouring bitter waves of -hostility through their nervous systems. They had ridden the bus from -the space-port into town, and now they stood on the pavement soaking -up the profusion of sensations which permeated the atmosphere of the -brawly town. - -Joe, his iridescent fur registering a pale blue of distaste and his -antennae quivering in a controlled agitation, kept a warm tentacle -curled firmly in the hand of Jed Grey. Since his native name was -a soundless, telepathic abstraction, the records of the Solarian -Fleet labeled him Canopus 647-B-43C. To Ensign Jed Grey, his Terran -team-mate, he was Joe. - -The blue of Grey's Space Fleet uniform matched, for the moment, the -evanescent hue of Joe's pelt, as, in a curious manner, the pattern -created by Joe's thoughts matched that of Grey. - -The sky had created a raucous sunset, challenging the lurid glitter of -the neon signs which lined the main street of Selby, Texas. The light -reflected garishly from the multicolored and multishaped uniforms which -swarmed about the thoroughfare. - -Terrans, scaly-headed Arcturians, spined Sirians, the dark and stocky -inhabitants of a strange planet which circled a star whose name to -Terran astronomers was only a number in the star catalogue--all of -these walked in small groups along the length of the street, seeking a -spot where they could relax for the evening and forget where they had -been or where they were going. - -Jed Grey asked Joe, "Where are the rest of your boys?" - -Joe allowed his perceptual sense to range through the town, his -sensitive antennae erect and rigid. Through the murky welter of -conflicting thought patterns he sought the familiar, gentle sensation -created by the furred Canopans. - -"It's hard to find them," he transmitted to Grey. "I know they must be -in town somewhere. They came on the bus before ours. But there are too -many Terrans about and it is bad...." - - * * * * * - -Jed Grey knew precisely how bad it was. Habitually en rapport with his -Canopan partner, he sensed in every nerve the hostile atmosphere of the -street, tearing at the hard shell of defense which he had learned to -erect. - -The Arcturians, habitually suspicious of strange planetary types, were -sufficiently unpleasant in their thought patterns. However, it was from -the native earthmen, whose blue uniforms vastly outnumbered all others, -that the bulk of the torment arose. - -Grey could sense it even though he avoided observing their faces. He -could feel the alcoholic thoughts of the mechanic across the street: -"An earthman holding hands with a snake! Damned snake man!" - -It was now months since Grey had learned what that meant. The pain with -which he had learned that was by now gone. He did not think that Joe's -tentacles looked like snakes, and he cared nothing for the opinions of -the others. Yet it was difficult to keep out of his mind the intruding -thoughts of the Fleetmen who glared at him with disgust on their faces. - -"I have found the others," Joe thought to Grey. "They are in a small -bar at the other end of town called the Purple Claw. It seems to be an -interesting place." - -There was no need for Joe to ask, "Shall we go there?" For there was -no place else to go. This was a repetition of the problem which always -occurred when the pair arrived at a new base or a new town. Where could -they spend an evening? - -It never occurred to Grey that he might go off by himself. - -Making their way through the crowded street was no longer the ordeal -which it had been when Jed Grey and Joe had first been assigned to -work together. By this time it no longer turned Grey sick when a -highly-painted female hysterically turned around and whined: "It's -reading my mind! The damn snake's reading my mind!" - -"I see that the Arcturians hang out at the Zig Zag," Joe observed. -The Zig Zag's brilliant mercury-vapor sign made Grey's complexion a -virulent blue as they passed beneath it. - -"And extra police floating around," Grey noticed. "This is a bad town. -Many transients here--on their way in or out. Coming to town for a big -time--either the last one or the first one in months." - - * * * * * - -The Purple Claw was housed in a ramshackle building of ancient -vintage, and sported as publicity a modest violet lobster which glowed -erratically above the door. - -Within, the air reeked of tobacco smoke, beer, tekla. It heaved -with the beat of something which was part American jazz, part -Sirian drum-music, with a flavor of strains from half a dozen other -star-systems. - -Behind the bar was a monstrously fat character whose hair was white -as the clouds of Venus, and whose face was as black as space itself. -Elby Jones had a love for wine and women which was matched only by his -addiction to the music which the small band in the corner emitted. - -He nodded to the pair as they entered, and waddled over to the small -table where they seated themselves. - -"Evenin', Joe and Mister Grey," he greeted them. "You'll have Space -Punch and smokes?" - -This, casually--even though never before had they been in this place. - -Just as casual was Grey's reply, "Sure enough, Elby. Nice place you've -got." - -No need to show surprise at the fact that Jones was, himself, a -telepath. The very fact that his place was the congregating point for -the Canopan crowd attested to that probability. - -With a goblet of warm Space Punch between his hands, Grey leaned back -and absorbed the peace and relaxation which he had sensed within these -walls the moment he had stepped through the door. Joe, immune to -alcohol, took the first ecstatic drag from a long white cigarette--a -cigarette of very ordinary tobacco. - -Through the dimly-lit, smoke-laden atmosphere of the room, Grey could -see the musicians at the far end, the small tables at which the Terrans -sat with their Canopan partners, the few Sirians who sat alone with -their tekla glasses. - -Joe, performing an indescribable feat of mental recognition, happily -greeted a Sirian who sat across the room. To Grey the Sirians all -appeared identical, but he received the impression that this was the -one they'd gone on a tear with last month in Joplin. It had been a most -memorable occasion. He suddenly laughed uproariously as he recalled the -picture they'd made marching down Joplin's main thoroughfare singing -the Sirian national anthem in harmony--with Joe taking two of the parts -simultaneously--both mentally. - -Joe, having no vocal apparatus, performed his music telepathically. -At times it was indescribable, and at other times it -was--well--magnificent. - -Within the Purple Claw there was music permeating the smoky air, -coursing through the nerve channels of the listeners. It was slow and -hot, loose and tight at the same time. - -Grey slipped down farther into his chair. A horn took a high passage, -and the chill began to pass up and down Grey's spine. He knew, then, -that he was in--that the night was good and the music right. - - * * * * * - -Joe's antennae swayed quietly, in time with the beat, in time with -the antennae of the other Canopans who sat there, spreading a net -of rapport through the room. Imperceptibly there was produced an -augmentation of the music, a heightened receptivity, as though the -entire audience was in itself a musical instrument, guided by the band, -and in return leading the band ahead. - -"Lawdy, that was good," Grey sighed when the spell finally broke and -the audience shuffled feet, scraped chairs, ordered fresh drinks, and -relit forgotten smokes. - -These moments of complete retreat had become more and more rare during -the past few months. - -The mobilization had been accelerating, and the training periods had -become more and more intense, in preparation for this day when they -were now assigned to a ship and were about to push off for a training -run, followed by the long trip to the battle sector. - -It had been slightly more than a year ago that the first enigmatic -events had been noticed in a corner of the galaxy which was just newly -being explored and developed. Ships had failed to return--colonies had -ceased communicating with their prime bases. - -To Jed Grey, a young man still in school on Terra, far within the -borders of the civilized galaxy, these events had seemed distant -and impersonal. They had been words in the newspapers, on the news -broadcasts. They had been vague events taking place on just another -of the many hundreds of habitable planets which by that time had been -discovered. - -Then the knowledge had grown that the events taking place thousands of -light years distant were to have an impact on the life of Jed Grey and -the others living on Terra. Gradually it developed that the civilized -galaxy was rapidly becoming immersed in a struggle for existence -against an enemy whose character was initially somewhat obscure, but -whose unfriendly aims were quite definite. - -Overnight, it seemed to Grey, Terra flew into a turmoil of -mobilization, manufacture of spaceships and weapons, research for the -creation of new weapons and new defenses against the strange attack -methods of the enemy. In the tiny circle of existence in which he -walked, that which he observed was the increased crowds of people on -their way to work in the factories, the increased difficulty of buying -various items, and inevitably the card which had ordered him to the -mobilization center. - -Among the many classification tests which they gave Grey was a curious -one which seemed nonsensical until later on in the course of his -training its purpose became quite obvious. It was given by a young man -with very large and quiet eyes, who was seated beside an individual -with soft, silky fur that changed color from moment to moment, and -whose antennae had a fascinating, restless mobility. The four tentacles -were brown and graceful, while the total attitude of the creature was -one of repose and dignity. - - * * * * * - -Grey stared at this personage with curiosity, and with a slight chill. -From photographs he knew the form of the natives of the fourth planet -of Canopus, and from rumors and bar-room tales he had heard sufficient -concerning them to ring a note of alarm in his brain. - -Yet, as he sat there for a moment, the alarm died away for although to -his untrained eyes the Canopan was practically featureless, there was -an aura of pleasantness about it appearing from a source which at that -time he was not able to identify. - -Into his mind the thought came, "What if they _can_ read my mind, like -everybody says? He doesn't look like he would hurt me. But...." - -The voice of the examiner cut his thoughts short. - -"Here are ten cards lying face down on the table. Tell me what markings -are on the front of these cards." - -"But how can I tell you if the cards are face down?" - -The man smiled. "Just try, anyway." - -Grey wanted to snort and laugh in the man's face; but then suddenly he -shivered, for actually he knew.... - -"Why there's a circle, a square, a triangle, another circle...." - -Then there was a sealed box in which he identified a cube, a sphere, a -cylinder, and a more difficult object which turned out to be a key. - -The examiner grinned at him and said, "That's fine. Welcome to the -fraternity of telepaths and perceptors." - -And, amazingly, there came a thought of congratulation which was -unmistakably from the Canopan, who extended a tentacle and laid it for -a moment upon his arm. - -A gate in his mind swung open. A flood of memories crowded into his -consciousness. Small items. Incidents in which he had known things -before he had seen them. Incidents so unaccountable that he had put -them out of his mind, had refused to consider them. Now they jigsawed -together into a pattern which revolved about the important fact that he -possessed the rare skill of perception coupled with telepathy. - -How rudimentary this skill was he realized later when his training -began. - -In a month, feeling drab in his work uniform and exhausted from the -preliminary training, he was brought face to face with the Canopan whom -he soon learned to call Joe, and who was to become his partner for as -long as should be necessary. - - * * * * * - -The first meeting was stilted and formal. They sat in the small room -together with the Terran and Canopan training officers, and within Grey -there was the nervous sensation that the Canopans recognized every -one of his thoughts. There was the embarrassing realization that his -dislike of Canopans was as plain to them as the expression on his face, -and the embarrassment was intensified by the fact that he had not the -slightest idea why the dislike was there. - -"Sure, Grey," the officer said, abruptly. "We know you don't like -Canopans. Nobody on earth does--except the people who actually know -them. We know the whole story. But you'll get over that. You're -going to spend the rest of this war working together with this fellow -here--since he doesn't talk a language, he doesn't have a verbal name. -You won't have trouble conversing with him, however, because he knows -what you think, and you will know what he thinks when he wants you to." - -"Then they do read minds," Grey said. - -"Sure. What of it? You can almost do it, yourself. Why do you think we -picked you for this job? Out of the thousands that we test, a few here -and there have the right kind of sensitivity. When the professors learn -more about the science of psychomechanics maybe we'll learn how it -works. Now all we know is that it works." - -"What's wrong with them, then?" The question was involuntary, dropping -suddenly from Grey's mouth. Confused by his own frankness, he -stammered, "I--I mean, why don't people like them?" - -"This is a question with many angles," the officer said, gravely. -"It's an old story. We had barely obtained a world government when -interstellar travel was on hand and we came into contact with strange -types of intelligent beings. Man was still trying to overcome distrust -between the slightly different groups within his own species. When he -came to deal with species of such strange shapes and psychologies as -those on the other planets, the distrust was intensified many times. - -"Particularly, people fear the telepathic powers of the Canopans. -They fear the mysterious and the supernatural. Telepathy still seems -a supernatural thing to the ignorant and--I'm afraid--to some who are -not so ignorant. People are afraid of their minds being invaded. Their -sense of privacy is outraged. - -"They cannot visualize the fact that the Canopans are completely -uninterested in what thoughts a Terran may have. The Canopan psychology -is sufficiently different from ours that our private thoughts may -be interesting, perhaps curious, but never the sort of thing upon -which they would put a moral judgment. Their sense of morality is too -different from ours for moral judgments to have meaning. - -"You may accept this intellectually at the moment without absorbing -it into your system. In a short time you will really be convinced that -this is so. In the meantime, the two of you must become friendly enough -so that you can perform your jobs." - - * * * * * - -Grey looked from the officer to his Canopan partner, and clearly -received the verification that all of this was really so. Inside Grey -there was an impression of relief, a loosening of tensions. - -From that moment on, Grey and Joe were inseparable. They lived -together, ate together, and in their training they were as one -mentality. - -"Doggone if you wouldn't think we were married," Grey kept saying. - -Surely the extreme rapport, and the warm feeling of relaxation and -mental capability which Grey felt when in the presence of Joe, -indicated an intimacy which was the equal of any physical attraction. - -With the extreme complexity of the control and communication equipment -in the great space vessels, there had arisen the need for something -radically different in maintenance technicians. The delay of testing -circuits for faults and breakdowns had to be eliminated. For this -purpose the peculiarly suited Canopans had been brought to Earth by the -thousands. - -Even in the specialized branch of computing-machines to which Grey had -been assigned, the magnitude of the knowledge to be absorbed in a few -hasty months would ordinarily have made the task impossible. With the -two nervous systems of Grey and Joe acting as one, however, they were -able to absorb huge chunks of knowledge at one gulp, assort it, store -it away, and go on to the next item. - -Carefully supervised by psychiatrists to ensure that no breakdowns -would occur from overloading of nervous connections, Grey advanced -from the status of an untrained youngster to that of a highly skilled -electro-technician. - -"Joe, with all the brains that you fellows have," Grey remarked one -day, "it's a wonder that you haven't advanced any farther than you -have, as far as technical things are concerned. I don't know why you -need me around. You know all the stuff that I know, and maybe a lot -more. Why don't you Canopans just take over the whole works?" - -"We're really not very interested in electronics and such things," -Joe replied. "We put up with this as a rather unhappy necessity, -but our creative instincts do not lie in that direction. Since we -have developed without hands, and with a brain of capabilities which -are strange to you, our culture has become more introspective--more -interested in the being within than in the things without--more -interested in creating things of beauty to perceive rather than -machines of complexity for the control of nature." - -"Very pretty," Grey sighed. "And just as well, for otherwise I would be -out of a job." - -Even so, Grey felt little more useful than a soldering-iron or a -screw-driver in the hands of a master mechanic. For Joe, with his -ability to perceive without sight, with his capability of feeling -the very electric currents flowing through a machine--he was the -diagnostician, the one who squatted before a defunct piece of equipment -and without hesitation unerringly decided what was wrong with it and -directed Grey to the point where the repair had to be made. From that -point on Grey wielded the tools. - -But there was no room for false pride. The two of them together -constituted a working team. The two of them made one mechanic. - -In addition to learning the technical things required for maintenance -of machinery, both Jed Grey and the Canopan had to learn many other -things which inevitably went with their partnership. - -They had to learn how it was to walk down a city street and feel the -ebb and flow of thoughts about them--thoughts concerning the race of -Canopans in general and concerning the type of Terran who would walk -down a street arm in arm with a Canopan. - -They learned this quickly. Gradually the psychic hurts healed over -and in their place was a hard defense-mechanism compounded of wisdom, -mental toughness, and a contempt for the opinions of the others. - -Actually, to Joe, the opinions of the Terrans were of no interest. -But as he once remarked to Grey: "It's an impersonal sort of -unpleasantness--like walking through a street filled with a bad odor, -like walking through a room filled with buzz-saws. It jars the nerves." - -Grey presently came to feel in the same manner. - -"I'm not quite a Terran any more," he said. - -Joe assented. "You are a real cosmopolitan. You have the real -interstellar attitude. In time everybody will see it that way." - - * * * * * - -Time--time. It went so rapidly. It swept them along through the several -stages of their training, and now it was their last night out before -stepping into the great battlewagon for the final and irrevocable -journey across space to the war, which up to now had been a hazy -background to their work. - -Elby Jones brought Grey another drink. "It's a good night here tonight." - -"I'm glad it is," said Grey. - -Yes, it had to be a good night, because the last one had to be good. -There had to be that much to remember out there a thousand light-years -away. - -The music started once more, and it brought to Grey the thought that it -was curious how the Canopans had taken to American Jazz and cigarettes -and had intensified their effects to a degree previously unknown. What -a group of characters they were. They could go on an intellectual jag -from a Bach Fugue as quickly as they could go on a nicotine binge. -Their entire psychology was geared to the obtaining of pleasure from -sensations of many different kinds. - -"The Terrans do likewise, you know," Joe transmitted to him. - -Grey grinned back at Joe. You couldn't keep a stray thought-wave away -from the guy. - -"It's different the way you do it," he replied. "You don't get blind -stinkin' drunk when you go on a jag. You do it for exhilaration, for an -uplift." - -"The process of getting stinking is ..." Joe broke off suddenly. - -Simultaneously, Grey could sense that the other Canopans had shifted -their attentions, that the music, although it kept playing, echoed -hollowly between the walls, unsupported by the listeners. - -Grey caught the faint jar of a commotion outside the door. A roar -of voices and heavy footsteps crescendoed suddenly as a mob in blue -uniforms burst into the place. As it seemed to Grey in the first -violent moment, each had a bottle in one hand and a brightly-painted -female in the other. There seemed to be a squadron of them. It turned -out, finally, that there were perhaps ten altogether. - -From the insignia on their uniforms, Grey guessed that these were -combat men on their way back from the battle sector, ready to tear up -the first town that they hit on the first night out. - -"Cripes! The place is full of snakes!" one of them shouted. "What're -snakes doing here when there's some good ol' earthmen lookin' for a -place to sit down?" - -One of the girls pulled back. "Let's get out of here, Jack," she -whispered, nervously. "I'm afraid of them snakes." - -"They ain't gonna hurt you, honey," Jack told her, hoarsely. "I always -wondered if them snakes grew together if you pulled them apart." - -He walked a few paces inside the door. "If you snakes can read my mind, -you know what I'm gonna do if you don't clear outta here pronto. An' -readin' my mind ain't gonna help you against my good right arm." - - * * * * * - -Grey felt sick. A brawl on the last night.... There was a stray thought -in his mind that he and Joe would make a good fighting team if the two -of them could coordinate fast enough. - -"No," Joe's reply came to him instantly. "This isn't your fight. We'll -handle this." - -"The hell you say!" Grey attempted to stand--found himself limp as a -rag. He could suddenly smell his own perspiration as he strained to -move, and as he looked about the room he saw that the other Terrans at -the tables were remaining there, their expressions startled and anxious. - -The Canopans had risen, and were slowly making their way between the -tables to the front of the room. The band was still playing a slightly -mad background to the picture which consisted of the smoky room with -the dim lights, the Terrans sitting paralyzed at their tables, the -Canopans moving in on the Fleetmen at the door ... who stared in -disbelief, began to swing their bottles, and collapsed quietly on the -floor. - -The girls, without time to shriek, collapsed just as quietly, and lay -there in an unmoving heap. - -Grey abruptly was stone cold sober. He wanted out, as fast as possible. -The idea of going up for murder appealed to him not at all. - -"Forget it," Joe flashed at him. "They're not dead. But we'll have to -get rid of them. We'll be back in a minute." - -The Canopans silently carried the bodies outside the door, leaving Grey -sitting still at his table, performing a great quantity of furious -thinking. - -[Illustration: _The Canopans silently carried the bodies outside._] - -Joe was back quickly. He anticipated Grey's questions. - -"They'll wake up, and they'll think somebody slipped them a Mickey. But -they won't remember what happened." - -He hesitated, sat down, and lit another smoke. "You're okay, now, by -the way." - -Grey tried, and found that the nervous impulses now went where they -were supposed to go. He stood up, shakily. Then he sat down again. -While he was searching for words to say something, Joe interrupted. - -"Look," he transmitted. "This has to be kept under cover. Things are -bad enough for us without this sort of thing getting around. I didn't -even want you to know, but that couldn't be helped. I didn't feel like -getting bashed." - -Grey accepted another glass gratefully from Elby Jones. - -"Sure," he said. "I don't talk to anybody, anyway. But you have to tell -me. How much _can_ you do?" - -Joe considered for a moment before replying. - -"I don't know, really. Terran nervous systems are not like ours. We -have had only a short time to discover what we can do and what we -can't do. We don't have real control--although there are certain -possibilities with a modified hypnotic suggestion. At present we are -only able to introduce resistances temporarily in certain nerve paths, -so that inhibitions are produced." - -"So for a while I was just inhibited against standing up, and they were -inhibited against being conscious. It that it?" - -"Approximately." - -Grey sipped from his glass, peering over the edge of it at Joe. -Precisely how much was there, he thought, hidden within the recesses of -that brain? Just how much did this innocent little character have on -the ball? - - * * * * * - -Joe chose this moment to become taciturn. The music was riding once -more, and the place was settling down after the sudden disturbance. It -took Jed Grey several more minutes and another glass to throw off the -nervous tension which sat like a blanket over his shoulders. Gradually -he began to relax, and the warm spot within his belly proceeded to -creep up into his head. - -"Tomorrow," he thought drowsily, "we will be taking off, and there will -be no more of this. No more music except from cans. No more...." - -Abruptly he realized that the rapport had been broken off again by the -Canopans, and that at the other end of town there was the faint howl of -the police siren. - -"There's a brawl down the street," Joe informed Grey. "Some of our -heroes back from the battle sector feel that they haven't had enough -fighting." - -"I bet you a pack of smokes that the guys in the fight haven't been -within a light year of an actual battle," said Grey, dryly. "They're -the ones who always try to make like tough heroes when they get back." - -Through the Canopan's sense of perception Jed Grey could catch faint -impulses of the tumult which filled the street a hundred yards away. -There was a violence in the thoughts projected from that area which -caused the colors of Joe's fur to shift erratically, nervously. In Grey -they caused a tightening of the stomach and a heavy feeling in the -chest. - -"It hurts almost as much to listen in to a fight as it does to be right -in the middle of it," he remarked. "Why don't you just shut it off if -you can't take it?" - -"As well try to shut off your sense of hearing," Joe snapped back. - -The sirens down the street had wailed to a halt. Grey lit another -cigarette and tried what was left in his glass. It was flat. The warm -glow which had diffused through his body was gone, and in its place -there was a bitter taste and a burning sensation around the eyes. - -Abruptly he mashed out his cigarette and stood up. - -"The night's washed up," he growled. "Let's get out of here." - -Joe, with a thought of regret, assented, and the two of them left. - -It was bitter to end the last night upon such an uncompleted note. - - * * * * * - -The two of them strolled back in the direction of the bus station. The -fresh night, bright with the blaze of stars and saloon signs, should -have exhilarated them; but the mental tension which filled the street -pressed hard on Joe's receptors, and, through him, against Grey. - -A pair of police cars squatted at the corner. Fleet Police milled -through the crowds, shock sticks in hand. An ambulance helicopter -roaring in from the Fleet Base settled down in the center of the street. - -The fight was over, but so keyed up were the Fleetmen in town that for -Grey and the Canopan to walk through the street was to walk through a -sticky, obscene glue of malevolence. - -Joe's fur colors had faded to a dismal blue. Grey glanced at this with -alarm. - -The thoughts in the crowd around them had been impersonal ones--fight -thoughts, pleasure thoughts, passion thoughts--violent and unnerving -to the pair who had to thread their way through this tumult, but yet -impersonal. - -It began to change. - -They began again with the snake thoughts and the thoughts about the -Terran who walked with the damn snake. They looked at the pair who -walked in their midst, and in their state of excitement with violence -not yet out of their minds, there was a redirection of passion from -the recent fight to the new center of attention. - -Grey gasped as the force of this new agitation struck them. - -The pair of Fleet Police ahead of them changed their direction of -motion and started walking towards them. Grey's face twitched as he -felt the increased tension within Joe's nervous system. - -"Hold it, son," he cautioned. "Remember we're supposed to be tough. -Remember the nerves of steel we're supposed to have, like it says in -the books." - -Joe's grip on Grey's arm tightened, and then relaxed. - -"I thought I could take anything. Tonight has been almost too much." - -The Fleet Police were directly in front of them. The one on the right -pointed at Grey with his stick and began to say something. - -The door of the adjacent saloon swung open and a giant of a bearded -Fleetman roared out. The girl hanging to his arm caught a sudden sight -of Joe, and a burst of fright exploded in her empty little head, -shocking Joe with its intensity. - -She screamed, "It's thinking about me!" - -The big Fleetman clapped his hand to his hip. There was no gun -holstered there, but Joe reared back in a dismayed reflex.... In the -next moment the Fleetman slumped to the pavement, where he lay quite -still. - -That was all--for a moment. - -The Fleet Police looked at Joe and they looked down at the Fleetman. -Then they looked back at Joe. One of them stooped down and remained -there for a long minute. He rose, and his face was white. - -"The guy's dead," he said, and his shock stick came up, pointing at -Joe. "You do that?" he snapped. - -"He didn't touch the guy," Grey said. - -"Maybe yes and maybe no. Guys don't just drop and die. I think both of -you'd better come." - - * * * * * - -At the Fleet Police headquarters the medic turned pale when he examined -the body. A number of urgent calls were made. The Canopan liaison -officer arrived after a nasty fifteen minutes during which the doctor -and the Fleet Police Commandant argued violently and then stood staring -blackly at the floor. - -Grey's eyes widened when behind the Canopan there stalked not only the -commanding officer of his ship, but the Commandant of the entire Fleet -Base. - -"The joint's lousy with brass tonight," he flashed silently at Joe as -the two of them stood rigidly at attention. "I think you've become -notorious." - -He caught a sense of amusement from an undetermined source, and in a -moment narrowed it down as coming from the Canopan liaison officer. - -Good for our side, Grey thought in relief--at least Canopan officers -kept their minds unbound by brass. They'd stand behind Joe. - -The Fleet Base Commandant knifed Joe with a rigid stare. He spoke -rapidly and bitingly. "It is difficult enough to keep harmony among the -various planetary groups at the base without it becoming know that the -Canopans can kill Terrans by their mental powers. You have been trained -in self-control. By this incident tonight you have jeopardized the -morale of all the troops in the region." - -The Canopan officer put in gently, "This was clearly a case of -self-defense. The Fleetman was drawing a gun." - -"Unfortunately for that argument," stated the Commandant, "the Fleetman -was not carrying a gun." - -"But this 34C could not see in the first instant. His attention was -on the thoughts which the Fleetman transmitted at that moment. The -Fleetman forgot he was not wearing a sidearm, and in his mind there was -the distinct picture of drawing his gun and shooting 34C. To 34C this -was the reality of the moment. In his extreme nervousness he misjudged -the force needed, and projected a lethal thought." - -"A pretty legality," the Base Commandant growled. "Is it self-defense -when you kill a person for _thinking_ that he is about to kill you?" - -"I know nothing of your law," the Canopan replied. "We have warned that -an incident such as this was bound to occur sooner or later in the -tense atmosphere of this town. May I suggest...." - -"I know, I know." The Commandant passed a hand through his hair in -disgust. "Your ideas about orienting the entire fleet. Subconscious -psychological training ... still sounds like hypnotism to me. But if we -must, then we must." - -"And you, Jeffreys." He turned to Grey's ship-commander. "You're taking -off tomorrow. You wouldn't want to lose a team, would you?" - -"Certainly not, sir." Grey caught the relief in the commander's mind. -"They're a good team." - -"Then as far as anybody is concerned there has been no incident -tonight." The Commandant turned to the medic. "Get that?" - -Commander Jeffreys motioned to Joe and Grey. "You two will return to -the base with me." - -Grey nodded mutely and began to follow the commander out of the -door, his attention focussed upon an idea which had sprung into his -consciousness during the past minute. - -"Look, Joe," he thought. "If you can do that to a Terran, what could -you do to one of the enemy?" - -Joe began, "If I knew what the enemy was like...." - -A blast of thought broke into their minds. It blazed a warning -signal in vivid, incandescent pictures, and in roaring sound. It -said, in numerous and tumultuous manners, Stop where you are--keep -out--restricted, confidential, top-secret territory! - -Grey jerked his head around. He stared for one astounded moment at the -Canopan officer. - -Then he was walking out to the waiting helicopter, the palm of his hand -moist as he tightly held one of Joe's tentacles. - -The people who ran a war were not always the obvious ones, he thought. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LAST NIGHT OUT *** - -***** This file should be named 63988-0.txt or 63988-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/9/8/63988/ - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this ebook. - -Title: Last Night Out - -Author: Lee Gregor - -Release Date: December 08, 2020 [EBook #63988] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LAST NIGHT OUT *** -</pre> -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>LAST NIGHT OUT</h1> - -<h2>By LEE GREGOR</h2> - -<p>They shoved through the hate-filled crowds<br /> -of Terra, looking for a little pleasure, a<br /> -little entertainment. For tomorrow Ensign<br /> -Grey and his blue-furred space-mate, Canopus 43C,<br /> -would go off to war—if tomorrow ever came.</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Planet Stories September 1951.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The unfriendly street stretched ahead of them, pouring bitter waves of -hostility through their nervous systems. They had ridden the bus from -the space-port into town, and now they stood on the pavement soaking -up the profusion of sensations which permeated the atmosphere of the -brawly town.</p> - -<p>Joe, his iridescent fur registering a pale blue of distaste and his -antennae quivering in a controlled agitation, kept a warm tentacle -curled firmly in the hand of Jed Grey. Since his native name was -a soundless, telepathic abstraction, the records of the Solarian -Fleet labeled him Canopus 647-B-43C. To Ensign Jed Grey, his Terran -team-mate, he was Joe.</p> - -<p>The blue of Grey's Space Fleet uniform matched, for the moment, the -evanescent hue of Joe's pelt, as, in a curious manner, the pattern -created by Joe's thoughts matched that of Grey.</p> - -<p>The sky had created a raucous sunset, challenging the lurid glitter of -the neon signs which lined the main street of Selby, Texas. The light -reflected garishly from the multicolored and multishaped uniforms which -swarmed about the thoroughfare.</p> - -<p>Terrans, scaly-headed Arcturians, spined Sirians, the dark and stocky -inhabitants of a strange planet which circled a star whose name to -Terran astronomers was only a number in the star catalogue—all of -these walked in small groups along the length of the street, seeking a -spot where they could relax for the evening and forget where they had -been or where they were going.</p> - -<p>Jed Grey asked Joe, "Where are the rest of your boys?"</p> - -<p>Joe allowed his perceptual sense to range through the town, his -sensitive antennae erect and rigid. Through the murky welter of -conflicting thought patterns he sought the familiar, gentle sensation -created by the furred Canopans.</p> - -<p>"It's hard to find them," he transmitted to Grey. "I know they must be -in town somewhere. They came on the bus before ours. But there are too -many Terrans about and it is bad...."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Jed Grey knew precisely how bad it was. Habitually en rapport with his -Canopan partner, he sensed in every nerve the hostile atmosphere of the -street, tearing at the hard shell of defense which he had learned to -erect.</p> - -<p>The Arcturians, habitually suspicious of strange planetary types, were -sufficiently unpleasant in their thought patterns. However, it was from -the native earthmen, whose blue uniforms vastly outnumbered all others, -that the bulk of the torment arose.</p> - -<p>Grey could sense it even though he avoided observing their faces. He -could feel the alcoholic thoughts of the mechanic across the street: -"An earthman holding hands with a snake! Damned snake man!"</p> - -<p>It was now months since Grey had learned what that meant. The pain with -which he had learned that was by now gone. He did not think that Joe's -tentacles looked like snakes, and he cared nothing for the opinions of -the others. Yet it was difficult to keep out of his mind the intruding -thoughts of the Fleetmen who glared at him with disgust on their faces.</p> - -<p>"I have found the others," Joe thought to Grey. "They are in a small -bar at the other end of town called the Purple Claw. It seems to be an -interesting place."</p> - -<p>There was no need for Joe to ask, "Shall we go there?" For there was -no place else to go. This was a repetition of the problem which always -occurred when the pair arrived at a new base or a new town. Where could -they spend an evening?</p> - -<p>It never occurred to Grey that he might go off by himself.</p> - -<p>Making their way through the crowded street was no longer the ordeal -which it had been when Jed Grey and Joe had first been assigned to -work together. By this time it no longer turned Grey sick when a -highly-painted female hysterically turned around and whined: "It's -reading my mind! The damn snake's reading my mind!"</p> - -<p>"I see that the Arcturians hang out at the Zig Zag," Joe observed. -The Zig Zag's brilliant mercury-vapor sign made Grey's complexion a -virulent blue as they passed beneath it.</p> - -<p>"And extra police floating around," Grey noticed. "This is a bad town. -Many transients here—on their way in or out. Coming to town for a big -time—either the last one or the first one in months."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The Purple Claw was housed in a ramshackle building of ancient -vintage, and sported as publicity a modest violet lobster which glowed -erratically above the door.</p> - -<p>Within, the air reeked of tobacco smoke, beer, tekla. It heaved -with the beat of something which was part American jazz, part -Sirian drum-music, with a flavor of strains from half a dozen other -star-systems.</p> - -<p>Behind the bar was a monstrously fat character whose hair was white -as the clouds of Venus, and whose face was as black as space itself. -Elby Jones had a love for wine and women which was matched only by his -addiction to the music which the small band in the corner emitted.</p> - -<p>He nodded to the pair as they entered, and waddled over to the small -table where they seated themselves.</p> - -<p>"Evenin', Joe and Mister Grey," he greeted them. "You'll have Space -Punch and smokes?"</p> - -<p>This, casually—even though never before had they been in this place.</p> - -<p>Just as casual was Grey's reply, "Sure enough, Elby. Nice place you've -got."</p> - -<p>No need to show surprise at the fact that Jones was, himself, a -telepath. The very fact that his place was the congregating point for -the Canopan crowd attested to that probability.</p> - -<p>With a goblet of warm Space Punch between his hands, Grey leaned back -and absorbed the peace and relaxation which he had sensed within these -walls the moment he had stepped through the door. Joe, immune to -alcohol, took the first ecstatic drag from a long white cigarette—a -cigarette of very ordinary tobacco.</p> - -<p>Through the dimly-lit, smoke-laden atmosphere of the room, Grey could -see the musicians at the far end, the small tables at which the Terrans -sat with their Canopan partners, the few Sirians who sat alone with -their tekla glasses.</p> - -<p>Joe, performing an indescribable feat of mental recognition, happily -greeted a Sirian who sat across the room. To Grey the Sirians all -appeared identical, but he received the impression that this was the -one they'd gone on a tear with last month in Joplin. It had been a most -memorable occasion. He suddenly laughed uproariously as he recalled the -picture they'd made marching down Joplin's main thoroughfare singing -the Sirian national anthem in harmony—with Joe taking two of the parts -simultaneously—both mentally.</p> - -<p>Joe, having no vocal apparatus, performed his music telepathically. -At times it was indescribable, and at other times it -was—well—magnificent.</p> - -<p>Within the Purple Claw there was music permeating the smoky air, -coursing through the nerve channels of the listeners. It was slow and -hot, loose and tight at the same time.</p> - -<p>Grey slipped down farther into his chair. A horn took a high passage, -and the chill began to pass up and down Grey's spine. He knew, then, -that he was in—that the night was good and the music right.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Joe's antennae swayed quietly, in time with the beat, in time with -the antennae of the other Canopans who sat there, spreading a net -of rapport through the room. Imperceptibly there was produced an -augmentation of the music, a heightened receptivity, as though the -entire audience was in itself a musical instrument, guided by the band, -and in return leading the band ahead.</p> - -<p>"Lawdy, that was good," Grey sighed when the spell finally broke and -the audience shuffled feet, scraped chairs, ordered fresh drinks, and -relit forgotten smokes.</p> - -<p>These moments of complete retreat had become more and more rare during -the past few months.</p> - -<p>The mobilization had been accelerating, and the training periods had -become more and more intense, in preparation for this day when they -were now assigned to a ship and were about to push off for a training -run, followed by the long trip to the battle sector.</p> - -<p>It had been slightly more than a year ago that the first enigmatic -events had been noticed in a corner of the galaxy which was just newly -being explored and developed. Ships had failed to return—colonies had -ceased communicating with their prime bases.</p> - -<p>To Jed Grey, a young man still in school on Terra, far within the -borders of the civilized galaxy, these events had seemed distant -and impersonal. They had been words in the newspapers, on the news -broadcasts. They had been vague events taking place on just another -of the many hundreds of habitable planets which by that time had been -discovered.</p> - -<p>Then the knowledge had grown that the events taking place thousands of -light years distant were to have an impact on the life of Jed Grey and -the others living on Terra. Gradually it developed that the civilized -galaxy was rapidly becoming immersed in a struggle for existence -against an enemy whose character was initially somewhat obscure, but -whose unfriendly aims were quite definite.</p> - -<p>Overnight, it seemed to Grey, Terra flew into a turmoil of -mobilization, manufacture of spaceships and weapons, research for the -creation of new weapons and new defenses against the strange attack -methods of the enemy. In the tiny circle of existence in which he -walked, that which he observed was the increased crowds of people on -their way to work in the factories, the increased difficulty of buying -various items, and inevitably the card which had ordered him to the -mobilization center.</p> - -<p>Among the many classification tests which they gave Grey was a curious -one which seemed nonsensical until later on in the course of his -training its purpose became quite obvious. It was given by a young man -with very large and quiet eyes, who was seated beside an individual -with soft, silky fur that changed color from moment to moment, and -whose antennae had a fascinating, restless mobility. The four tentacles -were brown and graceful, while the total attitude of the creature was -one of repose and dignity.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Grey stared at this personage with curiosity, and with a slight chill. -From photographs he knew the form of the natives of the fourth planet -of Canopus, and from rumors and bar-room tales he had heard sufficient -concerning them to ring a note of alarm in his brain.</p> - -<p>Yet, as he sat there for a moment, the alarm died away for although to -his untrained eyes the Canopan was practically featureless, there was -an aura of pleasantness about it appearing from a source which at that -time he was not able to identify.</p> - -<p>Into his mind the thought came, "What if they <i>can</i> read my mind, like -everybody says? He doesn't look like he would hurt me. But...."</p> - -<p>The voice of the examiner cut his thoughts short.</p> - -<p>"Here are ten cards lying face down on the table. Tell me what markings -are on the front of these cards."</p> - -<p>"But how can I tell you if the cards are face down?"</p> - -<p>The man smiled. "Just try, anyway."</p> - -<p>Grey wanted to snort and laugh in the man's face; but then suddenly he -shivered, for actually he knew....</p> - -<p>"Why there's a circle, a square, a triangle, another circle...."</p> - -<p>Then there was a sealed box in which he identified a cube, a sphere, a -cylinder, and a more difficult object which turned out to be a key.</p> - -<p>The examiner grinned at him and said, "That's fine. Welcome to the -fraternity of telepaths and perceptors."</p> - -<p>And, amazingly, there came a thought of congratulation which was -unmistakably from the Canopan, who extended a tentacle and laid it for -a moment upon his arm.</p> - -<p>A gate in his mind swung open. A flood of memories crowded into his -consciousness. Small items. Incidents in which he had known things -before he had seen them. Incidents so unaccountable that he had put -them out of his mind, had refused to consider them. Now they jigsawed -together into a pattern which revolved about the important fact that he -possessed the rare skill of perception coupled with telepathy.</p> - -<p>How rudimentary this skill was he realized later when his training -began.</p> - -<p>In a month, feeling drab in his work uniform and exhausted from the -preliminary training, he was brought face to face with the Canopan whom -he soon learned to call Joe, and who was to become his partner for as -long as should be necessary.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The first meeting was stilted and formal. They sat in the small room -together with the Terran and Canopan training officers, and within Grey -there was the nervous sensation that the Canopans recognized every -one of his thoughts. There was the embarrassing realization that his -dislike of Canopans was as plain to them as the expression on his face, -and the embarrassment was intensified by the fact that he had not the -slightest idea why the dislike was there.</p> - -<p>"Sure, Grey," the officer said, abruptly. "We know you don't like -Canopans. Nobody on earth does—except the people who actually know -them. We know the whole story. But you'll get over that. You're -going to spend the rest of this war working together with this fellow -here—since he doesn't talk a language, he doesn't have a verbal name. -You won't have trouble conversing with him, however, because he knows -what you think, and you will know what he thinks when he wants you to."</p> - -<p>"Then they do read minds," Grey said.</p> - -<p>"Sure. What of it? You can almost do it, yourself. Why do you think we -picked you for this job? Out of the thousands that we test, a few here -and there have the right kind of sensitivity. When the professors learn -more about the science of psychomechanics maybe we'll learn how it -works. Now all we know is that it works."</p> - -<p>"What's wrong with them, then?" The question was involuntary, dropping -suddenly from Grey's mouth. Confused by his own frankness, he -stammered, "I—I mean, why don't people like them?"</p> - -<p>"This is a question with many angles," the officer said, gravely. -"It's an old story. We had barely obtained a world government when -interstellar travel was on hand and we came into contact with strange -types of intelligent beings. Man was still trying to overcome distrust -between the slightly different groups within his own species. When he -came to deal with species of such strange shapes and psychologies as -those on the other planets, the distrust was intensified many times.</p> - -<p>"Particularly, people fear the telepathic powers of the Canopans. -They fear the mysterious and the supernatural. Telepathy still seems -a supernatural thing to the ignorant and—I'm afraid—to some who are -not so ignorant. People are afraid of their minds being invaded. Their -sense of privacy is outraged.</p> - -<p>"They cannot visualize the fact that the Canopans are completely -uninterested in what thoughts a Terran may have. The Canopan psychology -is sufficiently different from ours that our private thoughts may -be interesting, perhaps curious, but never the sort of thing upon -which they would put a moral judgment. Their sense of morality is too -different from ours for moral judgments to have meaning.</p> - -<p>"You may accept this intellectually at the moment without absorbing -it into your system. In a short time you will really be convinced that -this is so. In the meantime, the two of you must become friendly enough -so that you can perform your jobs."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Grey looked from the officer to his Canopan partner, and clearly -received the verification that all of this was really so. Inside Grey -there was an impression of relief, a loosening of tensions.</p> - -<p>From that moment on, Grey and Joe were inseparable. They lived -together, ate together, and in their training they were as one -mentality.</p> - -<p>"Doggone if you wouldn't think we were married," Grey kept saying.</p> - -<p>Surely the extreme rapport, and the warm feeling of relaxation and -mental capability which Grey felt when in the presence of Joe, -indicated an intimacy which was the equal of any physical attraction.</p> - -<p>With the extreme complexity of the control and communication equipment -in the great space vessels, there had arisen the need for something -radically different in maintenance technicians. The delay of testing -circuits for faults and breakdowns had to be eliminated. For this -purpose the peculiarly suited Canopans had been brought to Earth by the -thousands.</p> - -<p>Even in the specialized branch of computing-machines to which Grey had -been assigned, the magnitude of the knowledge to be absorbed in a few -hasty months would ordinarily have made the task impossible. With the -two nervous systems of Grey and Joe acting as one, however, they were -able to absorb huge chunks of knowledge at one gulp, assort it, store -it away, and go on to the next item.</p> - -<p>Carefully supervised by psychiatrists to ensure that no breakdowns -would occur from overloading of nervous connections, Grey advanced -from the status of an untrained youngster to that of a highly skilled -electro-technician.</p> - -<p>"Joe, with all the brains that you fellows have," Grey remarked one -day, "it's a wonder that you haven't advanced any farther than you -have, as far as technical things are concerned. I don't know why you -need me around. You know all the stuff that I know, and maybe a lot -more. Why don't you Canopans just take over the whole works?"</p> - -<p>"We're really not very interested in electronics and such things," -Joe replied. "We put up with this as a rather unhappy necessity, -but our creative instincts do not lie in that direction. Since we -have developed without hands, and with a brain of capabilities which -are strange to you, our culture has become more introspective—more -interested in the being within than in the things without—more -interested in creating things of beauty to perceive rather than -machines of complexity for the control of nature."</p> - -<p>"Very pretty," Grey sighed. "And just as well, for otherwise I would be -out of a job."</p> - -<p>Even so, Grey felt little more useful than a soldering-iron or a -screw-driver in the hands of a master mechanic. For Joe, with his -ability to perceive without sight, with his capability of feeling -the very electric currents flowing through a machine—he was the -diagnostician, the one who squatted before a defunct piece of equipment -and without hesitation unerringly decided what was wrong with it and -directed Grey to the point where the repair had to be made. From that -point on Grey wielded the tools.</p> - -<p>But there was no room for false pride. The two of them together -constituted a working team. The two of them made one mechanic.</p> - -<p>In addition to learning the technical things required for maintenance -of machinery, both Jed Grey and the Canopan had to learn many other -things which inevitably went with their partnership.</p> - -<p>They had to learn how it was to walk down a city street and feel the -ebb and flow of thoughts about them—thoughts concerning the race of -Canopans in general and concerning the type of Terran who would walk -down a street arm in arm with a Canopan.</p> - -<p>They learned this quickly. Gradually the psychic hurts healed over -and in their place was a hard defense-mechanism compounded of wisdom, -mental toughness, and a contempt for the opinions of the others.</p> - -<p>Actually, to Joe, the opinions of the Terrans were of no interest. -But as he once remarked to Grey: "It's an impersonal sort of -unpleasantness—like walking through a street filled with a bad odor, -like walking through a room filled with buzz-saws. It jars the nerves."</p> - -<p>Grey presently came to feel in the same manner.</p> - -<p>"I'm not quite a Terran any more," he said.</p> - -<p>Joe assented. "You are a real cosmopolitan. You have the real -interstellar attitude. In time everybody will see it that way."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Time—time. It went so rapidly. It swept them along through the several -stages of their training, and now it was their last night out before -stepping into the great battlewagon for the final and irrevocable -journey across space to the war, which up to now had been a hazy -background to their work.</p> - -<p>Elby Jones brought Grey another drink. "It's a good night here tonight."</p> - -<p>"I'm glad it is," said Grey.</p> - -<p>Yes, it had to be a good night, because the last one had to be good. -There had to be that much to remember out there a thousand light-years -away.</p> - -<p>The music started once more, and it brought to Grey the thought that it -was curious how the Canopans had taken to American Jazz and cigarettes -and had intensified their effects to a degree previously unknown. What -a group of characters they were. They could go on an intellectual jag -from a Bach Fugue as quickly as they could go on a nicotine binge. -Their entire psychology was geared to the obtaining of pleasure from -sensations of many different kinds.</p> - -<p>"The Terrans do likewise, you know," Joe transmitted to him.</p> - -<p>Grey grinned back at Joe. You couldn't keep a stray thought-wave away -from the guy.</p> - -<p>"It's different the way you do it," he replied. "You don't get blind -stinkin' drunk when you go on a jag. You do it for exhilaration, for an -uplift."</p> - -<p>"The process of getting stinking is ..." Joe broke off suddenly.</p> - -<p>Simultaneously, Grey could sense that the other Canopans had shifted -their attentions, that the music, although it kept playing, echoed -hollowly between the walls, unsupported by the listeners.</p> - -<p>Grey caught the faint jar of a commotion outside the door. A roar -of voices and heavy footsteps crescendoed suddenly as a mob in blue -uniforms burst into the place. As it seemed to Grey in the first -violent moment, each had a bottle in one hand and a brightly-painted -female in the other. There seemed to be a squadron of them. It turned -out, finally, that there were perhaps ten altogether.</p> - -<p>From the insignia on their uniforms, Grey guessed that these were -combat men on their way back from the battle sector, ready to tear up -the first town that they hit on the first night out.</p> - -<p>"Cripes! The place is full of snakes!" one of them shouted. "What're -snakes doing here when there's some good ol' earthmen lookin' for a -place to sit down?"</p> - -<p>One of the girls pulled back. "Let's get out of here, Jack," she -whispered, nervously. "I'm afraid of them snakes."</p> - -<p>"They ain't gonna hurt you, honey," Jack told her, hoarsely. "I always -wondered if them snakes grew together if you pulled them apart."</p> - -<p>He walked a few paces inside the door. "If you snakes can read my mind, -you know what I'm gonna do if you don't clear outta here pronto. An' -readin' my mind ain't gonna help you against my good right arm."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Grey felt sick. A brawl on the last night.... There was a stray thought -in his mind that he and Joe would make a good fighting team if the two -of them could coordinate fast enough.</p> - -<p>"No," Joe's reply came to him instantly. "This isn't your fight. We'll -handle this."</p> - -<p>"The hell you say!" Grey attempted to stand—found himself limp as a -rag. He could suddenly smell his own perspiration as he strained to -move, and as he looked about the room he saw that the other Terrans at -the tables were remaining there, their expressions startled and anxious.</p> - -<p>The Canopans had risen, and were slowly making their way between the -tables to the front of the room. The band was still playing a slightly -mad background to the picture which consisted of the smoky room with -the dim lights, the Terrans sitting paralyzed at their tables, the -Canopans moving in on the Fleetmen at the door ... who stared in -disbelief, began to swing their bottles, and collapsed quietly on the -floor.</p> - -<p>The girls, without time to shriek, collapsed just as quietly, and lay -there in an unmoving heap.</p> - -<p>Grey abruptly was stone cold sober. He wanted out, as fast as possible. -The idea of going up for murder appealed to him not at all.</p> - -<p>"Forget it," Joe flashed at him. "They're not dead. But we'll have to -get rid of them. We'll be back in a minute."</p> - -<p>The Canopans silently carried the bodies outside the door, leaving Grey -sitting still at his table, performing a great quantity of furious -thinking.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>The Canopans silently carried the bodies outside.</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Joe was back quickly. He anticipated Grey's questions.</p> - -<p>"They'll wake up, and they'll think somebody slipped them a Mickey. But -they won't remember what happened."</p> - -<p>He hesitated, sat down, and lit another smoke. "You're okay, now, by -the way."</p> - -<p>Grey tried, and found that the nervous impulses now went where they -were supposed to go. He stood up, shakily. Then he sat down again. -While he was searching for words to say something, Joe interrupted.</p> - -<p>"Look," he transmitted. "This has to be kept under cover. Things are -bad enough for us without this sort of thing getting around. I didn't -even want you to know, but that couldn't be helped. I didn't feel like -getting bashed."</p> - -<p>Grey accepted another glass gratefully from Elby Jones.</p> - -<p>"Sure," he said. "I don't talk to anybody, anyway. But you have to tell -me. How much <i>can</i> you do?"</p> - -<p>Joe considered for a moment before replying.</p> - -<p>"I don't know, really. Terran nervous systems are not like ours. We -have had only a short time to discover what we can do and what we -can't do. We don't have real control—although there are certain -possibilities with a modified hypnotic suggestion. At present we are -only able to introduce resistances temporarily in certain nerve paths, -so that inhibitions are produced."</p> - -<p>"So for a while I was just inhibited against standing up, and they were -inhibited against being conscious. It that it?"</p> - -<p>"Approximately."</p> - -<p>Grey sipped from his glass, peering over the edge of it at Joe. -Precisely how much was there, he thought, hidden within the recesses of -that brain? Just how much did this innocent little character have on -the ball?</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Joe chose this moment to become taciturn. The music was riding once -more, and the place was settling down after the sudden disturbance. It -took Jed Grey several more minutes and another glass to throw off the -nervous tension which sat like a blanket over his shoulders. Gradually -he began to relax, and the warm spot within his belly proceeded to -creep up into his head.</p> - -<p>"Tomorrow," he thought drowsily, "we will be taking off, and there will -be no more of this. No more music except from cans. No more...."</p> - -<p>Abruptly he realized that the rapport had been broken off again by the -Canopans, and that at the other end of town there was the faint howl of -the police siren.</p> - -<p>"There's a brawl down the street," Joe informed Grey. "Some of our -heroes back from the battle sector feel that they haven't had enough -fighting."</p> - -<p>"I bet you a pack of smokes that the guys in the fight haven't been -within a light year of an actual battle," said Grey, dryly. "They're -the ones who always try to make like tough heroes when they get back."</p> - -<p>Through the Canopan's sense of perception Jed Grey could catch faint -impulses of the tumult which filled the street a hundred yards away. -There was a violence in the thoughts projected from that area which -caused the colors of Joe's fur to shift erratically, nervously. In Grey -they caused a tightening of the stomach and a heavy feeling in the -chest.</p> - -<p>"It hurts almost as much to listen in to a fight as it does to be right -in the middle of it," he remarked. "Why don't you just shut it off if -you can't take it?"</p> - -<p>"As well try to shut off your sense of hearing," Joe snapped back.</p> - -<p>The sirens down the street had wailed to a halt. Grey lit another -cigarette and tried what was left in his glass. It was flat. The warm -glow which had diffused through his body was gone, and in its place -there was a bitter taste and a burning sensation around the eyes.</p> - -<p>Abruptly he mashed out his cigarette and stood up.</p> - -<p>"The night's washed up," he growled. "Let's get out of here."</p> - -<p>Joe, with a thought of regret, assented, and the two of them left.</p> - -<p>It was bitter to end the last night upon such an uncompleted note.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The two of them strolled back in the direction of the bus station. The -fresh night, bright with the blaze of stars and saloon signs, should -have exhilarated them; but the mental tension which filled the street -pressed hard on Joe's receptors, and, through him, against Grey.</p> - -<p>A pair of police cars squatted at the corner. Fleet Police milled -through the crowds, shock sticks in hand. An ambulance helicopter -roaring in from the Fleet Base settled down in the center of the street.</p> - -<p>The fight was over, but so keyed up were the Fleetmen in town that for -Grey and the Canopan to walk through the street was to walk through a -sticky, obscene glue of malevolence.</p> - -<p>Joe's fur colors had faded to a dismal blue. Grey glanced at this with -alarm.</p> - -<p>The thoughts in the crowd around them had been impersonal ones—fight -thoughts, pleasure thoughts, passion thoughts—violent and unnerving -to the pair who had to thread their way through this tumult, but yet -impersonal.</p> - -<p>It began to change.</p> - -<p>They began again with the snake thoughts and the thoughts about the -Terran who walked with the damn snake. They looked at the pair who -walked in their midst, and in their state of excitement with violence -not yet out of their minds, there was a redirection of passion from -the recent fight to the new center of attention.</p> - -<p>Grey gasped as the force of this new agitation struck them.</p> - -<p>The pair of Fleet Police ahead of them changed their direction of -motion and started walking towards them. Grey's face twitched as he -felt the increased tension within Joe's nervous system.</p> - -<p>"Hold it, son," he cautioned. "Remember we're supposed to be tough. -Remember the nerves of steel we're supposed to have, like it says in -the books."</p> - -<p>Joe's grip on Grey's arm tightened, and then relaxed.</p> - -<p>"I thought I could take anything. Tonight has been almost too much."</p> - -<p>The Fleet Police were directly in front of them. The one on the right -pointed at Grey with his stick and began to say something.</p> - -<p>The door of the adjacent saloon swung open and a giant of a bearded -Fleetman roared out. The girl hanging to his arm caught a sudden sight -of Joe, and a burst of fright exploded in her empty little head, -shocking Joe with its intensity.</p> - -<p>She screamed, "It's thinking about me!"</p> - -<p>The big Fleetman clapped his hand to his hip. There was no gun -holstered there, but Joe reared back in a dismayed reflex.... In the -next moment the Fleetman slumped to the pavement, where he lay quite -still.</p> - -<p>That was all—for a moment.</p> - -<p>The Fleet Police looked at Joe and they looked down at the Fleetman. -Then they looked back at Joe. One of them stooped down and remained -there for a long minute. He rose, and his face was white.</p> - -<p>"The guy's dead," he said, and his shock stick came up, pointing at -Joe. "You do that?" he snapped.</p> - -<p>"He didn't touch the guy," Grey said.</p> - -<p>"Maybe yes and maybe no. Guys don't just drop and die. I think both of -you'd better come."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>At the Fleet Police headquarters the medic turned pale when he examined -the body. A number of urgent calls were made. The Canopan liaison -officer arrived after a nasty fifteen minutes during which the doctor -and the Fleet Police Commandant argued violently and then stood staring -blackly at the floor.</p> - -<p>Grey's eyes widened when behind the Canopan there stalked not only the -commanding officer of his ship, but the Commandant of the entire Fleet -Base.</p> - -<p>"The joint's lousy with brass tonight," he flashed silently at Joe as -the two of them stood rigidly at attention. "I think you've become -notorious."</p> - -<p>He caught a sense of amusement from an undetermined source, and in a -moment narrowed it down as coming from the Canopan liaison officer.</p> - -<p>Good for our side, Grey thought in relief—at least Canopan officers -kept their minds unbound by brass. They'd stand behind Joe.</p> - -<p>The Fleet Base Commandant knifed Joe with a rigid stare. He spoke -rapidly and bitingly. "It is difficult enough to keep harmony among the -various planetary groups at the base without it becoming know that the -Canopans can kill Terrans by their mental powers. You have been trained -in self-control. By this incident tonight you have jeopardized the -morale of all the troops in the region."</p> - -<p>The Canopan officer put in gently, "This was clearly a case of -self-defense. The Fleetman was drawing a gun."</p> - -<p>"Unfortunately for that argument," stated the Commandant, "the Fleetman -was not carrying a gun."</p> - -<p>"But this 34C could not see in the first instant. His attention was -on the thoughts which the Fleetman transmitted at that moment. The -Fleetman forgot he was not wearing a sidearm, and in his mind there was -the distinct picture of drawing his gun and shooting 34C. To 34C this -was the reality of the moment. In his extreme nervousness he misjudged -the force needed, and projected a lethal thought."</p> - -<p>"A pretty legality," the Base Commandant growled. "Is it self-defense -when you kill a person for <i>thinking</i> that he is about to kill you?"</p> - -<p>"I know nothing of your law," the Canopan replied. "We have warned that -an incident such as this was bound to occur sooner or later in the -tense atmosphere of this town. May I suggest...."</p> - -<p>"I know, I know." The Commandant passed a hand through his hair in -disgust. "Your ideas about orienting the entire fleet. Subconscious -psychological training ... still sounds like hypnotism to me. But if we -must, then we must."</p> - -<p>"And you, Jeffreys." He turned to Grey's ship-commander. "You're taking -off tomorrow. You wouldn't want to lose a team, would you?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly not, sir." Grey caught the relief in the commander's mind. -"They're a good team."</p> - -<p>"Then as far as anybody is concerned there has been no incident -tonight." The Commandant turned to the medic. "Get that?"</p> - -<p>Commander Jeffreys motioned to Joe and Grey. "You two will return to -the base with me."</p> - -<p>Grey nodded mutely and began to follow the commander out of the -door, his attention focussed upon an idea which had sprung into his -consciousness during the past minute.</p> - -<p>"Look, Joe," he thought. "If you can do that to a Terran, what could -you do to one of the enemy?"</p> - -<p>Joe began, "If I knew what the enemy was like...."</p> - -<p>A blast of thought broke into their minds. It blazed a warning -signal in vivid, incandescent pictures, and in roaring sound. It -said, in numerous and tumultuous manners, Stop where you are—keep -out—restricted, confidential, top-secret territory!</p> - -<p>Grey jerked his head around. He stared for one astounded moment at the -Canopan officer.</p> - -<p>Then he was walking out to the waiting helicopter, the palm of his hand -moist as he tightly held one of Joe's tentacles.</p> - -<p>The people who ran a war were not always the obvious ones, he thought.</p> - -<pre style='margin-top:6em'> -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LAST NIGHT OUT *** - -This file should be named 63988-h.htm or 63988-h.zip - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/9/8/63988/ - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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