Transcriber's Note:
Typographic errors have been corrected.
This etext was produced from Amazing Stories March, Apriland May 1959. Extensive research did not uncover anyevidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication wasrenewed.
THE GALAXY PRIMES
They were four of the greatest minds in the Universe:Two men, two women, lost in an experimental spaceshipbillions of parsecs from home. And as they mentallycharted the Cosmos to find their way back to earth,their own loves and hates were as startling as the worldsthey encountered. Here is E. E. Smith's great new novel....
The guardian struggled to immobilize the beast'sgigantic talons as the frightened girl leaped to thesafety of Garlock's arms.
CHAPTER 1
Her hair was a brilliant green. So was her spectacularly filled halter.So were her tight short-shorts, her lipstick, and the lacquer on herfinger-and toe-nails. As she strolled into the Main of the starship,followed hesitantly by the other girl, she drove a mental probe at theblack-haired, powerfully-built man seated at the instrument-bankedconsole.
Blocked.
Then at the other, slenderer man who was rising to his feet from thepilot's bucket seat. His guard was partially down; he was telepathing apleasant, if somewhat reserved greeting to both newcomers.
She turned to her companion and spoke aloud. "So these are thesystem's best." The emphasis was somewhere between condescension andsneer. "Not much to choose between, I'd say ... 'port me a tenth-piece,Clee? Heads, I take the tow-head."
She flipped the coin dexterously. "Heads it is, Lola, so I getJim—James James James the Ninth himself. You have the honor of pairingwith Clee—or should I say His Learnedness Right the Honorable DirectorDoctor Cleander Simmsworth Garlock, Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor ofScience, Prime Operator, President and First Fellow of the GalaxianSociety, First Fellow of the Gunther Society, Fellow of the Institute ofParaphysics, of the Institute of Nuclear Physics, of the College ofMathematics, of the Congress of Psionicists, and of all the othertop-bracket brain-gangs you ever heard of? Also, for your information,his men have given him a couple of informal degrees—P.D.Q. and S.O.B."
The big psionicist's expression of saturnine, almost contemptuousamusement had not changed; his voice came flat and cold. "The less yousay, Doctor Bellamy, the better. Obstinate, swell-headed women give mean acute rectal pain. Pitching your curves over all the vizzies in spacegot you aboard, but it won't get you a thing from here on. And for yourinformation, Doctor Bellamy, one more crack like that and I take youover my knee and blister your fanny."
"Try it, you big, clumsy, muscle-bound gorilla!" she jeered. "That Iwant to see! Any time you want to get both arms broken at the elbows,just try it!"
"Now's as good a time as any. I like your spirit, babe, but I can't saya thing for your judgment." He got up and started purposefully towardher, but both non-combatants came between.
"Jet back, Clee!" James protested, both hands against the heavier man'schest. "What the hell kind of show is that to put on?" And,simultaneously:
"Belle! Shame on you! Picking a fight already, and with nobody knows howmany million people looking on! You know as well as I do that we mayhave to spend the rest of our lives together, so act like civilizedbeings—please—both of you! And don't...."
"Nobody's w