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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..a8a2a68 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #61051 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61051) diff --git a/old/61051-h.zip b/old/61051-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index a853bef..0000000 --- a/old/61051-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/61051-h/61051-h.htm b/old/61051-h/61051-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index e60245d..0000000 --- a/old/61051-h/61051-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1315 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Out of Mind, by William W. Stuart. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - -.ph1 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; } -.ph1 { font-size: large; margin: .83em auto; } - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Out Of Mind, by William W. Stuart - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere 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/license - - -Title: Out Of Mind - -Author: William W. Stuart - -Release Date: December 30, 2019 [EBook #61051] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OUT OF MIND *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="347" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>OUT OF MIND</h1> - -<h2>By WILLIAM W. STUART</h2> - -<p class="ph1">Nirva was a real bore. The food was<br /> -always great, the climate tediously<br /> -fine, the view monotonously lovely,<br /> -the girls relentlessly amiable.<br /> -But, oddly, everybody went there!</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Worlds of If Science Fiction, May 1961.<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>"Vacation trip to Nirva?!?" snapped Secad Screed—Galactic Sector -Administrator J. Gomer Screed, a serious-minded man who rarely lost -his temper. That was a pity; it was a lousy temper. "A mindless -excursion, and completely outside my Sector at that! Woman, are both -you and Garten out of your minds? Who do you think is going to run my -administration with both Garten and I on a childish vacation to this -absurd 'Dream Planet' of yours?"</p> - -<p>"Well—there is Deputy Assistant Prinot and—"</p> - -<p>"Ha! And then what do you suppose would be left of my record here and -my prospects of promotion—after Depast Prinot and the others put in -five solid weeks wrecking all my work?"</p> - -<p>Secast Garten, short, a little chubby, the opposite of his chief -(who looked like a deep-thinking, bald stork scheduled for delivery -of Siamese quintuplets in a typhoon,) grinned. He was seated out of -the direct line of verbal fire, on a rock-hard hassock at one side of -the barely furnished Screed apartment. He grinned, knowing what Secad -Screed would do with a similar opportunity at Division Hq.</p> - -<p>"Oh, now, dear," soothed Mrs. Screed, a mousey, chronically anxious -little woman with five years experience as secretary and ten as wife in -learning to soothe her husband. "Prinot is such a nice man. Don't worry -so about things. Just put them out of your mind; they'll be all right."</p> - -<p>"What?" Fifteen years experience she had soothing him, but she never -did seem to get the knack of it. Or, perhaps, it was a matter of -Screed's conscientiously refusing to be soothed, as a matter of -discipline. A wife should know her place. Women being what they were, -light minded, he felt it only fair that he should regularly point it -out to her. He didn't want to spoil her. And he didn't either—unless -it was in the matter of favoring her with his personal attentions -weekly, at 11:30 p.m., each Friday.</p> - -<p>This was big of him. She was lucky. Secad Screed was a big man, -Administrative Officer in full command of a major sun system at only -56, wedded to his work and dedicated to becoming more and more -important. Mrs. Screed's position was, in a way, almost bigamous. She -had a rich, full fifteen minutes every Friday, and what more could any -woman want of life?</p> - -<p>At the moment, this one imagined she wanted to take a vacation trip -to some nonsensical, little known, semi-mythical dream planet that -Garten—the fool!—had been telling her about. "Garten—"</p> - -<p>"You are so right, J.G., so right. Give Prinot and those boys an inch -and they'll be measuring you out for a grave with it, while they -sharpen their knives. Half a chance and they'd foul up your whole -Sector Administration. But—you know, sir, after five straight years on -the job for both you and me, a five-week vacation is compulsory. We do -have our orders."</p> - -<p>"Mf-f-f!" That was true and that was the rub. "But we don't have to -chase off so far we can't keep an eye on things!"</p> - -<p>"Of course, sir. Or—an idea you gave me just the other day, sir—with -the recent Truad activity over in Sector Y, we could put this -whole system into an emergency invasion alert drill, sir. For the -duration—of our vacation. Then every move Prinot makes will have -to follow the book—or a court-martial when we get back. With you -presiding, eh?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Secad Screed smiled a thin smile. "I thought of that, of course, -Garten. Clever of you to see it. Given time, I may be able to make a -passably capable assistant of you after all."</p> - -<p>Garten was necessarily more skilled at soothing Screed than was Mrs. -S., whose somewhat special status brought her very limited privileges -but considerable job security. Garten had hung on, sometimes narrowly, -for some five years now.</p> - -<p>"Yes sir. I hope so, sir."</p> - -<p>"But not as long as you come up with asinine suggestions for us to -throw away valuable time on some scarcely heard of 'dream planet.' Even -though Centrad does enforce these foolish compulsory vacations, there -is no reason why the time cannot be turned to some useful account."</p> - -<p>"But, dear," murmured Mrs. Screed wistfully.</p> - -<p>"No! Viola, you seem to have lost whatever few wits you once possessed. -Why in the Galactic Universe would I go to some tiny, sink-hole, -single planet system not even important enough to have a Service -Administration? Even I have scarcely heard of the place. Garten, what -ever got into you?"</p> - -<p>"Uh—ah, well, sir. You see I—uh—have always admired so your report -on waste and extravagance on Primus that you made following your -last vacation five years ago just before coming here. The way you -toppled the entire Sector Administration, forced a dozen or more early -retirements and—"</p> - -<p>"And got me my promotion to Secad."</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir. A sensational job, and much talked of at Centrad, I know. -Well sir, I just thought that, since this Nirva is so little known, -something of a mystery you know, and something of a sore point with -Centrad too, perhaps it might be ripe for an expose."</p> - -<p>"Mph. Nonsense, Garten. Not important enough—though, come to consider, -it is odd how little public information there is about the place. -Centrad is covering something.... Hm-m. Never bothered to check the -secret files on it myself. Just for curiosity, Garten, what <i>is</i> the -detail on the thing?"</p> - -<p>Mrs. Screed leaned back in her chair; glanced blankly about the bare -apartment; picked idly at a cuticle; tried, with apprehensively -expressive features, to register total disinterest. Once, before -discouragement set in, she had been a modestly pretty young woman. Now -she was merely modest.</p> - -<p>"Viola," snapped Screed, "go fix some refreshment. Ice water, -crackers, something. Can't have you sitting there mooning over this -Nirva nonsense of Garten's. Your mind has too great an affinity for -nonsense."</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir. Well, sir—"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Mrs. Screed threw him a fleeting, timid smile over her shoulder as she -left the room through the kitchen door, back of Screed's arm chair. -Inside of two minutes she was back, standing very quietly in the -doorway with a pitcher of water and a dish of plain, protein crackers -on a tray. Garten talked on.</p> - -<p>"Nirva, as you know, is the single planet of a small sun off on the -fringes of this region of the Galaxy. It seemed so insignificant it -was never even visited until something like fifty years ago. Then a -questionable prospector ship had a minor breakdown and was forced to -come out of an inter-space jump near the Nirva system. The prospectors -had been ten years out. They were coming back empty-handed, nothing to -show, not one valuable planet found. There they were. Spectroanalysis -of Nirva didn't show much, but they decided to check anyway. They were -desperate, dreaming out of all reason of a last-ditch success—dreaming -of a civilized, friendly planet, hospitable natives, rich beyond -belief, foolishly ready for exploitation, eager to load them up with -fissionable minerals and so on. You know how those old space tramp -adventurers used to be, sir."</p> - -<p>"Hmph. Tramps, yes. So?"</p> - -<p>"So they landed and discovered Nirva; the Dream Planet. Of course they -didn't find that out at the time."</p> - -<p>"What did they find?"</p> - -<p>"They found a civilized, friendly planet, hospitable natives, rich -beyond belief, foolishly ready for exploitation, eager to load them up -with fissionable minerals and so on. There wasn't even a communication -problem. The people, handsome, human type, were telepathic. Well. Their -visit, although no two of the eleven men on the ship could agree on -the details, was one glorious celebration. Liquor and no hangovers. -Women, the most beautiful in the universe, competing with each other -to do everything—I mean <i>everything</i>—for the pleasure of the space -heroes. In fact, it seemed a space tramp's dream of heaven. They hated -to leave."</p> - -<p>"If the place was such a degenerate's delight, why did they leave?"</p> - -<p>"Just simple greed, apparently. Their ship was loaded with the most -valuable cargo in history. They couldn't resist the urge to take it -back and cash in; to strut around and be big heroes, men of wealth and -power back home. Finally, and with plenty of regrets, they blasted off. -A couple of jumps, six months—travel was slow then, of course—and -they landed at the regional capital. They reported their discovery and -claims, turned in the cargo for analysis and sale—and, listening for -the cheers, sat back to collect their fortunes. Instead of cheers, they -got the universal horse laugh."</p> - -<p>"A laugh? At a fortune? Why—oh, yes. Of course; turned out they made a -pretty stupid mistake about that cargo, eh?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Well, it seemed a funny mistake. Their whole cargo of rare, -fissionable elements was nothing but perfectly ordinary sand and rock. -Now, this crew was rough, but prospecting was their business. They -knew their business. It just wasn't possible that they could have made -such a mistake. At first the officials were inclined to drop the whole -thing as a pointless hoax. But it <i>was</i> so pointless. Somebody was -sharp enough to push for an investigation on that account. They rounded -up the prospectors, who were all hustling around trying to promote -supplies to get them back to Nirva. They got a psychiatric team to run -them all through a complete check. The clues to the truth of the matter -turned up then; but they were not, at least not generally understood."</p> - -<p>"What—?"</p> - -<p>"The psychiatric team found that each of the eleven told a similar -story, and actually had a similar mental picture of Nirva. But, -examined closely, the detail, the artifacts, the—uh—types -and—ah—um—habits of the women were startlingly, if not -sensationally, different. So different that, in fact, the planet seemed -to be perfect. Perfect according to each crewman's idea of the perfect -planet. Some of them had pretty crude ideals of perfection, of course. -The psychiatric team pushed through an order grounding all members of -the crew. All of them ended badly, by the way—seven suicides, two -murders, two violent mental cases. The team submitted a completely -inconclusive report. Then they proposed that they all be sent to -examine Nirva."</p> - -<p>"Well? Get to the point, Garten!"</p> - -<p>"The expedition went out. It never came back. No word ever came back. -The administration jumped to a conclusion that the planet, Nirva, had -become hostile and the expeditionary force captured. A battle cruiser, -advised to expect resistance and with orders to use all force necessary -to pacify the planet and rescue prisoners, was sent out. The cruiser -went. It met resistance near Nirva and won a brilliant victory. The -Nirva forces surrendered. The ship landed and officers and crew were -feted by the defeated population. Prisoners were rescued. Finally, and -with some little reluctance the captain, a devoted family man, gave -orders and the cruiser headed back. But—at the first jump away, the -prisoners and something like two-thirds of the cruiser's crew vanished. -Naturally there was a good deal of excitement.</p> - -<p>"Arrant nonsense."</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir. Of course. But—two further rescue expeditions ran into much -the same thing. It seemed that only individuals with the most vital -and binding ties or absorbing interests back home ever came back from -Nirva. Others, especially anyone with the least trace of instability, -stayed there."</p> - -<p>"A lunatic planet for the feeble-minded!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Uh—yes, sir. In a manner of speaking. At least the officially -approved conclusion regarding Nirva is this. No way to be certain but, -presumably, from sample materials and distance observation, it appears -a rather ordinary, Earth-type planet physically. It is inhabited by a -race, physical characteristics doubtful, probably humanoid, having, -unique mental properties. Imaginative, very powerful, hypnotic. And, -the theory goes, these people exercise a sort of group mind power with -individualistic overtones. To all intents and purposes, they modify -their physical—and social—surroundings to suit themselves. Each then -lives quite literally in a world of his own. The world of his dreams. -For visitors from outside, same thing. Each person who lands on Nirva, -or even approaches it without a powerful force shield, sees what he -imagines he should see. He finds whatever he may be looking for. A man -who has mental air castles, you might say, can go to Nirva and move -right into them. As they say, sir, the planet of dreams."</p> - -<p>"Hallucinations!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir. But controlled, pleasant—and having all the force, feel and -effect of reality. So the theory has it, that is. Of course, travel to -Nirva is so restricted as to be almost completely prohibited now and -the information wiped from public records. The administration could see -that it might become disastrously over popular."</p> - -<p>"Why not wipe out the whole lunatic asylum of a system?"</p> - -<p>"Ah—yes. Well—uh—perhaps some of the men at the top thought perhaps -it might turn out to be useful in—uh—some way."</p> - -<p>"There have been rumors of mysterious disappearances of officials. -Weakness."</p> - -<p>"Yes sir. Exactly."</p> - -<p>"A haven for weak-minded idiots to be taken in by stupid, parlor -hypnotics. Why should I waste my time and talent exposing something so -totally and transparently stupid?"</p> - -<p>"Of course, sir. It would be a difficult thing to try to manage. I'm -sure—in spite of the enormous publicity and promotional possibilities -in clearing up the mystery—that it's not the sort of thing a solid -administrator would care to get mixed up in."</p> - -<p>The Secad looked interested.</p> - -<p>"A perfectly horrible sounding place," interrupted Viola from her -doorway, "I had no idea it would be anything like that. It sounds -immoral, actually. I wouldn't go."</p> - -<p>The Secad looked thoughtful.</p> - -<p>"Besides," added Garten, "I'm certain, now I consider it, we couldn't -possibly manage to get a clearance to visit Nirva anyway."</p> - -<p>"Well, then," said Viola firmly. "You know how the Secad needs a rest. -I do hope you can find something more suitable for our vacation than -that. Some place that's <i>quiet</i> and <i>respectable</i> and—"</p> - -<p>The Secad looked convinced. "Oh, shut up, Viola. And you too, Garten. -If we must go on a vacation, we must—but I shall decide where we will -go. Is that clear?"</p> - -<p>That was clear.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Nirva stuck in the mind of Secad Screed. He was, certainly, the sanest, -soundest, solidest and most sensible of men. It was not possible to -trick him into any hasty, ill-considered action.</p> - -<p>Still, it rankled to have Garten and, of all people, Viola tell him he -couldn't go to Nirva—and couldn't succeed in doing anything about it -if he did.</p> - -<p>Of course, it is true that a man can trust no one but himself. It was -transparently obvious that Viola and that pip-squeek Garten were trying -to con him into taking them to Nirva. But it was an irritation. And -maybe the thing did, actually, offer the possibility for something -sensational in the way of a coup.</p> - -<p>Naturally, Garten and Viola were interested only in the supposed cheap -thrills of the dream planet, the chance to escape from practical, -business-like reality into some degenerate make-believe. They both -needed a lesson. They should be shown how poor and weak a thing a -romantic dream is, when brought up short by the trained, superior, -analytical administrative mind.</p> - -<p>The next day at work he set Garten to work drafting up orders for an -emergency invasion alert drill "just in case." He then consulted with -his Neuro-Surgeon General.</p> - -<p>"Naturally, Dr. Treadmel, I would never dream of directing any illegal -actions within my own jurisdiction—where, of course, I am Secad -and therefore the judge of all questions of legality. And of your -Department too, Doctor, you may take note. However, the information I -am endeavoring to extract from you I shall apply, if at all, solely to -the planet Nirva. Not to any of ours."</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir."</p> - -<p>"Very well, Doctor. Now. You are familiar with hypnotics, are you not?"</p> - -<p>"Sir!" The Doctor was hurt. "One of the primary duties—"</p> - -<p>"All right. You are familiar with hypnotics. You use them all the time -in legal questions, crime, employment interviewing in depth and so on. -Naturally. And you are also aware of various measures—yes, yes, I -know they are specifically barred by the Public Safety Amendment—some -mechanical and some narcotic, that may be taken to counteract or -prevent hypnosis. So. My question is this. Would such measures as your -low power, hyper-electronic broadcast and your anti-hypnotic drugs be -effective against the spell or illusion the inhabitants of Nirva use on -visitors and, perhaps, themselves?"</p> - -<p>"Well, now, Secad Screed, that is an extremely interesting question."</p> - -<p>"I am interested only in the answer, Doctor."</p> - -<p>"Uf. Yes, sir. Well, I can see no reason why they wouldn't be -effective—always supposing the subjective hypnotic theory of the place -is correct. That is—in theory—this group mind, which is supposed -to provide the basis, should be totally disrupted by the random or -scrambling effect of the electronic broadcast. The drugs, on the other -hand, would render the individual who took the drug, during the period -of its effectiveness, totally un- or non-receptive to the impulse, -whereas—"</p> - -<p>"All right, Doctor. You are trying to say, in your obfuscating manner, -that the measures would be effective. Right?"</p> - -<p>"Subjectively, not taking into account the hypothetical possibility of -random foci—and, of course, barring circumstances outside the range -of—"</p> - -<p>"Doctor! Yes? Or no?"</p> - -<p>"Well—uh—yes."</p> - -<p>"Doctor, when you have quite finished the duties I am about to assign -you, I suggest you visit my legal staff for a game of circumlocution. -In the meantime—get me that drug."</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir. You understand the limitations—"</p> - -<p>"And give Chief Engineer Barstow the specifics for an anti-hypnotic -electronic amplifier, suitable for placing in satellite orbit."</p> - -<p>"But—"</p> - -<p>"Around Nirva. <i>Good-by</i>, Doctor!"</p> - -<p>And that would take care of that.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Of course Nirva, the Dream Planet, was a fake. It was a fairy story -for childish minds, not capable of affecting the mature intellect. But -there was nothing like being doubly sure. Secad Screed was always sure.</p> - -<p>The only thing that upset him more than being not quite sure was the -idea of something being wrong. But of course this never happened.</p> - -<p>"All right, Viola," he said that night, after letting her sit, fidgety, -looking the question she didn't quite dare to ask all evening long. "So -you want to go to this ridiculous planet, Nirva. Don't you?"</p> - -<p>"Dear, of course not! Not if you don't think—that is, you said it was -stupid. So of course we wouldn't—"</p> - -<p>"Please, Viola. You should know better than to try to deceive me. And -so should Garten. It is completely and transparently clear to me that -both of you are trying to get me to take you to this so-called dream -world. Childish escapism. You know that?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, of course, dear."</p> - -<p>"Very well. We are going."</p> - -<p>"Oh! How wonderful. Thank you!"</p> - -<p>"Don't thank me now. Later, afterward, you can thank me. When I have -done you and Garten the service of showing you the infantile immaturity -of your own minds. I am, Viola my dear, going to expose to the Galaxy -this tawdry charlatanism for the little carnival illusion that it is. I -shall show you the superior mental power of a mind—mine—that can face -reality. You, and possibly even Garten, like drug addicts think you can -escape from fact into a dream world."</p> - -<p>"Oh, no."</p> - -<p>"You will learn that there is no escape. I shall show you to -yourselves. And you will see that run-down, sink-hole planet of lotus -eaters for the degenerate mental slum it truly must be and is."</p> - -<p>"Oh? Well, it is good of you to go to so much trouble."</p> - -<p>Smugly, "The expose may prove of some advantage in my Service career."</p> - -<p>"Of course, dear."</p> - -<p>Of course. Of course, there was a period of frantic, forced-draft -preparation by certain of the Administration Departments. Garten was -voluble in his admiration of the plan for the electronic broadcast, -anti-hypnotic satellite for Nirva. On the drugs, he had no comment. -He was not, in fact, informed of this part of the plan. Clearance for -Secad Screed and party to visit the "Limited Access" Planet, Nirva, was -obtained from Inter-Regional Headquarters with surprisingly, if not -suspiciously, little difficulty. Screed smiled a sour little smile. -Jealousy, perhaps. He would show them, too.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>In two weeks standard time, they—Secad Screed, Mrs. Viola Screed -and Secast Garten—were on the way. It was a small ship, with a crew -specially screened for the stop at Nirva, bound for the farther reaches -of the Galaxy. At the end of three inter-space jumps it would orbit in -to leave them on Nirva. Five weeks later, on the return trip, it would -put in again to pick them up.</p> - -<p>At the end of the third jump, Secad Screed and party, VIP's certainly, -visited the ship's captain in the control room.</p> - -<p>"We are coming in to the planet now, Captain," announced Screed -informatively. "I want to be certain that the satellite is functioning -properly and placed in planned orbit, regular, between sixty and ninety -minutes."</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir," sighed the captain, a morose-looking man with an -anachronistic, drooping moustache, "Believe me, Secad Screed, within my -deplorably narrow limits I do know my business. Your satellite is being -attended to now. We are within the field of Nirva. We will make our run -in, fingers crossed, so you may debark."</p> - -<p>"Fingers crossed, Captain? Hmph! Well—let's have a look at the thing -on the view screen."</p> - -<p>"Sorry—but no, sir. We go in on automatic instruments, with special -electric power shield up all the way. I'll cut the shield just long -enough for you to land and back up she goes. Likely I'll lose a couple -of my crew at that."</p> - -<p>"Nonsense! Have you no confidence in the satellite?"</p> - -<p>The captain shrugged. "I take no chances."</p> - -<p>This was a line of reason Screed could well appreciate—in himself. -From the captain it seemed foolishness.</p> - -<p>"Surely, Captain, if you were to lose crewmen you could and would -insist upon their immediate return?"</p> - -<p>"Insist, Secad Screed? How? You do not, I think, have quite the full -picture of this thing. Its appeal, the pull of your own personal -perfect dream world, is very strong. If I didn't have a wife and -six sweet kids back home that I only see a month or two out of the -year—well. This Nirva problem is like this. We go in. Down screen. -Off you and your party go. My crew? All present. OK, back up with the -screen—and <i>then</i> we find out who is actually on the ship."</p> - -<p>"But if they were all present—?"</p> - -<p>"Maybe present; maybe nothing but projected illusions. It is not -possible to distinguish. So, say a couple are missing when the screen -goes up. Suppose I down screen again. Protest. The natives are all -apology. The men return."</p> - -<p>"All right then."</p> - -<p>"Not exactly. When the screen is up again—maybe instead of two -missing, by then I would have four gone. The temptation gets too -strong. Fighting it is like doubling bets to get even on a crooked -wheel."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Hmph!" Slack handling. Incredibly slack. It certainly was time a man -who knew his own mind took over.</p> - -<p>The satellite was orbiting. He had taken an anti-hypnosis pill. So -too, although he hadn't bothered to tell them about it, had Viola and -Garten, in their coffee. "Well, Captain. Your problems with Nirva are -over. I—" he drew himself up in full executive-command stance—"am -going to straighten the place out. In five weeks, when you return to -pick us up, you will find Nirva, under my administration, a sound, -sensible, stable colony. And we three will all return with you."</p> - -<p>"Oh?" The captain was a skeptic.</p> - -<p>"Of course," said Viola, "When my husband says a thing will be done, -you can count it done."</p> - -<p>"And this other gentleman, Secast Garten?"</p> - -<p>"Naturally, sir. Secad Screed is a man of his word. Not even Nirva -could alter his determination."</p> - -<p>"I see. Well, I'm not a betting man, of course. Regulations. But if I -were—"</p> - -<p>"Yes, Captain?" Secad Screed's voice cracked icily.</p> - -<p>"I would like to bet a year's salary that all three of you won't go -back with me."</p> - -<p>"Well, Captain. As Senior Service Officer aboard, I make the -regulations here. I'll just take that bet. A year's salary, against -yours. Nice odds for you there, Captain. That is a bet. Garten, you and -Viola are witness."</p> - -<p>The Captain smiled sourly and nodded. Screed turned on his heel, -annoyed. "Come Viola; Garten." Viola bowed her head and followed. -Garten lingered a minute.</p> - -<p>"Captain? If you'd care to hedge a bit of that bet, I'll take, say, -half of it?"</p> - -<p>The captain looked at him. An ordinary man. Not young, not old; not -big, not small. Just a man, almost extraordinarily ordinary. And -certainly not too bright since, as he clearly intended to stay on -Nirva, what good would it do him to win half of that old snake Screed's -bet? The Captain shook his head. "Thanks, Secast Garten, but since you -won't—well. No, thanks, I'll keep it."</p> - -<p>Garten shrugged regretfully. "So? Well, I could use the money but no -matter. I think you have a good bet, Captain. It's my bet, too."</p> - -<p>A half hour and the ship settled gently on the surface of the planet. -The three passengers for Nirva were ready at the air-lock.</p> - -<p>"<i>Down screen!</i>"</p> - -<p>Screed heard the words over the intercom. For a moment a sense of -confusion, of uncertainty of purpose touched with dizzying, empty fear, -swept over him. Abruptly it was gone. Confidence, more certain and -invincible than ever, flooded back. He knew what he must do. And he -knew that he would surely do it.</p> - -<p>A thrill of anticipatory triumph brought a little twisted smile to his -thin lips but, half turning his head toward Viola and Garten, all he -said was, peremptorily, "Come."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>They stood, three small figures, on the surface of Nirva, the dream -planet, beside the space ship.</p> - -<p>They were edged away from it by a discomforting mental pressure as the -ship's force field snapped back on. Nirva. It seemed nothing so much. -Pleasant enough, perhaps, but in a shockingly disordered, unimproved -sort of way. Much the sort of thing Screed had expected.</p> - -<p>There was a bright sun overhead with a slight rosy-pink tint to -it, low green hills and some sort of town or settlement in the -near distance. The sky was a deep blue, almost purple, dotted with -feathery, pinkish clouds. All right. Probably it was quite suitable for -exploitation as an agricultural planet. Not too much quick profit in -it, perhaps, but well worth salvage.</p> - -<p>Screed, Viola and Garten were standing near the center of a cleared -field, possibly a bungled excuse for a space port. Across it, a -ramshackle building leaned tiredly to one side. As the space ship rose -silently behind them, some sort of wheeled vehicle started toward them -from the building, raising a small cloud of pinkish-white dust as it -came.</p> - -<p>"How awful," said Viola, echoing Screed's thoughts. "It's so shamefully -run-down and neglected looking."</p> - -<p>"A Galactic disgrace," agreed Garten from the other side.</p> - -<p>"So," said Secad Screed, the leader. "You see?"</p> - -<p>The native vehicle, a rattle-trap affair reminiscent of ancient earth -internal combustion wagons, clattered up. The driver was unclearly -human under a slovenly, unkempt exterior; he was also middle-aged, fat -and anxious as he stumbled out. "Ah," he said eagerly, "distinguished -visitors! And—uh—is it possible—that is, I mean to say, I—we all -in fact, wonder if it could be you who is responsible for the sudden, -total change that seems to have affected our—ah—perceptive climate?"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" width="349" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"And if we are," snapped Screed, "it was certainly a degenerative -situation that desperately needed changing. You and all your people -should thank me for it. And you will."</p> - -<p>"Oh yes," said the native. "We already do, indeed. But—uh—the thing -is, not that we aren't grateful for the awakening, but it is all so -horribly confusing to us. You see, what I mean to say, we don't know -exactly what—"</p> - -<p>"You need leadership! Strong, efficient leadership."</p> - -<p>"That's it exactly. If only you would—"</p> - -<p>"I shall." He made an expansive, condescending gesture. "I, with the -help of Mrs. Screed—I, by the way, am Secad Screed, the Leader—and my -assistant, will take full command of all administration immediately. -You will find that I will soon whip you into shape."</p> - -<p>"Ah, sir, how can we ever repay you?"</p> - -<p>"Perhaps something may be worked out. Now, we must get started. Take me -at once to your ruling body."</p> - -<p>"Ah. Do you suppose the Council of Dreamers—?"</p> - -<p>"Hmph; just the sort of thing we shall have done with once and for -all. But we must start someplace, I suppose. Let us proceed."</p> - -<p>They all climbed somewhat apprehensively into the vehicle. They -proceeded.</p> - -<p>Screed proceeded.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He proceeded, with Viola and Garten cheering and trailing along some -little distance to the rear, to carry out his total plan. It was almost -too easy.</p> - -<p>"Almost," thought Screed as the obedient, grateful citizens of Nirva -labored frantically to remake their world into a model Class II, -Galactic Service AgPlan. "But then, no one else could ever make a start -here. It is simply that, to a mind and character like mine, all things -are easy."</p> - -<p>He was, not for the first time, mildly surprised at his own brilliance, -and totally admiring.</p> - -<p>Perhaps he was justified. Certainly both Viola and the sometimes -cynical seeming Garten were all awed respect. The reformation of Nirva -advanced at a remarkable pace. The people, rudely awakened from a -generations-long dream, were confused, aimless, purposeless. Like the -bewildered representative at the space port, they wanted nothing more -than a firm leader to give them direction. Having apparently no will of -their own, they went to work with a will. Screed's will.</p> - -<p>Screed was pleasantly surprised. It seemed that before the development -of the "dream world of the group mind," some five hundred years before, -they had been a progressive people with a modestly advanced technology. -With the group mind, all of the old knowledge and technical abilities -had, quite inadvertently, been passed on from generation to generation. -Direction was all they needed. Having no power of resistance, they -accepted it with total obedience. When Screed said, as he often did, -"You people are not here to think; you're here to do what I tell you," -they smiled in whole-hearted agreement and did just what he told them. -It was delightful.</p> - -<p>In five short weeks the reconstruction of Nirva was well advanced. New -cities and smoke-belching factories were rising from old ruins. Fields -were plowed and sowed.</p> - -<p>And the space ship came back.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Reluctantly Screed cut short a series of final instruction conferences -with his newly appointed deputy directors and administrators. He picked -up Viola and Garten from their quarters in the refurbished ruin of an -ancient mansion on a hill overlooking the new capital and they rode -to the space port in his vehicle, primitive in design but gleaming, -shining like new in the rosy-pink sunshine.</p> - -<p>The citizenry lined the roadway, torn between sobs and cheers. Screed, -smiling, and sternly gracious, waved a regretful farewell. At the -ship he paused for a last word with his senior deputy. In unfamiliar -tones of anxious concern, he said, "Now, you have all my memos and -instructions. You're sure you can handle it? Carry on just the way I -have directed?"</p> - -<p>"Of course, glorious supreme leader. In your wisdom you have pointed us -the way. We shall not stray."</p> - -<p>"Well—everything has been going well, very well. In a way I hate to -leave and take the chance on your fouling everything up."</p> - -<p>"We shall do our poor best, great leader."</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Screed, doubtfully. "True enough. But even so—"</p> - -<p>They could feel the space ship's screen cut off. The port opened.</p> - -<p>From the vast crowd of Nirvans spread across the space port there came -a great whispering noise, something between a sigh and a moan of sad -farewell, as Screed turned and followed the other two through the port -and into the ship.</p> - -<p>"Ah, Captain," said Screed, smiling a thin smile of triumph. "You -doubted my ability to remake Nirva. But now you have seen it. Quite a -change, eh?"</p> - -<p>"Oh sure. Quite a change. Of course, there always is."</p> - -<p>"And, Captain, you will note that we are all here. All three of us. You -have, I fear, lost your bet."</p> - -<p>The Captain shrugged. "Better get to your cabin now, ready for take -off."</p> - -<p>In the cabin Screed settled back in a chair and looked up at the other -two with an odd air of defiance. "All right," he said, "I did it, -didn't I? Just the way I told you."</p> - -<p>"Screen on," said the Captain over the intercom.</p> - -<p>To the three in the cabin the air seemed to turn shimmery, hazy, -indistinct for a moment. Then it cleared.</p> - -<p>Garten and Viola stood by the doorway, arm in arm, staring. Screed, -Secad Screed, the leader, was gone.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"There," said Garten with deep satisfaction, "He did do it."</p> - -<p>Viola sighed, smiling. "Darling! He did! It worked just the way you -said it would. But I'm still not sure I quite understand why—or how."</p> - -<p>"It doesn't really matter. But—you noticed he quit taking the -anti-hypnotic pills after the first week?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. Did that make any difference? The satellite worked, didn't it? -And everything else went just the way he wanted it. It all seemed -perfect—for him."</p> - -<p>"Sure it did. And that was what he couldn't face losing."</p> - -<p>"Hmm?"</p> - -<p>"Well, it seemed that everything went exactly the way he imagined it -would. The satellite worked. The people followed him. Everything. But -maybe we all only imagined it. How can we be sure? After all, those -things—plus our purely personal concerns that he was far too busy to -take any note of—"</p> - -<p>Viola blushed, quite charmingly for a plain, mousy little woman.</p> - -<p>"—were what we were expecting too. How can we know, for sure, what was -real and what was illusion?"</p> - -<p>Viola looked suddenly offended.</p> - -<p>"About the planet, I mean."</p> - -<p>Viola looked mollified.</p> - -<p>"But the planet—I think Screed is running the thing; I'm not sure. As -long as he is there, he <i>knows</i> he is running it. Here—who knows? That -was the chance he couldn't take, the chance his mind refused to face. -If he were here, <i>could he still be sure he was right</i>?"</p> - -<p>Viola smiled the feminine smile that dismisses a question no longer of -personal consequence and snuggled closer to Garten. "Well," she said, -"at least we know he isn't here. That's all that matters."</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Out Of Mind, by William W. 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Stuart - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere 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/license - - -Title: Out Of Mind - -Author: William W. Stuart - -Release Date: December 30, 2019 [EBook #61051] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OUT OF MIND *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - OUT OF MIND - - By WILLIAM W. STUART - - Nirva was a real bore. The food was - always great, the climate tediously - fine, the view monotonously lovely, - the girls relentlessly amiable. - But, oddly, everybody went there! - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Worlds of If Science Fiction, May 1961. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -"Vacation trip to Nirva?!?" snapped Secad Screed--Galactic Sector -Administrator J. Gomer Screed, a serious-minded man who rarely lost -his temper. That was a pity; it was a lousy temper. "A mindless -excursion, and completely outside my Sector at that! Woman, are both -you and Garten out of your minds? Who do you think is going to run my -administration with both Garten and I on a childish vacation to this -absurd 'Dream Planet' of yours?" - -"Well--there is Deputy Assistant Prinot and--" - -"Ha! And then what do you suppose would be left of my record here and -my prospects of promotion--after Depast Prinot and the others put in -five solid weeks wrecking all my work?" - -Secast Garten, short, a little chubby, the opposite of his chief -(who looked like a deep-thinking, bald stork scheduled for delivery -of Siamese quintuplets in a typhoon,) grinned. He was seated out of -the direct line of verbal fire, on a rock-hard hassock at one side of -the barely furnished Screed apartment. He grinned, knowing what Secad -Screed would do with a similar opportunity at Division Hq. - -"Oh, now, dear," soothed Mrs. Screed, a mousey, chronically anxious -little woman with five years experience as secretary and ten as wife in -learning to soothe her husband. "Prinot is such a nice man. Don't worry -so about things. Just put them out of your mind; they'll be all right." - -"What?" Fifteen years experience she had soothing him, but she never -did seem to get the knack of it. Or, perhaps, it was a matter of -Screed's conscientiously refusing to be soothed, as a matter of -discipline. A wife should know her place. Women being what they were, -light minded, he felt it only fair that he should regularly point it -out to her. He didn't want to spoil her. And he didn't either--unless -it was in the matter of favoring her with his personal attentions -weekly, at 11:30 p.m., each Friday. - -This was big of him. She was lucky. Secad Screed was a big man, -Administrative Officer in full command of a major sun system at only -56, wedded to his work and dedicated to becoming more and more -important. Mrs. Screed's position was, in a way, almost bigamous. She -had a rich, full fifteen minutes every Friday, and what more could any -woman want of life? - -At the moment, this one imagined she wanted to take a vacation trip -to some nonsensical, little known, semi-mythical dream planet that -Garten--the fool!--had been telling her about. "Garten--" - -"You are so right, J.G., so right. Give Prinot and those boys an inch -and they'll be measuring you out for a grave with it, while they -sharpen their knives. Half a chance and they'd foul up your whole -Sector Administration. But--you know, sir, after five straight years on -the job for both you and me, a five-week vacation is compulsory. We do -have our orders." - -"Mf-f-f!" That was true and that was the rub. "But we don't have to -chase off so far we can't keep an eye on things!" - -"Of course, sir. Or--an idea you gave me just the other day, sir--with -the recent Truad activity over in Sector Y, we could put this -whole system into an emergency invasion alert drill, sir. For the -duration--of our vacation. Then every move Prinot makes will have -to follow the book--or a court-martial when we get back. With you -presiding, eh?" - - * * * * * - -Secad Screed smiled a thin smile. "I thought of that, of course, -Garten. Clever of you to see it. Given time, I may be able to make a -passably capable assistant of you after all." - -Garten was necessarily more skilled at soothing Screed than was Mrs. -S., whose somewhat special status brought her very limited privileges -but considerable job security. Garten had hung on, sometimes narrowly, -for some five years now. - -"Yes sir. I hope so, sir." - -"But not as long as you come up with asinine suggestions for us to -throw away valuable time on some scarcely heard of 'dream planet.' Even -though Centrad does enforce these foolish compulsory vacations, there -is no reason why the time cannot be turned to some useful account." - -"But, dear," murmured Mrs. Screed wistfully. - -"No! Viola, you seem to have lost whatever few wits you once possessed. -Why in the Galactic Universe would I go to some tiny, sink-hole, -single planet system not even important enough to have a Service -Administration? Even I have scarcely heard of the place. Garten, what -ever got into you?" - -"Uh--ah, well, sir. You see I--uh--have always admired so your report -on waste and extravagance on Primus that you made following your -last vacation five years ago just before coming here. The way you -toppled the entire Sector Administration, forced a dozen or more early -retirements and--" - -"And got me my promotion to Secad." - -"Yes, sir. A sensational job, and much talked of at Centrad, I know. -Well sir, I just thought that, since this Nirva is so little known, -something of a mystery you know, and something of a sore point with -Centrad too, perhaps it might be ripe for an expose." - -"Mph. Nonsense, Garten. Not important enough--though, come to consider, -it is odd how little public information there is about the place. -Centrad is covering something.... Hm-m. Never bothered to check the -secret files on it myself. Just for curiosity, Garten, what _is_ the -detail on the thing?" - -Mrs. Screed leaned back in her chair; glanced blankly about the bare -apartment; picked idly at a cuticle; tried, with apprehensively -expressive features, to register total disinterest. Once, before -discouragement set in, she had been a modestly pretty young woman. Now -she was merely modest. - -"Viola," snapped Screed, "go fix some refreshment. Ice water, -crackers, something. Can't have you sitting there mooning over this -Nirva nonsense of Garten's. Your mind has too great an affinity for -nonsense." - -"Yes, sir. Well, sir--" - - * * * * * - -Mrs. Screed threw him a fleeting, timid smile over her shoulder as she -left the room through the kitchen door, back of Screed's arm chair. -Inside of two minutes she was back, standing very quietly in the -doorway with a pitcher of water and a dish of plain, protein crackers -on a tray. Garten talked on. - -"Nirva, as you know, is the single planet of a small sun off on the -fringes of this region of the Galaxy. It seemed so insignificant it -was never even visited until something like fifty years ago. Then a -questionable prospector ship had a minor breakdown and was forced to -come out of an inter-space jump near the Nirva system. The prospectors -had been ten years out. They were coming back empty-handed, nothing to -show, not one valuable planet found. There they were. Spectroanalysis -of Nirva didn't show much, but they decided to check anyway. They were -desperate, dreaming out of all reason of a last-ditch success--dreaming -of a civilized, friendly planet, hospitable natives, rich beyond -belief, foolishly ready for exploitation, eager to load them up with -fissionable minerals and so on. You know how those old space tramp -adventurers used to be, sir." - -"Hmph. Tramps, yes. So?" - -"So they landed and discovered Nirva; the Dream Planet. Of course they -didn't find that out at the time." - -"What did they find?" - -"They found a civilized, friendly planet, hospitable natives, rich -beyond belief, foolishly ready for exploitation, eager to load them up -with fissionable minerals and so on. There wasn't even a communication -problem. The people, handsome, human type, were telepathic. Well. Their -visit, although no two of the eleven men on the ship could agree on -the details, was one glorious celebration. Liquor and no hangovers. -Women, the most beautiful in the universe, competing with each other -to do everything--I mean _everything_--for the pleasure of the space -heroes. In fact, it seemed a space tramp's dream of heaven. They hated -to leave." - -"If the place was such a degenerate's delight, why did they leave?" - -"Just simple greed, apparently. Their ship was loaded with the most -valuable cargo in history. They couldn't resist the urge to take it -back and cash in; to strut around and be big heroes, men of wealth and -power back home. Finally, and with plenty of regrets, they blasted off. -A couple of jumps, six months--travel was slow then, of course--and -they landed at the regional capital. They reported their discovery and -claims, turned in the cargo for analysis and sale--and, listening for -the cheers, sat back to collect their fortunes. Instead of cheers, they -got the universal horse laugh." - -"A laugh? At a fortune? Why--oh, yes. Of course; turned out they made a -pretty stupid mistake about that cargo, eh?" - - * * * * * - -"Well, it seemed a funny mistake. Their whole cargo of rare, -fissionable elements was nothing but perfectly ordinary sand and rock. -Now, this crew was rough, but prospecting was their business. They -knew their business. It just wasn't possible that they could have made -such a mistake. At first the officials were inclined to drop the whole -thing as a pointless hoax. But it _was_ so pointless. Somebody was -sharp enough to push for an investigation on that account. They rounded -up the prospectors, who were all hustling around trying to promote -supplies to get them back to Nirva. They got a psychiatric team to run -them all through a complete check. The clues to the truth of the matter -turned up then; but they were not, at least not generally understood." - -"What--?" - -"The psychiatric team found that each of the eleven told a similar -story, and actually had a similar mental picture of Nirva. But, -examined closely, the detail, the artifacts, the--uh--types -and--ah--um--habits of the women were startlingly, if not -sensationally, different. So different that, in fact, the planet seemed -to be perfect. Perfect according to each crewman's idea of the perfect -planet. Some of them had pretty crude ideals of perfection, of course. -The psychiatric team pushed through an order grounding all members of -the crew. All of them ended badly, by the way--seven suicides, two -murders, two violent mental cases. The team submitted a completely -inconclusive report. Then they proposed that they all be sent to -examine Nirva." - -"Well? Get to the point, Garten!" - -"The expedition went out. It never came back. No word ever came back. -The administration jumped to a conclusion that the planet, Nirva, had -become hostile and the expeditionary force captured. A battle cruiser, -advised to expect resistance and with orders to use all force necessary -to pacify the planet and rescue prisoners, was sent out. The cruiser -went. It met resistance near Nirva and won a brilliant victory. The -Nirva forces surrendered. The ship landed and officers and crew were -feted by the defeated population. Prisoners were rescued. Finally, and -with some little reluctance the captain, a devoted family man, gave -orders and the cruiser headed back. But--at the first jump away, the -prisoners and something like two-thirds of the cruiser's crew vanished. -Naturally there was a good deal of excitement. - -"Arrant nonsense." - -"Yes, sir. Of course. But--two further rescue expeditions ran into much -the same thing. It seemed that only individuals with the most vital -and binding ties or absorbing interests back home ever came back from -Nirva. Others, especially anyone with the least trace of instability, -stayed there." - -"A lunatic planet for the feeble-minded!" - - * * * * * - -"Uh--yes, sir. In a manner of speaking. At least the officially -approved conclusion regarding Nirva is this. No way to be certain but, -presumably, from sample materials and distance observation, it appears -a rather ordinary, Earth-type planet physically. It is inhabited by a -race, physical characteristics doubtful, probably humanoid, having, -unique mental properties. Imaginative, very powerful, hypnotic. And, -the theory goes, these people exercise a sort of group mind power with -individualistic overtones. To all intents and purposes, they modify -their physical--and social--surroundings to suit themselves. Each then -lives quite literally in a world of his own. The world of his dreams. -For visitors from outside, same thing. Each person who lands on Nirva, -or even approaches it without a powerful force shield, sees what he -imagines he should see. He finds whatever he may be looking for. A man -who has mental air castles, you might say, can go to Nirva and move -right into them. As they say, sir, the planet of dreams." - -"Hallucinations!" - -"Yes, sir. But controlled, pleasant--and having all the force, feel and -effect of reality. So the theory has it, that is. Of course, travel to -Nirva is so restricted as to be almost completely prohibited now and -the information wiped from public records. The administration could see -that it might become disastrously over popular." - -"Why not wipe out the whole lunatic asylum of a system?" - -"Ah--yes. Well--uh--perhaps some of the men at the top thought perhaps -it might turn out to be useful in--uh--some way." - -"There have been rumors of mysterious disappearances of officials. -Weakness." - -"Yes sir. Exactly." - -"A haven for weak-minded idiots to be taken in by stupid, parlor -hypnotics. Why should I waste my time and talent exposing something so -totally and transparently stupid?" - -"Of course, sir. It would be a difficult thing to try to manage. I'm -sure--in spite of the enormous publicity and promotional possibilities -in clearing up the mystery--that it's not the sort of thing a solid -administrator would care to get mixed up in." - -The Secad looked interested. - -"A perfectly horrible sounding place," interrupted Viola from her -doorway, "I had no idea it would be anything like that. It sounds -immoral, actually. I wouldn't go." - -The Secad looked thoughtful. - -"Besides," added Garten, "I'm certain, now I consider it, we couldn't -possibly manage to get a clearance to visit Nirva anyway." - -"Well, then," said Viola firmly. "You know how the Secad needs a rest. -I do hope you can find something more suitable for our vacation than -that. Some place that's _quiet_ and _respectable_ and--" - -The Secad looked convinced. "Oh, shut up, Viola. And you too, Garten. -If we must go on a vacation, we must--but I shall decide where we will -go. Is that clear?" - -That was clear. - - * * * * * - -Nirva stuck in the mind of Secad Screed. He was, certainly, the sanest, -soundest, solidest and most sensible of men. It was not possible to -trick him into any hasty, ill-considered action. - -Still, it rankled to have Garten and, of all people, Viola tell him he -couldn't go to Nirva--and couldn't succeed in doing anything about it -if he did. - -Of course, it is true that a man can trust no one but himself. It was -transparently obvious that Viola and that pip-squeek Garten were trying -to con him into taking them to Nirva. But it was an irritation. And -maybe the thing did, actually, offer the possibility for something -sensational in the way of a coup. - -Naturally, Garten and Viola were interested only in the supposed cheap -thrills of the dream planet, the chance to escape from practical, -business-like reality into some degenerate make-believe. They both -needed a lesson. They should be shown how poor and weak a thing a -romantic dream is, when brought up short by the trained, superior, -analytical administrative mind. - -The next day at work he set Garten to work drafting up orders for an -emergency invasion alert drill "just in case." He then consulted with -his Neuro-Surgeon General. - -"Naturally, Dr. Treadmel, I would never dream of directing any illegal -actions within my own jurisdiction--where, of course, I am Secad -and therefore the judge of all questions of legality. And of your -Department too, Doctor, you may take note. However, the information I -am endeavoring to extract from you I shall apply, if at all, solely to -the planet Nirva. Not to any of ours." - -"Yes, sir." - -"Very well, Doctor. Now. You are familiar with hypnotics, are you not?" - -"Sir!" The Doctor was hurt. "One of the primary duties--" - -"All right. You are familiar with hypnotics. You use them all the time -in legal questions, crime, employment interviewing in depth and so on. -Naturally. And you are also aware of various measures--yes, yes, I -know they are specifically barred by the Public Safety Amendment--some -mechanical and some narcotic, that may be taken to counteract or -prevent hypnosis. So. My question is this. Would such measures as your -low power, hyper-electronic broadcast and your anti-hypnotic drugs be -effective against the spell or illusion the inhabitants of Nirva use on -visitors and, perhaps, themselves?" - -"Well, now, Secad Screed, that is an extremely interesting question." - -"I am interested only in the answer, Doctor." - -"Uf. Yes, sir. Well, I can see no reason why they wouldn't be -effective--always supposing the subjective hypnotic theory of the place -is correct. That is--in theory--this group mind, which is supposed -to provide the basis, should be totally disrupted by the random or -scrambling effect of the electronic broadcast. The drugs, on the other -hand, would render the individual who took the drug, during the period -of its effectiveness, totally un- or non-receptive to the impulse, -whereas--" - -"All right, Doctor. You are trying to say, in your obfuscating manner, -that the measures would be effective. Right?" - -"Subjectively, not taking into account the hypothetical possibility of -random foci--and, of course, barring circumstances outside the range -of--" - -"Doctor! Yes? Or no?" - -"Well--uh--yes." - -"Doctor, when you have quite finished the duties I am about to assign -you, I suggest you visit my legal staff for a game of circumlocution. -In the meantime--get me that drug." - -"Yes, sir. You understand the limitations--" - -"And give Chief Engineer Barstow the specifics for an anti-hypnotic -electronic amplifier, suitable for placing in satellite orbit." - -"But--" - -"Around Nirva. _Good-by_, Doctor!" - -And that would take care of that. - - * * * * * - -Of course Nirva, the Dream Planet, was a fake. It was a fairy story -for childish minds, not capable of affecting the mature intellect. But -there was nothing like being doubly sure. Secad Screed was always sure. - -The only thing that upset him more than being not quite sure was the -idea of something being wrong. But of course this never happened. - -"All right, Viola," he said that night, after letting her sit, fidgety, -looking the question she didn't quite dare to ask all evening long. "So -you want to go to this ridiculous planet, Nirva. Don't you?" - -"Dear, of course not! Not if you don't think--that is, you said it was -stupid. So of course we wouldn't--" - -"Please, Viola. You should know better than to try to deceive me. And -so should Garten. It is completely and transparently clear to me that -both of you are trying to get me to take you to this so-called dream -world. Childish escapism. You know that?" - -"Yes, of course, dear." - -"Very well. We are going." - -"Oh! How wonderful. Thank you!" - -"Don't thank me now. Later, afterward, you can thank me. When I have -done you and Garten the service of showing you the infantile immaturity -of your own minds. I am, Viola my dear, going to expose to the Galaxy -this tawdry charlatanism for the little carnival illusion that it is. I -shall show you the superior mental power of a mind--mine--that can face -reality. You, and possibly even Garten, like drug addicts think you can -escape from fact into a dream world." - -"Oh, no." - -"You will learn that there is no escape. I shall show you to -yourselves. And you will see that run-down, sink-hole planet of lotus -eaters for the degenerate mental slum it truly must be and is." - -"Oh? Well, it is good of you to go to so much trouble." - -Smugly, "The expose may prove of some advantage in my Service career." - -"Of course, dear." - -Of course. Of course, there was a period of frantic, forced-draft -preparation by certain of the Administration Departments. Garten was -voluble in his admiration of the plan for the electronic broadcast, -anti-hypnotic satellite for Nirva. On the drugs, he had no comment. -He was not, in fact, informed of this part of the plan. Clearance for -Secad Screed and party to visit the "Limited Access" Planet, Nirva, was -obtained from Inter-Regional Headquarters with surprisingly, if not -suspiciously, little difficulty. Screed smiled a sour little smile. -Jealousy, perhaps. He would show them, too. - - * * * * * - -In two weeks standard time, they--Secad Screed, Mrs. Viola Screed -and Secast Garten--were on the way. It was a small ship, with a crew -specially screened for the stop at Nirva, bound for the farther reaches -of the Galaxy. At the end of three inter-space jumps it would orbit in -to leave them on Nirva. Five weeks later, on the return trip, it would -put in again to pick them up. - -At the end of the third jump, Secad Screed and party, VIP's certainly, -visited the ship's captain in the control room. - -"We are coming in to the planet now, Captain," announced Screed -informatively. "I want to be certain that the satellite is functioning -properly and placed in planned orbit, regular, between sixty and ninety -minutes." - -"Yes, sir," sighed the captain, a morose-looking man with an -anachronistic, drooping moustache, "Believe me, Secad Screed, within my -deplorably narrow limits I do know my business. Your satellite is being -attended to now. We are within the field of Nirva. We will make our run -in, fingers crossed, so you may debark." - -"Fingers crossed, Captain? Hmph! Well--let's have a look at the thing -on the view screen." - -"Sorry--but no, sir. We go in on automatic instruments, with special -electric power shield up all the way. I'll cut the shield just long -enough for you to land and back up she goes. Likely I'll lose a couple -of my crew at that." - -"Nonsense! Have you no confidence in the satellite?" - -The captain shrugged. "I take no chances." - -This was a line of reason Screed could well appreciate--in himself. -From the captain it seemed foolishness. - -"Surely, Captain, if you were to lose crewmen you could and would -insist upon their immediate return?" - -"Insist, Secad Screed? How? You do not, I think, have quite the full -picture of this thing. Its appeal, the pull of your own personal -perfect dream world, is very strong. If I didn't have a wife and -six sweet kids back home that I only see a month or two out of the -year--well. This Nirva problem is like this. We go in. Down screen. -Off you and your party go. My crew? All present. OK, back up with the -screen--and _then_ we find out who is actually on the ship." - -"But if they were all present--?" - -"Maybe present; maybe nothing but projected illusions. It is not -possible to distinguish. So, say a couple are missing when the screen -goes up. Suppose I down screen again. Protest. The natives are all -apology. The men return." - -"All right then." - -"Not exactly. When the screen is up again--maybe instead of two -missing, by then I would have four gone. The temptation gets too -strong. Fighting it is like doubling bets to get even on a crooked -wheel." - - * * * * * - -"Hmph!" Slack handling. Incredibly slack. It certainly was time a man -who knew his own mind took over. - -The satellite was orbiting. He had taken an anti-hypnosis pill. So -too, although he hadn't bothered to tell them about it, had Viola and -Garten, in their coffee. "Well, Captain. Your problems with Nirva are -over. I--" he drew himself up in full executive-command stance--"am -going to straighten the place out. In five weeks, when you return to -pick us up, you will find Nirva, under my administration, a sound, -sensible, stable colony. And we three will all return with you." - -"Oh?" The captain was a skeptic. - -"Of course," said Viola, "When my husband says a thing will be done, -you can count it done." - -"And this other gentleman, Secast Garten?" - -"Naturally, sir. Secad Screed is a man of his word. Not even Nirva -could alter his determination." - -"I see. Well, I'm not a betting man, of course. Regulations. But if I -were--" - -"Yes, Captain?" Secad Screed's voice cracked icily. - -"I would like to bet a year's salary that all three of you won't go -back with me." - -"Well, Captain. As Senior Service Officer aboard, I make the -regulations here. I'll just take that bet. A year's salary, against -yours. Nice odds for you there, Captain. That is a bet. Garten, you and -Viola are witness." - -The Captain smiled sourly and nodded. Screed turned on his heel, -annoyed. "Come Viola; Garten." Viola bowed her head and followed. -Garten lingered a minute. - -"Captain? If you'd care to hedge a bit of that bet, I'll take, say, -half of it?" - -The captain looked at him. An ordinary man. Not young, not old; not -big, not small. Just a man, almost extraordinarily ordinary. And -certainly not too bright since, as he clearly intended to stay on -Nirva, what good would it do him to win half of that old snake Screed's -bet? The Captain shook his head. "Thanks, Secast Garten, but since you -won't--well. No, thanks, I'll keep it." - -Garten shrugged regretfully. "So? Well, I could use the money but no -matter. I think you have a good bet, Captain. It's my bet, too." - -A half hour and the ship settled gently on the surface of the planet. -The three passengers for Nirva were ready at the air-lock. - -"_Down screen!_" - -Screed heard the words over the intercom. For a moment a sense of -confusion, of uncertainty of purpose touched with dizzying, empty fear, -swept over him. Abruptly it was gone. Confidence, more certain and -invincible than ever, flooded back. He knew what he must do. And he -knew that he would surely do it. - -A thrill of anticipatory triumph brought a little twisted smile to his -thin lips but, half turning his head toward Viola and Garten, all he -said was, peremptorily, "Come." - - * * * * * - -They stood, three small figures, on the surface of Nirva, the dream -planet, beside the space ship. - -They were edged away from it by a discomforting mental pressure as the -ship's force field snapped back on. Nirva. It seemed nothing so much. -Pleasant enough, perhaps, but in a shockingly disordered, unimproved -sort of way. Much the sort of thing Screed had expected. - -There was a bright sun overhead with a slight rosy-pink tint to -it, low green hills and some sort of town or settlement in the -near distance. The sky was a deep blue, almost purple, dotted with -feathery, pinkish clouds. All right. Probably it was quite suitable for -exploitation as an agricultural planet. Not too much quick profit in -it, perhaps, but well worth salvage. - -Screed, Viola and Garten were standing near the center of a cleared -field, possibly a bungled excuse for a space port. Across it, a -ramshackle building leaned tiredly to one side. As the space ship rose -silently behind them, some sort of wheeled vehicle started toward them -from the building, raising a small cloud of pinkish-white dust as it -came. - -"How awful," said Viola, echoing Screed's thoughts. "It's so shamefully -run-down and neglected looking." - -"A Galactic disgrace," agreed Garten from the other side. - -"So," said Secad Screed, the leader. "You see?" - -The native vehicle, a rattle-trap affair reminiscent of ancient earth -internal combustion wagons, clattered up. The driver was unclearly -human under a slovenly, unkempt exterior; he was also middle-aged, fat -and anxious as he stumbled out. "Ah," he said eagerly, "distinguished -visitors! And--uh--is it possible--that is, I mean to say, I--we all -in fact, wonder if it could be you who is responsible for the sudden, -total change that seems to have affected our--ah--perceptive climate?" - -"And if we are," snapped Screed, "it was certainly a degenerative -situation that desperately needed changing. You and all your people -should thank me for it. And you will." - -"Oh yes," said the native. "We already do, indeed. But--uh--the thing -is, not that we aren't grateful for the awakening, but it is all so -horribly confusing to us. You see, what I mean to say, we don't know -exactly what--" - -"You need leadership! Strong, efficient leadership." - -"That's it exactly. If only you would--" - -"I shall." He made an expansive, condescending gesture. "I, with the -help of Mrs. Screed--I, by the way, am Secad Screed, the Leader--and my -assistant, will take full command of all administration immediately. -You will find that I will soon whip you into shape." - -"Ah, sir, how can we ever repay you?" - -"Perhaps something may be worked out. Now, we must get started. Take me -at once to your ruling body." - -"Ah. Do you suppose the Council of Dreamers--?" - -"Hmph; just the sort of thing we shall have done with once and for -all. But we must start someplace, I suppose. Let us proceed." - -They all climbed somewhat apprehensively into the vehicle. They -proceeded. - -Screed proceeded. - - * * * * * - -He proceeded, with Viola and Garten cheering and trailing along some -little distance to the rear, to carry out his total plan. It was almost -too easy. - -"Almost," thought Screed as the obedient, grateful citizens of Nirva -labored frantically to remake their world into a model Class II, -Galactic Service AgPlan. "But then, no one else could ever make a start -here. It is simply that, to a mind and character like mine, all things -are easy." - -He was, not for the first time, mildly surprised at his own brilliance, -and totally admiring. - -Perhaps he was justified. Certainly both Viola and the sometimes -cynical seeming Garten were all awed respect. The reformation of Nirva -advanced at a remarkable pace. The people, rudely awakened from a -generations-long dream, were confused, aimless, purposeless. Like the -bewildered representative at the space port, they wanted nothing more -than a firm leader to give them direction. Having apparently no will of -their own, they went to work with a will. Screed's will. - -Screed was pleasantly surprised. It seemed that before the development -of the "dream world of the group mind," some five hundred years before, -they had been a progressive people with a modestly advanced technology. -With the group mind, all of the old knowledge and technical abilities -had, quite inadvertently, been passed on from generation to generation. -Direction was all they needed. Having no power of resistance, they -accepted it with total obedience. When Screed said, as he often did, -"You people are not here to think; you're here to do what I tell you," -they smiled in whole-hearted agreement and did just what he told them. -It was delightful. - -In five short weeks the reconstruction of Nirva was well advanced. New -cities and smoke-belching factories were rising from old ruins. Fields -were plowed and sowed. - -And the space ship came back. - - * * * * * - -Reluctantly Screed cut short a series of final instruction conferences -with his newly appointed deputy directors and administrators. He picked -up Viola and Garten from their quarters in the refurbished ruin of an -ancient mansion on a hill overlooking the new capital and they rode -to the space port in his vehicle, primitive in design but gleaming, -shining like new in the rosy-pink sunshine. - -The citizenry lined the roadway, torn between sobs and cheers. Screed, -smiling, and sternly gracious, waved a regretful farewell. At the -ship he paused for a last word with his senior deputy. In unfamiliar -tones of anxious concern, he said, "Now, you have all my memos and -instructions. You're sure you can handle it? Carry on just the way I -have directed?" - -"Of course, glorious supreme leader. In your wisdom you have pointed us -the way. We shall not stray." - -"Well--everything has been going well, very well. In a way I hate to -leave and take the chance on your fouling everything up." - -"We shall do our poor best, great leader." - -"Yes," said Screed, doubtfully. "True enough. But even so--" - -They could feel the space ship's screen cut off. The port opened. - -From the vast crowd of Nirvans spread across the space port there came -a great whispering noise, something between a sigh and a moan of sad -farewell, as Screed turned and followed the other two through the port -and into the ship. - -"Ah, Captain," said Screed, smiling a thin smile of triumph. "You -doubted my ability to remake Nirva. But now you have seen it. Quite a -change, eh?" - -"Oh sure. Quite a change. Of course, there always is." - -"And, Captain, you will note that we are all here. All three of us. You -have, I fear, lost your bet." - -The Captain shrugged. "Better get to your cabin now, ready for take -off." - -In the cabin Screed settled back in a chair and looked up at the other -two with an odd air of defiance. "All right," he said, "I did it, -didn't I? Just the way I told you." - -"Screen on," said the Captain over the intercom. - -To the three in the cabin the air seemed to turn shimmery, hazy, -indistinct for a moment. Then it cleared. - -Garten and Viola stood by the doorway, arm in arm, staring. Screed, -Secad Screed, the leader, was gone. - - * * * * * - -"There," said Garten with deep satisfaction, "He did do it." - -Viola sighed, smiling. "Darling! He did! It worked just the way you -said it would. But I'm still not sure I quite understand why--or how." - -"It doesn't really matter. But--you noticed he quit taking the -anti-hypnotic pills after the first week?" - -"Yes. Did that make any difference? The satellite worked, didn't it? -And everything else went just the way he wanted it. It all seemed -perfect--for him." - -"Sure it did. And that was what he couldn't face losing." - -"Hmm?" - -"Well, it seemed that everything went exactly the way he imagined it -would. The satellite worked. The people followed him. Everything. But -maybe we all only imagined it. How can we be sure? After all, those -things--plus our purely personal concerns that he was far too busy to -take any note of--" - -Viola blushed, quite charmingly for a plain, mousy little woman. - -"--were what we were expecting too. How can we know, for sure, what was -real and what was illusion?" - -Viola looked suddenly offended. - -"About the planet, I mean." - -Viola looked mollified. - -"But the planet--I think Screed is running the thing; I'm not sure. As -long as he is there, he _knows_ he is running it. Here--who knows? That -was the chance he couldn't take, the chance his mind refused to face. -If he were here, _could he still be sure he was right_?" - -Viola smiled the feminine smile that dismisses a question no longer of -personal consequence and snuggled closer to Garten. "Well," she said, -"at least we know he isn't here. That's all that matters." - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Out Of Mind, by William W. 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