that it was a photo finish, and all the channels have
been jammed ever since. Canopus, Vega, Rigel, Spica. They all want you.
Everybody, from Alsakan to Vandemar and back. We told them right off
that we would not receive personal delegations--we had to almost throw a
couple of pink-haired Chickladorians out bodily to make them believe
that we meant it--and that the age and condition of the vortex
involved, not priority of requisition, would govern, QX?"

"Absolutely," Cloud agreed. "That's the only way it could be, I should
think."

"So forget about this psychic trauma.... No, I don't mean that," the
Lensman corrected himself hastily. "You know what I mean. The will to
live is the most important factor in any man's recovery, and too many
worlds need you too badly to have you quit now. Not?"

"I suppose so," Cloud acquiesced, but somberly. "I'll get out of here in
short order. And I'll keep on pecking away until one of those vortices
finishes what this one started."

"You'll die of old age then, son," the Lensman assured him. "We got full
data--all the information we need. We know exactly what to do to your
screens. Next time nothing will come through except light, and only as
much of that as you feel like admitting. You can wait as close to a
vortex as you please, for as long as you please; until you get exactly
the activity and time-interval that you want. You will be just as
comfortable and just as safe as though you were home in bed."

"Sure of that?"

"Absolutely--or at least, as sure as we can be of anything that hasn't
happened yet. But I see that your guardian angel here is eyeing her
clock somewhat pointedly, so I'd better be doing a flit before they toss
me down a shaft. Clear ether, Storm!"

"Clear ether, Chief!"

And that is how "Storm" Cloud, atomic physicist, became the most
narrowly-specialized specialist in all the annals of science: how he
became "Storm" Cloud, Vortex Blaster--the Galaxy's only vortex blaster.

[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
_Comet_, July 1941. Extensive research did not uncover
any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this
publication was renewed.

Obvious typographic errors and misspellings have been
corrected.]

End of Project Gutenberg's The Vortex Blaster, by Edward Elmer Smith

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE VORTEX BLASTER ***

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