Warlord of Kor Part 18

"You know, I've preached at these men for so many years I've got callouses in my throat. And one of these days maybe they'll know what I'm talking about, so that I won't have to shout." He shrugged. "Well, it would be a dull world, where I didn't have a good excuse to shout.

Sometimes you might ask your alien friends up there, Lee ... what did they get out of choosing peace?"

"They didn't choose it," said Rynason.

Malhomme grimaced. "I wonder if anybody, anywhere, ever will. Maybe the Outsiders did, but they're not around to tell us about it. It's an intriguing question to think about, if you don't have anything to drink ... what do you do, when there's nothing more to fight against, or even for?"

He straightened up; the splint on Mara's arm was set now. He settled her back in a drift of sand as comfortably as possible.

"I've got another question," Rynason said. "What were you doing among those men who came at me on the steps earlier?"

Malhomme's face broke into a wide grin. "That was a suicidal rush on you, Lee. A d.a.m.ned stupid tactic ... a rush like that is only as strong as the weakest coward in it. All it takes is one man to break and run, and everybody else will run too. So it was easy for me to break it up."

Rynason couldn't help chuckling at that; and once he had started, the tension that had gripped him for the past several hours found release in a full, stomach-shaking laugh.

"Rene Malhomme," he gasped, "that's the kind of leadership this planet needs!"

Mara smiled up from where she lay. "You know," she said, "now that Manning is dead they'll have to find someone else to be governor...."

"Don't be ridiculous," said Malhomme.

Here's a quick checklist of recent releases of

ACE SCIENCE-FICTION BOOKS

D-547 THE SUPER BARBARIANS by John Brunner

D-550 NO WORLD OF THEIR OWN by Poul Anderson

D-553 THE HOUSE ON THE BORDERLAND by Wm. H. Hodgson

D-555 THE TRIAL OF TERRA by Jack Williamson

F-141 THE DARKNESS BEFORE TOMORROW by Robert. M. Williams and THE LADDER IN THE SKY by Keith Woodcott

F-145 THE SEED OF EARTH by Robert Silverberg and NEXT STOP THE STARS by Robert Silverberg

F-147 SEA SIEGE by Andre Norton and EYE OF THE MONSTER by Andre Norton

F-153 THE SWORD OF ALDONES by M. Z. Bradley and THE PLANET SAVERS by M. Z. Bradley

F-154 THE WIZARD OF LINN by A. E. Van Vogt

F-161 TIMES WITHOUT NUMBER by John Brunner and DESTINY's...o...b..T by David Grinnell

F-162 BEST FROM FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION: 7th Series

F-167 CATSEYE by Andre Norton

F-173 SECOND ENDING by James White and THE JEWELS OF APTOR by Samuel Delany

F-174 FIRST THROUGH TIME by Rex Gordon

F-178 MORE ADVENTURES ON OTHER PLANETS Edited by Donald A. Wollheim

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