The Merchandise Guide
Annual 1976

the human element." This was Kano, always convinced of the superiority of instruments over the living being for reporting facts.    "Very will," Koenig came to his decision, and immediately, the standby personnel of Alpha's service department were ordered to make ready a remotely- controlled Eagle and prepare it for launch. Heavily modified, and packed with all manner of recording and transmitting gear, the Eagle made lift-off without incident. Within seconds, it had left Moonbase far behind, heading for the mysterious, unseen presence ahead that spelled unknown peril.    To the watchers in Main Mission, their eyes glued to the video screen, it was as though they were in the nose of the hurtling craft. As though they were all sitting right up there in the empty pilots' seats in the beak. . .    "It's approaching the radio source fast, sir." Sandra Benes kept the controls of her receiver moving to minimise the infernal racket of transmission that had grown to ear- bursting volume.    "But it makes no sense, Sandra."    "Less than Willis's messages, Commander." The girl shook her head. "Our translators can't make head or tail of it."    Suddenly, John Koenig felt Victor Bergman's hand clamp on his shoulder. The man's voice was tense. "The Eagle's speeding up, John! Its rate of acceleration's exceeding all the bounds of possiblity! Something's--drawing it in--like a magnet!"    But there was nothing to be seen from the nose-mounted sensors! The blackness of space ahead was completely innocent of any ship--any planet!    "Sandra. cut in external long-range scanners. I want to see the Eagle from astern." Koenig's hands clenched spasmodically as the image on the screen shifted. And there it

was--their Eagle--but weirdly, astoundingly elongated--as thought it were twice its normal length!    "What the blazes is happening to it?"    "It's--it's pulling out into a long, thin line!"    Still the speed built up, and now the craft was just a blur. Then--abruptly--it vanished!    Sandra Benes cut back to the Eagle's own tele- transmission--but now there was nothing. Just a vague criss- cross of interference that jumbled the screen in a random pattern of intermittent flashes.    She switched in again to long-range, and brought back the empty image of deep space. And then the astonishing happened! From nothing, from nowhere, a distorted, lancing shaft of light materialised itself into the Eagle! On return course!    "What in thunder can it mean, John?" Bergman was vaguely aware that he was shouting, but it didn't seem to matter. "Good grief, where has it been ? How did is pass out of our sight ?    Koenig sat down heavily. Automatically, he acknowledged Paul Morrow's report that the returning Eagle had begun to slow down to normal speed. "Some kind of black hole, Victor?" The Commander steepled his fingers and forced himself to think calmly. "We know of the existence of such places in space. Almost invisible specks that are the remains of long-dead and super-compressed stars. Specks of such density that a single atom would weigh millions of tons."    "Yes, John. Specks that can draw in anything approaching--shrink it to infinitesimal size, and swallow it. And such thing are radio sources. The theory fits--except for one thing."    "Which is. . ?"    "They don't release what they've drawn in. To be sucked into a black hole is to die. To remain there for ever. . ."

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