The Project Gutenberg EBook of Millennium, by Everett B. Cole

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

Title: Millennium

Author: Everett B. Cole

Release Date: March 8, 2008 [EBook #24779]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MILLENNIUM ***

Produced by Greg Weeks, Geetu Melwani and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

* * * * *

Transcriber note.

This etext was produced from Astounding Science Fiction May 1955.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
copyright on this publication was renewed.

* * * * *

MILLENNIUM

BY EVERETT B. COLE

_There are devices a high-level culture could produce that simply
don't belong in the hands of incompetents of lower cultural
evolution. The finest, and most civilized of tools can be made a
menace ..._

[Illustration]

Illustrated by Freas

Liewen Konar smiled wryly as he put a battered object on the bench.
"Well, here's another piece recovered. Not worth much, I'd say, but here
it is."

Obviously, it had once been a precisely fabricated piece of equipment.
But its identity was almost lost. A hole was torn in the side of the
metal box. Knobs were broken away from their shafts. The engraved
legends were scored and worn to illegibility, and the meter was merely a
black void in the panel. Whatever had been mounted at the top had been
broken away, to leave ragged shards. Inside the gaping hole in the case,
tiny, blackened components hung at odd angles.

Klion Meinora looked at the wreckage and shook his head.

"I know it's supposed to be what's left of a medium range communicator,"
he said, "but I'd never believe it." He poked a finger inside the hole
in the case, pushing a few components aside. Beyond them, a corroded
wheel hung loosely in what had once been precision bearings.

"Where's the power unit?"

Konar shook his head. "No trace. Not much left of the viewsphere,
either."

"Well." Meinora shook his head resignedly. "It's salvage. But we got it
back." He stood back to look at the communicator. "Someone's been
keeping