The Best of Fences
By RANDALL GARRETT
It was a race between man and alien to
rule the stars. Scientifically, the aliens
were decades ahead—but their real
advantage was their incredible elusiveness!
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Infinity Science Fiction, February 1956.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
Romm Parmay stepped into the Interstellar Communications Central and eased the door shut behind him.
Nobody paid much attention to him; the five hundred ICC men at the boards were talking in quiet, well-modulated voices that filled the room with a fluctuating murmur of unintelligible sound.
At Number One board, Kerrman was staring moodily at the dead screen, blowing clouds of cigarette smoke at the control panel and watching the smoke writhe and flow down around the pilot lights and switch plates. Parmay walked across the room quietly, and stopped a few feet behind Kerrman.
"Boo!"
Kerrman jerked, inhaled a cloud of smoke, coughed, and turned around, glaring.