The Thing from the Sea (continued . . .)






By the light of Elekton's twin moons, the thing from the deep reduced the seaport city of Karona to ruins. At dawn, a force of Trigan fighting machines attacked the marauder, but were themselves slashed to pieces. After the devastation at Karona, nothing on the surface of the oceans was safe. Even low-flying atmosphere craft were slashed from the sky. All traffic on the high seas was forbidden, and inhabitants of coastal towns and cities evacuated. The Trigan Empire and all Elekton was in turmoil. Emperor Trigo looked to his top scientist for advice—in vain ! Peric ! You must stop this thing ! Imperial Majesty, I have not slept since this terrible thing arrived nor shall I, until I have found the answer !
One night a group of divers waded ashore on a deserted stretch of the Trigan coast. A brief order was given, in an alien tongue. You—have— your—orders ! Next day, one of these strangers joined the army. Want to join the Imperial Guards, eh ? Name and birthplace, please. Zatti is my name, sir— and I was born and raised in Tharv. Zatti did well in the Elite Guards Regiment. To all appearances a normal individual, Zatti had a strange habit. At night, he crept into the deserted regimental baths . . . From his throat he took a large device. Then, submerging himself in the baths, he slept until dawn.

This installment was originally published in Look and Learn issue no. 466 on 19 December 1970.