This installment was originally published in Look and Learn issue no. 543 on 10 June 1972.
The Wish-Fulfiller
The second year of Venni went down in the annals of the Trigan Empire as the year of revolutions. It began with a terrible riot in the City. Give us food! Down with the tyrant! The Imperial Palace was burnt to the ground by the mob, and Trigo and his family barely escaped with their lives. Shortly after came the great naval mutiny. The men of the great ocean fleet eliminated their officers . . . . . . And then bombarded Trigan City itself. . . . Till the mighty ships were silenced by the loyal Air Fleet. The Emperor’s own nephew Janno took part in the punitive raid. I never thought I would ever be called upon to wage war upon my fellow-Trigans!While the fighting still raged, the Emperor called an emergency meeting of the Imperial Council. Gentlemen! The Empire is falling apart! Why? Why? What has happened to cause this? What is wrong with us? Peric, the wisest man on Elekton, answered his Emperor. Majesty! I should have foreseen these events, for I have observed a gradual deterioration in our national life during the last few lunar months . . . Food production has gone down by thirty per-cent—hence the food riots. Exports have fallen by sixty per-cent and industrial output by twenty-five per-cent. I have come to the conclusion that a large proportion of our population have ceased to do any real work! Peric had a solution. I suggest the appointment of Yarri Zemph as Minister of Finance and Trade. He is the finest economist in the Empire. With his guiding hand, we will return to prosperity and peace. Yarri Zemph was given the job. In the days that followed, he worked long hours at his Ministry. Good evening, Minister. Good evening, driver. Take me straight home, please. Hidden eyes watched his progress. Subject leaving the Ministry now . . . proceeding in the direction of his residence . . . Yarri Zemph arrived home. I have work to do in my study. See that I am not disturbed. And there . . . it happened! Uuuuugh . . .
This instalment was originally published in Look and Learn issue no. 541 on 27 May 1972.
The Zota Club (continued . . .)
Captain Nenni’s bomb struck the carrier in the centre of its deck. There was a rending explosion! The pride of the Trigan Navy blew up—destroying the craft which had destroyed it, like an insect caught in a flame. By the greatest good fortune, most of the “Vorg’s” crew were ashore on leave. In the hours that followed, every craft in the harbour searched for survivors.The Emperor Trigo was aghast to hear of the tragedy . . . and so was his nephew Janno. One disaster after another! What can be behind it all? I can’t understand it, Uncle! I played a game of Zota with Captain Nenni only a short while before he destroyed his own ship—and he was perfectly normal then! I think you should tell that to Peric! He’s round at the laboratory, searching the dossiers to try and find some connecting link between the disasters. I’ll go now, Uncle. Janno entered Peric’s laboratory to be met by the hum of highpowered computers. The great scientist was at work with his assistants. It’s the same result, Peric! We’ll try once more! Janno watched them operate the giant electronic brain again. And then . . . The same! Very interesting! Watch this, Janno! Four faces were flashed on a large screen at the end of the laboratory. Here we have Garran—the young trainee pilot who shot up his own base and was killed in the process. Garran came from the province of Orna and was a perfectly normal lad in every way. Riccoa Scientist at the Imperial Laboratories, before he blew them up! A native of the City. Rather shy. Now in custody and refuses to talk. Karlos—Guardsman in the Imperial Bodyguard. A faithful solider—before he tried to kill the Caton Ambassadors! He won’t talk, either. Lastly, Captain Nenni. One of the best air pilots in the Navy—and you know what he just did! Peric continued—and a shock of horror trailed an icy finger down Janno’s spine. We have put the dossiers of those four men through the computer five times, and the four had only one common factor—they had all recently been given free membership of the new Trigan Zota Club! Wha-a-a-at? But—I, too, was recently given a free membership of the club! Were you now? It’s obviously a conspiracy! For reasons of his own, someone used those four men to cause the disasters—and he obviously met them at the Zota Club! And it seems to me, that our unknown conspiritor may be planning to use you also, Janno!
This instalment was originally published in Look and Learn issue no. 537 on 29 April 1972.
