Posted on

The Mind Controller (continued . . .)

















	
















	
	Janno was tried before the High Court of the Empire.

	
	
	
	
	The facts are plain. Does
	the defendant offer any
	evidence on his own behalf ?

	
	
	
	
	No, Excellency.
	He pleads guilty
	and asks for
	no mercy.

	
	
	
	
	No mercy will be granted !
	This was deliberate theft
	of the valuable property of
	the ruler of a friendly state.
	Nor will the guilty person’s
	membership of the Imperial
	family count in this court . . .

	
	
	
	
	Janno !—
	I sentence you
	to ten lunar
	years on the
	Isle of Despair !

	
	The Isle of Despair !
	Grim prison-fortress
	of the Trigan Empire.
	The place where the
	most dangerous and
	hardened criminals
	were sent to suffer
	their bitter years
	of punishment.

	
	The condemned air-fleet pilot
	was taken direct from the roof
	of the courthouse by police heli-
	jet. A great crowd watched the
	departure—including Janno’s
	comrade-in-arms Roffa.

	
	
	
	
	Good-bye, Janno ! Few
	survive ten years on the
	Isle of Despair ! If you
	ever come back, you’ll
	only be a wreck of your
	former self !

	
	Roffa was himself watched . . .

	
	
	
	
	Subject has left the vicinity of
	the courthouse and is walking
	towards the Great Square.
	The situation is perfect . . .

	
	Roffa walked in a daze,
	his mind turning over the
	baffling facts of his friend’s
	arrest and imprisonment . . .

	
	
	I’d have staked my
	life that Janno
	would never have
	done such a thing . . .


























	
















	
	And then . . . it happened !

	
	
	
	
	AAAAAAAGHHH !

	
	Help was swiftly on the scene.

	
	
	
	
	We’ll give him a
	blood transfusion
	on the way back
	to the hospital.

	
	That evening, Roffa was well
	enough to receive visitors—
	Keren and another pilot
	from his squadron.

	
	
	
	
	And you say
	this fellow
	never stopped ?

	
	
	
	
	That’s right, Keren. In
	fact, from what all the
	onlookers said, it looked
	like a deliberate attempt
	to dispose of me !

	
	Within a few days, Roffa was able to return to duty. His first task was to
	flight-test a new fighter-craft that had just been delivered to the squadron.

	
	And then—suddenly and without
	warning—a voice spoke to him !

	
	
	
	
	Roffa !—You will do as
	I say ! . . .  Understood !

	
	
	
	
	Yu-yes ! Yes,
	of course !

	
	
	
	
	You will dive this craft
	straight into the ground—
	at maximum speed—
	understood ?

	
	
	
	
	Into the ground . . .
	maximum speed . . .
	understood !

	
	Those in the control centre
	below saw the fighter-craft go
	into a plummeting dive, engines
	screaming at full throttle . . .
	down . . . down . . . down !

	
	
	All right,
	Roffa—that’s
	far enough !

	
	
	Pull out,
	Roffa !

	
	
	Roffa . . . pull
	out, before it’s
	too late !

This instalment was originally published in Look and Learn issue no. 710 on 23 August 1975.

 
Posted on

The Mind Controller

















	














Fate had indeed smiled upon Janno, one of Elekton’s outstanding sportsmen and athletes.

He was crack pilot of the Trigan Air Fleet . . .

. . . and favourite nephew of the Emperor.

Your Highness, may I present Lieutenant Janno?

The occasion was the state visit to Trigan City of the Rann of Loth, famed for his boundless wealth and his fabulous collection of jewellery.

Keren, just look at that collar he’s wearing. It would feed a whole province for a year, or buy a battleship.

And the strange thing is, Janno, that his people are starving and they don’t have a battleship either.

The Rann was staying at the Loth embassy. That night, a masked figure hurled a rope from the roof of the next building to that of the embassy and began . . . 

. . . a death-defying crossing!
























	














Followed by a nerve-searing descent to a lower window.

The next morning, the Rann’s servants found the embassy safe open and empty.

His Highness’s jewelled collar!

Gone!

The theft of the priceless collar has created a top-level crisis in Trigan City. It is reported that Loth has broken off diplomatic relations with the Trigan Empire.

Before nightfall, there was an anonymous call to police headquarters.

Listen carefully. If you search the quarters of Lieutenant Janno, you will recover the jewelled collar of the Rann and apprehend the thief—that is all.

A knock at the door of Janno’s apartment announced members of the anti-crime squad.

Lieutenant Janno, we’re from the police. We have permission to search your quarters.

Do come in, Inspector.

A brief search revealed . . .

By all the stars!

You’re under arrest!

As you say.

Janno was taken to the city gaol to await trial. There he was visited by his distraught father, Brag.

You’ve nothing to worry about, my boy. The whole thing was obviously arranged. The real criminal will be found . . .

The real criminal is found.

I did it, Father! I am guilty!

This instalment was originally published in Look and Learn issue no. 709 on 16 August 1975.