A Trigan City Police patrol spotted a craft leaving the roof of Yackrass’s apartment building. That fellow’s taking-off from an unauthorised area! Let’s investigate! But the runaway was soon lost in the maze of buildings. He’s escaped. We’ll go back to the scene of his take-off. They found Yackrass’s apartment open and empty. There’s been a struggle here! We’d better put out a general alarm call! The mysterious disappearance of Yackrass puzzled everybody. Yackrass’s place on his weekly programme was taken over by the political journalist Rizzoldo. Unknown to anyone, Yackrass was imprisoned in Lukaz Rann’s Vorg castle, together with Zorza the barbarian and Vallu the vicious scientist. But, before Lukaz Rann could complete his task of disposing of six of the worst creatures on Elekton, fate stepped in. Successor to the missing Zorza as leader of the southern hemisphere barbarians was a young fire-brand named Yossa. Warriors! From henceforth, we shall carry the flame and the sword beyond the wilderness and into the great cities that lie beyond the setting suns! Let all Elekton tremble! Lead us to victory, Yossa! Long live Yossa! The barbarians rode out of the wilderness and struck at the outposts of civilisation. Our ammunition is nearly gone! The barbarians will soon over-run us! They will be threatening the cities of the plain by tomorrow’s dawn!Nothing could stop the invaders. Proud cities with ancient cultures fell to Yossa’s fierce warriors. It so happened that Rizzoldo, who had replaced Yackrass on the weekly audivision programme, had a sensational proposal for dealing with the barbarian menace. The only hope for our civilisation lies in the hands of Tharv! Let the Tharvs unleash the new explosive force devised by Vallu! If necessary, let them destroy half the planet, provided that barbarity is destroyed with it! The Tharv rulers responded with thoughtful dignity to the proposal put forward by the sensation-seeking audivision performer. We of Tharv cannot shut our ears to the pleas from the fellow-members of our planet. We have the weapon that can save civilisation. Have we the right to withold it? Since the disappearance of the scientist Vallu, his assistant, Forri, had taken over the development of the new explosive force. The youth was questioned by the rulers. It has been said that there is a danger of the new explosive force blowing up the whole planet. How do you assess that danger, Forri? There is no danger, my lord. Young Forri then told a complete lie. I have personally checked and rechecked the calculations. There is no chance a of a continuous chain-reaction destroying the planet. Then Tharv will save civilisation with the bomb! But Forri had suffered one slight pang of doubt, which he instantly suppressed. There was no need for me to check my calculations again. I got them right first time . . . of course I did! . . . didn’t 1?
This instalment was originally published in Look and Learn issue no. 706 on 26 July 1975.
