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Title: The Ultimate World

Author: Bryce Walton

Illustrator: C. A. Murphy

Release date: November 6, 2020 [eBook #63656]

Most recently updated: October 18, 2024

Language: English

Credits: Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online

Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ULTIMATE WORLD ***

The Ultimate World

By BRYCE WALTON

After attaining all conceivable goals, then

what? The City was perfection, an ultimate city

that left nothing to be desired and sought after.

But the City was dying—for it had no purpose.

[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from

Planet Stories Winter 1945.

Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that

the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]

Low tinkling music awakened Amco. He stirred up out of semi-consciousness as the three-dim screen glowed purple. Lethargic nerves sharpened with intuitive sense of foreboding as the noble figure of the City's Coordinator appeared in the three-dim radius.

The perfect, if characterless, features of the Coordinator were taut with strain.

"We're confronted by a serious crisis, Amco," his voice said, and waited.

Amco frowned. A crisis? How could perfection be confronted by crisis? The City was an ultimate City, colossal, tiers on tiers of intricacy that left nothing desired nor sought after. But—

The last episode that could be termed crisis had been six centuries ago in 9400 when an armada of heavily armed ships from an alien cosmos tried an invasion of Dhoma and were annihilated. Could they be facing another such attack? If so, it was a form of offensive unpredictable by the most advanced Dhomastrial minds. He examined the Coordinator's waiting face.

"I see that the word 'crisis' is perplexing you, Amco."

"Yes. I fail to evolve such a possibility."

"Our city is dying," said the Coordinator.

"How?" Amco asked. "How can perfection die?"

"That is the crisis," said the Coordinator. "We have forgotten how to think. The City has re