Transcriber's note.
This etext was produced from Astounding ScienceFiction May 1955. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence thatthe U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
MILLENNIUM
BY EVERETT B. COLE
There are devices a high-level culture could produce that simplydon't belong in the hands of incompetents of lower culturalevolution. The finest, and most civilized of tools can be made amenace ...
Illustrated by Freas
Liewen Konar smiled wryly as he put a battered object on the bench."Well, here's another piece recovered. Not worth much, I'd say, but hereit is."
Obviously, it had once been a precisely fabricated piece of equipment.But its identity was almost lost. A hole was torn in the side of themetal box. Knobs were broken away from their shafts. The engravedlegends were scored and worn to illegibility, and the meter was merely ablack void in the panel. Whatever had been mounted at the top had beenbroken away, to leave ragged shards. Inside the gaping hole in the case,tiny, blackened components hung at odd angles.
Klion Meinora looked at the wreckage and shook his head.
"I know it's supposed to be what's left of a medium range communicator,"he said, "but I'd never believe it." He poked a finger inside the holein the case, pushing a few components aside. Beyond them, a corrodedwheel hung loosely in what had once been precision bearings.
"Where's the power unit?"
Konar shook his head. "No trace. Not much left of the viewsphere,either."
"Well." Meinora shook his head resignedly. "It's salvage. But we got itback." He stood back to look at the communicator. "Someone's beenkeeping the outside clean, I see."
Konar nodded. "It was a religious relic," he said. "Found it in anabbey." He reached into the bag he had placed on the floor.
"And here's a mental amplifier-communicator, personnel, heavy duty.Slightly used and somewhat out of adjustment, but complete andrepairable." He withdrew a golden circlet, held it up for a moment, andcarefully laid it on the bench beside the wrecked communicator. Itsmetal was dented, but untarnished.
"Don't want to get rough with it," he explained. "Something might beloose inside."
He reached again into the bag. "And a body shield, protector type, modelGS/NO-10C. Again, somewhat used, but repairable. Even has itsnomenclature label."
"Good enough." Meinora held a hand out and accepted the heavy belt. Heturned it about in his hands, examining the workmanship. Finally, helooked closely at the long, narrow case mounted on the leather.
"See they counted this unit fairly well. Must have been using it."
"Yes, sir. It's operative. The Earl wore it all the time. Guess he keptup his reputation as a fighter that way. Be pretty hard to nick anyonewith a sword if he had one of these running. And almost any clumsyleatherhead could slash the other guy up if he didn't have to worryabout self-protection."
"I know." Meinora nodded quickly. "Seen it done. Anything more turnedup?"
"One more thing. This hand weapon came from the same abbey I got thecommunicator from. I'd say it was pretty hopeless, too." Konar picked aflame-scarred frame from his bag, then reached in again, to scoop up afew odd bits of metal.
"It was in pieces when we picked it up," he explained. "They kept itclean, but they couldn't get the flame pits out and reassembly was alittle beyond them."
"Beyond us too, by now." Meinora looked curiously at the object. "Looksas though a couple of