diff options
Diffstat (limited to '23210.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | 23210.txt | 1409 |
1 files changed, 1409 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/23210.txt b/23210.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a2d0a07 --- /dev/null +++ b/23210.txt @@ -0,0 +1,1409 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Missing Link, by Frank Patrick Herbert + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Missing Link + +Author: Frank Patrick Herbert + +Release Date: October 27, 2007 [EBook #23210] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MISSING LINK *** + + + + +Produced by Greg Weeks, Bruce Albrecht, Markus Brenner and +the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at +http://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + +MISSING LINK + +BY FRANK HERBERT + + +Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Astounding Science +Fiction, Volume LXII No. 6, February 1959. Extensive research did not +uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was +renewed. + + +[Illustration] + + +_The Romantics used to say that the eyes were the windows of the Soul. +A good Alien Xenologist might not put it quite so poetically ... but he +can, if he's sharp, read a lot in the look of an eye!_ + +Illustrated by van Dongen + + + +"We ought to scrape this planet clean of every living thing on it," +muttered Umbo Stetson, section chief of Investigation & Adjustment. + +Stetson paced the landing control bridge of his scout cruiser. His +footsteps grated on a floor that was the rear wall of the bridge during +flight. But now the ship rested on its tail fins--all four hundred +glistening red and black meters of it. The open ports of the bridge +looked out on the jungle roof of Gienah III some one hundred fifty +meters below. A butter yellow sun hung above the horizon, perhaps an +hour from setting. + +"Clean as an egg!" he barked. He paused in his round of the bridge, +glared out the starboard port, spat into the fire-blackened circle that +the cruiser's jets had burned from the jungle. + +The I-A section chief was dark-haired, gangling, with large head and big +features. He stood in his customary slouch, a stance not improved by +sacklike patched blue fatigues. Although on this present operation he +rated the flag of a division admiral, his fatigues carried no insignia. +There was a general unkempt, straggling look about him. + +Lewis Orne, junior I-A field man with a maiden diploma, stood at the +opposite port, studying the jungle horizon. Now and then he glanced at +the bridge control console, the chronometer above it, the big translite +map of their position tilted from the opposite bulkhead. A heavy planet +native, he felt vaguely uneasy on this Gienah III with its gravity of +only seven-eighths Terran Standard. The surgical scars on his neck where +the micro-communications equipment had been inserted itched maddeningly. +He scratched. + +"Hah!" said Stetson. "Politicians!" + +A thin black insect with shell-like wings flew in Orne's port, settled +in his close-cropped red hair. Orne pulled the insect gently from his +hair, released it. Again it tried to land in his hair. He ducked. It +flew across the bridge, out the port beside Stetson. + +There was a thick-muscled, no-fat look to Orne, but something about his +blocky, off-center features suggested a clown. + +"I'm getting tired of waiting," he said. + +"_You're_ tired! Hah!" + +A breeze rippled the tops of the green ocean below them. Here and there, +red and purple flowers jutted from the verdure, bending and nodding like +an attentive audience. + +"Just look at that blasted jungle!" barked Stetson. "Them and their +stupid orders!" + +A call bell tinkled on the bridge control console. The red light above +the speaker grid began blinking. Stetson shot an angry glance at it. +"Yeah, Hal?" + +"O.K., Stet. Orders just came through. We use Plan C. ComGO says to +brief the field man, and jet out of here." + +"Did you ask them about using another field man?" + +Orne looked up attentively. + +The speaker said: "Yes. They said we have to use Orne because of the +records on the _Delphinus_." + +"Well then, will they give us more time to brief him?" + +"Negative. It's crash priority. ComGO expects to blast the planet +anyway." + +Stetson glared at the grid. "Those fat-headed, lard-bottomed, +pig-brained ... POLITICIANS!" He took two deep breaths, subsided. "O.K. +Tell them we'll comply." + +"One more thing, Stet." + +"What now?" + +"I've got a confirmed contact." + +Instantly, Stetson was poised on the balls of his feet, alert. "Where?" + +"About ten kilometers out. Section AAB-6." + +"How many?" + +"A mob. You want I should count them?" + +"No. What're they doing?" + +"Making a beeline for us. You better get a move on." + +"O.K. Keep us posted." + +"Right." + + * * * * * + +Stetson looked across at his junior field man. "Orne, if you decide you +want out of this assignment, you just say the word. I'll back you to the +hilt." + +"Why should I want out of my first field assignment?" + +"Listen, and find out." Stetson crossed to a tilt-locker behind the big +translite map, hauled out a white coverall uniform with gold insignia, +tossed it to Orne. "Get into these while I brief you on the map." + +"But this is an R&R uni--" began Orne. + +"Get that uniform on your ugly frame!" + +"Yes, sir, Admiral Stetson, sir. Right away, sir. But I thought I was +through with old Rediscovery & Reeducation when you drafted me off of +Hamal into the I-A ... sir." He began changing from the I-A blue to the +R&R white. Almost as an afterthought, he said: "... Sir." + +A wolfish grin cracked Stetson's big features. "I'm soooooo happy you +have the proper attitude of subservience toward authority." + +Orne zipped up the coverall uniform. "Oh, yes, sir ... sir." + +"O.K., Orne, pay attention." Stetson gestured at the map with its green +superimposed grid squares. "Here we are. Here's that city we flew over +on our way down. You'll head for it as soon as we drop you. The place is +big enough that if you hold a course roughly northeast you can't miss +it. We're--" + +Again the call bell rang. + +"What is it this time, Hal?" barked Stetson. + +"They've changed to Plan H, Stet. New orders cut." + +"Five days?" + +"That's all they can give us. ComGO says he can't keep the information +out of High Commissioner Bullone's hands any longer than that." + +"It's five days for sure then." + +"Is this the usual R&R foul-up?" asked Orne. + +Stetson nodded. "Thanks to Bullone and company! We're just one jump +ahead of catastrophe, but they still pump the bushwah into the Rah & Rah +boys back at dear old Uni-Galacta!" + +"You're making light of my revered alma mater," said Orne. He struck a +pose. "We must reunite the lost planets with our centers of culture and +industry, and take up the _glor_-ious onward march of mankind that was +so _bru_-tally--" + +"Can it!" snapped Stetson. "We both know we're going to rediscover one +planet too many some day. Rim War all over again. But this is a +different breed of fish. It's not, repeat, _not_ a _re_-discovery." + +Orne sobered. "Alien?" + +"Yes. A-L-I-E-N! A never-before-contacted culture. That language you +were force fed on the way over, that's an alien language. It's not +complete ... all we have off the _minis_. And we excluded data on the +natives because we've been hoping to dump this project and nobody the +wiser." + +"Holy mazoo!" + +"Twenty-six days ago an I-A search ship came through here, had a routine +mini-sneaker look at the place. When he combed in his net of sneakers to +check the tapes and films, lo and behold, he had a little stranger." + +"One of _theirs_?" + +"No. It was a _mini_ off the _Delphinus Rediscovery_. The _Delphinus_ +has been unreported for eighteen standard months!" + +"Did it crack up here?" + +"We don't know. If it did, we haven't been able to spot it. She was +supposed to be way off in the Balandine System by now. But we've +something else on our minds. It's the one item that makes me want to +blot out this place, and run home with my tail between my legs. We've +a--" + +Again the call bell chimed. + +"NOW WHAT?" roared Stetson into the speaker. + +"I've got a _mini_ over that mob, Stet. They're talking about us. It's a +definite raiding party." + +"What armament?" + +"Too gloomy in that jungle to be sure. The infra beam's out on this +_mini_. Looks like hard pellet rifles of some kind. Might even be off +the _Delphinus_." + +"Can't you get closer?" + +"Wouldn't do any good. No light down there, and they're moving up fast." + +"Keep an eye on them, but don't ignore the other sectors," said Stetson. + +"You think I was born yesterday?" barked the voice from the grid. The +contact broke off with an angry sound. + + * * * * * + +"One thing I like about the I-A," said Stetson. "It collects such +even-tempered types." He looked at the white uniform on Orne, wiped a +hand across his mouth as though he'd tasted something dirty. + +"Why _am_ I wearing this thing?" asked Orne. + +"Disguise." + +"But there's no mustache!" + +Stetson smiled without humor. "That's one of I-A's answers to those +fat-keistered politicians. We're setting up our own search system to +find the planets before _they_ do. We've managed to put spies in key +places at R&R. Any touchy planets our spies report, we divert the +files." + +"Then what?" + +"Then we look into them with bright boys like you--disguised as R&R +field men." + +"Goody, goody. And what happens if R&R stumbles onto me while I'm down +there playing patty cake?" + +"We disown you." + +"But you said an I-A ship found this joint." + +"It did. And then one of our spies in R&R intercepted a _routine_ +request for an agent-instructor to be assigned here with full equipment. +Request signed by a First-Contact officer name of Diston ... of the +_Delphinus_!" + +"But the Del--" + +"Yeah. Missing. The request was a forgery. Now you see why I'm mostly +for rubbing out this place. Who'd dare forge such a thing unless he knew +for sure that the original FC officer was missing ... or dead?" + +"What the jumped up mazoo are we doing here, Stet?" asked Orne. "Alien +calls for a full contact team with all of the--" + +"It calls for one planet-buster bomb ... buster--in five days. Unless +you give them a white bill in the meantime. High Commissioner Bullone +will have word of this planet by then. If Gienah III still exists in +five days, can't you imagine the fun the politicians'll have with it? +Mama mia! We want this planet cleared for contact or dead before then." + +"I don't like this, Stet." + +"YOU don't like it!" + +"Look," said Orne. "There must be another way. Why ... when we teamed up +with the Alerinoids we gained five hundred years in the physical +sciences alone, not to mention the--" + +"The Alerinoids didn't knock over one of our survey ships first." + +"What if the _Delphinus_ just crashed here ... and the locals picked up +the pieces?" + +"That's what you're going in to find out, Orne. But answer me this: If +they _do_ have the _Delphinus_, how long before a tool-using race could +be a threat to the galaxy?" + +"I saw that city they built, Stet. They could be dug in within six +months, and there'd be no--" + +"Yeah." + +Orne shook his head. "But think of it: Two civilizations that matured +along different lines! Think of all the different ways we'd approach the +same problems ... the lever that'd give us for--" + +"You sound like a Uni-Galacta lecture! Are you through marching arm in +arm into the misty future?" + +Orne took a deep breath. "Why's a freshman like me being tossed into +this dish?" + +"You'd still be on the _Delphinus_ master lists as an R&R field man. +That's important if you're masquerading." + +"Am I the only one? I know I'm a recent _convert_, but--" + +"You want out?" + +"I didn't say that. I just want to know why I'm--" + +"Because the bigdomes fed a set of requirements into one of their iron +monsters. Your card popped out. They were looking for somebody capable, +dependable ... and ... _expendable_!" + +"Hey!" + +"That's why I'm down here briefing you instead of sitting back on a +flagship. _I_ got you into the I-A. Now, you listen carefully: If you +push the panic button on this one without cause, I will personally flay +you alive. We both know the advantages of an alien contact. But if you +get into a hot spot, and call for help, I'll dive this cruiser into that +city to get you out!" + +Orne swallowed. "Thanks, Stet. I'm--" + + * * * * * + +"We're going to take up a tight orbit. Out beyond us will be five +transports full of I-A marines and a Class IX Monitor with one +planet-buster. You're calling the shots, God help you! First, we want to +know if they have the _Delphinus_ ... and if so, where it is. Next, we +want to know just how warlike these goons are. Can we control them if +they're bloodthirsty. What's their potential?" + +"In five days?" + +"Not a second more." + +"What do we know about them?" + +"Not much. They look something like an ancient Terran chimpanzee ... +only with blue fur. Face is hairless, pink-skinned." Stetson snapped a +switch. The translite map became a screen with a figure frozen on it. +"Like that. This is life size." + +"Looks like the missing link they're always hunting for," said Orne. +"Yeah, but you've got a different kind of a missing link." + +"Vertical-slit pupils in their eyes," said Orne. He studied the figure. +It had been caught from the front by a mini-sneaker camera. About five +feet tall. The stance was slightly bent forward, long arms. Two vertical +nose slits. A flat, lipless mouth. Receding chin. Four-fingered hands. +It wore a wide belt from which dangled neat pouches and what looked like +tools, although their use was obscure. There appeared to be the tip of a +tail protruding from behind one of the squat legs. Behind the creature +towered the faery spires of the city they'd observed from the air. + +"Tails?" asked Orne. + +"Yeah. They're arboreal. Not a road on the whole planet that we can +find. But there are lots of vine lanes through the jungles." Stetson's +face hardened. "Match _that_ with a city as advanced as that one." + +"Slave culture?" + +"Probably." + +"How many cities have they?" + +"We've found two. This one and another on the other side of the planet. +But the other one's a ruin." + +"A ruin? Why?" + +"You tell us. Lots of mysteries here." + +"What's the planet like?" + +"Mostly jungle. There are polar oceans, lakes and rivers. One low +mountain chain follows the equatorial belt about two thirds around the +planet." + +"But only two cities. Are you sure?" + +"Reasonably so. It'd be pretty hard to miss something the size of that +thing we flew over. It must be fifty kilometers long and at least ten +wide. Swarming with these creatures, too. We've got a zone-count +estimate that places the city's population at over thirty million." + +"Whee-ew! Those are tall buildings, too." + +"We don't know much about this place, Orne. And unless you bring them +into the fold, there'll be nothing but ashes for our archaeologists to +pick over." + +"Seems a dirty shame." + +"I agree, but--" + +The call bell jangled. + + * * * * * + +Stetson's voice sounded tired: "Yeah, Hal?" + +"That mob's only about five kilometers out, Stet. We've got Orne's gear +outside in the disguised air sled." + +"We'll be right down." + +"Why a disguised sled?" asked Orne. + +"If they think it's a ground buggy, they might get careless when you +most need an advantage. We could always scoop you out of the air, you +know." + +"What're my chances on this one, Stet?" + +Stetson shrugged. "I'm afraid they're slim. These goons probably have +the _Delphinus_, and they want you just long enough to get your +equipment and everything you know." + +"Rough as that, eh?" + +"According to our best guess. If you're not out in five days, we blast." + +Orne cleared his throat. + +"Want out?" asked Stetson. + +"No." + +"Use the _back-door_ rule, son. Always leave yourself a way out. Now ... +let's check that equipment the surgeons put in your neck." Stetson put a +hand to his throat. His mouth remained closed, but there was a +surf-hissing voice in Orne's ears: "You read me?" + +"Sure. I can--" + +"No!" hissed the voice. "Touch the mike contact. Keep your mouth closed. +Just use your speaking muscles without speaking." + +Orne obeyed. + +"O.K.," said Stetson. "You come in loud and clear." + +"I ought to. I'm right on top of you!" + +"There'll be a relay ship over you all the time," said Stetson. "Now ... +when you're not touching that mike contact this rig'll still feed us +what you say ... and everything that goes on around you, too. We'll +monitor everything. Got that?" + +"Yes." + +Stetson held out his right hand. "Good luck. I meant that about diving +in for you. Just say the word." + +"I know the word, too," said Orne. "HELP!" + + * * * * * + +Gray mud floor and gloomy aisles between monstrous bluish tree +trunks--that was the jungle. Only the barest weak glimmering of sunlight +penetrated to the mud. The disguised sled--its para-grav units turned +off--lurched and skidded around buttress roots. Its headlights swung in +wild arcs across the trunks and down to the mud. Aerial creepers--great +looping vines of them--swung down from the towering forest ceiling. A +steady drip of condensation spattered the windshield, forcing Orne to +use the wipers. + +In the bucket seat of the sled's cab, Orne fought the controls. He was +plagued by the vague slow-motion-floating sensation that a heavy planet +native always feels in lighter gravity. It gave him an unhappy stomach. + +Things skipped through the air around the lurching vehicle: flitting and +darting things. Insects came in twin cones, siphoned toward the +headlights. There was an endless chittering whistling tok-tok-toking in +the gloom beyond the lights. + +Stetson's voice hissed suddenly through the surgically implanted +speaker: "How's it look?" + +"Alien." + +"Any sign of that mob?" + +"Negative." + +"O.K. We're taking off." + +Behind Orne, there came a deep rumbling roar that receded as the scout +cruiser climbed its jets. All other sounds hung suspended in +after-silence, then resumed: the strongest first and then the weakest. + +A heavy object suddenly arced through the headlights, swinging on a +vine. It disappeared behind a tree. Another. Another. Ghostly shadows +with vine pendulums on both sides. Something banged down heavily onto +the hood of the sled. + +[Illustration] + +Orne braked to a creaking stop that shifted the load behind him, found +himself staring through the windshield at a native of Gienah III. The +native crouched on the hood, a Mark XX exploding-pellet rifle in his +right hand directed at Orne's head. In the abrupt shock of meeting, Orne +recognized the weapon: standard issue to the marine guards on all R&R +survey ships. + +The native appeared the twin of the one Orne had seen on the translite +screen. The four-fingered hand looked extremely capable around the stock +of the Mark XX. + +Slowly, Orne put a hand to his throat, pressed the contact button. He +moved his speaking muscles: _"Just made contact with the mob. One on the +hood now has one of our Mark XX rifles aimed at my head."_ + +The surf-hissing of Stetson's voice came through the hidden speaker: +_"Want us to come back?"_ + +_"Negative. Stand by. He looks cautious rather than hostile."_ + +Orne held up his right hand, palm out. He had a second thought: held up +his left hand, too. Universal symbol of peaceful intentions: empty +hands. The gun muzzle lowered slightly. Orne called into his mind the +language that had been hypnoforced into him. _Ocheero? No. That means +'The People.' Ah ..._ And he had the heavy fricative greeting sound. + +"Ffroiragrazzi," he said. + +The native shifted to the left, answered in pure, unaccented High +Galactese: "Who are you?" + +Orne fought down a sudden panic. The lipless mouth had looked so odd +forming the familiar words. + +Stetson's voice hissed: _"Is that the native speaking Galactese?"_ + +Orne touched his throat. _"You heard him."_ + +He dropped his hand, said: "I am Lewis Orne of Rediscovery and +Reeducation. I was sent here at the request of the First-Contact officer +on the _Delphinus Rediscovery_." + +"Where is your ship?" demanded the Gienahn. + +"It put me down and left." + +"Why?" + +"It was behind schedule for another appointment." + + * * * * * + +Out of the corners of his eyes, Orne saw more shadows dropping to the +mud around him. The sled shifted as someone climbed onto the load behind +the cab. The someone scuttled agilely for a moment. + +The native climbed down to the cab's side step, opened the door. The +rifle was held at the ready. Again, the lipless mouth formed Galactese +words: "What do you carry in this ... vehicle?" + +"The equipment every R&R field man uses to help the people of a +rediscovered planet improve themselves." Orne nodded at the rifle. +"Would you mind pointing that weapon some other direction? It makes me +nervous." + +The gun muzzle remained unwaveringly on Orne's middle. The native's +mouth opened, revealing long canines. "Do we not look strange to you?" + +"I take it there's been a heavy mutational variation in the humanoid +norm on this planet," said Orne. "What is it? Hard radiation?" + +No answer. + +"It doesn't really make any difference, of course," said Orne. "I'm here +to help you." + +"I am Tanub, High Path Chief of the Grazzi," said the native. "I decide +who is to help." + +Orne swallowed. + +"Where do you go?" demanded Tanub. + +"I was hoping to go to your city. Is it permitted?" + +A long pause while the vertical-slit pupils of Tanub's eyes expanded and +contracted. "It is permitted." + +Stetson's voice came through the hidden speaker: _"All bets off. We're +coming in after you. That Mark XX is the final straw. It means they have +the_ Delphinus _for sure!"_ + +Orne touched his throat. _"No! Give me a little more time!"_ + +_"Why?"_ + +_"I have a hunch about these creatures."_ + +_"What is it?"_ + +_"No time now. Trust me."_ + +Another long pause in which Orne and Tanub continued to study each +other. Presently, Stetson said: _"O.K. Go ahead as planned. But find out +where the_ Delphinus _is! If we get that back we pull their teeth."_ + +"Why do you keep touching your throat?" demanded Tanub. + +"I'm nervous," said Orne. "Guns always make me nervous." + +The muzzle lowered slightly. + +"Shall we continue on to your city?" asked Orne. He wet his lips with +his tongue. The cab light on Tanub's face was giving the Gienahn an +eerie sinister look. + +"We can go soon," said Tanub. + +"Will you join me inside here?" asked Orne. "There's a passenger seat +right behind me." + +Tanub's eyes moved catlike: right, left. "Yes." He turned, barked an +order into the jungle gloom, then climbed in behind Orne. + +"When do we go?" asked Orne. + +"The great sun will be down soon," said Tanub. "We can continue as soon +as Chiranachuruso rises." + +"Chiranachuruso?" + +"Our satellite ... our moon," said Tanub. + +"It's a beautiful word," said Orne. "Chiranachuruso." + +"In our tongue it means: The Limb of Victory," said Tanub. "By its light +we will continue." + +Orne turned, looked back at Tanub. "Do you mean to tell me that you can +see by what light gets down here through those trees?" + +"Can you not see?" asked Tanub. + +"Not without the headlights." + +"Our eyes differ," said Tanub. He bent toward Orne, peered. The vertical +slit pupils of his eyes expanded, contracted. "You are the same as the +... others." + +"Oh, on the _Delphinus_?" + +Pause. "Yes." + +Presently, a greater gloom came over the jungle, bringing a sudden +stillness to the wild life. There was a chittering commotion from the +natives in the trees around the sled. Tanub shifted behind Orne. + +"We may go now," he said. "Slowly ... to stay behind my ... scouts." + +"Right." Orne eased the sled forward around an obstructing root. + + * * * * * + +Silence while they crawled ahead. Around them shapes flung themselves +from vine to vine. + +"I admired your city from the air," said Orne. "It is very beautiful." + +"Yes," said Tanub. "Why did you land so far from it?" + +"We didn't want to come down where we might destroy anything." + +"There is nothing to destroy in the jungle," said Tanub. + +"Why do you have such a big city?" asked Orne. + +Silence. + +"I said: Why do you--" + +"You are ignorant of our ways," said Tanub. "Therefore, I forgive you. +The city is for our race. We must breed and be born in sunlight. +Once--long ago--we used crude platforms on the tops of the trees. Now +... only the ... wild ones do this." + +Stetson's voice hissed in Orne's ears: _"Easy on the sex line, boy. +That's always touchy. These creatures are oviparous. Sex glands are +apparently hidden in that long fur behind where their chins ought to +be."_ + +"Who controls the breeding sites controls our world," said Tanub. "Once +there was another city. We destroyed it." + +"Are there many ... wild ones?" asked Orne. + +"Fewer each year," said Tanub. + +_"There's how they get their slaves,"_ hissed Stetson. + +"You speak excellent Galactese," said Orne. + +"The High Path Chief commanded the best teacher," said Tanub. "Do you, +too, know many things, Orne?" + +"That's why I was sent here," said Orne. + +"Are there many planets to teach?" asked Tanub. + +"Very many," said Orne. "Your city--I saw very tall buildings. Of what +do you build them?" + +"In your tongue--glass," said Tanub. "The engineers of the _Delphinus_ +said it was impossible. As you saw--they are wrong." + +_"A glass-blowing culture,"_ hissed Stetson. _"That'd explain a lot of +things."_ + +Slowly, the disguised sled crept through the jungle. Once, a scout +swooped down into the headlights, waved. Orne stopped on Tanub's order, +and they waited almost ten minutes before proceeding. + +"Wild ones?" asked Orne. + +"Perhaps," said Tanub. + +A glowing of many lights grew visible through the giant tree trunks. It +grew brighter as the sled crept through the last of the jungle, emerged +in cleared land at the edge of the city. + +Orne stared upward in awe. The city fluted and spiraled into the moonlit +sky. It was a fragile appearing lacery of bridges, winking dots of +light. The bridges wove back and forth from building to building until +the entire visible network appeared one gigantic dew-glittering web. + +"All that with glass," murmured Orne. + +_"What's happening?"_ hissed Stetson. + +Orne touched his throat contact. _"We're just into the city clearing, +proceeding toward the nearest building."_ + +"This is far enough," said Tanub. + + * * * * * + +Orne stopped the sled. In the moonlight, he could see armed Gienahns all +around. The buttressed pedestal of one of the buildings loomed directly +ahead. It looked taller than had the scout cruiser in its jungle landing +circle. + +Tanub leaned close to Orne's shoulder. "We have not deceived you, have +we, Orne?" + +"Huh? What do you mean?" + +"You have recognized that we are not mutated members of your race." + +Orne swallowed. Into his ears came Stetson's voice: _"Better admit it."_ + +"That's true," said Orne. + +"I like you, Orne," said Tanub. "You shall be one of my slaves. You will +teach me many things." + +"How did you capture the _Delphinus_?" asked Orne. + +"You know that, too?" + +"You have one of their rifles," said Orne. + +"Your race is no match for us, Orne ... in cunning, in strength, in the +prowess of the mind. Your ship landed to repair its tubes. Very inferior +ceramics in those tubes." + +Orne turned, looked at Tanub in the dim glow of the cab light. "Have you +heard about the I-A, Tanub?" + +"I-A? What is that?" There was a wary tenseness in the Gienahn's figure. +His mouth opened to reveal the long canines. + +"You took the _Delphinus_ by treachery?" asked Orne. + +"They were simple fools," said Tanub. "We are smaller, thus they thought +us weaker." The Mark XX's muzzle came around to center on Orne's +stomach. "You have not answered my question. What is the I-A?" + +"I am of the I-A," said Orne. "Where've you hidden the _Delphinus_?" + +"In the place that suits us best," said Tanub. "In all our history there +has never been a better place." + +"What do you plan to do with it?" asked Orne. + +"Within a year we will have a copy with our own improvements. After +that--" + +"You intend to start a war?" asked Orne. + +"In the jungle the strong slay the weak until only the strong remain," +said Tanub. + +"And then the strong prey upon each other?" asked Orne. + +"That is a quibble for women," said Tanub. + +"It's too bad you feel that way," said Orne. "When two cultures meet +like this they tend to help each other. What have you done with the crew +of the _Delphinus_?" + +"They are slaves," said Tanub. "Those who still live. Some resisted. +Others objected to teaching us what we want to know." He waved the gun +muzzle. "You will not be that foolish, will you, Orne?" + +"No need to be," said Orne. "I've another little lesson to teach you: I +already know where you've hidden the _Delphinus_." + +_"Go, boy!"_ hissed Stetson. _"Where is it?"_ + +"Impossible!" barked Tanub. + +"It's on your moon," said Orne. "Darkside. It's on a mountain on the +darkside of your moon." + +Tanub's eyes dilated, contracted. "You read minds?" + +"The I-A has no need to read minds," said Orne. "We rely on superior +mental prowess." + +_"The marines are on their way,"_ hissed Stetson. _"We're coming in to +get you. I'm going to want to know how you guessed that one."_ + +"You are a weak fool like the others," gritted Tanub. + +"It's too bad you formed your opinion of us by observing only the low +grades of the R&R," said Orne. + +_"Easy, boy,"_ hissed Stetson. _"Don't pick a fight with him now. +Remember, his race is arboreal. He's probably as strong as an ape."_ + +"I could kill you where you sit!" grated Tanub. + +"You write finish for your entire planet if you do," said Orne. "I'm not +alone. There are others listening to every word we say. There's a ship +overhead that could split open your planet with one bomb--wash it with +molten rock. It'd run like the glass you use for your buildings." + +"You are lying!" + +"We'll make you an offer," said Orne. "We don't really want to +exterminate you. We'll give you limited membership in the Galactic +Federation until you prove you're no menace to us." + +_"Keep talking,"_ hissed Stetson. _"Keep him interested."_ + +"You dare insult me!" growled Tanub. + +"You had better believe me," said Orne. "We--" + +Stetson's voice interrupted him: _"Got it, Orne! They caught the_ +Delphinus _on the ground right where you said it'd be! Blew the tubes +off it. Marines now mopping up."_ + +"It's like this," said Orne. "We already have recaptured the +_Delphinus_." Tanub's eyes went instinctively skyward. "Except for the +captured armament you still hold, you obviously don't have the weapons +to meet us," continued Orne. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be carrying that +rifle off the _Delphinus_." + +"If you speak the truth, then we shall die bravely," said Tanub. + +"No need for you to die," said Orne. + +"Better to die than be slaves," said Tanub. + +"We don't need slaves," said Orne. "We--" + +"I cannot take the chance that you are lying," said Tanub. "I must kill +you now." + + * * * * * + +Orne's foot rested on the air sled control pedal. He depressed it. +Instantly, the sled shot skyward, heavy G's pressing them down into the +seats. The gun in Tanub's hands was slammed into his lap. He struggled +to raise it. To Orne, the weight was still only about twice that of his +home planet of Chargon. He reached over, took the rifle, found safety +belts, bound Tanub with them. Then he eased off the acceleration. + +"We don't need slaves," said Orne. "We have machines to do our work. +We'll send experts in here, teach you people how to exploit your planet, +how to build good transportation facilities, show you how to mine your +minerals, how to--" + +"And what do we do in return?" whispered Tanub. + +"You could start by teaching us how you make superior glass," said Orne. +"I certainly hope you see things our way. We really don't want to have +to come down there and clean you out. It'd be a shame to have to blast +that city into little pieces." + +Tanub wilted. Presently, he said: "Send me back. I will discuss this +with ... our council." He stared at Orne. "You I-A's are too strong. We +did not know." + + * * * * * + +In the wardroom of Stetson's scout cruiser, the lights were low, the +leather chairs comfortable, the green beige table set with a decanter of +Hochar brandy and two glasses. + +Orne lifted his glass, sipped the liquor, smacked his lips. "For a while +there, I thought I'd never be tasting anything like this again." + +Stetson took his own glass. "ComGO heard the whole thing over the +general monitor net," he said. "D'you know you've been breveted to +senior field man?" + +"Ah, they've already recognized my sterling worth," said Orne. + +The wolfish grin took over Stetson's big features. "Senior field men +last about half as long as the juniors," he said. "Mortality's +terrific?" + +"I might've known," said Orne. He took another sip of the brandy. + +Stetson flicked on the switch of a recorder beside him. "O.K. You can go +ahead any time." + +"Where do you want me to start?" + +"First, how'd you spot right away where they'd hidden the _Delphinus_?" + +"Easy. Tanub's word for his people was _Grazzi_. Most races call +themselves something meaning _The People_. But in his tongue that's +_Ocheero_. _Grazzi_ wasn't on the translated list. I started working on +it. The most likely answer was that it had been adopted from another +language, and meant _enemy_." + +"And _that_ told you where the _Delphinus_ was?" + +"No. But it fitted my hunch about these Gienahns. I'd kind of felt from +the first minute of meeting them that they had a culture like the +Indians of ancient Terra." + +"Why?" + +"They came in like a primitive raiding party. The leader dropped right +onto the hood of my sled. An act of bravery, no less. Counting coup, you +see?" + +"I guess so." + +"Then he said he was High Path Chief. That wasn't on the language list, +either. But it was easy: _Raider Chief._ There's a word in almost every +language in history that means raider and derives from a word for road, +path or highway." + +"Highwaymen," said Stetson. + +"Raid itself," said Orne. "An ancient Terran language corruption of +road." + +"Yeah, yeah. But where'd all this translation griff put--" + +"Don't be impatient. Glass-blowing culture meant they were just out of +the primitive stage. That, we could control. Next, he said their moon +was _Chiranachuruso_, translated as _The Limb of Victory_. After that it +just fell into place." + +"How?" + +"The vertical-slit pupils of their eyes. Doesn't that mean anything to +you?" + +"Maybe. What's it mean to you?" + +"Night-hunting predator accustomed to dropping upon its victims from +above. No other type of creature ever has had the vertical slit. And +Tanub said himself that the _Delphinus_ was hidden in the best place in +all of their history. History? That'd be a high place. Dark, likewise. +Ergo: a high place on the darkside of their moon." + +"I'm a pie-eyed greepus," whispered Stetson. + +Orne grinned, said: "You probably are ... sir." + + +THE END + + + +Transcriber's Notes: The table below lists all corrections applied to +the original text. + +p. 102: [normalized] ComGo -> ComGO +p. 103: net of snakers -> sneakers +p. 105: [removed extra quote] "Orne swallowed +p. 111: [added closing quote] "A glass-blowing culture," + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Missing Link, by Frank Patrick Herbert + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MISSING LINK *** + +***** This file should be named 23210.txt or 23210.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/2/3/2/1/23210/ + +Produced by Greg Weeks, Bruce Albrecht, Markus Brenner and +the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at +http://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project +Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you +charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you +do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the +rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose +such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and +research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do +practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is +subject to the trademark license, especially commercial +redistribution. + + + +*** START: FULL LICENSE *** + +THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE +PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK + +To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free +distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work +(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project +Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project +Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at +http://gutenberg.org/license). + + +Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic works + +1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to +and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property +(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all +the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy +all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. +If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the +terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or +entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. + +1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be +used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who +agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few +things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works +even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See +paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement +and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. See paragraph 1.E below. + +1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" +or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the +collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an +individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are +located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from +copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative +works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg +are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project +Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by +freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of +this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with +the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by +keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project +Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. + +1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern +what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in +a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check +the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement +before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or +creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project +Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning +the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United +States. + +1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: + +1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate +access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently +whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the +phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project +Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, +copied or distributed: + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + +1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived +from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is +posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied +and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees +or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work +with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the +work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 +through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the +Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or +1.E.9. + +1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted +with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution +must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional +terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked +to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the +permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. + +1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this +work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. + +1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this +electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without +prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with +active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project +Gutenberg-tm License. + +1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, +compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any +word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or +distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than +"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version +posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), +you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a +copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon +request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other +form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. + +1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, +performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works +unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. + +1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing +access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided +that + +- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from + the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method + you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is + owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he + has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the + Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments + must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you + prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax + returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and + sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the + address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to + the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." + +- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies + you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he + does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm + License. You must require such a user to return or + destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium + and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of + Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any + money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the + electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days + of receipt of the work. + +- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free + distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set +forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from +both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael +Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the +Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. + +1.F. + +1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable +effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread +public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm +collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain +"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or +corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual +property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a +computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by +your equipment. + +1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right +of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project +Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all +liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal +fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT +LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE +PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE +TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE +LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR +INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH +DAMAGE. + +1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a +defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can +receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a +written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you +received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with +your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with +the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a +refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity +providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to +receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy +is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further +opportunities to fix the problem. + +1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth +in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER +WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO +WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. + +1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied +warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. +If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the +law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be +interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by +the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any +provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. + +1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the +trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone +providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance +with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, +promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, +harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, +that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do +or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm +work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any +Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. + + +Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm + +Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of +electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers +including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists +because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from +people in all walks of life. + +Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the +assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's +goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will +remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure +and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. +To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation +and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 +and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org. + + +Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive +Foundation + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit +501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the +state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal +Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification +number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at +http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent +permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. + +The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. +Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered +throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at +809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email +business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact +information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official +page at http://pglaf.org + +For additional contact information: + Dr. Gregory B. Newby + Chief Executive and Director + gbnewby@pglaf.org + + +Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation + +Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide +spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of +increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be +freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest +array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations +($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt +status with the IRS. + +The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating +charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United +States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a +considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up +with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations +where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To +SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any +particular state visit http://pglaf.org + +While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we +have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition +against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who +approach us with offers to donate. + +International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make +any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from +outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. + +Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation +methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other +ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. +To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate + + +Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. + +Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm +concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared +with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project +Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. + + +Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + http://www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. |